Thoughts and opinions on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8

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Last week Manhattan was in an uproar due to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the redemption that Samsung needed to bring back the trust that they have lost due to the unfortunate mishap of the previous Note 7. Many of you know the specs and overall look of the phone so that is not something I will touch on, however, I do want to talk about the phone as a whole and what it offers users like you and me.

First off, I think credit needs to be given to Samsung for publicly coming out and admitting that the Note 7 was a big mistake and something that they have taken great consideration when developing the Note 8. In case some of you are wondering why the Note 7 was a mistake, at the launch of the previous Note phone, reports came in that the phone was exploding when charging and sometimes even when the phone is off. This caused a global recall of the phones which Samsung took a huge blow for. That aside, is this the phone that is enough for people to come back to the Note series? Well yes and no.

Dual-camera

Let’s start with the camera, it was a nice to see that the dual-camera feature was confirmed on the Note 8 phone as it just brings more options to the user to extend the photo taking capabilities. That is also enhanced with the Live Focus feature that looks like a feature that will be used by a lot seeing as everyone like the bokeh effect that many phones are featuring. It is a slight downer that they did not bring the dual-camera to the more affordable S8 and S8+ but put in into the bigger and more expensive Note 8 in hopes to drive sales for that phone?

S-Pen

The S-Pen is the trademark feature of all Note phones, allowing you to write or even draw using it and this time, they have advanced the stylus making it more sensitive to bring the drawing and writing more closer to life. That sound like a good thing, however, the features that you can do with the stylus is nothing to shout about. Frankly, I am slightly disappointed with the features that they brought, it just seems like most if not all the features that they are offering for the S-Pen seem to already exist. An example would be creating your own GIF, when I saw that feature being highlighted, I went to the Play Store and search for GIF creator and a whole list of apps was displayed that offered more features like using your own image, converting videos into GIFs, imputing my own text and more. Which then I realized that it seems I can do more with the other apps than this. That a side, the off-screen memo taking is something that I really like as I am a person that will need to write down important things that I need to do and I find that I will be using that feature a lot.

App-Paring

App-Paring is the feature where it allows you to open two apps in a split screen view, an excellent utilization of the huge 6.3-inch screen. Although it is not a revolutionary feature it is still one that I will use a lot as I am an avid mobile gamer and I can see my self-launching a game on one screen and perhaps WhatsApp on the other screen making it easier to reply a message while gaming. However, that is something I can already do on my One Plus 3T, sure it’s not going to be as nice as using it on the Note 8 but it can be used by those of you that have a Nougat installed phone.
App Link

The Galaxy Note 8 is a gorgeous phone and something that will definitely make heads turn, even if there are features that are new and some features that are not. It will be a productivity phone that will serve you well if you wish to get it but for the price of RM3,999 that is a lot to ask for and something that you have to consider greatly before getting it. But if you do get it, it is a very powerful phone that will be able to keep up with all the demands that today users ask from a smartphone.

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Three Minutes is a short film shot entirely on an iPhone X

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Apple and Peter Lau, a Hong Kong film director have come together to show the capabilities of the iPhone X’s camera in a short film called “Three Minutes”, which shows how a mother and child spends their Chinese New Year together when they only have three minutes with each other.

The entire film was shot in China at one of the train stations which seem to be located in a rather rural area of China. The mother, who is a crew member aboard the train, has arrived at a station which is presumed to be a town where her son is staying with her sister. The story, although does not elaborate on character development, it still tells a very charming and touching story of families that are away from each other and how they express their love for one another when the opportunity comes around even if its short.

The quality is not as you would expect on proper cinema grade cameras but for what a smartphone and a little post-editing can do, it is still very impressive that an iPhone X could produce quality such as this.

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Three new Mi Ecosystem products announced by Xiaomi

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When it comes to unique tech that we never knew we needed Xiaomi always seems to be the company we see taking out this tech. Yet again, they have revealed three new products that will catch the attention of its customers. The products are the Mi Laser Projector, Ninebot Plus and the Mi Ultrasonic Toothbrush.
The Mi Laser Projector features ALPD 3.0 laser light source technology developed by Appotronics, who has equipped over 90 percent of China’s laser projection movie theatres and a custom DLP solution developed by Texas Instruments, making it the first truly cinema-level laser projector TV. With high-quality speakers and the Mi TV interface is also built into the projector, making it a complete home theatre solution.

The Ninebot Plus is an upgrade from the Ninebot mini which comes equipped with a strengthened magnesium alloy chassis which supports loads up to 100kg. It can travel 35KM on a single charge and comes with a remote to control the movements without a smartphone. An optional Mi Ninebot Plus Camera can also be attached to the device to take photos.

Finally, is the Mi Ultrasonic Toothbrush which is the first Mi Ecosystem product that is focused on health care. It uses ultrasonic technology which allows vibrations of up to 31,000 times-per-minute and with a 700mAh battery, it can last for 18 days based on a twice-a-day usage.

The Mi Laser Projector will be retail for RMB 9999 (RM6326.21) starting 4 July via crowdfunding on Xiaomi’s apps, the Ninebot Plus will retail for RMB 3499 (RM2213.76) on 11 July and the Mi Ultrasonic Toothbrush will retail for RMB 199 (RM125.90) starting on 18 July.

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Three new Overwatch maps are on the horizon

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For those of you who are not keeping track, Overwatch, currently the most popular first person shooter from blizzard was released 11 months ago. Since then, we have seen new heroes and maps steadily coming out in the past year. Since the release of Orisa, the newest hero that was added to the lineup was released we have not heard much from the developers about what is in store for the future of Overwatch, until now.

Game director Jeff Kaplan has replied in a forum thread that three new standard maps, maps used in Quick Play or Competitive Play, are in development and have passed the initial playtesting phase and are looking good for a release this year. He also added that three non-standard maps, maps used in the Arcade Mode, are also in development, but did not mention how long more in-development they will be or whether we will get to see them this year.

On another note, Jeff Kaplan also mentioned that the Overwatch team, have a few other experiments going on and are working as fast as they can to release the new maps. There is also speculation going around on the forums prior to the release of Orisa, the next hero that we might see is the long awaited Doomfist which has been speculated to release some time ago.

Source:
GameSpot

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Three weeks old iPhone Xs Max explodes in Ohio man’s pocket

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Exploding smartphones are definitely a big issue as it can cause severe injuries to the owners, which is why when an iPhone Xs Max exploded recently in US, everyone knows about it.

While it’s unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that had its production stopped because majority of the phones were exploding, the iPhone Xs Max’s explosion is still a major news as it’s only three weeks old. This is surprising as there has been no other iPhone Xs Max facing this issue and the exploded iPhone Xs Max is rather new.

The owner of the iPhone Xs Max is Josh Hillard who is based in Ohio. When Hillard realised his iPhone is becoming very hot and started releasing green and yellow smoke in his back pocket, he left the room and found somewhere private to take off his clothes and shoes. Right after that, the explosion became a full-blown fire, but thankfully it was extinguished.

However, Hillard was very dissatisfied about the amount of smoke he had inhaled thanks to the phone that was on fire. It was not only physically but psychologically traumatising for the man.

Hillard is also contemplating on legal action for the trauma suffered from the incident, though Apple did offer a new iPhone Xs Max to him which he accepted. This explosion of the iPhone Xs Max is actually a first for the device, though previously the iPhone X had also caused a similar incident.

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Thunderbolt 4: new universal cable standard that offers blistering 40Gbps speeds

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Intel’s
Thunderbolt 4
 is the upcoming generation of catch-all cable standard, and it’s starting to take shape as the company unveiled the list of things the TB4 is capable of offering users.

Image credit: Intel

It’ll be compatible with USB 4, which is a royalty-free standard, and it offers 40Gbps of throughput – with that, Intel also showed off an extension dock with three TB4 downstream ports that feed off of that 40Gbps connection.

Image credit: Intel

The new standard also allows support of up to two 4K monitors, or one 8K panel; it powers external GPUs with a PCIe connection of 32Gbps with storage speeds of up to 3,000MBps.

Image credit: Intel

With this, Thunderbolt 4 can replace HDMI and DisplayPort cables to streamline your cable management using USB-C. The standard will debut in Intel’s Tiger Lake CPU laptops later this year, and we should expect more adoption for TB4 next year.

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Thunderbolt-supported devices could be vulnerable to malicious attacks via flaw in Thunderclap

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Thunderbolt cable users beware. A recent report by security researcher Theo Markettos claims that the Thunderclap specification in Thunderbolt tech could potentially leave your device vulnerable to malicious attacks.

Markettos’ report details the method by which hackers can take advantage of this flaw – the Thunderbolt 3 connection bypasses the Input-Output Memory Management Units (IOMMUs), that’s usually the last line of defense preventing attacks on the Direct-Memory Access (DMA).

Image credit: Digital Trends

This allows attackers to access personal data, files and even inject malicious codes into your device. According to The Verge, the level of access granted to Thunderbolt accessories is similar to OS-level access. Users are at risk the most when they plug in unknown external devices.

The discovery of this flaw was done in 2016, but this information is only now made public. Since then, Apple has resolved the issue for their devices with the macOS 10.12.4 patch, while Windows 10’s version 1803 also protects from the flaw.

This doesn’t mean every device that uses Thunderbolt is safe, so remember to be weary when plugging in unknown devices.

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ThunderMag is the new magnetic connector for USB-C MacBooks

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Newer MacBook users might not get the chance to experience the MagSafe connector that is now replaced with USB-C ports, but an innovative company known as Innerexile has the solution to that with a device called the ThunderMag.

When Apple changed its MagSafe connector to USB-C ports, the company did not provide any alternatives for those who preferred the older connector, which is why several third-party options appeared to offer MagSafe-to-USB-C adaptors. However, none have been as inclusive as Innerexile’s ThunderMag that can deliver power and also offer high speed data transfer.

