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Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 to get limited Latin American release in early 2012
If you're lucky enough to call Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico or Puerto Rico home, and have been craving a bit of Nokia Lumia love, then felicidades! Señor Elop himself announced the 800 and 710 will be lighting up faces in a store near you from Q1 next year. Speaking from Sao Paulo, the Nokia CEO confirmed that both Windows Phone models would get a run out in the above countries, with production taking place in Brazil. Interestingly other large markets, like Argentina and Venezuela, didn't get a name call as one of the lucky countries, but you can bet your bottom peso though it won't be long before this is rectified. Hit up the source link for more info, en Español.
Cricket offers global local numbers for $10 per month
There are plenty of ways to call up your personal diaspora on the cheap, but why should it always be you who initiates? So-called "global local" numbers have been around for a while, but now Cricket has decided to offer them as a straightforward $10 per month option to its customers. You get a local number in any one of 40 countries, which your peeps can ring at their local rate and which gets forwarded to your US cell. Mexican numbers are half-price and you'll find full details in the PR after the break. It's local, it's global, it's glocal -- say it often enough and together we'll make it a word. Meanwhile, we're still waiting on Google Voice to take over the planet.
Nokia N9 coming soon to Mexico, passport-totin' San Diegans
Still bummed that Swedes, Kazakhs and Swiss peeps get a shot at Nokia's N9, but you don't? Well, southwestern yanks with gratuitous access to cheap transportation might soon be in luck, as the Mexican arm of the Finnish conglomerate will soon start hawking the elusive MeeGo flagship. Naturally, no word on how much it'll set you back, but if you're making the trip anyway, mind slinging one our way? [Thanks, Mary]
FCC hails spectrum alliances with Canada and Mexico, seeks to reduce border conflicts
It's not every day that the FCC enters into new multinational agreements, so you'll have to forgive us for getting excited over the latest communique between Chairman Julius Genachowski and his counterparts in Canada and Mexico. After much negotiation, the regulatory heads have created a framework to resolve frequency conflicts along our nations' borders. While the deal with Mexico only applies to the 700MHz spectrum, the agreement with Canada also covers the 800MHz range. By reducing interference and maximizing spectrum allocation, Genachowski believes "these arrangements will unleash investment and benefit consumers near the borders by enabling the rollout of 4G wireless broadband service and advanced systems for critical public safety and emergency response communications." Once the policies become official mandates, license holders must coordinate and implement techniques to mitigate signal interference or face some nasty regulatory intervention. If you're a sucker for policy, just leap the break for the full press release.
Apple App Store shifts minimum pricing in multiple countries, for better or worse
Oh, how the mighty App Store prices have fallen... or risen, depending on which country you reside in. Apple quietly adjusted rates in several international App Stores, dropping the minimum cost in Australia while bumping it up in the UK, Mexico, and Norway. The bottom-line pricing didn't change by leaps and bounds -- the UK rose by £.10, while Oz fell by $.20 -- but these particular shifts have us wondering whether we should expect to see other countries get the switcharoo as well. No official word has been given from Apple on why the changes were made or the reasons behind choosing these particular nations, but this much is assured: we love it, we hate it, and we're indifferent to it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Netflix bringing instant streaming to Latin America, global domination plan on track
Soon enough, most of the western hemisphere will be able to enjoy Netflix Watch Instantly without the need for proxies and work-arounds. Later this year the company will add 43 countries in Central and South America, and the Caribbean to its list of supported locales. It will also wrap up its North American expansion by streaming flicks into the heart of Mexico. When exactly folks in Brazil and Trinidad will be able to sign up, and how much it will cost when it launches are still up in the air at the moment. One thing is certain though -- while Hulu is striking deals with the likes of Miramax and the Criterion Collection to bolster its library of feature length films, Netflix is building a global empire.
