If you watched the announcement that was made by Acer last night, you might have thought that you already have all the information you need from Acer about their upcoming products that will lead into 2021. They did launch plenty of products last night that might be very compelling for your work from home set-up as well. In fact, if we count our press releases correctly, they had eight separate launches launching more than 20 individual products (this is quite normal, trust me).
There is one product that missed an appearance in the show though. If you checked back into their YouTube page though, you might have seen it. They also launched a smart speaker.
They call it the Acer Halo Smart Speaker, and it is a looker. Its transparent, glass looking thing at the bottom for its base is also an RGB light right that makes the speakers look as if it is dancing with you as you play music to it. Even if it is just responding to you, it just looks funky and light-hearted.
The overall design is just as industrial and pretty as you can expect a Google Nest to be. Like the Google made speaker, the Acer Halo Smart Speaker has a fabric mesh overall body that is shaped into a boxy tower. Underneath the mesh fabric is an LED display that can tell you the time or weather at a glance. You can even customise messages that is displayed on the LED panel.
Source: Acer
It is not just all show and no go though. The Acer Halo Smart Speaker is made with DTS Sound certification. That also means that the speaker is made with sound quality and enjoyment as well. If you put it in the living room, you could easily play a relaxing music through the speaker and sweet music will fill the air with its 360o projection. Its dual far-field speakers ensure that you could communicate with the speaker or give it commands, if you like, from anywhere in the room.
Why do you need to communicate with the speaker? It is a Smart Speaker, why would you not communicate with it? You can tell it to start your slow cooker, turn the TV on, turn the air-conditioning on, turn the washer on, and more, if all these things are Google Home enabled. The Halo Smart Speaker works with Google Assistant, the same one you have on your Android device. That also means that this works as a Google Home controller as well.
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
There is a curious matter of why Acer has made this product though. While we do find it intriguing and finding ourselves wanting one, Acer has not made any other significant smart home items. They introduced the AcerPure Cool and AcerPure Pro air purifying systems at Next@Acer. The only one that seems to be available globally at this time is the AcerPure Cool air purifier and that is not exactly a smart home product. It still operates with a traditional remote.
There are no mentions on the availability and pricing of the Acer Halo Smart Speaker. We have high hopes for this product though and are praying for it to land in this part of the world. It would make a good alternative to Google Nest, that is not officially available in Malaysia as well. Here is our fingers crossed, our toes as well.
The Porsche Design Acer Book RS launches at Next@Acer. Underneath the light all-metal and carbon fibre construction is a powerful 11th Generation Intel Core i7 (up to) and an NVIDIA GeForce MX350 GPU (up to). You get up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. The Porsche Design Acer Book RS will also come with its own Travelpack RS ECCO Palermo Leather sleeve and pouch and its own exclusive Porsche design Mouse RS.
The new Notebook is made to be lightweight, yet sturdy, and powerful. The design harks to Porsche’s sports car and racing heritage. Porsche Design employed their know how and expertise in lightweight materials and construction to keep the all-metal chassis with carbon fibre top body an anorexic 1.25kg. At 15.99mm thickness also, it is not exactly a bulky package.
Inside the body is a 14-inch Full HD IPS display with 99% sRGB coverage. That also means near accurate colours. DTS Audio ensures that its speakers are powerful enough still to entertain even the most demanding users. It even features the Unibody hinge design to make typing a more comfortable experience on the Porsche Design Acer Book RS.
The Porsche Design Acer Book RS will be available in the North American, EMEA, and China very soon. Prices for the Book RS start at US$ 1,399.99 (MYR 5,801), EU€ 1,799 (MYR 8,851), and RMB 14,999 (MYR 9,345) respectively. If you opt for the top specced Book RS, it will set you back US$ 1,999.99 (MYR 8,287), EU€ 2,399 (MYR 11,803), and RMB 19,999 (MYR 12,461) respectively. The Porsche Design Mouse RS can be bought separately of course, it will set you back US$ 109.99 (MYR 456), and EU€ 99 (487) respectively. The Travelpack RS can also be purchased separately at US$ 329.99 (MYR 1,367) and EU€ 299 (MYR 1,471) respectively. No word on availability and pricing for Malaysia just yet.
