Roam Mobility to offer cheaper alternative to high roaming charges (Canada)
In an attempt to counter the increasing roaming charges for Canadian mobile-phone users, Roam Mobility Inc is offering consumers a better alternative.
According to a report by Globe and Mail, the Vancouver-based upstart, marketing itself as a rogue mobile company, is aggressively ramping up its rollout of cellphones, SIM cards and other devices to entice Canadians looking for cheaper alternatives to high roaming rates the major wireless companies charge when customers travel to the United States with their smartphones in tow.
Roam Mobility’s chief executive officer Emir Aboulhosn, said that they will not tell users to switch from Rogers, Telus and Bell – they’re just asking users to stop using them when they cross the border. Roam estimates that Canadians spend $800-million a year on international roaming fees, with roughly $450-million spent on U.S. roaming alone.
As per the report, Roam Mobility launched its service in January, competing with the major carriers by offering Canadian travellers unlimited talk and text plans from $3 a day, including free calls to Canada. Its data rates start as low as 2 cents a megabyte.
With the summer travel season just around the corner, Roam is in expansion mode. It will announce a new partnership with Allegiant Air to sell its products during flights starting June 1. Allegiant is a U.S. airline that services border airports such as Niagara Falls, N.Y., and offers discounted fares to popular U.S. destinations.
Roam’s products are already available at a number of Canadian and U.S. airports and at major land border duty-free shops. They will also be sold at Future Shop starting next month. Its product line includes a cellphone for talk and text; SIM cards that can be used in a consumer’s own unlocked phone; and personal “hotspot” devices that provide a high-speed data connection for up to five wireless devices (like smartphones, tablet computers or laptops) at the same time.
The report reveals that Roam has already attracted close to 20,000 customers and is on track to hit the 100,000-subscriber mark in the second quarter of 2013. Even though the vast majority of its customers are people who travel to the U.S. in short spurts, Aboulhosn says Roam can afford to be aggressive with its pricing because its capital expenditures and overhead costs are relatively low.
RIM introduces the BlackBerry Curve 9320 (Canada)
Research In Motion announced a stylish new smartphone for socially-connected customers. The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone features all the core BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features that keep people connected, and it offers global 3G connectivity backed by long battery life to allow users to make the most of their day.
Carlo Chiarello, EVP, Smartphone Business at Research In Motion, said that the new BlackBerry Curve 9320 is designed to make it incredibly easy for users to stay socially-connected. The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be especially popular with customers upgrading to a smartphone for the first time and existing Curve customers looking for a step up in speed and functionality.
The BlackBerry Curve 9320 has everything a customer needs to stay in touch with the people and things that matter most to them. It features a dedicated BBM key, bringing the power of RIM’s popular mobile social network up in an instant, as well as the best keyboard in its class for quick and easy typing. It includes a built-in FM radio, allowing users to tune into their favorite local stations, and listening to the FM radio does not require a data plan or use data services. Designed to allow both 3G connectivity and long battery life, customers can get up to 7 hours of talk time or up to 30 hours of FM radio listening or music playback with headphones.
Customers can easily interact with their social network in real time, using preloaded apps for Facebook and Twitter. The new Social Feeds 2.0 app is also preloaded, allowing users to post updates to multiple social networks simultaneously and capture updates from news sources (RSS), social apps and instant messaging apps all in one consolidated view. The integrated camera includes a flash and supports video recording, and pictures can be tagged with their location thanks to the smartphone’s built-in GPS.
The BlackBerry Curve 9320 comes with the new BlackBerry 7.1 OS, which supports features such as Mobile Hotspot and Wi-Fi calling where available. Parental Controls is a brand new, on-device feature that provides parents and guardians with simple options to help protect children by restricting access to specific functions, features and applications.
Payfirma opens its mobile payment app for developers (Canada)
Payfirma, the company creating simple, fast, and secure mobile point of sale products for businesses, has opened up its mobile payment platform to developers. Any third party mobile application for iPhones, iPads, or Android devices can now accept mobile payments in-person with the swipe of a credit card.
