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Of all the manufacturers Nokia is somewhat the most insightful with some of the applications we will see in the future. Today Nokia Beta Labs posted “Audio Smileys” which is “a cute little application that allows you to play funny sounds to express your feelings.”

The video shows that all you have to do is press the 1-9 keys and you will play a pre-programmed sound. Nokia also says the app has the ability to create your own audio smileys with the built-in audio smiley editor

Alright Canada – everyday we get closer and closer to have the Palm Pre in our hands! Until that sweet day arrives you can start to line-up at your local Bell store for the upcoming launch of the Centro.

The dummy phones have started to arrive with a launch date targeted of February 2nd, 2009. In addition, as we noted earlier you can expect this to be available on the following price plans with a minimum $45 voice and data plan:

Launch promo 3-year contract: $49.95
2-year contract: $249.95
1-year contract: $349.95
Month to Month: $399.95

It seems to be true that the 2-year old BlackBerry 8100 will be launching soon with Fido…. stores are now receiving shipments for a targeted launch date of February 4th.

The rumour is that the 8100 will have the following price plan: Month to Month is $400; 2-year plan is $350 and 3-year with data is $25. Will you be lining up?? (joking).

[BoyGeniusReport]

At the TELUS launch party for the BlackBerry Curve 8350i we quickly had a conversation with Mark Applebaum of TELUS Business Solutions. Check out the quick interview here

We attended the official launch party for the TELUS BlackBerry Curve 8350i today. The location was at one of their clients, AIM Autosport (They race wicked cars for a living). The crew will use the Curve 8350i to communicate instantaniously during race day.

The Curve 8350i is the push to talk version and is available on their Mike Network. The official press release is below and this is available on the following price plans: 3-year contact: $249.99; 2-year contract:$449.99; 1-year contract:$549.99 and No Contract: $599.99.

At the launch party we heard from Mark Applebaum, TELUS Business Solutions and Ian Willis of AIM Autosport:

Press release:

January 28, 2009 TELUS launches the new BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone with Direct Connect Push To Talk – only on the TELUS Mike Network

Toronto, ON – TELUS today launched the new BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone, featuring support for the popular Direct Connect Push To Talk service and available only on the TELUS Mike Network. The BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone is the ultimate productivity tool for professionals in the field and on the go who need instant communication with their teams along with instant access to their e-mail.

The new smartphone is packed with functionality, including built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, and combines BlackBerry communications and multimedia capabilities with Mike’s Direct Connect Push To Talk, all in one. “The BlackBerry Curve 8350i combines the convenience of our Mike Direct Connect Push To Talk technology and the trusted BlackBerry solution,” said Jim Senko, vice-president of Mobility Solutions at TELUS. “It’s a fantastic new addition to our extensive selection of business-ready smartphones operating on our Mike or PCS networks.”

Featuring integrated Global Positioning System (GPS), the new BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone from TELUS supports GPS tracking and dispatch solutions and also has Bluetooth-enabled support for accessories such as wireless headsets or hands-free car kits. In addition to being ready for work, the BlackBerry Curve 8350i is ready for play. It includes a robust media player, a 2MP camera with video recording and the capacity to store up to 16GB of music, pictures, video and documents per memory card. And with its built-in Wi-Fi, users have more ways to stay connected with the people and information that matter most.

“The BlackBerry Curve 8350i is a communications powerhouse that makes it easier than ever to stay connected,” said Mark Guibert, vice-president of corporate marketing at RIM. “We are very pleased to be working together with TELUS to bring this innovative and stylish smartphone to Canadians.”

