Dell Voice launched in Canada today, allowing iPhone owners to get a free phone number with both free incoming and outgoing Canada-wide calls to land lines and mobiles alike.  The service comes complete with voicemail, caller ID, Call Waiting, and even 911 emergency calling. The VoIP app was built with Fongo, operating over a network called Fibernetics which seems well-entrenched across all of the major Canadian cities and a lot of the smaller ones. If you’re calling someone outside of Canada, they have some pretty reasonable international rates. Dell Voice provides you with a local number, and when you receive a call, it pops up as a notification on your iPhone. The call is then routed over a data connection, be it 3G or Wi-Fi – a great situation if you’re on a shoestring budget and all you have is an iPod touch. You can also port over an existing number for a one-time $25 fee.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any utilities for handling text messaging, but seeing as we don’t have access to Google Voice up here, I think we’re happy to just have access to a free VoIP phone number. It would be great to see Dell Voice to expand to include Video Calling, at which point it would be properly competing with the recently-launched Rogers One Number.  On that note, I’m really curious to hear how carriers will react to this service. I find this is a little more aggressive than Skype, since you don’t have to pay to get a number for incoming calls. The little carriers, Wind Mobile and Mobilicity, are having a hard enough time attracting customers even with absurdly cheap plans, and I worry that something like Dell Voice would cut them out altogether. Of course, the dependability of the service is yet to be seen, and if it’s not up to snuff, it might not be worth your while.

The one set-up that Dell suggests that I could see being helpful is creating a number for out of town, so if you have family elsewhere in the country, they could make local calls to you.  Dell Voice apps are available for iOS and Android, with BlackBerry coming soon. There’s also a PC app if you want to start taking calls on your computer. Head on over to the Dell Voice landing page for a closer look, or download directly from iTunes to get registered.

Noted Montreal iPhone photographer and videographer, Martin Reisch, better knows as *safe solvent™ on the internet, used a scan of his passport displayed on an iPad as identification while passing through the U.S. border from Canada. The man was visiting friends in Vermont when he realized that he had forgotten his passport. Luckily he had a scan of it saved on his iPad so decided to use it at the border.

Martin Reisch is certain that if Steve Jobs was alive, the tech innovator would have something to say about him.

“He’d probably say: ‘Here’s something to work on for the future.’ Maybe have some kind of digital certification or encryption to let people travel like this,”

Unfortunately not everyone shares those sentiments. Federal critics claim border officers failed in their duty by accepting digital proof of identity. MP Brian Masse claimed that it was troubling because a scanned copy of a passport is not a secure document and could be altered. He did however accept that electronic passports could be used in the future if the correct safety features were implemented.

After a certain TiPb editor-in-chief bothered Reich about his passport photo missing his trademark hat, Reich also added:

i get in with an iPad, i break technological ground but the comments are about my haircut…

Source: Montreal Gazette

More: about.me/safesolvent, @safesolvent

Apple’s one day discount event has started going live in Australia and the UK, among other countries. Deals seem to be as expected — slim but fairly widespread — on select iPod touch, iPad, Mac, Accessories, and even iTunes Gift Cards.

Unfortunately, you won’t be getting any deals on the iPhone, iPod classic, iPod shuffle, Apple TV, Mac Pro and the Mac mini. (Sorry!)

Below is a list of prices for Australia, UK, US and Canada.

Australia

• iPad 2 – A$534 (16GB), A$634 (32GB), A$734 (64GB)
• iPad 2 3G – A$684 (16GB), A$784 (32GB), A$884 (64GB)
• iPad 2 Smart Cover – A$34 (Polyurethane), A$ 68 (Leather)
• iPod Touch – A$198 (8GB), A$298 (32GB), A$398 (64GB)
• iPod Nano – A$138 (8GB), A$158 (16GB)
• iTunes Gift Card – A$45 (A$50)

UK

• iPad 2 – £368 (16GB), £438 (32GB), £508 (64GB)
• iPad 2 3G – £468 (16GB), £538 (32GB), £608 (64GB)
• iPad 2 Smart Cover – £24 (Polyurethane), £48 (Leather)
• iPod Touch – £154 (8GB), £224 (32GB), £295 (64GB)
• iPod Nano – £104 (8GB), £118 (16GB)
• iTunes Gift Card – £45 (£50)

US

• iPad 2 – $458 (16GB), $548 (32GB), $638 (64GB)
• iPad 2 3G – $588 (16GB), $678 (32GB), $768 (64GB)
• iPad 2 Smart Cover – $28 (Polyurethane), $58 (Leather)
• iPod Touch – $178 (8GB), $268 (32GB), $358 (64GB)
• iPod Nano – $118 (8GB), $138 (16GB)
• iTunes Gift Card – $45 ($50)

Canada

• iPad 2 – $478 (16GB), $568 (32GB), $658 (64GB)
• iPad 2 3G – $608 (16GB), $698 (32GB), $788 (64GB)
• iPad 2 Smart Cover – $34 (Polyurethane), $68 (Leather)
• iPod Touch – $178 (8GB), $268 (32GB), $358 (64GB)
• iPod Nano – $118 (8GB), $138 (16GB)
• iTunes Gift Card – $45 ($50)

So are these prices enough to get you buying someone an Apple product for the holidays?

Source: Apple Store Australia, UK, US, Canada

Looks like the old Siri app will officially be yanked from the App Store on Oct. 15, hot on the heels of Apple baking it into iOS 5 on iPhone 4S. It also looks like while Siri for iPhone 4S will be available in the US and UK, it won’t be available in Canada at launch. At least Apple’s Canadian website is completely devoid of any Siri mention at all.

I’d make an accent joke here, eh, but if true, it’s disturbing for Canadian users. Why would Canada be left out? Either a patent issue or a licensing issue that’s unique to Canada?

And without Siri — the highlight of Apple’s Let’s Talk iPhone event — is an iPhone 4S enough of a new phone to still interest Canadian consumers?

UPDATE: Jim Dalrymple checked with Apple PR and reports Siri will indeed be coming to Canada. [The Loop]

If you’re outside the US, don’t get too excited about iTunes iCloud music services like re-downloading and iTunes Match streaming, because you’ll likely have to wait until 2012 if not later before it comes to your region. According to The Telegraph, Apple’s iTunes in the Cloud music storage service will not be coming to UK users until the first quarter of 2012 at the very earliest.  A spokesman for the Performing Right Society (PRS), which is responsible for ensuring songwriters and music publishers are paid for their work told The Telegraph the bad news.

Negotiations with Apple about ensuring rights in the UK had started but were at a “very early stage”. The licensing team at the PRS have started talks with Apple, but are a long way off from any deals being signed…It is very much the early stages of the negotiations and is similar to the launch of iTunes – which began in the US and took a while to roll out to other countries.

The Telegraph also confirmed the details with a major record label executive who told it that talks had started between the major labels and Apple. Again however the term “early stages” was used and it wasn’t expected to be completed until 2012.

The story will likely be the same in other countries. One look at how widely supported iTunes TV Show rentals, movies, and other services are around the world shows just how fragmented and complicated media licenses remands. Added to that, media executives in other countries might take a wait-and-see attitude with iCloud, watching US performance, before they even negotiate with Apple.

Any of our international readers really surprised by this?

[The Telegraph]

Lest you thought Canadians would be left out of this Wednesday, April 27 white iPhone 4 launch, TiPb Forum member Oleary54 snuck us this picture showing the near-legendary device sitting all comfy like in Bell Canada’s ordering system.

So Canadians, who is breaking open the looney bank this Wednesday?

[Thanks oleary54]

There will be no delays as Apple has just confirmed iPad 2 will be available this Friday, March 25 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Just like the US launch, online orders will begin a 1am (they don’t say which time zone?) and in store purchases will be available starting 5pm local time.

While competitors are still struggling to catch up with our first iPad, we’ve changed the game again with iPad 2,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the US, and customers around the world have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on it. We appreciate everyone’s patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”

Apple also announced that iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April.

If you’re having trouble deciding if you want an iPad 2, or which of the 12 models you want (no CDMA versions outside the US), check out our iPad 2 buyers guide and full on iPad 2 review. Then let us know what country you’re in and whether you’re ordering online or lining up!

[Apple PR]

Netflix has made its very first foreign expansion by introducing their service of streaming video content into Canada. The service is now available and will cost you $7.99 per month.

This is great news for those of you in Canada as you will not be left out in the cold when Apple TV starts to ship (any day now). The company confirmed that not only will it support Apple TV but Apple’s iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch will also be compatible with the streaming service in conjunction with the appropriate Netflix application.

If you live in Canada and were not going to make the Apple TV purchase, does this change your mind?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Steve Jobs dropped the July 30 date for next big rollout during the iPhone 4 press conference but now Apple has gone and made it official:

Beginning this Friday, customers can purchase iPhone 4 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. iPhone 4 will be available for purchase through Apple’s retail and online stores and Apple® Authorized Resellers.

Nice to see, but we’d still prefer pre-orders, reservations, Apple Online Store updates to say something other than “coming soon”, official word on when Apple Retail Stores will be open, information from carriers on upgrade eligibility, MicroSIM availability, plans, etc.

You know, everything else required for a launch…!

Apple Online Canada has changed the date for iPhone 4 release from “July” to “soon”, while the Australian and New Zealand Apple Online Stores only show iPhone 3GS — no iPhone 4 in sight.

Thin, yes, but when you consider US sales of the iPad on April 3 were higher than expected to the degree all international iPad releases were pushed back a month, it’s not like it’s out of the realm of possibility. 600,000+ iPhone 4 pre-orders and US delivery dates getting pushed further and further back into July — yeah, it raises eyebrows.

Will a rush on stage 1 iPhone 4 release countries push back stage 2 countries? We’re hoping not, but we’re keeping both eyes fixed on those pages.

If you’re still waiting for iPhone 4 in your country, tell us what you see, and what you think.

[store.apple.com/ca via @havvac]

TiPb contacted Rogers to get some clarification about that $20 “add to existing data plan” option that was listed on Apple.com today as part of the Canadian iPhone pre-order launch, and Rogers was kind enough to respond:

We’ve confirmed that we have two iPad data plans available for our customers. Both the 250 MB for $15 and 5 GB for $35 include free unlimited access to all Rogers WiFi Hot Spots.

At this time, we do not have a sharing plan to announce. The reference to a sharing plan on the Apple website was an error and is being removed.

Please visit RedBoard for more information on iPad data plans

On the RedBoard, Rogers further notes that their Fido subsidiary will not be supporting the iPad at launch.

Apple has announced that the first international iPad sales would start May 28 in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, and our eagle eyed commenters have been tracking down the various pricing schemes. Round-up after the break!

Australian iPad pricing

iPad is available in Australia for a recommended retail price of AUS$629 inc GST for 16GB, AUS$759 inc GST for 32GB, AUS$879 inc GST for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and AUS$799 inc GST for 16GB, AUS$928 inc GST for 32GB and AUS$1049 inc GST for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

Canadian iPad pricing

iPad is available in Canada for a suggested retail price of $549 (CAN) for 16GB, $649 (CAN) for 32GB, $749 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and $679 (CAN) for 16GB, $779 (CAN) for 32GB and $879 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

France iPad pricing

iPad est disponible en France au prix de vente conseillé de 499 € pour le modèle 16 Go, 599 € pour le modèle 32 Go, 699 € pour le modèle 64 Go en version Wi-Fi, et au prix de vente conseillé de 599 € pour le modèle 16 Go, 699 € pour le modèle 32 Go, 799 € pour le modèle 64 Go en version Wi-Fi + 3G.

