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Accessories, Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

More Gaming Peripherals to Show You Alienware Allegiance

March 20, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

You know Alienware as one of the first brands to cater its brand and hardware. Unlike Razer, Alienware delved into the PC gaming market by creating the most powerful PCs in its early days specifically for gaming purposes. This was back when games did not even look half as good as it is today. This was back when 3D graphics was still a blocky mess.

Back then as well, gaming peripherals were not really gaming peripherals at all. They were redressed regular mice, keyboards, and speakers for ‘gaming’ that has no real advantage or difference over regular peripherals. It is a very different story today.

Gaming peripherals are not just a more expensive version and RGB dressed regular peripherals. In 2023, they are purpose built gear to enhance both a gamer’s experience and performance in their chosen games. To think about it, while other manufacturers like ASUS ROG has been pushing their peripherals for a bit, Alienware has been silent about new gaming peripherals, until now that is.

Alienware Wireless Gaming Mouse (AW620M)

Source: Dell
Source: Dell
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Source: Dell

To start with, you want a reliable gaming mouse. Something that is ergonomic that fits perfectly in the palm of your hands. You want it to be an extension of your arms and you want it to feel like it is a part of your limb, for it to be as light as possible.

The new AW620M gaming mouse is Alienware’s latest wireless symmetrical gaming mouse. This is not made for the left-handers, unfortunately. It is made specifically to be wielded by right-handers. It is oddly shaped to ensure that your right palm gets the best grip possible with the mouse without feeling as much as a strain. The right mouse button is also slightly longer than the left mouse button to accommodate the naturally longer middle finger. The mouse also features a thumb rest below the two extra buttons on the side.

The new gaming mouse packs Alienware’s sensor technology below their magnetic-force keyplates. What that means is you get Alienware precision and speeds with every click of the buttons. It is highly accurate and flexible to work with too at 26,000 DPI, 650 IPS, and 50G max acceleration capabilities. While the best way to work the mouse is with a wired connection with your PC, the 2.4GHz wireless dongle offers 1000Hz polling rate for a near lag-free experience for up to 140 hours on a single charge.

Alienware Wireless Gaming Keyboard (AW920K)

Source: Dell
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Source: Dell
Source: Dell

Once you settle in on a gaming mouse, you want your keyboard to also match your set up and speed. You want a gaming keyboard that can also work wirelessly to keep that clean look on your desk. You also want your keyboard all-in-one keyboard for not just gaming. You want a single keyboard to be the control center of your entire desk set-up. This one does just that.

Alienware’s first wireless gaming keyboard is a mechanical keyboard with CHERRY MX Red switches for fast and fluid strokes and near instant presses. Working the switches are Alienware’s PBT double-shot keycaps that are beautiful and durable. Of course, underneath the switches are per-key AlienFX RGB lighting that shines through the keycaps’ letters. There is also a new Programmable Rocker Switch right beside a programmable dial as well to control media. You can program them via Alienware’s new Command Center.

You can use it with a USB paracord cable included in the box. You can also turn it wireless with a 2.4GHz dongle and work with it for 42 hours in that mode. You can also make it your Bluetooth 5.2 keyboard for up to three devices with a simple switch at the back of the keyboard. There is also a Tenkeyless (TKL) variant (AW420K) of the wireless keyboard if that is what you prefer to work with.

Alienware Dual Mode Wireless Gaming Headset (AW720H)

Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
Source: Dell
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Source: Dell
Source: Dell

Once you deal with your controls, you now want something that will sharpen and hone your senses. You need absolute focus and immersion when it comes to getting your senses tuned. You want a gaming headset that pulls you into the game world. You want an Alienware AW720H wireless gaming headset.

The AW720H Wireless Gaming Headset packs a powerful 40mm driver with hi-res certification and Dolby Atmos tuning for the most immersive experience you can get in a headphone. It offers 3D virtual surround sound for that all-important environmental awareness in your games. Attached to the headphone is an AI equipped noise-cancelling boom microphone for your communication needs. The mic reduces ambient sound in your physical environment to ensure that your speeches are extra crisp and clear even during an intense battle. If your teammates cannot hear you, you might want to get them to buy this pair of headphones too.

