Is Singapore becoming tech-spensive?

If you are a geek, and are on a trip to Japan or the US, there is no doubt that a visit to a tech shopping area like Akihabara would be in order. Not only do these places have amazing variety that makes your local tech mall look like a 7-Eleven store, prices are generally cheaper there even after you factor in the exchange rate. To a lesser extent, Singapore has had such a reputation in this region, too. You frequently see tourists or businessmen from countries like Malaysian, Indonesia, the Philippines and even the Middle East snapping up items from tech malls like Sim Lim Square and Funan DigitalLife Mall.

But a recent discussion on the Singapore Palm Users' Group (SPUG) got me thinking, is Singapore becoming too expensive?
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Swiftpoint's Slider mouse gets off the beaten track

How many ways can one reinvent the mouse? Apparently, not enough times, from Kantek's 3D RingMouse to inertial mice which use a tuning fork or accelerometer to detect movement. Now the latest to this nest of contenders is Swiftpoint's Slider, a rodent that looks like a mouse, but behaves somewhat like a Wacom pen.

You grip it between thumb and index finger to work it, or you can lay it flat and move it around with your thumb. Given its minute size, this could either be a pain in the digits after prolonged use or a boon since this will work on any flat surface, even your notebook's keyboard, trouncing the standard travel mouse.
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Greening of CeBit fails to revive shrinking IT fair

Europe's biggest information technology fair went green this year. The problem was that there weren't many people around to notice.

CeBit 2008 was a slimmed-down, serious affair, cut back to six days from seven. Formerly sprawling exhibits were corralled into order by theme and publicity stunts banished to the weekend that now comes at the end of the show, not the middle.

The idea was to turn dwindling exhibitor and visitor interest into a virtue by using the lack of gadgety distractions to create a business-like arena where managers could get on with meeting, greeting, and checking out the competition.

The result was an atmosphere free of the chaos of previous years but also devoid of excitement, casting a feeling of desertion over the vast trade-fair grounds in the northern German city of Hannover.

"We decided to do product launches globally at CES," said Michael Langbehn, in charge of PR and marketing in Germany for electronics maker Panasonic, referring to the huge annual consumer electronics show held in January in Las Vegas.
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Pick up an eye massager while at the IT Show

Can you say "quirky"? Because that appears to be the theme underlining this year's IT Show 2008 (March 6-9). For our Asian breathen who aren't among those making regular pilgimages to attend these PC fairs in Singapore, there are four computer shows held quarterly in a year. These four-day affairs are much-anticipated opportunities for tech consumers to scour for bargains and special prices to big-ticket items like HDTVs and notebooks. These, in turn, are typically bundled with giveaways, from thumbdrives to mice, to laptop bags.

This year, though, we spotted some vendors taking the road less traveled out at the Suntec City convention center. Samsung surprised us by hawking washing machines right next to the standard hardware fare, while more oddball freebies were observed being offered as enticements. Check these out. (Giveaways were correct at time of writing this Crave.)

• Free Singapore Flyer tickets for specific HP inkbox purchases, with additional ticket if you trade-in your old HP printer.
  
• Free red wine worth S$49 with every purchase of a pair of Shure SE530 Sound Isolating Earphones. (Note the sticker price of S$739-S$799, which may be a little too pricey to break a bottle of bubbly over).
  
• Free eye massagers with any LG LCD monitors.
  
• Free coffee/mocha at PC & peripherals retailer Corbell's booth (Level 6, #6641, last row), presumably to get some traffic going to the back of the hall. Though with no purchase required for a cuppa, there might just be a whole lot of freeloaders.

BoomPod game seat: DIY special effects

If you want to feel the action in your gaming chair but don't feel like dropping US$22,500 for a racing simulator, you can at least get some old-school kinetics from the BoomPod.

The latest game seat from LumiSource doesn't rely on artificial stimulants from the likes of a ButtKicker Gamer or D-Box GP-200. Instead, you have to do most of the work yourself by rocking on its "rounded bottom for multi-directional tilt"--in other words, it's like trying to play while balancing on an exercise ball.

It does appear to have some ports and maybe even a built-in speaker or two, but that's not the point. The BoomPod seems to be trying to get kids (and adults) to do more than just sit and collect dust. But if you're not interested in changing your family's sedentary ways, you can always stick with the Slouchpod.

Via Crave CNET

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