TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #26 - Huawei Milestones, Lenovo ThinkCentre + Lenovo ThinkVision, Maxis adopts Google Cloud, AMD, #ItStartsOnTikTok and Special: 12 steps for the ultimate Netflix experience

Welcome back TechNavers and NewsByters, in this issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #26, Huawei announced key Milestones Achieved with its Local Partners during the HUAWEI Developer Conference 2020, Lenovo announced their ThinkCentre’s smallest ever desktop and their Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Mobile Monitor.

Maxis adopts Google Cloud, AMD President and CEO Dr. Lisa Su to Keynote at CES 2021, AMD COVID-19 HPC Fund assists researchers fighting COVID-19 and ARMARI announced a new world record with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X-powered Magnetar X64T in the official Specworkstation v3.0.4 benchmark.

TikTok launched their inaugural #ItStartsOnTikTok campaign on 15 September 2020 while for this issue’s Special, we have: 12 steps for the ultimate Netflix movie viewing experience.

HUAWEI Consumer Business Group held its annual HUAWEI Developer Conference (HDC) 2020 themed "HDC · Together" from 10 to 12 September 2020 in Songshan Lake, Dongguan to announce the technical upgrades and development progress of HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS) ecosystem. During the ‘Grow with HMS Best Practices’ virtual global tech session, five app partners from Asia-Pacific (APAC) were invited to present key milestones that they've achieved in collaboration with HUAWEI towards building a "Seamless AI Life".

The HMS ecosystem has achieved rapid growth globally. As of September, there are 1.8 million registered HUAWEI Developers worldwide to continuously create apps through HMS open capabilities. Since its global launch in April 2018, the HUAWEI AppGallery has now successfully attracted 490 million monthly users across 170 countries and achieved 261 billion app downloads within the first eight months of this year.

In growing the ecosystem, HMS have supported partners by tailoring the co-marketing campaign based on the app's unique selling points and local preferences.

In the Philippines, HMS collaborated with Kumu livestreaming app to launch the "Mother's Day"-themed campaign in May. The mechanics entailed viewers to purchase virtual HUAWEI products such as HUAWEI P40 and smartwatch through Kumu's livestreams and send them as gifts to support their favourite live streamers' leaderboard standings.

The livestream videos broadcasted under this campaign had successfully reached more than 1 million users. After the two-week campaign, Kumu's paid users increased by 220%, and in-app purchases grew by 40 times.

Early this year, HUAWEI have set up technical teams in key APAC markets to assist app developers on the HMS app integration process. In Thailand, Wongnai and LINE MAN have integrated with HMS Core kits to be part of the HUAWEI ecosystem.

Established since 2010, Wongnai is one of the leading lifestyle apps focusing on the food and beverage industry and it owns the largest restaurant database in Thailand.

HUAWEI smartphone users are accounted for the second-largest of Wongnai Android users. The app took three weeks to integrate with HMS Core Kits and launched onto the HUAWEI AppGallery in March.

On the other hand, LINE MAN, the on-demand delivery service app covering taxi-hailing, messenger, parcel delivery and more, was newly onboarded into the HUAWEI AppGallery in June.

The location-focused app decided to first integrate with HMS Map Kit and Location Kit. To ease the future app maintenance, LINE MAN also added a set of logic APIs into the app, to make it run smoothly on HMS devices and other mobile services.

HMS also provides hybrid, multi-platform distribution across the ecosystem for its partners to reach out to a larger user pool.

Star Media Group (SMG), a multi-channel media group based in Malaysia, onboarded all of its six applications including The Star, Star ePaper, Star Property, Kuali, 988, and Dimsum Entertainment into the HUAWEI AppGallery in October 2019. Additionally, SMG had also connected to 'HUAWEI Ability Gallery’ (HAG) capabilities to make its content services available through HUAWEI Video and HUAWEI Assistant∙TODAY.

SMG also newly implemented the HUAWEI Ad kit in their applications to start monetizing the in-app traffic.

HUAWEI Ads enable app developers to monetize the in-app traffic by placing advertisement in their apps and allow advertisers to tap into HUAWEI device’s broad user base. HUAWEI has been actively engaging with the GroupM advertising group to pilot the HUAWEI Ad service to spearhead it in the Malaysia market.

To watch the full video, please visit their site.

Lenovo, recently announced its latest ThinkCentre ultra-small form factor “Nano” desktops. The 350ml ThinkCentre M75n is the smallest desktop in the ThinkCentre portfolio and is perfectly suited to respond to the ways and spaces in which people now work. Powered by AMD Ryzen™ PRO processors, with solid state storage and Windows 10, the M75n delivers powerful desktop performance and robust security helping users accomplish their daily tasks.

The ThinkCentre M75n IoT is an intelligent edge computing device with powerful AMD Athlon™ processors that can protect, collect, analyze and interpret real-time data from multiple sources helping businesses optimize production or maximize efficiencies.

ThinkCentre M75n features options that are proven to boost employee productivity, like Modern Standby, which allows users to receive emails, Voice over IP calls, and instant messages while the device is in standby mode and then rapidly resumes to full function.

Even though it’s only 22mm thin, ThinkCentre M75n doesn’t sacrifice connectivity for size. It has all the ports users need to stay connected to peripherals, networks, and accessories. Users can also connect to two displays for multitasking, plus a full-size keyboard and mouse, headphones, and more. A USB Type-C port located on the front panel offers fast charging of compatible devices and quick data sharing.

Today’s desktops need a flexible purpose. The M75n can be mounted anywhere with the appropriate accessories — on the wall, behind a monitor, under the tabletop. Or keep it free for ultimate grab-and-go portability. Weighing just 505 grams, the M75n is a portable workhorse enabling easy transition from office to home for maximum productivity Simply connect ThinkCentre M75n to an external keyboard, mouse and up to two displays for a multi-monitor, ergonomic, full desktop computing experience.

Ideal for integrating into warehouse, retail and healthcare edge computing environments, the ThinkCentre M75n IoT supports WiFi and Bluetooth®, wireless connections to efficiently transport data to the cloud or data center. It can also serve as a dedicated ThinClient for the perfect Work-From-Home platform that can be securely deployed and managed remotely as a cloud based or desktop as a service model.  In order to support the Edge compute and ThinClient solutions, the M75n IoT supports a variety of OS options and maintains built-in driver support for older OS versions to ensure backwards compatibility.

The previously announced ThinkCentre M90n is also now available with 4G/LTE WWAN for enhanced high-speed connectivity in more remote locations. As integral devices within Lenovo’s SmartEdge solutions framework, the Nano IoT desktops can process and interpret data from multiple sources (sensors, inverters, sirens, displays, cameras, and more) efficiently and send only what matters to the cloud or data center with reduced latency.

Furthermore, ThinkCentre devices protect critical data and business processes with the reinforced security of ThinkShield solutions. ThinkCentre Nano desktops have built-in security features, such as a dTPM 2.0 chip, Smart USB protection, individual USB port disablement, and a chassis intrusion switch, plus many more security features that can be customized to meet your unique needs.

For those who are interested, you may reach out to Lenovo Exclusive Stores (LES) for a quote. Pricings are as below -

Lenovo recently announced its latest mobile monitor, the ThinkVision M14t. The new display brings a sleek modern design for users to extend their screen real estate while adding touch interaction with their device. The slim and light portable monitor weighs just 698 grams1 and provides a 14-inch Full-HD touch-enabled display.

Ten-point touch functionality and 4096 pressure level active pen support empowers users to unleash their creativity by enjoying the freedom to design, animate, present and annotate. The pressure-sensitive pen enables more precise sketching and accurate navigation.

An improved user experience for mobile and remote workers includes pivot support for portrait and landscape formats with the included L-shaped dongle offering a simple cable solution, and two full function USB Type-C ports for complete flexibility.

Enhancing the successful M14 model, the new monitor delivers extra functionality to offer greater flexibility and user interaction by adding touch capability to non-touch laptops or extending touch in collaboration with touch-enabled laptops. Add the M14t with its included active pen and dedicated sleeve to any USB-C enabled ThinkPad laptop or other compatible USB-C devices for a true mobile workspace.

Built for mobile professionals who are adapting to a new era of flexible working, the M14t becomes the perfect companion for users who need to vary their workplaces. The crisp and accurate visuals with 300 nit brightness capability and impressive viewing angles make it ideal for presentations or managing multiple content windows across two displays. The tilt function and height adjustment ensure the most comfortable viewing position and TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light technology lets users work with minimal eye strain.

Touch is one of our most familiar sensations and we seek interactive experiences with intuitive input. The active digital pen that supports 4096 levels of pressure offers unmatched precision when it comes to drawing, sketching and collaborating.

Switching the view from annotating a presentation in landscape mode to digitally signing a document or contract in portrait mode is made very simple thanks to auto-rotations sensors that do not require additional software or driver installation. Additionally, an intuitive on-screen display menu enables easy access to brightness, contrast and rotation settings.

This compact USB-C Hub monitor with two USB-C ports works seamlessly not only with Lenovo ThinkPad family laptops but also with other compatible USB-C devices. The M14t monitor offers ease of use, especially while working on the go. Connect, create, present and pitch, with conviction on the M14t wherever you are.

ThinkVision monitors are built on uncompromised Think brand quality and Lenovo’s engineering legacy that ensure performance and reliability. Innovative USB-C Hub Monitor Display Solutions empower employee’s productivity and optimize their working experience. Whether working from home, office or on the road, ThinkVision has a display solution to set everyone’s needs.

