All 3 Telcos in Singapore to carry the iPhone 3GS

The latest news from CNET is circulating around the web, that Starhub is the latest telco to announce that they will start carrying the iconic iPhone. Singtel has been selling the iPhone since August 2008 whereas MobileOne announced in October that they will start carrying the iPhone at the end of this year.

iPhone 3GS

This is nothing but good for all consumers in Singapore as it could mean that the iPhone could come cheaper and more affordable for many people to buy. For me, I won't be able to buy any contract phone as my two years mobile contract is not yet due for renewal. The earliest time for me is next May so I might as well sit back and relax.

This goes to show how big of a success iPhone has proven itself to be worthy of Apple's new cashcow status since the iPod days. Everywhere you go, people can be seen carrying or using an iPhone in one way or another. I think it's only a matter of time before the iPhone will overthrow Nokia as the world's top selling mobile phone ever.

How will the local mobile phone scene play out for the telcos and the consumers? It could potentially lead to a pricing war between the 3 telcos or it may not. However the consumers only has goodness to gain from it all. It's the telcos' fight to earn and keep the consumer dollar firmly in their hands. Only their pricing plans will sway consumers successfully to their side, provided it's the most competitive amongst all.

I can barely wait for the drumroll to start. =D

New iPhone 3G S Coming

I had just received an advertisement from Apple, which states that they will be launching the newest version of the iPhone, iPhone 3G S, worldwide soon.

Apple claims that this iPhone is the fastest phone yet and it will come in 16GB and 32Gb sizes. Naturally prices will be high due to the foreign exchange rates. Singtel will be bringing the phone in July 2009, that's 1 more month to go.

Let's see how the reception to the new phone will be like. My guess is that it will be phenomenal as this version addresses a lot of issues that current owners have with their iPhone 3G. I shall wait and see if it would be worthwhile to buy. Otherwise I will settle for a Japanese mobile phone instead.

I shall write more about that the next time. See ya!

New Samsung I7500

Besides HTC, Samsung is also coming up with its own andriod-powered mobile phone, the Samsung I7500.



It looks somewhat similar to the HTC Magic, only that it comes in a black colour. But since most of the Samsung phones are also sleek and pretty, I suppose they might score higher in the looks department than HTC.

Again, there is not much information released on this phone but we do have some basic information like connectivity. There's 3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPRS/GSM, USB, and EDGE.

It also comes equipped with a 5 megapixel camera as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack that allows for use of personal earphones other than the phone's version. It also has a built-in 8GB storage as well as a microSD card slot so overall it's quite a well-rounded phone.

Oh, these phones better come quick then we can have a real look at their functions.

New HTC Magic

Whoa, andriod phones are starting to invade the mobile phone market and the newest model from HTC is the MTC Magic.




It looks so much better than its predecessor, the HTC Dream. So far not much details are known about this phone except that it doesn't come with a slide out keyboard like the HTC Dream.

Based on looks, it sure wins over the HTC Dream anytime but iPhone is still way too sleek for its competitors to catch up to it in terms of the looks.

So far reports are saying that the phone will be selling in Europe but no releases has been announced for Asia yet. By the time that release comes, Apple will probably have released its third version of its hugely popular iPhone, which is slated for an update this July.

HTC Maple, a Blackberry lookalike?

According to CNET, a HTC smartphone is supposedly due to be released and for now, is codenamed as HTC Maple.

Upon the first look, RIM's Blackberry comes to mind as the designs are very similar. See illustrations below for references:

HTC Maple

Blackberry Bold

Judging from the pictures, the 2 phones certainly look alike. Whether HTC will market this phone in Asia is still unknown but it would be interesting to see how its phone will fare against the Blackberry, the king of business phones.

Even my company is using Blackberry for all its managerial staffs and above, which in my opinion is a waste as our company is a statutory board, not a private-owned entity.

Nonetheless, let's see how the mobile phone sector will heat up with this new entrant.

New iPhone Coming Soon?

