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thecellularguru
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Homepage: http://www.thecellularguru.com
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Posts by thecellularguru
Roughnecks Eat Your Heart Out! Here’s A Phone Built For You
Jun 21st
As the cell phone market evolves, handset manufacturers are all realizing one key element: people aren’t gentle with their phones anymore. Sure, iPhones and Blackberries look good in the hand and are efficient when juggling a busy life, but let’s face it, they can’t really take a tumble. Plus, when working in a less than practical environment, aesthetics mean nothing. It’s about durability.
Rogers and Telus have been battling in this “rugged” territory for years now, with Telus launching the ever popular push-to-talk Mike devices (many years ago when they were clearNET) and Rogers following suit a few years later with both the Motorola Xtreme and Samsung Rugby. Fast forward to 2010, neither company has really put much effort into that segment anymore. With the introduction of the “Otterbox” series of cases (designed to house most high-end phones safely and securely) manufacturers rely on third party case makers to protect their inventions.
Say hello to the new “tough guy” in town, the Sonim XP3 Enduro, available unlocked from Best Buy Mobile for a not too shabby price of $449.99, allowing you to bring this GSM bad boy to either Rogers or Fido contract-free. So go have fun, get your $500 worth.
To buy it via Best Buy online click here.
Full specs after the break.
Product Features
On the outside, the XP3 Enduro features a durable shell that meets the Rugged Performance Standard which makes it ideal for extreme environments, so it’s designed to stand up to just about anything. And on the inside, it’s home to must-have phone features that ensure you’ll stay connected even in the worst of conditions.
- Hardened rubber mold ensures a strong, durable casing that’s resistant to water/liquid and impact
- Can withstand a drop from 2 metres high to concrete
- Vibration protection from 5Hz to 500Hz
- A non-porous casing blocks the entry of micro-particles like dirt and dust
- Operates in extreme temps from -20C to +60C
- A shock-resistant screen features anti-glare protection
- Extra-wide keypad buttons tested to 500,000 pushes
- Built-in torch, extra long battery life with up to 18 hours talk time and up to 1500 hours standby time
- Extra-loud speakers for use in noisy environments and omni-directional microphone
- Bluetooth (1.2) with DUN, OPP, SPP, HSP, HFP support
- Dedicated alarm button to send alarm message to PoC server
- WAP support and SMS capacity up to 1000 messages
- 7 soft keys / 10 programmable short-cuts
- 2.5mm headset port and mini USB for charging
- PC synching, phonebook synch with Outlook, calendar, to-do list, FM radio, multimedia manager, supports several languages
- Includes belt clip, USB cable, wall charger, and earbuds
G20 To Bring Store Closures To Select Rogers Outlets In Toronto
Jun 21st
With the G20 summit just around the corner and increased security being planned all over the city, here is a list of Toronto Rogers stores in the “red zone” scheduled to be closed during the 2-day summit, Thursday, June 24th and Friday, June 25th.
- Bay Street
- Rogers Centre
- Royal Bank Plaza
- Exchange Tower
- Queen Street West
- First Canadian Place
- Toronto Plus Flagship
Read up more on the G20.
Follow me on twitteriPhone 4 Canadian Launch Delayed?
Jun 17th
Say it ain’t so? Could the most anticipated device of the summer be delayed past the intended July launch in Canada? Though no official word has been given from Apple, BGR pointed out an interesting update that showed up today on Apple Canada’s website. What once said, “Coming in July” has been updated to “Coming soon.” At the moment the outcome is speculative, but if you consider the overwhelming pre-orders AT&T received, chances are that pending stock issues are the culprit for the change. Will update as the story unfolds.
[via BGR]
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Blackberry 9700 OS 5.0.0.743 Made Official by Rogers Wireless
Jun 17th
It has been a while since we posted on a Blackberry OS becoming official for ANY carrier let alone for our hometown hero Rogers, but it has been so long since an official update has been made that I felt that this one deserved some attention. I have been using .743 since it leaked just over a week ago and for the most part have been impressed with the stability and battery life compared to the past builds. With the device dropping today to just $99.99 on a 3 year and a fresh build to load up on it, there shouldn’t be much stopping you from Blackberry happiness. Load it up and let us know what you think in the comments.