Here are some highlights from the extensive portfolio:

For those who are interested, you may reach out to Lenovo Exclusive Stores (LES) for a quote. Pricings are as below –

Bringing together the best of technology to help people, businesses and the nation to Always Be Ahead in a changing world, Maxis has accelerated its data analytics capabilities to help deliver an Unmatched Personalised Experience for its customers.

Maxis is working with Google Cloud to integrate data analytics into every facet of its business – from consumers to enterprise, network, retail channels and employees. The company’s digital analytics transformation programme entails transitioning 100% of its business intelligence, data analytics and machine learning on-premise workloads to the cloud to deliver timely and secure insights, making Maxis one of the first in the Southeast Asian region to achieve this. At the same time, Maxis has also established its Big Data and Advanced Analytics and AI Center of Excellence with deep skilled data scientists and commitment programmes.

Initiated as the organisation’s Data Analytics cloud partner of choice, Maxis is leveraging the latest and best-in-class Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) innovation from Google Cloud, as well as a plethora of Google Cloud partners’ technology solutions. The platform’s scalable cloud platform provides a cost-effective approach for future expansion to support Maxis’ growing business needs, especially in managing the massive surge of data faster.

Google Cloud and Maxis will also work together to roll out a curated career development programme to build deep technical knowledge and in-house expertise, and significantly grow the number of Google Certified Data Engineers within the organisation.

Tapping on young minds with great potential, Maxis has brought onboard top tech graduates to its Young Talents development programme as it seeks to attract the best talent in Malaysia. Fostering a culture of innovation among the grassroots, Maxis is also collaborating with Google Cloud and other partners and academic institutions to grow deep skills in data to arm a future workforce in an accelerating Industry 4.0 era.

For more information, please visit their site.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) recently announced that AMD President and CEO Dr. Lisa Su will keynote during CES 2021, the world’s most influential technology event. Dr. Su will present the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) vision for the future of research, education, work, entertainment and gaming, including a portfolio of high-performance computing and graphics solutions. This will be the first time the CES keynote series will be available in real time to registered attendees around the world.

CES 2021 will be an all-digital experience, extending the reach of this global event to existing and new audiences. Attendees will have a front row seat to the latest technology breakthroughs. Global brands and startups will launch the latest cutting-edge products. Thought leaders will share ideas that will shape the future. This new immersive experience will bring together the tech community.

Dr. Su has held the position of AMD president and chief executive officer since October 2014, and serves on the AMD Board of Directors. In 2014, she was chief operating officer responsible for integrating AMD’s business units, sales, global operations and infrastructure enablement teams into a single market-facing organization responsible for product strategy and execution. Dr. Su joined AMD in January 2012 as senior vice president and general manager, global business units and was responsible for driving end-to-end business execution of AMD products and solutions. Following a keynote at CES 2019, this will be the second time Dr. Su will present a CES keynote.

Dr. Su joins recently announced keynote speaker Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg. The CES keynote schedule will be updated regularly as keynote speakers are announced. Top visionaries and thought leaders are expected to speak and share insights on premiere technologies during CES 2021.

Owned and produced by CTA, CES 2021 will be an all-digital experience connecting exhibitors, customers, thought leaders and media from around the world. CES 2021 will allow participants to hear from technology innovators, see cutting-edge technologies and the latest product launches, and engage with global brands and startups from around the world. For over 50 years, CES has been the global stage for innovation, and CES 2021 will provide an engaging platform for companies large and small to launch products, build brands and form partnerships. Visit CES.tech for all CES 2021 updates and the media page for all press resources.

AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) recently announced a second round of high-performance technology contributions to assist in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. AMD is now contributing high-end computing systems or access to Penguin-On-Demand (POD) cloud-based clusters powered by 2nd  Gen AMD EPYC™ and AMD Radeon Instinct™ processors to 21 institutions and research facilities conducting COVID-19 research. With 12 petaflops of total supercomputing capacity now awarded, the combined compute capacity donated through the AMD COVID-19 HPC Fund would rank among the fastest supercomputers in the world according to the most recent Top500 list.

The AMD COVID-19 HPC fund was established to provide research institutions with computing resources to accelerate medical research on COVID-19 and other diseases. In addition to the donations of $15 million of high-performance computing systems, AMD has contributed technology and technical resources to nearly double the peak system of the “Corona” system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which is being used to provide additional computing power for molecular modeling in support of COVID-19 research.

The second round of AMD-donated compute capacity is expected to be operational starting in Q4 of this year and will be used for a number of pandemic-related workloads including genomics, vaccine development, transmission science, and modeling. Research projects range from evolutionary modeling of the virus, to understanding the virus spike protein activation that occurs prior to first interaction between the coronavirus and human cell, and large scale fluid dynamics simulations of COVID-19 droplets as they travel through the air. To maximize the impact of the research, AMD is also initiating a working group for COVID-19 HPC Fund recipients and AMD engineers to jointly discuss research areas and findings as well as hardware and software optimizations that can accelerate their collective work.

To date, the AMD COVID-19 HPC fund has donated computing systems or cloud-based computing capacity to: Cambridge University, Carnegie Mellon, GENCI / French National High-Performance Computing Agency, Harvard Children’s Hospital, High Performance Computing Center (HLRS) / the University of Stuttgart, MIT, NYU, CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute in India, Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ), Rice, Stanford School of Medicine, Texas State University, The University of British Columbia, The University of Texas at Austin, UCLA, University of Arkansas, University of Toronto, University of Trento, University of Vermont, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Washington University.

Gigabyte is supplying its G291-Z20 compute nodes for the Penguin Computing clusters, built around a single, 48-core AMD EPYC 7642 processor paired with eight Radeon Instinct™ MI50 GPU accelerators. The system R182-Z91 management nodes, also from Gigabyte, each utilize two 16-core, AMD EPYC 7302 processors.

ARMARI, a UK-based PC system integrator, announced a new world record with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X-powered Magnetar X64T in the official Specworkstation v3.0.4 benchmark.

The ARMARI Magnetar X64T powered by Ryzen Threadripper 3990X is able to achieve a 4.1GHz sustained all-core overclock, marking a significant uplift in performance.

You can find more information on the AMD blog, here.

TikTok, is launching its inaugural #ItStartsOnTikTok campaign on 15 September 2020. The campaign celebrates the trends, stories, songs and conversations that started on TikTok and exploded into popularity, delivering cultural and social impact on and off-platform.

Since TikTok was launched, musicians have been discovered in the app, challenges have gone viral worldwide, users have experienced travel from the eyes of others, learnt the importance of safe online behavior, and celebrated cultural festivities together – the possibilities of what have started on TikTok are endless.

#ItStartsOnTikTok reinforces TikTok’s role as a platform where ‘culture’ is created by our community, users in Malaysia and throughout the world. From 15 September onwards, TikTok invites all Malaysian creators to share their TikTok journey with the community and how it has changed their lives!

Alibaba Cloud, the digital technologies and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, today unveiled a series of innovative products at its 12th annual Apsara Conference, highlighting the technology pioneer’s commitment in helping people adapt to the more digitized world and accelerate customers’ digital transformation during and after the pandemic.

A highlight is Alibaba Cloud’s first cloud computer, a palm-sized personal computer which, despite being just about 60 grams and as light as  an egg,  offers high-performance computing, thanks to robust back-end cloud resources. By simply connecting the cloud computer with a normal computer screen , a user can access  almost unlimited computing resources anytime, anywhere, while paying on a subscription model or for the actual cloud consumption.

With robust computing power, the cloud computer can reduce the rendering time of one frame high-resolution animation from 90 minutes using a traditional PC, down to only 10 minutes. In addition, the cloud computer’s system upgrades are conducted online, saving a big chunk of the normally heavy cost of PC machine upgrades and maintenance in traditional office settings. Through Alibaba Cloud's self-developed app-streaming protocol, which is designed for synergy between the cloud and the device, users can also purchase and access licensed apps and programs such Linux and Windows as well as various office applications. All user data will be stored on cloud for datacenter-grade security and protection measures. Available initially for enterprise customers, the cloud computers will be also available for purchase by individual consumers in the near future.

Alibaba Cloud also unveiled its autonomous logistics robot for last-mile deliveries. Developed by the Alibaba DAMO Academy, the global research initiative by Alibaba Group, the delivery robot can carry 50 packages at one time and cover 62 miles (or 100 kilometres) on a single charge. It is estimated the mobile robot should be able to deliver as many as 500 packages a day to one designated community or campus, meeting the rising demand for speedy last-mile delivery in China. Online shopping is booming there, with 200 million packages delivered daily and expectations that will rise to 1 billion packages per day in the coming years.

Supported with reinforced learning technologies, the intelligent robot can schedule its route even in a crowded environment. With proprietary, high-definition positioning technology, the robot can operate even where there’s  weak or no GPS signal. Leveraging a self-developed heterogeneous computing platform, 3D Point Cloud Semantic Segmentation (PCSS) technology and deep learning, the robot can also identify obstacles and predict the intended movement of passengers and vehicles a few seconds ahead of time  to enhance safety.

Consumers can use either the Cainiao or Taobao mobile apps to select a preferred timeslot during the day for delivery. The robot then arrives at the designated destination, where users retrieve their packages simply by entering a passcode they receive in the app, once the robot arrives.

