TechNave NewsBytes 2022 #2 - Samsung ISE 2022, Samsung, Samsung TV, Samsung + Celcom Mega™ Family Plan, Xiaomi, OPPO, LG and Special: The Galaxy A53 5G

Welcome back TechNavers and NewsByters, in this issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2022 #2 we have the following articles for you:

For our miscellaneous announcements we have:

Samsung Electronics recently unveiled new display possibilities for businesses with its next-generation commercial displays and solutions, at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2022, in Barcelona. Highlighting its vision for “Business Reimagined,” Samsung will present the latest models of The Wall as well as the updated UHD 4K signage with enhanced professional features. Plus, the new Interactive Display featuring a range of innovative new features for education.

Samsung will launch its new ISE site to showcase this year’s event theme and share further details before the opening of ISE 2022. Those who cannot attend this year’s ISE at FIRA, Barcelona from 10 to 13 May can take a virtual tour at Samsung’s ISE 2022 Virtual Experience (VX) from the comfort of your home. The ISE 2022 VX site allows visitors to virtually experience innovative display products and solutions that will be showcased onsite and lets you explore the Samsung booth virtually which will be made accessible from 10 May.

Taking mum out for a lovely meal at her favourite restaurant or gifting her that gorgeous handbag she’s been eyeing are great gift ideas for Mother’s Day, which is happening on 8 May. However, mum deserves to be showered with love every day, even in understated ways like optimizing technology to ease her busy work and home life.

While digital devices and home appliances have a ubiquitous presence in our lives, it is important that they can work together seamlessly and intuitively around our daily routines. This is where Samsung’s SmartThings app comes in – it can easily control and share insights on connected devices, enhancing work and life for mum and the rest of the family, both in and outside of the home.

Have a read at the attached to find out how Samsung’s SmartThings app and smart devices can make mum’s busy daily life easier.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd and Lazada, Southeast Asia’s leading eCommerce platform, are partnering again for the fifth edition of Samsung Super Brand Day on 24 May 2022. Teasing period starts 21st – 23rd May 2022, so be sure to add to cart. Themed ‘Spark that Super Feeling’, the much-anticipated annual campaign is set to return with a bigger, bolder, and better online shopping experience to spark an instant connection and stronger engagements with consumers across Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

On Samsung Super Brand Day, online shoppers can enjoy irresistible deals on their favorite Samsung products across smartphones, tablets, wearables, TVs, smart monitors, as well as digital appliances – available exclusively on the Samsung Official Store on LazMall. This includes the new online exclusive Samsung Q63 QLED 4K Smart TV 2022 range, the Smart Monitor M8, and the smartphone focus model – the Samsung Galaxy M33 5G. Targeted at those seeking great performance and peak entertainment experiences at a good value, the Galaxy M33 5G comes packed with an expansive 6.6-inch Infinity-V Display with 120Hz refresh rate that is perfect for gaming, and a flagship-class 50MP quad-camera set to capture the best quality content.

Highlights of Samsung x LazMall Super Brand Day in Malaysia include:

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world’s leading TV manufacturer for 16 consecutive years, announced that its 2022 Neo QLEDs earned the ‘Reducing CO2’ certification from the Carbon Trust in recognition of its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

The Carbon Trust is a global climate consultancy driven by the mission to accelerate the move to a decarbonised future. The ‘Reducing CO2’ certification signifies that a product’s carbon footprint is reducing year-on-year. It evaluates the amount of GHG (Greenhouse Gas) generated throughout the entire product lifecycle using internationally recognized standards[1].

This year, 11 models across Samsung’s 2022 TV lineup, including three Neo QLED 8K models, three Neo QLED 4K models, two QLED models, two Lifestyle TV models, and one Crystal UHD TV model, obtained the certification by reducing the weight of the product and the power consumption during the use phase.

As many Malaysians are looking forward to 'balik kampung' this Raya, Celcom has kicked off its Raya deals that offers more savings and best values worth up to RM2,300 for you and your entire family through its Celcom Mega™ Family Plan, in the spirit of staying connected over the festive holiday. Customers get to enjoy the plan with tons of perks this Raya season, with a range of options from Samsung’s 5G smartphones, including the Galaxy S22 Series.

For starters, this plan allows up to 6 family lines per account at RM40 with unlimited internet access. In addition, customers that buy any Samsung 5G smartphone and add-on the family plan can bring home a FREE Galaxy A03 64GB applicable for Mega™ postpaid plans from RM98 and above! Customers may also choose to own two lines with one Samsung 5G device and get additional savings up to RM300.

That’s right, the Galaxy S22 Series is more affordable than ever this Raya with Celcom Mega™ Family Plan. So what are you waiting for?

For more information, you can check out:  https://www.samsung.com/my/offer/mobile/galaxy-s22-operator-exclusive/.

It is without a doubt that besides in-depth reviews we read from our tech experts, we often turn to our favourite lifestyle writers, influencers or even friends and families prior to purchasing a smartphone.

Why not turn to our #TeamGalaxy Voice of Consumers and see what they’ve got to say about their Galaxy S22 and how it has changed their lives!

Xiaomi, recently unveiled its latest application of advanced algorithms and self-developed speech technology to the accessibility field. The spontaneous style Text-To-Speech technology, which is developed by Xiaomi AI Lab, is used to generate a unique and customized voice for a user with speech disorders.

Users can now communicate with others by using "his own voice", instead of a typical monotonous electronic voice. As a part of the "Own My Voice" pre-research project led by the Xiaomi Technical Committee, the project team recruited more than 200 volunteers within Xiaomi to donate their voices. They used the voiceprint matching algorithm to match the features of volunteers' donated voices with those of the recipient's voice. Through this approach, they found the most suitable voice as the basic sound of voice reference for the recipient. In consideration of personalization and privacy protection, the chosen real voice was manipulated with complex acoustic modification to form a new and original sound of voice.

Next, they used spontaneous style Text-To-Speech technology to train AI models, making this new voice gradually gain a natural rhythm and intonation that can truthfully express the emotion and the tone of a human. The "Own My Voice" project combines a variety of most advanced algorithms with Xiaomi's self-developed speech technology to ensure the specificity, safety, and high genuineness of the synthesized voice, creating a new idea on customized speech synthesis for users with speech disorders.

OPPO Malaysia recently announced the latest acoustic wireless earphones - OPPO Enco X2 True Wireless Earphones – which is now available in Malaysia! With an emphasis on delivering studio-quality audio, not only does the OPPO Enco X2 True Wireless Earphones feature the Super Dynamic Balance Enhanced Engine (SuperDBEE) acoustic system co-developed with Nordic audio giant Dynaudio, it also comes with a Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification and the brand-new Low Latency High-Definition Audio Codec (LHDC) 4.0.

Built with an Ultra-wide Frequency Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) solution, the OPPO Enco X2 balances impressive noise cancellation abilities and delivers pristine sound, setting a new benchmark for flagship audio quality. Along with user-oriented details and an innovative acoustic technology, the OPPO Enco X2 aims to drive the true wireless industry to the new world of Hi-Fi-quality audio and provide users with an excellent music listening experience.

Been hoping to get yourself an OPPO product but wishing for more deals and offers? Now is your chance to pamper yourself with free phones, vouchers, and discounts you deserve after the hectic festive season as OPPO is celebrating its 2 million members milestone this coming 16th (Monday) to 18th May (Wednesday)!

The “My OPPO 2m Members Celebration Giveaway” is here to offer prizes worth up to RM150,000! That includes one (1) unit of the OPPO Reno7, twenty (20) units of RM200 Touch ‘n Go Reload Pins, twenty (20) units of RM100 Klook Vouchers, two hundred (200) units of Wah Chan 999.9 Fine Gold Angpows, two hundred (200) units of KFC Self-Collect E-vouchers, 2000 Reward Points, 200 Reward Points and 20 Reward Points.

To stand a chance to win these fantastic rewards all you have to do is:

Step 2   : Click into the “My OPPO 2m Member Celebration Giveaway” under “Activities”.

Step 3   : Click “GO” to join the Giveaway by utilizing two hundred (200) Reward Points.

For more information regarding My OPPO 2m Members’ Day, kindly visit https://bit.ly/3MbNzx8.

LG Electronics Malaysia (LG) is set to showcase its new lineup of home appliances at the Home Design Interior Exhibition (HOMEDEC) this year. Taking place at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 13 to 16 May 2022, Malaysian homeowners will be able to get firsthand look and feel of the LG QNED Mini LED TVs and LG InstaView Door-in-Door™ Refrigerators.

For customers who purchase or rent the LG PuriCare™ Water Purifier and LG PuriCare™ Air Purifier will be entitled to a free exclusive edition water bottle as well as an entry to the lucky draw in winning the nation’s leading badminton player, Lee Zii Jia’s autographed jersey! The exclusive edition water bottle is extended to customers who purchase the LG PuriCare™ Wearable Air Purifier as well.

Mix & Match option are also offered for customers to pair and purchase any two or more cross-category products from LG’s refrigerators, washing machines to LG Styler™ in a single receipt with promotional price and even get themselves a complimentary LG PuriCare™ Wearable Air Purifier and Touch ‘n Go eWallet credit total worth up to RM 1,149.00.

vivo Malaysia was named the top merchant during the recent TikTok Shopping Raya Sale, which was held from 26 to 30 April 2022. The best-selling smartphone throughout the sales was the vivo X70 5G, while the vivo V21 was ranked the top 4 among other products and top 2 among vivo products during the sales.

The TikTok Shopping Raya Sale saw several promotions offered to customers, including a lowered price for all vivo devices and a chance for customers to win a unit of the new vivo T1 series when purchasing a vivo T1 series.

Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation has recently announced the expansion plans as well as the opening of a new full-fledged Service Operation Centre. Located at Schneider Electric’s GUTOR Experts office at Hicom-Glenmarie Industrial Park, the expansion is in line with Schneider Electric’s growth strategy to double its services as well as increase its service engineers and operation staff by 60 per cent by 2025.

