Micro USB SD Card Reader

Purchased this item from ebay to be used on my Asus Vivotab Note 8 so i can use it to read SD card from my camera. It is cheap (SGD 1.59 when i purchased) but as usual, the delivery take around 3 and the half week.

The reader :)

This is how it looks like when you insert the SD card

So this is how it looks like when connect to tablet

Asus Vivotab Note 8 promotion - SGD 399 with free Microsoft Wedge Keyboard and Asus sleeve

7 Nov 2014: Saw advertisement that it is selling at SGD 299 but limited to 5 sets per Best Denki store. It is definitely a good deal if you can grab it.

This is actually not the cheapest deal as Amazon is actually selling this for USD 229 and it also provides free shipping to Singapore. Please note that Amazon deal is without Microsoft wedge keyboard and Asus sleeve, so if you add these 2 items as part of your purchase, the cost will probably be around USD 300. This is still consider cheaper but with so many reported stylus problem, it is probably better to get a local set which will make the repair easier if it happens. The promotion is from 1st August to 9th August and you can only get from Best Denki which is the only place you can get the local set.

This is what you will get

Unboxing Asus Vivotab Note 8, got Asus Vivotab Note 8 itself, UK type power adapter (So good thing about local set is you get the 3 pins power adapter), micro USB cable, Office Home and Student 2013 product key card, manual and quick start guide.

 I got the white colour version. The bad thing about this is glossy surface. The manufacturer date is June, 2014. So hopefully this batch of Vivotab has less problem on the stylus.

The stylus also is white colour. I do find it quite difficult to take out the stylus from Asus Vivotab Note 8. Probably this is good thing as this means it is not easy to lose your stylus.

The keyboard is actually not bad, comfortable to use and the keys is not that small also.

Size comparison, keyboard is actually longer than Asus Vivotab Note 8. So that's is also why the key can be made bigger.

The keyboard itself is actually not that heavy but with the cover then you can feel the weight. The keyboard is powered on once you remove the cover. So besides can be used as a stand to hold the tablet, it can be used to power up/off the keyboard also.

So this shows how the cover can be used as a stand for the tablet. As you can see here also, the keyboard is elevated at certain angle.

The components below the keyboard hold 2 triple A batteries. This is also why the keyboard is elevated.

The sleeve is actually quite OK. Offer adequate protection and at the same time can be used as a stand also.

It fits the table nicely

Use as stand, put the table in more vertical position

Another position

Generally, i still feel this is quite a good deal consider the free gifts throw in are actually quite useful and not those useless low quality free gifts. As for the tablet itself, so far i have no issue with it but i still need more time to play with it before i can conclude anything and i will try to create another post to describe my experience on that.

I bought a micro-USB SD Card reader so that i can easily read my camera SD card photos. You can read about my purchase here.

Nutella Not So Healthy After All..

Very interesting article from dailymail.co.uk about Nutella.

Firstly, some interesting facts about the popularity of Nutella

"A jar is sold every 2.5 seconds globally. The company produces enough Nutella each year to create a smear of spread that would circle the world 1.4 times. Stacked up, the jars would build 22,000 Big Bens."

Secondly, is Nutella is actually not that healthy even with hazelnuts as one of the ingredient

"More than half of Nutella (56.7 per cent) is pure sugar, while 30 per cent is fat. Some of that is the fat found in hazelnuts, but around 20 per cent of the spread is semi-solid palm oil. Just 13 per cent is hazelnuts.
Its makeup — in terms of cocoa, sugar and fat — is almost identical to chocolate. Despite the hazelnuts, there aren’t many healthy nutrients. ­Claiming it’s good for you is like arguing that you get some of your five a day by eating ­Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut."

So will you stop eating Nutella?

JJC Hood for Olympus 45mm f1.8

Olympus 45mm f1.8 is an excellent lens but one of the complaints by user is the omission of lens hood when you buy this lens. Furthermore, the Olympus lens hood can easily cost more than SGD40. That is why there is a market for 3rd party lens hood and JJC is one the provider.

After survey the pricing from different online retailer and i finally decided to get it from ebay which is selling for around SGD14 with free shipping when i make the order. I placed the order on 23 May 2014 and received it on 5 June 2014. I consider this is fast delivery as i did encounter delivery time of more than 1 month when using free shipping.

The packaging is ok and this is very typical packaging when free shipping is used. 

The box of JJC Hood. A bit dented here and there but the lens hood is not damaged.

There is a genuine verification code on the top of the box which you can check whether this is genuine or not.

And the Lens hood itself

And the hood on the 45mm lens. 

The one good thing about this hood is it can be attached in reversible way.

I must say the hood feel a bit wobble when attached to it but it will not fell off from the lens. But with price i pay, i do expect this hood will not be as good as Olympus one but that is something i can live with. So, i do recommend this lens hood if you really need one.

Olympus 45mm f1.8 promotion - 125 cash rebate (April/May/June/Nov 2014)

3 May 2014: Promotion extended to May! :)

6 June 2014: further extended to June! This time it says "Extended for 1 last month", how true is this, we will see next month. :)

4 Nov 2014: I think this lens cash back promotion really helps to boost up Olympus sales and they do it again on November! Please click this link for details.

Is a fantastic deal and after instant rebate, i get the lens from SLR revolution (Funan IT Mall) for around SGD 286. As the price varies between shop to shop and also some shops might already run out of stock, it is advisable to call the shops before going down. For the list of shops to call, you can refer to this list.

on my E-PM2 now :)

Swiss to vote for minimum wage - 22 Swiss Francs per hour!

So means if i work at Macdonald i also can get pay around 4000 Swiss Francs (5691 SGD) per month? Probably very high living standard...

Nutella 1kg Limited Edition

Spotted this in Giant (I don't see it in NTUC). Must be a joy for all Nutella fans. It is glass bottle and it is actually made in Germanay rather than Australia for the normal Nutella you can grab locally.

3 iPad Mini Matte Screen Protector for SGD 5.2

Got this from Qoo10 and the quality seems good. Might not be cheapest as you source around other online site but at least is convenient, safe and you don't need to wait long to receive it. (i once waited 1 and the half month for third party battery from ebay, story here). The price will probably fluctuate a bit but i got it for SGD 5.2 and after utilizing my 100 q-points, got additional 1 dollar discount.