Archive for January, 2008
Tech, Gadgets & Weird Stuff
Jan 6th
Everyone here knows b5media.com which is backed by our very own Darren Rowse also known as Problogger. Well, its now time to introduce b5 Network which is a very professionally designed blog and they talk about tech, gadgets and as they call it “weird things”. Now, I have to agree that at first I believed that B5 Network was part of B5 Media but that is not the case. B5 Network is not affiliated with B5 Media and still seems like a good blog.
The basic concept of B5 Network is to cover everything related with gadgets and they do showcase some interesting products that I have not come across before. It seems to be a newly established blog because their Alexa isn’t high enough and neither is the amount of subscribers they have but they do offer some good content. The only downside of the B5 Network is that although they have some good posts, there is too much of a gap between posting, meaning that their post frequency is quite low. The last post on their blog is from the second week of November. They seem to get 3-4 posts a month and that may not be enough for them to sustain their blog. I think that B5 Network can go places if they are able to do a few things:
- increase post frequency
- clean up the design with something a little more appealing
- add an about us page so people arent misled into believe that they are part of B5 Media
- capitalize on the fact that they own a great domain name
I think it is all a matter of time before the people behind B5 Network will begin to realize that they can be successful online if they put the effort into it!
A ReviewMe Offer To Remember
Jan 4th
I recently received a review offer from ReviewMe for Holiday Travel of America. Well, it was Christmas time and some of the popular travel companies such as Expedia and Hotwire saw a large increase in customers from last year, so what does Holiday Travel of America have to offer? Well, its a little confusing it seems.
If you browse over to the website, you will notice that it seems like a domain parked page with links, that would earn money for the owner of the website if they are clicked. I was a little surprised at this but they have another website which seems more appropriate. As with most of my ReviewMe offers, I decided to do a little background search before I give my opinion regarding a product, so I headed over to the Better Business Bureau to get a report on Holiday Travel of America.
Among other things, Holiday Travel of America had BBB complaints on service, selling practices, refund or exchange issues and contract disputes. Now, I am not out here to demean any product or service but I really don’t think I can speak too much about the reliability of this company.
First off, the website design is a little unsatisfactory to me as a customer however since it is a local business, not much can be expected when compared to national businesses such as Hotwire. Although the prices provided by Holiday Travel of America are good, they seem to be all over the place. The prices of the same package varies anywhere from $100 to $525, which seems like a very broad range to begin with.
Secondly, what set me off was the fact that they urged me to use holidaypassport.com for the links yet use htoa.com to actually write the review. They don’t seem to be tricking any customers specially if they are advertising on blogs such as mine, where a large part of the audience is smart enough to recognize a spam parked page rather than a real website.
To be honest, I am actually glad that I received this ReviewMe offer because maybe Holiday Travel of America will realize that not all bloggers are reviewing them superficially for the money. I will only stand behind a product or service after I recognize that it is a valid service or product and that the people behind it are not in the business to cheat their customers. As far as I am concerned, I would prefer to stay away from Holiday Travel of America.
This does make me wonder, how many of you actually research the product or service you have been asked to review?
Best Buy Deceiving Its Customers?
Jan 3rd
It seems as though Best Buy is not being honest with its customers. As is in most electronic stores, there are kiosks that are said to be connected to the retailers website however, Best Buy was sued in May by the Connecticut attorney general’s office for using a falsely created in-store replica of the actual BestBuy.com to take advantage of customers by having them pay a higher price than the actual Best Buy website.
When you usually walk into an electronic retail store, you may find a price in store that is different from what you had seen on their website. In this case, if you were at Best Buy, you may not be able to use the kiosk computer to find that price, but a price higher than what you expected to pay.
An article in the LA Times states the experience of one shopper:
Last week, Simi Valley resident Leigh Murphy, 53, went online in search of a new DVD player. He finally settled on a Toshiba model that he found on Bestbuy.com, marked down from $79.99 to $71.99.