It comes with a 2.4GHz USB Type-C dongle to be plugged into your PC or your smartphone if you want. It will last up to 30 hours in wireless mode. If you prefer a wired connection, there is still the 3.5mm AUX jack. Or, you can go for the wired variant (AW520H) of the headset. There is no gesture control nonsense here either. There is a quick-access button array on either side of the ear cups to quickly control your headphones without exiting your games.

Price and Availability

Alienware’s latest Tenkeyless Gaming Keyboard AW420K is now available on their website at MYR 719. The new wireless gaming headset AW720H and wireless gaming mouse AW620M will be available by the end of March 2023 for MYR 679 and 369 respectively. You can choose between Alienware’s signature White or black colour option for the headset. The wired variant of the headset (AW520H) and the full-sized wireless gaming keyboard AW920K will be available in Q2 2023 onward with no price revealed. For more information on Alienware’s latest gaming peripherals, you can head to their website.

Accessories, Business, Health, Mobile, News

Google Glass Bites the Dust – Support Officially Ending in September 2023, Sales Has Ceased

March 17, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Google Glass made its debut in 2013. Back then, Google Glass made headlines everywhere and the idea that everyone in the world will eventually own one or some type of augmented reality (A.R.) headgear was not in any way ridiculous. That conversation died soon after though. The reality (no pun intended) was that an A.R. glasses from Google at the time will set you back US$ 1,500, or if you convert that to local currency at the time, about MYR 5,000 there or thereabouts. That kind of money for a pair of clunky glasses you need to keep charging every few hours is the kind of luxury most in the world cannot afford or does not need. Added to the fact that Google Assistant and A.R. functionalities at the time was in its infancy, crude at best; why would you pay that much money for a pair of glasses?

The original Google Glass stayed on sale for about two years though, until 2015. No sales numbers were quoted within that time frame. In that time, Google also produced a new type of Google Glass. This time, they realized that the A.R. smart glasses market was not something they wanted to sell to end-users. Instead, they saw more potential use cases in the enterprise market. Hence, Google developed, supported, and sold Google Glass Enterprise edition from 2015 onward. Then in 2023, well today, they stopped selling the kit entirely and announce that they will stop supporting them in September 2023.

Through its life, the A.R. project by Google was adopted mostly in the construction and medical field. They updated the Google Glass Enterprise Edition once in 2019. From then on, Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 replaced the first iteration.

Google has not announced any replacement for Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2. It does not look like Google will be announcing any replacement for the A.R. goggles anytime soon though. That does not mean that Google has given up on the idea of A.R. completely.

In 2020 Google made an acquisition that still confirms Google’s commitment to their A.R. project. They acquired North, a smart glasses maker. Since then the Mountain View giant has been reported to be working on some kind of smart A.R. wearable that resembles ski goggles. The project was code named Project Iris. There has been little update on the project’s progress since then though.

It is also unlikely for Google to scrap the project since their competitors are also working on the same thing. Apple and Meta (formerly known as Facebook) have been working on their own versions of A.R. and Virtual Reality (V.R.) headsets for some time now. Reportedly, they are looking to bring their own versions of the headsets some time in the future. Microsoft is also known to have a mixed reality department of their own and has produced working prototypes for mixed reality, but those hardware has not been sold to end-consumers for good reason.

A.R. is still pretty much something you can look forward to as a normal in the future. For now though, with Google shelving their most promising mixed reality project temporarily, that future looks a little further than we might like to think. You can find out more about Google’s Glass project from their website.

Computers, Lifestyle, News

ASUS’ New ExpertCenter PN64-E1 is the Mini PC for Modern Businesses

March 15, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

At the heart of any scalable business in the modern world is a computer. It is not necessarily the most powerful PC you can find in the market. It does not need to be. The PC you look at, when you need to run a business, is a PC small enough to fit into any space and powerful enough to run either your accounting programs, your Point of Sale (POS) program, or even for inventory tracking. In those use cases, you do not need a processing chip with a million cores and clocks at a hundred GHz. You need something that is power efficient, takes up little space, and reliable. You need a mini PC, most of the time.

