GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 30, 2021 — In recent weeks, the first hydrogen engine independently developed by GAC was successfully ignited, marking the entry of GAC Group technology into the zero-carbon emission era.
This exciting technology leap also demonstrates the strength of GAC MOTOR’s commitment to new energy and a new era for the automobile industry.
Cutting Edge In-House Technology
The zero-carbon emissions engine was independently developed based on GAC’s fourth-generation engine technology. GAC Group holds completely independent intellectual property rights to the technology.
Using core hydrogen engine technology as a foundation, GAC R&D Centers optimized the technology with a number of innovations.
These include the newly developed combustion chamber, which improves the mixing process of hydrogen and air, and improvements to the hydrogen supply system, which improves power density and reduces the risk of hydrogen leakage.
The new engine also boasts improved heat dissipation capacity, further minimizing combustion risks. By strengthening engine pistons, piston rings and connecting rods, heat dissipation has been improved in both the cylinder head and cylinder block, a seemingly small change that creates a big improvement in reliability and operation. The target thermal efficiency of this engine is expected to exceed 44%, a leading domestic standard.
Looking to a Greener Hydrogen Future
The stable operation and superior performance output of the GAC hydrogen engine is just one example of the many ways GAC MOTOR is moving towards the manufacturing of the future.
The GAC R&D Centers will continue to carry out thermodynamic calibration and mechanical development of the hydrogen engine, with the eventual aim of loading the entire whole vehicle.
GAC will also work collaboratively to promote industrial chains for hydrogen production, storage and hydrogenation processes. This means promoting the full use of renewable energy sources such as wind and hydropower, and improving the safety and quality of hydrogen storage.
Craftsmanship in the Detail
Technology innovation and Chinese craftsmanship are two of the core brand values that identify GAC MOTOR as a company.
Continually working away at engine technology, chipping away to improve every aspect of both engine technology and driver experience – this is what makes GAC MOTOR a cutting-edge automobile manufacturer.
With this exciting new leap in engine technology, we’re excited to see how much more GAC MOTOR can do to improve the mobile lives of customers around the world.
When it comes to wearables and health tracking, Withings isn’t necessarily the first name you would think of. However, the company is no stranger to health technology; in fact, they were once known as Nokia Health. They aren’t actually a brand new company and have a legacy in making clinically approved health technologies having launched their first smartwatch, the Withings Activite in 2014. This time around, Withings is flexing their prowess in making good looking, accurate and functional health technologies with their latest smartwatch the Withings ScanWatch Horizon.
Sophisticated Design with More than Meets the Eye
You wouldn’t know the watch was a smart watch if you saw it out in the wild. It’s a chic, well crafted piece of jewellery that looks nothing like a typical smartwatch. In fact, the watch looks like your regular luxury timepiece. At a glance, it could be mistaken for a diver watch from one of the larger luxury watch brands. It comes with a stainless steel rotating bezel with laser engraved markings; the analogue face design comes emblazoned with Luminova watch hands while the sapphire-glass casing adds the last touches for a luxurious feel.
However, when you take a closer look, you will see the technology that Withings has baked into the watch. The Withings ScanWatch Horizon is equipped with some of the latest health monitoring technology available in the market. It comes with with a multi-wavelength photoplethysmogram (PPG). This sensor allows it to detect heart rate and blood oxygenation (SpO2) using specific wavelengths of light. The ScanWatch Horizon is also equipped with three electrodes which allow it to take on demand electrocardiograms (ECGs/EKGs). Of course, it is also able to detect sleep and exercise activities as well.
Pushing the Horizon of Health Tracking
The Horizon does have an edge when it comes to monitoring though. The smartwatch is able to detect anomalies in heart rhythm – known as AFib or Atrial Fibrillation. This anomaly can be a sign of other more severe conditions and is often left undiagnosed. This is accomplished through proactive heart rate monitoring. The ScanWatch Horizon is able to monitor the heart rate of the user via its embedded PPG. If it detects an anomalous reading, it will prompt the user to do an ECG.
In addition to heart monitoring, the ScanWatch Horizon is also able to detect sleep disturbances – a common warning sign of sleep apnoea. Using an exclusive algorithm, the ScanWatch is able to use data from its embedded accelerometer and optical sensors to determine sleep disturbances. It will use blood oxygen levels, heart rate, movement and breathing frequency data as parameters in determining sleep disturbances. It can also monitor and analyse sleep patterns as well as wake its user up during the best time of their sleep cycle.
