Word on the street is that people have suddenly (and rather unexpectedly) started to be able to buy the Curve 8900 on Rogers for $179.99 on a three-year contract with support for the carrier's Talkspot UMA service. Why this wasn't heavily advertised leading up to the release, we don't know -- folks seem to be red-hot for this release -- but at any rate, you should be able to stroll into your local shop in the next few days and pick this sucker up. That eternal question comes up yet again: Curve, Bold, or Storm?
Update: Game on -- according to Boy Genius, the Curve is now listed in Rogers' internal database and retail stores are starting to get stocks. So what's it gonna be?
Fido, Canada's other GSM carrier -- though, wholly owned by Rogers Wireless -- has finally found its new identity. The faithful, straightforward, and trust-inspiring pooch is still present in the new look and feel as well as the hammer-like subtle use of yellow. New plans being launched include "all-in" price plans starting at $15, a $25 deal with unlimited text messaging, and all feature per-second billing and no system access fee. The new site's up now if you're inspired to switch up your plans a bit and we have to say, if the fine type's not too fine, things are definitely looking rosy for budget-minded consumers up north.
If you're tired of paying for random snacks and such the old fashioned way (you know, swiping your credit card and handing over your John Henry), Rogers Wireless feels your pain. While not the first mobile payment initiative to hit the Great North, this one has some pretty notable backers. Starting in mid-2009, Rogers, RBC and Visa will join together to allow customers "to pay for small purchases" so long as they're holding one of the "specially-equipped mobile phones that can be waved at Visa payWave-enabled checkout readers at select retail stores and quick-service restaurants in Toronto's downtown core." The pilot will utilize Motorola handsets outfitted with Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless chips, while Gemalto will be managing the transfer of credit card information from RBC to the secure SIM card. There's no word on plans beyond the trial, but here's hoping it does something more than just fizzle out.
Mil-spec (and mil-spec-esque) hardware seems to be alltherage lately, so Motorola was more than happy to oblige when Rogers asked for some rough-looking gear to slot into its lineup. Meet the VA76r, a beefy set that'll take pretty much all the drops, dirt, and spills you can throw its way and keeps things rockin' on the data side with triband HSDPA. You've also got a QVGA display, Bluetooth, 2-megapixel cam, and microSD expansion; the $199.99 CAD (about $194) you're going to pay on a three-year contract isn't the cheapest we've ever heard, but for those that need this kind of toughness (you know who you are), it's probably worth the cost of admission. No word on a US release, but we suspect Moto would love to launch this sucker on AT&T to do battle with Samsung's Rugby.
There's an old saying in the wireless industry: "As AT&T goes, so goes Rogers." Actually, that's not a saying, we just made it up -- and it's not terribly accurate, either. But in the case of RIM's BlackBerry Curve 8320, there's at least a little bit of truth to it. New documents floating around indicate that Rogers intends to add the WiFi-packin' version of the Curve to its Talkspot lineup, giving users yet another smartphone option after the 8120 launched earlier this year. It'll apparently be offered in "Sapphire Blue" for $149.99 CAD (about $140) with a launch expected before the month's out.
Rogers has gained the notable distinction of becoming just the first carrier in North America to partner with Nokia to distribute its N-Gage and Maps clients, an unprecedented move that could lead to tighter (dare we say, more Europe-like?) relationships in the future. Both products are initially available on the N95 8GB -- a phone that Rogers officially offers through its own channels -- and will presumably see wider launch as other S60 handsets are brought into the fold. What's next, Rogers, full-on Ovi support?
So we might not have a physical device here, but these packaging renderings are pretty solid evidence of exactly what BlackBerry fans on Verizon -- particularly those jealous of the Bold -- can expect in a few weeks' time. It looks like RIM's first foray into the scary world of touchscreens will be officially branded the 9530 Storm, will be global (it includes a SIM card, after all), and will feature an 8GB SanDisk microSD card preinstalled. Wondering what happened to the Thunder name? Turns out that'll apparently be reserved for the version of the phone launching on Rogers up in Canada and on Vodafone across the pond. Those Storm users on the screen there sure look happy, don't they?
We've been waiting to get our smudgy digits on RIM's BlackBerry Bold seemingly since before the Earth's crust finished cooling, and finally, Canada's Rogers Wireless lent us a hand. In a few words, the screen is striking, size is actually pretty comfy to hang on to, the keys are fairly easy to use, and we're kinda digging it. As a quick refresher, the Bold has tri-band HSDPA, quad-band EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, 1GB of onboard memory, and a 2-megapixel cam that can take advantage of the GPS for a bit of geotagging tomfoolery. The integrated media player seems to get the job done with a pile of supported formats -- including DivX, some support for XviD, H.264, MP3, WMA, and a bunch more -- the OS 4.6 looks slick, and have we mentioned the frickin' screen? We'll be back right quick with a deeper dive into the Bold's capabilities, but for now, enjoy the pics.
