Bell

General
September 3, 2010
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Bell Mobility to launch BlackBerry Torch too

By on September 3, 2010 at 11:21 AM.

Bell Mobility to launch BlackBerry Torch too

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 might be exclusive to one carrier in the U.S., but that hasn’t stopped the floozy of a handset from making the rounds in Canada. Bell Mobility recently announced that they too will be carrying the BlackBerry Torch slider — which we knew – beginning on September 24th. The device will retail for $199 on a 3-year contract and $599 off-contract. This brings the total number of Canadian networks launching the 9800 on September 24 to four: Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Virgin Mobile. Bell hasn’t put out an official press release yet, but we have a statement for you after the break. More →

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General
August 5, 2010
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BlackBerry 9800 Torch to be carried by Bell, Rogers, Telus, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone U.K.

By on August 5, 2010 at 2:21 AM.

BlackBerry 9800 Torch to be carried by Bell, Rogers, Telus, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone U.K.

It looks like RIM is going to be sending the BlackBerry Torch 9800 up north and across the pond. The Globe and Mail is reporting that Canada’s three largest wireless carriers — Bell, Rogers, and Telus — all will be carrying RIM’s latest creation in the not-so-distant future. Rogers has officially confirmed the Globe’s report with a press release saying they will have the 9800 in the “coming weeks,” and Virgin Mobile — in true hipster fashion — tweeted about it. Vodafone U.K. also has a splash page up for the new BlackBerry touch-screen slider device. Anyone north of the border or across the pond have plans to pick one of these bad boys up? More →

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Exclusive
July 28, 2010
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Bell Canada to launch $30 6 GB smartphone data plan with tethering and iPad sharing option

By on July 28, 2010 at 4:15 PM.

Bell Canada to launch $30 6 GB smartphone data plan with tethering and iPad sharing option

A new Canadian Ninja has come forth with some great news for all you Bell Canada smartphone users who happen to also own an iPad. According to a Bell memo, the wireless carrier plans to offer a 6 GB data plan for $30 per month that will provide smartphone users with “unlimited Wi-Fi @ Starbucks” as well as tethering. Bell will also allow you to “share” your 6 GB data bucket with your iPad for an additional $10 (as long as they are on the same billing account). The effective date on the memo is July 30th through September 30th and it is being billed as a “limited time offer.” We’ve got the full three page memo, for your scrutiny, after the break.  More →

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Retail
July 26, 2010
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Apple to sell unlocked iPhone 4 in Canada starting at $659

By on July 26, 2010 at 3:31 PM.

Apple to sell unlocked iPhone 4 in Canada starting at $659

Canadians looking to score an unlocked iPhone on Friday may have to pay dearly for the carrier-free convenience being offered by Apple retail stores. According to CBC news, pricing for the unlocked version of the iPhone 4 will start at $659 — for the lower capacity 16 GB version — and climb up to $779 for the 32 GB version. If you can’t stomach the high cost of SIM-free ownership, you could always sell your soul and sign a contract with Bell, Telus, or Rogers when the handset makes its debut on July 30th.

Thanks to all who sent this in! More →

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General
July 23, 2010
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Bell to launch the iPhone 4 on July 30th

By on July 23, 2010 at 2:23 AM.

Bell to launch the iPhone 4 on July 30th

bell-iphone4-july-30

Bell made it official on its web page and will be joining Telus in launching the iPhone 4 on July 30th. Interested Canadians can point their browser to Bell’s website to register for the latest news on iPhone 4; while those dead set on getting Apple’s latest offering can start staking out a camping spot in front of their local retail store. Anyone going full bore to get the iPhone or has the antenna issues dampened some of your enthusiasm? More →

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General
July 13, 2010
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iPhone 4 carrier unlock possible, not yet available for public consumption

By on July 13, 2010 at 1:40 PM.

iPhone 4 carrier unlock possible, not yet available for public consumption

iphone4-unlocked-jailbroken

Kudos to the iPhone dev team as member @Planetbeing has successfully unlocked the iPhone 4. The proof is in the picture above, which shows Bell Canada as the carrier for the iPhone 4, an impossible situation made possible by a successful carrier unlock (as the iPhone 4 has not been released in Canada). Eager iPhone 4 owners looking to duplicate this task themselves will have to wait, as the tools for the unlocking are not yet available for public consumption and most likely won’t be until after Apple releases it impending “antenna fix” update. Stay tuned and we will let you know when the unlocking tools finally drop.

Thanks to all who sent this in! More →

27 Comments
General
July 2, 2010
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Rogers to get the Samsung Wave, too

By on July 2, 2010 at 9:37 PM.

Rogers to get the Samsung Wave, too

rogers-samsung-wave

It looks like Bell won’t be the only Canadian carrier to offer the Samsung Wave. According to MobileSyrup, Rogers dealerships from coast to coast have begun receiving display units. So far pricing and a release date have not been communicated to employees, but with Bell expected to launch the Bada smartphone on July 8th, we can’t imagine that Rogers will be wanting to take its time. More →

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General
June 30, 2010
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Starbucks to offer free Wi-Fi in Canada, too

By on June 30, 2010 at 3:07 PM.

