Sapphire Nitro RX 460 OC 4GB review: I wanna be a cyber-athlete!

463

Back at E3 when AMD announced the other cards in the RX 400 series, my curiosity was piqued by the RX 460. You see, with the RX 480 and RX 470, you pretty much had an idea as to what kind of performance both cards would have. For the RX 480, the card is an entry into the realms of VR; for the RX 470, it’s a card that is made for those who have their sights set on just 1080p gaming.

With the RX 460, things are slightly vague, with AMD stating that the card is tailor-made for E-Sports. Therein lies my fascination with the RX 460. Is it just a card that one gets for the express purpose of playing relatively low resource requirement games such as Dota 2? Or is the card meatier than what I was expecting. All these questions were answered as I managed to get my hands on Sapphire’s own 4GB version of the Nitro RX 460 OC graphics card, and I can safely say that the card performs far better than I was expecting.

Design and Hardware

This is no reference card of course. The Sapphire Nitro RX 460 OC is, obviously, an RX 460 that has went through the hands of Sapphire. The result of that is a card that comes with Sapphire’s own twin-fan Nitro cooler. Overall, barring the Sapphire branding located at the top of the card, and the yellow Nitro logo located at the back of the card, the Nitro RX 460 OC isn’t exactly the most fancy looking card available, which is fine by me.

For ports, the Nitro RX 460 OC comes with a single HDMI port, a single DisplayPort, and a single DVI port, allowing you to pick your poison when it comes to connecting the card to your monitor. The six-pin power connectors for the card is located at the front of the card.

Test Bench Hardware Specifications

Processor
: Intel Core i5 6600

Motherboard
: ASUS Z170-K

RAM
: Kingston HyperX Fury 8GB DDR4-2666MHz x 2

Storage
: Kingston HyperX Fury 240GB SSD. Seagate ST4000VN000 4TB

OS
: Windows 10 Home

Graphics Driver
: AMD Radeon Crimson 16.7.3

Casing
: CoolerMaster N300

Sapphire Nitro RX 460 OC 4G Specifications

Where the RX 480 and RX 470 is built on Polaris 10, the RX 460 is built on Polaris 11. In terms of numbers, the RX 460 carries 14 compute units, 896 stream processors, 56 texture units and 16ROPs. This particular card comes with 4GB of GDDR5 memory, and has a peak performance rate of up to 2.2 TFLOPS.

As the OC designation implies, Sapphire has personally tuned the card to perform slightly better than the reference card. Where the reference card has a boost clock of up to 1200MHz, Sapphire has factory overclocked their version of the RX 460, making it run at 1250MHz instead.

Benchmarks

Before I get into the benchmarks, a quick disclaimer. For the RX 460, all our benchmarks will be done at 1920×1080 resolution. I won’t be testing the RX 460 on 2560×1440 resolution and above as the card ain’t powerful enough for that. With that said, let the numbers dump begin.

Synthetic Benchmarks

3DMark

Game Benchmarks

As the numbers show, the RX 460’s performs a lot better than I was expecting. Now granted, when you start maxing out all the games, the RX 460 won’t be able to do 60FPS smoothly. Then again, if you wanted that level of performance, you would be buying a much more powerful card in the first place.

Once again, Vulkan is a miracle worker for the RX 460, giving the card a very solid average FPS of 48 over the course of my tests. Dropping it to High settings, and the RX 460 can break the 60FPS mark with little problems.

Besides these games, I’ve also done some performance tests on less resource intensive games. While it is not shown in the graph above, games such as Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone and the likes are able to run above the 60FPS mark with all settings maxed out on the RX 460 with little problems.

Temperature and Power Consumption

So how hot does the RX 460 run? Well, thanks to Sapphire’s Nitro coolers, this particular version of the RX 460 doesn’t climb above the 80 degree celsius mark. The maximum temperature recording throughout my entire benchmarking session reads at around 75 degrees celsius. On idle, the card runs at around the 40 degree mark, while the average on-load temperatures hovers around the 70 degree zone. The fans on the graphics card did not generate too much noise either, which is a big plus for those who like their cards as quiet as possible.

On the power draw side of things, Sapphire’s Nitro RX 460 draws around 50W on idle. When it came time to benchmark, the maximum power draw I’ve saw was at 170W. Considering that this is a custom version of the RX 460, and factoring in that the card has been overclocked, this reading is pretty standard in my books.

amd
card
factoryoverclocked
graphics
nitro
radeon
rx460
sapphire


SAPPHIRE Releases NITRO R7 360 graphics cards

302

Today, Sapphire Technology announced a new addition to its successful SAPPHIRE NITRO Gaming series of graphics cards designed to provide the balance of high-end features and affordability for the majority of gamers. The new graphics card will based on the latest GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD and delivers the full features set including support for the latest operating system as well as being ideal online gaming.

Designed for most of the on-line gamers, the SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 360 is the ideal upgrade for a system with an older generation graphics card or with integrated graphics that do not support the latest display technologies. Besides that, the SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 360 has all features of high-end models that based on AMD GCN, including AMD TrueAudio technology for the most realistic sound reproduction, as well as AMD Image quality enhancement, AMD HD Media accelerator and AMD PowerTune for optimum performance and even support for AMD VSR (Virtual Super Resolution) and FRTC (Frame Rate
Target
 Control).

The SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 360 2GB of the latest GDDR5 memory clocked at 1625 MHz (6.5GB/s effective) and a GCN core with 768 stream processors clocked at 1060 MHz. It has a short PCB that measuring only 170mm long, making it easy to install in any system enclosure including small form factor (ITX) designs and features an efficient single fan cooler.

The SAPPHIRE NITRO R7 360 is available now and can be purchase from SAPPHIRE retailers and retailers worldwide.

gaming
gpu
pcmasterrace
r7
sapphire


Save up on household appliances with Samsung’s Festive Season Promotion

2.1K

Looking to replace some of your old household appliances or potential CNY gifts? From cleaning devices to entertainment systems,
Samsung

is offering exciting offers and free gifts when you purchase during this festive season.

Cleaning devices you might need

No need to break a sweat cleaning up before CNY starts with Samsung’s lineup of cleaning devices such as the
Jet Bot AI+ with Intel A.I. Driving
,
Smart Air Purifier, 60㎡
, and
Front Load Washer Dryer with AI Ecobubble™
. You even get a free
Grill Microwave Oven
 that’s worth RM799 along with RM400 Touch ‘n Go eWallet credit when you purchase the Front Load Washer Dryer.

The latest entertainment system

Yes, that is indeed a TV on the right and not a picture frame, although it is ironically called
The Frame
. If you get these TVs during the promotional period, you’re entitled up to RM6,000 worth of Touch ‘n Go eWallet credit along with TV brackets and bezels.

Full promotion list

You can take a full look at what Samsung is offering in the table provided below:

Product

RRP

Promo RRP

Promo

Jet Bot AI+ with Intel A.I. Driving

RM4,999

–

Free gift of RM300 Touch ’n Go eWallet credit

Convection Microwave Oven with HOT BLAST™, 35L

RM1,859

–

Free gift of RM50 Touch ’n Go eWallet credit

Smart Air Purifier, 60㎡

RM1,799

RM1,599

–

WindFree Premium Plus , 1.5HP

RM2,799

RM2,599

Free gift of RM100 Touch ’n Go eWallet credit

Front Load Washer Dryer with AI Ecobubble™, 21KG Wash & 12KG Dry

RM7,999

–

Free gift of
Grill Microwave Oven
 (MG30T5018CP/SM) worth RM799 & RM400 Touch ’n Go eWallet credit

Side by Side with Family Hub, 660L

RM9,199

–

Free gift of RM400 Touch ’n Go eWallet credit

85” QN900A Neo QLED 8K Smart TV

RM49,999

–

Free gift of RM6,000 Touch ‘n Go eWallet credit and
Slim Fit Wall Bracket
 (WMN-A50EB/XY) worth RM499

65” QN800A Neo QLED 8K Smart TV

RM18,999

–

Free gift of RM1,800 Touch ‘n Go eWallet credit and
Slim Fit Wall Bracket
 (WMN-A50EB/XY) worth RM499

65” The Frame QLED 4K Smart Lifestyle TV

RM9,499

–

Free Gift of
65″ Modern Bezel Brown
 + Additional Bezel of your choice worth RM 1,398 + 3 Month
Art Store Access

LSP9T The Premier Smart 4K UHD Ultra-short throw Triple laser projector

RM39,999

–

Free gift of RM6,000 Touch ‘n Go eWallet credit

Samsung’s
Smarter Gifts for Celebration Promotion
will run from now until 20 February and you can head to Samsung’s
website

to check it out if you’re interested.

Festive Season Promotion
samsung


Save up to RM300 on an MSI laptop till February 28th

744

Still yet to get your loved ones a Valentines Day gift or one for yourself? MSI is still running a limited time Valentines Day promotion for the MSI GF63 Thin and MSI Modern 14 laptop.

The GF63 Thin is a lightweight 15-inch gaming laptop that’s powered by 10th Gen Intel Core processors and up to NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3050Ti, while the MSI Modern 14 is a handsome looking mainstream laptop that offers decent computing power with 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake processors and comes preloaded with Windows 11.

Customers can expect to save up to RM300 when they make their purchase from now till 28th February, the MSI GF63 Thin for instance is going off at RM4,199 instead of RM4,499 for the Core i7 and RTX 3050Ti model, while the top configuration MSI Modern 14 with a Core i5 processor will retail at RM2,799 instead of RM2,999.

This limited time promotion is available at all authorised MSI dealers, which you can visit this
microsite
 to purchase from your preferred online store.

gf63 thin
modern 14
msi
Valentine's Day


Saving the environment starts with an Acer Aspire Vero laptop

1.5K

You may have come across an eco-friendly car, but its not every time you get to see an eco-friendly computer. Meet the Acer Aspire Vero, an eco-friendly 15.6-inch laptop that’s made from post-consumer recycled material and sports powerful computing performance, and here are all the reasons you will want to consider one to help save the environment.

Unique design like no others

The Aspire Vero is set to turn heads once you set it on the table, the plastic chassis features a unique textured design that’s made from 30% of post-consumer recycled materials comprising of plastic and resin, and since it has a paint-free surface, it doesn’t only lower the negative impact of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but also resists fingerprints and smudges so that resting your palm on the working area feels comfortable.

Made to be upgradable and 100% recyclable, the Aspire Vero’s internals can be easily accessed with standardized screws at the bottom, so that users can upgrade the laptop’s RAM and storage when necessary.

