After an onslaught of consumer feedback from the launch of the iPhone, Rogers created a “limited-time offer” plan that was a $30 monthly, this was supposed to end August 31st.
However, with the smartphone market heating up and the recent release of the BlackBerry Bold, Rogers has extended the “limited-time-offer” until the end of September.
Rogers spokesperson said “We learned a lot, we were educated by customers by what they wanted and we were educated by customers by what they used.”
Starting October 1st, Rogers will introduce a iPhone new data plan that is $25 a month for 500 megabytes a month (you must get a voice plan also and pay the system access fee of $6.95 though). Check this out too… 2 good moves in one day! On October 1st again, Rogers will roll out a “peace of mind protection plan” that will allow data users to monitor their activity via a free incoming text messages that warns them when they go over a specific level.
Hamilton said “Customers want to have some tools to give themselves predictable costs. You know those stories out there, every now and then you hear about them, that are really poor, terrible customer experiences where somebody’s got a five-figure data bill because their kid went and watched movies or something where they weren’t sure of the data usage, that’s not going to happen.”
Source: CBC
This will be voted as the best Canadian iPhone App ever. As a nation we are addicted to a few things, one of them being Tim Horton’s. Rest assured Canadians…the wholly grail has arrived!
We need our daily fix of Timmies and zu.com has created “TimmMe”, an iPhone app that leads you to the closest Tim Horton’s location around you. Co-developers Blaine Korte and Cory Jacobsen created the application and said “We love Tim Horton’s and what’s more Canadian than that?”
Got the caffeine shakes? Need a Timbit? Download the app here… the best part: it’s free, so you can save the money and get that double double now…
Koodo Mobile stands out with its 1980′s style flashy advertising. While you stand and wait for the subway in Montreal you’ll notice an interactive touchscreen game called “Where’s Koodo?”. The object of the “game” is to search for one of the Koodo characters amongst a cluttered, illustrated, urban landscape and communicate the benefits of Koodo’s new Nationwide Talk & Text rate plan”.
This is not a game, but another way to bring the Koodo message to the masses – and will be there until September 30th. It certainly seems to be working as we hear the Koodo Mobile brand is doing better than originally projected.
Jennifer Robertson, director of marketing communications for Koodo Mobile in Quebec said “Learning from the great success we’ve seen with the interactive touchscreens at our Koodo shops, we jumped at the opportunity to bring elements of this experience and more to consumers through a mass advertising channel. We feel we’re giving consumers the chance to find out more about Koodo and have a little fun at the same time.”
Primus is stepping up their game and offering new promo. It involves getting some Air Miles for those who are keen collectors and bother to cash them in.
If you sign with Primus on a 1, 2, or 3 year plan before October 31st you’ll an additional 1000 Airmiles. Also, you will score yourself a free cell and Bluetooth accessories. The plans start at $25 for 250 anytime minutes per month.
Andrew Day of Primus Canada said “Providing our customers with generous bonus offers allows us to add extra value to their everyday services. By offering 1,000 bonus AIR MILES reward miles, Collectors will be able to redeem quickly for the rewards they want.”
The link to the Primus offer is here
Steve Jobs, Apple Co-Founder, maker of the iPhone and creative genius, is alive and there has been heavy speculation about his health recently. More now as Bloomberg accidentally posted his obituary online yesterday. Gizmodo has it and you can see it here
Toronto-based SilverBirch (video game and mobile markets) has reported Q3 results of $1,955,000, an increase of 498%. SilverBirch President and CEO, Derek van der Plaat, said “I am very pleased with our results this quarter. With our acquisition of Lighthouse, proposed acquisition of Red Mile and the pending launch of CrossFire, the Company anticipates continuing to generate significant revenue gains.”
No doubt this will be a big seller, if not a #1 NY Times bestseller…
Looks like accessing the Internet is harder than we thought. “Mobile Internet For Dummies” has been released and all 296 pages can be yours for $23.99 (CDN). We believe this money can be better spent by increasing your data plan for a month and learning yourself, however, if you are the bookworm type the learnings from this book are:
To give you a taste the publisher has tempted us with 3 exepts from the book. Enjoy:
If you take a look at this PDF chart provided by the CWTA (Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association) you will see that Telus has dramatically increased their number of subscribers this year by adding 264,000. Rogers has added 168,000 subscribers and Bell 117,000 new additions. The report is based on Q1 & Q2 internal data and as a whole, including SaskTel and MTS, the total number of new subscribers was 562,998. We believe the number for Telus increased due to new discount carrier Koodo Mobile.
With all the hype on the recently released BlackBerry Bold, it seems that our buddies over at EngadgetMobile have uncovered a nice piece of artwork. RIM’s entrance into the touchscreen market will be coming up and the devise is now labelled in the US as the “Storm 9530″. This comes loaded with a SIM card and 8GB SanDisk microSD card preinstalled. The name “Thunder” will be for us Canadians and released by Rogers.
“It’s certainly been a difficult year but buying out a partner is never an easy thing.” said Sony CEO Howard Stringer about the joint venture with Ericsson. “We have to work together again as we did two years ago. Or the joint venture will have to find its own solution. You’re always engaged in discussion and negotiation. We and Ericsson are always discussing ways of making Sony Ericsson as successful as it possibly can be.”