Microsoft OneDrive has become one of the cornerstones of Windows since Windows 7. The application has become steadily more integrated with Windows 10 and 11. However, it looks like the company is using it as one of the ways it can coax users to upgrade their operating system to the latest and greatest.
Source: Microsoft (Onedrive.com)
The company has announced on its forums that users on Windows 7 and 8.1 will be losing support for sync come March 1, 2022. The reason given behind the move is “to focus resources on new technologies and operating systems, and to provide users with the most up-to-date and secure experience.”. The Microsoft OneDrive desktop application for Windows 7 and 8.1 will stop receiving updates from January 1, 2022.
Business customers using the operating systems will be forced to update in accordance with the product support cycle which Microsoft has announced earlier in April 2019. Based on that update schedule, business customers have until January 10, 2023. It’s important to note that support for Windows 8 has already been halted.
The move doesn’t come as a surprise as Microsoft has been trying to streamline Windows from its current fragmented state. While we’re already on Windows 11, systems such as banks and other corporate outfits have been on older Windows systems such as Windows XP and even Windows 98. This fragmentation doesn’t just tax Microsoft when it comes to maintaining their OS, it also puts companies and their users at risk as the software could pose a serious security threat without proper maintenance.
Dell’s XPS lineup has been one of the company’s most successful brands in the past years. It’s now synonymous with offerings that are both sleek, hardy and powerful. With a successful laptop lineup that comes with both looks and power, it comes as no surprise that the XPS is also one of Dell’s best desktop experiences.
Source: Dell
The new XPS desktop is packed with powerful insides. The desktop comes with the latest generation Intel Core desktop processors. You’ll be able to get builds with supporting up to the Core i9 processor. On the graphics front, it has builds with both AMD and NVIDIA options. The former with options up to the Radeon 6900XT and the latter with up to GeForce RTX3090. When it comes to RAM and storage the new XPS Desktop has 4 RAM slots with support for 128GB of RAM directly from Dell. You’ll also be able to kit out the desktop with up to 4TB of total storage.
The desktop is fully equipped when it comes to connectivity. It supports gigabit ethernet with Killer E3100G ethernet, WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. In addition, it has a full array of ports with 7 USB Type-A ports, 2 USB Type-C ports, 1 display port and a 7.1 channel audio connector.
Redesigned for Upgradability
The New XPS Desktop is designed for upgradability. Dell has doubled down on their tool-less entry into the chassis. The side panel is easily removable which give direct access to the internal components of the desktop. You will also be able to remove and replace components as the need for more power arises.
Dell has also redesigned the chassis as a whole increasing its volume by about 43%. The new chassis is 24L compared to the smaller 19L of the previous version. This allows for better airflow and cooling. Doubling down on delivering better cooling, the new XPS desktop also comes with liquid cooling. Dell has also optimised the cooling with a more efficient cooling fluid and also better thermal technology. The XPS desktop is supposed to run 18% cooler and quieter than previous generations.
Pricing & Availability
The Dell XPS Desktop will be available globally this fall with Windows 11 preloaded. It will be available in Night Sky (Black) and Platinum Silver. Prices start at USD$919 (MYR3,819.61).
Source: Dell
In Malaysia, the Dell XPS Desktop will be available only in Night Sky with prices starting at MYR5,999.
Pokémon’s trading card game is arguably one of the most popular trading card games that has made its mark both physically and digitally. The franchise is probably only second to Magic the Gathering at this point. For the longest time, the online experience for the Pokémon trading card game has been sorely lacking. However, that was supposed to change with the release of Pokémon TCG Live later this year but it looks like we’re going to have to wait a little longer.
The Pokémon Company has announced via its PokémonTCG Twitter that the new, improved Live app will be delayed into 2022. The Pokémon TCG Live app was meant to have an initial rollout in Canada with a global beta for the desktop app sometime this year, however, it looks like there may be some development setbacks. In its tweet, the Pokémon Company states that it’s looking to provide a more polished experience for “trainers”. A new date or time frame for the soft launch and beta have not been announced just yet.
