Still
no iPhone on the horizon in Canada
by
Alan Zisman (c) 2007 First published in
Business
in Vancouver November 20-26, 2007; issue 943
High Tech Office column
Following the iPhone’s
initial U.S. debut, Apple has released it in the U.K., France and
Germany. But despite recurring rumours, there has been no Canadian
release, though the iPhone’s GSM technology would make it a natural fit
for Rogers and Fido.
(Though the iPhone is not officially available in Canada, quite a few
iPhones are listed on Craigslist Vancouver.)
If
Rogers is negotiating with Apple (and I’d be surprised if it weren’t),
it’s keeping the details secret. But even without an iPhone
announcement, the company has been pretty busy. For example:
•In
July, this column looked at RIM’s Blackberry 8300 Curve, which does a
nice job of combining always-connected e-mail with multimedia features
like built-in music player and digital camera, together with a usable
QWERTY keyboard. Now Rogers is offering the updated 8310 Curve adding
GPS and Second Voice Line Service, letting users access two different
phone numbers on one device. (Sadly, the 8320 Curve, which adds WiFi,
is not available in Canada).
•In mid-October, Rogers rolled out
faster high-speed packet access (HSPA) data network service in the
Vancouver area, Victoria, Kelowna and Whistler, following an earlier
southern Ontario debut. This lets Rogers claim first-place for data
speed among Canadian mobile providers, outpacing former champ Bell
Mobility’s EVDO. HSPA came with a set of VISION services making use of
the added performance. These include video messaging, video on demand
(including limited YouTube access), XM Satellite radio stations and
access to Rogers’ MusicStore. All this requires new phones; I’ve been
able to try out a couple.
Motorola’s Q9H ($249 with a three-year
plan) is an updated version of last year’s Q. Sleeker than the
Blackberry Curve series, it also includes always-connected e-mail with
multimedia features, GPS and a full mini-QWERTY keyboard. Unlike the
Curve, it can use high-speed HSPA. It’s powered by Microsoft’s newest
Windows Mobile 6, but ironically includes non-Microsoft Opera web
browser and Documents to Go software to work with Microsoft
Office-format documents. I was disappointed with its battery life,
however; while promising 19 days standby time, I found myself having to
recharge it every second day or so, even when I wasn’t using it.
Not
everyone needs a smartphone or a full QWERTY keyboard, even to make use
of high-speed data networks. I had loan of an LG TU500, at first
glance, a fairly conventional flip-cover mobile phone. Its support,
however, allows it to be used for video calls with another
video-supporting HSDPA-capable phone. Video calls were fun, though I’m
not sure they’re a feature I would use regularly. Rogers is charging
$0.25/minute for video calls.
Rogers’ Vision Mobile Internet
plan has a “limited time promotional price” of $5 per month and a
regular price of $10 per month. That includes 10 megabytes of data use
per month, with additional use billed at $0.03 per kilobyte. And as
with other mobile packages, there are added costs for many services:
$10 per month for GPS on the Q9H, for instance. Video-On-Demand charges
are $2.50 per video clip, giving users 24-hour access to that clip, or
offering an array of other packages for video and/or radio access.
And
that’s the catch. I’m happy that Rogers is offering higher-speed mobile
networking, but I remain unhappy at the cost and that it’s difficult to
know what real-time use is going to cost prior to signing a multi-year
contract. (In contrast, AT&T’s iPhone plan in the U.S. charges a
fixed-price US$60 per month for unlimited data use.)
Several
mobile phone manufacturers have responded to the iPhone’s appeal with
new models, which, like the iPhone, feature large touch screens.
None
of them, as far as I can tell, are officially available in Canada,
however. For instance, instead of the touch screen Voyager model
(available on Verizon in the U.S.), LG referred me to its Shine phone,
available on Telus, Rogers and Bell.
It’s thin, sleek and
metallic. But sorry – for Canadian users waiting for the iPhone – and
for an affordable data plan, it just won’t do. •
addendum (Dec 11 2007):
reader Amy Isabel notes: "...you mention that the HSPA network is
faster than the EVDO network.
While
this is true, what you fail to mention is that EVDO 2.0, commonly known
as EVDO Rev-A, was launched this past summer all over Canada and while
it doesn't download as fast as HSPA, it definitely UPloads
faster. HSPA is still crippled from EDGE-like network speeds for
uploading".
Thanks, Amy!