Hey everybody, this is Jason Hiner of TechRepublic and today I'm going to share my thoughts about the new BlackBerry Tour smartphone which I've been testing this week. Of course, since this is TechRepublic, I'll be looking at the product from a business and IT perspective.
So let's start with the positives:
- This is a 3G device and it's on the Verizon Wireless network, so the data performance is very good
- It sports the same keyboard as the BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry 8800 series, which I consider the best qwerty smartphone keyboard on the market
- It has an excellent hi-res screen, which is great for reading, as well as photos and multimedia.
- Of course, if you have a BES backend in place, this device has all of the security and manageability features that IT departments love about BlackBerries
- For a 3G phone, it has very good battery life. Unlike some 3G smartphones like the Bold, the Tour here WILL get you through a full day even with heavy voice and data usage.
- For business travelers, this is a global roaming device with CDMA, GSM, and HSPA radios. It has phone service in 220 countries and data in 175.
- And finally, it has a nice form factor, very similar to the popular BlackBerry Curve and a little smaller and sleeker than the Bold
Now for the drawbacks:
- My biggest complaint is that this device does not have Wi-Fi, which can really improve data performance at home and at work and save you a lot of your cellular usage.
- Â The other big drawback is Web browsing. With 3G, this device is much better at Web browsing than the Curve, but just not as good as the iPhone or the Palm Pre.
Overall, I think this a strong device. I think we have to consider it one of the 2-3 best smartphones available for business users. I also think it's probably the best BlackBerry now available on the market, edging out the Bold because of battery life and form factor. I also think that this is now the best smartphone you can get on Verizon Wireless. So those are my thoughts on the BlackBerry Tour. Thanks for watching.
