DOSM: 4.5 percent of Malaysian households don’t have internet access

The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) had recently revealed the findings of its ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households Survey Report. According to the report, the percentage of households that have access to internet has increased to 95.5 percent in 2021 compared to 91.7 percent the year before.

Besides that, the survey also found that access to mobile phones have also increased to 99.6 percent from 98.6 percent in 2020. Furthermore, access to computers have also increased to 88.3 percent in 2021 from 77.6 percent the year before.

DOSM Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said that the implementation of the survey after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic suggested that the internet usage among Malaysian aged 15 and above increased significantly to 96.8 per cent in 2021 compared to 89.6 per cent in 2020. This can be attributed to Home-Based Teaching and Learning (PdPR) that was ongoing during the survey’s period.

Speaking of which, Bernama reported that the survey was conducted from September to November 2021, after the reopening of selected economic activities in September 2021 and full opening in October 2021. The survey also found that the most popular internet activities in Malaysia in 2021 were participating in social networks.

This was followed by a significant increase in the services related to learning activities, civics and politics, e-health, e-government, e-commerce, and entertainment. The percentage of Malaysians posting opinions or voting regarding civics and politics also increased to 41.2 per cent in 2021 from 23.5 per cent in the previous year.

Other notable findings from the survey include the increase of internet banking usage to 70.5 percent from 61.9 percent and e-government platforms usage increased from 32.5 percent to 51.9 percent. However, the biggest increase has got to be online shopping via e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada which saw an increase from 45 percent to 64.7 percent in 2021.

What do you guys think of this latest statistics by DOSM? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for all the latest trending tech news.


DSC World Sdn Bhd appointed by DJI as an official distributor in Malaysia

Emcee Nadia and the DJI Matrice 600 beside her

Today, the world's premier drone company, DJI has appointed DSC World Sdn Bhd as one of their official distributors in Malaysia to distribute their drone and related products nationwide. Over the past few months in Malaysia, DJI has witnessed a growing demand in the drone Malaysia market, thus with DSC World's experience in imaging product distribution and marketing, combined with their knowledge of imaging, camera and IT products, it's only natural for them to make an alliance and distribute the products throughout Malaysia.

Mr Jeffrey Ng (centre), Managing Director of DSC World Sdn Bhd; Eddie Putera (very left), professional drone pilot, videographer & photographer; posing for a group photo with the rest of the DSC World Executives

Mr Jeffrey Ng said: "We are honoured to be selected as one of the distributors for the DJI product line in Malaysia. Drone technology has grown tremendously in the past few years, as evident from products such as the ever-popular Phantom 4, as well as unique and interesting product like the Osmo. DSC World Sdn Bhd is ready to support to ever growing number of drone enthusiasts in Malaysia , as well as representing DJI in the Malaysian market."

With that, DSC World will be engaging with a few local dealers to sell DJI products officially in their floorspace, some of the DJI products will be available in Malaysia includes the Phantom 3, Phantom 4, Inspire, Matrice and the Osmo. Future DJI products such as the recently announced Mavic Pro will also be distributed by DSC World as part of the DJI product portfolio locally.

Meanwhile, renowned photographer Eddie Putera was also present to share his testimony on using DJI drones as part of his workflow. Currently, he gives regular workshops around the country, teaching participants on drone videography and photography techniques.

The DJI Matrice 600 being packed getting ready for a demostration

The Matrice 600 carries 6 packs of battery around

For more information on DJI and DSC World Sdn Bhd, visit either of the links below to get started:


DUKE highway to also implement open toll payment system this September

Previously, we reported that several Malaysian highways will be allowing users to pay tolls using debit and credit cards. Now, the open payment system has been expanded even further with the inclusion of the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE).

As reported by Bernama, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi confirmed the matter, saying that DUKE’s participation meant the number of highways involved has increased to 12. All of the highways involved will implement the open payment system starting this September.

Besides that, Nanta also announced that DUKE has been chosen as the second location for the implementation of the Proof of Concept (POC) for the Multi Lane Fast Flow (MLFF) system. This makes the highway the second after the Sungai Besi Expressway to test MLFF before it is implemented on all highways.

The transition to MLFF is expected to be implemented in phases by the third quarter of 2024. So, what do you guys think of this initiative by the government? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for more trending tech news.


10,000 Huawei Mate 10 pre-order units all SOLD OUT

The ever-popular tech-giants, Huawei has proven once again that they are a real force to be reckoned with in the Mobile Industry with 10,000 pre-order units of the highly-sought of Huawei Mate 10 was totally and utterly sold out in a matter of days after its pre-order period was commenced.

Early birds who managed to put out their pre-orders were awarded exclusive goodie bags worth up to RM999 which included a cool body scale, Mate 10 Premium Gift Box and a VIP Service Card which provides holders with a 3 month replacement for screen damage, a one year warranty and a warranty door-to-door delivery service.

Those who didn’t manage to put their name in, don’t be disappointed - you can still register your interest for the Mate 10 at Huawei Experience Stores, authorized dealers and telco partners nationwide to get an early notification from the next batch!

You can check out our take on Huawei Mate 10 for a more in depth look on this wonderful and powerful flagship. Otherwise, check out Huawei’s official website, here, or their official Facebok page to learn more about any current or future deals.


12 games from Steam that are now free to play during movement control order!

How are y’all doing after days of quarantining yourself in your home? To keep you entertained for a few more weeks coming, our friends from TechNave have arranged a list of games that are now free on Steam for you to download. Let’s find out what these games are!

First of the list is this digital multiplayer board game populated by developer Orange Juice's all-star cast. Just roll the dice, players get to move with characters from Flying Red Barrel, QP Shooting, Suguri and Sora and more to compete in the board game.

The next game was released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Orange Juice. Instead of doing it board game-style like the one from 100% Orange Juice, this game adapts old school RPG gameplay that features OrangeJuice characters.

This is a game that comes with a short interactive story that surrounds Alex, a character who appears to be an ordinary loser. After living a dull life filled with alcohol and misery, he has decided to give his life one more chance to fulfill the dream of becoming a hero. One day, he leaves his house and accidentally gets teleported to a mystery temple. To get out of the situation, players have to find a way to help Alex find out what is going on.

Nephise Begins tells the player what happened at the time before Nephise was an orb collector. This adventurous indie game features atmospheric puzzle gameplay with narrations, while walking around a forest under sunny and foggy weather.

Site: Between Two Castles – Digital Edition

This is another board game where you can make strategies and play online with your friends. It requires you to work with your friends to make way to the end, but the final winner can only be one of you. Before winning, you will get to plan your moves and balance your uniquely-built castles wisely.

Project Mercury is a Tron-like game that is filled with neon graphics at a 256x224 native resolution. The game lets you ride a hoverbike, scale a skyscraper, and climb down to bottomless pits. Throughout the game, there will also be three weapons for players to choose from to pass the missions.

This extra download content is now free to make the arcade shooter game more fun than ever! It features three modes including Survival Mode, Arcade EX Mode, and Boss Rush Mode that feature different exciting gameplay.

Another game from Orange Juice, the Acceleration of SUGURI 2 involves characters of the SUGURI Universe in a lightning-paced duel-style shoot'em'up. Players can choose to play against AI in Story Mode, or friends and foes online or locally in Multiplayer.

UNI consists of 40 different mini-games that you can enjoy with your family and friends. You can also choose to play it with your keyboard or game controllers in this two-player party game.

This is a future multiplayer space survival game that lets you explore derelict ships and stations and harvest raw resources in search of air, fuel and other equipment. You can even loot and pillage what you need from other survivors. The choice is yours!

The Deed is an Adventure/ RPG game that lets the players get away with murder. Arran Bruce, the rightful heir to the Dunshiel House, makes a return to home to settle a score with his estranged family. This game has a plot with a dark twist so be prepared for what you’re going to get yourself into!

Martian Law is inspired by classic arcade games from the ’80s. It comes with retro gameplay and handcrafted graphics. Play it to shoot bombs, stay alive and save Mars!

Share with us your experience and thoughts after playing one of these games on our Fcaebook page. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more awesome gaming news.


A broken screen protector could KILL you or leave you permanently disabled if it isn't changed

Recently, a post popped up on Facebook explaining how something as harmless as a piece of cracked screen protector led to an injury so severe that the user had to be hospitalized. The unfortunate user, who was playing a mobile game at that time had managed to cut himself with the damaged screen protector which was not changed even after it was shattered four months prior to the incident.

There were several fragments of glass found in the wound of the victim, which led to his thumb swell up from the infection and filled with pus. The doctors mentioned that he could risk losing his thumb if he had not operated on it sooner. Not only that, infections like these could lead to further complications that could be life threathening if it is left untreated.

That being said, we highly recommend anyone who have a broken screen or  broken glass protector to get them changed to avoid incidents like these. What do you think? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


Dark mode has arrived for WeChat but only for iOS users

Previously, we reported that dark mode is coming soon for WeChat. Well, the wait is finally over and the new update was launched just yesterday but here's the thing - only the iOS version for WeChat has the update. Android WeChat users will have to wait for theirs!

This is a surprise because before the update, it was announced that the Android WeChat dark mode testing was done before Apple's. According to the Tencent WeChat Team on Weibo forums, they have managed to cooperate and reached an agreement with Apple so maybe that's why they have it first so fast. Before there, there was a silly rumour about Apple might kick out WeChat if they don't update dark mode which is not true, as app developers are only required to switch to the iOS 13 kit.

Besides dark mode, the new WeChat update on iOS also improved voice messaging and users can now convert it to text format by swiping up. To add on, WeChat iOS users can also finally quote a certain message to reply as well as minimizing notes in Favourites, document previous and others to a Floating Window feature. Anyway, just like Instagram and WhatsApp, Apple iPhone users can make use of WeChat dark mode only if the iOS settings are already on the dark theme.

