Ranting Kenya

In general, I’m a fairly well connected guy. I hear about most bits of technology, gadgets, cell phones, video games and the like well in advance of their public unveilings.

Because of this, I’m also well aware of Canada’s delay behind the US when it comes to new technologies and services. When the US annouced way back when (seems like forever now) that you could keep your mobile phone number across different carriers, I was excited to see that rolled out in Canada as well. I searched the net for information, but found none. As per usual, I was upset with the delay.

Now I have the Moto Q (which I waited extra time for in Canada too), which I purchased at a “reasonable” price with a 3 year contract. That was about 6 months ago. Now guess what? Wireless portability comes to Canada. So I’m locked into Telus, when I want to be on Bell’s network.

And what makes this all worse, Bell has announced free in-network calling. FREE. Telus? Nothing.

While I may be willing to stick out this contract since it will be expensive to leave, the first carrier that offers an unlimited EVDO data plan for 99 dollars or less will have my business the next day. Period. I would have even changed my phone number for that.

I hate to give a product such as the iPhone more time than it has already gotten, but whatever.

It seems Apple’s new killer product will be coming to Rogers wireless in Canada (I know, old news). Personally, I can only think of one person still using Rogers as their wireless carrier, and that’s mostly because of his work and he’s addicted to the crackberry. On a side note, I am writing this from my moto Q.

Bell Canada and Telus dominate the wireless market by my count. But with Rogers offering the iPhone to gadget loving Canadians, will it be enough to grab more market share? It’s likely that to expand the iPhone’s market share, Apple will offer another version that runs on the other carrier’s networks. The question is when. Is there going to be enough lead-time before the inevitable widespread iPhone availability? Somehow I doubt it.

The iPhone for all its glory, is still a first generation product. It will have its issues. By the time they work out some of these issues, I believe other carriers will carry the device, and it will probably be cheaper than it is today. I’ll wait until my contract is over before I go for it (2.5 years left). By then, this whole thing will have hopefully sorted itself out.