A good time to install security alarm

Feb 15, 2009 - PropertyGuru.com.sg Investing in a dream house is something that several people will do, but not many of them will consider investing in the security of their property.

Since the deteriorating economic atmosphere may promote more crimes, it may perhaps be a good timing to give this issue some consideration.

The reported number of residences broken into went down to a 60-year low in the previous year. It was under the 866 cases recorded in 2007, based on the police data. This low number of robbery cases was reportedly moderate due to the efforts to get homeowners to fit alarms and lock up. The police authorities are expecting a crime increase this year as the conditions of the economy weaken.

Mister Charles Lim, the country manager of ADT Security Services, said that his firm has recorded more burglar alarm cases lately, even if these burglary attempts were unsuccessful because the intruders fled after the alarms activated.

While the feeble economy can influence the sales of house security or trespasser alarm systems, two top security companies claim that they continue to obtain inquiries.

”Despite the challenging market conditions, inquiries are still coming in the past few months”, according to Mr. Arumugam Balakrishnan, the UTC Fire & Security general manager (South-east Asia).

According to ADT, it perceived a 17 percent increase in inquiries regarding its house security systems during the last year’s second half as compared to the first half. “More people are asking about the systems or about upgrading their systems”, Mr. Lim said.

The companies that were interviewed had declined to give information on the actual business performed.

In the previous years, a large number of HDB households, almost all young families residing in new HDB properties such as Punggol – have subscribed to the security service, Mr. Lim added.

According to companies, these home security systems offer safety and defence against intrusion, fire threat, medical emergency and duress.

Mister Lim also added that some of the clients of ADT use its security systems to keep an eye on the elderly who stays at home. An elderly person holds a water-resistant transmitter, which will give signal to the monitoring centre whenever there is a problem – for instance, if the old person is not capable of getting up after falling down.

When there’s a medical situation or emergency, the elderly individual can also push the transmitter’s button in order to connect to the monitoring centre to get some assistance. There are just a small number of huge players in the monitored house security market here, which includes ADT, Certis Cisco and UTC.

The monitored system is different from a non-monitored system since the former allows the homeowner to make use of an intrusion detection service or 24 hours surveillance, according to Certis Cisco.

ADT noted that the monitored system is connected to an uptime monitoring centre that will receive signal if there is a break-in situation. Security experts will find out the nature of emergency and will call for the attention of owner and authorities right away.

The good news for subscriber is that these security systems are more affordable.

ADT and Chubb will only charge the subscribers for the security monitoring services, but not the systems itself.

Subscribers pay out a little amount of $38 every month for the security service, but are attached to a three-year contract. These charges can increase depending on the needs. For example, a huge house with several entry points will need additional equipments compared to an HDB flat, with just two or three entry points.

Some companies charge other fees for the security system and monitoring services. If the system is without a monitoring service, each can cost from $800-$2,000.

A necessary wireless package includes a magnetic door to detect closing and opening of windows and doors, and a movement detector.

“Some people go to fly-by-night players. They just want the system without the monitoring service. But it is like having a dog that doesn't bark”, said by an unnamed industry source.

However, if homeowners only want to utilise the system to monitor on their maids or neighbours, they should obtain a monitoring system that will protect their houses.

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LG Singapore launches LG Fiesta

Jul 28, 2010 - PropertyGuru.com.sg For the first time, LG Singapore has organised LG Fiesta, a four-day special promotional event offering customers special prices and great product bundling across its product lines, which range from mobile phones, to home entertainment to home appliances. The event marks the celebration of the company's slogan and aims to share the “Life’s Good!” experience across Singapore.

The LG Fiesta will be launched on July 29 in major retail venues across the country including Harvey Norman at Millenia Walk, Gain City at Sun Plaza Atrium, Audio House at Bendemeer, Mega Discount Store at Kallang Leisure Dome Atrium, Courts at Tampines Megastore and Best Denki at IMM Atrium.

The event will showcase the company’s complete product range, as well as offer customers the opportunity to win several prizes, which includes a trip for two to Korea as the grand prize, free mobile phone sterilising, and great prizes on the ‘Sure Win Lucky Spin’ with every $200 purchase.

There will also be bundled deals with freebies to buyers, such as Bluetooth headsets, microSD cards and 3D Fuji cameras, among others.

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Home & Décor June Issue out now

May 25, 2009 - PropertyGuru.com.sg If you wish to update your garden’s wall with the most modern fad and the materials you will need for the make over, get a copy of Home and Décor’s June issue, available at bookstores only $5. This issue provides a free Designer Showcase booklet, a bumper issue consisting of 216 pages of fresh, new ideas for a redecoration. It also advertises 31 other projects and 19 interior design firms, such as the well-known Collective Design and White Living Space. The magazine also mentioned new faces in the industry like Space Sense and Nota Design.

