[dimi]

My wife and never had BB (only Palm) and we are switching today. Can't decide if I should buy the new Tour or the Old stable curve. The Sprint site makes it a little difficult to figure out he feature differences (they only want to sell Pre's). By searching the forums it seems the Tour is still in 1.0 buggy state but might be solved by future software upgrades. Can anyone tell me what features one has that the other doesn't and which is a smarter move? We mainly use the PDA and phone features. Thanks

[takeshi]

It's subjective preference. You can review full specs at Blackberry.com. Are there no Sprint stores near you that carry both? I highly recommend checking them out in person. Most people tend to have a preference for one keyboard or another, etc.

[dimi]

Originally Posted by takeshi

It's subjective preference. You can review full specs at Blackberry.com. Are there no Sprint stores near you that carry both? I highly recommend checking them out in person. Most people tend to have a preference for one keyboard or another, etc.

This is what has been frustrating. The Sprint guys knew nothing. I have never seen a blackberry before yesterday and I new more from these forums than they did. I called Sprint 800 number and they were clueless and finally said call RIM. I checked the Sprint and RIM websites to compare the two and they gave INCORRECT INFO on features. Finally in desperation I called RIM. After two transfers an expert worked for 10 minutes and just said I'll have to call you back. So far, no one can tell me conclusively the feature differences between the 8330 and 9630 other than the camera and GSM. I can't tell if they have the same internet speed. I think they have the same OS (4.7). I think the tour might have slightly more internal memory and documents to go, but I really can't figure out what is different about the two. Truly frustrating when the manufacturer website gives erroneous info.

[rambo47]

Go to a Sprint store and get a feel for both models' keypads. There are no "killer features" on the Tour that you will miss on the Curve.

Tour has:
Better screen.
Higher res. camera.

Neither of these are deal-breakers, just incremental upgrades.

For those of us (like me) who came from another carrier (AT&T) and loved the Bold, the keypad is a HUGE difference. As a Palm guy you might prefer the spacing and feel of the Curve's keys over the Tour's. The Curve 8330 has a keypad close in style to the Treo 680/750/755. Both of these Sprint BlackBerrys are supremely capable. I've had both, and it's only the keypad that has me so in love with the Tour.

[juwaack68]

I currently have both - the Tour for a work device and the Curve for a personal device.

My 2 cents (and a few facts):
- The camera on the Tour is better (it even has auto focus)

- Tour is a 'world' device, Curve is not. North America only.

- There have been some issue reported with the Tour trackball. I spoke to our corporate Sprint rep last week and they said there is an OS fix coming for that (fingers crossed).

- I have heard (and experienced) that GPS doesn't work with the Tour. On the Curve, Google Maps will give me a GPS location when I'm outside (within a handful of meters). On the Tour, I only get cell-tower triangulation. But I haven't tried it in a couple weeks, and you may not even use Google Maps.

- The Tour feels a little more 'slippery' then the Curve. There is some sort of non-slick coating around the edges of the Curve that makes it less likely to slide out of your hands. Although I have dropped mine...

- Screen resolution IS a lot nicer, and so is the browser on the Tour. One thing I hate about the Tour browser is the stupid pointer/cursor that you cannot turn off (you can turn off the pointer/curser on the Curve browser).

- The Tour is a faster device - it's Rev A vs. the Rev 0 speeds of the Curve. Although, the only time you'll really notice this is if you tether it to your laptop.

[dimi]

Originally Posted by juwaack68

I currently have both - the Tour for a work device and the Curve for a personal device.

My 2 cents (and a few facts):
- The camera on the Tour is better (it even has auto focus)

- Tour is a 'world' device, Curve is not. North America only.

- There have been some issue reported with the Tour trackball. I spoke to our corporate Sprint rep last week and they said there is an OS fix coming for that (fingers crossed).

- I have heard (and experienced) that GPS doesn't work with the Tour. On the Curve, Google Maps will give me a GPS location when I'm outside (within a handful of meters). On the Tour, I only get cell-tower triangulation. But I haven't tried it in a couple weeks, and you may not even use Google Maps.

- The Tour feels a little more 'slippery' then the Curve. There is some sort of non-slick coating around the edges of the Curve that makes it less likely to slide out of your hands. Although I have dropped mine...

- Screen resolution IS a lot nicer, and so is the browser on the Tour. One thing I hate about the Tour browser is the stupid pointer/cursor that you cannot turn off (you can turn off the pointer/curser on the Curve browser).

- The Tour is a faster device - it's Rev A vs. the Rev 0 speeds of the Curve. Although, the only time you'll really notice this is if you tether it to your laptop.

Headed to the store to buy two Tours. Thanks

[edoeding]

Originally Posted by dimi

Headed to the store to buy two Tours. Thanks

Just got a Tour for Sprint. Frustrated that Verizon is having a BOGO offer for tours. You said you're getting two Tours. If Sprint matched Verizon's offer, that would only cost you $199.

I've tried a few time to get Sprint to match the offer with a service credit of $100 or something, but no luck. Apparently, they say its a corporate directive not to discount the Tour (or the Pre).

Give Sprint a call and try to get a price match. If you succeed, let me know and I'll try again.

[dimi]

Originally Posted by edoeding

Just got a Tour for Sprint. Frustrated that Verizon is having a BOGO offer for tours. You said you're getting two Tours. If Sprint matched Verizon's offer, that would only cost you $199.

I've tried a few time to get Sprint to match the offer with a service credit of $100 or something, but no luck. Apparently, they say its a corporate directive not to discount the Tour (or the Pre).

Give Sprint a call and try to get a price match. If you succeed, let me know and I'll try again.

Didn't see your note in time so I paid $199 each. THe only justification I can see is VZW is dramatically more expensive so they have a lost leader.

[usblues1965]

I like the Tour. I bought one for my Girl Friend on her birthday. I have a curve, just waiting out my two-n-new. Everytime she gets up, I grab her Tour and start playing. I do really like that phone. Esp the display and speed. Tho that speed only works if you have strong coverage. Where I live the cell strength averages between -90 and -100, hold the tour and the curve next to each other, start opera, go to google.com its so close to a tie I can't see the difference.