Synology DS1621+ 1 Year Review: a very powerful and efficient 6-bay NAS

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The past two years of surviving the pandemic has been nonetheless challenging to both our business and operations, where our team has to resort to working remotely due to health and safety concerns like everyone else, the Synology DS1621+ arrived at our office at the most opportune moment last year, and until today, the team still depended heavily for data storage and file retrievals, and I’m happy to report that it is still serving us extremely well.

The Synology DS1621+ is a 6-bay NAS and as usual with Synology products, it doesn’t look too different from its predecessor – the DS1618+, it even has the same amount of ports on the back including four 1Gbps ports and two eSATA ports, along with a PCIe expansion slot for a 10GbE card which Synology sells separately if you needed one.

What’s different this round is really the internals, which we are particularly excited about as it is the very first Synology NAS to be powered by an AMD Ryzen processor, though not exactly equivalent to our usual Ryzen 5 or 7 chips, but rather it is an efficient Ryzen V1500B CPU that brings increased performance over its predecessor’s Intel Atom C3538, Synology claims almost 174% higher 4K random read IOPS and 76%  faster sequential write speeds, and with the support of ECC RAM this time, this is one superb NAS that doesn’t only does well in being a file server, but can also run virtual machines and host business applications in a SMB IT environment.

As usual, Synology’s DSM operating system powers the DS1621+ and does a really good job in terms of the user experience and even for someone starting off with a NAS, there’s very little learning curve in getting around the configuration and start installing packages.

Our DS1621+ received the update to DSM 7.0 during the period and at this time of writing, it is running on DSM 7.1, which totally gives a refreshing experience on the UX with newer looking icons and smoother transitions, while having faster app launches that takes advantage of the DS1621+’s hardware, it is darn impressive for a web based user interface which you can really spend all day on it if you use Synology’s business suite of packages, especially if your users are used to working on Chromebooks and iPads, using DSM on their respective browsers feels really good.

The Synology DS1621+ supports two ECC DDR4-2666 RAM of up to 32GB

Despite the increased performance, the Ryzen V1500B lacks the capability to do media transcoding, which might be a deal breaker to those who wants to run a media server off the DS1621+ (and kind of defeats the purpose of having VideoStation on it as well), however you shouldn’t have problems if your video files are mostly MP4 file formats, as software encoding still works perfectly fine on it, we tried installing FFMpeg from the SynoCommunity and though we managed to get it to work, transcoding 4K movies with MKV files are terrible with choppy frames.

Thankfully, streaming movies off the NAS isn’t our main priority on the DS1621+ as we had the DS920+ for that, and what I am most impressed with the DS1621+ is the increased performance of running multiple virtual machines, as unlike the DS920+ we were using previously, the DS1621+’s RAM can be expanded to 32GB with two RAM slots, an 8GB DDR4-2666MHz ECC RAM was included in our review unit, and I managed to source for a 16GB DDR4-2666MHz ECC RAM on Taobao for around RM300, which is actually a pretty good deal.

The DS1621+ has a PCIe Gen3x8 slot for expansion

While running both Windows and Ubuntu Server, the responsiveness in launching apps and performing configuration for running a couple of staging apps and website are noticeably faster than our DS920+, I was also able to reduce boot up times all thanks to the SSD cache, which I installed two Corsair MP510 256GB drives on the DS1621+ and it dramatically improved read speeds on virtual machines.

In other improvements, where I asked the office to stress test the DS1621+, our two video editors were able to depend on the DS1621+ for accessing certain B-roll files when they are working on our videos and noticed no hiccups when scrubbing through the files on their computers over a 2.5Gbps connection, while the rest of the office of three performed file transfers of mixed sizes to and from the NAS, the DS1621+ handled all of that workload effortlessly.

Overall, we are spoilt by the performance that the DS1621+ offers and while it is definitely an overkill for what we do here, SMB IT administrators will appreciate the increased performance over the DS 1618+, the DS1621+ is one of the best 6-bay NAS you can buy in the market if you aren’t particular about hardware media transcoding, and after a year, it has become an indispensable tool for the KLGadgetGuy office.

Synology DS1621+ Review

The first AMD Ryzen powered Synology NAS has a lot of power to offer NAS enthusiasts and IT administrators, but the lack of hardware media transcoding is something to ponder about.

KLGadgetGuy

Synology DS1621+

9

The Goods

Excellent performance with AMD Ryzen V1500B processor

ECC RAM support

SSD caching support

DSM 7.1 is a solid operating system

The Bads

NVMe SSD still can't be used as actual storage

No 2.5Gbps port

 9.0

Average Score

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Synology DS1621+ NAS doubles performance with AMD Ryzen processor

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Looking for more performance than ever to run apps and manage file transfers on your storage server? Synology has officially unveiled the DS1621+, a 6-bay NAS that’s powered by a quad-core AMD Ryzen V1500B processor, which Synology claims to have 2x processing power over its predecessor.

The DS1621+ can support up to a maximum sequential write speed of 1.1GB/s and have 4K Random read performance of 110K IOPS, these are staggering performance claims that can benefit users that depends heavily on NAS storage to access their files and running server applications on virtual machines.

In other hardware specifications, the DS1621+ comes fitted with 4GB of DDR4 ECC SODIMM RAM, customers can expand up to 32GB of RAM with two 16GB SODIMM sticks, storage can be expanded up to 16 bays with the DX517, a PCIe Gen3x8 slot is present for installing a 10GbE network card, it also has four GbE ports that support Link Aggregation and Failover and two NVMe drive slots for caching.

The Synology DS1621+ is currently available for purchase in Malaysia at authorised IT resellers, you can also purchase it from
Lazada
 and
Shopee
.

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Synology DS918+ 4-Bay NAS Review: Powerful and Scalable Storage Server

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We have been using Synology NAS(es) in our office for a while now, though we have never really used fully up to its potential, it has been a reliable storage server that the office has been depending on. A few months ago, Synology passed us the DS918+ for review, it is a feature packed NAS that I have been looking forward to get my hands and since the office has been using it for almost 4 months, its time to give it our final verdict.

Hardware Design

The DS918+ is one solid and good looking NAS server, and you should expect to feel good too since you are paying over RM2000 for a storage server. Unlike other NAS servers, Synology doesn’t try to make this device look like a super complicated device, there’s LED indicators on the front that shows hard drive activity and system status, which you can also adjust the brightness not to blind you if you work in a dark room with it.

One of the things I like about Synology NAS servers is how easy it is to install the hard drives, in fact it is so easy to manage that you can even have your office boy insert or replace them if you need to do so, all you need to do is to lift up the tab of the front drive bays, pull out the drive cage and slot in your hard drives, no screws required at all. If you want a little security, Synology lets you lock the drive bays with a provided key in the box, so that your precious data stays inside the chassis.

Taking out all the drive cages will reveal two RAM slots, which Synology has already preinstalled a single 4GB DDR3-1600L RAM on one of them, you can install up to 8GB RAM should you require to run virtualization or multiple instances of DSM on the device.

Things get even better on the DS918+ once you turn to the bottom, where there’s two M.2 NVMe slots for you to install solid state drives for caching purposes that helps to increase system performance and random file transfer speeds, though sadly you can’t use them as standard storage devices like you do as the 3.5″ drives.

The expandability of the NAS just doesn’t end here, as it has two USB 3.0 ports located at the front and back that lets you connect external hard drives, printers, and WiFi adapters. Furthermore, the DS918+ supports the DX517 expansion unit via it’s eSATA port, hence it is a really scalable NAS server if you happen to need more storage for your applications.

Software and User Experience

Our DS918+ is fitted with two WD Red 6TB hard drives during the test using the new btrfs file system and Synology’s Hybrid RAID system, we have also upgraded the RAM to its maximum supported 8GB and installed an ADATA XPG SX6000 120GB M.2 NVMe SSD as cache.

Synology’s DSM is still one of the most intuitive NAS operating system that we have ever come across, it looks very much the same across all other Synology products and has great community support.

Once we had the SSD cache active, we immediately perceive significantly shorter operation times and app launch speeds. The DS918+ uses a powerful Intel Celeron J3455 quad-core processor with Turbo Boost speeds of up to 1.5GHz, which you can take advantage of the hardware to run virtual operating systems on the NAS.

In our case, we installed two instances of Ubuntu OS with 2GB RAM assigned to each of them as our website development server, the NAS was able to deliver great performance while continuing to serve as a file server for the office.

Benchmarks

As you can see, the DS918+ has superior data transfer speeds over the previous 2-bay NAS that we have tested, and this is still based on the same settings and two hard drives on a disk group. Random transfer speed is also pretty decent, all thanks to the SSD cache that we have configured.

Verdict

The Synology DS918+ is a 4-bay NAS that you shouldn’t hesitate on getting if your workplace depends heavily on a centralized storage device, it is powerful, versatile, and does almost everything that you can think of as a server for a retail price of RM2559 excluding the hard drives.

The Good

Fast and consistent performance

Perfect for running server-client tier applications and a web server

Expand up to additional five hard drives if you want to

SSD cache greatly improves system response

The Not so Good

Limited to 8GB RAM

SSD is only limited to caching

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Synology DS920+ Review: Minor Updates, Significant Performance Improvement

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I love the Synology DS918+, despite already being a two-year old NAS that sits in our office as our file and media server, and due to its ability to run virtual machines, we have used it several times as our website’s staging server. Synology has recently sent the DS920+, the successor of the DS918+ for our evaluation, although we haven’t even used the latter to its full potential, there are some subtle changes that I find it exciting if you are looking to invest in a capable 4-bay NAS.

[sciba leftsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/SynologyDS920Review-003.jpg” leftlabel=”DS918+ vs DS920+ (Front)” rightsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/SynologyDS920Review-009.jpg” rightlabel=”DS918+ vs DS920+ (Rear)” mode=”horizontal” width=””]

Putting the DS920+ side by side with its predecessor, they look exactly identical and can only be distinguished by the mode number on the front, ports are also similar as well with one standard sized USB 3.0 on the front and rear, dual 1Gbe RJ45 ports and an eSATA connector that lets you expand more drives with the DX517 expansion unit.

