According to two analysts, Research In Motion (RIM) sold an estimated 150,000 BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphones during its first weekend in release. It could represent a setback in RIM’s battle against Google Android and the Apple iPhone for market-share if that number holds.

New sales estimates may leave RIM disappointed if the company hoped its BlackBerry Torch 9800 would prove an instant success. The new smartphone sold only 150,000 devices over the weekend, according to analysts at RBC Capital Markets and Stifel Nicolaus.

The analysts arrived at that estimate after conducting retail spot-checks, according to the Wall Street Journal. RIM’s first smartphone to feature both a sliding QWERTY keyboard and capacitive touch-screen, the BlackBerry Torch 9800 originally went on sale Aug. 12.

Currently, Amazon.com offers the Torch for $99.99 or half its original asking price of $199 with a two-year contract through AT&T. But despite lukewarm early reviews, the sale may not indicate a longer-term loss of faith in the device because the online retailer is also known for radically slashing smartphone prices.

(Thanks to eWeek and Wikipedia)