Similicious - A short-term Canadian vacation SIM option

Similicious, a Canadian MVNO, has been providing low-cost, pre-paid SIM cards for international travelers in Canada for a few months now. They had some excellent bargains as of the middle of June, with their best likely being a 1GB offering for $25CAD + $10 deposit (for overages) with overage MBs costing only $0.015 per megabyte. These data-only plans seemed like excellent bargains, especially if you could make wi-fi outgoing calls on your iOS or Android device. These data plans include LTE in addition to HSPA.

Similicious has been a well kept secret across the border, despite their active Facebook and Twitter accounts. Those data package prices were really outstanding, and I was planning on getting a 1GB card for an upcoming trip of mine in early July.

Unfortunately, I was a bit late to the party. Within the last week or so, Similicious has changed their plans, and increased some of their rates. My beautiful 1GB SIM went up from $25CAD + $10 refundable deposit to $45CAD (no deposit), an 80% price jump. Additionally, overage charges went up, albeit marginally, to $0.0175 per additional MB. A new, lower plan of 500MB is now available for $30CAD (no deposit), but their higher tier plans of 2GB and 5GB (data only) have now been removed altogether.

I contacted a representative from Similicious regarding the change. I was told that the network provider (not sure who, but clearly a nationwide provider as coverage seems to be very broad) basically mandated these increases, and Similicious is actively working to get their old plans/prices back.

In the end, the responses from Similicious came so quickly, and thoughtfully, that I will go with them on my trip despite the current changes. I will go for the 500MB plan ($0.025 per additional MB), and will just accept and pay overage charges if necessary.

Similicious could be a real contender if they can keep those prices low, but I will recommend their services to friends and family if all goes well.

UPDATE: I checked the Similicious.com site this morning, and am saddened to announce that prices have been raised even further. All available plans have now gone up another $10CAD, which would raise the 500MB plan, if you were to order today, to about $40CAD. Additionally, shipping charges for the SIMs have gone up considerably, now $20CAD for U.S. delivery ($10CAD Canadian delivery), up from only $2CAD a week ago.

UPDATE 2: The 500MB plan appears to be back at $30CAD, with the $2CAD delivery option available again for those who plan ahead for shipping. I believe that the Similicious service worked well on my trip, and would recommend this specific plan for those travelling for a week. The 1GB plan remains at $55CAD, which I believe is a bit pricey for that amount of service.

AT&T's Silly "Map for That" Response

AT&T is clearly peeved at Verizon's "Map for That" ad campaign that knocks AT&T's nationwide 3G coverage. The legal battles between the two already resulted in Verizon dropping the phrase "out of touch" from the ads awhile ago, which makes sense. As it pertains to that phrase, I could actually see how some people would think they were literally "out of touch" because there was no voice coverage.

However, AT&T really doesn't have an argument against Verizon's revised line of ads that constantly take swipes at AT&T's 3G coverage area. So, beyond filing silly lawsuits, what does the former monopoly do to strike back? Hire Luke Wilson! Their silly commercials clearly attempt to aim at Verizon's current campaign, but actually fail to address the 3G coverage issue at all. If you're going to pimp the iPhone, as well as the rest of your smartphone lineup, go ahead and simply talk about that. Don't take a shot back at Big Red without having any comprehensive plan of counter-attack.

Apple is sort of helping AT&T out with their own iPhone ads that take clear shots at Verizon's Motorola Droid. That's all well and good for the exclusive carrier for the time being, but what happens when that exclusivity runs out? Maybe AT&T is just hoping they'll have their own colorful 3G map in the summer of 2010 so Apple won't have to come to their rescue.

Quick Hits – 11/13

Every once in a while, I’ll come up with an article that just touches on some recent news. Today’s the first issue, and here we go:

Verizon iPhone? – We have the Verizon/iPhone talk AGAIN, but this discussion is slightly more descriptive of how things would go down. Apple Insider is noting that there's a dual-mode chip that Qualcomm’s working on currently that could be used for the iPhone. However, it’d probably be relatively expensive, and wouldn’t be available until possibly 2011. When it’s all said and done, it sounds like Verizon very well could come out with a CDMA-only iPhone in the second half of 2010.

Office 2010 Beta 2 Leaks – Neowin is apparently reporting that a Beta 2 build of Office 2010 Professional Plus is making the rounds on various torrent sites. If you ever had the Office 2010 Technical Preview, which I’ll continue to run until the public beta comes out next week, the TP keys apparently work for this build as well.

Are Apps the Answer for Verizon?

Despite being known for its great 3G and voice coverage, Verizon has struggled lately compared to AT&T with its phone selection and applications. Wired.com has looked into why the smartphones aren't there, but they also mentioned something briefly that's equally as intriguing.

When Verizon launched the LG enV Touch, the phone I currently use, they repeatedly claimed that it was "app friendly." Great, what apps? All I see everyday are things like the Guitar Tuner and a WeatherBug app I have to pay $3 a month for! The ridiculously small selection makes Verizon's recent price increases for data plans even more infuriating for the consumer. Luckily for me, I locked into my $15 unlimited date VCast plan before they eliminated the option with the launch of the highly touted Samsung Rogue.

One reason for the price increase, however, may be the looming launch of Verizon's App Store this holiday season. Verizon would like to avoid the same network troubles that AT&T's been having with Apple's iPhone, and increasing the prices, as well as placing caps on data may be their way of avoiding it. The App Store is supposed to drastically lower any fees that developers have normally had to pay in order to get their applications on the Verizon network, hence the monthly subscription fees. Also, everyone knows that Java's been a bit easier to develop for than Verizon's BREW, and rumors have it that Verizon may be switching to Java as a result.

The new data caps may take away from the potential for Verizon to make its own footprint in the mobile apps sand, but the removal of subscription fees could push the pendulum in the other direction. Applications for Twitter, which was apparently just released using BREW, but with a subscription fee, Facebook, and Gmail would be great for Verizon feature phones. But hey, you could always just go all-out and pay $30 a month for data on a new Verizon Google Android smartphone, right?