When you take a look at these earrings, just know that they come from the sacred lands of Hong Kong. I ordered these earrings for a friend of mine about 3 weeks ago and they decided to make their way from good ol’ China to my house. Of course, he wanted these for Halloween, but because there’s a vast ocean between here and there, that idea was quickly scrapped. From what I can make out from my friend whose name I shall not reveal just yet, they were a pair of 15 gauge earrings.

Now, I’m not a religious man myself, but having a pair of crucifixes on your ears may be blasphemy to our lord and Savior, Allah.

The Tour is a combination of its media centered Curve and business centered 8830 predecessors. The most notable improvements over both are the screen and keyboard, which are also the most obvious. The 9630 has a 480×360 TFT screen, that looks brilliant and colorful in all lighting conditions, thanks to the build-in light sensor.

The keyboard seems to be the new standard Blackberry design, now featured on both of the new Bolds. The keys are similar in shape to the 8830, except they are now angled higher and further ‘out’ for a more ergonomic design. I’ve found it quite comfortable to type on, especially for SMS and IM, although it gets cramped while typing longer messages and emails. This is mostly due to the fact that there is no space between the keys horizontally, only vertically. I have always liked having a small space between every key, such as on the T-Mobile Sidekick or Verizon ENV3.

The actual body of the Tour is pretty nice too, with an all matte body and a faux carbon fiber backplate. The locking mechanism on the battery hatch and memory card slot is much improved compared to other Blackberries, particularly the original Storm. On the left you have your user-defined rocker, and on the right the standard volume switch, user-defined rocker, 3.5mm jack matchup. The Tour also has the standard trackball navigation found on most Blackberries.

The 9630 ships standard with BB OS 4.7, though it will be compatible with OS 5.0 when it is officially released by RIM. The Tour stays snappy and responsive even after long usage with an advanced theme installed, much improved over the Curve and Storm.

In conclusion, the Tour is my all-time favorite Blackberry and all-time favorite phone. The lack of wi-fi support is disappointing, and the camera is sub-par, but it would still make a good beginner Blackberry, especially with prices falling after the release of the Bold. The Tour is also a valid choice for anyone looking to go oversees without having to pickup another phone.