The ScanWatch also does what all smartwatches do. It is able to recognise 30 exercises automatically and also track steps, calories, elevation and workout routes. Workout routes and elevation are detected through the GPS on the user’s phone. However, it does take things a step further by estimating VO2 Max. This reading is an indication of the efficiency in which the body is able to utilize oxygen during exercise.
Like many other smartwatches, the ScanWatch Horizon doesn’t work alone. It pairs with the Withings Health Mate app where users are able to get insights and analyses of the data that is being collected. It also allows users to schedule activity reminders, set goals and manage achievements. The Health Mate app also plays nice with other health apps in the market. It is compatible with over 100 third-party applications including Apple Health, Google Fit, Strava and MyFitnessPal.
Pricing & Availability
The Withings ScanWatch Horizon is available starting from September 29, 2021. It is priced at €499.95 (MYR2,426.78) or £499.95 (MYR2,816.39).
It is available in Blue or Green with 43mm watch face. The ScanWatch comes with a 5 year guarantee. Users will have a stainless steel wristband and an FKM Strap in the box when purchasing a Withings ScanWatch Horizon.
Music fans can interact with each other and their favourite idols in individual JOOX Artist Rooms for top 200 artists
With the introduction of the Superstar Fans Pick feature, fans can also support and vote for their beloved idols by joining their respective Artist Rooms, winning a chance to promote their favorite artists on the platform
HONG KONG, Sept. 30, 2021 — Turn the volume up and make the party louder! JOOX, Asia’s most dedicated music and entertainment platform, just made virtual hang-outs with fellow music lovers more exciting and fun-filled than ever! Following up on the increasingly popular socially interactive ROOMS feature, JOOX now brings music fans all over Asia closer to their most beloved and favourite idols through the brand-new Artist Room, while opening up more doors for fans to support and cheer for their idols by rolling out the Superstar Fans Pick feature!
Following up on the increasingly popular socially interactive ROOMS feature, JOOX now brings music fans all over Asia closer to their most beloved and favourite idols through the brand-new Artist Room, while opening up more doors for fans to support and cheer for their idols by rolling out the Superstar Fans Pick feature.
Ready for some awesome pieces of JOOX trivia? More than 6,000 fans in Hong Kong entered ROOMS at the same time to show their love and support for two members of MIRROR – one of the hottest local musical acts today! Things also got hotter in other parts of Asia, as JOOX’s Influencer Talk 101 in Indonesia garnered more than 20,000 users in an hour, Yin War Rooms in Thailand reached almost 10,000 peak concurrent users, and a fan-initiated JOOX ROOMS session gathered more than 2,000 participants and made Malaysian superstar Dato Sri Siti Nurhaliza join in!
Given the overwhelming success of ROOMS, JOOX is giving music fans more of what they value the most. The new Artist Room features individual rooms for the top 200 artists in the region, where their fans can interact with their fellow music lovers while listening to each artist’s top 50 hits on loop! What’s even more exciting is that their favourite idols may drop by the room and host a special party with their fans!
What’s more, JOOX is also rolling out the Superstar Fans Pick feature for enthusiastic fans to cheer for their idols with ROOMs – fans can vote for their favourite artists not only by listening to their songs, sending gifts, or casting a simple vote, but also by joining their Artist Rooms. Daily and weekly top artists will be given a prominent splash ad display on JOOX, while top fans will be rewarded with honor badges and vice-captain badges so they can show off their loyalty to their idols too!
As if that’s not enough to make JOOX ROOMS the ultimate virtual party for music fans, management functions for hosts are now amped up, with hosts now being able to invite other users to co-host and speak to the entire room while fans are now given the power to request for their favorite songs! More optimization features as well as private chat and quick chat functions are also now available, truly setting the stage for fans to share their love for music with each other!
Poshu Yeung, Senior Vice President of JOOX, said, "JOOX remains true to its mission of being Asia’s most dedicated music and entertainment streaming platform, and that is why we always go the extra mile in bringing music fans more of what they truly love. With the new Artist Room and Superstar Fans Pick features, their social interaction and online hangout parties will be made even better by creating more memories with music from their idols, with a chance to spend some time with the artists themselves. And as if that’s not enough for them to maximize their enjoyment, JOOX ROOMS has also rolled out enhanced hosting and management functions for a boost in overall fan experience."
In the mood for more interesting tidbits about ROOMS? Indonesian fans are having a blast using the JOOX ROOMS feature by talking about ghost stories, while a group of monks in Thailand are gathering to share their life stories! Isn’t that awesome? Come and be a part of the whole experience now!
