TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #11 - Celcom, FB+IG for SMEs, HT-G700, Stamp&Go, SOCAR, iSynergy, Zoom 5.0, Mindvalley, Netflix, Kaspersky, Tune Protect, Yoodo Gank, MLBB, Forkwell.io, Huawei Cloud AI, Xiaomi YoY, YTL, Special: At Home with Galaxy - How to Learn

For this edition of TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #11 we have Celcom’s continued efforts in helping COVID-19 frontliners, Facebook and Instagram to offer new help for SMEs and Sony’s HT-G700 soundbar was announced for Malaysia. HealthMetrics and InfinitiLab introduced Stamp & Go for easier contact tracing, SOCAR announced new partners and the I Synergy Group extended RM30 million to SMEs and Malaysians.

Zoom 5.0 announced all their new security features, Mindvalley to offer Free Online Self development for teens and catch some Space Force on Netflix. Kaspersky revealed their latest study on the devices used for porn, Tune Protect offers RM1 million in COVID-19 aid and Yoodo’s Gank team won the recent eSports championship.

Team Resurgence were crowned champions of the MLBB Professional League MY/SG Season 5, Malaysian teams won 1st and 3rd place in the recent Forkwell.io hackathon for COVID-19 apps and Hexa revealed how Huawei Cloud AI helped them in the spice industry. Xiaomi revealed a rise in their Year-on-Year growth while YTL and UTAR are offering some help for students.

In this episodes’ Specials: Samsung had more At Home with Galaxy tips, particularly on How to learn so if you're ready to learn then scroll on down to the bottom. We expect more NewsBytes to come in very soon, so do read on.

In a continuous effort to support Malaysians weathering the COVID-19 pandemic, and in conjunction with the International Nurses’ Day on 12 May 2020, Celcom reaches out to honour all dedicated Ministry of Health (MOH) registered doctors, nurses, medical and non-medical officers.

MOH frontliners in 57 hospitals battling COVID-19 nationwide will have a special one-month FREE relief service for their Celcom postpaid accounts, for the month of July 2020 and frontliners registered as Celcom prepaid customers will also enjoy FREE prepaid credits worth RM30, valid for 30 days, for July 2020.

Idham Nawawi, Chief Executive Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad said the special relief expresses our gratitude to the medical frontliners, as they have been braving themselves to fight and curb the virus in Malaysia.  As they spend so much time away from their loved ones during the crisis, their welfare is as important to us. Therefore, their postpaid bills and prepaid credits for the month of July is on us.

The special rebate is also extended to the medical frontliners working in listed hospitals who are yet a Celcom user. Medical frontliners are welcomed to register via Celcom’s ‘Pakej Penjawat Awam’ postpaid plan before 15 June 2020. Medical personnel may visit here or the nearest Celcom bluecube for more information.

Realising the MCO has changed the purchasing behaviour and customer dependencies on services such as Grab, Celcom also reaches out to Grab driver and delivery partners by helping them stay connected with their customers. More than 120,000 Grab partners are eligible to receive Celcom’s communication relief that includes rebates and special offerings. Grab partners may visit here for more information.

Meanwhile, in support of Malaysian SMEs, Celcom collaborated with Google and hosted a webinar for SMEs and business partners within the telco’s ecosystem. The webinar addressed the current unprecedented situation of COVID-19 pandemic, as more consumers now have more dependencies on online services and e-commerce. Through the webinar, smaller scale enterprises with impacted businesses were educated with digital tools and strategies, to help them overcome the situation.

For more information on the latest updates and offerings from Celcom, customers can visit their website at www.celcom.com.my or Celcom’s Facebook and Twitter.

To support businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Facebook and Instagram have lined up new features to direct people to gift cards from local businesses on the platforms and purchase them via select third party partner sites.

Facebook is testing a feature where people will be able to access gift cards from participating merchants in their cities through a “Support Local Businesses” promotion on Facebook. The gift cards are made possible through our partners, Fave and StoreHub who will share the value of the gift card minus their transaction fee with the participating merchant.

On Instagram, businesses can add a gift card sticker to their Stories and also a button for their business profile page. Each time someone sees a Story with these stickers or goes to the business profile page, they can tap through to complete a purchase on the website of the chosen platform.

Instagram is also launching new capabilities to make it easy for people to show their support for businesses through hashtags and stickers. A new “Support Small Business” sticker on Instagram lets people give their favorite business a shout out.  All the accounts a person follows who use the sticker will be added to a shared Instagram story, allowing people to see the different businesses that people are supporting during this time.

From today, business page admins will also have access to a COVID-19 Business Resource which will provide tips and resources for small businesses including personalized recommendations for their pages. This is in addition to the Business Resource Hub  which was launched earlier this year.

Sony recently introduced a new soundbar with the launch of the HT-G700. The new model is perfect for enjoying TV and movies with powerful and immersive sound in the comfort of your own home.

The HT-G700 is a 3.1ch Dolby Atmos® and DTS:X soundbar that couples immersive cinematic surround sound with clear dialogue, so you can lose yourself completely in your favourite TV programmes and movies.

The HT-G700 includes Immersive Audio Enhancement, meaning that the HT-G700 provides an upgraded surround experience- seamlessly enveloping listeners with up to 7.1.2 channel surround sound. The HT-G700 has three front speakers, combined with Sony’s signal processing, which enables sound placements that can envelop you in all directions, providing an experience that carries the user away into the world of movies and music though the latest technology.  This new signal processing is also advanced to deliver surround sound to a wider area. Furthermore, the finely tuned S-Force PRO for HT-G700 uplifts sound to fit a wider TV screen height (over 55 inch), enabling viewers to relive moments in newfound clarity and depth. Plus, by selecting the Immersive AE (Audio Enhancement) button on the remote, the HT-G700 can also upscale even regular stereo audio to up to 7.1.2 surround sound so every TV show and movie gets the surround sound treatment.

In addition, the HT-G700 offers a dedicated centre speaker so that vocals can be heard clearly, whether it’s quick-fire dialogue in your favourite TV shows or whispered lines in a Hollywood movie. It’s also great for music, creating a rich, detailed listening experience.

The sound or audio mode best suited to what you’re listening to can be selected directly via a button on the remote control. It allows you to get deeper into movies with Cinema mode and hear every detail of your favourite tracks in Music mode. Plus, there are additional Voice mode and Night mode settings. Voice mode tailors sound settings to accentuate speech, so you won’t miss a word and Night mode optimises the sound balance, so you can hear everything clearly, even at low volume levels.

The HT-G700 comes with a powerful, wireless subwoofer and a larger cabinet size that delivers a deeper, richer bass sound. Finally, set-up with a TV is quick and easy via Bluetooth® or HDMI eARC/ARC. The HT-G700 will be available in Malaysia from September 2020 at Sony Stores KLCC & The Curve, Sony Store Online and Sony authorised dealers. Recommended selling price in Malaysia to be announced by September.For full product details of the HT-G700, please visit their site.

With the recent extension of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, business restrictions are being lifted gradually in an effort to jumpstart the country’s economy. To help businesses adhere to the current safety guidelines from the National Security Council, HealthMetrics in collaboration with InfinitiLab, has introduced Stamp & Go, a contactless web-based solution which enables businesses to record the information of each person entering their premises to effectively track and trace movements, in the event of a new COVID-19 transmission.

To implement Stamp & Go, companies simply have to create their account and a QR code will be generated instantly. Compared to traditional online solutions which require app downloads for the end users, Stamp & Go users can utilize any available QR Code scanner on their smartphones, such as QR Scanner or WeChat, to scan the QR code displayed by businesses at their premises.

