Mobilicity
Latest
Samsung Galaxy Note with T-Mobile-ready 3G swings by the FCC (update: demo units?)
A T-Mobile-capable version of the Samsung Galaxy Note has been floating around in pictures, but official evidence has been hard to come by. Imagine our surprise when it saunters by the FCC with few disguises: going under a hinted-at SGH-T879 codename, the giant smartphone has passed through the agency with the needed 1,700MHz HSPA band for T-Mobile 3G while also supporting 850MHz and 1,900MHz 3G in the same breath. The wireless support leaves the possibility that the unit we're seeing here is for 1,700MHz Canadian carriers like Mobilicity or Wind Mobile, but earlier photos of T-Mobile branding and a browser user agent profile allude to the American provider having at least toyed with the idea of a Galaxy Note on its network. Fans of supersized phones have reason to cheer, then, although we have doubts revolving mostly around the T879's absence on a leaked roadmap for mid-2012 and the lateness of the arrival. It might be hard for T-Mobile to steer customers to a 2011-era Samsung phone when the Galaxy S III is on the doorstep. Update: Some more fuel for the fire: an inventory sheet reportedly leaked to TmoNews has more explicitly made the link between the T879 name and the Galaxy Note along with suggesting that demo units are in the queue. Although we wouldn't count on the rumored July 11th release being solid, there's enough to suggest T-Mobile is serious about getting its first phablet.
Mobile Miscellany: week of June 4th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, the LG Optimus L7 and Sony Xperia U both arrived at Fido, and Verizon Wireless unleashed some wicked LTE expansion across the US. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of June 4th, 2012.
Samsung Galaxy S III shows in Best Buy Canada leak due June 20th, maple syrup uncorked to celebrate
Jitters have persisted that the Canadian release of the Galaxy S III might face the customary weeks-long delays that those north of the border are used to. If we go by what looks to be an escaped Best Buy Canada flyer graphic, Samsung's Android 4.0 beast should be going up for pre-orders soon -- MobileSyrup hears May 30th -- with launches on at least Bell, Rogers, Telus and a Bell-owned Virgin Mobile around June 20th. We know that Samsung has publicly promised a US release in June, so there's a real chance that we could be seeing a simultaneous North American appearance that brings everyone together in TouchWiz harmony. There's still some big questions left open even if we're seeing an accurate snapshot, such as when Mobilicity, Wind and other LTE-less carriers will get their units as well as whether or not the LTE versions use Snapdragons instead of the Exynos 4 Quad. [Thanks, Imdad]
Mobile Miscellany: week of May 14th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Verizon Wireless brought its LTE service to 28 new markets and expanded its reach in 11 additional areas. We also saw Straight Talk introduce the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim, and it appears that Rogers will soon offer the HTC One S. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 14th, 2012.
Samsung Galaxy S III gets a Canadian girlfriend as Bell, Rogers, Telus, Wind Mobile line up
If you live north of the 49th parallel, you're no doubt frustrated that Samsung teased a summer launch for the Galaxy S III in North America but made no initial mention of its Canadian plans. Don't fret, as virtually every Canadian carrier and its mother has now pledged to carry the giant Android 4.0 smartphone while you're on your summer vacation -- the first carrier commitments in North America that we've seen. Bell, Rogers, Telus, Virgin Mobile and Wind Mobile have all stepped up as national providers, while regional carriers such as SaskTel and Videotron have also signed on. The Galaxy S III is a special milestone for Virgin, as it's the first 4G LTE phone on the Bell-run budget network. We're still waiting for Mobilicity and other cellular services to hop on the Galaxy S III bandwagon, and details like pricing and exact ship dates are still elusive, but odds are that Canucks will have a wide choice of carriers when the 4.8-inch flagship hits stores. Update: Sure enough, Mobilicity is also onboard, which along with Wind Mobile makes it pretty clear that T-Mobile-friendly AWS frequencies are baked in.
Refresh Roundup: week of March 19th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This week, we've spotted a leaked Android 4.0.4 ROM for the Nexus S 4G, and we've also come across a price and release date for the Droid 4. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride. Let's explore the "best of the rest" for this week of January 30th, 2012.
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 23, 2012
This week may not have been incredibly packed with news in the mobile world, but it was still easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of January 23, 2012:
Nokia Oro passes FCC, cleared for a gaudy stateside landing
The odds that you'll have a North American spotting of Nokia's audacious 18-karat gold Oro just became more likely. That's because the handset recently appeared before the FCC and was certified for frequencies utilized by AT&T, Bell, Telus, Rogers, T-Mobile, Wind and Mobilicity. That's not to suggest any of the carriers are taking a bet with this one, but it leaves a good opportunity for someone to flaunt their excess while using their network of choice. The stark photography certainly doesn't embellish the bling that we'd seen in earlier press shots, but don't kid yourself -- anything lavished with gold is likely to scream "Mug me" on busy street corners. Lest we reiterate, the phone is nothing more than a gilded C7 and it's selling for under a Benjamin on contract as the Nokia Astound. If you're genuinely wanting to attract attention in the US, running Symbian is thoroughly sufficient.
