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Telus kicks off HSPA+ network with iPhone November 5th, HTC Hero, LG New Chocolate and more to follow
Telus already announced that it'd be launching the iPhone in November, but it's just now gotten official with an actual date: November 5th -- which just so happens to also be the day that it lights up its brand new HSPA+ network. Unfortunately for anyone hoping that a little competition would spark a price war, Telus is matching Rogers' prices across the board, starting at $99.99 for the basic 8GB iPhone 3G, and moving up to $199.99 for the 16GB 3GS, and $299.99 for the 32GB 3GS (all on a three-year contract, of course). What's more, Telus has also taken the opportunity to offer the first official confirmation of some of the other devices that'll take advantage of its new network, including the HTC Hero, the previously rumored LG New Chocolate (a.k.a BL40), the Blackberry Bold 9700, and the Nokia E71 (plus a USB stick, for good measure). No prices or release dates for any of those just yet, unfortunately, but the Hero and New Chocolate are apparently Telus exclusives.
LG BL40 review
You know the deal by now: we grab a slab of fresh new hardware, fiddle, play, and tinker with it until exhaustion or boredom is reached, then wax poetic about the whole experience, with a side serving of pictures and videos thrown in. Today's candidate for a grilling is LG's BL40, which is now available in Europe. You'll be familiar with it already from our hands-on look last month, but do join us past the break where we explore what's under the glossy hood in more detail, and give you a definitive answer on just how useful that elongated screen really is. %Gallery-75858%
Verizon VX8575 Chocolate Touch confirmed to be uglier than that other Chocolate Touch
If you've been loving the pictures and videos we've been bringing you of the lusciously slim BL40 Chocolate Touch, but holding your breath since a certain blurry photo a few weeks ago showed a rather different Chocolate Touch, we have some bad news. According to Phone Arena News, a Verizon "focus group" (with a questionable sense of aesthetics) decided that the BL40 was crap, and so the somewhat unfortunate looking and decidedly asymmetrical VX8575 has been blessed for domestic release as "Chocolate Touch." It looks to be standard fare featurephone stuff, with a 3.2MP camera, WVGA TFT display, and a browser that will support some subset of HTML. No word on if or when the BL40 will also be making an appearance at Verizon stores, but if we'd been pushed to the curb for something this busted we certainly wouldn't come back -- at least not without a very big bouquet accompanied by a sincere apology.
LG BL40 Chocolate Touch hands-on
LG's latest Black Label device, tastefully titled the Chocolate Touch, caused quite a few gasps and swoons around the Engadget mansion when it was first spotted, and subsequent photo shoots have not diminished our admiration. The gorgeous 4-inch, 21:9 display promises a whole new way to experience web browsing and video playback on a mobile phone, and we've been salivating for an opportunity to try it out. Finally, that day has come, so follow along as we get our fingerprints all over a final production sample, and bring you pictures, video and our thoughts on the functionality that lay behind that tempered glass screen.
LG's lengthy BL40 gets the hands-on treatment it deserves
After witnessing an all-too-brief run-in with LG's hot new slice of cocoa last week, the BL40 has finally found its way into the appreciative hands of a few Russian tech bloggers. Over at Mobile@Mail.ru, the elongated handset has splashed down and taken a moment to pose for the camera. There's nothing here that your mother wouldn't approve of, but since when is that an indicator of something's worthiness? Trust us, you'll want to give that read link some lovin'. Some good, good lovin'. [Thanks, noname]
LG's BL40 "Chocolate" phone sashays its way through new ad
We've already gotten a pretty good look at LG's stylish new BL40 phone (also simply known the new "Chocolate") courtesy of some official shots, but no phone launch would be complete without an over the top ad, and LG's naturally got that covered as well. As you can see for yourself after the break, the 4-inch, 800 pixel wide display is one of the main selling points here, and if that's not enough for you, we hear you can even use it to output full HD video to a TV. Unfortunately, there's still no word as to when it'll be release 'round these parts, although there's at least some indication that it could be making its North American debut on Telus.
LG BL40 caught in the wild, given brief hands-on
We'll admit, we're jealous of this Sina Corporation reporter, who appears to have gotten some hands-on time with LG's very sexy Chocolate BL40 and its 21:9 aspect ratio screen. There isn't much said here aside from details we already knew and the occasional compliment on its form factor and display, but it is good to see this in the wild and not just in the FCC's secret lab facilities. Now if only we can get a better idea of its US 3G capabilities...
