Fresh details leaked Monday have an LTE iPad 3 shipping for at least two US carriers. AT&T and Verizon would both sell the tablet at 4G speeds, the Wall Street Journal said. Whether or not Sprint's upcoming LTE network wasn't mentioned, but the hardware would have the expected fallback to 3G in areas where LTE wasn't available.
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Internet access providers are not broadcasters. The ruling means that Canadian Internet providers such as Bell, Rogers, and Telus can't be forced to carry Canadian content on streams or downloads. It also means that they don't have to make payments into funds that subsidize the creation of local Canadian content.
Telus became the third Canadian carrier with an LTE-based 4G network on Thursday. Starting on February 10 in Halifax, the carrier will have the same 75Mbps peak download speeds and 12-25Mbps averages as the existing networks from rivals Bell and Rogers. It plans to kick off the network with the Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, LG's Optimus LTE smartphone, and Novatel's Ovation MC679 modem; the Galaxy Note with LTE will be available on February 14.
Telus' Optik IPTV service got much more control over non-traditional viewing on Tuesday. Optik TV for Xbox 360 takes advantage of the fall Xbox 360 Dashboard update to use the console as the set-top box, including for remote DVR viewing if there's a traditional DVR on the same network. The support includes full Kinect motion control.
Unusual rumors on Monday had Apple negotiating for fabled TV set with Canadian telecom providers Bell and Rogers. The respective satellite and cable TV providers were said by the Globe and Mail to be Apple targets as they had "wireless and broadband capabilities" that could be used for launch partners. The two allegedly even had prototypes in their labs.
Both Americans and Canadians alike got the opportunity to preorder the Samsung Galaxy Note on Sunday. An AT&T listing lets Americans pick the 4G device and a matching plan ahead of the February 19 release. Contract-free purchases aren't available ahead of time on the $300 Android phone, although both the very dark carbon blue and ceramic white colors are options.
Canadian wireless provider Telus has now deemed that the three Wi-Fi models of the BlackBerry PlayBook seven-inch tablet has reached the end of its life. As such, no returns are being accepted, no new ones are being ordered, and the carrier is clearing them out for the lower price yet, at just $150 CAD for both the 16GB and 32GB versions. The 64GB models are slightly more expensive, at $300.
AT&T's launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note might be preempted by a very wide Canadian release. Bell, Rogers, and Telus have all committed early this week to carrying the LTE version of the 5.3-inch phone and tablet crossover. Although Bell and Telus have only listed it as "coming soon," Rogers has officially committed to a mid-February launch, making it probable that all three will launch at or near the same time.
Samsung has quietly confirmed that its Galaxy Note handset will arrive in Canada sometime in the middle of February. The company's Canadian website includes a sign-up page for launch notifications, with a reference to mid-February availability, however exact plans for specific carriers remain unclear.
Electronista had the chance to interview Nokia Canada's General Manager Richard White on Thursday with hints of future plans. Although careful not to commit to any particular launches, he noted that Nokia was willing to make sure LTE was in any Windows Phone if a carrier set a requirement for it. The strategy would leave room for Verizon Windows Phones from Nokia given the carrier's new refusal to pick up future 3G smartphones.
Motorola sought to raise the baseline on Android smartphones Thursday with a pair of new world models. The MOTOLUXE runs on a modest 800MHz processor but has a four-inch, 480x854 screen, eight-megapixel back and VGA front cameras, and a fairly healthy 1,400mAh battery good for 6.5 hours of talk. Borrowing a slight cue from the HTC Rhyme, the lanyard slot lights up for missed calls, mail, and text.
Samsung in a prelude to CES upgraded its most important budget smartphone. The Galaxy Ace Plus keeps the 320x480 resolution but bumps up from a 3.5-inch to a 3.65-inch screen. A faster 1GHz processor (up from 800MHz) and an extra 1GB of internal storage, for 3GB total, keep it fresh relative to others in its class.
Canadian wireless carrier Globalive, which is better known by its subsidiary brand Wind Mobile, is reportedly in talks to acquire competing carrier Mobilicity. An unnamed person familiar with the negotiations told Bloomberg that Globalive is attempting to build its presence in the Canadian market to compete with dominant carriers Bell, Rogers and Telus.