WeChat Android users will be getting the new update soon, so be patient! Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


Dark mode is coming soon on WeChat

As more online social platforms adapt dark mode, the next one in the list is WeChat. According to sources, the WeChat team from China announced on Weibo that the beta test for Android users is already completed. As for Apple iOS users, the dark mode update is in the plans for the next update (whenever that is).

Speaking of Apple, it seems that there was a silly rumour about WeChat would be removed from the Apple App Store. This was because if WeChat doesn't introduce dark mode, but let's be honest, that's a pretty lame reason and Zhang Jun, the Head of Tencent Public Relations clarified that developers were asked to switch to the iOS 13 software developers kit. All developers have the option to integrate dark mode for their apps or not.

Prior to WeChat's upcoming dark mode update, the latest dark mode arrived on Google Play Store officially on Android 10 (check out how to set the theme to dark mode right here). We also got to have a first look at how the Facebook desktop mode looks like before its official release. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


Dark mode is now available on the Google Play Store for all Android devices

Earlier today, Google has announced that “Dark Mode” is officially supported by the Google Play app, which can be enabled by any smartphone that’s running the Android operating system. However, do note that the feature will be rolled out slowly and it will not be available on every Android smartphone at the same time.

In order to activate the dark theme, head over to your Google Play app, tap on the top left and select Settings. Scroll down, tap on Themes and select Dark in the new window which will cause the Play store to switch over to Dark Mode.

#DarkTheme on Google Play is now available on any @Android device! Flip the switch from in your Play Store settings. pic.twitter.com/fR0W1WT6jd

With all that said, what are your thoughts on the Dark Mode being available on the Google Play store? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


Dark mode is now here for FB Messenger but first you must send a moon emoji to your friends!

Dark mode is honestly such a blessing to the eyes, especially when you’re using apps so late at night. Apps like Youtube, Twitch, Twitter and more now have Dark mode on their apps. It’s only taken forever but FB Messenger finally has Dark mode.

They have a very interesting way of activating the feature: Sending a moon emoji to a person in your contact list. Once you do that, a rain of moons will fall across your screen with a notification at the top of your screen notifying you that “You’ve found Dark Mode!” before prompting you to activate it in your settings.

Do note that FB Messenger is still working on the feature and it may not appear everywhere on the app and it might be bugged in some parts as well. Honestly, this is such a welcomed quality of life update. I’m just waiting for it to come to the FB app itself now. For the latest news on popular apps, TechNave.com will always have your back.


Dark mode is now here for the Pocophone F1

The Pocophone F1 has been wildly popular since its release and even till this day. One drawback about the device though, is is the Poco Launcher which is set in a bright mode which kind of hurts your eyes, especially at night. The latest update for this device brings with it Dark mode (huzzah!).

With this update, you’re able to change your Poco Launcher to a dark layout which you can change in the Settings menu under More > Backgrounds (why they gotta hide it like that?). Besides that, you can also change the transparency of your background to make it a pure black (just like your heart).

(First picture from left) Settings for Poco Launcher, (second photo) Home screen with Dark mode enabled, (third photo) Light mode drawer, (last photo) Dark mode drawer

As the Pocophone F1 doesn’t come with an OLED screen, you won’t find this feature saving your battery but it will, however, save your eyes. In addition, this update also allows users to add custom apps to the App Vault. You can also double tap to lock your device and rendering of icons on the display has been improved, and a bug with white backgrounds have now been patched. You can download the Poco Launcher from the Play Store. Do you like this update? For more news on your favourite Pocophone F1, make sure to stay tuned to TechNave.com!


Dark mode on iOS 13 is the battery saver for iPhone!

Dark mode has been in use for a while now since the launch of the iOS 13, it turns out to be a battery saver for your iPhone! But it only works with the OLED models.

According to the source, two iPhone XS are placed together using robotic devices to perform the same tasks such as watching a Youtube video, using social media, navigating with Google Maps and Messaging apps. Both devices are set in light and in dark mode respectively.

The results were as expected, the device that runs in dark mode still had 30 percent battery life and the one in light mode was drained out. Besides, dark mode will have a better impact on the OLED phones compared to the LCD panel devices as some light will still be emitted when the LCD is turned off.

Either way, there is no official experimental tests out yet but it is something worth knowing for. With that said, will you be switching to dark mode? Let us know at our Facebook page and stay tuned for more technical news like these on TechNave.com!


Darksiders I & II now available for free on Epic Games Store

For those who are a big fan of the Darksiders series, you might want to sign up to the Epic Games Store now. In its latest promotion to entice players to join the platform, the digital games storefront will be giving away some games for free, including two titles in the Darksiders game franchise.

The three games available for free are Darksiders: Warmastered Edition, Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition and Steep. These would normally retail for USD 8.99 (~RM37), USD 12.99 (~RM53), and USD 21.99 (~RM90), respectively. But now you'll be able to add them to your Epic Games Store library as long as you join the platform before 10 January 2020. For Malaysians, that means you probably want to get in by the morning of 9th January 2020 if you want to be safe.

If you've never gotten to play the Darksiders series, which has proven to be a surprisingly decent dark-fantasy series, this is a great chance to get these two games for no cost. Do let us know if you're already a member of Epic Games Store on our Facebook page, and whether you like what the platform has to offer. Also, stay tuned to TechNave.com for more news like this.


Dash Car Dongle Syncs with iPhone for in-Car Diagnostics and Optimal Driving

Those looking to make the most of their not-so-smart cars with their smartphones will certainly get a kick from the Kickstarter project called Dash.

Plug The "Dash" into Your Car and Wirelessly Sync Your iPhone to Monitor Your Driving Profile

Consisting of a Bluetooth 4.0 enabled dongle and an iPhone app, the project looks to provide in-Car diagnostics on the fly while you're driving. While it is good to let you know about the small stuff that need replacing, the really cool feature about this is that you can set it so that you'll know when you're driving the most optimal and fuel efficient way possible.Along with the Dash car dongle you can also register online for a Dash account. The app and device allow you to share your diagnostics with other users and overlay this information with in-car video like an Instagram filter. The dongle fits into your car's on-board diagnostics port and streams this data to your iPhone via Bluetooth. Bear in mind though that if there is already something wrong with your onboard diagnostics or sensors, it won't provide an alternative, rather it will probably just be another error reporting speedometer-cum-tachometer.

The device is slated to cost USD$69 (RM213.66) and while this Kickstarter project already has $15000 pledges to its name, it still is quite far off from its target of USD$750000 by 11 May 2013. If they meet this target, the Dash team hope to get the dongles (and accompanying iPhone apps) out to supporters by June.

Forgotten for Android and Malaysia Market? Not Sure...

Unfortunately no news about Dash Android apps just yet and no news if there will be a custom app or dongle for Malaysia but we see no reason why it should not work on Malaysian roads, provided you have a compatible on-board diagnostics port.

For a look at the Kickstarter project you can click here and for more information regarding the Dash team you can click here.


Data collection practices of 9 tech companies under investigation

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sure been busy these days. Last week, it accused Facebook of running a monopoly and demanded the sale of Instagram and WhatsApp. Now, the organisation has placed nine tech companies under investigation.

According to The Verge, the companies being investigated mainly run social media or video streaming platforms. This includes Amazon, ByteDance (which owns TikTok), Discord, Facebook, Reddit, Snap, Twitter, WhatsApp, and YouTube. The goal of the investigation is to find out how these companies collect their users' information, and how it is being used for ads or content.

These companies have up to 45 days to respond to the FTC's demands. Already, some companies like Discord and Twitter have confirmed that they are compiling the necessary information for the FTC. Based on the information provided, the FTC could also choose to take legal action if it finds any 'wrongful behaviour'.

Since these companies have platforms that are used globally, it would be good for us to know how they are collecting our data and monetising it. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for more trending tech news.


Dato Sri Siti Nurhaliza comes back as vivo V17 Pro's Ambassador

Yesterday, vivo Malaysia has just launched the world's first dual pop up selfie camera smartphone, V17 Pro alongside with vivo Malaysia’s ambassador, Dato Sri Siti Nurhaliza. It is her fourth ambassadorship with vivo Malaysia.

Dato Sri Siti Nurhaliza has been vivo Malaysia’s long-serving ambassador since the launch of vivo V5 back in 2016. During the event, she took selfies with her fans as well as at the Astro Gempak’s live singing competition TV show, Big Stage Season 2 2019 with the device.

Being one of vivo’s innovative concept flagships, let’s have a recap on its tech specs. It is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chipset that comes with an 8GB of RAM + 128GB of storage and also a 4100 mAh battery capacity supported by an 18W Dual-Engine Fast Charge technology.

In terms of the cameras, it comes with a quad rear camera setup of a 48MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide camera, and 2MP sensors for the portrait and super macro lens. On the front, is the main highlight that features a dual front pop-up selfie camera of 32MP(main) + 8MP(ultra-wide) combo which also comes with a soft lighting in between the selfie cameras.

The pre-order will start from 1 October until 4 October on vivo’s official online stores, both Lazada and Shopee. For Lazada, customers will get a mystery gift worth RM318 whereas those who get it on Shopee, will get an extra portable electric juicer.

Do you want to own the six-camera smartphone? Let us know on our Facebook page and stay tuned for more updates on TechNave.com!


A car destroyed by an iPhone 7

So, all of you probably have read a lot of news (and jokes) regarding the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 explosion already, but what you haven't heard, is an Apple iPhone 7 bursting into flames, which apparently destroyed a car.

A south coast surfer, Mat Jones, said that he left his iPhone in the car while he was taking a surfing lesson, the phone was piled up by a bunch of clothes; after returning, he was shocked to see how badly his car was damaged. Upon investigating, he found the molten remains of his iPhone 7, immediately suspecting it was the cause of the fire.