No compromise in computing performance and efficiency

An eco-friendly laptop doesn’t mean you need to deal with low end internals, the Aspire Vero is equipped with a powerful yet efficient Intel
 ®
 Core
ᵀᴹ
 i7-1195G7 quad-core processor that is supported by 16GB of user upgradable DDR4 memory and 512GB PCIe SSD, complete with fast WiFi 6 connectivity, everything you do on it feels effortless, while you can expect an all-day battery life when working on the go.

Furthermore, there’s no need to purchase additional adapters and dongles because the Aspire Vero offers ample amount of essential I/O, you get a total of four USB ports, an HDMI port and a Gigabit LAN port.

VeroSense
ᵀᴹ
conserves and protects the battery

The Aspire Vero comes with the VeroSense
ᵀᴹ
 power management suite, so there’s no need to worry on how you can make out the most of your laptop’s battery, you can choose from four different power modes that lets the system automatically tune processing power and power consumption to achieve the best results on your workflow. The battery lifespan can also be prolonged all thanks to the smart optimized charging feature that limits it to 80% battery level if it is plugged in most of the time.

Eco-friendly laptop without a premium price tag

Most eco-friendly products carry a premium price tag for the company’s sustainability efforts, but that’s not the case of the Aspire Vero, as every Aspire Vero manufactured and sold creates a more sustainable future with reduced waste, it retails for a reasonable and competitive price tag at
RM4,299
, which is quite unmatched by many other similar laptops specs in terms of features.

Visit this
link
 to purchase and learn more about the sustainability efforts when you purchase an Acer Aspire Vero.

acer
acer aspire vero
aspire vero malaysia
post consumer recycled material


Say goodbye to the Charms menu in Windows 9

385

We guess many of you who uses a Windows 8 or 8.1 laptop today don’t have an idea on what a charms menu is on Windows, it is a side bar that easily allow touch screen users access the Start screen, settings, share and search content. According to multiple sources, Microsoft is rumoured to introduce a whole new Start Menu and windowed “Metro-style” apps while killing off the charms bar. Don’t be too sad though, the charms bar isn’t totally gone but it will still be available in Metro apps and only if developers choose to enable the feature.

Of course, Microsoft isn’t killing off something off without introducing something new – virtual desktops. This new feature will bring much joy to Windows users who have been hoping to multitask in multiple desktops just like Mac OS users, which the current method of multitasking is either buying a high resolution monitor or extending desktops to multiple monitors.

Well, at least Microsoft is listening to users now and this further proves that the design of Mac OS is inspiring Microsoft a lot in improving its desktop operating system. We don’t hate Microsoft for doing that but seriously, they could’ve thought of something better instead of ripping of a similar idea that is already there for many years. We really hope we are wrong commenting about it and look forward to the release of Windows 9 later this year.

Source:
ZDNET
,
Neowin
,
Winbeta

VIA:
The Verge

Image Credit: Telecompk.net


Say Hello Again to the ‘View Images’ Button on Google Search with These Extensions

567

Recently, Google released a new statement suggesting that the ‘View Images’ button is to be taken down because of the mounting pressure from publishers over copyright infringement purposes. Fortunately, this has been taken into consideration by new Chrome and Firefox extensions that brings back the button for users.

The best part of the extension is probably the fact that you don’t have to do anything once you’ve enabled it. That’s because the extension will automatically insert the ‘View Image’ button for all the images, just like how it’s been there before. And up until Google decides to remove the extension, you can enjoy using it for as long as you can.

It’s good to know that although Google may monitor and bring down the extension from the Chrome Web Store, chances of it being removed from Firefox is still minimal. The new extensions are currently available for both
Google Chrome
 and
Mozilla Firefox
 browsers.

firefox
google
google chrome
Mozilla Firefox
View Image


SayaKenaHack lets you find out if your data has been breached

403

As you all know, there was a breach in MCMC where millions of users details and phone number have been stolen and are now floating somewhere on the internet. Some of you might be lucky and some not so much, here is a way to check if you are one of the unlucky ones.

Visit
SayaKenaHack
 website and key in your IC number, after pressing check it will tell you if your data has been exposed by telling you your phone number and what telco are you from. Now, this might seem like its illegal but, the owner of the website has mentioned in an FAQ that all these information can be obtained easily by simply doing a thorough Google search for the information. In addition to that, medical personnel’s data has also been leaked but the owner of the website is still debating if that information should be put on the website. He was is concerned that some doctors might not what to be identified as a doctor on the internet.

Example if your data has been stolen, mine got stolen 🙁

So what can you do? Well, not much as all this information is linked to your IC which is something you can’t change. There is a silver lining, as all these information is accurate up to 2014, so any changes to your phone number or details will not be exposed.

breach
data
IC
sayakenahack
telco


School in Johor uses facial recognition system to track student attendances

358

Times were simpler back in 2001 on my first day of school – sure, I cried uncontrollably until it was recess time, but it was easier to get into the groove of things. As we start the new decade, tech in schools have caught up too – SK Taman Perling in Johor takes that sentiment and takes things up a notch by introducing a facial recognition system to keep track of student
attendances
.

Image credit: Bernama

According to The Star, the school’s headmaster was quoted as saying “We are always open to the use of the latest technology” – and in comparison, my old headmaster insisted on not fixing our virus-laden desktops in our computer labs – pfft.

By using a facial-recognition system, the headmaster said that the new tech will help smoothen the school’s daily operations, as it stores the pupil’s personal information and attendance records. As much as I like to see the latest tech being adopted by our education system, I for one, am glad this wasn’t around when I was a student #kakiponteng.

education
facial recognition system
school
sk taman peling


Scientists develop artificial skin that lets you experience real touch – fantastic for VR

316

This could be the next great invention after the wheel – scientists from the EPFL research institute have created artificial skin that will be used in medical rehab and virtual reality. Of course this really isn’t
the
next great invention, but it’s still pretty cool.

Because we like tech, let’s talk about the virtual reality aspect of application here. Folks from the EPFL’s Reconfigurable Robotics Lab have engineered a silicone based film that attaches to your fingertips, connected via wires and emits electrodes, providing haptic feedback to the user.

So here’s why we think it’s cool – if you’ve watched the Striking Vipers episode of Black Mirror, you’d know where we’re heading with this. We’re not talking about virtual coitus per se – although it is possible – but rather we’re thinking along the lines of a more holistic VR experience where players can have more meaningful interactions with their peers; and yes, that just sounds a lot like virtual sex.

But of course this will most likely be used for educational purposes – the artificial skin lets users have a realistic, real-time sense of touch. So first thing I’m going to do, touch lava.

artificial skin
gaming
vr


Scientists found that not many people remembers the Apple Logo

421

I’m not sure about you but I’m sure I do remember how the Apple logo looks like if I were to draw it on paper, despite having Apple products surrounding us most of the time, scientists have found out in a research that at least 80% of their sampling individuals do not remember how the most valuable company’s logo look like.

The students from University of California, Los Angeles conducted the research with a total of 85 undergraduate students while 68 of them being female and on the age range of 18-35 years old, apart from that 89% of the individuals owned Apple products. The test was conducted pretty fairly in a space where no Apple product was being shown to all individuals and they were asked to recall and draw the company’s logo on a piece of paper, then rate their confidence level from the scale of 1 to 10, the highest number being the most confident, this is how it looks like at the end of the research:

After that, the individuals were provided the following figure consisting different angles of the Apple logo, and guess what, only 47% of participants managed to identify the real Apple logo and this isn’t a satisfactory result considering some of them being Apple users.

While most would point the gun Apple for not being able to promote its brand awareness properly, the researchers have a rather interesting conclusion on this test, in which they believe the poor memory for the Apple logo could be a form of attentional saturation, which could then result later in “inattentional amnesia”, it also argues that people don’t purposely remember for something they’ve seen before despite the brand’s popularity unless under intentional learning conditions, the individual may be able to reproduce the logo correctly.

Do you remember how to draw the Apple logo without looking at it? Share with us in the comments and read the research on the source link.


Score the Xiaomi Mi A2 from RM570 (reg. RM899)

461

If you are thinking of grabbing a new smartphone for the new year and don’t want to break the bank, Shopee is offering the widely popular mid-range Xiaomi Mi A2 at Xiaomi’s official store from
RM600
, apply the voucher code NEWMOB30 at the check out page, you will then be able to enjoy an additional RM30 off the promotional price, this is the lowest price that we have  tracked and is RM329 off its original price tag.

The Mi A2 is a highly rated mid-range device that runs on the Android One program, which comes with frequent security updates and has already been updated to run Android Pie. Powered by a Snapdragon 660 AIE chipset, the Mi A2 has up to 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage, you get a 5.99-inch FHD+ display, a 12MP+20MP main camera and a 20MP front facing camera.

Watch our review of the Mi A2 to find out our thoughts on it.

deals
mi a2
shopee
xiaomi


Using a screen protector can void your Galaxy Z Flip warranty

394

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is a cool phone, but did you know you’ll void its warranty the moment you put on a screen protector?

Galaxy Z Flip should go without screen protector?

A screen protector has become a must-have accessory when it comes to smartphones; no matter how durable our phones are advertised to be, we still wouldn’t risk getting its screen scratched or cracked. After all, paying for a new screen protector is much cheaper than getting an entirely new screen.

Image credit: JerryRigEverything

Why is Samsung advising against screen protectors?

Too bad for the Galaxy Z Flip users, they’re advised against putting on screen protectors. Though Samsung claims that the display is scratch-resistant and can withstand minor accidents, the
truth
 is the screen is just sensitive and putting on a screen protector will affect that. Plus, removing the screen protector could also accidentally peel off the protective layer — this happened to the Galaxy Fold and rendered the phone useless.

At least in a report by
SamMobile
, Samsung did mention in its care instructions that “third-party adhesives such as films or stickers should not be adhered to the Galaxy Z Flip screen by customers” and by doing so, they could void the warranty. Still, not given the option to use a screen protector to protect a phone that costs you
RM5,888
 does sound ridiculous.

galaxy z flip
samsung
screen protector
warranty


Apple offers screen replacement program for Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3

298

While the Apple Watch Series 5 may be just around the corner, the company has offered a new screen replacement program for its Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3.

Apple revealed in its support page that the Series 2 and Series 3 aluminum models may start cracking under “very rare circumstances” and the cracks will eventually get bigger. To solve the problem, Apple offers the screen replacement program that will replace the cracked screen on eligible Apple Watch units for free.

Apple also listed out the series and models of its Apple Watch that may be affected by this issue. This includes the Apple Watch Series 2, Apple Watch Nike+ Series 2, Apple Watch Series 3 — both GPS and GPS + Cellular variants, and Apple Watch Nike+ Series 3 — both GPS and GPS + Cellular variants.