At Next@Acer 2020, Acer has also introduced new monitors for business and home users: the eye-friendly Acer B248Y, the HDR-capable Acer CBL272U and the Acer BL270 with virtually no side-bezels.
Acer B248Y – Work All Day, Every Day
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Acer claims that this B248Y is an ergonomic monitor that was designed with various pain points that is often faced by users at work in mind. The monitor is equipped with various features that aim to make your eyes more comfortable even in prolonged working environments, such as Acer LightSense and Acer ColorSense.
The two technologies combines in the display to automatically adjust the screen brightness and color temperature. The adjustments are made for a more comfortable experience with the display depending on the environment. The monitor’s Full HD (1980×1080) IPS display sits on something they call Ergostand. The Ergostand, as per Acer, is a flexible stand that allows for ever more flexibility in adjusting the display to your liking.
The B248Y’s built-in docking station turns the monitor into a workspace in its own right. The RJ45 and USB Type-C 100W PD ports allows you to clear up plenty of clutter on your desk. The ports also means that you can choose to work from home or the office at anytime without worrying too much about moving the items, or even clearing a new space for the monitor. You can also daisy chain multiple monitors for a larger screen real estate, if that is what you need. There is also an adjustable Full HD webcam to let the users find the perfect angle for camera feed. That, and you do not need to spend extra on a webcam.
Acer CBL272U – QHD Goodness
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
The Acer CBL272U is a 27-inch TUV/Eyesafe certified monitor with QHD 2,560 by 1,440 resolution, Delta E<1 color accuracy and 99% sRGB gamut coverage. It is an IPS panel which also means that you can look at it from nearly any angles with its 178o viewing angle. HDR10 means that any compatible video content looks superb on the display. All this means your eyes will just start to water at the sight of the display. Not because it hurts, just because it is so good. C
It is not just an eye-watering, colour attack for your eyes though. It is also built with a number of eye-friendly features. BlueLightShield Pro, for example prevents harmful bluelight especially for extended period of use. With Acer’s proven ComfyView anti-glare technology and low-dimming capability, enables the monitor’s brightness to be turned all the way down to 15% for night-time use. In that case, the monitor will not blind you even when you view it in total darkness.
Acer BL270 – Thin, Thin Bezels
Source: Acer
Dreaming of having a two-monitor set-up that looks like a single large monitor set-up? The Acer BL270 is a certified FHD 1920×1080 monitor with thin size bezels that taper off, this is what making the two monitor be placed virtually seamlessly side-by-side. This clean and powerful monitor is perfectly designed for any business environment. The flexible stand allows you the ability adjust the height, swivel and pivot perfectly according to your preferences. You can also use the display to mirror your smartphone’s content via Acer’s Smart Console App.
Price and Availability
Despite the monitors powerful features, the price is seem to be reasonable. Three of the monitors: B248Y, CBL272U and BL270 will be available in North America starting with price of US$ 329.99 (RM 1,369*), US$ 299.99 (RM 1,245*) and US$ 229.99 (RM954*.11) respectively. As usual, exact specifications, prices, and availability will vary by region. No word on availability or pricing in Malaysia just yet. These are perfect monitors for our work from home set up though, so we are hoping to hear something soon.
*Based on approximate exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.14 as of 21/10/2020
Remember when Porsche, a German car manufacturer decided that designing cars is not enough anymore? Remember when they started designing things like a smoking pipe, and even smartphones? Remember when they introduced a new notebook PC called the Porsche Design Book One? Oh yes, that was quite special.
That Book One looked like something you could pull out of a spaceship. The detachable display gave it that illusion that you actually pulled it out of the USS Enterprise (Star Trek, does not matter which version and build). The brushed and polished aluminium look gives it that extra zest and drama that it stood out from regular notebooks. Of course, it has the price to match.