Like the DS918+, the DS920+ features a tool-less installation design that I really like, as you don’t need to deal with screws when securing your hard drive on the tray, the tray can also be locked with a physical key to prevent unauthorized access.

One design improvement Synology has done over the DS918+ is making a dust trap on the M.2 SSD bay door, which will potentially save some maintenance chores over the ownership period, while sadly the dual M.2 SSD can still only be used for caching instead of actual storage.

Other than that, you are now provided on single SODIMM slot for upgrading the NAS’s RAM, as the default 4GB RAM is already soldered on the device, although Synology claims that it only supports up to 8GB RAM, I’ve tried installing an 8GB RAM module and it is able to detect the memory, which means you should be able to go up to 36GB of RAM if you are able to source a single 32GB RAM SODIMM, virtualization fans rejoice!

Powering the DS920+ is an Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core processor with a base 2GHz clock speed and bursts up to 2.7GHz when required, performance is significantly faster over the DS918+, where the user experience of Synology’s DSM is more responsive and you can definitely feel the increased speed when running virtual machines.

Synology’s DSM operating system can be very addictive once you start to get the hang of it, not only it is extremely easy to navigate around and find a comprehensive list of apps in the package center, migrating over from the DS918+ is effortless and the DS920+ automatically installs the packages that you previously have and preserves most of your previous NAS settings.

One of the things that I really appreciate is how easy it is to setup an external remote access with Synology’s QuickConnect service, which is an essential feature to set up if you want to access the NAS over the cloud. On top of that, it can also serve as a VPN server if you prefer to have users access files through a private network.

Our tests remain the same as previous Synology NAS reviews, where we used two WD Red 6TB drives configured with Synology’s Hybrid RAID system running on btrfs, while measuring the average file transfer speed on different block sizes using CrystalDiskMark, mapping one of the folders as a network drive and performing the test over a Gigabit LAN connection, the system RAM has also been upgraded to 12GB.

As data transfer speed is limited by Gigabit LAN, the DS920+’s performance is largely similar to the DS918+, however when it comes to simultaneous file transfers and video transcoding tasks from multiple clients, the DS920+ demonstrates a much better processor power over the DS918+

I also configured an Adata SX6200 PCIe SSD as a read-only cache and performed another round of disk speed test on a Windows 7 virtual machine, it helped double the read speed and definitely worth doing so if you want a faster virtual machine experience.

Is the Synology DS920+ worth buying or upgrading?

Overall, the Synology DS920+ is a decent 4-bay NAS that can’t go wrong for those who intend to upgrade their existing NAS for improved performance, the move to support DDR4 is definitely commendable and this will even make DS918+ owners want to upgrade should they want to run more server applications and virtualization, though I still wished Synology would have given us the choice to use its M.2 SSD as storage instead of cache and having a 2.5Gbe port would have made it a killer product.

The Synology DS920+ can now be purchased at
Lazada
 for RM2,390.

The Good

Improved operation performance

Should technically support up to 36GB DDR4-2400 RAM

Silent operation

DSM still one of the most fully featured NAS operating system

The Not so Good

M.2 SSD can’t be used as storage

1Gbps connection instead of 2.5Gbe

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Synology introduces DSM 6.0, a powerful NAS operation system with virtualisation

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Network attached storage (NAS) has become increasingly common in both home and offices, while its main function is to keep your data safe from accidental damages and hacks, they have evolved into a capable computer servers that can manage the enterprise IT environment, this is the
case
 with Synology’s DiskStation Manager (DSM) 6.0, the most beautiful NAS OS that we have seen back in COMPUTEX this year that features a graphical user interface and many sophisticated features that can only be found on a server hardware.

Synology’s new DSM 6.0 operation system runs on an all new 64-bit architecture which is able to breakthrough the conventional 4GB RAM limit to allow more tasks to be executed and enables virtualisation within the NAS hardware, Synology mentions that a virtualised DSM will be able to run in the physical OS itself, thus allowing multiple user environments to run its own set of applications and configurations without affecting the host. In addition, users will be able to create Petabyte-level shared folders on multiple volumes, serving the ideal solution to manage and archive cold data.
In addition to these powerful features, DSM 6.0 also features new cloud applications for user collaboration. MailPlus, the company’s e-mail service gets an interface overhaul that looks similar to most modern online e-mail services, it has cross-platform support and a comprehensive set of management features to ensure control of data privacy. SpreadSheet and Note Station are also two new apps that enables collaborative document editing in a secured enterprise environment, there is also a built-in snapshot feature that allows user to revert changes to documents should there be accidents.

Synology has also shown off the
Apple
Watch
 app of its DS note and DS audio mobile apps, users will be able to dictate notes on the Apple Watch and play music from the NAS. Since NAS has been widely used for storing and streaming videos, Synology has also redesigned its Video Station app on DSM, featuring an on-screen button layout and most importantly, supporting offline video transcoding that simply allows you to convert them into playable format for other devices.

If you are already using Synology’s NAS products, the company will be releasing DSM 6.0 as a 6-month beta in early-mid October and targets to improve the functionality during this period while accepting feedback from users, this is an exciting time for professionals and small-medium enterprises to consider Synology’s NAS products if building a secure and collaborative IT environment is what you’re looking for.

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Synology introduces powerful and compact DiskStation DS723+ 2-bay NAS

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Synology has introduced the DiskStation DS723+, a powerful 2-bay NAS that’s ideal for home and small businesses, it is powered by an AMD Ryzen R1600 dual-core processor and can be paired with up to 32GB DDR4 ECC RAM with two RAM slots, it also offers optional 10GbE networking with a upgrade slot, a feature that’s usually only available on its more expensive NAS servers, while it continues to offer two NVMe slots that can be used as cache and storage pools.

Synology claims read and write speeds of up to 471MB/s and 225MB/s respectively when performing file transfers over a 10GbE network, users can further expand up to 7 drives with the DX517 expansion unit when they require more storage in the future, making this a future proof investment and reduces the need to set up a new NAS server.

The DS723+ is powered by the DSM operating system, which offers exclusive features such as Synology Drive, a feature that combines cross-platform file access with the privacy offered by on -premises storage, Synology Hybrid Share that allows users to merge the benefits of on-premises and cloud by storing cold data in the cloud while keeping frequently accessed files cached on the local device for access at LAN speeds, and Synology Surveillance Station that turns the NAS into a full-fledged video management system with support for over 8300 validated IP cameras and ONVIF devices.

Available starting today, the DS723+ can be purchased at Synology partners, resellers and PC retail shops nationwide.

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Synology introduces six-bay DiskStation DS1618+ NAS

373

As COMPUTEX is just around the corner, Synology has unveiled an all new powerful 6-bay NAS for the tech enthusiast and medium-sized businesses, the DS1618+ is powered by an Intel Atom C3538 quad-core processor paired to 4GB of non-ECC SODIMM DDR4 RAM. The DS1618+ can be expanded up to 32GB DDR4 ECC SODIMM RAM, while you can have up to 192TB of storage when connected to two DX517 expansion units, making it a highly scalable network storage that is capable of running mission critical file transfers and network applications.

The expandability of the DS1618+ doesn’t just end here, because with the optional M2D17 PCIe adapter card, the NAS can house two M.2 SATA SSD to reduce I/O latency by taking advantage of SSD cache. Otherwise, you can opt to install two PCIe network card as the DS1618+ will support dual 10GBe LAN transfers, which gives up to 1551MBps read and 586MBps write throughput.

The DS1618+ comes installed with the award winning DiskStation Manager operating system, which comes with many useful apps by Synology and great community support, customers can opt to purchase Synology’s Extended Warranty add on service (EW201) to extend up to 5 years of warranty coverage in selected regions when purchasing the DS1618+. For more information, head on over to www.synology.com/products/DS1618+

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Synology introduces the compact DS423+ 4-bay NAS

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If you are looking for a great NAS server for your home or office, Synology has introduced the DS423+, it is a powerful 4-bay NAS that offers exceptional value to users with limited storage requirements, it boasts up to 21% faster photo indexing over its predecessor among other performance improvements all thanks to the more powerful Intel Celeron J4125 processor.

Most of the hardware features from the DS420+ have been brought forward to the DS423+, which includes a soldered 2GB DDR4 non-ECC SODIMM RAM where users can upgrade to 6GB with an additional SODIMM RAM slot, two M.2 NVMe drive slots for caching and fast storage pools, two Gigabit LAN ports with Link Aggregation and Failover support, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.

In terms of file transfer performance, Synology quotes up to 226MB/s of read and 224MB/s of write speeds. As usual, the NAS is powered by Synology’s DSM operating system and uses the advanced Btrfs file system, which safeguards data against corruption and can reverse any unintended and malicious changes through the use of snapshot technology.

The Synology DS423+ is now available to purchase in Malaysia with a suggested retail price of RM2,288.88 without hard drives, get yours
here
.

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Synology introduces two surveillance cameras that works with its NAS

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While Synology is famous for its NAS servers, it has other products such as hard disks and SSDs that’s optimized to work with its NAS servers, and it has now expanded its portfolio to surveillance cameras by unveiling two products – the BC500 and TC500.

Both the BC500 and TC500 are IP67 certified cameras that come in different form factors, as the model name suggests, the BC500 is a bullet-form camera while the TC500 is a turret-form camera, they feature advanced AI capabilities and integrate well with Synology’s Surveillance Station video management system.

Both cameras feature a 5-megapixel sensor that records videos up to 2880×1620 resolution at 30 FPS with a 110-degree horizontal viewing angle, it is capable of showing a night vision range of up to 30 meters, while it also has multi-exposure HDR capability, this could be great for environments with challenging lighting conditions.

In terms of its AI capabilities, Synology claims that it is used to provide users with timely and accurate alerts, which intelligently detects people and vehicles, intrusions and an instant search feature to allow users to more reliably identify potential threats, quickly investigate areas of interest and retrieve relevant footage.

No additional licenses are required when you pair the BC500 and TC500 with Synology Surveillance Station, there’s also no subscription for storage as it is entirely dependent on the amount of storage that you have allocated on your Synology NAS server for Surveillance Station.

