I like to shop at Carphonewarehouse. If you were to ask me the reason why I like to do so, it is simple as good customer service. Think about it. As a customer, you would expect a shop to be able to provide you with the best customer service. I have been to my local Phones4u but sad to say that they don't provide a professional service at all.
The Carphonewarehouse branch at my area provides good customer service. They will never pester you to sign up for anything unless you want it to although they will ask you if you would like to make a purchase for some accessories or so. Perhaps it is just down to a few sales representatives whom I would like to speak to whenever I am in the shop.
At the end of the day, it is all up to the individual who would either attract customers to return or simply just to ignore customers and they will never return to that shop again.
At this moment, Carphonewarehouse is having a Christmas sale. If you check on their website www.carphonewahouse.com you will be able to find some exciting news about their latest offer. I don't work for them but I would like them to succeed because they are doing their best. Why not give them a chance? One good example will be a brand new SIM free Nokia N8 selling at £200. That is a bargain! It is even cheaper than on contract!
Update:
28/12/2011:
The Nokia N8 is still made available at £200 SIM free and brand new but the Google Nexus S is already sold out! I am not surprised taking into account that it was selling at £200 SIM free and brand new too!
Showing posts with label Companies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Companies. Show all posts
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Nokia...again...
I am really not happy with Nokia these days. I am happy for the fact that they are going to release better looking and better hardware equipped mobile phones to the people but it is really sad to see that they are pulling out of the Japanese market... I think they are scalling down their operations but are they able to compete with manufactureres like Apple, HTC and Samsung?
Monday, 13 June 2011
Apple Ipad2
I know that Apple is going to release their third generation Ipad in the very near future. However, I could not wait to get my hands dirty in using one of their latest Ipad2 floating around. Sometimes, I am just curious in looking through the internet and I could find people selling a base model - 16GB wifi + 3G for around £100 on top of the £499 retail price! That is just crazy though!
When you do telephone Apple, they will inform you that it will take around 1-2 weeks for your SIM FREE Ipad2 to arrive from China. The easiest for you to get around the shortage is to go to one of those mobile phone stores and take up a 24 months contract. Well, what is so good about the Ipad2?
At this very moment, the Ipad2, similar to the Ipad1, is basically an enlarged Ipod Touch. It is good in the sense that you could just port over all your favourite apps which you have purchased for your Ipad1 or from you Iphone to the Ipad2. It works beautifully although there are certain apps which is specifically made for the Ipad and it will not work properly if you have an Iphone.
The Ipad2 is significantly lighter than the original Ipad and is slightly faster than the original Ipad. I can't justify the need for a dualcore but gamers will find it useful. After all, Apple has downclock the 1Ghz A5 to 900Mhz. I would not know if you ask me what was the reason for the downclock. It goes the same to Nokia's N8. The ARM chip is capable of running at 772mhz but Nokia has downclock it to 680mhz.
The Ipad2 has facetime and performs just like the latest Apple Ipod but it is 9.7" instead of 3.5". The increased in screen size is justifiable and much better than the Ipod Touch. It is a shame hat it does not contain a radio chip which will allow users to make or receive calls/text, so unlike the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
The battery life on the Ipad2 is remarkable. It last through one day with moderate usage and with skype working at the background before the need to recharge. Mind you, I have been on skype for around 2 hours before I stop. I think the Ipad2 is a powerhouse when it comes to durability. The battery is just as good as the original Ipad.
There is only one thing which I don't quite like about the Ipad2. Being Apple, they are still using 0.7MP in this age as their primary digital camera and 0.3MP for video calls/facetime. That is just crazy! It is also really expensive unless you take up a wifi+3G on contract...
Will it be justifiable to have the Ipad2 instead of the original Ipad? Well, if you don't mind the weight, I would think it will be best for you to stick with the original Ipad.
When you do telephone Apple, they will inform you that it will take around 1-2 weeks for your SIM FREE Ipad2 to arrive from China. The easiest for you to get around the shortage is to go to one of those mobile phone stores and take up a 24 months contract. Well, what is so good about the Ipad2?
At this very moment, the Ipad2, similar to the Ipad1, is basically an enlarged Ipod Touch. It is good in the sense that you could just port over all your favourite apps which you have purchased for your Ipad1 or from you Iphone to the Ipad2. It works beautifully although there are certain apps which is specifically made for the Ipad and it will not work properly if you have an Iphone.
The Ipad2 is significantly lighter than the original Ipad and is slightly faster than the original Ipad. I can't justify the need for a dualcore but gamers will find it useful. After all, Apple has downclock the 1Ghz A5 to 900Mhz. I would not know if you ask me what was the reason for the downclock. It goes the same to Nokia's N8. The ARM chip is capable of running at 772mhz but Nokia has downclock it to 680mhz.
The Ipad2 has facetime and performs just like the latest Apple Ipod but it is 9.7" instead of 3.5". The increased in screen size is justifiable and much better than the Ipod Touch. It is a shame hat it does not contain a radio chip which will allow users to make or receive calls/text, so unlike the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
The battery life on the Ipad2 is remarkable. It last through one day with moderate usage and with skype working at the background before the need to recharge. Mind you, I have been on skype for around 2 hours before I stop. I think the Ipad2 is a powerhouse when it comes to durability. The battery is just as good as the original Ipad.
There is only one thing which I don't quite like about the Ipad2. Being Apple, they are still using 0.7MP in this age as their primary digital camera and 0.3MP for video calls/facetime. That is just crazy! It is also really expensive unless you take up a wifi+3G on contract...
Will it be justifiable to have the Ipad2 instead of the original Ipad? Well, if you don't mind the weight, I would think it will be best for you to stick with the original Ipad.
