First Android Phone Lands on Earth

The first mobile phone to operate using Google's Android open platform will soon be available to T-Mobile customers in the U.S., after which it will touch down in the U.K. and then across Europe. Called the G1, the phone sounds like a mix of the iPhone and BlackBerry Bold, with a dash of Nokia N95 and Sony Ericsson K850 thrown in for good measure. What I mean is that it loooks to incorporate many of the best features of these phones to create a (hopefully) really, really cool product.

First, there's the touch-screen interface that slides down to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. This is combined with a BlackBerry-like trackball as an alternative means of operation. To zoom into a Web page, tap the screen (similar to the "pinch" function with the iPhone). One set-back I've noticed with the Bold is that, when I'm surfing a Web page, I'm forced to close it down to go back and check newly received e-mails. With the G1, you can easily go back and forth between Websites and e-mails.

Like both the iPhone and Bold, the G1 operates on the 3G network, and also integrates WiFi access. If you want to access e-mail, the device syncs seamlessly with Gmail, plus most other POP3 or IMAP accounts. To boot, it also boasts other Google favourites, like Maps, Street View, Gmail, and YouTube. A really cool feature: there's a built-in compass that will let you view locations at 360-degrees around you by just moving the phone in your hand.

The integrated digital camera is a step above the standard camera phones at a moderate (but certainly not industry-leading) 3 MP. Music playback and purchase is also an important facet of the phone experience. Using a new application developed by Amazon.com, customers can search, purchase and download from more than six-million DRM-free tunes.

Android is built around an open source platform, which means that pretty much anyone can develop an "app" for an Android phone that can then be downloaded to the device. The best part, however, is that Google will be offering Android to participating phone manufacturers for free. In addition to HTC, these currently include Motorola Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., and LG Electronics Inc.; as well as Texas Instruments. At launch, apps will include one designed for comparative shopping (ShopSavvy), and another that tracks daily behaviours in order to help users become more environmentally-conscious.

While Canada isn't on the list of companies to initially see this phone, I'm hopeful that it will eventually come here. It will sell in the U.S. for $179 with a two-year voice and data agreement starting October 22.

Could the device blow the iPhone out of the water? Who knows. But judging from the basic specs and design description, I'd say it has a pretty good chance.

Rogers Wireless Extends $30/6 GB Plan-UPDATED!

Not surprisingly, Rogers Wireless has reportedly extended its $30/mo. for 6 GBs of data usage 3G cell phone plan to accomodate buyers of the just-announced BlackBerry Bold. The plan, which was initially announced as a promotion the day before the highly-coveted iPhone was released, was also made available to customers buying any 3G device on the Rogers or Fido network.

Rogers says that, after monitoring customer usage, very few people have even come close to the 6 GBs worth of usage. I'd tend to agree, knowing that, after almost a month of heavy data usage with the iPhone 3G, I barely managed to cracked 2 GBs.

The promotional $30 plan will now run until the end of September instead of the end of August, so Bold buyers need not worry about joining the line-ups of back-to-school last-minute shoppers just so they can get the extra GBs worth of surfing. From October on, Rogers will supposedly add new plan options that include 500 MB of data for $25/mo. or 1 GB for $30/mo. An idea I had alluded to months ago has also been adopted by Rogers: the company will be offering unlimited data for the first three months of certain plans so that customers can observe average usage and adjust the plan accordingly if needed. I have to give credit where it's due, and this is a very smart move on Rogers' part.

Existing Rogers customers looking to upgrade to a new 3G device like the iPhone or Bold should keep in mind that the purchase price of the actual phone will vary depending on where you are in your current contract. For example, a colleague of mine who's in the third year of his current contract was told that he could get the Bold for $444: slightly more expensive than the$399 price tag given to new customers.

It seems like Rogers dodged a bullet on the issue of unlimited data for now. But data usage will become even more intense. Networks are getting faster (I'm blown away by how quickly a web page can load on the BlackBerry Bold!), and people will begin to adopt new on-the-go activities, like video streaming. It might take a few years, but we'll probably hear cries for unlimited plans once again; and hopefully carriers will oblige.

UPDATES:

Here's a full list of new BlackBerry data plans to be offered by Rogers Wireless starting October 1, 2008:

$15/mo. = 2 MB of data (such a plan doesn't currently exist)

$25/mo. = 500 MB of data (used to include just 4 MB)

$30/mo. = 1 GB of data (currently the 6 GB promotional plan)

$50/mo. = 2 GB of data (currently not available)

$60/mo. = 3 GB of data (currently not available)

$80/mo. = 8 GB of data (currently not available)

$100/mo. = will not be available. Rogers previously offered 1 GB and then 6 GB for this amount, but will not be offering a $100 plan going forward.

iPhone is Here, Hundreds Line up, Now Can We Get on With Life?

