While the US had the Samsung m540 aka Slyde available for purchase for quite some time, the cellphone was launched in Canada very recently, thanks to Telus.

The slide-out QWERTY keyboard is one of the best features on the m540, but the included software - My Email and Messenger 2.0 - is also a good bonus. Phone details include GPS, a 2-megapixel camera, and a 2.1-inch screen.

The Samsung m540 is available in black or pink, and depending on the plan you pick it can cost close to nothing. With that being said, here are the plans:

3-year: $0.00
2-year: $49.99
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We were all unpleasantly surprised to see Rogers announce an expensive Bold. The initial price was $399.99 with a 3-year contract. That’s way beyond too expensive.

But forget all that you lucky Canadians! Rogers has realized it had to cut down the price and now the Bold is available for $199.99 and it comes with a $50 gift card. The cheaper price however will only last for about a month, until November 27th, so in case you want one, go grab yours today.

If the 8220 Pearl Flip is the smartphone you’d buy this week in Canada, then go look the Pearl Flip up. The BlackBerry 8220 is going to be shipped to Rogers stores this Wednesday, October 29th. You will get if for $49.99 if you choose a three year contract bundled with a voice and data combo of $35.

We’re not sure if Wednesday is the actual public release day, but if that won’t happen, then check the stores in the following days. The Flip will be there waiting.

I think I like the idea someone working for Virgin Mobile Canada had. The carrier has decided to launch the a new plan called myPair which will get you virtually unlimited voice minutes for you and your favorite loved one. For $50 you get two lines with unlimited local calling between them. 350 shared daytime minutes between them, which isn’t that much but they become unlimited in the evenings and during the weekend.

You can choose other options too. Get myCrew which will get you unlimited talk/text with up to 5 people. myTalk&Text with you unlimited texting and myCalls will get you unlimited incoming calls. The whole thing sounds pretty good so go ahead and check the fine print. Who knows what’s hidden in the closet!

We don’t know if this is accurate or not but it looks like Rogers Wireless has made up its mind on the gadgets it will sell in Canada next year. If you are in Canada for the time being and you are looking for a BlackBerry device, maybe you should wait a while

People say the Curve 8900 will arrive in Q1 2009, the custom-for-Rogers? Storm in Q2, the 9220, Magnum aka the Curve 8900 with 3G in Q3 and the 9900, Pluto aka the Bold with touchscreen. Wow! Now let’s see Rogers confirm it all!

A couple of days ago people said Rogers would be launching the Storm despite the fact the touchscreen doesn’t exactly fit the Canadian network. But Rogers confirmed that the BlackBerry Storm isn’t headed its way. Elizabeth Hamilton, spokesperson for Rogers Wireless said to BGR, the blog that started the whole Rogers Storm thing:

Saw your post and you’re right, the customer service representative made a mistake. As you know, I won’t comment in advance on what our holiday lineup has in store, but I can confirm it does not include the BlackBerry Storm.

So there you have it boys and gals, you’ll have to wait for the Storm a little longer.

Rogers is reported to be looking into the BlackBerry Storm business. Not only to they want it, but they want it badly. The rumor is based on a phone call to a Customer Service Rep who said that a touchscreen Berry is coming to Rogers by Christmas. Despite the fact that the Storm doesn’t have 850/1900 MHz bands of HSDPA? Despite the fact there’s no WiFi? I’d say Rogers should be thinking twice before upsetting its subscribers! Would you get a 3G-less, WiFi-less Berry with a three year contract plan? Yeah you would, but only in Chinese China!

It looks like 3.5G networks are being developed by various carriers out there. Canada’s Telus makes no exception. The company has announced the arrival of their 3.5G HSPA network. It is scheduled to be launch in early 2010. By that time Telus will be working hard on getting it fully functional in Canada.

Telus is going to work side by side with Bell. That two carriers will finish developing the new network faster and cheaper than if they worked alone. Telus is expecting to pay around $750 million for the upgrade in 2009 alone. HSPA in their 3G networks? This piece of news seems more … www.mobilewhack.com/att-to-deploy-3g-before-the-iphone2-gets-released”>HSPA upgrades might cost even more in the years to come. While others are thinking LTE for the future, Telus is going to focus on HSPA. Good or bad decision? We’re going to find out in a little less than two years.

