KickassTorrents founder arrested, domains seized

427

Yesterday marked a dark day for those who rely on torrents are the world’s most popular torrent sharing website, KickassTorrents, has been shutted down and its founder has been arrested.

According to FossBytes, KickassTorrent’s founder, Artem Vaulin, has been arrested in Poland. Now, Vaulin is expected to be extradited to the United States to face charges such as criminal copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Besides Vaulin’s arrest, the U.S. authorities have also seized the website’s domains as well as bank accounts associated with KickassTorrents.

Vaulin’s arrest is an interesting one as it shows the the U.S. authorities posed as an advertiser to gain information about the bank accounts associated with the website. The arrest was done after Apple handed over personal details f Vaulin after the investigator cross-referenced an IP-address used for an iTunes transaction with and IP-addresss that was used to login to KAT’s Facebook account.

While the main domain for KickassTorrents can no longer be accessed, numerous other alternative domains for KAT have been popping up, meaning that those who want their torrents will still be able to get them.

Source:
TorrentFreak
,
FossBytes

kickasstorrents
piracy
torrent


Kickstart Dock Pi, the USB-C dock that elevates your new MacBook experience

345

The new MacBook’s single
USB
–
C

connector has given lots of business opportunities and we managed to find a pretty good accessory over at Kickstarter, the Dock Pi is a
USB-C

hub that extends the usage of the MacBook’s single
USB
–
C

by offering you two additional
USB-C

Female connectors (one for charging the MacBook), one HDMI port, one SDXC Card Reader and two USB-A 3.0 ports. In addition, Dock Pi will throw in either a lightning (MFi certified) or MicroUSB cable to complete the package and it starts from US$95 (RM356) over at Kickstarter.

Available in three colors – Gold, Pink, and Black, what Dock Pi makes a real difference from many other offerings is that it elevates the MacBook’s height and has a built-in
USB
–
C

connector that conveniently attaches to the MacBook. As the MacBook’s flat and super thin surface can be quite uncomfortable after some time, increasing the height of the device might actually allow better productivity and an ergonomic computing experience, as mentioned by the manufacturer, the dock is very much inspired by Apple’s very own wireless keyboard.

This is a pretty good
USB
–
C

port extension hardware if you have limited space on your
desk

as it looks extremely compact and easy to attach with its built-in magnet that secures itself against the MacBook, head on over to Kickstarter in the source link to back this interesting gadget, Dock Pi will ship on October this year upon successful funding.

dock
kickstarter
macbook
pi
usb-c


Kickstart this connected smart luggage by Bluesmart

300

To frequent travellers, you may find yourself carrying a few things with you – your smartphone,
tablet
, laptop and most importantly, your luggage. While you can have the most powerful smartphone on hand, it doesn’t stop your precious luggage from missing, this company called Bluesmart wants to make your luggage smarter and more connected by introducing it’s Indiegogo project.

Bluesmart is technically a high tech suit
case
 which does a variety of stuffs, you can digitally lock it with your smartphone, track it’s last seen location should you misplace it, know when it’s coming out from a luggage carousel with its proximity sensor, every of these activities can be seen on your iOS and Android device via a dedicated app. In addition, Bluesmart also packs some cool features under the hood, such as a built-in digital scale and battery that lets you check the weight of the bag and charge up to two
portable devices
. You can even track where you’ve travelled with Bluesmart and there will be a
smart watch
 app developed for the smart luggage.

This product makes a lot of sense and have received tremendous support over at Indiegogo, there’s 36 more days to go for its crowdsourcing campaign and the company has already exceeded its goal of $50,000. If you are interested, you can support the project by heading over to the source link and buy Bluesmart at $215, delivery will start on August 2015 so you’ll need to be really patient if you want good stuff.

Source:
Indiegogo


Kickstarter has released its on app on Android

331

You can now pledge money to your favourite Kickstarter projects without needing to be on your computer as
Kickstarter has just launched its very own app on the Android Play Store
.

For the first version of the Kickstarter Android app, the team has focused on the discovery experience, allowing users new to the crowdfunding scene to discover projects that might interest them. The app has also been designed to make searching for a specific project easier as well.

The Kickstarter Activity Feed that is present on the website was also ported over to the Android app, allowing users to receive updates on projects they’ve backed instantly. The feed will also spotlight projects that other’s have recently backed or from creators that the user has supported in the past.

Furthermore, the Kickstarter app followed Google’s material design guidelines for the overall layout of the app; something that Kickstarter wishes that hardcore Android fans will appreciate. As the app is currently at Version 1.0, Kickstarter has promised that more features will be introduced to the app over time.

Source :
Kickstarter

android
app
crowdfunding
kickstarter


Kickstarter hires journalist to investigate campaign that fails to deliver

288

Kickstarter failures are nothing new. What is new though, is that Kickstarter has commissioned a journalist to investigate a particular Kickstarter project.

Such is the case surrounding the
ZANO mini-drone Kickstarter
. Initially launched in November 24, 2014, the ZANO managed to raise GBP 2.3 million throughout its campaign period.

Cracks in the project appeared as the drone was delayed repeatedly, eventually culminating with the
CEO of ZANO resigning
 and the company responsible for it, Torquing Group, liquidating its corporate assets, leaving Backers out in the cold.

Following the complete collapse of the project,

Kickstarter itself has commissioned Mark Harris
, a writer for various newspapers like The Guardian and The Economist, to investigate the incident. According to Harris, Kickstarter has requested that he lay out the progress of the project, from start to finish, to discover what happened to the over 2 million pound in funds pledged.

This incident would mark the first time Kickstarter itself takes an active part into investigating a project which failed to deliver.

In an e-mail sent to Motherboard
, a Kickstarter spokesperson said that they are fine with Kickstarter creators taking on big ideas and fail, but they expect transparency and honesty along the way.

investigation
kickstarter
kickstarterfail
markharris
zano


Kickstarter will be launched in Singapore and Hong Kong soon

373

Kickstarter, the world’s most popular crowdfunding platform, is about to take its first step into Asia as the company will be making their platforms open to creators in Singapore and Hong Kong.

With Kickstarter making landfall in both Singapore and Hong Kong, creators from both these countries would be able to leverage the Kickstarter website from their home country. Previously, if a creator wishes to launch a project on Kickstarter, the creator must first be legally operating in countries where Kickstarter has a presence, owns a registered bank account in said country, and is able to raise funds on a currency that is legally tradable in said country.

“There’s already a large, supportive community of Kickstarter backers in Singapore and Hong Kong – people who have been supporting the creative ideas of others for years. Now they’ll have the opportunity to become Kickstarter creators, sharing their own ideas with the world and finding the support they need to bring them to life,” says Julie Wood, Director of Global Communications for Kickstarter.

Source:
Tech in Asia

hongkong
kickstarter
singapore


Kim Dotcom will be extradited to the US

296

It seems that the saga surrounding Kim Dotcom and the United States has just gotten very interesting as a New Zealand judge has just declared that the Megaupload founder and his co-defendants are eligible to be extradited to the United States to face criminal chargers over alleged massive copyright infringement on the now-shuttered file hosting site.

Kim Dotcom’s legal woes with the United States began in 2012 when the New Zealand police- acting on the orders of American prosecuters- showed up at his mansion, seizing 18 luxury vehicles, 11 million New Zealand dollars in cash from bank accounts, and 150TB of data from Dotcom’s digital devices in the process. On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, American prosecutors began places charges on Dotcom, including

criminal charges of copywrite infringement
, racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering. Piling on to Dotcom’s troubles is the fact that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and US prosecutors have since tacked on a civil case and a civil forfeiture case respectively.

The most interesting part of this judge order happens to be a legal one however.
According to the extradition treaty between the US and New Zealand
, the only extraditable offenses that Dotcom has committed are racketeering and money laundering. Complicating matters still is that Dotcom is a German and Finnish dual citizen that is currently living in New Zealand as a permanent resident. Should Dotcom decide to become a naturalized New Zealander, of which he qualifies for a few weeks ago, New Zealand has no obligation to the US to extradite Dotcom as the extradition treaty between them states that neither coutry are “bound to deliver up its own citizens”.

The
@KimDotcom
 team looks forward to having the US request for extradition reviewed in the High Court.We have no other comments at this time

— Ira Rothken (@rothken)
December 23, 2015

But before all of this comes to a head though, Dotcom and his lawyers will be bringing the judgement to the High Court for review.

Source :
Ars Technica

copyright
kimdotcom
megaupload


Kimtigo enters the SEA market with its KTA-350 SSD and KTD-401 Powerbank

327

We’ve already heard enough of Chinese tech products here in Malaysia especially in the smartphone market, and now we’re finally seeing a Chinese PC component manufacturer entering the SEA market. Introducing Kimtigo, or known as “Tigo”, a leading Chinese semiconductor brand and is ranked No. 1 in China for its storage offerings. Along with its global expansion, the company has introduced its KTA-350 SATA III SSD and KTD-401 UFO-shaped powerbank to the SEA market.

The KTA-350 SSD is powered by the latest and advanced SMI technology controller and an integrated with a DDR3 256MB built-in cache, which results in faster boot ups, quick transfer and storage of huge files, documents and computing software. Being a hybrid SSD drive, it comes equipped with a SATA III 6GB/s and also can be backwards compatible with SATA II interface at 3GB/s. Storage capacity is available up to 480GB, and offers maximum read and write speed at 500 MB/s and 400 MB/s respectively.

Manufactured in high-grade polished metal finish, the KTD-401 is an extremely slim power bank measuring at 13mm thickness, slimmer than other traditional power banks available in the market. The KTD-401 is uniquely crafted in a UFO-shaped design that gives a futuristic yet classic appeal, its stainless steel design has also gone through electroplating, high-polishing, and oxidation treatment. Sadly, this unique powerbank only comes with a capacity of 3500mAh and only supports 1A charging.

While we’ve only received information from its PR that they are on their way to Malaysia very soon, there’s no pricing information as of now but we should see the brand popping up really soon in retail shelves, let’s hope Kimtigo’s SSD will sell cheap here, knowing Chinese companies, surprises can be expected.


Kingston finalizes IronKey integration plans

344

Kingston has revealed that they have finalized the integration plans for IronKey after acquiring them from Imation back in February.

With this acquisition, Kingston announces that it will be utilizing the IronKey product line to deliver what it hopes to be the industry’s most secure USB Flash drive. To do so, the “Kingston IronKey” will feature encryption that has a FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification. This certification is a requirement for civilian and government agencies as well as military branches in the United States and Canada. FIPS 140-2 Level 3 calls for a tamper-evident seal for physical security to detect and respond to attempts to access, use or modify the cryptographic module. It is a benchmark for security and reliability for agencies and enterprise organizations looking for the highest level of encryption.

