According to some user accounts earlier this morning, folks who have pre-booked the iPhone 3GS at their respective Maxis Centres (most notably northern & southern regions of Malaysia) made a wasted trip and left empty-handed. These are the people who have made a deposit payment of RM200 each to secure an iPhone 3GS under a Maxis 12 months/24 months long contractual plan. They are supposed to make a RM200 non-refundable deposit at the Maxis Centre of their choosing and to collect the coveted device from any of the dates (starting from today – July 31st 2009) & time (9am -1pm, 2pm – 5pm or 6pm - 9pm) from the same designated centre.

One user claimed that although he was quite elated at the prospect of being the first to collect his iPhone 3GS this morning, noting the fact that it is also heavily advertised in the print media as well, he was told to return again on August 5th, 2009 because Maxis don’t have the stock right now.

The above scenario negates the sole purpose of the RM200 deposit that is a mandatory requirement payable to Maxis for the sole purpose of reserving the iPhone 3GS in the first place. Theoretically, the RM200 deposit is binding, and enough consideration for a contractual relationship between Maxis & the customer in question. There is an offer & acceptance between both parties. 

According to Maxis, the RM200 deposit would be forfeited in the event of non-collection within the stipulated timeframe – but is Maxis accountable for non-delivery of goods within the pre-determined collection date as well? I don’t think so.

In closing, a call made to a Maxis personnel before this (6.30pm) pertaining to the above incident was further substantiated with the following line:

“I’m sorry sir, it’s true that Maxis don’t have [enough] stock of the iPhone 3GS right now due to *international stock shortage.”

*yeah, right.

All users who have subscribed to our iWorld Newsletter Notification List would receive a separate email in regard to this update.

For now, here are the revised pricing as given to us by our vendor:

Factory Unlocked iPhone 3GS (16GB) : RM3,399 (RM3,899) | S$1,380 | US$970
Factory Unlocked iPhone 3GS (32GB) : RM3,599 (RM4,299) | S$1,480 | US$1,050

Stocks are limited, and only 32GB (White) available for now.

Interested parties, email us (sales@iworld.com.my) and request for an Order Details email. We will send you a Proforma Invoice as confirmation of your order. TQ

Wild Wild Train is an action-puzzle game that allows you to manage up to 3 trains through 11 different maps in 24 levels.

Objective of the game is to avoid crashes as you pickup and drop off cargo at their designated stations before time runs out. Beating a level unlocks a cutscene that tells one more part of the story, that will reveal the fate of the damsel in distress.

As game progresses, difficulty increases and obstacles begin to appear. Obstacles include avoiding bombs and rescuing the damsel in distress.

Game scenarios emulate miniature model trains dioramas that are mix between HDR photography, 3D Trains and hyperrealist scenarios, while the music takes the user back to the wild west.

INTRODUCTION
Go bananas as you spin and jump your way through the zoo saving captured animals in a hilarious and addictive action puzzle game!

OVERVIEW
Play up to 50 challenging levels in 5 different environments as you spin your way into saving the day! Tap into different power-ups by purchasing new hats from the gift shop. Grab bananas as you swing and blast through the air for even more special power-ups. Tired of playing the hero? Try Quick Game Mode, but make sure not to fall off the pegs and sky dive down to the ground!

PREMIUM FEATURES
- Two great games in one:
(1) Main Mode – 50 unique levels set in 5 themes including Antarctic, Savannah, Jungle, Aquarium, Bamboo Forest
(2) Quick Game Mode – Using the accelerometer feature,control the monkey in 10 labyrinth levels
- Collect bananas as currency to buy 3 unique hats with special power-ups
- Unique iPhone and iPod touch controls — users can swipe the screen to throw the monkey from peg to peg or tap in mid air to do a double jump.
- Bright and stunning art graphics
- Exciting and fun real music!

A new outstanding puzzle game Cookie Pop® Classic has been born. It is very seay, simple and the most addictive puzzle in the world. What is Cookie Pop® Classic? In Cookie Pop® Classic, you pop blocks to make empty space quickly and accurately. In Cookie Pop® Classic, anyone can easily enjoy popping the various blocks. The goal of Cookie Pop® Classic is to pop the obstacle blocks to keep a space empty as long as possible. There are two modes in this game. CLASSIC MODE and ENDLESS MODE. CLASSIC MODE has a time limit. ENDLESS MODE has no time limit. As the level goes up, the game becomes more difficult.

On top of the game screen the block that you need to create is shown. You create blocks by touching the screen. When the block is created on the screen, it will pop along with adjacent blocks.

The ONION is reporting that Apple’s new iPhone 3GI is only visible to the most loyal of customers.

