New PUBG Mobile Update Fixes Notched Display Issues

For those who play PUBG Mobile, this is a treat for us because the new update brings a brand new option in the settings menu to fix the issue whereby buttons are blocked by the notch. We actually experienced this issue a lot with smartphones that have a humongous notch that blocked buttons.
This new update will bring a refreshing way to fix the notch issue – and it is supported by the developers themselves. That means we as users do not need to fiddle around in the Android’s settings menu to disable the notch for certain apps.

The fix from the developers themselves is simple – there are a total of 3 options to select from. You have “normal”, “rounded corners”, or the one that we love the most, “notched”. These 3 options merely push or squeeze the UI tighter, creating an empty space between the buttons and the edge of the screen.

Let’s have a look at the comparison between the 3 different modes. And yes, every time the mode is changed, the game needs to be restarted.

At first glance, I thought that “rounded corners” and “notched” are different – but l realized that the “notched” mode actually had all the buttons squeezed inwards a tad bit tighter than “rounded corner” mode.

With this new setting, PUBG Mobile is technically compatible with all phones regardless if there are notches or not. With ridiculous phones that has two notches, the game will push the buttons on both sides inwards.
Phones like the Pocophone F1, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5z; and many more smartphones with a notch will not have to worry about the notch blocking certain buttons in PUBG Mobile any more.
Yes, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro has a humongous notch.
I play PUBG Mobile on a Samsung Galaxy S9 that has a curved and rounded corner display – which is actually still fine. It’s just the notched displays that need this fix the most.
By the way, the new map is already available for download. Still in beta, but you can play it right now!

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[UPDATED] Realme x Lazada Super Brand Day happening on 27th February

Realme is having their Super Brand Day with Lazada this 27th February – and they’re bringing in a lot of great activities and deals to celebrate this fantastic day. This is a one-day only event, so make sure you are prepared to handle what it is to come.
Realme Malaysia, in collaboration with Lazada, is having their Super Brand Day on the 27th of February – which is next week. This is an interesting event as whichever brand that was a part of the Super Brand Day will surely be celebrated with lots of freebies and fantastic deals.

We are thrilled to partner with Lazada for the Realme X Lazada Super Brand Day, for the very first time. With this partnership, Realme customers are able to enjoy the best deals for our smartphones and win exclusive gifts on the most exciting one-day only shopping experience.
– Tiffany Teh, Brand Manager, Realme Malaysia

For one day only, consumers will discover the best of what the brand offers, which includes exclusive themed gifts, limited edition products, premium packaging and even offline experiences. Super Brand Day, which spotlights one brand for one day, celebrates Lazada’s solid alliances with some of the biggest global brands.
Our partnership with Realme to hold Super Brand Day is just the start of many exciting and innovative shopping experiences that we want to co-create with our brand partners for consumers. Our exclusive partnerships with brands also underscores Lazada’s commitment to connect the world’s biggest brands with some 560 million consumers in the region.
– Sherry Tan, Lazada Malaysia Chief Business Officer
Here are the list of activities for the Realme x Lazada Super Brand Day:

Slash It Everyday

As part of the Lazada Super Brand Day, Realme Malaysia will be providing slashed prices for the Realme C1 on the 21, 23, 25 and 27 February, for the Realme 2 on 22 and 24 February, and Realme 2 Pro on 26 February.

Win Exclusive Gifts

Unlock Realme Earphones at Special Prices by:
Clicking ‘Follow’ on Realme Flagship Store (https://www.lazada.com.my/shop/realme-official-store/)
Realme will unlock special prices of the Realme earphones for 5 pairs of earphones, if followers of the Realme Flagship Store hit the target of 35,000.

Rate and Stand a Chance to Win a Power Bank by:

Purchasing the Realme C1
Leaving a review on the Product Page with images, to increase your chances to win a power bank

Contest ends on 3 March at 11.59 PM. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be contacted via email. Terms and conditions apply.
As for the list of special deals, here they are. It is only valid on the 27th February. One day event, remember that.

UPDATED: We now have the complete list of prices and products that will be on sale during this Realme x Lazada Super Brand Day!
The table below is the deals that will happen for the full day on the 27th February 2019.

Product
RAM + storage
Current price
Lazada x Realme Super Brand Day price

Realme C1
2GB + 16GB
RM449
RM399

2GB + 32GB
RM469
RM429

Realme 2
3GB + 32GB
RM549
RM529

4GB + 64GB
RM659
RM659

Realme 2 Pro
4GB + 64GB
RM849
RM699

8GB + 128GB
RM1099
RM899

Realme earphones
RM39
RM29

Of course, customary for any Lazada Super Brand Day, there will be flash sales as well. The flash sale schedule is as follows:

Product
RAM + storage
Current price
Realme x Lazada Super Brand Day price
Sales time

Realme C1
2GB + 16GB
RM449
RM349
12am

Realme 2 Pro
4GB + 64GB
RM849
RM649
9am

Realme earphones
RM39
RM19
7pm

As for the Lazada x Realme Super Brand Day Slash It! deals, they’re really looking fantastic here. Check out the table below.

Product
RAM + storage
Current price
Realme x Lazada Super Brand Day price
Date of sale

Realme C1
2GB + 16GB
RM449
RM9.90
21st, 23rd, 25th February

2GB + 32GB
RM469
RM9.90
27th February

Realme 2
3GB + 32GB
RM549
RM49
22nd & 24th February

Realme 2 Pro
4GB + 64GB
RM849
RM99
26th February

For more information, check out Realme Malaysia’s official Lazada store, at this link: https://www.lazada.com.my/shop/realme-official-store/
And there’s also a small little teaser at the end of the page… which shows this.

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Cooler Master Launches MasterLiquid ML360R 360mm AIO Cooler

As years go by, we have high-end CPU coolers like the the i9-9900K and the Ryzen 7 series with high core count with relatively high clock speeds, they are bound to be hot – and cooling them is a challenge. Cooler Master’s latest MasterLiquid ML360R is a 360mm AIO cooler that is created to tackle this issue.
It comes with a few highlight points – and firstly, let us talk about the RGB first. It has addressable RGB LEDs on both the fans and water block and is certified compatible with ASUS, MSI and ASRock motherboards – so you can plug in and it works instantly.

Even the pump now has ARGB LEDs, and there are a total of 8 ARGB LEDs on each fan. You can easily customize 16.7 million colors on each LED, individually, through the addressable RGB software from ASUS, MSI and ASRock motherboards, or with Cooler Master’s MasterPlus+ software for complete ambient control. To handle all the RGB cables, Cooler Master included a 5-in-1 addressable RGB splitter together with the MasterLiquid ML360R too.

Exclusively designed in-house, the MasterLiquid ML360R is constructed with a low-profile, dual chamber pump that separates incoming coolant from the radiator-bound heated coolant. Cooler Master’s unique pump design maximizes CPU cooling results and assists in maintaining ideal system temperatures. In addition, the MasterLiquid ML360R features a precision machined microchannel cold plate to quickly dissipate heat, FEP tubing on the interior and sleeved tubing on the exterior for a premium look and extended durability.

The MasterLiquid ML360R is now part of Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid family of AIO coolers and is available in Malaysia. The prices are as such:

MasterLiquid ML120R 120mm AIO – RM 399
MasterLiquid ML240R 240mm AIO – RM 469
MasterLiquid ML360R 360mm AIO – RM 579

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Samsung launches Galaxy A20s; Galaxy A30s; Galaxy A50s; priced at RM699; RM899; RM1,299

Samsung has been hard at work since the realignment of their smartphone series this year. They have a bunch of smartphones that were released under the Galaxy A series and now, they’re updating two of their best-selling models with new hardware and specs. Introducing, the brand new Galaxy A30s and the Galaxy A50s.
These two smartphones might not look like a significant bump in terms of specs, but there are more changes under the hood that deserves highlighting. Samsung heard all of our complaints and took the feedback to improve in these two new phones too.

Samsung Galaxy A50s
Introducing the brand new Galaxy A50s. While some might say Samsung is always on the premium side of things – please do also consider that Samsung is providing a really different suite of software. The Galaxy A50s also supports Samsung Pay now – which is a feature that was previously only found on higher-end Samsung smartphones.

As for the specs, the Galaxy A50s comes with:

6.4-inch 1080p Super AMOLED with Infinity-U notch
Exynos 9611
6GB RAM
128GB of internal storage (expandable with microSD card)
Triple rear-facing cameras

Main: 48MP f/2.0
Ultrawide angle camera: 8MP
Depth sensor: 5MP

32MP f/2.0 selfie camera
4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging
Supports Samsung Pay

Oh – the Galaxy A50s also has Bixby, if you’re into that.
Samsung Galaxy A30s
It now comes with a lot of different prismatic colors – and hey, it looks amazing. The one we have here is in the Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush White, and also Prism Crush Green. The one we have here is the Prism Crush Black – honestly, the geometrical cuts on the back are fantastic.

Here is the list of specs for the new Galaxy A30s.

6.4-inch 720p Super AMOLED with Infinity-V notch
Exynos 7904
4GB RAM
64GB of internal storage (expandable with microSD card)
Triple rear-facing cameras

Main: 25MP f/1.7
Ultrawide angle camera: 8MP
Depth sensor: 5MP

16MP f/2.0 selfie camera
4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging
Supports Samsung Pay

Another point to highlight is that the new Galaxy A30s also comes with an under-display fingerprint scanner. I mean at this point, might as well just add it in since it’s using Samsung’s very own Super AMOLED display.
Samsung Galaxy A20s
As a brief mention during the launch event, the Galaxy A20s is also launched. The specific specs are not mentioned during the launch event, so we are unable to confirm any of the details. As of now, all we know is that the price is at RM699.
Pricing & Availability
Both the Galaxy A30s and Galaxy A50s will be available nationwide at Samsung Experience stores, Samsung Malaysia Online Store, and also authorized resellers at RM899 and RM1,299 respectively. As for the colors, both the Galaxy A30s and Galaxy A50s will be available in 3 colors – Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush White, and Prism Crush Green.

