Apple’s iOS 12.1.3 is reportedly killing cellular data and Wi-Fi connection

377

The latest version of iOS that was recently released is 12.1.3 and Apple claims that it fixes bugs such as issues in Messages and connection between the newer iPhone models and CarPlay systems, but iOS users will have to think twice before installing the new update because many are facing connection issues after updating to iOS 12.1.3.

Previously when iOS 12.1.2 was released, there had already been numerous cases whereby users complained that the update affected their data connectivity and causes them to be unable to use their mobile data and cellular network.

@AppleSupport
 you guys are killing my phone with iOS 12.1.3. My cellular data and WiFi connection is terrible!
#Apple

— Raffi (@RaffiSeyum)
January 28, 2019

You’d think iOS 12.1.3 would be a fix to that issue, but it just got worse. With the newest iOS update, users are now complaining that it not only kills their cellular data, but it also kills the Wi-Fi connection.

@AppleSupport
 This morning. I was upgraded my iphone for Ios 12.1.3. And It make my iphone use a lot of battery, the battery run out very quickly. And the most important thing is I CAN’T FIND “ TOUCH ID” , It have disappeared?? Please give me some advices. Thanks.

— Tiến Hoà Nguyễn (@TinHoNguyn2)
January 28, 2019

In addition, a Twitter user also expressed her dissatisfaction as the new update caused her iPhone 7 Plus’s battery life to deteriorate very quickly, and she could no longer find the Touch ID function in Settings.

Anyone else’s WiFi cutting out using iOS 12.1.3 on iPhone/iPad?
#apple

#iphone

#ipad

— Gwyn Parry (@TheWelshEwok)
January 27, 2019

To be honest, the iPhone XR that I have with me has not been updated since iOS 12.1.1 because I don’t want to risk facing all these issues that will render the iPhone useless. My best advice now is to skip updating your iPhones to the latest iOS because it doesn’t seem to be worth the risk.

apple
ios
iOS 12.1.3
ipad
iphone


Apple’s iOS 13.2 is available for download; includes Deep Fusion, AirPods Pro support and new emojis

383

When the new iPhones were launched, iOS 13 came out with them. Now, Apple has released iOS 13.2 which includes the Deep Fusion feature that was mentioned during the iPhone launch event back in September.

Deep Fusion is an “advanced image processing system” that requires the A13 chipset that is only in the new iPhone models. With Deep Fusion, the tech giant promises less noise and more details and texture in images, especially when it comes to lowlight situations.

Apart from that, iOS 13.2 also offers more than 70 new or updated emojis such as new accessibility emojis and also gender-neutral emojis. Apple also added support for the newly launched AirPods Pro, in addition to bringing in the feature that allows your messages to be read by Siri to your AirPods for convenience.

As with most of the software updates, there are also bug fixes and improvements with iOS 13.2. Some of the issues that are being fixed include Messages displaying phone number instead of contact name, sudden disappearance of saved notes and faulty swiping gesture to go home on few iPhone models.

The latest software update can be downloaded and installed immediately from Settings > General > Software Update and will take up 574.5MB.

airpods pro
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Deep Fusion
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iOS 13.2


Apple’s iOS 13 will restrict VoIP data collection from apps like Facebook

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There’s a lot to look forward to in iOS 13 that will be released this September, but one of them poses a major issue to apps like Facebook and WhatsApp. The new iOS will come with a privacy feature that will no longer allow background voice over internet protocol (VoIP).

Basically, apps using VoIP will allow them to collect data on the activities performed on their devices. Up till now, users have been convinced that VoIP offers quicker call connections. Since iOS 13 will no longer allow access, apps like Facebook and WhatsApp will have to modify their apps to adapt to the new change.

According to Forbes, app developers are given a deadline to upgrade their apps according to the new rules set by Apple. They’ll have to rewrite their codes to fit the new version of the operating system by April 2020.

Meanwhile, Apple also has a new security feature in iOS 13 called “Sign in with Apple” — similar to the “Sign in with Facebook” or “Sign in with Google” features that you’ve seen on many sites. The only difference is Apple offers higher security that allows users to hide their email and protect their data so that it’s not used for other purposes like advertising and data collection.

apple
facebook
ios
iOS 13
VoIP
whatsapp


Apple’s iPad rides on the Surface Pro 3 as a kickstand

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Elections are starting to happen in the U.S., and in the tech world, Microsoft is attempting every effort to kick Apple’s ass by creating YouTube videos on telling how great their Surface Pro 3 is, those ads made a lot of sense of course, because the Surface Pro 3 can definitely do much better than an
iPad
 in terms of productivity. But sadly, Apple’s
iPad
 rides on the Surface Pro 3 like a kickstand this time by CNN commentators.

This isn’t the first time people have done something to the Surface Pro 3, last time there was this NFL game where the commentators called the Surface Pro 3 an ‘iPad like device’. Seriously, when such things happen it could only mean that there are still many people who just can’t accept the Surface Pro 3’s form factor, while the
iPad
 is certainly more limited than the Surface Pro 3 in anyway, you can’t deny that the
iPad
 is still one heck of an easy to use device when it comes to usability.

Until then, Microsoft should probably consider not attacking Apple in ads at this point of time, but perhaps spend some time on marketing the product itself and just lower that expensive price tag already.

Source:
The Verge
,
AdamUCF (Twitter)


Apple’s iPhone 8 launch event set for September 12

333

The day that all of us have been waiting for is about to arrive, as Apple has sent media invites for its iPhone 8 launch event happening at Steve Jobs Theater, which is located at the company’s new Space Ship Campus and the very first time Apple is hosting an event there, marking absolute importance of the launch this round with a simple message of “Let’s meet at our place”.

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, and Apple is expected to make big announcements on its new smartphone, apart from announcing the next hero iPhone model, we can also expect the company to launch the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus as the follow up to the current models, an Apple Watch 3 with LTE connectivity, and probably a 4K Apple TV. Apart from that, we definitely hope to see a “One more thing…” during that day, as it has been a while since Apple has surprised us with anything especially in its iPhone events.

Mark your calendar on September 12th, as there will be a live stream happening on 10am PT / 1 pm ET / 6pm GMT / 3am Wednesday September 13 AEST over at Apple’s website, we’ll be back with more updates if we have any.

apple
apple tv 4k
apple watch 3
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Apple’s iPhone Xs Keynote will be streamed on Twitter for the first time

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If you are staying up late to check out Apple’s next iPhone launch, you might be glad to know that Apple will be live streaming its event on its official Twitter handler, which means you can finally use any web browser of your choice to watch the live stream.

Previously, Apple’s Keynote can only be watched live using Safari on Mac, Microsoft Edge, Apple TV and iOS devices. As tonight’s keynote is probably the biggest iPhone launch to date, where the company will be unveiling three iPhones and Apple Watch Series 4, it does make sense on why the company would want to reach out to even wider audiences by streaming its Keynote on Twitter, though we also wondered why Facebook was never the choice.

The iPhone Xs Keynote will be happening at 1AM Malaysian Time later, so if you are thinking to stay up late night with us, here’s the
link
 to watch it at Apple’s official page, and follow Apple’s
Twitter
 account if you haven’t done so.

apple
apple watch series 4
iphone xc
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iphone xs


Apple’s iWork update includes vertical text in Pages and GIFs creation using Keynote

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Although the iPad Air and iPad mini stole the spotlight in Apple’s announcement yesterday, the company also revealed that there will be an upcoming update to iWork, though it was only briefly mentioned. However, these updates are better than you’d expect.

https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Pages-Vertical-Text-JP.m4v

First and foremost, Pages will soon include vertical text for three languages: Chinese, Japanese and Korean. The company also include vertical text templates for the first two languages. iOS users will also be getting two features that are previously only available on macOS, where they can insert a table of contents onto a page in a word document, and also alternate between word processing and the page layout. Both iOS and macOS users will also be getting a more convenient way to navigate their documents with the new table of contents view.

https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Keynote.m4v

That aside, Keynote will also be getting several significant updates. iOS users can now edit the presenter notes while they’re presenting and rehearsing for a more efficient workflow, and they can use the Apple Pencil (or fingers) to animate objects in a Keynote slide. Action builds such as rotate, move, scale and opacity will also be added into Keynote for iOS users, while both macOS and iOS users will be able to create and share animated GIFs through Keynote with the new update.

iWork’s Numbers will also be updated in which there will be an improved CSV/TSV import, and iOS users will get quick adjustments to row and column sizes through tapping. For those who have been hoping for a larger zoom, the new iWork update will allow up to 400% zoom for better spreadsheets display.

Image credit: Apple

Pages, Keynote and Numbers will all have higher maximum file size of 2GB, and users will be able to edit grouped objects while collaborating. They can also save and sync shapes, templates and themes on their documents which can be synced across all their macOS and iOS devices by using iCloud. Lastly, it’ll be much easier for iOS users to replace images on their documents now, because the new update will feature image placeholders which prevents the images from ruining your document’s format.

apple
iWork
keynote
Numbers
Pages


Apple’s larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro looks feature packed

260

We all know that Apple has been working on a new hardware of
the iPad
, as years have passed the
iPad
’s hardware features is beginning to show some age when compared to Android tablets, however it is still one of the best tablets out there thanks to its extensive App Store and selection of
iPad
 optimized apps.

AppleInsider has got some pretty interesting news to share about Apple’s latest
tablet
, dubbed the iPad Pro and the hardware is reported to come with a 12.9-inch display,
the iPad
 Pro could come with NFC capability with support for Apple Pay, a Bluetooth stylus is also reported for better drawing and writing experience on the huge display which we assume it to compete with Microsoft’s Surface Pen and the company’s new Force Touch technology could come onboard the tablet’s digitizer to help differentiate between a soft and solid touch inputs. Judging from the chassis of the device itself it seems that Apple is also prepared to bring its USB-C to the iPad Pro, which we could expect it to be used for connecting 3rd party devices such as
flashdrives
.

If the iPad Pro does indeed come with such hardware additions particularly the USB-C port, this could open up a new ways to work on a tablet device. Let’s hope Apple spill some beans on its June 9 WWDC event.