In terms of security, these cameras boast failover edge storage, and HTTPS and SRTP support to ensure your surveillance footage is fully encrypted from unauthorized access, they are also US NDAA and TAA compliant devices.

The Synology BC500 and TC500 cameras are available in selected regions and come with a 3-year hardware warranty.

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Synology LiveCam turns your smartphone camera into a fully functional IP camera

539

If you have been using a Synology NAS, chances are you have already been using the company’s surveillance software to record video footage from your IP cameras, but let’s face it, you would probably find a IP camera to be less flexible when it comes to mobility, and wished you had a way to simply set up one at any corner of your home or workplace, this is where Synology’s LiveCam app comes to the picture, which is available for free on the App Store and Google Play, as long as you own a Synology NAS and have an active internet connection, it works flawlessly.

Surveillance has been one of the important features of the company’s DSM operating system, and introducing this functionality is definitely a great value, as it saves trouble looking out for a compatible IP camera, users can literally use any smartphones with a camera to monitor their premises, needless to say smartphone camera sensors are also generally much better than IP cameras, depending on the video resolution and modes that the smartphone supports, it could record footage of up to 1080p at 30fps. On a side note, Surveillance Station has also been upgraded to support YouTube live streaming.

Synology will be releasing the LiveCam app some time this month, it will be compatible with all Synology NAS that runs the Surveillance Station package, just make sure you have a good phone camera to work with it.

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Synology MR2200ac Tri-band Mesh Router Review

686

Synology hasn’t been as aggressive as its competitors when it comes to routers, the company is still fairly new in the market despite being one of the best NAS brands but still, their first router managed to impress us previously with its excellent management software and performance, which brings us to today’s review of the Synology MR2200ac, a tri-band WiFi AC mesh router.

Unlike its rivals, the MR2200ac’s packaging isn’t that interesting with an all brown cardboard box just like its NAS, Synology also doesn’t sell it in packs so it could be difficult for first time mesh buyers to decide how many units they would need to expand their home network. Nonetheless, one will usually buy two of these as a start and you can easily just purchase more units if you require wider coverage.

The router features a basic standing design that looks somewhat dated and takes up space, but you’d be glad that it features a proper vent on the top that dissipates heat well, as most mesh WiFi I’ve reviewed tend to have heating issues after using for a certain period. The LED indicator not only shows the connection status but also signal strength to the main node, which helps setting up a slave node easier as you will know if you’ve placed it at the right place.

On the back, we find a USB 3.0 port for connecting external storage and printer, two Gigabit ethernet ports that can be either used as a WAN or LAN port, a WPS button is also present which many mesh routers don’t have.

Setting up the MR2200ac for the first time is pretty straightforward using the DS Router app, which will automatically search for the router if you are using an Android phone, the setup instructions are pretty self-explanatory as you can see in the screenshots, however there isn’t a final step to ask if you would like to set up a second unit, and this is where you will need to start digging around the settings to do that, the configuration in question is called WiFi Point.

Once you are in, simply tap the “+” button on the top right and follow the instructions, your mesh network will be created in just a few seconds.

Synology’s DS Router app may offer way lesser features than the full fledge web-based SRM (Synology Router Manager) OS, but it still offers several features that I really like, such as being able to understand the WiFi signal strength and bandwidth usage of every connected devices, it also has an extensive parental control feature where you can set the maximum time quota and schedule for a device, up to even search engine and YouTube content moderation, parents will absolutely love this feature.

Users familiar with Synology’s DSM operating system will find yourself comfortable with SRM’s interface, but even for a new user, the router management software is really fun to explore around and you can easily add features from the Package Center, you will of course need to attach an external storage should you want to add more apps,

One feature that I absolutely love is the WiFi Point performance test feature, which lets you find out the maximum connection speed between the main and slave mesh nodes, this really helps a lot in determining if you are intending to perform wireless file transfer to a device that could be tethered to a specific node, while also ensuring that you are able to achieve your maximum Internet connection speed when your device is connected to the slave node.

The MR2200ac is by far the only mesh WiFi system that lets you connect to separate 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but I’d recommend leaving the Tri-band auto selection turned on as you don’t need to manually switch to a 2.4GHz access point when you are at a poor coverage area of your home.

The Safe Access parental control feature on the web version shows you more data from various connected devices such as online duration and if there have been any malicious activities in the pass 24 hours.

Synology MR2200ac Performance and Benchmark

I live in a 3200sf house and like most Malaysian homes, there are several dead spots caused by thick walls. The MR2200ac is connected directly to a TM Unifi gateway with a 100Mbps service, while the second unit is placed in the study room where WiFi signals will get weak and it serves the extended study room area.

To find out the performance of the MR2200ac, I used a MSI GS65 with an Intel WiFi AX200 card to perform a Internet speed test and NAS file transfer test in five test points, the NAS is connected over an ethernet connection on the main MR2200ac unit located in the living room.

Comparing to a 3-pack TP-Link Deco M9 Plus system, the Synology MR2200ac performed rather closely on Point A and B, however starting from Point C onwards, we are starting to see a huge drop in transmission speeds and it doesn’t look good, though we are still seeing a decent ping response time on all test points, this situation can probably be improved if we add on a third unit to the network, but still even when the 1st floor is given priority, Test Point A to D performed rather poorly, this is probably due to the 256MB RAM the router has, as the WiFi Test Point performance test shows 180Mbps of transfer speed from the main unit to the study room unit.

Should you buy the Synology MR2200ac?

The very reason you will want to look into the Synology MR2200ac is its unrivalled router management software which you can never get even on more expensive routers.

However, if we were to justify the value of a tri-band WiFi AC mesh router, the Synology MR2200ac definitely loses as it doesn’t come in a combo package like its competitors, a single unit will already cost you RM600 and when you get three of them, you could already purchase a 3-pack WiFi 6 mesh system from competing brands. Hence, you have really got to be a Synology fan to even consider purchasing this.

The Good

Excellent router management software

Unit remains cool in operation

Decent 2.4GHz wireless performance

WPA3 security and comprehensive parental controls

The Not so Good

Limited coverage per unit

256MB RAM can limit number of clients as operating system already takes up much RAM

Expensive, doesn’t come in packs

The Synology MR2200ac is available at
Lazada Malaysia
.

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Synology Releases the DiskStation DS716+ NAS

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Synology released the latest DiskStation DS716+, an encryption-oriented, scalable, 2-bay NAS server powered by a quad-core CPU and Btrfs file system. The machine is targeted at SMB in need for a reliable, compact, and we believe it’s an ideal product for demanding professional users whether they need a wide array of applications or a file server able to handle multiple simultaneous requests, even within an encrypted environment.

The DS716+ comes with 2GB of RAM, two Gigabit LAN ports, and a quad-core 1.6 GHz CPU that are able to clock up to 2.08 GHz. With AES-NI encryption support, DS716+ delivers spectacular performance with encrypted files, with transfer speed up to 218 MB/s reading and 141 MB/s writing. Besides that, enthusiasts can watch H.264 4K to 1080p video.

Designed with effortless hard drive installation and a focus on system reliability, DS716+ comes with tool-less drive bay design, hot-swappable support, and dual Gigabit LAN ports with failover support to ensure continual service. Moreover, it features three USB 3.0 ports for higher data transmission and one eSATA port as an extensive external backup option. In addition, the NAS runs DiskStation Manager (DSM), the most advanced and intuitive operating system for DS716+, providing all essential business services and increased productivity.

DS716+ runs DiskStation Manager (DSM), the most advanced and intuitive operating system for NAS devices. Featuring a wide range of applications from backup to network management, DS716+ provides all essential business services and increased productivity at work. Synology was named “PC Mag Business Choice Award winner” for the second consecutive year, and received the highest rating in every element of the survey, including reliability, value, and likelihood to recommend.

SOURCE:
TechPowerUp

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Synology Rolls Out DSM 7.2 with Innovative Features to Meet IT Challenges

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Synology has just launched DSM 7.2, providing cutting-edge solutions to address pressing IT challenges. The advanced software comes equipped with features such as immutable storage and backup, full-volume encryption, performance enhancements, rigorous access controls, and robust storage planning capabilities.

Synology’s Product Manager, Shamrock Ko, stated, “We are steadfast in our commitment to incessant innovation and improvement to ensure organizations are equipped with the requisite tools to manage their data confidently and efficiently.”

DSM 7.2 debuts license-free immutable storage and backup via WriteOnce shared folders and Immutable Snapshots. Utilizing write once read many (WORM) technology, these features empower organizations to protect their data from threats like malicious attacks, accidental deletions, and tampering by generating an immutable copy of the data. This becomes particularly vital for sectors such as healthcare, finance, and government, where strict data retention policies are a prerequisite.

The new software update also includes Full-Volume Encryption that ensures the protection of data at rest, including shared folders, LUNs, and package data. In the face of a security breach or theft, this feature ensures data privacy by rendering the stored data unreadable without the decryption key. Synology has also incorporated KMIP to simplify and centralize key management. Full-Volume Encryption also offers a writing performance boost of up to 48% when compared with applying Shared Folder Encryption to all eligible data on a volume, providing users with efficient ways to safeguard specific data or entire file systems from unauthorized access.

DSM 7.2 enhances performance and efficiency by supporting M.2 NVMe SSD storage volumes on more systems, thus offering more flexibility in the usage of built-in M.2 NVMe slots. Additionally, SSD deduplication gets a boost with the inline zero-block removal, resulting in up to 25% faster deduplication times by minimizing the data required to be stored.

On the security front, adaptive multi-factor authentication debuts in Synology systems, offering a contextually intelligent approach to security. It assesses various factors, such as device, location, time, and user behavior, to determine the need for additional verification. Security measures get an added fillip with Auto Block for connections via SMB and QuickConnect, offering robust protection against brute force attacks and globally banning threatening IP addresses.

The DSM 7.2’s Active Insight includes storage capacity forecasting to help IT administrators and MSPs plan for future storage needs by providing insights into current storage usage and predicting future capacity requirements. DSM system notifications are enhanced with flexible settings and support for Microsoft Teams and LINE notifications.