The new iPhone 7 was bought a week ago, and the owner claimed that he has never dropped it or used a foreign charger.

Apple has not commented on the case yet, but they are aware and are now in the process of investigation.


Datuk Seri Anwar still prefers old phones than smartphones, but what phone is that?

During the AS19 Wild Digital Technology Conference, Datuk Seri Anwar was present there and the conference was about the world moving towards to the Industrial 4.0 revolution. Anwar was mainly talking about how Malaysia needs to accelerate and reform its digital technology but hey wait a minute...what's that tiny phone on his hand there?

At first glance, it looks like an old school Nokia phone but from our investigation - it turns out to be the L8Star Bm10. With such a small phone like that, you can't really expect some kickass tech specs as it features a 32MB of RAM and ROM (that's what the Shopee list said), a 0.66-inch screen, a dual nano-SIM card and a dedicated TF card (up to 8GB), a 350mAh battery and more.

The battery is small in comparison with smartphones, but because it doesn't have a lot of features, it's able to standby for a week, unlike our smartphones which Anwar remarked. He also got the phone for RM60. You can check out more information about the phone right here on Shopee.

On other matters, Anwar also said that he has agreed to sign the agreement in the campaign declaration, confident that Dr Mahathir will transfer the regime peacefully of the Prime Minister position, as well as willing to fully cooperate with the reform of digital technology after that.

Do you miss the days of having a long-lasting battery life? Which was your favourite phone before the era of smartphones? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more tech news at Technave.com.


Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah is your new Minister of Communications and Multimedia

Photo courtesy of Choo Choy May, from the MalayMail.com

So this just came in, our 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia, PM Muhyiddin has just announced a new Cabinet today. We got a full list of the names and their roles, as well as a new structure for party leaders from the Perikatan Nasional and allies around.

According to the list, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah has been appointed as the Communications and Multimedia Minister, whereas Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin is serving as the deputy role. It was also reported that Khairy Jamaluddin has returned to the Cabinet again, this time as the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. Ahmad Amzad Hashim will be his deputy in that department.

For your information, Saifuddin Abdullah was formerly the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Before that, he also served as the Deputy Minister of Higher Education as well as the Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur and Co-operatives Development. If you're familiar with his political history, he was one of the more moderate and liberal politicians as he used to criticize the government on handlings some aspects.

We aren't sure how his background qualifies him as the Head of Communications and Multimedia, but it will be an interesting new chapter for the media industry. For the full new Cabinet list, you can check the link right here.

Stay tuned for more local tech news at TechNave.com.


Dawn Awakening is a new open-world survival mobile game developed by Tencent

If you're a fan of mobile gaming, you must've heard of Tencent Games which has worked on a few legendary mobile games like PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, Call of Duty: Mobile, and more. Now, the company is planning to release a new survival mobile game named Dawn Awakening and the beta test will be starting on 16 September.

According to the source, Dawn Awakening is an open-world survival game developed by Tencent Games' subsidiary Lightspeed & Quantum Studios Group. The game is also built with the Unreal Engine 4 to bring better gaming experience to players.

So far, we only know that the game requires players to maintain 12 survival needs of the character. Players need to pay attention to the character's state of hunger and thirst, body shapes, energy, health, and even emotional state while surviving a series of unfortunate events in the wild. Other than that, players also get to build a homeland by choosing a site freely.

Let us know what you think about the game Dawn Awakening on our Facebook page. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more mobile game news.


Day 2, Google DeepMind's AlphaGo beats Lee Sedol again in game 2

AlphaGo and its representative (left) playing Go with Lee Sedol, professional Go player (right)

Yesterday, we reported that a Go-playing computer program, AlphaGo, grabbed the first win against the best Go player in the world, Lee Sedol and it was the first time that a system could do such feat in human history. Today, it got the second win again this time after 211 moves. Both players played two full hours of regulation time, going into byō-yomi overtime. And just for your information, AlphaGo actually learns from experience.

According to the commentators, Michael Redmond, 9-dan US commentator, remarked how impressed he was with AlphaGo's play because it's always strong at the middle and end game, and making a beautiful, innovative opening. On the other hand, Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan, Korean commentator, said “during the first match, Lee Sedol made difficult moves to agitate AlphaGo, but failed to do so yesterday. Today, he tried the opposite — he played safe and entered the endgame. While using his byō-yomi periods, he made some mistakes, which I think caused the defeat.”

Lee Sedol (left) and Demis Hassabis (right) after the post-game

Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO of DeepMind, said, “That was dramatic to say the least! Lee Sedol put up an incredible performance and had our expert commentators divided over the result until the end. AlphaGo played some really surprising and beautiful moves in this game.”

Lee Sedol said at the post-game press conference, “Yesterday, I was surprised, but today I am quite speechless. If you look at the way the game was played, it was a very clear loss on my part. Yesterday I felt like AlphaGo played certain problematic positions, but today I felt that AlphaGo played a near perfect game. There was not a moment I felt like its moves were unreasonable.”

As mentioned, the Google DeepMind Challenge Match is a best of five series, the winner can get $1 million USD in prize money. But if AlphaGo wins, the prize money will be donated to UNICEF, STEM charities, and Go organizations. For more information, check the Google DeepMind Challenge Match press site.


Daydream VR is the name of the Android VR Platform

With the upcoming release of Android N, Google has taken steps to create a more robust VR experience for the Android platform. During Google I/O, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai was on stage to introduce DayDream, the VR platform that will be built into Android itself.

Daydream will be running at a low level in Android itself, as part of the kernel. It will be a native VR experience baked in, and we can expect Phones that will be capable of entering this mode to be specially certified by Google. Apparently we should expect new devices from Samsung, HTC, Huawei, Xiaomi, LG, ZTE, Asus, and Alcatel to support Daydream once they launch later in the year.

Unsurprisingly, there will be an app store for Daydream, where all the VR-ready apps will live. You can access the store using VR mode, and whenever you are in Daydream you can easily go back to the list of your VR-capable apps. Among the expected apps includes Street View, YouTube, Play Movies, and Google Photos, but also many VR games will be listed as well.. When inside Daydream, your notifications will be displayed as 3D cards.

Also announced during the event is a reference design VR headset from Google. No names given yet but this is the official successor to the Cardboard. As it is a reference design, it is mainly aimed for the partners to manufacture. Included with the headset is a controller for easy access in VR more. Looking forward to see partners creating their own interpretation of the new VR headset.


Days of Play by PlayStation is back with games starting from as low as RM55

It’s that time of the year again! PlayStation®  has announced their annual Days of Play celebration where you could get massive discounts on the accessories and games from 3 June until 16 June 2020. But that's not all, there are other discounted goodies up for grabs such as the PlayStation Plus 12-months membership voucher and DUALSHOCK 4 Controller.

For those who are not familiar with the PlayStation Plus Membership, it allows you to play online multiplayer on certain games such as Rainbow Six: Siege and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. But that's not all, you will also be eligible for up to 2 free games offered by the PlayStation Store every month throughout the duration of the membership.

Buy 12 months get an additional 4 months? Sign me up!

I highly recommend getting Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Death Stranding

God of War and The Last of Us from only RM55? That's so cheap!

You HAVE to play Uncharted 4: A Thief's End!

There are two methods to get yourself a PlayStation Plus Membership. One way to go about it is through the PlayStation Asia online store where you can purchase a 12-month Playstation Plus Membership at the price of only RM111. The second method is by purchasing a physical 12-month PlayStation Plus Voucher from any of their authorized dealers at a slightly higher price of RM159. However, you will get an additional 4 months to your subscription where you can claim up to 8 extra games from the Playstation Store for free. Speaking of games, PlayStation is offering these games starting from as low as RM55 during the Days of Play campaign.

If you’re looking for a more story-focused game, you might want to consider Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, The Last of Us Remastered, God of War, and Nioh 2 which are all priced at RM55 except for Nioh 2 which is priced at RM169. However, if you prefer a more open-world exploration kind of game, I’d say Death Stranding, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Marvel’s Spider-Man Game of the Year Edition and Days Gone would be a great choice at the price of RM169, RM145, RM119 and RM119 respectively.

Now's the best time to get an additional DUALSHOCK 4 controller

There’s also Ratchet & Clank at RM55 and Dreams Universe at RM119 if you want something that’s a lot more children friendly. You might want to get an additional DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller at only RM179 because some of the games I just mentioned supports up to 4 player co-op.

If you want to find out more information regarding PlayStation's Days of Play, head over to their official website. With all that said, what was the most amazing thing that happened to you while playing a video game? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


Dead by Daylight Mobile now out on Google Play Store

Have you been itching for a new coop game to play during the movement control order (MCO)? Well, you could try out Dead by Daylight Mobile, the coop survival horror game that has now been ported to mobile phones. Publisher NetEase promised that the game would be available in Southeast Asia in Spring 2020 and it has finally been released on the Google Play Store.

For your information, Dead by Daylight Mobile is a 4v1 survival coop game. Four players play as 'survivors' who have to team up against a fifth player who plays as the 'killer'. To escape, the survivors must repair five generators to open the exit games or find a hatch that opens only if one survivor is remaining. It's an interesting game that will test your ability to work with other gamers.

As a whole, the mobile version plays similarly to the PC version. But the UI, controls, and some gameplay elements have been optimised for touchscreens. For example, some of the audio effects in the game have been changed to visual cues. Similarly, the graphics have been toned down so that the game would run smoother on mobile devices. The developer has also made it so that bots can take over for disconnected players until they reconnect.

If you need your fix of survival horror, this could be the game to fill up your time. Of course, there are plenty of games that are available now, such as the 30 free games by Gameloft. Having said that, what mobile games are you playing these days? Let us know on our Facebook page and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more news.


Dead by Daylight is free on Epic Games Store today, Godfall next week

For gamers, TGIF takes a different meaning since Friday also means new free games. Specifically, free games from Epic Games Store. While it's way past Halloween, one of the free games this week is a survival horror game, while the other is a puzzle game.

