Apple iPad 2 is available in Malaysia this Friday! 29th April

Apple announced that the iPad 2 will be coming to Malaysia and Singapore this Friday, 29 April. Other availability countries also includes Hong Kong, India, Israel, Korea, Macau, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey and UAE.

Yup, finally iPad 2 here! Wanted to get an iPad but waited for iPad 2 since then. Should I get it?

iPad 2 Arrives in Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore & Eight Other Countries This Week

Malaysia iPad 2 Official price

iPad2 Wifi 16GB : RM1,499
iPad2 Wifi 32GB : RM1,799
iPad2 Wifi 64GB : RM2,099
iPad2 Wifi + 3Gs : 16GB RM1,899
iPad2 Wifi + 3Gs : 32GB RM2,199
iPad2 Wifi + 3Gs : 64GB RM2,499

iPad 2 will be available for sale on 29th April 2011, Friday and expected to start at 9am while the Apple online store starts earlier at 1am.

Where To Buy Apple iPad 2?

- Machines : Bukit Tinggi Klang, Sunway Pyramid, Lot10, KLCC, City Square Johor Bahru
- MacStudio : Lowyat Plaza, Berjaya Times Square, Bangsar Shopping Centre
- Epicentre : Pavillion, IOI Mall, Lim Kok Wing
- Switch : Penang (Straits Quay, Sunway Carnival Mall, Gurney Plaza, Jusco Aeon, Queensbay Mall) Selangor (The Mines), Sarawak (The Spring Kuching)
- Apple Campus Experience Center (Taylor’s College)
- MacCity : 1Utama KL, Kluang Mall Johor, Hatten Square Melaka
- iStudy : Subang Parade, 1Mont Kiara, Sunway Pyramid
- myBytes : Tropicana City Mall
- Harvey Norman : (IPC (Ikano Power Center), Sunway Pyramid, Mid Valley)

Will you be one of them who queuing up for the new iPad 2 this coming Friday? My advise is NO! Don’t waste your time queuing up. Why?
1) If you are working, you need to apply for leave.
2) Need to start queuing very early maybe 6am? Or maybe some even over night or camp there?
3) There’s no discount of special offer stated till now for the early bird buyer.
4) You may end up empty handed without the iPad 2 as there will be a quota set for daily iPad 2 sales.
5) They might be some iPad 2 already reserved for the pre-order ppl and there will be less unit available?
6) Ended up just waste your leave, waste your time, waste your energy?
7) It will be the same if you get it after the launching period and not fighting with others?
You can just order from Apple Store with free shipping and engraving too!

If you think all the above is nothing to you then by all means go ahead and queue and grab your iPad 2 and be a happy Apple customer! =)

P/S : Machines : It is limited for 2 units of iPad 2 per person.

Follow some of the iPad 2 Release in Malaysia info : Lowyat
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Xpax vs Hotlink @ Blackberry® BIS Plan

Okay now let’s compare and see both telco Xpax and Hotlink for BlackBerry Plan.

Xpax Promotion

No hidden clauses, no upfront payment and all. You just need to pay RM998 + RM50 reload (Free 1 week BlackBerry prepaid access & Free imported skin), no commitment and you can stop anytime you wish to. (Promo valid from 11 October to 15 November)

Xpax BIS Usage Plan

BlackBerry Social Plan RM1
-The social networking & instant messaging services under this plan only applies to the following built in BlackBerry applications: Facebook, Flickr, Myspace, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, AOL Messenger and BlackBerry Messenger.
-The speed for unlimited data under this plan is 128kbps and on best effort basis.
-The service is only valid in Malaysia
-By signing up for the service, auto-renewal on a shall take effect on daily basis subject to credit availability.

BlackBerry Advance (2.5G)
-The social networking & instand messaging services under this plan only applies to the following built in BlackBerry applications: Facebook, Flickr, Myspace, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, AOL MEssenger and BlackBerry Messenger.
-Unlimited browsing is only applicable within the BlackBerry handheld device.
-Data usage is capped at 1GB per day. Additional additional usage will be charged at RM0.10 / 10kb.
-The speed for unlimited data under this plan is 128kbps and on best effor basis.
-The service is only valid in Malaysia
-By signing up for the service, auto-renewal on a shall take effect on daily basis subject to credit availability.

