Hi lattesurf, thanks for your detailed reply!
For Sim Lim Square, I had looked into the players sold there, but unfortunately, I do not like the designs they have imported, as they are currently still more focused on those with 2.0" LCDs and below (better profits I guess). Those with 2.4" LCDs are really ugly. Hehe. And even for these, they still cost significantly more (50% more than online prices), probably due to local support.
I will definitely take into your opinion of the difficulty of upgrading their firmwares and then decide if I want to continue to order.
Thanks!