With that May launch window closing fast, it looks like Nokia might get Ovi Store in under the proverbial wire: it just went live on Vodafone in Australia, which was soon followed by other carriers, and then Ireland and Singapore. According to a post that was subsequently pulled from Nokia's Conversations blog, Nokia confirmed the rollout and said that it was progressively moving the Ovi Store to "production servers," and that we could "expect a broader announcement and consumer availability soon." Unfortunately, since that post has been pulled, we're not really sure what to expect, but at least the lucky few with Ovi can beam back important missives on their Twittix apps about what life is like in the future. Above are shots of the store live on an N97.

HTC's been pretty coy with pricing on the Touch Pro2 and Touch Diamond2, but now that units are starting to trickle out overseas, the numbers situation is getting slightly clearer. HTC's just announced that an unlocked Pro2 will set Singaporeans back S$1,328 ($887), while a Diamond2 will hit 'em up for S$1,088 ($726) -- a little more than in Taiwan, but probably close to what we'll see off-contract in the States. A little rich for our blood, though -- let's hope T-Mobile cleans the goo off soon.

[Via Unwired View]

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]

We first caught wind of an updated Dell Studio 15 when drivers for a 1555 model with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 graphics popped up on Dell's support site, and surprise -- Dell Singapore's gone and posted specs and pricing. The 1555 gets more than just a GPU boost to a 512MB 4570, it's also scoring a new 15.6-inch WLED 1366 x 768 screen, so you can actually watch some of that high-def media at an appropriate res. The basic config nets you all the new stuff plus a 2.4GHz P8600 Core 2 Duo, 3GB of RAM and a 250GB drive for S$1,599 ($1,044), which is actually a pretty stellar deal -- let's hope this bad boy makes it Stateside, and soon.

[Thanks, Karthik]

It was just yesterday that Reuters predicted Nokia's Comes With Music service was headed for something of a pilgrimage through the wilds of Europe, and now we have the official confirmation of this "pan European" expansion. The company has secured partnerships with music licensing and publishing big-wigs in Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and Norway, and is indicating that Singapore and Australia are next on its to-do list. Alas there was no mention of other nations getting any sort of attention, meaning Nokia handsets in the New World are unlikely to come with anything but guilt for the forseeable future.

Nokia's all-you-can-eat Comes With Music service has been humming along quite nicely across the pond, but until now, we've been left in the dark about its plans for world domination. No more, as a recent Reuters report has it that the unlimited music service should be headed to Australia, Asia and Singapore later this quarter and Latin America / USA sometime this year. We're also told that more corners of Europe should get served in the future, though no window of time was handed out there. It should be interesting to see if any carriers jump in to subsidize these, but our gut feeling says they'll be sold for a premium unlocked at your nearest Nokia flagship.

[Via UnwiredView]

Now that Acer's Aspire One is on top, there's really little shame in rebadging the popular netbook with everyone's favorite cow-themed computer brand and shipping it on over to Singapore, which is what Acer-owned Gateway has apparently done with the LT1001G. Details are slim, but specs are pretty standard, with a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB HDD. It'll retail for $688 Singapore dollars (about $458 US), and is accompanied by a few other low and high-end laptops to help mark the company's re-emergence in Singapore after splitting nearly eight years ago -- we'd say we're looking forward to seeing the netbook in the rest of the world, but we pretty much already have.

[Via Netbook Era]

You probably don't want to be seen at the beach with most solar-powered PMPs, but Shiro's SQ-S is superior in functionality if not in appearance. It can store 16GB of APE, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, or WMA files, receive and record FM radio broadcasts and play video on its itty-bitty screen. Unfortunately only its backside is adorned with solar panels -- four hours of tanning on a beach towel will get you up to 35 hours of music and 7 hours of video, but you won't be operating it while it's lying on its face. No word yet about price, availability, or a flesh-and-blood photo, but let's hope it looks as good in real life as it does in this render.

[Via PMP Today]

So here we have it: The Creative Zen X-Fi. Officially announced by Creative in Singapore, the X-Fi is what we expected: a Wi-Fi-capable player with Yahoo and MSN instant-messaging clients, 2.5-inch LCD, onboard speaker, SD/SDHC expansion, FM radio, voice recorder, and 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB flavors for the taking. In surprise territory we have a bundled pair of nice EP-830 earbuds and Creative's X-Fi Crystalizer technology. If that weren't enough, Creative spiced up the X-Fi's launch with limited-edition Red Cliff editions (pictured above). Along with the player's launch, Creative announced several accessories, including the TravelSound Zen X-Fi Docking Speaker System, Armband, Silicone case, and leather case. Still no word when we'll get our hands on the X-Fi here, but Singapore prices come in at S$229 ($145US), S$329 ($209US), and S$399 ($254US) for the various models.