There are rumours afloat on the internet that Apple might be releasing a new generation of its hugely popular iPhone soon.



If that's the case, I might be able to get my hands on the new iPhone by the end of this year. Hopefully Singtel will get to sell the new phone and at a competitive price so that I can buy it.

I like the phone more for its design rather functionality. However it does not seem to be doing very bad in the funtionality department either. If the latest reincarnation of the iPhone manage to address all the grips that current iPhone users have, then it would be the best phone in the world.

Whether Apple will have a successful 2009 or not probably depends on this new baby. If the new phone turns out to be lousy, then Steve Jobs will have lots of fans to answer to.

Anyway I'm still stuck on contract with my Nokia N95 8GB till next August so it's kind of early for me to buy anything. *sighs*

iPhone 3G Glory

Now that I am starting to get excited over the iPhone 3G (i know it's a long time), I am keeping a lookout for any good iPhone 3G deals from Singtel.

In the meantime, I can only goggle at these iPhone 3G pictures:


















There are even talks of a red iPhone that might be released by Apple in conjuction with the holiday season as well as to boost the sales for the PRODUCT(RED) charity project.

I wonder what are the next plans that Apple has for its red-hot product. Last time, it used to be its own iPods, now its overtaken by its own iPhone. Things are certainly looking more and more exciting now.

For the consumers, things can only get better.

Microsoft Makes its First iPhone App

According to CNET, Microsoft have just rolled out its first iPhone application, Seadragon Mobile, which was added to Apple's iTunes on Saturday.

Seadragon Mobile is a free image-browsing app that allows users to quickly "deep zoom" images while online and is intended to demonstrate what is possible with a mobile platform.

Hmmm, looks like the iPhone is starting to get attractive as the days go by. Many interesting and fun accessories and apps have been made specially for the iPhone. So much so that even I have been tempted to want to buy an iPhone for myself.

Too bad I had bought my Nokia N95 8GB way back in August and if I want to do a handset upgrade, I have to wait till August 2009. However, I have got another phone line to my name but its of a lower value and the number is different. I wonder if I could use that to upgrade my handset but limit it to my own mobile number?

That sounds very complicated, doesn't it? Oh well, at least I could wait till Apple releases a third version of the iPhone. That's when it would be the most ideal handset to purchase. Hopefully it would be end of next year, then I could trade in my N95 8GB for that droolicious iPhone!

w00t!

HTC Touch HD Only Exclusive to Starhub

I was so happy when I read in the papers that HTC Touch HD will be coming to Singapore this month.

Yet to my dismay, this new phone is an exclusive item specially sold by Starhub. Since I have a Singtel mobile phone contract, I am unable to purchase this new baby to replace my Nokia N95 8GB.

Looks like this is going to be the mobile operators latest strategy to lock in new customers, by selling phones that are not offered by other competitors. Yes, it's convenient for the companies and those new customers. But what about the existing customers? Does that mean we are penalised for NOT changing our mobile operator?

All these exclusive thingies are not doing us justice. Already in the US, AT&T practice this with the iPhone. Or maybe the party who's truly at fault is actually Apple.

Damn stupid Apple. It wants to earn big bucks and through all these exclusive deals, it ensures that Apple fans will be lured and tied to one of their desired operators, i.e. one who would pay them, Apple, the most premium fees for selling the iPhone.

I guess that's when the trend of selling exclusive phones kicks in for all mobile operators. This is so unfair to us, especially if we don't feel like changing our operators since we are comfortable with them.

Life sucks, doesn't it?

=(

Things you would do to get a Blackberry Storm

Pocket-lint has this interesting article to share with us.

"What would you do for a Blackberry Storm?" is just what Research in Motion had launched to get consumers to tell them what they would do for a phone.

Well, this man went ahead and got a tattoo of the Blackberry Storm done on his arm. Just like that. And the guy got his free Blackberry Storm as a prize.