Apple's latest tablet is merely called iPad

292

If you have been mad at Apple for calling a new product by its name (remember the MacBook?), then you are most probably not going to like the company calling its new tablet merely iPad, without any Pro or Plus moniker. The iPad has officially replaced the iPad Air 2 and old iPad Air as an entry-level product, its display size is still at 9.7-inches and thankfully still has that Retina display, though without a laminated one this round, it is still no slouch as Apple has fitted the speedy A9 processor that is found on the iPhone 6s. The iPad is available in colors of Space Grey, Gold and Silver, no Jet Black and Rose Gold.

In terms of storage options, the iPad is being offered in both 32GB and 128GB models, which is decent enough for the entry-level segment, it still weighs fairly light at 469g with 7.5mm of depth. Cameras remain the same as the iPad Air 2 with an 8-megapixel main and 1.2-megapixel front camera. On the other hand, Apple has also removed the iPad mini 2 from its store and now offers the iPad mini 4 only with a 128GB storage model, which is actually a good thing as you won’t need to be confused with the plethora of iPad models if you were to purchase an iPad.

How affordable is the iPad? It starts from RM1,549 for the 32GB WiFi only model, and up to RM2,649 for the 128GB WiFi+Cellular model, which is definitely a lot cheaper to own than the iPad Pro if you can do without faster processing speed and accessories such as the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. On the other hand, the iPad mini 4 128GB will retail at RM2,099 for the WiFi model and RM2,599 for the WiFi+Cellular model, and you can already purchase it right now over at the Apple Online Store. Meanwhile, keep a look out for clearance models if you still want to get the iPad Air 2 or other storage options for the iPad mini 4.

apple
ipad


Apple’s Macbook lineup gets incremental upgrades

333

This round’s WWDC appears to be packed with tons of new stuff, and Apple’s Mac desktop and laptop series have gotten refreshes this time, one way or another. Live from San Jose, California, the Cupertino company has updated its Macbook line with newer internals.

For starters, the Macbook and Macbook Pro will be running Intel’s newer Kaby Lake processors underneath the hood. The former model will be getting 50 percent faster SSD storage as well, and the 15-inch model of the Macbook Pro will be getting faster standard graphics, though details have yet to be revealed.

With the incremental upgrades, Apple is also bringing a newly configured Macbook Pro to its lineup with a tad more affordable price tag. The said 13-inch model will set you back $1,299 (RM5,538.29).

The rumored to go Macbook Air happens to still be alive in Apple’s ecosystem. It looks like the company isn’t killing off its more affordable line of laptops for the time being. Speaking of which, the Macbook Air is also due for an upgrade, but Apple has only brought a minor one to this series. The Macbook Air will be running on a higher clocked processor. Details have once again yet to be disclosed.

Apple’s updated Macbook lineup will start shipping today. Thoughts on the refreshed models? How about the almost forgotten Macbook Air?

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intel
kaby
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pro


Apple’s March event to be cancelled – no iPhone 9 and new iPads?

306

You’d typically expect a keynote event from Apple to happen sometime this month – last year, the company announced Apple Arcade and Apple TV; this year however, the event is likely to be scrapped due to concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak.

It’s a significant absence from Apple because it was likely that the iPhone 9, or the successor to the iPhone SE, was to be announced during the event, alongside the announcement of new iPads.

According to a source within Apple:

Apple’s March event is officially cancelled / not happening.

Let me confirm this with a few more sources. Stay tuned…

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser)
March 8, 2020

This news comes courtesy of Jon Prosser, who’s a tech analyst and presenter at Front Page Tech – he tweeted saying that the event is ‘officially’ cancelled based on sources within Apple. He adds that the claim requires further confirmation from his sources – so it’s not 100% true.

Because the event wasn’t officially announced yet, so the event could either be postponed to be held via online streaming.

apple
covid 19
ios
ipad
iphone 9
keynote
wwdc


Apple’s Migration Assistant is making it easier for you to migrate from Windows

392

The biggest issue with moving to a different operating system is the files and data you will have to leave behind because the other operating system does not support it. Apple intends to make that process less painful by introducing a new Windows Migration Assistant that will pull more data from Windows to Mac.

The current version of the migration tool works only on data that are locally stored on the storage drive, meaning it will pull over files like your pictures, videos, documents and limited email and calendar information. The new version which will be coming to macOS 10.14 Mojave will support pulling data from third-party apps like Outlook as well as the local files and data stored on the Windows hard drive.

https://twitter.com/YRH04E/status/1026516362292875264

It would be nice to see a more advance migration tool for pulling over data from Android to iOS, especially with third-party apps like Whatsapp which is somewhat of an issue for users that cherish their Whatsapp messages and would like to see the same messages when moving over to iOS.

apple
assistant
macos
migration
tool
windows


Apple's new 4-inch iPhone is called the iPhone 5e

264

Rumors have been going on that Apple is set to release a refreshed 4-inch iPhone after two years of bigger sized iPhone releases, and it seems that we can now assume that Apple will not be making another new design for its 4-inch iPhone but instead, Cupertino has intended to refresh the internals of the current iPhone 5s and rebranding it to the iPhone 5e, in which the ‘e’ stands for enhanced, it sure sounds like Xiaomi’s way of naming its smartphones.

According to Chinese tech site MyDrivers, the iPhone 5e is expected to come with refreshed internals such as a newer Apple A8 processor and 1GB of RAM, it makes sense since Apple will definitely not want to put in the A9 chips to make the phone more expensive and threaten the 6s’ sales, and the A8 processor is more than sufficient for modern iOS apps and games to run smoothly, 16GB and 64GB storage models of the iPhone 5e will be available as well.

Expect Apple to announce its new iPhone 5e in its Spring event coming soon which is expected to happen around March just after Mobile World Congress, and the phone might just receive a slight mention in the launch just like the iPad mini 4.

Source:
MyDrivers

apple
iphone
iphone5e
iphone5s
wwdc


Apple’s new iMac with Retina 5K Display will make your eyeballs bleed

271

Alright, we aren’t teasing some “Annabelle” news here, but Apple here has just announced the most killer all-in-one desktop in history, the 27-inch iMac now comes with a crazy 5K resolution display, that makes it the 2nd display and first all-in-one desktop computer to feature such a screen resolution. We all know how well Apple’s Mac OS works with high resolution displays so we believe the experience is breathtaking, every pixel of your images will pop and certainly make your eyes bleed and touch your heart.

The Retina 5K display will only be exclusively available for the 27-inch iMac model, which makes sense as such resolution would be an overkill for the 21-inch model. The new iMac with Retina 5K display will come with a 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive and AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2GB RAM as its base configuration. The best thing is that you can choose to upgrade to a Core i7 4GHz Quad-Core processor and 1TB Flash/3TB Fusion Drive storage options, and a Radeon M295X GPU if you need a more powerful computer, previous 27-inch iMacs do not have the Core i7 processor available.

It’s really crazy, the new iMac has got us yelling here and then, it is the slimmest and most powerful all-in-one computer that anyone can imagine, it’s already a super computer that has been made even super. Of course, don’t expect to come cheap though, according to the Apple Malaysia online store, the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display starts at RM7,999 and up to RM14,459 if you are opting for the most high end stuff in the list. Finding yourself nowhere to spend your cash? Head on to the source link down below to shop for a Retina 5k iMac, now there’s no need to buy a 4K TV.

Source:
Apple


Apple’s new iMacs and MacBooks is now available for purchase in Malaysia

275

With the end of today’s WWDC 2017, the new iMac and MacBooks are now available to be purchased from the Apple Malaysia website where the iMac will come in two screen size variants, 21.5-inch and 27-inch, both are meant for users that would want to enjoy the smooth and fast functionality that Apple is known to offer. There are three models for each screen size so let’s get into it with pricing.

The first for the 21.5-inch screen comes with a 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB 2133Mhz RAM configurable to 16GB, 1TB hard drive, Intel integrated graphics, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a Full HD resolution display. This variant will retail for RM5,099. Next entry will come with a 3.0Ghz quad-core Intel i5 processor, 8GB 2400MHz RAM configurable to 16GB, 1TB hard drive, Radeon Pro 555 graphics card with 2GB video memory, two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a Retina 4K P3 display which will retail for RM5,999. Last entry in the 21.5-inch screen model will come with the 3.4GHz quad-core i5 processor, 8GB 2400MHz memory configurable up to 32GB, 1TB Fusion Drive, Radeon Pro 560 graphics with 4GB video memory, two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a Retina 4K P3 display which will retail for RM6,899.

Moving over to the 27-inch screen variant, the first model will come with a 3.4GHz quad-core Intel i5 processor, 8GB 2400MHz memory, configurable up to 32GB, 1TB Fusion Drive, Radeon Pro 570 graphics card with 4GB video memory, two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a 5K P3 Retina display. This model will retail for RM7,999. Next model will come with a 3.5GHz quad-core Intel i5 processor, 8GB 2400MHz memory configurable up to 64GB, 1TB Fusion Drive, Radeon Pro 575 graphics card with 4GB video memory, two Thunderbolt 3 ports and 5K P3 Retina display which will retail for RM8,899. The last entry comes with a 3.8GHz quad-core Intel i5 processor, 8GB 2400MHz ram, configurable to 64GB, 2TB Fusion Drive, Radeon Pro 580 graphics card with 8GB video memory, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and 5K P3 Retina display, this model will retail for RM10,099.

For the MacBook Pro, it comes in 13-inch and 15-inch versions with the first having the same specs for the non-touch bar versions, 2.3GHz dual-core Intel i5 processors, 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory, Intel integrated graphics, two Thunderbolt 3 ports and the difference is the storage which comes with 128GB and 256GB SSD storage, they will be priced at RM5,999 and RM6,899 respectively. For the Touch Bar variants it will come with a 3.1GHz dual-core Intel i5 processor, 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory, Intel integrated graphics four Thunderbolt 3 ports, 256GB or 512GB SSD storage, which will retail for RM7,999 and RM8,899 respectively.

On the 15-inch versions it will come with two Touch Bar models with the slight difference in the Core i7 processor, 256GB or 512GB SSD storage, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory, a Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB memory or Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory. The 256GB storage will retail for RM10,799 and the 512GB will retail for RM12,499. There is also a model without the Touch Bar that comes with a 2.2GHz quad-core Intel i7 processor, 16GB 1600MHZ memory, 256GB SSD storage, Intel integrated graphics and two Thunderbolt 2 ports that will retail for RM8,499. All the Macbook Pro will come in two colours, White and Space Gray.

