1/20 Smartphone Review

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Smartphone OEM industry recovery benefits Taiwan ODM/OEM…
January 19, 2010 at 7:01 PM

Taiwan smartphone OEM industry's recuperation drove Taiwan major makers including Compal Communications Inc., Arima Communications Corp. and Hong Hai Group to grow in production volume. Compal Communications has obtained smartphone OEM... (More)
 

Palm Pixi Phone Sprint
January 19, 2010 at 7:01 PM

Palm Pixi Phone Sprint The thinnest Palm mobile phone yet, the Palm Pixi for Sprint is a [...]
 

Apple Got 99% of the $4.2B Spent on Mobile Apps Last Year
January 19, 2010 at 5:26 PM

More than 4.2 billion dollars was spent on mobile phone applications last year with Apple grabbing over 99 percent of the growing market. Apple accounted for at least 99.4 percent of the 2.516 billion downloads of the mini-programs for smartphones last year.
 

iPhone iTunes App Store Tops 3 Billion Downloads
January 19, 2010 at 5:24 PM

In the last three months, roughly a billion apps were downloaded from Apple s software store for its smartphones and handhelds, bringing the total to over three billion since this store launched last year.
 

xpPhone Brings Windows XP To Smartphones
January 19, 2010 at 5:17 PM

The phone looks an awful lot like a MID, with a widescreen display, a sliding QWERTY keyboard and Windows XP onboard. Yes, that Windows XP. It's sort of crazy to think that the operating system that was being loaded onto pretty much every netbook ever made early last year, has now been shoved onto a phone...
 

Acer Liquid Black Released in the UK
January 19, 2010 at 5:01 PM

Acer's slick Android OS smartphone is now on sale in the UK.
 

IBM Intros Notes Apps for BlackBerry, iPhone, Android
January 19, 2010 at 4:26 PM

IBM is helping iPhones go corporate this week, with the introduction of a free plug in that allows Notes users to read their encrypted e-mail on the Apple smartphone.
 

Motorola’s smartphone future in China put on hold - Medill Reports: Chicago
January 19, 2010 at 4:20 PM


The Guardian

Motorola's smartphone future in China put on hold
Medill Reports: Chicago
Google announced Tuesday it would postpone the launch of two Android-based smartphones for telecommunications provider China Unicom Ltd., including one of ...
Google's China Beef Spreads to AndroidUnstrung

Google's China Moves May Hurt Android, Help Windows MobilePC World
Google Boycots ChinaNews Trends
Phones Review -PMP Today (blog) -AFP
all 1,311 news articles! 0;»
 

Iphone 4.0 Release Expected January 20th 2010
January 19, 2010 at 3:58 PM

Software release 4.0 for the iphone 3g, and 3gs.
 

The iPhone & the Lack of Voice Over 3G: Alternative Theory (Salon.com)
January 19, 2010 at 3:39 PM

Apple and AT&T have come under continued criticism for not allowing VoIP over today's 3G mobile broadband connections when using the iPhone. So much so that the matter got the attention of the FCC back in August, leading to explanations from Apple and Ma Bell .
 

Dell Picks Synchronoss Platform for New Smartphone (BillingWorld)
January 19, 2010 at 1:19 PM

Synchronoss Technologies , a provider of on-demand transaction management software platforms, announced that its ConvergenceNow Plus+ platform has been selected by Dell Inc . to globally enable on-demand activations of Dell's entire connected device portfolio, including the company's first smartphone, designed on Google's Android Operating System.
 

Daisy Whitney: Android Closes in on iPhone, Smartphone Business May Become a Commodity (video) (The Huffington Post)
January 19, 2010 at 12:50 PM

Google's Android cell phones are quickly closing the gap on Apple's iPhone, according to new research from eMarketer. In the fourth quarter, the proportion...
 

Cost Comparison of the Major Cell Phone Plans
January 19, 2010 at 12:42 PM

Having previously crunched the numbers on smartphone features and cost of ownership, service comparison site BillShrink now offers an informative infographic showing the costs of every carrier's 500, 1000, and unlimited minute plans, with and without texting and data.
 

Project Pink: Microsoft's Answer to Nexus One?
January 19, 2010 at 12:38 PM

The rumor mill is churning today around a device that is not the Apple Tablet, for once. This time it's Windows Mobile 7, Microsoft's promised next-generation smartphone mobile operating system.
 

