Rogers to launch 5G smart city pilot in Kelowna

Rogers partners with the University of British Columbia and the City of Kelowna to launch the country's "first 5G pilot of smart city transportation technology in a real-world setting." Sensors connected to Rogers 5G network will be placed in two intersections in downtown Kelowna to gather anonymous car and foot traffic patterns. UBC researchers will use the data they collect to improve automobile, pedestrian, and cyclist safety. At the same time, it will help develop tech to send emergency responders when collisions occur and are detected by the system.

This 5G smart city pilot is part of Rogers' roughly $20 million funds it uses to collaborate with Canadian institutions to help develop and commercialize 5G cases and applications. Kelowna seems like a good place for the test as UBC has an Okanagan campus in the city. Aside from its main campus in Vancouver, which is also a Rogers 5G hub.

Source: iPhone in Canada

HTC will reportedly debut a 5G phone in July

Embed from Getty Images 

Despite encountering losses in its smartphone business, HTC looks like it wants to give the segment another try. Gizmochina reports that HTC Tawain's Chen Boyou recently said that when 5G arrives in Taiwan, HTC will launch 5G-ready phones. Rumour has it the first 5G phone will come in July, but we don't know whether it'll be a flagship device. The last flagships the company released were the HTC Exodus 1 and HTC U12+ back in 2018. PocketNow reports that a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor will power it. 

Aside from the 5G device, HTC will reportedly launch a 4G-only Desire 20 series mid-range device next month, which is believed to be the HTC Desire 20 Pro. The handset will supposedly run on a Snapdragon 665 chipset and 6GB of RAM, plus it'll have a triple-camera system, fingerprint reader, and HTC's first punch-hole display phone.

Sony debuts its first 5G flagship, the Xperia 1 II

Let's clarify the pronunciation of this handset before we proceed. The new Sony flagship is called the Sony Xperia One, Mark Two or Xperia 1 II as it's branded. This smartphone is the company's first 5G handset, which promises to take "your mobile experience to the next level." As with Sony smartphones in the past, entertainment and photography are prominent features for the Xperia 1 II.

Sony brings its expertise with image sensors to this new Android 10 flagship. It comes with three rear lenses that offer different focal lengths (16mm, 24mm, and 70mm) so you can take different pictures. It provides everything from super wide-angle to portraits. All three come with a 12-megapixel sensor. Sony pairs these lenses with an 8-megapixel sensor in front.

Click to read more ...

Samsung aims to be the first manufacturer to bring 5G devices into Canada

The Samsung Galaxy S20 will reportedly sport this design. There are 5G versions of the phone expected to launch. Will this be what Samsung brings into Canada?

Samsung is hoping to get a jump over its competition when it comes to 5G devices. The company told MobileSyrup that it plans to be a "5G leader in Canada." According to Jennifer Safruk, vice president of Samsung Canada's mobile division, "Being the first to put 5G in consumers' hands is one of the ways Samsung will do that."

The statement comes after Rogers CEO Joe Natale said the carrier concluded testing on "Canada's first 5G device from Samsung, which will become available in March." We could assume this is one of the new Galaxy S20 devices. Our wait isn't going to be that long, but we'll keep you posted for any updates.