All of these products can be found on the Apple Malaysia store and can be purchased right now. For more information on these products and other Apple products that were announced during the keynote, check out Apple’s official website
here
.

apple
imac
macbook
malaysia
price
pro


Apple’s new iPad Pro faces “bendgate” issue as it bends easily

383

Now Apple faces another issue reported by users, and they’re calling it “bendgate”. Previously when Apple’s iPhone Xs series faced charging issues, many called it “chargegate”, and when they faced the beautification issue in the camera, they started referring to it as “beautygate”. So now they have “bendgate”, which is an issue found in Apple’s new product, the iPad Pro.

Now the “bendgate” is a pretty straightforward term that simply means the iPad Pro can be bent very easily. This is not a first time for Apple, because the iPhone 6 a few years back faced the same “bendgate” issue. What makes it such a big deal is that the iPad Pro can be easily bent compared to its older versions and other tablets. The structure of the device is so unsatisfactory to the point that Apple users have been reporting that they’ve gotten bent iPad Pros straight from the box, which is a huge evidence pointed towards the durability of the devices.

Image credit: Gal Somovic

If you’re planning on getting an iPad Pro, be sure that you also get Apple Care because one user reported that he bought it without Apple Care and can’t exchange it even though he got the iPad Pro that is bent right out of the box. Another user who did purchase the Apple Care exchanged his first bent iPad Pro for the second one and realised it’s bent just over a few days of usage.

Image credit: @WOFginger

While the new iPad Pro has been equipped with better upgrades, the durability of the device is surely a major factor that will discourage consumers from purchasing it. Meanwhile, Apple might be alerted and come out with a stronger iPad Pro next time, just like the iPhone 6s after the iPhone 6’s “bendgate” problem. In the meantime, those with Apple’s newest iPad Pro might consider getting a hard casing for their devices to ensure that it doesn’t get bent so easily.

apple
bendgate
ipad pro


Apple’s new iPad Pro is official, prices start from RM3499 for 11-inch and RM4349 for 12.9-inch model

407

Apple definitely has some surprises this round, as it has announced the newly redesigned iPad Pro at its October 30th Special Event today.

The new iPad Pro comes in two sizes at 11-inches and 12.9-inches, which both have radically slimmed down bezels on all corners, there’s fortunately no notch like the iPhones and it has all the sensors on the front that is required for Face ID, Apple is also maintaining the same 120Hz ProMotion display and it is also called the Liquid Retina like the iPhone XR, you will need to operate the iPad Pro with the iPhone XS gestures too since there’s no home button on the device.

Powering the new iPad Pros is an A12X Bionic processor, which Apple has gone on further to claim has 1000x better graphics performance than its predecessor, it also theoretically has the same graphics processing power as an Xbox One X, no external power and cooling fan required.

Apple is also finally breaking the tradition of using proprietary ports with USB-C on the iPad Pro, as Apple demonstrated use cases of it being able to connect to peripherals such as external monitors, music instruments and more, while being able to charge your iPhone via the USB-C Lightning cable and technically, any USB devices out there.

Also new but an unfortunate feature, the new iPad Pro has axed the headphone jack.

Though Apple didn’t specifically mention anything on the iPad’s camera, we assume it to be the same 12MP sensor that’s found on the iPhone XS as it supports Smart HDR and 4K 60fps video recording, which makes it literally the most powerful camera ever adapted on a tablet.

Along with the new iPad Pros, Apple is also introducing a new Apple Pencil that charges wirelessly as soon as it attaches to the iPad Pro magnetically, a new folio cover keyboard is also announced and offers better working angles than the previous keyboard. Otherwise, the iPad Pros will continue to sport a 10-hour battery life, a four-speaker audio system with woofer and tweeter pairs, Gigabit-class LTE and eSIM technology.

The iPad Pros will be available in storage options of 64GB, 256GB, 512GB and a whooping 1TB, they are available starting today and will ship on November 7th, local pricing of the new iPad Pros are detailed as below:

iPad Pro 11-inch (WiFi)

64GB – RM3499

256GB – RM4149

512GB – RM4999

1TB – RM6699

iPad Pro 11-inch (WiFi + Cellular)

64GB – RM4149

256GB – RM4799

512GB – RM5649

1TB – RM7349

iPad Pro 12.9-inch (WiFi)

64GB – RM4349

256GB – RM4999

512GB – RM5849

1TB – RM7549

iPad Pro 12.9-inch (WiFi + Cellular)

64GB – RM4999

256GB – RM5649

512GB – RM6499

1TB – RM8199

apple
ipad pro
ipad pro 11-nch
ipad pro 12.9-inch


Apple’s new iPhones are reported to support reverse wireless charging

256

As of now, there aren’t many smartphones that supports reverse wireless charging, and this includes Apple’s iPhones. However, rumour has it that the newer iPhones will come with this feature.

This piece of information is supported by both Macotakara, a Japanese Apple news blog and also Kuo Ming-Chi, a reliable Apple products analyst, and Macotakara reported that the new iPhones will able to charge the Apple Watch and AirPods Wireless Charging Case with the new feature.

That aside, the Japanese news blog also reported that the new iPhone will still be using a Lightning cable but might come with the 18W USB-C brick. If so, the new iPhones will need a Lightning to USB-C cable for faster charging speeds, and it’s only reasonable that the company also bundle the Lightning to USB-C cable if they’re going to provide the 18W USB-C brick.

Previous news also suggested that the new iPhones will come with a square camera setup, which is quite similar to the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro.

apple
iphone
iPhone 11
reverse wireless charging


Apple’s new iPhones could come with dual SIM support

257

While Android smartphones are sold with dual SIM capabilities in Asia, the iPhone has been sold as a single SIM device for a decade, but things are about to change as a China Mobile promo image spotted by The Verge has suggested that the new iPhones could come with dual SIM capabilities. For many years, iPhone customers have depended on hacks such as dual SIM cases and devices to enable dual SIM standby, and this is a welcome feature for the Asian market.

Though it might seem that Apple could just target the Chinese market for its dual SIM iPhones in an attempt to compete with Chinese Android smartphones, we believe that they will also make way over here due to market demand, as almost every smartphone you buy in Malaysia already supports dual SIM, so there’s really no reason not to get it sold here.

As of now, we are still unsure if Apple would be making the feature available on all variants of the new iPhones, as it has been rumored that the company would be releasing a larger 6.4-inch iPhone Xs Max, a 5.8-inch iPhone Xs, and a cheaper 6.1-inch iPhone. We’ll know it all in less than two days, so stay tuned to this space.

apple
iphone xs
iphone xs max


Apple’s new iPod touch with A10 Fusion chip starts from RM899

406

Apple recently launched the new iPod touch that is better and also faster than its predecessor with its A10 Fusion chip, AR support and ability to Group FaceTime others.

Weighing at only 88g, the iPod touch is a tiny device with a 4-inch Retina display and still comes with a Touch ID. It looks really similar to older iPhones with no notch and thick bezels, but its A10 Fusion chip doubles the performance and triples the graphic performance of the new iPod touch.

Image credit: Apple

The chipset also enables AR support on the iPod touch, so consumers will finally be able to play AR games on the new device. In addition, consumers can subscribe to Apple Arcade where there are over 100 new games that can be played both online and offline, without ads and in-app purchases.

Image credit: Apple

Needless to say, the iPod touch comes with iOS 12 that has extra features like Screen Time that can help consumers analyse their data and manage their time on certain apps. The iPod touch also has an 8MP camera on the back paired with a FaceTime HD camera on the front.

Music playback is probably the main focus of the consumers when purchasing the iPod touch, so the device retains its 3.5mm headphone jack and can support music playback up to 40 hours. The Apple EarPods will also be included in the box, alongside with a Lightning to USB cable.

The iPod touch comes in six colours — Blue, Pink, Space Grey, Silver, Gold and Red. There are three storage configurations for the iPod touch — 32GB, 128GB and 256GB. The lowest configuration will cost RM899, followed by RM1,349 and RM1,799. It can be purchased at Apple Authorised Resellers, Apple Store app, Apple’s official site and also select carriers.

app store
apple
ios
iPod Touch


Apple’s new MacBook Pro to come with M1 Pro and Max chips

873

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has suggested that the upcoming new MacBook Pros, which is set to release later tonight, may actually come with the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors, instead of the long rumored M1X and M2.

Unlike Intel and AMD, whose processors can easily be identified, Apple’s silicon naming scheme is starting to get confusing over the years especially with the A12X and A12Z that’s on previous generation on the iPad Pros, though technically these chips are identical but the latter having a faster GPU, but to the average joe it may seem like an old chip

Therefore, it makes sense that the company would want to start to standardize that by having the ‘M’ chips exclusive for its Pro devices, which is the reason we see the M1 debut on the current iPad Pro, though it is essentially a more powerful chip of the A14 Bionic but in this case, an entry-level model for the M series chip line up.

While not the most creative naming schemes, the Pro and Max naming will most likely make people remember them easily as the outgoing iPhones, Gurman suggests that both the M1 Pro and Max will have 10 CPU cores that comprised of 8 high-performance cores and 2 energy-efficient cores, while their main difference would be their GPU cores, which is set to have 16 for the Pro and 32 for the Max.

In addition, we are expecting these new MacBook Pros to support up to 64GB of RAM, as the current M1 Macs are only limited to 16GB, additional USB-C ports and a SD card reader are also expected, but a disturbing rumor of a notch on the display for Face ID is being circulated as well, which can make certain fans disappointed.

In spite of that, we are definitely looking forward to what Apple can offer in its ‘Unleashed’ event happening in the wee hours of Malaysia, so stay tuned on our space for everything you need to know about the new MacBook Pros.

Source:
Bloomberg

apple
m1 max
m1 pro
macbook pro
unleashed


Apple’s New OS Updates Will Fix Telugu Issue

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Apple has released software updates for all of its operating systems – iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS – to fix the issue that has been bothering users when the Indian Telugu bug affected devices running on the latest Apple’s software.

The massive corruption is reportedly caused by a certain character specific to the Indian Telugu alphabet, if sent through a message, a document or even just pasted into a text field. Of course there are also those who troll Apple users by posting the character everywhere they possibly can.

The software update, however, won’t be inclusive of any newly added features or security updates. Apple released today’s updates because they want to prevent customers from waiting too long for the larger updates in the coming months.

apple
ios
macos
operating systems
Telugu
tvos
watchos


Apple’s new patent hints on a foldable iPhone, reportedly named iPhone X Fold

255

Apple is sometimes mocked for being slower at releasing features that Android devices already have, but sometimes being the first is not the main point. In this case, we’ve already seen several companies with their foldable smartphones, and Apple has only just started on their own foldable smartphone.

