We suppose we should be excited that Canada's version of the LG GW620 Eve is getting any major update at all, but still: what the heck? LG Canada has communicated via its official Twitter account this week that Rogers' version of the phone -- its second QWERTY-equipped Android set after the Dream -- would be getting an update to Android 1.6 (known to the bakers in the room as Donut, of course) this Spring. What's crazier, it apparently won't be an over-the-air boost since they're saying it'll be available from both LG's and Rogers' sites. That's not a huge deal, but seriously guys, why 1.6? If it were to drop today it'd feel old -- and by Spring, when HTC, Motorola, and likely Samsung all have 2.1 updates at the ready, this is just going to look a little silly, isn't it?

American carriers have had Wireless Priority Service in place for several years now, giving government officials and first responders improved access to potentially overloaded networks in the event of an emergency or high-density gathering -- but historically, that service has been restricted to American soil. With the Winter Olympics coming right up in Vancouver, AT&T figured it'd have quite a few G-Men strolling north of the border, so it has worked with Rogers this month to roll out priority access for devices roaming in Canada that are already authorized for the service. In a nutshell, that means VIPs strolling around the luge circuit will be able to get through (and stay through) if the crush of humanity gets too much for the poor, overworked cells to handle. And no, you can't sign up for it, so don't even ask.

We smile when carriers do us a kindness, and we'd expect a few of you HTC Dream owners will agree that Rogers momentary lack of reason offer for a free upgrade to an HTC Magic is just that. So, the rub you ask? Well, that's the magic here, there all but isn't one, simply hop online or call customer care -- Rogers brick and mortar shops won't be doing this upgrade -- between the 12th and 26th of January, re-sign -- yes, to a new 3-year, but we're told that should be no more than 7 months for most users -- your contract and you walk away with a $599 handset for nothing. No added fees, administrative charges or anything, heck, Rogers is even eating the $79 upgrade fee and the $35 admin fee for the new set. Oh, but check this out, it gets better: it is an upgrade and as such Rogers doesn't even want your old set back, so you'll have a day phone and an evening phone, one 2.1 -- at some point, anyway -- and a nice 1.5 set with Sense. So, what are you waiting for? From any angle this just looks too fantastic to let slip through your fingers.

Update: Well, the good deal from Rogers just got better -- as if that could be possible. It seems the lucky upgrading masses are also receiving a bonus $50 rebate on checkout. So not only do you get a free Dream and get to keep the Magic, Rogers is now paying you $50 for the privilege.

Hosts: Chris Ziegler, Sean Cooper
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Solvent - Devices and Strategies (Ghostly International)

01:55 - HTC Smart hands-on
10:43 - Motorola Backflip hands-on
17:17 - Live from Palm's CES 2010 press event
18:30 - Palm Pixi Plus: WiFi-equipped and heading to Verizon
19:17 - Palm introduces Palm Pre Plus: 16GB, coming to Verizon on January 25th
25:24 - Palm gets serious about 3D gaming on webOS
27:57 - Palm swings open doors to App Catalog's innards
30:37 - Rogers and HTC give up: Magic will see Android 2.1, but Dream gets a pass
32:25 - Sony Ericsson's 'Robyn' pops into the limelight -- an X10 mini?
37:50 - Samsung Bada S8200 and Galaxy2 may match Nexus One's specs
40:10 - Parrot AR.Drone hands-on: a quadricopter for the rest of us
41:30 - LG Rumor Touch launches for Sprint
41:40 - LG Lotus Elite hops from a Las Vegas billboard right to Sprint retail
44:00 - Sprint Overdrive 4G mobile hotspot unboxing and hands-on


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Seems that all your cries out in Rogersland have forced somebody to rethink the official company line on updates from OS 1.5 for the Rogers HTC Dream and HTC Magic. The message was simple: there would be no updates for the devices beyond 1.5. MobileSyrup's now heard directly from HTC that there will indeed be upgrades to both devices, with the first scheduled in the next weeks. Bump one will apparently see "a number of benefits for these devices, including bringing the HTC Sense experience to the HTC Magic" though the OS version will stay at 1.5 -- in other words, you'll basically get a current-gen Hero. While that's cause for celebration, mid-year is when we'll get to the meat of the tweaks as we'll apparently see an upgrade to 2.1 for the Magic, but the lowly Dream -- due to "certain limitations," likely meager internal storage if we had to guess -- will stay at 1.5. So there you have it, your sets may get better in the near term and much better -- at least for some -- half way through the year.

S60 or otherwise, it's pretty tough to argue with the meaty goodness of an 8 megapixel cam paired with an AMOLED display -- especially when it's being delivered on carrier subsidy. Rogers customers have another reason to celebrate their network's willingness to release a glorious variety of largely untouched, sparsely branded handsets this week on news that the Nokia N86 8MP is now available for CAD $99.99 ($94) on a three-year contract, scaling all the way up to CAD $449.99 ($424) contract-free. These days, it's pretty easy to lose sight of the fact that there's such a thing as a non-touch smartphone, and the N86 -- along with the E72 -- is a prime example of why those sorts of devices still exist. Anyone planning on picking this up?

