16 theSun | WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5 2009

media & marketing

Maxis launches iPhone ‘Most Wanted ruumates’

are admin assistant, writer
(From left)
RUUMZ, Malaysia’s first so- and videos on the ruumz web-

3GS in Malaysia
MAXIS recently
launched the much-
awaited iPhone 3GS
with attractive price
plans, enhanced iValue
packages and upgrade
offers for their custom-
ers.
The iPhone 3GS
16GB is offered at
RM1,290 and iPhone
3G 8GB at just RM790
with the iValue plan
that comes with a
monthly commitment
of RM155 and a 24-
month contract.
“Current music
smartphones in the
market are in the
range of RM1,400,
while email phones are
priced within the range of
RM1,600,” said Maxis vice-
president and head of consumer
marketing Tan Lay Hon.
“With the iValue service
plans, the iPhone 3GS come at an
affordable price and customers
can enjoy the complete voice and
data package,” added Tan.
Maxis has also introduced
new features in the iValue plan
which offers new and existing
customers free SMS and multi-
media messaging service (MMS),
free local calls and SMS to family
lines.
The retail price without the
iValue service plans of the iPhone
3GS 16GB is RM 2,490 while the
iPhone 3GS 32GB is priced at
RM2,990.
There are also easy payment
schemes offered to customers
where they can buy an iPhone
3G 8GB for as little as RM60 per
month.
Customers can purchase the
iPhone 3GS interest-free over
12-month or 24-month periods.
Maxis senior
general cial networking website, has site while showcasing personal-
manager found two of its “Most Wanted ity, lifestyle and talents through
and head ruumate” in an administrative various tasks.
of product assistant and a writer. The winners used the social
development Rachel Beh, 27, and Derek mediums of ruumz, Facebook,
and Yap, 25, attained the most at- Twitter and personal blogs to
infotainment tractive, creative and sociable garner votes. However, Beh and
services T. title after two months of social Yap made extra effort to meet
Kugan, Tan networking to gain votes. voters and fans.
and Maxis “This has been a tough and The two winners will be fea-
head of interesting campaign. It was tured in Faces magazine. They
broadband amazing to see how young also each won an Acer Aspire
Afizuzha Malaysians today are so savvy Timeline notebook, W1MAX
Abdullah in the way they connect to the Wiggy two-year subscription,
during the public. a 32-inch Samsung LCD TV,
launch of the “Rachel and Derek are a Samsung M7500 Emporio
iPhone 3GS. names to look out for as advo- Armani mobile phone, Mooks
cates of our future generation,” apparel voucher amounting to
said ruumz.FM’s DJ Ross. RM1,000 and RM300 Blings!
First runner-ups for the worth of rummz virtual curren-
female and male category was cy which can be used for photo
blogger Amanda Choe, 20, and printing, music downloads and
postgraduate student Kingston more.
Liu, 25, respectively. Sub-category winners
Design student Raeesa include Raeesa Shahirah and
Shahirah, 19, and engineering Reuben Samuel for Mooks
student John Lean, 20, were Most Stylish ruumates, Pearlyn
second runner-ups. Sin and Dicky Oscar for Most
The winners were selected Wanted Acer Travelmates while
based on the amount of votes Amanda Choe and Asran Zakry
This offer is open to all Maybank, functions and offerings. acquired from ruumz members won the Most Desired rum-
HSBC, Citibank and Public Bank “iPhone 3G keeps our custom- and judges encompassing online mates titles.
Visa and MasterCard customers. ers connected and entertained radio ruumz.FM DJs Fly Guy According to ruumzNation
The new iPhone 3GS is said with an attractive and easy and Ross, actress and model chief executive James Chong,
to be the fastest and most pow- browsing interface and has Winners and Sarah Lian, Faces magazine the company plans to have the
erful iPhone yet, packed with increased Maxis customers’ mo- runner-ups editor-in-chief Lu Jing Shia and campaign as an annual contest.
new features which includes bile data usage. There is a very of the ‘Most journalist Niki Cheong. “The search for the ‘Most
improved speed and diverse range of Wanted The contest required partici- Wanted ruumate’ was more
performance, longer iPhone users ruumate’ pants to upload pictures than about good
battery life, high- from 12 years contest. looks and online
For more, log on
quality 3 megapixel www.maxis.com.my/iphone3gs upwards,” he popularity but
autofocus camera, said. also a campaign
easy-to-use video Tan added to showcase
recording and hands- with the improved how the new
free voice control. communications features and online genera-
The iPhone 3GS includes the applications, the iPhone 3GS will tion is able to
new iPhone OS 3.0 with over further “enhance and enrich our leverage on
100 new features such as MMS, lives.” social media
landscape keyboard, Cut, Copy Maxis customers who bought as opposed
and Paste functions and more. the iPhone 3G and subscribe to to the use of
It also allows customers access the iValue and iData can also traditional
to more than 50,000 applications upgrade to the latest iPhone channels that
from Apple’s App Store. 3GS and enjoy at least a RM500 entails a high
Tan said the introduction of rebate. cost,” said
the iPhone 3G in Malaysia in For more information on Chong.
March this year has changed the iPhone 3GS plans from Maxis, For more
way Malaysians communicate at visit www.maxis.com.my/iphon- information
work and play due to its diverse e3gs. on winners
and web-
site, please
visit www.
ruumz.
com.

No change in MNPA top posts

THE Malaysian Newpaper
Publishers Association (MNPA)
annual general meeting on
June 23 saw no changes to the
top leadership, with Utusan
Melayu Bhd group executive
director Mohd Nasir Ali re-
elected chairman, and Star
Publications (M) Bhd group
managing director and CEO
Datin Linda Ngiam honorary
secretary.
New Straits Times Press
Bhd head of circulation Azman
Che Chin was elected honor-
ary treasurer.
The AGM also saw the
election of executive commit-
tee members, among whom
were:
» Rita Sim, Sin Chew Media
Corporation Bhd
» Lee Hin Chan, Kwong Wah Yit
Poh Press Bhd
» S.M. Periasamy, Makkal Osai
Sdn Bhd
» Wee Tee Fatt, Nanyang Siang
Pau Sdn Bhd
» Charles Peters, Sun Media
Corporation Sdn Bhd; and
» Liew Sam Ngan, The China
Press Bhd.
In his address, Mohd Nasir
spoke of challenges faced by
the industry.
“The first agenda for the
committee is to follow through
its appeal to the government
to consider an abolition of
customs duty on newsprint in
rolls from Canada, Indonesia,
Korea, Philippines. The US
customs duty applicable
to newsprint imported into
Malaysia ranges from 5% for
imports from Asean countries
to 10% for imports from other
countries,” he said.
“The production costs of
newspapers in 2009 will con-
tinue to increase as a result
of higher transportation rates,
electricity tariff and labour
costs.
“The newspaper publishing
industry is facing severe chal-
lenges.
“We have seen a long-term
decline in Adex, declining cir-
culation sales, and advertisers
moving budgets from news-
papers to new advertising
vehicles.
“To meet these chal-
lenges, newspapers have to
be innovative in creating new
products and new revenue
streams to add value and
enhance their offerings to
readers and advertisers.”
The association will organ-
ise seminars to help newspa-
per professionals leverage on
their online portals and to find
ways to increase revenues
online for future growth. The
first such seminar is planned
for November.