Image credit: Kickstarter

The product which is launched at Kickstarter is claimed to be able to deliver 100W power and support data transfer speed up to 40Gbps, and thanks to the strong magnetic power, it stays strongly attached to the computer when needed and yet is still able to detach itself instead of dragging your MacBook down with it when there are accidental tugs.

The ThunderMag also has a reversible 24-pin plug with a metallic design so it’s both sleek and durable. The product has gone through various reliability tests to ensure that it will not overheat and can offer stable charging.

In terms of compatibility, the ThunderMag is not only compatible to MacBooks, but also any USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 device. You can get it for $39 to $49, and it comes with 12 months of international warranty and free international shipping to most countries with the estimated delivery to occur in May 2019.

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THUNDEROBOT 911SE Review: Mid-Range Gaming Performance Made Affordable

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As far as gaming laptops go, they can’t run away from a number of standard features – a flashy and aggressively designed chassis, RGB keyboard and powerful hardware internals. For the sake of portability, gaming laptops are usually more overpriced than desktop PCs and until today, while barely any offered the balance between convenience and performance. Therefore, my attention was turned to the THUNDEROBOT 911SE, which I had the opportunity to use it as my work driver for the past two hectic weeks, the laptop now happens to be the most affordable device that comes with a GTX 1050Ti graphics, and it is now priced at RM3,499 all thanks to the availability of the 8th Gen Intel Core mobile processors. How does the 911SE deliver in my mixed usage of work and play? Let’s find out.

Design and Hardware

On first impressions, you would already have expected that the 911SE isn’t an expensive laptop. Commissioned by famous laptop ODM Clevo, the 911SE uses a plastic chassis and base that gives it a decent weight at 2.4kg, pretty good for a 15-inch laptop. The 911SE does try to be a cool laptop by giving it two stylish cutouts and a THUNDEROBOT logo that glows in turquoise when turned on, while you don’t get a RGB backlit keyboard, the white backlit keyboard is sufficient for those who doesn’t bother to look at the keyboard’s lighting while they game.

The 911SE doesn’t lack of I/Os, especially if you are thinking to get this to extend your screen to multiple displays, as this is probably the only laptop that supports extending up to 4 displays with two Mini DisplayPorts, one HDMI and USB-C port. Apart from that, I was glad that the 911SE features one standard USB 3.0 port on the left and right side, which makes connecting USB 3.0 peripherals easier rather than keeping it to one side, a USB 2.0 is also present for connecting your mouse and printer, which doesn’t require high data transfer speeds. Instead of using a combo audio jack, the 911SE has respective ports for line out and mic input, and heck, there’s even an SD card slot there.

The 911SE’s IPS display panel is definitely one that I enjoy viewing, not that it is the best IPS panel I’ve ever seen, but you do at least get good viewing angles and better contrast than a TN panel. THUNDEROBOT reports a color accuracy of 72% NTSC, which is roughly equivalent to a 100% of the sRGB color space, while I do find colors to be a little less saturated than what you see on higher end displays, but it will appeal to those looking for a more natural color tone on graphical work, but I personally won’t use this display for correcting colors on my photos.

User Experience

The 911SE thankfully isn’t a heavy laptop to transport around, even the power brick isn’t bulky like some other gaming laptops. I spent some time doing some gaming during the review, while most of my time on the laptop is dedicated to my editorial and video editing tasks, I’m glad to report that the laptop has held up well with no performance issues.

THUNDEROBOT equips the 911SE with a 7th Gen Intel Core i5-7300HQ processor paired to 8GB of DDR4-2400 RAM, 128GB M.2 SSD and a 1TB 5400RPM hard drive, a speedy configuration that you won’t find in gaming laptops of the same price range, not to forget to mention it also has the GTX 1050Ti powering its gaming capabilities, so you will definitely be fine playing games like PUBG and Overwatch at medium to high graphics settings.

Comfort unfortunately isn’t the 911SE’s selling point here, as one of the issues I have with the 911SE is the placement of the laptop’s cooling vents, while I can certainly forgive if it wasn’t marketed as a gaming laptop, but having one of them located at the right side just doesn’t make sense, especially when most people use their right hand for holding a mouse when gaming, the hot air from the vents causes discomfort to the hand. On the other hand, the keyboard of the 911SE isn’t going to work well for large fingers with its small keycaps and key travel, which fortunately I don’t have an issue with, the trackpad uses Synaptic drivers which never failed to work well in our tests.

I didn’t use the 911SE to game while on battery, because you probably shouldn’t do that too if you care about proper gaming performance, hence when it comes to measuring battery life, the laptop managed to last 3.5 hours on a single charge when doing web browsing and video playback tasks, I expected it to be better but this is pretty standard for a laptop of its class.

Benchmarks

3DMark and PCMark 10

The 911SE performed average in both the 3DMark Time Spy and Fire Strike Ultra tests, which is expected due to the lower clock speeds and memory of the GTX 1050Ti, hence you shouldn’t be playing AAA games with high to ultra graphics on this laptop’s configuration.

CrystalDiskMark

THUNDEROBOT is generous enough to include a Liteon CV6-8Q128 SSD on the 911SE, we achieved a standard 512MB/s sequential read speed when tested on CrystalDiskMark, however sequential write speed isn’t up par to SSD standard with a mere 102MB/s, it is still fast enough for the basic stuffs, but you may want to get that SSD upgraded should you be doing tasks that require high write speeds, such as video editing.

Verdict

If you are looking for a gaming laptop that looks less flashy and have great performance without breaking the bank, the THUNDEROBOT 911SE is unarguably the best gaming laptop your tight bank balance could afford, that is if you can miss out the performance improvements on the 8th Gen Intel processors and forgive the laptop’s side thermal vents.

The Good

Great performance for price range

Lots of ports for extending displays

GTX 1050Ti

SSD comes as standard

Acceptable battery life

The Not so Good

Thermal vents causes discomfort to right hand

Keyboard isn’t great for large fingers

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Thunderobot arrives in Malaysia with a range of high-end gaming laptops

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Thunderobot, a Chinese gaming laptop and peripherals company has reached our shores to introduce four gaming laptops that are catered to the hardcore gaming market. The laptops come equipped with top of the line specs to give gamers a smooth and immersive experience when it comes to running even the most demanding of games.

Thunderobot Dino

The Dino is Thunderobot’s flagship gaming powerhouse machine and it has the specs to show for it. Dino comes equipped with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070, 15.6-inch 120Hz FHD IPS display to give buttery smooth gaming experience, 256GB SSD coupled with 1TB hard drive and 16GB of DDR4 memory. It also has an HDMI 2.0 port which will allow gamers to hook the laptop up to a 4K display and play games in 60FPS. The Dino also features an enhanced thermal design with dual fans and four free conduction copper heat pipes to provide stability and maximum air cooling for long hours of gaming. Dino’s RGB backlit keyboard and be configured with the Flexiket software with different zones and light effects.

Thunderobot 911GT

The 911GT gets its inspiration from super-powered cars, it comes with 17.3-inch IPS display with viewing angles up to 178-degrees, Intel Core i7-7700HQ, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card, 256GB of SSD coupled with a 1TB hard drive. The keyboard has a nice white glow that makes it easier for gamers to game in darker environments and an enhanced thermal design that with dual-fans and four copper heat pipes to keep the laptop cool.

Thunderobot 911SE

Next is the 911SE, which comes with a simpler design with a somewhat minimalist touch to it. The laptop comes equipped with an Intel Core i5-7300HQ processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, 128GB SSD coupled with a 1TB hard drive, 15.5-inch FHD display, and a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics card. Those of you that love audio will be happy to know that the 911SE supports Sound Blaster X-FI MB5 which delivers premium audio quality for gaming and a white backlit keyboard for an added gaming experience.

Thunderobot ST Plus

The last lineup in Thunderobot’s gaming laptops is the ST Plus which comes with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics chip, 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD coupled with a 1TB hard drive and a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display for great viewing angles. It also features full RGB backlit keyboard, surface carving and RGB effects for gamers to get the RGB setup they are looking for. The laptop is not heavy as it weighs 2.3kg and has a 2.7cm profile, making it easy to carry around and it also comes with the Sound Blaster X-FI MB5 audio for an immersive audio experience.

All these laptops are available for purchase from their official Lazada online store. The Dino will cost RM8,899, 911GT cost RM7,099, 911SE comes with a price tag of RM4,499 and lastly, the ST Plus will cost RM4,899. Customers who purchase any of the laptops mentioned above will receive a free Thunderobot Hunter M301 gaming mouse worth RM199.

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THUNDEROBOT, a new gaming brand to enter Malaysia this 17th January

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This is a refresher, as it isn’t a new smartphone brand entering the Malaysian market, what we are expecting to see really soon is the entrance of THUNDEROBOT, a Chinese gaming brand that manufactures gaming laptops and peripherals, the company has sent a media invite early this week, and teased two laptop models on its official Facebook page, hence we should see some interesting competition in the gaming scene this year.

For starters, THUNDEROBOT is the gaming brand under the Haier group of companies, as Haier also manufactures consumer laptops back in China, THUNDEROBOT is literally like a sub brand that is similar to ASUS’ Republic of Gamers and Lenovo’s LEGION. The company’s gaming laptops focuses a lot on hardware design, and like other gaming laptops, performance is definitely a key feature. As for now, we are assuming four gaming laptops will be unveiled during the launch, which is the 911SE, 911GT, ST Plus and DINO, the company has already listed them over at its official store in
Lazada
 with prices, starting from RM4,499 up to RM8,899, but you still can’t buy them now.

The company’s official English website isn’t filled with details but if you do understand Mandarin or care to do a little translation, you could head on over to the company’s Chinese website at www.leishen.cn for more details on what the company has to offer.

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Thunderobot ST Plus Review: Solid Mid-Range Performance

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A new laptop gaming manufacturer has arrived in Malaysia and they brought with them powerful devices for the different range of users. We took a look at their mid-range laptop to see what it has to offer.