For those who don’t need such high level encryption on their USB drive, Kingston will still be producing its encrypted DataTraveler products. In addition to that, Kingston’s software partner DataLocker, will continue to manage the SafeConsole and Enterprise Management Services (EMS) platform that both Kingston and IronKey utilize.

Kingston has also promised that it will ensure a smooth transition for existing IronKey customers and will work with its collective partners to enable access to sales and technical support, plus access to Kingston’s product and service resources.

ironkey
kingston


Kingston HyperX Predator M.2 PCIe SSD 256GB Review: Storage that Quenches your Need for Speed

368

Solid state drives have come a long way, they have come from a premium product to becoming mainstream these days in most modern computers, and I do highly recommend that you have one installed in your computer because they do really help save precious computing time. As we move on with the times, PCI-E M.2 SSDs are starting to become the norm of storage for high performance computers, since these slots have been powering GPUs, it made a lot of sense for flash storage to eventually use them as a power source for its speedy bandwidth, I’ve seen the performance on the Mac Pro and it delivers a crazy 1000MB/second of read and write speeds, and when I received the Kingston HyperX Predator in the labs, I know I’m in for a crazy fast journey on storage.

Design and Build

There’s nothing classy about the hardware itself, because it simply looks like a normal looking PCI-E expansion card, but the PCB of the HyperX Predator is coated with a smooth black finishing, it merely features a standard M.2 slot that will let you swap out the memory module should you ever think of upgrading to a larger storage, which is very considerate of Kingston so you can actually save a little bit of cash over the years while waiting for prices of M.2 SSDs to drop.

The HyperX Predator uses a PCIe 2.0 4x interface and is powered by a Marvell 88SS9293 controller, which is one of the fastest chips that you can find in the market, Kingston has officially claimed that this device could deliver speeds up to 1400MB/s read and 1000MB/s write, which is about 2-3 times faster than a common SATA powered SSD, and the great thing about it is the built in OROM that allows most motherboards to boot an operating system from the device itself.

Installation

Like most storage devices, our HyperX Predator 240GB comes preformatted and I installed it onto our test bench without any challenges. If you are upgrading from an existing storage device, Kingston has been really kind to include a complimentary license key for Acronis True Image HD for cloning your existing drive, however in my case I used EaseUS’s ToDo Backup Free, a straightforward freeware that will get a simple clone disk job done.

If you have a smaller chassis or intending to use it for rack servers, a half-height back plate is also included in the package.

One thing you may want to take note if you already have a GPU installed on your main PCIe slot, as installing the HyperX Predator might set the main PCIe slot speed back to 8x so you might expect some drops in graphics performance, otherwise it is always great to ensure that you are on a high end motherboard that will have a third PCIe slot that can be set to 4x speed.

Test Bench Specifications

CPU:
 Intel Core i7-4790K 4.4GHz
RAM:
 Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3-1866 8GB x 2
Motherboard:
 ASUS Sabertooth Z97 Mark I
SSD:
 Plextor M6S 256GB/Western Digital Blue 1TB 7200RPM
Chassis:
 CoolerMaster Test Bench v1.0
PSU:
 CoolerMaster G750M Modular
Operating System:
 Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

Performance Test Results and Benchmarks

Our review unit is a 240GB model, which Kingston has stated sequential read and write speeds of up to 1400MB/s and 600MB/s respectively on the packaging. Our tests on CrystalDiskMark and ATTO Disk Benchmark showed results that exceeds the marketed results. One thing to note in our comparison charts, the Plextor M6S is also pretty close in benchmarks however falls short in the 4K write test.

In real world performance, there’s really nothing to complain about the performance of a SSD, but man, the HyperX Predator is fast, startup and app launch speeds are blazingly fast with very minimal delays. Bootracer also shows very decent Windows boot speeds and there are no startup items disabled on our test bench, which leads to the remaining lengthy desktop load speeds.

hyperx
kingston
predator
review
ssd
storage


Kingston HyperX Savage 240GB SSD Review: a premium product with value and performance

377

Kingston’s solid state drives have been rather popular among the budget conscious and performance demanding PC builders, I remembered a few years back when I got my first entry-level Kingston V300 SSD at an affordable RM380 price tag, I was totally spoilt with its performance for the value I paid for, as the retail shop salesperson also explained to me, any solid state drives will definitely make your PC faster if you come from a mechanical hard drive. Kingston has sent me the HyperX Savage, a handsome looking SSD that will look pretty cool in any gaming rig, but is it any good despite having good looks? We find out.

Hardware and Design

The HyperX Savage SSD features a rather slim 7mm aluminum chassis and that means you can easily install into any laptops, if your PC case doesn’t have a dedicated SSD slot, Kingston has been rather kind to include a 3.5-inch bracket in the package so you do not need to purchase it separately.

The HyperX Savage SSD has one of the most premium looking designs I’ve ever seen on solid state drive, the main surface has a HyperX brand styling in red with the HyperX word etched in silver on top of it, at times I wished I could actually apply luminance stickers on the HyperX word to make it glow beautifully in the dark, otherwise Kingston should probably consider its future SSDs to have LED lighting just like RAMs.

Benchmark and Test Results

As a HyperX branded product, you shouldn’t expect the SSD to be a slouch in terms of performance, well its an SSD alright and it should be fast enough to make any PC run fast, Kingston has however packed the HyperX Savage SSD with a quad-core, 8-channel Phison S10 controller that will deliver sequential read and write speeds up to 560MB/s and 530MB/s respectively, which is a decent speed for a high performance SSD.

Test Bench Specifications

CPU:
 Intel Core i7-4790K 4.4GHz
RAM:
 Kingston HyperX DDR3-1866 8GB x 2
Motherboard:
 ASUS Sabertooth Z97 Mark I
Storage:
 Kingston HyperX Predator 240GB PCI-E SSD/Western Digital Blue 1TB 7200RPM
Chassis:
 CoolerMaster Test Bench v1.0
PSU:
 CoolerMaster G750M Modular
Operating System:
 Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

On CrystalDiskMark, the HyperX Savage SSD performed brilliantly in both single and multi threaded tests, sequential read and write speeds are equal to Kingston’s marketed performance and it will do better in small file transfers when compared to drives like the Plextor M6s and Apacer AS720. On the other hand, the HyperX Savage shows very similar readings on ATTO Disk Benchmark and it demonstrates pretty decent IOPS that can be considered as a very responsive SSD.

Last but not the least, I tried copying an 8GB MKV video file from the HyperX Predator PCI-E SSD to the HyperX Savage SSD, considering that it has a rather fast 1GB/s write speed in the beginning and eventually ended up in a consistent 480-490MB/s write speed, we can conclude that the benchmarks do not show any discrepancies between real world performance.

diy
hyperx
hyperxsavage
kingston
review
ssd


Kingston introduces entry-level Data Center 400 SSD

355

Kingston has released a new SSD, and this one is tailor-made specifically for the enterprise sector. Meet the Data Center 400 SSD, an entry-level enterprise drive designed for server use in data centers.

Available in 400GB, 480GB, 800GB, 960GB 1.6TB and 1.8TB capacities, the Data Center 400 SSD offers superior quality of service for data center customers whose workload environment calls for sustained IOPS and consistent low latency. The SSD itself features an expanded on-board DRAM acceleration cache that enables high, sustained IOPS to increase performance over a wide range of read/write workloads. Standard and user-adjustable over-provisioning also improves random IOPS performance and endurance while enterprise firmware improves latency and dilvers consistently low data access times under steady-state workload. Rounding up the Data Center 400 SSD is its end-to-end data path protection and firmware-implemented power-loss protection (pFAIL), giving the DC 400 SSD enterprise-class reliability.

The DC400 SSD comes with a limited five-year warranty, as well as free technical support from Kingston itself.

datacenter400
enterprise
kingston
ssd
storage


Kingston introduces new memory storage products

375

It seems that Kingston has launched three new memory-storage products, with one of them being security centric and the other being a part of Kingston’s Wireless line.

For the Wireless line, Kingston will be introducing the MobileLite-Wireless G3 and the MobileLite-Wireless Pro. The G3 comes with a 5400 mAh battery and a 2A output, allowing the device to charge two smartphones at a faster-than-usual speed. The Pro on the other hand, comes with a 6700 mAh battery plus 64GB of built-in memory.

Both the G3 and the Pro will come with a USB port and an SD card slot, allowing users to access their USB Flash drive and SD on their smartphone or tablet wirelessly. The MobileLite app will allow users to easily transfer, backup or share photos, videos and other content without having to use a PC. Fast data transfer is also supported as the devices are Dual-Band Wi-Fi capable.

The security-centric product that Kingston launched is the DataTraveler 2000, an encrypted USB Flash drive. Featuring an alphanumeric keypad, the DataTraveler allows users to lock the drive with a word or number combination. It also has an auto-lock feature that activates when the drive is removed from the host device. Brute force intrusions are ineffective as the USB drive will delete the encryption key and password after 10 invalid login attempts. The DataTraveler 2000 is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities.

datatraveler2000
kingston
mobilelitewireless


Kingston introduces the SSDNow UV300

415

The SSDNow UV300 series of solid-state drives (SSDs) has just been announced by Kingston. It was built based on the 5 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor, making it suitable for laptops and it comes with spacers for 7mm and 9.5 thickness according to needs. They house an embed TLC NAND flash memory driven by a Phison S10 class processor. The current available capacities are 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB, offering a sequential transfer rate of up to 550 MB/s read and up to 510 MB/s. It has endurances (TBW) rated at 64 TB, 128 TB, and 256 TB for each capacities.

4K random access speeds are rated at about 85,000 IOPS for the 120 GB and 240 GB variants and a 75,000 IOPS for the 480 GB variant. Pricing and availability hasn’t been announced yet as more details will be released soon.

SOURCE:
TechPowerUp

harddrives
kingston
pchardware
ssd
ssdnow
storage
uv300


Kingston IronKey introduces Vault Privacy 50C USB-C flash drive in CES 2023

6.4K

At CES 2023, Kingston IronKey has launched its first USB-C Vault Privacy 50C flash drive, it is a FIPS 197 certified storage device and features XTS-AES 256-bit hardware encrytion for the best data protection against data leaks and hacks.

Available in storage capacities of 8GB – 256GB, the Vault Privacy 50C flash drive has a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface that offers 250MB/s of read and 180MB/s of write speeds for 8GB – 128GB storage models, while topping out at 230MB/s read and 150MB/s write for the 256GB storage model, which is a significant speed boost over its Vault Privacy USB 2.0 drive.

