Isaiah's Tech

Two new smartphones are headed to Canada, special thanks to Bell. The first one is above and it'll be the BlackBerry Curve 3G. This smartphone is actually what we've known to be the Curve 9300. The Curve 3G will be available soon and will feature HSPA connectivity, 256MB of flash and RAM, a QWERTY keyboard (of course), and Bluetooth 2.1. The bad part about all this is that it isn't much different from the Curve 8530 since it doesn't even have BB OS 6.0.

The other smartphone is running Android and is always being touted as the mini HTC Desire. The HTC Wildfire will be hitting the carrier as well. Unfortunately, we don't know when this handset will be hitting the carrier so we'll just have to wait around for it.

BlackBerry Curve 3G On Bell: CrackBerry
HTC Wildifre Hitting Bell: Mobile Syrup

If you believe this internal document above then Telus should be launching the Nokia 3710 on July 15th for $49.99 on a 3-year contract. The document also states that this is a flip phone that has a 3.2MP camera along with HSPA connectivity but we already knew that.

[Mobile Syrup]

Bell looks like they have just discontinued the BlackBerry Storm. The Canadian carrier could be looking to launch it's direct successor or they could be thinking about launching a BlackBerry that hasn't become official yet. Could Bell be preparing to launch an HSPA model of the BlackBerry Storm 2? Maybe they're looking to launch the BlackBerry Bold / Storm Slider.

[Mobile Syrup]

The Qualcomm Gobi chipset is a great thing to have and it's about to get even better. At CTIA, Qualcomm announced that the Gobi chipset of the future, the MDM9600, will support EV-DO Rev. A, Rev. B, HSPA+ (up to 28Mbps), dual-carrier HSPA+ (up to 42Mbps), and LTE (up to a whopping 100Mbps). This chipset will be hitting laptops as well as USB modems, e-book readers, and gaming devices. Hmm, maybe an iPad of the future? We'll just have to see what happens.

[Engadget, Qualcomm]

HSPA is a big thing in Canada and that's a great thing because faster is better. The next carrier set to launch their HSPA network could be Koodo Mobile. Their new network looks like it'll kick off in April or May of this year and they'll bring on new smartphones, likely including the iPhone - of course. With this network and better selection of phones comes higher monthly fees on their "Tab" data packages, so look out!

[Mobile Syrup]

What you see above is the Elektrobit TerreStar Genus smartphone. What's interesting about this handset? Well, this is going to be the first dual-mode satphone and it'll be launching on AT&T. This means that you'll get coverage virtually anywhere, but you'll probably have to pay quite a bit more monthly than usual. I guess that's the trade-off for such great coverage.

If you look at the FCC filing here you'll see that it'll be compatible with US HSPA networks. This handset, obviously, will be running Windows Mobile (likely 6.5).

[Engadget]

We've just got word that the iPhone could get launched on another carrier, Virgin Mobile. As you may or may not know, Virgin Mobile is actually a part of Bell, and this would also signal that Virgin Mobile will be HSPA-compatible soon. The possible pricing is below, but we're still waiting for this news to become official. That'll probably happen early next year, since the iPhone's are scheduled for a February launch.

No word of pricing but you can bet it’ll be the same as Bell and all the others:
3G 8 GB: $99.00 on a 3-year contract
3G 16GB: $149.00 on a 3-year contract
3GS 16 GB: $199.00 on a 3-year contract
3GS 32 GB: $299.00 on a 3-year contract

[Mobile Syrup]

T-Mobile had a pretty significant outage yesterday, but those customers should probably know that T-Mobile is actually rolling out their new 7.2Mbps 3G network at this very moment. At this point of writing, T-Mobile hasn't issued an official statement, but I think they will by the end of the day. Faster download speed for Americans on T-Mobile - who haven't had the best of years.

Up North, Canada's Bell Mobility launched their 21Mbps HSPA network yesterday! Telus also launched their HSPA network today.

[Engadget, Gizmodo]

Yup, that's right! Bell launched theirs yesterday and Telus has launched theirs today! All the pricing plans are below, courtesy of Mobile Syrup. I've noticed just one mistake in the pricing details below though. The LG BL40 aka New Chocolate is actually available for $99.99 CAD on a 3-year contract and not $79.99 like it states below. The Bold 9700 is $249.99 on a 3-year contract, which is slightly more expensive than what Bell offers ($229.99) but cheaper than what Rogers is asking for ($299.99). I also think it's great that they decided to launch the HTC Hero for just $99.99! Yup, don't forget the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

Check out Telus' website here.

[Mobile Syrup]

Just two weeks ago, Bell in Canada cut the price of the Palm Pre to $149.95 CAD on a 3-year contract and now we're hearing that it'll get cut again tomorrow to just $99.95. This is likely because of their new slew of phones and their faster HSPA network. I'd rather get the Omnia II, iPhone 3GS, or the Nokia N97... just saying.

Update on November 4th: Yup, it's officially official. Check out the price drop here - found thanks to Mobile Syrup.

[Mobile Syrup]

After constant leaks we've already know that Bell is launching their HSPA network on November 4th, but they made it all official this afternoon. Yes, Bell will be launching their HSPA network in just under 2 days - November 4th, this Wednesday. They'll also be launching the iPhone 3G / 3GS on the same day. Yes, Canadians will be able to access 21Mbps speeds in under 2 days.

[Electronista, Mobile Syrup, Engadget Mobile]

It used to be just a rumour, but now it looks like Bell will really be launching the Nokia N97. Bell will have exclusivity rights to this handset and they plan to launch it on their HSPA network - of course. With the Samsung Omnia II, the iPhone 3GS, and now the Nokia N97 it looks like Bell will really be a force to be reckoned with. In case you forgot, the full spec sheet of the Nokia N97 is here.

[Mobile Syrup]

With Bell launching their HSPA network soon this should be no surprise. In Canada, Bell has just decided to officially cut the price of the Palm Pre to $149.95 CAD on a 3-year contract. That is all.

[Mobile Syrup]

Canada's Bell Mobility now has a webpage dedicated for the sacred Apple iPhone. If you're Canadian - or if you're not - you can check it out here. Sign up as fast as you can because you could already be too late.

[9 to 5 Mac]