Monthly Archives: April 2021

PR Newswire

Bigwest Begins Global Release of Animation “Macross” Series from April 9

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TOKYO, April 22, 2021 — Bigwest Co., Ltd. has announced the release of all works that are part of the "Macross" franchise made after 1987 to a worldwide audience from April 9, 2021. This not only includes the "Macross Delta" film currently in production, but all new material that follows it as well. This is not limited to anime titles, but also includes games, toys, live performances and other content and merchandising as well. The company has prepared an official YouTube channel as well as a Twitter account for its fans.

Image1: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106613/202104153719/_prw_PI3fl_9AaaL6P7.jpg

Twitter: @MACROSS_BIGWEST
https://twitter.com/MACROSS_BIGWEST

YouTube: MACROSS ch
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKeM8HXpwR0qc0RtH0GKyMg

About "Macross" series:

The SF anime series "Macross" has three main thematic elements: music, a love triangle, and transforming fighter planes called Valkyrie.

Image2: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/release/202104153719?p=images

Bigwest has messages from members of the main creative staff behind "Macross," Mr. Shoji Kawamori and Mr. Haruhiko Mikimoto, that the company would like to share with fans.

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202104153719-O1-uk0x3CIp.pdf

About Bigwest Co., Ltd.:

Bigwest Co., Ltd., is the owner’s representative of the "Macross" series. Its main duties are planning and producing the anime, and managing the licenses and copyrights.

Accessories, Android, Consumer Electronics, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Samsung’s Galaxy Upcycling Programme Turns Your Old Smartphones into an IoT device!

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There is a problem with the smartphone and smart device industry today. That problem is accentuated by the accelerated growth of the industry as well. It is not just a localised problem, mind you.

That problem is electronic waste. Technically, electronic waste has started becoming a problem since electronics have become a part of our lives. Today, electronics are an excessively big part of our lives. Wherever you go, you carry your smartphones with you. Every where you go too, you are exposed to at least one electronic display that is not your smartphone. When these devices go out of phase and gets replaced, it becomes electronic waste. We are sure you could be spared from the lecture though.

In that case, plenty of the current electronics manufacturers look for ways to reduce their own electronic waste, or waste in general in some cases. Apple claimed that they are reducing their own electronic wastes by not including charging adapters when you buy your Apple iPhone 12 series devices. Samsung followed suit with their Samsung Galaxy S20 devices. Superficial or not, you have to admit that your old chargers are still effective in charging your modern devices, albeit at a slightly lower speed (that also protects your battery a little bit).

Source: Samsung

Samsung also took liberties in redesigning their packaging so that users can opt to repurpose their unused packaging for some other purposes, like a pencil holder or something. This is all part of their Galaxy Upcycling Programme, very clever stuff. But your old smartphones are still collecting dust in your drawer.

With SmartThings Labs though, your old Samsung Galaxy devices can stop collecting dust in your drawer and be a smart home accessory. Of course, this is not a new thing that we have heard about. Samsung has been talking about upcycling their older Galaxy devices into an IoT device for a couple of years now, correct us if we are wrong.

Via SmartThings Labs within the SmartThings app on a Galaxy device, your old device can now become an enhanced sound and light sensor.  The implementation uses Galaxy’s improved Artificial Intelligence (AI) to accurately distinguish sounds in its surroundings. It can even record certain sounds too, if you want it to. You can get it to record knocks, dogs barking, baby crying, and even cat meowing. If any of those sounds are recorded, it will send notification to your current smartphone of choice and you can listen to the recording yourself. Nothing too new here, except you do not need the camera function.

Source: Samsung

Other than sounds, Samsung Galaxy device can be turned into a light sensor. Thanks to the existing light sensor on your smartphones, the Galaxy devices can measure the brightness level of a room quite accurately. That could also be an indication to automatically turn on the lights in a room or even adjust the brightness level of your TV through SmartThings.

What makes it cleverer is that Samsung’s SmartThings implementation to make your device a smart sensor for sounds and lights technically reduces its battery consumption as well. Your smartphones already uses its mic and light sensors constantly anyway, which also means that they devices already consume minimal battery life on their own. With the implementation though, Samsung also introduces their very own battery optimisation solution to minimise battery consumption. We suspect that the implementation turns off other sensors in favour of the sensors the device has exclusive access to for the purpose of measuring light and sounds. So, is this another glorified light sensor? Sort of, but it is a start.

