Category Archives: Mobile

Android, Mobile, News

Samsung Unpacks Galaxy Z Flip for the Stylista; Priced at USD$1,380

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The smartphone is changing; it’s a fact that we can’t deny anymore. Samsung officially unfolded their revolution with the Galaxy Fold last year. This year, they’re going to make you flip for the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. The Z Flip refines some of the features we saw with the Galaxy Fold and gives it a new form factor. Samsung touts the new flip phone as a perfectly compact, statement smartphone.

Premium Design with Cutting Edge Materials

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip comes with a new design which isn’t just eye catching, it takes the fold of the Galaxy fold and flips it. (Yes, pun very much intended!). The Z Flip unfolds to the reveal a 6.7-inch foldable display within its sleek square body. The display on the Z Flip has a Full HD+ resolution of 2636×1080 pixels with a pixel density of 425ppi. Samsung claims that, unlike its competition and the Galaxy Fold, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip comes with an ultra thin, flexible Glass Super AMOLED display. This is possibly the first product available to consumers with flexible glass. It’s also Samsung’s first 21.9:9 aspect ratio screen.

The hinge of the Galaxy Flip Z has been improved. Taking feedback and lessons from the launch of the Galaxy Fold, the Flip Z comes with a new Hideaway Hinge. This hinge literally hides away when you open the Flip Z. The hinge silently tucks itself between the two halves of the Flip. The new hinge also comes with nylon fibres in between that help keep dust and particulates out of it.

Unique User Experience, Natively Supported by Android

The User Interface (UI) of the Galaxy Z Flip has also been enhanced; it now comes with a unique feature which allows the phone to be used at different folding angles. The new Flex mode on the Flip allows the phone to be used in a similar way to that of a laptop. The smartphone will be able to be used at three different angles thanks to the three stop hinge. The 6.7-inch display is split into two smaller 4-inch displays. The bottom portion of the display becomes a dedicated interaction area while the top continues to behave as a display.

The new interaction mode is supported natively by Android 10. During the Unpacked event, it was announced that Google Duo and YouTube Premium will support Flex Mode out of the box. Google also announced that the APIs for development on other multi-mode devices are already available. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see more apps hit the Google Play Store soon.

The Galaxy Z Flip also come with a 1.1-inch display on the front. This display is activated when the phone is closed. The Cover Display displays notifications, the time and also acts as a screen for selfies when the phone is closed. The new Flip Z is able to use the dual camera setup on the phone to take a selfie on the cover display.

Compromised Specifications

The Flip Z comes with a dual camera setup with two 12-megapixel sensors. The main sensor is a wide angle with a 78 ° field of view and an aperture f/1.8. It supports Super Speed Dual Auto Focus, tracking autofocus, HDR10+ video recording, up to and optical image stabilisation (OIS). The secondary sensor is an ultra wide sensor with a 123 ° field of view with a f/2.2 aperture. The front camera is a 10-megapixel sensor with an 80 ° field of view with an f/2.4 aperture.

The Samsung Galaxy Flip Z comes with a Snapdragon 855+ processor which supports 4G LTE. This is paired with 256GB of internal memory and 8GB of RAM. It will have support for eSIM and a nano SIM. The smartphone will be powered by a 3,300mAh dual battery which is only capable of QuickCharge 2.0 (15W fast charging). On the connectivity side of things, the Flip supports NFC, WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Galileo,GLONASS and BeiDou. It connects via a USB Type C cable for wired charging. It also supported wireless charging.

Pricing and Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip will initially be available in Mirror Purple and Mirror Black in select markets starting February 14,2020. The only two announced so far are the U.S. and South Korea. A Mirror Gold colour will be available at a later date.

The Galaxy Z Flip will be retailing for USD$1,380 (MYR 5,704.54).

Samsung is also collaborating with Thom Browne, a renoun American fashion designer for a special limited edition version of the Z Flip. Details of this special edition will be unveiled at New York Fashion week.

Official Specifications

Mobile, News

Perfect Valentine’s Gift? Why not Elizabeth Arden on Shopee?

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February is here, Chinese New Year has gone, and Chap Go Mei just passed, and we look forward to the next big thing in our calendars; the 14th of February, Valentine’s Day. We first thought to go into a little bit of the history of Valentine’s Day. We then thought that that will be boring.

