With the impending launch of the Huawei Matebook X Pro just round the corner, Malaysian consumers are now able to pre-order Huawei’s flagship laptop. The laptop boasts impressive performance packed into a remarkably lightweight design, making it ideal for on-the-go professionals and those who prioritize portability.
Ahead of the launch, Huawei is opening pre-orders for the laptop. The blind pre-orders kick off on May 8th and runs until May 12th, 2024. To secure a unit, you can place a deposit of just RM70. When you do, you will also be eligible for a whole bunch of freebies valued at up to RM4,582 with each early booking.
Marrying Cutting Edge Technology with Minimalist Durability
The MateBook X Pro is one of Huawei’s best looking laptops yet. It come with a sleek chassis, constructed from a lightweight yet durable magnesium. Huawei isn’t holding back when it comes to the display either, the MateBook X Pro comes with a stunning, near-borderless Flexible OLED display. It’s also a mere 13.5mm thin.
Despite its deceptively slim design, the MateBook X Pro packs a serious punch. It comes with the Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 Processor ensures smooth operation and responsiveness. It has up to 32GB RAM and 2TB storage provide ample resources for demanding tasks. Also coming along for the ride is a whole bevvy of AI features including AI noise cancellation, AI camera enhancements, and AI search. The MateBook X Pro also comes with effortless connectivity with other Huawei devices. Huawei is also touting hours of battery life and fast charging with 90W Huawei SuperCharge technology. The Dual Shark Fin fan system ensures efficient heat dissipation for optimal performance.
Early booking can be done through the Huawei Official Website, Huawei Official Store on Shopee, or the Huawei Flagship Store on Lazada. Stay tuned for the latest updates on the Huawei Official Website, Facebook page, or Instagram.
Huawei is set to expand its technological offerings in Malaysia with the upcoming launch of two innovative products – the Huawei MateBook X Pro laptop and the Huawei Watch Fit 3 smartwatch – scheduled for May 13th, 2024. This launch underscores Huawei’s focus on integrating advanced technology with user-centric design, catering specifically to the Malaysian market.
Sleek Performance Coming Soon with the MateBook X Pro
First unveiled at a global event in Dubai, the Huawei MateBook X Pro pushes the boundaries of laptop design. The ultra-lightweight magnesium alloy chassis, measuring only 13.5mm thin and weighing under 1kg, prioritizes portability with little compromise on durability. The near-borderless Flexible OLED display boasts exceptional visuals with vivid colours and brightness for better immersion.
Powering this sleek device is the latest Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 Processor, complemented by up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage. This combination promises smooth operation and responsiveness, even for demanding tasks. The MateBook X Pro further enhances user experience with its Super Device capabilities, allowing for seamless integration and collaboration with other Huawei devices. Additionally, the 90W Huawei SuperCharge technology facilitates rapid charging to keep users productive throughout the day.
Stylish Fitness Coming with the Huawei Watch Fit 3
The Huawei Watch Fit 3 is the latest wearable from Huawei that looks to strike a balance between stylish aesthetics and comprehensive health and fitness tracking features. It comes with a sleek, elegant square design and some of the most advanced health monitoring technology promising to keep health-conscious users fashion-forward.
Like other Huawei fitness devices, the Watch Fit 3 comes with over 100 workout modes, menstrual cycle tracking for women, and comprehensive sleep monitoring. It is geared to be a go-to device for fitness enthusiasts and lifestyle-focused individuals alike. The device features next-generation Huawei health monitoring technology, delivering precise heart rate and SpO2 tracking. This robust functionality is backed by a long-lasting battery that promises up to 10 days of use on a single charge.
Early Bird Offers Ahead of the Grand Launch on May 13 2024
Huawei is offering attractive early-bird promotions for Malaysian consumers. Customers who place a deposit of just RM70 for the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro between May 8th and 12th will receive freebies valued at up to RM4,582.
Similarly, early adopters of the Watch Fit 3 can benefit from an exclusive RM30 early bird voucher valid from today until May 17th, 2024. Additionally, they will receive a gift package worth RM89.
Empowering key ecosystem players to find each other easily and work together
SINGAPORE, May 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — VentureBlick announces the launch of Discovery, a groundbreaking networking platform designed to connect healthcare innovators, advisors, investors, distributors, partners, and service providers worldwide.