Mobilicity launches two sub-$150 QWERTY phones: Nokia E73 and Samsung G-Touch
Mobilicity seems like a carrier on the move -- at least as far as new set launches are concerned -- and today's news sees two more sets added to the stockpile. Say hello to two new QWERTY phones, Canada -- well new to Mobilicity, anyway: the Nokia E73 and the Samsung G-Touch. We've seen both of these sets floating about on T-Mobile's gentle AWS waves for quite some time, but as a refresher, the G-Touch features a slide out QWERTY keypad, 2 megapixel shooter, ActiveSync support for your corporate mail, Bluetooth, WiFi, and will set you back $139. The Nokia E73 also packs a QWERTY keyboard (which we absolutely love by the way), a 5 megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, and that handy little trackpad for navigation, all for $149. It's also worth remembering that Mobilicity doesn't deal in contracts so these sets are free and clear from day one. If any of this interests you, wander on over to the Mobilicity pages for the rest of the dirt.
Mobilicity prepares HTC Emerald (aka MyTouch 4G) for northern ascent
Following its launch of the Nexus S, Mobilicity is bringing another Android superstar to Canada with the HTC Emerald, known stateside as the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G. According to Mobilesyrup, we're looking at a sticker price of $450 to $500 for this freshly re-minted device, so if you're hoping to benefit from the carrier's lower-cost monthly plans, we recommend you begin stacking up the loonies. Perceptive readers will note the phone is getting a Gingerbread upgrade just in time for its rumored mid-May arrival -- but otherwise the Emerald is a MyTouch 4G through and through, featuring the same 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 768MB of RAM and five megapixel shooter that we've come to know and love on T-Mobile's network. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope we also get a dash of subtlety in this revision, given the overly-excited styling we noted in our review. [Thanks, Steve]
Nexus S immigrates to Canada, Future Shop commemorates event with gingerbread muffins
It's been a good week for Canadians to get a taste of Gingerbread, with today marking the official release of the Nexus S for our friends up north. To mark the event, lucky Toronto residents were greeted with a release party at Future Shop, replete with ginger-themed treats and giveaways. With availability spreading across the country, Samsung's homage to Android purity is now available online through Mobilicity, Telus, Koodo, Wind, and Videotron, effectively tempting the majority of Canada with Google's finest offering. If you'll remember last week's report on Mobilicity's soft launch of this praised handset, we assumed Fido and Rogers were nipping at their heels... and while the Nexus S has yet to hit their online stores, you might find them sitting in your local Best Buy. So, Canada, how does it feel to get this awesome slab of engineering coming at you from all corners? Don't worry, we'll understand if this is an emotional time. %Gallery-121302%
Mobilicity soft launches Samsung Nexus S, still no contracts
Canada's Mobilicity soft launched the Nexus S today -- as news rolls in from just about every other Canadian carrier of this device's imminent arrival-- for the relatively low price of $499 (roughly $521 USD) off contract. We only had a peek at a run-of-the-mill black device, not the lovely white version that's been popping up, but interestingly, a dummy set we saw seemed a lighter version of the black one shown above -- perhaps the "Black Silver" we've heard rumored? Official launch date for the Samsung wunderkind is slated for April 14th, though, if you want in now, hit up your local bricks and mortar as the sets are shipping.
Mobilicity launches Samsung C414Y
Mobilicity has launched its first Samsung phone: the C414Y. This flip, while not feature rich -- and on the low end of the price spectrum -- still coughs up a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, a 2.2-inch QVGA internal display, 1.3-inch external LCD, and 3G in the AWS realm together with quad-band GSM. Pricing is $109.99 (roughly $112 US) off contract which is still $40 less than Telus' version of the same set. Mobility's current cell offerings are a bit thin with both the Nexus One and Mobiflip now out of stock, so we're curious if we're going to see a slew of new product launches in the near term. Until then, check out the press release after the break.
