Dongxi Universal Qi Fast Wireless Charger

Purchased from Lazada during “singles day”

Box will come with a short instruction manual and a MicroUSB cable.

It has 1 LED light in front… Blue if charging and green when the device is full.

As for the charging speed (using my tester).

I was getting 5.2V and 1A when used on my Pixel 3XL and iPhone 8.

However, it was giving 1.2A when both devices were on landscape.

I don’t expect charging speed to be faster than my old charger… But it’s easier to use since the phone will always be docked on the right position.

Samsung Galaxy Active 2 + HPB’s National Steps Challenge – final update *it will not work*

 

***Final Update***

Samsung’s S-Health and HPB’s Healthy 365 App will not sync and based on my emails from Samsung, they have no plans of making it work.

They consider Healthy 365 App as a third party and the only commitment they have with customers is to ensure that the Galaxy Active 2 works with S-Health.

***As of November 12***

After numerous emails and 2 visits to Samsung… Still NOT Working…

Is there any way we can return this thing to Samsung?

***

So you bumped into this post as you’re finding a way to sync you’re Galaxy Active steps and heart rate to HPB’s Heathy 365 App for Singapore’s National Steps Challenge.

Received below instructions from Samsung…

Setting > Apps – > 365 app -> permission -> allow to all

Go to S Health -> Tap Settings -> Tap About -> Multiple tap/click on version number (until appear developer mode) -> Then try to de-link and link and sync.

After a more than a week of testing…

Nope, still doesn’t work. As you can see below, there’s a big difference in the number of steps reflected on the Active 2 and the Healthy 365 App (5,621 on the watch and only 1,034 on the Healthy 365 App).

Anker Soundcore Liberty Air

If you ask me about Anker, I will start talking about their chargers and cables. I have a few at home and (especially for lightning cables, Anker is my #1 option for third party cables.

Portable speakers, been a X-Mini fan for quite sometime and still recommend their products any day.

Anker’s soundcore has been releasing speakers and earbuds recently and the Liberty Air caught my attention.

Compared to wireless earbuds from Jabra and Bose, I prefer ones with a stem to easily show other people that I have earbuds on my ears. Yes, Bose earbuds are very noticeable (thanks to its size) but Jabra can easily be kept if you have the right ears 🙂 another thing against Jabra and Bose are their prices.

Purchased my Liberty Air online, and it arrived after a week.

My daughter’s first impression… It looks like black Airpods! – this is the reason why I purchased the black version. It will look like an Airpods look alike, if white.

Physically, compared to fake Airpods which has a bigger stem, this one has a good size with noticeable edges.

I would have preferred a more noticeable “Soundcore” name on the side.

The case is shorted but wider and thicker compared to the Airpods’ case which can be annoying in your pocket.

Small complain, it uses a MicroUSB which is located at the bottom of the device. If your charging and the battery indicator is on top, the word Soundcore is printed upside down.

Sound quality – I’m not an audiophile, I must say better than my Xiaomi and Skull Candy

Pairing – very easy

Daily use – basic controls, but you can’t control the volume! Wife was also complaining about the ambient noise during calls.

Final verdict… I bought it for S$100.00, I wouldn’t purchase it at S$200! Connection is very stable, how I wish the volume can be higher.

 

The Return of Free Wi-Fi onboard Singapore’s Buses!

Yes, when I arrived Singapore years ago, when phones used 3G and base data plans offered 12GB/month, some buses offered free onboard Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi speed then was just enough to send WhatsApp messages for free…

January 2019, Bus Wi-Fi is back, for SBS at least.

Just connect to #FreeWiFi@SBST, follow the instructions and you’re set to browse the internet.

Speed was also not bad.

Service is available even for the older buses (new buses also offer USB-A for charging)

It may not be a big deal to everyone, but its a big plus if you’re visiting Singapore…

And if you just want to save your personal data.

The Replacements… Pixel 3 XL

OK. So my wife has found an easy formula to get me presents…

DJI and watches… Then every 2 years, a phone.

