In this week’s Tech & Tonic Podcast, we have Jason Goh of @Smashpop! Jason Goh is one of the more prolific figures in the digital content creation industry. He has a vast experience in the field and is one of the guys behind Tricycle TV, a social media channel that focuses on reviewing tech in Bahasa Melayu. He is also very active in Social Media with @Smashpop across all platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. He is also on TikTok, but not very active; as he says. All good things must be shared, and that is why Jason also conducts workshops for you to better your Social Media presence and skills.
Last week saw one of the most anticipated smartphones (to us anyway) launch globally and in Malaysia. It is the OPPO Find X2 series, a flagship that is two years in waiting now. We had our hands on the OPPO Find X2 as well as Jason with the OPPO Find X2 Pro. We spoke at length about the device; what we like, what we do not like, and what we found interesting. Still, at MYR 3,999 (starting from), it is not what you would call ‘affordable’. Are the features enough to justify its price tag though?
On the subject of smartphones, we revisit the topic of smartphone cameras vs proper cameras. Fitting topic, since we have another very experienced content creator that focuses plenty of visuals. The OPPO Find X2 series also triggers the topic with its claim on topping the DX0Mark charts (OPPO Find X2 Pro). Of course, we would want to know what his opinion is on this subject. We did an editorial on this subject too.
A little while back, the team at techENT had the privilege of catching up with Nana Murugesan, Managing Director for International Markets at Snap Inc. and Ba Blackstock, CEO of Bitmoji at Snap Inc. The interview was done shortly after the launch of Bitmoji TV. Snap had acquired Bitstrips, the company that owned Bitmoji, back in 2016 for a healthy USD$64.2 million.
During this interview, techENT posed questions to Nana and Ba regarding Snapchat and also Bitmoji TV. In particular, how the new integration will benefit and change the scene for Snapchat. Here’s the full interview text.
techENT: Looking back a little bit, Snapchat had a boom in the social media space with its unique offering of creating “disappearing” content. When Facebook introduced its own with Stories across its apps, the drop in users on Snapchat was heavily reported. What has changed with Snapchat and how have users responded to this?
NanaMurugesan: First of all, Snapchat isn’t social media. From the very beginning we designed Snapchat to enhance your experience outside of the app and reflect the way that people have interacted with their best friends, long before the creation of the smartphone. To a certain extent, this was a reaction to what we were seeing on social media and the issues these platforms face. So just like in real life, your conversations with your friends disappear and your stories unfold in chronological order.
Bitmoji of Nana Murugesan
While other platforms may now have these features, their underlying philosophy is very different. On Snapchat, people are free to be themselves, with their real friends. There have never been likes or comments, so it feels like less of a competition. That way, Snapchatters aren’t pressured to be pretty, perfect or popular; and we don’t stockpile data so our community doesn’t have to worry that everything they send will be kept for eternity. Snapchat also opens directly to the camera and over 3.5 billion Snaps are created each day.
We’re focused on creating engaging experiences through which our community can stay close with their real friends and when not chatting or Snapping with those they love. For example, we introduced Snap Games last year and recently launched Bitmoji TV.
techENT: What is the user base for Snapchat now?
NanaMurugesan: We are really happy to see a continuous growth in our Daily Active Users. During our last earnings call (Q4, Feb 2020), we shared that there are 218 million people on average, globally using Snapchat every day. This is a 17% year over year growth (31M).
Bitmoji of Nana Murugesan
techENT: What are some of the new features that users are crazy about on Snapchat?
Nana Murugesan: Apart from Bitmoji TV, we’ve been finding all sorts of ways to let Snapchatters have fun with their Bitmoji. So far, Bitmoji Stories have been a hit amongst users, with an average of 18 million viewers per comic strip. Created as a personalised comic that features the Bitmoji of Snapchatters and their friends, it also eventually became the inspiration behind Bitmoji TV.
Bitmoji of Nana Murugesan
We’ve also since introduced several games that feature your Bitmoji such as Bitmoji Tennis, a battle-royale style game called Tiny Royale, and recently we released Ready Chef Go, a co-op cooking game played with your friends and Color Galaxy – where you can conquer the galaxy together.
Adding to more shareable moments, Snapchat also launched Cameos in December which lets you put your face on animated memes and short GIFs that also feature you and your friends.
While Lenses aren’t a new feature, both Snapchat’s internal team and Snapchat’s Official Lens Creators are constantly creating new, innovative and fun lenses that are loved by many Snapchatters. In fact, every day over 70% of Snapchatters play with AR Lenses, and over 600,000 Lenses have been created by our community through Lens Studio.
techENT: Snap Inc, Snapchat’s parent company, acquired Bitstrips back in 2017. What was the strategy behind the acquisition?
Ba Blackstock: In late 2014 Bitstrips launched Bitmoji, which surged in popularity in 2015, becoming a cultural phenomenon. It resonated with people because it gave them a way to represent themselves in their online interactions that felt more personal, authentic and fun.
