Yes, for once, the rumors are true, Maxis is bringing in iPhone 3G. We might be little later than some of our neighbours perhaps, but it’s finally arriving on our shore in a legit manner and fully supported by the most popular telco in the country.
http://www.maxis.com.my/iphone is up and running, this is the real deal.
I actually know quite a few people who uses the original iPhone (on EDGE network) as well as at least one who holds an iPhone 3G. One of my friends loved it so much that when he had to send his iPhone back to US for warranty (he somehow damaged the SIM card slot), he bought another one just to use it while waiting for the original to travel around the globe.
Which brings us to the whole problem of using a non supported phone (be it iPhone or otherwise) and the hassles they bring when something is not working right. I too have learned my lesson and stopped buying any “AP” sets or imported phones without original warranties.
The good news is, on March 20, we will be able to get our the original iPhone 3G fully supported by Maxis right here in Malaysia!
The most important question on everyone’s mind would be: “Well how much does it cost?”
Frankly speaking, it isn’t any different with most other countries, and certainly a lot more attractive than getting one of those “imported sets” from your friendly hand phone sellers. For once, you will be able to send it back within for warranty period if anything goes wrong, and you can also upgrade the phone whenever new patches or software releases are available instead of resorting to dodgy ways of making the phone work.
There are plans for 12/24/6 months to choose from, and I think the iValue2 RM 155 for 24 months plan probably suits me the most. Pay less than RM 1.3k for the 8GB model, more than 11 hours of talk time included, and the 1GB/month data usage should be well sufficient for me (I’ve used less than 200 MB on my Nokia 5800 thus far), even though the superior web browser on iPhone might make me a heavier data user, 1GB/month would still be enough. Go to rateplan site for more choices.
Personally I love the glorious screen of iPhone (480-by-320-pixel) and it’s excellent browser with multi-touch support. The zooming function is especially handy when it comes to viewing websites, something that I am still waiting for other mobile phone manufacturers to catch up. There’s also support for corporate emails and MS Exchange sync functions that I rely on managing my calendar, and of course, a tonne of other applications from iTune store.
Then I asked my buddy shiang who is in love with his iPhone 2G on what are some of the best games on the platform. I think the response speaks for itself.
Fieldrunners is a game good enough to get into top 10 of Time.com‘s best game list. Described as a fast and furious tower defense game, this application actually looks pretty awesome.
Another recommendation is the very familiar childhood game of everyone: Monopoly! This should be pretty awesome with it’s multiplayer capability that so many handheld gaming device tried to push but just never got there. Shiang’s description of “roll dice.. you shake the phone.. how much u shake the phone affects the roll one” cetainly sounds interesting.
Of course, other than games there’s also GPS, video capabitities, camera, and many other goodies you find in a high end phone. The only probable downside (you decide!) is the capacitive touch screen which does not work well with long finger nails, so your girl friend might not be able to check your SMS.
The official launch is 20th March 2009. It is going to be interesting!
