Rogers and the N95

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Widely reported Friday was Rogers Communications decision to bring the remarkable Nokia N95 to Canadian customers. Beginning tomorrow, Rogers will offer the 8G version of this phone for $399 on a 3 year contract. By comparison, discounter Tiger Direct offers the 8G N95, unlocked, for $780.99. A nearly $400 discount is nothing to sniff at!

As I’ve written here many times, the N95 is one of my favourite phones. The camera is second to none in the market, and the N95′s 3G capabilities are truly transforming. Check out my photos and videos from the Police concert in Ottawa. Once you’ve used a device like this, you simply won’t go back.

To get the $399 price you have to sign up for 3 years of the Rogers Vision service. It’s not that onerous. For $20/month you get XM Satellite radio, video calling, video on demand and more. But to really take advantage of all the N95 has to offer you’re going to want to sign up for the unadvertised gigabyte data plan at an additional $65 / month. With that you’ll be able to use services like Nokia’s OVI, and QIK. Ask your Rogers rep on the telephone.

I’m impressed. I’ve thrown a lot of rocks at Canadian carriers, including Rogers, over the last year for their regressive data plan pricing. Rogers has just thrown a curveball back, and I’m loving the opportunity to eat a little crow.

Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry make Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.