Get a RM100 travel voucher with your purchase of a Flash Plus 2

Travelling is fun. And of course when travelling, you will want to travel with as little gear as possible. Why not get the Flash Plus 2 to be your travelling companion, and what better time than now, when it is available with a RM100 Travel Package Discount Voucher?
The Flash Plus 2 is combines great hardware specifications like a Helio P10 processor, fingerprint scanner and HiFi audio capabilities into a sleek metal framework. But of course, what makes it a perfect travelling companion is its camera which combines phase detection autofocus and standard contrast detection autofocus, ensuring you will not miss any shots of the fleeting moments in life.
Starting October 24, 2016, the RM100 Travel Package Discount Voucher will be given out when you purchase a Flash Plus 2, in stores! Customers will only be eligible to receive the RM100 voucher when they purchased their Flash Plus 2 in stores.

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Customers who have purchased their Flash Plus 2 in store can log in to https://www.packist.com/voucher-redeem to complete your redemption of the RM100 travel discount. Packist.com is a registered licensed travel agency, and offers travel packages that you can redeem in part with the voucher.
Only available for a limited time, please log on to http://www.flash3c.com/my/where-to-buy/ and locate the nearest offline store. The offer stands, while stocks last.
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OPPO Investing $1.43 Billion Into OnePlus for Interesting Partnership

In an interesting twist during a recent 9-year anniversary celebration, it was announced that OPPO will be investing a huge sum into OnePlus, marking the beginning of an interesting partnership.
OPPO Partnering Up with OnePlus
Pete Lau, OPPO Chief Product Officer and founder of OnePlus. Picture credits: ChinaDaily
OnePlus and OPPO have announced a strategic partnership in which the latter will be investing a whopping $1.43 billion in the former over the course of the next three years.
The partnership will involve a “dual-brand” strategy in which OnePlus will focus on flagship smartphones with a zero net profit margin in order to maintain quality and features at their respective price points.

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Furthermore, OnePlus products will be sold exclusively online in China and will be able to be repaired at OPPO’s service centers in the country. The partnership also includes the re-launch of the OnePlus community app in China. We will report more on this partnership as details become available so stay tuned.
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Pokdepinion: Given the history of both companies, it’s interesting to see this happening but then again, it’s just business. If it helps both parties benefit / profit more, why not? It’s also beneficial for the consumers as well, though I’m hoping to see more further down the road.
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HONOR Offering Special Bundle Deals This Father’s Day

With Father’s Day coming soon, HONOR Malaysia is hosting several bundle deals to make it special for dads all over (or for you too). What’s on offer? Well here’s the deals.
HONOR Malaysia’s Father Day special
The promo starts from the 12th of June 2019 and will run until the 20th. One hand is the HONOR 9 Lite, which is bundled with an HONOR Band 4 Running that you can get it at just RM520. Aside from that, there’s the HONOR 10 Lite plus HONOR Watch Magic combo that’s on offer at RM1059. If you’re looking for a speaker, there’s the HONOR 7X and HONOR SoundStone Bluetooth speaker that’s available at RM699. Last but not least is the HONOR Body Fat Scale plus HONOR AM61 Bluetooth earphone package that’s available at just RM179.
The HONOR Father’s Day bundle deals are available exclusively at hihonor. For more details on promotions, you can check out their official Facebook page.

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Pokdepinion: I see a couple of good deals there. Seeing something you like? Let us know in the comments below!
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[MWC2018] LG V30S ThinQ debuts with AI — Same hardware with new AI features and more memory!

The next device to capitalize on the artificial intelligence (AI) fad is from LG. Building upon the LG V30, the LG V30S ThinQ integrates AI technologies to enhance users’ experience. The LG V30S ThinQ is designed to deliver a more intuitive AI experience for users to experience AI without feeling intimidated by the technology.

Coming from a LG V30, you won’t see any difference on the outside. The changes on the LG V30S ThinQ are mostly on the AI-centric features such as Vision AI and Voice AI. Vision AI consists of AI CAM, QLens and Bright Mode. AI CAM recommends the optimal shooting mode for your subject, not unlike HUAWEI’s implementation of AI in their Mate 10. QLens uses AI to scan QR codes, while Bright Mode doubles the brightness in low light conditions without increasing the noise. Voice AI is integrated into Google Assistant, with LG-exclusive commands to simplify menu navigation and offer direct access to certain functions.

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While LG didn’t change the hardware formula much, that doesn’t mean LG just renamed a LG V30, added on AI features and called it a day. The LG V30S ThinQ comes with 6GB of RAM, up from 4GB, and 128GB of storage. If you need more, the LG V30S+ ThinQ which comes with 256GB of storage. If that’s still insufficient, there is also a microSD slot that accepts up to 2TB cards.

CPU/Chipset:
Snapdragon 835 (4 x Kryo 280 @ 2.45 GHz + 4 x Kryo 280 @ 1.9 GHz)

GPU:
Adreno 540 @ 710 MHz

RAM:
6GB LPDDR4X

Display:
6.0″, QHD+ (2880 x 1440p) OLED FullVision

Storage:
128GB (V30S) /256GB (V30S+) UFS 2.1 (expandable via microSD up to 2TB)

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
16MP f/1.6, FOV 71°, Crystal Clear Lens
13MP f/1.9, FOV 120°
PDAF, Laser AF, LED flash, Point Zoom, LG-Cine Log, HiFi Audio Recording
Front Camera
5MP f/2.2, FOV 90°

OS:
Android 8.0 Oreo

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
LTE-A 4CA

SIM:
nanoSIM

Battery:
Li-ion 3300 mAh (non-removable), QuickCharge 3 compatible, Qi wireless charging

The new LG V30S ThinQ will be available in two new colors: New Moroccan Blue and New Platinum Gray. A green tint added to the Moroccan Blue while the New Platinum Gray lends a an air of sophistication to the device. The MIL-810G certified toughness and IP68 water and dust resistance are carried over from the standard LG V30 too.
Pokdepinion: This devices feels largely unnecessary. I must say I am a fan of the LG V30, but come on, some extra memory, new AI features that will also be on the original LG V30 via updates, and LG decides to release a new device?
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AMD 4700S with 16GB GDDR6 might be the Xbox APU, but for PC

In chip manufacturing, there are always silicon that don’t meet certain specifications. Usually, vendors will fuse off the non-working cores or other parts of the chip to sell as a lower-tier part, or if it can’t hit the required clocks, mark it as a lower bin. That might be what we are seeing here with the AMD 4700S, that appears to be very similar to the AMD APUs powering the Xbox Series X and Series S.
The processor is found in a listing on Taobao, with it fitted on an “AMD Cardinal” motherboard that hints at the board being developed by AMD themselves to “dispose” of these chips. Instead of standard DDR4 memory, the board reportedly sports 16GB of GDDR6, just like the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.

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Before you get too excited, the AMD RDNA 2 graphics that are available on the APUs powering the latest Xbox and PlayStation consoles are disabled here. Just when I thought we could have a relatively powerful APU-based gaming PC! Instead, the AMD 4700S is paired up with a significantly more boring Radeon RX 550 graphics card.
AMD seems to have taken the extra power headroom freed up by disabling the integrated graphics to boost the CPU higher. The Zen 2 cores in the AMD 4700S goes up to 4.0GHz, which is 200MHz higher than the Xbox Series X. It has eight cores, and is manufactured on the 7nm process node.

The seller also posted a few Cinebench scores that are reportedly from AMD, comparing the AMD 4700S versus the likes of the i7-9700 and Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G. It doesn’t win against AMD’s officially available Renoir APU, but definitely gives the i7-9700 a run for its money in multi-core performance.

The entire package is sold as an ITX build, and it does look pretty interesting if you want an efficient little desktop PC. Prices start from 4299 CNY (~RM2715) for the configuration with 256GB of storage, and ranges up to 4699 CNY (~RM2968) if you want 2TB of storage. Not cheap by any means, but I guess it might of interest to enthusiasts.
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Pokdepinion: I am quite interested to see how does Zen 2 perform when paired with higher latency GDDR6 memory, versus faster DDR4.
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Disclaimer Shows Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales Coming to PC?

One of the hottest new games out right now for both current and next gen gaming is Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales. We also reviewed the game, which you can read by clicking right here. Now, it appears that a disclaimer is making waves on social media shows the game would be coming to PC. Is it real? Let’s find out.
Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales Coming to PC?

Is a PC or an Xbox version of Miles Morales coming eventually???? pic.twitter.com/TqMOYdpGbY
— Jared Schuh (@quesobros) November 16, 2020

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A Twitter user has posted a picture of a disclaimer on the PS5 dashboard for Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales which shows “not available for other consoles for a limited time. Also available on PC.” This would suggest that either the game is available on PC already, or a PC version is making its way out.
The disclaimer is pointing towards the big text for the game, which reads “PlayStation Console Exclusives”. This would indicate that Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales being part of a collection of games available exclusively on the PlayStation platform. Unfortunately, this is the part where we would like to point out some bad news.
It’s normal for companies to include disclaimers for their products. Typically when they have a lot of products, the same disclaimer is used over and again. In this particular case, the wording is a bit confusing but it most likely refers to games that are already on PC at the moment, most notably Horizon Zero Dawn.
Both Insomniac Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment have no plans on bringing Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales, along with the original game, to PC anytime soon. After all, the game just released recently. However, that doesn’t mean it will never make its way to PC. Just like Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s most likely going to take a long time for it to be ported over.
Sony has gone on record to state that they will be exploring the potential of expanding their first party games to PC to promote further growth in profitability. However, just because one AAA game makes its way to PC, doesn’t every single AAA PlayStation exclusive will coming to PC either.
For now, the game will be available only on the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. If it ever gets announced for PC, we will be reporting it right here, so stay tuned for that.
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Pokdepinion: If there was ever a chance that the game will be ported to PC, I feel like it will only happen in another 4 or 5 years. Definitely not happening anytime soon.
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 To Be Introduced Next Month

Usually at the end of the year, Qualcomm will introduce their upcoming flagship chipset, and in this case, it is the Snapdragon 865 SoC. The chip is said to be introduced as early as next month.

