Android goes Canadian: Rogers launches HTC Magic and Dream

We knew exactly when the revolution was coming, and come it did. Just as promised, Rogers Wireless is now selling the Android-powered HTC Dream and HTC Magic, which marks the first official entry of the Google-built OS into the Great White North. Both handsets are ready to dabble in the Android Market and surf on the carrier's 3.5G network; all that's left for you to do is hand over $149.99 on a three contract and nab a box of Tim Hortons donuts. Mmm, donuts.

[Todd @ Jun 2nd 2009 10:50AM]

w00t!

[Samboini @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:05AM]

3 years?! That's fucking disgusting. The Canadian government needs to intervene here and stop them taking the piss. 18 months in the UK is bad enough for me.

[RD. @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:14AM]

I agree Sambioni. Canadian politicians are weak and lazy from sucking on the teat of the taxpayer, pausing only to permit Rogers and Bell to a$$-rap# the populus.

[Agent .25i @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:30AM]

LMAO @ RD. If you cant afford a phone, you cant afford a phone. Plain and simple. There are plenty of other options in this country for cell service. If all the welfare lifers can manage to get a cell... so can you.
Blaming Canadian politicians for the "ass rape" is small minded, and paranoid. Try (get ready for this) shopping around? Bell and Rogers aren't the only carriers here. Fido has plans as low as 10 bucks, with a free phone.

[gtaylor99 @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:35AM]

@agent

sure, you can get a crappy phone for $0 and cheap monthly, but the only way to get the latest phones (HTC magic/Dream, iPhone, Storm, etc) at the advertised price is to get a 3 year contract with the rip-off data plans.

[Jarek @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:42AM]

Please. All shopping around in Canada does is reduce prices from outrageously expensive to merely expensive.

I don't think those 10 bucks would go far on an Android phone. Fun fact: as of this January, you couldn't get a voice and 500 MB data plan for a GSM phone cheaper than $50/month on a mandatory 12-month contract if you have an unlocked phone.

[Nelson @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:48AM]

@gtaylor99

" but the only way to get the latest phones...at the advertised price..."

I think that's the point. You CAN get the phone for more money, without the 3-year lockup, right?

If you can't afford the phone at more than the (heavily) subsidized price,and don't want the long-term commitment, then you should look elsewhere.

That's the reality of life. You should get what you pay for, and you should pay for what you get.

[TareX @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:53AM]

WHAT a disgrace. Canada needs at least 2 more carriers.

3 years? It's bad enough it arrived almost a year late.

[canabal @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:56AM]

The thing with comparing Canada to the UK is you have to consider the landscape. Canada is like 20x the size of the UK (Random number I chose, may be more/less) and the carriers have to cover much of it, with a smaller population. It sucks for us consumers, but it is a fact of life.

[Agent .25i @ Jun 2nd 2009 12:16PM]

Captain Obvious Award of the Day goes to you gtaylor99.
I was merely responding to RD's VERY general statement about the politicians allowing Canadians to get ass raped.
People can get what they can afford. Bringing up the Fido $10 plan and free phone was to show the low end of the scale.

"I don't think those 10 bucks would go far on an Android phone." - Jarek

How right you are. However, based on all the price bitching and paranoid conspiracy theorems of politicians who love to watch you writhe in 3 year contract hell - I felt it necessary to point out that there are other solutions for cell service here.
Listening to people complain like this is akin to someone who can only afford a Kia product, bitching that the Mercedes is too expensive. Going on about why our government would allow Mercedes to do this to its people, and how dare the people that manufacture and sell the Mercedes want such a premium for their vehicle. It's uncalled for. It's rape. It's illegal. It's just our politicians getting richer. It's - blah blah blah. All the while, the people that can afford the Mercedes, are happy as can be. Just like me, with my new HTC. :)

[Monkey with glasses @ Jun 2nd 2009 12:22PM]

Canadian speaking freely.

WE GET RAPE UP THE BACKSIDE BY THE GOVERNMENT, PHONE COMPANIES AND HYDRO.

Thank god we don't get harass that much for herd as they do in the states.