Chan Jian Wen, Head of Field Service Sales & Operations for Schneider Electric Malaysia said, “As Malaysia’s economy looks to rebound and adapt to the ongoing pandemic, digitalisation offers businesses the opportunity not only to play to their existing strengths and implement faster, more flexible and efficient processes to capture greater market share, but also enable businesses to realise new growth opportunities. With Malaysia’s diverse culture and mindsets, we see the country as a key growth market with long-term digital potential. Our new Service Operation Center with streamlined services aims to ease businesses’ transformation journeys through digital customisation, simulation and optimisation, especially for Malaysian businesses with aged facilities.”

After a joyous week of Raya festivities, Toshiba TV has kept the fire burning on Raya and continued on the celebration with attractive discounts, exclusive voucher giveaways and more with their Sinar Raya Bersama Toshiba TV campaign until 31st May. Malaysians can enjoy deals up to RM1,900 and receive a TNG or KFC voucher from RM30 to RM150 upon purchasing selected models (Toshiba TV Z770, M550, and C350 series).

Besides the free vouchers and huge price slashes, Toshiba TV is also holding their 70th Anniversary MERIAH Lucky Draw and offering the winners vouchers worth up to RM700. Customers can enter the lucky draw game by registering their Toshiba TV (selected models) warranty and submitting proof of purchase on the official website.

Those who wish to know more about the promotion details of the Sinar Raya Bersama with Toshiba TV campaign, feel free to visit Toshiba TV Malaysia's official Facebook page. Also, stay tuned to their Instagram account @toshibatvmalaysia, and their official YouTube and TikTok account for the latest product information.

Digital payment has emerged to be the leading choice for many consumers in Southeast Asia (SEA) when it comes to conducting their online financial transactions. A recent Kaspersky research showed that digital considerations about cybersecurity and payments factor heavily into a consumer’s purchasing behavior in the region.

Titled “Mapping a secure path for the future of digital payments in APAC”, the study discovered that one in five (21%) of digital payment service users in SEA still experience anxiety when performing online transactions. Among other ages, worry is highest with the oldest group, the Silent Generation (30%). Interestingly, the “seniors” are followed by the youngest generation at 27%.

The demands of a busy life can sometimes feel like we’re on an endless treadmill, our calendars get so hectic with work that other aspects of life get pushed to the back. Thankfully, there’s the latest Galaxy A53 5G that can help you get through your day.

9AM: A’s typical workday starts at 9:00AM. He used to find himself going back and forth between devices across work, which he found hectic. But gladly enough, he finds himself more at ease with work now thanks to the Link to Windows 1 feature, which takes everything he can do on his Galaxy smartphone to his Windows PC. He would normally put his phone on silent or leave it to charge, and still stay in the flow as notifications will come buzzing directly through his PC.

1PM: Lunch time! A hearty lunch is a must to fill-up your growling tummy in the middle of the day. As A is currently working from home and time is flexible, he doesn’t mind spending his lunch break responding to emails and answering calls while prepping lunch, and this is only made possible with the Galaxy experience that comes with the Galaxy A53 5G – Bixby Routines, that helps A save time and automate his tasks.

5PM: A often put his work away after the normal working hours – he enjoys going for walks at the park, and sometimes even a quick dip in the pool. Usually, many of us would leave our phones at home when we’re out busting a workout or two as we worry that we might damage our phones. Luckily for A, The Galaxy A53 5G uses Gorilla Glass 5 to reduce drop damage and retain the same IP67-rating 2 for dust and water-resistance. He can drop, spill, splash and not worry about small solid particles getting into his device or spotting little cracks and scratches on it!

After his walk, he would visit his favourite café nearby to order his usual iced latte and croissant, to-go! Thanks to Samsung Pay 3 , he can swiftly make purchases without the need to carry along a bulky wallet wherever he goes. With just the app – which stores all of his cash and cards, all he has to do is wave his phone at checkout.

If you’re looking for a sturdy device that can help you go about your day in a smarter and more relaxing way, just as how user A has been reducing life’s little annoyances – the Galaxy A53 5G is now available for purchase in any Samsung Experience Stores, Authorized Dealers and Samsung Malaysia Online Store at the RRP of RM1,849. To top it off, from 1 st April until 31 st May 2022, you are in for a little treat as you will get yourself a Protective Standing Cover worth RM99 for free 4 and 20% OFF Samsung Care+ 5 Accidental & Liquid Breakage or Breakdown Plan for up to 2 years when you purchase the new Galaxy A53 5G.

Even better, enjoy great savings with the Purchase with Purchase “PWP” promotion when you trade-in your eligible device and receive additional rebate of up to RM150 added to the base trade-in-value 6 . Additionally, with each purchase of the device, you can rest easy as you get to enjoy 6 months of OneDrive 100GB cloud storage for free 7 – keeping all your memories safe!


TechNave NewsBytes 2022 #3 - Samsung Add Some Flex to Your Galaxy Z, Samsung Happy June Offers, Xiaomi, OPPO, HUAWEI, Dyson and Special: Samsung Electronics Debuts ‘Stranger Things’ Inspired Short Film with Galaxy S22 Ultra

Welcome back TechNavers and NewsByters, in this issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2022 #3 we have the following articles for you:

For our miscellaneous announcements we have:

To inspire the Gen Zs to break the rules of low light photography and videography, Samsung’s newest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S22 Series launches its newest campaign – urging everyone to #MakeNightsEpic #withGalaxy in your city with the Nightography starting today until 30th June  2022!

When capturing in low light, the results are always fuzzy and blurry. We often run across issues with light reflecting back into the camera lens, resulting in terrible lens flares and little light patches surrounding the light sources, such as street lights, being caught in photos.

But with Samsung's Galaxy S22 series bigger pixel sensor, Adaptive Pixel technology, Super Clear lens, Super Night Solution, and Auto Framerate, you'll be able to produce gorgeous, clear low-light photographs and videos with no flares easily.

To celebrate the launch, we want you to show us your love, how much fun you have and where you go at night! Show us who you are, how you feel and all your impromptu nighttime escapades, all together #withGalaxy. All you have to do is master all your portraits on the Galaxy S22 Series – after dark in the heart of Kuala Lumpur!

To find out more about the Samsung Galaxy S22 Night City Challenge Campaign, please visit: samsungmalaysia on Instagram!

To learn more, or purchase the latest Galaxy devices, please click the respective links below:

With Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, Samsung reimagines the mobile experience to allow users to do more from iconic design to immersive entertainment, both devices offer you unique new ways to work, watch, and play at multiple angles, hands-free with the Flex mode.

With Flex mode, you no longer need to take a break and put down your phone when your hand begins to hurt. You can also set up a stunning photo or video, all you have to do is Flex your smartphone to the desired angle and position it anywhere you want even for your cooking tutorial videos!

From now until 26 June 2022, purchase the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G to receive a RM700 instant rebate on Galaxy Watch4 Series and Galaxy Buds 2.

For more information on the offer, please visit:

We all know the deliberations that ensue when we decide to purchase a gadget or a smartphone, especially while waiting for the best deals. Well, whether you are looking to buy a new smartphone, a smart TV, Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Watch, you can now put your thoughts to rest because Samsung is here with a limited time offer to sweeten your purchase experience, online!

Get your hands on our range of Galaxy products which includes smartphones, tablets, wearables and mobile accessories and enjoy additional RM360 off with a minimum spend of RM6000. Just insert the voucher code at checkout and you’re good to go! From now until 30th June, Galaxy S22 Series purchasers will get FREE a Galaxy Buds Live & Camera Filter Mount worth RM718.

Don’t miss your chance to snatch something extra with these exclusive offers, so go online and seize the savings with no regrets!

For more information on the promotion, please visit: https://shop.samsung.com/my/eStore-promotion/mobile

Nothing can beat the experience of watching a football match unfold in person, but for those fans unable to watch the game live or on the big screen, streaming it on your phone is the next best thing.

The Galaxy A23 comes with a 6.6-inch TFT V-Cut display with a resolution of Full HD+, bringing you an immersive experience from its massive screen. Even better, you don’t have to worry about lags as the device refreshes at a buttery smooth 90Hz and offers 12GB of RAM making it easy to navigate the stream. Also with Dolby Atmos, you will hear the chants and cheers loud and clear enough to surround you in the scene.

The Galaxy A23 is available for purchase in any Samsung Experience Stores, Authorized Dealers and Samsung Malaysia Online Store at the RRP of RM999. For more information on the Galaxy A23, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/levant/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a23-white-128gb-sm-a235fzwvmea/

HUAWEI Malaysia is offering the HUAWEI P50 Pro at a whopping price of RM3,699 (RRP: RM4,199) only available from now till 30 June 2022. Not only that, the HUAWEI P50 Pro is also available in new Silver Blue colour now!

With Malaysians in mind, HUAWEI is committed to growing the number of applications on HUAWEI AppGallery. With the pre-installed HUAWEI AppGallery in the HUAWEI P50 Pro, users can enjoy their favourite applications for their everyday lives for their utilities, shopping, gaming, sports, and more without any worries.

Xiaomi celebrates its 6th Year in Malaysia, since opening its very first Xiaomi Store back in April 2017. In celebration of this achievement, Xiaomi will be giving away exclusive gifts as well as a chance to win a Xiaomi TV P1 to shoppers at all Authorized Xiaomi stores in Malaysia. From 18th to 30th June, shoppers who purchase selected smartphones and smart AIoT products at Authorized Xiaomi stores in Malaysia will be eligible to get the gifts with their purchases and enter a lucky draw to stand a chance to win a Xiaomi TV P1.Xiaomi CyberDog Tour Dates

This June, customers and Fans alike can take this opportunity to check out and interact with the Xiaomi CyberDog at a participating Xiaomi Authorized store near them.

For more information and updates on the latest promotions, please follow Xiaomi Malaysia Facebook page.

OPPO today announced the successful testing of a pre-commercial 5G enterprise network slicing the solution marks an important step in realizing practical 5G enterprise network slicing deployment and is designed to be implementable by network operators worldwide.

