September 27th, 2013
Customers swarmed the three Telcos – SingTel, StarHub and M1 – as the Samsung GALAXY Note 3 became available in Singapore. The phablet was also available at Samsung Experience Stores in Singapore.

Aesel James, 27, was the first customer who got the Samsung GALAXY Note 3 at the SingTel roadshow at Marina Bay Sands.
The Samsung GALAXY Note 3 and GALAXY Gear was first unveiled at Times Square in New York on 4 September. Here’s the livecast of the global event.

“I have a Mac and an iPad, and I was seriously considering between the iPhone 5S and the Note 3. I thought it was easier to be in the same eco system with the 5S, but the Note 3 won me over with the new S Pen and its big screen, which is perfect for me when watching videos and playing games,” said Aesel James.
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Tags: Galaxy, Gear, launch, M1, news, Note, phablets, Samsung, Singapore, SingTel, smartphones, StarHub, tablets
Posted in Accessories, events, Gadgets, gadgets, Galaxy, Launch, M1, newArrivals, Note, Phones, Prices, Samsung, SingTel, StarHub, Tablets | 3 Comments »
September 26th, 2013
The Sony Xperia Z1 will be available in Singapore (S$998 without contract) on 4 October. SingTel will accept pre-orders for the waterproof Android smartphone from 2 October.

The Xperia Z1 is available in white, black and purple, from Sony stores, Sony centres, Xperia concept stores, authorised outlets as well as all telco operators.
First announced at IFA 2013 in Berlin in early September, the Xperia Z1 includes Sony’s “G Lens” with a 27mm wide angle and bright F2.0 aperture.
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Tags: Android, Android 4, availability, Jelly Bean, launch, Singapore, Sony, tablets, waterproof, Xperia
Posted in Accessories, Android, Availability, Gadgets, gadgets, Launch, newArrivals, Phones, Prices, SingTel, Sony, Sony Mobile, Specifications, Xperia | No Comments »
September 23rd, 2013
During the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix over the weekend, I popped down to Caterham’s garage to get up close with how Dell provides the complex IT systems needed to power Caterham’s data processing needs.

Dell and Intel are global sponsors and technology partners of the Caterham F1 Team.
To provide the computing resource needed at the circuit, Caterham uses Dell’s “Active System” – a converged “Half-rack” housing all servers, storage and connectivity.
Impressions:
A race weekend generates some 60GB of data, all of which goes through the “half-rack”.
The half-rack weighs about 800kg which is a drastic reduction from the 2 tonnes that a traditional trackside computing set-up accounts for.
With the impending roll-out of Dell VRTX, the set-up will be even more compact and weigh only about 100kg.
This is important given the limited space available in the garage and costs of shipping equipment ($250 USD/kg) between circuit venues.
All the computers are non-ruggedised, commercially available off the shelf systems – keeping cost, bulk and weight down, while making replaceability easier.
These include 30 virtual machines on Dell PowerEdge R620 & R720, 10 Dell Force10 PowerConnect switches, 25TB of trackside storage using EqualLogic and server platforms utilising SSDs.
In addition, there are some 100 Dell Latitude laptops, including Dell XPS and Latitude 10 tablets; as well as 20 high-powered Dell Precision mobile workstations.
What if the half-rack fails?
Dell has also implemented a disaster recovery system (DRS) to continue running the F1 cars in such a contingency.
The DRS comprises a Dell PowerEdge R720xd server for “snap-shotting” virtual machines, a Dell PowerEdge R210, a SonicWall firewall, and an Artist node to run the intercom system.
With this set-up, Dell has made Caterham one of the leading F1 teams in terms of consolidated and virtualised trackside computing.
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Tags: Caterham, DELL, F1, Formula 1, Formula One, Intel, Singapore
Posted in Dell, Events, events, Intel, Sports, Visits | No Comments »
September 21st, 2013
HP has unveiled the HP Spectre13 Ultrabook (S$1,799), HP Pavilion11 x2 transformer notebook/tablet hybrid (S$899) and the HP Slate7 Extreme (S$249) tablet- all expected to be available in Singapore in November 2013.

From left: HP Pavilion11 x2 transformer hybrid, HP Slate7 Extreme tablet, and HP Spectre13 Ultrabook.
HP boasts that the new devices offers “next-generation form factors, cloud-based offerings and operating system choices that enable better value and a more intuitive customer experience”

HP Spectre13 Ultrabook
A new innovation is the HP Control Zone track pad, available for the first time in the new HP Spectre13 Ultrabook.
It enhances the Windows 8 experience by adding an extended area to the left and right of the touch pad.
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Tags: computers, HP, hybrids, laptops, notebooks, Pavilion, PC, Singapore, slate, Spectre, tablets, transformers, Windows, Windows 8
Posted in Announce, Gadgets, gadgets, HP, Hybrid, newArrivals, Notebooks, Prices, Slate, Specifications, Tablets, Ultrabooks | No Comments »
September 20th, 2013
Customers in Singapore queued at the three Telcos – SingTel, StarHub and M1 – as well as Apple Premium Resellers (eg. Nubox) as the new iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s became available today.

First two customers in the SingTel queue John Yap (24, accountant) and Doreen Chua (24, auditor). Photo credit: SingTel.
SingTel held its launch sale at the Marina Bay Sands Exhibition Hall E this morning at 8am although customers started queuing at 8pm last night.

