Buy Microsoft Office Home & Student
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 107 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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11 out of 13 people found this review helpful
3.5 stars
"BOLD IS STILL NUMBER ONE BUT THE TOUR'S NOT FAR BEHIND!"
Pros: Design pulls the Curve 8900, the Storm, and the Bold all into one sleek package
QWERTY keyboard is like the one featured on the Bold and the 8800 series
Updated Blackberry OS adds nice design touches and brings a nice update to the older aging OSCons: WIFI!!! Where did it go? This is the first blackberry without wifi in recent months.
Summary: A friend of mine who works a local I.T. Tech firm recently got his hands on this new handset through connections at Verizon and I have to say it is a great improvement over Verizon's old Blackberry series. Verizon is the best carrier it seems around the downtown Los Angeles and Upper Manhattan areas (where I split my time with work).
Design could use some tweaking
I currently own a Blackberry Bold and can say that there are certain things that the Bold has that the Tour doesn't. Firstly I think the Tour's back is more solid than the Bold's faux leather backing and just feels more secure. Secondly I think the Tour's red numeric accents add a nice touch (unlike the Bold's all-white lettering) it just makes it easier to read. Style is subjective too so it all depends on what you want.
While using the phone as a phone/text/internet/email device while I was at work I felt confident while using the phone that it was powerful enough to do everything I needed it to. I didn't have it long enough to find it worth it to set up my corporate email (Microsoft Exchange) so I cannot say how it will work but it was smooth sailing on the Blackberry Bold which I'm assuming will work just as well.
While I was traveling around downtown Los Angeles I had excellent reception and so did not need Wi-Fi but it is a nice thing to have if you live inn area where you do not pull in 3G speeds. While I waited for my flight at LAX in Terminal 4 to JFK signal did drop a bit and at times the web browser was slow although nothing major and nothing too much to complain about.
Touching down at JFK the network automatically changed the time upon my turning on the handset once in the terminal. Signal strength was quite low at points in JFK but it never dropped signal and I was able to talk continuously to a business associate on my way through the terminal all the way out through baggage claim to the curb. Right on, Verizon!
The phone also performed well in web browsing. Keep in mind that Blackberry's browser (while it is a full HTML browser) does not perform as well as Apple's Safari or even HTC's Android browser. However for my needs it performed well. Text was easy to read and the small cursor makes clicking links a snap.
The phone itself (making calls and receiving calls) performed well (as previously stated) and call quality was a tad better over the Bold's. I personally prefer AT&T coverage and customer support however it's all up to the buyer as to what they want to go with. Verizon's coverage was clear all the way from JFK up to Central Park and out and around Manhattan. The phone works and clearly excels as a phone. The speakerphone works well (though the Bold's stereo speakers do project sound better than the speaker on the Tour).
Battery life was incredible even with 3G. (Since Blackberry took out Wi-fI that will make your battery last even longer) I'm assuming that Blackberry used the same powerhouse 1500mAh battery found in my Blackberry Bold which lasts well up to three days with the phone fully performing. I did have the phone off during the flight over from LAX to JFK so that may also have lengthened the battery life. However with email, text SMS messaging, phone calls, and internet browsing the battery only dropped two and a half bars from 4AM in Los Angeles to 11PM in New York City. Rock on, Blackberry!
Another feature that corporate users (and others, students too) will like is the Documents to Go Suite now included in Blackberry's operating system. I was able to open Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files without a hitch from my email when sent as an attachment. Documents to go worked better than the Office MObile on Windows Mobile phones. Just something to think about. IPHONE DOES NOT HAVE THIS CAPABILITY. Just thought I'd mention that. I'm not a big fan of the iPhone since it seems way to standard now days. It's silly to compare an iPhone to this since they're in two different categories.
If you're thinking about the Tour and don't have Verizon please check coverage in your area before signing on with them. Again the Tour DOES NOT HAVE WIFI so you're relying heavily on Verizon having coverage in your area. IF YOU ALL READY HAVE VERIZON, and you're up for an upgrade, then heck! GO FOR IT!
