Sucks on Solo-Wheel!

March 12, 2016 2 Comments

I have been away from my blog and vlog for 3 long weeks. I was overwhelmed with lots of meetings and new exciting projects at the agency. I am looking forward to end of March when I will clear many of my unused annual leaves.

Shot this Vlog at Shenzhen last Sunday and didn’t have any free time to edit the video until now. One of my brand new e-scooters was faulty (the charging port was damaged) and I had to carry it across the border to the seller to repair. I could not use any Hong Kong local courier company to ship this across as there will be tax and other import issues at the Chinese custom. What a hassle!

Despite the inconvenience, I made new friends at the shop. The staff was extremely friendly and he allowed me to try on all the fancy toys in the shop. While the technician was inspecting my e-scooter, I took the solo-wheel out to try. Being quite an expert on the hoverboard, I thought I can easily handle this little monster. Man, I totally suck in this! I tripped a couple of times while making turns. All I did was going forward and backward. The experience was so bad that I gave up buying one. What a rare occasion when I walked away from temptation. (Usually when I try a new toy, there is a high 90% that I will buy it!) Okay, here is the real confession: I didn’t get the solo-wheel, I bought the world’s lightest e-scooter instead!

I left the shop and headed out to the OCT Art District. With so much time to spare, I managed to comb the entire Art District for the first time! I discovered more shops and lanes that I missed out in my previous visits.

Later that evening, I went to DJI shop to check out another new toy I just purchased – the new Phantom 4. Man, that machine is aerodynamically sexy! The build feels solid and powerful! Can’t wait to test-fly it next week! Enjoy the short Vlog!

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Drone-unfriendly Yangon

February 4, 2016 9 Comments

“DRONE!” an airport staff yelled out. Within seconds, I was surrounded by a group of hostile-looking airport custom officers. This ritual repeated itself from the very first hour I landed in Yangon to the last minute I left the country. The Burmese authorities take drone very seriously. It was as dramatic as having a bag load of drugs or explosives.

I wasn’t alone. While I was debating with the custom officers about their laws on drone (which there isn’t any official law on drone), I was shown a list of drones that were detained by the Burmese custom office over the past 1 month! There were at least 10 DJI drones being detained inside Yangon International Airport right now. I do not blame Yangon for being so strict on drone-flying. There are indeed some black sheep in the drone community who are either dumb or just simply irresponsible.

Honestly, I wasn’t too worried about the detention of my drone. I was only frustrated by the way they handled my case. You see, there were 5 security checkpoints (airport entrance, custom office, departure hall, immigration counter, departure gate) on the way to the departure gate. And at every check point, I had to endure and repeat the same unpleasant tussle. Each officer gave a different reason to detain my drone (detain for investigation, no permit for leaving the country with drone etc). Thankfully, I kept the official release letter from the custom office and I was able to walk away from all these senseless confrontation. Trust me, getting the drone out of the country was 10 times more stressful than getting it detained in the first place.

Despite the ugly episode at the airport, Myanmar left me with many good impressions. This is a working trip, Chowpo and I flew in a day earlier to explore the City of Gold. Thanks to the friendly hotel staff who helped us to plan our short 1-day tour, we managed to visit most of the city’s key recommended attractions – the Shwedagon Pagoda, Bogyoke Aung San Market, Aung San Suu Kyi house, National Museum, Chaukhtatgyi Temple.

Myanmar is a buzzing country with lots to discover. It was unlike anything I had imagined about this place, Yangon is definitely a city in motion. With so many hardworking local and international talents, I have no doubt that Yangon will progress and grow through time. I saw so many Singapore home-grown brands well established here (Charles and Keith, Ya Kun, Fish & Co, Popular Books). There are just so many untapped golden opportunities and best of all, beautiful wonders to discover. I wished I had two more weeks to explore the other parts of Myanmar.

Check out more photos and vlog below:

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Hong Kong’s coldest winter since 1957

January 25, 2016 Leave a comment

Back from sunny Bali, we have just experienced Hong Kong’s coldest winter in 60 years! Just 4 weeks ago (around Christmas week), I was grumbling about this year’s warm winter. I hate to admit this in front of my Hong Kong friends (who usually overdressed in winter), this is no ordinary cold spell, it is indeed freezing cold!

