BUDGET TECH

Stretch your dollar with these tech goodies!

bySyafii Ghazali May 2016

Stretch your dollar with these tech goodies!

Chromecast retails from $64.90 at Lazada.sg.

TV HERO

Smart TVs are all the rage, and it’s not difficult to see why. Unlike their “dumb” counterparts, they’re hooked up to the Internet so you can watch YouTube and Netflix videos on a big screen. The only problem is, they cost a fair bit more. Google feels your pain, and that’s why it came up with Chromecast, a tiny device that turns your regular ol’ goggle-box into a smart TV. Setup is a snap – just plug the uber-cute device into your TVs HDMI port, follow the simple instructions and – voila! – you can now watch cat videos on your TV! As if that’s not cool enough, you’ll also get to use your smartphone as your TV controller.

AKG Y 20U retails for $49.90 at Lazada.sg.

SONIC BOOM

You know the free pair of earbuds that came with your smartphone? They suck. Crappy sound aside, they’re utterly devoid of personality. The good news is, you don’t need to break the bank to get a pair of great-sounding, coollooking headphones. The AKG Y 20U costs less than $50, but boasts a balanced yet powerful sound you’d expect from a pair that costs twice that amount. It also bags style points for coming in striking shades of grey, yellow and teal. That it comes with a mic and remote makes it a no-brainer if you’re looking to up your headphone game on the cheap.

App Review:

Hopper

Flight ticket prices are a funny thing. They fluctuate like crazy, and there seems to be no way of knowing when’s the best time to get them. Enter Hopper. This nifty app “analyses billions of flight prices daily to predict how prices will change”, helping you to find the best time to buy those tickets for that big vacay you’ve been planning. All you have to do is select where and when you want to fly, and the app will show you the lowest prices currently available and suggest whether you should buy now or wait. The only catch? It doesn’t include local budget airlines in its listings.

Hopper is available for free at the Apple App Store.