Category Archives: News

Switching Between iOS and Android is Painless with WhatsApp Now.

September 6, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Switching digital platforms is still a thing in the modern world. Switching platforms today though is harder than ever before, especially when you buy a smartphone. You get to choose between an Android or iOS smartphone if you go out to the market today to buy yourself a new one. Most of the time as well, you are going to stick to what you had before.

There is a reason why it is difficult for you to change platforms when it comes to smartphones. A lot of times, your operating system (OS) and its apps require you to have a functioning account with its particular provider to take full advantage of the system and its ecosystem of apps and services. For example, if you are on an Android smartphone you are required to have a functioning Google account to access Google’s Play Store and their own apps like Gmail and Calendar. Likewise, if you are on an Apple iOS device, you are required to have a functioning Apple account.

There is an added complexity on Android devices too, because Android devices come from different manufacturers. Different manufacturers have their own unique ecosystem too that requires you to have a functional account that could be tied to their ecosystem. One of the most famous ecosystems outside of Apple and Google right now is Samsung’s ecosystem which requires you to have a functioning Samsung account.

Of course, there are ways manufacturers have made porting from one platform to another easier over the years. The most notable effort of all is Samsung’s Smart Switch which makes porting and transferring data over any Android or even Apple device a breeze. It is not perfect though.

For the longest time, one of the most popular messenger apps that is available on both iOS and Android has been the biggest obstacle to switching platforms. That app is WhatsApp. There is a clear problem why too.

WhatsApp stores its data on your device. It regularly backs your messaging data into a cloud storage. On an Android device, the cloud storage of choice is Google Drive, which requires you to run a Google account anyway. On an Apple iOS device, you are relying on Apple’s iCloud storage services, which incidentally requires you to have an Apple account. You can see the problem here in itself.

While transferring your WhatsApp data over from platforms has been impossible if you are doing it over wifi, Samsung has rectified that with the latest Smart Switch version in Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 announcement. But what if you are not on a Samsung Galaxy device? Or, what if you want to switch from an Android to an Apple instead?

That function is now hitting other Android and iOS devices. The service now allows you to transfer your entire chat history and conversations from one smartphone to another, no matter the platform. The transfer also includes your entire WhatsApp media library for good measure.

Of course, there are some caveats. Your WhatsApp can only be transferred over from one platform to another via a wired connection. At the time of writing, your Samsung Smart Switch will require a USB Type-C connection with the donor Apple device to extra all its data, including WhatsApp data. While WhatsApp have not specified the transfer method, we are assuming that a cabled connection is the most viable way to data to be shared between an Android and iOS device without having to merge and mash Google Drive and Apple iCloud services together.

This opens up a whole other world of possibility for smartphone users though. Since transferring data between platforms are becoming easier, changing your smartphones is a simpler affair than ever before. That also means that the power to decide is now in the hands of the users more than ever. You get to choose which platforms works best for you every single time you want to upgrade your device, and that should mean more competitive pricing on even more powerful devices, especially in between platforms.

Computers, News

ASUS Going All-In with OLED on the ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED and ProArt StudioBook Pro 16 OLED

September 3, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Innovation is ASUS’ middle name. Well, not really. But they are one of the most innovative PC manufacturers of late. They were the first and still the only manufacturer that offers a dual function touchpad that works as a mouse tracking pad and an extra number pad at the same time. They are the only manufacturer currently that ships some of their notebooks with two displays in a notebook PC. At this point, when ASUS launches new devices, we are basically asking, “what will be the next big thing?”.

OLED is not a new technology. By now you would have known and understood the power of an LED display and what it can offer in terms of colour reproduction and contrast, in comparison to regular LCD displays. It is not a new technology on ASUS devices too, in a sense. They have integrated the OLED technology into their ZenBook before this.

ProArt StudioBook Pro 16 OLED

The top-of-the-line ProArt notebook PC is the no compromise notebook for the creatives that needs the power for 3D CAD work. The OLED display that is splashed on the new ProArt StudioBook Pro measures in at 16 inches as per its name. The 16:10 display pushes 4K (3,840 x 2,400) UHD resolution into your face. The 4K UHD OLED display also boasts 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage with up to 550 nits in maximum brightness. At ΔE<2 as well, the pantone validated display should be a lot of help for creators.