That's right, Epic Games Store is giving away Dead by Daylight (DBD). From today till 10 December 2021, gamers can download and keep the game for free. As mentioned, DBD is a survival horror game, one that pits four Survivors against a Killer in online matches. The survivors need to escape the 'Killing Ground' to win, while the killer needs to eliminate all the survivors.

Besides DBD, Epic Games Store is also giving away while True: learn (). This one is a quirky indie title where you play as a machine learning specialist who has a cat that's better at the job. Your goal is to build a cat-to-human translation program, so you can understand your cat's program. It's a puzzle/simulation game that programmers will enjoy.

As for next week, the RPG title Godfall is expected to be available for free too! So, what games are you playing this week? Share your favourite game genre in the comments, and stay tuned to TechNave for more news like this.


Death Stranding: Director's Cut Review - More refined, but you may still love it or hate it

Here's a confession - I have never played Death Stranding before until this month. However, I did have some ideas about the game - it was unconventional that was considered art. And many gamers, including my friends, didn't like it at all. Fast forward to two years later, I was given the opportunity to review Death Stranding: Director's Cut that was released for the PlayStation 5.

As a fan of Hideo Kojima, I must admit that my curiosity got the best of me. He is, after all, the man behind the Metal Gear franchise, which is one of the greatest video game series ever. So I decided to try it out, and oh man, do I have a lot of things to say about this game. Since this is the Director's Cut edition, that's the version I will be focusing on. Without further ado, here is my Death Stranding: Director's Cut (DSDC) review.

Starting with the visuals, I'll keep this short because Death Stranding is graphically pretty and even more so on the PS5. Before you start playing, you can log in to the settings and switch between "Prioritise Performance" or "Prioritise Quality". Both modes offer 4K resolution, but the latter gives 60FPS, so that's nice. Another sweet feature is the ultrawide screen option. As you should know, PS5 games aren't optimised for that, and the DSDC allows it to display at a 21:9 aspect ratio.

Despite the visual improvement, the world of DSDC is still...well, dull. I'm usually down for some breathtaking photography in open-world games, just not DSDC. In fact, the few screenshots that I took are just for the sake of this review. Then again, it's set in a post-apocalyptic world, so what did I expect? Butterflies and rainbows? Oh God, speaking of rainbows...it's not a good sign at all for newbies like me.

For those unfamiliar with the game, rainbows are a sign of Beached Things (BTs). These are like spirits that lurk around during a Timefall (rain). Every time you approach an infested area, your equipment will alert you, and that's where the Kojima Productions development team put a lot of work on the PS5 DualSense controller.

I must commend the haptic feedback on the DualSense controller. The controller will detect actions like climbing, falling, or shooting and provide the best haptic feedback possible. Even your BB's coos and cries can be heard through the controller's speaker (the lighting colour changes too), as well as the sound when you cross a small stream of water. As good as that sounds, this drains the controller's battery FAST. Fast as in if I play the whole afternoon, the battery life can easily be less than half when I stop playing.

I used the Maser Gun so many times that I unlocked an achievement for it lol

As a newcomer to Death Stranding, I learned that the Maser Gun (an electrical weapon) wasn't available in the original version. This weapon is definitely a lifesaver as I initially preferred avoiding confrontation with MULEs because it was easier that way. That said, you won't carry it with you all the way because you will eventually have much better weapons. The development team also added a Firing Range where you can practice and compete record times with other players. It was kinda mind-blogging that these two important features weren't available back then.

Besides the Maser Gun, there are other new items added to DSDC. The new Support Skeleton is another good addition. It's like the jack of all trades compared to the previous exoskeletons in speed, power, and terrain climbing. It's even solar-powered, so the machine can self-recharge when you're out on a good sunny day. You can also throw down a new Cargo Catapult, Jump Ramp, and Chiral Bridge for better travelling across rough terrains. The Buddy Bot got a new upgrade as well, which can now follow you to carry multiple boxes as long as it's within the Chiral network area.

You can customise your Buddy Bot colour scheme too (and sit on it)

Do stunts in the air to get likes from your BB lol

Out of all the additions, the new Fragile Circuit race track is probably my favourite. This race track can be easily missed if you're not paying attention to the emails, all you need to do is complete Order No.35 (that's after you complete carrying a human cargo for the Junk Dealer). When you get the invitation, head over to Timefall Farm and head South, where you should eventually see a Racetrack Terminal.

After contributing the necessary resources, the race track will be unlocked. At the racetrack, you can take on several challenges depending on the vehicle, one of which is the fancy-looking one called The Roadster. You may also set a time record to challenge yourself and other players who feel the NEED FOR SPEED.

Anything else that's new to the story? Well, the development team added a new mission but you don't need to finish the game to unlock it. Dubbed the Ruined Factory, most new players will eventually come across this in the first region but would skip the rest of the mission easily. This mission requires you to return to the same place at least three times to go deeper into the levels. However, it doesn't let you know when you should return after completing the first task.

Nonetheless, this new mission is quite special because it places you inside a building, unlike all the delivery tasks. No spoilers here but when you get to level 3, you are in for a Metal Gear treat. As a big fan of Metal Gear, I squealed with delight at how the level design closely resembled the beloved franchise. It's definitely a tribute, and Kojima even included a reference of the box (if you know, then you know).

Just look behind you at the toy figures to replay Nightmare Battles

Finally, you may also choose to replay some BTs boss battles or replay Cliff's memories. The BTs boss battles are labelled as Nightmare Battles, and it's quite easy to access them. All you have to do is go into your private room and look behind you to select the toys. From there, you can choose a battle and set a timer record for how quickly you want to beat down a BT boss.

All in all, Death Stranding: Director's Cut is a much more refined game that makes it convenient for returning and new players. The aspect that saw the most improvement is none other than the addition of items like the Maser Gun, Support Skeleton, and others. There's also the fun Fragile Circuit race track, replayable boss fights, and the new Ruined Factory that's clearly Metal Gear-inspired. That said, it still won't change the minds of those who find the game boring.

After spending my time with the game for about three weeks, I can understand why some gamers enjoy it (maybe too much). There is a sense of accomplishment and togetherness when everyone comes together to build infrastructure across the broken world. The music tracks played when you're travelling also makes it feel like an immersive road movie. Moreover, it's a nice change from the oversupply of Triple-A action-packed first-person shooters games.

It has a ton of replayability, but I'm pretty much done playing the game

Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people who enjoyed the game. I would normally try to complete every necessary objective and mission in an open-world game to make my time and money worth spending, but not so much for DSDC. The side missions were mundane, and the story was overly convoluted, though I understood what Kojima was trying to convey. The boss fights also felt like an entirely different game that didn't match the game's delivery theme.

I still think it's something worth checking out if you're tired of the mainstream rehashed titles and sequels. But what do you think of Death Stranding: Director's Cut? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned for more PS5 game reviews at TechNave.com.


Debit transaction notifications will come from the Maybank2u app instead of an SMS from December 2020 onwards

Starting from 3 December 2020, Maybank Malaysia will no longer send any SMS notifications to your smartphone. So whenever you make a Debit Card transaction, the notification will be sent to your Maybank2u (or M2U MY) app instead.

With that being said, you will need to activate the Push Notification on your iPhone and Android phone. It's so that you won't miss receiving any alert notifications from the M2U MY app (duh). Anyway, all you need to do is go to your iPhone or Android phone setting -> search for the Maybank app -> select "Notification" and then choose to allow, enable or switch on the notification.

On the other hand, you can also choose to turn on the push notification for any promotion from the Maybank app. Just login into your app, click the menu on the top left and select "ME", then just swipe right to turn on (or off if you don't want to). By the way, the MAE app will replace the M2U MY app eventually so do read about it to keep yourself prepared.

Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


A celebrity might have been spotted wearing a pair of Beats Studio Buds

It seems that Alex Morgan recently posted a picture of her and her daughter on Instagram not too long ago. Upon closer inspection, it seems that the individual is wearing what looks like a pair of Beats Studio Buds, which is due to be released somewhere in the near future.

Based on what we know so far, the wireless earbuds are expected not to have stems and charged using a USB Type-C cable instead of Lightning. While not much is known in regards to the exact Malaysia release date, it does give us a better idea of what to expect when the earbuds are available in the local market.

A post shared by Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13)

With all that said, what are your thoughts on the Beats Studio Buds so far? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


Dedicated gaming ROG Phone revealed with up to 512GB memory, 4K battery, gaming tools compatibility and more

So they actually did it, in response to Razer and Xiaomi, ASUS Republic of Gamers is now the latest game player introducing the world their first ROG Phone. This is not just your typical gaming smartphone but it's packing some serious features and tech-specs, such as having a 3D vapour-chamber cooling system, an ultrasonic AirTriggers feature, a Snapdragon 845 processor clocking in at 2.96GHz, an AMOLED display running at 90Hz refresh rate and many more.

Obviously designed specifically for high-performance mobile gaming, its unique GameCool vapour-chamber cooling system and a detachable AeroActive Cooler for an extra cooling boost can help to sustain a blur-free high frame rate. With this, it does not compromise the 90Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. Furthermore, it also has an ultrasonic AirTriggers, which is a programmable feature that gives the user a powerful force-feedback system for precise control. Combining this with an optional TwinView Dock for dual-screen handheld mode; the Mobile Desktop Dock for desktop-style gaming, this makes the gaming experience more convenient.

