Here are SIX ways to make your Lunar New Year better with HUAWEI

The Lunar New Year celebrations are just around the corner, and you will definitely be hanging out with your closest friends and relatives. Aside from looking your very best with your new outfits, you will also want to be able to brag about using the latest smartphone out there. One of the most feature-packed smartphones out there is the HUAWEI Mate 20 series, and here are some that are great for sharing with your loved ones.
3D Models with the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro

One of the features offered by the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro‘s 3D IR facial recognition system aside from a secure biometric security solution is 3D modelling. You can virtually bring a toy or doll to life with the feature, and play it with the younger members of your family. Quite a cool feature especially for the kids who have a favorite soft toy that they bring everywhere!

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Ultra-wide angle lens to take in more joy

All three HUAWEI Mate 20 series feature an ultra-wide angle camera, which allows you to capture a broader perspective. Regardless whether it’s a photo of your huge family gathering, or just the beautiful view in your hometown, the HUAWEI Mate 20 is well-suited for the task with its Leica Triple Camera.
Wireless reverse charging to save the day

There will be long reunion sessions during the Lunar New Year celebrations, and more often than not, your friends will start bringing out their powerbanks. And of course, there will always be that one guy who happens to have forgotten his powerbank. Well, if he uses a device with wireless charging, you can use your HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro to give him a little boost with the wireless reverse charging feature of the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro.
Count your calories easier with HiVision

Guilty pleasures are abound every Lunar New Year. Who can say no to those delectable cookies, or the home-cooked meals your grandma whipped up with love? We aren’t saying you shouldn’t partake in the feast, but with HiVision on the HUAWEI Mate 20 devices, you can estimate the calorie count and calculate how much time you will have to spend on the gym. Still completely worth it though.
Film exclusive videos with AI Color

AI Color is the HUAWEI Mate 20 series’ most unique feature. You can isolate your subject from the background, with the subject in color while the background is in monochrome. Just perfect for that extra pop to your videos this Lunar New Year.
HUAWEI Share for faster sharing

After taking all the beautiful videos and photos with your HUAWEI Mate 20, you will definitely be inundated by requests to send them the images. With HUAWEI Share 3.0, you can easily transfer everything to them in just a few taps.
Hope you enjoy your HUAWEI Mate 20 smartphone and make use of all these cool features this Lunar New Year! If you still haven’t got yours, it isn’t too late for that as HUAWEI still has ongoing promotions for the HUAWEI Mate 20! Happy Lunar New Year everyone!
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[UPDATED] PS Plus Asia January 2018 FREE GAMES Lineup; There’s Some Really Good Games Here

Looks like we’re getting things ahead of schedule this time around as the PS Plus Asia January 2018 free games lineup has officially been announced.
Article Edited 29th December 2017: We’ve corrected a mistake on the complete lineup as we’ve accidentally added an extra game in it. It will now show the proper lineup as listed by PS Asia.
PS Plus Asia January 2018 FREE GAMES Lineup

Didn’t think we’d be receiving news on the lineup already but here we are. If you are excited to know what’s included in the PS Plus Asia January 2018 free games lineup, then you have come to the right place.

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The 1st one on the list, we have Deus Ex: Mankind Divided for PlayStation 4. The game picks up two years after the events of the previous game in the series, 2011’s Human Revolution, and will see players once again take the role of Adam Jenson as he fights the Illuminati, as well as incredibly violent augmented humans.

The 2nd PlayStation 4 game that players will have access to is Season 1 of Batman: The Telltale Series. In it, players will not only get to solve a tough crime as Batman but also as the billionaire Bruce Wayne, which brings an interesting dynamic to the game.
In addition to all of that, as a bonus, if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber and you own a PlayStation VR, you’ll be able to download StarBlood Arena completely free of charge.
For the full lineup of games coming for PS Plus Asia January 2018, check it out just below here:
Full Lineup PS Plus Asia January 2018
Edited 29th December 2017: There was a mistake as we accidentally put Psycho-Pass in the full lineup. That game is only offered in the US region of PS Plus. Our apologies for the mistake. We’ve updated the lineup and removed it from the list. Thanks to reader leonthesleepy for informing us about this.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4)
Batman: The Telltale Series Season 1 (PS4)
Sacred 3 (PS3)
BioShock Infinite: The Ultimate Edition (PS3)
Uncanny Valley (PS Vita)
StarBlood Arena (PS VR)

All of these games will be available starting January 11th 2018 to February 7th 2018. There’s a special bonus for Gran Turismo Sport players as you are eligible to claim the BMW M4 Safety Car as long as you have an active PS Plus membership. And there you have it. Is it exciting enough to kick off the new year for you?
If you want to compare it with December’s PS Plus Asia free games lineup, click here to check it out.
Source: PS Asia

Pokdepinion: Well, I was honestly caught off guard to suddenly hear about it today but I’m not complaining. We have some really good games coming January so I’m very satisfied with the upcoming lineup.
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No More Touch ‘n Go Surcharge For Parking Facilities

Touch ‘n Go have announced that they will be removing the 10% surcharge charged at parking facilities with dual payment systems.
Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Chong Chieng Jen said that from here on all Touch ‘n Go contractors or future contractors will not have an imposed surcharge rate based on merchant discount rate. Furthermore, the surcharge rates will end in stages for the existing contracts.
The current surcharge is merely a contractual obligation between Touch ‘n Go cards and car park operators he added.

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Pokdepinion: No more looking for the autopay machines!
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AMD Ryzen 8000 Confirmed: Zen 5, RDNA 3.5 iGPU, AM5 Until 2026

Hardware leaker @harukaz5719 has revealed a roadmap shared in AMD’s recent Meet The Expert webcast. In this roadmap, AMD is expecting to release updated versions of Ryzen 7000 this year, and Ryzen 8000 will arrive in 2024.
In the slide image, AMD first mentioned the AM5 socket, which was introduced last year alongside Ryzen 7000 series, will see its lifespan reaching 2026 – 4 years in total. That’s not as long as the preceding Socket AM4 which spanned all the way from 2016 (pre-Ryzen chips) to late 2022 before AM5 takes over. What’s slightly more interesting is the slight change in product cadence. Prior to Zen 4, the company has usually stuck with the 15-month cadence between new Zen generations.

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The slide points out that AM5 socket will “support new CPU core and graphics upgrade on annual cadence”, meaning the release time is now likely shortened for new models to release at the end of each year, likely in response to Intel’s relatively more aggressive release cadences. For that, the Zen 4-powered Ryzen 7000 is expected to have a Navi 3.0 (RDNA3) variant – likely to be the 7000G series with up to Radeon 780M iGPU available.
As for the Ryzen 8000 – it’s expected to use new Zen 5 architecture, with the slightly updated Navi 3.5 (RDNA 3.5) graphics onboard. However, the slide did not specify if this applies to select models such as G-series or it will be universal across all desktop chips. Leaker @Kepler_L2 has provided some insight on this half-generation update for RDNA3 architecture, which includes some components from RDNA4 but sticks with RDNA3-based designs.

RDNA 3.5/gfx11.5 is, as the name implies, an in-between gen with features from both RDNA3 and 4.
It contains the new RDNA4 SALU with support for FP32 instructions and improvements to the geometry engine, but not other RDNA4 features like the new scheduler and improved RT cores.
— Kepler (@Kepler_L2) June 5, 2023

AMD has so far only confirmed the next-gen CPU will feature Zen5, Zen5c (small-core) and Zen5 with 3D V-Cache variants. These lineup will utilize 4nm and 3nm nodes from TSMC.
Source: Videocardz
Pokdepinion: CPU releases from both companies this year should be relative minor, but it’s likely that both companies are heading different directions as far as the market segment is concerned.
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Meet The THX-certified And Noise-cancelling Razer Opus Headphones

Just recently, the folks at Razer unveiled something that… well to lightly put it, doesn’t look like any of their products. The product we’re talking about is indeed te new Razer Opus headphones.
Razer Opus

For this headphone, Razer has partnered up with THX and here’s what Peter Vasay had to say about the Razer Opus.
The result is a high-performance wireless headphone that delivers a rich, balanced soundstage, clear vocals, and deep impactful bass optimized for music, games, and movies.Peter Vasay, Head of THX Certification
In a single charge, the Razer Opus is said to last 25 hours of playback with ANC turned on, which is rather impressive. Other than that, it comes with 40mm drivers, wear detection, Bluetooth 4.2, as well as support for AAC, aptX, A2DP, AVRCP and HFP codecs. Oh let’s not forget about the glorious 3.5mm headphone cable support.

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For the noise-cancellation, it seems that Razer utilizes a thing called Advanced Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation system, which uses quad microphones.
The price? Well Razer has put the Razer Opus at a $199 (~RM866) at their own website. There’s the case, 3.5mm headphone cable, USB-C cable, airplane adapter, as well as a USB-C to USB-A adapter included with the headphone itself.
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Pokdepinion: Honestly I’m quite interested to see (or hear in this case) how well it sounds like. Will we see it arrive here in Malaysia?
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OPPO Offers RM20,000 Worth Of Deals This Shopee Super Brand Day

11.11 might be over, but OPPO Malaysia is not stopping there in offering deals. You can expect a host of offers this Shopee Super Brand Day from now till the 14th of November 2020 with up to RM20,000 worth of deals to grab.
OPPO deals on Shopee Super Brand Day
During the period, you can expect over RM20,000 worth of gifts and discounts up for grabs. You can participate in a Share & Get Voucher campaign where you stand a chance in winning 50% Shopee coins cashback voucher. All you need to do is invite 4 friends to join the campaign and a voucher will be given for OPPO products on OPPO Shopee with a minimum spend of RM100 (capped at RM50).
Specially on the 12th of November, you can get limited-time vouchers offering 50% off on any OPPO products with no minimum spend on OPPO Shopee storewide (capped at RM25). Adding to t hat, from now till 14 November between 12am to 2am, you can get up to RM120 all-day vouchers when spending on OPPO Shopee store.

