Tech Blog

For those of you eagerly awaiting the BlackBerry Torch in Canada, both Telus, Rogers and Bell have officially announced September 24th as the release date for this device. 

Being the latest annual gaming extravaganza put together by Microsoft Canada and its PR team, this year’s X’10 had mostly to do with games, though it was unsurprising that the Windows Phone 7 setup was right next to the entrance inside. I managed to get a hands-on demo of Microsoft’s do-or-die new OS, and here are some of my first impressions.

So many Canadians use Facebook, Flickr and SkyDrive to upload photos and videos on a daily basis, but there are limitations and flaws in the process. Photos aren’t in their highest resolution, and video is really limited to the short clips viewers can snack on. I’ve recently discovered a much better alternative to sharing photos and videos that offers unlimited storage.

It’s been about three weeks since HP’s acquisition of Palm has been finalized, solidifying a move that could bring HP back as a serious player in the mobile phone and tablet computing space. But there have been reports that Apple, RIM and Google had been in the hunt to buy out and absorb Palm as well. So, what happened exactly?

I really didn't want to get drawn into this whole iPhone 4 thing and as most of you know, I've tried hard to stay out of it. But apparently Steve Jobs' comments regarding other devices hit a few sore spots and thus far, both RIM and Nokia have responded with some fairly interesting responses. Read through for their thoughts. Read more...

This morning Apple held a press conference at Apple HQ, this is the first time since 1997 that they've held an event that didn't announce a new product, to talk about the much debated iPhone 4 antenna issues. What's the scoop? Read more...

If you installed iOS 4.0 on your device—that would be iPhone 3G and 3GS here—there is an update available that is supposed to fix the algorithm that calculates the signal strength bars. For us iPad devices we have an update to 3.2.1 that is supposed to fix WiFi problems and a few other things. See 9 to 5 Mac for more info—iOS 4.01, iPad 3.2.1 Released (Download Links) | 9 to 5 Mac. Read more...

Having spent a week with Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X10, I applaud the company’s overdue foray into the smartphone arms race, though I do wonder if it’s a bit too late in the grand scheme of things. I don’t say that to denigrate the company or the phone, but I merely want to pose the question of whether or not they can not just stick it out, but also really compete with the others.

Things have been quiet lately on the RIM news front, but there were a couple of news worthy items that appeared today. RIM has released a new teaser video about their upcoming BlackBerry 6 OS and in an interesting turn of events, they have released info about an excellent new app for consumers called BlackBerry Protect. Read more...

There are times when I just don’t know what goes on in a typical R&D session at Microsoft, and how all those billions are spent. The latest mobile setback for the company came last week, when it announced that it was going to cancel development and expansion of its Kin smartphones, effective immediately. This comes less than three months after they first unveiled them in the U.S.

If you’ve seen the last few posts about problems with Apple’s iOS4 operating system upgrade for iPhone and iPod Touch, then you’re aware that many owners of 1st and 2nd generation versions of these devices have been having power and performance problems with the update. Apple’s solution has been to suggest a system restore, and in some cases that has improved things. But not in mine. Read more...

Today Apple unleashed IOS4 onto a world of iPhone users. Check that, onto a world of iPhone 3G and 3GS users. Have the iPhone? You've just been made obsolete. Greed is good. Read more...

Much is being made about the new iPhone 4’s front-facing camera, which Apple is calling FaceTime. The era of true video calls on smartphones is now set to begin and reach new heights as other players in this game come out with their own renditions of this type of functionality. Read more...

Now here's a conundrum for the (few) among us who are sans-iPhone (but still want one): Telus is slashing prices on their stock of iPhone 3G and 3GS models (via MacLife). Yeah, do you pick up a 32GB 3GS for $199 (yeah still the 3 year contract thing), or wait to have the latest, greatest, and more expensive iPhone 4? I'm sure Telus isn't going to be alone in the iPhone 3G/GS fire sale pricing, so no matter which carrier if bleeding you dry, you might have this same choice. Or even…your current iPhone is in need of replacement, what about save some cash instead of the new and shiny? Read more...

This may come as a surprise to some, considering Apple’s reputation for keeping most things close to their chest, but the company is opting to start selling unlocked iPhones on its website without any commitment from you to a carrier. Read more...