It seems that the company will be hosting their Tech Summit from 3rd to 5th of December 2019 in Hawaii, where they will most probably unveil the chip.
Reportedly the Snapdragon 865 is said to to be built on Samsung’s 7nm process and not TSMC’s. It is expected that they will release two variants of the chip, one coming in with a 5G modem inside.

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Previously we’ve covered on how the Snapdragon 865 would come with support for a 100MP camera as well. For more details, you can check out the article here.
Pokdepinion: To be honest I can’t wait to see what brands such as Xiaomi and realme are going to do with the chip.. Let’s hope they still make flagship killers soon!
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Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – What A 2021 Flagship Should Be

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy S21
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Box

Let’s kick off the Samsung Galaxy S21 review with the unboxing. Starting off with the box, it’s thinner than its predecessors, which is interesting at first glance. With every purchase of the Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone, you are expected to get the following items:
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Box content

USB-C cable
User guide
Warranty card
The Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone itself

Appearance
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Front
For the most part, the Samsung Galaxy S21 looks very similar to its predecessor with some notable differences here and there. Starting from the front, you have a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a punch hole selfie camera. Once again, there are minimal bezels on all four sides here. This smartphone uses an under-display fingerprint scanner.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Sides
Moving to the top, you have two microphone holes. As for the bottom, you have the SIM tray slot, another microphone hole, a USB-C port, and a speaker grille. There’s nothing on the left side but on the right side, you have the power button and volume rocker. You get some gold / rose gold accents on all four sides here.

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Back
Lastly on the back, you get some of the most notable changes in looks for the Samsung Galaxy S21. You get the Phantom Violet surface with a matte finish, metal body, and the contour-cut triple camera setup on the top-left corner. The placement of the camera makes it easier to service it. The Samsung logo can be seen towards the bottom, and it’s not particularly prominent, which I feel is great. After all, you can easily tell that it’s by Samsung just by looking at it.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S21 brings some great changes for the better which gives the series its own distinct look without it being a severe departure from its predecessors. The IP68 rating takes it up a notch as you don’t have to worry about water and dust damaging the smartphone. The matte finish is what I like most as it makes it less susceptible to fingerprints, which is a problem the Galaxy S20 series had.
Specifications

Processor
Exynos 2100, 5nm
1 x Cortex-X1 @ 2.9GHz + 3 x Cortex-A78 @2.8GHz + 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 2.2GHz

RAM
8GB

Storage
256GB UFS 3.1

Display
6.2″ FHD+ (2400 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
HDR10+
1300 nits
48Hz to 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate

Rear Camera
12MP f/1.8 wide angle camera, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
64MP f/2.0 telephoto camera, 3x hybrid zoom, PDAF, OIS
12MP f/2.2 120˚ ultra-wide
LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
[email protected], [email protected]/60fps, [email protected]/60/240fps, [email protected], HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS

Selfie Camera
10MP f/2.2 wide-angle selfie cam, Dual Pixel PDAF

Battery
4000mAh
USB-PD 3.0 fast charging
15W wireless fast charging
4.5W reverse wireless charging

Performance
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Antutu v8
Starting off our benchmark suite with Antutu v8, the Samsung Galaxy S21 shows off some great performance as it has the highest score for non-gaming phones in our list. The Exynos 2100 is starting to look like a notable improvement over the previous generation Exynos 990 SoC.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Geekbench 5
A similar pattern can be seen in Geekbench 5 as well, with the Samsung Galaxy S21 showing excellent performance in both single core and multi-core areas. It currently holds the highest score in our list of benchmarked devices for single core, while the multi-core performance is still high up there.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – 3DMark
Moving on the 3DMark, it garnered excellent scores in Ice Storm Unlimited, Sling Shot, and Sling Shot Extreme. This shows that the Samsung Galaxy S21 is more than capable when it comes to playing mobile games as it has more than enough strength for it.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – PCMark Work 2.0
On PCMark’s Work 2.0 benchmark which tests out for real world use, the Samsung Galaxy S21 definitely passed with flying colours. It easily broke the 10,000 mark and it managed to get the highest score in our list of benchmarked devices.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Battery life
Efficiency is one key area that many people are curious about with the Exynos 2100. It’s quite interesting as on the PCMark Work 2.0 endurance test, it lasted 9 hours and 15 minutes (555 minutes). The efficiency has certainly seen a huge improvement over the Galaxy S20 series that’s for sure but it’s not what I’d call a good score. As for real world use however, after a day of social media use, short calls, and messages, I find myself with 60% before I sleep. This means for my own regular use, I could easily go two days from a full charge.
Did you know that every pre-order of the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ comes with a free Galaxy Buds Live? Check out our review of it by clicking right here.
User Experience
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review
Similar to its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S21 uses a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display at Full HD+ resolution. You can get some superb colours with good contrast. The display can get quite bright and it’s pretty good when viewing under direct sunlight too, which is great. Given that it still uses the punch-hole cutout, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought it’s the same as its predecessor, at least when looking at the screen.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Contoured-cut camera
While it does have a high refresh rate option, it’s implemented differently from its predecessor as it’s in the form of adaptive refresh rate similarly to the Galaxy Note20 Ultra. This one goes from 48Hz to 120Hz, which is great because you can enjoy buttery smooth transitions and it will cut it down when it’s not needed so you can save on battery life. Another thing it shares with the Note20 Ultra is that it now uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for added protection. Apart from that, the display features Eye Comfort Shield which is said to reduce strain and fatigue as well.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Matte finish
One good change this smartphone had compared to its predecessor is the change from the glossy back to a matte finish. This means its a lot less susceptible to fingerprints and, in my opinion, makes it look better on its own. Moreover, it’s easier to hold, which is a plus if you don’t plan on using a protective case.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – UI
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is one of the first to use One UI 3.1 based on Android 11. It does look slightly different from One UI 2.5 based on Android 10 but for the most part, navigating around is about the same. Some of the most notable changes is how notifications are displayed as they are grouped together, like Conversations for messages across multiple apps, so it can show all of them to you in a more simplified manner.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Samsung Free
One thing worth noting is the new Samsung Free, a new aggregator that differs from Samsung Daily and Bixby Home. In this iteration, it focuses more on news and app suggestions that cater to you. There a number of categories for you to choose from for the news section, and I personally see it as a more streamlined interface for accessing the latest news and apps.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Fingerprint scanner
With its predecessors, one thing I disliked is the under-display fingerprint scanner as it works rather slow. I expected it to be the same this time around but to my surprise, it worked faster and it’s still pretty reliable. To give you a comparison, I dare say it takes slightly over one-third of the time my Galaxy S20 Ultra needs to detect, which is great. I’ve also yet to have it fail on me in the past week I’ve used it so I hope it stays that way. Good on Samsung for improving this because it really bothered me after a while when I used its predecessor.
While using the smartphone, I’ve only had it heat up on me during the initial setup and when I play mobile games on it. For the most part, it works pretty cool and even when it does heat up, it’s just lukewarm at best.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review – Camera UI
The camera UI on the Samsung Galaxy S20 looks essentially similar to the one from the we’ve seen in the Galaxy Note20 series. It’s user-friendly so most consumers won’t have trouble with it, and it’s more viable for mobile photographers and videographers who want more control of what they capture.
The Single Take feature is here and is improved. For those of you who aren’t aware, you simply move the device around and it will take take photos, record a short video, and even edit the footage for you. This time, you can adjust the duration of Single Take from anywhere between 5 seconds to 15 seconds, which makes it even more handy. Just like before however, the results can vary so for a more consistent experience, it’s still best to capture it yourself. At least you have a quick and hassle-free tool if you ever need it.

As you can see above here, the Samsung Galaxy S21 can take some pretty good photos both at night and with light. I’m sure many underestimated it given that it’s the most affordable one in the new flagship series but it’s excellent so far with good details, vivid colours and Auto HDR being rather reliable. The other two cameras may not be as good they can still produce great results nonetheless.
With the Samsung Galaxy S21, you have a 3x hybrid zoom with up to 30x zoom. Realistically, you’re going to get good shots only up to 10x, but if you ever find yourself needing to zoom really far for some reason, the option is there. Just be mindful that the quality might not be so good the further you zoom in.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Verdict
Samsung Galaxy S21 Review
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is a great smartphone overall. The new Exynos 2100 shows some solid performance here, it’s noticeably more efficient than the Exynos 990 SoC, camera works great, adaptive refresh rate is a great addition to have, battery life is good, it’s an attractive device, the matte finish is a good change, and the under-display fingerprint scanner works better.
However, the efficiency is still not up there with the flagship Snapdragon chips and there’s still no headphone jack here. Honestly, there’s nothing really you can complain with this and given how similar this is with its Plus brethren, the bigger one might be the better buy given the bump in battery capacity. The Ultra variant may just be where the Exynos 2100 truly shines so perhaps, I can expect different results there.
At the end of our Samsung Galaxy S21 review, I award this smartphone with our coveted Gold Pokdeward.