Bitmoji of Ba Blackstock
The massive popularity of Bitmoji led to a conversation with Snap, in which we realised that our companies shared the same passion for creativity, self-expression and visual communication, so it seemed like a natural fit to join forces.
Through the acquisition we were able to use Bitmoji to bring a new kind of visual identity and expression into Snapchat, and to grow Bitmoji to become bigger than ever before. Since joining Snap Bitmoji has been the #1 iOS app in over 100 countries.
techENT: Have any of Bitstrip’s Bitmoji features been introduced in Snapchat? How popular/well-received is Bitmoji since their introduction?
Ba Blackstock: Bitmoji has transformed the experience within Snapchat by becoming Snapchatters’ visual identity in the app, as well as giving them lots of new ways to communicate and express themselves – from stickers in chat, to geofilters on Snaps, to 3D Bitmojis in AR lenses, to Bitmoji Stories in Discover.
Bitmoji of Ba Blackstock
Bitmoji has proven to be incredibly popular and over 70% of Snapchatters now have a Bitmoji.
techENT: Tell us what is Bitmoji TV.
Ba Blackstock: Bitmoji TV is a fully animated show starring your own Bitmoji, that you can watch now on Snapchat – with new episodes coming out every Saturday morning. Each episode is between 3-5 minutes long and makes your Bitmoji the main character, alongside celebrity guest stars like Andy Richter, Jon Lovitz and Riki Lindhome, to name a few.
Bitmoji of Ba Blackstock
The premise of Bitmoji TV is that you are the biggest new star on TV – you’ve been cast in every show, every movie, every commercial, and each episode is a fast-paced combo of very different scenes. One minute you’ll see yourself in an action movie, the next minute you’re in a soap opera, then you’re in a sitcom. We’ve created our own animation style that is an audiovisual feast for the senses, with you at the center.
techENT: What sets Bitmoji TV apart from other platforms such as IGTV and YouTube? / Why introduce another platform in a space that seems so crowded?
Ba Blackstock: Bitmoji TV represents the beginning of an entirely new category of entertainment – a personalized experience that is unique for every single viewer. It’s also one of the first fully animated shows that’s designed to be viewed on your phone, in the vertical format. We had to build our own experimental animation and rendering technology to make it possible for this show to exist. But more than that, it’s a new experience that you can share with your friends that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
Bitmoji of Ba Blackstock
Bitmoji TV represents the beginning of an entirely new category of entertainment – a personalized experience that is unique for every single viewer. It’s also one of the first fully animated shows that’s designed to be viewed on your phone, in the vertical format. We had to build our own experimental animation and rendering technology to make it possible for this show to exist. But more than that, it’s a new experience that you can share with your friends that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
techENT: What type of content can we expect from Bitmoji TV?
Ba Blackstock: Bitmoji TV makes you the star of just about every type of TV show imaginable – talent shows, cop shows, sitcoms, soap operas, action movies and more. Every episode is different and is a fast-paced collection of various shows, as seen through the lens of Bitmoji’s unique sense of humour.
Samsung has always been a big player in the smartphone market. In fact, they’ve risen to be one of the top players when the world moved into the smartphone era. With the launch of the new S20 line up, the S10 series celebrates one year in the market. However, in a move very unlike Samsung, the company has announced a new addition to their S10 series; a scaled-down version of its flagship S10 – the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite.
I wonder how the new naming scheme will turn out cause it’s getting a little confusing. You’d think that with the launch of the S20 Series, we would see a successor to the S10e Series instead.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite comes with the same design frame as the S10 series but with a chunkier camera on the top left corner instead of the cameras going across horizontally. The back of the body is made of plastic but it comes with a really nice colour similar to the other S10s.
In Prism White, it gives out a very colorful gradient of colours when light refracts off it; mimicking the characteristics of the mother of pearl. Also available in the market are two more colours to choose from which are Prism Black and Prism Blue. That said, the black and blue do not seem to have the same refractive patterns in their design.
The size is about the same as a Galaxy Note 10+ which is a little too big for my liking. This is primarily because it is difficult to reach across the screen with just one hand. Holding it with two hands is just nice as both thumbs can easily reach all essential usage areas.
The phone seems to lack stereo speakers; it has one really loudspeaker at the bottom of the phone. This compromise isn’t too bad, as the speaker is able to get the job done just fine. It is loud and clear but lacks the immersive experience that stereo speakers provide.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite also lacks a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It is too much of a disappointment at this point. Rather, it is very unexpected as the rest of the S10 Series still had the headphone jack. The same goes for the newly launched Galaxy M31 and Galaxy A71.
Hardware
Specifications
Just like the other S10 Series, the S10 Lite runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor which is last year’s top of the line processor. Even though it is not using the latest processor, it is not an issue as it still performs relatively well.
The Snapdragon 855 is paired with with 8GB of RAM, which is plentiful. This is complemented by 128GB of internal storage. Of course, just like most of Samsung’s phones it boasts its expandable storage via micro SD card. You can add up to 1TB of additional memory. There are also two other variations holding a smaller 6GB RAM and the same 128GB storage and another with 8GB RAM with a bigger 512GB storage. However, these variants are not officially available in Malaysia.