According to recent patents, the company is planning on releasing a foldable iPhone and Dutch industrial designer Roy Gilsing decided to make a concept of it, calling it the iPhone X Fold. The phone folds vertically and according to the concept shown, the iPhone X Fold will be quite narrow in its folded form.

Image credit: Foldable News

What makes the iPhone X Fold a bit more thoroughly thought though, is the fact that the company plans on ensuring that the folding display will warm up at the fold point. The company further explained that displays are more prone to damage under low temperatures which is why Apple plans on introducing a display which warms up at its folding point.

However, we shouldn’t be expecting the iPhone X Fold anytime soon. The 5G iPhones aren’t coming till 2020, so we really aren’t expecting the iPhone X Fold to come by this year either.

apple
Foldable iPhone
iphone
iPhone X Fold


Apple’s new program guides female entrepreneurs with app development

281

Apple announced an all-new Entrepreneur Camp that focuses on women to help them develop and improve in their app-driven businesses.

The Entrepreneur Camp is a program that aims to assist in growing female leadership when it comes to app development community, so that they are equally well-equipped with the knowledge and tools that they need to create better applications in the future.

Image credit: Apple

The program is only eligible for organisations with a woman founder, co-founder, or CEO and also a female developer and aside from that, they will need a developed app or functional build that they can demonstrate live. Now the camp allows up to three members to attend, but only the third member can be either male or female, and all members must be 18 and above, and those who are attending will need to bring their own laptops to the lab.

The Entrepreneur Camp is also held on a quarterly basis, whereby its pilot session will begin in January 2019. It consists of an immersive two-week technology lab where participants will receive a one-on-one code-level guidance from Apple engineers, and also a full year of membership in the Apple Developer Program. Besides that, they are entitled to ongoing support from an Apple Developer, in addition to getting up to two tickets to the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference).

Those who are interested in the program or want to learn more about it can do so by visiting
https://developer.apple.com/entrepreneur-camp/
.

apple
developers
Entrepreneur Camp


Apple's next-gen A10 chipset will features hexa-core CPU

362

Apple just released the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus with all-new A chipset, which brings with it improved performance compared to its predecessors. The A9’s barely become official, and we’re already hearing the first rumors regarding its successor. According to a source in China, the Apple A10 for 2016 devices will be quite special.Cupertino company claim they are seriously focusing on multithreading for the first time since it’s started designing mobile chipsets. This newfound focus may result in the A10 SoC having a hexa-core (6-core) CPU.

Apple only achieves at the most up to three cores maximum, and this is why its chips benchmark poorly in multi-core runs compared to the Android competition. The new A10 will be manufactured on either a 14nm or a 10nm process and it might partner with Samsung. The source of the information is apparently coming from the same person who accurately described the Apple A9 chipset previously.

This is just the rumor, which we cannot confirm all these will be true till Apple announced officially with the new chip by themselves. Then again, we are sure that Apple are developing the new A10 chip and there might be changes occur in the near future.

Apple just released the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus with all-new A chipset, which brings with it improved performance compared to its predecessors. The A9’s barely become official, and we’re already hearing the first rumors regarding its successor. According to a source in China, the Apple A10 for 2016 devices will be quite special.Cupertino company claim they are seriously focusing on multithreading for the first time since it’s started designing mobile chipsets. This newfound focus may result in the A10 SoC having a hexa-core (6-core) CPU.

a10
apple
iphone
samsung


Apple’s next launch event may reveal new iPad Pro and MacBooks

436

Aside from the recent new iPhones release, Apple is also having a launch event on 30 October in New York City, which is rumoured to be revealing the new iPad Pro and MacBooks. Apparently, Apple invited different medias with different designs of Apple logo which TechRadar suggested might be created using an iPad Pro. It may also be of relevance to the recent news that users can fully use Photoshop on the iPad.

Image credit : 9to5mac

The iPad Pro will be the 3rd generation of its model and might have a narrower bezel and also a TrueDepth camera, which could mean that you can unlock your iPad Pro through Face ID. The device is also expected to have USB-C ports and come in two different display sizes.

The new MacBook is also supposed be more affordable and have slimmer bezels.
 Rumour has it that there might be a new 12-inch MacBook at a lower cost and a redesign for the
MacBook Air. Although nothing is confirmed, one can only hope both rumours are real and will appear during the event launch.

Image credit : Apple

It is likely that more details will be revealed on the iOS 12.1 software and also watchOS update. The details of the event are still vague, but who knows, with Apple’s tagline “There’s more in the making”, we might even get to see the long overdue AirPower wireless charging pad and the AirPods 2 with wireless charging case.

AirPods 2
airpower
apple
ipad pro
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Apple's next product may be smart glasses

319

Apple’s venture into the wearable market may not be limited solely to the Apple Watch anymore as Bloomberg is reporting that the Cupertino-based company is currently testing the potential of digital smart glasses.

Currently still in its exploration phases, these smart glasses are rumoured to be able to connect wirelessly to the iPhone, show images and other information in the wearer’s field of vision, and may even be compatible with augmented reality.

The concept of an AR-ready smart glass is still very much in its infancy. That being said, if Apple were to give the green light to this project, it is possible that the device would hit the market as early as 2018. In the meantime though, Apple has ordered small quantities of near-eye displays for testing, indicating that the product has yet to reach the mass-manufacturing stages yet.

Smart glasses isn’t exactly a new concept as Google has a working concept in the Google Glass. As the Google Glass never made it to the market, the whole “smart glasses” market is still ripe for the taking. Whether or not Apple would go through with the smart glass remains to be seen, but if everything goes well, we may be seeing the first true competitor to Microsoft’s own HoloLens.

Source:
Bloomberg

apple
augmentedreality
googleglass
smartglass


Apple’s Phil Schiller shocked by response from ad agency

463

As the Apple and
Samsung
 war continues, we get to know more on how Apple has worked on marketing their products and being aware of competitors exceeding them with more interesting products. Now, we get to know that Phil Schiller, the ‘can’t innovate my ass’ guy isn’t really a cool and calm guy in the company with his replies in email. Additionally, we can really think why he is the one to really make audiences in the keynote go WOW most of the time. Take a look at how he responses to Apple’s ad agency below.

As we know in our previous post, Phil is really worried about Samsung’s ‘the next big thing’ advertisement flooding over the world and implanting the products into consumer’s mind, he immediately fired an urgent mail to the ad agency telling them that they should be more aggressive and even suggested to the board that they should change their ad agency. The above mail shows that the ad agency feels the pain for Apple and proposed for a discussion.

The ad agency clearly wants Apple to change dramatically to improve its advertising effort. As a SVP of Marketing in a company, you will surely be mad at how the ad agency can respond in this way rather than proposing new ideas that they can think of besting competition. Here’s Phil’s respond back to the ad agency below.

Phil is making sense in his reply here, the company has given money to the ad agency to run any ads that they think its beneficial to Apple’s product, but to suggest how the company should operate will definitely make anyone mad at them.

The ad agency had eventually apologized, and the response still isn’t satisfying because its kind of absurd that the ad agency has suggested they can do things like back in 1997 where they can use back the Mac vs PC strategy. In our opinion, the Mac VS PC strategy will not work, the result will be simply comparing apples to elephants. You will see a similar result in Microsoft’s recent Windows advertisements, where it tends to compare
iPad
s to Surface tablets and doesn’t work because the
iPad
 is really meant to be a device of convenience and Surface tablets are meant for more advanced computing.

Lastly, we’ve clearly seen Apple drilled its way out of this argument, as we can see in the ads of the
iPhone 5
, it tends to market the experience of the product rather than its features, which it worked well and still managed to get consumers buy into the idea. We hope that Apple is currently working with a better person in the ad agency or switched to another one, because the company seriously need a better agency to market the products well if they were to play catch ups on their products. Let’s look forward to a great WWDC2014 coming up soon.


Apple's programming language, Swift, is now open source

336

When Apple first revealed Swift 2.0 at WWDC in June, the company said that the programming language would be going open source by the end of the year. Well, the wait is over as Swift is now officially open source.

This programming language will be released under the Apache 2.0 license, meaning that all of the source code, including the code for a new package manager, will be available to edit and compile and programs can be created without attribution. Included in this release are the compiler, the LLDB debugger, the REPL command-line environment, the standard and core libraries, and code from supporting projects.

In tandem with Swift going open source, Apple has launched
Swift.org
, providing tutorials and documentations surrounding the programming language. Besides that, the website also hosts a blog where Apple will update developers about the next iteration of Swift, Swift 3.0. According to Apple, one of the major goals for Swift 3.0 is source compatibility. This means that code writen to target Swift 3.0 will continue to compile properly even as the language continues to develop. As older Swift versions do not come with this feature, Apple has warned developers that things are going to break between the current version of Swift and Swift 3.0.

Source :
Ars Technica

apple
opensource
swift


Apple’s Q4 financial results breaks their own record

258

Apple is still on top of the game when it comes to their products and services, and their financial results in the fiscal 2018 fourth quarter that ended 29 September is the solid proof of their success.

With the quarter revenue of $62.9 billion, Apple reached a 20% increase compared to the $52.5 billion in year 2017 and almost 47 million units of iPhone were sold in just three months, with the international sales contributing to 61% of the revenue. Apple also announced the EPS (earnings per share) that has a 41% growth with the quarterly earnings per diluted share of $2.91 and cash dividends per share of $0.73 for Apple’s common stock, an increase of $0.10 compared to last year’s amount. It is also noteworthy that the service revenue also increased by 27%, reaching $10 billion in the fourth quarter, and to sum it up; the company has just achieved the strongest revenue and earnings of Apple’s history.

Of course, Apple’s success is due to the constant support from its loyal customers and its ability to attract new customers, whether it is in the States or globally. The iPhone 8, iPhone 8+ and iPhone X are still getting substantial sales and the launch of the new iPhones were successful and well-accepted which is a major factor when it comes to Apple’s high revenue. The success in sales of Apple products factored from the reputable brand image that Apple has been bearing and bolstering, in addition to the constant advancements in its technology that continues to make Apple a strong competitor.