Inside the 16-incher’s chassis you can find either a very powerful AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (W5600, up to), or an industrial 3^rd generation Intel Xeon W-11955M (W7600, up to). Alongside the choice of two processors, the ASUS ProArt StudioBook Pro 16 can be specced with up to 64GB in 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM. At the same time, you can pack the StudioBook Pro with up to 4TB of PCIe SSD from the factory to ensure you have ample storage for all of your work and quick access to the files you need. Speaking of storage, the SD card reader on the StudioBook Pro is capable of reading SD cards at 985 MB/s for an extra smooth, extra fast workflow.

In terms of graphics, you get NVIDIA power for both variants of the StudioBook Pro. The notebook can be packed with up to an NVIDIA RTX A2000 GPU (A5000 of W7600 Intel variant), which is made specifically made for the studio environment. Thanks to modern machinery as well, you get the benefit and power of a full HDMI 2.1 port on the notebook.

While all these are well and good, it does take away from the interesting innovation that ASUS has fitted into the StudioBook Pro though. The innovation is on the surface of the keyboard on the ASUS ProArt StudioBook Pro 16. On the keyboard surface of the StudioBook Pro is not just a keyboard and touchpad combo. The touchpad does not need to double as a numpad as well, because this has dedicated physical numerical keys. The innovation comes in a form of a small circular dial that sits just below the keyboard.

They call it the ASUS Dial and it is brilliant for the creative industry. Using dials to have more granular and finer controls over your creative software, or even volumes, is nothing new. But having that packed in a notebook and having it accessible wherever you deploy your mobile workstation without extra accessories is new. This is what the ASUS Dial is though, a dedicated, built-in dial that is compatible with Adobe’s suite of apps. The implementation is not limited to Adobe though, imagine working with CAD software to create your next big project. The Mousepad also has a third middle button now just to really suit content creators for their projects and apps.

ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED

There is also the ASUS ProArt StudioBook 16 OLED, a less bonkers version of the ultimate creative working laptop. The ASUS ProArt StudioBook 16, visually, shares the same design cues with the more expensive and powerful ASUS ProArt StudioBook Pro 16. The StudioBook 16 even features the same ASUS Dial that the Pro variant gets. The touchpad also features the third middle mouse button.

You still get a 16-inch 4K (3,840 x 2,400) UHD OLED display that boasts the same colour accuracy as the pro variant. The difference lies in the hardware that powers the device. While you can still opt for the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD powerhouse if you are team red, the Intel variant only goes up to a Core i9-11900H processor. While it is no workstation powerhouse, the latest generation Tiger Lake Core i9 processor is still a respectable and mighty powerful processor for the notebook.

Graphics wise, the Intel variant stops at NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3060 while the AMD variant goes up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. Both the notebooks support NVIDIA’s studio driver, these are creator-centric notebooks after all. You still get to pair the powerful processors with up to 64GB 3200 MHz DDR 4 RAM for smooth operations especially when you are relying on creative apps and 3D rendering projects. With up to 4TB in SSD storage as well, you are not going to be really wanting more storage space for your ongoing projects. On top of all of that is a super-fast SD Express 7.0 SD card reader with up to 985 MB/s read speeds.

Price and Availability

Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS

There are no announcements on the availability of the new ProArt StudioBook series with OLED displays just yet. There are no mentions on pricing either but remember these are made to be the ultimate portable workstation for content creators. In that regard, you can expect them to come at a premium. With that kind of price premium, its availability in Malaysia might be even more delayed. However, if you are a production house in need of powerhouse like the ProArt StudioBook series with OLED displays, you can try ringing up ASUS to come up with a deal.

