Genshin Impact Cross Save Confirmed for PS5, PS4, PC and Mobile

Genshin Impact is available on a wide variety of gaming platforms, with the idea here that you can play it wherever you wish and also for them to reach a larger audience. However, it’s not easy to switch to another system, especially if you’re going to / from a PlayStation console. Soon, that will no longer be an issue as the game will officially support cross save functionality.
Genshin Impact Cross Save Confirmed

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miHoYo made the right call to implement cross play in Genshin Impact so PlayStation gamers can enjoy the game together with PC and mobile gamers. One unfortunate thing is the lack of cross save functionality, so if you’re playing on multiple systems and one of the involves the PS4 / PS5, you’re gonna have to create a new account.
Soon, that will no longer be an issue as the game will officially support cross save on all platforms in the next update, which will either be labeled as version 1.7 or 2.0. This also holds true for the Nintendo Switch when they have officially ported the game over to the system. You simply need to make use of a Hoyolab account on any of the platforms you want to play the game on.
One advantage of the cross save feature will be useful for streamers as they can play the game on the PS4 / PS5 and use their PC exclusively for streaming. We are expected to hear more about this, along with the Inazuma region, in their upcoming livestream on 9th July 2021. If you want to know what time and where it’s taking place, click right here.
For now, Genshin Impact 1.7 / 2.0 will be launching on 21st July 2021. It will be available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Android, iOS, and PC. A Nintendo Switch port of the game is still in the works and is expected to launch sometime soon.
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Pokdepinion: I’ve heard numerous friends complain about this as they play on their smartphone and PS4. Unfortunately, the latter needs a new account due to the whole cross play issue but this should at least let people play wherever they want, whenever they want.
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Debunking Rumors of Venti Being Nerfed in Genshin Impact

In Genshin Impact, it’s relatively easy to tell that some characters are just built better than others, whether it be due to how easy it is to find the right Artifacts or just how easy to use them overall. Venti is considered to be that for the longest time but now, rumors suggest that he is secretly nerfed. We are going to debunk those claims right here.
Genshin Impact: Did Venti Get Nerfed?

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As many of you may know by now, Venti isn’t as popular now as he was before. This is due to a good number of enemies in the new Inazuma region who are strong against his Elemental Burst as they cannot be delayed or sucked into the cyclone. The Samurai enemies are a good example of this.
This resulted in plenty of discussions online of how Venti is being nerfed. However, we believe this isn’t actually the case. In gacha games where no player is guaranteed to receive any specific character, nerfing any of them could result in a huge backlash, especially in game as big as Genshin Impact. They might rebalance it after launch or fix a game-breaking flaw, but nothing more under normal circumstances.
It’s normal for a popular character to lose its versatility / effectiveness as new updates get added to a game. The heavy-type enemies are a good example as it doesn’t mean that Venti is no longer useful, the game is simply challenging you to think of other ways to go through the game instead of sticking to the same old trick. This is going to happen with every character as new content gets added into the game. It’s still worth noting that Venti’s other skills are still devastating.
Would miHoYo risk the game’s popularity for this? Definitely no. We’re likely going to see similar rumors in the future, and it may involve other characters as well. Unless those characters are capable of fundamentally breaking the game, those rumors are more likely than not to be false.

Genshin Impact is currently available for free on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, and PC. A Nintendo Switch port of the game coming in the near future.

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Pokdepinion: I still remember the early days when everyone talks about Venti. Now, all eyes are pretty much on Baal, the Raiden Shogun. Things like this will repeat itself over time, it’s just a matter of dealing with them accordingly.
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HONOR MagicBook Pro and Watch GS Pro to arrive this 8th October

The HONOR MagicBook Pro and HONOR Watch GS Pro have just been announced, but if you want to get them, you will have to wait for two more days. Both HONOR’s stunning new laptop and smartwatch will be available starting 8th October, with a nice early bird bundle of freebies.
HONOR MagicBook Pro

HONOR’s latest laptop packs an AMD Ryzen 5 4600H with up to 16GB RAM for immense multitasking capabilities in a laptop that weighs just 1.7kg and measures 16.9mm thin. Despite its compact dimensions, HONOR managed to cram in dual heatpipes and two fans to ensure that you get to enjoy optimal performance at all times.

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HONOR MagicBook Pro Specs

AMD Ryzen 5 4600H, 6C/12T @ up to 4.0GHz, 7nm
16GB DDR4-2666 RAM
512GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD
16.1″ FHD, 100% sRGB display
56WHr battery, 65W USB-C power adapter
369 × 234 x 16.9 mm
1.7kg
RM3599

The HONOR MagicBook Pro will be available at RM3599, with a free backpack and wireless mouse. But there’s more! You can choose to get it from Hihonor to receive a free pair of HONOR Magic Earbuds, or opt to purchase it from HONOR’s wide network of physical stores as well as their official stores on Shopee or Lazada to get a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 Personal.
HONOR Watch GS Pro
Designed for the rugged outdoors, the HONOR Watch GS Pro passes MIL-STD-810G tests to withstand harsh outdoor environments. There are also a slew of features like GPS route back, skiing mode, celestial data and bad weather alerts to ensure that you are well-informed during your hiking adventures.
HONOR made sure that the HONOR Watch GS Pro can be your smart companion at all times, with up to 25 days of battery life in normal use and a whopping 48-hour battery life in GPS performance mode. If you need more than that, you can switch to the GPS power-saving mode to enjoy 100 hours of battery life.

The HONOR Watch GS Pro will be offered at RM999 with a free HONOR Sport Pro worth RM299.
Which one would you be getting?
Pokdepinion: The HONOR MagicBook Pro is indeed pretty interesting!
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iflix Begins Caraoke Drift Production – Ready To See Leona Chin Torture Celebrities?

iflix has unveil of their new and upcoming short-form original series, Caraoke Drift. We were present at the presentation today in Sepang Circuit in which they gave a taste of the show.
iflix Caraoke Drift
You might ask, what exactly is the show all about? Well if you haven’t figured it out by the title already, Caraoke Drift is full-on adrenaline with a twist. Featuring Malaysia’s Queen of Drifting, Leona Chin, she is set to torment local celebrities where they would need to take on the challenge of singing and completing the song in a drift car.
The show comes from the brains of iflix’s new creative production business for short-film content Studio2:15, which we’ve posted on our site previously (you can click here to read more on that) and led by digital media trailblazer, Craig Galvin.

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Caraoke Drift is set to feature local Malaysian celebrities which includes names such as Maya Karin, Adibah Noor, Fatiya Latiff, Zizi Kirana, Altimet, Mimi Fly and much more. It is set to be hosted by famous Malaysian radio icon, JJ, formerly of Hitz.FM. Expected release date for the show is this coming June 2018, exclusively on iflix.
The car that Leona is going to torment people with
They have also said that short-form content is the trend that growing in popularity, hence the path that they are taking. It is understandable when you consider people who are not at home and just want a quick but satisfying entertainment while they are outdoors.
So for iflix subscribers, be sure to lookout for the show when it comes out. Based on our experience riding in the car with Leona, we can imagine how funny it will be for the celebrities to sing/scream while she toys with them.
Pokdepinion: If you guys were wondering if we screamed like little girls during the ride, well the answer is no. Just want to clarify that.

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This is Why Steam, Epic Games, PayPal and More Are Banned in Indonesia

Why Steam, Epic Games, PayPal and More Are Banned in Indonesia

Companies that failed to register with Kominfo are now being blocked in Indonesia.
This includes services such as Steam, Epic Games, Paypal etc…
Will update when there is a greater clarity from these platforms or the govt on next steps https://t.co/vtxWjDCC57
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) July 29, 2022

Recently, there were some notable, shocking changes in Indonesia as a number electronic service platforms were banned. This includes the likes of Steam, Epic Games, PayPal, and Yahoo., with the former two meaning a lot of PC gamers in the country would have trouble playing games.
The reason for this ban is due to the Indonesian government implementing a rule where tech companies will have to register as an Electronic Systems Providers (PSE), and has reminded them to do so by 20th July 2022. Failure to comply will result in a ban, which is why this happened.

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This initiative will allow authorities to request the removal of content that are deemed unlawful or has the potential to cause public disorder. It has to be done within 24 hours and can be as quick as 4 hours for urgent cases. A good number of online services are still running in Indonesia, including the likes of Facebook, WhatsApp, Google, Spotify, and more as they managed to register before the deadline.
This isn’t an entirely new concept as there have been plenty of misuse, especially surrounding social media platforms where misinformation spreads like wildfire. The criticism behind such a move concerns privacy as it hampers freedom of expression with it granting the government more power to control the spread of information.

For now, we do expect those services to be back in action eventually once they have sorted the registration issue out with Kominfo, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in Indonesia. We will report more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
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Pokdepinion: To wake up to this sudden ban must have been a headache for a lot of people. Just give the companies a bit more time, I’m sure they’re aware that they need to be quick about this or risk losing out on a lot of potential customers, especially given how large the country is.
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Qualcomm Unveils Smartphone For Snapdragon Insiders — Showcasing Every Features Qualcomm Has To Offer

The folks at Qualcomm has recently revealed of a new special-edition Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (yes, that’s the official name) by ASUS through the Snapdragon Insider program. It was made to highlight all the software features that the company has to offer.
Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders

When it comes to the specifications, the phone sports a big 6.78-inch AMOLED display that comes with 144Hz refresh rate to boast. It is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and there’s a 24MP selfie camera on the front.

