The Most Expensive Laptop on Amazon: Is it Worth the Price?

WITH SO MANY brands and models of new laptops out in the market now, it is not rare to get a good product for less than $500 as competition encourages better price range and improving satisfaction rate. 

You can even purchase a good laptop for as low as hundred bucks and still get all the basic functions and features that are more than enough to support your minimal tech needs.

And yet, you wonder, why would anyone still need an expensive laptop? And is it worth the price you pay for?

Going through the list of expensive laptops on Amazon, we spotted this $4,000 laptop targeted towards gamers and video-streaming enthusiasts, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 Gaming Laptop. This is an Amazon's Choice item. Check the price in US HERE. Check the price in Japan HERE. Check out price in Canada HERE.

Digging deeper into this outrageously expensive laptop, its specifications and features are as follows:

• It has a 16-inch main screen with a 14-inch secondary touchscreen display, a 4K (3840 x 1100) ScreenPad Plus ideal for gaming, creating and video streaming, among others. 
• 165Hz 3ms 16” Mini LED QHD (2560 x 1600) 16:10 IPS-Type PANTONE Validated Display 
• Operating system: Windows 11 Professional 
• It features a ROG Nebula HDR Display assuring minimum brightness and color representation, as well as　response times, flicker-free, anti-blue light display that minimizes screen tearing with Variable Refresh Rate technology and many more. 
• RAM memory installed: 32 GB DDR5 4800MHz RAM and 2TB PCIe 4.0 Performance SSD 
• AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX Processor (8-core/16-thread, 20MB cache, up to 5.0 GHz max boost) 
• CPU speed of 4.9 GHz
• It features NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 16GB GDDR6 - ROG Boost up to 1445MHz at 165W in manual mode or 150W in Turbo mode (140W + 10W/25W with Dynamic Boost)
• GPU MUX switch lets the GPU communicate directly with the display, increasing performance and decreasing latency 
• Gig+ Wi-Fi 6E with ROG RangeBoost | Bluetooth 5.2
• Built with ROG Intelligent and 0dB ambient cooling with arc flow fans, AAS plus and liquid metal. 
• It supports 100W USB-C for fast charging with long lasting battery life of 90 WHr. 

PROS:

• The laptop's overall appearance is sleek, handy, portable and cool. It is slimmer than most of the other high-performing laptops, yet performs similar or even better. 
• The dual screen feature that comes with a screen pad, makes it convenient and handy when performing multiple tasks simultaneously. Hence, it is great for note-taking and secondary application usage while performing the main task on the primary screen. As one user puts it, "the ability to have a tutorial on the second screen while having a major application open on the main screen is a huge bonus."
• The primary screen provides a superior video quality with an amazing HDR screen, making streaming and movie-marathon a good experience. 
• It comes with a full-fledged desktop replacement.
• It has a good over all performance. 
• It has of 5-star-rating of over 65%.
• It has a good portability, just like packing with you a desktop computer on a travel  and compact size. 
• It has a large selection of ports.
• There are no coil noises or any sort of audible noise when the system is idle.

CONS:

• Notwithstanding their cooling functions, the fans are a bit noisy, and thus, distracting, making headphones a necessity when performing any intensive tasks and work on the laptop. 
• While the keyboard provides a cool exterior, it can be a bit uncomfortable and awkward especially when placed at the edge of the desk or used on top your lap. 
• When you disable the HDR, the mouse pointer may look deformed and may appear gray even when doing video games, but restarting the computer fixes the problem. 
• The screen seemed washed out when you enable the multi-zone backlight. 
• Fews says its camera lack in quality. 

 The ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 Gaming Laptop has an average satisfaction rate of 4 out of 5, with a 4.2-rating on screen display, a 4-rating on touch screen functions, 3.9 for gaming, 3.5 for battery life, and a 3.2-rating for the value of money. 

Extravagance doesn't always assure the best experience as each user demands  vary with unique preferences, specifications and conditions, along with high expectations to meet the satisfaction that equates to the amount being paid for. 

Some users said the detailed overall performance of the laptop doesn't live up to its extravagant cost, as one user who loves to travel and creates animated videos said in his product testimonial, "if you don't need a portable device, you can build, assemble or customized your own device with a more powerful desktop for a fraction of the price." But as another customer who was happy and satisfied about the laptop's performance, said, regardless of the price, if you can use the laptop to its full functionality, just get it. And when asked if he'd purchase the laptop again, it's a "yes" for him.

Check out more about this laptop HERE. For Japan users, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 Gaming Laptop is available for 100,000 yen cheaper. Check out price in Japan HERE. Check out price in Canada HERE.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Entertainment Center Stoops Down to the Lowest Market to Suit the Filipinos' Culture of Fun

photo credit to http://2.bp.blogspot.com

IN A SURVEY conducted in 2009 by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), a Bristish non-governmental group, it was found out that among the 143 countries surveyed, the Philippines ranked 14th as the happiest place in the world.

