Update on Wireless in Canada

It’s no secret that Canadians have been at the mercy of the “big three” cellphone carriers in Canada with little to no competition for far too long. 

So, how are we doing now that we have at least one new choice?

The honest truth about consumer choice in Canadian cellular is that for a long time we have had none.  Sure, there has been three carriers but if they haven’t been secretly meeting in dark alleys to discuss rates they at least have not been competitive.  The result is that pricing for voice and data has been extremely high in Canada until recently.  So, what changed?  New blood!

The latest carrier to enter the scene in Canada is WIND Mobile and they bring with them a refreshing focus on consumers.  While their plans are not earth shattering they at least represent a decent option for some.  I’ll get back to WIND in just a bit.

Our big three – or rather, ‘big two’ since Bell and TELUS are conjoined twins – milked consumers to the point of breaking but with no choice, what could we do?  The government dragged their feet for a long time but FINALLY offered cellular spectrum in an auction open to everyone but Rogers and Bellus.  These companies finally saw that some form of competition was coming and I think that is when they decided to become more competitive; well, at least Bellus did.  Roger’s plans have changed very little, probably because they are still on a high from being the exclusive carrier of the iPhone.  But of course, that is no longer true either, so hopefully we will see changes from Rogers.

I personally use Bell and am happy with the rates they have for data.  I still pay far too much overall for my cellphone but they have improved.  Of course, they still are not connecting with their customers in any measurable way.  While Rogers has made strides on Social Networking sites like twitter there is nothing from Bell that I have seen and little from Telus.  I’m pretty sure Bell executives are still scratching their blue hair over that new fangled site “MySpace”. [to any Bell executive reading this I apologize.  You hair is actually a very nice shade of blue, I meant the guy in the office two down from you.]

WIND Mobile does represent the kind of company we have been waiting for in Canada but how are they doing so far?  Apparently they signed up 10,000 subscribers in their first month.  Uhhhh…

Ok, maybe some would think that is good considering they are new, they have limited coverage, they spend all day playing with Microsoft Surface, but the point is they need to do MUCH better.  They are currently looking to raise money to roll out in other cities, but return on that money would have to be extremely speculative at this point.  Lets hope they are able to get on Dragon’s Den and win over at least a couple Dragons.

Things are looking a bit better for Canadians but we have a long way to go.  Let’s try to support new carriers as much as possible, or at least the carriers that are trying to change for the better.

Yet Another iPad Opinion

Well, I figured I better address the elephant in the room…no, no, not you!  What would a mobile tech blog be without mentioning at least in passing, the Apple iPad.  Yep, I’m jumping on the blogging bandwagon and giving the iPad some more free marketing.

I’m not going to bother describing the iPad as I am sure EVERYONE has already heard about it; rather, I wanted to give you my take on the Pad and hear your opinions in the comments.  Agree with me, tell me I am clueless, tell me you like my hair, warn me about my breath whatever you like, that’s what the comments are for.

There was pretty well NO WAY Apple could have wowed us with the iPad.  There was speculation that it would solve all problems in this world and bring joy and peace to all, so once announced it was just a bit of a letdown for many.  If the iPad had been kept under wraps there would be less gnashing of teeth over what it is missing. Of course, I’m about to gnash away myself.

My conclusion (yes, before my explanation), I would not get the iPad. Guess I have to explain now…

While the iPad looks like it would be fun to use there is nothing compelling enough to make me part with $500.  I can do everything on my iPod touch that the iPad can do, just with a smaller screen.  While the iPad screen would be nice, again, it’s not enough to make me want to spend the money.  If I was planning on getting something this size I would opt for a netbook that can run MUCH more powerful apps (bring on the flame comments!) and would probably be cheaper.

Apple has chosen to release a product with a very narrow niche – well, I guess that defines “niche". No doubt there will be many sold and by some companies’ metrics it may be a success I don’t think it will be an ‘Apple’ kind of success.

One thing is for sure, I can’t wait to see what the second gen will look like!

Obviously, your opinion could be the opposite, and that is perfectly fine.  If you think I’m missing the obvious, let me know in the comments.

