Celcom Bolds have arrived in Kuching!

Celcom-Vodafone Bold's began trickling into Kuching Tuesday, albeit in small quantities.

A few folks who had pre-ordered their Bolds received them late afternoon. More will undoubtedly follow, so lets hope the trickle turns into a raging river of Bolds!

One thing I noticed was that the Bolds had OS 4.6.0.126 which is somewhat old. I upgraded my units to 4.6.0.147 immediately as it seems to be more stable and have greater battery life as well (according to a person who should know; he had his Bold run out of battery by 2:30 p.m. once).

Unfortunately, Celcom Bolds do not come with Skins as free gift (darn it.. I did try!) but it does have the usual leather pocket sleeve that comes standard. Better then nothing I suppose.

Maxis requirement satisfied

It's been a hectic week for me but it looks like we're out of the woods for now.

 A last minute PO from Maxis will be satisfied once the second and final delivery is made on Monday for a quantity of authentic BlackBerry skins for the Bold and the Curve.

If you're on of those that booked a Maxis Bold and you receive a free skin when you collect your device, just remember, it's from Soleen Strategies stock. I hope to continue to satisfy all your BlackBerry accessory requirements in the future.

Baha

Kuching launching of Celcom Bold

Celcom Bigwigs were in town yesterday to officiate the launching of the BlackBerry Bold held at the Blue Cube outlet in The Spring Mall in Kuching.

Officially retailing for RM2499 but if you pre-order, it will be yours for the low price of RM2188 but only during the pre-order period. So better get your skates on folks!

I won't bore you with the usual tech specs of the Bold, I believe, there has been enough press coverage about this iconic device already.

Hopefully, stocks will begin to "trickle" in starting sometime next week; naturally, Sarawak is not top of the list but I hope that we're not too way down the list. Apparently, outside KL/Selangor, Sarawak is the 2nd highest growth area for BlackBerrys in Malaysia...Wow!

And let the battle begin...!

As you may know and seen the ads in the papers, Celcom and Maxis have both launched the new Bold! They seem to be falling over themselves to see who can outdo the other in terms of marketing, advertising and of course price! The winner will be the consumers; folks like you and me.

Even though the Bold was "launched" 2nd September, it will not actually be available for sale until 15th September and then only in limited quantities and with a long waiting list on both carriers, it may be a while before it reaches Sarawak in sizable quantities. But it's coming nevertheless!!

Price? Expect a war here. Celcom is releasing it at RM2499 but for Celcom PowerTools customers only (corporate lines), then shortly after, Maxis announces it's going to sell it for RM2199 to personal and corporate users!

Expect Celcom to counter somehow.... and the winner will be?? You and me!

Mobile Number Portability

This was announced last week but due to my hectic schedule, I was unable to mention it here.

Right now, it's only available in the Klang Valley for pre-paid customers only. Come October, it will be available nationwide and for post-paid customers as well. Basically, this will allow subscribers to change their carrier while still keeping their current mobile number, which is a great thing; gives the consumers choice and pressures the carriers to improve their quality of service as consumers are able to switch for merely RM25/-

A few things to ponder here; is this service available for BlackBerry users? You probably have to reconfigure your account with the new carrier's BlackBerry website. Will the old carrier automatically release your PIN from the network?

I'm quite excited about this as I have a few numbers on different networks that I would like to switch to a new carrier. As Malaysians, we also have to t stop looking at the "carrier" prefix as a means of identifying which network a person belongs to.. that could be confusing at first. I know it will be for me!

Be Bold. With Celcom

September 2nd was launch day for the BlackBerry Bold by Celcom in KL.

Before you all go out running to the nearest Celcom dealer or a Celcom center, please note, the LAUNCHING was on the 2nd, the actual devices will not be available until September 15th!

I do advise you to go and put your name down on the waiting list though. The list is long and growing longer as the days go by; the Bold is causing a tremendous stir in the Malaysian smartphone market. I believe, on Maxis, it is also the case. So regardless of which network you're on, if you want the Bold, sign up now!

Bold available for pre-order on Maxis, but not for Kuching?

Many thanks to drooler from bbsabah.net for giving us the heads up that Maxis is now accepting pre-orders for the bold on their website.

When you sign up for pre-order, it will ask you to state from which Maxis center you would prefer to  pick up your set from. It list the usual centers in West Malaysia as well as Miri and KK BUT NOT Kuching!? WTF is up with that?

Thunder exclusive to Vodafone!

The upcoming BlackBerry Thunder will be exclusive to Vodafone!

