TechNave Gaming: PUBG Mobile might support 144FPS in the future

During the Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit, Qualcomm has announced that they’ve been working closely with the developers of PUBG Mobile to implement 90FPS gaming in the future. But that’s not all, androidauthority.com has mentioned that the game could support up to 144FPS gameplay as well provided the smartphone’s display supports it.

High frame-rate gaming will provide a much more smoother and immersive gameplay experience, making it more enjoyable for the smartphone gamer. With all that said, neither Qualcomm nor the developers of PUBG Mobile mentioned when the 90FPS or 144Hz gameplay will be available globally.

What do you think of the collaboration so far? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming - PUBG will support cross-play for PS4 and Xbox One this October

The argument of which console player is better in PUBG may just be answered in early October. PUBG will be supporting cross-play on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. So players from both Xbox One and PS4 will be able to match against each other in the 100 player lobby battle royale game.

The feature was announced by Microsoft during their Xbox Inside stream over at Gamescom. Cecelia Lee, Community Manager at PUBG Corporation mentions that the update will solve two of their goals which are to allow 100 players from both console communities to play together and to improve matchmaking times.

If October is too long of a wait, test servers will be up in late September for cross-play. Many games are joining in on the cross-play feature. Fortnite and Rocket League had done so awhile back and later this week, Destiny 2 will also be joining the bandwagon with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Here’s to hoping that PUBG will soon also support cross -play on PC. Do you agree? Keep up with the latest gaming news on TechNave.com!


TechNave Gaming - PlayStation holiday sales sees discounts for 900 titles

Hold on tight to your wallets and credit cards, friends, because the sales are out to get us this December. It's the season for discounts and things are heating up on the console space, with Sony joining the holiday festivities with a sale on the PlayStation Store. This time around, there are about 900 titles that are available at discounted prices.

You can now see what games are available on discount by checking out the promotion page for Malaysia. It's quite an extensive list and even recent games like Death Stranding and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are getting discounts of more than 30%. If you've haven't been able to buy certain games you've wanted for a long while due to the pricing, this is the best time to get them.

Besides discounts for games, PlayStation is also reducing the prices for some other items like add-ons. The Monster Hunter World: Icebourne expansion is one of them, as are DLC content for games like Warriors Orochi 4. To see if a game you want is discounted, you can do a search directly on the Malaysian PlayStation Store.

Is there a game you have been eying that's now on discount? Let us know which one you plan to buy on our Facebook page and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more wallet-busting news.


TechNave Gaming: Pokémon Home & Pokémon Sleep scheduled for 2020 mobile release as cloud-base services

As mentioned from our previous post, Pokémon Masters was announced at the Pokémon Press Conference and it's set to be released this year. On top of that, Pokémon Home and Pokémon Sleep are coming on iOS and Android devices in early 2020. But just so you know, these aren't games but as services.

Let's start with Pokémon Home, it's said to be a new cloud service app for players to continue their Pokémon adventures from any platform! Meaning that players that play(ed) the game series on Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, mobile devices (Pokémon GO), as well as Pokémon Bank, will be able to connect, manage, and trade with any player globally online via mobile devices and Nintendo Switch. This will include the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games coming this year.

Pokémon trading has always been one of the core aspects of the franchise, so this is kinda cool for Pokémon fans around the world to trade on one single platform. There was also a discussion on a potential add-on to allow multiple players to trade all at one go.

As for Pokémon Sleep, it will serve as a mobile app service for Pokémon GO players. It's only compatible with Pokémon GO Plus devices so that it can track your sleeping time and send information to your smartphone via Bluetooth. In other words, you can play Pokémon GO at night. A great way to hatch em' eggs!

So what do you think of these new services for mobile? It's about time The Pokémon Company steps into the mobile platform. Stay tuned for more mobile gaming news at TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming: Pokémon Masters now live (but not in Malaysia yet)

Hey Pokemon fans! If you've been waiting patiently for the anticipated Pokemon Masters mobile game app, here's some good news! According to to the official Pokemon Masters Twitter page, the mobile game app is now live but only for Canada and our neighbour, Singapore.

With the first wave release, this means Pokemon Masters will soon be rolling out to other regions eventually. If you cannot wait any longer, I supposed you can switch your Google region location to Canada and Singapore (lol) but I suggest that we can wait out a bit longer. Seeing as how Singapore is located in the Southeast Asia region, it will eventually spread to other countries and Malaysia is just next to it. If anything, the latest date that we will receive is 29 August 2019 according to the Apple App Store.

To refresh your memory, Pokemon Masters will have a different battle format as opposed to the tradition turned-based battle, which will use a 3v3 battle mechanic in real-time. You can read more about it here, also get yourself registered through the Google Play and Apple App Store so that you will be notified on the released date!

When we finally get the word that it's out, we will be the first to let you know. Stay tuned for more mobile gaming news at TechNave.com.


Apple Watch Series 5 review - A premium smartwatch for your fitness goals

It's post-Chinese New Year and now you have no excuses about not to go to the gym or at least doing a walk outdoors. And if you're serious about getting your fitness+ back on track, you ought to have a smartwatch with you as a virtual assistant. Sure, most smartwatches are kind of expensive but it's for a long term investment.

That said, Maxis was the latest player to bring in the Apple Watch Series 5 into Malaysia just last December in 2019. The fact that they brought in the wearable this late (as it was first unveiled in September) is due to market demands, which Celcom and Digi are also doing. I've been using the Apple Watch Series 5 for about three months now so here's the review below.

As most people's reactions would go about Apple product designs, the Apple Watch Series 5 is rather identical to the predecessor and that's fine because it preserves the identity. It's still square with rounded corners featuring a retina display, the same side button and digital crown/home button are still there too and comparing with the predecessor, the Watch Series 5 is actually flatter and wider this time.

The Watch Series 5 comes in two kinds of body material too - Stainless Steel and Aluminium. The latter uses a 7000 series aerospace-grade aluminium which is usually recycled from old iPhones so it's pretty strong and lightweight. However, if you want an even higher quality then the Stainless Steel can do as it has resistance against corrosion.

If you visit the Apple website on the Apple Watch Series 5 page, you will find that there are a wide variety of options for you. You can go for either the 40mm or 44mm, aluminium or stainless steel, and many, many, many strap choices from sports to leather in different colours. Do note that the body material can determine the outcome of the cost.

Straps selection is nearly endless on the website

The reports after doing a certain activity, the phone will also display the same thing

The Activity app will also nudge you to do some exercising daily and will encourage you with new records, reports and next week's goals

Essentially, the Apple Watch Series 5 is best used for people who are into exercising. You want swimming? You got it (it is water-resistant up to 50 metres!). Cycle tracking? No problem. Yoga, yup it has that too. Most of the necessary sports mode you need can be easily found like most smartwatches, syncing with your iPhone will also provide the same health report on your activity. Other than that, you can also set reports on your menstrual cycle, letting you know if the environment is too noisy, and even reminds you to Breathe for a minute if it detects your stress level (it really works) via the Activity app.

That said, you can also set Heart Rate notifications on your iPhone to alert you if you have high or low heart rates and irregular heart rhythms. This is an important tool particularly for people who have a stressful job or are just growing old. So if you happen to have an Apple Watch Series model (starting from the 3rd-gen), do yourself a favour and turn on this notification.

The Emergency SOS (left) and the Heart Health page can be found on the iPhone's Watch app

Default Apple Watch menu (left), App Store which you can download independently (centre), and the notifications that appear (right)

The Noise app that detects if the environment is too loud or not

To add on, there are also the Fall detection and International emergency calling features. While these aren't exactly new, but both are still very useful features nonetheless and as I recall, no other smartwatches have these yet so that's one of the advantages that the Apple Watch Series has over others.

Perhaps one of the other reasons why Malaysians should consider a smartwatch like this is also its built-in cellular feature. This means that it fully supports an eSIM with your mobile number and lets you talk through the smartwatch like a spy in the movies, even without your iPhone turned on. Of course, for the best experience, you will need an Airpod (or any other earphone) for that because it's not really practical to talk to your Apple Watch in public.

While the Apple Watch Series 5 sounds pretty good so far, there is just one problem - the battery life is still pretty dull even if it has been slightly improved. From my experience, I still need to charge it every one and a half days and I'm not even considered an active sportsperson. A full recharge takes one and a half hours and that's kinda slow, in my opinion.

A pretty long charge for the Apple Watch Series 5

So all in all, the Apple Watch Series 5 does what it is expected to do. It's a great accessory to get your fitness lifestyle seriously in shape (should you be determined), a wide variety of design options for your preference, as well as having an in-built cellular feature for calling and looking out for you via heart monitoring, falling or with emergency SOS call. The battery life is a bit of a letdown, though, but so is the price.

