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since 2002
After buying some cheap Chinese imitation Lightning cables from DealExtreme with horrible quality, I swore off cheap cables for good. The Belkin 6-inch Lightning to USB ChargeSync Cable is the shortest quality cable I could find.
My company gave me a MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch (Late 2013), which uses MagSafe 2 rather than MagSafe 1. With a spare 85W MagSafe adapter at home, I picked up Apple's official converter for it.
My work laptop had been a MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid 2011), now a three-year-old model. Under migme's policy of replacing laptops every three years, they bought me a 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina (Late 2013), with a 2.4GHz dual-core i5.
On 18th June 2014, Adobe unveiled its biggest Creative Cloud update yet, spanning major upgrades to its desktop apps, new iOS mobile apps, a Creative Cloud SDK, and a new Creative Cloud Photography plan.
I hadn't heard of Martian Notifier before, but it's a nicely designed watch combining an analog clockface with phone notifications delivered through its Smart Notifications app. The app offers three distinct levels of notification support.
It's World Cup season, and minifiglabs.com has created custom LEGOfied minifigure sets for eight qualifying countries: Brazil, Spain, Japan, Germany, Italy, Argentina, England, and the Netherlands. Each poseable figure comes with a metallic gold trophy.
Realtek, the Taiwanese semiconductor firm making everything from audio to Wi-Fi chips, has opened an office in Singapore. Founded in 1987, it's now the sixth-largest fabless semiconductor company in Asia and 16th worldwide, with 2013 revenue of nearly US$1 billion.
The Mactrix Dual 9000 is the larger sibling of the Mactrix Dual 5200, retailing for S$99 in red, black, and champagne gold. Like the 5200, you'll find it at Apple resellers EpiCentre, Nubox, and iStudio, plus Robinsons and Isetan.
Parallels Access was once iPad-only, but with last week's Parallels Access 2.0 it now runs on Android and iPhone as a universal app. It's a remote desktop for Android and iOS that lets you run any Mac or PC application.
After getting my Nexus 5, I needed a clear case and screen protector, so I chose the Spigen Ultra Thin Air Case, which bundles a Clear Case and an Ultra Crystal Screen Protector. Its hard polycarbonate shell encases it completely.
My company, migme, formerly mig33, surprised us each with a 16GB Nexus 5 to reward our hard work on the mig33-to-migme rebranding. I'd always wanted one, the best Android phone I've used, its stock Android fast and bloat-free.
Announced last month, the Logitech Big Bang is a rugged case for the iPad Air and iPad mini. It comes in three colours, Super Fluro, Magma Red, and Forged Graphite. The Air retails for S$139 and the mini for S$119.
Mactrix is a lesser-known portable battery brand made in Singapore by Mactrix Creations, a young, innovative company focused on power solutions for the tech-savvy. They offer a variety of mobile power suited to most devices, all wrapped in trendy designs.
SingTel has launched Easy Mobile, the first postpaid mobile service in Asia to let users customise their tariff plan each month. I've long wanted this, as I use little voice or SMS and would trade it for more data.
The newly launched Klipsch Reference R6 and R6i replace the much-loved Klipsch Image S4 II and S4i II respectively, at the same prices. The Reference R6 retails for S$129 and the R6i for S$169, both with a one-year warranty.
I bought the Creative Sound Blaster E1, a portable headphone amplifier, for S$29, down from S$69, in the online Creative Store sale tied to PC Show 2014. Shipping adds S$6, but it's free on orders above S$60.
I'd been using the Power Support Air Jacket Set (Clear) for my iPhone 5s, skeptical I'd find another clear case as good. The Snugg iPhone 5s Ultra Thin Clear Case surprised me, feeling well built for just US$14.99.
The Nokia XL, one of the first Nokia Android phones, arrives in Singapore from 13th June 2014 at noon. Initially it's online-exclusive at handphoneshop.com/NokiaXL until 27th June, then available nationwide at Nokia stores and solution partners from the 28th.
The much-anticipated Xbox One finally reaches Singapore from 23rd September 2014, over six months after its November 2013 North American launch. The console retails for S$639, or S$739 with Kinect. Every system includes the console and a 500GB hard drive.
Newegg is expanding to Singapore, alongside India, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Poland, by the end of June 2014. Currently in four countries, US, Canada, UK, and Australia, Newegg is one of the largest online retailers of computer hardware.
Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and founder of Automattic, stopped by Singapore on 4th June 2014 as part of his Summer Tour spanning cities like Seoul, Jakarta, Tokyo, and Sydney. I'd known Matt since b2 days but finally met him.
Amazon offers free shipping to Singapore through its AmazonGlobal Saver programme, provided your order tops US$125 and every item qualifies. If even one item doesn't qualify, the whole order misses out, so here I round up LEGO sets that qualify.