Wireless networks in the States have a storied history of throwing fits over each others' "most" and "best" claims -- and now they're really getting into it up north, too, seeing how Telus just lit up a shiny new 21Mbps HSPA network that seems to be matching or besting Rogers' existing infrastructure in many ways. As is all too often the case, the spat has ended up down in the court system where Telus is bellyaching that Rogers' claims of running "Canada's most reliable" and "fastest" airwaves have been invalid as of November 5, when its competing hardware went live (funny -- and telling -- that it didn't bother levying any complaints back in the CDMA days). Anyhow, a judge has just ruled -- apparently after analyzing paperwork filed by both sides -- that "the present network technology is at least equivalent between Rogers and Telus," invalidating Rogers' reliability claim. Rogers isn't too happy about this (though they've tiptoed away from speed claims in their latest advertising, smartly) and intends to appeal with new courtroom drama getting ready to roll on Friday. So, we turn it over to our Canadian readers: who's really offering the best service right now in the trenches?

The HD2 has largely blinded us to any other Windows Mobile-based HTC in the lineup right now, but be that as it may, there are other products in the mix, believe it or not -- and Rogers apparently has its eye on one of 'em. Rumor has it that the Canadian carrier is looking at scooping up the low-end Touch2, possibly in a couple wild colors like red and blue -- and considering what we see here in these spy shots, we'll go out on a limb and say that those color choices would be a Good Thing. The phone itself lacks the kind of excitement and buzz that a middling Android-powered phone like the Tattoo is still capable of garnering, so eye-popping cases might be just what the doctor ordered to keep this one in the mix at the cash register. There's no word on pricing or availability for this one just yet... but yeah, Rogers, how about that HD2?

AT&T and T-Mobile customers have a little bit to wait yet before they can clamp down on a 9700 of their own, but Rogers -- which has a history of being in the VIP section for new BlackBerry launches -- has already brought the new Bold flavor to market. RIM's latest high-end full QWERTY device will run you CAD $299.99 (about $281) on a three-year contract, scaling all the way up to CAD $599.99 (about $563) commitment-free -- so needless to say, you have to really want this thing. The original Bold's running CAD $99.99 on contract, so depending on what you're looking for (read: you're not a rabid early adopter like we are), that could come out the better deal.

[Via CrackBerry]

It looks like Canada's Rogers will be among the first carriers in the world to offer LG's first Android device, the GW620 Eve -- and for North Americans, this is particularly notable since it means there's a version of the device at retail that'll theoretically work on Bell, Telus, and AT&T in addition to Rogers proper. We have no indication that AT&T's about to actually pull the trigger on this thing (or on any Android device for that matter), though, so if you're into the 5 megapixel AF cam, full QWERTY slide, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA capability, we'd recommend putting your unlockin' pants on. For Rogers customers, we're not seeing a release date just yet, but it looks like you'll be paying a downright reasonable CAD $49.99 (about $47) on a three-year deal when it launches.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

You know what's screwed up? A CAD $99.99 (about $95) BlackBerry Curve 8520 -- you know, the cheap one -- being sold on the same carrier at the same time as CAD $79.99 (about $76) Dreams and Magics. Doesn't that seem a little out of whack? Not to mention the fact that Rogers is looking for three-year contracts all around here, and with all due respect to the 8520, the thought of committing to it for anything even close to the next 36 months sends shivers down our spines. The latest BlackBerry (and the first with a touchpad in place of a trackball) is yet to go live on Rogers' site, but apparently you can go ahead and pick one up this very second if you're so inclined -- just be sure to bring cash and your best contract signin' pen.

Not that we're surprised, but Bell isn't the only Canadian carrier stealing the iPhone exclusivity limelight from Rogers. Telus is proudly proclaiming on its home page that it, too, will have the iPhone 3GS in November. No word on prices, but we doubt the companies will stray too far from the current trends. Now that the playing field's a bit more even, may the best carrier (or the one with the best advertising, at least) win!

It's official, Bell and Apple have agreed to sell the iPhone 3G and 3GS in Canada starting November. The move ends the Rogers exclusive in while christening Bell's new 3G network with Apple's darling. Hmm, first O2 lost it exclusivity then Rogers, we're sensing a trend.

[Thanks, Sean]

Good news for Canadians who can't seem to get a decent internet plan for home. Rogers has unveiled a 3G station for residential use dubbed the Rocket Hub, and with it a number of jet propulsion-related puns that we'll be taking painstaking measures to avoid. It boasts 7.2Mbps HSPA, WiFi and ethernet out, and voice calls over UMTS. Makes sense since it's riding an Ericsson W3x core. Upfront cost of hardware hasn't been disclosed yet, but plans start at $35 Canadian. Launch date (okay, we couldn't resist) is sometime later this month.