We also though of going through the history of cosmetics and then Elizabeth Arden as a brand. Then we also thought otherwise. We will have no clue what they are talking about. All we think you need to know is that cosmetics have existed for more than 1,000 years in the land of Egypt. Elizabeth Arden has also existed for about 110 years now.

Source: Elizabeth Arden

If you know cosmetics, you would know that Elizabeth Arden is one of the more premium cosmetic brands in the market. If you do not know cosmetics; there is the information for you. They make a bunch of great stuff too, which we do not personally use; because none of us in the office uses cosmetics unfortunately.

Still, this makes an Elizabeth Arden product the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day. To be fair, this product is mostly made for women. You get the idea then.

The thing is, Chinese New year 2020 just passed and there are plenty of work to catch up on now. Time for shopping is very limited. So the only option for you to get a Valentine’s Day gift is via the online stores. Thank goodness for Elizabeth Arden on Shopee then.

Source: Elizabeth Arden

You may not find the most complete Elizabeth Arden experience in the online stores. You will still find a complete catalogue of Elizabeth Arden’s complete product line-up and you can easily purchase them too. Thing is, if you have no idea what you are getting yourself into, you might want to get some advise from your friends who would have more experience with these stuff.

From the online store in Shopee you can get Elizabeth Arden’s award-winning Eight Hour product range. The products supposedly improve skin conditions after eight hours of application, some fast acting stuff here. There is their new 8 Daily Defense Moisturize product as well for a healthier skin.

Of course, there are other products in the Shopee store. If Elizabeth Arden is not your cup of tea, Shopee has many more items in store for you for Valentine’s Day. No significant other to give to? Who says Valentine’s Day needs to be just about your significant other? For more information and promotion, you can head to Shopee’s online marketplace. The Shopee app is also available for free on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

UPDATE: For Valentine’s day Elizabeth will give 55% discounts on selected items at selected times too as part of Shopee’s Shocking Sale deals on the 12th of February 2020. That is tomorrow, yes. At 9 a.m. you can get a perfume, body lotion, and shower gel set at 55% off its MYR 378 price tag. At 4 p.m. you can get Elizabeth Arden’s White Tea two-piece set at MYR 116.55. At 8 p.m. you can get their perfume and body lotion set which is now priced at MYR 308.

Mobile, News

Touch n’ Go RFID Now Available for MYR 35 Nationwide!

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18 months ago, Touch n’ Go Sdn. Bhd. started something quite radical for the transportation industry in Malaysia. It is not what you would call unthinkable or unheard of. It has been done before, albeit outside of Malaysia. The new application within Malaysian road have been also widely know to be used in plenty of applications with unmatched reliability and accuracy; baggage sorting and handling in the airports for example.  

If you were thinking of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification); yes we are talking about RFID. The title should have given it away anyway. Touch n’ Go Sdn. Bhd., in collaboration with Touch n’ Go Digital, launched the RFID pilot program. According to Touch n’ Go, the program gave out about million RFID tags to residents of Klang Valley. The program also extends its acceptance across Klang Valley’s 22 highways through its 18 months Pilot program. Late last year, extending into this year, the RFID acceptance extends to selected toll gates across the North-South Expressway.  

In short, the program was a successful one. That is the test covered; so what is next? A full rollout of course.  

That also means that RFID tags are now available for purchase via installation centres across the nation. You no longer have to make extensive applications through the website and wait for approval from Touch n’ Go to install the RFID tags to your cars, for a price. Not expensive though at MYR 35. Compare that to a new Smart TAG device at MYR 150 each. To use the devices you also have to get a new Touch n’ Go card for MYR 10.  

The RFID tag works with an eWallet – the Touch n’ Go eWallet. You do not need a Touch n’ Go card anymore with the RFID tags. Well, you might still want to keep one as a back up; just in case. All you have to do is to ensure you have enough credits in the Touch n’ Go eWallet, pass through an RFID lane, and you’re through. Keep a good distance with the car in front of you though, and a reasonable speed (30 km/h) and below.  

Of course RFID will not just stop at the 22 toll gates in Klang Valley. They are rolling out to even more toll gates across the nation through 2020 and beyond. Touch n’ Go is also looking to use RFID beyond the public roads. They are looking at installing it and using it for parking, paying for petrol, and more. 