ASUS announces their latest mini PC that should be right up your alley in commercial applications. The ExpertCentre PN64-E1 mini PC, as they call it, is a tiny little box of a PC that is no larger than your regular TV box today. While it is not the first PC in the world to feature Intel’s 13^th generation Core processor, it is one of the smallest you can find in the world at this time. It is also powerful enough to power up to four 4K displays at any given time.

ASUS’ ExpertCentre PN64-E1 mini PC is not going to be something you want to get for gaming. It packs up to Intel’s Core i7-13700H. It is an H-series processor, which should be a good indication to its performance. It is not a full-fledged desktop processor though. The H-series processor is a mobile processor. That also means that you will not be able to upgrade the processor in the future. Still, this PC should be able to work for you in the next 3 years at least. You can also opt for Intel’s Core i5-13500H if budget is a concern. Both processors has a typical power draw of up to 35W, which means that they are highly efficient to work with.

Alongside the processor is up to 32GB of DDR5-4800 RAM. You cannot upgrade this in the future too though, since they are SO-DIMM units soldered to the board. Still, if you opt for the 32GB variant, you can rest easy knowing that it will run all kinds of things without too much of a hiccup in the coming years. You can also opt for up to 1TB in HDD storage and up to 2TB in SSD storage just to ensure that your programs run smoothly and you have ample of storage to store your data.

As mentioned, the ExperCenter PN64-E1 can support up to four 4K displays at the same time, or a single 8K 60fps output. There are two HDMI outputs out the back of the mini PC and two additional Thunderbolt 4 capable USB Type-C ports to work with. If you should ever need multiple displays on your storefront, a single unit should be able to handle most of the workload. All of this is also made possible by Intel’s latest Iris Xe graphics integrated to the Core processors. You can also use one of the Thunderbolt 4 ports as a power input port if you prefer to run multiple machines with a single GaN charger.

There are no mentions on the ASUS ExpertCenter PN64-E1 mini PC’s availability in the region just yet. With that, there are also no mentions on its final pricing either. If you wish to obtain the mini PC for commercial purposes, you can directly reach out to ASUS for inquiries. Otherwise, we have to wait for ASUS to officially announce its local availability and final price. For that and more, watch this space. If you want to know more about ASUS’ latest mini PC, you can find out more on their website.

Android, Mobile, News

Samsung’s Entry-Level Galaxy A14 is Now Available in Malaysia for Just MYR 799

March 14, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

When someone tells us the only have MYR 1,000 to spend on a smartphone, we always tell them to go to makers like OPPO, realme, or even POCO to find an entry-level option to fit the budget. Most of the time, you get better than expected hardware and experience as well when spending that kind of money on a smartphone you get from the Chinese brands. The Galaxy A series never really came up in the conversation. Imagine our surprise then to see Samsung reaching out to the entry-level segment with the Galaxy A14.

No, there is no launch event that came with the Galaxy A14; not like its bigger more premium mid-range and high-end brothers. Instead, they quietly launched the new device and announced it when no one was looking. Not to say that there isn’t buyers for this smartphone, there will always be someone looking for a budget smartphone solution.

The Samsung Galaxy A14 is nothing to shout about, really, in terms of hardware. It comes with Samsung’s very own Exynos 850 system on a chip (SoC) platform. It is not the most powerful chipset there is out there, nor is it the most advanced, nor does it pack 5G capabilities. In fact, Samsung has now favoured the Qualcomm platform for their most premium smartphones. It is still a capable processor with eight cores in tow clocked at a maximum 2.0 GHz. Alongside the processor is 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, all pretty basic stuff. You might also want to take note that the Chinese smartphone makers can offer you more RAM in the same price range. But most do not offer expandable memory while this does. You can insert a 1TB microSD into the smartphone to expand from its 128GB storage.

my feature get creative with multiple cameras 535412745 — Source: Samsung

In terms of imaging, you still get a decent 50-Megapixel shooter out of the back supported by a 5-Megapixel ultra-wide camera, and 2-megapixel macro camera. Out the front is a powerful 13-Megapixel selfie camera that offers 1.6x more resolution than its predecessor. That camera is housed in a notch above a 6.6-inch Full HD+ resolution display, a standard in smartphones today. To keep the device running all day is a 5,000mAh battery with 15W charging capability within the 9.1mm thick body.