No word on exactly when it will come out but I've heard "sometime in Q4" being floated about.

What does this mean? If you want it... you have to go to Celcom!

So Maxis has the iPhone 3G (so the rumor goes) and Celcom has the Thunder.. let the Battle Royale begin!

Chile gets to launch the Bold first?!

Boy was I shocked when I read this article on crackberry.com but pleasantly shocked nevertheless.

It just goes to show that even lesser known carriers can beat the big boys to the finish line; funnier things have been known to happen right?

Expect Bold to be launched on Celcom in September and rumor has it on Maxis in October. I can't confirm the Maxis part so if anyone has any inside scoop, please post a comment.

I do know that you won't be disappointed; you have to see the screen to believe it. Seriously! It still takes my breath away every time I look at it. Awesome! Add that to the complete range of Bold accessories that will be available to you all not too far in the future (I hope), I can honestly say, I see good things happening for Celcom BlackBerry aficionados (Malaysian BlackBerry users in general t00) in Malaysia. And about time too!

Baha

Sample accessories have arrived!

I am pleased to say that the sample accessories I ordered have arrived.

Unfortunately, not all that I ordered was available by the looks of it; only about half of the Bold accessories I ordered arrived. I am guessing, there is tremendous demand for Bold accessories so they are spread a little thin right now.

The picture shows a small selection of what I brought in. In fact I brought in over RM11,000.00 worth of accessories! Nevertheless, I have to order more so I have a complete line up of accessories to show the telcos and other potential retailers. But I am very pleased! Very pleased indeed! We're one step closer to getting this show on the road and making it real!

Malaysian BlackBerry accessories reseller

Sorry for the delay but it has been a hectic several weeks for me here but I believe it's worth it.

My company, Soleen Strategies Sdn Bhd has been appointed a reseller of original BlackBerry accessories for Malaysia recently. This means, original accessories will be available for Malaysian BlackBerry users locally at reasonable prices. I'm tying down some loose ends, sorting out distribution and retail channels for West Malaysia and East Malaysia and hopefully, accessories for the BlackBerry will be available from various retail outlets within a month or two! I want it out as fast as possible, but I have to make sure it's done properly so bear with me folks!

Curious what types of accessories are available? Go to www.shopblackberry.com which is the official RIM website for accessories and pretty much everything you see there is available once I am up and running. What it doesn't show there are the accessories for the Bold, which I will also be bringing in as well! Cool init!?

Good things come to those who wait... won't keep you waiting much longer. Promise!

Kuching BlackBerry User Group on Facebook

Ok so even if you're not from Kuching, you're more then welcome to join us. Just search Facebook Groups for "Kuching BlackBerry User Group" and you should find us. It's for anyone who is a fan of the BlackBerry. Doesn't matter if you're a Maxis or a Celcom user (or any other BlackBerry Service Provider for that matter), whether you're a newbie or a self professed crackberry, you're all welcome.

Discuss, share or talk about anything BlackBerry related. We're going to organize get-togethers soon. Perhaps even offer prizes.. who know. Weirder things have happened right?

It's getting hectic around here...!

It's getting hectic around here!

This website began as a passion. I wanted to share my passion for the BlackBerry with others so that they in turn, will be convinced  to take the plunge as well. I began selling accessories for the BlackBerry to cater to the local BlackBerry user base. It was strictly informal and non professional in nature.

Since April, I turned it up a notch. I started a company that took over the selling of BlackBerry accessories and am in the midst of negotiating with various suppliers so I can bring a greater range of accessories at a lower price. Again for the good of the local BlackBerry user base. I'm actually going to open a dedicated office and hire staff to cope with what is expected to be a major spike in interest in Celcom BlackBerry and in my workload. I have new stock of accessories arriving almost weekly and am turning over these accessories quite fast as well! My reputation as the BlackBerry "go-to guy" is building rapidly! I even have plans to sit for BlackBerry certification examinations in the near future...

 I was invited to Miri to attend the Celcom BlackBerry Business Circle in conjunction with the Miri Jazz Festival where I met the great folks from Celcom Enterprise KL as well as a RIM representative.  We started talking and all I can say is there are good things in store for us all! Wait for it.. it will be worth the wait. I promise! 

I have a plan (Oh crap!! Better run for it...) and I believe it will be wonderful for the local BlackBerry market. Celcom have been great.. RIM have been great!

Lets make this real!!

