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

It’s usually safe to presume that BlackBerry will give the most love to its home country, and that’s proving reasonable with the BlackBerry Q10. Bell, Rogers and Telus have all confirmed that they’ll be carrying the QWERTY-equipped smartphone on May 1st, quite possibly putting them on the cutting edge of the Q10 launch schedule. Smaller networks like Fido, Koodo, Sasktel and Virgin Mobile are also on deck. The big three are already taking pre-orders today, but we’d brace for a rather steep price premium — they’re all asking about $199 for the Q10 on a three-year contract, which is more expensive than many of the phone’s touch-only rivals. BlackBerry hasn’t outlined plans for the US or other countries yet, but we’re hoping they get a slightly better deal.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

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Source: Bell, Rogers, Telus

Canadians have been enjoying a minor renaissance in wireless competition since its AWS auction allowed a slew of smaller carriers to join the fray. Unfortunately, that diversity might be shrinking soon. The Globe and Mail reportedly has documents showing that Telus has been in active talks to buy Mobilicity through a share buyout deal. While the apparent leak doesn’t mention the exact motivations, it’s thought to be a spectrum grab when LTE on major Canadian carriers primarily leans on the very AWS frequencies that Mobilicity also uses for its 3G service. Neither Telus nor Mobilicity is commenting, although we’d note that there may be a few roadblocks (however temporary) if the scoop is accurate. Rules meant to preserve competition will prevent Telus from buying any newcomers’ spectrum until early 2014, and Mobilicity left the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association just this week while accusing the industry group of being a puppet for bigger networks like Telus. If negotiations are real and still in progress, there could be some very awkward meetings ahead.

[Image credit: Andrew Currie, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Via: MobileSyrup (1), (2)

Source: The Globe and Mail

BlackBerry’s home turf of Canada didn’t quite get the honor of carrying the BlackBerry Z10 first — that went to the British — but it’s rectifying that today with a full-scale release. Bell, Rogers and Telus, as well as their respective Virgin Mobile, Fido and Koodo budget labels, are selling the inaugural BlackBerry 10 device now. Those subscribed to one of the Big Three will normally pay about $150 if they sign their lives away on a 3-year contract, or between $550 to $600 outright. Smaller carriers like Mobilicity, Videotron and Wind Mobile haven’t yet launched the Z10 themselves, although they promise sales soon. BlackBerry fans south of the border, meanwhile, will just have to stare longingly until March if they’re not bent on imports.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

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Source: Bell, Rogers, Telus

Samsung’s ATIV S has only just started trickling out into the marketplace, but Canadians will be happy to know they’re some of the first to get their feet wet: Bell, Rogers and Telus have all made the Windows Phone 8 headliner available from today. We’re seeing a wild variety in pricing that doesn’t often happen with smartphones, however. Bell is offering the phone for $100 on a lengthy 3-year contract, but the amount drops to a momentary $80 at Rogers and just $30 at Telus’ discounted price. Landing the ATIV S off-contract either costs $600 (at Bell and Rogers) or $650 on Telus. Locals shouldn’t count on a walk-in purchase when there’s talk at MobileSyrup of tight supply; they’ll likely still be glad when they at least have the chance a week or more before their British counterparts.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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Via: MobileSyrup

Source: Bell, Rogers, Telus