Here at TorontoWireless if there is one thing we pride ourselves with is being as flexible as possible, this is very different from the experience of large box stores such as Best Buy Canada. On Wednesday I received a Best Buy flyer for their store opening sale, and I found myself getting excited as I am a bit of a technophile (PC Desktop, netbook, HTPC, dSLR, and so on). Leafing through the Best Buy Store Opening flyer I noticed they had a door crasher special for the Gateway LT3108H Athlon64 powered netbook with an 11.6inch screen for just $299!!!! (regularly $449), the very netbook I had been drooling over since I read the first review of. The only problem with door crasher specials is you have to be there extremely early in the morning to line up, and working full time here at TorontoWireless the last thing I was going to do is take today off. After resolving that I wouldn't take the day off to drive out to Best Buy and line up at 5AM in the morning (given the fact they only had 10 units). I did however decide to look around the Best Buy Canada website out of curiosity to see what else they had to offer. While looking around their website I came across the same Gateway LT3108H netbook for just $349 (still $100 off) for their anniversary sale, however they had already sold out of the product online. Not only had Best Buy Canada sold out of the units the sale ends on October 21st! Had the sale been for one more day I would have purchased the netbook after work at the Newmarket location. Given the fact that I couldn't justify $449 for this netbook (I bought my Acer Apire One for $329 in August 2008) I decided to try two things. The first was to call Best Buy Canada's customer service and see if I could somehow purchase the product the following day in the store with the discounted price. Unfortunately this didn't work out as the Best Buy head office (or at least customer service) has no say into what happens in Best Buy Canada's retail locations. The second thing I decided to do was when the Best Buy store opened the following day (today) to call and talk to someone in the computers department to see if they would honour the sale price and put the last one on hold, unfortunately as I was read the stock script that Best Buy Canada's flyers change on a weekly basis, and there was now a new flyer with new deals. So thus ends my aspirations of buying this affordable netbook from Best Buy. Now here at TorontoWireless we are happiest when our readers are happy. As the head of sales here I have been known to work with clients that haggle, bend over backwards to get new clients, and make executive decisions whenever client issues arise. This whole experience with Best Buy Canada has rather soured me to their corporate brand. It also made me reflect on the idea of what would happen if they offered SEO Services, and how they would treat their clients with a one size fits all mentality (whereas we recognize that all clients are different, and have different needs). All I have to say is Best Buy Canada Sucks for their customer experience!
UpDate: Best Buy near where I live put the last one on hold and honoured the $349.99 price for me
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
BestBuy’s inventory shows Rogers getting the BB Bold 9000 in White
You gotta love a good leak from BestBuy’s inventory system. One of the ninjas over at BGR sent in some screenshot’s showing that Rogers Wireless will be getting the Blackberry Bold 9000 in White. You might also want to notice the Bold 9700 listed in there for both Rogers as well. No word on launch dates or pricing, but stay tuned.
(Via BGR)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Acer Joins the Multi-Touch Laptop Crowd 15.6"
I admit I haven’t been quite onboard with the current touchscreen laptop trend, but the more I think about different usage scenarios and positions, like actually using one on your lap with the screen low and angled, the more I’m starting to come around. Thus, I’m somewhat enthusiastic about Acer’s new Aspire AS5738PG touchscreen notebook with multi-touch.
First, it offers a sizeable screen, 15.6″ at 1366×768 with LED backlight, which I can’t find with tablets. Resolution is low for the size, but sufficient for HD movies. That’s backed up with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6600 at 2.2GHz and ATI Radeon HD 4570 Graphics with 512MB VRAM for smooth HD playback. A media machine with touchscreen control appeals to me.
Second, they don’t skimp on the multi-touch, including it in the touchpad as well. Thus, if you don’t want to “gorilla arm” it, you can still use the multi-touch gestures to zoom, scroll, rotate, and flick your way through whatever you’re doing via the touchpad. Alternately, if you’re showing off photos to someone, it’s more instinctive and natural to point to the screen and control it from there. A unified user experience is good.
