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Rogers and CIBC make joint deal for NFC mobile payments in Canada, let you check out with your BlackBerry
Canadians sometimes can't catch a break: while NFC payments have been relatively common for Americans, Europeans and certainly the Japanese, Canucks have had to largely make do paying with ye olde credit carde. Rogers and national bank CIBC want to put an end to these antediluvian ways: starting later this year, CIBC card holders will just need to swipe an NFC-equipped BlackBerry like the Bold 9900 (Bold 9930 for CDMA-loving Americans) at a matching terminal to pay at a given store. The only special requirement is a secure SIM card that gives customers the freedom to change phones, even if it does create problems switching banks or carriers down the line. We're just hoping that Android and other platforms get the same treatment and let more of our Canadian friends pay for poutine that much faster.
Refresh Roundup: week of May 7th, 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!
Acer Liquid Glow hits the FCC, keeps its secrets
Acer's Liquid series phones only occasionally reach the FCC, so it's with some surprise that we've just spotted the still-fresh Liquid Glow getting the US agency's approval under its E330 model name. Details are scarce as to whether or not there's been any changes made to the Android 4.0 phone on its way out of Taiwan, however: there's no telltale signs like cellular frequencies or carrier badging. If anything, Acer is hoping to keep information hush-hush by stamping a 180-day confidentiality seal on the manual and photos. It's entirely possible that this is the international GSM model with no 3G support for North American carriers, so we wouldn't get worked up about local release plans. Even so, knowing Canadian carrier Rogers' tendency to offer Acer phones, there's still a possibility that a version of the Liquid Glow might go on sale this side of the Pacific.
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 April 23rd, 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!
EnStream to bring mobile wallet to Canadians, make loonies obsolete (video)
A joint venture of Canadian carriers Rogers, Bell and Telus called EnStream is in final talks with the country's leading banks (likely CIBC, TD, RBC, Scotiabank and BMO) to bring a mobile wallet solution to the Great White North within six months. The system, which was demoed at the CWTA Wireless Showcase last September, enables mobile payments by storing a user's financial credentials on the SIM located inside their NFC-capable phone. It aims to replace credit and debit cards at first -- perhaps even driver's licenses and loyalty programs down the road. Carriers plan to charge banks a flat rate instead of a per-transaction fee. According to Almis Ledas, EnStream's COO, "banking machines will become the payphones of the future". While we command this attempt to standardize mobile payments in Canada, the time frame seems rather optimistic in light of the slow progress AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have made with Isis in the US so far. Different countries, different rules of course -- still, we think it's going to take quite a while to make loonies obsolete. Maybe this is the perfect window of opportunity for Google Wallet and Square to jump across the border, eh? Time will tell. Check out EnStream's mobile wallet in action on video after the break.
Refresh Roundup: week of April 16th, 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 April 16th, 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 announced that its LTE service now covers two-thirds of the US population, and T-Mobile dropped its 'nice girl' image in attempt to position its HSPA+ network as a viable competitor to LTE. 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 April 16th, 2012.
HTC One X available today on Rogers for $170 with a three-year contract
We know Yanks using AT&T's network will be getting their own flavor of the HTC One X early next month, thus it's only appropriate for the neighbors up north to get a taste of the same smartphone medicine. Thanks to Rogers, those of you in Canada will be able to get your hands on this Sense 4, ICS-filled handset as soon as today. Rogers says HTC's One kin is coming as an exclusive to its shop, currently listing it for $169.99 on "select" three-year deals or $624.99 without any attachments. Keep in mind, this specific model's loaded with the Snapdragon S4 chip, which is slightly different than the One we reviewed a few weeks back. However, if all those cores don't make a difference to you, then all that's left to do is head to the source below and pull the trigger. [Thanks, Sean]
Mobile Miscellany: week of April 9th, 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, we've seen clues to suggest the Galaxy Nexus will arrive at Sprint in a matter of days, and leaked materials suggest Rogers will have the HTC One X in stock by April 20th. 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 April 9th, 2012.
Sony Xperia S heading to Canada on April 17th, exclusive to Sony Stores
Still patiently waiting to find out when Sony's NXT child will hit Canadian shelves? According to the Japanese outfit, residents of the Great White North can finally expect the Xperia S to make a grand entrance on April 17th. The handset is set to be sold exclusively at Sony Stores around the country, but unfortunately, there's no word on how much it'll cost. That said, we do know that the 4.3-inch Gingerbread device will only be compatible with Rogers network, so Xperia lovers on Telus and Bell need not apply. So, not all Canadians can grab the new Sony slab, but at least some of you can before your neighbors down south.
