Jacob's Digital annoyed me this week. After ordering my Lowpro Slingshot from them expecting to pay the advertised rate they contacted me to say they couldn't send it to Ireland for the normal £4.50 rate. Instead it would cost £18.50!
So naturally I told them that I was not happy to pay that siting that I could buy the bag cheaper elsewhere - and by elsewhere I meant Amazon directly. But after sending the message I logged to Amazon to order it from them and discovered that their price had gone up! More than a little irritated, I then added a second reply to Jacob's Digital (via Amazon's Marketplace) voicing further displeasure at the whole thing. They ended up just refunding my for the bag.
But the good ending to this story is that on the way home from London I called into the Dixons store in Stansted airport. There I found the same bag at under £30 and didn't need to pay delivery as I did that bit myself!
It seems like a pretty good bag and has been doing its job well so far - although it hasn't been rigorously tested yet!
Showing posts with label gadgets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gadgets. Show all posts
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Fairer Essex
I've been travelling with work again. Last week I was in London. Normally that would mean staying in the city but as my trip required me to train staff at an office other than main one I based myself in Essex at the Prince Regent Hotel (pictured below).
It was a pleasant stay with the staff and other guests proving very friendly. My only gripe would be aimed at the TV in my bedroom. Although impressed at the obvious upgrade over my previous stay some years ago the new 32inch LCD HD began to really irritate me. Basically, the volume control was knackered and continually turned itself up without any kind of input from me. Even removing the batteries from the remote control didn't help - the problem must have been in the TV itself.
Anyway, that was a minor irritation. I mean, its not like I missed much. Being in London I didn't even get to watch the Northern Ireland match - I had to put up with watching England getting beaten by Germany which was only small compensation.
The area I stayed in is pretty affluent. One taxi driver told me we were close to Alan Sugar's house. It was easy to believe given that we then turned to drive through Chigwell - home to a few footballers, snooker professionals and generally wealthy people. Huge houses, most tastlessly designed it has to be said with multiple cars, big gates and the odd security camera to protect these modern day castles.
Aside from the hotel and surrounding area, my trip went well. The training seemed to be well received and I survived the week in spite of feeling incredibly tired.
It was a pleasant stay with the staff and other guests proving very friendly. My only gripe would be aimed at the TV in my bedroom. Although impressed at the obvious upgrade over my previous stay some years ago the new 32inch LCD HD began to really irritate me. Basically, the volume control was knackered and continually turned itself up without any kind of input from me. Even removing the batteries from the remote control didn't help - the problem must have been in the TV itself.
Anyway, that was a minor irritation. I mean, its not like I missed much. Being in London I didn't even get to watch the Northern Ireland match - I had to put up with watching England getting beaten by Germany which was only small compensation.
The area I stayed in is pretty affluent. One taxi driver told me we were close to Alan Sugar's house. It was easy to believe given that we then turned to drive through Chigwell - home to a few footballers, snooker professionals and generally wealthy people. Huge houses, most tastlessly designed it has to be said with multiple cars, big gates and the odd security camera to protect these modern day castles.
Aside from the hotel and surrounding area, my trip went well. The training seemed to be well received and I survived the week in spite of feeling incredibly tired.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Always wanted a Slingshot
No camcorder is complete without a bag to safely transport it!This one seemed pretty cool so I ordered it from Jacobs Digital through Amazon! This way I benefit from a cheaper price than buying from Jacobs directly but benefit from a faster delivery than Amazon promise!
Its a Lowepro Slingshot and if you check out the photos on Amazon you will see how handy it is. I know it is made more for SLRs etc but at the end of the day its a padded back with movable compartments - right?
We'll see how it performs when it gets here.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
My New Camcorder
Finally, after many years of wanting one I got a camcorder.
Firstly, I was really impressed with the service I got. I got it from UK Digital Cameras but ordered it through Amazon. I placed the order on Sunday afternoon, the camera was dispatched on Monday and it arrived at around lunchtime today!
