As a general rule, by the time Sprint gets a new smartphone it's been out on other carriers for a good long while. The Pre was one exception to this rule, and the BlackBerry Tour is another. The much-awaited Tour is joining Sprint's network this Summer. We don't have an exact date yet, but judging from the tone of Sprint's press release it sounds fairly imminent.

The BlackBerry Tour has a 480x360 display, a QWERTY keyboard, 16 GB of expandable memory, and a 3.2 megapixel camera (with variable zoom, flash, auto-focus, and image stabilization). It's also got a built in GPS, and it comes pre-loaded with a bunch of Sprint programs, like Sprint TV and Sprint NFL mobile.

If the BlackBerry Tour sounds like your kind of smartphone you'll be able to pick one up for a reasonable $199.99 with a two-year service agreement. For the Tour, Sprint is offering a $50 instant rebate and a $100 mail-in rebate. Sprint's Tour website can be viewed here. We'll let you know as soon as a launch date is announced.

Sprint has been going through some hard times lately. They've had to deal with falling sales and a stock price that dips every time Verizon's CEO talks about the Pre joining his network. With Palm exclusivity ending in 2010, Sprint is going to need new smartphones like the Tour to keep them viable and help them recover from this nasty slump. The Pre's initial sales were great, but it's going to take more than that to rehabilitate Sprint.