[JoshH37]

Well to start off with this one it will not be a "bashing" of the Tour as I don't own one, but just a few questions in the back of my mind as a potential Tour buyer.

A little background on myself.. I'm a college student who uses my smartphones for a variety of things, I rely pretty heavily on email and love to have a full HTML browser in my hands, as well as using the keyboard constantly as I send close to 20,000 texts a months. Phone/ voice quality is always on everyones list so this one is there too.

In the past I have owned WinMo devices in the form of phones like the BlackJack on ATT, the iPhone, the Blackberry Storm and even some dumbphones that just never cut it for me (LG Vu, ENV2). At the release of the Storm I became extremely excited because having left ATT and the iPhone behind I didn't have an option like this on my new carrier and the idea of a Blackberry with seemless Push email seemed very convincing..

So I purchased my Storm just after release at the beginning of December and this was my first BlackBerry experience. My first few thoughts were, "Wow I love this email, and man Blackberry is doing some things my WinMo iPhone never could!" I instantly fell in love with the Blackberry experience but at the same time I had headaches daily, the phone was SLOW no two ways about it everything I did on this phone I could do faster on my ENV2, Music, Texting, in and out of an email application, even opening the Browser.

But I stuck it out and tried some of the leaks and things really did get better but I could never fully satisfy myself with this phone. Then I tried a Bold. Let me just say this was the day my Storm went to the chopping block, the Bold is an AMAZING Blackberry, doing everything my Storm can do almost instantly! Well this is when my search for a better Blackberry came, I got rid of my Storm and picked up a new Blackberry Curve 8330, now while it's missing some things the bold and Storm had, better browser, hi-res display, media, and camera. It was still a bit slower than the bold but is still greatly satisfying my Blackberry and smartphone needs.

So this is going to lead me to the Tour, and what I can gather from reading on this site and others is that the Tour will infact be an awesome Blackberry, but will it leave me dissapointed? Or absolutely elated? From what I can tell so far even though this is the newest Blackberry coming to Verizon it's STILL not going to live up to the speed, and quickness that the ATT Bold has grabbed so many users with.

So I guess my question goes out to all of those who have been fortunate enough to get a hold of this device early. Will I be happy? I have seen and used the Bold but is the Niagra a step backwards? Will it have the same camera woes of the Storm? Will I be stuck waiting for firmware updates that never come? Or from day one will I have a Bold caliber device that I will happily replace my Curve with? For anyone who took the time to read this I thank you!

[jorGeorge]

The only advantage the Bold has over the Tour is WiFi, a slightly faster processor (not a significant difference, you would barely, if at all notice a difference), and the ability to do voice and data at the same time. With the Tour you gain a much slimmer and tight form factor, much better camera (2MP vs 3.2MP), micro usb (as opposed to the Bold's mini usb). I don't know where you got the impression that it will be a disappointment...everyone who has been lucky enough to handle the phone thus far has loved it. It will be a huge seller on Verizon. Sooooo many people will be ditching the Storm and switching to the Tour. You really can't go wrong with this device...

[antifriend]

I dont really think you can compare the storm to the tour just like you cant compare the bold to the storm. The storm was BB first effort with a touch screen that they are still ironing out and the software functions way different. The Tour is being most compared with the curve 8900 and the bold 9000, it seems to fall in the middle size wise and has the best of both worlds. From all the reviews i have read or seen people rave about it, and it seems to be Verizon's version of the new qwerty devices that are replacing the older curve and older world phone. I have a storm, but will deff be getting a tour and i am not even worried about being disappointed. You should feel confident in the Tour i think it is going to be a great device.

[JoshH37]

Yes and I am not saying that I will or will not be disappointed, simply that impressions so far are that the bold will still reign as the fastest Blackberry and with other future Blackberrys coming to GSM as even faster than the Bold will the Tour feel like old technology? Also I was pretty sure when I had the Storm I could do voice/data at the same time no problem? I thought this relied more on the 3G vs Edge than CDMA vs GSM?

