Skip to Content

New to the Mac? Check out TUAW's Mac 101
AOL Tech

canada posts

How to get an iPhone 3G S tomorrow in US, UK, and Canada


Scene from last year's iPhone 3G launch in NYC
Didja hear the news? There's a new iPhone coming out tomorrow! Okay, snark aside, we know there's still a good number of you who want to brave the weather and grab yourself a brand spanking new 3G S, but for whatever reason didn't pre-order ahead of time. Not to worry, we're here to help!

United States

If you pre-ordered the phone in-store from AT&T, you can pick it up tomorrow at 7:00AM from that same retail outlet. Everyone else will have to wait until the normal business hours, and from there it's first come, first serve. If you're wanting to head to an Apple store, be sure to set your alarms for the right time: each one is opening at 7:00AM local time. Apple's online site has a field to let you complete pre-authorization ahead of time, but that won't guarantee you availability so still plan on waiting outside before sunrise. You can also try your luck at Best Buy and Walmart, which should be receiving some stock for each store. As for online pre-orders from either AT&T or Apple, well, just go with whatever the shipping date currently says.

United Kingdom

O2 customers can get their 3G S starting at 8:02AM -- yes, that's the official time, and not a minute sooner, we suspect -- from O2, Apple, and Carphone Warehouse stores. Prices vary based on a variety of 18 and 24 month plans, as well as Pay & Go plans.

Canada

Unsurprisingly, Rogers and subsidiary Fido will be handling your iPhone fix. Also, for the first time, you can also drop by an Apple retail store, which should open around 8:00AM local time. From what we can tell, the Rogers / Fido stores aren't opening early, but just to be safe, you might wanna call tonight or plan on showing up an hour before the usual time.

Obviously, there's more than a few countries we're not covering here, so hit up the read link to check out Apple's official site for details by region, and feel free to share your own tips in the comments below!

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.

Acer Aspire Timeline found in the wild, chilling in Canada and up for pre-order in UK

Acer's been largely mum about its new Aspire Timeline laptop since its initial unveiling back in early April, but now it looks like the company's getting ready to roll out the portable to the customer base at large, if these spy shots from a from a Canadian-based Future Shop store are any indication. The list of specs is a bit hard to read, but from what we gather, the 14-inch Aspire 4810TZ-4129 is packing a 1.3GHz Intel Pentium SU2700, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, a DVD drive, WiFi, WAN, a touted 8 hour battery life, and Windows Vista Home Premium. No indication on the price or official street date, however, but if they're being sent to retail, we can't imagine we'll be waiting too much longer. Feast your own eyes on the specs sheet in the image after the break.

Update: Reader Oleg has written in to let us know it's also up for pre-order at UK retail site PC World -- 14-inch for £550 and 15.6-inch for £600.

[Thanks, waterboy99troop]

70,000 HP laptop batteries recalled due to fire hazard


It's been quite awhile since we've seen a major recall surrounding volatile laptop batteries, but it looks as if HP is the company bringing the topic back to the forefront. Announced today, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Hewlett-Packard, has issued a voluntary recall of about 70,000 Li-ion batteries. Reportedly, these cells can "overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers," and so far, the firm and CPSC have received two separate reports of batteries that have overheated and ruptured, resulting in -- wait for it -- "flames / fire that caused minor property damage." For a look at what units are affected, head on past the break -- oh, and if you're reading this on an HP lappie right now, go ahead and grab the fire extinguisher just in case.

Hawk WiFi robot is probably more fun to hang around with than your friends

Hawk is a humanoid, autonomous, wireless, and handsome robot made by Canadian company Dr. Robot. He's got WiFi, a GPS navigation system, dual cameras in his moveable, animated head, and a host of other cameras and sensors that keep him trucking along. Designed with education in mind, Hawk's skill set is a bit limited, but his hands are pretty impressive. Hawk is on sale now, and while there's no price listed for the bot, base parts of the robot are in the range of $5,000. Video of Hawk beating the skins after the break: yes, we're aware of the fact that he's not exactly John Bonham but, then again -- neither are any of your friends, right?

Palm Pre definitely coming to Canada on Bell Mobility: 2H 2009


What the CEO wants, the CEO gets -- right? Evidently so, as just four months after Ed Colligan proudly stated that he wanted the Pre in Canadian hands, Palm has revealed that the to-be launched handset will indeed grace the cellular airwaves in the Great North. Canucks will have to rely on Bell Mobility (a CDMA carrier, for those unaware) for service, and they'll have to wait until "the second half of 2009" to indulge. Check the read link to get yourself signed up for notifications, and feel free to start the countdown until 11:59PM on December 31st, 2009.

Canadian killed by unsecured laptop during car wreck

Here's a tip folks: don't get in car wrecks. If you someday find such a situation unavoidable, however, here's another: keep that laptop of yours in the trunk, or at least in a case tucked down behind the driver's seat. Mounties in British Columbia are reporting that a Canadian woman who perished in a car accident last month was actually killed by the laptop within her vehicle. As the story goes, the 25 year old's vehicle was struck by a tow truck, flinging her laptop into the rear of her head. A coroner pegged the cause of death as a "blunt force trauma," and investigators believe that the whole thing was survivable had the machine not been in the back seat. Not surprisingly, officials are using the incident to encourage others to secure their belongings whilst traveling.

[Via Switched]

Nintendo DSi now available in North America

At long last, US and Canadian gamers can finally join their European and Japanese brethren in picking up Nintendo's latest portable, the DSi. Price of entry is $170 and if you're interested in a color more vibrant than blue and black, you'll probably be waiting a while. Anyone picking this up on day one?

