Good recommendation and what type of advise is this from a upcoming lawyer?? Just pray don't get caught . If kena, You will be charge for tax evasion, undeclared dutiable goods, smuggling and most probably your car will be impounded

Back to the subject, the JB customs these days is really not strict - they rarely check thoroughly unless you looks suspicious and nervous. I have been going in=out Spore 2-3 times every month for the past 15 years - Most of the time, I get a wave through - I would say they are just too " lazy" to check. But I notice a common trend - any cars non Johore registered are usually check without fail ; minimum you have to open the boot. If one drives a 4WD - you will be asked to lift up the carpeted boot to show them the storage below it

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Added on April 30, 2011, 11:51 amI have never used DHL to clear customs. The one time my stuff stuck, I just ask my forwarding friend in KL to help me clear it out. Of course DHL will levy additional charge to help you do all these extra work - they have to pay their runners to do it. Their charges is only for delivery to your doorstep. And I do believe it is not cheap - I said RM 300, which is from a forumer earlier who quoted this figure.

This post has been edited by benny888: Apr 30 2011, 11:51 AM

SGS II already rooted !!! Good News indeed

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1056334

Why are you still asking questions which answers already being repeatedly being given. One of the forumer gzero here has already volunteer to get it from Spore - he is just asking a mere RM 100 extra to cover his costs , even going up to KL.

Well this is his interest and you should respect him and is plain rude to call him a B^&&&D

Just like me, I also buy smartphones and sometimes do disassemble them. I have disassemble my ipods, iphones and all my range of MacBooks - purely my interest and is a hobby. I only use one smartphone and the rest are just toys to me. It is my hobby , one which I have budgeted to enjoy. At ifixit.com ( mainly Apple products ) you can read and see about such enthusiasts and the extent it is being done

I will not call ios after jailbreak being customizable - it is just a plain joke to use this word. If i rate android customization a score of 10, ios will not even get a 2. I have used all the iphones starting from iphone 8GB till iphone 4 and the ipad and we don't talk about customization using iOS devices. IOS devices users who uses such a word is just trying to make themselves happy

This post has been edited by benny888: May 2 2011, 11:29 AM

I have budgetted RM 2700 max for this baby

That is provided he bring in for you. If he sent by post/courier you will still be subjected to customs examination and possible hold up. One trick you can use ask him just to send you the phone with an alternative box and all accessories opened up. In this way it will resemble a set not meant for resale. I use this when I bought a PDA ( worth US500) from ebay and same time under declared it at US300 - the unit I received I noticed was with Msian customs stamp, opened and checked but I need not pay a single sen extra

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Added on May 4, 2011, 9:45 amVAT is applicable once you buy in UK irrespective where you wish it to be sent in UK. VAT is not necessary if set is directly exported out from UK. If you buy in UK and declared it at airport leaving the country, you can claim back the VAT paid. I have 2 children in London ( one working and another studying ) - they'd been buying stuffs for me from UK. Infact my daughter said she can buy for me if I can wait till year end when she plan to come back.

This post has been edited by benny888: May 4 2011, 09:49 AM

I am just illustrating the point of the need to pay VAT based on my children's experience in UK. I did not say they could claim back the VAT. If you are a visitor, you can claim it when you leave the country. So even if my daughter buys it , she still has to pay VAT - I only save the courier costs, duties , sirim etc as bringing in personally is never an issue just for one or two sets. But end year is too long, might as well wait for local release

Those who want to buy from him is really desperate ; he specifically say he will open it and test a week before selling and it is already being book at S$1050. The buyer is basically buy a used set even though is a week old

Of course - why buy Android and use original rom even if it is good ; the fun is flashing and trying out the roms. If I do not wish to do such, might as well buy iphone. All my Androids are flash in day one if root and rom available - rarely goes beyond one day usage on stock rom if alternatives available

This post has been edited by benny888: May 4 2011, 10:16 PM

Last budget only 10% sales tax is abolished not import tax

quote from budget report 2011


Budget 2011: Sales Tax Exemptions on Mobile Phones

Ordinary mobile phones are subject to sales tax of 10% whereas Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) with Global System Mobile (eg. smart phones) which may function as a mobile phone is given sales exemption.

In order to streamline the discrepancy in sales tax treatment between ordinary phones and smart phones, the Malaysia government is now proposed that all mobile phones including smart phones be exempted from sales tax, with immediate effect from Oct 15, 2010.

PDA or smart phones are gaining popularity nowadays and potential buyers to these products may not feel the price differential as PDA or smart phones are already exempted from sales tax. As such, the price packages for iPhone 4 offered by Maxis and DiGi may remain the same and no change.

Thanks for the tip.
BTW what is Tab 10.1 doing in a SGS II thread ? Care to post at http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1761603 some brief review points at the 10.1 Tab thread. Any idea roughly when available in Msia ?

