Monthly Archives: January 2021

Android, Camera, Mobile, News

The New Sony Xperia PRO is the 5G solution for Professionals

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When we say professionals, we do not mean doctors, or businessmen, or Engineers. We mean content creators, filmmakers and such. Those are the kind of people that Sony targets with this device, alongside the brand-new Sony α1 full-frame mirrorless camera. Before we go any further though, we have to break a few hearts with its price.

The Xperia PRO for 2021 is supposed to be available to customers in the North American market from the 26th of January 2021 onward. It will be available for US$ 2,499 (MYR 10,107*). Yes, that is more than MYR 10,000 in Malaysia, that is even before we consider the device coming to town with its own local pricing. That puts it way above the iPhone 12 Pro Max even at the Apple device’s most expensive configuration available on their website. There is a good reason for the pricing for this Android device though.

The Sony Alpha One Stop Shop

Source: Sony

Just looking at the official renders, you can already tell that this is not some regular, chintzy flagship device with all kinds of blings in the world. This is a purpose-built piece of kit that not only functions as a smartphone. It is a personal assistant for content creators that is on a Sony Alpha platform. It is built to enhance your content workflow and even more powerful. It makes you a superhero.

That last statement may be a little bit of an exaggeration. Thing is, with an Alpha camera and the Xperia PRO, you sort of can be a content superhero. This is a one stop shop for an Alpha camera system before you post edit everything on a PC system or Mac, whichever you work on.

The Monitor

Source: Sony

First of all, it has everything you need to get your Alpha workflow compiled in one place. It packs a Type D Micro HDMI input port specifically for Alpha camera systems. That means it acts as a secondary 6.5-inch 4K OLED monitor feed that you can pair with your Alpha camera like the Sony α1.

The Broadcaster, The Cloud Server

Thanks to that HDMI connection that allows 4K capture even on the Xperia PRO too, the combination of an HDMI input from an Alpha camera (they say it works for other cameras too) and the Xperia PRO’s 5G capabilities makes this thing a live broadcaster too. Who says you need to spend an arm and a leg for a dedicated broadcasting gear? Well, you still kind of do, the combination of an Xperia PRO and the Sony α1 is still more than MYR 30,000 in value. But this is really high-quality YouTube Live, Facebook Live, and even Twitch streaming in your pockets.

Of course, you need strong and stable network connection for the Xperia PRO to broadcast to whatever channels you prefer. That is also why the Xperia PRO is designed the way it is. It is so that the device packs a 360-degree optimised mmWave and Sub-6 5G antenna. Combined with low dielectric constant materials for its chassis (not aluminium), 5G connections should remain strong and stable at any given time for optimised broadcasts.

The Xperia PRO could be your one stop shop for photo processing too for Alpha camera systems. You only need to connect your Alpha camera to the Xperia PRO device via USB and transfer all your photos to an FTP server. That means you can save some money on buying extra SD cards and worry more about shooting the best photos you can get.

The Sony Xperia PRO Smartphone

Source: Sony

Now, to the smartphone bits. We start with what empowers the Sony Xperia PRO. We start with its heart, the processor, the SoC.

It packs a powerful and modern Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G enabled System on a Chip (SoC). This 5G enabled device is capable of multi gigabit speeds. As mentioned, that could be critical for broadcasting needs. But a powerful and punch SoC is important too to get ensure that everything you need on the device connected to the Alpha camera is seamless and smooth. Of course, for all intents and purposes, Sony packs 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage (expandable up to 1TB via MicroSDXC) to go alongside the powerful SoC to avoid any bottlenecks.

Out the back is the same camera system you find on the Sony Xperia 1 II flagship smartphone. Why fix something that is not broken, right? The Sony Xperia PRO packs a 4K video recording capable triple camera system with a regular wide-angle 12-Megapixel shooter, a 12-Megapixel telephoto lens, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. Out the front is an 8-Megapixel selfie camera, which might not get that much mileage considering the purpose of the device.

  • Source: Sony
  • Source: Sony
  • Source: Sony
  • Source: Sony
  • Source: Sony
  • Source: Sony

Still the display will get plenty of mileage if you have a Sony Alpha camera. It is a 4K HDR 6.5-inch OLED unit that displays colours at DCI-P3 100%. You want accurate colours; this shows even more accurate colours compared to the new Samsung Galaxy S21. Then again, if you need to rely on this device to work on your contents, you want those colours.

The whole unit is rated for IP65/IP68 dust and water resistance and protected with Corning’s very durable Gorilla Glass 6 out the front for protection. That also means that you can take your gear into any weather and still get it to function. Add those on top of the long lasting 4,000 mAh battery and you have a super reliable workhorse to get you through a shoot day.

Pricing and Availability

As previously mentioned, the Sony Xperia Pro will be available in North American markets 26th January 2021 onward. It retails for US$2,499 (MYR 10,107*) in available markets. There are no mentions of the device coming to Malaysia just yet, nor its official local pricing. Do not expect it to be cheap though, and if you are a content creator, you might want to start saving. For more information on the Sony Xperia PRO for 2021, you can visit Sony’s website.  