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THUNDEROBOT unveils 911S and 911 Air Gaming Laptops with Intel Coffee Lake

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THUNDEROBOT is keeping up the momentum on it’s mission to produce high performance lightweight gaming laptops, and in conjunction with the launch of the Intel Coffee Lake H series processors, the company has welcomed two new gaming laptops to it’s gaming ecosystem in China today, namely the 911S and 911 Air, which both are powered by the 6-core Intel Core i7-8750H processor and comes with GeForce GTX 10 series GPU.

The 911S gaming laptop is claimed to perform at least 10% faster than a typical 8th Gen Intel Core i7 laptop, as it has managed to achieve a score of 1218cb in Cinebench R15 and P13186 in 3DMark11, all thanks to a specially designed 180W power supply, and a thermal system that comprises of three copper heatpipes and two cooling fans that helped achieve the laptop’s maximum potential.

Other than that, the 911S also comes equipped with a GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, a 15.6″ Full HD IPS panel with 144Hz refresh rate, 16GB of DDR4-2400 RAM, 128GB M.2 PCIe and 1TB HDD storage, WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. As for aesthetics, the 911S measures 25mm in thickness and 2.4kg, it still features the company’s signature spaceship design with a brushed aluminum finish and the surface carving keyboard with RGB lighting.

The 911 Air is designed for the business executive gamer who wants performance and portability on the go, it features a 15.6″ display with a thin 5mm side bezel and 13mm top bezel, which allows the display to be fitted on a 14-inch body. The 911 Air is a rather lightweight gaming laptop at 2.0kg, and it doesn’t compromise performance despite of it’s form factor, an Intel Core i7-8750H processor, GeForce GTX 1050Ti, M.2 PCIe SSD is found under the hood, while the company was able to fit a very well-spaced full size keyboard with RGB lighting on it’s compact form factor.

In conjunction with the launch of these two new gaming laptops, THUNDEROBOT will also be refreshing the DINO, 911GT and ST Plus with the Core i7-8750H processor, faster WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0. Expect these new machines to be made available here in the coming months.

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Tidal is a high fidelity music streaming service made for audiophiles

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Music streaming is the future now, I can pretty much say that for myself because its been a while since I last downloaded an album from illegal Chinese sources or buy an album from
iTunes
. Music streaming services like Spotify has totally changed the way I listen to music, however there’s just one thing that the service will never satisfy me – sound quality, Spotify only streams 320kbps MP3 at this point of time.

Meet Tidal, a new music streaming service from Swedish company
Aspiro
 that will stream lossless audio at 1411kbps to your ears and speakers, it will cost $19.99 a month and the streaming app is available for iOS and Android devices, however if you are not residing in the US or UK, you won’t be able to enjoy the service while the company has mentioned on its website that it will expand the service worldwide in near future.

While paying $19.99 is pretty expensive, considering the fact that I could use it to pay for my local cable TV service, I’m certain that audiophiles who really appreciate audio quality on music streaming are willing to pay the price, which is still considerably cheaper than buying albums off
iTunes
 or from a music store. Let’s just hope Spotify has a solution for this and offer high fidelity audio streaming, I really don’t mind paying a little to be frank but paying almost $20 for that high streaming bit rate, I’ll pass.


TIDAL’s HiFi Music Streaming service lands in Malaysia, costs RM29.80 to stream lossless audio

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If you are an audiophile and you just can’t accept the audio streaming quality that most music services currently offer, you will be glad to know that TIDAL, the world’s first music streaming service to offer FLAC 16-bit 1411kbps audio stream is now available in Malaysia at the price of RM29.80/month, which is three times cheaper than its initial launch price and there’s a cheaper subscription package at RM14.90/month without the capability to stream HiFi audio.

TIDAL is available as an app on Android and iOS devices and on the PC and Mac, there’s still no offline client available yet and you can still stream HiFi music using Google Chrome on the web app. TIDAL has an extremely comprehensive music library that sports 25 million tracks and 75,000 music videos.

The app itself is very similar to Spotify and it features some similar set of features, you can listen to an artist radio, search music by mood and genres, but most importantly you will be able to watch music videos and stream up to 1080p video quality, which is not available in other music streaming services here.

One of my favorite features on TIDAL is the ability to search music without relying on a third party app with its Audio Search feature that uses Gracenote’s engine, TIDAL also allows users to choose offline files storage destination on their Android devices, which many music streaming apps have failed to introduce and is highly dependent on the way the operating system mounts its storage.

I’ve been using the service for five days now and I have to say while it still lacks many Asian genre pop songs, this service is definitely worth its price for its purpose of streaming FLAC audio and you just need to have a minimum 4 Mbps connection to be able to stream some lossless tunes to your ears, this is a service made for audiophiles and not for those who doesn’t have the ears to for listening to precision audio.

In addition to this, KLGadgetGuy is giving away ONE free 3-month access to TIDAL’s HiFi subscription service, so do comment down below on “Why I want HiFi audio” and we shall pick the lucky one to go with it!


Tiktok’s owner ByteDance has just launched its own phone called the Jianguo Pro 3

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ByteDance isn’t just the owner of TikTok now, but also a company that just released its own smartphone under a brand called Smartisan. The smartphone is called Jianguo Pro 3 and is now available in China.

Starting at the price of CNY2,899, the Jianguo Pro 3 is preloaded with Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok that is made for the Chinese market. You can access the app to apply effects and filters to your videos just by swiping up from your lock screen.

Apart from that, the Jianguo Pro 3 is still a phone with quite impressive specs. It has a 6.39-inch AMOLED display with a waterdrop notch and an in-display fingerprint scanner. Under the hood, it is powered by the latest Snapdragon 855+ chipset with up to 12GB RAM and 256BG storage.

The Jianguo Pro 3 also has a quad-camera setup consisting of a 48MP camera, a 13MP ultra wide lens, an 8MP telephoto lens and a 5MP macro sensor. On the front, the phone houses a 20MP selfie lens. With a 4,000mAh battery, the phone also supports Quick Charge 4.0+ that allows 18W fast charging.

Some may be interested in getting the Jianguo Pro 3 that comes in green, white and black but ByteDance have confirmed that this phone will not be coming to the US, so US citizens will have to find alternative ways to get the phone.

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TikTok’s new Family Pairing tool offers parental control over children’s account

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More users are joining TikTok now that they have more time to spare, which is why TikTok has introduced Family Pairing — a new feature that gives parents control over their children’s TikTok account.

Now that schools are closed, children have more time at home which could also lead to more time on their smartphone screens. Once the parents’ account is linked to their children’s, they can limit the time their children spend on the app via the Digital Wellbeing settings. TikTok also collaborated with several popular creators to make videos that encourage TikTok users to take a break and participate in offline activities.

Apart from that, there’s also a feature called Restricted Mode to limit inappropriate content from appearing on their children’s news feed. This will help parents keep their children’s news feed clean so that the app remains safe to use. Apart from that, TikTok has begun limiting direct messages, in which Direct Messages will only be accessible to TikTok accounts of those who are aged 16 and above. In addition to that, images and videos cannot be sent in messages and only those who are approved can send messages to the one they follow.

From April 30 onwards, these features will start rolling out in the app and hopefully, families will feel safer using the app with their children.

Family Pairing
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TikTok’s guidelines to protect users with disabilities backfires

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Social media app TikTok has dug its own grave with its temporary policy that was meant to protect users with a high risk of being bullied, but instead faces backlash due to the wrong approach.

TikTok has combined content moderation technology with a human moderation team as a form of protective measures, but still the policy had its flaws. According to German tech blog Netzpolitik, TikTok’s moderation guidelines limit the content produced by those with disabilities to “protect” them, but this also means that their videos will only be visible in the country where it was uploaded. In addition, users who are categorized by the moderators to have a high risk of being cyberbullied will also have their videos hidden from the “For You” feed once it reaches a certain amount of views to prevent the video from reaching out to more.

While this could be TikTok’s attempt to protect its users, it ended up preventing those with disabilities from reaching out to a wider audience or fight for themselves through the platform. TikTok spokesperson also admitted that it was a “blunt and temporary policy”.

The spokesperson has also revealed that the policy is only a short-term solution, and TikTok has made changes to include better anti-bullying policies and in-app protections.

TikTok


TikTok to have its own music streaming service to rival Spotify and Apple Music

335

TikTok
 is increasingly becoming more popular across the globe and it makes sense for its Chinese creators,
ByteDance
, to
expand
 its offerings.

One avenue which the company apparently plans to explore is in the music streaming – it’s the most natural progression for the video-sharing app.
TikTok’s
 content heavily relies on music to
accompany
 its users’ videos and it makes sense that it could also let users listen to just the music.

According to a report by
Engadget
, the on-demand music streaming service is in the pipeline as
ByteDance
 are reportedly in talks with entertainment studios Sony, Universal and Warner to license music.

We don’t know if the service will get its own dedicated app, or be
integrated
 into the existing
TikTok
 app, but we reckon it’ll face an uphill battle with the likes of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music already tussle for market share.

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TikTok reported to suppress views on videos with “ugly” people

396

So apparently social media giants
TikTok
 has a thing about preventing “ugly” people from appearing on people’s feeds; a report by The Intercept cites leaked documents instructing
TikTok
 moderators to filter out creators that are deemed to have unattractive physical traits.

The leaked documents have been translated and lists several criteria that is considered “ugly” by
TikTok
 such as abnormal body shapes, chubby, beer bellies, too thin, ugly facial features, lack of front teeth, crooked mouth, and the list goes on.

Image credit: The Intercept

There seems to be a reason however for this rule to be set in place – the report claims that
TikTok’s
 plan was to avoid getting these users bullied and
harassed
 online.

