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BlackBerry Tour hands-on, wild sibling confrontation with Curve and Bold
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.
Paul Miller06.25.2009
BlackBerry Tour in the wild gets Verizon branding, 15 minutes of fame
You can't have one just yet, but someone certainly can -- and here's the proof. A BlackBerry Tour complete with silkscreened Verizon logo at the bottom and a heavily Verizon-influenced (read: red) theme has found its way onto CrackBerry's forums, which -- apart from some characteristically miserable photography and a heartfelt expression of love scrawled in permanent marker -- is pretty awesome to see. If this release goes anything like the Storm's firmware release schedule, we're in for a bit of a wait, so let's hope they're fast-tracking this one.[Thanks, Ben H.]
Chris Ziegler06.17.2009
Telus to get BlackBerry Tour on July 15
We're hearing that Telus is primed to pick up the BlackBerry Tour right alongside -- if not before -- its US counterparts, getting real for customers on July 15. Pricing will come in at CAD $249.99 (about $220) on a promotional three-year deal, meaning that you need to be agreeing to a new contract on a voice plan of $20 or greater with a data package of $15 or greater. Otherwise you'll pay a whopping CAD $449.99 on a three-year all the way up to $649.99 contract-free. Of course, we suspect the Tour is so much better than the Curve and the 8800 series that people will be paying in droves at any price, but still, it's pretty painful to get in on this thing without springing for the promo.[Thanks, Riley Freeman and Pirate]
Chris Ziegler06.16.2009
BlackBerry Tour announced by Sprint, too: $199.99 later this summer
New BlackBerry models are few and far between -- particularly of the CDMA variety -- so when one is announced, the usual carrier suspects typically fall in line within a few weeks of each other and announce their branded versions in rapid succession. This one was particularly tight, though: Sprint has announced its plans for carrying the Tour 9630 just minutes after Verizon. It'll launch "later this summer" for $199.99 after $150 worth of rebates and a two-year contract, which makes the Pre comparison virtually inevitable. Keep the comments civil, though, alright?[Thanks, Martin]
Chris Ziegler06.16.2009
Verizon launches BlackBerry Tour teaser page
It's hard to believe this is really the first official confirmation that BlackBerry Tour is bound for Verizon's network, given what we've seen and heard so far, but that's exactly what we've got. The self-proclaimed "America's Best 3G Network" company has unveiled a teaser page for the smartphone. Not much else here other than a fancy product shot and a newsletter sign up, but more importantly, it looks like an official launch can't be too far off now. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Ross Miller06.15.2009
News flash: Verizon redirect calls out the BlackBerry Tour
We're not sure whether this has any bearing on a release date, but we can say with some certainty (as if we didn't have enough proof already) that a seemingly innocent redirect set up on Verizon's site confirms the name "Tour" for the BlackBerry 9630. Browsing over to vzw.com/tour moves you over to another site, estore.vzwshop.com/bbtour, which is where you'd presumably go to buy a Tour of your own were they available. Sadly, the link's dead -- but we're still happy to know that the carrier's hard at work setting up the internal plumbing for this thing to be sold.[Thanks, karandeep, image via CrackBerry]
Chris Ziegler06.11.2009
BlackBerry Tour spec sheet reveals little but our impatience
Most of the specs printed on this leaked sheet provided to MobileSyrup about the upcoming BlackBerry Tour were either known or could've been easily deduced, but a couple line items in here stand out: EV-DO plus HSPA 2100, 256MB of onboard storage, 3.2 megapixel AF camera, and an 480 x 360 display are all confirmed one more time as this thing trudges toward release. If we had our druthers, this would already be available on Verizon by now -- but current rumors have it pegged for a mid-summer release, which would line it up with where MobileSyrup says the 9630 will launch on Bell in the middle of July. In the meantime, those dang 8830s certainly aren't getting any younger.
Chris Ziegler06.08.2009
BlackBerry Tour retailing for six bills on Bell?
MSRPs of phones ultimately don't mean a whole hell of a lot to consumers; carriers can play with rebates, instant discounts, and subsidies on an almost daily basis, and a $600 phone can end up ringing up at $300, $150, a big fat zilch, or anywhere in between depending on how things work out. That said, it's interesting to see that the upcoming -- and wildly-anticipated, may we add -- BlackBerry Tour 9630 has apparently been priced at CAD $599.95 (about $511) for launch on Canada's Bell. Thing is, we still don't know when it's going down; it could be before, after, or at the same time as Verizon, but we don't even know with certainty when Big Red's launching yet, so this is all still shrouded in some of the best mystery Waterloo has to offer. Hurry up, guys -- goodness knows you've got some anxious fans with plastic ready to swipe in their outstretched hands.
Chris Ziegler05.14.2009
Verizon calling BlackBerry 8230 Pearl Flip the "Apex"?
