so.... i just got back from Sony KLCC. and i was attended to by a very knowledgeable salesman (perhaps of Indian nationality), who seems to knows his tech/IT/photography stuff in and out, to the point he could answer most of my questions about the RX100 MII.

they are selling it for rm2499 with a free 16GB memory card (no surprises being retail pricing). so far, they've sold only 2 of the RX100MII, since receiving stock last Saturday, and they've got plenty in stock.

i'm particularly interested in it's Wifi/NFC features as coming from dSLRs, 4/3 mid-rangers and point-and-shoot cameras, i found the image quality and the pocketability along with it's ability to directly send photos to your phone, make this even more an incentive to carry it around and process/forward/upload photos instantly. i find having to head back home or search for a place to sit down and use my notebook a deterrent to capture and share photos more frequently.

trying out the Wifi/NFC feature in Store, the iPhone PlayMemories (freeware by Sony) mobile app was a hit&miss though. it seems Android phones such as their in-house Sony phones worked very well, just by tapping on the camera. while the Smart Remote Control app worked flawlessly without any lags, the Direct Transfer to my iPhone/iOS had errors connecting. perhaps the demo RX100MII didn't have any memory card in it to send photos to. i will head back tomorrow to try it out with a memory card. if it does work, then i think this camera will be a real win in terms of greater usage.

of note, i had my Lumia 720 with me, and while it has built-in NFC capabilities, i was informed smartphones still required the PlayMemories Mobile app, which unfortunately does not support Windows Phone OS.

actually, i was told that, officially, Sony Malaysia HQ hasn't launched the MII yet. however, because stock was sent to Sony KLCC, they decided to just sell it early, perhaps it being a flagship store.

enjoy your new toy, and Selamat Raya/Eid Mubarak to you too.

just FYI for potential owners & new owners as well:

i just saw a really comprehensive and clear review/user's guide to the RX100MII on YouTube, as referred by a DPReview forum user, Elliot. and i think for those wanting to play with the new demo camera, but do not have it in their city or haven't the time to go to the Sony Flagship store, he does it really really well. it's so comprehensive it makes you feel as if you're playing with the camera yourself.

while it runs for over 45 mins, i feel it's a way for potential buyers, who are clueless about what to ask or what functions to explore even while playing with the demo version, to really get to know the camera.

personally, i think it will even benefit new owners as the German reviewer effectively cuts the time of you getting to know the capabilities of your new toy, as you may spend a much longer time from reading the more detailed user guide downloadable from the Sony website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgwdHR8raMw