While the government’s requirement for businesses to record customers’ information is both practical & necessary for COVID-19 contact tracing, there are also valid concerns by consumers regarding the misuse or mishandling of personal information by businesses. To address this, Stamp & Go ensures privacy protection by masking all personal data. Businesses will only be able to access recorded timestamps to ensure that each person who enters their individual premises are registered and all data will only be stored up to 60 days from the day of their visit. However, as part of the CMCO guidelines, the personal information will only be shared with health authorities should they require it to contact and trace potential COVID-19 cases.

HealthMetrics and InfinitiLab both hope that with this initiative, businesses will be able to get back on their feet faster and in a safer, more systematic way as Malaysians work together to rebuild the country’s economy. Should you have further inquiries on the solution, please reach out to [email protected]  (*do note that TechNave does not personally endorse this as it may have issues with digital privacy but it certainly sounds interesting)

After rolling out their SOCAR Business Mobility plan barely a month ago to assist SMEs and delivery agents, SOCAR is now expanding their B2B business with their latest slate of partnerships. The new partnerships with e-commerce delivery partners Teleport, MrSpeedy, Lalamove and Pickupp are in line with the company’s vision to empower Malaysians with more opportunities to generate income during the current economic uncertainty.

SOCAR Malaysia is partnering with Teleport, the logistics company of AirAsia as they expand their footprint regionally by providing mobility solutions for moving goods including fresh food, groceries, e-commerce parcels and even items such as medical aid. For those keen on becoming a delivery agent but do not have a vehicle, SOCAR is offering a special deal on the Perodua Axia, Perodua Bezza, Perodua Myvi, Proton Iriz and Kia Picanto in collaboration with Teleport in Klang Valley, Penang and Johor. To access this special promo, users would first need to sign up to be a delivery partner with Teleport. Users can apply through this link.

SOCAR Malaysia will also be partnering with MrSpeedy, a delivery platform, with mobility solutions by offering a variety of vehicles. With this new partnership, Malaysians would now be able to receive parcels and make deliveries with ease.

To further complement the delivery ecosystem, SOCAR will also be offering exclusive deals to Lalamove and Pickupp Delivery Partners for their bookings, where they can choose from 12 different car models, namely the Perodua Axia, Honda City, Honda Jazz, Honda BR-V, Toyota Vios, Toyota Rush, Perodua Myvi, Perodua Bezza, Perodua Alza, Proton Iriz, Volkswagen Polo and Kia Picanto.

All users that have made a SOCAR booking are entitled to free petrol worth 20km of mileage for each hour booked (capped at 240km for 12 hours booking). Users can also choose from hourly and daily bookings for a variety of cars ranging from Perodua Axia and Honda City to Volkswagen Polo and many more, available in over 1,000 locations.

To use SOCAR, download the app on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and follow SOCAR’s Facebook page for the latest updates.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on the Malaysian economy, impacting smaller businesses and vulnerable groups such as lower-income individuals and workers into uncertain economic situations. Realising this circumstance, leading Malaysian services and solutions company, I Synergy Group (iSYNERGY) recently announced their very own Economic Stimulus Package 2020 worth RM30 million that will not only benefit small-medium enterprises (SMEs), Malaysians and aspiring entrepreneurs, but will also greatly assist the nation’s adaptation to the “new normal” and accelerate the digitisation process simultaneously.

Given the current situation, businesses are seeking options and solutions to stay in operation. As such, an RM10mil stimulus is allocated for potential merchants to join iSYNERGY’s universal retail loyalty program MY Smart Shopper (MSS) with free credits, where merchants will enjoy zero charges for a pre-set amount of MSS transactions depending on the merchant category.

Zoom Video Communications, Inc. recently announced robust security enhancements with the upcoming general availability of Zoom 5.0, adding support for AES 256-bit GCM encryption and providing increased protection for meeting data and resistance against tampering.

In related news, Zoom has acquired Keybase, a secure messaging and file-sharing service. New security features include:

To update your Zoom app to Zoom 5.0, please visit zoom.com/download

Mindvalley is here to offer on a global scale it’s teen-tailored online programme and it’s absolutely free, beginning 29th April. The 10-day free programme, known as “Be Extraordinary for Teens”, will take teenagers on a deep dive journey to find their life purpose. During the course, they will explore meditation, goal setting and life planning, and learn how to develop self esteem and a deep connection with their life purpose. The programme provides mentorship and guidance for them to achieve their goals and ‘be their best’, even at a young age in both their personal and academic lives.

Along with the launch of its free programme online for teens, Mindvalley is also deeply focusing on expanding it’s teen programmes by partnering with schools all over the world, with a vision of helping students shape their mindsets at a younger age, and to ultimately become more independent thinkers. The Mindvalley for Schools curriculum is specially designed for teenagers and students, and all ‘Quests’ are linked to special skills that teenagers may develop in and out of the classroom. This new type of learning is unlike conventional education, which is often more textbook-focused. Mindvalley programmes guide students on how to use their brains more effectively, improving memory retention, learning the power of their voice and speaking their truth, all whilst making important career and life decisions to guide them in achieving more in their academic and personal lives.

For information on Mindvalley for Schools, please visit their site.

A decorated pilot with dreams of running the Air Force, four-star general Mark R. Naird (Steve Carell) is thrown for a loop when he finds himself tapped to lead the newly formed sixth branch of the US Armed Forces: Space Force. Skeptical but dedicated, Mark uproots his family and moves to a remote base in Colorado where he and a colorful team of scientists and “Spacemen” are tasked by the White House with getting American boots on the moon (again) in a hurry and achieving total space dominance.

From co-creators Carell and Greg Daniels (The Office), SPACE FORCE  is a new kind of workplace comedy, where the stakes are sky high and the ambitions even higher. John Malkovich, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Ben Schwartz also star, alongside co-stars Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy O. Yang, Noah Emmerich, Alex Sparrow and Don Lake. Howard Klein/3Arts (The Office) serves as executive producer, as well. Check it out at www.netflix.com/SpaceForce.

Also to be watched on Netflix is a different perspective on the tale of King Arthur, this time from the woman destined to be the Lady in the Lake. Based on the New York Times bestselling book, Cursed is a re-imagination of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of Nimue, a young woman with a mysterious gift who is destined to become the powerful (and tragic) Lady of the Lake.

After her mother's death, she finds an unexpected partner in Arthur, a humble mercenary, in a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword. Over the course of her journey, Nimue will become a symbol of courage and rebellion against the terrifying Red Paladins, and their complicit King Uther. Cursed is a coming-of-age story whose themes are familiar to our own time: the obliteration of the natural world, religious terror, senseless war, and finding the courage to lead in the face of the impossible.

As social distancing measures become common and workers adjust to their new professional environments, even from their own living rooms, there is potential for private and working life to blur into one. In fact, half (51%) of those working from home who started to watch more adult content admit they did so on the same devices they use for work-related purposes. This is just one of the key findings from Kaspersky’s new How COVID-19 changed the way people work report.

The ‘new normal’ that workers are now facing is starting to have an impact on their work-life balance. Nearly a third (31%) of workers said they are spending more of their time working than they did before. However, 46% said they have increased the amount of time they spend on personal activity. This particular change may have come about because workers are now not having to commute or travel as much than they were before.

The report also revealed that it has become harder for workers to separate working and personal activity, especially when it comes to IT. Worryingly for businesses, 51% of workers who admit they have started watching more adult content since working from home, say they have done so on devices they use for work-related purposes. Nearly a fifth (18%) of workers even do this on devices provided to them by their employers, with 33% admitting to watching adult content on their personal devices that they also use to do their work.

Additionally, 55% of workers say they are reading more news now than they were before they started working from home. While this is understandable because people will want to stay updated with the latest coronavirus developments, 60% of this activity is done on devices that are used for work. This can though potentially lead to malware infections if employees do not pay attention to the resources and websites they visit.