If there were such a contest in Singapore, I doubt there would be any of us who would go to such extreme means to win the phone. But then again, I probably should never say never. You might never know there could be a possibility of another same fanatic guy who would tattoo the phone onto his body.

Anyway, it would be weird if the guy were to change his phone and he would still be stuck with the same tattoo. After all, a tattoo is for life and a removal is a very painful and expensive process. I'm not sure if I can deal with that. So too bad I can't be a tattoo girl the way Angelina Jolie is right now. But even she won't be tattooing a phone onto her body. Or not?

Perhaps. But it's sure refreshing to come across such an interesting read. Plus you can't deny the fact that the Blackberry Storm is indeed a stunning art of work.

MSI Wind is Product of the Year

According to MSIWind.Net, pocket-lint has announced the winners of the Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards and the MSI Wind walked away with both the Best Laptop/Netbook award as well as the Product of the Year award.

The awards are decided by the UK's top technology and gadget journalists from online and print and MSIWind.Net has stated that it is one of the more reputable sites around.

I'm feeling so proud of my MSI Wind's achievements and the fact that I am an owner of a MSI Wind makes me dazzled. LOL. I don't know much about technology but I do follow the trends going on in the technology world.

It's a wonder for the MSI Wind to take the Product of the Year award straight right from under Apple's iPhone 3G. After all, you can't deny the fact that the iPhone has redefined the boundaries of the mobile phone world. Just like the way ASUS's eeepc single-handedly created a market of its own: Netbooks.

Besides, both the MSI Wind and the eeepc come from the Asian people, not those elite engineers from Silicon Valley, mind you. This make their achievements in the technology world much, much more significant.

In any case, I'm delighted to have my MSI Wind with me and hope it will last me for some time to come.

Right now, being part of the MSI wind users, I'm savouring its victory in the Gadgets awards slowly. Ahhh...

HTC Touch HD comes to Singapore!

According to CNET's Crave, the HTC Touch HD will be coming to Singapore and Starhub will offer the phone in November this year. The rest of the authorized distributors will offer the phone from December this year.







I just flipped through the Saturday's The Straits Times and to my disappointment, there was no advert for the Touch HD yet. According to the website, the phone will be priced at $1,388 and will be categorized as a premium phone.

Oh boy. I hope the telcos will cut the price down reasonably enough. If the reviews of the phone are very good, I might just buy it to replace my current Nokia N95 8GB. Will the Touch HD be a successful iPhone killer? Stuff.TV has put the Touch HD and the iPhone side by side for a picture comparison. See below:




Only time will tell.

If it fails to beat the iPhone, then it's not a big problem to me since I'm sure there are still good virutes about the Touch HD. There's the generous screen with its 3.8-inch WVGA display touchscreen. Plus multiple wireless connectivity options that makes this baby absolutely a techie's dream. The gorgeous design also helps to increase the droolicious factor for this baby.

The only thing that might, a huge MIGHT at that, be a deal-breaker for me would be the keyboard. See illustrations from Stuff.TV below:




The setup of the keyboard is, unfortunately, not a QWERTY version but a conventional one. How well the screen will survive on my heavy SMS usage will be a constant question in my mind. I have not yet tried a touchscreen phone and have no idea how good or how bad the keyboard will interfere with the mobile experience. I hope everything is not as complicated as it may sounds. I just want a phone that works and works well.

So far, it's still early days yet and there are other soon-to-be released models by other phone makers and it remains to be seen who will eventually win the consumers' heart, and also my pocket money. Hahaha!

Blackberry Storm Looks Awesome

CNET Asia has gotten a new report on an upcoming phone from Research In Motion (RIM). Pictures of the new phone, Blackberry Storm, has been posted by CNET for easy reference:

The date on the phone happens to be my birthday!Cool!

It's a touchphone with RIM's new technology, Clickthrough. Rather than provide haptic feedback like Samsung's Omnia, RIM uses a suspension system that lies beneath the display, so that when you select an application or enter text, you actually push the screen down like you would any other tactile button.

