Posted on August 15, 2008, at 4:21 pm .
So the news has finally broken on Rogers’ pricing for the BlackBerry Bold, due out next week on the 19th: $399 on a three year plan. I’d like to say it’s a surprise, but honestly at this point, we should be expecting this from Big Red, right? Andy Brown of Strategy Analytics already told us that enterprises won’t be taking the Bold, except as perhaps executive candy. And after the dirt-cheap Pearl and the mid-ranged iPhone 3G, Rogers has a gap in their “high-end prestige” demographic, which the Bold fills nicely.
The question then becomes: what do the rest of us do? Are we really willing to shell out $400 on a three year contract for the BlackBerry Bold? Has the wait been so unbearable that we’re willing to do anything for BlackBerry goodness at this point? Or do we have the guts to hold out until Christmas, hoping they drop the price a little? Maybe we should follow the advice of reader Jack Frost:
The trick is for people to complain and hold-out on buying the Bold. If demand is low, then they will lower their prices. Soon it will be cheaper to get a plan in the USA and pay roaming in Canada rather than sign a 3 year deal with Rogers.
Post a comment and let us know if you’re still planning to buy the BlackBerry Bold or if $50 for the Pearl 8220 sounds a lot more enticing. The person with the best comment will win THREE FREE GAMES FROM MAGMIC.
Posted on August 4, 2008, at 11:28 am .
Like any person, I have a certain amount of pet peeves — things that push my ‘angry’ button. As one of the charter members of the BlackBerry Nation, many of my pet peeves revolve around people using their smartphone in a way that might get someone killed. For example, take the Neanderthal above, gunning along at a nice 75 mph, all the while fully reading his BlackBerry with a hand that should be on the steering wheel. So engrossed was he in his BlackBerry, that the ghost of Richard Pryor could have jumped in front of his windshield and he wouldn’t have noticed.
Kids: don’t try this at home (or in the car). Otherwise, not even the BlackBerry Helmet will save you.
Posted on July 24, 2008, at 3:35 pm .
BlackBerry Cool writers have the privilege of being in constant contact with a variety of wireless industry players. Naturally, we often get in heated or hilarious discussions over recent news. We’ve decided to start posting some of the more interesting conversations, in the hopes that it will spur greater debate. Our test run is a hearty debate over the value of a CDMA carrier switching to GSM, how long until 4G becomes anything more than a ‘wet dream’ and myths about call quality. Enjoy, and please post a comment with your thoughts.
Note: My interlocutor was uncomfortable with being identified, so let’s just call him Fake Ted Rogers.
Fake Ted Rogers: Isn’t saying Bell/Telus is going to GSM kinda like saying Verizon should?
Douglas Soltys: Well, different countries mean different biz scenarios.
Fake Ted Rogers: I’d like to see what the subs are for Tel/Bel compared to Rogers. As in the states Verizon has more than AT&T.
Douglas Soltys: Some would say that Verizon is run much better than Tel/Bel.
Continue reading BBCool’s compelling conversation with Fake Ted Rogers
Posted on July 11, 2008, at 2:06 pm .
After seeing Gizmodo’s video of MobileMe’s push e-mail in action, we definitely got a little spooked as to how much of a dent the iPhone 3G could put into BlackBerry. If you take into account Exchange support, aggressive marketing, developer love through the new iTunes app store, it’s pretty much impossible to keep pretending that the iPhone and BlackBerry are mutually exclusive. The only real question left is where will the iPhone hit hardest? The easy answer is the consumer market, but there’s lots of room for enterprise to start adopting. RIM still has mad seniority, and the BlackBerry Bold will easily match the iPhone 3G feature point for feature point - will that be enough for RIM to maintain smartphone dominance, or is Apple going to start getting a bigger a slice of the pie? Drop a comment with the best damage assessment and get not only an extra-spiffy BlackBerry Cool T-Shirt, but also a year of SugarSync - let’s just hope they don’t make an iPhone app anytime soon.
Last week’s winner behind the jump!
Posted on July 4, 2008, at 12:35 pm .
Right now our friends to the south are celebrating their independence, while the Canadian contingent of the BlackBerry Nation is recovering from the celebration of ours. Still, I’m sure the intense summertime revelry hasn’t stopped us from using our beloved BlackBerrys.
So BlackBerry Cool HQ wants you to display your pride for the BlackBerry Nation. Whether it’s an embarrassing story of getting caught using your BlackBerry somewhere you shouldn’t (the shower comes to mind), climbing the Lincoln Memorial to get better wireless reception, or a link to a photo/video displaying your intense love of BlackBerry, we want it.
The person with the best post will win A SWEET BLACKBERRY COOL TEE-SHIRT and a FREE COPY OF MAGMIC’S TEXAS HOLD’EM KING 3: CONNECTED. Everyone have a safe and happy holiday!
Click here for Last week’s Weekly Contest winner
Posted on June 27, 2008, at 10:14 am .