Workers are also developing a habit of using their personal services for working purposes – increasing the potential risks from shadow IT, including the disclosure of sensitive information. For instance, 42% of employees use personal email accounts for work-related matters, and 49% admit their usage has increased when working from home. 38% use personal messengers that have not been approved by their IT departments, with 60% of them do it more often in their new circumstances.

To ensure businesses do all they can to keep their employees and corporate data safe, Kaspersky recommends employers follow these measures:

For workers and users at home who have to work from their personal devices, Kaspersky advises:

For more information about the impact working from home has had on workers and to read the report in full, visit their site.

Tune Protect Malaysia recently announced the Tune Protect Cares - COVID-19 Aid (COVID-19 Aid) – a RM1 million pledge  in the form of a compassionate pay-out that will be made available for their individual policyholders, employees, registered agents and their immediate family members.

The COVID-19 Aid is a compassionate pay-out of RM5,000 that is made available for individual policyholders of Tune Protect’s personal line protection plans, employees, registered agents as well as their immediate family members in the event of their untimely demise due to COVID-19. This compassionate pay-out takes immediate effect up to 31st December 2020, or until the pledged amount is fully exhausted, whichever comes first. For Tune Protect policyholders, all other existing coverages under their respective protection plan remain unchanged.

In March 2020, Tune Protect rolled out several relief measures under the ‘Tune Protect Cares - COVID-19 Support & Relief Measures’. It includes a sum of RM250 subsidy to cover the cost of the COVID-19 tests, without any additional premium, as well as coverage of treatment and hospital expenses incurred due to a COVID-19 infection within Malaysia for our individual medical plan policyholders. Tune Protect has also automatically extended the coverage for several of their personal insurance products that expire within the Movement Control Oder (MCO) period, so that customers are financially protected from any incidents during this period.

At an industry level, Tune Protect is also participating in the special COVID-19 Test Fund (CTF) of RM8 million which is jointly funded by the insurance and takaful companies through their respective industry associations. In support of the Ministry of Health’s efforts to conduct more COVID-19 tests, this special fund will cover the costs incurred for screening of up to RM 300 per person for medical plans policyholders and takaful certificate holders to undergo tests at private hospitals or laboratories.

For more information, please visit their site.

Yoodo, recently announced that their PUBG MOBILE esports team - Yoodo Gank clinched the top prize during the PUBG MOBILE Pro League (PMPL) 2020: Southeast Asia, walking away with the title of best in Southeast Asia.

The team gunned down the competition garnering a 284 points total and walking away with 170,000 in prize money. They will now represent Malaysia at the World League - going against the best teams from around the world for the ultimate crown.

The fifth season of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Professional League Malaysia and Singapore Season 5 (MPL-MY/SG S5), with Yoodo as its official digital telco, came to an end yesterday with Singapore's Resurgence taking the championship after beating Malaysia's Geek Fam 3-1 in the Grand Final of the Playoffs. Resurgence takes home US$25,000 (RM107,000) in prize money while their MPL-MY/SG veterans, Lim “ly4ly4ly4” Yang, Jason ‘Jason’ Koh Wei Hao and Ho “SynC” Ee Hong become the first-ever two-time MPL champions.

Happening over the Labour Day weekend from 1st - 3rd May 2020, eight of the best MLBB teams in Malaysia and Singapore battled it out for the top spot in the fifth season of Malaysia and Singapore’s premier MLBB championship. With Resurgence and Geek Fam bagging first and second place of MPL-MY/SG S5, the third and fourth spots went to Malaysia's Orange Esports Reborn and Singapore's defending champions EVOS SG respectively. The fifth and sixth place went to Team Bosskurr and Todak, while seventh and eighth went to Axis Esports and Team SMG.

In March 2020, Forkwell.io, a tech hiring platform created under Grooves, hosted an online hackathon to help find solutions using technology to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This competition saw participation from teams of data scientists and software developers from around the world. The top three teams, with a Malaysian team in first and third place, won prizes worth up to USD 4000 (around RM 17,000).

The two-week hackathon gathered 493 participants (88% were software developers and data scientists), 17 domain experts in virology, bioinformatics, AI and big data. Participants came from 32 different countries, making up 412 teams and contributed 91 submissions. The hackathon had tremendous support from Microsoft, Malaysia’s Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Sunway iLabs, Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) and Runcloud. The findings, analysis and outcomes of the hackathon will be shared by Forkwell.io with the Ministry of Health (MoH) to strengthen our fight against COVID-19, via avenues facilitated by MDEC.

The first winner was a one-man team called Co-Make. As the pandemic spreads, frontliners are at risk of being infected with COVID-19 as there is a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). As a result, community 3D manufacturers have been volunteering their 3D printing services to make some of the parts required to fabricate PPE. Co-Make created a platform which allows frontliners to request for PPE equipment such as face shields from this manufacturing community. 3D manufacturers are also able to raise donations from the public to purchase materials required to supply the safety equipment to the frontliners. Co-Make, also known as Louis Ong, even created a way to use augmented reality to personalize the experience.

The first runner up was team Eureka, with members from Sri Lanka, Australia and Indonesia. They developed a mobile app to keep users up to date with relevant statistics in addition to tracking their location. By tracking user location, they were able to automate the process of contact tracing, which is a method of identifying people who have been in close proximity to infected individuals. While this has been done manually until now, it has proven to be costly and inefficient for the rapidly spreading virus. Users are also able to view all confirmed coronavirus cases on a map, get access to latest statistics and news updates regarding COVID-19, and stand a chance to be rewarded for adhering to government quarantine regulations.

The third winner was team “TaoFuFa”, a group of artificial intelligence students from University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), who challenged the topic on drug discovery. The team used AI methods (Deep Learning and Genetic Algorithm) to allow a computer to generate drugs compositions that it thinks are suitable. They fed 45,000 samples of drug molecules then simulated them against the coronavirus. The results were fed into the computer to allow it to know what was suitable and fit. This could be revolutionary in the medicine world, as it enables automation towards drug finding. The time and personnel required for drug finding can be reduced significantly and also reduces the researchers' exposure to the virus, therefore it reduces risks while saving the world's precious talents.

The hackathon encouraged participants to team up, curate and share solutions aimed at effectively diagnosing and treating the coronavirus. They were able to make valuable contributions towards developing a better understanding of factors that impact the spread of COVID-19.

Governments and healthcare systems are working endlessly towards finding solutions to the disease, to protect their people and save the economy. However, the realization is that software developers and data scientists can contribute tools and solutions to help prevent, track or predict the virus in order to save lives.

Hexa Food’s IoT team has deployed Huawei’s ModelArts coupled with the intelligent device Atlas 500 to accurately identify the quality of the chilies it uses in spice blends. The AI can distinguish good chilies from bad, improving production efficiency and the quality of spices available to chefs and homes across Malaysia.

The quality of chilies determines the flavor of the spice blends that produce chili powder. Hexa Food believes that good spice blends can only be made from outstanding ingredients, so sorting raw materials is a priority for the company.

Hexa Food has been producing herbs, spices, and seasonings since 2007. Staff spend much of their time attempting to differentiate between good and bad chilies, selecting only the best ones to add to spice blends. However, sorting chilies like this is both labor- and time-intensive and, with subjectivity in the mix, leads to inconsistent quality.

