The voice of the BlackBerry community.
RogersDude69 brings us a pic of some promotional materials that have arrived at the Rogers retail outlets in Canada. It seems we’re really close to this device launching and we’ll be getting more details soon.
The only thing this flier reveals is that it will support TalkSpot, for unlimited Canada-wide calling.
There isn’t much else to say here, but we’re all hoping that Rogers will launch the device in some new colors such as the coveted white BlackBerry Curve 8520.
Anyone buying?
Our Rogers ninja, RogersDude69, is reporting that Rogers has been giving their employees extra incentives to sell HTC Android devices. Apparently, Rogers is running internal contests where you sell 5 and get 1 free. While this isn’t necessarily news, and Rogers often runs these contests, it comes along with a recent statement from the president of Rogers Communications’ wireless business, Rob Bruce.
Rob Bruce, said he expects that phones with full slideout keyboards, as well as those based on Google’s Android operating system, will chip away at the dominance of RIM’s BlackBerry and Apple’s iPhone.
Speaking at an investor conference, Bruce said the so-called QWERTY slider devices made by manufacturers such as Samsung and LG Electronics “are peeling off the low end of the smartphone market right now and in effect putting pressure on that duopoly.”
He characterized Android-based phones that are making their way to store shelves as the “other major vector” in challenging RIM and Apple for dominance of the lucrative smartphone market.
BlackBerry Cool readers are well educated when it comes to the various operating systems out there. So I put the question to the readers:
Can RIM and BlackBerry learn anything from the Android platform?
In 5 years, BlackBerry or Android?
[Via]
Recently, we learned that the Rogers HUP was going to extend to all devices, and not just smartphones. Our friend RogersDude69 has broken down a brief history of how the Rogers HUP has become increasingly stringent and is making it really difficult to get a new device.
When will the madness end? Rogers needs to realize that having customers upgrade their devices will mean bigger bills and more money for them in the end. Also, as a general note for doing business, you should never tell your customer that they can’t buy the product. Make concessions and get the product in the customer’s hand. Here is a little history of how the HUP is quickly becoming obsolete:
Continue reading how Rogers is destroying their customers’ ability to upgrade devices
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Rogers have just announced the debut of their HSPA+ network in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). This is incredible news for mobile Internet users, as they can now get access to speeds roughly equivalent to 3.75G with a mobile Internet stick.
From a BlackBerry perspective, this isn’t immediately pressing news. Back when Rogers announced their 3G network, called HSDPA and announced April 2nd, 2007, it took RIM around a year and a half to release a BlackBerry that was capable of taking advantage of the network: the BlackBerry Bold.
From the Press Release: “Rogers has begun the Canada-wide deployment of the 21 Megabits per second (Mbps) high-speed HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access Plus) wireless network, following the successful expansion and doubling of speed of its high-speed network to 7.2 Mbps last year. Starting in August, Rogers will progressively increase wireless network download speeds up to 21 Mbps in the Greater Toronto Area, and expand quickly over the coming months to other cities across the country.”
The question is: will RIM even bother to make a device that utilizes the HSPA+ network? Currently, 3G seems to satisfy the needs of the market. We know that RIM has plans to make LTE compatible BlackBerry devices, which could mean we’ll skip HSPA all together.
What applications do we envision with an HSPA+ enabled device?
[Special thanks goes out to RogersDude69]
CTV have announced a new streaming video service available for TELUS customers, with Rogers and Bell customers already having access. The service has some decent content available and the TELUS stream will likely be identical to the service on Bell and Rogers.
You can now get access to content such as MTV’s The Hills and The Comedy Network’s South Park, top stories and highlights from CTV News, TSN and BNN. Other content includes:
Compatible devices include the Pearl 8130, Curve 8330, Storm 9530, Pearl Slip 8230 and the Tour 9630.
