Zoom’s latest feature lets users spice up meetings by showing up as cute animal avatars!

With working from home being the new normal since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, online video meetings have become an integral part of a working professional’s life. In fact, throughout the pandemic, Zoom has been the must-have app on our devices to keep up with work as well as connect with friends and families in our personal life.

However, we’ve got to admit that Zoom meetings are getting pretty boring and stale now. Thankfully, Zoom thinks so too and is launching a new feature that would spice up Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars: Avatars!

Announced in a blogpost by Zoom, the company is inviting users to walk on the wild side with Avatars. Similar to Apple’s Memojis, Avatars is a fun feature that replaces your appearance with a virtual animal that mirror your head movements and facial expressions.

Currently available for Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinar, the feature is an easy and entertaining way to engage during the video call. Furthermore, for all the introverts out there, it would also allow you to attend a Zoom call without appearing on camera.

The feature uses your device’s camera to detect where your face is on the screen and apply the selected avatar effect. For now, only animal avatars (which are really cute) are available and more will be added in the future.

Besides that, Zoom also assured users that the feature is safe because it doesn’t use facial recognition and won’t keep your facial data. Moreover, tt doesn’t recognise or distinguish individual faces, so you won’t have any privacy concerns.

To use Avatars, Zoom users must update to version 5.10.0 or higher on Windows, macOS or iOS mobile devices. All you need to to enable and choose your Avatar is to ensure that your webcam is on and your video enabled, select ‘Stop Video’ on your video options within the meeting toolbar, select ‘Choose Virtual Background‘ or ‘Choose Video Filter’ option and navigate to the Avatars tab and choose your preferred one.

If you want to change your Avatar, you just to revisit the Avatars tab and select a new one. Pretty simple.

So, would you be turning up as a cute cuddly cat in your next Zoom meeting? Share your experience with us in the comments section below and stay tuned to TechNave for more tech news such as this!


Zoom to remove 40-minute limit for free meetings on 26 November 2020

For those of us in Malaysia, the only relevance that Thanksgiving has for us are the sales that will happen on e-commerce sites like Amazon. But this time around we'll be getting some extra from Zoom. Just for one day, the platform will remove the time limit for free meetings on Thanksgiving.

According to CNN, Zoom will lift the 40-minute limit for free meetings from 12 AM ET (1 PM MYT) on 26 November to 6 AM ET (7 PM MYT) on 27 November 2020. Obviously, this offer would be most relevant for people in countries that celebrate Thanksgiving, but can't gather due to COVID-19 restrictions. With the restriction lifted, you can have a virtual meeting that will last for more than a day.

As a thank you to our customers, we will be lifting the 40-minute limit for all meetings globally from midnight ET on Nov. 26 through 6 a.m. ET on Nov. 27 so your family gatherings don't get cut short. #ZoomTogether pic.twitter.com/aubsH0tfxG

This offer is great because normally you have to restart a Zoom meeting once 40-minutes have lapsed. It's a minor inconvenience, but can still be disruptive if you have to do it constantly. You can remove the restriction by getting a subscription, but you need to pay USD 149.90 per year (~RM614) and that may not be worth it unless you can share the cost.

It's just one day, but would you be taking advantage of the restriction-free day? Let us know what you think about Zoom's offer in the comments and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more tech news.


Zoom will release a new Focus Mode to help students studying from home

For everyone who is working or studying from home, it is indeed a hard thing to stay focused due to various factors. With that said, Zoom has announced a new update coming up called Focus Mode. As the name suggests, this was designed to assist students to keep focus during online classes.

According to Zoom, teachers can use Focus Mode "to see their students' videos and students see their teachers without seeing other class participants". To add on, Zoom said this method can make the student study without being distracted by other classmates or "feel self-conscious about turning on their own cameras". This update can be enabled for accounts, groups and individual users too.

On top of that, Focus Mode will be arriving on Apple's iOS 15 too but it will work differently. Zoom said that users can create a new focus profile and have different apps and contacts allowed. This means that if your apps and contacts are not included in Focus Mode, then you won't be distracted by incoming notifications. iOS 15 should be released during Fall this year which is from September onwards.

Although this update is helpful for students, it might prove useful for adults working from home as well. Oh well, we shall see then. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


Apple is offering ~RM8.91 million to anyone that can hack its Lockdown Mode on iOS 16

Recently, we reported on the introduction of ‘Lockdown Mode’ in iOS 16 by Apple which is an extreme but optional security feature that will block the ‘most sophisticated digital threats’. Well, it looks like the tech giant is pretty confident on the new feature that it has announced a USD2 million or ~RM8.91 million reward to anyone that can crack the mode.

As reported by IT Home, the reward is the industry’s highest bonus and is meant to encourage outsiders to crack the Lockdown Mode. Furthermore, if anyone was able to actually hack into the security feature, Apple would then be able to patch the weakness and make it even secure. A win-win situation.

Lockdown Mode is meant to protect users from Trojan horse and monitoring by unknown sources. When turned on, the feature will block image attachments and link previews in most iMessages, block iPhone data and more.

So, what do you guys think of Apple offering reward for anyone that can hack into Lockdown Mode? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave fore more trending tech news.


Zopo Mobile smartphones officially launched in Malaysia from RM498

While Zopo Mobile has technically been in Malaysia for quite some time, nothing beats a grand relaunching for a bigger splash. The company joins other China-brand companies with four smartphones that include the Zopo ZP998, ZP1000, ZP780 and ZP700. All of these devices have already been available in the market but this was mostly to build a solid infrastructure and spread awareness of the brand. All of these Zopo Mobile smartphones are currently available at their own online store but for a more detailed tech spec and feature listing check out the Zopo Mobile smartphones below:

The Zopo Z780 provides a similar thin design at a lower price point

The Zopo Z700 offers plenty of colours to choose from


Zuck Bucks? Meta is reportedly ditching crypto for in-app tokens as its Metaverse currency

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is reportedly planning to introduce in-app tokens as the virtual currency for its Metaverse. In fact, according to a report by Financial Times, employees of the company already have a nickname for the currency: Zuck Bucks.

The in-app tokens would be centrally controlled by Meta and is similar in concept to the popular children’s game Roblox’s Robux currency. Previously, several sources claimed that Meta was planning to use cryptocurrency called Diem as its virtual currency.

However, as reported by the Verge, regulators blocked Diem every step of the way and the Meta-backed cryptocurreny project was unceremoniously cancelled. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Meta with cryptocurrency, as we’ve reported previously how non-fungible tokens (NFTs) may be coming to Instagram soon.

Besides that, the report by Financial Times further claimed that Meta is exploring ‘reputation tokens’ or ‘social tokens’ which could be issued as rewards for ‘meaningful contributions in Facebook groups’, for example.  Furthermore, Meta is also looking into traditional financial services such as small business loans.

Well, as it is currently, these are all mere speculations and Meta has not issued any statement on the matter yet. Though, it’ll be quite funny if the alleged virtual currency would actually be called Zuck Bucks.

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


acerpure cool Malaysia release: a 2-in-1 Air Purifier machine with a promo price starting from RM899

Today, Acer Malaysia announced that they will be launching a new 2-in-1 Air Purifier machine called the acerpure cool. The original price is RM1299 but there will be a promotional sale on 5 February for RM899. Then from 6-9 February, it will be on sale for RM999 while stocks last.

If you're wondering about the features, the acerpure cool is a 2-in-1 air circulator and purifier combined. It is equipped with 3-in-1 HEPA filter paired with Ag+ Silver Coated Filter so is sure to keep the air in your home fresh as possible. On top of that, it also comes with a pre-filter, activated carbon filter and HEPA 13 main filter which can remove pet hair and dander, dust, as well as 99.97% of 0.3μm, suspended particles and bacteria.

There's also a PM1.0 air quality sensor which supports real-time indoor air quality monitoring, the reading is displayed via 3 LED indicator lights of green, yellow and red colour. As you can see from the image, the fan support 90º up-down swing and 80º left-right oscillation. It also has a silent mode as quiet as 26dB.

Available at selected Acer official online stores and Acer concept stores, the acerpure cool comes together with a free replacement HEPA filter worth RM199 while stock lasts. Lastly, any Acer laptop or desktop in the select Acer official online stores and Acer concept stores will be entitled a special offer to purchase acerpure cool at RM999 + extra HEPA filter. This will apply from 10 February until 31 March 2021.


airasia Super App announces partnership with Trip.com

The airasia Super App today announce its partnership with Trip.com, one of the world’s leading online travel agents and a brand under the Trip.com Group. The partnership gives airasia Super App access to over 1.2 million additional hotels from 200 countries and regions.

airasia Super App lauded the partnership in a statement today and said that it would strengthen its position as one of ASEAN’s top online travel agents (OTAs). Furthermore, it would provide travellers with even more choice and value to complement their travel plans.

airasia Super App chief executive officer (CEO) Amanda Woo commented that through the partnership, its capabilities as an OTA have been significantly expanded. This is thanks to Trip.com’s strength in technology innovation in the travel industry.

Meanwhile, Yudong Tan, the CEO of Trip.com group flights business unit is excited about the combination of airasia and Trip.com’s technological prowess and vast audience. The collaboration is now able to provide travellers with over 1.2 million additional accommodation options through the airasia Super App channel.

In conjunction with this partnership announcement, the airasia Super App is offering 10% off all hotels across all countries. All you have to do is to utilise the promo code ‘AATRIP10’ from today until 17 April 2022 via the ‘Hotels’ icon on the airasia Super App.

Awesome! What do you guys think of this new partnership? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for all the latest tech deals such as this!


airasia Superapp partners with foodpanda to leverage each other's apps

In this short news, airasia just announced a new partnership between airasia Superapp and foodpanda. Their collaboration will enable and leverage each other platforms, such as airasia ride is made available on the foodpanda app and more.