ABI: Smartphone Security - TorrentBomb News
January 19, 2010 at 12:28 PM


ABI: Smartphone Security
TorrentBomb News
Going forward, research firm ABI Research says smartphones will come decked out with antivirus software and other technology to thwart the bad guys from ...

and more »
 

Android Closes in on iPhone, Smartphone Business May Become a Commodity - Beet.TV (blog)
January 19, 2010 at 11:59 AM


PC World

Android Closes in on iPhone, Smartphone Business May Become a Commodity
Beet.TV (blog)
In the fourth quarter, the proportion of potential smartphone buyers who said they were going! to purchase an Android jumped from 6% to 21%, ...
Demand for Smartphones Likely to Top 4 Million UnitsKorea Times

Google swamped with Nexus One SmartPhone complaintsGeek WIth Laptop
Has Google done a good job with Nexus One smartphone?Phones Review
San Francisco Chronicle -I4U -TechGadgets.in (blog)
all 191 news articles »
 

Microsoft's Project Pink Could Debut at Mobile World Congress, Says Analyst - Microsoft Watch
January 19, 2010 at 11:30 AM


Gadget Venue (blog)

Microsoft's Project Pink Could Debut at Mobile World Congress, Says Analyst
Microsoft Watch
Microsoft's own branded smartphone may soon be upon us, at least acco! rding to one analyst. "We expect Microsoft to debut its long-rumored 'Pink' phone ...
Windows Mobile 7 to become Seven, ship on the best smartphone hardware out thereGeek.com

Sprint Promises to Upgrade HTC Touch Pro2 to Windows Mobile 6.5 by MarchBrighthand
Microsoft Readi! es Secret iPhone KillerThe Business InsiderTwice -Unwired View -TFTS (blog)
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South Korea gets first Android phone, the MotoRoi - CNET
January 19, 2010 at 10:48 AM


The Hindu

South Korea gets first Android phone, the MotoRoi
CNET
Motorola on Monday announced the MotoRoi, its first Android-based smartphone for the South Korean market. Like the Motorola Milestone (Droid in ...
Wireless Management Feature: Motorola Introduces MOTOROI Smartphone to Korean ...TMCnet

Motorola debuting Android OS in Korea with MOTOROI smartphoneZDNet (blog)
Motorola plans 5-6 smartphones in China this yearReuters
The Chosun Ilbo -PC Magazine -Digitimes
all 137 news articles »
 

Consumers to spend big on mobile apps - CNET News
January 19, 2010 at 10:46 AM

Smartphone users expected to spend $6.2 billion on mobile applications as downloads surpass 4.5 billion this year, forecasts Gartner.
 

First Looks: XGear Touge Special Edition Case for iPhone 3G/3GS (iLounge)
January 19, 2010 at 10:26 AM

Following a racing theme, XGear's latest iPhone 3G/3GS case Touge ($40) is a two-layer plastic shell with either black, red, or purple as a glossy rubber base color, and a faux carbon fiber hard plastic plate permanently attached to the back. Though we're not totally impressed by the bonding layer between the shell and the case, achieved with some obvious glue, they stay together well enough ...
 

BlackBerry Tour 9630 Phone Black Sprint
January 19, 2010 at 8:17 AM

BlackBerry Tour 9630 Phone Black Sprint




The feature-packed and highly refined BlackBerry Tour 9630 world phone for Sprint keeps you connected and lets you roam the globe in style. In addition to accessing the reliable and fast Verizon Wireless voice and data network, the Tour is also compatible with 3G-enabled GSM networks outside the United States, giving you the option to make phone calls in over 185 countries and to access email and Internet in any of the nearly 150 countries where Sprint provides data roaming services.

Roam where you want to with the BlackBerry Tour 3G world phone, which provides the option to make phone calls in over 185 countries and to access email/Internet in nearly 150 countries where Sprint Wireless provides data roaming services (see larger image).

Ideally suited for those who want to stay socially connected, the Tour 9630 lets you share pictures and videos via MMS and instant message on popular IM services or BlackBerry Messenger. It also offers easy access to your favorite social networking sites like Flickr, MySpace and Facebook.

