Samsung only just announced their new Galaxy A series slightly over a week ago. The company is now bringing its new midrange heroes to Malaysia as they go on pre-order. The pre-orders started for the Galaxy A53 on 21st March 2022 and are set to conclude on 25th March 2022. The Galaxy A33 and A73, however, are still on pre-order until 13th April 2022. Each pre-order of the Galaxy A33 5G will come with a free Galaxy Fit2 worth MYR179 while the A53 5G and the A73 5G will come with a set of Galaxy Buds Live.
The new Samsung Galaxy A series continues Samsung’s ethos of bringing flagship features to the midrange. This year, the company is bringing some of the most sought after software features including Single Take for the camera. With Single Take, you’ll be able to take multiple versions of the same scene – from GIF to video to portraiture with a single click of the camera shutter. In addition, features like Continue App and Link to Windows bring a new level of productivity to the Galaxy A33, Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A73.
You can get the full rundown of the three hero devices in our coverage of the launch. We’ve got all the details you need to know in one article! That said, the pre-orders are happening both in-store and online on the Samsung e-store. Everything’s summarised below!
Model
Pre-order dates
RRP
Colour
Exclusive Gifts
Galaxy A33 5G
In-store &E-store: 21 March 2022 – 13 April 2022
RM1,499
Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Peach, Awesome Blue
1x Galaxy Fit2, worth RM179
Galaxy A53 5G
In-store &E-store: 21 March 2022 – 25 March 2022
RM1,849
Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Peach, Awesome Blue
Malicious apps on smartphones are nothing new today. With rapid adoption of smartphones across the globe, malwares are not really an ‘if’ anymore, it is more of a when. Google and Apple, the two largest ecosystem holders in the world, have done everything they can to prevent malwares from hitting their devices, but once in a while some things slip through.
Very recently, Bleeping Computer has reported that researchers have found a malware on the Google Play Store. For the record, this is not the first time this has happened. These are not Android-only incidents too, before you start bashing Google for their lack of concern over our safety and privacy. This time round though, it is an Android isolated incident.
The app in question is called ‘Craftsart Cartoon Photo Tools’. It is, in effect, malware disguised as a form of photo editing tool. As an app, it sounds quite fun. It allows you to upload an image and convert it into a cartoon artwork rendering of some sorts for you to upload to your social media for the fun of it. What comes with the app is not so fun.
Pradeo, a security firm, discovered that the app comes with a Trojan malware called ‘FaceStealer’. It is what it sounds like, an identity theft malware. But it is not just any identity that it wants, it wants your Facebook ID and password. When you open the app for the first time, the Trojan fires up and opens a Facebook login screen for you to enter your Facebook credentials before you can use the account, which sounds completely normal. You can read more about what the trojan does via Bleeping Computer or Pradeo’s blog.
According to the research in Pradeo, the developers have injected a small piece of malicious code within the app. It is small enough to slip past Google play Store’s security filters, but enough also to work. To ensure that it stays in the Google Play Store, the app has also been automatically repackaged so that it behaves like a regular legitimate app.
This goes without saying, if you have the app installed in your Android smartphone, delete it immediately. There are no mentions if there is an iPhone equivalent on this. You can assume that currently it is only affecting Android devices, since ‘FaceStealer’ is made specifically for Android devices. The ‘Craftsart Cartoon Photo Tools’ has since been taken down from Google Play Store, but not without over 100,000 downloads first.
Apple TV+ is, there is no easier way of saying this, good. There are plenty of interesting and captivating shows that are exclusive to the platform. Those exclusives actually won awards, just to prove our point. But unti 2021, Apple TV+ holds their cards very close to their chest. You can only access the Apple TV+ app via Apple devices like Apple TV, Mac, iPhone, and iPad. You could not, and still cannot access it on your Android smartphones.
In 2021, it seems that Android users might be able to get a glimpse of what is on the other side with the introduction of the Apple TV app on their Android or Google TVs. Through the app, you can access whatever that Apple has on their Apple TV box, they can buy movies, rent movies, and even subscribe to Apple TV+. Their app is also available on NVIDIA Shield, and Google’s Chromecast dongles.
