Hey all, some updates concerning upcoming phone releases:

RELEASED! Blackberry Curve 8330 smartphone rolled out today in stores. I'm sure you have read enough about it in the Bell and Telus forums. I've owned a modded Bell version going on 1.5 months and I love it!

Pricing: $199.99 3 yr agreement, $299.99 2 yr, $449.99 1 year with a voice + data package of $39.99 or more. If you would like to get hold of one, PM me about activating or upgrading your phone .


Other news:
LG Rumor and 385 will be rolling out in June sometime.

2 new Motorola phones will arrive in June as well, models TBA.

A touchscreen (non-PDA) phone should roll out in early July.

Pricing and other specs will be provided when possible.

a touch screen phone in early july eh?

makes me think of the iphone 3g (coming july 11), but afaik there is no cdma iphone.

can you give any additional hints as to what we can expect in the hardware department?

Hey, I can't provide details as this point, just making sure to cover my own *** for liability reasons. However, I will post as soon as I feel/know it is safe to do so. You know of NDA's are.

I wonder what's going to happen in the Winnipeg (and maybe Brandon) area for MTS as soon as the iPhone comes by. Rogers still has piss poor coverage outside Wpg/Bdn anyways, and MTS has had 3G service in places like Winkler and Neepawa for a few years now while Rogers only has their 3G service in Winnipeg.. and I probably will have left Brandon quite a while before it finally arrives there.

People are gonna flock to Rogers for the iPhone next month regardless of coverage, until they realize the 3G services are non-existent in the areas you describe. However, Rogers will enjoy a flood of core activations and renewals and other carriers may see increased churn. Recall that during the initial AT&T iPhone launch in the weekend of last June netted over 200,000 new clients in a span of 2 and a half days. I would expect that high numbers will be attained in Rogers case as well. It will be interesting to see exactly what transpires next month. I wonder if any other carrier will come up with some engaging promotions that will help to stunt Rogers client aquisitions and retain their own clients. That iPhone is rather seductive though.

So you say that MTS has 3g service? I was under the impression that 3g was a service relative to GSM. I thought MTS was all about the CDMA?

I'm not talking about 3G as in what Rogers advertises. There's alot of different words that describe 3G. MTS has 3G data service with EV-DO, and when I was working for an American carrier that ends with Print, I was working with them right when EV-DO was first being launched, we were told to tell customers that it's our "3G service, with high speed data speeds similar to that of a high speed internet connection"

I'd imagine MTS can only really combat back when Rogers releases data/voice pricing. I know it could cost an arm and a leg and the first born child per month for whatever Rogers will offer, to combat it, MTS could do something like offer a $40 voice and data combo with the old voice plan that was on promo for $10 plus a $30 unlimited data plan for PDA devices.. I just have a bad feeling that Rogers will be telling me to change my $10 promo plan (that counters the MTS one), and change it to a voice plan that's basically a rip off. $40 voice plan for the same minutes plus a few texts? no thanks

I dont think MTS will have to worry much anymore.. after seeing the voice and data plan prices.. even I dont think I can afford it.. Im going to live with my broken HTC device for another x amount of months.

It could work to MTS' advantage.. introduce lower data prices, yadda yadda yadda

Sounds like the LG Vantage. Will it be out soon?

My contract just ended at the end of June and its time for a new phone! Shall I wait a bit longer to get the Vantage?

The Vantage is out Friday June 11! Anyone want to come see me for their upgrade?

Haha I would but I have to go through the corporate store in the MTS centre. My father works for MTS so we have to use that one for the employee plan.

To bad the dealers know about these things before he does, he just found out today =P

damn, i just inked a 2yr contract today. got myself a rumor, but i might consider swapping it for the vantage.

any idea about pricing?

I always wondered why people on MTS EPPs cannot be touched by a dealer, other than if the phones discounts are different since the dealer would take a loss if it was lower in price.

Price on a 2 year contract is $189.99. Which store did you get it from, you usually have 14-30 days to swap models.

I signed it at polo park, so i'll probably stick my rumor in a (clean) sock, keep it looking pristine, then exchange it on monday after folkfest. Hopefully they'll have some left in stock.

I like the rumor quite a bit, but i think i'd like the vantage more :P