Also, early birds who purchase these smartphones will also get special deals.

Gotta say, that Prism Crush Green looks absolutely beautiful.

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Review – ASUS VivoBook S15 S531F

Here’s ASUS’s latest laptop. These laptops were first announced and shown back at Computex 2019, which we also covered here. After a few months, we finally now have it on our hands – and with it comes a few differences from what was announced during Computex 2019.
Here’s our full in-depth review of the brand new ASUS VivoBook S531F.

Unboxing
The overall box of the ASUS VivoBook S531F is pretty similar to any other affordable ASUS laptops. It has a simple box with pretty much the same types of content like the previous VivoBook laptop that we reviewed.

You get the laptop itself, a relatively small power brick, some documentation – and most importantly, the HDD upgrade kit. Now, we have to also mention that 2.5-inch drives can be either HDD or SATA III SSDs, so the term “HDD” here is not entirely representative. Hence, that’s why we still call them 2.5-inch drives as it is instead of “HDD” or “SSD”.

Inside the upgrade kit, I was surprised to see a few additional things included here – a heat shield and an anti-vibration mounting bracket for the 2.5-inch storage drive. It’s good to see ASUS going the extra mile for budget lightweight laptops like the VivoBook S531F, just like the previously-reviewed VivoBook here.

But that’s not all – saw that little packet earlier? ASUS included a bunch of custom-designed stickers to suit your personality.
[nextpage title=”Design, ports, screen”]
Design
ASUS clearly said one thing about the brand new VivoBook S531F – color-blocking. For me, being someone that’s senseless when it comes to fashion, have no idea what it means. From a quick Google search, “color-blocking” originated from using colors at different ends of the color wheel. Literally opposite ends of the color spectrum.

Though for me, the color options are rather interesting too. There are a total of 5 different colors available this time around – Moss Green, Punk Pink, Gun Metal, and two more colors which we have seen before which are the Cobalt Blue and Transparent Silver.

The one we have here is the Gun Metal grey color option, which has a blue accent around the perimeter of the screen. Nice little touch for style points though it’s difficult to notice in the first place.

Now, I have to go about and mention the other part of “color-blocking” when combined with the stickers. These stickers are made to inspire you and a way for your personality to shine. They are all beautifully designed – and I absolutely love some of these designs.
Ports
In terms of ports, ASUS did a pretty good job here. On the left side, you have two USB 2.0 Type-A ports and a battery indicator. Nice to know when the battery is fully charged when plugged in.

On the right side, you have another slew of ports are found. You get a single microSD card reader, a combo audio jack, a USB 3.0 Type-C, another USB 3.0 Type-A port, a full-sized HDMI port, and a barrel power jack. Pretty nice selection of ports but I’d like to see a full-sized SD card reader instead, honestly.

Looking at the bottom of the laptop, we find two bottom-firing speakers. ASUS made a pretty big deal this time around as its sound system is certified by Harman Kardon. Honestly speaking, the speakers themselves sound good!
There is no fingerprint reader on the VivoBook S15 S531F, but hey – you get Windows Hello. And that’s a great feature. Speaking of which…
Screen

Slim bezels around the screen are all the rage now – and ASUS did a lot of good decisions here. The bezel around the top is slightly bigger – sure, but the compromise is for the inclusion of Windows Hello is excellent. It has two IR blasters flanking the camera. There are also two microphones flanking the entire Windows Hello camera module.

With that said, ASUS managed to shrink the visible part of the bottom bezel. That is because a part of the bezel goes under the horizon of the laptop body, as a part of the ErgoLift design. Great trick here, ASUS!

Overall, from my eyes, the ASUS VivoBook S15 S531F has a pretty color-accurate display. The green hue is a bit too saturated for my eyes since I always have a green-colored theme on my Chrome. Other than that, the display looks pretty okay. Just don’t bother using it outdoors since the display isn’t bright enough.
We should mention first that the Malaysian unit of both the VivoBook S15 and S14 does not have ScreenPad or NumberPad. Even our unit of the VivoBook S15 S531F does not have these features, despite what was announced during Computex 2019.
[nextpage title=”Trackpad and keyboard”]
Trackpad
ASUS has once again included precision trackpad drivers for the VivoBook S15 S531F. This means it can use all of the built-in Windows gestures like multi-finger tap and swipes to perform specific tasks.

The trackpad is adequate most of the time but doesn’t seem to be good enough for small, precise movements – like dragging and dropping a marquee just one pixel to the left in Photoshop. With that said, the acceleration of the trackpad is rather decent.
Keyboard
Honestly, I think that the keyboard on the VivoBook S15 S531F is actually pretty good. It’s springy, good travel distance, and also very good tactile feedback. The keyboard typing experience in this thing, I can only describe it as “fun to type on”.

But then again, the keyboard layout is a little weird. Since we are reviewing the larger version – the S15 with a 15.6-inch display – it has a number pad. Some people might like this inclusion – but if you’re not a fan of the number pad, then perhaps look for the slightly smaller VivoBook S14 S431F with a 14-inch screen instead.
I do wish ASUS would just let the arrow keys be at its full size but protrude downwards, like the TUF Gaming laptop keyboards. At its current state, it is very cramped and just difficult to use.
[nextpage title=”Performance, gaming, and battery life”]
Let’s first talk about the specs. The ASUS VivoBook S15 S531F has this list of hardware:

15.6-inch IPS LCD display with NanoEdge thin-bezel design
Intel Core i5-8265U

Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620

NVIDIA GeForce MX250 with 2GB VRAM
Soldered 4GB of DDR4 RAM
512GB of Intel 660p SSD
42Wh battery

Performance
We’ve seen this set of hardware on many laptops before, but we’re still doing the benchmarks just for the sake of being a completionist.

Gaming
It’s interesting to know that ASUS packed in a beefier GPU in the VivoBook S15 S531F. That means it can perform better in games, albeit not by much. That is because of the rather inadequate cooling system inside of the laptop.
We tried Overwatch on medium settings and it outputs 70fps constantly. The temperatures are generally fine, hovering at about 65°C for CPU and about 70°C for the GPU most of the time. Certain maps and heroes in Overwatch are graphically more intensive, and the GPU shot up to 80°C. When that happens, I get a brief moment of lag and I suppose the GPU downclocked itself – but the lag was only for a brief moment.
One thing to note is that the fan noise on the VivoBook S15 S531F is noticeable, but not to the point where it’s annoyingly loud.
Battery life
When we tested the ASUS VivoBook S15 S531F, it lasted for about 4-5 hours of use depending on how heavy the load is. For us, our usage pattern is always the same – multiple Chrome tabs with some Facebook and some light Photoshop in the meantime. Good to know that the 42Wh battery.
ASUS also boasts a fairly unique charger here. It’s a tiny cuboid-shaped charger that outputs a total of 90W of power. Interestingly, in the specs sheet, it is mentioned that this VivoBook S15 S531F has fast charging capability.
ASUS claims that it can charge to 60% battery in just 49 minutes. While we don’t know the methodology that ASUS used, we used our own testing method instead.
Here’s our result.

What?! We charged from 15% to 60% battery in just 32 minutes?! We even reached all the way up to 76% battery charge in 49 minutes! It’s mindblowing to know that from our test, the battery charging is faster than what was claimed by ASUS. Interesting.
[nextpage title=”Maintenance and upgradability”]
So far, ASUS has a great reputation of allowing its customers to open up and service the laptops on their own. The new VivoBook S15 S531F is no different.

Looking at the underside of the Vivobook S15 S531F, we can see a total of 10 screws around the edge of the laptop. All of them are standard Phillips screws but of varying lengths. Make sure you know which screw goes into which hole.

Opening up the backplate is fairly simple. There isn’t an easy way in but you can work your way at the USB ports. Once it’s opened, you are greeted with everything there is to service and upgrade on the Vivobook S15 S531F.

The fans are easily accessed and the heatpipe is also easily dismantled to be serviced. Not too sure about the blue accent around the lid, though.

I do want to reiterate my appreciation for the prismatic battery design here as it really maximizes the utilization of space in the laptop itself. The maintenance and upgradability are pretty solid, especially for its target audience.
Overall, this is a fantastic laptop. For the price of RM3,199, it might feel a little steep at first sight – but the engineering that went into the ASUS VivoBook S15 S531F is uncommon for a laptop of this category and of this price range.

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Last gen Samsung Galaxy S22 series are now RM200 – RM400 cheaper effective immediately

Samsung Malaysia just announced the adjusted pricing for the 2022 Galaxy S22 series so everyone who is not keen on getting the greatest and latest can save a buck starting today.

In short, the base models are getting RM200 off the SRP while the various capacities-differed S22 Galaxy Ultra is RM400 cheaper across the board but unfortunately, the S22+ is nowhere to be found. So here’s the old and new prices as below.

Model

Old Price (RM)

New Price (RM)

Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G 512GB

5,899

5,499

Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G 256GB

5,499

5,099

Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G 128GB

5,099

4,699

Galaxy S22 256GB

3,699

3,499

Galaxy S22 128GB

3,499

3,299

This is definitely great news who always want to maximize their budget for their smartphone while not caring or are content with what the Galaxy S22 series offers.
You may find the newly adjusted pricing reflected on the Samsung official website and other related online platforms and partner channels.