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As for the back, it comes with a 64MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 8MP telephoto shooter. To back it up, its camera app features Qualcomm AI software that allows for features such as auto zoom and AI object tracking.
It’s kind of rare to see smartphones with fingerprint scanners at the back these days but that’s what you’ll get with it. That being said, the scanner being use is the company’s 2nd gen 3D Sonic Sensor.
In terms of storage, there’s 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage that’s mated with 16GB LPDDR5 RAM. Under the hood is a 4000mAh battery which you can charge with its included Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0 charger.

The price? Well they’ve set it at US$1,499 (~RM6,276) and each purchase comes with a pair of TWS earbuds with Snapdragon Sound produced by Master & Dynamic, a phone case, Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0 adapter, as well as two charging cables.
It is set for an August 2021 release but unfortunately there is no news about its availability here in Malaysia just yet. They did however mention that it will be available through ASUS online channels or ASUS partner online channels, depending on each market.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Featuring all the top-end hardware and features that Qualcomm has to offer, I didn’t expect the price to be affordable at all. I do like the camera design at the back though, it’s eye catching. However, that Snapdragon text just ruins it from being perfect for me..
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Cisco 2019 Asia Pacific CISO Benchmark Study sees Malaysia improve over last year!

Cisco released Cisco’s 2019 Asia Pacific CISO benchmark Study, in which they revealed their analysis of Asia Pacific’s cyber security performance and risk assessment. The studies is based on a survey that sampled 2,000 security professionals from across the region. Within this sample, 10% of them of them are Malaysian.
In the studies, it shows that Malaysia:
According to a survey of 2000 security professionals, 44% state they received more than 10,000 threats daily, while 36% received more than 50,000 threats daily.Malaysian companies are able to investigate 44% of the threat alerts they received in 2019, a 4% improvement over the 40% in 2018. This is better than the Asia Pacific and the global average, which stand at 38% and 43%, respectivelyMalaysia faced longer downtime compared to the rest of Asia Pacific region and the world, with 27% of companies facing downtimes of 24 hours or more, while only 23% in Asia Pacific and 4% globally faced such long downtimes. In 2018, only 9% of Malaysian organization faced such long downtime periods, so this is a huge step backwards.Malaysia sees improvements when it comes to using multiple security vendors, dropping from 39% in 2018 to 35% last year. 90% of companies found it challenging to manage multiple vendors’ security alerts, which is higher than the Asia Pacific (88%) and global (79%) averages.
 Albert Chai, Managing Director of Cisco Malaysia
Albert Chai, Managing Director of Cisco Malaysia shared:

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 “As digital adoption gathers pace in Malaysia, we are seeing an increased awareness of cyber security among businesses. This is crucial because the success of the digital economy hinges in large part on businesses ability to tackle cybersecurity risks. For companies to be able to do that, security can no longer be an afterthought; it needs to be the underlying foundation of any digitization effort. While we are seeing some positive trends, a lot more needs to be done to ensure that businesses are well prepared to tackle any issues on this front”Albert Chai, Managing Director Malaysia at CISCO
 Kerry Singleton, Director Cybersecurity of Asean Cisco
Kerry Singleton, Director Cybersecurity of Asean Cisco points out
“Complexity due to a milti-vendor environment and the increased sophistication of businesses with OT networks and multi-cloud adoption continue to challenge security practitioners in Asia Pacific. As organizations look to reduce the impact of a cybersecurity breach, they need a simplified and systematic approach to security in which solutions act as a team, and learn, listen and respond as a coordinated unit.”

“One way for organizations to simplify security is by considering a Zero Trust approach which looks at security in three key areas – workforce, workload and workplace. Doing so enables organizations to protect users and their devices against stolen credentials, phishing and other identity-based attacks, manage multi-cloud environments and contain lateral movement across the network.”
The Cisco’s 2019 Asia Pacific CISO benchmark Study also point out that Malaysia organization’s top barriers for adopting advance security technology being:
Organizational culture / attitude about cybersecurity: 43% (Yes that superior that ignored your warning)Budget constraints: 38%Lack of trained personnel: 38% (End up the IT has to do it all)Lack of awareness of advanced security technologies and processes: 38%
We also understand that following an attack, an organization more often taken the following actions:
Security awareness training among employees: 56%Enforcement of data protection laws and regulations: 44%Focus on preventing security breaches caused by employee-owned mobile devices: 37%Focus on risk analysis and mitigation: 37%

For more information about the report, please check out Cisco study in this link.
Pokdepinion: It goes to say that we are more likely to react to an issue than to prevent the issue altogether.
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ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti review — 3x the performance per watt of the GTX 750 Ti

History does have a way of repeating itself. I still can remember the excitement over the GeForce GTX 750 Ti’s announcement. This time, it’s the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, one of the most anticipated entry-level graphics card based on the new NVIDIA Pascal architecture. I am also very proud that Pokde.net was chosen to be among the first media to get a chance to review it. I would like to thank ASUS for giving us the opportunity to review this card. Without further ado, let’s check out the ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti we have here.
Unboxing

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This might be the first time you have heard about the ASUS Expedition series. ASUS announced the Expedition Series line, built for i-Cafés. Packed with premium components for great durability, ASUS debuted a motherboard and graphics card under this new line up, and the graphics card is none other than the ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti.

As usual we have a picture of the graphics card itself in front with some basic information. The Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti comes with 4GB of memory, doubled what most GeForce GTX 750 Ti are equipped with. Surprisingly, ASUS’ signature black and red theme that was synonymous with the ROG line up is back again, now in the Expedition series.

At the back, we find the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti features. Built for non-stop durability, the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti comes with dual-ball bearing fans which has lower friction, allowing them to run more smoothly and extend the card lifespan.

Targeted at the iCafe scene, the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti has passed the 144-hour diskless system test, including a 2 hours reboot test. Putting it simply, this is a card that is meant to go on and on without rest.

Inside the box we have the ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, a driver installer DVD, user manual and a World of Warship premium pass.
Appearance

It feels good to see the signature black and red colour scheme back on the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. The rectangular shaped cooling shroud is plastic.

Two fans with the dual-ball bearing 0dB technology is used to reduce friction, allowing the fans to run smoother and improving the lifespan. The fans will also remain off until the card reaches 55 Celcius, thus offering 0dB silence at low loads.

The Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti doesn’t need a backplate to support its weight as the card is pretty short and light. There’s not much to see on this side, but worth noting is how clean and smooth the circuit board looks, thank to the ASUS Auto-Extreme technology.

Although the circuit board features traces for a 6-pin PCIe power connector, this card doesn’t feature the socket, which means that this card will not draw more than 75W of power.

My best guess is that the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti shares the same PCB with the higher-end ASUS’ GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics cards which may have a 6-pin PCIe power connector soldered there for more power and higher overclocking headroom. As the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is designed for higher endurance instead of overclocking, the PCIe power connector would have been unnecessary. This also means that this card will only sip 75W at max, the same amount as its predecessor, the GTX 750 Ti, used.

With the lower TDP, heatpipes are unnecessary to cool down this card. The Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is cooled by a heatsink mounted directly on to the GPU. Unlike the ROG STRIX cards, the Expedition doesn’t come with any ASUS FanConnect headers.

SLI configurations will not be supported with the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, just like its bigger brother, the GeForce GTX 1060. Display connectivity, you can hook up your monitor via the single DVI-D, HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort. The Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti also supports NVIDIA G-Sync monitors, such as the ASUS ROG PG Series.
Test Machine

I’m glad to announce that we’re using a new benchrig for this review. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to our sponsors who have supporting us since the early days of Pokde.net.
Hardware

Processor
Intel Core i7-5820K

Motherboard
ASUS X99-Deluxe

Memory
Avexir Blitz 16GB DDR4

Storage
Sandisk Ultra II 256GB

Power Supply
Cooler Master V850

Software
Game TestedWitcher 3, Battlefield 4, DOTA 2 Reborn, CS: GO, Overwatch

OS
Windows 10 64bit Annivesary

GPU Driver
GeForce Game Ready Driver 375.57 (WHQL)

Antivirus
Windows Defender

Utilities
Furmak, Fraps, MSI Afterburner 4.3 Beta 14, GPU-Z, OBS, Steam, Uniplay, Origin, GOG Galaxy

Card Specification

GPU Architecture
Pascal GP107

GPU
GeForce GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

Memory
4GB GDDR5 @ 7Gbps

Memory Interfarce
128-bit

Base/Boost Clock
1290 MHz / 1392 MHz

Card Dimension
212 x 111 x 38 mm

Card Weight
N/A

Almost all the software used in this test are updated to the latest version. That includes the operating system, system drivers, BIOS and graphics driver.
ASUS GPU Tweak II

The latest iteration of the original ASUS GPU Tweak II brings more responsive UI and features. The Gaming Booster in GPU Tweak II can also be very useful for gaming on systems with less than 8GB of memory. What it does is turn off Windows services for more usable RAM.

Performance
During the test, I noticed that the peak system power consumption never goes above 195 watts. By subtracting the 120 W (± 10 W) that the rest of the hardware consumes, this card only sips approximately 75 watts (± 10 W). Aimed at iCafe systems, these low power consumption figures will convert to higher profits over time. Now, let’s see the performance.