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Operating System (OS)
Android 10 One UI 2
Display
Super AMOLED+ capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours 6.7 inches 87.8% screen to body ratio
One UI is a whole new world yet it retains that familiarity that makes a Samsung device a Samsung device. The interface is easy to use. In fact, you can get used to it within a few hours of using the phone. With the launch of One UI 2, Samsung has really up its optimization for user convenience and improving the user experience.
One of the many conveniences that come with the S10 Lite’s software is its pop up when you kick Bluetooth on. This came in pretty handy when I got into my car.
I personally like to use the personal assistant that pops up as a ball that you can move around. Some find it annoying as it takes up space and disrupts your viewing experience. However, for me it was really convenient. It’s convenience is increased that to the customisations that it allows. The controls range from locking your screen, taking screenshots, volume control, Bixby and even an emergency SOS button.
The Gallery app has a suggestion feature that will suggest optimisations or layouts for pictures that you have taken using the phone. These suggestions include a picture collage or even GIFs by combining pictures that were taken in succession.
Samsung’s optimisations for user convenience don’t just end with home screen and gallery app, it extends even to the camera interface of the device. By default, there are already presets camera modes such as photo, video, panorama, time lapse etc. in the camera mode tray. You get the idea. But, when you open the menu for more camera options, you can actually drag and drop the camera mode that you use most frequently into the camera mode tray.
Performance
The performance of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is commendable. There was little to no lags, it was mostly smooth running. Even with two different apps running at the same time in a split-screen view or pop up view, the smartphone still worked smoothly without much issue.
Benchmarks
Call quality and connectivity
Calls were loud and clear. In fact, it could be a little too loud when the volume is maxed. This is impressive considering the size of the earpiece. However, this could be a boon to older people who are hard of hearing.
When it comes to using the loud speaker during calls, however, it’s another story. The sound quality wasn’t really good. The speaker wasn’t loud enough and the mic could not catch my voice. This was partially due to the distance from the phone. In my particular case, I was driving with music in the background. However, you’d think that it would at least be able to be audible enough.
Gaming
Gaming performance is excellent, when playing games such as PUBG. The gaming experience is immersive and smooth. The large screen lends itself to a much more immersive visual experience; It gives you a good view of your game with enough space to allow the on screen controls to not get in the way of game play. This was particularly pronounced with games such as first-person shooters and racing games.
That said, the audio experience of the S10 Lite wasn’t as alluring. The sole speaker on the phone tends to be blocked by your palm when gaming in landscape mode. This was particularly annoying as it would rip you out of your game. In my opinion, users will need to invest in a pair of Bluetooth earphones for the best gaming experience on the Galaxy S10 Lite.
The Galaxy S10 Lite doesn’t really heat up easily. However, after heavy gaming, the device did get noticeably warm. In fact, I could feel the heat and it was getting my hands sweaty, but, then again, I sweat easily anyway.
Security and Privacy
Samsung’s S10 Lite comes with Knox. If you’ve been using Samsung phones, you should already be familiar with this feature. In fact, any Android user using Android 8.0 (Oreo) devices or later, you’ve had a taste of Samsung’s Knox. In Samsung devices, Knox has two roles; it stores your biometric and Samsung Pay data and it also allows you to safely store away your work in a separate, secured profile. For the S10 Lite, the most basic application for Knox is the many options it has for biometrics to unlock the device.
The fingerprint sensor on the S10 Lite is now under the display. It uses an optical sensor which scans an image of your fingerprint to unlock the phone. The fingerprint sensor works fine but it is not perfect. It took a few tries to read my fingerprint. This flaw was especially pronounced when my palms were sweaty or when there was water on the screen.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is also able to use face unlock. It seems to work a lot better than the fingerprint sensor. The initial setup requires you to scan your face with and without your spectacles. Holy moly is it a lot faster! The S10 Lite was even able to recognise my face before I could even lift it to the front of my face.
Battery life
The battery on the Galaxy S10 Lite was pretty good. I still had some charge to spare after about 9 hours of use. The phone was able to last from 100% to 20% in about 9 hours with my usage. However, with just that 20% of juice, I could easily last an additional 6 hours with moderate usage. Fast charging on the S10 Lite is a lifesaver; the phone could be charged from 5% to about 20% in just 10 minutes.
The S10 Lite has a larger battery capacity of 4,500 mAh which lasted me about two days during my review. However, the phone itself lacks wireless charging capabilities. The lack of which is a little disappointing as some other brands are able to include the feature while keeping their prices even lower.
Display
The Super AMOLED+ screen of the S10 Lite is pretty crisp and clear. In fact, it has one of the best blacks on the market when it comes to devices in the price range. During my review, I was amazed by how the room went pitch black during the loading screen of LEGO Star Wars in the dark. I also like how Samsung tweaked the One UI to have the punch hole disappear into a black bar when apps kick into full screen. This was especially appreciated while gaming. It doesn’t work on all games though, the punch hole was still visible when I was playing PUBG.