The Vault Privacy 50C features a Multi-Password Option with complex or paraphrase modes that lets users to choose a numeric PIN, sentence with space characters, or list of words so their password is easy to remember ut harder for others to guess. On top of that, the flash drive can also be configured with a read-only mode so no data can be written over it in case of using it on a security compromised device.

Kingston IronKey hasn’t mentioned pricing and availability for the Vault Privacy 50C, but do visit their website for more info if you are interested in getting one.

CES 2023
kingston ironkey
kingston vault privacy 50c


Kingston launches FURY Impact DDR5 SODIMM memory for high performance systems

2K

There’s now even more reason for owning a gaming laptop that runs DDR5 memory, as Kingston has introduced the FURY Impact DDR5 SODIMM memory made for gaming laptops, available in capacities of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB, these memories offer increased efficiency and operates at 1.1V and are 50% faster compared to DDR4 memory.

The FURY Impact DDR5 SODIMM is also available in Intel XMP 3.0 Certified SODIMM kit capacities of up to 64GB, compared to typical DDR5 SODIMM memories, they feature an innovative Plug n Play overclocking technology and on-die ECC, which automatically supports 4800MT/s at lower latencies than standard DDR5-4800 at CL38, offering a needed performance boost in gaming and content creation.

The Kingston FURY Impact DDR5 SODIMM can be purchased at local IT retail stores, or head over
here
 to purchase from Kingston Malaysia’s Lazada store.

kingston
kingston ddr5
kingston fury impact


Kingston launches the CloudX Revolver Gears of War headset

396

With Gears of War 4 coming out soon, it is time for peripheral makers to come out with their own themed gaming gear. Kingston is one such maker, and they have announced the new HyperX CloudX Revolver Gears of War headset.

Co-designed with Microsoft and Gears of War 4 developers The Coalition, the CloudX Revolver Gears of War headset sports a gritty, battle-weathered design that complements the Xbox One S Gears of War Limited Edition Bundle as well as the Xbox One WIreless Controller – Gears of War 4 Crimson Omen Limited Edition. For performance, the headset features studio-grade sound stage that lets you hear you opponent accurately, making it ideal for FPS and open environment gameplay. The headset comes with a 3.5mm (4 Pole) plug , and a 2m PC extention cable with in-line audio controls, allowing you to adjust the volume and mute the microphone without needing to dive into the system’s sound settings. For comfort, the CloudX Revolver Gears of War headset comes with the award-winning HyperX memory foam and a genuine leather headband.

No prices were given for the CloudX Revolver Gears of War headset just yet, but you can expect the headset to come with a two-year warranty as well as HyperX reliability.

cloudxrevolvergearsofwar
gearsofwar4
headphones
hyperx
kingston
microsoft
thecoalition


Kingston launches the HyperX Alloy Mechanical Keyboard in Malaysia

482

Kingston’s HyperX brand is no stranger to gamers considering that the brand has come out with headsets, RAM and more for the gaming market. Now, the brand is getting into the mechanical keyboard market as the company has launched the HyperX Alloy Mechanical Keyboard in the country.

As far as gaming keyboard designs go, the HyperX Alloy employs a pretty standard design, which is a good thing for those who dislike the “gamer aesthetics” that some peripheral manufacturers employ. For switches, the HyperX Alloy comes with Cherry MX Blue switches. The keyboard also includes 100 percent anti-ghosting and full N-Key rollover functionality.

For added flexibility, the HyperX Alloy comes with a USB port located at the back of the keyboard so you can charge a device with it. The WASD and 1234 keys on the HyperX Alloy are also outfitted with red-coloured keys as well as red-coloured backlighting. Finally, the keyboard comes with a detachable braided cord that can be stored inside the included mesh travel pouch. The HyperX Alloy Mechanical Keyboard is now available for RM500.

hyperx
hyperxalloy
kingston
mechanicalkeyboard
peripherals


Kingston launches world’s first Kingston FURY Gaming Lab

3.1K

Kingston FURY, a division of memory maker Kingston Technology, has launched the Kingston FURY Gaming Lab at its APAC office in Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan, it is an experiential zone where visitors can experience the company’s latest innovations in the PC gaming space with real-life applications.

Decorated to show the brand’s rebellious energy, the experiential zone is themed with the brand’s signature colors of fiery red and jet black with signature heat spreaders pattern throughout, complete with flashy and vibrant RGB effects.

The Gaming Lab includes three zones, which are:

Zone A, a DRAM-shaped pillar where visitors participate in an interactive game to understand the type of gamers they are with product solutions recommended to best fit their needs.

Zone B, where Kingston invited the world’s top PC modders to customize three PC builds: FURY Racing Spacecraft, Memory Nexus and FURY Jet Pack. These mods embody the brand’s rebellious spirit and innovative image. Targeted at empowering gamers to achieve more on the battlefields, the three PCs and one laptop displayed in Zone B are equipped with different Kingston FURY products, including DDR5 memory, Renegade PCIe 4.0 SSD and the latest Impact DDR5 SODIMMs for laptops and small form factor machines, covering the needs of mainstream and extreme gamers.

Zone C gives a deeper look into Kingston’s engineering process and its strategic alliance with industry partners that ensure seamless platform compatibility and performance.

Besides, visitors will also get to take a sneak peek of the brand’s newest DDR5 RGB memory that showcases 16 RGB presets that’s controlled by the Kingston FURY CTRL software, which will go on sale in Q2 this year.

At this time of writing, Kingston FURY hasn’t made a statement if they will be expanding its Gaming Lab experiential zone outside of Taiwan, as the country still isn’t open for travelers due to the pandemic, but this is nonetheless a really interesting place to visit if you are keen to check out on how you can take advantage Kingston FURY products for your gaming rig.

Follow Kingston’s social media
here
 for more info.

kingston
kingston fury


Kingston MobileLite Duo 3C Reader Review: Most versatile microSD card reader on the market

474

In this day and age, there are multiple ways for us to move data around, may it be through wires, over-the-air or through a network. However, I believe it’s safe to say that the most confident way that people find transferring data is using a device that could easily read and write data. In addition to that, the world is slowly being introduced to USB Type-C which could possibly replace all this USBs that we have been using over the years and keep one singular port that everyone can play together on. But what about those of you that are stuck in between? Having devices that both support normal USB and USB Type-C could be a hassle as I have experienced first hand with the devices I have at home. Kingston has thought about this and has released the Kingston MobileLite Duo 3C reader which supports the reading and writing of an SD card and allows you to utilize either the USB Type-C port or the USB Type-A port which the device has.

The SD card that I will be using is a Gold Class Kingston microSDXC with read and write speeds of 90MB/s and 45MB/s respectively. Just for the sake of the test, I have done a speed test on the SDcard and found that the speeds match what Kingston has promised as you can see the image below.

Now that we know the SD card is in proper working order lets move back to the reader and take a close look at what Kingston has offered.

As promised here is the USB Type-A port on one end which does support USB 3.1, so that would give us more than enough transfer speeds to test it with the SD card. On the other end is the USB Type-C port for devices that support it. If you look just above it, there is a slot where the microSD card would slot in, allowing both the ports to use it.
First off, I just want to highlight how much I love this design as the form factor makes it look like a pen drive that you can change storage sizes by just swapping out the SD card, and to add to that it protects the USB Type-C port and the SD together when placing on the cap. It’s a unique implementation and I love how easy it is to swap SD cards at any time.

Let’s hook it up to a computer and test out the speeds of the SD card when plugged into the reader. Remember, we want to try to get the speeds based on the image above or at least as close as possible that the difference will not be noticeable.

The reading speeds is great even exceeding what Kingston promised but the writing speeds in about 10MB/s slower than expected which is still not a huge problem but I did like to see the speed to be about 5MB/s indifference but overall making it pretty decent if you are going to write bigger files to it.

Now for the fun part, because it has a USB Type-C port, it should be able to be detected by my phone which has the same port.

As soon as I plugged it in, my phone prompted that there is a USB device connected and allowed me to browse through the contents of the SD card via the reader which Kingston has also mentioned that it should be able to do on a smartphone.

3.1
3c
card
duo
kingston
microsd
mobilelite
reader
review
type-c
usb


Kingston refreshes ‘Canvas’ series memory cards and fast ‘MobileLite Plus’ card readers

390

Kingston has refreshed its ‘Canvas’ series memory cards and have introduced their very first UHS-II memory cards within the Canvas Plus series, these memory cards feature high speed data transfer rates that can be used for DSLRs, 4K/8K video production, Android devices, action cameras and drones.

With the top of the line Canvas React Plus memory cards sporting memory capacities up to 256GB, the SD card model can achieve UHS-II U3 speeds of up to 300MB/s read and 260MB/s write, while the MicroSD card model can achieve speeds of up to 265MB/s read and 165MB/s write.

The Canvas Go! Plus series memory cards feature up to 512GB of memory, where it is ideal for 4K video recording and capturing burst shots with its UHS-I U3 speeds of up to 170MB/s read and 90MB/s write.

The above memory card series will join the Canvas Select! Plus memory cards, which was announced in Q4 2019 and have memory capacities of up to 512GB while offering UHS-I speeds of up to 100MB/s read.

To achieve the maximum data transfer rate of the refreshed Canvas series cards, Kingston has also introduced new MobileLite Plus card readers, which supports UHS-II speeds for file transfers with a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface.

Expect these new Kingston Canvas memory cards to popup in your favorite IT retailers soon.

canvas
canvas go plus
canvas react
canvas select!
kingston


Kingston Releases HyperX Savage DDR4 Memory

431

HyperX is part of Kingston Technology Company and it’s the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the launch of
HyperX
Savage
DDR4
 memory. With its fast speeds and aggressive timings, the
HyperX
Savage
DDR4
 offers an ultra-responsive multitasking, and an overall faster system making it perfect for advanced gamers, overclockers and power users.

The memory features speeds up to 3000 MHz, which give benefit for faster video editing, 3D rendering and gaming. The built-in XMP-ready profiles are optimized for Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, as well as Z170 on 100 Series and X99 chipsets enabling users to easily overclock just by selecting a memory profile without any adjustments in BIOS.

Business Manager HyperX, Lawrence Yang said they are excited to present this new high speed, yet power efficient memory for those gamers and enthusiasts looking to maximize system performance. Plus the
HyperX
Savage
DDR4
 offers consumers standout performance and has asymmetrical die-cast aluminium, low-profile heat spreader and matching black PCB a standout look to upgrade any system.