In addition to fast 3G speeds from Sprint’s Wi’s high-speed 3G network, you’ll enjoy GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service as well as access to Sprint TV’s video-on-demand with full-motion video and vivid sound. And the Tour comes packed with all the communication and professional functionality you expect from a BlackBerry device, including a push-based mobile solution for email and access to Microsoft Office files.

The BlackBerry Tour includes a large, highly tactile, full-QWERTY keyboard and a large 2.4-inch display with one of the highest resolutions available yet on a BlackBerry device. Other features include a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder with geo-tagging capabilities, Bluetooth connectivity for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion (a 1 GB card is included), support for BlackBerry App World, and up to 5 hours of talk time.

Sprint Services
The BlackBerry Tour operates domestically on the Sprint 3G network, and globally on 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA and quad-band GSM/EDGE/GPRS networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) where Sprint has international roaming agreements. With the Tour, Sprint customers have the power to make or receive phone calls in more than 185 countries and access BlackBerry data services including email and Web browsing in nearly 150 countries.

Stay connected with a push-based mobile solution for e-mail, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS), and social networking.

Sprint’s Worldwide BlackBerry plan gives customers unlimited BlackBerry email and Web access in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other locations using CDMA technology, and with GSM/GPRS carriers abroad where Sprint has applicable roaming agreements. The plan is available for $69.99 per month, or just $40 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges) as an attachable to Simply Everything, Everything Data, Everything Data Family or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data.

Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard on Sprint’s U.S. network, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps. With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including the NFL Network, ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.

The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you. You also get several streaming-radio applications, including Sprint Radio with more than 150 channels.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

Other features include GPS location services, a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder with geo-tagging capabilities, Bluetooth stereo music streaming, MicroSD expansion (with included 1 GB card).

Stay Sporty with Sprint
With NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, instantly connect to the NASCAR information you want, when you want it. Follow NASCAR action from practice to race day with real-time leaderboard and alerts. Get exclusive access to your favorite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver with real-time driver stats, breaking news and more. Live in-car audio, race radio, NASCAR on SPEED and other audio/video only available on select phones. Visit sprint.com/speed for details.

To access, just text “NASCAR” to 7777 on your Sprint phone or visit the Sprint Digital Lounge to download NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile (standard text messaging and data rates apply).

This phone also provides access to NFL Mobile Live–your all-access pass to the NFL from DRAFT to Super Bowl. Stay on top of every game with real-time red zone alerts, game center scores, stats, and more. Manage your fantasy football team like a pro with up-to-the-minute insights, analysis, stats and alerts. Access by texting “NFL” to 7777 on the handset to download NFL Mobile Live from Sprint Digital Lounge (standard text messaging and data rates apply).

Phone Features
The BlackBerry Tour 9630 features a chic black finish with chrome highlights surrounding its sleek design and a bright 2.4-inch display that delivers the highest resolution available on a BlackBerry smartphone (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi)–presenting pictures, web pages and videos with incredible clarity. The Tour includes a trackball navigation system located on the top of the QWERTY keypad with finely sculpted keys for fast and precise typing. It also features an integrated spell checker with a customizable dictionary to help maintain accuracy while on the go.

It offers premium phone features including voice activated dialing, enhanced background noise cancellation, and a low-distortion speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking–surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server (additional charges or subscription applicable).

With BlackBerry push technology, you don’t need to retrieve your e-mail. BlackBerry devices are designed to remain on and continuously connected to the wireless network, allowing you to be discreetly notified as new e-mail arrives. Support is also built-in for viewing e-mail attachments (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, and PDF formats).

With the BlackBerry Internet Service, you’ll be able to easily access up to 10 supported personal and work email accounts, send and receive text and instant messages, and connect on popular social networking sites with friends, family and co-workers. It’s also compatible with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which provides advanced security and IT administration features within IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise environments.

In addition to the industry’s leading mobile email and messaging solution, the Tour supports text (SMS), picture (MMS) and instant messaging (IM) on today’s most popular platforms as well as social networking sites. Take your social life on-the-go with Facebook for BlackBerry and Flickr Photo Uploader for BlackBerry application. A Mobile IM feature provides access to Google Talk, MSN, Yahoo!, Windows Live, and AIM instant messaging services.