Germany iPad pricing

16GB iPad (WiFi-only): € 514, 32GB iPad (WiFi-only): € 614, 64GB iPad (WiFi-only): € 714, 16GB iPad (WiFi+3G): € 614, 32GB iPad (WiFi+3G): € 714, 64GB iPad (WiFi+3G): € 814 [Schimanke]

Italy iPad pricing

iPad è disponibile in Italia ad un prezzo consigliato di €499 per 16GB, €599 per 32GB, €699 per 64GB per i modelli Wi-Fi e €599 per 16GB, €699 per 32GB e €799 per 64GB per i modelli Wi-Fi + 3G.

Japan pricing

Carrier Softbank has announced device and plan pricing. It’s a little more confusing because they’re offering up-front and installment plans, and a form of subsidy. Basic device pricing. Wi-Fi: 16GB: 48,960, 32GB: 59,040, and 64GB 68,880, Wi-Fi + 3G: 16GB: 61,920, 32GB: 72,000, and 64GB 81,840. For more details see Mobile in Japan.

Spain iPad pricing

El iPad estará disponible en España al precio recomendado (IVA incluído) de 479 euros el modelo de 16GB, 579 euros el de 32GB y 679 euros el de 64GB, en el caso de los modelos Wi-Fi; y al precio recomendado (IVA incluído) de 579 euros el de 16GB, 679 euros el de 32GB y 779 euros el de 64GB, para modelos del iPad con Wi-Fi + 3G.

Switzerland iPad pricing

iPad Wi-Fi 16GB: 649, 32GB: 779, 64GB: 899. iPad Wi-Fi + 3G: 16GB: 799, 32GB: 929, 64GB: 1049 [Ars Technica]

UK iPad pricing

Pad is available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £429 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £499 (inc. VAT) for 32GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and £529 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 32GB and £699 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

More

Apple has 9 more countries ramping up in July, including Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore, so there’s more to come.

In the meantime, what do you think of the prices in your neck of the woods? Fair or fowl?

As part of their larger, 9 country international iPad rollout on May 28, Apple announced today that the iBooks app and iBookstore service will also become available in many of those countries.

Publication rights often vary by region (for example, Harry Potter has different publishers in North America than it does in the UK) and it’s an understatement to call the situation a mess. So, it’s good to see Apple making headway.

Given how slow iTunes TV and Movies have been offered internationally, however, the entertainment industry should still feel shame and hopefully this adds impetus towards simplifying and — frankly — modernizing the way these licenses and rights are handled internationally.

Back on-topic: who’s excited for iBooks? Anyone going to switch over from Kindle? Or is it just an easy gateway to getting those 30,000 Project Gutenberg titles onto your iPad (and later this year, iPhone)?

[Apple]

Apple has announced that the iPad will go on sale in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on Friday, May 28. Online pre-orders, as previously announced, begin May 10.

Pricing:

• iPad is available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £429 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £499 (inc. VAT) for 32GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and £529 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 32GB and £699 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

• iPad is available in Canada for a suggested retail price of $549 (CAN) for 16GB, $649 (CAN) for 32GB, $749 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and $679 (CAN) for 16GB, $779 (CAN) for 32GB and $879 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

Orange, Vodafone, and O2 in the UK and Rogers in Canada have also announced they’ll be providing data plans for iPad Wi-Fi + 3G, but likewise haven’t offered any pricing details yet.

If you’re in one of those countries, let us know your plan. Already bought a US iPad? Going to pre-order on the 10th? Line up at an Apple store on the 28th? Or still making up your mind?

[Apple]

Hot on the heals of Apple’s international iPad delay, Rogers in Canada also announces that they’ll be providing iPad 3G pricing plans at the end of May. And that’s pretty much verbatim:

Rogers today announced that it will offer iPad price plans for all models from the end of May in Canada.

It’s almost as if this has been coordinated to blunt the impact of the delay by giving international users some small glimmer of additional info, doesn’t it? Could it also hint that iPad 3G will be arriving alongside iPad Wi-Fi outside the US? We certainly hope so. We hope even more, however, that Rogers matches AT&T’s unlocked, no-contract, cheap data-only plans for iPad.

What’s the over/under on that?

[via @rgboulay]

iPadinCanada.ca claims they’ve heard from a source with “close ties to the Apple Store” that the weekend of April 24 has been marked as a “black out” period, which means no vacations, which means they think iPad launch day in the Great White North.

Since the iPad is set to launch in several other countries, including the UK in “late April”, and the iPad 3G is also set to launch in “late April”, we’re taking only one tiny little step to the conclusion that maybe April 24 will be all those launch days as well.

Sounds reasonable, n’est ce pas?

Slacker Personal Radio [Free - iTunes link] is now available in the Canadian App Store. While our friend’s at CrackBerry.com got to enjoy the news a little sooner, thanks to Apple’s currently speedier App approval process and iLounge‘s spot, TiPb didn’t have to wait as long as we feared either.

As far as we know, this is the first streaming internet radio service available to Canadian iPhone users (blame our nightmarish licensing) and it includes some nice local content:

• Canadian Rock
• Canadian Country
• Canadian Today’s Hits

Slacker also tells TiPb that the 2.0 version is coming soon, and will provide station caching for iPhone and iPod touch. Can’t. Wait.

Note: While the app is free for the first 30 days, a $5/month Slacker Plus subscription turns off the ads, turns on unlimited skips, and otherwise makes the service much more enjoyable and functional thereafter. More Plus features, after the break…

Slacker Radio Plus:

• Cache stations to Blac kBerry and Android smartphones; soon on iPhone/iPod touch
• Enjoy Slacker music even without a wireless network on select mobile applications
• Unlimited song skipping
• Ad-free listening
• Complete song lyrics*
• Create custom stations based on artists or songs
• Unlimited song requests for creating perfect custom stations
• High-quality stereo playback
• Over 60 professionally programmed genre stations
• Fine tune stations on-the-fly to play more of the music you like
• View artist biographies and photos
• View album art and reviews
• “Peek Ahead” artist and album preview
• Pause and skip songs
• Rate songs as favorites
• Ban the songs and artists you don’t like
• Downloadable “mini” player for your PC

While the US continues to enjoy one single iPhone carrier, Canada is about to welcome their 4th (or 5th if you count Rogers subsidiary Fido as a separate carrier), and that carrier is Virgin Mobile:

Virgin Mobile Canada will launch iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in Virgin Mobile Retail Stores and online in Canada in the coming months. For more information on iPhone, please visit.

MobileSyrup pegs February 2010 as launch date for Virgin Mobile Canada, though they’re still playing it coy with the old “coming months” line.

No word yet on how they’ll advertise, but we bet Apple won’t let them be as risque as BlackBerry… Either way, if you held off on Rogers/Fido, and kept waiting through Bell and Telus, is Virgin Mobile finally the provider for you?

Making good on their promise from a few days ago, O2 UK has launched a website where customers can get their iPhone’s officially unlocked starting November 10, 2009. Here are the details:

• Pay Monthly customers can get the unlock any time, but you have to keep paying O2 for the length of your remaining service contract.
• Pay Go customers can get the unlock after 12 months, for a one-time £15 fee (deducted from airtime balance).

To begin the process, customers need to complete the online form (via the link above). The process will take up to 14 days, but customers will get an SMS confirmation when it’s completed, and they can then place a non-O2 SIM in their iPhones, hook up to iTunes, and finish the unlock.

Curious as to whether the other major new iPhone multi-carrier market would be following suit, TiPb contacted Rogers and received the following reply:

Rogers policies haven’t changed in this regard.

One step forward, one step back. Hopefully Rogers will reconsider and take a page from O2′s consumer-friendly approach.

Meanwhile, if you go for the new O2 unlock, let us know how the process works out for you!

[Via Chris Oldroyd]

Bell Mobility has just announced that their new GSM/HSPA network, shared with previously-CDMA frenemy Telus, has gone live! What does that mean? Yesterday, Rogers and their Fido subsidiary were the only place to go for Apple’s iPhone (or a BlackBerry Bold if that’s how you roll). Today — technically as soon as Telus announces — you have your choice of 3.5 carriers (Fido is still Rogers).

So this means massive competition, price wars, and a huge win for consumers, right?

Eh… not so much. Like Orange UK, multiple carriers seems only to mean multiple non-competitive pricing plans, as each one wants as much as they can get, and don’t feel any pressure to compete — yet.

Hardware prices are the same, up to $299 for the iPhone 3GS on a 3-year contract, with service plans ranging from $45 for 100 minutes, Fab Five, 500MB, night/weekends 9pm-7am to $95 for 500 min, Fab Five, 2GB, nights/weekends.

(Along with $6.95 system access fee, monthly e911 fee, $2 paper billing option, $35 activation fee, and other nickel and diming…)

If you’re planning to hook your iPhone up to Ma (Canadian) Bell, let us know what you think of the pricing, and what you choose!

Telus looks to be launching the iPhone along with their new GSM/HSPA network on November 5, 2009, with BGR reporting pricing that’s pretty much spot on standard:

same as it is for Rogers (and Bell, for that matter) with the 3G going for $99.99/$599.99 and the 16 and 32GB 3GS going for $199.99/$699.99 and $299.99/$799.99.

And Telus has dropped their presser to make it all nice and official like.

So, any Canadians been waiting for their iPhone on Telus?

[via BGR, and congrats on the new site look!]

Google today flipped the switch on Google Street View for Canadians, making it available to Canadian iPhone users for the first time via the built-in Maps App. According to the CBC:

The service is now available in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, Vancouver, Squamish, B.C., Whistler, B.C., Ottawa, Kitchener, Ont., and Waterloo, Ont.

Due to concerns brought by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, faces and license plates have been blurred out, and a method to request privacy-based image removal has been created.

So, Canadian readers, can you find your favorite local landmark on your iPhone now?

Update: Telus is official too, here’s their sign-up page for those who want more info.

Bell just went and made it official:

Bell and Apple have reached an agreement to bring iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS to Canada this November.

For US readers, this is sort of like Verizon and Sprint both announcing HSPA networks and iPhone availability in November. Sounds, nifty, doesn’t it?

Canadian readers, what we want to know is will you stick with Rogers/Fido, or give Bell or Telus a whirl?

TiPb, among others, has been hearing rumors for months now that Bell and Telus’ new GSM-based HSPA+ network would be up and running by November, and that the iPhone would follow along immediately there after. Nice to see some confirmation via Canadian stalwart, the Globe and Mail, however:

Bell announced Monday that it will launch national service in November on the $1-billion next-generation wireless network it has been building with Telus, months ahead of schedule. The project extends the two companies’ existing third-generation (3G) networks to include the same technology standard employed by Rogers, the nation’s largest cellphone company.

No comments from any of the carriers or Apple, of course, and it remains to be seen what if any downward pressure competition in Canada — like in the UK — would put on iPhone pricing for consumers.

Our question: Bell and Telus will have HSPA+ but no EDGE (to our knowledge), so if an iPhone on Bell or Telus couldn’t get a 3G signal, what exactly would it fall back on? EVDO/CDMA is not an option…

Yes, the Canadian App Store Categories tab really is all-Skype, all the time and has been for me since just after iPhone 3.1 launched last Wednesday (and no, the irony isn’t lost on us). Since App Store is fed by the web, I figured Apple would realize it and fix whatever feed needed fixing, but so far no such luck.

