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Should You Upgrade to the iPhone 4 in Canada?
Jul 28th
Today we introduce another contributing editor to the site, GuruTyler. Tyler is an iPhone fan-boy and cellphone guru-in-training. Please welcome him!
To upgrade, or not to upgrade
As we approach the Canadian release date of the iPhone 4, the anticipation of hopeful buyers is beginning to reach critical mass. Without the ability to pre-order with the providers, long lineups are surely expected on July 30th when it finally drops. Unfortunately, along with the newest technology, also comes a hefty price tag and a new 3 year contract. Of course, for the first time, the iPhone will be available for purchase without a contract, however expect the cost to be similar to an iPad. All this begs the question - is it really worth the upgrade?
Firstly, this article is geared towards current iPhone owners, whether it be the 3G or 3GS. With the recent iOS4 software update, is the iPhone 4 merely a sleeker version of the previous models, or is it worth the money?
Beginning with what most casual owners care about, space. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the iPhone 4 is that Apple is not offering larger capacity flash drives, remaining with 16GB and 32GB models. Although most may find 32GB to be plenty, the massive number of available Apps is quickly making the 16GB feel outdated.
Everybody loves taking pictures, making the next most important feature the camera. This is the biggest hardware related improvement in the iPhone 4 compared to all previous models. There is now a camera on both the back and front, as well as an LCD flash. Current owners are well aware that not having a flash is very frustrating and provides for very low quality pictures in dim light. Also, trying to take a self-portrait with a touch screen is unnecessarily difficult. As if those improvements weren’t enough, the camera records in 720p High Definition, which could hypothetically put HD flip cameras completely out of business. Lastly, Apple has introduced a new featured entitled “Facetime” which allows for video calling between iPhone 4 owners over a WiFi connection. Needless to say, the beefed up cameras alone might be enough to entice customers to upgrade.
As far as hardware, those are really the most important aspects. Of course the iPhone 4 has improved their display, battery life, and esthetics, but none fully justify an upgrade on their own. That leads to the meat and potatoes of the device: software stability. iOS4 performs much better on the newest model than the 3GS across the board. With an updated “A4″ chip similar to that used in the iPad, it runs noticeably faster and smoother. The 3G really suffers in this department with iOS4. Hardly any of the new features are available, and not having multitasking is an utter disappointment. The 3GS has all the key features of iOS4 but there is noticeable lagging when switching between apps in multitasking. It is certainly not a severe enough issue to say the 3GS is outdated, but to say that it runs as smooth as 4 would be false.
The final verdict: The iPhone 4 is without a doubt one of the best cell phones ever released. There is no question that it is the biggest advancement since the original iPhone was introduced. For those still using said original or a 3G, an upgrade will be a great improvement. However those with 3GS can easily get another year out of it if the fancy bells and whistles aren’t as appealing. All this keeping in mind that Apple will undoubtedly be releasing a 5th incarnation of the iPhone in the summer of 2011.
INQ Mobile Settling Into Toronto, Ads Already Louder Than Virgin
Jul 25th
London Bridge is falling down! At least that’s the impression one gets from the inundation of British phone brands into Canada lately. Virgin Mobile made a big splash on this side of the pond a couple years ago with its brash, hipster-infused advertising campaign. Later, when it was bought by Bell, the company toned down the volume but has still kept the brand as a fully-functioning subsidiary of the company.
Now INQ Mobile looks to be heading to Canada, though it won’t launch as a separate carrier, but rather, like a Sidekick, will launch on Telus as a feature-phone with message capabilities (kind of like the Kin?). There is no official word from INQ when the device, the INQ Chat 3G, will be launching, but it should be pretty soon considering the ads are plastered all over the Entertainment District in downtown Toronto.
As well, a member of the HowardForums community has received his test phone to evaluate it on Telus’ network, and another member has claimed his daughter (in Alberta) received it too for a month-long trial. The phone, with built-in Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networking capabilities, will be aimed at the team market and the monthly tariffs will likely be less than what one would pay for a BlackBerry or iPhone.
Check out the phone at INQ Mobile, and one pic of the phone on Telus’ network after the break.
Bell To Get HTC Wildfire? Say It Ain’t So!
Jul 19th
Bell, what are you doing? You already have the best low-spec Android phone on the market in the HTC Legend! What’s the point of introducing an even lower-spec Android 2.1 device in the Wildfire? The Legend is $79.95 on a 3-year term, and is almost the perfect marriage of size, power and epic aluminum. The Wildfire is like the stunted, ugly sister to the Legend.
