My first Arduino clone board

I purchased an Arduino Compatible UNO R3 from DX.com. I liked the look of official Arduino Uno R3, but not so much the price (plus shipping) from the Australian distributors. Fortunately, Arduino releases hardware designs to the community under an open-source license, and a number of compatibles/clones are available on the market. I chose to purchase a Uno R3 compatible from DX.com — reasonably low price, free shipping, what’s not to like?

what’s not to like?

You mean apart from their lack of contribution to this community?
That's a biggy, in my book.

Blackmon:
I purchased an Arduino Compatible UNO R3 from DX.com. I liked the look of official Arduino Uno R3, but not so much the price (plus shipping) from the Australian distributors. Fortunately, Arduino releases hardware designs to the community under an open-source license, and a number of compatibles/clones are available on the market. I chose to purchase a Uno R3 compatible from DX.com — reasonably low price, free shipping, what’s not to like?

You could probably make one more cheaply yourself. Though they look fairly cheap for a pre-assembled one, nice find!

EDIT: Since they aren't authentic, there probably isn't a warranty, but If they are cheap enough, it might be worth it. All arduinos and clones use the same chip, after all!

Unless the clones use counterfeit chips.

For exmple, I asked Maxim if TaydaElectronics was an authorized re-seller of MAX7219 chips. Maxim said no. So I wonder what Tayda is really selling.

CrossRoads:
So I wonder what Tayda is really selling.

Fell off the back of a lorry. That's their story and they're sticking with it.