Additionally, some of you may have recently received code cards with Pokémon TCG Live branding as part of some Pokémon TCG products. Though Pokémon TCG Live is not available at this time, please know these cards are still redeemable in Pokémon TCG Online.
That said, Trainers have begun getting code cards with Pokémon TCG Live branding on them as part of their booster and starter packs. The Pokémon Company also announced in a subsequent tweet that these codes are useable with the current Pokémon Trading Card Game Online app. If you’re worried about carrying these cards over to the new TCG Live app, The Pokémon Company announced that all cards from the HeartGold & SoulSilver series onwards will be ported over with your profile when you eventually migrate to the new TCG Live app.
When you think of the brand Razer, a few things might pop into your head. The first of many is the colour green, the signature green of the brand. You also might think of the three-headed snake logo that is associated with the peripherals manufacturer. Most of all, you think of gaming, since that is the brand’s entire portfolio. Not anymore though.
Razer realised something over the period of the pandemic, it seems. They developed some responsibility and somehow matured into a weird peripherals brand. Today, they announce their productivity line-up of peripherals.
Razer realised something while expanding their gaming peripherals empire and product offering. Over the pandemic, people who are stuck at home had to play at home, but they also had to work from home. That also means that the productivity peripherals market boomed. It also seems like workplaces are starting to realise that having a remote work structure could be more beneficial to them than having employees appear physically. That also means the work from home culture might be staying after all and demand for productivity peripherals will continue to rise.
Razer also realised that their position in the gaming peripherals industry gives them an edge in the general computing peripherals market. They know how to make great peripherals for the PC, in short. That is probably the reason why they introduced three brand new peripherals specifically for productivity.
Razer Pro Click Mini
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
They call them the Razer Pro peripherals. First up is the humble mouse. They call it the Razer Pro Click Mini. While the naming is a little odd, or a little bit of a no-brainer to some, the device is not. In its white clad, it is a wireless mouse that is built to accompany you on your work trips. It is rated for up to 15 million clicks.
It is also one of the most versatile mice that you can find from Razer. It can connect to up to four devices. Three on Bluetooth, and one via 2.4Ghz dongle that also comes with the mouse. Razer’s HyperSpeed technology that comes with the 2.4Ghz dongle is derived from Razer’s gaming peripherals, which also means that you might even be able to game with the Razer Pro Click Mini. Then again it does look an awful lot like the Razer Atheris wireless mouse clad in white.
Razer Pro Type Ultra
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Like the Click Mini, Razer’s new Razer Pro keyboard is a wireless keyboard. It also connects to up to four devices, three on Bluetooth and one via a provided 2.4Ghz dongle. Like the Click Mini, the 2.4Ghz technology opens up the keyboard to Razer HyperSpeed technology for lag-free, near instant input, seamless experience. They also claimed that the keyboard has up to 200 hours in battery life and that you can use a single dongle for both the Click Mini and Type Ultra keyboard.
Like many other keyboards, you can obviously plug it into your PC and use it as a regular wired keyboard. Like many of Razer’s keyboards, it is a mechanical keyboard. It features a soft-touch coat on the keycaps though for more comfortable typing experiences. There is also a plush wrist rest that comes with it to ensure you have the best and most comfortable typing posture possible. It packs silent mechanical switches for you to work with. In that case you get the bets mechanical keyboard typing experience without making your whole office sound like it is full of angry keyboard warriors.
Razer Pro Glide XXL
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
No desk set up is complete without a desk mat. Razer thought of that obviously and made the Razer Pro Glide XXL for the Razer Pro line-up. Its colour scheme not only matches both newly launched product, but also exudes class and elegance.
A desk mat is more than just aesthetics and protecting your desk and your peripherals. It also helps you in your productivity or even in intense gaming sessions. The Pro Glide XXL is designed to minimise fatigue typing on regular desk surfaces. The Pro Glide XXL absorbs most of the impacts you get on your fingers while typing. Who said gaming peripherals cannot be used for productivity?