In turn, foodpanda will be powering airasia Superapp's food delivery service. With this, airasia Superapp’s food offerings will move towards a dine-in model. According to Capital A CEO Tony Fernades, he said there's much potential that both apps can explore such as payment solutions via BigPay, joint loyalty programs with airasia rewards, possible subscription plans and much more.

To celebrate the partnership, both airasia Superapp and foodpanda customers can look forward to exclusive ride-hailing and food delivery deals. You can now check out both the foodpanda app and airasia Superapp for more details.


airasia food introduces Malaysia’s first air-flown, intercity food delivery from Penang to Klang Valley

airasia food today announced the launch of its brand new intercity food delivery service that allows users to enjoy their all-time favourite delicacies from around the country, air-flown and delivered directly to their doorsteps. The first service of its kind in Malaysia, it is available for selected areas in Klang Valley starting 15 August and involves popular cuisines air-flown directly from Penang.

In a statement today, airasia announced that the option will be available on the food delivery platform of airasia Super App by clicking the ‘Food’ icon on the app. Among the meal options available via the service include:

Besides the above, airasia food also revealed that many more popular meals from legendary restaurants are coming soon. All meals will be prepared fresh and air-flown in strict hygienic conditions from Penang to the Klang Valley on selected days each week, with delivery fees of RM5.99 per order. Orders close at 5pm one day before the scheduled delivery day.

If you’re planning on ordering food for special occasions, worry not as you also have the option of pre-ordering their favourite meals up to 30 days in advance. Moreover, in conjunction with the launch of the intercity food delivery service, airasia food is also offering free flights to Langkawi for users that have used the service a minimum of 10 times, subject to the following requirements:

For more information on the new intercity delivery service and other promos by airasia food and everything from the airasia Super App, do follow @airasiasuperapp on Instagram/Facebook or @airasia on WeChat/Weibo. As always, do stay tuned to TechNave for all the latest trending tech news such as this.


airasia launches SUPER+, an RM639 subscription plan with unlimited ASEAN flights redemption and more!

The airasia Super App today launched the SUPER+ subscription plan that can be purchased from now until 2 April 2022. Available across Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia as well as the Philippines, the subscription plan will be priced at RM639 in our country.

With the SUPER+ subscription, users can fly anywhere with unlimited flight redemption across all airasia airlines in the ASEAN region, for both domestic and international destinations. The applicable flight codes for redemption include AK, FD, QZ and Z2.

Furthermore, SUPER+ subscribers will also get free delivery of airasia food orders across all countries and locations where the service is available. The plan also gives users Covid-19 pre-departure insurance coverage.

Once subscribed, you can redeem applicable airasia flights from 28 March 2022 until 27 March 2023. However, do note that the travel period must be between 11 April 2022 and 10 April 2023.

Furthermore, airasia in a press statement today also revealed that more benefits from across the whole airasia ecosystem will be subsequently added to SUPER+. These include discounts on airasia ride, airasia xpress, SNAP, hotels and more.

If you think this is a must-have deal, then you better hurry up as only a total of 200000 SUPER+ subscriptions are available for purchase throughout the four countries mentioned.

You can purchase the plan from the airasia Super App by clicking on the ‘SUPER+’ icon. For more information on how to subscribe to SUPER+, visit airasia’s website here.

What do you guys think? Now that borders will reopen on 1 April, would you be purchasing this subscription? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for all the latest tech deals such as this!


airasia partners with Skyports to explore air taxi infrastructure development in Malaysia

Remember the proposed air taxi service in Malaysia by airasia? Well, it looks like the company has made further strides towards making it a reality after its AirAsia Air Mobility (AAM) unit signed a letter of intent (LoI) to explore its infrastructure development with Skyports Infrastructure.

As reported by national news agency Bernama, the partnership will help establish a fully operational vertiport network and develop a practical network of vertiports in our country. In a joint statement by both companies today, they announced the implementation of joint feasibility studies to integrate air taxi vertiport infrastructure, identify potential vertiport sites and develop operational requirements and frameworks to implement a vertiport network.

Furthermore, the statement elaborated that the partnership will draw on airasia’s aviation expertise and experience, as well as its on-ground market knowledge and networks. As for Skyports, it will bring its portfolio of designing and building take-off and landing infrastructure for eVTOL passenger aircraft to the partnership.

Besides that, the partnership will also accelerate a review of the infrastructure, including vertical take-off and landing platforms, and strengthen the group’s potential as a zero-emissions ultra-short-haul air travel provider in Southeast Asia. Previously, airasia had revealed its plans to lease 100 Vertical Aerospace VX4 eVTOL aircraft from Avolon, its drone training programme over the past year, and extended drone-related training to high-technology-related sectors recently.

So, what do you guys think of the potential air taxi service in Malaysia? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and as always, do stay tuned to TechNave for more tech news in Malaysia and beyond!


airasia ride aims to increase its drivers to 50,000 by year’s end to keep fares fair

airasia ride, the e-hailing subsidiary of Capital A Bhd today said that it is aiming to get more drivers onboard so as to ensure that its fares remain fair for both passengers and drivers. According to its chief executive officer (CEO) Lim Chiew Shan, airasia rides is aiming to have 50,000 drivers by the end of 2022.

Lim commented that the recent issue of high fares and increased difficulty in getting a ride had sparked a surge in demand for the company’s e-hailing services. He further said that airasia ride is more consistent in its fare compared to other e-hailing services.

Furthermore, the airasia ride CEO stressed that its fares have always been fair for both drivers and customers. The e-hailing company promises that it will not ‘punish’ its passengers when there is a shortage of drivers on service with the company’s fare policy to remain as before, whereby it is based on fair pricing, which considers what passengers can afford while fairly compensating drivers for any extra travel time caused by heavy traffic.

In a press release today, airasia ride also announced that passengers can enjoy RM5 off for the first 10km of rides today (2 June 2022) nationwide. To find out more on this offer and other updates from airasia ride, follow @airasiasuperapp on Instagram and Facebook or better, just download the airasia super app from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or Huawei AppGallery.

So, what do you guys think of the announcement by airasia ride? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for the latest tech news!


airasia ride drivers now can apply for full-time & earn up to RM3500 base income per month

That's right, you can now get a proper job as an e-hailing driver and surprisingly, AirAsia is the first company to implement that. It will take effect from 1 October 2022, whereby airasia ride drivers can apply for the Full-time Drivers program.

Over at airasia's newsroom, Full-time Drivers can earn a monthly base income of up to RM3500 including fuel benefits. Moreover, they can also have an opportunity to earn a total income of up to RM8000 with additional driver incentives schemes. Other employee benefits also include EPF, SOCSO, medical coverage (including family members), annual leave, and other travel benefits like discounted staff rates for AirAsia flights

On top of that, Full-time Drivers will be granted priority jobs for airport pick-ups and drop-offs. During the announcement, Tony Fernandes, Captial A CEO said that he felt it was the right thing to do as he emphasized putting people first. Just so you know, airasia delivery riders also have full-time jobs.

Currently, airasia ride is operating in 11 locations in Malaysia, with the latest expansion just launched in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. If you're interested in becoming a full-time driver, you can sign up via the Full-time Driver form right here. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


Apple is offering a free battery replacement for the 15-inch MacBook Pro now

If you own a 15-inch MacBook Pro, you now have a chance prolong your laptop's life even longer. Apple just announced that they will offer a free battery replacement for older 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops, but only those sold between September 2015 and February 2017. And yes, Malaysia is included in the list as well.

To check if your laptop is eligible for the free battery replacement, you can visit the support page right here. You can also check your laptop's model by going into "Choose About This Mac" from the Apple menu from the top left corner. Once you have confirmed that your laptop is eligible, enter the serial number in the website given above.

Apple also mentioned that the replacement process may take up to 5 days. Make sure you also back up your data onto online cloud storage or a harddisk before sending your MacBook Pro. By the way, this will not extend your standard warranty coverage. Stay safe and stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


airasia ride launches LadiesONLY, a female-only e-hailing service in Malaysia

airasia ride, the e-hailing service operated by Capital A (previously known as AirAsia) launched Community Drivers on its platform yesterday, a new feature that caters to different passenger needs. The feature kicks off with a LadiesONLY Driver community, with another four categories to be added in the near future.

As the name would suggest, the LadiesONLY Driver community gives female passengers the option to ride with lady drivers and vice versa for a more comfortable ride. Users can now book a LadiesONLY ride by selecting the ‘Ride’ option on the airasia Super App.

In conjunction with the recent International Women’s Day, airasia ride will also be donating all proceeds (excluding driver’s commission fee) from LadiesONLY rides from now until 7 April 2022 to the women communities in need through the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO). Furthermore, airasia ride is also sponsoring first time female drivers who wish to join the platform without prior e-hailing experience or e-hailing licences.

These include exclusive benefits worth up to RM400 such as fee exemptions for the PSV learning course and exams, as well as free medical check-ups. airasia ride will also be offering free dashboard cameras for all active and new female drivers on the platform, though certain terms and conditions will apply in order to be eligible.

Besides LadiesONLY, airasia ride will also be introducing these Community Drivers in the coming months:

For more information on the new Community Drivers or if you want to sign up as a driver, check out airasia ride’s official website here. So what do you guys think of the new services offered by airasia ride? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for all the latest trending tech news!


dahmakan is now known as Pop Meals, food delivery services still the same

If you are subscribed to dahmakan, you should have received an email about something new happening today. Well, turns out that they have rebranded themselves to Pop Meals and the app is now available on the Apple App, Google Play and AppGallery Store. Customers may also do their orders online on the new website.

According to their new announcement on their Facebook page, Pop Meals is a soft launch and declared themselves as the "Netflix of Food". It seems that the company is still using the same business strategy to their customers, which is offering a wide variety of popular food choices at affordable prices as well as Pop SELECT. To refresh your memory, SELECT is the same as before, it allows members to save up to 20% on every order for RM 9.90 with free delivery.

On top of that, there's also a new feature launched alongside this new rebranding called Pop Wallet. Pop Wallet can be downloaded on iOS and Android and serves as a quick way to pay cashless or refunding when you cancel an order. Looking at the page, you can top up from RM30 to RM500. To celebrate this, they are giving away a free Stainless Steel Cutlery Set from topping up at least RM200.