I tried TUAW‘s workaround — switching to the US App Store an back, but iTunes intercepted me saying I couldn’t change stores until I’d spent whatever iTunes credit I had left in my account, and my rentals expired (I don’t currently have any rentals — the only one expired last weekend).

So I’m back to hoping Apple realizes it and fixes it, but if anyone does come up with a repeatable user-end fix, do let all of us Canadians know in the comments.

Skype [free - iTunes link], which debuted for the rest of the world back in March, is finally available for iPhone and iPod touch users in Canada. What took so long?

A “territorial restriction” over the licensing of a single, solitary audio codec used to play sound from Skype on the iPhone. No, we [insert secret Canadian curse word] you not. That’s it, and it’s been resolved, so go get it!

[CBC iPhoneinCanada]

Boy Genius is reporting several tips on this, so it looks likely that Rogers in Canada is getting ready to launch an 8GB iPhone 3GS. Why? They proffer:

Maybe the iPhone 3G stock is finally sold out and Apple will quietly (or not quietly) replace the $99 model iPhone with an 8GB 3GS?

This appeal to anyone? How about to anyone who jumped on the $99 16GB iPhone 3G already?

Rogers dropped us a note to let us know they’ve extended their 6GB/$30 data plan, first introduced last year with the iPhone 3G and re-introduced this year with the Android Dream and Magic, and the iPhone 3GS, until September 15. So, if you have a qualifying phone like the iPhone, and you want ungodly amounts of data usage — and you haven’t already — make sure you add the 6GB/$30 promo to your plan ASAP. (Especially with free tethering still on until December 31, 2009).

While we’ve heard Canadian iPhone supplies still can’t keep up with demand, Rogers says:

Rolling inventory of the iPhone 3GS is on its way, and back orders are being filled for customers on a priority basis.

(And no, no official word yet on when Bell or Telus’ HSPA network will be functionally rolled out, nor when they will begin offering the iPhone 3GS, but we can’t help but think increased competition is great for consumers — and for the networks, witness Rogers beginning to test 21Mbps HSPA+).

Full Rogers/Fido iPhone upgrade options repeated after the break…

1) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone 3G between July 11 and Sept. 30, 2008, and with an average monthly spend of at least $100, Rogers will provide $500 off the cost of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires September 15, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

• 16GB 3GS $199
• 32GB 3GS $299

2) For Rogers Wireless customers who bought an iPhone between July 11 and Dec. 31, 2008, but aren’t eligible for the above offer, Rogers will provide $250 dollars off the purchase of an iPhone 3G S. This special offer expires September 15, 2009 and comes with the addition of a one-year term to the customer’s existing service agreement.

• 16GB 3GS $449
• 32GB 3GS $549

3) All Rogers Wireless customers can upgrade to the iPhone 3GS at our cost at Rogers.com, or for a suggested retail price of just $19 more than our cost through our retail channels.

• 8GB 3G $580/$599
• 16GB 3GS $680/$699
• 32GB 3GS $780/$799

4) Fido customers can take advantage of the Fido Rewards iPhone 3G S promotion:

• Use FidoDollars towards the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S
• Fido will top up the FidoDollars amount by $100
• This promotion does not include an extension or renewal of their service agreement.

A Canadian buffet of Rogers news today, with Q2 financial results, an update on the current out-of-stock situation at Rogers, Fido, and Apple Canada, and the beginning of an HSPA+ super-fast 3G rollout.

First up, Bloomberg (via MDN) reports that Rogers that ARPU (average revenue per user) was down $1.47 as customers curbed long-distance and travel, while total sales rose 3.1%. As to the iPhone in particular, the introduction of the iPhone 3GS and $99 price point for the iPhone 3G helped Rogers add 148,000 subscribers this quarter.

Second, TUAW reports that Rogers, their subsidiary Fido, and Apple Stores (which just began carrying the iPhone in Canada on June 19) are all in short supply or completely sold out of iPhones. Given that Apple reported 5.2 million sold last quarter amid shortages, and is planning to fill out 80 countries by the end of the year, we can only repeat Dieter’s abject shock at the continuing sales volumes…

Third, and funnest (TM iPod touch),Engadget Mobile says Rogers is ready to rock and roll with HSPA+ at 21Mbps. Zoom. Zoom. The GTA will get initial love, though Rogers says it will expand quickly to other cities. Since the iPhone 3GS only supports up to 7.2Mbps, we’re not likely to benefit directly, though we only get half that currently so who knows…

BGR served up a rumor that Telus in Canada was getting the iPhone 3GS in October. How will a CDMA carrier get the GSM iPhone? Simple, as mentioned last year, Telus has partnered with Bell to expand their CDMA network by adding in HSPA. That means Bell Mobility could support the iPhone 3GS as well, and the rumor’s TiPb’s hearing is they just might (though exact timing will of course depend on how fast they get HSPA up and running).

If Rogers/Fido’s Canadian iPhone 3GS exclusivity was tied only to their GSM monopoly, and that suddenly becomes an oligopoly, will the increased competition lead to better iPhone plans and prices for Canadian consumers? Well, oligopolies are historically only slightly better than monopolies, so we won’t get our hopes up any time soon.

So Canadians, anyone rather have their iPhone on Telus or Bell?

For the second year in a row, Rogers provided awesome new plans for their customers, but did it at literally the 11th hour and utterly failed to inform many of their service reps about the last-minute changes in pricing and policy for the iPhone 3GS (kudos for getting the marketing folks up to speed though!) and also failed to get enough bandwidth and infrastructure in place to make sure Apple could actually upgrade customers, and Sales Central could remain functional.

Result: mass chaos on iPhone launch day.

Luckily for one Rogers customer, however, Rogers online rep Keith McArthur, the office of the President of Rogers, and a little luck resulted in a happy ending. Mark wrote in to let us know about his experience:

Step 6: I went to the Apple Store, purchased my phone (that was Sunday) and faxed the bill the same day.

Congrats Mark. Let’s hope the rest of us have just as much luck when we call in!

Upgrading to an iPhone 3G S in Canada? We feel for you, and we fear we’re going to continue to feel for you for a healthy portion of the day. Last year there were activation backlogs and hang-ups all over, but it was especially egregious in Canada, where people were waiting for half the day for Rogers’ system to get up and happy and talking with Apple’s system.

Our esteemed editor Rene Ritchie just called in from his Apple Store to say that their system isn’t showing the 3G S on the Rogers system and it’s unclear how exactly it’s going to be resolved. Last year we heard 6-hour-wait horror stories. This year we’re crossing our fingers that resolution will come more quickly.

On the bright side, we haven’t heard a whiff of a problem anywhere else. From Switzerland to Cincinnati people who didn’t pre-order are finding lines short enough to guarantee everybody will get their phone and activations almost as quick as the iPhone 3G S itself.

Update: Rene is currently channeling the fury of his fellow Rogers-snafu-victims on his twitter feed.

Up until now, the only places to get iPhone 3G in Canada were Rogers and their subsidiary Fido. Apple Retail Stores didn’t carry them.

Friday, with the introduction of the iPhone 3G S, that changes. Per Apple mailing:

Available at the Apple Retail Store June 19th. Stores open at 8:00am.

Which may be up to 2 hours earlier than your local Rogers/Fido store to boot. You can also book a personal shopping appointment to help you get in and out faster if you so choose. (Though we can’t imagine spaces will last long).

So, Canadians, who’s going to Rogers/Fido, and who’s going to Apple Retail?

Yeah. Ouch. But that’s what BGR‘s Canadian ninja are reporting. These are Best Buy inventory prices, but it’s hard to imagine Rogers/Fido stores charging less what with the exchange rate and typically Canadian shipping overages added.

Any Canadians (besides me) lining up for an off-contract iPhone 3G S this Friday? Does the price change things? How about those of you getting the full subsidy? Happier now?

Okay, I take back 13% of all the bad things I’ve ever said about Rogers. The Social Media Rep for Rogers/Fido, Keith McArthur, has unleashed the following today via Twitter:

• Both Rogers Wireless and Fido will offer iPhone 3GS starting June 19. [link]
• Rogers/Fido pricing is $199 for 16GB iPhone 3GS; $299 for 32GB iPhone 3GS on a three-year voice and data plan. [link]
• 8GB version of the iPhone 3G will drop to $99 on June 19 at Rogers and Fido with a three-year voice and data plan. [link]
• Rogers is reintroducing the $30/6GB data plan for iPhones effective tomorrow, June 9. Offer available for a limited time. [link]
• Rogers/Fido are only national carriers to offer $25/500MB plan. 93% of iPhone users use less than 500MB so this is the right plan for most. [link]

UPDATE: Steve in the comments points out this gem from the same Twitter feed:

• There will be a no-contract price for customers who want to upgrade before they’re eligible for a subsidy [link]

You stand on guard for me. Well done, sirs!

iPhoneinCanada.ca is reporting that as of June 16, Rogers will begin offering a “heavy user” data plan for 15GB at $150 a month. Those of us who remember 200MB at $100 a month are no doubt shaking our heads, but for especially rapacious users on tethered or laptop setups, it could be more than worth the money:

Device support: All iPhones, Blackberries, HTC Devices, Smartphones, and Mobile Internet Sticks

Anyone hopping on that premium bandwagon any time soon?

Not sure when they — finally — flipped this switch, but this morning when I fired up iTunes I was greeted with a full on content party — US TV productions from ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and Warner Brothers are now available for Canadians to download in both standard and high definition.

Prices are $3.49 for HD (which includes an SD copy for your iPhone or iPod) and/or $2.49 for SD all by its lonesome.

So, if you don’t mind paying for a-la-carte programming a day later but sans commercials, loves you the HD option, and you live in the True North Strong and Free-ish, apparently this week is Canada Day come early!

iPhoneinCanada.ca has unconfirmed reports of Rogers discounting the iPhone 3G by $100 for qualified buyers (check the link for what qualifies as qualified).

If anyone can confirm this, let us know in the comments. Is Rogers trying to clear stock in advance of a next generation iPhone release this summer?

Ah, rumor season. Gotta love it!

Our best frenemy forever, CrackBerry.com‘s Kevin sent us word that Canadians currently excluded from all the Amazon Kindle E-Book app goodness may just have an alternative. Seems Chapters/Indigo (think Barnes and Nobles with maple syrup, eh?) is getting into the game, and onto the devices, with a new service called Shortcovers.

While Kevin was sickened by the prominence of the iPhone in the above video, we thought it was fantastic. (And if the fugly look of the BlackBerry app compared to the hot sexay of the iPhone version is any indication of how this whole BlackBerry App World vs. iPhone App Store sitch will work out for RIM…)

Any of our readers to the north going to check it out?

You can’t use an iTunes gift certificate to buy applications on the Canadian App Store. I’ve experienced this myself, but never really looked into it before now. But it’s true. There’s even a thread about it on Apple’s Discussion Board.

Highlights include the difference in iTunes App Store Terms of Service between the US:

“10. PAYMENT METHODS. The Service accepts credit cards, payment through your PayPal account, and iTunes Cards, iTunes Store Gift Certificates, and Allowance Account balances as forms of payment.”