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Dell XPS 17 (L702X) - Update
If you are pretty upset with the fact that you were mis-sold, don't worry too much as you could just make a call to Dell and ask for a replacement. I have seen that some people were lucky to have their replacement but some were not as lucky - Dell customer service turned them down for a replacement unit. I believe that best thing to do is to make an order of your laptop through the telephone as a representative will be able to answer all your questions prior to you making an order.
I have posted an article with regard to the non 3D screen, i.e. 900p resolution here. The only concern with the non 3D screen is that you will not be able to upgrade your XPS 17 (L702X) to 16GB as you would only have 2 memory slots. The only way for you to received 4 memory slots would be to get a 3D screen + 3GB GT555M 3D capable gpu card.
Comparison
Well, you could ask me whether it is worth while ordering a 3D screen as compared to a non-3D screen, Before I answer this question, it is important to look at the pros and cons about having a non-3D screen and having a 3D screen.
If you have a non-3D screen, you would have the ability to use Nvidia's Optimus technology. Basically, it switches automatically between the integrated graphics and the Nvidia GT555M gpu card. In doing so, you would have around 6-8 hours of battery life with a single charge. It also depends on your workload for the day. Compare it to you ordering a 3D screen + 3D capable Nvidia gpu card. If you have ordered a 3D screen + 3D capable gpu card, you will be able to experience fully 3D movies and games (where available) on your XPS 17. The downside to it is that Nvidia Optimus is disabled.
What it means is that you will have the 3GB Nvidia GT555M gpu card always switched on. That would translate to a 2-3 hours of battery life on a single charge as compared to the 6-8 hours of battery life if Nvidia's Optimus technology is enabled. I just don't understand why Dell would want to disable Nvidia's Optimus technology. That would be a shame. The good point of hacing a 3D screen + 3D gpu card is that you will have the option to upgrade your system memory to a full 16GB instead of the 8GB on other configurations.
Good luck!
I have posted an article with regard to the non 3D screen, i.e. 900p resolution here. The only concern with the non 3D screen is that you will not be able to upgrade your XPS 17 (L702X) to 16GB as you would only have 2 memory slots. The only way for you to received 4 memory slots would be to get a 3D screen + 3GB GT555M 3D capable gpu card.
Comparison
Well, you could ask me whether it is worth while ordering a 3D screen as compared to a non-3D screen, Before I answer this question, it is important to look at the pros and cons about having a non-3D screen and having a 3D screen.
If you have a non-3D screen, you would have the ability to use Nvidia's Optimus technology. Basically, it switches automatically between the integrated graphics and the Nvidia GT555M gpu card. In doing so, you would have around 6-8 hours of battery life with a single charge. It also depends on your workload for the day. Compare it to you ordering a 3D screen + 3D capable Nvidia gpu card. If you have ordered a 3D screen + 3D capable gpu card, you will be able to experience fully 3D movies and games (where available) on your XPS 17. The downside to it is that Nvidia Optimus is disabled.
What it means is that you will have the 3GB Nvidia GT555M gpu card always switched on. That would translate to a 2-3 hours of battery life on a single charge as compared to the 6-8 hours of battery life if Nvidia's Optimus technology is enabled. I just don't understand why Dell would want to disable Nvidia's Optimus technology. That would be a shame. The good point of hacing a 3D screen + 3D gpu card is that you will have the option to upgrade your system memory to a full 16GB instead of the 8GB on other configurations.
Good luck!
Thursday, 16 December 2010
4G in UK?
I have been looking up on the recent development of 4G services in the UK. As we know, 4G is not officially launched in the UK yet as mobile networks are still in the development stage at this moment. I don't think they are eager to roll out 4G at this moment.
However, for those of you who are in Slough or in Carlisle and if you are using O2 UK, you will be in luck! O2 is currently conducting trails of 4G services in these two areas and it has been demonstrated on their website recently. I was really impressed with their achievement so far. That is the good side of O2.
Taking 4G into rural areas and increasing the bandwidth will be nice especially for me. At this moment, I am using Vodafone at the moment and the nearest Vodafone mast is around one kilometer away. That is why I am having difficulty in sustaining constant good 3G coverage. Once I am around 200 yards down the road, I will have 4 bars of 3G service. That is why I am having constant drop calls on my mobile phone. I don't like the fact that I have to install a femtocell in my house. It acts like a 3G base station and it is bad for health, let alone our mobile phones in the house!
Overall, Orange, T-mobile and 3 UK all have strong 3G signals in my house. I can only receive 2.5G on the O2 UK network. It goes the same to any O2 MNVOs e.g. Tesco Mobile and Giffgaff. I think I will start using the Tesco Mobile once my Vodafone contract runs out as I am paying too much at the moment. Tesco is offering £10 per month for a SIM only deal! I think that is just fabulous, don't you think so? For £10 a month, you could have 500 minutes of inclusive minutes, unlimited text messages and 1GB of data! For that sort of plan, I have to pay around £30 on Vodafone.
As for O2, I think it is best for them to solve the existing problems before rolling out new technology. We do not want to have something like the Microsoft experience or the HTC experience. HTC's speakers and battery life is well known to be flawed while Microsoft's OS is customary to contain lots of bugs!
However, for those of you who are in Slough or in Carlisle and if you are using O2 UK, you will be in luck! O2 is currently conducting trails of 4G services in these two areas and it has been demonstrated on their website recently. I was really impressed with their achievement so far. That is the good side of O2.
Taking 4G into rural areas and increasing the bandwidth will be nice especially for me. At this moment, I am using Vodafone at the moment and the nearest Vodafone mast is around one kilometer away. That is why I am having difficulty in sustaining constant good 3G coverage. Once I am around 200 yards down the road, I will have 4 bars of 3G service. That is why I am having constant drop calls on my mobile phone. I don't like the fact that I have to install a femtocell in my house. It acts like a 3G base station and it is bad for health, let alone our mobile phones in the house!
