TelusMobility
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Telus launches the HTC P3050 "Touch" and HTC S640
We've been hearing rumors of these handsets for a while and true to its quick release nature, Telus launched EV-DO rev. A upgradeable (from left) HTC P3050 Touch (HTC Vogue) and the HTC S640 (HTC Iris) in the Canadian market this morning. The P3050 is the CDMA equivalent of the GSM Touch and packs the same goodies under the shell including Windows Mobile 6, The lovely TouchFLO UI, 320 x 240 display, Bluetooth, and sadly doesn't pack WiFi or the GPS we had hoped for. This fella is in the shops as of today from CAD $499 off contract to CAD $149 on a 3 year stint. The S640 is the CDMA flavor of the Cavalier and Excalibur, packs Windows Mobile 6, Bluetooth, WiFi, and eschews all that touchscreen goodness for a good ol' fashioned keypad. Pricing is set from CAD $449 off contract to CAD $149 on a 3 year contract. Things are rocking north of the border for the EV-DO crowd, so here's hoping they land here soon, and yes, we're looking at you Sprint and Verizon.Read - HTC P3050 "Touch"Read - HTC S640
Canadian court certifies class-action lawsuit against carriers
If you're sick and tired of wireless carriers charging an arm and a leg for so-called "system access fees," you aren't alone. As wireless carriers up north rack in close to $800 million a year in said fees, they continue to brand the fees as required by the Canadian Radio-Television Commission -- even though the Government says that fees are no longer valid and don't need to be charged. Carriers were whacking Canadians with charges ranging from $6.95 for Rogers and Telus and up to $8.95 for Bell customers. Naturally, that kind of apparent overcharging can only lead to one thing: a class-action lawsuit. Get in while the gettin's good!
Telus launches Palm Treo 755p
You've got company, Sprint! It may not be available with Verizon just yet, but Palm has found another carrier to launch its newest and shiniest Garnet-based Treo, the 755p. This time around, Canada's Telus plays host, offering the device for $229.99 Canadian (about $217) on a whopping three-year contract (yes, we know three-year contracts are the norm in Canada, but our jaw still drops a little every time we hear it). Meanwhile, folks looking to rock out contract-free may do so for $549.99 Canadian, a shade over $519. The device is a Canadian exclusive for Telus, so don't bother looking elsewhere if you're north of the border and Garnet is your poison of choice.[Via Slashphone]
Telus releases Fastap-equipped D90 from ZTE
Digit Wireless' quirky Fastap text entry system doesn't have the biggest following in the world, but every once in a while, some random manufacturer will release a Fastap-equipped handset on some random carrier. Case in point: China's ZTE -- of all companies -- has hooked up with Telus up in Canada to release the rather nice looking D90 flip this week. Specs ain't shabby, either, with EV-DO, stereo Bluetooth, integrated GPS, multimedia support, and a 1.3 megapixel cam. Get it now for $80 CDN (about $76) on a 3-year contract.
Telus Windows Mobile 6 update for P4000 is live
The wait is over patient Telus P4000 users, the Windows Mobile 6 update is here. After seeing the recent flow of HTC updates, it is grand to see a provider on top of its game and delivering the goods in a timely manner. The update process is well documented and even includes the steps and numbers needed to reprogram your phone's settings via Over-The-Air Service Provisioning (OTASP) once the update is in. Of course, if you've never flashed your handset before, know that all contents of your handset are wiped during the process, so back up any important stuff before you get started. Hit the read link to begin the quest to Windows Mobile 6 glory.[Via PocketPCThoughts]
Canada bids Amp'd adieu
Launched March 14th amid sounds of Canadian Geese honking, Moose singing, and beavers splashing, Amp'd Canada is no more. Not even 5 months down the road, the Telus -- Telus provided the Amp'd service in Canada -- links to the Amp'd web site are gone, the Amp'd Canada site is offline, and even retailers have quietly boxed up the goods. We've not seen anything official, but if we were betting types here at Engadget Mobile, we'd put some spare change on them not resurfacing anytime soon.