VentureBlick Discovery networking platform for healthcare innovation
Healthcare innovation is often associated with high barriers and risks, necessitating more cross-border and cross-sector collaboration for global impact. Discovery is the first-ever platform bringing together key stakeholders in healthcare innovation under one virtual roof.
It is free to join Discovery, which is line with the platform’s mission to foster openness, enhance visibility, and facilitate connections throughout the ecosystem.
Since its soft launch a few weeks ago, Discovery has attracted close to 3,000 members from across 50 countries, underscoring its global appeal and potential for growth.
Innovators, investors, and distributors alike stand to benefit from Discovery’s comprehensive suite of tools and resources. Innovators can showcase their breakthrough technologies on a global stage, connect with potential partners and investors beyond their home market, and access essential resources for growth and expansion. Investors can identify promising investment opportunities, gain valuable market intelligence, and engage directly with industry experts. Distributors can expand their product portfolios into new territories or new geographies and forge new partnerships.
One of Discovery’s distinguishing features is its exclusive access to a carefully curated list of advisors. These advisors are either practicing clinicians or industry experts with domain expertise and an innovative mindset, chosen to be part of the global VB Advisory Network. They undergo rigorous vetting to provide innovators with invaluable real-world feedback, clinical insights, and critical resources. VentureBlick is committed to prioritising medical value when it comes to validating and supporting healthcare innovation, making the VB Advisory Network an essential component of this mission.
Advisors can leverage Discovery to stay informed about the latest innovations in their specialty areas, connect with like-minded peers and industry experts, monetise their expertise through paid consulting engagements, and explore business opportunities.
Chris Lee, Founder & CEO of VentureBlick, expressed his enthusiasm for the launch of Discovery, stating, “Discovery was created with the simple purpose of helping people within the healthcare innovation ecosystem find each other and work together instead of relying on their own professional network, which can be limited.”
Discovery offers a range of features tailored to meet the diverse needs of its members, including user profiles and filtered directories, and direct messaging capabilities. More features including Open Innovation Search, 1-to-1 expert call on-demand, smart matching, and open Q&A forum will soon be introduced, further enhancing the platform’s utility and effectiveness.
For more information about VentureBlick and Discovery, please visit www.ventureblick.com.
About VentureBlick
VentureBlick is an all-in-one healthcare innovation engine, driving connections across borders to propel local innovations onto the global stage. Its suite of services includes the Super Incubator, Consulting, and the innovative Discovery networking platform. VentureBlick fosters collaboration among innovators, clinicians, investors, and ecosystem partners worldwide. Boasting a seasoned team and a network of 2,500 healthcare experts from 60 countries, VentureBlick is committed to prioritising medical value and driving impactful open innovation. Headquartered in Singapore and operating in Korea, Germany, India, and China, VentureBlick has a track record of guiding startups, SMEs, and corporations achieve their milestones through global market mapping, medical validation, market entry strategies, technology scouting, healthcare partnership, and beyond. Discover more at www.ventureblick.com.
We’re generating more data than ever before thanks to a growing technologically savvy culture. The smartphone is one such gadget that has allowed us all to easily create content. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing for a living, having any gadget means you’re creating data. This can be in the form of home videos, pictures and even voice notes or presentations. It’s gotten to a point where our smartphones and tablets now come with a minimum of 128GB of storage and we’ve signed up for at least one cloud storage provider with at least 1TB of storage space. At the same time, we’re becoming even more aware of the need to keep our data secure. In addition, more and more cloud storage providers are charging a premium for higher tiers of storage. With all of these confounding factors, what can we do?
That’s where Synology’s Disk Stations come into play. The company has made a name for itself with its server solutions. Now, the company is looking at providing a turnkey solution for regular Joes and Janes like you and me when it comes to storage. These Disk Stations are versatile storage solutions that come with expandability, flexibility and security that a lot of us need when it comes to keeping our memories, work and data safe and accessible.
We’ll be giving you a rundown and review of the Synology DS224+, one of the most basic offerings that Synology has. Is it worth investing in the system? Can you use reliably like Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox? These are the questions that we are looking to answer with our in-depth review of the Synology DS224+.