To remain competitive, Hexa Food has already embarked on the digital transformation journey, setting up an online concept store and establishing an IoT team to study how to apply AI, big data, and IoT to intelligent production. The IoT team has built and trained a chili identification model on the ModelArts platform, with the Atlas 500 deployed at the edge. The Atlas 500’s image recognition technologies can quickly and accurately identify chili quality, distinguishing good from bad, and improving production efficiency and the quality of spice blends. The solution provides the following functions:

For Hexa Food, the AI distills human experience and the traditional recipes of Malaysia's unique food culture to ensure maximum quality. Currently, Hexa Food provides high-quality spices for customers such as Giant, Tesco, AEON BiG, LIFE, and MISSION, and as a result of its noted quality, recently won second place in Malaysia’s prestigious Enterprise 50 (E50) awards.

AI will continue to ensure that the company remains a major player in Malaysian cuisine.

Xiaomi’s worldwide smartphone shipments rose 9% year-over-year (YoY) in the first quarter of 2020 to 30.2 million units, maintaining its ranking at No. 4, according to the latest report by research body Canalys on May 1st. The YoY increase of Xiaomi is also the fastest among all major smartphone manufacturers across the world.

In the same period, the global shipments dropped 13% YoY to 272 million units due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, Xiaomi holds a cash reserve of RMB66 billion, (approx. RM40 billion / SGD13 billion) keeping a healthy and abundant cash flow. In the meantime, the company is continuously expanding into various financing channels to further vitalize its business operations.

Thanks for your continuous support of Xiaomi. #NoMiWithoutYou

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman or UTAR students are the latest beneficiaries of YTL Foundation’s Learn From Home Initiative. Like all other tertiary institutions in the country, its 23,000 students from its two campuses in Sungai Long and Kampar are currently having to attend lectures and complete assignments online whilst staying at home.

The university therefore approached YTL Foundation for assistance to help its students cope with remote online learning during the temporary closure of the university due to the Movement Control Order.

From today until 31 May 2020, students from UTAR can apply for the free Yes 4G prepaid SIM cards at www.ytlfoundation.org/utar. Each student is entitled to one free SIM card only. The SIM card will be delivered to the student’s address.

YTL Foundation also announced that the free Yes 4G SIM cards will soon be made available to students from New Era University College.

Parents with children in government schools and independent Chinese Secondary Schools as well as students in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) can also visit www.ytlfoundation.org/learn to apply for the free Yes 4G prepaid SIM cards and to register for the FrogPlay Mobile revision quiz app and lessons in English, Mathematics and Science for students from Standard 1 to Form 5. For regular updates on the initiative, check out their Facebook page.

When studying at home, sometimes the motivation to finish the project or reading assignment can remain elusive. This is why having the right tools and resources by your side is crucial to fostering productive studying experiences, no matter what learning stage you are at.

A universal trick for making the most out of your study time is to stay organized, and your Galaxy Tab1 can help you achieve that.

What makes Samsung’s range of tablets your perfect study companion is that they come with a variety of apps that can help you achieve your study goals. With Samsung Notes on your Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, you can take instant digital notes when listening to an online lecture or studying from a textbook, either using the keyboard or the intuitive handwriting capability of the S Pen. You can even instantly convert the text you have handwritten with your S Pen into typed text. For those sudden bursts of inspiration, just a single click of the S Pen’s body will open up a menu onscreen to let you create a new Note.

For those who prefer more creative methods of learning, you can make use of the wealth of study videos available on the YouTube app – Galaxy Tab S6 Lite users can even enjoy ad-free YouTube videos with four months of free YouTube Premium2. To help you stay on top of assignments, Galaxy tablets also support a full host of apps to keep you connected to your school emails and other notifications, and all your Samsung Notes can be exported as PDFs, JPEG images, text files or Microsoft Word documents for utmost convenience. Furthermore, for those who need that perfect playlist to stay productive, Samsung has partnered with Spotify so that you can make the most out of the app and all your favorite playlists while studying.

While learning from home does mean learning in comfort, it can make reaching out and asking a coursemate a question that little bit trickier. But with your Samsung device, you can set up a remote group study session with Google Duo to help keep everyone motivated.

Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy S20 users can enjoy an optimized Google Duo experience when studying remotely with others. As well as having Google Duo integrated straight into their device’s dialing menus, Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy S20 users can enjoy, for the first time ever, FHD quality on their video calls with up to eleven other users at once – bringing the study room experience straight to your smartphone.

With voice-only or video call functionality, the options are wide open when you are looking to create a group to study with – or just to hang out with. Thanks to the wide-angle mode on the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip, you’ll always be able to get everyone in the frame.

There is no age limit to learning. Young or old, everyone needs to be constantly stimulated when at home. For those younger members of your household, your Galaxy device comes with a specially designed interface to keep them entertained and curious on your terms: Samsung Kids.

By sliding down the Quick Panel on your device, you can easily redirect to Samsung Kids. The password that you set up when first using the app also prevents over-curious little users from exiting back to the main tablet menu without your knowledge3. Samsung Kids provides access to a range of learning apps, all packaged in a child-friendly UX so that they can easily explore, learn and get creative.

With apps such as My Art Studio, Lisa’s Music Band and Crocro’s Friend Village, children are guided by fun characters that also impart important lessons, such as the importance of brushing your teeth. With apps like My Browser and My Phone that offer features a mobile device normally would,  you have full control over what content your child can access, and a pin-protected Parental control mode accessible at the top right corner of the app lets users monitor activity, screen time and even set activity locks or time limits.

Samsung Kids provides children with all the benefits of a connected, multifaceted mobile device with all the safety you want for your children. Samsung Kids is available across all Samsung smartphones and tablet devices, meaning any Galaxy user can harness its easy functionality for learning as well as playing – all from the comfort of your own home.

With its helpful range of connectivity, communication and productivity features, your Galaxy device can help make your home learning sessions as valuable – and as enjoyable – as possible

For more information, visit www.samsungmobilepress.com, news.samsung.com/galaxy or www.samsung.com/my.

Thanks for reading folks. As always, if you think your brand or PR should be included in the next TechNave NewsBytes 2020, do let us know. All the best and stay tuned to TechNave.com


TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #12 - Maxis Hari Raya, Celcom, Samsung Tips, Digi CXO, Google AR in Search, Shopee, HP Foundation, Micron, Kaspersky, Epson, Fave + Facebook, Snapchat, 5 ways Huawei P40, Boost, AMD, Special: LG OLED TV and Netflix

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri folks, this TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #12, Maxis have a new twist to their Hari Raya campaign while Celcom are also offering free essentials for Raya as well. Digi are looking for their new CXO Apprentices, Google wants you to try Augmented Reality or AR in Search while Shopee weighs in on the New Norm. HP Foundation is also offering COVID-19 help, Micron announces new value SSDs and Kaspersky reveals more interesting security facts.

Epson projectors maintain their #1 position while Fave and Facebook are offering eGift cards to help businesses during this MCO. Snapchat has come out with new lenses while Huawei revealed 5 ways to stay cool with the Huawei P40 series.

Boost is also offering some more help for merchants during the CMCO while AMD is being used in NVIDIA’s latest supercomputer setup. This time around we have a Special from LG OLED TVs and their Top Netflix to watch for those stuck at home.

Even in the face of adversity, there is nothing that can break the festive spirit of Malaysians. This Raya, Maxis reminds us of this spirit of celebrating the perfect Hari Raya with the launch of its full campaign film. The film combines its first ever 8D Audio film launched earlier this week, called Suasana Syawal Sempurna featuring the voice of young Haziq, with scenes of real-life Malaysian festive stories from the past and present.

The images in the film, now accompanying the 8D Audio narrative, show that Malaysians have experienced imperfect Hari Raya circumstances before – from natural disasters and distanced loved ones, to underprivileged and unexpected locations – yet have had joyous, perfect celebrations.

Maxis is also aggregating positive, real-life Malaysian stories during this Raya period, in collaboration with our media partners, to be featured on the Raya campaign’s microsite as a source of daily inspiration. The amplification of these stories are a reminder of the tenacity and spirit that is within all of us even in challenging times, and that we can celebrate Raya with a full heart because #RayaTetapRaya.