If you have an Apple Watch Series 2 or Series 3 that are facing such issue, you can send it to the Apple Repair Center to get it examined and if it’s eligible for the program, it will be taken by the authorities to be fixed and returned in approximately five business days.

apple
screen replacement program
Watch Series 2
Watch Series 3


Screenshot and name of the new Assassin’s Creed game leaked

340

After going through one year with silence on the Assassin’s Creed series, there has finally been a leak with a potential screen shot of the gameplay and name of the new installment which will be called Assassin’s Creed: Origins. This information comes from WWG which then has been confirmed by Eurogamer.

The first off-screen image of the game was published on Reddit which shows a bow-wielding assassin on a small boat which is not foreign, as we have seen this mode of transport in the other games. Early last year, Kotaku reported that the location of the new game will be in Egypt and will be called Assassin’s Creed Empire which seemed to take a change in the name, based on this leak, whether it will be set in Egypt or not is unknown as the screenshot does not tell us much about the location.

Ubisoft has recently mentioned that they have listened to all feedback from the Unity game and is recommitted to making the franchise a premier open world game once again and improving the game mechanics to give players a more unique and memorable gameplay experience. It’s a relieve to know they acknowledge that Unity underperformed and the company is set to make the Assassin’s Creed franchise great again.

Source:
Gamespot

assassins creed
gameplay
origins
ubisoft


Screenshot by Xiaomi CEO points to a possible Mi MIX 2 with 18:9 display

375

Late last year, Xiaomi took the world by storm when it launched its Mi MIX concept flagship smartphone. The handset topped the spec sheet, along with an attractive design as well – a near bezel-less display on the front. The unveiling of the Mi MIX put Xiaomi on cloud nine for quite some time, till bezel-less displays became a trend. But this year’s iteration of the Mi MIX will likely go with the flow of the trend.

2017 saw the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 with extra immersive displays of 18:9 aspect ratios. Their displays occupied more real estate than ever on the front panel, sparking a new trend in smartphone history. Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun might have accidentally revealed that the company’s upcoming device will have that same feature as well.

Lei Jun posted up an image on Chinese micro blogging site Weibo of a screenshot promoting a now discounted Mi Powerbank. But that isn’t the key attraction of the image. If you look carefully, the screenshot by Lei Jun is longer than the usual 16:9 smartphone display, translating to an 18:9 display instead. It is highly likely that Lei Jun is indeed using a Mi MIX 2 smartphone as his daily driver. Recent rumors also point to the Mi MIX 2 sporting an 18:9 display.

Although a speculation will only go this far, we do expect the Mi MIX 2 to be an excellent device in terms of its design and internals, given the standard set by its predecessor. What do you think?

bezel
display
lei jun
mi mix 2
screenshot
xiaomi


Screenshots of the Asus ZenFone 3 running on Android Oreo leakes

371

Asus has previously confirmed that both the Zenfone 3 and 4 series of smartphones will be getting the new ZenUI 4.0 alongside the Android Oreo update which they promised will be simpler, intuitive, modern and gorgeous.

Recently, there has been some screenshot leaked showing Oreo running on the Zenfone 3. There is not a big change when it comes to the UI, but you will be getting all the features that come with Android 8.0. However, there is a big chance that the same ZenUI skin will be seen on both the Zenfone 3 and 4. Wheather they will be reducing the bloatware on their phones is still unsure, but they did mention they will do so back in August.

Asus has not officially released the exact details on what will be included and removed in the new update, or when they will actually push the update to users. Rumors indicate that it will come out sometime next year but from what we have right now, things are looking pretty good on the new update.

3
4
android
asus
leak
oreo
screenshots
zenfone


Screenshots of Android N's Quick Settings and Notifications panel

357

From Android Kit Kat to Lollipop, we’ve seen some overhauls in terms of the UI design. Right now, as Android Marshmallow is slowly being pushed out among different OEM’s with their skinned versions of the OS, we have seen some mockup screenshots of the Notifications Panel and Quick Settings of what seems to be an early version of Android N, from Android Police.

The mockups by Android Police show some changes in the notification shade, whereby each notification provides more info. On top of that, the space between each notification has been reduced from a tiny gap to a line, maybe due to the heightened space of each notification. App icons in the notifications panel appear to be smaller, and might also appear to be colored, like the Google Play Store icon in the mockup.

Another notable difference is the subset of Quick Settings available right on top of the notification shade. Since Android Lollipop, Google has a dedicated Quick Settings panel, which requires a pulldown from the notification shade. In Android N, quick toggle buttons are available with one less tap, but pulling down the notification shade will still display the full Quick Settings panel. Included in the Quick Settings panel is an Edit button which gives users the customizability to push less used toggles to the next Quick Settings page.

According to Android Police, the mockup screenshots are based on an early version of Android N, which is rumored to stand for Android Nutella, based on its past sweetened names. The changes mentioned earlier might turn out different in the final version of Android N. Nevertheless, we will be looking forward to Google I/O as the company reveals Android N.

Source:
Android Police

android
lollipop
marshmallow
n
notifications
panel
quick
settings
shade


Scribd introduces Scribd Originals — original content exclusively for its subscribers

257

Scribd has always an informative site where there are tons of documents that can provide various types of information to its readers, and now the company ups the game by introducing Scribd Originals.

Scribd Originals is a program that will publish original content from various authors, which can be exclusively accessed by Scribd subscribers. It includes various genres and the content will be available in both ebook and audiobook format.

Image credit: Scribd

“Working with authors and giving them the freedom to tell stories in new and interesting ways is a natural next step for Scribd. We want to help authors engage with more readers by producing binge-worthy Originals that fit readers’ interests and can often be read in one sitting,” said CEO of Scribd Trip Adler.

The program works directly with authors and publishers, while ensuring that authors are given the freedom to experiment with their works without being restricted by time limits. In addition, the program is integrated with a personalised recommendation engine that will suggest new content to readers “based on their expressed interests, past reads, and favorite books and authors.”

Those who are interested can actually go for a 30-day trial, and if they are interested in subscribing to Scribd, they can do so for $8.99/month.

Scribd
Scribd Originals


Scythe Releases Fuma Twin-Tower CPU Cooler

330

Japanese cooling expert Scythe releases the availability of its new Fuma Twin-Tower CPU-Cooler, which combines a compact Twin-Tower design with a total height of mere 149 millimeters and impressive cooling performance. The compact tower design allows the Scythe Fuma to be able to easily to fit into most on-market PC chassis, making it a great choice for both enthusiasts and gaming systems.

The Fuma comes with two Scythe Slip Stream 120-mm PWM fans and another fan clip set for a third fan. The engineer successfully created a compact but powerful Twin-Tower heatsink with a total height of 149 millimeters. The new Fuma utilizes 6 high-quality-copper-heat pipes with 6-millimeter diameter. They soldered the heat pipes to the solid copper baseplate and the small cooler-block, to increase the surface area and maximize the heat transfer.

The company makes sure the cooler could offer great performance at low noise levels, two Slip Stream 120 mm fans with PWM-support, which can spin from 300 up to 1,400 RPM. Thanks to this wide range, a system using Fuma Twin-Tower CPU Cooler can be tuned to operate really silent or to boost the performance to the maximum, whenever it is required.

This cooler will utilize the approved back-plate based Hyper Precision Mounting System (H.P.M.S) for firm mounting and easy installation process. Besides that, the socket supports AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, LGA1366, LGA2011, and 2011(-v3) from Intel. Scythe supplies the Fuma with all required mounting clips, one wrench, three sets of fan clips, one Y-fan-adapter as well as thermal grease, and a manual.

The Scythe Fuma is priced at USD 45 (approx. RM200) and it’s available now at a selected countries.

components
coolingsystems
cpucooler
fuma
hardware
pccooling
pcmasterrace
scythe
twintower


Scythe Releases Third Version of Grand Kama Cross CPU Cooler

311

Japanese cooling expert Scythe announcing the third version of it’s “Grand Kama Cross” Top-Flow CPU cooler – Scythe Grand Karma Cross 3. The cooler has the same extraordinary X-Structure concept as the predecessor, allowing especially efficient cooling of both the CPU and the surrounding components such as VGA cards, VRMs or RAM. The company redesigned the Grand Kama Cross 3 with the goal to significantly improve the overall performance. Instead of using regular 6-mimeter copper heat pipes, Scythe has exchanged the two copper heat pipes in the center against two with 8-milimeter diameter.

The Grand Kama Cross 3 comes with a pre-installed 140 mm axial-fan from the GlideStream series with larger diameter and PWM-support, sufficient airflow between 29.90 and 97.18 CFM at noise levels from 12.5 to 30.7 dBA is assured. Fan speed can be adjusted individually according to the CPU temperature by the motherboard step less in the range from 400 to 1,300 RPM. It has specially grooved blade design of the GlideStream 140
case
 fan benefits the top flow design of Grand Kama Cross 3 CPU cooler. Now it has more easy and secure mounting is achieved thanks to the re-worked backplate-based mounting system. A further advantage is a support for latest Intel Sockets, such as 1551, and LGA1150, LGA1155 as well as LGA 775, 1156, 1366, and LGA2011(v3). The list of compatible AMD sockets includes AM2(+), AM3(+), FM1 and FM2(+).

Scythe Grand Kama Cross 3 CPU Cooler (Model No. SCGKC-3000) is available with a retail price at EUR 36.50 (approx. RM 180).

aircooling
cpucooler
pcmasterrace
scythe


Seagate BarraCuda 510 NVMe SSD Review: Great Value and Performance

928

We have reviewed a couple of Seagate SSD products and they have so far delivered exceptional performance for its value.

This time, Seagate sent over the BarraCuda 510 NVMe SSD for our evaluation, it is aimed at the mainstream users who wants to have faster storage on their PC and laptops, what’s impressive is that the 512GB storage model we received promises an impressive 3400MB/s read and 2100MB/s write speeds on a PCIe Gen 3×4 interface, while opting for the 1TB model will get you up to 3000MB/s of write speeds.

Seagate’s SSD packaging is probably one of the most attractive ones out there, the box features the familiar Barracuda fish and a picture of the drive, it also tells you the storage capacity on the top right along with its maximum read speeds.

Compared to other NVMe SSD of the same class, the BarraCuda 510 doesn’t come with any extra accessories such as a heat sink or screw, which can be a little disappointing but isn’t a deal breaker. Some reviews out there have also complained about the aesthetic as Seagate has pasted the product label over the memory chips rather at the back, I find that extremely minor as you probably won’t look at it unless it comes with RGB lighting that you want to show off.

