RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630 Review
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Call performance was not so good on the 9630. On our end callers sounded a bit distant and hollow, much as they did on the 8350i. Still, we could hear callers fine and had no problems making out what they were saying. They, however, were not as fortunate. They told us it was the worst phone we have ever tested, and that we sounded like we were talking though wax paper and were very hard to hear. There was no static on their end, it was just very poor sound quality. We tried the Sprint HTC Snap and Verizon Pearl Flip at the same time, to eliminate network issues on either end, and the results were the same. We requested another unit, and had better but still poor results. The wax paper effect went away, but callers still complained that we sounded poor and they had a hard time understanding us. Suffice it to say that sound quality is a potential issue.
The 1400mAh battery is rated at a very respectable 5 hours of talk time and two weeks of standby, but that talk time is down from the nearly 6 on the 8330. Of course RIM has underrated the battery’s performance, and in our testing we were able to achieve 5:48 of talk time which is quite acceptable for a smartphone.
Conclusion:
There is no doubt that the Tour is the finest hardware ever to come out of Canada. It is simply gorgeous, with an amazing display and the finest keyboard on the market. The global radios means it has no boundaries, and the camera-less version will ensure that. It is fast and stable, with a very polished UI. There remains that problem with call quality, however. Furthermore, we can’t help but feel a bit bored by it. Yeah, the hardware is great, but does it really offer much more than the Curve it replaces? If international travel is a factor then certainly, but otherwise we tend to think not. In terms of function it just doesn’t do anything that the 8330 doesn’t. If you’re rocking a Pearl or looking to become a new BlackBerry owner then the Tour is an excellent choice, but otherwise holding on to what you have won’t do you any harm.
RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630 Video Review:
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Pros
- Near flawless QWERTY
- Vibrant, rich display
- Stable, quick OS
Cons
- Call quality is a major issue
- Beyond international traveling, it doesn’t offer Curve owners a compelling reason to upgrade
- OS has become stale
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34 Comments
1. jsb posted on 20 Oct 2010, 01:55 0 0
One question? I was told the Tour has a "to" box on the same page as the text for sms messages? So it won't be like the 8330 where it brings you to the contact list first. Is this true?
17. Scout posted on 13 Jul 2009, 10:37 0 0
Yeah its true.. its pretty nice actually just start typing that persons name and it bring it right up.
2. PL007 posted on 08 Jul 2009, 08:45 0 0
Its still Amazing how devices advance in certain areas like screen resolution, size, thickness, OS but call quality is still an issue. Early Smartphones I can see because the technology may not have been there to improve the quality. Today in 2009 GOING ON 2010 how is piss poor, Wax paper sounding call quality still an issue. It's just RIM, there are others too who still do not offer good quality. I know quality is different from user to user but how would someone buy this smartphone after reading this review? Any minor thought I MIGHT of had of buying the TOUR is done! Next time RIM, next time.
24. chester162 posted on 18 Jul 2009, 08:24 0 0
You tell me a smartphone that is perfect...I know that Iphone has many a issue and also Palm Pre as well and they are some of the top if not the top cell phones going right now. I still have to give it to RIM cause they are great if they weren't so great then you wouldn't have companies like Motorola, Samsung, LG, and HTC mimic the like of RIM. I personally think that it all depends on the carrier time of day etc...I mean there are a lot of factors that go into it. You should go and try it out for your self it might not be as bad as stated actually it really not that bad cause when a phone gets a 8 out of 10 I think your doing pretty darn good. O and to answer your question who would buy this phone after reading this review my wife and I would (right now I have a HTC Mogul and my wife has a Palm Centro both on Sprint).
25. PL007 posted on 20 Jul 2009, 11:59 0 0
There is no perfect smartphone, never said or implied we should have one. My comment was on call quality, not on the overall aspect of this phone. You must be RIM fan because I see I struck a nerve. You believe smartphones are the best cell phones going today, great. In my experience, if I needed to use it as a phone, I can find some regular dumbphones that have better call quality than a smartphone. The score is very good for a smartphone overall but I look at areas it was reviewed that are important to me. Will I try to this phone, probably because I should give it a try in a store. And yes I am aware of the factors that go into call quality. You can make excuses for RIM, Motorola, LG, Samsung, Apple, etc.... I don't. I am very harsh as they make advancements in OS, display, connectivity, style but nothhing on call quality. I have not seen or heard any smartphone to stand out in that area as the years go on. We are going on 2010 and smartphone designs and OS UI in them are becoming very appealing. So far, as a phone, not very consistant in this category.
