5G is fast becoming the norm in the tech industry as more countries see the rollout of their own 5G networks. Back at AWS re:invent, Amazon Web Services made a significant announcement, in partnership with Verizon, which made it the first company to have 5G edge computing services. AWS Wavelength is a first of its kind service which brings AWS services closer to developers and, more importantly, end users.
AWS Wavelength will see an initial rollout to 69 sites in the United States. Verizon and AWS have already been hard at work developing and fine tuning the service in Chicago. There companies such as Bethesda Softworks and the National Football League have been developing on and utilising Wavelength to deliver new, enhanced experiences to their users. This includes interactive experiences which may be the next generation of gaming and sports.
AWS Wavelength essentially brings the company’s full suite of services to the 5G Edge. The technology allows telecommunications providers and AWS to deploy remote containers fitted with all of its services. This allows developers to develop with real time experience and with single digit millisecond latency. They will then be able deploy whole new experiences to end users.
The deployment of Wavelength marks a paradigm shift which empowers edge computing like never before. It allows real time compute with large data packets which will find its applications in things like autonomous vehicles and even Smart City management. The deployment of Amazon’s full suite of web services will allow developers to deploy unique experiences for end users which take advantage of the low latency and high data volume. This in addition to the exponential increase in the number of devices each base station is able to handle will enable IoT technologies as well. The availability of machine learning interfaces at the 5G edge enables developers to develop more complex applications with further ranging implications.
Source: AWS
Developers won’t need to familiarise themselves with a new interface; Wavelength comes with the same interface developers are used to in their AWS dashboard. In fact, they will simply need to activate instances of AWS services such as EC2, ECS and more which suit their needs at a Wavelength availability zone to use the service.
AWS Wavelength is available in an initial 69 availability zones in 25 AWS Regions. The initial rollout in the United States will be done in partnership with Verizon. However, the company has committed to new availability zone in South Korea (SK Telcom), Japan (KDDI) and Europe (Vodafone) in 2020.
Adobe Premiere Pro is quickly becoming one of the most popular video editing tools among professionals. If you stay for the credits in movies, you’ll realise that a growing number of them have Adobe’s logo in the credits. As such, the demands on Premiere Pro and its features are slowly evolving to adapt to an ever changing workplace with an increased amount of collaboration.
“Productions” was designed in collaboration with some of the largest producers and editors in Hollywood. The feature was tested on recent films such as “Terminator: Dark Fate” and “Dolemite is My Name” with special builds being used in ongoing projects.
The new “Productions” feature in Adobe Premiere Pro allows users to arrange and organise large projects into smaller, bite sized chunks. With these chunks as guides, video editors and videographers are able to divide and upload footage and assets to Adobe Creative Cloud and Premiere Pro in a more organised way. They will be able to create folders within their project files which will sync seamlessly between team members and also allow team members to download updated assets and files to work offline. It will continue to sync once the person goes online.
The more flexible collaborative and management features on “Productions” allow assets and video footage for large productions to be segregated into smaller portions. It also allows larger episodic productions to be organised according to episodes or even more granular divisions. It also allows reused assets to be shared or duplicated across folders seamlessly. You can easily add to project workflows by adding projects to the “Productions” panel within Adobe Premiere Pro. This will then add the project to the larger workflow.
Project locking in “Productions” allows editors to lock their active project. This will prevent collaborators from overwriting or deleting work files or the project. However, it still allows collaborators to seamlessly copy and import assets from the active workflow to their own. Project settings are also synchronised between project files in “Productions”. This allows collaborators to previews rendered by a single editor can be made available to all the editors for smooth playback.
The feature is coming to Adobe Premiere Pro soonon both MacOS and Windows. However, Adobe has not provided an exact date just yet.
Maxis and Astro have been offering a combo package for internet, IPTV and Astro’s satellite TV since last year. This year, the companies are upping the ante with even faster packages to cater to a more digital audience.
The packages offered by the partnership are essentially an combination of the preexisting offerings already available from the companies. However, Astro is offering a limited 2-year rebate for those subscribing to their higher packages. This rebate is in addition to the MYR5 rebate for those using the auto-debit service. Subscribers will get either an MYR15 or MYR25 monthly rebate for 24 months depending on their subscription.