Available in single modules and kits up to 64GB, Savage DDR4 runs as low as 1.2V and at max 1.35V resulting in less power consumption than DDR3 and higher reliability. However, the pricing and availability for this beast haven’t been unveiled at the moment.

ddr4
hyperx
kingston
memory
pcmasterrace
savage


Kingston releases HyperX Savage Flash Drive

365

Everyone must know the beauty of the Kingston HyperX Savage RAM and SSD that have been released a while ago, but Kingston once again announced the launch of HyperX Savage USB Flash drive that will join the HyperX Savage range of products including DRAM and SSDs, replacing the successful DataTraveler HyperX 3.0. Kingston had made the flash drive to operate at exceptionally fast transfer speeds of up to 350MB/s read and 250MB/s write and is available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities.

The speedy USB 3.1 Gen. 1 (USB 3.0) Flash drive makes it great for users who want to spend less time waiting for files to transfer. HyperX Savage USB drive lets anyone store large digital files like movies, music, and hi-res images, quickly. It features a bold design with its sleek black casing and metallic red HyperX emblem. Users can use it on desktops, notebooks, and gaming consoles such as PS4 and Xbox One.

This will be the fastest USB Flash drive that Kingston ever made because it’s using the advantage of the emerging USB 3.1 Gen.1 standard. It combines the high performance, great looks and aggressive design which make it a perfect solution for PCs and consoles. Besides that, the HyperX Savage USB Flash drive is backed by a five-year warranty, free live technical support and legendary HyperX reliability.

flashdrive
hardware
hyperx
kingston
ram
ssd
storage


Kingston releases the IronKey D300 and IronKey D300 Managed encrypted USB drive

297

Earlier this year,
we’ve reported
 that Kingston intends to produce a line of secure USB flash drives via its acquisition of IronKey. Today, Kingston’s acquisition has borne fruit, as the company has announced that the IronKey D300 and the IronKey D300 Managed has been released to the market.

Both the IronKey D300 and IronKey D300 Managed are highly secure USB flash drives as both devices are FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified, and comes with 256-bit AES hardware encryption in XTS mode. Software isn’t the only thing that is secure as both flash drives sport a zinc casing, is waterproof to 4 feet, and the interior components are encased in a tamper-evident epoxy seal for physical security.

With the IronKey D300, Kingston has employed a digitally signed firmware on the flash drive, making it immune to the BadUSB malware. Complex password protocol with minimum characteristics is enforced to prevent unauthorized access, and encryption and decryption is done on the drive without leaving any traces on the host system. Should someone attempt to brute force the flash drive, the IronKey D300 will automatically lock down reformat itself after 10 invalid password attempts.

For the Ironkey D300 Managed, IronKey EMS by DataLocker is necessary to use the flash drive. IronKey EMS is a flexible management solution that can operated through the cloud or on permise. It also enforces drive-specific policies such as password strength and ret limits, allowing administrators to remotely disable lost or stolen drives, recover lost passwords and more.

Both flash drives are available in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities. The drives themselves are backed with a five-year warranty, as well as free technical support.

d300
d300managed
encryption
ironkey
kingston
security


Kingston releases two management ready, hardware-encrypted USB drives

457

Data leaks have been front and centre in the news as of late, sparking worries from companies that their confidential data may not be secure enough. Kingston is no stranger to the importance of encryption, and as such, they have released two new USB flash drives that are hardware-encrypted and management friendly.

Available in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities, the two new entries into Kingston’s catalogue of encrypted flash drives are the DataTraveler 4000G2 with Management (DT4000G2DM) and the DataTraveler Vault Privacy 3.0 with Management (DTVP30DM). Both USB drives are both 256-bit AES hardware encrypted and FIPS certified. The DT4000G2DM is FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certified while the DTVP30DM is FIPS 197 certified,

The ‘Management’ moniker, on both USB drives means that they can be managed via Safeconsole by DataLocker either remotely or locally. This platform allows the user to enable secure resetting of forgotten passwords, activation of full audit trails, geolocation and geofencing to ensure cross-border compliance, as well as automatic inventory on either flash drives. Should the situation demand it, a ‘remote kill’ feature is also available should the flash drives be lost.

“Our latest encrypted managed USB drives, the recent IronKey acquisition and growing DataLocker partnership all demonstrates Kingston’s commitment to providing the most secure and largest family of encrypted USB solutions on the market,” says Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director of the APAC Region for Kingston.

datatraveler
encryption
flashdrive
kingston
usb


Kingston reveals 'Year of the Monkey' USB drive

336

With Chinese New Year just 2 weeks away, Kingston has announced today that its DataTraveler Chinese Zodiac USB drive is getting a new entry, the ‘Year of the Monkey’ USB drive.

As the name implies, the Year of the Monkey USB drive is a USB flashdrive that features a monkey’s head at the top of the drive. Build with a gold-plated metal casing and durable rubber, the USB drive provides extreme USB 3.1 speeds, allowing you to transfer files at a rapid pace. The Year of the Monkey USB drives comes in a uniquely designed package and a golden medal box.

Capacity-wise, this USB drive comes with 32GB of storage space and is able to support various operating systems such as Windows, OS X, Linux and Chrome OS.

“Our DataTraveler Chinese Zodiac USB drive lineup has been one of the most popular products among collectors over the years. This year, smiley monkey face design stands for ‘Happiness’, ‘Elegance’, and ‘Intelligence’. The harmonious limited edition USB drive aims to bring good luck and a sense of wholeness to complete the year of 2016,” says Nathan Su, Flash Memory Slales Director of the APAC Region for Kingston.

chinesenewyear
kingston
usbdrive
zodiacusbdrive


Kingston Unveils 512 GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-I Memory Cards

420

Kingston is one of the world’s memory products is proud to announced the addition of a 512 GB capacity to its line of Class 10 UHS-I SDHC/SDXC cards. These high-capacity card is ideal for DSLR cameras and HD camcorders as it allows users to record more video and shoot more high-density image files without running out of space.

In addition to storing thousands of photos and hours of video, the card provides speeds of 90 MB/s read and 45 MB/s write. These high speeds support photography in continuous and burst modes, and reduces stutter to ensure video integrity. There will be Class 10 UHS-I SDHC/SDXC cards also allow users to shoot
full
1080p
HD
 video and 3D video as well as transfer files faster. Other than 512 GB capacity, this card also available in 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB.

Besides that, the Kingston card range also includes SDHC/SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3 (U3) with 90 MB/s read and 80 MB/s speeds. It is designed for high-performance 4K camcorders and DSLR and DSLM cameras and is also ideal for action photography, television recordings, and live broadcasts. It available in 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB.

The price and availability of the memory cards haven’t been unveiled at the moment.

4k
card
hdvideo
kingston
memory


Kingston unveils a 2TB flash drive with the DataTraveler Ultimate Generation Terabyte

269

Need a flash drive that has ample amount of space? How about 2TBs worth of storage? If you need such a flash drive, Kingston has got you covered as the company has revealed the DataTraveler Ultimate Generation Terabyte flash drive.

Boasting proudly that it is the world’s largest USB flash drive, the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate Generation Terabyte offers up to 2TB of storage space, allowing you to fit 70 hours of 4K video on a single stick. To facilitate the transfer of files, the flash drive comes with USB 3.1 Gen 1 support for quick file transferring. The ability to store a large amount of files may also lead to complications when the flash drive is damaged. As such, Kingston has designed the DataTraveler Ultimate Generation Terabyte with a zinc-alloy metal casing for shock resistance.

If you’re interested, the DataTraveler Ultimate Generation Terabyte will be available in February in 1TB and 2TB capacities. Both flash drive models will come with a five-year warranty.

datatravelerultimategt
flashdrive
kingston
storage


The Kirin 970 processor from Huawei is rumored to have begun production

293

It looks like Huawei is almost done producing their new edition to the Kirin family processor with the Kirin 970. The Kirin 950 debuted in the Mate 8, the Kirin 960 in the Mate 9 and if they are following the trend, the Kirin 970 will debut in the Mate 10 which is going to launch soon.

A report from Taiwan stated that the commercial production of the new Kirin processor has already started and will be produced by TSMC, the same company that produced the Kirin 960. Rumors also indicate that it might keep its Cortex A73 CPU architecture but with a major focus on the GPU, it is said to feature 12 cores. Huawei plans to position this processor on the same boat as the Exynos 8895 and the Snapdragon 835 and is also built using a 10nm process, similar to Samsung and Qualcomm’s chips. There is also hints that the Kirin 970 will be the first processor that will feature some form of AI which Huawei is already using in their EMUI interface.

Based on the rumours, the Mate 10 will be announced sometime next month and a release in October and will feature a 6-inch Full Active Display.

10
970
huawei
kirin
mate
processor
production
release


Kirin 980 processor will come with a faster GPU than the Snapdragon 845

302

After a long silence and information kept under lock and key, we have information on the upcoming flagship processor from Huawei, the Kirin 980. Based on what we see, it looks like the Snapdragon 845 might be shaking its pins in fear.

This information comes from China, which states that the new Kirin processor comes with a clock speed of 2.8GHz and four Cortex-A77 cores and four Cortex-A55 for reliability. The chip has been confirmed to be built on the 7nm FinFET process and comes with AI chip technology which will make the NPU faster and allows it to perform 5 trillion calculations per watt. HiSilicon, who is making the chips has claimed that the Kirin 980 will be 1.5 times faster than the Adreno 630 which is currently being used by the Snapdragon 845 processor.

Huawei will save the latest Kirin processor for their Mate devices, they unveiled the Kirin 970 processor in their Mate 10 devices and it should not be any different this time around. We expect to see the Kirin 980 processor in the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro which will release towards the end of the year.

980
kirin
processor


Kit — the new Facebook experimental messaging app that only works on the Apple Watch

380

Do you know what Kit stands for? Well, it stands for Keep in Touch and it’s also the name of Facebook’s new app that lets you contact your group of close friends via Apple Watch.

This new app will slightly resemble using iMessage on your Apple Watch, allowing you to send emojis, scribbles, voice recordings with just one tap. This app will be dependent on the Messenger service, but at the same time, it’s also different from the existing Messenger on Apple Watch.

Kit will require you to scan a QR code on your watch or enter an access code before you get to select your list of close friends (from Messenger). Unlike Messenger, this app is meant for you to easily keep in touch with the closer ones. Messenger, on the other hand, allows you to scroll through a tiny screen to reply to everyone on your Messenger.

