Today we celebrate the launch of the BlackBerry Storm2. So in true CrackBerry fashion, it's only right that we give you a glimpse of another upcoming BlackBerry Smartphone...
The BlackBerry Tour2, codenamed BlackBerry "essex" in its pre-release development, is essentially the BlackBerry Tour with two major updates: WiFi and the optical trackpad. Arguably these should have been included back on the original BlackBerry Tour, but we think simply due to the timing lacked both (Tour was finalized for production before trackpad was slated to get introduced, and before VZW went from not wanting WiFi to wanting it). The BlackBerry Tour2 (device model 9650 I would logically assume) packs both of these into the Tour's standard form factor and hardware. All other specs/features between the two devices appear to be identical at first look, with the exception that the green call key is now flipped -- as we've seen with other new devices -- and the bottom row of keys on the keyboard are slightly less tall, more akin to the Bold 9700. The hardware in this video is the Sprint version, but obviously there will be a Verizon version too with a slightly different look.
We originally were told the release date for the BlackBerry Tour2 would be sometime in late January/February of 2010, but are now hearing production of these is ramping up literally as you read this. I think both RIM and Verizon would like to get the BlackBerry Tour2 into retail channels in time for the holidays and to get it on Verizon's latest BOGO offering before it comes to an end. Keep your fingers crossed. You might not see it until the new year, but what a present it would be if it was here for Christmas!
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118 comments
They should give us tour owners a free upgrade to that.
The car dealer should give me a new car since they now come with XM radio. I just got mine last year. (see how dumb that sounds??) Your statement sounds just as dumb. LOL
The car market is much different, and in buying a car you know every year a new model will be released.
As a new phone owner you should expect the technology would be outdated eventually, but Verizon is doing this too quickly and too in-your-face for my liking. If they knew this device was on the way why even bother releasing the Tour? It just sticks it to anyone who bought the first device.
And it's not even remodeled...just Wi-Fi and a trackpad, some features the original phone should have had.
So while technically it's okay for them to do, as a phone owner I will have to think more about A) sticking with VZW, and B) if it's ever worth buying a new phone without completely understanding the future trends. VZW told everyone how great the Tour was and then just a couple months later crapped on it. Not too great an image =\
well too bad, we all knew there will always be a new and better device in matter of months. I don't see iphone users crying about the iphone 3gs.So grow up or next time wait and see what co. are gonna do next instead of rushing for whats new. I always wait and read review form pros and customers to make sure I wont be crying like you tour/storm users.
Apple did not have a new iPhone ready to go 2 months after releasing 3GS...
first of all i would like to say that i am appalled at all the hostility that is going on with people posting their problems about their phones.you all are just RUDE.i only got through the first page before i decided to comment because i am livid about the trash these sarcastic people are posting to others a bout "crying" and what not.look i understand what this person was saying.i am a tour owner and although i do not like the trackball i deal with it cuz overall this is the best phone i have had and i have had every phone verizon has to offer.before i chose blackberry i had all the LG phones and whatever else.my first blackberry was the storm when it first came out,and it shut down on me all the time.when i was texting and pressed the alt button it would instantly reboot itslf.it happened at least 3 to 4 times a day,after 3 of those phones i went with the blackberry curve in pink which i loves.then the tour came out and i took a chance with it an have no complaints.at all.although i dont NEED a trackpad or wifi,i do wish they would have held out on releasing the phone before they added those nice enhancements.so while u are bashing this person for expressing they way they feel about the phone,u all need to shut the hell up honestly because its rude and unnecessary.they are right to be upset about a sequel to this phone so soon.but as for free? that is unrealistic and while i do not want to pay full price for the phone i have a good phone where i know u can wait until my discount so that by the time i can get the tour 2 it will be in tip top condition and probably the replacement to everyones curve 8330.but please,the mean things you guys are saying have to stop,cuz its definitely rude and i think u all need to learn a little bit more about "net etiquette" and if you dont know what it is....
google it.