He decided to stop by the store and buy it there instead.
“I just assumed the same price would be available,” Murphy said. “That’s why I didn’t order it online.”
He found the DVD player at the store without difficulty, but it was selling for the full $79.99 price. Murphy asked a salesman about the discrepancy. He said he’d found it online for less.
The salesman guided Murphy to one of Best Buy’s in-store kiosks, which displayed a page virtually identical to the website Murphy had seen at home. He called up the Toshiba device and, lo and behold, no more markdown. It was going for the full list price.
Murphy, an engineer, wasn’t sure what to make of this. So he returned home and went back online. Once again he visited Bestbuy.com, and once again the DVD player came up at the reduced price of $71.99.
So Murphy purchased the player online and then returned to the store to pick it up. But the experience left him wondering.
“It seems like they have one website online and a fake website that’s available only in the store,” Murphy said.
The in-store kiosks make customers believe that the price they saw online is no longer available. Best Buy’s spokeswoman, Sue Busch, says that “Individual store prices may vary from market to market” and that “Bestbuy.com is the national price.”
I have experienced this same issue as I noticed that the store was connected to a website other than “www.bestbuy.com” however the website looks identical to what a consumer would see on their personal computer. When David Lazarus of the LA Times asked a Best Buy salesman about this issue, the salesman was in the dark, as most customers are.
“Every day we get at least one person asking why he can’t find a price he saw online,” the salesman replied.
I said I was looking for a DVD player I’d seen online that was selling for $71.99. I said it wasn’t on the kiosk site.
“Here,” the salesman said, “let me show you a secret.”
He switched to a different screen, typed in his employee I.D. number, and the real Bestbuy.com came up. “Try now,” the salesman said.
I asked why the real website wasn’t available to everyone.
He shrugged. “I wish I knew.”
Hopefully Best Buy will not only correct this issue but be punished for indulging in unlawful practices by deceiving customers into paying more than they should have. Although during my experience, the sales person did take my word on the price difference, that may not always be the case on bigger ticket items such as TV’s or appliances.
Source: LA Times
2008 Honda Accord Review (Test Drive)
Jan 2nd
I recently went down to Gillman Honda of Fort Bend which isn’t too far away from where I live and met with Miguel Galeana who was very kind in getting me into the newly redesigned 2008 Honda Accord.
The Accord is available in several trim levels starting in the lower $20,000′s, with the EX-L nearing the lower $30,000 mark. I drove the LX-P with a sticker of $22,795. The LX-P is one of the lower end models but is very well equipped. The Accord has been known for its benchmark Honda reliability and excellent ride quality and I was eager to see how well the new Accord performed, so lets take a look.
Exterior Design
The Accord has received a major face lift from the earlier models and the new design is very elegant yet has a broad appeal to it. Since its launch, it is apparent that the Accord can appeal to a larger audience as it blends luxury and sporty appeal in one package. The LX-P version has body colored door handles and power side mirrors and sports a chrome exhaust tip. On the outside, the bold shoulder line of the Accord is very prominent and yet it doesn’t take away anything from the family car symbol that the Accord has come to begin.
Interior Design
The Honda Accord is very well equipped and that is very noticeable once you step inside the new Accord. The cloth seats are well appointed and the rear passengers have a fold-up center armrest. I was highly impressed by the impressive leg room that the Accord provides not only to the driver and the front passenger, but also to to the rear passengers. The rear is comfortable enough for three adults without there being a need for more space. Speaking of room, the head room in the Accord is exceptional. In previous models, it could be said that the head room was not ample, but Honda has taken the advice with the new Accord. The drivers view of the interior is well designed. The LX-P had steering wheel mounted audio and cruise controls which was very handy.