The Kit app will be an interesting app for you to keep in touch with your loved ones without constantly staring at your smartphone. As of now, the Kit app is only available in China for Apple Watch only, so you won’t be seeing it on other smartwatches just yet.

app store
apple watch
experimental app
facebook
ios
Keep in Touch
kit
messaging app
messenger


Kita Jaga Malaysia Web App now online: Request or provide help digitally

4.1K

The #benderaputih (white flag) campaign was introduced recently as a way for struggling folk to request aid, anonymously, during this EMCO; to complement the initiative is
Kita Jaga Malaysia

web app that lets users get assistance digitally.

Created by the local developers

Terato Tech
, the service allows users to signal for or to provide help and information by pinpointing their own location, or the location of food banks on a digital map.

Different types of requests are indicated by their designated icons – and distress calls are marked in red circles surrounding a white flag. These requests are filled with information such as the user’s name, address, and needs.

From there, you can share the distress call with your peers, or have the location open up in your Google Maps app.

We think this is great way to reach out or to provide help during these trying times – if you or anyone you know needs help; or if you’re able to provide assistance, you can visit the web app

here
 to put out your signal.

bendera putih
benderaputih
emco
emco malaysia
kita jaga malaysia
white flag


KKMM launches affordable Pakej Remaja and Peranti Keluarga internet plans for low-income Malaysians

903

The Malaysian Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM) is working with local telcos to
offer

two new affordable internet access plans for university students and low-income families. The initiative is meant to
 allow more Malaysians to receive accessible means of connecting to the internet.

Tan Sri Annuar Musa (Minister of Communications and Multimedia)

The plan starts at RM30 for three months with the
Pakej Remaja Keluarga
– this offers a 20GB data allocation. It needs to be noted that this allocation can only be used for the purpose of media consumption (downloading and streaming videos); users also get 1GB extra on a daily basis for “productivity activities” such as messaging, and internet browsing.

Another plan comes in the form of the
Pakej Peranti Keluarga
 Malaysia that allows families to buy up to two smartphones through 12- or 24-month instalments, priced from RM40/month. These devices are 4G and VoLTE capable. The plan also gives users the same 1GB of productivity data mentioned earlier.

The registration for these plans opens this October 15 and ends 15 April next year. Visit KKMM’s Facebook page here for more updates regarding this initiative.

KKMM
Pakej Peranti Keluarga Malaysia
pakej remaja keluarga malaysia
telco


KLGadgetGuy Holiday Gift Guide for 2022: Apple Fan Edition

5K

Do you know an Apple fan or you are one yourself? There’s no better time to shop some great Apple products and accessories in this season of giving, be it a new case for your iPhone or a great sounding pair of wireless headphones, here are a list of gadgets that we recommend for the Apple fan.

AirPods (3rd Generation)

The AirPods 3rd Generation is a great sounding pair of wireless earbuds if you don’t require active noise cancellation, it has excellent sound quality and is the only pair of wireless earbuds that gets Spatial Audio right, it can also take on the gym well with a tighter fit than its predecessor and is sweat and water.

Also, Apple offers free laser engraving on the case if you purchase direct from their online store, which you can choose to have names or emojis to be engraved to make it truly yours.

AirPods 3rd Generation starts at RM829 and can be purchased officially from
Apple
.

AceFast E9 3-in-1 Desktop Charger

For just under RM200, this desktop charger juices up your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time, it even offers an additional USB port that fast charges other devices you may have, not to mention that it has an LED light that can be extremely useful as a bedside lamp, this is a charging accessory that Apple should have made.

Get the AceFast E9 3-in-1 Desktop Charger from
Good Deals by KLGG
 for RM199.

AceFast E2 Magnetic Cooler and Charger

MagSafe charging is useful but isn’t perfect as it can heat up your iPhone and harm your battery, but all thanks to this RM169 accessory from AceFast, it charges and cools down your iPhone at the same time as it attaches magnetically to the back just like a regular MagSafe charger.

As a bonus, the AceFast E2 is powered by a USB-C cable so there’s no need to hunt for Lightning cables when you don’t have access to one.

Get the AceFast E2 Magnetic Cooler and Charger for RM169 at
Good Deals by KLGG
.

AirTag

The AirTag is perhaps the most no-brainer Apple accessory if you are someone forgetful of where you put your belongings, this excellent tracker from Apple uses the Find My network to locate your item, so even if when you are far away from it, nearby Apple devices might just be able to help tell you where you misplace it.

Best of all, you can make an AirTag truly yours with Apple’s free engraving service if you buy direct from
Apple
, it retails from RM139.

Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 8

No Apple fan would deny a great speaker like the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 8, it sits elegantly in any room space and plays room filling sound, while it offers the versatility to play music anywhere with a built-in battery that offers 8-bours of play time.

The Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 8 can be purchased for RM1,299 at
Good Deals by KLGG
.

UGREEN 100W 4 Port GaN Charger

Just got an iPhone or MacBook? Don’t just settle for its default charger and get this one, the UGREEN 100W 4 Port GaN charger offers three USB-C ports and one USB-A port that delivers a total power of 100W, which means you get to charge your iPhone and MacBook at the same time with just one charger.

The UGREEN 100W 4 Port Charger is usually on sale for less than RM200 and can be purchased
here
.

Apple TV 4K

Even if you already have a Smart TV at home, the Apple TV 4K will make your smart TV a much better device with a newly upgraded A15 Bionic chip that also powers the iPhone 14, enjoy streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Apple TV+, play high quality games on Apple Arcade, burn some calories on Apple Fitness+ with guided exercises from certified trainers, and make it the hub of your smart home devices, the Apple TV 4K is an excellent choice as a gift from RM699.

Get it
here
.

acefast
AirTag
apple
apple tv 4k
harman kardon onyx studio 8
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Pro
macbook air
UGREEN


KLGadgetGuy Holiday Gift Guide for 2022: Smartphone Edition

9.9K

It has been an interesting 2022 for smartphones, we have been spoilt with so many choices and seeing at least two new models every month. As we celebrate the holidays and end the year with a bang, there’s no better time to look into this year’s smartphones as many of them have received discounts off their usual prices, so here’s our holiday gift guide on a list of smartphones to reward yourself or gift to your friends and family.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Although Samsung’s latest foldables are rather enticing, there’s no denying that the Galaxy S22 Ultra is still one of the best flagship Android phones in the market if you prefer a more conventional form factor, it offers a stellar quad camera system that not many can match with, a built-in S Pen for drawing art and scribbling notes, and a 5000mAh battery that supports 45W fast charging.

At this time of writing, the Galaxy S22 Ultra can be had for as low as RM4549 for the 8GB RAM+128GB storage variant, but we highly recommend getting the 256GB storage model if you can.

Get the Galaxy S22 Ultra
here
 on Lazada. Alternatively, you can trade in an old phone at Samsung.com to enjoy an additional RM600 rebate off the phone.

Xiaomi 12T Pro

With a 200MP imaging system, the Xiaomi 12T Pro is an excellent travel camera phone as I have detailed in
this recent write up
, it also has ample power for games with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor and a 5000mAh battery with 120W fast charging support for a heavy workday. On top of that, the Xiaomi 12T Pro comes with harman/kardon tuned stereo speakers and a 6.67-inch 1220p CrystalRes AMOLED display, which is something hard to come by for under RM3,000.

Head
here
 to purchase the Xiaomi 12T Pro.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4

Samsung made quite a statement with the Z Flip4 this year, although it looks very similar to its predecessor, it has a slimmer hinge that makes it lighter to carry and Samsung even managed to fit in a larger 3700mAh battery, the Z Flip 4 also gains 25W fast charging and is powered by the more efficient Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, it still retains a dual 12MP camera setup which works very well for taking travelling shots.

Head
here
 to purchase the Galaxy Z Flip4.

ASUS ROG Phone 6 and 6D

Want more oomph for gaming on your smartphone? The ASUS ROG Phone 6 and 6D are great choices to consider as they are equipped with the powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ chipsets respectively, they have super responsive 165Hz displays, air gaming triggers, large 6000mAh batteries that easily lasts two days of regular use, and if you pick up their respective Ultimate editions, you get a cool LED display that you can customize to your liking.

The ROG Phone 6 can be purchase for as low as RM3,325
here
, and the ROG Phone 6D can be purchased for as low as RM3,089
here
.

POCO F4 GT

The ROG Phone 6 might be a little expensive for some, which is why we have hero devices like the POCO F4 GT, which is still quite a powerhouse for under RM2,000 and is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, you get a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, stereo speakers, 120W fast charging and physical game triggers that can do better at gaming than the ROG Phone 6’s air triggers.

The POCO F4 GT can be had for as low as RM1,999, click
here
 to purchase.

Samsung Galaxy A73 5G

The Galaxy A73 5G ticks pretty much all the boxes of being a great sub RM2000 smartphone, it is very unfair to call it a mid-range device, because it has some hallmarks of a flagship phone, such as IP67 water and dust resistance, 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, dual stereo speakers, 108MP main camera with OIS, 5000mAh battery with 25W fast charging and a snappy Snapdragon 778G processor that can take on demanding Android game titles.

On top of that, it is available in very refreshing colors of Awesome Gray, Awesome Mint and Awesome White, it can be purchased for as low as RM1,869
here
.

Honor 70

With licensed Google Mobile Services preinstalled, the Honor 70 is one of the most stylish Android phones that performs well and takes excellent pictures with its 54MP Sony IMX800 sensor, it has a beautiful curve 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, a 4800mAh battery with 66W fast charging and is powered by the Snapdragon 778G+ processor.

Head
here
 to purchase the Honor 70.

iPhone 14 Pro

An iPhone can never go wrong as a gift. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max makes an excellent gift as it is the best iPhone ever produced by Apple, equipped with the power efficient yet speedy A16 Bionic chip and an all-new camera system, the iPhone 14 Pro delivers a refreshing user experience with the Dynamic Island, which works as a status bar for music, timers and more.

Head
here
 to purchase the iPhone 14 Pro, and
here
 to purchase the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G

If you are looking to experience 5G without breaking the bank and not wanting to miss out on features, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is a killer mid-range phone that challenges expensive flagship phones, it has a 6.67-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED display, dual stereo speakers, 108MP camera, 5000mAh battery with 67W fast charging and powered by an efficient Snapdragon 695 processor.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G can be purchased for as low as RM1,199
here
.

Infinix Hot 20

Just like its name, the Infinix Hot 20 is a truly ‘hot’ phone for what it brings to the table. At just RM599, this entry-level phone offers a large 6.81-inch display that refreshes at 90Hz, dual stereo speakers, an excellent 50MP main camera, a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging and a rather powerful Mediatek Helio G85 processor mated to 6GB RAM and 128GB of expandable storage.

