Not about sales but about shopping

HP Mini Vivienne Tam edition

When I first read about the new limited edition HP Mini Vivienne Tam notebook I thought I’d really want it. The whole package called out to me, where it looked both functional and gorgeous. Also, its a lovely small size just like my Asus Eeepc. However, now that I’ve seen more pictures of it on Cnet, I’m less enamoured with it. The press pictures made the peony cover look so much better than it does in real life based on the pictures I’m seeing.

The problem of course is that, this is just a dressed up version of the HP Mini 1000 which would cost half the price of the jazzed up version. Its just not worth paying extra for a shell – pretty though the shell may be. I’d rather be spending that extra money on memory be it Mac memory or just memory for my other notebooks to jazz things up on the inside rather than on the outside.

So yeah, after hearing that it might cost a cool RM2800 here in Malaysia if or when the Vivienne Tam edition is brought in by HP, I think I’m giving it a miss. Pretty it might be, but practical it just is not.

January 6, 2009 | Filed Under Fashion, Technology | 1 Comment 

Displaying photos a digital way

With a wedding in the family (not mine!) it is only inevitable that the question of “Where are your wedding photos?” come up from time to time. The thing is that some photographers take the photos but charge a separate price to prepare an album. I’m not referring to those who go with bridal studio packages. Those are a different kettle of fish and you usually end up with a wedding photo album so heavy you need a crane to lift it out of its box. Ok, I’m exaggerating, but you might pull a muscle if you aren’t careful.

So, when I passed by a photo store one day and saw this digital frame in the window display, I immediately thought it would make a great gift! All the couple has to do is upload their wedding photos into the digital frame, and play it back for anyone who wants to view it. It is also ultra portable unlike a giant album that is so heavy no one would voluntarily pick it up. :)

I think it was retailing for RM100+ in one of the major photo stores in town for smaller sizes and RM200+ for the larger ones. I can’t quite remember. But this is reminding me to check it out!

November 23, 2008 | Filed Under Household, Technology | Leave a Comment 

A DSLR for Christmas?

A side effect of being a blogger is that I have developed a little interest in photography. Bloggers will know how important a good photograph is to enhance your blog and your posts. Currently, I’m using a point and shoot compact camera. It is useful and takes good photographs but honestly, it is no DSLR. Recently, I had the opportunity to test a Canon DSLR belonging to a friend. It was an eye-opener.

The numerous buttons confused me but I guess there’s always that learning curve with anything. Now, I’m itching to own my very own. I’ve seen ads for the Canon ones as well as the Nikon D90. A photographer once told me that Pentax too was a decent brand for an entry level DSLR.

Honestly, I have no idea what I’m looking for. The only thing I know is that with Christmas round the corner, there might be some good deals going on so I’ll shop around and read up first before taking the plunge. If anyone has any tips on what DSLR to go for, feel free to let me know!

November 11, 2008 | Filed Under Technology | 1 Comment 

Tips on buying the Asus EeePC or any PC

I just bought the Asus EEEPc a few days ago.  It was bought on a whim which is not always a good thing.

Fortunately, I am quite used to buying computers from Low Yat Plaza so I knew what I had to do. Here are my tips for buying a PC at Low Yat Plaza:-

  • Research online for specs so you know what it should contain
  • Read a few online reviews of the product you are thinking of buying
  • Take a walk around a few vendors to check prices of the unit you have in mind
  • Compare prices
  • Stop for a break and think about which vendor has the best price or best value package
  • Always ask if the software provided is genuine. I cannot stress how important it is to get genuine software especially when it comes to updates and problems in future. One vendor tried to tell me that the unit came with windows etc for “free” but when I asked further was told that it was illegal software
  • See if the freebies offered are worth it or if not, try to ask for a further discount if you don’t take the freebies

If you buy in bulk e.g. 2 you usually get a lower price. However, the EeePC was going for a standard (nearly) rate of RM1299 throughout the whole of Low Yat plaza for a 4G HDD unit with 512MB of RAM. An upgrade of RAM to 1G was RM60. So, you do the math.

Either way, its a cheap little portable PC and I’ll be reviewing it soon!

May 27, 2008 | Filed Under Star Buys, Technology, Tips | 1 Comment 

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