Surprisingly, the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti performs great on both DOTA2 and CS: GO all the way up to 4K. I was expecting to only run the games at 1080p, but with the result I got, I decided to run both games at 1440p and 4K resolutions too. So far the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, is the very first card with a 75W TDP that has graced our labs to be able run both games smoothly at 4K. The GPU usage was above 90% all the time regardless of the resolution, showing that the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti was working hard to get these frame rates.

The Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti performance is great in Battlefield 4 too. Running at 1080p resolution and Ultra graphics preset, I got an average frame rate of 71 fps. I tried to run the game at 1440p resolution, but it was quite uncomfortable to play, with an average frame rate of 40 fps. While the average frame rate of 40 fps should allow the game to be reasonably playable, the frame rate frequently dips to around 21-27 fps, making it very difficult to aim in the game. From the chart we can see the Expedition is much better compared to the ASUS STRIX GTX 960OC.

In Overwatch, I set the setting to “Epic” and set the render scale to 100% and managed to get average frames rates at 67 fps. I found it interesting that the card can drive the game well at 1440p too.

As I plotted out the data in Excel, I found out that the fps is quite stable and rarely drops to the minimum frame rate, which is a rather respectable 35 fps.

In Witcher 3, the frame rates drop to “cinematic” levels with the NVIDIA HairWorks is enabled. This is actually expected from an entry-level card like the Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. If you want to play the Witcher 3 with the ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, it is recommended to lower the resolution to 768p for smooth gameplay with more eyecandy.
Overclocking

ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti performs very well in gaming and overclocking too. As usual I overclocked the card to see how far it can go without adding any voltage. I manage to get an extra 139 MHz on core clock and 700 MHz from the memory. This gave me a performance gain of around 10%.
Conclusion
Amazing? Consuming just 75W, the ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is quite a beast. Popular eSports titles like DOTA 2 and CS:GO can even be played at up to 4K. Good performance is observed throughout our list of gaming benchmarks too, with the exception of in The Witcher 3, but that is expected as even last-gen mid-range cards had trouble in it. And there is one more thing…

Notice any oddities in the GPU-Z screenshot above? The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is actually manufactured on the 14mn FinFET process node. Rumors pointed to NVIDIA switching over to the 14nm process at Samsung, but we didn’t expect them to release a card based on the new process node so soon. The new process node does seem to yield even better power efficiency with the Pascal architecture, compared to the 16nm FinFET process the previous cards were based on. The ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti has proven that it’s not only a good card for iCafe applications, but even for consumers, who will similarly benefit from its amazing performance per watt ratio. And not only is it power efficient, it is also quite cost effective at RM759! I award the ASUS Expedition GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with Gold Pokdeward.

The PokdeRig
We would like to thank our sponsors for our very own benchmarking rig – The PokdeRig. These companies believe in us and put their trust into what we do. They deserve all the love in the world!
Asus X99-Deluxe
Intel Core i7-5820K
CM MasterAir Pro 4
CM V850 PSU
Sandisk Ultra II
Avexir Blitz 16GB DDR4
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ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Looks Good, Feels Good

Unboxing the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Box

The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED comes in a dark blue box with some interesting patterns on it that gives a sense of futuristic and elegance, befitting the laptop series. Inside it, you can find the following items:
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Box content

User guide
Quick start guide
MyASUS leaflet
Warranty card
USB to LAN cable
Carrying case
Power cable
Charger
The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED laptop itself

Appearance
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Lid
Starting off with the lid, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED has lines going across here and there instead of the concentric circles that is present in previous Zenbooks. It’s described as their anniversary monogram design inspired by the Japanese art “Kintsugi”. As you can see here, we got the Ponder Blue colour but if this isn’t your thing, there’s also Aqua Celadon for you to consider. You get a good feel of its aluminum alloy build here, but it’s worth noting that it does attract fingerprint smudges.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Open up the lid
Open up the lid, which gives it a bit of a lift thanks to its Ergolift hinge, and you’ll be greeted by its 14-inch OLED display with thin bezels on all four sides. The webcam is placed on the top display bezel, in case you were wondering. You get a TKL-esque keyboard layout with the power button placed within, and it also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. Then there’s the ErgoSense Touchpad, which also includes the ASUS NumberPad 2.0, which can be easily enabled with the capacitive button on the top-right corner.

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ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Bottom
Flipping over to the bottom and you can see some air vents, speaker grilles on the sides, three rubberized stands consisting of two shorts ones on top and one long one at the bottom, and some product details. There are about 10 exposed screws here, and there might be one hidden under a sticker if you want to expose the internal parts.
Overall, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is an attractive laptop with good build quality to boot. It’s also easy to bring around given its slim, lightweight nature, which is a major plus point. But whether it has the power and efficiency necessary for you to want to bring it out often, that we shall found it in a later section.
Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i7-1260P, 12C(4P+8E)/16T @ 2.1GHz (up to 4.7GHz Turbo), 28W TDP, Intel 7

RAM
16GB LPDDR5-4800 (on-board, dual-channel)

Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphic, 96EU @ up to 1.4GHz

Storage
1TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD

Software
Microsoft Windows 11 Home
Intel Graphics Command Center
MyASUS
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 (included)
McAfee Personal Security

Connectivity
Wireless
Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2)
Wired
2 x Thunderbolt 4, 40Gbps, supports DisplayPort Alt Mode, USB-PD
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A), 10Gbps
1 x microSD card reader
1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack

Display
14″ 2.8K (2880 x 1800) 16:10 90Hz OLED display (Samsung SDC4154)
550 nits, 100% DCI-P3, VESA Display HDR True Black 500
2 x DisplayPort Alt Mode over Thunderbolt 4
1 x HDMI 2.0b

Audio
Stereo speakers, tuned by harman/kardon
Array microphone, Alexa, Cortana voice-recognition support
AI Noise-Cancelling Mic + AI Noise-Cancelling Speaker

Power
75WHrs Li-polymer battery
65W USB-C power adapter

Dimensions
313.62 x 220.63 x 16.9 mm

Weight
1.39kg

Performance
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – CrystalDiskMark
Starting off our benchmark suite with CrystalDiskMark, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED has excellent speeds throughout. This ensures excellent times for loading, boot up, and file transfers, and the 1TB capacity is certainly more than enough for most people.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Cinebench R20
In Cinebench R20, the Intel Core 1260P powering the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED performed very well. The single core performance may not be too different from previous generation but the multi-core score certainly shows that it’s a step up. It’s still far from a performance-based CPU, but being able to shorten the gap is certainly a plus point.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Unigine SuperPosition
Moving on the Unigine SuperPosition in the 4K Optimized setting, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED had a relatively low score but it did at least surpass the 1,000 mark, which is made possible thanks to the Intel Iris Xe Graphics, which is certainly a league above the older Intel UHD Graphics. Regardless, a discrete GPU would be needed to attain decent scores here.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – 3DMark Time Spy
As for 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark, it may be on the lower side but it’s not particularly bad since it came very close to breaking the 2,000 score mark. The closest laptop above it has the NVIDIA GeForce MX450 discrete GPU, giving you a clearer idea as to how well it performs and it’s not even a huge difference.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – PCMark 10
Lastly in PCMark 10, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED shows to be a well-balanced laptop. I did expect the Overall score to be higher but it is a quite capable machine, even for light video editing work. Rest assured, most of you would be more than happy using this, especially for work or a daily driver.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Battery endurance test
For those of you who are wondering about the battery life, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED lasted 10 hours 26 minutes (626 minutes) in the PCMark Modern Office endurance test. It’s not the longest one around but it’s certainly more than adequate. Standby time is excellent if you don’t use much so you can leave it uncharged for a week without issues.
Looking for a much lighter laptop to use? Check out our review of the ASUS Vivobook Slate OLED by clicking right here.
User Experience
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Powered by Intel
The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is powered by one of the latest CPUs around, the Intel Core i7-1260P which comes with Intel Iris Xe Graphics. It’s mated to 16GBs of onboard dual-channel LPDDR5 4800MHz RAM and 1TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD. This configuration alone means you will have plenty of firepower to keep you going without the need for upgrades unless you plan on gaming or do some heavy video editing / rendering work with it. For office work and productivity use, it’s more than enough for most people.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Display
As for the display, it’s a healthy 14-inch 2.8K OLED display with 90Hz refresh rate support. You get to enjoy slightly smoother displays with lower response times, which is typically not seen a laptop of this kind. You get the truest blacks thanks to the OLED panel, which means contrast and colours are excellent, and it’s generally decent to use under direct sunlight. Personally, I wished that this came with touchscreen support as it would truly make this the ultimate portable productivity machine.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – ASUS NumberPad 2.0
While the display is great for multimedia consumption, the speakers are a bit of a miss. It is capable of producing good sound quality, with well-defined highs and mids for built-in speakers, and a little hint of bass. However, the volume is lacking so it would have been nice if it was capable of being a tad louder.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Keyboard
Moving on to the keyboard, it’s certainly a decent experience typing with it as it’s comfortable with slight tactility for you to enjoy. Together with the Ergolift hinge which improves airflow immensely, the angle makes it more comfortable to use. The trackpad itself is a good size with a smooth glide but nothing much to boast about…that is until you enable the ASUS NumberPad 2.0. Basically, it transforms the touchpad into a full-fledged numberpad, so you can still keep it compact. It’s certainly a useful tool to have.
Another thing worth highlighting is the fingerprint scanner, which is where the power button is on the keyboard. It works fast and quite accurate, which certainly feels like a step up from most laptops that were launched last year. The only issue is if my hands ever get a little bit wet, but that’s an issue with most fingerprint scanners anyway so it’s fine.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review – Ports
As for ports, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED has a good array of ports given its size. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, an HDMI 2.0b port, a combo audio jack, and a microSD card reader. Having two Thunderbolt 4 ports mean that you can keep it charged and still have another to connect to an accessory like a dock or to an external display while the USB-A port would be conveniently used for a mouse. A full-fledged SD card would have been nicer but this is good enough for me.
Like most ASUS laptops nowadays, the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED comes with MyASUS pre-installed. It essentially has everything you need in a single suite, from toggling performance modes to changing display modes and more. You can also use the Link to MyASUS feature to mirror your smartphone screen on it.
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Verdict
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED Review
The ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED is a pretty solid ultraportable productivity laptop that can serve anyone well. The few reasons it might turn some people away is if they need touchscreen support, a more powerful machine for rendering / heavy video editing, or they can’t stomach its asking price of RM5,599. If none of these are applicable to you, then this will definitely serve you well.
At the end of our ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED review, I award this laptop with our Gold Pokdeward.