By the way, if you are an existing dahmakan user, your account is already transferred to the new Pop Meals app and website. So what do you think of this rebranding? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


dynamicSpot is an app that puts Apple’s Dynamic Island on your Android device

Since its unveiling by Apple, the iPhone 14 Pro series’ Dynamic Island feature has been the talk of the tech world, with many developers even attempting to emulate the concept on Android. Now, there’s even an app called ‘dynamicSpot’ by an Android developer named Jawomo that would put Dynamic Island on your Android device.

Currently in beta, the app allows users to experience Dynamic Island on Android but with more customisation options. These include setting up what kind of notifications you want to show up, the option to change the island’s postion, look, size as well as how rounded the edges look and whether to show two popup notifications as they come in.

The customisations don’t end there either, as dynamicSpot also allows users to show the island on their Android smartphone’s lock screen and single tap and long press actions for the island. However, do note that these two features are only available for the pro option of the app, which costs USD4.99 in the United States and RM19.99 in Malaysia.

For more information on Jawomo’s dynamicSpot, do visit the app’s dedicated forum on XDA developers here. However, do remember that the app is still in beta, so it may have some bugs and might not work correctly on your Android device.

So, what do you guys think of dynamicSpot and other similar moves by Android developers to implement Apple’s Dynamic Island? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for more trending tech news!


[email protected] app received 245 traffic offences complaints from the public during Aidilfitri

Just a week before the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) announced the launching of the [email protected] app so that the public can lodge complaints regarding traffic offences. Today, JPJ revealed that since 29 April, a total of 245 reports were received via the app.

As reported by national news agency Bernama, JPJ said that the response from motorists nationwide regarding the app has been encouraging. Furthermore, from the total 245 complaints received, most of them were for overtaking and driving on emergency lanes.

JPJ Deputy Director General (Planning and Operations), Aedy Fadly Ramli today revealed that the complaints received were swiftly acted upon by the department. In fact, it took within just 48 to 72 hours for JPJ to take actions against traffic offenders that were sent via the [email protected] app.

Aedy thanked Malaysians for willing to help JPJ enforce traffic laws by reporting incidents via the app. Speaking of which, the app allows for the public to upload photos and videos of traffic offences that they witnessed on the road.

Moreover, the app also uses the device’s GPS signal to automatically detect where the offence happened. Hence, that’s why the app requires for users to allow GPS access on their devices.

The app itself is only available on Android and can be downloaded via the Google Play Store and is integrated together with the JPJ Info app. For Android users, you can download the app here.

What do you guys think of the initiative made by JPJ using the [email protected] app. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and make sure to follow TechNave for the latest tech news in Malaysia and beyond!


e-PENJANA giving out RM50 + RM50 to e-wallet users at the end of this month

A few months ago, the Minister of Finance Dato’ Sri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz announced that the government have approved the e-PENJANA program. This program was initiated by the government to cooperate with the private companies, each of the groups was allocated RM750 million and the program has successfully raised a total of RM1.5 billion.

According to sources, the government is going to distribute RM50 (credit) + RM50 (discount voucher and cashback) to every Malaysian e-wallet user. Starting from 31 July, 1.5 million e-wallet users across the country will be receiving this benefit. The term and conditions to enjoy this privilege are that you have to be 18 years old and above, earning below RM100,000 annual income, register the MySejahtera App, and last but not least, having a Boost or Touch’n Go e-wallet account.

On the other hand, there’s good news for bubble-tea lovers. Tealive is going to give out a RM3 discount coupon to every Touch’n Go e-wallet and Boost user as long as they spend a minimum of RM13 per transaction. Never knew there is so much benefit by downloading these e-wallet apps, so what are you waiting for?

The period will end on September 2020, so go and download the e-wallet apps and enjoy this benefit! Be sure to stay tuned for more tech news on TechNave.com.


e-Payroll will allow employers to more easily pay to EPF

Since our country has been placed under MCO, it's not easy for people to visit places. Although the government offices are operating in hybrid mode (80% staff working from home), it's better if we can do things online. And that should include paying for EPF.

Well, that shouldn't be a problem as the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has launched a new platform to facilitate this. According to The Star, the e-Payroll is an enhanced version of the i-Akaun portal for employers. One of its main benefits is that it allows employers to pay EPF contributions online.

EPF promises that e-Payroll would provide a secure and seamless experience for users. Among its features include automated calculations for EPF, SOCSO, and other forms of payments. It can also auto-generate yearly income tax forms and payslips for employees. Overall, it's going to make things more convenient for people handling the company's finances.

If you want to learn more about e-Payroll, you can head over to the official website. With that said, what do you think of the platform so far? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned to TechNave for more news like this.


eBelia programme is offering RM150 e-credit to youths starting from 1 June

Our government is back with another financial aid with the initiative to encourage cashless spending among youths and full-time students at registered local institutions of higher learning (IPT). Besides that, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) also hopes that it could ease the financial burden of the target group.

Starting from 1 June to 22 July, e-cash credit that worth RM150 is claimable through the eBelia programme via BigPay, Boost, ShopeePay and Touch n’ Go eWallet. It is worth mentioning that the credit can only be spent until 31 July 2021. Those who are eligible to claim the credit include citizens reached the age of 18 to 20 years in 2021 (born in 2001 to 2003); or full-time students at the diploma level or SKM4 and above in public and private institutions of higher learning in Malaysia registered with the ministry involved.

It is said that "the government has improved this initiative with an additional allocation of RM100 million under the PEMERKASA (Strategic programme to Empower the People and the Economy) programme announced last March, bringing the total allocation for this programme to RM300 million." The initiative is also expected to benefit a total of two million youths.

Let us know what you think about the news on our Facebook page. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more local tech news.


ePemula programme accepting registrations from 11 Apr 2022

Remember the ePemula programme announced two weeks ago? It's this year's version of the eBelia programme from last year and aims to distribute RM300 million to Malaysian youths. Well, it's time to save that allowance because the programme is starting soon.

Earlier today, the Ministry of Finance announced that registration for the ePemula programme will begin on 11 April 2022. It's available to all youths between the ages of 18 to 20, or full-time students in any institution of higher learning. As a reminder, each eligible Malaysian can claim RM150 through BigPay, GrabPay, ShopeePay, or Touch 'n Go eWallet.

Siaran Media Berkenaan ePEMULA Bernilai RM300 Juta: Pendaftaran Mulai 11 April 2022 Bagi e-Tunai RM150 Untuk Belia 18 - 20 Tahun dan Pelajar IPT Tempatan. pic.twitter.com/OJmyyIACsG

The government didn't reveal when the money would be distributed, but we expect the process to be complete within a week or so. Having said that, it was confirmed that the RM150 must claim before 1 June 2022. It was also announced that there will be other incentives for youths in the form of cashback, vouchers, or 'coins'. However, the exact details weren't revealed.

For a summary of the details, you can visit the official ePemula webpage. With that said, how would you spend that RM150? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to TechNave for more local news like this.


ePemula recipients can also receive an additional RM500 worth of vouchers on ShopeePay

In conjunction with the ePemula programme registration today on 11 April 2022, Shopee Malaysia has also announced that successful ePemula claimants can get the RM150 ShopeePay credit as well as an additional RM500 worth of vouchers, bringing the total benefit up to RM650. How does that work? Read on below.

To claim the RM150 under ePemula on ShopeePay and get extra RM500 vouchers guaranteed, you can visit the official web portal right over here. The extra RM500 Shopee vouchers will comprise RM90 ShopeePay vouchers, RM310 ShopeeFood vouchers, RM50 Shopee Mall vouchers and RM50 YES vouchers for SIM and Data.

The RM150 credits can be used for in-store offline transactions across various merchant partners nationwide whereas the extra RM500 vouchers can be utilised both for both in-store offline transactions and online on the app. For online shopping, claimants will also be able to use Shopee Mall and ShopeePay vouchers for even more value.

Additionally, ShopeePay ePemula claimants can also participate in the #ShopeeEPEMULAsquad Challenge. Participants will stand a chance to win some cool prizes worth up to RM25,000. To participate, just follow @ShopeePay_MY on Instagram & @ShopeeMY on TikTok, snap a group picture on IG or post their dance moves on TikTok.

As reported before, the ePemula programme is open for registration to Malaysians aged 18 to 20 years old this year. This includes full-time students enrolled in courses equivalent to a diploma or Malaysian Skills Certificate Level 4 (SKM4) and above at local public and private registered institutions of higher learning. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


ezyCourier, a low-cost online courier service now in Malaysia

As of 8 April 2016, ezyCourier Malaysia made their debut as the "new kid on the block" in the Malaysia courier industry, officially launched by MCMC Chief Officer of Communication, Digital Services and Standards, Dato’ Mohd Ali Hanafiah Mohd Yunus, and Director of ezyCourier Malaysia, John Gun, the ceremony happened at the Malaysia IT Fair 2016 held at the MidValley Exhibition Centre.

Due to businesses conducted online nowadays, ezyCourier Malaysia offers customers to do an express delivery via through a mobile app., introducing a low-cost peer to peer parcel courier service that integrates the need for parcel delivery and at the same time satisfying the need of individuals to make part-time or full-time earnings. Speaking of part-time or full-time ezyCourier Malaysia agents, they are not limited to use just cars and motorcycles but also via cycling or walking.

"We are committed to providing a quality delivery service to the mass," said Gun. Meanwhile, Dato’ Mohd. Ali remarked, “MCMC is encouraging industry players, including major postal and courier operators to better support the needs of e-commerce community by releasing some of their Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for a more flexible method of transmitting real-time fulfilment data to improve merchant and consumer experience. With more APIs available, the e-commerce economy will be further strengthened and set to grow even faster.”

For more information about the online service, visit either one of the links below.


