NorthGeek

Rogers strikes again

And Rogers takes another step backwards in reaching parity with other mobile telcos. Below are the price plans for the iPhone 3G when it hits Canada. Don’t forget the mandatory 3 year contract!

World Wide Web Wide Open

According to CBC News:

Internet regulators voted to loosen restrictions on internet names, a move that could allow thousands of variations of suffixes beyond the basic .com or .ca…

…The new guidelines could allow for domain names that have been requested, and denied by ICANN, for years, such as .xxx for adult websites and .post for postal service websites.

Companies with well-known names like eBay, Apple or Google could also end up requesting domain names if the new rules are approved, snatching up names like .ebay, .mac and .goog.

In theory, this sounds like a great idea.  In theory, communism was a great idea.  We’ll see it in action to determine the results…

Laptops outselling Desktops in 2008

For the first time in history, it looks as though 2008 will be the year of laptop dominance over the desktop in Canada. According to Canwest:

The thinnovation is paying off as Canadians ditch their comparatively obese desktops for leaner notebooks, which IDC predicts will account for fully 60 per cent of all consumer computer shipments (home and student use) and 55 per cent of the total Canadian market (including corporate use) by the end of the year.

“From here on in, laptops will represent the majority,” said George Bulat, a director at IDC Canada.

“More and more people, especially with wireless networks, are expecting to be able to go to Starbucks and fire up their computer. They’re not rooted to a home base anymore.”

What does this mean for gamers and guys (or girls) who like to custom build their machines? I predict an upward swing in prices and a paradigm shift for parts manufacturers who will be focusing on the growing market segment.

Either way, laptops FTW!

Blackberry Bold Delayed!

Condolences to fellow NorthGeek Blackberry fanboys, but it looks like the Bold is delayed until August. Blame it on AT&T in the US, as they were supposed to get the device first but supposedly need more time to stabilize the device on their HSPA network. So it looks like AT&T will have it in August for $300, and other operators in September.

Hints on the BlackBerry Bold release date?

I called Rogers yesterday because I was having issues connecting to EDGE on my BlackBerry Curve (as previously mentioned, the boring Curve – the 8300).

I smooth talked my way into some hints surrounding the much anticipated BlackBerry Bold.

According to Juan, my tech support representative at Rogers, he and his fellow BlackBerry technicians have already been trained on all aspects of the Bold (it’s pretty sick, according to him – although the size did throw him off a bit), therefore, the launch will be very soon. He also so “loads” of brand new Bold packages, as if they were ready to be shipped to retail outlets…

So who knows? Phil’s prediction of a June 25th BlackBerry Bold launch date could prove true!!

Holding my breath and corssing my fingers. It’s hard to type with crossed fingers and a lack of oxygen to the brainnnnn………

Does the Inbox search in Facebook really make it useful?

No.

The Inbox in Facebook needs some serious work. Can you even forward a message? I don’t think so. Although, I don’t think that it would even be worth it for the folks at Facebook to fix up the Inbox – I mean, it’s not meant to be an email service, is it?

Just stick with what you do best – allowing dudes to stalk hot chicks.

New BlackBerry data plans on Rogers!

I know this might be old(ish) news to some, but on June 20th Rogers announced some new and pretty exciting new BB data plans. I’m sure there are some pretty sweet data plans for non-BlackBerry devices, as well, but I am very excited about the BlackBerry ones… Especially because, as you may know, I am VERY much looking forward to my BlackBerry Bold. RIM has been kind enough to agree to send me one for testing on NorthGeek.com.

Just kidding, RIM has no idea we exist.

That said, the new Rogers BB data plans inclusde a $30 package that includes a whopping 300MB – eat that, Phil – Mr. Data Plans in Canada Suck. There is also a plan for $60 that includes up to 1GB of data, or a “flex” option for between $50-$100 that includes between $500MB and 5GB. I don’t understand how that plan works, nor can I fathom how anyone can possible spend 5GB on their BLACKBERRY!! What, are they downloading torrents or something?

The Eee Trend

So everyone is getting really excited about the new trend of cheap UMPC’s a la Eee PC from Asus.

As far as I’m concerned, they have 2 of 3 factors that are hits and one that is a miss.

– Form factor: winner.  The people who complain that it’s too small are the wrong demographic.  A 7″ screen and a cramped keyboard are not for your grandmother.

– Price: winner. $450 for a 3lbs laptop is perfect pricepoint.

– Specs: loser.  How does the Celeron or Atom stack up against a Core2Duo… not well.  I realize that what you’re paying for is the form-factor rather than processing power, but at the end of the day, if the cute little laptop that goes anywhere can’t get the job done – then what’s the point?

I’m looking forward to the new Asus laptops with the embedded Linux instant-on features.  Sure they’re heavier, but they offer something that the Eee just can’t – horsepower.

And for those of you who will smarmaly state “it’s a web browsing machine!”, I will simply say that a used Toshiba Portegé can be had for $300

When can I play with a BlackBerry Bold?

I know, I know, these blogs are supposed to be a source of “insider information” – well, we’re too new. So sue me.

I need to know when this beast of a BlackBerry is coming out! Some blogs are stating July 17th, but quite frankly, I can’t wait that long. I need it. NOW.

One other thing to note – it’s going to be slightly bigger than my current phone, the Curve (the boring, GPS-less and WiFi-less 8300). Not too excited about that, but the 3G and enhanced screen, storage capacity, processor speed, and sheer beauty of the device still makes me very eager to spend the $399 on a three year upgrade (yes, that’s just speculation)!

The DualShock back in PlayStation land!

Did you hear? The DualShock controller is available for the PS3!! And better yet, it’s wireless!

Does anyone know what ever happened with that whole lawsuit thing? Why, all of a sudden, can Sony release the DualShock controller again? Let me guess – they bought the company that was trying to sue them?

All I know, is that I’m getting that bad boy as soona s the official, FINAL (not teaser) release of Gran Turismo comes out. I like to feel the roar of the engines. Especially the Honda Civic engines.