[by1333]

go with the tour...

[mkurz12]

I would defintiely go with the Tour. No Wifi is the only thing you will be lacking.

I have the Curve, Storm and Tour. In my opinion the Curve is still the most comfortable device to hold but the Tour wins hands down as far as usablitity. It's faster in every respect and the screen is very clear and crisp. The camera works great as well.
I agree, stay away from the Storm. I like it but I only use it on the weekends for the most part and only use it for a week or two at a time at the absolute most. That being said, it is fun and very usable but it does have it's flaws. Also the in store demos are not a good reference point for them. I haven't played with one that wokred well in sometime now.

Anyway, in closing if your sticking with Verizon and definitely getting a BlackBerry, you can't go wrong with the Tour.
The trackpad and Wifi are nice for the coming 8530 but it is definitely a step down from the Tour.

[tK715]

I am in the same situation as the OP. I'm currently with Verizon and am eligible for an upgrade next week! I am pretty much set on the Tour. From what I have researched, WiFi is not a deal breaker for me. Some others, maybe so. Verizon's coverage is excellent, albeit this may depend on your location. I usually always have cell phone signal wherever I am, so WiFi isn't that important to me. I feel I can live without the extra few seconds of a faster connection (WiFi vs. Verizon's 3G). Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind the extra feature of WiFi on a BB, however it's not a deal breaker IMO. It pretty much comes down to personal preferance. I think that the Tour is the best looking BB currently on the market, however there will ALWAYS be something bigger and better in the future.

[BrianW2007]

Welcome to the Forums and good luck with your decision. Tour or Curve you can not go wrong! (But.. ehh... might as well go for the Tour )

again, welcome and enjoy!

[skyboxer]

I do not have to have WiFi--- but it's always a nice to have.

I do not currently have a BB or a data phone but I am finding it harder and harder to work without one. So I don't HAVE to have that right now either.

I comes down to this: I do like the Tour, but since I am new to all of this, is there a phone that is coming down the pipe within a few months that would be like the Tour with WiFi? ORRR Is the Tour a better phone than the new one that is supposed to hit Verizon (8530 with Wifi) soon?

The Tour is a more capable phone than the 8530 will be. Sprint has announced they will have a Tour that has Wifi and the new Optical trackpad sometime in november. I am sure that Verizon will follow suit but they haven't announced anything that I know of.

[JRFI]

OK, I did it! I have a little over a week left on my 30 day try out of the AT&T Bold. Today I picked up a Verizon Tour. I am going to put them both to the test for the next week. I will keep the winner and return the loser.

My first impression is that the Bold is a better constructed phone. The dual speakers allow a higher volume with less distortion over the Tour when using the speakerphone feature. I had to charge the battery so I only had the chance to do a quick call quality test. I was told that I sounded slightly better on the Bold over the Tour. I felt the I could hear the other person a little clearer on the Bold over the Tour.

I went into a building that I had previous problems in using an older Verizon phone. As soon as I walked in the door the old phone lost service. When I first got the Bold I tested it inside this building and had no trouble in any area. The Tour went about a third of the way into the building and lost its signal. To be fair, I also had problems with the Bold today but it still did better than the Tour.

I was a little worried, at first, about the size of the keys on the Tour but after using it it seems like it is not that big of an adjustment so I would give them a tie score on the keyboard. The Tour certainly had the win on the camera.

I don't want to drag this out beyond two days so I'm going to run them both long and hard. I'll post the results on Wednesday the 5th.

[JRFI]

OK, I did it! I have a little over a week left on my 30 day try out of the AT&T Bold. Today I picked up a Verizon Tour. I am going to put them both to the test for the next week. I will keep the winner and return the loser.

My first impression is that the Bold is a better constructed phone. The dual speakers allow a higher volume with less distortion over the Tour when using the speakerphone feature. I had to charge the battery so I only had the chance to do a quick call quality test. I was told that I sounded slightly better on the Bold over the Tour. I felt the I could hear the other person a little clearer on the Bold over the Tour.

I went into a building that I had previous problems in using an older Verizon phone. As soon as I walked in the door the old phone lost service. When I first got the Bold I tested it inside this building and had no trouble in any area. The Tour went about a third of the way into the building and lost its signal. To be fair, I also had problems with the Bold today but it still did better than the Tour.

I was a little worried, at first, about the size of the keys on the Tour but after using it it seems like it is not that big of an adjustment so I would give them a tie score on the keyboard. The Tour certainly had the win on the camera.

I don't want to drag this out beyond two days so I'm going to run them both long and hard. I'll post the results on Wednesday the 5th.

I don't want to drag this out beyond two days so I'm going to run them both long and hard. I'll post the results on Wednesday the 5th.[/QUOTE]

OK the test is over. I went with the Tour. The Bold was the winner in my testing but AT&T's 3G may not be available in the area I may move to. Verizon has better coverage throughout the state so I couldn't risk a 2 year contract with AT&T. It broke my heart to turn in the Bold but like others have posted you go with the carrier first the phone second. The Tour may be Verizon's flagship BlackBerry but the Bold is in a different class. The Tour isn't a bad phone but comparing it to the Bold is like comparing a minni cooper to a semi.

BlackBerryNovice2009>> I think you will like the Tour but I would wait for the wi-fi model if , in fact, Verizon does plan on adding it. I couldn't wait so I went for it now.

[Dendrite]

Good Morning OP:

Here's my $0.02 for you. Check on your local CraigList for a new or nearly new 8330 Curve. It's going to vary region by region but my local List has several Curves that are within several months of being brand new for $80-$125.

If you pick up one of these you'll have a very solid, nearly bullet-proof BB that simply speaking...just works (not that the Tour doesn't! ). As you're new to this BB addiction, the Curve is a simple little berry that you can get your feet wet with.

Now because you have no contract with VZW as you would by buying a new Curve or Tour from them, you can take your time with your decision. See what shakes out with the Tour via OS 5.0. See what Storm 2 looks like in a few months. Maybe even wait for the rumored WiFi enabled Tour, or the large, touch screen with physical qwerty device, etc.

Good Luck!