We've even mentioned it on the podcast -- RIM's naming convention is starting to get confusing, especially in the crowded 8000 range where you've got both an 8230 and an 8320 to worry about (and they're very different phones). TheStreet is claiming that RIM will introduce both the 9630 Tour and a flip phone -- the Apex -- at the company's WES conference next week; we have a very, very hard time believing that Verizon would launch multiple flip BlackBerrys in a short span of time, so that leads us to the logical deduction that the rumored 8230 Pearl Flip will come to be known as the Apex. Makes you wonder how Alltel, Bell, and Telus feel about that, doesn't it?[Via Unwired View]
Chris Ziegler04.30.2009
Verizon tidbits: Storm firmware saga continues, Niagara is the Tour, and more
We're getting a few tasty little morsels seeping out of the Verizon camp this morning, and we just wanted to pass them along -- nothing Earth-shattering here, but Niagara fans are definitely going to want to learn a new term: The BlackBerry 9630 Niagara will definitely be known as the Tour. (Boy Genius Report now has it pegged for July at $199, which certainly seems plausible.) The next BlackBerry Storm firmware will be released in May (we're still expecting this to be 113 until we hear otherwise). Update: 4.7.0.141 is circulating within the company now, so that might be our golden build! The Voyager's replacement -- the VX11000 -- will be known as the enV Touch. The carrier is "investigating" raising the 5GB cap on its data plan with the LTE rollout, since subscribers will presumably be consuming more.
Chris Ziegler04.28.2009
A walking tour around the Roleplaying realms
Someone named wowgossip on livejournal (though I think her character -- I'm assuming she's a woman, though that might be wrong -- is named Mary Sue, like the lead of so much bad fan fiction) is conducting a pretty exhaustive tour of roleplaying on the servers, both good and bad. As is clearly stated, this is not a review -- it's more of a "state of the game" of Warcraft roleplaying, so the good, the bad, and even the ugly are included. She's already stopped by Argent Dawn, Blackwater Raiders, Earthen Ring, and Moon Guard, and Sisters of Elune.The sights range from the disgusting (you get offered to cyber by just being a lowbie and hanging around Elwynn, apparently), to the boring (there is some really, really bad vampire RP), to the fascinating (some of the character descriptions are very well written, and use some commonplace ingame gear to portray a character's backstory very well). There's no judging involved -- it's basically a (pretty) objective survey of what RP players are doing on RP servers lately. Even if you're not an RPer, it's an interesting read (though some of the images and situations are NSFW, depending on where you work).There's more info in a Q&A on the journal, including a plan to possibly do some group RPing, but just the idea of surveying what's out there is cool. There is so much happening on the realms (in terms of RPing and grouping and PvPing), and even here at WoW insider we can only document so much of it. Definitely cool to get another look inside what players are coming up with (no matter how weird or boring or wild) on the realms.
Mike Schramm01.12.2009
GamerDNA to unleash new Discovery Engine this Monday
This Monday, gamerDNA will be unveiling their newest feature entitled the Discovery Engine, specifically created for members of their social networking site. This new engine aims to show gamers what types of games they would be interested in playing based on more factors than simply what they've purchased previously or what game they might be playing right now. It is created to refine gaming interests based on the "hows" and the "whys", more than simply the "whats". We caught up with gamerDNA's founder Jon Radoff for a comprehensive tour of this new feature and an explanation of how it works to benefit the current generation of gamers immersed in a world of overwhelming choices. Follow along just after the cut below for our impressions and more information on the Discovery Engine.
Shawn Schuster12.13.2008
Massively's exclusive tour of Hi-Rez Studios and Global Agenda
Last week, we did a story on the growing game development scene in Georgia, and how government tax incentives have worked to get more digital entertainment companies into the state. Georgia's legislators understand that gaming is an important part of a global economic future, and they're getting their foot in the door early. As part of this story, we visited Hi-Rez Studios, located near the state's capital and largest city of Atlanta. Not only did we tour the studio and talk about their reasons for setting up shop in Atlanta, but we also got some hands-on time with their upcoming "spy-fi" MMO, Global Agenda.This article will cover the company's prominent involvement with the Atlanta area's gaming scene, a bit of a background into the studio itself and most importantly, a look into their new MMO. Follow along by clicking the navigation link below, and don't forget to check out the Global Agenda gallery for the latest screenshots from the game and photos of the studio. Take the tour >> %Gallery-35351%
Shawn Schuster10.27.2008
FCC hitting the road to talk digital TV
For anyone who's still confused about the digital television transition -- somehow missing the TV ads, radio spots, numerous articles and a part of the small minority not vigorously refreshing the Engadget HD front page -- the FCC is sending staff out on tour (sans the slick bus, didn't anyone tell them you've got to have a bus? It worked so well for HD DVD...ok maybe not such a great idea) to spread the 0 and 1 gospel. 23 cities identified as having more than 100,000 households or with at least 15% getting their TV strictly via antenna are on the list to be visited by a commissioner, while others will have to make do with mere staffers. FCC.gov has thedetails on when and where they'll be (warning: PDF read link), feel free to see when they're coming to your town. Will you save your ticket stubs to tell everyone "I was at digital switch '08"? (Note: FCCapolooza '08 is not actually converging on Haight-Ashbury in a phenomenon of cultural and political rebellion, but it would be much better if it were).[Via Variety] [Image courtesy of Supertouch Art]
Richard Lawler08.20.2008
Behind the scenes with the Windows Media Center dev team
Windows Media Center fan and photographer Thomas Hawk recently got to visit the people behind the platform, returning with pics of the people who put the product together and a few of the tools used to make it happen. Captured above is the team's listening room (also used by other AV teams working on Windows Media Player, codecs, etc.), unfortunately there aren't any snaps of future upgrades and projects from the team, but if you use it, be sure to hit the read link and find out a bit more about where and who it comes from.
