Category Archives: Technology

Technology

5 Improvements Google Pixel Phones Need As Soon As Possible

Posted on by ryuker
21
Mar

I have been a Google Pixel fan for a very long time. I started using Nexus phones from the Nexus 4, and went up to Google Pixel 7 Pro. Every release I hope Google fix few things that will definitely improve sales, but sadly they never did and I don’t think they will anytime soon. These are the things that they need to fix

  1. VoLTE in the Middle East: Until today, this was never turned on, and people in the Middle East have been asking for it in the forums for many years. Among my friends and family, we are all struggling with Google Pixel phones for not having VoLTE, and this is a very important feature. The sad thing is that some people are turning using the root access
  2. Airdrop: I need a feature like Apple Airdrop to easily move files between my Pixel phone to my PC or Mac. This will make my life much easier, and I never liked any of the 3rd party apps
  3. Ease of Transfer: I personally prefer the way when iPhone users transfer their data from one iPhone to another because they continue exactly where they left of. All apps and settings are exactly the same, and Android should do it the same exact way.
  4. Availability in the region: The Google Pixel lineup and parts should be available everywhere, because right now it is hard to buy and hard to repair. Few times I sent my Google Pixel phones to the US for repair. Last time I bought a new screen and fixed it in Kuwait, but i had to wait a long time for the screen to arrive.
  5. Value: The Google Pixel should be like Toyota cars where it retains value. The iPhone retain value in a an impressive way where the price barely drops compared to Android. My last experience was when I bought Samsung Z Fold 2 for more than 600 KD, and in less than 2 years, no one wants to buy it for more than 100 KD. I don’t mind a price drop, but not that much.

The above items people have asked for aren’t new, and people have asked for a very long time. I don’t mind if Google start with #1 ASAP and do the rest later.

Technology

Anker 737 Power Bank With 140W Output

Posted on by ryuker
11
Oct

This is my new favorite power bank which is extremely powerful. I was surprised to see the Gan technology reach such levels where the power bank USB C can give a total output of 140W. On the power bank there is a display that shows how much wattage each device is getting. Some phones doesn’t receive much wattage, while others do. The 140W power bank is perfect for charging the new Macbook Pro 16″ which comes with a 140W charger. I also got the 120W Gan wall charger to charge my 737 power bank at an extremely fast speed. It takes about 30 minutes to be fully charged. The Anker 737 power bank isn’t available in Kuwait and I recently got it from the UK, but I highly recommend getting one.

Technology

Apple Pay is Launching in Kuwait in October 2022

Posted on by ryuker
16
Sep

Finally Apple is launching Apple Pay next month, and most of my friends who are using iPhones have been waiting for this day. For me I have no worries since I stopped using iPhones few years ago and now I use Samsung Z Fold. On Samsung I use Samsung Pay for my NBK cards and Google Pay for my US cards. Paying by phone is so convenient and it saves a lot of time. I usually hold my phone and keep my wallet in my pocket, so I used to grab my wallet and pay by card. This is no longer the case where I pay by phone for all my transactions. Try mobile payment few times and it will eventually be much more comfortable than paying by cards.

Kuwait, Technology

Sony & Samsung QD OLED TV’s Are Available in Kuwait

Posted on by ryuker
04
Sep

Less than a year ago, I got the LG C1 OLED TV. Back then that was the best gaming TV in the market. Of course OLED TV was and still very impressive, but it has it cons as well. The brightness is known to be one issue and the other is the possibility of burn in. Such issues doesn’t exist with QLED TV’s, and they come with their own issues such as less contrast between black and the other colors. Now the best of both OLED and QLED are combined into QD OLED, and they are finally available in Kuwait. So far there is two companies that are offering QD OLED TV’s, which are Sony and Samsung. The only limitation is that they come in 55″ and 65″ sizes only. I really want a 77″ or 83″ for my next upgrade which will be few years away.

