I recall reading that in a few countries the iPhone will be sold unlocked. In which countries? I travel a lot so I have SIM cards for multiple countries. For me, a locked phone is a brick.

Well, Australia is one of them right now. (Good luck in buying it there as stocks are very low and you end up paying about AUD$800+++) Singapore will be one of them. Hong Kong is rumored but I cannot confirm. I can of course ask 3 but frankly speaking, more likely I will get a few sets from SingTel here for my staff. Battery Life on the White is well, worst then a Windows Mobile PDA.

Hope this helps.

Studio Head
Personae Studios Singapore

I know it is good battery life compare to lots of other things. What I am saying is that I do have a white iPhone 3G. And I find the power usage abit on the high side. But it is because I have both 3G and Push switch on. I do own a Dopod 838pro, the battery life on that phone seems slightly better then the iPhone 3G. But compare to the older iPhone which I did not have wireless data on, that i need to recharge on a 2 to 3 day basis, the windows mobile phone, I have, about 1 to 2 days and the iPhone 3G, must remember to charge on a daily basis. As for what I was comparing, I was referring to the time when the average Windows Mobile PDA User compare to a Palm III user, or even the Palm IIIc has to recharge daily. (Compare to 1 week for the IIIc or change batteries once a month for the III) But I think I am trying to say is that the features are so good that you end up using the battery faster then other devices. Sorry if gave the impression that the iPhone 3G is not as good as other phones, but I find it too useful and it ends up sucking the battery flat.

Studio Head
Personae Studios Singapore

Thank you very much for your response. I have actually been working from March 2007 to May 2008 with Machines Sdn Bhd, the largest Apple Premium Reseller in Malaysia.

I am currently not associated with any company.

I have been in London, with a bit of a trip to Belgium and the Netherlands in the past two months.

I've managed to get myself at this stage a locked AT&T iPhone 3G White 16GB (battery issues aside lol), it is pretty awesome.

I appreciate the details you have provided me.

I'm not sure I will jump in on the grabbing-an-iPhone3G craze over the next several weeks in Singapore, but what I am interested in is speaking to some Apple Premium Resellers there, for example, lining up some interviews.

I'm pursuing this on an ongoing basis and we'll see what happens over the next several weeks.

It is interesting that Singtel will be the major distributor, and not the Apple Premium Resellers (as far as I know) that have invested their long-term time, effort and money in Apple, Inc. In educating customers and taking care of them well (hopefully, most of the time).

Edit: no offense to Singtel, but I wish them all the best because they will have a big challenge on their hands, as we know from many telcos and even Apple official stores around the world.

I'll tell you what is probably going to happen. If the iPhone is sold unlocked, there is going to be a massive amount that will find its way out of the country. I'm not one to comment here on the legality, political, customs and other issues. It is a thorny area.

It seems that in Johor (southern part of Malaysia next to Singapore for those that don't know the area) an iPhone 3G from other parts of the world may be going for USD $1000+ still locked to the original network (if it is not from Hong Kong or Belgium).

I think in South East Asia with Singapore getting huge amounts (relatively to individual countries), for example maybe in excess of 100,000 units in the next few weeks (perhaps?) ... it's going to be pretty crazy.

I wonder if the Philippines iPhone 3G is sold unlocked.

Well, for those in the region, buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a crazy ride.

Quote:

Originally Posted by clockwork-master

Okay, I do have a Johor staff in my game studio so I understand the issues. First of all, it is confirmed that the Singapore iPhone is unlocked due to legal requirements by IDA. (Trust me, both SingTel and IDA are quoted on it) That means as soon as you pick up the phone you can put another sim card inside. It will be sold under contract as far as I know, I don't know how many phones will there be for the SingTel launch. (Note that the number of phones on the island is more then what being sold as Apple has its Hub for the region here, my Australian 3G phone had to come from Singapore to Australia and now back into my hands) StarHub has confirmed officially to people, including myself that they will have the phone in december this year. As for the date, the 22nd is next Friday. I rather not queue up for the iPhone personally and if I need more, I would more likely get the SingTel manager to come to the office with the phones, but if you want, you have to find out where the Hello! shops are. I am not sure about Malaysia but I know there is an AppStore operating there. (And it is transacting money) But honestly as a iPhone developer, if you want to get the iPhone for software development, it is better to use the iPod Touch unless you really need the features of the phone. The Activation and Beta firmware is best left on non-critical devices.

Studio Head
Personae Studios Singapore