PR Newswire

SenSen: North American Operations and Expansion Update

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HIGHLIGHTS

  • SenSen’s Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) from North America to exceed A$1.5M per annum driven by new orders from Chicago Parking Meters and contract renewals from existing customers in the region.
  • Increases SenSen’s current overall ARR guidance to ~A$4.5m for FY2022 and beyond, based on current confirmed orders and contracts.
  • Completed hiring of key marketing and sales executives to accelerate growth in the region; and additional staff hired to increase key account management and customer support in the region.
  • Opened North American headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, fitted with a range of SenSen solutions for demonstrations and customer sales
  • Established multiple channel partner engagements to increase sales momentum in the region.
  • SenSen to participate and present at multiple vertical-focused industry trade shows and conferences in the region in the next six months to support marketing efforts and promote SenSen solutions in the region.

MELBOURNE, SYDNEY and LAS VEGAS, April 21, 2021 — Leading Smart Cities and AI software solutions provider SenSen Networks Limited (ASX: SNS, OTCQB: SNNSF, "SenSen" or "the Company") is pleased to provide an update on its expanding US Operations.

Revenue and Sales

On the back of new orders and contract extensions, SenSen’s ARR from North America has crossed A$1.5M, which consists of:

  • Revenue from new orders from Chicago Parking Meters;
  • Contract renewals and extensions from the cities of Calgary and Edmonton (Canada);
  • Contract renewals from customers of the recently acquired Snap Network Surveillance’s multi-camera people tracking software; and
  • Locked in contract with the City of Las Vegas (Nevada) for parking management & enforcement.

This represents strong growth in overall revenue and particularly ARR from North America, which currently accounts for over one third of SenSen’s contracted ARR (~A$4.5m) in FY2022. ARR growth is expected to continue, with new channel partner arrangements being established and targeted sales and marketing activities underway.

SenSen’s revenue base in North America now completely funds operations in the US and Canada, providing a strong platform for organic growth as the US economy re-emerges from the impacts of COVID-19 shutdown. SenSen’s stable of flagship North American customers demonstrates a stable, high-reference client base to further accelerate growth in sales in the region.

Chicago Parking Meters

In the American Midwest, SenSen is working with Chicago Parking Meters (www.parkchicago.com) to provide parking and traffic analytics in the City of Chicago (Illinois), the third-largest US city. After SenSen successfully completed the POC trial, Chicago Parking Meters has ordered multiple systems from SenSen to improve the efficiency of its on-street parking management operations, which are currently being prepared for deployment in Q4 2021. Additional systems are planned for procurement in the coming months. These systems are expected to deliver both upfront and recurring revenues to SenSen.

Snap Network Surveillance

SenSen received its first set of orders from Snap Network Surveillance (Snap) customers since the acquisition in December 2020. Snap’s AI-powered multi-camera networked tracking technology is currently being implemented for customers through various resellers – A3 Communications (South Carolina), A+ Technology (New York City) and Southeast Security (Ohio). SenSen will receive annual software maintenance fees from these customers.

These new orders are a positive endorsement of the value Snap technology brings to its customers. SenSen has developed a targeted market education and outreach plan to promote Snap’s multi-camera person tracking and other solutions to this loyal base of partners and end customers, including airports, high-security prisons, shopping centres, universities, casinos, and law enforcement organisations.

City of Las Vegas

SenSen worked extensively with the City of Las Vegas to install Smart City technology on roads, car parks and garages across the city as well as outfitting a range of council vehicles with smart sensors, including scooters and Segways. As part of the progressive roll-out of SenSen systems under the contract with the City, multiple SenSen systems to improve the efficiency of on-street and off-street parking management have gone into production within the City of Las Vegas.

Additional systems are expected to go into production in the coming weeks. As announced previously, these systems generate both upfront and ongoing revenues.

SenSen has become a significant technology partner of the City of Las Vegas. SenSen was recently invited to participate in a paid smart curbside corridor pilot program with the City of Las Vegas in collaboration with Cox Communications (www.cox.com) to explore new avenues to leverage SenSen technology.