Developers can leverage Payfirma’s payment platform to manage transactions, PCI compliance, and credit card reader integration. Payfirma’s integration kit seamlessly and securely shares information between third party apps and Payfirma, automating business processes, increasing efficiency, and improving usability.
Some of the apps that will integrate with Payfirma are invoicing, accounting, restaurant, and retail apps. Mobile invoicing apps, for example, allow businesses to create invoices on their iPad or iPhone wherever they are. Invoices, typically sent over email to be paid at a later date, can now be paid on the spot using Payfirma. This makes life simpler and more flexible for businesses.
Payfirma is building a mobile payment ecosystem for developers. As per the company, Kalle Radage, Payfirma’s Chief Product Officer, said that the mobile development community is key to Payfirma. Further, they are continually building out their platform to make it easy for developers to add payment functionality as this will allow developers to create a new wave of game-changing payment applications.
Integration with Payfirma allows apps to pass transaction information to Payfirma, such as the transaction type (sale or refund), transaction total, and the email address of the receipt recipient. This makes it possible to conduct a transaction in seconds. After a transaction is complete, Payfirma can pass back information such as the transaction ID, time, date, and order details, which create a complete and integrated experience.
BlackBerry removes physical keyboard from its new phone (Canada)
Canada based handset maker, Research In Motion (RIM), showcased the first look of its new phone on the BlackBerry 10 platform, at the annual BlackBerry World conference in Orlando. According to reports, the device unveiled by CEO Thorsten Heins, excluded BlackBerry’s trademark feature of a physical keyboard and was a sleek touch screen device instead.
Heins said that they wanted a user paradigm that is easy and fast, adding that it is all about making things flow. Industry analysts reason that this may be an attempt by RIM to compete with smartphone giants Apple and Samsung, which have rapidly been dominating the global smartphone arena. However, the company plans to continue with phones including a physical keyboard as well.
However, reports reveal that the prototype unveiled failed to attract the investors. The shares for the company declined 5.7 percent during trading.
RIM unveils first look of BlackBerry 10 platform (Canada)
Research In Motion (RIM) unveiled its vision for the BlackBerry 10 platform at the BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, Florida and released the initial developer toolkit for native and HTML5 software development.
As per the company, Alec Saunders, Vice President, Developer Relations and Ecosystems Development, said that BlackBerry 10 builds upon the core values and exceptional user experiences that have attracted more than 77 million BlackBerry customers around the world today. Developers building for BlackBerry 10 will be able to easily create the kind of cutting-edge apps that deliver truly engaging experiences and ‘wow’ customers, whether through integration with native features and other apps like BBM or by leveraging the new signature design elements of this new and powerful mobile computing platform.
Christopher Smith, Vice President, Handheld Application Platform and Tools at Research In Motion, said that there is tremendous interest, anticipation and momentum building toward the launch of BlackBerry 10 devices, and they are extremely excited to release the BlackBerry 10 developer beta tools for general use. Developers can use this first beta of the tools to get started building apps for BlackBerry 10 and as the tools evolve over the coming months, developers will have access to a rich API set that will allow them to build even more integrated apps. The toolkit they are delivering also meets developers on their own terms. Whether using the powerful Cascades framework, writing direct native code or developing in HTML5, BlackBerry 10 will empower developers to create attractive and compelling apps that excite customers.
The toolkit includes the BlackBerry 10 Native SDK with Cascades, which allows developers to create graphically rich, high performance native applications in C/C++ using Qt. The Native SDK for BlackBerry 10 has a rich set of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that give developers access to core device features and a range of BlackBerry application services, such as Push and Payment services. Cascades is a powerful native application development toolset that allows developers to easily build visually stunning applications without having to write complex, low-level graphics code.
Developers and top brands are already beginning to commit to the BlackBerry 10 platform for their mobile application development. At BlackBerry World, Research In Motion (RIM) revealed endorsements from a number of key partners who have already confirmed their excitement for the upcoming launch of the BlackBerry 10 platform.
