I'm glad I don't inhabit Sim Tech World, and instead lead a rustic existence, but I have had reason…read moreof late to thank my lucky stars that shops like Sim Tech World exist. Like so many before me, I managed to drop my iPhone several times before the screen ultimately smashed. It was of course, only a matter of time before this was inevitably going to happen... but did I think to take out insurance to protect myself in this eventuality? Well, yes I did... But whether I got round to actually doing it is an entirely different matter! So, with the exorbitant cost of getting Apple to fix it for me, I began a quest that lasted well over a month to find a indie mobile phone shop like Sim Tech World that would do it cheaper. It ultimately cost a staggering £80.00 to get the screen replaced, but I had, in the meantime, damaged the LCD screen, making the job more expensive, (well, it was actually my neighbours cat jumping directly onto the broken screen in an attempt to catch a moth that put paid to the LCD screen in reality...) I didn't end up using Sim Tech World, but it certainly made me aware of their existence. They are seemingly a tight little business, that specialises in mobiles and home computing, including PC and Apple laptops, games consoles etc, as well as digital cameras; essentially all of your portable electronics that you can bring into the shop for attention, (thy don't do home visits). They also call themselves an 'entertainment exchange', which, as the name suggests, means that they sell second user kit as well.

Small independent electronic engineers like Sim Tek World thrive on the repair of electronic…read moreequipment that inevitably happens. There expertise can help fix mobile phone faults, problems with ipods, ipads, apple products, xbox 360s, playstations, PC's and laptops. A very useful technical fix is there mobile phone unlocking service. The Sim Tek people aim to fix the phone while you wait rather than the 28 day service most high street stores offer. If you're in a pinch and need something fixed quickly without the extra cost of sending it away to be looked at Sim Tek offer the best service around. The shop itself is very small and over cluttered, which is to be expected of a electronic repair shop the outside advertises all the different services they perform and that leaves little room to let light in, so it's a bit dingy inside.

Internet Land is not simply an internet café. They are also PC repair centre as well as a mobile…read morephone shop, stocking quite a lot of mobile phone accessories including SIM cards for all providers at £1.99. They also provide a limited range of office services including: faxing, printing, copying and laminating. As well as being able to use the internet to use Skype they also have phone booths for making international phone calls. In addition, they sell phone cards that make the cost of foreign calls a lot more affordable. This is quite a popular internet café, and is my favourite in this area. This is mainly due to the fact that they serve a decent cup of coffee, (Kenco), and their rates are competitive. They are also always open when I need them. Being a small hub of the community they also permit the use of part of their shop window for the advertising of local businesses. They charge as little as £0.50 for this service.

Easy Link Internet Café is more spacious than you would expect. It doesn't enjoy a particularly…read morelarge shop front, but the shop itself extends quite far back into a deceptively large building. Having said that, it's not easy to miss this very visible business, with its red and yellow signage that leaves you in no doubt about where they are and what they are doing there. As well as providing a good number of Internet dedicated desk top machines that are separated by partitions for privacy, they also provide a number of office services including faxing and copying. It is also possible to make cheap international calls, as well as having your laptop fixed and maintained. Mustafa Jassem is the Senior IT Technician and owner if this well run business, but the shop is managed by someone else. I wish I could remember his name, as he's a really lovely guy, ever helpful and pretty jolly with it. Specific IT services include virus and spyware removal, virus protection, data recovery and back-up, onsite laptop repairs, (no home visits), network and wireless installation, as well as the sale of accessories and components. Mustafa: 07501 88 03 03

Level 1 of the students union is home to the IT Shop (or the Siop TG for the Welsh-speaking amongst…read moreus). They offer an IT Clinic, to which you take your computer and they will hopefully fix it right then. If they can't, they'll take it from you and sort out the problem. They also sell a range of electronic equipment and accesories, such as earphones and webcams. There is also a fair amount of stationery. I went in looking for earphones and found the service to be adequate, though I did feel a little as though I was intruding on a private conversation. The prices aren't great but it's a fair service for students. All in all, it's just average but, if you've got a problem with your laptop, it's the closest place to Cathays to go for help.

The IT shop is situated on the first floor of Cardiff student union. This shop can even be found to…read morebe open outside of term times, making it very handy whether you need some supplies or you need your laptop repaired. They stock a vast supply of everything you could possibly need to function as a student. They sell stationary, technical items for computers and even laptops, with prices not being too extortionate. There is also a photocopier that you can pay to use. Repair prices aren't too heavy either, when I went to take my laptop in, they quoted a price of £15 to have a look at my laptop to see why my left mouse key wasn't working. The guys that work here are very friendly and there to help as many of them are fellow students. This store is a great asset to students and beneficial for anyone looking to get a good price on their IT needs.

Computer Wales fixed my pc cheap and effectivellyread more

In current econimic climate i was dismayed to find my laptop had given up the ghost and i would…read morehave to purchase a new one BUT a visit to Computer Wales saved me a fortune and my trusty old laptop was back up n running horrah!!

Penguin was recommended to me by a friend as they supply her website, and I have since used them…read morefor all of my computer repairs. Unlike many technical companies, they don't actually charge for an estimation to fix an issue and won't go ahead until it has been confirmed with me. They have helped me in all technical matters, repair as well as upgrades and new custom computers. Would definitely recommend for your local computer company!

