The nation of Canada has been waiting anxiously a very long time for the iPhone to arrive, and were rewarded a few days ago with the announcement of how high the rates were going to be.

Not surprisingly, they had a pretty big fit when they learned how ridiculous those prices were. So much so, they are putting together a petition for everyone to sound off to Rogers. As of this writing, over 10,000 people have signed and left a comment on the protest website.

The website, ruinediphone.com, offers contact information for all fed-up consumers who want to directly write the company themselves and voice off that way.

What do you think of the rates? Enough Americans are upset that AT&T is raising the rates to $30/month, but we think the States got the good end of the stick compared to their northern neighbors.

via TUAW

Crazy — just when we thought Motorola’s wireless phone division was planning on going quietly into the night, it comes out with its version of the iPhone killer.

Every other manufacturer is coming out with one; LG, Samsung, Nokia, even Blackberry! So if Motorola wants to stay in the game, it needs to come out with one as well. This is where the Motorola Blaze comes in. It is definitely planning on being released on Verizon’s network, evidenced by the Verizon branding and the famous Verizon UI.

Here’s what the Boy Genius had to say about the device.

• It’s a MING crossed with a PEBL crossed with a RAZR 2
• Haptic feedback included (but you have to touch the screen so hard you think you’re going to break it)
• Touchscreen is difficult and frustrating
• 2 MP camera
• EVDO Rev A
• GPS and Bluetooth
• Mobile TV

The flip part is also interesting — BGR says the touchscreen will still work with the flip closed; just not very well. My question is, what the heck is the purpose of a flip on a touchscreen if you can still touch the screen with it closed? I guess it offers a little extra protection for the screen from scratches, but most touchscreen owners simply get a screen protector to solve that little problem.

BGR doesn’t want to be BFF’s with the Blaze, but they are at least still on speaking terms.

So since it’s not a full-out smartphone, it could hardly be called an iPhone killer. Maybe a better thing to call it is Motorola’s last big effort to keep itself from drowning.

via BoyGenius

Three weeks after TeliaSonera told France Telecom they were not interested in being bought out for $41 billion, we have discovered FT is not about to give up so easily. The strategy: throw more cash into the pot.

Reuters reported this evening that the two companies are once again in talks now that France Telecom wants to add more worms to its fishing line. The fact that they are in talks says a lot, considering the first offer was rejected by TeliaSonera’s chairman immediately.

It will be interesting to see how much extra cash has to be added to change Telia’s mind about being purchased. We doubt it will be a small amount, but FT did mention it has limited resources to offer.

Look for the talks to be settled within the next couple days. Check back with Unwired View for the latest information on the verdict.

via Reuters via Engadget Mobile

Verizon let the cat out of the bag on Friday, basically throwing its partner-in-crime Vodafone under the bus. CEO of Verizon Communications Ivan Seidenberg gave a rather candid interview explaining his feelings about the 45% owner of Verizon Wireless, and it wasn’t all roses.

Seidenberg told the Financial Times that he wants 100% ownership of VZW. “Would I like to have 100 per cent of the earnings given we’re doing 100 per cent of the work? Yeah, I would.” This statement was in reference to the fact Verizon Communications was the sole decider of operating strategy.

Seems logical that if Vodafone isn’t pulling its weight in the partnership, it’s not much of a worthy partnership for the ones doing all the work. Seidenberg was quick to say in Vodafone’s defense that they have been a great partner, but how believable is that statement when compared to the frustration that they aren’t doing any of the work?

Seidenberg is quite optimistic about the change in command that Vodafone will be experiencing next month, when Vittorio Colao takes the reins from Arun Sarin. “Maybe he’ll want to do something different,” he said. In other words, Seidenberg is hopeful Sarin will have a new strategy up his sleeve to bring something to the table.

Does this interview mean Verizon wants to buy the remainder of Vodafone’s shares? Or is Ivan Seidenberg simply venting about the lack of collaboration between the two companies and looking for a change? There’s no way of telling at the moment, but kick back and see what kind of changes happen when Vodafone changes its leadership.

via Financial Times