That's so cool but wouldn't that makes the screen more vulnerable to scratches and thumbprints? Since it's still too early to say, RIM probably might improvise the screen further. If the price is attractive and the phone functions are impressive, then I might change my phone to this Storm.

Today, my Nokia N95 8GB died on me for no reason and I'm very pissed off right now as that would leave me phoneless for 2 solid days. Looks like Nokia is losing its touch and the quality of its phones are getting worse.

All I need now is for the new phones to be released asap so that I could lay my hands on them. *drools*

Here Comes Google's Android Phone

The mobile phone market is abuzz with news on an upcoming model which will feature Google's most anticipated Android mobile platform. Pictures of the phone, T-Mobile G1, can be found on CNET Asia's website and I have posted some of them here for easy reference.




















The phone is produced by HTC, the same phone maker for the HTC Touch HD as well. Looks like this company reaching out for the skies and I am eagerly waiting for both phones to arrive to our Singapore shores. However, the T-Mobile G1 seems a bit too bulky and hopefully the commercial set will be slightly smaller.

If the Android turns out to be a huge success, it could be a serious contender for the Apple's iPhone as well. That would truly be an eye-opener and only good can come out of this competition.

Now we only have 1 thing to do.

That is, Wait.

Gorgeous HTC Touch HD Phone

I had just came across a really gorgeous phone on the Internet, the HTC Touch HD. It's really, really pretty and some pictures are attached below for easy reference:


















The pictures are from CNET Asia, which estimates that the phone will launch around November. That's around 1 month's time and I can't wait to get my hands on a commercial set. I'm interested to see how this phone can measure up to Apple's iPhone or will it get blown away by Apple?

The only thing that's not shown in the pictures is the keyboard for text input. Will it be those pc keyboard prototype or will it be modelled after conventional number pad for mobile phone? That would either make or break this phone as I'm more inclined towards the pc keyboard type as I tend to sms more often.

Whatever it is, I shall have to wait patiently for November's arrival.

=)

Finally my K800i is gone...

After debating for a week, I have finally come to a decision.

When I bought my Nokia N95 8GB at the Comex 2008, I was supposed to trade in my Sony Ericsson K800i to enjoy the trade-in rate of $110. However, I did not return to the Comex the next day to get the trade-in offer.

The reason being that I still can't bear to let go of my K800i as I had liked it alot. Eventually I came to this decision after several long hours of thorough thinking. If I want to cling on to my K800i and sell off my N95 8GB, I would have to use it for at least 1 more year before I can change my phone. By then, the value for the K800i would have dropped drastically compared to now.

On the other hand, my N95 8GB is still relatively new and thus would be able to fetch a good price even if I were to sell it off a year later.

And so, I decided to sell off my K800i to my friend's uncle, who quoted a price of $120, $10 more than Singtel's buying price. Just now my friend, mayi, came to collect the phone from me. Hopefully everything will turn out well and I can get the $120 soon.

For now, I still have to get used to my N95 8GB as it's way of functioning is totally different from the K800i.

That's all for the day. See ya!

=)

Love being at home

Home is where I belong and where I want to be when I need time to myself. My weekends are mostly spent at home as I rarely go out these days.

Today is no exception as well. Look what I got for my lunch instead.




Looks good, doesn't it? Although it doesn't seem to be a very healthy choice of food but it's pork chops with chips. What's more could I ask for? This kind of lunch doesn't come very often and so naturally I polished off every single bit of food there. Oh, the lunch is prepared by my mum and I used my new Nokia N95 8GB to take the shot. Hmmm... seems pretty good there!

Plus that dash of chilli is so powerful that it leaves my tongue tingling for more. Yum!!! Naturally, I had a pot of blueberry tea for companion but I didn't take a picture of it.

Till next time then.

Tada!!! =)

It's the Comex 2008!

In the blink of an eye, 3 months have passed and it's now time for another big IT fair. This time round, it's called the Comex 2008, where all sorts of appliances can be found under 1 fair. Plus it's one of the biggest fair ever, occupying the whole exhibition levels of Suntec City.

