If you are a 3HK customer then you will want to check out the iPad MicroSIM deal which is competing mostly with Smartone-Vodafone and PCCW as we’ve already announced.

If you are a limited user you can get a 50MB data plan for HK$98 or go on contract for unlimited for $188 – or go unlimited and NO contract for $200.

So now it seems like its a battle between 3HK and Smartone-Vodafone – or is it? SMV’s price is cheaper and many people say the quality is better – but some say the same of 3HK. We’ll have to do a test but if price is the most important thing to you it looks like SMV is the winner.

And oh yeah, with a contract you can get the 8GB iPhone 3GS from 3HK now if you want.

Just in time for the iPad launch tomorrow Smartone-Vodafone braves the Black Rain warning to send us their price plans for the iPad.

Smartone-Vodafone is so confident of the service they are offering, that its coming to you contract free so you can cancel anytime and move to another operator.

Simply put, this is the simplest price plan we’ve seen yet:

• 250MB transfer every 30 days will cost you $98
• Unlimited transfer every 30 days will cost you HK$168

No contract – just walk in and pay for your MicroSIM and plug into your iPad and you are off and running. AND you can access the SMV WiFi network anytime at no extra cost.

Depending on how much you will use it at home, you can probably get away with the 250MB plan. If you plan to use it for work then you’re better off with the amazingly low price of HK$168.

We expect massive lines tomorrow at all the Apple resellers and then equally long queues at the operators so get ready for an insane Apple day starting at 10am. We will be there blogging live!

Last night we told you the confirmed date for the iPad in Hong Kong was this Friday, July 23, tonight we share with you the first operators plan for the iPad.

PCCW Mobile has 3 plans for you to choose from – they are quite tricky and ask you to pre-pay a bunch of cash but we have a feeling the other operators will have similar plans so its going to be a battle on network quality and speed over price for us in-a-rush Hong Kongers.

The 3 plans are:

1. PCCW mobile micro SIM HSPA mobile data in unlimited Internet access plan;
2. Pocket Wi-Fi internet access unlimited mobile data plan;
3. PCCW Wi-Fi Unlimited network service plan.

1. PCCW mobile micro SIM HSPA mobile data unlimited Internet access plan
HK$236 a month after rebate

• Unlimited HSPA mobile data
• Unlimited PCCW Wi-Fi hot spots and more than 7,000 fiber-optic network 100M
• Exclusive Wi-Fi Auto Connect
• Unlimited net SMS

2. Pocket Wi-Fi internet access unlimited mobile data plan
For HK$276 a month after rebate.

• Unlimited HSPA mobile data
• Unlimited PCCW Wi-Fi hot spots and more than 7,000 fiber-optic network 100M
• Unlimited net SMS

3. PCCW Wi-Fi unlimited network service plan
For a flat HK$48 a month:

• Unlimited PCCW Wi-Fi hot spots and more than 7,000 fiber-optic network 100M

PCCW Mobile has launched the Wi-Fi Auto Connect feature that allows customers the ability to switch between PCCW 3G HSPA and Wi-Fi network. Through the Wi-Fi Auto Connect feature, when iPad 3G detects PCCW Wi-Fi coverage, it will automatically log in, no need to enter the account number and password.

We hope Richard likes the iPad better than the iPhone.

Always on the road and need a way to stay connected on the Internet on the go? Aztech can help.

Even with the WiFi hotspots around Hong Kong, sometimes its tough to get a decent connection when you’re on the street. Our friends at Aztech Electronics might have the answer: The Aztech HW550-3G is a 4 port router featuring HSPA for the booming 3G market, can be used as an alternative to ADSL/broadband modem, but is fully compatible with an existing modem to provide reliable wireless Internet access at a home or office location.

By plugging in a 3G/3.5G modem into the Aztech HW550-3G, anyone can create their own personal WiFi hotspot on-the-go. As demonstrated in a video tutorial below, installation and usage is simple for any Internet user; simply plugging in the router will let you go. Good for Mac and PC users.

The product is coming out this month in Hong Kong, final pricing and availability to be announced soon.

Ever since the crazy idea of iPhone apps came up, we knew that it was going to be a huge success. Soon after the release of iPhone 3G, there were apps for almost anything– games, alarm clocks, even managers for menstruation cycles. Well, OnOne has just proven that the iPhone is capable of doing almost anything with their new app, DSLR Remote.

As it’s pretty obvious from the name, we’re not going to explain again that this is app turns your iPhone into a remote for your DSLR camera. With this app, you’ll be able to control things like the shutter, aperture, and white balance. Also, if you have a Live View camera, you can also get a live stream of your camera’s viewfinder.

To use this app, however, you’ll need to connect your DSLR camera to your computer with an installed server software. Then, you can control your camera with your iPhone or iPod Touch through a WiFi connection to your computer. Since most photpgraphers use a portable Macbook to check the photos this is a great tool. One reason you may want to use it is to perhaps take a photo of yourself. You’ll be able to take your time and adjust the picture instead of just setting a timer and having to hurry back to your place to smile for the picture.

Currently, this app will only work with Canon EOS DSLR cameras. Nikon users may be a little disappointed at the moment, but a version for you will be available in mid-July. if you’ve got a Canon, you can download the Lite version now for US$1.99/HK$16 or go all out for the full professional version at US$19.99/HK$160. Read up more from the developers website at OnOne Software website.

