BellCanada -- Engadget Mobile

BellCanada posts

Palm Pre definitely coming to Canada on Bell Mobility: 2H 2009

by Darren Murph, posted May 6th 2009 @ 9:26AM

What the CEO wants, the CEO gets -- right? Evidently so, as just four months after Ed Colligan proudly stated that he wanted the Pre in Canadian hands, Palm has revealed that the to-be launched handset will indeed grace the cellular airwaves in the Great North. Canucks will have to rely on Bell Mobility (a CDMA carrier, for those unaware) for service, and they'll have to wait until "the second half of 2009" to indulge. Check the read link to get yourself signed up for notifications, and feel free to start the countdown until 11:59PM on December 31st, 2009.

Palm's Treo Pro hits Bell Mobility in Canada

by Paul Miller, posted Feb 27th 2009 @ 9:37AM

We're still waiting on a solid bit of subsidized US availability on Sprint, but Canada's got things all figured out -- how typical. Palm's Treo Pro is doing the EV-DO Rev. A thing on Bell Mobility up there, going for $99.95 on a three-year contract -- 1 and 2-year contracts are $0 and off contract is only $49, so we'll likely be updating when things settle down. That sounds like a silly amount of time to be tied to Windows Mobile 6.1, but we're temporal pessimists like that. Bell Mobility customers can pick up the phone as of today.

Twitter returns to @Bell Canada for $0.15 a pop

by Sean Cooper, posted Feb 26th 2009 @ 10:29AM

While the fact that Twitter's SMS service is returning to Canada is grand news, Bell Canada's 15 cent price for admission is most definitely not. Twitter shut down the outbound SMS service in November last year due to rising costs with a note that it was working toward a solution to fix it. Well, it seems the solution's been found and that's to pass it down the line to the Twitter users as a premium service that they'll pay for, both sending and receiving. Our advice here is to hunt down a free client and use it or call Bell and fire up the waterworks, though, we suspect that'll get you about nowhere.

Update: Just for the sake of clarity, this is in no way related to Bell's policy on 15 cent incoming SMS costs. Bell's Julie Smithers said "Because Twitter is a third-party service, the messages are considered premium and not covered by our plans...This aligns with industry standards regarding third-party premium messaging."

[Thanks, @fruhlinger]

Palm Treo Pro, RIM BlackBerry Flip 8230 coming to Bell

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 14th 2009 @ 4:54AM

Unless our eyes are badly deceived, that image above clearly indicates that Palm's latest smartphone (by release, not announcement) and RIM's first-ever flip phone BlackBerry are both coming to Bell in Canada. We're told that the Treo Pro will be available starting February 26th for $199.95 on a 3-year contract, while the black and pink Pearl Flip will hit the scene on March 6th for an unknown amount of Canadian fundage. Should make for a fun time deciding which of these will claim the next three years of your life, huh?

LG Electronics recalls 45,000 LG 150 phones in Canada

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 27th 2009 @ 3:42PM

Ruh roh. LG Electronics has just issued a voluntary recall of around 45,000 LG 150 phones in Canada, and for whatever reason, Bell Mobility has agreed to assist in cleaning up the mess. Of course, it probably helps that basically every single one was used by a Bell subscriber, but we digress. Reportedly, LG was "notified by one of the independent bodies responsible for the certification of mobile phones that the LG 150 mobile phone is no longer certified as meeting the Radio Standards Specifications 102 (RSS 102), Radio Frequency Exposure Compliance of Radiocommunication Apparatus," thus LG decided it best to go ahead and make this here move. Users who just so happen to be reading this while yapping on an LG 150 can hit the read link for all the pertinent exchange information, and watch out, 'cause it could implode into a furry ball of molten cuteness at any moment. Just kidding.

[Via IntoMobile]

Bell Canada setting the table for Palm's Centro?

by Sean Cooper, posted Jan 24th 2009 @ 9:59AM

Word is that Bell Canada's going to be getting the Palm Centro come February 2nd -- but of course the word is all we have to go on right now. Pricing is rumored to see it launching at $49 on a 3-year special launch price, $199 once that expires, $249 on 2-years, $349 on 1-year,and $399 completely contract-free. We've been all over the Centro in the past on Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and even Rogers. So feel free to peruse any or all to get the important details, mkay?

Sanyo's Pro-200 and Pro-700 coming to Bell in January

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 16th 2008 @ 10:05PM

We've seen no official confirmation or anything, but MobileSyrup has it that Sanyo's cutest couple ever (that'd be the Pro-200 and Pro-700, of course) are headed to Bell Canada in just under a month. The rugged handsets are both made to withstand the pressures of everyday life (and a few off-the-wall encounters with Alaska, poisonous snakes and playground swings), and outside of that, you'll also find Bluetooth, GPS, a speakerphone and 3G data connectivity. The Pro-200 will reportedly cost between $149.95 and $349.95 depending on contractual obligation, while the Pro-700 will go for $50 more across the board.

$52 billion BCE takeover deemed dead, funeral planned for next week

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 12th 2008 @ 10:50AM

Man, this one has been a bumpy ride, and oddly enough, it's not even over. Well, it's over, but not over. The back-and-forth over whether or not BCE would be bought out has come to an abrupt halt, as auditor KPMG "determined that the company-to-be wouldn't pass a solvency test required as a condition of closing the deal." On the table was a $42.75-a-share cash offering by a group led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, but all that's lost now. According to BCE Acquisition Group: "Because KPMG has concluded that a required test for the solvency opinion was not met, this mutual condition to completion of the acquisition could not be, and was not, satisfied." Here's where things get wonky; BCE is now vigorously attempting to procure a $1.2 billion "breakup fee" that the Teachers group doesn't agree with. We're still waiting to see if BCE will initiate litigation, but you can bet said Teachers organization ain't scared.

