New products of the week (April 21)

HEADPHONES

Skullcandy Eric Koston Crusher Headphones, $165.90

Bearing an eye-catching snakeskin aesthetic, these headphones deliver powerful and realistic bass, using Skullcandy's own REX40 drivers.

The headphones eschew in-line amplifiers for battery (AA) powered amps hidden inside the earcups. To conserve power, the amp switches itself off after 10 seconds of inactivity and turns back on automatically when you continue playing music.

The earcups are covered in synthetic leather for comfort and the headphones feature foldable hinges, making them easier to carry around.

SMARTPHONE ACCESSORY

Uniq Modsuit, $19.90

Light and scratch resistant, these skinny cases come in a variety of colours to match your style.

The cases for the Samsung Galaxy S5 (as shown) come in black, clear, gold, blue, green, pink or red.

Clear cases are available for the HTC One (M8) and Sony Xperia Z2.

HOME APPLIANCE

Bosch Wok Series Hobs, $699 (for 78.5cm model)

Designed for Asian households, this new series of hobs from Bosch makes wok cookery easier.

The hob has a sealed top surface that is easy to clean if you happen to spill food or liquids. A safety valve cuts off the gas automatically if the flame goes out unexpectedly, preventing gas leaks.

Bosch uses a unique burner cap, a "3D Flame Wheel". This generates three rings of flame for even heat distribution.

The hobs are available in black glass (as shown) or stainless steel.

PROJECTOR

Casio XJ-UT310WN Projector, pricing to be confirmed, available in July

Unlike other projectors that use mercury lamps with short lifespans, this lamp-less projector uses Casio's Laser and LED Hybrid Light Source technology. It creates a light source that lasts for up to 20,000 hours, outputs 3,100 lumens and has a power consumption of 230 watts.

The projector's native resolution is 1,280 x 800 with an aspect ratio of 16:10 and a contrast ratio of 1,800:1. Casio claims the device can project a 80-inch image from as close as 27cm, with a projection ratio of 0.28:1.

EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

Seagate Backup Plus Fast, $449

This handy hard drive is perfect for the artist who keeps running out of space. Currently the largest capacity 2.5-inch portable hard drive, the Backup Plus Fast holds 4TB of files, enough to satisfy film-makers and photographers who need a portable repository for their work.

Larger files are transferred quickly through a USB 3.0 interface that promises transfer speeds of up to 220MB per second.

Also new is the Backup Plus Slim, touted by Seagate as the slimmest portable external 2TB drive currently available. The Plus Fast is available in 4TB, while the Plus Slim is available in 2TB, 1TB and 500GB.

MOUSE

Logitech G502 Tunable Gaming Mouse, $99

This gaming mouse features a high sensitivity sensor that can be shifted from 200dpi for pixel-precise targeting, to 12,000dpi for lightning-fast movement, far more than what an average gamer needs. It tracks movement at 300 inches per second, delivering improved tracking and responsiveness.

The mouse can be customised. You can assign different commands and macros to each of the 11 programmable buttons. Every button uses mechanical micro-switches, which provides tactile feedback and increased lifespan.

It comes with five 3.6g weights that can be added or removed from the mouse to adjust its weight and centre of gravity.

This article was published on April 16 in Digital Life, The Straits Times.

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