Review – iTop VPN – Everything streamlined into just clicking Connect

Disclaimer: The gauging of the price-to-satisfaction ratio in this review is solely based on the current ongoing promotion and will change depending on whether the prices return to their original numbers
For once, I’m not dealing with physical hardware for a review, instead, my first software job is on the line and I did not expect the subject to be a VPN service.

Yes, I heard you. The penultimate YouTube video sponsor category that rivals the power of Raid: Shadow Legends. Despite the infamy of VPN services creeping into videos for 20 seconds that you might come across every day, this is actually my first time using it and for both curiosity and my own knowledge’s sake, I’ve decided to give it a try.
Let’s see what iTop brings to the table. They better impress me.
For starters, this is one of the first things that popped out after the installation is finished. The good ol’ ‘You may be EXPOSED!’ alert painted in yellow draws your attention easily. Props to them for not going overboard and using the pure red of critical danger.
This is the other part of the “first things” I mentioned because it is logical to just shove all the benefits of a paid plan to a new user, right? To me, I kinda hate this kind of approach, to be honest. But at least you don’t need to fill in your credit card to start using it and you may click on “Still connect to free servers” to continue the zero-dollar journey.

But since we received a review account which is an activated paid plan, we get to review all features and functions available in the application. After signing in, the home page is quite clean and straightforward.
The first thing after launching the program is a big Connect button in the middle that you click and gain access to the closest server for the most responsive web surfing. Your IP pre-connect and post-connect will be displayed at the bottom so you can see its change as the technology camouflages you.

The server selection by default utilizes Smart Location which is just Closest Available Server but it’ll prioritize the one that was the smoothest and not clogged with users.
Additionally, depending on which country’s server you’re connecting, your new “position” will be displayed on the world map too.
Hitting the Change button on the server tab or the All Servers on the left reveals all the servers available for connection. iTop also went forward to split the services into categories that can be either about downloading, streaming, social apps, or gaming.
Scouring through the list and you may see that more than 90% of servers are for VIPs – paid accounts so free users are severely limited in terms of choices.
Browsing this tab from another perspective also hints at the possibility that despite hitting the Connect button on the home page, you may not really get the full connection speed or latency out of the server depending on what you work with.
Conversely, by selecting the server dedicated to the particular service tied with it, you ensure yourself getting the best routing for that low, low latency.
Okay, let’s say you know nothing about the servers or what connecting to them through a VPN can do. Well, the Quick Access tab is here to save the day because it basically tells you in a straightforward and descriptive way. No, don’t you dare click on the Secret Garden tab.
To enforce the idea of a well-protected connection, the Privacy Protection tab is full of it that allows one to pick whatever suit their use case at the current moment. More than half of the togglable options here are paid plan exclusives but I appreciate the fact that some of the more crucial ones like DNS protection and Kill Switch is free.
Yet the more intriguing functions are Security Reinforce and Browser Privacy as they don’t state them directly from the get-go.
For Security Reinforce, these are approaching from an “advisor” perspective as all it tells you are the state of certain circumstances and it is best to follow the recommended changes to buff up the overall safety level by closing up potential vulnerabilities. Ultimately, the choice is yours and it is important to pass the trigger back to the user for these kinds of things.
As for Browser Privacy, it’s much more simple as it mainly focuses on wiping cookies, downloaded files, caches, and history – basically wiping all the evidence of you accessing certain sites or using certain services.
The VIP exclusive benefits are leaning toward the quality-of-life side of things as you may get more things to fix up or have the program clean up your tracks automatically.

Since one of the core differences between a free and paid account is the ability to download and torrent files, thus I gave it a try by torrenting an album, and smartly, the VPN program knows I’m trying to “get files” that may land me in legal trouble so it recommends a P2P server.
And yep, the speed it can achieve is about 50% of my maximum bandwidth which I’ll gladly take if it means downloading something really really sneakily.
An Android App?
After browsing the iTop website, I found out they have mobile apps for iOS and Android as well so running an Android phone of mine, I’ve downloaded it to see if is there any difference.

Any difference you ask me? Well, the design language is drastically different here. For one, a history log that logs your past connection and lets you take a quick look (Although I don’t know why would anyone want to review them as part of the main tabs).
The core function is just your bread-and-butter VPN app – select a server, hit the big Connect button, and ding you’re in another country.
As a quick reminder, we have a review account for the PC version but I can’t find any login screens on the Android app instead, you watch a 30-second ad to unlock VIP servers for that session. Features and streamlining levels wise, it is quite a tier below what the PC version offers but it is free so I won’t criticize as much.
Conclusion

All in all, the iTop VPN’s interface design and categorization of services make the user experience really friendly as long as the user can understand English. I’d throw in some extra points to the Quick Access tabs as those tabs have proper descriptions of what they are doing and all users have to do is hit the Connect button and voila.
The extra care on the Privacy Protection app can also tune settings to make the entire browsing environment more secure and perhaps more flexible via the Split Tunnel function for those that need to access different networks with a different connections.
The connection quality is also what I expect out of a paid account which lets you connect to the fastest servers available and it did deliver that across the entirety of the review period, I was able to utilize all of my Internet connection to grab the downloads I need while doing things like watching live streams and seeding uploads without running into disconnections.
Pricing

Now the real question. Is it worth getting a paid account when you can use it completely free?
Well, the Plans page should make the contrast clear and concise. If you’re fine with just 700MB per day and all you need is a secured connection that blocks the snooping eyes while you do some sensitive transactions through a public access point, then yeah, you can stick with it.
But if you need anything more than that, particularly the removal of the daily quota, then the pricing of the paid plans which is currently having an Autumn Special Sale, by the way, is actually not bad where you can opt for either a 1-Year, 2-Year, or even 3-Year choice with longer commitments resulting in a lower per month cost for as low as just 83 cents USD per month.
For such a low price, you’ll get protected and be able to utilize the full internet bandwidth with no restrictions plus blocking all the ads and trackers across websites. These 3 points are basically what most people are seeking and if you have the need to download torrents or access streaming and gaming services, these are all extra icing given to a “cake” that is already quite good from the base. Therefore, move fast and secure one of these good deals before they run out if you have the extra money to spend right now.
Click here to get access to iTop VPN starting today.

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Celebrate the Christmas season and enjoy Buy 1 Get 2 deals at Lazada 12.12 Year End Sales

Christmas bell is ringing and so is the call for the last sale of the year as Lazada formally announces the 12.12 Grand Year-End Sale.

Look forward to getting double the joy when buying items within the “Buy 1, Get 2” subsidized category with discounts going as much as 90% while Lazada is committed to spreading the spirit of gifting through the LazadaForGood platform.
Ultimate value with Buy 1 Get 2
From 5th December onwards, head over to the platform’s “12.12 Subsidized by Lazada” page for hundreds of products from brands such as L’Oreal, Xiaomi, Tealive, Clinique, Vinnfier, and many others with discounts up to 90%. For tech readers, you gotta take note of the Xiao Mi Band 5, Weloop Neo, or Fujifilm Instax Mini Film Twin Pack as they are all eligible for the deal.

Aside from this, take note of other interesting categories and offers you can find during the campaign.

LazMall: Great discounts on products such as Apple iPhone XR 128GB, Edifier X3 True Wireless Earbud, Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, Philips Air Fryer, and Laneige Sleeping Water Mask to name a few
Big Brands Surprise: 50% vouchers available for buyers when they shop on Lazada from 12 p.m to 2 p.m on December 12. Start collecting them from December 5
Chup Dulu: From December 1 to 11 reserve items such as OPPO Reno X Zoom, illy Y3.2 iperEspresso Coffee Machine, Pandora Blossom Gift Set, and more to enjoy lower prices when checking out during the big day
Mesti Beli: Get up to 90% discount on items like the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus, realme Buds Wireless Pro, SOKANO OC006 Computer Office Chair, and Hada Labo Kouji Cream Mask
Jimat Borong: Buy in bulk to obtain a greater discount and value for your purchase. Items such as Olay Power Bundle Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Day Cream and White Radiance Light Perfecting Essence, Bare for Bare Probiotics Mask, Aveeno Baby Daily Moisture Lotion, Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief Repair and Prevent Toothpaste, MILO Activ-Go, and even Norwegian Frozen Salmon Steak Cut Bundle are all eligible!
Lazat: Satisfy the foodie spirit from Marrybrown and Xing Fu Tang, Burger King Deals below RM12, and exclusive Lazat dessert deals from Baskin Robbins, Secret Recipe, and Tealive. Consumers can also look forward to exclusive Coca-Cola deals from Burger King, Salad Atelier, Marrybrown, O’Briens, and Gindaco.
Free shipping with a minimum spend of RM12

Spread the Christmas Spirit with LazadaForGood

Lazada is encouraging Malaysians to come together and share the Christmas cheer with the nation’s frontliners fighting against COVID-19 and underprivileged communities who have been severely impacted by the ongoing pandemic. The LazadaForGood platform is raising funds for non-profit organizations (NGOs), including UNICEF, Zoo Negara, Hospis Malaysia, and more. Kind-hearted users can start to donate until December 12 to stand the chance to win surprise Lazada-subsidised rewards, which will be revealed soon on Lazada Malaysia’s social media pages.
Shoppertainment programs and games for more rewards
The signature Shoppertainment programs and games will give shoppers continuous entertainment while they are busying stuffing their carts. Chief Discount Officer Ain Edruce will be live streaming from December 11 from 9 p.m to 11 p.m to slash even more price on the spot. Play LazGames like “SharePocket” and share with your friends to win RM20 in the form of Lazada Wallet cashback or other freebies and attractive vouchers with LazCoins.
To smoothen the checkout experience, Lazada is also encouraging users to top up their Lazada Wallet which from December 8 to 11 there will be a rebate of up to RM65 and users also stand a chance to win amazing prizes of around RM650,000 from brands such as Mastercard, InterContinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Mhholiday and other partners.  Consumers can also participate in the ‘Make a Wish with Onederful Wallet’ on the Lazada app from 1 December to 12 December and win amazing 12.12 prizes such as Oneplus 8T, Apple AirPods Pro, and even an Apple Watch SE!
Make your wish come true of Wish for It, Vote for It

Who says we always got to be the Santa to somebody? Instead, Lazada is going to be the Santa this time with the “Wish for It, Vote for It” contest! Just head over to Lazada’s Feed from December 3 to 11 to participate and vote for your favorite “Gift”. Gain more votes by running missions and have a higher chance of getting a prize such as mobile phones, gaming gadgets, beauty packs, watches, headsets, and more. Winners will be announced on 12 December.
Catch the full information about products, discounts, and rewards here.

