CORP TALK: It has been in talks for months but it’s finally here. The two remaining telecom companies in Singapore – M1 & StarHub – will be joining SingTel when they launch the Apple iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS this Wednesday, 9 December 2009.

SingTel was the exclusive distributor of the iPhone 3G when it was first launched last year. It then brought in the iPhone 3GS on July 10 this year.

The Singapore team at HardwareZone.com has compiled a chart comparing the plans of all three telcos in the run-up to their impending launches.

Hit the link to check out the chart (prices are in Singapore dollars). (more…)

CORP TALK: Singapore’s exclusive Apple iPhone distributor and telco, SingTel, will be launching the iPhone 3GS on 10 July (Friday). The price plans for the 3GS has just gone up today here, or if you prefer, we’ve placed it here for your reference.

	Monthly fee (incl GST)	Bundled data (7.2Mbps)1	Bundled mins (outgoing)	Bundled SMS/MMS	iPhone 3G 8GB (from 10 July 09)	iPhone 3GS 16GB	iPhone 3GS 32GB
iFlexi Lite	$39	500MB	100	500	$398	$548	$678
iFlexi Value	$56	1GB	200	500	$138	$288	$438
iFlexi Plus	$95	2GB	500	500	$0	$0	$138
iFlexi Premium	$205	3GB	1500	1500	$0	$0	$0

¹Bundled data allowance is for a limited period only, and is only applicable to customers on 2-year iFlexi Plans. Bundled data allowance is for local usage only. Excess data charges apply. While roaming overseas, prevailing data roaming charges apply.

All prices for iPhone 3G 8GB, iPhone 3GS 16GB and 32GB are only avalaible at the pre-order site here. All prices will only be effective from 10 July 2009.

Apparently, the iFlexi plan for the 3GS is cheaper compared to the same plan for the iPhone 3G.

UPDATE 09/07/09: The guys over at HWM/HardwareZone.com Singapore have made two videos in relation to the Apple iPhone 3GS, which will be made available to Singapore-based SingTel subscribers on July 10. If you’re a current iPhone 3G user or you’re a new user, check out these videos to have a better understanding of the difference (and improvements) between these two models from our perspective.

Here’s a video made comparing speed differences between the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS.

Do check here for a written coverage of the iPhone 3GS by the HWM Singapore/HardwareZone.com team online.

CORP TALK: Looks like SingTel has done it again, at least when it comes to making region firsts for introducing highly anticipated handsets touting newfangled OSes. Hot off the exclusive Apple iPhone launch last year, Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and HTC Corporation will put on sale the HTC Dream tomorrow: the first Android-powered mobile phone to go on sale in Asia. Customers of SingTel and its wholly-owned subs in Australia, Optus, get to be the first in Asia to enjoy it.

Come tomorrow, several phone users will get to own a piece of Google's Android platform, courtesy of SingTel and HTC.

The HTC Dream itself touts full touch-screen functions and a QWERTY keyboard. It’s also suppose to come with a mobile Web experience that combines can’t-do-without Google apps and Google Search. Key to being an Android powered phone of course is access to Android Market, which hosts a bevy of apps from developers worldwide. For SingTel users, the HTC Dream will come with an app called SG SavvyShopper, where customers can scan a product barcode using their camera phone and get info like prices, product info and reviews.

To date, the Android-powered phone is available as the T-Mobile G1 in the US and the Era G1 in Poland.

For a video that compares some of the features between the HTC Dream (or G1) and the Apple iPhone, here’s a ZoneOut video episode done by the Singapore team. (Editor opinions: 2)

ZoneOut #7 – Dreaming the HTC Dream from videoman on Vimeo

Here’s a quick glance at SingTel’s price plans (2-year contracts) for the HTC Dream at launch tomorrow: 

* Applicable for all new and recontracting customers across compatible phone models

** Applies after unlimited data bundle is exhausted

*** After S$200 (US$130) trade-in

David Chieng, Editor, HWM Singapore

David (HWM SG): What worked for the iPhone may not necessarily work for Android phones because Android phones will only really appeal to the geek crowd. Unlike the Apple iPhone, the Android-powered phone doesn’t have the same ease-of-use philosophy behind the device, except that the software’s designed by Google. (more…)