Considering that most of Alexander Graham Bell’s work in inventing the telephone was done at his home in Brantford, Ontario, and that the Blackberry industry is a few kilometers up the road in Waterloo, it is surprising how far we are behind the US in cost and availability of tech. Canadians pay among the world’s highest cellphone rates , and if you don’t plan ahead, you are going to get seriously hosed. Our internet rates are awful too. And don’t think there will be free wifi in the bunker of the convention centre (unless there is a special arrangement made)- they charge rates from the last millenium, $ 395 per show.

Your American cellphone company probably has a roaming deal with either Bell or Rogers, the two biggest players in the Toronto area. They compete with each other to see who can make us more miserable. They both have fast cellphone networks now that run on GSM, and Bell still supports a CDMA network.

But be sure to sign up for an international phone and data plan before you come to Canada. When I went to Greenbuild in Phoenix I didn’t, and it cost me about $300 in voice and data; every time an email came in on my Blackberry I could here the cash register ding.

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Canon has sent out save the date notices for an event in New York on October 26.  There hints and logos within the invite suggests something relating to both Canons DSLR and printer lines.

Any thoughts on what hidden meaning may be behind A moment captured in time. Exactly as you envisioned.?

Perhaps a direct print button on the front of the camera now?

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1. Canon Pixma iP100 Printer
2. Canon Press Event on August 26, Canon 60D Unveiling?
3. Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Photo Printer
4. Canon PIXMA MX882, MX420 and MX410 Wireless Office All-In-One Printers
5. Canon PIXMA iP4600 and iP3600

Our article on the best cell phones for seniors have attracted some interest so I decided to post another featured post for our elderly readers. This time we’ll look at the mobile phone plans for seniors that are available on the market. I will post information on plans that are specially marketed towards the elderly. I will also include plans that I feel are suitable to the needs of senior citizens even if they might not be specifically targeted towards consumers who are 65 years old or older.

Here are some of the best cell phone plans for senior citizens:

Verizon Wireless Nationwide 65 Plus Plans

These mobile phone plans are only available to consumers who are 65 and older. First, the Single-Line Plan offers 200 anytime minutes for $29.99 per month. Then there’s the Two-Line Share Plan, which provides 450 anytime minutes for $59.99 per month.

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Samsung today announced a new naming strategy for its GALAXY range of smartphones. The creation of the new naming system is marked by the release of four new GALAXY smartphone, the GALAXY W, GALAXY M Pro, GALAXY Y and GALAXY Y Pro, all of which run on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating systems.

Samsung has created a new and simplified system of naming its smartphones, focused on its ever-expanding portfolio of industry-leading Android devices. The naming structure will organize and group all devices into five classes, identified by a single alphabetical letter. Devices will then be further designated by an additional indicator which will identify specific functionality.

“As Samsung continues to innovate, our goal is to provide consumers with an experience uniquely tailored to their needs. We have introduced steps to ensure users can simply identify the device designed to deliver the perfect experience for them,” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business.

“In addition to this new naming strategy at IFA this year we unveilling the GALAXY W, GALAXY M Pro, GALAXY Y and GALAXY Y Pro – designed with the professional and social consumer in mind. These pro Read full article…

Motorola has released their newest Android smartphone XT316 in Hong Kong. The handset retails for HK$ 1,688 (about $217). In case you didnt know, this candybar phone is packed with a 2.8-inch 240 x 320 touchscreen display, a 3MP camera, a 256MB RAM, a 512MB ROM, a microSD card slot, a full QWERTY keyboard, an FM radio, GPS, dual-band 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headset jack, a 1390mAh battery, quad-band GSM support and runs on Android 2.2 Froyo OS.

Macbook Air owners nearly always become instant fans.

Among laptops, the Air is amazingly thin and as light as it could possibly be. In 11 and 13-inch models, the Airs smallness allows it to fit easily and unobtrusively in nearly any size bag or briefcase.

And its a Mac. For those of you Apple fanatics, thats about all you need to know.

But despite all of the Airs attractive qualities, there are still a few features it lacks – even in the souped-up version just released last month. There are features that other (non-Apple) laptops do offer and ones that would make the Air a much more attractive option for frequent travelers:

1. An optical drive

Many Air users still like to watch DVDs on the go. Whether its the business traveler who wants to watch a movie whilst flying, or a round-the-world backpacker looking to kill some time on the road, DVDs are still widely used. The Air ought to have an optical drive to accommodate these basic needs of so many users.

Naysayers will point out that adding an optical drive could strip the Air of one of its most beloved features – its thinness. But couldnt Apple at least make the optical drive an option? If the addition of a drive does thicken the laptop, users who prefer the thinner model could opt for a drive-free version.

2. A bigger hard drive

Lets face it: Almost nobody lives 100% in the cloud yet.

The newest Air only offers a 64GB hard drive at the starting level. To get a hard drive of over 250GB, which was the starting point for the old Macbook, you have to buy the biggest Air Apple offers – and pay over $1500.

Many users, especially business travelers would really appreciate the extra space. So would users with large music and photo libraries.

3. 3G Connectivity

One of greatest features of a basic netbook PC is its ability to connect to the Internet in the absence of a WiFi connection. Thats one reason you see so many people using them on the road.

3G connectivity is a truly awesome boon to travelers. Its what makes our smartphones smart and lets us get online no matter where we are. Having access to the Internet in virtually any city around the world means we can always stay connected to family, work, and friends. Until the Macbook Air gives users this ability, the cheaper netbooks will always be at least one step ahead.

While the Airs price point makes it obvious that Apple isnt trying to compete with inexpensive netbooks, 3G would make an excellent complement to the laptops lightweight and already travel-friendly design. Until then, Air users who want 3G on the road will have to purchase dongles and connect them to a USB port.

To be sure, the Air is already an excellent travel laptop. Traveling Mac users love its small size and ultra-portability. But with just a few tweaks, the Air could go from being a great travel laptop to a perfect one.

This was a guest post by Adam Green who is a writer and loves technology, simplicity, and finding ways technology can simplify our lives. He writes frequently about enterprise fraud prevention for Attachmate. Follow him on Twitter @AdamGreenMedia.