[Via mobilesyrup]

Bell Canada cell tower in Calgary confused, thinks it's in Edmonton

by Sean Cooper, posted Dec 11th 2008 @ 3:03PM

If you live in the 7 Street and 7 Avenue, S.W.,area in Calgary, Alberta, are a Bell Mobility subscriber, and noticed a pile of long distance calls to Edmonton on your current bill, feel free to blame Bell. Apparently a new tower in that area was not set up properly and thought it was in Edmonton, so calls placed through it during October and November could result in long distance charges. Bell has patched up the problem, but the onus is on you, dear subscriber, to find any billing errors and phone them in for a credit. We'd love to hear about your outrageous bills, so if your wallet's hurting this month, or a teenager's in the doghouse because of yet another $300 phone bill -- when it really wasn't their fault, this time -- please drop us a line.

[Via HowardChui]

Sanyo's Katana Eclipse flip phone lands at Bell Mobility

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 12th 2008 @ 6:55PM

Merely hours after getting up close and personal with press shots of Sanyo's Katana Eclipse, folks up in Canada can now reach out and grab their own. Bell Mobility is offering said flip phone for $49.95 on a tear-jerking 3-year contract, $99.95 on a 2-year plan, $224.95 on a 1-year plan or $274.95 sans an agreement. Specs wise, you're looking at a 1.3-megapixel camera, 10MB of internal memory, integrated MP3 player, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, a 2-inch internal display (complemented by a 1-inch screen on the outside) and a 2-way speakerphone to boot. So, does simple do it for ya?

[Via mobilesyrup]

MobiTV breaks the 4 million subscriber mark

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 5th 2008 @ 5:59PM

MobiTV has been around for quite awhile, and although it has seen its fair share of ups and downs, today's a day for celebration in the offices that remain. After hitting the 3 million mark in February, the company is now claiming that its benefiting from some 4 million subscriptions. Charlie Nooney, MobiTV's CEO, was quoted as saying that the firm was "thrilled to be on the cusp of mass market acceptance for mobile entertainment in North America." We don't know if we'd go that far just yet, but here's a tip of the hat to you anyway.

[Via RCRWireless, image courtesy of PDAsNews]

Bell Canada's HTC Touch launch and unlimited internet for $7 is a go

by Sean Cooper, posted Nov 15th 2007 @ 9:38AM

Seems the rumor we heard last week about Bell's HTC Touch launch and unlimited surfin' and mail for $7 are true. Judging by the loveliness pictured above, we'll go out on a limb to say that today's HTC Touch launch by Bell Canada is most definitely gonna start a frenzy up north. Though our prices last week were a bit wonky, it appears the Touch will only set you back $150 on a 3 year stint, or $400 off contract and not the $250 and $450 we'd quoted. Nice handset only made better by a great price and mind boggling -- at least, in Canada -- wireless web deal. Hop on over to Bell's site to enjoy the finer details.

[Thanks, RileyFreeman]

Bell to launch HTC Touch, include unlimited data for $7?

by Sean Cooper, posted Nov 9th 2007 @ 10:46AM

We've heard various whispers that Bell Canada is expected to release its own HTC Touch midway through the month of November to keep up with the Joneses, aka Rogers and Telus. We're fine with that and at a rumored $449 off contract, $399 one year, $299 two year, and $249 three year deals, Bell seems mostly inline with the other major's thinking. While we like the Touch, the more interesting rumor in this news lies in Bell's apparent decision to consider the Touch a normal cell phone -- and not a PDA -- thereby enabling it to use a $7 unlimited data plan. Of course, some traffic and usage exceptions will apparently apply, like no tethering, streaming, and the like, but seven bones for unlimited data! This is game changing in Canada's savagely priced data market and we're decidedly envious if this really comes to pass. Go Bell, go Canada!

[Thanks, RileyFreeman]

Bell Canada releases HTC 6800

by Sean Cooper, posted Jul 20th 2007 @ 12:32PM

Bell Canada has finally shipped HTC's beastiest, beast as the HTC 6800. This is, of course, the same goods shipped by both Sprint (branded as Mogul), Telus (as P4000), and the oft-promised Verizon VX6800, but unlike Telus, it rocks WIndows Mobile 6, not 5. This'll go out the door from a Bell shop for as little as CAN $199 -- that is, if you're crazy enough to commit for 3 years -- with a minimum monthly package purchase. This is hands-down Bell's best Pocket PC offering, so if you've been dawdling and contemplating stepping up to Windows Mobile, now's the time.

[Thanks, rockdamic]

Bell Canada for sale

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 18th 2007 @ 11:29AM

So, is Bell Canada ready for a buyout? Yep. Bell Canada's corporate baby daddy, BCE Inc., has announced that it's in talks with four companies -- three Canadian and one US -- to sell out in a deal that could ultimately fetch as much as $40 CDN (about $35) for a company that's currently trading in the $38.50 CDN range. Of course, this all runs counter to the firm denials Bell was issuing just a couple weeks back (no surprise there). Current indications are that none of the firms involved in buyout discussions are already in the wireless carrier biz, so our hopes (read: fears) of a US-Canadian supercarrier are, at least for the moment, dashed.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]