Rim -- Engadget Mobile

Sprint matches Verizon's pace, launching BlackBerry Tour on July 12

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jul 1st 2009 at 1:14PM

So much for exclusivity, eh? Sprint is staying toe-to-toe with Verizon in the race to get the BlackBerry Tour to market, launching the consensus hottest RIM device to date on July 12 for $199.99 on contract after rebates. It's awfully refreshing to see an ominous statement like "later this summer" morph into "early summer" instead of slipping into the "dead of winter" as is all too often the case with hotly-anticipated phones, and we have a sneaking suspicion the Tour's gonna sell like a remastered Bonnie Tyler live album (that's a good thing, by the way). Who's in?

Verizon BlackBerry Tour unboxing

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jul 1st 2009 at 12:12PM

You might say that Verizon's brand new BlackBerry Tour 9630... ahem, took a "tour" through our offices this morning, gracing us with its QWERTY-having, global-roaming, 8830-killing presence. There's absolutely no question it's the best-looking CDMA BlackBerry to date and we also think you'll be able to stop Bold owners in their tracks as you flash this thing around town; we'd argue that the Curve 8900 is still a cuter handset when you take the company's lineup as a whole, but then again, the 8900 lacks 3G, and the Tour's keyboard might just be the best RIM's ever crafted for a phone. Bottom line, owners of any BlackBerry on Verizon or Sprint should be salivating at the sight of this thing -- and if they're not, honestly, they need their salivary glands checked. Stay tuned for our full review, but in the meantime, enjoy an unboxing and a few quick shots of the Tour taking its first breaths!

Gallery: Verizon BlackBerry Tour unboxing

BlackBerry Bold comes to South Korea at long last

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 30th 2009 at 11:57PM

It's taken a little longer than they'd hoped, but RIM and SK Telecom will finally begin offering a localized version of the venerable BlackBerry Bold to South Korean customers this week. The move follows last year's scrapping of policies that all but banned foreign handsets from being offered by local carriers, which could theoretically be a boon to manufacturers in one of the world's most advanced mobile markets -- assuming anyone's able to crash through the stranglehold that local favorites Samsung, LG, and Pantech have. It's unclear how big of a deal a device with an English QWERTY keyboard could really be in Seoul, but hey, options are always a good thing, right?

BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a go for US, says FCC

by Ross Miller, posted Jun 30th 2009 at 9:17PM

Whether or not it's coming to T-Mobile (spoiler: all signs point to yes), BlackBerry's Curve 8520 has now been ordained with FCC approval, clearing the hurdle for its sale stateside. Optical trackpad and EDGE connection your cup of tea? You know where to look, and for everyone else, there's always the Tour.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

BlackBerry Tour emerges in Alltel livery for those non-Sprint, non-Verizon types

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 30th 2009 at 5:28PM

We've got to give the divested markets representing the hollow husk of what was once Alltel a lot of credit -- they seem to be doing everything in their power to continue rocking. For proof of that, look no further than this -- pretty solid evidence that there's an Alltel-branded Tour coming down the pike. Assuming they can keep the price within reason, it'd make for a truly epic purchase on these fancy new one-year contracts they've moved to, would it not?

There'll be a BlackBerry Tour without a camera, too

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 30th 2009 at 12:08PM

Only the most buttoned-up, high-security businessfolk still require phones without cameras these days -- and seeing how the BlackBerry Tour is destined to become the new de facto choice for buttoned-up, high-security businessfolk, it stands to reason that a cameraless version makes a whole lot of sense. Sure enough, it turns out that Verizon will be offering a non-cam version right alongside the regular Tour when it launches on the 12th, but don't think of this as a great money-saving opportunity if you don't snap a lot of photos -- Big Red wants to charge the same $199.99 on contract for this one that they're charging for the regular version. CIA operatives, though, have to be pretty stoked.

[Via CrackBerry]

BlackBerry credited with saving skier's life, serendipity left hanging

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2009 at 8:43AM

Not that we haven't heard a few miraculous gadgets-saving-lives stories before, but this one is in a league of its own. According to the always-embellishing Sun, one David Fitzherbert is thanking his smartphone after coming entirely too close to falling 700 feet to his death. As the story goes, he got wedged between a pair of rocks after losing control of his skis in the Matterhorn, and while we aren't quite sure why he chose RIM's BlackBerry over -- say, chap-stick, car keys, his wallet or a fattening breakfast -- he credited it with adding just enough width to his person to keep him wedged. Two hours after finding himself between a rock and a hard place, rescue crews arrived and flew him to a hospital where he used the "0.5-inch wide" phone to tell his wife that he had survived a nasty spill. We still say David owes a round of thanks to genetics, luck and Zeus, but hey, what do we know?