New Apple Store planned in El Paso
ifoAppleStore says that Apple's retail team is bringing a new location to El Paso, Texas, right on the border to Mexico down there. The store will sit on the ground floor of the local Cielo Vista Mall, just three miles from the border, where Mexican customers make up 16 percent of retail sales in the city itself. This is an interesting choice -- there's another mall that's marketing itself as a more upscale destination nearby, but apparently Apple wants to open this store before waiting for that place to open in 2012. While the local area is interesting, where this store fits in the greater picture is even more fascinating -- the closest store to this location is apparently way over in New Mexico, which means this new retail outlet will fill in what ifoAppleStore says is a seven-state hole in coverage. Additionally, El Paso is one of the most Apple-loyal regions in the country according to a recent study, and it was actually the fourth-most loyal area that didn't yet have an Apple Store to call home. So this store is actually well-placed, it seems. There's no official date set yet, but if everything goes as planned, the store could open as soon as early next year.
BlackBerry PlayBook rolling out internationally over the next month
Here in the US and Canada, we're already worrying about things like recalls, while the rest of world is still waiting for its crack at the original BlackBerry PlayBook. RIM today announced that its enterprise-friendly tablet will be hitting 16 more markets over the next 30 days -- though some of the locations, like the UK, have already been announced (you guys will be getting the thing in a mere six days). Recipients include Hong Kong, India, and Australia -- check out the full list in the form of a press release after the break. And when you're done let's start talking next-generation specs.
PSN back in Europe and Australia, your password email may take some time
The select PlayStation Network services that came back online in North America over the weekend have now shaken off their bonds in a handful of other territories across the globs. Formerly jilted users living in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South America should now have access to online multiplayer, third-party video services and all the other reactivated features that returned this past Saturday. Unfortunately, the flood of people who have made their first priority to change their password have overwhelmed both the PlayStation Network servers and their ISPs, leading to delays for password reset emails. If you requested a password reset and haven't heard back yet, Sony asks that you "please give it a bit of time to reach your email."
Motorola Xoom and Atrix shipping to Latin America, get your Honeycomb on pre-order
Gadget lovers in Latin America anxious to get their hands on Motorola's Xoom tablet and Atrix superphone can stop living vicariously through our reviews, as the creator of the Pageboy is bringing the turbocharged devices to Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Though Moto insists these head-turners are now shipping, Droid Matters suggests we'll see delays in getting the Xoom to Brazil and Mexico, though if you're in Argentina, they've got the tablet for pre-order at $3599. Even if you can't get your hands on Honeycomb yet, perhaps poking around with a docked Atrix will satiate your gadget desires. PR after the break.
Boost Mobile intros International Connect, features unlimited texts to anyone, anywhere
A few Boost Mobile constituents are likely to appreciate the carrier's recent efforts to make conversations abroad more affordable with its International Connect plan. The $5 per month add-on provides unlimited calling to Canada and to over 150 cities in Mexico (landlines only), and unlimited text messages to anywhere in the world for CDMA users in the US, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. Insatiable talkers (who haven't heard of Skype) can pay an extra $5 and get unlimited calls to over 30 countries including China, South Korea and Singapore. While we applaud Boost's efforts here (and adore the unrestrained texting), we'd really like to see this 'landlines' caveat go away -- who uses those anymore?
iPad 2 launches internationally tomorrow, we check the prices
Despite frantic rumors to the contrary over the past two weeks, the iPad 2 will be launching tomorrow (March 25) in 25 other countries around the world. From the European continent to Australia, the UK to New Zealand. If you happen to be from the future and today is already March 25, the online ordering has begun, and at this point, you can expect to wait 2-3 weeks for your order to arrive. How much are you going to pay for your iPad 2 and accessories? It depends on the country, of course. We've scoured the online Apple Stores for a number of countries to find the pricing for you, and the results are in the table above. Note that this is not a complete price chart; we're just doing a price comparison of representative iPad products. UK iPad 2 fanatics can also buy subsidized devices from T-Mobile UK, which will be selling 16 GB Wi-Fi + 3G devices only at a price of £199 upfront plus £25 per month for existing customers or £229 upfront plus £27 per month for new customers. That's with a 2-year contract featuring 1 GB of data per month plus 1 GB of "quiet time" (12 AM - 10 AM) data usage. We look forward to hearing from TUAW readers around the globe who are waiting in line at their local Apple Stores to pick up an iPad 2 and accessories. Be sure to send us pictures! [via RazorianFly, MacStories]
Call of Juarez: The Cartel ban proposed in Mexico
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Call of Juarez: The Cartel has angered officials in Mexico. State legislators in the border town of Ciudad Juarez (located in the state of Chihuahua) have asked the Mexican government to impose a ban, arguing that the game's content could potentially make light of recent drug violence across the region and cause children to grow up with a "lack of values." "It is true there is a serious crime situation, which we are not trying to hide," Ricardo Boone Salmon, a congressman for Chihuahua state, told MSNBC. "But we also should not expose children to this kind of scenarios so that they are going to grow up with this kind of image and lack of values." A rating with the ESRB has yet to surface, though the two prior installments both garnered a Mature rating -- the official site's promised "bloody road trip from Los Angeles to Juarez, Mexico" certainly suggests it'll follow suit. State congress leader Enrique Serrano reiterated the needs of the children. "They believe so much blood and death is normal," he said. "Children wind up being easily involved in criminal acts over time, because among other things, during their childhood not enough care has been taken about what they see on television and playing video games." Of course, all of this is predicated upon children playing the game and, aside from the usual argument that parents should be active in their kids' lives, we'd have to say that -- actually, that's about it.
