5 things to drool over the MSI GE66 Raider

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A cool gaming laptop gives you the ultimate bragging rights when it is equipped with practical and powerful features, most of you may have recently been attracted by one certain laptop that can do memes to show off, we can assure you that the MSI GE66 Raider has way more things that will make you a gaming icon anywhere, anytime, and here are five things to drool over this beautiful gaming machine.

Glam On. RTX On.

Be glamorous with the cool mystic light effect on the front RGB strip, there’s over eight customizable lighting effects that brightens up your desk with a panoramic effect, which will make your friends jealous.

No glam goes well without forgetting to mention the powerful hardware of the MSI GE66 Raider, which is powered by a 10th Generation Intel Core i9 processor and more importantly, the NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 SUPER™ with Max-Q Design graphics, a hardware combo that not only boosts gaming performance but also delivers impressive graphics quality all thanks to ray-tracing technology.

Ray-tracing technology delivers realistic lighting and reflection on objects, giving games a more realistic feel as if you are enjoying a movie. With DLSS 2.0 (deep learning super sampling), the NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 SUPER™ with Max-Q Design GPU uses its Tensor Cores and a deep learning neural network to perform real-time rendering of ray-traced graphics to deliver more frame rates compared to its predecessor.

99.9Wh and 2nd Gen Max-Q Technology

Gaming on battery can be prolonged on the MSI GE66 Raider all thanks to a huge 99.9Wh battery and the second generation Max-Q Technology of the NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 SUPER™, it features double the efficiency of the first generation Max-Q technology with new features such as Dynamic Boost, which balances power between the GPU and CPU while delivering playable frame rates on battery without increasing power consumption.

The huge 99.9Wh battery adheres to airline regulations for the maximum battery capacity allowed on a plane, so you can safely transport the laptop everywhere you go while enjoying an impressive battery life .

Super fast 300Hz display for a more responsive gameplay

Speed is key to an enjoyable gaming experience, that’s why gamers will enjoy the super fast 300Hz refresh rate display of the MSI GE66 Raider, games with high frame rates such as Valorant, CS:GO and Dota 2 will be able to take advantage of this as it allows gamers to respond faster to movements and eliminates any fatigue caused by slower displays.

The only gaming laptop with a Full HD webcam

Don’t use an external webcam or compromise for a low quality built-in webcam, because the MSI GE66 Raider is the only gaming laptop that comes with a built-in Full HD webcam, so that your video calls look clearer and your game streams will be more enjoyable as your audience see a better, more confident you on showing off your gaming skills.

The best selection of ports at practical positions

The MSI GE66 Raider isn’t all gimmicky like some other gaming laptops, as it comes with a wide selection of ports and they are located at practical positions, where thick and messy cables such as Ethernet, display outputs, and power will go through the back, frequently used ports such as USB ports, SD card reader and audio jack are located on the side for easy access, which makes cable management an easier task and keeps desks clean.

This article is sponsored by MSI Malaysia.

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5 things to love about the Samsung Odyssey G9 NEO even if you aren’t a gamer

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The Samsung Odyssey G9 NEO gaming monitor is one dream display to own in anyone’s mancave, though it is essentially a premium gaming monitor, this doesn’t mean that casual gamers or productivity users can’t take advantage of this bad boy if you have the money to spend on one, and here are five things anyone you will love about it.

Dual QHD Resolution with PbP

The Odyssey G9 NEO not only features a beautiful 49-inch Quantum Matrix HDR2000 panel that offers stunning colors and contrast, the panel also pushes a 5120×1440 resolution, which is a very practical display resolution for picture-by picture that allows you to connect two devices and have them push a resolution of 2560×1440 respectively, it is equivalent to having two 24.5-inch Quad HD monitors on your table.

Even if you don’t have two devices to connect, there’s ample space for multiple windows to be displayed on this resolution, which you no longer require a two monitor setup and keep your workspace simple.

Smooth 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time

Once you go high refresh rate, you can’t look back at that boring 60Hz refresh rate, which most ultrawide monitors still have. Even if you aren’t gaming on the Odyssey G9 NEO, the 240Hz refresh rate makes every drag and drop and scrolling action buttery smooth, so that you won’t feel tired even after looking at the screen for long hours of work.

Superb Cable Management

Nothing irks one more when you have cables messing up your table, the Odyssey G9 NEO has superb cable management that routes your cables to the middle and through the monitor stand, wires will look tidier and it is easier to manage them when you need to connect to devices.

In addition, the monitor stand also serves as a convenient headphone stand, which will most certainly save you some desk space for one.

User friendly on-screen menu

Setting up your monitor for the first time can be overwhelming, and the Odyssey G9 NEO keeps it real simple with an intuitive on-screen menu that lets you navigate around with a joystick, there’s no need to remember which button to press for going to the next page or selecting an item, and every menu item has a simple explanation on what it does so you don’t need to refer to a manual if you are unfamiliar of the setting.

Save up to 3 customized image profiles

The Odyssey G9 NEO features three dedicated physical buttons for customized image profiles otherwise known as Game Settings, this is a very useful feature where you can set up specific profiles for gaming, movies and productivity, and with just a press of a button you will instantly be switched to that image profile that you intended for whatever you are doing, which is very convenient if you are a person with sensitive visuals.

The Samsung Odyssey G9 NEO can be purchased
here
.

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50 seconds is how fast the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 got sold out

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Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has announced the Mi Note 2 flagship phone a week ago. The flagship phablet has finally been launched and went on sale earlier today in Xiaomi’s homeland China. Multiple reports claim that the Mi Note 2 was sold out on Xiaomi’s Chinese website in a mere 50 seconds. The sale was only made available to those who have pre-ordered the device.

The fast sell out is one of the many feats achieved by Xiaomi through the company’s online sales. The Chinese manufacturer has always been known for its speedy flash sales that usually end up having its products sold out, hence the sale of the Mi Note 2 shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The phablet is anticipated to be one of the few capable candidates to fill the void of the dead Galaxy Note 7 by Samsung.

The Mi Note 2 does resemble the Galaxy Note 7 in numerous aspects, but mainly its screen. Like the latter device, the former sports a curved dual edge display, also at 5.7-inches. The Mi Note 2 however retains the more common 1080p resolution screen, compared to the the Note 7’s QHD resolution display. The Mi Note 2 packs a Snapdragon 821 processor with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage.

Xiaomi’s beautiful concept phone, the huge 6.4-inch Mi MIX will go on sale this coming 4th of November and we shall expect a similar sellout like the Mi Note 2. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
GizmoChina

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5,000 mAh Marathon M3

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In recent days,
Motorola
 has introduced a few hardy droids to the smartphone market, namely,
DROID Turbo
, DROID Maxx and DROID Mini which all boasts of
apparent
mammoth-sized battery packs – 3,900 mAh, 3,500 mAh and 2,000 mAh respectively. Due to the
enormous
battery capacity,
Motorola
 claims that the devices would last from 28 hours to 48 hours on mixed usage. Well, all these figures are
relative
 anyway.

Enter the Gionee’s Marathon M3 – a (Chinese) smartphone which packs a whopping 5,000 mAh battery pack in a 10.4mm-thin chassis! Talk about a gargantuan battery pack in a
relatively
 slim body. The smartphone has already been released for sale in India at 12, 999 rupees (approximately RM705). However, it seems that the device can’t be purchased via the online store at the moment but on the flipside, the Gionee website for India ships Internationally.

Battery size aside, the hardware specs on the Marathon M3 resembles a mid-end smartphone especially with the Chipset onboard. The pertinent specs are:

5.0” 720p HD IPS & OGS Display

8.0MP Rear Camera

2.0MP Front Camera

RAM/ROM: 1GB/8GB

128GB memory card expansion

USB OTG (On-The-Go)

Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex A7 CPU

Dual SIM

3G

LTE – absent

The phone aims at the price-conscious market and comes in Black and White color variants.

Source(s):
Gionee India
,
The Verge
,
FoneArena


Only 50,000 units of Essential Phone sold so far

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The initial hype and anticipation leading towards the launch of the Essential Phone unfortunately does not translate to its performance right now. Essential, a company headed by Android co-founder Andy Rubin debuted its first ever smartphone roughly half a year ago. The Essential Phone did not take off like many expected, and has only sold around 50,000 units since launch.

50,000 smartphones sold by a company over a few months is certainly not impressive, and most likely a letdown for a company led by the likes of Rubin. The Essential Phone was first plagued with software issues surrounding its camera app, citing poor optimization with the handset’s dual camera setup. Some users even ported in the Google camera app and produced better results than the stock app. Speaking of the app, that’s where the estimate of units sold comes from – the number of downloads on the Play Store.

Nevertheless, the Essential Phone has gotten a permanent discount to $499, which makes it the perfect contender for affordable flagships such as the newly launched OnePlus 5T. What are your thoughts on the Essential Phone?

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5.8-inch curved AMOLED display to be featured in 2017 iPhone

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After three years, Apple 4-inched the iPhone again, with the unveiling of the iPhone SE. Fortunately, the Cupertino company is likely not to go 4 inches on another one of their iPhones. Instead, we have news that Apple will have a whopping 5.8-inch iPhone next year. Not only that, the display is said to be curved.

This news comes from trusted source and KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who also mentioned that the 2017 iPhone will have curved panels on both the rear and front sides. Aside from that, Apple is rumored to acquire AMOLED panels for next year’s flagship. With AMOLED panels recently trumping over LCD panels in terms of affordability, it is not surprise that Apple will be switching to AMOLED from its current TFT-LCD displays.

While this one might seem a bit of a far fetch, the iPhone is also said to feature new biometric recognition technology, including iris scanning and a more secure facial recognition techology. This first comes from the company’s recent aqcuisition of Emotient, a facial recognition specialist. 2017 will most likely see an S version of the iPhone 7, who’s scheduled to make its appearance later this year. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Source:
Apple Insider

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5G connectivity is coming to Malaysia as soon as Q3 of 2020

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It’s the new year, and as promised, we’ll be seeing the mass deployment of 5G connectivity in the country this year. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has announced the allocation of 5G spectrum bands to be used by local
broadband
 companies for the country-wide rollout of the new connectivity standard.

In a Final Report published by the regulating body notes that the allocation will be made to entities in a consortium that consists of several entities. By doing so, MCMC claims that it will help in make the adoption and deployment of 5G more affordable, as it prevents the duplication of infrastructures.

