By Megan Fleet

Mobile carriers may be due for a changing of the guard and an end of an era if they do not heed a recent market intelligence – basically that today’ smartphone user cell phone usage in terms of data consumption, texting and voice needs are very different the feature phone consumer of the past. This message rings clear in the Public Mobile commercial during the Super Bowl.

For those of you who are not familiar, Public Mobile is a great alternative to the telecom giants with roaming and texting rates that are a fraction of the likes of Telus, Bell Mobility and Rogers. A company that has grown in popularity (now over 150,000 subscribers) reflects the will of the consumer, much like unlocked smartphones.

Discover how unlocked cell phones empower consumers with the freedom to choose the right carrier with the right service plan at the right price.

The ads being run by Public Mobile target a billion dollar telecom company that charges $1.45 per minute for roaming (compared to Public Mobile’s charge of $.15 a minute for both U.S. and Canadian roaming), the company has aptly nicknamed the giant competitors “Rebelus Wireless.” Maybe we will see a new installation of ads that are David and Goliath themed.

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

With the cost savings of companies like Public Mobile, customers can repurpose their funds to purchase protective accessories such as bags, cases and sleeves to protect their wireless devices. Or, they can invest in a total consumerization strategy (tablet, smartphone, Bluetooth car kits, smartTVs) that will streamline devices, services, and availability of data. If the ads led to thoughts of road rage, viewers would also get a good reminder of the needs of wireless car accessories for the ride home post-game.

All in all, Public Mobile shows that these wants and needs have changed, so has the technology and products offered to customers. We will continue to see innovation in memory capability, screen displays, battery enhancements, wireless accessories and untold other peripheral devices that will be developed for our future enjoyment.

By Megan Fleet

Samsung is poised to unleash yet another addition of the Samsung  Galaxy cell phone line of business to a seemingly insatiable public. Canada will soon see the Galaxy Note released by Bell according to a recent announcement by the mobile carrier.   Discover the latest Samsung device accessories.

The LTE capable Galaxy Note is expected to be available to consumers mid-February and offer a North American mid-market handset to Canadians ready to adopt the Android darling.  While it will not initially have 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as its Android OS, it will have the reliable Gingerbread version out the gate. Based on the announcements, the upgrade to v4.0 is on the roadmap (and may allow other first-gen 4.0 Androids to help work out any kinks).

Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

The Samsung Note specs are decidedly respectable including a dual-core processor, an 8 megapixel camera (video recording is done in 1080p HD which will make for easy device integration with home televisions and other devices), is LTE-enabled and has Wi-Fi and a decent battery life. Consumers can further enhance the Samsung Note’s mobility by optimizing functionality with select accessories including stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

The following Samsung Note video provides an insightful review from Mobile Tech

Now, exactly when this will be launched by Bell is unknown. But, there is the hope that Samsung will make the Galaxy Note available unlocked to allow consumers to choose their preferred carrier and service plans.

By Aldo Panessidi

Kudos to Rogers for scaling its LTE (Long Term Evolution) network to reach 11 million Canadians so quickly. As of today, that coverage has been expanded to include service in major Montreal and of island suburbs including Terrebonne, Brossard, Longueil, Laval, and Vaudreuil. At the moment, the LTE network is available to Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and their environs.  Discover the latest LTE enabled unlocked cell phones.

According to today’s announcement, the mobile carrier will not stop there. The LTE expansion project intends to encompass twenty-five additional Canadian cities in 2012. The company has decided not to fill the public in on what those cities are, but the end game is to have LTE coverage for 20 million Canadian customers by the end of this year.

Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

As the company was first to market with an LTE launch for Canada, this continued growth spells competition for Bell Mobility, Telus, Fido, and other up and coming providers who would love to pair that kind of network coverage with the more costly data plans and schnazzy new LTE-enabled smartphones.  Consumer forums indicate that customers have yet to see a high value to this technology that matches the associated cost.