Apple is placing more orders for 5nm chipsets to prepare for the launch of iPhone 12

Many wonderful things are going to happen on Apple’s next-generation device, which is the iPhone 12. Earlier, rumours have been going on saying the new iPhones will be notch-less, having a LiDAR scanner and the list goes on. One of them also mentioned that the upcoming devices will pack a 5nm A14 chipset that is currently in production. Now, we’ve found a source claiming that the tech giant is placing more orders for the chipsets from their manufacturer.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, it looks like the production of Apple’s latest chipset is not affected at all. As scheduled, the production of the 5nm process that was supposed to start this month is going well. The manufacturer that has been trusted to make the chipsets is also the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company).

It is rumoured that Apple is now placing more orders to be well-prepared for the launch of their new devices, which is going to happen later this year. According to some sources, it is said that the 5nm chipsets will face several limitations and time restrictions as well if Apple doesn’t delay the launch of the iPhone 12. However, looking at the good side, it is rumoured that the latest chipset technology will be the first to surpass the 3GHz mark in the smartphone industry, and that is something to get excited for!

Let us know what you think about the latest 5nm A14 chipset by Apple on our Facebook page. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more smartphone updates.


foodpanda announced new CMCO operating hours starting from 5AM - 12AM

With the new Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) taking place, a few businesses have reopened but with strict health monitoring and won't be opened daily. Similarly to Grab Malaysia, foodpanda have also announced new operational hours in line with the government's initiative.

According to foodpanda, they will start their operation from as early as 5AM until 12AM but only in selected locations. Depending on the state's regulations, the operational hours may vary for each location. Despite that, it's nice to know that you will have a lovely midnight snack before going to bed if you ever get hungry.

foodpanda also gave us a time table for each state's operating hours, so you can take a look at it above. Stay home, stay safe, and stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


foodpanda is introducing a Contactless Delivery method and here's how it works

Today, in response to the Movement Restriction Order, foodpanda will also be operating their business as usual but with a new method. So starting tomorrow onwards (18 March), the company is launching a "Contactless Delivery". Here's how it works.

First, it seems that the Contactless Delivery is optional between the customer and rider. Should you be interested in having that choice, all you need to do is place an order as usual but choose online payment. After that, you are required to chat with the rider on the foodpanda app and give him/her a heads up about the contactless delivery. The rider can also choose to go for this and tell the customer.

Both the customer and rider will have to agree on where the food will be placed at the designated drop off point. When the delivery arrives, the rider will let the customer know via chat or calling and they must maintain a 1-metre distance from each other. The customer will then verify the delivery after receiving it in good condition.

In an effort to combat the outbreak, Sayantan Das, Managing Director, foodpanda Malaysia, has ordered all the foodpanda riders to carry hand sanitizers and masks everywhere they go, and wash their hands every 2 hours and after each successful delivery. Now that's what I call looking after your hygiene to the max.

So what do you think of this Contactless Delivery method? To be honest, it's a bit bizarre (and funny) but for the benefit of the community, I guess it's fine. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


foodpanda partnering with Penang Halal International for Ramadan E-Bazaar campaign

As many of you have already heard by now, the government is not keen on allowing the Ramadhan E-Bazaar plan to proceed. Initially planned by Grab Malaysia, the company have yet to make an official statement on that but on the other hand, foodpanda will be partnering with the Penang Halal International to launch the campaign in the state.

Yes, it seems that Penang will probably be the only state in Malaysia to have the first-ever Ramadhan E-Bazaar. Despite that, YAB Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang still encourages social distancing as normal, as well as to support the business community by a collaborative effort and teaming up with foodpanda. He also mentioned that through foodpanda, they will be able to encourage more of the Halal business community to embrace the future of business with this technology.

On top of that, the Halal compliant businesses and those who would like to come on board of the Ramadan E-Bazaar can sign up here. The campaign is said to go live early Ramadan so do stay tuned for updated news in the near future. Stay home, stay safe, and stay tuned for more local tech news at TechNave.com.


grandPad announced new tablet designed by Acer

During the CES convention, grandPad, a company focuses on making technology simple for elderly people to use was excited to announce a new custom-built tablet designed by Acer. Simply called the grandPad, the tablet integrates a few features improving the overall user experience such as a high-quality, dual front-facing speakers that make it easier to hear loved ones speak during video calls,a new flashlight and magnifying glass application that utilize the flash on the rear camera, and many others.

A user-friendly experience that enhances senior connectivity and communication, grandPad host a few existing features such as a senior-friendly interface, clear instructions, large, easily visible icons, photo viewing, games, music, and access to local weather. The device is also built in LTE connectivity, making voice and video messaging simple to operate, as well as a touch of a single icon can start a call that connects seniors with loved ones.

“grandPad and Acer are dedicated to providing the highest possible quality of service to our members,” said grandPad CEO Scott Lien. “The new grandPad has been built from the ground up for seniors, and will enable us to further improve our level of service to seniors and their families.”

No price were given on the device, but the new grandPad will be available in Q1 of 2017 (probably in the U.S.A.). Stay tuned for more Acer and CES 2017 news at Technave.com.


honor 10 Global model revealed in London with 4GB variant, AI camera capabilities and more from ~RM1877

The honor 10 might have already been launched first in China, but this latest Global Launch in London is counted as the official one. One might be quick to point out the similarities between this phone and the Huawei P20 series, but keep in mind that both live under the same roof so there's that. Also, apparently there is a tiny bit difference between the global and China model, the former will only have the 4GB RAM model whereas the Chinese keep the 6GB RAM model. Besides that, everything else remains the same.

Another difference between the honor 10 and P20 series is the lack of Leica grade lens, which you already probably know. Despite that, the honor 10 comes with AI 2.0 in the camera system and it can shoot pretty good photos on the dual rear 16MP + 24MP setup. All the user needs to do is turn on the AI icon on the camera user interface and they are set to go. You should probably be happy to know that it's capable of shooting up to 22 different object and sceneries, what's more, honor will add in more via OTA updates in the near future. Sweet.

Also not forgetting the honor 10 has its own unique colour design, the Phantom Blue and Phantom Green are really one of a kind, able to display the hidden shade of purple + blue or green from multiple angles. Of course, there's also Glacier Grey and Midnight Black as well, but just as not as attractive. Below is the recap of the tech-specs of the global version:

What about the price tag? Well well well, presented in Europe currency, the 64GB model is €399.99 (~RM1877) while the 128GB model is €499.99 (~RM2346). We think it's quite close to our local price tag but we shall see, as honor Malaysia has a good habit of making it affordable as it can for us. We also already did some exclusive hands-on pictures so if you want to know more, head over here to check it out.

The honor 10 will officially land in Bolehland on 22 May 2018, so stay tuned for our official coverage at TechNave.com.


honor 10 full tech-specs and price leak goes online, could start from ~RM1671

So there's only less than a month to go for honor to unveil the honor 10 globally in England. Up to this point, there wasn't much information about the tech-specs but thanks to the Internet as always, here are the tech-specs and price rumours that you might be interested in.

Starting with the exterior design, the honor 10 will sport a 5.84-inch LTPS IPS display in Full HD+ (2280 x 1080) resolution. Body measurement is 149.6 x 71.2 x 7.7 mm and weighs just 153g, which is really lightweight and of course, the home button cum fingerprint sensor is located below on the front. From the look of the rendered image, the body should be glossy glass since it's shining the colours out, especially the Twilight model. Speaking of colours, there's also Teal and Black as well.

For the cameras, the selfie snapper is carrying a 24MP sensor whereas the dual rear camera is said to be a 20MP + 24MP combo, although TENAA listing is suggesting otherwise, revealing a 16MP + 24MP setup. Whichever it is, honor 10 could be the first device for them to use Leica lens and SUMMILUX grade.

Moving on to the internal side, it will most probably have the Kirin 970 chipset + NPU, a dual 4GB and 6GB of RAM, same goes to the internal (eMMC 5.1) storage of 64GB and 128GB with no microSD card slot available. It's also expected for the device to run on EMUI 8.1 based on the latest Android out of the box, along with a respectable 3320mAh battery with fast charging.

Last but not least, the price could very well start from 2699 Yuan (~RM1671) for the 4GB + 64GB model and 3599 Yuan (~RM2229) for the 6GB + 128GB model. That sounds pretty reasonable considering the fact that honor devices are quite affordable in Malaysia, but until it's revealed next month, we will take this with a grain of salt.

Stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


honor 10 hands-on video

honor 10 is yet to be released yet in Malaysia, but it will be soon on 22 May 2018 and the model that we will be getting is the 4GB + 128GB model instead of the 6GB RAM variant which is good enough. Coupled with AI Camera and a unique Phantom Blue design, this is honor's most premium device yet and considering the high-spec tier with the likes of Kirin 970 processor, a 16MP + 24MP dual rear camera, 24MP front camera and more, we can't wait to see how much it will cost. Anyway, without further ado, check out our exclusive hands-on video below!


honor 10 price leaked at RM1999?

As we come up to the launch of the honor 10 a price leak has appeared, pegging the new honor flagship at a value RM1999. The leaked picture from Mr Anonymous also shows that the deal is likely another Shopee exclusive so you can expect more Shopee coins if you're a Shopee user.

The honor 10 recently got launched officially in London with a 4GB RAM variant and AI Camera capabilities on top of the horizontal 2-tone twilight-like design (the Huawei P20 Pro has a vertical or top to bottom twilight design). Still packing in the flagship level Kirin 970 processor with Neural-network Processing unit, the honor 10 has a 16MP (f/1.8) + 24MP (f/1.8) dual rear camera with a 24MP front camera, compact body and 5.84-inch full HD+ display.

Check out our honor 10 hands-on video below for a closer look at the device.


honor 10 review - Almost a 10/10 flagship

What? Another new honor phone? Isn't it the same one as the honor View10? Granted, both phones have the number 10 in the name but both are different from each other in terms of purpose. If you've followed us in our praises for the View10, you know that it's a device great for gaming. As for the honor 10, it's an upgrade and successor of the honor 9 (which never came lol) and boy, does it truly come in style. It's also a shocker that the price is only RM1699, is it too cheap for a flagship? Read below to find out.

