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March 9, 2010
Earlier today, the LG Shine Touch appeared on the LG Canada web site with the carrier listed as being TELUS. According to MobileSyrup.com, it appears that Rogers Wireless is also set to offer it.
The internal documents obtained by MobileSyrup.com indicate that Rogers will offer the LG Shine Touch for CA$49.99 with a three-year contract, CA$99.99 with a two-year contract, CA$199.99 with a one-year contract or CA$249.99 without any contract.
It's not clear at this point if LG's information is incorrect or incomplete. Will TELUS and Rogers both carry the LG Touch Shine in the near future? Stay tuned to find out...
The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) has announced plans to review Mobilicity's (formerly DAVE Wireless) ownership structure to ensure that it meets Canadian ownership rules. In a letter to Mobilicity, CRTC Secretary General, Robert A. Morin, describes the company's ownership as "of a sufficiently complex nature."
Last year, the CRTC undertook a similar review into Globalive's (WIND Mobile's parent company) ownership structure and eventually ruled that it did not meet Canadian regulations. As a result, WIND Mobile found itself unable to launch until the decision was overturned by the Canadian federal cabinet.
Mobilicity will face a Type 2 review unlike Globalive which underwent a more stringent Type 4 review. Another difference between the two reviews is that the CRTC will not accept submission from third parties (including the incumbent carriers).
The CRTC letter does suggest that Mobilicity will have a smoother ride than Globalive. "The ownership structure of DAVE Wireless appears to comply with the legal control requirements of the Act."
The CRTC also announced a review of Public Mobile's ownership last December.
LG Canada has posted the LG Shine Touch (KM-555) on its web site today. According to the carrier details on the site it is headed to TELUS but the carrier has yet to announce it.
The new LG Shine Touch lets you share your Life’s Good moments and puts the multimedia features that matter most right at your fingertips. With a full, 3-inch touch-enabled screen and keyboard, LG Shine Touch brings you the best in entertainment on the go and reflects your own iconic style with a thin, sleek design. Make your life shine with the LG Shine Touch!
LG Shine Touch specifications:
- Operating system: LG Infineon / Nucleus
- Connectivity: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual-band (850/1900MHz) HSPA
- Other connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Display: 3.0-inch WQVGA touchscreen
- Memory: 128MB internal memory
- Storage: microSD (supporting cards up to 16GB)
- Camera: 3MP
- Dimensions: 105.9 by 53.4 by 11.9mm
- Other: FM radio
Stay tuned for TELUS to announce availability and pricing shortly.
The Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Spica (model GT-I5700) is now available from Rogers Wireless. Samsung first announced the Galaxy Spica, a smaller sibling to the Samsung Galaxy, last November for Europe.
Samsung Galaxy Spica specifications:
- Processor: 800MHz
- Operating system: Google Android 1.5
- Connectivity: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual-band (850/1900MHz) HSPA
- Other connectivity: GPS/A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v2.0 + EDR
- Display: 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen
- Memory: Up to 183MB of user memory
- Storage: microSD (supporting cards up to 32GB) / Includes 2GB microSD card
- Camera: 3.2MP
- Connectors: 3.5mm headset jack
- Battery: 1500mAh
- Other: Built-in support for DivX and Xvid
Rogers is offering the Samsung Galaxy Spica for CA$79.99 with a three year contract (minimum $45 monthly Voice and Data plan required), CA$349.99 with a two-year contract, CA$399.99 with a two-year contract, and CA$449.99 without a contract.
Update: An upgrade to Android 2.1 will be made available for the Samsung Galaxy Spica at an unspecified later date.
The HTC Supersonic has surfaced again albeit only very shortly. The short video reveals little about the upcoming device except to confirm the presence of a camera with what looks like a dual flash and a speaker.
Earlier rumours suggest the HTC Supersonic will come with WiMAX connectivity, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 4.3-inch OLED display, 1GB of internal memory a 5MP camera, and an integrated kickstand. It could well be the WiMAX smartphone that Sprint has promised for sometime in the first half of the year.
March 8, 2010
Love them or hate them, touch keyboards appear set to make their way onto notebooks. According to Digitimes, Acer is planning an ultra-thin notebook with a touch keyboard for later this year.
To further keep thickness down, Acer will apparently use Corning's reinforced glass substrate. The back of the panel would be painted and would act as the cover of the notebook.
There are few other details about this ultra-thin notebook but Acer is looking to have it out in the second half of the year.
Personally, I'm not sure I'm quite ready to let go of my physical keyboard...
Verizon announced today that its field trials of its upcoming 4G LTE network reached speeds of up to 50Mbps download and up to 25Mbps upload speeds. Average data rates ranged from 5 to 12Mbps for downlink and 2 to 5Mbps for uplink. Testing was done in both Boston and Seattle and involved streaming video, file uploads and downloads, web browsing, as well as VoIP calls.
Verizon also confirmed that it remains on track to offer LTE in up to 30 U.S. markets by the end of the year.
By leveraging its 700 MHz spectrum for LTE deployment in the United States, Verizon Wireless is capable of quickly deploying a high-quality wireless broadband network with excellent coverage and in-building penetration. Verizon Wireless is currently installing LTE equipment at existing cell sites and switching centers around the United States as part of its extensive, ongoing investment in its voice and data network infrastructure.
Verizon expects to have full national coverage in 2013.
The latest Palm rumour suggests that the company could be set to release a new webOS device fairly soon. Codenamed Elan, it could differ from the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi by doing away with a physical keyboard.
The rumour suggests that AT&T will start its internal certification in about two weeks. It also appears that AT&T has completed certification of the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus. This could set the stage for AT&T to offer a trio of Palm devices in late April or early May.
The Palm Elan could also be headed to a number of European GSM carriers.
Perhaps we will see a Palm announcement the upcoming CTIA event later this month...
While Public Mobile has only confirmed a first half 2010 launch, the near completeness of its first stores suggests that we are nearing the launch date. Now, MobileSyrup.com has received a tip that the official launch could take place on May 15th with a soft launch next week on March 15th.
Public Mobile could also offer free Canadian long distance for life (with an account in good standing) to all customers who buy a device and plan prior to the May 15th launch.
To date, Public Mobile has revealed that it will offer a CA$40 per month unlimited talk and text plan and the ZTE C78 candybar feature phone with basic functionality such as a 2-inch display, stereo Bluetooth, and VGA camera. Hopefully more devices will be available at launch.
March 7, 2010
Motorola's Android assault appears set to continue with the Motorola i1, its first Android/MOTOBLUR device for iDEN networks.
Rumoured specifications of the Motorola i1:
- Operating system: Google Android (1.5?) with MOTOBLUR user interface
- Connectivity: iDEN / CDMA or HSPA is unknown at this time
- Other connectivity: 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS
- Display: 3.1-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen
- Memory: 256MB RAM and 512MB Flash
- Storage: microSD card slot
- Camera: 3MP with autofocus and LED flash
- Connectors: 2.5mm headphone jack
- Other: Dual-microphone for noise cancelation, Flash Lite v3.1
TELUS appears set to offer it in Q3 according to The Mobile Ninjas.
The Motorola i1 could be unveiled at the upcoming CTIA event running March 23rd to 25th in Las Vegas.