The Infinix Hot 20 can be purchased
here
.

asus
holiday gift guide
infinix hot 20
iPhone 14 Pro
poco
POCO F4 GT
rog phone 6
s22 ultra
samsung


Knightsbridge Resources and U Mobile joins forces to bring TraqKid, a child tracking service using SIM cards

341

Ever had the fear that your child might go missing when bringing them to a crowded area? Knightsbridge Resources and UMobile has the solution in the form of a service called TraqKid, Malaysia’s first mobile-based child tracking kit that can update parents on their child’s whereabouts and even seek emergency assistance from TraqKid’s call centre and responders from Community Policing Malaysia should the need arise. This service is made possible thanks to UMobile’s SIM-based location technology which is enabled in the SIM card.

Kuan Chee Heng, Chairman of Knightsbridge Resources and Founder/CEO of Community Policing Malaysia mentioned that what sets TraqKid apart from other child-tracking solutions is the fact that there is no need to use external devices, due to the use of the SIM-based location technology that is already embedded into UMobile SIM cards. The service also comes with an app that will give the parents details on their child and there are options there to send a request in if any issue arises.

TraqKid is now available for pre-order starting today, it is a subscription-based service that will cost RM58 a month with an upfront payment of RM36 for Personal Accident Insurance. For more information on this service visit
TraqKid’s official website.

based
child
knightsbridge
location
sim card
solution
tracking
traqkid
umobile


Kodak launches its own smartphone with 21MP camera

359

Kodak is definitely a familiar name when it comes to photography. The company has recently revived itself out of bankruptcy and is now ready to take on the world again. This time, Kodak is testing out the smartphone market, and with that it has launched an Android smartphone named Ektra.

Of course, a Kodak smartphone wouldn’t be a Kodak smartphone without its focus on the camera optics department. The Ektra’s rear camera is a 21MP PDAF sensor with OIS and an aperture of f/2.0. The camera app features a DSLR like design, with presets such as Auto, HDR, Panorama, Sports and Macro, just to name a few. These presets are on a DSLR-esque dial on the screen of the camera app and happens to have haptic feedback when you turn the virtual dial. Manual mode gives users more liberty to tweak the camera settings such as ISO and shutter speed. Coupled with the rear camera is a 13MP selfie camera on the front, completing the banging camera package. The Ektra also has a dedicated camera shutter button for taking pictures.

The rest of the Ektra’s specs include a 5-inch Full HD screen with Gorilla Glass protection, a MediaTek Helio X20 processor underneath the hood with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage via the micro SD card slot. The Ektra sports a 3,000mAh battery, a USB Type-C port and will run Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.

The Ektra’s design is very much like that of a camera. To finish up the camera look, Kodak has a range of real leather cases for the Ektra, making them look like vintage camera bags. The Ektra will be available in Europe this December for $550 (RM2,299.36). What are your thoughts on Kodak’s attempt on a smartphone?

Source:
GizmoChina

21mp
android
camera
dslr
ektra
kodak
smartphone


Kogan Atlas x1510: Unboxing and First Impressions

551

Kogan is a company that produces hardware and peripherals based in Australia and is “100% Australian Owned”, as stated in their website (
here
). The company is founded by Ruslan Kogan in 2006 and has its HQ based in Melbourne, while they also serve their products in the United Kingdoms. They mainly deal via online retail and is currently the largest online department store in Australia, selling nearly tens of thousands of products through its online Direct-to-Consumer model. They are a rapidly growing and while serving other devices such as the
Apple iPhone
, Samsung smartphones and even DSLRs they have their own home cooked brand of Kogan brand devices, such as the Agora 4G.

We have the
Kogan Atlas x1510
 which was sent to us for review, and we couldn’t wait to get it out of the box.

Out of the box, Kogan includes the Atlas x1510 unit itself as well as the 32Wh battery that promises to give 9 hours of battery life, warranty card, wall plug and the power brick. The laptop came with the battery pack and the unit disconnected from each other and installing it was a little finicky cause you had to slot the battery into these really hard to see rails.

The unit has a very nice metallic finish on the top and the plastic finish you usually find on the bottom of any laptop. The panel on the back is totally removable, if you need to clean out the intake fans and bottom also features the
SD card
 slot as well as the stereo speakers.

The
SD card
 slot is tucked under the front of the laptop which I think is a very nice place to put it as well as the status indicator lights for the laptop.

On the right, we have two audio jacks — one for input and one for stereo output and two USB2.0 ports.

On the left, we have one USB3.0 port, another USB2.0 port, a HDMI port, the fan exhaust, a VGA port, the Ethernet port and the power socket. Really good for an entry-level laptop.

This laptop is really light and really slim, and with a promise of up to 9 hours battery, I can see why it’s sold out on the Kogan
website
. The keyboard doesn’t give me a lot of confidence and the corners holding the keyboard in place can be flexed inwards. The tracking on the touch pad is really terrible but can be easily overlooked with a mouse. The hinge on the screen is tight at one angle and then loose on the next, so just bear in mind it’ll stay in place if you’re using it like a normal person would. The power button sinks inwards when you click it. The screen is nice and bright, it’s pleasant to look at and has a very nice dim level if you want to use this in the dark. The fan and hard disk noise were non-existent when I was using it but we’ll see after I run some bench marking software on it. The outer shell of the laptop feels really well built and the finish on this sleek machine is very nice. It did not have any problems running Windows 8.1 and at $329(AUD), this would be a great laptop for work or study.

There’ll be more on this laptop for those of you who are interested when my full review comes out. Stay tuned!


KONE brings connected DX Class Elevators to Malaysian buildings

2.3K

KONE has introduced its latest DX Class elevators to Malaysian buildings, these elevators aim to offer a digitally connected experience to customers with integrations to various smart solutions and services. DX Class elevators can be experienced in several notable buildings in Malaysia, such as Menara Binjai, Maxis Tower, TRX Residence and the upcoming Merdeka 118 skyscraper.

KONE has shared several use cases that the DX Class elevators can do, such as integrating with a room service robot in a hotel that communicates with the lift to reach the guest’s floor and room, and home owners being able to schedule the time their visitors arrive with their smartphones and have the lift reach the floor upon their arrival.

With its smart connectivity features, KONE DX Class elevators allow customers to tailor and plugin additional software and services throughout the ownership, the company also offers an open API that allows any third party solutions to be integrated with their elevators, which can potentially realise multisensory experiences in the elevator by combining physical hardware and digital services.

Furthermore, the DX Class elevators come with KONE’s 24/7 Connected Services that uses data from the cloud to provide predictive maintenance, which can identify potential problems and allow customers to quickly take action to prevent breakdowns.

KONE Malaysia aims to bring its DX Class elevators to more smart buildings in Malaysia and welcomes more partner integrations to create a safe and smart elevator experience, visit
here
 to find out more about the KONE DX Class elevators.

DX Class
elevators
KONE


Korean company shows of pads that can emulate heat, cold and pain for VR

320

Companies are always in the race to make the most realistic VR or AR tech, from companies like HTC and Oculus currently in the lead and more companies coming out every day. TEGway, a spin-off of the Korea Advance Institue of Science and Technology has created what they are calling TED, short for Thermo-Electric Device. This device can simulate heat and cold on the grips of a device, with temperatures ranging from 4 degrees to 40 degrees. It can even emulate pain by releasing heat and cold at the same time, giving a pinching sensation.

An example of real world application is, wrapping TED around the HTC Vive controllers and a video was played showing a man diving into cold water, deeper the man went, the colder the controller got and as he surfaced the temperature of the controllers went back up. As for the pain example, the writer from Engadget mentions that he could feel the controller getting hot and cold at the same time and seconds later he felt the pain, dropping the controllers immediately. It is unsure how much pain he felt but he said that it felt like a bug poked its head out to bite him.

TEGway objective is to integrate their technology with VR controllers and suits to give a more immersive experience and make the players feel like they are in a real life situation, instilling the fear of getting hurt in the game.

ar
cold
emulate
gaming
heat
korean
pain
vr


KTC introduces the thinnest 101P51C Android tablet at 5.9mm

313

Once the world’s thinnest
tablet
 has been announced in the tech world, there will be one underdog company that will try to introduce an even slimmer tablet than the world’s thinnest
tablet
. That’s what KTC, a Chinese electronics manufacturer is doing here, the company has just introduced probably the world’s thinnest Android tablet ever at 5.9mm, 0.2mm difference from the recently announced iPad Air 2.

The KTC 101P51C is a 10.1-inch
tablet
 and uses Samsung’s PLS display technology to achieve that slim body, hardware specs isn’t powerful on tablet, its display has the common 1280 x 800 resolution that you’ll find on most mid-range Android
tablet
s, processing power is done by Mediatek’s MT8382 quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM, it has 16GB of built-in storage with MicroSD expansion, a 5 Megapixel main camera and 2 Megapixel front facing shooter, a 7000mAh non-removable battery. Best of all, the
tablet
 will come ship with Android 4.4.2 KitKat and supports 3G networks.

KTC provides customization service on the KTC 101P51C to business customers, the tablet however isn’t available in the Malaysian market, but do head on over to the source link down below to check out the tablet, the company seems to take back to back orders though and we believe the device shouldn’t cost much.

Source:
KTC


KWSP has revamped their EPF i-Akaun with a simple minimalist design

1.1K

KWSP has just revamped their EPF i-Akaun on Android and iOS bringing the app to the modern day design. The app now comes with a clean white background and the content is organized cleanly.

The app is free to use for all KWSP members and they will simply need to log in with their ID and password that the KWSP office gives them. In the App, users will be able to check their account balance and it will even break down the interest rate or show you the balance of all your accounts you have under them. Other than that, you are able to see the contribution that comes in every month from your employers.

The revamped app is now available in the Play Store and App Store depending on which device you own. If you have an EPF account, its good to have this app to keep track of your finances.

android
epf
i-akaun
ios
kwsp


Kyocera TORQUE G02 rugged smartphone lets you use under seawater without a case

318

Kyocera smartphones are quite a hit in its homeland and the U.S, the company’s rugged smartphones are undoubtedly one of the best in the market that money can buy and Japanese customers will now be able to own the TORQUE G02 rugged smartphone which Kyocera claims to be able to submerge in saltish sea water of up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes.

Submerging an electronical device in the sea is no real joke, despite some phones being IP67 water and dust resistant, not many of them are able to get in contact with salt sea water, which will eventually cause corrosion to the phone’s parts and users will need to resort to an external
case
 to avoid that. The TORQUE G02 doesn’t require a
case
 to go under the sea, sporting a rugged chassis that is certified to MIL-STD-810G military standards and have went through Kyocera’s proprietary tests that ensures durability under water, Kyocera also ships the handset with sensor-based apps useful for ocean or mountain settings.

