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WIND Mobile will start selling nano sim cards tomorrow, June 14th. This is compatible with the T-Mobile version of the iPhone 5 that went on sale back in April. The price of the nano SIM is set at $25, but in order for it to work you’ll have to make sure you purchase an the correct model According to an internal doc we received it stats that “WIND testing has identified that for an iPhone 5 to be compatible with WIND, it must meet the following criteria. However, customers are responsible for verifying network compatibility, and that the device is unlocked.”

The iPhone 5 must be purchased after April 11, 2013, supports AWS band (1700/2100), and has the model number A1428. In addition, the serial number must end with any one of these four numbers:

- iPhone 5 Black 16GB: FH19 ($699)
- iPhone 5 White 16GB: FH1C ($699)
- iPhone 5 Black 32GB: FH1D ($799)
- iPhone 5 White 32GB: FH1F ($799)
- iPhone 5 Black 64GB: FH1G ($899)
- iPhone 5 White 64GB: FH1H ($899)

So there you have it… now you just have to hunt down an iPhone 5.

Via: Facebook, Twitter (KusunokiMusashi)
(Thanks tipster and to everyone who sent this in!)

BlackBerry introduced “BBM Channels” during their BlackBerry Live developer conference in May. This is an extension of their popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service and is a “a new social engagement platform” that allows the 60 million BBM users to connect to the things of interest by creating different “channels,” plus allows you to “follow” and receive latest updates (similar to Twitter).

BBM Channels is currently in beta, but it seems BlackBerry has a bigger game in mind. They recently posted an open position for a Director Media Sales for BBM Channels in the UK that “will assume responsibility for revenue generation.” Specifics of how one would generate revenue within BBM Channels was lacking, however a survey to those in the BlackBerry Beta Zone suggests we’ll possibly see the likes of a ‘sponsored invite’ flood our feed, similar to Twitter ‘sponsored Tweets,” and Facebook ads.

The survey noted that “Channel owners will be allowed to advertise their Channels by sending invites to BBM users within the channel owner’s target demographic. Users will receive the invite, and be able to preview the Channel, then choose to subscribe or decline the invitation to subscribe. This will be a limited ad unit, with users never receiving more than 3 sponsored invites in a single month.”

This was simply a survey and not confirmed, but is one way BlackBerry might eventually monetize BBM. No indication if the BBM Channel owner (publisher) will receive a percentage of ad revenue. This move would certainly help increase adoption and interest.

Source: Twitter
Via: N4BB

Microsoft opened their first retail store in Toronto last November and it looks like the onslaught is upon us. A partnership between Best Buy, Future Shop and Microsoft will see 100 “Windows Stores” open nationwide this year.

This store-within-a-store concept will have a similar experience to the retail location, but give “just another great opportunity to reach customers in more places and give them choice in their technology-buying experience.” Bottom line is that Microsoft will have a dedicated section within Best Buy and Future Shop stores – between 1,500 square feet to 2,200 square feet – that highlights everything Microsoft: Windows tablets, PCs, Windows Phones, Microsoft Office, Xbox and accessories.

The 100 Canadian locations will join 500 Windows Stores launching in the United States. The good news is that this partnership will add a total of 1,200 more staff. No word on how many will be employed in Canada.

Source: Microsoft
Via: AllThingsD

The HTC One has won many high profile awards for its forward thinking all-aluminum design. Last weekend they oozed with pride and engaged in some heated Twitter banter with Samsung (see here). In Canada, the HTC One is currently available at Bell, SaskTel, Rogers and TELUS, but according to a thread on XDA Developers reveals the Android Jelly Bean device might be en route to both Quebec-based Videotron and Mobilicity. A long collection of Carrier IDs (CID) have been listed that shows “CA_Videotron VIDEO001″ and “CA_Dave DAVE_001.” DAVE is Data & Audio-Visual Enterprises Holdings Inc. and they operate legally as Mobilicity.”

There’s no official word from either carrier, but this is a good hint that they’ll be eventually releasing the One. HTC released the One back in the middle of April and is now fallen to $99.99 on a 3-year, or $650 outright.

We’ll keep you updated on the One coming to other carriers. In the meantime, check out our full review here.