And Canada:

“10. PAYMENT METHODS. The Service accepts credit cards as the form of payment.”

Further down, we get what’s purported to be a response from Apple on the issue, which includes:

Due to tax laws and commerce restrictions for software in Canada, customers residing in Canada may only purchase games and applications using a credit card.

So, not only do we get hosed on data rates, don’t have access to US TV networks on iTunes (nor Hulu, etc.), not only do we have to pay more to “upgrade” music to iTunes Plus, but if by some miracle some kindly soul gives us an iTunes Gift Certificate, we can’t even use it on apps?

Sigh.

UPDATE: As of June, 2010, iTunes Gift Cards can now be used to buy apps in iTunes Store Canada.

UPDATED AGAIN: BGR is sticking by their story. Interesting times, eh?

UPDATE: We just received an email from Rogers stating:

“While we generally don’t comment on speculation or rumour, this posting is not accurate. Rogers was involved in no such call.”

ORIGINAL: So we’ve heard about AT&T and the EU, and we’ve heard about Verizon. Now it’s Canadian iPhone carrier, Rogers’ turn. The BGR brings word they’re pouring on the 4G LTE in hopes of launching in Vancouver in time for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in February.

Reportedly 50Mbps (un-optimized) is already a go on tests, and while no handsets will be available until mid-2010, USB dongles should launch sooner. Following Vancouver, Rogers plans to expand the network, and vows they’ll have less problems than their 3G HSPA launch. (We all hope!)

In the mixed bag-of-hurt department, it sounds like Rogers is also going to try to help out their over-strained cable business by merging it with 4G and Portable Internet.

Okay, fair enough, it’s not the nearly 7 million iPhones our big United Statesian brothers to the south consumed in the last quarter, but for a market the size of Canada’s (where it is cold and we must work hard just to survive…), 255,000 iPhones moved is EPIC.

Says Electronista:

The telecoms company sold and activated a total of 255,000 iPhones between the device’s July 11th launch and the end of September, helping the carrier boost its net subscriber additions to 191,000 and increasing the company’s average income per user “considerably above” the average thanks to many attaching a data plan to their services.

Rogers claims that the subsidies they provided for this many iPhones put a drain on them, but thanks to the huge — and ongoing — monthly service plans attached, I don’t think many give a flying hockey puck about that, especially after they just recently cut the commission rates for their reps.

Like in the US, these results are expected to have come at the expense of rival, in this case CDMA, networks Bell and Telus (since Rogers/Fido enjoys a GSM monopoly position).

Could their threat of ending their fairer 30$/6GB data plan last month have helped boost sales? I know roughly 8 people who all got iPhones for just that reason. Anyone else?

FutureShop is actually owned by Best Buy (which is why they typically build the stores across the street from each other — nothing like being your own competition!), so when their big US brother started selling the iPhone 3G, we supposed it was only a matter of time before Canada got some big box love. Says MacNN:

Canadian retailer Future Shop has announced it will be selling the iPhone starting in October. Customers will be able to purchase the phone at fifteen different locations initially. The phone will still be on the Rogers network, where it has previously been available directly, or at The Telephone Booth and Wireless Wave stores.

FutureShop already sells all sorts of phones from Rogers (and subsidiary Fido), Bell, Telus, etc. so this is just one more page in their flyer.

But hey, at least it’s not Radio Shack, eh?

My fellow Canadians, if you’re already enjoying the virtually “unlimited” goodness and peace of mind that comes with Rogers reluctant, 11th hour $30/6GB promotional plan, then there’s nothing to see here. Your rate is good for the length of your contract.

If you haven’t jumped on the “deal” yet, however, remember that the plan is set to expire Aug. 31. Or it was… Rogers seems to have extended it — slightly — to Sept. 30.

After that?

A monthly fee of $30 will buy 1 GB of data instead of 6GB. A cheaper package of $25 will give 500 megabytes, filling the needs of most customers based on early consumption trends, [Rogers spokeswoman Liz Hamilton] said. Other plans include $50 for 2GB, $60 for 3GB and $80 for 8GB.

To mitigate the disaster of these new plans, Rogers will provide unlimited data for 3 months to all new customers on the plans, and customers can change between plans (up or down) without penalty. They’ll also receive a text message when they’re getting close to their hard limit, and another when they hit it. An overall cap will also be placed at $100 a month, usage be rogered.

While Rogers claims neither you nor I may really be able to chew through 6GB a month, they’re contention about not wanting to over-charge us is clearly disingenuous, or else they would be offering lower bandwidth plans at LOWER rates, not higher. (i.e., they would keep the 6GB at $30 and add a 2GB at $20, 1GB at $15, and 500MB at $10).

The protests are likely over — which we’re sure they’re counting on — but way to show your regressive spots there, Rogers.

We know the $199 initial price tag of the iPhone 3G is carrier subsidized, but we don’t really know by how much, or for how many. Rogers Wireless president Nadir Mohammed, however, shed some light on what just might be representative of iPhone 3G deals world wide. During Rogers Q2 results call, Mohammed revealed that they “didn’t anticipate that we would launch that device under any model this year,” but once announced on June 9, it “slammed on the brakes” on their other handsets — ouch — and led to a huge cut on the Nokia N95 to try and get some demand back.

The subsidy on the iPhone 3G, meanwhile, is reportedly the steepest Rogers has ever offered, but is worth it due to the iPhone 3G being “highly, highly attractive” to those willing to pay more on their monthly contracts to support the handset — just the kind of customers Rogers (and all carriers) value most. The very same customers that Rogers believes will quickly recoup the $150 million worth of iPhone 3G’s they committed to up front. (Apple Insider assumes at $450 a unit times 333,000 units).

That’s a lot of loonies!

Like much of the rest of the world, iPhones remain in short supply in Canada and with 20 more countries launching in a few weeks, its hard to imagine that changing anytime soonish. (Though if you visit Apple’s newly launched, and first Canadian Flagship Store in Montreal, they’ll have live music, let you play with demos, and learn tips from the Apple Specialists, b’okay?)

So what is changing then? Only the very fabric of the industry it seems. See, Canada has only one national GSM provider: Rogers (who owns the brand Fido as well). The other two national carriers, Bell and Telus, use the same technology as Verizon in the US, the incompatible CDMA… Or at least they did… Our publicly owned television network, CBC is now reporting that Bell and Telus may just be switching teams, either to Wideband CDMA or HSPA, in order to better compete in a world dominated by GSM and touting sexy handsets like the iPhone 3G.

What would this mean for Canadians? Competition (which hopefully translates into competitive pricing):

Multiple iPhone carriers would likely be music to the ears of the more than 50,000 people who signed an online petition against Rogers’ rates ahead of the device’s launch on July 11. Australia, with its three carriers including Telstra, has some of the lowest prices on the device in the world, according to CBCNews.ca’s iPhone iNdex. Switzerland, with two iPhone carriers, also ranks well in pricing. Rogers’ iPhone, meanwhile, ranks roughly in the middle of the pack in terms of monthly pricing but is the second-most expensive in the world in terms of total commitment by virtue of its mandatory three-year contract, the longest offered by any carrier in any country.

Oh my, but wouldn’t that make things ever so suddenly interesting?

Thanks to Will for the video!

I got to my local Rogers (corporate owned) store way early, and was immediately nervous upon seeing tons of cars. They were filled with senior citizens — strange iPhone demographic, I thought. When the doors to the mall opened at 7am, the seniors raced in. Near jog, no joke. I thought I’d end up behind a ton of angry, eager iPhone golden oldies, but a funny thing happened: they raced right on past Rogers. Turns out they jog/power walk/amble about there every morning. Who knew?

One week later, and how are things now? I just got my first bill (wow, that was faster than 3G!). $30/6GB data, $35 Mega My 5, $15 Visual Voice Mail Value Pack, $35 activation fee, plus crazy Canadian taxes. $124. (Plus the initial $299 for the 16GB handset…)

But what else is going on in my home and native land? Read on to find out!

Its been quite a ride (just check out all the coverage here). But the fun hasn’t stopped for Canadians. Sure, some independent stores were refusing to process anything but new accounts for launch week, Rogers the 16GB units disappeared almost instantly — at least after the Customer Central software came out of crash mode some time around noon, and just in time for iTunes’ servers to go down. But sales were brisk all around. Rogers claims they very nearly sold out, moving “tens of thousands” of the iPhone 3G. And while confided to greater metropolitan areas, 3G speeds are proving to be decent. That’s the good news.

The bad news? Not everyone was getting 3G from the outset — or any network connection at all. I literally stood next to someone at a Rogers store who was getting zero connection, while I was blazing away on 3G. While some thought the Rogers cell network had gone down under a flood of new iPhone’s eat up the bandwidth, the some are/some aren’t nature of the problem makes the situation at launch unclear.

Also, the WiFi shenanigans continue, of course. While in line, the Rogers reps (who were all great, kept up their senses of humor through the outages, but were misinformed by HQ) were telling people if they didn’t sign for iPhone plans, Rogers would charge for WiFi use. And it didn’t end there. If the commenters here at TiPb are too be believed, people calling in to remove their data plans are still being told that if they have the data removed, they won’t be able to use WiFi either:

called Fido tonight (owned by Rogers; also sells iPhones in Canada) and asked if I could get just voice, turn data off and was told yes. I asked, what if I want to use wifi when my data service is turned off? They said “you won’t be able to. You will need to call us back and have us turn it back on.” The rep looked things up, left and checked, and repeated this claim a total of three times.

Personally, I rocked an original iPhone 2G on Rogers for nearly a year with no data plan (EDGE settings removed to spare myself the usury-like $0.03/kb surcharge) and WiFi worked just splendidly, thank you.

But no one outside of Rogers/Fide can make any guarantees. Absent anything resembling communication from Rogers, and despite no rational explanation from technologists of how Rogers could, never mind if they would, prevent WiFi access (or even charge for it as some Rogers reps have maintained), customers remain concerned — and less tech-savvy customers may just panic and end up getting bamboozled.

Using an iPhone in Canada? How’s your experience going so far?

UPDATE: More confusion! Stylemonkey in the comments below says Rogers claims not to be doing this when he called in over the phone. However, I spoke to a couple more Rogers reps and they’re still insisting they’re being told Rogers will bill for WiFi use, perplexingly by using the EMEI number of you phone. While they say Rogers can’t tell data usage this way, they can tell WiFi is being used, and will bill based on time. Ridiculous? Sounds like it. But what’s even more ridiculous is Rogers telling this to (some of?) their stores and people in the field. Crazy!

ORIGINAL POST:

So I was waiting in line at a Rogers store yesterday when the staff came out and said that if we didn’t take the Rogers’ iPhone specific plans, anytime we used WiFi it would be counted towards our custom plans (like the newly announced $30/6GB promo). They said that even though the iPhone would show WiFi, it would still count down (crazy fast) 3G data, and we’d only find out come bill time when charges came in. One of them said they were waiting on clarification from Rogers. Another said this was what Apple wanted and implemented. (Yeah, I know… I’m just repeating the comments).

We didn’t run the story then because we couldn’t get any confirmation of the rumor, but now other reports of people being told the same thing at different Rogers stores has turned up.

Read on for more!

The staff seemed a bit confused between WiFi Hotspots (which the iPhone-specific plans grant free access to) and WiFi via private routers (home/work/etc.), so this sounds to me like something Rogers just completely mixed up in communicating the details.

