Gadgets galore!

Quite an expensive day... but definately NOT as expensive as it could have been...

There are 70% less tourists in Singapore at the moment compared to the norm (on account of SARS) and this means that you can haggle prices for electronics practically down to the price that the SHOP bought it for (i.e. the shop makes about 5 dollars profit max!)

With this lucky situation in hand, Ive managed to bag some FANTASTIC deals:

- Canon Powershot A70 + 128 MB 20x memory card - Digital camera with 3.2 megapixels and up to 3 minutes of movie recording with sound. Fantastic picture quality and you have FULL control over every aspect of the shot, or you can let the camera control it automatically.

Price: S$ 542.40 (US$ 314 / 265 EURO)

I also bought a water-resistant carrying case for S$ 18 (9 EURO)... I haggled so hard for this price (I even managed to not get charged for using my visa!) that they (and several other shops) congratulated me on my haggling ability!!

Price in Eire: 500 EURO (+ ~100 EURO for the memory card -> ~600 EURO total)

- Palm Tungsten - T - Personal data assistant, this is essentially the latest design in portable computers and literally fits in the palm of your hand... handy for making notes (i.e. for writing diary entries while Im on the road... would be handy in Myanmar), playing games, showing photos, recording voice memos, and practically anything else you could want in a mini-pc. I just want it cuz Im a gadget-freak and its an unbeatable price.

Price: S$ 528 (US$ 305 / 258 EURO)

I also bought a leather case and 2 screen protectors for S$ 37 bringing the total to: S$ 565.. after I get my tax back at the airport I will have spent a FINAL TOTAL: S$ 542.4 (US$ 314 / 265 EURO)

Price in Eire (for the pda only): 500 EURO

- GBA Flash Linker 2 256 MB - Gameboy flash card so that I can use games I download from Internet on my Gameboy.

Price: S$ 226 (US$ 131 / 111 EURO)

Not available in Eire, this normally costs about US$ 171 (plus extra for shipping) from Hong Kong websites.

All of this was paid on visa (the camera shop didnt even charge me for the visa since they were so desperate to sell... I almost felt bad for them giving it to me for such a low price. I think they made about 3 dollars profit)

TOTAL SPENT (after I get tax back): 1328.80 (US$ 769 / 650 EURO)

Add to this price the cost of the laptop I bought in Bangkok and the total price is just below the price of my laptop if I bought it in Eire!!!

On a side note... Singapore is quite a funny little city with its insane cleanliness laws: Yesterday 2 men were arrested for not attending court on "spitting charges". Basically they were arrested for spitting on the street and were told to pay the 1000 euro fine and head to court! They didnt turn up and are now spending a few weeks in jail on account of their oral discharges!