Let the season of bargain hunting begin

Let the season of bargain hunting begin

Whether you are going abroad or just recharging your batteries at home during the upcoming school holidays, take some time to do some bargain hunting at the inaugural SG Tech Show 2014.

It covers 12,000 sq m of exhibition area, or the size of slightly more than two football fields, so you can burn off some calories walking around to find the gadgets of your dreams.

The organisers expect about 350,000 visitors and project sales of $25 million over the four days of the show. The event is organised by Exhibits Inc, a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings, which brings you the IT Show, Comex, as well as the Food & Beverage Fair.

The SG Tech Show 2014 offers not only bargains, but also a whole new learning experience.

Said Exhibits Inc's general manager Melvin Koh: "We want to create a different shopping experience as compared with other shows. Consumers can buy not only gadgets, but also be educated about the new technologies and how to integrate them into their lifestyle."

The centrepiece of this show will be EpiLife's booth by tech premium reseller EpiCentre. Taking up almost 1,000 sq m, it is the biggest booth ever in a local technology fair, according to Exhibits Inc.

"We just relaunched our online store, EpiLife.com.sg, and are in the midst of rebranding our EpiLife stores. SG Tech Show 2014 gives us a great opportunity to showcase these new changes," said Ms Evelyn Chua, EpiCentre's head of operations and business development.

The EpiLife booth comprises four experience zones: EpiHome, EpiWarrior, EpiFitness and EpiEntertainment. Each zone showcases smart technologies which can be used at home, on the road, when exercising or during recreation time.

"The four EpiExperience zones bring digital solutions to all aspects of today's digital lifestyle with a suite of cool gadgets and accessories," said Ms Chua.

Notable events at this year's show include Casio's launch of its flagship prosumer compact camera, Exilim EX-100. This 12.1-megapixel camera has a stunning 10.7x optical zoom lens with constant f/2.8 aperture.

In addition, there are some irresistible deals, such as a limited number of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 selling at $588 (usual price $898) each or a rice cooker for $8 (usual price $49).

So, are you ready for the show? Put on your most comfortable footwear and get ready to prowl the show floor for some serious bargain hunting.

trevtan@sph.com.sg

SG TECH SHOW 2014

Where: Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Halls 401 to 406

When: May 29 to June 1, opens daily from noon to 9pm (closes at 8pm on June 1)

Admission: Free

Next >> Imaging gadgets

Samsung NX2000

$849, bundled with 20-50mm lens, 50-200mm lens and Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Wi-Fi (usual price $1,649); freebies include an 8GB microSD card, extra battery, camera case, tripod, UV filter, cleaning kit, card reader and dry box

Booth 411

This could be the best bargain you will find at the show. Samsung's NX2000 is a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. It has a 20.3-megapixel APS-C image sensor, 3.7-inch touchscreen display, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS.

This bundle includes two lenses - 20-50mm and 50-200mm. You will also get a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablet, not to mention additional camera freebies, such as an extra battery and camera case.

Casio Exilim EX-100

$1,299, free $100 Harvey Norman voucher; trade in any old camera and get $200 off

Booth 8113

This Casio flagship has a 12.1-megapixel 1/1.7-inch image sensor with an HS3 image processor and a 3.5-inch tiltable display.

It sports a 10.7x optical zoom lens (28-300mm in 35mm equivalent) with a large constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the focal range.

The EX-100 has a dual-bracketing function. That is, it will shoot nine frames with variations in two different parameters, such as white balance and exposure.

Fuji Xerox DocuPrint M255 z

$399

Booth 8205

If you still need to fax documents, the Fuji Xerox DocuPrint M255 z will be your friend. This multi-function monochrome laser printer faxes, scans and copies your documents with ease using its 50-sheet automatic document feeder.

The machine can also print and copy double-sided documents. It can print up to 30 pages per minute via Wi-Fi or wired connection.

Fujifilm X-T1

$2,499 (with an 18-55mm kit lens); freebies include a 50-230mm lens, Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II 16GB SD card, extra battery, cleaning kit, photo frame and X-series product workshop

Booth 8205

Despite the retro looks with its manual dials and controls, Fujifilm's X-T1 is a modern digital camera.

This 16.3-megapixel mirrorless camera handles superbly, with easy changing of settings.