Third, Acer is including all the Touch Apps shown previously in the Gateway One (Gateway is owned by Acer), allowing touch access to media sharing, social networking, music, and memos. This is in addition to the games and goodies in the Microsoft Touch Pack. Seems like Acer is making a strong, concerted effort to be a leader with touchscreen applications. I’d still much prefer this in a convertible model, but overall, I think Acer is making a commendable effort at applying touchscreen control.
First, it offers a sizeable screen, 15.6″ at 1366×768 with LED backlight, which I can’t find with tablets. Resolution is low for the size, but sufficient for HD movies. That’s backed up with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6600 at 2.2GHz and ATI Radeon HD 4570 Graphics with 512MB VRAM for smooth HD playback. A media machine with touchscreen control appeals to me.
Second, they don’t skimp on the multi-touch, including it in the touchpad as well. Thus, if you don’t want to “gorilla arm” it, you can still use the multi-touch gestures to zoom, scroll, rotate, and flick your way through whatever you’re doing via the touchpad. Alternately, if you’re showing off photos to someone, it’s more instinctive and natural to point to the screen and control it from there. A unified user experience is good.
Third, Acer is including all the Touch Apps shown previously in the Gateway One (Gateway is owned by Acer), allowing touch access to media sharing, social networking, music, and memos. This is in addition to the games and goodies in the Microsoft Touch Pack. Seems like Acer is making a strong, concerted effort to be a leader with touchscreen applications. I’d still much prefer this in a convertible model, but overall, I think Acer is making a commendable effort at applying touchscreen control.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Google apps for your BlackBerry
When you pick up a new BlackBerry Curve 8900, Pearl 81XX, 8800, Bold 9000 or an 8700, you have the option to pay monthly (9.99) for GPS navigation service, but the thing that most people don't know is that if you navigate to Google.com via your mobile browser, then click on (More>>) at the top of the screen it takes you to a page filled with free BlackBerry enabled Google apps just like on the iPhone! You have the option to download them all at once or pick which ones you want from a selection of 15 free apps including:
-Search
-Maps
-Gmail
-iGoogle
-Sync
-Orkut
-Calender
-Docs
-GOOG-411
-SMS
-News
-Photos
-RSS Reader
-Blogger
-Notebook
So in conclusion, there is a whole page full of free apps for your Blackberry waiting for you any time you please!!
P.S. Back to the GPS thing, the Maps listed above is the Google BlackBerry equivalent to Maps on an iPhone!! Plus its free and has satellite view as well as map view and uses the GPS chip in your BlackBerry (If you have one) and gives you turn by turn directions for free!!
( Via PhoneDog.com )
-Search
-Maps
-Gmail
-iGoogle
-Sync
-Orkut
-Calender
-Docs
-GOOG-411
-SMS
-News
-Photos
-RSS Reader
-Blogger
-Notebook
So in conclusion, there is a whole page full of free apps for your Blackberry waiting for you any time you please!!
P.S. Back to the GPS thing, the Maps listed above is the Google BlackBerry equivalent to Maps on an iPhone!! Plus its free and has satellite view as well as map view and uses the GPS chip in your BlackBerry (If you have one) and gives you turn by turn directions for free!!
( Via PhoneDog.com )
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Blackberry storm2 launched
RESEARCH IN MOTION (RIM) has officially unveiled the Blackberry Storm2, the successor to its first touch-screen handset, adding WiFi capability and improvements to the tactile feedback for its display.
Available in the UK later this month from Vodafone, the Blackberry Storm2 features a capacitive touch-screen with new Surepress technology that provides tactile feedback when the display is pressed.
As well as quad-band GSM and HSPA, the new Storm also adds 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, a capability lacking in the original Storm launched last year. It also has GPS for maps and other location-based applications.
The original Storm was rushed to market as RIM's answer to the touch-driven Apple Iphone, but many users found fault with the device, particularly with the clickable display mechanism.
With the Storm2, RIM is hoping to fix many of these issues, especially with Surepress, which uses an electronic pulse to provide feedback rather than the actual screen moving.
The new handset also comes with access to Blackberry App World, RIM's online application store.
