Database Info

your opinion on expansy?

i'm considering on buying from expansy; i'd like to ask for your opinion regarding this site. any of you have purchased stuff through them? feedback on services, security, etc would be much appreciated. i do know that this site is uk based; so the more international buyers' feedback the better.
cheers
rob

I'm UK based and I've bought a fair bit from them. They're alright. Not exceptional but no problems really. Just don't be tempted to back order or pre-order stuff with them. The stock in dates are often a bit optimistic (not really their fault as these things are beyond their control to a certian extent).

hey mate
whew; owe you a pint there! i was considering doing a preorder for an item...thanks for the heads up. they do have an option where you can be notified when the product is available; guess i'll go for this instead.
cheers
rob

I have bought from them and they did exactly what they said. They were not that cheap for what I bought but they did have reletively tight security at the time. As it was an international credit transaction for a substancial amount I liked that.

yep, don't order popular items based on their "coming soon" dates because they are generally way off.

Heed the above advice. I ordered a Dopod 818 pro (from the Chinese version of their site), and went through helacious trouble. I finally got an i-Mate JAMin a month and a half after I placed my first order, it just arrived this morning. On the up side though, I managed to talk them into a 5% discount for making me wait.

very informative advice; thanks so much for the feedback. guess i'd better wait till the item comes out then. i did find a hong kong based site (as per Zoltair Wright's message); given that i do frequent going there i might as well check it out myself and not do any preordering. thanks mates, helps tons!
cheers

I bought a few times, I haven't any problem. There aren't the greatest prices but it is not bad...

Happy customer...
I got my k-jam from them here in Aus and very happy with the service.
Bought a bundle of optional stuff at the same time and even a couple of items the website said where 'due 1-3 days' got in the package that night.
found the support folks helpful when I was trying to decide what device.
their forums are second to here, but probably better than Club i-mate!

my acer n30 went faulty. reported fault 4th january, despite numerous phonecalls and unanswered emails the unit was not returned until march. great prices, but hope that your product doesn't go faulty!

my acer n30 went faulty. reported fault 4th january, despite numerous phonecalls and unanswered emails the unit was not returned until march. great prices, but hope that your product doesn't go faulty!

The service I've had from them has been great. Everything always arrives quickly and the only thing I ever had to return was sent back without problems.

Orange UK abandoned HTC?

My phone is on my company's business contract, so I have no choice but to be with Orange (UK). It came up for renewal about 6 months ago but they don't seem to have released a single interesting phone in that whole time. The Hero is the only phone that's even close, but it's so old now I don't really fancy committing to it for 18 months. The Touch Pro 2 was supposed to be out when I started looking but they withdrew it before I had a chance to get one. Later the HD 2 seems to suffer a similar fate. Someone from Orange phoned me last month to ask why I hadn't upgraded yet (obviously concerned that I was getting ready to leave) and she said the HTC Bravo would probably be out in March, which I later worked out was similar to a Google Nexus and so quite interesting. I phoned to check today, but they still have no idea if/when it will arrive.
Does anyone else agree that there's something a bit strange going on when they don't properly release a high-end smart phone for 6 months or more? I mentioned to them I was suspicious that they were just trying not to distract attention from the iPhone but, of course, she didn't offer any useful comment.
The main question is, does anyone have any idea what Oranges plans are regarding high-end smart phones? Is it worth holding out for them to finally release one of the many iPhone-eclipsing devices, or should I be trying to convince my company to open an account elsewhere?

I had been looking on Orange's website to see if they were offering the HD2 as an upgrade. As far as I know they still aren't even listing it but I got an HD2 through Phones 4 U as an upgrade and as a loyal Orange customer got a 10% discount on the Dolphin 35 tariff (albeit for 24 months) as well as the handset for £50 minus £50 for trading in ANY old phone.
The only downside is that I'm now wondering if I should have waited for Win Phone 7 if it's released as early as Sept...

I had been looking on Orange's website to see if they were offering the HD2 as an upgrade
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That reminds me, I meant to mention that the Orange Business website hasn't barely changed their HTC section since I first started looking. That includes the HD Touch Pro 2 which (as far as I can tell) was available for about 1 week, 6 months ago. Maybe they're just trying to make it less obvious to the casual observer that Apple is pressuring them to bury anything better than the iPhone.
I hadn't thought about third party phone shops for a Business account. Can anyone confirm that's an option?

I read somewhere that Orange UK are not doing WM till 7series comes out now

Seems like they're in no hurry with Android either. Since the Hero they've only gone further down-market (Tattoo), passing over several higher end possibilities.
Anybody care to comment on my pet conspiracy theory about cutting out distractions from the JesusPhone™?