Overall, Orange, T-mobile and 3 UK all have strong 3G signals in my house. I can only receive 2.5G on the O2 UK network. It goes the same to any O2 MNVOs e.g. Tesco Mobile and Giffgaff. I think I will start using the Tesco Mobile once my Vodafone contract runs out as I am paying too much at the moment. Tesco is offering £10 per month for a SIM only deal! I think that is just fabulous, don't you think so? For £10 a month, you could have 500 minutes of inclusive minutes, unlimited text messages and 1GB of data! For that sort of plan, I have to pay around £30 on Vodafone.
As for O2, I think it is best for them to solve the existing problems before rolling out new technology. We do not want to have something like the Microsoft experience or the HTC experience. HTC's speakers and battery life is well known to be flawed while Microsoft's OS is customary to contain lots of bugs!
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Buying Memory through Crucial Webpage
I have received the 8gb ddr3 memory from the United States but unfortunately it does not work on my laptop although it is certified to be PC3-1333. I do find it very strange because there's no apparent difference in the installed memory on my laptop and the memory which I have bought through ebay (and the seller is in the USA). Anyway, I had to do a RMA refund before sending the memory back to the seller. I think the difference is that the memory which I have bought from the USA does not bear any popular branding, unlike the Kingston and the Samsung module which is pre-installed on the laptop.
Coming back to the issue of buying memory from the Crucial webpage... Initially I was on ebay again and I have found out that the cheapest 8GB DDR3 memory which I can find was around £160 (seller is in the UK). I don't think I can afford the money although it was Kingston branded. I could also choose Hynix branded but it will cost around £168. At the bottom of the page on ebay, I saw Crucial's advertisement. I then went to their website to take a look.
To my surprise, the 8GB DDR3 sodimm kit (2x4GB) only cost around £86 including postage! The best thing is that the company is based in the UK! I was delighted and so I made a call to make a purchase. Not to my surprise, I was being charged £108 instead! I called this morning to clarify and indeed I was being charged for more! The Crucial customer service was efficient and my case was solved! I did not call in but instead used the page' Live Chat. It worked! Curcial customer service is excellent!!!
Update:
17:57 - The memory is holding on perfectly! I do like it because Hardware Monitor Pro is showing the memory's temperature! It did not show when I had both Kingsont and Samsung chip inside previously. With the 8GB PC3-10660 installed, Windows Exprience Index showed an increase of 1.4. It is now 7.1! My next target will be an Intel Core i5 520m cpu for the laptop.
16/12/2010: - The 2x4GB memory from Crucial is perfect!!!
Coming back to the issue of buying memory from the Crucial webpage... Initially I was on ebay again and I have found out that the cheapest 8GB DDR3 memory which I can find was around £160 (seller is in the UK). I don't think I can afford the money although it was Kingston branded. I could also choose Hynix branded but it will cost around £168. At the bottom of the page on ebay, I saw Crucial's advertisement. I then went to their website to take a look.
To my surprise, the 8GB DDR3 sodimm kit (2x4GB) only cost around £86 including postage! The best thing is that the company is based in the UK! I was delighted and so I made a call to make a purchase. Not to my surprise, I was being charged £108 instead! I called this morning to clarify and indeed I was being charged for more! The Crucial customer service was efficient and my case was solved! I did not call in but instead used the page' Live Chat. It worked! Curcial customer service is excellent!!!
Update:
17:57 - The memory is holding on perfectly! I do like it because Hardware Monitor Pro is showing the memory's temperature! It did not show when I had both Kingsont and Samsung chip inside previously. With the 8GB PC3-10660 installed, Windows Exprience Index showed an increase of 1.4. It is now 7.1! My next target will be an Intel Core i5 520m cpu for the laptop.
16/12/2010: - The 2x4GB memory from Crucial is perfect!!!
Friday, 5 November 2010
Virgin Broadband
I have been a loyal Virgin Broadband customer for a good six years. Before that, I was on BT broadband. I have always cherish and love Virgin Broadband because they have given me no problems at all when it comes to 10Mbps fibre optics internet connection.
Lately, things have started to become different. I am now on the 10Mbps package and I have received a letter from Virgin Media and they will give me 3 months free broadband upgrade if I were to upgrade my plan from 10Mbps to 20Mbps. Mind you, there will be a new contract and it will last for another 12 months.
After giving it some consideration, I have decided to give a call to Virgin Media. Heyho, I was thinking that I would upgrade the service but...
I was then being told that I could upgrade from 10Mbps to 20Mbps but I will not be getting three months free service. I have tried to explained to them but they said that it is not valid. I am just astonished! I have received the letter and I read it out all to him but I still got the same anwer - No free service for three months. Oh well, I will stop pestering them. I think I will continue my service with Virgin Media but I will not going to give them a good rate for their customer service though. Perhaps I have met someone who is not really good in his work though. The best thing for me to do is to give a call to the disconnection department soon.
Lately, things have started to become different. I am now on the 10Mbps package and I have received a letter from Virgin Media and they will give me 3 months free broadband upgrade if I were to upgrade my plan from 10Mbps to 20Mbps. Mind you, there will be a new contract and it will last for another 12 months.
After giving it some consideration, I have decided to give a call to Virgin Media. Heyho, I was thinking that I would upgrade the service but...
I was then being told that I could upgrade from 10Mbps to 20Mbps but I will not be getting three months free service. I have tried to explained to them but they said that it is not valid. I am just astonished! I have received the letter and I read it out all to him but I still got the same anwer - No free service for three months. Oh well, I will stop pestering them. I think I will continue my service with Virgin Media but I will not going to give them a good rate for their customer service though. Perhaps I have met someone who is not really good in his work though. The best thing for me to do is to give a call to the disconnection department soon.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Virgin Media Broadband
Most of you might have known that there is only one company in UK which will be able to offer cable broadband to you. Yupe, that is right - Only Virgin Media can do so. In fact, they are quite successful as fibre optics would always be better than using ADSL or ADSL 2+ technology in surfing the internet. I don't have any problems with them until recently.