It also ships with Blackberry OS 5, in which the Blackberry Browser is improved with faster JavaScript and CSS processing and support for Google Gears and BlackBerry Widgets.
For enterprise customers, the new Blackberry works with enhanced features in Blackberry Enterprise Server 5, including the ability to remotely access Windows file shares, manage Microsoft Exchange email folders from the Blackberry, and set follow-up flags as users can in Outlook.
The new Storm2 has 256MB of Flash memory, plus 2GB of storage and a microSD slot supporting Flash cards up to 16GB. It also has a 3.2-megapixel camera and a removable 1400mAh battery providing six hours of talk time on 3G networks and 280 hours on standby, according to RIM.
Vodafone said that it will offer the Blackberry Storm2 free with 24-month contracts from £35 per month. These include 600 minutes talk-time, unlimited Blackberry Internet Service, unlimited text messaging, and unlimited access to Vodafone Mobile Internet.
Available in the UK later this month from Vodafone, the Blackberry Storm2 features a capacitive touch-screen with new Surepress technology that provides tactile feedback when the display is pressed.
As well as quad-band GSM and HSPA, the new Storm also adds 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, a capability lacking in the original Storm launched last year. It also has GPS for maps and other location-based applications.
The original Storm was rushed to market as RIM's answer to the touch-driven Apple Iphone, but many users found fault with the device, particularly with the clickable display mechanism.
With the Storm2, RIM is hoping to fix many of these issues, especially with Surepress, which uses an electronic pulse to provide feedback rather than the actual screen moving.
The new handset also comes with access to Blackberry App World, RIM's online application store.
It also ships with Blackberry OS 5, in which the Blackberry Browser is improved with faster JavaScript and CSS processing and support for Google Gears and BlackBerry Widgets.
For enterprise customers, the new Blackberry works with enhanced features in Blackberry Enterprise Server 5, including the ability to remotely access Windows file shares, manage Microsoft Exchange email folders from the Blackberry, and set follow-up flags as users can in Outlook.
The new Storm2 has 256MB of Flash memory, plus 2GB of storage and a microSD slot supporting Flash cards up to 16GB. It also has a 3.2-megapixel camera and a removable 1400mAh battery providing six hours of talk time on 3G networks and 280 hours on standby, according to RIM.
Vodafone said that it will offer the Blackberry Storm2 free with 24-month contracts from £35 per month. These include 600 minutes talk-time, unlimited Blackberry Internet Service, unlimited text messaging, and unlimited access to Vodafone Mobile Internet.
BlackBerry's new Storm2: first review
BlackBerry's first foray into touch-screen smartphones, last year's Storm, received a mixed reception.
Loyal BlackBerry users felt alienated by the loss of a physical QWERTY keyboard, while a perceived rush to market to compete with Apple's headline-grabbing iPhone led to complaints of variable build quality and sluggish operating speeds.
At first sight, BlackBerry seems to have addressed many of these problems with the Storm 2, which goes on sale in the UK on October 26.
The new machine is slimmer and trimmer than the old design, and though the familiar BlackBerry interface remains, the internal workings of the device have received a thorough going-over, with more memory allocated to make applications run smoother.
The touch-screen QWERTY keyboard is much improved, too, allowing for simultaneous double-touching for speed typing, a feature that was unavailable on the previous Storm. Unlike the touchscreen on the iPhone, the BlackBerry keyboard mimics the feel of a real keyboard by clicking both audibly and physically under the fingertips. There's wi-fi too, now an essential for this class of device.
Add to this the push e-mail and unrivalled security features that makes BlackBerry the default choice for industry worldwide, and the result is a very fine phone indeed.
But it is a fine phone in a changing market. Just how fast that market is changing can be gauged by the applications that BlackBerry now includes as standard, such as Twitter, Facebook and apps to play video and music content.
Instant access to content on the move is no longer the exclusive privilege of the businessman on the go. It's something we all now expect, as previously separate devices -- the camera, the phone, the portable music player, the video player -- now converge into one device.
Where once BlackBerry led the way in e-mail on the go, there is now a host of other touch-screen products that offer much the same services in a more user-friendly package.
