Today’s Mobile News in Brief (March 17, 2011)

As reported here on Cell Phones Etc. and across the Web, here’s your daily brief on what happened in the world of mobile phones this Thursday, March 17th, 2011.

45,000 tests prove Android surfs faster than the iPhone
There have been numerous tests done by various sites to prove which of the two popular mobile platforms is the best as far as mobile web surfing is concerned, and up until now, there is no real winner. So, to finally lay this dispute to rest, Blaze Software put Android and iOS to a grueling 45,000 test to finally see which of the two is the really the fastest. The result? The title already says it all.
BGR

Virgin intros $35/month City Unlimited Calling plan, removes Zones
Following in the footsteps of Koodo, Virgin Mobile has revised their $35/month City Unlimited Calling plan and gives Zone restrictions the boot. The removal of zones is certainly a welcome treat, but on a sour note, this is no longer available in Ottawa.
Mobilesryup

Russia’s VimpelCom to acquire Canadian carrier WIND for $6 billion
The title already says a lot. Once everything is said and done, VimpelCom will become the 5th largest carrier in the world, and there’s also good news here for Wind subscribers. As a result of this merger, Wind will be able to roll-out more handsets (and tablets) in the future, and “gain access to more long distance roaming services.” Provided, of course, Wind is able to overcome their current legal woes. And that’s still a big if.
BGR

Nokia Software Updater for Mac available in beta, lets you update your N97 under OS X
This should be good news for Mac-based Nokia fan boys out there. A Mac-friendly version of Nokia Software Updater is now available albeit still being in beta. It sure took them long enough. Now, all we’re waiting for is its final version, which hopefully won’t take them another decade or so to build.
Engadget

Motorola ATRIX now available Exclusively on Bell
Last, but not the least, the Motorola ATRIX is now available in Canada via Bell. Its retailing for $169.95 on a 3 year term. Apart from this impressive handset, Bell will also be offering up a variety of docks, including the Standard Dock ($49.95), Vehicle Dock ($59.95), HD Multimedia Dock ($129.95) and Lapdock ($329.95), allowing users to get the most out of their ATRIX. For more details, you can check it out here.

For those not familiar with the Motorola ATRIX, this award-winning smartphone is powered by a dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, and sports a 4-inch qHD display, 5-megapixel AF camera with dual LED flash, 16GB on-board memory, and runs on Android 2.2 with Flash 10.1 pre-installed.