New iPhone 3G S price plans out

The new iPhone 3G S from software giant Apple will be available on Friday and telco SingTel has released the pricing plans for the hotly-anticipated mobile phone.

Like the iPhone 3G launched last August, the iPhone 3G S can be bought only with a data and mobile package from SingTel for up to $678, depending on the plans.

This contrasts with up to $848 for the existing iPhone 3G.

If the subscriber is contracted to a monthly $95 plan, he can get the new iPhone 3G S with 16GB or 32GB memory for free or $138, respectively.

The 16GB and 32GB versions can otherwise go for up to $548 or $678, respectively.

The cheaper the SingTel plan subscribed to, the pricier the iPhone 3G S.

The cheapest plan is the $39 a month iFlexi Lite plan, which comes with 500MB of bundled data for surfing online with the phone and 100 minutes of outgoing talk-time.

The most expensive plan is the iFlexi Premium, priced at $205 a month. It comes with 3GB of bundled data plus 1,500 minutes of outgoing talktime.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 3G S can be made at www.singtel.com/reserve with a $50 deposit.

Phones that have been pre-ordered can be collected with a free $30 iPhone accessory voucher at SingTel Comcentre along Exeter Road this Friday, from 8pm.

Existing 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G users can trade in their phones for the new iPhone 3G S and expect to top up at no cost and up to $738.

However, upgrades are not available for the cheapest iFlexi Lite plan.

The new iPhone 3G S comes in black or white, and looks similar to the iPhone 3G. But it comes with a faster processor, an upgraded operating system and a better camera.

Logistics manager Danny Lim, 32, was excited over the launch of the iPhone 3G S.

"I can't wait to get the new iPhone. With my subscription eligible for extension soon, it'd be the perfect time to get it," he said.

Visit www.singtel.com/iphone for more details.

Mad rush for iPhone 3G S downs telco's system

BARELY a day after telco SingTel released its pricing plans for the much-anticipated iPhone 3G S, would-be customers ran into problems trying to pre-order the phone.

Many were unable to access the SingTel website for pre-orders for hours on end. When they managed to do so, there were other problems, such as being unable to pay with their credit cards.

Call the customer service hotline? Unreliable. Sometimes, calls could not be put through or went unanswered.

Contacted yesterday, SingTel apologised for the inconvenience. Its spokesman said the pre-order website had seen an "unprecedented number of orders since it went live on Monday evening". He declined to reveal the exact figure.

The company has since increased the capacity of the registration website to handle more traffic.

Marketing manager Daniel Chong told my paper he spent 12 hours trying to get onto the website and make a pre-order payment. All came to nought.

Mr Chong, 28, said: "The first time I called customer service, they said there was a problem with the account and reset my password. It didn't work. After two more calls I gave up and searched for help online."

He eventually reserved the phone yesterday morning.

The frustration has spilled online onto several forums like HardwareZone, while many others tweeted about it.

Netizen gongchen posted on HardwareZone on Monday: "I have been calling for the last 30 minutes. Finally they (SingTel) answered but they told me their system is down, and asked me to try again tomorrow morning."

Netizen deep3lue posted on the same forum yesterday morning: "If they (SingTel) want to do the registration online, make sure the system can support it."

Mr Chong agreed, saying: "SingTel should have anticipated the demand after all, similar problems happened when they launched the 3G last year."

新一代iPhone 3G S售价更便宜

第三代Apple iPhone 3G S手机将在本星期五在本地发售。

本星期五在本地发售的第三代Apple iPhone 3G S手机，将比上一款iPhone便宜，而合约未满2年的现有iPhone用户，也能提前以旧机换新机（trade in）购买第三代iPhone。

新电信（SingTel）昨天公布iPhone 3G S的发售时间和价格。新一代手机售价介于$0至$678，视不同配套而定，这比去年售出超过100,000台的iPhone 3G在8月面市时高达$848的价格来得低。

签订$205月费配套的公众，可免费获得32 GB的iPhone 3G S；签订每月$39配套的公众，则能分别以$548和$678购买16 GB或32 GB的iPhone 3G S。

此外，已完成至少6个月合约的现有SingTel iPhone 3G用户，也能提前trade in旧iPhone，购买新版本，所需支付的手机费用介于$200至$738。

SingTel将于本星期五晚上8时，开始在总部Comcentre发售iPhone 3G S，所有hello!商店会从下星期一起售卖新一代iPhone。公众也可上网www.singtel.com/reserve预订。

New iPhone 3G S price plans out

The new iPhone 3G S from software giant Apple will be available on Friday and telco SingTel has released the pricing plans for the hotly-anticipated mobile phone.

