Sony Xperia 1 II comes with ZEISS optics and a sweet $1099 price tag

Sony has just announced the Sony Xperia 1 II (yes, that’s the official name), bringing 5G support with the latest Snapdragon 865 5G chipset, but the main attraction on this smartphone will be its camera. Sony is implementing a lot of their latest technologies available on their Alpha lineup of professional cameras into the Xperia 1 II.
For starters, they partnered up with ZEISS for the Xperia 1 II. While Sony has worked with ZEISS for their camera lenses for quite some time, ZEISS has worked with Nokia exclusively when it comes to smartphones. This partnership will give the Sony Xperia 1 II ZEISS’ T* anti-reflective lens coating. Optics is only one half of the equation though, with the Xperia 1 II featuring all new sensors to deliver an unprecedented imaging performance.
The 12MP primary sensor is now 1/1.7″ large. To put that into perspective, Sony’s 64MP IMX600 is the same size. Each pixel is 1.8µm, and all the pixels support Dual Pixel PDAF, which brings Sony’s ground-breaking Real-time Eye AF feature to a smartphone. The Sony Xperia 1 II performances auto-exposure and autofocus calculations 60 times per second, and supports burst shots at up 20 fps.

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In addition to that sweet main camera, Sony equipped it with a 3x telephoto camera which comes with a 12MP 1/3.4″ sensor and a ultra-wide 16mm f/2.2 lens with a 12MP 1/2.6″ sensor behind it. The ultra-wide angle lens is probably the most interesting, as the sensor features 1.4µm pixels and Dual Pixel PDAF. Rounding off the list is a 3D ToF camera. These auxiliary cameras can do 10 fps burst, which is still extremely impressive.
Users will see the new Photography Pro which brings a user interface that Alpha photographers will be familiar with. Here are the specifications of the Sony Xperia 1 II.
Sony Xperia 1 II Specs

Snapdragon 865 5G, octa-core @ up to 2.84 GHz, 7nm
8GB RAM
256GB storage
6.5″ 4K HDR OLED, 21:9 aspect ratio
12MP f/1.7 + 12MP f/2.4 3x telephoto + 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle
8MP f/2.0 selfie camera
4000 mAh battery, 18W USB-PD
$1099 (~RM4641)

Oh and there’s a headphone jack. Also, this is not the Xperia 1 II’s final form. That would be the Xperia Pro which comes with an HDMI input to pair it up with actual cameras better.
Pokdepinion: All that camera hardware is quite interesting but I wonder if Sony will nail their processing this time around.
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Leaked OnePlus 6T packaging reveals interesting details

If you were holding out on getting the OnePlus 6 and considering the slew of Snapdragon 845-packing devices which offer better value for money than the OG flagship killer, you might want to hold on to your cash just a little longer. The OnePlus 6T is coming.
As it is a trend for OnePlus to release two flagships in a year, the OnePlus 6T will be an upgrade over the OnePlus 6. While there probably won’t be a new chipset, these leaked images of the packaging reveal the tiny waterdrop notch and also under-display fingerprint scanner.

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The new notch is shared with the OPPO F9, OPPO R17 and OPPO R17 Pro. The smaller notches house the cameras and earpiece. Meanwhile, the under-display fingerprint scanner is shared with the vivo NEX and OPPO R17 Pro. They are all under one umbrella, so we aren’t too surprised.
Last year’s OnePlus 5T came out in November, so we can expect to see the OnePlus 6T sometime later this year as well.
Source: SlashLeaks
Pokdepinion: I wonder when will OnePlus go for full bezel-less displays. With the OnePlus 7?
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Intel Core i9-13900K Benchmark Allegedly Surfaced Online

[GB5 CPU] Unknown CPU
CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K (24C 32T)
Min/Max/Avg: 5389/5704/5495 MHz
Codename: Raptor Lake
CPUID: B0671 (GenuineIntel)
Scores, vs AMD 5800X
Single: 2133, +23.4%
Multi: 23701, +120.6%https://t.co/hZKIFAUfvW
— Benchleaks (@BenchLeaks) July 11, 2022

Previously, an engineering sample of the Intel Core i9-13900K was allegedly up for sale at a black market. Now, more details on the alleged CPU has surfaced on the Geekbench depository, which sheds more light on the upcoming Raptor Lake CPU.
While the Geekbench entry for the Intel Core i9-13900K has been taken down due to validation issues on the performance, people have already captured the results as well as the system information. It appears that it managed to get a 2,133 single core score while the multi-core score is 23,701 points.

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Picture credits: Videocardz
The alleged CPU was tested using an ASUS ROG Maximum Z690 Extreme motherboard, which means that the existing 600 series motherboards will be compatible with upcoming Intel Raptor Lake CPUs. It’s also worth pointing out that ASUS recently launched a BIOS update for “next generation Intel processors”. What’s odd is that the CPU was tested with 32GB DDR5 RAM with a clock speed of 3,200MHz. DDR5 has been seen with about 4,800MHz since launch.
In case you were wondering the Intel Core i9-13900K is listed with 24 cores, consisting of 8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores, and 32 threads. The base clock is set at 3GHz with a turbo clock of 5.5GHz. Official announcements are expected to happen later in the year, about October 2022, so do take this information with a grain of salt. We will report more on this as soon as information becomes available.
Source
Pokdepinion: Even if it’s real, I’m about pretty sure we’ll see some notable differences in the final retail version of the CPU. After all, an engineering sample is merely a sample and not a finished product.
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Nintendo Switch Has Outsold the Xbox One in Worldwide Sales

Given that the next-gen videogame console generation is coming soon, it’s interesting to see how the current generation is doing thus far. Despite have spent a lesser time in the market, the Nintendo Switch has outsold the Xbox One.
On the week of 7th December 2019, the Nintendo Switch has sold 1,149,723 units. This officially brings its lifetime sales to 45.92 million units globally. In comparison, the Xbox One has sold 45.24 million units worldwide.
The Nintendo Switch was first launched on 3rd March 2017 whereas the Xbox One launched on 22nd November 2013. That is a difference of 3 years and 4 months. It’s worth noting that the Xbox One came to Japan a little later, on 4th September 2014.

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On the list of best-selling consoles of all time, the next score to beat is the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), which has accumulated 49.1 million units. With a near 4 million difference and the platform still having a long lifespan ahead of it, we expect to see it surpass the SNES sooner or later.
If you’re wondering what are the best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch at the moment, here are the figures by Nintendo as of 30th September 2019:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe = 19.01 millionSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate = 15.71 millionSuper Mario Odyssey = 15.38 millionThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild = 14.54 millionPokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee! = 11.28 millionSplatoon 2 = 9.28 millionSuper Mario Party = 7.59 millionPokemon Sword / Shield = 6 million*New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe = 4.59 millionSuper Mario Maker 2 = 3.93 million
*Figure is based on the launch week of Pokemon Sword & Shield from Nintendo.
Source: VGChartz
Pokdepinion: The Nintendo Switch is destined for great things and I would be surprised to see surpass 100 million by the time a successor comes to life.
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Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review

Unboxing the Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Box

Let’s kick off the Dell Latitude 7320 2-in1 review with our unboxing. Inside the box for our review unit, we found the following items:
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Box content

Power cable
65W charging brick (USB-C)
User guide
Safety and Regulatory Information booklet
The Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 laptop itself

Appearance
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Lid
The Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 is a business laptop, and like the 9510 2-in-1 we reviewed previously, the design is more business-oriented. You get a clean, metallic lid in silver with the Dell logo taking center stage. It’s a bit of a fingerprint magnet, but it’s not too bad.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Open up the lid
Open up the lid, which you can easily do so with one hand, and you’ll see the 15-inch Full HD IPS display, white backlit chiclet keyboard, a trackpad, and product stickers. The power button on the top-right corner of the keyboard doubles as a fingerprint reader. All four bezels on the display are very thin but the top and bottom bezels are just a bit thicker. The webcam is located on the top bezel alongside the privacy shutter.

