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Telus kicks off HSPA+ network with iPhone November 5th, HTC Hero, LG New Chocolate and more to follow

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 26th 2009 at 9:10PM

Telus already announced that it'd be launching the iPhone in November, but it's just now gotten official with an actual date: November 5th -- which just so happens to also be the day that it lights up its brand new HSPA+ network. Unfortunately for anyone hoping that a little competition would spark a price war, Telus is matching Rogers' prices across the board, starting at $99.99 for the basic 8GB iPhone 3G, and moving up to $199.99 for the 16GB 3GS, and $299.99 for the 32GB 3GS (all on a three-year contract, of course). What's more, Telus has also taken the opportunity to offer the first official confirmation of some of the other devices that'll take advantage of its new network, including the HTC Hero, the previously rumored LG New Chocolate (a.k.a BL40), the Blackberry Bold 9700, and the Nokia E71 (plus a USB stick, for good measure). No prices or release dates for any of those just yet, unfortunately, but the Hero and New Chocolate are apparently Telus exclusives.

iPhone headed to Telus and Bell's fancy new HSPA networks next month?

by Paul Miller posted Oct 5th 2009 at 10:07PM

Rogers is losing its iPhone exclusivity in Canada next month, if a new report by The Globe and Mail is to be believed. Telus and Bell -- traditionally CDMA-bound -- have been prepping GSM networks of their own in a joint effort, and it sounds like they'll be getting this off on the right foot with the iPhone 3GS as a launch device. Nothing's official just yet, but those in the know expect an announcement tomorrow or Wednesday. Rogers isn't the best-loved carrier in Canada, and a bit of choice never hurt anybody, so this seems like pretty good news all-round for our friendly northern neighbors

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

LG BL40 Chocolate Touch coming to Europe this month, everywhere else in October

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 4th 2009 at 8:39AM

As much as we'd love to believe otherwise, our gut and Verizon's track record are both telling us that the BL40 probably bears no resemblance to the Chocolate Touch that Big Red's about to get. That doesn't mean LG's gorgeous mile-long slab isn't coming to North America, though -- we'd heard a long while back that it might be coming to Telus, whose new HSPA network is currently slated for an October launch. Coincidentally, fresh PR out of corporate reveals that the phone will be hitting "the rest of the world" in October following European kickoffs in the middle of this month, and if this isn't the perfect launch device for a brand new Canadian network, we really can't think what is. One way or another, LG says the phone will ultimately end up launching in 50 countries around the world -- so no matter where you are, you've got about a 1 in 4 chance you'll get a shot at this in the coming months without calling up your importer and taking out a second mortgage.

Read - English release
Read - Korean release

GSMA backpedals, changes Telus' HSPA launch window to October

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 27th 2009 at 5:22PM

We can imagine the phone call now:

"GSM Association, how can I help you?"
"Yo, this is Telus... where'd you hear September for our HSPA launch? What are you smoking?"
"But we..."
"Yeah, 'but you' nothing. October, broham... you heard it here first. Telus out." (click)

[Thanks, Alex]

GSMA spills beans on September launch for Telus' HSPA network

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 26th 2009 at 8:01PM

There was really never any question that Telus' shiny new HSPA network was launching this fall, but the carrier's generally been tightlipped on specifics; fortunately, standards bodies and industry associations have a funny tendency to unintentionally help fill in some of those blanks, and this time around it's the GSM Association doing the honors. The GSMA is now reporting that HSPA (well, HSDPA, anyway) will be live next month, and customers apparently can expect to be treated to the opportunity to buy some world-class devices like the Hero and BL40 to celebrate the launch. It's hard to tell what Rogers is really thinking through the poker face -- but if you look closely, we think you can see a few beads of sweat forming.

[Via MobileSyrup and HowardForums]

LG Masterpiece now available on Telus

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 7th 2009 at 11:01AM

Look familiar? Sure enough, LG's Masterpiece for Telus up in Canada is really nothing more than a rebrand of the Glance for Verizon. It's not a terribly high-end phone by any stretch -- think 1.3 megapixel camera and a striking lack of 3G data -- but seeing how LG candybars are relatively rare in North America, we feel like there's still an aura of importance to this phone that we can't seem to shake. Of course, it doesn't hurt that it's under 11mm thick and is pretty easy on the eyes; give us a new version with EV-DO and a 3.2 megapixel cam and we might even be in for the ride ourselves. As-is, we'd like to see it free on contract -- but alas, you'll be grabbing it for CAD $49.99 (about $46) on a three-year plan.