The phone also has really thin bezels. It’s a good thing considering you’re getting more screen real estate. The S10 Lite has a screen to body ration of about 87.8% which essentially means you see more screen on the front of the device. However, the thin bezels can get annoying at times. Since I was not using a case, I was constantly touching the edge of the screen which interrupted my scrolling, video watching, and gaming. It happened way too often that it became really annoying.
Adaptive brightness adjust the brightness great even in sudden changes and retains the same comfort brightness even in different lighting settings. The most noticeable moment you can experience the change is the change from indoors to outdoors and vice versa. It takes a second to adjust itself but it gets it right every time.
Camera(s)
Finally the time has come for the cameras. The Galaxy S10 Lite has really stepped up its game in the camera specifications of the S10 line-up. Instead of the 12-megapixel main camera that has been on the S10+ and Note 10+ but a higher resolution 48-megapixel camera. Surprisingly, the new Galaxy S20 and S20+ still retained the lower resolution 12-megapixel as the main camera. However, they do come with a 64 megapixel telephoto lens which should perform better when taking zoomed pictures. So, technically the S10 Lite will take better pictures up close.
The S10 Lite also comes with a triple camera system. The main camera such as mentioned above is a wide angle lens followed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and lastly a 5-megapixel macro lens. The S10 Lite can record 4K UHD resolution at either 60 frames per second or 30 frames per second. The phone also can record 1080p at 30, 60 or 240 frames per second.
The selfie camera is also a higher resolution sensor compared to the other devices in the S10 series. Instead of the 10-megapixel sensor, the S10 Lite comes with a 32-megapixel sensor. The only drawback it has compared to the other S10 Series is that the S10 Lite only can record at 1080p at 30 frames per second while the other S10+ and Note10+ can record on 4K UHD at 30 frames per second.
Affordability
Last but not least, the price of the phone makes it the most affordable device in the S10 line up. The retail price of MYR 2,699 is almost half of what the other devices in the S10 series used to be. However, the smartphone retains most of the performance that the S10 series is known for. Well, you do miss out on some goodies such as the headphone jack, stereo speakers, AKG tuned audio, wireless charging, and a more dated USB 2.0 (Type-C) instead of 3.1 Type-C connector. But for what you are paying, I personally think it is really comparable to flagship phones made by some Chinese manufacturers.
The phone is mostly targeted to young adults who just made it into the working world. Realistically, it is not achievable for someone who is getting an average pay of MYR 2,800 to make a hefty purchase for just a phone which takes up almost their entire paycheck. Even if you do an installment for a year, it is still MYR 225 a month. The monthly seems small but after deducting expenses including the phone monthly installment, you are going to be left with nothing.
It goes without saying that there are more affordable options out there. For that, the S10 lite is scoring a little lower on the affordability scale.
An Entry Level Flagship that Doesn’t Bring Enough Value to Stand Out
Is this the ultimate “entry-level” flagship smartphone? Yes and No.
Yes; if you are trying to get into the Samsung flagship family. It has all the performance that you need. Gaming smoothly without any issues and a battery that lasts an entire day. A better camera with better software optimizations to give you breathtaking picture quality. It even comes in a similar size to the other Galaxy S Series and a newer aesthetics to the new Galaxy S20 Series line up.
No; if you are considering other manufacturer phones as well. If you are not picky about the brand, paranoid on used phones and do not want to spend a fortune on a new flagship. At a slightly lower priced than the S10 Lite, you can get a used S10+ or Note10+ and get all the luxury goodies such as the wireless charger, stereo speakers and etc that are absent on the S10 Lite. I would call it a Luxury goodie as you do not actually need it, but it is really nice and convenient to have it.
At the end of the day, the most important question is, “Would I get it?”. Frankly, I would not. I find that the phone is too expensive for what it has to offer. Other phone manufacturers are able to provide extremely similar specifications for a lower price. As for the premium features that I will be missing out on, well I can live without it and it is not a huge deal that it would inconvenience my life.
Would I recommend it? Maybe. You should definitely consider it as it still does give great performance with some of Samsung’s optimisations. If you have the dough to get yourself a new phone, then why not? New phones do give you an oddly satisfying box opening experience and giving you peace of mind that the phone has not tampered with.
We love watching our TV, we love watching Netflix and Amazon
Prime Video on our TV. Well, that is the best way to enjoy the streaming services
we subscribe to these days. Even YouTube videos can be enjoyed on TV these days.
It beats the small 15-inch displays on your notebook PC. It certainly beats
your 6-inch smartphone display. You get at least 49-inch of goodness pushed
through and in most cases, better audio that your notebook PC. You can even get
soundbars if you really want.
Sony TVs hold a special place in our hearts. That is to say
that we like Sony TVs for their brilliant details and great contrasts. LED TVs
are also known for their vivid colours; which is true for all Sony LED TVs. I
personally have a Sony TV at home and pretty much adores it. I only get to use
it in the weekends though, sadly.