The MCMC will allocate 700MHz and 3.5GHz bands – both bread-and-butter mid-band and low-band frequency spectrums; this would make sure 5G coverage reaches a wider area.

According to Digital News Asia, the body will make available the 2x30MHz of the 700MHz band and the 100MHz of the 3.5GHz band to the consortium this Q1 2020, through a tender process. The availability of 5G to consumers should come in Q3 of 2020. The remaining frequencies will be assigned at later stages.

As it’s made available through a tender process, we expect big name players to emerge on top – and therefore we can expect to see familiar names offer their 5G offerings much sooner. Plus, MCMC’s cost-saving method should see pricing trickle down to consumers too, saving us a buck
wherever
 possible.

The existing allocation of 4G spectrums are still maintained and will continue until December 2021 – making the gradual adoption of 5G technologies in the country more seamless.

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Malaysia to implement 5G by end of 2021

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Rejoice Malaysia!
5G
 networks are expected to roll out in the country in phases starting from the end of the year, meaning the 5G-ready phones that many of us have now can finally delivery the kind of blazing-fast internet speeds we’ve been craving.

The roll-out would make Malaysia one of the first in the Southeast Asian region to
adopt
 the new networking technology and the country will invest RM15 billion into implementing 5G over a period of 10 years.

5G in Malaysia was supposed to rollout in 2020

We could’ve had 5G in Malaysia a little earlier, but it was
delayed
 last year and a timeline for implementation was set for 2022 – this new development could mean a semi-wide availability of the network could arrive sooner.

The spectrum allocation will be handed over to a special purposed vehicle (SPV), run by the Ministry of Finance. The entity is tasked to roll out the 5G infrastructures across the nation. Plus, a whopping RM15 billion will be invested in the implementation efforts over a period of 10 years.

The SPV will use existing infrastructures to roll out 5G connectivity; the entity will be assigned three spectrums – 700MHz, 3500MHz, and 2800MHz.

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5G mobile connectivity to be available in Malaysia soon, but will first be tested in Cyberjaya and Putrajaya

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With the advent of 5G connectivity in the mobile world – we’ve seen a slew of 5G-ready devices introduced at MWC Barcelona. Think Samsung, Huawei, LG, and OnePlus all flexing their 5G muscles by introducing full-fledged devices as well as prototypes. So it isn’t long now before the tech world in general make the transition to 5G connectivity.

To keep up with the progress, Malaysia will soon be incorporating 5G facilities in Cyberjaya and Putrajaya in an effort to bring faster connection speeds to the masses.

According to a report by Bernama, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo aims to rope in the Malaysian communications and Multimedia Commission to bring 5G technology to the country. But in order to implement it nationwide, a smaller scale pilot test needs to be done for a period of six months to work out any kinks.

This comes after YES and Facebook’s collaborative project to introduce Terragraph in George Town, Penang last month. This too will go through a test-period which will bring over 1GB/s down speeds to covered areas in the heritage town.

It’s great to see efforts by the government to provide Malaysians with better and better tools to function in an ever digitalizing landscape.

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5G is rolling out soon but will be a growing pain in its beginnings

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It’s promised to be the next big thing – offering significantly faster speed and more responsiveness – the 5G network is working towards a reality and it’s not a surprise anymore.

From what we know so far from the MWC 2018, Verizon and AT&T are planning to launch limited mobile 5G service this year, while T-Mobile and Sprint will be catching up for the next year instead. Although 5G is said to be relatively faster in so many ways, do expect for it undergo some problems too; speed may not be as consistent as it said it is, or at all.

And the price is another issue being faced by the industry leaders. Some are concerned whether consumers would really pay a premium for it as you can stream movies just as fine with a 4G network already. That’s especially true even when the 5G network can be anywhere from 10 to 100 times faster.

With all that being said, guess we’ll just sit back and see when it’s going to be released for Malaysia instead. It’s likely happening within the next few years.

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Digital Tax 6%: How much will you have to pay in 2020?

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We’re about to enter 2020 in a blink of an eye and while many may be looking forward to a new year, we Malaysians might be slightly worried about what’s coming our way — the 6% digital service tax.

We already heard several companies announcing the change in pricing due to the tax, including Google, Netflix, and Sony. While some companies have yet to confirm whether they will increase the price of their products and services, here’s an estimation on how much you’ll have to pay for some of the most popular digital services in 2020.

Netflix

Netflix has announced the increased price in its plans; the Basic plan will soon cost RM35/month, the Standard plan RM45/month, and the Premium plan RM55/month. Let’s do some maths, shall we? If added with the 6% tax, then each plan should supposedly be priced at:

Basic plan: RM34.98/month

Standard plan: RM44.52/month

Premium plan: RM54.06/month

If we’re nitpicking, then I’ll have to point out that Netflix will be getting an extra RM0.02, RM0.48, and RM0.94 from each plan respectively, but let’s not go there. After all, we’re not sure if there are other charges included in the whole process. Plus, Netflix isn’t increasing the price of its mobile-only plan which costs RM17/month. If we take into account the 6% tax that Netflix should be absorbing for this plan, then they’d have to pay an extra RM1.02 per subscription on their end.

Spotify

Ahh
, one of our favorite music streaming services. If you’re a non-Premium users, lucky you. If you’re a Premium user and Spotify chooses to push the tax to the consumer end, then these are the prices you’ll have to pay when it comes to 2020.

Spotify Premium: RM14.90 + 6% = RM15.79/month

Spotify Premium Family: RM22.40 + 6% = RM23.74/month

We can also assume Spotify to round these numbers up, leading to RM15.80 and RM23.80 for these plans. If you’re a Spotify Premium user who subscribed on mobile via telco plans, then your RM15.90 plan might even go up to RM16.85 once it’s 2020.

Google

Google is one of the earliest companies to announce the implementation of the 6% digital tax on its services. You should be expecting all the movies, books, apps and in-app purchases in the Google Play Store to come with a 6% digital tax. For example, if you’re renting “The Lion King” in Play Store for RM13 now, you might have to rent it for RM13.78 in 2020.

As for G Suite users, these are the changes that we’re assuming will be made.

Current pricing (per month)

Basic edition: $6

Business edition: $12

Enterprise edition: $25

Estimated new pricing (per month)

Basic edition: $6.36

Business edition: $12.72

Enterprise edition: $26.50

But on the bright side, Google has a promotional price that is valid until April 2, 2020, for the basic and business editions. They’re currently priced at $5.40/month and $10.20/month.

Adobe

There are many in the creative industry, but sadly they’ll also be affected by the 6% digital tax if they’re subscribed to Adobe services. These are the different prices you’d have to pay if you’re paying for these annual plans monthly.

Current pricing (per month)

Photography plan (20GB): RM44.41

Photography plan (1TB): RM88.87

Single app: RM93.31

All apps: RM236

Estimated new pricing (per month)

Photography plan (20GB): RM47.07

Photography plan (1TB): RM94.20

Single app: RM98.91

All apps: RM250.16

Of course, we may have hope if Adobe chooses to absorb the tax for us.

Microsoft Office 365

What’s the point of a Windows laptop without Office 365? If Microsoft pushes the tax to consumers, we’ll have no choice but to bite our tongues and pay the new price.

Current pricing (per year)

Office 365 Home: RM359

Office 365 Personal: RM269

Estimated new pricing (per year)

Office 365 Home: RM380.54

Office 365 Personal: RM285.14

Well, if you only use Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, then you should probably get the Office Home & Student 2019 that only requires a one-time payment of RM529. Just a word of advice, get it before 2020 or you’ll be risking an extra 6% tax.

Facebook

As I’ve said, there’s no escape. Many started promoting their products and services via Facebook ads, and these ads are subjected to a 6% tax. However, Facebook says that this only applies to those “whose “Sold To” country on their business or personal address is set to Malaysia”. So, if your Facebook ads cost RM100, you’ll be charged RM106 in total.

Sony PlayStation and Steam

Gamers, you probably already saw this coming. I’m not going to list every game there in your PlayStation Store and Steam Store, but you know the gist. Thankfully, Sony isn’t updating the price of its PlayStation Plus service — but be warned, that may change over the months.

Image credit: CompareHero

Some of you may be worried about e-commerce platforms like Shopee and Lazada being affected by this new tax. Well,
iMoney
 reported that there’s import duty and sales tax for the majority of the local e-commerce transactions, so digital tax shouldn’t be affecting them. There’s also no need to worry about local services like Grab, Astro, and iFlix as they are all Malaysian services.

Also, if you’re sulking about the 6% tax, here’s a little piece of information that may make you feel better — there are many other countries with higher taxes; Russia has a 20% tax, Norway has a 25% tax and Bangladesh has a 15% tax. If we (try) to be positive, our country is actually one of the few with lower digital tax.

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More than 6 million iPhone X units sold last weekend

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Last weekend may have seemed like any other weekend to some, but to others it means saving a whole lot of cash on discounted purchases. It might not be as apparent here as it is in the US, but Black Friday weekend was filled with sales and discounts in stores nationwide, and although Apple did not discount its iPhone X smartphone, it sure sold like hot cakes last weekend.

According to a report, a whopping over 6 million units of the iPhone X were sold worldwide last weekend, which is an astonishing figure for 3 days. The report also indicates that the 256GB units sold doubled that of the entry level 64GB variant. This does not come as a surprise, including the fact that other iPhones apart from the X were popular as well, with the figures totaling up to 15 million units.

it looks like the iPhone X has been received way better than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the latter two which saw underwhelming launches in stores worldwide with minimal crowds. The 6 million units sold also proves that consumers are still capable of paying premium prices for their phones, with the iPhone X costing RM 5,199 and above.

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6 New Lumia coming soon

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Microsoft didn’t have much news about its upcoming
Lumia

smartphone, but there is news claim that there will be two high-end
Lumia

smartphones that will be coming this year. However, these two phones aren’t the only smartphone that Microsoft is working on, apparently the company has a much as six new
Lumia

smartphones in the pipeline at the moment.

This information is actually coming from popular Twitter leaker @evleaks who revealed through a tweet that there will be at least six upcoming handsets from Microsoft that will going surface up soon. It’s been an absolute silent since the last update for the
Lumia
 lineup, and now the company will overhaul the entire lineup that will offer high-end, mid-range and low-end devices.