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Samsung is going to stick around Qualcomm for another 8 years as latest announcement reveals extended partnership

Samsung and Qualcomm have announced that they are cool boys in the industry as they revealed the latest agreement to have their strategic partnership extended.

Despite Samsung still continuing its best effort to refine the Exynos chip to fight against competing SoCs, the Korean giant isn’t one to shy away from other players that would help them in their other business sectors otherwise. Specifically, the patent license agreement between them and Qualcomm is the reason why the partnership has been extended until the end of 2030.
Scope expansion is also one of the major aspects both companies are exploring but for the main part, networking technologies covering the 3G, 4G, 5G, and 6G range is what the agreement is all about. Thus, for the years to come, Galaxy devices will be utilizing Qualcomm-made components made just for networking.
With how much undiscovered potential is ready to be unlimited for 5G, smartphones won’t just be the beneficiary of this partnership as other things like tablets, laptops, PCs, XR and AR, and more are pretty much useless without any sort of communication.

Touching back on the topic of Exynos, the rumor seems to become a much-confirmed fact that the Samsung-made chip won’t be making a return until necessary so the next-gen flagship Snapdragon SoC will be powering the upcoming Galaxy S23 with no additional options for other regions – Qualcomm for everyone.
Well, at least I don’t have to suffer random bugs in my Android games due to Exyno’s own underlying architecture anymore.

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Review – OPPO Enco Air2 Pro – Decent sound, superior fit, but the price to match?

In the latest round of product announcements, OPPO Malaysia has introduced the Reno8 series phones, Pad Air tablet, and the Enco Air2 Pro TWS which we will be reviewing the final guy as we’ve done the smartphone and tablet already.

Opening up the box you’ll get the usual combo: the device unit, charging cable, and instruction manual. Pretty standard.
Contrary to the Enco X2 that I last reviewed, the entire casing seems to be a little bit lighter in terms of its mass, possibly contributed by OPPO’s so-called “Refractive Bubble Case” design. The shape is just a little bit more rounded and the signature hinge is still good in keeping it tight and close.
USB-C port for charging. No big deal.
Here’s a little bit of a story. As I used the Enco X2 for some time, lately I’ve been getting the ear tip getting stuck inside my ear canal, no matter if I pulled the earbuds out slowly or quickly. Here, the Enco Air2 Pro fits way better, doesn’t get its ear tips stuck, and provides more comfort in extensive wearing periods.
Hooking it up to the HeyMelody app and I immediately noticed the difference as the Enco Air2 Pro has fewer options. For starters, the Noise Cancellation is now an On or Off – no adjustment levels.
While the premium offerings have things like Dynaudio profiles to tune into more sophisticated sound types, the Enco Live is more easily understandable and straightforward.
To touch on the sound quality, I would say that the original sound is quite underwhelming and I rather go for the clear vocals profile as it matches close to wired earbuds for PC. Bass boost is quite punchy as well so feel free to go for it when you’re in for the beat.
TL;DR – Use anything but original.
Moving onto earbud controls, the selection is also quite simple as there’s no pressure pad for you to click and press so you just tap to access all kinds of functions, or touch and hold it alternatively.
Here’s a list of options for you to choose from.

Gestures

Available Functions

Single Tap

Play / Pause

Double Tap

Play / Pause, Previous, Next

Triple Tap

Voice Assistant, Game Mode

Touch and Hold (Select 2 and switch between them)

ANC On, ANC Off, Transparency

Long Touch and Hold

Volume Up, Volume Down, Switch Devices

Funnily enough, the latency test is where the Enco Air2 Pro shows its best and its worst. Without Game Mode on to cut down on the latency, it hops around the 600ms range which is actually some of the highest I’ve seen yet the Game Mode’s 356ms cuts down quite a chunk out of the delay so the lesson is to just turn Game Mode on whenever you can with a stable connection.
Conclusion
So what’s the deal with the Enco Air2 Pro? Well, after having the Enco X2 be my first experience with OPPO’s TWS, I would consider this as a “budget edition” of the premium earbuds because the design language is largely identical to one another.
The frequency range is also less sensitive in the context of hearing fewer details in the same song. The software portion also has limited selections and no exclusive tunings as well.
But, I gotta give credit to the ear tip design as I feel way comfortable. All in all, you basically exchange reduced features and fitting sizes for a way more affordable price tag at RM379 instead of the X2’s RM800.
In short, the Enco Air2 Pro honors the laws of “you pay what you get”. It’s not particularly fancy but still offers fairly good audio quality while missing some of the more advanced features that you may or may not use.
Where to buy? (Affiliate links)

Amazon US
Lazada
Shopee

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Windows Phone Game Development (XNA) Workshop

There will be a Windows Phone Game Development workshop for students happening on March 2nd 2013 (Saturday) from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm at Menara Petronas. Full address of the venue is as below.
Microsoft Auditorium,
Level 26, Menara Petronas 3Persiaran KLCC,
50088 Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

To attend this workshop, you will have to bring your own laptop that is running Windows 8 with Visual Studio 2012 and Windows Phone SDK 8.0 installed. Bringing a Windows Phone to test your game right away is optional but advised.
Full details are on this website here, with this poster below.

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Microsoft’s new Surface are stunning

There are actually a sh*t tonne of things to cover by Microsoft since their announcement about 12 hours ago with the brand new slew of Surface devices and also their brand new Lumia devices to go along with a smartband too.
Surface Book
Meet the all new convertible laptop by Microsoft. Surprisingly, this is their first real laptop. The original Surface series of devices is a tablet, mind you.

The Surface Book is a godsend for those who want an ultrathin laptop with supreme performance on the go. How is this possible?
Take a look at what that has been included. There’s a PixelSense display  actually a 3000×2000 pixel screen under at 13.5-inch size. That said, it sports a 3:2 aspect ratio – it’s squarish in space instead of the usual rectangle 16:9 shape.91). Insane prices, but interesting device!
Surface Pro 4
Ahhh… the pioneer of these ultraportable tablet-laptops which I personally really love. We even reviewed the Surface 3 right here! The Surface Pro 4 comes with some really powerful performance now, and actually has a  buttload of pixels too.

It has the all new PixelSense display, but with 2736×1824 pixels while still maintaining the 3:2 aspect ratio and the individually calibrated 100% sRGB.

However there is an option to choose different processors too – from Intel core m3 with HD 515 graphics, to a Core i5 with HD 520 graphics, and finally to a Core i7 with the top in class Iris 540 graphics. Also option to choose the RAM from 4GB to 8GB to 16GB. Wow!

Power consumption is expected to be low – since the included charger only gives 24 watts for the Core m3 version, and 36 watts for both the Core i5 and Core i7 versions.
Seems like the Surface Pen is now included with the Surface too. And a new pen holder – like finally!

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Review – Edifier GM3 Bluetooth Gaming Earphones

Mobile gaming has been on the rise and the removal of 3.5mm audio jack from smartphones means that wireless gaming audio is something we will be seeing more and more in the coming future. That said, Edifier has stepped up their game and sent us their answer to the “3.5mm audio jack apocalypse” with the Edifier GM3 Bluetooth gaming earphones.
Edifier GM3 Specifications

Driver Unit
10 mm full-range drivers
10 mm ultra-low frequency vibration driver unit

Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0

Profiles
HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP

Battery
185 mAh; 12 hours

Frequency Response
20 – 20 000 Hz

Sound Pressure Level
94 dB

Nominal Impedance
16 Ohm

Weight
15.6 grams

What’s in the box

Edifier GM3
Detachable microphone
micro USB cable
Replacement wingtips and ear tips
Cloth carrying bag
Paper documentation

User Experience

My first impression with the Edifier GM3 is the massive earpiece it comes with. There’s a good reason behind such design, to accommodate a second ultra-low frequency driver for bass, a vibrating type of driver at that. Yes, you read it right. The secondary driver will vibrate *ever slightly to increase the immersive-ness of the audio experience. Of course, leaving the LEDs turned on will reduce the battery life, from 12 hours to 9 hours, which is somewhere around 25% reduction.

The detachable microphone is connected via the 2.5mm audio jack on the left earpiece and it has LED as well. Instead of showing the microphone’s status, the lighting here serves as an aesthetic purpose only. On that side note, the microphone has reasonably good recording quality for gaming communication purposes.

The inline controller is a massive block that hangs on your right earpiece and we have another battery block on the right side. I mean you gonna need all those battery cells to power all those drivers and LED lights.
Final Words

For casual gamers who are looking for a wireless solution in mobile gaming, the Edifier GM3 offers a full package with clear audio quality as well as a better microphone for team communications. If you want to look cool while streaming your gameplay, it has LED lighting albeit just in red colour. Last by not least, at the price tag of RM229, this is probably the most affordable wireless gaming earphones available locally.

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Head of Android to step down, succeeded by Chrome leader

This morning the Head of Android, Andy Rubin, gave us a surprise with Larry Page, co-founder and now CEO of Google, posting an “Update from the CEO” on Google’s blog, stating that Andy Rubin will now step down and taken over by Sundar Pichai, the leader of Chrome.