A revitalised booklet of 88 pages, now has a reflective silver cover for a polished new look, intensifying several of the best Singaporean interior designers’ projects. They have turned a three-room HDB apartment in Serangoon into a 40-year-old semi-detached house that can be seen in Thomson neighbourhood.

If there is bad news, there is always good news. The bad news: The present global recession making it hard for companies and businesses all over the world to make it big. The good news: They are selling off their products and services in bargain prices. Even better news: Buyers can take advantage of the bargain prices. The magazine helps interested buyers on which perfect home to buy.

“From the start, we felt that the booklet should not just showcase glossy projects, but introduce the design pros behind them and explain their vision and signature style.” Sophie Kho, editor of Home & Décor, elaborated the reasons why they include such contents in the 20-year old magazine, read by around 80,000 Singaporeans.

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Niche living in Hong Kong

Jun 2, 2010 - PropertyGuru.com.sg An architect made a breakthrough of squeezing more than a thousand rooms into a 344-sq-ft apartment. This innovative concept was created and designed by Gary Chang who had once lived in a near-limitless small space for over 30 years.

Mr. Chang has a successful interior design and architectural practice in Hong Kong, a city where most of the people are living in shoebox space apartments and luxury developments are simply defined as a bigger shoebox in a rich neighbourhood.

The award-winning architect has found his niche by transforming a tiny unit into a revolutionary home that changes according to individual needs. By using movable walls, a complex series of sliding curtains and panels and fold-down furniture to serve as room dividers, Mr. Chang has taken his concept to extreme and near-obsessive levels.

“I try to argue that the problem of living in small spaces is a global phenomenon,” said Mr. Chang. “Many major cities have to deal with similar issues - Hong Kong has a long history of working with the idea of tight spaces, but small doesn't have to mean depressing.”

In a space similar to a single-car garage, Mr. Chang has created a home that has a walk-in closet, a dining room, kitchen, home cinema, spa, guest room, a sizeable home office, a walk-in closet, a minimalist living room, and even a relaxation room equipped with hammock and mood music.

His home also features a sophisticated home automation system to help with the transformations, while several elements have multiple-uses, like a full-size home cinema screen which also serves as a blackout curtain.

The catch is that the space can only be one thing at a time. The toilet and the shower area are permanent fixtures and the full-size bathtub is inserted behind a panel that has a fold-up bed above the top for a guest. But this is a condition that Mr. Chang took into account from the beginning. He designed his apartment to fit his own needs, and he calls it the “Domestic Transformer”.

“The key factor is that I take a time-based approach,” he said. “At any one time you are only doing one thing, so instead of moving from space to space, the same space changes at different times for different needs.”

He added that “it is not entirely innovative, but a response to what we've always been doing - everything was always mutating due to the lack of space.”

Mr. Chang acquired the house for HK$350,000 more than 20 years ago. Since then, he has spent a lot of time and a large amount reinventing the space. The latest version for his home took a year, when he spent HK$1.8 million to renovate and design the apartment. Everything had to be accurate and precise, even to the smallest millimetre, and workers had to work one section at a time. The primary materials used are polished granite and stainless steel.

Mr. Chang estimated the current value of his house to be HK$1.6 million. “I have a very different concept of money,” he said.

“A lot of architects use their own homes to experiment,” he noted. “We should explore our own living environment and I don't really care how much I spend - it's a testing ground for me.”

“I'm not finished - it's like a game to try and squeeze in more elements - the next stage is a mahjong table for my friends.”

Mr. Chang attributed his ideas of space to those who grew up in a proverbial shoebox-size home, but he has proven that a small space can actually be liberating, not limiting.

“It was my problem because I grew up that way,” said Mr. Chang. “During my childhood, many tenants had full height wallpapers with pictures of waterfalls or forests to give them the idea of space - each generation had their way of making their home more tolerable.”

“Nowadays, people are more concerned with designing their home with the resale value in mind, rather than customising it to suit their lifestyles.” His own lifestyle includes travelling 120 days per year, and Mr. Chang has even published a book entitled ‘Hotel as Home’, where he describes each hotel room he had stayed in.

“My home may not be the ultimate way to transform a space, but the central spirit is the same - you look closely at your own life, see what you want, and organise the space accordingly,” said Mr. Chang.

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Think simple, live big

Aug 23, 2009 - PropertyGuru.com.sg Sometimes the best solutions to the most pressing and most complicated problems are just very simple and straightforward ideas. For instance, one of the best ways to save your well-earned dollar is not see it. That’s a simple notion to understand. If you get the overpowering urge to buy something you don’t really need but irresistibly want, you won’t be able to buy it if your cash is stashed away safely in your savings account.

