Ever since I saw the Lacie iamakey USB flash drive on Engadget I knew I had to have it so once they were available on Amazon I ordered the 4GB version. I just got the USB key awhile ago from Aramex and its as good as I expected it to be. The advantage of having the flash drive shaped like a key is obvious, I will carry it around with my keys. Its not bulky so it doesn’t bulge in my pocket and there is very little chance it will break off from my key chain like my previous drive did. Price wise the 4GB costs around KD7.5 while the 8GB costs around KD12.5.
LaCie 4 GB iamakey USB Flash Drive
LaCie 8 GB iamakey USB Flash Drive
Was picking up a computer from Carrefour when I spotted this cheap laptop which seemed like a steal. The specs are: Intel Celeron 2.2Ghz, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, 14″ screen, wifi, webcam and a DVD writer. The laptop comes with no operating system and they’re selling it for KD129.500.
I was supposed to post this once I got back from Amsterdam but totally forgot about it. This is just a follow up to my Archos 7 review which I posted awhile back. I used the Archos extensively on my way to and from Amsterdam on the plane. Its a 6 hour trip and I spent the whole time watching movies and shows on my Archos. The screen is 7inches which is pretty big so with the help of a headphone splitter Nat was able to comfortably watch whatever I was watching on my Archos.
One feature that drove me towards the Archos 7 was the advertised 10 hour battery life. I figured I would get around 8 which is enough for long flights except I managed to get nearly 11 hours worth on a single charge! After watching videos on my Archos for the whole trip back from Amsterdam, once I got to Kuwait I managed to watch a few more episodes of Battlestar Galactica before the low battery warning came on. Thats simply incredible.
I also want to mention that I didn’t face any kind of issues with the Archos on the trip. My flickering back light issue seemed to have fixed itself and I didn’t encounter any crashes or freezes. So I can now confidently recommend this device to anyone who is looking for the perfect travel companion.
I got my 160GB Archos 7 from Amazon for $399. [Amazon Link]
There is also a 320GB version for $509. [Amazon Link]
By the way there is also a smaller version called the Archos 5 which sells for $280. Its the same as the Archos 7 in every way except the screen is a 5inch and the battery lasts around 5 hours. [Amazon Link]
I was checking the blog 4th Ring Road today when I spotted their post on the new Electrozan offer so I decided to pass by them and pick up a BlackBerry Curve for Nat. When I got to the Electrozan showroom I found out the BlackBerry’s were sold out already. The employee told me they will be getting more tomorrow afternoon but I also found out why the Curve’s were being sold for cheap… they are T-Mobile branded. That automatically turned what sounded like a really good deal into a bad deal. Let me explain:
- An unlocked unbranded BlackBerry Curve costs KD135 on Amazon [Link]. With shipping to Kuwait via Aramex the total would amount to KD142. Sorry this was for the QWERTZ keyboard.
- An unlocked unbranded BlackBerry Curve costs KD145 on Amazon [Link]. After tax and shipping to Kuwait via Aramex the total would amount to KD165.
- Now on the other hand a new unlocked T-Mobile branded BlackBerry Curve from eBay costs KD124 [Link]. With shipping to Kuwait via Aramex the total would amount to KD129 which is KD30 cheaper than Electrozan.
So to summarize things, its still a much better deal to order a BlackBerry Curve online since a saving of KD30 is a pretty big chunk.
Update: Just picked up a Curve from Electrozan for Nat. Paypal locked up my account because I logged in and paid for something through my VPN and they assumed someone else got into my account. So now I can’t use eBay for awhile. The BlackBerry is T-Mobile branded and comes with T-Mobile literature. Employee said its officially unlocked so I can do the software updates. Comes with 6 months warranty so it will be interesting to see what exactly that means if something does go wrong from now to 6 months time. They’re out of Bolds at the moment.