[markhunsaker]

Wow. Since I've never had trhe Tour yet, it's all speculation. From what I've read about the Tour, it should be a big step up from the Curve 8330. I have had an iPhone and a Blackberry Storm. I currently have a 8330 and love it. So I am hoping that the Tour is not a great disappointment. It seems the few that have a Tour say the OS still need works but they are running 4.7.12. So I'm hoping by it's release, it will be running a rock solid OS.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jorGeorge]

Yes and I am not saying that I will or will not be disappointed, simply that impressions so far are that the bold will still rain as the fastest Blackberry and with other future Blackberrys coming to GSM as even faster than the Bold will the Tour feel like old technology? Also I was pretty sure when I had the Storm I could do voice/data at the same time no problem? I thought this relied more on the 3G vs Edge than CDMA vs GSM?

Like Crucial has said countless times, the 9630 was made to be respective to the Bold. I still don't understand where you get these impressions that the Bold will still dominate the BlackBerry world. The Tour is so comparable, if not arguably better than the Bold. The next BlackBerry than will overshadow the Bold/Tour is the Onyx which won't be hitting AT&T until late Fall at the earliest. And no, the Storm cannot do voice and data simultaneously. Both the Bold and Tour use 3G. You are confusing devices and carriers.

[BBZAX]

From what Crucial Xtreme has said, while the Bold is a little "snappier" than the Tour, it's not by much. You may or may not notice a difference. However, that said, from what Crucial Xtreme has said, and at least on paper, the Bold is currently the best QWERTY blackberry out there, and it will continue to be so, albeit barely, when the Tour comes out.

[JoshH37]

This is what I'm referring to.. With some comments being made that the 9630 will be on Bold level maybe a little less "snappy" It has to make an prospective buyer wonder why a device coming out almost a year after the Bold would have LOWER specs and possibly lower performance. To make this even more unsettling is the fact that a successor to the Bold (the device still out edging the tour) is in the "pipeline" for this year. So will I be satisfied with my Tour on verizon knowing that I could have an improved Blackberry experience on the a GSM carrier? Obviously having two contracts with Verizon switching to another carrier isn't practical, but is buying the Tour at retail a smart decision when shortly after release newer more beefed up Blackberries are coming to other markets?

[Stang68]

You won't be disappointed. Plain and simple.

[Stang68]

This is what I'm referring to.. With some comments being made that the 9630 will be on Bold level maybe a little less "snappy" It has to make an prospective buyer wonder why a device coming out almost a year after the Bold would have LOWER specs and possibly lower performance. To make this even more unsettling is the fact that a successor to the Bold (the device still out edging the tour) is in the "pipeline" for this year. So will I be satisfied with my Tour on verizon knowing that I could have an improved Blackberry experience on the a GSM carrier? Obviously having two contracts with Verizon switching to another carrier isn't practical, but is buying the Tour at retail a smart decision when shortly after release newer more beefed up Blackberries are coming to other markets?

Yes, you will be happy because you'll have 3G everywhere and will also be able to make calls without dropping them.

[jorGeorge]

This is what I'm referring to.. With some comments being made that the 9630 will be on Bold level maybe a little less "snappy" It has to make an prospective buyer wonder why a device coming out almost a year after the Bold would have LOWER specs and possibly lower performance. To make this even more unsettling is the fact that a successor to the Bold (the device still out edging the tour) is in the "pipeline" for this year. So will I be satisfied with my Tour on verizon knowing that I could have an improved Blackberry experience on the a GSM carrier? Obviously having two contracts with Verizon switching to another carrier isn't practical, but is buying the Tour at retail a smart decision when shortly after release newer more beefed up Blackberries are coming to other markets?

First of all AT&T has an exclusive on the Bold just like Verizon has an exclusive on the Storm. Verizon traditionally gets phones significantly later than other carriers. This is a sacrifice for great service. I don't want to start a carrier war, but in my location Verizon reigns supreme so I would never switch to AT&T. Listening to one or two opinions from people who have used the device and basing your opinion solely off that is not a smart idea. Wait for it to release and test out both the Bold and Tour. See which one you want...

[dc1225]

I'd be HUuuuuuugely disappointed if after all this wait, they fail to add the optical trackball!

