Did we nail it or what? Today Rogers announced the creation of chatr, the low-cost wireless brand we exclusively told you about last week. Created to serve what Rogers calls a “niche” market that is not currently served by its flagship and value brands Rogers Wireless and Fido, chatr will offer no contract voice and text plans as well as unlimited talk and text plans. Data is not a part of chatr’s game plan. According to Rogers, the big draw of chatr is not only its great plans, but that for the first time it gives urbanites who simply want to make calls and send texts affordable service from a “network they can trust.” We were pretty curious about the timing of this launch, what with WIND Mobile now being half a year old and Mobilicity having only been on the scene for six weeks, so we asked Rogers about it. Surprisingly, they were adamant that they could not care less what their competitors are doing or where it is they are operating. They were quick to point out that chatr has been one year in the making and that it actually designed to mimic business model that allowed MetroPCS to go from a small time carrier to the 5th largest in the United States. Sadly this was about as much extra information as we could squeeze out of Rogers. As much as they want to get chatr up and running today, they’ve still got a few more things to do behind the scenes before it launches by the end of summer. This means that they can’t get into specifics about when the network will launch. But as we have said before, thanks to our connects we know that Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, and Ottawa are a lock. Anyone planning to wait with baited breath?

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We assure you that we’re not trying to stir up rumors with this one, but we’re starting to get the feeling that the Canadian launch of the iPhone 4 might have been pushed back. While checking out Apple’s Canadian website earlier on in the day, we couldn’t help but notice that “Coming in July” had been replaced with “Coming Soon.” There’s no way that Apple would change that unless something was up, and when you take into consideration the insane amount of pre-orders Apple received in the US alone, one’s mind does start to put one and two together. Keep in mind that Canada wasn’t deemed worthy to share a June 24th launch with the US, UK, Germany, France, and Japan. If you were Apple and your product was selling faster than you could make it, would you piss off everyone who put in a pre-order to sell a few units in a market that hasn’t been told a specific release date or been given the opportunity to buy the thing, or would you do your best to fulfill every outstanding order? It’s also interesting to note that the exact same thing happened to the iPad, and we all know how that turned out.

We’ve reached out to Apple Canada for comment.

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We interrupt our regular programming to bring you this late breaking bulleting: Fido will be launching the LG Gossip on June 1st. One of those quick messaging devices the kids are always going on about, the Gossip will retail for $90 off-contract/pre-paidand $0 on a 2-year deal. It’s definitely not an expensive phone, and for that reason the noteable specs are as follows: full-QWERTY keypad, 2.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1, FM radio, 3.5mm headphone jack and quad-band EDGE. Sure, the lack of 3G kind of really sucks, but let’s be honest here… Anyone that has a desire to browse the web on a 2.4″ QVGA display needs to have their head checked. Fast. Hit up the jump for proof of pricing.

Thanks, anonymous!

With the iPad’s Canadian launch delayed until the end of May, we thought we’d give those with glowing hearts who made the trek into the home of the brave a hand in getting their new gadget up and running on one of Canada’s four HSPA+ carriers. A lot of people have written in and put in requests for help — and with the dollar basically on par we’re sure that we’re going to get even more before the official Canadian launch — so we thought we’d do our part and help out our early adopting friends in the Great White North. Getting the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G up and running in Canada is as easy 1, 2, 3. As always, the nitty gritty is after the jump.

Firs off, you’ll need to cut your SIM card to the dimensions of a Micro SIM. It sounds scary, but trust us when we say it’s super simple (provided your mom hasn’t forbidden you from playing with sharp objects). Once you’re done doing that, toss your modified Canadian SIM into the Micro SIM tray and boot up your iPad.

Now make your way on over to Settings > Cellular Data and turn Cellular Data to “On”. After about 10 seconds you should be connected to your poison wireless carrier of choice.

Now go to Settings > Cellular Data and click on APN Settings. Depending on which carrier you have a data plan with, you’ll need to enter in something different. Here are the APN settings you’ll need to enter for each carrier (remember to leave the Username and Password fields blank!):

Bell

APN: pda2.bell.ca

Fido

APN: fido-core.appl1.apn

Rogers

APN: rogers-core-appl1.apn

TELUS

APN: sp.telus.com

Guess what? You’re now good to roll in a pretty exclusive club. Just make sure not to look like too much of a tool using your iPad in coffee shops, book stores, at the pub, in line at the pharmacy, etc., etc., okay?