Like the iPhone 3G launched last August, the iPhone 3G S can be bought only with a data and mobile package from SingTel for up to $678, depending on the plans.

This contrasts with up to $848 for the existing iPhone 3G.

If the subscriber is contracted to a monthly $95 plan, he can get the new iPhone 3G S with 16GB or 32GB memory for free or $138, respectively.

The 16GB and 32GB versions can otherwise go for up to $548 or $678, respectively.

The cheaper the SingTel plan subscribed to, the pricier the iPhone 3G S.

The cheapest plan is the $39 a month iFlexi Lite plan, which comes with 500MB of bundled data for surfing online with the phone and 100 minutes of outgoing talk-time.

The most expensive plan is the iFlexi Premium, priced at $205 a month. It comes with 3GB of bundled data plus 1,500 minutes of outgoing talktime.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 3G S can be made at www.singtel.com/reserve with a $50 deposit.

Phones that have been pre-ordered can be collected with a free $30 iPhone accessory voucher at SingTel Comcentre along Exeter Road this Friday, from 8pm.

Existing 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G users can trade in their phones for the new iPhone 3G S and expect to top up at no cost and up to $738.

However, upgrades are not available for the cheapest iFlexi Lite plan.

The new iPhone 3G S comes in black or white, and looks similar to the iPhone 3G. But it comes with a faster processor, an upgraded operating system and a better camera.

Logistics manager Danny Lim, 32, was excited over the launch of the iPhone 3G S.

"I can't wait to get the new iPhone. With my subscription eligible for extension soon, it'd be the perfect time to get it," he said.

Visit www.singtel.com/iphone for more details.

Online Only - New iPhone will be launched in S’pore on July 10

Good news for those waiting to lay their hands on the latest iPhone. SingTel will launch the newest version of the smartphone on Friday, July 10.

Dubbed the iPhone 3GS, it sports new features such as video recording and editing, a built-in digital compass and voice control, according to its maker Apple. And it is up to twice as fast as the current model, Apple added.

Mr Chia Boon Chong, SingTel’s deputy director of corporate communications, told Today demand for the new model had been very high:

"Interest in the iPhone 3GS remains very high, comparable to last year. Tens of thousands of people have already registered their interest in the phone on our website," he said.

Details on pricing and upgrading are expected to be announced early next week. Launched in the United States on June 19, the newest version currently retails at US$199 there for the 16GB model and US$299 for the 32GB model, with a subscription plan.

The first version of the touch-screen based smartphone was not released here. Its second version, the iPhone 3G was launched in Singapore last August.

Mr Chia said the 16GB version of the current iPhone 3G model had already sold out and only the 8GB version remained available.

SingTel is the sole distributor of the iPhone in Singapore.

Brand manager Ms Lauretta Fletcher, who is waiting to get her hands on the latest iPhone said: "I’d definitely want more options now that I’m not on a contract. Each telco has its own advantages. But it looks like I’ll still be sticking to SingTel. The iPhone has a clean look and compared to other smartphones, it has tons of mobile applications available for it. I’ve pretty much made up my mind."

For more information, visit www.singtelshop.com/iPhone3GS or www.apple.com/iphone

第三代iPhone手机7月10日在新加坡面市

　这是苹果公司最快最强的iPhone手机，新电信下周初将会宣布价格详情。据新电信发言人透露，已经有好几万人上网登记表示有兴趣购买这款第三代iPhone手机。

新电信昨日宣布，下周五（7月10日）正式推出第三代iPhone手机——iPhone 3GS，目前已有好几万人上网登记要购买，盛况可比去年（经济衰退前）第二代iPhone手机登场的情景。

这是苹果公司（Apple Inc.）最快最强的iPhone手机，新电信（SingTel）下周初将会宣布价格详情。

据发言人受询时透露，已经有好几万人上网登记表示有兴趣购买这款第三代iPhone手机，消费者的购买兴趣仍旧非常浓厚。

去年，在接受登记的首几天，便有数以千计的消费者上网登记，直到正式发售之前，登记人数持续增加至好几万。

发烧友热度 不输第二代iPhone手机

而上月新电信开始接受人们上网登记认购iPhone 3GS手机至今，同样是两个星期的时间，登记人数同样有好几万人，经济衰退似乎没有使iPhone发烧友的热情退减，而且热度可说是不输给去年第二代iPhone手机登场时的情形。

