How to E-Shop Wisely

Internet Shopping 101

So you’re looking for a new phone. Or maybe even an MP3 player. And you’ve been hearing stories about people who got great deals from online merchants who sell their products through the internet. Being constantly on the lookout for the best value for your money, you venture straight into the e-market (electronic market) only to find that there aren’t just ten, not just twenty, but three hundred different merchants trying to offer you the same item. So how exactly do you go about picking the one you will actually buy from? Let me provide you with a few points to ponder. These won’t necessarily ensure that you will get the best deals but keeping these points in mind will help you get the most out of your shopping experience.

Prepare a shopping list before going online. For some of us, shopping at the local grocery store without a shopping list in hand can be quite disastrous. It’s like going to war without any kind of battle plan. As a result, you might end up buying too much of one item, too few of another, or forget to buy one particular product altogether. The same could be true for online marketplaces. Although it is more likely that you will only be looking for one particular product while shopping in the internet, you will still find it useful if you kept some kind of list in your mind. For example, let’s say you’re looking for a new digital camera. You know from the experience of your friends that one good brand to check out for digicams would be Sony. So you go online and find out that Sony’s line of digital cameras is called Cybershot. If you’re thinking you can go ahead and add anything with a Sony Cybershot branding on it to your cart, you’re wrong. When buying something (or anything, for that matter) remember the complete name of the particular product that you want to buy and some of its key features or descriptions to make sure you get exactly what you want. In the case above, it will prevent the prospective buyer from getting a Cybershot phone instead of the intended Cybershot digicam. Also, knowing exactly what you need and keeping it in mind will be helpful when you find yourself torn between two items.

Make it personal. Have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t talk to strangers.”? Many moms make it a golden rule for their children and yes, it applies to internet shopping too. One of the advantages of online markets is that it lets you interact directly with the sellers/ merchants. Most of the time, they’ll let you feel free to ask anything and just about everything you want to ask about your possible transaction(s). It’s your right to be informed anyway, so don’t just use it, abuse it. Make it a point to establish a connection with the merchants you find to increase your chances of getting the best deal. Introduce yourself properly and ask him/her to do the same. When your transaction reaches a personal level, there will be a greater possibility that you might even get a discount.

Sell your own stuff. Finally, be a merchant yourself. Try to find some old stuff of yours that you don’t need or use anymore. Not only will this give you a start with your shopping budget (imagine generating enough sales for your next purchase), this will help you gain a clearer picture of how the merchant feels when they’re on the spot. Especially as you attract your own customers, you will begin to understand the do’s and don’ts and the how-tos of the industry. It’s like the old saying, you see. “It takes one to know one.”

The US version of the iPhone was released as a quadband GSM phone and not surprisingly, without 3G. This might be due to the fact that there aren't many 3G networks set up in the US yet. Data transfer is handled with EDGE, which can't compare to 3G, but is faster than GPRS. It comes with built-in 802.11 b/g wi-fi which couples with the Safari web browser for a superb online experience. It doesn't let down as a phone either. I've once read of a research somewhere which found that call quality with the iPhone was excellent. And speaking of excellent, it's the best iPod ever. With its 3.5-inch touchscreen and virtual controls, its the long-awaited iPod video brought to life. It effortless syncs with your PC/ Mac and you can manage your media files easily with iTunes. If only it had more than 8GB of memory and ran for more than 5 hours while playing movies then it would be the best PMP to carry around. But as a phone, it was built for communications, and there it shines. SMS and e-mail feature are handled via the virtual QWERTY keyboard. And as a bonus, it also comes equipped with a now standard 2-megapixel camera for fun shots.

For more about the iPhone click here

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Reader Reviews

Do you have any experience in using this particular gadget? Is this something you've owned in the past or is it something that you currently have in your bag? Perhaps you can share your story with us. Write your own review in the comments box below. Related comments/ questions are also welcome.

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The Nokia 6280 is a joy to use and with a vivid, bright and clear display. The key features include a MP3 player, PTT (Push To Talk), dual integrated cameras with video calling and email with attachment support. The 6280 includes a 64MB miniSD card in the package and this should be enough storage. The phone provides an ideal platform for 3G services such as real time video sharing and two way video calling. The phone creates a natural, user friendly conventional camera experience by operating the photography function in a horizontal landscape mode.