Fujifilm claims it has the world's fastest autofocusing at 0.08sec, a start-up time of 0.5sec and shutter lag of only 0.05sec.

Canon ImageClass MF4720w

$179 (usual price $199); freebies include a $20 FairPrice voucher, Rapoo 9060 Wireless Optical Combo mouse and keyboard worth $50, and trolley worth $13

Booths 430 and 8217

The Canon ImageClass MF4720w monochrome laser printer works at a speed of up to 24 pages per minute. It also scans and copies documents for your business needs or your children's homework.

With built-in Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port, you can easily connect it to your home network and your whole family can enjoy the quick work produced by this all-in-one printer.

Next >> Home gadgets

Belkin WeMo Switch + Motion Sensor

$129 (usual price $159)

Booth 8888

Belkin's WeMo Switch + Motion Sensor kit can help you save on your electricity bills, especially if you tend to forget to switch things off.

The Wi-Fi-enabled WeMo Switch uses a smartphone app (Android and iOS) to switch your home appliances and electronics on and off, as long as you are connected to the Internet.

The Motion Sensor plugs into an electical outlet and detects motion up to 3m away. It then sends a wireless signal to the WeMo Switch to turn the connected device either on or off.

Philips Pico Pix PPX3410

$749, 20 per cent off PPX3410 accessories

Booth 8367

Need a portable projector to show off your vacation videos or photos?

Philips' Pico Pix PPX3410 projector, which weighs just 270g and is only 80mm thick, can project high-definition videos and images up to a 120-inch screen. It can be connected easily to a variety of devices via USB, a USB drive or SD card.

The projector even has an integrated media player and office viewer, so you can share office and PDF files.

Its internal battery can last up to 2hr.

PixePlay Kuro Android Smart Player

$219 (usual price $299); add $80 for a 2TB hard drive, limited to first 100 customers

Booth 8617

The PixePlay Kuro is a feature-packed user-friendly home entertainment device which runs on Google's Android 4.2.2 mobile operating system.

It supports a variety of video formats (BD-ISO, ASF, FLV and VOB) and full HD 3-D playback with a wired Gigabit connection or Wi-Fi.

Featuring a powerful dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of system memory for smooth performance, the Kuro has an internal space which accommodates up to 4TB of 3.5-inch hard drives.

LG 55LA7400 Smart LED TV

$1,790 (usual price $4,899); includes two pairs of 3-D glasses and Magic Remote

Booth 409

The World Cup beckons. If you are looking for an affordable full high-definition (FHD) 3-D LED TV to watch those matches, the LG 55-inch 55LA7400 may fit the bill.

It uses LG's Triple XD Engine to optimise colour, contrast and clarity for the best picture quality and performance.

The TV's LED panel, with in-plane switching technology, allows for a wider viewing angle, so everyone can have a clear and consistent view of the action.

Linksys EA6900 AC1900 Smart Wi-Fi Wireless Router

$339, free Denon headset AHC100RDEM

Booth 8888

A common complaint about home Wi-Fi is that the signal may not reach every part of one's home. Linksys' EA6900 wireless router may provide a solution.

The 802.11ac wireless router features beamforming, which enables the router to identify and connect directly to devices instead of broadcasting signals in a general direction. It is also able to stream wireless Internet in dual band at speeds of up to 600Mbps and 1,300Mbps.

Next >> Computers

Acer WebPlay AIO DA222HQL

$499 (usual $699)

Booth 8209

Acer's WebPlay AIO DA222HQL all-in-one desktop may be just the thing the whole family can enjoy if you are looking for something educational and entertaining.

Running on Android OS, it has a 21.5-inch touchscreen display, which can lie flat, tilt upwards to 80 degrees, or be almost vertical. It has a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees.

Use it like a regular PC or lay it flat to play virtual Monopoly with the family.

Acer Aspire R7-572G

From $1,698 (usual price from $1,998)

Booth 8209

Unlike a conventional laptop, the Acer Aspire R7-572G can be used in tablet, display or Ezel mode. In Ezel mode, you pull the 15.6-inch display over the keyboard and use the stylus included (N-Trig DuoSense Pen 2) to draw and sketch.

This versatile computer comes with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce GT750M with 2GB of GDDR5 graphics processor, up to 16GB of system memory, as well as up to 1TB hard drive storage.