To experience this once-in-a-lifetime natural phenomenon, many Hong Kongers (frost chasers) went up to Tai Mo Shan (Hong Kong’s highest peak) last night and early this morning. It was so chaotic that it almost become a national crisis. Many people were injured and trapped at the icy peak. The jam was so bad that even the firemen and medics had to go on foot to retrieve the people. The rescue mission was hampered by poor condition as some of them slipped on the icy road too.

I have survived the harshest winter in Mongolia (at -45°C) and braved the coldest artic wind in Abisko, I thought this is not a big deal for me. I totally underestimated Hong Kong’s coldest winter. Donning my usual gear (a light jacket and t-shirt), I went up to the Victoria Peak to experience the cold. The combination of strong wind, rain and high humidity was a deadly one. I was seriously unprepared for this!

Overnight, the cold frozen everything in its path. Leaves coated with ice sheets and icicles hung along the branches (and concrete steps). The environment was so unreal. I have never seen a frozen tropical forest! To see icicles hanging on green vegetations was a rare sight! Lucky for us, there weren’t many frost chasers here at Victoria Peak. In fact, it was very quiet and we had all the space and time to experience this rare phenomenon.

Fun aside, I hope the cold spell will be over soon. Unlike the northern cities, most housings in Hong Kong are not well insulated against such cold weather. It was freezing cold inside my own apartment. My fingers were so cold that I couldn’t text properly on my smart phone.

The bad news is this will not be a one-time occurrence. Haven’t you read about this? We are in fact entering a ‘solar minimum’ or some call it a mini “ice age”. Winter is not just coming, it will be colder and longer. Global warming might not be a bad thing after all!

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DIY – Lego Bluetooth Control WALL•E (Updated)

January 10, 2016 11 Comments

Last November while I was sourcing for more parts for my Lego tree house, I spotted a very unique Lego WALL•E displayed at the toy shop near my office. There was something different about this WALL•E. There were a lot of wires connecting from its body to its head. Those weren’t fake wires. Curiously, I asked the shop keeper if the WALL•E was running on batteries. He told me it was a bluetooth control toy. Using an app on his iPhone, the WALL•E came alive with lights and motion! I was so intrigued by it that I offered him a price for the display item. However, he told me it was not for sale.

I went home that night and googled a couple of videos online. There were a couple of pretty cool and simple Lego hacks to convert a standard WALL•E into a remote control toy using Lego’s standard (Power Functions) powered motors and IR controller. However, I could not find the same mobile bluetooth control Lego WALL•E. The next day, I went back to the shop and asked more information about their WALL•E.

The shop owner was very helpful and nice. He told me to wait for the new WALL•E edition as the original one had some issues with the joints of its neck. It was too loose and Lego will be releasing a new edition sometime in March 2016. He also helped me to order all the electrical parts that were required to make the bluetooth control WALL•E.

2 days ago, the parts finally arrived and I went to pick them up. As the WALL•E was no longer displaying in the shop, the shop keeper couldn’t show me how to wire up the parts. He gave me a web link (but the tutorial was completely useless). At mid point, I had to discard the confusing online tutorial and relied on my own logic to rebuild the entire piece again.

In the end, I spent 4.5 long hours on Saturday night to piece everything together. It was extremely messy but all fun and exciting! My face lit up the moment WALL•E came to life (via the app SBrick)! I made a couple of modifications (and even changed the colours of its eyes!).  The best part was I am able to design and customised my own app controller!

Check out the “making video” in my 2nd Vlog of 2016 below! I am sure my son will be screaming in excitement the moment I show him this. Enjoy!

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Droning on Christmas Day (over Fujian Tulou)

December 29, 2015 4 Comments

I always like to blog or vlog on the actual day so I can extract the most from my memory. It is also mentally exhausting for me to go through 2-3 days of content.

However, after 3 late nights of video editing and blogging, I fell sick on Christmas Day. I was down with a very bad painful sore throat and fever. I totally lost my voice. My parents and wife were worried about me and I promised them that I will rest more. So, no blogging or video-editing until the end of the trip.

On Christmas Day, Leon and Qiaoqiao made special transport arrangement for me to visit an UNESCO World Heritage Site, the legendary Fujian Tulou. Built between the 12th-20th century, the Tulou is famed for its large, circular fortified earth structure. It is like a Royal castle with thick defensive outer walls and upper-deck gun holes (to fight against armed bandits), except these unique buildings were built for a large family or clan. Despite using very basic materials, the oldest Tulou stands for over 700 years. Each Tulou comes equipped with its own water wells, ceremonial hall, bedrooms and bathrooms.