Source: XDA
(Thanks tipster!)

An invitation to a Sony press event teases what looks like a Godzilla sized phablet. The rumoured Xperia Z Ultra is pictured and the translation reads “Sony mobile reserves a BIG surprise for you.” The Xperia Z Ultra has a speculated screen size of 6.44-inches with a stunning 1080p HD, plus shows a stylus with the words “Don’t forget to mark your calendars!” that indicates it’ll have input support similar to the Samsung’s Galaxy Note.

Some of the other rumoured specs have it coming in at a thin 6.5mm with a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 8MP camera and 2.2MP front-facing camera, running Android OS 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Overall is sounds beastly. Hopefully Sony Canada brings it to our fine land.

Source: Xperia Blog

The battle to be the number one mobile messaging platform has reached a fever pitch. With Kik messenger rapidly growing, Apple’s iMessage, Samsung’s ChatOn, and BlackBerry’s BBM going cross-platform this summer to iOS and Android, one would wonder if there’s space for more competition.

Well, there is. Arguably one of the more popular messaging services is WhatsApp. Touting their dominance on Twitter, WhatsApp announced a huge milestone of successfully processing 27 billion messages 24 one day: “new daily record: 10B+ msgs sent (inbound) and 17B+ msgs received (outbound) by our users = 27 Billion msgs handled in just 24 hours!”

WhatsApp currently has 200 million users and is available on the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Nokia S40 and Symbian, plus Windows Phone. For an app business that has caught slack recently for not desiring to grow out their mobile eco-system, WhatsApp doesn’t seem to be losing any momentum!

Source: Twitter
Via: TNW

Nokia has just sent out media invitations to show us to “see more” on July 11th. This will most likely be the official unveiling of the heavily leaked Nokia Lumia EOS. The EOS is rumoured to have a 41MP camera with Xenon flash, a 4.5-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1280×768, wireless charging and 32GB of internal storage.

The only description that the invite reveals is that Nokia plans on reinventing the zoom. We’ll bring you all the details and hands-on from New York City.

Manitoba-based MTS originally went live with their LTE network in Winnipeg and Brandon back in August 2012, then more recently in Grand Beach and Victoria Beach. Today they’ve announced an “extended network sharing agreement” with Rogers that will see the two companies share costs and expand LTE coverage in the province.

The press release noted that the goal is for LTE to reach over 90% Manitoba’s population over the next five years, but in the imminent future you’ll see Selkirk, Steinbach and Ste. Anne go live. As for Rogers, June 17th is the date that they’ll officially go live. Their LTE Max – which uses dual frequency 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz bands – will be available in Winnipeg, Brandon, Victoria Beach, Grand Beach, Selkirk, Steinbach and Ste. Anne.

In an email to us Rogers noted that “We thank our Manitoba customers for their patience and are very happy to finally have LTE available for them.”

Update: This news of LTE going live on June 17th is also for Fido’s customers.

Source: CNW (1) (2)

Regional carriers are now bringing on the latest BlackBerry. Quebec-based Videotron and Manitoba’s MTS added the BlackBerry Q10 to their lineup yesterday. Today it’s Eastlink turn over in Halifax and it’ll will hook onto their LTE network. The price is $699 outright or $199 on there easyTab. Similar to other carriers, apart from Rogers, the Q10 is only available in black.

Check out our full review of the QWERTY/Touch BlackBerry Q10 here.

Source: Eastlink

Apple might be launching an iPhone phablet. Boom.

Reuters has “four people with knowledge of the matter” and state that Apple is considering the idea of releasing two new iPhones next year. One will have a 4.7-inch display and the other a 5.7-inch display. This is to take on Samsung’s growing dominance in the larger phone/tablet space. The supply chain source informed Reuters that “they constantly change product specifications almost to the final moment, so you’re not really sure whether this is the final prototype.”

As for this year, the report noted that we’ll see the iPhone 5S be released in black and white with “new fingerprint technology.” In addition, as rumoured and leaked online, Apple will come to market with a possible $99 entry-level iPhone that’s made of plastic and come in 5-6 colours… with the official release targeted for September.

Of course, Apple declined to comment on the rumours.

Source: Reuters