Bell busted out their fresh HSPA devices yesterday, and today we  have a similar official announcement from telus (NYSE: TU). Earlier this week, we had a chance to sit down and take a look at the new toys; most of the players you’ll already be familiar with, but here’s a rundown of telus‘ take on each one.

First up we have the Hero, HTC’s Android avenger, jam-packed with their custom Sense user interface. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t packaged in Sprint (NYSE: S)’s slick, smooth, curve casing, but telus apparently wanted to capture the European flavour by offering something unique to North America, although it’s arguably reminiscent of Rogers (NYSE: RCI)’ HTC Dream in terms of aesthetic. Prodding a little bit about other Android hardware in the future, telussaid that they’re really not interested in vanilla builds – they really want to see some unique experiences with each manufacturer, and I couldn’t agree more. If you’re hoping to see the Hero on another carrier up north, good luck; telus said they’ve nabbed the Canadian exclusive on the Hero, and it sounded indefinite. The price point is also killer: $99.99 on contract, $499.99 off contract.

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With all the hub-bub these days surrounding the Motorola DROID and HTC DROID Eris, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has taken the chance to launch a new device quite quietly, amongst all the noise made by the DROID insanity. Which device? Well, I’m talking about the LG Chocolate Touch. Available for $79.99 (after $50 rebate) on a 2-year contract, the Chocolate Touch (love that name) features a 3″ touchscreen, comes pre-installed with VZ Navigator, V CAST Music and Video, oh, and there’s a 3.2MP camera on-board as well. You’ll also get visual voicemail and a convenience key all tricked-out to help you pull up your favorite social networks.

The LG Chocolate Touch also comes complete with Dolby Mobile… A setup that apparently ‘produces an audio quality that rivals MP3 players’. Oh goody. 1GB of internal memory is slated for music, and if that isn’t enough room you can expand up to 16GB with a microSD card (not included).

My initial impressions? Meh. Yeah, DROID does sound a little bit better. I love to eat chocolate, but I’d be hesitant to ever use it as my ‘daily driver’.

Check out the LG Chocolate Touch for yourself at Verizon Wireless.

[Via: BGR]

So what is this LG ‘IQ’ all about? You got me, this is the first I’ve heard of it. The device has made an appearance in an ad found in a recent Best Buy Mobile catalog. Pictured alongside the Rogers LG Eve and TELUS New Chocolate (the BL40). It looks to be a QWERTY slider with a fair-sized display. I’m assuming all of the standard features are built in, including Bluetooth, 3-4MP camera, WiFi, GPS (perhaps?), and the usual bevy of built-in apps. Should be interesting to hear what comes down the tubes on this one… But at the moment I’m hearing the IQ will arrive on TELUS (NYSE: TU) at the end of this month, or early December… and it will run WinMo 6.5 with a custom LG user interface. Stay tuned for more.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

Bell has today gone ahead and flipped the switch on their brand new HSPA network. Coupled with telus (NYSE: TU) launching their own tomorrow, Rogers (NYSE: RCI) will no longer have a lockdown on hot GSM handsets like the iPhone, and Canadians will get some much-needed choice in service providers. The only devices Bell was forthcoming about before today’s announcement were an HSPA+ internet stick, and MiFi mobile hotspot, but they have really opened up both barrels with their full HSPA family. Earlier today, you might have heard about the Bell BlackBerry Bold 9700, but there’s also the original Bold 9000 for $249.95 on contract, the LG Xenon (simple, full-QWERTY slider; $89.95 on contract), the Nokia 2730 (standard candybar; $29.95 on contract), the Samsung omnia II (touchscreen slate running Windows Mobile with TouchWiz 2.0; $199.95 on contract), Samsung Impact (A.K.A Highlight, touchscreen slate with voice and motion-controlled UI; $79.95 on contract), and of course, the beloved iPhone 3GS.

On top of devices, Bell is also announcing a new HSPA video calling service available on the omnia II and Xenon that not only works with other capable phones, but also through a Facebook app. Overall, this is a huge step for Bell and Canadian wireless overall, and it’s not over yet – we’ll be hearing more about telus‘ HSPA  grand opening tomorrow. For a closer look at Bell’s full lineup, check their online store, or their HSPA landing page for more info on the new network.

