MobileSyrup.com » Rogers Wireless News

Rogers Blackberry Curve 9360 update to v7.1.0.391 now available

Ian Hardy — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:58:58 +0000

Rogers has finally updated the BlackBerry Curve 9360 to OS version 7.1.0.391. This brings brings BlackBerry Tags and mobile hotspot features to the entry-level QWERTY. You can go forth and update it via OTA or the desktop manager, but again, make sure you back up the device before doing so.

Grab it here from RIM

Rogers to release the HTC One S?

Ian Hardy — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:38:52 +0000

Rogers currently has the exclusive on the LTE-enabled HTC One X. Their sub-brand Fido has the One S, a similar Android OS 4.0 device but outfitted with a smaller display at 4.3-inches, smaller battery and sans LTE. However, according to this internal screenshot we received it looks like Rogers is on the cusp of offering their customers an option to upgrade to the One S. There’s no timing of when it’ll be available or at what price. It’s not uncommon for Rogers to release a series of devices as we’ve seen them previously launch the Samsung Galaxy S II Glide and the Galaxy S II LTE.

We’ll have more info soon…
(Thanks tipster!)

Rogers makes changes to the Hardware Upgrade Program, intros new “FLEXtab”

Ian Hardy — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:20:28 +0000

Easy peasy, just like that Rogers decides to makes some changes to their upgrade process that will “give customers greater flexibility and choice.”

Here’s the deal. According to the internal doc we received it states that effective today, May 17th, the Device Savings Recovery Fee (DSRF) and Additional Device Savings Recovery Fee (ADSRF) are thankfully being renamed to “Rogers FLEXtab.” Rogers will now allow customers to pay off their FLEXtab balance at any time and is based on the same calculations as the previous upgrade process. Once your balance is paid off you can stay with your current device on a month-to-month plan, or decide to upgrade to a new device with a contract. Rogers notes that “FLEXtab applies to customers who have activated or upgraded as of January 22nd, 2012 (or June 30, 2010 for Quebec customers).” Here’s the calculation:

FlexTab Balance = (MTM Device Price – FlexTab Term Price) / (FlexTab Term Length in Months) X (Months Remaining In Term).

In addition, Rogers will be making adjustments to early upgrade program for existing customers. The reason is to align “more closely to a customer’s 3-year term and the discount received at the time of activation or last upgrade.” These changes also start today and as previously stated the upgrade fee is based on the type of device, multiplied by the number of months remaining on your contract. The good news is that some of the fee prices have slightly dropped:

- Voice and Quick Messaging devices and Smartphone Lite customers: $10/month
- MBB customers (eg. Tablets, Rocket Sticks and Rocket Hubs): $10/month (used to be $15/month)
- Smartphone customers (including premium smartphones): $13/month (used to be $15/month)

So there you have it. Both go into place today and Rogers also said that “Customers will now be able to upgrade as early as one month into their term.”

(Thanks tipster!)

Rogers shows off new “community” retail store designs

Ian Hardy — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:01:04 +0000

Today Rogers announced and presented their new “community” retail store design. Their flagship downtown Toronto location has been remodelled to show off its new retail strategy, one that Rogers execs hope to make customers feel at home.

I quickly popped into the new Rogers Store experience and this particular location in Toronto (Yonge and Bloor ) is bright and inviting. There are many cool aspects such as a live devices (smartphone and tablets) for customers to use, free Wi-Fi and a plethora of Rogers magazines to flip through. Apparently 8/10 people who walk through their stores are Rogers customers looking to either upgrade, talk about their account, get assistance, or sign up for a new service (not just limited to wireless but possible internet, cable, home phone).

As you’ll see in the pics there’s a dedicated section on the right hand side of the store where customers can sit with a Rogers rep – at a round tablet that was designed to encourage communication and openness – where they can see their account and what services are available to them. In addition, a “community table” that’s similar to what some Starbucks coffee shops have has been included into the design. This allows Rogers to hold various educational sessions that might surround “understanding Android or “how-to” classes with customers. A calendar has been plastered on the wall that showcases daily events in the Rogers world, such as what’s on TV, or when the next Blue Jays game is on. The future plan is to make the calendar completely interactive and electronic, but for now it’s paper and plastic.

Rogers already has this concept live in Toronto, Barrie, Vancouver and will roll out to all their locations across Canada. Sian Doyle, VP of Retail at Rogers said “Service and community are at the heart of our innovative new stores. This store opening is part of a larger retail transformation to enhance how we service and sell to our customers.”