Asus Transfomer AiO P1801

$2,009; freebies include Trend Micro antivirus software and Assassin's Creed 4 PC game

Booth 8105 and 8131

Asus describes the Transformer AiO P1801 as the world's first all-in-one PC with a detachable display.

When the tablet is docked, you get a powerful PC with an 18.4-inch touchscreen display seamlessly running Windows 8, thanks to the Intel Core i7-3770S processor.

Detach the display and it becomes a huge Windows tablet. The P1801 has a built-in Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor.

So, a simple press of a button turns it into a super-sized Android tablet.

Dell Alienware 18

$4,999; freebies include a one-year Premier support warranty, accidental damage cover, Alienware 18 Vindicator Backpack and $30 Tigerair voucher

Booths 8221, 8225 and 8119

Inside this monster is the latest fourth-generation Intel Core i7-4910MQ processor, dual Nvidia Geforce GTX 880M graphics processing units with 8GB of video memory, 16GB of DDR3 system memory and 1TB hard drive.

This translates to superb gaming performance, with lightning-fast frame rates on its 18.4-inch full high-definition display.

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Touch

From $2,499

Booth 8105, 8117, 8217 and 8225

This carbon-fibre model is tougher than laptops with magnesium or aluminium bodies, yet it is lighter than most. It weighs less than 1.3kg and Lenovo claims it is the world's lightest 14-inch ultrabook. Its ColorBurst Display boasts screen resolutions of up to 2,560 x 1,440 pixels.

Next >> Mobile

Acer Liquid Z5

$299

Booth 8209

Why bother to get your hands on some China-made smartphone when you can get the Liquid Z5?

The Z5 features a 5-inch (480 x 854 pixels) touchscreen display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is great for watching movies and videos.

This Android (4.2.2 Jelly Bean) smartphone is 8.8mm thick and weighs a mere 147g.

Yet, it has a dual-core 1.3GHz processor, 4GB of internal user storage, Wi-Fi, integrated GPS, as well as a 5-megapixel camera - all for a reasonable price.

Plantronics BackBeat GO 2 Charge Edition

$179 (usual price $199); free eGear 2,000mAh portable charger worth $49

Booths 8123 and 8888

Plantronics' BackBeat Go 2 connects to your smartphone or tablet wirelessly via Bluetooth for listening to music and taking phone calls.

It has a nano coating which protects its earbuds against rain and sweat, while its inline controls make it easy to take calls and adjust the volume.

The battery should last for 41/2hr of music playback.

However, you can treble the time by using the portable charging and storage case included.

Acer Iconia W4

From $499 (usual price from $699)

Booth 8209

The Iconia W4 comes with the latest Windows 8.1 operating system, fourth-generation Intel Atom 1.8GHz processor, 2GB of memory, 64GB of internal storage and an 8-inch touchscreen display of 1,280 x 800 pixels.

The display's wide viewing angle (170 degrees) lets your friends huddle around to watch videos.

On a full charge, the Iconia W4 should be good for up to 8hr of watching videos and 10hr of browsing the Web.

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro (12.2-inch display) LTE Version

$1,198; freebies include a Samsung Book cover, a Samsung Bluetooth keyboard, Samsung NFC speakers, a Samsung Bluetooth Headset BHM1200 and a 16GB microSD card

Booths 8117, 8119, 8123, 8217 and 8225

For those who love to get their comic book fix on a tablet, the new Samsung Galaxy Note Pro (12.2-inch display) may be what they are looking for.

It is the world's first tablet with a 12.2-inch WQXGA widescreen (16:10) display, offering a stunning resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels.

You can enjoy full high-definition videos in all their glory or browse your favourite comic books without zooming in and out. The tablet is available in black and white.

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for the Apple iPad Air

$111 (usual price $139)

Booth 8888

If you like Apple's Smart Cover and want a Bluetooth keyboard with it, try the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for the Apple iPad Air.

It clips on magnetically to your iPad Air, automatically wakes up your tablet when you open it and puts it to sleep when you close it.

On the inside of the cover is a full-sized keyboard with a magnetic groove to slot in your iPad Air, so you can type as though you are using a laptop.


This article was first published on May 28, 2014.
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