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've integrated the Flickr API with this site using Dan Coulter's phpFlickr, adding a new Flickr Gallery page that lists every photo on my Flickr account. I no longer upload to the site's own gallery, having moved entirely to Flickr.
Got the TuneWear IceWear for my iPod nano 6G from DG Lifestyle Store at VivoCity for S$28, and it's totally not worth it. The two screen protectors scratch far too easily, and the silicon cover fits poorly, far too big.
Ordered my sixth-generation iPod nano on 30th September 2010 and received it today. DHL actually tried delivering yesterday while I was out, since I always assumed they only worked weekdays. I picked Graphite to match my black Crumpler bag.
No idea why Li Xiang is suddenly so into sports, but she's rubbed off on me. I've jogged every Wednesday for two weeks now. Naturally the gadget freak in me grabbed the Nike + iPod Sport Kit.
Android Market is finally coming to Singapore, alongside 19 other countries. Developers in 29 countries can now sell apps, up from nine, and users in 32 countries can buy paid ones, up from 14, as Android's userbase keeps expanding.
Li Xiang's freelance finance admin flagged her OCBC account number as invalid, expecting nine digits but finding only seven, excluding the branch code and dashes. Mine has seven too. Puzzled, I asked around on Facebook and Twitter.
I've put together a comparison of the Next Gen NBN fibre price plans from Singapore's three telcos, SingTel, M1 and StarHub, plus SuperInternet. It covers download and upload speeds, international bandwidth and pricing, from M1's 25Mbps plan at S$39 upwards.
Bought the Canon PowerShot S95 from the Canon Service Center for S$531, down from S$669, via the Canon Privilege Purchase Program. It rewards buying another Canon product by taking your old one in trade for about 20.5% off RRP.
My brother got me the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5vi from Amazon, shipped via Borderlinx since Amazon won't send it directly here. It cost US$64.99 after discount, far below the US$169.99 list and the S$299 local price. He bought three.
Update: PayPal restored access to my account, requiring only that I remove the Donation button, which I've reworked into a Buy Now button instead. The access-restored email is below, but of course I will never trust PayPal again after this.
Received my black Speck PixelSkin HD from the iPhone 4 Case Program, shipped 7th September and arriving on the 14th. Made of thermoplastic polyurethane, it's much harder than cheap silicon cases, and I love its matte black finish.
Ah Kong, meaning grandfather, is a six-minute short film by Royston Tan about dementia. It tells the poignant story of a grandson trying to understand and reach his dementia-stricken grandfather, part of the Health Promotion Board's dementia awareness campaign.
A quick reference for mobile data APN settings across Singapore's telcos: SingTel uses e-ideas or internet, StarHub uses shinternet, shwapint or shwap with a proxy, and M1 uses sunsurf. Most leave the username and password fields blank.
Here are Apple's own direct download links for iOS 4.1 across iDevices: iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4, plus iPod Touch 2G, 3G and 4G, all on build 8B117. Grab the firmware straight from the source for every supported device.
While I was in Vietnam over the weekend, my brother kindly grabbed the Western Digital Elements Desktop 1TB drive from Bizgram's stall at Comex 2010. I'll use it for Time Machine backups of my MacBook Pro, alongside their portable range.
SingTel has announced its OpenNet fibre price plans, with interest registration opening tomorrow, 1st September 2010, at their exStream site. Honestly it still looks pricey; I'm hoping for an exPress 200 plan, since exPress 150 barely beats StarHub's 100Mbps cable.
After much hesitation I finally replaced my old Leadtek PX9800GX2, which gave a BSOD every single time I ran a 3D game. The fault appeared after just a year, returned post-RMA once warranty expired, yet normal work never triggered it.
Received my black Apple iPhone 4 Bumper from the iPhone 4 Case Program today, shipped 20th August. It retails at US$29, but I find nothing special beyond the metallic volume and power buttons; it doesn't protect the back.
My clear Incase Snap Case for iPhone 4 from the iPhone 4 Case Program arrived yesterday, with Apple's shipping notice on 16th August. Being a free case, it came via DHL Global Mail in an envelope.
Yesterday was NokiaBox Message #3, the task being to unbox a gigantic box holding two Nokia C6 phones. I'd learned the details earlier from Mark's behind-the-scenes post, then met Simon from WOM World at Marina Bay Sands.
Hunting for a replacement for my Creative EP-630i headset, I weighed the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5vi, Bose In-Ear and Klipsch Image S4i. I settled on the S4i, recommended by colleagues and within budget, and I love its three-button remote.
I'm taking part in a Nokia contest involving bloggers from London, New York, India and Singapore. I've no idea what it is yet, just two cryptic clue messages, with all revealed next week. Fingers crossed for a Nokia N8!