Returning for Galaxy Tab =X

Ok guys, it was a good run... a week run. I don't mind this tablet, I tried TNT 2.2 and ZPAD. I liked them both, TNT a little more.
-This tablet has AMAZING potential, and awesome hardware such as the processor. Software out of the BOX is again like everyone says: HORRIBLE.
Overall build quality is pretty good, not considering the little creeks you get holding the center of the back.
-The official thing that ticked me off to return this tablet was.....wait for it............ LCD Display and viewing angles. Im sorry but it seems like its from the Early 2000's not a display we would see in many electronics Now a days.
-Another deciding factor for me is the touch sensitivity, didn't do it for me. Not as sensitive as I would like.
-Non-illuminated keys, hard to use at night, keys get pressed easily at night.
So after thinking if i should wait for iPAD2, since the rumors are racing; or get Galaxy Tab,
Ive decided to get the Galaxy Tab - I got a brand NEW Galaxy Tab(Sprint) on Ebay for $500 - White backing, Sealed BRAND NEW In BOX. No contract.
I'll be turning the Data OFF and using it as WiFi only, It wont be linked to Sprint, I will NOT activate the 3g.
I got to check the device out, and its extremely portable, its nice. 7 Inch isnt THAT bad at all.
Any comments?

Sorry to see you go. Enjoy your new tablet!

I see these goodbye posts all the time in all the forums I've been a part of. And "sorry" is almost in each post?At the end you just need to be happy with your product. Personally I am not replacing this tablet for anything that's out right now because of the dual core tegra 2 processor. My next tablet is going to be another T2 but definitely a better screen and hopefully a gig of RAM. I don't care if its a 10 or 7 inch tablet because both are practically the same in reference to portability since I can't fit them in my pocket.
Honestly, the only goodbye post that I am looking out for is Roebeets, Rothnic, Bekit, or any other devs. But I figured i'd chime in because I don't think anyone should be sorry for moving on to a different device....unless you were getting a cruz tablet then it would be flame city for you. Jk
I'm sure you'll enjoy ur galaxy tab because its a nice device.

Not gonna disagree with any of your complaints, and if it is not right for you, then get the one you want.
Personally I don't mind the screen, since it is only for me, and I just hold it at the right angle. The non-illuminated buttons are a bit of a silly oversight (and I would much prefer real buttons to those capacitive ones) but I don't mind so much since it has on-screen soft-buttons.
I like it because it is well powered (battery and processor), inexpensive, and has a large display.
Most importantly is that it is easily modifiable. If it wasn't it would have gone right back. It nearly did anyway because I was falsely told by Sears' website that it was a viewpad 10. Since roebeet, rothnic, omiji (? sorry can't remember), and all the others I cannot name have made this device software so good I see awesome potential beyond the great tablet it has already become.
So VS owes XDA and it's senior modders a lot since without them probably all of us would have returned the POS that VS put on the shelves.
In summation Thank You to the XDA team working on the G tab, and if anyone else is thinking about returning this product consider this before you do so, because Samsung, Apple, or any other manufacturer will not give the type of updates and support you can get here from an open device like this, from a place like XDA.
And to the OP, I hope you enjoy your Galaxy better, I have a Captivate and I like it. I am sure if you want a good experience out of the box like what I have in my Captivate, you will be very happy with it.

Hannigan174 said:
In summation Thank You to the XDA team working on the G tab, and if anyone else is thinking about returning this product consider this before you do so, because Samsung, Apple, or any other manufacturer will not give the type of updates and support you can get here from an open device like this, from a place like XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definetly +1
I could not of said it better myself.

The notionink adam goes on preorder later today also for $400-500. I'd suggest looking into that tablet also.