The pilot’s objective is to use technology solutions to monitor congestion in high-traffic areas of downtown Las Vegas for the next six months with the aim of optimising efficiency for all types of transport, especially rideshares and taxis. The innovative public-private partnership trial covers six parking spots along the sidewalk adjacent to the 100 block of Main Street with two digital kiosks that utilise SenSen’s video analytics and smart parking technology to better manage active curb loading zones for taxis and rideshares, making conditions safer for visitors and pedestrians.

Video analytics from the devices along the curb will capture vehicle and license plate information and send utilisation data to the kiosks to kick off a countdown timer. If a vehicle remains in the loading zone after the countdown ends, the system reports the incident directly to the city, ensuring a constant flow of traffic. 

US office now open

Under a special grants program, the City of Las Vegas invited SenSen to open its new US office at the Las Vegas International Innovation Center, a premium, high-profile location in Downtown Las Vegas. The location is offered to companies, at subsidised rates, that are considered to be future disruptors in the technology space that align with City of Las Vegas priorities – including companies operating in IoT (Internet of Things), artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, cybersecurity, water science and advanced mobile data.

In late March, SenSen opened its new office, which features a showroom / demonstration area for marketing to potential Smart Cities and gaming customers. SenSen will benefit from a Las Vegas address as the world’s leading convention city and a convener of business on a global scale. The city’s supportive policy environment and growing focus on innovation make it an ideal location to test and develop SenSen’s new technologies.

New Staff Hires in the region

Following SenSen’s successful $7.15M international expansion capital raise in January 2021, SenSen has completed the recruitment of a number of senior executives to accelerate sales and marketing in North America, including:

  • Senior sales executive focused on the casino market;
  • Senior sales executive focused on the security & surveillance market;
  • Account manager to support and manage high-value direct customers; and
  • Pre-sales and post-sales technical support staff.

SenSen’s North American team now constitutes six staff with four more to join the team before the end of June 2021, including an additional senior sales executive focused on the Smart Cities market and customer support.

"I am delighted to hit the ground running by hiring new staff and setting up our new US Headquarters to help execute our expansion plans in North America," said SenSen CEO Dr Subhash Challa.  

"While our Smart Cities deals in Chicago and Las Vegas are built around our core strength in Intelligent Transport Solutions, we have multiple pipeline opportunities across all our verticals to pursue.

"In a post-pandemic world, we see significant potential to expand revenues in the US and other geographies. These newly announced contracts will significantly add to our previously announced revenues for FY2021, but even more importantly, will add to our growing ARR profile from FY2022."

This release is approved by the Board of SenSen.

About SenSen Networks Limited

SenSen is focused principally on the development, commercialisation and supply of innovative, data-driven business process enhancement solutions, designed to assist customers in their business operations and significantly improve business efficiency and productivity. SenSen provides video analytics and artificial intelligence data analytics software solutions to customers in the intelligent transportation systems and gaming sectors located in Australia, US, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Europe, India, and UAE.

Disclaimer – forward-looking statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon management’s current expectations, estimates, projections and beliefs in regards to future events in respect to SenSen’s business and the industry in which it operates. These forward-looking statements are provided as a general guide and should not be relied upon as an indication or guarantee of future performance. The bases for these statements are subjected to risk and uncertainties that might be out of control of SenSen Networks Limited and may cause actual results to differ from the release. SenSen Networks Limited takes no responsibility to make changes to these statements to reflect change of events or circumstances after the release.

PR Newswire

US Companies Invest in Switched Ethernet Services to Connect to Cloud-based Applications, Says Frost & Sullivan

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Enterprises are evaluating the benefits of fixed versus usage-based network services to align with pay-as-you-go cloud-based services

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 22, 2021 — Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis finds that continued demand for bandwidth and cloud connectivity needs are sustaining Ethernet demand in the United States business markets. Market maturity, downward pricing pressure, and lack of sustained demand for point-to-point Ethernet services with SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) will result in the market dropping from $6.35 billion in 2021 to $5.94 billion by 2024. COVID-19 has forced many enterprises to alter their strategies, while some have decided to hold off on making network purchase decisions, others invested in site upgrades because there was a demand for increased bandwidth. This study presents key trends, market revenue and ports forecasts, a market share analysis, and growth opportunities. It is segmented by transport distance (metro versus long haul) and service type (dedicated or port-based services versus switched or VLAN-aware services).