Using an OPPO Find X5 Pro powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform with Snapdragon X65 Modem-RF System, running a highly customized system based on Android 12 - ColorOS 12, Dynamic Network Slicing Selection capability from Ericsson 5G Core to support User Equipment Route selection and Policy control (URSP) and 5G RAN Slicing solution, the joint team demonstrated application and network traffic partitioning using the pre-commercial 5G enterprise network slicing solution. This enables the steering of applications and enterprise services with specific requirements to defined slices without switching devices. Under the new solution, apps which are able to access the dedicated network slice are easily identifiable via a small icon displayed next to the main mobile app icon.

Today, millions of us are enjoying the incredible benefits that 5G speeds offer, from streaming movies and video calls, to gaming on the go. By 2025, 5G networks are also expected to serve one-third of the world’s population. The networks themselves are, however, only part of the story.

Despite its world-leading innovation with Reno 5G and Find X3 Pro (the first commercial 5G-supporting and 5G-standalone handsets in Europe), along with, of course, Find X5 Pro, OPPO remains committed to more research and innovation to push industry boundaries to provide the best possible experience for its users.

For more information about OPPO Find X5 Pro 5G, visit

Maxis formed one of the largest 5G alliances in Malaysia to accelerate technology breakthroughs and IoT enterprise solutions. Comprising global and local technology and industry partners, innovators and lighthouse customers from diverse industries. The Alliance will co-create, commercialise and scale 5G use cases and innovative solutions across industries to drive digital transformation and innovation.

Maxis 5G Alliance currently has 16 initial members. They include Advantech, Amdocs, CrescoNet (formerly an Intellihub group company), Cisco, Google, GSMA (APAC 5G Industry Community), Huawei, LLVision, Microsoft, MIMOS, Motorola Solutions, NEC, Omron, Realwear, SAS, and Vodafone. This community is expected to grow as the Maxis 5G Alliance is intended to be an open collaboration across all organisations that can help to turbo charge the adoption and deployment of innovation, that will be enabled through 5G and ubiquitous converged network connectivity.

For more information about Maxis 5G Alliance and to become a member, please visit

Lazada Malaysia and Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enable consumers to shop online safely, confidently and conveniently for medicine, vitamins, health supplements and medical through the MPS verification of online pharmacies and health category sellers on Lazada Malaysia.

This strategic partnership will pave the way towards realising the vision of an eCommerce ecosystem that is based on a strong level of trust among consumers, while raising awareness on the importance of buying certified quality medical and health products from credible sellers. The verification will be awarded by MPS to official flagship stores on LazMall – the authenticity-guaranteed online destination – as well as verified health category sellers on Lazada Marketplace. Consumers can identify verified online pharmacies on Lazada by looking for the ‘MPS Verified Certification’ displayed on their storefront.

DJI unveils three new tools that will enable filmmakers and the content creation community to easily, seamlessly, and intuitively bring their visions to life. The DJI RS 3 and DJI RS 3 Pro stabilizers bring landmark improvements to the classic and reliable Ronin series, while DJI’s first independent wireless video solution combines reception, monitoring, control, and recording in one. This new generation of the Ronin ecosystem allows creators to focus on what’s in front of their camera by simplifying everything connected to it.

The Ronin product line is a key part of DJI, supporting content creators from keen hobbyists to professionals around the globe. Last October’s launch of Ronin 4D cemented DJI’s presence in the professional filmmaking world, giving cinematographers an entirely new way to create. Whether it’s the new automated axis lock system, 3rd-Gen RS stabilization algorithm improving performance by 20%, or the one-tap calibration, RS 3 and RS 3 Pro have been optimized for user efficiency and reliability.

From today till 31st July 2022, Dyson is offering the opportunity for vacuum, air purifier and fan owners (from any brand) to upgrade to the latest Dyson home technology at Dyson Demo outlets and dyson.my with exclusive RM500 savings, at their convenience.

Eligibility for trade-up programme is as follows:

- Dyson Demo outlets: Bring in your old vacuum, purifier and/or fan for the trade in.

- Dyson.my: For online purchase, once your new Dyson unit has been delivered, visit any Dyson Demo outlet to hand over your old machine at your convenience. At Dyson, we take pride in sustainability, so we encourage all owners to hand over their old machines to us for responsible disposal.

For more information, visit: https://www.dyson.my/promotions/trade-up-deals.

Touch ‘n Go eWallet is seeking young fresh minds in Malaysia to provide their most innovative ideas in the Touch ‘n Go eWallet Young Entrepreneurship Challenge 2022.

The Young Entrepreneurship Challenge 2022 provides students with a platform to experience, innovate and foster their entrepreneurial skills within the eWallet industry. Running until 23 July 2022, full-time students aged 25 years old and below are encouraged to participate. The challenge is to submit a pitch deck on their most innovative ideas on how Touch ‘n Go eWallet can continue to increase enjoyment while encouraging continuous usage of the eWallet among Malaysians.

The challenge is open to individual and/or team participation. The pitch decks with the most innovative ideas will be selected to present in a professional setting and stand a chance to win prizes worth up to RM10,000 Touch ‘n Go eWallet credit and vouchers worth up to RM1,000.

Submit the 6-page pitch deck to [email protected] by 23 July 2022 to participate. For more information and updates about the Young Entrepreneurship Challenge 2022, visit www.touchngo.com.my

Samsung has debuted Make STRANGER Nights Epic, a short film that leverages the advanced Nightography camera features of the Galaxy S22 Ultra  to pay homage to the popular Netflix series Stranger Things. The video is part of Samsung’s ongoing partnership with Netflix and is available to view now on Samsung’s social channels, arriving just as season four of Stranger Things dropped on the streaming platform.

In the short film, the Stranger Things-inspired theme serves as a fitting backdrop to showcase the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s powerful Nightography capabilities. In season four of Stranger Things, nighttime opens up a portal to an extraordinary world – and the S22 Ultra is used to recreate that distinct style and tell a cinematic story demonstrating how Galaxy technology has the power to capture what would otherwise go unseen in the dark.

To find out more about Make STRANGER Nights Epic short film, kindly refer to the press release and visual attached. Alternatively, you may read all about it on Samsung Malaysia Newsroom: https://news.samsung.com/my/samsung-electronics-debuts-stranger-things-inspired-short-film-with-galaxy-s22-ultra


TechNave NewsBytes #5 - About Kaspersky WannaCry, iFlix Africa, Logitech Flow, Cyberjaya Smart City, 11street and Raya, WD 3D SSD, Mark Zuckerberg's Harvard speech, Shell Helix and Waze, Touch n' Go and no surcharge fee and Sony's WS623

Kaspersky Lab recently held a free education workshop on 2 June 2017, providing businesses and SMEs all the details they need to know on how to protect themselves from the WannaCry ransomware. Kaspersky Lab's, Kaspersky Office Security and Small Office Scirity both offer extended ransomware protection which includes WannaCry but you can check out their site for more information.

iFlix recently announced that it has expanded to another region with iFlix Africa. It will cover 23 territories and service over 500 million consumers for Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) services. An iFlix subscription there provides access for up to five devices including, phones, laptops, tablets and TVs.

Logitech recently announced Logitech Flow which is a new software that allows you to control up to three computers with one mouse. Logitech Flow is compatible with their new flagship mice which includes the Logitech MX Master 2S and the Logitech MX Anywhere 2S (RM339).

Cyberjaya recently celebrated its 20th year anniversary with its launch as a Smart City, aiming to become global technology hub. This includes the establishment of the Futurise Centre where Microsoft HoloLens, AI Lab, United Nations Technology Innovation Lab and others will gather. The Winhong Information Technology Corporation will invest a projected RM100 million over 5 years in ist Asia Big Data centre. This goes along with the Fintech Hub which is expected to invest RM60 million. Cyberjaya will continue to grow with an RM100 millon Cyberjaya Innovation Fund for the Future. Check out the site for more details.

11street recently weighed in on what Malaysians buy online during Ramadhan with insights showing a 50% increase in online sales as Malaysians shop for electronics, home gadgets and clothes for Hari Raya. They expect more Malaysian to purchase buka puasa e-vouchers online while car services products may also see a rise as users prepare to balik kampung.

Western Digital Corporation (WD) recently announced the world's first client solid state drives (SSD) built with its 64-layer 3D NAND technology allowing for lower power consumption, higher performance, better endurance and larger capacities. These SSDs will include the WD Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD (250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB) and SanDisk Ultra 3D SSD (250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB) with both priced from $99.99 (RM426). Check out the WD site and SanDisk site for more information.

Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook recently made his Harvard commencement speech as the youngest commencement speaker in Harvard's 366 year history. Showcasing how millenials can change the world and find a sense of purpose check out the video for yourself:

In a timely move for those upcoming balik kampung drivers, Shell Helix and Waze recently launched Asia's first accident-prone spots alerts. This special alert will pop up on Waze from 16 May 2017 till 15 July 2017 when cars approach any of the 50 accident prone spots across Peninsular Malaysia.

Touch 'n Go Sdn Bhd recently stated that they fully support a "no surcharge fee" business model in lieu of the recent 10% surcharge fee for use of Touch 'n Go cards for parking. According to them the 10% surcharge was initially implemented to cover the costs of installation, system integration and ongoing maintenance for these parking sites but the company has said that they are implementing sites with "no surcharge fees". These include the following but you can see their site for more details:

Sony Malaysia recently revealed that their waterproof, dustproof and wearable Sony WS623 Sports Walkman will be coming soon to Malaysia. Featuring an enhanced ergonomic design, the slim and lightweight WS623 Sports Walkman connects via NFC and Bluetooth with 16GB of storage and 12 hours of battery life for RM599. Check it out soon at all Sony Stores and selected Sony Centres nationwide but for now see how it handles in the video below.


TechNave NewsBytes #6 - Maxis in top 10, ASUS free game, GFK: more phablets, Cyberview Tech Entrepreneur Starter Kit, Sony Soundbars and Digi's iFleet

Maxis was recently named the 7th most effective brand in the world according to the 2017 Global Effie Effectiveness Index. Joining other multinational brand like Coca-Cola, McDonald's and IKEA Maxis is the only Malaysian brand in the Global Top 100 for the second year running. More specifically Maxis took home 2 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze awards at the 2016 Malaysian Effie Awards, contributing to the brand's Global Effie Effectiveness Index.

