This is the 3rd time SingTel has launch an iPhone, the first being the iPhone 3G and second being the iPhone 3GS. They got it right this time!

The location was at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre (Hall F) instead of the the usual SingTel Comcenter. As this is a proper convention center, the space is huge and it is fully air-conditioned. This time round, it is strictly by appointment basis and no walked in is allowed. They are a few “layers” of security to make sure that happens. Even if your appointment is at 3am but you came at 11pm, they will make you queue up under the 3am queue. As long as people followed by their appointment timing, things will be smooth.

Left is 12am Queue. Right is 3am Queue

I reached there about 9.30pm and the queue was not that long which is a good sign. At 10pm they are let into the hall to process the necessary paper work. Once that is done, they will get a queue number and they are free to roam around the hall (including going to the toilet) while listening to the DJ’s music and live performance by a local band named, 53A. Glenn Ong was the host this year, he has been hosting all 3 iPhone launches. He saw me playing with my iPad and when I let him played with it, he is convinced that he is going to get one!

Trade-in Booths

Liftstyle App Booth

There are small booths around the hall ranging from displaying SingTel’s exclusive localized mobile applications to iPhone 4 accessories and even trade-in booths. All these are done before the midnight launch of the iPhone 4. So when the clock strikes 12, all you have to do is wait for your queue number to be called, get your iPhone 4 and pay it!

Counters

There are a total of 80 counters there this year which is much more than previous iPhone launches. Once the clock strikes midnight, the black curtain covering all the 80 counters were lifted! It was a pleasant surprise as I expected it to be some iPhone 4 display!

Technically it should not take you more than 1 hour from queuing to walking out with your iPhone 4 in your hands. I hope SingTel will keep to the same arrangement when iPhone 5 is launched next year.

1st 10 Customers Who Queue For The 1am Slow

Instead of the 1st three who will get coverage from the press, this time round it will be the 1st ten customers.

The 2 major complains I have is that the music is way too loud, it makes it difficult for the Customer Service Officer (CSO) to listen to what their customers are saying and also the light should be brighter as I heard some mid-aged people complaining the light is too dim for them to see clearly.

<rant>Marina Bay Sands is not drivers friendly as the parking charges are way too expensive. SGD$8/hour and capped at SGD$24/day. I have to park at Marina Square which is only SGD$2.14 per entry and walked all the way to Marina Bay Sands and back which adds up to like 6KM in total. To those people taking MRT, the nearest MRT is either Marina Bay or City Hall and the walking distance from the MRT stations are equally far! Maybe next time the location can be changed to Suntec City or even Singapore Expo!</rant>

Bloggers

More Photos

Videos

For more videos, check out the official SingTel iPhone Team YouTube channel.

Here is the official word from SingTel on what to expect from the launch of iPhone 4 tonight and over the weekends:

SingTel has chosen a new and bigger venue to launch the new iPhone 4 this year at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. We are selling the phones at a centralised location so that all customers with appointments can buy their phones from one place conveniently. The larger venue also allows customers to be entertained by interactive demo zones where they can access and learn about SingTel’s latest mobile apps ranging from navigation to shopping apps. Customers can also enjoy food and beverages, plus song and dance performances.

To provide customers with a convenient and great iPhone 4 shopping experience, SingTel is using an appointment system. Customers chose from 13 time slots spread over 2 days (30 and 31 July) to purchase their iPhone 4. This provides an overall faster transaction time in a conducive shopping environment, better crowd control and also minimizes queuing time. The timeslots start from 12am – 9pm (30 July) and 11am – 9pm (31 July).

Customers will only be served based on their pre-appointed timeslots and are advised to arrive within that window period to avoid extended queuing time. As stocks are very limited, we regret that we are unable to accept any walk-in customers.

Customers can visit the SingTel iPhone 4 bulletin board http://www.singtel.com/iphone4 for more updates.

We thank our customers for their support and understanding.

See you all there at Marina Bay Sands tonight!

Flio MinoHD Booth At VivoCity

Went for the Cisco Flip MinoHD event yesterday at The Queen And Mangosteen located in VivoCity. It is my first time at The Queen And Mangosteen and the food there is very nice! Definitely will be going back there again.

Flip MinoHD

Back to the Flip MinoHD, wasn’t really impressed by it. It can’t auto focus, no macro, no optical zoom and judging for the unit I played yesterday, the battery life isn’t that great. However having said that, the selling point of the Flip MinoHD is not the device itself but the software (FlipShare) that comes with it.

FlipShare allows you to do simple editing on the video you have recorded and share it with your friends either though Facebook, MySpace or YouTube. If the video is something personal and you only want to share it with your friends and family, you can use the software to upload it to FlipShare server and email them a link so that they are able to view the video you just recorded. Note that the video is streamed to the end users and they cannot download it unless you give them access to your FlipShare Channels. They also have iPhone, BlackBerry and Android app that allow you to view your videos on the go.

