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.

We’ve been waiting for Palm (NSDQ: PALM) to release its webOS 1.2 update ever since rumors pointed at a September 24 launch date. That day came and passed with nary a peep from Palm. Today, Palm is making some noise with the release of webOS 1.2 and its support for premium, paid webOS apps. The arrival of paid apps in webOS 1.2 is a milestone for the app-lacking webOS App Catalog – the kind of milestone that will hopefully entice developers with revenue possibilities and kick webOS development into high gear.

But, there’s more. webOS 1.2 supports direct downloading from the web. The Amazon MP3 app now allows users to purchase and download music over-the-air to the phone, WiFi connection or no. Zooming into a webpage is now more intuitive and music playback can be controlled from the touchscreen when the device is locked.

Want to learn more? Hit up Palm’s changelog for webOS 1.2 here.

Early adopters of the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre in Canada knew this was coming… You know when you’re one of the first to take on any new technology you’re going to pay through the nose for it. There’s no exception when it comes to the Palm Pre in Canada. Best Buy have already lowered the 3-year contract price to $149.99. Of course you’ll still need to sign up for the minimum $45/mth voice and data plan… But that kinda goes without saying.

I can already hear some saying ‘ok, but what about on Bell, surely they’ve lowered their price too?’. Nope, not yet. As of this morning the 3-year contract price was still set at $199.95. I suspect the drop will be coming soon, but exactly how soon, I’m not sure.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

You may recall earlier the plans Bell had to launch the Samsung Reclaim. True to form, those plans have come to fruition and the Reclaim is now available on Bell! You can pick one up for $49.95 on a 3-year contract, $99.95 on a 2-year, $199.95 on a 1-year and $219.95 prepaid.

So why is the Reclaim so special? Well, to start it’s made from corn-based bio-plastic materials and is 80% recyclable. It’s packaged in recycled materials as well, and even the size of the package is smaller. The wall charger is Energy Star approved, which means it takes about 12 times less energy to charge. Impressive! If you’re earth conscious and earth friendly (who isn’t these days), this phone is kinda setting a standard.

The Samsung Reclaim is available at Bell in ‘Ocean Blue’ and ‘Earth Green’, and comes complete with a 3.5mm headset jack, 2MP camera with video, GPS, full HTML web browsing, microSD expansion up to 16GB, and a whole lot more.

For more, visit Bell.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

As rumored a little while ago, we now have word that the eco-friendly Samsung Reclaim is arriving at Bell. The Canadian carrier is set to launch the Samsung Reclaim up north on September 17th. The device will be available in ‘Ocean Blue’ and ‘Earth Green’, and is made from corn-based bio-plastic materials, which make it easy to recycle when you’re done with it. Dummy phones have already started arriving at Bell locations, so there’s no doubt staffers have read the memos and are getting trained up on this one.

The Bell Samsung Reclaim will go for $49.95 on a 3-year term, $99.95 on a 2-year, $199.95 on a 1-year and $219.95 on the prepaid option.

Key features of the Reclaim include a 2.4″ display, 2MP camera with video, microSD expansion to 16GB, 3.5mm headset jack, GPS, a 1000 mAh battery and more.

Stay tuned for the official launch, comin’ real soon!

[Via: MobileSyrup]

The GSMA has just updated their network status page with dates for Canadian carriers Bell and TELUS (NYSE: TU). Being Canada’s only serious competition to Rogers (NYSE: RCI), the addition of GSM support will open a lot of doors for these two providers, both in terms of devices and service quality. Here’s a preliminary list of devices we can expect, based on rumours floating around the forums.

Bell:  Planned September 2009

• BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Bold 9700
• Blackberry Bold 9000
• Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone
• Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N97
• Nokia 2730
• Nokia 6350
• LG Xenon
• Samsung T746
• Novatel HSPA Turbo Stick

TELUS: Planned October 2009

• Apple iPhone
• BlackBerry Bold 9700
• HTC Hero
• LG BL40
• LG GB 255
• Nokia E71

We had heard before that the iPhone would be coming to TELUS in October, so that much lines up perfectly, but everything else is conjecture for now. It’s also worth noting that newcomer WIND is set to have its network ready in November; we’ve got a decent idea of what devices and plans they will be offering, but will they be ready to rock for the holiday season?

[HoFo via MobileSyrup]