Big thanks to Samsung Malaysia for sending us this smartphone for the purposes of this review.
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Gran Turismo Sport Coming in October; Special DLC Details Confirmed

Looking for a good racing game to sink your teeth in? You like driving cars around? And do you feel like you gotta go fast, but you don’t mind if it’s not Sonic? Well, I got some good news. Some solid details on Gran Turismo Sport has been unveiled today.
Gran Turismo Sport Coming in October
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Sony Interactive Entertainment Singapore has officially released details on the latest entry into the Gran Turismo series, Gran Turismo Sport. It will be available in Standard Edition, priced at RM229, the Limited Edition version, priced at RM269, and the Collector’s Edition, priced at RM499.
The Gran Turismo Sport Limited Edition contains an Art Book featuring key-arts of the cars featured in game, as well as extra downloadable content such as a ‘Car Pack’ which includes 8 extra cars to use in the game. Additionally, as a free bonus for early adopters, all Grand Turismo Sport SKUs will include a Special DLC which features 3 cars to be used in game (‘Early Access to 3-Car Pack’).

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There will also be a digital-only set available from the PlayStation®Store for MYR 249 called the Gran Turismo Sport Digital Deluxe (DL Version) edition, which contains the Gran Turismo Sport main game and all downloadable content included within the Limited Edition version.
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Below is a message from Gran Turismo Series Producer Kazunori Yamauchi
Hello GT Fans!
I’m extremely excited to confirm that Gran Turismo Sport will be launching on October 17th in Asia this year. Following the successful completion of our Closed BETA phase, as announced earlier this week, we are now entering the final stages of polishing as we prepare for launch.
Between now and launch you can expect to hear a lot more from the GT team, as we unveil more information on the many features included in Gran Turismo Sport, including the campaign mode, various creative tools, as well as a full reveal on all the cars and tracks you can look forward to racing on launch day!
In the meantime though, I’d like to take this opportunity on behalf of myself and Polyphony Digital Inc., to express my gratitude for the continued support of GT fans and PlayStation supporters around the world during this BETA period. We’re as keen as all of you to get the game in to player’s hands, and can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of the game when it launches in October.
We’ve strived to create something that delivers an unprecedented experience in terms of the graphics, sound and physics simulation; an experience that can only be enjoyed on PlayStation.
The series has sold over 76.9 million copies to date. Gran Turismo Sport will be released on PlayStation 4 across the Asia region simultaneously on Tuesday, 17th October 2017.

Pokdepinion: Well, maybe there’s a good reason to get a steering wheel for my PS4 now. Not sure about you but these games are usually a lot more fun with ’em.
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[E3 2019] Trials Rising Season 2: Medieval Motor Mayhem Launched

If you’ve been looking to do more stuff in Trials Rising, then we have some good news for you. At the Ubisoft E3 2019 press conference, Trials Rising Season 2 was formally revealed with a launch trailer. It will be called Medieval Motor Mayhem.
The update will introduce players to a new season of ranked multiplayer, two new Ronin and Knight-themed rider outfits and bike skins, a new shopping cart vehicle, and new tracks. Furthermore, four new Knight and Ronin-themed headlights, 10 new themed helmet accessories, and six new themed stickers will be available.
Once players have decked out their rider and bike to their heart’s content, they will be able to showcase them in new ways, thanks to the addition of five new loading poses, five new victory animations, and two new lose animations. Finally, Season 2 lets players experience the Renaissance Faire across five medieval-themed tracks. They’ll also be able to revisit a classic concept from Trials HD, with three all new tracks.

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It’s also been revealed that there will be an upcoming Summer Event taking place in July. The event will include a new Summer Swimsuit outfit available in the store or through Summer Event Gear Crates, as well as a summer-themed headlight and eight helmet accessories. A certain Summer Event challenge will reward players with an exclusive helmet if they collect all the ice cream cones hidden across various tracks.
Trials Rising is currently available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Season 2: Medieval Motor Mayhem is now available on all platforms.
Pokdepinion: In essence, this announcement is about one of the most rage-inducing games giving you more ways to get angry. I mean, it’s fun, but it’s a lot more entertaining to watch people play this.
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Plans On A Rainbow Six Siege Sequel? Here’s What Ubisoft Had To Say

When Rainbow Siege Siege came out, it didn’t have the brightest of starts, with the game having its share of bugs and what not. Many have asks the question “will there be a sequel?”. Read on ahead to find out the answer.
Rainbow Six Siege Sequel?

The tactical shooter game which was developed by Ubisoft, was released back in December of 2015. Despite a slow start, the game slowly progressed and got better in terms of player figures and general sentiment. With the game developed as it is, some have pondered, will there be a sequel coming out soon?

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To answer that question, the game’s brand director Alexandre Remy has said in an interview that there is no sequel being planned, albeit not at the moment at least. Gamers can expect Ubisoft to continue to support Siege through the game-as-a-service-model.
In addition to that, they announce that they are planning to release 100 Operators for the game over the course of its lifetime. Currently, there are 36 available operators in the game with 8 more soon to come during the upcoming Year 3 schedule.
Soon to come is Operation Chimera, where the update will see the release of two new operators namely Finka and Lion, taking the whole game meta to a new level. Chimera also will see the launch of a limited-time coop event Outbreak, where you can team up to 3 people and fight zombies. If you haven’t seen it already, here’s the trailer that Ubisoft shared.
Rainbow Six Siege Outbreak Trailer

Some have voiced their concerns when Ubisoft said that they will add loot boxes that you can pay real money for. Despite that, the company was quick to respond and said that these lootboxes will be just for cosmetics and not affect the gameplay.
Pokdepinion: Now already in its third year, Siege is growing strong. To be honest, I don’t really mind if they don’t make a new sequel to the game, as long as they keep the game fresh and keep on updating.
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How Much Does Disney+ Hotstar Actually Cost? – Full breakdown of what you’ll get when you subscribe

After nearly 2 years of waiting, Disney+ has finally arrived in Malaysia in the form of Disney+ Hotstar and is available to stream starting from today. How much does it really cost to subscribe to the streaming service? How does it fare against Netflix, the current most popular streaming service in Malaysia?
Disney+ Hotstar pricing

During the launch announcement last month, it was revealed that the subscription fees for Disney+ Hotstar would be RM54.90 for three months which is RM18.30 per month. As the website explains it, the user’s subscription will only begin on the day the user pays the fees and will end exactly 3 months later. For example, if the user subscribed to the service on 31 August then the subscription will end on 30 November.

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In comparison, even though Disney+ Hotstar does not charge monthly and instead per every 3 months, on average it is still lower than what consumers would have to pay for Netflix’s subscription plans.
Below is a little breakdown and comparison of the plans and subscription of Disney+ Hotstar and Netflix.

Streaming Service
Subscription Plans and Pricing
What You Get

Disney+ Hotstar
RM54.90 for 3 months (RM18.30 per month)

Multi-device support
HD quality format
Commercial free content
Dolby Audio
Bahasa Malaysia dubs
Watch on the go

Netflix
Mobile plan for RM18 per month

Supports only 1 mobile device or tablet at a time
Content download only on 1 device
Unlimited movies and TV shows
SD quality format

Basic plan for RM35 per month

Supports only 1 mobile device, tablet, laptop or TV at a time
Content download only on 1 device
Unlimited movies and TV shows
SD quality format

Standard plan for RM45 per month

Supports 2 mobile device, tablet, laptop or TV at a time
Content download on 2 devices
Unlimited movies and TV shows
Up to HD quality format

Premium plan for RM55 per month

Supports 4 mobile device, tablet, laptop or TV at a time
Content download on 4 devices
Unlimited movies and TV shows
Up to Ultra HD quality format

As you can see from the table above, with Netflix, the cheapest plan right now is the RM18 Mobile plan which can only be used on one device while the most high-end Premium plan would set you back RM55. However, with the Premium plan consumers would be able to stream on four different devices at one time as well as have access to Ultra HD quality content.
Disney+ Hotstar on the other hand, while having cheaper subscription fees (on average), only has access to HD quality content overall as 4K Ultra HD content can be accessed through certain devices only. It was also made known recently that Disney+ Hotstar will not allow for the creation of different profiles per account and the number of devices is limited to just two at one time. This means that, for now, the new subscription service won’t be able to cater to personalised content selection if the account is to be shared with more than one person.

Hope this helps in explaining what you would get when you subscribe to Disney+ Hotstar which is available now on all major platforms.
Pokdepinion: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m super psyched that Disney+ is finally here in Malaysia. I can finally watch all the Star Wars and Marvel TV shows in peace!
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RED MINI-MAG exposed as a massive scam?

