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.
The Sanyo Eneloop Black Charger Set BC-MQR06 is the latest eneloop product. Each set pairs four AA eneloop XX rechargeable batteries with a Black Charger in a sleek black-and-silver design. It retails for S$65.90 at Best Denki, Meidi-Ya, Selffix D.I.Y.
The Flucard Pro is made by Singapore's Trek 2000 International, the very company that invented and patented the Thumbdrive. The 8GB model retails for S$79 at all Challenger stores, with a 16GB version also available. It's an SD card.
Apple released OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) to the Mac App Store yesterday, 25th July 2012, priced at S$25.98. New features include better iCloud integration, the Reminders, Notes, and Messages apps, Notification Center, Power Nap, Dictation, and expanded sharing.
I saw on @lupcheong's tweet that In-N-Out Burger might be coming to Singapore. The advertised event could be a tasting session or a trial of local response, and I'm hoping they make it. I had my first In-N-Out in California.
Cisco launched the Linksys EA4500 router in June 2012, retailing for S$299. It introduces Cisco Connect Cloud, letting you connect, control, and interact with your router and its devices from anywhere, as long as you're online.
The LunaTik Touch Pen was the 6th project I backed on Kickstarter, pledging on 14th December 2011. It funded on 10th February 2012, raising US$309,183 against a US$75,000 goal. After some delays, I finally received it on 10th July.
On 10th July 2012, SanDisk announced four new USB flash drives for 2012. Among them, the USB 3.0 SanDisk Extreme transfers, stores, and shares large files up to ten times faster, reaching speeds of up to 190MB/s.
Just a heads up: starting August 2012, I'll be giving away a Logitech gaming product via a monthly Twitter contest over the next three months, totalling S$620. The contests are open to my Singapore-based readers only.
Epson launched the Moverio BT-100 last Friday at ION Sky, its answer to Google Glass. It retails from Monday, 23rd July 2012, at selected Best Denki outlets for S$999. Pre-order before 22nd July and you'll get a 16GB MicroSD card.
Li Xiang got the Western Digital My Passport (1TB) from Challenger for S$189, or S$159 with member's price. In this new 2012 edition, WD has dropped the 'Essential SE' name, so it's simply My Passport, with USB 3.0 now standard.
I bought the Vantec NexStar SATA/IDE to USB 3.0 Adapter from Challenger for S$59.90, or S$53.91 with member's price. As the name suggests, it converts an internal SATA or PATA drive to USB 3.0 for plug-and-play access.
Last week, Dell announced the XPS 14 Ultrabook, a new member of the XPS Ultrabook family. It's already available in Singapore, starting at S$1,399. The XPS 14 is built from machined aluminium in silver, with a silicone base.
If you're shopping for a laptop this year, you've likely encountered the buzzword Intel Ultrabook. Though not new, having been announced at Computex 2011, it's gone mainstream as OEMs like Dell, HP, Samsung, Asus, and Acer churn out more models.
Google Chrome has finally arrived on iOS as a universal app. I've tried it on both my iPhone 4S and iPad 2, and it works beautifully, replacing Safari on my devices. Sync of bookmarks, history, tabs, and preferences works perfectly.
Google launched several products at this morning's Google I/O 2012, including the Nexus 7 at US$199, the Nexus Q at US$299, and the Triad Bookshelf Speakers at US$399. It also announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the update to Android 4.0.
The day has finally come, Apple has launched the iTunes Store in Singapore, alongside Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and several other countries. iTunes Match is available at S$31.98 a year. It's live on my Mac, though not yet on iPhone.
The Nokia Lumia 900 is what Nokia's flagship Windows Phone 7.5 should have been all along. Where the Lumia 800 felt rushed, the 900 feels just right. Sadly, Microsoft has effectively killed every current Windows Phone with Windows Phone 8.
Finally, prices in both the iOS App Store and Mac App Store in Singapore now display in Singapore Dollars rather than US Dollars. That means app prices won't fluctuate with the poor exchange rates banks apply.
SingTel and Samsung have both pledged their support for Team Singapore at the London 2012 Olympics. Samsung is sponsoring 60 white Samsung Galaxy SIII handsets, while SingTel provides complimentary airtime and data so athletes can stay in touch with family.
Earlier this morning, Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8 at the Windows Phone Developer Summit. Existing Windows Phone 7.5 Mango users won't be able to upgrade, due to hardware differences. Instead, they'll receive a minor Windows Phone 7.8 update.
Microsoft has jumped on the tablet bandwagon with the Surface. I'm unsure whether the official name is just Surface or Surface Tablet, since Surface used to mean Microsoft's huge touchscreen table. It seems Microsoft has renamed that older device PixelSense.
My four-year-old Hitachi 32-inch LCD TV, bought on 30th December 2007 for S$1,099, finally gave up, sound playing but no picture. Rather than pay an uneconomical repair, I bought a new Samsung Series 5 32-inch Slim LED Smart TV.