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Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Ports
On the left side, you can find a Thunderbolt 4 port, an air vent, a combo audio jack, and a smart card reader. As for the right side, you will find a microSD card reader, the SIM card slot, another Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB-A port, an HDMI port, and the wedge lock slot. There’s nothing on the rear except for a small exhaust and a view of the hinges.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Bottom
Moving over to the bottom, you will three rows of air vents, two thin rubberized feet on the top and bottom, some product details and product stickers. You can find eight exposed screws here, which will need to be removed if you want to check out the internal components.
Overall, the Dell Latitude 7320 is a clean, classy business laptop that can easily fit anyone. There’s nothing that makes it truly stand out in terms of design but despite being thicker than the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 we reviewed previously, it’s still very light and easy to bring around.
Specifications

CPU
Intel Core i7-1185G7 @ 3 GHz (up to 4.8 GHz Boost), 6C/12T, 12M, 28W TDP, 10nm SuperFIN
Intel vPro

RAM
16GB 4266 MHz LPDDR4x, Non-ECC

GPU
Intel Iris Xe Graphics

Storage
512GB NVMe PCIe Class 35 SSD (WD PC SN730)

Software
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Microsoft Office 365
Dell Optimizer
Dell Power Manager
Dell Digital Delivery
Dell Command

Connectivity
Wireless
Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 160MHz, 802.11ax
Bluetooth 5.1
Wired
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port with PowerShare
2 x Thunderbolt 4 with Display Port Alt Mode / USB4/ Power Delivery
1 x microSD card slot
1 x microSIM card tray (WWAN only)
1 x Wedge-shaped lock slot
1 x Contacted smart card reader (optional)
1 x Fingerprint reader

Display
13.3″ Full HD 16:9 (1920 x 1080) AR+AS, SLP, HD IR CAM ALS, SLP, WVA 300nit, touchscreen
1 x HDMI 2.0

Webcam
IR Camera (User-Facing fixed focus) + Proximity Sensor (optional)

Audio
Speakers with smart amp
1 x 3.5mm combo audio jack
Noise-cancelling microphones

Power
90W power adapter (USB-C)
63 WHr Li-Ion battery
Express Charge capable

Dimensions
307.34 x 200.66 x 17.78 mm

Weight
1.12kg

Performance
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – CrystalDiskMark
Starting off our benchmark suite with CrystalDiskMark, you can see that you get high speeds with the 512GB NVMe PCIe SSD that the Dell 7320 2-in-1 is using as its primary storage device. This would equate to ultra-fast loading speeds / boot up times, and the capacity is definitely more than adequate given it’s a business laptop.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Cinebench R15
Moving on to Cinebench R15, the Intel Core i7-1185G7 performed decently but I expected to have a higher score, particularly for the single core performance. It’s lower than the Intel Core i7-10810U and not much higher than the Celeron N4000, though it doesn’t feel like it outside of benchmarks.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Cinebench R20
On Cinebench R20 on the other hand, the single core performance seems more up to par but the multi-core performance is relatively low instead. I would expect it to be slightly higher than the Intel Core i7-1165G7 in both aspects but that’s clearly not the case here. Perhaps there is some optimization work due here.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Unigine SuperPosition 4K Optimized
Now taking into accounts its graphical capabilities, the Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 performed as we expected it, breaking the 1,000 point mark but can’t really do much higher. After all, this is the 4K Optimized benchmark, which will require a powerful GPU to get a decent score. In comparison, something as simple as the GTX 1650 could yield such a big difference in score.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – 3DMark Time Spy
A similar pattern can be seen in 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark, with the Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 reaching very close to the 1,500 mark. If you want to see a better score, will definitely need something stronger than an Intel Iris Xe, but it’s still a noticeable leap forward compared to Intel UHD Graphics.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – PCMark 10
As for PCMark 10, the Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 performs pretty well across all areas, and I’m genuinely surprised that it managed to break the 5,000 mark for Digital Content Creation. I expected lower but that just means good news for anyone who plans on getting this as it will give you an edge in versatility in a portable package. However, do temper your expectations in that area.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Battery life
When it comes to battery life, this type of laptop usually excels in the area. In fact, the previous Latitude laptop outperformed every other laptop we’ve ever benchmarked by a huge margin. For the Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 however, it managed to last an admirable 11 hours and 42 minutes (702 minutes) in the PCMark Modern Office endurance test. This means that you should be able to use it a full day without needing to charge it.
User Experience
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review
The Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 is an ultraportable productivity laptop designed for businesses. It’s powered by the Intel Core i7-1185G7 with two sticks of 8GB LPDDR4X RAM clocking in at 4266MHz, and a speedy 512GB NVMe PCIe SSD. The Intel Iris Xe Graphics isn’t particularly strong but it still performs decently. Would be nicer if it had a discrete GPU but given the nature of this laptop, it’s understandable.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review
This laptop uses a 13.3-inch Full HD IPS display with touchscreen support and 360° rotatable hinge. The colours are nice and punchy, while viewing angles are great. However, the screen is rather dim at max brightness. While you would easily be able to use this for office work, watching videos and surf the web, it’s not meant for colour-accurate work. Keep in mind that the webcam above the display does have a privacy shutter, which is a great additional security feature to have for that peace of mind.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Rear

As for ports, the Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 has a decent array of ports. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports which supports a variety of uses including PD charging and DisplayPort, a USB Type-A port with PowerShare so you can charge USB devices even when the laptop is off, an HDMI port, a combo audio jack, a microSD card reader, a smartcard reader, and a wedge lock slot. I personally would have liked it if they managed to include at least one more USB Type-A port and a full-sized SD card reader but given the size, it’s adequate.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Power button / fingerprint reader hybrid
The keyboard on the Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 is pretty comfortable to use. You get decent tactile feedback, white backlighting, and short travel distance with no flex. The power button can be found here on the top-right corner, which also doubles as a fingerprint reader which works really fast and with great accuracy. It’s certainly one of the better ones out there and I personally have no complaints with this. The trackpad is there and it works fine but there’s nothing worth shouting out.
As this is a Dell machine, it does come with a suite of Dell software that you can make use of. This includes Dell Power Manager, Dell Command, and Dell Digital Delivery. All of these are designed to make your life easier, such as serving as a hub to get important software and driver updates, battery maintenance, and more.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Dell Optimizer
The most notable thing here is the new Dell Optimizer feature. Utilizing AI technology, it optimizes the laptop based on how you use it. This will result in improved performance for applications, extended battery life, and audio as it adapts accordingly with your environment. Using the software, you add specific software to be optimized, adjust power settings, manually adjust the audio settings, and more.
Given that it is a Dell machine, I figured it would come with the Dell Mobile Connect software so you can wirelessly link your smartphone to the laptop. Interestingly, it doesn’t have it pre-installed and it can’t be installed from the Microsoft Store. Perhaps there is an alternative way of obtaining it directly via Dell.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review – Webcam privacy shutter
In the sound department, the speakers on the Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 works well enough. The bottom-firing speakers can get rather loud, with relatively clear mids and highs, although the bass is clearly lacking. For most people, I believe it will be able to serve them well but if you want something more immersive, you can always use a headset instead.
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Verdict
Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 Review
The Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 is a pretty fine business laptop that should serve any company well. It’s very light and portable, 360° rotatable display, adequate memory configuration, decent array of ports, additional security features with convenience in mind, touchscreen support even with active pens, and good battery life.
It’s not the perfect business laptop however as the CPU seems to be oddly lagging behind its 11th and 10th Gen counterparts, would improve versatility greatly with discrete graphics, display is rather dim, the design is rather bland, and it is pricey at RM10,785.77. Personally, I would prefer the Latitude 9510 2-in-1 instead but if this one can meet your business needs, it’s definitely far from a bad choice.
At the end of our Dell Latitude 7320 2-in-1 review, I award this business laptop with our Silver Pokdeward.

Big thanks to Dell Malaysia for sending us this laptop for the purpose of this review.
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Phidisk PhantomKnight 960GB SATA SSD review — affordable SSDs have improved by leaps and bounds!

Introduction

You guys may know Phidisk from our previous livestreams and also some of our build videos. They are a local company based in Penang, so it does pique our interest to see what fellow Malaysians has come up with. Today we will be looking at their mid-range Phidisk PhantomKnight 960GB 2.5″ SATA SSD which feature a Phison controller and TLC NAND flash.
Unboxing

The packaging of the Phidisk PhantomKnight is pretty simple. I somewhat like the background pattern and also the fact that you know what you are getting in the box thanks to the product image here.

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More specifications and highlighted features of the Phidisk PhantomKnight are available on the back of the packaging. This won’t be the fastest SATA SSD you have ever seen, but then again this is not Phidisk’s top-of-the-line SATA SSD anyway.

Inside the box is an orange tray. I guess the top brass in Phidisk really loves orange? In any case, you only get the Phidisk PhantomKnight and nothing else. Not even a warranty card.
Appearance

Phidisk seems to have a penchant for the days gone by where graphics cards had aggressive graphics on them. The way they incorporated the graphics into the name of the drive is pretty cool though. The coarse matte texture is nice to touch, but it is just plastic.

On the back is a bog standard label. It doesn’t matter anyway because this won’t be the side you would be looking at, regardless of the case you install it in.
Specifications
Phidisk PhantomKnight 960GB SATA3 SSD

Capacity
960GB (894GB usable)

Interface
SATA 3

NAND Type
Planar TLC

DRAM Cache
32MB SRAM (on controller)

Controller
Phison S11

Rated speed
Sequential:
Read: Up to 540 MB/s Write: Up to 450 MB/s

Endurance
N/A

Dimensions
100 mm X 69.85 mm X 6.8 mm

Weight
43 gram

Included accessories
None

Warranty
3 years

Right off the bat we see that the Phidisk PhantomKnight is clearly targeted at a lower price segment with its planar TLC NAND. Also as the Phison S11 is a dual-channel controller, you can already enjoy maximum performance if you pick up the Phidisk PhantomKnight 480GB.
Pokde Benchrig

CPU
Intel Core i7-5820K @ 4.125 GHz

Motherboard
ASUS X99-Deluxe

GPU
ASUS ROG Strix RX 480 8GB

Memory
4 x 4GB Kingston HyperX Predator 3000 MHz CL15

Storage
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB

Power Supply
Cooler Master V850

Performance
Synthetic

Our go-to benchmark when it comes to storage, CrystalDiskMark reveals that the Phidisk PhantomKnight can actually deliver higher performance than it is rated for.