The media player can play movies smoothly in full-screen mode, display pictures and slideshows quickly and manage an entire music and video collection, and with BlackBerry Media Sync you can quickly and easily sync music from iTunes and Windows Media Player with the smartphone. The Tour comes with a 256 MB flash memory (and 256 MB of RAM), and the device is expandable via MicroSD/SDHC memory cards up to 16 GB in size (a 1 GB card is included with the Tour).

Other features include:

  • 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus, image stabilization, 2x digital zoom, geo-tagging capabilities, and video capture
  • Support for BlackBerry App World, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones. Categories include travel, productivity, entertainment, games, social networking and sharing, news and weather, and more.
  • Voice Activated Dialing: The built-in speaker independent voice command lets you use your voice to look up contacts, place phone calls and get key information from your device.
  • Preloaded DataViz Documents to Go, allowing you to edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset.
  • BlackBerry 4.7 Desktop Software with integrated email, phone, SMS, browser, calendar, address book, and additional organizer applications
  • English, French and Spanish language support
  • Ring Tones: 32 Polyphonic + vibrate (MIDI, MP3)
  • Password protection and keyboard lock
  • 3.5mm stereo headset jack
  • Video format support: MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.264 (encoding and decoding 30fps), WMV
  • Audio format support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus
  • Hearing Aid Compatibility = M3

Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry Tour 9630 weighs 4.58 ounces and measures 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches. Its 1400 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 336 hours (14 days) of standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 MHz CDMA frequencies and is compatible with the EV-DO 3G data network when on the Sprint network in the US; in international territories, it’s compatible with 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks as well as 2100 MHz 3G (UMTS) networks.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars First time BlackBerry user
I heard many friends describe how they are addicted to their BlackBerry. A few months ago I decided to see what the hype was all about. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this phone lives up to the hype and then some.

PROS

1) Big, clear screen

2) Push email

3) Built in CDMA and GSM radios (great for international use)

4) BlackBerry messenger and BlackBerry App World

5) GPS with Google Maps

6) Fairly good camera

7) Good call quality and battery life

CONS

1) Takes forever to boot up

2) Sometimes gets sluggish

3) Text messaging system is antiquated (needs iPhone-like threaded messages)

Overall this is a great phone. It allowed me to sync all my social outlooks (email, IM, facebook, etc) to the phone seamlessly. The BB browser, although not great, does an decent job at rendering web pages. I’ve heard some people complain about the trackball wearing out, so far I have seen no signs of this on my phone. If you want a complete smartphone, you would be hard pressed to find a better one than the Tour. I have become a Crackberry addict.

4 Stars Best Blackberry on the market
The Blackberry Tour is a good phone, and might be the most consumer-friendly Blackberry to date.

As usual, the Tour features a great QWERTY keyboard. The best Blackberry keyboard I’ve used, but not quite as nice as a horizontal slider - but it can be easily used with one or two hands. Blackberry has a powerful suite of messaging applications, but they, along with Blackberry OS as a whole, are starting to get dated. Where is my threaded messaging, RIM? I do love the combined messages inbox, but seriously, threading is sorely missed. The screen is bright and sharp. Internet browsing is fairly fast, and better than old Blackberry phones, but not quite webkit-level.

The new Blackberry App World is a nice touch, but has a low count of applications to date. However, despite the small number, they are generally good quality. The App World itself is mediocore - slow, not all that intuitive compared to competing app stores. Definitely a good starting point though, and there are a ton of third-party applications out there for Blackberry not in the App World yet. The Sprint version came bundled with SprintTV and NFL applications, which worked great on the Tour, along with Sprint Navigation. GPS connected quickly and held a signal well.

The phone multitasks, but not as smoothly as some other phones. There is no way to manually close applications, and they don’t always interact well - for example, on the Palm Pre, if you’re listening to music with Pandora and using Sprint Navigation, Pandora will play full volume until there is a voice prompt, where it seemlessly dims the Pandora volume. Doesn’t work nearly as well on the Tour.

I did have some issues with speed and stability. The phone crashed every now and then, requiring a hard reset - which takes a very long time. While generally the phone is very snappy, sometimes it randomly takes several seconds to load or switch applications.

All in all, the Tour is a great phone for both business and casual users. Hopefully, update to the operating system can move it into a more modern system with other phones.

