The Launch of SIMLIM.SG
In case you don’t already have an opinion on Sim Lim Square, ask anyone what they think about it and it’s unlikely that you will get very positive feedback.
The problem is that when Sim Lim Square makes the headlines, it’s usually not for good news. And despite continuous efforts from the management to revitalize the mall, the place still feels quite empty.
GOODSMANS EALING TURNTABLE
SINGAPORE, October 2016 – This season, Lamch & Co introduces the Ealing turntable by Goodmans, a household name in home entertainment since the 1920s in the UK. Built with portability in mind, the Ealing turntable is a stylish and portable piece of musical history, constructed with a classic chassis and adorned with authentic detailing
Ealing’s design is inspired by classic lines to exude a stylish vintage vibe. With contemporary upgrades, Ealing is a turntable that not only looks chic and fashionable with its textured cover and capped with both gold and rose gold hardware for a touch of elegance, it is also adorned with a hardwearing finish for durability.
With stereo speakers built-in, Ealing is as easy to operate as it is beautiful. It comes fully equipped with the necessary hardware to listen to your vinyl records straight away. But if your inner audiophile longs for a fuller and more robust sound, the in-built pre-amplifier and included cable sets ensures a flawless connection between your Ealing to your powered speakers for an immediate auditory boost.
For those who prefer the best of both the new world convenience and old school charm, the Ealing is brought up to speed with the latest technology, enabling you to connect to your computer and save your favourite music right from your vinyl records. All the cables you would need, and the software for archiving your music, are also included to make the process of converting all of your vinyl records into MP3 files on your computer a breeze.
Equipped with a built-in, rechargeable battery, Ealing is truly portable. There is no need to fret over a tethered power supply for those days when all you want is a great time in the park, at your friend’s party or even just around the house. Ealing is ready to spin whenever and wherever you are. Furthermore, with both aux-in ports and RCA connections baked-in, Ealing can be enjoyed either with friends or alone.
Get your groove on with the Ealing turntable, now available in at Antė@TANGS, Antė@Suntec Antė@Vivocity and Twobros Lifestyle & Gadget Store in black and cream, retailing at S$169.
PUMA introduces all-new IGNITE Dual
Singapore – 6 July 2016, Global Sports Brand PUMA continues to expand its successful
IGNITE running franchise with the all-new IGNITE Dual for Autumn-Winter ’16 that offers
duality in both function and style.
Engineered to provide ultimate flexibility and cushioning for mid and long distance runners,the IGNITE Dual features the proprietary IGNITE FOAM midsole that’s visible on the heel and hidden in the forefoot to offer full length energy return. Articulated chevron grooves are designed to compress during landing and rebound. The molded EVA sockliner cradles the foot comfortably for an easy run. The outsole has been technically enhanced by PUMA to mimic the natural gait of the runner. A guidance groove that runs from the heel allows a smoother transfer of the runner’s weight from heel-strike to toe-off. Deep forefoot flex grooves add to the freedom of movement while carbon rubber is introduced on the heel for extra durability.
The duality story extends to the upper with a two-tone premium flexible mesh that delivers a comfortable fit, breathability and flexibity. Adding depth and dimension to the silhouette is the color shifting mesh and reflective panels for extra visibility in low light conditions. The look is finished with an exciting contemporary graphic that gives the IGNITE Dual a youthful appeal and hook back to the upcoming Olympics Games where the design DNA continues on the training and podium wear of PUMA-sponsored Federations and athletes.
The IGNITE Dual is available in IGNITE Dual Disc (pic below) and IGNITE Dual evoKnit iterations – variations of the upper design with the same tooling. The IGNITE Dual Disc features PUMA’s innovative laceless Disc Closure System that allows a quick, easy and custom fit with a turn of the Disc dial. Its upper is constructed with a combination of comfort foam that stretches to conform to the foot and net mesh for breathability and depth. The evoKnit Dual is created with a knitted upper for a soft comfortable fit, breathability, and flexibility.
PUMA EVO Knit
The new IGNITE Dual (SGD 159) and running apparel range will be available at PUMA stores
and authorized retailers from 15 July 2016.
How to use WhatsApp (and other chat apps) free of charge without internet.
I can’t believe how far humanity have gone in technology and the best part is that it is still unraveling with new wonders and surprised every day, the most recent one has got to be … get this having able to chat on your phone without Internet (yes, WITHOUT)
So you got to be wondering how does this work? well in-fact it is pretty simple, it is a sim that allows you to connect in over 150 countries which leaves you no contract issues with your current telco, but I do see that we won’t be getting subsidies phone sets for sure.