Just so you know, the starting price of the Apple Watch Series 5 is RM1749. That's a pretty steep price but it doesn't stop there, remember what I said about customizing your design? It can go all the way up to RM3499 which is almost the same price as an iPhone 11. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 and Huawei GT 2 start from RM1099 and RM799 respectively. It's worth mentioning that the latter has a 2-week battery life as well, so that's quite something.

So if you think price is an issue, you can always rely on our local telcos for a better pricing. The Apple Watch Series 5 is now available across Malaysia at every authorized Apple resellers as well as the official online website. That's our take on the Apple Watch Series 5, what do you think? Are you willing to spend that much for your fitness goals? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for more tech reviews at TechNave.com.

Here are the Apple Watch Series 5 tech specs and features:

Pros - A smartwatch that does its job well, particularly in the area of heart rate monitoring, network calls, and of course, an assistant for your fitness goals

Cons - A rather short battery life and a steep starting price

Summary - If you're serious about having a healthy lifestyle and an iOS experience altogether, then you should opt for the Apple Watch Series 5.


TechNave Gaming: Pokémon Masters will be available on your mobile phone this year

OH MY ARCEUS, during the Pokémon Press Conference, they have announced some new stuff coming on our mobile devices. One of it is an upcoming mobile game called Pokémon Masters and it was developed by The Pokémon Company and DeNA who is known for publishing Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.

According to sources, fans will be delighted to know that the mobile game will include many fan favourite Pokémon trainers from the game series such as the Legendary Red, Blue, Cynthia, Steve Stone and others for another battle rematch. It also appears that the battle setup is in 3v3 mode, where the player can team up with two other trainers and it looks as close to the game series mechanics.

The gameplay mechanic, looks like the Z-Stone is eligible

Besides that, The Pokémon Company also announced Pokémon Home and Pokémon Sleep for mobile which you can also read about it here. Pokémon Masters is scheduled to be released on the Apple and Google Play Store this year 2019.

That's all we know about the news so far, but what do you think? I see this as a major improvement than Pokémon Go. Stay tuned for more mobile gaming news at TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming - Pokemon Masters has you teaming up with other trainers for 3v3 cooldown based battle system

Developer DeNA, the company that collaborated with Nintendo for popular games such as Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem: Heroes and the upcoming Mario Kart Tour mobile game will be bringing a brand new Pokemon game to Android and iOS this Summer.

Named Pokemon Masters, the game takes place on an artificial island named Pasio. Trainers are given one Pokemon each (the duo are called sync pairs) and will be teaming up with other trainers in 3v3 battles. What’s interesting is the combat system of the game. Instead of it being the traditional turn based type of combat, the game’s combat will be based on the Pokemon’s ability cooldowns in real time. Moves can be done when the move gauge fills up. Trainers will also be participating in combat as support for the Pokemon by healing or raising their stats.

In the game, you’ll be meeting many of the iconic trainers from previous games which you can defeat and collect badges from as you make your way through the Pokemon Masters League. The game is expected to be free but just like Pokemon GO, there may be in-game purchases available. Do you think this game will be able to surpass Pokemon GO’s massive success? Keep up with the latest mobile gaming news on TechNave.com!


TechNave Gaming: Pokemon Masters pre-registration for iOS and Android is now rolling out

Finally some news on the anticipated Pokemon Masters. A lot of fans have been waiting on the release date for the upcoming mobile game but today, The Pokemon Company has announced the pre-registration for iOS and Android users have been rolled out.

Just for your information, the pre-registration on both platforms is being rolled out gradually so don't be furious if you're not seeing it on your Apple App and Google Play Store yet. You can always check back from time to time but be sure to spread this to your friends who are also interested! The links for the pre-registration can be accessed here (iOS) and here (Android).

Like if your hype pic.twitter.com/zEkLVWiUb9

To recap, Pokemon Masters is a new mobile game that focuses on PvP in a 3v3 battle format with Pokemon Trainers that appeared in the Pokemon game series. With this pre-registration, it signalling its arrival soon.

Stay tuned for more mobile gaming news at TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming - SNES games will be coming to the Nintendo Switch very soon

Nintendo has announced that they will be re-releasing several Super Nintendo Entertainment System games such as Super Mario Kart, F-Zero, Super Mario World and more on the Nintendo Switch very soon. The games mentioned will be available via the Switch Online subscription service, which lets the user play online, save data to the cloud and more.

Not only that, but Nintendo has also unveiled the Super Nintendo Entertainment System Controller for the price of 29.99USD(~RM125) and it comes with authentic SNES control scheme and it is rechargeable via USB-C. With all that said, would you be interested in any of the SNES games coming to the Nintendo Switch? Let us know on our Facebook page, and for more updates like this stay tuned to TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming - Say hello to XpaX by Celcom's MLBB team, XPAX X-ASSINS

A new challenger is now in the Malaysian Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) scene, the XPAX X-ASSINS. The team is under XpaX by Celcom consisting of a 6 man team who will be making their debut in the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Season 3 on the 18th of January.

The team consists of Smooth (Aeliff Adam), иαмι (Syed Nabil), Artha (Mohammad Al Hatta), Saiyajinn (Muhammad Aiqal), Kuku Besi (Muhammad Siddiq) and last but not least, arab (Syed Fahd). For a whole year, the team will be sponsored by XpaX and will be groomed to compete and represent Malaysia at the 2019 SEA Games.

XpaX is looking to strengthen their position in the esports industry by nurturing Malaysian talents to become full fledged esports athletes. In addition, they hope to encourage young and talented esports players to sharpen their skills and make their mark in gaming globally through the platform they are providing. It is very exciting to see how much esports is growing here in Malaysia. The current lineup of the XPAS X-ASSINS looking strong and they definitely will be a strong contender in the upcoming MLBB tournaments.


TechNave Gaming - Sony confirms new Playstation in the works supports 8K with an 'appealing' price

This is probably not how the next gen Playstation would look like

In an exclusive interview, Mark Cerny shared some juicy deets in regards to the upcoming console that may soon replace the Playstation 4. The Playstation (which he did not name the Playstation 5 because, come on, that would be predictable but we’ll call it that anyways) will come with support for 8K resolution and an “appealing” price tag.

The next gen Playstation is said to be backwards compatible so that no old games will be left behind and utilize a customized solid state drive (SSD) for quicker load times. He demonstrated the new SSD on the next gen Playstation with Insomniac’s Spider-Man. With the PS4, it took 15 seconds to load in between quick travel and only a mere 0.8 seconds on the customized SSD.

In addition, the device will be utilizing an AMD chip with a 3rd gen Ryzen CPU and a custom version of the Radeon’s Navi graphics chips. This helps with backwards compatibility when it comes to games as well as 8K support. But for real though, who the heck owns an 8K TV right now? Maybe that Samsung 8K TV on the market isn’t just there only for aesthetics after all.

Me: There's always been a general range of launch pricing. Will the next console hew to that range?@cerny: I believe that we will be able to release it at an SRP [suggested retail price] that will be appealing to gamers in light of its advanced feature set.(cont'd)

What Cerny did not mention was the price and with good reason but Cerny did take to Twitter to mention that the console will launch with an “appealing” price tag. He said, “I believe that we will be able to release it at an SRP (suggested retail price) that will be appealing to gamers in light of its advanced feature set.”

We’re still a good ways away before the next gen Playstation will be released. Last May, head of Playstation, John Kodera had mentioned that the next gen Playstation is about 3 years away so we may only be seeing glimpses of the machine next year. Since we won’t be seeing Sony at E3 this year, we may only be hearing more about the console during a Sony Playstation only event such as Playstation Experience of State of Play streams. Are you excited for the next Playstation? For the latest gaming news, make sure you follow TechNave.com!


TechNave Gaming - Sony teases Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Monster Hunter: World Iceborne and more

Sony decided to skip out on the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this year, much to the disappointment of many. Instead, the opted to stream a State of Play early this morning to share with their fanbase what they have going on and it's not bad.

If you were asleep and missed out on the livestream, here’s the full list of games and more that was shown off this morning:

We already had an inkling that Final Fantasy 7 Remake would be making an appearance during the State of Play due to the iconic confirmation beep from the game that we heard before the livestream official stated. Despite the fact that many were tired of waiting for the game that was revealed so long ago, it's hard not to feel hyped up seeing our beloved characters on screen once more.

The trailer also shows how much development has gone on since their last reveal as well as a glimpse at the battle system of the game which looks somewhat similar to Final Fantasy XV’s. I’m still hoping that the game would have an advanced version of their turn based battle system almost similar to the original game but I’m not too bothered.

Square Enix promised more details about the late later in June which I expect will be at E3 2019 as the company has a keynote scheduled on Monday, June 10th, taking over Sony’s usual time slot during the event.