ethernet
ethernet

For further information on this analysis, Business Carrier Ethernet Services Market Update, United States, please visit: http://frost.ly/5i5

"Although the market is declining, there is still demand from enterprises that consume Ethernet services for their flexibility, scalability, and reliability," said Gina Sanchez, Industry Principal, Frost & Sullivan. "There will be a sustained call for switched services (Ethernet virtual private line (EVPL) services, in particular) since companies benefit from purchasing a single user network interface (UNI) port and creating multiple Ethernet virtual circuit (EVC) to share the bandwidth among different applications."

Sanchez added: "The adoption of Ethernet by enterprises to connect to cloud-based applications is driving the demand for dynamic bandwidth capacity on Ethernet networks. Enterprise users are evaluating the benefits of fixed versus usage-based network services to align with pay-as-you-go cloud-based services. Therefore NSPs are increasingly shifting from selling fixed bandwidth services to dynamic bandwidth options using SDN technologies." 

Market participants should closely look at the following growth opportunities:

  • Support for Continued Demand for Bandwidth: As enterprises seek higher-capacity ports to support the growth in bandwidth-hungry applications, network service providers (NSPs) must offer speed configurations, ensuring the service’s reliability through strong service-level agreements (SLAs) and performance management solutions that build customer trust.
  • Cloud Connectivity and Cloud Services: As companies focus on network performance and reliability, NSPs must provide flexible and scalable approaches to Ethernet services. Expanding footprint and network is also important.
  • Focus on Customer Experience: Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF)-defined products are a basic feature, and network service providers should focus on the customer’s digital experience to differentiate their offerings (portals, systems, and processes).
  • Leverage Dynamic Ethernet Services: Service providers should give customers greater control over their network and bandwidth efficiency. Dynamic Ethernet, or bandwidth on demand, is important.

Business Carrier Ethernet Services Market Update, United States, 2020 is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan’s Information and Communication Technology 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

Business Carrier Ethernet Services Market Update, United States, 2020

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Srihari Daivanayagam, Corporate Communications
P: +91 44 6681 4412
E: srihari.daivanayagam@frost.com
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PR Newswire

DevOps Institute Announces the ‘Upskilling 2021: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report’

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With new data gathered from over 2,000 IT professionals worldwide, the report shows the continued adoption of DevOps must be supported through a learning organization and the continuous development of multi-faceted, skilled DevOps professionals

BOCA RATON, Fla., April 21, 2021 — DevOps Institute, a global professional association for advancing the human elements of DevOps, today announced the release of the "Upskilling 2021: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report." In its third year, the report examines DevOps hiring trends around the globe within enterprise IT organizations of all sizes. In addition to DevOps roles, the report examines the top skill domains and associated must-have skills within these domains, which are essential for a successful DevOps journey. Data in the 2021 report is based on research gathered from an open survey of more than 2,000 respondents from organizations of all sizes around the world.

Infographic Source: DevOps Institute, ‘Upskilling 2021: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report’. Learn more at https://devopsinstitute.com/.
Infographic Source: DevOps Institute, ‘Upskilling 2021: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report’. Learn more at https://devopsinstitute.com/.

The report is available for download at https://info.devopsinstitute.com/2021-upskilling-report-download

"DevOps Humans remained in-demand, despite a global pandemic that upended our ways of life and business," said Jayne Groll, CEO of DevOps Institute. "This is a testament to the importance and value of DevOps transformations at companies across industries and around the globe. The findings in the 2021 Upskilling Report give us clarity into the evolution of DevOps Humans and how IT organizations will shape their talent-based structures in 2021 and beyond."

The research and data analysis was led by DevOps Institute’s Chief Research and Content Officer, Eveline Oehrlich, with support from Platinum Sponsor, GitLab; Gold Sponsors, CloudBees and The LLPA; Bronze Sponsors, Tricentis and HCL Software; and Media Sponsor, MediaOps.

