LG Optimus 7 coming to Singapore

Oct 13, 2010 - PropertyGuru.com.sg LG Electronics has announced the launch of LG Optimus 7 in Singapore, introducing a revolutionary experience of mobile living for customers.

LG Optimus 7, LG’s first Windows® Phone 7 device, is a direct result of the partnership between LG and Microsoft in the smartphone market. Among its innovative features include augmented reality (AR) ScanSearch, DLNA-based Play To and Voice-to-Text, which are available as Live Tiles on Windows® Phone 7 and can be accessed through integrated “Hubs”.

“We have designed LG Optimus 7 series to include a truly innovative content sharing experience via the Windows Phone 7 environment,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, chief executive and president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Having worked closely with Microsoft to develop these fantastic devices, we are thrilled to now be able to reveal our vision of what a true Windows Phone 7 should be.”

Andy Lees, head of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft, added: “We are very excited to be working with LG, a mobile phone industry innovator. Windows® Phone 7 is designed to bring together what you care about most and LG is a key partner in making that experience a reality for people around the world.”

Consumers will have a chance to see the new LG Optimus 7 at the LG Optimus 7 Experiential Zone at Wisma Atria from October 15 to 17.

The LG Optimus 7 will be available nationwide through all telcos and major telecommunications outlets later this month. The recommended retail price for the device is yet to be announced.

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Renewing the Lost Glory

Jan 30, 2009 - PropertyGuru.com.sg
Many people who knew Madam Lyn Lee and her husband are scratching their backs after the couple shelled out $500,000 to renovate a 1920s pre-war shophouse. Some are even considering this as insanity to buy the rundown 1,300 square feet corner unit eight years ago near Tembeling Road with a market value of $800,000.

For the couple, however, it was an endeavour that gives fulfilment for their hard-earned money. Madam Lee said she loves to live in the company of her neighbourhood and take part in preserving the rich cultural heritage of her newfound home.

Aside from achieving her aspiration to own a dream house with traditional architecture, she wants to maintain the cultural heritage of their area. Within the community, the couple’s popularity for preserving the rich culture of the place has been recognised, particularly the Peranakan-style terraced building designs, decorated with tall and multi-coloured louvred windows and carved plastering.

Recently, the couple’s move has influenced infrastructure planning of the other 100 buildings situated in the Katong/Joo Chiat that will soon be part of the conservation scheme of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. This plan covers 95 terrace dwellings and shophouses built in areas like Koon Seng Road, Tembeling Road and Onan Road, along with the other 700 buildings given the conservation status beginning 1993.

Maintaining the functional and traditional structure of old buildings is a noble task than simply renovating them to give way for new condominiums.

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HK architect's innovative solution for space crunch

Feb 9, 2010 - PropertyGuru.com.sg After living in the same boxy, 32-sq-m dwelling for three decades, Hong Kong architect Gary Chang came up with a science fiction-like 'domestic transformer', as an innovative solution to the increasingly repressed lives of many urban residents.

“The idea is everything is moving. This is my laundry space,” said Mr. Chang while sliding a wall filled with CDs to reveal a dryer and washing machine.

A kitchen has materialized by sliding another track-mounted metal wall that bears a plasma TV. Next to that is a grand 1.9-m bathtub, which itself turns into a guest bed.

The award-winning architect has taken the concept of space-saving to the extreme, while people in other crowded cities like Tokyo, have resorted to foldable futons and drop-down beds.

His small rectangular flat, tucked into the bowels of an old, plain tenement building, has polished chrome walls, bearing 24 configurations, with each suiting a particular need.

The available space turns into a kitchen, home theatre, bedroom, spa, chill-out zone rigged up with a hammock, depending on what Mr. Chang needs at any moment.

“The high intensity of use makes (it) more like a large home appliance than a dwelling,” Mr. Chang wrote in his book, 32-metre square apartment -- a 30-year transformation that accounts the beginnings of his innovative dwelling, which has undergone several facelifts through the years.

Mr. Chang, who operates his own architectural and design firm, describes a vacant space as a “luxury”. He once built a 'Suitcase House' in Beijing, blurring the boundaries between private and public space.

“The only enclosed space is the toilet, and again, it's bigger than usual,” said Mr. Chang, whose flat is surrounded by skyscrapers and highways that embody the extensive urban development in Hong Kong that have transformed spacious flats into a pipedream.

At a cost of HK$1.8 million (S$329,600), Mr. Chang hopes that his dwelling will provide a practical, life-enhancing alternative for Hong Kongers who cannot hope for anything bigger.

“The idea is to tune your home closer to what you really want instead of being dictated by the market or by the space allocated,” said the designer, who is now in negotiations with real estate developers to replicate his flat in other costly and space-starved cities across Asia and Europe.

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Xbox 360 Kinect coming to Singapore

Oct 11, 2010 - PropertyGuru.com.sg Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect is set to come to Singapore on November 18, clearing the way for controller-free gaming.

“Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways, no controller required,” said Ben Tan, Regional Director, SEA and Korea, Retail Sales and Marketing for Microsoft.

Microsoft and LucasArts also said they will bring Star Wars to Kinect next year. Disney is also set to bring its magic to Kinect, and about 15 Kinect games are expected for launch by the end of the year.