ASUS Malaysia recently announced that you can get a free Rocket League game as part of the NVIDIA Game Bundle with any purchase of an ASUS GeForce GTX 1050, ASUS GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or ASUS GeForce GTX 1060. The promotion is available until 31 July 2017 but if you have bought any of these graphic cards be aware that the code expires by 30 October 2017. Check out the ASUS site for more details on how to redeem the free game.

GfK Point of Sales tracking recently revealed that 45% of the 8.5 million smartphone units sold in Malaysia in the last 12 months were phablets with bigger than 5-inch displays. This is up 37% this year compared to 21% from last year with Malaysian consumers buying RM6.8 billion in smartphones. Other GfK surveys also suggest that well-priced midrangers will continue to dominate the market as more and more models are set to appear in ever increasingly faster product cycles. Check out their site for more details.

Cyberview Sdn Bhd recently launched their Tech Entrepreneur 'Starter Kit' platform to connect individuals with the movers and shakers in their particular technology spaces of expertise. The first installment will see what makes tech entrepreneurs' minds tick with three start-ups from the Cyberview Living Lab Accelerator (CLLA) Programme Nadhir Ashafiq of The Lorry.com, Jeremy Chong of PrimeKeeper, and Azlan Alam Malik of Otomate Me. Cyberview will be organising more Starter Kit series in the coming months, one of which will include companies and start-ups that kickstarted their operations in Cyberjaya. Subsequent Starter Kit sessions will examine topics on innovation, smart cities, and efforts to grow and enhance the country’s digital economy.

Sony's first compact soundbar series which include the HT-MT500 and HT-MT300 are now available in Malaysia from RM2699 and RM1199 respectively. Offering NFC and Bluetooth connectivity with S-Force PRO Front Surround sound, Chromecast built-in (just for the HT-MT500) and Spotify Connect you can get them at all Sony Stores and selected Sony Centres nationwide. Check out the Sony site for more information.

Digi officially announced their iFleet platform which allows for fleet vehicle tracking designed for businesses. According to Digi, iFleet is part of their Connected Vehicles and Internet-of-Things (IoT) strategy, with more such solutions in the pipeline. iFleet is targeted at logistics and other automobile outfits for RM90 a month so check out their site for more info.


TechNave NewsBytes #7 - AMD Ryzen mobile processors, The Pantheon, Grab Better 365, Huawei Railway and more

AMD officially announced their new range of AMD Ryzen mobile processors, previously codenamed "Raven Ridge" they will include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700U and AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, headed for ultrathin notebook computers. Featuring up to 44% more multi-threaded CPU performance and a 161% better Radeon Vega graphics built into the System-on-Chip (SoC) the new Ryzen mobile processors will also feature an energy efficient 15W TDP. These processors should be available to Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and other OEMs by early 2018. Check out the AMD site for more details.

The next venue for the Taiwan Excellence Pavilion has been decided as IOI City Mall Putrajaya happening from 10 November 2017 to 12 November 2017. It will provide a showcase of Taiwan's ICT, home and living sectors including international gaming laptops from Acer, ASUS, MSI and so forth. Local celebrities like JinnyBoy, Aiman Tino and Ana Raffali will also be on hand with over RM27500 in prizes to be won.

Spotify and Netflix recently collaborated to provide the character playlists of the 13 lead characters for their up-and-coming Stranger Things show. Check out which character matches you at the Spotify Stranger Things site.

Lenovo recently announced that in a collaboration with Intel, they will be the first PC company to bring FIDO-certified authenticators for safer and simpler online authentication (Facebook, PayPal, etc.). Compatible PCs include the Yoga 920, ThinkPad X1 Tablet (2nd gen), ThinkPad X1 Carbon (5th gen), IdeaPad 720S and many more ThinkPads.

Grab recently announced their Better 365 campaign to their drivers, offering better support, increased earnings, better tools and a stronger community, 365 days of the year. This includes Trip rating so Grab drivers can rate passengers, simplified driver incentives, GrabAllStars discounts from brands like Celcom, Petronas, Shopee and more but for more details check out the Grab site. They also appointed Theo Vassilakis as Chief Technology Officer to be based in Singapore.

HP officially took the wraps off their new ElitePOS Point-of-Sale system with a sturdy shock proof and spill proof touchscreen console featuring the latest security features available. Check it out at the HP site.

Microsoft Malaysia recently announced that the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is rolling out to Windows 10 users worldwide. Standout features include better Windows Ink, compatibility with the Mixed Reality Viewer and more which you can check at the Windows Blog.

The Pantheon eSports arena was officially launched recently as the first NVIDIA certified platinum level iCafe in Malaysia. Located in One Space One City @ The Square, the Pantheon ofers more than 10000 square feet of gaming including 116 PCs, an auditorium, VR experience zone, Racing Simulator, PS4 zone and more. It is supported by renowned gaming brands like ASUS Republic of Gamers, Dell Alienware, Lenovo Legion, MSI, Acer Predator and more. Check out the Pantheon's Facebook page or the video below for more details.

Huawei Technologies and the International Union of Railways recently announced that they will host the 5th International Railway Summit from 15 November 2017 till 17 November 2017. It will showcase Huawei's extensive end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio including their Digital Railway solution.


TechNave Newsbytes #1: About HD iflix, future Goodyear, MOLPay Cash, Trend Micro and Kaspersky Lab

At no additional charge, iflix is now offering subscribers the ability to watch compatible shows in HD format. This includes the latest titles like The Magicians and Emerald City along with series or movies like The Flash, Avatar, Titanic and more. New subscribers get a complimentary one-month trial with full access at www.iflix.com.

Goodyear has revealed new smart concept tires for the future with the Goodyear IntelliGrip Urban and Goodyear Eagle 360 Urban. Designed envisioning how tire technology could progress in the near future, the 2 tires are just concepts but you can check out their videos while you wait.

MOLPay Sdn Bhd has announced MOLPay cash, the first and only Online-to-Offline payment system, designed to target ecommerce without having to rely on credit cards. The company has partnered with 7-eleven to offer MOLPay Cash across Malaysia so check out the site for more details.

Traditionally Apple devices don't really get attacked by computer viruses or cyber attacks that much. However, Trend Micro says that Apple devices could see more cyber attacks in 2017 mainly because of its rapidly increasing market share. Here's what they suggest you do to protect yourself:

Kaspersky Lab recently revealed that they have discovered 2 new sophisticated wiper malware called StoneDril and Shamoon out in the wild. Both destroy everything on the infected computer. While they've mostly been discovered in the Middle East and Europe, Malaysia could be next so check out the site for more details.


TechNave Newsbytes 2020 #10 - Samsung Q1, realme achievements, AMD EPYC, LG Q1, Z Flip, i9-10900K, Grab, TikTok, Astro Go Shop, #TETAPBUKA, Facebook, KKMM, PMPL SEA S1, Joox, Runeterra, Kaspersky, Poly Studio X, Special: At Home with Galaxy

This episode of TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #10 came a lot sooner than we expected, perhaps due to a lot more response, so thanks for that. Anyway, this time around we have Samsung Q1 2020 financial results, more realme achievements, 2nd gen AMD EPYC being used in Oracle Cloud, LG Q1 2020 financial results and the 10th Generation Intel Core i9-10900K. Celcom lights up their building blue to show support for frontliners, Grab outlines their safety support and TikTok features their Ramadan campaigns.

Astro also shows off their Go Shop for Ramadan during this MCO, while Carousell and MDEC offer SMEs another option with their #TETAPBUKA campaign. Facebook also weighs in with their take on Ramadan in MCO while KKMM showcases some digital content. It’s the finals for PUBG PMPL SEA S1, Joox reveals their Family Plan and Legend of Runeterra gets officially released.

Kaspersky reveals a new danger to online users called PhantomLance and provides updates on the WannaCry ransomware. The Poly Studio X gets announced while this issue’s Special, covers At Home with Galaxy tips from Samsung. So read on.

Samsung Electronics recently reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. Total revenue was KRW 55.33 trillion, a decrease of 7.6% from the previous quarter mainly due to weak seasonality for the Company’s display business and Consumer Electronics Division and partially due to effects of COVID-19. From a year earlier, revenue rose 5.6% due to increasing demand for server and mobile components.

Operating profit was lower by KRW 0.7 trillion quarter-on-quarter to KRW 6.45 trillion, affected by the same factors that weighed on revenue with a corresponding decrease in operating margin, even though memory earnings were higher. Compared with a year earlier, operating profit increased by KRW 0.2 trillion with an improved product mix in the mobile business and additional diversification of the Company’s customer base in mobile OLED.

In the quarter, foreign exchange movements had little impact on the overall operating profit as the positive effects from a stronger U.S. dollar and euro against the won – felt mainly in the component business – were offset by weakness in currencies in major emerging markets.

Earnings from the Memory Business improved as demand was solid mainly from servers and PCs, while demand from mobile remained steady. Profits from the logic chip business rose as supply of mobile components increased to major customers and the foundry business saw a profit decline due to lower demand for high-performance computing (HPC) from China.

In the Display Panel Business, mobile displays posted a decline in earnings amid weak seasonality and lower sales in China due to COVID-19 related shutdowns, while losses narrowed in the large panel business.

The Mobile Communications Business saw profits increase from the previous quarter and from a year earlier despite weakening sales toward the end of the first quarter. The profit improvement was a result of an improved product mix with the launch of flagship Galaxy S20 devices and efficient management of marketing expenses.

The Consumer Electronics Division posted lower earnings as weaker seasonality and impact from COVID-19 affected quarterly results. Compared to the previous year, profits from the TV business declined amid pricing pressure from intensifying competition, while home appliances saw an improvement on the back of strong sales of new premium products.

Looking ahead to the second quarter, the Company expects the memory business to remain solid, but overall earnings are likely to decline from the previous quarter because COVID-19 will significantly impact demand for several of its core products.

For the component business, memory demand is expected to remain robust for servers and PCs as more people work from home, but it is possible the mobile market may soften. Earnings from OLED screens are likely to be weaker due to a stagnant smartphone market.