[Kellaen @ Jun 2nd 2009 12:58PM]

Agent: You do realize that Fido is owned by rogers, right? And that bell uses Telus lines in the west, so in reality for many areas there is only two distinct carriers to compete against. Our wireless system in Canada is a joke due to the unregulated nature of it. What we all know is that lack of competition with no regulation makes an atmosphere where we get horribly gouged and locked into 3 year terms with complete garbage plans compared to the US, let alone Europe.

Unfortunately our current government is laden with business cronies that will never push regulation through, same thing with ISP's.

[RD. @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:23PM]

Agent .25i; It's an Engadget comment, not my thesis, so please allow for some artistic freedom with the comment.

That said, after picking up a $200 phone on a 3-year contract which will cost about $75-100 per month or more after you get good options, you're paying about $2900-3800 for that phone. I think anyone who has a job could buy one, but what about asking if you're getting value for your dollar?

Most Canadians agree with me, in fact Canada is a world laggard in cellphone adoption. Among developed nations, only Mexico fares worse. According to 2005 statistics from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada had 51 subscribers for every 100 inhabitants, placing it second last out of 30 member countries.

You may want to do some reading before you go kissing politician ass (http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tech/cellphones/economy.html). Do you perchance work for the conservative government? They seem to like spouting half-truths and personal attacks as you do.

Shopping around shows that there are really only two major carriers in Canada, with all of the smaller players buying their service from Rogers and Bell then trying to repackage it with minor savings to survive. The whole time, service cost and quality in Canada is lagging behind the rest of the developed world.

The only solution is to enact legislation designed to promote competition. Let's not even get started with the quality of customer service!

[Trey @ Jun 2nd 2009 2:06PM]

@ Agent.251

I think it's quite clear you have no idea what you're talking about. You either don't live in Canada, or are yourself a politician. Option c is that you work for Rogers. Either way, when you say people get what they can afford, that doesnt change the fact that Canadians are getting screwed relative to everyone else in the world when it comes to cell phone charges. Remember how long it took Apple before hey released the iphone in Canada under Rogers? In 07 an article showed that Canada was actually worse off than 3rd world countries when it came to mobile data. Our plans are complete bullsh*t. We're a joke to the rest of the world.

" Rogers aint that bad. I get 30% off my total monthly cell package and *free unlimited data*. Why? Cause I have 10Mbps Internet, home phone, and HD cable with them as well. All I had to do was ask."

Exactly!!!!!!! Don't you get the point? You're getting screwed and you dont even know it. You've become so used to being over charged that saving 30% is actually amazing to you! hahaha Its like buying something thats worth $50, paying $120 BUT IF YOU BUY A WHOLE BUNCH OF EVEN MORE OVER PRICED ITEMS TODAY YOU SAVE %30!!! YOU'RE STILL GETTING SCREWED! It's really rather hillarious.

[Mike @ Jun 2nd 2009 3:10PM]

How about we actually list what the government could do
1) Reduce Canadian ownership laws (currently 50% of a telecom must be Canadian)
2) Subsidise new entrants to the marketplace (there are 3 new companies expected within the year)
3) Take control of the Bell and Rogers infrastructure and allow them a certain % of it's use.

You can't just demand the government take control of an industry because they charge you too much for services

[Agent .25i @ Jun 2nd 2009 3:47PM]

I'm not a politician, nor do I kiss their asses. I don't work for Rogers, and I know Fido is a sub of Rogers. I only mentioned it as Rogers doesn't offer any type of deal that compares to the Fido one. As it is a well known fact, that Bell has Solo, Rogers has Fido, and now Telus has Koodo, I didn't feel it was necessary to make it known to readers that I already knew this common knowledge.

You just hang onto the thought that you were privy to a little know "secret" that Rogers owns Fido.

Yea, we pay more than most places do in the world for cellular service, but as canabal mentioned in an above reply, the geography is huge, and the client base is (comparatively) small.