The livestream started strong, showing off the the much anticipated game expansion, Monster Hunter: World Iceborne. A new monster was shown off as well, Velkhana, which was thought to be a myth alongside a snowy and icy new environment.

Monster Hunter: World Iceborne will be be out on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One on the 6th of September 2019. PC players will have to wait much longer as the game will be out for PC sometime during winter. This definitely brings hype to the game once more since they teased the expansion during E3 last year.

Just in time for Halloween, MediEvil will be hitting your consoles on the 25th of October. For those of you who don’t know, this game will be a brand new remake of the original game and will be exclusive to the Playstation 4. Tough luck, PC and Xbox One gamers.

As part of the Days of Play event, Playstation unveiled their 2019 version of the limited edition console. The console looks somewhat lighter in colour compared to your average PS4 console. The top of the console is emblazoned with the Playstation’s iconic symbols in brushed metal. The console has been specifically named Steel Gray.

The console does look gorgeous. I do hope it does not end up looking like last year’s console which looked beautiful in promos and ads but plastic looking in person. The Days of Play Playstation event will be happening in June.

Predator: Hunting Grounds is a multiplayer game. Players will be grouped into either a Fireteam or the Predators and pitted against one another. The Fireteam will be equipped with weapons to try and overwhelm the group of Predators who will fight with stealth and tech-based attacks.

The game requires internet connection and a Playstation Plus subscription to play so do keep that in mind.

The documentary styled Away: The Survival Series trailer highlights the dangerous and not-so-carefree life of a sugar glider. The goal of the game is survive the harsh wilderness and living conditions and make it to sanctuary.

As you find sanctuary, it seems like we (the sugar glider) will have to try salvage for food, make sure we don’t die in harsh conditions such as a fire and avoid danger. We can hitch rides on the backs of other animals, fight smaller creatures and more. The game features some stunning visuals and settings. Other than that, not much is revealed about the game.

Blocky, colourful, cute and chaotic. Sure fire ingredients to a banging couch co-op game. The game promises some awesome adventures to be had with your friends on your couch. Shoot, slash and smash your way through levels with your skins of your beloved characters in popular games such as the Kid in Bastion, Shovel Knight and more.

Riverbond hits the Playstation 4 this summer.

That's a wrap for State of Play! Hopefully we'll hear more from the devs about this game during E3 this year. Which game are you looking forward to the most? Keep up with the latest gaming news on TechNave.com!


TechNave Gaming - Speed Drifters now available to play in Malaysia on Android and iOS

What do you get when you cross an MMO like Ragnarok Online and a racing game like Asphalt 9 together? You get Speed Drifters. Developed by Tencent, the game is free to play on the Google Playstore and the Apple App Store.

The game is fairly simple, race and drift your way to the finish line against other players. Boosts are awarded when you drift, providing you a way to speed yourself up to the end. There are 4 playable modes which are Solo Speed, Team Speed, Solo Items and Team Items. If you’re into a more casual kind of racing, Gold War and Giant Rally are available for you to grab resources to upgrade your character.

What makes this game stand out from other racing games is the MMO element added to it. The game has an in-game music player as well as a social system for you to make friends, join clubs, a place for you to hang out, and even get married (in-game that is) which will be added into the game slowly over time. You’ll also be able to livestream the game directly from the app itself. Make your character your own with the plethora of car types and classes, map variations and even avatar costumes.

The game was previously known as “QQ Speed” when it was first developed in China. From what we’ve seen, this game needs a lot of skill to be able to make it to the top of the leaderboard (and it’s pretty challenging too!). Will you be hopping into the game? For more mobile gaming news, TechNave.com is the place to go!


TechNave Gaming - State qualifiers for PUBG MOBILE Malaysia National Championship 2019 is now live

Hey PUBG fans, if you're waiting for another season of the PUBG MOBILE Malaysia National Championship (PMNC), it's actually returning back for this year with a total prize pool of RM114,000. Organized by Tencent, together with sponsors Vivo Malaysia and Yoodo, the tournament has also increased up to six states now instead of four.

According to the press release, the six state qualifiers featured in PMNC 2019 are Selangor, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor and Sarawak. In each state qualifier, only the top two teams will advance to the Grand Finals and on top of that, there will be four incited pro-gaming teams so that's a total of 16 teams altogether sharing the RM114,000 prize pool. Below are each of the state qualifier date and location:

Registration for the tournament has already begun for all qualifiers. You can head over to PMNC’s website for more information and updates. GLHF!


TechNave Gaming: Stranger Things mobile game app in development for iOS and Android

So here's a piece of interesting news, Netflix has just announced a new collaboration with Next Games, and they are working on a Stranger Things mobile game that's scheduled for 2020 release on both iOS and Android platforms for free.

Not much is known about the mobile game, but Next Games said the visual style is reimagined as an 80's Saturday morning cartoon with the element of a location-based puzzle RPG game. With this, the game mechanics will rely on Google Maps allowing the players to explore in the Upside Down and fighting back monsters. We aren't sure if this will be similar to Pokemon Go or it will be from an eagle's eye point of view.

“We are huge fans of Stranger Things and thrilled to work together with Netflix to bring our shared vision of Stranger Things into life in a mobile game format. Our core focus will be to deliver on Stranger Things’ rich and intense themes like friendship and supernatural adventure and translate these into snack-sized entertainment on your mobile device. Combined with Netflix’s second-to-none ability to reach audiences across the globe, we will deploy all of our accumulated creative and technological expertise to create a game for the fans of the series all around the world.” said Teemu Huuhtanen, CEO of Next Games.

In case you didn't know, Next Games is known for making The Walking Dead mobile games (No Man's Land and Our World). Stranger Things Season 3 will debut on Netflix on the fourth of July 2019 and stay tuned for more mobile news at TechNave.com.


Apple Watch Series 6 - A smartwatch for gym junkies? |TechNave Unboxing and Hands-On Video

Apple have launched two smartwatches at the same time which are the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE. So what are the differences between these two smartwatches? The starting price of the Apple Watch Series 6 is RM1799 and the Apple Watch SE is RM1199.

Apple have added 2 new colour variants which are Blue and PRODUCT(RED) for the Apple Watch Series 6. They also launched 2 new straps that more fit your wrist - Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop.

Besides that, the Apple Watch Series 6 comes with an Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display and it is 30% larger than the Apple Watch Series 3. It's sport an S6 chipset that 20% faster than the Series 5. On the other hand, it features a U1 chip a.k.a ultra-wideband.

The new features that Apple have upgraded are the blood oxygen app and the Always-on altimeter. For the hiker, you can check out the altimeter, blood oxygen, and heart rate at the same time.

For more information, please check out the Apple Watch Series 6 unboxing video, be sure to stay tuned for more unboxing videos on TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming - TenCent officially drops PUBG Mobile for Game of Peace. What does this mean for Malaysian gamers?

Given the way the Chinese government has been cracking down on games lately, it is unsurprising that Tencent finally gave up trying to get PUBG Mobile licenced in China. Instead, the publisher simply replaced the game with another in-house developed version of the battle royale called Game for Peace where PUBG Mobile players data will get transferred to automatically.

Game for Peace is an almost identical game to PUBG but is censored. Heck, the game even shares the same HUDs, animations, sounds, music, textures and maps and even menus. However, there is no blood or corpses in Game of Peace. Players who get taken out will simply kneel and give their loot before waving goodbye and disappearing. Simply said, you technically don’t kill people in the game and it’s pretty hilarious seeing them wave happily at you after you’ve eliminated them.

Wave goodbye to your killer and give your loot away! Honestly laughable

As we all know, players from China make up the majority of players in the Asian PUBG Mobile server. According to analysts, PUBG Mobile had 70 million daily active players in China which definitely decreases the player base significantly on the Asian server. Personally, this ban may be a welcome for us other Asian gamers as the majority of hackers on the game are also players from China which does make our experience playing PUBG Mobile not enjoyable.

I mean, how many times have you been hit by a headshot by someone who is using an aimbot, killed by someone using a wall hack or a speed hack? However, regardless if players from China are on the server or not, we would definitely still be seeing hackers but probably not on a larger scale as before which would be a welcome to many.

However, this huge decline in player base can be alarming to many as it brings the possibility of the game shutting down entirely. PUBG Mobile is pretty much one of the most popular mobile games in Asia. The game has faced bans and scrutiny before, particularly in India given some cases such as a boy committing suicide because he did not get the smartphone he wanted to play the game as well as arrests of university students who were caught playing PUBG.

Despite players from China no longer having access to the game, PUBG has been reported to have 200 million active accounts (not counting those players from China) with 30 million active daily users. While that does not rival the amount of players from China, it is still a huge amount of players which leads us to believe that the game would not be shut down anytime soon. We may, however, likely be seeing slightly longer queue times to fill up the lobby during off-peak hours.

