It was more or less not a question of if, but when, and now we're here: the US Department of Justice is said to launch an investigation into the US telecommunications industry to see if the two biggest players, AT&T and Verizon, are abusing their market position. Even though Apple is not a target for the probe, the usually trustworthy Wall Street Journal states that the iPhone/AT&T deal will also come under scrutiny [subscr. req.].
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Member since:2006-01-26
Member since:2005-07-15
I really hate the idea that I'm defending Rogers but this info is now outdated. For an "internet stick" the plan is still not great but you get 500MB per month for $25, 1 GB per month for $30, 3 GB per month for $60 or 5 GB for $80. For a smart phone data plan you get $45 300 Anytime (35¢ per additional minute) Unlimited Evenings & Weekends (9pm) 500 MB $0.03 / MB or for $70 550 Anytime (35¢ per additional minute) Unlimited Evenings & Weekends (9pm) 1 GB $0.03 / MB
Here's the proof --
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-plans/iphone_card_plans
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-plans/iphone_smartphone_...
Member since:2005-07-06
Here's the proof --
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-plans/iphone_card_plans
http://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-plans/iphone_smartphone_...
Assuming one goes to Vodafone in New Zealand, purchases an iPhone outright, plonk in a XT Network sim card, you can pay NZ$18 (US$11.50) per month and have the following (on prepaid):
http://store.telecom.co.nz/mobile/prepaid/plans
3 x Favourites
1500 Txt
240mb month
It might be a little expensive but at least in New Zealand like in Europe, Australia and possible Canada, we get this this called 'coverage', you know, when you move slightly out of the big cities we can get a signal. Kinda helpful if you go on a trip.
Edited 2009-07-07 06:33 UTC
Member since:2005-07-06
True, Rogers data plans are a little bit better these days. My cynical suspicion is that the lower rates for data are driven entirely by the iPhone, that it effectively put Rogers between a rock and a hard place.
I'm sure they were getting non-iPhone customers complaining to them ("Why do iPhone customers get 6GB/month, but I'm paying $200 for 500MB?"). And, on the other side, I'm sure that people paying nearly $100/month for an iPhone wouldn't have been happy to get bills for going over their data transfer quota.
Member since:2005-07-14
Caller ID is also an extra charge for mobiles in Canada, something like $6-$9 CAD/month.
We pay the most for the worst service in the world, basically.
Sure is awesome having three companies control 100% of the wireless market up here. Amazingly they all offer similar products and services at exactly the same price points... no sir, no collusion going on!
Seriously considering just dropping my cell phone in August when my contract is up.
- chrish
Member since:2008-06-04
The price for the Rogers is old (that was 2007 article). I don't like their pricing, but it is not that ridiculous:
The Mega Value $25 w/ 1000 Messaging + 6 GB Data Service Plan 100 + 50 Bonus Weekday Minutes Unlimited Evenings and Weekends from 9 PM 1000 Messages
voice: $25.00 data: $30.00 total: $55.00
Mega Value $25 w/ MY5 Local + 6 GB Data Service Plan 100 + 50 Bonus Weekday Minutes Unlimited Evenings and Weekends from 9 PM MY5 Local
voice:$25.00 data: $30.00 total:$55.00
Member since:2005-07-06
Their pricing has improved a bit, as I acknowledged in another comment. They probably weren't thrilled about the "publicity" that CBC gave them, by pointing out that Canada was the 2nd most expensive place in the world to own an iPhone (and 1st, after an initial promotion expired).
They don't seem to have upgraded data plans for older phones, though. E.g., my aging Treo still seems to have the $15 for 1.5 MB/month plan.
"Ilja van Sprundel, a security researcher with IOActive, has discovered a large number of issues in the way various X client libraries handle the responses they receive from servers, and has worked with X.Org's security team to analyze, confirm, and fix these issues.""Google is facing a new antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into whether the company is using its leadership in the online display-advertising market to illegally curb competition, people familiar with the matter said." Sucks to be Google today, apparently.
"In the midst of the major press blitz surrounding its annual I/O Conference, Google dropped some unfortunate news about its instant messaging plans. In several places around the web, the company is replacing the existing 'Talk' platform with a new one called 'Hangouts' that sharply diminishes support for the open messaging protocol known as XMPP (or sometimes informally Jabber), and also removes the option to disable the archiving of all chat communications. These changes represent a switch from open protocols to proprietary ones, and a clear step backward for many users." That's why I always say: only suckers trust companies.
"The wave of departures is a sign of internal struggle, but amidst all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an anonymous HTC executive cited by WSJ, the crucial HTC One is selling 'pretty good so far'. The executive revealed that HTC sold about five million One units since launch, a performance that is deemed encouraging. However, sales have been limited by the persisting supply issues that still plague the production of the HTC One." Finally some good news for HTC. Five million units amidst supply constraints is very impressive.
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing."The Verge has learned that HTC's Chief Product Officer, Kouji Kodera, left the company last week. Kodera was responsible for HTC's overall product strategy, which makes the departure especially notable on the heels of the global launch of the make-or-break One. It's not just Kodera. In the past three-odd months, HTC has lost a number of employees in rapid succession." I really hope HTC pulls it together.
"It is with huge pleasure that the Debian GNU/Hurd team announces the release of Debian GNU/Hurd 2013. This is a snapshot of Debian 'sid' at the time of the Debian 'wheezy' release (May 2013), so it is mostly based on the same sources. It is not an official Debian release, but it is an official Debian GNU/Hurd port release." Important note: 75% of Debian packages are supported bu Debian GNU/Hurd. Impressive.
"The first killer app was VisiCalc. This early spreadsheet turned the Apple II from a hobbyist toy to a business computer. VisiCalc came with room for improvement, though. In addition, a new architecture and operating system, the Intel-based IBM PC and MS-DOS, also needed a spreadsheet to be taken seriously. That spreadsheet, released in early 1983, would be Lotus 1-2-3, and it would change the world. It became the PC's killer app, and the world would never be the same. On May 14, IBM quietly announced the end of the road for 1-2-3, along with Lotus Organizer and the Lotus SmartSuite office suite. Lotus 1-2-3's day is done." Impressive 30 year run."There's a disconnect between how Apple CEO Tim Cook sees his company's tax strategies and how some members of the US Senate view it. That became clearer than ever today after Cook and two other Apple executives testified before Congress, explaining why they're holding most of their international income in Irish subsidiaries like Apple Operations International, which declare no tax residency anywhere in the world. AOI hasn't filed a tax return anywhere in the world for the last five years, yet it earned $30 billion in income from 2009 to 2012, according to a Senate report released yesterday." Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's just. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and many more - these companies might not be breaking any laws, but it's obvious to anyone that what they are doing is scummy.
The new WebKit Opera for Android has been released. "Opera 14 for Android is built on top of Chromium 26, with a total overhaul of the UI in native code, making it fit well with the latest Android design guidelines. Go get the build from Google Play or point your browser to m.opera.com, and give it a spin!"
Member since:
2005-07-06
Well, it could be worse - look northwards. To quote Michael Geist:
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2117/135/