In addition, it’s important that Microsoft has also made a significant change that recently the company took a big hit on its Nokia acquisition and fired thousands of employees from that division. There also some hints that the company will simplify its device lineup by focusing mainly on one or two models in the short term.

They’re also a possible way that this will be the last major update to the
Lumia
 lineup before Microsoft back the dial, it remains to be seen, though how Microsoft spreads the launch of these handsets throughout what’s left of 2015.

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6 smartphones to consider over the Samsung Galaxy Note 8

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Love what the Galaxy Note 8 has to offer? Or there’s still something missing from your Galaxy Note 8 feature wishlist? No problem, there’s just so many other smartphones to choose from if you are looking at specific features such as a great camera, speedy performance and more, which is why we have handpicked a list of smartphones that could be great alternatives to Samsung’s latest Note smartphone.

Huawei P10 Plus

Remember, the Galaxy Note 8 isn’t the only smartphone with a dual camera setup, the Huawei P10 Plus is an extremely capable smartphone with a Leica dual camera system. In our
review
, we find the P10 Plus’ camera to produce great dynamic range in photos and there’s a great Pro mode should you want to maximize its potential.

Although the dual camera system isn’t a telephoto and wide angle lens setup like the Note 8, the P10 Plus still features a 2x digital lossless zoom, which uses the 20-megapixel monochrome sensor to enhance the details of the photo when zoomed in. Otherwise, the P10 Plus’ hardware internals will also stack up extremely well with the Galaxy Note 8, the Kirin 960 processor is no slouch, it has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, while you also get a bigger battery at 3750mAh and it supports Huawei’s SuperCharge technology. The Huawei P10 Plus is officially priced at RM3,099, however you can now already purchase it at a much lower price tag from RM2,500 over at 11street or Lazada.

Reasons to Consider the Huawei P10 Plus over the Note 8:
Larger battery size, 128GB internal storage, better Pro camera mode.

Samsung Galaxy S8+

Samsung’s Galaxy S8+ may have been overshadowed by the release of the Galaxy Note 8, but it is still one device that you may still want to consider, the S8+ still has a great camera that you won’t find an issue with, its display is a mere 0.1-inch smaller than the Note 8, however you get a slightly larger 3500mAh battery, which should deliver slightly more standby time than the Note 8. Apart from the S-Pen, dual camera system and 6GB of RAM, the S8+ still has most of the Note 8’s features covered, including wireless charging, IP68 water and dust resistance and the same Exynos 8895 processor. The Galaxy S8+ officially retails at RM3,699, however you can already purchase it at a lower price tag from RM2700 over at 11street or Lazada.

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S8+ over the Note 8:
 Larger battery capacity and much cheaper price tag for features you are getting.

HTC U11

An extremely underrated device, the HTC U11 may not look as attractive as the Galaxy Note 8 in design, however this is a powerful smartphone that is priced much lower if you don’t require the Note 8’s S-Pen, the U11 is powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor and comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage, its 12-megapixel camera is certainly no slouch as it has received the highest rating by DxOMark, while having features such as 3D sound that helps improve audio in videography. The HTC U11 also emphasizes heavily on sound, featuring a BoomSound HiFi edition dual speaker setup and comes with the HTC U Sonic earphones, which the latter sounds a lot better than the Galaxy Note 8’s AKG-tuned earphones.

In addition, the HTC U11 features an Edge Sense feature that allows you to squeeze the phone to perform certain actions such as taking a photo, launching an app and shortcut. The HTC U11 is also IP67 water and dust resistant, though slightly inferior than the Galaxy Note 8’s IP68 rating, the phone will still be well protected from accidental water submersion and sand. The HTC U11 is officially priced at RM3,099, however you can already purchase it at a lower price tag from RM2,700 over at 11street or Lazada.

Reasons to Consider the HTC U11 over the Note 8:
 Great audio performance, Edge Sense an interesting feature, lower price tag for the same specs sheet as the Galaxy Note 8

OnePlus 5

If you want a no nonsense and snappy smartphone, the OnePlus 5 is one smartphone that we will definitely recommend. The OnePlus 5 has all the fastest hardware internals that you will ever need for a speedy smartphone experience, including a Snapdragon 835 processor, up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Although it sports a mere 3300mAh battery similar to the Galaxy Note 8, standby times will definitely be much better due to the smaller display size and the use of a Full HD AMOLED display, OnePlus’ Dash Charging feature also gets the phone charged a lot faster than Samsung’s aging 9V/2A adaptive fast charging. Furthermore, the OnePlus 5’s stock software experience means that you aren’t going to encounter any performance issues in the long run, and due to that you should also expect new Android updates to arrive much earlier than the Galaxy Note 8. The OnePlus 5’s official retail price starts from RM2,388, and can now be had at a much lower price from 11street or Lazada.

Reasons to Consider OnePlus 5 over the Note 8:
 Faster performance, clean stock Android software experience, faster battery charging technology.

Xiaomi Mi 6

Nothing beats Xiaomi when it comes to value and performance, the Mi 6 has the most powerful flagship internals, Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, but all of these stuffs merely require an asking price of RM1,899. The Mi 6 also sports a dual 12-megapixel camera setup similar to the Note 8, though its telephoto camera sensor has a smaller f/2.6 aperture as compared to the Note 8’s f/2.4. The Mi 6 runs Xiaomi’s MIUI 8 software based on Android 7.0 Nougat, though some might not prefer its iOS inspired design, it is one of the most efficient software that we have ever tested, the user can also feedback certain features to be included in the next software update, which makes it more versatile than the Note 8’s software.

Reasons to Consider Xiaomi Mi 6 over the Note 8:
 Extremely affordable price tag for the same performance, comparable dual camera system, better battery life.

Infinix Note 4 Pro

This is no flagship smartphone, but it has one identical feature to the Note 8 – a stylus. Yes, you read that right, the Infinix Note 4 Pro will soon be launched in Malaysia and it comes with a stylus called the X-Pen, which will perform very similar features to the Note 8 such as screen writing, smart select, quick notes and more. The Infinix Note 4 Pro also comes with a respectable 4500mAh battery and supports XCharge 4.0 5A fast charging tech, it is powered by a MediaTek MT6753 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage, while it also has a 5.7-inch Full HD display and a dual 13MP+8MP camera system.

Reasons to consider Infinix Note 4 Pro over the Note 8:
 Larger battery capacity and faster charging system, X-Pen has essential features to the Note 8, price to be obviously much lower.

There you go, here are six smartphones that we think are pretty good alternatives to the Galaxy Note 8. The Galaxy Note 8 is still no doubt an extremely good smartphone with powerful note taking features, however it definitely really doesn’t have a wow factor as compared to previous Note devices, and to be honest, it really feels like an apologetic product release to the ill-fated Note 7.

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6-year old Xiaomi teams up with Hasbro, releases a Transformer tablet

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Is this another attempt at making a Michael Bay movie come true? Hasbro has been called on by Xiaomi to celebrate the Chinese OEM’s sixth birthday. The collaboration of the duo managed to produce what seems to be a revolutionary product – a Mi Pad that transforms into a cool looking robot figure. Imagine, how cool will it be to order your tablet, “Autobots, roll out!” and it instantly morphs into a robot right in front of your eyes.

The “robot in disguise” Mi Pad will be crowdfunded, and we’re guessing that it’s definitely not a real functioning Mi Pad since it only comes at a price of 169 Chinese Yuan (RM102.83). Unless Xiaomi and Hasbro possess such advanced technology to create a full fledged tablet that transforms, chances are that this Mi Pad only works as a transformer, explaining its ridiculously low price point, even for a non-functioning transformer.

Nevertheless, the cool factor still remains with this bad-ass product of collaboration. The transformer Mi Pad will be crowdfunded and will start shipping out on the 13th of next month. Sadly, this product is only available in China for the time being, and we probably won’t be looking at worldwide availability. What do you think about this special edition of the Mi Pad? Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
Gizmo China

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Get 62GB Internet data for FREE when you purchase HotlinkMU GIGA Sale deals!

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In conjunction with our National Day, Hotlink is offering free 62GB data for its customers from today till September 25 when they purchase deals from HotlinkMU GIGA Sale.

To be eligible for the free 62GB data, customers need to purchase the deals which are exclusively on the Hotlink RED App. Once purchased, the free 62GB data will be automatically included so you can surf the Internet, stream videos, play games and many more.

Moreover, the 62GB data can be stacked so if 62GB isn’t enough for you, you can buy another HotlinkMU GIGA Sale deal to get another 62GB data. However, this offer is not applicable to hourly Internet passes.

For more information, visit
Hotlink
.

hotlink
HotlinkMU GIGA sale


6GB RAM Honor 9 to be made available in Europe

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Huawei is planning to bring the 6GB RAM variant of the Honor 9 to be sold in Europe. The Honor flagship, which was just launched a month ago in China, has three variants 4GB RAM with 64GB of storage, 6GB RAM with 64GB of storage and 6GB RAM with 128GB of storage. The higher end variant with 6GB and 128GB of storage will be headed to Europe

The 6GB RAM/128GB storage model of the Honor 9 will be known as the Honor 9 Premium for clear reasons. A report by WinFuture claims that Italy has already begun selling the device, while a couple of retailers in Switzerland have started putting the phone up for pre-orders.

As mentioned before, the Honor 9 is essentially a Huawei P10 without the Leica branding with an affordable price tag – a 5.15-inch Full HD display, a Kirin 960 processor, a dual rear camera setup of 20MP and 12MP sensors, plus a 3,200mAh battery.

Highly spec-ed variants of Chinese smartphones are typically only made available in Asian markets, but it seems like Huawei’s subsidiary has made an exception here.

Although the Honor 9 already has a presence in Europe, there hasn’t been confirmation on whether or not the phone will be made available at other regions apart from Italy and Switzerland.

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8 new realme AIoT products to launch on October 7

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New realme AIoT products will be launching on  October 7, 2021; the new product lineup will consist of a handheld vacuum, robot vacuum and also an air purifier.

While no specific details have been released, the teaser image on realme Facebook page confirms that there will be eight products in total.

Apart from the three devices mentioned above, we should also be seeing a new realme mouse, a beard trimmer, a hair dryer, new realme cable and a dongle/adapter.

The only information we have now is that the realme TechLife Air Purifier comes with a High Precision Air Quality Sensor that is capable of detecting air quality and filtering impurities, and the TechLife Handheld Vacuum is supposedly light and user-friendly.

