telus (NYSE: TU) announced yesterday a flurry of handsets (including the iPhone 3GS) to launch alongside their brand spanking new HSPA network, leaving a lot of people wondering what Bell will have to offer. Today, they’re only announcing the Novatel MiFi portable hotspot and an HSPA+ capable U998 Turbo Stick, though we have an inkling they’ll also end up getting the iPhone, among other things. If you haven’t seen our review of the MiFi, check it out – it’s essentially a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that shares a 3G cellular connection with 5 other devices. The U998 is an exclusive with Bell, and should rock the 7.2 Mbps wireless internet connection that HSPA+ has to offer. Keep an eye out for both of these, and presumably a batch of new phones, from Bell in November.

[via Bell]

If $149.95 direct from Bell isn’t cheap enough for you, there’s another more affordable option for Canadian Palm Pre bargain hunters. The folks at WirelessWave currently have the Pre up for $99.95. Of course it goes without saying that you’ll need to sign your life away for 3 years and commit to a minimum $45/mth voice/data plan to get that price. For all the details you can pop on over to WirelessWave.

At the rate prices are dropping on the Pre up here in Canada, pretty soon the carriers will start paying YOU to pick up the webOS powered beauty, right? Oh, if only that were the case… I’d be so happy.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

RIM’s new flagship device, the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Bold 9700, has been officially announced. If you’ve been following the latest leaked videos and pictures, you’d already know a fair bit about this device (including that it’s coming to AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Bell, Rogers, telus and maybe even wind) but here’s a spec run-down anyway:

• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, image stabilization, video recording, flash and 2 x zoom
• 122 g, 109mm x 60mm x 14.1mm
• 2.44″480 x 360 display
• New 624 Mhz processor, 256 MB of flash memory
• Wi-Fi with UMA support, A-GPS, Bluetooth (incl. A2DP)
• 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB jack, and microSD memory card slot supporting up to 32 GB
• Optical trackpad
• 1500 mAh battery with 6 hours of talk time or 19/15 days standby (GSM and UMTS, respectively)
• 1900/1800/900/850 MHz on GSM, 2100/1900/850/800 Mhz or 2100/1700/900 Mhz on UMTS

For those currently rocking the original BlackBerry Bold 9000, upgrading to this bad boy would provide you not only with added application memory, processor speed, and an upgraded camera, but extra style by way of the optical trackpad, slimmer dimensions, and overall revamped style. Don’t worry, the keyboard you know and love has changed very little, and the leather backing is still there, if you’re into that kind of thing. Anyone who had passed up on the 9000 because it looked like a fatty next to the Curve will probably be reassessing their options this go-around.

OS 5.0 is also included in the new Bold, some of the improvements from which we’ve seen in the Storm2. A lot of the really cool enterprise stuff, like flags and remote e-mail lookup will be available for those companies who have upgraded their BES to 5.0 and have devices like the Storm2 9550 and Bold 9700 among their employees; in good time, though, OS 5.o will likely find its way to the most recent BlackBerry models.

There’s no official info on carriers or pricing, but they are expecting it to be picked up in November, just in time for Christmas.

[BlackBerry Bold 9700 Official Site]

UPDATE: Rogers (NYSE: RCI) has confirmed that they’ll be offering the 9700 for $299.99 on a three-year plan. T-Mobile and AT&T will both be selling the Bold for $199.99 on a two-year term. Bell and Telus have also confirmed the 9700; although with no price point, they’re saying November.

Ah, god bless Bell. Or, at least, give them a whopping high-five for this little bit of price-dropping goodness. For all of the Canadians that may have been on the fence about the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre, Bell has dropped the price on the webOS marvel to $149.95 (on 3-year contract). At launch, the Pre was available for $199.95 on a 3-year contract. If this price sounds a little more digestible to you, head on over to Bell for all the details.

I have a sneaking suspicion we may see yet another price drop on the Pre before the holidays hit. I mean, with their new HSPA network coming shortly, plus no doubt a whackload of devices to go with it… Can I get a seconder? Of course, this is all just an educated guess… Hopefully I’m spot-on!

[Via: CellFanatic]

Canadian carriers Bell and Telus (NYSE: TU) have been preparing to flip on the GSM switch on their currently CDMA-only networks, but we’ve heard remarkably little about what exactly they’ll be offering when HSPA becomes an option for them.  Lucky for us, some generous tipsters have provided us with the list to date, along with associated price points, depending on your plan.

