Archive for the ‘Brands’ Category

New arrival: Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+ smartphones unpacked

Wednesday, March 29th, 2017

Samsung unveiled their new flagship Android smartphones at the Samsung Unpacked 2017 event in New York which was streamed live to fans all around the world. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will be available in select countries from 21 April.

Update (5 April, 2017):

Registration of interest and pre-order for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will commence from 7 April 2017 at all telecommunication operators, major consumer electronics stores’ websites, Lazada Singapore and Samsung Experience Stores.

Pre-order for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will also be available at the Galaxy Studio at Civic Plaza, Ngee Ann City during opening hours from 14 April 2017.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be available in colour options of Maple Gold, Midnight Black and Orchid Gray from 29 April 2017 at the recommended retail price of S$1,148 (S8) and S$1,298 (S8+).

The devices will be available at all local telecommunication operators, major consumer electronics stores, authorised mobile retailers, Samsung Experience Stores and Lazada Singapore.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 measures 5.8 inches while the S8+ is a bigger 6.2 inches. Both have Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 measures 5.8 inches while the S8+ is a bigger 6.2 inches. Both have Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back.

The 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+ sport infinity bezel-less displays and offer a connected ecosystem of services and an intelligent interface.

The slightly-curved edges on the sides makes the phone appear bezel-less and sleek.

The curved edges of the S8/S8+ are much less pronounced compared to those of the S7 edge.

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Event forecast: IFA Global Press Conference 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal

Monday, March 27th, 2017

IFA this year will be from 1-6 September, 2017. As in previous years, the annual consumer electronics & home appliances show will be preceded by a preview mini-show for the media from 20-23 April.

This year’s IFA GPC will be in Lisbon, Portugal (20-23 April, 2017). Venues in the past have included Dubrovnik in Croatia (2012), Sardinia in Italy (2013), and Belek in Turkey (2014).

This year’s IFA GPC will be in Lisbon, Portugal (20-23 April, 2017). Venues in the past have included Dubrovnik in Croatia (2012), Sardinia in Italy (2013), and Belek in Turkey (2014).

IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin – international radio exhibition Berlin) is a global consumer electronics and home appliances show held annually in Berlin in September.

IFA 2016 saw more than 1,800 exhibitors showing off their products to 238,000 visitors (including139,000 trade visitors) in 158,000 sqm of rented display area.

Every year, the organisers hold a global press conference (IFA GPC) in another European city (2016 was an exception, when the GPC was held in Hong Kong & Shenzhen).

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Cisco upgrades Cisco Spark and launches Cisco Spark Board

Tuesday, March 21st, 2017

Cisco Spark is the company’s cloud-based, unified communications platform, while the Cisco Spark Board is an interactive electronic whiteboard for the future workplace. Prices below.

Cisco showcased its upgraded Cisco Spark – the company’s cloud-based, all-in-one messaging, meetings, calls and conferencing platform designed for the workplace of the future.

The new version of its flagship collaboration solution includes a simplified user interface, more features, and seamless linking to Cisco’s wide portfolio of corporate phone systems, WebEx meeting and video conferencing technologies.

The launch was held at the Impact Hub Singapore, a coworking community with over 670 members comprising both ideation stage startups to billion-dollar “Unicorn” ventures.

Cisco also launched for Asia its Cisco Spark Board, a new plug-and-play, all-in-one device for team collaboration that lets users wirelessly present, whiteboard, and video or audio conference whether you are in the physical conference room or not. (Prices below.)

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Opening: Hubtricity – StarHub’s new innovation centre & converged operations cockpit

Sunday, March 19th, 2017

StarHub supports Singapore’s Smart Nation vision with the new 58,000 sq ft Hubtricity (创星之城) in within STT MediaHub in one-north. It went fully operational in December 2016.

