Poken is now selling in Singapore. Someone bought it into Singapore, got IDA’s approval and is currently selling it at S$36. If you remember, I blog about Poken some time back in September.

I didn’t buy a Poken. But I got a free one few weeks back during BarCamp Singapore 4.

The device is pretty simple. In fact, too simple. The only problem is, they don’t include the user manual in the packaging. You need to go online to learn more about interesting tool.

One of the most commonly asked question is what does the lights on the Poken stands for. Green lights mean you have successfully pokened (or exchanged contacts) with someone. Red means the exchange wasn’t successful. (Most common problem is you remove your Poken too early) Orange light means there are less than 4 slot left on your Poken. The normal Poken (pokenSPARK) can store around 50+ contacts while the pokenPULSE (the 2gb thumbdrive version) can store a lot more.

There is also a ‘light show’ mode. Just press and hold the button for a few seconds and it will display several colours at the same time for a few seconds. It doesn’t do anything except letting you know that you that your Poken is still working and drain a bit of your battery.

Yes, your Poken has a battery inside. Under normal usage, the battery should last around six to eight months. The Poken uses a Lithium CR1632 battery which is easily available. To open, use a screwdriver to pry open the Poken. The interior of the Poken looks like this.

There is also a ghost mode on the Poken. Let’s say someone wants to Poken with you but you don’t want to reveal your info to the person. Instead of rejecting the person, simple press the button twice before you Poken with the person. When they upload the contacts in their Poken, they will see a Ghost card but won’t know who does it belongs to. You can still see his/her card and also decide if you want to share your info with that person later.

We tried playing with the Poken during BarCamp Singapore. The biggest problem with have with the Poken is that you don’t know anything about the person until you upload the contacts from your Poken. Unlike namecard where you get to see all the important information at 1 glance. But Preetam explains that the Poken isn’t meant to replace namecard. In fact, it would be very useful for exchanging contacts when clubbing.

Imagine walking up to the girl and say “Hi, shall we poke?”

Related posts:

1. Poken
2. Hanging the Singapore Flag
3. TwtBizCard – Business card, the Twitter way
4. Singapore has more press freedom
5. iPhone 3G in Singapore