14 DAY TRIAL // Canadian mobile-phone maker Research In Motion is reportedly getting ready to release a series of updates for its BlackBerry Tour handset, updates that should land in April and May it seems, in the form of an OS upgrade and a hardware refresh. It seems that the BlackBerry Tour 9650, or Tour2, should land on the market in May, at least this is what the latest news on the matter suggests.
The handset vendor already announced that the BlackBerry Tour 9650 was on its way to the market, and that it shouldn't be too long before it made an appearance on shelves, but nothing specific has been unveiled until now. However, a recent article on BGR suggests that May is the time frame when the Tour2 will be released, and also that it should include PTT capabilities.
At the same time, the news site also suggests that the BlackBerry Tour 9650 might actually be launched as the BlackBerry Bold 9650. It seems that Research In Motion chose to change the branding of the new phone from Tour to Bold due to the fact that the original device landed only last fall on the market, and that users might not see the release of an upgraded device with good eyes. However, official details on the matter lack at the moment, and all might be only speculation for the time being.
Besides the hardware refresh that RIM plans for Tour, it seems that a new operating system flavor is also set to soon be launched in the wild. Verizon users in the US should soon taste an OS 5 upgrade for their Tour devices, and rumor has it that the new software solution, which should become available within two or three weeks, should also bring forth Push-To-Talk features. According to the news, those interested in benefiting from the functionality will be able to do so for only $5 per month. Since the release is expected to take place soon, additional details on the matter might be close too, so stay tuned for more.