Old New Balance

I think I'm being to hard on New Balance but for a top of the line running shoe company their shoe sucked dirt! So I wrote 'em a letter...

June 24, 2008

To whom it may concern,

I am writing today to share with you the upsetting experience I had with my first pair of New Balance cross trainers.

I obtained what I thought were the best cross trainers in the market only to have them fall apart after two months of use (see pictures). There was no apparent reason as to why this occurred so I am left to believe that they were inferiorly made. I have never had the inside of my trainers wear out on me and I usually replace my trainers once a year, not because they are worn but for a new style. These did not even last one year.

Obviously because I wore the shoes I cannot return them to the outlet that I bought them from (TJ Maxx). Also I threw out the receipt because I purchased them in Buffalo, New York and I live in Canada and would have no feasible way to return them.

My hope in writing this letter is that New Balance will put more care into the manufacturing of their shoes. I’m sure that not all New Balances will fall apart on me but I am weary of purchasing another one. I am not an avid runner so my shoes do not wear out easily but this pair did. I have not had this problem with my Nikes or Adidas trainers and I have now gone back to wearing them.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter,



Michelle C. Williams
Writer for AMÖI Magazine
and BlogTO.com

ACERS LAPTOPS SUCK

There is no other way to put it. Let's just say when I called Starbucks about my card not working they sent refunded me my funds and sent coupons for free beverages.

When I take my time and write a well written letter to Acer informing them of their faulty machine they do nothing!

Well from this moment on I am starting the ACER LAPTOPS SUCK campaign in hopes to hit them where it hurts...in their revenue..

ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK
ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK
ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK ACER LAPTOPS SUCK

My letter to ACER....

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to share with you the disappointing experience I have had owning my first ACER laptop (Aspire 3610).

As a previous owner of a laptop for over five years, I was hoping that my ACER would last just as long but instead it has been plagued with issues from the monitor not working to battery problems and it is only two years old. No other laptop I have used has ever malfunctioned as much as the ACER has.

As a writer I depend on my laptop to be at least sufficient enough to last me for a few years. The main issue that I have now with the laptop is that since it was returned to me from warranty repairs, the battery power has diminished and 20 minutes is the max battery power life. Also the outlet power is not working causing the laptop to not charge. I changed the power cord twice and this problem is still continuing.

I realize that because my laptop was purchased in 2006, it is now out of warranty so I cannot send it in and the costs of trying to repair it is not worth it. My hope in writing this letter though is that you will look into such issues so that others with ACERs do not have the same problems (my friend’s Aspire 3610 has the same issues as me). I am now using my older laptop which is over five years old and, other than being a bit slow, does not give me any problems.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter,



Michelle C. Williams
Writer for AMÖI Magazine
and BlogTo.com

Zune Zune Zune

It's a shame that dear Bill Gate stepped down from his position at Microsoft before he could see the zune take over the MP3 market. The Zune is designed to beat Apple in the mp3 market just like the Xbox stomped over Sony's PlayStation.

The only thing though is that at first look the Zune doesn't offer anything more than Ipods do. The zune is bigger than the Ipod nano and comes in the same sizes as Ipod products (8G, 40G...etc.).

But the zune does have a few major (good) differences:

FM/AM Radio

I haven't had a personal audio device with radio since my Sony Walkman days. I'm not sure if the normal Ipod has it by my Ipod shuffle and nano don't. I even got good reception when I was on the 2 train into Manhattan. It's pretty sweet especially when I get tired of the 5000 songs that my zune can hold.

Wireless Sync

Has the whole world gone hi tech? I can get wifi on my laptop, phone and now my personal audio device. It's crazy! I can upload things without a cord. The zune (as expected) also has Xbox compatibilities.

Social Network

I haven't used this feature much but there is a social network for all us zuners out there. For those engulfed in the facebook craze, i'm sure this will be a bonus to them. You can meet others that share your taste in music.

There's a bunch more that zune offers like the 14.99/month unlimited music uploading. At a price range of 140-200CAN is it worth it? I say yes. Especially if you're looking to get the latest Ipod, you might as well upgrade to the Zune.