From the owner: Penguin Internet is an IT services company based in the capital city of Cardiff, Wales, UK…read more We provide a wide range of IT services such as professional UK Webhosting, Domain registrations, Reseller Accounts - all with instant activation. Dedicated Servers, Co-Location services and Server Management services also available. Linux and Parallels specialists. We also offer hardware services including new computers systems, hardware repairs, network installations, maintenance contracts, VoIP and much more. We now have Paxton trained staff to Advanced Level Engineer and so have been able to expand our Office Solutions services to include Door Entry Systems as well as Networking, VoIP and CCTV installations. Please see the rest of our website for further details or contact our friendly staff.

I really like Nazzal On-line, one of the several internet cafes on City Road. What sets it apart…read morefrom the others is that it actually makes a real effort to be a café as well as an internet shop, and so it achieves its objective where so many others miss the mark! Nazzal On-line has been around for about four years, although it only took up residence on City Road two years ago. Before that it was located in Canton where the throughput of custom was considerably less than the new site. Kamal Nazzal, the proprietor, opted to move his business to Roath due to the large Polish community that lives here. As well as offering internet services at reasonable rates, and well priced food and drink, he also provides a money transfer service specifically tailored to the Polish community. Nazzal On-line is also the Polskie Biuro W Cardiff, which means that Kamal Nazzal can transfer funds from the UK to Poland for £5.00 regardless of the size of the sum being transferred. In fact, the same charge is levied to most countries globally with little exception. The service is operated by RIA and beats the rates that Western Union are able to offer, and hasn't got the same controversy surrounding it as its competitor!

Jazz computers is one of those businesses that stays around for a long time, it's a huge store with…read morelots of equipment and a lot of old equipment as far as the website would suggest. The store has all the parts and ready built computers you would want but at a very inflated price that doesn't reflect the actual cost of a good computer built by dell et al. I have no reason to doubt the quality of the merchandise it's simple a price issue that doesn't allow them to be value for money. Professional store with some of the latest technology and parts.

sfx Tech takes me back to a past incarnation of mine. When I first set out into the world I…read moreinadvertently ended up in the computer industry... mainframes to be precise. After moving around a little I finally settled comfortably in the second user market. It suited my desire to live sustainably, (I used to obsess about the damage we were doing to the planet way before I was obliged to, i.e. before they even recycled our rubbish, let alone considered penalising us for putting recyclable waste in our landfill refuse). I really like these little shop based second user companies that cater to the domestic market that are springing up around the place. I guess that it's the more stringent rulings governing the disposal of commercial technical waste that is forcing companies to find more responsible means of disposing of their obsolete technology, some of which may be only a year old. This is where sfx Tech comes into it's own. They can turn this stock around, selling it on as is or applying a little technical wizardry they can adapt it for the home user market. Great. It means affordable computing for all and a green plant. Of course, they can also repair an existing system, if you have one already, and there's no need to upgrade to a faster or bigger model. The also retail new kit which is likely to be predominantly bankrupt stock, as well as consumables like cartridges etc.

Sfx tech cardiff are the most rude and arogent people you could possibly come across !!…read moreWe came across them a couple of weeks ago online whilst searching for a new computer and we noiticed that they buy computers so today we decided we wanted rid of our hp pavillion ready for our new computer we explained on the phone that we wanted to keep the hardrives from the pc so the lad said that was fine after about 15mins going through the specs he said he would defo be interested so bring it up he also said he'd give us £40-50 for it. so we spent £5 on a taxi to take us there to sell it well we explained thaf it wasnt workin we was selling for spare parts after the jumped up lad told us he didnt want it as it was no good to him he offered us £20 after us being told £40 POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AVOID AVOID AVOID !!!!

The Refill Specialists operate under the banner of 'save money, save the planet', and whilst…read moreeco-considerations may induce you to use these services, I'm sure they weren't exactly the key motivating factors that inspired the owners to set up in business. That said, the reality that refilling cartridges does actually save a small amount of plastic from going into our over burdened landfill sites is a good thing! Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure that the inks that printers use across the board are not exactly sourced from organic dyes! The 'save you money' aspect of the deal is pretty crucial to the equation however. With peripheral manufacturers competing on the retail costs of hardware, it's entirely possible to buy really sophisticated equipment for a fraction of the cost it used to be. For example, I went out and bought an Epsom printer with an integral scanner, fax and photocopier for less than £50.00 recently. That's a price war for you! So, the only way that these guys can make the money back that they have lost in selling you equipment at loss making prices is to sell you the consumables at grossly inflated prices. I think that the Epsom cartridge for my printer is about £25.00, but of course, I know where I can buy a comparable product for less than £2.00, (I rang them before buying this model to see if they had the supporting media)... The Refill Specialist also stock a range of office supplies, like paper and CD cases etc, as well as offering their refill service.

Unless you print currency for a living, replacing ink cartridges is a depressingly expensive…read morebusiness, particularly on more mercenary brands like Lexmark. Next time your printer grinds to a blank page-filled halt, however, don't head off to PC World and waste a fistful of cash. It's way better for your wallet to visit this handy little City Road shop - and, if you want to make the process of using reams of deforestation-facilitated paper a moral issue, rather kinder to the environment as well. The refills are sorted almost immediately as you wait, although as the staff disappear momentarily with your old ink cartridge it's not entirely obvious whether you're receiving a pre-filled corresponding model or the exact same one back that has been topped up there and then. Unless you hold a particularly odd attachment to your individual print cartridges that clearly isn't that important, though: the crucial bit is getting the ink flowing again for a few coins as opposed to several notes for a brand new equivalent.