Before I start praising this device's unique colour design, let me just say something about the notch first. This year alone, this will be the third time in my review to comment on it and I'm getting a wee-bit tired of repeating the same thing. Yes, the notch is smaller than the iPhone X's and it has more screen-to-body aspect ratio percentage, but one thing remains - casual consumers are just going to automatically think Android smartphone manufacturers are ripping off Apple but this is just Huawei (and nearly every other phone manufacturer) trying to implement a totally full view display design (Editor: also Apple wasn't the first to put a notch). There, I said it, phew.

The front and back view of the Phantom Blue model, the display contrast is really strong and it's recommended to have Eye Comfort mode on before you go to sleep

Now that I have got that off my chest, we can now move on to the amazing colour design. Obviously, the Phantom Blue and Phantom Green are eye-catching, it's almost like the Twilight model from the Huawei P20 Pro but not really because you are required to shift the phone sideways to see the purple shades coming out like a phantom (hehe, I had to). The shiny metallic surface is truly a marvel to look at and it'd be a shame if you cover it with a protective casing, even if it's a transparent one. Fingerprint smudges can be annoying to some users, but it's still tolerable for me because I like showing off the Phantom Blue model.

Overall, the device design is excellent and very lightweight for a flagship. The curvatures on all sides, top and bottom are perfect and even though the display is 5.84-inch long, the model itself still fits nicely in your hand. honor may have just outdone themselves and it's hard to see how they will top this one with the next generation model.

Speaker grill, USB Type-C (yay!) and a headphone jack, you can also see the shade of purple coming out from a different angle. There's an infrarred sensor on top

Side view, you can see the dual SIM card tray in the background, no slot for a microSD card

Here are the specifications for the honor 10:

Although there's no expandable memory, I honestly think having 128GB of internal storage is more than enough (do you need that much space anyway?). But it'd be nice if we could get a 6GB RAM just like the China market, but alas, the global unit which we are getting is only 4GB of RAM. Despite that, its processor and Neural Processing Unit (NPU) are good enough for our basic needs, even for graphic-intense gaming like PUBG Mobile.

Honor also tried to market that the honor 10 has an ultrasonic under-glass fingerprint sensor. Note that I said it's an under-glass, not under-display so technically speaking, it's still using ultrasonic and unlocks really fast. But since it's located on the bottom chin instead of the display itself, that doesn't feel special as it should. You can say the honor 10 came quite close as the first device to have such a feature, macam yes, tapi bukan.

On the other hand, the face unlock speed is wee-bit slow if compared to other Android phones with the same feature. Even though that's the case, the sensor is actually stronger as it's able to unlock in an extreme low-light environment thanks to the "Wake Up" device like the Apple iPhone. You can also switch to "Slide to Unlock" if you don't like the "Direct Unlock".

The face unlock (left) and the ultrasonic under-glass fingerprint sensor (right)

A bunch of security measures for your preference

The camera user interface is more or less the same with the Huawei P20 series, just that the only difference is you will need to toggle up the AI Camera which is one of the highlights of the phone, it's able to detect 22 types of sceneries and there will be more to come whenever honor decides to update via over-the-air. Unfortunately, turning the AI Camera on will automatically switch the sensor to 16MP no matter what, you can't have AI Camera mode on both the monochrome and selfie mode.

There is a 3D Lighting feature too in Portrait Mode for the back and front camera, but I find it kind of gimmicky at the moment because there are times that the software finds it hard to get the correct lighting on your face especially if there's a strong natural light source nearby, so if you're trying Stage and Classic lighting mode in that environment, be ready to have the "invisible shield" around you or the subject. Don't' get me wrong, it's a fun tool and you can move the digital light around the subject's face, but it's annoying and I hope honor can send a fix patch on a more accurate lighting software, if possible.

Camera UI, you can see the AI Camera toggle on top there

Before and after using AI Camera, can you spot the difference?

Split lighting and Classic lighting sample

This is an honourable mention, honor comes with a HiFi technology (AK4376A) and the audio quality is quite good. Too bad I don't have any Huawei earphones with me to know if there's any difference or not

With the Kirin 970 chipset and NPU on board, the honor 10 can do a lot of heavy duty lifting. In PUBG Mobile, the phone will immediately set the settings to the highest by default so this means that for other games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, Arena of Valor and others, it's a piece of cake for the honor 10. Battery consumption from playing PUBG Mobile and screen recording for 26 minutes will drain approximately about 20% (don't forget to count in the constant connection during gaming with other players), that shows just how durable it is. However, the phone tends to get quite warm and this is the same case when you do some photography.

On the right side of the battery chart, playing AoV for 2 hours straight will drain about 40%

On average, the battery performance is quite decent but not as impressive compared to the View10 (to be fair, the latter has more battery juice). It will definitely last the whole day for sure, and if you forgot to charge before heading out, the SuperCharge technology can charge up the battery easily within 10 minutes by at least 20%. It's a lifesaver.

The AI Camera labelled at the back is also no joke, thanks to the NPU. At first glance, turning on the AI Camera may look like it's just enhancing the colour contrast just like what HDR mode usually do, but it does wonders if you take landscape type of shots such as the sunset and night photography. I also love the monochrome mode and the honor 10 has really surprised me on the photo quality without the need of any specialized lens.

All photos taken below with the honor 10 have AI Camera enabled, except for monochrome mode and selfies. Check out the photos below!

Wide shot of the "sunset" on a cloudy day, look how smooth it is!

Colour reproduction from the sunlight on the buildings and sky is just lovely

We are almost halfway through 2018 but for some reason, most of the phones that were introduced in Malaysia are all mid-rangers or selfie centric devices which aren't on par with the flagship level honor 10 at all. It has an almost perfect + enchanting Phantom Blue (or Phantom Green) design, great performance capability for gaming and battery, as well as having AI Camera for producing nice photos.

At the price of RM1699, the honor 10 beats out a lot of flagships, except for two smartphones which are the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 and its own brother, the View10. For the same price the Mi Mix offers a larger screen-to-body ratio with no notch and a more powerful Snapdragon 835 processor with 6GB of RAM but the 5MP front camera, rear camera and 64GB storage can't compare against the 24MP front camera, 16MP + 24MP dual rear cameras and 128GB storage of the honor 10. Then for the View10, even though it costs slightly more, I'd personally go for the View10 simply because it has a dedicated Game Suite feature, 6GB of RAM and more battery, but the honor 10 definitely turns heads more with the phantom backside.

The honor 10 will officially be released online on 24 May 2018 at hihonor.com/my. Thanks for reading our review as always and stay tuned for more future reviews at TechNave.com


honor 10 slated for RM1699 officially with flagship specs, AI Camera and more

Finally, after a long month of teasing the honor 10, the flagship device's official price in Malaysia is RM1699 only. Considering its top-tier specifications for that price, it's definitely an eye-catcher and even more so with the new Phantom Blue and Phantom Green design.

To be released officially on 24 May 2018 on their official store hihonor.com/my, there will be a special RM100 rebate cash-back due to the incoming 0% GST soon next month from 24- 31 May 2018, so during that period, it will be RM1599 exclusively before going back up to RM1699. In addition to that, starting 24 May @ 9AM at Shopee (one day only), customers who purchase it will get a complimetary flip cover and a bluetooth headset.

Aside from the new Phantom design, the honor 10 also comes in Midnight Black. Another highlight of the flagship would also have to be the AI Camera which you can see it labelled behind with the dual rear camera setup, allowing users to have 22 scene detections and there will be more added in the future. Moreover, 3D Lighting, AI Portrait, monochrome mode, AR Lens and many other camera features are pre-installed for the users.

We have also done a hands-on coverage (and video) before so do check them out right over here, until then stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


Apple is planning to make even larger iPad Pro

Currently, the largest iPad model offered by Apple is the iPad Pro that comes in 11-inch and 12.9-inch display sizes. According to a renowned journalist Mark Gurman, the company is preparing to make even larger iPads in a few years.

The journalist wrote in a newsletter that "Apple has engineers and designers exploring larger iPads that could hit stores a couple of years down the road at the earliest." However, he also mentioned that it's unlikely to be presented next year with Apple focusing on redesigning the iPad Pro in the current sizes for 2022. With such a move, Apple could continue to blur the line between its tablet and laptop.

For next year's iPad Pro, it was rumoured that Apple is planning to use a glass back for wireless charging capabilities. It is worth mentioning that the current iPads still charge over USB-C or Lightning. Earlier, it was also reported that the upcoming iPad Pro could go with the MagSafe charging system that uses magnets to hold a charging port in place to charge the device.

Let us know what you think about these iPad Pro rumours on our Facebook page. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more interesting tech news.


honor 10 to receive new updates in the near future with Party Mode, AI Camera and more

Honor Malaysia has been selling the honor 10 like hot cakes in Malaysia and it's no surprised, priced at RM1599 featuring high-end tech-specs, it's to be expected. However, we didn't expect an update coming so soon and according to sources, it will have a Party Mode and other user interface (UI) updates.

That being said, what IS Party Mode anyway? Does it turn your phone into a disco device? Well, not really. Party Mode simply enables other honor 10 devices and connect to each other with NFC connectivity, then play the same song at the same time. I guess for an outdoor activity, this saves costs on getting a speaker.

Another update is the UI for the AI Camera. So what the AI Camera does now is after detecting a scenery, a text message will be displayed to the user about the photo effect. The fingerprint sensor also got one with a stronger security measure, able to inform the owner if his or her current fingerprint sensor should be replaced with a new one.

Aside from that, other lesser updates are having better battery power performance, moving the HiCare app to the home menu instead of hiding in the Tools folder, security patches, some new UI themes and a live wallpaper.