Key Findings from the ‘Upskilling 2021: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report’ include:

  • Stop talking about being a learning organization and start acting. Seventy percent of survey respondents said that a learning organization was a predominant model–the DevOps way of working–while 45 percent leaned toward a safety culture. And, while 39 percent of IT teams are still struggling with a defined and systematic upskilling program, 52 percent of organizations already have a formally designed upskilling program or are currently developing one.
  • Hiring for DevOps initiatives is high. COVID-19 has not stopped the hiring of DevOps roles. Sixty percent of organizations are recruiting now or in the future.
  • Capabilities and skill development must go hand in hand. DevOps teams must assess which critical capabilities they can perform or not, across key areas. But capabilities must be supported with skilled DevOps Humans. Upon examining the priority domain skill categories, the survey data shows that the essential combination of skills for a successful DevOps human are across the automation, human, technical, functional, process and framework knowledge skill domain categories.  
  • Pressure continues to force old IT operating models to change.  As new forms of hybrid computing are on the rise, it gives application developers more freedom to choose tools and programming languages. As this increases, IT operations teams not yet practicing DevOps feel more pressure to embrace DevOps. 
  • Value Stream Management (VSM) skills are seen by 39 percent of respondents as a must-have skill within the process and framework skill domain. DevOps and Agile practices have been adopted to innovate and create more iterative approaches for software development and delivery. However, the value must come through the customer lens. This is where VSM comes in. In simple terms, understanding and examining value streams of software being delivered end-to-end enables teams to make complex processes visible and provides the ability to pivot towards further value improvement.
  • The adoption of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) as an operating model is 22 percent in 2021 compared to 15 percent in the previous year. SRE is needed to continue automation and reduce toil. Forty-seven percent of the survey respondents voted SRE skills as a must-have skill in the process and framework skill domain this year compared to 28 percent in the previous year’s survey.
  • DevSecOps is a key trend. Security is integral to protect the business and enforce internal and external policies of the company. DevSecOps makes security an equal consideration alongside development and operations. According to survey participants, DevSecOps achieved a must-have percentage vote of 56 percent in the automation tool category.
  • New models such as DataOps and ModelOps are showing up. DataOps was voted by 27 percent as a must-have skill domain in the automation tool skill domain, whereas ModelOps received 22 percent. These new models are shaping the ongoing iterations of DevOps operating models.
  • DevOps Engineers are the most in-demand job title this year. It represents 53 percent of recently recruited DevOps positions. The DevOps engineer’s responsibility might differ from company to company, but all should be engaged in upskilling themselves and their teams.

"Our research shows that the future of DevOps at any organization is dependent upon the breadth and depth of capabilities and the supporting skills of the team members and within the team," said Oehrlich. "A successful DevOps journey (actually any journey) has the DNA of a learning organization which means there is a commitment of continuous learning across all layers and players. Team members have changed their mental models to look at different views working in a collective and collaborative team. For example, problems and mistakes are opportunities to learn. This ability to continuously learn enables individuals and teams to work better together across boundaries regardless of process, team or technology boundaries. This mental continuous learning model will take time to develop, adapt and apply. Still, each individual can bring their skills and abilities to shape the bigger collective effort of DevOps. For everyone in IT, this is an exciting time to unlock your power, abilities and skills to accelerate your DevOps journey and that of your team and company. DevOps Human readiness and organizational learning must take on new importance now and in this next normal."

DevOps Institute Membership
DevOps Institute now offers a tiered professional membership model. Membership levels include Basic, Premium, Government/Nonprofit, Educator, and Enterprise Membership options, with Student and In-Transition member tiers to follow. DevOps Institute Professional Membership offers exclusive access to leading DevOps resources, discounted certification exams, DevOps capability assessments, premium content, discounted DevOps simulation experiences, members-only networking opportunities, career center access, and more. Join or learn more at https://devopsinstitute.com/membership

Share This: New Findings! The @DEVOPSINST Upskilling 2021: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report is now live! Download it to discover the latest trends for the #HumansofDevOps: http://bit.ly/PRUpskilling21

About DevOps Institute
DevOps Institute is a professional member association. Our mission is to advance the human elements of DevOps.

We create a safe and interactive ecosystem where members can network, gain knowledge, grow their careers, lead and initiate, and celebrate professional achievements.