It seems like all we've been hearing about for the past few weeks is iPhone, iPhone, iPhone. The device has finally made its way to Canadian stores today. In Toronto, hundreds lined up outside the Dundas St. store on the corner of Yonge & Dundas in the pouring rain just to have the chance to fork out at least $200 for the device, plus $30/mo. in data (in addition to the price of a voice plan) for the next three years. (see related story) Is it all worth it?

Whether the iPhone is a fantastic phone or not, why wait in line for hours upon hours (some were even waiting since last night!) to give someone your money for anything much less a phone? Of course, as with anything, it's mostly for the prestige and honour of being one of the first to own it. Keep in mind, people, that your 15-minutes dies out pretty quick.

Either way, it would have been a shame not to see all the hoopla. I strolled down to Yonge & Dundas this morning not really knowing what to expect. I was pretty confident there'd be a long line, but a small part of me was dreading a ghost town, especially in light of the severe consumer backlash against the data pricing for the phone, and the 3-year term requirement. Part of me even thought I might see protesters outside! But alas, there were plenty of happy faces, not an ounce of negativity, and tons of red shopping bags leaving the store. Sadly for many, there were likely more people in line than the store had iPhones (one spokesperson told me the location probably had about 100 devices vs. 300 people!) So I wasn't surprised to see the long tail-end of the line having disappeared by the time I left at about 9 a.m.

I left the store with one question on my mind: what happened to all those angry people that spoke out with detailed comments online about how they'd never buy one, they'd cancel their contract, and how they were going to buy an iPhone, but not anymore. Judging from the line in Toronto (and reported lines elsewhere in Canada), it looks like the dedicated Apple fans outnumber the naysayers. One customer I spoke with even revealed that he bought the device simply because he is an Apple fan, and owns all their products.

If Apple can calm even the wrath of angry Canadian cell phone customers (and believe you me, they are angry!), there's no telling what else the company can do!

See video footage from the launch event on our sister Website.

Canadians Petition iPhone Pricing with RuinediPhone Website-UPDATED!

There's no denying that Canadians are passionately angry about mobile phone data plan pricing in Canada. This issue has heated up to a blazing degree since the announcement of the iPhone and, most recently, new data plans for the device. In fact, things have gotten so hot that consumers have created their own protest Website at http://www.ruinediphone.com/ (do you think the site address gets their point across?) that's petitioning for Rogers to create more suitable plans for the device. Currently, more than 25,000 Canadians have signed the electronic petition, and several news report claim that many plan to congregate outside of the Rogers office to present the signed document.

Unknowingly making the situation worse is AT&T's announcement that the carrier will allow U.S. customers to purchase the 3G iPhone on its own...eventually. Sure, AT&T won't do so at launch, but the carrier giving customers a head's up on this small fact just adds salt to the wounds of Canadian cell phone users. Add to this the fact that U.S. customers can buy the device by signing up for a two-year plan rather than three years like in Canada, and you have the recipe for a lot of pissed off people.

A spokesperson for Rogers Wireless pointed out to me that, while the new pricing plans, which range from $60 to $115 per month, will be available to iPhone 3G users, customers don't have to sign up for one of those. They can still use most other previously existing plans provided that they renew or sign on for 3-years. As for their eligibility to upgrade to the iPhone, this all depends on where they are in their current contract.

"Customers do not need to take the value packs, and can order most other features a la carte, such as $7 for Caller ID," explained the Rogers spokesperson. "Any customer with a monthly service fee that is over $30 can upgrade to an iPhone 3G at $199 (for the 8GB model)."

In alluding to the absence of an unlimited data plan (the highest amount of data supplied is 2 GB for $115/mo.), the spokesperson said that "Rogers believes that unlimited data plans may well charge customers for more than they are using." Indeed, that's true. But I'd argue that anyone purchasing an iPhone is probably a heavy data user: why else would you want a highly-intuitive mobile device with a massive touch-screen interface? Surely not to make calls using oversized number keys! What's more, an unlimited plan could certainly be offered in addition to existing limited data plans rather than just in place of them.

Canadians quite obviously view these new plans as being the best of the worst. In an open letter to Steve Jobs posted on the RuinediPhone Website, the creator, James Hallen, pleads with the Apple head to do something about the situation. "We are loyal customers," he says, "[and] we don't want to lose faith in Apple." In an effort to make the point even clearer, a cute slogan beneath the Web address at the top of the page claims: "Screwing iPhone customers since '08".