They changed PUBG Mobile in China to comply with stricter game violence laws. Now when you 'kill' someone they give you a loot box and wave goodbye and honestly it's just so hilariously wholesome pic.twitter.com/Q5xkrtM0MA

Overall, I guess Tencent dropping PUBG Mobile in China is a good thing for us Malaysian PUBG Mobile players as we would be seeing less hackers in the game and less competition. For the players from China, it is not a total loss as the game would simply prompt them to update their current PUBG Mobile app and have it changed to Game of Peace (GoP).

None of their levels or in-game purchases would be disturbed and they will simply continue where they left off. Tencent saw a 19% rise in shares since GoP was announced so overall this does have a happy ending except for certain players from China, of course. They’re stuck kneeling and waving goodbye when they get shot, lel.

Do you guys think the absence of players from China on PUB Mobile is a good thing? Let us know! For the latest mobile gaming news, stay tuned to TechNave.com!


TechNave Gaming: Tencent Games celebrates new milestone with new 4v4 Team Death Match, a Godzilla costume and more

Hey PUBG Mobile players, most of you should already have updated your app. This is a big update with a good reason as Tencent Games is celebrating for hitting a milestone with 400 million downloads and 50 million active daily users, so with that, they are introducing a new 4v4 Team Death Match mode, new maps, new skins such an exclusive Godzilla: King of the Monsters costume and limited theme events.

Dubbed as Update 0.13.0, all matches will have the option to choose between first and third person shooter mode. And for the ranking system, the top 100 players will get exclusive gifts and new zombie skins from the new Survive Till Dawn and Darkest Night modes. To make sure cheaters don't get what they want, Tencent Games has integrated an improved third-party cheat prevention system. On top of that, a new latency indicator can be seen from the main menu.

The new Update 0.13.0 update can be downloaded now on your Google Play Store and Apple Store. GLHF!


TechNave Gaming: The Pokemon Company partners with Tencent for another new Pokemon mobile game

So here's some news, there is a piece of news from Twitter about The Pokemon Company. It seems that they have joined hands with TiMi Studio Group and together, they are making another new Pokemon game for the mobile platform!

More from the image itself, a new Pokemon mobile game will be in an anime style just like the Pokemon anime series. Since this is just recently announced, we have no idea what could come out from TiMi studios but one thing to note is that - the news came shortly after Tencent announced its partnership with Nintendo to import the Nintendo Switch into the China market. Just out of speculation, it would certainly be interesting of the new Pokemon mobile game could be a cross-platform for the Switch.

Regarding the news from earlier. - Tencent and The Pokemon Company will work on a new Pokemon.- To be developed by Tencent's TIMI studio- The Pokemon Company previously worked with NetEase to bring Pokemon Quest to China, but this is an original game. pic.twitter.com/VMPjX2QePG

For those who don't know, TiMi Studio Group is under Tencent and they are responsible for one of the popular MOBA mobile games, Arena of Valor (aka Honor of Kings in China) and PUBG Mobile. They are also currently developing Call of Duty Mobile licensed by PUBG Corp and Activision so that's a pretty big deal.

An upcoming Pokemon mobile game - Pokemon Masters will be coming soon in Summer 2019. Stay tuned for more mobile gaming news at TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming - This AI is better than 99.8% of the players on Starcraft 2

Recently, DeepMind has recently mentioned that their AlphaStar AI is better than 99.8% of the player base on Battle.net. In addition to that, but AlphaStar AI also managed win most of its match against professional Starcraft players who have been playing the game for more than a decade. The way DeepMind has managed to achieve this feat is by mimicking professional Starcraft players, as well as utilizing the reinforcement training in order to make AI learning more efficient.

With all that said, the AlphaStar AI does have limitations such as it can be only as good as the opponents they are pitted against. In the video below, AlphaStar AI was pitted against Team Liquid's professional Starcraft 2 players TLO as well as MaNa who have both competed in international Starcraft 2 competitions around the globe.

DeepMind aims to continue its development on the AlphaStar AI as they plan to translate its capabilities for real-world use such as self-driving cars and AI-controlled robots. Would you be interested to go against AlphaStar AI on Starcraft 2? Let us know on our Facebook page, and for more updates like this stay tuned to TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming - Try your hand in getting a slice of the RM10000 prize pool in the SEA Virtual Championship Malaysia Series

If you think you’re a real pro in FIFA 19, now’s a good time to show off your skills. The SEA Virtual Championship Malaysia Series features 2v2 matches with a RM10,000 prize pool and is open to all Malaysians.

The tournament will be happening on the 27th till 28th of April and registrations start from today till the 20th. A RM20 fee will be needed for each team to enter and registration time takes place at 9AM on the 27th of April in Sunway Pyramid. Only 128 slots have been allocated for the tournament and is by a first come first serve basis. Here’s the prize pool breakdown:

If you’re interested in joining, you can sign up here. The SEA Virtual Championship Malaysia series is a community tournament run by Gamesbond and Retromind. For more information about the tournament, check out Gamesbond's facebook page. So will you be joining the tournament? Make sure to follow TechNave.com for the latest news on the Malaysian gaming scene!


TechNave Gaming - U Mobile & Razer now working together for Malaysia e-payments, eSports and 5G connectivity

In the midst of multiple phone releases, U Mobile has announced a strategic partnership with Razer to cater to Malaysians in terms of gaming. According to their press release, the two companies will be working in three key areas - e-payments, eSports and 5G connectivity.

With e-payment, this falls on Razer Pay and U Mobile's GoPayZ e-wallet system. GoPayZ users will be able to access Razer Pay's ecosystem, which means they will be able to use their e-wallet over 10,000 merchants across Malaysia. In turn, Razer Pay users will also have the opportunity to enter GoPayZ's network of acceptance points. The e-wallet partnership has not been finalized yet but once it's done, this will be one of the largest connected digital payment networks in Malaysia.

Gearing towards eSports, both companies are aiming to provide platforms to nurture talents (pro-gamers and game developers) and host eSports related events with the necessary infrastructure and technologies. Besides that, Razer will also work with the orange telco on co-marketing and co-branding scenes, as the latter has been active in sponsoring the Malaysia Esports League, the KL Major and Mobile Legends Professional League Season 3.

Finally, 5G will be the upcoming major tech feature in Malaysia. Currently in beta testing, Razer and U Mobile are exploring 5G connectivity in hopes to reduce technical challenges especially in the eSports scenes, where the audience can view a live stream match seamlessly and pro-gamers competing smoothly.

According to the U Mobile CEO, Mr Wong Heang Tuck, he said:

“U Mobile is delighted to partner with Razer to explore the potential of e-payments, esports, and 5G. As a leading authority on gaming, Razer is the perfect partner for us to conduct testbeds and trials on how 5G will level up the esports landscape with ultra-fast network speeds as well as minimal latencies. Esports has enjoyed meteoric rise over the past few years in Malaysia and esports athletes and audiences alike are definitely looking forward to faster gameplay, real-time feedback and even 3D holographic communications. Basically, everything that U Mobile is striving to offer customers in the near future.”

What do you think of U Mobile and Razer's partnership for a better eSports system in Malaysia? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more tech news at TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming: Uniqlo to offer Fortnite themed clothes in Malaysia from RM59.90 on 20 December 2019 onwards

Based on a statement found on stuff.tv, Uniqlo will be offering a bunch of Fortnite themed clothes such as T-shirts and hoodies in Malaysia starting from 20 December 2019. The collection is expected to be priced at RM59.90 for the T-shirts, while the hoodies are to be priced higher at RM129.90.

In terms of the designs, the T-shirt and hoodies will have up to eight and five designs to choose from respectively. If you are interested in getting the Fortnite collection from Uniqlo, head over to their official website or visit any of their stores across Malaysia.

Would you be getting any of the clothes mentioned above? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming - World of Dragon Nest closed beta registration now available on Android!

World of Dragon Nest is an open world MMORPG in medieval, magical times where dragons and other beasts roamed free. If you enjoyed games like Ragnarok Online or even World of Warcraft, you’re in for a treat. Registrations for the game's closed beta test (CBT) are now open for players on Android with only 30000 slots available.

Registration will be done through Google Play with the player’s email linked to their Google Play ID. Players can register between now till the 30th July and the CBT starts from the 1st to 7th of August. 5 countries in Southeast Asia will be participating in the CBT which are Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand.

Do note that the CBT is done to test server stability as well as in-game content so expect some bugs in the game and be ready to give your feedback. World of Dragon Nest is developed by Eyedentity, the same studio behind the PC version of Dragon Nest and is published by Nexon Thailand. Hit up their Facebook page for more info. Will you be hopping on the closed beta? Keep up with the latest mobile gaming news on TechNave.com!