The Phidisk PhantomKnight leaves some to be desired once we fire up AS SSD. The sequential performance is fine, but speeds in the heavily-thread 4K-64Thrd test is a fair bit slower than most of the recent drives we have tested.

From this benchmark we see that the Phidisk PhantomKnight is a rather nippy drive. It’s 4K and 4K QD4 performance is pretty good, which makes this a decent choice as a primary system drive.
Real world performance

So when we were testing the file transfer rate, we realized that the Phidisk PhantomKnight is capable of maintaining ~450MB/s write speeds for around ~20GB or so before it tapers off to a sustained write speed of ~150MB/s. The above timings are taken when the Phidisk PhantomKnight is writing at its sustained speeds.

When it comes to gaming, the Phidisk PhantomKnight is really quick, with it loading games faster than some of our higher end drives as well.

It’s pretty affordable for its size, considering that it costs just RM599.90 for 960GB of solid state storage. It bests our previous top dog when it comes to value, but is still quite a bit slower so its value proposition is still somewhat the same.
Conclusion
The Phidisk PhantomKnight is a pretty good option if you are picking up a SSD as your primary drive or game storage. The only time you would probably notice that you need a faster SSD is if you write massive bulks of data (>20GB) very frequently, but I seriously don’t know anyone who actually does that. Another situation is when your drive is nearly full, which is when you will see a drop in write performance. But for gamers, read speeds are going to be the primary concern as it will directly influence game loading speeds.

It is plenty capable of maintaining some serious throughput otherwise, and we definitely have no complaints about it. It loads games really quick, which is probably one of the most important factors when we discuss a drive that’s quite clearly oriented towards gamers. For RM599.90, there are probably faster drives in the market if you are prepared to spend a bit more, like the Phidisk Wrathkeeper for example. As it stands, we would definitely recommend the Phidisk PhantomKnight for those on a budget.

Our thanks to Phidisk Malaysia for providing us the Phidisk PhantomKnight 960GB for testing.
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HP Unveils ZBook Firefly G10 Workstation Laptop

It’s among the lightest workstation laptops HP has to offer.

HP introduces the new ZBook Firefly G10 mobile workstation – as part of the Firefly sub-family, this is among the lightest ZBook models HP has ever produced, starting at just 1.45kg. The 14-inch laptop now comes packed with up to Intel’s 13th Gen Core i7-1370P vPro CPU, though AMD’s Ryzen PRO equivalents are on the way at a later date.

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The laptop is expected to feature multiple configurations, though HP lists the maximum configuration available as NVIDIA RTX A500 Laptop GPU, with 64GB DDR5-5200 RAM (non-ECC), 2TB SSD and ISV certification to ensure optimal reliability on the most demanding of workstation applications.

Display-wise, it can be optioned with 14-inch 16:10 QHD+ HP DreamColor display with 100% DCI-P3 coverage, 500 nits brightness and 120Hz refresh rate; though alternatively it can be configured with touch panel or privacy displays. The I/O features two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5Gbps), optional nano-SIM slot (with 5G support), optional smart card reader, HDMI 2.0 and headphone jack. The battery is a relatively small 51Wh unit which can be charged to 50% in 30 minutes using the 65W adapter.
Local pricing hasn’t be announced just yet – though HP has started taking orders for this particular model. The website also listed AMD versions, which should arrive at a later date.
Pokdepinion: I somewhat expected it to use ECC RAM – turns out not the case apparently.
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Quantum Cloud is an easy-to-use platform to eke out an income!

Never heard of the name? Well Quantum Cloud is a platform which uses your idle GPUs to eke you a small income. It doesn’t have any references to mining, but instead claims to use your GPU’s power to run cloud-based applications. Which in turn, brings profits to the platform, which will then be shared with you. Sounds great, right?
Well, not so great is the income that you will be getting. The scenario which Quantum Cloud provided is based on a system GeForce GTX 1070 which is proposed to earn around $10 (~RM42) a month. Factoring in the cost of electricity here in Malaysia, it may not even be worthwhile.

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The platform promises easy withdrawal with PayPal support and also GDPR compliance, which means no personal data will be logged on their servers. Quantum Cloud also promises achievement bonuses to boost your income.
If you are interested, you can head over to Quantum Cloud’s website to download the software, or just to find out more about Quantum Cloud. Quantum Cloud is also partnered with ASUS, so at least we know that’s pretty legit.
Pokdepinion: No can do, electricity is too expensive here in Malaysia.
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Xiaomi Redmi 6A Review — Cheaper Alternative To Redmi 6

Introduction

Previously, we’ve reviewed the Redmi 6 device. This time around, the Redmi 6A is the one getting the spotlight. So how does the two compare to one another? Let’s get started with the review now shall we?
Unboxing
Basically you’ll be getting the same items as the Redmi 6. There’s the phone, a SIM-ejector pin, micro-USB cable as well as the power brick. Simple to say the least.
Appearance
The front part of the Redmi 6A is identical to the Redmi 6. You’ve got the single front camera as well as the proximity sensor.

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On the right hand side, you’ve got the power button as well as the volume rockers. As for the opposite side, there’s the SIM-tray and microSD tray located at.

Down below of the device, there’s the microUSB port to charge the device as well as a microphone hole. On top, there’s the secondary microphone hole and a 3.5mm port.
Similar to the Redmi 6, the speaker grille is situated at the lower-back of the device. With the Redmi 6A, you will be getting a single lens instead of the dual lens that is offered on its sibling.
Specifications

CPU/Chipset:
Mediatek Helio A22 Quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53

GPU:
PowerVR GE8320

RAM:
2GB

Display:
5.45″, IPS LCD 720p 18:9 ratio display

Storage:
16GB (expandable via microSD up to 256GB)

Camera:
Main Camera(s)
13 MP, f/2.2 PDAF, Single tone LED flash, HDR, Panorama
Front Camera
5MP f/2.2

OS:
Android 8.1 Oreo (MIUI 9)

Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/
Bluetooth 4.2

SIM:
Dual SIM

Battery:
Li-Ion 3000 mAh (non-removable)

Dimensions:
147.5 x 71.5 x 8.3 mm

Weight:
145 g

Performance

Coming in with a lower Helio A22 chipset than the Redmi 6, it’s expected that it would perform below its sibling in the Antutu test here.

Again, nothing was out of expectation in terms of performance here. Despite that, it managed to beat the Neffos X9 (MT6750) which we’ve reviewed recently.

The Redmi 6A managed to beat the Lenovo K8 here in terms of work performance which uses a MT6790 chip.

In terms of battery life, this is where the Redmi 6A shocked me. It managed to squeeze 10 hours and 3 minutes on the PCMark battery life test, surpassing the Redmi 6’s score by a substantial amount.
As for my own personal usage with the device, it performed very well. Battery life is good. I’d recharge the device only after two days of usage. Despite that, I was only using the phone for your everyday task such as messaging, checking social media updates and so.
User Experience

I’m not going to lie, I was not expecting much from the Xiaomi Redmi 6A, just simply because of the specifications that it offers. Well it did surprise me with its battery life. As for the charging time for the device, it is the exact same that I’ve gotten for the Redmi 6.
Other than that, the phone offers quite a similar experience to its Redmi 6 brother. Although it’s worth noting that the 6A only pack a single rear camera compared to the dual setup that the Redmi 6 offers.

The UI is very simple and easy to get around with no bloatware to be found, well at least from my opinion. The small internal storage got me thinking of what specifically should I use it for? At the end of the day, I decided to just utilize the phone simply for messaging as well as using it for your mainstream social media browsing (Facebook, Instagram, etc).

Again, don’t expect much from the camera side of things from the phone. It is quite limited in terms of what you can shoot with it. Being a low-priced phone, low-light photography is noisy. That being said, image quality in better lighting is ‘OK’ although you can see where it falls short when you zoom-in to pictures.
Similar the issue that I was annoyed with the Redmi 6, the 6A also featured the speaker grille on the back. As I’ve wrote previously, I wished that they would’ve implemented it at the chin of the phone or at the top. Due to its location, the sound that comes out from the speaker becomes muffled and you wouldn’t want that now would you?
Conclusion
Honestly speaking, if I was looking for an entry-level smartphone, I would get this. Yes, I do know that the its Redmi 6 sibling offers slightly more and it is far from being perfect. Despite that, the Redmi 6A fills in the criteria for a smartphone with basic usage. Plus the battery life is really good, even compared to the Redmi 6. For just RM399, I think the Redmi 6A is good enough for those who want a simple phone for messaging and battery life. That would be perfect as a gift for maybe your parents?
We would like to thank Mi Malaysia for providing us this Redmi 6A for the review. You can click on the link down below to purchase the device on Lazada while also supporting us:

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Fallout 76 Will Not Have Cross-Play – One Possible Reason Rhymes with “Pony”

Bethesda’s upcoming Fallout 76 will not have cross-play. If you think you know why, it might probably because of that, unfortunately.
Fallout 76 Will Not Have Cross Play

One of the most highly anticipated games of 2018, Fallout 76, is just around the horizon. Many people are excited to hop into their take of an always-online multiplayer game set in the Fallout-style post-apocalyptic wasteland. As such, a popular question that pops up frequently is whether the game will have support for cross-play.