TechLife Air Purifier

However, if the TechLife Air Purifier is similar to what has been launched in other countries, then you should be expecting a 4.6kg device that comes with three timer options, a smart filter change indicator and five different fan modes.

It should also be able to deliver clean air at 330m³/hour.

TechLife Robot Vacuum

As for the robot vacuum, we’re expecting a 2-in-1 vacuum that has a LiDAR sensor and 38 high-precision sensors.

It also has a 600ml dust box, a 300ml electronic water tank and offers up to 3,000Pa suction power.

With a 5,200mAh battery, the TechLife Robot Vacuum can clean continuously for up to 300 minutes.

Stay tuned for the realme AIoT products!

For more information, visit realme’s
Facebook page
 or wait for the livestream that will happen on October 7 at 12pm.

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Shopee 8.8 Sale: 8 tech gadgets with crazy discounts you should check out

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The Shopee 8.8 Sale is happening in two days; to online shoppers, this is that one day of the month where they can enjoy discounts and vouchers on a wide range of products.

So if you’re part of the online shopping community and are hunting for great deals, we’ve got your back. Here are 8 tech products you won’t want to miss out on!

Paperang P1 Mini Portable Printer

The Paperang P1 is one of the most popular mini printers on Shopee, sporting a 5.0 rating with over 1,100 sales. It’s originally priced at RM259, but you can get it for RM101 during the 8.8 Sale — that’s a 61% discount!

Unlike polaroid cameras, the Paperang P1 can print using various types of thermal papers – each offers different quality and function. Printing is also convenient; Paperang has its own app which is available on App Store and Play Store.

The Paperang P1 is also light and compact, measuring at 83mm x 83mm x 45mm. It comes with a 1,000mAh battery that charges via a microUSB cable.

Best of all, you can use this mini printer to print photos, labels and notes. It’s a versatile device that can be used to keep your life at home slightly less dull.

Plus, you can go out once MCO is over, snap lots of photos with your friends and family, and print them all out using this printer.

iPhone 12 mini

iPhones are almost never on sale and when they are, the discounts are usually unimpressive. Well, the upcoming 8.8 Sale offers the latest iPhone 12 mini at a discounted price starting from RM2,888. That saves you RM511 if you were to purchase the lowest storage variant.

The iPhone 12 is Apple’s mini flagship that caught the attention of those who like to use their phones single-handedly. Despite its smaller form factor, it still has the same Super Retina XDR Display as the iPhone 12 and shares the same A14 Bionic chip as seen in the Pro models.

This deal is offered by
IT World
, an Apple authorised reseller, meaning you can trust the authenticity of the product. IT World will even give you a one-year extended warranty worth RM186, plus you can pay for the phone via instalment plans.

AirPods Pro

Here’s another Apple product that discounted slightly more than usual — the AirPods Pro. Usually priced at RM1,099, IT World is offering it at
RM848
 during the 8.8 sale. That’s a little over 20% discount, but like we’ve mentioned, Apple products rarely get discounts like this.

The AirPods Pro have been known as one of the premium wireless earbuds with excellent Active Noise Cancellation. They’re sweat and water resistant, lightweight and fits snugly in your ears (but that’s subjective, of course). One of their newer features include spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, so you’ll get a more realistic audio experience when using them to watch movies.

Apart from offering good call and audio quality, these earbuds also come with a wireless charging case. On a single charge, the AirPods Pro can last up to 5 hours; but with the charging case, you’ll get more than 24 hours of playback.

realme Watch S

Blood oxygen monitor is now a sought-after feature in smartwatches, especially thanks to the increase in COVID cases in Malaysia. The realme Watch S is one of the affordable options that can track your SpO2 level, and if you’ve set your eyes on it, you should get it during the sale as it’ll cost RM120 less.

The realme Watch S has a 1.3-inch display that supports both touch gesture and physical buttons. It can monitor your heart rate 24/7, your SpO2 level, your sleep data and offer several fitness modes. With an IP68 rating, the watch is waterproof and has up to 1.5m water resistance. That being said, it is not advised to wear this watch for swimming and to shower.

You can also control your smartphone’s camera using the watch, control music playback and follow meditation guides. The realme Watch S offers a 15-day battery, so you won’t have to worry about charging it often.

This watch can be purchased at
RM249
 on August 8 from realme’s
official store
 on Shopee.

OPPO Enco Buds

Now, OPPO recently released their new
Enco Air
, but if you’re looking for a budget pair of earbuds, then you can opt for the Enco Buds that will be priced at
RM79
 during the Shopee sale.

The Enco Buds offer 24 hours of battery life and have an IP54 rating. They can last up to six hours on a single charge, and you can enjoy an additional hour of playback with just 15 minutes of charge.

These earbuds may not come with premium features, but OPPO still included intelligent call noise reduction to minimise external noise during calls. OPPO also promises low latency when you turn on the Game Mode, so you won’t miss out on crucial moments due to audio delays.

At 4g per earbuds, the Enco Buds will not weigh down your ears and can be worn for long hours. If you’re just looking for a pair of affordable earbuds that lasts long, the Enco Buds will be good enough.

realme Smart Cam 360º

Whether we’re working outside or from home, it’s always better to protect our homes. One way to do that is to make sure there’s at least one surveillance camera to monitor your home when you’re not around, or sleeping at night. There will be a 50% discount on the realme Smart Cam on August 8, so it’s the best time to get yourself a CCTV if you want one.

This security camera supports 1080p recording and offers 360º panoramic vision. It also has infrared night vision, full colour despite low light conditions, AI motion detection and edge distortion correction. All these features shares a similar goal — better visuals for easier detection of intruders.

Those who are often away from home will also appreciate the 14-days continuous recording feature. However, you’ll need a memory card to store these footages — the camera is compatible with up to 128GB memory card.

The realme Smart Cam 360º works with Android phones and iPhones, plus you’ll get a year warranty. Get it
here
 from realme’s
official Shopee store
.

PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller

We all know the PlayStation 5 only comes with one controller when you purchase them, but there are many of us who like to enjoy gaming on the console with our friends. This is the chance to get the DualSense wireless controller for less than its original price.

During the sale, you can get the controller for only
RM254
, saving you almost RM100. The reviews left on the product page also convinced us that it’s an original product that functions well — there was only one 3-star rating and no 2-star and 1-star ratings.

At the time of writing, the DualSense controller is available in all three colours — White, Midnight Black and Cosmic Red. However, the warranty comes from the supplier and not Sony Malaysia.

Xiaomi 40-inch Mi TV

We saved the largest (but not priciest!) product for the last — the Xiaomi 40-inch Mi Smart TV. Since most of you are stuck at home during MCO, a good TV will prove useful to keep you entertained daily.

The Mi TV has a 40-inch FHD+ display that supports HDR 10; it comes with stereo speakers that support DTS audio and built-in apps like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and more.

Port-wise, the TV has two HDMI ports, an Ethernet port and a USB port. It comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage, and only supports 2.4GHz WiFi networks.

The Mi TV will be RM400 cheaper than usual on August 8 at
RM899
, and you can purchase via instalment too.

There are many more tech products to look out for during the Shopee 8.8 Sale…

But these are our top options considering their prices and values. Apart from the Enco Buds, the rest of the products can only be purchased during the 2-hour sale from 12am to 2am on August 8, so you’ll have to sacrifice some of your sleeping time and have quick hands in case these stocks are limited and others get to them before you do.

Well, may the odds be ever in your favour.

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Xiaomi reveals fastest 80W Mi Wireless Charging technology

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Xiaomi recently introduced its latest Mi Wireless Charging technology that supports 80W fast charging — the fastest wireless charging speed announced so far.

Mi 10 Pro fully charged in 19 minutes

In a video posted by
Xiaomi
 on YouTube, the new wireless charging technology can charge the 4,000mAh on a modified Mi 10 Pro from 0% to 10% in 1 minute and to 50% in just 8 minutes. To get it fully charged, Xiaomi only needed 19 minutes.

80W Mi Wireless Charging can mean new future for smartphones?

This is an interesting feature to look forward to — getting fast charging via wireless technology could mean that future phones no longer need to depend on wired charging. This will also mean that there’s a higher chance of manufacturers producing smartphones without charging ports.

Xiaomi’s 80W Mi Wireless Charging technology is faster than most wired charging technologies. Even
OPPO’s Find X2 series
 only support 65W charging via its cable. At the beginning of the year, Xiaomi also showed off its
40W wireless charging
, but it’s still not available to the public yet.

80W Mi Wireless Charging
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xiaomi


9.9 Deals: Get these powerful AMD Ryzen™ 5000 laptops on the cheap!

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If you’re looking to get a new laptop – be it for work, gaming, or just everyday use – you’ll be hard-pressed to find better value-to-performance than with AMD Ryzen™ 5000 series devices.

These powerful AMD processors pack up to 8 cores, meaning you can complete demanding productivity and creative tasks in a jiffy. These Ryzen™ 5000 CPUs are able to fit in ultra-light laptops, creating not just a powerful device, but one that is portable as well.

Couple this with the impressive power efficiency of these chips, and you’ll get a laptop that isn’t just portable, but can last you long hours too without charging.

If that’s got you convinced, GLOO Store will be offering plenty of great 9.9 deals happening until 11 September, that’ll get you one of these Ryzen™ 5000 laptops for cheaper. To help you pick, here are a few great options you can consider depending on your needs.

For gaming – HP Omen Laptop 15

If you’re in need something to flex your top frags on, the HP Omen Laptop 15 is a good choice since it packs a Ryzen™ 5 5600H CPU, which is coupled with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU. This combo can run most AAA games and eSports titles without any problem.

This is great because then you get to make use of the laptop’s 144Hz FHD display. The Omen Laptop 15 also packs a four-zone RGB-lit keyboard, and a set of speakers that are engineered by Bang & Olufsen.

GLOO is selling this for RM5,299 and it comes with a free HP Omen Backpack.

For portability – HP Pavilion Aero Laptop 13

If you’re a person who’s always on the go, a lightweight laptop is for you – the HP Pavilion Aero Laptop 13 measures at just 1.69cm tall and weighs less than 1KG. It comes with a 13.3-inch WUXGA IPS display that offers an edge-to-edge screen real-estate for a more immersive media consumption experience.