The service is top notch, and I only recently decided to amalgamate all of my services based on the quality of service that Rogers has provided to me over the years. I'm not getting "screwed" by doing this. The only thing that seems screwed is your point of view. Enjoying a 30% reduction in my cell charges means I pay a substantially lower monthly rate than someone who is not already a customer of Rogers. I don't think it's "amazing". I brought it up to show the saving available. I do appreciate the savings greatly though. Nothing "screwed" about that. Plus since I switched my cell service from another company, I received a free unlimited data plan. I just don't see Rogers as this big bad monster that you make it out to be.

I ask you RD,what would be a better option for someone who wants all these services? Remembering, that we have to pay a premium here based on simple geography. Oh, and that has always been the case for so many services, and products coming to this country, not just cellular services.

[Samboini @ Jun 2nd 2009 4:00PM]

What the shit have I started?

[MZLweasel @ Jun 2nd 2009 4:38PM]

@Samboini

LOL, nothing.

You're right, in Canada we pay way too much for cells and wait way too long for everything.

Unfortunately, we have Rogers/Bell/Whatever fanbois who just don't understand that not everybody can pay that much for a phone, which is exacly why I DO NOT OWN A CELL PHONE.

Vote with your dollars, people.

[thequinox @ Jun 2nd 2009 8:59PM]

@Agent .25i

Yeah but what kind of phone do you have with them? Is it a smartphone? Cell companies love to give out their "unlimited data plans" up here, but only to people without a windows mobile based phone. Purely because if anyone had a smartphone with a capable browser and *gasp* features, they would start using too much bandwidth.

Me and my brother were up watching the "Revolution" countdown last night on Rogers site. They have been making such a big deal about it I thought for sure they were going to have new plans as well. Guess what happened when the clock struck 0? Nothing. It just stayed there at 00:00:00:00 the rest of the night. If it was simply a countdown of days I wouldn't think much of it. The fact is this clock counted down TO THE SECOND! the time this revolution was going to happen. Not only did nothing happen when the clock struck zero, but they didn't even make the slightest effort to give a decent data plan.

Today I went to a Rogers store to take a look at the Magic and talk about their plans. THEY DIDN'T EVE HAVE A WORKING MODEL! Some revolution. The iPhone was on display, fully functioning, but no Android handsets to play with at all. To top that, they have a whopping 500MB data plan for it, or for $30 a month ON TOP of you voice plan, you can get 1GB of data.

That is a fucking kick in the face. They tried this kind of shit when the Jesus phone came out, and we fought them to get a decent plan. Now it's time to step of again. When they launched the iPhone, enough of us complained to get them to launch a limited time 6GB for $30. That is THE BEST PLAN Canada has ever seen (which is really sad to say).

Come on people. I know the Magic won't be as popular with the general public as the iPhone, but I believe it is far superior and I think we should get off our asses again and try to get them to listen to us once more. REVIVE THE 6GB $30 PLAN!

[shinratdr @ Jun 3rd 2009 1:06AM]

@Agent .25i

Fido is an Rogers MNVO. Do some research before running your mouth.

Also look at Rogers Data pricing plans. Then fido, then Bell, then Telus. Wow, they are all flipping identical. I don't mean similar, I mean IDENTICAL. Right down to the flex plan.

Go to wikipedia, this is their infobox for Canadian mobile phone companies

"Major network operators
Bell Mobility · Rogers Wireless · Telus"

Everyone else only serves a small region or is an MNVO. Meaning what exactly? Everyone is at the stranglehold of those companies, who are obviously colluding as you can see from the data plan pricing, so they either have not completely insane pricing and terrible phones, or great phones and insane pricing. Before the iPhone it was our national shame how terrible and insanely overpriced cell service was. Now its ONLY terrible, so we want to bring it to light to change things.

The only reason, and I mean only single absolutely the cause, is because Canada just sold off a chunk of wireless spectrum and a new company is guaranteed to enter the market. Right after that, Rogers redesigned fido and launched it as their discount brand.

[shinratdr @ Jun 3rd 2009 1:08AM]

Messed up that last paragraph.

Supposed to go:

The only reason --Fido offers that plan--, and I mean only single absolutely the cause, is because Canada just sold off a chunk of wireless spectrum and a new company is guaranteed to enter the market. Right after that, Rogers redesigned fido and launched it as their discount brand.