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The short answer here is no.
The long answer is that Bethesda’s own Pete Hines mentioned that it simply won’t happen. Previously, Game Director Todd Howard even talked about how Sony was to blame for the lack of cross-play support. It’s worth noting that Hines didn’t specifically mentioned Sony but instead said that there are a number of reasons and did not elaborate further on the matter.
Todd Howard told GameStar.de back in June that Bethesda wants cross-play “but right now we can’t.” Why? “Sony is not as helpful as everyone would like,” Howard said at the time.
PlayStation Executive Shawn Layden did mention previously that they are looking for a solution to the cross-play situation that will be favourable for the company as well as the gaming community. However, they have yet to many any changes to their policies. Bethesda’s other game, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, has cross-play support for every platform it’s available on with the exception of the PlayStation 4.
In an interview with Game Informer, Pete Hines mentioned:
We continue to talk to all of our platform partners. But those [terms] are essentially non-negotiable. We can’t be talking about one version of Legends, where you take your progress with you, and another version where you stay within that ecosystem or its walled off from everything else. That is counter to what the game has been about.
Fallout 76 will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 14th November 2018, with a beta happening in October.
Source: Gamespot
Pokdepinion: Well, the situation will surely continue to flare up if this keeps happening. I wonder what Sony is planning to do about it.
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HUAWEI P50 Pro & HUAWEI P50 Pocket — here’s all you need to know!

HUAWEI has just announced the HUAWEI P50 Pro and HUAWEI P50 Pocket in Malaysia. Promising the best camera experience in both a standard smartphone form factor and a foldable, the latest HUAWEI flagships also come with the performant Snapdragon 888 4G chipset under the hood. Aside from that, the duo are about as different as smartphones can get.
HUAWEI P50 Pro — entering the Matrix

HUAWEI’s focus with the HUAWEI P-series is always the camera, and it’s no different this time around. The HUAWEI P50 Pro debuts the Dual-Matrix Camera that harnesses the capabilities of its multiple cameras, HUAWEI XD Optics, XD Fusion Pro Image Engine and more to deliver true-to-life images with exceptional clarity and high dynamic range.

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On the hardware end, you get a 50MP True-Chroma main camera, touting a wide f/1.8 aperture and OIS. Supporting it are the 13MP ultra-wide camera that also captures macro shots, a secondary 40MP monochrome True-Chroma camera and a 64MP f/3.5 3.5X telephoto camera, that’s also features OIS.
Combined with the HUAWEI XD Optics that uses computational photography to overcome the limitations of the tiny optics and reproduce finer details, XD Fusion Pro that uses multiple exposures to improve detail, color and dynamic range, as well as the True-Chroma Image Engine, that enables excellent color accuracy in the shots.

Ensuring that you can actually enjoy all the detail and color accuracy of your photos is its True-Chroma display that’s calibrated to show you the full P3 color gamut, with 10-bit support for 1.07 billion colors. Aside from promising stunning colors, the 6.6″ panel is curved for a more comfortable grip, and also boasts of a 120Hz refresh rate and 300Hz sampling rate to give you a responsive user experience.
HUAWEI P50 Pro Specs and Price in Malaysia

CPU
Snapdragon 888, 5nm FinFET
1 x Cortex-X1 @ 2.84 GHz + 3 x Cortex-A78 @ 2.42 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 1.80 GHz

GPU
Adreno 660

Memory
8GB

Storage
256GB

Display
6.6″ FHD+ (2700 x 1228) OLED display, 120Hz refresh rate

Audio
Dual speakers

Camera
50MP f/1.8 True-Chroma Camera, PDAF, OIS
64MP f/3.5 3.5X periscope telephoto, PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom
13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, macro AF
40MP f/1.6 True-Chroma Camera, monochrome
AI Cinemagraph, Story Creator, Audio Zoom, High-res, Time-Lapse, Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Aperture, Dual-View Video, Night, Macro, Portrait, Pro, Slow-Mo, Panorama, Monochrome, Light painting,  Filter, Stickers, Documents, Master AI, Moving Picture, Snapshot, 4D Predictive Focus,  Capture Smiles, Audio Control, Timer, Burst Shooting

Selfie camera
13MP f/2.4 selfie camera
Slow-Motion Selfie, Intelligent Field Of View, Smart eye-tracking, Portrait, Panorama, AR Lens, Time-Lapse, Moving Picture, Filter, Stickers, Capture Smiles, Mirror Reflection, Audio Control, Timer

Connectivity
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.2
USB Type-C 3.1

Software
EMUI 12

Battery
4360mAh
66W fast charging
50W wireless charging (charger not included)

Dimensions
158.8 x 72.8 x 8.5 mm

Weight
195g

Ingress protection
IP68

Price
RM4199

The HUAWEI P50 Pro is available in two colors, Golden Black and Cocoa Gold. As part of their pre-order promotion that starts from 12th January, HUAWEI will also be throwing in RM244 worth of freebies from HUAWEI Mobile Services, up to RM600 worth of gifts, as well as a free HUAWEI WATCH GT 2 Pro, worth RM1199.
HUAWEI P50 Pocket — designed to impress

For the HUAWEI P50 Pocket, we see the distinctive HUAWEI P50 series double-ring design, although it doesn’t get two clusters of cameras. Instead, you have all the camera hardware in one, and the secondary Cover Screen in the other.
The primary camera of the HUAWEI P50 Pocket’s Ultra Spectrum Camera Matrix comprises of a 40MP True-Chroma camera, a 13MP ultra-wide angle camera, and a 32MP Ultra Spectrum Camera. Similar to the HUAWEI P50 Pro, the HUAWEI P50 Pocket touts the HUAWEI XD Optics and True-Chroma Image Engine to deliver sharper, more detailed shots with excellent color accuracy. New to the HUAWEI P50 Pocket is the Ultra Spectrum Fluorescence Photography, which can capture details that are invisible to the naked eye.

Once you flip open the HUAWEI P50 Pocket, you will be feted by a large 6.9″ 120Hz OLED display which also features a 300Hz touch sampling rate. Right at the top of the display you have a 10.7MP selfie camera.
HUAWEI P50 Pocket Specs and Price in Malaysia

CPU
Snapdragon 888, 5nm FinFET
1 x Cortex-X1 @ 2.84 GHz + 3 x Cortex-A78 @ 2.42 GHz + 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 1.80 GHz

GPU
Adreno 660

Memory
Up to 8GB

Storage
Up to 512GB

Display
Cover Screen: 1.04″ 340 x 340 60Hz OLED display
Main Screen: 6.9″ FHD+ (2790 x 1180) 120Hz flexible OLED display, 10-bit color

Audio
Dual speakers

Camera
40MP f/1.8 True-Chroma Camera
13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, macro AF
32MP f/1.8 Ultra Spectrum Camera
Fluorescence, Story Creator, Audio Zoom, High-res, Time-Lapse, Ultra Wide Angle Lens, Aperture, Dual-View Video, Night, Macro, Portrait, Pro, Slow-Mo, Panorama, Monochrome,Filter, Stickers, Documents, Master AI, Moving Picture, Ultra Snapshot, 4D Predictive Focus,  Capture Smiles, Audio Control, Timer, Burst Shooting, Snapshot

Selfie camera
10.7MP f/2.2 selfie camera
Slow-Motion, Intelligent Field of View, Portrait, Panorama, Time-Lapse, Moving Picture, Filter, Stickers, Capture Smiles, Mirror Reflection, Audio Control, Timer

Connectivity
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.2
USB 2.0, Type-C

Software
EMUI 12

Battery
4000mAh
40W HUAWEI SuperCharge

Dimensions
Folded: 87.3 x 75.5 x 15.2 mm
Unfolded: 170 x 75.5 x 7.2 mm

Weight
190g

Ingress protection
N/A

Price
8GB+256GB: RM5999
12GB+512GB (Premium Edition): RM7299

The HUAWEI P50 Pocket will be available for pre-order in Malaysia starting 22nd January, with a slew of awesome freebies, including a HUAWEI WATCH 3 worth RM1699, RM434 worth of gifts from HUAWEI Mobile Services and RM600 worth of additional gifts.
Pokdepinion: Both the HUAWEI P50 Pro and P50 Pocket are quite surprisingly pricey for what they are offering…
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Your Personal Data Might Be Sold Off To Salespeople And Loan Sharks

Have you been getting messages from unknown numbers that offer you loans or even insurance plans? Well according to Melaka Pakatan Harapan’s youth vice-chief Naqiuddin Nazrin, our personal data might have gotten to the hands of strangers thanks to a seller.
He has said that he received feedback from grassroot level that there has been unknown callers claiming to be insurance agents and also loan providers that had personal information of individuals.
In light of the event, Naqiuddin said “We need to look into a more comprehensive data protection law to protect innocent people from being scammed. I have been informed that the government is reviewing the law to enhance personal data protection. Such leaks are risky and could jeopardize the safety of individuals”.