Pictures and videos taken with Nokia 6280 can be viewed directly on the screen and then shared with others via MMS or email. The 2 megapixel camera of Nokia 6280 snaps stills of good quality in daylight and adequate quality in darker environments. More features are Bluetooth dial-up networking, MP3 ringtones, 6 MB of onboard memory, miniSD memory card expansion, 64 MB card bundled, headset and printing support, USB 2.0 connectivity with PictBridge support, Tri-band GSM with EDGE support, Stereo FM radio. When it comes to adding extra software, Java is supported and if you want to synchronise with a PC, you get both the software and a cable that allows you to get good sound output both from the radio and the music player.

The Nokia 6280 mobile phone has a classic feel to it. The solid built frame only weighs 115g, lighter than other 3G phones from Nokia. The phone runs on WCDMA and tri band GSM, supporting video calls at a high speed of 384kbps. The push to talk (PTT) technology allows you to instantly talk to other people owing a PTT phone on the same network just by the push of a button.

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Reader Reviews

Do you have any experience in using this particular gadget? Is this something you've owned in the past or is it something that you currently have in your bag? Perhaps you can share your story with us. Write your own review in the comments box below. Related comments/ questions are also welcome.

Thank you for making this blog grow!

Cellular czar Nokia adds another feather to its cap with the launch of Nokia 6233. It’s Nokia’s smallest 3G phone till date, with sophisticated and sleek stainless steel finish and a soft-matte backing. However, Nokia describes the design of the phone to be in sync with the corporate life, yet its outstanding multimedia features make it an eye candy for all. The phone weighs 110g and is slightly heavier than most other phones. But for a 3G phone, it’s a chinless wonder!

The phone has an inbuilt 2 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom. In terms of connectivity, Bluetooth and infrared adorn this sleek gadget to make it compatible with wireless headsets, Bluetooth car-kits, and other phones as well. But sadly, it doesn’t fit into old hardwired car-kit cradle and so it’s recommended to get the new CR-56 mobile holder.

To ask for more, the phone is adorned by latest messaging, browsing, music and video standards. The Nokia 6233 has a brilliant 320 x 240 QVGA display, 262k colour TFT LCD, WCDMA 2100 MHz, GSM 900/1800/1900, downloadable games, videos, MP3 or AAC ringtones and microSD memory card support of upto 2 GB. The advantage of 'Active Standby Mode' gives you quick access to the frequently used applications.

The phone shoots excellent quality VGA video and quality still pictures. The phone also has flight mode, a recent addition to Nokia mobile phones, which facilitates you to use all the non call-related features whilst on a flight. Keeping in mind the size, this phone offers excellent 3G compatibility. But sadly unlike all other 3G phones, it lacks video calling feature.

People who would benefit from iPod video are those who want to watch videos, TV shows, store photos, and view photos - in addition to having a very large music collection. To make things easier, the iPod is navigated by the Apple Click Wheel, a trademark of Apple. The click wheel has been the navigation wheel of the fourth and fifth generation iPod, along with the iPod mini and nano. The wheel's navigation buttons consist of "menu", "previous", "next", "play/pause", while the select button is in the center of the wheel. The set-up is fairly simple on the iPod video, with the wheel on the front, the dock connector on the bottom, while the headphones jack and hold switch are both on top. The feel of the wheel on the iPod video is smoother, yet raised, while the wheel of the nano is rough.

All of this combined with the ability of the people at iPod to present a user-friendly product makes this a buy that almost makes the $299 on up, price tag look do-able. The idea of storing your entire music collection in one place was mind-blowing enough, but the ability to do the same with video is simply unbelievable. The iPod video uses a hard drive, unlike the flash memory of the iPod nano and shuffle, which makes it slightly more sensitive to damage than the flash players. The iPod runs on both PCs and Macs. The PC needs to have a USB port on Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP SP2, while the Macintosh also needs a USB port, running the Mac OS X 10.39. What accessories come with the iPod Video is a software disc and Apple stickers, a USB dock connector cable, a universal dock adapter, headphones, headphone covers, and a thin iPod case. What is NOT included are the AV cables if the user is interested in video output. But other accessories which may need to be purchased are the dock, remote, and wall charger.