As far as I understand the technology, if the 3G icon goes off and the WiFi radio icon comes on, the HSPA stops negotiating the data connections and the 801.11g radio takes over.

3G stays on for voice, but there should be no way for Rogers (or any carrier) to count data via WiFi and subtract it from your 3G bucket even if they wanted to.

One anonymous Rogers insider has stated this to be the case (that WiFi doesn’t eat your 3G bucket). Obvious, maybe, but it’s also obviously turning into a concern for people who’ve been told this, may not be engineers, and want some peace of mind.

Of course, the real peace of mind will come when first bills arrive, WiFi data drain free!

Overall, what with Rogers’ Sales Central online system crashing, Apple’s iTunes authentication servers crashing, and the general crazy in the air, the lack of direction from Rogers HQ is inexcusable, especially in making sure all stores, reps, and employees were well informed, operating under unified policies (i.e. not letting non-Corporate owned stores exclude everyone but new activations), and had the tools and accessibility they needed, rather than having to call home only to find their lifelines claiming “sorry, we haven’t been trained about the iPhone).

NOTE: There are unrelated reports of people who are having trouble keeping WiFi signals (they connect for a moment only to have the iPhone switch back to 3G), which probably shouldn’t be confused with the above.

Were you at Rogers’ launch? Did you hear anything about WiFi charges? Having WiFi problems? Please let us know!

Taking my cues from Dieter, I just ran my freshly (and thankfully) activated iPhone 3G through its http://inetworktest.com and this is what I got:

600kbps baby!

Okay, that was the 3rd and highest of 5 sequential attempts. Test 1 and 4 were 405kbps and tests 2 and 5 were 545kbps. Rogers does claim to invest heavily in their network (which they remind us every time we pay the monthly network improvement surcharge!), and 3G pretty much covers the greater Island of Montreal, where I am, so maybe they’re at least putting some of the massive amounts of money we fork over to good use!

Speaking of Rogers, please forgive me making a quick shout-out to everyone who was in the line at Fairview, Pointe-Claire (especially those who are readers of TiPb!), and to the staff who remained friendly, classy, and courteous through Rogers continual plan changes, server crashes, and iTunes activation all leading to me — who was first in line — finally getting out some 3 hours after the store opened! (Next time, tell head office to call up Google for some pipes, b’okay?)

I shouldn’t blog this. It’ll only make the lines longer. But, dagnabit, it’s just too… well… not unlimited good… but better and somewhat less cr@ppy!

Effective July 11, and as a limited time promotional offer for customers who activate by August 31 on a three year contract, a data-only offering of 6GB of data for $30 per month is being made available that can be added to any in-market voice plan. For example, with 6GB of data, iPhone 3G users can visit 35,952 web pages, or send and receive 157,286 emails, or watch 6,292 minutes of YouTube videos each and every month.

It’s a start!

(And yup, looks like Rogers’ Fido brand is following suit!)

Now, I’m in Montreal… Where do I line up?!?!

Read

WOW! iPhone plans and prices are dropping faster than Rogers stock these days. With a 22 country launch on Friday (and a few days later in France — vive la difference, eh?), some with multiple co-exclusive carriers, each with different tiers of service (from cheap, all-you-can-eat unlimited to tiny $$$ per byte ultra-rip-offs) it’s a lot to keep track of — but we’re still going to try!

Read on for the good, the bad, and a lot of ugly!

Rogers/Fido Canada – WAR!

On the Canadian front (and yes, it is a war here people!) rumors of an Apple/Rogers falling out are probably going to fall out. My guess? Nothing much there unless Rogers is fanning the scarcity flame in order to get people who might be sitting on the fence or holding it to suddenly panic and rush the line on Friday. Apple Stores in Canada, unlike the US, have only pointed to Rogers/Fido for availability, and if Apple is sending units away from Canada to Europe, it may have more to do with the power of the Euro. (Nintendo’s been accused of doing that with the Wii for months to profit from the stronger currency).

Telcel Mexico

2 year contracts south of south of the border in Mexico as well: MX$459/599/799 for 200/300/400 min., 100/150/200 SMS and MBs of data, with the 8GB handset going for MX$3419/2159/889 and the 16GB for MX$4689/3419/2159.

Ayaiyai! That’s US$77 for a tiny 200MB!

Vodafone New Zealand

The good news? Due to the international date line, New Zealand will be getting the iPhone first and Hawaii last. In Aukland, New Zealand, the lineup is already forming to be the first (after a certain Portuguese un-boxer) to get the blessed device.

The bad news? They’ll be paying out the pouch for it. 2 year contracts for NZ$80/130/250 for 120/250/600 min., 600 SMS, and 250/500/1000MB of data and 8GB handsets for NZ$549/449/199 and 16GB for NZ$699/599/359.

Ouch! That’s US$189 for 1GB of data! Once again, the closer you are to a pole, the higher your prices!

Optimus Portugal

Thanks to Mário for sending this in!

Optimus (Orange) in Portugal has pre-paid, post-paid monthly, and 2-year contract prices. Contract minimum monthly usage plans are €30/45/64 which get you €0.149/0.129/0.099 per minute or SMS, 100/300/500 free in-network SMS, and MB of data, with the 8GB handset running €250/200/150 and 16GB, €350/300/250.

Vodafone Portugal

Meanwhile, Vodaphone is offering the Portuguese 2 year contracts as well: €29.90/44.90/64.90, with 100/230/500 min. and SMS, and a miserly 250MB of data, with an 8GB handset going for €299/219/129 and 16GB for €389/309/219.

Yikes! That’s US$102 for 250MB?!

AT&T USA

AT&T Mobility’s President of Network Services has his own podcast where he goes over iPhone 3G performance. Check it out.

And while nowhere near as hackneyed as the iReady riff, Apple has posted its own information on how to prepare yourself for launch day.

Apple’s VP of Retail, Ron Johnson, tried to set expectations: he claims they’ll be taking 30 customers at a time, be able to handle 100 customers an hour, and aim to complete activation in 10-15 min. But they won’t rush you if you want to take your time (though the crowd behind you, torches and pitchforks in hand, might help keep you moving at a brisk pace!)

The iPhone 3G on Rogers saga continues! Crazy Canuck Rogers Rumor du jour? Apple, upset about Rogers disgustingly high price plans for the iPhone 3G and the negative press towards what should have been a triumphant launch for both parties, is cutting its losses and giving Rogers the same shaft Rogers has given Canadian consumers.

How so? By redirecting much of the iPhone stock once destined for Canada to Europe, leaving Rogers embarrassingly short on launch day, causing them to lay off the temp staff they’d lined up.

Caveat: So far this is only coming from a single blogger with no named sources and no history of iPhone or Rogers rumors, true of false. We’re also only a few days from launch, the peak time for hoaxes and attention seeking.

And lets not forget media manipulation. Couldn’t Rogers just as easily be panicking over the negative press and, desperate to make sure they don’t lose fence-sitters or people who might have held out on the first day just to make a protest. Nothing like false scarcity to scare up some business, eh?

Either way, we’ll probably only know for sure on Friday. Though nothing (but lack of common sense) stops Rogers from stepping up and introducing some reasonable rates before then. Monday will do. $30 on top of voice for unlimited data.

Make it so.

Read

Thanks to reader, Adam R. who wrote in to let us know Australian rates have been revealed, and his Blackberry can now “go the way of the dodo”.

First up is Optus who’ve announced both pre-paid and post-paid plans. Pre-paid Turbo Caps start at AUS$30 for an AUS$30 “mycredit”, AUS$110 “mybonus”, and AUS$30 “mytime money” — but no “mydata”. At AUS$100 you get 100/800/100 and Plus 1GB “mydata”. On these plans, and 8GB iPhone 3G will run you AUS$729 and 16GB, AUS$849. Not confusing enough for non-Ozzies, plan rates weigh in at AUS$0.78/min. for national calls,AUS$0.35 per “Flagfall” call, and AUS$02.2/KB weekdays and AUS$1.1/KB for “iZoo Browsing”.

Read on for Post-paid, Telestra’s first statement, Canadian craziness, and some Swedish relief!

Optus’ Post-paid is just as impenetrable for me, with Cap plans ranging from AUS$19 for 100MB, AUS$50 of calls/SMS (and more?), and AUS$0.47 per 30 seconds (?) for national calls, to AUS$179 for 1GB and AUS$1500 of calls/SMS (and more??), and AUS$0.35 per 30 sec. national calls (?!). Both plans have AUS$0.35 “flagfall” per call rates, and AUS$0.25 per SMS.

But it gets stranger! On post-paid, you pay off your iPhone over the course of a 12 or 24 month contract. AUS$51 or AUS$21 for an 8GB or AUS$61 or AUS$26 for a 16GB on the low end, AUS$23 or AUS$0 for 8GB or AUS$33 or AUS$0 on the high.

(Seriously, if an Australian reader can explain that to us like we’re 5th grader, we’d really appreciate it! Crikey!)

Telestra’s Australian rates, and Swedish and Canadian updated after the break!

Here’s Telestra so far:

The Next G™ iPhone 3G™ plans start at $30 per month with an upfront cost of $279 for the 8GB model and $399 for the 16GB model. Customers will receive the 8GB iPhone 3G™ model at no cost with the $80 plan and either the 8GB or the 16GB model at no cost with plans starting at $100 per month. All plans include free Wi-Fi access at Telstra hotspots and require a 24-month contract.

Mind boggling voice and data rates to be detailed later, I assume?

UPDATE: Global TV in British Columbia aired a report on Rogers and the Canadian backlash:

Meanwhile, Canadians continue to protest, with major national and international news outlets picking up the story of GSM monopoly Rogers iPhone plans, and rumor has it there may be some more movement on their part sometime prior to launch:

Customers are not restricted just to the 4 iphone bundles that were announced & are able to select from most of our other voice & data plans. We do not have an unlimited data plan, although we are looking at potentially tweaking some of the data plan bucket sizes. More to follow. Bruce M. Mann Vice President Investor Relations Rogers Communications Inc.

Maybe it has a little something to do with the CDMA competition embarrassing them by offering truly reasonable data rates ($30 unlimited!) on their iClone iPhone competitors, like Telus for the HTC Touch Diamond and Bell for the Samsung Instinct?

Sweden, of course, has already seen Telia cave to public outcry over their iPhone plans (which were crazier than even the Canadians):

Swedish iPhone carrier Telia has revised its service offerings for the soon to be released handset. Instead of modifying the plans for the iPhone 3G, the carrier has chosen to allow users to pick from its existing plans for other mobile phones, then add a 199 SEK (roughly $33) unlimited data option.

Sister site WMExperts brings word that T-Mobile is raising the a la carte price of SMS text messages to an exorbitant $.20 per 160 characters (sadly, an industry average…) While they have their theories as to why tiny text qualifies for thousands of dollars per meg of data charges, others only really care about one thing:

A change in the terms of service may — just may — be a way for those of you stuck on contract with T-Mobile to get out of jail and into a sexay new iPhone 3G.

Whether T-Mobile lets you out or not will likely depend on who you talk to and how much you scream, but a chance is a chance. And could T-Mobile have had worse timing in providing that chance?

Nope.

