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Now that the release dates for the party have been release… so has the “Coming Soon!” notification on the website. Nothing on price yet but there has been ads floating around that show it will be $149.99 on a 3 year contract. See it here

“COMING SOON! The BlackBerry smartphone you’ll flip for.

Introducing the BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8220 smartphone, in a unique flip form factor, exclusive to Rogers™

It may not look like a typical BlackBerry smartphone but the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 delivers the same email, messaging and phone capabilities in a new compact, snappy design.

With two integrated displays, the 2.4 inch internal screen allows for a great viewing experience whether it’s to check emails, browse the Internet or watch videos while the external screen allows for message preview.

Other features of the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 include:

• Wi-Fi enabled
• Rogers Talkspot compatible
• Bluetooth capability
• 2.0 Megapixel camera with video capture”

Last week Steve Jobs announced that the Apple App Store has had more than 100 million downloads so far. August alone had more than 70 million downloads… if this keeps pace the App Store will be on track to reach 1 billion downloads before the end of its first year. Read more here

Get the party started for the upcoming release of the BlackBerry Flip phone Pearl 8220. A website has been set up that asks “R U up 4 it?”. We say YES! They start the cross Canada launch parties in Toronto on Wednesday, September 23rd, then on to Montreal on the 25th, Vancouver on the 30th… and ends on October 2nd in Calgary. More info at the website: blackberrypearl8220event.com

The site says ” Open up a world of sales possibilities for yourself with one quick flip! Find out why your customers will flip for the BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8220 smartphone at r u up 4 it?, an exclusive, invitation-only bash to launch this fun and friendly smartphone. The BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8220 smartphone can keep your customers connected to their friends and family, and deliver on-the-go entertainment and Internet access, all in one very cool, compact package. Hook yourself up today for your chance to win your very own BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8220 smartphone”

And, if you are looking to attend you must fall into one of these categories:

BlackBerryNews.com

We found this article in a magazine called “Sharp For Men”. The title caught our attention as it was called “3G Decoded. However, after reading it generally is a plug for the HTC Touch Diamond. Quick read though. See it here

What a busy day south of the border for the upcoming release of the BlackBerry Thunder. Here are some blurry pics and video provided by CrackBerry.com (1,2 & 3) and a spec sheet provided by Engadget. Until we see Telus (or as we are now hearing Bell) to come forward… Check them out here

A survey by Sheraton Hotels has found the following whacked out stats: 87%  of PDA-owning professionals bring the devices into their bedrooms, 84% check them before going to bed and as soon as soon they wake up in the morning. 85% of business travelers check if they happen to wake at night. 80% check their e-mail before the morning coffee. 81% are working harder now than five years ago. The clincher: 35%  said if forced to make a choice, they’d stick with their PDA over their spouse! More here

Dr. Ken Arnold, President of the Ontario Medical Association, is speaking out about using your cell phone while driving. Cellphone use “affects a driver’s cognitive function, visual concentration, speed of processing information and reaction time”. “There certainly have been figures that show that people have used their cellphones in a time frame before their accidents. There have been studies that show when cellphones are banned that accident rates decrease. Certainly we’ve recognized long ago the dangers of alcohol and driving, so I think it’s time to look at the risks that cellphone brings to our driving,”

Looks like Best Buy Canada is following through and bringing Best Buy Mobile to our country. Check out the attached invitation to preview the teaser of how Best Buy will “revolutionizing the way Canadians purchase mobile phones”. We will have more info as the week continues.

Best Buy Canada announced in June that they’ll be opening stores in malls and inside current stores…3 locations are targeted to be in operation by the end of 2008.

Here is our interview from June with Scott Morris (Senior Manager of Communications) and Phil Johnson (Director, Wireless Solutions) regarding Best Buy Mobile Canada

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Here are some key points that they are planning to execute:
- ALL current Canadian wireless network carriers
- Canada’s best selection of phones and handsets
- A complete range of mobile phone accessories
- Knowledgeable, non-commissioned mobile phone specialists
- No rebates. Actual prices are clearly marked
- WOW (Walk Out Working) service for your phone, so that customers can leave our stores with their new mobile device actually working and data transferred
- Offer straightforward information on pricing
- Be there for our customers for the life of their phone

Latest TNS study shows mobile users will pay to avoid advertising: “With increasingly savvy consumers on one hand, and tough competition on the other, mobile operators are having to reconsider their current approach to generating revenue. The growing resistance to TV and online advertising has now been transferred to the mobile industry, and operators who ignore this negative sentiment are taking quite a risk“, says Amy Cashman, Managing Director of TNS Technology.

“There is a growing number of consumers that are so averse to advertising that they are now willing to pay a premium in order to avoid it, signifying a shift in how operators need to be tailoring their offering.” Full report here

If you use Wikipedia at all you’ll know that it’s a powerful online encyclopedia. For all you iPhone addicts you’ll be happy to know that a new app is available called “iWik”. This is available at the Apple App Store for $0.99 and basically formats your iPhone to perfectly display  the wikipedia results. Some important features that iWik has are: a search feature, an activity tracker, landscape viewing option, page marking, save page feature.

Check it out here at the Apple App Store

Source: IntoMobile