Source: Sony
Still, the Sony Bravia line-up in Malaysia just got even
better with the new Sony Bravia X80H (KD-X8000H) line-up. Prices start from MYR
3,099 and goes all the way to MYR 9,699. Sizes available would be 49-inch
(49X8000H), 55-inch (55X8000H @ MYR 3,799), 65-inch (65X8000H @ MYR 5,399), and
75-inch (75X8000H). The TVs will be available April 2020 onward and you can
start ordering them from today onward until 31st of March 2020.
Why would you get this over the older X80G TVs? It has the
same 4K resolution that the X80G has. It has a new HDR Processor X1, an
evolution of the X-Reality Pro engine. That also means crisper, clearer, and
more detailed images on your TV screen. Plus, its Object-based HDR remastering
makes your TV viewing experience even better. If you find Dolby Vision compatible
movies, this is really the screen that can take advantage of that.
Thanks to X-Balanced Speakers as well (55-inch and above),
you may save some money from not needing to buy a soundbar anyway. If you do
get a soundbar, you might want to spend a little more is what I am saying.
Still, the X-Balanced speakers are Dolby Atmos certified, which also means that
it should produce immersive audio. Even Spotify will sound good.
The Sony Bravia X80H series comes with Android’s latest 9.0 Pie Operating System, effectively making this the usual Smart TV that is pretty much a compulsory in TVs these days. The smart features is more than just Android 9.0 though. With the Sony Bravia X80H series, connecting to Apple AirPlay and HomeKit is now made easier.
Source: Sony
Pre-orders can be made at selected Sony Stores and Centres
across the nation. If you do pre-order, you get a wireless keyboard and a
Netflix gift card worth MYR 100 together with your TV when you collect it. Of
course, terms and conditions apply. For more information, you can visit their website.
If you ask us last week about what was the most anticipated smartphone was to us this week, we would all in agreement say the OPPO Find X2. We will tell you why.
The OPPO Find X is now about two years old, if you have not noticed. The OPPO Find X was also OPPO’s first device to hit the MYR 3,000 price range. At the time, it was an expensive device. You get a thoroughbred device for that money though. It was a smartphone that is worthy of its ‘flagship’ moniker in every way. Its clever motorised pop-up mechanism is also one that captures plenty of eyes. Of course, there were some fundamental flaws with the design that is eventually solved in other iterations of similar implementations of the mechanism.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
In short; we liked the OPPO Find X. Its pretty looks, large display, capable camera, and long battery life being the main reasons of it winning our hearts. Still, that was two years ago and there was no follow up model until now.
We have covered the global launch so we will not go on and on about its hardware. We did not see the device in our hands too, blame COVID-19 concerns for that. But still, the device has come to Malaysia just a few days after its global launch. That is a good indication of how much OPPO is betting on the local market at this time.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
To jog your memory a little bit. The OPPO Find X2 and Find X2 Pro, replacing the OPPO Find X, has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC shoehorned into a 6.78-inch 2K AMOLED display body that refreshes at 120Hz and samples touch at 240Hz. Through the fast display you are looking through a 48-Megapixel main shooter. There are some differences in the paired cameras in the array between the two variants. All the powerful hardware is given life by a 4,260mAh battery that SuperVOOC fast charges at 65W. As the live demonstration in Barcelona shows, it charges from flat to full in 38-minutes.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro will be available in Black and Orange colour options. The Black will come with a ceramic finish while the Orange is a vegan leather finish. The OPPO Find X2 on the other hand will receive Black and Ocean colour treatments. The Ocean option would be a glass finish. Both models are 5G ready.
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
The OPPO Find X2 and Find X2 Pro will be available in Malaysia 14th of March 2020 onward for MYR 3,999 and MYR 4,599 respectively. If you want to be some of the first people to own one of these flagship goodness, you might want to get on the pre-order boat. The offer lasts until 13th of March 2020, so you still have time. No official word on their Lamborghini limited edition ones though.
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
Source: OPPO Malaysia
If you do pre-order the OPPO Find X2 series, you get a VOOC Flash charge powerbank and an extended 1-year warranty programme with 3-months screen protection. If you are one of the first 300 customers to pick up their OPPO Find X device on the 14th March 2020, or the OPPO Find X2 Pro on the 21st March 2020, you get a set of OPPO Enco Free TWS earphones. Of course, terms and conditions apply. For more information, do visit their website.
*This article is contributed by Myles Hosford, Head of Security Architecture, ASEAN, AWS*
Cybersecurity professionals see some threat
actors or outside-parties as the enemy. However, challenging this mindset is
important; you can better protect your organization against outside-parties if
you understand how they think and operate. With this in mind, businesses around
the globe have turned to hackers to test security infrastructure and develop
stronger, more robust security practices.
Before integrating penetration testing
into your security policy, it is important to understand the different types of
hackers that exist. Each group has differing motivations, and you must be clear
on which of their skills can be used to your organization’s advantage.