1 Star slow performance kills this model of Blackberry
I’m the network administrator for my company, and we have a fleet of 10 Blackberries - mostly Curves and 8800s. This was our first Tour, and I’m unimpressed with its responsiveness. It seems to be a common complaint, so it seems to be an inherent flaw with the model not a problem with this specific device.

To be specific, when you move the trackball, there is a lag to when what you’re doing happens on the screen. We’re talking 1/4 to 1/2 a second - but that’s a big deal. If you had “messages” highlighted and wanted to go to the calendar, this issue would present itself. It seems to be universal - happens all the time, not periofically.

As I’m writing this, I hit messages with the trackball. It took literally one second to open (not exaggerating as users tend to do when estimating time). I pressed the Blackberry (menu) button. I waited another full second. I hit compose message, which took another full second before the screen came up to write a new message. So then I begin to type a message. I wrote “this is a test message.” Th appeared and then after I finished typing - 2 full seconds later, the rest of the letters appeared. That’s completely unacceptable. I was ready to give this phone 2 stars, but I’m going to 1. This phone was note ready to release.

A new software update needs to come out ASAP to fix this.

Of note - this is a Verizon Blackberry Tour 9630. I opened it up on Friday of last week. I had the user transfer her number to the device and then I set the device up on my Blackberry Enterprise Server. No third party apps. No music. No nothing. This is pretty much an out of the box Blackberry. Very unimpressed.

4 Stars Shall we dance?
Blackberry Tour is my new phone. It replaced my not so old Blackberry Curve from Sprint. So far, Sprint is offering it in just one colour but I don’t see to many people complaining about it. This is slightly more pleasing in terms of looks and design. Anyone who hasn’t had this phone and is considering buying it, would usually give in just by the looks of it. The graphics are a substantial improvement from the quite good Blackberry curve display. I won’t go into boring specifications such as pixels and resolution but yeah the resolution is improved as one would notice while surfing the internet.

Now, let us talk about the major features of the phone. Everyone is wondering, what is different about the Blackberry Tour and the Blackberry Curve? In simple words, the tour has a better camera, different keys, no trackball ring, brighter display and new interface, a SIM card slot so you can use the phone in places outside of USA when you don’t wish to use Sprint’s global service.

Where the Blackberry has improved -

1. The memory stick can be removed without taking the battery out and switching the phone off.

2. The speaker is louder than before and if you try using Pandora, it is I dare say, flawless at 65% volume for a living room. The playlist is slightly better looking and doesn’t look like an 8bit arcade game anymore.

3. When you’re going through your files, the browsing is slightly faster and you won’t need to wait minutes while going through your pictures. Also the camera is a 3.2 MEGAPIXEL and in simple terms, the camera is WAY BETTER than the blackberry curve. The blackberry curve gave grainy photographs and the pixels seems to be all over the place. The tour’s camera takes better pictures in the dark and there is not a very big lag between when you press the click button and the picture is captured. The best camera on any Sprint phone would be the Palm Pre’s camera but we’re not discussing that phone.

4. The charger is now the other side of the phone and this headphone jack doesn’t always accept all earphones despite being 3.5 mm. No more standard USB jacks - the new Blackberry uses mini usb and rightfully so.

5. Even on 10% brightness, the TOUR seems more vibrant and colour conscious.

6. A lot of people moan and whine about the trackball on this phone but its way better than the Curve!

Where the Blackberry Curve is missed -

The keypad on the blackberry tour may appear better but I could fly on the blackberry curve without making any errors. This was mainly because there was a slight gap between the keys, that gap is missing on the Tour…The tour’s keys don’t allow for the easiest typing experience and though I’m fast on it, I really think the Blackberry Curve keys were flawless. The Tour sometimes heats up, it is very moody that way.

The blackberry curve has a great battery life. The Tour will last you for about a day. Enough said about battery.

I would advise everyone to backup all your data. If for whatever reason your internet is working slow, then I would suggest you backup your TOUR, reset it (erases all data and sets the phone back to factory condition) and restore the backup which you saved on your computer. This fixes most internet issues. The Blackberry Tour is not the world’s best upgrade for Blackberry Curve.

The Blackberry Curve was coming from a Blackberry Pearl so it seemed like the sibling everyone wanted to engage with. The blackberry tour is the step-child in the same RIM family. I know my ideas sound slightly insane but I’m trying to explain this to you. Am I happy with my Blackberry Tour? I most definitely am but when I first got this phone and coughed up the full price of it, my phone didn’t work in a foreign location, this was because the phone doesn’t come unlocked but SPRINT has fixed this issue and all blackberry tours being sold now are UNLOCKED and ready for international use.

