Ending the year 2015

It is a tough year for me for 2015 but I believe better stuff will come, I mean losing your wallet and having your grandma hospital and going through multiple operations--and news just came today from the hospital that her condition is now worst than before.

If her condition was bad, why would the operation still go through in the first place? That's one of the reasons I don't really trust doctors much anymore--even when my mum first amputated her leg almost 10 years ago, only to find out later that the cause wasn't cancer.

I am so sorry for the lack of updates over the past few days as I have been going through a lot. I still have some reviews on backlog right now because of what's happening and moving over to a new job, there are some delays which I will deal with shortly.

I basically wish to sum up on the year 2015 on some great tech and what I enjoyed buying the most for this year. A few of them came off Kickstarter but it still is a worthy mention. I will sign off here right now and stay tuned to my blog for some great tech of 2015!d

Rochor MRT Station opening and shopping smart in Sim Lim Square

The Rochor MRT Station is now open and it will be much easier when going to Laselle and Sim Lim Square--one of the best place to grab your electronics stuff.


Picture credits: http://www.e-architect.co.uk/

We can finally go to Sim Lim Square without having to squeeze through the always crowded Bugis Street or go under the scorching sun.

With Funan the IT mall soon to be converted into a lifestyle mall, things are going in the right direction for Sim Lim Square. However, always pay attention and ask for the final price of whichever item you are buying. There are honest shops but some shops will take advantage of people who always wants the best bargain.

Remember, when something is too good to be true--it usually is. Do not end up paying an exorbitant amount due to some underhanded methods. Another great tip is to look out for the shops blacklisted under CASE (a huge signboard) and also look for shops with the STARETAILER sticker.

Visit reputable shops, whereby most of the time the staff is being in uniform instead of plain clothes. Other than Fuwell and Bizgram, their staff wears plain clothes but have a good reputation.

Other shops worth a notice:
Bizgram
Fuwell
Newstead
Song Brothers
Tec-drome
Video Pro
X-treme Solution

Might have missed out on a few but let me know in the comments below if you know of any other reputable shops that you frequent!

What Apple have in store for us in 2016

There are a few things we can look forward to in the year 2016 from Apple:

1. Discontinued Macbook Air series
It seems like the New Macbook series is here to replace the older Air series of Macbook, I wasn't that pleased at the one-port-does-it-all Macbook 2015. You can't deny that it will be the new ultra-light, ultra-portable solution for people on-the-go.

2. Apple Watch 2
Apple is coming up with a new variant and I'm not sure what to expect yet, the main reason for me not getting a smart watch still is that a traditional watch is still offering better battery life and functions the way it should. Why would I look at a small screen on my watch when I have a huge screen on my phone to look at? This would work for people spends most of their time behind the wheel, personally for me I would have just preferred a watch to be for telling time.

It would be nice if they offered a trade-in option for people who have just gotten their current Apple watches.

3. iPad Pro 2
Bigger is better, so there they go with the iPad Pro. We have just seen it recently and it is not selling as well as Apple wants it to, so what can we expect out of the new version? 3D Touch will most likely be available on the iPad Pro 2.

4. iPad Air 3
Thinner. Lighter. Faster.

This is the one thing I am most looking forward to from Apple, however it is confirmed that 3D Touch would not be available, it is good to have but more practical on a iPhone so it is fine for me.

If you are considering getting a tablet right now, I still suggest getting the iPad Mini 4 as I do find that the perfect tablet size is 8.0 inch. Unless you want the tablet mostly for media consumption, get the iPad Mini 4. If not, waiting for the iPad Air 3 seems like the best option right now.

5. iPhone 7
I still do not know if we will be seeing a 3GB RAM beast for the iPhone and if it does it will turn the game around once again for Apple. Apple has stirred many users back to their phones after they finally decided that people needed phones with bigger screens. Next year's Apple iPhone 7 will become the game-changer in the industry

The phone is most likely to have water/dust resistance which is a plus to have and it is great to see Apple finally working on that. It would be nice to see wireless charging finally coming to Apple so fingers crossed for that!