Joining forces with Astro and other partners, Maxis also helped distribute 9,000 packets of Bubur Lambuk to frontliners and communities in need across locations in Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley to keep Ramadan traditions going during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).

For more information, visit www.maxis.com.my/rayatetapraya #RayaTetapRaya

Celcom Axiata Berhad’s (Celcom) dedicated effort to support all Malaysians during the COVID-19 pandemic continues with a unique opportunity for customers to win one-year free groceries from a cash pool worth RM500,000! During this year’s holy month of Ramadan and upcoming Aidilfitri, Malaysians can celebrate these special festivities differently, creatively and gain more with Celcom as the telco offers a unique chance to win daily essentials for free!

Beginning 12 May 2020 until 31 July 2020, all Celcom Xpax prepaid and eligible Celcom postpaid customers can stand a chance to win ONE-YEAR FREE GROCERIES from a total of RM500,000 worth of groceries to be given away.

To participate and earn entries, Celcom customers simply need to conduct transactions such as purchase Internet passes, register for a new plan, pay bills and many more. These transactions may be conducted online or at any Celcom bluecube outlet and Celcom certified partners. Throughout the contest period, the more transactions customers perform on their active accounts, the higher their chances are of winning.

To ensure winners have total freedom in redeeming groceries nationwide, winners will receive Boost e-wallet credits in their Boost accounts. Weekly winners will enjoy RM100 worth of grocery credit and one-year winners will receive RM1,000 grocery credit for 12 consecutive months, within the Boost App.

Celcom customers are able to check their accumulated entries via Celcom Life app. Winners will be determined based on the entries collected every week (Monday to Sunday) for One Week Prizes and every month (May, June and July) for the One Year Prizes. The list of winners will be announced at Celcom’s Raya campaign page or notified via Celcom Life app.

Furthermore, celebrating the festive spirit of Ramadan and Raya, all Celcom customers can continue to enjoy FREE Unlimited access to WhatsApp until 30 June 2020, and the ability of working from home with free unlimited access to Microsoft Office 365 applications until 9 June 2020 respectively. In addition, starting 12 May until 30 June 2020, Celcom customers can also enjoy FREE unlimited access to MuslimPro, an Islamic mobile app with accurate prayer time, azan clock, full audio Quran, Halal restaurants & Mosques guide, Qibla locator, Islamic Hijri calendar, etc. MuslimPro is available on the App Store (iPhone), Google Play (Android), BlackBerry World and website at www.muslimpro.com.

Idham Nawawi, Chief Executive Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad said as Malaysians are adjusting and coping through these challenging times, Celcom offers its customers with more exciting and unique opportunities for them to celebrate this Ramadan and Raya differently and creatively.

Celcom will be making more announcements in the coming days, and customers can visit their website at www.celcom.com.my or Celcom’s Facebook and Twitter, for the latest updates and offerings.

Just as thorough hand-washing and other hygienic practices have become key aspects of our daily lives, keeping our smartphones clean should also form a key part of our self-sanitation routines – given how much we interact with our mobile devices.

Here are some of Samsung’s suggestions on how you can continue to use your smartphone and stay hygienic:

Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (Digi) is calling for digitally-savvy and innovative young Malaysians to join its exclusive annual CXO Apprentice Programme.

Now in its fifth year, the programme is designed to inspire the next generation of leaders by empowering them with a unique and transformative experience of being mentored directly by Chief Officers (CXOs), while working at a leading and progressive digital company.

A handful of young Malaysians will be selected for a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity to be tagged as an Apprentice to one of Digi’s eight CXOs for a year, namely the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Business Officer, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Chief Human Resource Officer and Chief Digital Officer.

Throughout the programme, the Apprentices will get unprecedented exposure as they shadow and are mentored by the CXOs, having front-row seats to high-level decision-making. Along with it will be plenty of opportunities to participate in high-impact projects across different business areas, providing them an accelerated journey of learning and personal growth, as well as an in-depth understanding of Digi’s purpose, strategy and way of work. Upon completion of the programme, Apprentices can look forward to getting a placement within the company based on their interests, skills and expertise.

The Apprentices will be selected via a robust digital-based assessment process, including the first virtual assessment centre. The new virtual assessment tools are designed to incorporate elements of teamwork and competition to bring out different strengths of the candidates, while also giving them the platform to showcase what they can do independently.

The comprehensive assessment process aims to evaluate a candidate’s interpersonal skills, personality and cognitive abilities, which will then help the recruiters in assigning them to the right mentor and projects based on their strengths.

Digi welcomes individuals from all backgrounds and degrees, as the company believes in having diversity of thoughts within its workforce, in order to address the needs of its diverse 11 million customer base. A minimum CGPA score is not a requirement for this programme as Digi values strengths in other experiences such as extracurricular activities that contribute to shaping well-rounded competencies and personalities. All in all, an outstanding candidate is recognised by the attitude, confidence, energy and drive that he or she brings to the table.

Throughout the years, graduating CXO apprentices have been moved into key roles within the company, with several citing their experiences in the programme as having a positive impact on them as individuals and employees.

Digi CXO Apprentice Year Five 2020 Key Dates

For more on Digi CXO Apprentice Programme and to apply, visit www.digi.my/cxoapprentice.

Augmented reality (AR) in Search lets you bring 3D objects and animals into your space so you can turn your living room into a virtual zoo, explore the Apollo 11 spacecraft up close, or take a picture with Santa. We love seeing how much fun families are having with this experience at home. AR in Search can also help you discover and explore new concepts. Here are a few new ways you can use AR (and a little imagination) to learn at home.

It’s one thing to read about the human heart, and another to see one up close to understand how it pumps blood to provide oxygen. We’re partnering with BioDigital so that you can explore 11 human body systems with AR in Search on mobile. Search for circulatory system and tap “View in 3D” to see a heart up close or look up skeletal system to trace the bones in the human body and see how they connect. Read labels on each body part to learn more about it or view life-size images in AR to better understand its scale.

Seeing is often understanding. But tiny organisms, like cells, are hard to visualize unless you can magnify them to understand what’s inside. We’ve partnered with Visible Body to create AR models of animal, plant and bacteria cells, including some of their key organelles. Search for animal cells and zoom into its nucleus to see how it stores DNA or search for mitochondria to learn what’s inside it. With AR, you can bring a 3D cell into your space to rotate it, zoom in and view details about its different components.

Many museums may be closed right now, but with Google Arts & Culture and institutions like the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, you can turn your home into one using AR. Search for Apollo 11 on your phone to see its command module in 3D, look up Neil Armstrong to get a life-size view of his spacesuit, or step inside the Chauvet Cave to get an up-close look at some of the world's oldest known cave paintings, which are usually closed off to the public.

To help you quickly explore related content, we’re rolling out a new carousel format on Android, as well as a recording option to share social-worthy AR videos with friends and family.

We hope that you enjoy exploring all of these 3D and AR experiences on Google. Tag us on social with #Google3D and let us know how you’re using AR to learn and explore new things in your home. We can’t wait to hear where your imagination takes you next!

Over 32 million Malaysians are affected by the Movement Control Order (MCO) introduced on March 18 in a quest to control the spread of COVID-19. This directive has brought about a new normal even in the world of retailing that according to Shopee, is here to stay. With consumers fully embracing e-commerce, businesses across industries are seen to be pushing boundaries and accelerating their digital presence.

Shopee has observed new shopping preferences among Malaysian consumers as e-commerce becomes more important in their everyday lives. Consumers are spending an average of 20% more time on Shopee a week, reflecting an increasing reliance on e-commerce, which provides users one-stop access to everything, including entertainment. Groceries and Pets, Gaming and Consoles, and Home Appliances are highly sought after by consumers as they search for daily essentials, household necessities and games for the family to enjoy together at home. Brands and sellers have benefited from this increased demand, with those offering instant food and baking supplies recording 60 times more orders respectively than the same period last year.