Starbucks to offer free Wi-Fi in Canada, too

starbucksapp-b

Thanks to a partnership with Bell, Starbucks Canada has announced that it will be joining its American brethren in offering free Wi-Fi to all customers come July 1st. A one-click login system means that passwords and users names are not required. Anyone planning to waste away Canada Day holed up in a Starbucks with an iPad and Frappuccino in hand?

P.S. Are we the only ones that find it odd that Starbucks would take the time to mention that its free Wi-Fi is perfect for people who are unemployed? More →

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Exclusive
June 24, 2010
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Bell launching the Samsung Wave on July 8th

By on June 24, 2010 at 8:40 AM.

Bell launching the Samsung Wave on July 8th

bell-wave

Thanks to one of our Northern connects, we’re now able to confirm that the Samsung S8500 Wave will be launching in Canada on July 8th. To be available through Bell, the Bada-based Wave’s notable features include a 3.3″ WVGA Super AMOLED display, 5 megapixel camera with 720p video capture, 1GHz processor and TouchWiz 3.0. The launch memo we were forwarded mentions a retail price of $299.95, though clearly that is just a holder as the actual price has yet to be finalized and will not be passed along to employees until the 28th of June. Anyone interested?

Thanks, J.! More →

8 Comments
mobile
June 18, 2010
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Canada's Big Three carriers earn an 'F' from the BBB

By on June 18, 2010 at 4:50 AM.

Canada's Big Three carriers earn an 'F' from the BBB

big-3-fail

Here’s a shocker for you: Canadians really don’t like the nation’s Big Three wireless companies. This “revelation” comes to us by way of the Better Business Bureau, which revealed how many complaints it received about each carrier during an interview with the CBC. According to the watchdog, Bell has the dubious honor of being the worst offender with 1,020 complaints dating back to 2009. During the same period, Telus and Rogers received the second and third most complaints with 751 and 685 respectively. All of the complaints have earned each company an “F” rating. Wind, the feisty upstart backed by Egypt’s Orascom which official launched last December, also managed to tick off enough customers in its short existence to receive a failing grade. Despite their all around failing grades, the BBB said that the carriers are pretty good about working with the BBB to resolve complaints, even if the outcome isn’t desirable. The most common complaints involved bills being higher than their advertised price and contract disputes. More →

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Rumor
June 17, 2010
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iPhone 4 delayed in Canada?

By on June 17, 2010 at 10:15 PM.

iPhone 4 delayed in Canada?

iphone-4

We assure you that we’re not trying to stir up rumors with this one, but we’re starting to get the feeling that the Canadian launch of the iPhone 4 might have been pushed back. While checking out Apple’s Canadian website earlier on in the day, we couldn’t help but notice that “Coming in July” had been replaced with “Coming Soon.” There’s no way that Apple would change that unless something was up, and when you take into consideration the insane amount of pre-orders Apple received in the US alone, one’s mind does start to put one and two together. Keep in mind that Canada wasn’t deemed worthy to share a June 24th launch with the US, UK, Germany, France, and Japan. If you were Apple and your product was selling faster than you could make it, would you piss off everyone who put in a pre-order to sell a few units in a market that hasn’t been told a specific release date or been given the opportunity to buy the thing, or would you do your best to fulfill every outstanding order? It’s also interesting to note that the exact same thing happened to the iPad, and we all know how that turned out.

We’ve reached out to Apple Canada for comment. More →

53 Comments
Retail
June 16, 2010
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Bell launches the HTC Legend

By on June 16, 2010 at 6:03 PM.

Bell launches the HTC Legend

bell-legend

Virgin Mobile is no longer the only Canadian carrier to offer the HTC Legend, as today its parent company, Bell, announced that it too will be carrying the milled aluminum handset. Sporting the same $79.99 price tag for those that opt for a 3-year contract, the only major difference between the two is that the Bell Legend goes for $399.99 off contract while the Virgin model goes for $349.99 with a 30-day commitment. Anyone in Canada thinking of picking this up, or are you going to sit tight and see what happens with the rumor of a Telus Desire? More →

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Retail
June 11, 2010
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Virgin Mobile Canada launches the HTC Legend

By on June 11, 2010 at 6:20 PM.

Virgin Mobile Canada launches the HTC Legend

virgin-canada-htc-legend

Sure low-cost carriers in the U.S. might have some of the best rate plans out there, but there’s no denying that when it comes to handset selection, Canada’s low-cost carriers have it locked down. A case in point is the HTC Legend, now available from Virgin Mobile. $349.99 on a 30-day contract or $79.99 on a 3-year deal will net Canadians a 3.2″ HVGA AMOLED display, 5 megapixel camera, 512 MB ROM / 384MB RAM, 600MHz processor, and Android 2.1 with Sense UI all crammed into a milled aluminum body. It’s not yet available in Saskatchewan and Manitoba because the network that Virgin shares with Telus and parent-company Bell hasn’t made its Prairie debut (Winninpeg excluded), but as of today it’s available everywhere else.

More →

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