If you are into Greek mythology, you have heard about the famous Morpheus. Morpheus is actually the God of Dreams or Sleep. What’s his greatest superpower? He can transform to any human form and then appear in your dreams. Classical depictions describe him as good and bad. Perhaps you also heard about Morpheus in The Matrix. A fictional character, Morpheus, gave the lead actor Neo the choice to either live in illusion or enter reality.

But these are not Project Morpheus. It is time that you know what this project is about and how it can shape the future of video gaming. Actually, Project Morpheus is the code name for the PlayStation VR. Now PlayStation VR sounds familiar right? PlayStation VR is a head-mounted display which is developed and established by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The project was just introduced to the public on October 13, 2016. PlayStation VR is developed to be compatible with PlayStation 4 Home Video game console. Here are some things that you need to know about it:

Hardware

If you happen to join the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, you know that it is the forum especially organized for artists, programmers, producers, professionals, game developers, game designers, etc. The prototype that was revealed encompasses display of OLED 1920 by 1080 pixel. It has the ability to display content at 120 fps. There are 3 rendering modes – 90 Hz, 120 Hz and 120 Hz.

By the way, GDC 2017 was announced and it will be in San Francisco from February 27 to March 3, 2017. You have plenty of time to plan for it if you are coming from Singapore.

Features

What is great about this head-mounted gear is its rendering of images. PlayStation VR has the ability to render 2 different pictures instantaneously – one for the television and the other for the headset. Sony said that this is important as they attempt to bring the experience to other spectators as well.

It can be played in “cinematic mode”. This means that players are provided with 360 degree view of the videos and photographs with the use of media player. The screen is five-meter wide within the virtual space. The standard controller is PS4.

Games

As for the games, Sony announced that there will be more than 200 game developers to work on the content of the PlayStation VR. If you want to know the complete list of the titles for your reference, you can go to their website and see it for yourself.

Head to the nearest gaming store here in Singapore to experience it.

These days, most companies in Singapore rely on their technology in order to operate efficiently. But even with years of using technology, budgeting for your IT services and maintenance can still be very challenging and tricky. Failing to account your technology expenditures can significantly affect your business operations. To help you keep that from happening, we listed down some of the common mistakes that you should avoid as you start budgeting for your company’s IT needs.

1. Neglecting Staff Support and Training

Investing in a quality training and support for your IT staff is crucial as it allows them to use the technologies you provide in a proper and secure way. Failing to make such investment will surely lead to costly mistakes in the future, as your employees’ lack of knowledge on managing and operating your IT systems could cause some serious business downtime. When you are looking for IT service in Singapore, many vendors offer free training programs for performing specific IT services, so make sure that you include this expenditure as you set your budget for your IT needs.

2. Forgetting to Track Your Technical Inventory

Failing to track your technical inventory is another common mistake that could blow up your IT budget. Yes, monitoring all the components that compose your IT infrastructure might take a great deal of work, but keeping track of all your assets is the only way to ensure that you and your staff are using them properly, as well as to prevent any financial and operational issues on your system from occurring later on.

3. Choosing a Cheap Service Level Agreement

One of the most common mistakes in choosing a service level agreement (SLA) is failing to negotiate the level of IT services that you require from your managed services provider. While you might think that choosing a cheaper service level agreement will help you save extra money, it will actually do the exact opposite. Make sure that you weigh in the differences between a cheap SLA and costly contract. Opting for a cheaper contract might increase your operations downtime, and that could spell bad news for your business.

4. Purchasing the Cheapest System Hardware Available

Getting the cheapest system hardware without researching as to whether or not it is right for your company’s needs is a one way of blowing up your budget. Some small companies in Singapore often commit this mistake, thinking that they will be able to cut down their expenses if they purchase the cheapest hardware that they can find. The easiest way to avoid this is to consider how a particular equipment will affect other machines in your business. Research about the hardware you are planning to buy to see if it will be able to support the IT needs of your business.

5. Utilizing Outdated Equipment

Another mistake that might derail your IT budget is utilizing outdated equipment. Instead of allowing you to save extra money, continuously using an old technology will actually cost you more. Aside from having reliability and security issues, older machines also tend to have higher maintenance costs. So make sure that you consider these factors first before you decide on still using your old equipment.