The back view, btw the green highlighted area is the fingerprint scanner

Front view, simply gorgeous! No notch and you can see the thin golden stereo speakers at the front

This port here at the left side is the main charger, it can also be used for Aeroactive Cooler device for cooling boost, the other side is your standard power and volume buttons

Meanwhile, the bottom features a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-Type C port, which can also be used for charging

The Aeroactive Cooler device which can plug in both charging and 3.5mm headphone jack simultaneously

This is the Mobile Desktop Dock to connect to the PC monitor

AirTriggers is quite an innovative feature, no buttons required! (see the green highlighted area)

3D Vapor-chamber Cooling System explained

The ROG Phone is compatible with gaming peripherals as well, such as the new ROG Delta gaming headset that was shown today. It even has ASUS Aura RGB lighting and Aura Sync support, plus ASUS HyperCharge direct-charge technology for faster, safer and cooler battery charging. Below is the official tech-specs:

While no price was mentioned, the ROG Phone will be available in the third quarter of 2018 starting from Taiwan, then mainland China, South East Asia and Japan. Europe and North America will follow. It's unclear if Malaysia will be part of the first wave, but rumours have it that it may arrive in August or September. We will keep a lookout.

Stay tuned for more ROG news at TechNave.com.


Deep Fusion camera now available on iPhone 11's iOS 13 public beta

We’ve seen AI work for photography for many smartphones on the market this year. Apple has finally joined the bandwagon with their Deep Fusion camera. The feature which was showcased during the Apple event is now out on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro iOS 13 public beta.

For those not in the know, Deep Fusion is a mixture of AI and software mechanics which improves images by capturing many frames of a photo in different exposures and choosing the best bits of the photo and merging them. This feature has been said to only work in medium to low light environments.

However, users will not have the option to enable the feature manually. Apple mentions that the feature has been hidden away from users purposely and there is no indication if the feature is on or off.

I guess the only way users would know about the feature is by looking at the photos themselves. We’ll let you know how photos turn out when we get to play with the feature soon! Stay tuned to TechNave.com if you’d like to see!


Deep Sea Blue, 4000mAh battery and wireless charging confirmed for Samsung Galaxy Note 9

So it's Monday again, back to work but don't fret, there was a bunch of news that happened over the weekend and that'd be the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. August is inching closer and we have three different news about the phablet, a leaked render image, a confirmation on having a 4000mAh battery and a leaked Wireless Charger Duo accessory.

The leaked render image is nothing new, but this version is probably the clearest one we have seen in a while. Dubbed as the Deep Sea Blue and leaked by none other than Evan Blass, we think the phone model would quite likely look exactly like this - a horizontal dual rear camera with the LED flash beside, the main camera (most probably a 12MP sensor with Dual Pixel technology) being in the middle and the fingerprint sensor placed below. We are still not seeing the FullView display but that's fine by us, as long as there's no notch.

The Wireless Charger Duo and the official document

On the other hand, the previously rumoured 4000mAh battery seems to be confirmed thanks to the National Telecommunications Agency in Brazil. While we can't really read Brazilian, the official document here says there's a 4000mAh battery on board. Not only that, there will also be a wireless charging technology as well. This one was posted by Roland Quandt and according to the product box, it can charge up to 25W which is super fast. However, this only applies to two devices charging at the same time so nope, no fast wireless charging speed there.

We are just three weeks away from the official Samsung #Unpacked2018 event. Until then, stay tuned for our coverage at TechNave.com.


DeepNude app is able to easily create fake nude photos of women

You don’t have to have taken nude photos to have your nudes leaked on the internet in this age. A programmer has created an app called DeepNude which can remove clothes from images of fully clothed women with a simple press of a button. The resulting photos are pretty realistic as well.

The app uses photos of clothed women and swaps them out for AI generated private parts of the body. So far, the app is only able to create nude photos of women. When the app is tried on men, it swaps out the clothes for women’s privates instead. Images with women that bare more skin is able to create more realistic looking nude images such as photos of models on the Sports Illustrated magazine. Other factors which affects how realistic a photo looks include lighting and poses. Photos with high resolutions, front facing poses and good lighting created more convincing nudes.

The app’s technology is based on the Deepfake technology which is able to create fake videos of people and objects in different scenarios with just some images. Samsung’s lab in Russia was able to create realistic looking videos from just a single image which makes things even more scary. The app is available on Windows and Linux and comes in a free and paid version which costs USD$50 (~RM207). The free version comes with a “FAKE” watermark on the top left corner which can easily be removed through Photoshop.

Alberto (fake name), the creator of DeepNude had mentioned that the software is based on pix2pix, an open source algorithm. It uses generative adversarial networks (GANs), which trains an algorithm on a huge dataset of images. In the case of DeepNude, it uses about 10000 images of nude women for its AI. The app only works with women for now as it is easier to find nude images of women online. However, Alberto hopes to create a version of the app for males as well.

It follows simple steps to create images: Find the clothes, mask the clothes, speculate anatomical positions and rendering it. All of this takes only about 30 seconds on a regular PC and the process can be made faster in the future. Does this app scare you? Keep up with the latest app news and updates on TechNave.com!


Delivery of iPhone 13 phones could be delayed

Apple fans were undoubtedly excited with the iPhone 13 series revealed earlier this month. The company's latest smartphones are supposed to arrive in Malaysia around 12-14 October 2021. But we might not get them on time due to some issues.

According to Nikkei Asia, delivery of the iPhone 13 series smartphones could be delayed. The main reason is the COVID pandemic affecting the production of a key component. Specifically, the cameras. Apple implemented sensor-shift optical image stabilisation on all iPhone 13 models. As a result, suppliers in Vietnam had to ramp up production since there wasn't enough of those parts in stock.

All iPhone 13 models come with sensor-shift

Sources in the supply chain confirm that the phones can still be assembled. However, there's a supply gap that's causing the inventories for the camera modules to run low. The situation could improve in mid-October, which is when the phones were originally meant to be delivered. Of course, we could still get the iPhone 13 series on time. But that might depend on how high Malaysia is on the list of delivery priorities.

With that said, how many of you have already ordered an iPhone 13 series device? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned to TechNave for more updates about this.


Dell Canvas wows the public at CES 2017

At the annual CES 2017, Dell unveiled a series of world-first innovations that are redefining personal computing. One of it is the Dell Canvas, which is a smart desk concept that came around in 2014 and it’s now a tool for content developers and designers for their creativity and workplace.

The 27-inch QHD smart workspace can be used at an angle or flat on a desk so professionals can create, communicate and express their thoughts and ideas as naturally as they do with pen on paper. For example, through the use of touch, digital pen and totems, the Dell Canvas turns drawings into part of the digital workflow and enhances collaboration. Developed in partnership with Microsoft Corp. and powered by virtually any Windows 10 device, Dell Canvas plugs seamlessly into software solutions from partners including Adobe, Autodesk, AVID, Dassault Systems, SolidWorks and Microsoft to unleash the creative genius in everyone.

Next, the Precision 27 All-in-One (AIO) PC cranks sound to a whole new level with built-in audio quality with a full frequency range high-fidelity audio built in, it’s able to pump out at 50W per channel. The viewing experience is equally impressive with a beautiful 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) edge-to-edge touch display supporting 100 percent Adobe RGB color gamut, coupled with Intel Xeon processors, AMD Radeon Pro graphics capable of powering VR and outstanding reliability with ISV certifications for top programs like AVID and SolidWorks, as well as leading security and manageability software.

The ultimate “no wires” experience coming soon with the world’s first wireless charging 2-in-1

The 12-inch Latitude 7285 2-in-1 will available later this year, featuring a charging mat and WiGig wireless dock, users can take the Latitude 2-in-1 with them without disengaging any wires or a physical dock. And when they return to their desk and set the 2-in-1 on the charging mat, it begins charging, automatically reconnects to the WiGig dock and content appears on the external display.

There is also a number of confirmed Dell monitors coming to Malaysia soon, below is the official statement of availability.

Stay tuned for more Dell and CES 2017 news at Technave.com.


Dell Concept Luna design makes laptops easier to repair and recycle

When it comes to laptops, most can't be repaired by an individual without specific tools. Even for service centres, some models aren't exactly easy to repair, partly because of the design. But Dell seems to be working on making the process easier.

According to Engadget, Dell is partnering with Intel to build a new laptop called Concept Luna. The goal is to make a laptop design that's easier to repair and recycle. Dell claimed that if all its design ideas can be incorporated, it can reduce the carbon footprint for a PC by up to 50%. This is in comparison with existing laptop models and is quite an impressive number.

A redesigned internal hardware and layout for laptops

To achieve this, Concept Luna relied on redesigned components. For example, it reduced the motherboard's size by 75% and the number of components for the motherboard by 20%. It also uses a more efficient layout, with the motherboard exposed to a larger cooling surface area. The charging unit was also separated for better passive cooling, which means there's no need to use a cooling fan for that.

The bottom line is that Concept Luna should make laptop repairs easier for companies and cheaper for consumers. What do you think? Have you ever needed to repair your laptop and found it too troublesome? Share your experiences in the comments, and stay tuned to TechNave for more news like this.


Dell Exclusive Store and Intel 8th gen Core powered-Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 laptop officially launched in Malaysia from RM4449

Dell relaunched their Dell Exclusive Store in Plaza Lowyat along with their new range of Intel 8th Generation Core processor powered laptops which includes the Inspiron 15 7000 from RM4449. Other laptops in this range include the Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1 laptop for RM5449 and the Inspiron 13 5000 2-in-1 laptop going for RM3599. The refreshed Dell XPS 13 will also get an Intel 8th Generation Core processor but will be available in October 2017. These new laptops will be available to check out for yourself at the rebranded Dell Exclusive Store, so if you're in the neighbourhood and looking for a new laptop, just drop on by.


Dell G15 Malaysia release: NVIDIA GTX 1650 GPU and 120Hz, priced at RM3799

Today, Dell has finally announced the official price for the Dell G15. This laptop was revealed not too long ago and for the Malaysian market, it will be available from April 2021 for RM3799.