I see the analogy past you so I will break it down a little more for you. New things come out on the regular (phones, cars, computers etc) you have probably already done your research before it came out and have decided that was what you wanted so you purchased it. The maker of the product has a job to came coming out with newer and better than what they did before. Nobody forced you to go buy what you got. If you got a Tour it was because you did your research and thought that was a good choice for you. If not maybe you bought it just cause it was new and wanted to be the one with the newest phone. if thats the case don't complain. Being flashy cost. If you wanna have the newest phone everytime one comes out thats cool, just go ahead and buy at at the full retail price. There is no in between for ballers. You have it or you don't. Don't buy something then when the new one comes out you talking bout how the company shouldn't have came out with it so soon or now something is wrong with the one you got. lol. Most of the time thats user error. All these people went and got the storm 1 and were having so many problems. I got it and didn't have any problems and know more people that got it and had no problems but I guess we got the only ones that worked huh? LOL
I'm on my 5th replacement Tour because of the trackball problems. The last 3 have been "green dot" Tours. So, yes, VZW or RIM should replace the phone with the upgraded phone. It's called the LEMON LAW. If you buy a new car that has the SAME problem more than 3 times, you get your money back or a new car or whatever.
I want what was advertised to me. Having to replace the phone every 3-4 weeks just doesn't cut it. It's to the point where some of the applications that I bought will not give me anymore registration codes because I've used them all up and would need to purchase a new copy of the application (Mileage Meter). How is this my fault?? Explain that to me smartguy...
People are hilarious when they do that same silly car analogy. The point many people are making is that they put out a phone that has faults. I'm going on my 3rd Tour (waiting for another replacement) because the trackball is garbage making it difficult to edit emails and I use it for business. Instead of fixing the problems on our phone, they just put another phone out months later and expect us to pay full retail for it. That is garbage.
If I purchased a new car and it was faulty, I expect another car that works fine or a comparable model, not a lemon.
So you know what logical people do? they wait until people like you go out and buy the phone and find that it is not worth spending $200 on. If you want to be the first one in line for a new device or any technology for that matter, then you have to expect you are not going to be happy.
I thought about getting the Tour right away and then I thought, hey what happened with the Storm? Hmmmm, doesn't take a genius to figure it out.
People are hilarious when they get something and don't start crying about something is wrong with it until they hear about a new model coming out. You had a period of 30days to return your phone right? So if there was a problem with the trackball why not take it back and get a different model then?? 3rd Tour huh? Could be user error. I no somebody with a tour and they just bought it to say thy have a blackberry. have no idea how to adjust anything on it or nothing. Maybe this is a similar case with you
I agree. I bought a Tour and it has been the WORST phone I have ever owned in my life. I have been a Blackberry user for over 5 years and was shocked when I got my Tour.
Three Tours later and I have just got a working device now this month. So... yes, they should give us this for free as compensation. If I don't get it for free, I will not be buying another Blackberry again.
Releasing the Tour 2 so soon after the Tour came out is an admission that the Tour was a failure. RIM needs to be really come out with this and recall the original. But of course they won't.
RIM has lost my business.
If your Tour is so bad and you've replaced it so many times maybe you should have returned it within the first 30 days. Or maybe the next replacement you get you throw on eBay and sell it as a new refurb. You losers are all the same...you're basically too broke to buy the Tour 2 so you want a carrier to give it to you for free. Get a life.
(i think this is where we petition crackberry to put a "Like" button on forum comments)
yes they should since we wont have to put up with the track ball
maybe they should, but i doubt that they would. would be nicce though. I've never had wi-fi, and dont really have a need for it, but it would be a nice addition
They are just rubbing my nose in the fact that I paid good money for the Tour a little over a month ago. Gee I hope this thing at least has an official 5.0 OS.
They are not rubbing your nose in anything, if you visit this site at all you would have known over a month ago that there was going to be another version of the Tour with a trackpad coming out. You still made the choice to buy and keep that Tour. Stop whining like a little girl.
would I be better off getting this or the curve 8530? argh! too many choices!