Video production is an expensive business. While mirrorless cameras like the Sony Alpha series does lower the entry barrier a tad, RED Digital Cinema cameras are like the industry standard for professionals. They have developed a complete ecosystem in modules, from the sensor down to the storage, to mix and match to create a camera just for your needs. And the latter is where RED has has apparently tried to pull a fast one.
RED released the RED MINI-MAG with some pretty lofty claims. Promising lower error rates than even reputable generic media, RED claims to have developed their own IP and firmware for the RED MINI-MAG. Which was proven to be false by the YouTube channel Jinni.Tech. Do take this with a pinch of salt though, as JinniMAG makes third party media that works with RED cameras.

With that said, RED does have some explaining to do considering how they are just packaging regular mSATA SSDs with an adapter and selling it with a crazy mark up. A 500GB Samsung 860 EVO, which is probably the highest end mSATA drive you can find in the market, sells for RM559 on Lazada. Meanwhile a 480GB RED MINI-MAG one goes for $1450 (~RM5967).

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According to Jinni.Tech’s teardown of the RED MINI-MAG, the drives are regular mSATA drives, with factory firmware from the drive manufacturer, with an adapter to make it work with the RED cameras. The firmware is really bog standard, with CrystalDiskInfo reading the S.M.A.R.T. data correctly. The adapter also does not have any logic or memory on it, so it essentially just links up the connections to each other correctly.

So while RED claimed to have spent millions on firmware, the firmware is most probably on the camera itself, rather than the storage media themselves, which means that you can easily upgrade your RED MINI-MAG with any mSATA drive in the market and get more storage for a lot less money.
How well it would work in practice (i.e. actual video shooting) does remain to be seen. Also, RED does offer data recovery for free, which is a pretty costly service. Still, it won’t be all that costly. And since it is a regular mSATA drive, you can probably get away with using software like Recuva or EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Professional.
While overcharging for readily available technologies by simply slapping on a fancy name isn’t really a new thing, I do believe RED should have been more transparent about this. I don’t know, I am not from the marketing line of work. What do you think?
Pokdepinion: Niche brands overcharging for the accessories? That’s pretty usual.
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MasterLiquid ML360 SUB-ZERO available in Malaysia at RM1499

If you feel that your 10th Gen Intel Core processor isn’t getting the cooling it needs to fully stretch its legs, Cooler Master has a solution for you. The MasterLiquid ML360 SUB-ZERO is finally here in Malaysia, priced at RM1499.

Unlike Cooler Master’s extensive lineup of AIO liquid coolers, the MasterLiquid ML360 SUB-ZERO stands out with its implementation of a thermoelectric cooling (TEC) plate in the waterblock. Developed in partnership with Intel, the MasterLiquid ML360 SUB-ZERO sports Intel Cryo Cooling Technology that can intelligently adjust the TEC’s cooling to prevent condensation as well as to cut down on the power draw.

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As the waterblock now houses the TEC plate as well as the Intel Cryo Cooling Technology’s circuitry, there’s no room for the pump. As such, Cooler Master used an external 2nd Gen pump to push the liquid around. To dissipate the heat from the TEC plate as well as the CPU itself, a large 360mm radiator with three 120mm SF120 fans is incorporated into the MasterLiquid ML360 SUB-ZERO to ensure maximal cooling performance.
The lower temperatures should allow enthusiasts to push their processors further, or gamers to just take advantage of Intel’s Thermal Velocity Boost that can see the Intel Core i9-10900K boost up to 5.3GHz. The upcoming 11th Gen Intel Core processors should also work great with the MasterLiquid ML360 SUB-ZERO as it works exclusively with the LGA1200 socket.
Pokdepinion: I guess if your ambient temperatures aren’t ideal, this would be an excellent solution to get the most out of your CPU.
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Four New LG OLED TV Offerings Showcased at Innofest Asia – World’s First 8K OLED TV

Four New LG OLED TV Offerings Showcased at Innofest Asia

Over at Innofest Asia, the folks over at LG has showcased their new OLED TV offerings for 2019. It includes four different models, including one which is the world’s first 8K OLED TV and is part of their premium lineup.
The new LG OLED TV range comes in a number of different models of varying sizes; W9 (model 77/65W9), E9 (model 65/55E9), C9 (model 77/65/55C9) and B9 (model 65/55B9). The 8K OLED TV is given the Z9 model number. All of these TVs will be powered by the new second generation α9 Gen 2 processor, which is said to improve visual and sound quality with deep-learning algorithms. It even has support for the Dolby Vision HDR experience.

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It will automatically optimize it to give consumers the best viewing experience possible. What’s interesting hear is that LG claims that it’s capable of converting stereo sound into a realistic 5.1 surround sound experience. If you want a more immersive experience, the premium OLED TV models will have support for Dolby Atmos.

To make things more interesting, the OLED TVs will have support Amazon Alexa which will complement the built-in Google Assistant. This will make the Smart TV experience even smarter than before. For the Apple aficionados, all of them will also have support for Apple AirPlay 2 and the Apple Homekit. This will allow consumers to use iTunes as well as control the TV using their Apple devices. Both Amazon Alexa and the Apple software will be available via a software update for the TV.
The Z9 8K OLED TV model will have HDMI 2.1 with a transfer rate of 48Gbps. This effectively allows you to view 8K content at up to 60 FPS, and even 4K content at up to 120 FPS. Certain models will offer 4K high frame rate (4K HFR), automatic low latency mode (ALLM), variable refresh rate (VRR) and enhanced audio return channel (eARC).
We expect to learn more about these TVs, along with the NanoCell models, in the near future.
Pokdepinion: All I can think about right now is how amazing it will be to game and to watch Netflix on those TVs.
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Gamer Saves Friend’s Life Despite Living 5,000 Miles Apart

It’s not everyday that we report about health in gamers. Well today is that special case. A gamer manages to save her online friend’s life despite the fact that she lives in the US while he lived in the United Kingdom.

Dia Lathora was on a call with Aidan Jackson, who then went to lie on his bed and happened to experience a seizure. Lathora figured something was wrong when Aidan didn’t respond to her so she called the authorities in order to help.
She reportedly said “I just put my headset back on and I heard what I could only describe as a seizure, so obviously I started to get worried and immediately started asking what was going on and if he was OK”.

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Aiden’s mother was just downstairs watching TV when the incident happened, where she was surprised when the police arrived in front of her house.
It came as a big shock to her that when the police had said that there was an emergency call made from the US. She later checked on her son’s room and found him lying on the floor “extremely disorientated”.
Apparently this wasn’t the first time that Aidan experienced a seizure, where back in May 2019 it also occurred.
Pokdepinion: That’s the power of friendship for you. I’m pretty sure that his mom will keep a closer eye on him now.
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Samsung To Release Portable SSD That Comes With Fingerprint Scanner

It seems that Samsung is releasing a brand new portable SSD in the form of the Samsung T7 Touch, which also comes with a fingerprint reader.
Why exactly did they implement that? Well your storage’s content would definitely be safer, should you happen to lose it for what ever reason. Adding to that, they’ve also added AES 256-bit hardware encryption and password for more security.
In terms of performance, it’s said to offer 1GB/s read and 1GB/s write speeds.

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As for connectivity, it supports USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to USB-A and the connector of the device supports 10Gbps speeds thanks to its USB 3.2 port.
Coming in with three storage variants, the T7 Touch will be available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB, with prices of $129 (~RM526), $229 (~RM934), and $399 (~RM1,628) respectively.
Despite scheduled for a release later in the month, availability in Malaysia is yet to be confirmed.
Pokdepinion: They are certainly not cheap.. but how much would you be willing to pay for that added security?
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Looking forward to the new Airship map in Among Us? Here’s a sneak peek at the upcoming map so you have a better idea of what to expect from this ever-popular traitor game.
Here’s a Sneak Peek at the New Among Us Airship Map

you’ve heard of being betrayed by your friends
when the airship map drops get ready for: being betrayed by one (1) moving platform pic.twitter.com/FHYiwa0kQU
— Among Us (@AmongUsGame) January 13, 2021

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Among Us came at the right time, when the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and most people were forced to stay at home. It provided a new way to socialize and spend time together, albeit in a more heated manner at times. Developer InnerSloth has since given a teaser on what we can expect in the upcoming Airship map.
One of the most interesting things in the new Airship map is the moving platform, which seems simple at first but looks like it could easily be enough to grow frustrating. Imagine having an Impostor slowly creeping up on you while you’re waiting for it to come back.
There’s no word yet on exactly when the new Airship map will be coming to Among Us. For now, we’ll just have to continue waiting. The game is currently available for PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS.
Source
Pokdepinion: Already got the other maps memorized in my head for the most part. Can’t wait to experience the new one.
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AMD Radeon Pro 5600M is 53.4% faster than the Radeon Pro 5500M!

The recently announced AMD Radeon Pro 5600M might have been pretty interesting thanks to its use of HBM2, along with its big-and-slow approach for the GPU. However recent benchmarks reveal that the performance is also going to be quite enticing too, with it being up to 53.4% faster than a Radeon Pro 5500M in 3DMark.
          3DMark Time Spy            3DMark Fire Strike
Now, a higher-tier GPU beating out a lower-tier one does sound pretty boring, but what’s amazing about this is that both the Radeon Pro 5600M and Radeon Pro 5500M come with a 50W TGP. In 3DMark Fire Strike, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M leads by a whopping 49.7%, while in Time Spy, the Radeon Pro 5600M pulls ahead by an insane 53.4%. Maybe that RM2800 upgrade is indeed worth it?