Black hat
Photo by Luca Nardone from Pexels
Black hat hackers are cybercriminals
motivated by personal or financial gain. They range from teenage amateurs to
experienced individuals or teams with a specific remit. However, over recent
years, several high profile blackhat hackers have refocused on using their
cyber skills to protect organizations. An example is Kevin Mitnick aka Condor,
who was just sixteen years old when he gained access to a Department of Defense
computer. Following this and numerous
other hacks, Mitnick spent five and a half years in prison. Upon his release
set up his own company, Mitnick Security Consulting, which now runs penetration
tests for clients.
The issue of whether to work
with a previous black hat hacker is a contentious one. Some, including David Warburton, senior threat evangelist at F5 Networks,
believe that hiring ex-hackers is critical in staying ahead of the threat
landscape. However, others are concerned about allowing this group access to
corporate systems and customer data. The latter group should, however, consider
other approaches to working with hackers.
White hat
Photo by Reza Rostampisheh on Unsplash
Often referred to as ethical hackers,
white hat hackers are employed by organizations to look for vulnerabilities in
security defences. Despite using the same tactics as black hat hackers, this
group has permission from the organization making what they do entirely legal.
While they use their knowledge to find ways to break the defences, they then
work alongside security teams to fix issues before others discover them.
Many of the biggest organizations in
the world, including General Motors and Starbucks, are turning to white hat
hackers to help identify fault lines and proactively enhance security posture.
White hat hacking can offer an interesting and lucrative career path for people
with technical skills. Drawing attention to the important role white hat
hackers play can encourage more talented individuals to take a positive path
instead of becoming black hat hackers.
Nurturing
talent
There are many programmes in place to
find, encourage and support the next generation of white hat hackers. An
example, supported by AWS, is r00tz Asylum, a conference dedicated to teaching
young people how to become white-hats. Attendees learn how hackers operate and
how cybersecurity experts defend against hackers. The aim is to encourage
people with technical expertise to use it for good in their career. By equipping aspiring cybersecurity
professionals with knowledge and skills, they can bake security into
infrastructure, from the ground up. AWS’s support for r00tz is our chance to
give back to the next generation, providing young people who are interested in
security with a safe learning environment and access to mentors.
Building on
solid foundations
Photo by Ramin Khatibi on Unsplash
For those responsible for maintaining
customer trust and protecting data, an end to end approach to security is
critical. As we have seen, working with ethical hackers is a powerful way to
view security posture from a cyber-criminal’s perspective to identify and
tackle vulnerabilities. However, it’s also important to remember that security
needs to be baked in throughout an organization’s infrastructure. This is where
partnering with a cloud platform can be beneficial; the best of these are
developed to satisfy the needs of the most risk-sensitive organizations. Cloud
platforms also offer automated security services, which can proactively manage
security assessments, threat detection, and policy management. In so doing,
these platforms take on a lot of the heavy lifting for security professionals,
including ethical hackers.
In this week’s Tech & Tonic Podcast, we have Adam Lobo of Adam Lobo TV! Adam Lobo is the lead vocalist in the rap metal band Dragon Red. Adam Lobo’s gift does not just stop at his voice though. He makes great looking contents on his YouTube channel too when he is not jamming out with the band. His love and passion in tech led him to create his own YouTube channel where he reviews the latest gadgets you can buy in the Malaysian market. If you want to see devices in 4K detail, you should definitely check out his channel.
Last week we saw big events in the tech industry being cancelled. We say that they are being cancelled, most of them have moved things online (as in livestreaming) instead. Microsoft’s MVP conference, Facebook F8 Summit, Adobe Summit, Google Cloud Next, Google I/O 2020 are just the few events that has been cancelled due to COVID-19 (there is a new official name now) concerns. How is this going to affect the tech landscape? What about other industries?
We also saw the most valuable brand in the world getting into some trouble with the law. Apple has been caught up in their #BatteryGate court battle for a while now and the court has decided that Apple should be fined and pay out almost half a billlion U.S. Dollars in compensation to the victims of their deliberate software throttling. As far as we know, this only applies to the U.S. market. There is more to this though.
In this week’s Download weekly round-up we have the Realme C3, Realme 6 series, the BlackShark 3 series, and the OPPO A31. We are expecting to see the OPPO Find X2 as soon as Tuesday, so stay tuned to that.
The Realme C3 is Realme’s 2020 answer to the fast growing entry-level smartphones market. It is sold for MYR 499 and packs all the basic goodies to make it a smartphone. The Realme 6 series launched in India but we are expecting to make an appearance in Malaysia pretty soon. Same goes to the extravagance that is the Black Shark 3 series. The Black Shark 3 is a quite a recipe though with pop-up triggers and Qualcomm’s super powerful Snapdragon 865 SoC.
Oppo has launched their entry level MYR 699 OPPO A31 in Malaysia as well. That would be accompanied by the OPPO Find X2 flagship with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 SoC pushing the 120Hz 2K display. Even the camera set-up looks impressive, even if it is just three lenses instead of four or five.
Meanwhile, COVID19 shuts down more than just MWC. Microsoft MVP, Facebook F8, Adobe Summit, Google Next Cloud, and Google I/O has all been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Computex is still happening though currently.