Hotlink Promotion

*RM899 (1 free skin for every purchase of Blackberry® CurveTM 8520. While stock last.) Exclusive Blackberry® CurveTM 8520 offer for Hotlink subscribers!

*Terms & Condition
“Pay the full price of the Blackberry® CurveTM 8520 at RM 1,199 to enjoy a RM 300 rebate over a 12- month period. Only available for package subscription of 12-month and above.” By saying this, meaning there’s a commitment for you and you need to use 12 months in order for you to get the rebate if not that BlackBerry Curve 8520 is priced @ RM1,199

So you need to pay RM1,199 upfront and they will rebate you over a 12 months period.

When will the rebate be given?
The rebate will be given at the end of each monthly Prepaid BIS subscription period across the 12-month contract prior to subscription renewal. RM25 for 12 months (RM300). If the monthly Prepaid BIS subscription renewal fails at the end of the subscription period, renewal will be retried for 5 days. If Prepaid BIS subscription is still not renewed within the 5 days grace period, the contract will be deemed to be broken and the remaining monthly rebate will be void.

Hotlink BIS Usage Plan

There’s 4 plans and it might confused you compared to Xpax which only has 2 unlimited plan.

Hotlink BIS Usage Plan : Social RM28 per month, Messaging RM28 per month, Weekly Premium RM28 per week, Premium RM98 per month

Subscribers can enjoy usage up to 100MB for Social and Messaging packages, up to 50MB for Weekly Premium package and up to 1.5GB for Premium package. Subsequent data usage will be charged at a pay per use rate of 1 sen per kB (peak) or 0.5 sen per kB (off peak).

Conclusion

- Xpax no commitment needed for RM998, Hotlink need to stay for 12months to enjoy cheaper phone.
- If opt for BIS premium you need to pay RM98 for Hotlink but you only need to pay RM75+- (e.g. RM2.50*30)
- In the premium plan : Xpax give your more flexibility without worrying you exceed the usage where it give you 1GB per day vs Hotlink 1.5GB per month, if you exceed the usage be prepared to pay the high price but a lot of BlackBerry users who use for push mail and all saying that it’s using very minimum of the usage 5MB.

Additional Info :
1) If you already own a blackberry phone but not purchase from Hotlink, and want to subscribe to Hotlink Blackberry Plan, you are not allowed to do so. On the other hand, for Xpax, you can subscribe to their Blackberry plan regardless of whether it was purchased from them or not.

All the above info quoted from their respective website. What say you about the plan?

Posted in Mobile | 3 Comments »

Xpax BlackBerry Curve 8520 – The new way of keeping yourself up to date.

With Xpax BlackBerry Curve 8520, it’s getting easier for you to connect to your friend and family thru social networking like Facebook, Friendster or Myspace and even twitter.

With social networking apps pre-installed on your BlackBerry® Curve 8520 smartphone, you can keep everyone updated from almost anywhere and whenever you want to. You’ll experience a truely mobile way of living.

Stay connected to the people who matter most with social networking apps on your BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone. So now you do not have excuses saying that I do not have internet connection or internet down and not able to online. Just get a WIFI spot and you are connected!

There are more features to be covered soon. Stay tuned. Pre-register now.

Posted in Blog, Mobile | No Comments »

Maxis or Digi Bringing in New Apple iPhone 3G to Malaysia? Less than RM1000?

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 ─ Apple today begins selling the iPhone 3G to replace earlier and slower models.

Touted as twice the speed, half the price, the 3G model has the same 8GB capacity as the EDGE iPhone but comes with new features such as enterprise applications and GPS.

The phone was Apple’s entry into the crowded and competitive mobile phone sector dominated by Finnish giant Nokia and several Korean and Taiwanese makers.

But the iPhone integrated Apple’s successful and iconic Ipod MP3 player with touch screen features and the company’s famed industrial design to gain market share and appeal to a younger set.

The iPhone 3G will be available in a few Asian nations soon, most of whom have already cracked earlier sets which were tied to US provider AT&T.

Its understood that Maxis will offer the iPhone 3G in Malaysia at a competitive price below RM1,000.

Source : The Malaysian Insider

Will Malaysia Telco bring iPhone 3G to Malaysia? If yes will you get one? For me I will definitely get one coz from the source it’s will be priced below RM1k? Will you believe that?

