I seriously hope they will launch in the first half of May for Malaysia. At least for initial availability.

I tried HD2. Go for Desire
BB Bold 2 9700 is tempting though but I know Desire is more multimedia intensive.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Apr 22 2010, 03:46 PM

When bro... when? Hehehehehe

I wonder if it will play nice with HTC's Sense UI. Otherwise, it could be a straight forward update. I guess Nexus One will get it first and followed by others.

Software sure the Desire is better because you have HTC Sense UI (depending on your preference of course). But the Nexus One is a Google Experience phone so naturally new updates would go to Nexus One first. Updates will definitely come to Desire and would be fast. After all, Desire is HTC's flagship phone. I wouldn't be sure for future updates though. HTC may be dragging its feet like what happened to HTC Hero.

I wouldn't say this is a disadvantage but rather a problem created by the fragmentation of Android itself. Being open source, we get all sorts of OEM customizations to differentiate a product from the other.

But fret not because we have communities like XDA, HTCpedia, etc. While we may not be getting a Sense UI + Android 2.2 from them, we can at least flash it to a stock standard Google Experience variant. This is where the Nexus One has the flexibility. It can use Sense UI (via Modaco) and the stock standard ROM. So if you're a flasher the Nexus One is definitely the phone to have.

But I'm not happy with its issues though and I want as much RAM as possible on a device. So its Desire.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Apr 23 2010, 10:44 AM

Personally, I haven't see any HTC updates from 1.6 to 2.1. I remember the Magic took an awful long time to get the HTC Sense UI (Android 1.6). The Hero will need to wait till June? Thats a long time in my book. Of course, we still see regular updates from HTC. Maybe 1-2 ROM updates in a year or more.

Frankly speaking, I'll be looking into custom modder scene after getting the Desire. Of course I'll stay stock until it is completely necessary or when HTC has abandoned us hehehehehe...

Not necessarily hardware problem mah... Android 2.2 on the way you know. So this is gonna be fun

Actually Android Market has been available since Motorola Milestone started sale here. In fact, its even earlier if you count Nexus One and Milestone AP. So Legend is among the first to get Android Market but only limited to free applications. Google has made it clear that it has no plans to include Malaysia in the short term.

Mid of May? Sigh...We're like 2+ weeks away.

Hahahaha... phone haven't arrive, screen protector already available. This is what I call proactive man! Salute

Sure will consider your product when I get my Desire hehehehe

I was hoping between the price point of Legend and HD2 (yes, its a big gap). HD2's retail price is RM2699 now? So RM2499/2599 is right on track right? Damn these toys are expensive.

So much for HTC going on to say that the price for Desire would be something buyers happy about.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Apr 28 2010, 11:29 AM

If he is traveling or coming back by air, I don't see a problem. He'll be able to walk through the custom clearance section like any other traveler. Its not like they would run a check on everyone. If they picked him and found the package, just say its yours and you're bringing it back. Make sure receipt is available to proof that the item belongs to him.

As a tourist leaving the last airport in the UK, you should be entitled to a VAT refund (subjected to their limitations). You need to proof that you're a tourist, with a certain amount of VAT accumulated, etc... If your friend is a PR, on student visa, or on job permit, I think VAT restrictions apply.

If this is true, all of us will give you a hug

But my guess is RM2499.

Yes, but only for non-communication devices. Tech stuff like computers yes. Apparently custom officers are very sensitive to the word 'Communication Devices'. I had a few items sent over by my client. They made a wrong declaration by putting them into communication device category and there it goes.

For those who attempts to compute a breakdown in costing to get an estimated price, you can't really do that. Because our tax and duty structure is different here. HTC/SiS may even have a different price structure for Malaysia. Its normal for global companies to price a product higher in some regions to compensate for attractive pricing of the same product in another region. In other words, there are a lot of factors and variables to account for to get a clear indication what price it may be. Its as good as anyone's guess.

Don't we already know? People price a product however they want it be and there will still be people buying it. Its rampant here. Its only recently I see main brands like Apple playing nice with their product pricing. And so on... Frankly speaking, the Legend going for RM1999 is a good start for SiS. I hope it doesn't end there.

Bro... are you sure you're replying on the right thread let alone replying to the right post? Thats a flat out copy from my post on the Samsung Galaxy S thread. This is Desire thread.

And I'm the one discouraging price speculations based on converting prices from other countries.

Anyway, RM2290 for Desire isn't entirely baseless. True, the N1 is around this price. But its not available in this country. Availability through imports don't count. Still the RM2299 price point is left vacant in the Malaysian market.

Also... only geeks or enthusiasts like us care to buy or consider Nexus One. Normal people buy whatever phones officially sold in Malaysia. The statistics say it all.

No worries lar bro hehehehe...

AP or Ori? 2340 expensive ler hehehe...

If Ori this is nice... but looking at the numbers 2340... most likely AP. Usually its 2x99 hehehe...

There's a reason why HTC Desire AP is expensive. Its hard to get, no signs of original units yet and it is highly sought after. Naturally, traders would like to take advantage on that. Its capitalism. Still we will have early enthusiast buying them.

We've seen these pricing trends for a lot of times. Let me quote some examples:

1. Nokia 5800. Nokia's very first Symbian S60 touch phone.
Took sometime to get here too. The AP came and was priced RM1800-2000. Then few weeks later, original units started selling and the price was a big shock. RM16xx and dropping, lower than what AP traders speculated. AP price went down to RM1300. Second hand AP units was being dumped at RM1000 and below. Original units finally settled at RM13xx +/-. This incident burnt a lot of fingers.