Due to its unique shape and uncanny outlook, the Tulou were once mistaken for missile silos by the Americans during the Cold War.

We took an hour train from Xiamen to Longyan City (龙岩市) and from there, we travelled for another 40 minutes to Hongkeng village. There are a total of 46 Tulou listed by the UNESCO and the driver took us to the “Prince of Tulou”, 振成楼. Completed in 1912, the Prince of Tulou is a double-ring structure, consists of 184 rooms.

The weather was bad. It was foggy and gloomy. It wasn’t the ideal condition for photography. Nevertheless, Leon and I took the drone out and prepared for flight. Drone pilots often attracted many curious onlookers. Even before the flight, there were already a couple of onlookers waiting beside us. The drone flight was delayed by damn DJI as its app alerted us that we have to upgrade the new firmware which I did a few days ago. Anyway, we wasted a good-10-minute battery life for the completion of upgrading. It was kind of worrying as it is never good to do remote upgrading just minutes before flight time.

The drone took off successfully and the view from above was spectacular! A few local villagers stood beside me to peep at the screen. They were excited as this was the first time they saw their homeland from above. They were surprised how beautiful and big it looked.

Leon and Elkan took turns to operate their first solo flight. Leon was impressed how user-friendly and powerful the drone was. (I was trying to persuade him to join the drone club!) Elkan was super excited and happy that he managed the landing unassisted.

I wished we have more time to drone over more Tulou. However, we have a farewell dinner to attend and we have to rush back to Xiamen. Well, I got what I came here for. All good and beautiful. Time to pack and head back to Xiamen.

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Gimbal Hike (FeiyuTech G4 Pro vs DJI Osmo)

November 30, 2015 18 Comments

Blame it on El Nino, winter arrives late this year. In fact, we are just experiencing the cool weather of late autumn. Building insulation in Hong Kong isn’t as good as the northern cities’, so it may not be a bad thing for a warmer winter.

My perfect weather would be anything between 16-23°C. Sunny and cooling, this is the perfect season to test my two newly-bought handheld gimbals.

Newly launched in November 2015, the new Feiyutech G4 Pro received its debut listing in Apple Store. Couldn’t resist the “poisonous gadgetry temptation”, I got the G4 Pro at IFC Apple Store this afternoon.

I was a little disappointed the second I unboxed the G4 Pro. The box exterior looks decent but its interior looks rather bad. Compare with another Chinese brand, DJI, the FeiyuTech G4 Pro packaging looks far from being an international brand. It looks typically Chinese 3rd-class brand. The interior packing is dusty and looks raw. The second I took the gimbal in my hand, I spotted fine sketch-marks and oil stains on the metal handle. Even the brand is not evenly silk-screen printed on the product. I can’t believe Apple allows packaging of such poor standard to be listed in its store. Anyway, these are cosmetic flaws that will not impact the hardware performance.

The family and I randomly jumped on the next available ferry at Central (not really sure where it was heading until it arrived at its destination). We arrived at the Lamma Island. I put both DJI Osmo and the newly-bought FeiyuTech G4 Pro to the test. After a 2-hour hike around the island, here is my verdict of today’s experience.

PROs of FeiyuTech G4 Pro + iPhone 6 Plus
– Longer lasting battery (gimbal)
– Better photograph quality (phone)
– Better audio-recording (phone)
– Quicker setup and activation (no Wifi needed)
– Quicker switch-on speed (gimbal)
– Quicker colour and contrast balancing and correction (phone)
– Comes with a 2nd set of batteries
– Interchangeable weights for different handsets (5s, 6s, 6s plus)
– Durable and sturdy solid metal body (Osmo is mostly plastic)

CONs of FeiyuTech G4 Pro + iPhone 6 Plus
– Narrower camera angle 65° (phone) vs 94° (DJI Osmo)
– No locking of gimbal during off-mode, gimbal hitting the rod
– No bluetooth or connection to iPhone (for video/photo-taking)
– Loose grip on iPhone (not securely tight enough during running)
– Not as smooth as the Osmo (during the running test)

As a gimbal, FeiyuTech G4Pro fares very well. It is very reactive to my panning. There is hardly any tilt on the horizon (seen on the G4 Pro predecessor), everything is straight and balanced. The video and photo output relies 100% totally on the mobile device. Therefore, it can never be an apple to apple comparison. 