SPB News 2.0 and SBSH GoNews go Head-To-Head in a Review

RSS feeds have become one of the best ways to stay connected and updated on the news being posted on your favorite websites. If you’re wondering how to take advantage of RSS on your Windows Mobile device, or perhaps you’re simply wondering what some of the better RSS clients for Windows phones are, then you should take a look at the review Clinton Fitch has posted. It takes SPB’s News 2.0 and directly compares it with SBSH’s GoNews application. Both of these companies are well known for creating great software. With Clinton’s head-to-head post, you can be sure to get the application that best suits your RSS reading style and the features you need. Check it out!

Microsoft has a Story to Tell at Mobile World Congress

There’s been a buck-load of rumors floating around about the future of Windows Phone and what Microsoft will or won’t be announcing at the upcoming Mobile World Congress next month. I’ve read everything from Windows Mobile 6.5.3, to Windows Mobile 7, to Pink, to Zune Phone, and beyond. I think it’s clear to say that the vast majority are guessing about the announcements.

Today, I caught a post over on I Started Something about Windows Phone briefings for financial analysts and investors community. This year Microsoft has booked 2 events. The first one is February 15^th – the day of their press conference at Mobile World Congress. The second one is for February 22 – 7 days later. Both calls are financial analyst briefings and both are hosted by Andy Lees, who is the Senior Vice President of the Mobile Communication Business at Microsoft.

Does this mean that there is so much to share that they can’t fit it all in one call? Or perhaps the second call is just a re-hash of the first? As Long Zheng points out in his post, last year when Microsoft announced Windows Mobile 6.5, they only had 1 call scheduled. I’m guessing that whatever Microsoft has to say at Mobile World Congress, it looks like it’s worth repeating. And that’s a good thing. At least I hope so.

We’ll know a lot more in a couple weeks.

Apple’s Sizzle Turns to Fizzle as iPad Launches

The majority of the tech world gathered around monitors yesterday to watch Apple announce their latest creation. From the hype that was brewing around the internet, many expected a game changing product. Something that would create an entire new market and lead the company down a path that has never been traveled by any company before it.

The truth is that Apple released a slate computer. Very similar to what Microsoft and HP showed off at CES during the keynote. Also very much like the tablets sold by companies like Fujitsu, LG, HP, Lenovo, etc.. When I look at the specs and details, I’m having a hard time seeing what makes the iPad so much better than what we already have. In fact, it seems like it’s somewhat limited when you compare it to the ink functionality of todays existing tablets.  The iPad has no ink support – not a good thing for enterprise customers. I’ll agree that they have lived up the typical Apple style elements, as it’s a pretty nice looking unit. But looks aren’t going to make it a success all by itself. It will come with 16GB or 32GB memory capacity, 9.7 inch multi-touch screen, 10 hours battery life, and support for WiFi and 3G (using a new micro SIM). There’s also a small dock with a keyboard attached – that’s the coolest part of this product for me.

Image from of GDGT’s live coverage of the launch.

What are you thinking about this new product from Apple? And the most important question, are you going to stand in line for one?

Apple Tablet…Enough Already!

The Apple Tablet is coming! The Apple Tablet is coming!

I don’t know about the rest of you but I can’t wait for Apple to introduce the world to their much rumoured tablet. It’s not that I can’t wait to get one, just that I’m tired of hearing about it!

Of course, Apple will probably do a great job with it but is there any chance it can live up to the hype? Can it really bring world peace, solve hunger, cure deseases and resurrect Kanye’s carrier? Well, maybe the first 3 are in reach…

I’m not saying I won’t want one when it comes out, just saying that this has been the most hyped unofficial product I can ever remember. Apple’s biggest challenge is going to be to live up to that hype. Unlike the original iPhone (which no one really knew about) the iTabletslatepad has been THE tech topic for a while now.

Of course, Apple could shock us all and skip the iTabletslatepad altogether. Nah, not going to happen.

Mobile Wars: Managing Your Email On The Go

Email is one of the more popular features on today’s phones. If you’re not doing push email, then chances are you’re heavy into texting. Staying connecting with work, friends and family while on the go is what a lot of smartphone users are looking to do. When it comes to work, there is no question that Exchange is the dominate email server. And because of that, any serious mobile OS needs to have some sort of Exchange supported backed it.