I have tried calling customer service but they kept on telling me that there is no known connection problem in my area. I am just wondering whether my wireless router or the modem have anything to do with the slow internet speed.
I was told to switch off the wireless router + modem and wait for 10 minutes before switching them on again. I don't see the solution in doing that because I have switched off the modem and the wireless router for 8 hours before switching them on again but yet the problem exist! Tell me what is going on over here?
Do I see a need to change of ISP?
I have tried calling customer service but they kept on telling me that there is no known connection problem in my area. I am just wondering whether my wireless router or the modem have anything to do with the slow internet speed.
I was told to switch off the wireless router + modem and wait for 10 minutes before switching them on again. I don't see the solution in doing that because I have switched off the modem and the wireless router for 8 hours before switching them on again but yet the problem exist! Tell me what is going on over here?
Do I see a need to change of ISP?
Monday, 6 September 2010
Sounds Like a Hummingbird
Introduction
I have told myself that I would get a reasonably priced Netbook very soon. This is an important issue because it will help me to pursue my work even better (In short - more efficient). However, I have to make sure that the price of the netbook will not be more than £260 irrespective of the size of the screen.
Acer Aspire One 751h
After doing some research online, I have come to a solution. I could get an Acer Aspire One 751h which is powered by an old Intel Atom Z520. The good thing is that it is equipped with a 11.6" TFT screen and the memory bank is upgradeable to 2GB! It is quite light and the battery can last up to 7 hours with a singel charge. The price of the netbook is also quite reasonable at £239.99 with one year's warranty nad free delivery. It comes standard with bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and 802.11b/g. The netbook is quite light and I do like the netbook's curve. It is quite quiet too so it is a strong contender.
HP 110-3000sa
The next netbook which I have in mind is the HP 110. It comes with a newer Intel Atom N450 CPU and 1GB of memory which one could upgrade it to 2GB. Hard disk space is 250GB and Carphonewarehouse is selling it for £239. Not too bad considering that I will get a Bulldog Internet Antivirus to go with it (The software cost £50 apparently). I do like HP and certainly the 110 as the memory card reader supports xD cards! The fan is also quiet and it comes with Windows 7 Starter, unlike the Acer Aspire One 751h which comes with Windows XP Home.
Lenovo S10-3
The next netbook which caught my eye was the Lenovo S10-3. It comes with similar spec as the HP 110 but it has a trackpad in addition to the touchpad. It is quite a tradition for Lenovo. A single charge of the battery will last for 7 hours and this is what I like. It is quite light too at around 1.25kg. It could easily be fitted into a small bag without any fuss. According to Carphonewarehouse, it cost £259. It is still within my budget at this moment.
I did not consider Samsung N130 because it is running on an older cpu - the Intel Atom N270 so I have decided to make it a pass this time.
Hannspree SN10
The final netbook which caught my eye was the Hannspree SN10 from Carphonewarehouse. It cost only £199 and it has similar spec as the HP 100 but the memory card reader does not support xD card but it is worth while taking it considering the nearest price to the SN10 is around £40 extra. I then decided to take the Hannspree SN 10.
Carphonewarehouse
According to Carphonewarehouse, it has a similar spec as the HP 110. It will support bluetooth, wifi at 802.11n and it is powered by an Intel Atom N450 cpu. The best of all is that it has a 2 year warranty! That is just brilliant! I bought it and happily took it home to use.
I was really disappointed with the unit that I have bought. The Windows 7 Starter was alright and most of the functions are running properly but wait a minute...There is something missing. Yes!!!! There is no bluetooth attached to it!
A quick check under the control panel showed that the unit does not have bluetooth hard wired on the motherboard. I then checked the machine and it showed a serial number of SN10E28B and not SN10E24B as advertised! If that is not bad enough, the noise of the fan was loud and it sound more like a hummingbird! I could not take it anymore so I have decided to exchange it for a different model. Stay tuned for more as I am going back to Carphonewarehouse tomorrow to get a different netbook all together. I think I will get the Lenovo S10-3 instead.
I do remember the branch manager of Carphonewarehouse telling me that I cannot return the unit but I could exchange it for a different unit. I told him that actually I can return the unit and get my money back if the unit which is sold to me does not correspond to the advertisement on the internet and that it fails to work like a netbook. He smiled. Oh well, here are some of the pictures of the Hannspree SN10E28B which I have received. Besides, I have statutory rights and so they can't really push their responsibilies away, isn't it?
Update:
I have finally managed to talk my way out and carphonewarehouse agreed to exchange the Lenovo S10-3 for me. Obviously I would have to pay the difference of £60 as the Lenovo is £259. Anyway, I took the netbook back and guess what I have found? The unit which they sold to me only came with a 160GB hard drive and not the 250GB! That is just disappointment one after the other. I have not yet open the box this time!
I then went back to the same shop the third time and this time I have asked for a HP Mini 110-3000sa. I then checked every single detail before heading back to my house. The netbook checks out and it is running beautifully at the moment. However, the Mini 110-3000sa only comes with a mono speaker and only have a speaker jack and not even a microphone jack. Apart from that, it works perfectly. I have to say that I could feel that the Mini 110 is much faster than the Hannspree SN10 which I had two days ago! There will be a review of the HP Mini 110-3000sa very soon.
Stay tuned!
