Malaysia New Mazda 3 2014 Review

Almost 1 year I bought my Mazda 3, now they come up with the new design called "Kodo" design.

According to Mazda, the reason behind of the name is "it captures the very instant energy becomes motion. It’s the muscular beauty you see when an animal pounces, or when a human leaps into action. Everywhere you look, this dynamic poise is enhanced by elegant detail. The five-point grille, defining body lines and powerful stance all show our design philosophy in action". 

New Mazda 3 2014 Soul Red

Malaysia has received its amount of CBU units to be sold to customers, however there are mixed reviews from the users. 

To prove them wrong, I decided to personally take a look of the car and test drive it and boy, it caught me by surprise totally. So here's my small review of this new Zoom-Zoom

1) The pick up acceleration is exceptionally good considering this is a NA car. For a short 500m run, I managed to clocked 140km/h while cutting cars left & right to test on the steering.

2) The steering is pure feather light due to it is electric power steering. 

3) Air-conditioning is rather cold but not as cold as Proton.

4) The command center is a lovely add-on to replace conventional buttons. It will take some time to get used to it but it definitely looks cool!

5) Sound system is crisp clear with 6 speakers. Much better than previous version.

6) CBU units produced extra horsepower compared to the CKD units.

7) Cool looking DRL which I feel it is similar to Range Rover Evoque.

There are drawbacks as well.

1) The price for this unit is a little bit steep for most consumers in C-Segment. With Rm139,000, there are more choices to choose from unless they decided to go for CKD units.

2) 18" rims which lead to expensive tires when replacement time comes.

3) Lack of additional features such as auto-wiper, auto-headlight, dual climate control, leather seat, cruise control, power folding mirror & etc. But I believe it will be added in the CKD units. So I can say consumers need to give & take.

Conclusion: 

If consumers have extra moolah and fascinated with the exterior, this new Mazda 3 is worth considering. 

If consumers need more features, he/she should consider other options such as Kia Cerato or K5.

Speed cluster with RPM display and fuel gauge

Dashboard

Gear knob with command center

Rear view

Front view with DRL

SGP Glas.t Tempered Glass

On the month of October, Machines had it's clearance sales for few brands.

SGP was one of it so I decided to take a look. 

Guess what, SGP Glas.t tempered glass screen protector for iPhone 4/4S is on 50% discount price so I grabbed 5 units.

Had my first installation using that glass and the outcome wasn't really satisfying.

The glue was too sensitive that you do not need to press to make the glue spread.

It will spread the moment you place the glass on your iPhone.

However, the oleophobic coating is much better and clearer than my USG glass which I reviewed earlier.

And SGP does include few accessories such as home button sticker and alcohol swab.

USG Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Today, I'll be doing a review on a screen protector (SP)

It's not any ordinary SP. It's a tempered glass screen protector.

Yes, I said it. A screen protector made of tempered glass :)

The current available brands for the mentioned SP are SGP Glas.T, xGlas, and USG.

Orange is the normal SP and the black is USG tempered glass SP

The installation for the SP was easier than the normal one. It was a one time installation with minimal fixing required. Anyone can do the installation as long the steps followed are correct.

The SP are anti-scratch, anti-fingerprint, anti-dust, bubble free silicone, oil resistance coating. It's a complete package for a SP. The thickness of the SP is 0.55mm.

1) Ensure there is absolute minimal dust when the installation starts. This is to prevent any dust sticking to the SP or the phone. It is best to do it in a steamy bathroom. If there are dust, just use cello tape to remove it.

2) Align the SP onto the phone. I would highly advise that the user stick a home button sticker as it will be very helpful during the aligning. 

3) Once it is align, use your thumb and press at the middle of the SP and watch how it spreads. Like I said, it is one time installation and does not need any fixing.

4) Once it is done, use the microfiber cloth and remove any stain.

After installation

After installation

As you can see, the SP align nicely with my case as the case does not cover the side of the screen. 

It feels much secure than using an aluminium bumper.

The one I bought only available at Bangkok. Alternatively, local users can buy SGP or xGlas :)

I would highly recommend any users to get the tempered glass SP.

UPDATE: It's been 2 months 10 days since I posted this and yet the glass is still intact with my phone. It is a very durable yet affordable tempered glass for your iPhone!

Marware DoubleTake

Well, the title says it all.

Managed to bought a case thru my friend for my 4S for Rm30 at Machines clearance sale. SRP for this case was USD24.99.

What can I say, it is a steal!

Here's my review on the case.

After using it for 7 hours, the grip is way nicer than Deff Cleave. It doesn't slip off from my hand. It fits nicely onto the phone. Most importantly, it doesn't collect dust and have a big gap for the headphone/earphone jack.

It was made of soft rubber and hard polycarbonate thus providing better protection on the phone from any angle.

The only problem I had is to remove the phone from the case. It fits very nicely that I need to used slight force to take the phone out. However, it should not be a big issue since I don't remove the phone too often.

I would give this case a 4.5/5 stars and it is definitely recommended to iPhone users.

From top

From side

From back