Finally, DSM 7.2 brings a series of notable improvements across applications and services, including Global File Locking for Hybrid Share, Docker Compose for Container Manager, and OIDC and SAML protocol support for SSO Server and SAML and CAS protocol support for SSO Client.

Synology DSM 7.2 is now available for all customers worldwide.

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Synology RT1900ac is a new and powerful router with a beautiful software

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Synology has been a leading company in its NAS storage and security surveillance solutions and in COMPUTEX 2015 this year, the company has decided to launch its very own router that combines their long time expertise in making NAS and the modern looking console user interface on their products.

The Synology RT1900ac has four gigabit LAN ports and one gigabit WAN port on the rear, it a single USB 3.0 port that allows users to connect a
USB hard drive
, and Synology’s advanced software is able to automatically convert its usage into NAS while offering its advanced software capabilities found on its NAS products. The router’s 802.11ac wireless performance is also very impressive, it features 3×3 MIMO beamforming antennas with 2.4GHz and 5GHz band support that is able to stream up to 1.9Gbps of bandwidth.

The real killer feature of Synology’s new router is the software, which most of us here initially thought it was running on some customized operating system until the Synology folks hit on the F11 button on the keyboard and boom – Google Chrome popped up. The web based graphical software is Synology’s very own Synology Router Manager operating system, which is rebranded from the company’s NAS Diskstation Manager operating system and adds on router centric features, the OS features advanced parental controls, trace route, bandwidth control, traffic monitoring and you will also be able to install apps and extensions from Synology’s own app catalogue to expand the router’s capability.

Synology expects the RT1900ac to start selling in markets around August this year, if the company priced this correctly around the price of US$150-US$200, this could give major network product players a good run for their money and to be honest, that operating system is really worth paying.


Synology RT1900ac Router Review: Most advanced consumer grade wireless router

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When it comes to choosing a NAS, Synology is one of the names that come into a consumer’s mind, but when it comes to a Synology branded router, things start to get a little interesting, you simply wonder why would a NAS maker want to make its own networking product despite of so many available brands around, the answer is really simple, which is to bring its expertise of NAS operating system into a new product and create an ecosystem of its own. The Synology RT1900ac router is the company’s first networking product that I have been dying to try out ever since its introduction in Computex last year, how does it fare with other routers in the market? We find out in this review.

Design and Hardware

If you have seen routers from ASUS and D-Link, Synology’s router design isn’t going to appeal to you as a cool looking product, it has simple black plastic chassis with a row of green LED status lights on the front, however the build quality of the router is thankfully a solid one.

Synology has preinstalled a pair of metal stand that raises the height of the router when laid flat, which is rather good for ventilation purposes. Otherwise, you can use the provided plastic stand to have it standing should there be space constraint. In terms of ports, the RT1900ac has four Gigabit Ethernet ports and one Gigabit WAN port for network connectivity. Interestingly, the router features a standard SD card slot which you can treat it as a storage for the router’s applications or share files across the network.

Unfortunately, it only features a single USB 3.0 port for connecting printers and external hard drives, similar to its NAS appliances, there is an ‘Eject’ button for safely disconnecting the USB devices.

On the left, the router features a rather convenient Wi-Fi On/Off switch and a WPS authentication button.

Like most higher end home routers, the RT1900ac uses three MIMO Omni-directional antennas to broadcast both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency with speeds of up to 600Mbps and 1300Mbps respectively. In addition, the RT1900ac is powered by a dual core 1.0GHz processor and 256MB DDR3 RAM, hence Synology claims that it could handle at least 40 concurrent data transfer sessions.

Software

Setting up the RT1900ac is simply effortless, as a standard across all Synology devices, you fire up your web browser and enter
http://find.synology.com
 into the address bar, and the setup will attempt to detect any Synology device within your network, in the case of setting up the router, it doesn’t even require you to be connected to the Internet.

Even though Synology’s router hardware may be common when compared to the rest, what’s truly different here is the top notch software experience. Based on the company’s DiskStation Manager operating system, the Synology Router Manager (SRM) OS looks very similar to the former, it runs on a customized version of Linux that has a very simple to use graphical user interface, apps installed are housed in an app launcher just like your smartphone.

The router’s configuration can be accessed within the Network Center app, if you are experienced in configuring routers, you will feel at home with Synology’s arrangement of the router’s configuration.

The parental controls of the router is rather configurable when compared to other competitor’s offering, it allows you to block certain website categories, create a custom block list and allow certain websites to be accessed by a connected device.

The traffic control feature will allow you to monitor each connected client’s bandwidth usage, set a custom speed to a specific device and ban unauthorized devices. For the advanced users, you can even set the guaranteed and maximum speed per network client for certain apps, now that’s really some cool features that you will never get with the RT1900ac’s competition.

One exclusive feature to the RT1900ac would be the Package Center, Synology’s very own app store for expanding the router’s features. Things are little different in the case of SRM 1.1, you will need to insert a SD card or connect a USB storage device to install apps, there’s also a limited number of Synology apps you can download when compared to its DiskStation products. For instance, there’s no way that you can use the router like a Synology DiskStation, such as hosting a WordPress site or perform video transcoding with the company’s own Video Station app, which is understood considering the router’s hardware power isn’t made for that.

Despite of that, I’m glad that Synology have enabled the router to run some of my favorite apps such as Download Station, which is a great download manager for torrents and large files; Cloud Station Server, a file synchronization tool that ensures the availability of files between the client and server; and Media Server, which turns the router into a DLNA server for supported media devices.

The RT1900ac is a rather impressive VPN Server if you want to have users and devices connected to your network externally. The VPN Plus Server app allows you to have multiple VPN connection methods, Synology has even included its own secure VPN service onboard.

Lastly, you are also able to assign different address pool for different connection method.

Performance

We tested the Synology RT1900ac alongside with one of its immediate competitor that we have in the office, the ASUS RT-AC68U, which has very similar specs sheet compared to the former. I performed a wireless data transfer speed test using LAN Speed Test, a tool that is available for both Mac OS and Windows, and ran it on our MSI GS73 notebook, which comes equipped with a Killer 1535 a/c wireless adapter capable of reaching maximum speeds of 867Mbps. The MSI GS73 is used to transmit a 500MB dummy data to a desktop PC that is connected with a Gigabit connection, distance between the notebook and router is 3 meters.

As you can see in the benchmarks, Synology’s performance isn’t that impressive given that it has a rather powerful hardware, which we assume it to be caused by the router’s operating system, while ASUS’ router software is purely web-based and doesn’t require a lot of system resources to handle its features. In real world usage, we have around 30 wired and wireless devices connected to both routers, and there are times where the RT1900ac isn’t able to deliver consistent Internet speed to most clients, considering that no one was performing any heavy downloads on their devices.

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Synology's DS416j is a powerful 4-bay NAS that costs merely SGD450

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Synology’s stage in CES 2016 this year continues to be an interesting one as the company has pulled curtains off on its latest NAS server, the DiskStation DS416j is a budget-friendly 4-bay NAS server made for home and personal users that helps managing data effectively and serving multimedia files in the network. The DS416j comes with a dual-core CPU and delivers great 112MB/sec sequential read and 101MB/sec sequential write speeds under RAID 5 configuration when used in a Windows environment, the hardware itself also comes equipped with a USB 3.0 port that allows quick backup feature for external storage devices.

In addition to the DS416j’s great hardware package, the NAS server runs on Synology’s award winning DiskStaion Manager software, which we have experienced back then in
Synology’s event in Singapore
 and COMPUTEX last year, the software features a beautiful graphical user interface that offers a generous library of applications such as an e-mail service, active directory, media player and many more, its technically like having a full fledge working operating system on a NAS server. Synology has also done a great job with the DS416j’s front LED as it allow users to adjust and schedule its brightness, while power consumption is also great at 21.6 watts in full operation and 12.75 watts in hibernation.

Sounds great? You bet. The Synology DS416j is now shipping globally at the price of SGD450 (RM1374) while hard drives are of course, sold separately.

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Synology’s RT1900ac router and DS716+ makes appearance in Synology 2016 conference

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Back in COMPUTEX this year, we have seen Synology showing off its latest NAS storage products and more recently, the company has announced that its latest DSM 6.0 operating system will be arriving next month as a beta. In the Synology 2016 conference held at Singapore, the Taiwanese NAS maker has showed off its first ever networking product the RT1900ac and the DS716+ NAS Server, both products are set to make a difference in the company’s strategy and product roadmap.

The RT1900ac router isn’t just any common high end router you’ll find out there, but instead the router features Synology’s router operating system called SRM 1.0 otherwise known as Synology Router Management. The router sports WiFi 802.11ac connectivity with speeds up to 1900Mbps, four gigabit ethernet ports and a USB 3.0 port for connecting external USB storage devices that automatically turns it into a personal cloud storage. The RT1900ac’s software has many advanced features to ensure safety in any network environment, things such as timed parental control, URL filter and the ability to extend the router’s features through Download Center, it makes it one of the most sophisticated network routers we have ever seen and will benefit both the professional home user and SMEs.

The DS716+ is the company’s latest NAS server that comes with Intel’s most efficient 14nm Braswell quad-core processor featuring an improved power efficiency of up to 40% when compared to its predecessor. Due to its more powerful CPU, the new DS716+ is able to transcode 4K video on the fly without affecting the NAS performance, scalability has also been considered as the DS716+ can be expanded to 7
hard
drives
 by connecting the optional DX513 expansion unit. In terms of transfer speeds and security, users can expect a 160% increase in read/write performance for AES-256 bit encrypted data transfer.

In terms of availability and pricing, the RT1900ac network router is expected to retail at the price range of US$150-US$180 with no specific dates being mentioned, the DS716+ NAS server is targeted to launch around late November to mid December and will be priced similarly to the DS713+, which currently retails at RM1650.

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Synology's RT1900ac router is now official in Malaysia

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The wait is finally over, Synology has finally started selling its first network router in the Malaysian market, the Taiwanese NAS firm has also confirmed this piece of news to us when contacted and we’ve managed to find a listing by local retailer ClickAsia over at Lazada. The Synology RT1900ac was unveiled last year in COMPUTEX, it is a high performance router that comes with the company’s very Synology Router Manager (SRM) operating system, which adapts features from its NAS’ DiskStation Manager operating system albeit with more networking centric features. The RT1900ac has four gigabit LAN ports, a USB 3.0 port, dual-band WiFi 802.11ac with transfer speeds of up to 1900Mbps.