A slew of cloud-native products were unveiled during the Conference:

- Cloud Lakehouse: This is the next-generation big data architecture which can deliver significant data-based values and intelligence through cross-platform computing, intelligent cache, hot/cold data separation, storage improvement and performance acceleration.

- Sandboxed-Container 2.0: Alibaba’s cloud-native container service for Kubernetes supports clusters that provide sandboxed container runtimes. The new SandboxedContainer 2.0 enables customers to run applications in lightweight sandboxed environments with faster speeds and reduced cost of runtime resources.

- PAI-DSW 2.0: The latest Cloud-native Machine-learning Interactive Development Platform by Alibaba. It aims to provide an optimal environment for developers that is easy to use, compatible with community plug-ins and supports multi-development environments like JupyterLab，WebIDE and Terminal.

- Lindorm: The cloud-native multi-model database that is used to support the Alibaba Group ecosystem, is introduced to benefit the wider Alibaba Cloud ecosystem. Lindorm is a cloud-native database, with affordable storage and flexible processing characteristics. It is designed for applications with massive processing requirement for a mixture of unstructured, semi-structured, and structured data.

The conference, named “Leap Into the Future of Digital Intelligence,” was entirely hosted online for the first time, with over 100 virtual forums on topics ranging from cloud computing, IoT to machine learning and industrial AI solutions.

For more information about the Apsara Conference, please visit their website.

Lazada broke new ground in eCommerce retail during this year’s Lazada 9.9 Big Brands Sale, smashing its 2019 9.9 sales record. Its inaugural LazLive livestream program, Chief Discount Officer Show, featuring Ain Edruce, Lazada’s newly appointed Chief Discount Officer (CDO) also established a sales record by selling over 4,000 Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 in less than 8 minutes.

As the first-ever CDO and host of the Chief Discount Officer Show, Ain is tasked with participating in goods selection and bargaining to help buyers navigate through the platform, secure the best deals and promote them during the live show. The Chief Discount Officer Show recorded an astounding 580,000 views and registered more than 72,000 engagements in just three and a half hours, or a staggering 400 engagements per minute. The show on September 8 alone ended with over 97,000 product clicks. More than 100,000 masks were sold in under 8 minutes, and all products from participating brands on the show were sold out.

The 9.9 Big Brands Sale kickstarted with over 99 Lazada exclusive brand deals, and the unveiling of LazMall’s new interactive features and interface to enhance its offerings for consumers with a premium shopping experience.

Other notable highlight’s from Lazada’s 9.9 Big Brands Sale include:

With the increase of time being spent online and the diverse activities being posted on different social media platforms, Kaspersky recently shared a reminder for parents about the risks of oversharing online.

Latest research from the global cybersecurity company Kaspersky confirmed that social media is the top activity for online users in Southeast Asia (SEA) for the first few months of 2020. Conducted last May among 760 respondents, the fresh study revealed that 80% of parents in the region are spending a lot of time on different social networking apps as the lockdown restrictions force them to work at home and look after their kids, all at the same time.

Everything that the parents or their children publish online can be used against them – whether it’s an angry post on a random topic, an intimate photo or details of their personal live. It is therefore important to remember and to teach children: before you click a “Publish” button, take a minute and think. Think about any adverse consequences that may arise from the post in future. Will this information have a negative effect on your or someone else’s personal life? What will a future employer say if they see it? Is it possible to use this information, for example, to track you or your child in the real world? Who will be able to see this information?

What you or your child should never post online:

For parents aiming to secure their children better, a three-month free Safe Kids subscription also available online on Kaspersky’s shop on Lazada and Shopee.

Kaspersky is also offering a three-month free trial of Kaspersky Total Security, available through their site.

Tencent Holdings Limited, the leading internet-based value-added services provider in China, is hosting its second Global Digital Ecosystem Summit from September 9-11, 2020 online. Tencent marked the occasion by announcing plans to better support enterprises and industries as many are accelerating their digital upgrades to drive business growth. During the summit, Tencent Research Institute released the Digital China Index Report 2020 indicating China’s digital economy index grew 73.2% in 2019 from the year prior.

Tencent will invest RMB10 billion resources to assist SMEs in the future and provide them with 100 SaaS solutions and 100 training courses by collaborating with 100 partners, in order to tailor the solutions for each enterprise customer.

The Tencent Research Institute also issued The Digital China Index 2020 at the summit, an annual report analysing the development of the digital economy in China. According to the report, the total index for 2019 increased by 73.2% year-on-year, primarily driven by Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong provinces, three of the country’s largest economies by GDP. The digital upgrade in four sectors, including industries, culture and entertainment, life services, and municipal services, drove the substantial uptick in the digital economy. Data shows the digital industry index grew the fastest, with a 91.3% year-over-year increase, contributing more than 70% to the total growth of the index. In addition, cloud adoption across the country has grew 118% in 2019 year on year.

Tencent has leveraged its technology, solutions, and years of expertise in business development to help industries and enterprises accelerate digital upgrade. By providing artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, blockchain, security and other technologies to enterprise customers, Tencent can help them strengthen their technical foundation to capture the next wave of business growth. More than 300 joint solutions have been formed to date to help enterprises solve practical problems as a result of collaboration with more than 8,000 partners. Tencent is also assisting partners by providing training and investment to support their digital transformation.

Digitalisation has become even more critical since the pandemic. Tencent has supported the battle against COVID-19 and the post-pandemic economic recovery by providing digital production tools to help enterprises resume their businesses and production quickly and efficiently, while supporting the massive demand for online learning, remote working, and home entertainment. Tencent Meeting currently has more than 100 million registered users, and WeCom supports business communication for more than 250 million users. In addition, more than 100 million students have resumed classes via Tencent Education solutions and WeCom, and more than 26,000 enterprises participated in the cloud exhibition at the Canton Fair this year supported by Tencent technologies. Post-pandemic, the company will continue supporting businesses and organisations across a broad cross-section of industries, including municipal services, retail, finance, transportation, manufacturing, education, medical and many others.

Online retailers all across the country are betting on these double-digit sales days (9.9, 10.10, 11.11, and 12.12) for a performance recovery. While many were concerned with consumer sentiment due to the current pandemic and worsening economic outlook, based on our data, Malaysia’s online shopping traffic looks promising and performs better than 9.9.2019.

We believe that this positive start to our 9.9 Rewards Day, which kicks off this year’s ShopFest*, is a vote of confidence from consumers and sets the tone for the subsequent sales days. Consumers are not only shopping online, but are also looking for ways to save more - making ShopBack's position as the first point of online shopping a clear value-add to consumers who are seeking out the best deals online.

From the first 2 hours data we gathered, we observe:

Last year, the number of orders enabled through ShopBack platforms on 9.9 is about 4 times higher than a normal day. We are confident to achieve better results this year.

As the No.1 rewards and discovery platform, ShopBack partners with more than 500 e-merchants in Malaysia to reward users with up to 30% cashback when they go through ShopBack to make purchases. The list of e-merchants includes Shopee, ZALORA, Alibaba’s group Taobao, Tmall and AliExpress, as well as Watsons, Agoda, Booking.com, UniFi Broadband, and many more. Highlights of the 9.9 cashback savings deals this year include 12% cashback from Booking.com, up to 24.9% upsized cashback from Shopee, up to RM756 cashback from UniFi, and more.

Currently, over 3 million shoppers enter ShopBack to earn cashback and grab exclusive promo codes before they start their shopping journey. The cashback earned by online shoppers can be withdrawn to their bank account where ShopBack Malaysia has given out over RM60 million worth of cashback to local users.

Eddy Han, Country General Manager of ShopBack Malaysia

Whether you’re getting lost in the zombie apocalypse in #Alive or catching up on the latest Abang Action films like Project Power, a few minor checks and tweaks can go a long way to make sure you are getting the full immersive Netflix experience - regardless if you’re on your mobile, tablet or TV.

Get the ultimate Netflix viewing experience yang power in the comfort of your home with these 12 simple steps!

Set a reminder directly on Netflix. We all live hectic lives, almost as hectic as Enola Holmes. Just search for Enola Holmes, click on the Remind me button. As soon as it’s on Netflix, it will automatically turn up in My List.

What makes action films like The Old Guard and Extraction so immersive is that they are shot in 4K video, Dolby Atmos sound, and Dolby Vision HDR. The non-jargon version of that basically means amazing video and audio quality, so you are blown away by the VFX, and can hear every gunshot, or the clink of bullet shells hitting the floor.

You can only get this when your data usage is optimised for HD/Ultra HD. Go to Account settings, hit the drop down on your Profile and hit Change on Playback settings. Make sure the “data usage per screen” on your Profile is set to High (this gives you HD/Ultra HD quality).

Enjoy the complete Netflix experience in Bahasa Melayu, English, Mandarin or Hindi - from sign-up to search, rows, collections and payment, available across all devices on your desktop, TV and mobile browsers.

Sign into your Netflix account on Netflix.com from your web browser on your mobile device.  Select your profile and choose Manage profiles. Click on the Language drop down menu and select the language of your choice.

So you got yourself a 4K TV, and a Dolby Atmos soundbar or a 5.1 speaker system. To make it worth your hardware, make sure you are on the Premium Netflix plan. Premium not only lets your family watch on 4 screens at a time, it is also the only plan that gives you Ultra HD video and Dolby Atmos sound. To check what plan you’re on, just go to Account and look for Plan Details. To change, select Change Plan.