This cool sim is called Chatsim, ChatSim allows you to connects your Chat Apps around the world. This way you can chat free and without any limits with WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat, LINE, QQ and all other instant messaging Apps to give your words always a new meaning. ChatSim lets you stay in touch with friends, family or colleagues when you are abroad. It helps you stay in touch with the world and live every moment to the fullest.
The only charge they are charging you is an annual fee of only €10 which is US$11.40 or SGD$15.40 with the current exchange. This new sim intrigues me and I really want to try it out. I dont see why not since we are always on chatapps these days.
These are the countries they cover but you can always find out more through their website
What are you concerns ? First of mine is that it doesn’t have FB messenger. Big downside, let me know what you think will you get yours ?
Striiv Fusion Bio The Fitness Tracker that is a Smartwatch
The Striiv Fusion Bio is the ultimate fusion between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch.
In addition to traditional step tracking, the Striiv Fusion Bio comes with 24/7 heart rate monitoring capabilities, that can track your overall health and stress levels anytime and anywhere.
What’s a good fitness tracker without sleep tracking capabilities? The Fusion Bio doesn’t just track your sleep, but comes armed with a vibrating alarm that helps wake you up silently, without disturbing your partner as well!
Furthermore, you can stay connected on-the-go with smartwatch notifications delivered to your phone via low energy Bluetooth capabilities that won’t threaten your smartphone’s battery life. You can even control your music playlist right from your wrist without having to unlock your phone.
Product Features:
- Step Tracking
- Distance Travelled
- Calories Burned
- Heart Rate Monitoring
- Silent Vibrating Alarm
- Smartwatch Notifications
- Music Playback Controls
- Up to 5 Days of Battery Life
- Splash-Proof
The Striiv Fusion Bio’s cousins, the Striiv Fusion and Striiv Fusion Lite are also on sale at consumer electronic stores and our online store!
Fusion Bio retails for $179 at AxtroSports
3 reasons the Samsung Galaxy S7 doesn’t have a USB-C port
USB Type-C is the future of Android connections for data and power, yet the new Samsung Galaxy S7 doesn’t bother to include this connection type.
It’s a curious decision when the LG G5, also announced at MWC 2016, uses the port, and we’ve seen the same from the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and OnePlus 2.
The benefits are undeniable: USB-C is small, reversible and powerful, and it would take the likes of a big player the size of Samsung to really smooth out the transition from micro USB.
None of that swayed Samsung, however, and when we sat down with Shoneel Kolhatkar, the company’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, we found out the surprising reasons why it made the decision.
1. Samsung Gear VR is to blame (or thank)
The burgeoning VR platform Samsung is actively pushing was the first, and most unexpected reason why the company hasn’t adopted USB-C.
“It’s because of our Gear VR ecosystem story. The Samsung Galaxy S7 plugs into your Gear VR, which has micro USB,” said Kolhatkar.
“We want to make sure people who bought the headset six months ago aren’t disappointed and it works.”
That makes a lot of sense. It would be a tight and awkward squeeze to try to fit any sort of USB-C-to-micro USB adapter in the headset. The Samsung Gear VR consumer edition only just came out too, so it’s nowhere near time for a USB-C refresh.
2. You’re not ready
This was the more obvious answer. Samsung is giving our dozens of micro USB cables a proper sendoff with the Samsung Galaxy S7.
“More broadly speaking, we don’t feel the market is ready yet,” Kolhatkar told us. He’s right, and it didn’t take much to point this out.
Sitting there in the interview room were my USB-C-touting Nexus phones, but also a bunch of other gadgets that require micro USB.
I had a pair of Astro A38 Bluetooth headphones around my neck which charge via micro USB, and a GoPro Hero4 Session on the table which also charges and transfers via this older connection.
3. S7 already has Fast charging
It’s true that the Samsung Galaxy S7 uses the non-reversible micro USB cable, and it can be a pain to plug it in when it’s dark versus a phone that uses an omnidirectional USB-C cable.
However, Samsung has the other big benefit of the new Type-C standard already: fast charging, which can take battery life from 0% to 30% in about 30 minutes.
“Some of the advantages of USB Type-C, like Fast Charging, we already offer,” noted Kolhatkar. “It has extremely fast charging, and we offer that in the Samsung Galaxy S6 as well.”
That’s a fair point, as Samsung has some of the lowest (and therefore best) recharging times in our battery tests, and it also supports wireless charging.
Take the Galaxy Note 5 for example. Its 3,000mAh battery takes one hour and 20 minutes to fully replenish using Samsung Faster Charger plug. Using a normal micro USB charger brick, it takes four hours and 20 minutes.
