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Singtel iPhone Website

The Apple iPhone 2.0 or better known as the iPhone 3G has finally hit the shores of Singapore at 12.01am 22 August 2008. We can all finally say goodbye to those illegal hacked models that have multiple issues on firmware upgrade.

There are a few critical redeeming functions in the new iPhone 3G that makes this phone finally, very usable. I had issues previously in my review when the all hyped iPhone was launch on 29 June last year. Apple got it right this time.

1. 3G
It's something you can live without... something you cannot live without. Before Singapore becomes a true wireless nation, you'd appreciate the 2x faster download speed compared to GPRS. As the iPhone continues to improve in it's in-built GPS capabilities, you can only imagine the power it can release with Google Maps. Think of location awareness, view traffic conditions and geotagging of photos.

2. Exchange Enterprise
This is major! Reason why too many companies could not bring themselves to deploy the iPhone company wide. Finally, the ability to do Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync with the iPhone. Push mail capability for your emails, calendar and contacts! I've read numerous issues with the MobileMe sync module, but it has been tested to work well on WPA Enterprise / 802.1x with PEAP network. Other issues highlighted includes the inability to let enterprise contacts and calendars coexist on the same device with personal contacts and calendars. This effectively means that your device can only serve as an enterprise device OR a personal device, but not both at once. What happened to enjoying both work and play?!?!

But what I felt was well thought of and vitally important for any enterprise is the iPhone's function to Remote Wipe. Just in case your device is stolen or lost, the data on the machine can be remotely erased.

3. Price
Now this one is quite hard to resist. Apple has slashed the price by 1/2 to as low as USD$199 for the 8GB model.

This is SingTel's price plan:
Singtel iPhone Price Plans

$56 iFlexi Value Plan - $348 (8 GB); $508 (16GB)
$95 iFlexi Plus Plan - $49 (8GB); $208 (16GB)
$205 iFlexi Premium - iPhone is FREE!!

Which honestly, is very affordable.

4. Other lame but rather important features updated included:
- Calendar colours support, meaning you can finally visually tell your appointments apart based on calendar.
- Can do screen capture
- Can read PowerPoint, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents
- Easier to enter passwords
- Other language support
- Common earphone jack
- Improved battery life (Stand-by time: 300hs, 3G Talktime: 5hrs, Video: 7hrs and Audio: 24hrs)

There is always room for improvement, but some too important to ignore after 1 year of continued R&D and user complaints:
- Size, Size, Size!!!
- Easily-replaceable battery - especially being that 3G is much more demanding on battery power
- Copy / paste. DUH!
- MMS. Ditto!
- Expandable memory . 8 and 16GB capacities are very decent, but the ability to go further with microSDHC would be welcomed by many.
- Push Gmail. Hey, if Helio can have it on the Ocean, and Samsung on the Instinct, why is Apple stuck with only push Yahoo mail?
- Service-independent device to machine wireless syncing.


And for the enterprise users in the audience, the shortlist of ActiveSync / Exchange bits that didn't make the cut:
- Folder management
- Opening links in email to documents stored on Sharepoint
- Task sync
- Setting an out of office autoreply
- Creating meeting invitations
- Flagging messages for followup


I must say there is a lot of good going for the iPhone. With cross service provider number retention now on at no additional cost, it is so very tempting. But for the moment it's a nice to have rather then a must have. Considering the more important things I need to purchase at current. Hopefully, by then, prices will drop even further.

Other iPhone related entries:
It's an iPod, an iPod Video... a Phone... iPhone
iPhone Launched Around US

9 comments:

  1. read that you can forward sms, bluetooth with your pc too...basic functions?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oops! I mean you CAN'T

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fwah! Where did you hear that from? I'd like to read that up myself... but better still, someone lend me their iPhone for a week for me to play myself!

    More reviews on basic function issues:

    Apple Doesn't Have a Problem With iPhone Cut and Paste, They Just Don't Care
    http://gizmodo.com/5025079/apple-doesnt-have-a-problem-with-iphone-cut-and-paste-they-just-dont-care

    iPhone 3G problems
    http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/9636.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's digital life, the ST supplement last week OR last friday's report some where in ST.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yupe, a colleague got herself the iPhone. Confirm cannot forward SMS, but she was commenting that there is a 3rd party plug-in that can solve the problem.

    ReplyDelete
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  8. Who told you that I still want the cameras ...

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    ReplyDelete
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