You can get the immersive, theatre-like sound at home. However, if your TV is connected to your soundbar/music system through a 3.5mm jack, you are getting stereo and not surround sound (Sound still travels from left and right in stereo, while surround also goes behind you on a 5.1 setup; Atmos adds height and really makes the sound 3-dimensional). Use an HDMI cable and plug in to the ports labeled ARC on both your TV and speaker system. Or use an optical cable, often called Toslink. More details here.

To get 4K/Ultra HD, your broadband connection must be able to support it. Fear not though. All you need is 25mbps or above. Most home internet connections provide this. To be sure, do a quick realtime check here. Or: You can do a speed test straight from your Netflix mobile app, by going to More>App Settings and clicking on Internet Speed Test.

Can’t get enough of stunning visuals and sound, and just looking for more films or series that will blow you away? Let search be your best friend. Just search for “Atmos”, “4K” or “HDR” in your search bar, and Netflix will filter out a list of titles that are a visual and audio spectacle. You’re welcome!

We’re all stuck at home. And that means everyone’s on the Wi-Fi; and the fight for control over the TV remote is real. Time to turn to your individual pocket cinema, your smartphone, by using Smart Downloads.

Play straight from your phone, or better yet, especially if the signal’s not great in your room, get closer to the router, download the movie, and you’re set. Before you start downloading, go to app settings, and under Downloads, set Video Quality to Higher.

When downloading movies on Mobile, make sure your downloaded movie has your preferred subtitle or dubbed language, or audio description (for the visually challenged to follow along).

Simply do this by checking that your preferred subtitle/dubbing/AD option is selected on the title before starting the download. You can even change the font, size, colour and background of your subtitles beforehand from Subtitle Appearance in Account Settings.

Somehow, the Wi-Fi is down. Or it’s just your service provider. Mobile data is getting cheaper, and streaming on Netflix is increasingly efficient. For these high-action, high-VFX movies, though, you will want to set mobile data usage to Maximum from your App Settings.

Aren’t HD and HDR the same thing? Not really. 4K or HD is about the pixel density. In other words, they give you sharper, more detailed images. HDR or Dolby Vision is the colour and dynamic range of the images, so that your screen has more realistic light and colour. Phone screens are getting increasingly sophisticated. Most new iOS devices are capable of streaming in HD and HDR. As are select Android devices.

When watching Netflix on your mobile, you are not going to get 5.1 or Dolby Atmos. But using a good pair of wired or wireless earphones/headphones will give you really immersive stereo sound. Be like Keanu and get in the zone with your headphones!

Thanks for reading TechNavers and TechNave NewsByters. As always, stay tuned to TechNave.com and if you think your brand or PR should be in our latest issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2020, get into contact with our Editor-in-Chief.


Apple Watch Series 6 will be able to detect mental health and brings other new features

There are a lot of reasons for us to get a smartwatch nowadays. No matter if you want to use it as a fitness tracker, to check your texts or simply just want to wear it to be cool, a smartwatch can come really handy for some situations. Two years ago, Apple announced that their smartwatches will be able to detect falls, and the feature has been proved to be useful after saving multiple lives. For the upcoming Apple Watch Series 6, it is rumoured that the device will be able to do something even more amazing, including monitoring your mental health.

The Apple Watch Series 6 is expected to be launched with watchOS 7, which will bring several new features including detecting anxiety and blood oxygen levels, an “underwater mode”, and a new identification method. In the future, the smartwatch could show users their increasing stress information and monitor users’ behaviour during panic attacks. Therefore, Apple Watch Series 6 is said to be helpful when it comes to improving mental health.

As for the “underwater mode”, do you still remember the patents filed for various Apple products? One of them actually revealed that Apple is designing an underwater UI for simpler access, so it sounds like their upcoming smartwatch will be equipped with the feature as well. Other than that, a new method to unlock the Apple Watch may arrive as it is rumoured that Touch ID will be directly implanted on a button or appear in a touch-sensitive area.

For the design, no big changes will be made to the device. It is said that the watch will only become rounder and its display ratio will probably be increased. Reports have also suggested that the price of Apple Watch Series 6 will be reduced, as they might use a different case material like a new ceramic-rich plastic composite instead of the high-end ones.

Let us know what you think about the rumours of the Apple Watch Series 6 on our Facebook page. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more viral tech news.


TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #27 - Huawei, Samsung, Lenovo, Shopee, Special: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and more

Welcome back TechNavers and NewsByters, in this issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #27, Huawei, Samsung, Lenovo, Shopee and TikTok had various major announcements. In this issue, our Special is about the various colours of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and what sort of person each colour of the smartphone is suited for. Check them out and our misc announcements below.

Kevin Zhang, Chief Marketing Officer of Huawei ICT Infrastructure, addressed the online summit “TECH4ALL: Powering Digital Inclusion with Technology”. He pointed out that Huawei is willing to work with global partners to promote digital inclusion in fields like education and environmental protection through technology, applications, and skills.

Zhang Xinsheng, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Stefania Giannini, Education Assistant Director-General at UNESCO, also spoke at the summit. This event brought together partners from various countries to discuss how to drive inclusive education and conserve nature with technology.

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the digital divide between the world's online and offline populations. Up to 1.6 billion students from 106 countries have been affected by school closures, widening the gaps in educational equity and quality.

To help address this issue, Huawei's TECH4ALL initiative focuses on driving equity and quality in education with technology. As the pandemic continues to spread, Huawei has been working with partners to ensure that learning does not stop for students.

In China, Huawei launched the Learn Anytime Education Alliance together with more than 100 education partners, offering access to various online learning platforms and solutions, reaching over 50 million online students.

Outside China, Huawei - as a core member of the Global Education Coalition launched by UNESCO - has been working with Senegal's Ministry of National Education and local carrier Sonatel to help local teachers use digital technology to record courses.

The Open School System will enable teachers and students to use digital learning resources both in school and out of school. It is anticipated that the project will help Africa address education challenges and ensure education continuity during the pandemic.

For young people in remote areas, a lack of digital skills is a major problem that prevents their integration into the digital world. According to data from the European Commission, 90% of future jobs will require basic digital skills, yet 43% of Europeans don't have them – a situation that is even more acute in developing countries.

Through Huawei's TECH4ALL initiative, shipping containers and buses have been converted into mobile classrooms which is called DigiTruck providing training on digital skills required in the future. Since its launch in October 2019 in Kenya, DigiTruck has provided training in digital skills for more than 1,500 students and teachers in remote regions.

Digital technology can make nature conservation more efficient and help people better understand and protect nature. At the summit, Dr. Feng Limin, an ecologist from the Amur Tiger and Amur Leopard Monitoring and Research Center under China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration, explained the innovative role that technology plays in protecting endangered species.

With the integration of many technologies including satellite, drones and telecommunications, the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park has built a sky-to-earth natural resource monitoring system that covers a large area. Huawei's innovative 4G networks solution supports the system to transfer data of biodiversity, habitats, and human interference in real time, allowing the conservationists to obtain and analyze real-time data remotely. The information helps them analyze the population and habitat status of endangered species, and provides decision support for the managers of the national park.

From Costa Rica to the Philippines, Rainforest Connection (RFCx), a non-profit rainforest protection organization, is using Huawei's innovative technologies and upcycled phones to protect the rainforests. These phones have been transformed into solar-powered devices called "Guardians" installed in the rainforests, to detect the sounds of chainsaws and trucks used for illegal logging, greatly increasing forest rangers' efficiency. These Guardians also collect and analyze animal sounds in the rainforests to protect biodiversity. By August 2020, the Guardians had been deployed in more than 14 countries, protecting over 3,300 km2 of rainforests.

To explore more possibilities that technology has in protecting nature, Huawei will work with the IUCN on the Tech4Nature program. The program will select typical forests and marine ecosystems to apply innovative digital technology solutions in conservation, and provide knowledge, technology and resources for more than 300 protected areas worldwide.

At the end of his speech, Kevin Zhang called on more partners to join the TECH4ALL program to jointly promote digital inclusion in new ways so that no one will be left behind in the digital world.

HUAWEI CONNECT 2020 is an annual flagship event hosted by Huawei for the global ICT industry, and is being held in Shanghai from September 23 to 26, 2020. HUAWEI CONNECT is an open platform designed to help our customers and partners navigate these changes, share experience, and work together to create new value. At this year's event, we will explore trends and opportunities in industry digitization; showcase advanced ICT technologies, products, and solutions; give you an insider's look at the fruits of joint innovation; and share best practices in digital transformation. Our ultimate goal is to build an open and sound industry ecosystem that will benefit all stakeholders and create new value for all industries.

For more information, please visit their site.

Samsung Electronics recently announced that it has won 48 awards at the world-renowned International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2020, including one Gold, four Silvers, four Bronzes and one Best-in-Show.

The IDEA 2020 awards for Samsung include not only the top design awards for creative, cutting-edge creations, but products spanning across multiple categories, showcasing Samsung’s excellence in consumer lifestyle designs with elegant aesthetics, as well as interactive and sustainable designs that reflect social values and broad spectrum of professional expertise.

IDEA, hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), has been held annually since 1980. Widely viewed as the most influential design awards in North America, IDEA considers design innovation, benefit to user and benefit to society as part of its criteria for selecting its awardees.

BESPOKE Family Hub UX  won Gold for delivering user-centric experience and innovation. Based on consumer-driven insight, the UX allows users to share and create photos and recipes through the refrigerator screen. Additionally, connectivity with mobile apps enables consumers to enjoy remote access regardless of their location.

