June 4 - 8:35am EDT   Rogers Wireless today kicked off the launch of both its version of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 and a service to match. The candybar smartphone adds Wi-Fi to the original formula and on Rogers is used for the company's newly formalized Home Calling Zone VoIP service. Based on Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) like T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home in the US, the feature lets users make calls from a Wi-Fi access point with the added ability to bridge calls: a phone conversation starting from either the cellular network or a Wi-Fi spot will hop to the other network without disrupting the call. [full story]

May 7 - 10:25am EDT   Matching internal leaks published in March, Fido today kicked off the launch of its UNO calling service. The feature closely mirrors T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home in the US and lets users save on cellular plan minutes and improve indoor reception by calling when within range of a Wi-Fi hotspot. Fido's implementation is likewise based on UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) and automatically bridges to or from the regular GSM phone network to keep calls active as the phone user roams into or out of coverage. [full story]

March 19 - 3:10pm EDT   Canadian cell provider Fido is set to follow in the steps of T-Mobile USA and launch a Wi-Fi calling service that can potentially be less expensive than traditional service, a leak on HowardForums says. Fido UNO will use the same Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology as T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home to immediately switch from GSM cellular to Internet calling when connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot. In Fido's version, any calls made to the customer's home area from Wi-Fi would be free on a base $15 monthly plan; a $20 monthly plan would extend this to include all of Canada. [full story]

February 11 - 8:05am EST   Motorola's contribution to phone announcements on Monday involves an upgrade to one of its more ubiquitous sliders and two world phones. The Z6w adds Wi-Fi to the original design of the GSM-based Z6 for faster browsing at hotspots; it also offers Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) that allows it to start a call either through GSM or through VoIP (when on Wi-Fi) and to automatically switch from one format to the other if the phone's owner wanders out of range of one of the signals. Internet browsing between EDGE and Wi-Fi is also gapless, Motorola says. The Z6w continues to include a 2-megapixel camera and use Motorola's Linux-based MOTOMAGX OS. The phone ships in the ... [full story]