Singapore's Samsung Galaxy Nexus weekend

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On Thursday, Samsung pumped through the blogs and social media that February 11 would be the day the telcos start selling the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the newest Nexus--a phone with original Google software not adulterated by the phone manufacturer, used by Google as THE benchmark for its Android operating system. This is the "pure Google experience" phone, and it will be the first one to get all the updates and the goodies. It's also the phone all developers would use to try out their applications.

Straightaway the mobile phone talk throughout the Internet reached a fever pitch. Even more so when it was revealed that Singapore would be the first in the world to sell the White Galaxy Nexus. Some consolation for the injured pride that followed the months of delay which Singapore endured to get the Galaxy Nexus--even Malaysia had it first. :)

On Friday night, it was leaked that SingTel's online store would exclusively sell the White Galaxy Nexus and StarHub and M1 people cried foul. Even SingTel subscribers who just wanted to visit the physical shops to queue for the phone lamented that they wouldn't be able to get the white version.



On Saturday, some people with certain SingTel account combinations, including me, just could NOT buy the White Galaxy Nexus online at all! No explanations, just told us to get to the SingTel shop to buy it instead of getting it online.

I went to the SingTel Shop at the financial district, and as expected, no queues, and I got my black phone. People who went to the SingTel headquarters at Comcentre found out that it ran out of stock at 11am or something. They were redirected to various SingTel shops around the country, but at 4.30pm thereabouts, the final set was probably sold at Parkway Parade, and the weeping and gnashing of teeth started online promptly using the old smartphones which didn't get replaced. Later, it was rumoured that each SingTel shop only had 20 units each, which is ridiculous for such a long-awaited model!

StarHub sold the white set too (so SingTel was misleading customers!!!) but it also sold the handset via its retail shops. As expected, it promptly ran out of stock of the whites and even the blacks were just about finished by Saturday's end.

Same story for M1--it completely depleted its stocks on Sunday.

There's still some inventory at non-telco stores but you'd have to pay full, unsubsidized price for them--about S$800 instead of the telco prices. Here's the price comparison courtesy of SGphonedeals:



So how's the phone? It's been reviewed ad nauseum, so just a few sentences from me, my personal take on it. The new operating system, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich/Android 4.0x, is so awesome and powerful, the design so optimized for human habit and behavior, that it surpasses Apple in user friendliness and usability by a huge margin. Battery life is a little suspect but I'll have to be able to tear myself from my phone to be sure of that.

And it can read EZlink cards when the fruit phone can't. Here's the app!