Interact and socialize with your friends while enjoying the music of your favourite artists anytime, anywhere, and access much more of JOOX’s unparalleled and unmatched features and offers! Download the JOOX mobile or desktop app on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, or access the JOOX website now.
Download now to start your premium music journey today!
About JOOX
JOOX is a music app made for music lovers. With more than 40 million songs in its music library from all over the world, JOOX connects you to your favourite artists, songs, albums and personalized playlists. Users can discover great new music with recommended songs and radio stations that fit your taste and mood. JOOX is now available on iOS, Android and Desktop (Windows/Mac), allowing users to enjoy a free high quality music experience anytime, anywhere.
STOCKHOLM, Sept. 30, 2021 — AntStack, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Bengaluru, India announced today that is an Advanced Consulting Partner in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network (APN). APN Consulting Partners help customers design, architect, build, migrate and manage cloud solutions built on AWS.
This highly valued status highlights AntStack’s commitment to client success and satisfaction by helping our customers of all sizes design, architect, build, migrate, and manage their workloads and applications on Amazon Web Services.
AntStack has put together a top-notch team of AWS certified engineers, architects, and consultants who continuously push themselves to learn advanced technologies and create innovations to help drive client initiatives without any limits and constantly innovating. We aim to help customers solve business problems.
"We are proud to have achieved the AWS Advanced Consulting Partner designation," said Jeevan Dongre, CEO of AntStack Technologies. "It’s a recognition of our overall driven approach to cloud solutions as a key part of any business’s overall architecture, and an indicator of the trust from our customers for the work and solutions we deliver for them. Becoming Advanced Consulting Partners is a massive endorsement of the work we have been doing and the skill and experience we have across the board when it comes to our team and we are excited to reach this mark and continue to stride forwards."
Advanced Consulting Partners status allows AntStack to work more closely with AWS – their account managers, solution architects and a broader product team – which will allow for more collaborative work to deliver best in class solutions and offer an absolute customer-first approach.
About AntStack
Antstack is a cloud computing service and consulting company primarily focusing on enabling tech and digital transformation for businesses of all sizes with Serverless at its core. From startups, small and medium businesses to large enterprises, we let organizations leverage the power of serverless computing across multiple cloud providers. We believe in working together in a highly organized way, sharing a common purpose. The company is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka – India.
UPDATE: The Sony WF-C500 will be available in Malaysia 18 October 2021 onward at MYR 449. It will be available in black, white, green, and orange. The WH-XB910N will be available in black and blue. It will arrive in the Malaysian shores in November 2021 and sets you back MYR 799.
Sony is probably best known for their high-end audio solutions catered to the home and personal audio market. They are world renown for their legendary sound bars, speakers, and even built-in speakers for their TV line-ups. They also make arguably the world’s most recognisable noise cancelling headphones for the audiophile market, the WH-1000X series. Their latest high-end noise cancelling personal audio device is the WF-1000XM4 true-wireless earbuds.
They do not just make high-end products that is mostly out of reach to more budget conscious consumers though. They make audio products for all kinds of market. Technically, Sony is also one of the largest audio solutions providers in the world, so them service all sorts of market should not come as a surprise. That said, Sony just launched the new WH-XB910N and the new WF-C500 headphones for the masses.
Sony WH-XB910N
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
The Sony WH-XB910N replaces the older WH-XB900N. It also features Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology. It is not the same ANC technology that you will find on Sony’s higher end WH-1000XM4 though. That also means that it will not work as well as the higher end headphone. Still, it should be an improvement over the older headphone it is replacing.
The WH-XB910N also comes with Adaptive Sound Control. The clever software defined noise cancelling program adapts your ANC program to your environment. Your ANC intensity is determined by not just your environment though, but also buy your movements in a designated area, or even where you are.
Of course, new products have to come with new technologies. The WH-XB910N packs Bluetooth 5.2 with SBC, AAC, and LDAC support for even more stable high-speed wireless connection with your smartphones or PC devices. You get up to 30 hours of playback in just a single charge.
Sony WF-C500
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
When it comes to truly wireless earbuds, Sony tends to stick to a single design language that cascades down from its highest end earbuds. This season is the season of the WF-1000XM4 and it shows on the WF-C500.
The Sony WF-C500 shares very similar design cues and language with its more premium brother. Other than the similar design cues though, the WF-C500 does not share a lot with its more premium WF-1000XM4 counterpart. Even its charging shell is a little different comparatively.