Celcom BlackBerry Business Circle Miri 9 June 2008

Celcom being a sponsor for the Miri Jazz Festival this coming weekend, is also hosting another Business Circle event at the Marriott Resort and Spa.

Unfortunately it is a "by invitation only event" but I will do a write up of the event when I get back from Miri.

I've been ask to do a quick talk about the benefits of using a Blackberry from the perspective of an end user. As opposed to from the perspective of the carrier.

Here's hoping I don't freeze up with stage fright... Wish me luck!

Is "Big Brother" watching (listening or reading) us?

The recent and still developing story in India where the security agencies are demanding a way to monitor encrypted traffic over the BlackBerry network has got me thinking; are Malaysian BlackBerry users being "monitored" too?

I hope not but somehow I wouldn't be surprised if RIM struck a deal with the Malaysian government that would allow the latter to "monitor" selected BlackBerry traffic. The idea of it is quite scary isn't it?

It's not that I email anything that may be detrimental to national security but the idea that my private communications are being monitored by some stooge somewhere doesn't particularly sound appealing!

Let's hope I'm just over reacting as I sometimes tend to do...

Oh and.. I love the government! You're number 1!!! Love ya! :)

Celcom's thank you advert in The Borneo Post

This ad appeared in The Borneo Post on Thursday 6 December (or was it Friday 7 December?). Basically it was a huge (1/4 page) thank you from Celcom Vodafone to all those who attended the Celcom Vodafone BlackBerry Round Table event on Friday 23 November.

In the bottom middle picture you can see Mr. Adrian Wilkes of DrillCorp (M) Sdn Bhd receiving his free BlackBerry 8310 for being Celcom's largest BB revenue contributer in Sarawak (a.k.a. has the biggest bill).  You may need a magnifying glass or zoom in to the picture on the right a lot but you can see my bald head to the left of Mr Adrian Wilkes. I'm not very photogenic; I know.

Anyway, it's the little things like this that counts and I have to say, from what I have seen and am seeing, Celcom has a good game plan. They are taking BlackBerry and Sarawak seriously. I whole heartedly endorse Celcom Vodafone BlackBerry services in Sarawak! Go Blue!!!

Oh and one  thing, sorry for the poor scan.. I a one man show so can't afford all the fancy equipment required to properly promote a top class carrier like Celcom *wink,wink, knudge, knudge, say no more, say no more...*

Celcom BlackBerry Business Circle @ Senso, Kuching Hilton

Celcom held a BlackBerry Business Circle event at Senso in the Kuching Hilton on Friday 23rd November at 3:00pm and I was invited.

Originally it was meant as a launching for the newly introduced BlackBerry Curve 8310 but since Prudential Assurance pretty much swiped every unit in Celcom inventory for the coming few months, the launching was postponed. Instead it was more a social event whereby current users of Celcom BlackBerry and potential users had the rare opportunity to talk with Celcom big-wigs from KL and even a Vodafone representative who flew in all the way from London!

For me, the event highlighted Celcom's commitment to the continued growth of the BlackBerry market in Sarawak, and this was aptly illustrated when the Vice President of Global Enterprise of Celcom announced that Celcom will develop its own Sarawak map application for use with the new GPS equipped devices! Again, I was naturally impressed by the fact that so many big-wigs and a Vodafone representative flew down to our city to attend such a small gathering. I hope this is a sign of things to come.

For those who have been reading this blog, they would know that up until about two months ago, I was a Maxis BlackBerry user and swapped out of frustration with certain aspects of Maxis BlackBerry's service in Kuching. These included almost regular outages and the fact that all BlackBerry support staff were in KL and there is none in Kuching.

At first I was very skeptical of Celcom as my previous experience with Celcom services in the 90's were dissapointing across the board; technical, customer support, network... you name it. They sucked!

Now; specifically within the last one and a half years or so, Celcom has improved tremendously. A revamp of its corporate image, a marketing blitz backed up by honest to God improvements to their network, has in my opinion, made Celcom a worthy contender for the "Premier Business Mobile Network". And from what I saw and heard at this business circle event, the future is bright! Both for Celcom and its users.

Anyway, I digress.

Another highlight of the day was when Mr Adrian Wilkes of Drillcorp (M) Sdn Bhd won one of the coveted BlackBerry 8310 Curve for being the top supporter of Celcom BlackBerry in Sarawak (meaning his company was the largest revenue for Celcom BlackBerry in Sarawak). I was tempted to mug him when he left the event.

More interesting things are in the works for Celcom BlackBerry users in Sarawak. I'm not privy to exactly what; but wait for it! It's gonna be good!