Singapore Christmas Gift Guide 2015: The tech edition

Looking for corporate gifts, or something as a reward for yourself? Have a look at these gadgets and accessories:

Source: Jawbone. The UP2  is available in gold, turquoise and purple while the UP3 is available in dark blue (Indigo Twist).

Jawbone released a new design for its UP2 and nine new colours for UP2 and UP3 in September, further expanding the portfolio of fashion-focussed activity trackers. Crafted by industrial designer Yves Behar, Jawbone’s UP activity trackers feature slim designs that allow for 24x7 wear and can be easily paired with jewellery or watches on the wrist.

UP2 features
• Tracks quality of sleep and steps in a single app
• Get personalised insights, health tips and reminders through the Smart Coach system
• Connect with and challenge friends, track fitness milestones
• Automatic Sleep mode detection
• Up to 10 days of battery life with a single charge

Colours: Violet Circle Classic Flat Strap, Black Diamond Classic Flat Strap, Grey Hex Classic Flat Strap, Black Diamond Lightweight Thin Strap, Gunmetal Hex Lightweight Thin Strap, Turquoise Circle Lightweight Thin Strap, Oat Spectrum Lightweight Thin Strap, Orchid Circle Lightweight Thin Strap

The UP2 retails at S$199.

UP3 features
• Passive and resting heart rate tracking. The passive heart rate is taken periodically throughout the day when the user is still, and provides insights into how daily influences and choices such as diet, caffeine, stressful meetings, and other stimuli can affect heart rate and overall heart health
• Tracks quality of sleep and steps in a single app
• Get personalised insights, health tips and reminders through the Smart Coach system
• Connect with and challenge friends, track fitness milestones
• Automatic Sleep mode detection
• Up to seven days of battery life with a single charge

Colours: Ruby Cross, Indigo Twist, Sand Twist, Black Twist, Silver Cross

The UP3 retails at S$309. The UP3 Ruby Cross is exclusively available at Challenger in Singapore.

Source: Lenovo.

Phone and tablet addicts can have their log cake and eat it too with Lenovo’s debut entry in the phablet market. The Lenovo PHAB Plus addresses consumers’ 24x7 connectivity needs with its dual SIM slots, 4G LTE connectivity, and 24-hour battery life, ensuring a reliable and fast connection whether at home or abroad.

The Lenovo PHAB Plus has a 6.8” Full HD (FHD) display with 326 ppi resolution. The rear camera shoots at 13MP for stills and can also take FHD videos. Advanced lenses offer enhanced sharpness and brightness, even in dim lighting. The 5MP front camera even hsa a Pano-Selfie mode to capture group shots.

Dolby Atmos technology brings the cinema to the user. A 1cc sound chamber on the rear side boosts audio level.

Source: OtterBox.

According to OtterBox’s survey of The State of Our Smartphones in the region this September, over a third (38%) smartphone users in Singapore will damage their new device within three months of purchase. OtterBox has drop-resistant cases for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, offering varying levels of protection. 

All OtterBox case designs undergo a minimum of 238 hours of testing across at least 24 tests. Designs are tested for UV exposure, extreme temperature, jeans pocket wear, abrasion, and drops among others. Cases are available from S$39.90 for the MySymmetry Series, to as much as S$92.90 for a Defender Series case (triple-layer, ultra-rugged cases built with built-in screen protectors, a protective membrane over the Touch ID and a belt-clip holster for hands-free carrying). 

View the full range of cases otterbox.asia/making-the-case-for or from select local retailers.

Source: SanDisk.

The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick gives consumers even more freedom to save content from their favourite Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick works with smartphones, tablets and computers, and allows up to three mobile devices to transfer content at a time. It can support a single stream for up to 4.5 hours on a single charge. The availability of up to 128GB of capacity allows users to effectively double their mobile storage. The included SanDisk Connect app enables easy management of content on devices including, iOS and Android devices; tablets; Macs and PCs – all via password-protected Wi-Fi connectivity.

