The 710 with Rogers will be available in February and have a price of $49.99 with a 3 year contract. I expect the full, non-subsidized price will be $349.99, but there is no confirmation of that at this point.

If you’re not familiar with the specs of the 710 and 800 models, you can check them out here. Basically the 710 is an entry level device that offers Nokia’s exceptional quality at an affordable price. The 800 takes it up a notch by adding a more unique design, and better camera optics with the Carl Ziess lens.

At this time Nokia had nothing to say in regards to the Lumia 900 device coming to Canada. This is the device that many are after as it has a larger screen and runs on the faster LTE network. Currently that is still just coming to AT&T. However, there is hope that it will come to Rogers to offset the entry level 710 with the high end 900. Or, perhaps Bell will pick it up. Either way, if it comes to Canada it would have to be on one of the carriers that support LTE.

More details on the 900, 800 for Telus, and 710 for Rogers when they become available. 

The X is coming to Telus for the holiday season. We don’t have an exact date or price, but we can safely say that it will be sometime in the next two and a half months. And if the rumors are true, then you might even see before the end of this week.

Specs on the X include a 1.5 Ghz dual core processor, 4.5 inch Super AMOLED Plus screen protected by Gorilla Glass, an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, front facing 2 megapixel camera, Android 2.3.5 running Samsung’s latest version of TouchWiz with support for resizable Widgets. It also includes NFC, Adobe Flash, video recording at full 1080p HD, 16GB internal storage, expandable with MicroSD cards up to 32GB, and a unique dual data channel. This device will actually make 2 data connections to the carriers network (of course, this has to be supported on the carrier end of things), allowing for “super fast download speeds”. Telus is advertising this as 4G download speeds – up to 42Mbps with an expected average of 7-14 Mbps.

Larger than life, just like Hercules. The Galaxy S II X has a big screen, big camera, big download speeds adding up to big potential. But how does it stack up in real world usage. Let’s find out.

Physically, this is a big device but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, it does have a super nice 4.5 inch screen. Basically, the X could eat your iPhone and nobody would be the wiser – it’s that big. However, unlike its Galaxy S II brother, the X isn’t as thin. I’m not sure what is the main cause of the extra thickness for the X, perhaps it’s related to the dual data channel, or maybe it’s the integrated NFC? Regardless of the cause, it is thicker than the regular Galaxy S II, but Samsung has spent the time to make sure it doesn’t feel large in your hands. At first glance, there was concerns about too big. But after short amount of usage, it’s all good and there is no concerns about size and shape.

The back of the Galaxy S II X is super thin and snaps in place, just like the original Galaxy S II, only larger. The only difference here is the texture. Unlike the original Galaxy S II, the back of the X has a super soft and smooth feel to it. Under the backdoor is an easily accessible SIM card slot, MicroSD slot and of course, a battery too.

The battery on the Galaxy S II X is a large 1850 mAh battery. The battery is also sporting the NFC antenna, the second device from Samsung to offer NFC, the first being the Nexus S, although in that case the NFC antenna was not part of the battery. At first, I though having the NFC antenna in the battery was an odd idea. However, after a little thought, I think it’s actually a smart design for this phone. The backdoor is so thin, that adding the antenna on the door could present a risk of breaking when removing the battery door. IT would also mean that Samsung would have to add another pin connector from the device to the backdoor in order to make the connection. At the risk of the antenna breaking and costing more, the next best thing would be be to pull it back from the battery door. On the back, at the top of the phone is your SIM card and MicroSD slot. There is very little room left over for an antenna. The bottom of the phone is all battery – adding the antenna to the battery only makes sense. It already provides the pin connectors and the space isn’t  really being used anyway. Of course, the downside is that 3rd party battery replacements might not have the antenna in them.

Telus is calling this as a 4G phone with download speeds up to 42Mbps and an expected average of 7-14 Mbps and with this dual data channel connection, you would expect some super fast data speeds. In my tests, I never saw anything above 7 Mbps. Of the 9 speed tests I did in various locations around the GTA, I averaged 4,333 kbp – or roughly 4 Mbps. In all fairness to Samsung and Telus, I am testing this on a pre-production device which could mean issues with the firmware, or even that Telus hasn’t fully enabled this dual-channel data connection that Samsung was talking about. Regardless, my peak download speed was just under 7 Mbps, and the peak upload was about 3 Mbps. Both speeds are still really amazing numbers and faster than many peoples home internet connection.