We inspire thought leadership and knowledge by connecting and enabling the global member community to drive human transformation in the digital age.

Web | https://devopsinstitute.com/ 
Twitter | @DEVOPSINST
LinkedIn | /devops-institute
YouTube | DevOps Institute
Instagram | @humansofdevops 

Media Contact:
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Catapult PR-IR
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jdouglas@catapultpr-ir.com

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Podcast

Tech & Tonic Podcast S02E08 – Do Foldable Smartphones and Tablets Make More Sense in 2021?

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Oops, we mentioned Episode 6 in the podcast!

In truth, there has been plenty happening in the past two weeks, and that is why there was an extra week gap between Episode 7 and Episode 8. Still, we open the week with a leak and rumours from Samsung’s camp. There is a certain foldable tablet that is in the works in their labs. At the same time, the prices of their foldable devices have dropped quite significantly. In that case, does it make sense for you to consider getting a foldable smartphone for 2021? Does the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 make more sense now that it is priced at only MYR 6,999, a whole MYR 1,000 less than before? What about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip that is now MYR 3,999? Should you bet your money on other folding devices even (save for laptops)?

We discuss this and more on this episode of Tech & Tonic Podcast.

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Accessories, News

Sony’s WH-1000XM4 Gets an Elegant Silent White Edition

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Sony’s WH-series headphones are no stranger to the market. In fact, if you’ve been looking for a formidable wireless headphone to add to your arsenal, you’ve probably been recommended the WH-1000XM3 or WH-1000XM4. The headphones have created a paradigm shift in audio experiences since their introduction back in 2019. The headphones continue to be one of the most in demand headphones even with the introduction of the WH-1000XM4.

The WH-1000XM4 is getting a little bit more special with a limited, special edition. The new Silent White edition up-classes the already elegant design of the WH-1000XM4 with a new pearlescent white. Sony’s choice of pearlescent white permeates the whole package from the headphones themselves to the accessories that come with it. The new finish also comes with an additional coating of paint which makes it even more stain resistant. The additional layer also preserves the high quality white finish.

Beauty isn’t just skin deep with the new Silent White WH-1000XM4. The headphones come with the same technology that makes the line up a must have for audiophiles. It comes with Sony’s most advanced noise cancelling technology powered by the QN1 noise cancelling processor. This is, of course, augmented by Sony’s dual noise sensor technology which brings an improved algorithm for better noise cancelling. The audio experience is further enhanced by a Bluetooth audio system on chip which dynamically adapts to noise, music and acoustics. Edge-AI and DSEE Extreme ensures that users get the full fidelity of sound by accurately rebuilding loss audio data lost during digital compression.

Pricing & Availability

If you’re itching to get the Silent White WH-1000XM4, you’ll have to wait a few more weeks until May 2021 in Malaysia. They will be available at the Sony Stores in Suria KLCC and The Curve as well as the Sony Store Online. You’ll need to be quick though, as they will only be available in limited quantities at a recommended retail price of MYR1,799.

They will also be available in Europe starting May, 20201 for €430 (MYR2,126.75)/£400 (MYR2,295.02). Availability in the the U.S. will start in summer with a recommended retail price of $399.99 (MYR1,646.90).

PR Newswire

Growatt receives Top Brand PV Inverters awards across global solar markets

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BERLIN, April 21, 2021 — Growatt managed to excel in global solar markets last year and consolidate its leading brand positions in spite of the pandemic. German market research company EUPD Research has awarded the company nine Top Brand PV Inverters seals for achievements in Europe, Australia, South Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Poland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary and Scandinavia, recognizing its outstanding performance and leading positions in terms of reliability, market penetration, brand awareness and satisfaction.

Growatt receives Top Brand PV Inverters awards across global solar markets
Growatt receives Top Brand PV Inverters awards across global solar markets

"Growatt has been building local teams in major solar markets over the years as our business expands globally," said Lisa Zhang, marketing director at Growatt. By the end of 2020, the company has shipped over 2.6 million inverters to more than 100 countries. So far, Growatt has established an extensive service network with 14 offices and warehouses worldwide. "By adopting this localization strategy, we significantly improve the efficiency of product delivery, technical support and customer service."