The update itself states these :

Sergey and I first heard about Android back in 2004, when Andy Rubin came to visit us at Google. He believed that aligning standards around an open-source operating system would drive innovation across the mobile industry. Most people thought he was nuts. But his insight immediately struck a chord because at the time it was extremely painful developing services for mobile devices. We had a closet full of more than 100 phones and were building our software pretty much device by device. It was nearly impossible for us to make truly great mobile experiences.
Fast forward to today. The pace of innovation has never been greater, and Android is the most used mobile operating system in the world: we have a global partnership of over 60 manufacturers; more than 750 million devices have been activated globally; and 25 billion apps have now been downloaded from Google Play. Pretty extraordinary progress for a decade’s work. Having exceeded even the crazy ambitious goals we dreamed of for Android—and with a really strong leadership team in place—Andy’s decided it’s time to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google. Andy, more moonshots please!
Going forward, Sundar Pichai will lead Android, in addition to his existing work with Chrome and Apps. Sundar has a talent for creating products that are technically excellent yet easy to use—and he loves a big bet. Take Chrome, for example. In 2008, people asked whether the world really needed another browser. Today Chrome has hundreds of millions of happy users and is growing fast thanks to its speed, simplicity and security. So while Andy’s a really hard act to follow, I know Sundar will do a tremendous job doubling down on Android as we work to push the ecosystem forward.
Today we’re living in a new computing environment. People are really excited about technology and spending a lot of money on devices. This is driving faster adoption than we have ever seen before. The Nexus program—developed in conjunction with our partners Asus, HTC, LG and Samsung—has become a beacon of innovation for the industry, and services such as Google Now have the potential to really improve your life. We’re getting closer to a world where technology takes care of the hard work—discovery, organization, communication—so that you can get on with what makes you happiest… living and loving. It’s an exciting time to be at Google.
Posted by Larry Page, CEO

Reason is unknown and with no hints given in any parts or bits of the update posted. Andy Rubin, sent a farewell letter to all Android partners and was picked up by The Verge, with hints that Rubin will still be working at Google, but role remains unknown.

Dear friends,
In November of 2007 we announced the Open Handset Alliance with 34 founding members. Today, I’m grateful to the over 85 OHA members who have helped us build Android and drive innovation at such an incredible pace. The Android ecosystem has seen tremendous growth since the launch of the very first Android device in October 2008. The volume and variety of Android devices exceeds even my most optimistic expectations – over 750 million compatible devices and counting!
At its core, Android has always been about openness – the idea that a thousand brains are better than one. Just as the ecosystem has grown, so has our team at Google. I am incredibly proud of the phenomenal group of people that spend their days (and nights) building the Android platform and services. Just look at last year…a lean yet incredibly ambitious team released Jellybean with Google Now, launched Google Play in many languages and countries and collaborated with several partners to build three new Nexus devices to help drive innovation in the ecosystem.
Today, the success of Android combined with the strength of our management team, gives me the confidence to step away from Android and hand over the reins. Going forward, Sundar Pichai will lead Android, in addition to his existing work with Chrome and Apps. Hiroshi Lockheimer – who many of you already know well – plus the rest of the Android leadership team will work closely with all of our partners to advance Android and prepare the platform for new products and services yet to be imagined.
As for me, I am an entrepreneur at heart and now is the right time for me to start a new chapter within Google. I am amazed by what we have accomplished from those early days (not so long ago!), and remain passionate about the power of a simple idea and a shared goal – an open source platform freely available to everyone – to transform computing for people everywhere.
Thank you for your support,
– andy

It happened all too sudden, with no hints or any reasons. We hope it’s for the best of Android.
Via : Android Police

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Transcend reveals embedded 3D NAND SSDs for AIoT market

When we visited the Smart City Summit & Expo 2019 and Computex 2019 earlier this year, we saw AIoT being a large focus of the exhibitions. These companies create an ecosystem of products to be used in various different scenarios, and yet some of them need extra speedy storage that can work in various different temperatures.
Transcend is here to reveal their new embedded 3D NAND SSDs for AIoT market. These SSDs are specifically made to endure the harshest temperatures – under direct sunlight or under the snow, these SSDs are meant to work. Rated at -40°C to 85°C, it is certainly amazing.

Then comes the read/write cycles. Imagine an SSD deployed in the field somewhere to monitor the weather. No one wants to go there and change it – so Transcend made their embedded 3D NAND SSDs to last for up to 3K of program/erase cycles too.

These embedded 3D NAND SSDs come in a few different form factors – 2.5-inch SATA III, M.2 NVMe, and also M.2 SATA III SSDs. They are made to last even in vehicles and surveillance systems.
Our partner also did a showcase on the differences between all of the different sizes and speeds of these SSDs, together with Ying Tze.

Transcend also included SLC caching and a RAID engine to supercharge the read/write speed as long as balancing the load across multiple SSDs whenever possible. Since data is crucial these days, Transcend built in the LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) Error Correction Code function to detect and correct bit errors.
To ensure all SSDs are in tip-top condition, Transcend also provides the exclusive SSD Scope Pro software to view the drive information, view the S.M.A.R.T. status, run a diagnostic scan, and to update its firmware.
Here is the list of embedded 3D NAND SSDs that are available in the market.

Interface
V-series: Enhanced reliability
I-series: Enhanced reliability and a wide operating temperature range

SATA III 2.5-inch
SSD450K-V
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
SSD450K-I
128GB, 256GB, 512GB

PCIe M.2 2280
MTE550T-V
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
MTE550T-I
128GB, 256GB, 512GB

SATA III M.2 2280
MTS950T-V
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
MTS950T-I
128GB, 256GB, 512GB

SATA III M.2 2242
MTS550T-V
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
MTS550T-I
64GB, 128GB, 256GB

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P1 is now known as webe, not longer a network-based brand

Recently, TM’s subsidiary, Packet One Networks (P1) has rebranded themselves as webe (pronounced we-be), a new digital mobility service provider that soon launch its new LTE network in Malaysia.
As this rebranding take off, CC Puan, the Chief Executive Officer share the differentiating philosophy and approach webe would take to the market. The new webe would be a community driven brand. The new philosophy ‘start here, go anywhere’ exemplifies the diversity of ways communities can come together to make things happen.

webe community is said to be a unique crowd-backing platform that enables Malaysians to connect, collaborate and co-create. These communities are the reason why webe started themselves as communities rather than introducing plans and services, being a community-driven brand.
The end goal for webe community is for us to evolve and eventually allow public project submissions, thus supporting the company vision of co-creation and collaboration with the members. Unlike ordinary crowdfunding platforms where money and resources required are raised by the public, webe community is fully funded by webe.
Everyone is invited to start supporting projects they care about today. Just log onto http://www.webe.com.my to register as a member.

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Review – realme X2 Pro

realme, a relatively new brand in the smartphone space, is now entering the premium flagship smartphones with the new realme X2 Pro. Yes, the highly anticipated premium smartphone by realme is here on our hands – and today, we’ll go in-depth and test out the performance and features that it has to offer.
Thanks a bunch to realme Malaysia for allowing us to get the device early so that we can prepare this review for you! ✌

Unboxing
Want to watch our unboxing of the realme X2 Pro? Then check out our beautiful video down below. We filmed it all within a few hours on the same we got the realme X2 Pro – because we’re too excited about it!

In short, the box that the realme X2 Pro comes in is quite simple. Nothing particularly special about it.

Opening up and digging out everything reveals that the contents are pretty much as expected:

realme X2 Pro
USB-A to USB-C cable
SuperVOOC charger
Smoked TPU case
Documentation

Design
The realme X2 Pro comes in two different colors  – Neptune Blue and also Lunar White, and we got the latter color for this review. The Lunar White does remind me of pearl white color as it is not purely white and has some streaks of other colors as well. But then again, I don’t recommend using the TPU case here as it totally defeats the beauty of the phone.

Specifically on the Lunar White version, the metal frame of the phone has a silver matte finish. Combined with the white back, the realme X2 Pro looks absolutely stunning and shouts premium look all over. Best of all, the metal frame isn’t rounded throughout. Have a look at this to know what we mean.

Connectivity & Ports
The realme X2 Pro, being the company’s top of the line smartphone, comes with quite an impressive list of connectivity options. It obviously supports AC-WiFi for high-speed video streaming, and also comes with NFC. However, it does not have an IR blaster like its competitor – but that’s okay since IR blasters are rarely used anyway.

Opening up the SIM tray reveals that there are only two nano SIM card slots. To some, the lack of a microSD card slot may be an issue – but we think it should be alright.

realme also opted for a metal power button that has a tiny slit that is filled with the realme yellow color. This is a nice touch to both aesthetics and tactility as I can know where the power button is located by feeling for this slit.

On the left side of the phone is where the volume buttons are found. Both the volume up and down buttons are made out of metal and have nice tactile feedback with every click. Nice touch.

At the bottom of the phone is where we can find the 3.5mm audio jack, the microphone, the USB-C port, and also the loudspeaker. The realme X2 Pro has a stereo speaker setup, by the way. The earpiece above the notch is also a speaker though the sound quality is not particularly great.
Display
The realme X2 Pro comes with a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels in resolution with 90Hz refresh rate, alongside a waterdrop notch at the top. And yes, it is manufactured by Samsung since it is using the Super AMOLED name.
This display is also one of the brightest as it can go up to 1,000 nits. I know this because it literally blinded me when I turned it to 100% brightness for the photoshoot.
Yeah, the display is bright.
The screen looks absolutely fantastic. Some might say that the colors are too saturated and that is because the default color profile is set to vivid. You can use sRGB color profile by heading on to the settings menu.
Cameras
The realme X2 Pro is also a smartphone that has a quadruple-camera setup alongside with its 64MP main camera. Yes, this smartphone is also using Samsung’s 64MP camera sensor with the model number of GW1. Here are the specs of each camera on the realme X2 Pro:

Main: 64MP f/1.8 with PDAF
Telephoto: 13MP f/2.5 with PDAF, 2x optical zoom
Ultrawide angle: 8MP f/2.2 with PDAF
Depth sensor

How does the camera actually perform? Check out the pictures down below – and you can also head on to our Shutterfly album to view the pictures in full size with its metadata.
Firstly, the cameras on the realme X2 Pro does take good pictures for social media. The ultrawide angle, the main camera, and also the telephoto – they all take good pictures out of the box.