In technicality, the TORQUE G02 is expected to sport a dated but still decent
Snapdragon 400
 quad-core processor with 2GB RAM, it has 16GB built-in storage expandable via MicroSD card, a 4.7-inch IGZO HD display, a 13-megapixel main camera and 5-megapixel front camera, and a decently huge 2910mAh battery. Surprisingly, the phone sports WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, 4G LTE connectivity and gets Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box, which is pretty rare for mid-range rugged devices.

If you ever want to get it as your diving partner, the Kyocera TORQUE G02 is sadly on available for the Japanese market and exclusive to KDDI, release dates are still unknown but we can assume Kyocera to release this phone in the next quarter. If you happen to be in Japan, you could probably keep tabs on this device when the time comes.

Image Credit: House of Japan


Lamborghini launched an Italian leather Alpha-One Android smartphone

382

Lamborghini, a company that you know has been creating some of the most beautiful and fast super cars is now moving in a very different direction. They have just released the Alpha-One Android smartphone.

The phone, unlike their cars, is pretty basic, it comes with a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED screen, a single 20MP camera, Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. The stereo speakers are a little less basic, it comes with a dedicated DAC and AMP with the Dolby Atmos audio system. A 3,250mAH battery is powering the device that will support QuickCharge 3.0, but the charger is not provided with the phone. On the aesthetics of the phone, it does come with a nice Italian leather back and liquid metal for the side frame, an Italian leather case is also provided with the phone.

For those of you that feel like you have seen the phone before, it is actually a rebranded ZTE Axon 7 phone which comes with the same specs and overall design. The Alpha-one will cost $2,450, a $2,050 increase in price from the regular Axon 7 phone.

alpha-one
android
axon 7
italian
lamborghini
leather
phone


Lamborghini Urus embarks on Malaysian journey, estimated RM1 million

712

The marvelous creation of Lamborghini Urus made its debut appearance at the Alya Sime Darby showroom yesterday, and it really stayed true to its multi-faceted personality that it brings about. It’s touted as the first Super SUV that Lamborghini has ever launched and it’s going to be an ultimate game changer, by incorporating luxury and super sports car dynamism elements.

The new Urus sports a new front-mounted, 4.0 litre petrol V8 twin-turbo aluminium engine with 650 hp at 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 850 Nm at 2,250-4,500 rpm, which reflects the desired range of the SUV in providing optimal engine efficiency. While the twin-scroll turbochargers run in parallel and helps to reduce turbo lag, in ensuring maximum torque and smooth provision of power throughout the whole ride.

In terms of the exterior design, it reminisces elements from the Miura and Aventador, but still adopts the two-thirds body, one-third window ratio of Lamborghini super sports cars, hence, keeping it true to their design heritage. It has a distinctive single-line silhouette which features a dynamic coupé-style fly line, and the rear of Urus sports the complex, typical lines of the Lamborghini, therefore, reinforcing a broad and strong character of the car.

The interior of the Urus echoes that of individuality with a luxurious finish and super sports car seat positions that are firmly integrated within the cabin, keeping the cockpit easily reachable for the driver and passengers. Apart from the hexagonal theme being embodied throughout the interior, a multi-function, three-spoke steering wheel also incorporates a vibration damper that enhances the comfort during any driving conditions.

Prices for the Lamborghini Urus are currently estimated to be in the region of RM1 million, and this is before options, taxes and on-road costs, according to Lamborghini distributor JH Italia.

lamborghini
lamborghini urus
luxury suv
super sports car
super suv
suv


Lance Armstrong’s ex-team banned

269

Yasiel Puig is still acclimatising to everyday life in the US, while dealing wit from sport for their involvement in doping, the United States Anti-Doping Agency confirmed on Tuesday.

Bruyneel was banned for 10 years, while Celaya and Marti were given eight-year bans after the decision by the American Arbitration Association North American court of arbitration for sport, Usada said in a statement. The trio all worked for Armstrong’s US Postal Service team, which changed its name to Discovery Channel after a change of sponsors in 2005, and opted for arbitration when the charges were originally levelled against them in June 2012.

“The evidence establishes conclusively that Mr Bruyneel was at the apex of a conspiracy to commit widespread doping on the USPS and Discovery Channel teams spanning many years and many riders,” said Usada in a statement. “Similarly, Dr Celaya and Mr Marti were part of, or at least allowed themselves to be used as instruments of, that conspiracy.”

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and given a lifetime ban for doping in 2012, finally admitting his use of banned substances in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey in January 2013. Two other doctors connected to the American’s team, the Spaniard Luis García del Moral and the Italian Michele Ferrari, were handed lifetime bans from professional sport by Usada in July 2012.

Usada’s 2012 report said the USPS team had run “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme the sport has ever seen”.


Land Rover introduces 5th Gen Range Rover L460, prices start at RM2.488M

5.1K

Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia has unveiled the 5th Generation Range Rover L460, it continues to offer the very best of a luxury SUV while sparing no compromises in design and performance.

Built on the automaker’s all-new flexible Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA-Flex), the Range Rover L460 features a distinctive design that sees a strong sculpted body with flush elements, complete with the first of its kind hidden-until-lit tail lamps that lights up in a sequential manner when you step on the brakes, it certainly looks like a car that’s years ahead of its time.

Under the hood, the Range Rover L460 is powered by a 4.4-litre V8 engine that produces 530PS and 730Nm, it is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with twin-speed transmission for better low-speed control in off-road situations, while despite its huge sized body, this gentlemen could do 0-100KM in a mere 4.6 seconds.

Inside the Range Rover L460, you get a spacious 5-seat configuration with semi-aniline leather seat upholstery, while the tech side of things will definitely make the geeky rich man impressed, you get a 13.1-inch curved floating glass touchscreen that’s equipped with the Pivi Pro infotainment system and a 1600W Meridian sound system, a 13.7-inch interactive driver display, two 11.4-inch high-definition screens that receives two HDMI inputs and supports wireless mirroring, and most impressively, an in-cabin Active Noise Cancellation feature that uses the car’s accelerometers and microphones outside of the vehicle to cancel outside noise and vibration through the sound system.

Safety features of the Range Rover L460 are top notch as well, which includes a ClearSight Ground View with a 3D Surround Camera to enable drivers to effectively see ‘through the bonnet’ with maneuvering lights to assist drivers in tight spots, a next-gen Electronic Air Suspension to automatically lower the ride height when cruising above 105km/h, and standard all-wheel steering with a tight turning circle kerb-to-kerb of less than 11m.

The Range Rover L460 is now available at a starting price of RM1,268,000 for duty-free, while you will need to pay more than double the price at RM2,488,000 that includes duty, customers will of course have a range of customizations including a Rear Seat Entertainment package, trim finishes, upholstery colors and 23-inch wheels, the vehicle is covered by a five-year warranty, five years of free service and three years of roadside assistance.

Visit
Land Rover Malaysia’s website
 to learn more.

jaguar land rover malaysia
land rover malaysia
range rover l460
suv


Land Rover introduces the rugged Explore smartphone, comes with a 4,000mAh battery and mod Packs

348

Another vehicle manufacturer is trying to enter the smartphone market and this time it is Land Rover with the introduction of the Explore. Being a company that produces strong cars that can really take a beating, the Explore is no different as it comes with IP68 dust and water resistant and can withstand drops to almost six feet with a factory-fitted screen protector.

Land Rover has claimed that the phone can be used with gloves or wet fingers and it will still function when submerged in fresh or salt water. Other than that, it is running on Android Nougat and Land Rover has added their own software which will give you quick access to the SOS light, sensor data and information on wind, tide, company and weather.

It can even produce information on off-road topographical maps from ViewRanger. The Explore comes equipped with a 5-inch FHD display, 16MP rear camera, Helio X27 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. Powering the device is a 4,000mAh battery that Land Rover has claimed, can last for two days of regular use.

Similar to the Motorola Z-series, it has pins on the back for you to attach different Packs as they are calling it. The Explore comes with an Adventure Pack which gives you a 3,600mAh battery and a 22mm ceramic patch GPS antenna which will disable the phone’s GPS antenna and use the Pack’s antenna.

Other than that, there are also packs available separately like the Bike Pack which allows you to mount the phone on your bike, and a Battery Pack which adds a 4,370mAh battery. Both the Adventure and Battery Pack are IP68 certified and can withstand up to six-foot drops. The Explore will cost $800 which is not really affordable seeing the specs it brings, but if you are a 4×4 junky, then the Explore is a phone that you might want to invest in.

adventure
explore
land
packs
rover
rugged
smartphone


Best laptops with Full HD display and SSD for under RM2000 in 2020

4.5K

It’s time to upgrade your old and beaten laptop, especially at this point of time where a laptop has become more important than ever for working from home, but this doesn’t mean you will want to splurge much cash on one, which is why we have taken effort to scout for the best laptops with Full HD displays and solid state drives for under RM2000 from various brands.

Having a Full HD display on a laptop is crucial and can help soothe your eyesight as you work for long durations, while a SSD is at least 10 times faster than a mechanical hard drive so that you can get work done faster.

Acer

Acer Swift 3
 (Available on Lazada, tracked at RM1869)

The Swift 3 is a sleek 14-inch laptop and features an all metal body weighing at 1.5kg. Powered by the second generation AMD Ryzen 5-3500U APU, this configuration comes with 4GB of RAM and 256GB PCIe SSD, which you should be able to upgrade on your own at a later time.

I/Os are excellent as it has two standard USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one standard USB 2.0, one USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 and a SD card slot. On top of that, it offers a backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader, which is something that you don’t really get on laptops under RM2000.

Link

Acer Swift 1
 (RM1689, tracked at Lazada)

The Swift 1 may seem like an underpowered machine with an Intel Pentium Silver processor, but in real life it is sufficient for writing that lenghty e-mail, processing a few thousand cells in an Excel spreadsheet and binge watch that latest Netflix originals.

What you will be impressed with is the 1.3kg weight and excellent all metal build quality, this 14-inch workhorse comes with 4GB RAM and 256GB SSD, a standard sized SD card reader, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB-C 3.0 port, and one USB 2.0 port. That’s not all, it has an impressive battery life of up to 17 hours and a fingerprint reader for security convenience.

Only problem here is that you won’t be able to upgrade its RAM, so do take note on that.

Link

ASUS

ASUS VivoBook A512D
 (RM1999, tracked at Lazada)

The VivoBook A512D is probably the best 15-inch laptop we have tracked for under RM2000, it is plenty powerful for work and play with a AMD Ryzen 5-3500U processor, there’s a fast 512GB PCIe Gen 3×2 storage, 4GB of onboard DDR4-2400MHz RAM which you can expand with one additional SO-DIMM slot of up to 12GB (it should technically accept a 16GB SODIMM), and a Full HD IPS panel.