The Philippines, which is still considered a developing country and among the third world countries, outranked some of the riches countries in the world, like the United States of America, Austraila, and the Great Britain, which ranked 114th, 102nd and 74th respectively.

Needless to say, it is innate in every Filipino to spend time for leisure despite the hectic schedule in school and at work. Thus, Filipino families always find ways to get together for amusement, notwithstanding the major crisis bugging the country. It is not a wonder why according to the survey, 55 percent of the people are already satisfied with their lives.

With this in mind, World of Fun (WOF) took adavantage of this culture as their edge over the other entertainment destinations.

Emmanual Jimenez, WOF Senior Operating Manager said, it doesn't matter if they have to spend a few amount of pesos, Filipinos always have time to enjoy with their families.

Moreover, Marketing Manager Lovelle Sy said parents always look at such alternative form of entertainment as "rewards to their kids."

In order to address the problem of crisis, which is the major concerns of most families why they don't take their children out for fun, Jimenez said WOF stoops down to the lowest level of the market and maintained their prices at five pesos per token, which is "not hard on the pocket."

Even though going to entertainment centers is not really the priority of the family, but (this offer) will entice them to take advantage (of it)," he told the writer at a press conference in Cafe Laguna, Ayala.

Anyhow, whether Filipinos can afford such entertainment or not, they always find ways to relax themselves and feel life at slower pace. 

TOKYO Around You Photo Contest

IF JAPAN AND PHOTOGRAPHY are two of the things you love, then this might be your chance to be recognized as a winning photographer with a chance to visit or revisit Tokyo as the grand prize winner. Join the TOKYO Around You Photo Contest and get a chance to win two roundtrip tickets to Tokyo. The mechanics are very easy and simple. Just submit your favorite photo of Tokyo during your previous visit/s in the place.

But what if you have never been to Tokyo, will you still be able to join the contest? You still can! Just submit any photo that reminds us of Tokyo or at least anything taken in your place that connects or shows your relationship to Japan’s metropolis.

How to join? Here’s the three simple steps: First, go to Facebook and hit the LIKE button on the page “Tokyo Fan Club.” The name appears in their profile photo with a smiley face on it. Second, select your best photo for your entry and submit it to their page. Third, you may vote for your own photo (of course) then share your entry with your friends to accumulate more votes on your photo entry.

Who are eligible to join the contest? If you call yourself a decent human being, with an age over 13 years old and live outside Japan, give yourself three checks. Furthermore, you must be willing to be famous on Facebook. Well don’t expect “Brangelina break-up” famous ‘cause what I meant to say is, you will be documented or you will document yourself by taking photos – oh yeah, selfie – receiving the prize and while traveling to Tokyo using the prize air tickets, and post these on your Facebook account, tagging the award-giving organization’s Facebook page. Make sure these are appropriate photos or these will be deleted by the sponsors. Lastly, you must give Tokyo Fan Club the rights to use any or all photos taken related to the contest and awards received, and/or comments made for promotional use.   

So if you think you got what it takes to be an awesome photographer wandering about the busy streets of Shibuya, Shinjuku and Akihabara, etc. submit your entry now. Submission ends October 11^th and you will also have the chance to invite your family and friends to like your photo entry until the last day of submission. Winners will be announced on the 20^th of the same month. What are you waiting for? Go to Tokyo Fan Club’s page now.

Disclaimer: I neither connected to Tokyo Fan Club nor do I receive any marketing fees for sharing this good news. I’m just in the writing mood and feeling hardworking to blog these days, and not to mention, I am NOT eligible to join this contest for I am physically located in Japan now. Anyway, good luck!   

Huge Potential for Pinoy Teachers to Find Teaching Jobs in Japan

Summer English conversation class with a Filipino English Teacher

IF YOU ARE A FILIPINO English teacher looking for work, then the opportunity you are waiting for might just be in the Land of the Rising Sun. 

Citing a new law requiring Grade 5 and 6 Japanese students to learn English, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez said there is a huge potential for Filipino teachers to find jobs in Japan. 

Aside from teaching positions, Filipinos can also take advantage of other job openings particularly in the fields of nursing, care-giving, electronics, engineering, information technology and construction.

Filipino workers, however, must learn both oral and written Nihonggo, the Japanese language as part of the stringent labor requirements in Japan.

Lopez said the Philippine government can appeal to Japan to reassess and give some consideration when it comes to their licensure examinations.

Many EIKAIWA or English conversation schools are already accepting Filipino English teachers. Hence, Jin Kitagawa, Go English School Manager said he only hired Filipino English teachers because aside from their good English communication skills, their energetic and cheerful way of teaching the subject inspires Japanese students to like and learn the language. He also said that Filipinos are hardworking, creative and accommodating.

“They have the heart to teach the language to non-English speaking students,” Kitagawa added.

Unique Gifts for Valentines

I love Valentine surprises! Who doesn’t, when opening your eyes to unusual and meaningful presents from a lover sure is sweet and spine-tingling?