There was a recent update for the app on Android and Google powered TVs. After the update, it TVs or boxes with Google’s operating system works, but only just. The app on these devices can only play the movies or stream on Apple TV+ only if you have already bought them, or rent them, or subscribed to Apple TV+ previously. If you have not, you are out of luck because you no longer have an option to buy, rent, or subscribe to anything on the app. The only button left here is “How to Watch”.
Yes, the app will teach you how to watch your movies or shows on Android or Google TVs. But you are also required to have an Apple device at that, which also means it is going to be an extra spend if you do not own an iPhone or an iPad. Like we said earlier, this could go either way.
The decision by Apple to remove their in-app purchase features could be due to a few things. For one, Apple might want to avoid the 30% commission that Google demands for all in-app purchases on their platforms. The other one could also be to probably just sell more devices. Both are likely though.
For now, this might lead to a sharp drop in their subscriber count on Android and Google TVs. In the future though, there might be a bigger demand for affordable Apple devices just for Apple TVs services and features. It also could discourage Apple iPhone or iPad users to switch out of Apple’s ecosystem. We will just stick to Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Videos for now.
Getting apps banned in certain countries is a lot more common than you think. China is a prime example of plenty of apps and platforms getting banned in favour of their own in-house platforms. Facebook and Google cannot operate in China currently. That also means your WhatsApp will not work in China unless you use a VPN to bypass all the restrictions.
Banning a communication platform or website does a few things for a country. For one, it helps curb the spreading of information from inside and outside the country. There is another aspect of monitoring the communication channels inside the country, but most independent platforms are encrypted enough that governments do not usually have a hold of your chat information – so we are mostly safe.
Countries like the United States wants to have more control over companies like Facebook and Google because of the amount of information that these platforms have. They argued that these companies have breached a few privacy laws and are using our data illegally. Information, after all, is power. But there is also another thing that social media and communication platforms can do. You can spread untrue information and that information can be gospel.
That is exactly what happened with Telegram in Brazil and the government has no choice but to curb the problem by banning the use of Telegram in the entire nation. Brazil has recently hosted a successful election campaign. Politics are never straightforward though and there will always be people who are unhappy about the results. That leads to misleading information being created and possibly circulated. The easiest way to disseminate disinformation is via social media.
While Facebook and Google have been doing their part in keeping misinformation in check on their own platforms, Telegram is a more open-sourced platform that has not done a lot in filtering out bad actors. They can manually filter disinformation channels and users though, if you email them. Brazil did the exact same thing anyone would then. Nothing happened though, and that led to Brazil banning the platform on Friday.
Telegram has since responded by removing the whatever reported posts that are pointed in the emails the Brazilian government has sent them. But they also claimed that they have missed the email. There is also a reason for them missing these emails. Apparently, Telegram uses a dedicated email for complains and takedown requests. The Brazilian court emailed Telegram on their general use email that they hardly check apparently. In that case, Telegram has also referred the Brazilian government to the correct email and rectified the issue.
As of today, Telegram is no longer banned in Brazil. Telegram also promises that they will be doing better in labelling and taking down accounts, groups, and even misinformed posts in general. They have removed classified information shared by the Brazilian President and removed accounts belonging and connected to an activist that is accused of misinformation.
Not all of us got Android 12 yet but it seems like Google is eager to get more features into Android and excited about their next major development path – Android 13. Android 13 is inevitable; we know that it is going to come as well toward the end of this year 2022 at Google I/O 2022 edition. What we don’t know is what Android 13 will bring to the table. For that, we need to scour around and look at the Developer Preview for Android 13. So far there has only been two iterations of Android 13 Developer Preview, but we are already seeing some interesting things emerging.
Source: 9to5 GoogleSource: 9to5 GoogleSource: 9to5 Google
For the Google Pixel, Android 12 brought a universal search bar. The universal search bar not only acts as a search button for apps. It allows users to search through pretty much everything in their smartphone via a search bar in their app drawer. There is the Google Search bar widget, yes, but Android 12 allows the app drawer search bar to act as the Google Search bar too. There is still a lot to explore with the search bar.
In Android 13 Developer Preview, it seems like Google is integrating Google Photos with the search bar. That means that you can use the search bar to not only instantly pull things from Google Photos, but also potentially get the full search algorithm functionality from Google Photos in the search bar itself. You could be looking for a contact, for example, and Google Photo’s facial and object recognition kicks into high gear to find you the most relevant photos to your search.