[JoshH37]

First of all AT&T has an exclusive on the Bold just like Verizon has an exclusive on the Storm. Verizon traditionally gets phones significantly later than other carriers. This is a sacrifice for great service. I don't want to start a carrier war, but in my location Verizon reigns supreme so I would never switch to AT&T. Listening to one or two opinions from people who have used the device and basing your opinion solely off that is not a smart idea. Wait for it to release and test out both the Bold and Tour. See which one you want...

This is the path I will end up taking I'm sure, I simply was looking for some clean discussion in anticipation of the phone. I don't want this to be a carrier battle either, I was ATT for 4 years and although Verizon service in my area is far superior I had very little complaints. Clearly they are one of the favored carriers or technologies (gsm) when it comes to how RIM releases their devices.

[Stang68]

I'd be HUuuuuuugely disappointed if after all this wait, they fail to add the optical trackball!

Yeah, thats not gonna happen.

[noaim]

I think the only department that the Bold has the tour beat is in multitasking... as far as speed is concerned..


The tour has more app memory so this is a plus.

I don't think it will be disappointing it will be faster then your current device by quite a bit.

[slinky317]

I'd be HUuuuuuugely disappointed if after all this wait, they fail to add the optical trackball!

Then I would have to say be prepared to be disappointed. The 9630 is probably about to be in final production phase, and redoing the trackball at this point is unrealistic.

[RicanMedic78]

to the OP

Will the Bold be superior to the Tour. Maybe! By little or by a lot, its still superior in the ways that count (although more memory on the Tour may make you see this differently) SHould you get it, maybe! Depends on your needs. Will it be a good device, I'm pretty sure it will be, maybe even a damn good one.

But, you are 100% right in your observation about its lower performance, and given that its come out almost a year after the Bold only makes it worse. Yes, the Bold has wifi, and yes, it does data/voice together, and yes, it has unblocked aGPS, and yes its faster. You can't agree with these points and on the same token say they are still neck n neck. They are not! The Tour wins on memory, maybe form factor depending on ur taste, and in camera

Now.... If you love your verizon service and coverage, then that "CAN" reign superior over the limitations in the device specs. Also, since this is an upgradde to the 8830 WE and maybe even the 8330 (for now anyway), maybe u should rationalize whether its a good upgrade based on those models rather than comparing it to the Bold, which is on an entirely different carrier.

So I agree with your thoughts on the subject and you did ask the right questions. There's a lot of ways you can look at it. I guess in the end, just ask yourself if its a device that will meet your needs for at least the 2 years you will be signing for the device.

[mixtape86]

The only advantage the Bold has over the Tour is WiFi, a slightly faster processor (not a significant difference, you would barely, if at all notice a difference), and the ability to do voice and data at the same time.

Doesn't the Storm also allow this ability to do voice/data at the same time? I wasn't aware that this was something the Bold could do whereas the Storm could not .

[JoshH37]

You seem to be looking at the exact same things that I am and seeing past the fact that this will be the "newest BB when it comes out". Like you said plain and simple in quiet a few areas the Bold will still out spec the Tour. I suppose despite me posting this thread only time will tell on whether or not I will be happy with what the Tour will give me.

to the OP

Will the Bold be superior to the Tour. Maybe! By little or by a lot, its still superior in the ways that count (although more memory on the Tour may make you see this differently) SHould you get it, maybe! Depends on your needs. Will it be a good device, I'm pretty sure it will be, maybe even a damn good one.

But, you are 100% right in your observation about its lower performance, and given that its come out almost a year after the Bold only makes it worse. Yes, the Bold has wifi, and yes, it does data/voice together, and yes, it has unblocked aGPS, and yes its faster. You can't agree with these points and on the same token say they are still neck n neck. They are not! The Tour wins on memory, maybe form factor depending on ur taste, and in camera

Now.... If you love your verizon service and coverage, then that "CAN" reign superior over the limitations in the device specs. Also, since this is an upgradde to the 8830 WE and maybe even the 8330 (for now anyway), maybe u should rationalize whether its a good upgrade based on those models rather than comparing it to the Bold, which is on an entirely different carrier.

So I agree with your thoughts on the subject and you did ask the right questions. There's a lot of ways you can look at it. I guess in the end, just ask yourself if its a device that will meet your needs for at least the 2 years you will be signing for the device.

