StarHub's pfingo brings interconnectivity to your hands

Damian Koh | Mar 29, 2007

Sure, we've had Pushmail, Internet telephony, instant messaging and remote file access services. But to house them all on a single client interface? That's something new and possibly one of the first to market.

Editors' note:

29 March 2007--StarHub Singapore has announced at a press briefing that the public can sign up for pfingo services starting today. According to the company, the three-month trial will be available free for between 2,000 and 3,000 users on a first-come-first-serve basis from 2 April. Successful applicants can also look forward to receive S$20 (US$13.16) worth of international voice (via VoIP) and SMS credits and a choice of a 3-series number for internet telephony.

Interested users can sign up at the Web site here. Just don't be the 3,001th person to click submit on the portal.

22 March 2007--StarHub Singapore has started a three-month closed trial for a select group of 30 users to test out its new mobile service concept and platform. The beauty of pfingo as we were told at today's press briefing is that it's not tied to any operator nor any phone, which means if you're on MobileOne or SingTel (in Singapore), you won't be left out when the service becomes commercially available.

Registering ourselves on the pfingo portal was a breeze and we get to pick the number we want. Before we continue, signing up for the service means you'll get a new eight-digit mobile number that begins with "3" instead of the current "9" and "8". This number forms the heart and soul of pfingoTALK which works regardless of your location; it allows you to talk for free (to any pfingoTALK number) when connected to a Wi-Fi network and any Singapore number for a monthly flat rate.

The two other services, pfingoACTIVE and pfingoMAIL, activate Pushmail (up to five accounts), RSS feeds, instant messaging, remote file access and synchronizes with Microsoft Outlook for Contacts, Calendars and Tasks. Our main concern was with the data charges involved when we connect to either GPRS or 3G networks in the absence of Wi-Fi. To that, StarHub claims pfingo's services use a highly efficient data compression so the actual number of bits transferred is actually smaller. As to how that pans out in actual use, we'll update nearer to the end of the trial.

At press time, StarHub Singapore had no indication of the price plans involved, though users can expect the service to roll out over the next few weeks.

Did you know?

pfingo (pronounced fing-go, with a silent p) comprises two parts: P for phone, and fingo to represent your fingers on-the-go.

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