Just to recap the tech specs, the Dell G15 is featuring a 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10200H processor, an NVIDIA GTX 1650 GPU, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD worth of internal storage. For the IPS screen panel, it measures 15.6-inches in FHD resolution, supporting up to 120Hz refresh rate. The keyboard also has RGB lighting with AlienFX software for customization.

By the way, this model that we are getting is the vanilla variant. There is another variant that can support up to 360Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA RTX 3000 series. It's a bit sad we won't be getting this variant, but the GTX 1650 GPU is still quite good enough to play most triple-A title video games.

Are you looking forward to this laptop? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


Dell G15 Review - Great for those buying a gaming laptop for the first time

Earlier this year, Dell released the Dell G15 gaming laptop, which has a sleek design and comes equipped with an RTX 3000 series GPU for only RM3849. In addition, it also supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate which is excellent for those looking for an entry-level gaming laptop.

With that said, how exactly does the G15 perform in competitive gaming and general workloads? Let’s have a closer look, shall we?

The lid of the laptop has a dual textured surface

At the back, you'll see a USB Type-C port, Type-A port, HDMI port, and a charging port

Starting with the design, the first thing you’ll notice is that the hinge section at the rear protrudes slightly more than usual, and it houses several I/O ports like the HDMI port, USB Type-A and Type-C port as well as charging port. Moving onto the lid, you’ll find the Dell logo on the dual-textured lid, which has a matte finish that tends to exhibit dark spots if you handle the laptop with oily fingers.

If you frequently place your laptop on top of your lap, the Dell G15, unfortunately, does not feature a hinge that allows you to unfold the lid up to 180 degrees, requiring you to hunch your back a lot more. On the right side, you’ll find the Dell G logo, as well as two USB Type-A ports, while on the opposite side is you’ll find the Ethernet port and a 3.5mm combo audio jack port.

Ethernet port and charging port on the left

You can see the Dell G logo on the right side

With a total of 3 USB ports, you have just enough to connect a mouse, keyboard, and a USB-powered gaming headset. If you want to connect more peripherals, you might need to consider getting a USB hub to increase the number of usable USB Type-A ports.

With the laptop unfolded, you’ll be pleased to know that it has a full-sized keyboard complete with a number pad towards the right. If you look slightly above the number pad, you’ll find additional functions that let you launch the calculator to do some calculations quickly.

Numberpad with a dedicated calculator button at the top

The laptop’s keyboard did not come with an RGB backlight. Instead, it only has an orange backlight which is surprisingly comfortable to use in the dark. The trackpad is nothing to write home about, but the matte finish tends to attract oil from your fingers.

As for the display, the Dell G15 has a 15.6-inch 120Hz FHD resolution panel, which is more than enough for competitive games and general workloads. Weighing in at 2.409 kg, it’s not exactly the lightest laptop out there, but it’s also not heavy to the point that your back will feel uncomfortable after carrying it in your backpack for extended periods.

You can launch the Game Shift utility by pressing the F9 key

Like any gaming laptop, the G15 comes with the Game Shift utility, which can be launched using the F9 key. The Game Shift utility can help increase the laptop’s performance by increasing the fan speed for optimal processor cooling performance while giving you an interface to keep track of the temperature.

Onto the tech specs, our model of the Dell G15 laptop (priced from RM4849) is equipped with the Intel Core i7-10870H processor with Intel UHD graphics, Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, 8GB of RAM pre-installed, and a 480GB SSD primary storage. When running the 3DMark and PCMark benchmark, the laptop obtained 5125 points and 5070 points, which is slightly higher than average.

While synthetic benchmarks do not correlate to real-world performance, it does give us a better idea of what kind of performance to expect from the laptop. When running actual games, the Dell G15 achieved around 130 FPS in Valorant at the firing range with all of the graphical settings turned up, which is not bad at all.

On Apex Legends, the laptop achieved around 100 FPS in the firing range with every single graphical setting set to the max. As with any competitive first-person shooter game, it’s better to turn off or lower some visual settings to increase clarity and the frame rate. By turning down graphic settings such as anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering, the laptop can run Valorant and Apex Legends at around 180 FPS and 140 FPS, respectively.

Valorant ran pretty smooth in the firing range

While you may get 90FPS in the firing range, you might get even lower frame rates while playing on the World's Edge map

Dota 2 ran pretty well, with the frame rate hovering around 70FPS with everything set on maximum. When it comes to running a resource-intensive game like Total War: Warhammer 2, the Dell G15 seemed to struggle quite a bit as it averaged at around 20 FPS during battles and the campaign map.

When it comes to the thermals or heat, the wrist rest section of the laptop remains cool to the touch as most of the heat seems to be located directly under the display where the GPU and CPU are located. With that in mind, you’d be able to work for extended periods without your wrist becoming too sweaty from the heat.

Total War: Warhammer 2 is a very demanding game

For general productivity, the laptop is more than capable of handling most tasks with ease. However, when it came to content creation workloads, the lack of an embedded SD card reader made it a bit of a hassle to transfer picture and video files from my camera to the laptop for post-production. You should consider getting a dedicated SD card reader if you plan on moving files from your camera to the laptop often.

One last thing to point out, the battery of the gaming laptop can only last up to around 3 hours and 30 minutes of watching videos on a single charge. If you were to play games on the laptop, this battery life timespan would be reduced much further.

The laptop is able to operate most softwares smoothly

You might want to upgrade to 16GB RAM if you're keen on doing video editing

As for charging the laptop, it typically takes around 2 hours to achieve a full charge. However, if you’re constantly on the move, you would have to lug around the huge power adapter, which is a turn-off for some.

With all that being said, our variant of the Dell G15 gaming laptop priced at RM4849 certainly gets the job done for gaming and general productivity workloads. If you like the design of the Dell G15 but want something cheaper, you can opt for the GTX 1650 variant that’s priced at RM3849 instead.

Alternatively, you could opt for the ASUS TUF F15, which comes with an Intel Core i7-11800H processor, up to an RTX 3060, and 144Hz display from the price of RM4199. If you want a laptop that has both the looks and the performance, then the ASUS Zephyrus G14, priced from RM4799, would be a better candidate.

If you want more information about the Dell G15 gaming laptop, head to Dell’s official website. For more reviews and updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.

Pros: Competitive price for an entry-level gaming laptop. The orange backlit keyboard is a lot easier on the eyes when working in the dark. The wrist rest area doesn’t heat up as much to the point it becomes uncomfortable to use.

Cons: Not exactly the best-looking laptop out there in the market. Relatively short battery life and the charging brick is not very portable

Conclusion: A great laptop for those who are looking for their first gaming laptop.


A cheaper 4G variant of the Huawei Mate X2 might be in the works

Looks like there was a post made by Digital Chat Station on weibo which hints that there will be a 4G variant of the Huawei Mate X2 coming very soon. With that being said, we can expect the aforementioned smartphone to come with largely the same specs, and it will most likely be available at a much cheaper price.

Not only that, but it is highly unlikely that a foldable phone will look physically different compared to the 5G variant that was released in February 2021. With all that said, do take some of the information with a grain of salt, due to the fact that Huawei has yet to provide an official statement on the leak.

That being said, would you be interested in getting the Huawei Mate X2 4G variant if it were to be available in the local market? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


Dell G15 gaming laptop release: 15.6-inch display with Nvidia RTX 3000 series graphics cards, starts from ~RM3,548

Dell has launched a new gaming laptop for the G series today and it's dubbed G15. The laptop is an eye-catching one by adopting an all-new industrial design with its speckled paint jobs. Not only it's good to be looked at, but the laptop also comes with several tech specs that some of you could use to enhance that gaming experience.

The Dell G15 sports a 15.6-inch display with support for up to 360Hz high refresh rate. For graphics, it can go up to Nvidia RTX 3000 series graphics cards that have “three performance options ranging up to 115W of TDP.” Furthermore, the G15 also features an improved thermal design that is based on Alienware technology, along with an optional 4 zone RGB keyboard that uses the AlienFX software for customization.

The base variant of the laptop is confirmed to be powered by a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor alongside an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card with a price tag that starts 5,599 Yuan (~RM3,548). At the moment, the G15 will only be available in China but will be launched in other regions later this year.

Let us know what you think about the new Dell G15 gaming laptop on our Facebook page. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more laptop news.


Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet and more are coming to Malaysia by end of August 2015

Dell Malaysia have announced their new Latitude 12 Rugged Tablets for those who need performance and reliability in the harshest of conditions. Consisting of the Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme flip-hinge convertible notebook, the Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme notebook and the Latitude 14 Rugged notebook, this new portfolio of devices can survive water, sand, dust, extreme temperatures and drops from over four feet. Tech specs include a crisp 11.6-inch Direct-View outdoor-radable HD display with glove-enabeld multi-touch for the Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet along with powerful yet power efficient fifth Generation Intel Corm M processors. Other features include a 12 hour battery life, 512GB in solid state storage, 802.11ac WiFi, dedicated GPS and Dell Data Protection with Intel vPro and Intel TPM 1.2. Still no exact Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet, but these are set to be revealed by the end of August 2015. Here's what Dell had to say about these IP-65 rated devices:

“Dell Rugged devices are critical to many industries including military, emergency response, public safety, industrial work, scientists and even adventurers. It’s important for Dell’s Latitude Rugged devices to provide superior computing power and the mobile capabilities they require to accomplish their jobs. Whether it’s a first responder to an emergency or an avid outdoorsman scaling an untouched summit for the first time, Dell’s Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet is built to deliver the performance they need, wherever they need it, without worrying about what their environment throws at them.” KT Ong, general manager, Commercial Business, Dell Malaysia


Dell Malaysia announces XPS, Inspiron and Vostro with 6th Generation Intel Core and Windows 10

