When we told you yesterday that Telus was getting ready to offer the HTC Touch Diamond to its Canadian customers, we weren’t completely clear on the specs of the device. Thankfully, HTC hit us up with an official spec sheet from Telus, which provides all the dirt you could ask for on the first North American iteration of this coveted device. The biggest change, of course, is that unlike previous Touch Diamonds, the Telus iteration will be sporting an EV-DO Rev. A radio. The Telus Touch Diamond has also received a modest boost in the memory department, with 256 MB ROM/ 256 MB RAM to the GSM version’s quoted 256 MB ROM/ 192 MB RAM. That’s about all we could notice, save for an extra 5 grams of weight and an included case, so if you’ve fallen in love with the GSM version of the handset, there’s nothing about this CDMA version that should convince you otherwise. GPS, Wi-Fi, Touch FLO 3D, and much more are all still in full effect. Anyone excited?

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Get ready for this one, folks. HTC has just announced that Telus will be the first North American carrier to offer the new HTC Touch Diamond. The handset will be offered “later this summer” for the low price of $149.99, though you’ll have to sign away 3 years of your wireless life. Telus also offers some pretty attractive data options, including a $15/month plan for unlimited email and IM, and $30/month for unlimited email, IM, and browsing. Not bad at all. We’re still waiting on official confirmation from HTC, but chances are good that this thing will be running EV-DO Rev. A, providing full 3G data speed in addition to the TouchFLO 3D interface, 4GB of internal flash memory, and much more .The Touch Diamond is one of the most coveted handsets to come out of the Windows Mobile camp in recent memory, so Telus has certainly scored a win by getting their hands on this before anyone else on the continent. Sure, we’ll see a Sprint version of this before too long, and chances are good that AT&T is planning their own variant, but first is first.

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So you’re Canadian. You want an iPhone. But, you’re totally unhappy with Rogers’ pricing for the iPhone data plan which pales in comparison to our good friends at AT&T, right? And you’re totally tired of taking it up the bum bum. Well, there’s something you can do. As of post time, the petition to get Rogers to change the newly announced, non-unlimited iPhone plans has had over 11,000 signatures. We wanted to give it some attention so in the end, hopefully all those signatures will make a difference and our Canadian Rogers subscribers can buy an iPhone without taking out a second mortgage on their home. Wait, do they have mortgages in Canada? What you think guys, you going to sign it or what?

Thanks, to everybody that sent this one in!

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Sure, we knew the iPhone 3G was coming to Canada courtesy of Rogers Wireless, but the carrier has been keeping us in the dark in regards to their Data Plan pricing structure. No longer. Rogers has released 4 new iPhone 3G-specific plans on an unsuspecting public. The plans breakdown as follows:

• $60/month buys you 150 anytime minutes, 75 outgoing SMS, and 400 MB data
• $75/months buys you 300 anytime minutes, 100 outgoing SMS, and 750 MB data
• $100/month buys you 600 anytime minutes, 200 outgoing SMS, and 1 GB data
• $115/month buys you 800 anytime minutes, 300 outgoing SMS, and 2 GB data

All plans include unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited incoming SMS, and unlimited Wi-Fi at any Rogers or Fido hotspot. Yeesh! We can’t say we’re surprised to see these astronomically high tariffs, but it should certainly give comfort to anyone here in the US that thought the new iPhone 3G plans from AT&T were a bit steep.

Thanks, to everyone that sent this one in!

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• $30 - 300 MB
• $60 - 1 GB
• $80 - 3 GB
• $100 - 6 GB

Um, yeah. That’s not cheap, though we have a hard time imagining a scenario in which 1 GB of data isn’t enough for average monthly usage, let along 6 GBs. Then again, with the upcoming Bold and its 3G radio, the potential for exorbitant data usage will certainly increase.

Thanks, Paul!

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We’ve got two independant tips on this date, so let’s hope it pans out to be true. AT&T corporate is still telling their Fortune 500 customers that the Bold will launch in “July/August”. Hopefully Rogers will swift kick them in the ass and get them moving. What’s holding up the Bold, you ask? Well, nothing. The units went into production a while ago and the latest software build is extremely stable. It’s all up to the carriers now. What say you, friendly Canadians? Raiding a Rogers store on June 25th for a BlackBerry Bold? Our previous Rogers release dates were spot on, so we’ll see!