But the problem comes when we zoomed into the picture… and then the lack of details start to show up. With the 64MP camera, we took a picture and zoomed in to 100% and well, it looks like painting. This happened to all pictures taken in 64MP and we know that realme can fix this with an update.

As for the night mode, the pictures turned out to be quite okay. I love the colors and contrast of the picture took with Nightscape mode, but the lack of details is present here as well.
Video?
Yeah, for this part, I suggest you to watch our video here. realme introduces this new “Ultra Video Stabilization”. Technically, it’s EIS – but realme implemented this feature to both the rear and front-facing camera.
The overall stabilization looks fine, though the colors look a little washed out by default. After some color calibration, then it looks okay.
However, there is no option to disable stabilization. That’s a problem for those who want to use a gimbal with the realme X2 Pro as the video will be overcompensated and create more bumps.
You can enable Ultra Steady mode as well – but that introduces some blocks of color artifacting. Hence, I suggest not to use this feature.
Software – Android 9.0 Pie with Color OS 6.1
So far, ColorOS 6 has been fine with me. It simplified many parts of the interface, making it much easier to use – especially the aggregation of camera modes into a single hamburger menu. The settings menu is tidy enough and I can find the options I am looking for without any issues.
I also believe that even with a 90Hz refresh rate screen, there should be an option to switch between 60Hz and 90Hz quickly and easily. Unfortunately, you’ll have to head on to the display menu in the settings and tune it for each app. This is where I think the ColorOS 6.1 needs a bit of improvement.
However, the Game Space does have options to block all notifications, have “photorealistic enhancements”, locking brightness, and also smart resolution adjustment. You can also enable “competitive mode” which just boosts it to high-performance mode.
Performance & Gaming
The realme X2 Pro also comes with a list of hardware that is just shockingly powerful. The specific model of the realme X2 Pro that we have here comes with these specs:

6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with waterdrop notch

2400×1080 pixels in resolution

Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset
12GB LPDDR4X RAM
256GB of internal storage (UFS 3.0)
Android 9.0 Pie with ColorOS 6.1
4,000mAh battery

This is the second smartphone in our labs that is using the Snapdragon 855+ chipset, and the performance is pretty much similar to the ASUS ROG Phone 2. Do take note that we can only achieve these results by turning on performance mode.

We also redid the benchmarks without performance mode, and here are the results.

Gaming
Obviously no issues here. We threw all our best games on the phone and it can run without any issues. However, the main issue here is the lack of proper 90Hz support. Games like PUBG Mobile and COD Mobile both run at 60Hz at most. That means you’ll have to head on to the display settings and tune it per-game.
Moreover, many of the buttons on the Game Assistant outright don’t work. PUBG Mobile is the game that is highlighted as “game engine supported” but the 4D vibration, voice changer, photorealistic enhancement, and gamepad do not work. Luckily, the phone doesn’t need those extra features to look, feel, and perform greatly even while running on the highest graphical settings.
By the way, I selected “low power mode” in Game Space, and both PUBG Mobile and COD Mobile ran smoothly at 60fps on the highest graphical settings. So might as well save some battery while gaming?
Battery & Charger
The battery capacity of the realme X2 Pro comes with a 4,000mAh battery, which is pretty much the standard in terms of smartphone batteries these days. To maximize its battery life, we changed it over to 60Hz for this battery life benchmark. Here is the result.

Comparing between 60Hz and 90Hz, the battery life is about an hour difference. From our data, we can propagate that this means either lasting you throughout the full day, or not. This is why we said that dynamically changing between 60Hz and 90Hz is important. Many apps still do not support 90Hz, and I also don’t see a point of scrolling through Facebook at 90Hz. Putting the per-app refresh rate selection at the settings menu isn’t doing us a favor either.

Charger
That charger though. The realme X2 Pro comes with SuperVOOC – which is one of the highest-powered smartphone charger right now. It outputs up to 10V 5A and totals up to 50W. That is 5 times more powerful than the standard smartphone chargers available in the market right now!
Our realme X2 Pro is not a Malaysian unit, hence the prongs.
The charger isn’t that much larger than other chargers too – but, that 50W charging speed is just intense. It crushed all other chargers that we used before.

And it took only half an hour to charge completely! Seriously – the charging speed is just way too fast to fathom. To learn more about the SuperVOOC, click here.
Wrapping up the realme X2 Pro review
The realme X2 Pro is a great smartphone. There are not many frills overall and you can get great performance out of the box. If you turn on performance mode, then you can get even more performance out of it. Though, it can run games just fine without performance mode – so save yourself some battery.

I do wish that switching between 60Hz and 90Hz is easier, and have the system to run at 60Hz while Game Space dictates which app to run at 90Hz instead. That’s more of personal preference because I don’t need the system UI to run at 90Hz anyway.
For the price of RM2,399, I think it truly depends on your needs. If you need a phone that has the latest and greatest hardware – namely 90Hz refresh rate and Snapdragon 855+ alongside with a supremely quick 50W charger, then the price shouldn’t matter – just buy the realme X2 Pro.

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Grab launches GrabChat; In-App Driver-Passenger Chat

Usually, drivers would have to leave their Grab app to contact their passenger.

According to Grab themselves, there’s an epidemic of unnecessary text messages. Drivers have sent 85,000 of them, and passengers have sent another 45,000 more. With GrabChat, all of these texting can be done within the app itself, yet it does not require the users to leave the Grab app at all. Everything is done within the app itself! Another plus point right here is for the tourists – they don’t have to pay for stupidly expensive international roaming charges!

“This new feature is the outcome of us listening and understanding the needs and wants of our customers. It is a simple, fast, convenient and most importantly a safer instant messaging platform to ease communications between passengers and drivers without the worry of communication breakdowns, international roaming call charges and being distracted while driving. Grab was birthed in Malaysia to address the need of providing safe transport option for all Malaysians while improving the welfare of our drivers, therefore we are proud to take the lead with the launch of GrabChat in the region,” said Jaygan Fu, Country Head of Grab Malaysia.

Better yet – GrabChat has included 4 commonly used simple sentences as templates. These phrases are included to minimize texting while driving, and to minimize accidents while ensuring driver’s safety.
GrabChat will improved through feedback and usage from its users, and will be expanding to GrabHich later.

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Western Digital Ships The Ultrastar He12 12TB, 4th-Gen Helium HDDs

If you’ve ever wanted a magnificently large hard disk, then I’m glad to announce that Western Digital is here to help you out. With their new HGST-branded Ultrastar He12 hard disk, it is available in 12TB capacity!
This is where things get interesting. Firstly, it’s using Western Digital’s HelioSeal platform to create this amazingly high capacity HDD storage. Remember – air restricts the read/write head’s sensitivity. That’s why Western Digital’s HelioSeal technology is great – it removes all air and filled it with helium instead. Hence the “He” part in the name, too.

Over the years,  Western Digital has shipped over 15 million helium-based high capacity HDDs and they promise to continue to support us customers with outstanding reliability and quality of service. I mean, if their reliability isn’t outstanding, then it would really suck to lose 12TB of data!
The new Enterprise-class Ultrastar He12 HDD comes in an industry-first eight-disk design to deliver 12TB capacity using PMR technology in a standard 3.5-inch form factor and comes in either SATA or SAS interface, both using advanced format. That means you can stuff this in your desktop too!
Here’s a quick rundown of the Ultrastar HE12 HDD’s specs and features:

HelioSeal: Western Digital’s fourth generation, based on exclusive HelioSeal technology, bringing the highest capacity HDD to market much sooner than competing technologies
World’s first 8-disk design, 12TB capacity, available with either 12Gb/s SAS or 6Gb/s SATA interface
Data Security: Instant Secure Erase, sanitize and safely redeploy HDDs using the Instant Secure Erase feature
SED Features: Help protect end user data with encryption (Self Encrypting Drive)
Reliability: Amongst the industry’s highest MTBF rating at 2.5M hours

The Ultrastar He12 HDD is currently shipping to distribution and comes with a 5-year limited warranty. For more information on the He12 12TB drive, visit http://www.hgst.com/products/hard-drives/ultrastar-he12.
Again – the Ultrastar He12 is a 3.5-inch hard disk and it comes with SATA interface too. I want one to plug it into my desktop now, actually.

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The HONOR 9A is now only RM499 starting every weekend until the end of August

HONOR Malaysia is celebrating the month of August with a special online-to-offline (O2O) campaign exclusively for the HONOR 9A.
In short, you can grab the smartphone at just RM499 every upcoming weekend until August 31 through Hihonor and picking it up yourself at selected HONOR stores. Be sure to check which one is closest to you so you don’t need to drive too far just to get it.

A big pack of juice with a small price tag

The HONOR 9A stands out among the entry-level smartphone lineups with its big 5,000mAh battery that is suitable for those who just need essential smartphone functions such as social media surfing and messaging. Heck, it could serve as a dedicated WiFi hotspot if the situation calls for it. Click here to check out our verdict on it.
Or, just watch our review here.

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ASUS brings 5 new products

Over the weekend, the PIKOM PC Fair just happened at the KLCC and ASUS brought a 5 of their new products to be scene for users to experience.

In the mobile scene, ASUS brought over the new Fonepad Note FHD 6 – a 6 inch phablet with 1080p (1920×1080) resolution on a super IPS+ display. Comes with a 2.0GHz Intel Atom Z2580 dual-core processor, the Fonepad Note FHD 6 comes with a 178-degree wide viewing angle, two front-facing speakers and many more amazing ASUS proprietary software that will come along with it.