If you wish for a more future proof - go for a dual core O2X . But having used the Motorola Atrix which is also a dual core - the main davantage you can see is in browsing speed and under multitasking - much smoother. As most apps are not optimized yet for dual core - any increase in performance from the dual core is not significant. This increase in performance we will only see in apps being redesign for dual core ; the most obvious I'd think will be in the games

Between the ARC and the Incredible S - my vote goes to the Incredible S. I have used both phones. You have to ask yourself which aspects of the smartphone is important than readup the features, user's comments, and web reviews. The price difference is not much between the two about RM 100-200 max , the IS being cheaper. The phone that meet most of your NEEDs not your wants is your choice.

A user commented the Xperia Arc was number one before SGS II was released ?? - this statement is an overkill. One can claim is number one for own needs but to say is number one as a general statement is an exaggeration

In my opinion based on MY own needs, The htc Incredible S is a way much better phone than the Xperia Arc based on my usage of both ARC and Incredible S. Checkup my blog for a comparison review. I'd highly recommend the Incredible S as a good starter Android phone in the RM 1500-RM 1900 range. The HTC IS is excellent in many areas while the Arc strengths is mainly on its camera/video recording and even though is better , I feel is not significantly much ahead.

One potential ARC buyer PM me several times to ask me to clarify on my comparison but he still buy the Arc after that. A few days later he PM me and said my comments were " right on the spot" as he was using a HTC Desire HD ( which is similar to the HIS ). He clarify further saying " Well, I wouldn't say it's 100% what I am looking for in a phone. The problems that you mentioned, like the extremely slow boot up, the slightly worse performance due to lack of storage and RAM, it's all true and it's all there. And these are things I wish to address in my future phone. But right now they do not make me unhappy about the phone, because after our conversation, I already expect those problems when I made my purchase. So the key is to know exactly what you are getting when you buy the phone. "

One of the user here has lamented selling off his IS for the SGS II ; I understand his feeling as he is a new Android user having move over from IOS. The HTC IS UI is undoubtedly one of the better if not best Android UI for a new user. It has a very well designed UI and widgets all beautifully designed. Having used several Androids, just on UI effectiveness, slickness, features - HTC is ahead follow by Samsung, Xperia Arc and last Motorola Atrix

However though I have positive words on HTC UI I never use it. Similarly I never used the default UI of TouchWiz in the Galaxy S, Motoblur in the Atrix, Stage UI in the Dell Streak. I always prefer to customize the UI from scratch using either ADW Launcher of Launcher Pro.

Just like they give maximum 5 stars for the SGS II recently but yet we still read of some of the complains raised by user here these 2 days. Reading their SGS II review - one cannot but get the impression it is the best Android smartphone to buy. The problems they mention is so minimalistic. Just read reviews as a guide

Reading web review gives one a false impressions sometimes . It is just like the last Galaxy S reviews - most web reviews are excellent and its issues of laggy and GPS problems were downplay or not even seriously mentioned. Reading such reviews gives one an impression at that time the SGS was als the best Android phone than.
However the actual user knows what they are getting - I also bought the last Galaxy S and sad to say I sold it off in less than a month ( after testing out with voodoo lag fix and whatever lag solutions, and cook roms - it was terribly laggy and unreliable GPS . Maybe I got a lemon. I openly declared in the SGS thread it was the worst smartphone I have used and I got hell lot of brickbats from SGS users over these.

GEEZ - is only a phone not one's girlfriend or wife - why the heck those guys get so emotional and " condemn" me ? I similarly got PM's from 5 Xperia Arc users questioning ( condemning ) my opinion about the negative points I make. All these users forgot I also paid money for the phones - I don't get any benefit saying positive or negative aspects of it. I am just sharing my opinion - there is never a right or wrong answer when comes to opinion.

He already say is for fun and he is trying his luck. He got it cheap at RM 2200+ and since demand is good with some sellers quoting RM 2600 to RM 2800, perhaps some diehard desperados in Sabah is willing to pay even RM 3K for it

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Added on May 8, 2011, 7:15 pmYou should post it too at techradar.com as they gave it FULL 5 STARS - a rare rating !!
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mo...eview?artc_pg=1

This post has been edited by benny888: May 8 2011, 07:15 PM

This is my opinion about temperatures based on my experience using several Androids from the 600 MHz CSL mi300 to the high end Galaxy S, Nexus One, Galaxy Tab, Dell Streak, Atrix, Arc, Incredible S

Warmness or how hot is subjective. If you are new to these, you might feel it to be obvious while seasoned Android users will just dismiss it as an unimportant issue to even think about

use the free app BatteryLife widget on your homescreen - it shows you temperature, voltage and battery % left all in one symbol
These are considered normal ( all in Centigrade )

Idle not used : 28 to 32
General usage : 30 to 35
Data on with 3G active : 32 to 38
Downloading through 3g/Wifi above 30 minutes to an hour : 35 to 45
Using phone as WiFi hotspot : 35 to 45