RFID is more than just what you see on the surface though. Touch n’ Go Sdn. Bhd. can now do real-time traffic analysis and tracking. These data can be shared across multiple platforms or even the authorities for traffic planning and tracking. It is all a part of a smarter and more digital Malaysia. 

Touch n’ Go’s RFID tags will be available for purchase at MYR 35/tag from 15th February onward. You do have to ensure that you have the Touch n’ Go eWallet app on your smartphones first though; the RFID tags are tied  to your eWallet. From the 15th February 2020 to 15 April 2020 40 lucky winners will walk away with MYR 2,500 worth of Toll Pass credited in their eWallet.  

The Touch n’ Go eWallet app is available for free on Android and iOS via Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store respectively. For more information on the Touch n’ Go RFID program you can head over to their website. 

Mobile, News

Skip the Queue at PETRONAS, Setel on Your Smartphone!

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Any drivers knows the pain of driving. Traffic jam? No, not really. There is one very big inconvenience whenever you take out your car.  

Put it this way; your car needs energy to run. For electric cars, you need a battery pack to store energy for the car. While you can do that at home, you need to get your car plugged in still. It will take forever to charge too. 

While electric cars may not be too clever of an investment in Malaysia at this time, the traditional internal combustion engines with traditional fossil fuels are the way to go. The inconvenience is that you have to keep your tank topped up when it runs out, a 5 minute ordeal at times.  

Most of the time though its just 5 minutes that you spend in the fueling station. You tend to spend more than 15 minutes in the fueling station. At times you have to wait for a pump to free up when there is too many people at the station. Once that’s done, you have to queue up to pay for your fuel at the kiosk. To skip that, you can use your debit/credit card at the pump. If you use a debit card though, the vendor first takes MYR200 from your account before you even start doing anything.  

What if there is a better solution. Since every other person in Malaysia has been going on and on about eWallet, why not use these apps to pay for fuel, from inside the car; ‘Setel’ it there and then.  

Welcome to the world of Setel, an eWallet app that is specialised in handling all your fuelling needs. With Setel, it really is just 5 minutes in the fuelling station, not 15 minutes.  

The moment you get to the fueling station, all you need to do is to pull up to an available pump, whip out the smartphone, open Setel app, choose the pump you are at, enter the amount that you would like to fuel, and voila, your pump is ready. Of course you need to make sure you still have credits in the app wallet. For that, you can use your credit/debit card with no fuss. If you need to find a petrol station near you, the app will help you find it too. 

While the app has existed for about a year now, the app was only readily useable in the Klang Valley region and was in Beta mode. Now though, the app is fully launched as a full running app. The app will not just stop at the pumps though. They are working closely with PETRONA Malaysia to release more features within their petrol pumping stations like purchasing items in PETRONAS Mesra shops or partnering vendors, with collection at the station.  

Speaking of Mesra, you can connect you Mesra card to the app and collect points automatically as you use the app. While in Beta you could not redeem the points in your Mesra card through the app now though, you can. The Setel app is the one stop shop for all fueling needs in PETRONAS.

The Setel app is now available for free on Google’s Play Store for Android and Apple App Store of iOS devices. You can use Setel app in over 700 PETRONAS fuelling stations across the nation. For now, there is no other vendors that accepts payment via the Setel app. There is also currently an MYR 200 cap within the app. No matter though, you can now tell your friends that you are actually ‘setel-ing’ some business as your late excuse. More information on the Setel app on their website.  

Android, Mobile, News

Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite, S10 Lite, A51 & A71 Go On Pre-order in Malaysia

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The Samsung Galaxy of devices is about to get a whole lot bigger and more affordable with four new devices. The new devices will be available in the market starting from February with pre-orders starting on February 3, 2020.

Meet the new Samsung Galaxy A51 & A71

The South Korean tech giant silently launched their new Galaxy A series towards the end of last year. The new entries into the company’s mid-range offerings are the Galaxy A51 and A71. These devices succeed the popular A50 and A70; and also continue Samsung’s partnership with popular K-Pop band, BlackPink.

Keeping with the Galaxy A series’ ethos, the new entries into the line up continue to offer compelling specifications at an affordable price point. Both the Galaxy A51 and A71 are coming below MYR2,000. The A51 will be retailing for MYR1,299 while the higher specc’d A71 will be retailing at MYR1,799.

