TELUS introduces the Nokia Lumia 520, now available to prepaid customers. This Windows Phone 8 smartphone features a 4" WVGA display screen and a 5.0 megapixel camera with HD video capture. The Nokia Lumia 520 also features 8 GB of internal memory and up to 64 GB of expandable memory (via microSD). Pre-loaded with Nokia Music, the Nokia Lumia 520 is the perfect device to fulfill all your smartphone needs. With a 1 GHz dual-core processor and download speeds of up to 21 Mbps, the Nokia Lumia 520 will allow you to browse, download, share and store all your information quicker than ever. Get your Nokia Lumia 520 at TELUS today for $149 with no term.

TELUS Nokia Lumia 520 Pricing

• $149 with no term
  

TELUS Nokia Lumia 520 Features

• Windows Phone 8 OS
• 4" WVGA display screen
• 5 MP camera with HD video
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• Download speeds of up to 21 Mbps
• Up to 10 hours of talk time
• Text, picture, video and instant messaging
• Mobile Hotspot
• HTML5 web browser
• Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS capable
• 8 GB internal memory
• Up to 64 GB expandable memory (microSD)
• HSPA+ and GSM network capacity
  

For full Google Nexus 4 features, specifications, downloads and reviews, please click here.

DAVE Wireless today announced that it has entered into an agreement with TELUS for the sale of Mobilicity.

Mobilicity customers will soon be TELUS customers if the transaction is approved.

According to a press release from CNW, "Data & Audio-Visual Enterprises Holdings Inc. and its affiliates (collectively, Mobilicity) today announced that it has entered into an arrangement agreement (the Arrangement Agreement) with TELUS Corporation (TELUS) to provide for the sale of Mobilicity as a going concern for a purchase price of $380 million, subject to a working capital adjustment."

TELUS' press release states, "The agreement between TELUS and the company is subject to conditions including approval by the Competition Bureau, Industry Canada, and Mobilicity’s debtholders."

This doesn't come as much of a surprise - in February, Mobilicity announced new financing, in early April they withdrew from the CWTA (Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association), and in late April they started a restructuring process. In short, Mobilicity has been bleeding money.

If the deal is approved, current Mobilicity customers should receive no service interruption (for the short term, anyhow). As for employees, TELUS states "TELUS will retain all 150 Mobilicity employees as it integrates the Mobilicity operation into TELUS over the coming months. The employees would have the opportunity to review and secure permanent, long term roles with TELUS."

You can read the entire acquisition plan (188 pages) here (PDF).

In another attempt to increase BBM’s user base, BlackBerry has introduced BBM ‘Channels.’ Through this service the user creates a channel, which people can follow in order to receive updates. These channels send news/status updates to followers, allowing them to comment on them. ‘Channels’ is the newest addition to BBM, and will initially only be available on BlackBerry devices. These channels provide a way for companies to talk to larger groups of people, building an audience and allowing them to engage, ultimately expanding BBM’s user base.

Koodo introduces the Nokia Lumia 520. With a Windows Phone 8 operating system, the Nokia Lumia 520 is an intuitive, affordable and well-designed device, making it perfect for first-time smartphone users. The Nokia Lumia 520 features a 4" WVGA display screen, a 1 GHz dual-core processor and a 5 megapixel camera with HD video capture. Pre-loaded with Nokia Music, the Nokia Lumia 520 is the perfect device for downloading, sharing and storing all your photos, documents, etc. The Nokia Lumia 520 features 8 GB of internal memory, and has download speeds of up to 21 Mbps. Get your Nokia Lumia 520 today at Koodo for as low as $0 with your Koodo Tab.

Koodo Nokia Lumia 520 Pricing

• $0 with a Koodo Tab
• $150 Retail Price
  

Koodo Nokia Lumia 520 Features

• Windows Phone 8 OS
• 4" WVGA display screen
• 5 MP camera with HD video
• Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS capable
• 8 GB internal memory
• Up to 64 GB expandable memory (microSD)
• HSPA+ and GSM network capacity
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• Download speeds of up to 21 Mbps
• Up to 10 hours of talk time
• Text, picture, video and instant messaging
• Mobile Hotspot
• HTML5 web browser

For full Google Nexus 4 features, specifications, downloads and reviews, please click here.

A mobile manufacturer from England, OwnFone, has introduced 1stFone - a cellular phone aimed at young children.

This "cute and colourful basic phone for kids" is a durable device with no camera, no screen, and no advanced features. The 1stFone has up to 12 buttons that are assigned specific numbers at the time of purchase. These buttons are then labelled with the names of each contact.  This 1stFone device also features an optional emergency button. The device can only be used to make and receive calls. Approximately the size of a bank card, the 1stFone comes in many different colours and patterns. Examples of these include "Green Dinosaurs," "Black Zebra," "Pink Leopard," and "Blue Spat." 1stFone is available both on Pay as You Go and contract deals.


While these 1stFone devices, which are targeted towards children between the ages of 4 and 9, are causing much controversy over the fact that they are directly advertising to children, OwnFone claims the device is intended as a "risk-free means of introducing minors to the world of mobile phones."

India's Sumit Dagar introduces Braille SMART - the world's first smartphone for the blind!

The world's first smartphone for blind people has been introduced in India. Sumit Dagar, with a postgraduate degree from National Institute of Design, is collaborating with the Indian Institute of Technology to create the Braille SMART.

This smartphone device uses Shape Memory Alloy technology, which is based on the concept that metals can expand and contract while remembering their original shape after each use. According to Dagar, the Braille SMART touch screen is capable of "elevating and depressing contents to transform into touchable patterns."

The screen is composed of a grid of pins that move up and down as required in order to represent Braille characters. Dagar began working on this project 3 years ago and says that while the phone is still a working prototype, blind people will soon be able to read SMS messages and emails through the conversion to Braille patterns.