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Here are the prices for the Galaxy S23 series

Here they are! The official Malaysian retail pricing for the Galaxy S23 series of smartphones. We still have the 128GB variant but only for the base Galaxy S23, but the S23+ and S23 Ultra are at 256GB storage minimum.
The prices – they did increase by RM200 over the previous generation which I think is reasonable overall.

The prices for each configuration are as below:

Galaxy S23

128GB @ RM3,899
256GB @ RM4,199

Galaxy S23+

256GB @ RM4,699
512GB @ RM5,199

Galaxy S23 Ultra

256GB @ RM5,699
512GB @ RM6,199
1TB @ RM7,199

Samsung should also have pre-order bonuses too, so wait for a while for the official announcement.
It’s also interesting that Samsung decided to bring back 1TB variants this generation. We had 1TB since the Galaxy S10+ days but went back to 512GB for a few generations. I mean, since we don’t have the microSD card slot now, that 1TB variant will be useful for certain users.
To know more about the Galaxy S23 series, we have summarized everything into a video that you can watch here.

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Treat yourself for some free movie with Samsung Rewards starting today

Hey fellow loyal Samsung Rewards customers, there’s another deal coming right to you as MBO has joined hands with Samsung to bring you redeemable movie tickets for just 2000 points.

The deal will run for around 3 months and ends on the 31st of October and you just need to follow these steps to redeem your tickets for the long-awaited movie experience you have missed so much.

Ensure you have enough Samsung Rewards points.
Accept the terms and conditions to proceed.
Tap on the “Next” button.
Tap on “Done” and proceed with “OK”.
Check your redeemed e-voucher at the “My Voucher” list.
Exchange e-voucher at any MBO counters for movie tickets.

Since cinemas are allowed to operate from now and no recurring MCO are announced which I think should come during late August or early September, better go claim some free tickets and watch them while you still can.
Here are some quick links to hook you up with Samsung Rewards.

Google Play Store
Galaxy Store

Just stay safe in the cinemas. A new wave of the virus seems to be looming around now.

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Samsung Gear S2 is here!

Last week Samsung Malaysia did a launch for their Samsung Galaxy Gear S2 at Sunway Pyramid. The smartwatch was announced earlier during IFA 2015 as the successor to the previous Galaxy Gear S. It comes with two variant, Classic and normal. The normal version uses its own proprietary watch band. If you want to change the band you’ll have to get the watch band at Samsung stores near you. It comes with two colour, Dark Grey and Silver. The Classic version uses 22mm normal watch band, interchangeable with any normal watch band in the market and only comes with black colour.

A new feature on the watch this time is its new rotating bezel as navigator and buttons to select. While you still have your touch screen, you could also rotate the bezel to navigate through your selection and select with the button. Like its earlier predecessor, it runs Tizen-based operating system featuring 1.2″ full circular Super AMOLED screen with 302 ppi covered with Gorilla Glass 3 and powered by dual-core 1GHz Samsung Exynos 3250 and 512MB RAM with 4GB of internal storage. It has the battery capacity of 250mAh and charged via NFC. The smartwatch is only 11.4mm thick.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ with Galaxy Gear S2
Galaxy Gear S2 Classic with leather band
Galaxy Gear S2 is one of the nicest round smartwatch in the market right now. You can get one at the price of RM1399 for the normal version, and RM 1599 for the classic. at any Samsung store. We have a good news for anyone who planned to get one. The first 100 customers to purchase the Galaxy Gear S2 will get a free watch band worth RM 199. To those who is planning to get Galaxy Note 5 or S6 Edge+, you’ll also entitle to buy the Gear S2 at 10% discount. This could be a good gift for Christmas and New Year too.

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Samsung finally launches the Exynos 2200 with AMD GPU

Finally! We first thought Samsung will launch the Exynos 2200 during CES 2022, but decided not to. And all of a sudden, Samsung decided to just say – hey, here’s the long-awaited Exynos 2200 with the AMD GPU.

The teaser video doesn’t tell us anything much, honestly. However, looking at the official webpage for the Exynos 2200, we can get a lot more information.
This new Exynos 2200 is touted to have “console quality graphics on mobile” and I sure do hope that’s true since this new Exynos 2200 is using a new mobile GPU that is based on the AMD RDNA 2 architecture – the same architecture used on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S and X consoles.
Oh – this GPU is also called the Samsung Xclipse 920 GPU. It seems to be a Samsung-exclusive GPU too.

Other specs of the Exynos 2200 remains to be a little vague as of now. All the available information on the website are as such:

Process node

4nm

 CPU

Cortex-X2
Cortex-A710
Cortex-A510

GPU

Samsung Xclipse 920 based on AMD RDNA 2 architecture

RAM support

LPDDR5

Storage support

UFS 3.1

Unfortunately, that are all the information that we got from Samsung for the time being. I’m really hoping that we here in Malaysia are getting the Exynos 2200 chipset for the Galaxy S22 series. Seriously, it’ll be massively disappointing if we’re getting the Snapdragon this time.

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ILLEGEAR RAVEN Announced; Has Mechanical Keyboard

Did someone say a laptop with a mechanical keyboard? That’s something uncommon even after years since its first debut. At least more laptops are hopping onto the bandwagon – and the ILLEGEAR RAVEN is one of those laptops.
The ILLEGEAR RAVEN is a mid-range laptop with an emphasis on its looks. Let’s face it – it has RGB mechanical keyboard, all encased in a slim design.

Anyway, the ILLEGEAR RAVEN is the successor of the Q5 EVO model. Since ILLEGEAR is marketing the RAVEN as a mid-range gaming laptop, its specs are surgically chosen as well.

Intel Core i5-7300HQ (upgradeable to i7-7700HQ)
Nvidia GTX 1050 4GB (upgradeable to GTX 1050 Ti 4GB)
15.6-inch 1080p IPS display
Maximum of 2*16GB 2400MHz DDR4 RAM
2x M.2 SSD + 1x 2.5-inch SATA
Mechanical keyboard switch developed by ILLEGEAR

Now, let’s take another look at the mechanical switch. I can’t actually find any information regarding its performance – actuation force, travel distance, clickiness, or tactility. The keyboard is again, lit up by RGB lighting. I mean, come on – it’s 2017. RGB must be shoved down everyone’s throats irregardless if we actually use it or not.
It’s a mystery on how the switch actually feels.
The whole ILLEGEAR RAVEN seems pretty tiny too. It’s 4mm thinner and 300g lighter than its predecessor, the Q5 EVO, and even has smaller physical footprint while including a battery that’s 23% larger in capacity.
Other than that, it has a 3W subwoofer and dual 2W speakers which can be fine-tuned with the pre-installed SoundBlaster Cinema 3 software.

The price of the ILLEGEAR RAVEN starts from RM4,099 and up. Head on over to ILLEGEAR’s website to have a look and customize your setup if you need to.
Not a bad deal, if you ask me. Get the variant with an SATA SSD (it’s fine, trust me) and it’ll be more than enough. To be honest, that GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB VRAM is a GPU that’s very suitable for games like Overwatch.

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Review – Lenovo Ideapad Y700

I’ve always taken interest in the most balanced laptop ever – the one that has decent gaming specs and doesn’t cost much. This time around, the recently launched Lenovo Ideapad Y700 is a candidate in that niche. Just how well does it perform though? Let’s find out.
[alert type=”info” icon-size=”normal”]The Lenovo Ideapad Y700 that we are reviewing here is the 15.6-inch variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB M.2 SSD.[/alert]

The box that I got the Y700 in, is not the prettiest. It’s nice to know that the Lenovo Ideapad Y700 itself has thick foam surrounding it in all directions. That’ll surely keep it out of any damage.
Design

The Lenovo Ideapad Y700 has a similar color scheme compared to its predecessor. Still having that black color with red accent, and nothing much has changed since its predecessor, the Ideapad Y50.
General aesthetics on the Lenovo Y700 is derived from its predecessor’s design and build, then modified from thereon.

Even the lid has the same angled cuts at both sides and the same cross pattern across the entire lid. The only notable difference here is the Lenovo logo. Yes, they’ve redesigned their logo this year and I think the brand new logo matches the overall design a lot sleeker than before.
One thing I am impressed by this 15.6-inch laptop is the durability. Both the lid and the keyboard area have minimal flex, which means it’s a very durable laptop overall.

Underneath the Lenovo Ideapad Y700 is where things get a little different. The subwoofer is now located around the area below the trackpad, and the air intake is now filtered by a red mesh. Looks very good, in my opinion.

I’m generally unsure what this is for, but it is found on both sides of the Y700. More on this later.
One design choice that I don’t like is the sharp edge at the front. For me, this sharp edge does dig into my wrist, causing discomfort. A rounded edge might be better here.

[nextpage title=”Connectivity and ports”]
Placements for power button is still the same, from what I can see. The ports have been shuffled around, but it’s generally the same too. It covers a very basic amount and variety of ports, which is sufficient for many users.
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At the front is where the usual indicator LEDs are found.

The back however, is where things get a little heaty. A large set of fins can be seen from the outside, and this heatsink alone has to cool both CPU and GPU. I suppose it’s a beefier cooler than its predecessors, but we’ll have to test it out for sure.

There are also two little openings on two opposite corners around the wrist area, which is presumably for improved airflow. They serve as an opening for airflow.
These openings are reinforced with quite a thick layer of plastic too!
For those who are interested in what’s inside the Lenovo Ideapad Y700 then this is for you. Opening the back panel is excruciatingly confusing at the first time. After removing all of the screws, the back panel will have to be pried apart from the edge right below the center of its trackpad.
Once a gap is found, the back panel can be pried alongside the edges and eventually the whole back panel will come loose, but not removable just yet. Just be sure to take this step slow and steady.

