BlackBerry 9630 'Tour' rumor mill heating up

By Dan McNaught

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With the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the and the 2009 Wireless Enterprise Symposium in Orland now well behind us, information regarding the highly anticipated BlackBerry 9630, now rumored to be dubbed the 'Tour' (formerly the 'Niagara') is all the buzz, and leaks are quickly building momentum ... with good reason.

The Tour boasts some pretty impressive specs, all the while being wrapped up in an aesthetically pleasing form factor.  Somewhere in between the Bold and the new Curve 8900, RIM has seemingly struck gold in sizing up its latest lineup addition.  Those who have had the unique opportunity to test the device in advance of its official release have posted reviews bordering on idolatry.  While seemingly hyperbolic, it's hard to blame such reverence when many of the specifications being mentioned have now been confirmed by anonymous testers.  So, what do we know for sure?  Let's take a closer look. 
 
The Blackberry 'Tour' will be the eventual replacement for the current BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, with some clear upgrades in hardware and software.  There will be the same CDMA/GSM dual chipset as the Storm on board, containing quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and single band UMTS/HSDPA (utilizing the 2100mhz band for overseas only) for native US GSM bands, as well as the 1X/EVDO Rev. A band for 3G CDMA use here in the states. It will not however allow native US 3G HSPA use, thus making it a CDMA-centric device in the states.  So, AT&T and T-Mobile users are out of luck, for now at least.  There will also be a camera-less version released at launch as well, so I can see the Tour being a huge hit in the Corporate Sector.

As for the rest, here's a quick rundown:

• 1X/EVDO Rev. A, Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, single band UMTS/HSDPA (2100mhz WCDMA)
• 4.7.1 (currently)
• Dimensions: 4.46 x 2.48 x 0.55 inches (113.5 x 63 x 14 mm)
• Processor: Qualcomm MSM7600
• Memory: 256 MB built-in
• Slot for microSDHC™ card w/ support up to 32GB (hot swappable)
• 3.2 MP Camera w/ flash, AF, IS, 2x Digital Zoom (camera-less version at launch as well)
• High Resolution 480x360 Screen (TFT)
• HTML Browser
• a GPS
• Bluetooth v2.0 +EDR  

One notable difference in hardware between the Tour and other BlackBerry models is that of onboard memory.  While the Bold and Storm have 1GB of built-in onboard memory, they only separate 128MB for native processes, with 30-45MB of that set aside for application memory.  While the extra memory for pics, ringtones, etc. is nice, this is not enough room to save your trusty apps, especially if you're like me and tend to download more apps than you can even count sometimes for testing purposes.  The Tour has an upside and a downside in the memory department.  Like the Curve 8900, it contains only 256MB of total onboard memory.  Where it excels, just like the 8900, is having 128MB of that total memory set aside for applications.  This is almost triple the amount of the Bold and Storm, and great news for those who run only a few programs without much additional media (think corporate users), who would rather not have to splurge on that additional microSD™ card to be able store their apps.  With the Tour having the same powerful processor as the Bold and Storm, and the same generous space of built-in application memory as the Curve 8900, it is in this area where it is once again a perfect blend of hardware.

As for the software, the Tour was initially being tested using 4.7.1, however, a trusted source has confirmed to me that Verizon is now in the process of testing RIM's 5.0 OS in advance of release and that the Tour will in fact launch with the 5.0 OS.  I've also been told that while Verizon has been testing this unit with the 5.0 OS for little over a couple of weeks now, Sprint has been testing the Tour with the 5.0 OS for at least twice as long (rejoice Sprint fans!).  Lastly, the Tour will be the first BlackBerry to handle more advanced JavaScript, making it the most pleasant browser experience of any BlackBerry to date upon release.

So, where and when can we expect this alleged mobile Godsend to show up and willingly pry more hard-earned cash from our wallets?  Well, while many rumors have the Tour slated to be launched in late May, my trusted source tells me it has been pushed back to August*.  It will be launched initially with Verizon getting an early window of exclusivity.  Sprint will most likely follow suit shortly after.  Sorry for the bad news folks.  But hey, 96 more days can't be that painful, right?

Dan McNaught is a freelance writer specializing in technology who loves sports, movies and his DVR. He spends most of his free time driving his wife insane with his researching and testing new gadgets.