Rogers

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 →

26 Comments
General
August 4, 2010
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Rogers launches new community forums

By on August 4, 2010 at 11:45 PM.

Rogers launches new community forums

Rogers has just announced that they have, “launched a new online property – Rogers Community Forums –  designed to help customers find answers to technical questions, ask and reply to questions as well as discuss Rogers products and services.” The official press release goes on:

Discussion categories follow our current product lines and there are numerous forums under each category where you can talk about things like accessories, the Android OS,Rogers apps, PVRs and more. We also have a forum where you can provide us with feedback and discuss with other members what you’d like to see in the community.

If you’ve got a technical question, or just want to blow off some ISP/wireless carrier steam, head on over to the new site and let ‘er rip! More →

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General
August 4, 2010
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Rogers launches Motorola Flipout and BlackBerry Curve 9300

By on August 4, 2010 at 2:35 PM.

Rogers launches Motorola Flipout and BlackBerry Curve 9300

Here’s a little update for the folks north of the border. Rogers has added both the BlackBerry Curve 9300 and the Motorola Flipout to their handset lineup. The Curve 9300 will be available for $79.99 with a three-year contract or for $399.99 contract free. The Cliff’s Notes on the 9300 read like this: quad-band GSM, tri-band HSPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS, 2.4-inch screen (320 x 240), 256 MB RAM, 2 megapixel camera, and BlackBerry OS 5. The Motorola Flipout will be available for $29.99 with a three-year contract or for $374.99 contract free. The stat sheet on the Flipout is as follows: quad-band GSM, dual-band HSPA, 2.8-inch QVGA touch-screen display, QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, GPS, Android 2.1, and MOTOBLUR. Anyone up north going after one of these mid-range smartphones? More →

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General
July 29, 2010
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Rogers says me too, will offer 6 GB data plan, can share with iPad

By on July 29, 2010 at 2:01 PM.

Rogers says me too, will offer 6 GB data plan, can share with iPad

Yesterday, we broke news about Bell Canada’s plans to offer a $30 per month 6 GB smartphone data plan that permits iPad users to share their 6 GB monthly data bucket with their iPad for an additional $10 fee. Today, on the eve of the iPhone 4 launch, Rogers Wireless is following suit. Rogers customers will be able to purchase a $30 per month 6 GB data bucket as long as you sign a new 3-year contract. The iPad sharing option is explained like this:

Starting July 30, and for a limited time until Sept. 30, customers on a 6 GB plan will be able to share data between iPhones and iPads for an extra $20 (plus Government Regulatory Recovery Fee). For details, visit a Rogers retail location.

Not quite as cheep as Bell’s offering… but there you have it. What do you say Canadian friends? Sound off! More →

29 Comments
General
July 29, 2010
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Canadian prepaid vendor Chatr is open for business

By on July 29, 2010 at 12:40 AM.

Canadian prepaid vendor Chatr is open for business

Chatr Wireless, a Rogers Communications venture, is officially open for business, and the low-cost, prepaid wireless company is keeping things simple. Chatr is currently offering a selection of four phones: the Nokia 1661 for $60, the LG GB125R for $75, the Nokia 2680 for $95, and the Samsung Gravity for $130. The company also, as reported, has two very simple contract-less calling plans: unlimited talk for $35 per month, and unlimited talk and text for $45 per month. The website http://www.chatrwireless.com is also up and running, ready to show you coverage maps, roaming rates, etc. Happy chatring! More →

4 Comments
General
July 27, 2010
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Chatr going live tomorrow?

By on July 27, 2010 at 10:15 PM.

Chatr going live tomorrow?

Chatr Wireless, Rogers venture into pre-paid all you can eat cell and text service, is set to go live tomorrow — July 28th — according to a report filed by Android Headlines. The blog writes that a SIM card will set you back between $5 and $10 (that’s Canadian of course), and the two plans available will be unlimited talk for $35 and unlimited talk and text for $45. Keep your eye on http://www.chatrwireless.com, which should go live sometime tonight. More →

37 Comments
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 →

79 Comments
General
July 24, 2010
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Rogers lowers monthly data allowance for residential customers, increases speed

By on July 24, 2010 at 5:54 PM.