In reality, the Porsche Design Book One is already outdated. In the world of modern PCs, the Porsche Design Book One is an antique piece that belongs to the museum. We would not call it a modern art gallery material either. This reminds me of a quote I heard once that “art can have no purpose other than itself”.
Fast forward to 2020, and Porsche Design is back into designing notebook PCs. Of course, they cannot do it by themselves, they are not PC makers. They have to either rely on a third-party manufacturer, which could mean that they make cool looking notebooks that does not work properly, or they could go to a partner that has been making notebook PCs forever and make a really good notebook PC that fits the Stuttgart’s stature. They did the latter; just in case you forgot to read the title.
Welcome to the Porsche Design Acer Book RS, a combination of Porsche’s know-how in beautiful and functional industrial designs using the most exotic of materials, and Acer’s expertise in making reliable and powerful PCs. What you get is a notebook PC that is not just reliable and functional in any situation, but also a sight to behold.
We will save our opinions on the looks and design for our review (if they ever release it for review, that is). The Porsche Design Acer Book RS does not just have a name that is mouthful. It has the design to keep your mouth open too.
All-Metal & Carbon Fibre
It is constructed in metal in all completeness. The metal chassis not only gives it that super polished and high-quality look. It makes it a bit more sturdy than regular notebooks with plastic chassis. It is not just all-metal chassis though; the body is CNC milled to Porsche’s standards of precision. That also means that the single metal frame body is stronger than you think. It has that Unibody Hinge mechanism that lifts the keyboard a little bit too, to make typing a little more comfortable.
Then there is the top cover that is made of carbon fibre. This is not some plastic that is dipped in carbon fibre Plastidip or even a sticker on cheap plastic panel. It is not even Carbon Reinforced Plastic (CRP). It is actual carbon fibre that you see and feel on top of the Book RS.
What that means is that the notebook is not only strong, but light as well. It weighs just 1.25kg at 15.99mm thick. While that is not the lightest, not thinnest you have seen a notebook PC, it is not exactly heavy. You also need to consider that this is fully constructed in metal. For that reason alone, we consider the Porsche Design Acer Book RS is light. The Book RS’ weight department, no doubt, has received some clever know-how from Porsche Design’s lightweight metal construction earned from their car manufacturing sibling, Porsche.
Power Packed – Like a Porsche Sports Car
Did we ever mention that Porsche also makes some of the world’s most desirable sports cars? Must have escaped us. The Porsche Design Acer Book RS is made with internals that matches its looks as well, just like a Porsche should.
The Porsche Design Acer Book RS packs Intel’s 11th generation Core i7-1165G7 (up to) paired to NVIDIA’s discreetly powerful GeForce MX350 GPU (up to). The combination of that not only allows the Porsche Design Acer Book RS to go through multiple documents, emails, and even excel sheets like a champ. It allows the device to edit videos even. It can even be your gaming rig if you really want it to be. Of course, we would refrain from running AAA titles at full chat.
Thanks to the 14-inch Full HD IPS display and DTS Audio, the Porsche Design Acer Book RS is as much an entertainer as it is a work partner. The IPS display is also a touch display with 100% sRGB. That also means that you can see colours accurately and whatever you might put on the display looks good. This is a true all-rounder, just like a Porsche.
Still Mightily Practical
Practicality is also a Porsche special. In that department, the Porsche Design Acer Book RS has a storage capacity of up to 1TB in PCIe Gen3 NVMe SSD format. That comes with up to 16GB of RAM as well, to keep everything chugging along nicely. That and the WiFI 6 connectivity should make the current work from home situation a breeze. It could even last you through the day with a quoted 17-hours in battery life. It is practical, just like a Porsche should be.
Of course, we cannot forget that Porsche is still a premium brand. As true as the “poor man’s Supercar” moniker, Porsche still deals with premium cars attached to a deserving prestige. Their cars are in no way made cheaply. They are made to the most stringent of standards.
The Book RS embodies that with what you get in the box; the Travelpack RS. You get three premium ECCO Palermo Leather sleeve, pouch and attachments, alongside a matching wireless mouse that is the Mouse RS. The magnetic pouch cover doubles as a mousepad to protect your mouse from wear and tear. One pouch is even big enough for the mouse and two types of chargers that comes with the notebook.