Sales and profits of set products business, including smartphones and TVs, are expected to decline significantly as COVID-19 affects demand and leads to store and plant closures globally. To address this, the Company will leverage its global production flexibility and supply networks as well as strengthening its online sales capabilities.

In the second half, uncertainties driven by COVID-19 will persist as the duration and impact of the pandemic remain unknown. The Company plans to focus on optimizing resource allocation in the short term, while continuing to strengthen its technology leadership and develop innovative set products.

For the Memory Business, the Company plans to address market changes through flexible investments and product mix adjustments. For OLED, it will actively meet demand for new product releases and expand presence in new application areas such as foldable displays.

The Mobile Communications Business aims to strengthen its product lineup by introducing new premium models and expanding offerings of 5G models for the mass market. The Networks Business will focus on developing technologies and enhancing global competitiveness to reinforce the 5G business.

For the Consumer Electronics Division, under the risk of current economic uncertainties, the Company will closely monitor the market situation and will continue to focus on minimizing negative impacts by investing in efficient marketing and promotions tailored to each region and by optimizing its logistics.

In the first quarter, Samsung Electronics’ capital expenditure totaled KRW 7.3 trillion, including KRW 6.0 trillion spent on semiconductors and KRW 0.8 trillion on displays.

The Semiconductor businesses posted KRW 17.64 trillion in consolidated revenue and KRW 3.99 trillion in operating profit in the first quarter.

The Memory Business saw solid demand in the period, despite weak seasonality and the effects of COVID-19, thanks to continued investments in 5G infrastructure and increased demand from cloud applications related to remote working and online education.

Specifically for DRAM, datacenter demand remained solid as usage of streaming services and online shopping rose. For mobile, decrease in set demand due to effects of COVID-19 and seasonality was offset by expanded adoption of high-density products by major customers. For PC, demand remained steady on the back of the increase in virtual meetings.

For NAND, mobile demand was relatively solid due to the expansion of products from major customers adopting high-density storage greater than 128GB. Demand for server SSD, mainly for datacenters, continued to grow alongside rising demand for high-volume content.

Looking to the second quarter, demand for DRAM is expected to remain firm across all applications due mainly to robust growth in server demand caused by the rapid rise in remote working, online education and streaming services. However, mobile demand may face high uncertainty. The Company will flexibly manage its product mix with a focus on growing server demand and strengthen cost competitiveness by expanding technology migration.

As for NAND, the market is seen as continuing to stabilize in the second quarter as the impacts from a decrease in smartphone set demand are offset by growing SSD demand from datacenters. The Company will focus on expanding demand for high-density server SSD of more than 2TB while continuing to extend migration to 5th-generation V-NAND.

For the second half, while mobile demand – most affected by COVID-19 – remains as one of the uncertainties, overall memory conditions are likely to be favorable due to server and PC demand for a faster and more reliable cloud service experience. However, a prolonged COVID-19 crisis poses risks of reduction in overall demand.

Despite the challenges, the Company expects the recent proliferation of cloud-based services to accelerate further in the mid- to long-term. This will result in continued demand growth for high-end, high-performance memory. With a flexible product mix and investment approach based on market changes, the Company will focus on accelerating transition to 1Z-nm DRAM and 6th-generation V-NAND.

Meanwhile, earnings for the System LSI Business increased on the back of rising demand for 5G mobile processors and ultra-high-resolution image sensors for flagship smartphones. In the second quarter, the Company expects demand to contract owing to fading effects of launches of flagship smartphones and weak consumer sentiment due to COVID-19. However, the Company will focus on minimizing impacts by maximizing the supply of high-pixel image sensors and expanding the 5G SoC market.

As for the second half, launches of 5G smartphones are expected to boost demand for 5G SoC while demand for premium image sensors is forecast to remain solid. In response to continued uncertainties due to COVID-19, the System LSI Business will closely monitor the market and respond flexibly while also seeking to expand opportunities through highly competitive new products.

The Foundry Business saw a slight decrease in earnings due to a decline in demand for HPC chips from Chinese customers. In the second quarter, the Company aims to expand EUV leadership, beginning with the start of mass production of 5nm products, while closely monitoring the uncertain market situation caused by COVID-19.

In the second half, to address current uncertainties, the Foundry Business will focus on diversifying applications beyond mobile to include areas such as consumer and computing applications. It will also continue investing in advanced processes for the future and will start mass-producing 5nm products this year and focus on the development of GAA 3nm process.

The Display Panel Business posted KRW 6.59 trillion in consolidated revenue and KRW 0.29 trillion in operating loss for the first quarter. It posted an operating loss due to sales decline of mobile displays.

Mobile display earnings saw a profit decline because of slower sales and lower fab utilization amid weak seasonality. For large displays, the operating loss narrowed, helped by short-term market factors including a smaller drop in ASP and favorable foreign exchange movements.

Looking ahead to the second quarter, the Company expects a further drop in mobile display earnings due to falling demand in the US and Europe, driven by the impact from COVID-19. The Company will strive to enhance profitability by offering more panels with distinctive design and performance.

For large displays, earnings are likely to remain weak owing to the market slowdown accelerated by the postponement of mega sporting events such as the Summer Olympic Games. The Company will focus on providing value-added products such as panels for ultra-large and 8K TVs as well as curved monitors.

In the second half, uncertainties are forecast to linger due to the effects of COVID-19. Under these circumstances, the Company will prepare for various scenarios by establishing a system to respond quickly to market changes including new mobile product launches. The Company is also strongly committed to keeping continued leadership in the OLED market by exploring new applications including displays for foldable phones and other IT devices.

For large displays, while it winds down the LCD business, the Company will continue to address demand from its customers and accelerate product development based on new technologies such as QD Displays.

The IT & Mobile Communications Division posted KRW 26 trillion in consolidated revenue and KRW 2.65 trillion in operating profit for the quarter.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, overall market demand fell significantly QoQ and the Company’s smartphone shipments also declined in the first quarter. However, the Company maintained sound profitability by improving the product mix, increasing the sales portion of 5G models and using marketing expenses efficiently during the period. In particular, the ASP of flagship smartphones increased compared to last year on the back of higher-than-expected share of Galaxy S20 Ultra sales as well as solid sales of the Galaxy Z Flip.

Looking ahead to the second quarter, demand is expected to drop sharply in most regions due to an economic downturn caused by COVID-19. The Company expects a decline in product sales and its overall business performance as the market shrinks and effects of store closures continue to have direct impacts. Amid the market uncertainty, the Company will focus on improving cost efficiency and strengthening its online and B2B channels. In case of any additional disruptions at production facilities, the Company will respond by flexibly utilizing its diversified manufacturing capabilities across the globe.

For the second half, amid uncertainties including the possibility of a prolonged pandemic, market competition is forecast to intensify as manufacturers strive to recover from the weakness in the first half. The Company will continue to offer differentiated products in the premium segment with the launch of new foldable and Note models. The Company also plans to enhance product competitiveness by expanding 5G adoption to mass-market smartphones and improve operational efficiency across all areas throughout R&D, production, supply, channel and marketing.

As for the Networks Business, earnings in the first quarter improved QoQ thanks to the expansion of 5G commercialization in South Korea and other markets. While the possibility of a delay or cutback in 5G investment in the second quarter exists due to the impact of COVID-19, the Company will solidify its core competencies and improve 5G business capabilities for the mid- to long-term.

The Consumer Electronics Division, comprised of the Visual Display and Digital Appliances businesses, recorded KRW 10.3 trillion in consolidated revenue and KRW 0.45 trillion in operating profit in the first quarter.

Demand for TVs declined both QoQ and YoY due to weak seasonality and lower global demand seen since March due to COVID-19. Digital appliances saw slight improvement from the previous year on the back of strong sales of new premium products including the Grande AI Washing Machine and Dryer.

In the second quarter, sales of TVs are expected to decline on weakened consumer demand prompted by the impact from COVID-19, cancelation of major global sporting events and the postponement of the Summer Olympic Games. As such, the Company will focus on risk management and identifying new sales opportunities in online demand.

For the second half, the TV and digital appliances divisions will address risk factors including the extension of global uncertainties and potential further economic downturn. Under these possibilities, the Company will strengthen our efforts in target marketing and expand its online product lineup and promotional offerings. Samsung will also strive to bolster cooperation with channels to optimize marketing strategies.

For more information, please visit their site.

According to the results of Counterpoint Research on Smartphone Shipment Market Share Q1 2020, realme maintained their previous global performance with a ranking of Top 7 in Smartphone Shipment Market Share Q1 2020 after debuting as Top 7 in Q3, 2019.

The report notes that “the global smartphone market declined its fastest ever, down 13% YoY in Q1 2020” but realme (157% YoY) was one of the few major brands to achieve growth. Currently the global market share of realme in Q1 2020 is 2% while the YoY growth has reached 100%.

According to global smartphone analysis in Q1 2020 released by Canalys, realme Malaysia has entered the Top Smartphone Vendors as Top 4 in Malaysia. realme Malaysia has also achieved another amazing milestone in the Southeast Asia market with its YoY growth being Top 1 in Q1 2020.

In Malaysia, realme became the 4th smartphone vendor with a total of 11% market share. Meanwhile, the overall YoY growth of realme Malaysia reaches 406% making it one of the fastest growing smartphone vendors in Malaysia. realme Malaysia also recorded the highest YoY growth in the Southeast Asia market compared to other brands in its neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and Thailand for Q1 2020.

realme Malaysia has also received another notable achievement during the recent Lazada Salam Mubarak 12 May campaign achieving the No. 1 Best-selling Smartphone Brand in terms of revenue and units sold within the first 2 hours. They recorded the Highest Sales and Revenue for Smartphone Series namely for the realme 6i, realme 6 and the latest realme 6 Pro.

Aaaand realme just can't stop patting themselves on the back as they reached 35 million users worldwide. At the end of January, the number of realme global users reached 25 million, and realme has earned another 10 million users worldwide in only 4 months.

