Verdict
The Tour is a fine BlackBerry, and does the family name proud. As a value proposition, however, I’ve got to wonder if a nicer camera, a marginally slimmer form factor, a tiny software update that will find its way to the other devices anyway, and fifty bucks off the initial pricetag are worth losing out on Wi-Fi that I could get on the Bold. It’s a pretty close balance, but for a lot of people, GSM versus CDMA network coverage will be a deciding factor when weighing the Tour against the Bold. Compared to the Curve 8900, I’d happily sacrifice 3G for Wi-Fi. Personally, I’m happy with my Rogers service, and Wi-Fi is pretty dang convenient since I’m in a hotspot most of the time, so the Tour definitely loses out. There are rumours abound of a Wi-Fi version of the Tour coming out sooner or later, but by that time the Onyx 9020 will likely be in the picture.
Despite personal preferences, it’s easy to see how the 9630 fits into RIM’s overall strategy: CDMA carriers haven’t had a traditional QWERTY-keyboarded BlackBerry since the 8330 (or 8350i, depending where you look), and they need something real after the lukewarm performance of the Storm and Pearl Flip. Picking up on some of the new Curve’s sexiness, making a few minor tweaks and using the Bold’s keyboard results in a fine evolutionary device for those shopping on Verizon, Telus, Bell, or otherwise, but really doesn’t offer anything new to the overall BlackBerry scene. The series of small incremental upgrades, though noticeable, aren’t as pronounced as they should be in a device with this much hype.
As is, the BlackBerry Tour 9630 gets three and a half stars out of five; if it could undercut the Bold’s price point by more than fifty bucks and include Wi-Fi (both of which are likely to happen), the Tour would be an easy four stars.