Now, let’s take a look at the drive’s performance.

Test Bench Specifications

CPU:
 Intel Core i3-8100

Cooler:
 CoolerMaster Nepton 240M

Motherboard:
 SuperO C7Z370-CG-IW

RAM:
 Patriot Viper RGB Gaming 8GBx2 3200MHz

SSD:
 Apacer AS340 240GB (Operating System)/Seagate BarraCuda 510 512GB NVMe SSD

HDD:
 Seagate Firecuda 2TB

GPU:
 AMD Radeon RX Vega64 8GB HBM2

Chassis:
 Cooler Master Test Bench V1

Power Supply:
 AeroCool KCAS 800W

CrystalDIskMark

A famous tool used for benchmarking hard drives and storage, CrystalDiskMark measures the data transfer speeds of a drive by having single and multithreaded sequential and 4K transfer tests.

ATTO Disk Benchmark

ATTO has been used to benchmark disk speeds with different block and file transfer sizes to determine the drive’s best performance.

AS SSD

A benchmark that tests the SSD’s true performance without using the cache, this benchmark perform transfers using a 1GB file with randomly chosen 4K blocks, hence this will show slightly lower speeds than other benchmarks.

Verdict

While one of the things that you make need to take note is the lower 320 TBW endurance rating it has, you can’t go wrong with the Seagate BarraCuda 510 NVMe SSD if you are looking for a speedy drive for your computer without breaking the bank.

While there isn’t an official price for the Malaysian market yet, you can find the 512GB model we reviewed going on sale for as low as $85 (RM354) over at Amazon, however should you want to go for the 1TB model that offers superior write speeds and better endurance, you are going to need to shell out an extra $100 for it, which could be a hard recommendation as there are much better NVMe drives in that price range.

The Good

Great performance to price ratio

5-years warranty

User-friendly SeaTools SSD software for checking disk health and perform maintenance

The Not so Good

No heatsink and screw included

Lower endurance compared to competing drives

1TB model price at a disadvantage

barracuda 510 nvme ssd
seagate
seagate malaysia


Seagate faces class action lawsuit over faulty 3TB hard drives

338

Seagate is in a pinch right now as the hard drive maker is facing a class action lawsuit over its faulty 3TB consumer hard drives.

Filed on the 1st of February, the
lawsuit
 cites the reliability data from Backblaze, a cloud backup privder that builds its own storage pods from consumer hard drives. Based on the data, Seagate’s 3TB HDD has a failure rate that is much higher than other drivers.

“In terms of raw percentages, approximately 32 percent of the Seagate Drives deployed in 2012 failed by early 2015,” the lawsuit states. Furthermore, the lawsuit notes that 68 percent of the drives deployed in 2012 were operational after three years. This statistic is well below Backblaze’s overall drive survival rate of 80 percent after four years.

The plaintiff in this lawsuit, Christopher Nelson, says that he purchased a Seagate Backup Plus drive back in 2012 and it has “suffered a catastrophic failure with little to no forewarning” in 2014. As the drive was still under a two-year warranty, Seagate was able to send him a replacement. However, the replacement turned out to be a refurbished model and failed less than a year later.

Law firm Hagens Berman will be taking this particular class action lawsuit to the courts and has since posted a
contact form for affected Seagate users
 who wish to join the class action lawsuit.

Source :
MacWorld

failure
harddrive
lawsuit
seagate


Seagate Fast SSD 250GB Review: So small, yet so fast

465

A few years back, not everyone could afford having an external SSD in their bags due to their expensive price over a standard mechanical hard drive, they are unfortunately still relatively expensive at this point of time for the amount of storage you get.

However, in the case of the Seagate Fast SSD, it’s a rather reasonably priced external SSD if your workflow requires faster storage speed, especially if you are always on the go with your laptop that’s always running out of internal storage space, while upgrading storage is sometimes not possible or a chore to do so.

As simple as it looks, the Seagate Fast SSD is sleek and handsome that is unlike any other external storage we have seen, it has a very high quality plastic enclosure and Seagate has added an aluminum base on the top for a premium aesthetic.

The Fast SSD is a straightforward storage device that features a USB-C port and an LED indicator for power, it comes with a USB C-to-C and A-to-C cable that will both support USB 3.0 speeds.

One might wonder why Seagate hadn’t included at least a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, but USB 3.0 is sufficient to hit the drive’s maximum sequential read/write speeds at 540MB/s and 500MB/s respectively.

Formatted with the exFAT file system, the Fast SSD will support both Macs and PCs out of the box, hence there’s no need to worry about reformatting into Apple’s APFS or Microsoft’s NTFS to use the drive.

Seagate is kind enough include a two-month free Adobe Creative Photography Plan with every purchase of the Fast SSD, which you will need to redeem through the registration app preloaded on the drive, though sadly if you already own the plan you can’t apply this promotion, as it is only intended for new sign ups.

Also, if you are intending to use the drive as a backup, Seagate also includes the Seagate Toolkit software that help backup and mirrors your computer’s files.

Seagate Fast SSD Benchmark and Real World Usage

I have been using the Fast SSD a lot to store raw video footage from my camera’s SD card, which I could barely use my MacBook Pro’s storage to do so as I edit videos on the go, performance is decent and consistent at all times, I encounter no sudden slowdowns in huge file transfers.

Best of all, there was once I accidentally dropped the drive halfway through a file transfer, the drive continued to function properly, where such cases could have been disastrous for a mechanical hard drive.

Using CrystalDiskMark, the Fast SSD managed to outperform Seagate’s claimed maximum speed using the USB-C to USB-C connector, I won’t recommend using the USB-A to C cable as performance would drop around 8-10%.

AS SSD shows a lower read and write speed as it doesn’t utilize the drive’s cache, however it shows solid performance that many other SSDs wouldn’t have made it.

Should you get the Seagate Fast SSD?

A definite ‘YES’ from us, we highly recommend the Seagate Fast SSD for its consistent data transfer speeds, portability and value. Like I said, if you are someone who require that speed when working on files from a external drive, especially content creators, then you won’t regret this purchase.

Available in storage capacities of 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB, the Seagate Fast SSD is reasonably priced with a starting price of
RM389
 at
Seagate’s official LazMall store
 with a 3-year warranty.

The Good

Decent and consistent file transfer speeds

Portable and lightweight

Includes free backup software and 2-months Adobe Photography Plan

The Not so Good

Aluminum plate gets scratched easily

Would be great if a storage pouch is included

fast ssd
seagate
seagate fast ssd


Seagate FireCuda Portable Gaming SSD 1TB Review

900

Name any gadget with the ‘gaming’ moniker, it instantly heightens expectations when it comes to its form and functionality, and that’s what happens when Seagate decides to beat its rival WD to the race with its new Seagate FireCuda Portable Gaming SSD, this solid state drive is probably one of the sleekest and fastest in the market and even if you aren’t a gamer, you’d probably want one on your work desk.

Shaped like a piece of domino, the FireCuda Portable Gaming SSD feels very premium to the touch with an aluminum body and matte paint job, there’s even a soft rubber at the bottom to prevent it from slipping, though it could be prone to scratches in the long term if you don’t put it in a case, I wished Seagate had provided one out of the box.

If aesthetics alone doesn’t impress you, plug in the drive and you will be greeted by an RGB light strip on top of the drive, lighting effects can be changed using the Seagate Toolkit software that can be installed from the drive. What’s even cooler is that you can even have it linked up to Razer’s Synapse software and take advantage of Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting system to sync up with supported devices.

The Seagate Toolkit software isn’t just for customizing the lighting effects, you can in fact take advantage to sync files on computer using the Sync Plus feature, which you can create sync plans to have folders synchronized in real time or a scheduled time, this is a rather useful feature if you don’t want to miss out any files when using it on another computer.

The FireCuda Portable Gaming SSD features a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 connection that offers transfer speeds of up to 2000MB/s, by all means it is a good alternative to Thunderbolt 3 as not all devices support it but unfortunately ahead of its time, as most laptops and PC motherboards only offer USB 3.2 Gen 1 or Gen 2 connectivity, however you will still be able to experience much faster speeds than SATA external solid state drives, hence its not entirely a bad thing for Seagate to future proof the drive’s connectivity.

I tested the FireCuda Portable Gaming SSD on my gaming rig which comes with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port and got really impressive speeds of 1GB/s on both sequential read and write tests, random file transfer speeds are also good which means game files will load up fast enough when installed on the drive, such speeds are also more than sufficient as a video editing drive and I do sometimes use it as a scratch disk for our 4K videos.

The Seagate FireCuda Portable Gaming SSD is available in storage options of 1TB and 2TB in Malaysia, they retail at RM1259 and RM2119 respectively, which by all means isn’t an affordable option as compared to buying a storage stick and enclosure separately, but considering the cool design and performance it offers, you really can’t get anything quite like this because most external SSDs out there will only offer up to 500MB/s of transfer speeds. Furthermore, no one does external SSDs as cool looking as this.

The Good

Good performance and future proof connectivity

Cool RGB lighting

Offers USB-C to USB-C cable out of the box

Useful Seagate Toolkit software

The Not so Good

USB 3.2 Gen2x2 not widely available yet

No carrying case included

To purchase the Seagate FireCuda Portable Gaming SSD, click
here
.

[UPDATE]: For a limited time, Seagate Malaysia is giving away a large gaming mouse mat when you purchase the Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD (as pictured above).

If you happen to purchase the Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock, you will be able to score this cool gaming bag too. So head on over
here
 to get your own while stocks lasts.

firecuda gaming ssd
gaming ssd
seagate


Seagate introduces a hard drive with a capacity of 10TB

354

News coming from Seagate’s side has been…rather depressing lately, but let’s focus on something positive this time. 10TB hard drives are usually limited to those who work in servers, but today, Seagate has officially revealed a 10TB hard drive that is meant to be used for the desktop.

Called the Barracuda Pro, this 3.5″ hard drive is made to be slotted into your desktop machine. It comes with the aforementioned 10TB of storage at 7200 RPM, allowing you to stuff all your games, hi-res audio files and 4K movies with tons of space left to spare.

If 10TB of storage sounds right up the alley for you, be prepared to but a hole in your pocket as the Barracuda Pro isn’t exactly what we would consider “affordable.” The Barracuda Pro 10TB will have an asking price of USD535 (RM 2,150).

Source:
Seagate

barracudapro
harddrive
seagate


Seagate IronWolf 110 SSD Review: The First NAS SSD you should buy

668

Solid state drives have become a necessity for our computing devices for a faster workflow and that can be said the same for NAS enclosures.