Though, at 22, being single and uncommitted myself makes me feel insignificant about giving gifts to a lover on Valentines Day, but my natural creativity and generosity has inspired me to play with my imagination and come up with unique and meaningful gifts to help lovers decide on what would be the best gifts to give love ones on Valentines Day.

As a self-help proprietor and designer on gift items and give-aways, here are few gift items I have come up with that would surely leave footprints in your lovers’ hearts, not just because of your creativity and the charming thought of giving them something but the sentiments of love and passion you wrapped those presents with.

- Personalized Cassette tape recorded with your voice

 With a background of the sweet melody of your theme songs, let your voice reverberate in your lover’s ears.

Go away with the usual writing of letters; instead, tickle their heart with your great compassionate words and thoughts as you express your love by reading the poems and letters you’ve written for them and recording them into a cassette tape. This would surely melt your lover’s heart.

To make the recording friendly to their ears, let your voice compliment with the background music to make it sound more professional and realistic, as if it was released in the market just for them; and of course, do not forget to hand-design the paper cover for the cassette tape’s case. It would be best to paste a portrait picture of you both with a handwritten dedication in front of the tape’s paper cover to make it very special.

- Bonsai Plant

Let your lover feel your “living” commitment. Present her with a beautiful bonsai plant that they can display in their desk, be it in their office or in their room.

Like the bonsai plants that bloom through ages with utmost pampering, let your relationship shine forever by constantly pampering it with commitment and dedication towards the person. Like the bonsai plants, relationships are something that you need to take care of very well to make it lasts longer. The efforts will surely pay off because the older the bonsai plant gets, the more it becomes stronger, the more its beauty will shine and the more expensive it becomes. Let your relationship live and grow like a bonsai plant.

- Love Birds in a cage

 Isn’t it sweet to represent your love relationship with a pair of adorable and colorful love birds? Animal lovers say this kind of birds can’t live long without their partner.

So, just as you want to show your sweetheart that life is incomplete without them, give them something that would remind them of such feeling. They would wake up every morning with the chirping sounds of the love birds. It would constantly remind them of you, thus, it would make them feel better and secure to wake up in a brand new morning and thinking that someone cares and loves them so much.

- Home-made Fortune Cookies

Cooking for someone special is still the best act of love that you can to give them, because along with the burning fire and the pan, is an effort that expressed a deep sense of commitment and love for the person.

To make this gift more special, write short phrases expressing your love to them in a piece of clean paper and wrap each cookie in a colorful, creative Japanese paper with the phrases of love you’ve written on a piece of paper.

You can even create your own shapes of cookies to make it even more creative. Heart-shaped fortune cookies, anyone?

- Small chocolates in a glass bottle

Let your love ones feel your sweetness by giving them chocolates you personally repacked especially for them.

Scribble “I love you” using different languages in tiny pieces of clean colored paper. Repack many chocolates and insert the tiny papers with the “I love you’s” in foreign languages inside each chocolate.

In this way, it’s like telling your lover “I love you” every time she opens a chocolate. The thought would then make it sweeter than the chocolate itself.

- Sentimental Scrapbook

Sometimes it feels ironic yet good to know that reminiscing the sad memories you made together make you laugh, while thinking about your happy memories make you cry arousing a feeling of missing the person so much. Documenting these memories would then make a very good gift to your lover.

A collection of you and your lover’s pictures, the restaurant receipts you kept where you had lunch-out or dinner together, the letters and candies you gave each other, as well as other things that remind you of each other, would make such good scrapbook materials for your love ones.

Hand-decorate the scrapbook artistically with colorful articles and decorations would make it look attractive and very creative. Create and design each page with love and passion that your lover could feel every time they open the scrapbook; and every time they do, it would turn back all your beautiful memories together.

- Key chain engraved with a portrait picture of you and your honey

A personalized key chain with a picture of your faces printed or engraved on the heart-shape (or any other shape of your choice) surface would make a significant symbol of your bond. Otherwise, to make it simple, just a key chain with your names engraved on it, or better yet, with a personally printed  names for an even more personalized touch.

- Red panty or brief with a print at the back that says, “(your name) property”

Draw a big smile on your lover’s face and watch out for that “Oh my God!” or “Whoa!” expressions they make when they open the gift by presenting them with red pretty and seductive lingerie with your name printed at the back.

Aside from making them remember you every time they face the mirror wearing the lingerie with a print at the back that expressed your possessiveness such as “Mary’s property” or “Michael’s property” or whatever names you’d like printed in it, this would also make you feel confident that your lover is all yours.

- Framed Collage Digital Photo

Choose the best portrait picture of you and your lover. Collect hundreds of pictures of you both to create a huge poster. You may ask an expert to gather these pictures together to create and form one big digital picture or poster. You would then get a big portrait picture of you and your lover.

You can also create such magic yourself with the aid of technology. Retouch the picture with the help of Photoshop to make it into a big digital collage photo. This would make a good gift on Valentines Day because it’s personalized and simply created with great efforts.

(This article was also published in Philippine Wide Magazine for February 2008)