The iPhone apart, this week alone, Sony-Ericsson has unveiled the Satio, its all-touch multimedia mobile smartphone, which features a 12.1 megapixel camera and a high-resolution screen, while HTC gave us the super-cute Tattoo, the latest smartphone to use the freely available Android touch-screen interface developed by Google.
Both of these phones work well, and present a more relaxed interface to the consumer than any BlackBerry device. Both are the products of companies that made their money from individual users. BlackBerry is heading in the opposite direction, and for all its attempts to court a new customer base, the core market for the Storm 2 remains the business user, backed by an IT department running Microsoft Exchange.
Loyal BlackBerry users felt alienated by the loss of a physical QWERTY keyboard, while a perceived rush to market to compete with Apple's headline-grabbing iPhone led to complaints of variable build quality and sluggish operating speeds.
At first sight, BlackBerry seems to have addressed many of these problems with the Storm 2, which goes on sale in the UK on October 26.
The new machine is slimmer and trimmer than the old design, and though the familiar BlackBerry interface remains, the internal workings of the device have received a thorough going-over, with more memory allocated to make applications run smoother.
The touch-screen QWERTY keyboard is much improved, too, allowing for simultaneous double-touching for speed typing, a feature that was unavailable on the previous Storm. Unlike the touchscreen on the iPhone, the BlackBerry keyboard mimics the feel of a real keyboard by clicking both audibly and physically under the fingertips. There's wi-fi too, now an essential for this class of device.
Add to this the push e-mail and unrivalled security features that makes BlackBerry the default choice for industry worldwide, and the result is a very fine phone indeed.
But it is a fine phone in a changing market. Just how fast that market is changing can be gauged by the applications that BlackBerry now includes as standard, such as Twitter, Facebook and apps to play video and music content.
Instant access to content on the move is no longer the exclusive privilege of the businessman on the go. It's something we all now expect, as previously separate devices -- the camera, the phone, the portable music player, the video player -- now converge into one device.
Where once BlackBerry led the way in e-mail on the go, there is now a host of other touch-screen products that offer much the same services in a more user-friendly package.
The iPhone apart, this week alone, Sony-Ericsson has unveiled the Satio, its all-touch multimedia mobile smartphone, which features a 12.1 megapixel camera and a high-resolution screen, while HTC gave us the super-cute Tattoo, the latest smartphone to use the freely available Android touch-screen interface developed by Google.
Both of these phones work well, and present a more relaxed interface to the consumer than any BlackBerry device. Both are the products of companies that made their money from individual users. BlackBerry is heading in the opposite direction, and for all its attempts to court a new customer base, the core market for the Storm 2 remains the business user, backed by an IT department running Microsoft Exchange.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
BlackBerry 9700 launching on Rogers October 26th?
BlackBerry 9700 launching on Rogers October 26th?
Uh oh. We’re slowly moving across the board here… First with a rumored T-Mobile launch date, now we have a Rogers one for you guys. One of our Northern connects just let us know that Rogers’ BlackBerry 9700 launch is currently pegged for October 26th. We don’t have pricing information, but imagine it will run around $299 with a three-year agreement. Not confirmed, of course, but hey, besides Christmas not much is.
(Via BoyGeniusreport.com)
Uh oh. We’re slowly moving across the board here… First with a rumored T-Mobile launch date, now we have a Rogers one for you guys. One of our Northern connects just let us know that Rogers’ BlackBerry 9700 launch is currently pegged for October 26th. We don’t have pricing information, but imagine it will run around $299 with a three-year agreement. Not confirmed, of course, but hey, besides Christmas not much is.
(Via BoyGeniusreport.com)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Verizon Branded Storm 2
Finally for all of us Verizon Wireless costumers there is a stronger sign that the phone exists and its already branded on the outside with a Verizon logo on it. Yes, we all saw that great Phonearena review with the logo on the back, but the hardware and software were a little too old, so something seemed a little strange to say the least. Anyhow, we got a hold of a brand new Verizon Storm 2 and its awesome. And here is the evidence for all of you guys.
