Rogers Increases Early Upgrade Fee
Rogers increased the early upgrade fees for customers, but the new system will still depend on the type of phone you own.
According to the press release:
“Effective June 7, 2013, the early upgrade fee for Smartphone and Premium Smartphone customers will increase to $20/month.”
New Fee System
Monthly Early Upgrade Fee (below) x Number of remaining months before the HUP eligibility date + HUP price
- $10 per month for Quick Messaging devices, Rocket Stick, tablets, Smartphone Lite
- $20 per month for premium devices such as iPhone and BlackBerry
Apparently, Roger FlexTAB customers can upgrade to a new device by paying off any remaining subsidy balances, and then paying for the discounted device. Of course, a $35 admin fee will also apply to those customers.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 LTE Available This Summer
As the title implies, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 LTE will be arriving in Canada this summer through TELUS. There’s no official word yet from Rogers or Bell, but they will probably carry the tablet too.
Just in case you haven’t been paying attention (and if you’re anything like me then you don’t), here’s the list of specs for the Note 8.0:
- 8-inch display (1280—800 resolution)
- 1.6 GHz Exynos quad-core processor
- 2GB of installed RAM
- 16GB of internal storage with MicroSD expansion slot (up to 64GB)
- 5MP rear camera with a 1.3MP front-facing camera
- 4,600mAh battery
- Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
Buy an HTC One Through TELUS or Rogers, Get a Reward
TELUS announced on Facebook that any customers who purchase an HTC One will also receive a $25 gift card to Google Play. The promotion runs until June 16th (this weekend), which is just in time for Father’s Day.
“From June 10-16, get a FREE $25 Google Play card when you activate a new HTC One. Father’s Day just got more Android-y.”
In case you’re wondering, the HTC One is $99 with a 3-year contract agreement or $650 outright through TELUS.
Interestingly enough, Rogers is also offering wireless customers a $25 Google Play gift card when they purchase a new HTC One.
“Available to new and existing customers with purchase of HTC One (while quantities last) and new activation on any Rogers post-paid plan between June 10 – June 16, 2013 with a 3- yr FLEXtab agreement.”
Rogers is offering the HTC One for $149.99 with a 3-year contract, which as you can see is $50 more than the other carriers.
Sony Xperia Z Tablet Now Available (16GB Model)
The Sony Xperia Z tablet is now available for $500, but it’s only offered as the 16GB model in black. Still, it’s a decent tablet all around and includes the following specs:
- 1.5GHz quad-core processor
- 2GB of installed RAM
- 8.1MP rear camera with 2MP front-facing
- one-touch connectivity with NFC
- Dust and water resistant (IP55 & IP57)
- 6,000mAh battery capacity
- Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
If you’re worried about the 32GB model, it was listed as a backorder and was expected to ship on June 15th (black version), and June 22nd (white version).
Videotron Introduces Unlimited Talk, Text and 6GB Data Plan
The new promotional plan is called the ‘Manager’s Special Unlimited Voice and Data 60’. Unfortunately, the “limited-time offer is for actual Videotron’s mobile telephone service or all residential customers subscribing to Videotron’s mobile telephone service.”
The plan includes the following for $60 a month:
- Unlimited anytime local calling
- Unlimited long-distance calls to Canada and the US
- Unlimited text messaging (text, picture and video)
- Call Display
- Voicemail (up to 35 voicemails)
- Call Waiting and Conference Calls
- 6 GB data add-on
- 5-hour illico mobile plan free for 12 months
Rogers Rolling out LTE Max in Manitoba
Rogers made this lovely announcement recently:
Today, we’re very excited to announce we’re bringing LTE Max to Manitoba through a province-wide network sharing agreement with MTS.
Starting June 17th, we will roll out our premium LTE network that enables theoretical network speeds of up to 150 Mbps to customers in Winnipeg, Brandon, Victoria Beach, Grand Beach, Selkirk, Steinbach and Ste. Anne.
With this agreement, we’re bringing Rogers LTE’s incredibly fast wireless experience to even more customers across Canada. As we expand to 44 markets this spring, and 95 in total by the end of 2013, we’re bringing Canadians the fastest wireless internet experience from coast to coast, from Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, to British Colombia.
Our customers also benefit from the largest selection of LTE devices in Canada, like the Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC One or the BlackBerry Q10 and Z10.
We thank our Manitoba customers for their patience and are very happy to finally have LTE available for them.
In other words, LTE Max will be rolling out in Manitoba starting June 17th.
Could the HTC One Be Coming to Mobilicity and Videotron?
Ah, the illusive HTC One. That exquisitely crafted and beautifully polished handset that was almost certainly produced thanks to a labor of love. Currently, the device is only available through Bell, SaskTel, Rogers and TELUS. According to some folks over at XDA though, it could very well by on the way to Mobilicity and Videotron.
Of course, neither carrier has released information in an official capacity, so we’ll have to wait a little longer for any sort of confirmation on the matter.