Codistas Micro Flip USB Review

Here's wishing you guys a Merry Christmas and have a great new year ahead! This review came a little later because something bad happened yesterday, but I'll leave it as that since it is good to leave the negative behind!

This has to be my Christmas present from my personal Santa--got it via Kickstarter and its been great so far, except for some minor problems with the adapter itself. The cable works great so far and I'm enjoying using it every moment, didn't regret getting the 2m cable version. The original cables that comes with the phones are usually short, I was thinking of swapping to the iPhone but looks like this would be keeping me to team Android for a long time.!

This is a must have for Android users until they fully adopt the USB type C connection.  

It allows you to plug in the microUSB without having to find the right direction, meaning it's actually reversible--similar to Apple's Lightning connection/USB Type C. The reinforced cable feels strong but the adapter doesn't connect fully to the regular MicroUSB slot.

One problem that I've faced though after using the adapter for two days, the connection got dislodged and stuck in my phone's charging port. Refer to the pictures below, took me a bit of force to remove it.

This is a great product and I will still continue using the cable, but shortly I will contact Codistas about this and see if there is a defect with mine and ifdthere will be a remedy for this.

Even if they don't, I still like the idea of a microUSB cable where I can insert easily to charge my smartphones and powerbanks. Thanks to Codistas for making this and it has been really convenient for easy charging. The past few nights of charging my phone in the dark is so much easier now, similar to charging hidden my iPad. 

Do check out Codistas' website as well a I heard that they will be producing it for sale, not just for Kickstarter funders.  Heard that the amount is rather limited so I hope you guys who have Android phones and are jealous of your IOS counterparts--give Codistas Micro Flip USB a try! 

How to resolve lag issues/stuttering on Swiftkey

If you are facing lag issues when you are typing, like the stuttering when you actually type and got annoyed by all the typos caused by that stutter - you're here at the right place!

I just found out on my android phone on what actually causes it, its a very simple fix that can be done in seconds!

Firstly, go ahead and uninstall the updates to Google Keyboard. Some of you should know where I am going with this.

Secondly and lastly, disable the app. If you are unsure where to find the settings, I recommend using this app right here available on the Play Store.

Go to Toolbox and select the System App Uninstall settings, uninstall any updates and disable the app once at for all. And viola, a lag free Swiftkey keyboard with the awesome prediction!

Quick thoughts of the Fiio X7

Fiio is now stepping their game from what I see on the pricing of the Fiio X7. How would it fare against the current flagship DAPs?

Many people are looking forward to this because this is their first touch screen hi-res DAP. Build quality is excellent so far, but I do wish there is better buttons placement. I do find myself sometimes getting tracks skip and paused when I put it in my bag. I did highlight the issue and I hear that a fix might come soon on Fiio's software side. This will likely allow us to lock and disable buttons when screen is off. I am pretty sure as well that the amp module for hot swapping would come pretty soon in the next few months, hopefully before the lunar new year.

Sound quality is musical but it's pretty neutral too, I would say that the energy and sound staging is top notch. Excellent dynamic range but it does lose out a little on the noise control, but this is what made the Fiio X7 give out the vinyl sound signature--something clearly lacking in most hi-res DAPs nowadays. Personally, I love the raw vinyl sound signature but it would be nice to see the low-mids being more refined. I can't wait to see what sort of amp modules they will be coming out with in the future!

As of now, the firmware have been updated again and its good to know that they are working on what is wrong with their current version of the firmware. I do hope to see that they fix the Android/Music only mode soon as it is not working for me.

Vainglory update 1.12 and Kestrel's Test

I just got the update late last night after work and it was a plesant one--finally they moved out on the performance and also now Android users can rejoice and save their app on the SD card itself.

A welcoming update but sadly my connection yesterday was pretty bad while I was playing and trying out Kestrel. She's the second hero from the elite fighting force known as Stormguard--with the all popular Catherine being the first. 

I do prefer her on WP comparing to CP--CP does better late game with a ton of damage but good defensive items are pretty much needed. She does farely well even on their recommended build, but you will have to tower hug and be careful of ganks throughout the game, especially during the early game period as you cannot go stealth and escape early in the game.