Seagate, famous for its IronWolf NAS drives, has expanded its NAS storage family with the new IronWolf 110 SSD that’s made to deliver great performance and endurance for NAS drives.

The IronWolf 110 is the world’s first SSD for NAS, which is rather true as none of its competitors has yet to announce a SSD specifically made for NAS enclousres.

We received the 1.92TB model for review, which aims to deliver a staggering 3500TBW (terabytes written) of endurance and 2 million hours of MTBF, that’s more than consumer grade SSDs found in our laptops and desktop PCs and Seagate is offering a 5-year limited warranty on the drive – 2 years longer than their IronWolf hard drives.

The IronWolf 110 SSD comes in an anti-static bag when we receive it, hence there’s no packaging for us to admire and take pictures. Unlike most of the 2.5-inch SSD that comes with a plastic case, the IronWolf 110 SSD shows its premium with its aluminum chassis, which also adds on a little heft than usual.

We tried to order this 3.5-inch to 2.5-inch SATA hard drive caddy from ORICO, the controller on it unfortunately isn’t able to identify the IronWolf 110 SSD, so make sure you avoid this and look for alternatives.

With a SATA 6 Gb/s interface, the IronWolf 110 SSD uses a 3D TLC NAND and a Seagate based controller based on SandForce that delivers a sustained speed of 560 MB/s sequential read and 535 MB/s sequential write speeds.

Source: Seagate

IronWolf 110 SSD Benchmarks

Since we only have a unit of the SSD for our review, we aren’t able to setup a RAID with our NAS to test out the maximum combined transfer speed, hence we fitted the drive on our test bench and ran some tests.

Test Bench Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i3-8100

Cooler: CoolerMaster Nepton 240M

Motherboard: SuperO C7Z370-CG-IW

RAM: Patriot Viper RGB Gaming 8GBx2 3200MHz

SSD: Apacer AS340 240GB (Operating System)

HDD: Seagate Firecuda 2TB

GPU: ZOTAC GAMING NVIDIA GeForce GTX1660 6GB GDDR5

Chassis: Cooler Master Test Bench V1

Power Supply: CoolerMaster G750M

CrystalDiskMark

A famous tool used for benchmarking hard drives and storage, CrystalDiskMark measures the data transfer speeds of a drive by having single and multithreaded sequential and 4K transfer tests.

AS SSD

A benchmark that tests the SSD’s true performance without using the cache, this benchmark perform transfers a 1GB file with randomly chosen 4K blocks, hence this will show slightly lower speeds than other benchmarks

Windows File Transfer

The IronWolf 110 SSD isn’t a mere SSD for NAS, as it could be used for applications that requires constant high speed data access such as video editing, we tried copying a file from our system’s SSD over to the drive in multiple directories.

We are impressed by its consistent write speed though its maximum speed is capped by our system’s SSD.

Verdict

If you intend to run an all flash NAS storage or even have a reliable SSD for your creator rig, look no further than the Seagate IronWolf 110 SSD, as it delivers steady performance and great endurance for your demanding applications, not to forget to mention Seagate is offering you a peace of mind with its 5-year limited warranty and 2-year data recovery service.

IronWolf 110 SSD – Pricing and Availability

The IronWolf 110 SSD is available in storage capacities of 240GB, 480GB, 960GB, 1.92TB and 3.84TB, pricing and availability has yet to be announced in the Malaysian market, however if you were to reference from
Amazon
, we’d consider them to be very reasonable whether you are buying one for caching purposes or to use it as a full fledge storage for your applications:

240GB – US$93 (RM384)

480GB – US$148 (RM611)

960GB – US$276 (RM1140)

1.92TB – US$490 (RM2025)

3.82TB – US$980 (RM4050)

ironwolf 110 ssd
nas
seagate
synology


Seagate IronWolf Pro 14TB NAS Hard Drive Review

865

Seagate’s IronWolf NAS hard drives have gained popularity for NAS systems due to its great reliability and transfer speeds, I’ve been using them in my Synology NAS for over two years and they have never failed me.

Seagate has sent us the IronWolf Pro 14TB drive for our review, it is currently the highest capacity in the market with a 7200RPM spin rate and 256MB of cache, this should be exciting for data heavy users as you will be able to expand more storage with reduced cost, imagine having up to a total of 168TB storage in a 12-bay NAS, that’s an extra 48TB of storage than having a 10TB drive per bay.

Like other IronWolf Pro hard drives, the 14TB model has the same label design on the hard drive, its amazing how Seagate managed to squeeze an extra 4TB of storage in a 3.5-inch drive form factor. Otherwise, you will also receive other data protection features on this model too, such as a 2-year Rescue Recovery Data plan and IronWolf Health.

IronWolf Health is particularly impressive, as Seagate has worked with popular NAS manufacturers to integrate this feature to constantly monitor the drive’s health and alert the user on potential risks, users can also schedule checks on their supported NAS system. As Seagate puts it, IronWolf Health has adaptive algorithms that monitor critical drive and health parameters releated to data transfer, performance, readability, writability and overall reliability.
(Note: At this time of reviewing, IronWolf Health is not yet made available on the IronWolf Pro 14TB, screenshot is taken from a Synology DS216+II with a Seagate IronWolf 4TB hard drive.)

In other features, the IronWolf Pro hard drive does have a better durability with up to 1.2 million hours of MTBF and is made to handle high traffic data transfers with up to 300TB/year of multi-user optimization, you also get 5 years of warranty as compared to the standard IronWolf drive, making this an attractive purchase should your business depends heavily on mission critical applications and data transfer activities.

Benchmarks

Let’s dig into the drive’s actual performance, since Seagate only provided us one unit of the drive, we are running the drive’s data transfer tests on our test bench, as it will also show us the best possible performance of a single drive.

In both CrystalDiskMark and ATTO DiskBench tests, the IronWolf Pro 14TB performed brilliantly and data transfer speeds are very consistent on both read/write, IOPS is particularly impressive for small file size. Based on this single operation test, we can conclude that the IronWolf Pro 14TB can easily handle heavy data traffic if configured with RAID on your NAS.

Verdict

The Seagate IronWolf Pro 14TB is a great performing NAS drive, coupled with Seagate’s excellent IronWolf Health monitoring feature and Rescue Data Recovery services, one shouldn’t hesitate to buy if your computing environment deals with heavy file transfers and you scale storage very often.

In terms of pricing, the IronWolf Pro 14TB will cost you around RM2798 when checked at
Lazada
, a RM610 premium over the IronWolf Pro 12TB, which is pretty reasonable considering that you are merely paying RM300 per TB of storage.

ironwolf pro 14tb
seagate
seagate ironwolf pro


Seagate Provides Industry’s Broadest Portfolio of 8 TB Hard Drives

350

Seagate is one of the world’s leading in storage solutions, today unveiled its new portfolio of 8TB high capacity drives – the Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD, Seagate Enterprise NAS HDD, and Seagate Kinetic HDD. This new drive features small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises with the world’s highest-capacity, most reliable, and highest performance storage solution.

Besides that, the Seagate’s 8TB Enterprise Capacity 3.5-inch HDD drive addresses these needs by incorporating proven conventional magnetic recording hard drive technology, backed by nine generations of data center innovation. Besides that, enterprise customers also want world-class performance from their storage solutions and the 8TB Enterprise Capacity 3.5-inch HDD delivers for them with a 100 percent increase in random read/write performance compared to previous generations, driving a vast improvement in IT performance across the enterprise.

Some organizations are making the transition to the cloud with an eye to leveraging open source innovation, the 8TB Kinetic HDD focuses on total cost of ownership (TCO) by emphasizing scaled-out storage and rapid deployment in data centers. In cases where archiving data is a priority, emerging technologies such as Shingled Magnetic Recording can be of strategic and business value which combined with the Kinetic Open Storage Platform, this storage solution can change the TCO equation.

All drives are currently sampling to select customers with wide scale availability planned for late this year.

Source :
TechPowerUp

35inch
8tb
hdd
pcmasterrace
seagate
storage


Seagate reveals the 'world's largest' SSD; has a storage capacity of 60TB

307

Seagate’s 10TB hard drive is now old news as the company has one-upped itself by delivering a 60TB solid-state drive this week.

Made for datacenters instead of consumer use, Seagate’s 60TB Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) SSD beats out Samsung’s PM1633a SSD in terms of storage space, with the latter sporting a nothing-to-sneeze-at 15.36TB capacity. Unlike the PM1633a which is a 2.5″ SSD, Seagate’s 60TB SSD is a 3.5″ drive. Seagate has stated that the drive has ‘twice the density and four times the capacity’ of the PM1633a, capable of holding up to 400 million photos or 12,000 movies.

Currently, this SSD is a ‘demonstration technology.’ As such, the device isn’t available for purchase…yet. According to Seagate, the company could release the product commercially as early as next year. While Seagate is keeping mum as to its price, the company says that the unit would be solt at “the lowest cost per gigabhyte for flash available today.” Just for reference, the aforementioned Samsung PM1633a has an asking price of USD10.000, so this 60TB SSD is going to be sold for a pretty penny.

Source:
ZDNet

samsung
seagate
ssd


Search the Web: New WhatsApp feature helps verify fake news

495

WhatsApp has added “
Search the Web
”, a new feature to help prevent the spreading of fake or inaccurate information.

Search the Web encourages double-checking messages

To help WhatsApp users
verify
 the information they receive, WhatsApp has a magnifying glass button that appears on forwarded messages. However, it only applies to messages that have been forwarded many times — a
special forwarded label
 will be attached to these messages.

Once users tap on the magnifying glass icon, they’ll be offered the option to search the web for related content. This will help them discover the authenticity and accuracy of their news.

Experimental feature available to selected countries only

However, the new feature is currently experimental and is only available to certain countries including Brazil, Italy, Ireland, UK and US. “Search the Web” is available on Android, iOS and WhatsApp Web.

Search the Web
whatsapp


Second beta of iOS 9.3.2 released for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

263

iOS 9.3 introduced some nifty features to iOS devices, such as notes for Touch ID and Night Shift. Two weeks ago, Apple released a beta version of iOS version 9.3.2, rolling out to developers. Today, the Cupertino giant has released the second beta for 9.3.2, which is very much a minor update compared to the main 9.3 version which was announced back in Apple’s keynote last month.

The 9.3.2 beta update comes with fixes regarding certain developer-centric issues. The developer notes also mentioned that this second beta will be slightly more oriented to apps like Dictionary, iBooks, Safari and Simulator. This beta should be available to the public some time soon. If you’re an aspiring developer, do head on the Apple’s Developer Center for the full details of iOS 9.3.2 beta 2 (Build number 13F61). However, to access the beta, you would need to be in the Apple Developer Program or the Apple Developer Enterprise Program.