[via Bell]

Looking for a little more Android love north of the border? What if I told you Rogers (NYSE: RCI) has tossed the Android-powered LG Eve up on their website? Would that interest you? Well guess what partner, that’s exactly what is going down.

The LG Eve joins the HTC Magic and Dream as the third Android-powered device on the Rogers network. It packs the sexy S-Class UI, 3″ 480×320 touchscreen, 5MP camera with video and autofocus, an awesome photo gallery and media editor, slide-out 5-line QWERTY keyboard, GPS, WiFi, accelerometer and more. You’ll also get a 2GB memory card in the box, with expansion to 16GB available (microSD).

At the moment the Rogers website lists the Eve as ‘out-of-stock’, but expect that to change real soon. Pricing starts at $49.99 on a 3-year term, $299.99 on the 2-year, $349.99 on a 1-year, and month-to-month is $349.99 as well. If you’d rather pick up the device only, be prepared to hand over $399.99.

For more info, hit up Rogers.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

UPDATE: Official announcement can be found here!

LG has launched a new phone in Korea. It’s called LG SB210 and it comes pre-loaded with maps for 280 golf courses, as well as some other golf-related services, including the so called “Receive PJT” application.

The all-touchscreen device also comes with 3-inch 240×400 pixels display, accelerometer, compass, GPS, 3-megapixel camera, and a microSD memory card slot. Size wise, it measures 111×55x12.3 mm and has a weight of 106 grams.

As I said, it’s a Korea thing only at the moment, but if proves successful, we could see this baby being exported to the rest of the world. SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM) will be selling the SB210 for 638,000 KRW, which is about $539 – i.e. lot.

This isn’t the first time we see a handset maker bundling some golf software with the phone. Back in 2006, we had Nokia (NYSE: NOK) selling the special golf edition of its once powerful N93 smartphone…

[Via: Unwired View]

Cricket has another low-end device in its portfolio – LG HELiX. Feature set of the LG handset won’t impress many, hence it’s made for those looking for basic things such as texting and calling. In addition, there’s a large keypad coupled with increased font size, making sure even the eldest can use the phone.

Rest of the specs includes a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, mobile web browser and pre-loaded MyPerks and MyBackup applications. As for the pricing, Cricket asks $139.99 for HELiX, which BTW is available in silver and pink…

The good folks at TELUS (NYSE: TU) have just released the LG Versa. The Versa comes with a 3″ touchscreen, and features LG’s 3D S-Class UI. Users will be able to tweak out 3 customizable home screens among other unique features. Also look for a 2MP camera with autofocus, flash and video… expansion up to 16GB via microSD, stereo Bluetooth, full html browsing capabilities, and MP3 player, and more.

The price? Try $79.99 on a 3-year contract, $179.99 on the 2-year, $229.99 on the 1-year. And, $279.99 for contract-free living.

For all the details head on over to TELUS.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

It looks like the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) 8520 will be getting an update that includes 3G connectivity, according to an internal Verizon (NYSE: VZ) newsletter, but details are scarce, aside from what we already know about the 8500-series Curves having Wi-Fi. The Curve2 likely has something to do with the projects code-named Essex or Atlas, which were meant to be a companion to the Tour that would have Wi-Fi (and the Essex specifically having a trackpad). However, I think the overall assumption was that either one would still be packing the Tour form factor, complete with nicer screen and camera. In any case, for those hungry for a Wi-Fi-enabled CDMA BlackBerry and can’t stomach the Storm2’s SurePress or won’t wait for an updated Tour, the Curve2 will be their only option. To get a feel for what the device might feel like, check out our BlackBerry 8520 review – just tack on Wi-Fi and likely OS 5.0.

Other devices to make an appearance in the newsletter include the HTC Imagio, Ozone, enV Touch, enV3, Chocolate Touch, Rogue, Intensity, Alias2, and the white Pearl Flip; of course, Droid gets a two-page spread to itself.

[via BGR]

Folks in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan have another new touchscreen device up for grabs. SaskTel has launched the LG Bliss, which features a 3″ touchscreen, 2MP camera (with video), microSD expansion to 16GB, Bluetooth, speakerphone, voice dialing and much more. The Bliss will set customers back $99.00 on a 3-year contract, $179.00 on a 2-year contract, $259.00 on a 1-year, and the prepaid/monthly option goes for $323.00.

For all the details pop on over to SaskTel.

[Via: MobileSyrup]