这是一款空前大热门的智能手机，它在全球的受欢迎程度，令诺基亚（Nokia）、黑莓（Blackberry）和Palm等原本领先的智能手机厂商大受威胁。它还促使许多厂商纷纷推出类似的智能手机，迎合消费者的口味。

据新电信发言人说，就连现有的16G记忆量的第二代iPhone手机，也已经售完。

电池是老问题 据报道每天得充电

iPhone 3GS手机分阶段在各地登陆，两周前在美加等八个国家率先面市，上周五开始在日澳等六个国家面市，下周五轮到新、港、丹麦、波兰等30多个市场，8月9日再到另外30多个国家。

这是苹果公司最快最强的iPhone手机，新电信下周初将会宣布价格详情。据新电信发言人透露，已经有好几万人上网登记表示有兴趣购买这款第三代iPhone手机。

另据报道，iPhone 3GS手机功能越是强大，越突显它自第一代便一直存在的老问题——电池。

它在美国已面市两周，据《洛杉矶时报》报道，一些消费者发现每天得为它充电，视屏大以及3G功能的经常使用，是电力消耗得快的主要原因。

也有专家说，使用3G功能耗电，是因为AT&T公司的3G网络讯号塔不过多所致，离讯号塔越远，手机越耗电。

Want free songs? Get AMPed

SINGAPORE, our iTunes moment may have arrived.

TNP PICTURE: MOHD ISHAK

We finally have SingTel's AMPed service.

It joins other music-on-your-mobile services like Nokia's Comes With Music and Sony Ericsson's PlayNow Plus.

But it is arguably the most promising replacement for a full-featured iTunes store that seems unlikely to reach our shores anytime soon.

Like PlayNow Plus and Comes With Music, AMPed has the very attractive proposition of letting users download songs for free.

But it holds only 500,000 songs, compared to Comes With Music (4 million) and PlayNow Plus (3.5 million).

You can access AMPed on your phone or on the web, as long as you are on one of SingTel's three 3G Flexi plans, or you've signed up for their $9.90 BroadBand on Mobile service on top of your existing plan.

You can download as many songs as you want. But SingTel allows you to permanently keep only 15 songs each month. The rest will automatically be made inactive. If you don't use all 15 credits, they will be rolled over to the next month.

A point to note here: The music is not in MP3 format, but in copy-protected Windows Media Audio format. It means you can play these songs only on a Windows media player.

Interactive space

Getting started with AMPed is a slight hassle.

Since it's meant as an interactive space for music fans, it's essential that you login from a computer and create your profile.

Once you've done that, you're all ready to browse music on your AMPed-ready phone.

The AMPed application, which takes just a few seconds to load, brings you a homepage with highlights of the day's top downloads and featured artists.

Downloading is a breeze and, at SingTel's 3G speeds, not too much of a hassle. Songs can be browsed by recommendations, artist, albums, genres and shared playlists. When you've made your selection, the song downloads in the background, while you continue to browse the store.

As part of its interactivity, SingTel allows users to keep and update profile pages, Facebook-style, with your current mood.

But at this stage, the interactive functions are mostly confined to the web portal. You can't create, edit and share playlists on your phone.

Another gripe is that, unlike iTunes, you can't download a whole album in one click. Songs must be downloaded individually, which can be frustrating.

But clearly, AMPed is not just a music download service. It integrates interactivity with music news and, as 2,000 lucky fans experienced last month with pop sensation Lady Gaga, opportunities to meet up with their favourite artistes.

I was particularly impressed with how the service responded to Michael Jackson's death.

They created a tribute playlist with old favourites like Ben, I Want You Back and I'll Be There - all ready to be downloaded into phones.

But this is also where AMPed showed its limitations.

Where was Thriller? Billie Jean? Or the rest of Jackson's later hits?

SingTel currently has only one music partner, Universal Music Group, which doesn't own the rights to Jackson's later works, which are on Sony's Epic Records.

With AMPed, there are no additional data charges for either browsing the store or downloading songs on the phone, unlike Nokia's and Sony Ericsson's services.

While AMPed is currently available to 11 handsets from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung, the telco is working to get the service as an application to more brands and models.

Enjoying Nokia's Comes With Music plan essentially means upgrading to a Nokia phone every year. Even then, only certain models come packed with the service. PlayNow Plus comes only with the W705 phone.

Once SingTel gets its music partnerships in place and the service is extended to more phones, who needs iTunes?

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