What is unique about this device though is its OneUI 5.1. It does not sound like much, but if you notice, most smartphones at this price will not run the latest and greatest overlay or even Android. They mostly ship with something a generation older or an older iteration of Android. The Samsung Galaxy A14 ships with Samsung’s latest interface and with that, the latest Android. They also promised that the device will stay relevant for at least the next two years (warranty covers two years) and receive security updates up to four years down the road. OneUI 5.1 on the Galaxy A14 also comes with RAM Plus to make your device feel like it packs more than 6GB of RAM.

Source: Samsung
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Source: Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy A14 is available 15th of March 2023 onward in Malaysia via Samsung’s authorised dealers and Experience Stores across the nation. It comes in three colour choices – Silver, Black, and the unique Dark Red. There are no other storage choices other than the 6GB+128GB combo. The Samsung Galaxy A14 will set you back MYR 799. For more information on Samsung’s latest entry-level smartphone, you can visit their website.

Android, iOS, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Telegram Now Comes with Power Saving Mode with new Update

March 13, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Like Whatsapp, Telegram has become one of the world’s most popular messenger app to date. It is younger than Whatsapp though, if you are wondering. Its funky UI and the fact that you can use a single messenger account on multiple devices at the same time is really what attracts users into the platform though. Being in a popular position means that they do want to maintain that popularity by constantly introducing updates and improvements to the app.

In their latest update for the app, Telegram has introduced a few new features to the app. One of the most significant improvements is in the battery consumption department of the app. Telegram can now go into a sort of “power saving mode”.

The mode, as Telegram puts in their blog, is not just to improve battery life, or to extend battery life in emergencies. It is also a measure to improve the app’s performance on older smartphone devices. It can also be set to automatically turn on at a battery level threshold, or you can manually toggle it on or off on your own.

The mode will turn off things like “autoplay” for videos, stickers, and even GIFs that you receive or send to your friends. It also limits the interface animations and effects. All this will also lessen the app’s burden and demand on the CPU and GPU of your smartphone which translates to less power consumption from the hardware itself while running Telegram.

For iOS users, they can even opt to limit the app’s background updating. But that means you might not see Telegram notifying you of new messages unless you get into the app. In that case, you might just want to leave that feature alone unless your battery levels are at a desperate level.

Other improvements from the update includes a more granular control to playback speeds on received and sent media. You can now play videos at 0.2x to 2.5x speeds. You can also easily keep track of who has read your messages in groups with less than 100 members. It offers a timestamp data too, allowing more of an overview to who your messages have reached. Invitations to groups has been made a little better and easier too for users who restricts their profile. Those users will get invite links instead of being automatically added to the group. They have also updated the sticker order to show your ‘recently used’ stickers on top first before listing everything else you have. There are new packs of animated and interactive stickers and emoji you can explore and use. If you are a Telegram Premium user, you have access to ten new custom emoji packs. For more information on Telegram the improvements they have just introduced in their app, you can head over to their blog.

Computers, Lifestyle, News

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED (UX304) and 14 Flip OLED (UP304) Are Here! Prices Starts from MYR 4,999

March 13, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The ASUS Zenbook line-up must be one of the most innovative, if not the most innovative thin-and-light notebook names in the industry. The namesake is also the first in the industry to pioneer what Intel and ASUS called the Ultrabook segment in modern computing. Before the Zenbook, Windows laptops with Intel processors were clunky, heavy, and lasts no longer than 3 hours away from the sockets. They were not very fast too back then. If you wanted a notebook that could be a working PC away from home without too much fuss, you needed a MacBook.