Business, Mobile, News

vivo Announces the Imaging Chip V1 – Its first In-house Imaging Chip

September 2, 2021 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

vivo seems to be doubling down on its commitment to delivering the best imaging on mobile devices. The company only recently signed an agreement with ZEISS to co-develop camera technologies for mobile. Now, it is looking to spread its wings into creating imaging processors. Vivo announced its first foray – the Imaging Chip V1 – last week in Shenzen, China.

The Imaging Chip V1 is the result of over two year’s of research and development by over 300 personnel. vivo is viewing the Imaging Chip V1 as its first step towards pushing the image processing envelope forward. The company will be focusing on four strategic tracks to achieve its ambitions; image system, operating system, industrial design and performance. While the announcement comes in the midst of a chip shortage, vivo’s Executive Vice-President and COO, Hu Baishan, remains confident that vivo is able to meet its own needs and demands, ruling out collaborations at this time.

The announcement of the Imaging Chip comes as the latest in a series of collaborations and announcements from vivo as it looks to cement itself as a leader in mobile imaging technologies. That said, the company hasn’t revealed any details of the capabilities of the chip. However, if rumours are to be believed, the upcoming X70 series of smartphones will be the first to have the Imaging Chip V1. We won’t have to wait very long as the X70 series is expected to launch in October.

Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound Brings aptX Lossless

September 2, 2021 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Audio has gone through a mobile renaissance in the past few years. The number of companies developing technology to enable lossless, audiophile-quality sound has drastically increased. Just this year, services like Apple Music, Spotify and TIDAL have started offering spatial and lossless music on their services. Now, Qualcomm is looking to complete the experience with high fidelity, lossless sound over Bluetooth with their new aptX Lossless. This new Lossless standard will come built-in to the aptX Adaptive standard.

Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless come as part of their Snapdragon Sound Technology which looks to up the ante when it comes to sound on mobile devices. The new standard will allow users to experience lossless CD-quality sound. Qualcomm claims that the new technology in the aptX Adaptive standard will produce high quality, lossless audio which will be mathematically bit-for-bit exact.

Qualcomm isn’t just revealing another standard with aptX Lossless, the technology behind it will also be ensuring better connectivity while streaming lossless audio. AptX Adaptive will work in tandem with Qualcomm Bluetooth High Speed Link technology to deliver sustainable bitrates to support lossless audio. Using these technologies simultaneously, Qualcomm is able to deliver data rates beyond 1Mbps yet seamlessly scale down to 140kbps in more congested RF environments. This helps minimize any dropouts or glitches for a more reliable listening experience.

pexels sound on 3394651 — Photo by **Sound On** from **Pexels**

While the technology sounds promising, we will only be seeing aptX Lossless capable devices become commercially available in 2022. It may still be a little bit before we see the aptX Lossless standard become ubiquitous. That said, we’re looking at a growing demand for lossless audio among consumers with technologies like Spatial sound and 360 Audio becoming more mainstream.

Lifestyle, Mobile, News, Podcast, Social Media

Spotify Launches Blend for You to Share Playlists and Compare Musical Tastes

September 2, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Sharing your playlist with your friends in the old days means that you have to copy a whole music library you have created over a USB drive, or a CD. That was the days before content streaming services like Spotify came to be. Even when Apple’s iTunes was a thing, it served more like a digital music library that requires you to have the music files stored in your device.

Before the days of Spotify too, you still had to pay money for individual songs and albums if you want to legally listen to them and own them for your own personal consumption or even share it with your friends. Obviously, sharing your music library before then is still a grey area in terms of copyright.

Spotify may not be the first music streaming service and cloud-based music library to exist. It is, in 2021 at least, the most successful thus far. This is amidst the rise in other services like Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music, and more. If you think about it, Spotify has a tough competition to work with especially in Tidal and YouTube Music at this point. Tidal features a higher quality music streaming that allows music to play at near lossless quality while YouTube Music offers a more robust and complete music library compared to Spotify. At some point Taylor Swift criticised Spotify’s royalty structure and pulled all her assets away from Spotify.