Apple also estimated a revenue of at least $89 million for its fiscal 2019 first quarter and a gross margin between 38% to 38.5%. This is definitely feasible with the recent launch of the new MacBook Air, the Mac mini and the iPad Pro with major upgrades, especially with the iPad Pro that has left a huge impact during the launch.

apple
financial results
iphone


Apple’s Smart Battery Case for the new iPhones are here

288

Apple has just released the new Smart Battery cases for this year’s iPhone models and while they looked similar to last year’s cases, they have an extra feature — a physical camera button.

The cases for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max will still come in the three colours — Black, White and Pink Sand. Using silicone and a soft elastomer hinge, the case is easy to be taken on/off and has a soft-touch finish.

As the Smart Battery Case is compatible with Qi-certified chargers, users can charge both the battery case and their iPhones simultaneously. When their iPhones are running out of juice, the case will be able to provide up to 50% longer battery life. Putting on the case will also allow users to know the case’s battery status so that it can be charged when needed.

The Smart Battery Case has a camera button that will launch the Camera app even when the iPhone is locked. Pressing the button will let users capture photos while longer pressing will let users shoot a QuickTake video.

Each case will cost RM539 but the colour Pink Sand will not be available for the iPhone 11 Smart Battery Case.

apple
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 pro
iPhone 11 pro max
Smart Battery Case


Apple’s Space Gray keyboard and mouse won’t be sold separately

314

Apple refreshed all models of the Macbook and the iMac just last night at WWDC 2017. The manufacturing giant has also added a new desktop to its sizable collection of Mac’s – the iMac Pro. Marketed towards professional consumers, the iMac Pro comes in a stylish space gray design, along with the Magic Keyboard and the Magic Mouse. Many are hoping to get the Space Gray accessories separately, but it turns out that the accessories will only be available to those who purchase the iMac Pro.

According to 9to5Mac, Apple will not be selling the Space Gray Magic Keyboard and the Magic Mouse separately. This means that fans will only be able to obtain these accessories via the purchase of an iMac Pro. To be clear, the iMac Pro starts at a premium price of $4,999. This will give iMac Pro buyers the opportunity to sell off their “bad ass” Space Gray accessories to those who are eager once the powerful desktop goes on sale this coming December.

In related news, the folks at 9to5Mac were also informed that the RAM in the upcoming iMac Pro will not be user replaceable, which could be a deal breaker to some. As of now, only the 27-inch iMac model has user replaceable RAM, making it available for minor upgrades in the future.

It looks like you will have to seek other avenues for a different colored Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse, unless you’re willing to fork out the $4,999 sum for the iMac Pro.

apple
gray
imac
keyboard
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wwdc


Apple’s Unleashed event will take place this October 19; new MacBook Pros expected

808

Apple’s next event –
Unleashed
– is set to take place this October 19 at 1am. Greg Joswiak, Senior Vice President, announced the event on his Twitter page through a very short video.

Unleashed! These next six days are going to speed by.
#AppleEvent

pic.twitter.com/0ops2bVPvl

— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz)
October 12, 2021

Neither the video nor the official event page discloses any info on the products launching – but
reports

have suggested new MacBook products to make an appearance.

We can expect Apple to launched a redesigned 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, and these devices will offer 3024×1964 and x 3456×2234 resolutions respectively.

Under the hood, these laptops will use the faster M1X chip – it achieves blistering fast speeds thanks to its supposed makeup of 8 high-performance chips, which is double the number of cores the regular regular M1 chip has.

Elsewhere, we can expect the return of the
MagSafe
charging port – the replacement of the USB-C charging port could mean that Apple have found a way to include more ports for data along the chassis.

There will apparently be a HDMI port and an SDcard slot too, making the new MacBook Pro quite the complete device for creators.

With that said, however, Apple will omit the Touch Bar from the new devices like we speculated
before
; we’re not sure if this is a sound call from the fruit company, but the move could help shave off a few bucks from its price tags.

You can catch the event livestream on Apple’s website
here
.

apple
apple event
m1x
macbook pro
unleashed


Apple’s upcoming A14 chip will be the first to exceed 3GHz

305

There’s no doubt that when the iPhone 12 models arrive this September, they’ll be equipped with Apple’s A14 chip. Each year Apple makes sure that the chipset will be better than the previous one, but what makes the A14 chip outstanding is the rumour that it will be the first chip of its series that will exceed 3GHz.

A12X (left) vs A14 (right)

Based on Geekbench, the new A14 chip will be more powerful compared to the A12X chip used in the iPad Pro. The new chip achieved a score of 1658 on single-core performance, 4612 on multi-core performance and achieved 3090Mhz processor frequency.

Research Snipers also mentioned that the A14 chip will be using TSMC’s 5nm process, so we should be expecting faster and smoother performance when it comes to the new iPhones this year.

The A14 will not be the only exciting chip we’re seeing from Apple; rumour has it the company will also be manufacturing an ARM processor for its Mac.

A14
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ipad pro
iPhone 12


Apple's upcoming iPhone could potentially cost over USD1,000

284

2017 will mark the 10th anniversary of Apple’s iconic iPhone. If rumours are to be believed, it appears that Apple has something big in store with their iPhones this year as Fast Company has heard from an inside source that the upcoming iPhone 8 will come with a slew of new features, as well as a pricetag that is over USD1,000.

So what can you expect from the iPhone 8? For starters, the phone itself will now sport a 5.8″ OLED display, which isn’t particularly surprising considering that an
OLED iPhone
 has been mentioned since late last year. The iPhone 8 may also get a memory upgrade that puts it above the iPhone 7. In terms of design, the iPhone 8 will be built using forged stainless steel for the sides and glass for the back of the phone. Finally, the iPhone 8 may not be named that after all as there are whispers saying that Apple is considering naming it the iPhone X in order to commemorate the iPhone’s 10th anniversary.

The iPhone 8 won’t be the only iPhones being launched this year either as Apple will supposedly launch the 4.7″ iPhone 7s and the 5.5″ iPhone 7s Plus. Both of these phones will still be based on the iPhone 7, so they won’t be sporting OLED displays quite yet. On the plus side, it also means that both models will be slightly more affordable than the iPhone 8.

Source:
Fast Company

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iphone7s
iphone7splus
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Apple’s VR/AR headset could arrive soon with realityOS operating system

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It’s been a while since we have heard rumors of Apple working on its own augmented/virtual reality headset, as the company has been spearheading efforts in AR on iPhone and iPad for a while now, and we can definitely expect that to happen soon enough as recent App Store upload logs and Apple open-source code has revealed that its headset operating system will be called ‘realityOS’.

As more companies got involved in the Metaverse recently, it would be great timing that Apple begins to show how it can contribute to that effort to make it even more relevant for most of us, just like how it has always trump competitors.

Looks like
#Apple
 just accidentally confirmed
#RealityOS
. 🥽

Whoops!
https://t.co/IEowqdVcf2

pic.twitter.com/LsNRRalGld

— matthewdavis.eth (@IAmMatthewDavis)
February 9, 2022

According to the logs, realityOS is expected to work with other Apple devices and it would be interesting to see how Apple can make all of its devices work together with its headset, and just like tvOS and watchOS, realityOS is also expected to come with its own version of App Store that serves dedicated AR/VR apps, perhaps what we are even more interested here is how Apple can make it services available on realityOS.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that the AR/VR headset will be powered by two Apple silicon chips that enables Mac-level computing power, and also allowing the headset to switch between augmented and virtual reality modes.

As Apple is about to have its March event coming right up, we definitely hope to see this as a ‘one more thing’ announcement and its about time that Apple shake up the Metaverse just like it has done with the iPhones.

apple
ar
metaverse
realityOS
vr


Apple’s WWDC 2014 is UP!

314

As the new are spreading all around the net, Apple’s WWDC 2014 will be happening on coming Monday. This time they will not be announcing
iPhone 6
 as normally it will only be happened at September. They will be announcing the new iOS, OSX, iMACs amongst other stuff.

Watch streaming video from this special event and learn more about our exciting announcements.

Live streaming video requires Safari 4 or later on OS X v10.6 or later; Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later.

http://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2014/


Apple’s WWDC 2019 starts on June 3 and will cost you $1,599 to get in

440

The upcoming Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2019 (WWDC) will take place on June 3 in San Jose’s McEnery Convention Center. The event will last for four days where it’s likely to feature updates for operating systems such as iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS.

What we’re expecting most is the announcement of iOS 13 that can hopefully fix all that went wrong with iOS 12. Up till now, there hasn’t been many leaks regarding iOS 13, but rumour has it that iOS 13 will finally remove the volume HUB and also bring in dark mode.

Image credit: Apple

To attend WWDC, developers can start applying for tickets from today to March 20, in which the selection will be random, and the results will only be known by March 21. Those who succeeded in the application will then need to pay $1,599 to get the ticket. However, if you’re not the selected ones and you’re still interested in the conference, you can watch it through live-stream on the WWDC app or even through the Apple Developer website.

“WWDC is Apple’s biggest event of the year. It brings thousands of the most creative and dedicated developers from around the world together with over a thousand Apple engineers to learn about our latest platform innovations and to connect as a community,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing in its press release.

apple
conference
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wwdc


Apple’s WWDC 2020 conference moved online amidst COVID-19 fears

368

Apple’s
WWDC, conference
 that’s happening this June in San Jose, CA has been completely moved online – the announcement was made officially by Apple recently, citing safety fears amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

For the first time in its thirty-year history, the event will be held digitally. IOS developers, the press and consumers alike will gather in a new online format.

From there, Apple says that attendees will get early access to
“the
 future of iOS,
iPadOS
, macOS,
watchOS
 and
tvOS
.

Plus, the company will commit USD1mil to the local San Jose organizations to make up for any loss in revenue the conference typically generates every year.

Last year, we saw the introduction of iOS 13 for the iPhone,
watchOS
 6 for the Apple Watch, and the latest Mac Pro desktop. This year, we could be seeing iOS 14 and parhaps more updates for the iPad.

apple
covid 19
developers
developers conference
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watch os
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Apps and features on iOS devices to improve mental health

353

For those who are unaware, today is World Mental Health Day, and in conjunction with that, here are some features and apps on Apple Watch and App Store that can help you better manage your mental health.

