Details have been leaked about Rogers retail store operations over on Gear Diary (via Engadget). Nothing surprises me in the list:

Absolute NO’s

o No Promotions/Contests
o No Countdowns
o No Posters out of the store
o No Flyers
o No Radio remotes
o No Mailers
o No Alteration of Store Hours
o No Swag
o No Tshirts with any reference to Apple or Iphone
o No advertising until 13 weeks post launch

Okay okay. Total Rogers behaviour (no swag?! Sheesh!). The document goes on to detail in-store activation and even advises associates on proper terminology:

Glossary:

Bricked: Default state of the iPhone, only emergency calls allowed.
Unbrick: Enabling the phone for services.
Tethering: Connecting an iPhone to a computer running iTunes.
Activation: Customer account setup and CTN provisioning which is completed in-store and is immediate. This is identical to today’s process for other wireless products.

Someone tell the Marketing department that a “bricked” iPhone is when it’s in a totally unusable state of operation (hence the name). iPhones come out of the box able to dial 911 at least. Not a brick. But of course we’re talking Rogerspeak here, not the terminology from Hackintosh that’s been around for a year now. You’d never do anything to your phone to void the warranty like that, no comrade. *See Update below

Tethering (according to Rogers themselves) is when you use a mobile device (likely a network card) as modem. According to the above, it’s just a USB hook up. From Rogers mobile pages:

Tethering is when you use your phone as a wireless modem to connect to the Internet. The phone can be connected via USB cable or Bluetooth. Once connected, you can access the Internet wirelessly on your laptop using the Rogers Wireless network. While accessing the Internet wirelessly on your computer, data charges are incurred at a rate of 5¢/KB.

Picky? Yes I am. But I’m passionate about this product. I’ve signed the petition, ok?

I am getting a feeling that the in-store activation process is going to be a clusterfuck. If anyone has experienced changing a plan or signing up in a Rogers Retail store before, you know it’s like getting a root canal while someone hard-sells you for white veneers. Painful, hard to follow and awkward.

Good luck consumers!

*Apparently all iPhones will be a hunk of uselessness if not activated in-store. That’s one way of tightening the noose.