Prototypes of Apple’s upcoming HDTV are already being tested by multiple potential carrier partners Apple is trying to woo, The Globe and Mail reports. The Canadian paper calls the iTV “a product that has the potential to revolutionize TV viewing by turning conventional televisions into gigantic iPads,” and claims at least two Canadian carriers are currently testing the Apple television in their labs. Apple’s forthcoming iTV can be controlled using voice commands or by making gestures in the air, and it supports Web browsing as well according to the report. Apple is said to be in talks with Canadian carriers Rogers and BCE regarding potential broadcast partnerships in Canada, though the content and terms Apple is seeking are unclear. Apple is expected to launch an iOS-powered HDTV later this year that will replace the conventional remote control with voice commands interpreted by Siri. The iTV may also offer a customized channel subscription model and iOS app support according to earlier rumors.

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Rogers on Monday announced two new LTE devices that will offer even faster speeds than earlier 4G modems on its network. The company will soon launch the Sierra Wireless AirCard 330U LTE Rocket stick as well as the Sierra Wireless AirCard 763S LTE Rocket mobile hotspot. Both devices utilize the 2600MHz spectrum and will offer LTE download speeds of up to 40 Mbps, compared to the 12-25Mbps offered by Rogers’s earlier devices. ”We are thrilled to offer Canada’s fastest LTE devices on Canada’s fastest and largest LTE network,” said Rogers Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer John Boynton. “We were the first to launch an LTE network in Canada and we have invested in the network technology that enables us to keep raising the bar for our customers to experience faster speeds, more devices and more LTE plan options.” Plans for the LTE Rocket stick and mobile hotspot will start at $22.93 per month. Read on for Rogers’s press release.

Rogers to launch Canada’s fastest LTE devices and new price plan options

TORONTO, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – To continue bringing more speed and choice to Canadians, today Rogers Communications announced the addition of two new Long Term Evolution (LTE) devices that will offer the fastest speeds inCanada, as well as more LTE plan options.

Rogers will soon be launching the Sierra Wireless AirCard® 330U model of the LTE Rocket™ stick as well as the Sierra Wireless AirCard® 763S LTE Rocket mobile hotspot which offer maximum theoretical LTE download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. These devices will be the first to support connectivity on both the 1700/2100 MHz and the 2600 MHz spectrum on Rogers LTE network, offering typical LTE download speeds of up to 40 Mbps, compared to 12-25 Mbps for devices using 1700/2100 MHz only.

“We are thrilled to offer Canada’s fastest LTE devices on Canada’s fastest and largest LTE network,” said John Boynton, Rogers Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “We were the first to launch an LTE network in Canada and we have invested in the network technology that enables us to keep raising the bar for our customers to experience faster speeds, more devices and more LTE plan options.”

Rogers will also extend its range of 4G HSPA+ mobile internet plans to LTE models including the Flex Rate plan for Rocket stick and mobile hotspot starting from $22.93 per month and Flex Rate plans for tablets starting from $7.93 per month. Rogers continues to offer the LTE Introductory Plan of $52.93 for 10 GB/month on a three-year-term and plans include no overage fees for the first month.

The new LTE pricing options will be available this week. The Sierra Wireless AirCard® 330U model of the LTE Rocket stick will be in stores in the next few weeks and the Sierra Wireless AirCard® 763S LTE Rocket mobile hotspot will be available this spring. Rogers customers can reserve the new LTE devices online at www.rogers.com/lte.

Rogers was the first to launch an LTE network in Canada, starting in Ottawa last July, followed by Toronto, Montreal andVancouver in September as well as surrounding cities. Rogers will expand to more than 25 additional cities to bring the benefits of LTE to more than half the Canadian population by the end of the year.

Rogers was the first to launch LTE devices in Canada and continues to expand its selection with innovative devices such as the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Note™, an all-in-one LTE tablet and smartphone hybrid. Rogers also carries the Sierra Wireless AirCard® 313U model of LTE Rocket stick, the Sierra Wireless AirCard® 754S model of LTE Rocket mobile hotspot, the Rogers exclusive Samsung Galaxy S II LTE™ smartphone, the HTC Raider™ as well as Canada’s first LTE tablet, the Rogers exclusive, HTC Jetstream™.