Under the hood is a Ryzen™ 5 5600U and the integrated AMD Radeon graphics so you can run productivity tasks and some light photo-editing work without a hitch. There’s also 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage via a PCIe NVMe SSD, meaning all your programs and apps will boot up very quickly – useful for the busy working folk.

GLOO is selling this for just RM3,399 and it comes with a free HP Backpack plus the Microsoft Office Home and Student suite pre-installed.

For affordability – Lenovo V14 G2 ALC Laptop

Priced at just RM2,199, this is a great option for those who are on tighter budgets – however, that doesn’t mean that the laptop is a slouch.

Under the hood of this 14-inch laptop is a Ryzen™ 3 5300U CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. This setup will let you browse social media, and get productivity tasks done without lagging. Combined with the inclusion of a 720p webcam, the Lenovo V14 G2 ALC is a great option for students who are studying from home.

The laptop comes with a free Lenovo Backpack, Windows 10 Pro, and a one-year premier care warranty – now that’s bang for your buck!

Plenty of other options!

If you don’t really need a Ryzen™ 5000 series-powered laptop, GLOO offers other devices on the cheap too, including the HP Desktop M01-F1202d which is priced at RM2,069. This is great if you need, well, a desktop that can run every productivity task with no issues, because it packs a Ryzen™ 5 4600G and 4GB of RAM.

Going a step down in processor generation, your options for Ryzen 3000-series devices are as below:

VAIO E15 (Ryzen™ 5 3500U) – RM2,599, comes with HP Topload Carrying Case

VAIO E15 (Ryzen™ 7 3700U) – RM2,799, comes with HP Topload Carrying Case

Dell Inspirion 15 3515 (Athlon™ Silver 3050U) – RM1,949, comes with Dell Backpack + MS Office Home and Student

Dell Inspirion 15 3515 (Ryzen™ 3 3250U) – RM2,499, comes with Dell Backpack + MS Office Home and Student

Dell Inspirion 15 3515 (Ryzen™ 5 3500U) – RM2,799, comes with Dell Backpack + MS Office Home and Student

HP All-in-One 22 PC (Ryzen™ 3 3250U) – RM2,479, comes with HP USB Black Wired Mouse + Keyboard

To make your purchase, you can visit GLOO’s Lazada store
here
; or visit their website
here

to learn more about their AMD-powered offerings.

This is a sponsored article

amd
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HP Pavilion
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9 million Huawei P9's have been sold since it launched

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Huawei has been thriving pretty well in the competition of smartphones. Although it still sits behind Samsung and Apple, making it the third largest smartphone manufacturer globally, the Chinese company intends and is projected to overtake Apple for the number 2 spot within the next two years. Huawei has recently launched its latest flagship, the Huawei Mate 9, and the phablet is slated to take advantage of the unsuccessful Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which has been put to death. On top of that, Huawei has boasted over 9 million units of the P9 being sold so far.

According to a report by Playfuldroid, Huawei made the announcement at one of its official events yesterday. Back in September, the Chinese manufacturer has claimed that 6 million units of the P9 were sold, meaning that at least 3 million more P9’s were shipped out in a period of two months compared to the 6 million units over the course of nearly six months. This is indeed a milestone for Huawei, and if this impressive run continues, the company would certainly thrive further in the smartphone market.

The Huawei P9 is one of the more notable smartphones that were unveiled this year, mostly due to its Leica authorized dual rear camera configuration. The company carried on the dual camera trend with its sub brand Honor launching the Honor V8 and the Honor 8, plus its most recent Mate 9, which is expected to cause some waves as well.

9 million Huawei P9’s have already been sold, and we expect the figure to surpass the 10 million mark by the end of this year, as the company gears up for yet a more competitive year ahead. What do you think of Huawei’s milestone with the P9?

Source:
Playfuldroid

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9 Reasons You Shouldn’t Buy or Upgrade to the Galaxy S9 now

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The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are unarguably the best flagship smartphones you can spend your money on at this point of time, there’s a new dual aperture camera that captures great low light and outdoor photos, an all new faster processor that will excel in any apps and games, and the cool AR emoji feature that you badly want to try out as much as Apple’s Animojis. However, like any other smartphones out there, the Galaxy S9 isn’t the one and only perfect flagship that you could buy, and we have listed down 9 reasons why you should probably hold off your purchase on the Galaxy S9.

Reason #1: You Probably Don’t Need That Camera

Samsung makes one of the best smartphone cameras, and the Galaxy S9’s camera is sure to take better pictures than it’s predecessor, the dual aperture camera intelligently identifies the scene and changes between the f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture for low light and ultra bright scenes respectively. But here’s the thing, the older Galaxy S8 and Note 8’s cameras still perform very decent in today’s flagship phone camera standards, they might not have the Galaxy S9’s f/1.5 aperture for low light, however with a few tweaks in the Pro mode, you are still going to get really nice shots.

Here’s a photo that’s shot on the Galaxy S8.

Reason #2: No Faster Charging

While the Galaxy S9 may feature fast wireless charging and is probably more efficient than its predecessors, the phone still doesn’t come with faster charging as it is still using the Quick Charge 2.0 standard, which means it isn’t going to juice up as fast as other flagships released last two years ago, pretty much a deal breaker if you are the kind of person who requires to charge your phone in the middle of the day, or one that always forgot to hook the phone up to a charger at the end of the day.

Reason #3: The Galaxy Note 8 could be a better choice

If you look closely, the Galaxy S9 is technically a mere hardware refinement of the S8, and considering the price it is currently sold at launch, it makes the older Galaxy Note 8 somehow a good device to consider if you are merely looking for a device upgrade, as you can already get the Note 8 from as low as RM3,000 if you scout around Lazada and 11street. The Note 8 has a larger display than both the S9 and S9+, it comes with a dual camera system with both lenses stabilized and having 2x optical zoom, and it features the S-Pen, a hardware that the S9 and S9+ doesn’t have if you are serious about scribbling productivity, and to be honest, the animated Live Messages feature is probably a more useful gimmick than AR emojis.

Reason #4: Unattractive Preorder Deal

Last year’s Galaxy S8’s preorder was the best preorder deal that Samsung has ever made, and not to forget to mention the Note 8’s crazy RM600 rebate. At this point of time, the Galaxy S9’s prelaunch deal just isn’t as exciting, as you merely get a RM199 voucher for purchasing the S9 and S9+’s official accessories, a 10000mAh powerbank and an extra USB cable that’s worth RM489 in total value. Also, the preorder deal isn’t attractive either as you will only receive a Harman Kardon Onyx Mini speaker worth RM699, which in reality you could already purchase it separately at Lazada for as low as RM399.

Reason #5: A price cut might be available sooner than you think

The Galaxy S8 received a price cut of RM200 shortly after a month of its sales launch last year, while this doesn’t happen at retail stores, do expect retailers over at Lazada and 11street to undercut each other by lowering the prices of the Galaxy S9 or offering better free gifts. As of now, the Galaxy S8 has received more than RM600 off its original price since its launch 10 months ago, therefore if you aren’t in a rush for a new smartphone, you might want to wait for just that.

Reason #6: The next Galaxy Note is going to be much better

In typical Samsung fashion, we are going to expect the Galaxy Note 9 to be unveiled in the next 4-5 months, and as we mentioned in Reason #5, the Galaxy S9 could receive a price cut to make way for the next Galaxy Note, and the latter is usually packed with better hardware and features than the S9. Therefore, if you would like to wait for the latest and greatest from Samsung, or even wait for a price cut on the S9, all you need to have is patience.

Reason #7: Older Android flagships aren’t slow, and they are now cheaper

Take devices such as the Razer Phone, OnePlus 5T and HTC U11 Plus, these are still extremely capable devices despite having last year’s Snapdragon 835 SoC, they are technically cheaper to own than the Galaxy S9 and could probably offer performance that is on par. Do also note that there are also devices with lesser software customizations than the Galaxy S9, and hence could receive faster Android software updates, the Galaxy S8 took almost 10 months to receive the Android Oreo update.

Reason #8: It’s going to cost a lot to repair if you drop the phone

Cracked Galaxy S8. Image Credit: CNet

Like the Galaxy S8, the S9 has glass on both the front and back, while it is really surprising on why Samsung didn’t choose to offer its protection plan for free to early birds, you are going to need to be very careful of the phone if you have slippery hands, as the glass replacement would cost you a fortune to do so. Furthermore, Samsung Protection Plus only covers a one time screen crack replacement, make sure you don’t drop a second time if you happen to replace the display.

Reason #9: It looks the same as the Galaxy S8

While I’m not suggesting that Samsung should include the notch and camera bump, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ looks simply the same as the Galaxy S8 and S8+ on the front, though the fingerprint scanner placement is now an improvement, and the S9 now comes with a new Lilac Purple color, there’s simply no reason for you to upgrade from an S8 or S8+ if design is a reason for you to upgrade to a new smartphone.

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99 percent of imitation Apple chargers found to be unsafe

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Ever wondered why smartphone fires and explosions occur? Apart from
the exceptional Galaxy Note 7 incidents and a couple of iPhone tragedies, it is believed that most explosions happen due to the fact that consumers were using cheap and counterfeit chargers to juice up their devices. A recent investigation has shown that nearly all Apple counterfeit chargers are found to be unsafe, and that makes you wonder why it’s important to opt for Apple authorized chargers which usually cost a mini fortune compared to cheaper imitation chargers.

The investigation involved an operation of purchasing 400 counterfeit Apple chargers from various suppliers worldwide, and the results are more than just shocking. Counterfeit chargers were obtained from a total of eight countries, including the US, Canada, Thailand, Australia, China and Colombia. It has been reported that 397 out of the 400 chargers failed a basic safety test, accounting for 99 percent. The report states that counterfeit electrical goods are often found to be of poor quality or unsafe at their worst.

One of the safety tests include an electrical strength test whereby the chargers were applied with high voltages to monitor the flow between the input and the output. Charging units were concluded to have insufficient isolation with potential for electric shock if the tested current for those units were above the threshold, and it turns out that only 3 out of the 400 passed the test.

It’s definitely better to be safe than sorry by spending more on 3rd party charging adapters which are authorized and licensed by the product manufacturer itself, or better yet, orginal charging adapters. Be sure to avoid deals which are too good to be true to prevent from getting your hands on sketchy chargers, the reason being that they are not worth the risk at all. What do you think?

