BlackBerry Tour Ready to Roam the Globe

While there's a lot to like about Verizon (such as the much touted voice clarity as well as its 3G speeds), one knock against the carrier is that its CDMA-based cellular connectivity doesn't work when traveling abroad in what is fairly exclusively a GSM cellular world. But this weekend, Verizon Wireless is debuting two phones that include built-in world-roaming GSM capabilities with the HTC Ozone (a fairly basic QWERTY-fied Windows Mobile 6.1 phone) and the BlackBerry Tour. While the former offers quad-band GSM voice coverage, the Tour is definitely the stronger of the two as it also includes compatibility with 2100 MHz 3G networks (UMTS/HSDPA) found in across the globe--from Tokyo to London to Johannesburg to Sydney. Both phones include a pre-installed SIM card so you can roam using Verizon's global partners.

The Tour features a design that melds BlackBerry's Curve and Bold models (you can compare all three devices here), with a full QWERTY keyboard (that The Boy Genius Report notes isn't as "mushy as the Bold keys, they’re a little harder and a little 'clackier', something found on the 8900") and a 2.4-inch, 480 x 360-pixel screen. It runs the BlackBerry OS 4.7.1, which is compatible with applications purchased from BlackBerry App World (RIM's answer to Apple's App Store for the iPhone). It's also compatible with such Verizon services as VZ Navigator for voice-guided turn-by-turn directions (as well as the Global service for use in select European destinations) and the Mobile Broadband Connect tethering service (for using the phone as a 3G modem for your laptop).

CNet gives the Tour a good 4-star rating and calls it one of Verizon's best smartphones for business users. However, one feature that isn't included with the phone and that is getting knocked in all the reviews is its lack of Wi-Fi networking. Sprint will also be offering its version of a Wi-Fi-less BlackBerry Tour, and they've vowed to release a Wi-Fi-enabled version of the phone by next spring (something Verizon is sure to follow along with).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Comments

[jane on July 13, 2009 at 05:09 AM]

Please try to post a video on it. I liked it . can i use Vopium and total baby on it

[Steve O on July 13, 2009 at 12:44 PM]

Asking for trouble with a religious question like that. iPhone is 'cooler' but my friends with iPhones could barely make calls in our buidling. Recent software upgrade may have helped them.

[SwedishMetal on July 13, 2009 at 12:49 PM]

unless the GSM is unlocked, that "global roaming" is useless. Verizon charges an arm and a leg, and telling your european friends to dial a US number to reach you when you are in the same city as them is ridiculous. for the cost of the international voice and data plans, you could buy a pre-paid cell, which makes the whole "roaming" part superfluous.

[craig on July 13, 2009 at 01:45 PM]

While not mentioned in that article, the Blackberry Storm from verizon is perfectly capable of international roaming on GSM networks.

[Walter Horsting on July 13, 2009 at 02:54 PM]

I have had really good roaming experience with AT&T in Europe and the Middle East. Sacramento used to be really spotty with AT&T until recent tower upgrades.

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