*Approximate conversion based on US$ 1 = MYR 4.044 on Xe Currency Converter as of 27th January 2021

Camera, News

[UPDATE] Sony Launches the Alpha 1 – the New Benchmark

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When the world marvel over Canon’s new EOS R5, partly because of its 8K video recording capabilities, everyone expected Sony to do the same with their high-end video hero, the Sony Alpha (α) 7S III. They stuck to their ways and went with a better 4K video recording capability though. They introduced a few changes and improvements to make the production favourite even better. The third generation of the low-light champion has better dynamic range, and even better colour science. In that sense, if you are looking for a great camera that can do great looking videos without breaking your production budget, the α7S III should be right on top of your list.

Of course, while any big rumours of 8K video capabilities have been snuffed out by Sony launching the α7S III, Sony was not done yet. Not to be outdone by their countrymen, they launched their α1 last night (11.00 p.m. Malaysia time +0800 GMT). The headline figures are impressive.

50.1-Megapixel, 8K @30p, 4K @120p

Source: Sony

The headline figures read 50.1-Megapixel full-frame sensor. It is still mirrorless, so it is fitted into a body as big as the current α7 body. It is the same size as the Sony α9 II as well.

That 50.1-Megapixel full-frame stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor is backed by a brand new improved BIONZ XR image processor with eight folds of processing power over the previous image processor you find on the α9 II. That image processor allows up to 120 autofocus calculations every second at 30fps blackout free continuous shoot. That is twice as fast as the α9 II. 30fps is also as fast as a regular film that you watch in the cinema, by the way.

That powerful sensor also enables the Sony α1 to shoot videos at 8K resolution at 30fps with 10-bit 4:2:0 XAVC HS video format for as long as 30-minutes. That 8K footage is oversampled internally at 8.6K for even more detail on your 8K footage; it is Sony after all. You might not use 8K that often, but you will appreciate its 10-bit 4:2:2 4K videos at 120fps capabilities; slow motion has never looked better. Of course, you get access to Sony’s very famous S-Log profiles up to S-Log3. At the same time Sony is adding S-Cinetone colour matrix profile to the camera for even more creative flexibility for filmmakers.

8K Sample Video | Alpha 1 | Sony | α
Source: Sony

It is not like it will underperform under low-light conditions too. The α1 features 15 stops on dynamic range for stills and even more for videos. You can see better too, through the lenses with the new Electronic ViewFinder that projects 9.44 million dots at 240fps.

Eye AF (Autofocus) has been improved too, now it works nicely with 4K videos and is even faster alongside its general AF capabilities. You can even track birds with the new Eye AF algorithm. The new AF system also covers about 92% of the frame at 759 phase detection points so you have more room to place your subjects.

Even Faster, More Stable, All Around Better

Source: Sony

The α1 is also now the world’s fastest camera with 1/400 seconds flash sync speed with its mechanical shutter. Because it is Sony, they over engineered the mechanical shutter, obviously. It is a carbon fibre unit with two drive units to make it super-fast. At the same time though, more shutter speed also means that you get more creative room in the studio.

The α1 also features a new sort of stabilisation mechanism for both a better image quality and even more stable videos. Keep in mind that Sony’s lenses do not have built-in stability mechanism and stabilisation is solely done within the camera body. While that may not look as impressive as Canon’s EOS R5 or R6 in their plain form, put Sony’s footage into Sony’s Catalyst Browse and Prepare applications and watch the magic unfold.

The α1 is not just better in all that areas though. In some very magical way, the α1 has minimised its rolling shutter problem with a new electronic shutter function. We see this implemented in the α7S III as well, but apparently the one on the α1 is even better. We will not know until we see its implementation right next to α7S III.

Connectivity Options

Source: Sony

Sony also launched the Sony Xperia PRO alongside the α1 camera. Get this though, the Sony Xperia PRO with 5G connectivity and 4K display can be used as α1’s 4K HDMI output monitor so that you do not have to rely on the tiny display on the Sony α. With the Sony Xperia PRO you are also adding some 5G capabilities to the Sony α1.

Of course, like the Sony α7S III the new Sony α1 is powered by their proprietary Z-series battery with support for a vertical grip. The two media slots can support up to UHS-II SDXC/SDHC cards or Sony’s new SFexpress Type A cards for even faster read/write speeds. We do recommend these if you want to shoot 8K videos or 4K videos at 120fps though. Get this too, the Sony α1 packs a SuperSpeed 10Gbps USB port and an ethernet port for professional convenience and workflows. That is on top of its built-in WiFi antenna. All of that in a body no bigger than a compact APS-C DSLR, imagine that.

Price and Availabilty

Source: Sony

While you are now salivating all over the floor with the thought of getting your hands on one, hold your horses. The Sony α1 will be available in North American region in March 2021 onward at approximately US$ 6,500 (MYR 26,286*) for the body only. There are no official figures or launch dates for Malaysia just yet. For more information on the Sony α1, head over to their website.

**UPDATE: Sony Electronics Malaysia has confirmed that the Sony Alpha 1 (α1) will be available in Malaysia April 2021 onward. No confirmed pricing just yet.

*Approximate conversion based on US$ 1 = MYR 4.044 on Xe Currency Converter as of 27th January 2021

Android, Mobile, News

Get Your Galaxy A Series at More Affordable Prices with the Galaxy A02s & Galaxy A12

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Hot off its announcement of the Galaxy S21 series, Samsung is reintroducing two new entries that may have slipped under your radar. Announced a week before Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, are two devices that could fall under the “Same same but Different” category: the Galaxy A02s and the Galaxy A12. Both feature a big screen, a large built-in battery and multi camera setups.