UPDATE: We’re now hearing July 17th with the launch party on July 8th… go figure.

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Rogers and RIM have just announced the launch of the BlackBerry 8120 on the Canadian carrier’s network. The phone, which has been available worldwide for quite some time now, is compatible with Rogers’ UMA VOIP network which is similar in form and function to T-Mobile’s Hotspot@Home stateside. The handset also sports the usual rundown of Pearl 2 features including a 3.5 mm headset jack, external microSD card, and some other trinkets, but unless you’ve been dying for Wi-Fi calling on your SureType device, there’s nothing here that should make you too excited. As always, Rogers’ attempts to lock you in for 3 years, offering the the handset for $149.99 Canadian with a 36 month contract including BlackBerry data service, though you can still snag the device on a 1 or 2 year contract for a bit more scratch. 

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One of Roger ninjas hit us up to give us the breakdown of mobile device launches for the month of June. It’s a pretty impressive line-up if you ask us. As usual, dates do change, but this is what we got so far:

• BlackBerry Bold launch time frame is June 9th-29th. (we don’t have an exact date just yet)
• The HTC Shift will launch on Rogers within the next 10 days. Rumored date is May 22nd, and it’s going for $1,500 on a 3-year agreement.
• The Motorola E8 will be making the trek up north for a June launch. No specific launch date or pricing info yet.
• The Motorola ROKR U9 which as we’re told was supposed to be launched in May, will now be launched in June on Fido.
• Motorola’s W755r (same exact model AT&T has) will also be coming to Rogers in June.
• We’ve also been told Rogers will not be getting the BlackBerry 8320. They are sticking to the BlackBerry 8120 and BlackBerry 8820 for their UMA action.

I think we’ve about covered it for now. Also, the BlackBerry Bold date seems a tad early, so we’d guess it would be launched towards the tail-end of that timeframe. AT&T should either launch before that date, or soon after as we can’t imagine Rogers getting it first. But that’s our own prediction and not based off actual AT&T internal information. Who’s excited out there

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Rogers wireless has just officially launched the Nokia N95 8GB, making them the first North American carrier to official support Nokia’s flagship handset. The phone will be available starting May 6th, which is next Tuesday for all you calendar-challenged folks, for $399 with a 3-year contract. Just shy of $400 isn’t too bad, but we wouldn’t sign a 3-year contract unless someone was holding us at gun point, so proceed at your own risk. Then again, this is one hell of a handset, and if official carrier support is your thing then this is pretty much your only option. For our readers up North, will you be scooping this thing up next week?

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It took them long enough! Rogers has finally announced that it negotiated a deal with Apple to bring the coveted iPhone to Canada. Details are limited at this point but Rogers states that the popular Apple handset will be available to its subscribers "by the end of 2008". Does this mean that our friends north of the border can expect the 3G model? Probably. We all recently saw that the Toronto Star reported Rogers intends to launch the iPhone by July, which is right around or just after the time the 3G iPhone is expected to be released. The only piece of the puzzle that hasn’t been addressed is the trademark dispute with Comwave, owner of the "iPhone" name in Canada. This isn’t the first time that Apple has had to buy the name of course. Cisco’s iPhone line was Apple’s roadblock here in the US and we’re sure they came out ahead in the end although specific details of the settlement were not released.

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If these reports pan out, we could have a lot of happy Canadians on our hands by the end of the summer. According to two separate reports, both the iPhone and the Nokia N95 could be hitting Canadian soil by summertime. The Toronto Star seems to have it on good authority that the iPhone will be coming to Rogers in time for an upcoming promotional campaign including the LG Vu and HTC Touch. Notice a theme? The promo campaign is supposed to begin sometime between late May and early June. Could this all be timed to coincide with the next gen iPhone launch? Time will tell. On the N95 front, rumors point to a May 2nd release for the high-end handset.  If true, Rogers will be launching the N95 for $699 retail, with subsidies expected for new contracts. As always, these are rumors, but it’s high time both handsets were made official up North, so we wouldn’t be shocked to see at least one of these pan out.