Martyn Mallick, Vice President, Global Alliances and Business Development at Research In Motion, claims that the level of enthusiasm among developers for BlackBerry 10 is amazing. The platform has been built to give developers the ability to create amazing content and a great user experience. The support and excitement they already see from developers is both rewarding and encouraging. They are hearing every day from partners who want to start building and showcasing their work on BlackBerry 10.
Virgin Mobile to give away HTC One S in new promotional offer (Canada)
Mobile operator Virgin Mobile Canada has launched a new promotional activity wherein it plans to award two contestants with the new HTC One S handset, which is yet to be launched in that market. Users are required to register on the company website in order to be eligible for this promotion.
The HTC One S is eagerly awaited and enables users to snap great photos and shoot HD video, catch brilliant colors on the Super AMOLED display, and listen to amazingly real tracks, videos and more with built-in Universal Beats Audio.
The smartphone boasts of a 4.3” qHD Super AMOLED display with an amazing 8 MP camera with smile detection and face focus. The phone will be powered by a 1.5GHz dual core processor and will be hosted on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with access to apps, games & more at Google Play. Further, the phone also includes the authentic sound with Universal Beats audio.
RIM looks towards Asian markets to cover declining margins (Asia)
Canada based BlackBerry maker, Research In Motion (RIM) is looking at the Indian market for the launch of its new BlackBerry mobile phone, which is targeted at the lower-end users, according to a report by Reuters.
As per the report, RIM is following a parallel approach: building the high-end next generation platform and devices, while coming up with cheaper phones that can prod some of the vast majority of its users to trade up. Patrick Spence, RIM’s global sales chief, told Reuters that they’re really trying to build on and help those people who are moving from feature phone to smartphone. They believe they can be successful in that.
RIM has launched its new handset, the Curve 9220 in India, with other markets to follow. A RIM spokesman said the company would launch in Indonesia, one of its most lucrative markets, in the coming weeks.
RIM doesn’t break down its sales by region, but has reported that sales outside the U.S., Britain and Canada accounted for 68 percent of total revenue in its fourth quarter, up from 61 percent in the previous three months. Those markets include India, South Africa, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, which RIM says are all targets for this year’s sales blitz.
Rogers LTE network now live in Calgary and Halifax (Canada)
Rogers Communications announced that Canada’s fastest and largest LTE network is now live in Calgary and Halifax. With this further expansion, Rogers brings LTE to nearly 12 million Canadians with plans to cover almost 60 per cent of the population by the end of the year.
John Boynton, Rogers Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, said that they are thrilled to offer their LTE network to even more Canadians in the east and the west. Now, Calgarians and Haligonians can enjoy the benefits of speeds on their mobile devices comparable to what they would get at home. And, they can do it on an LTE network that is Canada’s fastest and largest for a robust and reliable experience.
LTE is the fastest mobile network technology in the world, enabling Canadians to use their mobile devices to download apps, stream live HD sports and download HD files, such as movies and music or play on-line games, with virtually no delays or buffering.
Rogers was the first to launch an LTE network in Canada last summer, starting with Ottawa, followed by Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and surrounding areas. The company will bring LTE to more than 25 additional cities across the country this year. On the east coast, in addition to Halifax, Rogers recently launched LTE in St. John’s being the first to bring the fastest speeds to Newfoundlanders. In the west, Rogers will continue to expand in Alberta, with plans to launch LTE in Edmonton in the coming months.
Rogers currently offers the largest selection of LTE devices of any carrier in Canada with seven in its line-up. This includes two smartphones, a smartphone-tablet hybrid, two tablets, a Rocket Stick and a mobile hotspot. Rogers also offers LTE-ready plans for the iPad.
This month, Rogers will launch two new exclusive smartphones including the first Windows LTE smartphone — the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC One X — the first smartphone in Canada designed with Beats Audio for an incredible audio experience.
The national launch of Rogers LTE network reinforces its proud history of innovative firsts and its commitment to investing in Canada’s digital future. Rogers was the first carrier in North America to launch an HSPA+ network and offers Canada’s only coast-to-coast GSM network. Rogers was also the first in the world to launch BlackBerry devices. In Canada, Rogers was the first to offer LTE devices, the first to offer iPhone and the first to bring Android products to customers.