With that kind of implementation on Google Photos, we will not be surprised as well if Google decides to integrate apps like Gmail and Calendar to the list of integrations with the search bar. It would be nice if we just need to tap into the search bar to search for things in our emails or calendar without even opening the apps. But we digress, all we can do is wait for Android 13 to see light of day.
One feature that Android lacked (but was rumoured to feature soon), and iOS has for a while now is opt in notifications. What is that? IOS allows you to choose which applications sends you notifications. It is one way to ensure that your notification bar is not loaded with notifications that you hardly care about.
It seems that we are going to see a form of that for Android 13. Via the preview, it also seems like you can prioritise notifications. Which also means that only certain notifications go through and load up your notification screen in differing modes. It is a small tweak, but a welcome one.
DP2: Better Media Player Visuals
Source: The Verge
On the visual part, Android 13 seems to feature a redesigned media player layout on the notification screen. Having media controls on the notification screen is nothing new for Android. Having nicer visuals is. If you fire up Spotify, the media player control in the notification screen shows part of the artwork. The control panel seems to be a little larger in the preview too, allowing more controls over the app itself other than the Previous, Play/Pause, and Next buttons.
And Even More
These are just some of the highlighted changes that we can expect in Android 13 though. The Developer Preview has shown much more changes that we can sort of expect in the next iteration of Android. To know more about Google’s planned update for Android 13 or even to experience the Developer Preview yourself, you can visit their website.
Samsung is no stranger when it comes to smartphones. In fact, they have had one of the most successful Android flagships for years with the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series. However, their mid-range offerings have been somewhat of a sore spot as the company struggles to be relevant. That changed last year with their A52 5G; the phone has been one of the most successful mid-range smartphones for Samsung ever.
Bringing Flagship Features to the Midrange
This year, they’re looking to build on that success and capitalise on bringing flagship features to the Galaxy A lineup. The 2022 Galaxy A series will be spearheaded by the Galaxy A73 5G, Galaxy A53 5G and the Galaxy A33 5G. Yep, that’s right, the series will be equipped with 5G across the board. In addition to 5G, Samsung is also bringing some of the software features we’re used to seeing in their flagships to the Galaxy A73, Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33.
You will now see software features such as Bixby Routines, Buds Auto Switch, Continue App and Link to Windows as mainstays in the Galaxy A series. Continue App allows you to take apps across from your phone to your Samsung tablet while Link to Windows will allow you to seamlessly integrate apps from your phone to your Windows PC. Bixby Routines, on the other hand, will allow you to create “routines” that will be able to be executed with a simple voice command. That said, DeX will not be making an appearance on the new Galaxy A devices.
In addition to these software features, the Galaxy A series is getting IP67 water and dust resistance – yes, even the A33. Together with this, the series is also getting Gorilla Glass 5 and a large 5,000mAh battery. They will also be getting 5 years of security updates with 4 years of major software updates.
Flagship cameras for the Midrange Heroes
The Galaxy A33, Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A73 will all come with top of the line cameras. The trio comes with a quadruple sensor setup with a main sensor equipped with optical image stabilization across the board. The Galaxy A73 5G comes with a 108-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and autofocus functionality. The A53 5G comes with a smaller 64-megapixel while the A33 5G is equipped with a 48-megapixel sensor.
Complementing this main sensor are an Ultrawide sensor, a macro sensor and a depth sensor. On the A73, these are a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 5-megapixel macro sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The A53 comes with the same. The A33 comes with a smaller 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel depth sensor, it does, however, come with the same 5-megapixel macro sensor. On the front, the A73 and A53 come with a 32-megapixel fixed focus sensor while the A33 comes with a smaller 13-megapixel one.
Samsung isn’t just focusing on the hardware when it comes to the cameras. Software features such as hybrid zooming and even Single Take are making their way to the Galaxy A series.
Same Same but Different
The overall outlook of the Galaxy A series of 2022 can simply be surmised as “same same but different”. The smartphones inherit the design language of the Galaxy A series of 2021 with small tweaks for better ergonomics and to keep up with the colour palette of 2022. Other than that, they come with the same design as the 2021 Galaxy A series. The same rectangle with a fluidly camouflaged camera hump melding into the back of the phone.
