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BellMobility posts

Mysterious Samsung "Link" coming to Bell this month?

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jul 3rd 2009 @ 9:54AM

Details are scarce, but it seems that this blurry, partial photo of an unknown QWERTY Samsung might be the "Link," a smartphone destined for Bell -- allegedly as soon as July 15. Seeing that it's being described as a smartphone, that virtually guarantees that it'll be running Windows Mobile, and from the look of it, we'd probably have to expect WinMo 6.1 Standard. Technically, S60 is a remote possibility -- Samsung is an S60 licensee, after all -- but the company has yet to release S60 gear on North American soil, so why start now?

[Via Unwired View]

BlackBerry Tour retailing for six bills on Bell?

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 14th 2009 @ 12:12PM

MSRPs of phones ultimately don't mean a whole hell of a lot to consumers; carriers can play with rebates, instant discounts, and subsidies on an almost daily basis, and a $600 phone can end up ringing up at $300, $150, a big fat zilch, or anywhere in between depending on how things work out. That said, it's interesting to see that the upcoming -- and wildly-anticipated, may we add -- BlackBerry Tour 9630 has apparently been priced at CAD $599.95 (about $511) for launch on Canada's Bell. Thing is, we still don't know when it's going down; it could be before, after, or at the same time as Verizon, but we don't even know with certainty when Big Red's launching yet, so this is all still shrouded in some of the best mystery Waterloo has to offer. Hurry up, guys -- goodness knows you've got some anxious fans with plastic ready to swipe in their outstretched hands.

Bell buys out remainder of Virgin Mobile Canada

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 8th 2009 @ 10:20AM

Virgin Mobile's sundry networks around the globe are a curious hodgepodge of locally-owned and Virgin-led ventures; in the States, for example, a bunch of random companies have skin in the game, including Sprint and SK Telecom. Up in Canada, the MVNO began life as a 50 / 50 joint venture between Bell and Virgin -- and Bell has now agreed to snap up Virgin's stake in the firm for CAD $142 million, which works out to about $121 million. To make sure the brand stays around for a good, long time to come, Bell has also announced that it has secured an "exclusive, long-term" licensing deal with Virgin to use the Virgin Mobile marque. It sounds like Bell has every intention of continuing to operate Virgin Mobile as a separate entity, though it'll combine some retail efforts and work to streamline operations by jointly acquiring handsets and the like. Considering that Bell's about to flip the switch on its HSPA network, it seems like this could end up working out swimmingly for Virgin subscribers up there.

[Via MobileSyrup]

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.

Bell adds 1GB smartphone plan with tethering for actually reasonable price

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 13th 2009 @ 10:44AM

Canadian carriers are known for a lot of things; reasonable data pricing, traditionally, is not one of them. As smartphones get more data-intensive by leaps and bounds and wider market segments realize they need laptop cards, these guys appear to be learning -- slowly -- and we're liking what we're seeing with Bell's new $45 CAD ($37) package... sort of. You get 1GB of data for your BlackBerry or WinMo device, $6 per MB for roaming in the US (the same as on Bell's cheaper plans), and extra megabytes run you 3 cents apiece -- and it seems you can tether at no additional charge. For comparison, the $40 CAD plan -- just $5 cheaper -- steps down dramatically to just 8MB of data, so this is what we'd call a "best value" of sorts, if you can really call 1GB for $45 a "best value."

[Via MobileSyrup]

Bell rolls out 4.7.0.122 for BlackBerry Storm 9530

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 12th 2009 @ 8:46PM

Verizon users are still waiting patiently for something blessed official by the powers that be, but meanwhile, Storm-ites on Bell up north are finally in the game. Build 122 of the Storm 9530's firmware hit Bell's servers in the past few days, presumably offering all the goodies 113 has to offer and more (it's 9 higher, after all, and we all know that higher numbers are always good). The Storm could end up being a feel-good story of how a device can go from "pretty bad" to "pretty good" with firmware updates alone, so keep 'em coming, RIM. You too, carriers.

[Thanks, Sean]

Samsung Omnia coming to Bell and Telus next month

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 31st 2009 @ 7:09PM

It's a little sad that Samsung's 5MP Omnia is just now getting around to Canada's CDMA carriers -- you know, given that you're already savvy on the OmniaHD -- but at least it's coming, right? The WinMo 6.1-equipped handset won't be changing in terms of specs, but we are told that it'll be splashing down on both Bell Mobility and Telus this April. The pain? MobileSyrup has it that Bell's Omnia will run $549.95 outright or as low as $349.95 on a three-year contract, which sounds patently absurd and completely believable at the same time.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Bell Mobility gearing up to launch Motorola Hint QA30

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 27th 2009 @ 12:10PM

Wow, remember this thing? That somewhat promising QWERTY-based smartphone that was first introduced by Motorola last November? Anywho, said handset is finally getting set to partner with a carrier (at least that's the good word on the street), and it'll be Bell Mobility doing the honors in Canada. We're hearing that the Hint QA30 will be sold outright for $329.95 or as low as $129.95 on a 3-year contract, though we have to wonder what kind of demand will be out there given the phone's age.

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.

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 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]

Compact-esque LG Reveal and Shimmer Kit primping for Bell launch

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 25th 2008 @ 7:41PM

The shock! The horror! We're beginning to see signs of an absolutely impossible trend, one that just cannot be coming to fruition. Merely hours after spotting the compact-like Samsung CLEO comes an obvious rival: the LG Reveal. The chic flip phone is said to boast a full QWERTY keypad (for realz?), a black or purple motif, a 2.0-megapixel camera, built-in Bluetooth and a 2.4-inch display. Also of note, the handset will be offered with an exclusive Swarovski Crystal Bluetooth headset as part of the LG Shimmer Kit, and each one of these packages will lead to a $5 donation to Fashion Cares. Mum's the word on pricing / exact availability, but we'd bet dollars to donuts that yet another makeup compact-turned-flip phone appears before too long. Even if it's just in our nightmares.

[Via mobilesyrup]

Minimalists, drunkards rejoice: LG Wine goes live on Bell

by Chris Ziegler, posted Oct 10th 2008 @ 1:40PM

If "function follows form" is your mantra, listen up -- especially if you happen to be in Canada. LG's curiously-named Wine has come to the land of polar bears, maple syrup, and adorable baby seals, offering very little in the way of bells or whistles (seriously, we're talking about a 1.3-megapixel camera and Bluetooth 1.2 here) but keeping the style dial turned to 11 -- and hey, at least it's still got a QVGA main display and GPS packed in there somewhere. It'll run you $79.95 now on a three-year contract in your choice of black or the always tasteful gold.

[Via MobileSyrup]

LG Wine gets Bell a little tipsy

by Chris Ziegler, posted Sep 30th 2008 @ 1:38PM

We didn't think much of the simple LG Wine when it first launched in Korea -- nor when it went to Europe as the KF300 (pictured) -- but LG must be doing something right here, because it's now been slated for a release on Bell next month. The flip is targeted at folks looking for a simple phone with a premium look, and its feature set certainly fills that bill with a QVGA display, GPS, Bluetooth, 1.3-megapixel camera, and "quick preset keys" for major phone functions. It'll be available in black and gold for $79.99 CAD (about $78) on a three-year contract.

[Via MobileSyrup]