We had Isa Rodriguez of Isa Does Tech on our podcast last week! Do head to the link to give a listen. We are also excited to have Adam Lobo from Adam Lobo TV over in our podcast in the coming week.
OPPO’s Find X was something else from OPPO. It was something
quite extraordinary to come out from OPPO’s stables. It was OPPO’s game changer
also their first device to hit the premium market segment. It sold for MYR
3,699 when it was launched; more expensive than any OPPO devices that came before
it.
It was not like any other OPPO devices that came before as
well. Instead of a familiar Apple-esque design they employed with their best-selling
models, the OPPO Find X was a device they could proudly call their own. It was
a device they could really identify as an OPPO device. It was also OPPO’s first
European ready device.
In all fairness it was also the first smartphone in the
world that was truly bezel-less. While whatever premium devices came with ‘bezel-less’
devices, you still get the notch to house the camera. OPPO’s implementation
made sure that your bezel-less experience is truly bezel-less. How? Quite ingenious,
a motorised pop-up mechanism that slides a whole part of the device to reveal a
front facing camera.
It did not sell for MYR 3,699 merely for that feature though.
It was a world beater with a high-end System on a Chip (SoC). It had other
flagship class specs as well, large RAM and storage. It had a larger than life
battery too at the time. Even its camera array is flagship class. Was it worth
MYR 3,699? It surely looked like it.
Source: OPPO
Now, there is the brand new OPPO Find X2; the evolution of
the iconic flagship from 2018. Instead of just a single device though, the Find
X2 is a series of devices. They are all 5G ready too. The 5G capabilities are
thanks to the most powerful processor available to them in the world today. They
are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865.
The OPPO Find X2
There is not that much difference between the two devices that was launched by OPPO today. Even the price (in Euro anyway). The difference in price is only about EU€ 200 (*MYR 946); which is not that much.
Source: OPPO
There are still some differences to justify the higher price point
of the OPPO Find X2 Pro though. Starting with the storage, the OPPO Find X2 tops
out at 256GB. Mind you, that is not expandable; kind of a bummer, but 256GB is
plenty anyway.
One of the cameras, the ultra-wide lens; you only get 12-Megapixel
out of it. While that is not bad, it will not be the most powerful sensor you
can find on the OPPO Find X2. Then there is the battery which tops out at
4,200mAh for the OPPO Find X2. It still charges as fast as the Find X2 Pro
though.
This is where the differences end though.
OPPO Find X2 Pro
We start with the storage at 512GB of storage, double of the OPPO
Find X2. The OPPO Find X2 Pro also packs a very slightly bigger battery at
4,260mAh. This is no where near as big as we think it would be. Still, it
charges very quickly at 65W (SuperVOOC). It fully charges the device from an
empty battery to full within 38 minutes.
Source: OPPO
The biggest difference between the device is within the camera
array. The OPPO Find X2 Pro packs a 48-Megapixel ultra-wide sensor instead of
12-megapixel. It is supported by the same 13-Megapixel telephoto lens and 48-Megapixel
main shooter as the OPPO Find X2. The difference? 48-Megapixels obviously
captures more details in its ultra-wide shots and its macro shots from at least
3cm away from subject. This camera array is the one that puts OPPO at the top
steps of DX0Mark.
The Find X2 Series Powerhouse
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 paired to 12GB of RAM is not just
keeping the OPPO Find X2’s 5G kicking though. It is also a powerhouse to keep
the Android 10 based ColorOS 7.1 running as smoothly as possible. You can see
that smooth and snappy performance from the large 6.7-inch display that pushed
QHD+ resolution at 120Hz. If you are into gaming, you will benefit from the
240Hz sampling rate; or mor commonly known as touch response these days.
It does not stop there for its display though. The display is in a
class of its own with a 100% DCI-P3 certification. This is also the first OPPO
device to pack a 10-bit display. That also means that you get one billion
colours on the display. The O1 Ultra Vision Vision Engine on the Ultra
Vision display is also the world’s first
engine in the world of its kind on a mobile device. The engine is a hardware
based upscale mechanism that scales 30fps videos to up to 120fps videos with
minimal motion blurring and tearing. With HDR10+, the OPPO Find X2 series’
display is easily the most advanced and most accurate out there in the market.
Immersive too with Dolby ATMOS certified dual stereo speakers.
Source: OPPO
While we have spoken about the camera’s hardware capabilities, there is more to the camera than meets the eye. The 10x hybrid zoom is nothing new technically. What is new though is OPPO’s All Pixel Omni-Directional PDAF that is supposed to increase the Auto-Focus speeds with even better accuracy than regular PDAF systems. The camera also shoots at 12-bit, meaning you get even more details in your shots. Out the front is a 32-Megapixel shooter housed in a small punch-hole on the display.
You get to shoot even better in low-light conditions too
with their new Ultra-night mode 3.0 across all lenses. Your main camera though
gets Ultra Dark Mode treatment to help the camera see even better in near blackness.