The breakdown of the costings are summarised in the table we created below. Do note that the prices for Astro are their minimum at each level, there are packages that are more expensive that are not reflected in the table. Prices are also not inclusive of the 6% SST.
Users who are interested in subscribing to the new packages can visit the official Astro broadband website. The offer is not limited to new subscribers, preexisting Astro subscribers can opt to add on the Maxis internet packages to their subscription. Do note that on higher speeds, Maxis is offering free Mesh routers for new sign ups only. Users who add-on the internet package will not be eligible for the mesh router.
However, Astro is offering a free upgrade to their new Ultra box which features Cloud Recording and a new interface for all subscribers. For more details, visit https://product.astro.com.my/broadband/offers.
Malaysia has been discussing and researching 5G for a while now. In fact, the initial rollout of 5G commercially will begin in Q3 2020. With that in mind, HUAWEI was also present at the recent 5G Malaysia International Conference in Langkawi. The company was showing off their Mate 30 Pro 5G in Malaysia’s 5G test bed. HUAWEI has announced today, that the smartphone will be available officially in Malaysia starting on 7 February 2020.
The Mate30 Pro 5G initially leaked earlier this year when screen caps of its certification in SIRIM surfaced. Now, it looks like Malaysia will join China for its commercial rollout. The new Mate30 Pro 5G is the first 5G capable smartphone top be made commercially available in Malaysia. The smartphone will be available via HUAWEI stores and telco partners such as Maxis, U mobile and Celcom.
Powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, the Mate30 Pro is a step above its Mate30 Pro brother. The new 5G capable chipset supports 2G, 3G, and 4G in addition to the upcoming 5G. The new entry supports standalone and non-standalone 5G networks. HUAWEI touts low latency connectivity with the 5G capable smartphone, however, keep in mind that this is only applicable with a 5G network.
Aside from this, the smartphone shares the same design, software and camera setup found on the Mate30 Pro. This means that one of the most praised smartphone cameras is available on the smartphone; DxO mark gave the camera setup a 123. This paired with the 40 SuperCharge feature on the smartphone makes it a compelling offering from HUAWEI.
Pricing and Availability
The HUAWEI Mate30 Pro 5G will be available starting from February 7, 2020. The smartphone will initially be available from HUAWEI stores and also from Maxis, Celcom and U Mobile. It is also slated to be available through DiGi.
It will be retailing for MYR4,199 off contract. Purchases of the HUAWEI Mate30 Pro 5G will be entitled to freebies from HUAWEI worth MYR537 including an extended year of warranty and an in-car wireless charger.
Sony Malaysia announced a new entry to their line up of home sound systems. The newly announced Sony HT-S20R soundbar is a compact sound system complete with a 3ch soundbar, a sub-woofer and 2 rear speakers. Powering the system is Dolby Digital technology which promises crisp, immersive sound with a variety of content.
The new HT-S20R system comes with HDMI ARC support. This allows you to minimise wire clutter and use a single cable for all your sound entertainment needs with compatible televisions. If you don’t have a television with ARC support, the HT-S20R comes with optical and analogue input. Bluetooth connectivity is available on the HT-S20R for those living the wireless lifestyle. Prefer old school USB? The soundbar has you covered!
In addition to its impressive array of features, the soundbar is also easy to setup. This is partially due to the HDMI ARC support on the Sony HT-S20R. Sony claims that it’s as simple as positioning your back channels and sub-woofer and plugging the soundbar in.
What’s more, users are able to change the sound mode with a simple click of the button on the remote. Users will be able to select from Auto, Standard, Cinema and Music modes. Also available are Night and Voice modes.
The soundbar will be available in Malaysia starting in June 2020. No pricing details have been released just yet. Do stay tuned as we’ll update you as soon as we have information.
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
You would think that when it comes to making compositions and music, you’d need a really good ear and knowledge of the arts. Not so much with Amazon Web Service’s new AI (Artificial Intelligence) service focused on creating musical pieces with a keyboard! DeepComposer is the latest in a series of Machine Learning focused services that AWS has introduced since it’s announcement of DeepLens at Re:Invent 2017.
