Canadian cell phone consumers now have a hot new acrynim to learn, HSPA.

Following in Rogers footsteps, this week both Bell and Telus will launch thier own HSPA network.

HSPA which stands for High Speed Packet Access, allows mobile phones to download data at speeds up to 21 megabytes per second — speeds which are faster than many home connections.

Canada’s three large wireless ISPs are all now on board this new technology which promises to make smart phones more exciting and powerful.

“The future of wireless begins [Thursday],” said Joe Natale, senior vice-president at Telus. “If you look at the capabilities being offered to Canadians, it’s quite significant.”

Under ideal conditions, an mp3 file and can be downloaded almost instantly, a video can be played continuously without interruption and a heavy file, like a movie, is downloaded quickly.

The HSPA is not new, as Rogers (TSX: RCI.B), like other companies in the world, has had its network in service for some time.

Bell (TSX: BCE) and Telus (TSX: T) have however decided to launch their own HSPA network, enabling them to sell the popular iPhone device from Apple and other similar phones.

The new Bell network was put into operation Wednesday and that Telus will be Thursday.

Each of these companies now trying to convince the public that its HSPA service is the best.

Rogers says they offer the largest selection of phones compatible with HSPA on a network that has been proven.

“Rogers customers can select from an even greater [italics added] lineup of the latest wireless devices — the widest selection by far in Canada — with the introduction of new smart phones designed to keep Canadians connected on Canada’s most reliable network,”  the company said in a released statement Wednesday.

Bell is promoting an option for video calls, which takes advantage of the high-speed connection, including an exclusive Facebook application that enables video calls between a user and a user cell phone.

Telus claims about it that its broad offer HSPA network for the first time Internet access to many residents of rural communities not served previously.

Personal computers and laptops can also connect to an HSPA network to enjoy high speed, but it is a more expensive option, especially for users who download lots of data and use lots of bandwidth.

Bell and Telus this week will launch new HSPA wireless networks. Both companies are proud to announce they will be launching four months earlier than expected.

Bell and Telus, increasingly inseparable, pass international standard HSPA +, fully compatible with GSM networks in over 200 countries. This is a first for them since they had until now favored the established systems from the CDMA standard, popular in North America, but virtually unknown elsewhere. This puts Bell and Telus in direct competition with Rogers and new players such as Videotron, which will launch its new network next spring. This migration also allows Bell and Telus to sell the hugely popular iPhone to their customers because this device is only available in HSPA.

Bell and Telus probably wanted to take advantage of the holiday season to offer the iPhone to their customers and retain them for the duration of the three-year contracts that accompany the purchase of this device. Bell and Telus also hope to take over all new consumers who are preparing to compete with established companies in the coming months. Bell will also benefit from the visibility it has as a sponsor of the Olympics in February to promote his new offer and take advantage of all the calls that will be between Vancouver and other countries.

All this is fine, but one thing eludes me entirely. Bell and Telus have chosen to offer tomorrow access to the network almost anywhere in Canada except Quebec and the Ottawa area to be served until the first quarter of 2010 by a slower HSPA network. The remote parts of northern Alberta or the coast of Newfoundland have access to the new ultra-fast network, but not us. I believe that it is precisely in Quebec, where competition is most intense with the arrival of Videotron in this market.

Since the appointment of George Cope at the helm, Bell seems like a player less lethargic and less defensive than with Michael Sabia. Bell became the owner of The Source stores and 750 stores will cease from January to sell subscriptions for Rogers and Videotron terminals in 150 branches in Quebec. They bought the half that did not belong to Virgin Mobile in Canada. Bell TV – formerly ExpressVu – I think also more dynamic in this market. In short, the old lion roars yet.

The old lion still must deal with a poor image. It’s clients made 1239 complaints last year to the Complaints Commissioner, substantially more than Rogers and Telus. Videotron, which makes life hard in Quebec has in turn generated only 72 complaints. Besides quality and network performance, it is here that early 2010 will be the tough battle to win the heart of Quebec.

Putting Quebec and Ottawa in the bottom of its priorities for the establishment of the new network does not appear to me a sign in the right direction.

The date is now set, it is Thursday, November 5 that Telus subscribers can opt for a 3G package and get an iPhone from Apple.

Connected to a three-year contract, the smartphone will be priced the same as Telus Rogers: $99 for the 8GB iPhone, $199 for the 3GS 16 GB and $ 299 for the 32GB of 3GS Prices packages have meanwhile not yet been disclosed.