We aren't sure when the update will take place, but honor Malaysia will surely let us know about it so stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


honor 10 unveiled with 6GB + 128GB memory model, new Phantom Blue and Purple options, A.I. 2.0 camera & more from ~RM1609

Although honor will unveil the honor 10 in England on 15 May, they decided to launch it first in China (because reasons) and it matches most of the tech-specs rumours online. In other words, it's a clone of the cousin, the Huawei P20, featuring not three but four colour models in Phantom Blue, Phantom Purple, Midnight Black and Seagull Gray, minus the Leica lens.

Anyway...without further ado. Below are the official specs list and features from the honor 10. Check it out!

So like the P20, the honor 10 solely focuses on the camera aspect. Although it lacks a SUMMILUX grade lens, it still has an A.I. integrated inside the software (labelled as AI 2.0) and can identify several sceneries to your preference. But this is not just any photography scene detector like the one we know from Huawei, it knows when exactly to adjust the depth of field if there are a lot of subjects in the photo.

Besides that, there's also a smart fill light technology that enhances the subject's face in any kind of environment, depending on the lighting so it's not just based on low-light situations. In addition, the AI album inside can also help you to arrange your photos automatically into different categories.

Lastly, the price of the 6GB + 64GB model is 2599 Yuan (~RM1609) while the 6GB + 128GB model is 2999 Yuan (~RM1856). Translating that to our local price, we think with that kind of specs it should be around RM2K more or less. Until then, stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


honor 5X and honor 7 Enhanced pricing announced at RM899 and RM1499 for Malaysia

After its recent launching, the folks at honor Malaysia have officially announced the Malaysia pricing for the honor 5X and honor 7 Enhanced Edition smartphones. The honor 5X will be going for RM899 for the grey and silver versions while the more premium metallic front gold version will be priced at RM939. Both are currently not available yet, but you can register your interest for the honor 5X.

The honor 7 Enhanced Edition offers a more premium metallic front look with NFC and 32GB internal storage for RM1499. This is quite the value buy over the RM1399 priced honor 7 which already offers excellent performance in its own right. Check out our honor 7 review or compare the three smartphones using our honor 5X vs honor 7 Enhanced Edition vs honor 7 comparison tool.


honor 5X burned, scratched, dropped, frozen and driven... over #forthebrave

The recently released honor 5X continues to offer premium metal looks and tech specs or features such as a 2nd generation frameless fingerprint sensor, 5.5-inch full HD IPS display and 3 different card slots (microSIM, nanoSIM and microSD) for a price tag below RM1000. While it has already been blown up by 1000 fireworks and still survived, the folks at Khaleej Times and Sa7i.com have decided to put it through some other torture tests, including scratch, burn, drop, hammer, liquid nitrogen and being driven over by a moving vehicle torture tests. Check it out for yourself below:

If you're impressed with the honor 5X already, you can read more about it in our review of the honor 5X as well.


honor 5X first impressions hands-on video

The honor 5X just got announced for Malaysia yesterday and we managed to get some hands-on time with it. While it uses a different Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor it still offers a premium metal build with brushed metal backside. Other notable tech specs include a larger 5.5-inch full HD display, fingerprint sensor, 4G LTE connectivity and Dual SIM support. While there are still no pricing details or specific Malaysia release dates do check out the tech specs and our first impressions hands-on video with the honor 5.


honor 5X (gold version) hands-on video

With more than 3000 pre-orders already, the honor 5X looks to be a much wanted smartphone here in Malaysia. This could be due to the premium full metal body and other features like a fingerprint sensor or 5.5-inch full HD display for below RM1000 but we managed to get a closer look with the more premium gold coloured version of honor 5X to see why. Check out our hands-on video of the honor 5X (gold version) below:


honor 5X (gold version) unboxing video

Coming in at RM899 for the silver and grey versions, we managed to get our hands on the RM939 priced gold coloured version of the honor 5X smartphone. Featuring a fingerprint sensor and other premium tech specs, we did an unboxing video to see what else you get with the gold honor 5X. Check it out below:


honor 5X vs honor 7 comparison video

The honor 5X is currently making waves here in Malaysia thanks to it's premium features and full metal good looks at fantastic pricing but how does it compare against its equally value-packed predecessor, the honor 7? We compare the look and feel along with the more obvious features of the honor 5X against the honor 7 in the video below, but you can see the full tech spec comparison using our compare phones tool as well. The honor 5X is currently going for RM899 for the silver/grey version while the gold version is going for RM939. The honor 7 on the other hand is priced at RM1399.


honor 6C Pro manual leaked, reveals some cool features

Remember the honor 6C that was launched back in April? Probably not, cos it never came to Malaysia (cry). However, the manual of the buffed up version of the 6C, the Honor 6C Pro has been leaked around the internet and its looking pretty cool.

Courtesy of the kind individuals of GizmoChina, the leaked manual itself doesn’t really reveal much in terms of specs but it does reveal some cool features based on the images.

The image of the Honor 6C Pro being set alongside a TV may reveal that the device may feature a phone-to-TV connector that can perfectly mirror the phone’s display on the large TV screen. Not bad, not bad.

This second image from the manual though shows that the Honor 6C Pro is going to come with a hybrid SIM slot that will allow two nano-sized SIM cards or one nano-SIM along with a microSD card simultaneously.

We are not sure that the honor 6C Pro will be making its way to Malaysia or not, but we did get the sweet blessings of the honor 5C, so no harm to be hopeful. Keep your chins up, wait for any official news and stay tuned to TechNave.com because you know we always give you the freshest scoops.


honor 6X is now even MORE affordable from RM899

Bargain hunters you have to be crazy to pass this up! The honor 6X is now only RM899 for the 3GB+32GB version and RM999 for the 4GB+64GB version.

The prices were slashed much more from their original prices of RM1199 and RM1399 respectively. That’s a whole RM400 discount for the 4GB+64GB version and RM300 for the 3GB+32GB version. That’s almost enough for a new phone.

Released back in March, the honor 6X features a generous 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080p) display and an impressive 12MP plus 2MP vertical dual lens rear camera with various shooting modes, it allows for users to unleash a latitude of creative potential. The honor 6X is fueled with 4GBGB of RAM and equipped with a powerful 3340 mAh battery, providing users 2.15 days of usage and 1.54 days of heavy usage on a single full charge.

Those who wants to get it right now straight up can visit www.vmall.my or you could visit http://hihonor.com/my for more information!


Apple is planning to move MacBook and Apple Watch production to Vietnam

Vietnam is set to become one of Apple’s largest production hubs as the tech giant is reportedly planning to make Apple Watches and MacBooks in the country for the first time ever. Currently, Vietnam is already producing a wide range of flagship products for Apple, including the iPad and AirPods.

As reported by Nikkei Asia, the move is part of the company’s plans to diversify production away from China. In fact, Apple suppliers Luxshare Precision Industry and Foxconn have already started test production of the Apple Watch in northern Vietnam with the aim of producing the device outside of China for the very first time.

The move is definitely a huge win for Vietnam who in recent years has risen up to become one of the world’s main producers in the tech manufacturing sector. Moreover, Apple suppliers with facilities in the Southeast Asian country has increased to at least 22 from 14 in 2018, with the current number most likely being higher.

The move also shows a change of approach for Apple, which had depended on China for almost all of its production needs for decades. However, given the impact of China’s restrictive zero-Covid policies on the supply chain, Apple is seemingly planning to move away from China, with Vietnam looking to pounce on the opportunity.

Besides the MacBook, Apple Watch, iPad and AirPods, the report by Nikkei also claims that the tech giant is mulling moving the production of HomePod in Vietnam. So, what about Malaysia? Well, we do somewhat play a part in manufacturing Apple devices, though at a small scale compared to Vietnam. Back in March, we reported how some Mac Studios are made in Malaysia, with the words ‘Made in Malaysia’ being seen engraved at the bottom of a review unit given to popular YouTuber Marquess Brownlee or MKBHD.

So, what do you guys think about Apple moving production of some of its major devices to Vietnam? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for more trending tech news.


honor 7 Enhanced Edition first impressions hands-on video

The honor 7 Enhanced Edition was also announced alongside the honor 5X and honor Band Z1 yesterday. Featuring the same design as the honor 7, the honor 7 Enhanced offers a bit more in terms of storage with 32GB worth of internal memory. It also comes with a quick charging power adapter and a more premium looking metallic front bezel. No Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet but in the meantime, you can check out our first impressions hands-on video and tech specs of the honor 7 Enhanced Edition below.


honor 7 review - Flagship featured metal smartphone for under RM1400

Flagship smartphones are generally faster, have more features and usually cost a lot more than what you’d normally pay for a smartphone. However, things are changing and smartphone manufacturers are now coming out with smartphones that not only offer flagship features but do so at more affordable price points. At just RM1399 the honor 7 is honor’s flagship featured smartphone coming with a metal build, fingerprint sensor and 20MP rear camera. Does it equal or better more expensive flagship smartphones? After using it for quite some time I can honestly say I’m mostly impressed by it but read the full review of the honor 7 below for all the details.

The honor 7 is honor’s first metal body smartphone so it doesn’t really look like the previous honor 6 or honor 6 Plus. The back is a matte metal which mostly looks premium with chamfered edges, except for the top and bottom which has a diagonal checkered pattern much like a file. These help the grip from sliding, but the join between the main metal body and the top and bottom aren’t exactly as fine or as smooth as the build quality in previous honor phones. That being said, the honor 7 still feels very solid while remaining lightweight at 157g and relatively thin at 8.5mm. The 20MP rear camera may stick out a little, but a layer of sapphire crystal glass ensures it stays scratch free and well protected.

Here are the honor 7 tech specs and features:

The honor 7 packs in Huawei's own 64-bit octa-core Kirin 935 processor with 3GB of RAM and 16GB storage

The honor 7 is using Huawei’s own Kirin 935 processor which is better than the Kirin 930 in the previous Huawei P8 flagship smartphone. It is also the same processor being used in the current Huawei Mate S flagship smartphone and there is 3GB of RAM as well, making the honor 7 on par with most flagship smartphones.