On the Canadian front, GSM monopoly Rogers is still amending their iPhone info, after correcting the embarrassing typo that made it seem like the early termination fee was $1100 ($100 turned out to be correct). Now it’s info on non-iPhone specific plans, and warnings galore on off-plan data usage ($0.05/KB!) and roaming ($3/MB on plan). Clarified, however, is that using Visual Voice Mail won’t count towards your minutes or your miserly data cap.

Also interesting is the inclusion of anti-Jailbreak/Unlock verbiage:

Your iPhone is restricted to use on the Rogers network, unless you are roaming. If you attempt to unlock your iPhone and use it on another network, it may become permanently unusable. Making unauthorized modifications to the software on your iPhone violates the iPhone software license agreement, and any resulting inability to use your iPhone is not covered under your iPhone’s warranty.

UPDATE: Rogers has posted early-cancellation fees for their already ridiculously expensive iPhone price plans, and not surprisingly they appear at first glance to be stratospherically high: (ii) $1100 or (iii) $220 per month remaining in the service agreement, to a maximum of 400

The 400 there, as well as this thread on iPhoneinCanada.ca, makes it look like a typo — ironically Rogers money grabbing reputation is what probably made people think otherwise initially.

UPDATE 2: Yup, it was a typo. $100 and $20 were (and now are) the correct figures. Ouch. Could Rogers have picked a worse time to be sloppy about their dollar figures? If nothing else, it certainly increased the scrutiny they were already under.

Now, if only Rogers would fix the typos on the data rate plans. I’m sure it’s not really supposed to read $115 for 2GB, but $30 unlimited, right?

Thanks to rwwilliams for letting us know they fixed it!

Confederation Day, the day when everyone from Pacific to Atlantic, from frozen north to the US border, came together and voiced their common disgust for… GSM monopoly Rogers/Fido iPhone 3G data plans.

We’ve already covered them, of course. And the reactions to them, domestic and in news reports from the US and Europe. And Rogers’ PR panic, involving everyone from their VP to outside contractors sending out spin as ineffective as it is impenetrable. Heck, even Crackberry.com is feeling our pain!

One local petition, ruinediphone.com, hoping for some rate plan redress, has now reached 22,000+ signatures (though it did go down, and has since come up, though scattered reports indicate those who use Rogers for their internet connection can’t get to it… hmmm…)

Will it have any effect? Common sense and international embarrassment hasn’t, but there’s still just over a week until launch day on July 11, so there’s still time for Rogers to come to their senses.

Little help, Ted?

And for those non-Canadians curious about our holiday, those who appreciate pointed humor, or just those who want to skip to 3:25 for a healthy dose of Rogers hate, please enjoy the video following after the break:

Given the massive, and increasingly — embarrassingly — international outcry over Canadian GSM monopoly and thus de facto iPhone 3G exclusive carrier, Rogers’ expensive and decidedly limited pricing plans, is it any wonder they’ve gone into full blown PR panic mode?

(If the below is legitimate, of course).

Thanks to sister site’r Crackberry Kevin for sending this our way!

Hello. My name is [redacted] and I’m writing on behalf of Rogers to give you some additional information about the Rogers rate plans available for the iPhone. The iPhone 3G bundles released June 27 are not the only price plans available to customers, they are the high value plans that allow Rogers customers to use the device to its fullest and offer considerable savings over separate voice and data plans that exist in market today.

Keep reading for the rest!

That said, Rogers customers have more choices available to them and can use their existing voice and smartphone data plans if they wish. For example, they can select from the new data pricing (ranging from $30 for 300MB to $100 for 6GB or $50 Flex Rate plan) and add a voice plan, or they can choose a combined voice and data plan to best suit their individual needs. Customers are not required to take the value packs, and can order most other features a la carte, such as $7 for Caller ID. Existing customers can keep their existing voice service plan and pick a separate data plan (not in the iPhone 3G bundle) to meet their needs. They will need to check their upgrade eligibility, but any customer with a monthly service fee that is over $30 can upgrade to an iPhone 3G at $199 (for the 8GB model). Other options outside the iPhone bundle may be available depending on the customer’s individual information.

My take? Even if legit, please keep the heat on. Where there are cracks, there will be breaks!

We’ve done our share of protesting the plan rates released by Canada’s GSM monopoly, and therefor de facto iPhone 3G exclusive carrier, Rogers Wireless. But we’re hardly alone. Reports have even surfaced of angry consumers egging Rogers retail stores.

Now CNN/Fortune have cast their spotlight on it, focusing one what was originally the explicitly, if sincerely named [redacted]rogers.com, now more safely (if less satisfyingly) rebranded ruinediphone.com.:

What’s wrong with Rogers’ rate plan? Both AT&T (T) and Rogers offer calling, data and text messaging at $75 a month, for example. But for $75 Rogers offers a third less calling time, half as many text messages, and puts a 750 MB cap on 3G data usage — with steep fees for users who go over their monthly limit.

In addition to ruinediphone.com‘s petition, would-be-Canadian iPhone owners should head on over to David McGuinty’s petition for House Bill C-555 to promote transparency and fairness in Canadian telcos. and the Competition Bureau of Canada

I hate to say I told you so. I hate to have told you so. But mostly I just hate Rogers’ breathing guts for telling us all so: No unlimited data for Canadian iPhone users and — wait for it — no reasonable data rates beneath the meager caps either! (But then, maybe I just hate myself for ever daring to hope the GSM monopoly would ever move off the worst data rates in the data world!). Not even the 5/6GB options available to BlackBerry and WinMob/Palm users?!

Thanks to Cherryhead25 for the tip!

UPDATE: Via Engadget’s comments, here’s the direct link for the Canadian Competition Bureau, where complaints can be registered:

http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/epic/site/cb-bc.nsf/en/01260e.html

UPDATE 2: Via HoFo, here’s the link to Rep. David McGuinty’s petition for House Bill C-555 to promote transparency and fairness in Canadian telcos: http://www.davidmcguinty.com/english/TakeAction/PetitionTheHouse/PetitionC555Fraisdacces.html

Plans, similar for both Rogers and their Fido sub-brand, after the break!

 

Price	Voice	Evening + Weekend	Data	SMS Out	SMS In	Visual Voicemail
$60	150 minutes	unlimited	400 MB	75	Unlimited	Unlimited
$75	300 minutes	unlimited	750 MB	100	Unlimited	Unlimited
$100	600 minutes	unlimited	1 GB	200	Unlimited	Unlimited
$115	800 minutes	unlimited	2 GB	300	Unlimited	Unlimited

Rogers Wireless will also offer two voice value packs for popular wireless features: a $15 monthly value pack including Caller ID, Who Called, Caller Ring Trax, 2,500 Sent Text Messages and 2,500 Call Forwarding Minutes; and a $20 monthly value pack including Caller ID, Who Called, Caller Ring Trax, 10,000 Sent Text Messages and 6:00 p.m. Early Evening Calling and 2,500 Call Forwarding Minutes.

Pathetic.

This morning I mentioned the so-called “leaked” Rogers memo, which outlined almost find-and-replace identical data plans to those AT&T is offering for the iPhone was too good to be true, and now Kevin from our sister-site Crackberry.com brings us a Rogers presentation which puts another nail in the “we hope for fair data rates” coffin:

Non-flex plan: $15 for 2MB (hitting the YouTube button once?), $25 for 4MB, $30 for 300MB, $60 for 1GB, $80 for 3GB, and $100 for 6GB?!

Flex plan: $50 for 500MB, $65 for 1GB, $85 for 3GB, and $100 for 5GB?!

(Remembering the US in $30 for UNLIMITED!)

A 5GB cap, similar to caps some European countries have put in place for the iPhone 2G is annoying enough, but charging 3.33x more money along with the cap? Outrageous.

Kevin points out that Rogers currently charges $60 for 25MB, and this is better. But being slightly less @#$%-up is not really better. Sadly, unlike Vader or the Hulk, my hatred renders me no more powerful.

I hope these aren’t the iPhone rates. I hope we get something better. But this stinks to high heaven of Rogers historical behavior, and there’s no better indicator of future behavior than that.

UPDATE:

Engadget Mobile is saying there will be exclusive plans for the iPhone on Rogers.

X1Zero over on the iPhone in Canada forum has posted the following under “tasty” news, based on what he claims is new Rogers training material:

Here were the prices listed for [iPhone] plans [including voice and data]: “$60, $65, $70, $75, $80, $85″. What I gather from this is as long as you have at least a $30 voiceplan, you then pick your poison of either $30 or $45 iphone data, and youre golden.

Gander at the original Rogers slide in question (after the break)…

There’s a memo being circulated everywhere from TiPb’s comments to some of the biggest sites on the blogsphere, that purports to contain leaked information on Rogers — the GSM monopoly with de-facto exclusive iPhone 3G rights in Canada — rate plans, including data rates, which have historically been a HUGE issue for Canadians.

The information in this memo gives the impression that Canadians, at long last, might just get the same data rates as AT&T. In fact, the memo seems nearly identical in almost every find-and-replace way to the AT&T memo that leaked a while back. This has led many, myself included, to believe it’s just another hoax, another way to toy with the battered-consumer syndrome sufferers north of the border.

(Of course, none of this would be possible if Rogers would just release their own plan info — like almost every real carrier has already done!)

UPDATE: There’s a second theory circulating which suggests that the memo may be both legit, and also an almost find-and-replace match for the AT&T memo, reason given Apple influence/wording or just similar contract terms agreed to with Apple.

I’m still not sure. This would be such a radically good departure towards fairness and competitiveness that I just can’t bring myself to believe Rogers would do it. Please, PLEASE, prove me wrong! $30 unlimited for data, even given the more-evil 3 year term, would be industry-shifting good.

Sure, those on the twisty-turny AT&T train have looked on at free iPhones in the UK and €1 iPhones in Germany with some lust in their wallets. We get that. But those of us in Canada gaze longingly at all of your clear plans and reasonable data rates with something akin to battered-consumer syndrome.

Rogers, the GSM monopoly in Canada, until recently charged $100 a month for 200MB of data, making us the disgrace not only of the industrialized world, but of pretty much the whole world. They’ve changed slightly over the last few months, but in only the most confusing, impenetrable, and still ridiculously over-priced manner possible. So, with the iPhone 3G coming, many of us Canadians have been stuck in a Schrödinger-esque quantum state somewhere between thrilled at finally getting the device, and terrified at what it might cost.

As always, Rogers provides nothing in the way of lifting the box:

[Rogers Wireless president Nadir] Mohamed explains that the plans will be “easy to understand” as well as more adaptable and encouraging for users who want mobile data. [... He] adds that he expects the average revenue per use to go up with the launch of the iPhone 3G. A typical Rogers customer pays approximately $63 per month for a combination of voice, messaging, and data features, but an average iPhone subscriber should boost that figure to approximately $90 per month, Mohamed says. Most of the increase should come from increased data use.

Here’s an idea: Why not just post the Rogers iPhone 3G data plans, the way AT&T, O2, T-Mobile, and real telcos the world over have begun to? And please, pretty please with a cherry on top, make the data rates on par with the rest of the world?

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We mentioned yesterday that the Canadian Government was poised to bring down the DMCA hammer on us humble citizens, handing the reins of power more overtly than ever to Big Media and Big Telco.