Telus intros Samsung SCH-m620
Telus has added the SCH-m620 (known as UpStage on Sprint) to its stable, and with the catch phrase "business in the front, party in the back," Telus is likening it to a mullet -- which is kinda right in some sad way. As with the UpStage before it, music will be the focus of Telus' latest, with Telus Mobile Radio -- Powered by XM -- and Telus Mobile Music as the headliners. Telus Mobile Music will let fans download tracks at CAN $1.99 a pop, plus a $0.50 "download fee" -- no wonder this tech isn't taking off -- or for CAN $20 month, the service is unlimited. Telus Mobile Radio lets you get at 22 channels of XM content streamed to you on the glorious EV-DO Rev. A network. Pricing starts at CAN $149 on a three year stint and should be hitting stores later this week.
iDEN to finally lose some pudge with i290 candybar
i880 series aside (maybe), Motorola's iDEN lineup really doesn't have a track record of wowing the fashion conscious among us. Granted, the network has always been targeted at heavy-duty industries where impressing those around you with your face candy isn't necessarily a priority, but it'd still be nice to have the option of getting in on the most ubiquitous PTT service without carrying a phone that looks like a brightly-colored rock (and no, we're not talking about a PEBL, either). Enter the i290, a phone outed by Motorola that displays Telus branding -- Canada, here we come -- and will almost certainly find its way to Sprint, too. Little is known about the slim candybar, but the lack of a "c" in the model number likely means that it's straight iDEN, not an iDEN / CDMA hybrid. High end? No, but unlike most of its stablemates, you might get away without anyone knowing you're using iDEN here. We'll throw out more details as we get 'em.
Telus upgrades select EV-DO areas to Rev. A, 'full coverage' by year's end
While it's no big surprise, Telus has finally gone official with its EV-DO Rev. A details, explaining that Southern Ontario, Montreal, and Winnipeg can now enjoy the speedy luxuries of Rev. A technology. The speed boosts are part of a $100 million investment to roll out EV-DO across Canada, and while it seems that only select locales can look forward to average download speeds of approximately 450Kbps to 800Kbps at the moment, Telus did note that these "enhanced speeds" would grace "the company's full existing EV-DO coverage areas later this year." As for connecting up with the service, Telus will offer a variety of Sierra Wireless cards to fit a myriad of setups, and those springing for Panasonic's CF-19 or CF-30 Toughbook can jump right on if you purchase the embedded modem.[Via TheBoyGeniusReport]
Telus backs out: BCE Inc. and Telus won't unite
Round two for big Telco mergers seems set to have fallen off the rails in Canada -- round one saw Rogers Wireless merge with Microcell Communications (Fido). While bigger can sometimes be better, in the wireless world lack of competition can hurt and Canadian users may have just ended up with bigger bills, the same service, and fewer choices. Of course, said merger would have involved both wireless and wireline services of the two giants, but the wireless parts alone would have seen a combined subscriber list 10.9 million names long. Apparently BCE Inc. was in such a hurry to get this done that the time pressures are what gave Telus cold feet. Of course, a group led by Cerberus Capital Management and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (BCE's biggest shareholder) are still in the running, so expect an update as soon as the dust settles.
BlackBerry 8830 "coming soon" on Telus website
Telus customers who can't part with their BlackBerry when they travel across the pond could rest easy when the 8830 was listed as coming soon on their website. As of yesterday, the price was $199 with a three year contract, had a 50% discount on international roaming through October, and was launching June 22. As of today, though, it was changed to $499.99 (ouch) with a three year contract and they removed the launch date. No word on what caused the surge in pricing but inquiring minds want to know. What gives, Telus?[Via BlackBerry Sync]
Telus HTC S720 in the wild
Our favorite Canadian carrier, Telus, is launching another HTC product before everyone -- this time it's the the Libra running Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard. Featuring a full numeric keypad and a slide down QWERTY keyboard, a 2 megapixel shooter, microSD expansion, and stereo Bluetooth, this device is built to please. Click on through for more pics!
Telus gets a pair of Sierra Wireless modems
All that newly-launched EV-DO rev. A happiness in southern Ontario, Montreal, and Winnepeg doesn't do a heck of a lot of good without hardware to match, so Canada's Telus has teamed up with Sierra Wireless to deliver a pair of modems that take full advantage of the speed. The 595U is a USB modem that already sees duty on Sprint, offering up support of PCs and Macs alike with average download speeds ranging from 450 to 800 kbps and uploads commanding 300 to 400 kbps. Look for it soon for $99.99 CAD (about $94) on a three-year agreement or $349.99 (about $331) commitment-free. The other unit, the MP 595 GPS, is intended for public safety, transportation, and field service applications with military-spec ruggedness, integrated serial, USB, and Ethernet connections, and a GPS receiver for vehicle tracking. Needless to say, it won't be available from your friendly local Telus outlet, but interested parties should be able to call the carrier directly to get hooked up.