Galaxy A02s & Galaxy A12: Same, Same but Different

Both devices come with a 6.5-inch screen with HD resolutions and an Infinity-v display where the front-facing camera sits. In addition to the large display, the Galaxy A02s and Galaxy A12 feature Dolby Atmos® sound which helps immerse you into the movies or games.

To power the entertainment powerhouses, a long-lasting battery is a must to ensure that your not worrying about the battery life when watching movies or playing games on the smartphones. Galaxy A12 and Galaxy A02s are equipped with 5000mAh with 15W fast charging for a quick top up whenever you need it.

The new entries to the Galaxy A series come with Octa-Core processors. The A02s comes with a Snapdragon 450 processor while the A12 comes with a MediaTek Helio P35. These processors are paired together with 4GB to 6GB RAM and 64GB to 128GB internal storage. Both devices also come with a MicroSD slot which supports up to an additional 1TB of storage.

The Galaxy A12 and Galaxy A02s comes with a haze and matte effect on the back with a curve-edge design. That said, the Galaxy A12 is slightly heavier than the Galaxy A02s at 205g compared to 196grams. Yet, the Galaxy A12 has a slimmer design at a mere 8.9mm, and Galaxy A02s at 9.1mm.

Multi-camera Setups for Better Photography

Both devices come with slightly different camera specs. However, they are still touted to be able to capture vibrant, lively pictures with Samsung’s camera technology.

The Galaxy A12 comes with a quad-camera setup complemented with a single front camera. The quad camera comes with a 48-megapixel main camera with an F/2.0 aperture, 5-megapixel Ultra-Wide camera with 123-degree viewing angle and an F/2.2 aperture, 2-megapixel macro camera with an F/2.4 aperture, and 2-megapixel Depth camera with an F/2.4 aperture. The setup of the 4 specs of cameras. With the versatile range of cameras, users can enjoy capturing high quality images of the many moments in their life. On the front, it has an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

On the other hand, the Galaxy A02s comes with a triple camera setup with a 5-megapixel selfie camera on its front. The triple camera consists of a 13-megapixels of the main camera with an F/2.2 aperture, together with 2-megapixels macro camera with an F/2.4 aperture and 2-megapixel depth camera with an F/2.4 aperture.

Galaxy A12 Fortified by Knox

Samsung Galaxy A12 users can enjoy with defense-grade Knox security platform as it has multilayered security to protect your data and personal information. You may apply the security feature to your folder, Samsung Pay, Samsung Healthy, or even Samsung Pass. Knox security platform is serves as a safeguard and plays an important role in protecting more than 1 billion Samsung users and business devices and data.

Price & Availability

Samsung Galaxy A12 and Samsung Galaxy A02s are available from 6 January 2021 onward in Malaysia, and both devices have 2 color options which are black and blue. Galaxy A12 will retail for MYR799 (USD198.183) while the Galaxy A02s will cost MYR529(USD131.183)

PR Newswire

Kingston x CSD Reveals APAC Top 10 heartwarming face mask designs

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  • Over 3,100 entries received across all APAC regions for Kingston x CSD APAC Mask Design Competition as artists induce positivity through mask designs, share compelling life stories and reflections on 2020
  • Vote online now for the favourite finalist and decide who the winner will be

TAIPEI, Jan. 27, 2021 — Continuing with the credo of preserving memories, Kingston Technology, a world leader of memory products and technology solutions, today announced the top 10 finalists of the Kingston x CSD APAC Mask Design Competition. Centered around the theme of ‘There’s Strength in Memory,’ Kingston partnered with CSD, a leading brand of face masks, to call upon all creative minds to unleash the power of memories. The initiative received an overwhelming response of over 3,100 entries from design enthusiasts across all APAC regions.

Over 3,100 entries received across all APAC regions for Kingston x CSD APAC Mask Design Competition as artists induce positivity through mask designs, share compelling life stories and reflections on 2020.
Over 3,100 entries received across all APAC regions for Kingston x CSD APAC Mask Design Competition as artists induce positivity through mask designs, share compelling life stories and reflections on 2020.

The contestants comprised of APAC’s top artists and designers from various fields. ranging from product, textile, visual and multi-media designers, to illustrators, art students and professors. Their design submissions spanned a wide canvas that encapsulated their memories, concepts regarding people’s interaction, compelling and memorable life events and reflections on 2020. The judges also discovered ongoing themes of design that centered around family bonds, appreciation of nature and intimate childhood memories: Lilo Jong from Malaysia portrayed the strong bond she has with her family, while Wu Bo Yi from Taiwan found inspiration from a childhood snack; Tsuyoshi Artman, from Japan, depicted the beauty of nature to highlight the act of breathing. Despite submissions from artists with diverse backgrounds, one thing that united the contestants was the effort to represent positivity in the lives of people across regions, thus, unleashing the power of memories.