If you have an 8830, you must be dying to change that phone unless you don’t care much for cameras.

A new 8530 will be here in a few days. The Tour lacks wifi but I don’t care for Wi-Fi because the EV is express speed and rather fast. Surfing a webpage on the blackberry tour was wayyy better than the blackberry curve. Especially caue you can view the page in whatever format you want (full page or blackberry customized) .. It comes with some good sample wallpapers and you can download more from Blackberry App World.

It might just be arguably the best phone out there. Call quality is still very good and the charging port isn’t easily destructible.

Suggestion - BUY THE OEM BLACKBERRY SKINS for about $20 cause they’re worth it. The phone looks smashing then.

Should you upgrade from the Blackberry Curve and extend your contract? I did anyway and am more than satisfied because the Curve taught me how to truly use a blackberry.

1 Star Worst BB Ever
I have been a BB user for years and used many devices on many carriers in my time. The Blackberry Tour 9630 is by far the worst phone ever made by RIM. Let’s start with the most obvious flaw… the trackball. It doesn’t work. Period. There is a serious manufacturing issue with this phone and none of them have working trackballs. I have had mine replaced more times than I can count and I still don’t have a working phone.

The keyboard is poorly designed. I came from the 8830 WE, and there is no comparison. I do like the keys all being together more than say the Curve, but the indicidual buttons on the Tour do not have ridges like the 8830 WE. They have odd little despressions on the corners that make it very hard to type on, plus the keyboard being smaller than the 8830 WE.

The speed of the phone while using the OS is very slow. Slower than the Curve or 8830 WE. I am not sure how they accomplished this with supposedly better hardware in the Tour, but they did.

Stay away from this phone if you want one that will actually work.

Buy/More Info

 

Google postpones phone launches in China - CNET News
January 19, 2010 at 7:21 AM

Amid cyberattacks and censorship, Google postpones the Chinese debut of two Android smartphones from Samsung and Motorola, according to Dow Jones Newswire.
 

Mobile App Store Sales Rising - InformationWeek
January 19, 2010 at 7:17 AM


Mobile App Store Sales Rising
InformationWeek
Games are the top smartphone applications, while mobile shopping, social networking, and productivity tools continue to climb. By Antone Gonsalves Revenue ...

and more »
 

AT&T, Verizon Signal Start Of Price War - InformationWeek
January 19, 2010 at 6:58 AM


Product Reviews (blog)

AT&T, Verizon Signal Start Of Price War
InformationWeek
"With more than twice the number of smartphone customers as our nearest competitor, we are commit! ted to offering great value and choice for customers who ...
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Verizon and AT&T expand conflict to pricing warsVisage Mobile (blog)
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Android App From IBM: IBM Lotus Notes Traveler App Coming To
January 19, 2010 at 6:42 AM

IBM on January 18 has announced its first app for iPhone and Android based smartphones. The app named Lotus Notes Traveler companion lets its user access their Lotus Notes email on their phone.
 

Google postpones phone
January 19, 2010 at 6:32 AM

Google In China, Google's recent turmoil in China has prompted the company to halt the launch of two Android smartphones in the Chinese market.
 

Company's First Ever Android Smartphone Unveiled by LG - TopNews Singapore
January 19, 2010 at 6:32 AM


Times Online

Company's First Ever Android Smartphone Unveiled by LG
TopNews Singapore
Today, LG launched its first ever Android based smartphone, making the company the latest handset manufacturer to join the lucrative mar! ket for mobile ...
Demand for Smartphones Likely to Top 4 Million UnitsKorea Times

Google swamped with Nexus One SmartPhone complaintsGeek WIth Laptop
Has Google done a good job with Nexus One smartphone?Phones Review
San Francisco Chronicle -Times of India -TechGadgets.in (blog)
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Apple Announces Mystery Launch Event - InformationWeek
January 19, 2010 at 6:28 AM


Reuters

Apple Announces Mystery Launch Event
InformationWeek
Indeed, the latest figures from Gartner showed smartphone sales would grow by 29% year-over-year in 2009 to 180 million units, overtaking laptop sales. .! ..
Fox News 'confirms' Apple's latest creation is an iTabletThe Tech Herald

Apple tablet computer expected at January 27 eventAFP
Apple may announce Verizon iPhone 4G on January 27QuickPWN (blog)
Brighthand -HULIQ -Technology Story (blog)
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Cost Comparison of the Major Cell Phone Plans
January 19, 2010 at 6:13 AM

Having previously crunched the numbers on smartphone features and cost of ownership, service comparison site BillShrink now offers an informative infographic showing the costs of every carrier's 500, 1000, and unlimited minute plans, with and without texting and data.
 

