Smartphones and phone accessories, from carrier price plans to screen protectors and the newest launches.
The Apple iPhone 4S is now available to pre-order on the Apple Singapore Online Store, with all units sold here unlocked. Both black and white are offered, at S$948 for 16GB, S$1,088 for 32GB, and S$1,238 for 64GB.
Google announced the Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich yesterday in Hong Kong. Made by Samsung, the Galaxy Nexus will arrive in November 2011, running a 1.2GHz dual-core OMAP 4460 processor with a 4.65-inch 1280x720 display.
SingTel is the first of Singapore's three telcos to launch a Register Interest page for the iPhone 4S. This time they learned from past mistakes, building it in HTML and JavaScript. The iPhone 4S launches in Singapore on 28th October.
Apple announced the iPhone 4S at last night's 'Let's Talk iPhone' event. Its form factor matches the iPhone 4 exactly, the only minor change being the antenna placement. The 4S is 3 grams heavier, while keeping the same dimensions.
Microsoft Singapore officially launched Windows Phone 7.5 yesterday, bringing more than 500 new features and enhancements. The HTC Radar, at a recommended S$569, and the Samsung Omnia W, at S$498, are the first Windows Phone 7.5 handsets here.
I first previewed the Nokia N9 at Nokia Connection 2011 in June, when the software was still in beta. I was invited again to the N9 Blogger Event on Wednesday. The N9 launches in Singapore in early October at S$799.
Nokia has launched the Nokia 700, 701, and 600, powered by Symbian Belle, the successor to Symbian Anna. I was invited to the WOM World launch event in Hong Kong but couldn't make it, the 700 being the smallest.
As part of the Nokia Rangers Program, we could choose between the Nokia E6 and Nokia X7. I went for the E6 after trying it at the blogger preview in May 2011, mainly for its full QWERTY keyboard.
Thanks to SingTel and HTC for organising the Most Checked-in Party at Zouk, it was awesome. I arrived a little late due to work, but better late than never. On arrival, you register by logging into Facebook.
The Nokia E7 is essentially a Nokia N8 with a keyboard, as you've probably heard many times. I won't dwell on the OS, since it's the same Symbian^3 as the N8, so this short review mostly compares the two.
The Samsung Galaxy S2 (16GB) is available in Singapore from 24th June 2011 for S$998 without contract. It runs a dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 with a Mali-400MP GPU on the Orion chipset, paired with 1GB of RAM and HSPA+ connectivity.
The Nokia X7 isn't an upgrade to any model, but, like the Nokia E6, it feels solid. It has a 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen in a stainless steel body, with a non-removable battery, and is the second phone on Symbian Anna.
I was invited to a blogger event previewing the Nokia E6 and X7. The E6 launches in June 2011 with a recommended price of S$570, in Black and Silver at first, with White following later.
After nearly a year of delay, the white iPhone 4 arrives tomorrow via Apple's Online Store. Pricing stays unchanged at S$888 for 16GB and S$1,048 for 32GB, finally giving Singapore buyers the lighter colour option.
Sony Ericsson's Xperia PLAY launches in Singapore exclusively to SingTel customers from 22nd April 2011. Running Android 2.3, this gaming smartphone delivers fast graphics and dedicated slide-out controls alongside the features of a leading device.
Li Xiang and I were invited to Sony Ericsson's blogger gathering at Orgo on Esplanade's Roof Terrace, a lovely spot. They showed three phones: the Xperia Arc, Neo and Play, the Arc succeeding the X10 with a BRAVIA-enhanced display.
Attended LG Blogger Night at Black Coffee Dessert Bar in TripleOne Somerset, where they showed the Optimus 2X and Optimus Black. The 2X's headline feature is its dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, which made the phone feel genuinely snappy.
Samsung's Nexus S is now available from all leading mobile retailers at a recommended S$828, contract-free and inclusive of GST. The world's first handset with a contour display, it launches in Singapore on 18 March 2011.
As part of the Nokia Rangers program I received another phone, the Nokia C7-00. Running Symbian^3, it has an 8MP camera with dual-LED flash and HD video, a 3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, plus WLAN, Bluetooth 3.0 and HSDPA connectivity.
Verizon Wireless announced last night that it too will sell the iPhone 4 in the US. Unlike the AT&T and most worldwide units, this is a CDMA version rather than GSM, with three slight differences in its metal band.
Got the HTC 7 Mozart from Mobile Square for S$670 without contract. After trading in my Nokia N82 and my mom's iPhone 3G, I paid just S$260. Now I own every major mobile OS except BlackBerry!
Google has officially announced the Nexus S and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Co-developed by Google and Samsung, the Nexus S pairs the latest Android with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor and 16GB of memory, making it one of the fastest phones around.