Commenting on the outstanding response, Kevin Wu, sales/marketing and business development Vice President of APAC region, Kingston, said, "Our memories are the most precious assets in our lives and we at Kingston have always strived to help our customers preserve their memories in the best way possible with our products and campaigns. Our unique partnership with CSD for the Kingston x CSD APAC Mask Design Competition, has helped us in our journey of bringing people closer with their most profound memories. We are overwhelmed to see so many contestants finding and sharing strength in their memories; their designs therefore embody deeper emotions that range from pleasant to more challenging times that they’ve encountered. Through this campaign, we are humbled to have been an intrinsic part of our contestants’ life-altering as well as inspiring moments."

Commenting on the stellar designs, Jonathan Chang, COO of CSD, said, "Over the past few years, CSD has redefined the concept of the face mask by infusing fashion elements into it. It is exhilarating to also see such innovation from the contestants. Not only have they evolved face mask into an individual canvas, but also redefined memories into a fashion statement with their brushstroke. I’m thrilled that our creative alliance with Kingston has pushed the boundaries and reinvented the notion of memory and face masks into a new form of art."

The top 10 designs were selected from over 3,100 entries, with 5 designs each under the two different judging criteria; the "3-Colors" group emphasized on creative patterns consist of only three colors, whereas the "Unlimited Colors" group stressed on how well contestants play with their colors.

The "3-Colors" Finalists:

Perfect Imperfections, Aljohn M. Matias (Philippines)
Siamese Fighting Fish, Waraporn Mamee (Thailand)
Lips & Water Chestnut, Wu Bo Yi (Taiwan)
Doodling Paper, Nguyen Dang Binh (Vietnam)
Sparkling Lenses, Rishabh Raj (India)

The"Unlimited Colors" Finalists: 

Love Memories Forever, Lilo Jong (Malaysia)
Construct X Deconstruction, Brenca Sun (Taiwan)
Summer memories in the wonder garden, Hsu, Hsing-Chen (Taiwan)
Breath of Energy, Tsuyoshi Artman (Japan)
Monster Nation, Yman.S (Malaysia)

People can now vote for their favorite designs and determine who will be the winner of the competition. Online voting starts January 27, 2021 and will end on February 7, 2021. For winner announcement for the fan-favorite awards and more details please refer to: http://kings.tn/Mask_Design_Finalists

Watch the top 10 finalists video in the pinned post here. Comment and share the video and other related social posts on Kingston’s social channels for a chance to win the exclusive Memory Box with facemasks of the top 10 designs!

Kingston can be found on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KingstonAPAC
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/KingstonAPAC

Kingston – Guarding Your Memories, Kingston is With You

Kingston has consistently safeguarded people’s precious memories for 33 years with the highest quality standards. By preserving people’s memories, we have become the driving force for progressive development. Resonating our long-term values, we believe that only with "memory" growth, there can be breakthroughs in "memory" technology. Only with excellent "memory", people can become the world’s best, and as an indispensable part of their memories – ‘Kingston is With You’.

From big data, to laptops and PCs, to IoT-based devices like smart and wearable technology, to design-in and contract manufacturing, Kingston helps deliver the solutions used to live, work and play. The world’s largest PC makers and cloud-hosting companies depend on Kingston for their manufacturing needs, and our passion fuels the technology the world uses every day. We strive beyond our products to see the bigger picture, to meet the needs of our customers and offer solutions that make a difference. To learn more about how Kingston Is With You, visit Kingston.com.

CSD – Health in Style

Founded in 1947, CSD, as the leader in Taiwan for health protection supplies, we have supplied reliable and quality medical suppliers to doctors and hospitals internationally, and have become a significant player in the process. With profound changes in homecare needs over the last few decades, brought about by the likes of SARS, COVID-19, etc. CSD took their expertise and applied it to their vision for the consumer homecare market. Since 2015, CSD has created a series of fashion medical face masks, which not only deliver high levels of safety and performance, but also combines health and style to an everyday homecare product. In addition, CSD has collaborated with multiple international boutique brands, as well as special events and concerts. For decades to come, from hospitals to the street, CSD will continue to redefine standards and set new trends – ‘Health in Style’.

Kingston and the Kingston logo are registered trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation.

Kingston and the Kingston logo are registered trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. IronKey is a registered trademark of Kingston Digital, Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Related Links :

http://www.kingston.com/

PR Newswire

Veritas Extends Cloud Capabilities Across Its Platform

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Acquires HubStor to expand enterprise SaaS data protection in the cloud

SINGAPORE, Jan. 27, 2021 — Veritas Technologies, a global leader in data protection, availability and insights, is today announcing major updates to its Enterprise Data Services Platform to provide customers with a single platform for all of their cloud environment use cases. Today’s advancements include the acquisition of HubStor to enable powerful enterprise Backup as a Service capabilities. Veritas is also launching NetBackup™ 9 with significant new features that simplify operations and provide customers with flexibility and choice for deployment across edge, core and cloud.

Greg Hughes, CEO of Veritas, said: "Today, more enterprises than ever rely on cloud services such as Microsoft 365, Slack and Box. But too few companies realise that they are responsible for implementing their own data protection policies for SaaS applications.  Adding HubStor to the Veritas portfolio allows customers to protect all their data, now including SaaS data, from a single platform, whether in the cloud, in the data centre or at the edge."

