Groupon, Dealmates, SuperBuy, LivingSocial Group Buying Fans Beware – The stuff you get can’t be authentic!

Bad experiences with group buying sites in Malaysia has left me more than just a bit appalled at the level of fakes that are touted as genuine goods, I only thought you can only get this level of GENUINE FAKES being flogged off at Petaling Street.

The Giro Atmos from Groupon Malaysia

Here’s a listing on Groupon Malaysia for Giro Atlast bike helmet at RM128 (about USD$29) :

http://www.groupon.my/deals/national-deal/newgen-plt/718462642

The Giro Atmos Cycling Helmet (Matte Black/White, Medium) costs about $100 to $180 on Amazon.com:

Gut instinct told me, it should be fake, and when I received it, it was….

Proof / Evidence of Fakery

Photo1 shows the retention system not fixed to the rollcage properly towards the back.

OMG – This is supposed to be secure, not falling off!

Photo2 shows the flimsy double sided tape used to stick the padding material to the inner side of the helmet which easily comes off.

How do you secure padding inside? Double sided tape, of course!

Photo3 shows the shape of the padding material not conforming to the shape of the helmet even after repositioning the double sided tape.

When things do not conform, you know it’s a knock off!

I would be OK with it if there were full disclosure at the time of purchase, ie:

Giro Atmos Replica Bike Helmet, but you know when you put the word Replica, the sales would be low. No one would trust an important piece of bike equipment which is suppose to protect your noggin’ which may fall apart when it’s supposed to save your life, right?

Cost to me:

Personally, I had to spend about 5 hours in total to write emails, take photos and send the item back to Groupon to get a refund, I could have done a lot more with 5 hours of my time. Good thing that Groupon was OK with the refund but their support did not acknowledge that they were indeed flogging off Replica, Fake or Copied goods. I got my money back (whew!) I know in the USA its like Consumer Rights prevails but in Malaysia everyone gets away with small print.

Not only Groupon – Dealmates too!

So.. I bought this from Dealmates.my sometime back: http://www.dealmates.com.my/deals/infinityorange-june-underarmour-roundneck/item?di=50793 going for RM88 (that’s about USD$27)

On Amazon the Under Armour Men’s HeatGear® Sonic Compression Half Sleeve Medium Black retails for $30, hey, sounds about right, we don’t have Under Armour in Malaysia, should be legit, right…? WRONG! Fake too!

Proof / Evidence of Fakery

So happens that I bought the original from the UA Outlet store (online) from USA! So I have evidence!

Notice the poor quality of the logo at the front and back of the shirt.

Bad printing on fake UA Compression Shirt

Top UA Compression Shirt printing is Fake

The stitching that really is not on par with the original, this is the most telling factor.

The original Under Armour Compression Shirt doesn’t have stitch patterns on the outside

Between the top and the bottom, the top uses a standard stitch pattern.

Well, it’s a good copy of the fabric but slightly thinner and feel fragile compared to the original.

I would say that for someone who doesn’t have the original to compare against, they would not be able to tell the difference. But I did.

The cost to me

I was so busy at that time that I really didn’t open the package to inspect it until 3 weeks later, then I found out in the small print that if I wanted to return an item I need to go through a convoluted process which involves trying to contact a non existent support team at Dealmates. So when I eventually did establish contact, them guys hid behind their Terms and Conditions. So that’s that…. No refund!

Conclusion

Caveat Emptor, folks- Let the Buyer beware: If I were you, I wouldn’t buy anything branded from these sites, it is almost always a AAA knock off of the original item. If any of these sites pre-screens their suppliers and goods before attaching a price to them, I’ll be back, until then, it’s like Spain and England at the World Cup, see you later! If you did, know your rights, read your T&Cs and execute fast,… Groupon has been responsive thus far, Dealmates you’d better be lucky!

Audio-Technica ATH-FC707 and Phillips O’Neill SHO4200BB/WG/RW Review

Yesterday I had the pleasure of playing around with about a dozen headsets, it was truly an audiophile’s heaven where on the buffet linAudio-Technica ATH-FC707

On display were so many popular headphones like :

• Dr. Dre’s Beats Solo HD,
• Audio-Technica ATH-FC707,
• Audio-Technica ATH-SJ11,
• Audio-Technica ATH-M50,
• Audio-Technica ATH-PRO5MS,
• Audio-Technica BB500,
• Audio-Technica ATH-FW33 Bijoue,
• Phillips O’Neill SHO4200WG,
• a few Sony MDR head phones.