Rogers and CIBC launch “the future of mobile payments in Canada” for NFC-capable smartphones (Video)

Daniel Bader — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:19 +0000

Today Rogers and CIBC are launching what they refer to as “the future of mobile payments in Canada.” Using existing contact-less kiosks at retailers around the country (often provided by Moneris and TD) users can spend up to $50 on NFC-capable BlackBerry devices by connecting their CIBC Visa or Mastercard.

CIBC Senior Executive Vice-President David Williamson says that over 5% of Canadians have engaged in some form of smartphone-based mobile banking, and the bank was the first to launch a mobile app, a mobile trading app and, most recently, an iPad app. Rogers is touting over 250,000 NFC-capable devices on the market and is expecting to power up to 750,000 by the end of the year. With the recent standards announcement for mobile payments, this is just the beginning.

The idea is simple: by launching a specially-created CIBC app on your NFC-capable BlackBerry smartphone you will be able to make low-cost payments with existing Mastercard or Visa cards. The security comes from a secure Rogers SIM card that will start arriving in new phones in the coming months or, for existing users, in swapping out their existing SIM cards for the “secure” version.

The technology is also quite simple: nothing changes in terms of the transfer of information between existing wireless-capable credit cards and this new mobile system. There is a 30-second window to activate the contactless payment before which it will time out, and there is an option of adding a password to the mix, though due to the $50 limit it is not enforced.

When the payment system launches later this year it will be initially limited to NFC-capable BlackBerry devices including the Bold 9900, Bold 9790 and Curve 9360. It is in CIBC’s domain to expand the app to Android and, when it comes, to iPhone. Rob Bruce, President of Communications for Rogers, inferred that the technology would eventually come to Apple and its iPhone, though he didn’t explicitly say that NFC would be added to the next version of the hardware.

Bruce followed up with a humbling fact: 60% of Rogers customers have smartphones, and he says that within three years virtually every handset it sells will be NFC-capable. Considering that most customers rarely leave their smartphones at home, the ability to pay for most things without having to take out a wallet or swipe a credit card will be a huge benefit to customers.

Neither company offered a timeline for the rollout, other than to that “as soon as possible.” Nor would they commit on an expansion — Rogers to other banks, and CIBC to other carriers — though it was implied that this is a non-exclusive agreement.

The credit card paired to the app will have to be activated over the phone by CIBC, and if the phone is lost or stolen the SIM card can be shut down immediately, preventing unauthorized payments from being made even if there is no password on the app. Loyalty partners such as Petro Canada and Aeroplan are in on the fun, too, as points will be accumulated the same way as with plastic. So too is the fraud prevention the same, with CIBC monitoring every transaction for familiarity and frequency.

It’s too soon to say whether this will change the lives of many Canadians — unlikely in the short-term due to the limited carrier/bank/device rollout — but it’s a step in the right direction. No stickers, no fiddly settings, no mess. Virtually the same experience as using a plastic credit card, and available in thousands of retailers across the country. It’s not difficult to think that within five years smartphone payments will be about as ubiquitous as credit cards are today.

Via: CNW

Rogers Samsung Galaxy Note dropping to $49.99 on a 3-year at Future Shop tomorrow

Ian Hardy — Sat, 12 May 2012 00:04:41 +0000

Here’s a deal that is only happening for one day this weekend. Future Shop will roll out a new weekly program called “Deal of the Day – Double up Saturday” and from what we understand it’ll be a new smartphone offer that’s dramatically reduced in price, but still on contract. This Saturday (May 12th) will see the Rogers Samsung Galaxy Note drop to a low $49.99 on a 3-year, which is a savings of $150. Good price for the 5.3-inch Android phone/tablet.

(Thanks tipster!)