With today’s announcements, Veritas is further cementing its position as the leader in data protection, availability and insights across the multi-cloud. Its Enterprise Data Services Platform supports over 800 different data sources, over 100 different operating systems, more than 1,400 storage targets, and more than 60 different cloud platforms. 

Acquisition of HubStor

The acquisition of HubStor enables expanded protection for a variety of SaaS-based applications, including Microsoft 365, Slack, Box and Google Workspace. HubStor is built on a modern API-first architecture that provides a clear path for integration with the unified Enterprise Data Services Platform to simplify operations and reduce risk as part of a holistic data protection strategy.

HubStor has been developed to overcome some of the biggest barriers to cloud data protection faced by enterprises. It is designed from the ground up to meet the high performance and scalability demands needed to protect, manage and restore enterprise data sets. The integration of HubStor technology into the Veritas portfolio will provide customers with a SaaS backup solution that lets them:

  • Customise and tailor configurations to a highly granular level – even down to individual items.
  • Recover data through a simplified self-service portal for end-users.
  • Comply with data sovereignty requirements with access to data centre locations globally.
  • Discover insights on their backup environment through dashboards and reporting. 

HubStor’s technology harnesses the power of Microsoft Azure, giving customers access to the Azure platform’s global footprint for data sovereignty and replication needs, the ability to leverage other Azure services, and the option to use their own Azure subscription.

Chris Barry, Vice President, WW Enterprise Commercial & Strategy, Microsoft, said: "Veritas has long partnered with Microsoft to help customers manage and protect their most important data in the cloud. HubStor’s acquisition and integration with Veritas takes full advantage of a SaaS solution built on the Azure platform and delivers a backup as a service solution to customers across the globe that benefits from the scale, security, reliability and flexibility that Azure provides."

Michelle Bailey, Group Vice President, General Manager and IDC Research Fellow, said: "Businesses everywhere are embracing a multi-cloud strategy, which includes a greater reliance on SaaS-based services. Enterprises are becoming increasingly aware that while hybrid-cloud architectures can deliver huge benefits, they can also introduce complexity and risk if they’re not properly protected. We are already starting to see the consequences of ransomware attacks or compliance breaches where there is a gap in a transforming cloud environment and insufficient protection, availability or analytics. A standardised, consistent architecture across the data estate is critical to simplify operations and lower overall business risk. 

For additional information about today’s announcements, please join the Veritas Conquer Every Cloud virtual conference on February 17 – 18.

About Veritas

Veritas Technologies is a global leader in data protection, availability and insights. Over 80,000 customers – including 87 percent of the Fortune Global 500 – rely on us to abstract IT complexity and simplify data management. The Veritas Enterprise Data Services Platform automates the protection and orchestrates the recovery of data everywhere it lives, ensures 24/7 availability of business-critical applications, and provides enterprises with the insights they need to comply with evolving data regulations. With a reputation for reliability at scale and a deployment model to fit any need, Veritas Enterprise Data Services Platform supports more than 800 different data sources, over 100 different operating systems, more than 1,400 storage targets, and more than 60 different cloud platforms. Learn more at www.veritas.com. Follow us on Twitter at @veritastechllc.

Veritas, the Veritas Logo and NetBackup are trademarks or registered trademarks of Veritas Technologies LLC or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

PR Newswire

Longhorn extends Kubernetes-native storage capabilities to support edge deployments

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When used with Rancher, the latest Longhorn release allows DevOps teams to manage persistent data volumes from core to cloud to edge

NUREMBERG, Germany, Jan. 27, 2021 — SUSE, a global leader in true open source innovation and owner of the Rancher container management platform, today celebrates the release of Longhorn 1.1. Longhorn has been a Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) Sandbox project since October 2019. Since becoming generally available in June 2020, Longhorn adoption has increased by +235% to become a mainstay of the Kubernetes storage landscape. With this latest release, Rancher users can now leverage a Kubernetes-native storage solution in low-powered hardware at the edge.

Longhorn 1.1 allows DevOps teams to easily manage persistent data volumes in any Kubernetes environment while bringing an enterprise-grade but vendor neutral approach to cloud-native storage. With this latest update, Rancher users can build additional resilience into their edge environments with ARM64 support, new self-healing capabilities, and increased performance visibility provided by Longhorn 1.1.

Gartner predicts that by 2025, three-quarters of enterprise-generated data will be created and processed at the edge – outside a traditional centralized datacenter or cloud. That’s a sharp increase from just 10 percent in 2018. With this growth in mind, Longhorn 1.1 allows developers to confidently build applications and store data in edge environments on resource-constrained devices.

What’s New in Longhorn 1.1?

Longhorn is 100% open source, microservices-centric, and cloud-native storage for Kubernetes deployments. Longhorn 1.1 brings a host of new features and improvements for enterprise DevOps teams, including:

Robust Kubernetes-native storage at the Edge

Longhorn 1.1 extends Kubernetes-native storage capabilities to support edge deployments. It’s designed to help teams store data reliably within even the most hostile and resource-constrained environments. It also comes with support for ARM64 – one of the most requested features from the community.

Driving efficient container performance

Improving efficiency is consistently top of mind for users in the K8s community. Likely to be a popular introduction, Longhorn now offers ‘ReadWriteMany’ support across containers, giving developers an efficient persistent storage solution that enables volumes to be read and written across multiple containers at any time. Unlike ‘ReadWriteOnce’ methodologies, Longhorn 1.1 allows teams to share volume storage between different paths on different nodes.