Mobilicity refreshes 3G stick lineup with Huawei E1691, keeps $40 unlimited data
Mobilicity launched Huawei's E1691 data stick today which replaces its last offering: the Option 452. The AWS-packing HSPA E1691's USB port pivots making it a little less prone to being snapped off while plugged in and it includes the typical micoSD slot for your memory card enjoyment. Pricing is fixed at $79.99 Canadian (about $81 USD) with no contract as Mobilicity doesn't play with those. Slap on a $40 a month unlimited plan -- truly unlimited, no caps either soft or otherwise here -- and you're set for some serious surfing. The rub, of course, is that while the offering is great, Mobilicity doesn't cover all of Canada just yet. But still, if you're living within its coverage area it's a brilliant option. Edit: To be clear here, Mobilicity has complete national coverage, but the unlimited markets do not cover the entire country.
Nexus S comes to Canada courtesy of Mobilicity (and maybe Bell, Telus, and Rogers, too)
Canadians, you must chafe under the yoke of a Gingerbread-free existence no longer, for the Nexus S is coming to the Great White North sometime in March. According to Mobilicity CEO Dave Dobbin, the handset will be available on the company's AWS band, but he also said that Bell, Telus, and Rogers will carry the Nexus S as well. If true, that means Samsung will be providing another model of the phone with support for WCDMA 850 / 1900 for it to work with Canada's big three wireless providers. We can only hope that's the case, as said model would be usable on AT&T's network -- making an awful lot of us living south of Canada quite happy. Peep the video after the break to hear the good news for yourself.
Mobilicity launches BlackBerry Bold 9780
Mobilicity dropped a new set into the wild today: say hello to the BlackBerry 9780. We've seen this device launching all over and it will no doubt bring a smile to the faces of those who've picked Mobilicity over the big three up in Canada. The new Bold is running BlackBerry 6, has a 5 megapixel shooter, a Web-Kit browser (huzzah!), and of course quad band GSM and 3G connectivity in the 2100 / 1900 / 900 MHz realm. Sure the $499 price tag looks steep -- because of the whole no contract thing -- but take heart in the fact you're under no obligation and that this set costs the same at Bell if you skip the contract.
Sharp Mobiflip channels Sidekick LX's vibes for Mobilicity
Thought the launch of the Kin ONEm and TWOm was strange? Here's another oddity with a Microsoft tie-in: Canadian startup Mobilicity has just announced the "Mobiflip," a phone that the carrier's own press release calls out as being "similar to the Sidekick LX." It's unclear whether what's left of Danger will be supporting the device -- the Sidekick line basically pioneered mobile cloud computing, after all -- but what we see of the interface certainly rings true to the Sidekicks of days gone by. It runs CAD $99.99 ($98) contract-free, which is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than its American doppelganger launched for -- $250 on contract, if you recall. Yowza! Follow the break for the press release.
Mobilicity ponies up attractive $30, $40 plans for the holidays
Canadian upstart carrier Mobilicity is doing what the little guys often do best -- undercutting its bigger rivals -- and it's doing that in an especially dramatic way this holiday season with a pair of pretty enticing new plans. The "exclusive holiday offers" include CAD $30 and $40 price levels ($30 to $40 US, coincidentally) that include unlimited calling and messaging, while the $40 option throws in unlimited US long distance, global text messaging, and unlimited data. That's not quite as spectacular now that the Canadian and American dollars are at parity -- but even so, it's definitely on the very highest rungs of the value spectrum. Interested? The plans are available through December 24th.
Mobilicity takes Rogers to task over Chatr, alleges it's using a 'flanker brand'
At a glance, it seems like upstart Canadian value carrier Mobilicity has a fairly cut-and-dried case against Rogers here, alleging in a complaint to the government's Competition Bureau that the big guy is in direct violation of Section 78 of the country's Competition Act that prevents established companies from creating so-called "flanker brands" offering lower prices to kill off new players. In other words, it's saying Rogers' new Chatr sub-brand only exists to make life difficult for the likes of Mobilcity, WIND Mobile, and Public Mobile -- and considering the uncanny timing of Chatr's creation, Rogers is probably going to have a tough time explaining that one away. Thing is, various sources inside the regulatory bodies at play are apparently telling The Globe and Mail that the complaint could literally take years to make its way through the system -- a typical bureaucratic nightmare -- so even if Rogers is in the wrong here, it might not have any material effect on Mobilicity's short-term prospects. For that, it'll take good, old-fashioned subscriber conquests and efficient management, we suppose. Update: Rogers has just reached out and provided a statement from chief marketing officer John Boyton; the gist? The company hasn't heard from any government agency, Competition Bureau or otherwise: "We have not been notified by any government agencies, including the Competition Bureau, of any complaints filed by Mobilicity. Other new entrants and competitors are welcoming the competition. They, like us, believe it's good for customers. Our motive is simple, to offer customers choice and serve a growing segment that is looking for unlimited talk and text on a network they can trust. We've adhered to regulations and pro-actively reached out to the Competition Bureau. We are committed to chatr and look forward to it being a success."