Zhang also attributed the achievements to the growing popularity of Growatt’s X inverter series that feature sleek and compact design, safer and smarter functionalities. "We are very glad to see our product innovations being well received by our clients and users around the world", said Zhang. "Our new generation inverters have a wide capacity range from 750W to 253kW and can be used for residential, commercial and utility-scale solar PV projects."

To meet its surging demand, the company has built a new factory in Huizhou city of China to boost its production capacity. The new facility, covering an area of 200,000 square meters, features advanced production lines, stringent quality control system, automated transfer and storage system. "With 20GW annual output, we are able to meet the growing demand across global solar markets and make sure customers can have access to smart clean energy with our advanced and reliable products," Zhang concluded.

About Growatt

Growatt is a global leader of smart energy solutions and provides residential, commercial and large scale PV inverters, energy storage, microgrid systems and smart energy management solutions. Growatt ranks among global top 10 PV inverter suppliers according to IHS Markit and Wood Mackenzie. Founded in 2010, Growatt has established an extensive network with 14 branches worldwide. By the end of 2020, Growatt had shipped over 2.6 million inverters to more than 100 countries around the world.

Contact: Whiskey Lu, whiskey.lu@growatt.com  

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Consumer Electronics, iOS, Lifestyle, News

The 2021 Generation Apple TV 4K – Even Better and Even Cleverer, Cleverer Than Your Smart TV

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Apple’s Spring Loaded event for 2021 revealed the highly anticipated iMac and iPad Pro that both packs Apple’s M1 chip that you can also find on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. They also revealed a new Apple TV 4K though. While the entirety of the Apple TV box does not look different from the outside, there are improvements made on the Apple TV 4K.

For one, it now comes with Apple’s A12 Bionic chip. To be fair, that is not the latest Apple integrated chip in their line-up. The A12 chip though is still one tough and powerful chip to work with in the Apple TV 4K box. It powers the updated tvOS that seamlessly integrates with all sorts of Apple devices. You can even watch Apple TV with your AirPods if you really want to with the Apple TV 4K.

There is also a new remote that comes with the 2021 Apple TV 4k. The new remote is designed to somewhat resemble an iPhone, we feel. Aside from that though the remote is made to be as intuitive as ever and with a dedicated Siri button on the side to make reaching Siri voice command more seamless and hassle free than ever.

Source: Apple

Of course, the 2021 Apple TV 4K will still come with all the things that made the Apple TV 4K one of the favourite TV boxes around. The tvOS offers the latest shows from Apple TV+ (with subscription, of course), offers best in class music experience via Apple Music, features Apple Fitness+ to pair with your Apple Watch, Apple Arcade for over-the-top games, AirPlay to seamlessly share videos, music, projects, and other content from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac devices directly to your TV. The Apple TV 4K box is also your home control hub for all your HomeKit accessories, including your HomePod speakers.

Beyond that though, Apple TV 4K now support HDR and Dolby Vision contents at 60fps instead of the regular 30fps. While it is not quite 120hz ready, 60fps is quite a lot more than enough for most video contents today. 60fps would really change the way you view sports too.

The cleverest feature of the Apple TV 4K in 2021 though is the clever colour calibration process that works with the Apple iPhone. The 2021 Apple TV 4K works in tandem with the iPhone light sensor to compare the colour balance between your TV to the industry standard. Once the data is received by the Apple TV 4K box, it automatically adjusts its output to deliver more accurate colours and better colour contrasts without users ever touching the TV’s settings.

  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple

The Apple TV 4K is now available in select regions at US$ 179 (MYR 849*) onward. There are no colour options available for Apple TV 4K at this point, you get a black TV box and silver remote. You can opt for a larger storage for the Apple TV 4K at 64GB for US$ 199 (MYR 949*). The Apple TV Siri remote is also available separately at US$ 59 (MYR 299*) and is compatible with previous generation Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD. The Apple TV HD with the Siri remote will be available at US$ 149 (MYR 719*). There is no confirmation on local (Malaysia) availability yet at this point. More information on the Apple TV 4K and the new Siri remote can be found on Apple’s website.

