--- title: Looking Back 2021 date: 2021-12-31 09:00:52 permalink: https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/12/31/looking-back-2021/ author: Lester Chan excerpt: "Looking back at 2021, another COVID-shadowed year but one packed with more gadgets than 2020. On the smart-home front I added an ILife Shinebot W450 mopping robot and a Roborock S7, replacing my ageing Roomba 980." categories: - Blog tags: - "2020" - "2021" - looking back --- Another COVID-19 year has passed, and on 23rd January 2022, will mark’s COVID [2 year mark in Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Singapore). I think I have more exciting gadgets this year than in 2020. ## Smart Home Decided to make my life easier when it comes to household chores. Bought a new [ILife Shinebot W450 Mopping Robot](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/09/01/ilife-shinebot-w450-review/) to do the mopping and a [Roborock S7](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/11/19/roborock-s7-review/) to replace my aging iRobot Roomba 980. I wanted to upgrade my dumb doorbell to a smart one. I tried the [Nest Hello](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/09/13/installing-nest-hello-doorbell-to-hdb-bto-doorbell/). However, it failed me after a week, and I returned it. Replaced it with a [Eufy Video Doorbell 2K (Wired)](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/10/04/eufy-video-doorbell-2k-wired-review/) and it has been working very well. With the addition of my [Sonos Beam](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/05/19/sonos-beam/), I now have a [5.1 Surround Sound](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/06/28/testing-sonos-5-1-surround-sound/) for my Living Room television. ## Gadgets/Tech Upgraded to a new NAS, [Synology DiskStation DS1621+](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/03/15/synology-diskstation-ds1621-review/). Recently, I have been into keyboards. So I got the [Keychron K7](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/09/29/keychron-k7/), and my brother bought me the [Keychron Q1](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/10/26/keychron-q1/) for modding. My Keychron Q1 (silicone mod) is on Gazzew Boba U4T (62g) switches with [Akko Cherry Profile Carbon Retro Keycap](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/10/28/akko-cherry-profile-carbon-retro-keycap-set/), and Durock Stabiliser V2. Li Xiang got me a new camera [Sony ZV-E10](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/11/17/sony-zv-e10/), to replace my aging Canon PowerShot S95. I finally bought a [Nintendo Switch (OLED Model)](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/11/15/nintendo-switch-oled-model/) after much procastination. [Microsoft Windows 11](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/10/05/windows-11-available-starting-today/) is released in October 2021. ## Standing Desk ErgoEdge has been rebranded to EverDesk+ and they have kindly upgraded my three years old [ErgoEdge AmpDesk Standing Desk](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2018/06/07/ergoedge-ampdesk-standing-desk/) with their latest [EverDesk+ Max Standing Desk](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/12/13/everdesk-max-standing-desk-review/). ## Apple I have four new and three upgraded Apple products this year. My brother got me an [Apple AirPods Max](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/03/01/apple-airpods-max/) for my birthday! It is an expensive gift. Since Apple HomePod Mini is not coming to Singapore this year, I decided not to wait and get the [Apple HomePod Mini](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/04/01/apple-homepod-mini/) from a reseller on Lazada instead. [Apple AirTag](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/05/07/apple-airtag/) is finally here after so much leaks. I got the Apple AirTag in a pack of four. After much procrastination, I finally got the [Apple iPhone Leather Wallet with MagSafe](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/12/23/apple-iphone-leather-wallet-with-magsafe/) during this month 12/12 sale. Upgraded my Apple TV 4K to [Apple TV 4K (2nd Generation)](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/06/01/apple-tv-4k-2nd-generation/), iPhone 12 Pro Max to iPhone 13 Pro Max, and Apple Watch Series 3 (Stainless Steel) to [Apple Watch Series 7 (Watch Edition)](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/11/08/apple-watch-edition-series-7-45mm-space-black-titanium-case/). ## Travel It is COVID, what travel? Even with Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL), you will pay a lot of money just for the PCR tests. I think it might even cost more than the air tickets. I will wait it out. **[What I Said In 2020](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2020/12/31/looking-back-2020/)** > I am hoping to see the successor to Nest Hub and Nest Cam in 2021. The second generation of Nest Hub was released on 30th March 2021. There is not much difference in terms of design. The most significant new feature is probably sleep tracking, where eventually it will transit to a paid service. Yeap, I bought the [Google Nest Hub (2nd Generation)](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2021/09/27/google-nest-hub-2nd-generation/) on Lazada for S$99.99 back in September 2021. Nest Cam got updated as well in August 2021. Google Nest Cam Battery, Google Nest Cam with floodlight, and Google Nest Cam (2nd Generation). But the reviews were just average. > I also foresee more MCO Z-Wave switches will die as it hits the 5-year mark, and I will replace them with Sonoff Wi-Fi switches. It seems three more MCO Z-Wave spoiled, Master Bedroom, Kitchen and Games Room. I got pissed off, and during Black Friday, I bought replacements for all the remaining switches, so whenever one got disconnected from Z-Wave, I would replace it with Sonoff. Wi-fi is just more reliable for me than Z-Wave thanks to [eero Wi-Fi System](https://lesterchan.net/blog/2017/01/03/eero-wi-fi-system-review/). > The design for iPhone 13 will remain the same as iPhone 12, but maybe with a 120Hz screen, and hence the notch is still here to stay. This is correct. I bought the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and it includes the Super Retina XDR display with a ProMotion 120Hz display. The notch became smaller, but Apple still didn’t use the space to have a battery percentage. > Third-year in a row, I am hoping that Apple Homepod will be available in Singapore Sadly, still not available in Singapore. > I don’t think we will see a 4th Apple Store in Singapore anytime soon. Correct as well. But I hope to see an Apple Store in the western part of Singapore in the future. > We will still feel the impact of COVID. I don’t think leisure travel will be possible in 2021, although we will be vaccinated by Q3 2021. Still, someone accurate. Singapore opens up more VTL with more countries, but travel is still a hassle. I took my first Pfizer dose on 24th June 2021 and the second Pfizer dose on 22nd July 2021. I became fully vaccinated on 5th August 2021 (two weeks after the 2nd dose). I got offered a booster shot, and I chose Moderna this time around instead. A Pfizer + Pfizer + Moderna shot reduces infection risk by 72%, while three Pfizer shots only reduce infection risk by 62%. I took the booster shot on 14th December 2021. ## For 2022 I am looking forward to getting the Roborock Onyx in 2022. Roborock Onyx is the auto-empty dock for the Roborocks S7. The stocks come and go, and there is no way for me to pre-order it on Lazada or Shopee, so I can only manually check it now and then. There are a lot of rumors that the iPhone 14 will drop the notch. I hope it is true. AirPods Pro 2 will be released in 2022. Maybe 2022 will be when I get my personal MacBook/MacBook Air/MacBook Pro that uses Apple Silicon. My current personal laptop is a hand-me-down 13″ MacBook Pro (Retina) from Li Xiang, which is an early 2015 model. Nest will launch a new wired video doorbell in 2022 that supports 24/7 recording. I hope they fixed the power issue, and I may consider getting it again. I think it might be possible to travel by the end of 2022 without VTL. I am hoping to visit Japan or U.S. at the end of 2022. **Wishing all my readers, visitors, and supporters a Happy New Year 2022! Keep your distance, wear a mask, and stay safe!** **Looking Back 2021** >