Update 2: The Curve’s sold at Electrozan are from T-Mobile Germany which means the keyboard is a QWERTZ and not the regular QWERTY. Simply put, the locations of the letters Z and Y are swapped.
So as I posted earlier, my Archos 7 arrived today. I watch a lot of movies and tv shows on the plane when I travel and I’ve been using my old iPod to do that. It served me well but the tiny screen and the 4 hour battery life wasn’t cutting it for me. I also didn’t like the fact I had to convert all my videos to a format the iPod would read because it mean I had to plan ahead of time what I was going to take with me so I could spend a couple of days converting them.
I wanted a player which had a long battery life, a large screen and a player that could play Divx and Xvid formatted movies. Thats why I ended up going with the Archos 7. The battery lasts over 8 hours, the screen is a huge 7inch and I could just drag and drop movies onto its 160GB hard drive without converting them.
My first impressions so far are good. The screen is great and much more responsive then I was expecting. It doesn’t get smudged easily because its a matte screen but the back of the device which is shiny is full of smudges. I moved a few tv shows and movies over to the Archos and it played them all except for one which had AC3 sound encoded. To play that I needed to purchase a plug-in which I did. The US site has 3 plug-ins listed for the Archos 7 at $20 each while the global version of the site had the 3 plug-ins bundled together for $40. I decided to get all 3 plug-ins for $40 and I can now play HD movies and movies encoded with AC3 without a problem. I don’t like the idea of paying for plug-ins but I am glad I have the choice to do so instead of no choice at all. I tried watching tv with the built in web tv and although it works I couldn’t find a decent channel to watch except for Sky News. The web browser on the Archos works really well and I was able to load up my blog without any issues. It even displayed the flash ad banners which I have on my site, something which Safari on the iPhone can’t do.
Now the negative stuff. The device is heavier than I expected which isn’t really a problem for me since I will only be using it on the plane. I also had trouble playing one movie, every time I tried it would just crash the Archos. I am thinking its because of the way the movie was encoded but need to experiment more with this. It was a 1.8GB file. Quantum of Solace which I have encoded with AC3 sound and coming in at around 1.4GB played flawlessly.
So far I am really liking the device. I know some of you might have specific things you want to know about the Archos just ask me below and I will try to reply. The Archos 5 and 7 are basically the same device except for the larger screen and longer battery life on the 7.
Aramex just dropped off my Archos 7 and it looks AMAZING. Will take a better shot of it later but I just took this quick one to show how much larger the screen is compared to my iPhone. This is going to make watching movies on the plane a lot better now!
This camera takes pictures anywhere from once every five seconds to once every 24 hours and then combines them all into a single high resolution video. The weather-resistant camera comes with 2GB of storage enough for up to 18,000 shots while the cameras battery lasts up to 4 months shooting one picture every hour. Its made to use in your garden but I can think of a million other uses and at $159 its pretty cheap. [Link]
via OhGizmo!
Update: Its available on Amazon for cheaper, only $139 [Amazon]
I am extremely tempted to buy the RC plane pictured above and get into the hobby. It looks fantastic and comes ready to fly meaning I don’t need much to get it up and running. Price wise its also very affordable costing KD124 on Amazon. I’m just worried summer is already here and outdoor activities season is over. [Amazon]
Note: The plane is 1.28m long and 1.48m wide. Its gas powered and comes with a flight simulator software which will help you learn how to fly the plane on the computer first. Also comes with an adapter that will connect your radio controller (pictured above) to the computer to use with the flight sim. More details on this plane can be found here. [Link]
I just saw an Electrozan ad in the paper for an “officially unlocked” iPhone 3G 16GB for only KD239. Thats pretty cheap if it is in fact officially unlocked.
Update: It seems Electrozan lied in their advertising. According to a reader who passed by Electrozan the phones are NOT officially unlocked.
Update2: OK, now someone is saying the iPhones at Electrozan ARE officially unlocked. I guess the best way is to go there and find out yourself.