2 Versions Of Flip MinoHD

There are 2 versions of the Flip MinoHD.

• The Flip MinoHD (60 Mins) has 4GB of internal memory that allows you to record 60 minutes of HD video and a LCD screen size of 1.5″. It is retailing for SGD$279.
• The Flip MinoHD (120 Mins) has 8GB of internal memory that allows you to record 120 minutes of HD video and the LCD screen size is 2.0″. It is retailing for SGD$349

If you ask me, I think the price is pretty steep for the Flip MinoHD (120 Mins). Just pay another SGD$50 and for SGD$399 you can get an IXUS 120 IS compact camera from Canon that allows you to take good pictures and record HD video and not forgetting it has a 4x optical zoom with macro and 2.7″ LCD screen. But of course the software bundled by Canon may not be as user friendly as FlipShare. I don’t think I am comparing apple and oranges here, just which one is more value for money.

The UI for the Flip MinoHD is pretty straightforward and definitely less complex than a compact camera UI. Check out the UI:

More photos from the event:

When I posted my pictures of Iomega 1st Blogging Event which happened yesterday, many thought that Iomega is dead after their Zip Drive failed to penetrate the market because of the widespread of USB flash drives. But in fact they have been bought over by EMC which is a Fotune 500 company and specializes in data storage for USD$213 million.

But yeap, now they are back. I kinda like Iomega products, I got their 100MB, 250MB and 750MB Zip Drives and I got a few old computers which is using their CD Writer and it is still working till today. BTW, TDK DVD Writer sucks, mine was spoilt before even reaching 2 years.

EMC acquisition of Iomega is to bring their storage technology to SMEs and home users at a more affordable price. The selling point of Iomega network and portable harddrives is not the harddrive itself but the software that comes with it.

Iomega vClone is one such software and it allows you to clone your computer into a harddrive and run it at on another computer as if it is your own personal computer. They have partnered with VMware for this to happen.

Capture a complete virtual image of your PC — including the operating system, all applications, your settings, and all your files to your Iomega hard drive. Access the cloned copy and use it seamlessly on another computer, just as if you’re working from your own PC. When you reconnect, automatically sync your data to your primary PC – everything is always up to date. Only Iomega offers this powerful solution.

Iomega Products Offering

Iomega Harddrive Features

Another technology they built into their eGo portable harddisk drive is the Iomega Drop Guard feature which protects the drive when dropped up to 1.3m. But seriously, I hope I do not ever drop my harddrive.

I did ask where is Iomega RMA center, they just told me it is in Sim Lim Square but did not give me a specific address. After Googling, I found out Iomega products are being distributed by Acecom and their service center has move to Ubi. Here is the address:

No 1 Ubi View #03-11
Focus One, Singapore 408555
Tel: (65) 6326-4098 / (65) 6326-4097
Fax: (65) 6509 0825
Mon to Fri : 9:00 to 18:00
Sat/Sun/PH : Close

Iomega Aluminium UltraMax & UltraMax Plus External Harddrive

And Their Respective Boxes

I am pretty interested in the Iomega UltraMax External Harddrive as it will be a great companion to my Mac in terms of design and I shall use it for my Time Machine backup.

More Photos

Tickets

Thanks to Amelia and Felicia, Li Xiang and I was invited to the Sony Ericsson Wonder Girls Showcase. In case you are wondering, Wonder Girls are the ambassador for Sony Ericsson Asia Pacific. The event was held at Marina Bay Sands.

I was totally looking forward to the event because personally I prefer Wonder Girls than Super Junior. But once we entered the hall, it totally spoilt my mood. Wonder Girls are fantastic but the event is definitely not.

Media Registration

The thing that pissed me off is that media has no other privileges besides being able to register at another entrance but the thing is once we registered and moved into the hall, we are being merged together with the general public and we entered the moment the doors are open for the media and we are already about 5 rows away from the barricade (it is a free standing event BTW). This make taking pictures really difficult.

The VIP area is worst, it is on the right side of the hall and it is not even in front! This is the part where I think squeezing is better than being in the VIP area.

Jamie Yeo

We went it at 7pm, waited till 7.50pm before Jamie Yeo came out and play some games with the audience, Wonder Girls came out at 8pm to present the items to those who bided earlier for charity. After that we are shown a MTV before Wonder Girls came out again at 8.30pm to perform and at 9pm the showcase is over.

Nobody But Chiu

Despite only 30 minutes of performance by Wonder Girls, it was fantastic! I didn’t know they can speak English so well and that makes understanding them much easier and more comfortable.

I want nobody nobody but chiu~~

The event organiser should really learn from the way that the SingTel & Samsung Super Junior Showcase was organized. Everything was smooth and the media have certainly more privileges!

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