Judging by the selling price by ClickAsia, it would seem that the RT1900ac is supposed to be officially priced at RM999, which is rather close to its expected selling price of US$180 before taxes. The RT1900ac has a lot of impressive software features under the hood, we’ve seen how it is able to filter and monitor content of connected users, advanced parental controls and protection from network intruders. Furthermore, Synology’s SRM works technically like a Linux operating system on your browser and can also be used as a NAS serve when an external storage is connected, users can also install additional apps from Synology’s Package Center and have it become a personal server as well.

We’ll be getting a review unit of the RT1900ac from Synology really soon, so stay tuned to our site while await its arrival.

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System Software Update 4.50 for the PlayStation 4 is now in beta

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The PlayStation 4 will get System Software Update 4.50 soon as the update has gone live for anyone who’s part of the beta program over the weekend. Codenamed ‘Sasuke’, the update brings with it two big features as well as a slew of other improvements.

With the 4.50 update, the PlayStation 4 will finally get a feature that has been long-awaited by many: external hard disk support. Once the update goes live, PlayStation owners can opt to plug in a USB3.0 external hard disk to their PS4 to immediately add more space to their console. Any application that is installed on the external hard disk will appear on the Home Screen, so you need not worry about jumping through menus to access your applications. The feature is compatible with up hard disks up to 8TB in size.

The other main feature that will be coming with the 4.50 update is ‘Boost Mode’. Available exclusively to the PlayStation 4 Pro, Boost Mode is a setting that, once enabled, will allow games to draw on the extra power of the console so that it could run better. This feature will only affect games that did not receive a PS4 Pro-specific patch, and even then, not all games will receive a significant performance boost. Nevertheless, this mode will allow games to take advantage of the additional processing power that the PS4 Pro has to make it run smoother.

Other features and improvements that will be made with the 4.50 update includes custom wallpaper support, a retooled Quick Menu, a simplified notifications list, the ability to post on the PlayStation Network Activity Feed, and 3D Blu-Ray support for the PlayStation VR.

Source:
PlayStation Blog
,
Polygon

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T-FORCE T1 DDR4 Gaming Memory Review: A Surprisingly Good Performing Value Gaming RAM

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As a company that focuses in making memory products, Team Group is no stranger to PC builders who offers great value products whether when it comes to building an entry-level or high-end gaming rig.

The company’s gaming centric line up, T-Force, has some decent product line up, and what we have here in our labs is none other than the company’s entry-level gaming RAM. Simply known as the T-FORCE T1, there’s no flashy RGB or heatsink to be found, but it doesn’t need all that to capture one’s attention with its Black PCB , red and white accents and text.

Ultimately, it looks like a premium version of a typical Value RAM, but you know it isn’t.

Let’s get to the basics, the kit that we received comes with two 8GB sticks and will support an XMP profile of 2666MHz, it supports both Intel and AMD platforms, which I’m pretty thankful to hear of that as I have had some trouble hunting for RAMs in the past for my Ryzen 7 rig.

The T1 uses IC and memory chips developed by Team Group. Featuring a low 1.2V working voltage, it operates at 2400MHz at default with a timing of CL16-16-16-39, which is pretty good even if you don’t intend to activate its XMP profile, but who doesn’t?

Here’s a comparison between the T1 DDR4 RAM and Kingston’s DDR4 2400MHz ValueRAM, the T1 sure looks way attractive.

System Configuration

CPU:
 AMD Ryzen 7 2700X

Motherboard:
 MSI X470 PRO CARBON (BIOS: 787Bv29)

RAM:
 TeamGroup T1 DDR4 8GB x 2

GPU:
 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition

SSD:
 Plextor M6s 256GB, Seagate IronWolf 1.92TB

HDD:
 Seagate FireCuda 1TB

PSU:
 EVGA Supernova 750W G+

Case:
 InWin 101 ATX Chassis

Performance and Benchmarks

One thing good to note is that the T1 works very well on my AMD Ryzen system with no compatibility issues when running on XMP. We will be using AIDA64’s Cache & Memory Benchmark to find out how it performs.

[sciba leftsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/T1-2400MHz.jpg” leftlabel=”T-FORCE T1 @ 2400MHz” rightsrc=”https://klgadgetguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/T1-2666MHz.jpg” rightlabel=”T-FORCE T1 @ XMP 2667MHz” mode=”horizontal” width=””]

Despite only having 267MHz difference in memory frequency and increased memory timings, we are seeing a 10% increase in all memory tests, while latency is slightly shortened, which in actual real world performance you might not see a significant improvement in loading speeds, but nonetheless its still a great thing to see faster performance than its default memory frequency.

You might think that without a flashy heatsink, the T-FORCE T1 isn’t going to survive any overclocking efforts, but in my tests, it exceeds my expectations as an entry-level performance RAM.

The MSI X470 Pro Carbon motherboard comes with a “Memory Try It” feature, so it is pretty easy to find out the sweet spot clock speed and timings that the RAM can perform properly, while I thought I almost succeeded in getting the RAM working at 3200MHz with a CL16-18-18-43 timing, I eventually ended up getting the RAM perform reliably without BSODs at 3066MHz with a CL20-20-20-43 timing.

Guess what, the results turned out to be much better than I expected even with the relaxed timings, latency is reduced by 7ns while memory operations are 15-20% faster than XMP speeds.

Verdict

I didn’t expect the T-FORCE T1 to perform this well for an entry-level gaming RAM, though I wished its XMP timings were a little faster, but really, I am not going to ask for more when Team Group is selling this for a really attractive US$80 (RM332), even if you aren’t building a rig specifically for gaming, there’s simply no reason not to consider this over a standard value RAM.

The Good

Simple yet attractive design

Decent overclocking capability

Affordable

The Not so Good

XMP timings could be better

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T-Mobile launches yet another affordable smartphone of its own

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Earlier this year, popular US carrier T-Mobile unveiled its own smartphone – the Revvl, which was priced at a very budget $150 price tag. The Revvl does definitely sound like an entry level device, especially with its 5.5-inch 720p HD display. The company has now added another device to its own collection, and features a slightly upgraded spec sheet, with a small increase in price.

The T-Mobile Revvl Plus has been announced by the carrier, and it looks larger in size. The phone sports a 6-inch display on the front at Full HD 1080p resolution. T-Mobile isn’t going with the tide of 18:9 display smartphones just yet, with the the Revvl Plus’ screen at a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio. Underneath the hood is an unnamed octa core processor clocked at 2 GHz, with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Storage can be expanded via the provided micro SD slot.

T-Mobile did follow another trend however, by equipping the Revvl Plus with a dual rear camera setup. The setup is a 13MP + 5MP combo, which is capable of producing photos with bokeh effects. The front facing camera of 8 megapixels shouldn’t be a slouch as well for capturing selfies. The phone packs a 3,380mAh battery, but unfortunately features a micro USB port for charging.

The T-Mobile Revvl Plus will remain a carrier exclusive device to the said carrier, and carries a price tag of $200. Sounds like a very decent buy for the money that one will pay. Thoughts?

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TAG Heuer launches a new luxury phone and features ‘perpetual power reserve’

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For those who have spent cash on buying luxury smartphones or dumbphones, here’s one you should buy to keep to your collection, and it might be your perfect daily driver. TAG Heuer has launched the Vertu troubling Meridiist Infinite with a feature called perpetual power reserve. The smartphone is being fitted with Wysips’ transparent solar panel and will start trickling charge when it is being exposed to natural or artificial light, so we’re talking about infinite battery life here unless you are always living in the dark. If you have lots of cash to throw, this is probably the phone for you if you are a very busy person that always forget to charge your smartphone’s battery, TAG is manufacturing 1911 units and it will cost around USD$7000 for one. To those rich fellas, either you donate to KLGadgetGuy or buy the very-limited TAG Heuer Meridiist Infinite.


TAG Heuer launches the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 smartwatch

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Earlier this week, we’ve reported that TAG Heuer will be announcing a new modular smartwatch. Today, we’ve finally get our first glimpse at said smartwatch and as expected, the watch doesn’t come cheap.

Called the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45, this 45mm smartwatch sports a 1.39-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, an Intel Atom Z34XX series intel processor, 4GB of RAM, a battery life that exceeds 24 hours, and runs on the new Android Wear 2.0 platform.

The modularity of the Connected Modular 45 is where things get interesting. Aside from the standard smartwatch display, the Connected Modular 45 also comes with a traditional mechnical watch option that turns the smartwatch into a standard luxury Swiss-made watch. The Connected Modular 45 comes with either a Calibre 5 or the premium Heuer O2T Tourbillon module, with the latter sporting “the most accurate mechanical movements around” according to TAG Heuer itself.

Watch modules are the only thing that is interchangeable on the Connected Modular 45 as the straps, buckles and lugs can all be swapped out as well. The standard Connected Modular 45 comes in 11 different designs, with the watch module available in silver or black, while the straps come in rubber, leather, titanium or ceramic options. TAG Heuer will also be offering 45 additional options for the watch that includes materials like patent leather, rose gold and diamonds.

If this watch strikes your fancy, be prepared to pay top dollar for it as the pricing for the Connected Modular 45 begins at USD1,650 (RM7,340). If you have the money to spare, you’ll be pleased to know that the watch will be making its way to Malaysia.

Source:
Engadget

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Tag Heuer teams up with Intel to take on the Apple Watch

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The Apple Watch Edition’s ridiculous $10,000 price tag has created a heat in both the tech and watch industry, Tag Heuer has decided to jump on the smart watch bandwagon with the help of Intel, which apparently encourages and is also an IoT enabler in the tech industry, Tag Heuer will be making a digital version of its iconic models – the Black Carrera with the same hardware design and will be able to do the usual smart watch stuffs – tracking geolocation, steps and receiving notifications.

