Comments on: RIM announces BlackBerry Tour 9630 for Sprint, Verizon Wireless

Research in Motion introduces its latest 3G QWERTY device, the RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630, which will come to Verizon and Sprint this summer.

[mobilemavy]

who would be stupid enough to buy this? even rim people will avoid it.

[scottyent]

I think the fact that wifi is not enabled is unacceptable. Why Verizon, why? So many of the best phones have wifi enabled, including clearly, the iPhone. So why, why, why disable it on such a potential Verizon hit phone? Come on, I've been a loyal customer of Verizon, but the 3G S may now push me over.

[jlt0x]

You ask why? RIM has a govt contract to provide BlackBerry smartphones. The govt purchases a huge amount of "stripped-down" BlackBerrys to distribute to govt employees.

[Godzilla442003]

All Sprint smartphones are now required to have Wi-Fi. Those without it will be reissued and those yet to be released WILL have Wi-Fi. However if you're in Verizon your out of luck.

[jasimf]

Boo for no WiFi - Pass...

[gadgetgirl9384]

Y is wifi such a big deal if u r on the verizon network w/the best coverage ,w/3G what does wifi add? ok speed but at most stores u must pay for wifi so y pay for wifi when u can get on the internet with 3G i mean I would boo hoo about wifi if it was not on a computer not a smartphone ;-? the iphone is nice i'm on the waiting list that'sgoing to b my fun phone i'm a young person in school and i'm not cryin about wifi. As a aspiring principal and advid traveler i don't c y i need wifi . i will tether w/ the bb tour and i can't w/the iphone it's easier to download music w/iphone and easier to get email w/bb tour my pt is every phone has pros and cons but these gadget ppl cryin about wifi on smartphones is confusing to me please explain what would b the advantage? Also it cost 100 dollars to get immediate email. Does anyone know if I go w/verizon r they going to add vcast store,music and stuff because it seems verizon always has the coverage for ppl like me who travel to los angeles,new york, and washington dc where u have to have verizon for the coverage but verizon is more expensive and usually offers nothing but great coverage so i'm hopeing verizon will offer some of the other stuff like sprint does nfl live, and the sprint store is tempted. Sorry so long winded

[FlipNite]

For me, it's about timing. I have Sprint, very happy with it in fact, and the cost can't be beat (after work discount, I pay 104 a month for 2 Curves with 1500 min/unlimited data & text). But I'm desperately ready for a new phone with new features, and I played and played with the Pre and it just wasn't for me. I kept saying, Sprint is WAY overdue for a new BB, but I assumed it wouldn't happen because of the push for the Pre... and then the iPhone 3GS was announced... and the 32GB size was just too much for me to say no to.

If they had announced this new model of the BB a few weeks earlier, I probably would never have entertained the idea of switching because of how well my Curve performed and how happy I am with the service. This phone was leaked out months ago... why keep a good thing under wraps for so long and let Apple steal everyone's thunder?

[brynn08]

never switch to ATT for the iphone....its not that serious.....sprints network and prices are way better....but i guess ppl are stupid enough to buy that phone let alone ATT outrageous prices !!!

[wesco77]

The reason for wifi is simple speed and money saving opportunities. T-Mobile has a similar BB (8900)and it allows wifi calling. Sending from and recieving to your number. It saves you minutes on your plan. That is why Verizon does not include that on thier phones. They ding you for each and every little service that you use even if its whithin the same technology realm. From Verizon's veiw they would lose money on a device that works independantly from their network. Shame on them as they lose so many customers that want the wifi on their phone. This is a pass for our business because Verizon offers less for more when they don't have to.

[abcyesn]

I've been using Blackberries for over a year now (and have several of them to date). I'm not necessarily an "expert" on BB's but I know more than the average user.

I'm a gadget addict with full blown Blackberry addiction :-) If you have never had one and don't know what I mean when I say that don't worry, you will soon enough ;-) They say once you go BlackBerry you can never go back and for the most part that is true. I have had several Blackberries on Verizon (8830 World Edition, Curve 8930, Storm 9530, and soon to be the Tour 9630) which is my preferred carrier. But I do have a line on AT&T because I could not resist the Bold any longer. Soon I will have an unlocked TMobile BB 8900 Curve and swap that back and forth with my Curve (the wonders of a SIM card).

I came across a site for the blackberry tour owners http://www.Blackberry-tour.com I hope you will also find it useful. talk care.

[ericbrog]

Why would they release a new Blackberry without Wifi? I have no plans to re-up my contract with Sprint just to get a phone that is out-of-date before it is even released.

For the people wondering why Wifi is so important you probably don't travel to remote locations much. I have many clients in areas where there is no cell phone coverage. If I had Wifi I would be able to connect to my clients business Wifi network and be able to use my phone. That would be a huge benefit instead of getting back to town and receiving 30 emails and 10 voicemails.