The second tablet that ASUS is offering is the MeMO Pad HD 7, that has a quad-core processor with a 7-inch, 1280×800 resolution IPS screen and also with front stereo speakers. This device itself is a great one if you’re looking for an all-rounder budget tablet.
The MeMO Pad HD 7 is priced at RM649

If you’re not looking for something in-between like the Fonepad but two separate devices, then the new PadFone Infinity is the one for you. The 3rd generation PadFone comes with a 5-inch FHD screen and can be converted to a 10.1-inch tablet when docked. Disappointing, it runs on Android 4.1 only.
The device is priced at RM2,699

If you’re looking for a new notebook, ASUS also offers something new.
With the new ASUS VivoBook S551 touch-screen laptop, ASUS is seeking for users to finally experience the thinness of the laptop and the performance that Intel’s 4th generation Intel Core processors have to offer. Coupled with an NVIDIA GT 740M graphic card, Windows 8 will run amazingly well on this laptop.
The laptop is priced at RM3,499 for the Core i7-4500U version and RM2,799 for the Core i5-4300U version.

Now for the biggest launch of ASUS’s laptops, the new N-series, called the N550, is launched. With the iconic ripple design for the speaker, the N550 series is the first one ever to feature a quad-speaker array and ASUS’s proprietary SonicMaster Premium. Made with an elegant metallic design, the new N550 series looks awfully like the MacBook Pro.
For their new premium line of multimedia laptops, the Core i7-4700U variant is priced at RM3,699 and the Core i5-4200U variant is priced at RM2,999.

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Samsung Introduces Galaxy A8 (2018) & A8+ (2018)

Seems like Samsung has sped up the release schedule for the Galaxy A series of smartphone and they’re now introducing the new Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) in late December!
Personally, I already love the Galaxy A8 (2017) from earlier this year. It’s a fun phone to play with – I even experimented refraction photography with it. It doesn’t cost a lot, but it can do a lot for its price.

The brand new Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) now features Samsung’s signature hardware – the Infinity Display, Samsung’s very own 18.5:9 display. It even has dual-cameras at the front, so that you can take Live Focus selfies, just like what the Galaxy Note8’s rear-camera can do. You can also learn more about dual-camera systems here.

Here are the full specs list for both the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018).

Galaxy A8 (2018)
Galaxy A8+ (2018)

Display
5.6-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED,1080×2220
6.0-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED,1080×2220

*Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners

Camera
Front: Dual Camera 16MP FF (F1.9) + 8MP (F1.9)
Rear: 16MP PDAF (F1.7)

Dimension
149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4 mm, 172g
159.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm, 191g

AP
Octa Core (2.2GHz Dual + 1.6GHz Hexa)

Memory
4GB RAM, 32GB
6GB RAM, 64GB

Battery
3,000mAh
3,500mAh

Fast Charging / USB Type-C

OS
Android 7.1.1

Network
LTE Cat. 11

Payment
NFC, MST

Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 256QAM,
Bluetooth® v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, Location
(GPS, Glonass) (BeiDou*)* BeiDou coverage may be limited.

Sensors
Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor,
Hall Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor

Audio
MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA

Video
MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM

We’ve yet to see what the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) has to offer when we hold it in our own hands, but it seems pretty promising as it still has the signature IP68 water and dust resistance. Let’s not forget, the Galaxy A-series of smartphones are meant to be within the mid-range market segment.
The brand new Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) will be available in January 2018 and it’ll be available in 3 colors – black, gold, and orchid gray. You can check out Samsung’s website for more information.
We still don’t know about the price, though. We will surely update here when we know its prices.

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Acer launches the new affordable eco-friendly Aspire Vero laptop in Malaysia

Acer Malaysia has announced a new eco-minded Aspire Vero laptop with refreshed specifications, giving consumers additional alternatives while improving the product with the newest technology.
Powered by up to 12th gen Intel Core i7, the new Aspire Vero laptop comes with 8GB of RAM and 512GB SSD to provide users with enhanced performance and power efficiency that is sufficient for regular use.

Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, 99% of the Aspire Vero’s 15.6-inch display panel can be recycled, while 30% and 50% of its chassis and keycaps are built of post-consumer plastic (PCR).
That’s not all, but the packaging too is made of 90% recycled paper, which can be recycled again if not sent to biodegrade. The packaging can also be utilized as an ergonomic laptop stand, storage, or even nursery tray, so users can prolong its usefulness before sending it to be recycled.
Specifications

Model
AV15-52-5629
AV15-52-74JJ

CPU
Intel Core i5-1235U
Intel Core i7-1255U

Graphics
Intel Iris X Graphics

Memory
8GB onboard LPDDR4X (upgradable up to 24GB of dual channel DDR4)

Display
15.6″ FHD IPS display, Acer ComfyView LED-backlit TFT LCD

Storage
512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Wireless & Networking
Bluetooth 5.1, Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201, 1 x Ethernet port

I/O Ports

1 x HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP support
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (with 1 featuring power-off USB charging)
1 x USB Type-C
3.5mm headphone/speaker jack

Webcam
Acer HD webcam 720p

Battery Life
Estimated up to 7 hours

Dimensions/ Weight
363.4 (W) x 238.5 (D) x 17.9 (H) mm / 1.8kg

Warranty
2-Year Local Warranty with 1st Year International Travelers Warranty

OS
Windows 11 Home

Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2021 (by activation)

Highlights

Cover made of 30% PCR Plastic
Keycaps made of 50% PCR Plastic
100% recyclable packaging without using LDPE foam and plastic bags
OceanGlass Touchpad

Pricing and Availability
The new Aspire Vero is now available via authorized resellers, Acer eStore, as well as its official online store on Shopee and Lazada at the following prices:

AV15-52-5629 (Intel Core i5-1235U model) — RM2,599
AV15-52-74JJ (Intel Core i7-1255U model) — RM3,299

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Shell out your digital funds in ShopeePay Wallet at any Shell petrol station and enjoy RM4 cashback until August 15

Shell has sealed a deal with Shopee by adding support for the e-commerce’s digital wallet ShopeePay as the latest payment method.

Whether it is to feed your car with a nice slush of fuel or buying some snacks and drinks from the store, any transaction made within a Shell petrol station can be paid with ShopeePay starting today. Not only that, to promote everyone giving it a try, an RM4 cashback will be given out to customers who paid for more than RM30 in a single transaction using ShopeePay and the promotion will end on August 15.
While not a lot of people may use it, it can still serve as an emergency wallet to let you fuel up your vehicle during tight moments, that’s for sure.

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ASUS officially showcases the screen-only foldable laptop Zenbook 17 Fold OLED; Q4 2022 release at RM14,999

ASUS is finally going to push for the market of foldable laptops by introducing what might be the best one to date. We welcome the ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.
This device, the UX9702, is the love child born between close collaboration between ASUS and Intel in order to make it the world’s first 17.3-inch foldable OLED laptop with Intel Evo certification. As such, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is basically created to cover the usage of just about anything from professional use to lifestyle entertainment.

The main highlight of it is definitely the 4:3 17.3-inch 2.5K touchscreen folds in the middle that creates a two-side 3:2 12.5-inch FHD display. Rigorously tested to withstand more than 30,000 cycles of opening and closing with no degradation, its 60Hz refresh rate and 0.2ms response time are made up by other strong aspects such as 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, Dolby Vision, and PANTONE Validation.
With the absence of a built-in keyboard, it can be used in several modes thanks to ASUS’s optimization of the Windows 11 interface including Desktop, Laptop with Bluetooth keyboard, Laptop with virtual keyboard, Tablet, Reader, and Extended. Users can even drag multiple windows around with automatic sorting and size fitting to make things easier.
As for the internals, it contains an Intel Core i7-1250U with Iris Xe Graphics, 16GB RAM, and 1TB PCIe SSD coupled with a couple of Thunderbolt 4 for easy daisy-chaining peripherals and external devices plus charging at 75W. Powering the audio department is the usual Harman Kardon with Dolby Atmos while a 5MP AI webcam with IR sensor and 3DNR technology enables clear calls and native Windows Hello integration.

ASUS also refreshed the ErgoSense keyboard on this occasion as well in order to match the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED’s entrance. It now offers an even better typing experience with comfort through the 19.05mm key pitch and 1.4mm key travel that matches the specs of a typical mechanical switch (at least on paper).
Pricing and Availability
The ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED will become available in Malaysia starting Q4 2022 at the price of RM14,999.
That’s quite a figure to swallow especially as an early adopter of “tech tax” so definitely not something most people would consider. But if you have the free money to spend, you’re gonna have a lot of fun with this.

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HONOR 20 Lite also has a special edition co-designed with AAPE

HONOR has been pretty outstanding over the years as they are always partnering up with high fashion brands. The HONOR View20 that was launched in January has a specially design version that is co-designed by Moschino. Now with the HONOR 20 Lite, they are collaborating with AAPE.
AAPE, a clothing brand from Harajuku, Japan, is well known for their cheeky designs that never really take themselves too seriously.

Sporting a main camera, ultrawide camera, and a depth sensor, the HONOR 20 Lite is made to take great pictures with lots of flexibility and without the high price.
You can check out our full review of the HONOR 20 Lite by clicking here. It is a smartphone with a unique proposition.

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Leaked Windows 8.1 screenshots show the return of the Start button

The commotion caused by the removal of the Start button on Windows 8 did indeed caused confusion for many unfamiliar users who just got their new PCs or got their hands itchy and upgraded to the new Windows 8.
As we covered the leaked preview of Windows 8 codenamed Blue which is supposedly Windows 8.1, showed us how customizable the new iteration of Windows 8 is, even colours are offered in the entire spectrum.