What is a NAS?
Like Julie Andrews once sang, “Let’s start at the very beginning”. The Synology DS224+ is a NAS system. Techies and Enthusiasts would be very familiar with the term. But what is a NAS? A NAS or N-A-S stands for Network Attached Storage. Essentially, it’s one or more hard disks that are attached to a network that allows multiple people to access data remotely. This means you can access your data from any device on the same local network or even the internet if you allow it. There are a lot of ways to do this, but some methods are complicated and tedious.
The Synology DS224+ and other Synology Disk Station products make this easier with Synology’s proprietary software and platform. The Disk Stations come with at least 2 disk bays that allow you to have about 40TB of storage. The Disk Station Manager (DSM) allows you to customize how you use your NAS. It can be remote storage, a mail server and even a regular server for your website if you so desire.
In a nutshell, a NAS is data storage attached to the internet. This allows you to use it in a variety of ways including as remote storage.
Setting Up the Synology DS224+
Setting up the Synology DS224+ is a pretty simple process. You have to first set up the hardware and then the software. Synology has made this very straightforward with its apps and website.
Hardware
Hardware is pretty simple to set up. When you buy a Synology Disk Station like the DS224+, you will get casing for the NAS and hard disks. In our case, we have the DS224+ which supports two hard disks. We were provided a bundle with two 4TB hard disks. The Synology DS224+ is a complete system. Essentially, it’s a very basic computer with a processor, RAM and storage.
2GB built-in Max 6GB (additional user-accessible slot)
Storage
2 Drive Bays (potential max 40TB memory capacity at the time of writing) Compatible with: 3.5-inch SATA HDD 2.5-inch SATA SSD
Ports
2x RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Port 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1
Assembly is straightforward. You’ll need to remove the disk caddies from within the DS224+ and place the hard disks in them. Synology provides a simple snapping mechanism which removes the need for screws and tools. All you have to do is snap on the hard disks into the caddies. If you want it to be more secure, you can use the screws provided. In our case, we didn’t do this. The DS224+ also comes with a spare slot for added RAM if you want to provide it with more RAM. We added an extra 4GB of RAM to our setup as we’d have more than 2 people accessing the system. The extra RAM would give us a little more bandwidth when it comes to downloading and uploading later on.
Once you’ve set up the Synology DS224+, you’ll need to get it hooked up to both power and the Internet. Hooking it up to the internet is very straightforward. In the box, Synology provides two ethernet cables which can attach to the DS224+, you need to plug these in and then plug it into two ethernet slots at the back of your home router. Generally, your router should come with 4 ports, so you should have enough. If you don’t you may need to get a simple network switch to do this. Once you hook it up to the internet, it’s time to set up the software.
Software
You can set up the software of the Synology DS224+ in two ways: through your web browser or the DS Finder app. Both are similar processes, but the app is a little simpler. The DS Finder App is available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
If you’re using your browser, you’ll need to access the URL https://finds.synology.com which will search your network for any Disk Station products. Using the app is as simple as opening the app and letting it do the same. Once the DS224+ is found, it will automatically set up the Disk Station Manager (DSM) software. It’s generally a step-by-step guide on both.
Once you’ve set up your DSM environment, you’ll need to set up your admin and user credentials. This will include setting up user groups and permissions for each group. This will allow you to share files and folders easier later on. This includes setting up private environments and folders for each user if you want to. Once this is done, your DS224+ is ready to go.
In the DSM environment, you’ll be able to install packages that will introduce the features that you want in the DS224+. For us, this was the Synology Drive Server package, the File Station Package, the Active Insight Package, the Advanced Media Extensions package and the Synology Application Manager package. Once these are installed, you’ll be able to access the DSM from anywhere with a phone or browser. If you’re using a browser, you’ll need to access https://quickconnect.to/ and put in the relevant credentials. Otherwise, you can use one of Synology’s many apps.
Apps, Apps and MORE APPS? WHY SO MANY?
Speaking of many apps, this has to be my one pet peeve with Synology’s Disk Station system. The number of apps available is just too many. There are more than 10 apps available from Synology for the Disk Station system. Although a number of them are specialized apps for specific functions of the Disk Station, I seriously think that Synology should either phase out or streamline the apps they have for the Disk Station system.
