Vince tech updates

In connection with my blog yesterday about gadget shopping in China, today, while I was browsing two of my favorite tech news blogs, I saw one topic that is a bit related to what I wrote yesterday.

How to buy gadgets in China and not get screwed.

Well, honestly, in Hong Kong, you can also find malls and shops in the street that sells tons of gadgets similar to that article. I’ve also tried buying gadgets in Hong Kong and got screwed bigtime. I will narrate my experience here so readers would be well aware of their modus operandi because after telling my friends about my experience, they knew the modus operandis of the shop owners in Hong Kong.

The Search

Of course, this is what we all do. Search and haggle for the lowest prices we can get before actually purchasing the item we want. We did that for 3 days. I was eyeing this particular SLR lens from Canon and it ranged from 1,200 to 1,500.

The Decision

Another of course. Of course, you would naturally buy the cheapest store who sells the item you are looking for. We ended up going in the store which offered us the lens for $900 hkd. Cheaper by 300-600 hkd compared to other stores.

Then, the modus starts. He then bad mouths the lens you bought and show you something better. In reality, it is really better! He offered it to us for 4,000 until we haggled it down to 3,500. take note, we do not know the price outside but we just trusted his word that it is really cheaper there at his store because he told us that he offers the lowest prices around. (Taking the $900 hkd lens into picture)

The stupid part was, us believing him. After awhile, we haggled more and agreed at $3,300.00hkd.

He then swiped the card and *accidentaly* swiped it at $3,500! I know they did that on purpose. we just asked for a few lens protectors for free and gave us one but, it won’t cost $200 dollars for that one protector.

Actual Price
I asked my friends immediately in my home country how much the value of that lens is. They all didn’t know thats why I bought it. I went back to the Philippines, went to the shop where I bought my camera and asked for the price of that particular lens. It sells for $1,600 hkd!!! We paid more than double! crap that!

So, that was my Hong Kong crappy adventure wherein I was doped double the price.

*another modus according to my friend is, they will tell you the stock isn’t available and knowing most tourists are in a hurry, you will opt for another unit of camera or lens because they already swiped your card and, ending up being doped. Just cancel the transaction next time or make sure that unit is within your sight first before letting them swipe your credit card.

News from > ABS-CBN news online

The National Bureau of Investigation on Monday announced the weekend arrest of two suspected “flicker” film pirates at a moviehouse in Quezon City.

Rolando Argabioso, chief of the NBI’s Field Operations Divisions, named the suspects as Jerryden Buhisan and Ariel Dichoso. The suspects were caught secretly recording the movie “Wanted” through two digital video cameras at the SM City North EDSA cinema.

The official said NBI agents were able to seize the digital video cameras from the suspects.

Argabioso said flicker pirates usually record the film during the first and las showing.
Selina Gecolea, general manager of film distributor United International Pictures, meanwhile, said flickers usually sit directly under the projection so that they can catch the screen fully.

She added that flickers usually come in a group of three or five people. One of them records the film while the rest stand as guard to either side to prevent other moviegoers from discovering the illegal activity.

Someone sent this email to me.

I am just forwarding this and warning everyone. Please take time to read and warn everyone else.

To know where carriedo is, (Image from Philippine MRT / LRT guide - Yehey.com )

If you want to go around the Philippines metro using MRT / LRT / LRT 1 or 2, view this interactive guide

