Archive for March, 2021
Wednesday, March 31st, 2021
With the growing demand for storage space at home, I’ve set up an NAS (Network Attached Storage) with three Seagate IronWolf Pro 14TB NAS HDD (Hard Disk Drive) in a Synology DS918+ DiskStation. Just in time for World Backup Day 2021 today.
The three Seagate IronWolf Pro 14TB HDD freshly unwrapped (lower photo) and just prior to installation into the Synology DS918+ DiskStation NAS.
With the exponentially increasing demand for storage space, businesses and home users constantly find themselves exhausting whatever storage they have – be it to store text documents, databases, photos or huge video files.
The NAS sitting pretty alongside the Linksys E9450 router, all set up with RAID5 in a Synology DS918+ DiskStation with three Seagate IronWolf Pro 14TB HDDs within.
And with the COVID-19 pandemic, employees are working from home and students are doing home-based learning – resulting in large increases in demand for storage needs at home eg. if you’re a creative pro who now have to do your video-editing at home instead of at the office.
The three Seagate IronWolf Pro 14TB HDDs and Synology DS918+ DiskStation NAS just prior to unboxing.
Having gotten by with a desktop expansion HDD connected to my work laptop, I’ve decided to set up an NAS at home – to not only increase storage capacity but also to share that storage with all members of the family.
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Tags:hard disks, HDD, IronWolf, NAS, network, reviews, Seagate, SME, SOHO, storage, Synology
Posted in Accessories, Appliances, Business IT, Gadgets, gadgets, Network, Opinion, Prices, Promotions, Review, reviews, Seagate, servers, Software, Specifications, storage drive, Synology | 7 Comments »
Tuesday, March 30th, 2021
The new Roborock S7 boasts a fast sonic mop and intelligent automatic lift to tackle different surfaces (carpets, hard surfaces) without human intervention. Prices & promotions below.
The Roborock S7 will be available at S$699 during the 4.4 sale on 4 April, 2021.
Fast & powerful, the Roborock S7 is available for pre-order until 11 April at a discounted price of S$799 (UP: S$1,299), with additional S$100 discount on 4 Apr for the 4.4 sale.
Pre-orders can be made on Roborock’s official store on Shopee.
Roborock today rolled out its latest robot vacuum cum mop – the Roborock S7 – in an online launch.
More details below about the Roborock S7, from the press release.
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Tags:appliances, IoT, mops, new arrivals, Roborock, vacuums
Posted in Appliances, Events, events, Gadgets, gadgets, Home, Internet of Things, IoT, Launch, newArrivals, Online, Press Release, Prices, Robots, Specifications, Vacuum Mop | 7 Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2021
Oppo’s Reno5 series boasts good video capabilities and performance, including Dual-view mode, AI Highlight video, 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge and 90Hz refresh rate.
The Oppo Reno5 Pro is available with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage in Galactic Silver and Starry Black at a retail price of S$899.
The Reno5 series is Oppo’s first 5G-ready Reno series to be released in Singapore.
Reno5 Pro features MediaTek’s latest flagship 5G-integrated SoC, the Dimensity 1000+, for top-of-class 5G capabilities.
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Tags:OPPO, Reno, reviews, smartphones
Posted in Android, Gadgets, gadgets, Opinion, OPPO, Phones, Prices, Review, reviews, smartphones, Specifications | No Comments »
Friday, March 19th, 2021
Today is World Sleep Day, so here are five tips on how to get a better night’s sleep from sleep expert Fitbit.
Sleep like a baby with 5 sleep tips from Fitbit. Photo by Tara Raye on Unsplash.
Getting our eight hours of quality sleep every night is important as adequate sleep and regular sleep patterns help rejuvenate our mood regulation, cognitive function, and overall health.
According to Fitbit’s data in 2020, Singaporeans were sleeping more last year.
However, Singaporeans still had one of the lowest sleep durations in the region, indicating there is still room for us to improve our quality of sleep.
So here are five tips for ways you can sleep longer and get a better quality shut eye.
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Tags:Fitbit, howto, sleep, tips
Posted in Fitbit, Healthcare, Howtos, Lifestyle, Lists, Medical, Tips | No Comments »
Thursday, March 18th, 2021
The Philips 2021 global sleep survey finds that Singaporeans now average 6.8 hrs of sleep per night, down from 7 hours in the 2020 survey.
A year since the start of COVID-19, Singaporeans’ sleep issues loom large.
The Philips 2021 global sleep survey, in its sixth annual installment, is being released to mark World Sleep Day tomorrow.
