October 28th, 2009
As many of you already know Monday was the big day in Ontario. You are no longer allowed to use your cell phone in the car without a Bluetooth headset or Bluetooth car kit.
Ontario is now the fourth province to ban cell phone use without a handsfree device. Currently only Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia have a law in place. Manitoba and British Columbia are looking to have a law in place in 2010.
According to a Globe and Mail article the fine for drivers in who don’t respect the handsfree law is a fine up to $500. For now the first 3 months police officers are going to give out warnings, but why press your luck. Just get a new Bluetooth right now and be safe
[image courtesy Globe and Mail]
October 26th, 2009
In the past you may have come across the Motorola Aura and its sleek design putting it at the top of the list when it comes to luxury phones. Well, they have just taken it a step further with the Diamond Edition that is set to be released later this week (October 26th).
This new version of the Motorola Aura comes with 18 carat gold plating and 34 diamonds, 30 of them used for the circular display while the other 4 are on the d-pad. The memory, quad band GSM support and camera are the same as the original Motorola Aura, they’ve just added some glitz and glamour to the phone in time for Christmas and those who want a phone that is different. Take note that the price tag is different as well, suggested pricing is listed at 3800 Euros. This indeed makes the Motorola Aura Diamond Edition different.
October 21st, 2009
We have some good news for you and it relates to the highly anticipated Blackberry Bold 9700 that is also labeled the “Onyx”. A press release was just issued announcing launch dates of the phone in Canada. Rogers is set to have the phone in the next few weeks and pricing is $299.99 on a 3 year contract that has a voice and data plan of $45 or more. No official word yet from Bell but they have stated that they will be carrying the phone as well. So, what are the features of this highly anticipated? Let’s have a look:
The Blackberry 9700 Bold comes with some improved features to its predecessor including an increase in screen size / resolution to 480×360 and a 3.2 megapixel camera. The trackball on the phone has been replaced by an optical track pad and the has a software upgrade to the new Blackberry OS version 5. Aside from these improvements the Blackberry Bold 9700 has all the bells and whistles of a smartphone including Bluetooth 2.1, Quad band support on virtually all networks, Wifi and comes with 256 megabytes of memory upgradeable to 32GB through a MicroSD card.
October 16th, 2009
The arrival of the much anticipated Bell HSPA network has many people buzzing about what options will be available. News on the Internet spreads quickly and the team over at Boy Genius Report got a hold of the initial launch list of HSPA phones that Bell will support and sell. In fact, the phones are beginning to be stocked in stores as of October 19th. The following is the list of phones to be sold by Bell to support their new HSPA network.
Phone Model – Price with 3 year deal – Price without contract
LG Xenon – $89.95 – $289.95
Samsung Impact – $79.95 – $279.95
Samsung Omnia 2 – $349.95 – $549.95
Apple iPhone 3G 8GB – $399.95 – $599.95 (probably $149 after in store rebates)
Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB – $499.95 – $699.95 (probably $199 after in store rebates)
Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB – $599.95 – $799.95 (probably $299 after in store rebates)
BlackBerry Bold 9000 – $399.95 – $599.95 (probably $149-$199 after in store rebates)
BlackBerry 9700 – $399.95 – $599.95 (probably $249 after in store rebates)
Nokia 2730 – $29.95 – $119.95
Nokia 6350 – $49.95 – $249.95
There’s also 3 Novatel HSPA data cards launching, two will be HSPA+ 21Mbps compatible and one will be HSPA 7.2Mbps compatible.
The above list is said was sourced from Boy Genius Report who has what seems to be an internal document of the announcement. The news is great for current bell customers and should help attract new clients as well. Be sure to check PureMobile.ca for an updated list of Bell & Telus HSPA supported phones and accessories.
[Image Source: intomobile.com]
[Information Source: BoyGeniusReport.com]
October 8th, 2009
Good News! The 2 remaining major players in the Canadian mobile phone industry will carry the iPhone. On October 6th 2009, Telus and Bell released information on their websites announcing they will carry the iPhone. In order to make this happen, the companies built a new 3G network which they will share and allow them to offer GSM related offerings. This announcement effectively changes that landscape of the industry in Canada and makes for a healthy competitive playing field. The best part of this announcement is that it probably means cheaper phone / data plans or more features for the price.
Most already know that Bell and Telus share the same network along with other smaller companies. Based on the current landscape, it is fair to say that eventually other companies on the Bell / Telus network may eventually carry the iPhone as well. The question must now be asked: What will happen to the marketplace given these announcements? Speculation has already started and no one really knows, but it should work out for customers as companies compete for your business.
[image courtesy: Mobiletor.com]
