1. cellinator's Avatar
    I have been using the Bold since last November. I bought it the day it was finally released. I have never had a complaint about it since owning it. There are some areas I wish were better of course.

    That said, I had a chance to stop by a Verizon store and try out the new Tour. Here's my take...


    SPEED
    The "feel" of the Tour and Bold in terms of speed is about the same. However, I did notice some jerky movement of the icon selection when moving the trackball horizontally (see TRACKBALL below) Other than that, I didn't notice a huge difference. It's fast and speedy!

    FORM FACTOR
    The form factor is similar to an 8900. However, I liked the action on the keys better. I was able to type a few sentences in a mock email without any issues. The keyboard is smaller than the Bold, but very workable. However, I do like the extra size the Bold has here. Some have complained that they keys seem farther apart and you have to stretch more on the Bold. I actually see this as an advantage because I'm more accurate as a result. Still, the action on the Tour was just fine! I could get used to it very easily.

    CAMERA
    The Tour definitely has the Bold beat here! I LOVE the Autozoom. I took a closeup of the small text descriptions of the Tour sign and was amazed at how clear the text looked! I now hate my Bold camera! lol... This is one area were I really think the Tour shines! Is this an operating system thing or is it the actual hardware built into the phone? I know the camera is 3.2 megapixels, that's definitely hardware. But, could the Bold have Autozoom in a new OS update? Seems plausible because it appears to be a software-related item. I could be wrong though...

    APPLICATION MEMORY

    The Tour wins again! Lots of app memory which I really would like the Bold to have. To be honest, I've never had any memory leaks that wiped out app memory on my Bold. However, I think this is an area that RIM should have addressed a long time ago! I don't care about storage (I'll buy an SD card for that!). I want more workable RAM for my apps and daily tasks.

    VIDEO CAMERA
    To be honest, after a test vid, I didn't really see a big difference between the Bold and the Tour.

    TRACKBALL
    My first Blackberry was the Curve 8300. The trackball stuck out quite far. When I went to the Bold, I had to get used to the trackball being recessed a bit more. Now, it's much better to me than the 8300 ever was! On the Tour, the trackball is recessed even further. It's recessed to the point of being uncomfortable, meaning I really have to focus the tip of my thumb on the trackball to avoid "skipping". I don't really care too much for that. Personally, I think it should protude just a little bit more (close to the Bold). Anything lower than the Bold's trackball is much more difficult to use. Again, this is only my opinion!

    WIFI

    This is a dealbreaker for me. I've heard arguments back and forth about WIFI. Some use it, some don't. Some need it, some don't. I didn't use my WIFI on my Bold for the first four months of owning the phone. However, I use it a lot now. How is it useful when you already have access through your carrier? Here's an example. When I go to my parents house, I drive out of the 3G area for AT&T and I'm on EDGE at that point. However, when I arrive at my parents, I automatically detect and use their wireless connection. This makes accessing web pages MUCH faster. I work quite a bit from my Berry. I have to reply to clients and interact via web pages on a daily basis. This is a bummer when things are slow. so, WIFI may seem like an extra, unneeded feature, but let me tell you, it IS useful! For me, it's a feature I must have in a Blackberry.


    Well, there you go. Sorry for the long thread, but I thought some of you Tour owners who felt like they missed out on the great Bold would love to hear a true Bold users point of view on the Tour. You've got a great device there!
    07-12-09 09:50 PM
  2. itsdollar's Avatar
    Nice review. I wish the Bold was on Verizon. I am happy with my 8330 but will probably be getting the Tour soon. Thanks
    07-12-09 09:55 PM
  3. cellinator's Avatar
    Thanks! Let's just put it this way. If the Tour had WIFI, I would give serious consideration to switching carriers for Verizon's superior network. However, the Onyx is coming which makes me want to wait even more. In the meantime, I'm good with the Bold but that doesn't mean the "Tour drool" won't occur! lol...
    07-12-09 10:12 PM
  4. lpj8's Avatar
    Wow,

    What a great user review! Thanks very much. How do you feel about the build quality relative to the Bold?
    07-12-09 10:17 PM
  5. cellinator's Avatar
    The Bold definitely feels heavier. I don't know if that's a function of the Bold being bigger than the Tour or not. In pure weight, I'm sure the difference is negligible.

    The one thing about the Bold I like is that I can feel the weight when I hold it. I've had basic cell phones that were ridiculously light (probably because of the cheap housing) and I didn't care for the way they felt in my hands. I felt I could drop them at a moments notice if I wasn't paying attention.

    I would feel confident with the Tour! Typically, I hold ALL Blackberry's with my hand wrapped completely around the device. I've dropped a few in my day holding them with the two or three finger approach!