In recent months, shopping activities on Mondays & Tuesdays have increased - showcasing the preference among Malaysians to shop earlier in the week. Shopee has also seen an increase in social interactions on its platform with over 3 million messages sent daily on average as consumers interact directly with brands and sellers to check on prices, stocks, delivery speed and more.

The current situation has also compelled businesses to explore new strategies to engage with consumers and continue facilitating trade. This has not only led to strong e-commerce adoption amongst local SMEs but has also unlocked new market segments for the e-commerce industry.

New potential: For instance, selling and buying fresh produce such as fish, chicken, beef and even durians on e-commerce platforms was almost non-existent just as recent as last year. However, in April alone, some 1,000 fresh and frozen sellers, including farmers and fishermen, started selling on Shopee. Shopee found that many of the sellers that offer a strong enough assortment of more than 20 types of products in their stores could generate monthly sales of up to RM100,000.

Personalising virtual connection: Shopee has also observed that the number of Shopee Live streams from brands and sellers have increased by 70 times since the virus outbreak as they look for a more personal approach to connect to consumers virtually. A new-to-Shopee seller, Deep Sea Fishery Kingdom sold RM1,200 worth of seafood in minutes during its first-ever live stream. Shopee expects the trend to sell and buy via live streaming will gain greater popularity as witnessed in countries like China.

Digital bazaars: The cancellation of Ramadan bazaars have affected the income of thousands of micro traders who depend on these bazaars to make a living. To help them sustain their incomes and livelihoods, several State Governments such as Selangor and Perak have commissioned Shopee to bring these sellers online to market products including Raya cookies and snacks, baju Raya and home decoration items via dedicated microsites. These initiatives include the Selangor E-Bazar Raya and Raya bersama PKNS, as well as the S.M.A.R.T [email protected]

Seizing opportunities: Additionally, the RM15 million Shopee Seller Support Package that provides support in funding, subsidies, education and marketing to boost sales, reduce operational costs and facilitate sustainable growth have seen to greatly benefit the business community. The Package has attracted the participation of more than 70,000 local businesses from micro, small, and medium to even large enterprises and corporations be it from the fast-moving consumer goods sector to fashion and apparel, electronics and more. This signals the swift response by the seller community to the available options that would help sustain their businesses. Contrary to the belief that all is bleak, these businesses are seen to be enjoying an uplift to their store’s performance even during the MCO.

The HP Foundation has contributed RM2.17million (USD 500,000) to Mercy Malaysia’s Covid-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to support the nation in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is part of the wider efforts supporting the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) and bolster initiatives already provided by HP Inc. to ensure the safety and health of Malaysians.

The donation will be used primarily to pilot targeted mass COVID-19 testing programmes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), measures to find, isolate, test, treat and trace are not only the best and fastest way out of extreme social and economic restrictions (during Covid-19), they are also the best way to prevent them[1]. The pilot programme will be targeted at testing for high risk and vulnerable communities nationwide including rural populations and newly identified clusters.

Funds will also be channeled towards the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers and hospitals responding to COVID-19 and the provision of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). These will benefit frontline workers nationwide as well as to children and families affected by COVID-19.

To date, HP and HP Foundation have donated an estimated USD 8 million in products and grants to support blended learning and local communities impacted by COVID-19 worldwide. The HP Foundation has contributed USD 3 million in grants; USD 1 million to support affected communities with critical medical supplies, and an additional USD 2 million in grants for COVID-19 relief.

The HP Foundation is focused on devoting significant resources to support community response efforts and will be working with both global and local partners to prioritize actions that will have the greatest impact. It will also direct students to the free courses on HP LIFE tied to business skills, marketing and entrepreneurship and match up to USD 4 million this year in HP employee donations to any eligible charity.

Micron Technology, Inc. recently announced new client solid-state drives (SSDs) that bring NVMe performance to client computing applications, freeing laptops, workstations and other portables from legacy architectures that can rob devices of battery power, performance and productivity. The Micron® 2300 SSD combines the power and density needed to drive compute-heavy applications in a compact form factor with the reduced power consumption modern mobile users demand. For the first time, Micron brings together NVMe performance and low-cost quad-level-cell (QLC) NAND in the Micron® 2210 QLC SSD. It combines fast NVMe throughput and Micron’s leadership in QLC technology to offer flash capabilities at hard disk drive-like price points while reducing power consumption by 15 times when compared to hard drives.

Both SSDs are built on Micron’s innovative 96-layer 3D NAND technology to deliver power savings, right-sized capacity and compact form factors that enable flexible designs.3 They also deliver enhanced client security features and capabilities for protecting data, with TCG Opal 2.0 and TCG Pyrite 2.0 support.

The Micron 2300 SSD is designed for applications that demand high performance and industry-leading capacities in the popular M.2 form factor. Features include the ability to:

The Micron 2210 SSD bridges the gap between the low cost of hard disk drives and the performance, reliability, low power and security of SSDs. It uses high-density, cost-efficient QLC architecture that Micron first brought to the data center. Features include the ability to:

Both products are available now. To learn more, visit https://www.micron.com/client-ssd.

Based on the latest statistics from Kaspersky, the first three months of 2020 proved to be busy for cybercriminals targeting small and medium businesses (SMBs) in Southeast Asia (SEA). The global cybersecurity company’s Anti-Phishing System prevented 834,993 phishing attempts against companies with 50-250 employees, a 56% increase compared with the same period last year with just over 500k fraudulent attempts blocked.

The rating of organisations targeted by phishing attacks is based on the triggering of the heuristic component in the Anti-Phishing system on user computers. This component detects all instances when the user tries to follow a link in an e-mail or on the Internet to a phishing page in cases when such link has yet to be added to Kaspersky’s databases. The statistics mentioned are analysed from Kaspersky’s solutions for SMBs operating with Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

Phishing is one of the most flexible types of social engineering attack, as it can be disguised in many ways and used for different purposes. Social engineering attacks, or tricking the mind, exploit human emotions to victimise users online. Cybercriminals are also incorporating topics and “hot phrases” related to COVID-19 into their content, boosting the chances of their infected links or malicious attachments getting opened.

The damage of this online crime ranges from hacked companies’ networks to stolen confidential data like personally identifiable information (PII), financial credentials, and even corporate secrets. Aside from this, it is known that phishing attacks, particularly those with malicious link or attachment, are popularly used as launch pads for targeted attacks on organisations, such as the case of the $81M Bangladesh Bank Heist.

In terms of per country statistics, all of the six countries in SEA registered an increased number of fraudulent emails blocked by Kaspersky in Q1 2020 as compared with the same period last year.

Epson has been named the number one projector brand in Malaysia and SE Asia, as well as worldwide by Futuresource Consulting, having held the leadership position for 19 consecutive years. The milestone reflects Epson’s continued market leadership and constant innovation in the visual imaging industry.

Epson’s worldwide market share for projectors have increased consistently over the last 19 years to maintain its continued dominance. The latest findings from Futuresource indicate that Epson continues to dominate the Malaysia market as the number one brand, with 54.5% market share for projectors 500 lumens and above for 2019, an increase from 49.3% in 2018.

Within Southeast Asia, Epson continues to maintain market leadership, with market share increasing to 44.4% in 2019 from 37% in 2018. Globally, Epson has the largest market share worldwide for projectors, at 41.4% for 2019, which is an increase from 37.4% in 2018. Likewise for the home projectors segment, in 2019, Epson has achieved the largest market share worldwide at a remarkable 35%.