I couldn’t resist getting out my iPhone and testing every one of them. It’s a good thing I didn’t have sales personnel hounding me, I was basically left alone in headphone paradise with these babies and got to try them all out!!!

Well, I reviewed the Dr. Dre’s Beats Solo HD before (I had a shoot out with it against the V-Moda LP2), so I used that as a baseline and went around and enjoyed what each had to offer.

Basically, I used these songs for the punchy bass and mid transitions:

• Moves like Jagger – Maroon 5
• Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO
• Body Language – Jesse McCartney

And then, I switched on these for the trebles and voice, once I have thoroughly decided that I liked the bass:

• I said I Love You – Babyface
• Playing for Time – Acoustic Alchemy

This is not a very thorough review since I didn’t really had the time to cross compare all those headphones. But I do know this:

If I rated Dr. Dre’s Beats Solo HD at 9/10, I would rate the Audio-Technica ATH-FC707 at 9/10 too because of its overall performance vs. VALUE. Why?

1. These headphones are pretty cheap for its performance,
2. They’re absolutely comfortable (I wear glasses and I don’t have a good time with most headsets) the head band is very flexible.
3. I thoroughly enjoyed its very balanced performance on the bass (not too overpowering but the punch is still there, the follow through is amazing), and the mids and trebles, you can truly enjoy the full entire spectrum from these babies.
4. The noise isolation is pretty good too, and it sits on the ears like a charm!

I award it 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 5 smileys!

Audio-Technica ATH-FC707 – Great value, unbeatable pricing. Get these for your total enjoyment!

Surprisingly all the other Audio-Technica headphones were only so-so with their bass being “out of this world” great but fall flat when it comes to trebles and mids.

Another honorable mention I’d like to give out is to the Phillips O’Neill SHO4200WG headphones which were 20% more expensive than the Audio-Technica ATH-FC707, I found that:

1. it too has most of the elements in place, however,
2. the performance seems to fall just a little short.
3. I would give them about 7.5/10 for overall value vs performance.
4. If you’re the type who likes showy headphones at a good decent price and looks and feel durable even though it looks really plastic. This would be a good fit for you.
5. Personally, the colors were too alien for my liking. (I’m getting old perhaps)

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 smileys for these!

Philips O’Neill SHO4200BB/28 – Get these if you like a bit more color. Performance is not bad 😉

To wrap things up, I wasn’t really planning to write a review but the Audio-Technica ATH-FC707‘s performance really compelled me to!! Notice I hadn’t said anything of note with the Sony MDRs… Well, they’re unremarkable except for their comfort – they feel like marshmallows 🙂

Christmas is around the corner, buy these for a loved one or a good friend. They’ll thank you for it. I promise!

Best Royalty-Free Stock Photos Site – 123RF, Dreamstime, Fotolia, IstockPhoto & ShutterStock Shoot Out Comparison Review

As a web developer and consultant, I often have to source for good Royalty-Free stock content. Cost is always a concern, that’s why I turn to Microstock sites like 123RF, Dreamstime, Fotolia, iStockPhoto and ShutterStock. Which one is the best and gives you the best value for money however? So here’s my review on all the major players when it comes to Royalty-Free content.

Statistics & Summary

	123RF.com	Dreamstime.com	Fotolia.com	iStockPhoto.com	Shutterstock.com
Content Count:	16 million	14.5 million	19.1 million	Doesn’t say…	20 million
Photos & Illustrations:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Video footage:	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audio Clips & Music:	No	No	No	Yes	No
Credits Model:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Pseudo
Subscription Model:	Yes	Pseudo	Yes	Pseudo	Yes

What is the Credits Model?

• Credits are like tokens that you exchange for each download.
• Usually, the amount of Credits you will need to download any image corresponds with the size you’re downloading.
• Larger image = larger amount of credits.

