Top: BlackBerry Tour 9630, Bottom: BlackBerry Bold 9650 - note the slight change in MicroUSB port location
This is one is a public service announcement for all of the soon to be BlackBerry Bold 9650 makers and to all of the accessory manufacturers and retailers out there. For the most part, the body / chassis / frame / etc. of the original BlackBerry Tour 9630 is identical to that of the new BlackBerry Bold 9650, with the obvious exception that there is now an optical trackpad on the front of the 9650 instead of the trackball.
Along the perimeter of the device however, there is another slight change to be aware of, and that is the location of the MicroUSB syncing/charging port. The location has moved just a bit... but it IS enough that some types of accessories that were designed for the Tour 9630, such as form fit cases and skins, may not fit optimally on the new Bold 9650 (you'll be covering the MicroUSB port).
I reached out to RIM to ensure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, and received a response indicating that all OEM Tour accessories will work on the Bold 9650, with the exception of the skins. New skins were created for the Bold 9650 that are backwards compatible. The skins that were created for the Tour do not work for Bold 9650.
Keep in mind that's for OEM BlackBerry accessories - so for third party accessories you'll want to be on the lookout to ensure proper fit with formed and skin style cases. So there are couple key take away points here... First, to all the accessory manufacturers and retailers out there - don't just blindly mark third party Tour 9630 skins and cases as BlackBerry Bold 9650 compatible - be sure to check that the MicroUSB port holes are still good to go. Secondly, to people looking to pick up BlackBerry Bold 9650 cases, be sure you're aware of this so you don't pick up a case for your Bold 9650 which was a Tour 9630 case/skin to find the MicroUSB holes don't quite align. We'll be watching this carefully in our ShopCrackBerry.com accessory store.... you can find the BlackBerry Bold 9650 accessories as they arrive here.
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