BESPOKE Refrigerator1 won Silver for its customizable modular design which allows users to choose colors, materials and types of the refrigerator fit for individual lifestyles and preferences. BESPOKE Refrigerator has already won a Gold award at International Forum (iF) Design Award 2020.

The IDEA 2020 jury honored Samsung with ‘Best-in-Show’, a special award for BESPOKE Family Hub UX and BESPOKE Refrigerator, recognizing Samsung’s achievements in consumer-centric design excellence.

Samsung’s Upcycling Solution for TV Packaging received a Silver award for its customizable packaging box. Samsung adopted upcycling into packaging materials of its lifestyle TVs – The Frame, The Serif and The Sero. The product packaging was designed to encourage consumers to upcycle the boxes and create innovative pieces of small furniture that suit individual needs, such as a cat tower or a TV stand. The packaging won 2020 CES Innovation Awards for its innovative concept, contribution to environmental protection and raising of awareness for recycling and upcycling.

In addition, Q950TS, a QLED 8K TV maximizing screen immersion with Infinity Screen, and The Serif Visual Identity System, which illustrates sophisticated visual strategies targeting the millennial generation, also won Silver awards.

The following received Bronze awards: Galaxy Fold, a foldable smartphone that offers new experience; Infinite Line™ Oven1, a built-in kitchen that delivers sleek premium design; The Sero Visual Identity System that demonstrates bold and intense graphic with new brand visual strategies targeting the millennial generation; and Inclusive IoT, an advanced design concept utilizing AI Sound Recognition for helping people with hearing loss.

The IDEA 2020 Ceremony was held virtually on September 16. The International Design Conference is also being held virtually for two days from September 17 to 18. Felix Heck, vice president and the head of Samsung Design Europe, is scheduled to give a presentation titled ‘Design for Resonance’ at the event.

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY), has been named one of the Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2020 by HR Asia, Asia’s leading human resources publication, for the first time. The award distinguishes Lenovo for the high levels of employee engagement, talent development, workplace culture, as well as HR operational excellence that it practices across its Central Asia Pacific region.

HR Asia’s Best Companies to Work for in Asia is the only award judged by employees based on its proprietary Total Engagement Assessment Model (TEAM) – a robust and scalable assessment tool that evaluates organisations’ HR practices, working environment, and job satisfaction.

From a pool of highly qualified nominees, Lenovo was selected due to its strong people-first approach, ranging from its workplace policies and practices that define the ‘We Are Lenovo’ culture; excellent employee benefits programme for education, healthcare and personal wellbeing; employee engagement activities that build a culture of trust through volunteerism; talent development that identifies future leaders through its High Potential Talent Programme.

Shopee and Visa, recently announced a five-year regional strategic partnership that will encourage greater participation in Southeast Asia’s digital economy, a key component of accelerating the region’s overall economic growth. Shopee users will also benefit by being able to pay with an ease of mind using Visa and enjoy additional promotions and rewards. This partnership is part of Shopee’s mission to better the lives of individuals and businesses through technology, which increasingly includes digital payments.

As part of the regional agreement, Shopee and Visa will partner to:

Shopee will be able to provide shoppers and merchants with greater value, convenience and security through Visa, making it easier to do business and increase sales. Visa will tap on Shopee’s extensive user base to expand its presence with Southeast Asia MSMEs and online shoppers.

Over the next few months, Shopee and Visa will also launch co-branded credit cards across selected markets in partnership with local banks. It will offer shoppers integrated and seamless rewards and allow Visa to reach more local consumers. In Malaysia, the Maybank Shopee Credit Card was launched in June 2020 and was well received by Malaysians with overwhelming response in the first few days of launch.

The partnership will also see Shopee deepen its relationship with CyberSource, Visa’s full-service payment management platform, to support transaction processing and fraud detection and ensure a smooth and frictionless online shopping experience.

Southeast Asia is on track to becoming the fourth-largest economy by 2030, with an increasing percentage of GDP driven by the digital economy. The Southeast Asia internet economy is expected to reach $300 billion by 2025 with e-commerce being the biggest sector and driver of growth. The Southeast Asian e-commerce market is estimated to be worth $150 billion by 2025, up from $38 billion in 2018 .

An increasingly tech-savvy population, rising middle class and the accelerated shift towards online services will further fuel the e-commerce industry. In 2015, 49 million people bought or sold items online, and by 2019, that number tripled to 150 million. With more than 70% of the region’s adult population being unbanked or underbanked , adopting digital payments will enable them to participate in the digital economy.

As the market leader, Shopee will continue to leverage its key strengths to help buyers, sellers and brand partners make buying and selling online accessible for all. Shopee has experienced strong growth in Q1 2020. According to App Annie, in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, Shopee emerged as the top in the Shopping category by average monthly active users and downloads, and also the total time spent in-app on Android.

Over the last few years, TikTok has grown from being just an entertainment platform, evolving into an impactful content hub with a wide range of informative content from education, arts, food, travel, beauty and more. As a platform that inspires creativity and brings joy to a worldwide audience, there is so much more to TikTok than meets the eye!

The recent and ongoing #ItStartsOnTikTok campaign encourages all Malaysian creators to share their TikTok journey with the community and how it changed their lives. However, what many don't realize is that TikTok has been quietly going about their business on providing a seamless and uniquely diverse experience to its global community. These vibrant and inclusive campaigns have made an impact by empowering communities and celebrating diversity on the platform.

These five unique and impactful campaigns that started on TikTok shaped a whole new way for Malaysians to create content, one that is beyond just singing, dancing and lip-syncing:

Revenue Monster - a Malaysian financial technology company focused on pioneering business digitisation has collaborated with home-grown on-demand delivery service, GrabExpress to empower thousands of local SMEs with enhanced last-mile delivery solutions.

The partnership will see Revenue Monster incorporate GrabExpress into their all-in-one online store solution, à la carte as a new delivery solution. This will now enable merchants using the Revenue Monster’s à la carte service for selling their food items or other goods digitally to utilise GrabExpress for fast, safe and reliable delivery to customers.

Through its ability to develop on the fly digital stores and menu interfaces, à la carte empowers brick and mortar stores to digitalise and go online to tap into a wide array of operations options from dine-in, drive through, pick-up and delivery. In line with COVID-19 requirements, à la carte also facilitates check-in processes. It also streamlines payments acceptance by incorporating 15 payment methods - including all major e-wallets as well as debit and credit cards, into its platform.

Through à la carte and the unique URL generation it offers, businesses can utilise the feature to independently tap into a wider online consumer base via social media marketing on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and more.

Businesses looking to leverage on this immense potential can enjoy à la carte now for free with zero subscription fees or handling fees.

While à la carte already offers Mr. Speedy as a delivery service option, now businesses and customers in Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kota Kinabalu can also utilise GrabExpress as a delivery option. This list of cities is set to expand as the GrabExpress service gradually rolls out across the nation.

Introduced in 2018, GrabExpress is an on-demand delivery service that helps you to send items such as documents, parcels, and gifts to your business partners, family and friends.During the movement control period, GrabExpress onboarded cars to also support thousands of home-based food businesses to continue earning and serving their customers nationwide, especially during the Ramadan and Hari Raya festivities.

Revenue Monster’s services include its all-in-one management tool, unified payment solutions – which consolidates acceptance of payments such as e-Wallets and VISA/Master credit cards using a single payment acceptance tool, e-invoices, loyalty and voucher platforms, social media management tools and business security solutions.

Visit their site to empower your business digitalisation through Revenue Monster.

Customers on the Astro Ultra Box with Broadband can now enjoy a better viewing experience of Video On Demand (VOD) in 4K UHD. Stream blockbuster hits such as; Trolls World Tour, Gemini Man, Charlie’s Angel(s) and Rocketman, binge popular TV series; Curi-curi Cinta, Sweet Dreams and documentaries; Wok The World: Rice Unearthed, The Great Shukonin and more, anytime in 4K UHD on Astro. The new Ultra Box offers many amazing features such as pause, rewind and fast-forward videos uninterrupted for an enhanced viewing experience.

Press the "Home" on your Astro remote and explore 4K UHD video on demand on “Catch-Up”, “Movies” or “Boxsets” that are part of your subscription at no additional cost. For easy discoverability, a dedicated 4K UHD VOD rail will also be made available on the screen. Customers can also rent additional 4K UHD VOD movies from “Store” for as low as RM9* for 48 hours while Astro Best and First movies are RM12* and RM17* respectively.

The Astro Ultra Box is well received with over 100,000 boxes installed, up 60% over 3 months, and is expected to grow further with more On Demand content in 4K UHD. With access to over 50,000 On Demand titles, customers have streamed 77 million On Demand videos in the first half of the year, more than double over the same period last year. Average weekly time spent increased by 21% year on year to 561 minutes as customers discover more 4K UHD content.

The 4K UHD VOD feature on the Ultra Box is best enjoyed with the Astro & Broadband bundle, offering more content with high speed internet for worry free unlimited streaming. Customers with Ultra Box will need to ensure they have a compatible 4K TV with a HDCP 2.2 HDMI to enjoy the 4K UHD content and for optimal viewing experience, internet speed of 30Mbps and above is recommended.

Find our more information about the Ultra Box and its features via 03 7481 8000 or visit their site.

