Photo of the Day: Nonnberg Abbey (Stift Nonnberg) is a Benedictine monastery in Salzburg, Austria.
This was the convent where Maria served as a postulant before she was sent to look after the children of Captain von Trapp in the musical and movie “The Sound of Music”.
Graves within the compounds of the Nonnberg Abbey, just outside the Abbey Church. The entrance to the church can be seen in the background.
Maria Augusta Kutschera had joined Nonnberg Abbey as a postulant after graduating from college when she was eighteen.
My family and I took a stroll to Nonnberg Abbey after descending from the Hohensalzburg Fortress in the evening.
We wanted to visit the convent from which Maria came from before joining the von Trapp family.
It was really peaceful and tranquil – and free of other tourists.
As a postulant, she was requesting admission into the Abbey as a nun, which may or may not be granted.
The original plan was for her to look after one of Georg von Trapp’s daughters and return after 10 months to formally enter the nunnery.
She eventually went on to look after all of Georg’s seven children and agreed when the latter proposed to her, asking her to stay with him and become a second mother to his children.
The Samsung GALAXY Tab 4 (7”) LTE will be available from 9 August in Classic White at an RRP of S$368.
Designed with the family in mind, the Samsung GALAXY Tab 4 (7.0”) LTE offers entertainment options for the family in a sleek and lightweight package.
The Samsung GALAXY Tab 4 (7.0”) LTE now comes with Samsung Kids Mode, a safe service that makes learning fun for children.
Kids Mode is purely designed for not only building a safe, fun and educational experience for children but also giving parents the information and control they wanted.
Canon today launched its first line-up of Canon bags, offering durability and weather resistance to cameras and accessories.
Prices range from S$9.90 for a generic compact case to S$289 for a professional backpack or shoulder bag. Available from 15 August.
The RL PB-01 (S$289) is a lightweight full size backpack capable of fitting a full set of photographic equipment and a 15” laptop.
Available in two categories – Professional and Classic, the bags and cases complement Canon’s extensive range of cameras and lenses.
For greater security, equipment can be placed in a compartment that can only be accessed from the back of the RL PB-01.
The Professional line features camera backpacks and shoulder bags catered to DSLR users whereas the Classic line carries camera shoulder bags and cases suited for both DSLR and digital compact camera users.
Both lines feature quality craftsmanship, adorned with red threading that distinctly represents Canon’s brand identity.
The RL PB-01 (S$289) – available under the professional line, is a lightweight full size backpack capable of fitting a full set of photographic equipment and a 15” laptop.
It is also able to hold a tripod and a pair of trekking poles.
This is the RT-AC3200 Tri-band Gigabit Router, which ASUS boasts is the world’s fastest tri-band router with a combined transfer rate of 3.2Gbps. Price and availability in Singapore are yet to be announced.
Update (20 August, 2014):
ASUS gave a preview of the RT-AC3200 Tri-band Gigabit Router during the launch of the AC2400 RT-AC87U router in Singapore.
With the easy-to-use ASUSWRT graphical interface and just 30 seconds to set up, ASUS claims that anyone can enjoy the RT-AC3200’s sophisticated features such as Adaptive Quality of Service (QoS) bandwidth management and traffic monitoring. Photo credit: ASUS Singapore.
The RT-AC3200 addresses the problem of slower devices affecting overall network speeds, offering good Internet experience in multi-user environments.
Photo of the Day: Our first two nights in Austria were at the Villa Trapp, the original mansion of the Von Trapp family, in the suburbs of Salzburg.
The entrance to the Villa Trapp – where the real von Trapp family lived and played.
* All the photos in this article were taken with a Sony A7 full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The back of Villa Trapp with the lawn and facing the mountains. We picnic-ed for lunch here upon arrival on the first day.
I first watched the movie, “The Sound of Music” as a child and loved it – so did my entire family.
Fountain on the wall of one of the sheds on the grounds of Villa Trapp.
