We understand that BlackBerry Tour owners might feel like the forgotten redheaded stepchildren of the Verizon BlackBerry family now that the Bold 9650 has arrived, but word has it that Verizon will begin pushing out an OS update for the Tour starting at 6pm EDT. Apart from an assortment of fixes relating to the recently introduced Push-to-Talk feature, the move to 5.0.0.732 should also go a long way to fix other niggles including issues with data reception. We’ll be sure to holler back once the update is live, but if you happen to spot it before us, don’t be shy to send us a tip.

UPDATE: Looks like the wireless update is now available.

Thanks, George!

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When you think of push-to-talk you might conjure up images of construction workers on job sites wielding yellow ruggedized handsets. However, recently Verizon rolled out push-to-talk to its business-centric BlackBerry Tour handset in an attempt to bring PTT to new industries and work places. The adoption rate for this $5 monthly service has apparently a bit sluggish amongst Tour owners, as Verizon is reportedly launching a new promotion that will allow 9630 owners to add the PTT service to their line…for free. The free price tag is not a short-term gimmick either, as the $0/month figure is valid for the lifetime of your handset (*cough* trackball *cough*). Interested Tour owners can download the PTT software and activate the service prior to the promotion end-date of June 30th. The leaked slide did not indicate whether this promotion extends to current customers who already pay for the service, or if it will be extended to other BlackBerry handsets. We’ve sent some feelers out and will let you know what we dig up.

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With Verizon soon to be carrying some hot new smartphones from HTC and RIM, the carrier has decided it no longer has a need for the HTC DROID ERIS and BlackBerry Tour 9630. In an internal memo sent out during the week, Verizon informed employees that the DROID ERIS will reach end-of-life at the end of May while the Tuh-Tuh-Tuh Tour (it’s been a long time, eh?) will hit the same brick wall in June. They’ll be around only as long as their stock holds up, so in case you’re dying to have either for your collection or just because you don’t share our compulsive need for the latest and greatest, we’re sure you’ll be able to finagle yourself one hell of a deal.

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When it was first leaked it earned something of a reputation for being moody, but Verizon is clearly confident that BlackBerry OS 5.0.0.591 will serve Tour 9630 users well because it’s now pushing out the software OTA complete with Push-To-Talk capabilities. A truncated change-log is available after the jump, but first we have one simple question for you. How’s it feel?

• Camera
  • Smoother operation in both camera and video applications.
• Calling
  • Improved Bluetooth® functionality for last number dialed.
  • Enhanced functionality for Voice Activated Dialing in both French and English.
  • Improved missed call log now shows missed Call Waiting calls.
  • Upgraded Call Waiting caller ID and call timer.
• Messaging
  • Improved functionality for reading, sending, forwarding, and deleting SMS messages.
  • Corrected in-box display when device is used with a holster.
• Media
  • Better video streaming functionality.
  • Enhanced display for MMS messages containing both video and text.
  • Improved multitasking ability while streaming and downloading videos from www.youtube.com
• Basic Operations
  • Improved operation during charging.
  • Simplified key-lock functionality. A password is no longer needed unless a security timeout has occurred.
  • Improved GPS connectivity when using third-party mapping applications.
  • Push to Talk-capable

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It was mentioned in one of our whispers and now it’s here: Verizon has released a Push-To-Talk application for its fleet of BlackBerry smartphones. Free to download but requiring a monthly fee of $5 to use, Verizon’s BlackBerry PTT app allows for unlimited nation-wide calls to other PTT devices. Other key features include:

• Make group calls with up to 50 participants.
• Use Presence to see who’s available for Push to Talk calls.
• Manage Push to Talk contacts for your entire company online.
• Access email and the Web while you’re on Push to Talk calls.

For the price, we’d say it’s definitely a good deal if you have a lot of family/friends/co-workers that have a PTT capable device, but for everyone else it’s $5 that could better be spent on a pint. Now if only this app were released alongside OS 5.0…

Thanks, to everyone that sent this in!

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The first is that one of our connects has informed us that the mythical OS 5.0 upgrade for the BlackBerry Tour 9630 will be released within the next “2-3 weeks.” It will also contain a Push-To-Talk feature that will run over Verizon’s data network for a $5/month fee. This ties in nicely to our second bit of info… We’ve heard that the BlackBerry Bold 9650, or BlackBerry Tour2 9650, or BlackBerry Whatever 9650x will launch unfortunately around May. It will also include PTT.