Sony A95K 

Xcite (65″)

 

Samsung S95B

Andalus (55″ , 65″)

Best Electronics (55″ , 65″)

Lulu Hypermarket (55″ , 65″)

Blink (55″ , 65″)

Technology

Maxed Out Macbook Pro 16″ Price in Kuwait

Posted on by ryuker
11
Jun

I was curious to know the price of the Maxed out Macbook Pro 16″ in Kuwait since it is the most expensive laptop at Apple. The specs is the following.

  • Apple M1 Max chip with 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
  • 64GB unified memory
  • 8TB SSD storage
  • 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
  • Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port
  • 140W USB-C Power Adapter
  • Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID – US English / Arabic
The price in the US is $6,099 which is equal to 1,870 KD. If you factor in shipping and customs the difference will be around 200 KD. I went to Gait in Assima Tower and the price was 2,176 KD. I started to be afraid to order from the US after one of my laptops was lost or stolen in a shipment and I couldn’t get my money back. Buying in Kuwait is safer than a forwarding address, but it comes at a cost.
Technology

Budget Vs Premium TV’s in Kuwait

Posted on by ryuker
03
Jun

I never expected to be interested in trying out new TV brands as I have always been stuck to buy either Sony or Samsung TV’s. About 2 years ago, I needed to buy a new TV for my office and I didn’t want to spend much. Of course I looked at Sony and Samsung first, but then decided to spend less because of the very light use of that TV. That was the very first time where I stepped out of my comfort zone and bought a TV that isn’t Sony or Samsung. The TV I bought was a 55″ TV from Hisense for 99 KD. I was surprised that the TV was excellent, and it was perfect for presenting our powerpoint files. The resolution is great, and it is a TV that can be perfectly used for watching movies. Until today, the TV is still functioning properly without any issues.

Since buying the Hisense TV, I started giving a chance to other brands. Between my home and the office, I tried the following brands

1- LG C1 OLED 77″ (1,500 KD) | This is my favorite gaming TV where the colors and contrast are great and really deliver an amazing gaming experience, but has the worst remote ever. The remote is such a piece of junk that is so laggy and doesn’t always work. The operating system doesn’t compare with Samsung Tizen and Android TV. I personally regret buying LG just because of the remote and operating system, and if I go back in time, I will buy the Sony A90J 83″ which is often at the same price as the LG C1 77″

2- Sony X90J 75″ (650 KD) | This is a really great TV and I don’t have a single issue. Just my first delivery the colors were fading across the TV so I got it replaced and since then I don’t have any issue.

3- Samsung AU7000 70″ (335 KD) | This is the perfect TV for office use because of connecting via Bluetooth for Windows laptops and Airdrop for Macs. This TV we had to change the panel after a year of intensive use at the office, and it cost us 120 KD to replace.

4- Orca Android TV 75″ (240 KD) | Got this TV for the Diwaneya, and it is perfect for watching Netflix and basic gaming. This is my recommendation for Diwaneyas since it is very inexpensive and does the job.

5- Smart Tech Android TV 65″ (135 KD) | This TV has good colors, but the remote works once every 20 clicks. This TV can only be found at Eureka, but I can’t find it recently.

6- Hisense 55″ (99 KD) | This TV good budget TV for basic use as well.

My conclusion is the following.

Sony | The best brand for home entertainment / gaming. I would have chose LG if it wasn’t for the remote and operating system. Of course I would stick to OLED or the new QD-OLED for gaming

Samsung | The best brand for office use because of how smooth it is to connect to Windows and Mac to the TV. It is much faster than Sony TV’s when it comes to connecting to the TV

Orca | The least expensive large size Android TV’s in the market which are perfect for basic use in places such as a none gaming Diwaneyas. 

I started to see more Orca, TCL, Hisense, and Skyworth TV’s at Diwaneyas and it makes a lot of sense since they are perfect for most people due to their basic use. It is a different case for gamers where the high refresh rate and deep contrast make the gaming experience much better.