Price and Availability
Razer’s Razer Pro Click Mini, Type Ultra, and Glide XXL products are now available via Razer’s authorised retailers and even Razer’s online store. You can get your hands on a Razer Pro Click Mini mouse for MYR 369, the Razer Pro Type Ultra keyboard combo at MYR 729, and the Razer Pro Glide XXL tablet mat for MYR 149. More information on the Razer Pro product line-up can be found on their website.
Niantic, the studio behind Pokemon GO, has just announced that it will be shuttering its AR Harry Potter game. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was the studio’s second foray into creating real-world AR games for a large franchise. The game debuted back in 2019 hot off the heels of Pokemon GO.
However, it looks like the Harry Potter game isn’t fairing as well as its predecessor. The company announced that wizards and witches still immersed in the game will be casting their last spell on January 31, 2022. The game will be delisted from the Google Play Store, App Store and Galaxy Store come December 6, 2021. In-app purchases will be disabled on the same day. This means that you will no longer be able to download the app or buy any in-game items come 6 December.
Source: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Facebook
That said, Niantic isn’t simply leaving players high and dry when it comes to content. The studio guarantees that it will be wrapping game storylines before shutting down. In its blog post, the company detailed a number of events that will be playable leading up to January 31, 2022. Events will kick off starting in November.
The events are listed below:
November
Dolores Umbridge Lethal Adversaries Event
Half-Blood Prince Brilliant Event Part 1
Lucius Malfoy Lethal Adversaries Event
Half-Blood Prince Brilliant Event Part 2
December
Bellatrix Lethal Adversaries Event
Horcrux Hunt Part 2
Voldemort Lethal Adversaries Event
Deathly Hallows Brilliant Event Part 1
Holiday Event
Deathly Hallows Brilliant Event Part 2
In addition to these events, Niantic will also be making changes to gameplay to allow players to complete pending quests in anticipation of the closure. The first few changes have come into effect on November 2, 2021. This includes increased rewards, quicker brewing times and increased spell energy and ingredient spawns.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite players will have until January 31, 2022, to complete the game and use up their in-game items. Niantic notes that beyond this date, players will be unable to access anything from the game as servers will be taken offline. In addition, it is saying that there will be no refunds for in-game purchases.
The ASUS Vivobook lineup is one of the most popular lineups the company has under its wings. Only recently, it received an infusion of “Pro” features with the Vivobook Pro series. Now, ASUS is bringing more variety to the lineup with a new tablet form factor.
Source: ASUS
The new ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED is the first Vivobook tablet that comes with a 13.3-inch Full HD OLED display. It comes with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1920×1080 pixel resolution. The Vivobook 13 Slate OLED seems to be built with creators and media consumption in mind. The display has a peak brightness of 550 nits and covers 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. It also has support for Dolby Vision. Completing its multimedia experience is a quad-speaker setup that is concentrated on the bottom half of the slate with Dolby Atmos certification. The speakers also come with smart amplifier technology that amplifies the audio up to 3 times louder.
New Form Factor with “Unique” Insides
The Vivobook 13 Slate OLED doesn’t come with your regular Intel Core i processors. Instead, ASUS has opted to go with the Intel Pentium Silver N6000. It’s an x86 quad-core processor with no multithreading support. It has a 4MB cache and a maximum speed of 3.3GHz. The processor is supposed to be one of Intel’s more power-efficient SoCs. This should promise better battery life with the OLED display. The processor is complemented with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage.
Source: ASUS
The Slate OLED comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It also has support for WiFi 6 with ASUS WiFi Master to boot. Also along for the ride is Bluetooth 5.2. Aside from that, the Slate OLED comes with 2 USB Type C ports that support USB 3.2 and power delivery, and a microSD card reader and a 3.5mm combo jack.
Accessoried to be Your Tablet and PC
Coming in at only 785g, the Vivobook 13 Slate OLED is made to be a portable productivity beast. However, unlike other slates on the market, ASUS opted to minimise the amount of moving parts on the Slate OLED. Instead, the Slate’s multimode form factor comes from its accessories. It comes with a cover stand which allows it to stand in both portrait and landscape modes. Together with this, it also has a separate Keyboard cover which comes with a large touchpad.