When do you need Credits? How do I know if Credits are suitable for me? You need credits if:

• You have a special licensing need, or want to incorporate the image into a product that you’re going to make money from. Most stock sites offer extended or enhanced licenses. For a basic license, usually a site charges a small number of credits, but if you’re using the image as a part of a product that is to be sold, like on prints or an App, you need to get the extended license which will cost more credits or;
• When you are primarily downloading smaller file sizes probably for blogs and web or;
• When you don’t need to download images every day, and you’re using it for small projects (like me).

What is the Subscription Model?

• Like a magazine, you subscribe to it and use it as much as you like until the subscription period comes to an end.
• The sites usually have a daily subscription quota/limit, you can’t download more than this limit.
• You can’t get special license terms (like extended or enhanced) with subscriptions, usually.
• This limit will reset every day.
• Subscription buyers usually must have a daily appetite for images. Some sites like Shutterstock.com do not allow you to ‘stockpile’ images. You need to use them before a certain time limit, or the license will expire.

What does Pseudo mean?

• When a site tries to implement a credit model when it is predominantly subscription based, I term it as pseudo.
• They assign you a bunch of credits that expire daily. OR
• They give you a download subscription quota, and the quota that you need to download a certain image varies with the size you require.

Search Results – Comparison

I did some searches on the five sites and I got a panel of my friends to comment on the search results.

123RF.com	Dreamstime.com	Fotolia.com	iStockPhoto.com	Shutterstock.com
123RF.com Search Results for keyword Business	Dreamstime.com Search Results for keyword Business	Fotolia.com Search Results for keyword Business	iStockPhoto.com Search Results for keyword Business	Shutterstock.com Search Results for keyword Business
Default Filter: Relevancy	Default Filter: Relevancy	Default Filter: Relevancy	Default Filter: Relevancy	Default Filter: Popular

Why is the default filter important?

• Relevancy usually shows the results of what the system thinks are best images for you. It often doesn’t take into account other factors.
• Popularity however is a whole different ball game, it takes into account what people have actually downloaded, and usually people only download good stuff! It is no wonder why Shutterstock.com comes out tops in the search results test.

Price vs. Quality (Credits)

Everyone should be concerned about prices. Nobody likes to pay more when they can pay less! We now look at how much an image would cost at each of the sites above as well as their entry points.

	123RF.com	Dreamstime.com	Fotolia.com	iStockPhoto.com	Shutterstock.com
Minimum spend:	$12.50	$10	$13.00	$19.99	$49
Minimum credits:	10	8	10	12	12 downloads (Small & Medium) 5 downloads (large JPG & EPS)
Price Per Credit:	$1.25	$1.25	$1.30	$1.67	$4.08 – S & M / $9.80 – L & EPS
XS size	N/A	3 ~ 11	1 ~ 3	2	N/A
S size	1	5 ~ 13	3 ~ 9	5	$4.08
M size	2	7 ~ 16	6 ~ 18	10	$4.08
L size	3	8 ~ 17	8 ~24	12	$9.80
XL size	4	9 ~ 18	10 ~ 30	15	N/A
XXL size	5	10 ~ 19	12 ~ 36	20	N/A
XXXL size	N/A	N/A	N/A	34	N/A
TIFF	10	15 ~ 29	12 ~36	N/A	N/A
EPS	10	20 ~ 38	4 ~ 8	5 ~ 15	$9.80
Pricing Strategy	Static pricing	Image popularity	Seller’s level	Static	Static

Price vs. Quality (In US Dollars per image)

Now how does that look in terms of absolute prices?