The premium all metal build is tough and solid

The top and bottom are a file design with chamfered edges

Other flagship tech specs and features are also available, including a fast fingerprint sensor on the back, a 20MP rear camera with phase-detection autofocus and dual-tone LED flash while a soft LED on the front helps illuminate the 8MP front camera. An IR (infra-red) sensor on the front helps turn the honor 7 into a universal remote control. The only flagship feature missing appears to be NFC, but since that isn’t used that much in Malaysia yet, it should not be a problem.

You get all the same camera features as the earlier Huawei P8, including light painting and ultra snapshot

The brave folks at honor have done well to keep the good features like ultra snapshot (which takes a picture in 1.3 seconds with a double tap of the volume rocker) and the various EMUI features but they’ve also added on a customizable physical button called Smart Key. Unlike some other models, you can access up to three different shortcuts by a short press, long press or double press of the Smart Key. Recent updates have also revealed new camera modes such as a Pro or Manual mode and slow-mo mode to go with the beauty, good food and light painting camera features.

The Smart key is customizable and lets you do up to three different functions with a press, double press and press and hold.

In terms of benchmark performance, the honor 7 achieved an awesome 50106 on AnTuTu, outpacing the Huawei P8 and most other midrange smartphones. Other benchmarks mirror this performance with 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited getting 8845 and Epic Citadel getting xx fps. However, the honor 7 truly shines with actual game performance, achieving smooth nearly lag free performance in Asphalt 8: Airborne complete with special effects like snow, trails of fire and so forth.

The honor 7 performs as well as many flagship smartphones on AnTuTu

3DMark reports fairly high performance for the honor 7

The honor 7 scored 38 fps in Epic Citadel

These effects are something that we haven’t seen on nearly all other smartphones except for perhaps the Apple iPhone 6s, making the honor 7 very flagship-worthy. However, like the iPhone, the metal body of the honor 7 does get hot after a while or after a long marathon of gaming or using the GPS. Under normal conditions, the phone feels just fine though.

The honor 7 offers fast performance complete with extra effects like contrails and snow

We've only seen these effects on the Apple iPhone and nearly never in most Android phones

The 20MP rear camera is a bit of a temperamental beast. In situations where the subjects are static (aren't moving that much) then the 20MP camera on the honor 7 is flawless, capturing crystal clear DSLR quality images even from a distance. Move to a low light condition area or where your subjects are moving and you want to use burst shot and the camera slows down considerably. We assume this is because the shutter becomes slow as the processor tries to keep up with the 20MP image size. The solution is simple enough though as all you need to do is dial down the camera to 15MP for the shutter speed to go back to the normally super fast low light or burst shot that you're used to.

Catching the heavenly dragon on 20MP, Auto

Image quality is exceptional, while the Pro and manual mode offer a bit more control for the cameraphone photographer. Like the Huawei P8, the honor 7 can also do light painting but you will need a tripod for that still. There are also all focus and good food modes as well, making the honor 7 camera one of the most fully featured in the Huawei and honor smartphone range. The ultra snapshot feature still works as fast as 1.3 seconds or so while the 8MP front camera takes some really good selfie shots, even in low-light conditions thanks to the front soft LED.

The Pro or Manual mode lets you change settings easily while taking shots

Other features that stood out for me were the fingerprint sensor and customizable smart key. The rear fingerprint sensor is quite capable, even working with wet fingers but isn’t nearly as fast as say the fingerprint sensor on the Huawei Nexus 6P. You can also use it to take selfie shots and do other features, so it isn’t just for extra security.

The smart key offers a number of fast shortcuts as well but my favourites remain a double press to take a screenshot, a press for the camera and a long press for the flash light. I would have liked it more if I could map more features like turn on bluetooth or GPS but those may come with future updates.

The IR universal remote control feature still works as well as it did in previous versions, allowing me to turn on my tv, air-conditioner and media player all from a single device. Battery-life is only about a day on medium to heavy usage though, but with all these features we aren’t exactly surprised. Quick charging is fast though, with a full charge in under 2 hours. Connectivity via WiFi and 4G LTE are also good while sound quality is clear and loud.

While battery life is only a bit more than a day on medium to heavy usage, at least it only takes about 2 hours to get a fast yet full charge for the honor 7


honor 7A and Phantom Green honor 10 launch with Shopee Malaysia, coming 8 June 2018 for Super honor Day

Shopee and honor Malaysia officially launched the honor 7A and Phantom Green honor 10 today. The honor 7A will be priced at RM479 for the 2GB RAM + 16GB storage version and RM569 for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage version but both will offer a 5.7-inch HD 18:9 aspect ratio fullview display and an energy efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset.

The RM1599 Phantom Green honor 10 will also be made available with freebies worth RM298. Both versions of the honor 7A and the Phantom Green honor 10 are expected to arrive on 8 June 2018 in conjunction with Super honor Day. All honor products will also get a 30% off discount for that day as well.

With Hari Raya still about a week away after 8 June 2018, it should still be more than enough time to pick up the honor 7A. It should be good if you're giving it to someone who likes taking selfies, as the 8MP front camera should offer a bit more details than most entry-level devices.


honor 7A released in China as a budget device, comes with Snapdragon 430 starting from ~RM491

So somewhere in China, honor just released an honor 7A as a budget-friendly device with a price of 799 Yuan and 999 Yuan (yes two variants). That's around ~RM491 and ~RM641 only in direct conversion and it looks super similar to the honor 7X in terms of design. Well anyway, below is the official tech-specs so check it out.

So apparently, based on the tech-specs list above, there will be two variants which are the 2GB and 3GB model, both models will also have a different set of cameras, the 2GB will only have a single 13MP primary camera, while the latter takes the dual rear camera. And about the Histen 3D (it's really spelt like that), it's all about audio performance with a smart power amplifier chip that can release 88db of audio output. It even has Party Mode, allowing multiple users to connect together with NFC and play the same music. In other words, like multiple speakers.

We aren't sure if this will come into Malaysia, but won't be surprised if it does seeing how popular honor brand is within our country. Stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


honor 7C revealed in China with dual rear cameras, 5.99-inch display and more starting from ~RM554

Today, honor has just recently revealed the honor 7C in China and it very familiar with the 7X model. Anyway, since it's released in China first, the starting price of the device is just 899 Yuan which is around ~RM554 which says a lot about its tier level. It comes in two variants based on memory or 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB. Below is the official tech-specs:

For some reason, honor didn't really specify the chipset brand but sources believe that the device is carrying a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor instead of a Kirin chipset that they always used. This explains why the price tag is so affordable and not to forget, the 14nm chipset supports Full HD+ displays nicely, as well as clocking in at 18GHz for the GPU. It should be noted that there is a dedicated microSD card slot as previously teased. In addition, we also got the telephoto lens wrongly from the teaser. Instead, the secondary camera is using a 2MP sensor which is used to create bokeh effect for the background.

Just some selfie photo samples from the models

We won't be surprised if this model comes to Malaysia, seeing how affordable it is. Also, for the 4GB + 64GB model, it cost 1299 Yuan and that's roughly around ~RM800 only. Stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


honor 7X and 6A Pro getting a price cut for CNY promotion from RM666

Chinese New Year is coming real soon and to celebrate this occasion, honor Malaysia will be having a fansgiving promotions on two smartphones starting tomorrow (8 February 2018) until 11 February 2018. So what is the promotion?

Well, the honor 7X which was originally RM1099 will be soon on a discount for RM998. The honor 6A Pro will also have a price slash as well, from RM699 to RM666. On top of that, for every purchase of the honor 7X during the four day period, customers will walk away with an exclusive honor folder bag. Customers who intend to make a direct purchase can visit www.vmall.my, www.lazada.com.my, www.shopee.com.my and www.11street.my.

honor Malaysia would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Chinese New Year and a good luck for the year ahead. Happy shopping and stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


honor 7X and V10 tech-specs leak online, going FullView display with dual camera setup

In case you forgot, the teaser sent by honor Malaysia strongly hints an honor 7X is coming to Malaysia and thanks to a source online, it's revealed that the device will be going to other parts of the world, namely the USA and UK. And because of that, we also got some information on the tech-specs. Check it out below.

According to sources, the honor 7X is featuring a Kirin 659, 4GB + 32GB memory capacity, a huge 5.93-inch FullView display in 1080p, a dual rear camera with 16MP + 2MP setup, a front 8MP snapper, EMUI 5.1 based on Android 7.0 Nougat and a respectable 3340mAh battery.

However, that's not all. A little "bird" also gave us some tips that the honor V10 smartphone is coming to Malaysia as well (after 7X). We are guessing this will be next year's business, so here's what we dug out from TENAA about the tech-specs - a Kirin 970 processor, 6GB of RAM, either a 64GB or 128GB internal storage, a 5.99-inch FullView screen with Full HD+ resolution in 1080p, a pair of 16MP + 20MP camera sensors, a 13MP front camera, and fans will be glad to know that the phone will be pre-installed with EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo.

Both phones look very similar, but anyway, the next honor phone will be unveiled on 12 December 2017 which is around the corner. So stay tuned for that officially at TechNave.com.


honor 7X breaks three-year record on its first-day sales

Today, honor Malaysia is proud to announce that it has achieved an all-new record with its latest product - the honor 7X on the first day of online sales in Vmall.my, breaking a three-year record and claiming its reign to be the best selling unit on the platform, thanks to the "Fansgiving" sale which was selling at RM999 only.

Although the figures were not given, it's said that the online sales performances of the honor 7X trails behind the honor 3C which cemented and established the honor brand as an e-brand made for digital natives in the Malaysia market. For honor's first FullView display smartphone, it's quite a feat and from our review about the phone, we can't say we are too surprised by the result.

George Zhao Zhiwei, Head of honor Malaysia said, “We are honored to be in the top five regions in terms of first day online sales performance on our e-commerce platform for the honor 7X. We are thankful for the support of our fans and customers who have helped us achieve sales success on many levels, and we end 2017 on a high note."