While regular Optical Image Stabiliser functions would be enough for photos, videos require a little bit more than that. That is why OPPO has the Ultra Steady Mode 2.0 that combines OIS and EIS on the OPPO Find X2 series. Plus, the Live HDR mode helps you visual your videos without having to take a picture or video first. It samples HDR on top of your display once you fire up the camera. For videos also the OPPO Find X2 devices are equipped with three mics for even better and more advanced noise cancelling functions. Once you shoot, you can edit all of the footage in SoLoop app included within the device.
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
Source: OPPO
The OPPO Find X2 Pro will be available in Black (ceramic material) and Vegan Leather for EU€ 1199 (*MYR 5,671). The OPPO Find X2 will be available Black (ceramic) and Ocean (glass) for EU€ 999 (*MYR4,725). As expected there is a Lamborghini edition for the OPPo Find X2 series too. Both devices is expected to be available globally in May 2020. Malaysia’s launch is just in a few days away next week though. We should get more information regarding the OPPO Find X2 series’ availability and prices in the coming week. Meanwhile, stay tuned!
*Based on current exchange rate of EU€ 1 = MYR 4.73 as of 6/3/2020
*This article is contributed by Myles Hosford, Head of Security Architecture, ASEAN, AWS*
As the world
becomes more interconnected, opportunities for companies and individuals to
interact and transact across borders, time zones, and channels grow quickly. To
make sure that these transactions run smoothly, proactive management –
specifically to ensure the minimization of cost, lowering of risk, and the
elimination of inefficiencies – is needed.
Distributed
ledger technology (DLT) such as blockchain helps simplify transactions and
conduct efficient, secure interactions with multiple independent parties around
the globe. All without the need for a third-party intermediary. These
transactions can vary from sending anything from farm data, to banking and
contract transactions.
Use case: Empowering farmers to sell field data
transparently
Farmers collect
large volumes of data with each step in the planting and harvesting process.
Licensed data – data that qualifies as intellectual property of the farmer such
as which crops to plant or how many seedlings – can be anonymized, sold to
third parties and offer the agricultural industry with real-time insights on
farms across the world. However, farmers are unsure how to monetize this crop
data.
As farmers are
unsure how to monetize their crop data, Farmobile addresses these challenges through a
blockchain-based exchange, built on AWS. The solution empowers farmers to licence
data to approved buyers and includes account set up, creation, confirmation,
execution of the offer, and delivery of the digital asset. They can seamlessly
sell single-use licenses while keeping their farm’s identity completely
anonymous. However, farmers have full visibility into the identities of
potential data buyers, such as agronomists, equipment producers, and retailers,
and are free to decline offers.
Use Case: Boosting financial inclusivity
Another case
study for Blockchain technology is the financial sector in the Philippines.
Here, rural banks lack the resources of larger banking institutions, making it
nearly impossible for them to thrive or survive. This has left a large majority
of rural-based Filipinos with little or no banking access.
Photo by David McBee from Pexels
UnionBank,
a pioneer in its use of blockchain technology, joined forces with ConsenSys,
an AWS Partner , to build a blockchain solution that would resolve this issue.
The new, blockchain-based solution created a decentralized, cost-efficient, and
near real-time network, allowing for the execution of domestic payments without
relying on existing banking infrastructure and intermediaries.
The blockchain
solution introduced means that rural banks no longer have to shoulder the
burden of manually processing back-office transactions, freeing up staff to
serve more customers. As such, the technology not only increased banking access
and inclusivity but drove sustainable, future banking practices.
Use case: Limiting contract disputes in the oil and gas industry
Another example
comes from the oil and gas industry. Moving resources through the oil and gas
supply chain involves many stakeholders, including landowners, governments, oil
and gas company operators, surveyors, and financial institutions. One critical
step occurs between those mining the oil and royalty owners on whose land the
oil is mined. Checking royalty transaction payments is a lengthy, manual
process where stakeholders must agree to contract terms upfront. However, those
terms are often interpreted differently on either side, often leading to
disputes.
GuildOne,
believed companies needed more efficient, secure, and cost-effective ways to
execute a royalty contract transaction. They developed a solution through which
contract terms are capable of being replicated, and consensus agreed using
blockchain technology. By doing so, they mitigated the possibility of disputes
and eliminated a large chunk of the expense of contract administration.
To build its
royalty ledger and to meet the stringent privacy and security needs of its
stakeholders, GuildOne chose to use R3’s Corda — a blockchain platform built for
business and longevity — on AWS. Believing that the security capabilities
gained would be vital in enabling rapid adoption of the royalty ledger solution
in the oil and gas industry.
The future of blockchain technology solutions
Blockchain
solutions are transforming the ways companies and individuals do business,
locally and globally, by simplifying transactions and increasing their
efficiency. Those looking to take advantage of the technology should partner
with cloud providers capable of scaling up while delivering cybersecurity controls
and standards to protect from external attacks. With Amazon Managed Blockchain,
it eliminates the overhead required to create the network and automatically
scales to meet the demands of thousands of applications running millions of
transactions. Once a network is up and running, Managed Blockchain makes it
easy to manage and maintain the blockchain network
by managing its certificates and letting customers easily invite new members to
join the network.