Currently, there are no information on when the Windows 8.1 will be released, but we’re certainly seeing more and more leaked screenshots of it.
Via : TweakTown

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Bungie Splits Up With Activision

Over the years, Activision has been quite a big player in the game developer industry as they have quite a lot of big titles under their name. One of them is Bungie – the brains behind the Halo series and also Destiny.
Destiny was a game that was developed by Bungie when they had an agreement with Activision. Now, Bungie and Activision are splitting up. And Bungie is getting to keep Destiny as their own IP.

Now, the latter is an important point as Bungie was with Microsoft during the development of Halo, and Microsoft kept the all the intellectual properties of the Halo franchise when the split happened. Since Bungie gets to keep Destiny, that means that they can actually develop more content or perhaps Destiny 3 after this split.

The question now remains – how are players going to migrate their accounts off of Blizzard’s Battle.net to – presumably – Bungie’s own client? I recently just redeemed Destiny 2 for free on Battle.net and I would like to know how the migration will happen.
Honestly and personally speaking, I don’t like what Destiny turned out to be. At first when Destiny launched, they said that there are going to be a 10-year plan for that game alone – something along the lines of World of Warcraft. That is great – but that didn’t happen.
Then Destiny launched and there were many complaints about the story getting ripped into shreds and sold off as DLC to make more profits while prolonging the lifespan of that game. Yet not long after that, Destiny 2 came about and suffered the same fate.
Perhaps having Bungie to self-publish Destiny would be a better idea – but might be too late as another big game – Anthem – is coming too. Anthem has more or less the same formula as Destiny too – but with their own twist to it. However, since Anthem is developed by both EA and Bioware, I am very skeptical about that game as well.
Bungie has published an official statement which you can click here to read.
My next question to Activision is – what is going to happen to Blizzard and Overwatch?

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Logitech G’s G633 Artemis Spectrum is made for gamers

This is the first time ever that I’ve seen a headphone made specifically for gamers. Not only for the audio that gamers need, but the features that gamers didn’t know they needed. These features include a fully customizable RGB lighting, swappable backlit speaker plates (!!) and programmable G-keys (!!!) through the Logitech Gaming Software. Also, use the aforementioned software to customize the audio settings and/or create your personal sound profile!

The G633 Artemis Spectrum features both Dolby and DTS Headphone:X surround options for gamers, and has Logitech’s proprietary Pro-G audio drives that they claim to have “audiophile-like performance”, providing “clean and accurate highs as well as a deep rich bass”. It even features a noise-cancelling, foldaway microphone!

One feature that raised my eyebrows to the ceiling though is the ability to connect one device to the Artemis Spectrum using USB, and another using analog input. Then, the G633 will mix both devices and play it to you.
Perfect feature for those who play MOBA and listens to my own music – now I can control them using my phone!
The Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum gaming headphone will be available in October at all authorized resellers, and has a price tag of RM599. Is it expensive? I think not!

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New iPad Mini leak

The new iPad Mini leak suggests that it is not so mini after all. Packing a size of 7.85-inch, the iPad Mini leaked photos also suggests that it has 3G support with a nano sim tray, 3.5mm audio jack at the top and the all new Lightning connector at the bottom. So in summary it is like the new iPad (3), but smaller in size but uses nano sim and the new Lightning connector…

Design wise it’s the same as the iPhone 5 with grey coloured anodized aluminium and a black Apple logo at the back.

Reportedly too, that this design is near to its final version, and it also comes in white too.
Do you think that we all need an iPad Mini? It surely seems to be unnecessary as for now.
Have your take at the comments below!
Source : Ukrainian iPhone

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Samsung Galaxy Folder surfaces

The era of flip phones is long gone since it isn’t very practical to have a fixed keypad when you have a screen that changes to whatever you program it to be. That however never stopped Samsung from creating Android flip-smartphone!

Details are scarce as this is only the leaked user manual, and there are no official images on what the device looks like. Though we do know its specs :

Snapdragon 400 dual-core 1.7Ghz
2GB RAM
3.67 inch AMOLED WVGA(800×480)
LTE Band 3/8
Touch screen
1820mAh battery

With all sorts of disappointing specs, this phone will indeed be the first ever flip smartphone since the day Apple’s iPhone came about. The phone however does support LTE, but on that poor little screen, I doubt it’ll be enjoyable at all.
There are also leaked images of the phone being used, and I have to say that it looks pretty amazing with a dual screen functionality. It can be used as a typical candy bar phone when un-flipped, or as a nostalgic Motorola RAZR phone when flipped.

So… what do you think about this phone? Nostalgic or catastrophic? It does have a little chrome style with bronze colour that definitely gives it the premium looks, but as for the practical use, I doubt there’s anything amazing about this.
There are no price or availability yet, not even a release or announcement date as for now. I guess we’ll just have to wait until we get out hands on this nostalgic little baby.
Via : RBmen, Clien

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Google/Motorola X–completely customizable by users?

A render of the Google/Motorola X Phone.
Okay so we’ve had enough of Galaxy S IV news for today, so let’s move on to something else.

A few days back, a video of the unknown Nexus-like Motorola phone was released and it sure does ring the Google/Motorola X phone where rumours were flying around abundantly. Well, here are some new rumours spreading across.
As you all know, Google is creating a brand for themselves, given their heavy promotion and price subsidizing to all three Nexus devices, Nexus 4, 7 and 10, as to compete with major Android (agonistically) brands like Samsung Galaxy series.
No hardware specs has been shed light on, but it is said to feature an octa-core processor, one core dedicated for Motorola’s “new human language system”, which I think is a step forward for Project Majel, now known as Google Now.
This device could be launching as soon as after Google I/O 2013 happening this June, report says.
Via : Android Authority

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Review – realme 5 Pro

realme. The really young smartphone brand that popped out last year and made waves across the globe with its affordable smartphones. They’ve returned once again, but this time they have the brand new realme 5 Pro to show. Since we already are using it for about a month already, here is our full, in-depth review of the realme 5 Pro.
Special thanks to realme Malaysia for this opportunity!

Unboxing
Since we got the unit early, here’s our unboxing of the realme 5 Pro.

In summary, what you get are:

realme 5 Pro itself
VOOC charger
Thick USB-A to USB-C cable
TPU case
User manual
SIM card ejector tool

Pretty typical stuff, and at this point – it seems like realme is going to have VOOC for their “pro” variant of smartphones. That’s a good thing, considering that we somehow want the fastest possible chargers nowadays.
Overall, a pretty good package out of the box. You also get a film screen protector pre-installed on the phone itself.
[nextpage title=”Design”]
Holding the realme 5 Pro, it’s pretty much similar with the realme 3 Pro that we reviewed here. Similar shape, similar geometry, and even similar feel on the hand. What’s different here is the back design.
From what I can say, the realme 5 Pro is inspired by the diamonds and gems as it has a facet cut design. realme kept it classy by having fairly large polygonal cuts with just a few angles in total – and that looks absolutely stunning.

We have our realme 5 Pro in Crystal Green color option. It’s not really that green – more like emerald color with a bit of blue mixed in it. It looks absolutely fantastic to the eyes.
Though, I have to warn you that the realme 5 Pro is using a very scratchable, soft plastic material to protect the facet cuts behind. We put our unit of the realme 5 Pro in the bag (like any other review phones) and it got scratched up terribly. Build quality is definitely not up to par here.

Which is where the included TPU case comes in. It’s definitely a necessity to use a case for the realme 5 Pro because of its fragility. Don’t be an idiot like me and think it’ll be alright – because it’s not. Using the included TPU case also means sacrificing the beauty of the back design as realme included a smoked case instead. It’s a semitransparent black case, so to speak.
[nextpage title=”Connectivity & Ports”]
realme has once again did a great job in including the necessary ports and connectivity on their smartphones. The realme 5 Pro got all the basics right – AC-WiFi to take advantage of faster internet speeds, an audio jack, and a microSD card slot with dedicated 2nd SIM card slot.

One thing that I truly appreciate is the presence of the physical fingerprint scanner at the back of the phone. I truly can’t stop appreciating this right now as other smartphones are jumping into the inferior under-display fingerprint scanners. Having a physical one – either at the back or the side – is definitely much faster, more reliable, and definitely more ergonomic.

Overall, I feel like they’ve got the I/O pretty solid on the realme 5 Pro.
[nextpage title=”Display”]
Alright, the display. On the realme 5 Pro particularly, it has a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with a waterdrop notch at the top. This is similar if not the same display used on the realme 3 Pro. It even has the same resolution of 2340×1080 pixels.

From my eyes, the white balance on the realme 5 Pro is a tad bluish and perhaps oversaturated. It’s an easy fix since realme also provided a slider to change the temperature of the display. I personally like it to be a little warmer, so I slide it about 20% off to the right.
And yes, it has a small little waterdrop notch at the top. Much better than flagship smartphones that cost €1,000 Euros but with a humongous notch.

[nextpage title=”Cameras”]
Oh boy, the cameras. For the realme 5 Pro, they have an entire hashtag and tagline revolving around its new quad-camera setup. They’re calling it #LeapToQuadCamera and with a good reason too since they’re leaping from a dual-camera setup on the realme 3 Pro straight to a quad-camera setup on the realme 5 Pro.
Here are the specs for the cameras on the realme 5 Pro, from top to bottom:

Ultrawide angle: 8MP f/2.2
Main: 48MP f/1.8 with PDAF
Depth sensor
Macro: 2MP f/2.4

So there are only a total of 3 usable cameras here. Also fun fact – both the depth sensor camera and the macro cameras are the exact same in sensor size, megapixel count, and lens aperture.
Anyway, I digress. Here are the pictures that were taken with the realme 5 Pro. To view the image in full alongside its metadata, click here to visit our Shutterfly album.
Let’s start off with the main camera. By default, it takes pretty decent pictures. And yes, this picture was taken with the realme 5 Pro. Haha, surprise!