On October 6, Telus and Bell, who share their infrastructure since 2001, had announced the arrival in November of smart phones from Apple in their windows. At the same time, the two operators had announced the deployment of HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) specific to the GSM network, joining the mobile network from Rogers.

Although adopting the 3G network across the Canadian Mobile progresses, it still has long lagged behind many countries where the fourth-generation LTE (Long Term Evolution), is already set.

The U.S. space agency NASA has released its first mobile application on the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, bringing a wealth of information on current missions and future countdowns.

In some cases, such as the ISS (International Space Station), it is possible to see its path around the Earth (at time of writing this news, it was over the Indian Ocean). You can find data on missions around the Earth, Moon or images of Mars missions, all of which can be exchanged with friends via email.

The app also alows you to access the countdowns for NASA, a photo gallery and videos, and many other information uploaded by the agency.

“Making NASA more accessible to the public is a high priority for the agency,” said Gale Allen, director of Strategic Integration and Management forNASA ’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington in a prepared press statement. “Tools like this allow us to provide users easy access toNASA information and progress at a fast pace.”

The application, free for download from the Apple store, was developed by NASA’s New Media Team at the Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, California.

“We’re excited to deliver a wide range of up-to-the-minute NASA content to iPhone and iPod Touch users,” said Gary Martin, director of the New Ventures and Communications Directorate at Ames. “The NASA App provides an easy and interesting way for the public to experience space exploration.

In early October, Google and the U.S. cell phone operator Verizon announced a partnership to support the mobile platform Android. Pending the arrival of the Motorola Android Droid under 2.0 on their network operator pokes fun of the iPhone in a campaign.

The new TV spot points out all the things that Apple’s iPhone is unable to do including the issues of not running multiple apps, no 5mp camera, not customization and no widgets.

While pretending to continue to negotiate with Apple to try to get the right distribution of the iPhone when the exclusivity period of AT & T comes to an end by 2010, the U.S. operator Verizon has confirmed its commitment to Google Android earlier this month by signing a partnership with Google.

This involves a co-development of several models Android, with the imminent commercialization of several smartphones including the Motorola Droid (codenamed Sholes) in November. Verizon could not stand up now that the distribution of terminals blacberry and Windows Mobile and is therefore an extension of its support for major mobile platforms.

According to preliminary information, this new version should redesign the interface but also integrate inbox emails unified native support for Exchange, and a new version of Google Maps. In contrast, no sign of support for Flash 10.

Finally, it seems likely that the Motorola Droid, scheduled for release in October or November in the United States, will be the first Android mobile equipped with “Lightning” 2.0.

Apple is taking no blame for the exploding iphones as of yet and seems to say it is an external force niot made by Apple. According to Apple an external force measn is may have been dropped by the customer and forced internal damage causing it to overheat and explode. The customers that the iphones have exploded on claim they have done nothing wrong and there was nothing they could of done to make the iphone explode. Some customers had the iphones simply lying on a desk or counter when it exploded.

After a meeting in France to discuss the possibilities as to the cause of the exploding iphones the conclusion that was met was that the customers were to blame and it is at no fault of Apple, that is what Apple is claiming.

After a recetn interview Apple management responded that the Iphones weren’t damaged by a battery defect it had to be been caused by a prior crack of the screen.

The features that are available through this navigation software have a variety of options that brings the iPhone to the next level in high technology.

The features included in this application are:
-“IQ Routes” that allow the drivers to get to their destination faster, because it calculates routes that are based off of the experience of other Tom Tom drivers.

- Automatic re-routing
- Voice instructions
- Points of interest

It has the capability to work in a portrait or landscaped mode and has day and night color settings. It also integrates a multitouch support that is rather nice. Also the application is for just the iPhone 3G and 3GS models of phones. Tom Tom stated that they will develop more versions that are compatible with the iPod Touch and iPhone products.

The requirements of obtaining use of this GPS system is to have the OS3.0 software and the installation of iTunes on your PC or Mac. The cost of this useful application is $100, which isn’t too bad to get yourself navigated to a destination of your choice.

Tom Tom also offers an optional car kit that is mounted in the car and has a antenna that will pick up better reception. It includes a built in speaker, a microphone and audio output jack. Rumors report that the mounted model costs around $90. Users can can also use their iPod Touch into a full GPS device.

It has been reported that there is also a same GPS navigation device as the Tom Tom that is much cheaper that sells for $35 called CoPilot Live.