I have a friend told me that a friend working in Digi said initially Digi will want to launch their 3G service together with this new iPhone 3G and package it but till now Maxis and Digi are still fighting for the rights to solely sell the iPhone in Malaysia? I guess we should wait and see. I will suggest that we should not get the iPhone now and should wait till it announce and it’s definitely worth the wait.

So of my friends are saying that, they will fly to Singapore or Hong Kong to get the iPhone, do you think it worth? iPhone 3G to me is nothing other than the wOw factors. =) Although this iPhone 3G have the 3G functions but it does not have front camera so it can’t be used to do video call.

Some ppl even comment that they will not get iPhone because it’s too common and too many ppl will own it so it’s not special anymore! Haha ridiculous. Then too many ppl drive kancil or proton because it’s cheap then ppl also will not buy it?

iPhone 3G I’m waiting…!

Posted in Announcement, Mobile | 6 Comments »

New iPhone 3G In Stores Friday. Be ready with everything you need

Where to buy. What to bring.

To purchase and activate iPhone 3G, you need the following:*
-Credit card
-Social security number
-Valid government-issued photo ID
-Current wireless account number and password or PIN (if you’re new to AT&T)
-If you already own an iPhone, remember to sync it with iTunes one last time before you get your new iPhone 3G.

Apple Retail Stores

Locate a store near you where you can purchase your iPhone. Then find out what to bring with you. If you’re new to AT&T, for example, you’ll need your current wireless account number and password. Find a store

How to get ready.

iPhone 3G syncs with many applications on your Mac or PC. So if you organize your contacts, calendars, music, photos, and other information now, you’ll be ready to sync when you get your iPhone home. Learn more

Contacts and Calendars

iPhone syncs with iCal and Address Book or Entourage on a Mac, with Outlook on a PC, and with Yahoo! Address Book and Google Contacts on the web.

Email

iPhone works with the most popular email systems—including Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL, and MobileMe. And iTunes syncs the settings from email accounts stored in Mail on a Mac or Outlook on a PC.

Photos

iPhone uses iTunes to sync photos from iPhoto on a Mac, or Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Photoshop Album, or any picture folder on a PC.

Music and Video

If you don’t have the latest version of iTunes, download it now and start a music and video library.

iTunes Account

If you don’t have an iTunes Store account, set one up now by downloading iTunes, selecting the iTunes Store, and clicking the Sign In button in the upper-right corner.

Posted in Announcement, Mobile | 2 Comments »

iPhone 3G hands-on

I want my iPhone 3G! Fast fast come to Malaysia. If not I will fly to Hong Kong or Singapore to steal it. Haha =p

Sorry, we don’t have pictures but Apple took us into a dramatically lit back-room to check out the new iPhone 3G. Here’s what you need to know:

* We did a quick data test — at our location we went from 104Kbps on the EDGE iPhone to 215Kbps on the 3G model. 2x ain’t bad, yo.

* The enable/disable 3G setting is real, and buried a few menus deep. There is no automatic switching, Apple just assumes you’ll leave 3G on, and that the iPhone has the juice to support that usage.

* It’s tri-band 3G, as we reported the other day. This same phone will ship worldwide.

* WiFi is still 802.11b/g, no support for n yet.

* Yes, that GPS is A-GPS, just as we mentioned.

* Geotagging photos is a thumbs-up. We were deep indoors though, so native GPS wasn’t working and we couldn’t get a clear idea of satellite acquisition time.

* The screen looks exactly the same — maybe a tiny bit brighter, but the unit was new, so it’d be negligible.

* The camera is identical to the first — 2 megapixels. No front-facing camera (of course).

* It’s certainly thicker feeling, but they rocked it Treo-style and really tapered those edges, so it just doesn’t feel that different. But because of that curved back, it’ll dance around on your table a little more than your completely-flat original iPhone.

* The plastic back didn’t feel too cheap. In fact, it felt pretty solid. It’s very glossy, so it’ll pick up fingerprints just as well as the glass up front (yay).

* It comes with a ridiculously, absurdly small power adapter. It basically looks like a tiny square with a USB port on one side, and power prongs on the other. It will power any other iDevice (iPod touch, 1st gen iPhone, etc.), and sell separately for those that want a smaller adapter.