I have told myself that I would get a reasonably priced Netbook very soon. This is an important issue because it will help me to pursue my work even better (In short - more efficient). However, I have to make sure that the price of the netbook will not be more than £260 irrespective of the size of the screen.
Acer Aspire One 751h
After doing some research online, I have come to a solution. I could get an Acer Aspire One 751h which is powered by an old Intel Atom Z520. The good thing is that it is equipped with a 11.6" TFT screen and the memory bank is upgradeable to 2GB! It is quite light and the battery can last up to 7 hours with a singel charge. The price of the netbook is also quite reasonable at £239.99 with one year's warranty nad free delivery. It comes standard with bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and 802.11b/g. The netbook is quite light and I do like the netbook's curve. It is quite quiet too so it is a strong contender.
HP 110-3000sa
The next netbook which I have in mind is the HP 110. It comes with a newer Intel Atom N450 CPU and 1GB of memory which one could upgrade it to 2GB. Hard disk space is 250GB and Carphonewarehouse is selling it for £239. Not too bad considering that I will get a Bulldog Internet Antivirus to go with it (The software cost £50 apparently). I do like HP and certainly the 110 as the memory card reader supports xD cards! The fan is also quiet and it comes with Windows 7 Starter, unlike the Acer Aspire One 751h which comes with Windows XP Home.
Lenovo S10-3
The next netbook which caught my eye was the Lenovo S10-3. It comes with similar spec as the HP 110 but it has a trackpad in addition to the touchpad. It is quite a tradition for Lenovo. A single charge of the battery will last for 7 hours and this is what I like. It is quite light too at around 1.25kg. It could easily be fitted into a small bag without any fuss. According to Carphonewarehouse, it cost £259. It is still within my budget at this moment.
I did not consider Samsung N130 because it is running on an older cpu - the Intel Atom N270 so I have decided to make it a pass this time.
Hannspree SN10
The final netbook which caught my eye was the Hannspree SN10 from Carphonewarehouse. It cost only £199 and it has similar spec as the HP 100 but the memory card reader does not support xD card but it is worth while taking it considering the nearest price to the SN10 is around £40 extra. I then decided to take the Hannspree SN 10.
Carphonewarehouse
According to Carphonewarehouse, it has a similar spec as the HP 110. It will support bluetooth, wifi at 802.11n and it is powered by an Intel Atom N450 cpu. The best of all is that it has a 2 year warranty! That is just brilliant! I bought it and happily took it home to use.
I was really disappointed with the unit that I have bought. The Windows 7 Starter was alright and most of the functions are running properly but wait a minute...There is something missing. Yes!!!! There is no bluetooth attached to it!
A quick check under the control panel showed that the unit does not have bluetooth hard wired on the motherboard. I then checked the machine and it showed a serial number of SN10E28B and not SN10E24B as advertised! If that is not bad enough, the noise of the fan was loud and it sound more like a hummingbird! I could not take it anymore so I have decided to exchange it for a different model. Stay tuned for more as I am going back to Carphonewarehouse tomorrow to get a different netbook all together. I think I will get the Lenovo S10-3 instead.
I do remember the branch manager of Carphonewarehouse telling me that I cannot return the unit but I could exchange it for a different unit. I told him that actually I can return the unit and get my money back if the unit which is sold to me does not correspond to the advertisement on the internet and that it fails to work like a netbook. He smiled. Oh well, here are some of the pictures of the Hannspree SN10E28B which I have received. Besides, I have statutory rights and so they can't really push their responsibilies away, isn't it?
Update:
I have finally managed to talk my way out and carphonewarehouse agreed to exchange the Lenovo S10-3 for me. Obviously I would have to pay the difference of £60 as the Lenovo is £259. Anyway, I took the netbook back and guess what I have found? The unit which they sold to me only came with a 160GB hard drive and not the 250GB! That is just disappointment one after the other. I have not yet open the box this time!
I then went back to the same shop the third time and this time I have asked for a HP Mini 110-3000sa. I then checked every single detail before heading back to my house. The netbook checks out and it is running beautifully at the moment. However, the Mini 110-3000sa only comes with a mono speaker and only have a speaker jack and not even a microphone jack. Apart from that, it works perfectly. I have to say that I could feel that the Mini 110 is much faster than the Hannspree SN10 which I had two days ago! There will be a review of the HP Mini 110-3000sa very soon.
Stay tuned!
 |
| Hannspree SN10E28B from the top |
 |
| Another shot taken when it is openned |
 |
| The box which house the Hannspree SN10E28B |
 |
| Good price at £199! |
 |
| Clearly stated that the netbook comes with bluetooth under 'connectivity' |
 |
| Wow!!! What do we have under 'Bluetooth'? It is stated as 'Without'!!! Besides that the unit which was given to me was not SN10E24B but SN10E28B. Sneeky people!!! |
Saturday, 3 July 2010
More Apple Iphone 4 Problems
I have read a press statement from Apple regarding the existence of the new Iphone 4's reception issue. They blamed it on consumers of holding the phone in a wrong way. By right, the problem lies deep within the fact that the design of the iphone 4's antennas were defective! How hard would it be for Apple to just admit that they had made a mistake and they will take steps to rectify the problem?
What is the problem with Apple? It is good to boast that they have managed to sell 1.7 million units of the iphone 4 in three days. However, have they managed to count how many unhappy customers over the loss of reception arising from the iphone 4? I don't believe that a software patch will be sufficient to solve the poor reception issue. The mere fact that Apple is trying to cooperate with AT&T into customer's signal bars will have no effect in solving the reception issue.
I thank my lucky star that I was not one of those fools who waited and had their iphone 4s in their hands at this moment. This is because Apple has failed to recognise that they have made a mistake. It is such a rip off after paying so much money towards a mobile device which does not serve its purpose - being able to send and receive calls clearly without the loss of reception! In fact, I'm pretty happy with my flair with Nokia and I will continue to stay put with Nokia.
