The Blackberry Tour 9630 is RIM’s version of a global handset, combining the line’s well-known business talents along with international roaming capabilities. Supporting voice coverage in 220 countries and data connectivity in 175, it’s likely the only phone you’ll need to carry throughout all your travels.
Multi-country support, of course, is a double-edged sword. While it’s incredibly convenient being able to use the same number anywhere you are in the world, it does subject to international roaming rates, which can vary depending on which area you visit.
Physically, the Tour combines the aesthetics of both the Curve 8900 and the Bold, turning out a very attractive and compact handset. The keyboard is almost an exact replica of the one in the Bold, offering ample travel and excellent response. Rest of the control array is similarly capable, making the handset easy to navigate and use across-the-board.
Voice calls are downright pristine, a testament to RIM’s intent of making it usable anywhere in the world. Messaging is extensive, offering the same range as you get from pretty much every Blackberry unit, including SMS, MMS, IM, emails (multiple accounts) and visual voice mail (extra charges).
Other specs include aGPS, a 3.2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, data tethering to a PC (extra charges) and full HTML browsing. It supports high-speed uploads and downloads, although Blackberry surprisingly took out Wi-Fi from the equation. As such, you’re stuck having to pay for expensive data transmissions during your trips, instead of being able to use your phone at no cost when Wi-Fi is available.
The Blackberry Tour 9630 is a great option for anyone in search of a smartphone that you can bring around with your during trips. Simply put, very few phones in the market can match its balance of international roaming and office capabilities, although the lack of Wi-Fi sticks out as a real sore thumb.
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