We warned Americans when their Best Buy stores started to sell iPhone 3G and now we have to warn fellow Canadians that their Best Buy has also decided to pick up Apple’s handset.
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We told you earlier how Telus is going to bring the HTC Touch Diamond to Canada right? Well it looks like Rogers has similar plans for its subscribers. The HTC Touch Diamond has been seen in Roger’s internal docs as a “coming soon” device. The device will be available in a GSM version. There’s no news on actual release or pricing but we’ll find out soon. (more…)

Rogers initial plans for the iPhone 3G were sort of lame from the data point of view. They have been corrected as more and more Canadians were expressing their disapproval towards what the carrier came up with. And now a new iPhone plan has been created.
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While Canadians are getting anxious to get a new smartphone it appears that local carrier Rogers has done it again. Last time it was the iPhone and what Rogers did was to offer very limited data plans for a 3G device destined to be used for various data applications.
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Remember those crappy Canadian 3G iPhone plans from Rogers. After weeks of protests, signed online petitions people started talking about how Apple is going to limit iPhone deliveries to Canadian Apple and Rogers stores. That was probably the sparkle that made Rogers rethink their plans.

3G iPhone Canadian customers must be really happy now. Rogers will be offering a promotional 6GB of data for $30 per month. This plan can be added on top of any iPhone plan you would choose. Just make sure you activate a three year plan before August 31st in order to take advantage of this last minute offer.

Rogers has one more surprise for you. They will start iPhone sales at 8AM on Friday in six Rogers Plus stores in major Canadian cities. And there’s free breakfast to be offered too.

With the iPhone physical launch imminent now, carriers around the world have started to roll out their plans and handset prices. We already know what AT&T has in the works for former and future iPhone customers and we tend to compare everything to their offers. We’ve seen carriers around the world coming up with various offers some better than the others.
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If you are in the market for a cell phone with above-average features and a price tag that’s not too much, here’s a deal for you. For just $100 a pop, you will be able to enjoy a 2.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, microSD slot, an mp3 player, and up to four hours of talktime, without the frills of a contract. Now that’s your money’s worth, isn’t it? Better yet, if you live in Canada, look up Fido to get your Nokia 3500 at $90 with a two-year plan and a meager $15 on a three-year tenure.
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That’s right, Apple’s iPhone is arriving in Canada. Who is bringing it? Rogers Communications Inc. is the company that stuck a deal regarding the rights of selling iPhone’s in Canada.

With the much debated second generation 3G iPhone unveiling in June, neither Apple’s nor Roger’s spokes people mention any details of the deal. What we know for now is that Roger Communication Inc. will definitely sell the iPhones. There’s no info on prices, plans, or the actual date the iPhone will enter the Canadian market.

Rogers Communication Inc. are a rapidly growing Toronto based company. It is currently the leading cell phone and wireless service provider as well as an important cable operator. So if you have been waiting the official iPhone Arrival in Canada, you wait is almost over.

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Canadian brewing company Molson is offering and Apple iPhone as a prize for its latest contest which concludes January 4, 2008. The iPhone is being offered by Rogers, the largest telecommunications company in Canada. Rogers only officially starts its iPhone service in January of next year, and values an iPhone unit between $800-$1000 CND. Rogers will be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in Canada; however, with the recent hack of an iPhone by a New Jersey student, iPhones are available in Canada through independent vendors. It should be noted that these vendors are able activate an iPhone with a Rogers account, without Roger’s knowledge or consent.

The ViaMichelin Navigation X-970 mobile GPS device has been approved by the FCC, allowing it to go on sale in the US and elsewhere. The Navigation X-970 has a claimed battery life of about 3 hours and features a hands-free functionality for making calls from your mobile phone which can further reduce the battery life. The device features a touch-screen interface and comes with a cigarette lighter charging cable. The provided SD card comes with maps of the USA and Canada.

Equipped with an SiRF Star III type GPS chip, you can enter your destination for finding the directions or use it in free-flow mode where it simply displays your current position on a map. There’s also a My ViaMichelin function that allows you to transfer your favorite addresses, routes and POIs from www.ViaMichelin.com onto your X-970.

Packaging includes a USB cable, ViaMichelin Navigation DVD, two car-mounting systems (windshield or dashboard use) and a manual. No info on the pricing yet.

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