The SanDisk Dual USB Drive features a Type C connector on one end and a USB 3.0 on the other for fast and easy transfer between next-generation devices4 and PC or Mac computers. The new Dual USB Drive will initially be available in a 32GB capacity.

Source: SanDisk.

The Dual USB Drive with Type C connector also works with the SanDisk Memory Zone app, available for free download from the Google Play store. The app is compatible with most Android-powered devices and allows users to easily locate, organise, transfer and back up data. When the device is connected, the Memory Zone app auto-launches, and allows users to easily manage and transfer content between their mobile device and the drive.

The SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable SSD delivers more than four times the speed of a portable hard drive. The new pocket-sized drive allows users to transfer big files at up to 415MBps. Available in up to 480GB capacity, SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable SSDs feature a sleek black finish with unique rubber bumpers, and a metal ring that easily clips into a bag.

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog posts about the 2015 festive season, including:

Singapore Gift Guide 2015, the pleasure edition

Who in APAC will be spending the most online, according to the Adobe Digital Index
How Facebook sees mobile redefining the season

Hong Kong's Winter Wonderland experience
The City of Sydney's Christmas programme

Sofitel So Singapore's French fusion Christmas menu
The launch of Casa Ferrero, Ferrero Rocher's popup store
House of Sillage launches the Holiday by House of Sillage fragrance

posted from Bloggeroid

Lenovo posts worldwide Thinkpad battery recall

Lenovo is expanding a battery recall announced March 27, 2014 to all affected lithium-ion batteries worldwide. In late April 2015 the company announced that the batteries were manufactured for use with ThinkPad notebook computers that shipped between February, 2010 and June, 2012. 

"In the interest of public safety, Lenovo will offer customers free-of-charge replacement batteries for all recalled batteries," the company said in a statement.

Lenovo sold the batteries with new notebook computers or as optional or replacement batteries for the:

Edge 11, Edge 13, Edge 14, Edge 15, Edge 120, Edge 125, Edge 320, Edge 325, Edge 420, Edge 425, Edge 430, Edge 520, Edge 525, Edge 530;
X200, X201, X200S, X201S, X220, X220T, X100E, X120E, X121E, X130E;
T410, T420, T510, T520;
W510, W520;
L412, L420/421, L512, L520;
T430 (China and Europe only) and
X131E (Australia only)

Lenovo advises owners to turn off the system, remove the battery, and only power your ThinkPad by plugging in the AC adapter and power cord until the replacement battery arrives.

Next steps?

View the battery recall FAQs.

Determine if your battery is being recalled. This solution works with a ThinkPad notebook PC. 

Learn how to remove the battery.

Intel mobile devices: so much to choose from

Shopping for a new PC? Maybe a laptop will do instead of a desktop, or even a tablet. The number of devices that are powered by Intel come in more shapes and forms than ever before.

“2015 is the Year of the Goat - an animal generally regarded as curious, clever, and ambitious. These values and aspirations are also shared by Intel as we continue to push the boundaries of computing," notes Sumner Lemon, Country Manager, Intel Singapore & Malaysia.

A recent Intel Chinese New Year Gift Guide shows the wide range of mobile devices now available with "Intel inside":

The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro has a hinge inspired by luxury watch bands that supports a wide range of positions. From S$2,299.

The Acer Aspire Switch 12 is billed as a '5 in 1' as it can be used in five ways. According to Acer, the device can be used as a laptop, tablet with or without keyboard, or desktop PC via five modes (notebook, pad, display, tent and desktop). It costs S$1,098.

Dell’s Inspiron 13 7000 Series is the classic '2-in-1', combining a 13.3” tablet with built-in stylus with the storage and performance of a laptop. From S$1,199.

Leaning more towards a tablet but boasting the power of an ultrabook, the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 features a 12" high definition display and a choice of Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processors. It also comes with a stylus, called the Surface Pen. From S$1,108. 

