i should be working (but i'm fixing my computer).

finally.

The point here is that my 8703e was obsolete when I got it. But, I need a capable phone with no camera and it was the best option at the time. Which is to say, drat! Why is my phone a dinosaur and everyone else has cool and groovy?

So, when Verizon started pre-selling the new Blackberry Tour with a NO CAMERA option, it took me about a nanosecond to decide to place the order.

...

They shipped 7/13 and I was very happy that the ship date held. The verizon website was too busy to process the equipment changeover, but oddly enough, the telephonic system worked with no problems.

Some issues, though. It wasn't (and isn't) entirely clear what happens to my broadband connect (ie., "tethering") plan, but I have preserved a long chat session with a Verizon rep.

Switching the blackberry email was easy, though I hadn't been to the website for quite a long time and had to look up my login info, etc.

It turns out that the usb port is now "micro", which means old cables, etc. don't work. I suppose micro usb has probably been around for awhile, but it was news to me, all my cables are, I suppose "mini".

But let's get on to connectivity. First of all, 9630 is EVDO "rev.A" which is presumably a lot faster than my 8703e version. I tried to be conventional and my first connection effort was with VZAccess in WindowsXP. Well, it worked -- but rather bizarrely, it never got past "initiating connection" as far as the software was concerned. Also, VZAccess would not shutdown correctly (stayed in memory). But, the connection was active, which was a good thing because I was otherwise out of range internet-speakingly. So, I downloaded the NEW version of VZAccess and everything works fine now.

Oddly enough, I had even less problems with Linux. On linux, I have both "barry," for a wired connection, and a setup that runs a bluetooth connection. On the 8703e I stuck to bluetooth, though unlike some people I prefer a wired connection, mostly because then the Blackberry won't run out of juice. Well, I haven't yet tried the bluetooth method because I think I have to change one of the scripts to identify the new phone or something. So, I have stuff to look up, help-wise.

But, not only did barry connect right up, it works better than on the 8703e. Because on the 8703e barry would routinely stop working for no apparent reason. Whereas (at least as of this writing), the barry>9630 connection seems locked in just fine.

So, that's the news. And, BTW, I like the Tour in all the ways I didn't like the 8703e. Primarily, I didn't like the look or shape of the 8703e -- which, I suppose, is a minor issue.

Now, I suppose, I have to wait some more years for a phone with a bigger screen, a keyboard and no camera. But, so far I am finding the Tour screen to be very crisp and clear. Hopefully I can now get all of those apps that wouldn't run on the OS running on the 8703e, which could not be updated to the current Blackberry OS.

I can't close without a bit of verizon-sniping, however. Hey! Why is it if you get the Tour with a camera, you also get a 1 gig memory card. But, if you get the exact same Tour with no camera, you pay the SAME PRICE and don't get memory card. (Not to mention they don't have to put a camera in it.) And, they didn't offer any memory cards as an option/accessory at purchase time, so now I have to go out and find one.

But, hey, at least I have a new and improved phone SANS camera, which makes me a very happy camper.