Big thanks to ASUS Malaysia for sending us this laptop for the purpose of this review.
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Lenovo Launches New Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus For Next-Level Entertainment

Lenovo is expanding its smart home portfolio by launching the new Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus (2nd Gen) with Google Assistant support. The new tablet pairs the versatility and entertainment at home with theatre-like mobile entertainment with the convenience of a hands-free Google Assistant-activated screen through its Ambient Mode experience.

The new Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus comes with a 10.3-inch Full HD screen with TDDI (Touch and Display Driver Integration) wide viewing angle display and dual speakers with Dolby Atmos. Under the hood, you will find an Octa-core MediaTek Helio P22T mobile processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB eMMC internal storage (expandable to 256GB via microSD) and a pretty large 5,000mAh battery. The tablet also features an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. The tablet also runs Android Pie.

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Users can dock the tablet on the Smart Charging Station for a productive hands-free experience when not in handheld mode. When docked, users can easily control music and connected smart home devices thanks to advanced voice recognition technology. Furthermore, with Google Assistant’s Ambient Mode, users can efficiently multitask at home with just their voice. When not in use, the screen automatically converts into a digital photo frame, doubling up as home décor.

With its integrated front and rear camera and extra login security features, the tablet is designed for households with multiple user accounts and facial recognition unlock that is customised for each user. The new Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus also comes with Lenovo’s new, smarter Kid’s Mode for children, which features dedicated kids’ content, parental controls and specialised eye protection features.
Kid’s Mode also includes a Posture Alert, which detects the posture of a user, reminding them to sit up straight while using the device, alongside a Bumpy Environment Alert that can detect a bumpy situation and remind the user to stop using the device, encouraging healthier viewing habits.
Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus (2nd Gen) price and availability
The Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus (2nd Gen) with Google Assistant (which includes Smart Charging Station Dock) is now available At Lenovo Exclusive Stores, Lenovo official website and authorized sellers on Lazada and Shopee. It will carry a retail price starting from RM999. That’s not all, users can also opt for monthly instalments of RM84 for 12 months when they purchase the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus through Lenovo’s official website.
Pokdepinion: Now this is something I want. I’ve been planning to turn my home into a smart home for some time now and the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus looks like something that can fit right in my plans.
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HUAWEI adds HUAWEI MateBook 13 and new HUAWEI Watch GTs to lineup

Aside from the HUAWEI P30 and HUAWEI P30 Pro, HUAWEI also launched their new HUAWEI MateBook 13 while also refreshing their HUAWEI Watch GT series with two new models to cater to a wider demographic.
HUAWEI Watch GT

The HUAWEI Watch GT is now available in a refreshed 46mm variant with a sportier appearance, while a new HUAWEI Watch GT 42mm Edition caters to the fairer sex. The latter features a smaller case and an all-white appearance, which should entice the womenfolk more than the dark tones of the HUAWEI Watch GT 46mm Edition.

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The HUAWEI Watch GT 46mm Edition is priced at RM899, while the HUAWEI Watch GT 42mm Edition will be yours for RM799.
HUAWEI MateBook 13

Meanwhile the HUAWEI MateBook 13 is HUAWEI’s latest laptop designed for the young professionals out there. It features an impressive 13″ 2K display which touts a screen-to-body ratio of 88%. The entire laptop measures just a mere 14.9mm thin and 1.3kg light, perfect for those who is always on the go.

Inside the svelte exterior is an quad-core 8th Generation Intel Core processor and a GeForce MX150 GPU. To cool all that hardware, HUAWEI used their HUAWEI Shark Fin Design 2.0 cooling system which promises excellent thermal performance thanks to its dual-fan system. But the HUAWEI MateBook 13’s claim to fame should be the HUAWEI Share 3.0 One Hop feature which allows users to enjoy hassle-free transfers between HUAWEI/HONOR devices. With just a single tap, you can either transfer to or from the notebook without clicking anything at all.
The HUAWEI MateBook 13 will be available in two variants:

HUAWEI MateBook 13 – Intel Core i5 8265U, 8GB LPDDR3 2133 RAM, 256GB PCIe SSD, GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5: RM3999
HUAWEI MateBook 13 – Intel Core i7 8565U, 8GB LPDDR3 2133 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5: RM4399

Pokdepinion: The HUAWEI MateBook 13 looks like it will contend well against the current crop of premium ultralight notebooks…
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HP Malaysia Partners with Yuna To Launch Their Creators of Tomorrow Mentorship Project

HP Malaysia has launched their Creators of Tomorrow Mentorship Project which is made to inspire and enable creativity among the youths of today. The Creators of Tomorrow Mentorship Project designed to give musicians the chance to take their skills to the next level with an industry professional. Furthermore, HP Malaysia has partnered with local superstar Yuna, who will host an exclusive, 2-day virtual music workshop to help aspiring musicians take the next step in their creative evolution.
Join Yuna at HP Malaysia’s HP Malaysia Creators of Tomorrow Mentorship Project

For aspiring musicians, the HP Mentorship Project will be open for submissions until 22 November 2020. All they have to do is submit an instrumental or vocal cover of their favourite song and share the reason they want to attend the mentorship sessions with Yuna. It is open to creators from all backgrounds, at any level of expertise. Below is a summary on how to join the Creators of Tomorrow Mentorship Project.

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Visit the project’s official website
Submit your application on the microsite by uploading/sharing a link to a 30-second vocal or instrumental cover of your favourite song.
Yuna will personally select 5 applicants to join her workshop.

5 finalists will be given the chance to meet Yuna for an exclusive 2-day, virtual music and song production workshop. The winner will be personally chosen by Yuna herself and will take home a brand-new ENVY laptop and join her for a 1:1 mentorship to help hone their creator journey.

HP Malaysia is also holding a special promotion on their ENVY devices on Shopee. Use the code: ENVY100 on Shopee to get RM100 off HP ENVY 13, HP ENVY 15 and HP Spectre x360 from now until 30 November 2020. Customers will also get to take home freebies worth RM409. These include:

HP Pavilion Backpack
HP Wireless Mouse
Kaspersky Internet Security for your device

On top of that, this 11:11, HP’s Shopee online store has a 1 day deal to get up to RM150 off + RM409 worth of freebies when you purchase a minimum of RM3,000 worth of products. Visit HP Malaysia’s Shopee page for more details.
Pokdepinion: I’ve personally met Yuna once and she seems to be a very nice and warm person. I think those who join the Creators of Tomorrow Mentorship Project will have a blast with her.
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HONOR 9S Budget Smartphone Launched At RM359

HONOR Malaysia has today launched the new HONOR 9S here in the country, with it coming with a RM359 price tag for those looking for a budget device.
HONOR 9S Malaysia release

The Magic UI 3.1 update will be coming to the HONOR 9S and the device is powered by a 3020mAh battery. In terms of memory, it comes with 32GB of internal storage that’s mated with 2GB RAM.
It sports a 5.45-inch FullView Display and the phone weighs just 144g. At the back is a single 8MP main camera and as for selfies, it offers a 5MP front camera. Not to forget, it runs on a MediaTek Helio P22 chipset.

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Should you be interested in the HONOR 9S, you can get it in three colors; Black, Blue, and Red starting from the 28th of September 2020.
Purchase the HONOR 9S and you will get a free HONOR Thermo Flask and 15GB HUAWEI Cloud Storage. In addition to that, you will also receive a 10% voucher off any beverage from Tien Tien Yogurt, which is valid to use from 1st October till 31st of December 2020. If that’s not enough, all HONOR users can also flash their HONOR smartphone to receive 10% off Tien Tien Yogurt beverages as well.
Pokdepinion: Can’t really argue with the price considering what it offers. A smartphone for your old folks perhaps?
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Players Are Hilariously Getting Killed By A Chair

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has been out for quite some time now and as we all know, there plenty of ways of how you can get killed in the game. Well one of the least expected things that could end your life is apparently a chair.

The news was found out by the folks at Kotaku, where it seems that the chairs involved are found at the St. Petrograd map. Inside the hotel, there’s two office chairs that’s doing what you’d expect a chair to do; just being there.
A Reddit user then discovered that if you melee them to make them spin and you came into contact with them, it’d mean an instant death for you. Obnoxious, right?