6. Disregarding the Importance of a Data Centre

Being unaware of the advantages of having a data centre is another mistake that might ruin your IT budget. Although it might drastically increase the monthly utility bill of your business, renting out a space from a data centre can be a more cost-effective option. It will give your servers some good housing and proper climate control. Other than that, most data centres in Singapore also have multiple power sources built in the facility, as well as on-site maintenance in the event something goes wrong with your servers.

7. Failing to Do Some Research Before Getting an IT Solution

Simply taking a managed services provider’s word that their IT services and equipment best fits your business’s needs is one way of derailing your allotted IT budget. The best way to avoid this is to ensure that you do some research before selecting a new IT solution for your company instead of just believing your prospective vendor’s word. Be sure to check other available options first to ensure that you are getting what is right for both your company and your budget.

8. Trying to Keep Up with Other People

Although this mistake is often included in the lists of things you should avoid doing when setting your personal budget, it is also applicable when creating an IT budget for your business as well. Remember that just because your fellow business owners are starting to move their systems to cloud, it does not mean that it is also the right thing to do for your company. Before thinking of investing on a new IT system or solution, make sure that you understand all your available options first so as to avoid going over the budget that you allotted for your technologies.

Planning out and sticking to a specific IT budget might seem challenging, but avoiding these common mistakes will surely help you on staying on the right track of your budget. Make sure that you research what’s best for your company and ask the help of your trusted managed services provider in developing an IT budget that can cater to all the technological needs of your business.

 

We live in a time where it’s possible to access huge swatches of information with just a single click of the mouse. Although some of these information are unrestricted, we are still often exposed to vast information every time we research a specific subject online. Not only is this mentally exhausting, it also fragments and confuses our thinking over time. To avoid this, you should be selective in browsing through chunks of information and start thinking smarter by doing the following ways.

1. Set a clear objective when looking for important information online

Maintaining a clear and precise picture of what you’re looking for is what will help you find the information you’re looking for and keep you from getting overwhelmed by all the conflicting and excessive data available online. This is where using mind maps prove to be exceptionally useful, as they aid in providing a visual representation of your thoughts, as well as your individual thinking process.

2. Avoid giving too much attention to every information that you read

This is another important thing to do, especially when you’re confronted with vast sets of data. If you believe everything that you read about a specific topic, then you would likely find it difficult to make an informed decision or arrive at a firm conclusion.

This is particularly true on widely discussed topics that often elicit strong emotions and divide opinion. When you’re confronted with such information, be sure to work hard to evaluate and identify the most relevant data there is and apply your findings to your personal circumstances, while still keeping your primary objective in mind.

3. Maintain an objective and open mind as you process all the information that you got

Aside from being selective when browsing for information, it’s also important that you are objective with it. People tend to seek out information that relates to their specific values or belief system, resulting to a clouded and bias decision. This is why experts recommend maintaining an open and objective outlook when browsing online. Searching for information without bias will help you in achieving greater knowledge and in executing more informed decisions.

4. Give your brain enough time to rest to avoid information overload

Processing information online is similar to working on your tasks on a computer. The glare from the screen and the focus required to complete these tasks often causes mental fatigue, thus making it difficult to achieve your goals. To avoid this, make sure that you take regular breaks from your computer to refresh your mind and maintain your mental sharpness.

Thinking smarter when processing information online is possible. Just make sure that you put these tips to work to train your mind to be more selective when reviewing sets of data, as well as to avoid the pitfalls of information overload.

The use of PaBX in Singapore offered various benefits to its users; but as the industry grows, more and more phone system providers come into fray. Although this drives the cost down as more telephone services become available, users should be extra cautious in choosing their provider. With the growing number of PaBX providers in Singapore, users should be sure of what they require and want from a system. To help you in narrowing the field down, we listed down some of the key factors that you should consider when choosing a telephone switching system.

1. Integration with the Traditional PBX

One of the first things to consider when purchasing telephone switching system is whether or not it will assimilate with your traditional PBX. This is a factor worth considering even if you are planning to replace your traditional switching system.

Disconnecting your existing PBX, and setting up a new system will interrupt the phone service of your company until the new PaBX is configured and brought online. Fortunately, interruption in the service can be prevented by simply adding your new PBX system to the existing one, and just gradually moving things over to the new switching system.

2. Reliability

Another important factor to consider when choosing a PBX system is its reliability. After all, telephones are something that people in Singapore expects to always work. That said, it is crucial to ensure that the phone switching system you choose delivers the functionality and reliability that everyone expects.

