Technology

Acer Swift 1: Budget Laptop with a Unique Value Proposition

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Image Source: Acer.

Laptops sold in Singapore can generally be classified into two categories: bargain-basement offerings with specifications considered mediocre even eight years ago, or premium offerings that offer the latest in display, storage and processor technologies.

The Acer Swift 1 straddles the rare middle ground, offering a Full HD screen (as compared to the dated 1366×768 offerings seen in virtually all budget laptops), 4GB RAM and up to a 128GB SSD, all for just S$500 (if you know where to look; more on that later). The catch? You're saddled with an Intel Celeron N3350 processor, an Atom-class processor that is far from the fastest thing around.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 4: Still the Best Budget Phone in 2018

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Introduced over a year ago in January 2017, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is still one of the best phones you can get today for under $200 and $250 (3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB version respectively). I've been using the 3GB/32GB version since February last year and I thought it deserves a special mention and a long-term review.

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Windows Mobile: A Tale of Many Missteps

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Microsoft's Lumia 950, its last flagship Windows phone.

Source: Microsoft

Windows Mobile, as we know it, is dead. The writing had been on the wall for many months now, but now we can properly bid the mobile platform goodbye, with Microsoft's Joe Belfiore all but confirming Windows Mobile's diminished role in the scheme of things moving forward.s

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Quad core processors are finally coming to Ultrabooks

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Source: Intel

If you’re looking to buy a new laptop any time soon, such as the ongoing COMEX show, you may want to hold your horses instead.

That’s because, after five long years, Intel is finally doubling the number of cores in its Core i5 and i7 U-series CPUs, commonly used in many Ultrabooks.

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So long, iPod. Thanks for the memories.

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My iPod collection circa 2006.

It was quietly revealed by Apple a few days ago that the iPod nano and shuffle would be discontinued. This marks the end of the non-iOS lineage of iPods, and leaves the iPod touch as the sole carrier of the iPod line. Given that Apple is trying to get people off the 3.5mm headphone jack, it’s not difficult to deduce that the iPod touch, too, is probably on life support.

Being one to jump quickly on the nostalgia bandwagon, I started reminiscing of the times when I still used an iPod. Let’s start at the beginning…

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Need a Graphics Card? Get the ZOTAC GTX 1060 6GB from Qoo10

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The ZOTAC GTX 1060 Mini (Source: ZOTAC)

Looking to spruce up your ageing desktop PC with a brand new graphics card? Or just looking for an affordable card for your new gaming PC? If you live in Singapore, the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 6GB is probably the best choice.

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Sony SmartWatch 3 Review: Still Relevant in 2016

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Update 17 February 2017: It has now been officially confirmed that the SmartWatch 3 will NOT support Android Wear 2.0. As such, it is difficult to recommend you buying this watch any longer.

As I write this, the Sony SmartWatch 3 (SW3) has been out for more than two years. That’s an eternity when it comes to consumer electronics, and even more so when it comes to smartwatches, an industry that has yet to come of age. And yes, the SW3 preceeds even the first generation Apple Watch.

Since the SW3’s release, we had seen a move towards more stylish (or differentiated) watches with round faces from the likes of Tag Heuer, Fossil, Casio and Nixon. Meanwhile, Sony has been unusually quiet in this regard, with little indication of an impending successor.

Still, while the SW3 may not be a looker (even with the stainless steel band) the SW3 holds its own in terms of specifications, with processing speed, RAM and storage space by-and-large on par with contemporary watches, and even features a built-in GPS, a rarity when it comes to Android Wear watches.

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Courage… or Foolishness?

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Something the iPhone 7 can't do.

Some nine years back, I purchased my first ever Walkman phone, the W850i. It didn’t come with a 3.5mm headphone jack–instead you had to connect a dongle to the phone’s proprietary FastPort, from which you could then attach your own headphones. It wasn’t much of a big deal back then, since I also owned an iPod, and the dongle also served double duty as a microphone. Or perhaps because I didn’t need to charge my phone multiple times per day back then. Even so, the W850i charger had a pass-through port allowing you to charge and listen to your tunes at the same time.

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Four Weeks of Pokemon GO!: My Experience (and Fatigue)

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A crowd gathers outside Hougang Mall as news of a wild Snorlax appearance spreads.

I woke up the morning of August 6th, habitually reaching out for my phone. I had intended to go back to sleep after that, but I needed to get out of bed and download Pokemon GO!, which finally reached Singapore’s shores exactly a month after its initial release. For those unaware of the game, the …

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Hachi.tech – Here Comes a New e-Shopping Challenger

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Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook

Hachi.tech (henceforth referred to only as Hachi) launched a few months ago, as Challenger’s new entrant to the increasingly crowded online shopping space. I did not pay much attention to it initially, because with a name like that, you would think that it’s selling geeky Japanese toys rather than real tech gadgets.

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Challenger’s Funan Closure Sale: Not Worth the Trip

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I’ve been frequenting Funan for the past few weeks, hoping to see if there would be any ‘fire sale’. The short answer? No. The camera shops are still operating as per normal and the atrium has a The Headphones Gallery fair as per usual, where you can find laptop and camera bags cheaper than usual. …

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