Day: April 21, 2024

Small but mighty, Garmin’s new Lily 2 Classic is more than just a pretty smartwatch

I’m probably going to get hate for saying this but I’ve never been a big believer in smartwatches. In fact, I thought the whole concept was ridiculous.

Our phones are usually glued to our hands anyway for most of the day. Do I really need another screen to make it easier for me to get distracted?

So when I was assigned to write a review on Garmin’s Lily 2 Classic, I had my reservations. After all, it’s just a watch, right?

I bet its design team had a woman in it

Aside from not wanting to feed my ADHD tendencies, my main qualm with smartwatches is their appearance.

Most of the smartwatches I’ve seen in the market have a certain tech-like, geeky look to them. They tend to be bulky with silicone straps which don’t match my aesthetics at all, especially since I wear dresses a lot.

But that isn’t an issue with Garmin’s Lily 2 Classic. 

Instead of silicone straps, it sports Italian leather bands in the colours Tan or Mulberry. This makes them more suitable for office workers who want a fashionable yet smart timepiece.

The latest iteration of Garmin’s Lily series still features stylish patterned lenses similar to its predecessor. I initially thought the art deco patterns made the screen look too messy and therefore distracting.

But upon first use, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this isn’t the case. The display screen lit up really well and the patterns made the screen look less dull. Even under the sun, you can clearly see the display without straining your eyes.

Sporting a rather petite build, this smartwatch appears made with the everyday woman in mind. The 14mm straps allow for a good fit particularly for people with smaller wrists like me. The bezel isn’t too large that it gave the watch an ill-fitting appearance.

That said, Garmin has switched out the stainless steel bezel and plastic body for a piece that is entirely made of anodised aluminium. Losing plastic parts gives the watch a more seamless look, but aluminium is generally less durable than stainless steel.

Throughout my one-month trial using it, this wasn’t a problem. But I can’t vouch for how well it performs after a prolonged period of wear particularly if you’re more abrasive with it.

It carries a slew of pretty useful functions

Being a smartwatch, Garmin’s Lily 2 Classic naturally has a number of health-related features.

As usual, you have the fitness tracking and sports apps that help monitor your workouts. It boasts 18 different sports profiles including running, swimming, and strength training. Part of this new upgrade is the addition of more profiles compared to the previous Lily model, such as indoor rowing and dance fitness.

Now I know what you’re thinking, surely working out with leather straps isn’t the brightest idea. Garmin keeps that in mind too so you can actually switch out the bands for its nylon (RM260) and silicone straps (RM210). 

These come in the shades Sage Green, Coffee, Metallic Lilac, and Coconut, and are only available for purchase at Garmin’s physical stores. 

We didn’t have the opportunity to try the other straps, but the leather one handled my daily 30-minute walks just fine. I can’t say much for the other more intensive activities as I didn’t have the time or right space to practise them. 

In terms of tracking, it monitors your daily steps pretty well. However, I noticed that the Lily 2 Classic doesn’t automatically pick up on when you’re walking. To consider it as an actual activity, you’ll have to manually switch it on. 

This turned out to be a slight hassle as going for walks is a regular part of my commute and I’d just forget to track it. Most days I’m also rushing to work so it would be great if the next edition could automatically detect this particular workout.

Aside from that, it would be a good upgrade if the watch had music storing capabilities as well. For now, you can only control music from your watch which might not suit people on-the-go.

Other notable features of the new smartwatch

Beyond that, Garmin’s latest Lily model tracks all the basics of health and fitness. This includes calories, stress, respiration, and sleep. The latter was quite useful as I had been struggling to maintain a decent level of sleep quality. By keeping note of my sleeping patterns, I was able to better plan ahead for my next slumber. 

Besides that, the heart rate tracker was a wonderful addition to my life. It made me more aware of potential health problems as my heart rate ticks up pretty high multiple times every day. I should probably schedule a doctor’s appointment soon to get it checked…

Catering to a female market, this model continues to offer Women’s Health Tracking where you can keep note of your menstrual cycle and pregnancy. I’m very particular about monitoring my menstrual cycles so it was nifty to do this from my wrist. 

Garmin’s Connect app also provides more information on exercise and nutrition which helped me feel less fatigued.

I also appreciated that the battery lasted five days, exactly as Garmin claimed it would. However, this might differ depending on how often you use the workout features. Charging-wise, it’s fully juiced up within an hour. I usually charge it every few days while I’m getting ready to leave in the morning.

Those who like the convenience of shopping will be happy to know that the Lily 2 Classic supports Garmin Pay. This allows for NFC payments where you can connect to your debit and credit cards. 

Currently, this feature is only available on the Lily 2 Classic and can’t be found on the previous model or sports edition. The feature hasn’t been released in Malaysia yet but Garmin’s team assured us that it’ll be available here soon.

So…did it change my biased views?

All of these are wonderful features to have on hand, but the thing that changed my mind about smartwatches is perhaps its most basic function—live notifications.

