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LG Bliss and Keybo2 fully disclosed thanks to... LG Canada
Bell and Telus probably weren't so hot on the idea of LG blowing the cover on their August releases, but for what it's worth, we're certainly happy that the manufacturer's Canadian site saw fit to unveil a pair of new sets in all their glory. Actually, the Keybo2 is really nothing more than an enV3 (dressed a little warmer for its Canadian excursion, of course) that should be hitting Telus in a few days' time; like its American cousin, it makes off with a 3 megapixel cam, EV-DO, and a pair of displays with QWERTY on the inside. The Bliss for Bell might be the more interesting of the two, a full-touch dumbphone that clocks in at 11.95mm deep with a 2 megapixel camera and that's about it -- not Earth-shattering specs by any means, but a solid sign that manufacturers are aggressively looking to take the full-touch concept downmarket. MobileSyrup says we can expect both of these on the 7th of the month, so if they've got you fired up, you shouldn't have long to wait. [Via MobileSyrup] Read - LG Bliss Read - LG Keybo2
Bell has six-month exclusivity on the Pre?
It's been gathered, extrapolated, or otherwise assumed pretty much from day one that Sprint's period of exclusivity on the Pre was roughly six months (we say "roughly" because Dan Hesse himself has explicitly said it's not six), and it looks like things are working just about the same up north. In the case of Bell, MobileSyrup is reporting that they're being guaranteed rights to the Pre for precisely six months, actually, which means archrival Telus is probably rearing to start its kitchen timer (you know, that one your mom has that's shaped like an egg) for the countdown the moment it launches. The more interesting question, though, might be whether Rogers (and, by technological proxy, AT&T) end up with a webOS-based device of their own before that second round of Pre launches goes down.
LG "Bliss" coming to Bell next month?
How about a nice little touchscreen LG, Bell customers? MobileSyrup says this little guy -- whatever it is, exactly -- is the "Bliss," ripe for launch on Canada's Bell on August 7 with a 2 megapixel cam, video capture, and microSD expansion for CAD $79.95 (about $72). The site speculates that it could be a localized version of the Versa -- which, if true, would mean that you were looking at some nifty modular add-on accessory crap to go along with it -- but it could just as easily be any other of the one bajillion full touch LGs in the market today. August is coming up mighty quick now, so we'll know soon enough.
Oh, by the way: July 16, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Thursday, July 16th, 2009: The Samsung Omnia II will go on sale in Singapore this Saturday, July 18 for S$898 (about $619) unlocked, while the Omnia Pro will be available August 1 for something under S$550 (about $379). [Thanks, Rixter] Remember that mysterious Samsung Link for Bell? MobileSyrup has scored the lowdown on the device, and it turns out not to be a smartphone of any sort -- instead, it's just a text-centric dumbphone (isn't that theme starting to get a little played out?) with a 1.3 megapixel camera and a 2.2-inch display. It'll allegedly launch on July 30 in your choice of white or black for CAD $19.95 (about $18) on a three-year deal. HTC has already managed to roll a fix for that Bluetooth vulnerability they've been dogged by in recent days. [Via pocketnow.com] Ovi Maps 3.1, N-Gage, Ovi Contacts 2.1, and a mysterious "phone memory update" are all now available to users of North American Nokia N97s. Early reports suggest that some users are having trouble getting the goods installed successfully, so let us know how it goes. Continuing a trend it started earlier this year on other smartphones, Verizon has gone ahead and unlocked the GPS on its Samsung Omnia with an official firmware update. The release also includes an updated WinMo 6.1 AKU, Bluetooth tethering support through VZ Access Manager, and some memory fixes. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Oh, by the way: July 10, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Friday, July 10th, 2009: Russia's RoverPC is now shipping its G7, X7, and V7 models running Windows Mobile 6.1. All three feature heavily-customized interfaces by SPB. [Via TamsPPC] If you're willing to go with a refurb, the iPhone 3G 8GB is now down to $79 even on AT&T. [Via TUAW] The BlackBerry Tour 9630 is available through Canada's Bell -- beating Sprint's and Verizon's Sunday launches -- for CAD $249.95 on a three-year deal. [Via Electronista]
Mysterious Samsung "Link" coming to Bell this month?