Samsung Galaxy A51

For the price, the two devices come with 128GB of internal memory with support for up to an additional 512GB via microSD card. The smartphones also support dual SIM connectivity through a triple card slot. The A51 is powered by a quad core Exynos 9611 with 6GB of RAM. On the other hand the A71 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 with 8GB of RAM. Both come with a Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution of 1080×2400 pixels. That said, the A71 clocks a slightly larger 6.7-inch display to the A51’s 6.5-inch display. Both have under display fingerprint sensors.

On the camera front, both the A51 and A71 come with a quad camera setup. The A71 has a larger 64-megapixel main sensor while the A51 has a 48-megapixel sensor. Both are capable of phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and have a wide 26mm focal length. These are complemented by a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor, 5-megapixel macro sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The front cameras are a single 32-megapixel sensor with a 26mm focal length.

Samsung Galaxy A71

The A51 has a 4,000mAh battery while the A71 has a 4,500mAh battery. Both have fast charging; however, the A51 only supports 15W fast charging while the A71 supports 25W. Both charge with USB-C.

Cheaper Flagships with the S10 Lite and the Note10 Lite

Earlier this month, at CES in Las Vegas, Samsung unveiled two more additions to their flagship Galaxy S series and Galaxy Note series. Both the smartphones come in below the MYR2,700 mark.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite

The smartphones share a lot in common including a large 6.7-inch display and dual SIM connectivity. Both also have 128GB of internal storage and 8GB RAM. Both have support for microSD card expansion of up to 512GB.

Both the devices have triple camera setups and a front facing 32-megapixel camera. The Note10 Lite has three 12-megapixel sensors while the the S10 Lite has a 48-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel macro sensor and a 5-megapixel macro sensor. The S10 Lite is powered by a Snapdragon 855 while the Note 10 Lite comes with an Exynos 9810. Both come with under display fingerprint sensors and 4,500mAh battery with support for USB-C fast charging.

Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite

Pricing and Availability

The Samsung Galaxy A51 will be retailing at MYR1,299 while the A71 retails for MYR1,799. Both will be available in Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush White (Silver for the A71) and Prism Crush Blue .

The Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite will be retailing for MYR2,299 while the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite will be retailing for MYR2,699. The S10 Lite will be available in Prism Black, Prism White and Prism Blue; while the Note10 Lite will be available in Aura Glow, Aura Black and Aura Red.

Pre-orders for the smartphones will start on the 3rd February, 2020. There are special freebies as per the table below.

Product RRP Colour Availability Pre-Order Rewards
Galaxy S10 Lite RM2,699 Prism Black Prism White Prism Blue Complimentary Galaxy Fit worth RM369
Galaxy Note10 Lite RM2,299 Aura Glow Aura Black Aura Red Complimentary Galaxy Fit worth RM369
Galaxy A51 RM1,299 Prism Crush Black Prism Crush White Prism Crush Blue Complimentary Protection Plus worth RM119 inclusive of:
1 Year Extended Protection
1 Time Screen Protection
Galaxy A71 RM1,799 Prism Crush Black Prism Crush Silver Prism Crush Blue Complimentary Protection Plus worth RM185 inclusive of:
1 Year Extended Protection
1 Time Screen Protection

Samsung Galaxy A51 & A71

Galaxy A71Galaxy A51
Display6.7-inch, Full HD+ (1080 x2400)6.5-inch, Full HD+ (1080 x2400)
Super AMOLED PlusSuper AMOLED
Infinity-O DisplayInfinity-O Display
Rear CameraMain: 64MP, F1.8Main: 48MP, F2.0
Depth: 5MP, F2.2Depth: 5MP, F2.2
Macro: 5MP, F2.4Macro: 5MP, F2.4
Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2
Front CameraSelfie: 32MP, F2.2Selfie: 32MP, F2.2
Body163.6 x 76.0 x 7.7mm / 179g158.5 x 73.6 x 7.9mm / 172g
APOcta Core (Dual 2.2GHz + Hexa 1.8GHz)Octa Core (Quad 2.3GHz + Quad 1.7GHz)
Memory8GB RAM6GB RAM
128GB Internal Storage128GB Internal Storage
Micro SD slot (up to 512 GB)Micro SD slot (up to 512 GB)
SIM CardDual SIM (3 slot)Dual SIM (3 slot)
Battery4,500 mAh (typical), 25W Super-Fast Charging4,000 mAh (typical), 15W Fast Charging
Biometric AuthenticationsOn-Screen Fingerprint, Face RecognitionOn-Screen Fingerprint, Face Recognition
ColorPrism Crush BlackPrism Crush Black
Prism Crush SilverPrism Crush White
Prism Crush BluePrism Crush Blue

Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite & S10 Lite

Galaxy S10 LiteGalaxy Note10 Lite
Display6.7-inch Full HD+6.7-inch Full HD+
Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O Display,Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display,
2400×1080 (394ppi)2400×1080 (394ppi)
CameraRear: Triple CameraRear: Triple Camera
– Macro: 5MP F2.4– Ultra Wide: 12MP F2.2
– Wide-angle: 48MP Super Steady OIS AF F2.0– Wide-angle: 12MP Dual Pixel AF F1.7 OIS
– Ultra Wide: 12MP F2.2– Telephoto: 12MP AF F2.4 OIS
Front: 32MP F2.2Front: 32MP F2.2
Body75.6 x 162.5 x 8.1mm, 186g76.1 x 163.7 x 8.7mm, 199g
AP64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.8GHz + 2.4GHz + 1.8GHz)64-bit Octa-core processor (Quad 2.7GHz + Quad  1.8GHz)
Memory8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage
Battery4,500mAh (typical)4,500mAh(typical)
OSAndroid 10.0Android 10.0
Accessories, Mobile

Unboxing The OPPO Enco Free

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We unboxed the OPPO Enco Free True Wireless Earbuds. The OPPO Enco Free is another True Wireless earbuds that carries that Apple Airpods-esque design. There is a few small difference between the Enco Free and the Airpods though.

The OPPO Enco Free, while carrying the same design, has a silicon tip to ensure a better fit on the ears. In the box comes three extra silicon tips with different size to ensure that the OPPO Enco Free will properly fit any ear. The stems from the Enco Free are also touch panels for you to control your music and volume with.

The OPPO Enco Free is now available via OPPO’s authorised retailers and official stores across the nation. The new Enco Free True Wireless earbuds is available in two colours, Black or White. There is a pink colour variant on the way, but there is yet to be available information on that yet. The OPPO Enco Free could be yours today for MYR 499.

Android, Mobile, News

HUAWEI’s New nova 7i Lands in Malaysia on 14 February 2020

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HUAWEI’s nova series has always been a strong contender in the mid-range space with compelling specifications. The main draw of the series has always been its flagship class camera with a price point that makes it one of the most accessible offerings that’s worth your money on the market.

That said, the company recently announced the availability of their nova 6 series in China. It looks like the 6 isn’t making its way to Malaysia. Instead, HUAWEI is teasing a new entry: the nova 7i which will be available in Malaysia from 14 February 2020!

The new HUAWEI nova 7i looks to be coming with a HiSilicon Kirin 810 which was featured in the HONOR 9X and 9X Pro. That said, the new chipset promises power savings thanks to the 7nm fabrication process which allows the chip to have more performance while keeping the battery life. The processor is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. If 128GB isn’t enough, you’ll be able to add up to 256GB of extra memory with a nano memory card (NM card).

The display on the nova 7i is a 6.4-inch LTPS IPS LCD capable of reproducing 16 million colours. It’s a Full HD+ display with a resolution of 1080×2310 pixels. Unlike its flagship brethren, the new mid-ranger comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. HUAWEI included a large, 4,200mAh battery for all-day battery life. It also supports 40W supercharge charging which can provide 70% of battery with 30 minutes of charging.

More Cameras, More Better Pictures?

The camera setup on the smartphone is a quad camera array with a 48-megapixel main sensor. It is also capable of ultrawide and macro shots. HUAWEI hasn’t clarified if the ultrawide and macro features are due to individual sensors on the camera array. That said, the main sensor is a wide sensor with an f/1.8 aperture for better low light performance.

HUAWEI is touting the front camera’s enhanced selfie features. This is powered by a dual selfie camera setup. HUAWEI hasn’t divulged the exact sensors used in the setup. That said, the company has touted that the new setup will enable users to get “golden selfies”. In addition, it looks like the nova 7i comes with enhanced software that will allow users to get better performance on video calls and even when posting to social media such as TikTok and Instagram.