My line of work consists of receiving at least 20 emails a day that need to be opened. Otherwise, I’ll miss out on time-sensitive news.

But checking your emails all the time can be a distraction because they come in when I’m already in the middle of a task. So it was very helpful that I could just flick my wrist to be informed. While it doesn’t show the full email, getting the gist of the content was enough for me.

Combine this with the health functions and the fact that it’s actually stylish for the modern woman? Well, I’m certainly sold on the concept of smartwatches now. And it’s all thanks to Garmin’s Lily 2 Classic.

For the price of RM1,550, I’d consider it a worthy investment to improve my lifestyle and health habits.

• Learn more about Garmin’s Lily 2 Classic here.
• Read other VP Verdicts we’ve written here.

VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion to our Facebook page

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I drank this M’sian brand’s personalised kombucha for 3 months, here’s what I liked about it

For the past three months, I would get a biweekly shipment of two one-litre kombucha bottles, delivered right to the Vulcan Post office’s front door.

These bottles were sent from Finding Hylas, a personalised kombucha brand that offers a subscription service here in Malaysia.

Featured by Vulcan Post last year, Finding Hylas is the brainchild of brothers Bryan and Justin, who originally learnt how to brew kombucha from their mum.

But not just your run-of-the-mill kombucha brand, Finding Hylas’ solution is very focused on a personalised experience. Recognising that health goals and even taste preferences differ from person to person, the brothers handcraft each of their concoctions based on each customer’s profiles.

I got the opportunity to be one of these customers, so here’s how my experience of Finding Hylas was like.

Personalisation process

To start, there’s a quiz that you’d have to fill out. For whatever reason, I thought it would be like one of those personality quizzes that ask you disarming and unrelated questions, but it’s actually pretty straightforward, as it should be, since it involves your health preferences and goals.

But fret not if your priorities change down the road, as you can always reach out to the brand and let them know what you want.

I developed some skin issues earlier this year, and reached out to ask if there were any blends that might address that. In response, the brothers brewed some kombucha up that focused on detoxing.  

Essentially, the personalisation doesn’t just stop at the sign-up process. Every two weeks, like clockwork, I would get a message from Justin asking how the latest batch of booch was, and whether there’s anything I’d like to change.  

I asked for the sweetness to be dialled down, and they delivered. It’s like having a private chef, except it’s for kombucha.  

An assortment of flavours

With every new shipment of kombucha, I found myself excited to do a taste test. Finding Hylas never sent me exact repeats one after the other, though sometimes the flavours were pretty similar.  

The first batch was on the sweeter side, but as mentioned, they were able to tweak it to my preference. The notes are very fruit-forward, with not much tea-based flavours. Fruits used include lemon, mango, mangosteen, dragon fruit, passion fruit, and more.  

In terms of fizziness, I found the drink to be quite moderate. Not too carbonated, but enough so that it lent a refreshing and sparkly touch.

My favourite has got to be the drinks that incorporated passionfruit. As someone who likes sour flavours, I loved the tart and refreshing quality it has, further elevated with the fizziness.

I’ve gotten quite a few comments from kombucha dislikers among the team who said that they liked Finding Hylas’ flavours. Many seemed to think it was not too fizzy, not too sour, not too fermented, and not too sweet. So, if you’re someone who loves moderation, you can definitely find it (hah) with Finding Hylas.

But as mentioned, it’s all very customisable, so you can always tweak it to your liking.

I like the minimalistic branding and packaging of the products, too. In fact, I like the branding of Finding Hylas overall. They sport a very clean website and image, which I can always appreciate.    

The drinks typically came in glass bottles with a stopper, but the last batch of 500mL bottles came in screw-on cap and a rubber stopper that was a bit trickier to open, especially if you lack fingernails. I much prefer the former because of this.

Each bottle comes with a label of the key ingredients used, as well as what health goals the drink targets (for example, digestion, detoxing, to manage cholesterol, etc.).

Pro tip for kombucha newbies, do not leave the drink in room temperature and just pop it open, unless you want to witness a geyser in action and possibly get kombucha on your ceilings. Yes, I’m speaking from experience.

Finding Hylas also tends to leave the “mother” or scoby in its drinks, which might be off-putting to some due to its odd visage and gel-like texture.

It wasn’t too big of a deal to me, except for the last batch which was at least a quarter-filled with scoby. It seemed like it had hardened along the bottom of the bottle too, and while it’s perfectly edible, I decided to filter it out.

Ultimately…

Admittedly, the kombucha did not make me a much healthier person. As much as I wish it was, the kombucha is not some panacea or cure-all, at least not for me.

But I do think that it does discourage unhealthy habits, such as artificially sweetened drinks and sodas.

And at the end of the day, it wasn’t so much the drink itself that I enjoyed, but rather, the people behind it.

