Twitter drops SMS service in Canada

Ouch!  I have recently been getting into Twitter and was using SMS to update my status and receive updates but it looks like Twitter has had to put the brakes on the service.  You can still send messages to Twitter but will not receive updates.

Unexpected changes in our billing have forced us into a difficult situation with our Canadian SMS service. We can’t afford to support this service given our current arrangement with our providers (where costs have been doubling for the past several months.) As a result, effective today we are no longer delivering outbound SMS over our Canadian shortcode (21212).

The ability to update Twitter over SMS will still be supported over 21212. But we know that this is only part of the experience and we want to make Twitter work in the way folks want … regardless of where they live.

There is a realistic, scalable SMS solution for Canada (and the rest of the world.) We’re working on that and will post more details on the Twitter blog as we make progress

My guess (knowing Canadian carriers) is that they sent a WHOMPING bill to Twitter.  They just don’t seem to get the fact that by making "tweeting" accessible and unrestricted they are promoting the need for more expensive texting add-ons. /shrug

If anyone is interested you can follow my tweets here.

Source: twitter status

HTC Victor - An HTC Diamond without the Diamonds

I kind of think those Diamonds look sexy, but the back of this one does too. Hmm… Heck, I’ll take either in a US GSM variety. This version is being dubbed as the HTC Victor and according to Mobile Burn, it will be coming to Telus in Canada.

Source: Some Taiwanese Blog via Mobile Burn

Telus to carry the HTC Touch Diamond in North America

From Jessika @ Waggener Edstrom Worldwide…

When we unveiled the HTC Touch Diamond in May, we promised that it would be coming to North America later this year. Today Telus is announcing it will be the first carrier on this side of the pond to carry the HTC Touch Diamond. With this announcement, HTC continues our tradition of creating a family of devices, bringing the HTC Touch Diamond’s unique style and exceptional features to a number of form factors and wireless protocols.

Telus will launch a CDMA version of the HTC Touch Diamond later this summer for $149.99 with a 3 year contract. To make the HTC Touch Diamond even more attractive, they offer subscribers very affordable unlimited data plans like $15 per month for unlimited email and IM, or $30 for unlimited email, IM and web browsing.

[Read more]

Telus contemplating move to GSM

If this happens, I will be impressed with Telus. I am sure that a move like this would cost a ton in infrastructure changes. I make no bones about it, I flat out prefer a GSM carrier. The main reason doesn’t revolve around the data rates. EV-DO and it’s GSM rival of the day are so close that I don’t think that it makes that much difference. The reason for me is the simm card. I love having the ability to change phones without having to call a CDMA carrier or go online to change the programming. I pop out my simm card from my Tilt and slap it into the iPhone/BlackJack II, doesn’t matter… It’s fast and easy and I don’t have to spend extra time to get it done.

With more wireless competition looming, executives at Telus Corp. are believed to be mulling a pricey swap of the firm’s network technology in a bid to offer subscribers a bigger selection of mobile devices and grab a larger slice of lucrative international roaming fees.

In the wireless equivalent of moving from Betamax to VHS, Telus executives are considering adopting new technology “as early as this year,” industry sources say. The change would effectively make all or part of Telus’s CDMA network compatible with the GSM-based systems operated by most carriers outside of North America. The two acronyms stand for code division multiple access system, and global system for mobile communications, respectively.

The idea “has been presented at the board level and is being actively considered,” said one source familiar with the situation who asked not to be identified. The source cautioned that there were no guarantees Telus will go ahead with a changeover, which analysts say could cost about $500 million.

Source via Engadget

Telus Releases HTC Touch and Iris

Telus customers, get ready for HTC goodness. You have two sweet phones coming your way.

“The P3050 is the CDMA equivalent of the GSM Touch and packs the same goodies under the shell including Windows Mobile 6, The lovely TouchFLO UI, 320 x 240 display, Bluetooth, and sadly doesn’t pack WiFi or the GPS we had hoped for. This fella is in the shops as of today from CAD $499 off contract to CAD $149 on a 3 year stint. The S640 is the CDMA flavor of the Cavalier and Excalibur, packs Windows Mobile 6, Bluetooth, WiFi, and eschews all that touchscreen goodness for a good ol’ fashioned keypad. Pricing is set from CAD $449 off contract to CAD $149 on a 3 year contract.”

• HTC P3050 “Touch” Telus | HTC Touch
• HTC S640 Telus | HTC Iris

Source : Engadget Mobile

Palm Treo 755p available in Canada

Palm Canada and TELUS today announced the exclusive availability of the Palm Treo 755p smartphone in Canada. The CDMA Treo 755p offers TELUS Mobile Email, providing consumer and business clients with automatic updates to their email, calendar, contacts and task information; Google Maps for mobile; as well as the latest Treo design with integrated antenna, slimmer form factor and mini-SD slot.

Treo 755p Features and Benefits

• Colour touch-screen and full QWERTY keyboard for easier email, messaging and web use;
• Superior phone functionality, including one-touch speakerphone and conference calling, the ability to ignore a call with text messaging and the option to use the colour touch-screen dial pad;
• Convenient voice-memo application, which can be used to create custom ring tones and add voice annotations to photos or simply record a quick memo;
• Threaded SMS messages in a single chat view and out-of-the-box support for Yahoo!, AOL, and Gmail;
• 128MB memory (60MB user available) and support for Mini-SD memory cards up to 4GB;
• Dial-up networking via USB or Bluetooth(R) wireless technology on the TELUS wireless high-speed (EvDO) network for using the Treo 755p as a modem for a laptop computer (requires an appropriate service plan);
• Support for EVDO (Rev.0) for downloading large files fast;
• Smart, fast web browsing using the award-winning Access browser;
• Full PDF support using DataViz(R) Documents To Go(R) Version 8.0, which also offers support for native Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents;
• User-friendly and familiar Palm OS platform, including one-touch access to key applications;
• 1.3-megapixel digital camera and video recorder, and application to organize and share photos;
• On-device user’s guide, giving customers access to the full user’s guide right from the device;
• Default data transfer mode, which allows users to be notified of incoming voice calls while using data services, rather than calls automatically going to voicemail; and
• Built-in multimedia features, including an MP3 player and video recorder.

The Palm Treo 755p is available exclusively through TELUS retail locations across Canada and online at telus.com for $229.99 on a three-year contract subject to promotional requirements or $549.99 without a contract.

Source: Palm