Long live Nokia! If you want to have a look at Apple's press statement, click here to have a look.
Update: 06 July 2010 - It seems that the proximity sensor on the Iphone 4 is playing up... Apple should try to release an updated firmware to fix the problem soon though...
What is the problem with Apple? It is good to boast that they have managed to sell 1.7 million units of the iphone 4 in three days. However, have they managed to count how many unhappy customers over the loss of reception arising from the iphone 4? I don't believe that a software patch will be sufficient to solve the poor reception issue. The mere fact that Apple is trying to cooperate with AT&T into customer's signal bars will have no effect in solving the reception issue.
I thank my lucky star that I was not one of those fools who waited and had their iphone 4s in their hands at this moment. This is because Apple has failed to recognise that they have made a mistake. It is such a rip off after paying so much money towards a mobile device which does not serve its purpose - being able to send and receive calls clearly without the loss of reception! In fact, I'm pretty happy with my flair with Nokia and I will continue to stay put with Nokia.
Long live Nokia! If you want to have a look at Apple's press statement, click here to have a look.
Update: 06 July 2010 - It seems that the proximity sensor on the Iphone 4 is playing up... Apple should try to release an updated firmware to fix the problem soon though...
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Don't be Fooled
If you think that 3 UK's new One Tariff is a good bargain, think again though. After looking through the website, it seems that they have do away with 18 months contract. What is important is that they only have 24 months contract at this moment if you wish to get a free handset from them.
The question is whether 3 UK will be able to expand its market share in the UK? I doubt they could even with the launch of the Iphone 3GS 32GB and possibly the Iphone 4 soon. The problem is with their network. No doubt they are trying to gain market share in the UK, they will need more than just fancy mobile devices. Their biggest down fall will be their customer services!!! I will never want to get near 3UK. If I must use 3 UK, I will only be using their prepaid service. I will NEVER EVER want to take up a contract with them ever!
I would suggest that people stay away from 3 UK.
The question is whether 3 UK will be able to expand its market share in the UK? I doubt they could even with the launch of the Iphone 3GS 32GB and possibly the Iphone 4 soon. The problem is with their network. No doubt they are trying to gain market share in the UK, they will need more than just fancy mobile devices. Their biggest down fall will be their customer services!!! I will never want to get near 3UK. If I must use 3 UK, I will only be using their prepaid service. I will NEVER EVER want to take up a contract with them ever!
I would suggest that people stay away from 3 UK.
Monday, 14 June 2010
Discount at Nokia Store
Many of you would have thought that it is going to be quite expensive to buy stuff on Nokia's website. Well, apparently, Nokia is having some discounts. What you need to do is just log onto nokia.co.uk and look for those SIM free mobile phones or even the Nokia Booklet 3G for instance, it is only priced at £589, a massive reduction from the original £650 price tag previously.
Having said that, one could still buy the Nokia Booklet 3G from ebay for less than £450 brand new with free posting.
I just could not wait for the upcoming Nokia C2-00 which supports dual sim and the Nokia X6 8GB to be sold in the UK. Sounds good when you have free voice activation GPS for almost 180 countries in the world for compatible Nokia maps mobile devices! I would also be waiting for the upcoming Nokia N9 too...
Having said that, one could still buy the Nokia Booklet 3G from ebay for less than £450 brand new with free posting.
I just could not wait for the upcoming Nokia C2-00 which supports dual sim and the Nokia X6 8GB to be sold in the UK. Sounds good when you have free voice activation GPS for almost 180 countries in the world for compatible Nokia maps mobile devices! I would also be waiting for the upcoming Nokia N9 too...
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Dell Studio 1555 Problem Solved - By Myself!
Remember I have lashed out on Dell's Technical Officer with regards to me not being able to flash the BIOS from A08 to A11 and not being able to install QuickSet64? Well, after reading this page, I figured out that I should just try removing the two slicks of 4GB memory and replace it with a 2GB memory.
Guess what happened after I have done it? The flash utility went alright and I could install QuickSet64 on my Dell Studio 1555! It was simply amazing! I just don't understand why would Dell's technical officer would not acknowledge that Dell's forum is very important in solving customer's problems?
Besides, I think customers of Dell should just take note. Even if you are using other pc/laptops from Dell, you might also want to try the method above. After all, there is no harm in trying, right?
Guess what happened after I have done it? The flash utility went alright and I could install QuickSet64 on my Dell Studio 1555! It was simply amazing! I just don't understand why would Dell's technical officer would not acknowledge that Dell's forum is very important in solving customer's problems?
Besides, I think customers of Dell should just take note. Even if you are using other pc/laptops from Dell, you might also want to try the method above. After all, there is no harm in trying, right?
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Dell Technical Officer
This is my latest encounter with Dell's Technical Officer. I did say to them that my Studio 15 is still having a problem. I still could not flash the onboard BIOS to A11 even though the overheating problem have been solved! The Dell technical officer said that they have sent an engineer three times to replace the motherboard and heatsink but at the moment something is just not right!
The list below were my problems with the Studio 1555:
(1) Laptop overheats and shutdown after 30 minutes of playing Need For Speed: Undercover;
(2) Can't flash the motherboard BIOS from A09-A11;(3) Can't install Quick Set ( which allows me to eject the DVD/CD by pressing on the eject button on the
keyboard); and
(4) The integrated Intel Wireless 5100 is not behaving properlyThe Dell engineer was really patient and thorough in going through my laptop. It was the same engineer who came to pay me a visit for three times.
For the first visit, the Dell engineer was really annoyed as Dell has sent him the wrong heatsink/fan and a defective motherboard. That was why he has to come back the second time.