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Yesterday, after picking up my new DSLR
accessory from mond(zselfdestrukt), i
decided to drop by Hidalgo st. in
Quiapo to buy extra battery and memory
card. I took the LRT to Carriedo from
Vito Cruz. I exited thru the Isetann
department store passage. As i was
walking beside SM Quiapo going towards
Hidalgo a man in his early 40’s and
full of tatoo suddenly approached me
and held my arms and acted as if he
knew me. He said ” uy pare kamusta na!
ang laki ng tinaba mo ha!”… ako naman
i was trying to recall if i know him.
so medyo hindi naman ako suplado kaya i
smiled hesitantly. then he followed up
with a question “kamusta na si tony?”
this question gave him away since i
don’t know any tony…i suddenly
realize that this is going to be a set
up for a hold up, kasi he’s trying to
lead me towards an alley with many
tambay na katulad niya. I quickly
deviced a plan, kasi dala ko yung
pinagbentahan ko ng Glutathione noon
and my new accessory. as he was about
to put his arms around my neck i
quickly elbowed him on the chest and
shoved him away. he angrily shouted “
wag mo ko itulak, kalalabas ko lang ng
munti! kuhanin ko lang pera mo at
alahas!” and showed his sigue sigue
tatoo. ako naman napansin ko na we are
near the entrance of SM and the guard
inside is carrying a shotgun. so i
replied by saying”kalalabas mo lang ba?
gusto mo bumalik hind*t ka! hindi mo ba
ako nakikilala? Colonel ako sa Crame!”,
he smiled and said “pahingi na lang ako
ng pera!” i jumped towards the guard
and said to the hoodlum “lika dito sa
loob, dito kita bibigyan!” he ran
towards the direction of rizal avenue.
the guard saw all these and said “naku
boss buti d ka naloko, kukuyugin ka
nila kung nahila ka nyan dun sa gilid
ng chowking.” so ayun dun lang pumasok
yung takot. i spent siguro 10 minutes
inside SM then went on to do what i
have to do.

as i was about to enter isetann i saw
the man again with 4 more men eyeing
another potential victim, a student.
they were on the carriedo street area
under the LRT. i saw two roving police
officers and told them what happened. i
pointed to the hoodlums but the
hooligans must’ve realized what i was
doing so they suddenly ran in different
directions. ayun.

sana maging babala sa inyo to. muntik
na ko dun.

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An article I just saw from engadget informs us that, the wifi issue that said that wifi causes lots more radiation is misleading according to itnews.com\

From Engadget:
A Panorama programme claiming that Wi-Fi creates three times as much radiation as mobile phone masts was “misleading”, an official BBC complaints ruling has found.
————–

Les Hatton, a columnist on IT Week, wrote: “Many readers may be feeling that they need to wear tin-foil hats following the Panorama ‘exposé’ and the supposedly harmful effects on children caused by wireless networks.

“All I can say in reassurance is that this sort of mathematically dysfunctional scare-mongering drivel really makes me cross.”

Other Gadget and tech news
According to CRN, resellers reported record Wi-Fi sales in June despite the negative publicity generated by Panorama.

CHICAGO — In the first US trial to challenge the illegal downloading of music on the Internet, a single mother from Minnesota was ordered Thursday to pay more than 220,000 dollars for sharing 24 songs online.

Jammie Thomas, 30, was the first among more than 26,000 people sued by the world’s most powerful recording companies to refuse a settlement after being slapped with a lawsuit by the Recording Industry of America and six major music labels.

She turned down an offer to pay a few thousands dollars in fines and instead took the case to court.

 

From http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=92688 

Gadgets articles

Yehey TOL - Webcam driven 3d avatars

TOKYO - Toshiba Corp. said Thursday it would recall 5,100 potentially flammable laptop computer batteries made by Sony Corp., which suffered widespread problems with its lithium-ion batteries last year.

Toshiba is recalling batteries for five different models of laptop computers as there were three reports of batteries catching fire between last September and June, although no one was hurt, said Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Omori.

Toshiba laptops using the batteries have been sold in Japan, the United States, Europe and the rest of Asia, he said.

The batteries are a different type to the more than 800,000 Sony-made batteries already recalled by Toshiba, he said.

Sony was hit last year by recalls of about 9.6 million of its batteries by computer makers including Apple Computer, Dell, Leveno, Toshiba and Fujitsu because of fears they could catch fire.

A Sony spokesman said Thursday the electronics giant would cooperate closely with Toshiba in investigating the cause of the battery problem.