There’s no question that Microsoft has spent a considerable amount of time building up the Exchange connectivity on their Windows Phone devices. From remote wipe of the phone, to looking up contacts in the Global Address Book, Windows Phones have just about everything you could ask for when it comes to messaging. The biggest feature that Microsoft has yet to add is support for multiple Exchange accounts.  Support for this is starting to show up in other platforms. Microsoft needs to keep their mobile messaging experience as the best on the block and the one to beat. If they want to stay in this game, of course.

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My Zune HD Froze and Won’t Respond to Any Key Press

Today on my car ride home from work, my Zune HD stopped playing in the middle of a song and the screen turned off. I keep it plugged in when I’m using it in the car so the screen stays on and I can see all the song details. For some reason, that I’ve yet to understand, it decided to stop playing.  Since I was sitting in heavy traffic, I tried a couple things to get it back on – like pressing power, or the volume buttons, but nothing seemed to work. I gave up pretty quickly and switched on the satellite radio for the rest of the drive.

Now, this has happened to me a couple times in the past. The device just stops playing and won’t respond to any button or screen taps. Sometimes the screen is off, other times it’s on, but locked shut. Usually, I can get it to respond inside of a minute and all is well.  But that wasn’t the case today. Nothing seemed to bring it back.

When I arrived at home, I plugged it directly into the wall thinking that something may have been wrong with the car adapter. Sadly, that didn’t make any difference, and at this point I started to fear that the device might be dead.

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How to Hard Reset the HTC Hero

The HTC Hero has quickly become a popular Android device. If you have picked up a used device, or perhaps you’ve managed to install too many apps and crashed the device, there is a way to restore it back to factory settings. In the past, Darren posted about how to hard reset an Android phone from the menus on the device. The steps he posted work perfectly on the Hero, but what if the device won’t boot? No need to worry, there’s still hope. Just follow the steps below, and you’ll have a factory fresh install on your device in no time at all.

If the device is on, turn it off.  If you can’t turn it off, remove the battery! Now, with the phone off, press and hold the Home and Back keys. Keep pressing on those keys and then press the Power/End button, but don’t hold that button down. The reset process will start after a short time, at which point you can release the Home and Back keys. That’s all there is to it.  Please post and let us know how it works for you.

Mobile Wars: Platform Fragmentation

Platform fragmentation has long been an issue that Microsoft has struggled with. So many hardware partners, combined with a large number of network carrier partnership has made it difficult for Microsoft to provide patches and updates for Windows Mobile.

Typically, Microsoft would release a patch or build of Windows Mobile to the hardware manufacturer.  Windows Mobile is never sold directly to the consumer. The hardware manufacturer always makes some tweaks for drivers or customizations for their devices and then makes it available to the networks.  Then, after some testing, it’s finally offered to the consumer. However, if either the carrier or the hardware manufacturer decides that the update is not significant enough, then the update doesn’t continue and the consumer loses out.

The end result of all this, is that some devices are upgraded to the latest version, while others are left behind. There’s no way for a customer that is experiencing a specific bug, to get that update if their carrier or the hardware manufacturer has decided that it’s just not significant enough to warrant releasing an update.

Google is heading down the same path. They don’t provide the OS directly to the consumer. With more and more manufacturers releasing Android devices, we are starting to see devices that get left behind and are not getting that update passed along to them.

I’ve been using the Telus version of the HTC Hero for a little while now. This device is running Android 1.5. Since the device was released, there has been 3 version of Android released – 1.6, 2.0, and now 2.1. The HTC Hero on Sprint has seen an upgrade, but not the Telus device. With a brand new device, it’s already old and outdated and can’t run some of the latest Google apps.

Both platforms are heading down the wrong path here and it’s only going to cause pain and confusion for customers. Certainly, there are difficulties with providing updates to the customer. Updates need to flow quickly from the top all the way down to the consumer without breaking hardware customizations, or network tweaks that have been done.

I have to give both platforms a fail in this category. I expect more from these guys, and the consumer deserves a better experience without feeling like they need to buy a new device every 6-10 months.

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