mmathai77 said:
Ok guys, it was a good run... a week run. I don't mind this tablet, I tried TNT 2.2 and ZPAD. I liked them both, TNT a little more.
-This tablet has AMAZING potential, and awesome hardware such as the processor. Software out of the BOX is again like everyone says: HORRIBLE.
Overall build quality is pretty good, not considering the little creeks you get holding the center of the back.
-The official thing that ticked me off to return this tablet was.....wait for it............ LCD Display and viewing angles. Im sorry but it seems like its from the Early 2000's not a display we would see in many electronics Now a days.
-Another deciding factor for me is the touch sensitivity, didn't do it for me. Not as sensitive as I would like.
-Non-illuminated keys, hard to use at night, keys get pressed easily at night.
So after thinking if i should wait for iPAD2, since the rumors are racing; or get Galaxy Tab,
Ive decided to get the Galaxy Tab - I got a brand NEW Galaxy Tab(Sprint) on Ebay for $500 - White backing, Sealed BRAND NEW In BOX. No contract.
I'll be turning the Data OFF and using it as WiFi only, It wont be linked to Sprint, I will NOT activate the 3g.
I got to check the device out, and its extremely portable, its nice. 7 Inch isnt THAT bad at all.
Any comments?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shouldn't be too bad, and at the price that Samsung is hawking these for they should support it for a while and better than any other currently shipping Android tablet.
7": yeah, I'm missing that form factor ALOT myself, but I just can't bring myself to give up Tegra2 for something lesser even for a better(IMNHO) form factor(7") nor a better screen(awful gTab viewing angles).
I'm keeping my gTab(actually I'm stuck now anyways past my 14d Staples return) and evaluating 7" complementary(to gTab) tablets, of which(ATM) Nook Color is looking nice w/IPS screen and a8 CPU plus now rooted. Just need to get over to a B&N and try out a demo unit... (want to see how overall system and browser fare speedwise @800MHz on an a8...)
Might just wait out until next year and see if anyone coughs up a 7" Tegra2 or one of the other SoC companies cough up their dual core a9 SoCs and they get in a 7"...
Notion Ink: They sound nice, but since they're a new/small tablet only company I'm waiting to see if they survive to release their 2nd tablet, hopefully Tegra3 based...

OP should avoid the 101 then, since mega gimped device.
Probably best to wait until March. There should be 2.3 or higher Tegra 2 tablets all over the place by then.
Maybe a very stable out of box 2.3 Gtablet by then too..... Maybe at least.

japhule said:
The notionink adam goes on preorder later today also for $400-500. I'd suggest looking into that tablet also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$375 only!
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/09/notion-ink-adam-pre-order-to-begin-today-pricing-starts-at-375/

I have been refreshing the NI site for days ready to buy Adam but when I got up to bat I couldn't pull the trigger.
$375 is with a standard LCD - not PixelQI. PQ is $499 w/ Wifi or $550 w/ 3G
Shipping is $50 - the thing comes straight from factory in India.
However, a few things made me hesitate on the device I have waited a year on.
- you must also pay 'customs' but nothing states what this fee is
- shipping is $50 through DHL which is not insured
- ccavenue is processing orders and they do not take MC
- you are billed in full as soon as you place order while estimated ship date is 6-8
- given no further manufacturing delays and that shipping is quick 6-8 weeks is a long wait
- specs list "8+ GB Flash"...so is that 8GB or what?
- crazy amount of return conditions the least of which is getting RMA 7 no later than 7 days after shipment (probably take longer than that for DHL to get it to you) and a 20% restocking fee for 'open' items (that's $100 + return shipping)
- no mention of 'bad pixel' policy
So while I am in love with this thing and will be so jealous for those brave enough to order site unseen (not even a hands on or real photo on website) I am just not that brave.
Now the question is....do I open my gTablet and play with it until round 2 or do I look at something maybe a little bit pricier but with a better display?

Lnin0 said:
I have been refreshing the NI site for days ready to buy Adam but when I got up to bat I couldn't pull the trigger.
$375 is with a standard LCD - not PixelQI. PQ is $499 w/ Wifi or $550 w/ 3G
Shipping is $50 - the thing comes straight from factory in India.
However, a few things made me hesitate on the device I have waited a year on.
- you must also pay 'customs' but nothing states what this fee is
- shipping is $50 through DHL which is not insured
- ccavenue is processing orders and they do not take MC
- you are billed in full as soon as you place order while estimated ship date is 6-8
- given no further manufacturing delays and that shipping is quick 6-8 weeks is a long wait
- specs list "8+ GB Flash"...so is that 8GB or what?
- crazy amount of return conditions the least of which is getting RMA 7 no later than 7 days after shipment (probably take longer than that for DHL to get it to you) and a 20% restocking fee for 'open' items (that's $100 + return shipping)
- no mention of 'bad pixel' policy
So while I am in love with this thing and will be so jealous for those brave enough to order site unseen (not even a hands on or real photo on website) I am just not that brave.
Now the question is....do I open my gTablet and play with it until round 2 or do I look at something maybe a little bit pricier but with a better display?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep they're already out of money...

