Refurbished iMacs Available at Apple

Credit: Apple Inc.

If you are an Apple loyalist and have an unsatisfied thirst for an iMac, I have good news for you.  Apple is currently offering refurbished iMacs at tempting prices (e.g., $1,189.00 and $1,269.00).  That’s a savings of 20 and 15 percent off.  Looks to me like a terrific deal.

Apple has added refurbished models of the current-generation 21.5″ iMac to its Online Store in the past several days, offering a faster-shipping alternative to customers looking to get a desktop Mac.

New iMac models on the Apple Online Store list a lead time of several weeks to get delivered, while the refurbished models claim to ship in 1-3 days, with $200 and $230 discounts on the low- and high-end 21″ models respectively.

Apple Retail Stores list mid-March as the earliest time to pick up new 21″ iMacs ordered online, but Amazon.com claims to have both 21″ models in stock [$1,299 and $1,494] and eligible for Amazon Prime shipping.

27″ iMac models have yet to appear on the refurbished store, with the company reporting a 3-4 week lead time online and late March for in-store pickup. Amazon has the base 27″ model in stock for $1,799.

To be candid with you, I have a problem buying high-price ticket items in the United States, mainly because I can’t use the product’s guarantee.  I prefer to buy my stuff where I can see it, touch it, and rest assured I will use the product’s guarantee for when the products goes sour.

Recently I purchased a Vaio laptop and it came with a factory defect.  No problem, I took it to Sony Panama, and in less than four days, I got my computer back with a brand new motherboard.  How can I do that with a U.S. purchased product?  Even though the price may be slightly higher, I’m willing to cough my hard-earned cash on products in Panamanian computer stores.

I’m definitely interested on a low-end 21.5″ iMac, but the piggy bank is empty as this moment.  I’m a patient man and can wait until the time is ripe.  Meanwhile, my ole desktop HP will do the work.  Patience is still a virtue in this part of the world.  Take Care

Read Full Post »

A Scarlet Mouse in Search of White Cheese

Snapshot of a recently acquired wireless mouse for my Sony Vaio laptop. The red color matches with the black and red color of the portable computer. I think it looks pretty cute. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Read Full Post »

Adding Portability to My Number Crunching Activities

In strange turn of events, I was contacted by the son of the previous owner of a large sugar mill where I worked as a Comptroller for three years when it was under the control of Bank of America.  His father had passed away and he was head hunting for a business consultant to help him in organizing several of his companies.

His father had recommended me, so he started searching for my whereabouts for several months unsuccessfully, until one day his secretary found my name on Facebook and contact was made.

We met, exchanged ideas, and finally agreed on a consulting agreement for a short period.  I’m feeling better from my dizzy spells and thought it would be nice to be useful again, plus extra pocket-money is always good news.  For about a month, I’ve met with his staff, setting up working schedules, and organizing investment projects.  It reminded me when I was 33 years old, full of life and dreams.

Since I had donated all my suits and ties to the church after I retired, my wife is helping me buying new business clothes.  In Panama people are very conscious of wearing formal clothes for business meetings—suit and tie.  I also needed a laptop for my follow-up meetings and keeping all my information in one place, without having to store hundreds of papers in my home office.

After researching on the Internet for zillion of options, I finally decided on a Sony Vaio 14″ laptop of the Series E14P, Model 14A15FLB.  It’s a powerful and aesthetic electronic device.  I unpacked it yesterday afternoon, and took several pictures during the process to share with you guys.  If you’re a techie, you might want to take a look at the following specs and pictures.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

• Weight:   5 pounds.  (A bit heavy for my taste.)
• Screen:  14 inches (1,366 x 768 pixels), Backlight LED technology
• Battery:  Up to six hours of use with standard battery
• Processor:  Intel Core i5-2450M, 2.50 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz, Intel HM76 Express
• Operating System:  Windows 7 Home Premium Original, 64 bits
• Hard Disk Drive:  640 GB (speed 5,400 rpm)
• Internal Memory:  4 GB DDR3 SDRAM expandable up to 16 GB (speed 1,600 MT/s)
• Video Card:  Intel HD Graphics 3000, External:  AMD Radeon HD 7570M, 512 MB.
• Optical Unit:  Player & Recorder DVD
• Audio:  Dolby Home Theater V4
• Wireless Network:  Bluetooth standard version 4.0 IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Webcam:  HD, resolution 1,290 x 1,024 1.31 MP
• Dimensions:  Width:  13.4 inches, Thick:  0.88-1.31 inches, Height:  9.6 inches
• Color:  Black with red borders
• Guarantee:  One year
• Inside the Box:  One notebook sleeve with pockets, one keyboard skin, one lithium rechargeable battery, one power cable with adapter.