I personally would not choose this phone but it is one sick powerhouse phone that will outperform most other smartphones. Excellent work, Blackberry and Verizon
Updated on Jul 7, 2009Oh well SKULIJIBB, I realize that and firstly it is a dual band phone and secondly I was merely commenting on the fact that it does not have Wi-Fi there is no need for your juvinile "duh" comment and I apologize for any mistake in my post.
- 9 replies to this review
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great review.... i just wished you setup the email accounts... this is where blackberry shines the most
I have an iPhone and yes they don't have the Word, Powerpoint, and Excel features which would have been really nice but the Palm Pre is getting these features so...
Well Ive never tried the Tour but the Bold is awesome gets my emails in realtime very awesome device for business -
What a great review! It's thankless, so here's a thankyou!
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Bold is a great phone but a little too large. If it weren't for the service (AT&T), it would be the best BB out . Unfortunately, the service is horrible and I am from the NYC area and alot of people would agree. I use the slingplayer with it and it was great when I had 3G which was like 60% of the time only.
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@JJPITT99
Firstly Wi-Fi will enable you to connect to your home network if you have one running, also most Starbucks' and coffee shops will have some kind of wireless. YOU SHOULDN'T BE USING YOUR PHONE IN THE CAR. Also like I said in my review I travel between LAX and JFK and for ME it's worth the cost should I ever need it, everyone's needs/wants are different so I don't think you should be calling me out on that.
Secondly if you don't need Wi-Fi on a phone that's actually good because you can probably find a less expensive phone that will satisfy you. -
@alergy:
Haha sorry I'm limited to 1000 characters per reply...
The Tour should be a fine phone for you, though I'd also take a look at the AT&T Blackberry Bold (which I use and love) because of it's just a bit larger keypad. Also you get Wi-Fi integration (again ignore the other users comments) which will allow you to connect to your own wireless network or other public Wi-Fi networks around you. It's just something nice to have, you probably won't need it but if you happen to it will just ensure that you do get fast download and web speeds.
Good luck on finding your perfect phone, and if you want to know anything more feel free to ask! Have fun -
@alergy:
Thanks! Since the other two on the page seem to be critical it's nice to hear someone say something nice. Umm...yeah they're different but to me it's really up to what you need/want in a phone. The Touch Pro is a really cool phone and has the touchscreen so if that's what you're into then go for it. I've always been a fan of either HTC phones or Blackberrys so to me either of the two will work fine. I'm not sure what the Touch Pro 2's battery life is like but I know the Blackberry's battery can really outperform some of the competition.
Um I don't mean to offend anyone when I say so but I really think that the HTC Snap (Sprint) is a disappointment as far as a smartphone coming out in 2009 goes. I think you're much better off with a Blackberry but that's just my opinion. I wrote a review for the Snap because I had some hands on time and I really felt it was a disappointment. The Blackberry runs much more smoothly and you're definitely going to get a more professional device. -
So tell me how you will get on wi-fi without paying? Most wi-fi are not free in the us. So if I am driving down the road it be hard to get wi-fi that it open to public or not free.. wi-fi is not free in most airport yet either. So what everyone big deal that a phone must have wi-fi?
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Great review. In your opinion, would you recommend this Tour over.. say the HTC Snap or HTC Touch Pro 2? I realize that the other phones I am referring to are different. (noticeably the Touch, with slide out keyboard.. yady yada)
I've never been a blackberry user, I've had the HTC s720 and have been mildly satisfied. This is why I'm considering the Tour. Input? I'll have lots of time to choose, my contract isn't over for half a year. - Thanks -
Ummmm, the Storm and Verizons Pearl flip did not have wi-fi, duh. There has never been a CDMA Blackberry to have wi-fi.
Where to buy
RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630 (Verizon Wireless):
$149.99 - $699.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$149.99 | Yes |
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$509.99 | Yes |
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Best Buy
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$699.99 | See Site |
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