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It seems that it doesn’t matter on what game mode you are playing, you will still end up in a tragic fate should you get hit by the spinning chairs.
What’s your strangest cause of death in the game? Let us know below.
Pokdepinion: I think the saddest death that I’ve faced is a care package landing directly on top of me… oh the humility.
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Zorloo Ztella is the USB-3.5mm dongle you want

While most USB dongles in the market just take the analog signal from the USB-C port and adapt it to the 3.5mm port, the Zorloo Ztella is a full DAC in a dongle. Which is what you would want to use if you want audiophile-class audio from your smartphone.
Zorloo has been making excellent USB DACs based on ESS Sabre DACs, and we have also reviewed the Zorloo ZuperDAC and ZuperDAC-S. They have been shrinking the footprint with each iteration, and the Zorloo Ztella is no bigger than your regular USB-C-to-3.5mm dongle.

Now instead of just throwing in a basic DAC and calling it a day, Zorloo packs an ESS Sabre 9270 in the standard edition, and a ESS Sabre 9281PRO in the MQA version. Yep, there’s support for decoding Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) audio which is available through services like Tidal. Meanwhile if you aren’t getting MQA audio, there’s support for up to DSD 5.6 MHz and 32-bit/384 kHz audio decoding.

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In addition to supporting your smartphone, the Zorloo Ztella can also work with your PC with a bundled USB-A to USB-C adapter. It supports USB Audio Class 2 high-speed, so it will be a plug-and-play affair with your PCs.
Zorloo will be running a Kickstarter campaign later this month, with a special 40% off early bird promotion. The standard Zorloo Ztella will be going for $65 (~RM272), while the MQA version will be priced at $89 (~RM373).
Pokdepinion: Definitely looking forward to test the Zorloo Ztella, given that it promises better audio than the much bulkier Zorloo ZuperDAC-S.
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Contrary to previous rumours, the Genshin Impact Nintendo Switch has not been cancelled after all as new details have emerged. Here’s what we know thus far.
Genshin Impact Nintendo Switch Port Is Not Cancelled

今見たら最近の動画の概要にもSwitchが入ってた。
もしや話題になったから戻したのか…？ https://t.co/YcsKUeTltf pic.twitter.com/j0XaNs1cfq
— けっぴーくらふと (@keppiycraft0828) April 18, 2022

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The rumour of the Genshin Impact Nintendo Switch port getting cancelled first stemmed from the Ayaka and Ayato lore video that was released this month. Typically, their videos would list “planned release: Nintendo Switch” in the video description, along with a Nintendo trademark, but it’s not present in the aforementioned video.
This caused plenty of speculations to be thrown around on social media and various parts of the web. As it turns out, this was a mistake by HoYoverse as a Nintendo Switch mentioned was added into the video description a few hours after the video’s release.
It might have been caused by the rumours running wild but as a result, all the new videos that was released recently included the missing Nintendo Switch-related descriptions.
Genshin Impact is currently available on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, and PC. Unfortunately, the release date for the Nintendo Switch port has yet to be announced.
Source
Pokdepinion: Imagine leaving an intern to handle the video descriptions and they made the error of not including it out of uncertainty, and it resulted in this whole mess. That’s gonna be one big lesson to learn.
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Lenovo unveils the ThinkPad P40 Yoga with ISV certified

Lenovo unveiled the new ThinkPad P40 Yoga, a high-performing that helps unleash the full power of professional creativity with ISV certified. The Lenovo ThinkPad P40 Yoga delivers a first-class digital sketching experience with the ultimate in mobile workstation performance and reliability.

The ThinkPad P40 Yoga offers the versatility to work across four modes—laptop, stand, tent and tablet—giving professionals the flexibility to do more no matter the use.

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The system provides the utmost in sketching precision through a highly responsive pen and touchscreen powered by the Wacom® Active ES technology, offering a full, 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity on a high-res (2560 x 1440) IPS display.
Lenovo ThinkPad P40 Yoga full specification:

ThinkPad P40 Yoga will be available starting in Q1 2016 through Lenovo business partners and on www.lenovo.com. Pricing for the ThinkPad P40 Yoga begins at $1399 approximately in MYR 6000.

Pokdepinion: Very well specification, I bet it comes with the Intel 6th generation Skylake Xeon mobile processor which support ECC modules, but the NVIDIA Quadro M500M is something interesting since there’s not much information we can gather about it.
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NVIDIA driver update to improve GeForce RTX 30 series stability

After recent reports pointing towards the choice of capacitors causing the GeForce RTX 30 series cards’ to crash at higher boost clocks, NVIDIA has finally broken their silence and released a new driver along with a statement. Apparently the instability faced by GeForce RTX 30 series users is due to the drivers from NVIDIA, and thus the newly released driver should fix the issues.
GeForce Game Ready Driver 456.55 WHQL is the newly released version that should provide improved stability for GeForce RTX 30 series cards. On top of improving stability, the updated driver is adding NVIDIA Reflex to COD: Warzone as well as support for Star Wars: Squadrons.
NVIDIA’s statement regarding the stability issues faced by GeForce RTX 30 series cards debunks the assumption that the polymer capacitors used by certain AIBs was the reason for the crashes experienced by gamers, and instead points towards buggy drivers being the source of the issue. Here’s the full statement:

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NVIDIA posted a driver this morning that improves stability. Regarding partner board designs, our partners regularly customize their designs and we work closely with them in the process. The appropriate number of POSCAP vs. MLCC groupings can vary depending on the design and is not necessarily indicative of quality.
[email protected]

While it may be true that the choice of capacitors wasn’t the root cause of the issue, certain AIBs like EVGA has announced that they switched out polymer capacitors in favor of MLCC to deliver improved stability. Did they do that all for nothing when a driver update could have solved all their issues? Well hopefully all AIBs can perform all the necessary testing and perform the necessary changes to the design to deliver the best stability for gamers.
Pokdepinion: I do wonder if these stability issues are what’s keeping the high-end cards from appearing on the market…
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ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) review; see more than others can see

Introduction
Before we talk about the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL), let’s take a walk through the history of ZenFones.
ZenFone 4, 5, 6 (2014)

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ASUS has come a long way with their smartphones. While they have made quite a few attempts at designing smartphones like the unique PadFone series,  it was in 2014 when they launched their first ASUS ZenFone series. The first generation comprised of the ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6. Yes, whoever the genius in charge of naming the smartphones back then in ASUS, they have not thought about the probability that they might want to make more phones. Anyway, they were well-positioned in the entry level with excellent value for money thanks to the nippy (but power hungry) Intel SoCs in them.
ZenFone 2 family (2015)

In 2015 the second generation of ASUS ZenFones arrived. The charge was led by the aptly named ASUS ZenFone 2, and while ASUS made the step up to the mid-range with significant upgrades across the board, they still offered an excellent performance-per-ringgit ratio with their newer Intel Atom SoCs. Battery life was slightly better, but still worse than its contemporaries using Snapdragon’s SoC designs. The ZenFone Selfie, ZenFone Laser and ZenFone Max families also started in this generation. I would say the ASUS ZenFone 2 was when ASUS started getting more serious with their ZenFone lineup, even coming up with the really impressive ASUS ZenFone Zoom with 10X optical zoom, a feat that few smartphones manufacturers can match even today.
ZenFone 3 family (2016)

2016 was the year ASUS decided to ditch Intel’s powerful but inefficient SoCs and use Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs in their smartphones. The ASUS ZenFone 3 series arrived with new Snapdragon SoCs inside, vastly improved cameras with laser focusing systems across the board and price tags that were quite a bit higher than those that came before them. The initial trio consisted of the ASUS ZenFone 3, ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra and ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe. These three were then followed up by the ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser, ZenFone 3 Max 5.2″ (ZC520TL) and Max 5.5″ (ZC553KL). The second generation Zoom came in the form of the ZenFone 3 Zoom, but ASUS dropped the optical zoom lens module in favor of a dual camera system. The reality-bending ASUS ZenFone AR was the closing chapter in the ASUS ZenFone 3 story, and it ended on a very high note.
ZenFone 4 (now!)

Enough reminiscing about the past though. We are now in 2017. We have the latest line-up of ASUS ZenFone 4 walking into our labs. Yes, ridiculous naming convention, I know. With dual cameras on nearly all members of the series, ASUS is definitely furthering their vision of packing their smartphones with great cameras. The ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro and ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro came and went, and today I have the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL). With a heftier weight and also price tag, can it impress me? Get comfortable, as this is going to be one of our most in-depth reviews to date.
Unboxing

ASUS never disappoints when it comes to their packaging. The black and gold finishing on the box just screams premium. Opening up the box you aren’t greeted by the smartphone first, but by ASUS reminding you that We <3 Photo. Hell yeah we do! This decision also means that it lowers the risk of you dropping your brand new smartphone onto the sidewalk just because you unboxed it wrong.

The ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) comes with all the trappings you would expect to come with your new smartphone. You even get a case to protect that shining glass back. The charger is pretty disappointing, coming in at only 10W. Newsflash ASUS, people are packing 20W chargers with their smartphones last year, keep up.
Appearance

The front is about as generic as it gets, looking like one of the many Chinese smartphones you can find on the market now. ASUS could have touched it up by adding concentric circle patterns on the vast top and bottom bezels. There is no ASUS emblem here. ASUS also moved the fingerprint sensor to the front. Perhaps ASUS received feedback that a fingerprint sensor on the front is more convenient, but I don’t agree with that. In any case, this is a solid state variant which feels more premium and should prove more resilient than the tactile kind found in the last generation devices.

