Spec for the spec, the Ascend P1 looks like it can hold its own against most higher-end Android smartphones. There’s a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1.5GHz dual core processor, and a full 1GB of RAM. As an added differentiator, it also boasts a unique 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound System. Rounding out the specs are its 8MP camera with 1080p support and a thin 7.69mm profile, which is a hair thicker than the 6.68mm Ascend P1 S. I guess the S stands for super-slim.

In keeping with the budget-friendly nature of Wind, the Huawei Ascend P1 has also been priced accordingly. If you take on a $40 monthly plan, the Ascend P1 can be yours for $49 on WINDtab. If you go for the cheaper $25 plan, then the price is $199. In both cases, you can get a free pair of tickets to see The Expendables 2 in theatres when you buy this phone. I’m not sure what Huawei has to do with Sylvester Stallone, but there you go. The full press release is below.

Highly Anticipated Huawei Ascend P1 smartphone now available in Canada at WIND Mobile

MARKHAM, ON, July 19, 2012 /CNW/ – Huawei Canada announced today that the Huawei Ascend P1, with its 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and Android 4.0 ICS OS, is now available to Canadians through WIND Mobile. The Ascend P1 is the latest offering from Huawei’s expanding suite of high-end smartphone devices.

“The Ascend P1 is a welcome addition to Huawei Canada’s device lineup and we’re very happy to be able to offer it to Canadians,” said Alane Zhang, General Manager of Huawei Device Canada. “Its exceptional craftsmanship and unparalleled performance create a truly unique mobile experience for the user.” The Huawei Ascend P1 combines good looks with a fantastic audiovisual experience. Powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM and running on Android 4.0 ICS, the Ascend P1 offers users a movie theatre-quality cinematic experience with its super AMOLED, 4.3 inch screen and 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound System.

At only 7.69 mm thick, the Huawei Ascend P1 is one of the thinnest smartphones available in Canada. The 64.8 mm frame allows the Ascend P1 to sit comfortably in the user’s palm, giving them the ability to navigate all the phone’s features with a single hand.

“The Huawei Ascend P1 is the perfect device for smartphone enthusiasts,” said Anthony Lacavera, CEO and Chairman of WIND Mobile. “And when combined with our contract-free, truly unlimited plans users can get the most out of their Ascend P1.”

WIND Mobile will launch the Ascend P1 at for $49 on WINDtab and will be available at WIND Mobile locations nationwide. For a chance to win a Huawei Ascend P1 smartphone, and a trip to Los Angeles for the Hollywood premiere of The Expendables 2, please visit http://www.facebook.com/WINDmobile.

The post Wind Mobile Launches Huawei Ascend P1 Android ICS Smartphone appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

With the Wind 25 plan, you get unlimited local talk and unlimited text, along with 100MB of data. It also includes unlimited Canada-wide Wind-to-Wind calling, unlimited incoming, and call control (which includes caller ID). With the Wind 40 plan, that gets upgraded to unlimited Canada-wide talk, text, and data. The rest of the features are the same as the Wind 25.

Naturally, there are still the standard add-ons for you to consider too, like $8 voicemail and $10 unlimited US-wide calling and text messaging. The Wind 40 plan also has a $5 option for BES. For long distance, they’re also offering a “World Saver International Talk & Text” option for $8 per month. That gives you unlimited global text, plus up to 90% off international calling rates.

Check out Wind’s site for more information. As an aside, the Pay Your Way prepaid service from Wind has just added unlimited incoming calls too, in case you want to take that route instead of a monthly plan.

The post Wind Mobile Simplifies Down to Just Two Unlimited Plans appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

They’ve just announced a successful live trial of the upcoming 4G network. Interestingly, the reason why they’re interested in building out an LTE network is not for the faster web experience; it’s to provide the exclusive North American introduction of “HD Voice.”

“Our ability to deliver HD Voice before any other carrier in North America and to test LTE are examples of the technologies WIND is uniquely positioned to offer as we continue to advance our network to the next evolution of mobile network technology,” said Wind CEO Ken Campbell.

When you can’t be the first to market with LTE, you might as well be first to market with something that no one has ever heard of… then again, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Canada’s Big Three starting using this terminology too. HD Voice is supposed to provide “improved audio quality and the reduction of background noise.”

Interestingly enough, Wind is saying LTE is for more than phones and tablets; they want to see it in cameras, car, appliances, and “other everyday devices” too.

The post Wind Mobile cranks it up with 4G LTE live trial appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Mobilicity CEO Dave Dobbin (remember when it was going to be called DAVE Wireless?) has officially confirmed that the Gingerbread-flavored Android phone will indeed be crossing the 49th parallel and joining the shelves at Mobilicity in March. This sounds easy enough, since the current Nexus S is already of the AWS variety that plays nice with Mobilicity’s network.

What about the folks rocking WCDMA 850/1900? Interestingly enough, Dave also mentioned that the Nexus S is also coming to Canada via Bell, Telus, and Rogers. This means that a more typical “NAM” version of the Nexus S is also in the works, but no precise timeline was provided for this variant. For Americans, this means that they may soon have Nexus S with AT&T too.

Curiously left out of the mix is the juggernaut among new Canadian entrants, Wind Mobile. It’s possible that this other AWS Canadian carrier is picking up the Nexus S too, but they’re also just as happy if you buy an unlocked model to go their way too. After all, they never officially carried the Nexus One either.