cutterjohn said:
Yep they're already out of money...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For those that are wanting but not ordered an Adam - the Pixel QI versions are already sold out. All they have left now is the LCD version.
Since I couldn't pull the trigger on the Adam I guess the only thing standing between me unboxing my g tablet is questions of the viewing angles. Since my wife picked this up from the store I have not seen it in person. Is it really a deal breaker? What is Office Depot return policy on open products - I know during the holidays returns are extended until Jan 8 but not sure if that mean sealed in the box or not? I imagine I could just go and return it Dec 26 if it is that bad....stores are usually so crazy that day they ask few questions about returns.
Oh, and about Notion Ink. They updated their blog explaining some of the conditions (such as $50 shipping) and it is a little more comforting. I never doubted they were a good, honest company. I think my issue is that they are biting off more than they can chew.
Building a fantastic product in a lab is one thing - seeing a new product introduction through the entire manufacturing process is something completely different and that is where I am not sure of NI's experience. While the prospect of waiting sux, I think I am more comfortable doing so than jumping in on the first run.
It is not a question of NI taking care of me if there is an issues, it is a question of when. I am still jealous of all those who did place the order and will kick myself the day everyone starts posting their unboxing videos :-(

Lnin0 said:
For those that are wanting but not ordered an Adam - the Pixel QI versions are already sold out. All they have left now is the LCD version.
Since I couldn't pull the trigger on the Adam I guess the only thing standing between me unboxing my g tablet is questions of the viewing angles. Since my wife picked this up from the store I have not seen it in person. Is it really a deal breaker? What is Office Depot return policy on open products - I know during the holidays returns are extended until Jan 8 but not sure if that mean sealed in the box or not? I imagine I could just go and return it Dec 26 if it is that bad....stores are usually so crazy that day they ask few questions about returns.
Oh, and about Notion Ink. They updated their blog explaining some of the conditions (such as $50 shipping) and it is a little more comforting. I never doubted they were a good, honest company. I think my issue is that they are biting off more than they can chew.
Building a fantastic product in a lab is one thing - seeing a new product introduction through the entire manufacturing process is something completely different and that is where I am not sure of NI's experience. While the prospect of waiting sux, I think I am more comfortable doing so than jumping in on the first run.
It is not a question of NI taking care of me if there is an issues, it is a question of when. I am still jealous of all those who did place the order and will kick myself the day everyone starts posting their unboxing videos :-(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Office Depot will give you a return gift ticket for Jan 8th (they did for me). Since Flash and the acceleromter have issues out of box, Office Depot should allow return and no restock or forced store credit (they do this for opened electronics). The store manager wrote on my receipt "Full return allowed", since he was aware of the issues.

Lnin0 said:
For those that are wanting but not ordered an Adam - the Pixel QI versions are already sold out. All they have left now is the LCD version.
Since I couldn't pull the trigger on the Adam I guess the only thing standing between me unboxing my g tablet is questions of the viewing angles. Since my wife picked this up from the store I have not seen it in person. Is it really a deal breaker? What is Office Depot return policy on open products - I know during the holidays returns are extended until Jan 8 but not sure if that mean sealed in the box or not? I imagine I could just go and return it Dec 26 if it is that bad....stores are usually so crazy that day they ask few questions about returns.
Oh, and about Notion Ink. They updated their blog explaining some of the conditions (such as $50 shipping) and it is a little more comforting. I never doubted they were a good, honest company. I think my issue is that they are biting off more than they can chew.
Building a fantastic product in a lab is one thing - seeing a new product introduction through the entire manufacturing process is something completely different and that is where I am not sure of NI's experience. While the prospect of waiting sux, I think I am more comfortable doing so than jumping in on the first run.
It is not a question of NI taking care of me if there is an issues, it is a question of when. I am still jealous of all those who did place the order and will kick myself the day everyone starts posting their unboxing videos :-(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For personal viewing/usage I don't really find it to be that noticeable except when I rotate the tablet specifically to look at this and was simultaneously checking for backlight bleed(had bad bleed on GT & WPDN).
Sorry, but there's a problem with a company that immediately charges for an order when they KNOW it will not be shipping for a while. They're SUPPOSED to NOT charge UNTIL the item is shipped or about to be shipped. So this tells me that they're tight on money ATM...