Additional features include:

- High-resolution, 320 x 240 colour display
- 35 key backlit full-QWERTY keyboard
- Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, enhanced background noise cancellation and a low-distortion speakerphone
- Expandable memory via microSD/SDHC memory card slot supporting cards of up to 16GB for additional storage, 1GB microSD card included
- USB connectivity for charging and fast data file transfers between the smartphone and PCs – Removable, rechargeable battery
- Robust messaging capabilities with support for popular instant messaging, multimedia messaging (MMS) and text messaging services
- DataViz Documents To Go preinstalled for editing Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone
- Support for thousands of applications, including business, lifestyle and entertainment titles
- BlackBerry Enterprise Server support, providing tight integration with Microsoft® Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, and Novell GroupWise and works with existing enterprise systems to enable secure, push-based, wireless access to e-mail and other corporate data
- BlackBerry Internet Service support for smaller businesses and individuals, allowing customers to access up to 10 supported email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts) from the handset

The BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone is available from TELUS for as little as $249.99 on a three-year contract or $599.99 without a contract. For more information about TELUS’ full suite of Mike services on the BlackBerry Curve 8350i, please visit www.noordinaryphone.com.

Remember when the Rubik’s Cube came out, how revolutionary it was and how hard it was to solve. The iPhone has solved all those problems as an app called “CubeCheater” can make you a genius within a couple minutes.

CubeCheater solves your Rubik’s Cube issues when you are stuck. Check out this video of it in action

Apple has released an iPhone firmware update in iTunes (version 2.2.1) which gives “improved general stability of Safari” and
a fix for your saved images that don’t show up in the Camera roll.

For those who took advantage to unlock your iPhone 3G with the iPhone Dev Teams “yellowsn0w” software … they have put out a video that gives directions on what do so your phone will still operate correctly:

[iphoneinCanada and EngadgetMobile]

Back in November Apple announced that Mark Papermaster will be joining the team as senior vice president of Devices Hardware Engineering for the iPod and iPhone. After IBM claimed that Papermaster was breaching a clause in his contract that prevented him from leaving to work for a competitor, the process was stalled.

Today Apple says “The litigation between IBM and Mark Papermaster has been resolved” and he will be officially joining Apple April 24th.

The BlackBerry Curve 8350i has been officially launched by TELUS – available on it’s Mike Network on the following plans:

3-year contact: $249.99
2-year contract:$449.99
1-year contract:$549.99
No Contract: $599.99

The 3-year is currently a promo that expires March 5th, 2009 for those who activate on a 3-year voice plan and data plan of $45 or more.

As this is a Push To Talk (PTT) device it will come equipped with BlackBerry OS version 4.6, a full QWERTY keyboard, 2 Megapixel camera, built-in Wi-Fi, full HTML Web browser, audio and video recording multimedia capabilities, GPS, Mobile Office, micro SD slot with expandable memory of 16GB, Bluetooth and stereo 2.5mm headset jack, speakerphone and voice-activated dialing.

This is a bit bigger than the Curve you are probably used to as it comes in at 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches thick, and weighs 4.7 ounces (The BlackBerry Curve 8330 measures 4.2 x 2.4 inches x 0.6 inches thick and weighs 4.2 ounces). The display is a 2.4-inch, QVGA with a 320×240-pixel resolution.

More here

LG is voluntary recalling 45,000 LG 150 phones that are being used by Canadian customers. The reason for the recall is because  “the LG 150 mobile phone is no longer certified as meeting the Radio Standards Specifications 102 (RSS 102), Radio Frequency Exposure Compliance of Radiocommunication Apparatus.” Health Canada said that the review of test results should not pose immediate or long-term health concerns. Good to know.

The LG 150 was sold in Canada by Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile, MTS Allstream, SaskTel, Aliant Mobility, KMTS, NorthernTel, Sogetel, Télébec and TBayTel and customers will have until March 31st, 2009 for the phone to be replaced at no cost – all you have to do is visit a Bell store (let’s hope they have them in stock). If you have one of these you also call 1-866-282-6077 or visit bell.ca/lg150recall for more info…

Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility said “We are supporting LG in the implementation of its LG 150 recall program.  Effective today, our clients who own the LG 150 can take advantage of the straightforward and no-cost phone replacement program we’ve put in place.”

**UPDATE** LG said about 129,000 LG 150 mobile phones manufactured between August 2007 and February 2008 are affected. More here at LG Canada.