The new music based AI is a 32 key, 2 octave keyboard which will allow developers to familiarise themselves with using Generative AI. The simple application of Generative AI in DeepComposer will take short riffs and generate a full compositions.
A brief diagram explaining how AWS’s DeepComposer works. (Source: AWS)
The DeepComposer generative AI will be able to layer and generate songs based on pre-trained models or even user defined models. The pre-trained models are able to generate based on algorithms developed by training the AI with large musical data sets. The user defined models give users better control of the generative AI. Users will be able to define multiple parameters including the Architecture and Discriminator. The latter allows the AI to distinguish between the genres and determine the overall composition.
Being a machine learning model, DeepComposer is continually learning to identify music types. The AI will improve with time as it learns and generates more music based on the models and riffs. It will also be able to generate music which mimics a defined model. Amazon’s release touts, ” you have to train as a counterfeiting expert in order to become a great counterfeiter “.
DeepComposer isn’t just linked to the physical keyboard. It also has a digital keyboard interface which allows users to compose on the go. Using this approach, AWS is hoping that Generative AI models are made more approachable for those looking to explore their applications.
The new feature is currently available for preview on AWS at the DeepComposer website. Also on the website is a FAQ to address some of the questions that new users may have.
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.
When the FUJIFILM brand reinvented itself by introducing their revolutionary mirrorless APS-C sensor X-T100, they became an icon of the digital photography field. It has come to no wonder with the X-T100. It was popular for a particular reason. No, it was not cheap; at more than MYR 2,000 you might be able to get better deals from the likes of Nikon or Canon. That is if you just want a camera that gives you the ability to interchange lenses.
The FUJIFILM X-T100 is plenty more than that though. They call in an entry-level shooter, but it does not function like one. It features plenty more than just interchangeable lens flange and a shutter button with auto focus. There are plenty of buttons and customisation options for new and veteran photographers alike. You can configure the X-T100 to however your ideal set-up is. You may hardly find the same two FUJIFILM X-T100 side by side if you do things right. The image quality offered by the 24-Megapixels that is packed in the APS-C sensor is not too shabby as well. All that for less than MYR 3,000.
To replace a popular performer like the FUJIFILM X-T100 then is not easy. They have to do it anyway though, with the new FUJIFILM X-T200. You may not look at the X-T200 as a large improvement over the X-T100 though, it is more like X-T100 1.5 or something rather.
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You get a mirrorless APS-C sensor with 24.2-Megapixel packed in; pretty much similar to the X-T100. You can choose from the three great and timeless colour trims too; Champagne Gold, Dark Silver (or grey), and Silver. The capable entry-level FUJIFILM still shoots movies in 4K as well, still.
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What is new though is the FUJIFILM X-T200’s new lightweight construction at 370g. That is about 80g lighter than its father. Speaking of construction, the body also features a hand grip notch that you cannot find on the X-T100. That also means it is more comfortable and secure to hold, though at the expense of compactness.
The old three-way tilt LCD display is now a vari-angle display that gives photographers plenty more flexibility in shooting, you no longer have to lie on the floor to get your shots. Of course, because it is a mirrorless camera, you get the same great electronic ViewFinder as well.
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While you get the largely similar 24.2-Megapixel sensor, FUJIFILM fitted the X-T200 with new copper wiring for faster response times and faster processing. The X-T200 can process images at 3.5 times faster than the old X-T100. With the new sort of wiring too, rolling shutter for video shooting is claimed to be reduced. Of course, there is a new phase detection auto focus which speeds it up and increases its reliability.
The old software is not going to cut it for the FUJIFILM X-T200. The software has to match the new hardware changes too. So the new software supports up to 11 digital Film Simulation modes on the X-T200. In that sense, there is a colour adjustment for every scene and shooting condition. In other words, upgrade your Instagram photography game.
The FUJIFILM X-T200 is expected to start selling in Malaysia in the late February, 2020. You can expect it to go for MYR 3,588. For that price you get a FUJIFILM X-T200 camera body itself paired to a FUJINON XC15-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ kit lens. As mentioned earlier, it will be available in three different colourways too; Silver, Dark Silver, and Champagne Gold.
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.