My Zpad Story (work in progress)

I thought I'd post my story so far in acquiring my zpad and update it as I go along.
And see if anyone else is interested in it.
January 2011
I wanted a tablet pc as soon as I saw my friend's Ipad, but thought that they would be too expensive, so I just put it out of my mind. Then while looking for a netbook for my wife, a friend of mine said he could get pc's at great prices from china. We agreed to get her a netbook through him and he told me he could also organise other cool tech like tablets, etc.
(We get ripped off really badly here in south africa, everyone is greedy here and they put up huge mark ups on tech. e.g. galaxy tab is R8000 here which is $1117 at the current exchange rate. Instead of the $650 that it currently is on amazon.com. Which is ridiculous!!!)
He is starting up an importing business from China to South Africa(where I live), I would be his first customer.
He showed me a few tablets, which either were underpowered or had a 3 hour max battery life or both. Eventually he showed me the Malata tablets, the windows one and the one that they later called the Zpad. The windows one sucked so I was interested in the Zpad. Specs looked good and the more I looked into it online the more I was keen. But it was still a lot of money.
I found out mid January that I had gotten funding for university this year, so I decided to get the Zpad. The order hadn't gone through yet for the netbook so I added the tablet (and other tech that we've wanted for a while, eg. 1GB external HDD & logitech G9x mouse, malata dock..) and paid and waited.
1st Feb 2011
Package finally arrived. When he saw the box my friend phoned me straight away in alarm. The box was tiny, way to small to house a netbook and a tablet and all the other stuff.
When he opened it, there were a few 1GB and 2GB USB drives in the box.
SHOCK AND HORROR!!!
He phoned around frantically trying to find out if he had been ripped off by his chinese supplier or not, as he had never bought from the guy before.
Eventually the guy replied, it was 20:00h in china, he says that the guy who dropped the packages off must have switched them around by mistake. He said he couldn't get hold of DHL to find out if the other guy had got the package already, or even to find out who the other guy was, as it was late there.
So now after waiting 3 weeks or so for my tablet I sit and wait, to find out where my tablet and my wife's netbook and everything else is. Are they with the would be flash drives owner? Will he give them back? Will the Chinese guy still send us new ones if the other guy doesn't give them back to him? Very stressed out.
Update:
2nd February 2011
Heard back from the supplier in China and from what I could understand (His English is a little broken, but can't blame the guy, I can't speak a worn of Mandarin) he says that they have had this problem in the past and how it works is they use a 3rd pary company to take their packages to DHL and then DHL send it, so the 3rd party guys must have made the mistake. This happened before and they stopped using that company as a result, but now it has happened again.
He says it shouldn't be to difficult to get hold of the stuff and get it sent to us, but it will take a while.
I really hope so. I'm still worried that some guy is playing on my Zpad or have taken the factory screen cover off (which I was planning to keep on, if it came with one), or even worse has sold it...
So no concrete progress, but things are looking up.
Update:
3rd February 2011
It's Chinese newyear now. So I wasn't expecting much progress today, and didn't get any. But the Chinese supplier told us he hasn't gotten the status of the parcel yet, but we should hold on to the wrong parcel we received and he will chase them up and try to get them exchanged.
Update:
4th February 2011
The supplier said that DHL are contacting the person who received our parcel and he will let us know the outcome.
Update:
18th March 2011
So, we still haven't heard from DHL, and our chinese contact hasn't contacted us since my last post. He is also no longer on the trading sites like alibaba, etc. So we think we have been swindled.
My friend here is going over to china in a few months, so he will probably see if he can find this guys, using private investigators and press charges against him (and maybe a fist or two).
My friend did take responsibility though, saying that it was his fault and he should have tested out his contact first.
He has found a more reliable contact and is waiting for a sale to go through, and then will try order it again, out of his pocket.
But I don't know if I still want the Zpad, with shipping, 3G and GPS, the tablet cost about R6500 here, which converted is about $900. Which is really expensive, but the cheapest I can get it at. I can get the Gtablet for R4313 ($600), buying through a local online business who buy from amazon.
But I don't know, there are many new tablets coming out now, so there is no longer the benefit of getting the only tegra 2 tablet, and getting use out of it before the big boys arrive. So I think I might as well look around, now that the Zpad is no longer on it's way.
I'm thinking about getting the Xoom WIFI instead when it comes out. My dad is going to Italy soon, and hopefully it will have released in Europe by then, so he can pick one up for me at a comparable price to the US $600. When it finally gets here it will be ridiculously expensive, I estimate the same price that I paid for the Zpad,($900). So if the Xoom is anything less than 650 Euros, Then I have saved money, buying a better tablet.
Then when my friend has managed to make some money back, he can refund me, rather than ordering me another one, and I will have money left over for accessories.
So, right now it is just a wait to see when the Xoom Wifi comes out in Europe, how much it will be, and if it releases before my dad gets there; sometime in May.
Yep, more waiting, but I'm happy to wait again, I feel I am getting a better deal now, and I feel more in control.
Update March 20th:
I have placed my order to get the Xoom Wifi with a local company, they will get it from the US as soon as it releases, so it will ship on the 28th/29th and I should get it in at most a week from then.
Update April 3rd:
My Xoom came yesterday, and WOW!!! It is amazing, it is an awesome resolution screen, great viewing angles, incredibly responsive, amazing battery life, has honeycomb.
The Zpad not coming was a blessing in disguise. I will still try get my money back for the Zpad from my friend to cover the cost of the Xoom, though.
Really , Really glad that I didn't get a Zpad in hindsight. I know that's a bit cheeky to say in the Gtab forum, but after waiting this long, I would want it to be perfect, and well neither tablet is perfect, but the Xoom is a lot closer.
So, this will be one of my last posts on the Gtab forum, I'll be living in the Xoom on from now.
Thanks so much for reading my story everyone.
I will update if this thread is still around and I get my money back from my friend, but otherwise that's it.
Cheers

