Life and tech in Singapore, from local launches and pricing to events and everyday finds.
The Samsung Galaxy SIII arrives in Singapore from Wednesday, 30th May 2012, retailing for S$998 including taxes and without contract, at all three operators, SingTel, M1, and StarHub. Pre-orders begin the day before, on the 29th.
The Sony Xperia P, U, and sola are now available in Singapore at all Sony stores, Sony centres, Xperia concept stores, and local telcos. The Xperia P retails for S$688 in silver or black, with a 4-inch Reality Display.
The Nokia Lumia 900 arrives in Singapore from Saturday, 26th May 2012, retailing for S$849 including taxes and without contract, at all three operators, SingTel, M1, and StarHub. The Singapore unit is the non-LTE version, running HSDPA+ at 42Mbps.
The Nokia Lumia 610 arrives in Singapore from Saturday, 5th May 2012, retailing for S$379 including taxes and without contract, at all three operators, SingTel, M1, and StarHub. White, black, and magenta launch with cyan following from 12th May.
The HTC One X and HTC One V are available in Singapore from today, 2nd April 2012, at S$898 and S$398 respectively. The One X features a striking polycarbonate unibody, just 8.9mm thick yet lightweight and sturdy.
SingTel is bringing the 3G/WiFi PlayStation Vita to Singapore, on sale from 14th April 2012 at a recommended S$469, or subsidised through SingTel's price plans. You can pre-order online at singtel.com/PSVita from today, 28th March 2012.
The Sony Tablet S (3G/16GB) is finally available in Singapore as of 13th January 2012 for S$798. Its arrival has also cut the Wi-Fi-only prices, now S$618 for 16GB and S$748 for 32GB. The 3G model runs Android 3.2.
The Motorola XOOM 2 (3G/Wi-Fi, 32GB) is now available in Singapore as of 13th January 2012, at a recommended S$978. It runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb on a 10.1-inch 1280x800 Gorilla Glass display, with a splash-guard and flattened edges.
The Prada Phone by LG 3.0 retails for S$1,088 without contract. LG holds a one-day sale at its LG LIVE Store in Marina Bay Sands on 21st January 2012, where every purchase comes with a limited edition LG Prada Cradle.
The Nokia Lumia 800 arrives in Singapore from 10th December 2011 at a recommended S$775, with the Lumia 710 to follow in the coming weeks at S$505. All three local operators, SingTel, StarHub, and M1, will offer both phones.
The Canon PowerShot S100 is now available in Singapore at a recommended S$699, succeeding the PowerShot S95. Official free gifts include an 8GB SD card and a carrying case. It packs 12.1 megapixels, 5x optical zoom from an ultra-wide 24mm.
SingTel has launched Singapore's first e-book service, skoob, offering works by Singaporean writers, study guides, and school textbooks for local students. At launch it holds 39,000 local and international bestsellers for smartphones, tablets, and PCs, with payment in Singapore Dollars.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 is now available in Singapore at a recommended S$768 for the 3G 16GB model. It runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb on a 1GHz dual-core processor, with an 8.9-inch WXGA 1280x800 display and a 3-megapixel rear camera.
The Samsung Galaxy Note arrives in Singapore tentatively on 18th November 2011 at a recommended S$998, including taxes and without any telco subsidy. The Galaxy Nexus follows by January 2012 at S$948, also including taxes and unsubsidised.
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.
YouTube Singapore is now official, marking YouTube's debut here. It aims to help Singaporeans find their favourite content and to spread Singaporean content across the globe. Initial partners include the music collection society COMPASS, the sports agency World Sport Group.
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 received an email from Guyi Shen, director of Lobangclub, an iPhone app I find cool. Similar to ShopSavvy and SingTel's Price Pal, Lobangclub is a free Singaporean app that finds the best deals on any product through community contributions.
I'm helping a fellow NUS SoCian, Reuben, founder of Household.sg, spread the word. Household.sg is an online supermarket that aims to eliminate the tedious trip to the supermarket for groceries, freeing up your time for what truly matters.
Travelling to the US this December for the first time, I sought a US version of HungryGoWhere, and many recommended Yelp, which wasn't in the Singapore App Store. I tweeted @yelp, they asked, and hours later it appeared.
Symbian Anna, the Singapore variant, releases on 2nd September 2011. You can download it via Ovi Suite v3.1.1 on a PC, or over the air directly to your smartphone. The latest software update for Symbian phones brings significant enhancements.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 3G (16GB) is now available in Singapore at S$848 without contract. Samsung launched its sale on 19th August 2011, pairing the Tab's ultra-thin form factor with a lightweight design.