As a whole package (gimbal and camera), DJI Osmo fares slightly better than the FeiyuTech G4 Pro. It captures wider and smoother footages. (See video below: Jump to 4:07 of the video to see side-by-side video comparison of 2 videos of me chasing Elkan.) One of the things I love about the Osmo is how easy for me to take a photo or video. All the buttons are integrated on the handle, allowing one hand operation. For the G4 Pro, I need a second hand to press on the iPhone screen to select the video/photo mode. I also prefer the wide camera angle on the Osmo. That is why for over 70% of today’s hike, I switched to Osmo than using the G4 Pro.

My conclusion – the current handheld gimbal tech is far from perfection. Osmo did well in integrating the gimbal and the camera but its battery is bad (went dead in less than 45 minutes) and its native microphone performs worse than the iPhone (some of the audios you heard in the video came from the Rode VideoMicro Microphone I installed). The day when FeiyuTech G4Pro integrates its handle buttons to the iPhone camera settings, it will be a formidable rival to the DJI Osmo.

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My Lego Dream House

November 21, 2015 2 Comments

It all began when Kalinda shared her lego tree house with me 18 months ago. Kalinda and I were in Macau when she bought a mini lego tree house set. Despite being a 100% city-dweller, I find tree-houses intriguing. I guess it is a boy’s fantasy sanctuary. It is like a secret hide-out, tuck far away from the concrete noisy cityscape.

I started doodling different tree-house designs. 5 months before my boy’s birthday, I decided to design a nice lego dream tree house for Elkan. Getting the right lego blocks is the biggest challenge for me. It’s actually very expensive to buy parts in Hong Kong and Singapore. Some blocks cost as much as HKD10/unit. I calculated that it might be cheaper if I hire someone on ETSY to build one for Elkan and myself.

I found a US-based Lego artist on ETSY and paid him USD800 to produce 2 tree houses. However, the experience was dreadful and unpleasant. The artist promised 7 weeks but the entire order arrived 2 months late. Worst, it arrived in broken pieces. It was nothing like the structure I ordered. I had to report the cases to ETSY and got the seller’s store frozen for a couple of weeks until he completed the delivery.

Disappointed with the delivery, I decided to rebuild the tree-house on my own based on my sketches. Thankfully, with all the right materials, I managed to reinstate the original tree-house within 4 hours. (Poor Elkan, he took almost one long week to rebuild his house.)

Lego is a great hobby and an addictive one. I found my zen while constructing my tree house. It is a great stress-reducer and it helps me to focus on my thoughts. I relate this to the artistry of bonsai. Building lego takes lot of patience and time. It also sharpen one’s aesthetic, problem-solving skills and sense of balance.  It is a very rewarding indoor hobby.

I decided to tear down the original tree house (as I found it too bare and clean) and rebuild a brand new dream house. I wanted a more rustic version. I went to “Lego Paradise” at In’s Point Mall at Yau Ma Tei to pick up new parts and electrical components to furnish the interiors of the tree house. In’s Point Mall is a must-visit destination for all lego lovers!

I took 2 long weeks to create a brand new tree house. For parts that I couldn’t find at In’s Point Mall, I ordered them over Taobao (which offers much cheaper than the shops in Hong Kong!)

I love the final result. It is simply beautiful and stunning (certainly much better than the original one which I designed). I put in many details into the landscape. The most challenging task was laying the electrical cables and connecting the lights.

The final structure stands 75cm tall, 42cm wide and 52cm deep. The structure sits by a small stream on a rocky valley. It is a 2-storey tree house with a dual-twist water slide, secret waterfall chamber and an underground bunker. Every section is well connected with footpath and ladders. All the interiors are lit with lights (activated by a remote controller!) To keep out the dust, I custom-made a giant acrylic box to house the lego.

I am already thinking about my next lego project. It will be something close to my childhood love – a multi-terrain caravan with secret compartments, living space and weaponry.

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DJI OSMO Review – Promising but is it worth the switch? (Updated)

October 25, 2015 17 Comments

After 10 months of eager anticipation, I finally got the new DJI Osmo handheld gimbal camera last Friday evening! When it was announced 3 weeks ago, I was impressed by the numerous positive reviews given by established sites and forums. All the videos from DJI channel were promising and I set a pretty good level of expectation about this. So the big question is: For those who owns a Gopro 4, is it worth the switch to Osmo? 