The national launch of the LTE network reinforces Rogers proud history of innovative firsts and commitment to investing inCanada’s digital future. Rogers was the first carrier in North America to launch an HSPA+ network and offers Canada’s only coast to coast GSM network. Rogers was the first in the world to launch BlackBerry® devices; and the first in Canada to launch both Android products and the iPhone.

Apple has accused Samsung of copying its designs on a number of occasions. While the foundation for Apple’s accusations is questionable, this is one area where Samsung clearly stole a page right out of Apple’s playbook. BGR reported earlier this week that a passenger aboard a flight in Australia was welcomed to his destination by a spontaneously combusting iPhone 4. Now, just three days later, a user on the xda-developers forum posted images of his friend’s Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, which supposedly exploded in the man’s pocket. “He said he heard a sound, [felt] a burning sensation on his leg and as he pulled this piece of junk out of his pocket he smelled burning,” the forum user wrote. “There was smoke coming out of his pocket and out of the phone.” It does not appear that the man was injured by the smoldering smartphone. Additional images of the fried Galaxy S II Skyrocket follow below.

Thanks, Scott M.

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Following widespread complaints of excessive battery drain thought to be related to a time zone bug, iPhone 4S owners are now beginning to draw attention to a new iPhone bug. According to multiple threads on Apple’s support forum, hundreds of iPhone 4S users are experiencing an audio echo during voice calls when using a wired headset. Users across multiple wireless carriers with various iPhone 4S models report that audio quality on voice calls often depletes after a period of time, and the voice of the caller on the other end of the line begins to echo. BGR was able to independently confirm the echo bug on one of our iPhone 4S handsets. Read on for more.

“When using the Apple hands free headset with the phone during a call, I get an echo problem,” one iPhone 4S owner wrote in a thread on Apple’s support forum. “It does not occur immediately. It can vary from 30 seconds into a call and as far up to 9 mins in before it begins the annoying echo. If I unplug the headset it goes away but will return when I plug the headset back in.”

Multiple readers have contacted BGR via email complaining of the issue as well, which we then tested and confirmed. During our independent testing, we typically found that an echo developed between one and four minutes after starting a call, though some users report that voice calls remain echo-free for up to 12 minutes. We also found that the bug occurs while using Apple-branded wired headsets and third-party headsets alike.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Multiple iPhone owners across a number of forum threads have determined that a simple interim fix for the bug is to enable the handset’s speakerphone during a call once the audio begins to echo, and then to disable it. This effectively restarts the cycle, and call quality will return to normal for a period of time before the echo returns.

Research In Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie revealed on the company’s second-quarter earnings call that RIM would soon be dropping prices on its BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. While the new price points have not yet been disclosed, it looks like the first move in carriers’ efforts to clear their shelves actually started this past Tuesday. Long-time RIM comrade Rogers has launched an internal sale on each of RIM’s three PlayBook models, and company employees are now able to purchase the slate at discounts of up to 50% off. Normally $499.99, the 16GB BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is now just $249, the 32GB model drops to $349 from $599.99, and the high-end 64GB PlayBook drops to $399 from its normal $699.99 price tag. While it is unclear what RIM plans to charge end users for the PlayBook moving forward, these prices could give us an idea of what’s in store. A link to a larger version of the image of Rogers’ PlayBook sale page follows below.

Note that all prices are in CAD.

(click to enlarge)

During a press event in New York City on Wednesday night we met up with Research In Motion to check out the BlackBerry Curve 9360, the latest of its BlackBerry OS 7 devices. Unlike the Torch 9850/9860 and the Bold 9900, the Curve 9360 does not offer a touchscreen display. This wasn’t a deal breaker, though, as it was one of the nicest Curve models we’ve seen to date. The 9360, which had Rogers branding, had the same top-notch keyboard as the Curves that came before it, although we prefer the Bold 9900 keyboard just a bit more. The interface felt rather smooth but we’re still not excited about the lackluster operating system. Sprint has announced that it will carry the device in the U.S. for $49.99 on contract, but it recently bumped the launch date from September 9th to sometime in October for unknown reasons. Our DSLR was on the fritz so we had to use a good old point-and-shoot, but nonetheless, be sure to check out the full gallery below.