Verizon's BlackBerry Tour coming July 12th, pre-order page now live

by Ross Miller, posted Jun 30th 2009 at 12:17AM

Looks like Verizon's got a winner here. That leaked promotional graphic was right on the money, as the carrier's just replaced its BlackBerry Tour teaser with a pre-order page and, lo and behold, it's indeed coming July 12th for a penny under $200. We're still waiting to see if Sprint's whispered July 20th date pans out, but regardless, if you want a Tour before anyone else, looks like VZW's the way to go.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Update: She's official. The press release says so.

Nokia, Apple, RIM and others agree on micro-USB phone charger standard for Europe

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 29th 2009 at 8:15AM

While the free-market works pretty well when, uh, left alone to be free, sometimes it needs a push from a visible hand. Case in point, phone chargers, at the moment some 30 different types of chargers are used on handsets throughout Europe. Today, the European Commission received industry backing of its phone charger standard that relies on a micro-USB socket. The standard is now backed by all the majors (representing 90% of the European mobile market) including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Apple, LG, NEC, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung and Texas Instruments with compatible devices starting to appear in Europe next year. Or course, the micro-USB charger standard already has the blessings of CTIA, OMTP, and GSM Association which implies a broader adoption beyond Europe, someday. One charger for any mobile phone... where's the catch?

Sprint launching BlackBerry Tour on July 20th?

by Jacob Schulman, posted Jun 27th 2009 at 2:40PM

When the teaser went up, we knew the hotly anticipated BlackBerry Tour for Sprint was right around the corner, but the only hint of a release date was "later this summer." Lucky for us, the, um, insiders at Inside Sprint Now have clarified the vague window for all of us mere mortals. They confidently state that the Tour will be available on July 20th, just over a week after the purported release date on Big Red. This hasn't yet been confirmed by Sprint, but we're sure they want this baby out sooner rather than later, so quasi-mark your calendars, quasi-set your alarms, and get your $199.99 ready.

BlackBerry Tour hitting Verizon on July 12 for $199.99?

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 26th 2009 at 10:12PM

You know what'd sell like a cold glass of water in hell? A $199.99 BlackBerry Tour on Verizon, that's what -- and it looks like that might be what the carrier's planning to unleash. Boy Genius Report has what seems to be a promotional graphic advertising the release of the Tour on July 12 -- just over two weeks from today -- which has the potential to make it the first Tour release anywhere, beating Telus' July 15 date and Sprint's nebulous "later this summer" window. Who's camping out in line with us?

China Telecom mulling BlackBerry offering

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 26th 2009 at 3:57PM

We've got to assume that it's a momentous occasion for a manufacturer any time they have an opportunity to break into the world's single largest phone market, so if they're prepping the bubbly out in Waterloo, we can't say we'd blame them. China Telecom -- one of China's three nationals -- reported this week that it has engaged RIM about the possibility of bringing BlackBerrys to its lineup No deal has been made just yet, but considering that China Unicom doesn't offer any of the devices and China Mobile's been soft on marketing it, Telecom could have an ace up its sleeve if it brings hot models to retail and pushes 'em hard. RIM's not talking so far, so there's no telling where the talks are -- or when the deal might be finalized.

BlackBerry Tour hands-on, wild sibling confrontation with Curve and Bold

by Paul Miller, posted Jun 25th 2009 at 2:32PM

While some interesting things may or may not be happening under the hood, the freshly announced BlackBerry Tour for Verizon and Sprint (pictured in Verizon garb on the left) is hardly a departure on the surface. It mostly appears to be a minor modification to the Curve (right), though it does seem inexplicably thicker. The Bold seems positively overwrought in comparison. We didn't get much time to play with the OS, but the screen and the keyboard are pure new-generation BlackBerry charm.

Gallery: BlackBerry Tour hands-on, wild sibling confrontation with Curve and Bold

RIM's BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone now available, don't expect SurePress

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 22nd 2009 at 12:44PM

RIM's been excitedly talking up the virtues of its car visor-mounted speakerphone at every trade show we've attended in recent months -- and considering how basic of an accessory it is, we can only assume they've put together a winner here. The aptly-named Visor Mount Speakerphone connects with to your phone via Bluetooth and offers up to 13 hours of talk time in an ultra-slim package that won't detract from the interior styling of that soberingly expensive S-Class that you've rightfully earned by staying productive on the road -- using your BlackBerry phone, of course. See how it all comes full circle? Get it now for $99.99.

BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 now available through Verizon

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 19th 2009 at 1:18PM

Seemingly as though it wasn't just totally pulling the claim of June 19 availability out of thin air back at the announcement, Verizon has gone ahead and started offering the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 online today. It's no Tour by any stretch, but the consumer-friendly phone comes in at a palatable $79.99 after discounts on contract and offers a 2 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, EV-DO Rev. 0, and the 20-key layout made famous by the original Pearl -- if you're into that sort of thing. And hey, it looks pretty good in silver, doesn't it?

[Via Boy Genius Report]