Category: Shopping

A while back I posted about how I purchased the Sony DSC-W300 from a store in Muthana Complex and how I got a free memory stick with it. Well I don’t know how many readers went and purchased the camera from that store (I know of at least 3) but I just wanted to inform you that there is a very high chance that you ended up with a fake memory stick just like I did.

I first noticed a problem when some photos were turning up distorted. At first I thought it was a defect from the camera and was going to return it for another one when I realized the memory stick was a fake. Here is a link with details on how you can tell its a fake, I found out mine was a fake from the way the packet was sealed.

Anyway another thing you should know is that the camera shutdown speed is effected by the type of memory card in the camera. The shutdown speed is calculated from the moment you press the off button till the lens retracts. I did a test using three different memory cards and here are the results:

Sony 2GB Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
First try: 1.62
Second try: 1.68
Third try: 1.65
Average is 1.65 seconds to shutdown.

SanDisk 1 GB Ultra II Memory Stick
First try: 2.61
Second try: 2.5
Third try: 2.54
Average is 2.55 seconds to shutdown.

Fake Sony 1GB Memory Stick Duo
First try: 5.25
Second try: 4.67
Third try: 4.92
Average is 4.94 seconds to shutdown.

So if you purchased your camera from Digital World in Muthana Complex and you got a free memory stick my advice is to throw it away and get an original one. Other than the high risk that you might lose an important photo the performance of the camera also suffers greatly.

Hardees is selling ice cream cones for only 50fils. I tried it and although its not as good as McDonald’s 150fils ice cream cone, for 50fils its really great.

I passed by Eastpak earlier tonight to check out their bags. I have an Eastpak bag for every occasion but I needed a travel bag that is smaller than my backpack but larger than my shoulder camera bag. My small Eastpak camera bag is actually a great size specially since it fits my Asus Eee but once I start cramming in the rest of my stuff it gets pretty tight. Anyway it turns out Eastpak have a 50% discount on some of their bags so if anyone is looking for a new bag now is the perfect time to get one.

A reader just emailed me an informed me that the Nokia E71 is out in Kuwait and available in Sharq. There is a store there called Phone Center and they are selling it for around KD170 depending on your haggling skills. Their phone number is 2454022.

Thanks Jassim!

Update: After I posted this I left the house and was heading to Avenues when I got a phone call from the Nokia dealer in Fanar. I had put my name down on a waiting list for the E71 and once the Fanar branch got the phone they called me. It was around 9PM, they had just received two E71’s and they told me to come in and pick it up so I turned around and headed back to Salmiya. They were selling it for KD159 which was cheaper than what the phone was being sold for in Sharq. So far the phone is really really great and the Nokia dealer really surprised me, I was actually expecting them to forget about me and never call me once the phone came in but they actually called me right away, really great service. Thank you!

Update2: Mac users, if you want to use the E71 with iSync follow this link, someone made a plugin that will get it working. [Link]

Marks & Spencer in Kuwait is pretty strange. Its been open for a really long time and they seem to be doing pretty well but they’ve yet to open up in a popular mall. I usually pass by Marks & Spencer for their food section, they’ve got a ton of munchies and random items like jams, salad dressings and cornflakes. Their food packaging is also beautifully designed so I just buy random stuff because they look good. If you haven’t been to Marks & Spencer its worth checking out, they’re located right next to Marina Mall, I am not sure they have another branch elsewhere.

Anyone remember Nintendo’s Game & Watch? I’m a huge fan of them and since its really easy to buy stuff from eBay now because of PayPal, I think I am going to get a few. Excellent condition ones cost over a $100 and brand new ones cost even more. Makes me wish I had kept mine when I was a kid.

Update: The current bid for an excellent condition LifeBoat Game & Watch is $399 with 11 bids and 2 days still to go! [Link]

Update 2: Ok, it seems this is the second time I am going through a Game&Watch phase. Found a previous post of mine on the subject. It reminded me though, I still need a boxed SIMON game and a boxed Speak & Spell! [Link]

Ever since PayPal started working with Kuwait based credit cards I haven’t really used it even though I signed up for it and everything… until now that is. I just purchased an item from eBay and I paid using PayPal for the first time and the process was incredibly easy. Before when I used to buy stuff from eBay I had to go through the hassle of sending a money order to the seller. Now payment is instant using my credit card, it felt as if I was buying something from Amazon. Hopefully I won’t start buying random junk from eBay.. [Link]

I just found out about a new online electronics store called Feeezo. They don’t have a very large collection of electronics but if this is just the beginning then the idea sounds promising. The website looks like crap, and I think most of the items are from Alghanim except Feeezo is more expensive. But, its a nice idea which I think Alghanim should implement themselves. [Link]

Thanks Rakan!

I was at Alghanim today and saw this portable Humax satellite dish. It comes with a 17inch screen on the front and the dish mounted on the back. You just setup the tv/dish anywhere and point it in the right direction using the built in compass and thats it, live satellite TV where ever you are. Costs around KD300.

I just found out today that CAMPER is open at The Avenues. Its been open for a month now but due to the fact its in a very concealed location I didn’t find out about it until now. I passed by it and was disappointed to see such a poor collection of mens shoes. Most of the popular models weren’t available and according to the salesman they won’t be getting any more models for the time being. CAMPER is located in Avenues Phase 2, under the new food court, right under the new Johnny Rockets that opened there.