Enhanced Visibility and Operations Support

Longhorn 1.1 brings better insights and functionality within an organization’s storage infrastructure. With new integrated support for Prometheus baked in, users now have real-time metrics of their storage health (monitoring, resource usage, tracking, etc.). With this support for Prometheus, users have a much more detailed view of cluster performance. Finally, with new support for CSI Snapshotter, users can create/restore backups via ‘kubectl’.

Boosted Maintenance Functionality

Another new arrival with Longhorn 1.1 is enhanced node maintenance capabilities. Longhorn now supports Kubernetes drain operations to aid users with the safe performance of node maintenance. Longhorn 1.1 also features the ability to recognize the existing disks on a new node, which provides a better operational environment for Cloud Providers.

Increased Resilience

Top of the priority list for most companies is mitigating network issues. A new Data Locality feature has been introduced with Longhorn 1.1 to increase resilience in unstable network conditions (e.g., in edge scenarios). This new capability will keep a storage replica local to the workload itself, ensuring that, even if the node temporarily loses network connectivity, access to storage will never be lost.

Longhorn 1.1 is much simpler than other software-defined storage solutions aiming to deliver fast, reliable storage to most use cases without the bloat of legacy approaches.

Existing users of Rancher can easily install Longhorn directly from Rancher’s app catalog. Longhorn is also free to download and use, and customers looking for support can purchase a premium support model with the same SLAs provided through SUSE Support Services. There are no licensing fees, and node-based subscription pricing keeps costs to a minimum.

Resources

  • Learn more about Persistent Storage, Built with CNCF Sandbox Project Longhorn here.
  • Get technical details about Longhorn 1.1 here.
  • Learn more about SUSE’s Kubernetes Management Platform, Rancher, at rancher.com.
  • Interested in Rancher certifications? Visit Rancher Academy.

About SUSE

SUSE is a global leader in true open source innovation, collaborating with partners, communities and customers to deliver and support robust open source software solutions. SUSE’s market leading Linux, Kubernetes, container and cloud offerings enable customers to innovate everywhere – from the data center, to the cloud, to the edge and beyond. SUSE puts the "open" back in open source, giving customers the agility to tackle innovation challenges today and the freedom to evolve their strategy and solutions tomorrow. 

For more information, visit www.suse.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the company, including statements containing the words "aims," "targets," "will," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," and similar expressions, may constitute forward-looking statements and should be read with caution. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including competitive landscape, development of customer deals, reliance upon customer relationships, management of growth and acquisitions, the possibility of undetected software issues, the risks of impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturns, pricing pressures and the viability of the Internet. In addition, any forward-looking statements included herein represent views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. The Company does not have any obligation to update its forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to change and should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date other than the date of this press release.

 

Related Links :

http://www.suse.com

PR Newswire

Dematic Automates Landmark Group’s Premier Distribution Center

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Multinational Retailer Consolidates Its Fulfillment Operations — Sets New Logistics Benchmark for the Middle East Market

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 27, 2021 — Dematic announces the completion of a new automated distribution center for the Landmark Group in Dubai, UAE, allowing the multinational retailer to consolidate the logistics activities for part of its five existing manual distribution sites.

Dematic Automates Landmark Group's Premier Distribution Center
Dematic Automates Landmark Group’s Premier Distribution Center

"The automation solution designed by Dematic allows our supply chain network to now operate with enhanced efficiency, productivity and transparency. With this investment, we are advancing technological progress and taking a pioneering position in our region," said Mihin Shah, Chief Supply Chain officer of Landmark Group. The new distribution center is located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), close to DP WORLD Jebel Ali Port, one of the largest container ports in the world. From this location, the Landmark Group stores and distributes garments, furniture, toys, small goods and more to nearly 1,400 of its retail stores and thereafter directly to end consumers.

"Landmark presented us with an opportunity to go beyond consolidating their fulfillment operations to becoming a partner in transforming their business," said Hasan Dandashly, Dematic President and CEO. "They have experienced remarkable growth in a short amount of time to become one of the largest retailers in the Middle East, Africa, and India, supplying over 2,300 businesses in 24 countries. We take pride in being the kind of resource that Landmark would trust to streamline their operations both to meet current demand and prepare for future success."

A distinctive feature of the 265,000 sqm site is a pallet warehouse (43 meters high) with a silo design and up to 36,000 storage locations for receiving goods. Inventory not immediately needed for distribution are palletized, then stored and retrieved double-deep via four 41 meter stacker cranes (Model SR-U1500/1) with two telescopic forks. The climate-regulated high-bay warehouse stores temperature sensitive items and is equipped with a fire prevention system with an oxygen-reduced environment so even highly flammable goods can be stored.

The Dematic Multishuttle system handles faster moving goods with a patented Inter-Aisle Transfer feature that makes maximum use of space with aisle-spanning exchanges and double-deep storage. With several lifts per aisle and conductor rail-controlled shuttles for high performance acceleration and speed, one shuttle can serve between 700 and 800 storage locations. As a result, up to 15,000 totes per hour can be transported to the picking stations, making it the largest and fastest Dematic has ever installed. "With this distribution center, we have set a logistics benchmark for the entire Middle East," Shah said.