The back still sports a concentric circle motif which focuses on from the ASUS logo, but the pattern isn’t nearly as apparent now with the gaps being finer than ever. I thought we had precise measurements for the gaps, ASUS? It still shimmers nicely though. If you want a really pretty back, I would recommend going for the Midnight Black variant though, as the white one here doesn’t really look as magnificent. The top left corner is where you will find the dual camera setup flush under the back glass with the RGB sensor and LED flash sharing the same perforation. The LED flash is isolated from the glass back too, to prevent light bleeding into the cameras. The smooth glass back allows the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) to slide around on a flat surface way too easily, so you might want to put on a case just so that it stays put.

You will find the power and volume buttons on the right and the SIM tray on the left. The buttons do not feature the concentric circle pattern anymore, which makes them look and feel cheaper than its predecessors. The band running around the sides are chamfered here too.

Moving up, the top is bare except for the lonely secondary microphone. The bottom edge is a lot busier, with the 3.5mm jack, USB Type-C port, primary microphone and loudspeaker here. Notice how I didn’t say “mono loudspeaker”? Well that’s because the earpiece also doubles as a loudspeaker in a configuration somewhat akin to HTC’s current implementation of BoomSound. The perforations for the loudspeaker are chamfered too, showing ASUS’ attention to detail.
Specifications

CPU/Chipset:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (4 x ARM Cortex A53 @ 2.2 GHz, 4 x ARM Cortex A53 @ 1.8 GHz)

GPU:
Adreno 508 @ 850 MHz

RAM:
6GB LPDDR4

Display:
5.5″, FHD (1080p) Super IPS+ display, 401 ppi, 72% screen-to-body ratio, 600-nits maximum brightness, 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass

Storage:
64GB eMCP (expandable with microSD up to 2TB)

Camera:
Main Camera
12MP f/1.8, 1/2.55″ IMX 362, 25mm (35mm equiv.) 6P lens, RGB sensor, PDAF, OIS + EIS, 48MP Super Resolution, single LED flash
8MP f/2.2, 1/4″ OV 8856, 12mm (35mm equiv.), 120° FoV, fixed focus, 32MP Super Resolution
Front Camera
8MP f/2.0, 1/4″ OV 8856, 24mm (35mm equiv.) 84° FoV, screen flash, HDR, Beautify Mode

OS:
Android 7.1.1 Nougat with ASUS ZenUI 4.0

Connectivity:
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0 with A2DP, AptX
Cat.13 3CA 600 Mbps (DL) and Cat.12 150 Mbps (UL) LTE

SIM:
Dual nanoSIM (one nanoSIM slot doubles as microSD slot)

Battery:
Li-ion 3300 mAh

Weight:
165g

ASUS knows how to play the number game very well. Their experience in the laptop industry is definitely showing here. ASUS did not skimp on the RAM and AC WiFi support like many manufacturers do. We have a few upgrades here and there over the previous generation. The Snapdragon 630 is an upgrade of the Snapdragon 625 which we really enjoyed thanks to its efficiency, so we are looking forward to some nice numbers in our benchmarks too. The bigger 3300 mAh battery here also bodes well for battery life, especially when coupled with the efficient SoC. 64GB eMCP is actually just eMMC packaged together with RAM to save space, so no blazing fast UFS storage here. The secondary 8MP camera might seem like someone is doing a #throwback here, but that’s really not the case. We will discuss more about each specification in the respective sections. Meanwhile ASUS still forgot to put NFC into the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL), meaning no easy one-tap pairing or Android Pay.
Performance
The Snapdragon 630 builds upon the Snapdragon 625 by clocking the cores differently. While the Snapdragon 625 had all eight of the cores running at up to 2.0 GHz, the Snapdragon 630 runs four at up to 2.2 GHz, while the remainder tops out at 1.8 GHz. This configuration should mean the Snapdragon 630 is capable of better single-core performance, while not sacrificing efficiency nor performance when handling multi-threaded tasks. The Adreno 508 adds 200 MHz to the Adreno 506, resulting in a claimed 30% performance increase. The 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM is just the cherry on top of all the performance niceties the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) is packing. Will the differences be tangible? Time to run some benchmarks.

The ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) performs well in Antutu, placing quite comfortably above the Snapdragon 625 devices. This device is about 5% faster than the fastest Snapdragon 625 device we have previously tested, which is quite a comfortable lead. ASUS’ choice to go with the Snapdragon 630 may be motivated by efficiency concerns, but it definitely doesn’t lack in terms of performance.

The trend is also visible in Geekbench which tests the CPU performance. As expected, we see a small single core performance gain, while multi-core performance remains largely unaffected when compared against the Snapdragon 625 devices. For some reason, the ASUS ZenFone 3 outperforms the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) by a large margin. The benchmark for the ASUS ZenFone 3 was run a long time ago, so Geekbench may have been tweaked some time between then and now.

The GPU performance of the ASUS ZenFone 4 is a clear upgrade over the Snapdragon 625-packing devices. It seems that Qualcomm was being conservative about their claims and the Adreno 508 actually offers 177% of the performance of the fastest Adreno 506 device we have on this chart in Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1)! Gains are more modest on older APIs, but the performance gains are definitely worth the 200 MHz overclock done on the GPU.

PCMark evaluates the performance in work-related tasks. The ASUS ZenFone 4 is performs well here, and it ranking just below the Galaxy S8 with the Exynos 8895 is definitely nice to see. It is still a far cry from the ASUS ZenFone 3 which has scored above 6000 points in this benchmark. Then again, no Snapdragon 625 has ever come close to the ASUS ZenFone 3’s score.

Battery life of the ASUS ZenFone 4 is great. It is not a battery beast like the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro and ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom, but it does pretty well here. We see the ASUS ZenFone 4 clocking in at 10 hours 19 minutes, handily beating the Ufeel Go and Ufeel Fab which pack huge batteries but less efficient chipsets.

Real world usage also reflects the efficiency of the Snapdragon 630 in the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL). 3 hours out of the 5 hours 48 minutes of SOT was spent in Arena of Valor. If you aren’t into gaming, the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) can go even longer without a recharge. Which is good, as the 10W charger takes quite a while to rejuice the 3300 mAh battery here.
User Experience
Nice to see, nice to hold

The 5.5″ display is carried over from the ZenFone 3 and it really seems like there wasn’t much improvements done in this area. You get a similar insanely bright 600 nit maximum brightness that can melt your retinas and a 1080p resolution which is really all you need at this size. 401 pixels-per-inch is plenty sharp and I doubt anyone can really pick on the pixels. The standard screen size also makes the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) easy to hold. A 6″ 18:9 display would have fit very well in this body too, but I guess ASUS isn’t interested in 18:9 just yet. As a result, the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) here features a 72% screen-to-body ratio, which is actually a regression from yesteryear’s 77.3%.

It’s not entirely unexpected that when you move the fingerprint sensor to the front, you give up some screen-to-body ratio. Luckily, the fingerprint sensor won’t be something you complain about. It’s fast and accurate, and can still detect my fingerprint even if they were slightly wet. In fact this is probably the fastest fingerprint sensor I have ever used. The surface is also made of glass, thus being way more resistant to scratches than the plastic ASUS used in the previous generation. And oh, these capacitive buttons are backlit.
To be seen and not heard? Not this one.
Yup, the earpiece can blast tunes too
ASUS goes with a dual-speaker configuration this time, which is pretty interesting. We have seen them dabble with stereo speakers but place them ridiculously in the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra, and this time ASUS is using the earpiece as a secondary speaker for a better soundstage. The result is pretty good, sounding much better than your average loudspeaker output. ASUS calls it stereo, but because the output of the earpiece is so much weaker than the loudspeaker, the stereo effect is not as great as expected. The earpiece has zero bass response, so it’s just delivering the treble to amp up the audio experience in tandem with the regular loudspeaker. Plugging in headphones makes it even better though, as the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) is actually Hi-Res Audio certified for 24-bit/192kHz playback.

AudioWizard is back in full force, with a revamped UI and also headphone profiles. Previous iterations only featured profiles for ASUS’ in-house earphones, but this time they went all out. It seems like they imported user-made profiles from Viper4Android, but I am not sure if that is really the case. The profiles attempt to balance the sound signature of whatever headphones you are using. Coupled with DTS Headphone:X’s ability to bring surround sound to any stereo headphones, the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) is a real treat to use for media consumption. And if you are unsatisfied with all that, you can play around with the preset equalizers or just tune your own with the 10-band equalizer. Or just tweak the bass and treble sliders for a simpler time. While there wasn’t any mention of AptX support on its official website, the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) supports the high quality Bluetooth codec for better wireless audio.
Screenshots do not actually come out desaturated like this
Equally interesting is the ASUS Splendid app. ASUS has decided to hide Splendid and AudioWizard away from the app drawer, so you will have to take a journey into the display settings to find this. Instead of just the usual color profiles, ASUS has even added an auto-color temperature mode for a better viewing experience. The Balance mode isn’t exactly balanced, as it does tend to look vivid. Considering that Super AMOLED displays are fan favorites when it comes to color accuracy, this is a great move from ASUS. Vivid takes it a notch further, and if that doesn’t please you, you can customize the hue and saturation of your display yourself. You can even go have a #throwback into the old days when we didn’t have color displays by turning down the saturation completely.
Oh ZenUI look how have you grown!