When spotify launched, sharing your favourite songs and curated playlists is made super easy. You only need to share a URL with your friends now and you can listen to it at anytime where you have internet or data. Of course, your friends can still comment on your music selection and judge your music taste according to what you have just shared. You could also say sometimes that you share the same music taste with your best friends, but you would not really know how similar sometimes.

Spotify introduced Blend Playlists in June 2021 as a Beta feature. It was introduced as a way for two users to create a shared playlist that is dedicated to their shared musical tastes. It is also created as a new way for friends to interact and bond over their love of music.

The feature is now out in full force on your Spotify. Blend Playlists also now allows you to customise the playlist with unique cover arts for easy identification. The Blend feature also scores your music taste compatibility with your friends. Of course, you can share those on social media to brag that you and your besties are very similar to one another.

Blend is not a personally curated list though. It is still a curated list, but it is curated via Spotify’s clever mechanism that adds and changes the playlist to adapt to your listening behaviour combined with your friend’s listening behaviour that you share the list with. The best part is that both you and your friend can have a similar playlist experience but in completely different situations and locations at the same time.

Of course, this experience is not just limited to you and your best friends. It is a good way to start sharing a curated playlist with your family members, or a loved one. This is a way to keep your bonds as strong as they are in these trying times where face time and physical interaction has to be limited.

The feature should now be available on the Spotify app. You can supposedly access the feature from the “Made for you” hub on mobile devices. You simply hit “create blend” and invite your friends to create a Blend Playlist with whichever friends you choose to have a blend with (if the person accepts) and let Spotify do everything for you there. To our knowledge, we have found that the feature has not been made available to us (could just be us). The Spotify app is available for free on both Android and iOS via Google Play Store and Apple Play Store respectively.

Accessories, Lifestyle, News

Bose Introduces the QuietComfort 45 – Its Best Just Got Better

September 1, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Bose is a big name in the world of audio solutions. The name sits among the best and the most popular in the industry. They are also the makers of one of the best Noise Cancelling headphones in the world, alongside Sony. Some might say that they make better Nosie Cancelling headphones than Sony, given that it was the Bose QuietComfort 35 II set against the Sony WH-1000XM2.

Sony has introduced two new Noise Cancelling headphones since the Sony WH-1000XM2 (Mark III and Mark IV), while Bose has been quiet (no pun intended). Then again, Bose did introduce a Noise Cancelling 700 headphone complete with a case that charges the headphone. Many regarded the Bose 700 noise cancelling headphone as the spiritual successor to the Bose QuietComfort 35 II and a direct competitor to the Sony WH-1000XM3 when it launched. Except, Bose did not really think that, because they just introduced their QuietComfort 45.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 is the proper successor to the older QuietComfort 35 series. It even features roughly the same design cues that would be familiar to any Bose QuietComfort 45 user. Sure, the thin cylindrical bars that acts as the support for the headphone over on the Bose 700 headphone looks stylish and high-end, it does not fit the QuietComfort look.

Large JPG QC45 TripleBlack WhiteSmoke Combo RGB — Source: Bose

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II was dubbed as one of the most comfortable headphones you can find in the market with noise cancelling feature. The way Bose achieves this feat, while not all that different from Sony’s WH-1000X series, utilises different mixes of materials. Of course, the clamping force of the headphones play a lot of part in its comfort factor.

Still, the QuietComfort 45 is not really about improving materials, not as much as Sony’s WH-1000XM4 anyway. It is more about pushing the noise cancelling technology and improving the experience that is the QuietComfort 45. That starts with a longer battery life at up to 24-hours.

Instead of the old-school approach of charging the headphone via MicroUSB port, the new QC45 comes with a USB Type-C port for a full charge in two hours. Bose did not specify the size of the drivers the built-in battery powers for 24 hours of listening time. We are guessing that the QC45 will feature the same sized and constructed drivers as the QC35 II. That also means that the QC45 will feature the same frequency response and capabilities

What is definitely different though is the noise cancelling processor that the QC45 packs. Unlike some noise cancelling functions in other noise cancelling headphones, the QC45’s processor cannot be turned off though. You can only put the headphone in two modes – QUIET or AWARE.

