BlackBerry Tour 9630
Average Ratings
Terrible.
The usability of this device on a scale of 1-10 10 being best is about a 1.
PROS:
1. Blackberry phones are still the ONLY ones that have unlimited International Data plans(through multiple carriers)-which is extremely relevant when you live near the border with Canada and constantly roam in CANADA and need service in the USA.
2. It has apps & Internet access, etc.
CONS:
1. Boot time is like 10 minutes.
2. Many apps require a reboot after install.
3. Installing an app initiates a game of twenty questions about permissions the app will have.
4. The keyboard is tough to use with large fingers.
5. If you call a company and need to type in the last 3 letters of someone's name to get their extension-good luck, because the number keys do not have the letters printed on them (like standard phones).
6. The "mouse" or nub of a joystick breaks, and is annoying to use. Already replaced once phone due to this problem.
7. Not sure if phone or carrier is the problem, but it drops calls all the time.
8. display is too small to be useful for web browsing or any meaningful app usage.
9. Too many steps required to perform most tasks - which is irritating when on the go and you need info at your fingertips.
10. Configuration of the device is cryptic and many settings are buried and difficult for an average user to find and setup.
11. Ordinary mortal usability is 1 on a scale of 1-10.
In contrast to other smart phones, this falls waaay short. The choices of apps and usability falls way below an iphone. Criticsim of Apple as a company and some of their practices is fair, but today, the easiest to use device with the best choice of apps is the iphone. PERIOD. If you are an advanced "geek" maybe the Android platform is preferable because you relinquish less control...but in terms of reliability and usability the iphone is king.
Good Phone
Pros:
Qwetry keyboard is great and the ball is easy to use to slide to icons. Music player is good for playback.I have Verizon and dont have any signal issues.
Cons:
When doing upgrades becareful due to it may crash the phone. I had to do upgrades and each time i had issues with software. I couldnt buy ringtones and Bing mobile didnt work. I had to exchange my phone already once and my friend is on his 4th with same issues.
Outstanding Tour!
I've had this Tour 9630 thru the Sprint network for 8 months and i can truly say i can't find not even 1 con on this phone. Is the perfect design. Quality. The phone is elegant and looks rich. Apps work as they should. Screen quality is excellent. Battery life is pretty good. Speaker phone is loud. Camera 3.2 with flash and auto focus is amazing. This is truly how cell phones should be.
happy...happy...happy with my bb tour:)
i recently purchased the bb tour. i have
had it for about 2 weeks and so far i love it
i had the droid eris and it would freeze up all the time so hopefully i want have any problems with the tour!!! everyone says the blackberrys are good phones hopefully there all right...lol...i had a bad experience with android phones, if your looking at one be ware of them cause they will freeze up!!!
Won't stop touring!
Really this is the BEST blackberry i have EVER owned and have owned all of them! The new software is wonderful! When they were first being sold the trackball is a KNOWN issue with sticking - luckily i have not had that issue!
*Everything is wonderful about it except...
there is no way as i know of not to turn the camera sound off*
no matter what "NEW & GREATEST" blackberry coming out - i will continue to...tour!
Blackberry is too far behind
I had great hopes for the Blackberry Tour, and then I tried it. Blackberry is so far behind the compettition in everyway. I do not know how they can ever catch up. Honestly the phone is at best mediocre. To use a comparision is like the difference between a "green screen" experience with what used to be called a "Gooey Interface". Blackberry phones are the green screen smart phones. If you have tried an iPhone or Android you will be very dissatisfied with a Blackberry. Here is my summary:
Pros
Nice Design
Size of phone is Ok
Fairly Easy to navigate
email
Like the way it turns off when put in a BB holster
Cons
Browser is VERY slow and not easy to use. It is not a true rendition of a website.
Icons are old fashioned
Navigation is OK, but not realy smooth
responsiveness is 50% of other phones
No WiFi..what was BB thinking??
Hard to read. Emails even come across jumbled up if it has lots of HTML graphics
I can not recommend this phone or any other Blackberry. They are at least 5 years behind everyone else.
Not as good as the curve
I have had all of the blackberrys and i thought for sure this one would be the best of all however i have replaced mine 2 times due to issues with the software. Now I constantly have signal issues i drop calls everywhere i go it will go up it will go down it will go from having all bars to saying no service and i just cant get over it nor can sprint figure it out.
I Enjoy My Tour....
The Tour isn't as bad as I've seen some of the most recent reviews say. The battery lasts me almost 2 whole days w/ med-heavy use! The browser does in fact suck, but still gets the job done. I had a Droid for a few weeks, and I was spoiled w/ it's browser. So the Tour browser really seems to be horrible now lol. The camera is decent. Takes some pretty good pictures. Not the best, but not the worst. The keyboard is amazing. I love Blackberry keyboards. The trackball sticks once in a blue moon, but not as much as a lot of ppl have been complaining about. IDK, maybe I got a lucky Tour that isn't all jacked up, like most. My battery door, though, wiggles ridiculously. I have to keep some sort of faceplate or silicone on it to keep me from throwing it across the room, haah. The apps are OK, and the ability to change themes is awesome! I wish it had WiFi, a better camera, & a trackpad though.
PROs:
Keyboard
Battery
Size/Weight
Ability to Organize
Themes
CONs:
Browser
Trackball (at times)
No WiFi
Where the charger port is
The cost of a data plan, lol
That's all I can think of for now. Good phone otherwise. Can't wait to see what else RIM brings to the table! Like WebKit browsing!
$$$$
This phone is a phone that has everything a user will want but compared to the other blackberrys it does just about the same, one big con about this phone is its lack of WiFi...also another big issue i found with this phone is the price..
My Worst Smartphone Experience
I've owned numerous smartphones including six other Blackberries, but the Tour is worst, in my view, among its contemporaries.
The most annoying thing about it is that it freezes easily and often. Whether I'm playing music, or opening a full website, it regularly becomes unresponsive. Also, the trackball is very difficult to control (something unique to this model).
PROS: fonts, keyboard
CONS: freezes, trackball problems, mediocre battery life, browser not as good as Pre or iPhone browsers