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One of the recipient to the calls, M.Krishna, has said that they (the caller) had even details of his MyKad, where they learned about his old home address.
Pokdepinion: This issue has been around for quite some time but I’ve got to say, there’s frequent messages coming in nowadays.
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OPPO’s first Southeast Asia Flagship Store opens in Suria KLCC; Laser-engraving now offered to all OPPO mobile devices!

Two days ago, we announced the upcoming OPPO flagship store on our website. Today, I am at Suria KLCC where history is in the making for OPPO as it opens up its first ever flagship store in Southeast Asia. The most notable experience that OPPO will have for their users is that this will be the first store in Southeast Asia to offer personalized laser-engraving service to all OPPO mobile devices.
The store is located on 3rd floor of Suria KLCC, sandwiched between Samsung and Crumpler in the Ramlee Mall wing. It features modern interiors of silver grey aluminium composite paneling with a touch of white oak wood, soft film ceiling and cozy grey sofa. This reflects the sense of warm and clean ambience that matches OPPO’s concept.

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Malaysia has always been one of the key markets for OPPO and we are especially thrilled to have an anchor in one of the region’s premium areas. With our three years’ presence in Malaysia, OPPO has been leading the camera phone trend through its innovative technology and user-oriented products. We are also learning, adapting and improving our service in the competitive Malaysian market to provide a better and more premium experience to our loyal customers. Garry Gong, Sales Director of OPPO Malaysia
Focusing on better customer experience, the new store is also offering photograph printing service for all your pictures that were taken with OPPO’s camera phones, allowing shoppers to try the abilities of OPPO’s mobile photography. If you happen to be in KLCC, do pay them a visit and have a look at the beautiful setup that they have established.
Pokdepinion: Nothing excites us more than seeing brands improving their services just to deliver better customer experience. OPPO already had good after sales service, this will only improve it further. We look forward to bigger success for OPPO. Kudos to the milestone!
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There’s an eSports University Scholarship for Fortnite – Eat, Sleep, Fortnite, Repeat

Planning on taking an eSports / gaming-related program in university? Need financial aid for your studies? Well, there is an eSports scholarship for Fortnite over at Ashland University now, the first of its kind.
There’s an eSports University Scholarship for Fortnite

It’s no surprise that eSports have become more and more in tune with the mainstream crowd. We’ve seen eSports-oriented education programs in Malaysia already, and it’s no surprise that there are similar things happening elsewhere as well. Heck, it would seem like every university now seems to have an eSports club or committee in some form or fashion, which didn’t even exist just years ago.

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Now, you can get a scholarship for your aptitude at Epic Games’ battle royale game, Fortnite. Ashland University in Ohio has become the first school in the US to offer a scholarship to students for this particular game. They plan to accommodate a 4-player team alongside coaching and squads for Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Rocket League when the program debuts in the competitive collegiate eSports scene next fall.
Beginning with the fall 2018 semester, the Ashland Eagles eSports team will be holding open tryouts for current and prospective students. Scholarships of up to USD $4,000 will be offered based on both player skill and academic history.

While Fortnite isn’t exactly a powerful force in the eSports world compared to other games like DotA 2, League of Legends, CS:GO, and Overwatch, it is one of the most popular games out there, consistently dominating in Twitch and other platforms. There’s also no doubt that Fortnite can draw in a huge crowd, so perhaps a little support can bring some longevity to the game’s life cycle.
Fortnite is currently available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and iOS. It recently had a notable update and is currently one of, if not, the most popular game out there right now.
If you want to know more about Ashland University and their Fortnite scholarship, click right here to find out .
Source: Variety
Pokdepinion: Be right back, signing myself up for Ashland University and their eSports scholarship now.
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Notorious Genshin Impact Leaker Sued By miHoYo For A Large Sum of Money

Leaking secrets come with a huge risk and it didn’t pay off for one particular gamer as miHoYo is suing him for past Genshin Impact leaks for a huge sum of money.
Genshin Impact Leaked Sued by miHoYo

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A Genshin Impact leaker known simply as “The Real Ghost”, more accurately “真正的鬼”, has posted on Baidu detailing an unfortunate experience he had. Apparently, miHoYo has sued him for 500,000 RMB (RM321,191.15) in damages for leaking Genshin Impact secrets.
In the Baidu post, the leaker mentioned about miHoYo’s lawyer sending him a letter straight to his door, with the company knowing his address as he signed a non-disclosure agreement with them prior for joining the beta test phase and receiving in-game gifts. Allegedly, he was told by the lawyer that this case will serve as an example, most likely to deter other leakers from continuing to do the same.
As a result of the hefty penalty, the leaker claimed that he had to sell his house mortgage but he had at least paid off 100,000 RMB (RM64,259.35) and recovered his account. While this may sound excessive, the leaker did sign the agreement when he joined the beta testing stage, so he would have at least some expectations of what would happen if the agreement was breached.
Genshin Impact is currently available for free on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Android, iOS, and PC. A Nintendo Switch version will be coming sometime soon.
Source
Pokdepinion: There are some things even we can’t tell until a certain time has passed. Failure to comply could result in a similar lawsuit. As such, I’m not surprised to see people getting sued for leaking secrets. This is why a number of leaks that surfaced online are usually done anonymously.
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River Raids Update Now Available In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

The folks at Ubisoft has today announced the latest update for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the River Raids, which offers a new replayable mode that enriches the raiding experience in the game.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla River Raids update

For the River Raids update, the mode features higher-stakes raid that players can do without impacting their main game progression and alliances in England. In addition to that, a Jomsviking Crew (created by other players online) are led by the player’s personal Jomsviking Lieutenant.
You will also get a new fully customizable longship exclusive to the game mode, whose cargo hold can be upgraded to bring more resources back from River Raids.

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The new Jomsviking Hall has three levels to upgrade, where the higher the Hall’s level, the higher the ranked Jomsvikings it will attract for the players to recruit. Jomsviking also have ranks now, with the higher rank giving greater survivability in River Raids.
To gain access to the River Raids, you will need to complete one of the first narrative arcs in England, either Grantebridgescire or Ledecestrescire, build your barracks and recruit your Jomsviking Lieutenant, and you will encounter Vagn and his crew of Jomsviking raiders, who will then introduce you to the game mode.
Not to forget, the game mode will also bring new abilities and rewards such as:

The Saint George Armor set and Great Sword
3 new Abilities, hidden in monasteries
2 new Settlement Buildings
A new set of longship and player cosmetics

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Do check out our full review of the game by heading to the link right here.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: Sounds like a decent update for the game. Maybe I should return to the game just to check it out.
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ASUS Adjusts ZenFone Max Plus M1 and ZenFone 4 Max Prices — Now At An Even Cheaper Price Tag

Great news Zen-fans. ASUS Malaysia has announced a new price adjustment for their ZenFone Max Plus and ZenFone 4 Max smartphone where they are now at lower prices than before.
ZenFone Max Plus & ZenFone 4 Max Price Adjustment
First up is the ZenFone Max Plus M1 (4GB/32GB). ASUS has fixed the price to a lower RM499 than its previous RM649 price tag. The phone features a 5.7-inch Full View display and a 4130mAh battery under the hood. It uses a Mediatek MT6750T chipset and for cameras, it sports a dual 16MP rear camera as well as a 16MP selfie shooter..
Then we have the ZenFone 4 Max, which is now at RM399. Utilizing a Snapdragon SoC, it offers 3GB RAM that’s paired with 32GB of internal storage. Display is 5.2-inch and it sports a dual 13MP rear camera with a 8MP shooter on the front.

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Pokdepinion: So there you go guys. Even more reason to get that Max Plus M1 now, don’t you think so?
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U Mobile’s unlimited plans drop down to 500 kbps for heavy users

U Mobile’s Giler Unlimited GX30 and GX50 are two of the most affordable unlimited data plans on the market, but it seems like they are, in essence, somewhat limited.
The Fair Use Policy (FUP) of the two plans sport a 50GB cap, which was apparently in place even before this. However they have now reduced the throttled speeds to one-third of the original capped speed, dropping from 1.5 Mbps to 0.5 Mbps (500 kbps).