The controls for the windows and power mirrors are well laid out and pretty straight forward. The speedometer and tachometer are clean and easy to read. Another thing you will notice is that the Accord has a lot of storage located in the glove box but also in several places in the center console. One thing that bothered me is the location of the Auxiliary input jack which was located deep into the center armrest. Focusing on the center console, you will be pleasantly surprised. The audio and A/C controls are large and easy to use and the best part about the center console is that you do not have to look down for a display. Honda has intelligently placed the display of the new Accord where the driver will only have to glance over to see the time, audio information and a/c settings.
The feel of the cloth seats and the buttons is not cheap at all compared to the Camry and the Accord has once again become the benchmark for the family sedan market. Furthermore, the cargo space in the Accord is fairly large and most people would be surprised at how large the trunk actually is. Also, looking at the EPA mileage estimates, you will be pleasantly surprised. The 4 cylinder provides for 21 city, 31 highway and 24 in mixed driving whereas the V6 is not far behind with 19 city, 29 highway and 22 in mixed driving. Those numbers mean that you won’t feel like you were robbed when you leave the gas station.
The Drive
The Accord is available with 3 engine options – the base 4 cylinder (as tested), the upgraded 4 cylinder or the available V6. The test vehicle was equipped with the 4 Cylinder which produces a respectable 177 horsepower where as the upgraded 4 cylinder produces 190 horsepower. The V6 is comparable to the Camry in that it produces the same 268 horsepower as the Camry. Being that the vehicle was a 4 Cylinder, the acceleration was quite smooth and gear shifts were unnoticeable.
Both the 4 cylinder and the V6 use a 5 speed gearbox that is also available in manual for the LX or LX-P models. The drive of the Accord was very comforting and engine noise was minimal. The audio system is equipped with speed sensitive volume control (SVC) that worked very well in reducing road noise. The Accord was quick to turn and although it did seem longer than average, I am sure that it would not take someone long before they became familiar with the vehicle. There were also no blind spots while switching lanes and the Accord was quick to reach to highway speeds without any hesitation. The drive in the city was also very smooth and comfortable and the seats made the drive even more enjoyable.
Conclusion
I think that Honda has hit a home run with the new Accord and that soon you will see several of these new Accords around you. The Accord is very well equipped and beats the Camry in terms of bang for the buck. The interior is well appointed and the ride matches the luxury of the exterior. The 4 cylinder was plenty powerful, but those of you looking for the extra kick should look into the V6. All in all, its a great vehicle and I think that prospective Accord owners will be very pleased! Once again, thank you for reading and thank you to Mr. Galeana at Gillman Honda of Fort Bend for the great test drive!
Happy New Year!
Jan 1st
Welcome to 2008 and hopefully everyone had a great holiday and New Year! As most of you can see, this blog has gone through yet another change and this time, the change is a little more drastic. The focus of the blog has been adjusted to match the posts that you would actually come across on here. Furthermore, since it is a New Year, why not celebrate it with a new re-design?
I went ahead and redid the design from what it once was to this. Hopefully you guys will like the change and give me a little feedback as to how you like it or dislike it. As far as New Years resolutions go, I wish to focus more on what I do on a daily basis and hope to learn new things and do well in school. What are some of your New Years resolutions?
Now that we have that cleared up, lets look at this past year for Enkay Blog:
1 ) The blog was started on 15th May 2007
2 ) In June I wrote a post regarding the Microsoft Zune that Ms. Danielle was giving away, and later went on to win it!
3 ) I visited Orlando in July and wrote a post about blogging while on the go!
4 ) I purchased EnkayBlog.com in July and introduced my first Mp3/Video Player Giveaway Contest!
5 ) Later on in July, I launched a highly popular link train called “Jump Start Your Page Rank”
6 ) I completed my first redesign for Enkay Blog in August
7 ) Created The Wall of Blogs in September and redesigned The King Kong Blog
8 ) In October, I received my third star on ReviewMe and compared John Chow to Walmart
9 ) In November, I received my PR update and celebrated my 6 Month Blog Birthday
Hopefully all of you had a fantastic last year and are welcoming the New Year as I am. Lets strive for a better future!
