Were you one of the BlackBerry users waiting patiently for a next generation CDMA BlackBerry? I was and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a new BlackBerry Tour. While the 9630 is a great phone and definitely one of my favorite BlackBerry models, I did have to return three Tours to get my hands on one that actually had a properly functioning trackball.
RIM set out to improve the trackball with the new design for the Tour but it only made things worse. After the “green dot” 9630’s began to roll out, customer’s confidence in their Tours grew a little bit. My major concern about all the Tour users is how RIM has blatantly left them in the dark. I may be wrong, but it seems as if they have turned their attention towards the Essex, the Tour’s successor. With a trackpad and a faster processor it would make sense. The situation is just like the previous deal with the Storm 9530. RIM rushed production to please customers and released a device with much lesser build quality. I believe the same thing happened in the production of the Tour.
Every week it seems as if most models are getting official OS updates from carriers across the globe and leaked/beta OS updates a few times per month. From the time that I got my Tour back during the week of its release, I can recall one official OS update from Verizon and no more than three leaked 5.0 OS’s. There is definitely a shortage of the love for Tour users.
A fear that I have about the whole ordeal is if/when the Essex gets released, are the original Tour users going to be forgotten? Is the whole mishap with the 9630 going to be swept under the carpet and is RIM just going to move on? That’s how it seems at this point and if that’s how it ends up, there will be a lot of upset customers. Just like with the original Storm, RIM put out an official 5.0 update for it and swept that under the table after the release of the 9550.
I really do love RIM and love the way they approach new technology, but they really need to step up their game when it comes to new devices and build quality. When they put out a device that has a good deal of flaws, rather than sweeping their mishap under the carpet and abandoning their loyal customers, they need to admit to their mistake and issue a recall or work something out with the carriers that offer their device and offer an immediate upgrade to the newer device.
If RIM doesn’t do anything to support customers who bought a device with known issues, and they keep doing that they’re doing, they will eventually lose a great deal of loyal customers. These are just some thoughts, sound off your own opinions in the comments below!
I am somewhat new to the bb world, but totaly addicted. I agree with you. I have a curve 8330 and had to go through 3 of them until I found one that everything worked. There has been no official OS update. So I’m using a hybrid. All I have to look forward to is just getting a new device. Where is the love?
I agree but disagree with this issue. For starters I have never gone out and just bought a phone without doin some kind of homework on it first and second there isn’t a single phone model that will work perfectly from the very begining through to the end. Yes RIM should pay more attention to the product that they put out but to think they would take the hit and do a “free” upgrade. RIM nor the carrier would take a hit that bad. the only time i have ever seen that is sprint with the original touch pro but from what i can tell that was by sprints doing not HTC. The truth is that no matter how much people complain it wont make things much better. Just think people complaining about they are tired of waiting and if a product doesnt come soon they will get something else. We did it to our selves so we just got to deal with it and wait for RIM to come out with the 5.0 os that all the newer style blackberrys have. I dont wont to sound like a jerk by any means but all I am saying is its not all RIM’s fault we are to blame too.
As a new droid user, I have given up my love of Blackberries for this very reason. I was a little annoyed at how the whole Storm drama unfolded over the past year or so and felt like I was a beta tester for a product that was just not ready for the limelight. The droid feels completely different. It feels like a finished product and it does what I want it to do without having to install hybrids and leaks. I was a BB fan for a good few years and that is no longer the case. I don’t think I will be going back.
I have the Tour through Sprint, and I am a BB junkie. I have never had so much reception problems as I do with the Tour. Now the freezing has started which was my biggest pain with my previous BB the Curve. Honestly, instead of coming up with phone after phone after phone, why can’t they slow themselves down and actually make a phone that simply works. Compile the technology into a model that will function properly and doesn’t have the end consumer jumping from phone to phone. I’m tempted to just nix my love for the BB and go to antoher model phone all together.
Kim, I also was a BB junkie..8330 and then a Storm through Verizon’s. That POS killed it for me. I’ve gone Droid and couldn’t be happier ( thus far )
1 month)
I also have the Tour and switched it out 3 times before I got one that at least was normal.
The first one I got would would not power-on. The second one had a problem with the track-ball and the third would would loose its internet connection everyday.The one I have now the Battery had a short life and had it replaced. So far so good. I WANT MY OS 5.0!!!
When I was on T-Mobile I bought the Curve and it was great until it said “call failed” every 15 seconds on a call. The issue was never resolved and I went through swapping out 6 curves and then they finally gave me the Pearl 2. I liked the suretype and got used it fairly quickly but again with the UMA i had a ton of “call failed”. I ended up downgrading to the original Pearl and never had a problem until the charger port snapped. My contract was up and I switched to Sprint and got the Tour. I absolutely love this phone and have not had one problem with it. I was hesitant on getting it but a lot of my friends had it on Sprint so I figured what’s one more? The point is that I feel everyone’s pain with blackberry. They really need to get the bugs worked out of one before moving on to the next and you would think that this would be TOP priority, esp with Android really taking off in the wireless market.