Rogers, Bell, Telus, you’ve got competition, and soon!
For the past few months something has been happening in Canada’s telecoms sector; an auction for wireless spectrum licences. The auction is now over and the outcome was more positive than most analysts expected. The Canadian goverment pulled in tripple what they expected, a whopping 4.2 billion. The verdict? This should be good for Canadian consumers and it’s about time. Federal Industry Minister Jim Prentice said,
The industry now has an unprecedented opportunity — thanks to the government’s Advanced Wireless Services policy and auction — to develop products and services that offer choice to Canadian consumers and businesses. We think consumers will be the big winners in this auction.
iPhone or Eee PC?
Now that the coveted iPhone has been released in Canada and the hype is dying down I find myself still unable to decide if I want one. Maybe decide is the wrong word, I absolutely know I want one, but I’m not sure if I want to break the bank doing so while locking into a long term agreement of 3 years with a big company I dislike. The big question is how practical the device is for me compared to other devices.
The other option I have been weighing in on is the Eee PC from Asus or one of the other emerging mini laptop or netbook solutions. This laptop is a little bit larger than a paperback and incredibly light. Although I would have no wireless 3G web experience I would have a super practical commuter computer and long term it would be a heck of a lot cheaper.
Protopage Mobile goes live
I received an email about Protopage Mobile going live today; to be honest I had never heard of it. After looking it over I signed up for an account. The full web version is kind of like iGoogle, but its default setup is sweet, at least for a geek like me. Right away you will get feeds like the BBC, Engadget, Slashdot, Digg, Gizmodo and even a daily Dilbert comic to name a few. They are definitely targeting people like me with this setup. I have only briefly tried the full web version but the screenshots for the mobile version on the Protopage blog look nice.
If I do decide to get a smartphone in the coming weeks I might have to try it out. I’m a huge fan of any web based apps because they free me of being locked down to any one system. I feel that eventually all but the most demanding applications will be hosted online.
Rogers to offer 6 gig plan for $30 dollars until August 31st
So maybe all the protesting over at Ruined iPhone and other places on the web have paid off. The whole iPhone outrage even hit mainstream news media. Basically Rogers and Fido (which are the same company) will allow you to take a phone plan and add a $30 6 GB plan to it. This is a temporary “deal” you can buy into with a 3 year contract before Aug 31st. It is a much better deal, but a lot of people are asking why it’s only temporary?
Openmoko Neo FreeRunner
Wow, a lot of smart phone news lately. Yesterday another really interesting phone was released called the Neo FreeRunner for use with Openmoko. The actual phone is made by First International Computer a Taiwanese computer and components manufacturer. The Openmoko project was started by the founders of FIC. The about section of the site describes the project as:
Openmoko is open.
Open to life, desire, function, and simple beauty. Never closed, perfect, or complete. An empty vessel, ready to be filled with your ideas.
Bell undercuts Rogers iPhone plans for Samsung Instinct
After posting only yesterday A Canadian alternative to the iPhone, which was about the Samsung Instinct and the implications of a competitive pricing plan by Telus or Bell, news is out that Bell will be offering the Samsung Instinct with an Unlimited data plan. What does this mean for the much more expensive Rogers iPhone plan? If the instinct has a great web experience, I may be swayed. The Instinct also costs less to purchase than the iPhone and has two and three year plans. The Globe and Mail also says that an unlimited data plan will cost $10.
This really heats things up in the Canadian wireless space. Maybe Bell did not want to be lumped in with Rogers, or maybe someone is realizing that competition in Canada is coming and possibly even government regulation and now is the time to start impressing customers. Who knows, but this is definitely good news.
UPDATE: Telus will also be offering the Instinct and the HTC Touch Diamond with an unlimited data plan.
A Canadian alternative to iPhone?
Canadians may soon have an alternative to the iPhone. The Samsung Instinct, sometimes referred to as an iPhone Killer. The big news for Canadians is that the Samsung Instinct while similar to the iPhone in features will be CDMA. This means that it will most likely be on the Telus and Bell networks.
My first thought was; with all the noise about Rogers iPhone prices this could be a real chance for the Samsung Instinct to shine. If Bell or Telus were to set competitive prices that beat Rogers then people may flock to the Instict—sadly, I doubt this will be the case. If Bell and Telus do set a similar price scheme I doubt people will care much about it. There is a prestige that goes with Apple products regardless of how similar other products are. If prices are the same as the iPhone I doubt we will see online petitions like ruinediphone.com. A more reasonable data plan may however lure some of us towards the Instinct. I want an iPhone, but at the end of the day I’ll settle for web access and a reasonable data plan.
One of the interesting features that the Instinct has is haptic technology. This allows the screen to actually vibrate once you have hit the keys. One of the things that has bothered me about touch technology to date is the lack of tactile feedback (and grimy screens). That’s why the phone that stands out the most for me right now is the HTC Touch Pro with Android.
The instinct should be available sometime this summer in Canada. For more details read Is Samsung Instinct really an iPhone killer?
Canadians ranting about Rogers?
How about supporting bill C-555
The web is on fire with angry Canadians and even sympathetic support from other countries on the Rogers iPhone pricing. One website that’s getting a lot of buzz is the ruinediphone.com petition. It had a much more colourful domain name earlier, but I’m assuming they realized it would gain more support with a less explicit name.
It really is amazing how a popular video, cool website or even an online movement can go viral and spread throughout the Internet like wild fire. As I was searching around tonight, I found something that really stirred my interest. Something that could have far more impact than the Ruined iPhone petition, because the issues on price gouging and misleading advertising go far deeper than the iPhone. It’s Bill C-555 which was actually proposed a few weeks ago.
Rogers totally underwhelms with iPhone plans
Today Rogers announced no unlimited data plan and a ridiculous 3 year lock in for Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone. Rogers announces iPhone 3G plans, unlimited data isn’t one of them on Engadget has all the details. The official Rogers iPhone voice data packages are online too.
This is pretty disappointing, you have this really cool phone, but if you actually use it much you will pay through the teeth. No YouTube for you! I hope some day Rogers has some real competition, and I hope everyone remembers their monopoly and horrible prices. The rumours appear to be wrong, nothing is going to change up here in the north.
Now the question is do I give in and get one anyway? I’m not sure yet, but I’m leaning towards no.
Android Android Android!
everyone’s talking about Android
The hype is building and this is both good and bad for Google. When something gets so hyped up it can be hard to meet expectations. People who don’t usually follow techy things are mentioning Android. Let’s face it, everyone loves Google and for a lot of people they have changed the way we use the Internet. For a smaller number of us Google has changed how we do email, how we work with documents and how we stay organized with its plethora of tools and widgets. Google has become the Swiss Army knife for the Internet, so of course we have high hopes for Android.
