I’ve been playing around with the BlackBerry Tour 9630 on TELUS and I’ve put together my impressions, pics and some Bold and 8900 comparison points. This BlackBerry Tour is not a commercial unit, so while it’s running final code, it didn’t come with all the branded packaging – not that you would really care.
In general, this device is where the Curve 8900 meets the Bold. This is indicative of RIM’s latest device strategy of making hybrids to satisfy a gray area of customers, while working on the the more evolutionary devices which take longer to produce. This strategy is summed up as follows:
“You may not love every BlackBerry released by RIM, but rest assured there is a BlackBerry for everyone.”
I just got this from the official RIM media page and it’s nothing all that exciting. It’s still worth posting in that it shows you a basic walkthrough of the device and its features. This video is likely meant for companies and carriers to use when creating ad and marketing material.
To enjoy the video, I suggest letting it buffer for a while, and then skipping at least a minute into the video. At the end, you can see the updated BlackBerry Maps application which looks very nice on the Tour.
MobileSyrup got the scoop on the BlackBerry Tour 9630 coming to Bell. The device will be launching mid-July, and the full internal spec sheet is available.
Although there are no pricing details available, but the device has got some really interesting network support:
The BlackBerry Tour 9630 promo material is showing up at Bell locations and BGR got a pic. This means we’re fairly close to launch date. Although there is no official release date, this is telling us it’s going to be this summer.
The BlackBerry Niagara, now called the BlackBerry Tour, is rumored to hit Verizon in July. Pricing is expected to be $199 with a 2 year contract as well.
If this device is going to be announced at WES, it would be a considerable wait from announcement to release. Keep in mind that delays are always expected and mid-July to August is just as likely.
In any case, if you’re on Verizon, get ready for a sweet device launch this summer!
The BlackBerry Niagara 9630 now has an official name and it’s the BlackBerry Tour 9630. The device is likely to be promoted alongside the U2 360 Tour which RIM is sponsoring.
The leaks come from a BGR tipster who says the device is to be released in early summer. Also of note, the Web addresses BlackBerry9630.com and BlackBerryTour.com are not only tied to the same IP address, they were both registered on the same day.