UPDATE: Ok, so I’ve finished this whole review last week. Then over the weekend, I was out picking up my daughter from a birthday party and happened to receive an email with a rather large attachment. I clicked to download the attachment and it flew down to the device. So I quickly kicked off a speed test and this time it smashed the previous 7 Mbps record and hit a peak of 10 Mbps with upload speed of 4 Mbps!!

Inside the Galaxy S II X, you’ll find Android version 2.3.5 running the version 4 of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, which so many have come to love. You will also find Samsung’s AllShare (DLNA component), Kies Air, Samsung Apps (Samsung’s own app store), Polaris Office, Social Hub, Music Hub, and the rest of the standard Google apps. As expected on most devices, the X includes the “Tethering and portable hotspot” functionality. So you can share your super fast data connection with your friends who are stuck on slower devices / networks.

I’ve included a number of screen captures showing off Samsung’s TouchWiz interface along with the features and enhancements you’ll find on this device. The first images here show the default layout of the home screens – at least how they were on my pre-production unit.

Next is the application list showing all the pre-installed applications, along with the speed test app that I downloaded to benchmark the download speeds of this device.

Good news for those of you that like docks to rest your phone in. Samsung has added an option in the settings menu that will allow you to control the source for the audio output whenever the device is docked. Also, Samsung has included the awesome Swype keyboard. Although, truth be told, I do like the default Samsung keyboard. Swype is great if you’re a one handed texter. And the motion controls – mute when device is turned upside down, tilt to zoom, etc…  All very nice additions by Samsung.

The Galaxy S II X allows you to configure your WiFi hotspot SSID name, unlike some other phones on the market that just use your device name and don’t allow you to customize it. There are no real settings for NFC, simply turn it on or off. And lastly, the AllShare (DLNA) application from Samsung. I think I’ll need to get a Samsung TV so I can really test that out.

Overall, the Galaxy S II X is an excellent phone with loads of power to handle whatever you request of it. The Super AMOLED Plus screen is fantastic to look at, and the sheer size of it makes this a great device for consuming media.

There’s no mention of which carrier this will be launching with, or at what price point. Both Bell and Telus have been very keen to offer Samsung tablets, so there’s a good chance that this will make it’s way to one of their networks. I’ve really enjoyed my 10.1 inch Tab. The 8.9, being a little smaller, does have a certain appeal for travelling. I’ll have to keep my eye’s on this one.

UPDATE: Looks like I made a mistake on the processor. Thanks to Perry for enquiring, I’ve confirmed that it’s not a 1.5 GHz as I mentioned above. It is a 1.2 GHz Dual-Core processor. Still better than the US version, right?!

UPDATE #2: Pay no attention to the previous update. Samsung HQ has confirmed my original post was correct – the Galaxy Tab 8.9 coming to a Canadian carrier this holiday season will be running a 1.5 GHz dual core processor.

Now for the fine print – there are 5 stores participating across the country. They are: Toronto Eaton Center, Square One in Mississauga, Chinook Center in Calgary, Pacific Center in Vancouver, and Fairview Point Claire in Montreal. Each location may have their own opening hours, please check the Telus website for details about each location.

If you don’t win instantly this Thursday, don’t worry, you’re still entered to win $4,000 CAD and a Fascinate. You can check in to any of the participating Telus stores (once per day) between the 12th and the 26th to be entered into this secondary draw. So I guess they’re really giving away 51 devices…  Anyway, start checking out the hours for your local Telus and planning your excuse for being late to work on Thursday.

For more information, check out the Samsung Mobile Facebook page.

While all of that is important, it’s the last one that really hits a cord with me, and I’m sure many other people. I’ve owned a great number of mobile devices over the years and I almost always pay full retail price for the device. After buying that phone at full price, it’s still locked to the carriers network which requires me to pay an additional fee for it to be unlocked. Not too long ago, I posted that the Big Three carriers will begin to charge a $50 fee to unlock any phone that is no longer bound by a contract – so once you’ve already paid full price for the phone and own it outright, you still need to pay them an additional fee to unlock it and use it on any network you choose. This bill, if passed would see that practice end. It’s bad enough that Canadians already pay more for cellular services, and we’re the only country that has 3 year contracts. Now the carriers want to take even more from you by charging you to use the phone you purchased on another network.