A key factor to Epson’s continued dominance is in its continuous innovation. New launches in Southeast Asia include the launch of its new retail, education, corporate and home projectors, including the EB-U50/EB-W50 for digital signage applications, the EB-1485Fi ultrashort throw interactive laser projector and the EB-1070U/1060U series of business projectors respectively. The launch of its home cinema projectors, the EF-100 series, EH-TW7000 and EB-LS500 contributed to its growth in the home projector segment.

At the heart of Epson’s projectors is its proprietary 3LCD technology, which enables Epson projectors to deliver the most vibrant and true-to-life images with up to 3 times higher colour brightness compared to 1-chip DLP projectors in the market. In contrast to 3-chip 3LCD projectors, 1-chip DLP projectors use a rotating color wheel that spins at a rapid speed, only displaying colors sequentially, which can result in color break-up or the “rainbow effect”.

Fave recently announced that it has launched a new partnership with Facebook to help local businesses in Malaysia affected by COVID-19. The partnership will see both Facebook and Instagram platforms promote Fave's assortment of digital gift cards (eCards) local from local businesses operating under the current Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) measures to social media users. Among the businesses expected to benefit from this new initiative are retail and hospitality, as well as the food and beverage (F&B) sectors.

From 12 May 2020, Malaysians will be able to access to purchase or gift Fave's eCards from participating businesses through a "Support Local Businesses" banner on their Facebook feeds. This will enable local businesses to benefit from a meaningful contribution to their income during the ongoing pandemic. With local businesses forming the backbone of Malaysia's economy, the custom-branded eCards brought by Fave onto Facebook's platform provides an instant and cost-effective collaboration to generate critical revenue for businesses affected during the pandemic. Participating local businesses will also be able to add an eCard sticker with a link to their eCard campaign page on Fave's platform to their Instagram Stories to encourage their followers to support the initiative.

Facebook has been a critical driver for local business growth in Malaysia. According to Facebook, 87 million users from around the world are connected to a business page on Facebook in Malaysia, presenting a myriad of business opportunities for Malaysian businesses. While the majority of small businesses are still witnessing widespread COVID-19 disruption, over 500 local businesses such as Ipoh Ais Kopi, Jom Laksa, Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul and TBM - Your Neighbourhood Electrical Store have made the transition towards digitalisation with positive results to their bottom line.

In April 2020, Fave launched its 'Save Our Fave' campaign to support local businesses that were experiencing 30-day cash flow constraints or had witnessed a drastic drop in their incomes. The campaign's objective was to keep local businesses afloat and rally consumers to support them by purchasing an eCard. Fave had absorbed all payment fees and ceased commissions until the end of May for eCards to ensure 100% of the revenue that consumers paid went directly to the businesses to support their recovery during the pandemic.

To ease the process of digitalisation, Fave has launched a self-serving application process on its FaveBiz platform, enabling local businesses to have their eCards up and running in less than five minutes. This streamlines and accelerates their approach towards getting started on converting Malaysian consumers into loyal customers while reaping the benefits of the collaboration between Facebook and Fave.

The upcoming Hari Raya celebrations will be marked by social distancing and smaller gatherings as we adapt to the new normal. Though the usual ways of greeting, celebrating, and exchanging well wishes have changed, reflecting on the Holy Month of Ramadan and the spirit of Hari Raya must continue. One way of staying socially connected though physically apart is via Snapchat!

Celebrate virtually by using Snapchat’s festive AR Lenses and Bitmojis to share creative and personalized greetings with your close friends and family. Once you’ve had your fill of Raya goodies, try to ‘Guess The Sentence’ with a special Lens created by Malaysia’s first Snapchat Official Lens Creator, ExAR! Challenge your friends to see who guesses it right!

While, you’re on Snapchat why not use the following Bitmojis to enhance your conversations during this time:

To get started, download Snapchat and Bitmoji for iOS or Android to try out the Lenses and Bitmojis!

Listen to HUAWEI’s catchy Raya jingle “HUAWEI Di Hati”, featuring prominent Malaysian celebrities such as Wany Hasrita, Hael Husaini, and Naim Daniel.

With travel restrictions still in place, many Malaysians would have to celebrate Hari Raya away from their hometowns this year. However, thanks to HUAWEI’s innovative solutions, you can have your loved ones near you and celebrate Raya together despite the geographical distances. All you need is a HUAWEI P40 Series smartphone.

Here are five ways you can stay connected this Raya, while enjoying the seamless and powerful performance that the HUAWEI P40 Series has to offer – the best in smartphone photography and connectivity:

The technology allows users to play graphic-intensive games for hours on your P40 Series smartphone without it overheating.

Unlock the full potential of your P40 Series smartphone with HUAWEI’s AppGallery which now contains the most of Malaysians’ frequently used apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat, Netflix, Instagram, AirAsia, TikTok, Lazada, and more. The AppGallery is also safe, as it is fortified with four layers of protection that have been certified by the highest industry standards. Users can save more storage by just using the Quick Apps to open the apps you want without installing it.

Don’t wait to get your hands on a brand-new HUAWEI P40 Series – the best in smartphone photography and connectivity. Make your purchase today and enjoy freebies such as the HUAWEI CP39S SuperCharge Wireless Car Charger (For P40 Pro)/ HUAWEI P40 Wireless Charging Case (For P40), 1-year extended warranty and 1-month screen crack protection, 50GB of HUAWEI Cloud storage, and 3-months free HUAWEI Video premium subscription.

You can make your purchase via the HUAWEI Express VIP Delivery.

The COVID-19 health crisis has been very tough on businesses especially SMEs and micro-businesses. With the movement restrictions in place since the Government’s Movement Control Order (MCO) came into effect to contain the spread of the coronavirus, many micro- and small-business owners who run cash-based businesses faced the risk of shuttering due to the sudden drastic drop in customers as well as customers choosing to go cashless and limiting the use of bank notes as they sought cleaner and safer ways to transact.

To help micro- and small- cash-based businesses remain operating, homegrown and leading lifestyle e-wallet Boost has introduced the ‘Boost Payment Link’ – a low cost and accessible contactless solution for merchants. The payment link allows merchants to easily send their customers a payment link via any messaging app such as email, SMS or WhatsApp and receive payments conveniently anytime, anywhere. Customers can seamlessly make payments through the link without physically scanning a QR code. Merchants are also able to eliminate the need to invest in a Point-of-Sale (POS) or payment terminal, which can be costly or have a static QR code to accept payments.

This new feature from Boost allows traditional cash-based businesses to receive orders and payments online upfront before delivering their goods or services. It is effective for all types of retail businesses but would typically be useful for F&B as well as small grocery- or convenience stores during this CMCO period where customers are becoming more accustomed to ordering online and expecting home delivery services from the merchant.

The ‘Boost Payment Link’ is available for all Boost merchants via their Boost Business Account. The payment link is found on the profile page. To share the payment link with customers, merchants have to click ‘Share My Business Payment Link’, enter the total amount customers are required to pay and then select which email or messaging app to share the link with the customer. Lastly, all customers have to do is click on the payment link received to make payment via Boost.

Businesses who wish to sign up to be a Boost Merchant can do so by visiting https://www.myboost.com.my/business/, fill up the form on the homepage and a Boost representative will be in touch to help with the signing up process.

AMD recently demonstrated continued momentum in high performance computing, with NVIDIA’s announcement that 2nd Generation AMD EPYC™ 7742 processors will power their new DGX A100 dedicated AI and Machine Learning system. The new generation of AMD EPYC processors, along with AMD Radeon™ Instinct™ GPUs, will also power the world’s fastest two exascale-class supercomputers, Frontier and El Capitan.