wow, that really sucks.
I hope all works out and the Chinese supplier fixes his mistake and sends you your order.

Thats really bad. I think it's at the same level as my story at ebay... Sad.
Seems getting a zPad is just not as easy as we thought.

Ya, it is sad. But I'm optimistic. It might be a DHL mistake too, in which case they will have to fork out of it doesn't sort its self out.

Good luck getting it sorted out. I had ordered a low end DSLR Camera for my daughter for Christmas. It made it to within 15 miles of my house and then vanished at the FEDEX facility. By that point, everywhere was sold out of low end DSLR Camera, the original seller, Wal-Mart, was of no help other than sorry and refund my payment and I was left scrambling and finally had to fork over much more $$$ in order to not disappoint on Christmas morning.
The fact that you ended up with a package gives me hope. Perhaps it was just an address switch-a-roo and the other party will confess especially if he/she is contacted. The tough part is the start of the Chinese New Years which will bugger up all shipping from there for a month. Best of luck. The waiting is the hardest part.

anjenaire said:
Good luck getting it sorted out. I had ordered a low end DSLR Camera for my daughter for Christmas. It made it to within 15 miles of my house and then vanished at the FEDEX facility. By that point, everywhere was sold out of low end DSLR Camera, the original seller, Wal-Mart, was of no help other than sorry and refund my payment and I was left scrambling and finally had to fork over much more $$$ in order to not disappoint on Christmas morning.
The fact that you ended up with a package gives me hope. Perhaps it was just an address switch-a-roo and the other party will confess especially if he/she is contacted. The tough part is the start of the Chinese New Years which will bugger up all shipping from there for a month. Best of luck. The waiting is the hardest part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's common for a lot of packages to go "missing" around Christmas time from UPS/FedEx and other carriers. I have had a few friends who have worked for FedEx and the stories they would tell convinced me to never order anything around Christmas time for delivery. At least you were able to get your money back

That's what I am hoping too. To track down whoever was supposed to get the one we got and ask them what they got instead, because they have to sign for it, so there will be a record of them receiving something... So we just have to find out if it was our stuff or not. Either way I'm sure they will be forced to return it...
We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Thanks for the moral support.

Did the Chinese supplier give your friend a tracking number? Does it match the DHL package you received? If it doesn't, then DHL is the one who messed up.
I hope everything turns out ok for you. I hate to hear stories like these. But I'm also an optimistic guy and I also give people the benefit of the doubt.

xmr405o said:
Did the Chinese supplier give your friend a tracking number? Does it match the DHL package you received?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya he did give us the tracking number and we tracked it all the way from hongkong to my friends doorstep. The mix up may have been when the agents fetched the package from him.

Have updated the original post with the latest news.

Have updated the original post with the latest news.

Updated again:
18 March 2011

If you are paying with Paypal or Credit card, get it refunded by them ...

y2k-inc said:
If you are paying with Paypal or Credit card, get it refunded by them ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We transfered to him in china.
And we can't get hold of him to ask for refund.

From all accounts the Xoom is a better tablet.
I have a ZPad and am extremly happy with it and the community work on it (pershot et al).
If I was I am buying to day it would be a Xoom and in a months time perhaps an asus based perhaps 6moths after that what ever Malata has or who every has the fastest at the time.
One thing that seems to stand out about the ZPad is that as Malata seem to manufactuer for others and the ZPad is almost their andriod reference platform*, there is an openess that one may not get from Motorola.
*from Dmesg "Machine:NVIDA Harmony Development System"
Very few HW things in the IT industry stay the best for long, even more so with emerging product lines just look at how netbooks evolved from low end devices to dual core atoms and 6hrsplus batt life in less than 6 months.

