Telus Android news round-up

Over the past week there has been some interesting Android news from Telus, and we’ve collected it all in one place, just for you.

HTC Desire Android 2.2 (Froyo) update available now

Telus has announced that the 2.2 Froyo update for the HTC Desire is being pushed out today through an OTA (over the air) update.  This is after a couple of false starts last week, when the update was released as a download online, then quickly pulled.

Even without the update, the Desire is already in our opinion one of the best Android phones available in Canada.  With the 2.2 update it becomes even better, maybe even the best right now. Yes, the Nexus One with 2.2 is available from Videotron and Mobilicity, however this phone uses vanilla Android 2.2. The addition of HTC’s Sense UI makes any flavour of Android even better, so the combination of it and Froyo makes it the Desire the tastiest Android in Canada.

Android 2.2 adds some key enhancements to the Desire, one of the major ones being the addition of Flash support. There is also the option to install applications on the memory card to free up internal device memory, WiFi tethering (something only available to root users before), and a selection of new Google apps that only work on 2.2 (like an enhanced Gmail application)

For more info about the update visit Telus’ site here

Telus announces Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate & Gaming Expo

Completing the trifecta of Canadian Galaxy S Android ‘superphones’ is the new Galaxy S Fascinate, announced by Telus last Monday, and being launched next week on November 10th.

Samsung’s Galaxy S Android strategy to gain market domination is to release a variant of the same phone on every carrier possible, but when the Galaxy S phones were announced this summer in Canada only two carriers, Bell and Rogers, were mentioned. We thought it was strange that Telus was left out, but we did manage to confirm, under NDA that Telus would be carrying the Galaxy S, just not until the fall. Telus, unlike Bell and Rogers, is very cautious when they announce new products, and you will rarely see them confirm that they will be carrying a new phone until just before it is set to be released.

The Telus Fascinate, which we had a brief hands-on with last week, is basically exactly the same as the Bell Galaxy S Vibrant (which we looked at here), complete with the all plastic construction and the lack of a LED Flash (which strangely the Verizon CDMA Fascinate does have!). The screen is the same rich 4” Super-AMOLED, and sports the 1Ghz Samsung Hummingbird processor, arguably the faster mobile CPU available today, powering Android 2.1. The main difference is the button layout. The Fascinate does not have the middle physical home button like the Vibrant, just the four capacitive ones like the Captivate. One disadvantage on not having a physical button is that when the phone is off you can’t use on of them to wake up the phone, since they are not powered. On the Vibrant you can just use your thumb to press the centre button to turn the phone on when holding it in one hand.

While Telus has not officially announced the actual release date of the Fascinate, in the press release below they mention that they are holding a Gaming Expo at Yonge and Dundas downtown Toronto next week, on Wednesday the 10th, featuring the Galaxy S Fascinate.  It only makes sense that the phone will be launching on or around the same time.

Telus Fascinate press-release:

Samsung Mobile and TELUS launching Galaxy S Fascinate

Android 2.1-powered 3G+ smartphone features four-inch Super AMOLED touch screen

TORONTO, ON October 25, 2010 — Samsung Mobile and TELUS today announced their newest smartphone addition – the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate TM 3G+. This ultra-thin touchscreen smartphone, featuring Samsung’s impressive Super AMOLED screen technology, is coming soon to Canadians on TELUS’ network. It is perfectly designed for entertainment enthusiasts who like to experience the latest games, videos, and web content on-the-go.

“The Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 3G+ is guaranteed to supply users with the most integrated and intelligent multi-media mobile experience to date,” said Paul Brannen, vice-president, Samsung Mobile. “With the highest quality screen in the market, gamers, entertainment buffs, social media enthusiasts and multi-media creators have it all with this stylish smartphone.”

TELUS has consistently delivered the strongest smartphone experience by delivering a leading array of Android smartphones for our customers, all running on Canada’s fastest mobile network”, said David Fuller, TELUS Chief Marketing Officer. “The Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 3G+ is a great addition to our Android device line-up, delivering impressive screen clarity and innovative applications that connect you wirelessly to devices like TVs, laptops and tablets.”

On Wednesday November 10 at Yonge and Dundas in downtown Toronto, Samsung and TELUS will kick-off a full day Gaming Expo, featuring the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 3G+. The event will bring in four Canadian World Cyber Game champions in a head-to-head gaming dual. Media are invited to attend.

Brilliant Entertainment:
The Fascinate’s four-inch Super AMOLED display makes watching HD movies, viewing photos and playing games more vivid even in bring light and outdoor environments. Aside from the screen, customers will love the ability to record videos in HD then wirelessly connect to TVs, monitors and laptops to view pictures and videos with Samsung’s AllShare app. Samsung’s powerhouse 1GHz processor enables faster upload and download times of HD multimedia content.

Constant Connectivity:
The wireless tethering application on the Fascinate 3G+ allows users to be their own mobile hotspot, and connect up to 5 other Wi-Fi enabled devices, like laptops and tablets, over their 3G data connection.

Stay Connected:
Users can stay connected with all their favourite contacts via Samsung’s innovative Social Hub – an integrated social networking feature that brings together social network services (SNS) like Facebook and Twitter, along with your contacts and messaging services into a single and easily accessible place.
Texting and emailing on the Fascinate 3G+ is also faster than ever with Swype. The pre-installed technology allows for intuitive text entry through one continuous finger motion across the virtual QWERTY keyboard.

The Ultimate Android Experience:
Powered by Android 2.1™with an update to Android 2.2 (Froyo) coming soon, the Fascinate 3G+ is equipped with full integration of Google Mobile Services including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk™. Users also have access to Android Market™ where they can customize their experience by choosing from more than 100,000 free and paid applications to personalization one of their seven home screens. This experience also includes Google Navigation which offers turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps – available only on Android-powered phones.

*Based on TELUS’ tests of data throughput speeds in large Canadian urban centres available from national HSPA+ service providers. Internet access speed provided by the network operator may vary due to the device being used, network congestion, distance from the cell site, local conditions and other factors. Speed on the Internet is beyond the wireless network operator’s control and may vary with your configuration, Internet traffic, website server and management policies, and other factors.

About Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.
Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. (SECA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., markets a broad range of award-winning digital consumer electronics, information systems, telecommunications and home appliance products.

SECA upholds Samsung’s mission to provide consumers with innovative digital convergence products that possess exceptional technology, quality, features, performance and value. The company oversees the Canadian operations of Samsung’s consumer electronics and home appliance division, as well as its wireless terminals and information technology division.

Samsung has been a global TOP sponsor of the Olympic Games since 1997 and has been a presenting sponsor of the Olympic Torch Relay from 2004 to 2008. Also through Samsung’s Four Seasons of Hope charity, Samsung helps athletes and celebrities raise funds for their respective charities, including the Wayne Gretzky Foundation in Canada. Samsung is also a proud sponsor of Hockey Canada, Stars on Ice and is the official HDTV sponsor of the NFL.

For customer service inquiries, please call 1-800-SAMSUNG (1-800-726-7864), and for more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.6 billion of annual revenue and 12 million customer connections including 6.7 million wireless subscribers, 3.8 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and 228,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $158 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 3.1 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUS’ local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.

This article is also featured on the Future Shop Tech Blog here