My first game was not that well played due to not being familiar with her skills and play style but I got the hang of it after my first game. I won the first game by chance since it was 3v2 and the opponents were really good. They stuck together and attacked at very good moments when you are caught off guard, but the late game manages to edge the advantage towards us.

 I lost my second game against a guild but it was good experience I managed to bag 12 kills while dying 7 times.

Kestrel’s basic attacks reduce the cooldown of Active Camo. However, Active Camo cannot be triggered while Kestrel is taking damage from an enemy hero, putting it on cooldown. The length of time Active Camo is disabled is reduced by bonus weapon power. One reason why I actually prefer the WP build on Kestrel and you have good attack speed/damage as well.

Go damage build and remember to get the Reflex Block if your opponents are getting good damage early game, and do not over push the lane early game and try to stick to your towers. Kiting is decent after getting good attack speed so its possible to try kill off someone while escaping. Skill A Glimmershot can also be saved up to 4 shots, they do reload after you stop using them for a while and attack speed determines the reload time.

Skill B Active Camo will create a mist and if you hit an enemy in the mist they will be used, this can be often used to turn the game around. 

Kestrel's ulti is the "One Shot One Kill"--the game already indicates it to be a finishing move, use it to end escaping enemy, and this is more on prediction and reading movements so you must have a good sense of the game and what is going on.

And... Christmas SURPRISE!

‘GIFT-WRAPPED’ FORTRESS LIMITED-EDITION HOLIDAY SKIN
Gather around the fireplace to hear the story of Rona’s favorite present ever: ‘Gift-wrapped’ Fortress! For a limited time only, use ICE to unlock this limited-edition, super-festive hero skin in the Market. Soon, this skin will be gone… and then only those who unlocked this special skin will have access to play with the fluffiest Fortress ever. 

Do read the full update log over here as I've only mentioned what is key to me so far! There's a ton of heroes and items balance which makes the game that much more enjoyable now, I'll see you guys again on Vainglory--Zerovalk signing out!

Armaggeddon Kalashinov AK-700 review

I actually got this to replace my faulty Logitech basic keyboard which cost me about $16, this cost me slightly more at around $25--not much complains so far over here I would say. No illuminated keys, but once you get the hang of it I would say that is pretty much redundant. Not to mention that it is ugly when some of the LED lights are not working.

For the first few days, even after some extensive use I actually still find myself hitting the wrong keys and always having to look at the keys before I confirm what I type--this is not due to a weak learning curve as I got used to my new Dell laptop within the first few days. That is, other than constantly hitting the NUMLOCK key by accident.

Sadly, I only have my laptop left as my PC just died on me. Looking forward to gettnig a new DIY PC before I get a new keyboard--I have no complains for the Armaggeddon keyboard at such a low price but their mechanical keyboards cost around the price of the Razer Blackwidow ones. I will think it through to see keyboard to get my hands on next!

More rumors on the iPhone 7

More iPhone 7 rumors—and most likely confirmed!

1. There will most likely be three variants this time round, as I'm sure some of you actually miss a much smaller phone that can be easily used with one hand. It will most likely be called the iPhone 6C instead of the iPhone 7 Mini. No confirmed screen size yet and of course specs you can expect it to be less powerful than what the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus would offer.
   

Apple usually don't start with new technology until they are sure what they are getting into and they are sure that they can do it right—for example, their upgrade to LTE bands and also a higher MegaPixel camera took much longer but when it happens, it is that much more effective.

2. No more headphone jack
This new approach has been spreading since a few months back but seems like its most likely confirmed this time round—I can also predict that Beats will most likely start some Apple exclusive headphones for the Lightning connector.

The audiophile definitely hates this update—but I can see how this will benefit those who mostly use their phones for music (which I don't do often) but imagine being stuck to default Apple headphones or some future Beats headphones. Beats headphones have improved but it is just not a good idea as it might stop others from wanting to swap to the new iPhone.

