Mobile News and Mobile Info

Motorola Canada has made it all official. They’ve announced the launch of their first Android device north-of-the-border… the Motorola Milestone (aka Motorola DROID). The device will run on TELUS’ new HSPA+ network, and will join a host of other new devices coming to the Canadian carrier. TELUS has really stepped-up their game over the past month or so, and I couldn’t be happier.

The Motorola Milestone will feature a 3.7″ touchscreen (at 854×480), GPS, 5.0MP camera with auto focus and video, WiFi, media player, microSD/microSDHC memory card slot, USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. 512MB or ROM and 256MB or RAM will also be on-board.

There’s no doubt TELUS is looking to compete with Rogers’ latest entry the LG Eve, which was announced last week for $49.99 on the typical 3-year deal. No pricing or release date have been made available on the Milestone just yet, the official line only states ‘The Motorola Milestone will be available in Canada only for TELUS customers in early 2010′. There you have it. Stay tuned for more… Press release after the jump.

Koodo has added splashed some new colours on a few of their more popular Samsung devices. The Samsung Slyde is now available in Pink… and the Samsung Intensity is now available in Red.

The Slyde is a slider with full QWERTY keyboard, 2.1″ screen, MP3 player, 2MP camera with video, and more. It’ll run you $175 outright or $25 on your ‘tab’. The Intensity is a slider as well with a full QWERTY keyboard, 2.1″ display, 1.3MP camera, MP3 player, and is expandable up to 16GB via the microSD slot. Pricing? You’ll need to fork over a little bit more, at $200 outright or $50 on your ‘tab’.

Both devices make me go ‘meh’, but I know they’re a fit for a lot of folks out there.

Nokia‘s Maemo-based future has begun: the N900 is shipping. According to Nokia CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the eagerly awaited handset is now en route to at least some pre-order customers. We’ll soon see if this new generation of Nokia smartphones will be enough to generate the type of mass-market / high-margin appeal that Nokia needs at the top end of its product portfolio or if it’s just a tentative first step on a potentially wobbly new platform.

T-Mobile has a new Nokia phone in its offering. Nothing too spectacular like the N900, but something more modest, something for an average Joe who don’t want to spend much to get basic calling and texting functionality. It’s the clamshell-shaped Nokia 3711 which prides itself with such usual specs like QVGA screen, 2-megapixel camera, GPS, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD memory card slot, media player and so on. It’s available for $69.99 on an Even More contract after rebate or $159.99 on Even More Plus plan. T-Mobile’s AWS 3G is also included… The carrier’s website offers more details for those who care.

Back in July, we saw Vobis Computer’s first Android device – HighScreen PP5420, and now the company unveiled the second one – Highscreen Zeus. The new smartphone is obviously better than its predecessor and it comes with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Rest of the specs include HSPA connectivity, 3.2-inch 240×400 pixels touchscreen, 3-megapixel camera with auto-focus, GPS, 256 MB of RAM coupled with 512 MB of ROM, Bluetooth 2.1, while Qualcomm’s MSM 7225 CPU is running the show at 528 MHz. Size wise, the Highscreen Zeus measures 110×55×15.1 mm and has a weight of 124.6 grams.

Exact release date is unknown at this stage, but we do have the price. Once released, Vobis will ask 13,990 rubles (about $483) for the Zeus…

Boy, we sure do love our early glimpses of pre-release hardware, and today we have not one, but two sources of purported pictures of the Sony Ericsson Kurara. Touted as a sibling to the Satio, the Kurara is mooted to have a 3.5-inch AMOLED touch-sensitive screen, 8.1 megapixel camera and, wait for it, 720p video recording. The image above seems to confirm this with a big “HD” inscription next to the camera lens, but that label is missing in the gallery below. We’ll just put that inconsistency down to the extremely early samples on show, and start getting all frothed up in excitement over the possible UX inclusion on this Symbian S60 device when it starts selling in the first half of 2010.

Rogers has announced holiday availability of the Nokia N86 today, and is using the occasion to take a few potshots at the Bell and telus HSPA launches. Rogers is claiming their “unparalleled HSPA smartphone lineup underscores Rogers’ network superiority”, and are also milking the LG Eve and xperia X1 for all they’re worth.The N86 is an exceptionally good choice for anyone who’s looking for a mix of simple phone, an outstanding camera, and potential for advanced smartphone functions. The $99.99 on contract price point is also very attractive, but even still, it’s going to be hard to combat the hype Bell and telus are currently commanding. It’s a good thing for Rogers that a holiday launch for wind mobile is looking grim, or they would have even more competition on their hands. If you’re interested in picking up the N86 when it becomes available, be sure to check out our review first, and keep an eye on the Rogers online store.