AMD recently announced that 2nd Gen AMD EPYC processors are powering the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute E3 platform, bringing a new level of high-performance computing to Oracle Cloud. Using the AMD EPYC 7742 processor, the Oracle Cloud “E3 standard” and the bare metal compute instances are available today and leverage key features of the 2nd Gen AMD EPYC processors including class-leading memory bandwidth  and the highest core count for an x86 data center processor. These features enable the Oracle Cloud E3 platform to be well suited for both general purpose and high bandwidth workloads such as big data analytics, memory intense workloads and Oracle business applications.

Powered by the AMD EPYC 7742 processor, the Oracle Cloud E3 Platform enables customers to run high performance computing (HPC) workloads such as risk simulations, molecular modeling, and contextual search.

By using the AMD EPYC 7742 processor, Oracle Cloud E3 platform can deliver even more computing performance capabilities to their growing cloud customer base, including:

The Oracle Cloud E3 instances are currently available in US East (Ashburn), US West (Phoenix), Germany Central (Frankfurt), and Japan East (Tokyo). Within a quarter from launch, Oracle plans to have the E3 platform widely available in all its commercial regions.

LG Electronics Inc. recently announced first-quarter 2020 consolidated revenue of KRW 14.73 trillion (USD 12.45 billion) and operating profit of KRW 1.09 trillion (USD 921.47 million). Although revenue declined modestly compared with the same period last year, operating income improved 21.1 percent from the 2019 quarter making this only the second time in history when quarterly operating profit exceeded KRW 1 trillion. The 7.4 percent operating margin was the highest in LG’s history for a first quarter.

The LG Home Appliance & Air Solution Company reported first-quarter revenues of KRW 5.42 trillion (USD 4.58 billion) and operating profit of KRW 753.5 billion (USD 636.8 million). Revenues were virtually unchanged from the first quarter last year, the effect of softer global demand during the pandemic offset by higher sales in Korea of steam appliances such as washers, dryers, dishwashers and the LG Styler clothing care system, reflecting consumer interest in health and hygiene. Operating profit (3.6 percent higher than the same period last year) and operating margin were the highest in LG’s history, benefitting from cost-reduction efforts and increased interest in premium products.

The LG Home Entertainment Company posted first-quarter revenues of KRW 2.97 trillion (USD 2.51 billion), a decrease of 4.8 percent from the same period last year as a result of component supply constraints and slowing global demand due to lower consumer confidence. Taking into account the reclassification of information technology products from the Home Entertainment Company to the Business Solutions Company this year, operating income of KRW 325.8 billion (USD 275.32 million) increased 31.7 percent from the same period last year as a result of operating efficiencies and expansion of premium products such as OLED TVs and NanoCell TVs. With market demand affected negatively by the pandemic, the company is adjusting the proportion of premium products, expanding online sales, optimizing resource input and streamlining asset management to improve profitability going forward.

The LG Mobile Communications Company reported first-quarter sales of KRW 998.6 billion (USD 843.9 million), narrowing its operating loss to KRW 237.8 billion (USD 200.96 million) from the previous quarter. Sales decreased nearly 34 percent from last year’s first quarter, primarily due to supply disruptions from Chinese partners. Costs were further reigned in through production and marketing efficiencies, ongoing efforts to help buffer the effect of the pandemic. The new LG Velvet 5G smartphone launch in Korea during the second quarter will mark a new direction with a different design philosophy, competitive yet value-conscious components and enhanced online sales initiatives.

The LG Vehicle Component Solutions Company recorded first-quarter revenues of KRW 1.32 trillion (USD 1.11 billion), a 2.1 percent decline from the same period last year with an operating loss of KRW 96.8 billion (USD 81.8 million) as a result of the business disruption of North American and European automakers. To minimize ongoing pandemic risk the company will accelerate its supply chain optimization efforts taking into consideration a reduction in demand from automakers and continue to improve its business structure with further cost savings in the second quarter.

The LG Business Solutions Company generated first-quarter sales of KRW 1.71 trillion (USD 1.44 billion), an increase of 3.5 percent year-on-year and 18.8 percent higher than the previous quarter thanks to increased sales of solar modules and IT products such as LG gram notebooks. Operating profit of KRW 212.2 billion (USD 179.3 million) marked 26.3 percent higher than the same period the year earlier and 159 percent higher than the previous quarter due to increased solar module sales, stable profitability from information displays and innovations in productivity. To help minimize further pandemic disruptions, the company is expanding online sales efforts for IT product to capture a greater share of the telecommuting and distance-learning markets.

LG Electronics’ unaudited quarterly earnings results are based on IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) for the three-month period ending March 31, 2020. Amounts in Korean won (KRW) are translated into U.S. dollars (USD) at the average rate of the three-month period of the corresponding quarter — KRW 1,183.33 per USD.

Pre-order units for the Galaxy Z Flip have been completely sold out within 24 hours! With that, Samsung would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to their customers for their support towards this versatile, compact, and stylish foldable device!

Across Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, China and more; consumer response to the Galaxy Z Flip has exceeded expectations with the device quickly selling out during this pre-order campaign.

Stay tuned for more updates at their site.

Intel recently introduced the 10th Gen Intel® Core™ S-series desktop processors, including Intel’s flagship Core i9-10900K processor, the world’s fastest gaming processor1. With speeds reaching up to a maximum of 5.3 GHz with Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost2 out of the box, 10th Gen Intel Core desktop processors deliver real-world performance for a new level of experience in gaming.

In April 2020, Intel announced new desktop processors as part of the 10th Gen Intel Core processor family, including Intel’s flagship Core i9-10900K processor, the world’s fastest gaming processor. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

At the top of the stack is the unlocked 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900K, the world’s fastest gaming processor1, featuring up to 10 cores, 20 threads and DDR4-2933 memory speeds. The i9-10900K processor powers the ultimate gaming experience, allowing more tuning control, faster multitasking and smoother gameplay. The new Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 provides automatic performance boosts on lightly threaded applications, while per-core hyperthreading control allows experienced overclockers to decide which threads to turn on or off on a per-core basis. Improvements in this generation include:

These 10th Gen Intel Core S-series processors are expected to be available globally through normal retail channels and in desktops sold worldwide by OEMs and channel system integrators, starting in May. Check out their site for more details.

Since the beginning of MCO GrabExpress has seen a growth of more than 20% week-on-week, as Malaysians continue to stay connected, essential goods remain accessible, and businesses embrace digitalisation and utilise delivery services to ensure sustainability.

Grab’s strategy is clear: provide our delivery network and merchants with firm support but at the same time fight to keep them safe, on the platform and against the invisible enemy.

In recent weeks there has been an increase in the usage of our delivery network to deliver illegal and dangerous items, which has led to an increase in our delivery partners being searched at roadblocks. Given the recent concerns on the safety of our delivery partners coupled with our zero-tolerance policy towards any forms of illegal activity on the platform, we are working with authorities to ramp up our safety initiatives.

Measures that we are introducing, aim to drive long-term behaviour change and reduce the chance of unwanted incidents on our platform. They include:

In addition, we’re not going to compromise on our delivery partners and users’ safety, hence we continue to invest significantly to ensure our ecosystem is protected. We’ve introduced several measures and have also taken necessary precautions which are aligned with the government's new p-hailing guidelines.

We are far from perfect, but we will not stop trying to do what we can to keep our community thriving and safe. Please continue to stay home and close to your loved ones. And please do spare a thought for the neighbourhood businesses and delivery partners as they continue to work to make this MCO period a bit more bearable.

This year marks the first time we’ll be spending Ramadan indoors; a breakaway from the usual tradition of swarming bazaars with our loved ones in search of Raya delicacies and snacks. Despite this change, nobody ever said that the Ramadan spirit should also be on MCO! In an effort to flatten the curve while channelling the Ramadan spirit with our fellow Malaysians, TikTok is bringing Ramadan to life with three exciting initiatives - #RamadanMubarak, #KongsiKebaikan and #Iftar!

#RamadanMubarak is the first initiative to kickstart TikTok’s Ramadan campaign, with activities planned all throughout Ramadan and Raya! This initiative is a call for us to remember the blessed month as a time of forgiveness and mutual support, as our creators have shown in their own special way.

The second initiative, #KongsiKebaikan, embodies the spirit of giving back. This can be done in a multitude of ways.  One example is by preserving the country’s rich history in traditional arts and crafts, as they play an integral part to making us uniquely Malaysian. As such, TikTok is extending its influence to the arts culture by partnering with Kraftangan Malaysia via #KongsiKebaikan to exhibit the legacy of Malaysian crafts on the platform. In the near future, this initiative will also take form as a competition, with 11 winners eligible to receive cash prizes.

#Iftar is the final initiative for spending Ramadan on TikTok and much to its importance, it symbolizes more than just the time to break fast; but also to seek newfound appreciation for our daily sustenance and to strengthen our spiritual resolve holistically. As a means to strengthen social ties during this period of social distancing, Colgate and TikTok is also encouraging users to share their #Iftar culinary delights with the rest of the world! After all, what is Ramadan without the smiles and laughter in the air from the ones we love most?

In conjunction with Ramadan and Raya festive seasons, Go Shop, the eCommerce arm of Astro has launched its Ramadan e-Bazaar to support local F&B businesses and a special channel (Astro CH111) for customers.

To date there are about 100 F&B businesses such as De. Wan 1958 by Chef Wan, Brownies Bar by The Accidental Bakers, LaksaNA, Pihapi, BurgerBros, Warna Pops, Tut’s Egyptian Eatery and many more who have registered. All local F&B businesses who meet the minimum criteria can register at https://www.goshop.com.my/offers/202004174861. Customers interested in purchasing from the Ramadan Bazaar can contact the sellers directly via an email or WhatsApp link provided in the listing.

New channel, Go Shop Ramadan & Raya Edisi Khas (CH111) features Diari Rumah, Stail TV, Go Shop Express and Dapur Selebriti which focuses on home improvement tips, muslimah fashion and cooking ideas from celebrity chefs like Chef Wan, Chef Florence Tan and Chef Kamarulin.

During the MCO, customers can enjoy the convenience of purchasing fresh or frozen food including fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen and dried seafood and even ready-to-eat meals. From 1-31 May 2020 customers can use promo code DUIT30 or DUIT60 to enjoy an instant RM30 or RM60 off their purchase when they spend a minimum of RM300 or RM500 for products showcased on Go Shop TV programmes.

