Feb 10 2007
Shopping advice needed
Posted by paul
I need your input on a few things:
- noise-cancelling headphones
I have a pair of Philips SBC HN050 noise-cancelling headphones but (a) they aren’t all that good at cancelling out outside noise, and (b) I must have broken something yesterday because now the left speaker isn’t working.
Requirements: noise-cancelling is pretty much a must; over-the-ear style like the HN050 (failing that, in-ear buds but definitely not the big cans);budget is ~$120 - Apple laptop
We’re looking to replace our aged Dell laptop and I think it would neat to go with an Apple because then Kerri can use Winblows (via Parallels) when she wants and I still get to mess around with Linux, plus I’ve not played with Apples since the Lisa (er, about 1985!) so it’s probably about time I got familiar with them again. [See also this post]
Requirements: I don’t think we have many options (if we say it must be an Apple) but we’re hoping to keep to a budget of ~$1500; Futureshop have a sale on “all laptops” but they don’t include the Mac laptops.
- desk chair
The chair in our (well, mostly my) study is dying – the gas thingy or whatever it is that’s meant to keep the seat at a given height is failing, so it drops an inch or two every couple of hours. Eventually I’ll end up sitting on the floor!
Requirements: height adjustment; tilt isn’t necessary; high back; not all leather; budget is ~$150 (I quite like this one but it’s a bit pricey.) - car insurance
Fingers crossed, we getting a car in the next few weeks. I don’t think anywhere will recognise my 12+ years claim-free history from the UK, so where’s the best (i.e. cheapest) place for a “new” driver? I’ll be driving ~45km each day (home to work and back again); Kerri is back to just a G2(?) license so I don’t know if we’ll add her on the coverage straight away – again, depends on cost.
Requirements: I want fully comprehensive cover (that’s what we call it in the UK – it “not only insures you against damage to your car but will also meet the cost of repairing damage to other vehicles as well, regardless of who was at fault”) but I guess it’ll depend on just how many arms & legs are required in payment!
Any suggestions on what to get /where to find them (downtown Toronto is ideal) would be great, thanks.
Mac laptop – Macbook (get the mid level one) – get it from the Apple store and then up the RAM or get a larger hard drive from Canada Computers. You’ll need the 2GB of RAM to run Parallels effectively but Parallels is a BREEZE and is awesome imho.
When I get the Mac Pro; I plan on getting Parallels for it as well.
For the desk chair – hunt for the ones at Staples. They usually have decent ones on sale – the one I bought wasn’t and it was $200 but it’s comfy and has all the functionality (tilt, hydrolics, etc.)
For the insurance: use one of the sites that does comparisons:
http://www.kanetix.ca/
Used to be a start up thing that Canada Life offered but it has a number of insurance companies that get compared when you run a quote online. It even includes the banks (which inevitably are underwritten by “real” insurance companies). It’s definitely handy…
nex
The 2GHz 13″ MacBook? That’s the one I was thinking about. I don’t think we need a bigger drive because most stuff lives on the server anyway, but absolutely more RAM. Only thing is the MacBook only has two RAM slots (according to their docs) so that means binning the 2*512Mb sticks, which seems wasteful. Mind you, going to 2*1Gb is an extra $210 (via the Apple site) and yet Canada Computers has Kingmax 1GB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz RAM at $105 per stick, which works out to be the same as the upgrade price. Huh?
Yeah, Staples seems to have a good selection online. (That’s where we bought the current one, about 5 years ago.) I popped in to the one at Yonge & Rosedale recently and they had a few on sale but none really felt right. Guess I need to find a bigger store.
Youch! I just tried kanitex.ca and it came up with numbers ranging from $2,800 to $7,000 per year! I hope I got some of my guesses wrong and those numbers come down a lot!
Hey, Paul! Did you get my insurance guys’ info? The problem will be that you’ve been uninsured in the past few years, so your first year’s rate is likely to be on the high side. Most companies are going to ask the exact same questions. BUT, at least talking to an agent in person (rather than the comparative sites online) you may be able to tell them you’ve had many prior years and perhaps they can factor that in.
The other problem is that comprehensive, collision, and to some degree theft are where the big, more frequent costs come in for them. Sure, you get a couple of million in liability, but you’re not *as* likely to need that. But Comprehensive means they’re required to pay if someone prangs your panel, or your windshield is broken, etc. And these are both pretty likely, and pretty fast to eat up your premium-worth of payment. If your liability-only premium is $1500, adding comprehensive will double it at least, I’d say. And make sure your car is worth at least a few times the difference, or it’s not worth it. Talk to an agent or three for all the negotiables that’ll suit you.
As for chairs, also try Ikea. Many are rubbish, but others are pretty good, last I checked.
Yes, I got your email with your insurance guys’ details, thanks.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
try Sennheiser PXC 250, Sony MDR-NC6 or Sony MDR-NC50. I have the Sennheisers and they’re not too bad. The block out most of the noise and let you play music at reduced volumes. I used them on my overseas trip, and they killed most of the aircraft noise.
Bose make the best (as you would expect) but they’re pricey and are quite large- but not ear-muff sized
Amazon have a range, and reviews.
I ended up buying a pair of Sony MDR-NC11A ths afternoon – they were comfortable for the short time that I tested them out.
I heard that Bose may be 25-50% better but 100% more expensive so I didn’t even look at them.
Re: laptop
I checked out the MacBook (and the Pro) at the Apple Store in the Eaton Centre today – can’t say I was very impressed with the keyboard on the MacBook, and it’s odd not being able to tap the touchpad. Oh, and the screen seems quite short compared to the laptops I’m used to, although it’s widescreen so it’s probably about the same area.
If we don’t go with a Mac, then there’s the new HP Pavilion tx1000 due out at the end of this month – it’s a tablet PC and should cost about $1,700.
You are creative, stylish, and super trendy.
You demand the best – even if it costs an arm and a leg.
We just bought the “Global Executive Deluxe High-Back Tilter“, which I think is identical to the one I have now.