That is how I feel too.
The xoom is currently the best, and that's what I'm paying for. It isn't as open as Zpad, but it works without as much tweaking (micro SD and Host USB aside). And to be honest, that's what I really want, something stable that Just works.
I have placed my order to get the Xoom Wifi with a local company, they will get it from the US as soon as it releases, so it will ship on the 28th/29th and I should get it in at most a week from then.
Very Excited!!!
Will keep you posted. Hopefully this is where the Drama will end.

I have update the OP(original post) with the conclusion to my story.
I'm still a few hundred dollars worth out of pocket but over the moon about the outcome regardless.
Cheers

Rumor: release date for new smart watch

here
apparently the clove website has a release date of july 15th for the next gen sony smart watch.
price...a sweet £120.u can read the rest in the article.

sorry but official sonyxperia account confirmed that it is going to be released in September. here is the picture. hate that this rumor is not true..if not it'll be a good price...
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

Just made a pre-order myself @ clove
Well, Sony has said that it will be available WORLDWIDE in September, the paramount word here being worldwide. UK is not worldwide and it's not as if they necessarily just stock up produced watches and then ship it everywhere at the exact same time. Clove is a reputable company IMO, but I'll get back to post here when I have my watch before the end of this month :victory: (fingers crossed)

Keen to get this too.. just not sure if warranty is international or not though!
Sent from my GT-I9305 using xda premium

There are at least three UK web sites with the Sony SmartWatch 2 on pre-order in two weeks (July 15 week): Clove, MobileFunUK, and Handtec. I pre-ordered from both Clove and MobileFunUK. Clove already charged my credit card!
I ordered the current generation from MobileFunUK last year and it was delivered earlier than the rest of the world by a few weeks if I recall correctly.
So it seems very real!

cant believe theres STILL no speaker and mic. this is a must have imo. ive been waiting for so long for that, now going to have to wait longer!

aleekwen said:
There are at least three UK web sites with the Sony SmartWatch 2 on pre-order in two weeks (July 15 week): Clove, MobileFunUK, and Handtec. I pre-ordered from both Clove and MobileFunUK. Clove already charged my credit card!
I ordered the current generation from MobileFunUK last year and it was delivered earlier than the rest of the world by a few weeks if I recall correctly.
So it seems very real!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Share a review once you get it!
If it works with the old apps and if it is stable I am going to grab one first then find a way to dispose the current gen and my metawatch!
Sent from my GT-I9305 using xda premium

jmpcrx said:
cant believe theres STILL no speaker and mic. this is a must have imo. ive been waiting for so long for that, now going to have to wait longer!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not trying to replace a bluetooth earpiece, not to mention it would make it too bulky. Look at the Kreyos. Great features, but looks ridiculous as a watch.

BBowermaster said:
Its not trying to replace a bluetooth earpiece, not to mention it would make it too bulky. Look at the Kreyos. Great features, but looks ridiculous as a watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im not sure where it says what its suposed to do before its released? so there is no reason they could not do it these days (im sure it could be done without being bulky) ive read of many users that would love that functionality. i would be quite willing to pay the extra price. it would turn it from being a good watch to being the best. (especially if it included a camera too!)

Just strap your phone to your wrist
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

aleekwen said:
There are at least three UK web sites with the Sony SmartWatch 2 on pre-order in two weeks (July 15 week): Clove, MobileFunUK, and Handtec. I pre-ordered from both Clove and MobileFunUK. Clove already charged my credit card!
I ordered the current generation from MobileFunUK last year and it was delivered earlier than the rest of the world by a few weeks if I recall correctly.
So it seems very real!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you going to get 2 watches?
And they shouldn't charge your card til they ship should they?

SayWhat10 said:
So you going to get 2 watches?
And they shouldn't charge your card til they ship should they?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes two for now. I have 4 Sony current generation ones. I typically get multiple for various reasons including being able to have failures/damages.
Some web sites charge on preorder, I didn't realize Clove was doing this but am OK with it.
It will be interesting to see which one gets delivered first, as I also selected the fastest option available with each.
Thanks

aleekwen said:
Yes two for now. I have 4 Sony current generation ones. I typically get multiple for various reasons including being able to have failures/damages.
Some web sites charge on preorder, I didn't realize Clove was doing this but am OK with it.
It will be interesting to see which one gets delivered first, as I also selected the fastest option available with each.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you in UK or US? But guess good thing is by charging you, you get locked in to that price? Because reports indicate it should cost more come September

SayWhat10 said:
Are you in UK or US? But guess good thing is by charging you, you get locked in to that price? Because reports indicate it should cost more come September
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Canada, yes I think the current price is reasonable.

