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I am going on an espresso-learning journey, and the first thing I learned is always to get a good grinder. And it seems that the default setup is always a Niche Zero coffee grinder.

So I decided to get just that. It is not cheap. Niche Zero retails for £499 (S$808); shipping to Singapore is an additional £75 (S$122). On top of that, I need to pay 8% GST of S$64.41 and DHL’s advanced payment fee of S$20.

The much-awaited Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 is finally available in Singapore last week. It retails in Singapore for S$209.90, and you can get it from Souky Shop on Lazada or Souky Shop on Shopee.

Introduction
Aqara G4 features 162° angle 1080p recording with infrared night vision. It can be powered via six AA batteries (included in the packaging) or an AC/DC adapter. For AC, it needs to be 12V – 24V 0.2A 50/60Hz, or for DC, it needs 8V – 24V 0.5A.

Previously, I used the DYMO LabelManager 280 that I got seven years ago. I bought it at an excellent price of S$27.18, which excludes the shipping cost to Singapore.

Sadly, I think there is some power issue with the device, and I can no longer switch it on. Also, the LCD screen is starting to turn black as well. It has served Li Xiang and me for a good seven years.

Aqara Smart Wall Switch H1 EU (With Neutral) is the third smart wall switch that I am evaluating. The first is MCO Touch Panel while the second is Sonoff T2UK Wi-Fi Smart Wall Switch.

There is nothing wrong with my Sonoff smart wall switch that makes me want to switch to Aqara smart wall switch. I am getting just one Aqara smart wall switch to let Li Xiang feel the difference between touch and tactile-based wall switches so that we have more choices for our new house.

The Ulanzi U-PAD III Metal iPad Tripod Mount does fit an iPhone 14 Pro Max but only in landscape. So if you are looking for the same high-quality metal tripod mount for mobile phones, you will need to get the Ulanzi ST-27 Metal Phone Tripod Mount.

I got mine from actioncam shop on Shopee for S$33.90.

Bought the Ulanzi U-PAD III Metal iPad Tripod Mount from Lazada for S$41.67 during 12/12. The recommended retail price is S$49.90.

The Ulanzi U-PAD III Metal iPad Tripod Mount is an all-metal aluminum alloy body tripod mount. It is very well-built and feels premium and solid.

After almost two years plus on-and-off restrictions due to COVID-19, Singapore finally opened up slowly in the year’s second half, and mask-wearing became optional for most places. Finally, we are almost back to normal. I hope in 2023, mask-wearing will become optional on public transport.

Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Thanks to my ex-colleague, JayJay, for the link up, I got into Roborock’s Public relations (PR) list. They have sent me two Roborock cleaners for review, the Roborock Q7 Max and Roborock G10.

Rode PSA1+ is a microphone/boom arm from Rode. I got it from Red Dot Photo on Lazada during 12/12 for S$141.32. The usual selling price should be about S$169.

I was using a cheap China OEM microphone arm that I bought it together with my Rode NT-USB Mini, and it is pretty bad. You can only rotate the arm if you do not tighten the clamp; even so, the rotation is not smooth. The screws protruding near the clamp area will scratch your table, which was my deal breaker. Given the price, I would say it is ok. But in my case, I would rather pay more to get a quality microphone arm instead. So that is why I went ahead and got the Rode PSA1+.

Apple Lightning to 3.5mm Audio Cable has only one length which is 1.2m and is available in two colors, Black and White. It retails for S$49. For some reason, Amazon.sg is selling the black one for only S$40. So I decided to get that.

I have an existing Lighting to 3.5mm audio cable, which is the Belkin 3.5mm Audio Cable With Lightning Connector. But it doesn’t work with my AirPods Max.