Starting today, and exclusively for GadgetReview readers, you can now pre-order the Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Tour from Wirefly.  New customers expect to drop $179.99 after a 2-year contract signing and preexisting customers you’ll pay $199.99.

Wirefly is also guaranteeing a 30-Day Pre-Order Price Guarantee, which means if the Blackberry Tour price drops within 30 days from shipping they’ll refund you the difference.  If you order it today it should ship on the 12th, the same day Verizon officially makes the phone available.  If you want it faster, just upgrade your shipping, but I always go with the cheapest shipping to save money.

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Verizon officially confirmed today that the good old Blackberry Tour will hit on July 12th.  Expect to drop $199.99 after a $70 mail-in-rebate and new 2 year contract signing.  Now were just waiting for Sprint to confirm their July 20th launch date.

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Full release after the ‘leap’

TAKE A TOUR – A BLACKBERRY TOUR – ON AMERICA’S MOST RELIABLE 3G NETWORK AND BEYOND

Around the World or Around Town, Verizon Wireless Offers a Host of BlackBerry Smartphone Choices

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – The highly anticipated global 3G BlackBerry® Tour™ from Research In Motion (RIM) will hit Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on July 12. Verizon Wireless announced today that customers can pre-order the BlackBerry Tour for $199.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement online at www.verizonwireless.com/tour.

The BlackBerry Tour joins the BlackBerry® Storm™, BlackBerry® Curve™ 8330 (available in either silver or pink), BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip 8230 and BlackBerry® 8830 World Edition smartphones in the Verizon Wireless portfolio. The BlackBerry Tour is a 3G world phone, giving customers the option to make phone calls in 220 countries and to access e-mail and Internet in any of the 175 countries where Verizon Wireless provides data roaming services. It is also packed with features customers expect from industry leaders, including RIM’s popular push-based mobile solution for e-mail; messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking; a 3.2 megapixel camera with geo-tagging and video recording; advanced multimedia capabilities; built-in GPS; full HTML Web browsing; and support for Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband Connect tethering service. It supports Verizon Wireless’ V CAST Music with Rhapsody and VZ NavigatorSM services. BlackBerry Enterprise customers will find the stylish BlackBerry Tour has all the BlackBerry security profiles that make this an efficient business tool. A model of the BlackBerry Tour without a camera will also be available.

Customers can purchase either the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition Smartphone or the BlackBerry Curve 8330 for $49.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement for a voice plan with e-mail feature or an e-mail plan. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 and BlackBerry Storm 9530 are available for $79.99 and $149.99 respectively after $70 mail-in rebates with new two-year customer agreements for a voice plan with e-mail feature or an e-mail plan. Customers receive rebates in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

Email and Web for BlackBerry plans begin at $29.99 when added to any Nationwide voice plan. For information on Verizon Wireless’ voice and data plans for BlackBerry smartphones, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers may contact their Business Sales Representatives at 1-800-VZW-4BIZ.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving more than 86.6 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 86,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

The BlackBerry, Research In Motion and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.  RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.

It was just over a week ago that we learned that Sprint will launching the Blackberry Tour for $199.99, but neither here nor there was there a mention of an actual launch date. But now a blogger that supposedly workers in the bowels of Sprint’s customer care unit says the Tour will launch on July 20th. Of note, Verizon will supposedly launch the BB Tour on July 12th. Of course, none of the above mentioned launch dates have been confirmed by either carrier.

[Thanks, Pete]

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Sprint confirmed today that they’ll sell the Blackberry (9630) Tour later this summer for $199.99 after a two year contract singing and $100 mail-in-rebate.  The Tour, which should coincide with U2′s tour (get it?) sports a 480 x 360 screen, 3.2MP camera with image stabilization and video, GPS, Bluetooth, UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM connectivity, microSD card slot for up to 16GB of storage, 3.5mm headphone jack and an advanced media player for music and video.

Of note, Verizon has launched a Blackberry Tour teaser page where you can sign up to receive more info by email.  They have yet to announce pricing or a launch date, but April rumors pointed to a mid-July launch.

Read – Blackberry Tour Product Page

Full press release after the ‘leap’

The New BlackBerry Tour Smartphone Launches on America’s Most Dependable 3G Network to Create a Powerful Mobility Tool for Those on the Go
The BlackBerry Tour smartphone from Sprint offers access to America’s most dependable 3G network, plus 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM support for international roaming
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jun. 16, 2009– With the new BlackBerry® Tour™ smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) available from Sprint (NYSE: S) on America’s most dependable 3G network1, staying connected won’t be a worry domestically, or when you travel around the world.

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone is a powerful mobility tool that operates on Sprint’s nationwide 3G (EV-DO Rev. A) network domestically. It also roams on other high-speed wireless networks around the world for reliable voice and email communication without missing a beat.