Sometimes I do experienced going up to 50 using internet continuously on WiFi/3G above 2-3 hours but is rare. At this temperature you can feel obvious warmness

So far yet to read/heard about serious damage issues to phones due to temperatures even in range of 50's. So just don't get too overly nervous about these

This post has been edited by benny888: May 8 2011, 07:41 PM

I hope I understand your question correctly
Whatever data plan you subscribed is INDEPENDENT of phone type. Data plan charges is based purely on the number of bytes you download/upload.
The phone type capability will affect your costs only based on how efficient/how fast it can download or upload data and this again dependent on the signal strengths in your area

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Added on May 8, 2011, 7:50 pmHighly recommended to us mark space Missing Sync if you are using MAC. This sync solution is SUPERB - it is many many times better than Microsoft ActiveSync, Nokia PC Sync, Microsoft Device ( in Win Vista/7) etc. It sync very fast and is 100 % accurate
I have been using their software since the days of using the Blackberry, Windows Mobile 6.1, 6.5 and Androids since ver 1.6 till 2.3
I have tried several others - this is the best. I have yet to find any one solution better

http://www.markspace.com/

This post has been edited by benny888: May 8 2011, 07:50 PM

My opinion on some comments raised by potential buyers : Is the SGS II a good worthy buy ?

Is this the best ? NO it is not. There is always a better one coming out just round the corner. As of now , if it meets most of your needs, consider it your best

First of all do not be distracted by negative comments unless it is a repeated case similarly opinionated by several users. Off the cuff comments are plenty and we do have not many users yet - I recorded 10 so far but only active commenting on it is 3-4 users only. Others are quiet, perhaps they are very happy with it already or they are just too shy to post their opinions. Some negative comments are solely based on personal preferences on what they expect from the phone. Their certain expectations could be unimportant to you

These are my personal opinion - there is no right/wrong answer here. I am not a high power user. Besides the usual phone functions, I used the phone mainly for browsing/Email/Newsfeed/RSS/Tweeter/Facebook updates. Multitasking is an important criteria for me

User Interface : Do not compare with HTC Sense which is far superior . Touch Wiz 4 though is an improvement is still way behind in terms of design, features, attractiveness - there is still lacking the " will die and grab it " appeal . However it is a vast improvement over the older Galaxy S - is slicker, smoother and more responsive. If you don't like it, just customize it yourself with other launchers: ADW or Zeam or Launcher Pro or Go Launcher or SpB Shell 3D - fill the homescreens with your desired apps and widgets. I am on SpB Shell 3D and is superbly smooth and slick, way much better than my other dual core Motorola Atrix.

General performance / speed : Apps access/ launching and respond - fast, very very fast and smooth, must say is the best and fastest I have used. Beats and blow away the other dual core Atrix to " oblivion". The change to EXT4 FS is indeed a big boost vs the RFS FS used in Galaxy S

Operating temperatures : Fair and good , ranging 30 to 45 degree C - I am comfortable with it. The warmness is insignificant to me

Reboot issues : NONE detected so far

Battery life : Hard to say as I have yet to really test it. First day impression as battery was not fully charge, at idle with several apps auto refreshing data ( email, weather, RSS, Newsfeed) from 11 pm till 7 am, battery drop by 30 % which is higher than my other Androids which ranges about 20 % max . Would give a better feedback after several days usage

Camera/Video : I do not have high expectations. Even the ARC which is deem the best does not impress me significantly that I will be overwhelm by it. I'd just say as a normal user I am happy with it - at least it turns up sharp, nice, clear and not blur. Again this feature dependent on one's levels of expectations. Haven't taken any night shots yet. Anyway to me this camera feature is just a bonus when I need it - it is never a consideration when I buy phones

Browser ( on Dolphin HD ) : Superb , the screen slightly oversensitive at times and occasionally flicker slightly . Slightly faster than the Atrix and is way ahead of the IS, Arc, Streak, Galaxy tab

Games : I tested only Asphalt 6 - superb graphics display, very smooth and responsive - slightly better than Atrix . Other Androids just cannot compare which show some lag at times. Anyway, I am not a gamer - how well it performs is not an important issue. Based on its hardware, I don't think one will regret using it to play games

GPS : Excellent , "hundred" times better than SGS. GPS loactions lockup using Aura 2-3 sec ; Papago X5 5-8 secs

Just two days on it, my satisfaction factor : 9.5/10
Overall is the best Android I have used to date. I have said I wish to give Samsung a second chance after a dismal performance from the SGS and I must say I am not disappointed. As a comparison, How do my other Androids rank compared to it ?

HTC Incredible S : 9
Motorola Atrix : 9
Xperia Arc : 7
Dell Streak : 7
Galaxy Tab : 9
Nexus One : 9
HD2 @ android : 8
Galaxy S : 5

This post has been edited by benny888: May 8 2011, 09:02 PM

Oh I missed that - edited : 9