THE MOBILE HORNET … for those who get turned on by mobile devices

THE US$199-iPHONE 3G HAS CAUSED HAVOC TO SMARTPHONE PRICES!

Apple’s announcement of a US$199 price for the new 3G iPhone has shaken up smartphone makers.

HTC’s stock, which is listed in Taiwan, plunged after Apple’s announcement over fears the iPhone’s price will undercut HTC’s smartphone prices.

Do not be misled that the iPhone is so very US$199-cheap.  It is not, when you add the 24-month contract you have to sign to get the iPhone.  Anyway, HTC Asia is going for a price reduction with immediate effect on the following models to combat the share price slide. 

• HTC TyTN II – S$998/- (RM2,599)
• HTC Touch Cruise – S$968/- (RM2,599)
• HTC Touch Dual – S$848/- (RM2,299)
• HTC Touch – S$588/- (RM1,499)
• HTC Shift – S$2,048/- (RM5,499)
• HTC P3300 – S$588/- (RM1,599)

Note: The Malaysian price (RM….) indicated is not a currency conversion price from the Singapore price (S$).  It is the actual revised selling price for Malaysia.

All the above are effective immediately for the Asian market.  There might be some variants in pricing in each country. 

THE PRICE WAR HAS JUST BEGUN…LETS SEE HOW IT WILL END.

GADGET-CRAZY DJ TELLS ALL ABOUT
HIS LOVE AFFAIR WITH GADGETS  

This is an exclusive interview with Pietro.  Pietro’s passion for gadgets is awesome!  Pocket PC devices are changing everybody’s life whether you are an employee or a boss.  Pietro has found his HTC Touch Dual makes him more productive and organised.  He is a Radio DJ (with Mix FM radio station in Malaysia), and the Touch Dual has helped him a lot.  So what is your profession?  Has the device you carry helps you too.

MOBILE HORNET: Many thanks for accepting to answer my questions. I would like to start this interview, by asking you first to tell us the type of gadgets you are ‘playing’ with?

PIETRO: Well, right now I am enjoying my latest purchase which is the HTC Touch Dual. Love it I tell you. It’s organizing my life pretty well

MOBILE HORNET: How do you categorise your passion for gadgets.  Are you gadgets-crazy or are you gadgets-super-crazy?

PIETRO: I think I am mega-gadget freak. If I was rich I would be driving myself nuts buying every gadget I can find.

MOBILE HORNET: Can you get by your day without touching a gadget?

PIETRO: Impossible. It’s an addiction. My playstation, my laptop, my dj decks my handphone

MOBILE HORNET: I understand you have a HTC Touch Dual.  What make you buy the Touch Dual over the other Smartphones (non-touch screen) in the markets. 

PIETRO: Well I have gotten a lot of good reviews from friends who have bought them and I played around with it and fell in love with it immediately. Although there are a lot of windows based PDA phones in the market I liked it because it had a slide keypad and the touch flo system comes in handy when you only got one hand free.

MOBILE HORNET: Some people consider wearing a suit gave them power, so what kind of image/feeling does using the Touch Dual do you get?

PIETRO: It makes me look a little bit more organised

MOBILE HORNET: Is this the first time you use a Windows Mobile phone?  How has the Touch Dual help in your day-to-day life and also in your work as a radio DJ? 

PIETRO: This is probably the 2nd time in a few years since I’ve used Windows based. Majorly it’s great cause I can have all my to-dos, events and even take notes on the go. I mean how many people do you know carry a paper pad every where they go. It’s great just to remember things

MOBILE HORNET: The Touch Dual has many features.  Which of the feature/features benefit you the most?

PIETRO: I love the Touch Dual and the incorporated speed dialing function. I love the fact that I can use a keypad as well instead of writing everything down on the touch surface…Gives you options

MOBILE HORNET: You are a famous DJ and your name is a household name, so are you very brand-conscious on the items you buy, whether it is a gadget, a shirt, a watch etc?

PIETRO: Well I don’t buy a lot of branded stuff. I love my discount cheap clothes. But I do spend a lot  of money on gadgets. Primarily phones and things for my computers. I usually buy things for my own quirks and not so much as a public image.

MOBILE HORNET: What do you do during your free time – in the house, in the office? 

PIETRO: I surf the net like crazy. I like the fact that I can learn things online about everything. Also sitting back and playing my guitar hero on my playstation is amazing. It’s really relaxing. Also I have a small club dj setup in my house which I play to free my mind If I am out of the house I am usually hanging out with the boys and spinning in a club for fun

MOBILE HORNET: What will be the next gadget you are looking forward to buy? 

PIETRO: Well I would love a Mac. But realistically probably another game console

MOBILE HORNET: What are your likes and dislikes in all those technology gadgets that you own ?