Still a USB C future
There’s no denying that USB-C is the next-generation port for our smartphones, tablets and laptops, and all of their accessories, but it’s a rough transition right now.
“We don’t feel we should force USB-C on this device, and have consumer run out and buy adapters and buy chargers,” concluded Kolhatkar.
Micro USB is still going to be the mainstream Android cable for all of 2016 and most of 2017, and it certainly sounds like Samsung knows it.
The company is at a point where it’s almost giving away Samsung Gear VR headsets for free to get it on as many heads as possible. It’s on its way to becoming the defacto virtual reality platform, and Samsung doesn’t need USB-C to complicate that plan.
The company is, quite wisely, letting LG and others do the heavy lifting in the USB-C transition. It’s likely waiting for a redesigned Samsung Galaxy S8 in 2017 to pull the plug on micro USB.
Columbia Sportswear Reinvents the Raincoat
Check out the cool innovation by Columbia sportswear as they have zero tolerance for stuff that doesn’t work. Very cool I say.
OutDry Extreme technology was in development and testing for over a year and a half. We regularly work with guides and professional outdoors people from around the world (on every continent including Antarctica) to test our gear before it’s ready to be released. These unpaid “beta testers,” spend most their lives in the outdoors and don’t hesitate to give us their unfiltered feedback.
In total, OutDry Extreme has been tested by 147 people around the globe; from our own rainy corner of the U.S., to Ireland, New Zealand and Germany. It’s been through the paces in nearly every soggy, wet, humid and chilly environment we could find.
The Columbia Outdry Extreme Gold jacket is available in all Columbia concept stores and it retails for $299.
TICKR X by Wahoo
TICKR X analyzes body motion and impact shocks to improve any athlete’s form and efficiency – and more
Wahoo Fitness, the leader in fitness apps and products that take advantage of the power of smartphones, has introduced the ultimate workout tracker that captures both motion and intensity with a memory overview in Singapore. Called the TICKR X, Wahoo’s new heart rate monitor pairs seamlessly with iOS and Android smartphones and other fitness devices.
Similar to its predecessor models TICKR and TICKR Run, TICKR X tracks heart rate and calories burned in real-time and provides data on stride rate. TICKR X measures runners’ vertical oscillation and ground contact time, which gives any runner a 360o perspective on their running form and what can be improved to achieve a higher efficiency. In case of rainy days or when you’re simply lazy to head outdoors, TICKR X also features a Treadmill Mode for capturing speed and distance data from treadmill workouts, and is also able to measure indoor cycling cadence (i.e. pedaling rate).
What sets the TICKR X apart from its TICKR and TICKR Run is its built-in memory, motion analytics, rapid double tap control and vibration alerts. The built-in memory, in particular, is a key feature of the TICKR X. With it, you are able to record up to 16 hours of key workout data to auto-sync with the Wahoo Fitness app on your phone later, which is perfect for activities where you can’t have your phone on hand, such as during swimming, or even for times you want to head out for a phone-free run. One may also simply use TICKR X as their heart rate monitor and pair it with any other app or device.
On the other hand, the rapid double tap control function allows the user to add markers for specific points throughout their workout. It also allows users to control app functions such as music playback and laps when TICKR X is connected to the user’s phone.
Enabled by ANT+ and BLE (‘Bluetooth Low Energy’) technology, TICKR X easily connects with a range of smartphones and GPS watches wirelessly via Bluetooth. TICKR X can also be paired with over 50 of the most popular fitness apps including Runkeeper, Strava, MapMyFitness and Cyclemeter/Runmeter to help runners meet their goals.
TICKR X also works with Wahoo Fitness’ other line of products – KICKR, a smart, connected cycling trainer designed around heavy, high-intertia flywheels which are engineered to provide an ultra realistic road feel. Using TICKR X with KICKR would allow indoor cycling enthusiasts to have a realistic and power-accurate virtual training experience, with key workout data fully recorded. KICKR is currently available in Singapore for SGD$1945 at specific bike retailers. For more information on KICKR, please contact their local distributer, Leader Radio Technologies.
TICKR X: Key Features and Specifications
- In-built memory: records up to 16 hours of data
- Physical Dimensions (LxWxH): 2.75” x 0.5” x 1.5”
- Weighs 8.5g without strap
- Battery life lasts up to 12 months
- Sweatproof (hand washable strap)
- Water rating: IPX7 (waterproof up to 5 ft)
- Strap length: Adjustable from 24” to 48” stretched
Pricing and Availability
TICKR X is available in Singapore from August 2015 onwards at Epicentre and Big Box for a recommended retail price of SGD$139.90.
Everything Swim Bike and Run and the Occasional Life Encounters 