-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Clearance sale of PC110 stuff in Tokyo T-Zone
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 01:23:16 +0900
From: Ken.Akiba nospam at BigFoot.com
To: pc110 nospam at the-gadgeteer.com, pc110 nospam at swan.ml.org
CC: Ken.Akiba nospam at BigFoot.com
I received a few questions about this demailed to me. I will answer them to the list.
I am now sending this also to PC110 Linux list. I do not know how much these lists overlap.
If they do, please excuse the duplicates.
First I repeat the original message, with corrected prices.
-------- Updated Message --------
These are the final quantities to be found on this planet of warehouse new products
for PC110.
yen 3980 qty 15+ Dock
yen 3980 qty 11+ FDD
yen 14800 qty 60 8MB RAM
yen 16800 qty 25 Modem upgrade
Prices are now exact. Sales tax of 5% is added to these prices.
Displayed quantities are approximate.
Plus after the quantity is my guess that they may have more units not displayed yet.
So far I have seen the displayed quantity drop down and then go up again on those items.
Personally I am bullish on the Dock and FDD, bearish on the modem upgrade,
and awaiting price correction on the 8MB RAM which is effectively only 4MB upgrade.
What is not listed here is not available. In the list archives I found that
Mark Willis was buying PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Adapter in Tokyo earlier this year.
I am afraid that he was buying it from T-Zone. I wish he was buying it from
some other place that may still have it. If anyone knows any other place
in Tokyo where PC110 stuff could be found, please let me know.
A few weeks ago when I decided to buy PC110, I sent email to all places
I could find in Tokyo that sell used notebooks asking them to call me
if they get a used PC110. A few of them responded, all negatively.
I am subscribed to one mailing list in Japanese and personal sales are frequently
advertised there. They also sell fast.
------------------- Questions and Answers -----------------------
Q. Where did you find this information?
A. The old-fashioned way, by being a frequent shopper at most of T-Zone shops in Tokyo.
Q. I am sure that these will sell out real quick.
A. No need to panic. This sale had started a few weeks ago. I only slowly became interested
and then joined these mailing lists to find out more about PC110. This sale is not advertised.
The items are not even prominently displayed in the shop. They are selling but not fast.
I think FDD and Dock are selling faster then the others. They also had a few green replacement
cases in the beginning. I do not see them now.
Q. Would like the upgrades if they will put it in for me.
A. I think that memory upgrade is easy to do. Modem upgrade is difficult.
I would not expect it to be free if they still do it. Exec-Decisions.com
also has modems. Their price includes installation.
Q. Does the modem upgrade upgrade the existing modem or is it an add on?
If so, what does it upgrade the existing one to?
A. It replaces the original modem. The replacement does not have voice functions.
The replacement is a 33Kbps modem. The only good thing about it: it does not take a PCMCIA slot.
Q. The English page I found on T-Zone didn't have any PC110 stuff.
A. I do not think that it is on any web page, in English or Japanese.
T-Zone advertises the new stuff that will make them money.
Q. Do you have a url where I could buy some of these items?
A. No. T-Zone does not accept orders from outside of Japan any more.
Q. How would I go about ordering any of these items?
A. There is no way to order from T-Zone and ask them to ship outside of Japan.
Even if I buy something in the shop, pay cash, and ask them to ship it,
they still would not ship it outside of Japan. I do not know what is their problem.
If I ask a shipping company to pick up a package from T-Zone, then the shipping
company could ship it outside of Japan.
Q. I have no idea what the Yen is trading at to the dollar.
A. One yen is about one cent. Just imagine a decimal point before the last two digits.
Q. What would be shipping and customs on these items to the USA?
A. I do not know what customs would be in USA or any other country.
Shipping from Japan is expensive. Bundling all the purchases in one shipment
from Japan to USA and then redistributing in USA may be a good idea.
Q. Would you be willing to pick up a dock for me?
A. I may agree to help (against my better judgment) only if the whole list places
one order to be shipped to one person who will then re-distribute it.
We still have to agree on how to pay for it.
Q. I can have a friend in Tokyo next weekend if that will help.
A. If that is a real possibility, and if your friend is willing to help the entire list,
please email me the details.
Ken.Akiba nospam at BigFoot.com