Hasta La Gadget!

Today marks one of the symbolically more important launches in the BlackBerry universe: the Q10, the first keyboard-equipped BB10 phone, is at last available on the company’s Canadian home turf. As promised, customers with Bell, Rogers and Telus (as well as their Virgin Mobile, Fido and Koodo sub-brands) can snap up what’s arguably the true Waterloo flagship for about $199 on a 3-year contract, or between $625 to $700 contract-free. Shoppers are largely buying the same phone no matter the carrier, although Rogers is hoping to lure the undecided with both LTE on an extra frequency as well as access to the white model. Just be prepared for a slightly longer wait if you plan to buy one in person — BlackBerry warns that it’s limiting Q10 supply to the Greater Toronto Area for the first day or two to accommodate demand high demand in Canada’s financial capital.

Update: Although BlackBerry was emphasizing Toronto, readers in other cities have mentioned getting early access. We’d still call ahead if you’re set on grabbing a Q10 at retail, however.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

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Source: Bell, Rogers, Telus

The road to release for the BlackBerry Q10 has certainly been a long one as it was introduced alongside the Z10 back in January, but BlackBerry has since stayed pretty tight-lipped in regards to the device. A release in Canada was first said to be expected in the “coming weeks“ earlier this month with a rumor circulating possibly having the Q10 release on April 30. It looks like that rumored release date was pretty close as BlackBerry has announced they’ll be releasing the BlackBerry Q10 starting a day later, on May 1.

Bell, Rogers and Telus will have the BlackBerry Q10 available for C$199 with a three-year contract and are currently accepting pre-orders, while smaller wireless networks like Fido, Koodo, Sasktel and Virgin Mobile will also have the device. As of now, there’s no word as to when the U.S. market will be getting their dose of BlackBerry Q10 goodness, but hopefully its release in Canada means we’re closer to its actual release.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: BlackBerry Q10 Confirmed To Cost $249 On Contract, Swype 1.5 For Android Launched,

Samsung’s next Galaxy flagship is seeking a new home in the land of hockey, maple syrup and politesse. Starting today, Canadian subscribers on Telus, Rogers or Bell will be able to pre-order the 16GB Galaxy S 4 for $199 on a three-year plan. Shipments of the TouchWiz-laden überphone are slated to begin later this month on the 27th, with Telus committing to an in-store date of May 3rd. Of course, you needn’t sign away such a significant chunk of your wireless life for subsidized GS4 privileges — the handset can be had outright for $700 CAD. Whether you go all in or opt for the monthly payment package, you’ll at least have your pick of carrier poison.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung

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Source: Rogers

If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, an unknown T-Mobile handset with Snapdragon 800 internals lit up the benchmarks, Sony was foiled at the lock screen and Rogers made 44 new promises without saying much at all. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that’s happening in the mobile world for this week of March 25th, 2013.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software, Mobile

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It’s not quite a US launch, but it’s close: Sony is bringing the more compact of its two 5-inch smartphones, the Xperia ZL, to Canada in April. While that’s already good news for locals who like their Xperias extra-large, the real perk will be a change in Sony’s tendency toward limited launches in North America. The release will put the ZL on several of the more significant Canadian networks, including heavyweights Bell and Rogers as small-but-significant carriers like Mobilicity, MTS, Videotron and Wind Mobile — the only major exceptions appear to be Telus and the big providers’ budget brands. There’s no word on pricing, although we’re not expecting a radical break from the norm. We’re mostly just left wondering whether the Xperia Z will appear as well, and just which if any of Sony’s 1080p flagships will cross the border to the States.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony

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Source: Sony