Neo is a computer brand available in the Philippines. Neo has some nice competitively priced laptops. Just take a look at their Empriva 572SVBx hardware specs:

• Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor T2130 (1MB L2 Cache, 1.86GHz, 533MHz FSB)
• Windows Vista® Home Basic
• 60-day MS Office 2007 trial
• SiS M671MX + SiS 968
• 802.11 b/g
• 1GB DDR2 Memory
• 80GB SATA Hard Disk Drive
• NEO VisionCare 12.1″ Widescreen WXGA TFT LCD
• SiS Mirage 3 (M671MX integration)
• CD/DVD Burner (Supermulti 8x DVD+/-RW)
• NEO Motion Eye 300K Pixel, Built-in Mic & Speaker
• 10/100 Mbps LAN
• Integrated 56k Modem
• 3x USB 2.0
• 7-in-1 Card Reader
• 4-cell Lithium Ion Battery
• 1.8kg with Battery
• 1 year warranty

This little laptop is competitively priced at P41,000.00. In comparison, my Compaq Presario B1957TU (which has the following specs) is already priced at P59,940.00.

• Intel Core Duo Processor T2250 (2MB L2 Cache, 1.73 GHz, 533MHz FSB)
• ATI Radeon Xpress 200M Chipset
• 12.1-inch BrightView Widescreen LCD
• 512MB DDR2 SODIMM Memory120GB Hard Disk Drive
• SuperMulti Double Layer DVD±RW Drive
• Hi-speed 56K modem, Integrated 10/100 LAN,
• 802.11a/b/g WLAN with Bluetooth
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Integrated 4-in-1 digital memory reader slot
• 3xUSB 2.0,S-video out, Firewire
• Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
• Weight: 1.79 Kgs.

What’s the difference? The NEO has more RAM, a webcam, microphone and doesn’t have bluetooth. The Presario has more HD space, bluetooth and a better processor. Is the Compaq Presario price justified? Should it really be more valuable than the Empriva? What aren’t we seeing here?

I think the difference is the quality of after sales support. Take a look at Jozzua’s website and you will see the amount of talk going around about Neo’s tech support. Take a look at some of the comments:

I was recently given a Neo Empriva as part of our equipment purchase from one of our company’s suppliers. I’ve had the unit for about two months and have been actually using it only occasionally. About five weeks ago, its DVD +/-R drive malfunctioned and since it was still covered by warranty, I returned it to our supplier as they were the ones who bought the unit. Our supplier was kind enough to accept the laptop and infomed us that they would likewise return it to their supplier. Now it’s been about three weeks and our supplier still hasn’t got any news about the status of my Empriva except that it’s at the factory (?). - GreenRabbit

I just bought a Neo 360SXEi laptop from PC Corner last June 19, 2007 for a friend who is a paramedic in Laos. I bought it a day prior to my departure, so I haven’t got time to actually road test it. Anyway 1 week after I bought it, the laptop developed a habit of freezing after a few minutes of use. I’ve reformated it 4 times already and each time it seemed to have solved the problem , but afater a few hours it hang again. Since I bought it I’ve calledt Neo IT Support 3 times already for all sorts of problems (imagined the long distance calls I have spent). Until now it kept freezing and I already called Neo Support again and I was advised to bring the unit to their service center. It’s really embarrasing considering I even told my friend the NEO is the choice brand for PLDT on their DSL package so most probably it’s of good quality. -Dr. Ramon Guadalupe.

A poster named Nicole details her experiences with Neo Laptop Tech support:

1. I gave the NEO sales rep my business card at Megamall and he promised to update me regarding the availability of the laptop that I’m looking for - NEO 601 RVP. Instead of him doing the follow ups, I’m the one calling him every now and then to get feedback.
2. This NEO sales rep sends me text quotes on the cellphone, instead of updates about my laptop. Very professional, indeed.
3. This NEO sales rep tells me that he will update me the following day, but I waited for a week - and again, I had to call him up to get an update regarding the availability of the unit, to which he replied, “A-hehehe… Sorry po ma’m. Hindi pa talaga e. Wala pa kasi boss namin.” Look, if you say that you’re going to update the following day, then you damn well should. If you can’t do it yourself, then turn it over to someone who can. DO NOT IGNORE YOUR CUSTOMERS.
4. When I got fed up with this sales rep’s customer service (he even got my Yahoo ID, so that he could easily give me an update - which I found useless, because he doesn’t anyway), I called up NEO’s custcare support, only to get this, “Ay, tawag nalang kayo mamaya. Kumakain pa sila.”

So there you have it. NEO reps, if you are reading this, why should I even bother purchasing your laptop with this kind of service? As YOUR customer, I find it insulting that I should have to run after your reps, who PROMISE to update, for a simple information.

Bits, a representative from Neo computers, have actively responded to the various customer queries.

…for those who have posted problems here who have not been personally contacted for resolution, please contact us a 724-3636 or email us at care@neo.com.ph. Please rest assured that we are monitoring this site as it allows us to find ways to improve our service and work with customers with unresolved issues.

How does Tech Support for HP/Compaq Presario fare? Looking at Angelo’s blog, you can see his personal experiences with a Presario laptop. He seemed to be quite happy.

… a year and a week after buying my Compaq Presario V2617TS, I got myself a mostly-new V2617 with several upgrades (I actually purchased a DVD-RW drive before, for backing up files and photos). It’s better than good as new .

Well it seems you can buy a very cheap and lightweight laptop and NEO, but will it last?

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The digital cameras should ideally be ones that does not require digital camera accessories. A common example is that of security cameras.