In terms of size, the VivoBook A512D feels like a 14-inch laptop due to its slim bezels and it has an ErgoLift hinge that tilts the keyboard area for a better typing experience, all of these goodies are packed into a 1.7kg chassis.

Link

HP

HP 14s-dq1030tu
 (RM1749, tracked at Lazada)

The HP 14s is a beautiful 14-inch laptop with a Full HD screen powered by Intel’s 10th Gen Ice Lake processor, this particular model has the Core i3-1005G1 processor mated to 4GB of DDR4-2666MHz RAM, HP is also including a 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD that should exceed over 1GB/s of transfer speed.

Weighing a mere 1.46kg and meausring 1.79cm in depth, the HP 14s isn’t stingy on ports as it has two standard USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 that only supports data transfer, a full-sized HDMI 1.4 port and a standard sized SD card reader, a fingerprint reader is present to log you into Windows securely.

HP 15s-eq0068au
 (RM1899, tracked at Shopee)

Want a bigger screen and better processor, the HP 15s take things up a notch with a Ryzen 5 3500U processor mated to 4GB DDR4-2400 RAM and 512GB of PCIe NVMe storage. Storage and RAM is self-upgradeable if you need to do it at a later time.

Weighing 1.7kg, the HP 15s is considerably easy to transport around and you have the same amount of ports selection as its 14-inch sibling, while you get a fingerprint reader that logs you into Windows securely.

Link

Dell

Dell Inspiron 14 (3493)
 and
Inspiron 15 (3593)
 (RM1849, tracked at Dell.com)

It certainly isn’t easy to track a Dell laptop with a decent screen for under RM2000, but the Dell Inspiron 14 and 15 3000 series meet our criteria depending on the screen size you want. Powered by Intel’s Core i3-1005G1 processor mated to 4GB DDR4-2666MHz RAM (upgradeable to 8GB) and 256GB of PCIe NVMe SSD, the new Inspiron 3000 series comes in color optionns of Platinum Silver and Sparkling White.

If you are someone who has slippery hands, consider opting Dell’s Premium support with Accidental Damage warranty coverage that starts from an additional RM83, still below the budget.

Link (Inspiron 14 3493)
,
Link (Inspiron 15 3593)

Lenovo

Lenovo IdeaPad L3
 (from RM1369, tracked at Lenovo.com)

Now, this is an interesting model from Lenovo as it allows you to spec it up to the way you want. The IdeaPad L3 is a 15-inch laptop that can be configured with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-10510U processor, it features a Dolby Audio speaker system, a HD webcam with a privacy shutter and up to 11 hours of battery life.

Our suggestion for getting it below RM2000 is to opt for the Intel Core i3-10110U procesor, add 4GB of additional RAM, unselect the mechanical hard drive and replace it with a 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, opt for a 15-inch 250nits Full HD display, a 720p webcam, which will set you back at RM1945.77 at this time of writing.

Link

Lenovo IdeaPad S340
 (RM1999, tracked at Shopee)

Powered by a Ryzen 5-3500U processor, the IdeaPad S340 screams value as it comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD display, a HD webcam with a privacy shutter, a Dolby Audio sound system and an abundance of storage – a 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD.

At this time of writing, the IdeaPad S340 comes pre-installed with a licensed version of Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019, color options include Platinum Grey and Abyssus Blue.

Link

Other Brands

AVITA Pura 14″ AMD
 (RM1180, tracked at Nextsmall)

AVITA is a fairly new brand in the Malaysian market, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t putting up a fight on the entry-level laptop market. In the case of the AVITA Pura, you are getting an all metal chassis with a 1.2kg weight, an AMD A9-9420E APU, a 14-inch Full HD display, 4GB DDR4 RAM and 128GB SSD, which isn’t something you can get from more established brands.

Don’t expect the AMD A9 APU to perform wonders, but it should suffice for office work, web browsing and probably manage DOTA 2.

Link

acer
asus
avita
best laptops
best laptops under rm2000
dell
laptops under rm2000
lenovo


Last call to signup for Webe’s RM79 plan before its removed on 12 January 2018

310

Recently we reported that Webe is merging with Unify to form one telco and Internet service provider and recently they updated their website to inform everyone that 12 January they will close signups for both Webe Mobile and Webe Broadband plans.

As we mentioned before, they will still allow existing Webe customers to enjoy the attractive plans from both services, the update acts as a last call for those of you that want to enjoy their RM79 per-month plan which gives you free calls to all network and unlimited quota for data. For those of you that are porting into Webe and still have not received an update will still be able to reapply up until 26 January 2018.

After the 12th, Webe will have merged with Unifi and there is no way for you to signup for any Webe packages so if you want to enjoy paying RM79 for unlimited calls and data this is the last call before they introduce new plans under the Unifi telco brand.

call
last
RM79
webe


Last minute leaks of Lenovo's first Project Tango phone

349

We’re only hours away from Lenovo’s Tech World, and we have come across some last minute leaks of the Lenovo phablet, dubbed the Lenovo PHAB2 Pro, which is set to be Google’s first Project Tango device for consumers.

Thanks to Steve Hemmerstoffer from nowhereelse.fr, we now see what appears to be a leaked press render of the Lenovo PHAB2 Pro. Based on the render, the phablet stands pretty tall, matching the previous claim by popular tipster Evan Blass that the phone will sport a large 6.4-inch QHD display. Also spotted are capacitive buttons below the display instead of Google’s usualy go-to on-screen navigation buttons.

The Project Tango phablet is said to sport three cameras, for advanced spatial recognition, mapping and depth sensing capabilities. Here’s a close-up of the PHAB2 Pro’s rear panel, which is also sourced by Hemmerstoffer from Chinese micro blogging site Weibo. Apart from the camera modules is a rear fingerprint sensor. Also seen on the back of the device based on the previous image is the Project Tango and Lenovo branding. Not forgetting, two antenna bands running across the top and bottom of the rear panel.

All we have to do now is stay tuned for Tech World 2016 by Lenovo and hope that all these leaks and rumors turn out to be true. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
Steve Hemmerstoffer (Twitter)
 Via:
Android Authority

augmented
google
lenovo
phab2
pro
project
reality
tango
tech
world


Last minute leaks of the Honor V8

289

With Huawei gearing up for the Honor V8 launch later today, we came across a couple more last minute image leaks of the handset from the net. Treat this as a semi spoiler before you catch the real deal from China later.

From the image above, the Honor V8 is sure to feature a dual camera setup on the back, but no Leica? Unlike on Huawei P9, any sign of a Leica branding isn’t present on the Honor V8, which tells us that Leica is sitting out on this device. Nevertheless, the standard dual-tone LED flash is positioned right beside the dual camera, alongside what seems to be a component housing a laser autofocus. Also present is a more than mandatory fingerprint sensor.

The second image shows the whole Honor V8 in all its glory, although the image is lacking in quality. The Honor V8 is housed by an all-metal body as expected from an Honor flagship, along with the Honor branding on the lower end of the device. The handset posseses a few design elements from the Huawei P9, which can be mistaken for the latter from afar. The Honor V8 is rumored to ship in two variants, according to a TENAA listing not too long ago. The standard Honor V8 will sport a 5.5-inch Full HD display, a HiSilicon Kirin 950 SoC algonside 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It features a dual-camera setup of 12MP each plus an 8MP front facing shooter. Powering the handset is a 3,400mAh battery. The premium model on the other hand, features the same specs, apart from a higher clocked 2.5GHz Kirin 950 processor as opposed to the 2.3GHz clock speed of the same processor from the standard variant. Also, 4GB of RAM coupled with 64GB of internal storage.

Pretty sure that’s more than enough to prepare you for the unveiling of the Honor V8 later today. What do you think of the device so far?

Source:
GizmoChina

950
camera
china
dual
honor
kirin
launch
leak
leica
v8


Last minute render leaks of the Galaxy C5

381

While Samsung gears up to unveil the Galaxy C series later today, we’ve gotten some leaked renders of the Galaxy C5, in all colors to make it more interesting. Let’s go through this mid ranger for the final time before it officially launches.

Based on the image above captured by the folks at Sam Mobile, the Galaxy C5 will be available in four colors – Gold, Pink Gold, Gray and Silver. Once again, Samsung tries to avoid jumping on the Rose Gold bandwagon by having a Pink Gold color option instead, like on the Galaxy S7 series, although both “Rose Gold” and “Pink Gold” are pretty much identical to the eyes of a layman. This leak remains true to earlier leaks of the device, which has some HTC resemblance to it.

As for specs, the Galaxy C5 is rumored to sport a 5.2-inch Full HD display, a Snapdragon 617 processor with 4GB of RAM, a 16MP primary camera plus an 8MP selfie shooter. The Galaxy C7 on the other hand, will feature the same specs with the exception of a larger 5.7-inch display of the same 1080p resolution. Let’s just wait for the official unveiling at Samsung’s Beijing event later in the evening. Click on the source link to view the Galaxy C5 in every possible angle, and in all four mentioned colors.

Source:
Sam Mobile

c5
colors
galaxy
gold
gray
pink
samsung
silver


Last minute renders of the ZTE Axon 7 Max

349

ZTE is gearing up for the launch of the Axon 7 Max tomorrow. The phablet has had rumors surrounding it over the past couple of weeks, and though it is set to be unveiled later tomorrow, someone who is impatient has managed to leak out some renders of the Axon 7 Max, showing us what we should be expecting when the handset sees the light of day.

Some renders have been leaked from Russian website Helpix, said to be for the press and media when ZTE unveils the Axon 7 Max. Based on the renders, we can see that ZTE has maintained the design of the original Axon 7 to the Axon 7 Max, but it isn’t all the same. The latter appears to feature bottom firing speakers instead of immersive front facing speakers as seen on the former. Apart from that, the Axon 7 Max is seen with a dual rear camera configuration as rumored, although details on that are still very much vague. We do have some minor claims that suggest Sony being the one responsible for the dual rear camera setup. Having said that, the camera bump still exists on the Axon 7 Max.

The upcoming ZTE phablet is rumored to sport a 6-inch display on the front. Underneath the hood, the Axon 7 Max sports a mid range Snapdragon 625 processor instead of the Axon 7’s flagship Snapdragon 820 chipset. For the rest of the phablet’s specs, we shall wait till tomorrow when it goes official at ZTE’s launch event. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
Helpix

625
7
axon
camera
dual
max
phablet
render
snapdragon
zte