Source: ASUS
Together with these, the ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED comes with support for the ASUS Pen 2.0. The new ASUS Pen 2.0 is compliant with Windows’ built-in Microsoft Pen Protocol 2.0. This means that it connects seamlessly when attached to the Slate magnetically. It has 4096 points of sensitivity and a 266Hz sampling rate. The most unique thing about the ASUS Pen 2.0 is its interchangeable tips. Instead of just being replaceable for wear and tear reasons, the tips also mimic the textures of 2H, H, HB and 2B pencils. It charges via USB-C. I thas a quick button on top which brings added functionality when paired via Bluetooth.
Pricing & Availability
The ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED will be available starting in December 2021 with prices starting at USD$600 (MYR2,491.88). The Slate will be bundled with a cover stand, keyboard and ASUS Pen 2.0.
Together with the standard version of the ASUS Vivobook 13 Slate OLED, ASUS also announced special editions of the new Vivobook. These special edition Slates will feature custom designs from Steven Harrington and Philip Colbert. They will feature a special cover stand, wallpaper, a special box, a sleeve, a keyboard, a hardcover case and keyboard stickers. The Philip Colbert version will come with an additional pair of limited-edition shoelaces.
It seems like months mired in legal woes is beginning to affect Blizzard far more than they initially anticipated. The company has already announced that their much anticipated annual conference, BlizzCon, wouldn’t be happening this year. However, players and fans of Blizzard’s have more bad news as it’s been revealed that more delays have come as a result of the lawsuits.
Two of the most anticipated titles from Blizzard – Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 – have been delayed until further notice. The announcement of the delay comes following an Investor call. While we know for a fact Diablo IV wasn’t ready for primetime in 2021, players were still hopeful that Overwatch 2 would be. That said, it comes as no surprise that the titles were delayed as both have lost senior developers to the lawsuits. Both were ensnared in sexual harassment allegations.
Overwatch seems most affected by the lawsuits as one of its main characters. Gunslinger, McCree, is getting renamed. In light of the character’s namesake, Jesse McCree, being embroiled in legal woes, the character has been given an updated story that changes his name. The sharpshooter formerly known as McCree is now Cole Cassidy. In Blizzard’s announcement of the change, they revealed even more details of the character. Cassidy’s updated story reads:
“The first thing a renegade loses is their name, and this one gave up his long ago. Running from his past meant running from himself, and each passing year only widened the divide between who he had been and what he had become. But in every cowboy’s life, there comes a time when he has to stop and make a stand. To make this new Overwatch better – to make things right – he had to be honest with his team and himself. The cowboy he was rode into the sunset, and Cole Cassidy faces the world at dawn”.
In addition to the delay in production for Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV, Blizzard also lost its co-lead, Jen Oneal, who announced that she would be leaving the company at the end of the year. In light of this, she will be transitioning to an unnamed role in the company.
WhatsApp is full of wonders. It is, despite the whole Facebook Privacy Policy debacle earlier this year, the most popular alternative messaging app we have seen. No manufacturer has ever seen this kind of success with their own messaging platform. This includes BlackBerry in their hey day mind you.
Being on top is not all sunshine and roses though. To stay on top, as they say, you have to keep pushing boundaries. WhatsApp, of course is constantly improving and adding new features to their app to keep users happy and excited at least. The most recent possible update to WhatsApp in the future? Deleting messages.
Yes, deleting messages used to be something you cannot do with WhatsApp. Before you say we are outdated, hear us out. We know that it is now a thing on WhatsApp. At this point of time, you can delete messages that are no older than an hour and eight minutes. At its early days, WhatsApp only allow you to delete fresh messages no older than seven minutes.
Source: WABetaInfo
Recently though, WABetaInfo has spotted a new feature on the latest beta version of WhatsApp. The latest beta 2.21.220.15 for iOS as per available to WABetaInfo allows users to delete messages not two hours older, not even just a day older. It now allows you to delete messages that are three months old.
