Boredworkers.com

Just came back from my thrice annual pilgrimage from PIKOM PC Fair being held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The place is packed as usual. The early morning showers and slight afternoon drizzle did not help the traffic in any way. Among other things, I was looking for an entry level printer for my cousin, some knick knacks and gadgets by request from my colleagues, and some magazine subscriptions to fill the income tax deduction quota. Since it’s right up there in terms of queries, I’ll start with the magazine subscriptions first and update on the other stuff in a different post.

Usually, the draw of magazine subscriptions in the PIKOM PC Fair is that they usually come with nifty goody bags and offers. Previous installments have seen a wide range of gifts such as 120GB harddrives, wifi routers, MP3 players, DVD players, and speakers. This time around is no different. Of the various publishers three were bundling their yearly subscriptions with free toys. The magazines and bundles as follows.

Every 12 month subscription (RM118.80) included:

• LiteOn DivX/MP4/DVD Player, OR
• Kensington Laptop Backpack.

Free gift worth RM180.00

If you sign up for a 24 month subscription (RM237.60), you stand a chance to win a Fujitsu Lifebook U1010 Ultra Mobile PC (Tablet PC) worth RM3999.00 (Grand Prize) and one of three Lexmark X8350 All-in-One Plus Photo Printer worth RM699 each.

Every 12 month subscription (RM150.00) included:

• Wireless router from SMC, Linksys, Tenda or Corega (while stocks last - Linksys routers out of stock),
• Bitdefender anti-virus software, and
• MOL freedom prepaid card.

The goody bag is worth a total value of RM250.00. Subscribers will also stand a chance to win Panasonic DVD RAM, Energizer Ultra Compact Charger, and E-View MP3 speakers. The first 50 lucky subscribers every day of the fair will also walk away with a 2GB Imation Nano Flash worth RM80.00.

The Linksys routers are out of stock. Of the remaining brands, SMC is still not too bad. Also, the subscription price has increased considerably since last year (RM120.00 for 12 issues).

A 12 month subscription (RM144.00) entitles subscribers to choose from one of two packages:

• Package A:
  1GB MP3 player + FM tuner worth RM209.00, OR
• Package B:
  512MB MP3 player + something else (sorry, can’t remember)

Of the three subscriptions above, I can’t decide which to take. I might take more than one or even all three. The CHIP magazine sounds tempting with the laptop bag cause I just broke the strap on mine the day before =.=” I don’t need another WiFi router so PC.com might be out. As for HWM, I’ve already got an iPod Nano and a broken Aztech Music Cube don’t need another player.

What do you think? Which subscription should I take. How about you? Which subscription is of interest?