tech4xmas: Beautifully crafted aromatherapy diffusers for the home, with a wide selection of relaxing and fragrant essential oils for Christmas. S$218 with free delivery.
The essential oil nebulising diffuser is waterless and heatless, works silently, powerful enough to spread the scent up to 800 sqft within the first two minutes.
My own diffuser at home.
It is suitable for medium-sized areas such as the living room and bedroom.
There is an LED light with changing colours to serve as mood lighting.
I like how the knob allows me to control how strong a nebulising effect.
This is a fantastic Christmas for the home.
The FLO e-shop offers a wide selection of oils and nebulisers with some in the form of Christmas trees and angels.
Tech-U-Can-Use (TUCU): Need a wireless charging stand to charge your iPhone 13 or iPhone 12 so you can continue using the phone while it’s still charging? Guest reviewer Jennifer Lee checks out the 7.5W BoostCharge magnetic wireless charger stand from Belkin for her iPhone 13 Pro Max.
#tech4xmas: This BoostCharge wireless charger stand from Belkinmakes a suitable Christmas present for iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 owners. Photo credit: Jennifer Lee.
The magnetic wireless charger stand is MagSafe compatible for iPhone 13 and iPhone 12.
The wireless charger stand is available in black or white.
With MagSafe, it was easy to place my iPhone 13 Pro Max onto the stand – it snaps into place and there is no worries that the placement is misaligned.
There is an LED safety indicator that comes on when the charging commences.
The magnetic attachment is strong enough to hold the iPhone securely.
The stand is great for zoom calls or FaceTime – it holds the phone upright either in portrait or landscape mode.
A 20W USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 power adapter is included in the box.
In addition, the charge pad is protected by a Belkin Connected Equipment Warranty.
Tech-U-Can-Use (TUCU): Need to continue using the iPhone while it’s still charging – without interrupting the charging? Guest reviewer Jennifer Lee checks out the 7.5W BoostCharge magnetic wireless charger pad from Belkin for her iPhone 13 Pro Max.
#tech4xmas: This BoostCharge wireless charger pad from Belkinmakes a suitable Christmas present for iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 owners. Photo credit: Jennifer Lee.
The portable wireless charger pad is MagSafecompatible for iPhone 13 and iPhone 12.
It comprises the magnetic disc pad that attaches to the iPhone, and a 2m cable that plugs into the power supply.
Retailing atS$79, the Belkin BoostCharge Magnetic Portable Wireless Charger Pad 7.5W (# WIA005) is available in Best Denki stores, Challenger stores, Challenger.sg, Harvey Norman stores, Harveynorman.com.sg, Lazada, Shopee. Photo credit: Jennifer Lee.
Slim and portable, the wireless charger pad is small enough to tuck in the handbag and perfect on the go.
The pad is 60mm in diameter and 11.5mm thick.
The 2m long cable provides added ease to move around while charging and especially if there are only limited wall sockets in the room.
The magnetic attachment is strong and clips onto the phone right away, no worries about misalignment or loose contacts etc.
I was able to continue using the phone (eg. scrolling, pinching the screen and talking on the phone) without worrying about the charger pad coming loose or misaligned if I accidentally jostle it or the phone vibrates on an incoming call.
Tech-U-Can-Use (TUCU): Guest reviewer Jennifer Lee just received her new iPhone 13 Pro Max so in order to protect it, she got herself the Belkin SCREENFORCE UltraGlass screen protector and applied it herself to the phone. Here’s her experience.
#tech4xmas: This SCREENFORCE UltraGlass screen protectorfrom Belkinmakes an ideal Christmas present for the iPhone 13 Pro Max owner.
I am amazed at how easy the application was.
No fuss, just follow the very simple step by step visual guide (included) using the Easy Align Tray.
Belkin makes it easy and fuss-free to self-apply the SCREENFORCE UltraGlass screen protector DIY, as the reviewer tried out.
Unlike most screen protectors, the Belkin Ultraglass application was flawless, precise and bubble-free even at the first attempt.
