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Butter me in jelly and call me JimBob! Rogers + Android?

Hear ye, hear ye!

Canada!

You’re getting Android!

The backward 3rd-world mobile country that is Canada is reportedly evolving, ever-so-slowly, into a 2nd-world mobile country, through the introduction of Android devices on to Rogers Wireless.

Canada has repeatedly been one of the world’s shittest Western countries to live in — from the perspective of a mobile geek. If Blackberry isn’t your cup of tea, you can get stuffed.

Our very own Krystal London has been writing for years about just how rubbish the Canadian mobile phone industry.

Want an illustration of just how rubbish the mobile experience is in Canada?

Krystal is on a 3-year contract with Fido.

She had to go and buy her Nokia N95 full price in order to get access to something resembling a 1990s technology.

She’s got Fido’s data plan.

It’s industry standard.

Want to know how much data she gets per month?

18mb.

I kid ye not.

Shocking.

Only… she doesn’t use mobile data, AT ALL.

Sensible.

Because she’s extremely scared about the ‘overages’ — if she goes over that 18mb (and there’s no easy way to measure that) — she gets stupid, stupid, ridiculous penalties.

She could get the iPhone. It’s expensive. It does offer a few hundred meg of inclusive data.

But she still probably has to pay for incoming text charges. And so on. And system access fees. And all that jazz.

Backward.

Totally backward.

But Android is-a-coming.

Teleclick.ca reports that on June 2, Rogers will release the HTC Dream (the T-Mobile G1) and the slightly newer HTC Magic. The devices will reportedly ‘cost less than an Apple iPhone or comparable BlackBerry’. Good.

No word on the price plans, inclusive data offerings or actual costs as yet.

Woot.

Android Community.com have got a useful link on the Rogers site if you’d like more news when it’s available. Get yourself on the list here.

5 COMMENTS

  1. It's not as bad as you say in Canada. I'm in no way defending Rogers, Telus, or Bell. They are terrible to their customers.
    I've been using my Canadian carrier branded Nokia E71 since last year with a 6GB/$30 data plan and it rules my world. The same plan is rumoured to be offered for the upcoming Android devices.
    -The 3 yr contracts have to go.
    -We need more GSM carriers than one (Rogers owns Fido)
    The big greedy 3 national carriers have to be more competitive. Hopefully new entries like Globalive will make this happen.
    Just last night I was at a party and couldn't help but notice how everyone had clever mobiles. There were a few iPhones, Blackberry's (9500s and 8110s) and *gasp* a WinMo HTC but for the most part everyone had high end feature phones. Not one crap Moto in sight!.
    I think hardware wise we are keeping up just fine (would love a Samsung S60 handset though). It's our carriers who need to stop slowing innovation through their price gouging and closed network infrastructure.

  2. It's not as bad as you say in Canada. I'm in no way defending Rogers, Telus, or Bell. They are terrible to their customers.
    I've been using my Canadian carrier branded Nokia E71 since last year with a 6GB/$30 data plan and it rules my world. The same plan is rumoured to be offered for the upcoming Android devices.
    -The 3 yr contracts have to go.
    -We need more GSM carriers than one (Rogers owns Fido)
    The big greedy 3 national carriers have to be more competitive. Hopefully new entries like Globalive will make this happen.
    Just last night I was at a party and couldn't help but notice how everyone had clever mobiles. There were a few iPhones, Blackberry's (9500s and 8110s) and *gasp* a WinMo HTC but for the most part everyone had high end feature phones. Not one crap Moto in sight!.
    I think hardware wise we are keeping up just fine (would love a Samsung S60 handset though). It's our carriers who need to stop slowing innovation through their price gouging and closed network infrastructure.

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