Not so, says the Government, listing off ways in which their new bill is mildly less offensive than it’s American progenitor, but I’m struck by what they don’t mention. Will cell phone unlocking, including iPhone 3G unlocking, be made illegal? And what about DVD ripping? Can I not take a movie I pay money for and put it into iTunes so I can watch it on my new iPhone 3G? And why, to balance the rights you’re stripping from Canadians, have you not long ago introduced a bill to prevent GSM monopolies in the telco industry from charging Canadians among the highest prices in the world for data?

How about that?

(Read on for the full text of the Canadian Government’s preemptive email blast)

The Government of Canada has introduced Bill C-61, An Act to Amend the Copyright Act. The proposed legislation is a made-in-Canada approach that balances the needs of Canadian consumers and copyright owners, promoting culture, innovation and competition in the digital age. What does Bill C-61 mean to Canadians? Specifically, it includes measures that would: expressly allow you to record TV shows for later viewing; copy legally purchased music onto other devices, such as MP3 players or cell phones; make back-up copies of legally purchased books, newspapers, videocassettes and photographs onto devices you own; and limit the “statutory damages” a court could award for all private use copyright infringements; implement new rights and protections for copyright holders, tailored to the Internet, to encourage participation in the online economy, as well as stronger legal remedies to address Internet piracy; clarify the roles and responsibilities of Internet Service Providers related to the copyright content flowing over their network facilities; and provide photographers with the same rights as other creators. What Bill C-61 does not do: it would not empower border agents to seize your iPod or laptop at border crossings, contrary to recent public speculation What this Bill is not: it is not a mirror image of U.S. copyright laws. Our Bill is made-in-Canada with different exceptions for educators, consumers and others and brings us into line with more than 60 countries including Japan, France, Germany and Australia Bill C-61 was introduced in the Commons on June 12, 2008 by Industry Minister Jim Prentice and Heritage Minister Josée Verner. For more information, please visit the Copyright Reform Process website at www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/crp-prda.nsf/en/home Thank you for sharing your views on this important matter. The Honourable Jim Prentice, P.C., Q.C., M.P. Minister of Industry The Honourable Josée Verner, P.C., M.P. Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages and Minister for La Francophonie

Although Rogers Wireless, the GSM monopoly and hence both de facto and exclusive iPhone 3G carrier in Canada has yet to announce rate plans for Apple’s second generation data monster, they have let slip the following in their PR:

Starting July 11, iPhone 3G will sell for $199 for the 8Gb model and $299 for the 16Gb model, on a three-year plan.

That’s right, 3 (three!) big years for the contract as opposed to 2 years in the US, or 18 months and even Pay-as-You-Go in Europe. Who said we were the new world?

We’ve already discussed some of the challenges that previously faced the iPhone in Canada, now we have confirmed release date, confirmed handset price, and all that remains is confirmation on what have been, until now, globally ridiculous data rates.

Come one Rogers. You’ve come this far. Don’t spoil it now with something silly like $100 a month for 1GB. Give us the 3G Unlimited for $30, just like the US.

I’d have more faith, but it’s not like the Canadian government has anything remotely resembling consumer interests at heart, not with their new DMCA — set for introduction today — which includes provisions “Making it illegal to unlock cellphones or copy music from protected CDs to iPods.”

Thanks Antonic for the tip!

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Long the [out-of-wedlock] stepchildren of the iTunes experience, Canada and the UK got some small measure of love a while back with the addition of TV shows, albeit primarily local and cable fare, like CBC and BBC respectively. But where were our movies? What about our (pricey) Apple Take 2 rentals?

Today Apple finally bestowed cinema on her Majesties loyal subjects, home and commonwealth alike:

Your favourite Hollywood movies are now available to download from the iTunes Store and watch instantly. Rent new releases for just $4.99 and other library titles for just $3.99, or buy movies and own them forever. Sit back and enjoy the show on your computer, take it on the road with your iPod—or view movies in stunning high definition with Apple TV.

In Canada, purchased movies seem to range from $9.99 to an expensive $19.99 for new releases (hey, studios, seen the power of le loonie lately?) while in the UK, rentals will fetch a premium £2.49 to £3.49, and purchases, £6.99 and £10.99.

Like the US, HD Movies are reserved exclusively for direct-to-Apple TV rental (thanks Big Media!), but it seems we might just get to enjoy them for 48 hrs. instead of the miserly 24 in the US.

One drawback? Canada already has steep data rates and stingy data caps (low end accounts offer a paltry 1-2GB a month, with high overage charges). Unlimited accounts can also be slower (low end toping out at 1.5 Mbps). Add to that the potential for cable and telecos to throttle what might seem to them to be competing offerings (to Rogers and Bell on-demand or PPV services, for example), and it will make for some interesting politics.

While the telcos may argue that the post office doesn’t deliver Netflix for free, it’s not like end users see the shipping charges either. It may end up that Apple has to deal with the Big Pipe devils same way they do with Hollywood and the carriers…

UPDATE: I had to reset the settings (not restore to factory, just reset) on the Apple TV in order to get it to offer up some movies, which meant reconnecting it to sync and stream from iTunes.

I’m not going to get off on another Rogers rant here. Suffice it to say, when it comes to Canadian telcos, I’m the rat who, having learned helplessness, now lies face down on the hot plate.

However, not content to let me lie there and wither in peace, now comes this report, determined to kick poor downed me with some hope:

Sources from inside Rogers claim that the device should be available the same month as an expected US release of an updated, 3G-capable model [...] currency values are likely to place the cost of the phone itself closer to the eventual US figure. [...] The sources claim that the iPhone will qualify for Rogers’ $7 on-device browsing plan, which currently allows all phones offered by Rogers (excepting BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices) to access the web as much as they like through the carrier’s officially-sanctioned browser. Whether Rogers will allow YouTube, the App Store, and other official but non-web devices to fall into the unlimited plan is unknown, though unlike with other phones Rogers will not have the choice of installing or customizing the web browser or other applications.

We’ll see (or more likely, we won’t see). The best indicator of future behavior being prior behavior, I figure the iPhone data plan will cost $100/month for 1GB. Prove me wrong, Rogers!

What do you think?

Read Via

We’re number 7! We’re number 7! (OMG 7!!11)

During their Q1 Press Conference Call this week, Rogers Mobile announced that they had finally (finally!) finalized a deal to bring the iPhone to Canada:

“We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can’t tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned.”

This would make Canada the 7th country to officially announce an iPhone deal, after the US, UK, Germany, France, Ireland, and Austria. (Whether they launch 7th will be another matter…)

Now, I can’t say Phone Different bringing attention to this matter just last week played any role in the big announcement (El Jobso, are you reading us right now?), but it is quite a coincidence, n’est ce pas?

In any event, if this pans out, I’ll be ecstatic. Heck, I might even sing! (mercifully after the break…)

{clears throat}

O, iPhone!
Is finally coming to this land
True Apple love, but what about data plans?

With glowing heart, Canadians dare to hope
For rates cheap and cap free

Though only later this year,
O iPhone, we will see!

Jobs struck the deal, Ted heard my plea
O iPhone, please, oh please, let it be!

O iPhone, but will it be… 3G?

It’s morning; the dull Canadian sun seeps in through the blinds and the alarm sounds on my iPhone. I flip over, swipe to silence, grab the phone from off the side table, and quickly check my email for anything urgent. The weather widget shows clear skies, Twitter is abuzz with the latest SDK updates, and PhoneDifferent.com tells me Apple made a bit of money this year. Closing the browser, I flip on a podcast for some easy-learning and try to decide whether the day needs facing.

Sounds pretty normal, right? Actually, it’s still pretty revolutionary, really. One device to rule them all, as the meme goes. The iPhone. Apple’s gift to the mobile world. And something that, as a Canadian, I can’t legitimately own or use.

Biggest NAFTA- and Free Trade-powered partner, friendliest borders in the world, and seemingly endless source of hot singers and gifted comedians, and while we Canadians can buy every other bit of gear Apple produces, we get absolutely no iPhone love.

Why is that exactly? Read on.

Every cell phone needs a network to function. Voice, data, sms, etc. all requires an existing infrastructure, and the iPhone in particular needs the most prevalent global cellular infrastructure, GSM. Like the United States, Canada has both GSM and CDMA cell providers. Unlike the US, however, where there’s GSM competition between AT&T and T-Mobile, following a merger a few years ago, Canada has only one (1) GSM provider: Rogers.

Reason 1: GSM Monopoly

Way back in 1925, Ted Rogers Sr. invented the first radio tube to work off alternating current (AC), revolutionizing the industry and helping make the radio ubiquitous. Before his untimely death, he was even granted a television license which was still in the experimental stages at the time.

Ted Rogers jr. followed in his father’s footsteps, pioneering stereo broadcasting in 1962 with CHFI-FM. Come 1967, after helping popularize the FM system, Rogers moved into cable television, and by 1985 he entered the cell market with Rogers Cantel Inc.

Rogers began its cellular service with an AMPS network and later transitioned through IS-136 before adopting the de facto global standard of GSM in the 90s. (Currently Rogers is deploying their 3G/3.5G UMTS/HSDPA network to major cities with future plans to expand from there.)

During the early 2000s, Rogers faced GSM competition in the form of Fido. Originally known as Microcell, it was funded in part by T-Mobile and made its bones through (then) innovative and customer-friendly practices like per-second billing and, at one time, unlimited internet access. Due to the competition from Fido and similar upstart, Clearnet, Rogers and the two other large Canadian cell providers, CDMA monoliths Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility, began trying to match per-second billing or start their own boutique operations, like Bell’s Solo brand.

Then, in 2004, Rogers bought Fido. Per-second-billing had already been dropped by the 3 major telcos following Telus’ purchase of Clearnet in 2000, and with Rogers’ purchase of Fido, unlimited internet also disappeared for users not locked into a grand-fathered contract. Rogers wasted no time in integrating Fido into their own network, even while keeping it as a distinct brand and giving “Fido” customers the option of paying an additional $5 a month the “roam” on the Rogers network proper, or pay-per-minute at $0.30.

And with that, the Rogers’ GSM monopoly began.

How does this effect the iPhone in Canada? In the US and EU, carriers competed to get the iPhone, and agreed to revenue-sharing models with Apple in order to lure valuable data-centric customers to their networks. As a the GSM monopoly in Canada, there is no other carrier that could deploy the GSM-bound iPhone, and hence no one for them to compete with.

Perhaps the iPhone could help Rogers lure customers away from their CDMA-based competition, Bell and Telus, but not only is this a partial consideration, it is more than a little muted by the existence of gray-market unlocked iPhones already on the Rogers network. (In other regions, regions without a monopoly, GSM providers would still have to compete even for unlocked iPhones.)

Even if Apple chose to sell unlocked iPhones themselves, directly through Apple Online and retail or, as past rumors have gone so far as to suggest, through ultra-high end retailer Holt Renfrew at a steep $799 a pop, it would still have to run on Rogers’ network.

It’s widely speculated that Apple used the iPhone to get many carriers to agree to unprecedented unlimited data plans at reasonable rates as a condition of their agreements. Lacking competition, Rogers has no incentive to cut its own data rates, which are highly limited and anything but reasonable.

Reason 2: Of Data Rates and Third World Countries

AT&T offers unlimited iPhone data plans for $20 a month. As recently as 2007, before Rogers’ made such information much harder to find on their site, their top-tier data option was $200 a month for 100MB. That’s literally 10x as much for an infinitely smaller amount of data. Leading Canadian newspaper, the Financial Post, has guesstimated that, given Canadian data rates, an iPhone plan would cost $295 a month and still include fewer minutes and less data.