US opts to derez virtual fence along Mexico border, replacing it with more affordable measures
Remember that hugely ambitious "virtual fence" that the US Homeland Security department was so keen on blowing a few billion dollars on? Well, following a bunch of setbacks and delays in its development, it's now been determined to be too darn expensive and is being scrapped. That's not without splashing some cash, however, as it's estimated that a billion dollars has already been spent on installing sensor towers along a 53-mile stretch of the Arizona border with Mexico. The plan now is to redirect funds to more conventional (and commercially available) surveillance measures, such as thermal imaging and unmanned aerial drones, which is estimated to cost $750 million to cover the remaining 323 miles of Arizona's border. Whatever happens, keeping illegal immigration and contraband smuggling to a minimum isn't going to be a cheap task. Almost makes you wonder if this isn't a problem better solved by non-technological means.
El Paso resident finds Mexican Orbiter Mini drone in his front yard
When discussing drones, we usually think of the Af-Pak theater (or perhaps joy ridin' UK teens), so it was with some amusement that we heard about a little border excursion that a Mexican UAV made into American airspace a few days ago. According to reports, the device -- believed to be an Israeli-made Orbiter Mini -- was being operated by the Mexican government (on its side of the border) when it experienced some sort of "mechanical malfunction" and crossed over to El Paso, Texas, where it was discovered on a resident's front lawn last Tuesday. The Orbiter Mini, manufactured by Aeronautics Defense Systems, has a six foot wingspan and will stay in the air up to four hours.
UA engineers develop 'invisible,' fiber optic border monitoring system
As if the nation's overexcited and misguided border vigilantes didn't have enough ways to trigger alarms and bedevil the U.S. Border Patrol (whose job is hard enough as it is), University of Arizona researchers have developed Helios, a monitoring system that uses an acoustic sensor to detect movement via fiber optic cables buried beneath the US-Mexico border. The system is evidently able to distinguish between vehicles, animals, and humans -- and it can even differentiate between different types of human activity, including walking, running, and digging. But that ain't all! UA is looking to spin the technology out into the private sector, working with a company called Fotech to automate the system, further refine the database of signals, and maybe even integrate this into a comprehensive border security system complete with mobile surveillance vehicles and an animatronic Jan Brewer that is, according to a guy we overheard at the bar, "only slightly more human than the actual Arizona governor."