2. Motorola Milestone
Sold around RM2000-2200 for AP. 1 month later original units started selling and was priced at RM22xx. The AP price go down to RM15xx-18xx.

If we see any trends, original price will usually replace the AP's initial price point. So RM2399-2499 potential price point for Desire is very real. Of course this is just a guess. I see this as a strategy to compete with parallel importers. Trying to undercut their margin and discourage potential buyers.

Actually I don't intend to compare 5800 with Desire. Its obvious. However, the examples are meant to show everyone here to not fall into that position to get your fingers burnt for buying AP now. You may be able to own a Desire now but with the same money or cheaper, you could have the original unit few weeks later. Why am I saying this? Because AP is RM2340 instead of RM2080 as originally indicated.

I think we all know 5800 is an affordable phone made of cheap materials and we all know where it stands in the market during its time.

Of course this post is not meant to down play the role AP traders play in this whole thing. For example, the HD2's price was super expensive at RM2899 and now RM2699. The AP traders brought down the price with AP units for RM20xx. Good price.

Its ok lar bro. Its just a discussion .

Anyway Singapore has an announcement on upcoming Desire release. But no such announcement in Malaysia yet. So SG availability doesn't count. Although some people will automatically assume MY retail availability once SG sets are available because Singapore is just next door. Its easy to forgive such an assumption. However, one must also consider that normal consumers don't buy gadgets like us freaks hehehehe... And I'm speaking from the conventional consumers point of view. While many people likes the idea of buying an AP just to be the first to own something great, there are thousands who consider other needs like local support, peace of mind, the same of stories we've read, etc.

By the way, I've never said next week Desire price will go down to RM2000. A RM340 price drop in a few days would be disastrous and put many AP traders into trouble. Because buyers now know AP traders couldn't justify the RM2340 price point and will suffer a consumer backlash. I merely indicated that AP Desire price will most likely fall once Original sets are available. Why? Because original price will likely target the current AP price if SiS want to keep AP/parallel importers at bay (or teach them a painful lesson, we all know SiS hates AP traders). SiS knows and the consumer knows Ori > AP due to warranty support. A lot of people value this. Period. Lets not even talk about geek's perspective on warranty support and product reliability rendering Ori a waste of money. Thats the age old debate.

The only way AP price will stick or increase is if original retail price is higher or a lot higher than AP price. This is no fun talk. This is simple economics (of course it would be more complex in the real world). We've seen the trend before.

Yes, the key is we don't know when original units will come. But we know 2 things, its hard to obtain and everybody wants one. So AP price increase. Once SG sets are available, AP price will come down a little (assuming SG don't have stock issues).

This post has been edited by davidmak: Apr 30 2010, 02:43 PM

Its not SiS's fault. People need to know there are 2 categories of Android phones. (1) with Google or Google phones and (2) OEM Google Phones made by HTC, SE, Motorola, etc). The Google phones are not meant for retail audience. Its targeted more to developers. If you're Google and you have a new OS nobody heard of, what is the strategy to bring it to mass adoption? The answer is content and platform. You will need developers to develop exciting or killer applications to get people excited and buy the phone. And for the developers to develop on Android, they need a platform. They need a working phone. This is where Google G1, Magic and now Nexus One comes in.

They serve to start up the entire eco-system to support Android and make it a competitive OS in the near future. That is why Nexus One is or G1 is so easy to hack. You can basically do everything you would want to do. Rooting, etc. Updates will naturally come faster to these phone because Google want to push the latest and greatest for developers to try on. These are the strategies necessary to make Android a competitive OS.

Now lets turn our attention to phones like HTC, SE, Motorola. These aren't developer phones and targeted for mass consumer. Naturally they have everything a consumer want. Do you think every consumer knows what is root access or even care to root? Not really.

Again, we don't represent the mass consumer. Not every regular consumer know what is root or whether root is good for them. They just want a phone and all those Android goodies. We're different. We're freaks remember? We tweak and try all sorts of stunts. Hehehehe... And yes you're entitled to your opinion. If you're gonna root the phone anyway to do some great apps, by all means. Guess ori or AP, it doesn't matter anymore. Still not every consumer will do that.

Don't think so unless we do a full flash and restoration. I remember when we upgrade to a later firmware/software revision, we will lose root access and everything returned to stock. Probably that is.

If we are familiar enough with how HTC do things or design around their hardware, nothing is really irreversible. Their WinMo phones are a good example. HSPL can be removed and re flashed with stock SPL. Their Android phones however deals with recovery firmware, etc. Slightly different food chain hehehe... but don't worry. We have XDA Developers. We'll get there soon enough. Hopefully rooting or custom flashing will be easier to regular users like you and me.

Actually we don't lose much if we don't root. Root access is something like access with administrator rights on Windows so you can do whatever you want. In the context of Android or a mobile phone, the reason why we don't have admin rights on the phone or being locked out by manufacturers is so that the phone is secured and not compromised.

The notion of rooting an Android or iPhone or whatever phone for that matter is really all about piracy and getting warez installed . I mean come on, its obvious why people wants to root their phone. Thats the worst part of rooting. The good part of rooting however is to enabled hidden features not ready for prime time like apps installation in SD card or enable some alternate home brew applications to achieve features not originally intended on a phone.

Regarding the Android Market (or Apps Store) support Malaysian users. However, only free apps are available. I'm not sure why paid apps are not available for us. Maybe Google's payment system is not ready for Malaysian market. But you can use Market Enabler which will mask your telco ID to trick it to believe you're on an US telco. But to do this you need to root in order to use the application. So another point why rooting is good. Assuming you're using it for good reasons.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Apr 30 2010, 04:38 PM