	123RF.com	Dreamstime.com	Fotolia.com	iStockPhoto.com	Shutterstock.com
Minimum spend:	$12.50	$10	$13.00	$19.99	$49
Minimum credits:	10	8	10	12	12 downloads (Small & Medium) 5 downloads (large JPG & EPS)
Price Per Credit:	$1.25	$1.25	$1.30	$1.67	$4.08 – S & M / $9.80 – L & EPS
XS size	N/A	$3.75 ~ $13.75	$1.30 ~ $3.90	$3.34	N/A
S size	$1.25	$6.25 ~ $16.25	$3.90 ~ $11.70	$8.35	$4.08
M size	$2.50	$8.75 ~ $20.00	$7.80 ~ $23.40	$16.70	$4.08
L size	$3.75	$10.00 ~ $21.25	$10.40 ~ $31.20	$20.00	$9.80
XL size	$5.00	$11.25 ~ $22.50	$13.00 ~ $39.00	$25.05	N/A
XXL size	$6.25	$12.50 ~ $23.75	$15.60 ~ $46.80	$33.40	N/A
XXXL size	N/A	N/A	N/A	$56.78	N/A
RAW TIFF	$12.50	$18.75 ~ $36.25	$15.60 ~ $46.80	N/A	N/A
Illustration EPS	$12.50	$25.00 ~ $47.50	$5.20 ~ $10.40	$8.35 ~ $25.05	$9.80
Pricing Strategy	Static pricing	Image popularity	Seller’s Rank	Static pricing	Static pricing

Notes on Pricing Strategies:

• Fotolia.com determines an image price based upon the Seller’s ranking. A Seller’s Rank is dependent on the amount of downloads they have had on their entire portfolio. This means 2 things:
  • The more mature a seller is, you will need more credits to license one of their images. Mature contributors have been on Fotolia.com for a long time and hence have built up a good number of downloads.
  • The better a seller’s portfolio is, you need more credits to license one of their images. Sellers with good portfolios can rack up a good amount of downloads in a short time.
• Dreamstime.com determines the price of an image based on the amount of downloads it has had in the past (image popularity).
  • You will pay more for a popular image. Here’s how they determine the level of an image:
    • Level 0 : Older than 2 years with 0 downloads
    • Level 1 : Newer than 2 years with 0 downloads
    • Level 2 : 1-4 downloads
    • Level 3 : 5 – 9 downloads
    • Level 4 : 10 – 24 downloads
    • Level 5 : more than 25 downloads
  • The strategy is to encourage more use on less popular images. (But! Why would anyone want to license a bad image anyway?!)
  • The level climb is pretty easy, I’m hard pressed to find a Level 0 image with a popular keyword match.

How about bulk buyers?

Now what if you had a large budget and wish to really maximize the bang for your buck? I went and see what’s the lowest each site is willing to go without having to resort to calling their sales reps to haggle or negotiate!

	123RF.com	Dreamstime.com	Fotolia.com	iStockPhoto.com	Shutterstock.com
Minimum spend	$8000.40	$41,000	$6,500	$4,000	$229
Credits Obtained	11,800	50,001	8,750	3000	60 downloads (Small & Medium) 25 downloads (large JPG & EPS)
Price Per Credit	$0.68	$0.82	$0.74	$1.33	$3.82 – S & M / $9.16 – L & EPS
XS size	N/A	$2.46 ~ $9.02	$0.74 ~ $2.22	$2.66	N/A
S size	$0.68	$4.10 ~ $10.66	$2.22 ~ $6.66	$6.65	$3.82
M size	$1.36	$5.74 ~ $13.12	$4.44 ~ $13.32	$13.30	$3.82
L size	$2.04	$6.56 ~ $13.94	$5.92 ~ $17.76	$15.96	$9.16
XL size	$2.72	$7.38 ~ $14.76	$7.40 ~ $22.20	$19.95	N/A
XXL size	$3.40	$8.20 ~ $15.58	$8.88 ~ $26.64	$26.60	N/A
XXXL size	N/A	N/A	N/A	$45.22	N/A
RAW TIFF	$6.80	$18.75 ~ $36.25	$8.88 ~ $26.64	N/A	N/A
Illustration EPS	$6.80	$12.30 ~ $47.50	$2.94 ~ $5.92	$6.65 ~ $19.95	$9.16
Discount Structure	Smoothed	Smoothed	Stepped	Packaged	Packaged
Loyalty Programs	Yes	No	No	No	No