Six more months then I can drop Sprint like a bad habit and go with a company that has up-to-date phones.

[grigorexxxcore]

You guys are so cheap, screw WiFi. It's the most unreliable source of web there is! Only using the web in certain areas since there isn't a connection everywhere. So cheap, Sprints amazing Blackberry Plan is worth it, though I enjoy it only so much because as a family member of a Sprint employee, I get the BB plan for only $10. What a killer! Anyways, WiFi isn't such a big deal, they have other concerns to worry about.

[gadgetgirl9384]

I so agree grigorexxxcore this obsession w/wi-fi is so ridiculous most ppl r talkin about it b/c they need it w/t-mobile horrible coverage had it 3 yrs. if you can get on the net w/3G or something what's the big deal about a few nano seconds u miss r u ppl this important on the site I mean is Steve Jobs,Bill Gates and some CFO's. or CEO's on the site get a life if it had wi-fi u would still cry come back to the site when u have stopped breastfeeding w/ur mommy and r actually eating solid food and become a Man ;-(

[earthvoyager]

Could you Verizon customers grow up?

Verizon needs your money and support to stay high-profit ! Join her and pay for your extra data plan for only $30/month/line. You get better services that way and you make Verizon happy. Who need that free Wi-Fi ?

[s216674]

No wifi means that I will pass on this. I thought that this was the phone I was waiting for as a sprint customer but I guess that I was wrong. EricBrog is exactly correct on the reasons that wifi is important.

[frankiesdad]

After 20 years with the same service I'm walking away. Why? Because every other carrier offers Wifi enabled phones.

Having been overseas with the world edition, having not been able to connect (no signal) and watched my wife pull out the iphone and simply log on via wifi, that was it. I found myself using her phone to check e-mail and communicate with my office. Would do that, but iPhone's calendar and address book simply aren't business-friendly. So what's a business user to do?

Simple: ditch Verizon, move to T-Moblie or Sprint for 3G/WiFi connectivity.

[GizmoMonster]

Another reason to have wifi other than making calls or email is for controlling other devices. I've added wireless control to my house (music at the pool, turn lights on outside for the kids, warm up the hot tub, etc, etc) from any computer (Mac is great for this!) and if I had a BB with wifi then I wouldn't need to carry around my iPod Touch when at home. Hey Verizon, I've been with you since the early 90's but I think it's time for a change. I have a large business account with data and international travel options added but I'm tired of your "we know better attitude". Unfortunately the iPhone is not business friendly as pointed out by Frankiesdad so I'll be looking elsewhere this weekend.

[IT_Titan]

It seems there are two views here - those that think WiFi should be on the BB Tour, and those that don't think it's needed. You know what? You're both right and here's why. RIM should not exclude a feature that is a huge draw for other phone makers - even if the feature turns out not to be used very much by those same customers. This is good business sense. Give the masses what they want if they'll buy it - otherwise why the heck are you in business. Now, for those that don't think WiFi is really needed in a smart phone (and I'm one of those) you're right as well. It's not used nearly as much as the "demand" for it would seem to indicate. That said, the iPhone has forever changed the smart phone world and there's nothing RIM or anybody else can do but try to keep up. Personally I will not go back to AT&T, and just left Sprint for Verizon since the Pre lacks a ton of features that it shouldn't. As a capitalist pig, I love competition!! We have choices on top of choices. Nuf said.

[jacksfly]

what most people don't understand is that helps you save money IF you travel a lot. So for those of us that travel a lot, we wont have to pay roaming to check our emails. With all of the free open WIFI all around the world (except in the US, what a shame), it is easier to keep the phone services turn on for emergency or important calls and turn off the data plan and use the WIFI for emails. i don't think anyone know what it cost to roam on data, if you did, you would most likely want to have a wifi on your device. i'm really pissed at Verizon because the always keep their client from getting extra feature just to keep on squeezing more money from them. I admit, NO ONE can get close to the Verizon service in the US but that should not stop them from giving their client what they want. just make it a WIFI available only if the customer has a data plan, i'm ok with that..... as long as i don't have to pay a fortune just to check my emails and carry my laptop around all the time... such a simple thing...

[harleyy1]

never ever take sprint. worse network, expect drop calls, nonworking phones, terrible and unreliable service and 3g is nothing with sprint. i have verizon and i receive real 3g network, ive had it for 1 year and i have the ENV 1 and it is fast as can be, EVEN WHEN I DO NOT RECIEVE SERVICE. verizon has wonderful phones, best and cheapest plans, LOOK AT THEIR CONTRACT CUT OFF DISCOUNT FROM SPRINT. VERIZON: $175, SPRINT: $200. SPRINT HAS ONLY 40 MILLION CUSTOMERS WHEN VERIZON HAS 100 MILLION. you get the 5 unlimited calls or 10 (family plan for 10 #'s) for FREE no extra cost! now reading this...listen verizon has everything. ok!