While I have to agree that the new data plans are really not that appealing, I think the issue goes way beyond just the iPhone, and even just Rogers. Data consumption in Canada has reached all-time highs. Study after study reports that Canadians are one of the top Internet using countries in the world. Something needs to be done north of the border to accomodate our increasingly healthy appetites for data across the board, not just in the wireless space. The underlying issues behind this Website are indeed very important to the future of data in Canada. It's interesting, though, that a mobile phone is what spawned such a harsh backlash. After all, it is just a phone, guys!

On that note, will the RuinediPhone Website succeed in changing data plans or, at the very least, in convincing customers not to buy an iPhone 3G when it becomes available here? What's more, how will Apple react at all to the negative press surrounding the issue? By July 11, we hope to have that answer.

Read More on the ongoing iPhone saga:

Canadian iPhone Plan Pricing Revealed

iPhone Plan Pricing Announced-UPDATED!

Why Can't We Just Buy Phones Direct?

Rogers Says it Will Lower Price Plans

Fido Gets iPhone As Well

iPhone in Canada This Week - UPDATE!

BREAKING NEWS: 3G iPhone Comes to Canada on July 11 - UPDATED!

Canadian iPhone Plan Pricing Revealed

Rogers Wireless has just revealed data plan pricing for the iPhone once it arrives in Canada.

Is it disappointing? Not really, only because I wasn't expecting that we'd get an unlimited offering (which we didn't). The largest amount of monthly data usage is 2 GB, which comes partnered with a voice agreement for $115/mo. If you want to use the iPhone just for data, sorry, no cigar: you will have to pay for talk time minutes as well. As mentioned in a previous post, you also won't be able to buy the device on its own or sign up for less than a three year contract either.

A $15 add-on includes things like extra sent text messaging and caller ID, the latter of which I assumed would be standard on pretty much any phone these days. Does this mean that without such a plan, or an additional fee (no matter how nominal), you won't see who's calling? Odd.

What's more,where's the similar plans for owners of other devices? iPhone owners shouldn't be the only customers deemed deserving of "reasonable" data rates right now. Hopefully Rogers will launch similar rates for other smartphone owners at the same time the iPhone makes its way here. It only seems fair.

Visit our sister Website to find out all the details about the four plan options that will be offered for the phone, and leave your comments. Will you buy one of these plans and, if so, which one do you think is the "best deal"?

Why Can't We Just Buy Phones Direct?

The ongoing debate about how Canadians pay too much for mobile phone data services, how we lack competition, and how we always get locked into long-term contracts, has begun to heat up again with the upcoming launch of the iPhone next month. A CBC News report just pointed out that, while customers of the 3G iPhone in Australia will be able to buy the phone outright and carriers like AT&T in the U.S. ask customers to sign-up for a two-year agreement, Canada's Rogers Wireless is requiring that you purchase a lengthy three-year plan if you want the highly coveted device.

From a business perspective, the reasons for this decision are obvious. Why not? There is currently no competition in the GSM arena in Canada, and, with the wireless spectrum that's currently underway, there just might be in the near future. We recently employed number portability in Canada, which lets a wireless customer take his number and port it to a new carrier, should he so desire. Of course, if you're locked into a contract when a more desirable carrier pops up, you're out of luck. You have to either wait for that contract to finish, or pay through the nose to cancel it early. Naturally, anyone I know who wants an iPhone is gritting their teeth at this news, and actually considering foregoing the device based solely on principle. Why should they have to lock in for three years, the longest term reported anywhere in the world thus far, if they want it?

What would make things so much easier would be to simply start selling mobile phones directly to consumers. Sure, their sale prices would no longer be subsidized by the wireless carriers, but customers would be 100% untethered, able to purchase whatever data plan and options best suit their needs from their desired wireless carrier. Contracts are contracts, and if they are still to be offered, than so be it. But carriers should not be able to essentially hold a mobile device ransom in order to tie a customer to their services for a set period of time. I can't think of any other media and entertainment offering that works in such a manner.

I've long talked about a day when we'd actually buy the SIM card itself outright, load it up with desired options and features, and slap it into any mobile phone we like. We're a long way from that sort of open source landscape, but it really would be the most ideal option for the customer. Not only would it have the potential to improve customer service on the provider side, but it would also make it much easier (and likely!) for more people to get involved with the latest and greatest mobile phone options; and even to purchase that brand-spanking new phone as a gift for a loved one.