Go Shop is available on Astro CH118, CH120, CH111 and CH303, www.goshop.com.my and via the Go Shop app from Google Play and App Store.

Carousell, one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing classifieds, together with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), revealed the new #TetapBuka Carousell Business Grants worth RM1,000,000, a new initiative to support Malaysian retailers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by the continuing Movement Control Order (MCO).

In collaboration with MDEC, the #TetapBuka Carousell Business Grants will provide the following benefits to local retailers and SMEs:

The #TetapBuka Carousell Business Grants are open to all local retailers and SMEs registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia; SSM) who are not presently advertising on Carousell. Businesses must have a retail presence with a valid address and are not selling any illegal or prohibited items. Interested parties may apply online.

The #TetapBuka Carousell Business Grants is one of the efforts spearheaded by Carousell to support local businesses and charity organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the MCO. For more information about this and other initiatives, log on to www.carousell.com.

Ramadan is one of the most important times of the year for Malaysians, with 60% observing by fasting daily, reconnecting with friends and family, giving to charity and shopping for loved ones , according to a recent Facebook study that explores how people’s daily routines change during the season, the impact this has on buying behaviour and the opportunity it presents for brands.

Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysians are celebrating Ramadan differently this year. With increasing choice available at our fingertips, Ramadan observers are connecting in meaningful ways with people and brands through social media , especially at a time when social distancing rules are in effect.

On average, half of Ramadan observers across the world plan their purchases at least three weeks in advance , with 93% of Malaysians sharing it with friends and family through messaging apps. During Ramadan, good deals are the most desired type of content people want to see globally, with 45% of those surveyed searching for information on deals and sales on Facebook.

Malaysia’s online spenders seek inspiration, openness to new brands and comparison shopping. Discovery becomes essential as 72% of respondents said they do not know what they want to purchase or where to get them before they shop online. The study finds that 58% of Malaysians are learning about new products and brands via social platforms, while 86% of people compare products online before making a purchase.

Multi-screening continues to dominate with 82% of Malaysians using messaging and social media platforms on mobile while watching TV during Ramadan. Consumer consumption is no longer linear and brands need to ensure that their communications are evolving to adapt to mobile-first customers .

Based on a recent guide developed by Facebook to help businesses to rethink their strategies, consumers are looking for safety and assurance from trusted brands during this time. In Malaysia alone, 65% of consumers expect products and services that prioritize health and wellbeing first. This means that for brands to reach their goals, they need to evolve their messaging, content and communications to reflect meaningful and relevant information to address both the consumer and cultural needs at this sensitive time.

Despite in the shift in day-to-day routines, many globally are still carrying out responsibilities observed during Ramadan with 66% of respondents on Facebook and Instagram cooking iftar and sahur, 62% are engaging in charitable giving, 44% are upholding household duties and 31% are tasked with buying new clothes and gifts for the family respectively. With this, it’s helpful that businesses provide information on these types of activities through social media platforms like Facebook to enable customers to make informed decisions about their purchase decision.

The key is to be on the frontlines of communication with your customers. Address concerns through a special notice on the brand website or through social media channels and emails. Additionally, provide timely support and alternatives to customers in a climate where many businesses across the world are seeing disrupted supply chains, leading to late deliveries or cancellations. Prepare for this through online tools or by posting a list of responses for questions that customers are likely to ask, and provide as much detail and reassurance as possible in responses.

With many businesses working to navigate through the unexpected challenges caused by the pandemic, Facebook continues to support local businesses and help them navigate through challenges and prepare for recovery. We believe when businesses succeed, communities thrive.

While the stimulus packages have been a welcomed boost, especially for small-and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SMEs), more can be done to sustain and grow the digital creative content economy for a very different future. That was the primary message for YB Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah, Minister of Communications and Multimedia, when he met with various leaders from the animation and video games sectors in a webinar that was recently organised by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

During the industry engagement, which attracted more than 100 participants, Dato’ Saifuddin reiterated how the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM) is looking into providing dedicated support for the creative sectors under its supervision. This is specifically for those that have been particularly hard hit by the Movement Control Order (MCO) and the new norm that is social distancing.

“I appreciate the efforts of the digital creative content industry for producing fun and educational public service announcements utilising their Intellectual Property (IP) as their contribution to the nation in fighting this pandemic. It’s troubling to learn that this sector is hit hard by COVID-19. My ministry is looking at the support available for the immediate and near term. As I have said before, I may not be an immediate expert in this space, but using a basketball analogy – as a point-guard, I need to distribute the ball in play to the right players. That is why having industry consultations such as this is important so I can learn from the industry experts. As an immediate measure, digital creative content companies can consider two ongoing programmes that may provide some relief,” shared Dato’ Saifuddin at the panel.

The programmes – the Digital Content Grant (DCG) and Digital Content Creators Challenge (DC3) – are under MDEC’s purview. Both programmes have specific functions.

The DCG is designed to support local digital creative content companies in producing and commercialising their ideas. The goal is to create a sustainable digital content ecosystem for job creation and market expansion; boost talent development; and generate Malaysian-owned intellectual properties. As for DC3, it is a platform that enables local creatives to hone their creativity and develop new concepts. This industry-wide contest, which offers grants as prizes, aims to accelerate the development and commercialisation of these ideas into world-class digital content.

The goal now is to quickly address the slowdown experienced by the sector. Prior to COVID-19, both video games and the animation segments enjoyed a healthy growth surge. Ultimately, it is to ensure they can continue to sustain their business and quickly recover when MCO restrictions are lifted.

The other panellists were Ng Aik Sern, Founder and President, Passion Republic; Nizam Abdul Razak, Founder and Managing Director, Monsta Studios; and Juhaidah Joemin, Managing Director, Giggle Garage. On hand to moderate was Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, Vice President, Digital Creative Content, MDEC.

The discussion highlighted that even if most studios are managing costs for now, many project timelines and attached talent resource planning were revised to ensure suitable bandwidth was in place to deal with the new challenges.

While immediate issues such as re-routing workflows to avoid production pipelines from being significantly impacted turned out to be easier to remedy, more critical was managing team morale, company cash-flow, and sourcing for new business pipelines.

More information on the digital creative content programmes can be found at www.mdec.my.

16 teams from across Southeast Asia are set to compete for the top spots in the PUBG MOBILE Pro League Southeast Asia (PMPL SEA) Finals S1 that will be held on May 1-3, 2020. The teams will compete to take home a portion of the USD 150,000 prize pool.

Additionally, the top two teams to emerge from the PMPL SEA Finals S1 will move on to battle in the PUBG MOBILE World League. If any of the two qualifying teams already has a secured spot in the PUBG MOBILE World League, the slot will be given to the next highest winner.

These 16 teams are made up of the winners of the recently concluded regional PMPLs which were held in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam respectively. The group also consists of the top winners from the PUBG MOBILE Club Open 2019.

The PMPL SEA Finals S1 will be streamed live on each country’s official PUBG MOBILE Facebook page. In Thailand and Indonesia, AR video streaming will be implemented to bring their audience a visual feast.

In Malaysia, matches will be streamed via the PUBGM MY official Facebook page.

During these tough times, people from all walks of life are in search of activities that can help them and their loved ones get through the days of social distancing, such as working or learning from home, engaging in indoor exercises and listening to their favourite music and artists as well as watching various local or global online concerts. With this in mind, JOOX have introduced the JOOX Family Plan for Malaysians who are avid users of streaming services, offering three family members to share its VIP service. Now, you and your loved ones can enjoy savings and have your choice of music ready for your hearts and minds anytime and groove to the hottest music tracks together, as you stay at home and stay safe!

The JOOX Family Plan, now available on mobile and desktop interfaces, can be enjoyed for a really competitive price of RM18.90 per month, giving you access to 30 million songs of various genres.

Malaysians love music as the total streaming time by JOOX users in Malaysia in 2019 is equivalent to flying around the world on a plane for 19 million times. The new three-person sharing plan will definitely be a treat for music-loving families. One person could foot the bill and the other two enjoy the same VIP services as low as RM6.30 each per month, which is equivalent to 20 sen each per day.

The plan includes access to JOOX’s defining feature and differentiator, its exciting K Plus feature, which includes listening to Karaoke songs, singing alongside favourite artists and joining fun Karaoke battles; in addition to a seamless entertainment experience with no ads and interruptions; playing on-demand music; building your personal music library; downloads for offline listening; unlimited skips and Hi-Fi quality music. JOOX is also home to a growing list of online concerts, having recently hosted “Stay Home, Stay Tuned” live sessions in the past three weeks, from showcasing performances and interactive chats with local artists such as Alvin Chong, SonaOne, YonnyBoii and Bella Astillah to a special session live from Los Angeles featuring James Lee. Users can stay tuned to more exciting line-ups in the future.

Riot Games is excited to announce that Legends of Runeterra is officially launched worldwide on PC and mobile. Gamers will be able to access cross-platform play and enjoy the same, seamless experience on PC and on mobile devices.

Legends of Runeterra is a free-to-play, digital collectible card game that requires skill, creativity and wit to win. The cards feature iconic League of Legends champions, as well as new characters originating from the world of Runeterra. The game will be available to download for free from http://www.playruneterra.com/, as well as on the Google Play Store and App Store at launch. New players are encouraged to create a new Riot Games Southeast account to enable cross-platform play, and to gain access to full player and billing support.

The game will launch with a new set of 120+ cards, including a new region. Card and champion reveals will begin soon and continue through launch, and the new set will be playable from April 29, 2020 on PC. At this time of launch, Legends of Runeterra will feature 7 regions, 35 champions, and more than 400 cards.

New players will also receive XP Boosts to accelerate their progress in the game.

Kaspersky researchers detected a sophisticated malicious campaign targeting users of Android devices, which can be attributed with medium confidence to the OceanLotus advanced persistent threat actor. Dubbed PhantomLance, the campaign has been active since at least 2015 and is still ongoing, featuring multiple versions of a complex spyware – software created to gather victims’ data – and smart distribution tactics, including distribution via dozens of applications on Google Play official market.