RIM has usually tried to chase the high end of the smartphone market when it adds a touchscreen: the Storm, the Torch, and the newest Bold phones are all aimed at the same crowd as the iPhone and top Android hardware. With only a limited amount of success, then, it's taken a fresh strategy of bringing a touchscreen to the Curve line for the first time. We'll see in our review of the BlackBerry Curve 9380 if shrinking down and aiming for cost has given RIM a chance at carving out a lead in a young category.
Canadian carriers on Thursday became the first in North America to get a pair of new smartphones. Bell now has the Galaxy W, Samsung's mid-tier Android 2.3 phone. It raises the bar for entry smartphones through a 1.4GHz single-core processor, a 3.7-inch LCD, 14.4Mbps 3G data (not 4G as claimed), and 4GB of internal space with a microSDHC card slot for more.
Samsung has submitted a cellular-enabled Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus to the FCC for regulatory approval. This new seven-inch tablet features support for the HSPA+ 3G cellular data standard, like the T-Mobile version, but on the 850MHz and 1,900MHz bands used by AT&T and major Canadian carriers. As such, it might be destined either for AT&T or for Bell, Rogers, or Telus.
Canadian Wireless provider Telus will soon be offering the Motorola Motokey Social to its prepaid customers. As its name implies, the phone targets users with a strong interest in social networking, and incorporates a dedicated hard key to access Facebook much like the smartphone-level HTC Status. The UI provides five different home screens, two interface themes and built in links to Twitter in addition to Facebook; Opera Mini gives it slightly more sophisticated web browsing.
RIM's budget touchscreen BlackBerry, the Curve 9380, has been given some of its first definitive signs of a holiday release and a carrier through a spotting in a Telus staff holiday catalog. In addition to confirming one of the first providers, MobileSyrup's copy confirms a handful of details, such as its 3.2-inch screen and its focus on "youth" and smartphone newcomers. The hardware could be cheap to own on Telus as it will qualify for the BlackBerry Social plan for those who just need BBM, mail, and other essentials.
Canadian wireless provider Telus has just announced the Xperia Ray will be offered exclusively at its stores and online starting on November 2. The Android 2.3-powered smartphone from Sony Ericsson will mark a first at Telus, and is just 9.4mm thin and housed in an aluminum frame. It sports an 8.1-megapixel camera with an Exmor R low-light sensor.
RIM's new BlackBerry Torch line is a reboot for the company. After the Storm and Storm2 failed to stem the tide of the iPhone and later Android, the new Torch shows signs RIM has learned its lesson: a faster processor, a touch interface, and the death of its infamous click-down screen. But is it enough? Our review of the Torch 9850 and 9860 will see if RIM is back in form or if its rivals are still moving faster.
As expected, Canadian provider Telus has now narrowed down the ship date for the Samsung Galaxy S II X smartphone with a banner ad on its site. The flagship is due to arrive on October 28, and while prices aren't being revealed, it is expected to cost $100 CAD on a three-year contract. Its specs are posted for all to browse, however.
A Telus inventory screenshot unearthed by MobileSyrup indicates the 16GB version of RIM's ill-received BlackBerry PlayBook will soon be discontinued. The document shows two dates, with October 10 being the last day orders of the tablet from the Canadian provider could be made and November 8 the last day returns will be accepted. A third date for when the tablet will no longer be available at Telus is currently blank, though it will likely be when stock is depleted.
Many Canadian wireless providers have began offering the newly announced iPhone 4S for pre-orders. We've summarized the prices for the various capacity models at each. The device is available in either black or white at all, and the prices are in Canadian dollars.
Americans visiting the online Apple Store to pre-order an iPhone 4S encountered multiple limitations on what they could buy. The unlocked GSM iPhone 4S won't be available until November in the country despite Canadians and some other regions having the option from the start. No reasons have been given, although it may be either supply or an agreement with AT&T.