PIETRO: I like them because there are reasons why I buy them and they all have their own individual function to my personal life. The only thing that I probably dislike about them is the fact that with technology moving so fast it’s pretty hard to keep up with all of them.

MOBILE HORNET: What do you think of sites like our fast growing home-grown THE MOBILE HORNET ?

PIETRO: I think it’s great! I mean people need some information about things and the better the information the better the knowledge of the person is for a certain product. Plus it gives insights and not just what the brand wants you to know about their products. It’s a little bit more personal. More like talking to a friend about the latest gadgets.

For a mega-gadget freak, here are his specifications :

• Pietro is on the air on weekdays from 6:00 am to 10:00am.  Let him wake you up and start your day 
• His personal blog is : http://www.pietrofelix.blogspot.com/
• Pietro, a Sagittarian with his birthday falling on 6 December. Standing tall at 5′7″, his present occupation is Radio DJ for MIX FM.
• Foosball, Movies, Club Djing, Dogs, and Football (Arsenal) are his favourite interests.
• When it comes to music, it has to be Hip Hop and RnB.
• Penangites will want to know that Pietro is an ex-student of Saint Xaviers Institution, Penang.

* MIX FM website is at : http://mix.fm.com.my/.  For visitors who are not residing in Malaysia, they can go to the website to listen to the programmes.

GADGET-CRAZY DJ TELLS ALL ABOUT HIS LOVE AFFAIR WITH …  

A gadget-crazy DJ with a top radio station in Malaysia is giving his insights on his love for gadgets especially the HTC Touch Dual.  GUESS WHO?

WATCH OUT FOR THE INTERVIEW WITH DJ ….   TOMORROW !

TODAY MALAYSIA LAUNCHED THE TOUCH DUAL AT RM2,399.00

The HTC Touch Dual™ follows HTC’s heritage of bringing a new level of simplicity to the powerful and feature rich device experience that today’s mobile users demand. Taking a design cue from the stylish HTC Touch™, the HTC Touch Dual™ adds high speed 3G/HSDPA connectivity and a slide out keypad into a slim and slender device designed for easy typing.

The HTC Touch Dual™ is the second device to feature HTC’s TouchFLO™, the same gesture-recognition technology as that in the HTC Touch™, but now the new functionality including the ability to view photo slideshows using on-screen controls and to zoom and rotate images with only a hand. TouchFLO™ also allows enhanced finger touch scrolling and browsing of web pages, documents, messages and contact lists.

“The HTC Touch Dual expands the HTC Touch product family and integrates 3.5G connectivity and a sliding keyboard into a slim and stylish design. This combination provides customers with the most uncompromising and intuitive touch experience available on a phone,” said Jack Tong, Vice President of HTC Asia.

“The HTC Touch has not only changed the way people interact with their phone but it has redefined what touch means on a consumer device. HTC is committed to bringing advanced levels of technology to consumers with continuous innovation. The HTC Touch Dual is the next step forward.”

Featuring a robust Qualcomm® MSM7200 chip running at 400MHz, the HTC Touch Dual™ with Windows Mobile software offers a rich and familiar experience that will enable users to stay connected and access the people, information and entertainment – most important to them - all from a single, personalized device. Today, HTC also announced additional colour variant and a free, full screen virtual keypad for the original HTC Touch™.

The HTC Touch™ will be available in stylish Synergy Sage, Radiant Burgundy and Pure White in addition to the black version that was launched earlier. The virtual keypad will be available via download for existing HTC Touch™ users from the HTC website at www.asia.htc.com.

Note: I understand it was also launched today in Hong Kong.  Singapore had it earlier, more than a week ago.

A while back, HTC introduced the HTC Touch. They are now introducing a new member to the Touch family – smart, beautiful and unique – the HTC Touch Dual.

LAUNCH DATE :  14 NOV 07

LOCATION :  KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Watch out this site for more information on launch day.

The HTC Touch Dual is expected to be lauched this month in Malaysia. 

While you are waiting, here are some nice and sharp photos of the Dual from PDAclub.pl :

I like these hands-on videos (from coolsmartphone) on the HTC Shift as they give you the feeling of you actually holding the Shift. 

Until the hardware is available to you, this is as close as you can get to the real thing.  After you click on the image below, just stretch out your hands in front of you, and imagine those on-screen hands are yours and you will be transported to a virtual hands-on experience!

Hands-on #1 … Let me check the ports :

Hands-on #2 … Hmm, nice keyboard :

Hands-on #3 … I love the sharp video and Snapvue :

NOW THAT YOU HAVE ‘TRIED’ IT, HOW IS YOUR HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE OF THE HTC SHIFT?

Do post your comments here, as we are all eager to know how you find this virtual reality experience. 

The HTC Shift is expected to be launched in this region (including Malaysia) next month (November).   And I understand the Touch Dual will be launched too.

Below is the video highlighting the features of the HTC Shift: