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As you might know, I have been using various brand of mobile phones: Motorola, Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry, HTC and Asus. Part of buying a new phone is also to know what and how is their Service Center works. If your phone has problems, you ight need to face them.

Here are my Reviews on branded phone and their Service Center:

1. Motorola

I have used Motorola Milestone, the GSM version of the original Motorola Droid for international market, for about nearly 2 years. It was my first Android phone.
The phone unit is heavy for its size, being made mostly from metal. The physical keyboard added it's weight. However, I have never have any problem with this unit and never sent it to service center. Brilliant product.
However, Motorola Service Center in Indonesia can be considered rare and hard to find. I don't know whether they are confident of their products or just too expensive to open more.

2. Apple's iPad

Well, it's obviously not a phone and don't make calls. But it is a gadget using SIM card and mobile Internet, so I put it in this list.
Service Centers are spread well. Easy to find also, like in Ratu Plaza, Roxy and Mangga Dua. However, the spare parts are too expensive, the service time is too long coz they need to send it to Singapore.
Unit itself is sturdy as long as you don't drop it. If you do, you're out of luck and need to prepare for the headache of expensive replacement spare parts.

3. Samsung

My first Samsung smartphone is Samsung Galaxy Note N7000, I bought it at its launch after waiting in a long line.
Out of all the service centers, Samsung is probably has the best valued service centers. Easy to find, service is adequate, if not better than competitors, and considerably Fast. Faster than competitors. In max 4 days, you either get your phone fixed or get to know when it will be done. The spare parts, although some are expensive, are reasonably priced. You know you bought a good phone that gets the best after sales when you buy a Samsung smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy Note is famous for having charger USB connector problems. Mine was the power input board got fried. So know it and be prepared.

4. BlackBerry

Fast, but illegal. Confused? BlackBerry, like other American companies, underestimate the huge population number of Indonesia, hence they don't immediately open a Service Center. So tons of non-motorized service centers Pop out everywhere. If you want the authorized service center, your unit will be sent to Singapore.
About 5 years ago, they finally open an office in Jakarta and has several authorized services centers. Nice strategy, fast service means losing your warranty. But for customers, bad after sales services for years and years
All BlackBerry units have problems with the pointing tools, track balls or track pads.

5. HTC

Among all, I must congratulate HTC as the worst service center for international companies, even worse than the local ones.
The staffs are polite but always ask to wait. My phone was held for repaired for 2 months and was asked to wait for another month. Apparently, this happens all over the world. Better avoid HTC if you can.
HTC always have spare parts problems, whether it's the screen or the charger connector or whatever. However, they do creatively build a functional and useful smartphones among all brands.

6. Asus

Asus Padfone 2 can be considered a successful smartphone / tablet. However the unit is easily damaged. You dropped it, just cry and don't bother to repair it. The spare parts are expensive.
The service staffs are very friendly and they always do what they promised. However, Asus internal procedure is slow. It took them 1 week to diagnose the problem, 1 more week to repair it if they have the spare part.

7. Nokia

Is probably the most experienced and the most professional among all smartphone service centers. Their service centers are located in the busiest phone reseller centers and each region has at least 1.
You probably need to wait in a long line cause they have the most units of mobile phones sold, but the service is quick, polite, spare parts always ready, and reasonably priced.

I put Nokia Service Center as the best smartphone service center in Indonesia.

Other brands that I have not been able to review is Sony, Huawei, ZTE, and LG. I have never used any of their devices so it's not fair for me to review them.

So there, those are my reviews of smartphones' brands' service centers. Feel free to leave any comment and share your experience also.

Incredible, I have waiting for Google class product(s) that will make a regular HDMI capable TV into something more than just a "dumb" TV, and here we are. As I have predicted in January, an Android thumb size internet TV enabler will be the game changer, it has. Although the China's Android mini PC didn't hit the mark due to over heating and easily bricked component, like the picture below, their development continues to quad-core class processor.



Now, mid 2013, Google finally release the new Chrome Cast. Of course, Google starts the basic with WiFi based connection and streaming from your devices: smartphones, tablets, or PCs, as long as you have Google Chrome, that means iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Linux, Ms Windows, but no BlackBerry). The connector is HDMI so it is universal, giving the stream a HD capable presentation, limited only by your WiFi bandwidth.



Is Google too late? Yes and no. Yes because Apple has thrown out their Apple TV, Samsung has perfected their AllShare Dlna connectivity, Sony has improved their cross smartphones/tablets to TV sharing using WiFi in combination with NFC, and China's produces Android microPC like chocolate bars to push regular HDMI capable TV into Internet Smart TV. No because Google needed the time to perfected the micro system of connectivity and usability. With the new improvement that Sony has released few months ago, Google finally has the methodology of easy connection and streaming quality multimedia from Chrome enabled devices to TV.

Is it great? Not yet. It still needs time to develop further with services and stability. Google didn't joke around and dump power supporters into Chrome Cast.



These included features (Netflix and all Google products/services like YouTube, Music, etc) are the one that will drive new generations to buy this product. Of course $35 a pop is certainly an Apple TV killer on the loose.

Here are the nagging question: why don't Chrome Cast has a mini/micro SIM card slot to enable independent connectivity? The answer lies on whether or not you want to carry around your HDMI capable TV? Obvious, isn't it?

My nagging question is, why not propose Chrome Cast to HBO Networks, Fox, Warners, and others alike as the subscription tool? Here goes the death of TV Cable and the rise of Broadband and WiMax providers.

Of course, these all are predictions and still to be seen in the future. Why not share your comment and we'll discuss this further.