Breathe

If you have an Apple Watch, utilise the Breathe app, whereby there will be reminders every now and then to provide you with brief deep-breathing exercises so you can counter your daily stress. The animations will bring calm so that you will not be tensed throughout the day and as this app is now available as a watch face, you only need to raise your wrist to use the app. Besides that, the Apple Watch now runs on watchOS 5 which manages your notifications better. You can now use interactive controls within the notifications without launching your apps and also manage your notification preferences, whereby turning on the Do Not Disturb from the control centre will allow you to have some quiet time without notifications.

Omvana

Apart from that, there are also apps you can download in your iPhone and Apple Watch. These apps are made for mindfulness so you can efficiently improve your mental health. One of the apps are called Omvana, which allows you to customise your ambient sound and your meditation audio. You can control the volume of each of them and save it in your library. Omvana can be connected with your HealthKit and recommend meditations based on your levels of stress and your state of mind.

Calm

Calm is another app that helps you meditate. You can choose your goal of meditation in the beginning, whether it is to get better sleep, increase happiness or so on. There are features such as sleep, meditate, music, calm body and breathe. What is unique about Calm is that the sleep feature reads you bedtime stories to help you sleep, whereas the calm body feature suggests different stretches for your body at different time of the day. Calm’s guided meditations range from 3 minutes to 25 minutes, allowing you to find the suitable length of meditation for your schedule.

Insight Timer

Next, there is the Insight Timer that offers courses for mental health management, and also has a timer function for you to time your meditation period. There are many guided meditations and talks led by experts in the app, and new free guided meditations are added daily. The app also have a community tab, where you can get in touch with other users and befriend them through friend requests.

Aura

Aura is another app that can help improve your mental health, as it tracks your mood daily, and suggest meditations based on your mood. It has 4 channels; Meditation, Life Coaching, Story and Music. Aura provides 3-minute meditations so that you can do it quickly without disrupting your daily activities. You can also write in the gratitude journal daily, which keeps your positivity in check.

Headspace

AutoSleep Tracker

The App Store also have an app named Headspace that have meditations on how to cope with your eating habits, negative emotions, self-esteem, work and performance, and few others. You can access the full Headspace meditation library by subscribing to them, and they have an animation library so you can get better meditation with visual aid.

Last but not least, you can download an app called AutoSleep Tracker for Watch on the App Store for RM12.90. It automatically tracks your sleep from your Apple Watch without needing you to press on any buttons and analyses your sleep patterns, but the analysis only occurs if you wear the Apple Watch to bed. This would be convenient for those who wants to plan their sleeping habits for better health.

While most of the app are free, do note that most of them have trial periods and requires subscription fees after the trial periods. The feature that tells bedtime stories should be a favourable one as it can help those who have trouble sleeping get more rest at night. With that said, hopefully these apps will be useful for those who are trying to be more mindful of their mental health.

app store
apple watch
Aura
AutoSleep Tracker
Calm
Headspace
Insight Timer
ios
mental health
Omvana


Apps for couples to keep the flame of love burning strong

654

Keeping the flame of love alive with technology – here are the best apps for couples

With what we have at our fingertips nowadays, being in a relationship is a breeze. Say you want to a calendar to keep track of important dates, there’s an app for that; or if you’ve run out of date ideas, there’s an app that helps you keep things fresh too.

These are some of the best apps to help keep your relationship burning strong with the flames of love.

Between

Image credit: Between

This private messaging app is more than meets the eye – besides being a chat room just for you and your partner, the app also has a homepage that you can customize to feature a lovely couple photo, a calendar to help you keep track of anniversaries and such, titled and dated photo albums to keep precious photos and more.

The app also comes with a host of free stickers that are all couple-themed. You can sign up for a premium account if you want to unlock extra themes and stickers, but rest assured all features are available on the get go.

LokLok

Image credit: LokLok

Imagine this: it’s been a long day and your partner isn’t having the greatest of times, you send your
bae
 little surprise messages with drawings and stickers that’ll fill their hearts with glee when they unlock their phones, turning their day upside down. Who knows, maybe they’ll fall for you even more.

LokLok lets you draw and write messages which will appear on your partner’s screen when he or she unlocks it – so go ahead and draw as many hearts and send as many kisses as you want first thing in the morning so it’s the first thing your partner sees when they wake up.

Happy Couple

Image credit: Happy Couple

It’s always good to learn more about your partner – but who says you need to talk to be able to do that.

Happy Couple is a quiz-style app gives you and your partner questions and quizzes about each other which you can answer. The questions and quizzes change everyday, so you gradually learn more about your partner each passing day.

Each correct answer you give rewards you with points which you can use to unlock challenges – challenges like “share a playlist with your partner” and such.

Kindu

Image credit: Kindu

Running out of ideas to spice up your relationship? Kindu should do the trick.

Kindu is essentially an app for ideas – intimate ideas. The app suggests a list of things that you could do with your partner to bond with each other.

You can save a bunch of them in a to-do list for reference and then tick them off once you’ve completed them. You can also tell how popular an idea is based on its rating system – users can vote “might try this” if they intent to complete the task, or “did this” for couples who’ve already completed the task.

Red Hands

Image credit: Red Hands

Sometimes all you need in a stale relationship is a good laugh. Red Hands could help with that.

If the name of the app doesn’t give away what it is already, Red Hands is a virtual hand slapping game that pits two players against each other in a test of wits and reactions.

When you play with your partner, you’re bound to have the giggles as the both of you attempt to slap each other’s hands. Of course, you could just put away the phone and play the game with your actual hands, but if you want to avoid the pain, give Red Hands a try.

android
apps
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ios
valentine's


Aqara A100 smart door lock can be unlocked with your Apple Watch and iPhone

2K

Aqara, a smart home solutions company has announced the Smart Door Lock A100 Zigbee, it features a modern and elegant design and like its other smart locks, it will support Apple Homekit and Google Assistant.

One new thing that the Aqara A100 Zigbee will support exclusively with iPhone is Apple Home Key, which allows you to unlock the smart door lock with your iPhone’s NFC hardware by simply tapping your phone, this is also supported by Apple Watch as well and the credentials will be stored in the Apple Wallet app.

The Aqara A100 Zigbee will sport an 18-month battery life with eight AA batteries, apart from using your iPhone and preferred smart home assistants to secure your home, the smart door lock can be unlocked with a PIN code, NFC card, fingerprint, mechanical key and the Aqara home app. Even if the smart door lock runs out of power, you can temporary power it up over a hidden USB-C port.

According to
9to5Mac
, the Aqara A100 will be exclusively launched in Malaysia and Singapore, where the company has a huge growing presence among smart home enthusiasts and users, no pricing details has been revealed yet, but meanwhile, you can check out our collection of
Aqara
 smart home products at
Good Deals by KLGG
.

aqara
aqara a100 smart door lock
smarthome
zigbee


Aqara Smart Home Products to be Matter compatible by end 2022

8.6K

Aqara Smart Home products are set to receive an exciting OTA update by the end of the year, as the company is bringing the Matter interoperability standard into most of its current smart home products.

Just like Zigbee, Matter is an open standard that allows smart home devices connect locally without the use of an Internet connection, it will use WiFi and Thread wireless protocols, which the latter is set to offer faster and more reliable connectivity on smart home devices such as light bulbs, switches and hubs.

As reported by
The Verge
, Aqara is also set to release new Matter-over-Thread devices in 2023, while there is a future device called the Hub M3, which is a multi-protocol smart home hub designed to bridge existing Aqara Zigbee devices to Matter while serving as a Thread border router and Matter controller, third-party Matter devices can also soon be added to the Aqara Home app.

It’s great to know that Aqara is brining Matter support to older devices and not just requiring customers to buy new ones, as you can see in the list above, there are a number of old devices that’s set to receive an OTA update to support the Matter standard, and you can shop for them at
Good Deals by KLGG
.

aqara
aqara matter
matter


Malaysian web developer creates an AR app of Klang Valley transit map

326

Those who aren’t familiar with Malaysia’s public transport routes will always worry about switching lines and where to stop; luckily for us, a Malaysian web developer made an AR app
 for Klang Valley transit map.

Malaysian web developer
Emil Shafy
 recently made an AR Map showing public transport routes that appear when he uses his smartphone to scan his
Touch ’n Go card
. This quickly caught the attention of many Malaysians, causing the tweet to go viral.

AR app shows LRT, monorail and KTM routes

Made an LRT map appear on my Touch N Go card in AR. Woohoo! still a bit buggy but helpful if we’re ever lost
pic.twitter.com/ynZKEaA4WQ

— emil (@emlshfy)
August 17, 2020

 The 24-year old web developer posted a tweet a few days back, revealing a short video of how the AR map appears on his card. At the time of writing, the video has already reached 157,000 views. He also said that he’ll roll out the AR app soon and might add features that are suggested by his commenters.

Emil was inspired by a
TikTok
 video that uses AR on a business card, which led him to his own project that took two to three days to complete.

AR app
BRT
KTM
LRT
monorail
MRT


Arcade City is a new decentralized ride-sharing service coming to Malaysia on 16 April 2018

295

With the departure of Uber from Southeast Asia, Grab has become the only go-to for those of us that rely on ride-sharing services to get us around. However, that’s all about to change as a new ride-sharing company that goes by the name of Arcade City, is launching their app and service in Southeast Asia on April 16.

Arcade City has a different take on the ride-sharing business by going with a decentralized route. Unlike Uber and Grab’s method of being the middle-man between the passenger and the driver and overseeing all issues that arise, Arcade City directly connects you to the driver without going through the company. How this works is by establishing cooperatives or as the company is calling them, Guilds. These members create customized policies for their local area, allowing them to build their own businesses without the interference of big corporates. The company had an initial test launch in the Philippines in August 2017 and has managed to build a large network of drivers.

Arcade City payment method is also unique, they are going with a peer-to-peer payment method. This means that the payment transaction will be done  between the driver and passenger without the company interfering. How will the drivers know to charge the users is still unknown. The mobile app will be available for download on Android and iOS on Monday, April 16.


ARCHOS Diamond Note 2 to be revealed at MWC

278

ARCHOS has announced that they will be adding a new device to their Diamond lineup, called the Diamond Note 2. According to ARCHOS, the device will “shake up the mobile market”. Without further ado, let’s dive into the specs to see how the Diamond Note 2 fares up.

The ARCHOS Diamond Note 2 sports a larger than usual 6 inch LCD screen in QHD resolution. ARCHOS claims that the 6 inch display is fitted into a standard 5.5 inch smartphone form factor. Also featured is a 16MP rear camera with 4K support and an impressive wide angle 8MP front facing shooter. Not forgetting, a fingerprint sensor which is becoming quite the norm in many smartphones.