Fast forward to 2023 and we have their latest Zenbook thin-and-light to boot. Welcome to the latest Zenbook 14X OLED and Zenbook 14 Flip OLED laptops. While they look similar, they are built different and for slightly different things.

ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is the next evolution of the Zenbook line-up for 2023. It is the most powerful 14-inch thin-and-light from ASUS so far, which should not come as a surprise. As with any new laptop announced in 2023, it carries the latest and greatest from Intel and NVIDIA.

To start with, the new thin-and-light “ultrabook” packs Intel’s most extreme processor to date for mobile computing. It comes with Intel’s 13^th generation Core i9-13900H (up to) CPU alongside up to 32GB of LPDDR5-4800 RAM, which is sort of a CPU reserved for only the most powerful and extremes of laptops. As with any laptop with this kind of CPU fire power, you want a discreet GPU to run along with it. The Zenbook 14X OLED packs NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3050 entry-level GPU. That is not a bad thing; it is still a powerful GPU, but its power requirements means you do not need a chunky heat management solution to work with.

The result is a thin chassis that only measures 16.9-inch at the thickest. It is an all-metal chassis that ensures rigidity and durability like no other, it feels premium too. It does not weigh all that much too at just 1.5kg. At this point, you start to also wonder how it still packs so many features.

The Zenbook 14X OLED comes with a Full HD webcam. Alongside the webcam, there is an IR (infrared) blaster and an ambient light sensor for facial recognition and eye protection purposes. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB Type-C) with a full-sized USB type-A 3.2 Gen2 port alongside a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port. They have learned from their mistakes a little bit; it has an AUX jack on the side. It even comes with 1TB of SSD storage, if you need it to. Within the svelte chassis also is a 70Wh battery that should last you all day.

As with its namesake, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED comes with a large 14.5-inch OLED display. That OLED display is not a plain Full HD display you get out of so many laptops its size. It is a 2.8K high-resolution display you can show off to all your graphic designer and content creator friends. It offers DisplayHDR 600 with TrueBlack certification colours and Delta E<2. That means you get an almost lifelike colour reproduction and representation on your display that could be useful not just for your enjoyment, but for your work as well. The panel even boasts 120Hz, which might be good for gaming (which you totally can do).

Other than just colour grading on the nice display, you would want to watch movies on it. You can Netflix at high-resolution with little issue with the built-in WiFi 6E connectivity. The speakers in this are powerful too with ASUS’ latest Smart Amplifier technology, harman kardon tuning, and Dolby Atmos certification. If you are using it for video conferences, there is also a dual-mic array that comes with AI noise-cancelling technology.

ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED

If you need something more flexible there is the convertible laptop that is the Zenbook 14 Flip OLED. It comes with the same 2.8K resolution as the Zenbook 14X OLED. But it is not an expansive 14.5-inch. Instead, it is a slightly smaller 14-inch. It still offers up to 90Hz in refresh rate and offers DisplayHDR500 with TrueBlack certification. You also get up to 100% in DCI-P3 colour gamut, which is plenty accurate. The best part is that it swivels up to 360-degree to make it a 1.5kg tablet you can carry around and work with in any form you like.

Inside, you will find an Intel Core i5-1340p mid-range processor alongside 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and Intel’s own Iris Xe integrated graphics. It may not sound like much, but this is enough for you to not just enjoy movies with. You can get plenty of browsing and even other work done with it. You can edit photos with it as well, if you want. To ensure that you have enough storage for all your photo work, you have 512GB in SSD storage too.

Alongside all that, you get a nice Full HD webcam with IR blaster for Windows Hello security. You have speakers with Smart Amp technology, tuned by harman kardon, and Dolby Atmos certification. Underneath all that you still get WiFi 6E connectivity and a large 75Wh battery pack that should keep your convertible running all day.