• LG Xenon: $89.95, $289.95
• Samsung Impact: $79.95, $279.95
• Samsung Omnia 2: $349.95, $549.95
• Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone 3G 8GB: $399.95, $599.95 — probably $149 after in store rebates
• Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB: $499.95, $699.95 — probably $199 after in store rebates
• Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB: $599.95, $799.95 — probably $299 after in store rebates
• BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Bold 9000: $399.95, $599.95 — probably $149-$199 after in store rebates
• BlackBerry 9700: $399.95, $599.95 — probably $249 after in store rebates
• Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 2730: $29.95, $119.95
• Nokia 6350: $49.95, $249.95
• 3 Novatel HSPA data cards: two HSPA+, one 7.2Mbps

Not a bad start – now, what will Telus have?

[via BGR]

Canadian Berry addicts, excited about the upcoming launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9700? You should be, it’s shaping up to be an ever-so-solid sequel to the Bold 9000… But the 9700 isn’t the topic of choice this morning. I’m talking Bold 9000 love right now!

Over the weekend, we learned that both Bell and Rogers (NYSE: RCI) are gearing up to launch a couple of new Bold 9000’s on their network. Yes, the 9000, not the 9700 here! Perhaps this is just a testament to how popular the 9000 really is. Roughly a year since the device’s launch, and the carriers are still releasing new variants

But I digress… Word is that Bell will have a new Black version of the Bold 9000, while Rogers will pump out a White version of the original Bold. Cool. No details on launch dates or pricing, but stay tuned for more.

[Via: BGR]

So we heard the rumors, then the Telus confirmation, and now, thankfully, some confirmation from Bell as well. They’ve just gone all official on the whole iPhone 3GS deal, with the devices to become available in November. Still no pricing or exact launch date details available, but if you’d like to sign up for HSPA+ network updates (which will no doubt include iPhone 3GS news), hit up BellNetwork.ca.

A quick snippet from an official press release brings a tear to my eye:

Bell and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) have reached an agreement to bring iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS to Canada this November.

To check out the whole release, head on over to BCE.

Can I get a high-five from any Canadians out there glad to see the end of Rogers (NYSE: RCI)’ iPhone exclusivity!???

Of course, as you just read in my post above, Bell has been working hard on their network upgrades. So much so, that the HSPA upgrade is well ahead of schedule. BGR is reporting that the network will go green next month, in plenty of time to work out any kinks ahead of the Olympic games in Vancouver. Bell is the official network of the games… Me thinks Bell has a busy few months ahead of them!

The new HSPA network from bell is an overlay of their 1XRTT/EV0DO Rev A. network and will offer speeds of up to 21Mbps. The expansion has apparently covered more than 1,000,000 square kilometers of Canadian landscape, including around 20,000 cities and towns. Yikers, great job Bell. Thumbs up.

Now, where did you stash those iPhones?

[Via: BCE]

Well what do we have here… Late last night and early this morning I’ve heard nothing but Bell and Telus (NYSE: TU) iPhone news? What? Yep, the latest rumor has Bell and Telus launching the iPhone in Canada, as early as this November. Believe it!

Bell and Telus have been working together on their next-gen network, something that was needed to happen in order to offer such devices as the iPhone. Apparently the network upgrades are at or near completion, well ahead of schedule. Suppose that’s why we’re hearing these iPhone rumblings now!

For the longest time, Rogers (NYSE: RCI) has had a monopoly on the phone in Canada, and it looks like those days are coming to an end. Of course, both Bell and Telus aren’t confirming that this is indeed true, but expect to hear something more official sometime today or tomorrow.

These are exciting times for Canadian mobile junkies like myself. Rogers has had their chance with the iPhone all alone for too long now, and I can’t wait for the competition to come in. With Bell and Telus gearing up to launch the iPhone, and new wireless carriers joining the fray this year… I can’t wait to see what the new competition brings to all Canadians. Me thinks lower prices, more selection, and better service.

[Via: TheGlobeAndMail]

Back in August we got our first ever-so-blurry peak at the BlackBerry 9700 on Bell’s systems. While the shot wasn’t that impressive, it did give us some kind of confirmation that the latest edition Bold will be coming to Bell in the near future.

Today (via BGR), it looks like Mr. Blurrycam can take a back seat to a clean, crisp image leaked of Bell’s internal systems… An image that clearly shows off the Bold 9700 for all to see. You’ll note the pricing set at $599.00, which will clearly be the off-contract price. Kind of odd, as Bell tends to price their devices at X dollars plus 95 cents, but meh, whatever. However you slice it, we’re likely to see the launch of the 9700 real soon, alongside Bell’s new HSPA network.

Important note: System shots of the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Curve 8530 have also been spotted on Bell’s systems too. The device will run $499 off-contract.