IT Fair 2008

I went to IT Fair 08 at Suntec City last Saturday. By the looks of the turn-out rate, it sure looked like Singapore has a really good economy last FY. Packed to the brim. I mean it is already Day 3 of the fair and human flow is still never ending. I have seen crowds at Citylink on weekends, but never that many before. Queues of people started forming after the MRT exit way at the escalator. See below.




Of course, I went there for a reason – to get a laptop. Finally, I can justify that I need a laptop for myself. I mean now there is no computer at home and if I really enrolled myself for part-time course, I will definitely need one. Well, then my mum isn’t convince at all… :(

Actually with the raising living costs and inflation rates, I do think we should spend on what we need and save whatever we can. Never born with sliver spoon in my mouth and always have limited funds to spend, I think and consider very carefully before buying anything.

In fact, I treated every purchase that I made as an investment. Buying a laptop is to me considered as a mid-term investment. I think that is reasonable. The laptop has to survive some years with me isn’t it? My philosophy is that it doesn’t have to be the cheapest, but it has to be worthwhile. Every penny spent on it must be worth spending.

So, I shortlisted a few models from newspaper and began my quest.

First stop – Toshiba.

My brother bought a Toshiba laptop last year. It was very cool looking. White and sleek with huge monitor screen as well as good graphics and sound. I was looking forward to their new Satellite series laptop would be as good. Most importantly, their gift bundle is very attractive – consumers can choose one of the free items like printer, camera, Microsoft office, extended warranty or gaming bundles.

I circled the booth, trying to take glimpse at my favourite model. Finally after some struggle, I managed to do so, but a bit disappointed as I don’t like the look and feel of it.

I thus looked around to see if anything catches my eye and within my budget.

Other bargains

I saw Singtel promo for broadband, 3mpbs for 45 dollars per month with free Xbox $360 throw in.

Also, Courts offer for Sony Bravia LCD Television cost only $899. Where to find huh? Was thinking to buy as my television broke down as well, but my brother don’t want it as it was not full-HD.

MacBook

See new MacBook. Usually it is white in colour, but they added the new one in Black. I have say I was also tempted to buy one. The finishes and everything looked so chic and sleek. I have nothing to complaint about, but worried if I will have hard time finding compatible software. Their basic model cost $1700 and above.

Finally…



At Fujitsu booth, I saw this laptop.

• Under $2000. Checked.
• 3 years warranty. Checked.
• Made in countries with good QC. Checked. (Very good in fact as it was one of the few which is made in Germany. I feel Germany’s stringent QC is slightly above Japan. )
• Good Graphics Card – Checked.
• At least 2 Gb Ram- Checked. It was upgraded to 3 Gb Ram.

Deal.