Founder of lesterchan.net, a Singapore tech and gadgets blog running since 2002. An engineering leader by day and a WordPress plugin developer since 2003, with a soft spot for gadgets, smart home, and a good deal.
Ambi Climate is a small, sleek IoT device that makes your existing infrared remote-controlled air conditioner smart. Using predictive climate control, it monitors temperatures inside and out to run your aircon more efficiently and lower your energy bill.
The Jabra Sport Coach retails in Singapore for S$248 in Blue, Red, and Yellow. The younger sibling of the Jabra Sport Pulse I reviewed in May 2015, it's S$50 cheaper, omitting the in-ear heart rate monitor of the pricier Pulse.
Google has unveiled its biggest logo change in 16 years. The new design is flatter and uses a sans-serif font, giving it a younger, brighter, cheerier feel. The blue 'g' favicon is also replaced by a four-colour 'G' to match.
Algolia is a French startup offering hosted cloud search as a service, with a developer-friendly API that's easy to integrate in any language. It provides 11 API clients, four mobile SDKs, and a WordPress plugin.
Acronis True Image Unlimited has been renamed True Image Cloud, now supporting multiple devices including mobile. With the Acronis True Image app, you can back up Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows devices to the cloud from one account.
I received the Cooler Master Power Fort 6,000mAh as a door gift at a Cooler Master seminar. I hadn't even known Cooler Master made power banks, and the Power Fort series now seems discontinued.
Two weeks ago I bought the Amazon Echo for US$179.99, shipped alongside an Amazon Fire TV Stick. I've used it daily since and love it. The Echo is a voice assistant, like Siri, Cortana, or Google Now.
I received the GoGear Splash n Dash Bluetooth Speaker as a door gift. It retails for S$49.90 at Mustafa and selected 7-Elevens, in four colours. With Bluetooth 4.0 and an IPX5 rating, it suits the bathroom.
During a Timbuk2 20%-off custom bag sale, Li Xiang bought two custom bags. Since I already own plenty of Timbuk2 bags, I skipped another and instead picked up the Timbuk2 Trek Book Portable Organizer for US$59.
GoGear is a brand few have heard of. A quick Google reveals it's Philips GoGear, a series of small flash and hard-drive personal electronic devices, including digital cameras, audio players, and audio recorders.
Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac is now available, adding Windows 10 integration with Cortana. Beyond that, it brings major speed gains over previous versions: Windows launches and shuts down up to 50 percent faster.
Singtel's price plans for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 4G+ and Galaxy S6 edge+ 4G+. The Note 5 launched in Black Sapphire and Gold Platinum, with the 32GB at S$1,088 and 64GB at S$1,188, the S6 edge+ arriving alongside it.
Earlier this year, WhatsApp launched WhatsApp Web for Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry, leaving out iOS due to Apple's platform limitations. Whether WhatsApp worked around them or Apple eased them, WhatsApp Web is now available for iOS users.
My brother ordered me a Herman Miller Aeron Chair through Unwanted Imports, which has run mass Herman Miller orders on the Hardware Zone forums since 2011. The Aeron's many configurations and sizes are confusing, so I'm glad he handled it.
The Pebble Time Steel is the second Pebble Kickstarter I've backed, after the original Pebble Watch two years earlier. The Pebble Time campaign broke Kickstarter's record as the most-funded project, raising US$20,338,986 from 78,471 backers.
I bought the Amazon Fire TV Stick for US$39 to try, since I was already getting the Amazon Echo and my kitchen TV needed a casting device. Why not another Chromecast? I fancied a new gadget.
I'd wanted the Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro Lens (SEL30M35) ever since buying my Sony NEX-3N for close-up product shots. It retails for S$399 in Singapore, but at just JP¥23,880 (S$267) in Japan, importing it is well worth it.
Happy 50th Birthday, Singapore! You've come a long way since 9th August 1965, and I can't wait to see what the next 50 years bring. I love the cleverly photoshopped image above by Sheng Long Lua.
The WeMo Switch + Motion sells at Funan's Challenger for S$109, or S$89 for members, while the plain WeMo Switch is S$79, or S$71.10. For just S$18 more as a member, the motion sensor was worth it.
GearBest sent me the iMacwear M7 to try, a watch selling for US$112.63 excluding shipping. It isn't an Android Wear device but a full Android 4.4 KitKat watch. Fairly bulky at 120g, it carries an IP67 dust and water resistance.
Google Play Movies is now available in Singapore, alongside Indonesia and Malaysia. Standard-definition rentals range from S$3.98 to S$4.98, and high-definition from S$4.98 to S$5.98, though not every title is offered for rent, with purchase options also available.
The much-anticipated OnePlus 2, announced on 28th July 2015, reaches Singapore in Q4 2015 at S$538 for the 64GB model. I handled it at the local media event on 31st July and loved the solid, premium feel of its build.