CrackBerry caught a quick screen shot of the BlackBerry Facebook account attempting to… actually, to be honest, we’re not sure what exactly they are trying to do. The post has been removed, but it read: “The BlackBerry Tour 9650 is coming! Check back soon for official news!” We’re a little perplexed as to why RIM didn’t go with the Tour2, like the Storm2 and why the announcement was made via their Facebook account (and on Apple’s Tablet day?). In any regard, any Tour 9630 owners feel a little shafted by the existence of the 9650? If RIM offered 9630 owners an upgrade — similar to the upgrade offered to Storm 1 owners — would you take it? Trust us, we’re not saying they will…

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Verizon seems to be planning on expanding its prepaid line-up and options for current and would-be customers by throwing BlackBerry into the mix. Word is that within the next three months, prepaid BlackBerry plans will become available, though we’re not sure if all devices would be included. Rumor is that the plan adds $35 on top of the voice package, which isn’t so bad when compared to other carriers and most post-paid plans. We’ve also received word that the prepaid bundles would match Verizon’s older ones, and that phones would run somewhere between the subsidized price and full retail cost. We’ll be sure to keep you guys updated on this as news comes our way!

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According to one of our trusty sources, Best Buy locations that sell out of BlackBerry Tours will not have their stock refilled. Oh why, oh why, could this be?

Another year, and even more devices, products, and services to look forward to. Things will be smaller, more advanced, faster, and some new markets might even be defined, but for now, check out the top 10 posts of 2009 (by traffic):

1. Motorola DROID hands on

2. BlackBerry vs. iPhone 3G: yeah, we definitely went there

3. Android 2.0 screenshot walkthrough

4. BlackBerry 9700 Review: Part 1

5. Nokia E71 Review

6. BlackBerry Curve 8900 hands on

7. Palm Pre Review: Part 1

8. T-Mobile’s Walmart roadmap: the wrap up

9. BlackBerry Tour hitting Verizon Wireless in July?

10. Motorola Calgary live photos: Verizon’s second Motorola Android device

Thanks to all our readers, connects, ninjas, and writers!

UPDATE: The above posts are listed by traffic, even if they weren’t published in 2009. Since most people expected just 2009-published articles, we’ve listed those after the break.>

1. Motorola DROID hands on

2. Android 2.0 screenshot walkthrough

3. BlackBerry 9700 Review: Part 1

4. Exclusive Apple iPhone 3.0 screenshots leak out

5.BlackBerry Tour Review: Part 2

6. Palm Pre Review: Part 1

7. T-Mobile’s Walmart roadmap: the wrap up

8. BlackBerry Tour hitting Verizon Wireless in July?

9. Motorola Calgary live photos: Verizon’s second Motorola Android device

10. A handful of FireFox tweaks that will double your browser speed

Not too much to say here other than an OS update for the Verizon BlackBerry Tour 9630, 4.7.1.61, has started to trickle out. Although it’s already available to download from Verizon’s website and through BlackBerry Desktop Manager, we’ve been told that a handful of users will receive on-device update notifications throughout the night with general OTA availability tomorrow. No change log has been released. Let’s just hope that it’s not much longer until OS 5.0 drops for your beloved tuh tuh tuh TOUR (yeah, we remember).

While the launch of the BlackBerry Storm2 on Verizon is widely expected to take place on October 28th and the Bold 9700 is so close we can almost taste it, owners of current generation BlackBerry smartphones  — the Pearl Flip 8220/8230, Curve 8330/8350i/8900, Bold 9000, Storm 9500/9530 and Tour 9630 — should be pleased to note that RIM is all set for the launch OS 5.0. Specific dates aren’t easily pinned down as it more or less depends on the device one has and the carrier one is with, but thanks to our connects we know, for example, that Verizon will be dropping for the OS 5.0 for the Storm 9530 tomorrow evening with a fall back date set for Monday. Those that don’t have Desktop Manager set up on either their PC or Mac might want to get everything ready ahead of time as it looks for the most part that OTA software updates will not be made available. Oh well. OS 5.0 is oh so worth the hassle.

One of our crafty readers just let us know that U.S. Cellular will indeed be joining other state-side CDMA carriers in offering the BlackBerry 9630 to their subscribers. The specs page, listed here on their website, has no real surprises but seems to point to a looming release date. We do have to ask, with all this Essex this and Essex that talk, are you going to pull the trigger on a BlackBerry Tour?

Thanks TW!

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