Need them more compact? The ASUS Transformer Book T100 is a tablet that can be detached from a keyboard. It runs on Intel Atom processors, has a free one-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365, and long battery life. From S$569.

Lenovo’s Yoga Tablet 2 Pro features a built-in projector. From S$1,199.

If it is affordability that is the criteria, the ASUS MeMO Pad 8 may be it. This 8" tablet has a quad-core Intel Atom processor for smooth multitasking, web surfing, and multimedia playback. From S$499.

The Acer Iconia Tab 8 W comes at an even lower price-point. This is a full Windows 8.1 tablet with a quad-core Intel processor and a free one-year subscription to Microsoft’s Office 365, which costs S$98 a year for the Personal edition. From S$249.

And for contrast, a 27" all-in-one PC from HP. The HP ENVY Recline 23 TouchSmart has an Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM. Its flexible stand allows many levels of adjustment. From S$2,099.

*All images from Intel.

Lenovo launches new workstations, Tiny all-in-one

The Lenovo TiO has a Tiny desktop computer (left) which slots into the back of a 23" monitor (right). Both items can be used separately, or together.

Lenovo has launched workstations and a 'Tiny-in-one' (TiO) in its final major product launch for 2014. 

The new workstations at the left.

“Building upon the advancements that we delivered in the recently launched P300 workstation, we listened to an extensive amount of customer feedback, and have crafted the newest additions to the P Series of ThinkStations to take users to new heights of performance, dependability and usability,” said Jessie Quek, Country General Manager, Lenovo Singapore.

The Lenovo ThinkStation P500, P700 and P900 are professional-grade desktop workstations, with space-saving designs as well as energy-efficient features. The latest Intel Xeon processors provide computing horsepower, while NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards carry out the visualisation work.

The P Series ThinkStations feature modular designs that let users upgrade critical components such as the motherboard and power supply without the need for tools. The machines have a FLEX Bay designed to support an optical drive or the FLEX Module, which can be used to support an ultraslim optical drive, a media card reader, or Firewire (IEEE 1394). At the same time, professionals can increase functionality without sacrificing rear PCIe slots by using a mezzanine card that connects to the motherboard – allowing for support for SATA/SAS/PCIe storage and advanced RAID solutions. 

Lenovo ThinkStation workstations stay cool with a patented tri-channel cooling architecture. Three hot-pluggable fans are situated at three different levels of the workstation for more effective cooling.

Lenovo’s new ThinkCentre TiO 23 modular All-in-One (AIO) gives businesses the flexibility to mix-and-match a 23" AIO experience with all current ThinkCentre Tiny PCs (sold separately). Unlike classic AIO computers which have the monitor and the computer integrated tightly together, the TiO is powered by a detachable ThinkCentre Tiny PC that locks into the back of the monitor through a simple tool-less process. This hybrid configuration allows users to configure their AiO with the computing performance to match their needs. When the time comes to upgrade or service the system, users simply replace the old Tiny PC and are back at work in less than two minutes.

Quek said the TiO "radicalises the way that businesses think about IT refresh cycles and costs of ownership.” She pointed out that the Tiny PCs are convenient and literally quite tiny, being just "four golf balls by three golfballs" in size, and weighing approximately the same as a 1 litre bottle of Evian water. 

The TiO has a 23" FHD display, front-access USB 3.0 audio ports, an optional optical disc drive (ODD) and an ergonomic stand that allows for tilt and height adjustment. A single standard Lenovo power adapter is used for both the monitor and the Tiny PC. As the system is VESA compatible, users have the flexibility to deploy it on a variety of VESA-compatible mounts, stands, and brackets. 

The Tiny-in-One also offers enhanced physical security for the Tiny PC with an advanced locking mechanism that secures Tiny and the Tiny-in-One’s optional ODD module inside the system when a Kensington cable lock is attached.

