While I was exploring some of the new icons on the BlackBerry Bold 9650 from Verizon, I jumped into the Application Center and saw the Push to Talk. There was a decent amount of buzz about it when it was released, so I figured I'd download it and give it a shot. The feature has to be added to your account (at $5/month) and currently works on both the Tour 9630 and Bold 9650. I was pretty excited to fire it up, and since I'm not a big phone guy I thought I may get some good use out of it. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Verizon's idea of Push to Talk isn't what you would think. Its not a quick "press a button and send a message". Verizon actually connects you to the contact through a PTT "call" where you then push the left convenience key to record your message. From this point on the entire process was lost to me. I could just as easily call a contact and talk to them instead of calling them via PTT and having to press a button to talk to them.

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Verizon's Push-to-Talk service has been active for a few weeks now, and perhaps as a sign of just how many Tour users haven't added the service, Verizon has sent out emails to Tour users letting them know they can get the service free for life. The email states that users need only add the PTT software and service to their device before June 30th and they will get to keep it free for the life of the contract. To me this seems like a sign that PTT isn't going over as well as they thought. If you're a Verizon Tour user you should see the email pop up in your inbox, but if not, hit the link below to download the software and get rolling. Are you using PTT on your Tour? Leave a comment and let us know. Thanks to everyone that sent this in!

• More information on Push-to-Talk for Verizon >>

We've been back and forth with the Push to Talk info for a few weeks, but it now has finally made its way to Verizon (for real). Tour 9630 users can now officially add the service to their existing BlackBerry data plan. You can either call up customer service, or head to the personal or business account pages to add the service. Once you have it all set up, you'll be able to download the app and use the left convenience key to talk away. The PTT service is $5/month, but a limited free-trial is available for qualifying customers. Head over to verizonwireless.com for more or to add PTT to your account.

As we expected, Verizon announced today that Push to Talk features will be arriving for the Tour tomorrow. In a press release issued this morning, Verizon stated the service will be available on March 30th, and customers can add PTT to their account by calling customer service. Features of PTT include:

• Communicate with one person or a team with the push of a button
  
• Initiate and participate in group calls with up to 50 participants
  
• Check colleagues' availability for a Push to Talk call with the Presence feature
  
• A single device and phone number for both Push to Talk and voice calls
  
• Online contact management tool for the entire organization
  

What is surprising however is that Verizon will be offering up a "limited free trial" for customers with qualifying BlackBerry data plans. What plans this is refering to we don't know, but good news for those Tour users looking to try out the services without coughing up the $5. Check the full release after the jump.

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Ok, well it looks like things weren't 100% go on the Verizon PTT release for the Tour. While the software was seen floating around and is available to download, you still can't actually activate PTT on the Tour 9630. We got some info that Push to Talk online training has begun for Verizon employees, and from the looks of things the software and service will be officially available for the Tour on March 30th ($5/month for the addition of PTT to a data plan). While most are left scratching their heads wondering why Big Red is launching the service on the Tour in the first place, apparently Verizon's plan is to "increase our PTT customer base in 2010 ... by winning over customers from the competition and encouraging some of our current BlackBerry Smartphone customers to begin using the PTT service." So while the software is ready to go, if you are planning to use PTT on your Tour it looks like you'll need to wait another week or so before you can actually activate the feature.

Yesterday, Boy Genius dropped some whispers hinting that the long awaited OS 5.0 update for the BlackBerry Tour 9630 was coming in the next 2-3 weeks and that it was also bringing a new Push To Talk feature. As it turns out, the files needed for that new data plan using push to talk features has been turning up in the past two OS leaks for Tour owners. And from info gathered in the forums, Verizon is seemingly not really trying hard to hide it from end users either.

As posted in the forums, some skilfull folks have found through the Verizon wap website you can actually find and attempt to add the services to your Verizon account. While at this point, the files and the addition to your account doesn't mean you can get it to work. It certainly puts weight behind the timelines given for push to talk and the rumored 9650 release.

• Check Out The CrackBerry Forums For More Information Where The Options Were Found>>