The official Sennheiser store opened at Marina Square on 2nd August 2016, the first fully-owned Sennheiser brand store in Singapore. Previously, local presence was via a distributor. It sits at #03-123 in Marina Square.
I hadn't heard of XPower until Kakki, its sole distributor, asked if I'd feature their products. The one that caught my eye was the XPower XPS3A, a power strip with three AC sockets and four USB ports.
During Vesternet's Mondays promotion, which offers up to 20% off rotating Z-Wave brands, I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Siren for about S$51, down from S$65. It's a loud siren I can trigger from my smart home automations.
The OKPOW USB Type-C Cable is a 1m USB-C to USB-A cable retailing for US$12.99 on Amazon, which doesn't ship to Singapore directly. Based on USB 2.0, it has gold-plated ends and a durable nylon-braided exterior.
Vesternet mistakenly shipped me the Popp Z-Wave KFOB Remote Control instead of the Aeotec Key Fob I'd ordered. After I contacted support, they sent the correct item two days later and let me keep the wrong one.
I bought five TKB Z-Wave Wall Plug Switch/Meters from Vesternet at about S$47 each, down from S$52 thanks to a bulk discount for buying four or more. They're a budget-friendly way to add metered Z-Wave plugs to my home.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Key Fob Remote from Vesternet for S$69, alongside the Minimote; locally it's S$90 at Automate Asia. It's similar to the Minimote but more portable, designed to clip onto your keys.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Minimote from Vesternet for about S$63, or S$80 locally at Automate Asia. Despite four buttons, each can trigger two actions, controlling up to eight devices or scenes.
I use an Ariston Andris Lux 15L storage water heater. As working adults out from 9am to 9pm, Li Xiang and I often forget to switch it off, wasting electricity, so I added smart control with an MCO Touch Panel.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Home Energy Meter from Automate Asia for S$140. It measures your whole house's electrical usage by clamping onto the incoming cable at your circuit breaker, reading the flow of electricity via magnetic flux.
My Circles.Life referral code is IOA0Z. Using it earns me an extra 200MB of bonus data each month and gives you S$20 off your registration fee, with no cap and lasting while we both stay subscribed.
Announcing the winner of my Sudio Vasa Bla giveaway from 15th June 2016. With nearly all entries strong, I couldn't single one out, so I picked the winner at random using a SQL query. Congratulations to the lucky winner.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave MultiSensor 6 from Automate Asia for S$110, alongside the Smart Switch 6. It runs on Micro-USB power or two CR123A batteries (not included), which last about two years, packing six sensors into one.
Android Pay is now available in Singapore, the first country outside the US and UK, and the first in Asia, to get it. It works with VISA and MasterCard cards from DBS, OCBC, POSB, Standard Chartered, and UOB.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Smart Switch 6 from Automate Asia for S$110, so new it wasn't yet on their site. After the Fibaro Starter Kit hooked me on energy monitoring, I added these for my always-on appliances.
The OnePlus 3 arrives in Singapore from 4th July 2016, exclusively online via Lazada until 30th July. From the 30th, it reaches retail stores and telcos at an RRP of S$699. Only one variant is offered.
When I wanted to make my home smarter, I engaged Automate Asia, which I'd come across in the local news. Not a sponsored post, I paid for their services. A shout-out to Mike and the team for their great help.
Thanks to Sudio, I'm giving away one Sudio Vasa Bla worth S$165 to a lucky reader, who'll receive their preferred colour. The Vasa Bla wireless earphones come in four colours; check out my review to learn more.
Samsung Pay launches in Singapore from 16th June 2016, supporting the Galaxy Note 5, S6 edge+, S7, and S7 edge. Singapore is the fifth country after Spain, China, the US, and South Korea, partnering Amex, MasterCard, Visa, and major banks.
Igloohome is a Singapore smart-home startup that raised US$1.25 million in seed funding, led by Wavemaker Partners with Singtel Innov8 and DreamIt Ventures. Its first product is the Igloohome Smart Lock, which I review here.
Sudio is a little-known Swedish earphone brand from Stockholm, with four series: TVA, KLANG, VASA, and VASA BLA. The entry TVA is S$65 with a one-button remote, while KLANG steps up to a three-button mic remote.
I backed the MOGICS Power Donut/Bagel on Kickstarter in February 2016, a project that raised US$437,738 from 9,882 backers. Both are circular travel power strips designed to save space, each packing five power sockets. This covers the Power Bagel.