You get Bluetooth 5.0 still for reliable high-speed wireless networking between your smartphone and the earphones. Unlike the older generation Sony earbuds, the WF-C500 supports mono mode with either side of the earbuds. It also does not have touch sensitive buttons. They come with physical buttons instead, to control playback and digital assistant access.
The earbuds itself can last for 10 hours, that is a little longer than the WF-1000XM4. Of course, the Sony WF-1000XM4 features noise cancelling and the WF-C500 does not. The translucent charging case carries another 10 hours of battery life for the earbuds should you deplete its battery.
The IPX4 earbuds uses a Bluetooth chip that transmits audio to both sides of the earbuds at the same time for better latency between two ears. It also supports Sony’s 360 Reality Audio. You have to have services like Tidal or Deezer to experience Sony’s 360 Reality audio though.
Price and Availability
The products have not been announced or launched in Malaysia yet. That does not mean that they are not coming to Malaysia though. The mid-range audio market is a hot one in the region.
In the United States though, the Sony WH-XB910N is now available for pre-order alongside the Sony WF-C500. The Sony WH-XB910N will start at US$ 249.99 (MYR 1,046*) and comes in black, blue, and grey. The WF-C500 will start at US$ 99.99 (MYR 418*) and comes in black, white, green, and orange colour options.
*approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1= MYR 4.18 on xe.com as of 30/09/2021
Despite overwhelming inclination, barriers to 5G adoption remain, including high cost, deployment difficulty and management complexity
MONTREAL, Canada, Sept. 29, 2021 — Accedian, a leader in performance analytics, cybersecurity threat detection and end user experience solutions, today released new analyst research on the future of 5G in manufacturing. Conducted in partnership with Analysys Mason, a leading management consultancy focused on telecoms, media and technology (TMT), the research found that while 76% of manufacturers plan to use private 5G locally by 2024, key barriers to adoption include management complexity, difficulty of deployment and high costs.
Manufacturing holds extreme promise in being transformed through 5G network adoption. As a sector largely reliant on the quality of connections between technologies and machines, 5G can expedite processes, reduce latency, enable automation and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and augmented reality (AR). Most manufacturers agree that high reliability (82%), security (78%) and support for low-latency applications (75%) make a 5G private network an attractive choice.
"5G is set to transform industries, and no sector is more ripe for this than manufacturing," says Sergio Bea, VP of Global Enterprise and Channels, Accedian. "Our research with Analysys Mason clearly shows the appetite for adoption among manufacturers is there, but network performance monitoring and management remain barriers to entry. With the right network monitoring tools, IT teams at factories can be sure they’ll have both the visibility and security they need to make 5G adoption a success."
More than 200 respondents from Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States across six verticals provided insights into private 5G network adoption.
Key highlights from the research include:
The most likely types of 5G deployments are: hybrid models (45%) and network slice (35%); while 18% of manufacturing respondents prefer fully private on-prem networks.
Security (63%) is the biggest factor influencing the choice of 5G deployment model, followed by network performance (49%), speed/simplicity of deployment (49%), application performance (45%) and data privacy (43%).
In terms of barriers to adoption, respondents considering a hybrid network model are most concerned about management complexity (43%).
Most agree that important metrics to monitor are application performance KPIs (61%), closely followed by network performance KPIs (59%) and security KPIs (55%).
There is a complex balance of risks and deployment choices that manufacturers will need to make as they move forward with 5G.
"Our research shows there is appetite for 5G in the manufacturing industry, which means there’s also immense opportunity for service providers to uplevel their relationships with factories, as well," says Michele Mackenzie, Principal Analyst, IoT and private networks, Analysys Mason. "CSPs need to capitalize on this momentum to become more than just vendors, but strategic partners to manufacturing organizations looking to navigate the future of the sector."
HUAWEI has now spent more than 3 years outside the Google ecosystem. Since 2019, HUAWEI has launched the HUAWEI Mate 30 series without Google’s Play Store installed. They have also launched the HUAWEI P40 series, Mate 40 series, and P50 series.
Ever since HUAWEI stopped sporting Google’s Play Store too, they have been developing their own App Gallery to fill the gap left by Google’s app marketspace. The App Gallery is not exactly new for HUAWEI devices though, even before 2019. The HUAWEI App Gallery, while has been running alongside the Google Play Store for a while, was not a fully matured platform just yet.
This was 3 years ago. HUAWEI’s App Gallery has grown quite a lot since then. HUAWEI has done everything it can to push and even attract new developers for their platform. They have collaborated with anyone willing to develop on their platform. This means that HUAWEI’s App Gallery is now the third-largest app marketplace in the world.
