Atrix in Canada = OG Droid in US

[biictorr]

Of course, I am not talking in terms of the specs of the phones. And I'm also aware that Canada got the Droid, but it was named the Milestone.

What I'm talking about is the way that the Droid (and Verizon) totally expanded the name of Android and just got it into the main stream. I feel like thats never happened with the marketing of Android in Canada. I realise that the cell phone market is different in the states, since at the time the OG Droid was released, the iPhone was only on one carrier in the US, whereas here in Canada its available on all the big 3 carriers. But from my experience, people just aren't aware of what Android is capable of, but I think if Bell and Motorola can market the Atrix properly, then more people will realise how awesome Android is, and it'll become more popular. And then maybe Canada will be able to get some more of those awesome phones sooner than we usually do!

[jaStrom]

I agree that most people in Canada aren't as aware of the potential of Android as they are in the US. And, I agree that the successful branding of 'Droid' helped out the US market along with the fact that the iPhone was limited to one carrier.

Still, I'm not sure we'll get the new phones any more quickly with more Android interest. Because of our population, the carriers can only afford to have so many phones. The fact that they also have 3-year contracts means people are replacing their devices much less frequently than in the States. Since the carriers make more money off their 3-year contracts than device sales, it doesn't make sense that they'd willingly switch.

There's one last thing too. Canadian law requires that products sold here require French and English product manuals. It sounds stupid, but it's a big reason we don't get products as quickly here as they do in the States. Unless there are some major changes, I think we'll still have to wait longer than other markets.

[Stuntman]

I was actually surprised that the HTC Desire Z was available in Canada so quickly. Not sure if this is due to HTC or Bell. I know that the Desire HD is going to be available on Telus soon. The DHD is taking a lot longer before it becomes available and it was announced on the same day as the DZ.

[jaStrom]

I was surprised about the DZ too. I suspect Bell felt that they really needed a device to compete with the Desire since their Android line was a bit stagnant. I think they made a good choice too. It seems to me that the DZ has been very successful here.

[gun26]

I think the push that Verizon gave to Android with the Droid last year was a one-shot deal. They didn't have the iPhone and the Droid was a way to fight back against AT&T and the iPhone. Now that Verizon has the iPhone themselves, and AT&T have announced they'll be working harder to sell Android, I don't think Verizon will put much marketing muscle behind Android and future Droids. There's not enough upside for them.