Dell has announced a new line-up of notebook and desktop personal computers for their Dell Inspiron, XPS and Vostro series today at their Dell Product Showcase. Featuring the new 6th Generation Intel Core processors based on the Skylake microarchitecture optimized for Microsoft Windows 10 the various personal computers include the Dell XPS 13 and Dell XPS 15 which feature the virtually borderless InfintyEdge Display and a premium carbon fiber and machined aluminum chassis. New devices in the Inspiron series include the Inspiron 24 7000 and 3000 series All-in-ones, Inspiron 7000 series 2-in-1 convertible and Inspiron 7000 and 5000 series laptops for every type of computing consumer. The Inspiron 24 7000 Series All-in-one desktop in particular features the Intel RealSense 3D camera with a 23.8-inch display and ultra-slim form factor. The Vostro series saw the new Vostro 14 5000 Series which is the thinnest 14-inch Vostro laptop for SMBs and professionals to date. All of the Dell devices will be available (if they aren't already) on the Dell site and authorized retail stores with Malaysia release dates and pricing as follows:


Dell Streak 7 Review

The Dell Streak 7, a tablet that is marketed as a potent product to work, but also to play, watch video and “be watched” in video calls. The Streak 7 is also presented as an accomplished eReader and an overall multimedia device to consume music, photo and the web. Dell has always recognized that the smaller Streak 5 is an “experiment” in terms of form factor and usage model, but the 7” version goes head to head with the iPad, the Galaxy Tab and other tablets.Dell Streak 7: Design

The Dell Streak 7 has a clean design. It is plain and feels a bit “plastic” (especially in the back), more so than the Samsung Galaxy Tab for instance. Unlike other devices, this one has only three Android buttons: Home, Menu and Back. The Android buttons are odly placed if you use the Tablet right-handed and horizontally: your thumb lands right where the buttons are and it’s actually easier to simply rotate it by 180 degrees and hold it from the opposite side. It works great, maybe except if you use the webcam. Even then, I tend to find the Streak 7 to be a two-hands device, despite its relatively small size (when compared to the iPad). With a single hand, it feels heavier than it looks, so keep this in mind.

The Dell Streak 7 display size, is decent, but if you have been playing with smartphones and tablets, you will see right away that the resolution is relatively low for a 7” screen. At 800×480, you basically get the same resolution than most (recent) 3.5”/4.3” smartphones, except that the image is now 7” big!

The display has a poor viewing angle. If I put the Streak 7 on my desk, the bright image that I’m looking at becomes barely visible, and all but the brightest parts of the image went dark. In a outdoor setting, things get really tough. Unlike e-paper, any backlit screen (LCD, OLED…) is hard to read in direct sunlight, but this one is particularly hard to read in such conditions. If you plan to use it outdoors, or in a very bright place, this could make things very difficult.

If you hold it vertically, the Streak 7 has a user interface that is very close to most Android smartphones that you might have played with. There’s not much news on that side. Because the Streak 7 uses the Tegra 2 “system on a chip” (SoC)s from NVIDIA, I was expecting a very fluid user experience, but the streak 7 doesn’t feel faster than most Android devices that came out in the past 12 months.When used horizonally, the Streak 7 displays bits of informations on the left+right sides, but you can’t interact with that content without scrolling to either side. It would have been nice to get the equivalent of two more icon columns on either side. I’ll survive though.

Tablets are supposed to be excellent media consumption devices, so I did a few things like reading books/news, watch video and listen to music. The results are mixed and you can have different views depending on what you care the most: absolute quality or mobility. The absolute media consumption quality is definitely not as good as on an iPad. Videos are not as sharp, neither are the eBooks. Of course, the Dell Streak 7 is smaller.

When it comes to productivity, the central nerve is the (virtual) keyboard, and I have to say that on a bigger screen, Swype rocks! If you are not familiar with Swype, it is a virtual keyboard with which could can “swipe” from one letter to the next instead of tapping. It is more accurate because your finger stays on the screen surface the whole time. With “tapping”, most typos happen because your finger “lands” on the wrong spot – Swype takes that away. It’s not perfect though, as Swype relies heavily on a dictionary, so if you tend to use slang or words that are not in the dictionary, Swype might not help as much.From a productivity standpoint, the lack of pixel real-estate and decent copy/paste capabilities can be fairly annoying if you use it often. Overall, I see the Dell Streak 7 productivity as being close to a smartphone, except that typing is much faster.

Web browsing is very good, just like it is on most recent Android devices. The version 2.2 of Android used the Dell Streak has in-browser support for Flash. You can go to Flash sites (some industries rely heavily on Flash) and even play casual Flash games, although most of them are built for desktop machines and rely on a mouse or a keyboard. In horizontal mode, even small characters are readable (which is not the case on a 4” smartphone display using the same resolution), so that works fairly well if you have a good sight. In vertical mode, you’ll have to zoom in because things get minified.

Playing with the Streak 7 feels good as games are more immersive than on smartphone. Unlike iPad versions of iOS games, these are the exact same than the ones running on Android phones. 3D games run fast, just as fast as other devices equipped with the same Tegra 2 1GHz chip. Don’t expect higher performance because there’s more room for cooling in the tablet format.

Dell Streak 7: PerformanceAs the Gaming section indicates, overall performance is among the best that you can get on Android. The Dell Streak 7 runs just a little slower than the LG Optimus 2X, the first dual-core smartphone equipped with the same chip. Overall, the application performance should be very similar, so I don’t expect any trouble.I was a little surprised to see that the user interface of the Streak 7 is perceptibly slower than the LG Optimus 2X’s. I’m not sure why that would be, but the user interface scrolling feels a little sluggish, and slower than the 2X. That said, the Galaxy Tab doesn’t do that much better in that regards so if you want Android 2.2, that might simply be the price to pay.

Dell Streak 7: Battery LifeThe battery life depletion varies a lot depending on what you do, but for example, if you play games, things can go downhill fairly fast: leaving Raging Thunder ( a car racing game) in “demo mode” for 30mn used 19% of the battery, which means that you could play it for about 2.5 hours before you need to plug again – take this as a worst-case scenario. If you just browse the web or read a book, the battery life will be much better, but it won’t reach what you can get on an iPad (about 10 hrs of video, etc…).

The Dell Streak 7, like the the original Dell Streak, is a smartphone masquerading as a tablet. That is not, on the whole, a bad thing: you get some of the best features of Android in a form-factor that is more conducive to media consumption. However, the Streak 7 is worrying because it launches on the cusp of another Android version, 3.0, that promises a more unified tablet UI. Provided this device will keep up with the times over the next few iterations of Android, I’m all for recommending it as a sturdy and slight Galaxy Tab or iPad alternative for the media enthusiast.


Dell Streak Review

The Dell Streak is a device whose 5-inch display makes it either a very large smartphone or a very small tablet computer. Whatever its classification, this model runs Google's Android OS on a 1 GHz processor, and offers Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, and a 5 megapixel camera.Dell Streak: Build & Design

This may sound odd, but how large the Streak is depends on how you classify it. If you consider it a smartphone, it's really big. On the other hand, if you think of it as a tablet computer, it's very small. In concrete numbers, it's 6 x 3.1 x 0.4 inches (153 mm x 79 mm x 10 mm).Dell Streak: Screen

The centerpiece of the Dell Streak is its 5-inch, 800 x 480 pixel (WVGA) capacitive touchscreen. This largedisplay allows you to get more done with this device than you would on a smaller smartphone. It makes web browsing better, emails easier to read, and is a blessing for watching video and reading ebooks.Colors are great, and thisscreen offers a wide range of viewing angles, so it's possible for two people to watch a movie together. It isn't too bad a fingerprint magnet -- it's no worse than any other item you regularly rub your fingers on.Dell Streak: Keyboard

The Streak doesn't have a physical keyboard, but its large display gives plenty of room for an on-screen one. There's room for all the commonly used punctuation marks to have their own keys, and there's a dedicated number area. In most apps you have a choice of a landscape and aportrait version of the virtual keyboard, The landscape oneis definitely better, but the portrait version is still usable.

The Dell Streak is based on Google's mobile operating system on a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 528 MB of RAM. This is a combination that gives this tablet phone very good performance -- you're almost never going find yourself waiting for something to process.This tablet phone comes with 16 GB of storage in the form of a removable microSD memory card. You have the option of switching this out for a 32 GB card if you want more storage and are willing to spend the money.

But there's a hitch: this device launched with Android OS 1.6, a version that's almost a year old and is well behind the current one. This means the Streak is missing full support for voice recognition and the pinch-to-zoom gesture, though a few apps offer these features. There are also a number of third-party apps that won't run on this older version.  The main reason I don't often miss a newer version of the OS is because Dell has created it's own user interface for the Streak -- a UI that I think is an improvement, if not a huge one. It adds a few enhancements without significantly modifying the standard user interface.

Dell built a wide variety of wireless features into the Streak. In addition to support voice and 3G service, this model sports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1. plus a GPS receiver. 3G network provides fast data transfers when you're on the move, but you can get even faster Net access by connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot. You can also make voice calls, but this really isn't this model's forte. Incoming calls sound fine, but callers report that this device tends to clip offthe beginningsof words I speak.Dell Streak: Camera

This tablet phoneincludes a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera on its back, and a front-facing one for video conferencing. The rear-facing camera takes fairly decent pictures. Most of the ones I took came out looking fairly good.The Streak has an LED flash, but it's quite weak. In my tests, it wasn't capable of making a dimly lit object close to the camera bright enough for a good picture. This device comes with a nice addition from Dell: a set of image editing tools. It's not Photoshop by any stretch of the imagination, but you can sharpen, crop, resize, and make other tweaks.Dell Streak: Battery

Given it's large screen, I expected the Dell Streak to have a short battery life, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's actually decent -- not great, but decent. It usually gets me through a day of average use without needing a recharge -- that includes push email from two different sources, some web browsing, and maybe a phone call.Conclusion:

The Dell Streak is the best Android tablet yet, but there's still room for improvement. Its sleek and feature-packed hardware is let down by a fairly old version of Android that's missing some key features, and a fussy user interface that doesn't take full advantage of the big screen.