On the front is a Super AMOLED panel. The A73 comes with the largest of the three phones at 6.7-inches while the A53 comes with a 6.5-inch display. Both these models come with a 120Hz refresh rate. The A53 comes with a smaller 6.4-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate. All of the displays have a Full HD+ resolution with an 800 nits peak brightness.
The smartphones come with new 5nm processors. The Galaxy A73 is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G while the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 run on the Exynos 1280. The new Galaxy A series comes with 8GB of RAM. This can be expanded with up to 6 GB of additional RAM with Samsung’s RAM plus feature. The Galaxy A73 and A53 will be available with 256GB of storage while the A33 will be available with 128GB of storage. All three support up to 1TB additional storage via microSD card.
The new Galaxy A series devices will not ship with a charger in the box. It will only have a USB-C charging cable. Also absent is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy A73 will be available in Awesome White, Awesome Gray and Awesome Mint. It will be retailing for MYR2,099.
The Galaxy A53 and A33 will be available in Awesom White, Awesome Black, Awesome Pink and Awesome Blue. They will retail for MYR1,849 and MYR1,499 respectively.
No availability dates have been shared just yet.
Official Specifications
Model
Galaxy A33 5G
Galaxy A53 5G
Galaxy A73 5G
Display
6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 90Hz Infinity-U Display
6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 120Hz Infinity-O Display
6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED+ 120Hz Infinity-O Display
At this point, smartwatches are outselling regular watches. You even see some of your friends that are not big fans of wearing watches now wearing a form of smartwatch or fitness tracker. There is a very good reason to that.
A smartwatch or fitness tracker does not just tell time. They are more functional than regular watches because they now track your steps, your heart rate, your exercises, and much more. Smartwatches, because they are connected to your smartphone most of the time, are effectively your pagers now (pagers are like little SMS machines that predates even your mobile phones, if you do not know what that is). It also changes time zones with you without your input. It redefines what a toolwatch is.
If you ask us which smartwatch you should buy, and if budget is no object, we will always tell you to go out and get yourself a Garmin smartwatch or fitness tracker. Why? They are simply the best at this, currently. It is okay if you cannot fork out MYR 4,000 to buy a Garmin Fenix though. You can get this, the Instinct 2 at a fraction of the price and still have the best of Garmin.
Source: Garmin
It is still a Garmin fitness tracker cum smartwatch, so it does everything that a smartwatch and a fitness tracker does. Instead of being a one-stop-shop for everything that is fitness and adventure though, the Instinct 2 is a little more focused on different purposes. Still, if you need something completely general and unassuming – there is still the regular Instinct 2 for you to work with. If you are on a tight budget, you can still opt for one without the solar charging capability.
Yes, you did read that right, the Garmin Instinct 2 charges via solar now. Whichever Instinct 2 you pick as well, they are built to military standard 810 to ensure that the watch works in whatever condition you can throw it to, even in 100m of water depths. 45mm too big? There is The Instinct 2S too with 40mm bezels with all the bells and whistles from the larger Instinct 2.
Source: Garmin
As mentioned, the Instinct 2 series is more function focused than ever. There are three purpose-built editions to the Instinct 2 series now. You have the Surf Edition that allows you to keep track of data that you would need in any water sports category. It keeps you updated on wind speeds, tide conditions and more. You can even track your activities on the water and review them later.
There is also a Tactical Edition, a military type of edition made for the military person. You get Stealth Mode with this one too, we assume that is to dim down the screen so that it does not emit any lights. The screen is even usable with Night Vision Goggles for some reason. Of course, it is also a GPS tool to ensure that your location is always updated. Since it could be an essential military gear, Garmin added the Jumpmaster activity mode for when you go parachuting. This is a little overkill for a regular person though.
For regular adventurers, maybe the Camo Editions are good enough. It is a regular Instict 2 with everything that Garmin can offer in a fitness and adventure tracker, but in camo colour options. All of the Garmin Instinct 2 editions works Garmin’s Connect IQ app with access to the store for further personalisation of your Instinct 2.