What can you do? Reach out to your local MPP (contact details here) and let them know that you support Bill 133 and you want to know that they support it as well. Tell them your tired of being gouged by the Big Three carriers. Tell them you want the mobile phone you own, either through the term of the contract, or by purchasing outright, to be accessible at no additional cost.

(Source = SooToday, via MobileSyrup)

I’ve unlocked many a device over the years and this is not a new process. You can typically unlock a device online for as low as $10 and as high as $30. It depends on the device and the carrier it’s locked with. So, where does this $50 fee come from? Who, in their right mind, creates a new product/offering and decides to charge MORE than the competition? And not just a little more, we’re talking about $20-$40 more. I’m sure they will sucker some people into paying that fee, but most people that know about unlocking the phone will know that they can get it cheaper elsewhere.

Sadly, this is just another example of how Canadian carriers are screwing over their customers. From 3 year contracts – not heard of anywhere else in the world, to overpriced services  that can be found elsewhere for less. I was really hoping that the entrance of new carriers would shake things up a little more than they have been able to do. While it has helped with a reduction in pricing, there is still a long way to go with their networks and therefore, they haven’t really been a serious threat to the big three.

It would be nice if we could see some governing body stand up for the consumer and show the big three that these tactics will not be tolerated. The CRTC would have been a good place for this, but they have already proven to the Canadian people that they are more interested in serving the views of big business and not of the Canadian people. With any luck, we’ll see the new additions applying more and more force on the big three and in a couple years time things may be different.

The Venue Pro from Dell has certainly been one of the most controversial Windows Phone 7 devices since the platform launched. If it isn’t problems with the WiFi radio, it’s availability issues. But the unique slider aspect of the phone keeps capturing people’s imagination and draws them in with it’s clean and classy look. The problem for most people is not that the Venue Pro is so hard to get your hands on, it’s that you can only use the Venue Pro on the T-Mobile network due to the radio bands that Dell picked for the device. Thankfully, this doesn’t appear to be a problem that will be around for much longer. Keen eyes have caught a different Venue Pro seeking approval from the FCC. This model supports the more popular 3G frequencies used in North America by AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus, and Fido.

The selection of keyboard-enabled Windows Phone 7 devices is fairly limited. If Dell manages to get this available across all 3G networks, they could really have a winning device on their hands. Of course, they also need to address the other issues with the device – like WiFi and availability. I know that this would move the device up my own personal want list really quickly.

(Source = Engadget)

You can see more info on the LG Optimus 7 at TELUS’ site. If you have questions feel free to comment below and we will get to them as quickly as possible.

Thanks very much to TELUS’ PR company, High Road Communications for sending the unit for review!

Or is it??

From both email communications and doing some calling it looks like you won’t be able to get your hands on a new Windows Phone 7 unless the stars align just so.

The problem is short supply but I am not sure what the cause is. It could be that demand from in-store orders has been more brisk that forcasts had allowed for or late shipment of the OS to the manufacturers.

Your best bet for getting a new Windows Phone 7 in Canada anytime soon is to order one online as a new subscriber. Of course, that still means you won’t be getting your phone ON launch day. Stores probably won’t see stock for a week or two. Certainly not much of a launch, is it.

I’m still excited about Windows Phone 7 but wish we didn’t have this false-launch. It’s very anticlimactic.

I’ve been pretty excited about the HTC Surround since it was officially announced back in October. I mean, what’s not to like on this device? Powered by Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 and loaded with some pretty awesome specs like: Quad-Band GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900Mhz), Dual-Band UMTS/HSPA (850/1900Mhz), a 3.8 inch WVGA capacitive screen at 480×800 resolution, a Qualcomm 1Ghz processor, 16GB of internal storage, 5 megapixel camera supporting HD video (720p) with autofocus and flash. It weights in at 165 grams and measures up at 119.7mm X 13mm X 61.5mm. And of course, the feature that gives the device it’s name – Surround, slide-out dual speakers powered by Dolby Surround technology!

I’ve been very critical of popular music focused phones that have horrible external speakers on them. So I was really excited to see HTC step up and make a smartphone with an external speaker that is powered by Dolby Surround technology. At the same time I was concerned that the speaker might not live up to it’s billing, and that would be a huge disappointment.  So the first thing I did once I had the HTC Surround in my hands was load up some music and let it rip!

The speaker is actually pretty loud – much more than I was expecting. It’s hard to describe how loud something is, and I don’t have a anything to read the decibel levels produced. You’re not going to walk into a night club and overpower the DJ or anything like that. You will find it to be more than enough for sitting in the office or in your room doing homework while listening to the music.  And of course, the built-in kickstand makes it really easy to prop up the phone while you sit back and enjoy the music.