Second, the price was excellent. Constrained somewhat by a self imposed budget I was keen to get as much bang from my buck as possible. The Canon MVX450 I got was as much as £305 on Pixmania but I got it for £235 delivered!
Thirdly, its a dandy we camera for the money. It uses MiniDV (none supplied) but I discovered I can also record to the SD Card (not supplied either) - with cards available up to 4GB! I can plug a powered condenser style mic into it too which helps eliminate the tape hum you get when the in-built microphone is used - something unavoidable in my price range.
There are lots of other features that I'll not bore you with. But I will, for Dermo's interest, point out where it differs from the MVX460. It doesn't have the wide angle feature and it doesn't allow analogue-digital conversion. The digital conversion is something I would have missed a few years ago but given it has been so long since I even saw a VHS I'm not too bothered. Mind you I would still like to get my Pirate of Penzance performance in the digital can at some stage!
Firstly, I was really impressed with the service I got. I got it from UK Digital Cameras but ordered it through Amazon. I placed the order on Sunday afternoon, the camera was dispatched on Monday and it arrived at around lunchtime today!
Second, the price was excellent. Constrained somewhat by a self imposed budget I was keen to get as much bang from my buck as possible. The Canon MVX450 I got was as much as £305 on Pixmania but I got it for £235 delivered!
Thirdly, its a dandy we camera for the money. It uses MiniDV (none supplied) but I discovered I can also record to the SD Card (not supplied either) - with cards available up to 4GB! I can plug a powered condenser style mic into it too which helps eliminate the tape hum you get when the in-built microphone is used - something unavoidable in my price range.There are lots of other features that I'll not bore you with. But I will, for Dermo's interest, point out where it differs from the MVX460. It doesn't have the wide angle feature and it doesn't allow analogue-digital conversion. The digital conversion is something I would have missed a few years ago but given it has been so long since I even saw a VHS I'm not too bothered. Mind you I would still like to get my Pirate of Penzance performance in the digital can at some stage!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Going Handsfree
As all you drivers should be aware, it is now illegal to even pick up a mobile phone while you are driving. You can pick up points and a fine if you caught. And what do points make? Anyone?
Anyway, I was thinking that I should find my Jabra Bluetooth headset and get it charged for use in the car. But I remembered how much I disliked the feel of it in my ear and how awkward it actually was to pick it up and put it in my ear before the caller hung up! So a rethink was required.
If you are a Nokia N73 user you will know that it, as so many modern phones, has a loudspeaker function. It works well but the problem is working out where to put the thing while talking. Leaving it on the seat next to me was no use as the speakers and mic were to far away resulting in a shouting match.
So all I needed was something to hold it, and this is what I got. It was only £5.95 in The Carphone Warehouse and I installed it on a vest right beside my steering wheel. The clip grips and easily holds my N73 which would be considered a reasonably heavy phone. Driving home today I conversed easily with my mother - who isn't renowned for her bat like hearing - so that proved to me it worked well.
Better still, you can buy the same clip in Tesco at the moment for less that £5. So if you have a decent loudspeaker system on your phone, this could be a cheap and effective way to go handsfree.
Anyway, I was thinking that I should find my Jabra Bluetooth headset and get it charged for use in the car. But I remembered how much I disliked the feel of it in my ear and how awkward it actually was to pick it up and put it in my ear before the caller hung up! So a rethink was required.
If you are a Nokia N73 user you will know that it, as so many modern phones, has a loudspeaker function. It works well but the problem is working out where to put the thing while talking. Leaving it on the seat next to me was no use as the speakers and mic were to far away resulting in a shouting match.
So all I needed was something to hold it, and this is what I got. It was only £5.95 in The Carphone Warehouse and I installed it on a vest right beside my steering wheel. The clip grips and easily holds my N73 which would be considered a reasonably heavy phone. Driving home today I conversed easily with my mother - who isn't renowned for her bat like hearing - so that proved to me it worked well.Better still, you can buy the same clip in Tesco at the moment for less that £5. So if you have a decent loudspeaker system on your phone, this could be a cheap and effective way to go handsfree.
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