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Facebook is testing a Nextdoor-like 'Neighborhoods' feature in Canada
Facebook is testing a feature called Neighborhoods that would allow users to join community-based groups, much as you can with Nextdoor.
Fido hops on the LTE bandwagon, gives Canadians frugal 4G this summer
Rogers was the first with LTE in Canada. Its budget brand Fido has largely been left out of that 4G fiesta, but the gap is closing today with official plans to give the yellow doghouse some LTE of its own. The initial deployment this summer will largely overlap Rogers' fledgling network, starting with benchmark cities Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, St. John's, Toronto and Vancouver. Only a Fido Mobile Hotspot with 10-device sharing will kick off the hardware selection; if you're impatient, though, any compatible and (usually) unlocked LTE device will do with a relevant SIM card. About 20 million Canucks will potentially have the high-speed option by the end of the year -- and with Fido's plan costs expected to stay the same, that coverage could make the provider a de facto choice for fast data in the Great White North. Click past the break for the official word and the full 2012 expansion list.
Newfangled lab-on-a-chip technology gets more health data from less blood
It's a nightmare of epic proportions: the finger prick. Anyone who detests 'em completely understands, and they'll also be supremely appreciative of the work being done by Dr. Karan Kaler and co. at the University of Calgary. Kaler's team has created a new lab-on-a-chip technology, which uses a wireless microchip to analyze nanolitre-sized samples of blood. That's far less fluid than is currently needed to run a gauntlet of tests, and this fresh take is also far more efficient. We're told that it "involves creating a structure called a micro-emulsion, which is a droplet of fluid captured inside a layer of another substance." From there, the emulsions are positioned precisely on the chip, and after tests are ran, the results are piped wirelessly to a computer. The potential here is far more impressive than the existing iteration; the long-term vision is to "create handheld devices for patients to use at home for testing fluids, such as blood and urine," which would prevent extensive wait times and enable patients to get vital information faster. There's no telling how long it'll take to escape the lab and land in the hands of those who need it, but we're sure the folks involved are cranking just as hard as they can.
Rogers' budget-friendly chatr brand launches in Canada
We knew it was coming, and now it's official: Rogers Wireless has today launched its entry-level "chatr" wireless brand for Canadians everywhere -- and by "everywhere," we mean Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa (Montreal is coming soon, as is possibly elsewhere). Two plans are available: $45 monthly for unlimited talk-and-text and $35 for unlimited talk and 50 free texts. As of now, the official website's showing four devices to choose from, available at full price only (no subsidizing). On the low end, relatively speaking, there's the Nokia 1661 candybar for $60, followed by the LG GB125R flip for $75, the Nokia 2680 portrait QWERTY slider for $95, and Samsung's Gravity landscape QWERTY slider sitting at the top of the chain for $130. Rogers -- whose name appears nowhere in Chatr's branding so far -- expects "hundreds" of chatr kiosks to be rolled out at Future Shops, Best Buys, Costcos, and other retail outlets. The brand will compete with other budget-conscious options from the likes of Wind Mobile and Mobilicity, but this one's got the advantage of Rogers' more established, wider-reaching network. According to The Globe and Mail and CBC News, Wind will be offering a whopping $150 credit for those who switch to its network from Rogers / chatr. Mobilicity's chairman John Bitove has a different strategy altogether, threatening to complain to the Competition Bureau that Rogers' possible goal here is to drive other discount phone brands out of business before dissolving chatr and leaving the market with only a higher-priced segment. And if you were wondering where Telus and Bell Mobility stand, well, both companies are reportedly expected to follow suit with entry-level brands of their own. Data plan-averse Canadians should have quite the selection from which to choose.
NHL 2K11 riding in an RV across the US this summer
Ah, the July 4th weekend. The perfect time for grilling hot dogs, setting off fireworks, jumping in the pool, and ... hockey? That's what 2K Games wants you to think about -- it's sending an NHL 2K11 recreational vehicle on the road this summer, giving you a chance to play the new game in a town near you. The RV started at E3 a few weeks ago in LA, and after a quick stop in Santa Monica next week, it's off to the wild roads of the United States and Canada (the full schedule is after the break). Ryan Kesler has a tour of the vehicle over on 2K's website, and it looks like a fine conveyance. For now, anyway. Sorry, Philly and New York -- after a couple of months on the road, that shower might not be quite so pristine.
Motorola Devour for Verizon gets boxed, shares Pixi's processor? (update: Moto's support site is live)
Motorola's so-called Calgary has found itself on a lengthy, fascinating journey from rumor to retail -- a journey that began way back in 2008. Finally, here we are a whole bunch of months later, the high-end Droid having been released back in November and Verizon still without a midrange choice for Android hopefuls -- but that's about to change. Right, Verizon? Right? The latest intel from Android and Me suggests that the Devour (as it'll almost certainly be known to the public) will feature a Qualcomm MSM7627 -- the same next-gen entry-level core being used by the Pixi that's designed to replace the aging MSM7600 series, very likely a chip that we're going to be seeing a whole lot of over the next 12-18 months in devices that manufacturers don't deem worthy of Snapdragon. Meanwhile, Android Central seems to have scored a shot of some promotional material for the Devour suggesting that it's not far off -- the site says we're looking at a retail box here, but considering how small and narrow the Droid's box is, this could actually be some in-store signage or something to that effect. We'll know soon enough, hopefully. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: And look at this, Motorola's support documents for the Devour are now live (we count 10 pages' worth, total). Not too much interesting in here, but we can confirm that the name will be Devour, it's got WiFi, and there'll be a car kit available. Thanks, Stormdancer!
