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Research finds iPhone hurting operators, Boy George unavailable for comment


We've long since known that Apple (as opposed to AT&T) was getting the better end of the pair's exclusive partnership here in America, but new research from Strand Consult has found that the situation is fairly similar all around the globe. According to the report, nary a one of the telecom operators it studied had seen a boost in market share, revenue or earnings as a result of introducing the iPhone, and some carriers even issued profit warnings due to the heavily subsidized handset. The study goes on to shed pity on firms like SingTel and TeliaSonera, both of which are purportedly seeing margins and ARPU (average revenues per subscriber) sink due to Apple's darling joining the fray. But really, we can't help but express our doubts about the all encompassing, almost sensationalized nature of this; we've watched AT&T's profits soar ever since it snagged the iPhone, and considering that every iPhone buyer also coughs up a significant monthly fee for a data plan, we can't imagine revenues tanking that severely. Or, you know, maybe we're all just getting a really good deal on our bloated iPhone plans.

Optus' HTC Dream spotted, photographed passionately


Low light, candles in the corner -- seriously folks, these shots are downright sultry. Optus' HTC G1, er, Dream has been spotted and photographed in some random corner of the world, and while it basically looks like every other G1 you've ever seen in this hue, we're absolutely certain that Australians in attendance are more than happy to have a look. You know where to head for the rest.

[Thanks, Tom]

Singaporean iPhone 3Gs drop visual voicemail, iTunes

Just how badly do you want the iPhone 3G, Singapore? Badly enough to do without two of its headline features? SingTel kicks off sales today (local time) along with a whole host of other countries, but neither visual voicemail nor the iTunes WiFi Store will make the cut. In the case of iTunes, the reason is kinda obvious: Singapore has no iTunes Store at all, and it never has. The explanation behind the mysterious absence of visual voicemail is less clear, other than carrier laziness in getting the feature implemented on its back end. The silver lining here seems to be pricing, though -- subscribers will be able to pick up the phone for diddly squat, assuming they sign up for a S$205 monthly package (about $145).

[Via mocoNews]

SingTel ropes iPhone distro in Singapore, India, Australia, and Philippines

Singapore Telecommunications (aka SingTel) announced that it's secured agreements to distribute the iPhone in Singapore (on SingTel Mobile) and its partly-owned subsidiaries in Australia (on Optus), India (on Bharti Group), and the Philippines (on Globe Telecom). Vodafone's also distributing the iPhone in India and Australia though, so we'll have to wait until later this year to find out who gets to shoot first.

SingTel offers cellphone controlled spycam

Yeah, yeah, the caption reads "watch over your loved ones wirelessly..." but we know by "watch over" they mean spy. With SingTel's dubious intentions aside, the Mobile LIVEcam looks to be a reasonably inexpensive and capable -- albeit optically challenged -- 0.3 megapixel remote camera. For only $240 upfront and about $6 month in service costs you get a 3G SIM card and the camera which can pan, tilt, zoom, and even record video onto a microSD card. If your preferred recording location is a bit dark, the camera features an infrared recording mode to help get the dirtiest of dirt ensure your family's safety. The LIVEcam is controlled via SMS commands or through a web interface -- also accessible by up to 20 others via password control -- on your mobile phone, and with a touted 300 hours standby time, should give you enough time to capture the perfect shots. Yep, anti-privacy never looked so fun.

Nokia, SingTel collaborate on VoIP solution

It appears that another carrier has decided to give VoIP its warm, loving embrace. Nokia will be supplying Singapore's SingTel with its E60, E61, and N80 Internet Edition handsets, all of which support both GSM and WiFi; add some SIP-compliant VoIP into the mix, and you have yourself a nice little dual-mode solution. SingTel hasn't announced pricing, but plans on offering a flat-rate service enabling its customers to hop on the VoIP bit from any hotspot, including SingTel's own Wireless Surf Zones. There's no mention of handoff capability between networks, but if the price is right, we'll let it slide -- just don't go wandering off while you're hitting up the WiFi.

[Via Slashphone]

BlackBerry Connect finally available for Treo 650s -- abroad

The long wait is over for Palm enthusiasts, as the highly-anticipated but seemingly always out-of-reach BlackBerry Connect service is finally available for Treo 650 owners -- specifically, future 650 owners who are in one of the seven non-US markets covered by Singapore-based SingTel, the sole carrier offering the service at rollout. We first heard word of a BlackBerry service for Treos last October, and more recently saw the Connect service working "in the wild" at 3GSM, which takes all of that push email goodness and formats it into an interface familiar to Palm OS users. SingTel will be offering the 650 for a very reasonable $186 to customers who sign up for the $38/month BlackBerry Enterprise Solution Unlimited Local Data Usage Plan through May 12th.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, photo credit: Treonauts]




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