3. Moving on to their R&D, it seems like Apple is thinking of swapping out the Lightning connector and move towards a USB Type C similar to their newest Macbook. I feel neutral towards this but I would love to see what other variants Apple can come up with—really looking forward to a confirmed IP67 variant although some for their newer iPhones seem to have been secretly water resistant.

Let me know in the comments on what you would like to see on the new iPhone and which variant would you love to own the most!

Samsung loses to TSMC on Apple's iPhone 7 A10 chip production

As I have blogged previously, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple split production of the A9 processor chip between Samsung and TSMC.



Many tech bloggers also found out that the Samsung A9 chip has lower battery life and also slightly lower performance—although I would say that it does not really bother the iPhone much in real world performance.

Just recently, two separate reports have surfaced that indicate that Apple has seemingly chosen to make TSMC the sole producer of the A10 processor chips slated to be released in the iPhone 7.

The A10 processor chip is still under development, but TSMC’s integration of a fan-out wafer-level packaging technology into their manufacturing process seems to have played a key role in Apple’s decision to award TSMC sole production rights.

The InFO WLP manufacturing technology is able to deliver better electrical component integration in a singular package, and iPhone In Canada reports that it can lead to reducing power usage for mobile devices by supporting higher-width memory buses necessary for maximizing efficiency.

Taiwan’s Commercial Times, via EE Times, first reported the news and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo later released a research report that confirmed Commercial Timesassertion that Apple has awarded TSMC sole production rights for the iPhone 7’s A10 processor chip.

Regarding Chipgate, while the A9 processor chips created by Samsung and TSMC were supposed to be identical, it was later revealed that Samsung’s version of the A9 processor chip was smaller than TSMC’s version, by 96-mm2 to TSMC’s 104.5-mm2. Theoretically, Samsung’s chip was supposed to be more power efficient but in real world tests, TSMC wins by far.

Aurisonics Rockets Review

Having owned these pair of earphones of around a year or more, I really loved having this as my daily driver while commuting. This is my own personal set which I have been really pleased with.



I've broken various earphones while commuting thus making me spend more money--thus the decision to get the Aurisonics Rockets when I first saw it on Kickstarter. Nothing much to bargain about because $99 USD is a very good price because it is now retailing in Singapore for $349 SGD.

I'm also sure many of you can relate to having a softer music on one side or completely no sound on one side before although the earphones look completely fine--trust me, I've had that happened on me too many times and it costs a lot to keep buying new cables since my earphones have detachable cables but I'm sure it costs you guys more to buy new earphones or even stop considering buy good sounding earphones because they usually cost more.

Let us first look at the build quality--very well built and if you have not seen this, you really should:

Not to say that I would smash my earphones to test it out, but this really gives me the assurance that I have something lasting. Gone are the days people actually smashes my custom earphones worth over a thousand dollars to the ground thus cracking the shell and giving me tons of problems. The Aurisonics Rockets are made out of a titanium shell protecting the 5.1mm micro drivers and the cables are made out of quad-weaved Kevlar.

I would say that various careless people have actually yanked off my earphones on many accidental occasions on public transport--which I didn't concern myself anymore since I know the Rockets were built to last.

Let's move on to the sound, I would rate this as a pretty balanced pair of earphones with good details but lacking in soundstage. Despite the specifications showing this to be easy to drive, I always find myself having to crank the volume up to about 60-80% for music but for videos it usually goes close to max volume, with some videos being too soft still at max volume.

Sound quality round-up:

- Good clarity and details, lacks soundstaging

- Quality tight bass, not boomy

- Bright sounding treble without sibilance

These are the specs from the box itself:

16ohms and 105db at 1mW should be easy to drive but I'm guessing its due to the micro-drivers that could not go at higher volumes.

You can wear them over the ear or the regular style but for me I prefer wearing this the usual way--the over the ears method just sits in a weird position for me and I gave up on that. If you own a pair, let me know what you think of them! If you're planning on getting one locally in Singapore, do visit Song Brothers at both Funan and Sim Lim or ConnectIT in JEM and Tampines!

These are the only places I know that are carrying them as of now.

P.S. Just a quick personal update, I will be out for a while since I'm having an eye operation today--will be having blurry vision for a few weeks but I'll be back soon!