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As you may remember, almost one year ago, we broke news of the BlackBerry Curve 8330. Granted, some facts have since been corrected (not a World Edition device), but it’s been a rather long wait for CDMA customers wanting a BlackBerry Curve device. Recent news posted on BGR has shown pictures of the Sprint release, as well as a launch date for the Curve model.

Now, for your very own pleasure and enjoyment on the only site you love, we bring you pictures of the BlackBerry Curve 8330 from your favorite neighborhood CDMA carriers - Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, Telus, Bell Mobility, and US Cellular.

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[Thanks, Mike]

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This actually might be going down, according to tipster of ours. At this point, we have yet to confirm the information, so we’re going to leave it as a rumor for the time being. In any case, here is what we have been told:

• Deutsche Telekom has been pre-approved for a financing and protocol agreement which will allow them to introduce T-Mobile to the Canadian market (subject to restrictions in all provinces except Ontario during a 6, 12 and 18 month trial period that expires in 2010), and also pre-approves them for testing roaming, cell tower reception and international data agreements.
• The person heading up the Canadian division of Deutsche Telekom will be Canadian, in compliance with the Canadian Business Ethics law
• Deutsche Telekom already owns the name T-Mobile in Canada under a US Parent Office international exchange program.
• They plan to launch T-Mobile in Canada in 2009.
• Currently, as we all know, Rogers is the only GSM game in town. With T-Mobile’s entrance into the Canadian market, data rates are going to plummet quickly. DT also plans to introduce an unlimited BlackBerry plan to the Canadaian market to be priced at $75/month. Basically telling Rogers to go screw themselves.
• T-Mobz Canada is set to offer many of the devices we’re used to seeing here in the U.S. like the Sidekick line and T-Mobile’s HTC products. I guess that’s bye bye Fido Sidekicks?

So, yeah. A whole bunch of info, completely unconfirmed, so again, take this as you will. We’ll dig a little deeper and find out what we can, and as always, keep y’all updated. Anyone in Canada need to change their pants after reading this (assuming it happens)?

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First on the block with the Sony Ericsson K850? That would be Canada’s Rogers Wireless. The company has just announced that they will be the first North American service provider to carry a subsidized version of SE’s high-end camera phone. For the record, the K850 is one hell of a handset, sporting an N95-rivaling 5 megapixel camera with xenon flash, tri-band HSDPA, video calling support, and much more. Rogers is set to offer the K850 for a paltry $200, though you’ll have to sign over 3 years of your life for the privledge. Available immediately.

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It looks like we can put another check in the ‘confirmed’ column of the internet rumors tally. As has been passed around for a while now, Rogers and Fido have quietly slipped an option on their site to add a $7 unlimited mobile browsing option to select new plans with 3 year shackles. Ok, ok… Stop cheering and take note of the wording here: "Unlimited On-Device Mobile Browsing." No, these are not unlimited data plans in the conventional sense unfortunately. There are plenty of stipulations that are sure to turn your smile into and awkward, pursed-lipped sneer. First and foremost, smartphones need not apply. As Rogers puts it, "PDAs such as Blackberry or Windows Mobile devices, PC cards and non-Rogers certified devices are not eligible." Secondly, tethering and data-reliant third party apps are both no-nos. This plan is good for browsing and other data usages will run you a cool $0.05 per KB. Lastly, don’t think you’re going to pull the wool over their eyes and purchase this plan packing your own unlocked device. Plans are activated for eligible handsets only and monitored via IMEI. In other words, if you try to test them you’re going to find yourself the subject of a bunch of those "Canadian Man Finds Himself with $10,000 Wireless Bill" posts. The $7 add-on does include a few extras though; namely a $100 discount on a Vision Device, one year of free unlimited local video calling and three months of free unlimited Video On Demand service. If you browse and do little else with your device in terms of data… jackpot. If you have a smartphone and make use of it, move on.

