The last time we heard about Bell and Telus (NYSE: TU)’ plans to jump over to HSPA (3G) before moving to LTE (4G),  the two Canadian carriers were eyeballing a 2010 switch, but rumour has it they’re trying to get onto the GSM bus this fall in order to support the iPhone as soon as possible. A Telus spokesperson stuck to their guns for 2010, and given it’s generally prudent to adopt a “later than sooner” outlook for release dates of this magnitude, I’d tend to agree with the date. Still, wishful thinking and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s ability to light a fire under a carrier’s ass dictates the sooner Telus and Bell can pick up the iPhone, the better. We had heard Rogers (NYSE: RCI) and Apple weren’t on what you’d call friendly terms lately, so it’s entirely possible that the iPhone is looking to spread out its wings a little bit, even if it’s only out of spite.

[via The Star]

Looks like BGR has managed to get his hands on an internal document/memo from Bell. Yesterday it was dummy devices and promo materials, today we have this! You can check out full details of the document after the jump… But for now a confirmed launch of the Bell BlackBerry Tour will come July 17th, with full retail set at $699.95. Expensive for sure, but keep in mind that’s full retail. If you’re willing to sign your life away for three years, you may be able to get the Tour for somewhere in the $200 – $250 region. We’ll see.

Again, contents of the document after the jump >

Read the full article »

It’s only a matter of time now… You know, when you start hearing about dummy units and promo materials shipping to stores… it’s only a matter of weeks before the device pops up in-store. This time around I’m talking about the Bell BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Tour 9630, and thanks to BGR’s ‘ninjas’, we’ve got some pictures to backup the claim.

Dummy devices have arrived and promotional materials are all set to go at Bell. Mark your calendars, as the same ninjas put the Bell BlackBerry Tour 9630 available for general consumption on Friday, July 17th.

It’s looking to be a very interesting (and busy) summer surrounding the BlackBerry Tour. The Sprint version could be hitting us by July 20th… Plus, I’ve read rumors that the Verizon edition could be launching the device around the same time as Bell. Finally, Telus is squaring up to launch the Tour on the 15th… Yikes… Did I miss any carriers here?

[Via: BGR]

Canadians should now be able to send and receive money securely with their mobile devices. How? With a new money transfer service called Zoompass of course! The new service has been launched by mobile payment vendor EnStream.

EnStream is jointly owned by the ‘big 3′ in Canada; Rogers (NYSE: RCI), Bell and Telus (NYSE: TU). The companies wanted to collaborate to bring together a money transfer solution for customers on all networks (it will work on all sub-branded networks as well… I’m talking Fido, Solo and PC Mobile here).

President of EnStream Robin Dua commented:

The launch of Zoompass represents an important milestone in financial services that makes the mobile phone the central device consumers use to transfer money and make purchases. The Zoompass mobile service ushers in a new era in electronic payments that addresses a growing desire to move money quickly and easily between friends, family, and merchants. Zoompass makes it easy to split a lunch bill, request money from parents, collect sports team fees, solicit money for a co-worker’s gift, or even pay a babysitter – right from a mobile phone. With the groundbreaking launch of Zoompass, Canadians nationwide can expect to hear more people ask one another “Do you want me to Zoom you the money?”

Every Zoompass transaction will be PIN protected, and all sensitive information is stored on secure servers… so even if you’ve lost your mobile device, there is no need to worry about your critical financial info getting into the wrong hands.

Zoompass will be officially unveiled at the 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto this week.

[Via: Cellular-News]

Could it be? Oh, could it be? I know many a Canadian mobile junkie (like myself) have been pining for the Palm Pre, if for nothing more than to hold one in the hand to see what it’s like. The true north strong and free know that the Pre will eventually make its way north from our American friends, but the question is, as always… when and on what carrier?

The latest rumor via that comes to us via MobileSyrup has the Palm Pre hitting us via Bell Canada. A Bell customer service representative reportedly commented that the Pre ‘will come within this month for sure’. Hmmmm. OK.

Also, over at HowardForums similar rumblings seem to be about. User Johnny5Walker noted that a live chat with a customer service rep told him pretty much the same thing…

Other rumors I’ve heard have the Pre coming to Bell either late June or early July.

