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.
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.
Verizon Wireless launches new global data plan (USA)
American mobile operator Verizon Wireless is launching a new, easy-to-understand Global Data Plan. Starting April 23, the new Verizon Wireless Global Data Plan offers U.S.-based customers 100 MB of data for $25 a month. For one low cost, customers can access email, browse the Web and update social networks while traveling outside the United States in 120 countries and destinations, including all of Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada.
With the new Verizon Wireless Global Data Plan, customers can purchase 100 MB of data for $25 a month. Prior to traveling outside the United States, customers should visit the website to determine their coverage needs. To purchase a Global Data plan, customers are required to have a domestic data package and international eligibility, which requires minimum payment history.
Customers who require more than 100 MB of data while traveling will receive a notification via text message when an additional 100 MB of data for $25 has been automatically made available to them once they exceed their initial allotment. Customers traveling to countries not covered under the Global Data Plan, but within Verizon Wireless global coverage areas, will be charged at Pay Per Use rates of $0.02 per KB.
Whether traveling to London for the big games this summer or Oktoberfest in Munich this fall, Verizon Wireless customers with global calling and data services can make and change hotel reservations on the fly, call for and download directions to local attractions and restaurants, and stay in touch with family and friends back home by sharing pictures via email and social networks.
Verizon Wireless customers planning international getaways can take advantage of first-class tools and resources to help manage their wireless travel needs, putting their minds and budgets at ease before they go and once they arrive, such as, Verizon Wireless Trip Planner provides customers information they can use to plan their travels before they leave home, including details about global calling, country-specific coverage and device functionality.
To help travelers get their wireless bearings, Verizon Wireless greets travelers to most overseas destinations with a free welcome text message featuring helpful information for the country they are visiting, including dialing instructions for calling within and to phones outside the country; voice, text and data rates; as well as the ability to reach Verizon Wireless Global Technical Support.
Free Global Data Roaming Usage Alerts help travelers keep an eye on their wireless usage. Verizon Wireless customers automatically receive free alerts via text message or email when Global Data Roaming charges exceed certain thresholds.
Verizon Wireless operates a dedicated, toll-free global support number that will put customers in touch with one of the company’s U.S.-based support centers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers outside the United States can reach the Global Technical Support Team by dialing the appropriate exit code for the country they are in and then 908-559-4899 – a free call from their device. Customers may also reach Global Technical Support free of charge by using the Verizon Wireless Global Calling Card, provided with their global-ready device, if their device is not usable.
Wireless carriers begin trials for RIM’s PlayBook (Canada)
Wireless carriers in US and around the world have begun testing the PlayBook 3G and 4G with OS 2.0.1 according to a report by Berry Review. The report reveals that the launch has been scheduled for May around the same time that RIM (Research In Motion) would be hosting BlackBerry world 2012.
As per the report carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless have begun testing the PlayBook in the Unites States; while Rogers, Bell Mobility and Telus have begun trials in Canada. Further, Orange UK and StarHub Singapore are also rumoured to be involved in the trials.
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.
Telefonica and RIM to offer wallet services on NFC enabled BlackBerry phones (Spain, Canada)
Telefonica Digital is reportedly launching a pilot programme for its Telefonica wallet services for BlackBerry smartphones, in collaboration with Canada based Research In Motion (RIM). According to reports, Telefonica plans to roll out the Telefonica wallet for about 350 employees at its Spain headquarters. Sources believe that this service will enable users to make payments in a convenient manner by simply tapping their BlackBerry smartphone against a reader.
As per sources, Julio Linares, COO, Telefónica, S.A has said that they have chosen the BlackBerry solution for this pilot because of the security that the platform brings. Further, Matthew Key, Chairman & CEO Telefonica Digital, has said that they are getting closer to the point where customers will be able to take the contents of their wallets and put them on their mobiles. He added that such trials are an important step towards ensuring a great customer experience and that they look forward to seeing the launch of commercial wallet services in several markets next year.