The bottom of the phone slides just a little to the right, exposing the speakers. On the back of the front piece, there’s a little kickstand that you can use to prop up the device while watching video’s or listening to music. The sliding mechanism is smooth, but it doesn’t do a great job of snapping into the open or shut position. It doesn’t require much force to start the slider moving, as a result, a number of times when I reached into my pocket to grab the phone, I would find that it’s not fully shut anymore. It reminds me a lot of the slide mechanism used on the original Touch Pro form HTC.

Having a speaker is nice, but what about the audio quality? As many of you may already know, I’ve been pretty critical of the audio quality from the external speaker on the best selling music phones on the market. Surely the Dolby powered speaker on the Surround would do better, and it doesn’t disappoint. The sound quality on the Surround is easily the best I’ve heard on a mobile device to date. The built-in sound enhancer allows you to change the audio and video streams from Nothing, to Dolby, and then to SRS. I found the best audio quality was enjoyed on the Dolby setting. You can quickly cycle through the different options by pressing the button on the top left corner of the speaker. Each press of the button will move to the next mode – No Effects, Dolby Mobile, SRS Enhancement, and then it will start over at No Effects again. After listening to each different mode, Dolby sounds the best to me. It’s so refreshing to have an external speaker that’s actually worth using.

Enough about the speaker, let’s move on to the rest of the phone. The Surround looks a lot like the Touch Pro 2 – without the QWERTY keyboard, obviously. At 165 grams, the phone has some solid weight to it, so there’s no forgetting what pocket you placed it in. The battery is listed as 1230mAh, which seems a little small considering the size of the phone and its weight. The slide mechanism and the speaker must be adding a fair amount of weight to the device. In terms of battery life, I had a pretty bad first day with the device, as it didn’t even make it to 9:00pm. However, everyday after that has been good. I have it loaded with 5 email accounts, Facebook, Windows Live, and I use it to play music on my drive to and from work and the battery typically has about one third left at the end of the day.

Across the top of the device, you’ll find the 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button. Down the right side is the volume up and down rocker and the camera button. The charge port can be found in the center along the bottom of the device. The left side is completely free of any buttons or switches – mainly because this bottom when you have the speakers slide out and the kickstand is open. On the front of the device are the main 3 buttons for Windows Phone 7 – Back, Start, and Search. Just like the other Windows Phone devices, these aren’t real buttons. They are capacitive buttons – so the screen sense your touch instead of actually pushing in a button. I was a little disappointed with the physical buttons on the Surround as they seemed a little mushy. A number of times I would be pushing the volume or power button only to see that the device didn’t recognize that press. It could just my big fingers, so check it out and see what you think.

The screen on the Surround is a nice 3.8 inch that is great to look at. It doesn’t have the brilliance of the Super AMOLED screens we’ve seen on other devices. However it certainly works well and is easily viewable indoors and out. On occasion I did find the capacitive nature of the screen to be a little lacking. Sometimes it wouldn’t correctly capture my gesture and I would have to repeat it. A simple example is the upward swipe to unlock the device, sometimes it wouldn’t capture the entire swipe and I would have to repeat it to unlock the device. It’s not something I’ve noticed in using other devices. However, it could just be that I need a little more time to get use size and weight of the device and how it fits in my hand.

HTC added a number of applications to the phone. While some are required – like the Sound Enhancer, to control the unique hardware features, others are simply there for your fun and enjoyment. You’ll find the following apps preloaded – HTC Hub, Sound Enhancer, Photo Enhancer, Notes, Stocks, and Converter. Plus, if you go into the Marketplace and look in the HTC section, you’ll find other free apps available like Flashlight, Love, Calculator, Attentive Phone, and Connection Setup.

The HTC Hub gives you a “sense” like interface where you have the date, time, location, and weather information displayed at the top of the screen and then shortcuts to other HTC apps below. The Photo Enhancer allows you to select an image and apply a lens filter to it. So you can easily apply Sepia, Overexposed, or any of the other filters to an image. It doesn’t allow you to do any zoom and cropping, which would have been a nice addition.

Overall, I think the HTC Surround is a great phone, especially for someone who is looking for the best possible music and video experience on their mobile device. Of course, the extra’s that HTC have included are a nice touch as well.