Does that mean that HUAWEI devices are now worth a look? Should you consider running a HUAWEI secondary driver, or even a primary one? We attempt to answer all of that with the HUAWEI Nova 8.
Design
The HUAWEI Nova 8 is built of similar materials you find on any modern smartphones. You have two pieces of glass that sandwiches an aluminium frame. The top and bottom of the device features a flat taper. The flat sections are flat enough for you to stand your Nova 8 on its own – we tried.
The glass back is nothing special in terms of materials too. The device looks rather pretty though. The Blush Gold on this Nova 8 makes it feel a little more special than it is though.
At the same time, the device is built to a premium standard. The way the metallic side of the device tappers seamlessly to the display helps the illusion of a single solid piece. Even the milled holes on the device looks precise albeit some alignment issues. The only indication that this is still a mid-range device would be its NOVA branding at the glass.
The oval camera housing is a nod to the older HUAWEI devices like the P30 series. While the main camera takes up nearly half the module, it does not look imposing. They arranged the three other smaller lenses in a way that complements main camera.
Hardware
As mentioned, the HUAWEI Nova 8 is a Kirin device. You have HUAWEI’s own Kirin 820E System on a Chip (SoC) powering the HUAWEI Nova 8. It is still a highly respectable ARM Cortex-A76 and Cortex-55 blend in today’s smartphone standard.
The HUAWEI Nova 8 does not come with HUAWEI’s Harmony OS 2. Instead, it is the trusty EMUI 12 based on Android. This is also their third iteration of EMUI since losing Google Play Store.
While the iterations of EMUI have not changed a lot in terms of look and feel between the HUAWEI devices, there are differences between 11 and 12. If you look closely, HUAWEI Nova 8’s EMUI 12 does not feature an “Android Version” category anymore in the About Phone submenu. That does not mean that the HUAWEI EMUI 12 is a completely different breed of Operating System (OS) though, they are still Android based, as far as we can tell anyway.
HUAWEI App Gallery
You still do not have access to Google’s curated apps. HUAWEI’s App gallery has grown tremendously though. With HUAWEI’s Petal Search integration, the App Gallery now searches the web for alternatives or APK files of your searched app. Either that, or you access a web version of apps like Google Drive.
You can use apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and even Instagram. They are not natively supported by HUAWEI App Gallery though. The only good news from that is that because HUAWEI’s EMUI 12 is essentially still Android, APK files works. The bad news is that you cannot transfer WhatsApp data between devices via cloud.
The HUAWEI Nova 8 does not have Google’s Mobile Services Framework, which also means it will not be able to unlock the use of Google’s suite of apps like Google Maps, for example. We tried installing Google Maps as an APK file, but it refuses to launch after.
The good news is that Malaysia is a big supporter of HUAWEI’s App Gallery. That also means that plenty of the local banking and e-wallet apps are available from HUAWEI App Gallery. You even have the MySejahtera COVID tracking app on HUAWEI’s AppGallery.
Always-On Display
Always-on display can find its roots in Samsung’s implementation of Android in TouchWiz. But because it is a function loved by users, Google made always-on display a feature on their own smartphones and eventually the function makes its way into other Android devices.
On the HUAWEI Nova 8, the always-on display is a clever system that keeps your battery life optimised when not in use. That also means that the always-on display is not constantly on. It only turns on when you interact with the device by tapping its display once.
Other than showing just time, we configured the always-on display to show date, battery percentage and other notifications. The time, date, and battery percentage show up nicely. Notifications will show up too, provided you have not seen any of it yet.
The only customisation you get is choosing how your clock looks in the always-on display menu. The always-on also displays a snippet of your notifications, including snippets of your WhatsApp, Telegram, or messages, just before you unlock your device and access the apps.
Separating Notifications and Quick Settings Access
HUAWEI EMUI 12 system, while still an Android overlay, feels a little different. HUAWEI now divides the notification bar into two sections. On the left side is the notification center, where all the latest updates to your apps, missed calls, messages gets displayed. When you swipe down from the right side, you get all your quick settings toggles. You also access the settings menu from here now.
It takes some getting used to, admittedly. Once you get used to it though, you start wondering why other Android devices do not implement similar features. It makes accessing the quick settings menu one gesture quicker.
We do have to say though that the quick settings menu does feel and look very much like what you get on an iOS. While it may not be a carbon copy of one, it still feels very much like it especially with the media player, WiFi, and Bluetooth widgets being standalone toggles.