Technology

How To Save Money on Apple Macbook Pro & Other Devices in Kuwait

Posted on by ryuker
25
Apr

Few days ago my business partner wanted to purchase a Macbook Pro 16″, so we were checking online whether to buy it from the US or Kuwait. There was a saving if we buy it from the US but it wasn’t much. The warranty is worth more than that small difference, so we decided to buy it from Blink. We found the one we were looking for at Blink for 899 KD, so before my partner proceeded with the purchase. He asked his friend if he knows another store that sells it at a discount, so he told him to buy it from Hawali Bin Khaldoun Street (Silicon Valley of Kuwait). He said most people buy phone lines plus a device from the telecom companies in Kuwait. Such deals have a contract for 2 years where the pay the service plus the device over time. They take the device and sell it at Bin Khaldoun Street at a discount to make quick cash. The same laptop that we were looking for sells for 800 to 820 KD depending on demand in the market. It also have a warranty, so it is 10% discount for the same exact product.

Kuwait, Technology

Starlink Satellite Internet by SpaceX in Kuwait

Posted on by ryuker
06
Mar

My friends and I just reserved Starlink Satellite Internet by SpaceX for 30 KD. The deposit is fully refundable, so I am not worried about not getting the money back. I will keep it mainly for emergencies or if I ever go to a remote area. I believe I will eventually need it when the shark bites the internet cable again. I hear that it happens all the time and that’s why we get slower internet every now and then. Until today, I am not really sure if the shark story is real or not. For Starlink, I heard that the speeds are reaching 200 MB and the sky must be fully clear. That eliminates half of the year in Kuwait due to dust storms. I am a big fan of Elon Musk and I believe that he is shaping the future. Starlink basic is available in Kuwait, but Starlink Premium isn’t. The cost of the service according to The Verge “The base Starlink service costs $499 for the hardware and $99 a month, Starlink Premium will cost $2,500 for the antenna, and $500 a month”

My delivery should be sometime in 2023, and once I try it out, I will definitely review it.

Technology

How To Test a New TV Before Accepting The Delivery

Posted on by ryuker
20
Feb

I am writing this article after learning things the hard way. Few months ago, I bought a new TV and thing I regret the most is not checking it properly before signing the receiving document. I basically turned the TV on and I turned a movie for 10 seconds and it seemed good to go. I signed the document and I didn’t use the TV for few day thinking it was working perfectly. Few days later, my wife turned on an old cartoon called Flouna on Shahid. There was a scene which was mostly white, and this is when I saw some black spots where there is no colors at all. The size of the black spots is as good as a 100 fils. I didn’t see it because most of Netflix movies are dark, so the faded color was easily missed.

Trying to return or repair the TV in Kuwait is a pure nightmare. Companies try to resist as much as possible and some try to delay it until the 14 days get passed, so it can’t be returned. I called within the 14 days, but it took more than a month for them to come. It was extremely difficult for me to get the company to come and check the TV. When they checked the TV, they thought that the TV was working perfectly, so I pulled a Youtube video that is mostly white color and this is when they saw the faded colors. They tried to convince me that it is OK, and not a big deal. I insisted that this is a brand new TV, and I won’t live with that many spots with no colors. They took the TV for repair

My recommendation is to test the TV with the following Youtube vidoes. If everything is working perfectly, then you can sign. This will minimize the issues, and will let you avoid the nightmare of returning or repairing the TV in Kuwait.

Black, White, and Colorful Background Video [My issue showed in White Background]

This is where you will see any faded colors or dead pixels.

 

Technology

Reserve a Number at Virgin Mobile Kuwait (MVNO)

Posted on by ryuker
18
Feb

Finally Virgin Mobile is going to launch in Kuwait. It is really nice to see an MVNO network in Kuwait. I have been using MVNO networks in the US for more than 8 years, and it is really convenient. The convenience is because I use an MVNO network that uses different telecom companies so I have access to more towers than sticking with one telecom company. Virgin Mobile numbers start with 4 and the reservation has started already at their website. I don’t see really impressive numbers yet, so I am guessing that these numbers are usually obtained through connections.