Aside from the above two highlights, ASUS has touched up most of their UI with ZenUI 4.0. Gone are the gaudy colorful quick setting icons, with flat icons taking their place. The entire settings menu also looks cleaner with the new flat icons. The launcher has also matured with some features taken from third party launchers. You have the ability to change fonts, icon packs and even make your own theme if you so wish. The only grouse I have is that I can’t swipe up to get to the app drawer, as the gesture is used for opening the launcher menu. Maybe that might change with Android 8.0 Oreo, which is supposed to come pretty soon to all the ZenFone 3 and ZenFone 4 devices.

ASUS has been getting a lot of flak due to their tendency to load previous ZenFones with bloatware, but their latest devices should allow them to get rid of that infamy soon enough. They have been steadily paring back the amount of bloatware that comes with their devices, and the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) has none of that crap. Zero, nada. ASUS’ own apps like Mobile Manager, Selfie Master as well as the full G Suite do make an appearance, but I am not even complaining as these are actually legit useful apps. ASUS even went to the extent of using Google’s Messages and Play Music to replace their own version of the apps. I would say ASUS has really matured on the software front with the latest ZenUI 4.0, with a very fluid experience thanks to the huge amount of RAM and nippy processor. While the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) may not top benchmark charts, it does everything with sufficient gusto to make me nearly forget that this is a mid-range SoC under the hood. The quick animations also makes the whole experience feel snappier, unlike the Galaxy J7+ and its slow animations that stuttered under heavier loads.

Some of ASUS’ additions include OptiFlex, a feature which allows you to add apps to the list for faster loading times. I didn’t notice a tangible difference in loading times for AOV though. Game Genie allows you to to lock the navigation keys to prevent accidentally being kicked out to the home screen, stream your games on YouTube and Twitch, and even record gestures as macros. Twin Apps allows you to do what it says, have two Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and Whatsapp on a single device. Instagram actually supports multiple accounts natively now though. Page Marker allows you save webpages to read later, which is nifty if you want to read something later without having to spend your quota reloading it.

Last but not least is ZenUI Safeguard, an app that allows you to send SOS messages and your current location to your selected contacts. It’s discreetly triggered by tapping the power button three times, so you can easily do it in an emergency. Report Location is also a great feature so your contacts can track your location in real time. A great addition especially in a world where bad things happen to good people.

The Gallery app has also been updated with facial recognition. All the better to sort the images you capture with the impressive dual camera! It can detect similar faces to group them together, or center the images around the faces in thumbnails. It’s cool to see that facial recognition is becoming mainstream even without the need for a specific neural processing unit in the SoC.
See more than others can see

Another area ASUS has been making progress in is the camera department. While the ZenFone 3 series packed amazing cameras, only the ZenFone 3 Zoom came with dual cameras. This year, ASUS has dual cameras on nearly all the devices in the ZenFone 4 family. The ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) is no different, with a standard 12MP f/1.8 camera paired with a wide angle 8MP f/2.2 camera. 8MP might seem outdated, but to pair a wide angle lens with a larger sensor would mean that the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) will have to have a camera hump. ASUS isn’t having any of that, so decides to sacrifice resolution for a flat back. The RGB sensor also makes a comeback here, but there is no laser focusing to speak of now.

Like the rest of the software, the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL)’s camera UI has also been revamped. There has been a paring back of features while the Pro mode is a lot more intuitive with the settings moving in an ergonomic arc around the shutter button. If you want a guide on how to play around with the manual parameters, do check out the guide here. However the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL)’s camera is optimized enough to mean that the Pro mode will largely go unused. The placement of the RAW mode is not as intuitive though, hidden in the resolution sub-menu for some reason. HDR Pro mode is also gone, and you only get the instant HDR mode. I didn’t really like the exaggerated look of HDR Pro images anyway, so I am fine with it. ASUS has also dropped their low light oversampling technology from the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL), trusting the large 1.4 μm pixels and wide f/1.8 aperture to do their job in poorer lighting. How does it perform though?

The wide aperture on the standard camera allows for some bokehlicious close ups without any software processing. If you want more blurring, there is the Portrait Mode but it only works when it detects a face in the frame. Aside from a new UI, the camera software has also been tweaked. Images come out looking good with strong contrast and vivid colors. The auto mode also more than sufficed for great shots now, with me only having to play with the EV every once in a while. This is in contrast to the ZenFone 3 series which required a little more skill to extract better images out of the capable sensors. The new instant HDR means you won’t have to wait for your HDR images to appear, but the effect is really mild this time around. Consistent good results are what you can expect out of the cameras on the ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL). Check out the full-sized shots on Flickr.
See the bigger picture?
The 8MP camera wide angle also takes amazing shots but you might need to tweak it a little due to the weaker high ISO performance and smaller aperture. It has a tendency to unnecessarily boost exposure, leading to more noise in your shot. Fine details are definitely lacking especially when compared with the 12MP primary camera. Nonetheless, I really appreciate that ASUS went with a wide angle camera here instead of a “telephoto” lens as the wide angle camera really gives you a different perspective. I am far from done exploring the possibilities, but with the image quality available, I am sure I will play around with the wide angle camera more. There is also support for 1080p60 and 4K30 video recording on the primary camera, while the wide angle camera only goes up to 1080p30.
Conclusion
The ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) may not deliver flagship-class performance with its Snapdragon 630 under the hood, but the user experience was definitely as fluid as one I would expect from a flagship device. You may miss fast charging, but the excellent battery life sort of makes up for it. The two great cameras are also fun to use, with the optimized software delivering good results in any lighting condition easily. ZenUI 4.0 marks a great step forward for ASUS’ UI too, with no crappy bloatware and a slew of useful features added. ASUS has made an amazing device here.
Pricing is another story altogether though. While ASUS has vastly improved upon the last generation, the competition hasn’t been idle either. ASUS’ succeeded in making a device that I enjoyed using, but whether I am willing to pay RM2099 for it is a different story. I will be docking points here as value for money is one of the main criterion evaluated before I will recommend it. The ASUS ZenFone 4 (ZE554KL) is worthy of our Silver Pokdeward, failing to bag our highest honors not because it isn’t an excellent device — which it is — but simply because it is priced slightly too ambitiously. If ASUS is listening, drop the price a little, and you may just have yourself a bestseller.

P/S: It’s really difficult to find a case when your latest phone shares the same name with a device from two years back. Here’s one to start you off.

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Facebook Messenger will be using AI for Safety Alerts to prevent scams and protect minors

Facebook will be rolling out Safety Alerts to help protect minors as well as prevent scams happening on the Facebook Messenger platform. To ensure that they won’t have to infringe on the users’ privacy, Facebook will be using machine learning to identify behavioral cues and deliver a warning to users.

The first of the behavioral signals that the AI will pick up on is adults engaging in inappropriate interactions with children. For example, an adult who is sending a large amount of friend or message requests to people under 18 may be flagged by the Safety Alert, and the recipient of the messages will be prompted by a warning.

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Another area where the Safety Alerts will help is when scammers try to pose as one of your friends by copying their name and profile picture. The Messenger app will notify you that the person you are chatting with might not be actually who you think they are.
Facebook reiterates that they will be rolling out this feature without compromising on privacy. The feature will still be effective when Facebook finally adds end-to-end encryption to their messaging service, as it doesn’t read through your messages, but instead just identifies the behavior of users using the service and deliver warnings. Your messages are still private.
The feature has reportedly been rolled out on Facebook Messenger for Android since March, while iOS users around the world will start getting the feature next week.
Pokdepinion: More safety measures catered to protecting kids are always nice especially as they are now increasingly exposed to the risks on the internet.
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Keanu Reeves Shares His Thoughts on Video Games – Says Hollywood Stars Aren’t Needed

Keanu Reeves Shares His Thoughts on Video Games

Arguably the best thing to happen at E3 2019 was Keanu Reeves taking center stage during Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference for Cyberpunk 2077. No one expected him to be there or even be a part of the game, and the surprise reveal made gamers even more excited for it. Of course, “you’re breathtaking” will go down in E3 history as one of the most heartwarming and entertaining moments ever.
However, was having Keanu Reeves necessary for the game, or was it simply for the sake of publicity? In a post-E3 interview with BBC, he shared his thoughts on video games, and it was certainly interesting to hear what he had to say.