We did said a couple of months back that the Apple Watch might actually affect luxury watches sales given that Apple products have always been considered as luxurious items, Tag Heuer’s decision to make smart watches isn’t surprising at all and other luxury watch makers will soon follow suit if they find it to be a success, Tag Heuer’s rep has even argued if Cupertino’s creation doesn’t necessarily sell as it looks like a student’s design, which might not appeal to most luxurious watch buyers.

We’ll know soon if Tag Heuer’s smartwatch is indeed something worth to be considered when the company makes its announcement later in the day at 9AM Eastern Time, let’s hope its price tag do some justice for Apple’s expensive timepiece.


TAG Heuer will announce a new Android Wear-based smartwatch tomorrow

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Looking to get a new smartwatch but you don’t particularly like any of the offerings that some of the tech companies have? Well, what if said smartwatch was made by a reputable timepiece maker instead? If that sparks your interest, you may want to know that TAG Heuer will be launching a new smartwatch, or a series of smartwatches, on the 14th of March.

March 14, Stay Tuned…
#ConnectedToEternity

pic.twitter.com/I8kTgNvdca

— TAG Heuer (@TAGHeuer)
March 11, 2017

This announcement was first made over the weekend, with TAG Heuer teasing the reveal of a new Android Wear-based smartwatch on the 14th of March. No solid information was given or leaked about the company’s latest smartwatch, but judging from the leaks concerning it, there is a chance that the smartwatch will come with a modular design. Whether or not the modular design part is cosmetic or functional is something we’re not clear on either.

Of course, it goes without saying that a smartwatch made by TAG Heuer will most likely not be affordable. In fact, there are rumours that the upcoming smartwatch will cost more than the TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch, which costs USD1,500. Whatever the case, all will be revealed tomorrow.

Source:
TAG Heuer
,
Android Authority

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TAITRA successfully kicks of the grand finale of Taiwan Excellence Intercollege Battle 2018

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The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has successfully held the grand finale of the largest intercollege eSports tournament that’s ever held in Malaysia in conjunction with the Taiwan Excellence trade expo in Malaysia.

The Taiwan Excellence Intercollege Battle 2018 (TEIB 2018) is sponsored by Acer Predator, ASUS ROG and MSI, while other Taiwanese technology companies such as Aorus by Gigabyte, In Win, Kingmax, D-Link, Team Group, Thermaltake, Transcend and Adata XPG has supported the initiative of this event.

With a prize pool of RM130,000, students from over ten Malaysian universities have participated this event to compete in Dota 2, CS:GO and League of Legends, three top winning teams from each of the universities are then selected to face their final challenge in a three day event starting 26-28 October 2018 at Sunway Pyramid Ice Skating Rink.

“It is an absolute privilege to host this tournament in Malaysia, and we are honoured to receive an overwhelming response with this initiative,” said Patty Yen, Deputy Executive Director of Strategic Marketing Department of Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). “TEIB has enabled us to draw closer to the fast-growing e-Sports community and Malaysian universities, also allowing us to feature the best of Taiwan products and technology. We hope to make this an annual gathering for gamers.”

During the grand finale, not only visitors can experience the intense gaming session of the grand finale but also able to check out the most innovative Taiwanese technology products from the above partners. TAITRA looks forward to host the next TEIB in Malaysia in the following year and to further introduce more of Taiwan’s innovative technology products to the rest of the world.

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Taiwan earthquake will affect chip production according to TSMC

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TSMC has recently won over exclusive privileges from Samsung to produce Apple’s A10 chip for the iPhone 7 due to its 10nm process and better benchmark results.  However, the company stated that the recent Taiwan earthquake has affected their production of the chips.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Kaohsiung, Taiwan recently with a death toll of 116 people and many injured, also causing significant property damage. TSMC didn’t state how much did the tragedy will affect their production. Initially, the company predicted the production capacity to be restored to 95% within two to three days and losing around 1% of this year’s production. However, a report states that the damage caused is worse than forecasted, which might result in a bigger loss.

On a lighter note, TSMC is still expecting to hit the target for Q1 2016 and the manufacturing only took a minor hit from the earthquake. There is no news regarding Apple’s say on this issue thus far and it’s highly unlikely that Samsung will be getting back their manufacturing share of the A10 chip if the impact is as minor as claimed by TSMC. Stay tuned!

Source:
9to5Mac

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Taiwan Excellence Esports Cup 2019 9th qualifier concludes with winners getting a shot at RM10,000 at Berjaya Times Square

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The Taiwan Excellence Esports Cup 2019 (TEEC 2019) is a multi-platform and multi-title tournament held in Malaysia jointly by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and the Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade. Lasting from April until October this year, TEEC 2019 expects to see 10,000 participants from across the country take part in winning their share of RM113,000.

The 9th tournament qualifier took place last Thursday where a total of 32 teams and 200 attendees were present to see the teams contest in CS:GO, Dota 2 and League Of Legends. Acer’s Predator were partners during the tournament, who showed off their RM15,999 Predator Triton gaming laptop.

The winners of the qualifier will go on to battle it out at the grand finale in Berjaya Times Square this October 11 to 13. The CS:GO winners will be treated to another final in Taiwan where they will play against international opponents and get a shot of winning USD2,000. But over in Malaysia, the winners of the grand finale their respective game title will get RM10,000 each.

The 10th and final LAN qualifier will be happening this September 7 at Battle Arena, so if you want a shot at RM10,000, you can sign up
here
.

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Taiwan Excellence Esports Cup 2019: Malaysian e-sports in the eyes of Flava and Babyoling

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If you told me seven years ago, that video games would spawn a whole other industry where gamers become athletes, and bragging rights turn into lump sums of cash – 18-year-old me would’ve asked you what you were smoking, and if I could take a hit.

Many years on, competitive gaming has gone from being a scene to becoming a multi-billion-dollar industry, where the best at their game (pun intended) walk away with millions.

That’s how far video games and the e-sports arena have come; but where do we, Malaysia, stand in the grand scale of things? In conjunction with the Taiwan Excellence Esports Cup 2019 (TEEC 2019), I spoke to two prominent figures in the local scene – Muhammad ‘Flava’ Farouq and Tiffani ‘Babyoling’ Lim – to get their thoughts on the matter.

Muhammad ‘Flava’ Farouq

Speaking to Farouq about Malaysia’s position in the very lucrative e-sports industry, he believes that Malaysia has become big-game players in e-sports, recalling a time where he was the country’s only caster for Dota 2. Casting was very much a niche in the region too.

Image credit: Muhammad ‘Flava’ Farouq

Six years on, he’s gone on to be Chief of Information for Esports Malaysia (ESM), while casters are a dime a dozen. The industry in Malaysia has come so far that at least one major Dota 2 tournament is held per month, each with RM50,000 prize pools – minimum. Sounds like a happy ending, no?

Not quite – Farouq also points out that there’s still some pessimism when in the perception of competitive gaming; part in due to its roots to traditional gaming. He adds that his parents still haven’t truly accepted his career choice in the industry. “In a family where everyone’s either a doctor or an accountant, it was hard for my parents to understand what I do in e-sports,” he says.

Tiffani ‘Babyoling’ Lim

Tiffani, Head of Esports and Events at Battle Arena, agrees as well that there are stigmas associated with the industry due to its roots formed from our local cyber café culture (if you’re old enough, you’d remember a time when police raids happened regularly at these joints – I know I do). At the same time however, the same cyber café culture has bred a generation that enjoys competitive gaming – Tiffani cites old clan or turf wars as early forms of competitive gaming that has embed a competitive spirit in today’s Malaysian athletes (e-sports athletes that is).

Those we see representing the nation now or not long ago – the likes of Mushi, MidOne, Kaze and more – are what you’d call the first-generation athletes. Here’s where we bring TEEC 2019 into the discussion – TEEC aims to provide a platform for a new generation of gamers to ascend to athlete status by providing proper tournament like ecosystems.

With a prize pool of RM113,000 the ongoing tournament features several titles like CS:GO, PES 2019, Dota 2, League of Legends and more.

From here, we also look forward to the SEA Games this year where e-sports will be included as one of the medal sports; and with this this, ESM serves to support the development of the sport in the country, to breed proper professionals, in preparation for occasions like the upcoming SEA Games.

Image credit: Flight of the Valkyries

On the topic of inclusion, I spoke to Tiffani about gender-specific tournaments and the need for them, since e-sports eliminates biological differences between male and female, giving both parties equal footing to compete. But gender-specific tournaments are important says Tiffani – mostly due to a certain level of discrimination against women, in a predominantly male industry.

She elaborates that female-only tournaments give women a platform to showcase their talents – along with opportunities for organizations to signify their support for the female gaming scene by way of sponsorships. This is crucial as Tiffani made aware to me that many female-gamers are told to take on ‘influencer’-slash-streamer-slash-pretty face roles in the industry, and not actually compete in tournaments – Tiffani recalls a time when organizations would refuse sponsor opportunities for this fact, in hopes that they can maximise return on investments by selling the players’ looks.

“I can’t pay the bills with merchandise and gaming peripherals!”

Tiffani organized the Flight of the Valkyries all-female tournament partly to help remedy this issue – the inaugural tournament took place earlier this year with a prize pool of RM20,000 – a much larger pot of gold than what typically is handed out as prizes for female tournaments, which Tiffani recalls as non-monetary items like merchandize. She says, “I have a stash at home of all the prizes that I’ve won – I can’t pay the bills with merchandise and gaming peripherals!”.

Image credit: Flight of the Valkyries

Here’s where TEEC comes in, it gives exposure to both genders from across the nation to explore e-sports without discrimination, stigma and sneer – along the lines, maybe even inspire the rise of more careers in the field.

Image credit: The Gameplan

The TEEC 2019 tournament is underway, and the local finals will happen at Berjaya Times Square this October 11-13 where participants will battle it out for grand prize worth a total of RM113,000; and CS:GO winners even get a chance to participate in their own grand finale in Taiwan.

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Taiwan Excellence Esports Cup 2019 officially launched with a RM113,000 grand prize up for grabs

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Taiwan Excellence is the organization behind yearly Taiwan Excellence Awards which are given out to brands and organizations that dare to innovate. This is to inspire constant advancements to the products that are offered to the masses – and this time, Taiwan Excellence wants to inspire innovation and advancements in the eSports scene.