On Thursday, Rogers and Ericsson officially activated the first Canadian 4G LTE network in Ottawa. “This network will power the next generation of innovative products and services in ways we’ve never seen before,” Rob Bruce, Rogers’ president of communications said. “[It] will be the backbone of Canada’s digital economy as we continue to move from a wired to a wireless world. We’re thrilled to welcome Ottawa — and Canada — to the future of the fast.” Rogers currently does not offer any 4G LTE smartphones but it is expected to launch devices from HTC and Samsung later this year, Toronto Sun reported. Rogers also said it will roll out its 4G LTE network to a total of 21 markets in 2012, starting with Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver this fall.

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Launching new products is always difficult. Launching new products with hundreds of different carriers is exponentially more difficult. Apparently there is an easy way and a hard way to do things, however, and RIM has been making carriers offers they can’t refuse. BGR has learned from a trusted source that RIM has been strong-arming several carriers, essentially forcing them to approve devices they normally would not move through the Technical Acceptance phase.

Here is how it works: once an OS software build (bundle) has been tested internally at RIM, and the OS performs well, it moves up to be a Technical Acceptance candidate. The OS is then sent to the carrier to test and approve, or test and reject. If a carrier rejects a build, it can take weeks to get a new build tested and approved, and it can slow down a device’s release by months — as evidenced many times with different BlackBerry products in the past.

What’s the problem, then? We have been informed by a very reliable source at a major carrier that RIM has been putting an enormous amount of pressure on carriers to approve the upcoming BlackBerry smartphones like the BlackBerry Bold 9900 — phones that have to hold RIM over until its next-generation platform launch in 2012 — and that certain carriers will be approving the devices, “no matter what — with bugs and problems.”  Additionally, RIM is putting huge pressure on its internal engineers to deliver Technical Acceptance bundles even when there are serious problems with the OS. In short, RIM is pushing unfinished OS builds from its engineers to the carriers, and demanding that the carriers approve them.

The thing is, this isn’t something new, and it’s part of the reason your BlackBerry is so buggy, reboots randomly, and there are possible signal and connection issues. There have been multiple devices, we have been told, that have been forced through the Technical Acceptance process with multiple carriers, and it’s one of the reasons some carriers launch devices sooner than others (barring any exclusivity arrangements) — some play ball but others won’t. Remember how Rogers was one of the first carriers to launch the BlackBerry Bold 9000 while AT&T didn’t launch the device until November? The device constantly failed Technical Acceptance on AT&T, but Rogers pushed the device out anyway as a result of pressure from RIM. And Rogers is most certainly not the only carrier that has found itself in that position.

Spokespeople from RIM and Rogers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An AT&T spokesperson declined to comment.

LG and Rogers on Tuesday announced the release of LG’s Optimus Pad in Canada. Available for $449.99 CAD with a three-year data contract, $649.99 CAD on a month-to-month data plan or $699.99 CAD free and clear, the Optimus Pad features an 8.9-inch display, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra 2 processor and three cameras — one on the front for video chat and dual cameras on the back for 3D video recording. BGR reviewed the LG Optimus Pad last month, rebranded as the T-Mobile G-Slate, and we were very impressed with the hardware. We thought Google’s first version of Honeycomb left a lot to be desired though, and the overall design seemed a bit dated and juvenile. Android fans north of the border waiting to get their hands on a tablet should definitely spend some time with the device, however. Hit the break for the full press release.

