The rumors were flying all week long that existing Verizon customers wouldn't be able to upgrade to the Tour.  For some reason, Verizon didn't list the Tour on upgrade pages for current customers, and it seemed only new contracts would be able to snag the device. The net was a buzz, and it seems as if Big Red was listening.  Existing customers can now head to the upgrade page on Verizon's site to pre-order the Tour.  A $70 online discount is applied, as well as any New Every Two discounts if available.  Now everyone can now let out a big sigh of relief. 

With Pre ordering offerings available for Verizon devices a lot of Sprint customers were also wondering if they were going to be able to get in on the Tour fest as well. A post over at BGR shows that Sprint will not be giving any love to its customers when it comes to the Tour and pre-orders, as seen above. Srdoherty is the manager of social media and interactive communications at Sprint and wasted no time in driving the nail in the coffin. But I'm left wondering why the heck not? Sprint customers out there, did Sprint drop the ball here?

I just came across this thread in the CrackBerry Forums tonight that's getting some interest from folks looking to pick-up the BlackBerry Tour from Verizon. Wirefly, who by the sounds of it sells a ton of devices for Verizon, put the BlackBerry Tour up for pre-order today. For new customers the price is $179.99 -- $20 cheaper than Verizon's direct price -- while existing elgible Verizon customers can upgrade to the Tour for $199.99. Be sure to check out all the details/requirements first before purchasing. You can follow the links below to learn more.

• Learn More / Pre-Order the BlackBerry Tour from WireFly >>
• Check out the WireFly / BlackBerry Tour Forum Discussion >>

Yesterday Sprint dropped the word on Twitter that the BlackBerry Tour would be released on July 12th, and it looks like they showed it off on Sprint.com as well. Some eagle-eyed members caught a glimpse of the announcement on Sprints home page. Their Tour page hasn't been updated as of yet, but you can still sign up to "Remind me when its out" if you really want to.  Thanks to everyone that sent this in!

With the 2nd annual BlackBerry developers contest not that far off now, the BlackBerry Partners Fund has been working towards who will be claiming their Developer Challenge 09' prize packs and quite a few familiar names are showing up as the time has come for the first 4 finalists to be anounced.

The four Finalists are Fierce Towers (by Nickel Buddy), Astraware Solitare (by Handmark), Expense Manager (by Total Wireless Solutions), and Vision for YouTube (by Metova). Finalists were selected by a panel of judges based on the following criteria: compelling product or service; clearly defined value proposition; viable business model; and technical execution.

Four additional Finalists will be selected and announced at the end of July, August and September. Over the course of the four-month challenge, a total of 16 Finalists will qualify for the BlackBerry Sweet 16 Demo Event. Entries for the BlackBerry Developer Challenge will be accepted until September 25, 2009 at 11:59pm EDT.

• Read More Details At The BlackBerry Partners Fund Homepage >>

Back in March we first heard that BlackBerry would be sponsoring U2's Tour (no, not that Tour) that kicked off in Barcelona on June 30th. Well there was no sign of a RIM back at the opening gig, but it does look like the U2 Mobile Album is on the way. A teaser on BlackBerry.com gives a quick run through of what looks to be a "U2 App" with music, photos, tour info and more. No big details on any of it, but certainly good things are to come...at least if you're a U2 fan. You can sign up here to receive updates on the Mobile Album. Head over to http://na.blackberry.com/eng/u2/ for more info. Hat Tip to Matt for jogging our brains to post on this... we saw the site went live yesterday but somehow forgot to post on it (distracted by that other Tour perhaps).

The boys over at BGR and Engadget both got their hands on a Verizon BlackBerry Tour today and have posted the photos for us all to drool over. They made note of some final design details and snapped some great shots. Biggest news is that the back battery door has seen some changes (for the better) and according to BG looks good - It's got soft-touch rubber on the outer part and the inner part is a carbon-fiber material. Really, really sharp.

Head over to The Boy Genius Report and Engadget to check out all the photos and some impressions.

Sprint users can finally sleep well at night.  Twitter is buzzing with news straight from the source. It looks like the Tour will hit Sprint the same day it makes it to Verizon on July 12th. Sprint shot out the details on Twitter just a few minutes ago. Sadly the Tour page on Sprint.com has not been updated with any juicy info just yet. 

The folks at MobileSyrup.com got their hands on a pretty sweet Bell promo kit video for the BlackBerry Tour. Since its only a few short weeks away from release, we can expect to see all kinds of goodies popping up as the days get closer (I love the BlackBerry branded beachball). I for one am excited that the wait is nearly over (and that I can grab my Tour a few days before Bla1ze). Check out the video and let us know what you think of the cool Tour swag. 