Meanwhile, we’re expecting a version 9.4 to be released to the public before Apple officially unveils an iOS 10 later this year.

Source:
9to5Mac

932
apple
beta
developer
ios
ipad
iphone
ipod
touch


Second Generation AMD Ryzen Pro chips will come with onboard Radeon Vega graphics

382

AMD is bringing another APU processor lineup and this time it will be coming alongside their rather powerful Ryzen Pro chips. The Ryzen Pro chips are already a big step up from its previous generation chips and with the integration of a graphics processor, AMD is now catering to businesses that need both computing power and graphics processing.

The new Ryzen Pro processors will come with up to 4-cores and 8-threads with a clock speed of 3.8GHz and a second version of the Precision Boost 2. As for its graphics processing capabilities, it comes with up to 10 Radeon Vega Cores which should be sufficient to do light to medium graphical work. AMD has also claimed that the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 2700U will perform 22 percent better in terms of productivity performance than the 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U which is honestly a very bold claim.

The company has also mentioned that its second generation Ryzen Pro chips will be will be seen it many of its OEM partners like Dell, HP and Lenovo, who have announced that we will be seeing these chips in both their desktop computers and laptops.

amd
chip
graphics
pro
ryzen
vega


Secretlab OMEGA Stealth gaming chair is now available in Malaysia

407

Secretlab, a Singapore-based gaming chair manufacturer announced today that it will begin shipping its highly acclaimed gaming chairs to 13 cities across Malaysia. Mr Ian Ang, the managing director and co-founder of Secretlab said the biggest challenge for them right now is to reach out to customers in other countries without airfreighting (it’s too expensive), and without going through other distributors. The company now managed to come up with a creative logistics solution, and will be implementing this throughout the Asia region, starting with Malaysia, where they’ve had tons of requests from.

Secretlab will be providing Malaysia market with its premium OMEGA Stealth gaming chair, the company’s flagship gaming chair and one of its most popular products. It is sculpted from a single piece of thick cold-cure foam for the most luxurious seating experience even after long hours of use. The chair is finished in the highest grade of durable PU leather, for a well-appointed finish that fits perfectly at home or in the office. Being partially water resistant it is easy to clean and maintain, unlike other generic office chairs.

The OMEGA Stealth gaming chair can be fully customizable, equipped with a multi-function tilt mechanism which gives you full control over the suspension of the chair. The chair can be set to tilt back in a rocking-like motion when desired or be locked in any reclined or tilted position allowing for a comfortable lounge-like experience.

The OMEGA Stealth will be priced at USD349 (RM1,470) and will be available for order on their
official website
, which can be placed from December 10th onwards.

chair
ergonomic
gamingchair
malaysia
omega
secretlab


Security flaw found on Symantec antiviruses that exposes Linux, Mac and Windows

342

If you’re running antivirus software from Symantec, you might want to update those softwares ASAP as someone has found a major vulnerability that is able to compromise Linux, Mac and Windows.

First discovered by Google’s Tavis Ormandy, this flaw works when you use an early version of the Aspack compression tool to squeeze executables. By doing so, you’ll be able to trigger a remote heap overflow in the Symantec process, allowing the attack to gain root access on Mac, Linux and Unix. For Windows, the same actions would result in a remote ring0 memory corruption vulnerability.

The best (or worse) part of this vulnerability is how ridiculously easy it is to trigger it. As Symantec is intercepting system input and output, all you really need to do is to email a file or send a web link, which would trigger said vulnerability. The victim doesn’t even need to click on the email or said web link to be exposed.

Symantec has since issued a patch to all of its antivirus suites via LiveUpdate, so you should prioritize that patch ASAP.

Source:
Chromium
,
Engadget

antivirus
norton
symantec
vulnerability


See how the Samsung Galaxy A50 takes lively photos with its triple rear cameras

339

For RM1,199, the Samsung Galaxy A50 is a bang-for-your-buck kind of device – it’s got a bright and crisp 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, a capable Exynos 9610 chipset that’s paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage; plus it comes with a sizeable 4,000mAh battery that supports 15W fast charge.

It’s all you need in a daily driver, and this one doesn’t break the bank. With all these in your pocket, all that’s left is a decent set of cameras to complete the package; and thankfully, the Galaxy A50 packs three at the back that lets you take lively photos when you’re out and about with your workhorse of a smartphone.

To put it to the test, I needed a place that’s full of life; and where better than our very own Bukit Bintang – it’s got a mix of chic shopping avenues and rustic old-time back alleys that give the area its charm.

We take
the
classic Bukit Bintang shot – a vantage photo from the monorail station of the busy intersection that’s usually bustling with pedestrians and cars. Right off the bat, the 25MP main lens makes light work of the scene. The saturation here is natural, mirroring what I saw – clear blue skies above bright sun-lit streets and cars.

I then took a light stroll down to Changkat to see what old Bukit Bintang had to offer – and I wasn’t disappointed. Obligational shot of the street art here is a must – and again the main lens does well to capture the colours of the murals without oversaturating it.

[sciba leftsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A50-street-art-1.jpg” leftlabel=”Regular shot” rightsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A50-street-art-2.jpg” rightlabel=”Ultra-wide shot” mode=”horizontal” width=””]

But something’s amiss; this doesn’t quite do justice to the beauty of the street art and the bustling intersection. This is where the Galaxy A50’s 8MP ultra-wide camera comes in. With its 123-degree field of view, you get a better overall image of your subject – case in point here with the street art; we see more of the forest wall, the river stairs, and the cloud instalments.

[sciba leftsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A50-monorail-1.jpg” leftlabel=”Regular shot” rightsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A50-monorail-2.jpg” rightlabel=”Ultra-wide shot” mode=”horizontal” width=””]

And with a wider vantage shot, you see more life as the hustle and bustle of Bukit Bintang is properly personified here.

[sciba leftsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A50-depth-sensor-1.jpg” leftlabel=”Regular bokeh” rightsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A50-depth-sensor-2.jpg” rightlabel=”Live focus mode” mode=”horizontal” width=””]

Being me, and me being in Bukit Bintang, you have to have one thing – cheesecake. For the initiated, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about; for those who don’t, ask those who do. With food, I have to test out the depth sensor. The Galaxy A50 offers a live focus feature that allows you to adjust your perferd bokeh level; and because I wanted the cake to be front-and-center, I’ve maxed out the blur here.

[sciba leftsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Fountain-1.jpg” leftlabel=”Regular shot” rightsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Fountain-2.jpg” rightlabel=”Scene-optimizer enabled” mode=”horizontal” width=””]

Walk around a bit and you’ll eventually reach Pavilion; this massive fountain serves as the centrepiece for the affluent shopping avenue, and here I tried out the Galaxy A50’s scene optimizer feature. As mentioned before, images taken with the phone boast natural saturations – what scene optimizer does here is tweak the colours ever so slightly to make pop. The droplets from the water can be seen much more clearly with scene optimizer on, while shadows are toned down a bit.

In this picture, you’ll find a genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist; and next to him, Iron Man. I jest, of course; here’s where I’d show you before-and-after comparison shots, but I doubt anyone wants to see the “before”, so I’ll just leave you with this. Flaw detection here does fantastic to make me look palatable, but of course you can always adjust the “beautify” level if the need arises.

The Samsung Galaxy A50 punches high for something that is priced this low; with a set of fantastic lenses – back and front – the phone is a complete package that’s fit to be a daily driver. Visit Samsung’s official online store
here
 to purchase the phone.

This is a sponsored advertorial by Samsung.

android
samsung
samsung galaxy a50
ultra wide camera


Sega 60th Anniversary: Free Sonic the Hedgehog 2, up to 95% discounts and more!

481

In conjunction with Sega 60th anniversary, Sega is offering a bunch of free games, crazy discounts and giveaways!

Free Sonic the Hedgehog 2 during Sega 60th Anniversary

Sonic the Hedgehog 2, one of the most popular Sega games will be free on Steam from October 9 to October 18. For three days from October 15 to October 18, Sega will also introduce exclusive free mini-games that are made just for the anniversary.

Up to 95% discounts!

That’s not all; there are discounts up to 95% on selected titles like Yakuza Kiwi 2, Persona 4 Golden, Warhammer and Endless Space 2. For eight consecutive weeks, Sega will have discounts each week on different game titles — the company also mentioned a “hands on with a prototype game” that has never been played by the public.

Apart from its
birthday sale
 on Steam, Sega also introduced some new library arts for its games. There will also be exclusive interviews, gameplays and competitions so check out the official site for more information.

sega
Sega 60th anniversary
Sonic the Hedgehog 2


Sega considers releasing a remastered version of Shenmue

375

While Yu Suzuki and his team continues to work on Shenmue III, Sega may be contemplating releasing a HD remastered version of the Shenmue series.

According to recent comments by Sega Europe, the company is “currently investigating” the potential to remaster both Shenmue and Shenmue II, games which were released back in 1999 and 2001 respectively.

“Of course we would love to release these tomorrow. Sadly, it’s not as simple as porting the games to current platforms, as we would need to ensure that any HD remaster lived up to the quality of the original titles. And with games as immersive as Shenmue 1 and 2, there are further complications from licensed products that were included in the original games. That said, we’d love to do it and are currently investigating how to make it a reality,” says Dan Sheridan, Community Manager for Sega.

Licensed products could probably be the biggest problem when it comes to remastering Shenmue as the original games have quite a number of product placement for rather big companies such as Coca-cola, Timex, and even Toshiba. That said though, Sega expressing interest in remastering the original two games in the Shenmue series means that the potential for it to happen is rather high.

Source:
Polygon

remaster
sega
shenmue


Sega to introduce Mega Drive Classic retro home console

337

With Nintendo announcing a the
NES Classic
, Sega is getting into the act as well with the announcement of the Sega Mega Drive Classic Home Console.

The Sega Mega Drive Classic will come in two variants. The first is the standard home console version that will support two controllers, as well as a cartridge slot that can fit your old school Mega Drives. The other version is a Game Gear-ish portable device that comes with an SDcard reader. Sega has stated that this version would be able to read ROMs loaded onto the SDcard. Both devices will come pre-loaded with 80 classic games from the Mega Drive’s catalogue, with some of the bigger names being Sonic the Hedgehog, Golden Axe, and Phantasy Star.

Before you get too excited though, you should know that the Sega Mega Drive Classic is a licensed product made by a Chinese manufacturer called At Games. The device itself isn’t made by Sega, which means that the quality could range from good to bad. If you are interested in the device nonetheless, both devices will be available in October 2016 with a price tag of USD65.62 (RM266.71).