WABetaInfo speculates that the new update might point to one of two things. Either WhatsApp is looking to extend the time limit on their delete messages feature or remove the time limit completely. They are also speculating that the update may open up even more avenues to deleting messages even before the feature was introduced.
While all these are under development and that should be cause enough for excitement, there are no official word from Meta (formerly known as Facebook) and WhatsApp themselves just yet. The features in development remain as a potential feature to the app and not an actual feature until it is launched in any of WhatsApp many updates. In that sense, nobody knows when all these developments will become a feature, only time can tell.
With Google announcing the stable release of the latest version of their mobile operating system, Android 12, manufacturers have started announcing their own plans for the update to roll out to their stable of devices. The latest one to do so is ASUS.
ASUS has previously proven that they will be providing two years of updates for their phones. That roughly equates to two major updates. They have also provided security patches for about three years. That said, ASUS will continue to use this policy for their devices moving forward.
Source: ASUS
With the rollout of Android 12, it looks like the Zenfone 6 has reached the end of its life; so there will be no update for the smartphone. According to their official press note, the phones receiving the update are the Zenfone 7, Zenfone 7 Pro, ROG Phone 3, ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition, Zenfone 8, Zenfone 8 Flip, ROG Phone 5, ROG Phone Ultimate, ROG Phone 5s, and ROG Phone 5s Pro. That’s pretty much their latest lineup of devices since 2019.
According to their announcement, the ASUS Zenfone 8 and 8 Flip will be the first of their devices to get the update. It is scheduled to get the update starting in December 2021. The ROG Phone 5 and 5s are slated for Q1 2022. The ROG Phone 3, ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition, Zenfone 7 and 7 Pro are set to have the update in the first half of 2022.
Source: ASUS
ASUS didn’t detail much when it came to features that will be coming with the Android 12 update. However, they did mention that “this update inherits the major functional changes introduced in the official version of Android 12, as well as continuing the popular ASUS battery- and performance-management features.”.
Apple’s Silicon M1 chip has proven to be a popular choice for Apple fans. When it was introduced the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro line-up in 2020, the M1 counterpart managed to be cheaper than Apple’s Intel powered MacBook Pro. That could be a good explanation to its popularity. It was a lot more than that though.
The Apple M1 chip has proven itself to be a highly capable processor in both the MacBook and MacBook Pro. This year, Apple launched two more variants of the M1 chip, the M1 Pro and M1 Max. While Apple made the two M1 chips from 2021 sound like completely different processors, they are based on the same architecture and base design. They are still the same M1 chip, just a little oversized, hence more powerful.
2021 sees Apple starting to consider a complete M1 line-up though. They started with the MacBook Pro line-up of course. You will not be able to buy an Intel based MacBook Pro anymore officially starting from now. But the M1 transformation does not stop there. Earlier this year, Apple also introduced the new M1 powered Apple iMac. You still can buy an Intel powered version though, although at a smaller 21.5-inch size.
As of November 2021 though, you can only buy an iMac powered by Apple’s own M1 chip starting at 24-inch. To be fair though, the 21.5-inch Apple iMac is a little outdated for 2021 and beyond. For a little under MYR 5,000, you are getting an older generation Intel processor. Not just one or two generations older though, if you consider the 11th Generation Intel, the 21.5-inch iMac sports a four-generation old Intel processor.
That does no mean that you cannot get an Intel powered Apple iMac though, you still can. Your only choice is the 27-inch iMac that starts at MYR 7,999. You get a 10th generation Intel Core i5 with up to 8GB of memory and 256GB in storage. For graphics you get an AMD Radeon Pro 5300 GPU. You get a brilliant 5K display with that though. Considering that the M1 powered iMac starts at MYR 5,599 though, the 27-inch Intel powered alternative looks expensive.
With the launch of the M1 Max and M1 Pro chips, we are guessing that Apple will also start shifting directions with their high-end computing solutions like the 27-inch iMac. In that case, we might see Apple axing the Intel powered 27-inch Apple iMacs in the coming year. Would you still want an Intel powered iMac though?