On cue, the online Apple Store and numerous carriers including AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon have begun taking online preorders for the iPhone 4S. The picks include carrier-locked models as well as the full-price but unlocked GSM versions for those who want to switch carriers or avoid early cancellation fees.
Sony late Friday brought the Xperia ray to the US without waiting. The Android 2.3 smartphone is officially available in the country for $425 through stores like Newegg, but without being locked into a any carrier. It carries AT&T-native 3G and should work in Canada as well; T-Mobile owners can use it if they don't mind losing 3G.
The LG Optimus Hub that appeared in Europe recently is now undergoing FCC testing, likely for sale in the US. It could also be an international model, however. The FCC listing does reveal 850MHz and 1,900MHz 3G support, both of which are used by AT&T, Bell, Rogers and Telus.
For much of 2011, many had counted RIM out: many 2010 BlackBerry phones were old as soon as you opened the box, and it wasn't clear that it would ever adopt features Android and iPhone users took for granted, like 3D gaming, HD video, or even just fast web browsing. The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the vanguard of a complete overhaul that could prove the doomsayers wrong. But does it? We'll answer that in our BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 review.
Samsung brought two of its highest-end devices out for official show on Thursday and helped confirm mysteries surrounding the T-Mobile Galaxy S II. Canadian carrier Telus has confirmed that it will have the same version as T-Mobile adapted as the lengthily-worded 4G Galaxy S II X. The 4.5-inch smartphone will both make the switch to a 1.5GHz Snapdragon as well as carry 42Mbps HSPA+ Internet access, making it the first smartphone anywhere to get such speeds without going to LTE.
Bell on Wednesday will become the second Canadian carrier to formally launch an LTE-based 4G (link active soon) service. Going live first in the Golden Triangle area in and around Toronto, the service will echo the same 75Mbps peak, 12Mbps to 25Mbps real-world speeds seen on Rogers. Bell's edge will be its support for 42Mbps HSPA+ as a 'fallback' with Rogers' service at a more modest 21Mbps.
RIM's first touchscreen-equipped BlackBerry Curve, the 9380, has been handled by BGR, suggesting the device is closer to shipping. The device resembles the Bold on its top half and the Torch 9850 on the bottom. The rear is very close in appearance to a traditional Curve-series smartphone.
Two Canadian carriers on Thursday announced the arrival of the mobile broadband version of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet. Both Rogers and Telus offer the device. On either network, the tablet can reach a maximum theoretical download speed of up to 21Mbps over HSPA+ 3G (branded as 4G).
In order to address the issue some users faced with its Voice Search feature, Google has released the Android 2.3.6 update starting with the Nexus S. The frustrating problem would have the feature active itself without any user input, making the devices unusable at times. The news broke on the Google Mobile Help Forum.
HTC launched itself back into Windows Phone support at its special event Thursday with two new models. Topping the group, the Titan (once codenamed the Eternity) is the biggest Windows Phone ever and has a 4.7-inch (albeit 480x800) touchscreen in a relatively slim 0.39-inch unibody frame. It confirms front camera support in the Mango update to the OS and has both a 1.3-megapixel front camera along with the rear eight-megapixel piece.
Motorola took a second shot at capturing the pro smartphone market away from RIM on Tuesday with the Pro+. Along with a sleeker and more BlackBerry Bold-like shape, it's the first work-level phone from Motorola with Android 2.3. Accordingly, it gets the latest version of the Blur interface and has seen its 3.1-inch display upgraded to a sharper 640x480, twice as dense as the older Droid Pro and XPRT.
Telus has lowered the price on one of its iPhones, and is running special promotions on several of its Android smartphones. The Canadian wireless provider is now selling the 16GB iPhone 4 for $99, down from its usual $159. It's simultaneously giving away Android smartphones from five different vendors for free with a three year contract in a time-limited deal that ends September 7.
Samsung's unannounced Hercules handset has surfaced in the wild yet again with Telus branding, corroborating earlier rumors pointing to an imminent launch through the Canadian carrier. The images, which were posted on MobileSyrup, also include results from a Quadrant benchmark that show performance levels on-par with leaked tests from the reference Galaxy S II.