The 8530/curve2 and the tour2 have similar feature sets, but the tour2 has a better camera and a better screen. The tour2 also has GSM world roaming capabilities, but that may not matter to you as much as the other features. You could potentially save money with the curve2, but when comparing the total cost of owning both devices over two years, you only save about $150[1]. I find the additional features offered on the tour2 worth more than that personally.
[1] That $150 estimate is assuming a price tag of $50 for the curve2 and $200 for the tour2.
I am a bit confused why would they release the 1st Tour and not even 6 months later release the Tour2. I just got my tour like 2 monthes ago and I love it, I haven't had any problems with it thus far.
-Erik
And STORM users thought we had it bad with a 1 year release of the Storm 2.
Let me get this straight: The Tour2 is essentially a CDMA Bold2?
Sure. That is an accurate enough comparison for most purposes.
Okay I see. So the rumours of a CDMA 9700, that can't be true?
I do not see what is worth while on this.... get a new tour just for the trackpad? (Sprints data coverage is good enough without wifi).
The bottom row on the keyboard is different on the essex.
TRUE! didn't even notice. haha. will update post.
I better be able to upgrade to this after paying full retail for my Tour!
When paying full retail you do not extend your contract. Check your my Verizon to see when your NE2 is available. I went from Storm 1 to Tour after multiple defects. They offered me retail and my NE2 date would'nt change or extend. Coming this soon does irritate me a little.
So they are producing this phone without even giving us an official OS 5 for the original tour? This is worse than that Storm crap. They should make the verizon/sprint tech guys certified to install wifi onto the original tours. I can't upgrade my phone to a newer OS til its official, hopefully thats just around the corner for some threaded sms. Boy to texts with the girlfriend clog up the inbox.
5.0 for the tour is coming. Patience.
I bet the 5.0 will be released a few days before the Tour2 is. Just like the Storm 5.0
i wish it had the updated look of the 9700 and storm 2.
Would they let us just upgrade? Has that ever been done before? I think we will probably be SOL. Just my opinion though. I would upgrade if given the option, but I HIGHLY doubt it.
this seems like a pretty raw deal, as well as a complete money grab on RIM's part. is there any precedent for people like us who bought the tour to upgrade to the tour 2 when it is released without having to pay full retail value for it?
Which is better for navigating the BlackBerry?
Also, is the Tour2 coming to Verizon?
The consensus is that the trackpad is the better option. Read the article. A verizon version is expected.
one that works
I hope they change the battery door.
I don't care so much about wifi, but i'll sure as hell be slapping this keypad onto my tour when it hits the channels...
Pissed on so many levels! If this phone is released before OS 5.0 for my Tour 1 I will be leaving VZW for a Bold 9700!
I want one!!!!!!! or two............. lol
How in the hell are they going to sell this? TO WHO? Most people have already jumped on the Tour 1. This makes no sense to me. Very frustrating. Moto Droid is tempting.
I have been waiting for this device. Plus I am not eligible for an upgrade until next year. I am sure there are others like me. Droid is tempting though. Not for me personally (im not switching from sprint). But the feature set and specs are impressive. I am not too hot on the form factor though.
Perfect, I'll upgrade as soon as this is out. Just for that trackpad and wifi no doubt. Forget the Bold.
never buy the 1st model of anything!! First the storm and now this. i can't measure my level of pissed-offness right now.
They produce a defective product, once again i need to send my tour back because of the friging trackball and I find out that they are releasing pratically the same phone with the issues that the first one had resolved (i could careless about the wifi). Verizon and RIM can kiss my ass. I love my tour, but only so many times they can fuck me over.
While I would love it if VZM did a free upgrade, I know it would never happen and I would never expect it to happen. I would like the trackpad and wi-fi, but I am fine without it. No deal breaker there. If it were, I would not have biught my Tour when I did and I would have waited.
I'm confused on what the differences between the bold 2 9700 and tour 2 will be? Both seem to have the wifi and trackpad and have very similar asthetics other then the bold 2 having the 'leather' backing. The only difference I can think of is the fash memory. I know the tour 9630 comes with 128 mb so maybe they'll keep the memory at 128 while the bold 2 has 256. Not sure tho. Seems like these devices are going to be pretty similar and redundant.