Source:
FunStock
,
GamesRadar

console
megadrive
portable
sega


Sega to showcase a new Daytona USA game in two weeks' time

907

If you’ve ever been to an arcade, chances are good that you’ll seen a Daytona USA cabinet in said arcade. 18 years after Daytona USA 2 was released, Sega is gearing up to bring back the franchise, as the company has announced that they will be showing off Daytona 3 Championship USA on the 15th to 18th of November at the IAAPA event in Orlando.

#DaytonaIsBack
… Play it on Sega Booth 1606
@IAAPAHQ

@OCCC
 2 weeks today!
#IAE16

#Daytona

#ArcadeOnly

https://t.co/DHLau6lVMo

— Sega Amusements (@SegaAmusements)
November 1, 2016

The revival of the Daytona USA franchise will come with huge changes of course, as Sega revealed that Daytone 3 Championship USA cabinet will come with a 47″ monitor. Much like its predecessors, the game will support up to eight player linked play and a live in-game camera system. For the spectators, Daytona 3 will come with a “Live TV” inspired spectator video billboard marquee with a 27″ display, meaning you’ll no longer need to look over the player’s shoulders to see what’s happening during a race.

As for gameplay, Daytona 3 Championship USA will be remastering the original Beginner, Advanced and Expert courses as well as introducing three brand new tracks. The game will also introduce new cars and new game modes with it.

Source:
Seganerds

arcades
daytona3championshipusa
daytonausa
sega


Sega will be supporting console game modding via Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub

378

On April 28th, Sega will be releasing the Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub which will serve as a 3D front end for emulated Sega ROMs you already own on Steam. As the emulator will be released on Steam, Sega is looking at leveraging the Steamworks platform to add the ability to modify and redistribute some of Sega’s classic PC-emulated Mega Drive games. In short, Sega is looking at adding mod support for console games.

Modding classic consoles games have always been a legal grey area as it involves ripping the game directly from the cartridge and modifying the ROM. After that, the modified files will then be uploaded onto websites which can then be downloaded by anyone. With the Mega Drive Classics Hub though, Sega will be giving the greenlight for modders to modify a selection of its Mega Drive titles. While Sega will be endorsing modding for the Mega Drive games, they have yet to go into specifics as to what kind of support they would be providing.

In the meantime, if you have purchased any of the Sega Genesis Classics Collection games on Steam, all of the games will be receiving a free update to implement the hub features, including Steamworks modding. Sega has released
a list of games
 that will be supported by the Mega Drive Classics Hub, although some key titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog is absent from the list. Despite the lack of Sega’s killer app for the Mega Drive, Sega’s decision to support modding is a step in the right direction.

megadriveclassicshub
modding
sega


SELangkah is a COVID-19 tracing system for Selangor businesses to be used by visitors

323

With business now re-opening thanks to loosening restrictions brought by the Conditional MCO – the Selangor state government has introduced COVID-19 tracing system called
SELangkah
 – emphasis on the word ‘system’ here because we’ve been hearing a lot about
tracing
 apps lately, and this isn’t like those.

Image credit: SELangkah

However, it does serve the same purpose of monitoring cluster infections and possible contact between virus carriers and the uninfected.
SELangkah
 is meant for business owners who’ve opened their doors to resume operations – they have to download and print a QR code from the
SELangkah
 portal and display that QR code at the front of the premise for customers/visitors to scan.

Image credit: SELangkah

Once
 the customer/visitor has scanned the code, they will have to register themselves via the link that pops up, which will be the
SELangkah
 portal – this is a logging purpose for the health officers and authorities to monitor contact detection around Selangor.

The process may seem tedious, but
it
 is necessary given the circumstances – if we’re to recover from the pandemic with efficiency, steps like these must be taken – we’re at least this is happening in the age of smartphones and
accessible
 internet, unlike the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s’

conditional mco
contact tracing
covid 19
mco
SELangkah
tracing app
tracing system


Selangkah app now supports MySejahtera QR codes and check-ins via GPS

1.3K

Selangor has enhanced its existing Selangkah app with newer health and tracking features; more importantly, it can scan QR codes and will also become a commercial app to help smaller businesses.

Built-in scanner allows QR codes from MySejahtera and Selangkah

The current
Selangkah
 app already has a few useful features like a map that shows you affected premises, the visitor trend to specific locations and also the visitor log of whichever premise you check in (without revealing personal information). However, Selangkah also added a new built-in scanner that can scan Selangkah and MySejahtera QR codes and another feature that allows you to check in via GPS on your phone. Other new features include a new bulletin board so Selangkah users can receive the latest news regarding COVID-19 from the government and a history section for their previous check-ins.

Register for COVID-19 vaccine using your Selangkah ID

In the future, the app will come with an ‘RSVP’ feature — register and sign up for your vaccine pack. App users can use their Selangkah IDs to register when the vaccination is available and they’ll also get a digital certification once they’ve been vaccinated.

Selangkah will also be an e-wallet app

On the commercial side, the Selangkah app will help small business by introducing Selangkah BIZ — small business owners will be able to accept cash less payments from any e-wallets once the feature is launched. This will be followed by Selangkah Wallet, meaning Selangkah will also turn into an e-wallet provider. You’ll also be able to pay for your bills and summons when the app introduces Selangkah Pay in the future.

Download
 the Selangkah app now.

mysejahtera
QR codes
SELangkah


Selangor government will host the Selangor Cyber Games

283

There is yet another eSports competition on the horizon, but unlike the others that have been hosted by various gaming leagues, this one in particular is hosted by the Selangor government.

Aptly named the Selangor Cyber Games, this eSports event is organized by the state government of Selangor, Mineski Events Teams and Big Machinez. Taking place at OneCity on the 9th until the 11th of September, the Selangor Cyber Games will consist of eight tournaments spread out over seven different titles. The titles involved in this tournament includes League of Legends, Clash Royale, Street Fighter V, Hearthstone, Dota 2, FIFA 16 and Counter Strike Global Offensive.

Selangor Cyber Games will also play host to the MPGL Dota 2 Southeast Asian Championship, a tournament that pits the best Dota 2 teams in the Southeast Asia against each other, with a prize pool that is worth USD 50,000.

For those interested in participating in the event, you can sign up for the tournament at the
event website
.

Source:
Lowyat.NET

counterstrike
dota2
esports
fifa16
hearthstone
leagueoflegends
mpgl
selangorcybergames


Self-driving Tesla car involved in fatal accident

380

The self-driving vehicle industry has gotten a shock today as reports are coming out that a Tesla Model S electric car that was in autopilot mode has been involved in an accident that took its driver’s life.

According to the New York Times, the accident first happened on the 7th of May in Williston, Florida. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released its preliminary reports that indicates that the crash occurred when a tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of the Tesla, and the car failed to apply the brakes. The driver involved in this accident was Joshua Brown, a 40 year-old Navy veteran that owns a technology consulting firm. By all accounts, Joshua Brown was a firm believer Tesla’s autopilot system, going so far as to record himself riding his Tesla while the car is in autopilot mode.

This accident is the first known fatal accident involving a vehicle being driven by itself by means of sophisticated computer software, sensors, cameras and radar. With major tech companies such as Apple and Google working on ways to make self-driving cars a reality, this incident would surely be a wake-up call to the potential hazards of a self-driving car.

Source:
New York Times

accident
car
models
selfdriving
tesla


SelfieType — Samsung’s “invisible keyboard” for smartphones

401

Samsung just revealed an “invisible keyboard” for phones called SelfieType that uses AI technology and the front camera.

Unlike previous virtual keyboards, SelfieType doesn’t use laser projection which will require you to carry around a laser projector. They are also slower in the sense that the words and sentences don’t appear on your phone as quickly as, say, your phone’s keyboard or a Bluetooth keyboard.

Instead, SelfieType uses the front camera of your phone so there’s no need to carry an extra accessory and to track your finger movements. If this virtual keyboard can be as smooth as the default keyboard, then this could really help those who need to use their phone to type out long paragraphs of emails and messages.

Samsung also stated that SelfieType is an adaptable technology that can not only work on smartphones but also tablets and laptops.

invisible keyboard
samsung
SelfieType
virtual keyboard


Sennheiser launches an all-new flagship store in Suria KLCC

946

Sennheiser has just launched its flagship store in Suria KLCC, offering a retail experience that brings consumers the brand’s large offering of headphones, earphones, microphones and amplifiers.

The store was designed to offer the ultimate audio experience for everyone, it is also the first Sennheiser store in Southeast Asia to house the best headphones in the world, the Sennheiser HE 1 which retails for 50,000 euros. It is also the most advanced headphone in the world which offers the best in audio engineering, design and comfort all housed in Carrara Marble and a state-of-the-art patented amplifier. Customers can call up and book a personal experience session at the new store during opening hours.

Another featured headset is the Momentum HD 1 Pink Floyd Edition, a unique headphone created to celebrate the everlasting partnership between Sennheiser and Pink Floyd. It features an intricate reference to the band such as printed triangles, rainbow coating background on the ear cups and multi-colour stitching on the headband. The headphone retails for RM2,649.

There is also an HD 25 Robin Schulz Edition which includes the DJ’s engraved autograph on the earcup in white, specially tuned for all monitoring jobs and for listening to music at home or on the move. The HD 25 Robin Schulz Edition retails for RM1,390.

The pride of the flagship store is the Dior Homme x Sennheiser Edition, a partnership between French couture and German audio engineering which produced audio products. The range consists of four exclusive bundles which cost RM5,300 to RM46,000. Some of these include Sennheiser HD 800 S headphones paired with HDvd 800 headphone amplifier, PXC 550 Wireless noise-cancelling wireless travel headset and the IE 800 ear-canal headphones that come with the unique Dior Homme style and finish.

In conjunction with their grand opening, Sennheiser’s flagship store will be offering RM20 star buys that will allow you to pick up audio products for only RM20. Below are the products that are part of the deal:

Tuesday, 23 January 2018

7pm

HD 229 Wired On-Ear Headphone (U.P. MYR 289)

Wednesday, 24 January 2018

1pm

MM 30G Wired In-Ear Headset (U.P. MYR 259)

Thursday, 25 January 2018

1pm

HD 219 Wired On-Ear Headphone (U.P. MYR 219)

Friday, 26 January 2018

7pm

CX 215 Wired Earphone (U.P. MYR 219)

The flagship store is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm and is located on Lot 134, Level 1, Suria KLCC.

earphones
flagship
HD 25
HE 1
headphones
launch
pxc 550
sennheiser
store


Sensor-shift image stabilisation might be in this year’s iPhone

284

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said that the new iPhone coming this year will be sporting sensor-shift image stabilisation. If true, this will be another big step Apple has taken in terms of its iPhone’s camera setup.