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Not to forget, on the 15th of November 2020, 3 O-fans with the top spending on a single receipt stand a chance in winning a grand prize of OPPO Reno 2. The second top spender will receive an OPPO Enco W31 and a Remax Powerbank awaits third place.
Pokdepinion: If you’ve been eyeing to get something from OPPO, now might seem like the best time to get them, considering all the discounts that they are offering!

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The JOI® Smartboard enables collaborative learning in Smart Classrooms

During these trying times, schools are closed but learning must still continue. This illustrates the importance of advancing our education infrastructure, as learning should not be restricted to the confines of a classroom. That’s what the JOI® Smart Classroom ecosystem is designed for, to expand the horizons of a classroom beyond just the four walls of a classroom.
At the core of the ecosystem is the JOI® Smart Classroom is the JOI® Smartboard powered by Intel®.  With the JOI® Smartboard, educators can now interact with students in the classroom or from any location. Content on the JOI® Smartboard can be seamlessly streamed to any location while educators can add annotations on-the-fly to highlight important points or add in additional information of the content presented.

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When schools are finally reopened, the JOI® Smartboard can allow students to learn more interactively by directly interacting with the smart display. There’s support for 20 points of touch, which will allow students to collaborate in groups and help each other absorb the lessons better.
Students can use rich media to convey their ideas, and even draw and write on them to express them better. Educators can take full advantage of these features to create more engaging lesson plans to improve the outcome of the lessons.
Ensuring that the JOI® Smartboard is capable of running any software educators want to use in class is an Intel® Core™ processor. Based on Intel®’s Interactive Flat Panel Display (IFPD) platform, the hardware is integrated with Windows 10 on the JOI® Smartboard to deliver an intuitive and familiar user interface that educators and students can easily use.
In addition to these benefits, students and educators alike can benefit from seamless wireless streaming powered by Intel® on the JOI® Smartboard to enable a more intuitive presentation experience. The smart display supports streaming from not only laptops and tablets but also mobile devices, thus letting students and teachers alike to conduct presentations on the it without worrying about cables or dongles.

For more information about the JOI® Smartboard, head on over to the following link here, or contact any of these PICs to find out more about JOI®’s products:

Janet
Zulfa
KK Mak
Saw

This is an exclusive article for JOI®.
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Malaysia’s CGI Studio Lemon Sky Celebrates 10 Years of World-class Art; , How it Became One of the Biggest CGI Studios in Malaysia

Lemon Sky Animation celebrates 10 years of animation excellence, chronicles journey to becoming one of the biggest CGI animation studios in Malaysia.
Lemon Sky Animation, a leading Malaysian-based independent Computer Generated Imaging (CGI) animation studio in the region, recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, opening its doors to over 1,000 guests including employees, partners, students, family and friends – giving them a peek into what goes behind the making of one of the fastest growing studios in Malaysia.
Malaysia’s CGI Studio Lemon Sky Celebrates 10 Years of World-class Art

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Attendees at the 1-day celebration held at Lemon Sky’s office in Petaling Jaya were treated to a host of activities which included a rare studio tour, design talks by the studio’s leading animation and production members, as well as a custom-made gaming platform for guests to experience some of the best games produced by Lemon Sky. A photo wall of Lemon Sky’s completed projects and artwork was also on display, charting major milestones of the studio.
Cheng Fei Wong, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer, Lemon Sky shared:
“When we started, we were among the few who took up the challenge to develop the game art scene in Malaysia. It seemed like a gargantuan task for our small team then, but our passion and determination saw us through. Today, we stand proud as one of the biggest game art studio in the country and we owe it much to the support of our clients, partners and most importantly, the team that has been – and are still – with us at Lemon Sky.”
The studio tour and design talks were particularly popular with students from local education institutions including The One Academy, UNDO Academy Malaysia, KDU University College, University of Science Malaysia (USM) Penang, Clazroom Academy and Dasein Art Academy.
“When it comes to CGI and animation, the talent pool in the Malaysia continues to grow, with more and more talented artists emerging. What we are doing today is just a small step towards inspiring these students by sharing what goes into the making of a studio, and we hope this will encourage them to build a career path in the animation and gaming industry.”

Making Good Art: 10 Years of World-class Content

Starting out in 2006 with just 11 employees, Lemon Sky today boasts 230 employees, with offices in Selangor and Penang. It remains a sought after CGI studio in the region, specialising in high-quality game art, animation and visual effects.
Among its clients are industry heavyweights such as Sony, Microsoft, Disney, Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Activision, EA, Square Enix, Capcom, Naughty Dog, 2K Games, Bethesda Softworks, Nickelodeon, translating to over  50 completed projects including Gears of War 4, Dead Rising 4, FFXIV: Heavensward – The Far Edge of Fate, Tales of Zestria & Bestria, Gravity Rush 2, FIFA 14, Tekken 7, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, WWE 2K17, Dark Soul amongst many others.
The studio further established its reputation with a partnership with Bandai Namco Studios in 2014 that helped the Japanese studio establish an office in Malaysia. The partnership also marked an important milestone for Lemon Sky, as it kick-started the studio’s entry into full-fledge games development.
In 2016, the studio began producing its own first original animation series called AstroLoLogy that is based on the twelve members of the Greek zodiac. The series focuses on the relationships between these characters, weaving their unique personality traits for comical effects. The series is currently available on their YouTube channel.
Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, Vice President of the Creative Content & Technologies Division, (MDEC) said:
“Year after year, we witness the tremendous potential and growth of some really amazing studios and talents in Malaysia. Lemon Sky is a shining example of how capable Malaysia is in producing and delivering world-class content. It’s no small feat for Fei and his team to be one of the most reputable game art studios in Malaysia and the region today, and we hope to see more from Lemon Sky in years to come.”

Malaysia’s Creative Content Industry on the Rise

Under the purview of MDEC, the Creative Content Technology (CCT) cluster which comprises animation, games, creative and digital content, continues to show massive potential as a key growth area that is shaping Malaysia’s digital economy landscape.
According to MDEC’s MSC Performance for the year 2016, the cluster recorded its highest growth in export sales with a contribution of RM1.17 billion, of which RM567.86 million is attributed to the animation and game production. The cluster continues to chalk up growth with its 2017 Q1 figure standing at RM 325.78 million, with the animation and game production contributing RM184.75 million in export sales.
Once considered niche, the rise of animation and gaming studios in Malaysia has signalled a stronger demand for creative talent. 2017 figures from MDEC recorded that there are 354 companies listed under the CCT cluster with 151 studios directly involved in various stages of animation and game production, translating to 3,098 jobs opportunities for the industry.
“Our creative content industry has grown tremendously over the last few years, with increasingly sophisticated content being produced here for the global market consumption. At MDEC, we hope to support the efforts of these outstanding talents and companies by providing as much training and development resources as possible. As our talent matures through valuable experiences and learning opportunities, the local creative ecosystem will continue to improve, bringing us closer to the vision of building Malaysia into the regional digital content hub…” added Hasnul.

Kre8tif! 2017 To Celebrate Animation Industry
In shaping Malaysia’s digital economy landscape, MDEC is set to host its seventh Kre8tif! Conference and Content Festival this year, aimed at sparking innovation and exploration of major trends across the creative sector.
The two-day conference and two-day festival will be held from 9 to 12 August, and is divided into three main events: Conference, Business & Markets and Content Festival. Registration for the Kre8tif! Conference is now open, and the Content Festival will be fully accessible to the general public.
If you want to know more about the conference, click here.

Pokdepinion: Congratulations to Malaysia’s own Lemon Sky CGI Animation Studio. It’s not an easy world to survive and Lemon Sky thrived in it, with plenty of high-profile clients in their portfolio.
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More Battlefield 6 Leaked Images Surface Online Along with Cryptic Messages

It appears that more Battlefield 6 leaked images have surfaced online. With an official announcement expected to be made soon, this isn’t really a surprise. Let’s see
More Battlefield 6 Leaked Images Surface Online

MORE LEAKED #BATTLEFIELD IMAGES!
This is multiplayer!
[RETWEET BEFORE IT GETS TAKEN DOWN]
🔔+ FOLLOW US, @NewzBattlefield for the latest Battlefield News, Leaks and Information! pic.twitter.com/CZKUFZjkW7
— BATTLEFIELD News (@BF2042News) June 4, 2021

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The Battlefield News Twitter account has posted some new Battlefield 6 leaked images, which were also uploaded on Imgur. The leaked images consists of a wide shot of a bright city, a tank in the same city, a player on the ground seeing a helicopter seemingly falling to the ground, and gameplay of what looks to be a futuristic fighter jet.

These leaked images are claimed to be from a play test of Battlefield 6 held on 4th June 2021, but no proof of that exists at the moment. One of the images has the label of “pre-alpha footage”, which suggests it to be part of some video for marketing purposes, likely to be a trailer. While it’s hard to determine the authenticity of this, famous leaker Tom Henderson claims that these are in fact legitimate.

