I just picked up a new BlackBerry Tour today, which is exciting because it means I can dump the BlackBerry 8900 I've been using on T-Mobile the past month and get back to my Verizon roots (and wonderful coverage).

Everything was going well, until I went to charge it.

Here is the device in it's holster:

Notice anything yet?  Here is the device next to its holster.

Still don't see it?  How about now:

This isn't some knock-off OEM holster I ordered online, it is the holster that ships with the device from RIM. Way to push the limits of good design.

Every other BlackBerry I've owned (and I've owned many) was able to charge while holstered¹.  A shot of my 8330 is below.

Don't get me wrong, I love RIM, but shit like this won't help you compete against Apple.

The problem isn't that this is bad design (although I would argue it is), the problem is that it isn't GREAT design.  Apple makes wonderful elegant products that are a joy to use, and even touch.  I doubt there is a single person who could touch a MacBook Air and not be enchanted by it.  Covering the charging slot feels sloppy and unfinished, like the designers couldn't be bothered to complete the last 10% of the job.  That final 10% is what makes the Apple experience so special, and it's something that very few manufacturers are able to achieve.

1. Apparently the Bold also doesn't have a spot to connect the charger while it's holstered either, and the secret is to use Bedside Mode in the Clock. The Bold actually does let you plug in a USB cable while it's holstered, meaning you need to remove the Tour from it's holster to charge it, and put it in Bedside Mode . In Bedside Mode you can choose to disable the the LED and radio, choose a profile and dim the screen.  That's great, but I don't want to manually do anything, hence Auto On/Off.  I can set my device to turn off at night, and turn on in the morning, but I can't control the blinking LED while it charges.  I also really don't want to take my BB out of it's holster, because then I have to put it back into it's holster in the morning. [back]