[Victor Stuber @ Jun 2nd 2009 10:50AM]

i've been waiting forever for the magic. hurry up US

[grull27 @ Jun 2nd 2009 10:51AM]

3 year contract 0_0

[Kevlar @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:18AM]

Sounds about right, actually.

If I wasn't on contract with my iPhone, I'd be down at the Rogers store in a heartbeat.

[Chox @ Jun 2nd 2009 10:53AM]

Love the Magic but not so much love for Dream.

[adam.plante @ Jun 2nd 2009 10:53AM]

I am on my way to the mall to hit up the rogers store.

[superhobo @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:06AM]

Violence doesn't solve anything!

[Samboini @ Jun 2nd 2009 12:11PM]

superhobo; it solves many things. I needn't elaborate.

[superhobo @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:19PM]

Samboini: Shut up or I'll punch you in the face.

[MZLweasel @ Jun 2nd 2009 7:42PM]

@Superhobo

Wow, a virtual punch!!!

[crsh @ Jun 2nd 2009 10:58AM]

If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from Rogers - unless of course you're already stuck in one of their crazy service contracts.

[danny003 @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:02AM]

is that right? and who do you suppose we should go with if we want good gsm/umts/hspa service?

rogers isnt that bad - you just need to know how to get onto good plans. and as for the incredibly stupid 3 year terms, we really have no other choice in canada do we...

also - why no White Magic???

[gerrybutton @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:00AM]

Yipee another amazing phone I won't get to buy because it's with a god awful company.

[danny003 @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:04AM]

hahah.. and which telco in Canada isnt a god awful company?

[r3loaded @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:01AM]

Haha, a 3 year contract! Lol!

[Agent .25i @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:20AM]

Haha. I have this phone now. LOL 3 years is fuc all. After 1.5 yrs I qualify for an upgrade. Rogers aint that bad. I get 30% off my total monthly cell package and *free unlimited data*. Why? Cause I have 10Mbps Internet, home phone, and HD cable with them as well. All I had to do was ask.

Where's yours?

Tim Hortons sux. Id take a Krispy Kream over any "puck" that Tim Hortons sells any day; + the coffee is crap.

[Boards of Canada @ Jun 2nd 2009 8:46PM]

Krispy Kream? you gonna die young.

[spencer @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:03AM]

Finally, a render / photo that makes the hardware look good too!

[sr @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:05AM]

So regular NAM 850/1900 3G on this? I guess you can import one to use on AT&T after you unlock it or buy it unlocked. Was getting sick of the AWS monopoly on Android.

[danny003 @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:26AM]

yup, these phones have 3g/umts/hspa on 850 & 1900 bands

[Devin @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:06AM]

I prefer timbits but eh ... none of my local Rogers stores had white Dreams so I guess the revolution will not begin for me until they do.

[RyleyinSTL @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:16AM]

Don't tease me with the Tim's! Defiantly one of the things I miss about the dominion. I don not miss the wireless companies.

[MZLweasel @ Jun 2nd 2009 4:33PM]

You defiantly miss Timmy's?

What?

[Ryan @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:18AM]

I realize that contracts suck, but what the fuck do you people want? How else is Rogers/Bell/Telus supposed to guarantee subsidy for a network as big as the US', with a quarter of the population?

You want coverage? So pay for it.

Quit bitching.

[Bill @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:17PM]

I'm sorry, are you actually trying to claim that Rogers (or any of the major canadian mobile carriers) has good coverage outside major cities? roflmao, as the kids say.

[tomas @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:19PM]

look at the coverage maps, they cover southern ontario and the large cities. thats it. thats all. rural canada has to get by on regional carriers, no support from the big 3

[dagamer43 @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:18AM]

I'd say wait for the G1 v2.

[tomas @ Jun 2nd 2009 1:20PM]

wow, engadget's comment reply is failing today

[Jake @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:28AM]

Being Canadian and all, I can't go one day without Tim's coffee in the morning

[wetworker @ Jun 2nd 2009 11:25AM]

What they should get is the palm pre, Android is nice but I want a Pre, especially since I just started a new 3 year contract with Rogers a few months back.