This is what we’ve pieced together in my discord.#BATTLEFIELD pic.twitter.com/YtLGTPyzHf
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) June 4, 2021

At the same time, it appears that EA DICE has sent cryptic messages to a number of Battlefield content creators via the official Battlefield Twitter account. There are variations of the short messages with alternate pieces of texts obscured for each variation. Tom Henderson tweeted out the completed cryptic message and it reads:
Some of you want to return home – that most human of all instincts. With a heavy heart, I must tell you the truth. You have no home to return to. The question we must ask ourselves now is: do we accept our fate? Or do we dare to fight for a better world? No one may force you into battle, but I say to all who can hear my voice: If you can fire a gun, if you can tend a wound, if you can cry havoc, those who cannot need you. We need you. War is the only way home.
For now, do take these details with a grain of salt. We expect there to be an official reveal and, hopefully, a release date for Battlefield 6 on 9th June 2021. We will report more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
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Pokdepinion: I’m hoping the official reveal will have much more to show than just gameplay footage. Maybe actual storyline bits to reel the crowd in or some next gen gaming feature, anything to hook the masses in. They definitely need that to stand out, otherwise it will just be another shooter.
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HTC U23 Pro: A Feature-Packed Smartphone And It’s Real

HTC, the renowned smartphone manufacturer, has introduced its latest offering, the HTC U23 Pro. Following the leaks earlier this month, the U23 Pro impresses with its array of features, including a stunning OLED display, a powerful processor, a versatile camera setup, and compatibility with the VIVE XR Elite mixed reality headset. Let’s delve into the details of this feature-packed smartphone.
HTC U23 Pro
Display and Design

The HTC U23 Pro boasts a 6.7″ FullHD+ OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus protection, ensuring a vibrant and durable display. The centered punch hole houses a 32MP selfie camera, while the fingerprint scanner is conveniently embedded in the power button on the phone’s right-side frame. The device’s sleek design showcases HTC’s commitment to both aesthetics and functionality.

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Camera Capabilities

At the rear, the HTC U23 Pro features a rectangular camera island, which includes a 108MP primary camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), an 8MP ultrawide lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. This versatile quad-camera setup enables users to capture stunning photos and videos from various perspectives, adding creativity to their photography experience.
Performance and Storage
Powering the HTC U23 Pro is the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC, providing efficient performance for seamless multitasking and smooth user experience. With options for 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, users can store their files, photos, and videos without worrying about space constraints. The inclusion of a microSD card slot allows for further storage expansion, offering even more flexibility.
Software and Connectivity
Running on Android 13 out of the box, the HTC U23 Pro comes pre-installed with the VIVERSE app, enhancing the user’s immersive experience. Furthermore, the device is compatible with the VIVE XR Elite mixed reality headset, offering a seamless connection between the smartphone and the VR world. With IP67 dust and water resistance, users can confidently use their phone in various environments. The HTC U23 Pro also supports 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, USB-C, and retains the classic 3.5mm headphone jack.
Battery and Charging

Equipped with a robust 4,600 mAh battery, the HTC U23 Pro ensures extended usage without frequent recharging. The device supports 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, allowing users to quickly power up their phone. Additionally, the U23 Pro offers reverse wireless charging, enabling users to charge other compatible devices wirelessly.
Pricing and Availability
The HTC U23 Pro is available in two colors and memory configurations: 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256GB. Priced at TWD$16,990 (RM2,517 / $550 / €510 / INR45,505) and TWD$17,990 (RM2,665 / $585 / €540 / INR48,185) respectively, the device is currently available in Taiwan through HTC’s official Taiwanese website. Stay tuned for updates on its availability in other markets.
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Pokdepinion: It looks like a pretty promising smartphone but its success is highly dependent on pricing. It definitely needs to lean more towards the more affordable side, at least initially, if they want to make a strong comeback.
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Snapdragon 865-powered Samsung Galaxy S20 FE LTE Now Available in Malaysia

Looking for a feature-packed, value-for-money smartphone? You now have a new option in the Snapdragon 865-powered Samsung Galaxy S20 FE LTE. While we did have one before, this one is actually a 4G-only version, which makes it even more interesting.
Snapdragon 865-powered Samsung Galaxy S20 FE LTE Malaysia

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As we have reported before, there is a new variant of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE LTE, which will be running on the Snapdragon 865 SoC, and now, it’s available in Malaysia. It is the first Snapdragon 865 device that is 4G-only as all the other devices using the same chipset has 5G support.
This Samsung Galaxy S20 FE LTE is using the model number G780 according to the ecommerce listing, and it will be the 3rd variant being offered. The other two variants, which were already available for a while now, is the 5G-capable Snapdragon 865 version and the 4G-only Exynos 990 version.

For those of you who aren’t aware, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE LTE is using a 6.5-inch Full HD+ 120Hz Super AMOLED display, 8GB RAM, 128GB internal storage with expandable storage (microSD), 4500mAh battery, 25W fast charging support, stereo speakers, under-display fingerprint reader, IP68, and wireless charging support. As for cameras, it has a 32MP selfie camera and a triple camera setup consisting of a 12MP wide angle camera, 12MP ultra-wide angle camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.
The new Samsung Galaxy S20 FE LTE variant will be retailing for RM2,299 and it has a memory configuration of 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. You will have the choice of 3 colours; Blue, Orange, and Violet. If you want to go all out, you can opt for the 5G version, which comes with the larger 256GB storage, for just RM2,999.
If you want to get the new variant, click right here.
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Pokdepinion: With 5G availability still scarce, I would recommend people save up and get the 4G-only version. It makes more sense financially at the moment, and it’s a pretty solid device as is.
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Valve Sued For Taking Advantage Of Steam In Keeping High Prices For Games

It appears that Valve Inc. is on the receiving end of a lawsuit, where they’ve been allegedly to abuse Steam where they forced game developers to sell their games at the same price across all platforms.
Valve face lawsuit for controlling games price

The lawsuit was filed in the US, where it appears that the store’s “Most Favored Nations” clause for developers states that “the price of a PC game on the Steam platform will be the same price the game developers sell their PC games on other platforms”.

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For the attorneys of the case, they’ve suggested that the clause is making other platforms such as Epic Games and Microsoft Store to face a harder time to compete with Steam.
The lawsuit also states “the Steam MFN also hinders innovation by creating an artificial barrier to entry for platforms. When a market, such as this one, is highly concentrated, a new entrant can benefit consumers by undercutting the incumbent’s prices. Aside from that, here’s what the lawsuit claims:
The Steam MFN also hinders innovation by creating an artificial barrier to entry for platforms. When a market, such as this one, is highly concentrated, a new entrant can benefit consumers by undercutting the incumbent’s prices. The ability to provide PC games to consumers at lower prices is one way a firm or new entrant could gain market share.
It seems that the attorneys behind the lawsuit wants to disrupt the game store’s grasp on the market to make PC game distribution as well as selling more fair towards both developers and of course, players.
Source
Pokdepinion: Well they do have a point in hoping to make the market fair but will they succeed though? As just a gamer and consumer, it’d be interesting to see if the market to turn out fair for all. I can’t wait to see what’s the outcome.
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Sony’s Upcoming WF-1000XM5 Has Been Leaked, Earbuds Now Feature Glossy Design

Sony’s upcoming flagship TWS earbuds has now been leaked in its full form: the WF-1000XM5 now gets a different design, upon the first look can be seen with the glossy surface around what is assumed to be touch-sensitive zones for earbud controls.
The image is courtesy of WinFuture.de – which showcases the devices in both Black and Silver colors. Another website The Walkman Blog has revealed some of the key features and specs, with the image below:

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Going by what looks like official spec sheet, the WF-1000XM5 supports up to 24 hours of playtime with the case, and fast charging provides one hour of playback with just three minutes of charge. You also get Qi charging, wearing detection, Bluetooth multipoint connection support, among other things. The website also published a superimposed image of XM5 compared with XM4, showing the increased earbuds size:

It’s unclear if the release of WF-1000XM5 is imminent – as the blog author mentions more leak should arrive, if the announcement is very soon. In any case, take these with a pinch of salt as usual, and watch this space.
Source: Wccftech | The Walkman Blog
Pokdepinion: We shall see what are the new features the new model is expected to bring this time around.
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 will match RTX 2080 Ti for half the price?

We have mostly heard about the top-of-the-line GeForce RTX 3090, but apparently the GeForce RTX 3070 will be quite a beast as well. Rumors hint that its performance will match the current-gen NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti while coming in at half the price.

Confirming: RTX 3070 ~= RTX 2080 Ti.
You all can do the math on how much stronger the 3080 & 3060 are relative to this based on the previous gen 😉.
And don’t worry gamers, fun things ahead for multiple tiers of shoppers before Halloween…
— Moore’s Law Is Dead (@mooreslawisdead) August 24, 2020

The GeForce RTX 3070 is reportedly going to launch at $599 (~RM2496), which will make it a pretty great deal, especially if you consider that the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti launched at $999 ~ $1199 in 2018. Prices have also remained relatively stable, due to a lack of competition from the red camp.

