Tipping Point In US Mobile Phone Usage.

This does not really surprise me seeing as how many feature rich mobile phones and smartphones are out there, but 2009 marked the first year where data usage surpassed voice data usage on cellular networks in the US. I was admittedly late to the game when it comes to smartphones and even text messaging for that matter, but over the last 12 months I've gradually replaced much of the time I would have normally spent in front of my PC with time spent tapping away at my HTC's tiny keyboard. 

Still, even the telephone design industry has taken note. Ross Rubin, a telecommunications analyst with the NPD Group, said cellphones outfitted with numerical keyboards — easiest for quickly dialing a phone number — were no longer in vogue. Touch screens, or quick messaging devices with full “qwerty” keyboards, on the other hand, are. On the newest phones, users must press several buttons or swipe through several screens to get to the application that allows them to make calls."

“Handset design has become far less cheek-friendly,” Mr. Rubin said. Mr. Hesse of Sprint said he expected that within the next couple of years, cellphone users would be charged by the data they used, not by their voice minutes, a prediction echoed by other industry executives.

 More info at the NYTimes

Rogers Announces 3G iPhone Packages For Canada

Weeks after the iPhone 3G was announced and we knew for sure that it was coming to Canada, Rogers Wireless has finally unveiled the voice and data packages associated with the phone. The packages come in 4 flavours ranging from $60 to $115 per month. $60 buys you 150 daytime minutes, 400 MB data transfer, and 75 sent text messages while at the upper end you get 800 day time minutes, 2 GB data transfer, and 300 sent text messages. Oh and did I mention you are required to sign up to a 3 year contract? My guess is Canadians will want to stick with their Blackberries.

Rogers 'unlimited' Data Plan = iPhone Finally Coming To Canada?

Last week Rogers Communications Inc. rolled out an "unlimited" data service that offers Canadians a discounted rate on some, but not all, data related activities on most Roger's supported cell phones. The plan allows "unlimited" internet browsing on certain cellphones for $7 a month. Also introduced was a further package for $20 per month that bundles browsing, text messaging, voice mail and call display features. These plans have come under fire by some who claim the word 'unlimited' is deceptive because many common data features are not permitted, such as using your phone as a modem, using Google Maps, or Skype applications. Others however see the move as a precursor to the launch of the iPhone in Canada which has been stifled by high data rates, according to the CBC, under most Canadian data plans the iPhone would cost $300 per month! Whatever side you choose, I am just hoping that this is the sign of things to come. I for one have been holding back on using many of the features of my phone because of the outrageous cost of data usage. I even have a couple of small applications which I have developed and shelved because the cost of running them was too high... perhaps its time to dust off the code!