Large JPG QC45 TripleBlack 001 RGB — Source: Bose

The mode names are very telling of what each mode does. QUIET mode is really Noise Cancelling mode. It uses microphones fitted inside and outside the thick earcups to measure unwanted noise from around you and cancel all unwanted mid-range frequencies by pumping in “anti-noise”. AWARE mode not only cancels all of that process but turns the microphones into microphones that will feed everything around you into the earcups and to you.

The noise cancelation is not just for you though. You can use the noise cancelling technology to have a better video conference with your colleagues, or clients, or vendors, or even friends. The QC45 will cancel out noise that might interrupt your video calls around you for others in the call as well. Now you do not have to mute yourself just because your dog is making noise in the yard, or when your mum is baking in the kitchen.

There are no touch controls on any of the earcups though. Instead, Bose uses the traditional physical buttons to control the functions of the headphone. You have the regular volume up and down rocker, the power button, a Bluetooth pairing button, and a programmable function button to answer or end calls, or even play and pause music. There is another button on the left earcup to toggle between QUIET and AWARE modes. You can use the same button to mute the mic in calls too. Of course, you can customise a lot of these and more from Bose’s Music App for Android and iOS.

Source: Bose
Source: Bose
Source: Bose
Source: Bose
Source: Bose
Source: Bose
Source: Bose

The Bose QuietComfort 45 noise cancelling headphone will be available from the 23^rd of September onward via Bose.com and select authorised resellers. We are not sure that includes Malaysia yet though, which means that we might not get it at the same time as the United States (US). It will be available in the classic White, or Black colour options when it is available. The Bose QC45 will set you back US$ 329.00 (MYR 1,366*) and is now available for pre-orders.

* Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.15 on xe.com as of 01/09/2020

iOS, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

More Apple Spatial Audio! This Time on Clubhouse!

August 30, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Apple’s Spatial Audio is sure making its rounds. In the previous weeks, the excellent virtual surround sound audio technology makes its way into Netflix apps for the iPhone and iPad. You can now use your Apple AirPods Pro and AirPods Max with Spatial Audio when watching Netflix on your iPhone or iPad. It does make sense too, in a sense. You get more immersive experience from your pocket devices.

Spatial Audio is nothing new though. Apple has implemented their own 360 virtual audio technology in they own apps. Apple’s Music app has embraced the surround sound technology since the beginning. Even Apple’s Apple TV+ has integrated the technology for a while now. The feature will be coming to other apps like Spotify eventually, of course you do have to wait for the clever developers to tinker with the technology and its algorithms a bit more.

There is one other app that just got Spatial Audio for their app though. That app in question is Clubhouse. They announced this milestone on their Twitter page, very much like any respected app organisation on Social Media platforms. Now is the time you start asking; “why?”

Hear ye, hear ye 🔊 spAAaAaAatial audio on Clubhouse!

It’s like surround sound, but w/ your own headphones. A more vibrant, human experience! Plus makes it much easier to tell who’s talking.

thanks to @juberti for this one 👏 rolling out now on iOS, Android coming soon! pic.twitter.com/Zit6F9ijRK
— Clubhouse (@Clubhouse) August 29, 2021

Again, surround sound technology is not exactly new. The technology does add a bit more in terms of realism in films. In Music, it adds a sort of depth perception of a recording studio, or stage. The technology puts your right in the middle of the action. In the case of Clubhouse, while you might argue that the reason the developers added Spatial Audio feature to the app on Apple devices is “because they can”, it is a bit more than that.

Yes, over the internet, you are getting high-quality voice calls from Clubhouse itself. It is the next best thing to hanging out with a bunch of people physically. At the same time, you are connecting with so many people from all over the world. You can just sit in a ‘club’ with hundreds of people all from different regions of the world practically.

While that is already impressive enough, there is a way to make it better. Yes, the answer to that is surround sound. Again, surround sound is more than just an entertainment technology. It can add a perception of space and depth around you with the right headphones. That is exactly what Clubhouse is trying to achieve here. They wat to add that sense of perception, that sense of realism.