(VIA http://www.salomondrin.net/ )
Friday, October 2, 2009
Official BlackBerry Twitter Client Coming November 16 with Push?
There are a lot of options in the BlackBerry Twitter app market these days, but the killer feature of real-time, push tweets is still missing, which apparently only RIM will be able to provide in the near future. Rumours of an official twitter client being in the works have surfaced alongside a feature list and a November 16 launch target.
-Notification of number of new tweets on the home screen with icon, like text messages
-Main app opens friends timeline
-Ability to view followers
-Follow/unfollow functions
-Create direct messages, replies and new tweets
-Keyword search and saved results
-Tweet photos directly from camera or memory card
-View photos from other tweets
-View trending topics
-Address book integration
Existing software can offer core functions and do some neat stuff with GPS, RIM’s ability to really leverage the push tech that they’re famous for will easily make this the best BlackBerry twitter client out there. The software will eventually come preloaded on all devices according to tipsters, in addition to being available through App World. The address book integration is a nice touch, and follows closely in the Facebook app’s footsteps. I trust the option to view @ replies and direct messages in your messages folder will be enabled, just like the instant messaging clients, but we’ll have to wait and cross our fingers.
-Notification of number of new tweets on the home screen with icon, like text messages
-Main app opens friends timeline
-Ability to view followers
-Follow/unfollow functions
-Create direct messages, replies and new tweets
-Keyword search and saved results
-Tweet photos directly from camera or memory card
-View photos from other tweets
-View trending topics
-Address book integration
Existing software can offer core functions and do some neat stuff with GPS, RIM’s ability to really leverage the push tech that they’re famous for will easily make this the best BlackBerry twitter client out there. The software will eventually come preloaded on all devices according to tipsters, in addition to being available through App World. The address book integration is a nice touch, and follows closely in the Facebook app’s footsteps. I trust the option to view @ replies and direct messages in your messages folder will be enabled, just like the instant messaging clients, but we’ll have to wait and cross our fingers.
BumpTop Goes Multi-Touch
BumpTop the 3D desktop UI that always looks exciting has added multi-touch. There are a range of touch controls that allow you to use multiple fingers to pinch, squeeze, rotate, toss, pan, zoom, and even crop photos. From the video this looks awesome. To take advantage of this you’ll need Windows 7. And of course we don’t have too many devices with capacitive digitizers to really put this in play at the moment, and I imagine the team behind BumpTop is awaiting those as much as we are. Check out the video.
Free! TiVo BlackBerry Application! | BlackBerry Sites
Now you can schedule programs on your DVR from your BlackBerry smartphone with the TiVo for BlackBerry® smartphone application. It is available for all BlackBerry Devices and available for the U.S. and Canada.
TiVo for BlackBerry smart phones enables you to:
* Search by title, keyword, actor or director
* Get a Season Pass and schedule your DVR to record your favorite shows
* Explore daily picks and most popular shows
* Search, browse and discover new shows from wherever you happen to be
TiVo for BlackBerry OTA by going HERE!
A quick and simple User Guide can be found HERE!
Best Buy lists Rogers BlackBerry Curve 8520 $99/$449
Best Buy lists Rogers BlackBerry Curve 8520 $99/$449
It seems the Rogers BlackBerry Curve 8520 is just around the corner. Today Best Buy Canada “accidentally” listed the BlackBerry Curve 8520 for Rogers on their site. It’s currently listed at $99 with three year contract or $449 without. This comes after launch materials and dummy phones have arrived at some Rogers retail stores across Canada. This might mean we will see an official launch sometime soon. Keep checking in…
Check out the Curve 8520 over at BestBuy.ca >>
It seems the Rogers BlackBerry Curve 8520 is just around the corner. Today Best Buy Canada “accidentally” listed the BlackBerry Curve 8520 for Rogers on their site. It’s currently listed at $99 with three year contract or $449 without. This comes after launch materials and dummy phones have arrived at some Rogers retail stores across Canada. This might mean we will see an official launch sometime soon. Keep checking in…
Check out the Curve 8520 over at BestBuy.ca >>
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)