The two little “hooks” found on the back panel are actually covers for the two satellite speaker covers that flank the screen’s hinge – which leads us nicely to the next section.
Maintaining and upgrading the Lenovo Ideapad Y700

Once the back panel has been popped off, the usual 2.5-inch HDD can be found at the lower right-hand corner, and beside it is the M.2 SSD slot.

The two SO-DIMM RAM slots are covered by a piece of thick aluminium foil. Not sure why, though.

Only one RAM slot has been used in this model, so it’s definitely upgradeable.
Cleaning made easy!
Looking around the Y700, I found out that Lenovo implemented a much more easily-accessible cooler. The fans can be removed fairly easily for a quick clean-up, and even the heat pipes can be unscrewed easily, so that the thermal paste can be renewed. A rather neat solution on Lenovo’s part.

As a bonus, the WiFi card can also be swapped – but beware, it might not work as Lenovo might have implemented a ‘WiFi card whitelist’ to its BIOS.

[nextpage title=”Screen”]
To iterate, the Lenovo Ideapad Y700 that we have here, has a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display with an anti-glare coating.
Unfortunately, this laptop is definitely not for creative professionals. The color reproduction and its accuracy are very poor, and it is instantly noticeable to my naked eye when I signed into my Google account on Chrome, and my beautiful theme sets in. I mean, when my deep greens look yellow like dried leaves, it’s definitely not as color accurate as I’d like it to be.
There is a slight tinge of blue on the reflection.
However, color accuracy isn’t important for gamers, so that’s okay for those who don’t have to stare at Photoshop or Lightroom.
Backlight bleeding however is minimal in this case. Lenovo even shipped the Y700 with a rather dark background – and they’re confident about this.
Earlier, I did mention about the anti-glare coating. I specifically mentioned the term “coating”, because according to systox from the official Lenovo forums, the anti-glare coating can be removed with heat and a little bit of careful surgery. Then, it turns into a clear, glossy display.

Also, please note that removing the film means that the film can no longer be reinstalled and reused, and it won’t improve the color reproduction too.
[nextpage title=”Trackpad, keyboard & speakers”]
They’re both surprisingly pleasant to be used, actually. The wrist rest area is covered with a soft-touch material all throughout the entire body of the Lenovo Ideapad Y700, but sweats and stains can be wiped off with relative ease.

The trackpad is smooth, and my fingers can glide across pretty well. It’s an okay trackpad – tracking is smooth and has no major hiccups and multitouch is pretty good too. Clicks are fine for me.

In this case, the keyboard feels fun to type on – as they have quite a springy feel to it but doesn’t require much force to actuate the switches.

Also, thanks for the backlit keyboard!
For the Lenovo Ideapad Y700, it has JBL speakers again – just like its predecessors. Yet to my surprise, it sounds surprisingly good, and also adequately bassy. It obviously won’t give you an immersive gaming experience with excellent directional audio, but it does provide adequate sound quality for games, music, and movies.

[nextpage title=”Performance”]
With all these said, what about the performance? Packing in an Intel Core i7-6700HQ, a 4C8T processor, GTX 960M graphics with 4GB VRAM, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 128GB SATA-based M.2 SSD. For additional storage, Lenovo included another 1TB hard disk.
Starting off with its SSD speeds. This particular variant of the Lenovo Ideapad Y700 sports a Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2 SSD – a 128GB M.2 SSD, for short.

For an SSD, I have to say that the SSD here isn’t the best. While the sequential read speeds are fine, the write speeds are quite bad. A typical scenario for SSDs (where we reviewed here, and another one here), the read and write speeds wouldn’t have such a large gap between them.
As for the 1TB secondary drive, the speeds are fine.

Now – how about games?
I tried to run Overwatch on the Lenovo Ideapad Y700 while it’s plugged in. The performance is fairly okay, given that the only bottleneck here is the GTX 960M graphics. It can, however, run Overwatch at Low-to-Medium settings (at 1080p with 100% rendering scale) at a fairly consistent 60FPS experience with V-Sync turned on.
While stressing both CPU and GPU together, there are no signs of thermal throttling. The fans do get very noisy, however. However, there are reports on the Lenovo Forums stating that there is a way to fix this, but it will require the removal of the fan filter on the underside.
You’ll have to remove the back panel first before removing the filter.
Playing some older titles like Assassin’s Creed III (thanks Ubisoft for the free game!), showed quite a consistent 31FPS all throughout the game on its highest settings at 1080p. However, it drops to about 21FPS at certain scenes.
[nextpage title=”Battery”]
For me, this is a strong point for the Lenovo Ideapad Y700. The battery lasts for about 5 hours while browsing and listening to music on Spotify while going on YouTube occasionally. Quite good, in my opinion.
However, don’t long gaming hours on battery though, as it lasts barely 2 hours of gaming on Overwatch with the aforementioned settings.
The included power brick, in this case, is a proprietary one. Not only that it uses the special USB-like plug that only Lenovo laptops use, but its required power is rather non-standard.

As stated on the output side, the Lenovo Ideapad Y700 takes in 20V at 6.75A – which means it’s at 135 watts. Finding a secondary power brick, in this case, might be a little tricky.
as I realized that there is a software-controlled performance throttling mechanism that triggers when the battery reaches 30% and below. It throttled the CPU down to about 780MHz. Obviously, it is to conserve battery while you save all your work and hunt for a power plug. However, I find it better if the performance can be maintained so that my tasks can be done quicker.
[nextpage title=”Wrap up”]
The Lenovo Ideapad Y700 is undoubtedly aimed towards those who seek a budget gaming laptop. It’s definitely not the fastest laptop on the market – because prices start from RM4,199 to RM4,999. The price variation here is due to the difference in the specs. Some of them have 4GB RAM with only 1TB HDD, whereas some come with 16GB RAM with a larger SSD. All of them do get to enjoy Lenovo’s 2 Year Carry-In Warranty too.
While there are certainly some issues that can somehow be worked around – like its screen quality and the thermal issues. I don’t see them as major issues unless you’re going to use the Lenovo Ideapad Y700 for colour-accurate work.

Lenovo pretty much took their existing laptop, fixed things that were wrong, updated its hardware, updated some aesthetics, and released the Y700. It’s a great budget gaming laptop that doesn’t cost a bomb, and offers a pretty pleasant experience overall.

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Save more in Samsung products with Gemilang Freedom Special Sales

It seems like Samsung has no intention to slow down its National Day sales. Mind you, we are still within the promotion period of the previous Gemilang Celebration offer and yet another barrage of discounts is coming your way.
We will keep this short. From now until September 16, you will be able to get the following items that either comes with free gifts or with reduced price to satisfy your shopping spree as we all know any festival or celebration could be the justification for self-pampering.

Product

RRP (RM)

Promo Period

Free Gifts/Promo Savings

Galaxy Tab S6

3,099

Until 31 August

Galaxy Buds + 4 months YouTube Premium Subscription

Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

1,699

Until 31 August

Keyboard Book Cover + 4 months YouTube Premium Subscription

All IM products

–

Until 31 August

Spend RM3000 and get free Galaxy Fit-e

Galaxy Watch

1,299

Until 31 August

Rebate of RM400 off RRP

75″ Q950TS QLED 8K

44,999

Until 30 September

Option1: Soundbar HW Q900T
Option2: Smart Air Purifier & Jet 90

The Sero

6,999

Until 30 September

Air Purifier

Wind-Free Premium Plus 2.5 HP

4,399

Until 30 September

USB Portable Blender

Front-Load Combo Washer with QuickDrive

4,599

Until 30 September

Solo Microwave Oven with Food Warming, 32L (MS32J5133GM/SM)

Looking for other items? Then catch other deals related to the National Day here instead.
And we have already reviewed the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite here. It’s a pretty good tablet for its price – and even better if you get it with some gifts.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds+ available now for RM599

The brand new Samsung Galaxy Buds+ was announced alongside the highly-anticipated Galaxy S20 series during the recent Unpacked event. While the Galaxy Buds+ does look the same as its predecessor, its upgrades are all under the hood.
The new Galaxy Buds+ has a supremely long battery life, which Samsung is claiming to be at 11 hours of playtime with a single charge, and provides 1 hour of playback with just 3 minutes of charging. Like its predecessor, you can also charge it wirelessly as it supports Qi wireless charging.

The Galaxy Buds+ now also features a 2+1 microphone system and a 2-way speaker for each bud. These microphones are made for ambient sound, not for noise cancelation. The 2-way speaker here means it has a woofer and a tweeter, providing a larger range of frequencies for improved sound quality and clarity.

With that said, the Galaxy Buds+ is currently retailing for the price of RM599.
We actually have a unit of the Galaxy Buds+ with us right now and we’re in the process of reviewing it – but our final conclusion is simple – the Galaxy Buds+ is an affordable premium high-end true wireless earbuds.
We’ll save all of our thoughts for the full review, which will be coming soon.

The Galaxy Buds+ is also available for a quick hands-on. Just visit the nearest Samsung Experience Store, which you can find here https://www.samsung.com/my/storelocator/.
To find out more information about the Galaxy Buds+, please visit https://www.samsung.com/my/wearables/galaxy-buds-plus-r175/.

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realme Malaysia opens first concept store in Mines Shopping Mall

realme Malaysia is really making major strides these few weeks. First with the launch of the realme 5 Pro (review) and realme 5 (review), and then the initial sales of the realme 5 Pro which sold out nationwide within the first 24 hours. That’s an amazing feat for such a young brand!
– Tiffany Teh, Brand Manager of realme Malaysia

Honestly, realme products are of great value. I have to admit, between the realme 5 series and the realme 3 series – there isn’t much of an upgrade overall, but still a great device for those who are looking to upgrade from an older device. That realme 5 with its 5,000mAh battery at RM599 though, is a stellar value that it offers.
Malaysia currently has its first concept store alongside with its third image store, and 4,000 more realme stores nationwide. That is just an insane amount of avenues and official stores for you to get your realme device.
For more information about realme Malaysia and its promotions (which happens often), visit its official Facebook and Instagram accounts. To find out the nearest realme store in your area, visit realme’s website here.