TechNave Gaming - You can now race against your friends on Snapchat's Subway Surfers Air Time

Snapchat and SYBO Games has announced today that you can race against your friends via Subway Surfers Air Time, which can be found on the Snapchat app. To go into more detail about the game, Subway Surfers Air Time is the first franchise extension from the immensely popular Subway Surfers game released several years back.

Unlike its predecessor, Subway Surfers Air Time is a multiplayer side-scrolling mobile game where the player can surf, slide, grind and glide across cities. Not only that, it features up to 14 characters to choose from as well as several beautiful cityscapes to surf through.

You can download the Snapchat app from either the Google Play Store for Android devices, or the iOS App store for Apple products. Would you be interested in playing Subway Surfers Air Time on Snapchat? Let us know on our Facebook page, and for more updates like this stay tuned to TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming - You can play Call of Duty on your smartphone with Call of Duty Mobile for free!

Ever wish that you never had to leave the house just to play Call of Duty? Well those days are long gone as Tencent has just announced Call of Duty Mobile and now you play CoD any time and anywhere! What's better is that the game is completely free to play!

Pre-registration for the beta happens today in selected regions and starts this Summer (between June and September). Unfortunately, Malaysia is not included in the list. I guess if you’d really want to try, you can always use a VPN. Despite the game being on mobile, we still see our favourite maps from the PC and console such as Nuketown and Crash. Besides that, players will also get access to maps, modes, weapons, and characters from all the Call of Duty franchises (think Black Ops and the Modern Warfare series). As of right now, there is no official release date for the game. Here's the official trailer for the game:

The game is developed not by Activision like the Call of Duty we know and love on PC and console. It is, however, developed by Tencent who has outsourced the game to another company called Timi Studio, the people behind our widely favourite mobile battle royale, PUBG Mobile. If you're to see how the game is like, check out the screenshots below. So how to you think the experience would be like when you play CoD on mobile? For the latest mobile gaming news, head on over to TechNave.com!


Apple Watch Series 6 and Watch SE are now officially available in Malaysia from RM1199

As previously reported, authorized Apple resellers in Malaysia have put up the pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 6 and Watch SE two days ago. The pre-order was reported to start today and true enough, the Apple Malaysia website has officiated the sale and they are both available from RM1749 and RM1199 respectively.

From the website, they offer both 44mm or 40mm case size as well as both GPS and GPS + Cellular for eSIM purpose. The newly-promoted Braided Solo Loop, Sport Loop, and Leather Link straps are also included in the website, and they come with a wide variety of colours including the new Pacific Blue theme. Of course, Aluminum and Stainless Steel case are available too.

The Watch Series 6 features a new S6 chip, watchOS 7 and a ton of returning features as well. The Blood Oxygen sensor was also highlighted during the first Apple Event last month, which the Watch SE lacks as well as using an S5 chipset instead. You can read the full details here and visit Apple Malaysia website right here. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming: You can play Overwatch for free until 5 December 2019

Blizzard has officially announced on their blog post stating that their Team-based Multiplayer Shooter, Overwatch will be Free-To-Play starting 27 November until 5 December 2019 (Malaysian time). But that’s not all, Blizzard also added that the aforementioned game, as well as other games,  will be on sale with up to 60% discount on.

On another note, Blizzard hosted BlizzCon earlier this year where they revealed several new titles that will most likely be available starting either next year or the year after that. These new titles include Diablo IV, Overwatch 2, as well as the World of WarCraft: Shadowlands expansion. Head over to our previous coverage, if you are interested in knowing more about the games mentioned.

With all that said, would you be trying out Overwatch during the Free-to-Play period? Let us know on our Facebook page, and for more updates like this stay tuned to TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming: You can pre-order the Nintendo Switch Battery Enhanced Edition for RM1299

If you've been waiting patiently for the Nintendo Switch, now it's a pretty good time to get one. As previously rumoured, there will be a Battery Enhanced Edition releasing this month and true enough, Impulse Gaming has set up the official price and pre-order online on their website for RM1299.

How much longer can the Battery Enhanced Edition stay awake anyway? Well, compared with the first generation, it can now last up to 9 hours max whereas the former can only reach 6.5 hours max. On top of that, both Neon and Grey models are available for the new one and it's covered Maxsoft warranty. If you do a walk-in purchase at the Johor Bahru Branch, you will be able to get a cash voucher!

Also, if you look into their online store, the Nintendo Switch Lite Asia Set are listed there with four editions - Grey, Turquoise, Yellow as well as the special Zacian and Zamazenta Pokemon Edition with a RM50 deposit. It's set to schedule on 20 September 2019, while the later will only be released on 8 November 2019 (the same day as the Pokemon Sword and Shield release).

The Nintendo Switch Battery Enhanced will arrive in Malaysia on mid of August. Are you gonna get one? Stay tuned for more gaming news at TechNave.com.


TechNave Gaming: You will be able to play Dr. Mario World on your mobile phones soon

Three years ago, Apple acquired the rights from Nintendo to publish Super Mario Run on its Apple Store and nothing really happened after that. However, that all changed from an announcement from Nintendo of America's Twitter page, saying Dr. Mario World will be the latest mobile game for both Apple and Android devices starting from 10 July 2019.

Is it free to play? Yes, it will but there will also be some in-app purchases as usual with most mobile game apps. As far as our knowledge, the in-app purchases on Dr. Mario World are stamina capsules to regain your stamina metre to continue playing the levels (else it will refill itself in a period of time). The capsules can be bought with diamonds which are the currency and for other in-game items as well.

Based on the 1990 puzzle game, the goal of the game remains the same which is to eliminate the viruses with capsules on matching colours and the scoring is based on how many capsules you have left. Currently, there are five world levels and Nintendo plans to add in more in the future.

This is kinda like Tetris but with a twist, but we aren't complaining. You can now pre-order Dr. Mario World on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store here.


TechNave Gaming - Zombieland: Double Tapper game revealed for iOS and Android

In conjunction with the upcoming movie, Zombieland: Double Tap, Sony has announced a brand new game for Android and iOS - Zombieland: Double Tapper. The game is speculated to be revealed around the same time - specifically, the 18th of October but it hasn’t been specified if the game will be released before or after the movie is out.

The game takes place in post-apocalyptic America. Like the movie, the game still adheres to the important rules of survival in the Zombieland universe. Players can create their squad and collect weapons and equipment to survive against the onslaught of zombies. The gameplay is pretty straightforward, simply tap on the zombies to target them, tap on abilities to activate them on the characters and so on.

If you’re interested in the game, you can pre-register today and get a sweet in-game gift. The game looks super cute and fun at the same time. All I hope is for the new movie to be as good as the first Zombieland (can’t believe it’s been a decade since it was out). Will you be jumping on to annihilate some zombies? Keep up with the latest mobile gaming news on TechNave.com!


TechNave NewsBytes #2 - About Spotify in Waze, FINNOVASIO KL, Trend Micro Hacker catching tips, Robi Magazine and Bosch Automative Cloud

Spotify and Waze have collaborated so that you can now access Spotify playlists within Waze and easily change tracks. Alternatively, you can also start navigating with Waze in Spotify. This feature will be rolling out to Android users over the next few weeks.

FINNOVASIO will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 20 March 2017 to 21 March 2017. Held in collaboration with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), FINNOVASIO KL will bring together 500 financial professionals, entrepreneurs, investors and regulators across the banking, government and technology sectors to share ideas and collaborate on the future of FinTech in Malaysia.

Trend Micro recently revealed tips on identifying and catching a hacker attack with the following steps:

Following in the footsteps of other robotics educational magazines, Robi Magazine will let you eventually assemble Robi, a robotic companion that speaks manglish, sings, dances and more. You will have to get all 70 issues before you can fully assemble Robi with the first issue priced at RM24.90. Subsequent issues will cost RM74.90 (RM24.90 + (RM74.90 x 69) = RM5193). Check out the site for more details.

At the recent Bosch ConnectedWorld 2017, Bosch revealed that their new Automative Cloud Suite would make it possible to develop, operate and sell services for connected cars. Of more immediate use would be that it would be able to warn drivers of the wrong way and also find available parking spots. No news when this might come to Malaysia but we expect further than 2020.


TechNave NewsBytes 2019 #22 - realme highlights, Digi, Celcom, Stripe and more

Well, the past few weeks have certainly been big for tech as Malaysia announced Budget 2020, the Huawei Mate 30 series and the Samsung Galaxy Fold officially came to Malaysia along with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 and Redmi 8. The ASUS ROG Phone 2 also went on pre-order via Shopee and that’s just the more notable highlights.

Check out the other tech highlights you might have missed in this edition of TechNave NewsBytes 2019 #22.

realme Malaysia recently became the leading brand to get the highest sales on Lazada 10.10 promotion recently. Under ‘Mobiles’ category, realme was the most popular choice among online shoppers just like the previous Lazada 9.9 sale. Check out their official store on Lazada here.