Clove is a big fat no-go
aleekwen said:
Yes two for now. I have 4 Sony current generation ones. I typically get multiple for various reasons including being able to have failures/damages.
Some web sites charge on preorder, I didn't realize Clove was doing this but am OK with it.
It will be interesting to see which one gets delivered first, as I also selected the fastest option available with each.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Clove's FAQ they write the following:
Do you take payment straight away?
Unless you have ordered an item that is marked as 'pre-order' on the product page, you will be charged straight away for the products ordered.
I pre-ordered, obviously, and they charged me straight away, now they just happen to have to delay it till week starting September 9 because Sony misinformed them. Yeah right. Lying sacks of s.... I'm fuming right now. Mobilefun.co.uk has it for preorder too and having bought 10+ times from them already and always really satisfied, I'll preorder with them instead. Also they answer questions and their watch is the plastic or silicone strap, which I prefer to the leather one that Clove claims to get - if ever. Like I'm gonna lend them all that money for 2 months
EDIT: So delay is legit, but their charing immediately is still crappy business practice.

Yup just got the Emil from Clover about the Sept 9 delay also.
Not too keen on their charge of the card now may ask them to reverse it till shipment.
Sent from my SGP312 using xda app-developers app

Return my money *****es
aleekwen said:
Yup just got the Emil from Clover about the Sept 9 delay also.
Not too keen on their charge of the card now may ask them to reverse it till shipment.
Just take a look at who you should trust. Trustpilot is a Danish company, so not as well known by non-Danes, but I concur with the reviewers.
Check Trustpilot website and read about Mobilefun and Clove and then compare them.
Can't post links because of this damn spam prevention 10 post system. At least this way, replying and hopefully helping you, I'll rack up enough to be able to post in developers section. By no means a newbie but unlike some I always search forums thoroughly, so never needed to ask much myself :angel:
I have just ordered it from Mobilefun and theirs is the rubber strap that I wanted anyway. Even it I still won't get it till September, I trust them regarding any problems with the watch later, should such arise.
Clove just responded that I'll get my money back within 7 business days!!! What? They should do it today so I'll have it by tomorrow. I might get it by tomorrow, I guess, but never have I dealt with anyone that slow.
Best of luck and Mobilefun FTW :victory:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

So release date is September like originally stated by them
Looks like the pebble is out

Correspondence on Mobilefun.co.uk
SayWhat10 said:
So release date is September like originally stated by them
Looks like the pebble is out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't post links yet but to to mobilefun . co. uk and type smartwatch, then find version 2 and read the correspondence. They seem quite certain it will be in July, or it would seem, at least before September. You could give it till tomorrow to see it they change their prospects like Clove did, but unlike those sons of cloves they won't charge you until they actually send it.

New update as per July 9 afternoon
SayWhat10 said:
So release date is September like originally stated by them
Looks like the pebble is out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verbatim copy paste from Mobilefun’s website where some dude asked what we’d all like to know.
David:
Hi there. I have this on pre-order with you in anticipation of the 15th July release date. However, sources are saying as of this morning, Sony has now pushed back its release date to its original one of September. Do you know if this is now the case? Thanks.
Mobilefun:
Hi David,
The release date of the Sony SmartWatch 2 has been put back to September and will not be launching week commencing 15th July as previously stated. The revised arrival date is week commencing 9th September. At all times we provide the most accurate information we can based on data we are supplied. It has transpired that the date of the 15th July given by Sony’s distribution arm was incorrect.
We are sorry for any inconvenience this delay may cause.
So it seems the delivery delay is the same for Mobilefun and Clove. Only difference now is that Clove will charge you immediately and Mobilefun won’t until they actually ship AFAIK. Clove’s comes with a narrow black leather strap and Mobilefun’s is the silicone strap. I’ve opted for the latter since I don’t want a splashproof watch with a strap that can’t handle water at all, or sweat for that matter. The silicone one is wider and more supportive and hugs the watch making it look smaller and the little holder things appear less prominent. Sony will release extra straps later, but that could take a while and if their overpriced M2 micro-flash cards are anything to go by, they’ll cost twice as much as a similar 24 mm strap on amazon/ebay. The silicone one is a fit, but the leather one is generic, so buy the durable silicone and you can then easily replace with a less durable leather later. Just my two cents.
EDIT: Mobilefun also charges immediately. Guess there's not way around that, but I don't care anymore. The other stuff I got from them I've liked and their service has been good so far.