Rogers begins selling white Nokia E71, Americans consider relocating


You Yanks may bang on the Canucks for having to deal with those ridiculous three-year contracts, but every so often, something goes down in the Canadian mobile space that flat-out silences everyone beneath the border. Take this, for instance -- Nokia's white E71, which can only be scored over in Europe and now in Canada with support for native 3G bands, is finally on sale at Rogers Wireless. Oh sure, the only difference between this E71 and the black E71 is the colors involved, but we all know just how important that becomes when exclusivity is mixed in. The pain? $99.99 on a lifetime, er, three-year contract. Sorry, we had too.

[Via MobileSyrup]

Mind reading gets closer to real thanks to Canadian scientists


Hate to break it to you, but that clairvoyant you've been paying daily to read you fortune cookies while blindfolded actually isn't some sort of medium. Tough to swallow, we know. That said, researchers at Canada's largest children's rehabilitation hospital are getting closer to equipping entrepreneurial individuals with the tools they need to read minds. By measuring the intensity of near-infrared light absorbed in brain tissue, scientists were able to decode a person's preference for one of two drinks with 80 percent accuracy, all without a single minute of training on the human's behalf. This research gives promise to finding out true feelings of those who can't speak or move due to physical limitations, though there's no word on how close it is to becoming viable outside of a lab. As an aside, we hear Professor X is pretty perturbed.

Caption Contest: If BlackBerrys were wooly mammoths


It seems Canadian megacarrier Rogers Wireless is sponsoring Ottawa's Winterlude Festival right now, effectively incorporating the two things that come to mind when we think of Canada -- ice and BlackBerrys -- into a single exhibit. So much for that warranty, eh?

Chris: "Shortly before being packaged for sale, RIM attempts to remove bugs from the Storm's firmware using a 20G centrifuge."
Thomas: "Camerica explorers surprised to discover cryogenically preserved device with OS superior to Windows Mobile 14."
Nilay: "And you thought the browser was glacial."
Don: "Miley Cyrus' request for some 'iced-out BlackBerrys' didn't translate so well north of the border."
Paul: "The next firmware update is rumored to include a hammer and a chisel."
Jacob: "Must've been one heck of a Storm."
Darren: "I asked for a chilled blackberry martini, and got this."
Ross: "Not to be outdone, Telus has encased a Curve 8350i inside Vanilla Ice. Turn off the lights and his stomach might glow."
Sean: "RIM's metaphorical take on the 'new reality' of modern smartphones"
Joe: "It's a little too big for curling, but it does do SMS."
Josh: "David Blaine: BlackBerry user."

[Thanks, Bryan W. F.]

RIM's co-CEO Balsillie stepping down from board as part of backdating settlement


Remember that settlement RIM reached with the Ontario Securities Commission yesterday? Well, details of the arrangement have emerged, and Reuters is reporting that in addition to over $90 million CAD being repaid, the company's co-CEO will be stepping down from its executive board as part of the deal. Jim Balsillie will reportedly have to fork over $5 million CAD (~$4.1 million USD) and his position on the board for at least 12 months -- though we're not sure if he intends to return (or if he'll be welcomed back).

[Via BlackBerry Cool]

RIM reaches settlement with Ontario Securities Commission over backdating shenanigans

Gearing up to close another chapter in its tale of cooked books, RIM announced this week that the company and "certain of its officers and directors" have reached a settlement with the Ontario Securities Commission over backdating stock options. Those certain officers are more than likely co-CEOs Jim Balsillie, who also serves as a director, and Mike Lazaridis. Both men were fingered in a report last month that suggested the commission would seek a record-breaking $100 million fine. The deal is still subject to approval by a panel of OSC officials, who are scheduled to meet on Thursday. No word on what penalties they'll incur, but we'd be surprised if RIM didn't manage to skirt at least some of that record-breaking amercement.

LG Electronics recalls 45,000 LG 150 phones in Canada


Ruh roh. LG Electronics has just issued a voluntary recall of around 45,000 LG 150 phones in Canada, and for whatever reason, Bell Mobility has agreed to assist in cleaning up the mess. Of course, it probably helps that basically every single one was used by a Bell subscriber, but we digress. Reportedly, LG was "notified by one of the independent bodies responsible for the certification of mobile phones that the LG 150 mobile phone is no longer certified as meeting the Radio Standards Specifications 102 (RSS 102), Radio Frequency Exposure Compliance of Radiocommunication Apparatus," thus LG decided it best to go ahead and make this here move. Users who just so happen to be reading this while yapping on an LG 150 can hit the read link for all the pertinent exchange information, and watch out, 'cause it could implode into a furry ball of molten cuteness at any moment. Just kidding.

[Via IntoMobile]

Canadian kiddo goes absolutely bonkers upon receiving Wii for Christmas


Given the completely ridiculous Wii shortage that's still ongoing, there's obviously no shame in being somewhat off your rocker if one shows up in a nicely wrapped box. That said, there's still no way anyone in their right mind should get this excited about receiving a $299 game console, but we can't say we didn't get a few laughs out of watching his celebration. We'll stop yapping and let you get to it -- head past the break to watch the world's happiest Canadian of all time. Just make sure your volume isn't jacked first.

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Follow us on Twitter
Engadget Video


AOL News

Joystiq

Download Squad

TUAW

BloggingStocks

Asylum

Autoblog

Switched.com

FanHouse

Autoblog Green