Price and Availability

The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is now available in its Intel Core i7-13700H + 16GB LPDDR5 guise at MYR 5,999. It comes in two attractive colours – Inkwell Gray or Sandstone Beige. It will also be available in an Intel Core i5-13500H flavour and an extreme Intel Core i9-13900H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 combo for MYR 4,999 and MYR 6,999 respectively in April 2023. If you prefer the convertible form factor, the ZenBook 14 Flip will be available later in the month in Foggy Silver colour option for MYR 5,499. For more information on ASUS’ latest laptops, you can head over to their website.

Android, Lifestyle, News

Google I/O 2023 is On, and it is Happening on the 10^th of May 2023

March 8, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Each year, there are a few events we all look forward to. For Samsung, we are always excited for their two Unpacked events. For Apple, they have their WWDC and annual iPhone launch events. For Google, we are always excited for their I/O event. This year, as expected, it is happening.

The last Google I/O 2022 saw Google announce their latest Tensor 2 integrated mobile processing chip. It also saw their latest Google Pixel smartphone revealed to the world. To the disappointment of many, The Google Pixel did not come with a foldable or flip form that was highly anticipated and rumoured.

For 2023, the date to be saved is 10^th of May 2023. Google’s current CEO has tweeted the event date and even posted a link that directs users to the mini page complete with a countdown clock. The website also says that the conference is open to all who wish to attend or watch online. There will be a “limited live audience” present though, according to Google.

Excited that this year's #GoogleIO will be on May 10, live from Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View and online at https://t.co/sWxfPsVvJi pic.twitter.com/QtNXE6wjl5
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) March 7, 2023

As usual, we expect to see the next iteration of Android, Android 14 now to be announced at the event. Android 14 is now available too for developers, so if you want to be the first to know what is going to come, you can sign up as one and preview the build yourself. Alongside Android 14, we expect to see Google announcing new hardware, a new Pixel device perhaps, a new Wear OS device, and maybe a TV box. If we are lucky, maybe they will launch a new Chromebook at the event. There are a few rumours going around that we can expect to see Google’s foldable Pixel devices announced in this year’s Google I/O event. There are also rumours about a tablet device from Google that is to be announced in the upcoming event.

All these are just speculations for the time being though. The event is not happening in another two months, which means there is still plenty of unknown. What we know though is that there will also be various developer sessions and discussions after the keynote event headed by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google.

You can start registering for the event now on their event page itself.

Lifestyle, News

Enter the Era of Immersive Audio with the Sonos Era 100 & Sonos Era 300

March 7, 2023 Nur Jeevan Leave a comment

Sonos is entering a new era of audio in more than one way with its new Era 100 and Era 300 speakers. The new line brings an immersive audio experience to a lineup of devices made for audiophiles. It also marries the simplicity of design that Sonos is known for with bold new features that have never been on Sonos’s mainline products.

Sonos Era 300: Immersive Audio for the Audiophile

The new Era 300 brings Dolby Atmos into a single speaker and ups the immersion when paired with other Sonos audio products like the Arc. The Sonos Era 300 comes with six powerful drivers that send the sound in all directions enveloping the space and listener in an immersive soundstage.

The speaker has been designed to deliver a crisp and immersive audio experience which is enhanced by its complex acoustic architecture. The six drivers are positioned to deliver audio in all directions with two tweeters positioned outwards, to the sides, a single forward firing mid tweeter and a sub. All of these are loaded into a sleek, clenched hourglass body. The hourglass body also comes with a revamped user interface which comes with a tactile strip for volume control.

The performance of the Sonos Era 300 is further enhanced when pairing the speaker with a Sonos Arc or Beam (Gen 2). The new setup allows Sonos to finally deliver a complete theatre experience with 7.4.2 sound. You’ll be taken into your content and placed in the middle of the action with the new Era 300’s Dolby Atmos audio.

Speaking of pairing, the Sonos Era 300 comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. Also along for the ride is a combo USB-C port which allows you to connect a USB-enabled storage or line in for playback and also for a direct line to your router. This comes, in addition, to support for Apple AirPlay 2 and WiFi 6.