We don’t have any information on the price. However, given the previous price point of the nova 5T, we expect the nova 7i to be about MYR1,599. It is likely the smartphone may be priced higher due to the HUAWEI Y9s released last year.

Business, Mobile, News

DuitNow QR: The Way Forward Paved First by Cyberview and PayNet

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If you walk into your favourite cafés or even restaurants, you might be bombarded with small table standees with a QR code on the payment counter. That is to indicate that the restaurant has gone cashless and is accepting cashless payment options. Having multiple options to pay for your purchases is always great, but problematic since every single cashless payment vendor produces their own unique QR code for each of the participating shops.

You end up with multiple apps on a single device. To keep track of the payments, you must access different apps. That, or you get a specialised device that has access to several apps at the same time. Still, it is not perfect. You still need multiple apps to get it to work, if you choose to omit certain apps, you cannot even allow users to use those apps. In the end, it is all rubbish and using cash is still the best option to work with.

Do not get us wrong, we are very big advocates of the cashless payment system. We use them all the time and we love the fact that we do not need to carry too much cash around, saves us the trouble of getting robbed off hundreds in Ringgit. Still, because there are so many payment options out there and not everyone uses all of them, it becomes troublesome for us too; we hate that.

We’ve always said then that for eWallets and cashless payments to work in Malaysia, there needs to be a unifying body that could make all the apps work seamlessly together. Because changing all the card receiver machines across the nation is impossible and it is impossible to implement NFC type payments in all devices, the easiest is to have a single unified QR code that could work with everyone regardless of app. This announcement then, is godsent.

PayNet and Cyberview plans to lead the way to digital Malaysia with cashless payment. Then again. Cyberview has been paving the way forward for plenty of things to do with digitalising Malaysia. PayNet is an affiliate of the National Bank of Malaysia, and has been digitalising and providing essential services for Malaysian banks in terms of their payment networks and infrastructure. Thanks to Paynet, we have things like DuitNow and even free instant transfer between banks. That should be the way forward too with eWallets.

With the collaboration PayNet will start implementing unique QR codes for shops that would replace the ten million QR codes generated for the shop by other eWallet vendors. With less clutter, they look less intimidating as well. For users, you can use any eWallet of your choice to pay for your meals and shopping. All you need to do is scan the DuitNow QR code and voila, you can pay using GrabPay, or Boost, or Touch n’ Go eWallet, or FavePay; technically anyway.

The only downside right now is that they are only implementing it in Cyberjaya, for now anyway. PayNet is looking to expand their DuitNow QR to other parts of Malaysia. We think that the service will really take off in Kuala Lumpur and other parts of Klang Valley. You might have to check also if your eWallet app is also a participating vendor within the DuitNow QR ecosystem. For more information regarding DuitNow QR, you can visit their website.

Mobile, News

Another Step Toward a 5G Malaysia – Maxis Hits Nearly 3Gbps In Latest Test

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5G is a relatively new technology globally. So far, only three known regions have successfully implemented the technology; two of them are in Asia. Then again, the two Asian countries also have two of the biggest telecommunications organisations in the world; HUAWEI and Samsung. These two have been on a race to implementing 5G through the world too.

In Malaysia, we have our own race to our very own first implementation of 5G. That race is not in between manufacturers, that race is in between the telcos. The major telcos like Maxis, Celcom, and Digi have been pushing the 5G technology with multiple tests that have taken place since last year. In February 2019, Maxis made the move to secure HUAWEI’s technology and expertise in 5G testing and installation.

That partnership came to a fruition at two testing sites in Subang Jaya, approved by MCMC (Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission) for two months. Their latest test involves the C-band spectrum of the 5G spectrum. That is the 3.5GHz (3,500MHz) spectrum of the 5G band.

The C-band spectrum is considered the global spectrum of 5G at this time. Of course, there are more bands of 5G depending on where you are and what the telcos can afford. Still, the optimum bands for 5G ranges from 3.3GHz to 4.2GHz.

The latest test, or approved tests allows Maxis to stretch to 200MHz of the 3.5GHz C-band spectrum. Previously MCMC only allows telcos to push 100MHz of the 3.5GHz. In that previous tests, they see speeds between 1.1Gbps to 1.76Gbps (yes, that is a G for Giga).