The Instinct 2 and Instinct 2S is now available from Garmin official stores on Lazada and Shopee. You can also purchase an Instinct 2 watch from Garmin’s official distributor for Malaysia via AECO e-store and other authorised retailers. The Instinct 2 and Instinct 2S will set you back MYR 1,630 onward. For more information on the Garmin Instinct 2 series, you can head over to Garmin’s website.
It is not easy to follow up from a great product. Xiaomi managed to introduce the Xiaomi 11 series, their most powerful flagship with a lot of new upgrades from its predecessor. The Xiaomi 11 series packs very powerful System on a Chip (SoC) with an ultra-powerful camera array. At the same time, the 2021 flagship costs a fraction of the prices of most of the flagships out there.
So how do you follow up from such a strong device? If you ask Xiaomi, more of the same things that they have done before.
Enter the Xiaomi 12 series. On paper, it does not look like they have moved away from their old recipe of great prices and powerful flagship level hardware.
Xiaomi 12
Source: xiaomi
We start with the most obvious change on paper, the SoC. You get the most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC to date on the Xiaomi 12 series. You get a nice and powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip with 4nm technology powering Google’s latest Android 12 with MIUI 13.
Alongside the powerful processor is an ample 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM for super-fast read speeds. Speaking of memory, you can spec your Xiaomi 12 with up to 256GB of built-in storage. There are no expansion slots for the device though, bummer.
All these pushes MIUI 12 interface to take advantage of the AMOLED Dot Display. It is a 6.28-inch Full HD+ panel that offers 120Hz in refresh rate for the smooth feel. For vivid, immersive colours the panel offers HDR10+ support, Dolby Vision certification, TrueColor support, and is rated at A+ by DisplayMate. You can do away with screen protectors too with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus protecting the panel.
Watching movies with a Xiaomi 12 should be an immersive experience too with Dolby Atmos certified speakers. Moreover, it is tuned by the knowledgeable guys over in Harman Kardon.
Source: xiaomi
Where the older Xiaomi 11 offers one very powerful 108-Megapixel sensor for its main camera, the Xiaomi 12 only offers up to 50-Megapixel in resolution for its main sensor. That is not necessarily a bad thing though, considering that its supporting cameras also offer higher resolutions than before at 13-Megapixel for its ultra-wide shooter, and 5-Megapixel for its telephoto shooter. Out the front is a 32-Megapixel camera for ultra-clear and detailed self-portraits or group photos. While you do lose some resolution in photos, you can still get 8K video recordings out of the main sensor.
Keeping everything running along for an entire day is a large 4,500mAh battery. You get up to 67W in charging speeds via the USB Type-C port. Charging it wirelessly should also be quick enough with up to 50W in charging speeds. If you have other devices that needs power quickly, the Xiaomi 12 can wirelessly share its charge at 10W.
Xiaomi 12 Pro
Source: xiaomi
If the regular Xiaomi 12 does not rock your boat, you might want to look at its Pro variant. True to the Pro moniker, it is bigger, more powerful, and surely more expensive. For good reason though.
You are not getting a different SoC, it is the same powerful one since you cannot get anything more powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. You are getting a much bigger 12GB RAM for it though, which also means that you have more multitasking capabilities. Pair that to a 256GB storage, your Xiaomi 12 Pro is a media powerhouse.
The display is much bigger too at 6.73-inch with a few more curves. It is still an AMOLED Dot Display with AdaptiveSync. It is an AdaptiveSync Pro technology that allows the display to switch up between 1Hz to 120Hz for better dynamics and even better battery life. At the same time, the increase in size allows Xiaomi to fit twice more resolution than its regular counterpart making it effectively a WQHD+ display. It also protects your eyes better with SGS Eye Care Display certification.
Source: xiaomiSource: xiaomiSource: xiaomi
Dolby Atmos and Harman Kardon tuning should be enough for the immersive feel of movies on your smartphone. Not for the Xiaomi 12 Pro though. Instead of the regular dual speaker set-up, the larger body allows Xiaomi to shoehorn four speakers, two tweeters and two subwoofers, for an even more immersive audio experience without the need to use Bluetooth speakers.
To keep all these things working for you an entire day and more is a larger 4,600mAh battery pack. You can also charge the battery at 120W that fully charges the battery in 18 minutes. It also comes with 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse charging like the Xiaomi 12.