Details are scarce, but it seems that this blurry, partial photo of an unknown QWERTY Samsung might be the "Link," a smartphone destined for Bell -- allegedly as soon as July 15. Seeing that it's being described as a smartphone, that virtually guarantees that it'll be running Windows Mobile, and from the look of it, we'd probably have to expect WinMo 6.1 Standard. Technically, S60 is a remote possibility -- Samsung is an S60 licensee, after all -- but the company has yet to release S60 gear on North American soil, so why start now?[Via Unwired View]
BlackBerry Tour spec sheet reveals little but our impatience
Most of the specs printed on this leaked sheet provided to MobileSyrup about the upcoming BlackBerry Tour were either known or could've been easily deduced, but a couple line items in here stand out: EV-DO plus HSPA 2100, 256MB of onboard storage, 3.2 megapixel AF camera, and an 480 x 360 display are all confirmed one more time as this thing trudges toward release. If we had our druthers, this would already be available on Verizon by now -- but current rumors have it pegged for a mid-summer release, which would line it up with where MobileSyrup says the 9630 will launch on Bell in the middle of July. In the meantime, those dang 8830s certainly aren't getting any younger.
BlackBerry Tour retailing for six bills on Bell?
MSRPs of phones ultimately don't mean a whole hell of a lot to consumers; carriers can play with rebates, instant discounts, and subsidies on an almost daily basis, and a $600 phone can end up ringing up at $300, $150, a big fat zilch, or anywhere in between depending on how things work out. That said, it's interesting to see that the upcoming -- and wildly-anticipated, may we add -- BlackBerry Tour 9630 has apparently been priced at CAD $599.95 (about $511) for launch on Canada's Bell. Thing is, we still don't know when it's going down; it could be before, after, or at the same time as Verizon, but we don't even know with certainty when Big Red's launching yet, so this is all still shrouded in some of the best mystery Waterloo has to offer. Hurry up, guys -- goodness knows you've got some anxious fans with plastic ready to swipe in their outstretched hands.
Samsung Vice hits Bell, QWERTY and all
You're really going to blow away your friends with this snazzy trick. Come on, you know what we're talking about: "Hey, check out this sweet new Samsung candybar I got." That's how you set them up -- by calling it a "candybar," see? Then, out of the blue, without any warning whatsoever, you deftly deploy a glorious full QWERTY keyboard out from under the Vice's bottom with one swift motion of your hand. Jaws drop. At this point, everyone in your presence obviously wants to know where they can purchase such a device borne of pure magic and wonder of their own, and you'll tell them -- you've got to be Canadian, willing to go to Bell, have at least CAD $50 (about $43) worth of loonies and toonies in your pocket, and a willingness to commit three years of your life to a carrier. A pittance, if you ask us. [Via MobileSyrup]
Bell buys out remainder of Virgin Mobile Canada
Virgin Mobile's sundry networks around the globe are a curious hodgepodge of locally-owned and Virgin-led ventures; in the States, for example, a bunch of random companies have skin in the game, including Sprint and SK Telecom. Up in Canada, the MVNO began life as a 50 / 50 joint venture between Bell and Virgin -- and Bell has now agreed to snap up Virgin's stake in the firm for CAD $142 million, which works out to about $121 million. To make sure the brand stays around for a good, long time to come, Bell has also announced that it has secured an "exclusive, long-term" licensing deal with Virgin to use the Virgin Mobile marque. It sounds like Bell has every intention of continuing to operate Virgin Mobile as a separate entity, though it'll combine some retail efforts and work to streamline operations by jointly acquiring handsets and the like. Considering that Bell's about to flip the switch on its HSPA network, it seems like this could end up working out swimmingly for Virgin subscribers up there. [Via MobileSyrup]
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.
Bell adds 1GB smartphone plan with tethering for actually reasonable price
Canadian carriers are known for a lot of things; reasonable data pricing, traditionally, is not one of them. As smartphones get more data-intensive by leaps and bounds and wider market segments realize they need laptop cards, these guys appear to be learning -- slowly -- and we're liking what we're seeing with Bell's new $45 CAD ($37) package... sort of. You get 1GB of data for your BlackBerry or WinMo device, $6 per MB for roaming in the US (the same as on Bell's cheaper plans), and extra megabytes run you 3 cents apiece -- and it seems you can tether at no additional charge. For comparison, the $40 CAD plan -- just $5 cheaper -- steps down dramatically to just 8MB of data, so this is what we'd call a "best value" of sorts, if you can really call 1GB for $45 a "best value." [Via MobileSyrup]
Bell rolls out 4.7.0.122 for BlackBerry Storm 9530
Verizon users are still waiting patiently for something blessed official by the powers that be, but meanwhile, Storm-ites on Bell up north are finally in the game. Build 122 of the Storm 9530's firmware hit Bell's servers in the past few days, presumably offering all the goodies 113 has to offer and more (it's 9 higher, after all, and we all know that higher numbers are always good). The Storm could end up being a feel-good story of how a device can go from "pretty bad" to "pretty good" with firmware updates alone, so keep 'em coming, RIM. You too, carriers. [Thanks, Sean]
Telus picks up the Treo Pro, Bell says "so?"