Notes on Bulk Buying Discount Structures

• Custom Credits Calculator
  • I really had a fun time plugging in values into 123RF.com, Dreamstime.com and Fotolia.com‘s custom credits calculator. What I found was:
    • 123RF.com and Dreamstime.com‘s custom credit calculator seemed fair – The more credits you buy, the more discount you’ll get. The discount structure is smoothed.
    • Fotolia‘s custom credit calculator is a bit wonky. If you added just 1 credit more, you’ll get a big bunch of free credits and a huge jump in the price per credit calculation. So if you decide to buy from Fotolia, make sure you play around with +10 or -10 on the custom credits calculator to get the best bang for your buck.
• Packaged Deals
  • iStockPhoto.com and Shutterstock.com are on a Packaged deal. Meaning they do not have any custom credits etc. Just select a package and you’re good to go. I just looked at the default credits available. I do believe that if your budget is higher you might qualify for a big bulk discount. So if your budget is above the minimum spend amounts you see here, I recommend that you call them up and haggle a bit. You might get a very good deal!
• Loyalty Program
  • I noticed that only 123RF.com has a loyalty program for its customers. Other sites do not. When you buy any package from 123RF.com, you get 123RF Rewards Points. You accumulate these rewards points and you can exchange them for even more download credits, gifts or shopping vouchers. The shopping vouchers depend on each country I guess, I deduced this because the vouchers I can get here are tied down to the local departmental stores.

Conclusion

These are my own conclusions and I based them on the research I’ve done of the various sites.

Here’s a table of the sites and what I like / don’t like about them.

Site & Rank	Pros	Cons
123RF	Best balance between content and price. Predictable pricing for image sizes and very reasonable too Fair pricing structure for bulk buys Nice loyalty rewards program! Have some content that other sites do not have Round the clock support (24 x 7) live chat and email	Search results at times don’t show good content. Have to wade through search results or refine at times
Dreamstime	Good content is easy to find – some irrelevant results Fair pricing structure for bulk buys	Popular images really cost a whole lot more
Fotolia	Good content is easy to find – some irrelevant results Quite user friendly Very cheap illustrations	Content from good portfolios costs a lot more Funny way of calculating bulk credits.
iStockPhoto	Search engine is decent Prices for good illustrations seem reasonable Lots of exclusive images that is only available at iStockPhoto.com nowhere else.	Really overpriced for photos Especially at higher image sizes, prices just go through the roof Have to use search filters to get rid of high priced images
Shutterstock	Good content is easy to find – very relevant results Quite user friendly, layout is clean and simple Packages are really straightforward Freshest content Prices for good illustrations seem reasonable	Minimum prices start at $49

I hope that it becomes clear that if you’re looking for a good deal – 123RF.com would be your best bet as they seem to have everything in one place, good prices, decent collection of content, good availability of support and a great rewards program.

Great tasting Malay Kampung Food at Patin Place, Puchong at

Nestled in Puchong Batu 14, is Patin Place. A restaurant that serves pretty decent Malay and Western dishes. I went there with a group of work colleagues and it’s run by Eric and his uncle.

Eric reveals that a certain Malaysian celebrity is the one who supplies the recipes and know-how of local favorites such as Nasi Lemak, Rendang Daging/Ayam, Kurma Kambing and various tempoyak dishes made from their signature patin fish.

Check out some of the images from my recent visit. We tried the entire Malay dish menu with nasi lemak. The general feedback was that the food was good. The range is about 7 to 8 out of 10.

Go check it out. Their Facebook fan page is Patin Place on FaceBook.

 

Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD vs. V-MODA Crossfade LP2 Limited Edition Headphones Review

Been a long time since I reviewed anythng, but I’m back to my passion reviewing headsets!

It’s a real treat this time, cause I go my friend’s Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD White On-Ear Headphone from Monster and pitted it against my V-MODA Crossfade LP2 Limited Edition Over-Ear Noise-Isolating Metal Headphone (Matte Black). I’ll be running them through their paces in standard stuff like listening to various types of music and of course, the comfort levels as the Beats are on ear while the Crossfade LP2 are over ear headphones.

Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD ($199.95)

VS

V-MODA Crossfade LP2 Limited Edition ($199.00)

I’ll go over the scores in a minute… But here’s a table that I hope everyone can relate to 🙂

Specifications & Features	Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD	V-MODA Crossfade LP2 Limited Edition
Construction	Mostly plastic	Mostly metal
Wires	Rubber coated	Braided
Carrying case	Soft neoprene case	Exoskeleton hard case
Price	$199.95	$199.00
Frequency Range (Speakers)	20 Hz – 20 KHz	5 – 30,000 Hz
Impedance	Unsure, some have said 45 ohms	32 Ohms
Cable length	3.94 ft/1.2m	USB
Bundled with	Touring case Stereo cables 1/4″ Adapter Cleaning cloth	Exoskeleton hard case 2 stereo cables (1 with remote & mic) 1/4″ Adapter 2x shields cleaning cloth
Usability Results	Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD	V-MODA Crossfade LP2 Limited Edition
Comfort	7	7
Build Quality	7	9
Durability	6	9
Comfort Treshold	30-45 minutes	1 hour 30 minutes
Test Results	Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD	V-MODA Crossfade LP2 Limited Edition
Bass (without EQ)	8 (good solid, thumping feel)	10 (more clarity, depth & follow through)
Treble (without EQ)	8 (once it gets mixed up with the bass, performance drops)	9 (it’s pretty clear, even through the bass)
Bass (with EQ)	9 (sounds even more impressive, but less defined, it’s like a sound wall of bass hitting the ears)	9 (definition is maintained, clarity is still there,but the bass grain is not as intense as the Beats)
Trebel (wtih EQ)	8 (the whole mix sounded a bit on the high side with EQ, I found that I didn’t really like the sound as it was getting slightly tinny.	9 The Crossfades really respond to EQ effects, when I used a V shape EQ, it really drove up the bass and treble effects, and made the mids sound flat.
Movies	9.5 – really like the cinematic experience. I reckon the noise cancellation is really working in its favor here.	8.5 – I’d appreciate a more isolated experience and notice that I had to tweak the volume up a bit to keep up with the Beats Solo HD.
Gaming	To be added	To be added
The VERDICT	8.75 (without gaming scores)	9.25 (without gaming scores)

Conclusion

1. The two headsets are really very closely priced. So it really comes down to which is better at that price. For the money that you’ll be spending here you’d expect a pair of headsets that will literally blow the rest away.
2. But for very small price difference, the Crossfade LP2 in my opinion has noticeably better fidelity and you start to hear a lot more nuances in the music that wasn’t delivered very well with Beats Solo HD.
3. The bass and treble responses on the Crossfade LP2 are also marginally better and more natural sounding.
4. I can agree on using EQ to correct good headsets so that you can enjoy your music better as certain music required certain compensation but adjusting EQs when you listen to a variety of music can get tiresome. Crossfade LP2 sounds naturally great on its own without the need for EQ while the Beats Solo HD can keep up but if you want the extra edge, go for the Crossfade LP2.
5. In terms of overall comfort, I wear spectacles, and I have a big head. If you want comfort, the Crossfade LP2 will be again better as they are over-ear headset which will be more comfortable for those long listening sessions. The Beats Solo HD are on-ears so after awhile people who wear glasses will definitely feel the squeeze.
6. What came as a nice surprise was that the Beats Solo HD overturned the tables slightly in the movies test because it delivered a more cinematic experience. Perhaps due on-ear design, it really did improve the movie as a whole as its noise isolation did wonders. You really feel ‘sucked in’ with the movie. While researching for this review I read that many reviewers mentioned that the Beats Solo HD  were a bit over bright, this really helped it to deliver punching bass and stunning sound effects for movies like Real Steel and Transformers 3.
7. I find that that the V-MODA Crossfade LP2 Limited Edition are optimized for music while the Beats by Dr. Dre Solo HD performs slightly better for movie lovers 😉

WINNER by A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT MARGIN

V-MODA Crossfade LP2 Limited Edition

Let me know what you think, I’ll try to enjoy more types of music later if I can get my friend to lend me her Beats again!

Dunstan Baby Language Review

Hi All,

It’s been a while since I wrote anything on my blog, this time around, I want to share with you mummies (and daddies) out there – a product that I think is absolutely wonderful!

My son (Ethan) was born on May 19, 2010 – he’s my second one, and has since proved to be an easy going baby – THANK GOD! I enjoyed my moments with him and he is a definite angel – I know everyone says that about their child. But Ethan has good temperament, doesn’t fuss, doesn’t toss around, and his cries are not as annoying as his elder brother’s. LOL!