No App Tray – Business as Usual
HUAWEI’s famous overlay of Android comes with no app tray like all of the EMUI that came before it. All its apps are organised on its home screen. You can hide apps you do not use very often, but you cannot find an app tray to access it later.
You can still add widgets and folders to the homescreens though. With EMUI 12 you simply pinch on the display and a menu will pop out at the bottom for you to add widgets, homepages, and even a folder. You can also group apps together now in enlarged folders for quicker access to the apps you want and to keep things tidy.
Performance
Modern mid-range devices like the HUAWEI Nova 8 are more than capable at running apps as smoothly and as fast as flagship device. Modern hardware has improved so much that performance differences between two classes of device are not quite apparent these days.
Call Quality and Connectivity
We solely relied on Yes 4G for the HUAWEI Nova 8 throughout our tests. On Yes 4G’s network the HUAWEI Nova 8 can make and receive VoLTE calls, which helps with call fidelity and quality of conversations. Of course, your call quality depends on the network strength as well.
There have not been any major dropped calls with the device. Even when the network is a little on the weak side, calls have come through and gone without hiccups until you lose the network completely. Data speeds may vary though in these instances. On the subject of data speeds, that is more a network provider issue than anything else.
Gaming
While the device has less power on paper than a flagship device, it does not necessarily mean it is that much worse. In fact, the HUAWEI Nova 8’s Kirin 820E is capable of running Mobile Legends: Bang Bang at its highest graphics settings without breaking too much of a sweat. The heat build up is never anywhere near uncomfortable in our time of use too.
Of course, a fast display helps very much in terms of immersion and experience in games. The games load smoothly and quickly when on the HUAWEI Nova 8. They even look pretty good thanks to the vivid colours of the OLED panel.
Multitasking and Productivity
Modern smartphones have been optimised to cope with multitasking instances on any given device. We had more than 20 tabs open in the HUAWEI Nova 8’s native browser and still keep do other things on the device without too much of an inconvenient lag.
Opening apps never felt sluggish or slow as well in our tests. At some point we were installing multiple apps from HUAWEI’s App Gallery at the same time, and still scrolling through the App Gallery without any issues. We also left multiple apps running at the same time without having to close any of the apps when we need to jump to another app.
Battery Life
HUAWEI’s legendary battery life status is down to their clever battery management system. The battery management system in the latest EMUI on the HUAWEI Nova 8 is cleverer and more sophisticated than the old system. It does not turn off selective apps anymore, but it still somehow ekes out as much life out of the 3,800 mAh battery as possible.
The HUAWEI Nova 8 on standby can last up to four days on a single charge. On a typical usage, with the device jumping between relying on WiFi and 4G networks, the device still lasts up to two days. A typical use in our case consists of some light WhatsApp texting, watching videos on YouTube (web), playing quick games of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, taking and making a few calls, and taking a few photos as well.
It also comes with a charger in the box. It charges up to 66W with the provided charger and USB Type-C cable. Most of the time, we charge the device when the battery hits 20%. In those cases, we get a full charge in just below two hours.
Display
The HUAWEI Nova 8 features a Full HD+ 6.7-inch OLED panel with up to 90Hz refresh rate. They did not mention its response rate, but do you really care? We do not, in this case at least.
OLED is known for its vivid colours that translates well on the HUAWEI Nova 8. The display is really bright, which also means you get to see some extra details when working with the device. The brightness also helps with visibility when you are outdoors.
While it produces very vivid colours, it does not match the colour standards of the newer flagship devices like the HUAWEI P50 series and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Unless you use your smartphone to colour grade your videos, edit your photos, or any other work with accurate colour requirements, you hardly notice that much in difference.
90Hz Smoothness
The HUAWEI Nova 8 shows that you do not need a display that refreshes at 120Hz. A display that refreshes at 90Hz is more than enough to make the smartphone feel snappy and smooth. While 90Hz is nothing to shout about, it is a reminder that high refresh rate displays could be overrated.
If you are a casual mobile gamer, you really are not missing out on a lot between 90Hz to 120Hz. You see as much as the next gamer with 120Hz in games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, or even Garena’s Free Fire. The differences are so marginal that in most cases, you hardly notice it.
Camera
The HUAWEI Nova 8 is a testament to how good the modern smartphone camera technology is. While it may not be representative and does not offer the best that the smartphone camera technology has to offer, it is not that far off.
You get a 64-Megapixel shooter that is capable of shooting RAW photos in Pro mode. In Pro Mode you get more granular controls to your ISO, shutter speed, AutoFocus metering, exposure, and manual focus.