Throughout the setup process, you’ll be using the DS Finder App. Once you’re done with that you can simply uninstall it. You will need the Synology Secure Sign-In app to sign in with the authenticator once you set up your DS224+. If you’re using it as shared storage, you have either the DS Files app or the Synology Drive app. There’s also the DS audio, DS photos, DS Video and Synology Photos apps.
As is pretty obvious from the list of apps, several apps have overlapping functions. It’s not only confusing for users, but it also feels unnecessary. It would make sense for Synology to merge a lot of these apps into a single app. Aside from the specialized apps like Bee Storage, a lot of the apps are repetitive. A single, unified app would help streamline and simplify the user experience of the Disk Station system immensely.
Using the Synology DS224+ as Remote Storage
For our review, we decided to use the Synology DS224+ primarily as shared storage. We were working off the DS224+ uploading and downloading files continuously. Primarily, we were uploading and downloading large media files for our videos and pictures for our articles on the drives.
The Synology DS224+ was able to handle the continuous uploading and downloading that we did. It was also very consistent when it came to upload and download speed. Of course, this also depends on the speed of the internet connection where the NAS is. Our office has a 100Mbps connection. This allowed us to upload files of about 100MB in a matter of minutes. Downloads were even faster. However, we have to note that in Malaysia we were working off 5G and 4G LTE networks at any time. On the local network, the Synology DS224+ can be mapped as a network drive making it easier to drag and drop files more seamlessly.
We were also able to stream videos off the drive very seamlessly. The experience with the Synology Drive app on both mobile and desktop is very streamlined. The app allows you to upload and synchronize folders seamlessly with the DS224+. In fact, connections were more stable on the apps than when using the browser. I was able to upload a 400GB folder to the drive without much hassle. However, when using the browser, it kept timing out and resulting in failed uploads.
It’s worth noting that the Synology DS224+ can be used for more than just remote storage. The system can support running websites, mail servers and even Git repositories. Fundamentally, the Disk Stations can work as a local server for anything you need to run. As long as there is a package that supports the functionality, you’ll be able to set it up. However, regular Joes and Janes like us will mostly be using it to back up pictures, videos and even files. It would also be remiss of us if we did not highlight that you will need to replace the hard disks every so often to ensure that your Disk Station remains in working order.
Overall, the performance of the Synology DS224+ was very stable and reliable as a shared remote drive. It also allowed us to store and streamline our work process, making it easier to get things done.
A Beginner’s NAS Built for Simplicity & Functionality with the Potential to Do More Than Just Remote Storage
Synology DS224+ is one of the simplest and most accessible NAS systems available currently. It’s simple to set up with a small, manageable learning curve when it comes to usage. What’s more, it’s a secure and private server that is easily accessible through mobile apps or a browser. The DS224+ is also very versatile with the many functions it can perform. Coming in at about RM3,000 for a setup with 8TB of space, it’s also one of the more affordable options available.
The only drawback of the experience of the Synology DS224+ is the deluge of apps you will need to make your way through to figure out which you will be using. It also suffers a handicap compared to other subscription-based cloud storage due to the reliance on the speed of your internet. However, that isn’t a make-or-break issue considering we have broadband speeds of up to 2Gbps in Malaysia.
Overall, the DS224+ is a powerful and affordable NAS solution for those looking for a simple and reliable way to manage their digital life.
Apple Silicon has made waves when it comes to SoCs (Systems on a Chip). It has created a standard for power efficiency and performance that the industry lacked. Now, with its fourth generation, the Apple M4 is looking to create an even larger gap with improved GPU architecture and the fastest Neural Engine in the company’s repertoire.
The Apple M4 chip is built using the company’s second generation 3nm architecture. It comes with a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU and the fastest Neural engine that Apple has created yet. The M4 consists of 28 billion transistors built with 3nm technology that allows for better power efficiency.
The 10-core CPU consists of four performance cores and six efficiency cores that help forge a delicate balance between performance and power efficiency. These cores are able to process higher workloads and better predict branches and have a wider decode and execution engines. Also featured on both cores are next-generation Machine Learning (ML) accelerators. Thanks to this, the M4 is able to deliver 1.5x the performance of the M2.
