July 2008 Archives

Ming Pao reports (in Chinese) that iPhone 3G online preregistration at 3 Hong Kong is at 60,000, demand far exceeding the 500 iPhones alloted for launch on July 11. There was supposed to be a list out today of those lucky 500 random individuals who get their iPhones on the eleventh, but I can't find the list on 3 Hong Kong or Apple Hong Kong websites, yet. Cross my fingers and hope my name is on that list.

Just when I thought price of the iPhone 3G unlimited data plan is pricey at HK$498 a month, I learned that some countries' carriers don't offered unlimited plans at all. On top of that, their plans are *really* pricey. For the 1GB data plan, it costs HK$1,120 in Australia, and HK$418 in Switzerland, plus HK$3.08 per hour talk time for the latter. Wow, it makes my unlimited data plan here in Hong Kong seems too cheap. [via Daring Fireball]

It's good news for those waiting for a cheaper MacBook Air with SSD, and bad news for those who already got one. Less than 3 months after I received mine, the price of the MBAir SSD is now US$2,600, a full $500 less than the previous price. I had always expected the price of SSD to go down, but did it have to be by that much and so soon? Now I know how suckered the first batch of iPhone buyers felt when Apple lowered the price shortly after it came out. But, hey, like I said, it's good news for those looking to buy one, unless you can wait another few months for the price to go even lower, or the capacity of the SSD to double. I love and hate technology at the same time, sometimes.

I just got to try out Dropbox, an online storage that's still in beta. It has a Mac and Windows client that works like any folder on your desktop. Throw files in them and they will sync automatically. Then access your files on different machines that have Dropbox, or not, because you can also access them in a browser. You can also share files and folders inside Dropbox with others. What sets this apart from iDisk is that Dropbox is fast, which makes all the difference in the world--the difference between using it frequently or only on occasion. 

3 Hong Kong has come out with pricing plans for the iPhone 3G, to be launched on July 11th. The plans start at HK$188, HK$268, HK$328 and HK$498. The first three include only 500MB of data per month, whereas the last one comes with unlimited data. So for most technophile, HK$498 is the only option. My friend has even gone so far as to create a spreadsheet to compare plans. Needless to say, she and I are both getting the HK$498. You can register online to be one of 500 to get the iPhone with a free leather case on July 11th. Let's hope there will be enough to go around, or at least till I and my friends get one.