    In terms of build quality, I think the Tour is more of a "one-piece" feel. What I mean is that the battery door is seamless with the rest of the device. This is not the case with the bold. There the fake metal bevel on the outer edge of the phone and the battery cover is a bit recessed which makes it look and feel like a different part rather than a part of the whole. This is really not a big deal though. I think both the Bold and the Tour are sleek in their own ways!

    The Bold has the infamous "creaking battery door" problem. I have had this problem on my Bold. At first, it bugged me, but now it doesn't. It's just one of those things I got used to and didn't lose sleep over and it truly is not a big deal. My original Curve 8300's door was perfect! Never moved, creaked, etc.

    I've been reading about some battery door problems already for the Tour! Here we go again! lol...
    Last edited by cellinator; 07-12-09 at 10:38 PM.
    07-12-09 10:30 PM
  6. Tuandizzle's Avatar
    Ive always wanted the Bold, cause everything about it is so appealing. I really like the design and the big screen. But now that verizon released the Tour..Im content. Im just really glad i got rid of my storm.
    07-12-09 10:40 PM
  7. mobile79's Avatar
    The Bold is a beautiful device. I just couldn't handle at & t. That's why I'm glad about the Tour for Verizon. It will give me that Bold experience. Never used wi-fi so no big deal there. I do appreciate the OP taking the time to do such an in depth comparison of the two.
    07-12-09 11:22 PM
  8. ARSC's Avatar
    i am just waiting for the onyx then i will c what to do.
    07-13-09 06:19 AM
  9. Dr.Sadistic's Avatar
    I have been using this phone for for 24 hours now, and must say, save the lack of wifi, this is superior to most phones on the market. I've never had or used a Bold, so I won't offer my opinion, but in comparison to the Storm and the Curve... It wins hands down. Good job RIM!

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    07-13-09 06:30 AM
  10. AlwaysLostSometimes's Avatar
    The Bold is a beautiful device. I just couldn't handle at & t. That's why I'm glad about the Tour for Verizon. It will give me that Bold experience. Never used wi-fi so no big deal there. I do appreciate the OP taking the time to do such an in depth comparison of the two.
    I agree with you there. The Bold is a very beautiful appealing device, but I CANNOT deal with AT&T's horrible cellular service and 3G service. My uncle who has a Bold can't even pick up 3G in my apartment and I live right in Manhattan. That means in my home I would constantly have to depend on Wifi. I'll stick with Sprint and once Sprint releases the 4G I'll be on top with that. So the Tour will be the phone for me for awhile.
    07-13-09 06:36 AM
  11. buzzdar's Avatar
    I too think its sad for no wifi but if I go out side coverage that has no data on my phone I don't need it never been anywhere that don't have vzw coverage

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    Last edited by buzzdar; 07-13-09 at 06:48 AM.
    07-13-09 06:36 AM
  12. stiletto835's Avatar
    This was a great review for me b/c I won't have my Tour until tomorrow! I have been reading the forum about the likes and dislikes thus far with the Tour and I must say I feel I made a good choice purchasing this device!

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    07-13-09 07:14 AM
  13. briankeith513's Avatar
    I have been using the Bold since last November. I bought it the day it was finally released. I have never had a complaint about it since owning it. There are some areas I wish were better of course.

    That said, I had a chance to stop by a Verizon store and try out the new Tour. Here's my take...


    SPEED
    The "feel" of the Tour and Bold in terms of speed is about the same. However, I did notice some jerky movement of the icon selection when moving the trackball horizontally (see TRACKBALL below) Other than that, I didn't notice a huge difference. It's fast and speedy!

    FORM FACTOR
    The form factor is similar to an 8900. However, I liked the action on the keys better. I was able to type a few sentences in a mock email without any issues. The keyboard is smaller than the Bold, but very workable. However, I do like the extra size the Bold has here. Some have complained that they keys seem farther apart and you have to stretch more on the Bold. I actually see this as an advantage because I'm more accurate as a result. Still, the action on the Tour was just fine! I could get used to it very easily.
    Good review, and for the most part, I agree with everything you've said. I also have a Bold, and don't notice much of a speed difference. I prefer typing on the Tour than the Bold, but the Tour is close to being too small for typing. I had to get use to it. The phone itself, is the perfect size to me. If the phone were any smaller, the keyboard would be a pain to me, yet, I'm glad the phone and keyboard are not as gigantic as my Bold's. The Bold's size makes me feel like I'm carrying a brick, but the phone itself is great. I will say this though, if the Tour's keyboard is almost too small for you, remember, the Onyx is a little smaller than the Tour. For me, that would definitely be too small.
    07-13-09 08:38 AM
  14. Thumper213's Avatar
    what about Battery Life?
    07-13-09 08:53 AM
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