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Time Spy Comparison
AMD Radeon Pro 5600M 8GB (Navi12)
vs
AMD Radeon RX 5600M 6GB (Navi10) +17.8% pic.twitter.com/YuTesQn47y
— _rogame (@_rogame) June 18, 2020

Compared against the Radeon RX 5600M, the Radeon Pro 5600M is slower by 17.8%. The Radeon RX 5600M is based on a smaller Navi 10 GPU with 36 CUs, although the GPU is  clocked about 20% higher. The Navi 12 GPU in the Radeon Pro 5600M runs at a low 1035 MHz, but has 4 more CUs to compensate for the low clocks, bringing the total number to 40 CUs. It seems that the higher CU count and faster HBM2 memory doesn’t do much for gaming performance at all.
AMD Radeon Pro 5600M Specs

Navi 12 @ up to 1035 MHz, 7nm FinFET
40 CU, 2560 stream processors, 5.3 FP32 TFLOPS
8GB HBM2 @ 1.54 Gbps, 2048-bit, 394GB/s bandwidth
50W TGP

So far the only OEM offering the Radeon Pro 5600M is Apple, so I guess we will have to wait and see if AMD will offer the Navi 12 GPU to other laptop makers. Hopefully with higher clocks and a higher TGP.
Pokdepinion: Hmm.. I wonder how much faster the Radeon Pro 5600M will be when it comes to 3D rendering workloads…
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[Computex 2019] PHISON Brings Forth The New Age Of PCIe 4.0 Solutions

With Computex 2019 up and running, PHISON Electronics decided to introduce the world’s first PCIe 4.0 SSD, PS5016-E16, which is fully aligned with AMD X570 chipset motherboards.

The SSD will bring forth greater performance as well as reduced latency in gaming. With the world’s first Gen4x4 NVMe SSD controller, you can combine it with the AMD X570 motherboard in creating a storage solution that meets the high bandwidth requirement of 8K HD gaming.

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It is the company’s latest flagship SSD solution and the only PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe SSD controller chip in the consumer market. Additionally, it is based on the 28nm process node and uses PHISON’s 4th Gen LDPC ECC engine.
The PHISON PS5016-E16 is expected to start sampling and will begin mass production from this quarter of the year. PHISON looks to work closely with AMD and motherboard manufacturers in bringing PCIe 4.0 applications and progress next gen’s storage solutions.
Pokdepinion: Able to provide stable 8K HD gaming eh? I doubt I’d be able to afford a rig that fits the criteria in the first place though..
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NVIDIA nerfs GeForce RTX 3060’s mining — announces NVIDIA CMP for miners

Everyone, let’s rejoice. While we may still not be able to buy the higher end GeForce RTX 30 series cards due to their immense hash rate, the GeForce RTX 3060 will be a lot less desirable to miners. NVIDIA has finally stepped up and nerfed the hashrate of the GeForce RTX 3060 via drivers. To satiate miners endless hunger for cards, NVIDIA announced NVIDIA CMP.
The GeForce RTX 3060 will be nerfed via a driver update that will halve the hashrate in cryptomining. However there are no news regarding the existing cards, probably because miners can still stick to the older drivers to continue mining at maximum performance.

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In its place, miners can look forward to the NVIDIA Cryptocurrency Mining Processors, or NVIDIA CMP. The NVIDIA CMP cards will not be capable of graphics, and will be optimized for mining performance and efficiency. On top of that, the NVIDIA CMP products are reportedly binned products that do not meet the NVIDIA GeForce GPU specifications, and thus will not impact the availability of the gaming-oriented cards.
There are no display outputs, which reminds us of the NVIDIA P106-100 cards that NVIDIA tried to sell to miners. Of course, back then there were no driver restrictions, thus there was no reason for miners to opt for the mining-only cards that do not have any resale value. Staying with gaming cards allowed miners to quickly offload their used cards to recoup on the costs while also profiting from the cryptocurrency mined.
NVIDIA CMP HX Series Specs

30HX
40HX
50HX
90HX

ETH hash rate
26MH/s
36MH/s
45MH/s
86MH/s

Rated Power
125W
185W
250W
320W

Power Connectors
1 x 8-pin
1 x 8-pin
2 x 8-pin
2 x 8-pin

Memory Size
6GB
8GB
10GB
10GB

Availability
Q1
Q1
Q2
Q2

NVIDIA has not revealed any pricing information about the NVIDIA CMP hardware, but the first batch comprising of the NVIDIA CMP 30HX and 40HX will arrive as early as Q1 2021, while the higher end NVIDIA 50HX and 90HX will arrive later in Q2 2021.
Based on Anandtech’s data, the CMP 90HX comes close to the GeForce RTX 3080 in terms of hash rate but loses out in terms of power efficiency. Meanwhile the NVIDIA CMP 50HX and lower SKUs are all slower than the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti at cryptomining, while also being less efficient.

Mining on gaming cards will possibly never go away, which does suck. But at least we have the GeForce RTX 3060 to look forward to?
Pokdepinion: Well at least there’s a GeForce RTX 30 series card you can get… Even if it isn’t the one you want?
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1.1 million RedMart accounts compromised by security breach

RedMart, the Singapore-based online grocery platform has suffered a security breach that has leaked out the data of 1.1 million accounts. RedMart is owned by Lazada and the latter has stepped up to confirm that there was indeed a data breach, although it was a relatively outdated database that was last updated in March 2019.
Lazada acquired RedMart back in 2016, before announcing their plans to integrate RedMart as a part of its e-commerce platform in early 2019. Lazada stressed that the Lazada users’ information was not leaked. RedMart accounts were integrated into Lazada in March 2019, and those was the last updates to RedMart’s database.
The data contained on the database included names, phone numbers, encrypted passwords as well as partial credit card numbers. Lazada however claims that customers’ credit card information should still be safe, as they do not store the full 16-digit card number and CVV on its systems. They do still recommend keeping a watchful eye on your transactions for any suspicious payments though, just in case.

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Lazada has reported the incident to Singaporean authorities, and claims that the issue was noticed as a part of a “regular proactive monitoring” by their cybersecurity team.
Source
Pokdepinion: Hopefully no malicious individuals got their hands on the data…
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EZVIZ BC1 Security Camera Launched In Malaysia

In search for a brand new smart home camera? Well the folks at EZVIZ has recently launched their new EZVIZ B1 outdoor camera.
EZVIZ BC1 launched in Malaysia

The company has said that the camera can deliver a steady performance of a single battery charge that can last up to a full year. It comes with a 1080p video quality, colour night vision, two-way communication, and ‘active defense’.

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With its 12,900mAh battery, you can recharge it, giving you the freedom of location of installation without the need for power outlets. Despite it being battery-powered, the company has said that its camera features are as efficient as its wired predecessors.
Aside from that, it comes with a magnetic base, giving users more option for simple installations on outdoor metal surfaces and it is also IP66 rated, offering protection from dust and water.
It is able to distinguish human being from other moving objects thanks to its integrated passive infrared (PIR) sensor and person-shape detection algorithm. The camera will send mobile alerts to users only upon detection of potential intruders, at the same time trigger active defense where it will automatically set off a loud siren and flash its spotlights.
For your convenience, you can set the detection areas, active periods, and even a unique recorded auto-trigger warning through the EZVIZ App. You can also use the voice recording function to be used as greeting homeowners and visitors too.
As for the price, EZVIZ is offering three bundles for the BC1, offering up to three BC1 cameras and storage options that supports up to 256GB of storage. You can find them at physical distributor stores across shopping malls nationwide or online at EZVIZ’s official Shopee and Lazada stores.

Bundle 1: BC1 x 1 unit + Base Station x 1 unit – RM549
Bundle 2: BC1 x 2 units + Base Station x 1 unit – RM879
Bundle 3: BC1 x 3 units +  Base Station x 1 unit – RM1,229

For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Well that does offer a simpler experience and flexibility of where you can put the camera. Not to forget, that battery life is impressive (if it does last up to a year).
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Edifier One-Day Shopee Flash Sale – Get the XM6BT And M1386 Speakers At Lower Price!

Edifier Malaysia will be launching a Shopee Flash Sale for their Edifier XM6BT and M1386 speakers, perfect for those who want to find 2.1 sound system for work or leisure.
Edifier One-Day Shopee Flash Sale
Edifier XM6BT speakers
The flash sale, which will start tomorrow (23rd of May 2018) is set to feature Edifier’s XM6BT and also the M1386 speakers. First up is the XM6BT. It offers loud and punchy bass while giving balanced mid frequencies. While it was affordable enough to begin with at the retail price of RM239, you can get it at an even lower price during the flash sale at RM199.
To find out whether if it is worth out not, you can read on our full review of the XM6BT speakers right here.

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Edifier M1386 speakers
Next up on the flash sale is the Edifier M1386 speakers. Retails at RM229, get it at an affordable price of RM159 during the sale. It offers separate bass control dial that gives you total control of sound output. It has multiple input capabilities, which includes SD card, USB port, RCA as well as Aux. There’s also the option of FM radio, if you still listen to them in today’s world.
With these flash sale, it’s a chance for you to buy high performance 2.1 type speakers at really neat prices. So be sure to check them out. You also might want to quickly act when the flash sale arrives as the sale will run only within the time frame between 9AM to 3PM or until the products are sold out (30 each) before the end of the campaign.
Pokdepinion: These are extremely good prices, well the original prices was good as it was already! They are worth the money. Don’t forget to check out our review to know what you’ll be getting! Trust us, they’re worth it.