Price and Availability
So far this is the only Porsche Design collaboration product that has been announced by Acer. As per Acer, there are no further plans just yet on other collaboration products with the premium Stuttgart based brand. At the same time, Acer could leverage on their partnership with their partnership with Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team as well, like when Acer had a very interesting Ferrari branded string of products. We were told as well that there are no plans yet in that department.
The Porsche Design Acer Book RS will be available in the North American, EMEA, and China very soon. Prices for the Book RS start at US$ 1,399.99 (MYR 5,801*), EU€ 1,799 (MYR 8,851**), and RMB 14,999 (MYR 9,345***) respectively. If you opt for the top specced Book RS, it will set you back US$ 1,999.99 (MYR 8,287*), EU€ 2,399 (MYR 11,803**), and RMB 19,999 (MYR 12,461***) respectively. The Porsche Design Mouse RS can be bought separately of course, it will set you back US$ 109.99 (MYR 456*), and EU€ 99 (487**) respectively. The Travelpack RS can also be purchased separately at US$ 329.99 (MYR 1,367*) and EU€ 299 (MYR 1,471**) respectively. No word on availability and pricing for Malaysia just yet.
*Based on approximate exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.14 as of 21/10/2020
**Based on approximate exchange rate of EU€ 1 = MYR 4.92 as of 21/10/2020
***Based on approximate exchange rate of RMB 10 = MYR 6.23 as of 21/10/2020
The current pandemic has led to an increase of people working from home. With this increase, there has also been an increase in the awareness in the importance of having good air circulation and good quality air. Acer, realising this, has introduced a new subsidiary, AcerPure Inc, which will focus on creating products that will improve the quality of life of their users. Their first product is an air purifier and fan, or as they put it, air mobiliser.
The AcerPure Cool focuses on moving and purifying air within a room. Studies have shown that indoor air isn’t as clean as we think it is. Still or stale air can also be a contributing factor to falling sick. With this in mind, Acerpure has created the Cool to both purify and move air for better air quality. The product marries a air purifier with an air circulator and a fan.
It comes equipped with a 3-in-1 HEPA filter which helps filter fine particles and impurities in the air. The filter is combined with catalytic carbon, a special form of activated carbon, which allows it to filter PM1.0 particulate matter; that is to say particles of about 1.0μm in size. Some of the things that can be effectively removed are dust particles and large molecules like formaldehyde and other harmful hydrocarbons. The air purifier of the AcerPure Cool also comes with a Silver ion (Ag+) filter which has been proven to provide some antimicrobial protection. You also see this technology being used in air-conditioners.
The fan component of the AcerPure Cool helps circulate and project the purified air. It has enough power to project air up to 16m away and circulate the air in a 27m2 room in 3 minutes – something that will undoubtedly be appreciated in warmer climates.
Of course, the tech doesn’t just end there. The AcerPure Cool comes with a PM1.0 Air Quality sensor which enables it to detect the real-time indoor air quality. This reading is displayed via 3 LED indicator lights. With this data, the air purifier intelligently adjusts its operation mode to ensure better purification of the room. Apparently, the Cool also has a deodourising component which releases negative ions to help combat foul odours. It goes without saying, the deodourising of the AcerPure Cool will not deodourise if the source of the odour is still in the room.
Pricing & Availability
The AcerPure Cool will be available in Taiwan, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. No pricing has been announced just yet and launch windows will be announced at a later date.
It is completely fair and not overstating to say that the Google Assistant has become one of the Google’s most important products. While people are still fantasizing of contact-less computing experience, which is still not realized by most people, Google Assistant has already worked its way into the society through variety of products like the Google Home and Chromecast. Google Assistant, we can safely say, has become a big part of plenty of people’s lives.
Google has added several new features to the Assistant this year, making it better and more helpful to users. The virtual assistant is now gaining the ability to open up, search, and perform general tasks across your favorite apps. As long as you have an Android phone that is Assistant-enabled, you will be able to open and search within Android apps just by calling; “Hey Google,” or “Okay Google.”