The economic downturn and Covid-19 have ushered Malaysians towards a cashless and contactless society. Fave, Southeast Asia's fast-growing fintech platform, is now providing GrabPay as a new payment option in Fave app, enhancing convenience and cashback savings to millions of Fave and Grab users in Malaysia. The number of cashless transactions using GrabPay has quadrupled since January and contactless spending are projected to increase three-fold in Malaysia over the next few years. With rising adoption of cashless transactions among Malaysians, the partnership with GrabPay and Fave looks to continue accelerating mobile wallet adoption.

Fave will add the GrabPay mobile wallet to its platform, enabling Fave customers to spend their GrabPay credits at more than 17,000 F&B outlets and retailers on Fave's network and on Fave deals. Beyond the added convenience, consumers can use GrabPay to get a string of double-dip rewards in the form of grab points, merchant cashback to enjoy more savings on every deal they purchase through Fave. Consumers will be excited to know about the layered opportunity to earn GrabRewards points and FavePay cashback in return.

With savings a key factor for most Malaysians, Fave is delighted to bring Malaysians more value and payment options that will help them save up to 80% at their favourite restaurants, cafés, spas, salons, gyms and retail stores, such as Nam Heong Ipoh, A&W, SOGO, Puma, Xixili, Focus Point among others. The accelerated move to a new cashless paradigm with GrabPay will help Malaysians embrace a digital lifestyle and cultivate a more seamless transition towards cashless payments.

In the long term, Fave plans to bring more digital payment partners onboard to enable their customers to receive cashback rewards from their favourite Malaysian merchants. The company also aims to allow more merchants to set up their loyalty programmes by accepting digital payments from various banks and e-wallets.

Here’s how you can link GrabPay to Fave:

For more information check out their site.

vivo Malaysia recently collaborated with Celcom to launch their first joint concept store, Celcom Partner Lite in Paka Terengganu. Customers are entitled to receive an exclusive freebie for purchasing any vivo smartphones during their launch period, starting from 1st October until 10th October.

Do you feel that your workload is heavier now that you’re working from home? Do you find it challenging to balance your professional life and personal life because of the current remote work set-up? Kaspersky’s fresh research reveals you are not alone.

The latest study titled “More connected than ever before: how we build our digital comfort zones” found out that 46% of respondents from Southeast Asia (SEA) find it harder to switch off after work than when they had to travel to their physical offices. This is four notches higher than the global result of 42%. A majority of them (62%) also disclosed their unease towards the increasing amount of meetings taking place online.

Conducted by the global cybersecurity company among 760 interviewees from SEA last May, the survey also unmasked the worries of remote employees in the time of pandemic where majority of the offices remain closed due to physical restrictions. Amongst these heightened concerns are about their online security. This was triggered by two factors.

First is due to the nature of the confidential work they are conducting from home according to 62% of the interviewees, 13 points higher than the global result with only 49%. The second factor for 57% of the respondents is that their home technology is not as secure as their office’s technology which is nine notches higher that the world’s view at 48%. These respondents expressed their worry that using their own computers may risk the safety of their work data.

There are bright spots, though, as 62% of the surveyed individuals from SEA professed that working from home has made them more aware of their digital security and 56% noted that their employers have provided strict instructions about protecting confidential work information online.

However, there are still over 4-in-10 who shrug off security and assume that everything is protected and safe. Almost half (42%) also confessed that they share internet connection with other people they live with in shared accommodation and are not sure about the security and safety of their devices as they are not aware on how to securely use the internet.

Kaspersky Adaptive Online Training (KAOT) is a unique solution among security awareness training courses, combining content based on Kaspersky’s 20+ years’ experience in cybersecurity and advanced learning and development methodology developed by Area9 Lyceum on Rhapsode™, the world’s first four-dimensional adaptive learning platform.

Grounded in an innovative adaptive learning methodology, the cognitive-driven approach contributes to a personalized learning experience that takes into account the abilities and needs of each and every learner. You can find out more about this here.

Aspirasi, a digital financier under Axiata Digital bagged the Fintech award for Financial Services at the recently concluded Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards, presented by Singapore Business Review.

Now in its second year, the awards event recognizes organizations that dare to take risks and grab the reins in developing trailblazing innovations, digital services, reinvented strategies, and technological projects. Awardees were selected according to exceptionality and innovation, success, and impact as well as dynamism.

With micro-financing and micro-insurance solutions provided by Aspirasi, MSMEs can explore various financing opportunities with ease so they can  focus on achieving their business potential and growth without financial worries.

When COVID-19 hit Malaysia and the movement control order (MCO) was put into effect,  Aspirasi realized that MSME businesses, especially those within the B40 segment were in dire need of financial support. According to the Central Bank of Malaysia , around  40% of MSMEs had the financial runway to only last up to four weeks. Furthermore, 70% of Malaysian MSMEs sourced their financing from family members or personal savings, due to financial barriers such as insufficient collateral and lack of documentation.

Within one week of the COVID-19 lockdown, Aspirasi developed Aspirasi Assist, a 100% fully digital programme that has now become one of the few signature solutions in the market that uses a digital first approach to offer quick and seamless financing support MSMEs during this challenging period.

On March 25, Aspirasi began supporting the Axiata COVID-19 Assistance Program via Aspirasi Assist with micro-financing from RM1,000 to RM 20,000 with favorable terms such as 6 months payment holiday and profit rates from as low as 0.5%. Approved applicants will receive funding within 48 hours and micro-insurance solutions were also added to further protect MSMEs from unforeseen circumstances.

Aspirasi Assist disburses from a 150 million fund with support from the Ministry of Finance, and was initially targeted to help 150,000 MSMEs within the Axiata network such as Boost and  Aspirasi merchants and Celcom vendors. However, Aspirasi knew more could be done to ensure any MSME can receive much-needed financing.

On April 10, the team embarked on a mission to revolutionize digital access to finance. Working  around the clock across 2 weeks, Aspirasi launched its open market journey for Aspirasi Assist on the first day of Ramadan. By leveraging cutting edge innovation with emerging technologies such as machine learning, AI big data processing and robotic process automation (RPA),  any eligible MSME can now just go through a quick 3-minute journey to get fast approval and quick disbursement of funds with 48 hours.

As of end August, Aspirasi Assist has supported almost 3,500 MSMEs with grants of up to RM 12 million in micro-financing, with more than 25,000 micro-businesses having visited and begun their journey on the platform. Aspirasi Assist also achieved almost RM1m in weekly financing and 55% of loans granted. Aspirasi will continue to explore opportunities and collaborations to provide its micro-financing and micro-insurance solutions to support all MSMEs in Malaysia their time of need and those interested can visit their site.

Seiko Epson Corporation (TSE: 6724, “Epson”) will begin external sales of new sensing technologies that combine semiconductor and optical technologies that Epson has nurtured and advanced over many years. The company will also launch a new business that will use motion-sensing analysis technology developed for Epson’s M-Tracer golf swing analysis system to provide valuable data about the actions and movements of people and objects in everyday life. Epson will enrich lives and create new customer value through these initiatives, which will capitalize on open innovation.

Epson has long been using its sensing technologies to provide value to users. For example, the company’s semiconductor and optical technologies are used in healthcare to monitor an individual's vital signs and provide visual data about the person's daily activity. Meanwhile, position-fix information measurements are used in the running market to support runners by measuring distance and exercise intensity. While developing these technologies, Epson has received many requests from customers to utilize Epson's unique sensing technology and analysis algorithms.

Factors such as the spread of COVID-19 and the arrival of a super-aging society have contributed to a general sense of unease. At the same time, expectations are rising for safer and more secure communities in the future as social infrastructure such as transportation and lifelines are increasingly being connected to the Internet of Things (IoT). In response to societal demands such as these, Epson has decided to begin successively selling its sensing technologies to external customers in order to capitalize on the technologies in a broader range of applications, assist and look after people in their everyday lives, and contribute to the creation of a safer, more secure world.

Epson has a large number of sensing devices that apply Epson-original core sensing technologies. For many years, the company has used sensors to analyze big data and has accumulated a vast amount of data and many algorithms. Epson will broaden the world of smart sensing and accelerate the creation of new applications by building partnerships with collaborating companies and engaging in open innovation projects that focus on Epson's sensing device product families and on algorithm platforms that create new value obtained through the analysis of sensing data. In addition, Epson will continue to develop efficient, compact and precision technologies and create new markets in a diverse and expanding range of applications and in AI and IoT, where new needs are emerging.

Products and services Epson will begin selling

One of the basic policies of a business plan is to accelerate growth by taking maximum advantage of assets and through collaboration and open innovation. Epson will contribute to sustainability by pursuing synergies with in-house resources through collaboration and partnerships and by developing businesses and markets that expand the range of applications.

Check out their site here and here for more details.

The new normal is here to stay and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) especially within the travel and tourism sector are especially affected and find themselves adopting digital and focusing on domestic demand to ensure business sustainability.

To support the recovery of this sector, Google Malaysia, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the Malaysian Association Of Tour And Travel Agents (MATTA), are announcing a special webinar series under the Mahir Digital Bersama Google initiative to help businesses connect with local consumers online.

With live streamed sessions beginning on September 30th and on October 1st, 7th, 8th and 14th, Malaysian business owners and individuals will be able to sign up for free training and equip themselves with relevant digital knowledge to help kickstart their presence online, and grow their business using various digital tools from this programme.

The sessions will be conducted by trainers from Google and will also feature a sharing session by an SME guest, the founder of a KL Chinatown locale Kwai Chai Hong.

