Alex-Davies
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UPDATE: Both the Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC One X mentioned in this post are now available at Future Shop.
As someone from “the most hated city in Canada”, I often forget that the GTA isn’t the centre of the Canadian tech universe. Case in point would be the super-fast LTE networks (to learn more about LTE, you read TeddyK’s tech blog post) that Rogers, Bell and Telus have launched. Since LTE is available in Toronto, I sometimes forget that it’s not yet available for everyone in Canada.
Rogers’ LTE network initially launched in Ottawa last summer, then expanded to Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal in the fall. Yesterday, they announced that “Canada's fastest and largest LTE network” is now live in Calgary and Halifax, and will be coming to Edmonton soon. In a statement, Rogers VP John Boynton had this to say:
"We're thrilled to offer our LTE network to even more Canadians in the east and the west. Now, Calgarians and Haligonians can enjoy the benefits of speeds on their mobile devices comparable to what they would get at home. And, they can do it on an LTE network that is Canada's fastest and largest for a robust and reliable experience."
Rogers is also planning on bringing LTE to more than 25 additional cities across Canada this year, which is a pretty rapid roll-out, if you ask me. They claim that their LTE network will cover almost 60 per cent of Canada’s population by the end of 2012. Hopefully, as the network expands, the costs to access it will drop.
In order to access the new LTE network, Calgarians and Haligonians will have to get their hands on an LTE phone or tablet. At the moment, Future Shop has two Rogers LTE devices available - the HTC LTE Raider, and the Samsung Galaxy S II LTE. Both are Android superphones, both are free on a new three-year contract.
However, if you are looking for something a little newer than these ‘old’ handsets (anything more than a few months is considered old in the tech world!), then there was also some other exciting news announced yesterday. While Rogers has already publically stated that the Nokia Lumia 900 (the first LTE Windows Phone, rumoured to be coming out next week) is coming out this April, their other flagship LTE phone, the HTC One X, previously only had a release date of “this Spring”. In the LTE expansion press-release, the HTC One X was confirmed to be launching in April, too:
“This month, Rogers will launch two new exclusive smartphones including the first Windows LTE smartphone -- the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC One X -- the first smartphone in Canada designed with Beats Audio for an incredible audio experience.”
While I haven’t yet had a chance to test out the One X myself yet, the international version just came out and has been getting some glowing reviews, like this one from The Verge. UPDATE: Since this article was
originally posted I have had a chance to spend some time with the HTC One X. You can check out my video below.
For more information on the Rogers LTE network, including coverage maps, you can visit www.rogers.com/lte.
If you’re interested in getting an LTE phone now, check out the HTC Raider LTE and Samsung Galaxy S II LTE product pages.
UPDATE: Both the Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC One X mentioned in this post are now also available at Future Shop, see below.
The HTC Raider is a pint-size powerhouse that can connect to the fastest speed available so you can do everything quicker than ever. It also features a 4.5" qHD display, 8MP camera with Full HD video capture, HTC Sense 3.0, and so much more that will give you quick access to everything when you need it most.
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The Samsung Galaxy S II LTE smartphone keeps you connected in bigger, faster ways. It features a huge 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen and a 1.5 GHz dual core processor to deliver silky-smooth, powerful performance. It's also home to an 8MP camera with Full HD 1080p video capture. And LTE technology allows for network speeds up to 75mbps (extremely fast).
There can be only one...only one phone that's this amazing. The Rogers HTC One X with Beats Audio provides the incredible clarity and booming bass that Beats is known for. Rogers' blazingly fast 4G LTE network makes web browsing quick and snappy, and the 8MP camera takes sharp, clear photos and Full HD 1080p video. Games look amazing on the huge 4.7" Super LCD display with HD 720p resolution.
The ultimate Windows Phone smartphone is here, and it is the Rogers Nokia Lumia 900. It harnesses the power of Rogers' super-fast LTE network, and combined with a gorgeous 4.3" AMOLED screen and 1.4GHz processor, you'll enjoy snappy performance with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface. The Carl Zeiss 8 megapixel camera comes with dual LED flash and can capture 720p video.
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