The Intercept was told by
TikTok
 spokesperson Josh Gartner that most of the guidelines listed are “either no longer in use, or in some cases appear to have never been in place”. Meanwhile, the report cites the guidelines to have been in place at least through to late last year – so the physical discrimination has been going on for some time until very recently.

Another guideline dictates the an “unsuitable environment” the videos take place in – should the backdrop in the content looks “ugly” as well, these videos would meet the same fate. The documents state that the environment should not be shabby; not limited to slums, rural fields, dilapidated housing and more. Meanwhile there should be no “slummy” characters appearing in the background either – what in the world does slummy even mean?

This is some kind of dystopian BS we’re seeing here – even if there’s an off-chance that the intentions were to prevent cyber bullying, this surely isn’t the way to go about it. Content creation should be for everyone, and views should not be artificially suppressed simply because the creators don’t meet certain beauty standards.

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TikTok parent company reportedly planning to launch its own smartphone

296

A report published by
Financial Times
 has claimed TikTok parent company ByteDance is planning to enter the smartphone market. Just as expected, ByteDance has refused to comment on the report.

According to the
Financial Times
 report, which cites two unnamed sources, ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming has long dreamt of launching a smartphone with the company’s various apps preloaded. Earlier this year, the company acquired certain patents from Chinese smartphone maker Smartisan. In addition to the patents, the company also hired some Smartisan employees, claiming the move would help it “explore the education business”.

Needless to say, the company’s smartphone will be designed by the talent ByteDance acquired from Smartisan earlier this year. While no details regarding the smartphone’s design or specifications have been mentioned in the report, it does say that the device will have TikTok as well as the company’s other apps such as TopBuzz and News Republic pre-installed.

Since TikTok is immensely popular among the youth in various Asian countries, it is possible that the ByteDance smartphone will be targeted mainly at younger consumers. However, there is no doubt that the Chinese company will find it extremely difficult to achieve success in the highly competitive smartphone market. Amazon tried doing something very similar with the Fire Phone a few years back but had to discontinue it after it failed to gain traction with consumers.

ByteDance
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TikTok sues Donald Trump over politically-fueled ban

334

TikTok’s
 and its parent company,
ByteDance,
 has taken the Trump administration to court over their
ban
 in the United States. The plaintiffs claim that the US government had imposed the rule onto
TikTok
 with no factual grounds, and was instead done on an “anti-China political campaign”.

TikTok
 argues that “Independent national security and information security experts have criticized the political nature of this
executive
 order, and expressed doubt as to whether its stated national security objective is genuine”.

This comes after President Trump had signed an
 executive order
 to stop
ByteDance
 from running
TikTok
 in the USA, citing national security concerns – the concerns being claims that
ByteDance
 were spying on American users via the collection of private data such as location, network activity, and browsing history.

TikTok’s
 law suit looks to prevent the president from abusing his power, saying that Donald Trump has misappropriated the usage of his authority to strengthen his campaign against China as the US elections draw closer. The complaint continues by saying that Trump threatens to destroy an online community where millions of Americans connect and express themselves.

Image credit: Wired UK

However, there is talk about
Microsoft
 buying over the American branch of the platform, meaning the ban would have no impact on its users anyway – only
ByteDance
 who would lose a massive portion of its market share.

It’ll be interesting to see how things play out between the two camps – although we doubt it’ll have much impact on Malaysian users now, we think the results of the law suit will have larger implications on how social media is run and owned in the future, and have a domino effect on the rest of the world.

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TikTok is not sending data to the Chinese government, transparency report says

304

The U.S. government has been cautious towards TikTok in recent months, worried that the company will provide the Chinese government with user data. To prove its innocence, TikTok has released its first transparency report.

In the report, it was proven that China has not requested for user data in the first half of 2019. In fact, the majority of the user data requests came from India, the U.S., and Japan. India had 107 requests to 143 accounts, the U.S. had 79 requests to 255 accounts and Japan had 35 requests to 39 accounts.

“In addition to legal information requests, government bodies sometimes request that we remove content they deem to be a violation of local laws. We review such requests closely and evaluate the specified content in accordance with our Community Guidelines and local laws,” said Eric Ebenstein, TikTok’s public policy chief in the press release. Even when it comes to removal or restriction of content, China was nowhere to be found on the list. India remains top of the list with 11 government requests to remove 9 accounts in which 8 accounts were removed/restricted and 4 content were removed/restricted.

However, this transparency report only covers the first half of 2019. The U.S. government will probably need that second transparency report from TikTok to reduce their skepticism.

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Tim Schafer begins crowdfunding project for Psychonauts 2

328

During The Game Awards held earlier today, Tim Schafer took the stage to announce that his games studio, Double Fine Production, has plans to work on a sequel for Psychonauts, tittled Psychonauts 2.

Originally released in 2005, Psychonauts is a platformer that centers around a group of psychics in training. It is the first game that Double Fine Productions worked on and has received critical acclaim from many games outlets.

According to Tim Schafer, the groundwork for Psychonauts 2 has already been laid out. The concept art, characters and narrative are already in place. With those in place, Tim Schafer needs USD 3.3 million from both investors and fans in order to start work on the game.

Tim Schafer is no stranger to crowdfunding. He and his company were among the first game developers to utilise Kickstarter, using it to fund Broken Age which ends up setting some Kickstarter records throughout the funding period. This time however, Tim Schafer is looking at a different platform for Psychonauts 2, using Fig as their crowdfunding platform of choice.

Fig is a crowdfunding platform that was founded by Double Fine COO Jonathan Bailey, of which Schafer is a member of its advisory board. Unlike many other crowdfunding platforms, Fig allows people to actually invest in a game and share in its profits. Furthermore, Fig would allow non-accredited people, that is to say, non-millionaires, to invest in its games alongside SEC-accredited investors. Simply put, people who fund Psychonaunts 2 can expect more than just a complete version of the game when it gets released.

Psychonauts 2’s funding project has began
 and will run for a total of 35 days. As of the time of writing, the game has managed to raise USD 568,861.

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TIME Internet 2Gbps plan costs RM379, to be available 7 October onwards

3.5K

Feeling a little tired of your 1Gbps Internet connection? TIME Internet has just announced a new 2Gbps plan that is set to go live on 7th October 2022, it costs RM379/month which is almost double the cost of the 1Gbps plan, but as a consolation, it is merely RM30 more expensive than rival TM’s much slower 800Mbps plan, making this ultimately still the fastest and most affordable fixed fibre optic broadband service in Malaysia.

TIME Internet says that the 2Gbps connectivity is achieved through the implementation of the 10G Passive Optical Network (PON) technology, which it has partnered with Huawei to build a pilot since 2019 as noted by Lowyat.NET. As a reference, the asymmetrical 10G PON standard enables transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps downstream and 2.5Gbps upstream, while the symmetrical 10G PON standard enables 10Gbps for both downstream and upstream.

With the 2Gbps plan, TIME Internet will include a 2Gbps WiFi 6 router and 2 x WiFi 6 mesh nodes as part of the sign up package with a 24-month contract, upload speed remains the same as the 1Gbps plan at 500Mbps, customers will also receive a RM200 Touch ‘n Go eWallet credits as a reward for signing up to the plan on TIME Internet’s website.

Thankfully, TIME Internet has retained existing offers if you choose to subscribe to its more affordable package, and as of now it is unclear if the company will offer an early-bird sign up promo for the 2Gbps to make it more attractive. With that said, you will also need to have at least a WiFi 6 or 2.5GbE LAN device to be able to take advantage of that download speed.

So, is your home ready for 2Gbps?

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TIME Internet officially unveils cheaper and faster broadband plans

465

If paying for RM129/month for 100Mbps already sounded too good for you, TIME Internet has once again made a breakthrough by offering it even lower than that at RM99/month, you can even go all the way up to 1Gbps by only paying RM199/month.

Yes, the fastest fixed broadband ISP is back, after its rival TM announced its new home broadband plans several months back.

Last week, we reported that a number of users on Lowyat.NET Forums have reported a speed bump on their service, and though we had assume that only the 500Mbps customers have been upgraded to 1Gbps speed, 300Mbps to 800Mbps and 100Mbps to 300Mbps, the case is in fact much better.

Starting today, existing customers on the base 100Mbps plan will automatically be upgraded to the 500Mbps plan, while 300Mbps and 500Mbps customers will both be upgraded with 1Gbps of speed.

While TM adopts asymmetrical download and upload speeds, TIME offers equal download and upload speeds for the user, which is made possible by the company’s 100% Fibre network, and you can read more of that
here
.

New subscribers for the higher speed plans will also get the new D-Link DIR-882 router, which you can read our review of it
here
.

TIME has mentioned that there will be no changes to existing contracts, and the subscription fee follows the new price, whichever is lower. All existing TIME subscribers are automatically eligible for the upgrade and there’s no need to wait or perform any validation for this.

Now, the only thing TIME that needs to do next is to bring their superb service to landed properties, and we shall patiently hope and wait till that day comes. For more info, check them out over
here
.

broadband
malaysia
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TIME Internet users to receive speed upgrade to 1Gbps

852

After TM announced its plans to offer free unifi turbo speed upgrades, it seems that its rival, TIME isn’t sitting on its laurels any longer, as some subscribers have noticed a speed increase on their existing Internet connection and have posted on Lowyat.NET forum.

TIME has been rather quiet after the Malaysian government has urged all ISPs to reduce broadband prices and increase speed. Like TM, TIME probably won’t reduce prices but instead, offer a significant speed upgrade to all new and existing subscribers. As for this, here’s how your speed would be after the upgrade:

100Mbps -> 300Mbps

300Mbps -> 800Mbps

500Mbps -> 1Gbps

With this upgrade, this would make TIME the most affordable high speed broadband in the country like it used to be, as TM’s 100Mbps plan starts from RM129 and is equivalent to the former’s base plan, though its still a sad case that the service is only limited to high rise buildings.