Got some extra bucks in this economy, and need to watch HD movies on the go??!! Then praise the broadband gods! CSL has promised to launch its new 1010 Next G mobile internet, claiming to have download speeds up to 21Mbps. They claim that this is the fastest mobile internet in the world. Though not as fast as the upcoming Sony Ericsson’s unbelievable 56Mbps internet, it’s definitely quite a bit faster than what most people’s got on this planet.

As you know, good things are never free. The 1010 Next G monthly fee is not so cheap either. It offers 3 different speeds– 3.6Mbps, 7.2Mbps, and 21Mbps. The monthly subscription fees are HK$228, HK$388, and HK$538 respectively. Included in the subscription is a free USB modem that enables you to plug it into your laptop for internet access.There are no limits with these plans, so you’ll be able to surf all day long without worrying about going over your limit.

If you don’t feel like spending that much money, CSL‘s also got some cheaper, limited plans for you, starting at HK$78 per month.

We’re not sure of the official release date of this service yet. However, they are currently taking pre-orders for whoever wishes to do so. To pre-order, just visit their website and click Pre-order at the top right hand side.

If you own a netbook, you’d probably say that the battery always runs out after about 3 or 4 hours. However, Samsung’s upcoming NC310 Netbook claims up to an unsurpassed 11 hours of battery life!

Similar to its predecessor, the NC10, this netbook will offer a 10.1″ LCD display, 160GB hard disk space, and 1GB of RAM. Beside the upgrade of the battery life, this netbook will offer HSDPA and WiMAX for data on top of the built-in WiFi receiver.  Unfortunately, we don’t have the full specs on this netbook just yet.

Samsung says that this netbook won’t completely replace the older NC10, but simply as a premium version of the netbook with it’s attractive design. The NC310 Netbook will be available in certain countries as early as April this year, but we’d say that it may take as long as May for it to reach here in Hong Kong. While no official retail prices have been revealed, we’d estimate this netbook to be around HK$4,500. Unfortunately, however, this price only includes the “standard” 5-hour battery. If you really want the amazing 11-hour battery, be prepared to pay as much as HK$5,000!

Do we have to say anything more? Go. Get it. Now.

If you’re still here you’ll know that you, me and many other people have been waiting for this ever since the release of the iPhone. Whatever reason you have for wanting this app, one thing is for sure: Skype can really save you some money on your phone bill. Or of course, you can always turn your iPod Touch into a phone if you’ve got headphones with a microphone.

If you’re familiar with Skype, then there isn’t much to say besides that this is a wonderful app. Most features in your desktop Skype will be available in this app, including free Skype-to-Skype calls, and calling landlines and mobile phones for super low prices.

If you don’t know about Skype yet, all we have to tell you that this is a must-get for you. With this app, you can make Voice-Over-IP calls to all your friends without paying the ridiculous fees that your cell phone company charges you. In fact, calling your Skype friends is free, and calling other cell phones and landlines starts at only HK$0.16 per minute! Also, you can enjoy features such as conference calling, call transfers, and instant messaging for free!

We just installed it and tested it out with a call to Vancouver, Canada and its as clear if not clearer than a normal local phone call. The only drawback is that you need to be on a Wi-Fi connection, so that means no walking-and-talking long distance on 3G – yet!

Skype is available to download from the iTunes store right now! Like all other versions of Skype, this app is absolutely free. Download it now and save some money!

Thinking of taking that iPhone or Blackberry with you on your Easter holiday but not sure you want to deal with the crazy roaming charges? Well 3 takes alot of the guesswork out of the way for you with its flat-rate unlimited data plan.

If you are traveling to Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines or Indonesia and don’t want to trek around looking for free wi-fi, 3 will hook you up for unlimited data for HK$138 a day. Yes, it sounds alot when some people pay HK$498 a month for unlimited data access, but you can go look at the NTT DoCoMo site in Japan for data charges and the 3 deal is looking really quite good.

If you are going to China its even cheaper at only HK$68 a day until June 30, 2009. All you have to do is dial *107*1# from your iPhone or Blackberry and for the next 24 hours (HKT) you can get at those Google Maps to find out where you are and surf websites for that restaturant you are looking for. Don’t let crazy roaming fees prevent you from using your iPhone to its fullest with 3. Check out the full details here.

If you liked the idea of one phone supporting two sim cards from those no-brand phone makers, you’ll love this even more. Acer has finally announced their own dual-sim card phone, the Acer Tempo DX 900. With support for both 2G and 3G sim cards, it’s the first phone in the market with such a capability.

This Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone’s got most of whatever you’ll need. With the 2.8″ touch screen LCD display, you’ll be able to do all your work with ease. Also, the built-in GPS system will get you anywhere you need. The phone comes with a decent 3.0 mega-pixel camera, so if you ever come across an interesting scene, you can snap a great photo with it.

Let’s see the detailed tech specs:

• Network: UMTS/HSDPA 2100/1900/850MHz GSM/EDGE Quad Band: 850/900/1800/1900MHz. GPRS/EGPRS ClassB,Muliti-Slot class 10
• Operating System: Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• Processor: Samsung S3C 6400 533MHz
• Form Factor: Smartphone
• Display: 2.8″, 640 x 480 VGA, TFT-LCD
• Camera: 3.0 Mega-pixels
• Memory: 256MB ROM, 128MB SDRAM. Micro-SD slot
• Misc: IEEE 802.11 b/g WiFi, SiRF StarIII GPS built-in, bluetooth 2.0, 2.5mm stereo jack

We’d say that this phone, while not the most powerful smartphone out there, will offer you most of the features that you’ll ever use. It will come out in Hong Kong April this year. However, if you’re desperate for this phone, Expansys is offering this phone for preorder for HK$4610, so you can go visit them if you like.