Source:
Trading Standards

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A 50-inch 4K Android TV will go on sale for RM1359 on 25 November

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Are you on a limited budget for a big 4K TV? Watch out for a great deal on this 25-28 November 2022, as you will be able to score a 50-inch 4K Android TV from Candy for just RM1359 instead of its usual RM1999 price tag.

Candy is an established and leading European electronics household appliance brand that has started its business since 1945, it has been part of Haier’s brand portfolio since its acquisition in 2019 and is in line with Haier’s vision of becoming the global leader in IoT for smart home appliances.

To mark its entry to the Malaysian market, Candy Malaysia has introduced three Android TV models, they are the 32-inch C32K702A with HD resolution. 43-inch C43K702AF with Full HD resolution and 50-inch C50K702AU with 4K resolution, these TVs use D-LED panels and runs Android TV 11 out of the box.

Connectivity is surprisingly modern for the 50-inch 4K model as it features HDMI 2.1, Bluetooth 5.1 and two USB 2.0 ports, while Candy claims that it will support variable refresh rate (VRR), you are still very much limited to 60Hz if you intend to game on it.

In terms of pricing, Candy’s 32-inch Android TV retails at RM859, the 43-inch Android TV retails at RM1,399 and the 50-inch 4K Android TV retails at RM1,999.

As mentioned in the beginning, Candy Malaysia will be having a special sale on Shopee at 25-28 November 2022, where the 32-inch and 43-inch models will also be on sale at a price of RM599 and RM1,059 respectively.

Head over to Candy Malaysia’s Shopee Store
here
 to grab one!

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candy
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A badly burnt Galaxy Note 7 shows up in a series of images

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China has always been the land where any tragedy seemed possible to occur. Any Tom, Dick and Harry would have come across stories of exploding phones, charging adapters and power banks, causing injuries which are usually not joking matters. Just recently, a bunch of images have shown up on Chinese social networking site Baidu, of a fried Samsung Galaxy Note 7.

The Galaxy Note 7 has reportedly caught fire while it was being charged, having looked like it was dipped in scorching hot oil for a deep fry. As badly damaged as it looks, do shift your focus to the USB charging cable, which isn’t of Samsung’s, fitted with a Samsung USB Type-C adapter for charging. The power adapter, which isn’t shown in the images, is likely to be a third party one as well, since that’s how accidents like this occur in the first place.

Korean manufacturer Samsung will probably not get into any trouble for this incident, as the company, including many major smartphone manufacturers has advised consumers to use original adapters and charging cables, if not, authorized third party versions. Once again, this is probably one of the many cases that happens only in mainland China. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
Baidu

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A beautiful Dark Blue concept render of the next iPhone

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Everyone has to acknowledge that Apple has been pretty much the trend setter when it comes to phone color options. For instance, gold smartphone models are know to have started with the iPhone 5S, and more recently, Rose Gold (or Pink), both of which have been expanded to Apple’s own Macbook, not to mention followed by other smartphone manufacturers. What if Apple replaced the Space Gray color with a new Dark Blue option for the iPhone 7?

Martin Hajek, who has been known for his beautiful 3D renders of future gadgets, has uploaded some concept renders of the upcoming iPhone in Dark Blue. According to Hajek, it is possible that the Space Gray color option will be replaced with the Dark Blue variant when the iPhone 7 is launched. You’ve got to admit, the Dark Blue render of the iPhone 7 isn’t any bad looking. The plastic iPhone 5C had a blue color option but this render gives the iPhone a more premium look, and it is a much darker shade of blue compared to the likes of the blue iPhone 5C.

As ridiculous as a Dark Blue iPhone 7 may sound, Hajek’s renders of the iPhone 7 are pretty much what we can expect from Apple when the company unveils the handset – the omission of the 3.5mm headphone jack, shifted antenna bands, a dual-camera setup and Smart Connector on the iPhone 7 Plus. What are your thoughts on this Dark Blue render? The rest of the renders can be found at the source link below.

Source:
Martin Hajek
 Via:
Pocketnow

blue
concept
dark
iphone
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A blast from the past: Windows 95 in your browser

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We’ve seen and heard many stories of Windows 95 and 98 making comebacks. Not officially, but on different form factors such as on smartwatches, smartphones and tablets just for the legacy fun of it.

This time around, a teenage developer from Scotland named Andrea Faulds, has enabled Windows 95 to run on nearly any web browser using an emulator known as emscripten, which converts C++ to JavaScript in real time. No special software or installation of extra plugins are required, just a simple browser like the popular Chrome.

The legacy OS takes a couple of minutes to load up depending on your internet speed. Everything in it works just pretty much like in the 90’s, although some my find the pixelated screen and icons annoying since it was the pre-HD era back then.

Apart from issues such as software crashes, notably Internet Explorer 3.0 (not surprising) which causes the system to hang, everything runs well. And yes, those old school games are available as well. Minesweeper, Solitaire and a couple more really brings back those memories of simple days. Do you miss old school Windows? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source:
Windows 95 Emscripten
  Via:
TechnoBuffalo

95
browser
legacy
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A different kind of Apple Watch Parody by Elders

295

Technology moves fast and as age catches up, most people will not be able to keep up the latest technology trend, the iPhone is one of the easiest smartphones to use out there, be it an amateur, a disabled, your grandpa or grandma, its straightforward usability is unrivaled when compared to Androids, so how does the Apple Watch appeals to old folks? You’ll have to watch this video from TheFineBros, it isn’t exactly a parody but a pretty sensible video that shows how old folks react to Apple’s wearable.

In the video, most of these senior folks do know of the Apple Watch’s existence, while some may not be well informed of what the product will do, some actually criticize it indirectly. For instance, a device that will soon go into the toolbox or the ability to only send Sketch messages across to a friend wearing the very same watch, it even goes to the extent that the Watch seems to be able to replace a Rolex – in a funny way of course -, and I shall leave you to watch this seven minute piece while not spoiling too much surprises here, enjoy!


A disc-less Xbox One S that could cost less than RM1,000 – hard to say no to that

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The world is going fully digital nowadays, even in the world of gaming. There was a point when physical discs were heavily-relied upon to deliver video games to the people.

With internet speeds now reaching ridiculous speeds, platforms such as Steam as well as console digital stores have become the go-to option for gamers to purchase titles. Physical discs only seem to be a viable option for those who have limited storage space and low internet speeds.

Image credit: Xbox

Microsoft understands the digitalization of video games along with the purchasing process, and it shows as they’re reportedly releasing a digital-only version of the existing Xbox One S.

Reports claim that the machine could be cheaper than the regular Xbox One S and Xbox One X because of its lack of a Blu-ray drive. The current Xbox One S is sold in bundles and cost around RM1,100, so a cheaper gaming console that could potentially cost less than RM1,000 is indeed enticing.

It is also reported that the device could arrive as soon as May this year and a special Fortnite Edition of the console will be available.

console
digital
discless
gaming
microsoft
playstation 4
sony
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Xbox One


A dolphin could save your smartphone if it drops into water

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We have water proof smartphones and you probably don’t need to worry too much about dropping into the pool if your actions are quick enough, what if you aren’t as calm and fast enough to grab your smartphone when this happens? A dolphin might be able to help you with that and NBA Cheerleader Teressa Cee is probably the first person in the world to have witness this lucky event, her iPhone 6 Plus has apparently dropped to the bottom of a dolphin pool, while we would assume that anybody would have been shocked in this situation, the sweet cutie dolphin managed to pick her phone up before it hits the base and chuck it up for Teressa, in which she’s overjoyed.

Dolphins are one of the smartest mammals in the world and I would say this dolphin is too smart for being able to recognize that the item that drop to the pool isn’t food but a smartphone. But if you are thinking of the technical part of things, did Teressa’s iPhone 6 Plus managed to survive the quick submerge in the pool? That’s probably something to ponder about, but meanwhile this question is spinning around my head: “Did the trainer’s smartphone went down to the pool before?”

dolphin
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A dual-cam Honor 6X is said to be launched on October 18

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We now know that dual camera configurations on smartphones will be the trend of the foreseeable future. This year, we have seen a number of manufacturers implementing the setup on their devices, such as LG, Huawei, Apple and only earlier today, Xiaomi’s Mi 5S Plus. Having said that, Huawei was the first known company to manufacture a dual-cam smartphone, a.k.a. the Honor 6 Plus. This year itself, the P9, Honor V8 and Honor 8 all sport a dual camera setup, and it looks like Huawei will be doing just that for the Honor 6X.

The Honor 6X will definitely be a mid ranger, based on the fact that its predecessor, the Honor 5X was a mid range device. According to a source on Chinese micro blogging site Weibo, the Honor 6X was caught passing through TENAA, the Chinese regulatory agency, and renders have shown that the phone will be featuring a dual rear camera configuration. However, the handset will have a vertical setup like seen earlier on the Xiaomi Mi 5S Plus, unlike Huawei’s previous devices.

Also, the render of the Honor 6X makes it seem eerily similar to the likes of the Redmi Note 3, with the exception of the camera, sporting a more rounded rear fingerprint sensor, and straying away from the textured metal body of its predecessor for a smoother look and feel. There aren’t many rumors regarding the device so far, but it has been said to be powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 650 processor and 3GB of RAM. Huawei opted for a Snapdragon 616 processor with the Honor 5X.

According to the source, the Honor 6X will make its debut on the 18th of October, which is less than a month away. If the above rumors and renders are true, then we will be looking at Huawei’s first mid range device with a dual-cam setup. What do you think?

Source:
Weibo

6x
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A dual rear camera, the latest rumor to hit the Galaxy Note 7

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Don’t worry, you’re not the only confused one here. Recently, there were reports claiming that Samsung will be naming their next phablet the Galaxy Note 7, instead of the Galaxy Note 6, to once and for all avoid the confusion that the phablet is trailing behind the Galaxy S series. Nevertheless, new rumors have emerged that the next Samsung flagship phablet will feature a dual rear camera, on top of its massively spec-ed internals.