The addition will also mean that Clubhouse is realty now the next best thing in terms of hanging out with your friends in this trying times. It may not make you choose clubhouse over other similar platforms at this time. It does add some sense of intimacy with other clubhouse users and friends on the platform though. You would really feel like you are talking to the person next to you.

The update is now rolling out for the Clubhouse app on iOS. There are still limitations to its implementation which also means you might not hear that much in difference when you get on the app, especially on Bluetooth audio. Clubhouse, on their Twitter post is also saying that Android will get its fair share of Spatial Audio soon. Clubhouse is now available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Android, Gaming, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Netflix Games is Going to Be a Thing – Tests for Android Starts in Poland

August 27, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Netflix has pretty much changed the way we consume contents. To be fair, this whole streaming business started becoming a thing when YouTube started blowing up. To be fair to that also, YouTube’s rise to popularity is contributed by the increase in interest with short form contents and independent content creators.

In some sense Netflix’s rise in popularity is a little different than YouTube’s astronomical rise. Of course, Netflix has been in the general entertainment industry for longer than we know them to be the top Over-The-Top (OTT) content streaming service known to man today. Instead of dabbling in independent film makers, Netflix dabbles is offering the big budget film and on-demand TV shows on a single platform. You can watch all that Netflix has to offer in terms of films and TV shows at any time you want and at an affordable price. It did for films what Spotify has done for music. It democratizes big budget contents that were traditionally made for a scheduled TV programme or even the theatres. It put the controls of consuming these contents right in your palms and at home.

Their disruptive business model proves to be a winner with us, the users. Netflix, currently anyway, is still the top performing content streaming platform in the world with a huge global presence. Their success in the world of end-user entertainment platform leads to plenty of “me too” products we see today like Amazon’s Prime Video, Paramount+, HBO Max, and even Disney+.

While Netflix is still the king in content streaming platforms, they want to be more than just providing watched contents. They want to dabble in interactive contents. You can see Netflix experimenting with interactive contents when you look back into Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, a kind of movie where you can decide what your ending would be. It is like playing a game, except you are doing it on your browser and it involves a live-action content.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, while a successful endeavour, is a huge undertaking though. It is time consuming to create, it is also complex to work with, which are all usually translated into the final cost of production in terms of currency. There is a cheaper way to do what Netflix wanted to do with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, create actual games and host them on Netflix itself. That is what they want to do into the future though.

Netflix’s own exclusives have inspired games like Stranger Things 1984 and Stranger Things 3. While they are not strictly games you play on the PC or even a console, they are still games that puts you in the shoes of the main characters imagined from the Netflix exclusive series, ‘Stranger Things’. Yes, we are saying that they are mobile games.

Let’s talk Netflix and gaming.

Today members in Poland can try Netflix mobile gaming on Android with two games, Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3. It’s very, very early days and we’ve got a lot of work to do in the months ahead, but this is the first step. https://t.co/yOl44PGY0r
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) August 26, 2021

So, Netflix is trying to make games and launch a gaming platform of their own. That is nothing new though. Since Google announced their Stadia platform, their competitors have all been jumping on board and are betting their futures with Cloud Gaming. In other words, everyone wants to get into game streaming, since the gaming industry is on a steady rise. Netflix wants that piece of action too.

Of course, at this time, Netflix has only confirmed that they are going to be integrating mobile games into their platform instead of a whole dive into cloud gaming. In that sense, Netflix Poland has already started testing their gaming platform. The experience, so far, has not been reportedly great though.

You are not accessing a completely different app, which is great news. While you are accessing the Netflix app to get to the games that are on offer though, it is not the third-party app store experience that Netflix wants you to believe at this time. The games that are on offer, at least according to current reports, are the two Stranger Things titles we mentioned earlier. They are not cloud based gaming as well, at this time anyway. You still have to download the games to play the games. Users are also led to the Google Play Store for the games to be downloaded too.