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GIGABYTE Launches A Single Model For AMD Radeon RX 7600

GIGABYTE’s new Radeon GPU will gets the GAMING OC treatment – the new GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7600 GAMING OC 8G is the triple-fan, 2.5-slot GPU that for now will remain as the sole model available with the new Navi 33 silicon.
The shroud design is mostly carried over from existing models like the just-released RTX 4060 Ti GAMING OC, though there are some minor size differences between two, with the Radeon card measuring 3mm thinner (282 x 115 x 50mm). The display outputs provide a pair of both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 – which is currently exclusive to RDNA3-based GPUs capable of driving displays in 8K165 resolutions under DSC modes.

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The card comes pre-overclocked with 2755MHz boost clock and 2355MHz game clock, a +100MHz and +105MHz bump over stock figures of 2655MHz and 2250MHz, respectively. The official local pricing for this card is RM1,429 – though it’s unclear if the new pricing reflects AMD’s last-minute price cuts in response to NVIDIA’s RTX 4060 pricing.
Pokdepinion: The price does seem to reflect the original $300 pricing, though I probably wouldn’t rule out even AIBs get caught out by the sudden MSRP drop which is only announced few hours before release.
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Lenovo Legion Gaming Smartphone Set To Be Introduced This Month

Previously we’ve reported on the Lenovo Legion gaming smartphone which made its way to Antutu revealing several interesting features. Well the company has confirmed that the phone will be officially introduced this 22nd of July 2020.
Lenovo Legion gaming smartphone set for July 2020 introduction

The news was revealed as the company’ made an announcement on their Weibo page via a teaser. Coming with a Snapdragon 865+, the phone is touted to offer Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 as well as 144Hz refresh rate display support.
In our previous article we’ve reported that the phone will come with 16GB LPDDR5 RAM that’s paired with 512GB UFS 3.1 storage. Not to forget, it reports are correct, it could be packing a 90W fast charger too.

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With the announcement, it means that there are two devices at the moment to be packing the beefed-up Snapdragon 865+ chipset, which also includes the ROG Phone III. Stay tuned for more details on the Lenovo Legion gaming smartphone as we’re sure to cover it as more details becomes available.
Source
Pokdepinion: Hoho, I can’t wait to see the battle between the two gaming smartphones. Which one do you think will reign supreme? Let us know down below.
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Acer Malaysia is Bringing Creators The Good D with ConceptD
hdr

At a launch event in Kuala Lumpur today, Acer Malaysia has officially launched the ConceptD. It is a new brand geared towards creators such as graphic designers, filmmakers, animators, illustrators, and other creative works. There are a number of laptops, desktops and monitors introduced under the Acer ConceptD branding.
Acer ConceptD Laptops

The Acer ConceptD laptops have up to 4K IPS Pantone Validated displays, 100% Adobe RGB, and Delta E<1 colour accuracy. Ranging from entry level to high-end professional workhorses, it’s powered by up to Intel Core i7-9750H and NVIDIA Quadro GPU. With the ConceptD Palette UI, you can easily adjust the colour profile, monitor systems, and settings.

 The laptop models available include:

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Acer ConceptD 9 Pro (4K 17.3″ touchscreen, Ezel Aero Hinge, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe) = RM18,999Acer ConceptD 7 Pro (4K 15.6″ touchscreen, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe) = RM8,699 (Quadro RTX3000) and RM12,999 (Quadro RTX5000)Acer ConceptD 7 (4K 15.6″ touchscreen, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe) = RM9,999 (RTX 2060)Acer Concept D 5 Pro (16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe) = RM6,999 (Quadro T1000, 15.6″ display), RM7,999 (Quadro RTX3000, 15.6″ display), and RM8,699 (Quadro RTX3000, 17.3″ display)Acer Concept D 3 Pro = RM5,999 (Quadro T1000, 15.6″ FHD display)
The ConceptD 9 Pro and D 3 Pro can be ordered by emailing them at [email protected]. All other models can be purchased at Acer Authorized Online Stores and Acer Concept Stores in Malaysia.
High-End Desktop Solution

The Acer ConceptD 500 desktop is designed for professionals and has the power for high-end visual effects rendering, complex 3D modeling, simulations, and AI / deep learning development. It is powered by the Intel Core i7-9700K and NVIDIA Quadro P2000 GPU. It has 16GBs of RAM along with a 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD storage combination.
The design of the desktop itself makes it fitting for any modern studio. It has a round-cornered white minimalist design with wood effect top and triangular front panel. It even includes Qi wireless charging, a healthy array of ports, headset cradle, cable management, and an intrusion alarm. Just like the laptops, it also includes the ConceptD Palette UI.

The Acer ConceptD 500 desktop will be retailing for RM7,999 and comes with a 3-year on-site warranty. It can be purchased at Acer Authorized Online Stores and Acer Concept Stores in Malaysia.
Acer ConceptD Monitors

When it comes to visual works, creators will need more colour accuracy than what most mainstream monitors are capable of producing. The new Acer ConceptD UHD monitors is a solution to that problem, with a Delta E<1 colurs accuracy and Pantone Validated displays. The monitors also have the Ergostand which allows you to easily tilt, swivel and adjust height.
The 4K UHD 27-inch ConceptD CP7271K P monitor has Pantone Matching System Colors with 99% Adobe RGB gamut and 93% DCI-P3. With VESA-certified DisplayHDR 1000 and G-SYNC Ultimate display, you have a monitor capable of displaying accurate colours, fine details, and blur-free images with an overclockable refresh rate of up to 144Hz.
The 27-inch 4K UHD ConceptD CP3271K P on the other hand has VESA-certified DisplayHDR 400, 90% DCI-P3. amd G-SYNC compatible. It has a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and a response time of 1ms.
The Acer ConceptD CP7271K will be retailing for RM6,999 while the CP3271K will be retailing for RM3,399. Both monitors will come with 3-years on-site warranty, and will be available starting November 2019 at Acer Authorized Online Stores and Acer Concept Stores in Malaysia.
Pokdepinion: While it may make more sense budget-wise to buy a gaming monitor instead for what I’m curious for, I do wonder how well the displays will perform for gaming. It’s definitely great for video editing, that’s for sure.
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Here’s how to enjoy unlimited entertainment from less than RM1/day

Nowadays, our smartphones are our main source of entertainment. We are always on the go, leaving little time for us to actually sit down and watch the TV or browse the web on our PCs. As such, we have relied on our smartphones to stream movies, music and also stay updated through social networks all while being on the move.
These applications can take a huge chunk of your quota, as you unknowingly burn through gigabytes worth of data simply by catching up on your favorite YouTuber on your smartphone. And by sheer luck, you will always run out of data when you really need to find out something.
Image source: Freepik
Need to quickly fact check your braggy friend? That’s when you will find that you have just ran out quota. Or when you need to navigate to an unfamiliar place, and Google Maps just fails to load properly because your internet connection is now throttled to a snail’s pace.

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If you have been stuck in those situations, the new Digi Prepaid Internet Cili Padi plans are for you. There are multiple plans to choose from, with each one tailored to satisfy specific needs. Whether you need unlimited YouTube and Facebook, or you want to scroll endlessly through your Twitter and Instagram feed, there’s a plan for you. Or, if you prefer just having extra quota to do whatever you want during the day, there’s also a plan for you.

Since you now get unlimited data to use your favorite apps, with the new Digi Prepaid Internet Cili Padi plans, you get more effective quota for your daily usage. And since its so affordable, you will also be saving a lot of money as you no longer have to spend on pricey mobile data plans with larger quotas just to burn through them by browsing social media. You also get to enjoy fast internet speeds, unlike certain unlimited data plans which have limited speeds.
What are you waiting for? Maximize your mobile data experience with unlimited quota for less than RM1/day with the new Digi Prepaid Internet Cili Padi plans! To find out more about the Digi Prepaid Internet Cili Padi plans, click on the following link:
Find the Digi Prepaid Internet Cili Padi for you!
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Get Up To 12 Months Of Free Data With Tune Talk Value Prepaid Plan

Tune Talk is offering up to 12 months of free mobile data when you switch to their new Value Prepaid Plan. If you are coming in from another telco, you would be able to get a total of 36GB worth of data for free.

Applicable for new Tune Talk Value Prepaid Pack subscribers, all you need to do is just make a minimum top up of RM30 within the first 7 days of your activation.

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You’d be getting free 3GB of data for 12 months (36GB in total) if you migrate your existing mobile number to Tune Talk.
For you to enjoy any data quota that’s given, you’d need to keep your line active. If you quota has been used completely, you will still get free data but at a slower speed down to 64kbps until the next cycle takes place.
This promotion is valid for a limited time only, though they didn’t specify precisely on when it finishes. You might want to check it out before it’s gone.
To find out more on the Tune Talk Value Prepaid plan, you can click on the link right here to go to their website.
Pokdepinion: Hmm, to be frank 3GB of free data isn’t that much for me. I guess it’s enough if you just use to message people and use basic apps such as Facebook and Instagram.
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TM Offers A Hand At KLIA By Providing Unifi Air

Malaysia Airports Berhad were previously facing a disruption with their critical systems at the KLIA Main Terminal. Now, it seems that TM has decided to step in and offered help by supplying them Unifi Air.