In related news, the realme 5 Pro SOLD OUT within 24 hours on its first sale. You can see what they had to say about it below:

“Today, realme 5 Pro was sold out on its first sale day and we would like to extend our gratitude to fans who are now owners of the realme 5 Pro. Here at realme Malaysia, we will continuously bring in more leap forward technology and lifestyle products to our fans here in Malaysia as everyone deserves to enjoy realme’s leap-forward experience,” - Tiffany Teh, Brand Manager of realme Malaysia.

Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (Digi) recently hosted its fourth Digital Day to inspire and engage its employees to further their understanding on how technology can enhance the business, way of work as well as their personal lives. Digi’s Digital Day is a key company-wide event whereby its people, fondly known as Digizens, dedicate a full day to learning. This is in addition to the company’s ongoing learning initiative, in which Digizens are challenged to complete at least 40 hours of education via online learning platforms such as LinkedIn Learning, Coursera and Udacity by the end of the year.

Digi’s Chief Digital Officer, Praveen Rajan said, “On Digital Day, learning is work! That is how seriously we take learning in Digi, because we believe that continuous learning and upskilling inspires innovation. And as a company at the digital frontier, innovation is fundamental to our way of work, in addition to being customer obsessed.”

Carrying the theme ‘Discover What Matters Most’, this year’s Digital Day injected a renewed focus on Digi’s own employees to find out what is important to them and at the same time equipping them with valuable knowledge on enhancing their wellbeing through the use of digital tools. For more on Digi’s culture and talent programmes, visit their site.

ViewQwest Malaysia has amped up its efforts to reach out to more Malaysians with the special 10/10 #BetterBroadband promotion. Through this new promotion – available for a limited time only, new subscribers will be able to enjoy ViewQwest’s services at discounted rates starting from *RM88 a month for the 100Mbps Non-Mesh plan with a 36-month contract, with additional free service when the contract ends. All plans are bundled with options of high-spec Wi-Fi routers by ASUS designed to seamlessly stream rich content like 4K videos and enriched content – ensuring optimum coverage without Wi-Fi dead zones.

Subscribers pay a discounted rate of RM88 per month for the first 18 months and the regular rate of RM128 per month for the remaining 18 months in the 100Mbps Non-Mesh plan with 36-month contract. The special ViewQwest 10/10 #BetterBroadband packages are now available for sign-up at their site.

Customers in APAC are increasingly focused on experiences when it comes to online brand engagement, according to a new commerce report released by Adobe. The report also found that APAC customers are willing to embrace new technologies like automation and artificial intelligence, and they expect brands to be environmentally responsible.

In partnership with YouGov, the research surveyed over 7,000 respondents from various markets in the JAPAC region including Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, providing online retailers with key insights around the purchasing preferences of modern-day customers. Titled ‘Listen: A Magento Meaningful Series’, the report underpins the ever-increasing importance of customer experiences for brands looking to stay ahead in the hyper competitive online retail space.

For online retailers, it’s no longer a simple case of bricks vs. clicks anymore. While price remains a key determinant, the study suggests that online retailers need to focus on developing seamless, enriching customer experience strategies to engage modern customers. Signifying the importance of omni-channel presence and integrations, 39% of the surveyed customers said it’s important for websites to work well on smartphones and 23% called out for the provision of a dedicated app being important to their shopping experience with a brand.

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company recently partnered with Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) to launch Aruba Academy, a networking education program that will meet the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century. Aruba, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with UTHM, who will house Aruba Academy, the first Academy of its kind in Malaysia, South East Asia and Taiwan (SEAT) region, to build the next generation of digital enabled talents to meet the country’s Industry 4.0 mandate.

The MOA was signed as a partnership between the two organizations in order to provide the university’s information and technology students with the right skills training and certification based on the Aruba Academy Program coursework, empowering students with global expertise and insights in a local setting.

The Aruba Academy Program focuses on foundational and fundamental networking skills and takes students through the four pillars of mobility, switching, security and design. Aruba Academy offers two certification programs, the Mobility Associate (ACMA) which  is a lab-intensive course designed to prepare participants with the knowledge, skills and practical experience required to set up and configure a basic Aruba WLAN, and the Mobility Professional (ACMP) which is a scalable WLAN Design and Implementation (SWDI) course that leverages concepts introduced in the Implementing Aruba WLAN (IAW) v8 course to advance student’s expertise in building complex enterprise WLAN networks.

The Aruba Academy Accredited courses will be available at UTHM starting April 2020. Those interested can visit the UTHM website to find out more.

Touch ‘n Go eWallet, will enable MULA customers to go cashless when they book rides with the ride-hailing app. The strategic partnership that was launched recently, is set to offer Malaysians an alternative easy and secure payment option for the ride-hailing and last miles services.

To kickstart this partnership, Touch ‘n Go eWallet and MULA will be rewarding MULA users who pay using the Touch ‘n Go eWallet  RM4.00* off for two (2) rides with the use of the promo code “TNGEWALLET” and an additional RM4.00* off for first time MULA users. In addition to the promotion mentioned above, MULA users will also receive RM3.00 off in vouchers for two (2) rides by default after they have completed with the registration.

On 25 September 2019, Celcom was proud to be acknowledged by Opensignal for being ranked No.1 for 4G Availability, marking its second win in this category in 2019. The results were published in Opensignal’s ‘Mobile Network Experience: Malaysia’ report*, September 2019, based on an independent analysis of mobile measurements recorded during the period of 1 June 2019 to 29 August 2019.

The report stated that Celcom once again recorded the winning score for 4G Availability nationwide, at 87.7%. Celcom’s strong network also bagged two new Opensignal Awards, namely for Video Experience, with a score of 63.5 points (Good rating), and Latency Experience, with a score of 43.2 milliseconds (ms).

The Awards were presented by Brendan Gill, Chief Executive Officer of Opensignal, to Idham Nawawi, Chief Executive Office of Celcom Axiata Berhad at Celcom’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya, namely “@celcom”. Also included in the report was Celcom’s Voice App Experience with 74.7 points, Upload Speed Experience with an average connection of 6.4 Mbps and Download Speed Experience with an average connection of 16.3Mbps, placing it in the country’s top two fastest.

On 24 September 2019, Celcom’s continuous focus on delivering exceptional customer experience was recognised with two global awards namely, Honorary Award for Best Customer Experience 2019 and the Silver Award for Best Employee Engagement 2019, during the CX Asia Excellence Awards 2019 ceremony held in Singapore. Furthermore, on 27 September 2019, Celcom claimed the Gold award for the category of “Communication Networks” during the Putra Brand Awards 2019.

In just three years, Workplace by Facebook has reached more than three million paid users. The company also serves millions of more users through its free tier and Workplace for Good program for nonprofits and educators. Workplace continues to add diverse global brands to its customer list, including: Nestle, Telefonica, Kering, Petco, Chevron, AstraZeneca and others in the last year.

“Over the past year we’ve been working on ways to serve people across the enterprise, including frontline workers, which make up 80 percent of the world’s workforce. The features we’re announcing today build on this momentum, and we’re making it easier for these employees to do great work by helping them to connect to their organizations through mobile in a secure way. We’re also excited to offer rich video features that enable all employees to be more connected and collaborative." - Karandeep Anand, Vice President and Head of Workplace.

Check out their site for more new tools to connect people at work.

Maxis and Celcom Timur (Sabah) Sdn. Bhd. (CT Sabah) will collaborate to provide greater access to fibre connectivity to the people and businesses in Sabah through the provision of High Speed Broadband (HSBB) Network Services.

Both parties symbolised their partnership today through the exchange of the duly executed Access Agreement. Witnessing the exchange was YB Datuk Dr. Haji Jaujan Bin Haji Sambakong, Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah and Minister of Local Government and Housing, Sabah, who attended the event on behalf of the Chief Minister of Sabah, YAB Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Mohd. Shafie bin Haji Apdal. Representing Maxis for the exchange was its Chief Executive Officer, Gokhan Ogut, while CT Sabah was represented by Chief Executive Officer, En. Nazaruddin Bin Abdul Rahim.

Accompanying the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Local Government and Housing, Sabah was YM Raja Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Arshad Raja Tun Uda, Chairman of Maxis and En. Ahmad Rizal Hj Dahli, Chairman of CT Sabah.

AMD have announced the availability of two new Ryzen 3000 series CPUs for OEM and SI partners to create efficient, high-performance gaming, family, and small-form factor PCs utilizing AMD’s innovative “Zen 2” architecture and industry-leading 7nm process. The Ryzen 9 3900 is now available globally while the Ryzen 5 3500X is available in China only.

Both Ryzen processors offer powerful gaming and high-speed productivity performance, support industry leading PCIe 4.0, AMD’s Precision Boost Overdrive and Ryzen Master Utility, and, like all Ryzen 3000 processors, are fully unlocked for performance tuning. Check out their specs page for more details.

Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading everyday super app, today celebrated GrabPay’s recognition as the Best e-Wallet at the Malaysian e-Payments Excellence Awards 2019 given out by PayNet – Malaysia’s central payment network infrastructure that is owned by Bank Negara Malaysia and a consortium of eleven local financial institutions.

The win underlines Grab’s role as a leading everyday app that provides a rewarding ecosystem for both merchants and consumers for a cashless future and recognises GrabPay’s sustainable ecosystem and rapid growth in the digital payments arena since it started in 2018. GrabPay celebrated the win with a “GrabPay’s ‘Partners Appreciation Night” for merchant-partners who played a crucial role in the success of GrabPay in the last one year.

Stripe, recently announced its official launch in Malaysia. Valued at USD35 billion, Stripe also announced a partnership with Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) to make FPX available to businesses in the country.

With this launch in Malaysia, any online company in the country can now gain access to Stripe’s entire product stack, to launch, run and scale their business globally from day one – including Stripe Connect for running multi-sided marketplaces, Billing for subscriptions and recurring payments, Radar for fraud detection and prevention, Sigma for analytics, and more. From today, Stripe is also making FPX available in beta, allowing businesses on Stripe to accept payments via online bank transfers, along with major credit cards like Visa and Mastercard.

Stripe has been testing its service in Malaysia since January this year, and already works with some of the country’s most innovative companies including: e-commerce solutions platform EasyStore, food delivery service dahmakan, and fashion and retail platform FashionValet.

Malaysia marks yet another step forward in Stripe’s global expansion, following from the company’s launch in Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia earlier this year. Globally, Stripe processes hundreds of billions of dollars a year for millions of businesses.

Recognizing that teachers play a vital role in shaping the minds of our future generation, Tiktok has launched #TikTokClassroom to celebrate educators in all forms and disciplines in conjunction with International Teacher’s Day.

The #TikTokClassroom initiative seeks to replicate a safe, positive and inclusive environment where students have the ability to learn in a fun and engaging manner outside classroom walls, with a community of likeminded creators, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender or socio-economic levels.

#TikTokClassroom consists of various topics including language, life hacks and photography, which are introduced every two weeks. Each TikTok classroom would consist of three TikTok educators, who can share up to three tutorial or how-to videos each on a given subject.  Viewers would then be able to access these videos by searching #TikTokClassroom on TikTok.

New research released by Lenovo shows how education around the world has been positively transformed thanks to smarter technology, creating a generation of independent learners and problem solvers. The research, which surveyed over 15,000 individuals globally – including the US, China, India, Japan, UK, Germany, France, and Italy – reveals that three-quarters of parents (75 percent) say their kids are more likely to look something up online than ask them for help when it comes to a question about schoolwork. The countries where this was most prevalent was India (89 percent) and China (85 percent), both of which have also seen a rise in parents using technology to assist with their kids’ learning in recent years.

On the flipside, 60 percent of parents also say they have, at least once, looked something up online and then pretended they already knew the answer when helping their child with schoolwork. This was most common with STEM subjects such as Mathematics (45 percent) and Science (38 percent), as well as Geography (36 percent) and Foreign Languages (35 percent).

Most global respondents (83 percent) agreed that advances in technology in education are helping students perform better in school. Likewise, a substantial majority of working parents (84 percent) said current and new technologies encourage more parents to remain in the workforce due to the personal benefits it brings while also enabling them to stay more connected with their families.

While technology has many positives in aiding learning, 72 percent of parents said they have concerns it could create dependencies in young people, potentially affecting social skills. As for youths themselves, global Gen Z and millennials generally feel that technology has had a positive role in their education, with 44 percent agreeing it makes it easier to find out about causes or social issues they care about. The sentiment was shared by the general population, too, with almost half (49 percent) believing technology will be “extremely important” in solving future challenges in education.

So, that's all for this episode of TechNave Newsbytes 2019 #22. As always, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


TechNave NewsBytes 2019 #23 - realme and Samsung celebrate anniversaries, Huawei OAID, GrabPay DuitNow QR, Alibaba 11.11 and more

This time around for TechNave.com NewsBytes 2019, realme Malaysia and Samsung celebrate their respective anniversaries while Huawei announces their OAID for app developers. GrabPay collaborates with PayNet for DuitNow QR while Alibaba has a number of 11.11 goodies up fro grabs. There's also news from HP's Aruba, Boost, Wahed Invest and more so check it out here.

realme Malaysia, celebrated its first anniversary with more than 4000 fans at the Night of Frights 7  in Sunway Lagoon, with realme Malaysia being the official smartphone sponsor for Sunway Lagoon’s Night of Frights. Three lucky fans will soon become new owners of the realme XT featuring a 64MP Quad Camera, Snapdragon chipset, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, in-display fingerprint and VOOC charge that retails at RM1,399.00.

“We were truly grateful to receive so much support from our fans for the past one year and were glad that our fans got to enjoy their time with us at our first anniversary event yesterday. As a way to say thanks to our fans, we’ve collaborated together with Night of Frights to celebrate our first year anniversary. Through their continuous support and loyalty, realme has achieved a great milestone recently as we were recognised as World’s Fastest Growing Smartphone Brand in 2019 by Counterpoint. Here at realme Malaysia,  we will continuously provide the best products and user experience to our fans for a leap-forward experience,” said Tiffany Teh, Brand Manager of realme Malaysia.

To learn more about realme’s latest activities, feel free to visit and follow their Facebook page.

Samsung Electronics recently marked the 50th anniversary of its founding, with an event at Samsung Digital City, the Company’s headquarters in Suwon. More than 400 employees were present to commemorate the milestone, together with the Company’s executive team including Kinam Kim, Vice Chairman & CEO of Device Solutions (DS) Division, Hyunsuk Kim, President & CEO of Consumer Electronics (CE) Division, Dongjin Koh, President & CEO of IT & Mobile Communications (IM) Division.

Samsung executives and workers around the world have been engaging in volunteer work in recent weeks to give back to their communities, in a more meaningful way to mark the Company’s anniversary and show appreciation. The activities include donation campaigns and education projects for young students.

“The past 50 years were only possible thanks to the dedication and hard work of each and every one of you. Looking to the next 50 years, let's free our imaginations and dream of an extraordinary future. Applying our new technologies, let’s build a healthier and happier future. By sharing and growing together we will become the very best in the world. Unpredictable change, driven by material shifts in demographics and consumer behavior, will be a hallmark of the next era of the technology industry. So to ensure our survival in the new era, we must pursue relentless self-innovation. We must never cease to learn, be bold and fearless in our pursuits and execute thoroughly when undertaking all our tasks.” Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee

In September, HUAWEI launched a new Open Advertising ID (OAID) solution to address an information security issue. The OAID solution ensures that user data privacy is not disclosed or stolen. With this solution, HUAWEI can work with partners to build an open and compliant smartphone ecosystem.

At the recent HUAWEI Developer Conference 2019, HUAWEI proposed the HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS) Ecosystem, and announced that it had shared HMS Core Kits, including Ads Kit, which is closely related to OAID with its partners. Aligned with the strategy of fully opening the HMS Core, HUAWEI has released OAID in the hope of continuously enabling global developers and partners to jointly accelerate the HMS Ecosystem construction and provide more comprehensive privacy protection for users in the 5G era.

As the mobile phone serial number, the IMEI can be used to identify each independent mobile communication device. The permanence of the IMEI also poses potential risks to privacy protection. As one of the functions of the HMS Core Ads Kit, the OAID launched by HUAWEI will replace the original IMEI and become a unique non-permanent device identifier in advertisement scenarios. The OAID provides personalized advertisements for users while respecting their privacy and protecting their personal data. In addition, the third-party monitoring platform can also provide advertisers with conversion attribution analysis.

The OAID is generated as soon as the device is started. Users can reset the advertisement identifier in the device settings to generate a new OAID. Developers will only be able to obtain the new OAID. This way, there will be no association between the device identifier and user information, making the mobile "anonymous" on the mobile Internet.

Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) and Grab, announced a collaboration to adopt DuitNow QR, Malaysia’s National QR Standard. DuitNow QR is established under Bank Negara Malaysia’s Interoperable Credit Transfer Framework (ICTF). ICTF mandates that PayNet, as the country’s shared payment infrastructure provider, implement an interoperable and common QR standard for Malaysia.  Four Banks are already offering DuitNow QR in their mobile banking apps, with 25 Banks expected to implement DuitNow QR over the next six months.