On the Singapore market, StarHub has confirmed its collaboration with Microsoft to develop promotional packages for local Kinect customers.

“We are very pleased to work with our long-term partner, Microsoft, to offer Kinect to our customers as part of our exciting line-up of year-end festive goodies. With the tie-up, our existing and new MaxOnline customers can look forward to picking up a special StarHub- Xbox360 Kinect bundle at StarHub shops next month,” said Mr. Ng Long Shyang, Head of Sales and Marketing at StarHub.

“This festive season, there will be more reasons for StarHub's customers to get cosy at home! Besides our best cable TV entertainment and fastest broadband surfing experiences, they can also have fun playing motion-controlled Kinect games with family and friends,” added Ng.

The Xbox 360 4GB console, the revolutionary Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures” are packed together for a price of $469 and will be available from retailers islandwide.

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Keppel Land collaborates with Saporiti Italia for Reflections project

Oct 14, 2010 - PropertyGuru.com.sg Keppel Land is collaborating with luxury Italian interior and furniture design company Saporiti Italia to furnish Reflections @ Keppel Bay, which is slated for completion in 2012.

The premier waterfront residences development features 1,129 luxurious waterfront units along a 750m shoreline, all with prominent views of Mount Faber, a golf course, lush parks and the bay. Currently, 97 percent of the 800 units released have been sold.

Saporiti Italia, whose illustrious portfolio includes furnishing the UN office in Geneva, will appoint six award-winning international designers to create unique furniture designs for the project.

“We want to raise the benchmark for luxury living and are committed to bringing together the finest names and brands in the industry to lend their signature quality to our developments at Keppel Bay,” said Mr. Augustine Tan, president of Singapore residential and head of regional investments (Middle East & India) at Keppel Land.

“In enhancing the premier and luxurious waterfront lifestyle experience, no effort is spared to provide the highest quality fittings, fixtures and features.”

“Saporiti, a luxury brand celebrated worldwide for their creative use of innovative materials and unique manufacturing technologies provide bespoke luxury to the clubhouse and lobbies of Reflections at Keppel Bay,” he added.

Mr. Raffaele Saporiti, chief executive of Saporiti Italia, said: “Saporiti Italia has a history of teaming up with the best names in the design community. For this prestigious Reflections at Keppel Bay development, we have gathered some of the best European designers such as Mauro Lipparini, Marti Guixé and Park Associati, to create exquisite and one-of-its-kind designs and creations. We believe that this will set new benchmarks for design in Singapore.”

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World's slimmest washing machines coming to town

Sep 24, 2010 - PropertyGuru.com.sg Courts, the largest retailer of electrical, IT products and furniture, will bring a range of washing machines from Italian brand Candy into Singapore.

A forerunner in the industry, Candy has designed the GrandÓ Plus, the world's slimmest washing machine, which includes a tub with 50L capacity in a 40 cm depth and yet washes up to 7 kg of laundry.

The range of washing machines includes standard capacity at 6 kg load up to maximum capacity at 10 kg load, with sizes ranging from 40 cm depth to 60 cm depth.

“Candy is a well established and leading brand in Europe but has not been available to the Singapore market. Courts, always in the forefront of bringing the latest technology and new experiences to our customers; we feel that this is a great opportunity to introduce Candy’s range of innovatively designed washing machines to the Singapore market. Especially its slimmest range of washing machines, the GrandÓ Plus answers the need of optimising kitchen space available at home which is becoming smaller compared to what it used to be,” said Terry O’Connor, OBE, CEO of Courts.

Candy's washing machines will be available at all Courts stores from early October. Prices start at $699.

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Indoor Plants for High Homes

Nov 28, 2008 - PropertyGuru.com.sg
Living in a high place with no direct sunlight becomes problematic when it comes to growing plants. Here, some high-dwellers and plant experts provide tips on how to go green in such place.

Relations manager with an Italian luxury brands and owner of an expensive four-bedroom condominium apartment in Kembangan, Fiona Manini, decorate her home with plants because she believes that "plants give character to the home." Since their family's apartment does not have a balcony, her plants are all indoors, showing that it is possible to grow plants at home even if it does not receive direct sunlight.

Brand Manager Calvin Ong wants to plant real plants to add life to his home, but his apartment does not have enough sunlight. To make his home look more alive, Mr. Ong displayed a plant called kusamaki (called lou han song in Chinese), which he puts in a vase fulfilled with water, in his three-room HDB unit in Toa Payoh.

A marketing communications and public relations manager Brenda Loke, however, placed plants in her dining area so that it will not look so plain. Ms. Loke moves her pots of money plants regularly from shelves in a place where they can have some light through a skylight.

For home-owners who worry that indoor plants may attract insects, Mr. Lee Meng Kwan, assistant general manager of sales and marketing at World Farm, explains that this situation is far from happening because insects want the nectar from the flowers, and most indoor plants do not bear flowers.

However, he advises that to avoid mosquito breeding, home owners who have indoor plants should eliminate sluggish water on a regular basis.

On the misconception that plants should not be placed in the bedroom because they take oxygen at night, Mr. Lee stated, "Plants do use a small amount of oxygen at night, but during the day they create more oxygen than they use at night."

Plant experts also recommend that while there are no difficult and quick rules as to where to place indoor plants, putting them in a well-ventilated location always give the best results.

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