Hardware
Construction
The 9630’s build quality is about par for BlackBerry’s course. The battery door is a little loose, the chrome-painted siding feels a little cheap, and the side and soft keys are virtually identical to the Curve 8900. The top Mute/Lock shoulder buttons are becoming the norm, and the Tour is no exception. I’m still not entirely sold on them, though, as it’s far too easy to accidentally lock your phone mid-operation, or unmute a particularly embarrassing track at a conveniently-timed lull in conversation.
One thing that really strikes me after playing with so many BlackBerrys is that it feels like RIM makes their most adventurous design departures in battery doors. It’s sad, but true. Sure, the latch mechanism is similar to the Curve 8900’s, but the central indentation and hatch pattern are distinctly new. The Storm’s double-switch mechanism is still very distinctive, the Bold’s leather door hasn’t been replicated anywhere else, nor has the Pearl Flip’s single simple slate. I guess RIM is considering this is what most people will see when they try to talk to someone on a BlackBerry, and if those poor souls had to look at identical battery doors across all lines, all the time, anyone not a part of the corporate hive mind would go absolutely insane.