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Do take this rumor with a pinch of salt though. The performance may be gauged based on raytracing or DLSS performance rather than good ol’ raster graphics. The Ampere generation is expected to tout significantly more RT cores and Tensor cores than their predecessors. If that’s the case, you will enjoy much better performance in raytraced titles, but the situation might differ in titles that don’t support DLSS or raytracing.
NVIDIA has previously used performance numbers with DLSS turned on to compare their newer cards more favorably against their older generation of cards. While the current adoption of DLSS is still rather limited, DLSS 2.0 is reportedly easier to implement in games, so maybe that number of games offering DLSS will grow significantly, which will give the Ampere GPUs the upper hand, especially when compared against the Turing generation where the Tensor cores can actually bottleneck performance at higher frame rates.
Will the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti finally be affordable?
With that said, if the GeForce RTX 3070 will match the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, then I guess gamers who can afford the higher-end cards will be in for a big upgrade, unlike with the relatively small generational gap between the Turing and Pascal generations. Gamers who can’t afford the Ampere GPUs can also look forward to picking up some more affordable Turing GPUs, especially if the Ampere cards are priced as previously rumored, meaning that there’s something for everyone here.
At the moment, the leaked pricing are as follows:

GeForce RTX 3090: $1399 (~RM5830)
GeForce RTX 3080: $799 (~RM3330)
GeForce RTX 3070: $599 (~RM2496)
GeForce RTX 3060: $399 (~RM1663)

NVIDIA might still make changes to the final pricing structure of the Ampere cards at the very last minute, but the launch is happening next month, so stay tuned for more official information.
Pokdepinion: Maybe I can finally afford a GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER?
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Final Fantasy 16 Review – A Bold Departure with Unforgettable Moments

What is Final Fantasy 16 About?
Final Fantasy 16 Review – Clive Rosfield

Before we move into the Final Fantasy 16 review, you need to know what the game is about. Final Fantasy 16, developed by Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit 3, takes a brave leap into new territory, redefining the RPG genre. Set in a grounded pseudo-medieval world, the game follows the gripping story of young nobleman Clive Rosfield, weaving together intrigue, political drama, and powerful character development.
The game embraces a fast-paced, real-time battle system. Together with a captivating narrative and meticulously crafted world, Final Fantasy 16 stands out as one of the best RPGs in recent years, while being significantly different than before.
The Good
Final Fantasy 16 Review – Mysterious hooded figure
Final Fantasy 16 excels in delivering a deeply immersive and emotionally engaging narrative. The game’s story is filled with intrigue, personality, and compelling character drama. Square Enix has masterfully crafted an experience where every system, from exploration to character customization, is calibrated towards supporting and enhancing the game’s grand tale. It also offers a detailed world-building experience that revolves around nations clashing over territory and resources, a recurring theme in the series.

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Clive Rosfield, the central character of Final Fantasy 16, is a standout protagonist who undergoes significant growth and development throughout the game. The voice acting by Ben Starr is exceptional, bringing Clive’s emotional journey to life. From his struggles with obligations and expectations to his eventual acceptance of his connection to others, Clive’s story explores themes of masculinity, emotional intelligence, and vulnerability. Starr’s performance captures the tension, stress, and growth of Clive’s character, making him a relatable and memorable presence.
Final Fantasy 16 Review – Joshua and Jill
Final Fantasy 16 features a cast of supporting characters that add depth and charm to the game. Their interactions with Clive and each other create a strong sense of camaraderie and make Clive’s base of operations feel like a home. Whether it’s the witty banter of Gav or the gruff but well-meaning grumbling of Otto, the found family dynamic brings warmth and authenticity to the game. It exudes a sense of care in its themes and the way characters treat one another.
The game emphasizes the importance of kindness and respect, echoing the values seen in Final Fantasy VII. The inclusion of swearing and violence feels genuine and earned, contributing to the overall emotional impact of the story. It’s refreshing to see a game that tackles mature themes while still maintaining a sense of compassion. Additionally, the portrayal of Cid in this game is hailed as one of the best since Final Fantasy VII, if not the best iteration of the character ever.
Final Fantasy 16 Review – Shiva
The exploration of the crystals and their magic raises thought-provoking questions about ecological sustainability and free will, which have been central to the franchise since its inception. The intricate world-building helps players immerse themselves in a richly crafted universe, fostering a sense of urgency and a desire to save the world. It also manages to pay homage to their series history in various parts of the game.
The world of Valesthia in Final Fantasy 16 is meticulously crafted and immersive. The game portrays a pseudo-medieval setting, riven with political intrigue and power struggles among emperors, kings, and vicerenes. As the layers of the story are peeled back, the narrative gains momentum, creating a sense of anticipation and driving players to uncover the next twist. The attention to detail in world-building, combined with the captivating storytelling, results in an unforgettable and captivating experience.
Final Fantasy 16 Review – Cinematic elements in combat
Final Fantasy 16 presents an engaging combat system that represents the culmination of the series’ experimentation with free-roaming hack and slash battles. Players have access to a diverse range of attack options, including ranged magic attacks, sword strikes, and powerful special attacks utilizing the Eikon’s power. The combat design, influenced by Ryota Suzuki’s work on games like Devil May Cry 5, ensures smooth gameplay and allows for satisfying strings of combos.
The fluidity and depth of the combat mechanics make battles both thrilling and enjoyable. With skillful customization options and the ability to equip Eikons (resident demi-gods), players can tailor their combat approach to suit their play style. The well-polished and cinematic design of the battles keeps players hooked and eager for more.
Looking for the best way to experience audio in Final Fantasy 16 on the PS5? Check out our review by clicking right here.
The Bad
Final Fantasy 16 Review
Despite the overall excellence of the game, Final Fantasy 16 encounters minor technical issues that can momentarily disrupt the immersion. One such issue is the repetition of lines by background NPCs, which can become repetitive and grating. Additionally, there are occasional instances of lip-syncing problems when using English dialogue. While these issues do not significantly impact the overall experience, they are noticeable and can momentarily detract from the immersion. A future update could address this issue.
The extensive lore and the game’s attempt to provide context through frequent cutscenes can lead to uneven pacing. Players may find themselves transitioning between gameplay and prolonged cutscenes where characters pore over a map, which can create a disconnect and hinder the overall sense of urgency. While the cutscenes offer valuable information about the game’s world and characters, the lengthy exposition might leave players eager to resume gameplay.
Final Fantasy 16 Review – Combat
While I did enjoy the engaging combat system, Final Fantasy 16 may suffer from repetitive combat mechanics. Unless players enjoy experimenting with different attacks and achieving flawless combos, the novelty of the combat system can wear off over time. Boss battles, in particular, tend to have excessively long health bars, making the execution of similar attacks and patterns feel repetitive. For players seeking more varied encounters, the combat may become monotonous and less exciting as the game progresses.
Final Fantasy 16 Review – Eikon battle
Furthermore, battles in Final Fantasy 16 can occasionally feel overly bombastic, featuring excessive action, gigantic enemies, and multiple phases. While some players may appreciate the spectacle, the stark contrast between the game’s naturalistic approach to world and characters and the grandiose battles can be jarring for others. There might be a sentiment that toning down the action would have better served the overall experience, maintaining a more consistent aesthetic and thematic cohesion.
The game’s level design is not considered a strong point, often featuring linear tunnels disguised as impressive castles or large open areas lacking interactive elements. Towns mainly serve as quest hubs, lacking depth and immersive qualities. The outside world lacks organic secrets or incentives for exploration, making it feel somewhat lifeless. Side quests, too, often lack engaging narratives, resulting in tedious tasks and minor rewards that may not feel satisfying to players seeking meaningful exploration and compelling side stories.
Lastly, players who experience motion sickness may find Final Fantasy 16 lacking in certain options to alleviate their discomfort. The game does not offer features such as a field of vision slider or a screen shaking toggle, which can be problematic for individuals prone to motion sickness. Square Enix could have implemented accessibility options to cater to a wider range of players and mitigate potential discomfort.
Final Fantasy 16 Verdict
Final Fantasy 16 Review
Final Fantasy 16 is a triumph that breaks new ground for the series, delivering a captivating experience that stands out from its predecessors. With a compelling story, memorable characters, and a meticulously crafted world, the game excels in its narrative-driven approach.
Although it encounters minor technical issues, Final Fantasy 16 remains an exceptional RPG that leaves a lasting impact. Embracing accessibility features and offering a customizable experience, it opens its world to a wider range of players. Despite its imperfections, Final Fantasy 16 stands tall as a testament to the series’ ability to evolve and captivate players overall.
At the end of our Final Fantasy 16 review, I award this game with our Silver Pokdeward.

Big thanks to PlayStation Asia for sending us this game for the purpose of this review.
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ROG Strix Nyjah Huston Special Edition is a one-off concept based on the ROG Strix SCAR series

The Republic of Gamers has just developed a unique concept gaming laptop for top professional skateboarder, Nyjah Huston. The ROG Strix Nyjah Huston Special Edition laptop is based on the ROG Strix SCAR series, but with a unique, one-of-a-kind design tailored to celebrate Nyjah Huston’s brand and skateboard culture.

Even the packaging is unique, with the box turning into a skate park for fingerboards, and two fingerboards were included in the box. The ROG Strix Nyjah Huston Special Edition’s design is also heavily customized, designed to evoke imagery of street skateboarding, while also incorporating the key elements of the aggressive design of the ROG Strix SCAR designs.

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The lid now features Huston’s logo as the centerpiece. The logo sports a textured finish that is supposed to evoke the look and feel of a skatepark. The logo also touts an additional “katana cut” RGB light bar, which complements the ROG logo beside it. There are hidden accents too on both the lid and the underside of the laptop, which can be revealed by shining the included UV flashlight on it.

ASUS included a custom mesh-like stainless steel Armor Cap for the ROG Strix Nyjah Huston Special Edition, and one of the rubber feet on the base has been replaced with a stainless steel piece to allow the laptop to be more easily moved around with a single hand.