Google has kicked off this deeper integration by partnering with over 30 of the top apps on the Google Play store. Here a list of some of the apps such as Nike Adapt, Nike Run Club, Spotify, Snapchat, Twitter and of course more.
Source: Google
The new integration will allow you to do things that need several taps in the apps themselves. For instance, apps like Nike Run Club can be easily accessed without needing users physical input. This can be huge time saver.
For all the apps that support Google Assistant, you can simply create a shortcut phrases for it and it will perform whatever preset actions for you. Nike’s Adapt training shoes could be a great example. Through Google Assistant, could create a preset action command and get your shoes to automatically tighten itself on your feet. All done via Google’s voice command, something that dreams are made of.
Source: Google
The new usefulness is a major advance towards Google offering a totally without hands processing experience. While Android 11 previously included some genuinely incredible voice control openness choices, this adds much greater usefulness to the Google Assistant.
Google says the Assistant will be able to work with more apps in the near future. You could be a part of this exciting future though by creating these shortcuts and allow developers to map users’ intent to get Google Assistant to integrate with their favourite apps. Stay tuned and be excited for more fantasy acts.
You can agree with us when we say we can never find a comfortable position on any desks. It seems that no matter what normal desk you function out of, you can almost never find the right height. This is why, when an interior designer designs your kitchen for you, they measure your height so that your kitchen counters can be tailored to your height. Of course, also to make sure you can reach the higher floating cabinets.
That is the kitchen though, not the working desks. You go to the office and most tables are at a standard height, and that is annoyingly uncomfortable sometimes. If you are anything taller than average height, the regular office tables are too short for you. Anything below the average height, the table is too tall for you.
Of course, with shorter statures, you can adjust the height of your chair most of the time to solve the problem. If you are just slightly taller than average, the regular office chairs are also just about adjustable enough to ensure that you have the right postures. But you cannot work standing up, in that case.
Bad seating and unsuitable table heights (even chairs, actually) will lead to bad posture which leads to plenty of problems in your body structure too. You get a bad back, because you are either hunched all the time, or you are just straining to look at your monitor. It can even lead to carpal tunnel syndrome because your wrists are resting at very awkward positions. In both cases, your productivity dips, because you are more often fatigued than not. That is just one of the reasons you want to ensure you have the right posture while you work.
You might not be able to change anything in your office at this point though. You cannot possibly ask your boss to buy a table just for you too, you may not own the company. If you are the owner of the company, you might be able to choose your own table. Still, it is quite unreasonable for you to change a table every time you feel uncomfortable, these are not exactly cheap stuff.
You are now working at home most of the time though, no thanks to the current pandemic situation. Your company also realises that your productivity does not change when you work from home. In fact, in some cases, you are more productive than ever. You do not need to brave through the morning traffic, which saves you an hour of sleep. You do not need to brave the traffic home, so you spend less time on the road, and save on fuel. You tend to eat right too, when you have a significant other, or when you live with your family. You are more relaxed at home, so your thought processes tend to be a little better.
You forgot one thing though, your table is still not the right height, and you tend to keep moving your workplace around the house. You tried working on the sofa, that is too comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time, productivity dips. Your dining table: you need to eat, and it still is not the right height. Your old office table; what old office table?
Time for you to buy a new working table at home. You need it to be perfect, and flexible enough so that you can work sitting, or standing. You need the EVIS Smart Desk.
Design
The EVIS Smart Desk is, well, a desk that looks like any other office desk. When we say an office desk, we are referring to the more modern interpretation of what an office desk should look like though. Just a plain wood surface with two or four legs. In the case of the EVIS desk, there are two rectangular stalks on each side they call legs, and two huge rectangular feet just slightly narrower than the surface. While traditional tables require up to four leges to hold the weight of the table on each corner, trust me this is as sturdy as it gets.