With such a crazy huge area to cover, certain measures must be taken so that I don't ended up getting lost amongst the numerous vendor stalls. One main thing that I'm going to catch at the fair is the MSI Wind's 6-cell battery.

I made my way down to Suntec City today, right after the official ending of the JCI audit. I felt that it was a waste of my time to attend this last day of audit as I don't see myself being useful to the audit. Yet my boss insisted I have to come back on this Saturday to fulfill whatever needs she sees.

In the end, all I did was nothing. I just remained at my desk, doing nothing but surfing the Internet since I was so bored. I don't intend to do any serious work at all since it's a weekend.

Right. Back to the Comex 2008.

By the time I managed to reach Corbell's booth, it was nearing 2.30pm. But I ended up getting disappointed as I was told there's no stock for the 6-cell battery and there's no pre-order list for it as well.

In the end, I ended up getting gadgets that were totally bought on the spur of the moment. See the pictures below.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300 and accessories

A free dry box for my Sony camera

Nokia N95 8GB

Yep. I bought a camera AND a mobile phone. Right on the same day too. Crazy eh? I don't really know the reason why I bought the Sony camera. Perhaps I was just too frustrated with my Casio Exilim EX-&0, which couldn't give me excellent night shots.

So far, I have not tried out the Sony camera yet but I hope I won't ended up being disappointed again. By the way, it comes with 5x optical zoom as well. So perhaps in future I could capture better shots of those stars when I go to their concerts. Hmmm...

Anyway, I got lots of accessories to go with my Sony camera. It comes with 2 memory sticks with adaptors, 2 batteries, 1 cleaning kit, 1 mini-tripod, 1 leather casing, 1 dry box and a course for learning how to use Sony cameras effectively. All these for $499.

As for the nokia phone, it happened to be a good bargain as it was selling for $488 with a 2 year re-contract of my plan. Add to it the trade-in I got for my Sony Ericsson K800i, the phone only costs a cool $368, which is several hundreds cheaper than before.

Truly a good bargain, though many people at the Comex bought the iPhone instead. Guess iPhone's sexiness still works here. Almost everybody who got to Singtel counters had indicated they were purchasing the iPhone. I seem to be the only odd one out with a Nokia phone and an old model at that. But I have been hankering after this N95 8Gb for ages. Its price was the only factor that stopped me from buying. Paying $698 for a phone that's not the IT phone of the moment simply doesn't sway me.

Now it's a different story. Wee... I'm still trying to figure out how to use the phone as the functions are totally different from Sony Ericsson's version. Damn...

Overall, I am quite pleased with my purchase. So, till the next IT fair shall we meet again.

Tada....

Picture of the Rumoured Sony Ericsson C905

All right, I have found a picture of the rumoured Sony Ericsson C905 to go with the vivid description posted earlier. Here it is:


Looking really good, isn't it? Now all we have to do is wait. Until its official release, that is. =D

Sony Ericsson C905 Coming?

According to this blog, Sony Ericsson appears to be gearing up for a release of the most powerful handphone ever made.

The specifications are very impressive. With a 8.1 megapixel camera on board, capable of VGA video recording coupled with both xenon flash as well as photoflash, it makes for a wonderful camera gadget.

Then there's multiple connections like WIFI, Bluetooth, TV-Out Cable ITC-60 to enable that perfect LCD TV viewing pleasure, etc... Looks like this phone has really got it going for Sony Ericsson, provided it's all for REAL.

The report is not official from the company although the blog quotes that very relevant sources are confirming the phone's details.

Now.... with this phone coming along, I am starting to re-think about getting that iPhone 3G. Looks like I'm not the only one who is thinking of switching. Even handphone operator Singtel is trying to grab the lion's share of the market first by allowing for reservations to be made for that fabled iPhone 3G.

The handphone market is heating up very fast here and looks like there can only be more good deals for the consumers. Woohoo~~