Online Sleep Quiz and Home Sleep Test
In conjunction with World Sleep Day, Philips has launched an Online Sleep Quiz and Home Sleep Test for individuals to assess their sleep issues and get diagnosed for OSA.
Participants who are assessed as having a high risk of OSA through the online sleep quiz will be offered a home sleep test at S$39 (U.P: S$350).
Should they be diagnosed with OSA, they will be referred to a sleep specialist for a follow-up.
The study also found that over half (57%) of Singaporeans’ ability to sleep well has been directly impacted by the pandemic, with more than a third experiencing negative impact on their stress, ability to sleep well, mental/emotional health, sleep and work routines.
With telehealth on the rise, Singaporeans are open to online means to address sleep-related
concerns, yet fear hinders many from getting tested for obstructive sleep apnea.
More details below from the study.
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Tags:apnea, Philips, sleep, study
Posted in Figures, Healthcare, Infographic, infographics, Lifestyle, Medical, Philips, Reference, Study | No Comments »
Monday, March 15th, 2021
Did you know that sex toys could be connected to the Internet, to a smartphone or to another sex toy? Along with the technology that makes sex toys smart, vulnerabilities are introduced that could endanger the user’s data, privacy and even safety!
Architecture of a smart sex toy.
With the emergence of the IoT, many manufacturers have entered the sexual pleasure market by integrating the ability to control devices through mobile apps as well as adding web-based interconnectivity.
There are currently numerous different apps available, each of which offers the ability to control a wide range of models.
In terms of their architecture, most of these devices can be controlled via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) from an app installed on a smartphone.
Sex in the Digital Era
ESET has published a White Paper on their study on the potential security and safety flaws of connected sex toys.
The title of the report is “Sex in the Digital Era – How secure are smart sex toys?” and here is an excerpt on the characteristics of sex toys.
The main advantages of this protocol are that it has very low power requirements, communications are within an acceptable range, there is interoperability among chipset manufacturers, and it all comes in a very compact size.
As a result, a lot of smart devices for the home, health, car, and even sex toy fields, use BLE between the device and the app that controls it.
Like Bluetooth, BLE operates on the 2.4 GHz ISM band.
However, unlike standard Bluetooth, BLE stays in sleep mode all the time, except when a connection is initiated.
Also, the actual connection times themselves are just a few milliseconds, unlike Bluetooth, which takes more than 100 milliseconds.
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Tags:Bluetooth, ESET, IoT, security, sex, study, toys, vulnerabilities, White Paper
Posted in Accessories, ESET, Gadgets, gadgets, Reference, smartphones, Study | No Comments »
Sunday, March 14th, 2021
ESET has published a White Paper on their study on the potential security and safety flaws of connected sex toys. The title of the report is “Sex in the Digital Era – How secure are smart sex toys?” and here is an excerpt on the evolution of sex toys.
“Sex in the Digital Era – How secure are smart sex toys?” is an ESET Research White Paper published by Denise Giusto and Cecilia Pastorino.
As IoT (Internet of Things) devices continue to seep into our homes and offer an increasingly wide range of features, new concerns are beginning to arise about the security of the data processed by these devices.
Though they have been subject to countless security breaches leading to the exposure of people’s login details, financial information, and geographical location, among others, there are few kinds of data with more potential to harm users, if published, than those relating to their sexual behavior.
Sex in the Digital Era
So, how secure are adult toys right now?
Have the necessary precautions been taken to protect people’s data and privacy?
These are some of the concerns addressed in this whitepaper.
We will analyse the increasingly important role played by these types of devices and the vulnerabilities in some of them, placing an emphasis on the importance of demanding—as informed consumers—that best practices and standards are applied to these products in order to ensure that our data is secure and we are unharmed.
With new models of smart toys for adults entering the market all the time, we might imagine that progress is being made in strengthening the mechanisms to ensure good practices in the processing of user information.
However, our research shows that we are a long way from being able to live out our sexuality through digital media without exposing ourselves to the risk of cyberattack.
Today, these findings are more relevant than ever, since we are seeing a rapid rise in sex toy sales as a reflection of the current health situation around the world and the social distancing measures related to COVID-19.
Though many experts have devoted time to identifying and reporting security flaws within this industry, with every passing year these devices incorporate an ever wider range of features: Group chats, multimedia messages, videoconferencing, synchronisation with lists of songs or audio books, and much more.
Each time their code is re-engineered, some vulnerabilities are corrected, new vulnerabilities may be created, and many more remain unchanged in the updated versions.
Read about the evolution of sex toys below.