In any case, I heard from my cousin as we were about to play a game of futsal over the weekend that Oprah Winfrey, had a program on baby language. WOW! He said that a lot of parent swore by it on Oprah, so I went a-google-ing and guess what? It’s called Dunstan Baby Language — Learn the universal language of newborn babies.

According to Priscilla Dunstan (the program’s founder – read about her biography here: http://www.dunstanbaby.com/cms/index.php?page=nz-the-discovery) babies can make 5 distinct sounds right from the moment they’re born, so they can already communicate – parents just have to LISTEN for certain sounds that they make.

There are 5 sounds altogether:
1. “Neh” – Feed me!
2. “Eh” – Burp me!
3. “Owh” – I’m tired, lemme sleep!
4. “Eairh” – I have a windy tummy, help me get rid of the wind!
5. “Heh” – I’m uncomfortable (too hot, too cold, change my diaper)

The juicy bit – DOES IT WORK?

I’m half blind, so my hearing is better than your average guy – I could identify 2 distinct sounds without the Dunstan Baby Language program before, and I sorta guess that one cry meant “Feed me!” and another was for saying that he’s wet “Need Diaper Change” but I couldn’t figure out at times why he went “Heh!” when his diaper is not wet! Well, Priscilla identified that the baby is uncomfortable and needs perhaps less clothes or more clothes.

I saw the video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6CFSGAueyo

If you get the DVD you’ll be able to get:

1. All 5 sounds – with examples of (pretty noisy babies bawling their eyes out making the respective sounds) – so you can familiarize yourself with the various types of baby sounds.
2. Parents testimony on how it works.
3. Solutions on what to do when baby is doing a Neh/Eh/Owh/Eairh/Heh

The verdict, I highly recommend Dunstan Baby Language — Learn the universal language of newborn babies to anyone, and after watching the DVD, I can say that I understand Ethan better. Here’s an example – today morning, he went “Eh, eh, eh” a lot – not crying but rather, just making tiny cute noises. I remembered “Eh” meant that he needed a burp, so I picked him up, and started stroking his back, just like in the video. Thereafter, he burped 15 seconds later. I put him down and he just continued on normally.

That made me so confident and happy, now that I know what Ethan wants! Hope this works for you too 🙂

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Logitech G35 7.1 surround vs. Razer Megalodon 7.1 showdown – The Results

Sorry guys, I couldn’t make the review in time for PC Fair (I) 2010 which happened last weekend from April 16 – April 18. But I really needed the extra time to completely test the two units – In order to be fair and all 🙂

Logitech G35 7.1 Surround Sound Headset

VS

Razer Megalodon 7.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset

The skinny is this: Logitech G35 while cheaper doesn’t lose out to the Razer Megalodon at all. In fact, if you’re purchasing a headset for the sound performance alone, the G35 is definitely better.

I’ll go over the scores in a minute… But here’s a table that I hope everyone can relate to 🙂

Specifications & Features	Logitech G35	Razer Megalodon	SteelSeries Siberia
7.1 Surround	Yes	Yes	No
5.1 Surround	Yes	Yes	No
Stereo Support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Price	$115.48 RM380	$132.57 RM540	$71.99 RM280
Frequency Range (Speakers)	20 Hz – 20 KHz	20 – 20,000 Hz	18 – 28,000 Hz
Frequency Range (Microphone)	100 Hz – 10 KHz	50 – 16,000 Hz	99 – 15,000 Hz
Connectors	USB	USB	3.5mm Stereo
Bundled with	3 headband pads	Headset Carry Case	N/A
Usability Results	Logitech G35	Razer Megalodon	SteelSeries Siberia
Comfort	8	9	8.5
Build Quality	9	10	8
Durability	9	8	5
Comfort Treshold	1 hour	2 hours	1 hour 30 minutes
Testing Results	Logitech G35	Razer Megalodon	SteelSeries Siberia
7.1 & 5.1 gaming performance	9	5	N/A
Stereo performance	9	8	9.5
Bass	9	8	9.5
Trebel	8	8	9.5
Movie (not 5.1/7.1)	8.5	8.5	9
Movie (5.1 or 7.1)	9	7.5	N/A
Music (MP3, 320 kbps) in 2.1	9	7.5	9.5
Music (MP3, 320 kbps) in emulated 5.1	9 nice depth	7 flat	N/A
The VERDICT	9.0	7.0	9.5

Note: I included the reviews on the SteelSeries Siberia which I hail to be the most perfect set of stereo headsets you can buy today as a control and baseline comparison for 2.1 / stereo.