“With Hubtricity, StarHub is investing in capabilities that will enable it to innovate and develop new digital products, services and solutions with partners across industries. Hubtricity will add to Singapore’s position as the Digital Capital of Asia and will create exciting jobs in Singapore in areas such as cyber security and social media analytics,” said Kiren Kumar, assistant managing director at EDB. Photo credit: Cassie Fong, StarHub.

“With Hubtricity, StarHub is investing in capabilities that will enable it to innovate and develop new digital products, services and solutions with partners across industries. Hubtricity will add to Singapore’s position as the Digital Capital of Asia and will create exciting jobs in Singapore in areas such as cyber security and social media analytics,” said Kiren Kumar, assistant managing director at EDB. Photo credit: Cassie Fong, StarHub.

The new facility acts as a foundation to accelerate service innovation and co-creation with partners and customers.

In so doing, StarHub hopes to transform Singapore into a vibrant and connected Smart Nation, enhancing people’s everyday lives, strengthening enterprise capabilities and deepening Singapore’s international connectivity.

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New arrival: Ban Leong introduces UBTECH Jimu robots in Singapore

Saturday, March 18th, 2017

The Jimu range of robots are designed to nurture kids and teens with an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics). There are five kits available. Prices below.

UBTECH’s Jimu Robot is an interactive robotic building block system that lets kids easily Build, Program and Share their robot creations:

The five kits are made of lego-like components that can be assembled into different robots.

The various Jimu robot kits on display during the launch in Singapore by Ban Leong Technologies.

The five Jimu robot kits available (with prices) in Singapore are:

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New arrival: Lamch & Co introduces Flip plug by OneAdaptr

Tuesday, March 14th, 2017

For travellers that hate the bulkiness of the British 3-pin plug, the Flip plug allow the plug to be folded into a compact flat form factor for packing away into the luggage bag. Prices below.

The Flip comes in three designs to cater to varying power needs. From left: Flip Duo (S$39), Flip Quad (S$59), Flip Power (S$69).

The Flip comes in three designs to cater to varying power needs. From left: Flip Duo (S$39), Flip Quad (S$59), Flip Power (S$69).

The Flip is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign which raised £28,115 from 1,140 backers, exceeding their initial goal of £15,000.

Measuring in at a mere 18mm when folded, the Flip is only a third of the standard British plug’s thickness.

When folded, the pins are hidden away when not in use, protecting your devices and other items from scratches when stored together with the Flip.

To use, simply press the auto-release button, lock the pin and you are ready to go.

The Flip comes in three designs to cater to varying power needs.

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Interview: What does a career in Big Data Geo-Analytics look like?

Friday, March 3rd, 2017

Get the scoop from Chandra Sekhar Saripaka, who is a Senior Data Engineer at DataSpark.

Chandra is an experienced software engineer with more than 10 years in the IT field that included stints in major banks.

Chandra is an experienced software engineer with more than 10 years in the IT field that included stints in major banks.

An aspiring Big Data scientist should look no further than Chandra Sekhar Saripaka.

As a Senior Data Engineer with DataSpark, he was one of two speakers from the company who participated in Strata + Hadoop World 2016 in Singapore, a conference which attracted the top minds around the world working on Big Data and analytics.

Chandra spoke on how to go “from telco data to spatial-temporal intelligence APIs”, by “architecting through microservices”.

He explained in detail the production architecture at DataSpark and how it works through terabytes of spatial-temporal telco data each day in PaaS mode.

Chandra also shared with fellow data scientists attending his talk how the platform operates in SaaS mode.

Chandra’s in-depth knowledge of Big Data makes him the best person to give pointers to an aspiring IT engineer in the field.

I’ve asked Chandra to share his valuable insights on carving a career in this intensely competitive arena.

What must today’s IT worker do to get a foothold in Big Data?

Chandra: There is a paradigm shift in the way traditional software is being transformed into data-driven software.

With the rise of many small and medium startups in the market, various cloud-ready tools – in terms of storage, compute, processing and visualisation – have emerged.