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Tags:ESET, IoT, security, sex, study, toys, White Paper
Posted in Accessories, ESET, Gadgets, Internet of Things, IoT, Security, Study | No Comments »
Saturday, March 13th, 2021
Vulnerabilities in smart sex toys could leave users at risk of data breaches and attacks, both cyber and physical, according to a new white paper from global cybersecurity experts at ESET.
The We-Vibe Jive (left) and Lovense Max (right) analysed in the study.
The “Sex in the Digital Era – How secure are smart sex toys?” report explores the potential security and safety flaws of connected sex toys and includes an in-depth analysis of two popular devices.
Amidst ongoing social restrictions due to the pandemic, sales of sex toys has risen rapidly, and associated cybersecurity concerns mustn’t be overlooked.
Sex in the Digital Era
“Sex in the Digital Era – How secure are smart sex toys?” is an ESET Research White Paper published by Denise Giusto and Cecilia Pastorino.
Stay tuned over the next few days as I feature interesting extracts from the White Paper.
As newer, technologically advanced models of sex toys enter the marketplace, incorporating mobile apps, messaging, video chat, and web-based interconnectivity, devices become more appealing and exploitable to cybercriminals.
The consequences of data breaches in this sphere can be particularly disastrous when the information leaked concerns sexual orientation, sexual behaviors, and intimate photos.
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Tags:ESET, IoT, Lovense, security, sex, study, toys, We-Vibe, White Paper
Posted in Accessories, ESET, Gadgets, gadgets, Internet of Things, IoT, Press Release, Security, Study | No Comments »
Friday, March 12th, 2021
In an IDC survey commissioned by ASUS, SMBs are more inclined to equip their employees with laptops rather than desktop computers – compared to prior to COVID-19.
Hmm, still somewhat behind Japan I suppose. I recall, when attending a senior management & leadership course in Japan in the late 90’s, the staff at the college were already equipped 100% with laptops, while fellow-attendees of the year-long course were issued with a personal laptop. It was a cultural mindshift – coming from a work environment at home when it was still 100% desktop.
Presented during the IDC & ASUS Webcast 2021 Singapore – Digital Transformation for the Next Normal in Asia/Pacific, ASUS revealed that 45% of Singapore SMBs are likely to convert to a 100% laptop setup post COVID-19, underscoring the importance of mobility in a hybrid workplace model.
The finding is among other strategic insights to SMB technology use and how COVID-19 has affected related decisions.
Three suggestions from IDC that Singapore SMBs can implement with regard to technology implementation.
Considering the survey findings, IDC advised that equipping employees with the latest devices that can support both a remote and hybrid work environment will have a significant impact not only on employee productivity and experience, but also will provide a competitive edge to organizations to attract and retain talent.
More details below from the press release.
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Tags:Asus, computing, COVID-19, IDC, laptops, mobility, study, survey, work
Posted in Asus, Brief, Business IT, events, Figures, Gadgets, gadgets, Infographic, Notebooks, notebooks, Online, Opinion, Press Release, Seminars, Study, Trends | No Comments »
Thursday, March 11th, 2021
The Oppo Find X3 Pro (12 GB + 256GB: S$1,599) will hit Singapore shelves on 27 March, with pre-orders beginning at 11pm tonight. Promotions below.
The OPPO Find X3 Pro is available in Blue and Gloss Black with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage at a retail price of S$1599.
The Find X3 Pro features Oppo’s Full-path 10-bit Colour Management System and True Billion Colour Display (QHD+ 3216 x 1440 @ 525ppi, 1300 nits and 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio).
Orders & Purchases
- Online Pre-order (11-26 Mar)
- Offline Pre-order (12-26 Mar)
- Oppo Concept Stores
- Challenger
- Sales Begin (27 Mar)
- Oppo Concept Stores, Shopee, Lazada, M1, Singtel, StarHub, Resellers
Boasting a colour accuracy rating of 0.4 JNCD, and A+ DisplayMate certification, the display offers a 5 to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate with its power-saving LTPO OLED panel
The flagship phone sports two billion-colour cameras.
Both its wide and ultra-wide cameras have an IMX766 50MP Sony sensor.
It has a macro focus distance of 4cm while its 60x magnification Microlens offer microscopic photography to the user.
The Find X3 Pro offers billion-colour 4K 10-bit video recording.
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Tags:5G, Find X3, launch, OPPO, Reno, Singapore, smartphones
Posted in Android, Events, events, Gadgets, gadgets, Launch, newArrivals, OPPO, Phones, Press Release, Prices, Promotions, smartphones, Specifications | No Comments »