It looks like Fido’s corporate security team isn’t having its best month because someone aptly nicknamed “FidoMarketing” has leaked the details of its Q2 handset and price plans. There’s not a heck of a lot of exciting things here, although the BlackBerry Pearl 9100 is listed and is apparently coming very soon:

• BlackBerry Pearl 9100 – May 4th
• LG GW300 – April 13th
• Nokia 3710 – May 18th
• Nokia X3 – May 18th
• Novatel Wireless MC988DF – May (singled out for being 28.8Mbps, a sign of things to come to Fido/Rogers no doubt)
• Sony Ericsson Aspen – June

In terms of plans, Fido is still struggling to find its identity. It has really cheap handsets, yet the plans that go along with them are pretty mediocre for Canadian standards. FidoUNO, Fido’s UMA service, will be decommissioned as of June 1st, but a new CarryOver Minutes plan (not available to City Fido or corporate customers) will be introduced which allows one to accumulate rollover minutes over 6 moths. Data plans will also get a bit of a change with news plans with the introduction of Wireless Internet Options. Basically what it all boils down to according to the documents is this:

• $15 – Unlimited Email and IM
• $15 – 100MB/100MB BIS
• $25 – 500MB/500MB BIS
• $30 – 1GB/1GB BIS
• $40 – 2GB/2GB BIS
• $40 – 3GB
• $50 – 5GB
• $50 – 15GB [sic]
• $80 – 8GB
• $150 – 15GB

Be honest, people. What are you thinking?

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Google finally jumped over whatever hurdles were holding it back from offering paid apps in the Canadian Android Market, as all of a sudden, they just started showing up on some Canadian devices. Sadly, however, it seems the love is not being evenly distributed as the majority of the Bell and TELUS customers we spoke to have not yet had paid apps show up on their end. Nonetheless, we have verified with customers of both Rogers and Fido that they have been able to purchase paid apps using carrier locked and unlocked devices meaning that the long overdue roll out has finally gotten underway.

Bell and TELUS: What’s the dealio?

Thanks, LG!

Hear that noise? That’s Fido saying goodbye to 2006 and hello to… 2009? Fido has finally caved in and introduced a modern-ish BlackBerry with today’s release of the Curve 8520. Attractively priced at $50 with a 3-year voice and data contract, the 8520 is also available to pre-paid customers for the one-time cost of $400. Throw in a CityFido plan and data add-on and you really can’t argue against this device if you’re in the market for an affordable smartphone. You know, unless you care about 3G.

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Canadians with a serious need for speed might want to pack their bags and move to one of Canada’s five largest cities — Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal — as today Rogers announced that its 21Mbps HSPA+ network upgrade has gone live and is ripe for the picking. Almost. No current Rogers handsets are capable of reaching such speeds, but if mobile internet is something you’re absolutely smitten with then you should definitely consider pre-ordering the new 21Mbps HSPA+ Mobile Internet Rocket Stick. It starts off at $79.99 on contract (which is $79.99 more than Rogers’ current Rocket Stick offerings), but c’mon; not owning the latest and greatest gear flies straight in the face of what we here at BGR are all about. As for the general benefits for current 3G handset owners, the upgrade also comes with an overhaul of the network’s backend, meaning more people should be able to simultaneously use data without making the network come to a screeching halt.

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A day we thought would never come is upon us as the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, whose members include all of the major Canadian telcos and their subsidiaries (including all new entrants other than DAVE Wireless), have agreed to a code of conduct that benefits not themselves but their customers. Just like in the US, Canadians will now be able to walk away from their contracts penalty free if a carrier makes material changes to the terms of the contract. If the customer doesn’t wish to leave their carrier, he or she will have the option of staying on board at a grandfathered rate. Other new rules state that charges and contracts must be more clearly explained, privacy must be more fiercely protected (remember a few years ago when hundreds of pages of Rogers subscribers’ personal information were found in a dumpster?) and customer service must, well, be of service. All in all the new rules sound amazing, but only time will tell whether or not they actually have an impact on the Canadian wireless market.

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We here at BGR know how difficult it’s been for Canadians to secure an iPhone 3GS due to low levels of inventory, so we thought we’d pass along some good news for those of you who are still waiting. The discount promotions for original Rogers/Fido iPhone 3G owners as well as the 6GB/$30 data plan has been extended. The details are exactly the same as they were the first time around except now the entire deal stays alive through September 15th. For those of you who are still waiting on your iPhone 3GS, it shouldn’t be much longer now. We’ve been told that stock levels are rising and everyone should be taken care of ASAP.

Do you see anyone you know standing in that line? Today is the day to pack up your toys, gadgets and snacks, and head out to Apple/AT&T/Rogers/Fido/Carphone Warehouse or wherever else if you didn’t order your iPhone online to be shipped. After all, it’s either lines today or a test of patience down the road. Be sure you are well prepared and are up to date on pricing and details on grabbing your iPhone; we wouldn’t want to see anyone turned away after spending an entire morning or afternoon (or both) braving the elements, wherever you are. After all the pics and updates we’ve given you, everything has finally culminated to this moment. Let us know what lines in your area are like — if there even are lines in your area — and how easy or difficult it was to leave the store with your shiny, new iPhone 3G S in hand!

Over the past few weeks we at BGR have been pestering the folks at Rogers and Fido for information on their iPhone 3G S pricing and policies. Well guess what — they’ve just given us the goods. Hit the jump, because we’re pretty damn sure that you’ll like what you see.

There has been a lot of excitement around the new iPhone 3G S and we wanted to recognize the early adopters who helped make the iPhone the hottest-selling handset in Canadian wireless history. We will be discounting the price of the iPhone 3G S by between $250 and $500 to provide savings to many of our iPhone customers.