Richard Lawler08.05.2008
Rock Band concert tour, chance to humiliate yourself on-stage announced
Part of the appeal of games like Rock Band is that you can play like you're in a band without actually having to go on-stage and risk mass humiliation. Of course, there are those who can't see the line separating failing a song in front of three friends and failing a song in front of 10,000 strangers. For them, MTV has created the Rock Band Live Tour.Kicking off on October 5 in San Diego, CA, the tour is headlined by Panic at the Disco and Dashboard Confessional, and, as the press release happily exclaims, "possibly you!" Pre-concert Rock Band 2 competitions will be held by local radio stations, national contests, and on-site at each venue, the winners of which will "perform" on-stage in-between sets by opening acts Plain White T's and The Cab. (In addition, MTV has announced that tracks from all of the acts on the tour "minus you!" will be made available in a post-launch DLC pack for Rock Band 2.)Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carraba is quoted in the release, saying, "I'm practicing my Rock Band drumming. With any luck I'll win a spot on stage to show what I can really do." Har-har! Tickets for the tour go on sale at 10:00am local time on Friday, August 8. Check out the full schedule of stops after the break.
Randy Nelson07.30.2008
There's only one way to Feel Great Britain
If British accents annoy you, do not click this link. This one. Right here. It will take you to the Feel Great Britain website, where group after group of chortling, crumpet-eating British lads and lasses have a go at Wii Fit. The site is designed to complement to upcoming Feel Great Britain tour, running through July and August.Nintendo aren't just sitting back and letting Wii Fit sell itself (which it does quite nicely, thanks). It's good to see they understand that exercising is an ongoing activity, and they are willing to actively support the product during the months ahead. If you happen to be British and haven't balanced your way to fitness yet, check out the website for official tour dates.%Gallery-4745%
philip larsen07.01.2008
JVC hitting the pavement with summer road trip
The company soon to be known as JVC Kenwood Holdings is kicking off its six month long summer road trip this month to show its wares to the masses. There are 30 pushpins on the "JVC Hi-Def Experience" map, spread across 19 states. That's a lot of ground to cover, so there are two teams -- one for the East and another for the West. The stops will coincide with local events, such as NASCAR races, fairs and festivals. This looks to be a JVC-only event -- Kenwood car stereos which seem like a natural fit for NASCAR events aren't featured. Check out the event web site and see where to go to get some quality time with Everio camcorders, P-series LCDs (with iPod docks and no longer available in Japan), or the Pioneer Kuro doppelganger HD100 projectors. If you catch it, share the details in the comments below! [Via TWICE]
Steven Kim05.26.2008
Zune headquarters mini-tour
Ever wonder where Zunes are designed? Well, right now it's all done in a fairly non-descript and temporary office building on Microsoft's sprawling campus in Redmond. (Soon enough a few hundred Zune employees will be packing up and moving to a new building that's currently under construction, though.) We recently got a chance to peek around the cube farm and spend some time with employees in the laid-back Zune lounge -- check it out!%Gallery-22450%
Ryan Block05.09.2008
More Wrath of the Lich King impressions and information coming out
WorldofWar.net also got an invitation to the Blizzard event this past week (our invitation must have been lost in the mail, maybe?), and they've got six full pages of text about what they saw. Six pages hard to read though, so we've got all the salient points right here: Both Jeff Kaplan and Tom Chilton presented, with Kaplan showing off the Death Knight class and Chilton showing off the work they've done on Northrend. The Forsaken-designed starting town Vengeance Landing was shown off -- this was the same area we got to play back at Blizzcon, as well as Utgarde Keep They also got to see Valliance Keep (the other Alliance starting area), and Warsong Hold, a huge gothic iron structure run by Garosh Hellscream that Kaplan apparently called the "new look " of the Horde Horde players will be taking a Zepplin up to Northrend The Nexus, in the Coldarra part of the Borean Tundra, is the first instance on the western side of Northrend from Utgarde Keep, and it's a three wing instance with a raid dungeon where players will meet Malygos. The Badge of Justice system will continue in Northrend, but there will be new tokens to act as Badges and be returned for loot. Lots more after the break.
Mike Schramm05.09.2008