I found out about this cool trick from SomeContrast back in February and its made my shopping experience on Amazon much more convenient. There is a script that works with FireFox that converts the prices on Amazon from US Dollars to Kuwaiti Dinars and then displays it for you right next to the original price. That saves you the hassle of trying to calculate how much an item costs in Dinars every time you find something.

I got the instructions for installing the script also from SomeContrast. Make sure you are using FireFox then do the following:

1) Install Greasemonkey
2) Install Amazon Local Currency Script

By default it will convert US Dollars to Israeli Shekels… you need to change that from the menu to Kuwaiti Dinars by entering the initials KWD. And thats it, pretty simple but practical.

Thanks SomeContrast!

Aramex Shop&Ship are following in the foot steps of USWS and are going to start accepting online payments. A few people recently got the following email from Aramex:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for using our SHOP&SHIP service. Our aim is to continuously enhance your shopping experience with us. We are about to launch a new feature on www.aramex.com which would allow you to make online payments for your shipping charges. We would like to offer this feature first to our VIP clients in order to eliminate delays in delivery due to cash unavailability. We hope that this new feature will be to your satisfaction, and we welcome your feedback on the service. We want to assure you that our most important objective is to continue providing you with quality transportation services that meet your needs effectively.

Sincerely,
SHOP&SHIP Customer Account Manager

Since the delivery guys started carrying Knet machines online payment isn’t that important anymore. Personally I would like to see their payment system upgraded where as one user mentioned, instead of charging per half KG they should start charging per 100grams. That way their recent price increase will seem more reasonable.

Thanks K!

I enjoy photography a lot and I have a whole range of cameras each serving a different purpose. The problem with most of my cameras is that they are just too big to carry around all the time. While in Munich although I had a lot of fun shooting with my old Nikon FE the fact remains it weighed a ton and I had to carry it around in a shoulder bag.

I currently have two small point & shoot cameras but they’re pretty outdated. I have a cheap Canon A530 camera which I keep in the car and then I have a Sony N1 which I am currently taking when I’m traveling. Problem with the two is that A530 doesn’t fit into my pocket and the Sony N1 doesn’t do well in dim lit situations. Thats why I’ve decided to search for a replacement. What I would like to have in my perfect camera is the following:

– Small size
– 6MP and up
– Bright lens
– RAW capabilities
– Great battery life
– Great image quality
– Great high iso performance
– Camera controls on top (like SLR’s)
– Character
– Metal body
– Needs to look good
– No budget (ok not Leica M8 budget)

If I was going to get a large DSLR camera I would get the Nikon D300 in a heart beat. Its a very easy decision since there aren’t that many high end DSLR’s to choose from. With a point & shoot camera its a different story, there are like a hundred different cameras to decide from and each has a different advantage. I’ve been doing a lot of research the past few days and so far the following are the cameras I am deciding between:

Canon G9
Great camera, shoots RAW, solid build but has decent high iso performance and I don’t think the camera fits into my pocket so it kinda kills the point.

Ricoh GX100
Its got a retro look, very solid build, shoots RAW, bright lens and great image quality. Problem is RAW shots take 5 seconds to save and has poor high iso performance which is a killer for me.

Sigma DP-1
This camera also has a retro look and also has a solid build. It uses the same image sensor as larger DSLR’s which means the image quality is fantastic. It has great high iso performance but the camera costs more than double the price of all the other cameras I am checking out and it only has a fixed 28mm lens which although I am a fan of isn’t really practical for my purpose.

Fuji Finepix F100fd
Not really a Fuji fan but this camera has excellent low light capabilities. Iso goes up to 3200 and the 1600 iso is pretty usable judging by the pictures online. But, I think this camera is really ugly, lacks character and many people have complained about its interface.

Sony W300
This camera and the next one below are fairly conservative choices. The W300 is a great size, looks good and has a durable black titanium body. It also has a pretty decent high iso performance and was the camera I was going to get except for the fact many users have complained about poor image quality.

Nikon S600
The cheapest camera from the bunch. Has excellent image quality, great size and looks plus a very fast start up time. Main problem with this camera is the shutter lag and no manual option.

Which camera am I going to go with? I have no clue at the moment. Its a tough choice and each camera has its advantage, I will probably do a bit more research and then decide what to get but so far I think I am leaning towards the Ricoh GX100. Once I decide I will post again here.

Update: Ok, the Ricoh GX100 which I had my mind set on will NOT fit into a jeans pocket [Picture]. I thought it was smaller than that. So now the G9, GX100 and Sigma DP1 are out of the picture. The Ricoh though looks like a great camera made for photographers. I was flipping through pictures taken by the GX100 on Flickr and all the pictures feel very film like. [Flickr Pictures]

Animal Care is a local online pet shop that sells pet stuff including toys, food and accessories. They even deliver items to your doorstep. I think its a great idea specially since the only place that sells decent stuff is Sultan Center and they always seem to run out of stuff. [Link]

Thanks Rayboy

This is a video presentation of The Mall of Kuwait which is currently being built. Judging by the video it looks pretty big but the most impressive thing has to be the 750 seat performance hall. The mall was originally scheduled to open this year but I don’t know if thats still the target time. [YouTube]