Fido
Canadian Contracts Are Vampires: Study
Aug 11th
Get it? Flipout?
Canadians pay too much for their monthly cell phone bill, and are dragged into lengthy contracts that punish consumers for ending them before their term, according to a SeaBord Group study entitled “Death Grip.” (Great name!)
There will likely be another wireless spectrum auction in 2012 or 2013, and could increase competition again in the country, as the auction did in 2008, leading to the creation of WIND Mobile and Mobilicity, two companies who are completely contract-free.
But these companies will always be at a disadvantage to the three incumbents, Rogers, Telus and Bell, in part because they are established brands within the country, whose networks extend nationally, but also because they offer huge phone subsidies when signing a contract.
The problem comes in when customers want to remove themselves from the contract; they have already received promotional prices on their phone, and likely preferred monthly rates on their plan, but the cancellation fee is directly tied to how many months remain in his or her contract. Sometimes these penalties can cost more than the cost of the phone itself, which is the whole reason the contract exists in the first place.
But contracts are guaranteed revenue for these carriers, and they are loathe to change their business model, especially for higher-end business and data clients, who spend $100+ every month on their smartphone plan.
The report goes on to say that even though the Canadian carriers have less “buying power” when purchasing handsets, the discrepancy between the cost to the consumer and to the carrier is too high, and consumers end up with the brunt of it.
Read the entire report, and see for yourself.
(via The Globe and Mail)
Pearl 9100 Off-Contract Pricing Revealed
Apr 21st
Not too long ago we reported pictures of the still-unreleased second-generation Pearl 9100 (or its code name Stratus) being tested on Telus’s HSPA+ network. Other than that and the occasional OS leak there hasn’t been much to go on in for pricing or public availability. Well, low and behold, what do we have here? An inventory screenshot of the off-contract price for the Pearl 9100 from Rogers, Fido, and Bell? You bet!
Three year term pricing and availability is still unknown. I’d expect it to be released as a lower end device for $49.99 on a three year term. As for availability, considering WES (Blackberry’s yearly conference) is right around the corner, I’m sure we will hear something soon.
[via MobileSyrup]
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Fido to Launch Pearl 9100 and Introduce CarryOver?
Mar 29th
Fido, like its parent company Rogers, is an interesting beast when it comes to product launches, specifically when launching Blackberries. Since launching Blackberry service support with the Pearl 8100 last year, Fido hasn’t supported another device since launching the Curve 8520 just over a month ago. Now, since the Pearl 9100 was first leaked there has been speculation on both who would carry it and when it would actually be released. Not too long ago pictures surfaced online of the 9100 “About” screen showing AWS Bands 1,4,8, indicating a possible T-Mobile launch in the US and WIND Mobile launch in Canada.
Well, MobileSyrup is reporting that a tip came in this morning from a source on the Fido marketing team regarding some notable updates coming our way for Q2 from Fido. Other than some beefing up of data plans there are 2 interesting points that really caught my eye. One being the screen shot seen above of the 9100BLKF, (which is a refreshed, 3G version of the hugely successful Pearl 8100) with a release date of May 4th (Although, no official price is mentioned). The other, which to me could be a huge game changer for Canadian consumers is the discontinuation of Fido’s “UNO” brand (Fido’s version of “Talk-Spot”, which is a service that allows one to use their Blackberry over their home wireless network and for a flat fee not incur any overage minutes included in their existing package) in exchange for a new campaign called “CarryOver Minutes”. 
If you are unfamiliar with what Carrying over your minutes means it’s a long overdue idea taken from our American counterparts (Going by the name RollOver out there). It’s the ability to carry any unused minutes from your previous month to the new month for a period of 6 continuous months instead of losing them. Thus, saving money on potential overages as situations change from month to month. There are stipulations that say it can’t be added to long outdated (but still classic) CityFido or any business plans in general, but otherwise you are good to go. As for the launch, it is scheduled to be rolled out June 1st, but could be delayed or postponed at a moments notice.
I’m very impressed with Fido’s proactive approach in implementing CarryOver first. I, and I’m sure most other Rogers customers agree, that we can only hope Rogers will follow suit.
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Fido Now Offering “Refreshed” 8GB iPhone 3G’s
Mar 17th
Those of you who want an iPhone, but don’t need all the bells and whistles that come associated with the 3G S or the price associated with newer devices are now in luck. Fido has started to offer “Refreshed” (Fido’s term for refurbished) versions of the popular original handset at a very reasonable $29.99 on a 3 year term. Don’t be swayed by the “Refreshed” in terms of quality as these devices are rigorously QC’d. Think they are trying to unload overstock to make way for the next iPhone’s impending launch? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Do you think they will sell any refreshed devices? Let us know in the comments
Click More to find out what comes with the “Refreshed” devices or here to get more information from Fido directly
What to expect from “refreshed” iPhone 3G’s from Fido:
- Phones do not come with ear phones or other accessories
- iPhones are preloaded with current software and have been extensively quality tested.
- Refreshed iPhones carry a warranty of 6 months from the date of shipment
- Refreshed phones are phones that were returned by customers within 15 days from the date of activation.
- Either unused or lightly used and they must pass rigorous final Quality Assurance testing before their sale
- Some refreshed iPhone 3G devices will have final scratches
[via Mobile Syrup]
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Fido officially releases the Blackberry 8520
Feb 23rd
Well, this should really come as no shock to anyone, considering its been rumored for a while, and heck Fido even released an OS for it before ever even making the device official. Regardless, all you Pearl owners (if you are even around anymore) who are itching for a Fido warrantied full QWERTY goodness Blackberry can finally pick up the device. It has been launched at $50 on a 3 Year voice and data term, $350 on a 2 year, or $400 outright. It is the same device that Rogers launched last summer, however if you are unaware of the specs click the more tab.
If you do pick one up from Fido, feel free to comment on your new findings, if any!
Technical Specs:
- Battery life:
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