BlackBerry Tour
 | |
| Manufacturer | Research In Motion |
|---|---|
| Compatible networks |
CDMA2000/EV-DO Rev. A 800/1900 MHz UMTS/HSPA: 2100 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz |
| Availability by country |
July 12, 2009 (Verizon Wireless)[1] July 12, 2009 (Sprint)[2] July 15, 2009 (Telus)[3] July 9, 2009 (Bell Mobility) [4] August 20,2009 (Alltel) [5] October 27, 2009 (U.S. Cellular) |
| Successor | BlackBerry Bold 9650 |
| Form factor | Candybar smartphone |
| Weight | 130 grams, 4.6 ounces |
| Operating system | BlackBerry OS 5.0 |
| CPU | Qualcomm MSM7600 at 528 MHz |
| Memory | 128MB SDRAM |
| Storage | 256MB Flash memory |
| Removable storage | 2GB MicroSD (Included) Expandable up to 16GB |
| Data inputs | Trackball, keyboard |
| Display | 480x360 half VGA, 2.4" (built on 100µm pixel) |
| Rear camera | 3.2 megapixel |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 2.0 |
| Development status | Discontinued (2011) |
The BlackBerry Tour is a mobile phone developed by Research In Motion and is part of the 9600 device series.[6][7] This high-end messaging phone combines the multimedia features of the Curve with the global roaming of the 8830 (with the addition of North American GSM/GPRS/EDGE capability), plus a higher-resolution display, 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera, 3G data overseas and faster EVDO Rev. A data in the United States and Canada. Other key features include video capture, 3.5mm audio jack, memory card slot, push email, QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth, and GPS navigation. The BlackBerry Tour was released on July 12, 2009.[2][8] In 2010, the "Tour 2" refresh was re branded the Blackberry Bold 9650 when RIM decided to merge the GSM and CDMA2000 variants under the same brand.
Specifications
The BlackBerry 9630 has the following features:
- 256MB on Board Internal Memory
- 3.2 Megapixel camera with flash (Available without camera)
- aGPS - internal assisted GPS with extended ephemeris, BB Maps is standard
- MP3/WMA/AAC+ media player
- DivX/WMV/XviD/3gp video player
- Bluetooth v2.0, Bluetooth Stereo Audio via A2DP and AVRCP
- Browser - HTML browsing, View Movies/Clips from websites built for mobile streaming, RSS feed support
- Operating System: 5.0
Research In Motion (RIM) released BlackBerry OS 5.0 for the Tour in North America in April 2010. OS 5.0 feature improvements:
- All BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) devices running OS 5.0 will get an updated Web browser with more accurate AJAX rendering, faster JavaScript processing, and BlackBerry Widget support—including Google Gears and SQLite for BlackBerry Widgets.
- Companies running BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0—originally released back in May—will see several additional improvements on BlackBerry OS 5.0-equipped devices. They include follow-up flags for e-mail messages; e-mail folder management; the ability to view, edit, save, or e-mail documents from remote file shares; calendar appointment forwards and attachment viewing; and wireless contact sync for multiple folders, distribution lists, and Public/Shared folder contacts.
- BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) 5.0 (chat with other BlackBerrys)
- Email and text messages will have a stationary date header
- Threaded text messaging
- When sending pictures (via email, mms or bbm), an option to resize individual photos to 1024×768, 800×600 or 640×480 is given.
- Forward calendar entries
- Updated BlackBerry Maps
- Users will be able to set their default download folder, wallpaper, theme and reset the icon layout of a theme to its default layout from “Homescreen Preferences”
- If the device is running low on memory, a message will pop up that not only informs the user of the low memory, but also recommends rarely used apps for deletion
- Users can decide if they want to have sounds when the device is booting up, shutting off, plugged in to charge, unplugged from charging, when the battery is full and when the battery is drained.
- Users can now individually encrypt email PIN messages. All that is needed is for the sender and receiver to know the encryption password which is done via S/MIME
Official Released 5.0 Operating Systems:
- Telus : 5.0.0.419
- SaskTel : 5.0.0.419
- MTS Mobility: 5.0.0.419
- Sprint : 5.0.0.1030
- Verizon Wireless: 5.0.0.975
Critical reception
CNET's Bonnie Cha has criticized the BlackBerry Tour for lacking Wi-Fi and for not allowing applications to be downloaded to the memory card, but also praised its high resolution display and QWERTY keyboard and concluded that it was a "feature-rich and well-performing smartphone".[9]
References
- ↑ "BlackBerry Tour officially hitting Verizon on July 12th". The Boy Genius Report. Jun 29, 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- 1 2 "Sprint to launch BlackBerry Tour on July 12th, $199.99". The Boy Genius Report. Jul 1, 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ↑ "TELUS launching the BlackBerry Tour and HTC Snap on July 15th, Touch Pro2 on the 21st". The Boy Genius Report. Jul 5, 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ↑ "Bell releases BlackBerry Tour 9630 at $249.95!". MobileSyrup.com. July 10, 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ↑ "Alltel launches the BlackBerry Tour". The Boy Genius Report. August 20, 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
- ↑ "Lets Clear Up The BlackBerry Niagara BlackBerry Javelin Confusion". RIMarkable. May 6, 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ↑ "BlackBerry Niagara 9630 Coming to Verizon in May". Gizmodo. Mar 19, 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ↑ "Sprint Getting the Blackberry Tour on July 12th". Gizmodo. Jul 1, 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ↑ http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/rim-blackberry-tour-9630/4505-6452_7-33686230.html
External links
- BlackBerry Tour website (Official site)
- BlackBerry Tour specifications
- BlackBerry Tour Fan Community
- BlackBerry Tour 9630 Phone (Verizon Wireless)