I just found out about Kindle, Amazon.com’s new wireless reader. If you haven’t heard of it, Endgadget has a brief rundown of the specs. Go read that and then come back here.
As soon as I saw the Kindle, I wanted one. Although I drive to work when I commute (or heck, when I’m working), I could see how something like this could be incredibly handy for business travelers or for someone like me who has an insatiable information habit (books, magazines, newspapers) but with limited space to store these items. I checked out the Kindle video at Amazon’s website and was impressed with the little interaction design details — most notably, that Kindle uses a dog-eared page as the visual cue for a bookmarked page. How adorable (and intuitive) is that?
I was all ready to pony up the cash to order a Kindle when I remembered a story I saw on CBC news recently about the telecommunications industry in Canada and how small carriers are finding it so difficult to break into the business. The big three Canadian carriers - Bell, Telus, and Rogers - have a virtual stranglehold on telecommunications in Canada, and as a result, Canadian cell phone customers experience some of the highest rates of any industrialized nation. To give you an idea of the inequity, let’s look at the rates AT&T set for iPhone subscribers. For $60 a month, AT&T iPhone subscribers get 5,450 minutes, 200 text messages, and unlimited data downloading. A similar plan would cost nearly $150 a month in Canada — that’s despite the strong Canadian dollar.
But the data rates for the iPhone are a moot point as only one carrier in Canada has a compatible network, and the carrier (Rogers) is being mum about any plans to bring the device to Canada. As one analyst put it, “Who in their right mind is going to buy (an iPhone)” with rates like those?
Let’s get back to Kindle. Because Kindle uses the same sort of EVDO networks that many cellular phones use, Canadian customers will have to endure yet another delay as Canadian telcos sit idly by and leave their customers completely dissatisfied and hungry for the latest technologies. Granted, it’s part of the Canadian nature to complain, but I’m surprised that I don’t hear more complaints about this.
Canada’s not only behind in delivering lower rates and more advanced networks to its cellular customers, they’re slow to embrace VoIP technology as well. I use Skype to make calls to the US, but I can’t get a local Vancouver-based Skype In number because — you guessed it — the telcos. People in Asia and Europe can do mobile banking over their phones, and wi-fi connectivity is widely available.
Of course, the great irony in all this is that the Blackberry, a device that revolutionized business and personal communication was developed in Canada. Yet just like Canadian bands and Canadian actors, RIM had to branch out to the US to make a go of it.
This sounds a little ranty, and it’s meant to be. I’m really sick and tired of hearing about all these great technological and digital advances only to find out “Oops, it’s not available in Canada yet and we have no idea when it will be.” The iTunes store has been selling movies and TV shows for two years, but Canadian iTS customers are still locked out from making these purchases. I’d embrace mobile blogging more readily if I wasn’t saddled with a three-year old Treo that can’t even accept or send SMS. Why would I want to upgrade when the services I want and need most are ridiculously cost prohibitive to adopt, when they’re available at all?
If you’re Canadian and are fed up with this state of affairs, contact your Member of Parliament and demand that they support deregulation of the telecommunications industry in Canada, demand that they support technological innovation, and demand that they force the telcos to deliver the best services at fair prices for consumers. It’s time to act.