Google Postpones Chinese Phones Amid Dispute
January 19, 2010 at 6:09 AM

Google said it is postponing the launch of two Android smartphones in China amid a dispute with Beijing over Internet censorship and email hacking.
 

LG joins the Android party with the launch of the LG InTouch
January 19, 2010 at 3:07 AM

LG launched its first Android based smartphone today, the LG InTouch Max GW620, which plans to bring "apps to the masses."
 

Has Google done a good job with Nexus One smartphone? - Phones Review
January 19, 2010 at 2:57 AM


Times Online

Has Google done a good job with Nexus One smartphone?
Phones Review
Not so long ago Google released its brand new smartphone aka Superphone called the Nexus One and many called it the iPhone killer, ! the device manufactured ...
Google swamped with Nexus One SmartPhone complaintsGeek WIth Laptop

Nexus One is "Good" for BusinessSan Francisco Chronicle
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Times of India -ReadWriteWeb (blog) -StarkSilverCreek (blog)
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LG GW620 Android smartphone to get UK release - Top 10 Mobile Phones
January 19, 2010 at 2:45 AM


Inquirer

LG GW620 Android smartphone to get UK release
Top 10 Mobile Phones
This is one of the many new smartphones to be released in 2010 that takes advantage of Google's Android mobile operating system and its arrival conti! nues to ...
LG launches its first Android smartphoneMobile Today

Mobile Phones LG Launches First Android SmartphonePrfire (press release)
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Samsung launches "youth" oriented smartphone in UK
January 19, 2010 at 2:19 AM

Samsung has announced its plans to target the "youth" of Britain with its smartphone, the Samsung Genio Slide.
 

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 Quad-band Cell Phone- Unlocked (Blac
January 19, 2010 at 2:16 AM

Living life in the fast lane with unlocked Xperia Sony Ericsson X2. Designed for those who must always be connected, whether for business or private life, - You'll find some of the most popular smart phone (iPhone, BlackBerry, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericson) on our list of the best budget smartphones of amazon.com.
 

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 Quad-band Cell Phone- Unlocked
January 19, 2010 at 2:11 AM

Living life in the fast lane with unlocked Xperia Sony Ericsson X2. Designed for those who must always be connected, whether for business or private life, - You'll find some of the most popular smart phone (iPhone, BlackBerry, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericson) on our list of the best budget smartphones of amazon.com.
 

BlackBerry Curve 8310 Phone, Red (AT&T)
January 19, 2010 at 1:38 AM

Amazon.com Swelling Blackberry Curve already huge arsenal of voice and connectivity tools, the red Blackberry 8310 Curve now adds an internal GPS receiver with - You'll find some of the most popular smart phone (iPhone, BlackBerry, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericson) on our list of the best budget smartphones of amazon.com.
 

Korea market: Android 2.0-based smartphone by Motorola (Digi Times)
January 19, 2010 at 1:34 AM

Motorola has introduced its Motoroi Android 2.0-based smartphone to the Korea market.
 

Incipio Cases,iPhone 3G,3Gs, Nokia Leather Cases
January 19, 2010 at 1:21 AM

Purchase discounted Incipio Technologies Universal and fitted leather case, silicone gel covers and pouches for PDA and cell phones specially Incipio iphone cases, iphone 3g cases, iphone 3gs cases and Incipio Nokia cases at WirelessPhoneGallery.com.
 

Samsung To Debut Genio Slide Smartphone - ITProPortal
January 19, 2010 at 1:16 AM


Samsung To Debut Genio Slide Smartphone
ITProPortal
Korean phone manufacturer Samsung will launch a "youth" focused smartphone known as the Samsung Genio Slide (or Genio Pro as it is known outside Europe) on ...

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