Easy way to organize your music folders

I've heard people usually having problems with organizing their music and rename their files one by one if they can't get the tag data online.

I've tried that before and it works great for but once you have 2TB of music it becomes a huge chore to actually rename those you can't get the song information automatically updated to your tracks. Most of the time you don't get this problem when buying original CDs--well it happens but rarely so please support the original artists!

Or if you have a huge variation of songs like me--you can do it the lazy way. This is my Chinese song folders just for an example.

Also, please let me know if you ever find a better way of sorting this out! Thanks for reading and see you guys again!

Blackfeather unleashed!

As of now, Blackfeather can be unlocked with ICE only for the first 7 days but after that, you can unlock him with either ICE or Glory. He is a worthy fighter because of the abilities that he is capable of.

Let's take a look at his skills without further ado!

Heartthrob – Blackfeather’s hero perk applies Heartthrob stacks to enemies. He deals crystal damage for each stack of this perk that is on target. Instead of Energy, he uses Focus for his abilities. It is capped at 100 and regenerates naturally while recovering an additional 10 Focus for every basic attack he lands.

Feint of Heart – With this skill, Blackfeather lunges to his target and deals an increasing attack damage (+60 crystal power). For the following 4 seconds, a rose trail is left behind the attacked target exposing his location and increasing the speed of Blackfeather and allies as they follow the enemy. Any slow attack done on Blackfeather or allies will be removed as they move along the trail of roses. Also, if the target is killed within 0.5 seconds after being attacked then this perk’s cooldown is reset.

On Point – This powerful attack pierces all enemies in a line, causing damage and decaying slow for 1 second. And with each stack of Heartthrob on the target, the duration of this slow increases by 0.3 seconds. If one enemy hero is hit by it, Blackfeather gains a barrier that scales with 15% of his bonus health, thus recovering 35 Focus. The amount of Focus recovered can be further increased with 2% of his Max Energy and 50% of his energy regeneration.

Rose Offensive – The last and strongest skill allows Blackfeather to cut through his enemies, landing basic attacks on all enemies along his path. While he is dashing, he becomes immune to any negative effects performed on him and takes extremely reduced damage.

Having seen his skill, we can immediately see how powerful a team can become when Blackfeather is utilized properly and is putting more focus into team work rather than fighting for individual glory.

I've played him several times with varying results—and this is not like Taka where I can do well alone late game after farming decently. Its hard to win in a 2v1 unlike a well-built Taka or Krul but Blackfeather is one hero that can unleash devastating results if working properly as a team.

I've not played much in ranked games much yet—maybe I will when I change to a better phone or get my new iPad. Here are some examples of my builds and game results.

Bad game for me but I've learnt a lesson and we lose as a team. They are not really used to playing with Blackfeather in their game and this is one of my first game that taught me a good lesson.

Just a quick tip, the ulti for Blackfeather can also be used as an escape skill since it grants you invulnerability against negative effects and you take greatly reduced damage. Do make use of it when ganking and you happen to be in danger.

Review: Birth of the new Q-Jays

I would like to clarify that this is not a sponsored set and I got the loan set for a week from Orangecomms--Singapore exclusive distributor for Jays and many thanks to Joshua for preparing the set for me. This is something I've always wanted to get my ears on.

This is a great change to see how much effort Jays have put into the thought behind the packaging--but if the set was mine I would have wasted no time tearing apart the packaging. I find that there are just too many things to open.

Yes, I had to go through five boxes before I could enjoy this lovely pair of earphones. Thumbs up to Jays for caring about how the packaging looks. It gives off a premium feel just from the packaging and even after you see the item itself--it is no less impressive. Build quality is solid thanks to the stainless steel material and the detachable cable allows it to have replacements easily available if you ever break the cables.

This shows how Jays actually sticks to their philosophy:
“We believe that by humanizing innovating technology with good design, we can create memorable music experiences with an emotional impact”







My first day of trying it out was an embarrassing one, I did not know that the circular case only contains the earphones with the cables being in the rectangular box you see above. I left the cables at home and only brought the earphones out--great job there to myself! The cables are screwed on and its great since there won't be any accidental dislodges.