I believe it was Mark Twain BBCool Simon who once said, “If you own the tracks and the trains, you own the passengers.” In Canada, if there was ever a modern day version of the great train barons, it would be the telecoms: 3 year contracts, expensive data plans compared to our U.S. counterparts, lizards selling phones… it’s terrible.
Yesterday Simon had a great interview with Canadian MP David McGuinty, who has introduced a bill to eliminate extraneous wireless costs like data overages and system access fees and unlock all phones. However, we want to do one better and bestow the BlackBerry Nation with the (hypothetical) power to regulate carriers any way you see fit. What will you do?
The person who posts the best comment will win a FREE YEAR-LONG 30G SUBSCRIPTION TO SUGARSYNC and a sweet BLACKBERRY COOL TEE SHIRT.
Click here to see last week’s Weekly Contest winner!
Posted on June 20, 2008, at 11:37 am .
Choices, choices: so many choices for BlackBerry lovers to make this year. Do you choose the high-end 3G BlackBerry Bold that will be here in mid-July, or wait for a smaller, sleaker, 3G-less BlackBerry Javelin (aka, the BlackBerry Curve successor with better battery life than the Bold)? For our CDMA carrier subscribers out there, does the thought of the touchscreen BlackBerry Thunder give you shivers of excitement, or are you holding out hope that the Bold-clone BlackBerry Niagara is worth the May ‘09 wait? Are you planning on picking up a BlackBerry KickStart for the kids?
Post a comment and let us know which BlackBerry you’ve set your heart on. Hell, considering the response to last week’s Weekly Contest, you can even let us know if you’re leaving the BlackBerry Nation altogether for an iPhone 3G. The person with the best comment will win a nifty BLACKBERRY COOL TEE SHIRT and a free copy of MAGMIC’S TEXAS HOLD’EM KING 3: CONNECTED.
Click here to see last week’s winners
Posted on June 11, 2008, at 11:35 am .
Sorry for the late updates today, but there was a reason: I spent the morning at the local Rogers Wireless getting some hands-on time with the new pink Rogers BlackBerry 8310 we told you about last week. And despite recent confirmation that the ladies (and stylish gentlemen) love themselves a pink smartphone, I’d have to recommend another method than the 8310.
Why is that? For starters, the device doesn’t come shipped with OS 4.5 as originally hoped, or even OS 4.3, but clunky old 4.2.2.163 (see after the jump). Very disappointing. Also, while the BlackBerry 8310 comes with GPS, it also costs CDN$199 with a 3 year contract (or $150 if you can convince a Rogers manager to give you the new customer discount), pretty expensive considering our friends at Rogers were expecting the upcoming Bold to be released at CDN$299 with a 3 year contract. The Bold, remember, is rocking GPS, 3G and WiFi (don’t expect the WiFi equipped BlackBerry 8320 to be out on Rogers anytime before Christmas, either).
BlackBerry Cool recommends that you hold out for the Bold, or if you really need a pink BB, choose a lovely skin from our friends at DecalGirl and do it yourself. Would you rather have an EDGE BlackBerry 8310 on Rogers for way too much, or a sweet 3G BlackBerry 8330 from Telus customized to perfection (shown above)? We thought so, too.
(Thanks, RogersDude69!)
More BlackBerry 8310 photos after the jump
Posted on June 6, 2008, at 11:04 am .
The BlackBerry Bold is coming (someday. Sigh.) All the latest rumors seem to indicate that a 3G iPhone could be announced as early as next Monday. But the question remains: why do you want 3G?
Is it for faster web-browsing? Multiplayer gaming? MP3 and other media downloads? Because EDGE’s 2.5G seems so 2005? Post a comment and let us know how a 3G BlackBerry is going to change your life, and if it gives you pause for concern in any way. For example, while an entirely different technology than what will be in the Bold, my EV-DO BlackBerry 8330 is balls for battery life. Do you believe RIM’s battery life assurances?
Post a comment and let us know. The person with the best answer will receive a FREE COPY OF MAGMIC’S THK3: CONNECTED and a slick BLACKBERRY COOL TEE SHIRT, just because we like you so much.
Last Week’s Winner after the jump
Posted on May 23, 2008, at 11:17 am .
We survived John Mayer. We ran around like wild men. We live blogged Mikey and the Jim-Dog. We podcasted with carriers, industry analysts, and AAA BlackBerry developers. Simon interviewed every company, ever. We were the most visible BlackBerry news site at WES. Everybody wanted one of our tee shirts and an invite to our exclusive poker game (next time, we promise). We even freaking blogged while walking. Essentially, we kicked butt to provide the BlackBerry Nation with the best WES coverage and established BlackBerry Cool as the #1 BlackBerry news site on the web. Period.
Now, we want to hear from you, our readers. What was the WES experience for you? What piece of news, editorial, or video defined the show? If you were there, who did you meet or what did you see (cough, BlackBerry Bold, cough) that made it all worth while? Post a comment and let us know. The person who best describes the WES experience will win a Viigo WES ‘08 bag jam-packed with some special schwag, including one of those popular BBCool tee shirts everyone has been raving about.
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