Rogers lowers monthly data allowance for residential customers, increases speed

Rogers Communications, Canada’s second largest internet provider, has lowered the data allowance on several of its residential internet plans. Rogers “Extreme” service will now offer an 80 GB per month allowance (formerly 90 GB), and subscribers to the “Lite” service will be allotted 15 GB per month (formerly 25 GB). The CBC speculates that Netflix’s recent announcement to open shop in the Great White North may have something to do with Rogers’ decision. It isn’t all bad news though, Rogers upped the speeds on their “Extreme” plan from 10 Mbps to 15 Mbps… so that’s something. Currently, Rogers provides home internet service to over 1.6 million Canadian subscribers. More →

35 Comments
General
June 30, 2010
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chatr, Rogers' unlimited talk and text brand, gets official

By on June 30, 2010 at 7:25 PM.

chatr, Rogers' unlimited talk and text brand, gets official

chatr-logo

Did we nail it or what? Today Rogers announced the creation of chatr, the low-cost wireless brand we exclusively told you about last week. Created to serve what Rogers calls a “niche” market that is not currently served by its flagship and value brands Rogers Wireless and Fido, chatr will offer no contract voice and text plans as well as unlimited talk and text plans. Data is not a part of chatr’s game plan. According to Rogers, the big draw of chatr is not only its great plans, but that for the first time it gives urbanites who simply want to make calls and send texts affordable service from a “network they can trust.” We were pretty curious about the timing of this launch, what with WIND Mobile now being half a year old and Mobilicity having only been on the scene for six weeks, so we asked Rogers about it. Surprisingly, they were adamant that they could not care less what their competitors are doing or where it is they are operating. They were quick to point out that chatr has been one year in the making and that it actually designed to mimic business model that allowed MetroPCS to go from a small time carrier to the 5th largest in the United States. Sadly this was about as much extra information as we could squeeze out of Rogers. As much as they want to get chatr up and running today, they’ve still got a few more things to do behind the scenes before it launches by the end of summer. This means that they can’t get into specifics about when the network will launch. But as we have said before, thanks to our connects we know that Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, and Ottawa are a lock. Anyone planning to wait with baited breath?

More →

26 Comments
Exclusive
June 25, 2010
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Rogers to launch Chatr, a new low-end brand to compete with WIND

By on June 25, 2010 at 4:56 PM.

Rogers to launch Chatr, a new low-end brand to compete with WIND

chatr-logo

Forgive us for keeping this really short, but there’s still a lot of information we don’t know. Over the last few days, we’ve been hearing a lot of Canadian birdies singing that Rogers Wireless is planning to launch a new wireless brand in Canada. To be known as Chatr, the carrier is said to have been created solely for the purpose of putting wireless upstarts WIND Mobile and Mobilicity out of business by offering affordable handsets and great rate plans. It is said that the training of employees will begin in earnest as of mid-July, and will be followed shortly with the official launch of the brand in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, and Ottawa. We do not have specific information about pricing at the moment as that is still being worked out by the high ups, but we do know for a fact that the handsets Chatr will offer include the Nokia 1661, Nokia 2680 slide, Samsung Gravity and the LG Sapphire. We’ll be back with more as we get it.

UPDATE: We’ve got an inventory screenshot after the jump.

Thanks, X.! More →

21 Comments
Retail
June 23, 2010
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Rogers to drop the price on the BlackBerry Bold 9700 to $0?

By on June 23, 2010 at 11:00 PM.

Rogers to drop the price on the BlackBerry Bold 9700 to $0?

blackberry-9700-rogers-zero

Leaked signage from a Roger’s source suggests that the BlackBerry Bold 9700 has literally hit rock bottom. According to the placard, the Bold 9700 will be on sale for $0 with a three year customer agreement. It remains to be seen whether this price drop is a temporary sale or a more permanent means to move inventory in anticipation of a bigger and better Bold on the way. Regardless of the reason, customers eying the original Bold as a backup phone or an introductory phone for a BlackBerry virgin would be wise to snag one when the price hits zero. More →

12 Comments
Review
June 19, 2010
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Rogers Acer Liquid e hands on!

By on June 19, 2010 at 8:30 AM.

Rogers Acer Liquid e hands on!

Rogers-Acer-Liquid-e0

Even though it was the first carrier to bring Android to Canada, Rogers has always had a bit of a tough time convincing Canadians to ditch their beloved BlackBerrys and iPhones in order to get their Google on. Recently it released the Acer Liquid e, a curious little device that many people know nothing about. We managed to snag one shortly after launch and gave it a spin, so if you are curious to know our thoughts on it click on through to  check out our Acer Liquid e hands on! More →

17 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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