The keyboard deck and underside of the laptop have also been replaced with smoky translucent surfaces, and the keyboard is also different with a translucent finish and a custom font. The overall design was inspired by Huston’s motto and attitude, which is evident in the edgy design.

The ROG Strix Nyjah Huston Special Edition comes with a custom ROG Strix Impact II, backpack and desk mat, all of which sport Nyjah Huston’s branding.
Unfortunately, neither the ROG Strix Nyjah Huston Special Edition laptop nor its accessories are available for purchase. You can however download the custom Nyjah Huston wallpaper and a Nyjah Huston Instagram filter.

What you can buy is the standard ROG Strix SCAR series gaming laptops, which you can check out here.
Pokdepinion: At least this looks good… Not like the disgusting ROG Zephyrus G14 ACRNM. Why ASUS decided to sell that abomination of a laptop instead of this beautiful machine beats me though.
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HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro pre-orders completely sold out!

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro are sold out on all pre-order channels! The flagship which is priced at surprisingly reasonable RM3599 was snapped up within hours on HUAWEI Online Shop and on Lazada. It wasn’t long before the 3ex online site which had some remaining stock also finished their stock.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is an interesting device that probably surprised most consumers in Malaysia with its price tag. It brings the world’s first 7nm chipset, the Kirin 980, which packs a Dual-NPU to deliver unprecedented machine learning performance. The Leica Triple Camera with a new Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens delivers impressive imaging quality and also innovative features.

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Last but not least, the beauty of the device in three colors must have enticed Malaysian consumers to snap up the devices like hotcakes. Did you manage to get your HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro in time?
[UPDATE]: Get your HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro on 27th October!
If you missed your chance to pre-order the Mate 20 Pro, you can head over to either Pavillion KL, Queensbay Penang or Dato Onn Johor Bahru on 27th October and get yours! Early birds will also snag themselves a free DJI Drone with their purchase of the Mate 20 Pro, so you should definitely go earlier!
Pokdepinion: We were pleasantly surprised by the pricing too. RM3599 for a flagship in 2018 does seem out of this world, and one with so many cutting edge features? Insanely good value.
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1MORE ComfoBuds Review — It’s All In The Name

This time around, we’ll be taking a look at 1MORE’s latest offering in this 1MORE ComfoBuds review. Being a more affordable option than its brother, will the earbuds impress us? Let’s not waste any time and find out, shall we?
Unboxing
1MORE ComfoBuds Review – Unboxing
Straight out of the box, you can expect to find the following items:

Documentations
Sticker
Charging case (earbuds inside)
USB-C cable

Appearance
1MORE ComfoBuds Review – Front
There are two variants of the 1MORE ComfoBuds and as you can see here, we’ve got the white version. The charging case comes in a glossy look and there’s the company’s branding on the front.

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1MORE ComfoBuds Review – Back
Over on the back, you can see the charging port (USB Type-C) for the case and there’s the “one more, hear more” tagline, which I personally feel is a nice touch.
1MORE ComfoBuds Review – Earbuds
The earbuds are also white in color and it comes with an Airpods-style semi-in-ear design.
1MORE ComfoBuds Specifications

Driver:
Dynamic Driver 13.4mm

Frequency Range:
2,400GHz – 2,4835GHz

Impedance:
30Ω

Headphone Type:
Airpods-style, Semi-in ear

Connection:
Bluetooth 5.0
USB Type-C
AAC
SBC

Wireless Range:
10m

Noise-cancelling:
Quad ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) microphones

Battery:
Earbuds
4 hours
Charging Case
18 hours (total)

Weight:
Earbuds
3.8g
Charging Case
28.9g

Colour:
White/Black option

Ingress Protection:
IPX5

User Experience
Pairing
1MORE ComfoBuds Review – Pairing
As you’d normally do with standard TWS earbuds, all you have to do to pair the ComfoBuds is simply take them out from the case to start initializing pairing mode. In this case, they’ll blink red and blue at their tips. Afterwards, you can proceed to pair them to your device via Bluetooth.
If you’re one that just loves wear detection, you’re getting exactly that with the 1MORE ComfoBuds. Audio will automatically pause when you take them off your ears and resume once they’re back on.
Sound
1MORE ComfoBuds Review – Sound
One thing that I have to commend 1MORE is the audio clarity when it comes to voice calls. Even with a TV playing in the background, I could hear clearly with earbuds. We’ve tested the buds on Call of Duty: Mobile and it wasn’t good. You can notice the audio delay after firing shots and reloading. This can be forgiven however as the earbuds aren’t meant for gaming.
As for audio quality for music, I feel that it offers a balanced sound profile, a switch from their higher-end 1MORE True Wireless ANC In-ear Headphones. The bass is not punchy as you’d expect from an earbuds with this design but other frequencies like for vocals doesn’t sound too bad. When listening to songs, I can still hear sounds from the outside due to the shape of the buds not capable of providing a good seal for your ears.
Comfort
1MORE ComfoBuds Review – Comfort
If you’ve read my any of my TWS earbuds reviews before, you’d know that I’m a sucker for portable case designs and with the 1MORE ComfoBuds, they didn’t disappoint. The only thing I’d complain about is the material as I have sweaty hands, which results in it being slippery at times. Regardless, it has IPX5 waterproof rating and that means you can utilize them for your sport activities.
As for the buds themselves, they are probably the most comfortable pair (that shares the same shape) that I’ve tested. They fit in perfectly into my ears and it’s as if they’re not even on. Thanks to that, I have no issues wearing them for long hours. That being said, the design means that you could face a different experience in terms of comfort should you have bigger / smaller ears.
When it comes to controls, here’s everything that you can do:

Play / pause: 2x tap (either side)
Increase volume: 3x tap (right)
Reduce volume: 3x tap (left)
Accept / Reject call: 2x tap (either side)

There isn’t much you can do with control gestures but they have all the essentials right there. If you aren’t satisfied with them, you can tweak them a bit by downloading the 1MORE Music app. Unfortunately, there’s not much that you can do there too. The ability to tweak EQ settings would be nice, but maybe I’m just asking for too much.
Battery Life
1MORE ComfoBuds Review – Battery
1MORE has claimed that the earbuds can last up to 4 hours on a full charge and I’ve got to say, it’s pretty close based on my personal usage of roughly 3 hours and 45 minutes. That should be decent enough for the average person but it’s worth noting that the battery life is not the longest.
Conclusion
1MORE ComfoBuds Review – Verdict
For the price of RM189, I feel that the 1MORE ComfoBuds is priced appropriately. The sound quality may not be the best around but in terms of comfort, it’s right up there with the best that we’ve tried.
It’s a worthy option if you’re looking for something that is comfy, compact, and can be used for your calls. If it had a longer battery life or an upgraded audio quality, I’d give it our top award. With that said, it’s deserving of our Silver Pokdeward.

A big thanks to 1MORE Malaysia for providing the 1MORE ComfoBuds that was used in this review.
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Get A Free Samsung 50″ 4K UHD Smart TV When You Purchase The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Series With Digi

Aiming to get the latest Samsung Galaxy Note20 series? Well you might want to check out Digi’s offer as they will be giving away free 50-inch Samsung 4K UHD Smart TVs to those who purchase through their Digi PhoneFreedom365 program.
Digi PhoneFreedom365 Samsung Galaxy Note20 Series deal

A total of 20 Digi customers will stand a chance to bring home a new Samsung 50-inch 4K UHD Smart TV when they purchase the latest Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G or Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G via Digi’s PhoneFreedom365 phone ownership plan.
The deal will start from the 21st of August 2020 where for every 20th walk-in or online Digi customer who makes the purchase will walk away with the Smart TV.

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In addition to that, buyers will also be getting a complimentary UV phone sterilizer worth RM299 as well as a wireless charger worth RM209, while stocks last.
With the PhoneFreedom365 plan, you can own the latest Samsung Galaxy Note20 Series starting from RM108 per month.
Aside fro getting internet of up to 200GB, unlimited calls and phone upgrades from month 20 onwards will be provided. Not to forget, Digi Postpaid 160 and Digi Postpaid 190 subscribers can also enjoy Digi Shield coverage which protects phone owners against accidental and liquid damage for 2 years.
For more details on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 series on the Digi PhoneFreedom365, check out our previous coverage here.
Pokdepinion: Well I wouldn’t say no to that, a free 50-inch 4K UHD Smart TV for free!
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ASUS Zenfone 3 review — the Sexy All-Rounder

I really like the glass-metal-glass sandwich designs. While I know they may be slightly impractical — glass backs are yet another slab of glass to shatter in a drop — I really can’t deny that the way they feel in the hand and the way glass reflects light is something else. All metal phones are great, but I would definitely take one with a glass back if we are talking about looks. Well ladies and gentlemen, I have the ASUS Zenfone 3 with me, and it is love at first sight.

Unboxing
For the ASUS Zenfone 3, we managed to get the complete retail packaging. And I really gotta say ASUS has really put some thought into upping the ante starting from the packaging itself.

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The packaging here is a nice grey-blue color with a metallic finishing. The “Zenfone 3” labeling is done in gold, really giving off a premium air right off the bat.

Opening the box, I was kinda surprised it doesn’t lift off totally, but flips up to the reveal the ASUS Zenfone 3 sitting prettily there. I have the Sapphire Black variant with me, but we will get to that later.