The check-ins from the team were very much appreciated, and the routine developed felt nice. It was exciting to be getting a new batch of new drinks every two weeks, and it was always nice to know that there’s something waiting in the office for a beverage fiend like me to enjoy.

A litre a week I would say is kind of a lot, so perhaps start with the 500mL to see how you like it, and you could work your way up from there.

I believe a subscription to Finding Hylas would make quite a thoughtful gift for health-conscious individuals in your life, whether that be yourself or your loved ones.

For pricing, it would be RM119 per month for what I got, which is the 1L/week (or 2L/two weeks) option. That means each litre is RM29.75, which I think is not bad at all.

For the 500mL/week option, it’s RM79 per month, which means RM39/litre, a pretty hefty increase.

There are a couple other options you can check out on their website as well.    

In any case, I do find the pricing justifiable, especially with the plan I was on. After all, it’s brewed fresh and tailored to your very own preferences, be that health-related or just straight up taste-based.

Just don’t expect your health to immediately shift for the better and for all your diseases to be gone. It’s a healthy decision for a better lifestyle, especially when paired with the weaning of other sugary drinks you might usually include in your diet.

• Learn more about Finding Hylas here.
• Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.

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These M’sians are using AR tech to innovate the local kurma gifting industry

Augmented Reality (AR) technology is not a new technology. It has been around as early as 1990, but it hasn’t found widespread use among common consumers yet.

Realising the capabilities of the technology and its potential to empower local products, international date distributors, The Saheeh Company, have applied AR technology to every box of their first product, The Saheeh Kurma.

Genesis of the brand

For Mohd Fahmy, 38, and Hariz Abdul Hadi, 32, their venture into the dates industry with The Saheeh Company was driven by a desire to redefine how consumers perceive dates, particularly during festive seasons like Ramadan and Hari Raya.

Before delving into the dates business, both Fahmy, the Chief Executive Officer, and Hariz, the Chief Operating Officer, had extensive experience in various sectors.

Fahmy dabbled in merchandise, F&B, and retail, while Hariz honed his skills in F&B and event organisation. Their diverse backgrounds laid a strong foundation for their entrepreneurial journey.

According to Hariz, the inception of The Saheeh Company stemmed from a simple yet profound idea: revolutionise the dates industry by focusing on packaging.

The name ‘Saheeh,’ meaning ‘authentic’ in Arabic, reflects their mission to provide consumers with genuine products and an authentic experience.

Filling the void in dates packaging

Launched in early 2022, The Saheeh Company gained traction by offering quality dates in visually appealing and reusable containers.

Recognising a gap in the market where dates packaging often lacked appeal and quality, Fahmy and Hariz aimed to create packaging that not only preserved the freshness of the dates but also elevated the gifting experience during festive seasons.

“Dates packaging is often boring, made from low quality materials and does not look attractive. As we Muslims in Malaysia love to exchange gifts during Ramadan or Raya, we came out with a packaging that was suitable as gifts,” Hariz told Vulcan post.

With the container being versatile, Hariz added that their consumers usually reuse their containers for other things such as storing kuih raya, nuts, and more.

“Currently, we don’t offer refills [for kurma] yet but we plan to make a refill pack in the next season,” he added.

Introducing an AR personalised message feature on packaging, they ventured where no dates company had seemingly gone before.

Hariz shared that everything related to AR is done in-house, including the features and elements.

“We want to further enhance our customer experience when receiving gifts. We made a personalised video message in place of the customary wish card, which is then turned into an augmented reality experience.”

“Customers can send their video messages and we will include them in our AR feature and send a unique QR code to the receiver to activate the AR video message,” he added.

Something you might be wondering about is the incorporation of Japanese writing on the packaging. Albeit driven by a love for anime, it also serves a strategic purpose, Hariz said.

“Another reason why we decided to proceed with the Japanese writing is because any packaging with a Japanese font on it will be perceived as a quality brand or product, as that is what the Japanese industry is known for,” he said.

They offer a variety of dates ranging from ajwa dates, safawi dates, mabroom dates, medjool, and sukkary rutob dates to mixed dates. Their dates price starts from RM 19.90 for a single container and can go up to RM 1,418 if you purchase their carton option which consists of 40 containers.

Seasonal peaks and beyond

While Ramadan marks their peak season, The Saheeh Company aims for longevity beyond the festivities.

With plans to expand their dropshipping and stockist programme, targeting markets in Borneo and Singapore, they envision a future where The Saheeh Company brand is synonymous with quality and innovation.

Despite primarily targeting the Malay Muslim demographic, The Saheeh Company has witnessed growing interest from non-Muslims, due to their educational approach highlighting the health benefits of dates.

Currently, 80% of their sales are retail-driven, 15% is from corporate or bulk orders, and another 5% is from their agents or stockists and resellers.

Looking ahead, Fahmy and Hariz aspire for The Saheeh Company to be the go-to choice for quality dates and gifting options during festive seasons.

• You can learn more about the business here.
• Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.

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