iPhone!!

Finally, I've got an iphone 3G, sort of reward for me as my Sony Ericsson Z610i, of which I have been non-stop torturing, is already defaced by me, i.e. key broken, paint dropped out from the casing, etc. etc.

I have never stop using 3G phone, be it surfing, reading news and blogs, SMSing, talking, anything you name it. I have in fact maximise a device by the name mobile phone, but it has been essentially my main tool for my work, another tool is my Macbook.

Not to mention all the mobile Java applications that I installed on Z610i, i.e Opera Mini browser, GMail, Google Map (this works with my external GPS device), Weather forecast, etc. etc.

Waited for more than a year hoping that the local celco will bring in iphone 3G, the most notable mention is Maxis, keep saying iphone is on its way to Malaysia, but we never see the light until now.

For the year end holiday season, I begun to hunt for iphone 3G in Malaysia. The first place to check is of course Low Yat Plaza. I went thru the pain of talking to the sellers there, went to Sungei Wang, Digital Mall, and surf online to Lelong, Mudah.com.my, eBay Malaysia, and Low Yat net forum.

Hundreds of phone calls, sms, web surfing, forum messaging, and face to face talk to sellers to find out whether they really understand what they are talking.

This is extremely important if you want an iphone 3G and retain Apple Warranty eventhough warranty can only be claimed from where the iphone 3G sold, not Malaysia. For example, if you buy a Singtel set, you will need to claim warranty from Singtel or Apple Singapore. Local Apple will not attend to your warranty claim.

Another hurdle is to ensure iphone 3G is officially unlocked, not unlocked by means of either using a SIM adaptor, hardware modification, or software based unlock.

This is important as both SIM and hardware modification voids Apple warranty, plus you will not be able to use iTune to sync your iphone 3G with your computer. For people who use iphone 3G just as another mobile phone, this does not matter for them, but for me, it is important.

Then you need to determine whether the iphone 3G on sale is genuinely official unlocked, which only a handful of countries' iphone 3G is unlocked by Apple due to local legislation, else your seller may trick you to believe that it is unlocked but is in fact unlocked by other means.

Finally, you need to make sure it is a genuine Apple iphone 3G instead of iphone clone from China.

I was offered an iphone 3G for RM2,300 where the box claimed it is from Hong Kong (from the product code), but the unit is a clone instead. There's no WiFi and 3G, but it has MMS which does not exist in the original Apple iphone 3G. This unit looks like iphone, acts like iphone, but it is not an iphone. Bear in mind the market price for this clone is only RM800 and the guy waned to sell me RM2,300!!

I went to several shops around Low Yat/Sungei Wang area, some seller offer iphone 3G from US, and claimed official unlocked, which is impossible. Some seller offered iphone with no activation, means it does not exist in Apple Warranty database. Some seller selling iphone 3G with only 6 month's Apple warranty left, which may be an used set but selling at the new set price.

So you have to check the box, the phone, its IMEI number, and make sure both matches, and check Apple online Support on warranty availability.

The market price for 16GB model is approximately RM2,950, 8GB is very limited in stock, going for RM2,300 to RM2,600.

Some of the seller at Low Yat forum and Lelong are quite professional and knowing the stuff well, but I cannot wait any longer, and also need to trade-in the Z610i. Furthermore, I insist on checking the unit before paying, and most good sellers are either no stock in hand at that moment, or they are located too far away from KL.

Well, all these are now history, the iphone 3G is with me now.

Am I happy? YES!