We expect TIME to make an official announcement soon, and let’s hope business users get the upgrade too. If you would like to know why TIME is able to achieve this in such a short period, read our feature write up
here
.


TIME names iPhone as the most influential gadget of all time

1.6K

TIME Magazine launched a list of “The 50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time” on its site, and Apple’s iPhone were crowned champions of the list. The list included gadgets from different era’s, some of which are pretty ancient by today’s standards, but their existence have shaped how gadgets work today.

According to TIME, the iPhone brought in a new era of flat touchscreen smartphones that have replaced slide-out keyboards and static buttons. The phone was notably remarkable for its software, iOS and the App Store. With the iPhone, mobile apps became mainstream, forever changing the way we carry out daily tasks. TIME added further:

“The iPhone is a family of very successful products. But, more than that, it fundamentally changed our relationship to computing and information—a change likely to have repercussions for decades to come.”

Apple has another product high up in the charts by TIME coming in at third – the Macintosh, praising its graphical user interface and more, setting the standard of interaction between human and computer. Other notable products include the Sony Walkman at 4th place and yet another Apple device, the iPod coming in at 9th place. The Motorola Droid that brought Android into competition with iOS takes the 20th spot. Google Glass came in last place with the rest of the chart comprising of gaming consoles, televisions, cameras, printers and even a Yamaha digital piano. Catch the full list of the gadgets named by TIME
here
.

Source:
TIME

charts
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gadget
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iphone
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Timepiece maker Vector Watch acquired by Fitbit

334

We’re not sure what the deal is with fitness wearable manufacturer Fitbit, as it has bought over yet another company this time. An attempt to monopolize the market? Fitbit has officially acquired smartwatch maker Vector Watch, according to a blog post by the latter company.

Known for its beautifully designed smart timepieces such as the circular Vector Luna and the more rectangular designed Vector Meridian, with an impressive 30-days battery life, Vector Watch will be joining the Fitbit family, whom has bought over fellow smartwatch manufacturer Pebble. The new combo will hopefully develop new features, software and products together.

Vector Watch has stated that Vector Watches will still function as usual, including their functions, features and mobile platform compatibility. Also, Vector Watch products and their accessories can still be purchase via Vector Watch’s network of retailers worldwide. Warranty and return policies for its products still remain the same. However, the company has highlighted that new product features in terms of both hardware and software will not be added. There will be no sight of new Vector Watch products as well, due to the acquisition by Fitbit.

It looks like Vector Watch will be contributing to the development of new products and software for Fitbit, together with Pebble. Hopefully, we’ll be looking at more elegantly designed fitness wearables with long battery life. Read the full blog post by Vector Watch at the source link below. On another note, is Fitbit done yet? Are there any other companies on its shopping list? Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
Vector Watch

acquire
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hardware
life
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software
tracking
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wearable


Tinder Online brings the matchmaking game to the desktop

382

Tinder, possibly the most popular matchmaking service of all time, can now be accessed not only from mobile devices via the app, but via desktops as well. Before this, Tinder was only available as a mobile app on both iOS and Android platforms, but the company has decided that it should take matchmaking to the next level, to the web that is.

Tinder Online is the web version of the Tinder mobile app, which works the same for the most part. Everything is pretty much identical, except for the availability of the swipe gesture, which the Tinder app has been known for. Tinder Online doesn’t have paid features such as Super Like and Tinder Boost as well. The web interface of Tinder Online looks a little similar to WhatsApp for Web, whereby your messages will appear in the tab at the left and your potential matches will take up the rest of the screen on the right.

Just like its mobile counterpart, Tinder Online will require you to log in to Facebook, but if your worries are related to your private data on your desktop browser, Tinder has promised that it will only collect your location data and not anything else. Tinder Online is currently being tested in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Philippines, and Sweden. It will rollout globally after that.

Source:
Tech Crunch

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Tinder Select is for the selected elite and attractive people

717

We all know Tinder, the popular matchmaking app responsible for setting users up on dates if they swipe right on each other. TechCrunch has reported that there is an exclusive version of the Tinder app, but only exclusive to selected people, which is probably where its name derived from – “Tinder Select”.

A source has stated to TechCrunch that Tinder Select is only for celebrities and people who do really well on Tinder. It is said that it is catered to only the elite, which includes CEO’s, supermodels and ” hyper-attractive/upwardly affluent types”, though we’re not sure who sets the standards of attractiveness. In order to be on Tinder Select, you have to be invited by Tinder. Alternatively, some Tinder Select users are given the ability to nominate others to the exclusive app. The nominated ones however, aren’t allowed to further nominate someone else. In this case, the members-only layer of the app is kept under good control.

Tinder Select features a different logo/icon as well than the ordinary Tinder app. The former has a letter “S”  with a blue gradient background instead of the Tinder flame. The app is said to be already operating for more than 6 months now, which tells us that Tinder isn’t probably going to publicize this exclusive version of its app anytime soon. Sounds like an secret cult organization so far. Do you know of anyone who is a user of Tinder Select?

Source:
TechCrunch

app
attractive
celebrities
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Tinder’s new payment process bypasses Google Play Store and avoids revenue cut

327

Store operators like Google Play Store and Apple App Store implement revenue cuts on apps on their platform to gain profit, but not all app developers are happy with that, including Tinder. The matchmaking app is now trying a new approach to payment process that can actually bypass Google Play Store’s regulations.

Tinder has introduced a new payment method that requires users to directly enter their credit card details into the app without going through Google Play. The app will not only remember the details but also make it impossible for users to go back to Google Play for future purchases.

It is reported that if Tinder’s approach is successful and Google doesn’t remove it from its Play Store, other apps — especially gaming apps — will follow its footsteps as this could prevent their revenues from being shared with the store operators.

Tinder is also not the first to make such a move; Netflix and Spotify have already done the same to bypass the revenue cut, and Fortnite has yet to be on Google Play Store because Epic Games refuses to face the same issue.

google
play store
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Tips on how to keep your home router secured

387

Recently, an issue came to light on the D-Link routers (the dustbin looking device) seems to have a huge issue when it comes to security concerns. Where people can easily access to your router and potentially take control of the devices that are connected to it or even change the settings and functions the router provides. Here we are going to discuss the different methods of securing your home network and all the computers connected to the router as it is always good to know ways that you can perform your due-diligence to ensure that extra security is in place. Let’s take a look at some of the things you can do to keep your network safe for everyone at home.

Changing Your Router’s Login Credentials

This is the first line of defence when it comes to accessing your router, initially when Unifi first came about, the ID and Password defaulted to “admin” and “telekom” which was the same for everyone that was first to adopt the fibre internet. This is not the best first line of security and a lot of people neglected it because of a simple reason, “people don’t know my wifi password so they cannot access my router” well you have no idea how easy it is to break WiFi passwords. The best thing to do is to actually change this ID and Password which you can do. No access to the settings of the router would mean that the intruder could not change your WiFi password or even lock computers out from using the network. It is recommended that you contact your ISP on how to change this ID and Password, even better if you can get your self a third-party router as you would have more freedom when it comes to customizing the security.

Making A Strong Wifi Password

Now that you know the importance of the login page let’s take a step back and look at your WiFi password. If your password right now is “1234567890” or a similar, easy to remember password, it is highly recommended that you change it immediately as it is one of the most used passwords in the world. Hackers have software to soft or hard crack into your network through your WiFi password. On a normal case scenario, this process may take up to 2 days to complete, but if your password is easy then the process could take as short as 15 minutes.

So what is a good password? A good password should contain at least 12 characters and have upper case letters with numbers. An excellent will have a combination of uppercase, lowercase, symbols and numbers. This will make it much harder for the cracker to figure out the password because you are adding more possibility to your password. Having only letters would mean that there is, 26^12 = 95,428,957,000,000,000 possible combinations of password that your WiFi password might have. Now, let’s add in the possible symbols on the keyboard, that would bring us to 54^12 = 614,787,630,000,000,000,656 if your password consists of lowercase letters and symbols, adding uppercase to the letters and numbers would make a monumental difference as you can see from just adding symbols to lowercase letters.
How to change your Unifi WiFi password

Should I Update My Router’s Firmware?

Never neglect the importance of a firmware update, on an Android and iOS phone, there are always “Security fixes” or something along the line of that, written in the changelog. Even on Windows, people seem to scoff at the installing security update, there is actually weight to all this as this patches are to prevent threats that are out there, new threats and possible future threats that might arise. Always remember, an outdated firmware is an easy firmware to crack, hackers are getting smarter as technology advance, therefore security has to also advance alongside technology to keep ahead of these hackers

Remember, it’s not only your Internet Service Provider’s job to keep your network safe as they have the whole nation’s network to secure. It is always better that you learn how to keep your self-safe when in the face of an attack. Knowledge is the most valuable asset in the world and in the day and age where information is freely available at our fingertips, it can also be easily ripped away from you.

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internet
networking
passwords
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wifi


Titanfall 2 will be hosting an open multiplayer test this weekend for console players

308

Respawn Entertainment’s upcoming title, Titanfall 2, is currently scheduled for a October 28th release. Before that though, you can get a taste of what the game will be like as Titanfall 2 will be doing an open multiplayer test for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this weekend.

Starting this Friday, PS4 and Xbox One players will be able to try out three of Titanfall 2’s multiplayer mode. If you’re unable to try out the open multiplayer test this weekend, don’t fret, as there will be a second open multiplayer test scheduled to be held during the following weekend.

Those who manage to get into the test will be able to try out three of the new game modes. The first is Bounty Hunt, a 5v5 mode where teams are pitted against each other as well as the Remnant Fleet. The second is Pilots vs. Pilots, an 8v8 mode that will only feature Pilot characters and no NPC bots. The third mode is Amped Hardpoint, and will only be available on the second multiplayer test. Amped Hardpoint is a different take of the original Titanfall’s Hardpoint Domination mode, allowing teams to amp up their Hardpoints to double the team’s score.

