Is Singapore becoming tech-spensive?

If you are a geek, and are on a trip to Japan or the US, there is no doubt that a visit to a tech shopping area like Akihabara would be in order. Not only do these places have amazing variety that makes your local tech mall look like a 7-Eleven store, prices are generally cheaper there even after you factor in the exchange rate. To a lesser extent, Singapore has had such a reputation in this region, too. You frequently see tourists or businessmen from countries like Malaysian, Indonesia, the Philippines and even the Middle East snapping up items from tech malls like Sim Lim Square and Funan DigitalLife Mall.

But a recent discussion on the Singapore Palm Users' Group (SPUG) got me thinking, is Singapore becoming too expensive?
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Padded lampposts for texting walkers

After reading this story, I checked my calendar to make sure it wasn't April Fools' Day. Apparently, lampposts are being padded as a trial in London to protect pedestrians when they are looking at their mobile phone while walking. The trial is being started at Brick Lane, which has the highest number of "walking and texting" injuries in the UK.

This is a prime example of using taxpayers' money to protect the stupid. If someone is dumb enough to walk into a lamppost because he's looking at a phone display instead of where he's going, he deserves that knock on the head. On the bright side, at least the hobos there will have something easy to steal so they can get a better night's rest.

News and image courtesy of Yahoo! (Via Engadget)

i-mate Ultimate series to debut at IT Show 2008

Finally, after months of anticipation and delays, i-mate will begin to sell its Ultimate range of Windows Mobile handhelds. The Dubai-based company will offer them for sale at retail, with all four of them available from tomorrow at the IT Show 2008 in Singapore.

It doesn't seem like i-mate will be tying up with the operators for this, so those hoping to get an operator discount may have to wait-and-see. The company did get a deal done with Australian operator Telstra Down Under--that was announced last month at the Mobile World Congress. We currently don't have information about where else in Asia it will be launched for now, so look out for an update when we do find out.

In any case, the important thing is that you can now get your hands on these PDA-phones. Prices will range from S$998 to S$1,348 for the flagship Ultimate 9502. Check out our IT Show 2008 special for details on the prices and bundles.

GPS-flavored BlackBerry Pearl

RIM launched its BlackBerry Curve 8300 with no Wi-Fi or GPS and then followed up with the 8310 (GPS-enabled) and 8320 (Wi-Fi) devices. The BlackBerry Pearl 8100 also had its 8120 Wi-Fi version. So it doesn't take a genius to figure out how the GPS version of the Pearl will be numbered.

Announced in Singapore exclusively with local operator SingTel, the 8110 has all the features of the Pearl email devices including the company's legendary user-friendly pushmail service, a 3.5mm audio jack for multimedia purposes and a microSD slot. The default application for use with its built-in GPS is BlackBerry Maps, but there are other third-party ones out there for its use as a navigator.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 is available now in Singapore at S$538 with a two-year operator contract. It has also been launched in India and Hong Kong. Check with your local operator to find out when it will come to your country. For those disappointed that about not getting BOTH Wi-Fi and GPS in a Curve or Pearl, well, it has to come eventually. For us, we'd rather have 3G first.

bPhone gives BlackBerry the iPhone feel

Want an iPhone, but have a BlackBerry? You ought to look at bPhone for BlackBerry, a theme whipped up by 25-year-old computer programmer Matthew Rogers one afternoon last September.

You'll most appreciate the iPhone-like essence of one of Rogers' three theme layouts in the start screen, though the theme does also extend into the style of the context menu. "Icon" is the most typical theme, and the one that Rogers most prefers. "Zen" drops icons into a side bar, and "Today" makes a day planner of the home screen. You can install any or all of the themes, and activate them from BlackBerry's Advanced Options menu.

bPhone's default aquatic background (you can change the wallpaper) is overlain with rounded-corner box icons reminiscent of the iPhone. Rogers confided he built all the icons from scratch, though he borrowed from iPhone's looks, and had to compromise some style (a partially transparent BlackBerry menu) with functionality (it crashed Google Maps) while implementing the Plazmic Content Developer's Kit.

Third-party apps don't have icons, so if you're not into a dual-themed display, bPhone may not be for you.

bPhone is free, as are Rogers' other themes, though he'll gladly accept US$1, US$2, US$5, and US$10 donations.

Via Crave CNET

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