[Mobile Crunch via Howard Forums]

The post Nexus S coming to Canada in March via Mobilicity, Rogers, Telus, Bell appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The first time I heard about this story, my assumption was that you would get some long distance minutes tacked onto your monthly plan for free when you sign up for service with Wind Mobile. That’s not the case. Instead, customers can waltz into Wind “mobile phone booths” and make a long distance call in the store.

You don’t sign a contract. You don’t agree to sign up for service. You just ask to use the phone the same way you would when your regular cell phone runs out of juice and you ask the local diner if you can borrow the phone to call a cab. The kicker is that Wind is a-okay with you doing long distance on that free call… for up to five minutes.

This free service is being offered in Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver, which presumably also includes the Wind kiosks inside of Blockbuster locations. These same stores are also offering a gift wrapping service too. I wonder how they’d feel about wrapping up a shiny new Telus phone for your cousin?

The post Wind Mobile “phone booth” gives 5 min of free long distance appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Wind Mobile is doing some pretty cool things when it comes to rate plans and add-ons, but the hardware offerings can leave a little to be desired. No one really wanted that Huawei U8100 to satisfy their Android cravings, so along came the Motorola XT720.

The guys over at MobileSyrup have posted a hands-on video with the Anroid 2.1 device, including a feature walkthrough and a YouTube streaming test. It looks like a pretty nice piece of kit, but it’s almost like every other Android-powered touchscreen-only smartphone these days. Where’s the personality?   The YouTube video stream took some time to buffer, but I guess that’s the norm with a lot of devices these days. It’s too bad that they had to hide the microSD card slot under the battery cover, though, since accessibility on the side would have been so much more functional. I’m also partial to hardware keyboards, but that’s just a personal preference thing.

As a quick refresher, features include the 3.7-inch WVGA TFT touchscreen, 512MB internal memory, 8MP camera with 720p video, and a $430 asking price through Wind after $20 rebate.

The post Motorola XT720 Android phone hands-on video appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Orascom Telecom Holdings of Egypt happens to be one of the biggest investors in Wind Mobile and Naguib Sawiris is the company’s executive chairman. In a recent interview with the Globe and Mail, he says that Bell, Telus and Rogers are “a joke” and that they’re not worth investing in because they’re “too big” and “too slow.” That’s why he wanted to invest in Wind instead.

Interestingly, Sawiris says that he has been “offered by two of them to buy me out at a very significant profit, but that means I’m a broker, not an industrialist. It’s against my saga, against my history. I’m not the kind of guy who goes out for the money. It’s about success. And this, I would consider it as a bribe.”

He doesn’t want to be bought out, but he’s not opposed to doing some buying out of his own. IN fact, he says that it is inevetible that Wind will acquire other newcomers Public Mobile and Mobilicity. He views Wind as the “consolidator of all the smaller players.”

Wow. Bold words.

Canada is a telecom backwater, says bold backer of Wind Mobile [CTV News]

The post Wind Mobile calls big three a joke, will buy Mobilicity and Public Mobile appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The features are pretty standard fare for an Android phone; with quick access to Google applications, Google Maps with GPS, and a customizable main screen. The specs aren’t the best with just a 3.2MP camera and QVGA display, but it is cheap, and it comes with Android 2.1 out of the box.

Photo: Wind’s 8100 will be available only in Black.

[Wind]

The post Huawei U8100 is first Android phone from Wind Mobile appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The conversation was moderated by Marlow and attended by Wind Mobile CEO Ken Campbell, Rogers EVP of Marketing John Boynton, and Mobilicity President and CEO Dave Dobbin. They talk about unlocking phones, spectrum caps, customer loyalty, bundling, and the recent spectrum auction.

In the video clip below, you can see how they responded when asked about how Canada can (or cannot) support multiple carriers with a smaller population compared to larger markets like the United States. Wind appeared to be the most optimistic of the three.

[Mobile Syrup]

The post Carriers discuss unlocking phones at Canadian Telecom Summit appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

New $35 unlimited data plan offered by Wind Mobile

Wind Mobile has been aggressively marketing in the cities that it serves, but some people may say that their services are still too expensive. Well, it seems that a few more data plan options are just over the horizon.  If you were to go to the Wind Mobile website today, you’d see that there is just one data add-on option. That’s the infinite mobile for $35.00 a month, offering “unlimited” Internet access on your smartphone while in any Wind Home Zone. What if you don’t need that much data?

There’s no saying when (or even if) these new data plans take effect, but they are certainly more affordable. On the BlackBerry front, you can downsize to the $20/month Charged BlackBerry plan for 500MB of data or the $10/month Social BlackBerry plan for unlimited IM, Facebook, and MySpace. (No mention of BBM, Wind?)

For non-BlackBerry devices, you can similarly get the $20/month Charged option for 500MB or the $10/month Social option for 50MB of mobile Internet data. Personally, this last option sounds the best for the average “light” user (i.e., me). Other carriers, like Rogers and Telus, don’t offer a data plan of less than $25/500MB aside from the messaging-only options. For ten bucks, I get my basic mobile data fix (and I save $15 over the competition).

The post More affordable Wind Mobile data plans rise to the surface appeared first on Mobile Magazine.