Rogers offers HTC One X for pre-order in Canada, $170 on contract through April 30th
You never thought that Canada would let the UK steal all of that gorgeous HTC One X limelight, did you? While Rogers can't compete with the phone's April 5th arrival at T-Mobile and Orange in the land of tea and crumpets, the Canadian carrier is currently offering HTC's flagship device for pre-order. Now through April 30th, customers may pick up the dual-core Snapdragon S4, LTE version of the handset for $170 on a three-year plan. Naturally, we're just as excited as you to put this variant through its paces, but if it performs anything like the HTC One S, we're certainly in for a wild ride.
iPad review (2012)
What's in a name? Or, more importantly, what's in a digit? Would that which we call an iPad by any number less than 2 be less sweet? That's the question Apple posed for us indirectly when it unveiled the new iPad and relegated its future slates (and, presumably, phones) to a numeral-free future. And that new slate? It's much the same as the old one, with a slightly more chipper processor at its (quad) core and support for both Verizon and AT&T's fancy new LTE networks. But there's one bigger change here, one that will ripple across the industry as each manufacturer struggles to keep up in this ever-accelerating market. That feature is the iPad's new 2048 x 1536 Retina display. It's the best display ever featured on a tablet, probably the best display ever on a mobile device, but is that enough to keep this tablet ahead of the pack? Believe it or not, the answer is yes.
Rogers confirms Lumia 900 pre-orders beginning 'next week': get your wallets ready, Canada
Good news for Nokia fans located in the land known as Canada. Rogers recently took to its Twitter, announcing that pre-orders for the hotly anticipated Lumia 900 will begin at some point next week. If you'll recall, it was last month that Nokia confirmed the LTE-enabled Windows Phone would be arriving on the network in April. We'd be remiss not to remind you that Rogers' registration page for the device notes that those who pre-order their own will receive a special (Batman themed?) surprise, hinting that, "there's a hero rising out of the darkness." If you still haven't registered to be notified about when ya can reserve your own Lumia 900 as soon as it's available, make your way to the source link below. So AT&T, any word official word yet on availability for us folks in the US?
Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 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!
LG Optimus L7 reportedly joining Rogers' budget lineup
We've already taken on you on a personal tour of LG's upcoming L-style handsets, and word on the street is at least one of them is on its way to Rogers. According to MobileSyrup, a kind tipster's handed the site intel claiming the Optimus L7 will be offered as part of the Maple Leaf Carrier's "Smartphone Lite" lineup. Still, it's unclear how much it'll cost you, or when it will go on sale. To give you a quick refresh, the L7 comes packing a 4.3-inch, 480 x 800 screen and a 1GHz CPU along with tasty ICS at its core. Pricing and availability uncertainties aside, we can be certain you'll have to sign the usual Canadian three-year deal with your network once the device gets an official launch.
Apple's March 7th event roundup: the new iPad, Apple TV refresh and everything else
Weren't able to keep up with all the news from the unveiling of Apple's new iPad today? Don't worry, we've got you covered! Whether you're looking for more info about its Retina Display and LTE-connectivity, the refreshed Apple TV or related bits, we've listed links to our coverage of everything "new and noteworthy" after the break. Happy perusing! Oh, and be sure to check back to our the archive of our liveblog and pre- and post-event broadcasts for a few extra doses of "amazing."
New iPad has 'world ready' 3G, LTE for Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T
At Apple's ongoing press conference, the company has just revealed its new retina display-equipped iPad will feature high speed LTE connections on Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T networks, as well as 3G that works around the world. It brings "the most bands ever", but it looks like we'll still be looking at separate devices that work with either Verizon and AT&T, but not both. Besides the 3.1Mbps EV-DO and 7.2Mbps HSPA that were on the iPad 2, the new slates add 21Mbps HSPA+, 42Mbps DC-HSDPA and 73Mbps LTE connections. Not sure you need that speed on your tablet? Maybe your other devices will appreciate it, since these also have personal hotspot functionality built-in.For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!
Mobile Miscellany: week of February 27th, 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, we've seen a major shakeup in the world of mobile payments and we were thoroughly teased by Rogers, which launched a curious pre-order promotion for the Lumia 900. 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 February 27th, 2012.
Rogers One Number service offers free computer-based calls and texting, unified inbox
Got a Rogers wireless account? Then you can now take advantage of a new service that, for a change, won't cost you anything extra. While it's not quite a full-on Google Voice alternative, the company's new Rogers One Number service will let you make phones calls, video calls, and send and receive text messages for free from your computer (Windows or Mac), as well as let you maintain a unified inbox and contact list across all of your devices (assuming you use Gmail or Yahoo Mail). You're also able to switch a call from your cellphone to your computer without hanging up, and then turn that voice call into a video call if you choose, but your options are otherwise a bit limited on the mobile end; you can manage your contacts and such, but not use one number for multiple devices, or take advantage of free calling or texting. Rogers' demo video can be found after the break, and you can get a more in-depth look courtesy of MobileSyrup's hands-on at the link below.[Thanks, Adam]