[Via MobileSyrup]

LG Bliss and Keybo2 fully disclosed thanks to... LG Canada

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 3rd 2009 at 8:01PM

Bell and Telus probably weren't so hot on the idea of LG blowing the cover on their August releases, but for what it's worth, we're certainly happy that the manufacturer's Canadian site saw fit to unveil a pair of new sets in all their glory. Actually, the Keybo2 is really nothing more than an enV3 (dressed a little warmer for its Canadian excursion, of course) that should be hitting Telus in a few days' time; like its American cousin, it makes off with a 3 megapixel cam, EV-DO, and a pair of displays with QWERTY on the inside. The Bliss for Bell might be the more interesting of the two, a full-touch dumbphone that clocks in at 11.95mm deep with a 2 megapixel camera and that's about it -- not Earth-shattering specs by any means, but a solid sign that manufacturers are aggressively looking to take the full-touch concept downmarket. MobileSyrup says we can expect both of these on the 7th of the month, so if they've got you fired up, you shouldn't have long to wait.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Read - LG Bliss
Read - LG Keybo2

HTC Snap, Touch Pro2 officially land on Telus

by Donald Melanson posted Jul 30th 2009 at 6:03PM

Best Buy may have beaten Telus to the punch by offering the HTC Snap on the cheap all by itself earlier this month, and it hasn't been much of a secret that the Touch Pro2 was also headed Telus' way, but if you've had any doubts about the carrier's commitment to either of the handsets, you'll be pleased to know that it's now gotten fully official with the pair of 'em. Better still, Telus has even undercut Best Buy's already low $29.99 price for the HTC Snap by offering it for free on a three-year contract, while the HTC Touch Pro2 will set you back a considerably heftier $249.99 on that same contract. Those with an aversion to commitment and money to burn can also snag the Snap for $400 and the Touch Pro2 for $650, or take advantage of some not-very-attractive one or two-year contract deals.

Read - MobileSyrup, "HTC Snap now available at TELUS"
Read - MobileSyrup, "TELUS HTC Touch Pro2 finally available in Canada!"

[Thanks, John]

Telus' CDMA-to-HSPA customer migration system caught doing its thing

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 28th 2009 at 8:11AM

What's that, dear Telus subscriber? That, friend, is the look of inevitability. The look of a relentless march in the direction of GSMA-loved, 3GPP-approved standards. The look of what Telus employees across Canada will be seeing over the coming months as they port customers to HSPA hardware. We still don't know exactly when the carrier is flipping the switch on its shiny new network, but subsidiary Koodo is already showing SIMs on its site, so it can't be long now. So, does CAD $25 sound reasonable for the pleasure of making the switch?

[Via MobileSyrup]

Koodo leading Telus' charge into HSPA territory?

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 27th 2009 at 4:12AM

It's no secret that Telus is kicking off a transition from CDMA to UMTS / HSPA starting later this year, but who would've thought its Koodo Mobile value-oriented brand would be on the front lines? Howard Chui notes that Koodo's phone activation page now shows a SIM card on its diagram of where to find your ESN (or IMEI, in this case) -- a pretty strong indication that GSM-enabled Koodo phones are just around the corner. Of course, that leaves open the question of what hardware will be involved, but something tells us Koodo won't be getting that killer LG BL40 its corporate parent has long been rumored to have in the pipe.

[Via Howard Chui]

Best Buy Canada now selling Telus' HTC Snap for way cheap

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 22nd 2009 at 3:44PM

If you're willing to peddle off three years of the prime of your life... well then, Canadians, Best Buy has an offer you simply can't refuse. Telus has yet to release its version of the HTC Snap on its own accord, but that's not stopping the big box retailer from doing its thing -- and at CAD $29.99 (about $27) on a three-year contract, we'd venture to say that's quite a steal for a WinMo smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard and global roaming capability. Anyone lining up at the registers right now for this one?