[Thanks, yutaka]

Keeping track of your personal pet using any means necessary is one thing, but embedding RFID chips into some 20 aquarium fishes is taking things to a whole 'nother level. Sure, we've seen RoboFish unleashed in a public aquarium and the means to care for your guppy remotely, but officials at the Underwater World in Singapore now have a much more exciting way to learn details about the animals customers see. Reportedly, the name and species (among other information) about the chipped marine animals are displayed on touchscreen displays whenever they swim by, which eliminates the old fashioned "match the picture with the fish" signs that still exist in other facilities. The project was set up over a three month period and set the venue back $19,600, but considering that the execs are thinking about risking someone's life to tag sharks in the near future, we can only assume that it's been a hit.

[Thanks, Andrew B.]

When we were in school it seemed like we were too busy goofing around with electronics and wasting our lives in IRC to contribute anything worthwhile to the scientific community. So you can imagine how sheepish we feel reporting about a couple of junior college students who've developed an active camouflage suit that employes electrochromism to change colors and "that can blend into any surrounding". Details are sparse (maybe they used the chameleon tech to blend them into the rest of the article), so we'll keep our peepers extra-sharp for crazy wall-walking superheroes from The Tick.

[Via Crave]

While it's not unusual for a nation to desire a full fledged robot army to handle its dirty work, Singapore's Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is actually offering up a reward to anyone who can "build a robot that can operate autonomously in urban warfare conditions." Obviously, the task is easier said than done, but the country is aiming to acquire an intelligent, street-fighting machine that can move in and out of buildings, open and close doors, and most importantly, "search and destroy targets like a human soldier." Notably, anyone (including institutions) in the world is open to participate in the TechX Challenge, but foreigners must collaborate with local partners in their construction. The contest is being created in order to shift away from remote-controlled robots that tie up human resources, but the goals of the project may indeed be a bit lofty for today's technology. Robert Richardson from the University of Manchester, UK has proclaimed that the "competition could present a major challenge to even the most sophisticated robot," and added that doors and elevators would likely give the autonomous drones the most problems. Crafty individuals interested in the admittedly tempting S$1 million ($652,000) reward must (hastily) submit their entry by May of this year, where a few rounds of elimination will eventually end when a winner is chosen in August of 2008.

[Thanks, John S.]

While folks have been receiving various forms of punishment after jacking somebody's lingering WiFi signal without consent, it looks like the poor internet-addicted teenager from Singapore just barely missed out on the maximum fine. Proclaimed as the first victim of Singapore's newly-enforced Computer Misuse Act, the 17-year old Garyl Tan Jia Luo picked up 18 months of probation (some of which will be at home) instead of jail time, but what's potentially worse is the fact that he is not allowed to access the internet during his stint. Apparently, the judge felt this was the best way to break him of his internet addiction, and also recommended that the kiddo receive treatment for his online gaming obsession. Of course, we're sure his school grades will plummet and he'll miss out on a critical amount of technological development during the next 1.5 years, but hey, serving up justice is what it's all about, right? So if you're stuck in Singapore without a connection to the digital world, hold out just a bit longer for that free nationwide variety before hopping onto whatever jail-bait WiFi signal you find floating around.

[Via TechDirt]

If there's two things we like here at Engadget, it's charities and outspoken CEOs. Thanks to Creative accomplishing both in one fell swoop, the company will not only throw a month long celebration in Singapore, but give lucky donors a chance to roll away in Sim Wong Hoo's whip. To celebrate a whopping 25 years of staying afloat in the "treacherous" world of battling Apple while popping out sound cards, MP3 players, and other random gizmos, the firm is holding a one-month party with tons of sweet giveaway material to be handed out to winning donors. Topping the list is Sim Wong Hoo's (Creative's rambling CEO) own Lexus LS430 (hey, a man's got to have something to deduct on those taxes, right?), while lesser winners can take home one of the many ZEN PMPs available for raffle. While the actual name of the charities haven't yet been announced (saywha?), folks in Singapore looking for something to do on New Year's Eve should certainly cross their fingers for the "Lucky Draw" while partying it up with Mr. Hoo -- or fly to Times Square in a heavenly seat, your call.