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.