Simple ideas can also solve big problems when one intends to renovate a home. If you want to make your living room more spacious, you don’t need to have your home extended because extensions tend to chew up a lot of time before the desired outcome become visible. Applying simple ideas can both save time and money in this kind of predicament.

33-year-old interior designer, Calvin Tan, wanted to make the living room of his three-room, 73-square-metre HDB flat more spacious. Living with Mr. Tan in his flat, which is located in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, are his wife, eight-month-old daughter, 64-year-old mother, and 31-year-old personal assistant.

To make the living room bigger and have a brighter feel, Mr. Tan made the family kitchen smaller and then applied a calming and austere theme.

“We knocked down the wall dividing the living room and the kitchen and replaced it with a glass sliding door,” Mr. Tan said. “I also made the kitchen slightly smaller because we don't need such a big kitchen. The glass door makes the room look longer and brighter.”

When asked what part of the house he is most proud of, Mr. Tan said the living room because “it doesn't look like that of a three-room flat.” The proud owner described the décor theme of the living room as simple and modern.

“It will not go out of style and it's easy to buy art and display items that will match. The living room is easy to clean and the theme makes the room look bigger,” he explained.

Instead of having his home extended, Mr. Tan came up with simple ideas and that may very well be the cheapest and best solutions for his problem. Most importantly, he and his family love the outcome because it makes their home more cosy, relaxing and comfortable.

“Every time I reach home, I don't feel like going out,” Mr. Tan proudly said.

Source: http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/news/2009/8/21725/living-big-with-simple-ideas

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Sony launching new range of gadgets

Sep 29, 2010 - PropertyGuru.com.sg Sony Singapore is unveiling an extensive suite of 3D entertainment solutions aimed at revolutionising the viewing experience of consumers. With the launch of its newest range of 3D BRAVIA TVs and 3D Blu-ray home theatre system, consumers can enjoy high quality 3D entertainment in the comfort of their homes.

“As the leader in 3D innovation, Sony delivers unrivalled 3D entertainment by bringing consumers’ favourite movies and games directly into their living rooms in breathtaking quality,” said Mr. Taisuke Nakanishi, managing director of Sony South East Asia. “With 3D BRAVIA TVs as the centrepiece in the 3D ecosystem, Sony offers consumers unparalleled clarity and picture quality for fun and immersive 3D cinematic and gaming experiences at home.”

The company has extended the 3D BRAVIA line-up with two new network models, BRAVIA NX810 and NX710, transforming consumers’ living space with a combination of 3D capability, connectivity and Monolithic design.

With these new models, users can easily go on a 3D adventure by connecting the TV to the 3D Sync Transmitter and wearing the Sony Active Shutter 3D glasses. Quality is guaranteed thanks to BRAVIA Engine 3 high definition video processor, Dynamic Edge LED backlighting and Motionflow technology of up to 200Hz.

Giving homes the full cinema package is the Sony BDV-IZ1000W, which offers incredible surround sound through five slim speakers using virtual 7.1 wireless rear speaker system and 1000W of S-Master full digital technology.

3D Blu-ray firmware updates are also available to all 3D-ready Sony Blu-ray players. In addition, with Sony’s newest range of Cyber-shot cameras, moviemakers can produce 3D panoramic shots with the company’s exclusive 3D Sweep Panorama function.

The new range of 3D entertainment solutions from Sony will be available at all Sony authorised retailers in October.

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IKEA Catalogue 2011 coming to Singapore households

Aug 11, 2010 - PropertyGuru.com.sg Home furnishing specialist IKEA is launching the 60th edition of the IKEA Catalogue 2011, which presents 376 pages of ideas, inspiration and solutions to make life at home easier to manage.

Starting August 12, every Singaporean household will receive a copy of the catalogue in their mailbox for free. For the first time, Singaporeans can also download the Singapore edition of the IKEA Catalogue 2011 into their iPad and iPhone from the Application store for free by the end of August.

Thousands of copies of the IKEA Catalogue will also be available in the Chinese language. Starting next month, customers can personally get a copy from IKEA stores, or go online to ask for a copy of the Chinese version.

The IKEA Catalogue 2011 features some of the company’s bestsellers at lower prices. For instance, the popular LACK side table is now offered at a retail price of $12.90, down from $17.90 in 2009. The catalogue does not only boast a range of new pieces of furniture, but also a new approach to colour, use of materials, design and sustainable production.

Initially published in 1951 in Sweden, the IKEA Catalogue is now in its 60th year of publication and is being distributed in 31 countries throughout the world. IKEA Singapore has produced 33 publications of the catalogue since 1978, bringing the IKEA store into homes.

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