The other day I took a trip to the Rogers store to check out the BlackBerry Bold. I was hoping that they would have a demo handset ready for me to check out… unfortunately, they did not!

Apple has demo iphones in mostly every store that it is sold. I asked the customer representative at the Rogers store why there wasn’t a demo handset and his response was: “with BlackBerry, people know what to expect.” That was the most lame excuse that I’ve ever heard. I have a BlackBerry and I don’t know what to expect with the Bold. I checked out the online videos but until I play with the phone (just like I would with a laptop at Best Buy — and phones are becoming more laptop-like these days), it would be difficult for me to make a purchase. I know that BlackBerry phones typically haven’t had demo handsets in the past at Rogers stores, but I hoped that when RIM saw the Apple strategy, things would change.

Telus Logo

I’ve been considering switching to Rogers to be able to get the new iPhone. I called Telus to see what it would cost if I canceled my plan. I’m only 1 year into my 3 year contract and so it’ll cost me $500. In other words, getting the new iPhone would cost me $200 (cost of iPhone) + $500 (cancellation fee from Telus) = $700. I’ll be honest, I did consider it for a split second…

Also, it seems that Telus will not be getting the Blackberry Bold. But, the representative who I spoke to did tell me that the HTC Diamond and the Blackberry Thunder will be coming to Telus (but then again, who knows…).

Aydin.