Boredworkers.com

I was at the PC Fair yesterday. There were some specific items that I wanted to buy (and managed to buy) but that didn’t stop me from looking at everything in general. There are some pretty good offers floating around this year. Here’s an overview in brief of what I found interesting.

Notebooks Anyone?
If you’re looking for a notebook, now might be a good time to put money down on a purchase. Especially with the great offers from DELL. Last year, I was really disappointed with the DELL discounts but this year, they pulled out a really good package that seems too good to be true. Enter the DELL Inspiron™ 640m. The specs on offer this time round is impressive:

• Intel® Centrino® Duo Processor technology Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5300 (2MB Cache, 1.73GHz, 533MHz FSB)
• Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium or Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 (same price)
• 512MB DDR2 SDRAM at 533 MHz + 512MB Free Upgrade (Total 1GB DDR2 SDRAM)
• 14.1″ Wide Screen XGA TFT Display (1280×800 resolution)
• 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 8X DVD+/-RW Combo Drive with dual layer write capabilities OR DVD Burner (Cool)
• Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 up to 224MB of Shared System Memory
• Integrated 10/100 Fast Ethernet/WiFi/Bluetooth
• 1-Year Complete Cover Support With Asia Pacific Regional Coverage (includes 1 Year Next Business Day On-Site Service)
• DELL small nylon carrying case (it is light and I actually prefer it)
• Free Delivery
• RM400 Instant Cash Redemption

Total Price: RM2699.00

This is the best offer you’re going to find on notebooks. This is so much better than last year’s promotion because they are offering a Core 2 Duo processor. During the last PC Fair, you had to fork out an additional RM400+ for the processor upgrade. The DVD burner is an extra plus. However, I’m not quite sure that it’s a good idea to run Vista on the machine without a dedicated graphics card (the one provided is integrated with shared memory). Personally, I would go for the XP 2005 operating system. Too bad they don’t allow us to customise the machine without the OS.

You don’t have to go to PC Fair to make the purchase. You can do so online via the DELL Malaysia website.

WiFi Routers Everywhere
There were numerous WiFi routers on offer. This was one of the specific things that I was looking for. What’s the best offer available? Well, it’s really a matter of choice. So for the sake of choice, here’s a list of the best prices for a basic WiFi router:

• Belkin Wireless DSL Cable Gateway Router
  • Standard IEEE 802.11 b/g
  • 4 port 10/100 Base-T fast Ethernet switch
  • Operation range up to 400ft
  • * Lifetime warranty

  Original Price: RM159.00
  PC Fair Price: RM149.00

• D-Link DI-524 - High Speed 2.4GHz (802.11g) Wireless Router
  • 54Mbps IEEE 802.11 b/g
  • 4 port 10/100 Base-T fast Ethernet switch
  • * Lifetime warranty

  Original Price: RM168.00
  PC Fair Price: RM130.00

• Level-One WBR-3408 Wireless Broadband Router
  • IEEE 802.11 b/g
  • 4 port 10/100 Base-T fast Ethernet switch
  • * Lifetime warranty
  • Free 5dBi Antenna (booster antenna) worth RM30.00
  • RM10.00 instant cash rebate

  Collect free gifts and cash rebate from Booth 248

  Original Price: RM166.00
  PC Fair Price: RM150.00 (RM140.00 after cash rebate)

* Lifetime Warranty: For most brands, the lifetime warranty means a one-to-one exchange for any faulty equipment as long as the exterior casing is in good condition (doesn’t matter the internal condition, or so they claim). For the purpose of the warranty, lifetime means the lifetime of the product (e.g. The warranty is valid so long as the product is still in production).

I wound up buying the Level-One wireless router. I haven’t yet had the chance to try it out. I’ll give you a full review once I have.

3G Broadband On The Go?
Fancy having 3G access on the go? Maxis is promoting their 3G Wireless Broadband service. They are offering a 30-day no risk guarantee, whereby you try the service for 30 days and if you’re not satisfied, you simply return the equipment at no cost.

The following one time charges apply:

• Activation: RM100.00
• Installation: RM88.00 (waived for PC Fair promotion)
• Deposit: RM100.00 (waived for PC Fair promotion)
• Registration: RM50.00 (waived for PC Fair promotion)

Total one-time charge of RM100.00 (PC Fair promotion) payable upon acceptance of service after 30-days trial. If you’re not satisfied with the service, you simply return the 3G modem to any Maxis service centre and you won’t be charged a single sen.

Coverage area might be limited. You’ll have to check to see if your area has 3G coverage. One good thing about the service is that you can bring it on the go. The 3G modem comes with a built-in rechargeable battery with a life of 3 hours fully charged. With a notebook, you can move around freely (within areas with Maxis 3G coverage). Unfortunately, the modem is rather bulky.

Connection is pretty stable as with decent speeds. The downside to 3G is that it shares cell bandwidth with all 3G devices within the cell’s coverage. Each cell has a maximum bandwidth of 2.4Mbits. If your area of coverage has a high 3G usage density, you’ll find yourself with a greatly diminished bandwidth.

But that’s also true for wired broadband access (e.g. Streamyx). For Streamyx, I noticed that my area has very slow access (about 200kbps on a 512kbps subscription which is less than 50% best effort!), while low density areas have near 99% access.

Anything Else?
Thumbdrive prices have increased (particularly the 4GB drives) because of Apple’s been snapping up the chips for the production of their new Apple iPhone. Compact Flash prices are on the increase due to reduced production while SD memory cards are a dime a dozen (not literally).

I can’t really cover everything on offer from the PC Fair. If you’re looking for something else that I haven’t mentioned and would like to know the price/offers, just leave a message and I’ll see what I can remember/dig up for you.