All right you Razer fans out there, wipe away those murderous stares, give me a chance to explain.

I hope that you’ll agree with me that the main reason why we go out to buy a 7.1 capable headset is to enjoy the 7.1 or 5.1 experience to the fullest. Here is where the Razer ( sadly) did not live up to expectations. Stereo performance (2.1) on the Razer fell marginally behind the Logitech G35 due to its flatness, however, when it came to games, the Logitech G35 gave an impressive performance compared to the Razer.

The main reasons why I gave such a poor verdict for the Razer:

• In Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2
  Razer Megalodon : There were lots of times when the radio chatter was turned WAAAAYYYYY below the background music it was muddled and downright annoying. I had to strain to hear what Captain Price or General Shepherd was trying to tell me. I couldn’t tell the directionality of the sounds a lot of it was muddled. In addition to that, certain sounds had a ghosting or echo like effect, when it wasn’t supposed to! Logitech G35: Everything was emulated nicely, I liked the punchy weapons fire, I could hear a lot of directionality of sound, radio chatter is even and clear enough, especially when entering and exiting buildings, the sound environment changes were clear and logically done.
• In Battlefield Bad Company 2
  Razer Megalodon : Again I couldn’t hear the conversations at all, the background music was so much louder compared to the music and the action, it was horrible and more pronounced in this game. I didn’t want to venture further than the opening and the first stage was sheer agony. Everything was confusing! Logitech G35: Almost PERFECT! It opened a new dimension in gaming for me. I could hear everything clearly and I felt immersed in the game.
• For listening to music
  Razer Megalodon : In stereo its performance is on par with the Logitech G35, except that the music sounded a little distant. The bass levels couldn’t keep up its punchiness as well. It’s felt like it’s been blurred out, and I had to turn up the volume to hear the music a little better. Saving grace however, the trebel felt a bit clearer and doesn’t feel as though it’s been prematurely ‘cut off’. In forced 5.1, the Razer fell flat, even though it tried to emulate some element of depth, all it succeeded in doing is making everything sound drowned out.Logitech G35: The bass is unbelievably punchy and I could really feel the waveforms hitting the eardrums 🙂 however, at the higher trebels it starts to max out and some of the levels felt as though it’s been trimmed. The Razer doesn’t suffer from this at all. In forced 5.1, the Logitech immediately gives a lot of depth to the music, and the bass became even more punchier.

Conclusion

1. I find myself turning the Megalodon to stereo mode whenever I’m using it as the 5.1 / 7.1 is so horrible 😦 Sorry
   

   Razer Megalodon in its carry case

   Razer, I can’t really approve this for surround usage. But who knows, they might update the firmware again, and the results above may be VERY VERY different. Let’s hope so!

2. Razer Megalodon is a lot more comfortable compared to the G35 and I can use it for a longer period without feeling pinched by the headsets.
3. I like the Razer carry case though 🙂
4. The Logitech G35 would definitely makes you happier if you’re going to use the surround element a lot.
5. The Logitech G35 is cheaper by 40% in Malaysia — GET IT! In the US, the price difference is around 15%, so if you want something good for the money spent, definitely the Logitech G35 should be on your shopping list.

WINNER by SOLID SURROUND SOUND PERFORMANCE : Logitech G35

 

Hey! I’ll try to get a Razer Banshee StarCraft II Gaming Headset (See all Computer Headsets & Microphones)
to review next, I reckon the sound will be AWESOME. I tried it a little during the last PC Fair and I was amazed by the sound production over a short game of StarCraft 2.

Logitech G35 7.1 surround vs. Razer Megalodon 7.1 showdown

Logitech G35 7.1 surround vs. Razer Megalodon 7.1 – who will be the winner? Every1 seems to think Razer has an edge but we’ll find out soon!

Alas, kinsmedic have come to their senses!

Alas, kinsmedic have come to their senses and will refund me my purchase. Consumers shouldn’t have to go through this much trouble!