Filed under: Gadgets, Technology | Tags: 3G, geeksg, iPhone, Singapore, Singtel
Singtel has today sent to people who opted-in to their wait list, a confirmation that the iPhone 3G will be launched on the 22nd of August. This confirms the rumour that has been speculating for quite some time.
Singtel has yet to indicate the price it will be sold at or the subscription plans that will be coupled with the phone. One thing for sure though is that Singtel will take great advantage of the hype of the iPhone to draw users from its major competitors to their network.
This being said, it may be wise to wait for Singtel’s exclusive rights to run out before purchasing the iPhone, which will cause the overall cost (phone and subscription plan) to drop significantly.
However, for the die hard fans of the iPhone 1.0, this is definitely not an option.
Filed under: Gadgets, Mobile, Technology | Tags: 3G, Apple, iPhone, Singapore, Singtel
It was recently reported that Singtel has finally concluded talks with Apple to bring the iPhone to Singapore and be the first in Asia to do so. Considering the high demand of the iPhone, one doesn’t need to be Einstein to know that Singtel paid a high price for this.
Piracy in Asia has been so common and Singtel would be very naive if they thought that they will be able to force a significant number of subscribers to switch from competing networks just because of the exclusive rights. This is because unlocking the iPhone to work with other networks has evolved to a simple process that merely involves a single click.
So why did they do it? This is my theory…. 3G. Singtel has spent hundreds of millions, if not billions, on building the 3G infrastructure for high speed mobile data transfer but it has not really picked up. Despite various campaigns to boost the use of 3G like providing free video calls, the network is still largely under-utilized. This is where the iPhone comes in.
In the short few months that it has been released, despite only being able to support EDGE which is kind of 2.75G, it has emerged to be the number 1 mobile web surfing device due to its amazing Safari-based browser user interface and its large screen. Also, the iPhone allows the launch of useful applications such as Google Maps with a single touch and this would further encourage people to use services that require data transfer.
Hence when the 3G iPhone releases, if Singtel was able to hand these iPhone to their users, they would be able to better utilize their 3G networks and once usage goes beyond the tipping point, Singtel would then be able to reap the benefits from their entire customer base.
Another question then- so since the deal is almost confirmed, then why not make an official statement? If I may speculate and make a wild guess, I would say that Singtel may very well be awaiting for the announcement of the release of the 3G iPhone and concurrently tell the world of its arrival into Singapore. This could very well happen within 60 days as mentioned by Walt Mossberg from Wall Street Journal.
Filed under: Gadgets, Technology | Tags: Cars, Ford, Microsoft, Operating System, SYNC, Vehicles
SYNC is a system developed by Ford Motors and Microsoft to enhance the digital experience within automobiles. Ford will have exclusive rights to use SYNC through 2008 so do not expect to see this great system on other vehicles so soon.
Notable Features of the SYNC system:
- USB ports to allow external devices such as mobile phone and music devices to be integrated with the vehicle
- Voice recognition enables users to make a call through a plugged in mobile phone with voice commands
- Voice recognition also allows users to select any song just by saying the name of the song or the particular artist
- Text messages can be read out from selected mobile phones
- Software is upgradable so more features can be added as the technology proliferates
SYNC is available on popular models such as the Ford Focus. I was unable to find out from Regent Motors, Singapore’s authorized Ford dealer, whether the SYNC enabled models will be available in Singapore but there should be no reason why they won’t be as they utilize international standards such as USB connections and the English language.
Here’s a commercial that shows how SYNC will work in the vehicle.
Since the iPhone came out in the US, a lot of people have been importing them to Singapore and selling them at crazy prices. You can easily find requests for mass ordering on forums such as Hardware Zone’s even today. There are also many people offering services to jailbreak and unlock the iPhone.
For the benefit of people unaware of the terms used, jailbreaking actually means a process which allows the iPhone to install 3rd party applications and unlock simply means to allow the phone to use SIM cards other than those approved by Apple (AT&T in US’s case).
Fact No.1 : It is not at all difficult to jailbreak or unlock an iPhone. There are a lot of manuals online and even videos on youtube that guides you through the entire process. Do not pay large amounts of money for something you can do yourself.
Fact No.2 : There is no free software available right now to unlock the iPhones that came with firmware 1.1.2 pre-installed. This pretty much means all iPhones that are purchased from the stores now. So if you buy an iPhone now, you either have to wait till the software releases, or purchase an expensive alternative which let’s your iPhone recognise your SIM card as an AT&T card. DO NOT expect to be able to use your iPhone immediately once the package arrive.
Final advice, the iPhone is a great great gadget, arguably the best innovation this year, but do ask around before making that decision to buy because that last thing you want is to get conned this holiday season.
Filed under: Gadgets, Technology | Tags: Gadgets, iPod, mp3, mp3 players, Zune, Zune2
Wired has recently done a comparison between the new Zune and the iPod Classic and asked their readers to vote for the gadget they will get for Christmas. As of today, Zune looks to have beaten the iPod in the polls!
The new Zune2 is a huge upgrade from its previous version launched last year and most reviews have been largely positive including this one from NY Time’s David Pogue. This new version of the Zune has a 3.2 inch screen, 80GB of hard disk space, built-in FM radio and the capability to sync the Zune wirelessly to your PC.
Here’s Zune’s latest commercial!
Would you go against the status quo and try a Zune? Or will be play it safe and be ‘in’ with the iPod?
Update: Apparently a lot of iPod fanboys got pissed losing to the Zune in the polls and voted. iPod is now leading the Zune by quite a huge margin.
Filed under: Gadgets, Technology | Tags: Apple, Gadgets, Laptops, Mac, Steve Jobs
There has been a lot of speculation in the past few months regarding the release of a new ultra-portable Macbook. With Macworld 2008 coming up in the middle of January, many expect Apple CEO Steve Jobs to unveil this latest and greatest notebook during his keynote speech on the 15th of January.
Industry watchers has predicted that this notebook would be 12-13″, less than 1.5 kg, cost around S$2500 and uses a flash drive instead of an optical drive. Of course not forgetting the great design that is expected from a product from Apple. After last year’s announcement of the iPhone, Steve Jobs better have a truly amazing product if he wants to beat last year’s performance.