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Dell XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1 refreshed with Intel 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPU and more

The premium ultrabook lineup Dell XPS 13 and its convertible variant are getting a CPU and RAM clock speed upgrade alongside some QoL improvements to serve its user better than ever.

In short, the refresh brings Intel’s 11th Gen processors to the popular ultrabook from Dell and added support for Thunderbolt 4 which is the first to integrate the 8000 series controller for higher bandwidth and more expansive capabilities and features. The RAM clock speed is also getting a bump from 3733MHz to 4267MHz so users will notice a little more snappy user experience in daily workflows.

Targeting specifically for the 2-in-1 model, the IR camera is now featuring Windows Hello for easy and secure sign-in to the device, and the design is updated with machined aluminum in platinum silver with black carbon fiber or frost with arctic white woven glass fiber palm rest
Both of them will be available starting October from RM5,999 for the 2-in-1 and from RM6,399 for the standard edition.
Technically, the new XPS 13 with Tiger Lake is the same as the XPS 13 9300 , and our review is as below!

To fulfill their promises in reducing environmental waste, the XPS 2020 family will now arrive at your hands in a gift-box style package made from sustainably sourced materials, including a mix of recycled ocean-bound plastics, locally recycled plastic, and recycled corrugated. Furthermore, they aimed to overhaul the entire packaging lineup to use 100% sustainable packaging for all of its products by 2030.

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Steampunk Walking Ship on LEGO

When we were young, I bet most of us used to build a house, a ship or something random out of LEGO blocks. But now, Jason Alleman had brought us a new way to play with the LEGO by convincing you with an amazing steampunk walking ship  that he built – Amagosa.

Amagosa was modeled based on Strandbeest, a gigantic wind-powered walking kinetic sculpture created by Theo Jansen. It moves fast and creepy like a spider which it also reminds me of the giant mechanical spider in the Wild Wild West movie.
By using the LEGO power function system which included an IR receiver, battery box and two M-size motors, he constructed a walking frame for his trading ship, which fully supports the structure of the ship and walks using a LEGO remote control. There are four legs for each side of the ship, each of which is independently powered by a LEGO motor, allowing the ship to turn and to walk forward or in reverse.
Here are the video of the Amagosa in action:

If you are so interested in building a same walking frame, here are the instruction on his website: truedimensions. If you have build a same walking frame or other mechanical LEGO structure, please do share it with us!!!
Via : Inhabitat

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Honor 10 Announced; Coming May 22nd

Here you have it – the brand new Honor 10! It’s an evolution from the Honor 8 what we reviewed here in all aspects. Performance, the technology, features, and even aesthetics.
We’ve seen that the Honor 8 was indeed a revolutionary device when it comes to aesthetics. Who would ever make 15 layers of glass (dubbed as the Aurora Glass) just for looks? It’s a time-consuming process and as we all know, time is money. Yet Honor didn’t give up on the idea, but to improve on it.

The new Honor 10 comes with more than just the 15 layers of glass. Now, the mirror-like back is done by going through these steps:

3D glass
Nano-scale optical coating
15-layer craftsmanship

It’s with this process that the Honor 10 is able to achieve the stunning looks found in the Phantom Blue and Phantom Green variants. At different angles, the color shifts depending on what angle you’re looking at it. The Phantom Blue is a mixture that shifts between blue and violet, whereas the Phantom Green shifts from sea blue to jewelry green, and with violet. Personally, I love the Phantom Green a lot more.
Honor 10 in Phantom Blue.
The Honor 10 also touts an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that is hidden under the glass. While the fingerprint sensor is technically under the screen area, it cannot be felt by touch.

Speaking of the screen, it has a 5.84-inch screen with a 19:9 screen and a top-notch, featuring 96% NTSC color space at 2280×1080 resolution. The 24MP+16MP dual-camera system. From what we can deduce, they’re using the stereoscopic camera system. Learn more about it here.
The Honor 10 comes with AI photography too. One crucial technology here is semantic segmentation that Honor heavily stressed on. It separates the subject from the foreground and background, so more effects can be added and still look natural.
As for the full specs, the Honor 10 is obviously no slouch either:

Kirin 970 chipset with NPU

Octa-core processor with 4×2.36GHz + 4×1.8GHz

64GB or 128 internal storage (no microSD card)
4GB RAM
5.84-inch 2280x1080p display with top-notch
Cameras

Rear camera: 24MP f/1.8 + 16MP f/1.8
Selfie camera: 24MP

3,400mAh battery

Obviously, the next question is the price. While we don’t have the official pricing in Malaysia yet, we do know that the Honor 10 is €399.99 for the 64GB variant and €499.99 for the 128GB variant.
How will the prices change when it arrives to Malaysia? We still don’t know. May 22nd is the day that we’ll find out.

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Launch date for the next OnePlus flagship smartphone and TWS confirmed

OnePlus revealed and confirmed the existence of the OnePlus 11 5G and OnePlus Buds Pro 2 in their latest announcement.

Confirmed to be on February 7, 2023, the keynote will uncover the OnePlus 11 5G alongside the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 with the former seeing the return of Alert Slider after many fans and reviewers criticized the removal of one of the most iconic designs in the Android space in the OnePlus 10T 5G and also the continuous partnership with Hasselblad to provide the closest photographing experience to the world-renowned camera and lens manufacturer.
Whereas the next generation TWS from OnePlus is teased to provide well-rounded sound clarity and quality to go well with the aforementioned smartphone.
The launch will be conducted in New Delhi, India and more information should come through as 2023 approaches.

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Insta…What? Itsdagram for Windows Phone 8

The moment to which I have been waiting. Fiiinnnnaally, Santa has come early and grant millions of Windows Phone users their long lost wish. WP8 users around the world has shed their last tears and scream Insta!-whut?!
Yes, it is by far a clear copy cat of Instagram. But then again, nobody is complaining. Itsdagram is by far the most coolest thing that has hit the Windows app store since well, lets say never. So what is Itsdagram? It is a fully featured Instagram client where you can register, manage your profile, upload, comment, like, follow, and find Facebook or Twitter friends.

The better news that WP8 users have been raging about is the mere fact that its free. (there’s a paid ad-free version of course, but one can get the free one too).

I’m actually grinning to myself typing this article out but after minutes of messing around with this app, I instantly join the Instagram club and has since been hooked. Its pretty much user friendly (this coming from a tech geek) but the interface looks solid and I dare say I can’t see any imperfections. Camera filter updates are rumored to be coming out and knowing how Nokia likes their Lumia cameras so much, I can’t wait to my finger mashing groove on.

So to make an end statement, I shall leave you with a video and have the final say Instagram Windows Phone 8 jokes no more, Itsdagram has arrived.

Via : WP Central

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Incoming: Android 9.0 Pie + One UI For Samsung Galaxy Note9

This is just fascinating – SamMobile just reported that for the Galaxy Note9, the Android 9.0 Pie with One UI update has already reached stable state and is currently being rolled out to Germany already!
Samsung has once again chosen Germany to be the starting point for the Galaxy Note9’s Android 9.0 Pie update that is bundled with Samsung’s brand new One UI. For the Galaxy S9’s Pie update, Samsung also chose Germany as the starting point.

It actually changed the color of the wallpaper according to the phone’s color.
SamMobile reports that the stable Pie update has the build number N960FXXU2CRLT and includes the January 2019 security patches. Of course, this update is not available for Malaysia just yet.
Speaking of regional availability, the Samsung published the schedule publicly and listed the Galaxy S9 to get the Android 9.0 Pie + One UI update in January 2019 – but it was first reported to be rolling out to devices somewhere in mid-December of 2018. The list of countries getting Android 9.0 Pie + One UI update grows by the day – but Malaysia is still not in the list yet.

Then comes to the Note9. Originally, it was listed that the Note9 will get the Android 9.0 Pie + One UI update in February 2019 – but Samsung jumped the gun a month earlier since Germany is already getting the update right now.
Samsung’s full plan might be to roll out slowly through its list of regions in sequence as to not overload the servers and to potentially fix any critical bugs that they’ve missed out before deploying to millions of users worldwide.

Samsung still has lots of time to fulfill the timeline of their publicly published update schedule. We still have 26 days left in January for the Galaxy S9’s update and 54 days for the Galaxy Note9’s update to be rolled out worldwide.
Either way, if you’re looking to pick up the Galaxy S9, check out our review here. If you’re interested in the unique Galaxy Note9 – check here. We even took the Note9 as our daily phone during one of our travel!

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Honor 8 Breathes New Life With Android 7.0 Nougat Update

We’ve talked about the Honor 8 very extensively here on Nasi Lemak Tech – and there’s a good reason for it too. That phone is fantastic – it offered magnificent performance, battery, camera, and features – and at a very affordable price.
You can check out our full review of the Honor 8 here! Of course – that review was done when it was still running the old EMUI version. Now, the new Android 7.0 Nougat update brings EMUI 5.0 and a lot of other fixes to the table too!

