• LIFE

  Raising the bar

  Guru, Richard Mcleish, Published on 24/01/2014

  » Nested in Athenee Place near Phloenchit, the champagne-tinged lounge bar acts like a sun room annex for Athenee Tower that looms above. The glass walls and roof afford it the best of the afternoon light, and a cosy atmosphere in the evening. The slender room is adorned with a long bar (unsurprisingly) and is bookended by an outdoor section and service area from where the culinary goodness emerges. The story is that the existing bar was splashed with an orange colour, even before a certain champagne pairing had been considered, so it was an easy match that evolved naturally. The venue piggy-backs the success of coupled and famed French restaurant Le Beaulieu from praised haute cuisiner Chef Herve Frerard that was established in the same building just over a year ago. The crowd is made up of well-heeled locals and Le Beaulieu faithfuls. Leave your flip flops at home for this one.

• TECH

  Compact and connected

  B Magazine, Richard Mcleish, Published on 25/11/2012

  » It's been a tough time for compact cameras of late, with smartphones beginning to fill the photography needs for the bulk of consumers.

• TECH

  The quick route

  B Magazine, Richard Mcleish, Published on 30/09/2012

  » Routers have traditionally been blue-collar gadgets. Although many homes have one, the majority of users do little more than reset it infrequently to refresh their internet connection. But as the price of higher-end models has fallen, consumers can start to look for more from their home or, more potently, office wireless network.

• TECH

  Two times a Leica

  Life, Richard Mcleish, Published on 21/10/2012

  » The digital camera market traditionally ran from high-end, professional models down to amateur snappers in a simple linear model. But advances in technology and changes in consumer behaviour have disrupted this line.

• TECH

  iHysteria

  B Magazine, Richard Mcleish, Published on 16/09/2012

  » And finally it has arrived. In what is the biggest gadget release of the year, last week Apple unveiled its latest toy amid huge speculation and conjecture. The iPhone 5 was revealed at a press conference with the tag line, ''The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone.'' Indeed, Apple has created its own world with the iPhone range and is the envy of the market, but competitors such as Samsung and Nokia have thrown down challengers with releases such as the Galaxy S III and the Lumina 900, respectively. But Apple is a mighty competitor. So, was it worth the wait, and can Apple release a phone without Steve Jobs at the helm? Let's take a peak.

• TECH

  The glint in apple's eye

  B Magazine, Richard Mcleish, Published on 17/06/2012

  » Tech talk last week centred on Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Fears of sounding like another PR release aside, it's a worthy discussion as the company's iPhone and iPad releases unveiled at this conference revolutionised computing and phone use, and the world.

• TECH

  The spectre of envy

  B Magazine, Richard Mcleish, Published on 22/07/2012

  » After being showcased at CES 2012 at the start of the year, HP's flagship notebook has finally hit Asian shelves. The HP Envy 14 Spectre has a heavy emphasis on design and predictably enough is fully loaded with all the bells and whistles you could want. But the ultraportable market isn't the open road that it was 12 months ago, with Apple recently upping the ante with its MacBook Air upgrades. So has HP balanced form and functionality? Can it take away the ultraportable crown from Apple's Airs? Or has it overstepped the budget expectations of its customers? Let's take a look at the Spectre and find out.

• TECH

  Full marks

  B Magazine, Richard Mcleish, Published on 15/04/2012

  » Not to be left out of the DSLR race, Canon has matched its rival Nikon in rolling out the latest iteration of its 5D, the Mark III.

• TECH

  It's PlayTime

  B Magazine, Richard Mcleish, Published on 22/04/2012

  » It's been over a year now since RIM released its first assault on the tablet market, the PlayBook, which received a lukewarm reception _ mainly due to the lack of an email app and a general feeling that the software was unfinished and buggy. Questions hung over the future of the device, the lack of apps and the not-insignificant price tag. But fast forward a year and the manufacturer has released an updated operating system (now up to 2.0.1) to address these concerns. But is it in time to overcome the negative response to the initial release? Let's take a peek.

• TECH

  A real rockin' Box

  B Magazine, Richard Mcleish, Published on 16/10/2011

  » Wireless speakers are not new, and come in just about all forms, sizes and price ranges. Decent Bluetooth connectivity is not new either for such devices. So what's so special about Jawbone's Jambox? The company has a solid reputation for its headset devices, but this is its first step into the world of dedicated speakers. Will it be able to compete with less costly peers already on the market? Let's take a look at the beat box to find out if it will survive.

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