Taking the device out of the box, there was a little envelope hiding the SIM tray ejector pin and manual. Lifting that out of the box revealed the charger, USB Type-A to Type-C cable and the earphones. The charger is not of the fast charging variety here, but it should do just fine to juice the 3000 mAh battery in the ASUS Zenfone 3.
Appearance

I did say it was love at first sight, right? Well, the glass panel on the front is a 2.5D curved one, looking way more premium than ANY Zenfone that came before it. The bezels are black, just the way I like them, and are a little thick for a device launched in 2016, but the decent screen size makes it still very manageable for one-handed usage. The ASUS Zenfone 3 features a screen-to-body ratio of 77.3%, which is good.

Take a look at this fine chamfered edge! Whatever prejudice I had against the Zenfone series as premium devices melted away when I saw this. It looks so clean, and blends perfectly with the 2.5D curved edges of the glass panels! Sure, this isn’t a new design by any means, but it does look good.

Over on the back, the glass also sports 2.5D curved edges You can’t see it here, but the rear panel actually a dark blue hue with a fine Zen-concentric pattern. We have the center mounted camera flanked by the laser autofocus sensor and the real-tone dual flash. Under the sizeable camera hump is the fingerprint sensor, just where I like them.

Well under much stronger lighting than my room affords, we can see the effect of the finishing UNDER the glass panel. The Zen concentric circles under it creates a look that even this image fails to truly portray its real elegance.

On the left edge we have the lone SIM/microSD slot, while the physical power and volume rocker keys are over on the right. The buttons also feature the signature Zen concentric circles finishing. While you won’t often see the buttons, you will definitely feel the pattern every time you press those keys. Users of the Zenfone 2 series may be shocked to find the volume controls here instead of on the back, but I believe no one else will be surprised.

The bottom is home to a lone mic hole, the USB Type-C port in the middle and the speaker grille to the right of the port. I wish ASUS hid the mic under a grille similar to the one the speaker is behind as I really love my symmetry.

The top is home to the 3.5mm audio jack, and the secondary microphone. The ASUS Zenfone 3 didn’t get the invisible antennae its pricier brethren got, and feature four discreet little plastic strips at the top and bottom edges. The color of these strips match the color of the rest of the device perfectly, so they really look miles better than what the fruity company tried to pull off.
Specifications

CPU:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (8 x A53 @ 2.0 GHz)

RAM
4GB LPDDR3

Display:
5.5″, FHD (1080p) IPS display

Storage:
64GB internal (expandable with microSD up to 128GB)

Camera:
16MP f/2.0 rear camera (Sony Exmor IMX 298) with TriTech AF technology (Laser AF, PDAF, CDAF), OIS, dual real-tone LED flash, RGB color correction sensor
8MP f/2.0 front camera

OS:
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ZenUI 3.0

SIM:
microSIM (dual SIM support, one nanoSIM slot doubles as microSD slot)

Battery:
3000 mAh (non-removable)

Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 is kinda new to me, as I have not held any devices featuring this SoC. From the specifications, we know that it features 8 ARM Cortex A53 cores, with ALL 8 cores capable of going up to a lofty 2.0 GHz. Yep, I did not make a mistake, all 8 cores can hit 2.0 GHz thanks to the new 14 nm process node it is based on. The GPU is an Adreno 506, which means that it should be a bit slower than the Adreno 510 in the Snapdragon 652. Well, let’s run the usual benchmarks on the ASUS Zenfone 3 to see how the Snapdragon 625 fares.

Antutu judges the overall performance of the device, with a heavier emphasis on the GPU’s performance. A score of 62352 isn’t groundbreaking by any measure, but it is definitely faster than the previous Qualcomm octa-core offerings like the Snapdragon 615.

In single-core mode, the Snapdragon 625 does quite poorly, as the A53 cores aren’t meant for high performance anyway. In multi-core mode, the Snapdragon 625 blows even the Snapdragon 652-equipped devices like the vivo V3Max out of the water!

In PCMark, the Snapdragon 625 in the ASUS Zenfone 3 once again trounces the vivo V3Max, and even the higher end ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra, both of which are equipped with the Snapdragon 652 SoC. Checking out the graph, it seems that the Snapdragon 625 is able to reach and hold its maximum clocks of 2.0 GHz, giving it an advantage over the Snapdragon 652-based devices.

3DMark is a graphics benchmark, and notably the Adreno 506 doesn’t do all well here. The scores are quite abysmal but still it is miles ahead of the Adreno 405 GPU, which doesn’t even support OpenGL ES 3.1. All in all, we should be seeing sufficient graphics performance for most games.

Battery life of the ASUS Zenfone 3 is absolutely amazing! I expected this when I saw the Snapdragon 625 was based on the 14nm process, but I didn’t expect 9 hours of screen on time on WiFi! That is amazing by any measure, and even more so when you consider the ASUS Zenfone 3 only comes with a 3000 mAh battery! The ASUS Zenfone 3 doesn’t sport fast charging capabilities though, but a bit more than 2 hours to get from 15% to full is pretty acceptable in my book.
User Experience

The much more “normal” size and nice curved edges help with holding the phone, and it definitely doesn’t feel like it is going to fall out of my hand anytime, unlike the much larger ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra. It is also usable with a single hand, simply due to its rather compact size. The glass back also helps with grip, offering a sureness in my hands that all-metal phones of all sizes have never offered.

The ASUS Zenfone 3 supports dual-SIM functionality, but surprisingly the main slot takes the older and larger microSIMs instead of the new nanoSIMs. The second SIM shares its slot with the microSD card, so you will have to make a choice whether you want to use two SIMs or expand the memory with microSD cards. Still, with 64GB of internal memory, I am actually not sure if you actually need more storage.

The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is recessed into the glass back, and it does not seem to feature any oleophobic properties. It is quite a fingerprint magnet, ironically, which mars the sleekness of the ASUS Zenfone 3. It is quite responsive, with a single vibration indicating it has successfully identified a saved fingerprint or two vibrations to signal that it failed to recognize an authorized fingerprint on it. The fingerprint sensor is quick, but I have used faster ones.

Let’s talk about the UI. ASUS slapped their latest ZenUI 3.0 skin over Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and I have to say it does look better than the older versions of ZenUI I have used. Looking at the homescreen, the first thing I noticed was the rather large icons both on the homescreen and also in the notification bar. While the icons on the homescreen can be resized at will, the ones in the notification bar can’t. I feel that that they could have gone with a lower DPI for slightly more effective screen area, or at least offer an option to change the DPI.

Speaking about the screen area, ASUS has placed the navigation keys off the screen, in an array of capacitive keys. ASUS has also forgotten to backlit them. Bummer. The buttons can be set to vibrate upon touch too, ensuring that you will be sure that you have actuated them. Take a look at the UI of the launcher as well as other built-in apps on the ASUS Zenfone 3.

The rear camera of the ASUS Zenfone 3 is a 16 MP Sony Exmor IMX 298, compared to the 23 MP ones in the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra and Zenfone 3 Deluxe. While the resolution may be lower, it doesn’t lose out on the TriTech auto-focus technology, which combines phase detection autofocus, the laser autofocusing system and the good old contrast detect autofocus. All this should culminate in lightning fast autofocusing in 0.03 seconds. OIS is also not left out, which should promise better images in low light conditions. And if you are after insane resolutions, Super Resolution mode will give you 64 MP shots to scrutinize. Well, that’s all to be said, now let’s take a look at using the camera.

The UI of the camera has not changed much from its predecessors. Well, this is not a bad thing considering the older UI was perfectly usable for taking quick snaps. ASUS also threw in a manual mode for those who want to take their time with adjusting the parameters to get the perfect shot. The camera also features real-time HDR, which can be toggled on the left side of the camera UI. Selfie fans can get their fix via the 8 MP camera up front, and if they are looking to enhance their looks, there is the Beautification mode which now offers 6 options to choose from with varying levels of intensity. Not really a fan of selfies here, but some will find it useful.

Well I am glad that the ASUS Zenfone 3 features a great camera too despite it having a lower resolution sensor compared to its bigger brothers. The camera works great, and everything is really quite quick. I am not sure if it is because of the lower resolution or the finalized software, but it does process HDR Pro and real-time HDR images faster than the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra that I was testing at the same time. By faster, I mean real-time HDR images are instant, like they should be, and HDR Pro takes around a second of processing, and the ASUS Zenfone 3 is ready for the next shot. I really like the output of the ASUS Zenfone 3’s camera, but it does have a tendency to default to slower shutter speeds than necessary to properly expose an image, resulting in shaky shots despite the optical image stabilization. For more samples at full resolution, head over to our Flickr album.

The 5.5″ display is pretty, with punchy colors and deep blacks. It features a pretty common 1080p resolution, which gives it a nice PPI count of 401. It can go up to 600 nits so you will never have to worry about visibility under sunlight. The ASUS Zenfone 3 uses an IPS panel, so viewing angles is not going to be an issue.

Audio is pumped out of the single 5 magnet speaker on the lower edge, and it can go pretty loud, but bass definition is definitely its weakness here. Plugging in the bundled earphones, the sound quality wasn’t really that great. Swapping over to my own pair of Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro gave me a better experience, and I am very satisfied. Music was crystal clear as it should be, with no undue changes to the sound. The ASUS Zenfone 3 is Hi-Res Audio certified too, so 24-bit/192 kHz playback is possible on it. Some people call it a gimmick, but it is better to be able to do something than have a limitation to live around, right?