Motorola Calgary / Droid Devour spotted in silver, Bluring it up
There's another Motorola "Calgary" device (also known as the Droid Devour) making the rounds, and this time it's showing a silver paint job and an obvious Motorola Blur home screen. Word is that the trackpad to the upper right of the keyboard is great, and the keyboard supposedly bests the Droid -- not a challenging feat, to be sure. Obviously it's headed for Verizon, and Boy Genius confirms that WiFi and GPS are onboard, but it's still a little unclear what the low-end differentiators between it and the Droid might be, outside the three megapixel camera and what appears to be a smaller, lower resolution screen.
Verizon getting Palm Pre Plus and Android-powered Motorola Devour?
We're still not totally clear on how exactly Verizon intends to enter (or rather, re-enter) the Palm stage in 2010; we know there's definitely a WiFi-equipped CDMA Pixi out there that'll likely find its way into Big Red's clutches, but otherwise, we really need to wait for this event at CES next month. Well, maybe -- we've got another little clue here in the form of some tips to PhoneArena stating that a "Pre Plus" has found its way into the carrier's systems, which fits in nicely with info we'd previously received from one of our trusted sources that Verizon's Pre would be somehow "different" from Sprint's though we don't yet know how. As far as we can tell, this isn't the same as that WiFi Pixi (wouldn't it be confusing if it was?), so we should probably expect at least two webOS models on Verizon over the next few months. In other news, that Motorola Calgary (pictured) appears to be shaping up as the "Devour" with a 3 megapixel cam and Blur running on Android 2.1 -- yes, 2.1, not 1.5, which should give hope to CLIQ owners that an update is probably in the works. Finally, there's talk of an LG VS750 in a mega-thin form factor running WinMo 6.5 with global roaming capability, but we don't have a picture of that one just yet. Anyhow, back to the Pre Plus, we're accepting all guesses as to what the "Plus" in the name might stand for -- 16GB of integrated storage or a microSD slot seem like obvious candidates, but feel free to get creative with us. [Image via BGR]
Accessory listing suggests Verizon's Motorola Calgary is near
Now that Droid mania's starting to calm down just a bit, it's time to turn our attention back to that rumored second model in Verizon's Android-powered line from Motorola, the so-called Calgary. We don't have any details on a release window, but whenever accessories show up on an authorized partner's site that list the unreleased phone by name, that's usually a promising sign. And yes, that rule applies no matter how mundane that accessory may be -- in this case, a lowly micro-USB cable that this company has the ludicrous idea of selling for 20 bucks. Of course, Instinct HD accessories showed up months before the phone's release -- back when it was known by an entirely different name, in fact -- so we wouldn't necessarily want to get any hopes up for a 2009 drop date just yet.
Ready for the first all-HD Winter Olympics? NBC is
Forget Torino and its quality issues, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver promises to be a different event, and this time it is coming home shot 100% natively in HD. Watching on TV, viewers can expect a slew of coverage across NBC's networks, plus a continuously updated HD VOD package of the day's highlights, and interactive TV features to pull up medal counts, athlete bios and Team USA reports. Checking in online? NBC is back with a new iteration of Microsoft's Silverlight streaming, promising even more HD footage, with the ability to fast forward and rewind streams, plus save clips to your computer. Behind the online efforts are the encoding skills of iStreamPlanet providing 23 different video feeds, with Akamai's new HD distribution network distributing the adaptive bitrate streams directly to your PC. Remember when we were just happy to get 5.1 surround?Read - Akamai and iStreamPlanet to Power Live and on-Demand Video for NBC's Coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games
Motorola 'Calgary' to bring BLUR to Verizon, Droid not looking worried
The Droid's shaping up to be a beast of an Android phone -- well played, Verizon -- but Motorola's banking much of its future on its MOTOBLUR platform, which the Droid curiously lacks (though Android 2.0 adds at least some of BLUR's functionality back in). Don't worry, though -- Verizon hasn't forgotten about BLUR altogether, and the rumored Calgary is looking to arrive as the carrier's next Android phone from Moto featuring BLUR in all its social network-aggregating glory. It's clearly positioned as a lower-end device than the Droid, stepping down to a 3 megapixel cam but still managing nifty features like an optical pad, 3.5mm jack, and naturally, a full QWERTY keyboard. Considering Rubin's ties to Danger, you could think of this as the ill-fated Sidekick Slide all grow'd up. Word has it this might hit before the end of the year, so we'll see just how much breathing room Verizon and Moto feel like giving the Droid before coming back for Round 2, eh?