With all the BlackBerry Tour mania on CrackBerry this week, it's almost easy to forget about the next new device lined up to hit the market in the weeks/months ahead, the BlackBerry Curve 8520 (aka Gemini). The 8520 has been in full-production for weeks already and with FCC approval now behind it it's now just a matter of when. With time we should see the Curve 85xx series roll out to many carriers (1 of the 3 devices in the photo above is actually a CDMA-friendly Curve 8530... can you guess which one?!) but it's looking like T-Mobile will get the honor in the USA of pushing this optical trackpad equipped, rubbercoated Curve first. Anybody out there planning to pick this one up when it hits??

• Check out the BlackBerry Curve 8520 FCC documents >> 

Since Sprint released the Curve 8350i, a whole new set of users has come from the new device (as well as some converts) along with a new set of issues. Made Simple Learning has added the 8350i Training Center to tackle all of the issues that popped up from this Curve to the "i". The Training Center allows users to quickly learn the ins and outs of the device, both with a 420 page electonic book and a collection of videos can be watched on a PC or Mac. You can also use the Videos To Go option and load the videos striaght to your memory card for on the go learning.

Some of the highlights include:

• Dozens of hidden or little-known time-saving tips and tricks.
• Using the Wi-Fi and GPS Features of the Curve 8350i
• Using "Direct Connect" or "MIKE" walkie-talkie feature
• Synchronizing your BlackBerry with your Windows or Mac computer.
• How to squeeze every ounce of power from the Address Book, Calendar, Tasks and MemoPad.
• How to become "Master of Your BlackBerry Email"
• How to use Google Sync for true "Wireless Sync" without an Enterprise Server
  Support for both BlackBerry Internet Service and Corporate BlackBerry Enterprise Server users.
• Tips and tricks to unlock the rich Media Features of the BlackBerry 8350i.
  How to turn your 8350i into something that could replace a video and audio "iPod"
• How to use your 8350i for Mapping (including Google Maps.)
  Learn how to go Online as well as update your Facebook and Myspace pages - right from your BlackBerry

The complete Training Center is available for $29.95, while the book alone is $14.95, and the videos $19.95. All can be purchased directly from Made Simple Learning.  

It looks as if Verizon has pushed out both VCAST Song ID and VZW Tones for BlackBerry Storm users. V CAST Song ID works in much the same manner as Shazam, letting you identify songs playing on a stereo, jukebox etc. directly from your handset and instanly providing you with a one-click purchase link. VZW Tones easily lets you locate and download the latest "real music" ringtones directly to your device. If you haven't seen them yet, you just need to reboot or send your service books and they should pop up.  Thanks to everyone that sent this in!

While the crack team was sleeping, Brian & Benjamin sent us in tips that Verizon's website is now showing the BlackBerry Tour available for pre-order in two versions - both with camera and WITHOUT CAMERA. You can click on the image above to jump over to Verizon's site and spin the Tour around to see it's camera-less behind. Try zip code 07828 if you're in need. Very cool for RIM to cater to those individuals who need a device sans camera for work. It's a bit of a shame though as the Tour's camera does take some seriously awesome photos (like alarmingly good).

Some late night activity just sprung up in the CrackBerry forums on word that Verizon's BlackBerry Tour site has been updated, which confirms the previously rumored July 12th in-store availability date and also allows for pre-ordering of the device. At the time of this post the new site seems to still be propagating through (the site isn't showing up properly for everyone just yet and the preordering isn't quite working - it should be good to go soon), but you will want to jump over and take a look (click here if the main link below isn't working for you).

The updated site also features a short Bloggers on the Tour video which features a couple of CrackBerry.com quotes about the BlackBerry Tour..... SWEET! The BlackBerry Tour definitely is the smartphone sooo many CDMA users have been waiting for. The release of the BlackBerry Tour is so close now. I guess it's about time we get ready for a CrackBerry contest huh? Stay tuned!!! If you're excited for the Tour, say CrackBerry!

• Visit the Updated Verizon BlackBerry Tour Website >> 
• Check Out CrackBerry.com's Pre-Release BlackBerry Tour Review >>

I think we can let the photos above do the talking on this one.... it seems Alltel subscribers can rejoice as they will soon have a BlackBerry Tour 9630 to call their own in the near future as well. Big thanks to you know who you are for sending this in!