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.
Parallels has launched Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac, alongside an Enterprise Edition, the industry-leading software for running Windows applications on Macs. It brings new built-in intelligence and support for Apple's latest OS X Yosemite, keeping things easy for everyone.
Here's the real future MRT/LRT map for Singapore as of 15th August 2014, featuring the newly announced Thomson-East Coast Line stations due by 2024. In case you missed it, the future map in my previous blog post was a fake.
Launched on 8th April 2014, the USB 3.0 Seagate Backup Plus Fast Portable Drive is a 4TB hard drive delivering transfer speeds up to 220MB/s. Weighing 307g, it retails for S$449, offered only in black.
The USB 3.0 Western Digital My Passport Air is the best-looking portable hard disk to complement your MacBook Air or Pro. It comes in two capacities, 500GB at S$129 and 1TB at S$219, in an anodised aluminium enclosure weighing 160g.
Launched on 8th April 2014, the USB 3.0 Seagate Backup Plus Slim Portable Drive comes in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB, in four colours, Blue, Black, Red, and Silver, working on both PC and Mac. Prices start at S$89 for 500GB.
Three official Android Wear devices are out, two already on sale, the Samsung Galaxy Gear Live and the LG G Watch. The third and most anticipated, Motorola's Moto 360, should arrive next month. Android Wear is Google's smartwatch-focused version.
Sony's new CP-B20 is a 20,000mAh power bank with four USB ports, charging four devices at once. With a 6.9A total output, it can power three iPads or four phones. It arrives in Singapore from mid-August 2014 at S$149.
lesterchan.net is now on NewsLoop under Tech & Gadgets, joining 600 other publishers. NewsLoop, a SingTel app, gathers the best news and lifestyle content from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand into one elegant app spanning 30 categories.
The Jawbone UP24 launched in Singapore on 10th April 2014 and retails for S$249, in three sizes and two colours, Onyx and Persimmon. An update to the original Jawbone UP, still sold at S$189.90, the UP24 adds wireless syncing.
Two months after the Pebble Smartwatch reached Singapore, sole distributor Leader Radio Technologies has officially launched the Pebble Steel here from 1st August 2014. It retails for S$359, and to celebrate, the first 500 units sold come with a bonus.
5,000 units of the Xiaomi Mi 5,200mAh Power Bank first went on sale in Singapore at noon on 22nd July 2014. If you missed it, Xiaomi Singapore holds another sale on 5th August at noon. It retails for just S$8.99.
There are two ways to watch Netflix in Singapore: a VPN or a DNS. I prefer the DNS method, simply pointing your router's DNS to UnoTelly's SmartDNS. Once configured, everyone connected to the router can access Netflix on their devices.
I won the Nokia Wireless Charging Stand (DT-910), worth S$128, from TheGeekyBeng's Great Nokia Giveaways. It's my second Qi charger, after the Anker Ultra-Slim Qi pad. Both happily charge my Lumia 930 and Nexus 5 even with their cases on.
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.