Singapore iPhone Fan

Apple has finally launched its fifth edition of iPhone called iPhone 4S yesterday.  It is quite surprising that they called it iPhone 4S instead of the widely speculated iPhone 5 as it is running on iOS5 which was announced a few months ago.   Apple didn’t really explain why but my guess is that it looks the same as iPhone 4 but with a much faster processor.  Just like iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

iPhone 4S has a number of new features.  Among them, what I really like is the new camera and Siri.  The new camera is 8M and has a aperture of 2.4.  It has added a additional lens and better sensor.  From the video, the sample photos taken by the iPhone 4S are really comparable with those taken from camera.  One thing I don’t like about my existing iPhone is the camera.  Apple has really made a great improvement.  The Siri is really incredible.  It is really like your personal assistance.  You can talk to it and it knows how to search for your answer.  It is very handy while driving.  I confess that sometimes I use my iPhone while driving.   Hope the Siri can understand Singlish and the lah, ya, lor.

Together with iPhone 4S and iOS5, Apple also announced iCloud yesterday.  It is another genius idea from Apple that helps you to synchronize information among the Apple devices.  And you don’t even need a computer.

iPhone will be available in Singapore on 28 Oct.  Should I upgrade my 3GS to 4S?

If you had visited this site in the past few months, you would have noticed that the site was different.  Yes, this site was hacked a few times (at least 2 times).  When it was first hacked, I managed to recover it and quickly upgraded to the latest version of WordPress.  However, after a few weeks, it was hacked again by a different hacker.  I was so upset and I left it there for a while.  Later, I cleaned up all the files and re-installed the WordPress.  I put up a post to inform the visitors that the site was hacked and I was in the process of recovering it.  I wanted to see whether the site will get hack again.

Today, I can’t wait anymore to restore it from an old backup (I have lost some of my posts) because I want to tell my fellow iPhone Fan a good news (see my next post).  I have also taken some measures to tighten the security.  Hope that it will not be hacked again.

First of all, I want to apologise for not posting anything for the last few months due to my heavy work commitment. Some of you may think that I am missing in action. While my workload has not reduced, there is good news today that I must let my fellow Singapore iPhone Fans know. That is iPad 2 is available in Singapore. In addition, iPhone 4 White is also available now.

From Apple Store, iPad 2 with WiFi is selling at S$688 for 16GB, S$798 for 32GB and S$928 for 64GB. If you pay another S$180 more, you can get the 3G version. They have stopped selling the first version of iPad. The smart cover is selling at S$54 for the Polyurethane material while the leather one costs S$98.

iPhone 4 White is finally available after about 1 year from the release of iPhone 4. Although you can’t buy it from the Apple Store now, the telcos are already marketing it. Personally, I still like the black version.

Zagg is giving away free stuff again. From Oct 11 till Jan 1, Zagg is giving away a free gift every week to the lucky winners. The free gifts include iPod Shuffle, iPod Touch, iPad to the grand prize of Apple 27″ iMac in the last week. Just go their website and enter your name and email address, you can be a luck winner.

I have not been lucky in the last draw but I will continue to try my luck.

The hottest topic about smartphone this week must be the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 (WP7) since it was unveiled to the world on Monday. There has been much reviews and reports on it. However, as a iPhone fan, I am not particularly interested. I am so happy with my current iPhone and not keen to find out what WP7 has to offer.

What prompt me to write is about this feature in iOS 4 which some iPhone users (yes iPhone users and not iPhone fans) are still not aware. In this week alone, I have encountered 3 iPhone users who do not know about this. I have shown it to my colleague who has just bought a iPhone 4 and have seen 2 other iPhone users talking about it. It is about how to lock the iPhone screen orientation, ie whether in Portrait or Landscape mode. Prior to iOS 4, you cannot lock the screen orientation. It can sometime be quite annoying because when you tilt the iPhone, it will switch to the other mode. This is especially so when you are talking photo or video. With iOS 4 and above, you can easily lock and unlock the screen orientation. You just need to double click the Home button and scroll to the extreme left. You will find a grey icon with a circle in the centre. Just need to tap on the icon and you can lock the screen in Portrait mode. Once it is locked, it will not switch mode even if you turn the iPhone around. To unlock, simply tap the icon again.