Thanks, Luca!

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Rogers wireless customers can finally breath a sigh of relief and get ready to re-up their contracts. The Canadian carrier announced today that the BlackBerry Pearl 8110 is finally directly available for their network. Anticipation has been building over the past few months as word of the Pearl’s inevitable arrival has been tossed around plenty. RIM’s 8110 has seen success with every carrier that has picked it up so far and we’re sure that Rogers will be no different. Features include a 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and a built-in flash, a microSDHC slot with a 1GB card included and support for music downloads via the Rogers Music Store. The Rogers 8110 also includes integrated GPS with support for TeleNav GPS Navigator, a subscription service that provides voice-guided navigation. BlackBerry Maps is included as well however, and it provides a free mapping solution similar to Google Maps Mobile. The price point for the latest addition to the Pearl family is $250 CAD when purchased alongside a 3-year voice and data contract. Three years?! Luckily, carriers south of the boarder haven’t gotten quite that greedy. The 8110 hasn’t yet gone live on the Rogers website, but hit www.rogers.com/8110 later today to scoop one up.

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We have yet to see a North American carrier pick up Nokia’s flagship N95 camera phone, but if this tip we just got happens to pan out, then it seems we could see a carrier-subsidized version of the beast before too long…that is, of course, if you happen to be a Roger’s wireless customer. An eagle-eyed reader notcied that the N95 has shown up in a drop-down menu on Roger’s game downloads site. Seeing as the N95 is one of the most popular available unlocked handsets, this could mean nothing more than Rogers offering support for any customers that have purchased the handset from a 3rd party vendor. That said, it could also be an omen of impending availability. Would a sub-$500 Nokia N95 sound good to you? We know it would to us…

Thanks Joe!

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While combing through our very special delivery one more time, we noticed something that looked a little out of place. There was a black rectangle box covering up something on the BlackBerry 8xxx slide. When we moved it, guess what was there? Yes, folks. The Rogers branding. While it isn’t the biggest news, this just confirmed something we already knew, and heck, who could resist posting an ultra-super-clear shot of the BlackBerry 8xxx? Enjoy!

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While they still might have a ways to go with fair-priced data plans, it looks like Rogers is introducing a pretty cool feature to their network this month. It’s a voicemail-to-text conversion service, and it does what you’d expect — convert your voicemail into a text message automatically. While not free (it’s priced at $15/month), the service will deliver any voicemails you have in your inbox to you in real time. Pretty cool, right? The actual backend conversion is powered by SpinVox, and we have no idea how accurate the conversions will be, but we’re guessing they’ll be pretty good. Damn Rogers? Voicemail to Text and Name Display caller ID on cell phones? You’re making us jealous. As said previously, the new SpinVox-powered service goes live this month, and it’s available in seven provinces including, BC, Ontario, Québec, and the Atlantic provinces. If you’re in Saskatchewan, Alberta, or Manitoba, you’re going to have to brave the winter and wait for this to come to your hood in early 2008.

Thanks, Daniel!

P.S. Even though we’ve got a BlackBerry up top, this service should work with any Rogers cell phone.

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Tsk Tsk, Rogers. You’ve been letting the cat out of the bag more times than J. Lo’s pregnancy. We stumbled across this Roger’s eNEWSLETTER preference page on their website, and one of the options to include in your personal eNEWSLETTER is "Upcoming wireless technology (Video messaging, iPhone, etc.)" Now, this could be nothing more than Roger’s gaging interest for the iPhone, but that doesn’t really make sense. They are either in or out at this point, so to speak, and we thinks they are in. In, friends. Full screen shot after the jump in the likely possibility Rogers pulls the page!

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You know what they say…if it seems too good to be true, it probably is! And that seems to be the case with the "leaked" Rogers ad we ran showing the iPhone making its way up north to Rogers on December, 7th. Rogers spokesperson Odette Coleman has issued the following statement: "The ad in Boy Genius, Mashable, Engadget blogs was not produced by Rogers. Nothing further to announce on iPhone." Our favorite part of the article though, is this…

"So it looks like the ad was either made by a fanboy trying to milk the iPhone news here in Canada, or it was made by an advertising agency for Rogers." "Roger’s execs promised a "device" announcement in November, a December date could jive with those promises. The leaked ad sure looks real. It promises a pre-order for the phone on Roger.com on November 20, so you can buy one before Christmas and get it in January."

