January 12th, 2010 — News
Oh wow, it’s certainly been quite some time since I posted here, since any one of us did, eh, EM? Anyhow, just to start off with, here’s a quick selection of some of the more interesting links that have popped up in my twitter feed. Here’s to more frequent posting on RG!
The Nexus One is finally out, and predictably, the Android 2.1 SDK follows.
I wonder how long it takes the AP and their affiliated sites to realize that they need Google more than Google needs them?
After a no-show at CES 2010, seems like we won’t be seeing Windows Mobile 7 till much, much later. Wonder if the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona will be an Android-only affair.
CES was quite fun this year, and having the internet also meant that you didn’t really need to be there to see what went down on the show floors. Scoble pretty much covers all the bases here, from 3D TVs to e-readers and so on.
It’s very interesting how something as decidedly low-tech as fonts could have so many issues when translated to supposedly cutting-edge platforms. Makes you want to rethink just how you use fonts on your machine.
February 12th, 2009 — Soapbox
I’ve gotten some pretty interesting news from the grapevine recently regarding the HTC Dream. It seems that HTC might not be bringing the Dream into the Malaysian market at all and might instead opt to bring in the upcoming G2 instead. One reason I heard was that due to various issues the HTC Dream or rathe the T1 Mobile G1 had, it would be more feasible to bring in the better designed and built G2. As much as I’d appreciate a better working and less buggy device, this also means the possiblity of an Android phone hitting Malaysia very much later.
Considering that the other Android device by Kogan, the Angora, is most likely not coming here and other Android devices still in the works, I’m expecting Android to hit Malaysian shores only sometime in the 3rd quarter of this year. So for those waiting to have a go at Android you might have to wait a little bit longer.
February 6th, 2009 — Inbox
In the previous post, we noted that the HTC Dream would finally be making its way to Singapore. In an exclusive deal with HTC, SingTel happens to be the only telco in the region to bring in the Dream, similar to what happened with the iPhone 3G. And since SingTel also happens to own Australian telco Optus, the HTC Dream’ll also be made available there as well.
A tipster alerted us to the Optus website already showing a product page for the HTC Dream, along with corresponding price plans, though actual availability is yet unknown. Unfortunately though, Singaporeans are out of luck, as the only reference to the Dream we could find at this point was the press release. On the other hand though, our sources say that SingTel price plans for the HTC Dream should be made available within the next couple of weeks, probably before the end of February.
As for the other Singapore telcos (M1 and StarHub), much like what happened with the iPhone 3G, it’s probably a long shot that the HTC Dream will be made available to either one. Then again, if you really can’t wait, enterprising individuals are already selling the HTC Dream, albeit badged as the T-Mobile G1. Online retailer Expansys Singapore for example, lists the T-Mobile G1 as being available for a cool S$1349.
Alternatively, you can always pick up an Android developer unlocked device, the Android Dev Phone 1. Dev Phones are fully unlocked, letting you use any SIM card in the device, as well as being able to flash custom Andriod builds that work with the unlocked bootloader, which doesn’t enforce signed system images. The device goes for US$399, with free shipping in the United States, but is also available in 18 other countries including Singapore, though shipping charges apply. Also, you’ll need to sign up as an Android developer for a small fee before you can buy a Dev Phone.