By now, you would have guessed that I am not going to sing praises about DJI’s latest gadget. Despite owning the impressive DJI Inspire 1 and the Phantom P3 Professional drones, I must say this is not as satisfying as the drones. After all, this is DJI’s first attempt in handheld action cam. The gimbal works great but there are other things that are rather disappointing.

29 Oct – This is another updated blog. After posting a rather negative first review 4 days ago, I have done more tests against Gopro 4 on Feiyutech 3G and read a couple more readers’ comments. They are all very good discussion and debates. Here are my final assessment: 

On a fairer note, there are indeed many good points about the DJI Osmo that I didn’t mentioned in my earlier blog as those features are very well-covered by other reviewers. 

1) Integrated body. Its sexy design and lightweight body. The overall packaging is very well-protected. The case really comes in handy! Osmo (422g) is slightly heavier than GoPro 4 + Feiyutech G4S (348g) but you can’t feel the difference.

2) The gimbal is superbly smooth and the camera captures more details in the background too!

3) It is a blessing to be able to change the exposure settings easily on the phone. This helps a lot during the recording!

4) It offers bigger screen-play on the phone! This is important as it is very difficult to see how the camera pans on a small Gopro 4 silver screen.

5) The refresh rate is much better than the Gopro. During a trial in my office, we can’t see any flickering light from the ceiling fluorescent tubes. Unfortunately, the flickering appeared on our Gopro 4.

6) At the widest angle, there is no distortion on the Osmo. The Gopro 4 offers a wider angle but it does have the spherical distortion at both ends. So, it is really down to preference

Here is a video shot by another user (Helipal). From the test video, it seems that the Osmo is more vibrant, stable and sharper in the video. It is a great comparison video for those who are thinking if they want to switch or not.

There are many imperfection about the new DJI Osmo that I want to share with the readers. I am a little surprised that these flaws weren’t commented by other reviewers. Here are some of issues that I would like to share:

1) Osmo Camera cannot be used on Inspire 1 Drone
It is already written under the FAQ section of DJI’s website, you cannot use the Osmo camera on the Inspire 1. However, you can use the Inspire 1 camera on the handheld gimbal.

2) Poor Average camera performance in indoor-lighting condition (Standard ZenMuse X3 Camera)
The image quality is pretty average in semi-bright indoor condition. When I zoomed in at 100%, it is quite noisy and not very sharp. (See photos at 100% cropped). To be fair, GoPro 4 performance just as bad in dim conditions.

3) Tilt-issue after short panning 
Like most handheld gimbals, after panning for a while, the camera will tilt slightly (the horizon will not be leveled). I have to press the button to level the camera. It is quite disruptive to re-level the horizon during a video shoot.

4) Poor microphone recording
Of all the bad points, I feel this is the worst. It is of unacceptable quality. The Osmo in-built microphone is really soft! Recording is low and very muffled. You might want to add an external microphone to capture the sound.

5) Poorer Battery Life 
I have used for only 20 minutes and the battery life is already 50%! Understand that the Osmo battery has to power both gimbal and camera (plus wifi to the phone), the power-hungry Osmo is not going to be a good travel camera to bring along with unless I carry extra batteries. Unlike the Osmo, the GoPro 4 and Feiyutech gimbal has its own battery – that’s why the gimbal lasts longer than Osmo.

Battery compartment is also poorly design – DJI has to include a tape at the end of the battery so user can pull out the battery. The spring inside doesn’t seem to work to push the battery out.

6) Panning motor noise captured in the video
Osmo allows user to pan the camera via a joystick. However, the panning motor noise is also captured in the video. It is so loud that the motor sound was also being captured by the GoPro 4. Come on! Seriously?

7) Tight Handphone Grip (only on the iPhone 6+)
If you are using iPhone 6 Plus and you have the official iPhone cover on, you might find it extremely tight to fit the iPhone 6 Plus onto the metal grip. There is very little allowance for a iPhone cover. The metal fits perfectly with the iPhone 6 Plus so you might need remove the cover if you want to grip both corners of the phone. What I did was grip the phone by the side.

So the question is: Should you buy it? 

I say a big YES, if you don’t have a Gopro 4 and are looking for a gimbal+cam, this is the perfect gear for you (provided you are not using the camera for underwater diving or extreme sports. Osmo is not weather-proof!) You will find this very smooth and easy to use! The camera X3 performs slightly better than Gopro 4 in some of our tests. However do note that the microphone is way way more inferior than the Gopro 4.