Rumor: New iPhone 4 handset at the end of September
Honestly, I don't even believe this one, but it's our responsibility as an Apple news site to keep you updated on the latest rumors, so here you go: A Mexican tech site is reporting that a Telcel executive says there will be a new version of the iPhone 4's handset released as soon as the end of September. Marco Quatorze, Telcel's Director of Value Added Services, says that the iPhone 4 will soon go on sale in Mexico with the same hardware as everywhere else, but that as of September 30th (which is purportedly when the free case deal ends), Apple will be releasing brand new hardware for the phone that will fix the seam in the outer band that causes reception issues. Anyone who's been paying attention to the issue knows that story's full of holes -- not only does Apple already consider the whole "Antennagate" issue solved, but it's extremely improbable that they'll update the hardware so soon and for that reason. It's much more likely that the company would just extend the free case program rather than update the hardware before the planned cycle. Plus, as we heard from Apple specificially, "Apple has not made an announcement regarding iPhone 4 pricing or availability in Mexico." Let's get the phone on sale before we start talking about updates.* It's possible that this is just an error in translation. If you want to get a little paranoid, we might even guess that Mr. Quatorze is trying to keep Mexican customers from buying another cellphone, hinting that there are better phones coming just around the corner. Either way, we're only posting this rumor here for due diligence -- it's extremely unlikely we'll see a new iPhone 4 in just over a month. *As noted in the comments here, on the iPhone 4 Mexico post and on Apple's own site, the iPhone 4 is available in Mexico, but Apple has yet to provide us with an actual statement to that effect. [via MacRumors]
iPhone 4 available in Mexico
South of the border, down Mexico way, that's where you can now purchase an iPhone 4 from Mexico's Apple Store online. Oh, and just to make the North American AT&T customers envious, the phone is unlocked. You know, just like in Canada. iPhone 4 is available via Telcel and Movistar, but I was unable to find pricing on Apple's site, and both sellers were not forthcoming. Apple has not responded to a request for the price (if you know, please tell us in the comments). Still, the iPhone 3GS is now available for 8,199 pesos (which turns out to be around $650), so expect iPhone 4 to cost a bit more than that. UPDATE: Apple sent the following response: Dear Victor, Thank you for your interest in the new iPhone 4 from Apple. Apple has not made an announcement regarding iPhone 4 pricing or availability in Mexico. Please keep an eye on Apple's website, at http://www.apple.com/mx/iphone, for the latest information. We appreciate your support of Apple products and services. Thank you again for taking the time to write.
Motorola Milestone to get Android 2.2 in Europe and Korea in late Q4, Dext 2.1 upgrade looking bleak
Until now, Milestone owners could do nothing but to envy Droid users rocking the Froyo upgrade; however, according to Motorola's recently published timeline, the former device is now slated for the same dessert party in Europe and Korea in Q4 -- specifically, "beginning at the end of this year," which could well mean the majority of users won't get the update until 2011 (!). Meanwhile, said upgrade is still "under evaluation" for Canada, Latin America, Mexico and Asia-Pacific sans Korea. But here's the real heartbreaking news from the same chart: unlike their American counterparts, the Dext and Backflip will not be getting an Eclair update in Europe, Latin American and Mexico, while Canada and Asia-Pacific still have a glimpse of hope. Sure, it's not like Motorola's earlier timeline laid any concrete details for the European Dext, but there was definitely a date for the Latin America flavor. What concerns us the most is that back in January, Motorola did make a promise -- which has since been deleted but forever cached by Google -- to its European fans on Facebook: "[the] Dext will get the Android 2.1 upgrade as well." We have the full shameful statement after the break. In case you still care, other devices mentioned in the timeline include the US-only Devour (no 2.1 update), Cliq XT / Quench (2.1 in late Q3 / early Q4; under evaluation for Canada and Asia-Pacific), Droid X (Froyo upgrade in late summer, which we knew), Motoroi and Titanium (2.2 in Q4 in Korea for both). If you're still mourning over the canned update for your Dext, let us remind you that there's no stopping you from updating your Android slider manually; alternatively, there's no harm in sending Sanjay a nice postcard, either. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Miraculously, the offending Facebook status link is now back online...
Leon, Mexico to use biometric scanners in 'all aspects of life'
First it was CCTV surveillance, and now a Mexican security firm called Portoss is teaming up with biometrics manufacturer Global Rainmakers, Inc., to make the city of Leon in Guanajuato the most potentially oppressive in the world. The secure city initiative will provide "unparalleled iris identity fusion" by wrapping the city in miles of fiber optic cable, creating a central database that will contain of all convicted criminals (as well as any good citizens who wish to "opt in"), and a network of iris scanners. As you can imagine, the man in charge of selling this stuff -- Global Rainmakers CDO Jeff Carter -- is something of a "true believer." Fast Company attributes the following quote to him: "Every person, place, and thing on this planet will be connected [to the iris system] within the next 10 years." Great! There's also this one: "If you've been convicted of a crime, in essence, this will act as a digital scarlet letter. If you're a known shoplifter, for example, you won't be able to go into a store without being flagged. For others, boarding a plane will be impossible." And how about embittered bloggers? Will we be prevented from accessing the Internet to point out how unbelievably frightening this is? PR after the break.