AudioWizard on the ASUS Zenfone 3 doesn’t offer tuned profiles for specific earphones or the different soundstage modes, but it does offer you the option of selecting presets that adjust the audio output to better suit the media you are listening to. You can also customize the output manually with the 5-band equalizer.
Conclusion
The ASUS Zenfone 3 is a pretty great phone. While I had my reservations upon seeing that the Snapdragon 625 CPU is in it, I am more than satisfied with the performance offered during my usage. Coupled with that 9 hours of on screen time that I managed on it… If you are looking for more performance, there is the ASUS Zenfone 3 Deluxe, and if you want an exceptional video-watching experience, there is the ASUS Zenfone 3 Ultra for you. The ASUS Zenfone 3 does its job as a smartphone, and does it well. ASUS deserves a clap on the back for bringing us a smartphone with just adequate performance for most users, and a superb battery life that everyone can enjoy. The ASUS Zenfone 3 is a true all-rounder in a premium shell, and I did enjoy using it. What about pricing? Well, the one here costs RM1699, which means that it isn’t really an affordable smartphone like its predecessors. The ASUS Zenfone 3 doesn’t have the great performance-to-ringgit proposition working in its favor here, but it is definitely quite worth the price you pay. For me? One look at that shimmering glass back, and I am sold.

The Asus Zenfone 3 is now available for purchase from Asus Online Store. Click on the following button to be redirected to the purchase page (opens in a new window):

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unifi Hosts Sign-up & Win Campaign With Smartphones Up For Grabs

With Chinese New Year soon to come, the folks at unifi is hosting their Sign-up & Win Campaign where you can enjoy mobile connectivity solutions on top of the chance to win prizes.
unifi Sign-up & Win Campaign

The unifi Sign-up & Win Campaign is running from now till the 31st of March 2021 where you can enjoy benefits such as:

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Existing unifi Broadband customers can enjoy unlimited data, calls, and texts at RM59/month for the unifi Mobile plan
Family members of unifi Home Broadband customers can also enjoy the same special promotion price of RM59/month
Double LTE Hotspot promo from 10GB to 20GB/month during campaign period

When you’ve sign up, you are in the running to win prizes such as high-value Touch ‘n Go eWallet Reload Pins to smartphones that includes the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
If you are interested in signing up, you can head to unifi’s website right here.
Pokdepinion: For the price of RM59 per month, that does look attractive. I wonder if there’s a speed cap or not…
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Improve your education with a JOI Smartboard

In this day and age, the traditional way of educating is outdated. You would want to engage with your class more interactively, and that’s exactly what the JOI® Smartboard allows you to do: interact with your classroom via a smart display.

The advantage of the JOI® Smartboard over regular displays is its ability to support up to 20-points touch and 10-points writing. That allows you to present the topic of the day and highlight or add important points simply by drawing on the screen for a more interactive session. Or just let your students do presentations on the fly by drawing and writing on the JOI® Smartboard.

Speaking of presentations, the JOI® Smartboard also supports ScreenShare Pro which allows you to easily mirror mobile and PC displays to the JOI® Smartboard. Prepare your lessons on your laptop or smartphone, and mirror it wirelessly on the JOI® Smartboard for your class.

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It’s also more than just a simple display, with a desktop four-core, eight-thread Intel® Core™ i7-7700 processor for more than enough horsepower to run any application smoothly.

On the other hand, you can also prepare your slides on the Intel® NUC or JOI® BOX desktop PC setups, which will offer you more flexibility and performance with the latest Intel® Core™ processors. The Intel® NUCs can be configured with either a Intel® Core™ i3-8109U or i5-8259U for efficient performance, while the JOI® BOX comes with either an Intel Core™ i3-8100 or Core™ i5-8400 for more processing power.

If you get the JOI® Smartboard, Intel® NUC or the JOI® BOX now, you can even get cool freebies with your purchase. Get a diary book with an Intel® Core™ i3 powered system, an umbrella with an Intel® Core™ i5 system and an Anti-Theft Backpack with an Intel® Core™ i7 system.
 Interested? Head over to the SNS’ landing page for Smart Education, or Whatsapp JOI® via the following link:
Whatsapp JOI®
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This is How Blizzard is Dealing with Overwatch Toxicity; YOU Can Help Out

Overwatch’s Jeff Kaplan expresses how Blizzard is trying to take on player toxicity, and how they can help in the same way.

This is How Blizzard is Dealing with Overwatch Toxicity

Overwatch has been in the hands of players for over a year, and while the game has garnered critical and commercial success, one of the more prevalent issues within the game’s community, just like in any other popular online game, has been the prevalence of player toxicity. Blizzard Entertainment is looking to do something about it.

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In a new developer update video from the studio, Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan took the opportunity of the new video to address concerns around the “rising tide of toxicity or bad behavior in the game,” and explained how Blizzard is taking steps to addressing it, while also asking the community to step up in the same way.
Specifically, Kaplan explained that Blizzard has taken action against over 480,000 accounts in Overwatch as a result of poor player behavior or toxicity, with nearly 2/3 of that amount coming from players that have directly reported others players.
Kaplan explained that the console versions of the game do now have the same reporting tools that have been available on the game’s PC version, but also took to being honest that “there is not going to be a moment where we have a magic patch in Overwatch that makes bad behavior go away.” However, Kaplan expressed that “it is a continual process that we are very dedicated to fixing and improving.”
On that same note, Kaplan also took the time to address fans/the community at large in the hopes of having them “take a deep look inward,” as he explained that the time that Blizzard has taken to curb toxic behavior in the game is also taking away time and resources from adding new content or improving the game in other ways since its release.
So for now, if you’re sick of the game being filled with toxicity and don’t want it to turn into some other popular online games, take a stand against it. If you don’t want to voice it out directly, report the players. Blizzard has begun taking action and taken these reports more seriously now. Overwatch is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Pokdepinion: Good to see that there has been actions taken to curb toxicity in Overwatch. Not being cancerous was what attracted me to the game at first but that is slowly changing. Do you part in keeping the community a clean, friendly environment for everyone to enjoy.
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LG V30 announced at IFA 2017; first LG flagship with an OLED 18:9 display

LG has announced their next flagship, the LG V30 at IFA 2017 and it is a huge step forward from the LG V20, dropping the Second Screen in favor of an extra-wide FullVision display taking up all the space on the front of the device. But instead of IPS, LG debuts their 6″ 18:9 1440p P-OLED FullVision display here on the front fascia of the LG V30.

That’s not all, LG also upgraded the camera system, which now consists of a new 16MP f/1.6 camera with a 71° FOV paired with a 13 MP f/1.9 120° wide angle camera. Aside from featuring the largest aperture ever seen on a smartphone, LG added Crystal Clear Lens which adds glass lens to the lens assembly to improve the transparency of the lens by 4% when compared with standard all-plastic lenses in most smartphones on the market. This promises darker blacks and brighter whites. The 16MP camera will also feature a laser autofocusing system alongside phase detection autofocus for faster focus acquisition. For steadier shots, the main 16MP shooter features OIS too.

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Video is a big part of the LG V30. Cine Video allows you add custom effects to your video to set the ambiance you want to convey. Point Zoom is another interesting feature that allows to zoom smoothly into any part of the video frame, and not just into the center like what you usually get with any camera. If you want to capture videos with a wide dynamic range and color gamut like never seen before on a smartphone, LG offers you LG-Cine Log. Now, Log recording gives you a lot of freedom in post-processing, and is usually reserved for more professional video cameras, so to have in a smartphone has to count as a first for LG. Last but not least, with the LG V30’s Hi-Fi Audio Recording, you will get up to 24bit, 48 kHz lossless quality audio in your videos.
Speaking of audio, the LG V30 continues the tradition of a premium audio setup, partnering with Bang & Olufsen to tune the Hi-Fi Quad DAC in it. LG will also be bundling a pair of B&O Play earphones in the box. The LG V30 is also the first smartphone to feature support for MQA technology which allows you to stream high-resolution audios. If you aren’t into wired headsets, the LG V30 features Bluetooth 5.0 with AptX HD for great wireless audio.

The LG V30 will feature the Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM with 64GB of expandable storage. The LG V30 is still running Android 7.1.2 Nougat, with an update to Android Oreo promised. The device is powered by a 3300 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 and wireless charging for quick and convenient top ups. All that is encased in a 7.3mm thin glass sandwich design that comes in Aurora Black, Cloud Silver, Moroccan Blue and Lavender Violet. Malaysian availability is to be announced.
Pokdepinion: The LG V30 could be one of the most interesting smartphones this year, but hopefully smartphone enthusiasts can see past LG’s previous problem with bootloops and grab this sleek thing here.
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Google Auto Day shares consumers’ car buyers path to purchase study

Google Malaysia organised the Google Auto Day event today and we were present to get some rather interesting insights on a rather interesting subject. If the title didn’t make much sense to you, basically, it’s a behavioural study conducted by Google-TNS on how technology is playing is part in assisting people in purchasing a car. Now, Google being a data-driven company, this is just one of the million case studies that they conduct, so this one is very targeted.
24 million out of 32 million Malaysians own an average of 3.1 devices per person. That accounts to 75% of our population that has more devices than the average user in Asia Pacific. Our reliance on technology has reached to the heights where it’s our entertainment, communication and even shopping depot now. I mean, you could trigger purchase something that is small and cheap like stationary items, or even something that is expensive but on promotion like a mobile device, but how does something that is huge and expensive like a car be triggered from just your device?