The BlackBerry Tour is a sophisticated smartphone that enables customers to be more productive and better equipped to manage both their busy personal and business lives. It is ideally suited for those who want to stay socially connected, and lets you share moments through pictures and videos via MMS and instant message on popular IM services or BlackBerry® Messenger. It also offers easy access to your favorite social networking sites like Flickr®, MySpace and Facebook®, and you get smooth integration between the BlackBerry Tour smartphone and your Facebook events and friends giving you a great view of what’s happening both personally and professionally. This is the most powerful business smartphone in Sprint’s line-up with instant access to emails, calendar, contacts, robust business applications and location-based services, leveraging the best performing networks both domestically and abroad.

“The BlackBerry Tour is a sophisticated and powerful smartphone that will enable customers to be more productive and better equipped to manage their busy business and personal lives; and global travelers can rest easy knowing Sprint has a solution to keep people connected wherever their travels may take them,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Particularly compelling for world travelers will be the performance enabled by combining the new feature-rich BlackBerry Tour with Sprint’s 3G network and some of the world’s other most robust voice and data networks.”

No one has a larger voice calling area than Sprint. The Nationwide Sprint Network (inclusive of roaming) reaches more than 304 million people in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a Sprint calling plan that includes roaming. Additionally, the Sprint 3G Network, the nation’s most dependable 3G network, is faster in more places than AT&T’s 3G network2, and Sprint has more than 20 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, based on square miles.

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone comes with a vibrant high-resolution display (480 x 360 at 245 ppi) plus intuitive trackball navigation, a large, full-QWERTY keyboard, corporate and personal email with attachment viewing, calendar, integrated address book and up to 16 GB of expandable memory with a microSD/SDHC card.

It also includes a 3.2 MP camera with variable zoom, auto focus, flash and image stabilization able to capture crisp pictures and video. It comes pre-loaded with the Sprint Music Store, Sprint TV®, Sprint NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, and features an advanced media player for playing video and music files, plus a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth® stereo headsets (A2DP/AVCRP). The BlackBerry Tour smartphone also has built-in GPS and supports location-based services.

The BlackBerry Tour will be available at Sprint stores, www.sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1 later this summer for $199.99 with a new line of service or eligible upgrade, two-year service agreement and $50 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate. Additional savings may be available to business customers through their Sprint account manager.

For more information on BlackBerry Tour smartphone, visit www.sprint.com/tour or www.blackberry.com/tour.

International Travel

The BlackBerry Tour operates domestically on the Sprint 3G network, and globally on 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GSM/GPRS networks where Sprint has international roaming agreements. With this handset, Sprint customers have the power to make or receive phone calls in more than 185 countries and access BlackBerry® data services including email and Web browsing in nearly 150 countries.

International Service Plans

Sprint offers clear value and simplicity with its Worldwide BlackBerry® service plan. The Worldwide BlackBerry plan gives customers unlimited BlackBerry email and Web access in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other locations using CDMA technology, and with GSM/GPRS carriers abroad where Sprint has applicable roaming agreements. The plan is available for $69.99 per month, or just $40 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges) as an attachable to Simply EverythingSM, Everything Data, Everything Data Family or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data.

Sprint international voice roaming rates range from $0.59 to $5.99 per minute, depending on where customers are calling. Customers making frequent calls while in Canada can take advantage of a specific service plan for $2.99 per month which allows calls to be made and received at $0.20 per minute. Additional pricing plans are available exclusively to enterprise customers.

Customers also have the option of using a third-party SIM for international voice and data services.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 49 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

1 Most dependable claim based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the top 50 most populous markets from January 2008 to February 2009. Not all services available on 3G and coverage may default to separate network when 3G unavailable.

2 Speed claim based on total network size, sq. miles, multiplied by network upload/download speed capability. User’s speed experience may vary.

3 Coverage comparison based on publicly available information as of 4/1/09 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners. Based on square miles.”

At this point the Blackberry Tour has been all but officially confirmed by RIM.  Now, it looks like the Bold variant will be arriving to Verizon Wireless stores sometime mid July, at least according to BGR and a ‘trusty source’.  No official word on price, but I’d expect it to be comparable to what the Bold goes for on AT&T, around $200 – $300.

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Originally thought to be codenamed the Niagra, the Blackberry 9630, which is a Bold CDMA variant, is said to now be called the Tour.  The device apparently draws its name from a recently added RIM sponsor, U2.  This is also further evidenced by the fact that www.blackberry9630.com and www.blackberrytour.com both point to the same IP address. As for release, well, that still a bit hazy, but the tipster points to an early Summer release as opposed to the originally rumored Spring release.

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