Resistance 2 Marksman recreated in fine form by Calgary modder
If you're a regular to the site, you'd know that we've a soft spot in our hearts for recreated video game weapons. Partly, we enjoy seeing skill lead to wares, but we also find inspiration in life's littlest (and most dangerous) pleasures. Take Calgary's own Izy Cheung (shown above) for example, who spent over 100 hours toiling over the masterpiece she's wielding. Resistance 2 fanatics will no doubt recognize the gun as the Marksman, a long-range rifle that hardly leaves the side of a devout sniper. The official PlayStation Blog managed to sit down with Izy for a full-on interview, and we'd say the contents are fairly enlightening. If you're interested in what she has to say on the matter (and don't you pretend that you aren't), that read link down there is where you want to be.
T-Mobile, Verizon set to offer Android-based Motorola phones this year
Details are still a little light on this one, but The Wall Street Journal is reporting that both T-Mobile and Verizon will be offering Android-based phones from Motorola before the end of the year, according to "people familiar with the matter." While the Verizon phone is still a bit iffy, the T-Mobile offering seems to almost certainly be the Motorola Morrision which, as you can see above, is already pretty well acquainted with T-Mo branding. According to one of those people familiar with the matter, Verizon's Moto phone will have "similar hardware to the T-Mobile one," including a touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard, which doesn't exactly rule out Motorola's rumored Calgary slider, even if "similar" isn't the first word that springs to mind when discussing the two.[Via Electronista]
Motorola's first Android phone(s) to have sliding QWERTY?
Motorola needed to release an Android set about six months ago, but we know these things take time -- and if it's any consolation, it sounds like the first fruits of the labor could be pretty awesome. Boy Genius Report now claims that the rumored landscape QWERTY slider Calgary will be the first Android-powered Moto device to go commercial, though it's not clear when (or where) it'll hit shelves; given the device's seemingly unusual appearance and the possibility (foolish hope?) that they'll be infusing some customizations into the UI, they might just have an angle to attack offerings from HTC and others. That's not all for the Android department, though -- it looks like there might also be a portrait QWERTY slider in the works for the third quarter codenamed "Ironman," pictured, which will pack 3G, WiFi, and some sort of high-res camera. In other words, a solidly high-end device. Bring it on, guys.Moving on, it seems the lovely full touchscreen Flash has been canned, along with the Krave's successor, the Inferno -- possibly further confirmation that Moto's throwing virtually all its weight into the Android camp at this point. Finally, rumor has it that a device codenamed "Rolex" is in the labs -- and as you might've guessed, it uses the Aura's astonishingly awesome ultra-high-res circular display. Odds are this is another luxury phone given its aspirational name and the screen being used, but a poor guy can dream.Read - Calgary, Inferno, Flash, and RolexRead - Ironman
Motorola apparently planning another year of existence with claimed 2009 lineup for Verizon
Our first thought when we saw Boy Genius Report's alleged shots of Moto phones that'll find a home on Verizon in 2009 was, "holy cow, these look fake." And yes, granted, they're all renders -- but what really set off the alarms for us was the fact that they look... well, nothing like Motorolas. At all. But then we thought about it for a second and realized that hey, you know, when you're a once-great cellphone manufacturer losing market share hand over fist and you're looking for the Next Big Thing, you probably want to try something a little new, a little fresh, and a little crazy. So on that note, Verizon can apparently expect a "Rush 2" early in the year that continues Moto's contribution to the low-cost messaging phone trend; the "Calgary" (pictured), looking like a high-end Sidekick Slide minus the Sidekick; the "Inferno," presumably succeeding the ZN4 (which was coincidentally codenamed "Blaze"); and finally the gorgeous "Flash," which -- as far as we're concerned -- should just take the A3000's place. So yeah, these could be an elaborate hoax, but for Motorola's sake, we hope they're not.
Robot surgeon removes brain tumor from Canadian, will see more patients soon
Though it's certainly not the first time a robotic surgeon has made news after joining the staff at a Canadian hospital, history has just been made in Calgary. Doctors (the human kind) were able to use remote controls, an imaging screen and the neuroArm in order to successfully remove a brain tumor from a 21-year old woman. Hailed as the first procedure of its kind, the team already has a line of patients waiting to receive similar surgeries, and the mechanical hand is being praised for its precise movements and delicate nature. Unfortunately for the arm, no pay raise (or extended vacation) is in sight. [Via Slashdot]
Solo's bus stop ad enables life-size chatting with strangers
Hot on the heels of Nokia's own bus stop gimmick comes none other than Solo, which has erected a clever display on a number of waiting areas to allow perfect strangers to yap it up on giant mobiles. The interactive billboards each sport a larger-than-usual flip phone, which allows curious onlookers to mash an enlarged walkie talkie button and get on the horn with a faraway stranger. The active two-way radio setup was reportedly installed in transit shelters in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, and Calgary, and the system supposedly connects users in the different cities to one another when a conversation is initiated. Unfortunately, Engadget HQ doesn't happen to reside in the land of the Canucks, so for our brethren in the north, why not stop on by and give a shout to a fellow Canadian, eh?[Via Core77]
