Wind Mobile Pricing Leaked on Howard Forums

It appears that pricing for Wind Mobile, Canada’s newest national carrier has been leaked on the internet. Wind is expected in the next few days and many of us can’t wait to try out the new network / operator. If the pricing that was posted by “Windsider” over at Howard Forums is correct, there’s going to be a lot of people looking to switch carriers in the next little while.

There are 3 different voice plans to pick from, Chat – $15, Always Talk – $35, and Always Shout – $45. All of the plans include Caller ID and Call Forwarding – 2 things that the other carriers like to charge extra for. All of these plans offer unlimited Wind to Wind calling. Chat offers 100 province wide minutes, Always Talk offers unlimited province wide minutes, and Always Shout offers unlimited Canada wide calling. There is also an option for $20 unlimited North America calling.

For non-BlackBerry users there are 2 choices for data. Infinite Mobile at $35 gives you unlimited data for your phone and allows tethering. Infinite Laptop is $45 and is unlimited data for USB data sticks.

BlackBerry data also has 2 options – Social at $10 and Infinite at $35. Social gives you unlimited instant messaging, Facebook, and MySpace. The Infinite option gives you unlimited internet.

These plans are just what the consumer in Canada has been waiting for and just what the competition was afraid would happen when Wind entered the market. I’m ready to sign up and switch my service.

Why the iPhone Just Isn’t Me

For the longest time I have been using mainly Windows powered PDAs and phones but with all the iPhone buzz I just had to give it a go. I got myself an iPod Touch 2G after Christmas and have really enjoyed using it.

Obviously there are a TON of reviews of the iPhone OS, so even if you haven’t used one you know about the finger-friendly interface and its tight application integration. It really is just a great platform that is fun to use. Combine that with the incredibly successful app store and this is just a killer experience. So, why would I say the iPhone isn’t my cup-o-tea?

The shortcomings of the iPhone OS have been talked about almost as much as its goodness; things like the missing cut and paste and lack of video/music formats, etc. There are a lot but many of them are going to be addressed in iPhone 3.0.

What I have not been crazy about is the control Apple has placed on the user experience. You no doubt have heard about “Jailbreaking” the iPhone, well that is simply a way of replacing the OS image with one that does not limit you the way Apple intended. Since this is something the casual (or the scared-to-brick-his-expensive-phone) user would do I don’t see this as a good option for most people. So, assuming you don’t Jailbreak your iPhone you are stuck with the design of the OS and how it works.

The iPhone experience is really quite good if you are ignorant of the alternatives or are not interested in making a lot of changes to your phone. You better also not plan on using a bunch of core app replacements; they are poo poo’d by Apple.

My current phone is an HTC Touch, which is certainly not cutting edge. It is not as fast, doesn’t have as large a screen, nor as good a camera as the latest Windows Phones. So, when I found myself using my HTC over my iPod I had to figure out why that is.

As a gadget nut I am always looking for change. I like to try new things, find new ways to do current things and create a new “feel” often. I end up playing with the HTC more than the iPod simply because there is more tinkering I can do. I have 4 different browsers, too many soft keyboards, a ton of Today screen plug-ins, and a couple of calendar apps. These are not the kinds of things you can do with the iPhone. Admittedly, I have this many browsers because none of them do exactly what I want and I have to switch between them, but at least that keeps things interesting and is something I can do.

I fully realize that my experience is not necessarily going to be like others. The iPhone OS just works out of the box; it is slick and silky smooth. Apps work because of the tight control Apple has over the app store, I get that and like the result. I just have found that I get just a little bored with how clinically perfect the iPhone OS is and like to tinker with Windows Mobile.

Having said all that, I won’t be parting with my iPod Touch. There are some things it does VERY well and I plan on using it for a long time to come. I plan on upgrading it to 3.0 and continue to using it for gaming, podcasts, reading and surfing, but my go-to device at this point will be the HTC Touch.

I am planning on getting a new phone this year but not sure what it will be. It isn’t going to be an iPhone though. I think they are great and are perfect for some people, it just isn’t my first choice. The Palm Pre is looking pretty tempting but I haven’t decided if it is too new for me to jump in right away. Most likely I will stick with Windows Phone but I really want a physical keyboard on my next device.

Windows Phones sorely need the 6.5 update and 7.0 needs to truly create a new experience, but we know Microsoft gets that and the results we are seeing so far look promising.

At the very least, there are going to be some great options…which is really what this post is all about.

Motorola Accuses RIM of Poaching Employees

It seems like Motorola is having a pretty hard time as of late. Not only are the feeling the pressure of increased competition in the mobile phone space, but now they are also having to deal with Research In Motion poaching key employees. Motorola claims that RIM has targeted 40 employees who can’t work for a competitor without revealing corporate / trade secrets. It’s expected that these employees are working on a new touch screen mobile device for RIM, code-named Thunder.

When it comes to mobile devices, Motorola has 2 lines, consumer and industrial. The consumer line tends to be non-touch screen based. But the industrial line, better known as Symbol, is a full blown ruggedized device running Windows Mobile/CE and is touch screen enabled. So, if RIM is poaching employees for use on their touch screen device, does that mean we can expect a RIM based Windows Mobile-based device?

[Source]

Apple Raised the Bar – Who’s Going to Top it?

Since Apple released the iPhone a year ago, many people have called for quicker updates to Windows Mobile along with more stylish devices and improved GUIs. Some people feel that nobody can match what Apple has done and the speed at which they can turn out updates. For a while, that looked to be true, but I’m starting to see a change. Device manufacturers have no been sitting back and letting Apple walk away with their customers.

Recent devices from HTC, like the Diamond and Touch Pro, are a clear indication that they can also do an eye-catching user interface along with breath-taking hardware. And HTC isn’t alone with hot new devices targeting the iPhone user. Samsung has gathered a lot of attention for their Instinct phone and the hot new Omnia Smartphone. If you haven’t seen the Omnia, you can check out the review over at SlashGear along with a great YouTube video showing off the amazing customized home screen and smooth screen rotation effects. I was also pretty impressed with the multiple on-screen keyboards. They’re a very welcome change from the standard Windows Mobile keyboard. There’s also some hot news about an upcoming device from Palm that could change their fortune for the better. Palm has been growing rather stale as of late, but the recently announced Treo 800 and the leaked Treo Pro look to change all that.

These new devices are just the start too. The next 6-8 months are going to be very interesting to watch and see what other manufacturers are going to release. Samsung, HTC, Palm – they are all releasing multiple hot new devices that compete with Apple’s iPhone. It’s clear that these companies are serious and are willing to do whatever it takes to keep and expand their market share. Apple has done a great job at showing the world they can make a nice phone and forcing everyone else to raise the bar. Competition is a great thing.