My TELUS BlackBerry Tour 9630 has been unlocked by the good folks at Cellfservices.com and it’s working smoothly. It’s still relatively expensive to get your device unlocked, but that’s just because it’s such a new device. It’s expensive being an early adopter. Unlocking your Tour costs:
Verizon BlackBerry Tour 9630 – $21.99
Telus and Bell BlackBerry Tour 9630 (0-72 hours) – $71.99
Some other unlocking prices include:
All AT&T phones except Nokias – $7.97
All Fido phones except Samsung – $9.99
All Rogers phones except iPhone and LG Neon – $9.99
Verizon Storm – $17.99
Telus and Bell Storm 1-3 weeks – $56.99
T-mobile Blackberrys – $7.97
Telus and Bell Storm Express 24-72 hours – $74.99
Verizon Tour – $21.99
Telus and Bell Tour 0-72 hours – $71.99
Get your BlackBerry unlocked at a great price.
BBRocks posted a few official OS updates that we’re all happy to download. Doesn’t it feel good to download an official OS? You know your BlackBerry won’t explode and instead you get to experience an upgrade sans-hassle.
Download the AT&T OS 4.5.0.158 for the BlackBerry Pearl 8110.
Download the Rogers OS 4.6.0.250 for the BlackBerry Curve 8900.
Download the CSL Limited OS 4.6.0.282 for the Bold 9000.
[Via]
Mike Lazaridis, speaking at the Canadian Telecom Summit yesterday, said that the BlackBerry devices and smartphones that are Web-enabled are rapidly becoming the “center of how you get things done.”
Of course, all BlackBerry Cool readers already know that we’re at the cutting edge of technology and productivity, but the prediction is going to make some brick and mortar organizations rethink their direction.
Among Mike’s predictions is that the North American market for smartphones will more than double in the next few years. “There is a conversion happening. More and more consumers are not just trading up to a newer phone, they’re trading up to smartphones. I call this the smartphone revolution and it’s occurring right now.”
Rogers’ CEO Nadir Mohamed could not agree more. In the opening keynote address, he said that cutting-edge devices are redefining how consumers view Internet and use it. “The notion of Internet at home [or] Internet at the office is changing to: your Internet, wherever you are,” he said. “It’s very powerful.” Mr. Mohamed estimated by 2014 more than three million Canadians will use smartphones such as the BlackBerry.
With the market shifting towards smartphones, and these devices becoming increasingly more powerful, we’re seeing a progressive evolution towards Every Laptop Left Behind.
[Via]
Avea, a carrier in Turkey, has a nationwide customer base of over 12 million. Back in February of 2009, Avea launched the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and they’ve grown their BlackBerry service considerably since.
Compared to North America, their BlackBerry data plans are incredible!
An all-you-can-eat BlackBerry data plan on Avea, costs you TRY 31.36 (TRY is the symbol for Turkish Lira) or $20.26 USD.
Compare that price with that of AT&T and Rogers. AT&T offers an all you can eat plan for $30, while Rogers offers their 5GB plan for a whopping $80.
I guess BlackBerry Cool is moving to Turkey to become BlackBerry So?ukkanl?.
Check out their prices on their site.
If you’re looking for a good deal on a BlackBerry, check out our store.
Rogers has done some research regarding Canadian habits with respect to smartphone application consumption. The survey was conducted by Canadian research firm Ipsos-Reid and found a couple interesting stats regarding smartphone user downloading habits.
The data found that the average smartphone user has downloaded 19 apps in the past year. One of the first questions I would like to know is, “how many of those apps were free?” Users are downloading more apps than ever, but we still have a ways to go to convince the average smartphone user that apps are worth what developers are asking. Try convincing a first time smartphone user to pay $39.95 for IM+ All-in-One Messenger.
The survey also found that one in four of Canadian smartphone users, downloaded an app from an app store. This data brings to light an obvious fact that when the content is placed in front of the user’s eyes, they are very likely to try something out. As smartphone users get more comfortable with the purchasing process, we’ll see a greater adoption of smartphone content.
Although this data is only a glimpse at a host of theories and discussion surrounding smartphone user habits, we can see that things are moving in the right direction.
The voice of the BlackBerry community.
