RIM Launches BlackBerry Tour 9630 for Sprint, Verizon Wireless

Research In Motion (RIM) announced the new BlackBerry Tour 9630 smartphone would be available for Sprint and Verizon Wireless.The RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630 is a 3G-enabled world phone that supports EV-DO Rev as well. As far as design, the BlackBerry Tour is a blend of the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 and the RIM BlackBerry Bold. The device measures 4.4 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick and weighs 4.5 ounces.

There’s a 35-key QWERTY keyboard for easy typing and a 2.44-inch, 480×360-pixel resolution display.
As a dual-mode world phone, the BlackBerry Tour runs on the carrier’s respective EV-DO Rev. A 3G networks domestically and offers 3G UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz) and quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE) support, so you can get voice and data coverage while traveling outside of North America.

The smartphone also offers Bluetooth 2.0 (including stereo Bluetooth and tethering) as well as assisted and
autonomous GPS, but unfortunately, there is no Wi-Fi. Other highlights of the phone include a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording, a music and video player, a 3.5-millimeter headphone
jack, an HTML Web browser, 256MB RAM with up to 16GB expandable memory, and a user-replaceable 1400mAh lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 5 hours and up to 14 days of standby time.
While specific availability dates were not released by the carriers, Sprint did reveal that it will offer the RIM BlackBerry Tour 9630 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates and said the smartphone will come preloaded with the Sprint Music Store, Sprint TV, Sprint NFL Mobile Live, and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile. Details of Verizon’s pricing or offerings are not yet available.