The Lenovo ThinkStation P500, P700 and P900 will start from S$1,100, S$2,500 and S$3,200 respectively. The ThinkCentre Tiny-in-One monitor has a starting price of S$449, and the ThinkCentre Tiny-in-One (bundled with the ThinkCentre M53) will start from S$749. 

Know where you stand on social media with Socialbakers' Social Health Index

Socialbakers, a social media analytics and optimisation company, has introduced its Social Health Index, which was developed in partnership with Lenovo. The industry benchmark provides brands with a single assessment of their social marketing performance across platforms, allowing them to easily measure and compare their entire social footprint in relation to their competitors over time.

"The Social Health Index is the first industry benchmark that puts brands' social marketing performance into context," said Jan Rezab, CEO and Co-Founder of Socialbakers. "Brands need a way to quantify their return on investment into social relative to their competition. Our development of this index with Lenovo provides a simple way for brands in any industry to do this."

The Social Health Index traces a brand's social performance on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and combines it into one single rating. Brands are scored on four metrics key to core business goals - participation of the social audience, acquisition of new community members, retention of the brand's audience, and the shareability and effectiveness of content.

"Lenovo is constantly looking for ways to evaluate the approaches we take in engaging with our customers such as through conversations on our global Twitter handles or through our close to 60 Facebook pages across the organization," said Rod Strother, Director, Digital and Social Center of Excellence at Lenovo. 

"We recognised the need for an easy way to benchmark our use of social platforms against others in the industry and share this information in a digestible format with Lenovo executives. Socialbakers was the perfect partner with whom to develop this index due to the company's dedication to providing brands with competitive intelligence insights."

The Social Health Index is now available as part of Socialbakers' executive dashboard. Read the associated blog post here. 

Lenovo launches ThinkStation P family of desktop workstations

Lenovo has launched the ThinkStation P Series of desktop workstations. The Lenovo ThinkStation P900, P700 and P500 workstations join the entry-level ThinkStation P300, announced in May 2014, as the most powerful professional-grade desktop workstations available from Lenovo. 

“We want our customers to know that we listened to their demands for a higher-performing, more reliable and more usable workstation, and our ThinkStation P Series represents our response to those demands,” said Rob Herman, Director, Worldwide Workstation Product and Vertical Marketing, Lenovo. 

The workstations have been designed for superior cooling of key components.

With a fanless, multichannel air baffle for example, the redesigned system draws in cool air onto critical system components and then forces the warmed air out the back without touching other components along the way, for example.

“Lenovo’s new P Series workstations are built for professionals seeking the latest in form, fit, function, performance and advanced reliability features,” said Frank Soqui, GM, Technical Compute Cloud and Client, Intel. “The new P Series from Lenovo will help users explore more ideas in less time than ever before, enabling them to discover the optimal results they need.”

“As data sets get larger and more complex, our customers need increasingly powerful, interactive performance. The P Series delivers this capability by utilising the new generation of NVIDIA Quadro GPUs to ensure that users get the most out of their investments,” said Jeff Brown, VP and GM, Professional Solutions Group, NVIDIA. “We’ve worked together with Lenovo to provide a high-performance system built to run the most demanding professional applications at the core of our customers’ workflows.”

Key benefits of the new systems include:

• Tool-less upgrades: Access critical components – even the motherboard – without the need for a single tool.
• Red touch points: Intuitive red touch points guide users for quick component changes.
• Integrated handles: These make lifting and carrying easy, and also allow for easy rack mounting.
• Diagnostic port: Plug your Android-based tablet or smartphone into the USB port for system analysis using the ThinkStation app, or use any USB mass storage device to transfer diagnostic information directly to the dedicated ThinkStation diagnostics web page.

The new Lenovo ThinkStation P Series workstations will be available starting later this fall (editor's note: roughly August to October) through Lenovo business partners and on www.lenovo.com.