In regular photo mode, the camera only takes 16-Megapixel photos instead of the full 64-Megapixel it is capable of. You only access all 64-Megapixel that your device can offer in Pro mode with RAW settings, or the high-res mode. You lose the AI function in either modes though.
You have more than enough for social media purposes though. At the same time, with AI on, the camera captures great looking photos with a lot of details and amazing looking colours.
We find that the most stunning camera feature from the HUAWEI Nova 8 is the Night Mode. Photos that look dark and grainy in regular mode looks bright and properly detailed. Of course, you can see that the details are softer once you zoom in.
The HUAWEI Nova 8 – Another Great HUAWEI Device, still a HUAWEI Though
The HUAWEI Nova 8 is a pretty device. As expected from a HUAWEI device, the build quality of the device is premium. At MYR 1,899, the HUAWEI Nova 8 is a compelling device too.
There is not much wrong with EMUI 12. It feels smooth, intuitive, and still works like other Android devices with HUAWEI’s usual tweaks. It feels so smooth and snappy on the 6.7-inch 90Hz display it feels like a flagship device.
It is not a 5G ready device. There are devices at lower price points that will sport 5G, which makes the HUAWEI Nova 8 a little of an anomaly in the sea of smartphones in the market. That is a relatively minor issue though.
The big issue is that it does not come with Google’s Play Store. You will not be able to work with Google Apps at all. You can use WhatsApp but you cannot transfer your chats via cloud. You do not get access to Netflix app as well.
At MYR 1,899, the HUAWEI Nova 8 is a worthy contender in the mid-range smartphone segment. Although, you must remember you cannot access and run Google’s suite of apps. Otherwise, you are getting a great mid-range smartphone that is more than capable as your daily driver, play any of your mobile games, and perform like any modern flagships.
FutureLogic will fold numerous business units under its umbrella including China Money Network, Caishen.co, China Money Podcast and more
HONG KONG, Sept. 29, 2021 — China Money Network Limited today unveils its new corporate brand as FutureLogic.
FutureLogic, a premier intelligence, data and media platform bridging the Asian and global innovation economy, will fold numerous business units under its umbrella including its core asset, China Money Network, a platform tracking China’s venture capital, fintech and technology sectors since 2011.
Caishen.co, which uses natural language processing to provide market intelligence on China’s secondary market, will be part of FutureLogic as well.
The FutureLogic brand will also encompass other related media, intelligence, and data assets including China Money Podcast, a weekly podcast featuring China’s venture capital and tech sector news; and Reports, which produces research reports related to the Asian and the global tech ecosystem.
"By upgrading our brand to FutureLogic, we are conveying a new approach to our expert areas: to leverage our knowledge in the Asian tech space in a global context, and to broaden our horizon to help the global tech community in deciphering the future," says Nina Xiang, founder and managing editor of FutureLogic.
China Money Network was founded in 2011 in Shanghai, and is headquartered in Hong Kong and operates from satellites in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Hangzhou. The company is independently owned by its founding team and employees.
With a massive and deep database covering the Asian venture capital, fintech and tech sector over the past ten years, China Money Network has been a leading intelligence and data service provider to many leading global and Chinese corporations. The platform also boasts a global high-end user base spanning North American, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East.
"Going forward, FutureLogic will aim to provide unique insights, news, and intelligence rooted in our expertise in Asian tech to a wider global audience as the world’s tech space enters a highly uncertain future amid geopolitical tensions," says Nina Xiang. "FutureLogic aims to be the place where executives turn to for real intelligence on the Asian tech space."
FutureLogic is a media, intelligence and data conglomerate bridging the Asian and global innovation economy.
It encompasses a number of media and data assets, including China Money Network, a platform tracking the Asian venture capital and technology sectors since 2011; and Caishen.co, which uses natural language processing to provide market intelligence on China’s secondary market.
FutureLogic’s asset matrix also includes China Money Podcast, a weekly podcast featuring China’s venture capital and tech sector news; and China Money Reports, a think tank producing reports related to the Chinese and the global tech ecosystem.
FutureLogic was founded in 2011 in Shanghai, and is headquartered in Hong Kong and operates from satellites in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Hangzhou. It is an independent company owned by its founding team and employees.
IKEA and Sonos’ partnership started with their bookshelf speakers. In 2019, they came up with another Sonos speaker product that is supposed to blend into the home environment better. They came up with a SYMFONISK table lamp.
As soon as it launched though, opinions around the table lamp started to divide. Some liked how it looked while others do not. We kind of think that the earlier table lamp SYMFONISK looked quite funky.