But I digress. They must have a reason for showing the phone in a recent internal document (Act-celerate your Sales. Wow, Bell, can you be any lamer?). And if they do decide to introduce it, perhaps the Wildfire could intro at $0 post-paid, or even be eligible for pre-paid.
The Wildfire has the same 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor as the HTC Magic which was introduced over two years ago. It’s 3.2″ 320×240 screen is a tad low-res for my tastes, but certainly fits well with the small stature of the phone. It has a decent 384MB RAM, also adequate for the smaller texture sizes that have to be loaded into RAM. It’s topped off with a 5MP camera with LED flash. So clearly the phone has some legs. It’s also cute and small for the ladies.
I do hope it finds a home in some Canadians’ pockets, but Bell should be focusing more on bringing high-end Android devices to these shores. K? Thanks.
(via AndroidGuys)
iPhone 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]
Follow me on twitterMobilicity Gets The Green Light To Launch
May 7th
The AWS carrier’s $243 million investment in the wireless spectrum has been approved by the CRTC, and plan to launch in late spring with the slogan, “No Contract. No Credit Check. Unlimited Wireless.”
Will they be able to compete with the other incumbents? They may go a different route than the other two new wireless carriers, WIND Mobile, and Public Mobile, but I don’t see much of a middle road between the two. Public Mobile hasn’t made much of a dent in Toronto, despite a large advertising campaign. The are focusing on low-income families who need a no-frills phone plan without a fancy device.
WIND has gone the other approach, and is offering a wider variety of devices, from lower-end voice-and-text-only, to the BlackBerry Bold 9700 with unlimited data option.
Read the whole, boring spiel at CRTC’s website, or just trust us. And wait till they arrive in Toronto, followed by Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa.
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Nokia X6 16GB hitting Canada soon.
Apr 19th
Nokia’s Canada webpage claims that the X6 16GB will be coming to Canadians soon. There is no word on what carrier will receive the device however, but rest assured that we should know shortly. Basic specs of the phone include a 3.2 inch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 640 x 360, Symbian S60 5th Edition, a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Wi-Fi, and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. As you can probably tell by now this isn’t exactly a high-end smartphone and likely won’t cost nearly as much as one. S60 makes this a slightly dated, but still fairly capable handset that shouldn’t break the bank. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more but for now feast your eyes on Nokia’s page for the full specs.
(Via MobileSyrup)
WebOS 1.4.1 hits Bell in Canada
Apr 2nd
Wednesday we reported that WebOS 1.4.1 hit Sprint and many international carriers. Left out however were the Canadians on Bell’s network. Luckily, yesterday WebOS 1.4.1 dropped for Bell users bringing with it the paid App Catalog and all the applications that Canadians had been deprived of for so long. If you’re a Pre user on Bell, now is your chance to get at all the bounties that the paid App Catalog has to offer, so fire up the update app and get to downloading.
Let us know what apps you’re going to purchase, too, since, honestly, there aren’t that many to choose from.
BlackLine GPS, and Escort Team Up
Dec 28th
Blackline GPS™ appreciates there Customers, There geo-social application Blip PLus is ranked by Yahoo
as one of the top five applications to have on your Blackberry!
To thank you All this holiday season, Blackline GPS is offering our
customers a gift of $100, valid for residents of the United
States or Canada.
Blackline GPS has partnered with Escort (http://www.escortinc.com),
the world’s best radar and laser detection company, to engineer
the Escort Entourage line of products. Using BlipPlus on your
Smartphone, you can map the location of your Entourage-equipped
car, motorcycle, RV, or any vehicle with pin-point accuracy!
To claim your gift, enter in promo code “blipnewyear” when
activating an Entourage™ CIS or Entourage PS annual service plan
and you will receive a $100 discount off the regularly-priced
plan. That’s only $78.40 for a full year of unlimited GPS
tracking and security protection for your vehicle.
For concerned parents, teen driving accidents are the number one
cause of death among this age group. The Entourage products are
an effective solution for monitoring your young driver. Escort
and Blackline GPS are committed to young driver safety and are
working to further enhance location and safety awareness features.
Look for an announcement on young driver enhancements for
Entourage products this spring!
To purchase your Entourage CIS or Entourage PS, or find more
information on Blackline GPS and it solutions, please visit
http://www.blacklinegps.com.
This offer is valid before January 15, 2025
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