The M4’s 10-core GPU is built on the next-generation graphics architecture that was first featured in the M3. This architecture gives a significant boost to performance through Dynamic Caching. This process allocates memory dynamically in hardware and in real time resulting in an substantial increase in GPU utilisation. The new GPU also enables hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a first on the iPad line up. This enables more realistic shadows and reflections in games like Diablo Immortal as well as other graphically rich experiences. The GPU is also able to better process and reproduce graphically intense scene and workloads thank to hardware-accelerated mesh shading. The performance of the GPU is increased by up to four times on apps like Octane.
The Neural Engine on the Apple M4 is able to process 38 trillion operations a second. That’s 60 times faster than the A11 Bionic which featured the first generation Neural Engine. This combined with the ML accelerators, the CPU and the GPU make this processor Apple’s best processor for AI workloads. This is utilised in iPadOS with features like Live Captions which can generate captions in real time or visual look up that help identify items in videos or pictures.
The M4 also brings hardware acceleration for Apple’s AV1 code to the iPad for the first time. The media engine of the M4 also supports codecs like H.264, HEVC and ProRes.
Apple’s highest-end iPad has gotten a full refresh with a slimmer design, more powerful insides, cutting-edge display technology and a bevvy of new accessories to make it one of the most compelling tablets available. The new iPad Pro is available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes striking the balance between portability and productivity.
More Svelt & Touting the First Ultra Retina XDR Display
The new iPad Pro will be touting Apple’s new Ultra Retina XDR display. The new display comes with what Apple calls “tandem OLED” technology which allows for more precise and true-to-life colours and better visual performance. The new display has a peak brightness of 1000 nits and a peak HDR brightness of 1600 nits. Its performance is driven by the next-generation GPU of the Apple M4 Chip. The display also comes with a nano-texture which produces less glare thanks to precision etching that doesn’t compromise visual quality and responsiveness.
Together with new display technology, the new iPad Pro also features a new, slimmer design. This design has resulted in lighter weight and a svelt appearance. The new tablets come in at just 5.3mm thin on the 11-inch model and a slimmer 5.1mm on the 13-inch model. Apple claims that the durability of the tablets remains unchanged even with the slimmer profiles. The tablet’s enclosures are also made of 100% recycled aluminium.
Debuting with Apple’s Next Generation Silicon – the M4 Chip
The new M4 chip from Apple delivers improvements not only when it comes to performance, but also in battery efficiency. The M4 silicon is built on Apple’s second-generation 3nm process that delivers better performance with higher power savings. The chip features four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It also leverages new machine learning (ML) accelerators to deliver a touted 50% increase in CPU performance compared to the M2 processor.
Building on the GPU architecture of the M3, the M4 features a whopping 10-core GPU that features Dynamic Caching. This allows for features like hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing. Both are featured on the iPad lineup for the first time in the new iPad Pro. The Neural Engine of the M4 is Apple’s most powerful to date. It’s capable of 38 trillion operations a second which is 60x faster than the A11 Bionic, Apple’s first chip featuring a Neural Engine.
Updated Cameras & Connectivity
The iPad Pro also comes with an updated camera setup. It features four studio-quality mics complemented by the 12-megapixel back camera. This setup can capture Smart HDR images and high-quality videos even in low light. The camera also comes with a True Tone flash that delivers excellent performance. Scanning documents with the camera is even easier thanks to the flash and intelligent processing by the M4 that delivers high-quality scans. Upfront, the 12-megapixel camera with an ultra-wide viewing angle delivers an updated experience when video calling. Center Stage augments the experience further especially when paired with the Magic Keyboard or Smart Folio.
The iPad Pro comes with a USB-C connector that supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB4. This enables high-speed wired connectivity of up to 40Gbps. With Thunderbolt 3 you can even hook the iPad up to a 6K display and high-speed external storage. It also supports WiFi 6E and 5G for the fastest wireless data connectivity available.
New iPad Pro, New Accessories
The new iPad Pro will also be accompanied by a bevvy of new accessories. Of note are the new Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard. The new Apple Pencil Pro comes with a new sensor that allows users to squeeze the stylus for added functionality. Complementing this is a haptic motor that provides feedback when squeezed or when certain actions are performed. Using a gyroscope, Apple is looking to deliver a more realistic experience with the Apple Pencil Pro allowing users to change the orientation of the shaped pen and brush tools. Users are able to see these changes with a hover that previews the orientation.