The unit we have for review is their standard Walnut top. The Walnut top feels like solid wood (it is MFC by the way), and that also means high-quality. On top of the table, in the bottom left corner, there is some white graphics to show you where to put your smartphone. That is the wireless charger built into the table, a nice touch considering most smartphones (flagships mostly) have wireless charging built-in there days. There is also a small latch on the table for your cables to come out of from.
If you buy the table from them too, you can opt for a tray that they put under the latch to hold an extension cord for the table. That extension will ensure that your wireless charger has power, and that you do not have to pull your cable and hair just to get power to your monitor, your PC, or desk lamp.
Of course, there are different colours for the top. You can even choose to get an L-shaped table. We are told also that you can customise the size and shape of the top if you really need. The motors can lift up to 120kg, they say.
The legs, as we mentioned are rectangular in shape, and steel in material with built-in motor. If you look underneath there is a rectangular bar that runs across the length of the table too, to connect the legs underneath and two bars that holds the width of the table to hold the four corners. You do There is a housing for the electronic motor and there is the controller that juts out of the bottom right corner of the table, away from your central seating position. Apparently, you can choose between white or black for the legs.
Work Sitting Down, or Standing Up – Whatever You Need
You can adjust the table from the minimum height of 660mm, which is perfect maybe for your kids, all the way to 1,310mm (1.31m) tall. There is no reason for you to put the table at that height unless you are working standing up as a 2-meter tall human being. You even see the exact height on the adjustment or control panel. You now know your perfect working table height.
What is nice about this kind of motorised movement is that there is no preset height built into the table, which also means you can fine tune the height just for yourself. Since there is a memory function via the control (store up to 4 custom height), you can even set your custom height and forget about it. Every time you get to the table, just press the preset number and you are ready to go. If you need to work standing up, just set the table to your preferred height, get the board to memorise it, forget, use it again the next round. Give it a few seconds, and you are ready to go.
Since there are four available custom preset memory too, you can either share the table with your significant other or have four different functions built to your table. In that case, if you only have room for one table in your house and you need the table to be your workspace, dining table, kitchen top, and even your bar table, the EVIS Smart Desk is perfect. Which also means that this EVIS Smart Desk will be perfect for a studio apartment, you might want to get a larger top though, so that you can comfortably seat four.
Finely Controlled
As mentioned, the controller or height adjustment board is placed on the bottom right corner of the table. It just out just slightly but not enough to be a distraction when you move in and out of your table. Thanks to the rounded corners as well, it should reduce the risks of wire snags or even tearing you a new hold on your shirt or pants. In that case, the module will not even hurt your skin.
While it is meek, it is quite a powerhouse in your hands. You cannot detach it from the table though, mind you. But that also means that there are less wires to worry about.
The buttons seem to be made of glossy plastic, which is technically fine by us. It looks quite premium when it is new and fresh. It smudges easily though thanks to the gloss finish. In this case, we might prefer a slightly more matte treatment to the plastic. While it may not look as premium, it might stand smudges and age better.
Still, under the plastic is also a digital display that tells you the specific height of the table at the time in mm. That information can be quite useless, but hey at least you can tell your office manager that you want the table at the exact height when you make it to the big leagues and they need to make a table for you. That, or when the office finally agrees to buy new table for you.
It is also simple enough to work with, as we mentioned. You probably will only ever use the M button a handful of times in the lifetime of the Smart Desk. That is the memory trigger function, and a long press should trigger it to memorise the height, and all you need to do next is press one of the four buttons to store that height for future use. The table does take about 10 seconds to reach minimum to maximum height though, so you might want to keep that in mind if you are sharing the table with a toddler and you are over 2m in height.
Wireless Charging
We have to inform you at this point that not all EVIS Smart Desks come with Wireless Charging Ability out of the box. It is an optional extra that will set you back MYR 590 (including cable management option). To be fair, that is not a small amount of money on top of the MYR 3,499 that you are already spending on the table.
Look at it this way though. The cable management option comes with that tray that we talked about earlier and an extension cord to give you a sort of peace of mind. You see less cables hanging out of the table too, for a cleaner look. The tray itself is not a cheap aftermarket part in the stores, mind you. Then there is the wireless charger itself.