During his second visit, I still could not flash the BIOS although the issue of overheating was solved. It was found that the PWR control on the motherboard was defective.
For his third visit, the motherboard was replaced and yet I could not flash the BIOS. I called Dell Technical Support and they said that there is nothing which they can do about it. The most which they can do is to ask me to send the unit back to them for a thorough checkup before sending it back to me.
I said that is unacceptable. First of all, the reason why I have a Dell engineer to come to see me is because I am not happy with my laptop being sent to them not knowing what would they do to my laptop. They could have downloaded all private and confidential materials which I would not like anyone else to have a look at it. They rejected my suggestion even though I said that I will be willing to pay for it. They have not able to solve the problem!
At this moment, I am totally dissatisfied with Dell. I did say to them that I could not install Dell's Quick Set although it is designed to run under Windows 7 64 bit. They rejected that I could not install so I've asked them to remotely control my laptop and have a look. The Dell technical officer then agreed. He also agreed that the software is not compatible with Windows 7 64 bit although it was designed to do so.
Apart from that, he also confirmed that the BIOS Utility software is not compatible with Windows 7 64 bit although it is designed to do so. However, there was nothing which he could do as his manager does not allow anymore callouts!
What is the point of sending my laptop back to Dell when their experienced engineers onsite could not solve the problem? Flashing the BIOS has nothing to do with the OS apart from the fact that the BIOS Utility is incompatible with Windows 7 64 bit.
I am totally disgusted with Dell for their ignorance. May God have mercy on them!!!
See? What did I saw? I'm using Windows 7 64 bit and clearly the Quickset64 does not work!!! Go back to the drawing board Dell!!!
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Ryanair II
Remember the ash cloud incident last month where many flights were grounded for more than a week? Well, I am sure that you are also aware that initially, Ryanair was not prepared to pay for the cost of accomodation for stranded customers. It led to pressure groups and lawyers to enforce Regulation 261/2004 for long delays, cancellation and denied boarding of any flight by customers. Later, Ryanair issued a statement stating that they will pay for stranded customer's "reasonable expenditure" as a result of them being stranded overseas.
The most recent news is that Ryanair is still not prepared to pay for all stranded customer's cost. Instead, they are referring the matter to the ECJ! If you read this page, it shows you how far Michael O' Leary is willing to go to stop customers from claiming compensation from them. He is obviously quite angry that someone who has paid £30 to the Canary Islands and was stuck there for some time. In the end, the bill came up to around £3000. He refused to pay for it. Well, think about it. His airline has been given the go ahead to fly passengers to so many destinations. Surely, he would have to stick to the rules.
I don't think what he is saying is correct 100%. He is just trying to put on a delay tactic and it is just not reasonable at all. Obviously he will make shareholders and his crew happy but not for all his customers. I think that it will be a good test case in the ECJ later. If you are interested, you could visit this page.
Watch this space.
The most recent news is that Ryanair is still not prepared to pay for all stranded customer's cost. Instead, they are referring the matter to the ECJ! If you read this page, it shows you how far Michael O' Leary is willing to go to stop customers from claiming compensation from them. He is obviously quite angry that someone who has paid £30 to the Canary Islands and was stuck there for some time. In the end, the bill came up to around £3000. He refused to pay for it. Well, think about it. His airline has been given the go ahead to fly passengers to so many destinations. Surely, he would have to stick to the rules.
I don't think what he is saying is correct 100%. He is just trying to put on a delay tactic and it is just not reasonable at all. Obviously he will make shareholders and his crew happy but not for all his customers. I think that it will be a good test case in the ECJ later. If you are interested, you could visit this page.
Watch this space.
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Dell Engineer
I had the pleasure of having a Dell Engineer to fix my laptop. It is not that I could not fix the laptop myself but I think it is better to ask them to come over to do it since the laptop is still under warranty.
The Dell engineer came over and replaced the defective motherboard and heatsink/fan. I was really happy with it as he was really professional! Excellent!!!
The good thing is that my laptop is now fixed. I have noticed that the BIOS is at A08. Perhaps it is best not to flash the BIOS to A11 as the CPU is now running at super cool 33c with moderate usage. I am not sure whether it will shutdown during load but I will see about it later. In the mean time, I think I will stick to the A08 BIOS. I will take into account the advice of 'Don't fix it if it ain't broke'.
However, I might want to add a copper shim on the GPU with an ICD7 thermal paste just to be sure. That will be another day though... In conclusion, I think the A09 is defective and it is better to stick with the A08 BIOS at this moment. However, it is mentioned on the Dell website that the A11 BIOS is now ready to be flashed...
The Dell engineer came over and replaced the defective motherboard and heatsink/fan. I was really happy with it as he was really professional! Excellent!!!
The good thing is that my laptop is now fixed. I have noticed that the BIOS is at A08. Perhaps it is best not to flash the BIOS to A11 as the CPU is now running at super cool 33c with moderate usage. I am not sure whether it will shutdown during load but I will see about it later. In the mean time, I think I will stick to the A08 BIOS. I will take into account the advice of 'Don't fix it if it ain't broke'.
However, I might want to add a copper shim on the GPU with an ICD7 thermal paste just to be sure. That will be another day though... In conclusion, I think the A09 is defective and it is better to stick with the A08 BIOS at this moment. However, it is mentioned on the Dell website that the A11 BIOS is now ready to be flashed...
Friday, 28 May 2010
Dell Products
For what's worth, I think Dell should reconsider their Quality Control. I was shocked to see that brand new parts from Dell was faulty! I don't understand how Dell is controlling their qulity control section. Do they ever learn from screaming customers about defective products?
I hope that Dell will improve on their products. Outsourcing is a good thing to do as it will save cost but at what expense? Penny wise pound foolish...
I hope that Dell will improve on their products. Outsourcing is a good thing to do as it will save cost but at what expense? Penny wise pound foolish...