Moving on to the sound, first impression really impressed me and it reminded me of my Etymotic ER4p. Yes, people would ask why I would spend more than $400 on a pair of single armature driver when a pair of Westone dual armature drivers cost about the same price. The ER4p was what brought out the most details from a single driver itself and looks like Jays is here to step up to the challenge. The number of drivers don't explain how they were tuned, same thing for the frequency--I hear to believe and I don't believe in numbers.

The Q-Jays sounded wide and has good lively sound--bass lacks punch but is full sounding and the micro details in the low frequency is really good. The main highlight for me on this was the treble range--this extends really high and listening to falsetto on this didn't bring about sibilance. Do note that this pair of earphones are real sensitive to minute details and a lower quality track can be recognized almost immediately. Noise will be imminent if you use low-res tracks. Try on at least tracks at 320k, best to go FLAC format and above for optimum performance.

This retails at $588 and is a great pair of dual BA drivers for its price, and you can also get the earphones with their respective iOS or Android cables for the price of $99--which comes with its own handsfree mic and volume control. You can get them at $99 each--good for people who use their mobile phones as their everyday multimedia device!

Quick updates: Galaxy S7

The hardware on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 seems like a beast. According to HDblog and their reliable sources, we might see a much missed feature coming back.

I'm talking about the microsd card slot. It is not necessary for me but a nice feature to have for those of you who use your phone for media consumption.

It's also said to come with a regular 5.2" screen version and a Edge version with a screen size of 5.7" inch. The Edge version might also come with edges all around--including the top and bottom of the screen.

Who is Zoom?

Right now, I think that Henry Allen is a close candidate following by most likely Earth-2 Barry Allen. The body frame do seem more buffed on Zoom though--which makes Henry Allen my first choice.

This is what Henry said before leaving:
"When you need me, I will be here--but right now, Central City doesn't need you to be Henry Allen's son.

It needs you to be the Flash. My kid. The superhero.

I have to go.

I need you to tell me that it's okay."

They include this portion of the flashback which was from the first episode for some reason, the rest were just flashback of Barry getting destroyed by Zoom. I would say this is more of a coincidence which led to me thinking that Zoom is actually Henry Allen. That explains his sudden disappearance, or it could be a Earth-2 Henry Allen.

Seriously, if Henry Allen is Zoom--regardless of whether he is from Earth-2 it would be a really bad ass plot twist, and would that finally cause Barry Allen to fully break down mentally? We did see him become the Future Flash in the comics as a result of his past actions--which made him wanted to go back to the past to destroy his past self and correct the future the way it should have been. Or will Barry actually be Zoom himself of the future out to kill his past self?




I am unsure how that would go, as time travel and such is something really unpredictable, so both theories are still open to me. I would also like to hear what you guys out there actually think of my theories and what could actually work better for the current plot.

iPad Pro? Not so much!

What do you guys think about this? Previously showcased but overall feels much better! I would love the app!

Just a few reasons to tell you why:
1. No specialized OS for it
2. Too huge to bring out and not really a laptop replacement
3. Great Apple Pencil but weird charging method through the iPad Pro

4. 4x4 icons? Seriously? On a 12.9" device?

5. Leaving out new features currently available like 3D Touch

6. Not so pro, lack of pro apps. A laptop still feels more feasible.

7. Lastly, cellular version only available on the 128gb version!

For those of us who still cling to laptops and desktops, the iPad Pro just doesn’t feel like a serious tool for work--unless if you're just viewing emails and doing light documents editing. Give me my keyboard shortcuts and apps that work differently. I really wish to see variety 

Frustration on my android device on Vainglory

This has happened countless times--having my game hang in the middle of a game and always almost leading to a restart of the phone. This is in the middle of a moba game where every second missed is important.

Just to dig in to find out what's wrong.

Gonna run Vainglory now on my Nexus 5 and it seems like it will work properly for my Nexus 5. If it does, I'm gonna turn my Mi Note back into my phone and use my data sim card on the Nexus 5.