Apart from the modes, the Titanfall 2 open multiplayer test will see the introduction of two brand-new titans, various tactical abilities, weapons and new maps. Unfortunately, the PC will not be part of the open multiplayer test as Respawn is still hard at work
ironing out the technical details
 for the PC version of Titanfall 2.

Source:
IGN
,
Titanfall 2

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TL;DR: If home appliances were just a little smarter, it would have been a great impact

270

We have a Mi Air Purifier in the office and it is the smartest home appliance that I have ever used – no, it doesn’t run apps, but it has a companion app for your smartphone to check on the status of the device. Due to the recent polluted hazy weather in Malaysia, I was thankful to have bought the device and have promoted it to friends and family, and eventually, my bunch of friends that sells expensive and environmental certified air purifiers started to question me on how well it is able to filter polluted air and they even threw me statistics to prove how well their product works. Truth to be told, I know that the Mi Air Purifier isn’t the best product around, it is a cheap device that works well just like its smartphones, it isn’t going to replace your expensive Amway Atmosphere as well, but the only reason I’ve chosen over other expensive and more capable devices is the fact that it is ‘Smart’ and works as advertised for its main function.

It might not sound practical to most users out there, but I have been spoilt with its convenience that allows me to be able to measure the air quality of the office and to have it turned on automatically when it detects an unhealthy air level, all it needs to have is a little smart module in it with WiFi and probably some sensors with a companion app to deliver all that information to my smartphone, which I can also use it to control the devices functionality.

Hence, I have a lot of thoughts on the common home appliances that we have these days – fans, washing machines, refrigerators, why can’t they just be a little smarter and more intelligent? For instance, I could have my washing machine connected to my home WiFi to remind me of its current washing cycle and change the water temperature without actually heading back to it while I’m working on other stuffs, all the device needs is a smart PCB that has a WiFi module (A Raspberry Pi probably) that will cost no more than $100, and the convenience could actually get consumers rushing to buy one.

While I’m still not seeing more devices like this yet, but I would certainly hope that electronic manufacturers to get their feet on to start making smart enabled devices already, and most importantly they must be priced reasonably affordable for the masses.

Things can be like Genisys, given if it is not lethal

connectedhome
smartappliances
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TL;DR: Tinder in the real world

517

“Hi, my name is Warren and I am a business owner and also a YouTuber.”

“Are you single? Yes, I am.”

“Do you want to have a girlfriend/life partner? I’m not gay, so I guess that answer would be Yes.”

“How about trying an app called Tinder? Alright!”

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend my first ever singles event hosted by a local Malaysian pub, it never crossed my mind that I so badly wanted to attend one, since this is a Tinder themed singles party, why not? So here’s what happened in detail.

9.13PM:
 I arrived at the place at Changkat Bukit Bintang, a famous drinking spot in downtown Kuala Lumpur, parked and paid my valet parking.

9.15PM:
 It was still early so I decided to take a stroll down the streets to discover those creative and colorful pubs, I finally realized how much great life I’ve been missing

9.20PM:
 I found the pub and the hostess showed me the way up and I sat at the bar, the bartender passed me the drink menu.

9.25PM:
 After hesitating through the long list of drinks, I decided to order a pint of Guinness, which actually tasted pretty good

9.28PM:
 I was chatting with #teamklgg over WhatsApp on what is happening around me, I see Tinder’s “Like”, “Nope” and “Super Like” stickers around me, there wasn’t crowd yet as the event only starts at 10PM, a man next to me was holding a bottle of Tiger beer and staring into nowhere.

9.45PM:
 I saw the DJ setting up his place to get the party going and I think this is going to be an awesome night.

10.00PM:
 Nope, there weren’t a swarm of peeps heading up here, just a few early birds and I noticed Tinder stickers on them, either with “Single & Swiping”, “I’m just here “Making Friends” or “Already Met My Match”. There you go, you know who to approach if you really want to know them.

10.05PM:
 The bartender distributed a “Super Like” card to me, which lets me easily ask the girl’s phone number or have me to drink over at her table.

10.30PM:
 Things are starting to happen, single guys started pouring in the event and the girls come with their single besties. Guys started ordering drinks while girls get their free flow cocktail.

10.45PM:
 A girl was next to me and was shaking her body along with the exciting music, we talked for a while, she was a Personal Assistant and tells me that she works 24/7 for her boss.

11.00PM:
 I wandered around the pub, apart from observing on the details of the event, I looked at the singles who attended the event, most of them came from their offices after work, some girls put on really heavy make up that looks really matured. I then realized, this Tinder Thursday Night isn’t for me, because I am too young at 27 where as the people I happen to meet are at least 30 years old.

11.45PM:
 I ordered my fourth alcoholic drink and decided to give myself another chance to get to know someone.

12:05AM:
 I walked out of the pub and went home

Lesson learned, Tinder in real life isn’t as fun as swiping right or left on your smartphone, I decided to believe in fate and hence, my “Super Like” card is empty. And yes, I have deleted Tinder from my phone long time ago.

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TL:DR: Why you shouldn’t buy cheap local OEM smartphones

300

Android smartphones
 are everywhere, any company could just come up with a funky or stupid brand name which they could eventually tell the whole world that they are smartphone makers, and they sell you at really, really cheap prices that none other branded alternatives could achieve. As an end user, we tell you why you should not be buying one of them in our TL:DR piece.

Cheap local smartphones are usually not manufactured by their own, but rather it is made by ODMs in China such as Foxconn while local OEMs tend to load up their own software on the phone, while I’m not trying to say that they aren’t good, you should actually be very particular about software experiences, they could be offering you very Xiaomi and
Samsung
 like features, however rest assured that you will really ditch the phone after sometime of using it.

Imagine if you are travelling abroad and your phone suddenly breaks down, chances are you will be forced to buy another new phone in your trip and risk losing all of your stuffs inside, sadly local smartphone makers aren’t making their presence everywhere and you can’t find support easily in every retailers. Let’s face it, local smartphone OEMs just want to make money by selling their products, they don’t necessarily give a damn on support as much as established smartphone makers here, hence you are not going to expect any future software updates from them. Period.

Last but not the least folks, we would really encourage you to become a smart consumer on choosing smartphones and branding does matter a lot, while we are not trying to say all local OEMs are the same but if they truly care about staying long enough in the competitive smartphone market, a complete ecosystem, customer service and marketing effort is definitely needed, and sadly, most of them don’t possess that. Your comments are welcome.


TM and Bay Of Bengal Gateway Consortium opens up new submarine cable system

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Telekom Malaysia has partnered up with Bay of Bengal Gateway (BBG) Consortium, a group of high profile tier one global telecommunications operators, to announce the launch of the new Bay of Bengal Gateway submarine cable system.

Spanning 8,100 km, the BBG submarine cable system will link Malaysia (through Penang) and Singapore to the Middle East (Oman and the United Arab Emirates) with connections reaching out to India (Mumbai and Chennai) and Sri Lanka.

The BBG is set to provide an alternative route to Europe for TM’s IP traffic should anything happen to the submarine cables located in earthquake prone zones in the Pacific Ocean, and will also complement the other cable systems which TM are latched on to. The cable system is also a unique one as it rides on TM’s comprehensive protected terrestrial network from Penang, Malaysia to Points-of-Presence (PoPs) in Singapore, enhancing the reliability of this cable system by avoiding the busy and crowded Malacca Straits and other cable cut prone areas.

“The launch of BBG indeed marks yet another commitment from TM in providing faster and resilient Internet connection, hence a better surfing experience for Internet users. In line with being the nation’s leading telecommunications provider, TM continues to play its integral role in fulfilling the Government’s aspiration of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) that is “Extending the Regional Network” as this cable system will enable us to provide Malaysians with better regional reach and a highly dependable regional network,” says Mohamad Rozaimy Abd Rahman, Executive Vice President of Global & Wholesale for TM.

bayofbengal
internet
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TM and U Mobile join hands to explore network sharing opportunities

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The advent of 5G availability in the country is night – and every major telco company is working together to push the development and deployment of the technology in Malaysia.

This time around, the duo of Telekom Malaysia (TM) and U Mobile are teaming up to share networks using TM’s 5G Demonstration Project (5GDP) in Langkawi as a platform.

Both parties will explore network infrastructure sharing models such as the Multi-Operator Code Node (MOCN) or Multi-Operator Radio Access Network (MORAN) to push for the deployment of 5G.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission previously announced the network bands available in the country and as given a consortium of companies the chance to bid for these bands – a mass roll-out of 5G connectivity is expected to arrive in Q3 this year, this it’s great to see big name telcos working together in this endeavour.

5g
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TM customers' access to iflix extended until the 31st of December

300

In
2015
, iflix and Telekom Malaysia partnered up to provide TM customers with unlimited access to the iflix service for a year. Today, both companies have agreed to extend the deal further as qualified TM customers will continue to gain unlimited access to the iflix service until the 31st of December 2017.

Current or new subscibers to TM’s UniFi packages, Streamyx 4Mbps package and Streamyx 8Mbps package will receive unlimited access to the iflix service up until the end of the year. For those who already have a preexisting iflix account, all you have to do is to login to the service while connected to the corresponding UniFi or Streamyx network. For those who are new to the service, you can redeem the offer by accesssing iflix via its mobile app or website while connected to a Streamyx or UniFi network, then signing up for an account. Upon completing the sign up process, you’ll be able to gain access to iflix’s library for the rest of the year.

“We are thrilled to see such strong demand for iflix from TM customers and further strengthen our relationship with Malaysia’s leading fixed broadband provider. Now, TM customers who love entertainment can enjoy their extended access period to iflix’s vast library of thousands of top TV shows, movies and more, until the end of 2017,” says David Goldstein, Head of Asia for iflix Group.

iflix
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TM cuts Streamyx 8 Mbps price to RM69

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If anyone of you who is still on Streamyx due to the unavailability of Unifi, you’d be happy to know that your current 8 Mbps subscription would now be reduced to RM69/month, existing users will also enjoy the reduced price if they choose to upgrade to the plan.