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New arrival: Wacom launches 2017 lineup of graphics tablets & stylus in Singapore

Tuesday, February 28th, 2017

The new slew of graphics tablets and stylus include the Bamboo Fineline Stylus, Bamboo Slate smartpad, Bamboo Folio smartpad, Intuos Pro and Cintiq Pro 13 & 16. Prices below.

Anti-clockwise from top right (not to scale):

  • Bamboo Fineline smart Stylus (S$89)
  • Bamboo Slate Smartpad (A5: S$199, A4: S$229)
  • Bamboo Folio Smartpad (A5: S$229, A4: S$299)
  • Intuos Pro Paper Edition (medium: S$579, large: S$799)
  • <Not shown here – Intuos Pro (medium: S$499, large: S$709)>
  • Cintiq Pro 13 (S$1,499) & 16 (S$2,199)

The new lineup caters to a whole range of users, from professional graphics artists requiring high performance and precision, to the man in the street, looking for user-friendliness and enhanced productivity.

Below are the models that were launched in Singapore and their prices.

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Dyson launches Singapore Technology Centre

Monday, February 13th, 2017

Founder Sir James Dyson aims to nurture “exceptional” engineers focused on cutting edge manufacturing, software, and robotics in spare-no-expense laboratories.

James Dyson today opened the doors to Dyson’s new Technology Centre in Singapore, in the presence of Minister for Trade and Industry, S. Iswaran.

Dyson’s Singapore Technology Centre is being launched with the backdrop of Singapore’s Smart Nation vision, and a world where technologies are increasingly intelligent and connected. “As the way people shop is changing so to is our supply chain. The Dyson Control Tower connects our entire supply chain. Using the latest technology, it tracks real time machine reliability and delivery performance ensuring the highest quality products reach our customers on time,” said Jim Rowan, Chief Operating Officer, Dyson. Photo credit: Dyson.

Dyson is investing £330m in its future in Singapore.

“It is no coincidence that we are deepening our investment in Singapore to achieve our technology ambitions. Right here, some of the world’s brightest minds are working on artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, fluid dynamics, vision systems to bring hardware, electronics and software together. Good software allows Dyson products to actually improve over time and gives them intelligence to understand and respond to their environment”, said Sir James Dyson, Founder, Dyson.

The new facility has the latest development labs, bringing together the latest hardware and software expertise.

Dyson plans to grow the Singapore-based engineering team by 50 per cent.

Located in the heart of Singapore’s start-up community and next to the National University of Singapore, the new Centre’s engineering teams will focus developing new technologies for the future.

Dyson invests £7m a week in research and development and employs 3,500 engineers and scientists globally.

It has 1,100 people in Singapore split between its Technology Centre at Science Park I and its advanced digital motors manufacturing facility at West Park.

Dyson is seeking highly skilled engineers across a broad range of engineering disciplines including connectivity, motors, sensors, electronics, robotics, navigation, software and purification.

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New arrival: Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation

Thursday, January 19th, 2017

The Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation personal backup solution offers protection against ransomware attacks, along with blockchain-based document certification and electronic signature technology. Subscription prices below.

A photo posted by John Tan (@tech4tea) on

Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation tackles the multi-billion dollar cyber-threat nightmare with real-time protection against ransomware attacks targeting data and offers the industry’s first blockchain-based certification and electronic signature technology.

The three core new features in Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation (over the existing Acronis TrueImage 2017) are:

  1. Acronis Active Protection – protects data against ransomware.
  2. Acronis Notary – ensures data authenticity with blockchain.
  3. Acronis ASign – provides easy-to-use digital signatures.

Acronis launched True Image 2017 New Generation in Singapore at its offices in Suntec City Tower 3. Here’s Mike Chadwick, Vice President of Engineering & Cloud Operations for Acronis, at the launch.

Pricing and Availability

The Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation will be available in 1, 3 and 5 computer offerings, at the price of S$139.99, S$200.99 and S$224.99 respectively.

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