They’ll be doing so by way of the Taiwan Excellence Esports Cup (TEEC) 2019, which will feature LAN tournaments happening across console, mobile and PC platforms for the games Dota 2, League of Legends, CS:GO, PES 2019, Super Smash Bros, Mobile Legends and Tekken 7. The qualifier rounds are happening now, while the finals will be played out from 11 to 13 October; and winners will walk home with a grand prize worth RM113,000.

TECC aims to usher in a new generation of eSports athletes as well as to arm them with the experience to compete at the highest level – which will come in handy during the upcoming SEA Games in the Philippines.

The event is also sponsored by market giants, Acer, ADATA, Asus, Gigabyte, InWin, MSI, TeamGroup, Thermaltake, Transcend and ZADAK; and they’ve made an appearance by showcasing a host of their newest products.

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Taiwan Excellence Intercollege Battleground 2018 kicks off in Malaysia

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Beginning April 3, the Taiwan Excellence Intercollege Battleground 2018 (
TEIB
) promises to be Malaysia’s largest intercollegiate e-Sports tournament to date. It features 10 contending champions from respective qualifiers held within six different cities, with the penultimate aim of being crowned the lead champion in their respective game! A total prize pool of RM 130,000 will be awarded to the winning teams. The grand finale will take place this coming October and will gather the top 10 participating teams from 10 different universities across the country, comprising KDU, INTI, HELP, Taylor’s, TARC, MMU, UMS, UCSI, First City and Southern.

Acer Predator, Asus ROG and MSI are the TEIB 2018 major sponsors. This new intercollegiate league aims to connect rapidly emerging e-sport communities at universities and colleges, and in the process, help bolster e-Sports’ growth among youth. Aorus, Kingmax, In Win, Team Group, Thermaltake, Transcend and XPG have similarly joined in the efforts, providing the opportunity to experience the best and latest gaming devices. Indeed, these gaming industry partners are supplying superior gaming technology and therefore promise an extraordinary experience and tournament. The three main e-Sport titles headlining this prestigious event are Dota 2, Counter Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends.

TEIB will begin with 10 qualifiers in 10 locations, comprising universities and colleges across Malaysia. In each qualifier, one champion from each game will be awarded the opportunity to take part in the TEIB Main Event, where they will compete against each other in a battle that will see one college representative crowned the Champion of Champions! In addition to the exciting main events, visitors will also be able to enjoy and observe other thrilling games such as Asseto Corsa, Tekken 7, and Street Fighter V!

With such scale comes great reward. A grand total of RM130,000 is up for grabs for those who have the drive and passion to game their way to the top.

To kick things off, TEIB is launching the tournament on May 3 at The Pantheon, Malaysia’s 1st e-Sports centre with the NVIDIA-certified Platinum iCafe. This launch will welcome gaming communities from all over Malaysia and introduce the Taiwan Excellence Intercollege Battleground to the world.

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Taiwan Excellence Intercollege Battleground ends with winning teams and over 24000 visitors

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The Taiwan Excellence Intercollege Battleground has successfully wrapped up on 28th October 2018 at Sunway Pyramid Ice, Sunway Pyramid, with the total prize pool of RM130, 000 given away at the tournament’s Grand Finale. Joining the main eSports titles of Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), DotA 2, League of Legends (LoL), four (4) eSports sub titles of Mobile, Racing and Fighting category were opened for public and had received immense numbers of participations from professional tournament contestants as well as over 24,000 visitors at count during the three (3) days event.

This Malaysia’s largest intercollegiate eSports tournament witnessed following rising individuals and teams as the representing champions for each respective competing eSports titles:

Counter Strike: Global Offense (CS:GO)
 Champion: Taylors ESports
 Representing University: KDU University College
 Prize Received: MYR 10,000

DotA 2
 Champion: Abe Cheng
 Representing University: UCSI University
 Prize Received: MYR 10,000

League of Legends (LoL)
 Champion: ANSP
 Representing University: KDU University College
 Prize Received: MYR 10,000

Arena of Valor (AOV) (Best of 3)
 Champion: Wadahek
 Prize Received: MYR 3,000

Assetto Corsa (Fastest Finish Time)
 Champion: Ayman Aqueem
 Prize Received: MYR 500

Street Fighter V (Best of 5)
 Champion: Koffmaster
 Prize Received: MYR 500

Tekken 7 (Best of 5)
 Champion: SoG | Meat
 Prize Received: MYR 500

The TEIB qualifying tournament toured and commenced in April this year, receiving an overwhelming response from over 12,000 students, with over 2,400 participating gamers across 10 universities within Malaysia, presented by Taiwan Excellence with collaboration by 11 internationally recognized Taiwanese brand partners and technology companies of; Predator by Acer, ASUS Republic of Gamers, MSI, Aorus by Gigabyte, D-Link, InWin, Kingmax, TeamGroup, Thermaltake, Transcend and Adata XPG.

Rose with the heat of the Grand Finale’s atmosphere, Ms. Patty Yen, Deputy Executive Director of the Strategic Marketing Department of TAITRA said, “Taiwan Excellence Intercollege Battleground has enabled us to draw closer to the fast-growing eSports community and Malaysian universities, allowing us to feature the best of Taiwan products and technology, We hope to make this an annual gathering for gamers”.

– Among the talented gamers and rising star champions of the tournament, professional gamer, SoG | Meat, Champion of Tekken 7 will represent Indonesia to compete at 2018 IESF at KaoShiung, Taiwan in November. En. Rinie, Secretary of eSports Malaysia mentioned “It is one of the best e-sports event I’ve seen so far”. He also supported the initiatives and looks forward for more collaborations on eSports event by Taiwan Excellence to spearhead the development of eSports in Malaysia as well as to provide proper training and infrastructure for passionate young talents to the world’s stage.

“Over the years, Taiwan has developed reputable cutting-edge gaming hardware, and captured 36% of the global market share”, said Mr. Hsu, Da-Wei, Director of the Economic Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia. In supporting this effort with the overwhelming growth of Malaysia’s eSports, TAITRA, supported by many gaming brands from Taiwan are committed to innovative excellence and have continuously invested more resources for better playing experience, outstanding products and breakthroughs to date.

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Taiwan Expo 2023: Revitalizing Business Exchanges and Showcasing Innovation at Kuala Lumpur

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After a hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Taiwan Expo is set to make a triumphant return to the Kuala Lumpur Convention and Exhibition Centre (KLCC) this August. The expo is celebrated as the cornerstone of business interaction between Malaysia and Taiwan.

Organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the Taiwan Expo 2023 was officially launched today. From the 24th to 26th of August, the Expo will be presenting an array of innovative products from 160 selected Taiwanese companies to foster robust cooperation between Taiwan and Malaysia.

Entering its 7th consecutive year in Malaysia, the Expo has received substantial backing from 20 major Malaysian industry organizations, such as the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM), Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), SME Malaysia, and the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Malaysia (TWCHAM).

During the event’s inauguration, Tan Sri Dato’ Soh Thian Lai, NCCIM President, applauded the technological prowess of Taiwanese firms. He reiterated the Expo’s pivotal role in amplifying competitiveness and deepening industrial ties between the two nations.

A total of 160 prominent Taiwanese manufacturers will be showcasing their products and services across five main themes: Industry 4.0, Smart Medical, Halal, Circular Economy, and Intelligent Lifestyle. Visitors will have opportunities for firsthand product experiences, participation in forums, and scheduled business meetings with representatives.

Highlighted items from this year’s Expo include BenQ Dialysis’s Qflux Dialyzer, Dyaco’s SOLE 3-in-1 HIIT Trainer/Stepper, Yztek’s e+Autoff safety gas stove, along with halal food items like Forever Sweet Sugar’s winter melon tea brick and Pao Chung’s range of exquisite sauces.

TAITRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Tiffany Chen, noted that the Taiwan Expo has showcased 987 exhibitors over the past six years, attracting 144,494 online and offline visitors. She stressed the event’s instrumental role in generating approximately USD 0.37 billion in potential business prospects between Malaysia and Taiwan.

Ms. Phoebe Yeh, Representative of Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Malaysia, underscored the escalating trade between Malaysia and Taiwan, citing a record-breaking bilateral trade of 36.6 billion US dollars in 2022.

Additionally, the Expo will feature cultural performances, an energetic Zumba Fest, and the 2nd Taiwanese Halal Food Cooking Contest. Celebrity Chef Johari Edrus praised the diverse range of Taiwan’s halal ingredients, expressing optimism that the interschool competition between Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and Universiti Putra Malaysia will encourage culinary innovation.

The Taiwan Expo 2023 in Malaysia will run from August 24th to 26th, with free admission for all. For more information or to register for events, please visit the official
website
 or their
Instagram
 and
Facebook
.

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TAIWAN EXPO Returns to Malaysia with Thrilling Line-Up

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After a hiatus due to the global pandemic, the TAIWAN EXPO makes a much-anticipated return to Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from August 24th to 26th. This marks the expo’s 7th consecutive year and is expected to draw a substantial crowd.

Boasting 220 booths from 170 leading Taiwanese companies, attendees are set to experience a diverse array of products. The event organizers have already set over 1,080 one-on-one business meetings, projecting a potential of 48 million US dollars in business opportunities.

This year’s expo showcases five key themes that highlight Taiwan’s strength and innovative prowess: Industry 4.0, Smart Medical, Halal, Circular Economy, and Intelligent Lifestyle.

Among the attractions, attendees can look forward to the 2nd Taiwanese Halal Food Cooking Contest, the energy-charged Zumba Fest, and an array of cultural performances. As a highlight, the renowned YouBike will introduce its updated 2.0 version of electric-assisted bicycles. The Taiwan Healthcare Pavilion and the Net Zero Pavilion will focus on Taiwan’s advancements in health and sustainable energy. The AI-inspired Digital Commerce Pavilion is set to draw attention with innovative technologies, including the ‘Smart Baby Bib.’