The base level of RIM's new BlackBerry 7 line, the Curve 9360, has had launch dates for North America leaked that show it arriving in the next few weeks. First up is expected to be Bell, which should bring the phone to Canada on August 29. Although not mentioned in MobileSyrup's tip, Rogers, Telus, and their related carriers are likely to get it at the same time.
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is now shipping at Canadian providers including Bell and Virgin Mobile, with Rogers and Telus expected to update their product pages later on today as well. At the former two, the smartphone costs $600 CAD ($607) without an agreement and $170 CAD ($172) on a three-year/SuperTab contract. Rogers has already said it would charge a steep $250 for the same device.
Questions about Samsung's plans to bring the Galaxy S II to T-Mobile ended Sunday with a leak. The long-rumored Hercules has been seen with T-Mobile's label on the back and a clear "Galaxy S II" marking to match, removing any doubt as to the core features. What TmoNews saw at the front also lines up with the much more rounded look of the phone seen at Telus.
The Samsung Hercules may finally have been spotted at the Samsung Secret event held on Thursday in Toronto. The phone appeared to match up with descriptions and looked like a Galaxy S II with the Infuse 4G's larger 4.5-inch screen. The MobileSyrup sighting showed the phone conspicuously using its Yahoo stock ticker widget for Telus in what's a likely clue as to the Android phone's final destination.
The top three Canadian carriers have not only unveiled their plans to carry the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and new BlackBerry Torches but given the clue as to pricing that will likely translate to the US. Rogers has said that both the 9810 and the 9860 will cost $200 when attached to a three-year contract. The Bold 9900 will carry an unusual premium at $250 on the same terms.
Canadian wireless provider Telus will get the BlackBerry Bold 9900 on August 15, a leaked inventory screen image sent in to BGR revealed. Other BlackBerry handsets, including the Torch 2 and the Torch 9860, are expected to arrive on August 15 and 22, respectively, while the new Curve (Apollo) is coming on August 29. The BlackBerry Orlando will come out on October 1, along with the Bellagio and, supposedly, the iPhone 5.
Purportedly leaked documents from Canadian carrier Telus suggest the iPhone 5 might ship on October 1. The release date comes along with several, presumably for other products, that are all cast as concrete and not fillers. The choice would be a Saturday but isn't "unrealistic" given how busy phone stores are those days, BGR's tipster said.
AT&T gave a clue that the iPhone 3GS was on its way out Friday after it dropped the price of a refurbished iPhone 3GS down to $9. The terms still demand a two-year contract but put it at its lowest official, non-promotional price yet. New devices are still on sale.
RIM's BlackBerry Torch 2 may be close to a release as the phone has surfaced in an FCC approval. As shown in the filing, the second-generation slider supports HSPA 3G on the 850MHz and 1,900MHz bands needed for AT&T as well as the top three Canadian carriers. Like the Bold 9900, the Torch 2 might show in late August since it too will see details go public in 45 days.
RIM gave a more definite sign that the BlackBerry Bold 9900 was getting close to launch with an appearance inn FCC filing. The testing appears to clear the phone's short-range wireless, such as its Bluetooth, NFC, and Wi-Fi. Unusually for an FCC test, the phone's cellular connections haven't been mentioned, though the 9900 is GSM and HSPA+ only; it would be tested separately for CDMA and EVDO as the 9930.
The HTC Status, formerly known as the ChaCha, is now available for pre-order through AT&T. The so-called Facebook phone sports a dedicated Facebook button and a full QWERTY keyboard for updating the social networking site. The handset is priced at $50 on a two-year voice and data contract and arrives on July 17.
AT&T and Telus together formally launched the HTC Status. The North American version of the ChaCha, it adapts to North American HSPA 3G bands but is otherwise virtually identical to the international version. Pricing and ship dates for both are still unknowns.
Canadian cell carrier Telus has rewarded a man who bravely defended the company's Robson Street store during the Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver by rewarding him with a free iPhone, six months of service and the donation of $1,000 to the charity of his choice -- a total value of over $2,000. The man had no connection to Telus and was not even a customer, but attempted to prevent looters and vandals from attacking the downtown store.