In a move expected to revolutionize the mobile device industry, Apple launched its fastest and most powerful iPhone to date on Tuesday, an innovative new model that can only be seen by the company’s hippest and most dedicated customers. The iPhone 3G I.

“I am proud today to introduce to those who really, truly deserve it, our most incredible iPhone yet,” announced Apple CEO Steve Jobs, extending his seemingly empty left palm toward the eagerly awaiting crowd. “Not only is this our lightest and slimmest model ever, but as any truly savvy Apple customer can clearly see, it’s also the most handsome product we’ve ever designed.”

The packed auditorium, which had been listening to Jobs in hushed reverence for several minutes, then erupted into applause, with hundreds of men and women suddenly jumping to their feet and shouting, “I can see it!” “Look, there it is!” and “God, it’s so beautiful!”

According to Apple, the new iPhone 3GI boasts significant hardware and software upgrades, superior processing speeds, and a multi-touch interface that provides those who are “cool enough” with a rich user experience. The wide-screen display reportedly also features the most brilliant colors and finest resolution ever imagined.

“The new 3GI is as light as air,” said Apple senior vice president Philip Schiller, reaching inside an empty display case, apparently to remove the mobile device. “See how thin that is? It’s like it’s not even there.”

“Those who really understand what we do here at Apple are going to love this new product,” Schiller continued. “Unless, you know, they happen to be totally lame.”

Retailing for $599, the iPhone 3GI offers only the most special Apple consumers—the ones who believe in the company more than anything else in the world, and who would never, ever dream of questioning it—the ability to open dozens of powerful applications at once. In addition, the new multimedia device will provide true Apple fans with a high-definition video camera, one-tap editing with Final Cut Pro, and cut and paste.

Like thousands of others, New York resident Kelly Delaney called in sick to work so that she could join the line outside the Apple Store’s trendy SoHo location days before the 3GI went on sale.
While the new iPhone has been greatly admired and widely touted for its impressive voice and data communication capabilities, some Americans remain skeptical.

“Daddy isn’t talking into anything at all,” said 4-year-old Ella Conrad, pointing at her father, Paul, who has been obsessively staring at, playing with, and customizing the invisible phone since purchasing it Monday. “Daddy’s pretending to be on hold with an operator.”

Read more

A recent patent filing has been unearthedc – it reveals Apple’s plan for a dual-sided iPhone nano.

The full face-side of this device will be nothing more than a display, much like the iPhone is today, while the back-side will be primarily dominated by a force-sensitive touch based surface. Your fingers, which act as a cursor, control the face-side UI by the back-side etched controls.

The dramatic design will offer users a variety of interfaces or modes to work with including one for a phone, text messaging, a traditional iPod, a camera mode and more. The design may also, according to Apple, simply offer consumers with a dual-sided display option in lieu of a force sensitive controller surface.

According to the report, it is unclear how the etched controller idea would work. Would they be interchangeable or preset or could the back surface change itself.

Apple credits John G. Elias part owner of the former FingerWorks as the sole inventor of this patent application. Elias is now working at Apple on other touch related patents.

TMZ took a shot of Steve Jobs, Apple CEO when he reported for work at Apple after a successful liver transplant, following the end of his 6 months long leave due to medical reasons.

The photo was taken at 3:00 pm today using an iPhone.

Chillingo’s Minigore is finally out earlier today, after months of anticipation as well as speculation in major online iPhone gaming forums. 

Two on-screen joysticks control the game, the right controls where you shoot and the left handles your movement. You only get one life and can get hit twice before you die. The game also comes with two levels of difficulty. Your arsenal to dispatch the swarms of furries consists of your standard machine gun, a shotgun that you can pick up from a crate, and an exploding crate to inflict area effect damage.

There are four types of enemies in game, three different sizes of furries and a flaming furry that runs a little faster. The standard furries come in three sizes. When you shoot a large furry it will split in to smaller furries, and once you play for a while you find yourself swarmed with baddies to shoot.

Foxconn has compensated the family of Sun Danyong, an iPhone worker who committed suicide after losing a prototype of the next generation iPhone, according to a NYTimes report.

The company declined to say how much was paid to Mr. Sun’s family; however, Mr. Sun’s brother cited a figure of 300,000 renminbi, or more than $44,000, and said that Mr. Sun’s girlfriend was also given an Apple notebook.

Sun, a recent engineering graduate was working for Foxconn in Shenzhen. He was responsible for shipping iPhone prototypes from Foxconn to Apple. According to Chinese news reports he received 16 prototype phones from the assembly line at a Foxconn factory.

After reporting that one prototype had gone missing he was questioned and possibly physically intimidated by Foxconn security. Unable to cope with the pressure he jumped to his death from a twelfth story apartment.