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Verizon had a once top-of-the-line BlackBerry called the World Edition (8830). It was a CDMA phone with an internal SIM card slot for use on overseas GSM networks.

When I started working at TheStreet.com they gave me one to use. It seemed flimsy to me. The trackball was so loose it barely worked. When I traveled overseas on business the phone wouldn’t make/accept calls (despite Verizon’s best intentions). I gave it back within a week.

I have nothing against BlackBerry phones. I love them. As a matter of fact, I use a BlackBerry Flip on a daily basis. I did not like the World Edition phone at all.

Happily, Research in Motion has just overhauled the 8830 and turned it into the new BlackBerry Tour (9630). The phone is based on the super-successful BlackBerry Bold (AT&T). That’s a terrific start.

This new handset also works on Verizon’s CDMA 3G network as well as having a SIM card slot for overseas GSM use. It’s very slightly smaller and thinner than the Bold and the great looking screen is slightly smaller too (same size as the 8830). The wonderful keyboard seems to be lifted from the Bold. Add a 3.2 megapixel camera, GPS, BlackBerry Maps and you have yourself a Tour.

Verizon doesn’t like adding Wi-Fi to their phones. The Tour is no exception. Subscribers using Wi-Fi instead of Verizon’s 3G, EV-DO data network cut into Verizon’s profits

I’m sorry to report though that the trackball on the sample they sent me is just as useless as one I had on that 8830 I used. I’m guessing it’s because the test phone I received had been heavily used and tested by the RIM people. It didn’t have a RIM Test Model sticker on the back – but there are still remnants of that sticker stuck on the back cover.

What are the odds of that happening twice with BlackBerry world phones? That’s not meant as a rhetorical question. I want to know what are the odds of getting a BlackBerry with a bum trackball? I would be very upset if I bought a phone that was delivered like this. Make sure your Tour’s trackball works perfectly before you leave the Verizon store.

Verizon is asking $199.99 for the Tour as long as you sign-up for a “2-year voice plan with e-mail feature – or an e-mail plan”. Online activation is free.

There is also a Sprint version of the Tour (9630) available at the same price..