Rogers survey reveals that 34% of Canadians would give up Alcohol to use the Internet

Ian Hardy — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:52:10 +0000

A new survey has been released by Rogers this morning that takes a look at how Canadians are “hungry for the next generation of Internet experiences”… otherwise known as how connected we are to the internet, and how we are or will use the internet in the future. The survey was completed by Rogers and Vision Critical and is part of their ongoing “Rogers Innovation Report.” In total there was 1,010 random people who took the survey (between April 13th to April 15th 2012) and found the following:

- 79% say that the Internet allows them to connect in ways that make their lives better now
- 72% expect the Internet to play an increasingly important role in the next five years
- 98% use the Internet to connect with family and friends
- 97% use the Internet to follow the news
- 94% use the Internet to do personal banking and manage their finances
- 93% use the Internet to research health issues and symptoms
- 92% use the Internet to watch movies and television
- 34% would give up alcohol to use the Internet
- 31% would go without chocolate to use the Internet
- 27% would skip coffee to use the Internet
- 6% would give up regular sex to use the Internet
- 4% would go without daily bathing to use the Internet
- 4% would choose the Internet over personal contact with others

As to the future and what people want, specifically Machine-to-Machine (M2M), the Rogers survey revealed that 37% said they would consider using “smart” appliances to help them manage their house. One interesting point of the survey showed some slight interest in people getting information downloaded directly to their brain. The press release noted that “Many of those surveyed have creative ways for how future Internet experiences may make their lives easier and better. Ideas included downloading information directly into the brain, automating road traffic to eliminate the need for human drivers and virtual reality phone calls that would assimilate personal contact.”

The Canadian population is just over 34 million, so even if this specific survey was 1,000+ the bottom line is that we are deeply connected, possibly addicted, to the Internet for everyday needs at anytime of the day. Here’s an infographic that shows all the details:

Source: CNW

Rogers Facebook Timeline page dates back to 1921, highlights first Canadian wireless call in 1985

Ian Hardy — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:15:56 +0000

Rogers has made it a point on several occasions to proudly announce various Canadian “firsts.” To rhyme off a few: the first to launch BlackBerry service worldwide, the first to bring high-definition television to Canada, the first to launch HSPA+ in North America, the first to launch the iPhone and Android in Canada, and the first to launch an LTE network in Canada.

Seems Rogers truly likes boasting about their successes. They are one of the few organizations who have an active Social Media team to tackle any customer concerns. Now, with the new brand direction of “Creating World-Leading Internet Experiences,” they’ve taken to Facebook and developed a Facebook Timeline that traces their history. The first official cell call in Canada on the Rogers-Cantel network was placed on July 1st, 1985 between Toronto Mayor Art Eggleton and Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau. Apparently they talked about “Canada Day, the weather and smoked meat sandwiches.”

Regardless of your viewpoint, it’s impressive to see how they’ve helped shape the wireless industry in Canada. Today Rogers is Canada’s largest wireless carrier with 9.31 million subscribers.

More here via Facebook

Rogers Wireless wants your baby

Ian Hardy — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:01:11 +0000

Rogers has been actively signing contracts with various organizations to test out their machine-to-machine (M2M) offerings. This M2M is what Nadir Mohamed, President and CEO of Rogers, calls “the internet of things,” or the ability for all your devices to communicate and experience a “connected life.”

Over the past couple years we’ve seen Toronto Hydro test electricity usage, the City of Ottawa remotely monitor traffic lights, and Hydro-Quebec monitor millions of Smart Meters – all these services were managed from a Smartphone, potentially saving time and money.

The newest Rogers partnership is with Exmovere Holdings Inc. The two companies will grow the “M2M mobile health portfolio” and launch the “Exmobaby.” This is a product that was created by Exmovere and “is the first ever wireless, biosensor baby pajama.” Before you get any ideas of trying to copy the wireless pajama, you can’t, it protected by a patent. The Exmobaby “monitors a newborn baby’s ECG, skin temperature and movement” and can send alerts to a computer, tablet, or mobile device. I can see how this would be incredibly useful in hospitals for new borns, possibly a bit extreme for daily use at the home.

The Exmobaby is expected to hit Canadian retailers later this year. No word on the price or what retail outlets will have them in stock… perhaps the real reason Rogers decided to exit the video rental business was to go into wireless baby garment business.

David Bychkov, CEO, Exmovere said “Working with Rogers will allow us to provide a meaningful connected experience for parents and childcare workers in Canada. Rogers wireless networks provide a reliable distribution platform for our flagship technology and we’re excited to bring the Exmobaby to Canada later this year.”

Source: CNW

Rogers users reporting OS 7.1 upgrade for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is now available

Ian Hardy — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:01:08 +0000

Here’s some long awaited good news for Rogers BlackBerry Bold 9900 users. It seems the update to OS 7.1 has finally been pushed out. Nothing has yet to show up on the official BlackBerry software section, but various users have reported the upgrade is now available to experience OTA. As usual, make sure you back up your device before proceeding.

Let us know if you have received it…
(Thanks Annit!)