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.
I'm using a headphone stand Li Xiang bought on Taobao for S$38, a pricey, poor-quality rip-off of Just Mobile's HeadStand. I'd eyed the real HeadStand for ages, but like the Just Mobile AluCable Mini, the shipping cost put me off.
Targus unveiled its T-1211 collection of laptop and tablet cases last month, designed for travel, work, study, and everyday commuting. The range emphasises creative details, original shapes, and soft materials, with a water-resistant exterior and a non-scratch interior lining.
The USB 3.0 cable for my Western Digital My Passport Essential SE gave out after nearly four years. I'd expected a struggle, since USB 3.0 cables aren't yet common in stores, but I luckily found the Daiyo cable at Funan.
A huge Western Digital fan, I use their products for all my backups, so I'm sharing their article 'Smarter Ways To Backup Your Data'. I personally run a Synology DiskStation DS413j NAS fitted with four 1TB WD Red hard drives.
I bought the Nokia Lumia 930 Case (CP-637) for S$39 at Funan's Nokia Store, available in Orange, Green, and Black. Finding one is tricky, since no electronics stores stock it; you can only get it from Nokia stores.
I bought my orange Nokia Lumia 930 from MobyShop on launch day, 12th July 2014, for S$699, below the S$789 RRP. Trading in my old 32GB HTC One for S$250 brought it down to S$449. It runs Windows Phone 8.1.
As a gadget enthusiast, I had no car windscreen mount for my phone, resting it on the cup holder cover. Glancing down for Google Maps while driving was tricky, so I got the Just Mobile Xtand Go mount.
The Magnetic Organization System (MOS) began as a Kickstarter project two years ago, raising US$29,376 against a US$6,850 goal. It's an elegant solution for organising and keeping track of your cables, simply rest a cable end on the MOS.
In my earlier post on the Belkin 6-inch Lightning to USB ChargeSync Cable, I said it was sold only through the Apple Online Store. I was mistaken, you can find a similar cable in stores, though fewer colours than online.
The Just Mobile AluCable Mini is a short 10cm USB-to-Lightning cable finished in aluminium. It sat on my Amazon wishlist for ages, but the shipping cost was never worth it, since it doesn't qualify for free Singapore delivery.
When I bought the Innergie MagiCable Duo With Lightning Connector last October, my main gripe was the Lightning head's base being too wide to fit some cases. Innergie has since quietly slimmed it down.
The second Bolse product I got is the 40W 5-Port USB Wall/Desktop Charger, retailing for US$22.99 on Amazon. It outputs up to 40W and 8A across five ports, weighing 222g. It's a different design from the Bolse 25W 4-Port.
The Breffo Adventure Camera Tripod is a versatile tripod that can hang, grip, hold, or stand on almost any surface. Its soft-touch rubber coating makes it waterproof and durable, and I love its grip and friction on rounded surfaces.
The Nokia Lumia 930 arrives in Singapore from 12th July 2014 for S$789, at Nokia Stores, Solution Partners, and all three operators, SingTel, M1, and StarHub. All four colours, orange, green, black, and white. I'm getting mine from MobyShop.
Strontium recently launched its Nitro Plus range of MicroSDHC cards. Rated UHS-1 (U3) for 4K Ultra HD recording at 3840x2160, the Nitro Plus offers write speeds of at least 30MB/s and read speeds of at least 80MB/s, in three capacities.
When Bolse emailed asking me to feature their products, I was skeptical, having never heard of them. A quick search revealed solid Amazon ratings and reasonable prices. The first product I received was this 25W 4-Port USB Charger.
Blockey is a key management system that simplifies your pockets without sacrificing design or practicality. It's made of Aluminum 7075, prized for its strength and scratch resistance, the same material used in bike shafts, rock climbing gear, and aerospace.
Xiaomi's Redmi Note goes on sale in Singapore on 8th July 2014 at noon for S$199, with 5,000 units available. As with Xiaomi's usual Tuesday weekly sales, 5,000 units are always offered, so if you miss out, be patient.
After buying some cheap Chinese imitation Lightning cables from DealExtreme with horrible quality, I swore off cheap cables for good. The Belkin 6-inch Lightning to USB ChargeSync Cable is the shortest quality cable I could find.
My company gave me a MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch (Late 2013), which uses MagSafe 2 rather than MagSafe 1. With a spare 85W MagSafe adapter at home, I picked up Apple's official converter for it.
My work laptop had been a MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid 2011), now a three-year-old model. Under migme's policy of replacing laptops every three years, they bought me a 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina (Late 2013), with a 2.4GHz dual-core i5.
On 18th June 2014, Adobe unveiled its biggest Creative Cloud update yet, spanning major upgrades to its desktop apps, new iOS mobile apps, a Creative Cloud SDK, and a new Creative Cloud Photography plan.