To gauge a PBX system’s reliability, simply look for credible reviews online. A blog entry about the system you’re planning to purchase will provide you with information about how the product performs, as well as some tricks on how you can resolve tricky configuration issues. Many people say that in Singapore PaBX cloud phone systems are good and you have to adjust the technology to suit your purpose. Another way to measure the system’s dependability is to look for qualities that make it reliable. For instance, does the system have another mechanism for establishing connection to the PSTN in case your primary WAN connection fails? Does it provide automatic failover for voice clients?

3. Support

Before reaching out for a telephone switching system provider, you should first be aware of all your needs, such as the number of employees in your office, the location of these employees, the number of lines, your company’s local and long distance needs, its broadband specifications, call volume, electronic faxing and conference calling, etc. By knowing these, you will be able to choose PaBX provider who has the appropriate switching system for your company.

Another area that you should address is the provider’s tech support and accessibility. Can your employees reach the system provider any time of the day? Is the switching system capable of automatically routing calls in the right departments regardless of the location? Your provider should be able to answer these questions first before you decide on hiring them.

4. Customization

Ease of customization is another factor worth considering when choosing a telephone switching system. In hosted systems, customizations are often done by the provider. However, they are often unable to perform extreme customizations for every customer. If your communication system requires a more advanced customization, then going with an on premise PaBX might be a better option for you. If you are choosing a hosted system, consider working with your provider to discuss all the customizations you need, and those that they can only offer.

5. Operating System

The operating system that the unit uses is another important criteria to consider in selecting a telephone switching system. If you plan to frequently customize your PBX software, consider checking a Linux-based switching system that uses an open source software. If your network is Windows based, on the other hand, then investing on a Windows-based PBX system might be a better option for you.

6. Latency

Latency is defined as the delay in time when data packets of voice conversations are received and sent. Although it occurs often, latency typically does not have any effect on regular data (e.g. emails, and webpage) as much as it does on phone calls.

Fortunately, you can ask your provider’s help to solve such problems. Latency is often resolved through using the right technology and proper engineering skill. Trained providers usually have no problem remedying this issue; therefore, you should consider purchasing your PaBX system from a provider who can provide fast and effective solutions in the event that latency becomes a common problem in your system.

7. Features

In choosing a PaBX in Singapore, it is crucial to make sure that it offers the system of features that you need – but avoid getting too hung up on purchasing the product with the most attributes. It’s common practice that as the competitors offer more qualities on their product, other companies will soon offer those same features to their clients through a firmware update.

8. Training

Another factor to consider when choosing a PaBX system is whether or not the provider offers any form of training in implementing the system. Don’t expect your IT staff to automatically know how to use your new telephone switching system. Adding VoIP to your network requires a special set of skills, making undergoing proper training essential. It would also be a good idea to consider the cost of going through such training as you and your provider determine the total purchase price.

With the growing number of PaBX system providers in Singapore, choosing one that suits the needs of your business can really challenging. So consider keeping these important considerations in mind to make your search for a reliable provider less stressful and worthwhile.

 

Bicycles are an efficient mode of transportation here in Singapore. In fact, many cycling paths have been built in Singapore to cater to the growing patrons of bicycles. The government is encouraging people to consider bicycle because it is economical and nature-friendly.

The good news is that there is a manufacturer who made the bicycle of the future a reality. The bicycle is called Gi FlyBike. The concept was started by three inventors during a national strike in Argentina that crippled the whole public transportation.

The strike paved way for inventors to create an option for people to commute without the discomfort of regular bicycles. So, they built Gi FlyBike – a twenty six inches wheeled foldable bicycle equipped with a smart technology that entails little to no maintenance. Sounds good, right?

The best thing about this bicycle is it is electric. When travelling a slope, you will never have difficulties because it is equipped with three-speed electric assistance. The bicycle is connected to an application which will give you access to other features like GPS. GPS is helpful in determining your location and which route is the most efficient.

It does not end there because if your smartphone is running low on batteries, the bicycle is capable of charging it. Since this bicycle can cost a great deal of money, there is a possibility that it will be stolen. With this, the bicycle is equipped with automatic locking feature – a mobile application that will lock or unlock your bicycle. You will be given codes so you can access your bicycle.

As mentioned earlier, the bicycle is foldable and only weights 16.7 kilograms. The bicycle can travel at least 64 kilometres with one single charge. This bicycle is truly a wonder.