Then, we messed around with some other camera features – particularly the Chroma Boost first.

Depending on what scenes you’re shooting, Chroma Boost might look fantastic. For me, the green colors are just… too oversaturated – for my liking, at least.
We also enabled HDR mode but unfortunately, the colors turned all blue. No idea why that happened, but that’s just jarring.

We tried combining both the HDr and Chroma Boost and honestly, I don’t recommend doing that because of the incorrect white balance.

Moving on to the ultrawide camera, the quality in itself is pretty okay. Both the HDR and Chroma Boost produces the same types of results as the main camera.
By default.
Same picture with Chroma Boost. Yeah… too much saturation on the green/yellow.
By the way, did you notice the chromatic aberrations at the top left corner of the ultrawide angle pictures? That’s pretty common for ultrawide angle cameras, so don’t worry about it.
Moving on to the macro camera. Yeah, it can take pictures as it has a 4cm focal length. However, the white balance is totally off. This picture shouldn’t be this white.

So is the camera actually any good? Yeah, it’s okay as a point and shoot. Some of the modes – especially Chroma Boost – is situational. The white balance for both HDR mode and the macro camera will need to be fixed in the next firmware update.
Camera UI
Alright. Referring back to my realme 3 Pro review, I praised how the ColorOS 6.0 managed to clean up the camera interface and made it streamlined to the point where I considered it as one of the best when it comes to smartphone camera UI. However, that was when the realme 3 Pro only had a single usable camera. Now, the new realme 5 Pro has a total of 3 usable cameras and the camera UI needs to cope with that.
What changes did ColorOS have to accommodate the two more usable cameras? By literally scattering buttons everywhere, similar to what Xiaomi did. For some reason, the ultrawide angle camera is moved away from the zoom slider, and placed at the opposite end of the screen. That’s pretty inconvenient, honestly.

Then comes the “hamburger menu”, which is located at the corner, which houses all of the different modes to select from. As the previous realme 3 Pro had only a handful of modes, the hamburger menu worked fine. Now, the realme 5 Pro has a bunch of different modes and the hamburger menu is now scrollable. Within this menu is where you’ll find the Ultra 48MP, nightscape, and “ultra macro” modes.

One solution to fix all of this clunkiness if by allowing users to customize which button goes where. Perhaps give the users option to swap the Chroma Boost with Ultra 48MP or the filter selection with nightscape mode. Then, the hamburger menu will be housing all the tertiary camera modes instead, making the UI feasible again.
[nextpage title=”Software – Android 9.0 Pie with ColorOS 6″]
As this is not the first time we’ve used ColorOS 6, we have to say that it’s pretty clean overall. Though, realme had a few additions this time around. Introducing – bloatware.
There are some apps here which I generally already use, but most of them are purely bloatware. One particular bloatware that juts out is the App Market. Yes – realme has its own app market as well, and it kept sending in notifications to install some apps on that store itself. Honestly, it’s annoying.

There are also two special folders on the home screen. One is called “hot apps” and the other is called “hot games”, which is just an aggregated list of apps from the realme app market. Even the Game Center app sends in notifications!
Can we uninstall the App Market and Game Center? Unfortunately, no – but you can “reset” the app to its factory default it won’t send in any notifications.
Other than that, the ColorOS 6 is still pretty solid like before. The overall UI and how the elements flow, alongside its proper placement of buttons, make it user-friendly. Also, it comes with Google apps and services!
[nextpage title=”Performance & Gaming”]
Alright, the moment that a lot of us have been waiting for – the performance benchmark. The realme 5 Pro that we have here comes with this list of hardware:

6.3-inch IPS LCD display with 2340×1080 pixels in resolution
Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 chipset

Adreno 616 GPU

8GB RAM
128GB internal storage (expandable with microSD)
4,035mAh battery

Fast charging with 20W VOOC charger

Android 9.0 Pie with ColorOS 6

From what we can find out, the Snapdragon 712 chipset here is pretty much just an overclocked version of the Snapdragon 710, which gets about 100MHz faster on the dual high-performance cores.
Without further ado, let’s move on to the benchmarks.

If you are benchmarking for yourself, you might wonder why the scores of the realme 5 Pro is lower than the realme 3 Pro – and that’s because you must use high-performance mode to unlock the Snapdragon 712’s full potential. By default, it is in “normal mode”. You can downclock even further with “power-saving mode” if you want.
We realize that the scores aren’t that far apart from the realme 3 Pro that uses the Snapdragon 710 chipset. And that pretty much confirms that the Snapdragon 712 is an overclocked Snapdragon 710 chipset.
Gaming
The gaming prowess on the Snapdragon 712 chip used in the realme 5 Pro is – as mentioned – an overclocked Snapdragon 710 chipset.
We played our usual games – Honkai Impact 3, Asphalt 9, and also PUBG Mobile. All 3 of them ran smoothly on the realme 3 Pro. Do take note that PUBG Mobile will run at HD graphical settings at “high” frame rates, or at lowest graphical settings with “ultra” frame rates as of now.

Still, a smooth experience overall.
[nextpage title=”Battery & Charger”]
The total of 4,035mAh battery in the realme 5 Pro is actually pretty okay. It lasted for about 10 hours and 40 minutes in our battery test. It makes sense since the Snapdragon 712 is pretty much an overclocked version of the Snapdragon 710, the battery-efficient is not as good as the realme 3 Pro.

The new realme 5 Pro marks the second realme smartphone in Malaysia with the proprietary VOOC charger. It can take in a total of 5V 4A, making it a total 20W. Keep in mind that we need to use a proprietary, thick cable to carry a total of 20W. This is because of the limitation of USB-A to USB-C cables. Perhaps in the future generations of VOOC will be using USB-C to USB-C cables instead.

Anyway, the VOOC charger is able to charge the phone quite quickly. Take a look at our summary below.

Since we have another USB PD charger lying around, we tried it with the realme 5 Pro because we’re curious what would happen. The result confused us as the Innergie 60C (review here) can charge the phone faster than 10W, but still slower than the proprietary 20W VOOC charger.

Battery level

Time taken (minutes)

VOOC charger (20W)

Standard 5V 2A charger (10W)

50%

23

39

75%

38

68

[nextpage title=”Wrapping up the realme 5 Pro review”]
The realme 5 Pro in itself feels more like a new entry into the series but somewhat maintaining the performance. We measured and know that its performance is not bumped up by a lot – definitely not enough to affect day-to-day usage.
The cameras though, is bumped up in terms of camera count. From a total of 2 cameras (1 usable) to a total of 4 cameras (3 usable) is a big step-up. However, instead of going with the usual main-ultrawide-telephoto camera setup, the realme 5 Pro has a main-ultrawide-macro camera setup. Its quality leaves a lot to be desired – and I honestly think its future software updates can further improve the camera.

My only major complaint here is the build quality of the phone, but that’s pretty much my own mistake since I didn’t put on the included TPU case.
Though for the price of only RM1,099, I really can’t complain about anything here. The price is just unbelievably low. For the performance it offers, I can’t think of any other smartphones that have the same offering.

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Dell brings Graphics Amplifier and new Alienware 13 to Malaysia

Dell’s recent announcement on the latest and greatest Alienware products are fascinating – a new desktop, a new laptop, and a first of a kind Graphics Amplifier. It also seems like Dell is bringing the new trio to Malaysia too!

Dell Malaysia is bringing in the Alienware 13 that has an Intel Core i5 paired with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M graphics, and varies if you opt for a quad-HD resolution and touchscreen. Claiming to be the thinnest Alienware laptop ever, this particular machine packs the beastliest hardware on a 13-inch notebook only.

The Alienware 13 is priced starting from RM3,999. Costs much less than the 3-headed snake’s fancy-looking laptop too.
If you crave more than that, then there’s perhaps the biggest, most important innovation in mobile gaming history – Dell’s Graphics Amplifier. Alienware says you can plug in whatever desktop graphic cards below 375 Watts you want on the Graphics Amplifier, then connect that to the new Alienware 13 with a single cable. Finally laptops are becoming desktop-like.

It’s like having a desktop.

Also, the Graphics Amplifier comes with 4 USB 3.0 ports. So much win for someone who uses laptops like a desktop at home. So much win. Seriously.
It is however, priced at RM1,009 (weird price!).
Then comes Dell’s little tringular-shape desktop. Alienware finally makes a new comeback this time with their new Alienware Area-51 flagship desktop, this time with a new design too. The sides have the triangular lighting just like the all new Alienware 13 does, comes with Intel’s Haswell-E Core i7 K-series processors, liquid cooling, graphic card options for both AMD or NVIDIA, and DDR4 RAM.
Alienware claims that this triangular design improves thermal management and ergonomics, while improving the ease of access to the front and rear ports. Alienware is kind enough however to provide future upgradeability should you see fit.
The new Alienware Area-51 starts off at RM6,999, and still less expensive and more powerful than the Evil Queen’s Apple.
And oh – a little sidenote. ROCCAT has teamed up with Alienware to provide a new version of AlienFX – Alienware’s own software to customize lightings – to with most of ROCCAT’s peripherals. Certainly isn’t small news, it’s something to really be excited about as we start to see changes in the gaming hardware industry, and Alienware is making the waves.
One question here – would you buy a proprietary Graphics Amplifier-like hardware, or wait for one that supports Thunderbolt and use that instead? Or are you awaiting some of the more elegant and open-sourced solutions?

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