If you have decided to buy iPhone 4, get it before 30 Sep. It is because Apple has decided to stop giving free bumper for all iPhone 4 buyers after 30 Sep. However, for those who experience signal degradation, they can still get a free bumper through customer service on a case-by-case basis. Apple now know that the iPhone 4 antenna attenuation issue is even smaller than they originally thought. They are also reverting to the company’s standard 30-day return policy.

For Singapore iPhone 4 user, it is unlikely that they will encounter signal problem. So, you will get free bumper from Apple after 30 Sep.

The iPhone 4 has been available in Singapore for about a month. So far, all the people I know using iPhone 4 in Singapore do not complain about the antenna problem even without the bumper. In fact, I tried gripping the antennagate of the iPhone 4 to simulate the problem but was not able to so. It seems like the mobile phone network in Singapore is really better. So Singapore iPhone fans don’t have to worry about the iPhone 4 antenna problem if you plan to upgrade.

One thing that you may not know is that the SAR level (a measure of radio frequency energy that is absorbed by the body) of iPhone 4 is indeed higher than iPhone 3GS but it is lower than iPhone 3G. According to CNET reviews, the SAR of iPhone 4 is 1.17 w/kg compared to 0.79 w/kg for iPhone 3GS and 1.38 w/kg for iPhone 3. If you are concern about the radiation, better stay with iPhone 3GS.

Apple iPad is officially launched in Singapore today. You can buy the iPad in selected Apple resellers although you still cannot get if from the Apple Singapore online store. It was reported that people queueing up as early as 6am in EpiCentre at Orchard Road. At anytime, there are as many as 80 people there to take a peek at the iPad. The entry level iPad with 16GB and Wi-Fi model is selling at S$728.

The 3 telcos are not selling iPad but have released data plan for iPad. For example, SingTel has 2-year plan of $30.50 per month with 50GB free local data usage. M1 has unlimited plan at $36.38 per month with unlimited local data. No contract is required. Starhub is also offering iPad MaxMobile Ultimate plan at S$36.38 per month with unlimited local data usage and no contract. Short term prepaid plan is available from the 3 telcos. You can visit their respective website for more information.

For me, I am not going to buy this generation of iPad. I believe the next iPad will come with camera (preferably two) and I can make video call or Facetime. Just a final note. It is confirmed that iPhone 4 will be available in Singapore next week. Singapore iPhone Fan will be able to get the iPhone 4 white edition ahead of US counterpart.

Phones aren’t perfect. We’re not perfect. This was what Job Steve said in the press conference on 16 July. During his presentation, he showed that other smartphones also encounter the same problem as the latest iPhone 4 when the phone is held at certain position. It is a common problem and not peculiar to iPhone 4 new antenna design. However, he admitted that there was problem in the logic which indicates the strength of the signal. That problem is resolved in the new iOS. So, better upgrade your iPhone to iOS 4.0.1

To make iPhone Fans happy, Apple is giving all iPhone 4 owners a free bumper. If you bought a iPhone 4 but not happy with it, you can return it back within 30 days. This policy is valid till 30 Sep and they will re-evaluate the situation by then. So when the iPhone 4 is available in Singapore on 30 July, I wonder whether how SingTel, M1 and Starhub are going to implement it. Let’s wait for one and a half weeks to see.

By now, all the iPhone Fan must be aware about the iPhone 4 since Job Steve officially announced it 2 weeks ago in the WWDC. It is the greatest improvement since the launch of the first iPhone. I didn’t blog about it mainly because I was quite busy last 2 weeks, and also I found that there is nothing really unexpected. First of all, the prototype of iPhone 4 (see my earlier blog) was already reported weeks ago before the WWDC. So, everybody kind of knows how the new iPhone 4 looks like. Secondly, a number of improvements are from the iOS 4 (it is no longer called iPhone OS 4) which is already announced in early April (see my earlier blog).

For me, I am more excited about the iOS 4 which will be available on 21 June. With iOS 4, I will be able to multitask on my iPhone, create different folders to group my applications and read books using the iBook. So I am keeping my eye on Apple website so that I will be the first few to upgrade to iOS 4 once it is ready.