The facility also offers enormous capacities for hanging textiles: The Dematic GOH system can accommodate up to 2 million garments and can achieve high throughput rates of up to 250,000 items per day.

The overall solution has more than 200 workstations with specific applications, including value added services such as customizing goods for specific retailers by adding tags, branding or promotional offers. An 11-kilometer Dematic conveyor system for containers and pallets and a Dematic sortation system completes the operation.

Dematic iQ software ensures smooth and optimal material flow to meet delivery commitments Landmark makes to their retailers. The software operates as a Warehouse Management System (WMS) for stock management and includes a Warehouse Control System (WCS) and a Material Flow Controller (MFC). Goods are dynamically repositioned in four automated warehouse sections and the temperature-controlled manual warehouse, based on current and forecasted demand.

The Dematic iQ software also efficiently handles hanging and flat goods within a single system to meet customer requirements and desired sequencing. At the same time, the software ensures that the right product is at the right place at all times by balancing the workload among the subsystems. "Automation offers scalability and speed while at the same time improving work safety," Shah said. As a result of the consolidated and automated operation, Landmark’s B2B and B2C customers can now depend on even better service.

For more information about Dematic, visit dematic.com, check out the Dematic Connections blog, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

About Dematic

Dematic is an intralogistics innovator that designs, builds and supports intelligent, automated solutions for manufacturing, warehouse and distribution environments for customers that are powering the future of commerce. With engineering centers, manufacturing facilities and service centers located in more than 25 countries, the Dematic global network of 10,000 employees has helped achieve more than 6,000 worldwide customer installations for some of the world’s leading brands. Headquartered in Atlanta, Dematic is a member of KION Group, one of the global leaders in industrial trucks and supply chain solutions, and a leading provider of warehouse automation.

About Landmark Group

Founded in 1973 in Bahrain, the Landmark Group has successfully grown into one of the largest and most successful retail organizations in the Middle East and India. An international, diversified retail and hospitality conglomerate that encourages entrepreneurship to consistently deliver exceptional value, the Group operates over 2,100 outlets encompassing over 30 million square feet across the Middle East, North Africa, India and South East Asia.

Landmark Group has a strong workforce of over 55,000 employees and provides a value-driven product range for the family through its retail concepts: Centrepoint, Babyshop, Splash, SHOEMART, Lifestyle, Max, Shoexpress, Home Centre, Home Box, Emax and UAE’s first food discounter, VIVA. In addition to the brands developed in-house, the Group also holds the franchise rights for some of the world’s leading fashion and footwear brands in the countries where it operates.

The Group brands ensure the delivery of a seamless shopping experience to customers through a keen focus on their e-commerce and omni-channel capabilities.

The Group has also diversified in the leisure, food and hospitality with Landmark Leisure, Citymax Hotels, Fitness First and Foodmark, the restaurant division, which operates the Group’s own and franchise food outlets.

As a high-volume retailer, Landmark Group operates the MENA region’s largest privately-owned logistics and distribution hub. The company has now advanced to offer 3PL Logistics services with the launch its fully-automated Mega Distribution Centre at JAFZA, Dubai under the brand name of Omega Logistics.

Disclaimer:

This release and the information contained herein are for information purposes only and do not constitute a prospectus or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g., changes in business, economic and competitive conditions (including with respect to further developments in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic), regulatory reforms, results of technical studies, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings and the availability of financing. We do not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.

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PR Newswire

DOBOT MG400 Desktop Collaborative Robot Unlocks New Possibilities for Robotic Applications

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MG400 looks to help small and midsized businesses beef up productivity with consumer-level accessibility and affordability.

SHENZHEN, China, Jan. 26, 2021 — DOBOT, a world-leading provider of intelligent robotic arm solutions, has recently unveiled DOBOT MG400, a lightweight desktop robot for automation and human-robot collaboration. MG400 is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter. Lately, DOBOT has raised 320 million yuan (about $50 million) in Series C Financing.

DOBOT MG400 Desktop Collaborative Robot Unlocks New Possibilities for Robotic Applications
DOBOT MG400 Desktop Collaborative Robot Unlocks New Possibilities for Robotic Applications

With one third the cost of a typical industrial robot, DOBOT aims to popularize access to robotic applications for every industry. MG400 seamlessly integrates into various manufacturing processes by performing tasks such as loading and unloading, dispensing, inspection, and testing. MG400 also excels in liquid handling and specimen processing at biomedical and chemical laboratories. Furthermore, it greatly facilitates automation and robotics research in universities.

"MG400 inherits our philosophy to prioritize compactness, cost efficiency and time saving. We’ve made it lightweight and flexible to help businesses automate existing processes and workflow across industries. Our ultimate goal to consumerize industrial-grade robots the way Apple did with personal computers." said Jerry Liu, founder and CEO of DOBOT.

Consumer-Level Ease of Use

  • 10 Minutes Deployment: Taking up the same footprint as a laptop and weighing only 8 kilos, MG400 is compact enough to sit workbench or work alongside an existing line or cell.
  • Multiple Controls for Beginners & Professionals: MG400 is programmable through teach and playback, graphical block program and LUA script.
  • Easy to Teach: Drag and move the robot to teach it a specific path.