Once downloaded though, the games can only be launched via the Netflix app, which is a little counterintuitive. The games are tied to your Netflix credentials instead of your Google Play credentials though, which kind of makes sense. Reportedly also, the games you play through Netflix will not feature any ads or in-app purchases. Currently also, Netflix is focusing on bringing mobile optimised games on their platform, hence the test starts with smartphones. In some sense, it does sound a lot like Netflix is trying to create a platform that is likened to Apple Arcade. Unlike Apple’s Arcade though, membership is free as long as you have an active subscription with Netflix, for now anyway.

At the time of writing, there are only two game titles available on Netflix’s gaming section. The test is also only currently conducted in Poland with no other regions being confirmed at this time. Netflix also says that the iteration that is being tested in Poland is a very early development. While it does not feature cloud gaming yet at this time, it is not ruled out, at least from our point of view anyway. Still, would you play games on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.

Android, Computers, Mobile, News

Chromebooks are Losing Microsoft Office 365 Apps

August 26, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

When Google introduces the Chrome OS and the Chromebooks along with it, everyone was kind of thrilled. Finally, a new operating system (OS) that could take on the giants that are Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s Mac OS, even Linux maybe. Sadly, it was not to be that way and the Chrome OS turned out to be something completely different.

The Chrome OS has grown into something completely different though. It has grown into a unique OS that proved popular amongst schools and students because of its simplicity. Because its interface mimics that off an Android smartphone as well, but for a bigger screen, navigation is much more intuitive as well.

The Chrome OS started out as a completely web-based OS which would require you to be constantly online to make it function. Google’s Play Store has added plenty of offline capabilities to Chrome OS and allow the Chromebook to be a productivity and learning powerhouse it is today. One of the best additions for productivity on the Chrome OS is Microsoft’s Office 365 apps like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and even Excel.

It looks like that might change soon though. Microsoft’s Office suite will be leaving the Google Play Store from the 18^thof September 2021 onward. That also means that apps like outlook will not be supported on Chrome OS. Microsoft claims that the move of removing their apps from Google Play Store is a part of their effort to optimise the Microsoft experience on the Chrome OS and Chromebook.

You still can access Microsoft’s suite of apps online though. Outlook.com and Office.com will still be available via web and signing into Microsoft account should be a breeze. The only problem is that you must be constantly online for that though. At the same time, the web experience is different compared to the Android App version.

Alternatively, there are Google’s G Suite apps still available on Chrome OS. Of course, with the Chrome OS, the native Google Apps should feel a little more optimised and seamless with your Google account. At the same time, you have an offline experience with G Suite apps on Chromebooks.

Business, Mobile, News

Mi No More? Xiaomi Retiring Mi Branding After a Decade

August 24, 2021 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Xiaomi is no stranger to the mobile and tech market. The company has built an empire spanning smartphones to smart home items and it achieved this in a relatively short time. The company emerged and grew in the span of a little over a decade. In fact, Malaysia’s first Xiaomi device was the popular Mi 3. It’s been nearly a decade since – and it looks like things are about to change.

According to a statement to XDA Developers, it looks like Xiaomi will be streamlining its branding. As part of the move, it looks like the “Mi” branding that we know and love is going to be retired. In its statement, the company highlighted that the recently announced MIX 4 was the first device to have its new, streamlined branding.

The move to retire their “MI” branding marks a close in a very important chapter in Xiaomi’s history as it moves to be a more international company from its humble beginnings. Xiaomi’s first product wasn’t a smartphone – it was MIUI, the Android fork that is now a hallmark feature of all its products. Today, the company has become one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world with a smartphone literally built for everyone.

With the retirement of the “Mi” brand, new flagships will come under their “Xiaomi” name. This should bolster the recognition of their brand worldwide. However, Xiaomi now has the task of differentiating itself in a market saturated by so many. In addition, it also has POCO and Redmi under its belt. The two brands are wildly popular in their segments but do little when it comes to Xiaomi’s branding.

Xiaomi now has the behemoth task of maintaining its dominance in the mobile space. The market has always been ruled by big guns like Apple and Samsung. However, just recently, Xiaomi dethroned the companies as the largest OEM in the world.

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