Did you know that accessories are designed to enhance your mobility?  Discover the select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Consequently, this Rogers network could potentially have peek download speeds of 150 Mbps and upload speeds of 70Mbps. Real-world usage is bound to be slower, but customers seemingly have no cap on their need for speed and new tech. The result is consumption of more data, faster which typically result in shocking cell phone bills.

The flip side is that the 4G LTE data plan costs can result in consumers choosing a 3G handset with a more attractive data plan. Once the major competitors like Bell Mobility, Telus and the others kick in – we should see a drop in resulting in an uptick in 4G LTE smartphones.

Join the movement and break free from long-term carrier service contracts.  Unlocked cell phone empower consumers to select their preferred carrier and negotiate a service plan the at best meets their mobile lifestyle at the right price.

By Megan Fleet

Canadian Android fans rejoice! The company’s poster child, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, is no longer exclusive to Bell and Virgin. As of JANUARY 13,2012; the popular smartphone is available to TELUS, Rogers, and Fido. In addition to the end of this era of exclusivity, this change is heralding in the first Android 4.0 device to Canada as well. To this writer, it rings of a changing of the tides for the attitudes of unlocked phones.

At the various carriers and Best Buy, there are many promotions accompanying this release that vie for customers’ signatures on long-term service contracts. Individual carriers are making the device available for a price ranging from $99.99 to $159.99 for a three year contract. For those customers open to the potential high costs of such a long contract, Best Buy is the best bet as it will extend the $99.99 promotion to all carriers.  In addition to engaging in a price war, all vendors are luring customers with the latest innovative protective cases and skins.

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

However, when taking the gleaming distractions of the Ice Cream Sandwich OS and the ever impressive Galaxy Nexus, customers should not blindly rush into such agreements without recognizing a few things. Smartphone technology is developed and released at a rapid rate. The cost of opting out of a contract if the next must-have phone is an exclusive with another carrier and takes some luster out of promotional deals. Last, by considering unlocked cell phones that are not tied to a contract, you hold the power deciding on which carrier provides the lowest priced service contract that best  meets your unique mobile lifestyle needs.

This gives you the ability to have both the device you crave and the ability to walk away from a contract or plan that does not suit your needs. Hence, allowing time to rationally decide how you truly use your phone (do you SMS or MMS a lot? How much data do you use? Are you a chatty Cathy?) Then, you look for the best deal from there.

Regardless of your choice, happy shopping and don’t forget to protect your investment with the proper case, screen skins, and hands free headsets!

The Spectrum Auction was developed in order to stimulate additional competition for the wireless industry within Canada.  The government wants to be able to get better prices for the consumer, and in addition, more choices.  They also want better services, with the latest cell phone selections and believe that competition will benefit everyone.  With all the new companies entering the market, consumers are already beginning to feel the impact of the additional competition.

Wind Mobile and Public Mobile have already increase their market share, and some relatively new.  Companies such as Mobilicity will be launching their services in the Toronto area very shortly.  Videotron will be will be launching their HSPA network sometime this summer.  Each of these companies will be putting the pressure on the top three, Telus, Rogers and Bell.  In anticipation of such competition, the big three will also be doing everything they can to make sure their customers stay with them.

The prices have already begun to reduce and some of the fees are either being lowered or eliminated entirely.  The big three are all waving their $35 activation fee and offering free evening services after six clock p.m.  Bell is going to give $150 credit to any Wind customers that come back to them.  In addition, there is a rumor that Fido will be doing the same.  Even though prices are dropping and everyone are getting a lot better deals, you want to make sure that you will not get locked into a three year contract.  This could be the perfect time to purchase an unlocked cell phone to avoid this type of contract.  There had to be some kind give or take with all the price reductions and companies are looking to keep you for longer periods of time.  It will be more important to make sure that you check every provider’s contracts extremely careful and watch out for early termination fees.

So Bell recently released the Palm Pre and with it a commercial.  One of the first things said in the commercial was “Unlike our neighbors to the south, Canadians are an active people.”  No one is really sure why they included it or if they were doing it on purpose.  The thing is that it has started people talking online.  So if Bell was trying to get people talking then they have succeeded.

If you are interesting the commercial is below.