Each DGX A100 will feature dual 2nd Gen AMD EPYC™ 7742 processors, for a total of 128 cores, running at 2.25 GHz (base), 3.4 GHz (max boost). 2nd Gen AMD EPYC processors are the first and only current x86-architecture server processor supporting PCIe 4.0, providing up to 128 lanes of I/O, per processor for high performance computing and connections to other devices like GPUs.

In addition to the DGX-A100 systems, AMD EPYC processors are powering supercomputers around the world.

While the current situation does put our outdoor plans on a quick setback, it does not mean we cannot create our own fun time with our families. Sipping your hot chocolate (tea or coffee – whichever suits you best) with your loved ones by your side all snuggled together for warmth and comfort as you reminisce old memories.

Now, doesn’t that sound nice? So, how can we make the most of being inside our homes?

Though your passport may need to stay locked in the drawer (for now), staycations are loved for a reason. While they usually involve moving to a location outside of your home within your city, there’s a way to bring that vacation mode to your home even without leaving.

While the list of things you can do at home is practically endless, our favourite thing-to-do is to have a streaming marathon of all our favourite shows on Netflix!

Here’s our top 10 picks for a streaming marathon on Netflix, in no particular order!

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, also known simply as K3G is one of the most celebrated Bollywood movies to date. Featuring a star-studded cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor, the tear-jerker tells the story of an Indian family that faces troubles and misunderstandings over their adopted son's marriage to a girl belonging to a lower socio-economic group.

Shah Rukh Khan? Check. Catchy songs and dance moves? You got it. Scenes that require boxes of tissue by your side? Definitely. Don’t mind the 3-hour long movie duration, time goes on pretty fast nowadays.

Of course, we have not forgotten our beloved K-Drama fans! Hyun Bin fans, make some noise! The Paris Hilton of South Korea meets an elite North Korean military officer — it’s an unlikely pairing if there ever was one, but Ri Jeong Hyeok (Hyun Bin) is all Yun Se-ri (Son Ye-Jin) has in this mysterious country, and love blooms in the most unexpected places.

The South Korean drama made its debut on Netflix on 14 December, 2019 to overwhelming response from viewers. At time of writing, it is the #2 most watched drama on Netflix. No surprises there, coming from the second-highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history.

Every time I see the image above, I can’t shake off the theme song ‘I’ll Be There For You’ by The Rembrandts from my mind. While the show ended well over 16 years ago, Friends has left a major impact to television – and of course, pop culture.

An award-winning American sitcom television series, the original idea by David Crane and Marta Kauffman is named one of The Best Written TV Series of All Time. If you’re still having doubts about their success, the final episode, which aired on May 6, 2004 raked in 52.5 million domestic viewers, making it the fifth most-watched series finale in television history, and the most-watched television episode of the 2000s.

In a kingdom defeated by corruption and famine, a mysterious plague spreads to turn the infected into monsters. The crown prince, framed for treason and desperate to save his people, sets out on a journey to unveil what evil lurks in the dark.

A 2019 South Korean political period horror thriller web television series written by Kim Eun-Hee and directed by Kim Seong-Hun, Kingdom is Netflix’s first original Korean series. The series, which premiered on January 25, 2019 was adapted from the webcomic series The Kingdom of the Gods.

Upon its release, Kingdom gained favourable reviews from audience and generated a large fanbase, allowing Netflix to renew the drama series for a second season which aired on March 13, 2020.

Of course, watching Kingdom is made much, much better with a TV that brings every colour, every scene to life. A self-emissive display technology, LG OLED TV possess the ability to produce true black, an infinite contrast ratio and dazzlingly real colors.

Allowing the latest blockbuster films and hit series will look astonishingly realistic on LG OLED TV with inky-black shadows and vibrant hues that brings three-dimensionality to the characters and places on screen, now you can enjoy Kingdom with an added sense of realism and blur-free motion when during the action scenes.

You can’t have a Netflix streaming marathon without Gossip Girl – that’s just wrong. As our one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite, the American teen drama series revolves around Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and her ultimate frenemy Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) as they navigate through high school, college and life with dramas at every turn.

Based on the book series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar, this award-winning drama aired for six seasons, with a sequel series – headed by the original creators – set to be released sometime this year (or next, I don’t know – that’s one secret they’ll never tell).

Face it: whether you love it or hate it, Gossip Girl is an integral part of pop culture – one that has helped shaped today’s teen drama series.

Regardless of when they are airing the show, we can always take a trip down memory lane and binge-watch Season 1 to 6 on Netflix. See you there Upper East siders, XOXO.

Real-life married couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski working together in one movie? Umm, YES PLEASE!

An American science fiction horror film, A Quiet Place revolves around a father (John Krasinski) and a mother (Emily Blunt) who struggle to survive and raise their children in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by blind extra-terrestrial creatures with an acute sense of hearing.

The movie premiered in cinemas in 2018 to a major box office success, raking in USD340 million worldwide. It also collected several awards along the way, namely the Golden Globe and SAG Awards.

A little piece of advice, if you’re planning to watch this, be sure to keep quiet because if they hear you, they hunt you.

Among the eccentrics and cult personalities in the stranger-than-fiction world of big cat owners, few stand out more than Joe Exotic, a mulleted, gun-toting polygamist and country western singer who presides over an Oklahoma roadside zoo. Charismatic but misguided, Joe and an unbelievable cast of characters including drug kingpins, conmen, and cult leaders all share a passion for big cats, and the status and attention their dangerous menageries garner. But things take a dark turn when Carole Baskin, an animal activist and owner of a big cat sanctuary, threatens to put them out of business and reveals a twisted tale where the only thing more dangerous than a big cat is its owner.

A Netflix-exclusive series, The Witcher is an American fantasy drama series based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as "The Continent", The Witcher explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia and princess Ciri, who are linked by destiny to each other. It stars Henry Cavill, Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra. While the first season wrapped up in 2019, the second eight-episode season is set to be released in 2021; production was scheduled to commence in London in early 2020.

Do you know, the latest line-up of LG OLED TVs also support Dolby Vision IQ, which extends the benefits of Dolby Vision beyond HDR by intelligently optimizing picture quality regardless of ambient light or content type – all without users having to pick up the remote. Thanks to Dolby Vision IQ, intensely dark scenes in atmospheric shows such as The Witcher can be seen exactly as their creators intended, whether it is 1:00 in the afternoon or 1:00 in the morning.

A docuseries produced by popular news site Vox that started airing in 2018, Explained investigates a diverse range of topics, form the light-hearted (K-pop, eSports) to the serious (the world’s water crisis, gender pay inequality). At only 15 to 20 minutes long, each entertaining episode offers enough detail to leave you feeling more informed about the world we live in.

So when you’re all ready for some time away from your usual daily grind, always remember, there’s no place like home. And when it comes to getting out of this world viewing experience, there’s no other TV like LG OLED TV. With unmatched contrast, pure blacks and all the colors of nature – not to mention support for the latest HDR formats – LG OLED TV will elevate content of any genre.

Loosely based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson, the plot alternates between two timelines, following five adult siblings whose paranormal experiences at Hill House continue to haunt them in the present day, and flashbacks depicting events leading up to the eventful night in 1992 when the family fled from the mansion. The ensemble cast features Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, and Victoria Pedretti as the adult counterparts of the siblings.

The series premiered on Netflix on October 12, 2018. The Haunting of Hill House received critical acclaim, particularly for its acting, directing and production values, with many calling it an "effective ghost story". A second season with a different story and characters titled The Haunting of Bly Manor, based on the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, is set to be released in 2020.

LG OLED TV supports all major HDR formats including Dolby Vision®, and offering spectacular sound quality via Dolby ATMOS®, LG OLED TVs provide you with next-level immersive viewing experiences for your staycation. Kn