Take these rumors for what they are… rumors. I find it hard to believe the Pre would become available up in Canada in the midst of such high-demand and low-stock of the Pre in the US. I could be wrong, but let’s see what happens.

[PreCentral via MobileSyrup]

Canada’s three main operators: Bell, Rogers (NYSE: RCI) and Telus (NYSE: TU), are joing forces to launch a mobile payment system called Zoompass. It’s supposed to be launching on June 15th and will allow customers to send, receive and request money, with a $0.50 fee to send money and transfer funds from your Zoompass account to your bank account. Zoompass is built on EnStream software and that’s just about all the information we have. The website is blank.

Transactions from mobile devices are supposed to reach $1.6 billion this year according to ABI Research, but I have strong doubts about that claim. Paying with cash is easy, you take pieces of paper and metal out of your pocket, give it to someone, who in turn gives you a product. Credit cards are even easier. You give a piece of plastic to someone, they swipe it, in some countries you sign a piece of paper, in others you enter a pin code, and then bam, you get your product. How is something like Zoompass going to take off when you’re going to have people fumbling about, typing long strings of digits on a UI that will vary phone by phone? Grandma can’t even check her voicemail, how is she going to Zoompass Timmy $5 for candy?

Near Field Communication (NFC) needs to launch already. The GSMA approved the single wire protocol that can tie an NFC chip directly to the phone’s SIM card, so now we just have to sit patiently and wait until the software, hardware and infrastructure are rolled out that supports all of this.

I’ve never been more jealous of the Japanese.

[Via: Mobile Syrup, Unwired View]

As expected, Bell has launched the texting-friendly LG Rumour 2 on their network. The Rumour 2 comes complete with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (some updates have been made to the keyboard layout), 2″ 240×320 display, 1.3MP camera, 2.5mm stereo headset jack, Bluetooth, speakerphone and much more. The device is available on the following pricing options right now:

• 3-year: $69.95
• 2-year: $119.95
• 1-year: $219.95
• Outright: $269.95

While the Rumour 2 is not available on the Bell site just yet, it should pop up shortly. Keep checking the Bell website and trust me, it’ll appear.

Note: The LG Rumour 2 is also available right now on Solo for $160 outright.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

It’s no news that Bell (or Verizon and Telus, for that matter) is getting the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) 9630 Tour, the first proper, new BlackBerry to hit CDMA carriers in awhile, but promotional materials are starting to float into Bell stores across Canada, signalling an imminent launch. As with most Bell BlackBerrys in recent memory, the Tour is world-capable, able to cruise international GSM and CDMA bands willy-nilly, and hosts the usual pickings from the latest devices (480 x 360 display, 3.2 megapixel camera, Bold-style keypad). Of course, Wi-Fi is left out, but every BB has to have a hole, apparently. No release date yet, but keep your eyes peeled, it could be any day now.

[via BGR]

For the Canucks in the crowd that got a taste of the LG Rumour on Bell, get ready for the LG Rumour 2… It’s coming to Bell on June 9th at the following price points:

• 3-year: $69.95
• 2-year: $119.95
• 1-year: $219.95
• Outright: $269.95

The main difference between the original Rumour and the Rumour 2 is the addition of a 4th row of slide-out QWERTY keyboard keys. Yep, the extra row of keys should make it easier on those that do a lot of messaging… There’s even directional arrows and an ‘emoticon’ key to help you show your emotions within your text messages. The Rumour 2 also packs a 1.3MP camera (with video), 2″ 240×320 display, Bluetooth, GPS, 2.5mm stereo headset jack, speakerphone and expandable memory up to 16GB.

Stay tuned for more as the launch date draws near!

[Via: MobileSyrup]

As predicted, the basic yet very functional Samsung m230 ‘Phoenix’ has arrived and is now shipping from the folks at Bell. If you were hoping for some color choices, keep hoping… As Bell only has the m230 available in a Grey at this point.

Key features of the Bell Samsung m230 Phoenix:

• Flip form factor
• Bluetooth
• Voice recognition
• Threaded messaging
• 1.9″ display
• French and English support
• Weighs in at 97 grams

The m230 is selling via Bell stores but currently is not available online. For more information you can hit up Samsung.

[Via: MobileSyrup]