FIDO
Latest
Nokia's 6300 plays fetch with Fido
While the Canadians in the crowd may not have paid too much attention to the the Nokia 6300 review, you should probably take interest now that the handset is making its North American debut on Fido. The tri-band (850 / 1800 / 1900) candybar measures in at a sleek 13.1-millimeters thick, sports a sexy stainless steel motif, and packs modernized features into one of Nokia's most long-standing designs. Among the inclusions are a two-megapixel camera with video recording capability, a 512MB microSD card, Bluetooth, music player, FM tuner, voice dialing, a bundled headset, and a battery that purportedly lasts through 3.5-hours of continuous talking. Best of all, Fido users don't even have to wait for this thing to show up, as the 6300 is available right now for $300 sans a contract, $150 with a two-year deal, or $100 when signing a three-year contract.[Via Cellphones Etc., thanks Branden]
Canada to get coolest looking Motorola KRZR yet
Cooler than the KRZR Fire? Yeah, we'd say so, if for no other reason than the fact that buyers do some good with their purchase of this one. According to Motorola's own site, the (PRODUCT) RED-branded KRZR K1 will be launching in Canada, though no details are given as to what carrier might be getting it. Seeing how this is a K1, the GSM variant, we're going to go ahead and take an educated guess that it'll find its way to either Rogers or Fido. Look for it to hit shelves "soon" -- in the meantime, we'll be pestering AT&T and T-Mobile to pick 'er up, too.
iRobot's PackBot now ready for deployment
iRobot (yes, that iRobot) is filling their first order from the US military for 100 PackBot robots fitted with new ICx Fido explosive detectors. Already, there are an estimated 5,000 robots of various types deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan -- up from 150 in 2004 -- with $1.7 billion earmarked for ground-based military robots through 2012. So just how did military personal detect bombs in the olden days? Well, soldiers would stand back as far as possible with a rope and drag hooks over the suspected piles of rubble or abandoned vehicles in hopes of disarming or detonating them. With an estimated 70% of all US causalities in Iraq caused by road-side bombs, the $165,000 PackBot will certainly receive a warm welcome by the boots on the ground.
Switchers, rejoice: Canada gets WNP today
Let's be honest: even if you like your carrier, being married to it sucks. Whether you're staring down the business end of a three-year contract (Canadian carriers, we're looking squarely at you), your company is engaged in some sort of business relationship with a particular carrier, or you can't take your beloved phone number with you -- whatever the reason may be, getting locked in instills a feeling of dread and unease that we'd personally rather be without. Contracts and business deals may be here to stay, but for our friends north of the border, your government has finally solved that whole number conundrum. As of today, carriers doing business in metropolitan areas are required to support wireless number portability (WNP, as the kids are calling it these days), opening the floodgates from Rogers to Telus, Telus to Bell, Bell to Fido, and so on. We're not sure what carrier(s) stand to benefit the most from the move, but if you've been waiting for today with bated breath, let us know all about your move in comments![Via Scott Robinson]
Fido picks up Nokia E62, Sony Ericsson Z710i
Canada's other GSM network has picked up a couple goodies that we thought our friends north of the border might be interested to hear about. First up, Fido gets the Nokia E62, bringing some QWERTY S60 action to the carrier's stable, something Cingular customers have been enjoying for a while now -- and like its American counterpart, Fido gets the dumbed-down version sans UMTS rather than the original E61. Next up is the Z710i from Sony Ericsson, a decent midrange clamshell rocking a 2 megapixel cam and a rather portly exterior monochrome display. Look for both in stores now; the E62 will run you $200 CDN (about $170) on a three (yes, three) year contract, while the Z710i will go for $75 (about $64) on the same brutally lengthy agreement -- thank goodness for early upgrades.[Thanks, Francis P.]Update: Yep, it seems the Z610i has been kicking around for a little while up there (which is more we can say for any American carrier).
Rogers touts free long distance for Home Phone subscribers
In the never ending one-upmanship battle with its competitors at Bell and Telus, Rogers has announced free long distance calling between its Home Phone service and mobile subscribers. Called the My Home Connection benefit, this plan is a freebie for all existing and new customers (yes, that's right -- free!). An interesting thing to note, this plan also extends to free calls to Fido users – this may be the only arena where the two companies blend even though they have the same parents. We think this may well be the first marketing shot in what will likely become the equivalent to sweeps week up here -- number portability. March 14th is the day that Canadians will finally be able to switch wireless Telco's and keep their existing number. You can expect great new devices and plans as all parties try to lure subscribers their way. Now, where is that TyTn announcement?
Fido and Rogers raising cancellation fee?
All of us have been enjoying local number portability in the lower half of the North America for some time, and we've been fortunate enough not having any carrier want to double the cancellation fee for those who wanted to port out. For those of you in the upper half of the continent, well... you aren't so lucky as Fido and Rogers are planning to do just that if you are signing up for new service (or making changes to your contract) in the wake of LNP. We think this genius marketing strategy would hurt their business more help it, don't you?
Fido to get QWERTYified with Nokia E62?
Hey Fido customers: where do you go when you're looking for a QWERTY smartphone? What's that you say, you don't have one? Sorry, we didn't mean to rub it in -- but we thought you might like to know that the Nokia E62 may very well be coming your way. The QWERTY S60 3rd Edition device -- a WiFi-less version of the E61 sold overseas -- has been met with some decent reviews here in the States on Cingular, and we wouldn't be surprised if a Canadian or two were to welcome one into their lives if / when this thing really comes to Fido (the ones that haven't already picked one up from parent company Rogers, that is). We'll pass on more details as we hear them![Thanks, Ian]
Rogers Wireless offers caller name display
Canada's Rogers Wireless has made the lives of prank callers and shy or paranoid individuals a bit harder (and the rest of ours a bit more convenient) with the launch of Name Display, a new service that'll show a caller's name even if it's not stored in the phone's memory. They're apparently the first company to offer such a service in North America. Concerned individuals will be pleased to know, however, that they can have their name blocked from showing up on other people's phones, either by punching in #31# each time before they dial, or by phoning up Rogers to have their name permanently blocked (at no charge). In addition to showing the names of other wireless customers, it'll also display the names of landline callers from in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland -- and, conversely, wireless customers will now show up on landline users' caller IDs. The service is available now from both Rogers and Fido (which is wholly owned by Rogers) customers combined with the standard call display service for for $8 a month.[Via textually.org]