Zhang HuanPu (left), 24 years old, had been queuing up outside StarHub Shop at Plaza Singapura since 5am this morning, even though the launch was only at 8am. Photo credit: StarHub.
The iPhone 5s in gold was sold out within the first hour across all 10 StarHub shops.
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Tags: Apple, iPhone, iPhone 5, launch, M1, Marina Bay Sands, news, Nubox, SingTel, smartphones, StarHub
Posted in Apple, events, Gadgets, gadgets, iOS, iPhone, Launch, newArrivals, Phones, Prices, Safari, SingTel, StarHub, Tickers | No Comments »
September 20th, 2013
More than 2,500 F1 fans joined S. Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Trade and Industry in the Pit Lane Walk at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Some 2,500 F1 fans thronged the pit lanes at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Every which way I looked, there was somebody taking a selfie. Photo taken with a Samsung NX2000 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with a 20-50mm lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
For the first time in the six short years of Singapore Grand Prix history, members of the public were invited onto the Marina Bay Street Circuit a day before the Circuit Park’s official opening.

Race officials/volunteers taking stock of the pit lane walk. Photo taken with a Nikon D7100 with AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
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Tags: F1, Formula 1, NIKKOR, Nikon, NX2000, photography, photos, potd, racing, Samsung, selfie, Singapore, sports
Posted in DSLR, MIL, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Samsung, Visits | No Comments »
September 19th, 2013
23-year-old Shannon Lim has been crowned the top Grid Girl for 2013, with 23-year-old Jermayne Chow and 21-year-old Stacey Liu coming in second and third respectively.

Top three SingTel Grid Girls for the 2013 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. Photo credit: Singapore Grand Prix.
All three top Grid Girls are currently students. Below are all eight finalists who vied for the top 3.
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Tags: F1, Formula 1, Singapore, Singapore GP, SingTel, SingTel Grid Girls
Posted in Contest, Events, events, SingTel, Sports | No Comments »
September 18th, 2013
Wacom announced its intent to expand its consumer range, and showcased a series of the latest products from its consumer and professional ranges.

From left: Wacom Intuos Pro, Cintiq Companion, Bamboo Stylus Duo. (Not shown to scale).
Wacom introduced products from top-of-the-line professional creative tablet Cintiq Companion, the Intuos range, to a wide range of Bamboo consumer styluses and tablets.
Pre-order
“Wacom has traditionally been very known for our professional range of products, and we are moving strongly towards the consumer range with the Bamboo Pad and the enhanced range of consumer styli”, said Noburu Fujisaki, managing director of Wacom Singapore.
The Cintiq Companion (US$1,999/S$2,699 and US$2,499/S$3,399 for 256GB and 512GB version) and the Cintiq Companion Hybrid (US$1,499/S$1,999 and US$1,599/S$2,399 for 16GB and 32GB version respectively) will be available exclusively on the Wacom Southeast Asia e-store in early November.
Customers can start pre-orders now online.
The rest of the products will be progressively available in Singapore.
The mobile Cintiq
The new mobile Cintiq Companion brings the professional creative power of the flagship Cintiq graphic tablets on the road.
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Tags: Android, Bamboo, Cintiq, graphics, Intuos, launch, PEN, Singapore, STYLUS, tablets, Wacom, Windows, Windows 8
Posted in Accessories, Android, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, Graphics tablets, Launch, newArrivals, Samsung, Wacom, Windows 8 | No Comments »
September 17th, 2013
The new Nexus 7 boasts a sharp 1920 x 1200 Full HD Display with built-in wireless charging. The 7-inch Android tablet will be available in Singapore at S$379 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model from 21 September.
Update (18 October, 2013):
The 32GB Nexus 7 (2013) LTE model (S$529) and Wi-Fi only model (S$429) are now available in Singapore from tomorrow (19 October).

Nexus 7 by ASUS and Google. The 16GB Wi-Fi model sells for S$379 in Singapore. Shown here with optional Premium Cover (S$49) that’s available at a later date.
Developed by ASUS and Google, the new Nexus 7 is the first full-fledged Android tablet 7-inch Android 4.3 tablet in an extremely slim package, at only 8.65mm thick and 290g weight..

Consumers will also be able to purchase the Nexus 7 Travel Cover at S$15 (Usual price: S$29) for every 16GB WiFi model purchased.
The Nexus 7 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and a vibrant full HD IPS display packed with more than 2.3 million pixels for a sharp 323ppi.
The new Nexus 7 also features dual-band Wi-Fi for smooth HD video streaming, responsive web browsing and fast downloads.
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Tags: Android, Android 4, Asus, availability, Google, Jelly Bean, launch, Nexus, Singapore, tablets, Wi-Fi
Posted in Accessories, Android, Asus, Availability, Gadgets, gadgets, Google, newArrivals, Nexus, Prices, Specifications, Tablets | 1 Comment »
September 15th, 2013
The Fujitsu LIFEBOOK UH554 (S$1,488) and UH574 (S$1,888) are slim bodied but full-featured, aiming to be a versatile and responsive work partner. Prices include GST.

From Left – Fujitsu LIFEBOOK UH554 and LIFEBOOK UH574.
The Fujitsu LIFEBOOK U Series caters to all of the user’s computing needs.
“The LIFEBOOK U Series offers user-friendly features, functionality and mobility designed to optimise and enhance your everyday computing use and performance.” Lim Teck Sin, Vice President, Engineering and Product Marketing, Fujitsu PC Asia Pacific.
It is packed with all the functions necessary for work, school or play.
The LIFEBOOK UH554 and LIFEBOOK UH574 come with an ultra-responsive touch panel, Intel Wireless Display (Intel WiDi), long battery life, advanced security features to keep data protected, and is powered by new generation Intel Core Processor for well-rounded performance.
Key features of the Fujitsu LIFEBOOK U Series
Tags: business, Fujitsu, laptops, Lifebook, Microsoft, notebooks, Singapore, Windows, Windows 8
Posted in Announce, Fujitsu, Gadgets, gadgets, newArrivals, Notebooks, Prices, Specifications, Windows 8 | No Comments »