The 10W wireless charger is, admittedly, not the fastest wireless charger out in the market. You can get a decent fast charger in the market for probably less than the MYR 310 extra EVIS is asking for. But you are going to live with a charger that sits on top of the table, not one sitting within the flat surface of the table. Of course, you can install that wireless charger under the table on your own, but the amount of work that goes into that is quite mind boggling. You also risk destroying your find top.
An Investment for Your Work Set-up
Like we mentioned earlier, there is a chance that you might not be able to change the table in the office currently. If you have not started on a working at home set up though, now is the right time to do it. The EVIS Smart Desk in standard size (1,500mm x 750mm x 25mm), in full retail price will set you back MYR 3,499 at least. With the cable management and installation assistance, the table will set you back MYR 3,979. Add the Wireless charger and you are paying MYR 4,289 (cost of our review unit). For that money also you are getting a 3-year (frame, mechanical and electrical parts) warranty for the product.
If you want, you can make it a little bigger at 1,800mm x 800mm x 25mm for MYR 100 extra. If you need it to be moved around at home, you can add wheels to the legs at MYR 200. An extra year in warranty is another MYR 250. An L-shaped option is an MYR 500 extra, to compensate for the extra surface and extra leg (MYR 300 for wheels, also for extra leg).
For that same money too, you are getting an all-in-one table that can do it all. You are getting a work surface that can lift you to the ceiling to change a light bulb if you must (we are not encouraging this, though they guarantee this will lift 120kg easily). You are getting an elegant wireless charging solution. You are also getting great posture so you feel great and you can be even more productive.
Your boss will be happier since you are more productive. When you become more productive at work, you have more time to spend at home with the family or whoever you want to spend your time too. With great posture as well, you live a healthier life, with less back pains, or shoulder aches. You sleep better too, as a result of that. You spend less going to the Chiropractor to correct your posture, so you save some money in that too. Best of all, you get a desk that works for you, a custom desk that is made only for you, in whatever situation you want to work in. It is premium, yes. You deserve nothing less though.
You can buy the EVIS Smart Desk from EVIS’ own website, or you can head to their showroom in Ikon Connaught, Cheras. Of course, EVIS makes other office furniture like chairs and even monitor stands. You can find all that in their website.
Well known branding like Noble Chairs and Secret Lab released excellent gaming chairs for gamers out there. That said, gaming chairs are all the rage these days. Of course, one of the biggest gaming lifestyle giants, Razer would latch on to this trend. That’s right, Razer has finally unveiled their first gaming chair, the Iskur.
The Iskur is said to have a unique external lumbar support system whose 26-degree customization is meant to improve your posture while gaming or even working. The main focus is to alleviate the middle tension to achieve a neutral spine position to provide minimum burden for your spine. Important when you game for long hours, or when you are sitting down to get your work done all day long of course.
Source: Razer
The Iskur also comes with “4D” armrests, which offer a wide range of adjustment, and will support players up to 6.2′ and 136kg (299 lbs). It’s made from multi-layered synthetic leather and the rear back cushion is made from high density foam cushion. The Iskur’s jut-out-at-an-angle lumbar pad which look like a snake belly is quite one of the highlight of Razer signature. A memory foam head cushion is also included to keep you at the optimum posture.
Whichever way you look at it, the Razer Iskur does look very similar to the Secret Lab’s very own Omega and Titan. That may not necessarily be a bad thing though. The Secret Lab Omega and Titan are very highly acclaimed gaming chairs, regarded to be the best in the business. Razer denies that the Iskur is anything like the Secret Lab chairs though.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
The Razer Iskur is now available for US$ 499 (approx. RM 2,071) through Razer’s official website. There are no mentions on whether or not the Razer Iskur will come to Malaysia. Here are some fingers crossed. For more information on the Razer Iskur you can head down to their website.
Fitbit is a name that comes to mind when you’re thinking of wearables which put fitness at the forefront. The company has been actively developing a platform that gives users actionable data on their health. What’s more, Fitbit has even taken steps to help their community better cope with these unprecedented times.