2021 is a different year though and IKEA and Sonos decided its time to give their table lamp a revision. But because it is a different breed of product too, the IKEA x Sonos SYMFONISK table lamp speaker offers a slightly different level of customisation. Now you must buy the table lamp and its shade separately.
Aside from the additional options of lamp shades that are available to you from IKEA, they have also added some light customisation options. You can now use E26/E27 socket light bulbs also available from IKEA for lighting up the table lamp. With the extra customisation option, the IKEA x Sonos SYMFONISK can be customised really to fit your living spaces.
Of course, a new speaker is not really a new speaker if they do no change or improve the speaker module itself. They have done that with the new SYMFONISK table lamp though. Sonos say that the new table lamp features a new acoustic architecture. You can see the slightly different build of the new SYMFONISK table lamp compared to the old one of course. The new speaker features a new custom waveguide that is supposed to create better sounds to fill up an entire room. Of course, because it is a Sonos speaker, it is connected via WiFI and can be used either as the only speaker or even as part of a network of speakers throughout the home.
Source: IKEA
Source: IKEA
Source: IKEA
Source: IKEA
The IKEA x Sonos SYMFONISK table lamp is scheduled to be available in IKEA stores and on IKEA.com in North America and selected European markets starting from October 2021. IKEA says that the SYMNFONISK table lamp will reach other IKEA markets around the globe in the coming year. The thing is, their track record with Sonos speakers in Malaysia has not been great, so we cannot tell you if it will ever make it to Malaysia. There are also no confirmed prices for the products at this time.
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 29, 2021 — Huawei Indonesia has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting cyber security knowledge sharing through the renewal of the MoU on cyber security cooperation yesterday with Indonesia’s highest cyber security body National Cyber and Crypto Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BSSN). Huawei Indonesia and BSSN sealed off a new, tripartite cooperation agreement (PKS) with Institut Teknologi Del (IT Del). The signing ceremony was witnessed by Gen. (ret.) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment of the Republic of Indonesia (Marves), Mr. Ren Zhengfei, Huawei CEO and Founder, Mr. Jeffery Liu, Huawei Asia Pacific president, and Mr. Jacky Chen, Huawei Indonesia CEO.
Huawei renews MoU and cooperation with Indonesia’s top cyber security body
Minister Luhut also held a high-level discussion with Mr. Ren to mark a renewed collaboration and long-term commitment of the leading global ICT provider, especially in cyber security enhancement in Indonesia. Luhut praised highly Huawei to Mr. Ren. "You are lucky to have the team here for making Huawei popular and the technology has been widely used. The establishment of Huawei Academy in Indonesia and the tripartite Cooperation between Huawei, the National Cyber and Crypto Agency and IT Del, also shown Huawei commitment to not only building digital infrastructure in Indonesia, but also digital human resources development and transfer of high technology," Luhut said. "I am sure Huawei could make significant contribution to Indonesia’s Green Development and Smart Future. In the next few years, digital property will be one of the most valuable assets in the next generation."
"Indonesia is a beautiful and great nation, boasting long coastal lines, a wealth of natural resources, and a wide variety of agricultural produce," Mr. Ren, spoke highly of Indonesia. He opined that besides representing a large, untapped market for Indonesian exports, China also has a few examples of utilizing technology to improve vital operations. For example, Indonesia can learn to integrate intelligence into the day-to-day running of the nation’s many strategic ports and airports, or alternatively implement 5G, AI, wireless, and radar technologies to improve safety at coal mines to a substantial degree.
"Huawei thanks Indonesia for its longstanding support for our local team in the country. With the great trend towards collaboration and shared success between China and Indonesia, based on respecting each other’s sovereignty integrity, political systems, and social customs, we believe that together we will lay the foundation for Indonesia’s future," Mr. Ren reaffirmed.
The signing of the MoU and cooperation agreement was also attended by Lt Gen (ret.) Hinsa Siburian, BSSN chief, and Prof. Ir. Togar M. Simatupang M, Tech. Ph.D, IT Del rector.
Hinsa lauded Huawei for the close collaboration since the cooperation was inked in 2019. In his welcome remark, Mr. Jacky Chen, Huawei Indonesia CEO, said, "The renewal of the MoU marks a new milestone in our joint cyber security initiative as it will involve more universities and reach out wider public to benefit in this program." Nearly 7,000 government officials and civil servants have benefited from the collaboration between Huawei and BSSN since 2019 through various training activities, webinars and joint programs.