Fans can also expect appearances from prominent Malaysian celebrities like Nur Ruhainies and top model Syiera Eyya. These personalities, alongside Taiwanese exhibitors, will be hosting periodic giveaways from dedicated live studios. Attendees have a chance to win round-trip tickets between Kuala Lumpur and Taipei, courtesy of China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux Airlines.

Promoting its return, the TAIWAN EXPO’s promotional video, featuring an engaging conversation between its symbolic butterfly and a vibrant hibiscus flower, was displayed at Kuala Lumpur’s Pavilion in August, earning significant applause.

The expo is hosted in Halls 1 and 2 of the KLCC, with doors opening from 10 AM to 6 PM. Entry is complimentary for all visitors.

For a detailed schedule and more insights, visit the TAIWAN EXPO’s official website at https://mysonline.taiwanexpoasean.com/ or check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TaiwanExpo.mys.

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Taiwan reports case of exploding Note 7; phone wasn't charging when it happened

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With Samsung having to do a global recall of their Note 7 due to reports of the smartphone exploding when its charging, surely the company’s predicament couldn’t get any worse. Well…it just did. Taiwan has just reported its first Note 7 exploding case. However, unlike other Note 7 explosion cases, this one is pretty unique in that it spontaneously combusted without even being charged.

In a report by The Oriental Daily, a Taiwanese netizen uploaded photos of her burnt Galaxy Note 7 online. According to the netizen, he mentions that his Note 7 exploded while he was sleeping. Most worryingly, he mentioned that he did not charge the phone as he slept, as the recent news reports about the Note 7 exploding when charged has made him rather uncomfortable doing so without him being able to monitor the phone.

Should the what the Taiwanese netizen says is true, and that the Note 7 could potentially explode even without being charged, Samsung’s little Note 7 problem has just turned into a rather major disaster. Needless to say, Samsung’s QA department has some serious explaining to do.

Source:
The Oriental Daily

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Taiwan the 14th country to get Apple Pay

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Apple has launched its mobile wallet system in yet another country as part of its slow but consistent expansion. The latest country to have experienced the Apple Pay launch is Taiwan. The launch comes after an announcement by Apple early last month regarding its plans to expand Apple Pay to the country. China Post reports the news coming from a source this morning which happens to be a bank official working with Apple Pay.

Taiwan has a total of 7 banks registered with Apple Pay, namely Taishin International Bank, Taipei Fubon Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Cathay United Bank, CTBC Bank, E.SUN Bank, and Union Bank of Taiwan. All these banks have made their respective bank cards to be eligible for Apple Pay. Taiwan’s Apple iPhone 6 or newer iPhone users will be able to make payments via Apple Pay at selected stores nationwide. Store brands like the Breeze Center, Far Eastern Department Stores, Sogo, Carrefour, and PXMart have all opted for Apple Pay, allowing the mobile wallet system to be implemented in their outlets. Apple Pay can also be used at Family Mart outlets throughout Taiwan, but only limited to Taishin International Bank Card users for the time being.

Apple Pay joins the ranks of Taiwanese mobile payment systems such as GOMAJI, All Pay, Line Pay, and JKOS Pay. Apple’s direct competitors Samsung Pay and Android Pay will reportedly launch in the country in May.

Source:
China Post

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Take a look at the Vivo X70 Pro’s amazing low light camera samples

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The Vivo X70 series has gone official in China a few moments ago, but in spite of that, a close friend of ours have given us an exclusive look at the Vivo X70 Pro’s photography capabilities, he is none other than
Lee Fong Yeen
, a photography hobbyist who have previously shot amazing portraits for us on an iPhone 12 Pro Max we provided him a few months ago.

This round, Fong Yeen decided to attempt low light photography of the Vivo X70 Pro’s improved camera system, which now comprise of a main 50MP Sony IMX766V sensor with gimbal stabilization and ZEISS T* glass coating that aims to reduce light glare of photos, along with a 12MP ultrawide, 12MP portrait and 8MP periscopic lens capable of 5x optical zoom.

As you can see in these samples, the Vivo X70 Pro’s main camera is capable of capturing the milky way with significantly reduced light flare from the stars and a nearby light source, the details of the grass and trees are also preserved well although there seem to be an extreme sharpening job, but nonetheless this is one impressive smartphone camera that you can look forward to for great low light shots.

The Vivo X70 series is expected to
launch in Malaysia
 on 22 September 2021 with two models – the X70 and X70 Pro, more details will be share on the site as the time approaches.

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Take a look at the Xperia Z5 Compact's successor – the Xperia X Compact

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Sony has been busy since they ditched the Xperia Z lineup, very much like cleaning and tidying up the room of a hoarder. The Japanese manufacturer started off afresh with the new Xperia X series, to keep up with the rest of the competition, having laid the all the Z’s to rest. Sony has been producing compact versions of their flagships over the last few years, and it looks like the idea has stayed put with this render of the Xperia X Compact.

The leaked render is none other by your favorite leak source and tipster Evan Blass. Once again, Blass has uploaded yet another render of the phone, claiming it to be of the Xperia X Compact. By the looks of it, the design of the Xperia X Compact still retains a very Sony look, since it’s basically just a compact variant and not a different model. It’s definitely hard to call bluff on this one with the usual rectangular design, with huge bezels on the top and bottom of the screen, coupled with the fact that it is from Blass himself.

On that note, we haven’t heard much noise about the Xperia X Compact’s specs. What we can be somewhat certain about is the handset’s screen will be less than 5 inches, or 4.6 inches, like its predecessors the Z3 Compact and the Z5 Compact. We’re also expecting this guy to unveil himself at the upcoming IFA 2016 at Berlin. Till then, stay tuned!

Source:
Evan Blass (Twitter)

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What does it take to have a fast and reliable Internet service?

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Internet in Malaysia has come a long way, we have seen many changes in both fixed and mobile Internet connections from the days of the nostalgic dial up connection. It has also spawned the birth of social media, smartphones and now, we are going to see the Internet power things in our life more than ever before. What does it take to have a fast and reliable Internet service in Malaysia? Let’s dive into some interesting facts before we get there.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

What are Malaysians doing on the Internet all the time?

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Based on a study conducted by We Are Social in January 2017, the number of Internet users in Malaysia is a staggering 22 million, which is 71% penetration out of the total 30.96 million population here. That number also translates to the total number of active social media users. In addition, the average time that we access the Internet via a PC or tablet is also a staggering 8 hours and 31 minutes, that’s almost half of our day gone.

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Even though we now have fixed broadband speeds of up to 500Mbps, the average speed in Malaysia is still a paltry 8.9Mbps according to Akamai’s Q1 State of the Internet Connectivity (SOTI) Report, placing us in the global rank of No. 62. As for Internet usage here, YouTube happens to be the most accessed service followed by Facebook, while 33% of Malaysian Internet users watch online videos daily, now you see why data and speed is more important than ever.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

What does it take to have high speed Internet?

Nope, this solution doesn’t get you high speed Internet. (Image Credit: Pedal Driven Programming)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]A 100% fibre optic infrastructure is required to enjoy high speed Internet, while most landed properties are already 100% fibre ready, many high-rise buildings aren’t. Even though ISPs may claim that they provide high speed broadband service on a building, the fact is that some buildings are still not 100% fibre optic infrastructure, and it is one of the main reasons that you aren’t able to subscribe to higher Internet speeds.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
For instance, Building A (100% fibre) can get up to 500Mbps of speed, however Building B (copper) will still have to live with a 50Mbps connection, users in Building B could also face more service interruptions when the service gets congested. Which is why, it takes a 100% Fibre infrastructure to offer a great high-speed Internet connection.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Fibre optic cables transmit signals using light and can travel a longer distance with less signal loss

Copper cables transmit signals using electricity but can only travel a limited distance, transmission speed degrades as it gets further

Highest Internet speed offered in mass consumer market is currently 500Mbps, which is 100X faster compared to high speed broadband 7 years ago.

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Fibre optic isn’t just fast, it is also more scalable and reliable than copper and not affected by electromagnetic interference, which allows service providers to increase connection speeds and expand their service without much issues. Fibre optic is also cheaper to implement in the long term, but it takes time to implement as copper cables are still widely used across the country.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Certain Internet service providers in Malaysia offer asymmetrical bandwidth, which in most cases you are getting faster download speeds and slower upload speeds. This is a preventive measure done by ISPs to ensure their networks aren’t easily congested, and it does make sense to prioritize download speeds over upload speeds. However, such implementation has its limitations, especially when you live in a housing area or building that has loads of users using the network, a symmetrical bandwidth guarantees the same download and upload speeds, which ensures your Internet connection quality isn’t affected even if either connection bandwidth is used heavily.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Which ISP provides 100% Fibre Optic and Symmetrical Speeds?

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TIME Internet provides a 100% fibre infrastructure with symmetrical speeds of up to 500Mbps for homes, they also cost a lot lesser than competing ISPs and have a more robust and faster infrastructure. TIME Internet home plans start from RM149/month, you get to choose between 100Mbps, 300Mbps and 500Mbps packages, and all plans come with a dual-band wireless router that complies with the latest 802.11 ac WiFi standard.

For a limited time until 15 December, users who sign up for TIME Internet will get up to RM500 off and stand a chance to win a TV, a winner is picked daily and if you want to be the lucky one, head on over to
www.time.com.my/onebigdeal
 to find out more.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Take a look at the iPhone X packaging

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While both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have been released in select regions worldwide, with both handsets slated for a launch in Malaysian stores later this month. Fans of the iPhone X on the other hand will have to wait a little while longer. If you happen to be one of them, the image above might or might not curb with that impatience.

The image seen above are the packaging boxes of all the newly launched iPhones by Apple, and surprise surprise, it also includes the packaging of the yet to be released iPhone X. The image was obtained from Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, which is only available to customers from select regions.

The box of the iPhone X might look just like a standard iPhone box like the rest in the image. But Apple happens to show off the image of the flagship’s front panel instead of the rear panel unlike the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. This is of course to highlight the fact that the iPhone X has a near bezel-less display on the front, along with the absence of a fingerprint sensor.

The revolutionary iPhone X by Apple will go on sale later this year. Is this your first time looking at the iPhone X’s packaging?

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