Looking Back 2015
Looking back at 2015, I travelled to the UK and Paris in June and Hong Kong in September. For 2016, I'm off to Thailand for Chinese New Year, hoping for Taiwan or Japan, and I collect my house keys soon.
2015
Moto 360 (Second Generation) – Unboxing & Setup
Thanks to Lenovo, I was seeded the Moto 360 (Second Generation) as a Christmas present, choosing the Large 46mm with Cognac Leather at S$549. It went on sale in Singapore on 15th December 2015 across three models.
Using Amazon Echo With Logitech Harmony
In my earlier Amazon Echo and Logitech Harmony articles, I covered controlling your TV with Echo, but the IFTTT solution was then too premature. Last month, an IFTTT update with Amazon Echo finally lets a phrase trigger a recipe.
Acronis Updates True Image Cloud & True Image 2016
Acronis True Image Cloud and True Image 2016 launched over three months ago, and last week Acronis released a major update with five new features. Chief among them is Full Image Backup, offering block-level copying to create an exact replica.
Nexus 6P Official Case
The Nexus 6P Official Case was out of stock on the Google Store for ages. It returned on Black Friday during a 50% off cases sale, so I grabbed it for US$17.49, down from US$34.99.
LEGO Minifigure Display Case 16
I spotted a November offer from Chowren Toys via Brickset for the LEGO Minifigure Display Case 16, dropping from US$29.99 to US$20.99. I bought two, forwarding them through HopShopGo, since their direct Singapore shipping was a pricey US$60.
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD
Amazon ran a 48% discount on the Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD in November 2015, dropping it from US$149.99 to US$74.99. It also qualified for free AmazonGlobal Saver shipping to Singapore on orders over US$125, making it a great deal.
Moto 360 (Second Generation) Now Available in Singapore
The second-generation Moto 360 is now available in Singapore at selected Newstead, Challenger, Best Denki, Courts, and Lenovo stores. Unlike the US store, where you can customise case, bezel, and band, Singapore offers only three predefined variations.
Synology Router RT1900ac Review
The Synology Router RT1900ac is Synology's first router, aimed at the mid-range market at roughly S$234. It went on sale in Singapore on 6th October 2015. For the unaware, this brings Synology's polished software experience to home networking.
lesterchan.net v4.4
A recap of lesterchan.net's evolution: now on HTTPS, running nginx, PHP-FPM, MariaDB, and HHVM, with search powered by Algolia. The v4.4 update lands alongside the WordPress 4.4 release, the last major WordPress release of 2015.
Oral-B Black 7000 SmartSeries Electric Rechargeable Toothbrush
The Oral-B Black 7000 SmartSeries Electric Toothbrush had a US$30 coupon during Amazon's Black Friday week, dropping it from US$155.68 to US$125.68. The discount applies automatically at checkout once you clip the coupon. It's considerably pricier in Singapore.
Freefly VR – Mobile Virtual Reality Headset
Thanks to my friend Stephen, I tried the Freefly VR, a mobile VR headset that uses your phone as screen and speaker. This differs from the Oculus Rift and Razer OSVR, which have built-in screens and audio.
BlackBerry PRIV Availability in Singapore
The BlackBerry PRIV, BlackBerry's first Android phone, arrives in Singapore from 12th December 2015 at S$1,098, sold via Singtel, M1, StarHub, and authorised partners. I'm impressed by it: the build is solid and it's remarkably thin.
ASUS RT-AC88U Router Review
The ASUS RT-AC88U launched at SITEX 2015, Singapore's last major IT event of the year, held at Singapore Expo from 26th to 29th November. The much-awaited router retails for S$429, packing eight Gigabit LAN ports and strong wireless performance.
Nubee NUB8380 Temperature Gun
I bought the Nubee Temperature Gun from Amazon for US$13.59, alongside the Bosch GLM 35 Laser Measure. Since it doesn't ship to Singapore directly, I used a freight forwarder. It's a non-contact infrared thermometer for reading surfaces.
Bosch GLM 35 Laser Measure
I first tried a laser measuring device at Tech in Asia, used by the events team. Amazed by how fast it reads a room, I never saw measuring tape the same way, so I got the Bosch GLM 35.
Sonos PLAY:5 Now Available in Singapore
The new Sonos PLAY:5 is now available in Singapore for S$999, sold at IT stores like Challenger and online via TC Acoustic. It delivers studio-quality sound through six synchronised custom drivers, with three mid-woofers producing smooth mids and deep bass.
Google Universal 22.5W Dual Port USB Type-C Charger
I bought the Google Universal 22.5W Dual Port USB Type-C Charger with its USB-C to USB-A cable for US$39.99, forwarded via HopShopGo. It's the only trustworthy, reasonably priced charger I found with two USB-C ports.
Google USB Type-C to USB Standard-A Plug Cable
The Google USB Type-C to USB Standard-A Plug Cable was out of stock for a while; I grabbed one when it returned on 9th November 2015. It doesn't ship to Singapore directly, so I forwarded it via HopShopGo.
iOrange-E USB Type-C Cable
The iOrange-E USB Type-C Cable is one of Benson Leung's recommended USB-A to USB-C cables. It comes in gold, silver, and black, each in three lengths, 0.5m, 2m, and 3m. Prices have crept up since his endorsement.
Huawei Nexus 6P
To recap, the Nexus 6P is brought to Singapore by Huawei through Convergent Systems, in 64GB and 128GB models, each in Graphite and Aluminium. With the pre-order window closed, you now pay the official retail price.
StarCraft 2 – Legacy of the Void – Collector’s Edition
Legacy of the Void closes the StarCraft 2 trilogy with the Protoss campaign, two years after Heart of the Swarm and five after Wings of Liberty. Launched on 10th November 2015, I couldn't miss the Collector's Edition.
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