A recently published Google research on travel found 1 in 2 people in APAC are eager, or very eager, to resume travel. However, the region’s travel recovery is fragmented, with countries currently in three different phases of recovery: (1) New normal: Government restrictions have eased with signs of sustained travel demand. (2) Transition: Government restrictions on movement; localized travel demand is starting to increase. (3) Early reopening/lockdown: Restricted movements imposed.

The research also uncovered three key learnings for businesses that can help with travel recovery:

Get started with Google Ads ~ Master the essentials of creating and customizing Google Ads campaigns that get your ads in front of customers looking for what you offer.

Business owners interested in joining the Mahir Digital Bersama Google training or learning more about the sessions can do so at their site.

Signify is proud to announce that it has achieved carbon neutrality for all its operations across the world as well as using 100% renewable electricity.  While the company progresses towards its remaining commitments for 2020, it will already embark on a new five-year journey in which it will focus on doubling its positive impact on the environment and society.

Signify has reduced its operational emissions by more than 70% since 2010, having shifted to more energy-efficient technologies at its sites, to more sustainable modes of transport and optimized logistics planning, and to less travel in a more sustainable way. It also uses 100% renewable electricity, supported through two power purchase agreements, one in Texas and a second in Poland. The balance of emission reductions is achieved through a carbon offsetting program with projects aimed at benefiting the wellbeing of local communities.

More information on our commitments and updates on our progress can be found on our sustainability pages.

Higher spending power and a heightened preference for contactless transactions will continue to drive the exponential growth of the digital economy, according to Facebook and Bain & Company who released a follow-up to the 2019 study Riding the Digital Wave. The new study titled Digital Consumers of Tomorrow, Here Today looks into the rapid acceleration of the digital economy and how this affects the future of e-commerce in Southeast Asia.

The study surveyed approximately 16,500 digital consumers and gathered insights from interviews with about 20+ CXOs across six Southeast Asian countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Digital consumers surveyed are those who have made an online purchase in at least 2 product categories in the past 3 months.

According to Bain & Company, the growth of digital consumers in Southeast Asia is expected to reach around 310 million by the end of 2020, with millions more expected to join in the coming years. This growth was originally forecasted for 2025 in the 2019 study, indicating a five-year acceleration within 2020 alone. This means that almost 70 percent (about 7 in every 10) of Southeast Asian consumers will go digital by the end of the year and Malaysia has the highest percentage of digital consumers with 83% of its population (15 years old and above), with 48% switching to purchasing mostly online in the past year.  The report also found that online retail GMV in Malaysia is expected to double from US $4 billion to approximately US $9 billion by 2025.

Malaysian consumers are not just spending more online as forecasted in 2019, they’re also buying into more categories online. Malaysians purchased an average of 5 categories in 2020 compared to 3.8 categories in 2019. With contactless and home-consumption habits expected to continue despite the easing of physical distancing measures, and in line with Facebook and Bain & Co.’s June 2020 research update “Southeast Asia Digital Consumer Trends that Shape the Next Normal”, people are also now more receptive to grocery shopping online with 43% of respondents in SEA doing so. In Malaysia, online groceries recorded the highest growth (2.2x) in online retail penetration in 2020 since 2018.

Also, the study shows the immense potential to build brand loyalty and growth as the e-commerce market remains fragmented. In 2020, savvy consumers in Malaysia are shop-hopping across 4.8 online sites before making a purchase decision — a notable increase from an average of 4.2 sites in 2019. Consumers are still searching for better pricing (56 percent) and product quality (34 percent) when browsing across sites. Similarly, an average of 5 in10 respondents said that they changed their most purchased brand in the three months prior to the study, with reliability and value being the top two reasons for doing so.

Discovery commerce and online inspiration remains all-important with 67 percent of Malaysian consumers saying that they still don't know what they want to purchase before they shop online, while 66 percent said they learn about new products and brands via social platforms, with short videos being cited as the top format of choice.

The last decade was about bringing consumers online. Now, with the rapid immigration of digital consumers from offline to online, coupled with the evolution of home-consumption habits, more brands have shifted their business models beyond the “omni-channel” option to meet the consumers where they are. To succeed in an omni-channel space, businesses will need to adapt today’s consumer trends as it continues to shape the next normal. Companies will also need to prepare for a fully digital purchasing funnel and develop omni-channel capabilities by partnering or investing to build proprietary assets. With more and more capital available to digital disruptors, large brands can expect to face constant challenges from emerging brands.

On what’s to come, the report found that Southeast Asian-based venture capital and private equity funds hit a record of US$8.7 billion in unspent capital as of end-2019. This opens doors for internet and technology disruptors to obtain more funding, grow profitably, and compete on a larger scale in the region. The report suggests that disruption may be more apparent in healthcare, education and online entertainment as it rapidly evolves to adapt to consumer’s home-consumption habits such as home-based learning, telemedicine and the sharp increase in preference for online gaming and live-streaming.

For more information, read the full report online at their site.

Taken a shine to the newly launched vibrant Galaxy S20 FE? If you have, you’ve probably already given some thought to what colour you'd like, and maybe even why you'd like that colour. Your favourite colour is said to define a big part of who you are, and can offer an inside look into your own personality and behavioural traits.

The Galaxy S20 FE comes in a selection of six vibrant colours to suit every attitude, look and personality. We’ve dug deep into the psychology of colours to share how colour choices give an insight into an individual’s personality!

Express your best self and pre-order from now to 8 October 2020 at RRP RM3,399 (256GB)! Customers who pre-ordered a Galaxy S20 FE 5G were eligible for exclusive gifts worth a total of RM586[2], which include a UV sterilizer with wireless charging, a one-time screen crack protection plan[3], and clear standing cover.

While the preorder period is over, do check it out for yourself at the Samsung Malaysia E-store or Samsung Experience Stores.

Thanks for reading TechNavers and TechNave NewsByters. As always, stay tuned to TechNave.com and if you think your brand or PR should be in our latest issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2020, contact our Editor-in-Chief.


TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #28 - Huawei, realme, OnePlus, Special: Samsung Movie Experience and more

Welcome back TechNavers and NewsByters, in this issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #28, Huawei, realme and OnePlus had various major announcements. For the special, Samsung wants to recreate the movie experience in your home. Check them out and our misc announcements below.

Huawei recently launched their Huawei IdeaHub, which is a tool that combines various advanced technologies to transform the traditional workspace into a high-tech, intelligent one. Huawei IdeaHub integrates various communication devices such as a projector, whiteboard, microphone, speaker, tablet, PC, TV and video conferencing device, incorporating everything you need in one smart solution while doing away with complicated cable connections.

The IdeaHub uses Huawei CLOUD Meeting technology -- Huawei’s intelligent cloud conferencing system -- which has been fine-tuned throughout Huawei’s 26 years in video conferencing research and development. It employs the latest innovations in graphics computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and video codec engines, along with 1080p HD video mode and 4k ultra-HD document sharing capabilities.

Click on the following links for more information about Huawei IdeaHub and Huawei CLOUD Meeting.

Thanks to an innovative feature set which provides premium home network experiences and enables mobile operators to quickly build fixed networks, Huawei AirPON has been awarded Best Fixed Access Solution at the Broadband World Forum 2020 (BBWF 2020) online award ceremony. The achievement marks the second straight year that Huawei has received this accolade, having previously won for its SingleFAN Pro solution. Such consistent industry recognition further cements Huawei's continued innovation and leadership in the full-fiber broadband domain.

In February 2020, following in-depth analysis of the business trends of fixed-mobile convergence and accelerated fiber network construction, Huawei officially launched the AirPON solution in London. The solution features three key innovations: zero site acquisition, zero fiber splicing, and zero frame freezing. It can help operators address key challenges such as extended payback periods, slow fiber network construction, and unstable user experiences.

Only 6 months after its official launch, the Huawei AirPON solution has been widely recognized by the industry and adopted by more than 45 operators worldwide, covering more than 1 million households. In the future, Huawei will continue to work with partners in the industry chain to build ubiquitous fiber connections and accelerate the construction of a fully connected, intelligent world.

Recently, the UN Broadband Commission and Huawei held the sixth Ultra-Broadband Forum (UBBF 2020) online in Beijing. With the theme of "Intelligent Connectivity, New Value Together", this year's UBBF discussed the challenges and opportunities facing the connectivity industry in the intelligent era.

At the event, David Wang, Huawei Executive Director and Chairman of the Investment Review Board, delivered a keynote speech titled "Building intelligent connectivity for an intelligent world". Mr. Wang also launched Huawei's all-scenario intelligent connectivity solutions for home and enterprise scenarios. Through these scenarios, home broadband will enter the experience economy era and the digital transformation of industries will be accelerated.

During the event, Mr. Wang launched Huawei's all-scenario intelligent connectivity solutions, including intelligent distributed access solutions for homes, as well as intelligent campus networks, intelligent premium private lines, and intelligent cloud network solutions for enterprises.

Check out their site for more information.

realme has recently leapt into the personal care market and received lots of support from their fans. realme has shown Malaysians another amazing range of smart devices and achieved exciting results on Shopee 10.10 Sale. realme’s smart devices were awarded Top 1 Best-Selling Smart Scale as of 2020 (1 Jan - 10 Oct), Sold Out More Than 1000 Units In Just 24 Hours breaking Shopee’s Sales Record and ranked as Top 2 Health Care category (first entry) on Shopee 10.10 Sale.