[blackmannx]

Having used both the tour and the bold for rather extended time I can say that the bold is a better phone.. The reasons I say this is due to a couple of factors.

1. WiFi- Having a secondary form of data can be an asset when you dont have full cellular data service. It also allows you to use some apps that only work on WIFI like the down loadable television shows and such coming down the pipe. The downside is decreased battery life.

1.GSM 3G, unlike CDMA GSM 3g allows for voice and data at the same time so on the bold you can still email and BBM while on the phone. On the Tour those emails will not be sent until you are off the phone and you will not receive any as well. Getting off a long phone call and receiving bunches of emails and BBM messages is a drag. This will change when Vzw moves to LTE.

But the flip side is that you will have far superior coverage (At&T even admitted that their network cant handle the data demands) On the bold I would often be in full 3G and getting speeds slower then dial up, that doesnt happen on a network that can handle the load. Also the Camera is much better on the tour and and I wouldnt worry about the OS as QWERTY BB CDMA devices are not an issue like touchscreens.

[JoshH37]

Thanks for the response.. I guess I just don't understand RIM/ Verizons game plan with releasing essentially an already outdated device.. Processor speeds whether noticeable or not should go up over time not down? Right? In my eyes CDMA has gotten very little love in the past and will continue to be a step down or outdated than the GSM counterparts.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

This is what I'm referring to.. With some comments being made that the 9630 will be on Bold level maybe a little less "snappy" It has to make an prospective buyer wonder why a device coming out almost a year after the Bold would have LOWER specs and possibly lower performance. To make this even more unsettling is the fact that a successor to the Bold (the device still out edging the tour) is in the "pipeline" for this year. So will I be satisfied with my Tour on verizon knowing that I could have an improved Blackberry experience on the a GSM carrier? Obviously having two contracts with Verizon switching to another carrier isn't practical, but is buying the Tour at retail a smart decision when shortly after release newer more beefed up Blackberries are coming to other markets?

While it's my honest opinion that the Bold is a better device, the 9630 is not far behind and could be considered as good or possibly better.
Is the Bold a little quicker when multi-tasking and doing a few other things? Yes. But the 9630 is no slouch and is a very very fast device. It has the absolute best native browser on a BlackBerry to date(upon release). It has a great camera, great form factor, and can be used across the world.
Yes the 9000 has a faster processor, but that's just the way GSM vs CDMA base band processors are these days. The Qualcomm chipset in the 9630 is very good.
As I have said before the 9630 was made to be respective to the 9000. Not compete with as its just a CDMA extension of the 9000. In some ways the 9000 is better and in some ways the 9630 is better. Again, respective of each other.
If/when you get the 9630 you will not be let down. This will be absolutely without a doubt the best CDMA BlackBerry on the market, and arguably the best CDMA device on the market period. RIM is known for it's great devices, especially physical qwerty ones and the 9630 is no different. In no way shape or form is the 9630 outdated. To say so is absurd.

[SevereDeceit]

I'm with you on that one CX...

[mixtape86]

1.GSM 3G, unlike CDMA GSM 3g allows for voice and data at the same time so on the bold you can still email and BBM while on the phone. On the Tour those emails will not be sent until you are off the phone and you will not receive any as well. Getting off a long phone call and receiving bunches of emails and BBM messages is a drag. This will change when Vzw moves to LTE.

This is a big downside, but more of a Verizon issue. It wouldn't really be fair to give the Tour a strike on this when it is impossible to avoid atm. Does anyone know if SMS/MMS are also held until the call is over? When using my vx9900, I can receive and send sms messages while on the phone. However, if an MMS comes in during a call, I will be notified of the new message, but wont be able to download/open it until off the phone.

[avt123]

This is a big downside, but more of a Verizon issue. It wouldn't really be fair to give the Tour a strike on this when it is impossible to avoid atm. Does anyone know if SMS/MMS are also held until the call is over? When using my vx9900, I can receive and send sms messages while on the phone. However, if an MMS comes in during a call, I will be notified of the new message, but wont be able to download/open it until off the phone.

You can get SMS/MMS while on the phone. Just nothing that involves data.