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Assuming a person is planning to purchase a device, based on Google-TNS study, it begins with videos. More like a generic search such as “SUV Malaysia” for example. This leads to a cognitive search of “car of the year 2017” which would unleash some interesting ideas of brands. Next, the visitor would land to the official websites of the brands in thought – like Toyota’s or Honda’s website. Then, it leads the person to post on social media, seeking recommendations from friends and family.
At this point, the user has pretty much has narrowed down the results to something more specific and searches for a much targeted comparison keyword like “Outlander or CR-V” which obviously leads to forums or discussion boards where the comparison is made. As more answers are obtained, the user continues browsing for detailed reviews (much like we do here for tech :P) and would probably send messages to people whom the user knows drives somewhat similar vehicle.
After all these process, the user finally starts browsing for dealers, lands on their website if they have one or finds a nearby dealer to get their contact and arranges for a visit. This, finally ends in a purchase – but wait, there’s more! At this point, several factors can play their parts in deciding whether the visitor is going to purchase the car or not. Back in 2013, visitors would have almost made up their minds when they visit the dealers and at the very most, they would visit 3 – 4 dealerships before finalising the purchase. This number is now reduced to 2 – 3 dealership visitors in 2017. This means that visitors appearing to lesser dealerships, since they require lesser information from the salesmen and have already decided their purchase upfront. Scary for dealership owners?

Not so much actually. This is where the competition landscape diverts to little details and innovations. Chances of a visitor to end up purchasing might just get higher, in which the salesmen can play a better part now. But if the users are doing their research on internet upfront, then that’s the territory that needs to be chartered by dealers. Using tools like Google Business to make sure the Business profile is properly setup, Adwords to make sure the promotions are shared, Analytics to identify when the users are much more actively considering car purchases (which is Friday to Sunday by the way) and having a proper website are just some of the methodologies.
Infographic

Key learnings from the research:

The internet is at the heart of the car buying process: 86% of car buyers research online
before making a purchase.

And mobile takes consumers to dealers: ‘car dealerships near me’ searches grew 3x
in 2016 vs 2015 on mobile.
3 out of 5 Malaysian car shoppers have a brand in mind when they search online.
Thanks to the wealth of information available online, 2017 car shoppers visit on average
2 dealerships vs 2013 shoppers who visit 3.5 dealerships — before making up their
minds.
Online searches for car loans have increased 21% in 2016 compared to 2015.

Malaysian buyers want a good deal:

Functional factors have more traction than emotional factors in the purchase journey.
Luxury-brand consumers focus on performance, technology, and design.
Mass market consumers focus on after-service, fuel economy, and resale value.

The further the circles are, the less likely the keywords would be searched together. Surprised? ;)
The magic here is that car manufacturers and dealers have never faced a more informed consumer. While this presents challenges, if car companies can provide relevant, helpful information on mobile just when consumers want it, they will succeed in the mobile-first era.
Pokdepinion: This is a very interesting case study and I guess car manufacturers and dealers should totally venture into online marketing strategies as part of their sales and marketing campaigns. With the data that Google makes publicly available, there’s a whole lot of possibilities in converting – especially given the fact that 2016 was a very dark year for this industry.
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OPPO Announce New Smartphone For ‘Selfie Expert’ Series – Introducing The OPPO F5!

OPPO’s ‘Selfie Expert’ series is making a come back after OPPO announce today that they will be releasing the OPPO F5 in Malaysia soon through a teaser.
OPPO F5
As the latest edition of the ‘Selfie Expert’ series, the F5 is not only set to take on the selfie segment, it will also be the company’s first smartphone to feature ‘Full Screen’ display feature.
The new device is rumored to be 6-inches, powered by Snapdragon 660 chipset and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat. It is said to have 64GB of internal memory, paired with a 6GB RAM. The phone is speculated to have a 20MP front camera, while the rear hosts a dual 12MP cameras.

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Battery wise, it comes with a non-removable 4000mAh battery. The OPPO F5 will be available in their favorite colors, Rose Gold and the less rosy Gold.
The official release date is yet to be confirmed for Malaysia, but we do know that it will be releasing soon at the Philippines on the 26th of October 2017. Until then, we have to play the waiting game to get full affirmation on the specs and pricing of the OPPO F5. Stay tuned until we get more confirmations!
Pokdepinion: Well, the rumored specifications does look good and a good one if they are 100% spot on. The other question is, how much would it retail at? What do you think? Leave your thoughts on the comment section below!

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Meet The New ZOTAC VRGO 2.0 Backpack PC

ZOTAC has officially announced of the new refreshed VRGO 2.0 Backpack PC, where it comes with a more compact, and ergonomic chassis.
ZOTAC VRGO 2.0 Backpack PC
The VRGO 2.0 is designed to unlock the potential of virtual reality across multiple industries and businesses in entertainment, product development, medical practice, education, eSports, and more.
Coming in with a revamp design, it offers zero compromises to latency and reduction in visual quality with today’s leading VR headsets. Inside of the backpack packs a punch. It offers an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics with 8GB memory and runs on an Intel Core i7 processor. Adding 16GB of DDR4 RAM to the mix, you’ve got the horsepower to get through intensive tasks.

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It is further equipped with centralized ports and top mounted I/O ports which makes for an easy VR HMD connectivity. Its new design features an even weight distribution, with the addition of foam padding on the back support and shoulder straps and an extended length back support.
The backpack’s batteries is swappable and its external battery charging dock enable up to 1.5 hours of uninterrupted gameplay. There’s also an easily visible battery life indicator and features an audible alert when your power is low just so you know how much juice that’s left.
Nothing says gaming like RGB lights, and with the VRGO 2.0 you get ZOTAC’s SPECTRA 2.0 lighting which is equipped with more powerful addressable LEDs.
Pokdepinion: Imagine playing Beat Saber with this. Woah, I can imagine all the sweat already.
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Shopback To Hold You Shop We Pay Contest – Celebrating Their Anniversary With RM18000 For You To Win!

ShopBack has announce of their plans of holding their You Shop, We Pay contest, where lucky customers who make a purchase during their 3rd birthday which is on the 22nd of February 2018 will be rewarded handsomely.
You Shop We Pay Contest
The contest, which starts on the 22nd of February, will be available to customers who make a purchase on the date itself on over 500 partners of ShopBack (basically everyone who makes a purchase on that date will automatically enter the contest).
They will then select three lucky winners and then will invite them to come to their office where they will be given RM10,000, RM5,000, and RM3,000 will be given to the winners separately for them to shop at Lazada.

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Besides that, there are also other treats on hand for customers. One of them includes a 100% Cashback on flash sale items, which is a real treat. Other than that, you can get double or higher Cashback from merchants as well as exclusive discount codes, which is for ShopBack users.
On a side note, ShopBack Malaysia has recently also rolled out a ‘partial Cashback’ feature which allows a user to withdraw any available Cashback amount (the minimum of RM10) from ShopBack to your bank account or even utilize it to settle your phone bills, albeit for Maxis users only.
To learn more on ShopBack’s birthday offers, you can go to their official website by clicking right here. You can also check and follow their Facebook page for more updates on latest deals and updates.
Pokdepinion: If you’ve been wanting to spend online to buy your items, do it during their 3rd anniversary (22nd of February). Who knows, you might just be one of the lucky winners and get that RM10,000 grand prize! I think that the ‘partial Cashback’ feature is quite handy, where it allows customers more freedom for them to use their cashback.

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ZOTAC introduce its new premium PCIe SSD — over 2GB/s transfer speed

ZOTAC is announcing its new premium PCIe SSD to provide for an even faster storage solution. ZOTAC is well known for making NVIDIA‘s graphic card seem serious to entering the SSD market.

The new PCIe SSD is based on Phison controller with Toshiba 10nm MLC NAND and comes with PCIe 3.0 x4 slot with near quadruple speeds of ZOTAC Premium SSD which suggested having over 2GB/s performance transfer speed.

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The ZOTAC PCIe SSD has a nice looking design with ZOTAC branding on the back-plate. For the moment there’s no detail information about the ZOTAC PCIe SSD but we will soon know after more coverage on CES 2016.

Pokdepinion: More brand is entering into SSD market, I hope this is a clear sign that SSD price is going to more affordable in this 2016.
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TikTok maker acquires Mobile Legends developers Moonton

The company behind TikTok, ByteDance, will be acquiring Moonton Technology, the makers of the wildly popular Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The acquisition will be done by ByteDance’s video games unit Nuverse to further expand their reach into the business.
Moonton Technology’s CEO, Yuan Jing, has reassured staff members that the company will still be operating independently after the acquisition, so this business decision will most probably not see any changes to Mobile Legends.
Moonton Technology was founded by an ex-Tencent employee, and the company was not exactly devoid of drama. Tencent have filed multiple litigations against the company for copyright infringement, which saw Moonton paying a $2.9 million settlement to Tencent. I guess that wasn’t exactly unexpected, given how similar Mobile Legends was to Riot Games’ League of Legends.

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Tencent have created a pretty similar mobile MOBA titled Arena of Valor, or Honor of Kings in China. Speaking of which, this is pretty interesting though as Tencent did make a bid to acquire Moonton, although the latter went with ByteDance after the offer was matched by TikTok‘s creators.
By acquiring Moonton, ByteDance’s push into the mobile gaming scene will most probably be even stronger now. Let’s hope they bring more exciting mobile games to better take advantage of our increasingly powerful gaming phones!
Source
Pokdepinion: I wonder if Tencent was the one who acquired Moonton, will Mobile Legends or Arena of Valor be shut down to refocus their efforts, since Arena of Valor is a really similar game?
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