The Ultraglass feels seamless on the screen, without any curves or bends and you won’t realise there is another layer of screen protector on top.
Tech-U-Can-Use (TUCU): My mom’s in-box power supply for her phone died on her, so I got her a replacement wall charger – as a replacement and upgrade.
The Belkin BoostCharge USB-C PD 3.0 PPS Wall Charger 25W is an intelligent charger for those new phones that doesn’t include chargers in the box, as a second charger at the office, or simply as a spare/backup charger.
The main features of Belkin’s BoostCharge 25W wall charger can be gleaned from its lengthy name.
It’s a wall charger, it can charge at up to 25W max power, it uses USB-C, it is PD 3.0 certified, and it is equipped with PPS technology.
It used to be that the new phones come with chargers in the box, but phone makers are now beginning to exclude the charger in the box. So we’ll begin to shop more for 3rd-party chargers.
Do you remember these different plugs for different chargers, not to mention different power ratings for each device?
I remember years ago when I was writing for the Straits Times Digital Life about what tech to pack when travelling, I’d lamented that the charger for different phones used proprietary chargers that were not interchangeable – in terms of the plugs and the power ratings.
Looking for some beautiful accessories (phone cases, mouse pads etc) with watercolour paintings on them? Check out Erinsgarden – an e-shop on Redbubble selling print-on-demand stuff based on the watercolour paintings of @kkmakesandbakes.
She paints as a hobby and friends suggested that she put some of these on Redbubble so people can buy stuff printed with her watercolour paintings on them.
So if you’re looking for a nice accessory as a X’mas gift for a colleague or a loved one, check out her designs!
Here are some gift ideas that I’ve curated for X’mas 2021. I’ll be adding to this list over the next few weeks, so check back daily for new gift ideas as I collate them.
The tech4xmas gift guide is meant to provide ideas to start you off, so do check out some of them online and in the shops if they are what you think would bring a smile to your loved ones this Christmas. Start by shopping (on Redbubble) for accessories (phone cases, mouse pads, T-shirts, mugs etc) based on this lovely watercolour painting painted by my wife.
It’s now time to shop for presents for Christmas 2021, and bring some cheer to two years living under the shadow of COVID-19.
Cover Art for tech4xmas 2021
This year’s cover art for tech4xmas 2021 has been painted by my wife. Check out her other paintings on Instagram at @kkmakesandbakes.
This cutie in a Christmas sweater is a watercolour painting that she did for this year’s Christmas and has kindly agreed to be used as the tech4xmas 2021 banner.
Around this time of year, I’m usually inundated with requests from readers and friends on Christmas gift ideas for their loved ones or themselves.
So here are some tech that I would use myself or get for MY loved ones, based mostly on those gadgets that I’ve tried or reviewed.
Not all are the latest and newest, but they are what I think are some of the best-in-class in their category of products.
The OmnideskAscentwill be available in Singapore from 6 December at S$1,298 for the standard resin-top version and S$1,647 for the Wildwood version with wood-top.
The Omnidesk Ascent is available in standard (resin-top) or Wildwood (wood-top) versions while the frames (legs) come in black or white. This is the Wildwood version.
Pre-orders for the new Omnidesk Ascent begins today (see sidebar for promotional prices).
Promotional Prices for Omnidesk Ascent
Standard (resin-top)
S$1,298: Usual price
S$850: Pre-order before 6 Dec
S$950: From 6 Dec onwards
Wildwood (wood-top)
S$1,647: Usual price
S$1,149: Pre-order before 6 Dec
S$1,249: From 6 Dec onwards
The controller for the Ascent has been re-designed to look more pleasing and includes a 5V USB charging port, as well as control buttons to adjust the height of the table.
The controller is located to the left of the Ascent and includes 4 buttons for pre-programmed heights, as well as an OLED screen for adjusting other settings for the table.
Newly introduced for Ascent is a companion iOS/Android app – “Omnidesk Life” – which enables users to adjust the height of the table remotely (via Bluetooth), including 9 pre-programmed heights and other features such as tracking the time spent sitting or standing at the desk.
