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 bought the Belkin EaseFit Plus Armband for iPhone 5 from Funan's Challenger for S$35, or S$31.50 with member's price, ahead of my 10km Straits Times Run in the Park 2013 on 25th August. A simpler Ease-Fit Armband costs S$29.
SingTel has brought Shopify to Singapore, the platform that lets you set up a full hosted e-commerce store in minutes, with an excellent iOS app for managing it. Local examples include Pocky Singapore and The Damn Good Shop.
Alienware, the pioneer of specialty high-performance PC gaming systems, has announced its latest and most powerful gaming laptops, the Alienware 14, 17, and 18. They feature all-new performance graphics, Intel 4th Generation Core processors, and components engineered for extreme performance.
I bought the 4A AC Power Adapter 6-Port USB Travel Charger from TrendsMobile at Funan for S$29.90. Its 4A output is shared across all six USB ports, and I wish it specified the maximum per port. Still, it's handy.
I sleep in an air-conditioned room almost every night, and since my LASIK I've grown wary of dryness, not wanting my vision to regress. My eyelids don't fully close in sleep, so I wake with severely dry eyes each morning.
Launched last month, the UE BOOM is a 360° Bluetooth wireless speaker that's both water-resistant and shockproof. It's in stores for S$299 in four colours, Blue, Red, Black, and White. My first impression: loud sound with decent bass.
Amazon now ships to Singapore for free on orders above US$125, through its new AmazonGlobal Saver Shipping initiative. The free shipping covers India and Singapore when your order includes at least US$125 of qualifying merchandise, excluding the Import Fees Deposit.
Western Digital announced the My Passport Ultra in May 2013, essentially a premium version of the popular My Passport. Available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB, it comes preloaded with WD SmartWare Pro backup software, Dropbox integration, and hardware encryption.
Lenovo has a range of new touch-enabled computers launching during and after PC Show 2013, held at Singapore Expo from 6th to 9th June. The IdeaCentre Horizon caught my eye first, resembling a Microsoft PixelSense and running Windows 8 Pro.
Chromebooks have arrived in Singapore, though oddly they're sold only at Courts for now, not Challenger, Harvey Norman, or Best Denki. Three models are available: the HP Pavilion and Samsung Chromebooks at S$449, and the Acer C7 at S$369.
NewsLoop, which launched on iOS in July 2012, is now available on Android via Google Play. It gathers the best news and lifestyle content from Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia into a single elegant app, with 400 publishers and 30 categories.
After the Microsoft Surface RT launched in Singapore last month, many wondered when the Surface Pro would follow. Microsoft Singapore has now confirmed its arrival, and following a price reduction announced on 30th August 2013, I've updated this post.
Asus launched the world's smallest router last week, the WL-330NUL, 6.5cm long and weighing 17.5g, available from 20th May 2013 for S$59. This 4-in-1 device works as a router, USB Ethernet adapter, wireless adapter, and hotspot, but lacks a battery.
Dell now operates two direct stores in Singapore, one at Suntec City Mall and the other at Funan DigitaLife Mall. The Suntec store sits near Suntec Tower 5, while the Funan store is at 109 North Bridge Road.
During Mother's Day week, Barnes & Noble dropped its 16GB Nook HD+ Tablet from US$269 to US$179. I bought one, a fair price for the specs, having wanted to try an Android tablet. It lacks a camera, GPS, and 3G.
I was an early backer of OCDock on Kickstarter, pledging on 4th December 2012. It funded, raising US$107,979 against a US$49,000 goal. The project slipped a few months, due to ship in January 2013, but I received mine in May.
I saw the WordPress 10th Anniversary T-Shirt on WordPress.org and knew I had to have it. The sale price was just US$10 with free US shipping until 27th May 2013, but Singapore shipping cost US$14.65, bringing my total to US$24.65.
During BHG's bi-annual super sale, Li Xiang bought me the Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag in Small for just S$69 from the Bugis outlet. The Extra Small version and an iPad sleeve were also on sale, at S$59.90 and S$25 respectively.
I spotted the Starbucks Stainless Steel Cold Cup (S$36.90) on Starbucks Singapore's Facebook page and knew I had to have it. After lunch I visited four outlets, but every one had sold out, so I wrote on their Facebook page.
Adobe Creative Cloud is now available for individuals and enterprise, having previously been limited to teams since January 2013. Adobe is also retiring the Creative Suite (CS) branding, replacing it with Creative Cloud (CC), as in Photoshop CC, InDesign CC.
Launched on 19th April 2013, the SanDisk Cruzer Orbit USB Flash Drive features a 360-degree swivel cover and weighs just 4g, with a ring hole for your key chain. Its only downside is USB 2.0, to keep the price low.
The Koncept Z-Bar Slim LED Desk Lamp (AR3200) retails for S$318 at Challenger Funan and select stationery shops. I'd recommend Challenger Funan, where a 10% member's discount brings it down to S$286.20. Note it's stocked only at the Funan branch.