LG OPTIMUS PAD ­ SETING NEW STANDARDS SO CANADIANS CAN WORK HARD AND PLAY HARD

The 4G Android 3.0 Honeycomb Tablet Brings Media to Life with 3D and HD Capture, Viewing and Sharing

Toronto, May 17, 2011 ­ LG is bringing media to life with the release of the Optimus Pad in Canada – the latest in tablet technology with a dual-core processor. With diverse multimedia and productivity features, the LG Optimus Pad features a unique 8.9-inch display for one-handed portability and uncompromising viewability, a variation from the 7 and 10 inch screens in market.

The LG Optimus Pad is powered by Google¹s Android 3.0 Honeycomb platform and the NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile processor. The world¹s first tablet with a 3D camera, the LG Optimus Pad wraps users in an immersive multimedia environment with Full HD 1080p decoding.³

We are thrilled to set a new standard for tablets in the Canadian market with the launch of the Optimus Pad,² said Frank Lee, Senior Marketing Manager, LG Electronics Canada.³ Canadians are looking for exciting innovation with versatility for work and play and the Optimus Pad achieves the right blend of portability and viewability with no performance compromises.²

The LG Optimus Pad will be available in Canada exclusively through Rogers Communications.  It will be available with select three-year data plans at $449.99, a month-to-month plan for $649.99 or as a standalone purchase for $699.99.

Easy Portability, Ideal Viewability

Sized at 8.9-inch diagonally and 149.4-mm horizontally, the LG Optimus Pad offers a sensible solution to other tablets on the market that are either too large for comfortable portability or too small for ideal viewing. The conveniently-sized LG Optimus Pad fits comfortably in one hand, goes anywhere and slips easily into purses and slim briefcases. With 15:9 aspect ratio, the LG Optimus Pad allows users access to the full range of applications in Android Market and its 1280 x 768 WXGA resolution vividly displays multimedia content in full widescreen format.

Powerful, Fast and Versatile Platform

The LG Optimus Pad is powered by Android 3.0, Google¹s latest platform optimized for tablets which supports larger display resolutions and applications specifically designed for tablets, including Google eBooks, Google Maps 5, Google Talk, Rogers urMusic, Rogers On Demand Online and the Macleans and Sportsnet widgets. Android 3.0 also makes the LG Optimus Pad easy to use with a more intuitive PC-like interface. The LG Optimus Pad fully utilizes the 1 GHz Dual Core CPU of NVIDIA Tegra 2 to deliver lag-free web browsing and quick app start up. The superb graphics and multitasking capabilities of NVIDIA Tegra 2 enables the LG Optimus Pad to run multiple apps simultaneously and handle rich multimedia with ease.

Haven for Multimedia Enthusiasts

As the world¹s first tablet equipped with a 3D camera, users can capture vivid images and video with the LG Optimus Pad for viewing on 3D TVs using HDMI or on the web via YouTube 3D. Business users will also appreciate the built-in videocalling feature. With 1080p Full HD decoding, movie enthusiasts can transfer high quality content to their TVs without any loss in picture quality. Serious and casual gamers alike will delight in the wide collection of console-quality games available through the Tegra Zone app that runs seamlessly on the LG Optimus Pad.

One of our illusive ninjas from the North has just informed us that Canada’s largest wireless provider, Rogers, will begin carrying Dell’s Venue Pro sometime next month. For those in need of a quick refresher: the Venue Pro is a full-QWERTY, portrait slider running Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 operating system on a 4.1-inch AMOLED display. No word on what the VP will cost with and without subsidies, but we’ll keep digging and let you know if we come up with anything.

]]> http://www.bgr.com/2011/02/01/rogers-wireless-will-add-dell-venue-pro-to-handset-lineup-in-march/feed/ 7 http://www-bgr-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Rogers-Dell-Venue-Pro-80x80.jpg http://www.bgr.com/2010/12/28/htc%e2%80%99s-desire-hd-gets-fcc-nod-with-north-american-3g-bands-coming-to-telus/ http://www.bgr.com/2010/12/28/htc%e2%80%99s-desire-hd-gets-fcc-nod-with-north-american-3g-bands-coming-to-telus/#comments Tue, 28 Dec 2010 23:59:39 +0000 Andrew Munchbach http://www.bgr.com/?p=70682

Earlier today, HTC’s Desire HD crossed the FCC’s desk with a welcomed surprise, North American 3G bands. The 4.3-inch device — which boasts a 1GHz processor, 720p video recording, Android 2.2, and much more — is rocking WCDMA bands II and V, which makes AT&T, Bell, Telus, and Rogers all potential suitors.