*Official Malaysia pricing as per Apple Malaysia

iOS, Mobile, News

The Apple iPad Pro with Apple M1 chip – The Most Powerful Ever

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When Apple introduced the wonder that is the Apple M1 chip to the world, we had a question. We wondered what would Apple’s iPadOS would look like and feels like with the Apple M1 chip behind it. We could only hope for Apple to inevitably launch their new iPad Pro line-up with the Apple M1 processor; it only makes sense.

We wonder no more when Apple got through its Spring Loaded event this morning (Malaysia time). They announced the highly anticipated updated Apple iPad Pro with the Apple M1 processing chip. Traditionally, the Apple iPad Pro has always come with Apple’s mobile platform. The 2020 variant, for example packs Apples A12Z bionic System on a Chip (SoC). In which case, we always thought of the iPad Pro to be a larger version of the iPad made for light workloads in workplaces.

The Apple M1 chip changes everything we know and thought of the Apple iPad Pro though. The Apple iPad Pro, with the power of a powerful Apple M1 chip that is also found in the Mac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and even the new iMac should be a completely new beast altogether. It also makes the most powerful iPad Pro ever leaps and bounds better than the older iPad Pro it replaces. The 2021 iPad Pro now makes more sense than ever.

Source: Apple

Do not get us wrong, the iPad Pro still looks like the regular blown-up Apple iPad. You choose between an 11-inch display and a 12.9-inch display. Put the new iPad Pro against the new iPad and the iPad Pro still dwarfs the iPad.

Thanks to Apple’s M1 chip though, the iPad Pro can be more computer than tablet in a lot of areas. For one, you get up to 2TB in high-speed storage instead of a measly 1TB (up to). It is also now a USB Type-C device with Thunderbolt support, finally. That also means you can work off multiple displays with the iPad Pro if you have a Thunderbolt ready display or expansion dock. But most of all, along with 16GB of RAM, the iPad Pro now delivers desktop level performance in a package no larger than a small stack of A4 paper.

The M1 chip has proven itself to be a highly capable chip in the Mac platform and it should prove to be a little bit of an overkill for the likes of iPad OS. But that does not mean that you cannot harness the benefit of the M1 chip on a tablet form factor. The added power also means that you can now process videos quicker and at higher resolutions on top of the iPad Pro itself. The M1 chip also allows the iPad Pro to go through photos and edit them quickly. Very important when you are constantly on-the-go.

Source: Apple

On top of all of that, the Apple iPad Pro with 12.9-inch display features a new Liquid Retina XDR display that features a new age mini-LED design with over 10,000 LEDs backlighting the display to allow brightness at up to 1,600 in peak brightness and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. That also means you can rely on this single display when you really need to get your work going on the go. Its True Tone and P3 colour gamut coverage also means that you can even use this display to colour correct all your video footages or even photos. The combination of those two technologies with ProMotion also means you can really enjoy HDR and Dolby Vision contents on the large display.

The Apple iPad Pro also comes packing a 12-Megapixel mean rear camera and a 10-Megapixel ultra-wide camera supported by a LiDAR scanner. While that is nothing really new on an iPad Pro, they are still great cameras for quick video productions even. But the iPad Pro also now supports Centre Stage via its 12-Megapixel front-facing ultra-wide angle camera that automatically keeps you centered in the frame and automatically shifts and zooms as other people joins the call or when you move around. Of course, the 12-Megapixel sensor allows you to have a Full HD video call experience via FaceTime along with Face ID features.

  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple
  • Source: Apple

The Apple iPad Pro will be available for orders 30th April 2021 onward and ship May 2021 onward in selected markets. You can choose between two colour variants and two screen sizes, Space Grey or Silver, and 11-inch (Liquid Retina) or 12.9-inch (Liquid Retina XDR). Storage options start from 128GB all the way to 2TB. The WiFi only variant of the iPad Pro (11-inch) starts at US$ 749(MYR 3,499*)  while the cellular (5G capable) variant starts at US$ 999 (MYR4,149*). The 12.9-inch starts at US$ 1,099 (MYR 4,799*) for the WiFi only variant and the cellular (5G capable) variant starts at US$ 1,299 (MYR 5,499*).

*Official Malaysia pricing as per Apple Malaysia