In July 2019, third party security researchers reported a new spyware sample found on Google Play. The report attracted Kaspersky’s attention due to its unexpected features – its sophistication level and behavior was very different from the common Trojans usually uploaded to official app stores. Kaspersky researchers were able to find another very similar sample of this malware on Google Play. Usually if malware creators manage to upload a malicious app in the legitimate app store, they invest considerable resources into promoting the application to increase the number of installations and thus increase the number of victims. This wasn’t the case with these newly-discovered malicious apps. It looked like the operators behind them were not interested in mass spread. For researchers, this was a hint of targeted APT activity. Additional research enabled the discovery of several versions of this malware with dozens of samples, connected by multiple code similarities.

The functionality of all the samples was similar – the main purpose of the spyware was to gather information. While the basic functionality was not very broad, and included geolocation, call logs, contact access and SMS access, the application could also gather a list of installed applications, as well as device information, such as the model and OS version. Furthermore, the threat actor was able to download and execute various malicious payloads, and thus, adapt the payload that would be suitable to the specific device environment, such as the Android version and installed apps. This way the actor was able to avoid overloading the application with unnecessary features and at the same time gather the information needed.

Further research indicated that PhantomLance was mainly distributed on various platforms and marketplaces, including, but not limited to, Google Play and APKpure. To make applications seem legitimate, in almost every case of malware deployment the threat actors tried to build a fake developer profile by creating an associated Github account. In order to evade filtering mechanisms employed by marketplaces, the first versions of the application uploaded by the threat actor to marketplaces did not contain any malicious payloads. However, with later updates, applications received both malicious payloads and a code to drop and execute these payloads.

According to Kaspersky Security Network, since 2016, around 300 infection attempts were observed on Android devices in such countries as India, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia. While detection statistics included collateral infections, Vietnam stood out as one of the top countries by number of attempted attacks; some malicious applications used in the campaign were also made exclusively in Vietnamese.

Using Kaspersky’s malware attribution engine – an internal tool to find similarities between different pieces of malicious code – the researchers were able to determine that PhantomLance payloads were at least 20% similar to the ones from one of the older Android campaign associated with OceanLotus, an actor that has been in operation since at least 2013 and whose targets are mostly located in South East Asia. Moreover, several important overlaps were found with previously reported activities of OceanLotus on Windows and MacOS. Thus, Kaspersky researchers believe the PhantomLance campaign can be tied to OceanLotus with medium confidence.

Kaspersky reported all discovered samples to the owners of legitimate app stores. Google Play has confirmed that they have taken down the applications.

In related news, recent Kaspersky research has revealed that in 2019, WannaCry kept its position at the top of the most prevalent ransomware families, while almost a third (30%) of those targeted by ransomware were corporate users. On May 12, 2020, Kaspersky and INTERPOL urge organizations to think about backing up their data and adopting relevant protection so that they could avoid any potential ransomware siege and a catastrophe similar to WannaCry doesn’t happen again.

Ransomware has become a big challenge for many organizations. Even though this is not the most advanced threat from a technical point of view, it allows criminal actors to block business operations and extort money. As a result of a ransomware incident, organizations lost on average $1.46 million in 2019 ; which included costs for downtime, fines and reputational damage. The WannaCry attack became the most noticeable of its kind, spreading with the help of an advanced cyber-weapon, EternalBlue, which is a complex and effective exploit used to target the unpatched vulnerability in Windows. As a result, WannaCry caused a real worldwide cyber-epidemic.

However there is little reason to give up, as protection from ransomware is possible through feasible security measures. Today, on May 12, Kaspersky, together with INTERPOL, encourages organizations to follow these security practices and make sure they have reliable protection against ransomware, especially since recent statistics confirm that the threat is still relevant. According to Kaspersky’s research, a total of 767,907 users were attacked by encryptors in 2019 – with almost a third of them (30%) being in businesses. Of all the encryption families, WannaCry still was the most common – in 2019, it attacked 164,433 users and accounted for 21% of all detected attacks. With a significant margin, it was followed by other families such as GandCrab (11%) and Stop (4%). The first one is a well-known ransomware-as-a-service, developed b


TechNave Newsbytes #3: About Ambi Pur & Grab, Futuremark, Digi iFleet, Spotify and DFTZ

Ambi Pur and Grab are collaborating, with a Grab Ambi Pur icon on the app and selected GrabCars being wrapped in blue. Each of these GrabCars will be outfitted ith an Ambi Pur Lavender or Citrus miniclip for a fresher ride throughout.

Futuremark recently announced that their 3DMark Vantage and PCMark Vantage benchmarking programs will stop supporting Windows Vista on 11 April 2017. After that date both "Vantage" programs will no longer be available at all but users may still use current 3DMark and PCMark benchmarks instead. In related news, their 3DMark API Overhead test now supports Vulkan, DirectX12 and DirectX 11 benchmarking. You can find out more at www.futuremark.com.

Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd recently announced their new intelligent fleet management solution, iFleet. The end-to-end solutiion takes care of hardware, software and connectivity needs for fleet management in one go.

Spotify Asia recently revelead the following statistics about Malaysian music streamers which include:

The recently announced Digital Free Trade Zone or DFTZ was launched to help grow ecommerece such as 11street here in Malaysia along with educating and equipping local SMEs with ecommerce skills. The trade zone will serve as gateway to the ASEAN market and allow local products to tap into a wider market.


TechNave Newsbytes #4: About Shell #StationStories, i-Neighbour, Courts electronic devices, Microsoft's M-Powered, Mellanox Technologies and Logitech

Shell Malaysia recently launched their #StationStories 2017 web series, highlighting the heartwarming tales of customers who walked through the doors of Shell stations. Started in 2015 as "Welcome to Shell” to reach out to, connect with, and celebrate the diversity of everyday Malaysians, #StationStories has garnered over 11 million views across Facebook and YouTube. Check it out at their site.

TimeTec Cloud, the sister company of leading global time management and biometric security access providers, FingerTec, recently launched their cloud and IoT ‘i-Neighbour’ multi-functional residential and visitor management system. Designed to streamline the check in and check out process online, guests can pre-register their visitation and have it approved by the resident they are visiting via the smartphone app. This rovides the visitor with a QR code that can be scanned giving them immediate access. Regular visitors like suppliers, maintenance, and even tuition teachers can obtain QR codes that will grant them regular access within a timeframe. Utilizing Amazon Web Services servers, i-Neighbour is free to use currently with an RM2 per household a month estimated fee. Check it out at their site.

Courts Malaysia recently launched “Check Your Label”, mobile e-waste initiatives and their Dr. Digital solution to care for and maintain electronics during their lifetime. In collaboration with MCMC, “Check Your Label” raises awareness about MCMC labeled products at Courts Malaysia while dedicated Mobile e-Waste disposal boxes in Courts stores offer a place to get rid of old mobile devices. With Dr. Digital, customers can get a quick, easy, and convenient solution to resolve any technical or IT issues. Check out their site or mcmc for more information.

Microsoft recently announced the launch of M-Powered which is an employment and entrepreneurship portal for persons with disabilities. M-Powered provides employment and entrepreneurial opportunities as well as learning resources via partnerships with government, corporations, academia, multilateral agencies and non-profits. Developed by Microsoft in collaboration with MaGIC, non-profit Dialogue in the Dark, as well universities like Sunway, Taylors, APU, UNITAR and content from MYMobile University, with support from Ministry of Human Resources, SME Corp and SME Bank you can check it out at their site.

Mellanox Technologies, Ltd. recently revealed it intends to expand in Malaysia. Mellanox’s Open Ethernet switch family delivers the highest performance and port density with a complete chassis and fabric management solution, enabling converged data centers to operate at any scale while reducing operational costs and infrastructure complexity. Mellanox InfiniBand solutions have already been chosen to accelerate large High Performance Computing (HPC) customers in Malaysia. The company is actively seeking partnerships and collaboration opportunities to support customers from different industries, primarily within Big Data, data centers and the Cloud. If you're into Big Data and data centers, check them out at their site.

Logitech Malaysia recently showed support for Malaysia's top gamers by holding a luncheon for national professional League of Legends team, Kuala Lumpur Hunters (KL Hunters). They will be competing in the upcoming Garena Premier League (GPL) Spring 2017 in Manila.


Apple Watch Series 7 is expected to have flat edges and new green colour

Back in November 2020, it was rumoured that Apple would give its next smartwatch a redesign. It seems that the rumour could be accurate, as there's a new leak that has revealed the Watch Series 7. Let's take a look at what's changed.

Based on Jon Prosser's latest video, the Apple Watch Series 7 now has flat edges instead of rounded ones. Aside from that, not much has changed. But personally, I find that it looks better and more elegant this way. It looks more in line with the iPhone 12 series, which also has flat edges.

The new model is supposed to have flat edges

Other than that, Prosser claimed that the Watch Series 7 could come with a new green colour or multiple other colours this year. It's also possible that the bezels would be smaller, resulting in a slightly larger screen. Earlier this month, it was also rumoured that the new model would feature blood sugar and alcohol level monitoring.

If all these rumours are true, the Apple Watch Series 7 would turn out to be quite the upgrade for many. Having said that, are you convinced by the new design? Let us know if you plan to buy this, and stay tuned to TechNave for more news like this.


TechNave Now #3: ASUS ROG Phone 2 & HONOR 9X series both launched with cool features in China!

While you guys were out and about today, 2 much anticipated smartphones were launched in China. One of them being the ASUS ROG Phone 2 and the second one being the HONOR 9X series. Both phones managed to wow us with reasonable tech specs and impressive features and we're wondering which one we liked better.

The ROG Phone 2 had crazier specs than anticipated, featuring tech specs which include the a 6.59-inch AMOLED display + 120Hz refresh rate, a dual 48MP + 13MP rear camera, a 24MP front camera and many more. As for the HONOR 9X, it was revealed in two variants including the Pro variant and what pleased us the most about the device is not just the camera and price tag, but also the really cool X design on its back. Wanna know more? Watch the video below to learn more. Catch up with the latest tech news in the tech world on TechNave.com!