It seems like the capped speeds only apply during a very short period during 8pm to 1am. Customers who purchase Turbo Booster on their GX30 and GX50 plans would not be affected by this throttling, as you might expect.

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In a statement to Lowyat.net about the issue, U Mobile confirmed a FUP, although they did emphasize that the unlimited data for all apps is in fact, unlimited.
50GB is quite easily used by heavy users, but then again the short throttling period from 8pm to 1am isn’t exactly damning either. What do you think?
Pokdepinion: 500 kbps… That’s like a trip back to the past. Way back into the past.
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OPPO Malaysia Offers RM300 Off For OPPO Find X3 Pro & Gifts Worth RM1,019

The folks at OPPO Malaysia has recently announced that those who purchase their flagship OPPO Find X3 Pro will get a RM300 off their receipt as well as some freebies to enjoy.
OPPO Find X3 Pro at RM300 off plus freebies

The offer is available from now till the 6th of June, which is not far from now. In addition to the RM300 off offer, customers will also be getting a free OPPO X TWS earphones that’s worth RM699 as well as a 1TB HeyTap Cloud Storage space worth RM320.

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This promotion is available at OPPO Brand Stores, My OPPO Spaces, authorized dealers, the OPPO Official Online Store as well as official e-commerce partners.
Coming with two 50MP cameras, the OPPO Find X3 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 888 chipset and is the company’s latest high end smartphone. To find out more on the device, do read more in our previous article right here.
For more on the latest tech and gaming news plus reviews, stay tuned to Pokde.net.
Pokdepinion: After the discount, the price would be RM3,999… That’s still a large sum… but hey, everyone enjoys a lower price, right? Unfortunately we haven’t got the chance to test the device out to know whether it’s worth it or not.
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Acer Malaysia has signed an agreement with PGL and eGG Network ahead of KL Major which made them the official monitor & laptop provider for the tournament.
Acer Announced As Official Monitor and Laptop Provider for KL Major

The folks over at Acer Malaysia today has informed us that they have signed an agreement with PGL and eGG Network which made Acer the official monitor and laptop provider for the upcoming DotA 2 eSports tournament, KL Major.

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For those of you who aren’t aware, KL Major is a prestigious DotA 2 championship featuring international teams from around the world and a USD $1 million prize pool. KL Major will be taking place from 9th November to 18th November 2018 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

The deal will see all the KL Major players utilize the Acer XF250Q 25-inch Full HD gaming monitors, while the casters and analyst will be making use of the Predator Helios 500 gaming laptops.
If you want to know more about the Predator Helios 500 gaming laptop as well as the Helios 300, click right here to find out.
Johnson Seet, Director of Consumer Business and Products at Acer Malaysia, said:
Acer’s gaming range under the Predator banner has established itself to be the best in class, providing unrivalled gaming experience.
Being named the Official Monitor and Laptop provider for The Kuala Lumpur Major adds another feather to the cap for the beautifully designed displays and ultrathin Predator Triton featuring precision engineering. We are confident that the devices will provide a fantastic gaming experience to the players, casters and analysts.
Pokdepinion: If you start wondering why you see Acer a lot at KL Major, now you know why. I wonder if they would sponsor me a Predator Helios 500 gaming laptop if I asked nicely.
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GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA Laptop Review – The Power of Creativity

Unboxing the GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA

For our review unit of the GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA, it is an engineering sample so it would differ from the final retail version. However, this is what you’re expected to get with each retail purchase:
User guide / warranty230W power brickBackpackThe GIGABYTE AERO 17 laptop itself
Appearance

For a laptop that’s designed for creators / productivity, the GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA has a look that seems to be a perfect balance between gaming and professionalism. It uses a compressed aluminum body which gives it a solid build quality and a very premium feel. Surprisingly, it’s not that much of a fingerprint magnet.
I’m certain that they took some design cues from the AORUS laptops, especially the falcon-style design on the lid. Aside from that, you have the AERO logo in reflective silver surrounded by the darkness of the metal body. Where the falcon-style design is seen, you can see it has a brushed-metal look on the bottom part of the lid.

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Lift the hood up and you’ll see the 17.3-inch 4K 144Hz AUO IPS display, a full-sized keyboard with per-key RGB backlighting, and a trackpad with fingerprint scanner below it. The bezels are generally thin with the exception of the bottom, where the AERO logo can be seen. Below the logo, you have a webcam, which has a privacy shutter, and the power button.

On the left side, you have an air vent, RJ45 LAN port, an SD card reader, two USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and a microphone jack. On the right side, you have a USB-C port, two USB-C ports, an HDMI port, the proprietary charging port, and another air vent. As for the rear, you have the hinges, two air vents, and the AERO logo in between.

Looking down below, you have five rubber stands, some air vents, and speaker grilles. I can see 14 screws here which needs to be removed if you plan on opening it up for upgrades or maintenance. The final retail unit may have more labels placed here.
Overall, the GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA laptop is a thin, attractive-looking laptop with a solid build quality. Taking some inspiration from their own AORUS lineup, it can easily fit in both gaming and professional setups. The only thing that I feel stands out too much is the RGB keyboard, but that can be turned off or customized accordingly so no complaints there.
Specifications
Due to this being an engineering sample, the specifications listed will differ from the retail version. Most notably, you are expected to get a 512GB Intel 760p NVMe SSD and 16GB Samsung 2666MHz DDR4 RAM (8GB x 2).
CPUIntel Core i7-9750H (6C / 12T @ up to 4.5 GHz), 12M Cache, 45W TDP, 14nm RAM16GB 2400MHz DDR4 (8GB x 2)GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6 Max-QStorage128GB Transcend SATA III SSDSoftwareMicrosoft Windows 10 ProConnectivityWireless:Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (Dual Band 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz)Bluetooth 5.0 + LEI/O:3 x USB 3.1 Type-A Gen11 x Thunderbolt 31 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen21 x UHS II Card Reader1 x RJ45 LAN (Killer Ethernet E2600)1 x HDMI 2.01 x Proprietary Charging Port Display17.3″ Thin Bezel AUO UHD (3840 x 2160) HDR IPS Anti-Glare Display, X-Rite Pantone Certified 1 x HDMI 2.0 (4K @ 60Hz)Audio2 x 2W speakers1 x Headphone jack1 x Microphone jackPower230W power adapter94.24 Whr Li-Polymer batteryDimensions396 x 270 x 21.4 mmWeight2.5 kg
Performance
Under normal circumstances, we would start out with CrystalDiskMark. Due to it being an engineering sample however, it’s not using the same storage device as the final retail unit. Therefore, we will be omitting it for this review.

On Cinebench R15, the GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA laptop performed pretty well with its Intel Core i7-9750H. I do believe it can match up more evenly with the machines that beat it if it had the retail unit’s Samsung DDR4 2666MHz RAM.

On Unigine SuperPosition on 4K Optimized, it performed pretty well. The large difference between the top scorer and this is mostly because of the GPU, with the RTX 2080 going against the RTX 2070 for the 2nd and 3rd spot. Just a reminder, it’s using an RTX 2070 with Max-Q design.

As for 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark, the results are similar to the previous benchmark. You can notice a pattern of consistency with the results here.

On 3DMark’s Port Royal benchmark for ray-tracing, it performed admirably. It’s hard to gain a high score on this one given how intensive ray-tracing is. There is a chance that the final retail version could reach the 4,000 mark, or very close to it.
As this is a creator laptop for professionals, we want to put its display to the test using DisplayCAL and Spyder5 to see how well it performs.
Measured whitepoint4.06Not OKMeasured display profile whitepoint0.13 Average ΔE*001.02OKMaximum ΔE*0016.9Not OK
At 100% brightness prior to calibration, the measurement test results aren’t bad. To get the best possible scores, it’s recommended to get a score less than 1 for whitepoints and the average ΔE00. As for the maximum ΔE00, it’s best to score less than 3. We know that it can be better after calibration.
Measured whitepoint5.51Not OKMeasured display profile whitepoint0.25 Average ΔE*000.49OKMaximum ΔE*002.44OK
Once it has been calibrated, the scores have become noticeably better. Despite setting the calibration specifically to 6500K colours and Gamma 2.2, the assumed whitepoint is still off. Regardless, it’s still a good score and it seems consistent with our other monitor reviews.

As for the colour gamut, the GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA laptop managed to cover 99.9% sRGB, 93.4% for Adobe RGB, and 86.7% DCI-P3 after calibration. For Gamut volume on the other hand, it covers 139.7% sRGB, 96.2% Adobe RGB and 98.9% DCI-P3. The display is definitely suitable for creative work, especially where colour accuracy is important.