Oh well, there you have it! It started here, and ends here — no iPhone confirmation on Rogers, yet.

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If this leaked shot of a Roger’s ad turns out to be legit, we shall see the iPhone hit Canada on December, 7th. It should sell for $499CAD on a 3-year contract, and we’re guessing it will be the 8GB model. We were told that since there is this little trademark dispute over the iPhone name in Canada, this might not be a final image, but it does look pretty polished. It also appears pre-orders will start November the 20th, but again, huge unconfirmed bit here, so take it as you will…

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UPDATE: Looks like the launch date will be the 17th of November, but that is not confirmed.

Thanks, Mate!

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Today is a big day for our friends up North. Canadian telecommunications company TELUS has announced not one, but two brand new HTC devices for use on their mobile network. First up the HTC Touch, This is the same phone that we all know, and today’s announcement marks the first official arrival of the device on North American soil. Sporting Ev-DO connectivity, this hanseat comes complete with HTC’s TouchFLO interface, which is a pleasant shell for the Windows Mobile 6 OS. Next up is the HTC S640, which is like of hybrid between the Motorola Q9 and the new Palm Centro. Not the most attractive device, but new phones are always good, right? Plus it’s always nice when we get a heads up, too! Both devices will retail for $149.99 with a 3 year contract, $399.99 with a 2 year stint, $449.99 for 1 year, and $499 outright.

Thanks, Jean-Phillippe!

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We let all you Canadians know that your beloved carrier Rogers would be launching the Motorola Q9h very soon, and it has finally appeared on their site. While it is not currently available for purchase, it’s listed under "Coming Soon", and we can think of a whole lot of people that just got excited. Word on the street is that HSDPA went live in a couple markets recently, so no one should be complaining about download speeds anymore, eh?

Thanks, Jean-Philippe!

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We’ve just received word that Rogers in Canada is gearing up to launch the Motorola Q9h in the very near future. Promo materials have already started being distributed and they are getting ready "for a large marketing campaign pushing Windows Mobile devices." Additionally, it looks like Rogers is going to grab the HTC TyTN II as well, as promo materials have also been spotted for this handset. The rumored drop date for the Motorol Q9h was today, but as our informant says, "their dates are always fluid." Pricing should start at $249.99 with a 3-year agreement for the Motorola Q9h.

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The BlackBerry Curve 8310 has gone and dropped on Rogers. The phone, which has been in the rumor mill for quite some time now, features the usual host of BlackBerry Curve goodness. It includes an amazing form-factor, 2 megapixel camera, and quad-band GSM/EDGE coverage. You want new features, you say? This baby sports GPS in addition to the wireless cell radios. When combined with mapping and navigation software, you’ll find an added bit of functionality that might get you out of a sticky situation….not that you ever get lost…we certainly don’t. Expect to pay the equivalent of a full year’s worth of mortgage payments for this bad boy. $299 on a 3 year contract, $449.99 on a 2 year bid, and $499.99 on a 1 year stint. Sound appealing? Eh, not so much now that the iPhone is $399. Come on, AT&T. Doesn’t feel so good when the Canadians start beating you, now does it?

UPDATE: Looks like we might have jumped the gun a bit. While an image of the BlackBerry Curve 8310 is up on Roger’s site, the product page still looks like the regular BlackBerry Curve. Any day Rogers…

Thanks, Atom!

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It would seem so, if one of our tipsters is correct. We’ve been told that the HTC S640 (Iris) and HTC P3050 (anyone want to take a guess as to what this is? HTC Polaris, maybe?) should be launching along with the Treo 755p in September on Telus. The HTC S640 is rumored to launch a little bit before the HTC P3050 and we should "expect that in early September." If this pans out, Telus gets some much deserved respect from the BGR crew.

Thanks, TelusMonkey!

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