This has led to companies such as RIM, Canada’s homegrown pride and joy and makers of the market-leading Blackberry line, along with the likes of Google, to publicly blast the Canadian telcos for their data rates.

Recently, due to pressure from Bell and Telus, rates are coming down, but in only the most confusing manner possible. You can now find $7 – $15 data plans, but only for certain phones (e.g. only Blackberry Pearl or only HTC Touch), or only for certain services (e.g. only for email or only for wall-gardened browsers).

On February 5th, 2008, Rogers joined the fray with an “unlimited” mobile browsing plan for $7. The restrictions? Only Rogers- and Fido-branded phones qualify. No smart phones. No Blackberries. No Windows Mobiles. And certainly no iPhone. Further, access will only be permitted on Rogers’ branded WAP browser. No Pocket IE. No Opera Mini or Mobile. (Reportedly, Rogers will check IMEI numbers to enforce the plans, and bill non-qualifying phones and non-Rogers’ WAP usage at the usually steep rate of $0.05/KB (do the math).

Notwithstanding the near-impenetrable specials, standard monthly plans for Windows Mobile-based smart phones on Rogers remain from $15 for 2MB ($10 per MB overage) to $80 for 500MB ($3 per MB overage).

The embarrassing state of Canadian cellular data has led some to use the phrase “worse than a third world country“. Indeed, the now-classic graph illustrating the phrase shows costs for 500MB of data transfer starting at $41 in New Zealand, climbing to $74 in Rowanda, stepping up to $102 in the UK, and then soaring the $375 on Telus in Canada, before exploding upwards of $1600 on Rogers.

As mentioned previously, Apple has widely been seen as pushing for fairly priced data plans to go along with their data-centric iPhone. Rather than applying the leadership they showed in radio, or even show basic grasp of economies of scale and volume pricing models (one wealthy/desperate business user @ $200 is dwarfed by $1000 casual users @$20), Rogers has resisted anything approaching fair (by international standards) data plans.

If Apple can not get fair pricing, it’s difficult to see an iPhone launch in Canada. And even if Apple is willing to bend on the fair pricing (as it has has already by accepting data caps in some EU countries), it’s almost impossible to believe they would launch in a country where any reasonable use would result in $1000 monthly data bills. Would you pay that much for an iPhone? Or, rather, an “Apple” Phone…?

Reason 3: Oh, That Other iPhone, Eh?

Almost immediately after the iPhone was introduced by Steve Jobs, high atop the Macworld 2007 stage, ads began to appear for the iPhone in Canada. What’s that you say? Ads in Canada for the iPhone? Yup, just not Apple’s iPhone. It turns out a Canadian company named Comwave had been selling their own VoIP device, called the iPhone, since 2004. And boy did they jump on the newfound, Apple-powered buzz.

Some, including Canadian public broadcaster, CBC, have commented that a trademark dispute between Apple and Comwave over the iPhone name is a roadblock that could take up to 2 years to resolve.

Of course, this isn’t the only iPhone related trademark dispute Apple has had to face. The moment Steve Jobs pulled his revolutionary new device from his pocket and called it the iPhone, no doubt other phones started going off — at the Cisco legal offices in the United States. At the time of the iPhone introduction, Cisco — not Apple — held the registered trademark on iPhone in the US. And almost immediately Cisco made an announcement of their own: lawsuit.

Apple and Cisco settled their dispute just over a month later. That Apple didn’t own the iPhone trademark in the US and went ahead with its introduction there, however, could cast some doubt on how much of a factor Comwave’s claim is when it comes to delaying the iPhone launch in Canada.

On the flip side, settling a lawsuit after announcement but prior to launch, and settling one post-launch are different situations, and different intellectual property rights laws between Canada and the US could also be a consideration for Apple.

But let’s face it, when you say iPhone in Canada, people don’t think of Comwave — they think of Apple.

The Great Gray North

Regardless of whether it’s Rogers’ GSM monopoly, ludicrously high data rates, Comwave’s iPhone patent, or simply Apple’s lack of urgency in the Canadian market (ranked 15th, after Mexico and before South Africa), as it stands right now there’s no iPhone in Canada.

Or is there?

Rumor has it there are tens of thousands, bought in the US and unlocked in Canada. The same rumor holds that they are one of the more popular single devices on the Rogers network already — so popular they are unofficially sanctioned by Rogers tech and customer support. Numerous forum posts comment on getting help choosing iPhone plans (exorbitant as they may be) from Rogers reps.

As far back as firmware versions 1.1.1 and 1.1.2, when unlocking iPhones was still a fairly tricky proposition, I routinely saw them being sold to Canadians via the web, and in person at mall kiosks. I also saw them at big box retailers being used by employees and customers alike. Now with virtually one-click, automated jailbreaking, activating, and unlocking tools available for firmware 1.1.4, gray market iPhone use in Canada can only be on the rise. And that’s not even counting the inevitable increase in buzz come June and the iPhone 2.0 and SDK release, and the almost certain arrival of the second generation, 3G data-capable iPhone.

(No guesses yet on what size data bill a 3G iPhone would generate on Rogers…)

To Be Continued…

So this is where we are with the iPhone officially coming to Canada.

Nowhere.

Gossip lingers on, month after month. Every time another country mentions the possibility of an iPhone launch, a “Canada too!” rumor pops up.

Some of us write to Apple and to Rogers to show them the demand. Some of us complain to the Canadian Radio-Televison and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC – similar to the US FCC) and the Minister of Industry, desperate for some government intervention on the monopolistic abuse with regards to data rates.

Meanwhile, Canadians make do with the iPod Touch and a second device for voice and data, or go to a gray market, unlocked iPhone to save the pocket-space.

I’m in the second category, of course. And every night, I check my news feeds, watch a video, and put on a podcast (set on a 15 min. auto-timer) as I drift off to sleep, hoping and dreaming for an iPhone announcement come morning…

(Want to see the iPhone in Canada? Contact Apple, Rogers, the CRTC, and Ministry of Trade via the links above, and Digg this story to help spread the word!)

The fourth annual iLounge 2008 Buyers Guide works for the iPhone and iPod, and is viewable online for smaller screens like the iPhone, iPod Touch, or laptops. If you prefer, for desktop viewing.

Verizon is lowering their data rates for feature phones in preparation for competition with the iPhone. Expect a snarky comment from Dieter on this one. Unfortunately, their smartphone data rates are still sky-high. And, you can add a Canadian roaming plan for just $20. The Phone they’re thinking about using to “compete” with the iPhone is the Samsung F700, though they might re-brand it as the U940. That’s some “brilliant marketing.” I don’t usually report on “iPhone killers,” but I’m glad to see the iPhone forcing prices down for everybody.

Rumors from AppleInsider indicate that iTunes 7.5 will be coming out in the next couple of weeks. This probably means that any iPhone updates with post-Leopard goodness require an iTunes update. This iTunes update will also bring support for the UK, German, and likely French iPhones. Oh, and it will include better duplicate song management. w00t!

Mark/Space, makers of many popular “Missing Sync” smartphone sync softwares, have announced their intent to release “Missing Sync for the iPhone” later this year. Their software will include Notes.app syncing, SMS backups, better call log management, and a migration tool to copy data from a BlackBerry, Palm OS, or Windows Mobile smartphone.

According to a leaked blurb spotted on the Boy Genius Report, Apple will be launching iPhone on Rogers on December 7th. It’s a leaked ad, and they note that the trademark dispute could prevent this from being the final image, not to mention the final date. On behalf of our northern neighbors, I hope that Apple is able to wrest as much change as they can out of Rogers for the sake of our northern neighbors, I keep reading that the data rates are exorbitant.

Apple Dealing with Film-Makers Directly for iTunes
Apple has sidestepped some of the major studios for some films, opting instead to deal directly with film-makers. This could be a sign of things to come — it would be great to not have to report every major film-studio or TV channel contract tiff.

Apple iPhone Dev Center
Apple has created a web site devoted to developers that are interested in putting their programs on the iPhone. Apple is calling it the iPhone Dev Center, and it’s a repository of tips, tricks, and guidelines to follow should anyone want to make an iPhone web app. It’s also probably a list of instructions that one would have to follow to get listed as a featured application on Apple’s web app listing.

Molson Reveals iPhone on Rogers in January?
For any Canadian readers, Molson ran a contest that had an iPhone as the prize. They had a disclaimer on the iPhone prize, stating that it couldn’t be activated on the Rogers network until January. So, odds are pretty good that the iPhone will be out in Canada in January. Molson has since pulled the language for the contest, saying they have no idea when anything is coming out ever. And they never had any idea. (images below via Electronista)

Is the iPhone Running Leopard?
There’s an article at Wired that delves deeper into Jobs’ open letter about 3rd party applications on the iPhone and the connection to Leopard. One of the tidbits that Jobs talks about briefly is signing applications, and Wired has a good look into what that would mean for 3rd party iPhone apps. And, there’s some discussion whether the iPhone is based off of Leopard or not: “It’s not known for sure at this point, but all indications are that the iPhone is a Leopard-based device,” as stated by Carl Howe, analyst at Blackfriars. It clearly is. Witness the uname -a of my laptop on 10.4 vs. the uname -a of my iphone:

The important bit there is the kernel version. Apple releases the OSX frameworks to correspond with kernel versions of darwin for every version of OSX. The iPhone has been running Leopard (9.0) since it came out in June. My 10.4 laptop is running darwin 8.10.0, which corresponds to 10.4.10.

iPhone Security Faults
Meanwhile, there’s been a rash of complaints about the iPhone’s security. You may have seen headlines that compare the iPhone to Windows 95, for example. It’s of course, a loaded comparison, made for sensationalism. You could just as well compare the iPhone’s security to Windows 98, Windows ME, or Windows XP if you’re logged in as an administrator (which is everybody — you can barely run Office as a limited user). But, Windows 95 gets the headline. Since the iPhone is made of UNIX, user separation is built-in, expect apps to run as something other than administrator/root/super-user when the SDK update comes out. Perhaps earlier; we can’t know as Apple isn’t commenting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that ‘run as root’ is a good security model. It’s so bad, it’s not even a security model.

iPhone de-bricking: re-virginizer tool available
The Elite team posted a re-virginizer tool that people can use to restore the ability to upgrade. This tool locks the iPhone with the proper bits in place on the iPhone radio; some of the free iPhone unlock tools wrote stuff to the iPhone baseband radio that was invalid; this led to bricked phones when it came time to update the firmware to 1.1.1.

AT&T Upgrading Core Network
Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T, was interviewed recently and he talked about many things concerning the iPhone and AT&T’s network. Their core should make for faster downloads for anything that uses AT&T’s networks, wired or wireless. That means us: anyone using an iPhone should see a smidgen of a benefit, but the real help comes when we’re using 3G fast internet iPhones.

The iPhone faces additional legal issues in Canada before it can make its way onto Rogers. It appears that a plucky little Ontarian telecom named Comwave wants Apple to pony up cash before Apple can use the iPhone trademark. Comwave is currently using the iPhone trademark for VOIP phones and services. The trademark brouhaha is currently playing its way out in CIPO, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Also, there’s currently no public deal with Rogers to carry the iPhone, that could be another stumbling block. Apple probably has to do this dance in every country where they want to sell the iPhone.