Prices and Availability
The Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro is now available for pre-order until the 23rd of March 2022. You can pre-order yours directly from Xiaomi. The new flagships will set you back MYR 2,899 (8GB + 128GB, MYR 2,999 for 8GB + 256GB) and MYR 3,899 respectively. Unfortunately, you do have to arrange to collect your device from a Xiaomi Flagship store near you once it is available though. Still, every pre-order entitles you to an array of premium free gifts worth up to MYR 2,197 like a 3.1 Channel Soundbar for example. For more information on the Xiaomi 12 series devices, you can visit their website.
The mid-range smartphone market is a thriving market segment. There should be no surprises there, since smartphones priced between the MYR 1,500 to MYR 2,500 range are not just affordable today. Today, mid-range smartphones perform nearly just as good if not as good as most flagship smartphones out there. Sure, you get less powerful System on a Chip (SoC) most of the time. That is just about the most compromise you get from mid-rangers though.
While it looks as though you are paying less because you are getting more compromises, in some cases, a mid-range smartphone can have its advantages over flagships. For one, mid-range smartphones sometimes offer extended battery life that most flagships with powerful chips in the world cannot offer. They are also rather good looking most of the time, better looking that some flagships sometimes.
Enter the HUAWEI nova line-up. The HUAWEI nova line-up is the Chinese giant’s most successful mid-range smartphones that sits not too far off from the HUAWEI P series flagships. The nova series usually packs a more powerful camera and large enough battery to keep the device running for days at a time. That is what you also get in the latest HUAWEI nova device, the nova 9 SE.
HUAWEI nova 9 SE
Source: HUAWEI
First up, is the compromise on the HUAWEI nova 9 SE. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC. The SoC packs eight ARM architecture cores; four powerful Cortex-A73 cores clocking 2.4GHz and four efficiency Cortex-A53 clocking 1.8GHz.
Everything else after that compromise is a match to most flagships. It packs 8GB of RAM alongside the SoC. The combination should allow you to game smoothly while allowing smooth sailing multitasking all-around. With 128GB of storage, all your personal data can be stored away safely in one place.
Then there is the ultra-powerful camera. Instead of a measly 50-Megapixel, or even a 64-Megapixel shooter, HUAWEI decided on pushing a large 108-Megapixel sensor as its main shooter, more megapixels than any HUAWEI device ever had. The powerful camera is flanked by an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide camera, 2-Megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-Megapixel macro camera. Out front is a 16-Megapixel shooter with up to Full HD video recording capabilities.
Speaking of front, the Super Device capable devices offers EMUI 12 beauty on a Full HD+ 6.78-inch IPS panel. The panel also offers 90Hz in refresh rate for the smooth feel. For the snappy instant response feel is the panel offering 270Hz in touch sampling rate.
Keeping the device running all day and more is a large 4,000mAh built in battery. It is charged by USB Type-C when it runs out. At that, it charges at HUAWEI SuperCharge speeds (66W) to get it charged from empty to full in less than 40 minutes.
Price and Availability
Source: HUAWEI
The HUAWEI nova 9 SE is now available for pre-order until the 18th of March 2022. You can get your pre-orders in via HUAWEI’s official web store, Experience Stores, and official online stores on Shopee and Lazada. As mentioned in the title, the device will set you back MYR 1,099. Every pre-order of the device will come with a HUAWEI FreeLace and a bunch of HMS (HUAWEI Mobile Services) packages worth up to MYR 560 while stocks last. For more information on the HUAWEI nova 9 SE you can visit HUAWEI’s website.
Today, content is king. When you talk about popular contents in the modern digital age, streaming is always something that comes up. The streaming industry is not limited to e-sports or gaming titles anymore, it could be anything really.
The entire streaming culture really can find its roots in gaming tough. When you talk gaming, you inevitably talk Razer. Razer is not just a gaming brand anymore though; they are a lifestyle brand with nice stuff for your PC and your gaming needs. We are also personal fans of the brand; we use their gaming peripherals and a certain compact USB mic for our podcasts (keep a look out for season 3!).