I purchased an oven from Abyat a few days ago. Yeah it sounds strange buying an oven from Abyat and not a place like Alghanim or Eureka but I was looking for a built in oven for my new kitchen and I found a really great looking Gorenje oven from the Ora-Ito collection and for a really competitive price at Abyat.
So yesterday they call me up to deliver the oven. I tell the driver how to get to my place and within 30 minutes he comes over with the new oven and leaves.
So today Abyat call me up to deliver the oven. I tell the driver how to get to my place and within 30 minutes he comes over with the new oven and leaves.
I didn’t mistype, it was déjà vu. It seems they made a mistake and they delivered my oven twice. I now have two beautiful ovens in my kitchen but not for long. I called them up and told them about the mistake they made. They were surprised but very apologetic and will be coming by tomorrow to pick up the extra oven. I like Abyat, its no Home Depot but its close enough.
I wonder if it plays the Imperial March theme song while we’re waiting. [Link]
I just bought a new plasma over the weekend for a really good deal. LG just reduced their plasma prices a few days ago and they’re the best I have seen. I purchased the 42″ PG20 model (contrast ration 25,000:1) for only KD275 while the 50″ version is selling for KD445. I am not a big fan of LG but my dad purchased one awhile back and when he found a problem with it (used to turn on by itself in the middle of the night) their customer service was extremely good and they swapped the TV for him with a new one no questions asked.
The Acer Aspire One laptop deal is back at Alghanim Electronics. After running out of stock on the low end Aspire One (512MB RAM, 8GB HD) the machines are back in stock and are selling for KD79. I saw two colors on display, white and a blue. Just to give you an idea on how good this deal is, the same laptop with the same specs is going for KD88 on Amazon without tax.
Just to add to this I noticed Alghanim have now started selling Alpine and Rockford Fosgate car sound systems. I wish they had started selling them a few months back when I had to purchase all my items from online.
I’ve always wanted an Apple TV but I couldn’t find a use for it. I had XBMC (xbox media center) running on my old Xbox and it was doing more than fine. I’ve already posted before on how XBMC is the best media center software in the market and Apple TV really stood no chance to compete… until now. Ten days ago a hack was released that would allow the installation of XBMC on the Apple TV. It’s a very simple process, you just install the hack onto a usb memory stick, plug the stick behind the Apple TV and just reboot. It then takes around 30 seconds to install XBMC and thats it.
What are the advantages of XBMC on Apple TV over XBMC on the original Xbox?
1) Apple TV is quieter since it doesn’t contain a loud fan like on the Xbox
2) Connects via HDMI or Component cable while XBMC is only component
3) Can play 720P movies while XBMC can’t
4) The interface is snappier since Apple TV is a faster machine
5) It looks better and takes up much less space
6) Integrates with iTunes on my main server
I am so satisfied with Apple TV now that I’ve already unplugged my old Xbox and placed it in storage. If you don’t have an Apple TV Amazon sells them for KD60. Here is the [Link]
If you’re interested in setting up XBMC on Apple TV here is the guide I used. [Link]
In case you didn’t know already, XBMC is a media center software that will allow you to stream practically any movie format from your main server. Also as a side note, the right arrow key on my MacBook just stopped working awhile ago, I think its a sign I need to get the new MacBook.
Update: If you want to try out XBMC its also available for Windows, Mac’s and Linux. [Download]
Note: XBMC does NOT run on the Xbox 360, it only runs on the original Xbox.
Dear All,
The fire caused a partial damage to the exterior structure of the building. thanks god that the interior of both Burj Al Hamam and Seven Seas was not damaged by the fire. Therefore, for safety purposes, the restaurant will be closed today ONLY and will be back in business by TOMORROW morning.
We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused… and the necessary actions will be taken to solve the Issue ASAP. For more info, don’t hesitate to contact KOUT FOOD GROUP.
Regards,
Kout Food Group
