Verizon RIM BlackBerry Tour to arrive July 12
(Credit:
Verizon Wireless)
Just a couple of weeks after the introduction of the RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630, Verizon Wireless announced Tuesday that the smartphone is now available for preorder online and will be in stores on July 12 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $70 mail-in rebate.
For that price, the BlackBerry Tour offers world roaming capabilities, providing you with voice coverage in 220 countries overseas and e-mail and Internet coverage in 175 countries. Domestically, the smartphone works on Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A network and supports a number of the carrier's services, such as VZ Navigator and V Cast Music.
Other highlights include a full HTML Web browser, built-in GPS, Bluetooth tethering, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. Verizon also revealed that it will release a camera-less model.
Sprint's version of the BlackBerry Tour carries the same $199.99 price tag, but the provider has not released a specific release date.
Bonnie Cha is a senior editor for CNET, covering smartphones and GPS. When she's not testing the latest gadgets, you can find her chasing after her crazy lab or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California. E-mail Bonnie. 
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/07/02/verizon-has-a-change-of-heart-prepares-to-open-blackberry-tour-pre-orders-to-all/
The inability to network on your Windows system and bad sound quality make it a deal breaker for me. Too bad I already bought it. More Chinese crap sold in America.
The sound quality of the phone is superb! better than any mobile phone i've used, actually at times it's better than my landline. THe speakerphone sound is great, although i still sound like i am on speakerphone when i talk, have yet to find something you don't. The external speakers sound good for what it is. I just use it for an alarm and it does the trick.
I don't know if it's the phone or the bluetooth headset i got, but no one can tell when i am on bluetooth.
This is my first bby or smartphone minus the week i had the storm. so i don't know if the keypad is a standard design or new. THere is a lift on the keys making it very easy to txt and you don't slip often and hit the wrong key like on other smartphones with small qwerty keypads.
This is such a great phone and easy to use, my mom who just learned how to use text msg and is not tech savy at all, went out and bought it the same day i did and loves it as much as i do and figured out how to use basic features.
Since you have to get the datapackage and can connect to internet anyway, i don't get the big deal of wi-fi, i might be a bit ignorant here, but don't you have to be somewhere where wi-fi is broadcasting to connect? and don't you have to pay a fee to connect to wi-fi in most public places?
re the camera, i love the fact you can choose to have it with or without a camera. do to the sentivity of my previous job, i couldn't bring my phone on site to some projects if it had a camera. I did get camera version, took one pic, but i don't buy phones for cameras. I want to access my email, make calls, have my contacts and calender all in one place and perhaps go on the internet. This blackberry does all that with style.
Overall, i am most impressed with sound quality of the calls and how comfortable it is to hold it when on phone and not using headset, which scores a perfect 10. The last time i've been this excited about a new phone was back in 2000 when i got one of the first CDMA (i think) phones that allowed me to use the phone while traveling without roaming charges.
Next week I will have to choose one of the three following smartphones for corporate business use.
The Storm, Bold, and Tour are my potential candidates I believe. Which one and Why??? I already am shying away from the Storm.
Thanks in advance...
- by sachilao August 31, 2009 1:14 AM PDT
- 3.2 mega pixel is fine as long as the quality of the picture looks good. Some phones have a 5 or 8 mega pixel camera but the pictures don't look good at all.
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