So when we decided to visit Austria, we jumped at the idea of staying in Villa Trapp, where the real Von Trapp family actually lived from 1923 to 1938, when they migrated to the US.
This house was not the one seen in the movie, which used two other grander houses for exterior shots and a studio set in Hollywood for the interior scenes.
The stately three-storey building was built in 1863 and has 22 rooms.
Georg Von Trapp had bought and moved to the house in 1923 with his seven children when his wife died of Scarlet fever.
Maria Augusta Kutschera came to the von Trapp family in 1926 to take care of one of the children – also named Maria.
Wedding photo of Georg and Maria von Trapp, on a mantelpiece in the lounge of Villa Trapp.
Although she was to stay for only 10 months, she began looking after the other children as well and married Georg in 1927.
Around this time of the year, Singapore gets all excited about celebrating its birthday.
For this year’s National Day, Singapore’s local brew celebrates the nation’s 49th year of independence with a series of activities to engage the populace.
This is the first time that Tiger Beer is shedding its corporate colours to don the national colours. The limited edition red and white livery comes in packs of 10 330ml cans, retailing at a recommended price of S$25.60 at all major supermarkets and hypermarkets.
Firstly, Tiger Beer is shedding the iconic blue livery on its beer cans to put on a patriotic red and white design.
It is also going back to the basics of how Singaporeans have come to adore the quirks and nuances of their uniquely Singaporean culture, Tiger Beer also collaborated with YouTube stars Tree Potatoes to produce a video titled “You Know You’re Singaporean When..”.
With these initiatives, Tiger Beer has also kick-started a crowd-sourced movement to get Singaporeans to participate in 49 acts of pride over a period of seven days, from 1 to 7 August 2014.
Read more about Tiger Beer’s celebratory initiatives below.
The Pebble Steel is now available in Singapore for S$359. First 500 Pebble Steel units sold here will come with a custom-made pouch and silicone sports strap.
From Palo Alto, California, Pebble was brought to life by 85,000 people through Kickstarter, setting a record on the crowdfunding platform and quickly becoming one of the best-selling smartwatches in the world. To date, there are over 400,000 Pebbles on wrists worldwide and thousands of apps available.
The premium version takes everything users love about Pebble – the e-paper display, week-long battery life, and app ecosystem – and wraps it into a sleek design, available in either brushed stainless steel or matte black.
Retail locations for Pebble Steel
Challenger *
Courts *
Digital Style *
DG Lifestyle
EpiCentre
EpiLife *
Harvey Norman
NuBox
Newstead Technologies *
Singtel Stores
* Selected stores
Pebble Steel combines modern technology with classic timepiece design to give users a smartwatch fit for modern urbanites during work and play.
Steel’s e-paper display is protected by a durable Corning Gorilla Glass lens with an oleophobic, anti-fingerprint coating.
The improved housing also comes with subtle RGB LED lights to indicate charging status.
Pebble’s appstore has flourished since its launch earlier this year with big name brands such as Mercedes-Benz, iControl, GoPro, Misfit, Pandora and Evernote jumping on board.
During the launch of the Pebble Steel in Singapore, the company announced that Divian Nair, local Deejay turned Actor-Director, has been appointed as its Pebble evangelist.
LG goes back to basics with new webOS user interface, marrying intuitive ease-of-use with good image quality. The LG 79UB980T has an RRP of S$14,999.
The LG 79UB980T uses a 3840 x 2160 resolution In-Plane Switching (IPS) 4K panel that reproduce vivid and accurate colors. Its wide viewing angle offers a good viewing from nearly any vantage point.
First launched in Singapore back in end May as part of LG’s 2014 ULTRA HD (4K) TV lineup, the 79UB980T offers stunning display and easy connectivity, yet keeps it simple for users to watch the content that they desire – be it live TV, Blu-ray movies, 4K or upscaled 4K content, YouTube videos, and game consoles.
LG’s 2014 ULTRA HD (4K) TV lineup includes premium models as well as affordable versions in screen sizes of 49, 55, 65, 79 and 84 inches.