My Nexus 6P is still at home, I’m using it to stream videos to my Android TV and to control my home devices.

It’s running Oreo with the January 2019 security patch… I don’t expect another update in the future.

Had to say goodbye to my Zenfone 3, passed it to my mom to replace her Galaxy S5.

Zenfone 3 was also running Oreo but the security patch ended in July.

If you’re reading this post, I’m sure you’ve seen numerous reviews of the Pixel 3 XL…

Why the Pixel 3 XL, my wife knows I love plain stock Android… 80% of family photos are taken by the phone I’m holding… Nexus 6P‘s camera isn’t perfect, but photo quality is very good (for a technically old phone)

Some surprises from the Pixel 3 XL… Transferring content from my 6P was very easy.
Using the USB-C to headphone adapter, my Bose SoundTrue Ultra volume control works! (It didn’t with the 6P).

Battery life is great, I hope it stays that way. Cameras as expected are very good.

Compared to others, I can honestly get more work done on Android.

I love the notifications, the assigning of default apps the “personalization”…

I’m very happy with the Pixel 3 XL and I can’t wait to see what future devices (and Android Q) will look like.

Valore Type-C Hub

The dongle life!

Valore Type-C to USB 3.0 (3 ports) with SD and MicroSD card reader.

My first ever Type-C USB Hub!

Bought this from Challenger, it was the cheapest one I found.

Aluminum cover has a nice feel and the USB-C has a nice snap when connecting it to the Macbook Pro.

Using a regular external hard disk… Transfer data transfer speed will not change the world.

It’s comparable to my Windows PC – I guess I can blame my old hard disk for it.

This thing is cheap! And well built.

You’re buying this because your laptop doesn’t have a card reader and USB-A ports.

You also don’t need VGA/HDMI ports.

Payke App (If you love Japanese items!)

Other than Ampere and Shot Note, this is technically only the 3rd App I’m excited about.

Payke is a bar code scanned app for those who love Japanese products.

If you’ve ever been to Japan and went to the local stores to buy Japanese stuff, you’ll notice that nothing is translated to English!

With the Payke App, just scan the bar code and you’ll get details of the item you’re looking at.

Download the App from Google Play | App StorePayke App (If you love Japanese items!)

Headphones Headband Cover (Audio Technica ATH-M40x)

Follow-up to my earlier post.

Found an inexpensive headband cover from Lazada.

“Miracle Shining Replacement Headband Cushion Pad for Audio technica M30 M40 M50 M50X M50S”

Since my daughter thinks that I used electrical tape to cover up my headphone’s chipping headband. I decided to give it a try…

Material… Think of those cheap joint support used for sports.

It’s a bit tight, but once you’ve locked the zipper, it’s not so bad.

It will add significant size to your headband. My wife thinks my headphones are now too bulky for her.

But again, it’s a cheap solution if your headband starts to show its age…

Free Internet: Krispy Kreme, Great World City

Located at: #02-40A/B Great World City, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, 237994

Date: 15 September 2018
Time: 1000H
Device: Nexus 6P

14.9Mbps down, 4.63Mbps up. Not bad for a free Wi-Fi…

Although it was too early for the mall, I think the speed will dip once more customers connect to it.

Baseus USB-C to Lightning Cable

I am one of those guys who would use any cable on his mobile device…

I’ve had cheap lightning adapters, cables from Daiso and even unbranded ones from the supermarket!

MFi or not, as long as my device charges!

But when USB-C came out, and USB-C to lightning promised faster charging on the iPhone 8 and X, I started to think twice before purchasing 3rd party USB-C to Lightning Cables.

I was planning to get a USB-C to Lightning Cable from Apple but had no chance to purchase one lately.

So I decided to get one from Baseus…

I’ve used their other products before, so I hope they know what they’re doing when they released this cable.

If you need information about the brand, you can visit their site.

Based on my weeks use, it can charge my iPad mini and data transfer from iPhone to Macbook Pro works.

Charging feels faster, but will have to do more tests later when I get my hands on the upcoming iPhone.