Yep! I got mine updated, but through an unorthodox method.
Let’s take a look at the whole list – nicely summarized by Honor Malaysia – while you’re downloading that humongous 2.23GB update.
All New Design
The EMUI 5.0 brings in a clean and beautiful user interface that is meant to break the Android less-than-appealing interface stereotype. The Honor 8 gets a new and refresh look through an Aegean Sea blue theme that integrates pure white colors throughout the user interface and a sensory effect that is inspired by the interaction between light and shadow.
As well as a revamped look, the EMUI 5.0 gives users simple home screen choices, where users have a choice between a Standard and App Drawer without looking towards a 3rd party launcher.
Intuitive Interactions
The Honor 8 is already equipped with intuitive functions that enable users to use the device with ease. However, the EMUI 5.0 takes this one step further by simplifying the phone’s operations, where 90% of core operations can be completed in just three steps. Users can now 1) Swipe left to delete any SMS messages/emails/notes/notifications, 2) Touch and hold to block notifications, and 3) Touch to reply messages.
We all make mistakes when using our devices – however, the EMUI 5.0 can now minimize these mistakes by differentiating between intentional and unintentional actions. As a result, users will see a success rate increase to over 90% when dialing, photographing, keyboard input, and other usage scenarios.
For users that find it a hassle to juggle between two accounts on applications, the EMUI 5.0 solves this problem by enabling users to log in to two accounts at the same time. EMUI 5.0 also makes it easier for you to share your life with another Honor user – just use Huawei Share to auto-pair with another device, a one-step process to share photos, music, and much more.
Faster Is Better
It is well understood that devices’ performance tends to drop over time. However, the EMUI 5.0 was built on five revolutionary technologies that are meant to prolong a device’s life. Through Machine Learning, Smart CPU Allocation, Smart RAM Allocation, Smart Storage Allocation, and Android System Component Optimization, the EMUI 5.0 brings in a faster speed and performance time. As a result, these devices will still have stellar performance even after 18 months of use.
Enhanced Security Measures
With the widespread use of technology today, the issue of security has been rising. EMUI 5.0 acknowledges this issue and incorporates safety measures that will reassure users. The new UI comes with an effective virus scan that detects known and unknown virus. Additionally, a 3D fingerprint function is used for a more secure biometric. For users wary with opening hyperlinks, EMUI 5.0 scans hyperlinks in real time so users will be alerted if any scams and viruses are detected in the scan.

Now, there are some other tinier changes that Honor brought to the Honor 8 too. For example, the vibration now feels a lot more subtle and gentle compared to the previous EMUI version – which I absolutely love.
The other big issue that the older EMUI version will have the color of the screen go really terrible under high brightness. That’s no longer the case in the new EMUI 5.0, as Honor has fixed the issue.
I’ve been using EMUI 5.0 for a few days now – and all I can say is that the update here is fantastic. Make sure you get yours today!

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Philips TAPH805 wireless over-ear noise cancelling headphones now available in Asia

We just got news stating that Philips released a brand new over-ear wireless headphone with active noise-cancellation too. It is called the Philips TAPH805. And we truly didn’t expect Philips to release a headphone, honestly.
The new Philips TAPH805 comes with a total of 4 ECM microphones, two feedback microphones located inside the earcup and two feedforward microphones outside the earcup. Those earcups are also made out of soft memory foam.

The brand new Philips TAPH805 boasts quite a lot of impressive specs other than just having ANC. Philips paid extra attention to the battery life and claims that the TAPH805 can last for up to 30 hours of play or talk time with a single charge. It also has rapid charging where we can get 2 hours of play time with 5 minutes of charging, and quick charging where we can get 6 hours of play time with 15 minutes of charging.
The new Philips TAPH805 is also packed with large 40mm neodymium acoustic drivers, certified for Hi-Res Audio, and also has built-in voice assistant support.
In terms of ergonomics, the Philips TAPH805 folds into a compact footprint so that it can be kept in a hardshell case.

The Philips TAPH805 wireless headphone with noise-cancellation is priced officially at RM999 and it is available at these stores. For the first 100 customers at any of these stores, the Philips TAPH805 is available at a promotional price of RM699 only!

Philips official Lazada store
Asashi Website
Asashi’s Lazada store
Asashi’s Shopee store
EIT Store
Electrical Shing Hing

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The launch date for the OPPO A74 is set to be May 20 with exclusive offers at RM899

While it was just around 3 weeks ago that OPPO Malaysia has released the OPPO A74 5G smartphone with an affordable price tag, it seems that it can push the ratio even better through the introduction of the standard 4G model.

In addition to taking away the 5G capability, the screen is reportedly no longer a 90Hz but instead, a 60Hz panel, and the ultra-wide lens is absent too but instead, you’ll get a slightly better and decent SoC alongside a higher rated fast charge wattage. Other than that, it is pretty much the same.

6.43-inch AMOLED Display

Top Left Punch Hole Notch

Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 Chipset
6GB RAM
128 Storage
Triple Rear Camera

Main: 48MP f/1.7 with PDAF
Macro: 2MP f/2.4
Depth Sensor

16MP Selfie Camera
5,000mAh Battery

33W Fast Charge

Prism Black, Midnight Blue
RM899

Early Bird Exclusive Offer
OPPO Malaysia will be honoring the first 200 orders by throwing in an extra Enco W11 TWS for free in addition to an RM20 Lazada Voucher and if you need an extra pair of TWS for yourself or the homies, the Enco Buds can be bought with 50% discount through the A74 PWP program but you’ll need to buy it through OPPO’s official store.
For the lowest price possible, however, Lazada’s TechMall will be offering the device at RM799 only on launch day May 20 with the smartphone unit alone – no freebies, etc. If you don’t need anything else, go for this deal instead.

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Review – Ugreen 9-in-1 HDMI Ethernet USB-C Hub (CM179)

The dongle life is not going anywhere. Even with the latest MacBook Pro with more ports brought back to the laptop, there are no USB-A ports and no Ethernet port. That is why we’ll still need hubs like this – the Ugreen 9-in-1 HDMI Ethernet USB-C Hub (CM179).
If I’m not mistaken, this hub is Ugreen’s highest-end offering as it now comes with a total of 9 different ports that we’ll all need:

3x USB 3.0 Type-A
1x HDMI (capable of 4K 60Hz)
1x VGA
1x Ethernet
1x SD card reader
1x microSD card reader
1x USB-C for charging

The most important highlight here is the 4K 60Hz output through HDMI as many other USB-C dongles are only capable of outputting 4K 30Hz. That’s just a quirk when it comes to dongles.
4K 60Hz through this USB-C hub is such a big feature that it has to be highlighted on the product itself.
Moreover, this dongle also comes with high-speed USB-A ports alongside a dedicated USB-C charging port that can support up to 100W. Dongle consolidation is a plus point that I think many people will like as we do not need to sacrifice another USB-C port for charging.

For creators out there, it also comes with both SD card and microSD card readers – and that is something that I appreciate. I mean, we can’t have too many SD card readers now, can we?

As for the one remaining side of the dongle, we have an HDMI port that is capable of outputting 4K 60Hz signal, a VGA port for those who are still using legacy products like supremely old projectors in the office, and lastly – an Ethernet port if you need it.

Seriously though – the price of RM188.85 might sound a bit daunting now – but I think it’s worth the price. It provides more than enough ports for most users and honestly speaking – it can benefit my use case too as my laptop needs more USB ports.

Where to buy? (Affiliate links)
There are a few choices. Since this is the 4K 60Hz version of the hub, you can get it specifically from:

Lazada
Shopee

Also, since 11.11 Ugreen Super Brand Sale is upon us – you can get these deals too:

Up to 90% off storewide
Grab limited 50% off vouchers
20% off extra in the first 2 hours, first come first save (12 AM – 2 AM 11th NOV)
Massive flash sales items & free gifts

So, if you want to enjoy these promotions – head to the links below to learn more.

UGREEN Lazada
UGREEN Shopee

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ASUS ZenFone 5z 8GB RAM + 256GB Storage Price Leaked; RM2,299 Only

Just a day ago, we have the ZenFone 5z with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage price leaked at RM1,899. Today, we have the price for the highest end 8GB RAM with 256GB of storage leaked – and thanks once again to Lazada for the leak!
It’s looking real good, as it’s way cheaper than what OnePlus and Mi Mix 2S has to offer. For just RM2,299, you’ll get Snapdragon 845, 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and also 256GB of UFS 2.1 storage. That is the best specs you can get.

The ZenFone 5z will have a large 6.2-inch 2246×1080 resolution IPS LCD display as well.
Other specs remained the same as the ZenFone 5 that we already reviewed here, namely the dual rear-cameras – one with Sony IMX363 12MP sensor f/1.8 24mm with PDAF and 4-axis OIS and EIS, and another with OmniVision 8856 8MP sensor f/2.0 12mm fixed focus with 120° wide-angle. As for the selfie camera, it’s another OmniVision 8856 8MP sensor with f/2.0 24mm fixed focus.
Everything on the ZenFone 5z is powered by a 3,300mAh battery, which is sufficient enough for day-to-day use thanks to the efficiency that the Snapdragon 845 has. Also, after many complaints, ASUS finally included fast charging with its 9V 2A charger for the ZenFone 5z.
With that said, the ZenFone 5z is currently the one smartphone with the best value for a smartphone with Snapdragon 845 chipset and the fastest storage technology available in the market. The price is only RM2,299. And we expect it to arrive to market soon as well, since it’s already listed on ASUS Official Store in Lazada.
Let’s not forget that the ZenFone 5z also has a microSD card slot as well. That’s something that the OnePlus 6 and Mi Mix 2S does not have.

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Coursera let coronavirus-impacted universities have free access to their catalogs

The world’s largest online study platform Coursera has announced that any university around the world that has been impacted by COVID-19 which affected academic progress can now partner up with them and let their students have access to more than 3,800 courses for free.

Institutions who signed up for this will have full access until July 31 of this year while students who just enrolled will get extensions until September 30. One of the earlier adopters Duke University has been using the platform for their campus in China when the initial outbreak occurred.
It is surprising to see that even in the education field industry leaders are determined to minimize disruptions caused by any threat on a global scale and we certainly appreciate what Coursera offers during dire times in need.
Now it comes to whether Malaysia universities sign up for this deal or do they have enough internal resources to keep students and employees undisrupted? Given that the Ministry of Higher Education has released statements to stop all online digital studies for the moment, it is hard to say if any decision gets retracted.
Perhaps this is the time that digital transformation for education needs to take place. However, it all boils down to the users themselves. Are we disciplined enough to avoid the tempetations of home comfort? Seems like we do not have a choice since we are in the Restricted Movement Order is in effect now.

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Review – JOI Classmate 30: Relative high-powered laptop for kids

As the “new normal” requires us all to be connected via the internet for work and education, we’re seeing an increase in laptops that are made especially for kids. This is the new JOI Classmate 30, a laptop that is also catered towards the school kids and comes with relatively high performance.
Okay, so this laptop is a fairly simple one. The price of this laptop is RM1,999 – and here is what you’re getting.