Its 2014 LG FULL HD TV line-up, comes in sizes of 42, 47, 55 and 60 inches.
You can Skype using the 8-megapixel built-in camera.
The LG 79UB980T user interface uses the webOS platform that the Korean company bought from HP in March last year.
The webOS platform simplifies the TV experience, making it easy to search, navigate and view content, connect with other devices, and also makes the the initial setup process smoother for users unfamiliar with their new TV.
The first time the user turns on the webOS-enabled LG Smart+ TV, an animated character named BeanBird appears onscreen to help users get connected and walk them through the setup process.
You control and interact with the UI using the LG Magic Remote, which enables you to scroll, point, click, or activate voice control.
webOS introduces the new content Launcher is a left-to-right scrollable menu that runs along the lower portion of the screen.
Making smart simple
TVs nowadays are getting more and more sophisticated and are no longer the single-function appliances used to watch live TV and pre-recorded movies from VHS/CD/VCD/DVD/Blu-ray media.
The Internet and broadband connectivity has brought a wealth of content sources to the modern digital life – including videos shared on YouTube and social media, as well as movie websites.
The contemporary consumer also wants to use their TVs with games consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation, and even Skype and surf the Web from the comfort of the living room.
The latest lineup of TVs from the most manufacturers offer these, but usually involve a steep learning curve to wrap the head around user interfaces that tend to get overly complicated as there are so many content sources and options available.
It is therefore refreshing to see LG’s new webOS-based UI, which makes it simple and intuitive for the user to get the content they want on screen – conveniently and speedily.
Seems like LG has succeeded in making smart simple for the user, unlocking the wealth of content available without making it too complicated.
Sony has launched a new, compact member of the XDCAM family to deliver benefits of 1.0-type sensor technology and XAVC in a handheld professional camcorder. 4K recording capability will be available in a future update.
Update (13 August, 2014):
Sony’s PXW-X70 will be available in Asia Pacific from the end of September 2014, with a retail price of S$3,000.
Light and compact entry-level professional camcorder.
The 4K recording capability should be available via a firmware update by the end of the year.
Pricing for the update has not been announced yet, but it’s in the hundreds – less than $1,000 for those who want it.
I had a hands-on with the entry level professional camcorder today.
It’s more compact than others and definitely lighter.
For videographers currently using a DSLR to shoot short videos and thinking of taking their craft a notch higher, this would be a shoe-in as it offers features that are not available in the top-end DSLRs.
The versatile new PXW-X70 camcorder features a sensor more than eight times the size of a conventional 1/3 single chip sensor, providing strong sensitivity and low light performance.
Sony has launched the 4K-ready PXW-X70, the first compact XDCAM professional camcorder ever produced.
Are your devices infected? “Operation Emmental” is a new criminal operation which targets banks that use session tokens such as Short Message Service (“SMS”) for authentication purposes – to steal customers’ online banking credentials to gain full access and control of their bank accounts.
A comparison between the two-factor authentication process in uninfected and infected computers with Operation Emmental.
Like Swiss Emmental cheese, the ways in which your online banking accounts are protected might be full of holes, or rather loopholes.
Commenting on today’s rampant mobile cybercrimes, Paul Oliveria, Technical Communications Manager of Trend Labs, Trend Micro shared: “Monetary benefits remain the biggest motivation for cybercriminals. Based on Trend Micro TrendLabs 1Q 2014 Security Roundup report, the number of online banking malware detections in the first quarter reached roughly 116,000 showing a steady increase from the same quarter in 2013.”
Cloud security experts Trend Micro warns of “undetectable” malware infection that targets mobile banking users.
Currently prevalent in Austria, Sweden and Switzerland, this cybercrime has reached Japan, leaving the Asia Pacific region at greater risk of a similar attack.
Mobile devices are also increasingly being included in cross-platform threats.
With mobile devices no longer being just phones and serve as computer substitutes in their own right, users are often connecting their mobile devices to their home/work systems to sync their files and documents.
This link between the devices is what threats use to jump across.