This announcement is made at the Kembara Digital Malaysia roadshow in Ipoh, where TM has introduced its new reduced Streamyx 8 Mbps broadband service for RM89/month for new users.

At this point of time, no updates have been made to TM’s website. As a comparison, TM previously charges its Streamyx service from RM110/month for a 1 Mbps connection, while going up to the maximum 8 Mbps subscription would cost you as much as RM160/month, hence that’s a great 45% off its original price.

TM has certainly gone through a hard time in getting its broadband service price reduced under the influence of MCMC, the company also announced that it will also be rolling out new wireless technologies to serve its wireless broadband customers better.

Are you happy with this new offer? Let us know in the comments!

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TM gives you RM50 off your bill if your unifi is broken for more than 24 hours

1.9K

Having a bad day because your unifi Internet connection is down? TM has committed to restore your connection within 24 hours starting today for unifi Home and Biz customers, and if not, you get a RM50 rebate will be given on your next bill.

Now, this is a pretty bold move from the country’s largest ISP and would probably help improve the customer experience, however this benefit is only reserved for customers signed up to 100 Mbps plans and above, customers with unifi 30 Mbps, unifi Lite, unifi Air and unifi Mobile subscriptions are unfortunately not eligible for this benefit.

Dubbed as the 24-hour service guarantee, it covers both the physical access (fibre network) and TM-supplied customer premises equipment (router) when you encounter connection failures and service downtime, performance related issues such as slow connection speed is sadly not covered and this is one of the most common issues faced by TM unifi customers, but it still makes sense as performance is usually dependent on the number of connected users and WiFi coverage in the household.

The 24-hour countdown will begin once you have successfully lodged an official report with TM, customers will be notified via SMS and myunifi app if they are eligible for the bill rebate should the issue isn’t resolved within 24 hours,  you will then need to redeem the RM50 rebate through the app within 30 days once notified, so it isn’t entirely automated.

Also, TM hasn’t made clear in the
FAQ
 if customers are able to claim the said rebate for multiple times in a month, considering some customers can face disruptions multiple times, nonetheless this is one effort that we commend to keep up the quality of our Internet services in Malaysia.

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TM introduces an unlimited unifi Mobile plan for teachers for RM59/month

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unifi Mobile has joined hands today with the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE) to take on the country’s Digital Education Transformation initiative, while at the same time introducing a new unifi Mobile plan called the ‘JASA Pack’ for teachers, which comes with unlimited calls, data and SMS for RM59/month, enabling teachers to stay connected at a really affordable price.

This collaborative initiative is aimed to boost MOE’s digital transformation journey as outlined in the national education blueprint, the digital experience that will be introduced to the local education sector includes high speed broadband connectivity, interactive smartboard and smart devices, which enables a more interactive way of learning and teaching in the current generation.

The JASA Pack will be available at all TMpoints nationwide starting today, this offer is valid till 31 December 2018.

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TM is looking to upgrade its users' internet speeds in 2017

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During the government’s 2017 budget announcement, Prime Minister Najib Razak mentioned that local Internet Service Providers have agreed to increase the speed of their fixed broadband services starting in 2017. Today, Telekom Malaysia has given us a more detailed look at the upcoming changes to their broadband plans.\

For UniFi customers, TM is looking to upgrade all Unifi customers to a plan that is a step above the preexisting one. For example, current UniFi Advance 30 users will be upgrade to UniFi Advance 50, while current UniFi Advance 50 users will be upgraded to UniFi Pro 100. This upgrade would not affect the subscription price in any way, shape or form.

As for those who are on TM’s Streamyx service, TM confirms that they will be introducing better packages in 2017. More information about the Streamyx service will be given in December.

The upgrades will begin rolling out in January 2017, and it will affect all eligible customers. Do note that the upgrade will be done in phases, so the internet speed increases will not be available across the board on Day 1.

Source:
Lowyat

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TM offers Unifi plans at discounted rates with one-month fee waivers

1.5K

If you’re looking for an upgrade to you home broadband, Telekom Malaysia (TM) is offering a one-month waiver as well as discounts on selected Unifi plans from now until July 2.

The plans that will receive this offer include the 300Mbps (RM199/month); 100Mbps plus unifiTV (RM159/month); 100Mbps without unifiTV (RM129/month); and 30Mbps (RM79/month). It says on TM’s website that installation fees will also be waivered, and all plans entitle you to 600 minutes of talk time to all mobile and fixed lines nationwide.

To get a slice of the pie, you’ll have to sign up on the Unifi portal as it’s not available at TMPoint stores and TM authorized dealers, according to The Star. Upon sign up, you’ll be tied to a 24-month contract whereby the first month’s fee will be waivered. The offer is only available for first time subscribers and not existing customers.

This comes after Maxis introduced their lineup of broadband plans too which you can read about
here
. It’s a war between TM and Maxis and we say let them fight – because that’s more options and promotions for us consumers! Visit the Unifi portal
here
 to sign up.

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TM to make fixed line broadband affordable and faster next quarter

424

Telekom Malaysia (TM) has made a statement today to the media its initiative to revise broadband prices in support of the government’s aspirations. A few days ago, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo has made a statement that broadband prices will be down by at least 25% by year end, this is one of the fulfillment that the Pakatan Harapan government has made in its election manifesto and it is anticipated due to the Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing (MSAP) that came into force on June 8. Below is the statement from TM:

We wish to inform that Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) has had several engagements in an ongoing dialogue with the Ministry of Communications & Multimedia Malaysia and the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC), to reiterate its support of the Government’s aspiration regarding affordable broadband services at higher speed for the nation to increase its competitiveness; and on TM’s proposed initiatives to implement the same. Further details on the initiatives will be announced by TM within the next quarter.

Currently, the most affordable high speed fixed broadband plan from TM would be it’s 10Mbps Unifi Lite plan at RM129/month, and it goes all the way up to RM329/month for the 100Mbps Unifi Pro plan, entry-level Streamyx ADSL plans are still present from RM110/month for 1Mbps of speed, which is rather unattractive when compared to mobile broadband.

Let’s hope TM will finally be able to game up its offerings, and while we shouldn’t expect prices to drop 25%, let’s hope at least TM could at least increase the broadband speeds that it is currently offering.

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TM Unifi faces service interruptions due to cable theft case in Subang

301

TM Unifi has released an announcement on their official twitter account stating that there will be service interruptions for fellow customers and users as they are facing a case of cable theft situated at Subang.

#unifiAlerts
 Cable theft detected in Subang.A total of 7 copper bundles damaged,affecting over 1,800 broadband &TM fixed line customers.Our technicians are on location doing repairs.Due to the severity of the damage,repairs are expected to take a couple of days.Will keep u posted
pic.twitter.com/Hcq2TsLo7r
— unifi (@unifi)
December 11, 2018

According to Unifi, a total of 7 copper bundles were damaged, which results in affecting over 1,800 broadband and TM fixed line customers. Unifi have also added that they have sent technicians over to the location to do repairing, but due to the severity of the damage, it might take a few days to fix and restore everything back to normal.

For more info or the latest updates on Unifi, feel free to find them on Facebook or Twitter.

Subang
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TM unifi launches the #khabarbaik campaign to bring affordable mobile plans to the masses

498

Heading into 2019, TM unifi aims to up the ante with a new level of customer engagement. The #khabarbaik campaign is an attempt to be inclusive, bringing affordable mobile data plans to the masses.

During the launch of the campaign, Acting Executive Vice President Moharmustaqeem Mohammed said that the #khabarbaik movement starts with the previously announced lineup of affordable mobile plans.

The list of plans includes Mobile 19 (1GB LTE + 1GB 3G) at RM19, Mobile 29 (2GB LTE + 1GB 3G), Mobile 39 (4GB LTE + 1GB 3G), and Mobile 59 (9GB LTE + 1GB 3G). According to Moharmustaqeem, the new affordable lineup of mobile plans should be able to connect people from all walks of life with each other.

In conjunction with the Lunar New Year, unifi will also be handing out red packets containing goodies at their events across the country, as well as TMpoint outlets and at unifi.com.my.

mobile plans
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TM’s UniFi mobile gives you 20GB of free LTE data when you sign up

427

After a few months of offering its last call for webe’s never-ending data postpaid service, TM is finally unveiling UniFi Mobile, a new digital prepaid service that is rather similar to how Maxis’ ookyo works, however with the same mobile freedom like its predecessor. The service can now be signed up via the mobile@unifi app downloadable on iOS and Android devices, when launched for the first time you will be immediately be teased with 4 selling propositions, where you get to choose the plan that suits you, complimentary 20GB LTE data, no contract commitment, expiry dates and wasted data.

The service is fairly easy to sign up and if you have previously subscribed to webe or TM services, your details will be automatically picked up after keying your IC number, you can sign up to 5 lines, and the app will let you choose either a new phone number or maintain your existing number. Best of all, your SIM pack can be collected at any TMPoint centres or you can have it delivered to your address for FREE. Lastly, pay up RM10.60 (GST included) for the SIM pack using your online banking account or credit card, then you are all good to go.

UniFi Mobile’s prepaid offering is certainly a good effort for those who can’t finish up their monthly credit and data, hence you will only need to purchase add-ons and services that you need without needing to worry about its validity. The details of charges are still pretty scarce by now, for all we know the 20GB LTE data could be a one off offer when you purchase the SIM pack, and you will need to purchase the add-ons once you fully utilize the complimentary quota. The addon charges for data and calls are already available in the service’s
FAQ
 page, which you can purchase data add ons as low as RM13 for 1GB of 3G/LTE basic internet and up to RM50 for 4GB LTE+4GB high speed internet.

At this time of writing, UniFi Mobile still doesn’t have an official product page.