The streaming industry, as we pointed out, while started from the gaming culture is constantly growing. It used to be that you needed to have a capable enough gear to stream, a stable internet connection at home, preferably a fast one too just so that you can sit down and talk to hundreds to millions of people around the world. Today, 5G is looming upon us. Even without 5G, 4G LTE is more than enough to allow streamers to go LIVE anywhere and at any time. The number of digital platforms that allows anybody to stream whatever they like has changed the streaming industry.
Razer, as one of the brands that advocates the streaming culture must make progress with the streaming industry. To do that, they released a few new gears that streamers can up their game. They launched a new mic, a new mixer, and a lighting pad.
Taking Your Stream Anywhere – Razer Seiren BT
Source: Razer
To take your stream anywhere, anytime, you need to be mobile. The best hardware you have in your disposal is your smartphone. Your smartphone does everything a PC can while you are on the road. Most of the time though, while the camera on modern smartphones is more than capable of capturing clear, high-resolution videos for your Twitch stream, the audio is usually quite choppy unless you use a wired headphone and look cumbersome. Most wireless audio gear also means extra heft and a lot of cost.
The most elegant solution for this is using technology that is already available to us. That is why the Razer Seiren BT exists. The Razer Seiren BT is optimised to be used with smartphones and mobile streaming set ups to ensure that streamers always get the best audio quality no matter where they stream. Its simple clip-on design allows the mic to be mounted conveniently without disturbing your visuals. The wireless mic is also built with clever noise cancelling technology to cancel out background noise and wind noise in the environment, controllable via the Razer Streaming Mobile App.
Have More Control Over Your Streamed Radio – Razer Audio Mixer
Most of the time, audio is an afterthought in streaming. While setting up, plenty of people will tell you how important it is to get your visual right. You tend to focus on getting a good camera on hand and to make sure you and your environment looks good. Then you forget you need to let your voice get through in the stream, so you get yourself a mic that easily plugs into the USB port.
Source: Razer
While that is all good, you will have a problem when you want to work with multiple audio streams. You can, technically, control all these audio streams on your PC itself if you have the technical know-how. If you do not though, the Razer Audio Mixer is here to help.
The Audio Mixer is a clever solution to your Audio problem when streaming. It allows you to control up to 4 audio input channels to stream audio into and from your PC. It is an analogue board as well, so you can have direct and quick fader control over all the audio channels you have for your stream.
The Audio Mixer takes on most audio inputs too including hybrid-XLRs inputs, TRS Line, Optical TOS and others. Integrated to Razer’s versatile Synapse 3 software, streamers not just adjust the volume of your audio inputs and outputs. You can access the EQ of each channel via the software to tune your audio in your streams. All of these is done and loaded on the Razer Audio Mixer’s processor, so your PC can focus on working the video streams.
Visuals is Still Everything Though – Razer Key Light Chroma
Source: Razer
Being one of the big advocates of RGB hardware in gaming hardware, Razer is still all about the visuals too. Of course, visuals are still very important in streaming culture. You do not want to see badly filmed stream with dim lighting on the star of the show. As a star, you do not want your face to be covered by darkness too. But the regular cool or warm lighting is just too boring. What do you do?
You get the Razer key Light Chroma RGB light pads, mount it to your desk with an included desk clamp pole, point the pads to you, and choose whatever colour you want on your face, or lighting up your room. The Razer Key Light Chroma looks very much like a regular professional light pads used to light up a room or a scene with 16.8-million choice of colours with RGB Chroma. But connect them to your or smartphone via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and you will find that Razer’s Synapse 3 and Streaming App features more controls over the light pad than you know. Sadly, it is not battery compatible, you do need to carry a power adapter that can supply 52.5W to each light pad to power the pads. If you want to take your streaming mobile with the 2800 Lumens light source, you do want to make sure you have a power outlet available.
The Razer Seiren BT, Audio Mixer, and Key Light Chroma is now available on Razer’s online store and authorised stores. Unlike some of other devices in Razer’s arsenal, there are no colour options for these devices. Prices start from US$ 99.99 (MYR 479*) for the Seiren BT, US$ 299.99 (MYR 1,399*) for the Key Light Chroma, and US$ 249.99 (MYR 1,209*) for the Audio Mixer. More information on Razer’s range of streaming focused hardware can be found on their website.