This laptop has a pretty rough matte finish that you can definitely hear the coarseness when I run my fingers across. Like other kid-friendly laptops that we’re tried previously, the JOI Classmate 30 is also made entirely out of plastic.

Opening up the laptop reveals a 14-inch screen with 1366×768 resolution, but it’s a TN panel. Yeah… I’m not the biggest fan of the TN panel. The color shifting is too distracting and it doesn’t feel like there’s a proper way to look at the laptop screen optimally without color shifts.
And the bezels are thick but that is to protect the screen from getting damaged when it drops. And there’s also a webcam at the top of the display. It’s a fairly decent webcam too.

The keyboard is fairly decent. It works pretty well but does need some getting used to because the keyboard is using the ISO keyboard layout but with some key positions at different places. It’s a very personal thing, but I personally got used to the ANSI keyboard layout.

Typing on the JOI Classmate 30 might feel rattly and the keyboard flexes, but that is because those tabs holding the keyboard in place are exposed. You can pop them off easily and change another keyboard if it broke.
Those little indents are the tabs that hold the keyboard in place.
Interestingly, the JOI Classmate 30 comes with dust and water protection. The keyboard can hold up to 100 cubic centimeters of water inside – and I can assure you that kids will definitely spill drinks on their laptops.
Yep, the laptop still works after this debacle.
As for the trackpad, it’s quite good. The tracking is actually on par with many of the higher-end, more expensive laptops in the market and also uses Windows Precision Touchpad drivers so all the multitouch gestures work perfectly.

The trackpad is also pretty coarse and it gave me a tingly sensation after using it for some time.
Now, the ports on this laptop are pretty funky. On the left side, we have a barrel jack for power, an Ethernet port, a VGA port, HDMI port, a USB 3 port, and an audio jack.

Then on the right side, we have a microSD card reader, a USB 2, and another USB 3 port.

It did feel weird to see a VGA port on this kind of laptop – but I presume it’s for kids who need to do a presentation on the school’s supremely old projector or something like that. I mean, having legacy support makes sense in this case.
Okay, the performance of this laptop. I just wanna say that this laptop is definitely a rather powerful one. It comes with an Intel Core i3-1005G1 with 4GB RAM and 256GB of storage.

That Intel Core i3-1005G1 made sure that all of my typical usage is handled properly, without any lags. My typical usage consists of heavy Chrome browsing, some Spotify, and some YouTube in the mix.
I mean, the Intel Core i3-1005G1 is definitely powerful enough for kids to make some beautiful PowerPoint presentations with 3D models and animations.
Jumping in and out full screen mode is snappy.
Even maximizing and minimizing YouTube videos is fast and snappy – and I’m pretty jealous of the hardware that these students are going to experience with the JOI Classmate 30.
With this list of specs and my heavy usage, the JOI Classmate 30 still manages to last about 5-6 hours with its 37Wh battery. Pretty decent.

Should you consider getting the JOI Classmate 30?
And all in all, the JOI Classmate 30 is available right now for the price of RM1,999. If you’re looking for a laptop for your child who is attending primary school or kindergarten, then the JOI Classmate 30 should be in your consideration.
It’s a good laptop for kids to get a taste of relatively high-performing laptops without breaking the bank and still have some kid-friendly features like dust and water resistance.

Where to buy?

Lazada
Shopee

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The YES PRIHATIN program receives 3 new Learn From Home plans and a limited RM1 Pakej Merdeka package

Telcom brand YES is currently celebrating the Malaysian spirit by bringing in a new array of initiatives (plans or packages, you pick the term) to empower Malaysians to stay connected digitally.

To recap, the Jaringan Prihatin program launched back in May has partnered with YES to launch a series of prepaid and postpaid plans at a very low cost to help B40 families transit to digital platforms of education, business or entertainment more easily. In conjunction with Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day in September, YES has introduced 3 new packages with even better offerings.

YES PRIHATIN Learn From Home Family Postpaid (RM15 per month) [1-Year contract]

Samsung Galaxy A02 (FREE)
Daily 15GB+Unlimited+2GB Data
Free access to FrogAsia
RM50 Shopee Voucher

YES PRIHATIN Learn From Home Individual Postpaid (RM15 per month) [1-Year contract]

Samsung Galaxy A02 (RM105 Upfront, 1-time)
Daily 15GB+Unlimited+2GB Data
Free access to FrogAsia
RM50 Shopee Voucher

YES PRIHATIN Huddle XS Plan Prepaid

YES Huddle DS Portable WiFi Dongle (FREE)
Monthly 30GB Data

In addition to the three, there’s also an even more affordable package, the Pakej Merdeka that only costs an upfront RM1. Yes, a single piece of blue paper will net you the following items under a 1-year contract at RM49 per month.

Samsung Galaxy A02
100GB Data
Unlimited Calls

YES also announced that the Learn From Home Initiative launched to help the B40 families adapting to online learning, will be extended until August 31 of next year to continue to support the education sector where government schools are basically barred from operation for an extensive period already.
More info about the plans can be found here.

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Hotlink upgrades all internet plans by removing speed restrictions and higher quotas; Gives cashback vouchers to youths as well

Hotlink is bringing some good news for all users of the Hotlink Unlimited and Hotlink Pantas packages – no more speed restrictions.

Ditching the old plans while introducing the new one, all plans basically are capable of accessing high-speed internet now (Albeit the Pantas tier still has data quota but hey, higher capacity now!).
As for other aspects, nothing has changed so those who just want to call up their friends and talk for hours, you may do so as usual.
Here are the details of the refreshed plans.

Plan

Details

Hotlink Unlimited RM50

12Mbps Unlimited Internet, Hotspot, Calls

Hotlink Unlimited RM40

6Mbps Unlimited Internet, Hotspot, Calls

Hotlink Pantas RM35

40GB Uncapped Internet + Hotspot, Unlimited Calls

Hotlink Pantas RM25

20GB Uncapped Internet + Hotspot, Unlimited Calls

Additionally, youth who purchased one of these plans can receive a 20% cashback voucher (terms and conditions applied).

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Samsung unveils Exynos 9825 chipset; world’s first 7nm EUV fabricated chip

It seems like Samsung is only keeping the Note10 as its main focus for the UNPACKED event later as they have just published all the details of the Exynos 9825 that is expected to be found in the Galaxy Note10 series of smartphones.
Firstly, Samsung made an emphasis that this is the world’s first chipset that is fabricated using the 7nm EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography process. Here’s a quick crash course on what it means.

In the process of making a chip or a processor, one of the steps is lithography. This process draws the circuitry for the components inside the chip. As of now, the industrial norm is to use UV light to “print” the circuitry onto the silicon. However, the circuit “wires” or “pathways” with UV light is relatively huge compared to EUV. Hence, the shift of EUV means that you can have a more efficient layout for your circuitry and potentially pack more transistors in the same footprint.

Now, we’re not sure what other changes did to the chipset but by looking at Samsung’s official page for the Exynos 9825 and compare it to the Exynos 9820, they’re both very different in terms of feature highlights, but still have the same simplistic specs list.
By the way, this is also the one of the mobile chip that is actually capable of viewing 8K 30fps videos. Perhaps Samsung will enable 8K 30fps video capturing on the upcoming Galaxy Note10? Only time will tell.
We’ll have to wait for more information before we are able to confirm anything else.

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HyperX Empowers Gamers With RGB Gaming Gears

With the popularity of video games Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), the gaming peripheral market continues to grow at a rapid pace. Gamers also seek to further personalize their gaming visual experience and customize their PCs and the whole gaming environment.

HyperX’s products have something special in the market for all of its category of products.
Gamers can set up their own Alloy Elite RGB to be unique by complete color customization with NGenuity software, along with up to three custom lighting profiles that can be saved directly to the keyboard’s on-board memory for on-the-go lighting.
The Pulsefire Surge RGB features a design improvement that allows both palm and claw grip users to enjoy using the Pulsefire Surge while playing any game style or genre. It not only provides pinpoint accuracy with its Pixart 3389 sensor and 16,000 DPI resolutions, gamers can customize RGB colors on the 360º light ring, DPI button and HX logo all through the HyperX NGenuity software.
The Predator DDR4 RGB features industry-leading, patent-pending HyperX Infrared Sync technology, providing an enhanced visual experience by keeping the module lighting in sync through Aura Sync, Mystic Light, and RGB Fusion

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ASUS Launches Transformer Book T100

It’s been a while since Microsoft announced that the Windows 8 will be efficient enough to be ran on tablets and supports SoCs. I find it very believable too with the given extra battery life that I got on my laptop compared to Windows 7.

With that, ASUS launched the new Transformer Book T100, a 10-inch convertible tablet that runs on Intel Atom’s latest quad-core processor, Bay Trail. The specs of the device is stated as below :

Quad-core Intel Atom Z3742 (1.33GHz)
Intel HD graphics (7th generation)
10-inch IPS display, 1366×768 resolution
2GB RAM
32GB storage
1.2MP front-facing camera
31Wh battery

And oh – let’s not forget that this is also the first ever Windows 8 tablet by Asus that runs on Windows 8.1 out of the box! No hassle to upgrade from Windows 8 or anything else, it’s all done for you!

The Transformer Book T100 is now available in Malaysia and is priced at RM 1,299.

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Durian traders now embracing e-commerce; Get durians for RM0.66 during Shopee 6.6 Super Sale

Have you been consuming durians in the last couple of months? If you did, you might experience the overall quality is not as good as they were used to be. In my case, the usual durian stalls in my area straight up disappeared.
It turns out, high rainfalls and farms lacking manpower support due to the imposed Movement Control Order are the main reason resulting in lower-than-normal yield at below 300,000 metric tonnes this durian season, according to Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA).

