So what’s the post about?

Well it’s the new Samsung ATIV PC promotion by Celcom!!

For just RM1,758 you can get a the wonderful tablet pictured above from Celcom. You’re probably wondering why would anyone spend that much on a Windows tablet when you can get an iPad or a Galaxy Tab for the same price–until you realize it’s a Windows 8 tablet–and then you start wondering again. Until it hits you that this isn’t really a tablet, it’s ‘almost’ a full fledge PC–except with an optional keyboard. This is what Microsoft designed the Windows 8 ecosystem for, and this is Samsung best interpretation of Microsofts vision.

Don’t believe me, well would a normal tablet have the following connection ports:

You’ve got just about every sort of port and plug you could possibly want out of a tablet and then some, this unit working with a full-sized USB 2.0 port, SIM card port, microSD card slot (for 64GB more storage than you get standard inside (also 64GB)). You get two microphone holes (built-in, not for larger microphones) that bring some noise cancellation, and there’s a microHDMI slot long the left. (Slashgear)

No. You’d be lucky if the next iPad had just 1/2 of what the ATIV offers in terms of ports. For more info on the Samsung ATIV, check out this review from Slashgear.

I’m not the biggest fan of Apple, I consistently compare my Galaxy S3 (which is great) to my wifes Iphone 4 (which is not so great). So when I first heard the news that Apple was suing Samsung for a ridiculous amount of money because of things like ‘slide to unlock’, ‘pinch to zoom’  and even ‘bouncing effect while scrolling’, I thought it was just a signal that Apple was afraid of someone stealing it’s dominance in the Smartphone market.

However, out of sheer coincidence I came across the 2007 keynote address for the iPhone by Steve Jobs. This was the original keynote for the original iPhone (5 years before the iPhone 5), and I was astounded. It was like attending a history lesson for one of the most defining moments in technology. One of the great things about the keynote though, is it ’enlightened’ me on the lawsuit, and allowed me to see the lawsuit through Apples–or more specifically Steve Jobs–eyes, and it’s only through his eyes did I understand why Apple was suing Samsung, I still don’t agree with it, but I can definitely see why Apple is going through great lengths to make life miserable for Samsung and Google.

Before my recent trip to Australia, my brand new Samsung Galaxy S3 failed on me. The speaker just went kaput.

Well not really kaput, but there was absolutely no sound coming out of it. Needless to say I was a bit frustrated, annoyed and just downright disappointed. This was an expensive top of the line phone, and it’s speakers shouldn’t be failing after barely 4 months.

So I called up Maxis and reported my predicament, and Maxis said I had two options, either send it back to them or send it directly to Samsung. I figured I might as well cut out the middleman and send the phone directly to Samsung.

So after a few calls and some planning, I found out that Samsung normal fix rate was 3 working days. Which wasn’t good enough for me as I had to fly off by the next day (shit happens), so I survived in Australia with a faulty phone whose alarm wasn’t working. Fortunately, my wife’s Iphone which I bought for her 2 years ago was still working perfectly.

After arriving back to Malaysia I went straight to the Samsung Service center in Digital Mall USJ (first floor) on a Saturday. The told me I’d be able to collect the phone within 3 working days, which worked out to Wednesday.

However, I got a call the following Tuesday afternoon informing me the phone was repaired and I could collect it directly from the service center. So I headed there I collected my now-working phone. So now my Galaxy S3 is working perfectly again.

Samsung took just 2 days to fix my faulty speaker :).