Download official 5.0.0.743 via Rogers
Follow me on twitterRogers Pricing Update Coming For Blackberry Bold 9700
Jun 16th
Are you one of those people who have been holding out on getting the Blackberry Bold 9700 because of its high price? Well, tomorrow is your lucky day!
Our connect sent us this internal snapshot of a bulletin posted to all Rogers reps about a pricing update taking place tomorrow on the ever popular 3G device. The price drop has been kind of expected given Bell, Telus and Virgin’s price points are all the same. So the real question remains… do you do a 3-year contract for a Blackberry 9700 or hold off for the iPhone 4? Let us know!
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Public Mobile Partners With Gateway Newstands
Jun 15th
Mobile phone service is reaching a whole new level of “convenience” in Canada. We first had WIND Mobile announce they would launch in Blockbuster video retail outlets. Rogers then announced plans to start selling within Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies; Telus’ recent acquisition and deployment of cellphones within Black’s photography stores; Bell bought some The Source stores; Mobilicity is almost everywhere; and now Public Mobile is jumping into the cross-marketing idea, but with a different strategy.
They have announced plans to partner with Gateway Newstands (who have 152 outlets across the GTA) and offer customers the ability to buy a phone or pay their bill at any of the locations. This partnership will bring their retail presence in the GTA to over 200 outlets.
I will admit, putting cellphone availability into a convenience store is kind of genius. What was once dominated solely by dime-a-dozen long distance cards, will now house a legitimate cellular carrier as well, offering customers the ability to pay off their phone bill before a commute without really needing to go out of their way.
Read the official press release via Market Wire.
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Virgin Mobile Confirms iPhone4. Where is Sasktel?
Jun 14th
Now that every Canadian carrier with 3G/HSPA+ support (which is essentially everyone) has confirmed their intentions to sell the iPhone 4, it leaves one to wonder, “Where is Sasktel?” One of the last remaining CDMA carriers in Canada, who announced plans to launch their own HSPA network on/around June 1st, hasn’t made any public announcement yet.
Could word be around the corner? We will keep you posted.
[via Mobile Syrup]
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Bell Sets Release Date For The HTC Legend
Jun 14th
Just days after launching the Legend on its discount brand Virgin Mobile, Mobile Syrup is reporting that Bell plans to launch their own version on June 16th. Bell is positioning the device to compete with Rogers’ recently released Sony Ericsson X10 and Telus’s HTC Hero, with pricing set at $79.95 on a 3-year contract, $249.95 on a 2-year; $349.95 on a 1-year and $399.95 no contract (Just $50 above the asking price of Virgin).
Apparently the Virgin-sold handset, while SIM-locked, will work on Bell’s network without need for an unlock code, though we have yet to confirm this. More to come.
[via MobileSyrup]
Follow me on twitterAnother Canadian Celebrity Reads TheCellularGuru.com!
Jun 12th
First we had singer Danny Fernandes attest to how much he appreciates the site and how it helps keep him up to date with the latest breaking cellular news due to his busy schedule. But as it turns out another famous canuck named Justin Rego, (season 6 winner of “The Bachelorette”) is also an avid reader, saying “I enjoy reading app reviews and learning about new devices before they come out”
Keep checking back to TheCellularGuru.com, your #1 source for everything cellular!
Follow me on twitterRogers’ Price Drop Coming For Select Devices
Jun 11th
Any users out there still adamant on not jumping the smartphone bandwagon? Well, Rogers does acknowledge your existence and still has a soft spot for you in terms of hardware. Our connect just sent us these pricing updates set to go live in a matter of days for the LG Xenon and Samsung Messenger, showing the Messenger dropping to a reasonable $19.99 and the Xenon to $29.99, both on 3 year terms of course. Though they are not the most powerful devices, both come loaded with features worth contracting for should wireless data not be necessary.
For more info check out Rogers.com
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