Malaysia Airports is still working on fixing their connection at KLIA, and thanks to TM, they have provided Unifi Air. In case you’ve missed the news, Unifi Air was introduced early of this month, a wireless broadband plan that operates on 2.3GHz.

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The news was revealed at unifi’s own Twitter account where they wrote “We do hope that this will more or less help #MYairportupdates Let’s bring a little #khabarbaik to all, big or small, in any way possible. Stand with the personnel, stand with MAHB, stand with Malaysia in times of need”.
You can check out our previous article to find out more on it as well as the packages on offer.
Pokdepinion: I know many people aren’t satisfied with TM/unifi up to today, but hey, kudos to them for the help.
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SNK’s King of Fighters Invade Arena Masters; More New Things in the Mobile Game!

NEXON’s popular MOBA game Arena Masters have new fighters on-board. It’s from SNK’s King of Fighters series & things are going to get interesting.

SNK’s King of Fighters Invade Arena Masters

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NEXON Korea Corporation has announced a partnership with the renowned SNK Corporation to bring characters from SNK’s fan-favorite King of Fighters series to Nexon’s action-packed Arena Masters in the latest content update. Arena Masters combines action, high-intensity player-vs-player (PvP) battles, and real-time strategy for an all-out battle of wits and strength.
The latest content update features powerful King of Fighters characters and events, including:

Fierce and Famous King of Fighters 98’ Characters: Three superior King of Fighters 98’ characters join the fray. The special SNK collaborative characters include the incredible likeness and tantalizing abilities of: Kyo, Athena and Iori;
King of Fighters System Combat Mode: Play the fresh battle mode that combines addictive gameplay elements from King of Fighters with engaging and high-intensity action of Arena Masters. Create teams of three heroes, including KOF fighters, and engage in PvP combat where players swap eliminated heroes to continue play;
KOF Collaboration Event: Complete unique missions for each fearless SNK hero. Players who complete KOF event missions will be handsomely rewarded with rare items including, Dimensional Soul Stones, Warrior Medals and equipment chests.

So if you’re looking for more stuff to do or more characters to play as, go and boot up the game. You’re going to be kept busy for quite some time, that’s for sure.
Arena Masters is available now to download for free on mobile devices in select territories from the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android.

Pokdepinion: Didn’t expect King of Fighters characters to appear in a mobile game…unless it’s some kind of port of SNK’s own games. Oh well, this will surely spark quite a bit of interest in Arena Masters.
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These are the Countries Where You Desperately Need To Download A VPN

We’ve all been there, a period in a foreign land where the WiFi gives you limited access and the chance of streaming a programme from back home is almost impossible.
We’re always a bit dubious logging on, after all who knows who else is going to be connected to the public WiFi we’re enjoying in our hotel or coffee shop. That’s why it’s better to be safe than sorry.

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Logging on to public WiFi can, in unlikely circumstances it has to be said, risky. It can attract hackers and if you have important business files or personal information it can get into the wrong hands.
A VPN will help you get around this and is well work exploring if you are regularly out of the country and often connecting to public internet connections whether it be via mobile or laptop.
But where in the world is it best to purchase a VPN? We take a look at the countries where censorship is at its highest…
UAE
Dubai is one of the most popular places on the planet for tourists and business people alike, so you’d perhaps be surprised by the fact internet censorship is huge.
If you’re wanting to connect to the likes of US Netflix it’s worth investing in a VPN. The best VPN for iPhone in UAE will allow you to connect to servers from across the world giving you full access to what you want, instead of being limited to what UAE laws allow.
Cuba
In the next few years Cuba is going to become more and more liberal but currently it’s a highly censored nation that, online, will only bring you internet at government access points.
Generally speaking only pro government activity is allowed and IP addresses will be blocked based upon any “unlawful” internet history.
China
It’s perhaps no surprise you’ll need a VPN in China. It has one of the most strict censorship schemes in the world and doesn’t even allow for social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
The country will also delete content that doesn’t suit their agenda and redirect any anti-government searches to ones that are pro-regime.
Vietnam
A popular spot for tourists travelling Asia is Vietnam, but if you’re wanting to catch up on Peaky Blinders or Game of Thrones, you better think again.
Yahoo, Google and Microsoft have to submit all blogger data coming from Vietnam and will also block any sites that are for democracy, freedom of religion and pro-human rights.
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ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) Review: Picking Up Where the Zephyrus Left Off

Our official in-depth review of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501), which picks up where the original Zephyrus left off. There are some notable differences but either way, is this worth your money?
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) Gaming Laptop Review

Laptops have evolved significantly in recent years. While most laptops of yesteryear are pretty much bulky, you can now opt for rather slim portable machines instead. That is not to say that big and bulky laptops don’t exist but usually, these ones pack stronger hardware. What if you could have powerful hardware but in a relatively slim body?

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That would be the Zephyrus gaming laptops and today, we our going to take a deep look into the newest one yet, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Unboxing the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501)

We posted our unboxing of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop earlier, in which you can view the video right above here. We did write a bit about it in that post so if you want make sure you don’t miss out on any vital details, click here to get right up to speed.
Appearance

For most parts, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop  does resemble its older brother a lot. While it’s still clad in metallic black, the bronze accents aren’t as prominent this time around. Despite that, it still gives out the aura of being a premium machine meant for the elites of gaming, especially with the ROG logo which glows red when powered on. Do keep in mind that it is still a fingerprint magnet.

On  the left side, you have the charging port, a HDMI port, three USB 3.0 ports, and a headphone/microphone combo jack. On the right side, there’s a single USB 3.0 ports, a Type C USB 3.1 Thunderbolt port, and the Kensington Lock. This differs from the original Zephyrus as there is two USB 3.0 ports on both sides whereas for this one, it’s 3 on the left and 1 on the right. Surprisingly still absent is a card reader.

An interesting improvement in terms of appearance lies underneath the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop. The old one is rather flat and somewhat reminds me of a cooling pad whereas this one resembles a proper laptop, with most of the edges angled slightly different. Most of the slits you see here are actually the speakers, and the position makes it ideal for a great audio experience. It’s worth noting that the ROG logo is embossed over here as the old Zephyrus simply had it there in white.

When you open up the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop, you’ll definitely notice a huge difference from its older brother. The keyboard is now situated above the trackpad, just like traditional laptops. Many people prefer this layout as it gives them enough room for their wrist to rest.
On that note, the trackpad’s left and right click is embedded on itself whereas the old one, it had its own place with 2 buttons right below the trackpad. This can feel like a slight downgrade but not a deal-breaker as most people would still use a proper mouse with laptops anyway.
While the keyboard may look bland at first, that completely changes when you power on the laptop. It’s a 4-zone RGB keyboard with support for Aura Sync. It looks good as it is but by using the Aura software, you can freely customize the way the keyboard illuminates.

Overall, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop is a great looking machine without a doubt. There are some ups and downs compared to the original Zephyrus but the important part here is that it looks good and it feels good. It’s still amazing to think something this thin is housing some powerful hardware inside.
Speaking of powerful hardware, check out the full specifications of this machine right below here.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i7 8750H (6C / 12T @ up to 4.1 GHz), 9M Cache, 45W TDP, 14nm

RAM
16GB DDR4 2666 MHz (dual channel)

GPU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Max-P, 6GB GDDR5

Storage
PCIEG3x4 NVME 256GB M.2 SSD
SATA 1TB Hybrid HDD (FireCuda)

Display
15.6-inch FHD (1920×1080) Anti-Glare, IPS panel,
144Hz G-Sync, 72% NTSC coverage. 3ms response time

Keyboard
4-Zone RGB Keyboard with Aura Sync
1.7mm Travel Distance, N-Key Rollover

Connectivity
Wireless:
802.11ac(2×2) Wave 2 WLAN
Bluetooth 5.0
I/O:
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C)
4 x USB 3.1 Gen 2
1 x HDMI 2.0 (4K / 2K at 60Hz output)
1 x Kensington Lock
1 x HDMI 1.4 port
1 x microSD card reader

Audio
2 x 3.5W Speakers with Smart AMP technology
Sonic Studio & Sonic Radar III
1 x Combo Audio Jack (Mic + Headphone)

Thermal Solution
Active Aerodynamic System (AAS)

Power
4 Cells 55 Whrs Li-ion Battery, 180W Adapter

Dimensions
384 x 262 x 17.5 mm (W x D x H)

Weight
2.45kg

Warranty
2 Years

Performance

As we know, this thing has a PCIEG3x4 NVME 256GB M.2 SSD for its primary storage so it’s not surprising to see blazing fast speeds even by SSD standards on CrystalDiskMark.
As for the Seagate FireCuda Hybrid HDD, the results were a bit weird. While the sequential Q32T1 for read and write matches that for usual 7200RPM HDDs, the other parts seems awfully low. Tried running again, restarting, played around with some settings and it’s still about the same. Either way, it’s worth noting that the drive works fine and it’s more than enough for storing data.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop pretty much breezed through Cinebench R15 with ease, surpassing even the scores from the old Zephyrus. Guess this shows how much better the 8th gen Intel CPUs perform compared to the 7th gen ones. The GTX 1060 Max-P here performed admirably.
If you want to check out the original Zephyrus’s performance in these benchmarks, click here and compare to your heart’s content.