Under the hood lies Mediatek’s 4G octo-core Helio X10 CPU, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage which is expandable via the Diamond Note 2’s hybrid SIM and SD card slot. The 3610mAh battery supports fast charging and can be juiced up to 80% in 45 minutes. On the software side, the Diamond Note 2 operates on Android Marshmallow 6.0.

The ARCHOS Diamond Note 2 will be unveiled at MWC next week. What do you think about ARCHOS’ efforts to shake up the mobile market? Let us know your thoughts below!

Source:
Android Authority

2
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Archos releases Diamond Plus with 5.5-inch display

396

IFA 2015 just a few hours away from now, Archos has yet announced another new smartphone. The company just begins to look into the fabled territory by releasing two different devices bridging the gap between the 5-inch Diamond in fact, bridging the gap between the 5-inch Diamond S and the Diamond Tab.

The Archos Diamond Plus has a 5.5-inch with 1080p resolution, a 16 MP rear camera with LED flash, an 8 MP selfie snapper, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 4G LTE support, dual-SIM functionality, and a 2,800 mAh battery with fast charging. The Diamond Plus will come with MediaTek MT6753 64-bit SoC with a 1.5 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU and Mali-T720MP3 GPU.

From the front look of the phone does look like an iPhone, but it doesn’t have any physical button at the front. Besides that, behind the phone actually looks like the back of Oppo R7 and Huawei Honor Mate 7 (without fingerprint sensor). On the right has a volume rocker and might be a power button or a camera button because on the left there is another button looks like a power button together with the slot for the SIM card and memory card slot.

This smartphone will be available in November without any SIM restriction and will retail with the price of £179.99 (approx. RM 840).

Source :
GSM Arena

android
archos
diamond
diamondplus
ifa2015


The ARCHOS Sense 55S features a borderless display

313

ARCHOS has introduced a series of smartphones to the world. Among these handsets include a noteworthy one which is the Archos Sense 55S, with the company boasting its borderless display.

Unfortunately, the borderless display isn’t like what you think (Samsung Galaxy S8 and the LG G6. Instead the Archos Sense 55S features a display that is more similar to that of the Xiaomi Mi MIX from last year and the Sharp Aquos Crystal from 2014. There are nearly zero bezels, but only for the top. Below the 5.5-inch Full HD display is a massive chin, and the front facing camera is located at the bottom right corner.

Underneath the hood is an undisclosed quad core processor which is likely to be of a MediaTek origin, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which should be expandable although it hasn’t been indicated.

Another surprise of the Archos Sense 55S is that the handset sports a dual rear camera configuration. The dual cam setup consists of two 8MP sensors, which in combination will probably capture more light for better low light shots. It also packs a 3,000mAh battery, a rear fingerprint sensor and runs on Android 7.0 out of the box.

The Archos Sense 55S will be available in European markets beginning next month, and will carry a price tag of €249 (RM1,194.96).

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ARCHOS spoils the IFA party with a £99.99 phone with fingerprint sensor

306

French manufacturer ARCHOS has a habit of attempting to steal the limelight from the big players out there, the ones who shine during tradeshows – Samsung, Huawei, Sony, Lenovo and a couple more. It’s trying to pull off the exact same trick again this time, right before IFA 2016 at Berlin. The company has announced a budget device which seems pretty value for money for £99.99 (RM529.37).

For a hundred quid, as the Brits say, ARCHOS will offer you the 50f Helium, which the company claims to be of premium build with a metal finish. The device sports a 5-inch IPS display at 720p, which is pretty acceptable for phones of this range, an entry level Snapdragon 210 processor with 2GB of RAM plus 32GB of expandable storage. As for its camera setup, the 50f Helium features an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 2MP selfie shooter, barely meeting today’s standards. Powering this small processing package is a 2,000mAh battery, and not forgetting, the rear fingerprint sensor. The phone supports 4G LTE and will run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, which ARCHOS claims to be “in its purest form, with fancy functionalities”.

Surprise surprise, that’s not the only phone ARCHOS has unveiled. Joining the party is a Lite version of the 50f Helium, which will feature half the RAM (1GB) and a quarter of the storage (8GB) for a price tag of £79.90 (RM423.01). The ARCHOS 50f Helium will go on display during IFA and the phone claimed to be available worldwide in October. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
ARCHOS

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Arctic Releases the Accelero Hybrid III-140 VGA Cooler

304

Artic Cooling releases the Accelero Hybrid III-140 VGA Cooler solution that has high efficient within all-in-one package for real performance junkies. It combines Water Cooling solution for the GPU with a 140 mm radiator plus a special VRM and RAM cooling for outstanding power. The water cooling has a cooling capacity of 300 watts to lowers the temperature of even the most powerful GPU.

There is a particularly large water contact surface ensures that the heat can be dissipated quickly. The voltage regulator module on the board is individually made VRM heatsinks for NVIDIA or AMD graphic boards with an 80 mm fan provide not only a long service life but especially a better VRM cooling than ever before. The random access memory (RAM) also receives a special treatment through a smaller, specially adapted back plate cools the RAM separately to guarantee the best efficiency.

However, extreme performance can be configured through software for the temperature fan speed curve to be adjusted. You will get the temperature and noise level exactly where you want it to be with an improved fan controller and the use of additional filters guarantee a smooth operation with either NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards.

The Artic Cooling Accelero Hybrid III-140 is now available for a price at EURO 84.99 (approx. RM 388).

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Arctic Smart Charger 8000 Review : Charging devices in a flash

283

When it comes to convenience, nothing beats having to charge all your devices at one go. At the minimum, many of us have at least a smartphone and a laptop to charge, and for some of us, we have a tablet and even a smartwatch. That already makes four different items to be charged on a daily or regular basis. I don’t know about you, but having to put four different plugpoints on an extension plug is really annoying and messy. So, when we got our hands on this smart charger from Arctic that is able to charge 5 USB devices at a go, it was time to check it out to see whether I could ditch all my chargers in favor of an all-in-one charger.

Design

Honestly, the design of a charger is not something most people will notice at a glance since it isn’t a device that is meant to stand out. The Arctic Smart Charger 8000 does that; it has a rubbery surface to prevent it from slipping off the surface you plan to place it, and with its dark grey and black primary colors, it blends well with its surroundings. Now, the orange color spotted on the inside of the USB slots are actually the color code for the type of USB, in case you are not aware. So, they’re all orange in color, meaning they’re essentially ports that offer high-current or sleep-and-charge usage.

The 1-meter long wire from the smart charger to the plug point is of adequate length, so if you plan to place it on a shelf or table in order to charge your devices without having to plug in chargers at weirdly places power points, it should be long enough.

Performance

There is always one problem when it comes to using multiple port chargers; how efficient does it charge? So far, I’ve tried charging smartphones of different brands, smartwatches, fitness watches, tablets, powerbanks, and so far, nothing has overheated or exploded. On a serious note, my experience with multiple charging all at the same time has been pretty awesome, especially since being in entangled in a wirey mess is not fun at all. It wasn’t slow at all; it was as if all my devices were being fast charged at the same time.

There is also a little light on the top of the charger to tell you if it is working or not. This same LED light will also tell you if you have reached the current protection limit of the charger, which is 10amp.


Are Malaysian roads finally ready to go cashless? No more Touch ‘n Go reloads but more RFID facilities

689

Technically, Malaysian roads
are
already cashless thanks to Touch ‘n Go – but drivers that opt to top up their cards at the boom gates make the whole affair only partly cashless.

To remedy this, PLUS Malaysia won’t be offering reload services at toll gates anymore – encouraging folks to get their top ups done beforehand. According to Managing Director of PLUS Malaysia Datuk Azman Ismail, this is to reduce congestion on the roads. He also mentioned that effects of the move
have
 been reflected in a drop in the number of motorists with insufficient funds across several PLUS toll plaza regions.

The toll concessionaire also aims to implement RFID payment systems in its plazas from January 2020 onwards – with this, fees are deducted from the driver’s
TnG
 e-wallets and doesn’t require the Touch ‘n Go card. The catch is that this will be implemented at open toll systems first; meanwhile, closed toll systems will be fitted with RFID systems by April 2020.

There’s also
PayDirect
, a service offered by Touch ‘n Go that allows you to pay with your e-wallets when you tap your card. The feature is now available at highways such as the LDP, KESAS, SMART Tunnel, SPRINT, and more.
 Find out how PayDirect works here:

Changes aren’t just happening on highways – Touch ‘n Go has mentioned that they will soon end the
10% surcharge
 at all parking facilities soon. Touch ‘n Go work with third party parking vendors on a contractual basis to offer this cashless parking option. Money collected from imposing the surcharge goes
into funding
 the operation costs of the Touch ‘n Go facilities in these parking lots.

Image credit: Rojak Daily

That being said, Touch n’ Go plans to remove the surcharge clause in their upcoming contracts be it new or renewals. This should encourage more users to opt for cashless options when paying for their parking fares.

So, we say “yes”, yes that Malaysia is ready to go cashless on the road. All it takes is due diligence from users to have their cards topped up with cash – reload facilities are a plenty, like convenience stores. If you’re not keen on paying the RM0.50 surcharge when you reload at third-party vendors, you can always opt to go for the
self-service kiosks
. But with RFID and
PayDirect
 now set to be widely available, you’ll be topping up your e-wallets anyways.

cashless
e-wallet
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Are you ready for Microsoft’s First Lumia?

334

Come tomorrow, Microsoft will reveal its first
Lumia
 device, dropping the NOKIA tag and there is even a tease by Microsoft stating that “Microsoft is delivering the power of everyday mobile technology to everyone.” with the
#MoreLumia
 hashtag. We are expected to see a low-end device targeting the masses according to recent leaked images.

Are you excited to see what’s in store for the all-new Lumia line-up? Stay tuned!

Source(s):
Microsoft Lumia
,
The Verge


Are You Red-y? You can win a WD Red and QNAP NAS from WD Malaysia

284

WD (Western Digital) Malaysia launched its WD Red NAS hard drives last month and the company has aimed to excite and educate consumers by giving away WD Red NAS hard drives together with a NAS storage system from QNAP®. The contest will run from 26 September till 26 October 2014 so you have a ample time for taking on this contest.

What you need to do is:

1) Visit WD Malaysia Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/WDMalaysia
 and be a fan of the page.