For those who have a Gopro 4 and are not sure if they should fork out USD649 for the Osmo, my take is the improvements on Osmo may not justify the price difference. For that, you might consider buying the new Feiyutech G4S at RMB2,100 (about USD330). Also, do note that you may need to fork out extra $$$ to attach an external microphone on the Osmo (if audio is important for your shoot),

Overall verdict – Osmo is promising (it is afterall DJI’s first attempt in handheld camera) but don’t expect it to be at professional grade as some of the videos you saw on Youtube were shot by the higher end X5. It is a new category and isn’t here to replace Gopro in the extreme sports segment. Osmo has its issues but it is no doubt a great traveling and vlogging video-recording tool.

And yes, I hate it when someone call this a high-tech selfie stick. It is 100% more than that!

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Er…what’s the name of this toy? 风火轮, 電動雙輪平衡車, Hoverboard, Mini Segway or WTH?

October 21, 2015 Leave a comment

Since the day we brought this toy into our office 3 weeks ago, I received so many notes from interested parties where to get this unnamed toy/vehicle. I prefer to call this the “HoverWheels” or a “H-Cruiser” as it is shaped like letter H with one wheel on each side. However, it is more popular known as the “Mini Segway”, “PhunkeeDuck” or “電動雙輪平衡車” depending on which side of the globe you are residing in.

Originally designed and produced by a company in 浙江 city (Zhejiang China) sometime mid of 2014, this vehicle created a storm and fever in the United States after Justin Bieber, Jamie Foxx and Jimmy Fallon were seen cruising on them. By early 2015, the fever spread from the USA back to Asia. Sadly, there isn’t any official name (read story here) or inventor’s credit for this toy and you can find over 20 brands and 100 online shops selling them. Most users call it a “Mini Segway” as it uses the same design and user-logic as the original Segway. 2 days ago, Xiaomi (the Chinese phone company that bought over Segway) launched the new Ninebot Segway.

Is it easy to handle?  Yes, for someone who can’t balance on skateboard, I must say this is a very easy wheeled-board to handle. (My 11-year-old son took less than 10 seconds to master it!) Most people take less than 3 minutes to master. All you need is to stand firmly still on the board, lock your knees and let your mind guide your path. Many users suffered the scary “wobble effect” on first trial. Don’t worry, it is common (happened to all 90% of first-time users). You do not need to tilt or apply too much force to cruise on it. Don’t get too impatient to speed off, just let your mind and body move the vehicle slowly.

Once you got the hang of the control, you will be able to move yourself in the direction your mind tells you. Don’t over compensate the thrust as it will throw you off balance. Just be calm, very still and sense the “pressure” to move. A lot of users tend to over-lean forward/backward on their first attempt. Always have someone beside you to hold you. One advise – NEVER embark the vehicle when it is off. Always turn on the vehicle before stepping on it! And always disembark from the back of the board. It is much stable we find. 

Comparing this with electric scooter or skateboard – It is more fun, cooler (watch the cool segway dance below) and addictive to ride on this. This becomes a “bonding toy” between colleagues in our office. It brings people together! We had so much laughter and fun cruising on this. It is like a brand new stress-reliever, just hop on and wheelie free!

Where can you buy one? In Singapore, you can order online at Falcon Website at SGD699. However, do note that this toy comes in many other configuration and price range depending on the specs you wanted. Most of them comes from China-factory-direct and it is advisable that you consider these buying tips before making a purchase:

1) Size – It comes in 5 different sizes – 6,7,8,9,10 inches. For better balancing, I recommend size 8,9,10-inch for adults.

2) Battery – It comes in different capacities – 10km, 15km, 20km, 25km. The weight will affect the distance it can travel on a full charge. If you are heavy (say 70kg to max weight of 100kg), it is advisable to get the 20km configuration. Do also note that there are 2 types of batteries – China-made and Korean-made. If you want to have a peace-of-mind, always request for Korean-made-imported batteries (from LG or Samsung), it is only RMB80 difference. Most take around 1-3 hours for a full charge.

The only problem is (like the original Segway) once the batteries run out, it becomes a heavy 12-15kg liability that you have to carry. So always watch out for the distance and the battery warning signal. Unlike the electronic scooter or skateboard, you can still ride on them manually even if the battery is flat.

3) Power – It comes in 250W and 350W. The higher the power, the stronger it can overcome steeper slopes and uneven terrain. Some sellers try to confuse with 700W engine – actually what they meant were 350W-twin-wheel power. So, do ask if you are unsure.

