[Dowdy_Ficklen]

Hey all,

I'm finally giving up on my Motorola Droid and I have bought a BB Tour off of eBay (should be here in a few days). I grew tired of the crappy battery life and having to change it up with ROMs just to keep the thing running decent. Also, it would be nice to have a phone from a company that is concerned with push notifications that AREN'T named Google.

What are some good apps? I use most of the social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare), but also want some basic productivity, news, weather, and sports apps.

What is a good case for this phone? Looking for something hardshell, but will settle for a gel case if I need to.

Also, how is the battery life? It will obviously be dependent on how much I use it and how many apps I have open, but is it the same as Android where you need an app killer?

Thanks for the help.

[SoccerRef12]

My favorite apps are Pandora, QuickLaunch, TuneIn radio, Google Maps, WallpaperShifter, BeWeather, BerryPopup and a few other minor ones. For sports I use QL shortcuts to mobile sports websites such as ESPN, SoccerNet, etc.

IMO you can't get much better than OtterBox for a rugged outdoor shell. It is a little bulky though. I have a sleek, clear snap on hard shell that's good because I can still slide it into the OEM holster.

Battery life is the downside for me. With my old 8330 I'd go from dawn to dusk with plenty of battery life. With the Tour I need to recharge on the way home to last until bedtime.

But all that being said, it sure beats the heck out of my old 8330 for performance.

JB

[bgriff25]

I've had my Tour for a little more than a year and I still enjoy using it every day. The apps I use on a regular basis are QuickLaunch, BeBuzz, BeWeather, ScoreMobile and Vlingo. I don't use a case with mine. I tried the Otter Box Defender but found it too bulky. I like the OEM pocket pouch because I like to be able to use the "in holster" profiles for certain notifications. I have no problem making it through a day on a single charge with moderate use, alot of txt/bbm, a few phone calls, maybe about an hours worth total, a little web browsing and checking FB. Off the charger @ 6 am and still have 30-40% battery life left when I get home @ 7 pm. Enjoy your Tour!

[Dowdy_Ficklen]

Sounds like I made a great choice! Thanks for all the help and advice!

[BayouBengal21]

I think you made a great choice as well The apps really depend on what you like to do with your phone. My favs are

Pandora
Professional call blocker
Bank of America
BeWeather
ESPN Radio
Fall Down(game)
Flixster
Our Groceries
Quick Search with Google
Google Voice

I have a Bold 9650 but its the same as the tour practically. I think you will really like it. If you only keep the apps you are using open, and set your display brightness to 10 or 0, and backlight dim to 10 sec. you will get good battery life. I get about 18 hours with moderate use and about 10-12 hours with constant use.

[the_sandman_454]

I've had an 8330 and my last BB was a 9630. I wouldn't count on getting much better battery life from the Tour than the Droid. My Tour got more or less the same battery life as my Droid 2, given a similar amount of use.

I never used many apps on my Tour. Google Maps, Google Sync (may not be relevant anymore, not sure how the built in sync on the new BIS is), Pandora, and that's about it.

[sig12]

I have no idea what most of you do with your BB Tour, but I can go at least two days on a full charge,almost three. It sounds like I am the exception and not the rule. Good luck with your Tour!

[ccw9mm]

I have a Otterbox defender and Otterbox commuter. they both are GREAT, I use the defender when I am outdoors a lot (hiking, snow, beach ect..) and The commuter for normal everyday.

[randommom]

I have a Tour in an Otterbox Defender. I am basically a phone/text/email user with a lot of web browsing news sites. I prefer the mobile web sites (facebook, linked in, NYT, etc) rather than the apps. However, I did install Opera Mini for browsing...the current version is not as good as earlier versions. I also have BB Traffic. My battery life is great...fine all day.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[chunligirl]

My bf bought me an Otterbox Commuter and as a former person who buys cases for it being "cute".. I will admit.. Otterbox does a great job in protecting your phone. Totally recommend you getting one. It is very durable too. Way better than any of the "silicone" cases from ebay or your local mall kiosk.

[pr1nce]

My must have apps are:

QuickLaunch
BerryWeather
Poynt
BerryPopup
Pandora
ScoreMobile
CB Launcher

[aznlgcy]

+1 for Poynt, ScoreMobile, BerryWeather

Those are must haves.

[ajonesma]

I too dropped my android phone and ordered a BB, because I was tired of the PUSH notifications not PUSHING!! and the battery was a piece of crap in my Motorola Droid and my HTC EVO 4G.