* The dock (now sold separately) and adapter (if you want an extra) will both go for something like $29, although that price is not yet confirmed.

* No mention was made of copy/paste, MMS, etc.

* It doesn’t look like this thing is going to fit in your old dock. The new dock does look smaller and more sculpted to the new iPhone’s curves.

* The headphone jack is flush, as mentioned. It’s still 3.5mm, so if you don’t like the out of box phones (which won’t stay in our ears), bring your own, no problem — and no adapter needed!

* Yes, original iPhones are totally gone, you won’t be seeing those made anymore. Long live the aluminum back!

It looks like they took an amazing device and made it significantly better. If the battery life is as good as they claim, we think this will steamroll the competition in the enterprise space. And even if it doesn’t, at $199 it’s going to be extremely hard for people to resist.

source

Posted in Blog | 2 Comments »

New 3G iPhone officially announced, 8GB Starting at USD199. July 11th, but not Malaysia!

Phone, iPod, Internet, and more.

Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do — again.

It’s been a long, leak-filled wait, but Apple finally took the wraps off its 3G iPhone. Thinner edges, full plastic back, flush headphone jack, and the iPhone 2.0 firmware — Apple’s taking a lot of the criticisms to heart from the first time around. Obviously 3G is at the forefront, but they’re also making sure it’s available all over internationally, works with enterprises, runs 3rd party apps… and does it all for cheaper.

Apple claims its 3G speeds trounce the competition, with pageloads 36% faster than the N95 and Treo 750 — and of course it completely trounces the old EDGE data. Battery life isn’t getting put out to pasture though, with 300 hours of standby, 8-10 hours of 2G talk, 5 hours of 3G talk, 7 hours of video and 24 hours of audio. GPS is also a go.

Apple is using A-GPS, which supplements regular satellite GPS data with info from cellular towers. WiFi data is also worked into the mix, which should give users a pretty solid lock on where the heck they are on this planet. Unfortunately, there’s no front-facing cam, which syncs with what we were hearing, but is still a little disappointing. Apple hopes to launch in 70 countries this year.

8GB is available for $199, 16GB for $299 — and the 16GB comes in white. Both pricepoints require a contract. Apple will be hitting the 22 biggest markets, including the US, on July 11th. More info after the break.

Update: Just bought an iPhone? Listen up: “Customers who purchased a 2.5G iPhone on or after May 27 and want to swap it out for a new iPhone will be able to do so without incurring an additional handset charge for the new device. They will of course need to turn in their 2.5G iPhone.” And for the rest of you, AT&T says there’s no way to buy it without agreeing to a contract. So sorry. More details here.

Update 2: We’ve got our hands-on impressions right here.

Other tidbits:
* It’s a teensy bit thicker. 4.5 by 2.4 by 0.48 inches (115.5 by 62.1 by 12.3 mm), and weighs 4.7 ounces (133 grams).

* Radios galore: Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), UMTS / HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM / EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

* A SIM ejector comes in the box, at last.

* There’s no dock included, just a USB power adapter and dock connector.

* No mention has been made of MMS, video recording or built-in iChat. What gives, Apple?

* On the chatting front, developers will be able to ping a centralized push server with their apps, to keep down battery usage and app overload on phones.

* On AT&T unlimited iPhone 3G data plans for consumers will be available for $30 a month, on top of voice plans starting at $39.99 a month. Unlimited 3G data for business users will be $45 a month, on top of voice. There’s a minimum two-year agreement, but we’re not positive what that’ll look like for those currently enslaved to an AT&T contract — you could be looking at a solid four years of time if you just took the plunge.

* Apple’s new MobileMe service will be coming with the iPhone 2.0 software, bringing push email and contacts for all.

* Apple’s official page is here, and you can watch the new ad here.

* Available on July 11th in: Australia, Austria, Belgium (French), Belgium (Dutch), Canada (English), Canada (French), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (French), Switzerland (German), UK, USA

* The rest of these are slated to get the phone this year: Argentina, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, C. African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macau, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Niger, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Singapore, Qatar, Slovakia, South Africa, Turkey, Uruguay.

* Yes, it’s on the FCC.

source

Sad to say Apple decided to leave out Malaysia, but the question is why? Why they even include African, Philippines, South Africa but not Malaysia? Isn’t Malaysia Boleh?

Posted in Mobile | 3 Comments »