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TM’s unifi Wireless Broadband costs RM79/month for 60GB

466

TM is out to disrupt the wireless broadband scene once again with the new unifi Wireless Broadband, which costs RM79/month for 60GB of high speed data, that’s a step up from the company’s previous offering, which only gives 30GB of data at RM59/month. Staying true to the brand’s commitment, the new wireless broadband plan doesn’t have a contract, and users can opt to purchase a Huawei 4G B618 router for RM599 that is able to connect up to 64 devices in the household, and terminate the service anytime without penalty.

If you happen to exhaust the 60GB quota before your next billing date, you can purchase more data from the unifi mobile app or via online at https://mobile.unifi.com.my, which an additional 20GB would cost you RM40 and is valid for 90 days, unlike certain operators that doesn’t let you extend the unused additional quota after the next billing date. Interested customers can head on over to any nearby TMPoint to check out the service, while at the same time TM would be dispatching it’s unifi perfect squad to your neighborhood to offer the service and modem.

What do you think of the new unifi Wireless Broadband? It does sound like a really good deal though.

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TnG eWallet eTunai Rakyat claim feature back online – was it worth the wait?

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The eTunai Rakyat initiative was in full swing yesterday; and naturally, Malaysian’s flocked to their choice of e-wallet vendors to get their free moolah.

View this post on Instagram

💙

A post shared by
 Touch ‘n Go eWallet
 (@touchngoewallet) on
Jan 15, 2020 at 8:53pm PST

Touch ‘n Go was clearly the more popular option of the lot, which led to some issues with the mobile app due to the high traffic. But, it’s day-two now and thankfully the eTunai Rakyat application feature is back online.

View this post on Instagram

It’s time! Claim your RM30 e-Tunai Rakyat, and get EXTRA RM30 cashback and more from us! Swipe 👈to learn how, and tag your friends so they don’t miss out! #touchngoewallet #etunairakyat

A post shared by
 Touch ‘n Go eWallet
 (@touchngoewallet) on
Jan 14, 2020 at 3:47pm PST

Part of why it’s widely chosen, is thanks to TnG’s RM30 + RM30 promo where you’ll get an additional RM30 on top of the eTunai Rakyat money – or at least that’s how it seemed. If you’re a keen eye, it says over on their website that the RM30 bonus comes by way of RM5 cashbacks when you spend RM20 in transactions.

Image credit: Touch ‘n Go

Sure, it’s not quite the upfront RM30 some would’ve expected, but this is still a decent deal, considering TnG eWallet is known for their cashback incentives. Plus, the idea behind the eTunai Rakyat programme is to serve as a stimulus for a nationwide adoption for e-wallets. This is designed to get you to use your e-wallet.

Plus, the TnG eWallet is accepted at all sorts of places, to pay for all sorts of things – and since you’re using the app anyways, you might as well take advantage of any benefit that comes your way, right?

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To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is confirmed to get a sequel

1.1K

Yesterday Netflix announced a great news to the fans of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, and the news is that the beloved Netflix movie will be getting a sequel.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was released a few months back starring Lana Condor and Noah Centineo, needless to say, it was a big hit. Girls loved the characters Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky, and many have been waiting for the sequel that was only based on rumours, until yesterday.

The title of the sequel has not been announced, but if it’s according to book that the first movie is based on, the title of the sequel will be P.S. I Still Love You, just like Jenny Han’s second book of the trilogy. Netflix also made the official announcement of the sequel with a cute letter from Lara Jean, posting a letter like the ones she mailed to all her crushes in the movies, except that the letter was titled “To All The Fans I’ve Loved Before”, confirming that the sequel is on its way and Condor and Centineo will still be starring in it.

It’s official:
@lanacondor
 &
@noahcent
 will star in a “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” sequel!
#ToAllTheBoysSequel

pic.twitter.com/DIHN4xVAqs

— Netflix US (@netflix)
December 19, 2018

Besides that, the company also released a short video of Lana Condor and Noah Centineo that confirms their returns, and the video ends with Lana saying “You’re gonna make the perfect John Ambrose!” which could mean that Jordan Burtchett might be replaced with a new cast, causing even more anticipation among fans as the character plays a very important role in the sequel.

The sequel will probably be coming out earliest by 2019, but let’s just all wait and see our favourite characters return and find out who will be playing John Ambrose.

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To bezel or not to bezel? LG has the answer

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With smartphone makers around the world tirelessly coping with the insatiable needs of consumers demanding for even more innovative features vacuum-packed into their smartphones as the century progresses, LG Display is definitely at the fore of innovation as in July last year, the company introduced the world’s slimmest Full HD LCD Panel for smartphones. However, this time around, they have taken it up a notch and unveiled their latest development – a 0.7mm-narrow bezel Full HD LCD Panel for smartphones which happens to be
the
narrowest in the world!

The bezel of the display is even narrower than a credit card which measures at 0.8mm and this is all possible with the company’s “Neo Edge” module processing technology which instead of using double-sided tape to enclose the panel’s circuit board and backlight unit, an adhesive is used instead which renders the display waterproof and dustproof. Also, with the world’s first “Advanced In-Cell Touch (AIT)” technology developed by LG Display, the touch panel is directly embedded into the LCD module which cancels the need for any additional bezel space.

Mass production of the product will commence in November and customers in China would be supplied first as “demand for large screen smartphones is strong”, LG said. However, global promotion will also be active. Maybe this technology would also be incorporated as well with next year’s flagship – the LG G4.


To The Moon Game Review: Hauntingly beautiful

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I know this game is not new; in fact this indie game is about 4-5 years old. But since the studios have announced its next game, Finding Paradise, I thought it might be a good idea to replay this game together with its 2 DLCs. If not for recommendations from friends, I too would not have found this hidden gem. It is rather hard to sort through the sheer numbers of indie games since you will get either a hit or miss. Anyway, long story short, Finding Paradise looks like a classic RPG, but instead of battling monsters and leveling up, you go through a narrative-style of storytelling with little mini games and point-and-click objectives.

Basically, the story is about two doctors who work for a company that can bring a dying person’s wish to pass by going backwards to the past through his memories. So, their latest patient wishes to go to the moon, and the doctors has to wade through his memories and figure out a way to bring his dying wish to pass, even if it is through his memories.

Don’t let the graphics fool you; this game is immersive and haunting, with beautiful music scores. Paired together will a well-written story and narration by Kan Gao, and peppered with little jokes and puns along the way, Finding Paradise brings a smile to your face even as the storytugs at your heartstrings as you relive this dying man’s memories.

As for the DLCs, both are about 20 minutes long and show some insights about life for the 2 doctors. There are minigames in it which reminds me of retro styled arcade gaming. Nostalgic and honestly, I kind of suck at it.

This game is available on
Steam for PC and Mac
, and is now priced at RM23 for the game and 2 DLC minisodes.

Also, do check out Finding Paradise music and screenshot teaser trailer below. Man, the music is just so hauntingly beautiful.

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Tokenize Xchange cryptocurrency platform now gets full approval to operate in Malaysia

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If you’ve been eyeing a foray into cryptocurrency investment – you now have a new avenue to start your journey. Tokenize Xchange is the latest digital asses exchange operator in the country to receive a full approval by the Securities Commission Malaysia to operate.

This makes Tokenize the third company in the country besides SINEGY and Luno to be a fully-regulated digital asset exchange platform. These are the three names that you should look to for a safe avenue to invest in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

There has been no word on early registration promos yet, so Luno currently holds the upper hand with promo deals on
Shopee
, where new users can buy Luno wallet cash at a discounted price.

But Hong Qi Yu, CEO and CTO of Tokenize Malaysia says that their focus in Malaysia is to “champion a safe and secure platform for users”, while offering on the website and mobile app.

The current Bitcoin ecosystem seems to be improving after the
crash
 a few weeks ago – as it stands at the time of writing, one Bitcoin is worth RM30,000; a massive bump from RM19,853 during the crash. We’re etching closer to the RM42,000 mark we were seeing prior to the virus outbreak, so if you’re thinking of investing, now would be a good time.
 Visit Tokenize Xchange’s website
here
 to learn more about their service.

bitcoin
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Tom Clancy's The Division PC requirements revealed

277

Ubisoft Russia has just revealed Tom Clancy’s The Division PC requirements, showing that it requires a minimum of 2GB VRAM on your graphics cards and a minimum of a quad-core Intel CPU or a AMD CPU housing 6-cores.

A Steam user was told of this specifications when he enquired Ubisoft Russia regarding the System requirements before playing the game beta phase coming next week. Do note that without an official announcement from Ubisoft, these requirements should not be considered final and are subject to change soon.

Just by looking at the game requirements, we can already see that the game requires quite a lot of CPU power and core performance, requiring a minimum of a Sandy-Bridge i5 quad core or a 6-core AMD FX 6100 and 8GB of RAM. On the other hand, theGPU requirements look very even when it comes to AMD and Nvidia, requiring a minimum of a GTX 560 or an AMD HD 7770 and recommending a GTX 970 or an R9 290 for the best playable settings.

Minumum Options:

OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10(64bit only)
CPU: Intel i5 2400 @ 3.1Ghz or AMD FX 6100 @ 3.3Ghz
RAM: 8GB
Graphic card: Nvidia GTX 560 or AMD Radeon HD 7770 (2GB VRAM)
*Sound card should support Direct X 9.0C
HDD space: 40GB

Recommanded Options:

OS: Same as minimum
CPU: Intel i7-3770 @ 3.5Ghz or AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0Ghz
RAM: 8GB
Graphic card: Nvidia GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB VRAM) or above
*Sound card should support Direct X 9.0C
HDD space: 40GB

The beta is going to be relased soon and with a final release date of March 8th, over a month away, we should not expect this to be the final specifications. News updates will be released soon when/if these specifications change. I have personally been looking forward to this game for the past two years and can’t wait to try it out when the beta releases next week. Game on!

Source:
OC3D

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