Gillian Shaw
Sun
HTC Magic, HTC Dream, HTC available with Rogers
Palm Pre, Palm, with Bell Mobility
Speakerphone HF-200, Nokia
1. HTC Magic, HTC Dream, HTC available with Rogers, price to be announced
Maybe it’s not quite as exciting as the arrival of the iPhone in Canada but the first cellphones arriving here powered by Google’s Android platform are causing quite a stir. The Dream was the first Android phone to reach the market, introduced last year as the G1 by T-Mobile in the U.S. The Dream has a touch-screen and hidden QWERTY keyboard while the Magic has a software touch-screen keyboard. Rogers hasn’t released details about pricing yet although the phones are to be available with contracts or without. On the Rogers website at rogers.com/revolution.
2. Palm Pre, Palm, with Bell Mobility, price to be announced
For once Canadians won’t have to wait months and years for a new wireless entrant to make its way across the border. Palm’s new smart phone, its answer to the BlackBerry and the iPhone, debuted this year at the Consumers Electronics Show and Sprint is to offer it in the U.S. by the end of June. Canadian Bell Mobility customers will be able to get the Pre here in the second half of the year. No details on pricing out yet. As much anticipated for its new operating system as its touchscreen/hidden QWERTY keyboard, the new phone aggregates info from all sources — whether it’s your work exchange e-mail, Gmail and other web accounts — into a single view on its 3.1-inch (7.9 cm) screen. The same goes for contacts and personal calendar items that can be aggregated with business appointments from Outlook that is easier to access all in one place on your mobile device. www.palm.com.
3. Speakerphone HF-200, Nokia, $80
And for those who are opting on their own or being forced by law to go hands-free when they’re talking on a cellphone in the car, Nokia has a lineup of Bluetooth headsets plus this HF-200 speakerphone. It clips to your car’s sun visor or you can just sit it on your desk to make handsfree calls. www.nokia.ca.
4. cy-fi wireless Speaker, cy-fi, $175C
These wireless speakers weigh less than 113 grams (four ounces) and broadcast sound up to nine metres from your Bluetooth-A2DP-enabled MP3 player, cellphone or PDA. They come with a docking station for charging and the charge gives you at least six hours of music. cy-fi also has wireless speakers for the iPod and iPod nano. Available online at www.mycyfi.com
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