The Magic Keyboard has also been updated with a slimmer profile and lighter weight. It now comes with a function row that gives quick access to key settings and features of the iPad and keyboard. It also comes with a larger trackpad with haptic feedback and an aluminium palm rest. Lastly, Apple also announced a new Smart Folio for the iPad Pro that features more viewing angles.
Pricing & Availabilty
The Apple iPad Pro (2024) will be available for pre-order starting May 7, 2024. Store availability will start on 15 May 2024.
The iPad will be available in 13-inch size with WiFi and Cellular options. Pricing for the 13-inch model starts at USD$1,299/RM6,799 for the WiFi model and USD$1,499/RM7,799 for the WiFi+Cellular model. The smaller 11-inch model will be priced at USD$999/RM5,299 for the WiFi model and USD$1,199/RM6,299 for the WiFi+Cellular model. Both versions will be available in Space Black and Silver.
The Apple Pencil Pro will be available for USD$129/RM599.
The 11-inch Magic Keyboard is priced at USD$299/RM1,479 while the 13-inch version is priced at USD$349/RM1,699. It will be available in Black and White.
The Smart Folio will be available in Denim, Black and White and will cost USD$79/RM379 for the 11-inch version and USD$99/RM479 for the 13-inch version.
Apple’s iPad line up have long been the front runners when it comes to tablets. The new generation iPad Air is looking to reinforce that with an updated design, slimmer profile and the Apple M2 chip. The new iPad Air will also be the first iPad Air model to be available in two sizes.
The new iPad Air has been supercharged and updated with some of the hallmark features of the iPad series. It comes with slimmer bezels, a better Liquid Retina Display and is more versatile. It comes in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes that strike a balance between portability and visual real estate.
Also updated in the new Air is camera which has been updated with a 12-megapixel sensor. It’s also got a landscape 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage support. This will allow the camera to ensure that you are center frame when you’re using the table. The new tablet also comes with landscape stereo audio making your media consumption experience more immersive. It also comes with Touch ID and features an enclosure made of recycled aluminium.
Under the hood, the new tablet comes with the Apple M2 Chip. This processor, while not the latest, brings a huge leap in performance for the Air. Compared to the iPad Air with the A12 Bionic, Apple touts 3x life in speed. Compared to the M1 touting Air, Apple is boasting a 50% increase in performance. The new iPad Air is also now 5G enabled and supports up to 1TB of internal storage. It will also support the newly announced Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.
Pricing & Availability
The new iPad Air will be available in four colours: blue, purple, starlight and space gray. Prices for the 11-inch iPad Air will start at USD$599/RM2,999 for the WiFi model and USD$749/RM3,749 for the WiFi+Cellular model. The 13-inch iPad Air will be priced from USD$799/RM3,999 for the WiFi model and USD$949/RM4,749 for the WiFi+Cellular model.
Android users, your data could be exposed thanks to an implementation flaw in popular apps. Microsoft has recently published a bulletin exposing a critical flaw that could be present in a large amount of applications. Microsoft estimates that the flaw could be in over four billion apps.
The vulnerability, given the moniker “Dirty Stream”, lies in the ability of potentially malicious apps to exploit and abuse Android’s content provider system. This system is designed to enable secure data exchange between apps on Android devices. The data exchange typically employs security measures like permissions, uniform resource identifiers and file path validation to ensure data security. However, sloppy implementation has led to a backdoor ripe for exploitation.
In Microsoft’s research, the incorrect use of the communication layer that allows communication between Android apps, known as “custom intents, can lead to sensitive areas of the app being exposed. This will allow hackers and malicious actors to access and inject malicious code into the app. Attackers can potentially take over the app entirely, access sensitive user data and intercept private logins.
Microsoft is not just exposing the exploit. It has worked proactively with affected developers, alerting them of the potentially vulnerable apps. Some of the apps identified in the report include Xiaomi’s File Manager and WPS Office. Both apps have large user bases. The former boasts a user base of over a billion installations while WPS Office has about 500 million. The companies have deployed fixes to address the issue.