This rumors adds on to a list of what seems to be pretty impressive specs, including a curved edge screen at 5.8-inches with QHD resolution, Snapdragon 823 SoC with a whopping 6GB of RAM, up to 256GB of internal storage a massive 4,000mAh battery, plus a possible IP rating for water resistance like the Galaxy S7 series. So far this year, we’ve seen the likes of the modular LG G5, Huawei’s P9 and its sub-brand Honor V8, all sporting dual rear camera setups. The iPhone 7 Plus is rumored to be packing two cameras on the back as well, so it’s probably wise not to rule out Samsung’s next flagship phablet of such possibility, but take it with a huge grain of salt

As far as the name of the phablet goes, we’re still hoping on more solid and consistent rumors or leaks. Possible names include the Galaxy Note 6, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy Note 6 or 7 with an additional Edge name behind. An early unveiling of the phone has already been ruled out, so we’re looking at a possible mid-August launch, according to popular tipster Evan Blass not to long ago. Will the Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 sport a dual rear camera? Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
GSM Helpdesk
  Via: Pocketnow

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A fan of Ghost Recon Wildlands? Consider the MSI GE62 Camo Squad Limited Edition Gaming Laptop

1.1K

If you are looking forward to play Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands and feel that you need a portable gaming device to go with it, you may want to set your eyes on this beautifully camouflaged gaming laptop from MSI, the GE62’s chassis has been entirely coated with an army uniform design that looks pretty cool, and MSI has bundled this limited edition product with a copy of Ghost Recon Wildlands and season pass alongside with merchandises such as a Camo Backpack, Camo Mouse Pad, Camo Sport Water Bottle and a dog tag, everything that you will probably need when you are out on a battle.

Design apart, the GE62 Camo Squad Limited Edition is equipped with a 15.6-inch Full HD display and sports pretty much the same specs sheet as the original machine, which comprises of a Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM (up to 32GB), GeForce GTX 1060 3GB discrete graphics, 256GB PCI-Gen 3 SSD and 1TB hard drive, and a 6-cell battery. The laptop weighs 2.4KG and it is considerably light for a 15.6-inch gaming laptop, it also has exclusive MSI features such as the SteelSeries Engine keyboard, Cooler Boost 4 cooling system, and Nahimic audio enhancement.

The MSI GE62 Camo Squad Limited Edition is exclusively available for preorders over at
11street
 and costs RM7,699 of damage to your wallet, if you happen to own a Maybank or Public Bank credit card, you could opt for a 0% instalment plan for up to 36 months if you think you could do with some financial relief.

camosquad
ge62
ghostrecon
msi
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wildlands


A Fitbit for your dog

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Nowadays, keeping fit is a trend – a great trend really, since most of us tend to be sitting down most of the day at work. But, did you know, smart activity trackers are now not just limited to people, but to our furry friends as well. Meet Buddy, an LED dog collar with GPS and Bluetooth technology, which does not only track your pooch, but organise its daily activities.

With its LED technology, your dog will be illuminated and very visible in the dark, keeping it safe from collisions and accidents. However, instead of just sticking to one light colour, you can even customise the LED to suit your tastes, or your dog’s. There is an infinite amount of lighting configurations that can even make a rainbow pale in comparison. Good thing Buddy’s creators thought about including an in-built
light
sensor
 to save battery, as the illumination can be set to turn on and off depending on the time of day and how much light is in the surrounding area at any given time.

The coolest thing about this nifty tracker is being able to monitor your pet’s activity. While you walk your dog, or even if it is at home while you are at work, Buddy keeps track of your Fido’s activity levels so you will know when your dog is most active and how much exercise it will need during the week. You can check these information using an app or even on the collar itself via an OLED display.

Buddy can do so much more and not only is it fun and cool to have, it looks good too. It even comes with a
charging
dock
 and W-Fi base station; heck it is cooler and offers more features than some of the smart watches around! You can check out this Kickstarter project on its website and be prepared to be overloaded with lots of features for your pooch.

Source:
Kickstarter

activity
cool
dog
gadget
gadgets
pet
tracker


A guide to choosing a smartwatch

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artwatches are slowly but surely becoming a gadget that everyone needs. So what is important when you are choosing a smartwatch on whether you should get one or which one you should buy?

#1: Functions

Call and text on the
Samsung
Gear
 S

The main reason you would get a smartwatch is if you need one. Smartwatches offer a variety of functions to the user, ranging from notifications to making calls. For the not-so-busy, like me, I would say that I do not need a smartwatch as I can whip out my phone anytime.

Samsung
Gear
 S, for example, comes equipped with a
SIM
card
slot
 which enables you to actually call someone or send a text message from the watch itself. However, if you do not need those functions, you should definitely look out for something more basic or cheaper, like the Asus Zenwatch which is, still great.

#2: Compatibility

When deciding on which smartwatch to buy, this is definitely a vital point to note. Understand what smartphone you are using and which smartwatch would be compatible with its operating system. Typically, Android watches go with
Android
phones
 and Apple watches with iOS, although now you can use Android Wear on iOS as well with limited functions available at the moment. However, there are, of course, watches like the Pebble Time that can be paired with both Android and iOS. Note that this would make it useful if you have both Android and iOS devices.

#3: Design

I consider the smartwatch an accessory and so design does play a big role when it comes to deciding which smartwatch to purchase. It is undeniable that most if not all smartwatches do look great but there are of course, some that triumph the rest. There are also watches that allow you to customize them as you please, by changing the straps, mainly.

When it comes to design, I am a huge fan of the
Moto
360
 Gen 2. I am really happy with Moto Maker, the site that allows you to customize most of the watch. It can look elegant or sporty, according to your taste. Design-wise, this has to be the most versatile one.

#4: Price

Ahh, of course, that one thing that would make you think twice before purchasing. I personally find most smartwatches to be reasonably priced, ranging around RM700 to RM1000. However, there are those that are way out of budget and not so worth it unless you are a big fan of the company (eg. Apple).

#5: Performance

This is the last point in this post as I personally think that due to how new smartwatches are to the tech world, there is still a lot of performance improvements that can be done. Apple has just released the Watch OS2 that I would expect to be quite the stunner.

There can be a lot of other points to consider when buying a smartwatch. If you think you have other points to add to the list, leave a comment below and tell me what else is important when considering the purchase of a smartwatch.

android
ios
smartwatch
smartwatchbuying


A Huawei representative claims that smartphones need no more than 4GB of RAM

310

The amount of RAM that manufacturers are cramming into their smartphones have increased exponentially in recent years that smartphones are catching up quickly to the amount of RAM in laptops and computers. The OnePlus 3/3T packs a total of 6GB RAM underneath the hood, which sounds like an overkill. However, the first 6GB RAM handset is by Vivo – the XPlay 5. With that being said, a Huawei representative has claimed that there’s no need for more than 4GB of RAM in a smartphone.

Lao Shi from Huawei, has posted on his Weibo page, stating that 4GB of RAM is sufficient enough for a smartphone to operate smoothly. He even went on to say that most Huawei devices function better with 4GB instead of 6GB of RAM. Shi further suggested that optimization of the operating system and software is important, putting Apple as an example whereby the company has greatly optimized iOS for its own line of phones without needing huge amounts of RAM.

On another note, it is ironic how the Huawei P10 Plus has a high end 6GB RAM model, making Shi’s statement as a contradiction to what his company has made. The optimization of the Android OS with countless smartphones from manufacturers won’t reach the level of optimization of iOS and Apple’s own devices, which explains why manufacturers have to constantly spec their devices to the max for them to function smoothly. What do you think?

Source:
Weibo

2017
4gb
6gb
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huawei
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mwc
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software


A Material Design-based Youtube may be available to the public soon

281

YouTube may be on the verge of receive a huge design change soon as a report by Android Police shows that a Material Design-based look for YouTube is currently being made available to a large number of people.

Assuming that YouTube is indeed making this new design change available to the public, it appears that the company will be doing so in phases. As of the time of writing, our desktop version of YouTube has yet to receive any major changes to its overall look. However, once the design update does arrive, you’ll be a greeted with a YouTube page that sports elements of Android’s design. In addition to the new look, the design update will also bring with it a light and dark mode that toggles the background colour of YouTube.

YouTube’s Material Design-based look continues the trend of Google updating its service to look more like its Android operating system. Not too long ago, a Material Design update was rolled out to the
web version of Google Contacts
. If this trend continues, we may very well see other Google services like Gmail or Calendar get a redesign of their own within the year.

Source:
Android Police

materialdesign
update
youtube


A new Acer gaming smartphone to be launched in Q4

317

Smartphones which are catered for gaming aren’t new, but they seem like a pretty rare sight, since flagship smartphones are more than capable of handling any graphic intensive mobile game that you throw at them, without breaking a sweat and stressing their internals. Acer looks to continue contributing to the gaming community by manufacturing another gaming smartphone set to be unveiled later this year.

A quick rewind to IFA 2015 last year, Acer launched the Predator 6, a pretty powerful gaming smartphone. Sporting a 6-inch display, a crazily powerful deca-core MediaTek Helio X20 processor with 4GB of RAM, and a 21MP rear camera which is pretty impressive in its own stride. According to Commercial Times, Acer’s president ST Liew states that the new gaming smartphone by Acer will be launched during the fourth quarter of this year. The handset’s price point is said to sit between $499 (RM2,022.22) and $599 (RM2,427.48).

The gaming handset is said to be in the works already, with Acer working hard to optimize battery life and improving heat dissipation. Unfortunately, that’s all we know for the time being. We’re guessing that the new gaming smartphone might be the successor to the 6-month old Acer Predator 6 handset from last year. What do you think?

Source:
DigiTimes

6
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A new Battlefield game will be revealed on May 6th

350

It looks like EA isn’t waiting until E3 to reveal its latest Battlefield game as the
Battlefield website
 has announced that they will be holding an event on the 6th of May to announce what is presumably going to be “Battlefield 5”.

Scheduled to be held this Saturday at 4am local time, DICE’s creative director Lars Gustavsson and lead producer Aleksander Grondal will be present at the event. Both men will be discussing both the future of Battlefield, as well as the past and present of the franchise during the event. They will also be answering questions from fans during the event.

As for the new Battlefield game, there were rumours that the next game was going to be set in either World War I or World War II. However, said rumours have been debunked recently, meaning that nobody knows what the setting is for the next Battlefield. Personally speaking, I’m hoping for a sequel to Battlefield 2142.

battlefield
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A new KOTOR game is rumoured to be in development

280

Well Star Wars fans, it’s might be time once again for us to dust off our lightsabers, because a rumor going around that BioWare Austin, which was setup to develop Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO, is currently in the early stages of working on a new Knights of The Old Republic game. This information comes from industry insider Liam Robertson who base on his anonymous sources, mention this in his podcast which then was picked up by The Star Wars Game Outpost.