That is already 10x faster than our office’s fixed internet line at 100Mbps. The latest test with 200MHz of the 3.5GHz C-band sees speeds of up to 2.96Gbps. While that is not quite 3Gbps, it is still nearly double of the fastest speeds from the previous tests.

Does that mean we can expect that kind of speeds in the real world when 5G starts rolling out in Malaysia? We would say, only maybe. You have to remember that the tests are conducted in very controlled environments with minimal traffic and interference within the bandwidth.

4G LTE+ is technically capable of very high speeds already, speeds adequate for plenty of IoT implementation. Even the Formula 1 racing industry says that the current 4G bands are fast enough to support their operations. The only real benefit, as plenty of experts put it, 5G is supposed to be plenty more stable than 4G.

In the real world, you have to consider plenty of things when it comes to network speeds. Distances from the network towers have to be considered sometimes. In between the towers and you, there would be buildings and trees and other objects that might interfere with the transmission which affects speed. You also have to consider the amount of people using the same bandwidth from the same towers. Or, the amount of people that are using the total bandwidth at the same time. Of course, there are ways that 5G can counter and solve all these problems. It is meant to be the next generation of network after all, that only means that it is more powerful and better overall.

To answer the question posed earlier then, we have to say “maybe not at launch”. Of course, as testing goes, we are going to see higher speeds in the near future. While we may not get the full beans on launch, we can expect speeds and stability of 5G to continue to improve as manufacturers keep pushing the boundaries of 5G. Now, we can only hope that 5G starts rolling out soon, so that we can experience and test them ourselves; that is still the biggest benchmark of them all.

Android, Mobile, News

HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro 5G Coming to Malaysia?

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If you kept up with the tech scene as of 2019, there would be one topic that is a little more outstanding that others. No, not foldable devices. Nope, not even flexible glass, or roll-able TVs like LGs. The hottest topic all year long was the dawn of 5G connectivity.

At this point, if you ask us about when you can expect 5G, we can only say this year 2020. You can bet on that though. The three major network providers in Malaysia have started testing out 5G networks as of late 2019 last year. Celcom, Maxis, and Digi have been looking into 5G implementations and have been talking about upgrading their towers for 5G connectivity roll-out. They also claim that some towers are already ready for a 5G switch. Celcom, for example have successfully tested out their 5G network in their own office tower in 2019.

Of course, there is a big problem when our network providers turns on the switch to 5G. That problem is not on their ends. Sadly, we are limited to our devices; we do not have plenty of choices when it comes to 5G ready devices. Even the Samsung Galaxy Fold that comes to Malaysia will not have 5G connectivity. The only 5G ready smartphone that was launched last year was from Vivo.

This year looks to be different though. Other than the expected 5G roll-out, you can expect more smartphones to come with 5G connectivity. One of those smartphones that is confirmed to come as a 5G ready device is the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro 5G (codename: LIO-N29). How do we know? It just passed through SIRIM’s inspections as of January 2020.

Source: HUAWEI

Yes, the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro is not that new of a smartphone. It launched late last year 2019 in Malaysia. It packs HiSilicon’s most powerful Kirin 990 with 8GB of RAM. The Malaysian model comes with 256GB of storage too for good measure. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro continues with their super powerful quad-camera set-up as well as a large 4,500mAh battery. The device is void of any physical buttons. Instead, the beautiful Horizon display takes on the traditional volume rocker function. Of course, to power on the device, there is still a haptic button on the right side. For 2020, it will have 5G to get it up to speeds with Malaysia’s introduction of 5G.

Source: SIRIM

From the screenshot, HUAWEI’s Mate 30 Pro 5G comes with three 5G bands. The devices comes with a 700MHz, 3,500MHz, and 3,700MHz bands. Nope, not gibberish; the global band for 5G has been reported to be somewhere between 3,300MHz to 4,200MHz. There are also reports of 700MHz spectrums being used in Malaysia for certain telcos. Which also means that the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro will be perfectly ready for Malaysia’s 5G push.

We do not know when the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro 5G version will be going into the market. We do know though that SIRIM has approved the specifications within the screenshot. That also means that we can expect the HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro 5G to go on sale very soon. Price? We are guessing about MYR 4,499. Do not take our word for it though, we could be wrong.