Telus confirms BlackBerry 8830
Now that everybody is doing it has done it, it seems Telus is about to drop this newest and sweetest BlackBerry flavored device in Canada. Sometime between now and a little later from now, the BlackBerry 8830 will be offered by Telus for the princely sum of $400 on a 3-year contract -- and yeah, that's a pretty savage price. While Telus isn't giving an official date yet, the pic of the 8830 on the site has the date May 25th on it; this of course could be just a random date, but we're positive many eager Telusites will hope not. Check the link for more info and a pretty 360 degree view.
The HTC P4000 for Telus in the flesh
Being the first on the block to have the latest and greatest is an awesome feeling and the HTC P4000 (aka Titan) is no exception. Our favorite CDMA carrier up north, Telus, just landed the latest bad boy today that's sporting Windows Mobile 5.0 with a cost of $200 on a three (ouch!) year contract. Just in case you forgot the spec sheet, we'll give it to you again: EV-DO Rev. A, 2 megapixel cam, 256 MB of RAM, 128 of ROM, and Bluetooth 2.0. Verizon and Sprint customers should be very jealous!
Telus launches HTC P4000?
Word on the street is that the HTC P4000 has allegedly landed at Telus Mobility in Canada. Although a perusal of the Telus website showed no evidence of the P4000 being offered as of today, we'd love to see the HTC Titan P4000 show up in some Telus stores or in a customer's awaiting hand real quick. If you're in Canada and have spotted the P4000 for sale, drop us a comment, would'ja? We'd love to see an HTC unit with Windows Mobile 6, full QWERTY and EV-DO Rev. A speeds. Verizon Wireless and Sprint customers -- this may mean good news soon, yes?[Thanks PocketGear]
BlackBerry 8830 Cyclone heading to Telus, eh?
RIM isn't selfish -- especially when it comes to sharing with its own countrymen -- and the BlackBerry 8830 isn't going to be any different. Our friends up north at Telus report that the svelte new Cyclone is in the final testing stages with a release in the not too distant future. Here's the rundown on specs: a dual band 800 / 1900 MHz CDMA radio, GSM / GPRS support for international roaming, trackball navigation, OS 4.2, media player, and removable memory. Now, only a two important questions remain -- at what cost and when?
Black Motorola KRZR K1m comes to Telus
Looks like Canada's Telus Mobility got hooked up with the Motorola KRZR K1m in yet another shade -- this time, black. We've been waiting for a while to see when new K1m colors would start showing up, and here's a pretty decent first stab at black we think (or second stab, if you count Sprint's). Anything new besides the color here? Very doubtful. If you just bought that pretty solver K1m from Telus recently, we feel for ya. Just don't break out the Sharpie marker for that new black-colored mod, mkay?[Via HowardForums, thanks Jay]
Canadians get HTC Vox before US
Our Canadian friends who are fortunate enough to subscribe to Telus Mobility will become the first North Americans to get their paws on the new HTC Vox handset. The CDMA Vox (GSM version announced a few moons back at the 2007 3GSM World Congress) will feature Windows Mobile 6, WiFi and Bluetooth, microSD, 2 megapixel cam and a 2.4 inch color display, though the real draw here is the dual keypad design. At first glance, the Vox looks like a standard Windows Mobile Smartphone candybar, but lurking underneath is a full QWERTY keyboard (which we hear is just how Canadians like it).[Via Crave]
HTC 6800 hands-on
We got a chance to play around with a Telus-branded HTC 6800 tonight -- we are in love. Significantly thinner and lighter than the TyTn and 6700, the 6800 has a spring-assisted slide and a keyboard with a slightly rubbery soft-touch finish that's probably the best we've ever seen on a portable device. This is the new handset to beat -- we can't wait to see the GSM version.P.S. -We saw the 6800 on Sprint, but the executive who left it out snatched it out of our hands before we could take shots of it. Like you're so surprised it's coming. Gallery: HTC 6800 hands-on