Friday, 19 February 2010
Dell Studio 1555 BIOS
I'm really disappointed with Dell for the lack of support with their studio laptop 1555. I am saying this is because I was having some problems with my Dell 1555 and I was told that I should just flash my laptop's BIOS to the latest. At that time, the latest BIOS was A09. After doing that, I do regret flashing the BIOS because I am having an extra problem with my Dell Studio 1555 right now - the laptop will simply shutdown after playing a game for not more than 5 minutes!!!
I am not sure what Dell engineers are doing but they should make a move quickly. I have disassembled my laptop and cleaned the entire laptop including the fan and the heatsink. Yet, after cleaning it properly and re-assemble the laptop, I do find the laptop shutting down after 20 minutes!!! What is Dell doing over there? I'm sure that there is some problem with my laptop and I do believe that the BIOS is the problem!!! When is Dell going to release an updated BIOS then?
I am not sure what Dell engineers are doing but they should make a move quickly. I have disassembled my laptop and cleaned the entire laptop including the fan and the heatsink. Yet, after cleaning it properly and re-assemble the laptop, I do find the laptop shutting down after 20 minutes!!! What is Dell doing over there? I'm sure that there is some problem with my laptop and I do believe that the BIOS is the problem!!! When is Dell going to release an updated BIOS then?
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Kodak
After reading through an article about Kodak taking an action against Apple and Blackberry for their various infringement of their patents, I have to agree with they way how Kodak is pursuing the case. I do feel that both Apple and Blackberry should have paid royalties to Kodak if it is true that they have been a bad bad boy lately.
I don't see the reason why Kodak shouldn't pursue the case though. After all, Kodak is not trying to sue for something which does not belong to them. In fact, they are actually licensing the technology to other companies but in this case, both Apple and Blackberry failed to acknowledge Kodak's patent.
Watch this space...Apple should pay!!!
I don't see the reason why Kodak shouldn't pursue the case though. After all, Kodak is not trying to sue for something which does not belong to them. In fact, they are actually licensing the technology to other companies but in this case, both Apple and Blackberry failed to acknowledge Kodak's patent.
Watch this space...Apple should pay!!!
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Steve Jobs - You're Envy of Google
I was quite surprised to see that Steve Jobs had a hit on Google for being the next in thing to take on the Apple's Iphone. I am not surprised at all taking into account the Google G1 was a surprise by the giant company, then came the very latest Google Nexus. At least the latest incarnation from Google supports flash and the OS is an open source so there is not much of a problem for software developers to create a new application for the Android market.
As for Apple, the case is rather tricky. They will only allow software developers to post their offerings through iTunes and it means money for Apple. Without going through the iTunes, it will be quite hard for software developers to market their products unless the Iphones have been jailbraked. It is one place where Apple is making tons of money from (application softwares for the Iphone, Ipod and Ipad).
It is to my personal opinion that Steve Jobs is aware of the potential threat and I am sure that he will be thinking of a way to counter act the problem. It is so unfortunate that his latest offering - the Ipad, does not come up to people's expectation. I am not sure whether someone will buy the Ipad for such a high price even though it is not a netbook at all! Steve Jobs was wrong to compare the Ipad to a netbook as it does not have the same capabilities of a netbook. A simple job - support for multitasking and bluetooth the device to a laptop or a pc is not available! How could Steve Jobs say that the Ipad could be compared to a netbook? That is just not right.
Steve Jobs should not take grudge against Adobe for not coming out with flash support for the Iphone, Ipad and Ipod range. This is because Apple should work together with Adobe. I'm sure that a big company like Apple is snubbing Adobe because Apple has to pay loyalties to Adobe or Apple does not agree to the terms of Adobe. What a shame. HTML5 is still far away! Flash is still the normal mode of communication. No doubt that one needs to constantly update their Flash on their device, nevertheless, it is very convenient. I'm just so frustrated with Apple without any support for flash on their devices.
In a nutshell, Apple is hard headed and they will fall if they don't compromise. Google's Nexus One is a good step ahead. Way to go Google!!! There's some sort of competition between Google and Apple and that is the spirit!
For more information, please proceed to this page.
As for Apple, the case is rather tricky. They will only allow software developers to post their offerings through iTunes and it means money for Apple. Without going through the iTunes, it will be quite hard for software developers to market their products unless the Iphones have been jailbraked. It is one place where Apple is making tons of money from (application softwares for the Iphone, Ipod and Ipad).
It is to my personal opinion that Steve Jobs is aware of the potential threat and I am sure that he will be thinking of a way to counter act the problem. It is so unfortunate that his latest offering - the Ipad, does not come up to people's expectation. I am not sure whether someone will buy the Ipad for such a high price even though it is not a netbook at all! Steve Jobs was wrong to compare the Ipad to a netbook as it does not have the same capabilities of a netbook. A simple job - support for multitasking and bluetooth the device to a laptop or a pc is not available! How could Steve Jobs say that the Ipad could be compared to a netbook? That is just not right.
Steve Jobs should not take grudge against Adobe for not coming out with flash support for the Iphone, Ipad and Ipod range. This is because Apple should work together with Adobe. I'm sure that a big company like Apple is snubbing Adobe because Apple has to pay loyalties to Adobe or Apple does not agree to the terms of Adobe. What a shame. HTML5 is still far away! Flash is still the normal mode of communication. No doubt that one needs to constantly update their Flash on their device, nevertheless, it is very convenient. I'm just so frustrated with Apple without any support for flash on their devices.
In a nutshell, Apple is hard headed and they will fall if they don't compromise. Google's Nexus One is a good step ahead. Way to go Google!!! There's some sort of competition between Google and Apple and that is the spirit!
For more information, please proceed to this page.
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