The game was initially set to be a remake of KOTOR but it evolved into something else. Roberston mention that the project will be “sort of like wiping the slate clean” in order to follow the new Star Wars canon. He goes on to mention that it started off as a remake but that it was going off the blueprint and became its own original thing and that it has been in development for a while now.

Although this rumor is not confirmed, but since EA has the rights to Star Wars videogames, and also seeing the flop that Star Wars Battlefront was, it looks likes EA could really cash in a large cheque from the release of a highly demand KOTOR game.

Source:
PC Gamer

game
kotor
star wars
starwars


A Nexus 7 successor to roll out later this year

331

The Nexus 7, though at only 7 inches, seemed to ship pretty well back in 2012 and 2013. Google even pushed out a newer and more improved version of the tablet with the same manufacturer ASUS, a year after the first iteration. However, we all do know for Google will be putting the Nexus branding to rest as Google’s next line of phones are rumored to be named the Pixel and Pixel XL respectively, slated to launch early next month. The last known Nexus tablet was the Nexus 9 by HTC, and now popular tipster Evan Blass has stated that Google will be releasing a 7-inch tablet built by Huawei.

The claims made by Blass shouldn’t be taken lightly, as most of them turn out to be accurate in the past. He claims that the 7-inch tablet by Huawei will be released by the end of this year. Though our knowledge about the said tablet is zero as of now, Blass did mention that the 7-incher will be packing 4GB of RAM under the hood. If Blass’ claim that Huawei will be building the Nexus 7 successor, then it’s likely that we might be looking at a tablet which looks similar to the MediaPad M3 in terms of aesthetics. For its internals, Google might be the one deciding instead, hence we should be expecting a non Kirin processor, considering the fact that Google opted with NVIDIA Tegra processors in both the Nexus 9 and Pixel C respectively.

For now, try not to speculate any further and take Blass’ statement with a huge grain of salt even though it is by Evan Blass. Do you think Google will be releasing a 7-inch tablet in a world where 5.5-inch phones are the norm? Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below.

Source:
Evan Blass (Twitter)

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evan
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A Nintendo Switch ‘Lite’ could be arriving mid-2019

269

The Nintendo Switch was released in 2017, so that means we’re almost at the half-way point of the console’s life span (console lifespans are usually around six years); and to stay relevant, Nintendo is reportedly developing a lite version of the hybrid console.

According to a report by Japanese publication Nikkei, Nintendo has rallied both its manufacturing partners and game developers towards developing a smaller, lighter Switch.

The console may come with limited functionality but the goal in mind is to make a Switch device that’s even more portable than the original. The report also suggests that the console could debut in mid-2019.

gaming
nintendo
switchm console


A Nintendo Switch patent hints that the console may be getting a VR headset

237

Today, Nintendo has filed multiple patents for the Nintendo Switch in the United States. That in itself isn’t too interesting. What is interesting however is the content of one particular slide which shows what could possibly be a VR headset for Nintendo’s upcoming console.

First discovered by the folks at NeoGAF, the slide shows what is presumably a VR headset peripheral that supports the Nintendo Switch. According to the slide, the Switch will be slid into position from the top of the headset. From this slide, one can immediately assume that Nintendo’s VR headset patent will be functionally identical to Google’s Daydream View headset or even Samsung’s Gear VR headset.

Of course, whether or not Nintendo will actually release a VR headset for the Switch remains to be seen. However, should Nintendo decide to move forward with a Switch VR Headset, we could safely assume that the company has learnt from its failure of the Virtual Boy.

Source:
NeoGAF
,
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

console
handheld
headset
nintendo
switch
virtualreality


A non-genuine update to Windows 10 will get you a black wallpaper in every hour

310

Yesterday we reported that Microsoft has decided to allow non-genuine Windows users receive its Windows 10 update which sounds pretty good, however after coming across this report, this doesn’t seem too positive at all, as Microsoft has stated that it doesn’t mean upgrading from a non-genuine software will convert you into a legit one, as such Microsoft still advises users to purchase a genuine copy of its operating system to avoid malware, spyware and etc. In addition, Microsoft will turn your wallpaper into black if it finds you aren’t using a genuine version of Windows – a common trick.

However Microsoft isn’t totally bad at all, non-genuine Windows 10 customers will still receive important security updates from the company and you can easily convert your non-genuine license via the new Windows Store, which should be able to stop that annoying black wallpaper and we highly suggest that you own a genuine copy of Windows 8.1, which starts at RM339 at this time of writing before our GST kicks in.

Over the years, we can see Microsoft being less strict on its licensing system and discouraging users on pirated Windows with a more reasonable way, however with such lenient restrictions, will it allow cracks to be implemented even more easily? Our fingers remains crossed.


A possible Xperia Z6? Probably not

267

As we all know, Xperia has announced its latest Xperia X series, officially putting a nail into the coffin of the Xperia Z lineup, tracing back to the original Xperia Z that was released in early 2013. Recently, a benchmark result came up on Geekbench of a “Z6 Z6” smartphone, which sounds like a far fetch to consider it to be the resurrection of the Xperia Z lineup, but let’s take a look anyway.

At first glance, we’re almost sure that the tested device isn’t a Sony Xperia Z6, based on its Android 4.4.2 version. It would be absurd for an 2016 Xperia smartphone to run on Android Kit Kat to begin with. Moving on, we’re looking at a MediaTek MT6595 octa-core processor clocked at 2GHz, which singles the Z6 Z6 out of the flagship spectrum already. On the other hand, we’re looking at a generous amount of RAM at 4GB.

That’s about it, the Z6 Z6 sounds pretty much like a spoof so far. But it would be interesting to found out what handset it turns out to be. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
Geekbench

benchmark
geekbench
mediatek
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z6


A rumored Snapdragon 823 powered HTC 10 mini set for September

354

It seems that the Snapdragon 823 is real, based on a rumored Mi Note 2 sporting that processor, although it may still be a far fetch. But why does it seem more convincing this time? It turns out that rumors have surfaced regarding a HTC 10 mini, which is said to be sporting the same processor of that rumored in the Xiaomi’s Mi Note 2.

This rumor comes less than two weeks away from the HTC 10’s official unveiling by the Taiwanese OEM, set on April 12th. 8 days away, to be more precise. According to Austrian news site Android-News, the rumored HTC 10 mini will sport a 4.7-inch display, which might be tuned down to 1080p due to its smaller screen size. As mentioned earlier, the HTC 10 mini will be featuring a Snapdragon 823 SoC, which might be an edge better compared to the one in the HTC 10. Also packed underneath the hood is 4GB of RAM.

Android-News has also indicated that the HTC 10 mini will be launched in September this year. If this rumor turns out to be true, we might be looking at the first of many rumors that will spread like wildfire over the next few months. Till then, let’s keep the spotlight on the HTC 10 next week, shall we? Tell us what do you think.

Source:
Android-News
 Via:
TechnoBuffalo

10
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A Samsung Galaxy J5 has exploded in France

318

It would seem that Samsung’s nightmare of exploding smartphones and washing machines isn’t over, as officials haven’t concluded the results of what caused the Note 7 to explode, Gizmodo has reported that a user in Pau, France has had an unfortunate experience with a Galaxy J5, a year-old phone model that has been commended for its value and features. Lamya Bouyirdane, the owner of the Galaxy J5 told the Associated Press that she realized the phone to be swollen after her four-year old son picked up the phone, which she immediately tossed it away and in the next moment, the battery has started to smoke.

Pau : un portable Samsung brûle et explose
https://t.co/P85Oq2imfn

pic.twitter.com/mHynHRWpK0

— Sud Ouest (@sudouest)
November 6, 2016

Judging by the picture itself, the Galaxy J5 seems to be intact whereas the battery is confirmed destroyed, which highly suggests this issue to be caused by the battery alone. Bouyirdane and her partner have apparently purchased the phone in June this year, despite being a 2015 phone model, they have managed to brought it to Morocco which the phone was working fine despite of the hot weather. As of now, Samsung has responded to Gizmodo with the following comment: “We are unable to comment on this specific incident until we obtain and thoroughly examine the device. Customer safety remains our highest priority and we want to work with any customer who has experienced an issue with a Samsung product in order to investigate the matter and support them. The issues with the Galaxy Note7 are isolated to only that model.”

Samsung didn’t really have a great year as 2016 draws to the end, there has not been a proper explanation of why its phone batteries are exploding everywhere, the company is expected to rush its next flagship the Galaxy S8 for now, and let’s hope this will be over soon for the Korean firm. If you happen to be carrying a Note 7, we urge that you return your device for a swap or refund to avoid any unfortunate incidents.

SOURCE:
Gizmodo
,
Associated Press

explosion
galaxyj5
note7
samsung


A Samsung Galaxy S20 could have 16GB RAM – setting a standard?

335

As we’ve covered previously, the Samsung Galaxy S20 (which is the successor to the Galaxy S10) will come in three variants, the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The latter will be the biggest and most powerful of the lot – but exactly how powerful is it?

XDA Developers’ Max Weinbach gave us a glimpse into what the S20 Ultra could pack – the most jarring spec mentioned was a massive 16GB RAM configuration – in comparison, the best gaming smartphone around only uses 12GB RAM, and even that’s overkill.

This isn’t the first we’re hearing of 16GBs of memory in a smartphone – yesterday, we reported that the upcoming Black Shark 3 could also follow suite.

Weinbach also notes that the Galaxy S20 Ultra could have up to 512GB of internal storage with a microSD card expansion slot which supports up to 1TB of storage.

For imaging, the phone will apparently get a 108MP lens – mostly likely thanks to the Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor – a whopping 48MP 10x optical zoom camera, and a 12MP wide lens. This is a head-scratcher considering Samsung frequently opts for lower-res cameras in their flagship devices – using instead, software to provide great image quality.

The phone will also be powered by a 5,000mAh battery with an “option” for a 45W fast charge – we’re assuming this means you choose can get the phone with a fast charging accessory.

We already know how the Galaxy S20+ will look like, and it looks like we also know pretty much what the Galaxy S20 Ultra will pack in terms of hardware. It’s threatening to dethrone the Google Pixel 4 as the most leaked smartphone ever. But hey, the flagship series will be launched this February at Samsung’s Unpacked event, so we won’t have to wait long until we know what’s really up.

16GB ram
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galaxy s20 ultra
samsung
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