Shortly after the news broke, a trusted BGR source came forward and stated that the device will definitely be hitting Canadian carrier Telus — an assertion blog Engadget also echoed. Our source indicated that they have physically seen a Telus branded Desire HD, running on Telus’ network, in the hands of a company representative. No word on when we could see this device officially come to market, but we’ll keep digging.

We’re happy for Telus customers and all, but wouldn’t this thing look extra sexy with a Death Star logo on it?

[Via Engadget]

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Ahoy there Canadian readers! Dreaming of a Torch-white Christmas? Your friends at Rogers Wireless were kind enough to provide your pals at BGR with one albino BlackBerry Torch to giveaway to you, our beloved readers from up north.

As most of you know, the Torch is RIM’s first touchscreen BlackBerry to also feature a full-QWERTY keyboard — the device also boasts a 5 megapixel camera, 512MB of RAM, and BlackBerry 6. So, how do you win yourself this BlackBerry Torch? Simple:

• To enter, drop a comment below letting us know why you want need this device.
• Follow us on Twitter and/or Facebook (optional but it can’t hurt your chances).
• The giveaway will run until December 31, 2010 at 11:59PM ET.
• You must be a Canadian resident, 18 years of age or older.
• Please comment once and only once. Multiple comments will result in an instant disqualification.

Good luck, and thanks again to Rogers for providing us with the goods!

UPDATE: Congrats to our winner David M., and thanks to all those who entered!

Dell is having a hard time getting its T-Mobile compliant Windows Phone 7 handset — the Venue Pro – shipped in time for the holidays, but that hasn’t stopped the company from sending at second iteration of the device to the FCC for approval. A Venue Pro sporting WCDMA bands II and V — AT&T’s 850MHz and 1900MHz 3G bands — has crossed the government agency’s desk. If you’re an AT&T, Bell, Rogers, or Telus customer, and fancy the vertical-sliding device, this is encouraging news. While FCC approval doesn’t guarantee a release, it is certainly a step in the right direction. Any customers of the aforementioned carriers interested in the Venue Pro?

[Via Engadget]

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Last week, we told you about Canada’s Competition Bureau slapping Rogers Wireless with a $10 million fine for inaccurate statements it made while advertising for its pre-paid wireless arm chatr. Unsurprisingly, the folks at Rogers have released a retaliatory statement vowing to “vigorously defend” itself and its statements in court:

Rogers Communications commented today on the actions of the Competition Bureau regarding chatr wireless. “We’re surprised by the actions of the Competition Bureau,” said Ken Engelhart, Senior Vice President of Regulatory, Rogers Communications. “We have extensive, independent third party testing to validate our claims and we stand by our advertising. We will vigorously defend this action in court.”

“We’ve completed extensive testing in coverage areas across the country and there’s no question that the testing validates the advertising in market,” said Todd Stone, President & CEO, Score Technologies.

Score Technologies is an independent third party organization that specializes in network testing for leading wireless carriers across North America.

We’ll keep you updated on any additional developments that come out of Canada.

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Canadian wireless carrier Rogers may face a $10 million fine for misleading advertising claims made against its competitors. The Canadian Competition Bureau is looking to levy the penalty for Rogers’ assertion that its pre-paid wireless arm — Chatr  Wireless — has “fewer dropped calls than new wireless carriers” such as Wind Mobile. The Competition Bureau reports that there was “no discernible difference in dropped call rates between Rogers/Chatr and new entrants.” According to the report, the Bureau is asking Ontario’s superior court to order Rogers Wireless to pay the $10 million fine and issue a letter of retraction.

We do wonder what the Canadian Competition Bureau would think about AT&T’s fastest 3G network, Verizon’s most reliable 3G network, T-Mobile’s largest 4G network, and Sprint’s now network claims.

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