Reassuringly Safe to Work Alongside

Powered by collision detection algorithm, MG400 achieves collision force threshold of less than 12N. MG400 needs no security fence and stops instantly when it touches an obstacle.

Industrial-Grade Performance

  • High Precision: guaranteed repeatability of up to±0.05mm, the same thickness as a human hair
  • Payload: 500g
  • Joint Maximum Speed: 300°/s
  • Reach: 440 mm

MG400 Kickstarter campaign: click here.

Media Kit: click here.

About DOBOT

DOBOT is a world-leading provider of intelligent robotics arm solutions. DOBOT has sold more than 40,000 robots in 100 countries, connecting over 200,000 in manufacturing, education and business. DOBOT has vast experience in mechanical transmission, robot structure design, dynamic control algorithm, low voltage DC motor and servo drive, securing 130 intellectual property rights and 72 software copyrights domestically and internationally.

PR Newswire

AI-based Platforms Transform the Global Water Sector, Finds Frost & Sullivan

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Technological advancements that require minimal maintenance or human interference become key value proposition differentiators in the water sector

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 26, 2021 — Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Digitalization Powering the Global Water Market, 2020, finds that smart sensors with advanced artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-based data analytics platforms are on the rise in the global water sector as they require minimal maintenance or human interference. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the sector’s technological need following supply chain disruptions and a labor shortage during lockdowns, which adversely impacted the growth of the water market globally. Due to the pandemic, the global water market  declined to $805.31 billion in 2020 from $947.89 billion in 2019. The market was projected to reach $1,014.54 billion in 2020, registering an impressive growth of 7%.

Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan

For further information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/573

"The water market could witness more high-level consolidation of data analytics platforms in the water sector. Cellular communication technologies, such as narrowband Internet of Things (NB IoT) and long-term evolution for machines (LTE-M), could become key enablers of growth penetration and digital transformation," said Paul Hudson, Energy & Environment Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Going forward, the product-as-a-service business model would become the most subscribed among customers for its equal risk allocation and ability to provide high value to customers."

Hudson added: "Smart decentralized water and wastewater treatment solutions are disrupting the market significantly. Low OPEX and holistic economic sustainability have become key drivers that enable the growth of decentralized treatment systems. Value-add services and solutions such as decision and predictive intelligence, along with a smart product line and effectively leveraging e-commerce platforms, could improve customer relationships and increase loyalty. These features have gained precedence due to the pandemic."

Despite the pandemic’s adverse impact on the global water sector, market participants can focus on the following growth prospects:

  • Hydration treatment systems market:
    • Filter-as-a-service: For price-sensitive customers, smart hydration treatment systems and solutions providers could offer the filter-as-a-service business model.
    • Flavor pack: To enhance customer relationships and brand loyalty, hydration treatment systems providers could add flavor and mineral packs as a value-add to their product line.
  • Municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment systems market:
    • Smart operation: Market participants must embrace smart operation and AI-based virtual assistance platforms that can significantly reduce the OPEX cost of a treatment plant.
  • Irrigation systems and solutions market:
    • Investment/mergers and acquisitions (M&A): Smart irrigation solution providers should invest in research and development (R&D) or M&A to provide holistic smart irrigation solutions.
  • Bottled water hydration market:
    • Leading brands are introducing recycled PET bottles to reduce plastic waste generation. Startups are experimenting with degradable plastics and paper-based bottles. Products with sustainable packaging will be in high demand.

Digitalization Powering the Global Water Market, 2020 is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan’s Energy & Environment research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion

Digitalization Powering the Global Water Market, 2020

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Business

Honeywell Empowers ASEAN Companies with New Solutions

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The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down, particularly when it comes to businesses. It has accelerated the shift from analogue to digital more than three fold and has forced businesses to think outside the box. Honeywell has been one of the companies that has been adapting to change to help deliver meaningful services to their customers. Over the past year, the company has developed services that allow their clients to address the ever changing landscape.

In the forefront of their service, the company has been focusing on empowering their customers digital transformation initiatives. With the growing need for tighter Cybersecurity measures and the increase of work from home arrangements, Honeywell is investing resources into its Honeywell Forge entreprise performance platform. The platform delivers actionable insights from real-time data that allow decisions to be made effectively.

Honeywell’s new offering is just the tip of the iceberg. The company’s rapid response to the changing needs driven by the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed them to create new products and offerings in a short period of time. The new innovations are focused on enabling companies in ASEAN maintain safety standards and compliance, create leaner operations, increase reliability of their critical assets while increasing productivity.

In addition to the Forge, Honeywell’s Remote Industrial Solutions has seen an uptick in adoption across ASEAN as businesses look to maintain business continuity. The remote solutions include Forge and Experion Remote operations. These programs allow the deployment of a remote workforce complete with cybersecurity solutions which ensure a secure connection between firewalls. It also allows IT departments to remotely deploy updates and patches to address any new or potential vulnerabilities.

The e-commerce industry is also being empowered by Honeywell in the ASEAN region. The region’s explosive growth in e-Commerce adoption has spurred the need for solutions that empower cold chain integrity for medical products. This also comes on top of solutions for Building Safety and Sanitization.