Google has also been alerted. The search behemoth has updated its app security guidelines. The changes highlight common implementation errors that could lead to the security bypass.
It looks like Spotify’s road to lossless audio is long and full of hurdles. It’s been about three years since the streaming giant first announced it would be adding lossless audio to its offerings, but we’ve yet to see it materialise. However, Spotify does seem to like to tease us with leaks and “updates” to its apps.
In the latest leaks that have surfaced thanks to Reddit user OhItsTom, we finally get a glimpse of some of the features and app interfaces for “Lossless” on Spotify. The screenshots of the desktop app show that Spotify might be considering ditching the “HiFi” branding and sticking to “Lossless”. It also gives us a glimpse of the quality that Spotify is gunning for with Lossless and it’s an impressive 2117kbps. That said, it looks like a majority of the offerings will be 24-bit audio FLAC files. The interface also indicates that audio files could be as large as 15.9MB a minute. That’s a HUGE file! A typical song would be between 65MB to 80MB which isn’t too bad considering ripping lossless tracks from a CD can sometimes go larger than that.
In addition to this, it looks like Spotify will be including a whole bunch on introductory screens for Lossless when it finally launches. It does suggest using Spotify Connect over Bluetooth for a better listening experience for lossless. It will also come with a compatibility checker for Spotify Lossless that will let you know if your device can support Lossless audio.
These screenshots are the latest in leaks that have been teasing the upcoming release of Spotify’s Lossless Audio support. However, it comes after more rumours pointed to Spotify introducing a brand new tier – Supremium – to its offerings. The Supremium tier would set you back USD$20 a month. This is about USD$5 more than the Premium tier which is priced at USD$16.99. There is also no indication if this tier would be supported in the Family plan. Currently, Spotify Premium is priced at RM15.90 a month in Malaysia while the Family Plan is priced at RM24.90 a month.
It looks like Google Fit is unfit for usage… or at least that’s what happening with Google retiring the APIs. The Google Fit APIs were introduced to the Android ecosystem back in 2017 as the platform’s answer to Apple’s HealthKit. However, it seems like Google isn’t going to develop or support the Google Fit APIs anymore.
In a blog post on the Android Developers Blog, Google indicates that it will not be accepting new sign ups for the Google Fit APIs any longer. The move apparently comes as Google begins to transition to Android Health. Currently, Android Health points to Health Connect, another of Google’s health APIs that was introduced in Android 13 and natively integrated in Android 14. The platform seems to remove any form of off device storage of the collected data but instead opts for an on-device model. Google is giving developers until June 30, 2025 to migrate to Android Health.
The move comes after Google’s purchase of fitness tracking company, Fitbit, in 2021. Just recently, Google has begun shutting down and consolidating a number of Google and Fitbit’s apps and APIs. Fitbit users will have realised that Google has been pushing them to migrate over to a Google account. In fact, some features like sleep tracking have been limited until the migration is done. More recently, Google announced to Fitibit users that Fitbit Pay will be replaced by Google Wallet. More jarringly, Google’s own Pixel Watch lacked the Google Fit app and favoured the Fitbit app instead.
The retirement of Google Fit’s APIs in favour of Android Health/Health Connect may also be a result of the Fitbit purchase as it was stipulated that Google could not access any data collected by Fitbit as a part of the purchase. However, little information has been shared about how Google is using the data since the acquistion was completed.
The larger question remains how will apps and devices that leverage the Google Fit APIs fair after the migration. Keep in mind that a number of Wear OS devices use these APIs for fitness tracking and use the Google Fit App as their main interface. With companies like FOSSIL pulling out of the Wearables market with no comitment to maintain the software on the current devices, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see issues pop up with the fitness tracking on these devices.
What’s more, other Wear OS devices will also need to be updated to migrate to Health Connect. With newer devices like the OPPO Watch X, companies have already created their own apps like OHealth for OPPO and Samsung Wear for Samsung. It’s unclear if these apps will need to migrate over to Android Health or if they are already using the new APIs. However, Google has also highlighted that apps like Lifesum (previously NOOM), Peloton and Oura have already migrated to Android Health. This would mean that apps like Strava and Nike run will also need to be upgraded to support Android Health or lose functionality.