Dell Venue Review

When the Dell Venue was first spotted as Thunder, it would have definitely passed for a super phone. On a spec-to-spec comparison, it isn’t too far behind the HTC Evo, which has a mammoth 4.3-inch TFT display. The EVO was way ahead of its time, and pretty much defined the category of ostentatious, conspicuous, super-sized Androids. The phone was famously criticized for sub-par battery life while it was running Android 2.1, but wound up on many people’s wishlist for all the headroom it gave. Dell Venue: Build Quality

The curved Corning Gorilla Glass display may not be smudge proof, but it is definitely scratch proof. You don’t ever have to sheath it in a layer of plastic, this is a phone that can and should be used as is. The AMOLED screen is brilliant and the colours leap out of the screen. Weighing 164 grams, it’s about 15 percent heavier than the Galaxy S, which has a plastic body. That’s not much of a trade-off for a ruggedized phone with an all-metallic finish. It’s slim and light enough to fit in your pocket, and has a grooved finish on the back that feels good to touch.

The Dell Venue is a commanding device. The large 4.1" AMOLED screen provides a fantastic level of contrast: far beyond what you get on a standard LCD, but not quite as high as Samsung's Super AMOLED displays found on the Galaxy S phones. Not only is the screen big and constrasty, but it's also curved, lending to improved ergonomics, an interesting visual appeal, and a high level of screen sensitivity.

The Venue runs a modified version of Android 2.2 Froyo, you could use this phone as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, install apps on SD cards, and browse Flash 10.1 media in the web browser.  The UI customization, called Stage UI is both good and bad. I liked how I could quickly swivel between the homescreens by sliding my finger at the bottom of the touchscreen, it’s a bit like Sense UI that you don’t need to swipe five to 10 times to navigate through all your home screens and get back. I didn’t find most of Stage UI’s panels to be all that appealing, and replaced them with a few Android widgets found on the Android Market.The phone also loaded with Dell Sync, an app made by Nero that syncs your media and contacts with your PC. I found no use for this app as it worked seamlessly with MyPhoneExplorer to back up contacts, SMSes and call history. The user interface is slick for the most part, but it does stutter every once in a while. The UI could be bouncier; compared to 600 Mhz phones the lag is lower, but far from free from it.Dell Venue: Camera

It’s an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, but don’t expect the world from it. The image quality was average. To its credit, the phone is pretty conspicuous, and it does give a good impression as a snapper with the LED flash and dedicated photo button. Sharing pics is very easy, you can upload photos to Dropbox, Flickr, Picasa, or Facebook in a few taps.Dell Venue: Battery Life

The Venue could have done with a slightly larger battery, considering Android is a power hungry OS that always struggles to get through the day. Its 1400 mAh battery manages to charge up to 90 percent charge in two hours. Eight hours of moderate usage on an EDGE/GPRS plan with an hour of talktime drained out the battery by 70%. On an average, the Venue managed a battery life of 20 hours on a full charge with Juice Defender on. Heavy users should best carry a charger around, or consider carrying a secondary battery during long trips.Conclusion:

The Dell Venue is a fantastic Android handset, thanks to terrific build quality, an interesting UI, and great day-to-day performance. It's also a bit last-generation. It doesn't have a front-facing camera or a dual core processor, it's shipping with an older version of Android, and there aren't many options associated with the Dell Stage UI.


Dell XPS 13 (2022) series coming to Malaysia soon, prices from RM4999

When it comes to laptops, Dell is a prominent brand for many Malaysians. Among the models available, the Dell XPS series stands out with its great balance in portability and performance. Now, the company is getting ready to launch the latest Dell XPS 13 laptops in Malaysia.

This year's models will still be called the Dell XPS 13 and Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (2022 edition). Of course, the two new models come with upgraded components like the new 12th Gen Intel Core CPU. The exact specs weren't provided, but Dell did give us the configuration for one of its Dell XPS 13 (2022) variants. It would feature an Intel Core i5-1230U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage.

The new (right) XPS 13 is 1.8x smaller than its predecessor (left)

This year's XPS 13 2-in-1 has a 4K rear camera

As for the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, we expect it to have a variant with the same tech specs but with extra features. According to Dell, it will be the first XPS device to offer 5G connectivity. This is possible thanks to the eSIM support, which will allow users to connect to 5G networks in other countries without having to swap out SIM cards. Dell also confirmed that this model will have a variant with a 3K display, 1080p front camera, and 4K rear camera.

The XPS 13 (2022) is expected to launch in mid-June 2022 for RM4999, while the XPS 13 2-in-1 will be available much later in August 2022. Would you be interested in getting one for yourself? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned to TechNave for the eventual launch report.


Dell and Alienware unleashed new gaming products and peripherals, Inspiron 15 7000 gaming laptop now RM3899

Today, Dell and Alienware Malaysia have unveiled their latest gaming products for the Malaysian gamers with the new Inspiron 15 7000 gaming laptop, Aurora gaming tower, a new Alienware gaming monitor, keyboards and a mouse featuring the latest specifications. The gaming laptop is available now from RM3899 (Core i5), while the Aurora desktop will only come on 3 November 2017 from RM4999 (Core i5).

First up, the Inspiron 15 7000 (7577) offers gamers NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card with NVIDIA Max Q design technology, 7th Gen Intel quad-core CPU option and dual fans for cooling efficiency. There's also an anti-glare IPS wide viewing angle Full HD or 4K UHD resolution display, accompanied by Waves MaxxAudio Pro software, 2x2 WiFi antenna, a SmartByte software that prioritises gaming and video content, a quick charge battery (up to 80% in just an hour) and finally, Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Quite a square-ish design for the gaming laptop

The model posing with the Aurora desktop tower and the new monitors beside it

Next, the Aurora desktop tower uses the latest 8th Gen Intel Core and can support graphics intense games and Virtual Reality-ready. As you can expect, a CPU liquid cooling, overclocking and other amenities are inside the beast as well, sporting a HyperX Fury DDR4 memory 2933Mhz and up to 64GB (4DIMMs).

Upfront look of the Alienware gaming monitors, keyboard and mouse

The Alienware monitor allows flexibility on adjusting to your preference

Another game demo with the gaming laptop

Dell and Alienware have also delivered new gaming peripherals for the fans, this includes:

For more information on the products, click either of the links below to get started.


Dell announces 15-inch Precision M3800 mobile workstation

Offering graphics designers and professionals a powerful yet ultimately mobile workstation solution, Dell have recently released their Precision M3800 notebook computer or mobile workstation. Ultra-thin and light at just 18mm thin and 1.88kg, the Precision M3800 is very sleek for a mobile workstation of this class. Targeting those who need a mobile computer with workstation-class performance, the Precision M3800 offers very impressive tech specs which include:

Many of the features and hardware packed into the Precision M3800 are enterprise-class already. It should give designers, animators and engineers who need more than the average notebook computer can provide more than enough graphical processing power. These multimedia professional no longer need to sacrifice performance for mobility as the more than 2K display and NVIDIA Quadro graphics should provide awesome display and processing while on the move. In addition, the Precision M3800 mobile workstation easily hooks up to high-end monitors like the 31.5-inch UltraSharp 32 monitor for a more traditional dual-monitor workstation situation. The Dell Precision M3800 is currently available in Malaysia from RM9745. For more information, check out the Dell Precision M3800 site or the videos below:

See the Dell Precision M3800 in mobile workstation action!

Check out the Dell Precision M3800 overview video


Dell announces 64-bit Intel Android 4.4 tablets with Venue 7 and Venue 8

Dell has recently announced two 64-bit Android tablets with the new Dell Venue 7 and Dell Venue 8. Powered by Intel's new 64-bit Intel Atom processor, what makes it even more interesting is that both tablets will run Android 4.4 KitKat right out of the box and be priced from $159.99 (RM517.25) to $199.99 (RM646.57). The Venue 7 tablet is packing a 7-inch display with 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z3460 processor while the Venue 8 has an 8-inch display with full HD resolution and 2.13GHz dual-core Intel Z3480 processor.

Other tech specs and features include a 5MP rear camera and Waves MAXXAudio Pro tech for both the tablets. The Venue 7 and Venue 8 are due on 1 July 2014 through the Dell.com online store, but we expect the Dell Malaysia site to get the tablets a bit later. While the pricing is very exciting we're even more excited by the accessories as Dell are including a Dell Bluetooth Keyboard Folio, Bluetooth Portable Speaker, Venue Rotating Folio, Duo Tablet case and Venue Cradle (for wireless charging). A keyboard combo would be just perfect but so far, there are no details on pricing for these accessories.


A cheaper Netflix subscription plan with ads may come as early as October 2022

Previously, we reported how Netflix is losing subscribers and may be introducing a cheaper, ad-supported subscription plan to combat the loss of customers. Well, it looks like the new subscription plan model may be coming sooner than expected as an alleged internal memo leak revealed that Netflix will be pushing its release to as early as October this year.

As reported by The New York Times, a recent internal note to employees by Netflix said that the company’s executives are aiming to introduce the ad-supported plan in the latest three months of 2022. Furthermore, the internal memo also allegedly said that the company will begin crackdown on password sharing during the same time period.

Previously, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings said that the company will only introduce the ad-tier option in the ‘next year or two’. However, this alleged leak suggests that Netflix may have changed its tunes and want to entice new customers to subscribe and previous customers who left to return.

On 20 April 2022, the company announcedits Q1 2022 financial report and for the first time in a decade, the company is losing subscribers. Well, looking at the numbers, losing money has got to be one of the main reasons as to why Netflix is expediting this new ad-supported subscription.

What do you guys think of this new business model by Netflix? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for the latest tech news!