TOTAL COSTS:

• Cost of Sony Vaio laptop:  $899.97
• Cost of wireless Logitec mouse:  $29.97
• Sales Tax (ITBMS – 7%):  $65.10
• Total Costs:  $995.04

PHOTO GALLERY:

Snapshot of the Sony Vaio unopened box storing the portable computer. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the partially open box containing the recently acquired Sony Vaio laptop. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the laptop’s notebook sleeve with pockets. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the cover of the Sony Vaio laptop. The red shade is a reflection of my sweater. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the open laptop with it’s jet black color with thin red borders. The screen has aluminum frames. Very stylish piece of equipment. I liked as soon as I saw it. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the attractive backlit keyboard with the aesthetic red linings which glow in the dark. I love it.

Snapshot of the input for the power supply cable indicating a voltage of 19.5 volts. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photograph of the USB ports. It has four of them; two on each side. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of one of the two speakers of the portable computer. I want to try its fidelity as soon as possible. It has a Dolby home theater audio system. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Labels indicating the laptop runs on Windows 7 Home Premium and has a powerful Intel Core i5 processor inside. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a special Web button to activate the Internet without turning on the computer. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the arrow keys, (e.g., Up, Down, Right and Left). Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of an attractive red keyboard skin that perfectly molds to the Vaio isolation keyboard. The backlit function of the keyboard is not available when the keyboard skin is attached to the device. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the enticing red wireless mouse which matches with the color of the laptop. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

With this baby I’m ready to return to work like the “good ole days”, plus I have a backup computer when the main one goes sour.  It has happened before several times.  After all it’s seven years old and the wear and tear is showing its ugly face.  Good Day.

Read Full Post »

A Visit to Dunkin’ Donuts

In order to rake in a few extra bucks to ease my perennial pocket pains, I provide transportation from Tocumen International Airport to Panama City and vice versa.  It’s no big deal, but extra pocket money is always welcomed.

Recently, I provided transportation to a tourist from Canada coming to see Panama City for the first time.  He was visiting a friend he had met in Oshawa.  After dropping him at his friend’s home, he requested my transportation services for a city tour and a visit to the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal.

When I picked him up to start the city tour, he said he wanted to have breakfast at  Dunkin’ Donuts. I said, “No problem.” I was wrong.  I knew there were several Dunkin’ Donuts in Panama, but I couldn’t find them at the moment.  My customer settled for a well-known Greek restaurant known as Nikos Café. After breakfast, we went ahead with the city tour and the Miraflores Visit as scheduled.

I returned home uncomfortable for not being able to take Raaid Batarfi—the name of my client—to Dunkin’ Donuts. I went to the Yellow Pages and found exactly where their sites were.  I found three, more or less near where Raaid was staying.  Several days later, I called and invited him to have breakfast at DD.  He accepted.

On Tuesday, December 29, 2009 we headed to DD approximately at 10:00 a.m.  The traffic was light and we had no problems finding a parking space nearby.  I had a croissant sandwich with eggs and sausage, a large donut and  a Cappuccino.  Raaid ordered an egg-and-cheese sandwich, a chocolate donut and coffee with milk.  It was a delicious meal.  It was the first time I had visited a DD site in my life.  I’m not much of a donut eater and neither is my wife.  However, I plan to return with my wife.  I enjoyed the food and the excellent customer service provided by Catalina.  You will see her later on this post.

Another benefit that I liked about DD, was the availability of WiFi. Many young people flock to this place  in order to take advantage of this service.  So did we.  Raaid immediately installed his jazzy Sony Vaio laptop on a nearby table and tinkered with his ubiquitous Apple iPhone.  As you know, I gave myself a Chinese iPhone clone for my birthday and asked Raaid to help me getting around using it, since it has many features similar to his authentic iPhone.

Raaid patiently taught me how to use the FM radio, the TV and to surf the Web with Opera Web browser amongst many other things.  The WiFi feature worked flawlessly.  It was a wonderful experience.  I told Raaid, that, that morning I had jumped from the Middle Ages to the XXth Century.  I still needed a little more help to get to the XXIst  Century.  (Smile).

After a thorough iPhone class, we finished our breakfast and headed towards the Mercado de Artesanías located at Plaza Cinco de Mayo where Raaid planned to buy small gifts for his friends back in Canada.  I provided  you with pictures of a mola painting yesterday at this original handicrafts market.

Our visit to DD was frozen in time with a couple of pictures, as you probably would have guessed.   Seldom do I leave home without my Birthday camera.  This is what I saw through the lens of my small Canon PowerShot A720 IS. Here we go.

Photograph of Raaid at Dunkin' Donuts enjoying his sophisticated gadgets. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

A warm and friendly smile of Catalina. When she smiles, the whole room brightens up. Her customer service was superlative. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

This was a most enjoyable experience.  Raaid is a bright young man with deep knowledge of technology and provided great assisstance with my new phone.  If you ever come to this part of the world, remember that Dunkin’ Donuts is here with WiFi communication service.  Oh…and you can’t beat Catalina’s bright smile.  Good Day.

Read Full Post »