If you've got $150 worth of Canadian loonies and three years' worth of your life to spare, you're in a perfect position to pick up a brand spanking new Treo Pro from Telus, which launched this week hot on the heels of its sworn rival Bell. Of course, these guys have a similar challenge to Sprint right now -- it's hard to get people amped about any Palm product other than the Pre -- but seeing how Telus hasn't made any announcements about Pre availability, this could be the only Palm action subscribers are getting for a while for all we know. Could be worse, right?
Samsung prepping Vice QWERTY slider for Bell?
There's no sign that the insane momentum powering the texting craze among North American carriers is slowing down any time soon, and in the meantime, you can pretty much count on boatloads of QWERTY models launching across the entire range. Latest for Bell appears to be the "Vice" from Samsung, continuing Sammy's dubious tradition of odd handset branding ("Rant," anyone?) and staying true to the SMS trend with a full landscape keyboard. There's a little bonus on the Vice, too, though: you get a numeric keypad positioned like you'd find on an ordinary candybar, making for an E75-esque layout -- LG's Neon solves this same problem by using a touchscreen, so it'll be interesting to see what form factor wins out there. No word on pricing or availability on this bad boy yet.
Samsung Omnia coming to Bell and Telus next month
It's a little sad that Samsung's 5MP Omnia is just now getting around to Canada's CDMA carriers -- you know, given that you're already savvy on the OmniaHD -- but at least it's coming, right? The WinMo 6.1-equipped handset won't be changing in terms of specs, but we are told that it'll be splashing down on both Bell Mobility and Telus this April. The pain? MobileSyrup has it that Bell's Omnia will run $549.95 outright or as low as $349.95 on a three-year contract, which sounds patently absurd and completely believable at the same time.[Via MobileSyrup]
Bell Mobility gearing up to launch Motorola Hint QA30
Wow, remember this thing? That somewhat promising QWERTY-based smartphone that was first introduced by Motorola last November? Anywho, said handset is finally getting set to partner with a carrier (at least that's the good word on the street), and it'll be Bell Mobility doing the honors in Canada. We're hearing that the Hint QA30 will be sold outright for $329.95 or as low as $129.95 on a 3-year contract, though we have to wonder what kind of demand will be out there given the phone's age.
NHL-themed BlackBerry Storms should fix all the bugs
What's the only thing better than a carrier-endorsed firmware that fixes a plethora of the Storm's reported issues? An NHL-themed decal, of course! It looks like Bell is prepping to launch the 9530 in a special NHL package that'll include a skin for the hockey team of your choice (admittedly, we're kinda digging the striped front) and a storage card preloaded with NHL content and goodies. Altogether, you'll be paying $249.95 CAD on a three-year contract for the package, which represents a $50 premium over the plain-vanilla Storm; hopefully there's a mail-in rebate involved there somewhere, eh?
@Bell Canada backpedals, Twitter SMS now -- almost -- free
We had a quick chat with Bell Canada's Julie Smithers, and apparently the user gripes, moaning, and all around sadness seem to have helped Twitter and Bell strike up a new conversation about your beloved. Bell and Twitter have agreed that incoming Twitter SMSes will be free on Bell -- provided you have a Bell SMS bundle -- and that outgoing will be charged just like any other text would be. So if your plan includes 30 sent messages -- like the $3 SMS bundle -- and you go over, you'll get dinged just like you would sending normal text messages. So let the merriment begin Canada, go forth, sign up for unlimited texting, and tweet like we know you've been itching to since November last year.
Bell Canada launches first CDMA BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230
Big day for Bell and smartphones as they add the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 on top of the Pal Treo Pro launch a little earlier in the day. Thankfully the BlackBerry seems to have its pricing lined up and will squeeze your piggy bank for $29 on a three-year contract, a steep $349 on 2, $449 for 1-year and is $499 off contract altogether -- though the $29 is apparently only until the end of March. Telus is also prepping this flippier BlackBerry for launch, though no word on a date for that just yet. In case you've forgotten the pink or black 8230 features GPS capabilities, 128MB of memory, external 1.6-inch and internal 2.4-inch displays, and the oh-so novel 4.6 OS. Grab it now on Bell's site if you've been dreaming of the same ol' BlackBerry in an entirely new and interesting package.Update: Pricing updated as site was updated.