28. remixfa posted on 30 Jul 2009, 11:54 0 0
like any phone give it a month or 3 for the initial bugs to be worked out. im sure its just a simple manufacturing defect. it happens. give it a few months then get one, or pay the price for being an early adopter (like me, but i cant help it :) )
3. bigfanboyred posted on 08 Jul 2009, 10:06 0 0
i also read the review on another site, they had said that the quality of the call was "great". and being on vzw which has the best coverage, they didnt drop a call and quality of the call was "clear"... dont know what to think. also, i know that bb will be coming out with bb os 5.0... and then IT WILL BE A 10! j/k.
7. mr. anderson posted on 08 Jul 2009, 13:29 0 0
except that they said it was just fine with their 8230, but way to read the article legion I believe the review fanboy is talking about is bgr, which doesn't seem to even try and hide their bias anymore. that site has fallen so far, it's almost bad as phonenews
10. VDubb posted on 09 Jul 2009, 11:52 0 0
If you're talking about the BoyGenius review, he's a walking advertisement for VZW. The actual review was nothing more than an ad for Verizon featuring the Tour. :P - VDubb
11. legionsreturn (unregistered) posted on 09 Jul 2009, 13:01 0 0
Right, and you are far more credible. - LEGION
18. Scout posted on 13 Jul 2009, 10:42 0 0
I got the tour yesterday and I have dropped 2 calls in areas that I have never dropped before.. A few other issues that I have is I can not set blackberry shortcuts on my home screen, everytime I download the ESPN blackberry shortcut (which worked excellent on my 8330) and go to use it it tells me "The protocol specified is not supported by the handheld please try a diff. URL" WTF is that about?
5. cakruser posted on 08 Jul 2009, 12:25 0 0
I concur with PL007. Have manufacturers lost sight of the fact that, first and foremost, a phone must be a good, well, PHONE? Some of these reviews got so lost in a millimeter-by-millimeter analysis of the camera that call quality never even gets mentioned. How can PA give the Tour and 8 out of 10 yet tell us the call quality stinks?
6. glazey posted on 08 Jul 2009, 13:17 0 0
Just debating if i should jump from my storm to the tour......PA seems to think that its not worth anyone upgrading unless you have a pearl.
8. WHoSuRDaDDy posted on 08 Jul 2009, 20:05 0 0
Just to make it clear to everybody, the retail version of the Tour that will be coming with the 2gb memory card in the box is the no camera version. The version with camera wont come with the 2gb memory card.
14. BigRed83 posted on 11 Jul 2009, 18:28 0 0
I think you have that backward. The camera version has the SD card, the non-camera does without
31. chupum posted on 09 Oct 2009, 17:41 0 0
Just letting Daddy know, I bought the BB Tour w/camera, and it came with a 2Gb card. It doesn't have WiFi... Why the heck not???? I wonder if connecting to websites would be better if I had WiFi in those places that actually had a WiFi signal, rather than relying on 3G 100% of the time. But that's really my only complaint... Oh, does anyone else have issues with screen resolution when you go to a youtube video???
9. markemark posted on 08 Jul 2009, 22:16 0 0
Why don't you people walk into a store on Sunday and test one out. Every other review Ive read said it's well built, great camera, outstanding battery and awesome sound quality both ways. Why let this one site (obvious ATT/iPhone bias site at that) change your mind. All the hype this phone has gotten, all the good previews/reviews have to say something.
12. markemark posted on 10 Jul 2009, 15:35 0 0
So I went to my store today to check one out. After spending some time with it I agree with the review. The sound is a bit off. The trackball is weird. It seems to almost stick a bit, very hard to explain. After I changed the sensitivity to 90, it was better. It is extremely fast, very responsive. The spell check feature rules. I doubt you guys care what I have to say, but I had to back up phone arena on this, they were right. I bought mine though lol. http://img30.imageshack.us/i/0710091239.jpg/
13. johnfraiser posted on 11 Jul 2009, 17:28 0 0
markemark, I highly doubt that you are telling the truth. First of all, the phone isn't hitting stores in the US until July 12th and your writing on the 10th like you went down to your local phone store and there it was! No way. There are test versions out there, but only dealers and reps have them, they are not for sale. Second of all, I don't generally believe someone when they already start with a phrase like "I doubt you guys care what I have to say..." or "You're not going to believe this..." In my experience, what follows these statements is generally bulls**t.
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