Rogers' new $30, 6GB data plan -- unveiled at the collective relief of virtually every would-be Canadian iPhone 3G owner -- is going to end up seeing duty outside the Apple realm. Canada's largest GSM carrier (and only GSM carrier of consequence, really) has mercifully decided to let all devices in its 3G smartphone range in on the $30 party, a range that includes winners like the Nokia N95, HTC TyTN, and Samsung Jack, among others. Good call, Rogers -- now let's just remove that limited-time offer label and make this a permanent part of your plan menu, shall we?
For the smattering of Canadians wealthy enough to pick up an iPhone 3G from Rogers Wireless without worrying over the lack of an unlimited data plan, we've stumbled across what appears to be internal verbiage detailing the in-store activation process. Quite frankly, there doesn't seem to be any real surprises here, but it is somewhat interesting that retail locations will be required to download and use a special version of iTunes with an "Activation Only Mode," which will enable employees to unbrick the mobiles before customers leave. In any case, feel free to hit the read link if you're anxious to know exactly what the sure-to-be-hair-raising experience will be like come July 11th.
[Via GearDiary, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
It turns out that AT&T won't be the only network picking up the Americanized version of LG's Prada -- the blacked-out, touch-tastic Vu -- come this May; Rogers wants in on the action up north of the border, too, and they'll be keeping pace with their GSM brethren below the St. Lawrence by launching the phone in the very same time frame. We can only assume that Rogers will be launching the CU915 variant (or TU915, as it'll probably come to be known to them) since the carrier doesn't feature a MediaFLO network that would warrant the need for the CU920's additional hardware and expense. As we already know, the phone will feature a 2 megapixel camera, HSDPA, microSD expansion, and it comes as no surprise that the phone will support access to the full host of Rogers' media services. It looks like pricing will be announced closer to launch, but you might want to just start putting away the occasional dollar now, because this one ain't exactly going out the door free on contract if you catch our drift.
We've heard rumblings -- yes, "rumblings" plural -- that Rogers is poised to launch Sony Ericsson's Cyber-shot K850i by the end of the first quarter. With its lovely 5 megapixel camera, xenon flash, trick keypad lighting, and HSDPA, that's just fine with us if it pans out, and we're guessing there are more than a few Rogers customers who'd agree. Even better, we have some numbers to pass along: rumor has it that the phone'll run $199.99 CAD (about $199) on a three-year contract, and Rogers will do ya the favor of throwing in an 8GB memory card to boot.
It's a little behind schedule, but we're hearing that one of the two updated GSM BlackBerry Pearls, the 8110, is finally en route to Rogers dealers across Canada. While the 8120 features WiFi, the 8110 makes do with integrated GPS along with most of the other things that have made the revised models great: a redone keypad, external microSD slot, and integrated 3.5mm headphone jack, just to name a few. We're hearing it'll run $249.99 when purchased with a data plan on a 3-year contract, available in any color you like as long as it's dark blue.
Rogers' Flex Rate Plan for PC Cards seem set to offer heavy data consumers a much needed break in the sometimes staggering world of wireless data prices. Plans range from $65 a month for 1 GB -- tethering is a go, of course -- to $100 a month for 5 GB of data. The surprising part of the plan is that it is tiered, so if you sign up on a 1 GB plan but use 1.2, you'll simply be bumped up to the tier 2 $75 a month plan, and not charged overages by the KB. Pretty grand news for the data greedy, thank you Rogers, job well done. Now, how about some smaller tiers for the light users?
Today is shaping up to be Rogers Wireless day in these parts, as the announcement of a 7.2 Mbps HSPA trial has fired up in Montreal and Brampton -- Brampton? We've seen 7.2 networks lighting up here and there and are pretty stoked to see this in this neck of the woods -- and certainly hope to see this catch on quickly. While no details are mentioned in the press materials -- like, can this be accessed by the public or is it closed -- we're gonna do some digging and -- if possible -- armed with a data card, some testing.
If you're tired of paying for random snacks and such the old fashioned way (you know, swiping your credit card and handing over your John Henry), Rogers Wireless feels your pain. While not the first mobile payment initiative to hit the Great North, this one has some pretty notable backers. Starting in mid-2009, Rogers, RBC and Visa will join together to allow customers "to pay for small purchases" so long as they're holding one of the "specially-equipped mobile phones that can be waved at Visa payWave-enabled checkout readers at select retail stores and quick-service restaurants in Toronto's downtown core." The pilot will utilize Motorola handsets outfitted with Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless chips, while Gemalto will be managing the transfer of credit card information from RBC to the secure SIM card. There's no word on plans beyond the trial, but here's hoping it does something more than just fizzle out.
We've heard rumblings -- yes, "rumblings" plural -- that Rogers is poised to launch Sony Ericsson's Cyber-shot K850i by the end of the first quarter. With its lovely 5 megapixel camera, xenon flash, trick keypad lighting, and HSDPA, that's just fine with us if it pans out, and we're guessing there are more than a few Rogers customers who'd agree. Even better, we have some numbers to pass along: rumor has it that the phone'll run $199.99 CAD (about $199) on a three-year contract, and Rogers will do ya the favor of throwing in an 8GB memory card to boot.