4) Wheels – It comes in both solid rubber and air-pump wheels. The air-pump wheels help to cushion the vibration over tougher terrains like sand, grass and gravel paths. So far, only 10-inch board comes with air-pump wheels. The others come in solid rubber wheels. Watch the terrain test by another user below.

5) Colours & Designs – There are just too many variations. Some even comes with colourful LED lights, remote switches and bluetooth speakers. It is a personal preference and it won’t impact much on the cruising experience or performance. Currently, many sellers on Taobao and EBay are offering generation 3 or 2015 edition. So, do get the latest model.

6) Weight – From 10kg to 17kg. The weight increases according to the specification. Double-capacity batteries weigh more than single-capacity model. The larger the size, the heavier. No matter what configuration, it is not a light vehicle to carry once the battery is flat.

7) Speed – 10km/hour to 16km/hour. So far, I haven’t seen any model going faster than 16km/hour. Some models come with a beeping warning when users cruise at the highest speed. At 12km/hour, it is pretty insane and difficult to make a sharp turn. So, always cruise with care to avoid injury.

8) Price – from USD200 to USD1,500! Don’t let price, brand and outer design/colours fools you. Always check and compare the internal specification before committing. Even the picture looks the same, it doesn’t mean the internal configuration is the same build. Always chat with the seller to find out more.

If these are too much for you to consider, you might just want to wait for the new Xiaomi Ninebot Segway! (九号平衡车) Taking pre-order on 3rd Nov 2015. However, it only accept orders in selected China cities.

If 2014 is the Year of the Drones, I bet 2015 is the Year of the Mini Segways or Hoverboards! You must give credits to the Chinese – they have been inventing really cool stuffs lately! Guess we will be seeing lots of these unnamed vehicles on the road after Christmas this year! For those who have Taobao Accounts, you might want to go to this shop (click link) to browse!

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A Little Pinky Birthday Prank on Elkan (Updated – Hovering with the family!)

October 21, 2015 3 Comments

Elkan celebrated his 11th birthday 4 days ago. I got 2 nice birthday gifts for Elkan but they were in transit from two different parts of the world. As the gifts won’t arrive on time and not disappointed him, Felicia drew a couple of clue cards and left them beside his bed.

As usual, my little prankster was hyper-excited and too impatient to wait for the arrival of his gifts. Over Facetime, he kept pestering me about the gifts. I told him I will reveal one of them to him. (Of course, I didn’t reveal the real answer.) When I told him I got him a very nice skateboard, he was super happy. However, the second he saw the photograph of a pink Hello Kitty skateboard, he was dumbfounded! Yes, you know, it was the “WTH-YouGottaBeJoking” expression. What a priceless hilarious moment!

Of course, he tried very hard to conceal his disappointment as I saw his “grateful-but-puzzling” expression. Both Felicia and I continued with our act, trying to convince him that Hello Kitty was the next big thing for man. Of course, he wasn’t very convinced but accepted this cruel fact that his daddy got him a limited edition Hello Kitty skateboard from Japan. He must be wondering inside “my god, what a big generation gap!” or more likely, “WTH my parents were thinking?”

I love my boy so much! And I glad he accepted the gesture prank with grace.

3 days later – the shipment finally arrived from Hong Kong. Elkan was so excited to unwrap his gift! There isn’t any pink Hello Kitty skateboard. It is what he is wishing for – a mini electric 2-wheel balance-board (aka mini segway, e-cruiser, 风火轮, 電動雙輪平衡車, hoverboard, airwheels, hoverwheels, Smart wheels, phunkeeduck and 20 other names)! I was about to give Elkan a short tutorial over Facetime but he mastered the board within seconds! He is such a natural!

This afternoon, Auntie Bay Bay made a surprise appearance at his house with another pink-wrapped gift! Both of them went wheeling at the void deck (the other mini Hoverwheels is a gift for my cute nephew, Didi!). Of course, they attracted lots of attention. Even Felicia gave it a try!


Later in the evening, Felicia and Elkan brought Didi’s hoverwheels to my mum’s birthday dinner! What a special day (Back to the Future) to get the whole family to experience the joy of hovering! After the dinner, the children and old folks tried on the wheels. I must say they were doing extremely well! Happy to see the folks at home having so much fun together! Wish I can be there with them today! Enjoy and I will see you folks very soon!

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