Interestingly, Unigine Heaven benchmark shows the kind of scores that we’d expect from this machine, scoring lower than the original. It’s still a pretty good score, and the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop pretty went through it with relative ease. It’s worth pointing out that while this one might not be capable of running Ultra settings smoothly for a number of AAA games out there, it’s still more than capable of doing so in High or the 2nd highest settings without breaking a sweat.
Now to give you a clearer idea of how this thing actually performs in games, we picked 4 different titles that should help people understand its capabilities. We utilizes the eSports-centric DotA 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, along with two very resource-intensive games in recent times; Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition and Far Cry 5.

I’m going to be honest, when I first ran these games, the performance was abysmal. I was seeing half the amount of FPS that you see listed above here and I thought to myself that it’s impossible for something as powerful as this to be performing very poorly. And I was right.
NVIDIA Optimus was activated, which disables G-Sync as well as the discrete graphics. Upon re-enabling it (after a mandatory restart), that’s when I started to see some great performance in these games. Keep in mind that all of these games are running on the highest settings possible with FPS limits either set to none or the highest one allowed for the game to see how far it can go.
For DotA 2 and CS:GO, it had excellent performance with great visuals being displayed and zero lags / stutters. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop even ran these games with little noise and felt warm at best.
For Far Cry 5, it ran superbly smooth with excellent visual details being reproduced. The laptop did get a bit noisy and feels noticeably hotter compared to the other 2 titles.
Then comes the toughest challenge of them all, Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition. The FPS did tend to stick around the 45 mark and tends to drop around 30+ as you are moving the camera. With G-Sync enabled, it does feel like you’re playing in buttery smooth 60 FPS, though there are very few instances of stuttering. It does get very hot playing this game so perhaps an external cooler of some kind would be of consideration. If you are planning to play this game on this machine, just set it to High instead of Ultra and you’ll have zero problems.

In summary, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop packs quite a lot of punch and is capable of running virtually every game out there right now. It can have a bit of trouble running some of the more resource-intensive games but if you can make use of G-Sync, it would make for a smoother gameplays. Alternatively, running those kinds of games on their 2nd highest setting would give you a buttery smooth gaming experience and still have relatively great visuals to enjoy.
User Experience

On its own, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop is a very interesting machine. For something that packs so much power, it manages to fit all of it in a slim body. Under normal circumstances, a gaming laptop with these specs would be bigger and heavier. However, as I have the experience of using the original Zephyrus still in my mind, it feels noticeably heavier. It’s only 200g heavier but when I held it at first, it felt more than that. Basically, expectations will play a role on whether you are okay with this or not.

For the display, the 15.6-inch display is a joy to look at whether is it for watching videos, playing games, or even just looking at the wallpaper as it can reproduce some really vibrant colours on screen. The 144Hz refresh rate and G-Sync makes games look very fluid and the viewing angles are excellent thanks to the IPS panel.

When I first started using this, I didn’t realize that NVIDIA Optimus was enabled, thus G-Sync and the GTX 1060 Max-P was disabled. I was legitimately wondering why something with such high specs performed so weak. After changing it via the ROG Center software, everything felt like how it was supposed to be so if you’re experiencing rather slow performance, be sure to get this checked first.
Speaking of the NVIDIA Optimus feature, the battery life of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop is quite disappointing. With NVIDIA Optimus on, you will see a battery life of about 2 and a half hours to 3 hours at most with web browsing and office work. Disabling NVIDIA Optimus and you’ll see about an hour to an hour and a half with the same usage.

At least with gaming, it is understandable to have weak battery life since it requires quite a bit of power to be used and thus, more energy will be used as well. But if general use is below 3 hours even with the discrete GPU disabled, you will have no choice but to bring the charger around everywhere you go. If you were ever wondering why people have vastly different battery life experiences, NVIDIA Optimus is likely the key factor to this.

One thing I really like about the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop is its 4-zone RGB keyboard, and its not just the keyboard itself. It uses the traditional layout where the keyboard is situated above the trackpad, so it gives my wrist enough space to rest. In the original Zephyrus, you have no space for your wrist when typing so it can feel fatigued or awkward when typing very fast.

The keyboard itself is pretty easy and comfortable to use. It’s nothing that will blow people away like mechanical keyboard but it is still a good keyboard to use. My typing speed on this is on equal terms with my usual Cherry MX Blue mechanical keyboard. The RGB lighting is beautiful and the fact that you can further customize it through the Aura software gives it added potential to catch people’s attention.

There’s nothing much I can say about the trackpad. It feels just like any other trackpad with the exception that the left and right click doesn’t have much feedback when using so sometimes you’ll be wondering if you actually clicked it. I would prefer if the trackpad was situated beside the keyboard in place of the numpad instead like the original Zephyrus. Simply put, just use a mouse if you’re going to use this laptop as even cheap one will serve you better than the trackpad.
The built-in 3.5W speakers are surprisingly good. As the sound is directed toward the ground or whatever surface you’re putting the laptop on as well as the sides, it gives a rather wholesome audio experience, complete with bass. If you want a better audio experience, best to user headphones or external speakers. Just keep in mind that it’s using the headphone/microphone combo jack which can affect your gaming setup unless you have an audio splitter.

With the 256GB NVME M.2 SSD, it cuts down on load times by a huge amount as it is a speedy storage drive even by SSD standard, as you can see in the Performance section of this review. If you just install programs on this drive and leave everything else on the FireCuda HDD, you’ll definitely have little to no issues with storage.
The lack of a card reader somehow bothers me. I do take a lot of photos with my DSLR, and I usually transfer it using a card reader rather than a USB cable (because mini-USB is horrible) so this kind of grinds my gears.

Overall, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop is a good machine to use but it has some quirks here and there. Even with that in mind, there is nothing bad enough that would anyone not want to use this machine, that’s for sure. Just remember to bring the charger along whenever you’re taking this baby out for a walk.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) Verdict

When you look at the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop from a performance standpoint, there is nothing to not like here. There’s plenty of power packed in this machine and it still manages to do that while being in a slim body. The GTX 1060 here is the Max-P variant and not Max-Q, but what that essentially means is that it’s a just regular GTX 1060, same case for the 1070 variant.
But with its relatively short battery life, you will have no choice but to bring the charger around. To the least, the slim body will still make this easy to bring around, which is a plus. Another plus point is its price tag at RM7,999 which is noticeably more affordable than the original Zephyrus, although the latter is still the stronger overall machine. Even with that in mind, it’s not easy to find something powerful in a slim body at this price range.
This review was written when the 6% GST was still in effect. When 0% GST kicks in, you may see lower prices for the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop.

Whether this laptop, or its GTX 1070 variant, is the one for you depends on what you’re looking for in a gaming laptop. If you just want performance but don’t want to go for big laptops, this is a great choice. But if you want something that has good battery life as well, you will not be pleased with this. It isn’t perfect, but it isn’t bad either. With that in mind, I award the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M (GM501) gaming laptop with our Silver Pokdeward!

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Android Smartphones Able To Read Heart Rate With Cameras Soon

It appears that Google is adding a new feature where it allows Pixel smartphones to monitor heart and respiratory rate simply by using the camera on the device.
Android smartphone with heart rate reading capabilities

The feature will be coming to the Fit app on Pixel devices later this month and it seems that Google will be adding them to other Android smartphones in the future.

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As mentioned earlier, the feature will rely on the smartphone camera where it will measure the respiratory rate by checking the rise and fall of a person’s chest and heart rate by tracking color change as blood moves through the fingertip.
If users were to take their heart rate once a week, they would actually get a lot of value. They’ll get a lot of value in tracking whether their heart rate might be improving, if exercise is paying off.
Jack Po, product manager at Google Health
The company aims to make the feature viable and accessible to a wider range of audience, claiming that not everyone owns wearables (smartband and the likes) and it would benefit everyone by keeping track of their health.
It is reported that the Pixel phones showed results that was accurate within one breath per minute for both with and without health conditions.
They aim to make the feature at its optimum best before releasing it to other Android devices. For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Source
Pokdepinion: Pretty cool thing to happen if it arrives to Android smartphones in general though. Let’s hope we’ll hear more of it soon.
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Come in red to get the HUAWEI nova 3 red — get freebies worth over RM1000!

The HUAWEI nova 3 is set to arrive at the HUAWEI Flagship Store in Pavilion Elite KL tomorrow. And since HUAWEI is celebrating the arrival of their new red baby, the HUAWEI nova 3 red, they are offering exclusive goodies for HUAWEI fans who come dressed in red to purchase the HUAWEI nova 3 red.
The premium gifts included a Nova Privilege Card, HUAWEI A2 Band, HUAWEI Bluetooth Earpiece AM61 and more, totaling more than RM1000. With the device priced at RM1899, the deal is really quite enticing.

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Aside from the amazing deal, celebrities like Wany Hasrita, Haqiem Rusli, Hafeez Mikail and Hael Husaini will also make an appearance at the event. You can also interact with Jimmy Lin, as he will provide expert tips on how to complement your outfits with the stunning colors of the HUAWEI nova 3.
If you aren’t in KL, you can also head to selected HUAWEI Experience Stores and SenQ stores to get the premium gifts, as long as you satisfy the requirements. Of course, the disclaimer while stocks last applies here.
Pokdepinion: Would love to get my hands on the HUAWEI nova 3 red!
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