We ran the display uniformity test to see if each part of the display are equally lit up, with the centre square used as a guide and compared to the others. The GIGABYTE AERO 17 passed with flying colours, with the majority achieving recommended tolerance. This matches up with what I see as there’s no noticeable difference in all 9 parts.
User Experience
The privacy shutter for the webcam
The GIGABYTE AERO 17 is a slim, yet powerful machine. It’s one of the thinner and lighter 17-inch laptops around. It’s powered by the Intel Core i7-9750H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q. Combined with 16GBs of DDR4 RAM and I’m sure you already have an idea as to how strong it is.
When I first discovered that this particular unit only had a 128GB SSD storage, I was baffled. Then I was told that the retail version will use the 512GB Intel 760p NVMe SSD, which is much faster and has more storage. However, I do feel like they should add at least a 1TB HDD since this is designed for creators because space will run out fast.

For this variant, it utilizes a 17.3-inch AUO 4K HDR IPS Anti-Glare Display with X-Rite Pantone certification. Viewing angles are great and the colours are the best, as you can tell from our display benchmark. You will still get some glare if you use this outdoors but it’s not bad unless you’re stuck under super bright sunlight.
X-Rite Pantone certified display refers to the display’s ability to reproduce Pantone colours with complete accuracy.
As this is the variant with 4K resolution display, the refresh rate is only up to 60Hz. This isn’t a problem unless you specifically need to see past 60Hz, like gaming for example. If you want this machine but more versatile for gaming, there is a variant that uses a 144Hz Full HD display. The lid can open up to roughly 140°, which should be good enough for most users. Would be great if it can be completely flat (180°) but it’s not a dealbreaker.

The GIGABYTE AERO 17 laptop has a good array of ports. You have three USB-A ports, two USB-C ports (one with Thunderbolt 3 support), an RJ45 LAN port, a HDMI port, a full-sized SD card reader, and separate audio jacks for headphone and microphone. If you have trouble using Thunderbolt 3 devices, you may need to use the Thunderbolt Control Center software.
I kinda wished they moved some of the ports, like the HDMI and charging port, to the back for easier cable management. It is possible to do a tri-monitor setup by using the HDMI and Thunderbolt 3 port. In case anyone is wondering, you can’t charge the laptop via USB-C, and this one doesn’t have an Always-On USB port for charging your devices while it’s powered off.

Once again, the RGB FUSION keyboard is back and this time with per-key RGB backlighting. It’s interesting that they managed to fit in some gamer bling into a creator laptop, but you can customize / disable it if you feel like it’s too much. The keyboard itself is a little soft but it’s still comfortable to use and is complete with full-sized arrow keys and a Numpad.

The trackpad works fine but nothing much to shout out about except that it has a fingerprint scanner on the top-left corner, which works consistently. You’re better off with a proper mouse rather than the trackpad. If you’re worried someone may be spying on you via the webcam, it does have a privacy shutter, which is a good addition for that added peace of mind.

If you need to do some fine-tuning or customizations, then the GIGABYTE Control Center software is what you need. You can check the laptop’s running conditions, adjust fan speeds, toggle specific settings, customize the RGB backlighting, and more. The UI is straightforward and easy to use, so I doubt anyone would have trouble using it.

But that’s not all on the software side as there’s also the KILLER Control Center. You will be able to optimize your hardware resources and network traffic using GameFast. With the KILLER Wi-Fi 6 AX1650, you can have a theoretical throughput of 2.4Gbps. Given that it is using 802.11ax Wi-Fi, you will be enjoying better, more efficient network connections. Even if you feel like you can’t make full use of it yet, it’s great to have for futureproofing.

On the sound department, the speakers on the GIGABYTE AERO 17 laptop is decent. It’s not exactly loud and because the sound is directed towards the surface, it feels like the sound disperses around rather than it being directed towards the user. At the same time, it also sounds a bit muffled. You’re better off using your favourite pair of headphones / earphones.
As for battery life, I’ve managed to get close to 7 hours per full charge with RGB backlighting enabled, albeit at a much lower brightness. Usage includes word processing, office applications, web browsing, light Photoshop work, and some YouTube videos. Given the firepower its packing, it’s pretty good and the sizable 94.24Wh battery definitely helps.
Overall, the GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA is a pretty solid machine that’s suitable for both creative work and gaming. It does have its quirks but none of which I feel is significant enough to tell people to stay away from it.
GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA Verdict

The GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA is a great laptop that is suitable for a wide variety of users out there. The display is excellent for colour-accurate, creative work but the performance is also strong enough for you to game on it. The battery life is surprisingly good especially given the powerful hardware.
The feel of the keyboard may not be up to everyone’s liking, the RTX 2070 is the Max-Q version so it’s slightly weaker, and the speakers could be better. If you can look past that, and you can afford its asking price of RM11,899, then I’m sure you’ll be more than happy with this machine. If you wan’t something easier to carry, the AERO 15 would be more suitable.
With that, I award the GIGABYTE AERO 17 XA laptop with our Silver Pokdeward.

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Genshin Impact 3.1 Banners and Schedule Officially Confirmed

With the recent livestream, Genshin Impact 3.1 is almost here and I’m sure many of you are looking forward to what’s new coming your way. Here’s everything that you need to know about the 2nd anniversary of the game.
Genshin Impact 3.1 Official Details

There will be a good variety of rewards, new characters, weapons, and more to look forward to in Genshin Impact 3.1. For starters, this will be the banner characters and their respective schedule:

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Phase 1

Cyno
Venti
Candace

Phase 2

Albedo
Nilou
Unknown for now

The new characters you can see above here would be the 5-star Electro Polearm user Cyno and 4-star Hydro Polearm user Candace. The former is a scholar of Sumeru Akademiya with a personality that is described as strict and serious whereas the latter is the Guardian of Aaru Village and described as gentle and caring. Then in Phase 2, we have the Star of Zubayr, the highly anticipated 5-star Hydro Sword character Nilou.
While we’ve seen a few Venti reruns, it’s a surprise to see an Albedo rerun so soon. Many people were expecting him to pop up sometime next year instead. We do expect to learn of the 4-star character that will be coming in Phase 2 but for now, it is still unknown. We will report more on this as soon as information becomes available so stay tuned.
Genshin Impact 3.1 will be coming on 28th September 2022 for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, and PC.
Source
Pokdepinion: As much as I would like to speculate on who the 4-star character will be in Phase 2, I genuinely have no clue. I’m gonna take a random shot in the dark and say Thoma.
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Warcraft 3: Reforged Is So Bad That Blizzard Is Offering Refunds

A lot of Warcraft fans were excited when Blizzard announced that they would release a remastered version of Warcraft 3. Since Warcraft 3: Reforged was released, it has become the lowest user-rated game on Metacritic and that says a lot about the game that was ever so popular.
The situation of the game is so bad that Blizzard has decided to offer instant refunds for those who have purchase the game.
Traditionally refunds would only be given after finding out the cause of discontent with your purchase and it would normally be unavailable for those who have played a game title for hours. This doesn’t seem to be the case with Blizzard as they are actually offering instant refunds.

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It’s been suggested that there’s a growing calls for legal action on Blizzard, hence their decision to give back money to gamers who purchased the game.
Warcraft 3: Reforged isn’t the game what they’ve promised from the trailers, where gamers have let out their complaints and rated the game a low score of 0.5 on Metacritic.
If you have purchased the game and would like to request for a refund, you can do so at Blizzard right here.
Pokdepinion: I can’t really say that I’m shocked to hear a remastered game getting bad reviews… but to the extent of scoring just 0.5? Well that’s just another level of low.
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Limited edition of Black OPPO F1s sold out — in just three days

The “Selfie Expert” OPPO F1s Black Limited Edition has sold out in just three days! It managed to replicate the success of the OPPO F1s Rose Gold and Gold Edition, where it hit 100,000 units of sales in less than 2 months’ time in Malaysia.

Dubbed as the “Selfie Expert”, the limited edition of black F1s features a 16-megapixel front camera, designed to take clearer and natural-looking selfies. The OPPO F1s Black Limited Edition also comes with a free selfie stick and an exclusive phone case that is specially designed for the consumers that made preorder in 20 selected OPPO Concept stores and on http://www.oppostore.com.my/products/F1s_Black/ within the period, from 8th December till 16th December 2016

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The limited edition Black OPPO F1s also features a front facing fingerprint sensor in its home button. What’s best is that the fingerprint sensor recognizes the fingerprint to unlock the device within 0.22 seconds only. Besides that, users can set different applications to launch when they touch the fingerprint sensor with different fingers. As an example, users can easily start up the camera with their thumb and any of their favorite app with index finger. This supports up to five customizable fingerprint commands.
With the black edition of F1s, users can take selfies with style effortlessly.
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OPPO Find X Available For Pre-order At Lazada — It’s Not Too Long Until They’ll Close It!

OPPO has opened up their pre-order for the Find X that will last until the 17th of July 2018, which is tomorrow.
OPPO Find X Pre-order On Lazada
Lazada is giving O-fans a head start who want to experience the Find X earlier by having a pre-order activity which lasts until the 17th July 2018. You can secure its availability by purchasing an e-voucher which is worth RM100 from OPPO Official Online Store at Lazada, and then apply the e-voucher to pay the remaining balance after the launch date which is on 17th July 2018.
Pre-order customers will have the advantage of being one of the first to own OPPO’s latest flagship device.