Malaysians can now keep track of their health with the realme Smart Scale as it comes with a Bio-impedance Analysis (BIA) sensor that is capable of measuring body fat, muscle and real-time heart rate monitoring, LightWeight Mode function that enables users to measure lighter items. Fans are able to get the realme Smart Scale at their site.

realme recently won various top international design awards for its smartphone products, realme X Master Edition, realme X2 Pro Master Edition, realme X50 5G Master Edition, realme X50 Pro 5G and its first TWS earphone, the realme Buds Q.

The realme X Master Edition is the Winner of German Design Award and has received the Award of Good Design Australia. As for the realme X2 Pro Master Edition, it has won the Red Dot Design Award, the Good Design Award 2020 and the Award of Good Design Australia. The realme X50 5G Master Edition has gained the Award of Good Design Australia, while its first 5G flagship, the realme X50 Pro 5G has been acknowledged by the Good Design Award 2020 and the Golden Pin Design Award. the realme Buds Q also won the Golden Pin Design Award.

The long-awaited moment is here as OnePlus Malaysia will be having another e-commerce platform for their fans to get their favorite OnePlus devices. Wait no more, as OnePlus Malaysia is available on Lazada now! Make sure to follow the OnePlus Flagship Store in order to participate in their upcoming campaigns.

UL Benchmarks recently announced the release of 3DMark Wild Life, a new cross-platform benchmark for comparing the graphics performance of the latest Apple, Android and Windows devices. Wild Life offers two ways to test mobile devices: a quick benchmark that measures instant performance and a longer stress test that shows you how your device performs under longer periods of heavy load.

Wild Life measures GPU performance by rendering a demanding game-like scene in real time. The faster the scene runs, the higher your benchmark score. 3DMark Wild Life shows the advanced rendering techniques and post-processing effects that are possible on modern mobile devices. Wild Life uses the Vulkan API on Android devices and Windows PCs. On iOS devices, it uses Metal API.

Wild Life is available now as a free update for the 3DMark Android app. Get it now from Google Play or download the APK. You need Android 10 or later to run the Wild Life benchmark.

Lazada, has ensured ample supply of fresh groceries, frozen food, and other daily necessities to meet the rising demands of the community. Over thousands of everyday essential retailers and brands are readily available for customers to browse from the safety of their homes on the ‘Keep Calm and Shop from Home’ page on Lazada at their site.

Select stores on Lazada Malaysia, including Cameron Farmers, ifresh, Sejadi, and many others will also offer 48-hour deliveries to areas around Klang Valley, where the CMCO will be in effect. One of the local favourites and an MCO-veteran, Cameron Farmers, has a proven track record of maintaining nearly 100% positive rating from satisfied customers by ensuring freshness of their produce via ventilated packaging, which upon arrival on the distribution centre, will be shipped out within a few hours to customers.

In support of the community through this tough economic period, Lazada Malaysia has handpicked offers as low as RM1 on everyday essentials, such as face masks, to be featured daily from 10AM to 11.59PM on Crazy Flash Sale to ensure that online consumers can fully stretch their digital Ringgit. Discount vouchers for takeaways as well as deliveries are also available for shoppers to purchase on the page, which will help to maximise their savings when ordering from their favourite restaurants, including Dunkin' Donuts, O'Briens, Koomi, GrabFood, and more.

Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (Digi) recently announced a partnership with ZTE Corporation (ZTE) for its nationwide Radio Access Network (RAN) modernisation.

This is part of Digi’s continuous efforts to enhance its network capacity and deliver improved user experience, while preparing a future-ready network. This modernisation initiative will see ZTE progressively renew Digi’s network sites across Malaysia with the latest 5G technology over the next few years.

U Mobile launched the We Want U GIVEAWAY on 1 October 2020, its biggest campaign yet with RM3 million worth of prizes to be given away. It is very simple for customers to participate and get a chance to be rewarded with a prize. All they need to do is spend to collect points!

U Mobile was delighted to reward three early winners in the campaign at a ceremony that took place at PROTON Centre of Excellence, Shah Alam on 7 October 2020.

Recently, Intel announced that the next generation 11th Gen Intel Core desktop processors (codenamed “Rocket Lake”) is coming in the first quarter of 2021. Coming with support for PCIe 4.0, the processors are designed for gamers and enthusiasts.

Intel will disclose more details about its new “Rocket Lake” processors soon. More information can be found in the editorial piece by John Bonini, Intel VP and GM of Client Computing Group Desktop, Workstations and Gaming at their site.

Esports Integrated (ESI) - a new initiative under the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) powered by Impact Integrated - has announced their roadmap and core focus in catalysing a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive Esports ecosystem in Malaysia at today’s press conference.

As part of the long-term plan for the National Esports Roadmap, ESI will also be developing a Capacity Building programme. Slated to begin in 2021, the programme will focus on upskilling tournament and event organizers, team managers and coaches to raise the nation’s Esports professional standard. ESI also revealed that they will be creating KBS’s official Esports Hub in Spacerubix, Puchong. Projected for completion in 2021, more than just a tournament or event venue, the hub will be a training ground for professional and amateur Esports players alike and an area for networking for players, coaches and industry players.

With these initiatives, ESI hopes to bring together players, organisers, brands and game developers; creating a community to ensure the growth of Esports throughout Malaysia. ESI’s partners include Malaysia Electronic Sport Federation (MESF), Techninier, eGG Network, VC Media & Consultancy (VCMC) and Geek Fam. Check out their site for more details.

From your first step into a cineplex where you are bombarded by the bright hues of movie posters and sounds of movie trailers playing in the background, to the moment you settle into your cushioned seats, watching a movie is a treat for your senses.  The good news is that recreating that same movie-going experience can now be easily achieved by turning your den into your very own cinema lounge.

So why not recreate that experience by making your very own gourmet popcorn? Simply chuck a bag of kernels into your microwave and wait for the smell of roasting popcorn to waft through the air, taking you right back to the first movie hall you had walked into.  Take it one step further and elevate your movie night to the next level by making your very own gourmet popcorn -  be it sweet, salted or flavoured, you’re spoiled for choice.  With just the Samsung Colour Series Microwave Oven, you can prepare mouth-watering meals, snacks and desserts with just the press of a button.

Through the dedicated Grill Fry function, you can indulge in other finger licking snacks such as pisang goreng, all cooked to crisp perfection and without the oil splatters that come from conventional deep frying. And the best part – there is no mess to clean after. With a durable CERAMIC INSIDE™, the Samsung Colour Series Microwave Oven can be cleaned easily without scrubbing and will not discolour over time.

Most of us would probably have sat through a movie and have it marred by other people talking loudly, uncomfortable seats that make your backs ache, or having ushers flash their torchlights in long sweeping arcs trying to help other moviegoers find their seats. Thankfully, as the “designer” of your own home cinema, you get to set your own “no talking, no mobile phones, no spoiler” rules for those joining you for a movie session.

Invest in dark curtains to block out the external light coming through the windows, or even install light dimmers to create the right ambience. For the most comfortable theatre experience, you can opt for recliners and lounge chairs, or even throw down some bean bags. Away from the judging eyes of others, being at home also means you can put on your PJs and lay on as many pillows and blankets for optimum comfort.

One thing that many cinema operators can never get right is the ideal temperature in the halls – it is either freezing or unbelievably warm temperatures and there is no in-between. So watching your favourite movies in your own home does have one advantage – you now have full control over the climate for your best movie-watching experiences.

Snuggling under the blanket with your loved one as you catch the latest rom-coms is now a possibility with the Samsung Wind-Free™ Air Conditioner, allowing you to stay cool without being ‘frozen’. The AI Auto Cooling  feature analyses the room conditions and usage patterns  before setting the optimum temperature, so that you no longer have to fumble with the settings to get it right.

The Wind-Free™ Cooling  technology also gently disperses air through its 23,000 micro air holes to prevent the unpleasant feeling of harsh cold wind on your skin. With our Digital Inverter Boost technology, Samsung Wind-Free™ Air Conditioner operates efficiently and cools the room with less noise, so it does not hamper the movie-watching experience.

When it comes to a cinematic experience – we cannot forget about the audio and visuals. While it would certainly be unfair to pit commercial TVs against the extremely high resolution and definition offered in most movie theatres, the Samsung Q950TS QLED 8K TV comes pretty close.

At 85 inches and boasting a true-to-life 8K resolution, the massive Q950TS offers hyper-clarity imagery and scenery that is guaranteed to pull you right into the movie. Even for playbacks of lower-resolution content such as older feature films, the Q950TS has improved 8K AI upscaling  to vastly improve the image quality, allowing you to enjoy your favourite films through new eyes and appreciate it all over again. Featuring an Infinity Screen design, the near invisible bezel display allows the Q950TS to further eliminate the boundaries between the TV and its surroundings.

To complete the immersive experience, pair the Q950TS with Samsung’s newly launched Q Series soundbars and bring reel life into real life. The Q-symphony feature activates and plays surround sound from both the TV and soundbar, creating incredible audio synergy with the compatible TV . With Dolby Atmos® and DTS:XTM, you can hear the distinct sounds flowing above and around you .

With your favourite snacks in hand, and lounging comfortably in your new home movie den, you will realise that recreating the movie experience has never been that easy!  So sit back, relax and enjoy movies just the way you should.

Thanks for reading TechNavers and TechNave NewsByters. As always, stay tuned to TechNave.com and if you think your brand or PR should be in our latest issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2020, contact our Editor-in-Chief.