[Via MobileSyrup]

HTC Touch Pro2 calls dibs on 3.5mm audio jack for Telus and Verizon

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 17th 2009 at 4:57AM

That was quick. We heard that HTC was moving to standardize around 3.5mm audio jacks but we weren't necessarily expecting the meaty Touch Pro2 to be on that list of devices. After all, it's already shipping in its GSM version. Nevertheless, MobileSyrup has a soon-to-be released CDMA version of the Touch Pro2 for Telus (and ultimately, Verizon) that goes straight-up 3.5mm -- no goofy ExtUSB jack converter required. Oh, and they've got video to prove it. See it after the break.

[Via WMExperts, thanks Guill M.]

Continue reading HTC Touch Pro2 calls dibs on 3.5mm audio jack for Telus and Verizon

LG BL40 hits FCC with US 3G seemingly disabled, ready for Telus?

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 17th 2009 at 3:40AM

Good news and bad news for US netizens waiting to hear more from LG's sexy new BL40. First, it just passed through the FCC thus confirming the model number on this oddball Black Label-series handset with what appears to be a 21:9 aspect ratio. And the fact that it's now FCC tested is also indicative that we're nearing launch with 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, FM transmitter, and 1000mAh Li-Ion battery confirmed within. Unfortunately, testing was limited to GSM 850/1900 and the device is repeatedly referred to as a GSM/EDGE phone -- in other words, no 3G. However, while most of the documents are withheld from public viewing at the request of LG, this particularly revealing exchange with the test lab was not:

Test lab: "While the licensed transmitter's Operational Description, for the most part, lists only non- U.S. bands for WCDMA, p.7/12 states that 'this design guideline shows UMTS 2100, UMTS1900 and UMTS850 applications.' Please clarify."

LG: "The main chipset supports GSM850/GSM1900/UMTS850/UMTS1900 but BL40 supports GSM850 & GSM1900."

Of course, UMTS850/1900 are the standard 3G bands used by AT&T in North America which makes this all the more perplexing. See the relevant screen-grab after the break.

Update: It just occurred to us what might be happening. Those 3G bands will be enabled when the LG BL40 launches on Telus' new HSPA network in Canada as its first GSM device. Hey, it's just a hunch but it certainly makes sense.

Continue reading LG BL40 hits FCC with US 3G seemingly disabled, ready for Telus?

Oh, by the way: July 13, 2009

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 13th 2009 at 11:54PM

Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Monday, July 13th, 2009:

Samsung has released a new firmware for its i8910HD that enabled AAC audio while recording HD video. The problem? Right now, only Italian firmwares seem to be eligible for the update, which comes through Samsung's PC Studio app. [Via Softpedia]
Excellent music identification app Shazam is now available on the BlackBerry Storm. And let's be honest, Storm owners need all the entertainment they can get.
In France, the Samsung S5230 Player One has been re-released in Zadig & Voltaire livery; we've never heard of 'em, but we bet it's a big, important fashion house somewhere. [Via Unwired View]
NuevaSync recently launched its interesting push email service, which simply uses IMAP IDLE on the back end and Exchange ActiveSync to connect to your device (because as push goes, more devices support EAS than IMAP IDLE). [Via Smartphone Thoughts]
GSM / CDMA dual-band versions of the HTC Snap and Touch Pro2 have been confirmed for launch on Telus, though dates and pricing haven't been given. [Via Smartphone Thoughts]

Telus to get BlackBerry Tour on July 15

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 16th 2009 at 10:02PM

We're hearing that Telus is primed to pick up the BlackBerry Tour right alongside -- if not before -- its US counterparts, getting real for customers on July 15. Pricing will come in at CAD $249.99 (about $220) on a promotional three-year deal, meaning that you need to be agreeing to a new contract on a voice plan of $20 or greater with a data package of $15 or greater. Otherwise you'll pay a whopping CAD $449.99 on a three-year all the way up to $649.99 contract-free. Of course, we suspect the Tour is so much better than the Curve and the 8800 series that people will be paying in droves at any price, but still, it's pretty painful to get in on this thing without springing for the promo.

[Thanks, Riley Freeman and Pirate]