However, most durian sellers foresee demand to remain strong domestically and internationally especially from the Singaporean and Chinese markets with China’s economy beginning to recover. FAMA also encouraged sellers to embrace e-commerce to boost their sales during this challenging period. This is where Shopee comes into the big picture.
Durian products straight to your doorstep

They have found that local durian sellers are pretty resilient about the disruptions and are very progressive in their approach to e-commerce while products such as D24, Musang King, XO, Hor Lor, Udang Merah and more have started to appear on the platform. Many have also gotten creative with their own campaigns like Duduk Rumah, Makan Durian in order to stay relevant.
To help fellow durian sellers sustain their incomes and give Malaysians their durian fix, during the upcoming Shopee 6.6 Super Sale event, offerings such as Shan Cheng Durian and Mountain Cat, along with 500 other durian and fruit sellers will be featured starting now until 6 June.
The Shocking Sales section during the main day where items are only priced at RM0.66, will include these delicious fruits too, as well as an added 10% in-store discount for selected sellers throughout the campaign, free shipping with a minimum of RM16 spent, and daily RM6 vouchers.
Craving for these good old friends of yours? Then mark it on your calendar and check out the rest of the information at the Super Sale’s official page.

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Wiko’s new Power U10 and U20 is purely about battery capacity; Starts at RM379

Wiko’s latest battery-focused smartphone devices Power U10 and U20 have gone official in Malaysia.
Positioned as a cheap alternative suitable for multi-day usage off a single full charge, the Power U10 and U20’s job is basically serving the most basic Android and online service to the user. People who are seeking a 2nd phone just for messaging or as a backup will find this pretty attractive for the price tag.

Here’s a quick rundown of the hardware specs.
Power U10

6.8-inch IPS LCD Display

720p resolution
Waterdrop Notch

MediaTek Helio A25 chipset
2GB RAM
32GB storage, expandable up to 256GB
13MP rear-facing camera
5MP selfie camera
5,000mAh battery
Carbone Blue, Denim Blue, Turquoise
RM379

Power U20

6.8-inch IPS LCD Display

720p resolution
Waterdrop Notch

MediaTek Helio G35 chipset
3GB RAM
32GB storage, expandable up to 256GB
Triple rear-facing cameras

Main: 13MP
QVGA Lens
Depth Sensor

5MP selfie camera
6,000mAh battery
Slate Grey, Navy Blue, Mint color
RM429

Availability
You can grab the Power U10 and U20 right now on Lazada and Shopee through their official store page as well as local resellers.

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The Spotify Heist – How Thieves Are Profiting Off Stolen Music

Spotify has its own fair share of issues since its launch. These problems range from simple frustrating UI to unusable functionality, and all the way up to the nature Spotify’s ecosystem. Yes – piracy within Spotify is as severe as it sounds, and I’m not clickbaiting.
Here’s why it matters, but first, a brief context of what’s going on. There are two separate parts to this story that are linked together, so hear me out here.

The short, TL;DR version is this: free music tracks were stolen and reuploaded and sold/streamed on multiple platforms for profit.
P/S: Personal thanks to Joakim Karud for the help throughout this whole investigation.
Check out his chillaxing tracks at his SoundCloud!
The Spotify Heist
I’m a user of Spotify Premium for over a year now, and actually, I can only say that throughout the entire year, I start to realize a lot of duplicates with Spotify.
One way that I truly like about Spotify is their Discover Weekly playlist where it’ll recommend new 30 songs every week. I’m not particularly sure what’s affecting the recommendation algorithm – BPM, genre, artist, language, or what’s saved in my playlists – as I’ve gotten quite a wide variety of recommended music that is situated in two ends of the spectrum within the same week.
The “stolen music” in question are duplicated uploads or songs that do not have the original artist listed.
With that said, its algorithms are sometimes a little too smart and recommended songs that I have already added into my account – which is really awkward. I’ll dive into the full details later, as I have full proof that there is clearly stolen music in Spotify that has a high chance it’s profited off of.
These two are the exact same song!
I don’t mean that people are downloading music illegally. Actually, this is much worse to some extent. I’ve heard a few great pieces of music getting uploaded by multiple different “artists”. Obviously, these “artists” took the song from the original creator and upload to Spotify as their own.
Where’s the proof that the track is stolen?
Let’s make a comparison here. Zengo was actually recommended to me by Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist. Awkward.
So, what’s wrong here? Well… Let’s just say that CraftyBoy didn’t create this beautiful piece of music. Joakim Karud did. I know this because I used his music on a lot of our videos in our Nasi Lemak Tech YouTube channel, and I’ve used that particular song some time ago.

Listen to Joakim Karud’s Dreams here.
Listen to CraftyBoy’s Zengo here. It has since been removed from many places on the internet. This is the only remaining site where it’s available. More on this later.

That raised another suspicion – the nitty gritty details on who, when, and where the music was uploaded to. Let’s have a quick comparison.

Artist name
Joakim Karud
(verified on Spotify)
CraftyBoy

Track name
Dreams
Zengo – Original Mix

Label
Joakim Karud
Minimal of Sound

Year published on Spotify
2016
2017

Free to download?
Yes, on The Artist Union
No, £0.69 on Amazon UK

From my investigations, it doesn’t seem like CraftyBoy is a real artist. This is the only one song I can find that’s by this person. That triggered a thought and suspicion in me – which artist in this world doesn’t want recognition? Also, CraftyBoy uploaded a year after Joakim Karud uploaded his version.
CraftyBoy made a crafty sleight of hand by cutting 2 seconds off Joakim’s song!
So the next question here is this – is CraftyBoy’s Zengo a remix of Joakim Karud’s Dreams? That will dispell all of these problems, no?
My answer to that is this – They’re exactly the same! If they’re both still available on Spotify right now, then you can verify that.
Is the thief profiting?
Is this stealing with an intent for personal benefit? I can’t say for sure, but most probably yes, since this CraftyBoy is indeed crafty enough to attempt selling the song at Amazon UK. Also, Spotify is paying in a per-stream basis to the music label too.
By the way, you and I can’t just waltz into Spotify’s website or app and upload a music for everyone to listen to. It’s a music streaming service, not a music sharing service, as it is clearly stated here by a Spotify Legend.
It’s quite difficult to know how much the thief (thieves) earned exactly, so let’s guesstimate. The track named Why We Lose by Cartoon was stolen and renamed to Downfall by Paradise. Spotify says that the stolen track was played over 500,000 times. Five hundred thousand times.
According to this chart, Spotify pays USD $0.00437 per stream – and that sums up to more than USD $2,000. This sum excludes sales from Juno Download and other streaming platforms, too.
So I went on ahead to get some of the facts right. I turned and asked the most appropriate person in regards to this case in particular – Joakim Karud himself.
Speaking to Joakim Karud himself
The man himself.
Fortunately, I got a hold of him on Twitter via DM. He is kind enough to fill me in with the details of what happened. Here’s a short summary of what he told me:

Another guy did inform Joakim that the track was stolen sometime in June
The track was actually uploaded to iTunes, Google Play, etc. I verified this, but since it has been removed from Spotify, it is slowly disappearing everywhere else too.
I expedited the issue to Spotify Malaysia (thanks for the help!) and it has been removed as of now. The stolen track is currently in “limbo” mode in Spotify – it’s not playable while the investigation is still going on. Spotify is giving a chance to the thief to defend himself.

Joakim told me that he did report the stolen track on Spotfiy. Surprisingly, there is indeed a report button – but you can’t report individual tracks. You can only report the artist.

That’s the end of this saga then? Not exactly – I’m afraid I’ve just opened a can of worms that only raises more complexity in this issue. Honestly, I’m not sure how Spotfiy can solve the issue. Does having an official artist channel like VEVO channels on YouTube solve anything? ?
But wait… there’s more stolen music!
So the dust has settled… for now. That particular track has been removed. Well, one out of many more out there by the same person (or group), actually. I got a link to Juno Download, a music marketplace. It has an interesting feature – to display all music that’s published by only one particular music label name.
There were more stolen tracks by the same person (or group)!
Here’s where I saw a lot of music artwork with the same design template as CraftyBoy’s. A dark yellow background with an Earth and a radio tower at the center top. That’s rather interesting… Perhaps they’re uploaded by the same people behind CraftyBoy? But I’m not sure if they’re stolen. If they are stolen, I don’t know the original track name and artist, too.
Then I had a eureka moment – why not just let Shazam do all the work for me?
Tracking down the original tracks and artists
Juno Download has a “track preview” feature which I can use Shazam to listen to it, and let it do all the hard work for me. Thus, I devised a plan. These were the steps I took to make out this entire table:

Head over to Juno Download and filter out all of those entries there with the same album artwork as CraftyBoy’s Zengo.
Preview the track from Juno Download and use Shazam to listen to it.
Pray that Shazam leads me to the original song (or at least a clue).
Search whatever Shazam showed me on Spotify, YouTube, etc.
Verify if Juno Download’s track and the original artists’ track are the same.
Compare the release dates

Alas, our long time investigation leads to this humongous table here. I’ve tracked down a total of 8 tracks on Juno Download that has the same album artwork as CraftyBoy’s Zengo – the dark yellow background with an Earth logo and a radio tower up top. There were actually 8 entries, as Zengo was removed after I busted them.

Exhibit #

Juno Download
Spotify
Which is the original?

1
Artist Name
Paradise

Only original entry exist

Kasger & Limitless

Track Name
B With U
Miles Away

Record Label
Minimal of Sound
NCS Ltd.

Date published
24th March 2017
16th April 2015

Free?
No
N/A
Yes

Source
Link
N/A
Link

2

Artist Name
Paradise

Both Juno & original entry exists

Cartoon

Track Name
Downfall
Why We Lose (feat. Coleman Trapp)

Record Label
Minimal of Sound
NCS Ltd.

Date published
24th March 2017
11th June 2017

Free?
No
N/A
Yes

Source
Link
Link 1; Link 2
Link

3

Artist Name
Paradise

Both Juno & original entry exists

Different Heaven

Track Name
Come On
Nekozilla

Record Label
Minimal of Sound
NCS Ltd.

Date published
24th March 2017
31st July 2015

Free?
No
N/A
Yes

Source
Link
Link 1; Link 2
Link

4

Artist Name
Paradise

Original entry & another stolen entry exists

Itro & Tobu

Track Name
Today
Cloud 9

Record Label
Minimal Of Sound
Tobu

Date published
 23rd March 2017
3rd October 2014

Free?
No
No idea
Yes

Source
Link
Link; Link
Link

5

Artist Name
Paradise

Both Juno & original entry exists

Niviro

Track Name
Afraid Of The Dark
The Ghost

Record Label
Minimal of Sound
NCS Ltd.