According to Kuo, the 6.7-inch iPhone will be integrated with sensor-shift image stabilisation — supposedly the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Currently, the wide and telephoto lenses on the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are equipped with optical image stabilisation.

Image credit: Phone Arena

With the new sensor-shift stabilisation, the phone will be able to support stabilisation on its camera system instead of depending on the lens itself. This will also prove useful for attachable accessories like the Moment lenses.

Kuo also mentioned that this will likely be a feature that’s only available on the 6.7-inch iPhone, but it will be introduced to other iPhone models in 2021.

apple
iphone
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 Pro Max


Series of photos show what seems like an old unreleased HTC One Watch

400

Most major smartphone manufacturers have launched their own smartwatches, running mostly on Android Wear, along with a couple of homemade operating systems. While the smartwatches showcase the companies’ take on a wearable, this didn’t seem to be the case for HTC, whom hasn’t launched its own smartwatch till today. However, the Taiwanese manufacturer has been rumored to be working its own smartwatch as early as a year ago. Now a series of images have emerged, showing what seems to be HTC’s wearable.

The images that have surfaced on Chinese micro blogging site Weibo show the alleged HTC One smartwatch, though they seem to be dated in a number of ways. First off, on the circular non flat tire screen of the watch shows a build number based on the dated Android 5.1.1 software. The next image shows a more detailed look on the wearable’s hardware. On the back of the watch is a pogo pin style charging port, a heart rate sensor at the middle, flanked by a HTC logo and an Under Armor logo. This hints a HTC and Under Armor collaboration, which proves that HTC is catering more towards fitness junkies than the average joe. Having said that, the seemingly cracked unremovable silicone band on one of the images shown below further supports the theory. Tracking back to the second image above, we see two physical buttons strategially positioned on the side of the watch.

Apart from the mentioned clues found within the images, it is difficult to tell whether or not HTC is still working on this smartwatch behind the scense at its own pace. If not, those images are probably old leaks or only of an aged protoype that has been abandoned by the company. Don’t get your hopes too high on this one, but do keep those eyes peeled just in case! What do you think?

Source:
Android Authority

android
armor
htc
one
smart
under
watch
wear


Series: Recipes without..

318

Simnel cake is a fruit cake served at Easter time that features a layer of marzipan hidden within and extra marzipan on top. Christian tradition states the cake should be topped with 11 balls of marzipan (to represent the disciples, minus Judas), but if you want a more secular decoration, then it seems a shame not to take advantage of the modelling possibilities of marzipan to create rabbits, chicks or other springtime characters. This delicious and not-too-rich vegan and gluten-free version has a soft and slightly chewy crumb. It is best the day after it’s made.

Makes 10 slices
50g glace cherries
150g raisins
50g sultanas
2 tsp mixed spice
500g white marzipan
50g dairy-free sunflower margarine
50g dark muscovado sugar
3 tbsp marmalade
1 banana
100g gram (chickpea) flour
50g ground almonds
2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
100ml apple juice
1 tbsp apricot jam
Icing sugar, for dusting


Meet TMJ, win prizes worth up to RM100,000, and snap pics with cosplay pros at ServerDNA-IV this weekend!

384

Exciting weekend ahead for us gaming geeks – the ServerDNA-IV convention is taking place this September 28 and 29, and will play host to a list of gaming-centric activities such as talks, cosplay events, gaming product expos, lucky draws and tournaments.

And one big tournament happening during the two-day event is the Kuala Lumpur Royal Esports Masters, which is organized by the Kuala Lumpur Electronic Sports Association.

Speaking during the tournament press conference was Kuala Lumpur Electronic Sports Association (ESKL) president Hisham Darus – he expects about 3,000 participants to compete at the tournament, adding to the typically large crowds who attend ServerDNA.

He also said that this is the state body’s initiative to bring together the gaming and esports community – pushing the industry further by providing talented players a platform to shine. During the event, you will also be greeted by the e-sports athletes who will be representing the country at the upcoming 2019 Manila SEA Games.

Players will battle in two games – CS:GO and FIFA 20, for a share of a total of RM1mil in outstanding cash prizes.

Also, if you need more reason to head over, officiating the opening of the event is Johor Regent HRH Tunku Mahkota Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim himself – to put the “Royal” in Royal Esports Masters.

Plus, if you stick around, you stand a chance to win a share of RM100,000 worth of lucky draw prizes as well. Entry to the event is free – you can visit their website
here
 for more information as well as event agendas.

cosplay
csgo
esports
fifa 20
gaming
johor
kuala lumpur royal esports masters
royal
server dna
tmj
tournament


ServisHero launches Zika virus protection service to raise awareness

302

Cases of Zika virus are increasing and if you are on the look out for preventive measures, ServisHero, a service hiring app has introduced a new section simply called ‘Zika Protection’ to raise awareness and to offer services that will help protect you from Zika, the service is currently listed as the first selection once you fire up the app, which then leads you to choose the ‘Pest Control’ option and pick the Zika protection category, enter your residential details and you will be on the way to receive a quote from the ‘Heroes’ or service providers within 24 hours.

This is a rather thoughtful initiative by the one year old Malaysian startup, the app is listed as one of the most downloaded and top free apps in both Google Play Store and Apple App Store, the company has also include more than 30 services over time, be it hiring a plumber to fix your pipe or a videographer to film your wedding event, all you need to do is to request these services with a few taps on the app and you will get to compare quotes from various service providers. Download ServisHero from the
Google Play Store
 and
Apple App Store
.


Setel, the e-payment solution for fuel is now available for all PETRONAS stations in Klang Valley

1K

It was last year when PETRONAS launched Setel, an app that provides e-payment solution for fuel purchases. While it was limited to certain PETRONAS stations previously, now all PETRONAS stations in Klang Valley support this e-payment solution.

In addition to that, Setel now comes with a new feature — Refer A Friend. This is to further expose Malaysian drivers to the fuel payment app while also encouraging them to try out the feature so they can enjoy earning points and pumping fuel without the need to walk over to counters.

Referrers will earn credits when the new user transacts RM30 worth of fuel via the app. The first referral will earn the referrer RM5, followed by RM6 for second referral and RM7 for the third referral onwards. Those who are referred will also be entitled to RM5, so it’s a win-win situation for both parties.

Setel is available on App Store and Google Play Store for free.

PETRONAS
Setel


Several Qualcomm chipsets are revealed to support up to 192MP cameras

391

If you think a 48MP camera on a phone is already super impressive, then you’re going to be shocked by the news that Qualcomm have chipsets that can support up to 192MP cameras, something really unheard of.

Qualcomm has updated the specs sheets of a few processors back in February, and the few that manage to support up to 192MP cameras include the Snapdragon 845, Snapdragon 710 and Snapdragon 670. While previously the specs sheet only showed that the Snapdragon 670 processor can support up to 16MP dual camera and 25MP single camera, it didn’t specify what other factors are included. With the new spec sheets, we now know that the processor can actually support up to 48MP camera with Multi-Frame Noise Reduction (MFNR), but will not have Zero Shutter Lag (ZSL) feature, and if it supports a 192MP camera, the camera will also lose the MFNR feature.

The same goes to the Snapdragon 845 and Snapdragon 710 processors. Both processors can support up to 192MP cameras, but it has to be a single camera with no support for MFNR and also ZSL, which is a big compromise as MFNR can help create images with less noise whereas ZSL can reduce the loading time after taking a shot.

Now, while a 192MP camera on your phone does sound amazing, it doesn’t seem to be the best option as of now unless someone comes up with a fix for advanced features like MFNR and ZSL. Plus, even with such a high-megapixel camera, people who aren’t keen on photography might not be able to tell the difference and won’t be considering the camera’s megapixel as a purchasing factor.

It is worth noting that at least Qualcomm is providing a clearer and more detailed specs sheet. Who knows, one day a company will be able to produce an amazing 192MP camera on a smartphone.

192MP cameras
qualcomm
snapdragon 670
Snapdragon 710
Snapdragon 846


Shake your protein with a push of button – ROTO

300

Remember the team that brings you HidrateMe smart water bottle that can keep track of your daily water intake and alert you when you need it? The team did it again with motivation a new product – ROTO. It can help you to avoid lumpy shakes for protein powder, with a push of a button and the shake will be ready to be consumed in just a few seconds.

The ROTO uses an electric motor that can spin up to 12300 RPM and still retain lightweight with capability to store 680 ml water in it, besides that it also have rechargeable batteries that you can use a USB cable to charge it with 1 hour to use up to 30 times. To allow users to hold on the grip properly, the team design it to have an ergonomic shape and kudos for the team to make such effort to give the consumer the best.

The price hasn’t been announced, but it will launch on Kickstarter on Thursday 23 July 2015. Please stay tuned for more news.

hidrateme
kickstarter
roto


Sharkoon Introduces SharkZone H30 Headset

479

Sharkoon has progressed into a new range of gaming peripherals for gamers; presenting the all new Shark Zone H30. The sturdy build of the Shark Zone H30 Stereo Headset is a perfect pairing of durability with amazing on-head comfort, with a reduction in ambient noise. It features soft ear pads and a padded headband, promising a comfortable fit even during long gaming sessions. The two 40mm driver speakers offers balanced sounds with deep lows and crisps highs. The voice transmission of the microphone is optimized with a solid aluminium capsule, also being detachable and flexible.

The ambient noise featured in this headset was reduced significantly with its closed design. Sound waves on the other hand are only transmitted in a single direction straight to the user’s ear, with no leakage out of the H30. Gamers can certainly immerse themselves in a virtual gaming environment, insulating themselves from the outside world, being more precise and effective in-game. The solid ear cup, also made of metal, allows individual adjustments. Height adjustments are made by the screw system, guaranteeing continuous support without inadvertent changes to the user’s desired settings. The entire design of the H30 including the headband is extremely robust and is able to withstand high stress however the situation may be.

The total cable length in this setup, including the built-in volume control with microphone mute function is about 260 cm, offering generous room to maneuver. The H30 provides 3.5 mm TRRS connector for the microphone and headphone respectively, allowing modern connection to laptops, smartphones and even your PS4. Total cable length in this setup is about 120 cm.

Sharkoon Shark Zone should be available to end-users immediately at a suggested retail price of 36.99 Euros (RM 173.64) at authorized retailers in US and Europe, followed by Asian countries after.

SOURCE:
TechPowerUp

gamingheadphones
gamingheadset
h30headset
pcgaming
sharkoon
sharkzoneh30