Malaysia is the latest country getting an infusion of Fitbit. The company has announced the local availability of its three new wearables: the Fitbit Sense, the Fitbit Versa 3 and the Fitbit Inspire 2. The three new devices mark the start of a new generation of wearables for Fitbit featuring new technology that gives users even more actionable health data. It is excited to see what is inside about it. Some call the app “ECG” and it allows users to gain insight into their heart performance and possible conditions, like irregular or erratic heartbeats.
The Fitbit Sense made its debut in August as the company’s new flagship smartwatch with brand new technology which allows users to monitor their heart’s rhythm via an ECG monitor. The Fitbit Sense is currently the most advanced health smartwatch available in the market for only RM1,498 with 6-months complementary access to Fitbit Premium. The Sense also features the world’s first electrodermal activity(EDA) sensor on a smartwatch to help users monitor stress levels. The Sense touts up to 7 days battery life depending on how you use it.
From the cutting edge to the accessible, Fitbit isn’t leaving anyone behind. The Fitbit Inspire 2 joins the foray with a price tag of only MYR498. It is designed to be slim and comes with a brighter screen and the longest battery life of any Fitbit device at 10 days. Purchases of the FitBit Inspire 2 also comes with a one year free trial of Fitbit Premium.
Together with the Sense and Inspire 2, Fitbit is also bringing the updated Versa 3. The Versa line up is their first smartwatch line up which marries Fitbit technology with the growing demand for smartwatches. The Versa 3 brings enhanced features including GPD tracking, wireless music and more. However, pricing and availability for the Versa 3 will be announced at a later date.
Finding it difficult to search for routes while driving? Waze’s new features are helping drivers to get back on the road safer and faster (Not driving faster, mind you). So far there are seven new features from Waze that is now available in app.
Nearly everyone uses Waze to get to another destination these days (at least in Malaysia). Thanks to users everywhere, Waze is able to partner with municipalities and transit authorities to ease traffic and reduce congestion. The community based app, in some sense, has done more for the motorists than governments.
Source: Waze
Waze will now provide all sorts of new information to drivers before even leaving for a drive. Waze delivers information such as travel times, or even traffic predictions based on past and current driving history. It even gives you personalised recommendations based on your driving data.
Waze can now also show drivers the recent destinations so that drivers would not need to keep searching for an address again within the Waze app. They are now what Waze calls “Front and center” on the app for easy access. No more fumbling with your smartphone in the car.
Source: Waze
The app now also saves Live data for your convenience. Again, using past and current driving and navigation data, even your input, Waze keeps your itinerary for you. That allows you to technically just turn on the app every morning, for example, and start driving to work, wherever it is. The app will also tell you when is the best time to leave for work depending on the conditions on the road on specific days.
It is dangerous for you to work with your smartphone on-the-move, especially when you are driving. You would want to minimise your interaction with the smartphone. Thing is, when your car is running out of fuel, you might panic and start fumbling the device to search for the nearest petrol kiosk. Panic not, quickly open the Waze app and with the quick search, helpful location badges and bubles, including fuel stations will appear to you.
Source: Waze
Lane Guidance is a livesafer in a lot of cases. It is a feature that is long awaited on the ever popular navigation app. The new feature Lane Guidance will tell users which lane to be in to ensure that you do not miss a turning.
2020 is an odd year. With the pandemic situation, it is difficult to not just move around. It is difficult to predict traffic. Waze has somehow improved their brilliant ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) algorithm. That means it is even more accurate in areas with less drivers, and it is better at predicting changes in traffic patterns.
Source: Waze
Source: Waze
The most exciting new feature is the Batman Theme. The Waze users can activate the Batman experience on Waze either selecting the famous voice of Batman (Kelvin Conroy) or The Riddler (Wally Wingert) to let them drive with new experience with English, Portuguese and Spanish until 30 October 2020. The Waze app is a free app available on Android and iOS devices on Google Play Store and Apple App Store respectively.