DuitNow QR will foster an efficient, competitive and innovative payment landscape in Malaysia by enabling interoperability, promoting collaborative competition and providing fair and open access to the shared payment infrastructure. Through DuitNow QR, users can make payments from any participating Banks or e-Wallets’ mobile apps.  Merchants would only need to display one QR Code, the DuitNow QR, to accept payments. Grab will add DuitNow QR support in the Grab app by the first half of 2020.

“At the moment, e-Wallet providers are incurring substantial acquiring costs for merchants since they are each signing up the same set of merchants for their respective proprietary networks.  With DuitNow QR, a merchant needs to sign up with only one Bank or e-Wallet acquirer, and customers of all participating Banks and e-Wallets would be able to make DuitNow QR payments to the merchant using their respective mobile apps,” Mr Peter Schiesser, Group Chief Executive Officer, PayNet.

“We are honoured to be the first e-Wallet to adopt DuitNow QR. With this partnership, we are confident that it will propel GrabPay further to provide a seamless and safe payment method for customers and merchants. The fact that DuitNow QR is interoperable, firstly, simplifies and provides users with a frictionless whilst rewarding payment method for consumers whilst providing our merchants a safe and cost effective way to collect payments. Our strategy has always been focused on being hyperlocal, and our partnership with PayNet is yet another example of being customer centric in our approach in growing Malaysia’s cashless society as it makes it even more affordable and accessible for all Malaysians to do so,” Ooi Huey Tyng, Managing Director of GrabPay Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines

DuitNow QR is an extension of the DuitNow service launched in December 2018, which allows Bank customers to transfer money instantly and securely on a 24/7 basis at Banks’ Internet or mobile banking channels.  DuitNow fund transfers can be directed using the recipients’ mobile numbers, MyKad or business registration numbers.

In preparation of the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, Alibaba’s Tmall will host a Malaysian launch event at MyTOWN Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur on 7th November 2019, with a series of activities and engagements that will enrich the online shopping experience for consumers in Malaysia.

Themed ‘Every Single Wish Counts,’ this year's 11.11 will offer Malaysian shoppers more localized services and products than ever before. The local rendition of the shopping festival will see the debut of up-and-coming home grown brands specially curated for Malaysian consumers.

These local merchants and brands include Redtick and BigboxAsia (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods), Vivid Malaysia and DirectD Malaysia (smart tech), and Deep Furniture (home furniture). In addition, shoppers in Malaysia will also be able to shop for localized products from multinational brands like Unilever, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and many more, complete with local delivery options.

“The introduction of local merchants on Taobao this 11.11 is in line with Alibaba Group's efforts to help them scale-up and enhance their consumers’ shopping experience online.  As 11.11 Global Shopping Festival continues to grow tremendously, our focus remains on helping local partners and merchants transform the way they market, sell and operate their businesses by leveraging the power of Alibaba ecosystem.” Jess Lew, Marketing Manager for Alibaba Tmall World, Malaysia.

On top of that, this year's 11.11 will see the introduction of the popular mum-and-baby products channel, Qinbaobei “亲宝贝”, and Taobao Grocer in Malaysia. Qinbaobei will make available over 150,000 high-demand mum-and-baby products to Malaysian shoppers, while Taobao Grocer will bring local and international FMCG and household products to Malaysian shoppers at affordable prices.

Here’s what Malaysian shoppers can expect from the shopping festival, which kicks off on 21st October 2019, ahead of the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival:

Just in time for Halloween, GameBench has announced that GPU metrics for Android devices have returned. As part of our last release, the GameBench Pro Android App now captures GPU metrics for many popular mobile devices, with support on the GameBench Pro Desktop App being released in the coming days.

Find out more about this exciting new feature and the supported devices in their blog post.

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company recently announced that the Aruba CX Switching Portfolio now includes the Aruba CX 6300 Series fixed configuration and CX 6400 Series modular access, aggregation and core switches, while delivering the latest advancements in the AOS-CX operating system. This gives network operators one simple, end-to-end switching platform to dramatically improve business outcomes today and into the future.

Aruba is the first company to offer a single switching platform that runs on a modern network operating system – AOS-CX – from the enterprise edge to the core to the data center. This unique, cloud-native platform is further optimized by Aruba’s powerful Network Analytics Engine (NAE), which utilizes embedded analytics and automation to simplify management, accelerate troubleshooting of application performance issues and remediate common network problems. Find out more at their site.

Rollout of 5G services could boost annual revenues of Malaysian telecom operators by as much as RM3.764 billion (USD$900 million dollars) starting 2025, according to a new study commissioned by Cisco, a global technology leader. The study, conducted by management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, highlights that 5G promises speeds up to 50 times faster, 10 times more responsiveness, and much lower power connectivity than 4G. This will be driven by a combination of three distinctive features — high throughput, ultra-low latency, and low power connectivity.

Speed, low latency, and enhanced connectivity will help telecom operators provide super-fast Internet connections that enable streaming of high-definition videos, cloud gaming and delivery of interactive augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR)-powered content to consumers. It will also help to fast-track the commercialisation of several advanced use cases of 5G, including smart cities, Industry 4.0, large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) deployments, and more. This will enable telecom operators to increase revenues both from consumers as well as enterprise clients.

Titled, 5G in ASEAN: Reigniting growth in enterprise and consumer markets, the study states that initial growth of 5G adoption is expected to come from high-value customers and high-value devices, and subscriptions will start to scale as devices become more affordable. As a result, the study expects 5G penetration to be around 25 to 40 percent in major countries in the region by 2025, with Malaysia seeing nearly 40 percent penetration. The total number of 5G subscriptions in ASEAN is forecast to exceed 200 million in 2025.

Boost has introduced three new and upgraded features – BoostUP, its new rewards programme, CashUp, a new savings feature for online shopping and UnionPay QR, which allows users to use their Boost e-wallets at UnionPay International (UPI) merchants nationwide and soon globally. The new features will give everyone a better reason to go cashless and seamlessly transact while enjoying a more rewarding cashless experience.

“Today is an important day for us as it sets the tone for the next phase of Boost. We are making our famous Shake Rewards even more rewarding. BoostUP is designed to gift loyal users a more comprehensive and exciting set of prizes, unforgettable lifestyle experiences on top of cashback.

“CashUp is a new savings feature that gives a boost to the online shopping experience, where users can automatically enjoy cashback from our online retail partners. Both BoostUP and CashUp function on a simple mechanism where the more you perform transactions with Boost, the more rewards you earn all while providing users with a safe and convenient way to transact.

“The UnionPay QR payment service, on the other hand, is a new feature that will give consumers more options and greater accessibility to go cashless with ease in Malaysia and soon at 11 million UnionPay QR merchants across 31 countries. This will hopefully further encourage new and existing users to make going cashless a natural part of their daily lifestyle,” Mohd Khairil Abdullah, CEO of Boost.

This service is available 1 November onwards. Until 31 December 2019, users will be able to earn an instant RM 3 cashback upon activation of the UnionPay QR payment service in their Boost e-wallet. With a minimum spend of RM 300 at these UPI merchants – Duty Free, Dimensi Exklusif, Colours and Fragrance – within any airport in the country, users will earn an instant cashback of RM30.

Wahed Invest announced the launch of Malaysia’s first Islamic digital investment platform. Wahed’s digital investment management services allow investors access to a Shariah compliant portfolio, that is transparent, impartial and aims to empower Malaysians at large to take charge of their financial well-being.

Coupled with low starting investment of RM 100, low fees, and no lock-in period, Wahed hopes to remove the barriers to investment management and portfolios that were traditionally reserved for high net worth investors. Wahed’s current portfolio allocation options include investments into US stocks, Malaysian stocks, sukuk (Islamic bonds), and gold.

In order to ensure all returns are halal, Wahed has a full-time Shariah Advisory Board, which undertakes a rigorous screening process and produces annual purification reports (Zakat). As a result, Muslim and non-Muslim investors alike are now able to invest worry-free into portfolios that are ethically sound.

Wahed Inc’s subsidiaries are regulated by some of the world’s most respected jurisdictions including Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) and the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB).

Once signed-up, users can securely create an investment account within minutes. Wahed will automatically suggest a portfolio for each user based on how they answer about themselves; taking into account the individual’s financial situation, attitude towards risks, investment goals and other criteria.

The portfolio models are overseen by Wahed’s fund management professionals. Users can begin investing with as little as RM100 while paying a fraction of traditional management fees. Wahed ensures that investors always have a diversified portfolio, regardless of their account size, thus making investing efficient for investors from all walks of life.

Wahed Invest has successfully obtained their regulatory license from the Securities Commission (SC) Malaysia to offer the first islamic digital investment management services in Malaysia. The Islamic Digital Investment Management license granted by the SC will enable Malaysians to invest worry-free in shariah-compliant and ethical portfolios.

So, that's it for this week's TechNave.com NewsBytes. If you'd like to see your bits of news featured in NewsBytes let us know and stay tuned to TechNave.com