I will be uninstalling the game although its a great one but it seems like no matter how good a multimedia device the Mi Note is, it needs to get it basics right. Why would something with a 3gb ram hang constantly on a game like this despite having video lag in the game?

I don't know what's wrong here, I always liked Xiaomi for their OS stability when I did not starting gaming on it, other games actually work fine until I started on Vainglory. Looks like this might be goodbye soon to my Xiaomi and I can predict an iPhone entering my life once again. Apple is always well known for their apps optimization after all.

If you wanna see what I mean, here goes:

I will test this out on my Nexus 5, and if it works well on my Nexus 5 which is almost 2 years old--I don't see a reason why it should not work fine on the Mi Note.

JBL Xtreme: Review time!

The larger Xtreme comes in at 126 x 283 x 122 mm and weighs 2.1 kg, so the shoulder strap that comes with it is for more than show. As it charges from the mains, the Xtreme's 10,000-mAh battery also recharges in 3.5 hours to provide up to 15 hours of play time. It also features dual USB ports that allow it to charge two devices at once--though it halves the output from 2A to 1A when charging two devices at once.

A size comparison to my 1.5 litre Nalgene bottle.

The larger casing allows the Xtreme to pack more in the audio stakes, with four active 20 W transducers and two visible JBL Bass Radiators. There are two 63-mm woofers and two 35-mm tweeters, which give a frequency response of 70 to 20 kHz.I've have had this review unit lying around for the past two weeks and playing with it quite actively--this is a really great home/transportable system I have brought out while driving out and also moving it around at home.

Time to show the unboxing pics!

Just a warning, if you buy this--it is loud, really loud! Try to keep it down when you're home or your neighbours will come knocking!


A really big box and tons of stuff before getting to the speakers, would be nice if they toned it down a little. Well, if the set is mine I would have just torn everything off. It is just so much more effective that way.

This is not as fanciful as the Pulse 2--but certainly a powerful companion for you party people out there!

The Xtreme's hefty frame is kept from rolling and scooting around by rubber feet at its base, and just above the base, on the back end of the speaker, there are connections for the included power adapter, two USB ports (for charging mobile devices), and a 3.5mm aux input (but no audio cable is included). It is interesting as JBL covers up this compartment with a zipper. This is the only model that covers it up despite being water resistant.

This is priced at $399SGD for whoever is interested and this is a great option for me when I need a portable speakers that have no worries on being drowned out at noisy/open spaces. I would totally throw this into the back of my car and bring it out for a picnic and BBQ session--but not something I would bring out every single day faithfully.

Gamestart 2015

Gamestart this year was pretty plain for me--not too much stuff but the local games I've actually seen there pack some good ideas. There's a tower defense like game that I've tried and it looks pretty good.

You can also shoot at the targets yourself which is a nice thing to actually have. Its like a tower defense game with a Megaman style shooting game.

Blizzard and Sony are still the biggest players here as usual: and we got to see this as well.



Playstation VR, it is really fun to play but when I see people doing it from afar it really looks funny! This would be a next level thing and it will be great if a SAO game is done this way--Nervegear style. Of course, without being trapped in the game.

Another thing about Gamestart is the cosplay, there are so many but these really stood out for me--there are some nice ones which I didn't have a chance to shoot.

Definitely a favorite and all these are taken on my phone--didn't bring a camera out but the second pic turned out good because a photographer used his portable LED light stand so I took the chance. It was just to dark to take photos and camera flashes always ruin the picture if you ask me.

Also, hello there Angeline! Rei Rei asked for help to take a pic and do some hashtags on Instagram so here goes! She doesn't blog but do support her Facebook page here!

Anyway, I was busy watching the MH X Famitsu video on my phone in case others saw me--still the most excited for this since I've already pre-ordered it. Sad to say, you need a Japanese 3DS to play it. There are ways to play it without that provided your 3DS is not updated--search smea and ironhax (those are the keywords!)

I hope it still works but I will also be getting a New 3DS LL to play my Japanese games, just don't like to bring both out sometimes, those things aren't light!