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since 2002
The Apple Magic Keyboard retails for S$148, the successor to the Apple Wireless Keyboard at S$98. It's S$50 pricier because Apple finally ditched AA batteries for a built-in rechargeable one, charged via a Lightning cable, giving it a sleeker profile.
Thanks to Lomography, I'm giving away one Lomo'Instant worth S$258 to a lucky winner. To enter, like the Lomography Singapore and lesterchan.net Facebook pages, share this post, and answer a simple question via the linked Google form.
Circles.Life is a Singapore consumer brand of Liberty Wireless, founded by three entrepreneurs with backgrounds at Temasek, McKinsey, and StarHub. As a mobile virtual network operator, it's sometimes called Singapore's fourth telco. This covers its price plans.
I bought the Anker PowerLine+ Lightning Cable (0.9m) from Amazon for US$13.99. Since it doesn't ship to Singapore directly, I forwarded it via HopShopGo. It comes in four lengths, from 0.3m at US$12.99 up to 3m at US$16.99.
I bought the TP-Link 8-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch (TL-SG108) from Challenger VivoCity for S$43, my first TP-Link product, for my new house. I'd weighed it against D-Link's metal-cased DGS-108 at S$55 but chose the cheaper TP-Link.
I bought the Apple Magic Mouse 2 for S$119 after my old Magic Mouse failed, its cursor frozen despite swapping batteries and Macs. The new model swaps AA batteries for a built-in rechargeable one.
I submitted my site to publish Facebook Instant Articles last Thursday, and it was approved today, faster than the stated 24-48 hour review. I use Automattic's official Instant Articles for WP plugin to generate the feed.
After last October's announcement, Apple Pay is finally live in Singapore, with American Express the first supported card; VISA and MasterCard follow soon. It works at stores including Din Tai Fung, FairPrice, Starbucks, Uniqlo, and Shaw Theatres.
The Klipsch Reference X6i was announced in the US in November 2015 and reached Singapore in March 2016. It's the third Reference earphone, retailing for S$329 in white or black, available at Courts, Challenger, and Tat Chuan Acoustic.
I backed the PINE A64 on Kickstarter in January 2016, a project that raised US$1,731,466 from 36,781 backers. I chose the US$29 reward, paying about US$41 with shipping for the PINE A64+ with 2GB RAM, a cheap single-board computer.
GP Batteries has expanded its Smart On-The-Go accessory and power bank range to include USB car and wall chargers, charge-and-sync cables, and power banks. The USB car chargers come in three models, from single-port 2.4A to triple-port 6.3A.
The SanDisk Ultra 200GB MicroSDXC Card was an Amazon Gold Box deal in March 2016 at US$59.99. That's a remarkable drop from its US$399.99 launch price just a year earlier, making this high-capacity card finally affordable.
Singtel's price plans for the iPhone SE. Pre-orders opened on 24th March 2016, with the phone launching on the 31st. Singapore gets the A1723 model, supporting the local LTE, UMTS, and GSM bands across Singtel's plans.
The Pringles Party Speaker sits atop a Pringles can to amplify its acoustics. Powered by three AAA batteries (not included), several can be daisy-chained into a long chain of speakers. It comes in several quirky designs made for Pringles.
I took leave for my 32nd birthday, which turned into an errand day. I started at the Singtel Shop to move Li Xiang's plan to SIM-only, then to OCBC to open her an OCBC 360 account for higher interest rates.
Daniel Wellington is the hipster watch brand of the moment, increasingly popular and not cheap in Singapore. I was seeded two, but since I already wear an Apple Watch and Moto 360, I passed them to Li Xiang.
Since December 2013, Mediacorp has broadcast free-to-air channels digitally over DVB-T2, with analogue signals set to end by 2017. To receive these channels, you need a compatible antenna, so I picked up the AmazonBasics Ultra Thin Indoor TV Antenna.
After my Slack Bot tutorial using AWS API Gateway and Lambda, I ported it to work for a Telegram Bot. The main differences: Telegram requires an API token to post responses back, and I trigger it with /commands.
At Tech in Asia, and between Li Xiang and me, we communicate on Slack, so I built a Slack Bot to run tasks on command. I'd hosted it on my own VPS but moved it to AWS for better uptime.
I bought the Samsung Series 5 55-inch SUHD Smart LED TV (UA55JS7200) from Best Denki VivoCity during a CNY Fortune Sale, for my new house. Launched at S$3,699 in April 2015, it had dropped to S$2,949.
Singtel's price plans for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge 4G+, available in Singapore from 12th March 2016. Both come in a single 32GB, now with expandable microSD up to 200GB, in Black Onyx, Gold Platinum, and Silver Titanium.
I backed the Dash microSD and SD Card Reader on Kickstarter in November 2015, a project that raised US$11,492 from 717 backers. I chose the US$22 reward, paying about US$25 with shipping, for a compact build-your-own card reader.