Starting on 22 December 2017, the honor 7X will be available across the nation at the retail price of RM1099 and customers who purchase the smartphone will be bringing home a free and limited edition Lords Mobile casing.

For more information on honor, visit their official website or the honor Malaysia Facebook page. Stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


honor 7X pre-order coming soon on 22 December 2017 for RM1099

Today, after much teasing of the honor 7X, honor Malaysia has finally revealed the full price which is RM1099 and pre-order can be made on 22 December 2017 in vmall.my and Lazada. But that's not the best part, apparently there will also be a special fansgiving price for just RM999 in a limited time only on 18 December 2017 from 3PM - 4PM in black and blue. Also, the newly appointed honor 7X ambassador, SonaOne also made an appearance at the event and performed a new honor song "honor is Mine" for this occasion.

The one-day only special price on 18 December 2017

George (left), the Head of honor Malaysia and SonaOne (right), the new honor 7X representative posing for photo

We have already done a hands-on video and pictures before which you can check it out here or here. For news about the honor View 10, check out what they have to say about it here and stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


honor 7X review - Another worthy mid-range cameraphone

Knowing honor's reputation as a smartphone brand that offers affordable mid-range to budget-friendly devices with respectable tech-specs, I honestly had no idea what I was going in for when I was given the honor 7X to review. What is the purpose of the honor 7X, I wondered, just jumping on the FullView display bandwagon? Or is there something more than that? Well, thankfully after some time experimenting with it, I can say that the device is actually yet another value for money smartphone for everyone. Read below to find out why.

From a design perspective, one would be quick to point out the similarities between the Huawei Nova 2i and the honor 7X. Call it lazy design, but both Huawei and honor are under the same roof so I don't really have any qualms with that. What you should really take notice of is the full metal body is not just any metal material, but a super tough one. In fact, honor Malaysia has taken this advantage to boast that the device went through rigorous drop testing to ensure that the phone stays alive.

Of course, being a reviewer I couldn't stop my curiosity from testing out so I threw and drop the phone at my house and true enough, the phone still functions quite well so I guess I can give them some points for that. Too bad it's not water resistant, though. Oh well.

The same headphone jack, micro USB 2.0 and speaker, but that's a nice curve from the edges

The side view with your standard power and volume buttons

The SIM card tray is located on the left side

On top of that, the honor 7X is honor's best looking smartphone at this moment because of how well presented the 5.93-inch FullView display is. However, I do wish that perhaps they should have added dual stereo speakers to complement the FullView display for entertainment purpose. Not that I'm saying the audio is too weak or something, it's just a nice addition if you think about it.

Here are the specifications for the honor 7X:

Not only does the honor 7X and Nova 2i look similar, but even the tech-specs as well. Same processor, RAM, storage, screen size and 1080p resolution, battery except for the front camera which is just 8MP. Nonetheless, even though it's just a single sensor, honor has pre-installed some features for it such as virtual aperture photo, portrait mode, gesture trigger (exactly like Samsung's hand gesture for taking pics) and the usual effects filters.

In case you're wondering, the fingerprint scanner works just fine

Much like the Nova 2i's secondary 2MP camera at the back, the one on the honor 7X also serves as a bokeh effect specializer for the image taken (if you want to). However, I feel that the bokeh effect isn't as good as the Nova 2i (you can check out the differences later on) so most of the time I would rather just take the shots without the bokeh effects on. Photo quality is still good, though, so stay tuned for that below at the performance section.

This is a photo without wide aperture and portrait mode

This is in portrait mode + bokeh effect (see what I mean, not so much difference)

At this point, you will probably think that the honor 7X is a camera-centric smartphone, well that's because it is, but it doesn't mean that honor has compromised its gaming capabilities, although we can't really expect it to perform as great as a flagship or even its relative, the honor 8 Pro with the given specifications. While playing games on the honor 7X is pretty good thanks to the 5.93-inch FullView display, you can't really play high intensity games at its maximum settings that smoothly, like Asphalt 8: Airborne (we had to cut down the visual quality settings somewhat) and especially Arena of Valor (it's getting popular).

Speaking of AoV, there are some connectivity problems with it on the device. Sometimes my hero will freeze in real-time, but it's not just the game itself, even Google Maps also showed signs of it. Although it's only a rare occurence, I hope that honor can send an improvement patch for the connection in the future via Over-the-Air update.

As you can see, the knight is stuck in the rock below lol

The connection problem, this is way off track from where I was supposed to be

Battery performance is also pretty good, I didn't really need to charge often when I went to Sekinchan, taking pictures, surfing social media apps and with tethering on, but it really does take a long time to charge up (like over two hours). Do take note that if you push the phone and game long hours, your fingers will probably get uncomfortable due to the heat on the full metal body so get a case.

On the other hand, I was also pleasantly surprised by how well the cameras performed. At first, I wasn't really sure how the photo quality would turn out, but I can say that like the Nova 2i, I'm quite a fan of the camera and I really enjoyed using it. However, when it comes to the phone's bokeh effect, I don't think it's as good as the Nova 2i's quality. Oh well, it is what it is. Check out the pictures I took below!

This was the first photo I took, the dynamic range is actually quite good

Selfie, this is not really under the harsh sunlight but rather sometimes the camera picks up too much light for its own good

I like how the water splashed at the kids' feet are sort of frozen in time

Attempted to take a picture with bokeh mode, doesn't seem that impressive

Notice how the wave behind the kid "freezes" in time quite well?

Taken during the morning at 7AM+, my favourite shot

A close up, look at the shell's detail there

Low-light shot is kinda underwhelming, though, there was supposed to be more light than this

For what it's worth, the honor 7X is a worthy mid-range smartphone that possesses a good camera, good battery life, reasonable performance and a pretty sturdy body yet looks fairly good at the same time. If I really have to nitpick, it would be that the bokeh effect could have been better, charging time needs to be faster, and gaming performance is just so-so. But those are just small issues.

Comparing with the Xiaomi Mi A1 which we recently reviewed, the honor 7X is a better buy since both retail at the same price of RM1099. If you somehow can't stand the bokeh effect and want the best, then you should go for the Nova 2i which costs slightly more at RM1299. There are other camera-centric smartphone options out there as well, as you have the selfie snapper OPPO F5 Youth (RM1098), Motorola Moto G5S Plus (RM999) and the most affordable one of all - the ASUS Zenfone Max Plus (RM899) which has a bigger battery capacity at 4130mAh and a 5.7-inch FullView display too. By the way, we haven't reviewed those three phones yet so we can't really say much.

So what do you think? Do you think we are giving too much "honor" for the phone? Let us know in the comments below, thanks for reading and stay tuned for more future reviews at TechNave.com.


Apple is planning to shift the manufacturing of its MacBook lineup to Thailand

Apple has been shifting production of its products away from China recently amidst frustrations over supply disruption and restrictive Covid-19 regulations in the country. According to a new report, the tech giant is now planning to shift manufacturing of its MacBook lineup to Thailand, making the country the main non-China production site for the product category.

As revealed by tech insider regarding everything Apple Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple's global supply chain management strategy continues to change in response to the de-globalization trend, mainly to reduce the assembly business in China. Taking to Twitter, Kuo said that the main non-China production site for MacBook in the future may be Thailand.

He further elaborated that all MacBooks are currently assembled from production sites located in China. However, in the medium term or within a 3 to 5-year timeframe, Apple wants the US market to be supplied by assembly sites located outside of China to reduce potential impacts for political risks such as US-China tariffs.

Meanwhile, in the long term, the tech giant wants the non-Chinese markets to be fully supplied by assembly sites outside of the Republic, keeping production in China only for products meant to be distributed in the country. With this distinction, assemblers can conduct new product introduction (NPI) in China as well as non-China.

Of course, these are all mere speculation for now as nothing is confirmed as of yet. If it turns out to be true, then it has got to be a huge win for Thailand and the country’s economy.

What do you guys think? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for more trending tech news such as this!


honor 7X unboxing, hands-on and drop test video

Yesterday, we got a first look of the honor 7X and a full tech-spec list. Today, we did our unboxing, hands-on and a drop test (for fun, huehuehue) on the device. The mid-range smartphone has yet to be released in Malaysia as it will only be revealed on 12 December 2017 and price is also unknown at the moment. Anyway, honor Malaysia has also joined the FullView display trend and here's how it looks like. Check out our video below!


honor 8 Pro announced as the official smartphone for the new Final Fantasy Awakening game

Say, doesn't that poster look familiar? Yup, that's a new mobile MMORPG game app, known as Final Fantasy Awakening and it has been announced by honor Malaysia that its honor 8 Pro is now the official recommended smartphone for the game. So to commemorate this partnership, customers and fans can look forward to an exciting redemption gift card worth RM138 upon purchasing the honor 8 Pro.

Do keep note that only the first 500 customers (in any authorized store) who purchase it can bring back home the gift card. However, customers who purchase any other honor products will also receive a gift card worth RM48. On top of that, honor Malaysia and Efun, the makers of FF Awakening have also prepared a special reward for all its fans where they will be able to redeem in-game items via the promo code: NDXBNGNV.

The honor 8 Pro is already available in vMall, honor Experience Stores and Display Zones at a retail price of RM1999. Stay tuned for more honor news at TechNave.com.


honor 8 Pro now supports VoLTE connectivity in Malaysia

Today, honor Malaysia has announced that their latest honor 8 Pro will be integrating VoLTE (voice over LTE) soon from Digi’s network, as well as YES 4G and webe nationwide including East Malaysia. This marks the first honor device to feature VoLTE, allowing users to voice call with improved connectivity for HD voice and use the internet even while calling.

To recap the tech-specs, the 8 Pro is using Huawei’s current processor - Kirin 960 chipset, huge memory power of 6GB RAM, 4000mAh battery, a 5.7-inch QHD display (515 ppi) for virtual reality. To add on to that, the Huawei Mate 9, P10 and P10 lite devices are also VoLTE ready.

To know more about the device, you can check it out at Vmall.my or their official Malaysia wesite here.