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It seems that mobile phone carriers besides Verizon Wireless have their token smartphone at this point. AT&T has the iPhone, Sprint has the Palm Pre, and T-Mobile has the G1 and now myTouch 3G. Could the BlackBerry Tour 9630 be the flagship smartphone for Verizon?First off, I would like to preface this review with the fact that I am currently an iPhone 3G user. I will be presenting any comparisons for the BlackBerry Tour against the iPhone, as it is the smartphone that I am most familiar and currently the most satisfied with.

The BlackBerry Tour 9630 builds off of the highly successfully platform established with the BlackBerry Curve. It features roughly the same form factor, however it is slightly smaller and slimmer. The keyboard is also changed from the BlackBerry Curve. Where as the Curve had keys that were spaced apart, the keyboard on the Tour is more compact and the buttons are directly next to each other. I found this to make typing a little more challenging, but as always, keyboard preference is highly subjective.

The BlackBerry Tour is also the first CDMA BlackBerry to launch with the BlackBerry App World application store, the 8900 (GSM version) launched with the App Store on T-Mobile in June. It is similar to the iTunes App store for the iPhone in which you can download applications to run on the phone to extend its functionality. Some of the premier apps include AIM, Facebook, and Myspace.

Unlike the Curve, one of the main features of the Tour is EV-DO Rev. A. This brings the true speed of the version EV-DO network to the BlackBerry platform, something that has long been missing. The Tour is also a world phone, and features a SIM card slot, and an unlocked GSM radio to use this phone with any other foreign provider. It comes installed with a Verizon SIM, which is on the Vodafone network overseas.

The difference in speed between a BlackBerry Curve and Tour on the Verizon network is very substantial and noticeable. It provided for a fast experience in surfing the web, and downloading apps among other things. However, like other BlackBerrys on Verizon, the Tour does not feature WiFi like it's GSM brother, the BlackBerry Curve 8900. While EV-DO is fast, it is a major foul not to have WiFi on a smartphone in 2009.

As with previous BlackBerrys, the call quality on this phone is great. It is among some of the best phones that I have used. Paired with the Verizon network, the actual phone portion of this smartphone is rock solid.

Another substantial feature of the Tour that I enjoyed was the 3.2 Megapixel camera. I consistently found it better than the iPhone 3G camera ( I did not have the opportunity to compare it to the 3GS). It also features a very bright LED flash, unlike the iPhone. The flash is so bright that a picture can actually be taken in pitch black, and show up relatively clearly. The Tour also takes video, which has as equally impressive quality.

The Tour ships with a 2GB MicroSD card which can be loaded with movies, music, and pictures and played through the media player on the device. However, for video, the screen can seem a bit small if you are planning on watching something for extended periods of time.

My major caveat of this device is the battery life. It seems that even with little use, the battery doesn’t last very long, and I struggled to get a full days usage out of the charge.

The BlackBerry Tour 9630 is available on Verizon Wireless and Sprint for $199.99 with a two-year contract and mail-in rebate.

Pros

• Sleek design.
• Fast network.
• Great camera quality.

Cons

• Battery life needs improvement.
• Keyboard is somewhat cramped.

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