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I don’t think (video games) need legitimizing. If anything I’d say it’s gone the other way. It’s more of the influence gaming’s had on, let’s call it Hollywood. Certainly with the Marvel Universe, right? But then gaming probably started in the beginning with Hollywood, right? I think these technologies have been talking to each other. I mean, Marlon Brando in the first Superman. I remember him saying, “Okay, so now they can just digitize how I am, my look, and do another performance, and I don’t need to be there”.
That idea of the technology of image capture and performance. We’re seeing in Hollywood now so many performers where they’re either aging or making other performers younger. The elasticity of performance and time and what you look like and who you are, it’s getting more complex.
It’s an interesting thought as there are still many that may believe video games need legitimizing as compared to other entertainment mediums. But it’s even more interesting to know how technology that works in one industry has inspired another for similar applications.
If you want to check out the full interview, click the source link right below here.
Source: BBC
Pokdepinion: While some famous name can help boost the game’s exposure and potential sales, I don’t think it’s needed. If the game is good, it will do well…unless piracy becomes a rampant issue again like several years ago.
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Illegally Imported Routers Give Connection Issues — Tenda Malaysia Gives Clarification

You might know Tenda for their dual-band routers and more so their latest Tenda AC23 router, where it managed to get a positive rating from users. Well you definitely would want to get the local (Malaysian) versions of the router instead of the Chinese set as Tenda Malaysia gives an explanation.
Don’t buy illegal routers says Tenda Malaysia

Tenda Malaysia has given a statement at their official Facebook page where they’ve noticed that some customers who bought the Chinese version of their Tenda AC23 router to face issues of ‘inapplicability’ with the internet service providers here in Malaysia.
They’ve stated that the overseas version from China doesn’t apply to the Malaysian market and it is not certified by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

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Aside from that, those who purchase the Chinese set will not benefit from warranty, firmware update as well as no guarantee of after-sales service. Should Tenda Malaysia find those who distribute, resell, or even promote the Chinese version of the router, they will take legal action against those who are involved.
At the end of the company’s statement, they’ve advised for consumers to purchase the AC23 as well as other Tenda products from Tenda Malaysia’s official stores on both Lazada and Shopee where you will benefit from benefits such as 100% authentic products, 3 year local warranty, fast delivery, and of course, technical support.
Pokdepinion: They might be cheap (China units) but what’s the point if you can’t even use them or unable to enjoy after-sales support?
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realme GT 2 Series To Be Launched At This Year’s MWC 2022

The folks at realme has recently announced that they will unveil their flagship realme GT 2 Series on the 28th of February at this year’s MWC 2022 event.
realme GT 2 Series

The new GT 2 series is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, among the first to come with it in Europe.

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realme has said that they aim to bring “Leap Forward technologies to millions of users worldwide”. The Brand Director of realme Malaysia has also given her views on the matter where she has said:
realme aims to cater to users of all backgrounds. With the launch of the realme GT 2 Series, we believe this premium line-up will receive great support from our fans looking for devices that make them stand out from the rest.
Crystal Gong, Brand Director of realme Malaysia
It’s revealed that the company has reached 100-million unit sales and become the top 6 smartphone brands since it was first introduced. Among the features that you can expect from the GT 2 Pro, a back cover made of bio-polymer material, a 150-degree ultra-wide camera, as well as their “Innovation Forward Communication”.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Let’s see what they’ve got prepped up with the new series. Since they’ve responded about it right here in Malaysia, I guess the series will be coming to the country?
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Get the Galaxy Note9 at these roadshows and get RM515 worth of freebies!

You can now get the Samsung Galaxy Note9 in stores, but you might want to check out these nice promotions available only at these roadshows. There are five roadshows across Malaysia, where you can get the Galaxy Note9 with gifts worth RM515.

The RM515 worth of freebies included the Samsung Screen Protection Plan, a Wireless Charging Pad an an exclusive Selfie stick. But that’s not all that Samsung is offering at the roadshow, because you can actually get RM999 off your second Galaxy Note9, allowing you to own your second Galaxy Note9 from just RM2700!

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Aside from these amazing offers, you can also get the opportunity to meet celebrities like Elizabeth Tan and Aiman Hakim at the Suria KLCC Kuala Lumpur roadshow.

Those who visit the other roadshows in other regions will not get the opportunity to meet celebrities, but they will also get to enjoy the promotions, as well as experience the Galaxy Note9 for themselves. Do head to the following locations if you are interested in Samsung’s latest flagship!

Pokdepinion: I think those who pre-ordered got a much better deal, but you get to see for yourself whether you like the device at the roadshows before spending on it.
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Xiaomi Mi Watch Color priced at RM469 runs Wear OS

Smartwatches are becoming more and more ubiquitous, but most manufacturers are opting to run their own OS on them. Samsung, HUAWEI/HONOR and Amazfit’s popular smartwatches run their respective proprietary operating systems, which can limit their integration with Android smartphones. Not the Xiaomi Mi Watch Color.

The Xiaomi Mi Watch Color runs Google’s Wear OS, and comes packed with some pretty awesome specifications. There’s a 1.39″ 454px AMOLED display, NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0 and a large-ish 420 mAh battery. The battery promises up to 14 days of battery life, which is pretty amazing for a Wear OS smartwatch. There’s also 5 ATM (50 meters) water resistance, which is pretty standard for smartwatches.

Like most recent smartwatches, the Mi Watch Color is packed full of fitness-oriented features, giving you sleep tracking, 10 sports modes and heart rate monitoring. When used in sports mode, the battery life dwindles down to just 22 hours, but that’s plenty of time for you to get back to a charger.

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Xiaomi boasts over 1540 watch faces that you can customize your Mi Watch Color with. I must say that there are some that looks pretty familiar coming from the Mi Band 4.
The best part? It’s priced at 799 CNY (~RM469) which makes it the most affordable Wear OS smartwatch thus far. Whether it will make its way to Malaysia remains to be seen, but Xiaomi Malaysia hasn’t held back when it comes to wearables thus far. And oh, it’s available in two colors, silver and black. Not all that colorful for a smartwatch with the word color in its name, right?
Pokdepinion: Finally, I think it’s time for me to embrace a smartwatch.
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AM5 Versions Of AMD Ryzen 6000 and Ryzen 7040 APUs May Be Real

The files found from the GIGABYTE server hack previously has revealed AMD’s plans to introduce “Rembrandt” and “Phoenix” chips for desktop AM5 platforms.
Image: HXL (@9550pro) (Twitter)
AMD’s prior generation Ryzen 6000 mobile “Rembrandt” and the upcoming Ryzen 7040 series “Phoenix” may also include a desktop, AM5-socketed version according to internal documents found on the GIGABYTE hack last year. Leaker HXL (@9550pro) has published the table of which, based on the CPU ID, indicating that Type 2 (60h-6Fh) models are referring to the desktop Ryzen 7000 processors (codename Raphael).
However, Type 1 and Type 3 so far do not corroborate any existing CPU IDs. Based on the USB specifications listed on the table, it’s possible that the Type 1 is the newer Ryzen 7040 series (Phoenix), and the Type 3 should point to last-gen Ryzen 6000 (Rembrandt). To recap – the Ryzen 7040 is Zen 4-powered APU with what looks to be the most powerful onboard graphics on offer, whereas Ryzen 6000 series is the Zen 3+ rendition of the mobile lineup with no direct desktop counterparts.

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Take this leak with a bit of salt as always – and should it proved to be correct, desktop builders may see a big potential in these chips with the graphics power on offer without the need of discrete graphics cards, thanks to its RDNA2 (Ryzen 6000) and RDNA 3 (Ryzen 7040) architecture.
Source: Tom’s Hardware
Pokdepinion: Knowing that Radeon 780M can rival some entry-level gaming systems, I’d imagine having one of these chips could be one heck of a deal for those who don’t play graphics-heavy games.
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Samsung Galaxy J Pro Series (2017) come with FREE one-year extended warranty and one-year screen crack protection

Have you been planning to get the Samsung Galaxy J Pro devices? Well, if you have, then there’s really no better time than NOW to get it! Why wouldn’t it? Samsung is offering a worry free bundle package that includes a free one-year extended warranty and one-year screen crack protection with every purchase of a Samsung Galaxy J Pro Series (2017).
Samsung Malaysia understands that accidents happen, and they are offering the screen crack protection to give you extra peace of mind to live your life to the fullest without worrying about your device’s glass cracking. The extra year of warranty will also ensure that your device will be protected from manufacturing defects for TWO years, during which you might have even upgraded to a newer device.
The Galaxy J Pro Series (2017) is designed for users of any age, from college students looking for a new smartphone to parents and grandparents who need a simple smartphone to stay connected, the Galaxy J Pro Series (2017) is suitable for all. The devices are designed with the minimalist in mind yet packed with features to improve your life.

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The Galaxy J Pro Series (2017) boasts improved design, cameras, battery life and internal storage. The devices are priced at RM699 for the J3 Pro, RM1149 for the J5 Pro and RM1299 for the J7 Pro.
Pokdepinion: More brands are offering screen crack protection, a great move especially as devices move towards designs that use a lot of glass. The extended warranty is great too as my devices are notorious for beginning to fail only after the standard one-year warranty period has ended. An extra year definitely offers more peace of mind.
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Mozilla Launches Their Own VPN At RM21/month

The folks at Mozilla has recently launched their VPN plan in Malaysia, where you can get it at US$4.99 per month, which is roughly RM21.
Mozilla releases VPN monthly plan
You probably know that Mozilla is the company behind the Mozilla Firefox browser and the company has said that they’ve seen an increase in internet time of 30% more during the MCO period.
They claim that it (VPN) allows users to have an extra layer of protection for private and sensitive information.

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Here’s what they had to say about the introduction of VPN to their platform:
For example, it makes online transactions more private by masking users’ IP addresses and locations. This added layer of protection also helps ensure communicating and making video calls with family and friends is more secure.Mozilla
The VPN service covers up to five devices and it supports Windows 10 PCs, Android, and iOS devices. They’ve mentioned in their website that support for Mac and Linux devices will be coming soon.
Source
Pokdepinion: It’s been awhile since I’ve used Mozilla… but I’m really curious on whether the VPN is worth it or not..
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