Date published
29th March 2017
25th March 2017

Free?
No
N/A
Yes

Source
Link
Link 1; Link 2
Link

6

Artist Name
Paradise

Both Juno & original entry exists

DEAF KEV

Track Name
Here We Go
Invincible

Record Label
Minimal of Sound
NCS Ltd.

Date published
23rd March 2017
14th May 2015

Free?
No
N/A
Yes

Source
Link
Link 1; Link 2
Link

7

Artist Name
Starchild

Both Juno & original entry exists

Y&V

Track Name
One Leg
Back In Time

Record Label
Minimal of Sound
NCS Ltd.

Date published
19th May 2017
10th December 2016

Free?
No
N/A
Yes

Source
Link
Link 1; Link 2
Link

8

Artist Name
Starchild

Both Juno & original entry exists

floatinurboat

Track Name
Keep Comin Back
Spirit of Things

Record Label
Minimal of Sound
NCS Ltd.

Date published
30th April 2017
29th December 2016

Free?
No
N/A
Yes

Source
Link
Link 1; Link 2
Link

Things got weird when I scanned some music using Shazam and it actually displayed the stolen music as the result instead of the original artist’s song. Some results shown on Shazam were totally unrelated too.
Take Exhibit 4 for example. Shazam showed me that the song is We Go To Fly (yes, wrong grammar) by Guelmi. Exhibit 5 showed that the song is Ghost by Fazli Olmez. Surely, Shazam isn’t perfect either – but it led me to the correct song in the end.
This heist pulled off by Minimal of Sound seems to be targeting NoCopyrightSounds (NCS) Ltd. in particular. In the past, there was a similar case like this happened to glue70‘s iconic track, Casin.
I’m not quite sure how the thief (or thieves) actually successfully uploaded the duplicate on Spotify.
The aftermath
Firstly, this is a big issue. Music piracy is an age-old issue, but rarely profiting off of pirated music. The difference here is between music sharing and music stealing-and-selling.
The main point of this entire post is to highlight that such things exist, and it’s a real issue. It even poses a threat to Spotify’s credibility as a platform for music streaming.
The world of music is rather convoluted
Anyone with a record label can upload tracks to Spotify – even unverified artists like CraftyBoy here. Such act of thievery where music is pirated and reuploaded will only run more rampant over the coming months. I did raise the idea to of something like a waveform comparator to find out if an exact same music has been reuploaded. Joakim told me one thing which is a huge issue – “same track can be released by different labels in different territories for example”.
This will be the continuation of the battle between music producers and pirates – again. The war continues. This time, I don’t think DRM is the solution.
We don’t have any idea on how the framework for Spotify is built, thus unable to suggest any solutions for this issue. Whatever it is though, Spotify really needs to take this seriously.

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[Review] Xiaomi Piston Earphones v2.1

Xiaomi – a company that came from custom ROMs have been making multiple dents around the universe ever since its inception as a company in China. They created a lot of other products besides mobile phones – but today, we’re going to look at their Xiaomi Piston Earphones v2.1, the latest and only Piston model available to Malaysians.
Without further ado, this is the Xiaomi earphones.

Xiaomi’s method of packaging the earphones is something to be given attention to, as they are generous enough to give you more than is required in a packaging.

Opening up the piece of plastic on the top reveals the a piece of silicon mold that is made to hold the entire earphone itself – as you can coil the wires around the mold and put the button controls, the jack, and also the earbuds themselves on the mold.

The mold has a very soft silicon feel to it, and you will never have to worry about damaging your earphones at all. You can even coil back the earphones back into the mold if you plan to take it with your travels too, It can be a makeshift case, if you wish it to be so.

After removing the silicon mold we have the eartip sizes arranged very neatly (though I have misarranged them), and there is another cable holder in the middle, though I forgot to put it back while photographing.
There are a total of 4 sizes of eartips, the S M L as depicted above and also another one that the earphones came along with. I have no idea what is the size of the eartips that it came along with, but all I can say is that 4 eartips sizes are sway beyond sufficiency.
Packaging gets an A+ here. Xiaomi thought of the after-unboxing user experience too, and I really appreciate that.
[nextpage title=”Build quality and ports”]When it comes to earphones, build quality is still as important as ever – especially when storing it into pockets or having it yanked by the phone or some random objects all day long.

Xiaomi opted for a very eccentric design language, using circular brushes of metal finish all around the in-line controls, the earbuds themselves, and also the 3.5mm audio jack. In case you are grabbing the in-line control and fiddling the buttons with slippery fingers, you won’t have to worry as the grip provided is overkill.

Onwards to the design though, I do find the writings to separate both L and R a little bit disappointingly small. I thought that the right side will be easily identified with the in-line controls are probably built into the right side anyway, but I was wrong. The in-line controls serve as the separator between the two earbuds and the 3.5mm audio jack. Bummer.

The design on the eartips again shines as the circular brushed metal comes back again.

Hats off to Xiaomi as they never did cut any corners in terms of the design as the housing at the bottom of those eartips are still with the circular brushed metal finish, though no one will ever peek there anyway.
[nextpage title=”Performance and comfort”]This is the part where everyone has been asking me for months – is it good or not. I know that Xiaomi did make Malaysian shudder and excited as the earphones are inexpensive, but then again most inexpensive things have very poor performance and build quality anyway.
Weighing in at only 12 grams, it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything at all since the entire earphone itself is very light to be noticeable.

Xiaomi is kind enough to provide a frequency response graph for the Piston Earphones v2.1 that has a sensitivity of 93dB and with impedance of 16 ohms – making it perfect for mobile devices. Analyzing the frequency response graph a little, it can be seen that Xiaomi made the response of about 1kHz to 5kHz a little softer compared to its neighbours as the human ears are more sensitive to that frequency range.
This is Xiaomi trying to create an overall equal perceptual volume throughout the entire frequency range. Further explanation on this will require the knowledge of psychoacoustics, which we will not touch on here today.
The listening test is again with my usual list of songs, listening testing them on multiple devices, but this time however I’m using a OnePlus One instead of my Nexus 4, as my Nexus 4 has retired.
Adventure Time – Rogue (Monster 010 – Conquest) [FLAC]

Lows : Bass is punchy
Mids : Distinct from the lows and highs
Highs : A little underwhelming

Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper (Bioshock Infinite Soundtrack) [320kbps MP3]

Lows : Bass strings are heard
Mids : Too overwhelming
Highs : Covered by mids

Orpheus Of The Underworld – Adya (Adya Classic 2) [215 kbps MP3]

Lows : Bass reverb is  excellent
Mids : Great mids
Highs : Highs are okay

Rosen aus dem Suden, op. 388 – Orchestra Of The Viennese Volksoper (Great Strauss Waltz, Polkas & Marches) [320kbps MP3]

Lows : Each note played by the tuba is heard
Mids : Clear and crisp
Highs : Can’t achieve a satisfying high

Salome – The Johann Strauss Orchestra & Andre Rieu (Andre Rieu In Wonderland) [320kbps MP3]

Lows : Bass is excellent
Mids : Mids are a little too heavy
Highs : Muffled

The Entertainer – Scott Joplin (The Entertainer – The Very Best of Scott Joplin) [320kbps MP3]

Lows : Too overwhelming
Mids : Decently distinctive, doesn’t get overwhelmed by lows and highs
Highs : Generally decent

Skyliner – The BBC Big Band (The Age Of Swing, Volume 1) [FLAC]

Lows : Each note of the bass string is heard
Mids : The saxophone solo part is great
Highs : Can be improved

The Ballad Of Mr Steak – Kishi Bashi (Lighght) [FLAC]

Lows : Drum beats are too strong
Mids : Vocals are extremely clear
Highs : Generally okay

In The Mood – The BBC Big Band (The Age Of Swing, Volume 1) [FLAC]

Lows : Not intrusive at all
Mids : Sounds excellent
Highs : Excellent overall, especially at the finale

All in all about the performance, it is generally a little too heavy on the bass side. Soundstage is however is unexpectedly excellent. Surely it’s not as great as some high end ones, but it is definitely competitive with some budget to mid-range pair of earphones such as the Beyerdynamic XP2 and comparable with the Beyerdynamic DX 120 iE.
Highs are decent, though I expect that they will improve in the highs for the next revision of the Xiaomi Piston Earphones. Maybe tune down a little on the bass too. Hundaes’s Bit Different is causing a terrible headache from those excessive bass.
Then comes the in-line controls – specifically on the OnePlus One. I never expect them to work so well on on the One that all 3 buttons worked right out of the box without any tinkering with apps or whatsoever. The two side buttons work as volume – just as intended, and the middle one controls music. Tap once to play, tap again to pause. Double tap to go to the next track. Going previous however is a little funny, as you’ll have to hold the volume down button to do so – but doesn’t work for all apps. I personally use Poweramp, and I use triple tap for the center button to go to the previous track.
Cable friction and movement will still produce some noticeable amount of noise, though is negligible since the earphones doesn’t move a lot anyway.
Which leads us to the comfort and here is what I have to say about it – they are extremely light. It doesn’t feel feel like I’m wearing anything at all, and it most definitely doesn’t move even when shaking heads or walking around.
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I can’t wait to tell you the price – it’s only RM50 without shipping.
With the price out of the way, I guess it all comes down to this – an excellent piece of hardware with all the features that you’ll only find on certain earphones, and has quality comparable to some earphone that costs about 4 to 6 times higher than the Xiaomi Piston Earphones v2.1. It really does feel like I’m paying RM50 for something that costs RM200 or more – especially with that silicon mold and that packaging.
If you are using a Xiaomi smartphone yourself, those in-line buttons can even be programmed!
I will recommend the Xiaomi Piston Earphones v2.1 to anyone who’s looking for a functional piece of earphones that has excellent audio quality for its unbelievably low price over anything out there in the market. Plus, the in-line controls are compatible with Apple’s devices too.
If you want to buy one of this, head on over to Xiaomi’s website to get one. They don’t seem to be out of stock at all, so go get it!

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