What this means is that eligible iPhone owners can acquire the iPhone 16GB 3G S for as low as $199 or the 32GB for as low as $299 until July 31, 2009.

For Fido customers, we’re offering the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion. This enables iPhone customers to redeem FidoDollars towards a new iPhone 3G S with an additional $100 top-up from Fido.

For customers who don’t qualify for these extra savings, we are pleased to offer Rogers Wireless customers the iPhone at our cost on rogers.com. This cost – $580 for the iPhone 3G, $680 for the iPhone 3G S 16GB and $780 for the iPhone 3G S 32GB – represents the price we pay for the device plus a nominal fee for the SIM card. Customers can access these devices at retail locations for just $19 more for the three devices.

We’re also happy to announce that Rogers and Fido are extending the 6GB/$30 data promotion until July 31. This offer is valid for customers on a new or existing iPhone plan or customers buying an Android-powered HTC Magic or HTC Dream.

Five ways to save

1) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone 3G between July 11 and Sept. 30, 2008, and with an average monthly spend of at least $100, Rogers will provide $500 off the cost of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

·      16GB 3GS $199
·      32GB 3GS $299

2) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone between July 11 and Dec. 31, 2008, but aren’t eligible for the above offer, Rogers will provide $250 dollars off the purchase of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires July 31, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

·      16GB 3GS $449
·      32GB 3GS $549

3) All Rogers Wireless customers can upgrade to the iPhone 3GS at our cost at Rogers.com, or for a suggested retail price of just $19 more than our cost through our retail channels.

·      8GB 3G $580/$599
·      16GB 3GS $680/$699
·      32GB 3GS $780/$799

4) Fido customers can take advantage of the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion:
·      Use FidoDollars towards the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S
·      Fido will top up the FidoDollars amount by $100
·      This promotion does not include an extension or renewal of their service agreement.

5) New and existing iPhone customers can take advantage of a limited-time promotion of 6GB of data for $30, now extended until July 31. Other Rogers and Fido data plans will remain the same, including the only national standalone data plan at $25 per month for 500 MB. We know that this is the right plan for most Canadians – 93 per cent of current iPhone customers on a data plan use less than 500 MB of data per month.

Quite a few people were outraged by the $699 and $799 no-contract prices we listed for perspective iPhone 3G S buyers on Rogers and Fido, and understandably so. Some questioned whether or not pricing would be the same directly from Apple and Rogers/Fido however, and thanks to some fine-print on Apple.ca we have been able to confirm that the 16GB iPhone 3G S will go for $699 and the 32GB model will go for $799 — identical to Best Buy Mobile’s pricing:

For non-qualified customers, including existing Rogers or Fido customers who want to upgrade from another phone or replace an iPhone3G, the pricing without a new agreement is $599(8GB), $699(16GB), or $799(32GB).

Also of note is the fact that the nine Apple Stores in Canada will themselves be selling the entire iPhone line up, something they did not do with the iPhone 3G. Hit the jump for a screenshot of Apple’s terms.

UPDATE (rev 2): It looks like both Fido and Rogers will be doing their best to not sell the iPhone 3G S at no-contract pricing at launch. To be clear, Fido and Rogers’ official position is that the 3G S will be available off contract, but we’re hearing differently from our ninjas. At least preliminarily, they’d MUCH rather sell 3G S units tied to contracts.

When Apple announced the upcoming iPhone 3G S earlier this month, we posted a quick little synopsis of info available to would-be 3G S owners up in Canada. Our Canadian readers thanked us, and then promptly threatened violence lest we do everything in our power to dig up contract-free pricing on Apple’s new kit. Not wanting to anger the Canadian people we got to digging and thankfully, one of our ninjas just came through with some tasty screen shots from Best Buy. According to the major retailer’s inventory system, Rogers and Fido customers are looking at no-contract pricing of $799.99 for the 32GB version and $699.99 for the 16GB version. A bargain at twice the price… Umm, or something like that. Hit the jump for screenshots of the Rogers 16GB iPhone 3G S in Best Buy’s inventory (32GB is above) along with the 16GB and 32GB models from Fido.

Okay, listen up. There’s a ton of Canadian BGR readers out there so we’re going to spend a moment letting you know what the real story is with the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S in the Great White North. Both Rogers and Fido will be carrying the new iPhone 3G S and just like in the US, it will be available as of June 19th — same pricing, too — the 16GB model going for $199 and the 32GB model going for $299. On the same day, the price of the iPhone 3G 8GB will drop to $99. Furthermore, the 6GB/$30 iPhone data promo will be back in full force (albeit for an unspecified limited time). iPhone users can tether as well, provided their plan offers 1GB or more of data which is fair enough because if you’re still on the 500MB plan as of today, you’re pretty much a sucker (we kid, sort of). As for MMS, a new iPhone value pack has the feature covered and will be offered when OS 3.0 launches on June 17th. This brings us to perhaps the best news — if you already have an iPhone 3G from Rogers or Fido and are not eligible for an HUP to snag an iPhone 3G S, you will be able to purchase one with no-contract pricing.

Happy, Canada?