2) Register their details and answer ONE simple question.

3) In not more than 50 words, answer the following question:
“How would the WD Red 6

TB NAS hard drives and QNAP Turbo NAS
s
torage system transform your digital life”

You may
stand
 a chance to win:

First Prize:
 4 units of WD Red 6 TB and a QNAP Turbo NAS TS-451

Second Prize:
 2 units of WD Red 6 TB and a QNAP Turbo NAS TS-251

Third Prize:
 2 units of WD Red 6 TB and a QNAP Turbo NAS TS-220

Fourth Prize:
 2 units of WD Red 6 TB

Consolation:
 6 RM 50 Starbucks Card

What are you waiting for? Visit WD Malaysia’s Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/WDMalaysia
 to enter this contest. More info about the WD Red hard drives can be found on our last post here.


ARM and TSMC collaborates to create a 7nm chip

409

Chip makers ARM and TSMC are teaming up once again, and this time, they’re aiming to develop a 7nm chip.

This wouldn’t be the first time both companies have collaborated with each other. Previously, both ARM and TSMC have co-developed 16nm FinFET and 10nm FinFET chips with the latter expected to enter the market in the first quarter of 2017.

With the recent collaboration, both ARM and TSMC are aiming to be the first to get a 7nm chip out to the consumer market. Currently, both IBM and Intel are making their own 7nm chips, but the expensive cost of manufacturing means that 7nm chips won’t be hitting the market anytime soon.

“Future ARM technology designed specifically for data centers and network infrastructure and optimized for TSMC 7nm FinFET will enable our mutual customers to scale the industry’s lowest-power architecture across all performance points,” says Pete Hutton, Executive Vice President and President of Product Groups for ARM. “Jointly optimized ARM and TSMC solutions will enable our customers to deliver disruptive, first-to-market products.”

Source:
Android Authority
,
Business Wire

7nm
arm
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ARM will continue working with Huawei, supplying chip designs for current and future smartphones

399

Despite the trade war between the US and Huawei still raging on, restrictions are starting to ease up on the Chinese company – Qualcomm has continued to supply products to Huawei, signalling the start of a positive change.

This time, British chipmaker ARM will begin supplying chip designs to Huawei once again according to a report by Reuters. Both ARM and Qualcomm were part of the list of companies that withheld business ties with the number 2 smartphone maker in adherence with the trade restrictions set by President Trump.

ARM will be able to work with Huawei again apparently because the V8 and V9 chip architectures, which Huawei’s HiSIlicon base their designs on, aren’t of US origin – therefore the restrictions do not apply.

This means that Huawei can continue to build their Kirin chipsets can continue to house Cortex cores along with Mali GPUs. V8 is the current generation architecture, as seen on the Kirin 980, while the V9 architecture will be fore next gen chips – this tells us that Huawei has their future somewhat secured – albeit without access to Google Mobile Services.

android
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ARM introduces Cortex-A77 CPU and Mali-G77 GPU for next-gen flagship phones

360

Last year, ARM
announced
 its Cortex-A76 micro-architecture for premium smartphones. The company has now come out with the next-generation Cortex-A77. Along with Cortex-A77, ARM has also
announced
 its new Mali-G77 GPU based on Valhall GPU architecture.

ARM’s new Cortex-A77 core is claimed to deliver a 20 percent boost in terms of IPC (instructions per clock) performance when compared to the previous generation. In fact, ARM says the Cortex-A77 can deliver performance comparable to mainstream notebooks that are available today. The next-generation Cortex-A77 core can be paired with Cortex-A55 CPUs in a DynamIQ big.LITTLE configuration in both mobiles as well laptops. Thanks to the improved performance, the Cortex-A55 will enable more immersive AAA-gaming, faster app launch times, as well as smoother web-browsing.

The new Mali-G77 GPU is said to be 40 percent faster when it comes to graphics performance compared to the Mali-G76. More impressively, however, the GPU delivers a 60 percent improvement in machine learning performance. Energy efficiency is also improved by an impressive 30 percent. The Mali-G77 is based on ARM’s new Valhall architecture, which succeeds the Bitfrost GPU architecture unveiled in 2016. Some of the key highlights of the new Valhall architecture include a Superscalar engine, simplified scalar ISA, and dynamic instruction scheduling.

Smartphones, tablets, as well as laptops powered by SoCs featuring ARM’s new Cortex-A77 and Mali-G77 are expected to become available next year.

arm
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ARM has proposed iSIM which is a SIM card built into the processor

461

Phones are getting slimmer and sleeker every day, phones like the Galaxy line up and even some Motorola phones are becoming so thin that some people need phone cases just to bulk up the phone to make it easier to grip. Now, ARM might have a solution to make smartphones and other devices even smaller by incorporating SIM cards into the processor of the device.

The company is proposing iSIM, which will take up a fraction of a millimetre squared. It will not only save space but cost much lesser to manufacturer compared to physical SIM cards. Don’t get your hopes up yet because this technology will only be used in small Internet of Things devices like wireless sensors that need cellular data to generate reports. It will be slow for telco companies to adopt the iSIM, as they already have a working alternative called eSIM which measures only 6 x 5mm and is used in some tablets and the latest Google Pixel phones.

However, ARM believes that telcos will jump on board with the iSIM idea as they believe that telcos are interested to see more IoT devices connected to their network which equates to more customers. ARM which does not manufacture the chips, has sent the design to their partners and is expecting the chips by the end of the year.

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Armaggeddon Hornet 1 and Hornet 3 Review: Affordable and Excellent Gaming Audio

3K

For mobile gamers, wireless earbuds were never a consideration due to its significant audio latency delay, though there are several wireless earbuds that features a gaming mode to resolve that issue, most of them unfortunately aren’t affordable, which brings us to the
Armaggeddon

Hornet  1
 and Hornet 3 TWS earbuds, they are the brand’s very first gaming centric wireless earbuds that’s set to retail below RM300, can they offer sound and wireless performance that a gamer need?

First Impression
s

These wireless earbuds come in a yellow themed box that’s similar to other
Armaggeddon
 products, the packaging doesn’t feel cheap as it has a lift cover to reveal the earbuds. On the back of the boxes, you’ll find highlight features and specs detailed clearly, while interestingly their barcodes are uniquely presented in a hornet shaped graphic.

Let’s begin with the Hornet 1, which is the most affordable between the duo and has a familiar design that you have probably have seen on many other brands. Being value centric wireless earbuds, the Hornet 1 has a less appealing design as the charging case uses a glossy black paint job that’s extremely prone to fingerprints and if not careful, it can easily get scratched in the long term.

However, the charging case doesn’t weigh a ton and offers extra 10 hours of listening time on top of the earbud’s 5 hours battery life, it also uses USB-C to charge, which saves you from carrying more cables in your bag. Like most TWS earbuds, it has four LED indicators to tell you it
’
s
 battery levels.

The Hornet 1 earbuds has a very straightforward on-ear design and it doesn’t have any flashy gaming accent to it, it has the Armageddon falcon branding on each side that also serves as a touchpad for controlling music playback, it can be a little finicky to work with but I’m glad that you can control playback volume by double tapping on them.

My personal favorite is the Hornet 3, not only they look really cool with two always-on white LED on each of them, they also have a transparent case that lets you see its internals. Unlike the Hornet 1, the Hornet 3 features an in-ear form factor which offers a better seal against background noise, although there isn’t active noise cancellation.

I also prefer the Hornet 3’s charging case as it feels more premium with a matte surface, there is also an embossed Armageddon falcon branding on top of the case, while the lid has a more solid hinge mechanism that gives a very satisfying clap when you close it. In terms of power, the Hornet 3 offers up to 8 hours of listening time and the case gives it an extra 24 hours when fully charged.

Pairing these two earbuds are really straightforward as both earbuds connect automatically when they are out of their case, you can also use either side of the earbuds for music and phone calls, which makes it very versatile as compared to many other wireless earbuds that can only use a specific side for pairing and one side audio listening.

Gaming Mode – Does it work?

What makes these two earbuds stand out from many other entry wireless earbuds is Gaming Mode, which significantly reduces connection latency to an impressive 50ms complemented by Bluetooth 5.0, this can be activated by tapping four times on either side and a two-tone sound will play, tap another four times and it will play a different two-tone sound that reverts back to Music Mode, this takes getting used to as there isn’t a voice prompt to tell you which mode the earbuds are on.

The Gaming Mode works brilliantly and similarly on both earbuds, audio latency is significantly minimized as my gunshots in PUBG Mobile was heard instantly as soon as I tap on the shoot button, I also detect very little to no audio quality degradation when I am listening to music, reverting to Music Mode does result in better audio and I highly recommend you do that if not playing games.

Audio Performance

[sciba leftsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/armageddonhornettws-019.jpg” leftlabel=”Hornet 1″ rightsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/armageddonhornettws-020.jpg” rightlabel=”Hornet 3″ mode=”horizontal” width=””]

Despite being budget wireless earbuds,
audio performance isn’t

disappoint
ing
. Since they are gamer centric earbuds, they tend to be more biased towards lower frequencies while maintaining flat mid-range and slight high frequencies.

Sound separation is average, which is expected for such budget wireless earbuds as lower frequency sound tend to distort high frequencies, so don’t expect them to sound good on multi
–
instrument songs such as orchestra and EDM music genres.

These earbuds present a totally different audio profile as the Hornet 1 has a brighter sound stage while the Hornet 3 is a lot warmer, although the latter offers a way better fit and seal due to its in-ear form factor, the Hornet 1 can sound very good if it came with a pair of rubberized ear tips, which is unfortunately not the case.

Verdict

Despite being the first attempt at wireless
earbuds
, Armageddon has done an excellent job with the Hornet 1 and 3, they offer great features and audio performance that benefits mobile gamers, especially when many smartphones no longer come with a headphone jack and wired audio don’t really offer a pleasant mobile gaming experience with tangling wires and dongles.

Get these wireless gaming earbuds at Good Deals by KLGG with the following links and receive RM20 off your first purchase:

Armaggeddon Hornet 1 – RM149

Armaggeddon Hornet 3 – RM199

The Good

Affordable with great features

Excellent wireless performance

Gaming Mode works as intended

Hornet 3 has a superb battery life

The Not so Good

No voice prompts when activating gaming mode

Weak mid-range and high frequencies

Hornet 1 touch controls can be better

armaggeddon
hornet 1
hornet 3
tws