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Zahirah Macwilson
As for the launch event, it will be joined by photographer Keda’z Feng as well as local artist, Zahirah Macwilson. They will be present to witness the launch and share their experience of using the Find X.
Pokdepinion: Am I getting outdated cause I seem to not know who this Zahirah Macwilson is… Well enough about that, is anyone going for the Find X launch event? Let us know if you are!

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Steam Loses Yet Another Game — Possibly To Epic Games Store

Originally set to be launched on Steam, it seems that Anno 1800 will be discontinued on the platform after it is released on 16th of April. Despite not being confirmed yet on where it will end up, it could even possibly make its way to Epic Games, judging from the trend of games that they’ve managed to scoop from Steam themselves.

Sales of Anno 1800 will be discontinued on Steam after April 16th due to a publisher decision to make the game exclusive to another PC store. The publisher has assured us that all prior sales of the game on Steam will be fulfilled on Steam and Steam owners will be able to access the game and any future updates or DLC through Steam. Anno 1800's Steam page
Recently, a number of games have left Steam just prior to release and instead went to Epic Games Store instead which includes The Division 2, Metro Exodus, and Borderlands 3 to name a few.
Pokdepinion: I wonder how many more will follow suit. It looks for worrying for Steam right now..

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Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Review – A Wonderful Blast from the Past

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Review
What is Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled About?

The plot of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is largely the same as its original incarnation. Earth and its inhabitants are visited by an extra-terrestrial named Nitros Oxide, who claims to be the fastest racer in the galaxy. He is looking for a challenge of speed to see if there’s anyone worthy of racing against him in the race track.
He challenges Earth to a game which he calls “Survival of the Fastest”, summoning Earth’s best racers to duel him in the race track. If Earth’s racer wins, he promises to leave the planet alone. If Oxide wins however, he will turn Earth into a concrete parking lot and enslave all the Earthlings. Players will have to gather all four Boss Keys in order to access Oxide’s spaceship and challenge him.

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While it is a remake of the original Crash Team Racing game, developer Beenox has added content from its sequel, Crash Nitro Kart. This means that characters and race tracks from the sequel will also be made available in glorious high-definition graphics. The narrative however will be focused solely on the original game.
Full Speed Ahead

Like every kart racer out there, the game concept is very simple. You will race against seven other opponents in a wide variety of racetracks and at least try to be in first place. Throughout the race, you will be able to obtain weapons and powerups by driving into boxes with the question mark on it. You can then use these perks to gain the upper hand in the race.
There’s a good variety of them and you will obtain a random one upon hitting the box. As much as probability plays a role in what you get, it’s also highly dependent on your current position in the race. For instance, if you’re at last place or close, you’re more likely to get Warp Orbs or N. Tropy’s Clock, both of which are capable of temporarily hampering all the other racers.

Those in the top positions are more likely to get traps like Explosive Crates and Beakers, which will be laid down on the track. Any unlucky racer that drives into it will be temporarily disabled. This clever mechanic not only adds to the entertainment factor, but also gives good game balance as even those in low positions are still able to make a comeback.
What sets Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled apart from competitors are two notable features; Wumpa Fruits and power slides. Throughout the race, players can collect Wumpa Fruits which will yield small speed boosts for as long as you have them. Upon collecting ten, you will have access to upgraded versions of weapons and powerups. For example, Bowling Bombs will have a bigger blast radius which can potentially damage more than one racer.

As for Power Slides, think of it as drifting. The racer will perform a jump and subsequently drift to a chosen side. Players will then have to press the other power slide button in time with the gauge on the bottom right of the screen. Alternatively, you can also time it with kart’s exhaust colour, with black being ideal. These two simple features give the game its own unique characteristic which sets it apart from all the other kart racers out there.
If you have trouble with Power Slides and Turbo Boosts, click right here to learn how to get consistent perfect turbos.
Bringing the Game Up to Speed

Aside from the standard race mode, there is a good variety of game modes that you can enjoy. You can run laps and get the best timing possible in each track, play in a tournament-style mode across a set of four racetracks with Cup Race, or forget about racing and opt for a party-style gameplay instead with Battle Mode.
In Battle Mode, you and other racers will be in a closed-off map and fighting against each other instead of racing. It can be something as simple as collecting points by hitting opponents with weapons, or capturing the most crystals around the map. This mode, along with the other racing modes, gives the game an amazing amount of gameplay variety that you don’t normally see in games today.

The main highlight of the game is of course the Adventure Mode, where you progress through the game’s storyline in a pseudo-open world environment. You simply go through for different hub worlds, win all of the races in each of them, beat their respective boss racer to obtain the Boss Key, and then finally race against Nitros Oxide himself.
While it is a faithful recreation of the original game’s Adventure Mode, it also provides players with a tour through a bulk of the game. This easily lets players ease into the game and familiarize themselves with most of what the game has to offer. The boss battles themselves provide a good amount of fun as each of them have their own unique gimmick in the race.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Verdict

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is arguably one of the best remakes to have ever been created today. Sure, the game can be rage-inducing at times, especially in stages like Hot Air Skyway, but it has faithfully recreated the classic while also making it suitable for the modern age of gaming. The game is best played in multiplayer, which is possible through local splitscreen co-op and online play.
One thing worth noting is that the Nintendo Switch version won’t look as good as the PlayStation 4 version. This is especially noticeable in four-player splitscreen even on docked mode as each player’s screen will have somewhat pixelated graphics. However, that still shouldn’t stop people from having fun in the game. With that, I award Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled with our coveted Gold Pokdeward!

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Google Ignite Career Fair Returns for 2017 – 1,400 students compete for Google Partners’ internship opportunities

Google Ignite aims to ignite the future of young Malaysians

Last weekend saw the return of the Google Ignite Career Fair with the Google Ignite Career Fair 2017 being the third time Google has organised the fair in collaboration with The Malaysian Advertising Association (MAA) and Jobstreet.com. The Google Ignite Career Fair is an exclusive event by Google, only for Google-certified students and top employers from the program to interact and network, and to facilitate applications and conversations regarding internship opportunities within the Google Ignite programme.

There will be a few activities for participants during the Google Ignite Career Fair which include talks and interview sessions. Most notably speed interviews as well as 1-on-1 career mentoring sessions.

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What is Google Ignite? Google Ignite is a training-to-internship programme targeted to students who will later on
be likely to pursue a career in digital marketing. The programme trains applicants to be proficient in Google AdWords (which is Google’s main online advertising platform) by providing them with online resources for learning as well as training through their participating universities. Google Ignite modules include Fundamentals of Search (Basic Search), Advanced (Advanced Search) and Advanced Display (Detail View), with those passing the Fundamentals of Search exam as well as one of the other two modules will receive Google AdWords certification.

This year’s Google Ignite Career Fair saw 1,400 students from a variety of different universities in Malaysia compete against each other for a chance to snag one out of 300 coveted internship opportunities from 64 different companies. All 64 companies are of course comprised of top Google Partner agencies, companies as well as leading digital brands in Malaysia.
For Google Ignite Career Fair 2017, Google Malaysia has officially worked with students from 11 different Malaysian universities which include:

Universiti Teknologi MARA (Shah Alam)
INTI International University (Shanghai, Value, KL, Penang and Sabah)
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Sg Long, Kampar)
Sunway Monash University
Multimedia University (Cyberjaya Melaka)
Limkokwing University
the University of Nottingham Malaysia
Sunway University
Help University
University of Malaya
Tunku Abdul Rahman University College

With the Google Ignite programme and the Google Ignite Career Fair 2017, Google hopes to provide students with a good stepping stone in the digital marketing world once they graduate.
For more information regarding the Google Ignite Career Fair as well as the Google Ignite programme, visit their website here.
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Transcend’s JetDrive 820 PCIe SSD is fast storage for your Mac; how does 960GB of 950MB/s storage sound to you?

Transcend has announced their JetDrive 820 PCIe Gen 3.0 SSD for Macs. Apple often charges exorbitantly for storage, and this latest piece of hardware from the Taiwanese company allows you to upgrade your storage without submitting yourself to cutthroat prices. The Transcend JetDrive 820 is compatible with Macs from circa 2013 to the latest MacBook Air. For more information on compatibility, check out this link.
Promising up to 950MB/s read and write speeds over the PCIe Gen3 x2 interface, the Transcend JetDrive 820 allows you to pack your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini or Mac Pro with up to 960GB of fast PCIe storage. The TLC 3D NAND flash used in the Transcend JetDrive 820 makes for enduring reliability and the fast speeds that Mac enthusiasts need for optimal performance.

Transcend will bundle the JetDrive 820 with an exclusive JetDrive ToolBox for Drive Information, S.M.A.R.T. status, Health Indicator, and Firmware Update functions. The Transcend JetDrive will come in 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities, with a five-year Limited Warranty.

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Pokdepinion: Mac users who need more storage and need them to be fast should definitely give the JetDrive 820 a look.
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