Flat-rate fees for surfing the Web on the phone in Europe could be something on the cards for StarHub users after the telco and its regional telecom partners signed a deal with one of the world’s biggest cellphone operators, Vodafone, today.

The Conexus Mobile Alliance, a grouping of Asian telecom operators that StarHub is part of, said it would work with Vodafone to provide more streamlined services to multi-national corporations and offer “harmonised roaming rates across multiple countries” for a combined 600 million subscribers in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific. …

Another one of Singapore’s quarterly tech bazaars, Comex 2011, opens its doors today to thousands of bargain hunters eager to cash in on discounts – or perceived discounts – on laptops, headphones, printers, TVs, broadband plans and just about anything tech you can find on the island.

One of the most hotly-awaited deals – HP’s TouchPad – has already been sold out this morning. Only 100 units of each version of the tablet (16GB and 32GB) went on sale today and the queue numbers were snapped up in no time. A queue had formed as early as 4am, according to the good folks from The Straits Times Digital Life.

HP is still selling the tablet from S$118 in the coming days, but you’d have to love queues to get in line for one of these fire sale items.

Meanwhile, here are a few other deals we’d be interested with: …

Help Sparky the dog reunite with his long lost love.

No, not by choosing a mate from a dog breeder, but through following his story on TV, playing games on your mobile phone, and finding hints on Facebook.

It’s a virtual love story that StarHub, who is running Singapore’s first interactive commercial, hopes will create lots of brand publicity for them. The commercial was unveiled on the big screen at a media preview held at GV Vivocity cinemas today.

The catch is that it doesn’t only play out on TV, YouTube or the cinema screen, but also on mobile phones and computers through interactive gaming — the first time it is done here locally. It’s not exactly a full-blown alternate reality game (ARG), but it contains some elements of it.

…

UNWIRED, Singapore’s first and only independent wireless and mobile conference, returned for a second run last Thursday, and saw the attendance of top-level executives from the relevant industries from across Southeast Asia.

Opened by the Infocomm Development Authority’s assistance chief executive Khoong Hock Yun, it featured half a day’s discussion on hot topics affecting the industry and its users.

From Singapore’s expected move to next generation mobile broadband (4G/LTE) to the rise of mobile computing and winning features of a mobile operating system, the conference was packed with fresh insights from a who’s who list of the country’s industry experts, who fielded a number of questions from the audience. …

If you’ve been lusting over the smooth, curved Gorilla Glass screen and sleek exterior of the Dell Venue smartphone, it’s here finally. The Android 2.2 smartphone – which feels a bit 2010, to be honest – has hit stores here in Singapore with a recommended retail price of S$738. The phone will also be available through telcos StarHub and M1. …

What features would users expect from the mobile OSes running their handheld gizmos in the next six to 12 months? What will LTE and 4G bring to telecom operators when the speedy networks are finally rolled out? And how can organisations gain by creating mobile apps that tap on “the cloud” through their smartphones?

These are just a sample of the issues that industry leaders from Singapore and the region will be discussing at the upcoming UNWIRED 2011 conference on May 26, 2011. …

So, you’re finally getting the fibre optic cable set up at home and seem all ready to hook up to Singapore’s fast lane that promises faster downloads. Then, all of a sudden, questions come up.

How should I run the fibre optic cable at home? How should I set up up my home network? Which service provider should I sign up with?

As a new fibre broadband user who just signed up two weeks ago, I can tell you I have asked all those questions, and there are solutions, sort of, if you know what you want with the new service. …

Post-paid mobile users in Singapore can send donations to help victims of the devastating Japanese earthquake earlier this month by simply sending an SMS with their phones.

All you have to do is send an SMS to 78888, whether you are on SingTel, StarHub or M1, to make S$5, S$10 or S$20 donations to the Singapore Red Cross to aid the cause.

• For a $5 donation, SMS RC5 to 78888
• For a $10 donation, SMS RC10 to 78888
• For a $20 donation, SMS RC20 to 78888

The amount will be reflected in your next monthly bill. This donation drive runs from now until midnight on April 11, 2011. Donations are not tax-deductible and persons below the age of 18 years will require parental or guardian consent before making a donation.

Do support this donation drive, as aid for the country has been a little slow to come through.

Driving a bulldozer over a bunch of illegal set-top boxes seems to be part of the job of an assistant vice-president in StarHub these days, a photo that we just received from the company appears to suggest.

We’re told later that AVP for pay-TV services, Andrea Tay, didn’t really operate the bulldozer – because you need a licence for that – but instead she was posing as part of a StarHub campaign to show how it is dealing with the persistent threat of pirated pay-TV boxes.

At a Kranji recycling company this morning, the company destroyed about 3oo set-top boxes bound for Singapore homes. According to a StarHub spokesman, they were intercepted at various customs checkpoints on separate occasions and rounded up for destruction today, though she declined to say when these boxes were picked up.  …

When companies try to hide information about their products and services from consumers, it’s a black and white case: let’s hammer them to be more transparent.

Unfortunately, recent calls for Singapore’s telecom operators to declare an “average” surfing speed or “minimum guaranteed speed” are as misguided as they are unhelpful in solving the biggest problems users face here – a lack of content and inconsistent links to overseas sites. …