The biggest complaint is front and center with the iPod Video - the repair cost. Though all electronics break, the lasting electronic devices are the ones that are easily repaired (computer, radio, etc.). Apple charges through the nose to repair a faulty iPod product, almost as much as the original, so purchase at your own risk. And for some reason, the metal casing always gets scratched up from the minute a person begins using it, in addition to the face and screen of the 60GB. Review after review has said this and so far, nothing has changed.

• 3230 P7,950

• 6680 P11,500

• 6300 P10,300

• 3110 P6,900

• 5700 P14,500

• 6233 P9,400

• 6630 P7,000 (2nd hand) >> Read review

• N70 P12,600 >> Read review

• N73 P16,700 >>Read review

• N73 Music Edition P18,800 >>Read review

• N80 P17,550 >>Read review

• N91 No Price Available >>Read review

• N93 P28,500 >>Read review

• N95 P32,200 >> Read review

The Nokia 5300 belongs to the Xpress Music line and is geared towards being a mobile music player. This is immediately noticed upon first glance at its form, with dedicated keys for the music application. It also has a 1.3-megapixel camera that shoots pretty decent pictures in well-lit conditions. Although the phone didn't quite become the hit that it should've been, you could still consider buying one even if just for the bright red highlights and hip form factor.

Obviously, it's a phone for the kids. Or the younger market, for that matter. But this may very well do for anyone who is young at heart. The Nokia 5300 runs with the Nokia Series 40 User Interface, which kills most of the possibilities for 3rd party applications. Still, you can stick with its built-in apps which aren't that bad anyway. For example, the music interface isn't exactly an enhanced one in the Nokia 5300, but it's a different thing from other phones. And sometimes, being different is all that matters.

It can be a bit hard to navigate through the phone for first-time users because the menu and selection keys don't require much pressing due to being touch-sensitive. Once you get over this, though it'll be smooth sailing ahead. If you want a loud-mouth music phone that will compliment you as you express yourself, the Nokia 5300 will not let down.
Overall, it's not the best phone out there, nor is it better than most of what's available in its price range. But if you're looking for something different, trying this one won't hurt you. Because in a world full of depressingly gray/ black monoblocks, a white sliding phone with an emphasis on being young and energetic isn't anything but sweet relief.

The pictures shown here are taken from Apple's latest patent application for what could possibly be its follow-up to the iPhone. It features a slightly bigger-than-standard click-wheel and a screen, and is rumored to be the design for a lower-tech, cheaper version of the iPhone.

Let's face it, most of us will never get to own the $600 iPod/cellphone hybrid that Apple let loose this 2007. Though you can always scoot over to the nearest Apple Mac Center just to get the look and feel of the unit, the iPhone isn't available anywhere except in the United States as of now. And with and Asian release date of 2008, it looks to be a very very long wait for us here in the RP. But even if it finally does hit our shores (no doubt it will, in due time), it will hardly be any cheaper. If anything, it will be more expensive (as if it wasn't expensive enough). The iPhone is clearly this year's must-have gadget. But with a higher-end price point, not everyone can get a taste of it.

This same problem came up way back when prohibitively priced 5th generation video iPods came out with as much as 80 GB capacity. The solution? Cheaper 5th-G iPods with a lower hard drive capacity. 30 GB to be exact. For those who still couldn't afford the less expensive 30-gig models, Apple came out with even cheaper flash-drive based players (the Shuffle, Mini and Nano) with anywhere from 512 mb to 8 GB of memory. And as we all know, it is with these budget iPods that Apple began to dominate. So it shouldn't come as a surprise if Apple rolls out budget iPhones that will cater to the tech-hungry, music-loving, shirtless masses. I'm sure few people will complain about a product that's just a cellphone with integrated full-blown iPod capabilities. Plus it will be cheaper, and therefore can be afforded by a bigger market.

The downgraded iPhone has not yet been confirmed, though. But it's pretty obvious that Apple would do well to look into the said concept.

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