RIM Unveils Blackberry Tour 9630

[ON3/\L]

here's some published information on the newest Blackberry scheduled for release this summer & we/Sprint will have it -- this handset was originally called "Niagra" -- the CDMA - GSM version will be called the "Tour" -- the newest and, bound to be, most popular International phone taking elements of the Curve & Bold -- take a look -- THE INNOVATION WILL NOT STOP!

http://www.techtree.com/India/News/RIM_Unveils_Blackberry_Tour_9630/551-103260-893.html

Research in Motion has finally unveiled its 3G-ready world BlackBerry Tour 9630 smartphone. Its CDMA version was announced in U.S. on Sprint and Verizon Wireless. This is the same BlackBerry Niagara 9630 smartphone, images of which were leaked back in March. And as noted, Tour is the combination of the best of BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Bold.



BlackBerry Tour's 3G support comes for both GSM and CDMA networks. One of the major highlights of the phone is its clear 480x320 pixel resolution screen.

Tour features a 3.2 megapixel camera with video recording, music-video player, 3.5mm audio jack, 256MB built-in memory (expandable up to 16GB) and replaceable lithium-ion 1400mAh battery promising talk time of 5 hours. Duh, in times of Lithium-polymer, it's surprising to see new models carrying lithium-ion batteries.

BlackBerry Media Sync and Pandora or Slacker Radio apps from the Blackberry App World can be downloaded to use with any headphones via 3.5mm audio port. Tour also packs in a GPS chip and offers BlackBerry Maps with image geo-tagging feature. Along with that, Tour offers support for other standard BlackBerry features like Corporate Data Access and Wireless Email.

 

[ON3/\L]

Your Curve is Officially OUT- Dated

Here some more info on the BB Tour and the specs as well as feature list etc.

Your Curve is Officially Dated. BlackBerry Tour Coming to Verizon Wireless and Sprint
LAPTOP Magazine: The Pulse of Mobile Technology By Todd Haselton Jun 16 2009
As much as we love the BlackBerry Bold's blazing performance and sharp display, many find that device a bit too bulky. At the same time, the Curve 8330 for Sprint and Verizon now looks old and tired compared to the sleeker (but 3G-lacking) Curve 8900 on AT&T and T-Mobile. The Tour combines (almost) everything we love about the Curve 8900 and Bold in one easy-to-carry device. Expect it to hit Sprint and Verizon Wireless in the coming weeks for $199 (after rebates).
As befits its name, the Tour boasts 3G data connectivity for both stateside (EV-DO Rev. A) and abroad (3G UMTS/HSPA). That world roaming capability will be a key selling point for business travelers. However, we would have liked for RIM to add Wi-Fi to the mix, too. Intrigued?
More details and specs after the jump.
The Tour sports a classy black face with chrome "frets" that separate the rows on the keyboard. At 4.4 x 2.4 x .5 inches, the phone is a hair longer than the Curve 8900, but just as thick and wide. It also has a
2.4- inch 480 x 360-pixel display, which is smaller than the 2.6-inch Bold's display, but with an even higher resolution. Everything from Web pages and photos to the icons in RIM's latest operating system should really pop on this screen.
Like all recent BlackBerry phones, the Tour sports a 3.5mm headphone jack. That means it will easily double as a portable media player, whether you rock out to your own tunes or download apps like Pandora or Slacker Radio. BlackBerry Media Sync software is compatible with iTunes and Windows Media Player (for unprotected content). You also get a 3.2-MP camera with flash.
Other features include integrated GPS, a full HTML Web browser, and RIM's trademark push e-mail experience, compelete with DataViz Documents to Go for viewing attachments the way they were meant to be seen. We also like that the Tour has a speedy 528-MHz processor, so you should be able to multitask with ease. (The Curve 8900 runs at 512-MHz and the Bold at 624-MHz.)
Although $199 is nothing to sneeze at, the Tour could be the best BlackBerry of the year. At least on paper, it offers a great combination of style, typing comfort, and speedy data performance. Stay tuned for a full review.
Feature List:
* 3.2 MP camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording*
* Full HTML web browser, including support for streaming audio and video (RTSP)
* Advanced media player for videos, pictures and music, a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth(r) Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
* 256MB Flash memory
* Expandable memory via hot swappable microSD/SDHC memory card slot, supporting cards of up to 16 GB today and expected to support next generation 32GB cards when available
* Built-in GPS with support for geotagging, BlackBerry(r) Maps and other location based applications and services
* BlackBerry(r) Media Sync allows customers to quickly and easily synch music from iTunes(r) and Windows Media Player with the smartphone
**
* Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, enhanced background noise cancellation, a low-distortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.0) support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth peripherals
* Preloaded DataViz(r) Documents to Go(r), allowing users to edit
Microsoft(r) Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset
* Easy mobile access to Facebook(r), MySpace and Flickr(r), as well as popular instant messaging services including BlackBerry(r) Messenger,
Yahoo!(r) IM, AIM(r), Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger(tm)
* Support for BlackBerry App World(tm), featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones. Categories include travel, productivity, entertainment, games, social networking & sharing, news & weather, and more
* BlackBerry(r) Internet Service allows access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts
* BlackBerry(r) Enterprise Server provides advanced security and IT administration features within IBM(r) Lotus(r) Domino(r), Microsoft(r) Exchange and Novell(r) GroupWise(r) environments.
* Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery for 5 hours of talk time and 14 days of standby time