Sonos Era 100: The Sonos One Remastered for Immersive Audio

Yes, Immersive audio is the word for the Sonos Era lineup. The Sonos Era 100 brings the best Sonos has to offer into the familiar form factor of the Sonos One. The sleek, compact cylindrical form factor packs a whole load more power than the Sonos One though.

The new Era 100 comes with stereo sound out of the box with two angled tweeters and a larger midwoofer. The combination delivers crisp high frequencies and a fuller bass for true sound immersion. Designed to be powerfully compact, the Era 100 will seamlessly blend into your home and deliver well-rounded, full audio.

Just like its bigger sibling, the Era 300, the Sonos Era 100 comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, support for Apple AirPlay 2 and WiFi 6 support. It also sports a USB-C port for ethernet, line-in and USB connectivity. It also shares the new revamped on-device user experience with the tactile strip for volume control.

Sonos TruePlay Comes to Android Devices

One of Sonos’s signature features has been locked to iOS for the longest time. TruePlay, the technology which customises your Sonos sound experience uniquely to fit your space is finally coming to Android. It does this by measuring how sound reflects off the walls and furnishings in your space and fine-tunes the Sonos speakers to deliver the best audio quality. Initially, this was only possible via the on-device mics of the iPhone.

However, with the new Era series, the capability is being built-in into the Sonos Era speakers themselves. The Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 come with mics which enable voice control via Sonos voice and Amazon Alexa. These mics are also being used by Sonos to enable TruePlay for Android devices. So, instead of relying on the on-device mics in Android devices, Sonos is bypassing the complexity of coding for hundreds of devices by relying on the built-in mic of the Sonos Era speakers.

If you’re worried about your privacy, both the Sonos Era 100 and the Sonos Era 300 come with physical kill switches to “disconnect” the mic.

Pricing & Availability

The Sonos Era 300 and Sonos Era 100 are available for pre-order starting 7th March 2023 at 10 p.m. In Malaysia and Singapore, you will be able to order them from the TC Acoustic website. Internationally, you’ll be able to place your orders at Sonos’s official website.

Both the 300 and 100 will be available in Black and White. The Era 300 will be priced at MYR2,799 while the Era 100 will be priced at MYR1,599. Both of them will be available on shelves starting 28th March 2023.

Accessories, Android, Camera, iOS, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

FUJIFILM Launches INSTAX UP! Smartphone App, Because an INSTAX Camera Alone is Not Enough

March 7, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The INSTAX cameras are a lot of fun. In any social gathering, the INSTAX camera and printer can capture great memories and you can physically keep the photos for these occasions and start a collection. There is only one issue, with most INSTAX cameras, there is no way for you to digitally store the photos. This is where INSTAX UP! app comes in.

It is not another camera app. You do not need another camera app on your smartphone, since most modern smartphones offer better than ever camera experiences today. But it still does rely on using your smartphone’s camera.

Instead of capturing the regular things like portrait or objects in street photography, it captures your INSTAX print outs. It can even recognize the type of print you are using including mini, SQUARE, and WIDE films. To ensure that the digital copy is free of all sorts of blemish, the app automatically reduces glare on the photos in challenging conditions. You can even adjust the contrast, brightness, and even colour vividness and temperature after capturing the photos. All that is then stored in your smartphone digitally so that you can reprint the image using an INSTAX printer if you want.

There are more you can do with your INSTAX photos now with the INSTAX UP! app. There is a new ‘photo in photo’ mode. You can take the print and put it against a backdrop of a scenery or other photos to be shared across social media directly from the app itself. You can even compile your favourite photos within the app. While compiling your collection, you can shake the app to mimic the INSTAX films being tossed around in a box. You can even share this collection with your friends directly from the app.

The app even allows you to choose how you want to view your INSTAX photos. You can keep it neat and organized in the ‘list view’ mode. Or, if you do not mind a little bit of chaos, there is the ‘box view’ mode that makes it look like you tossed your INSTAX films all into a box. You can also find a few ‘tips and tricks’ from the app itself in taking photos and portraits that will look good on and INSTAX films or even how to spice up your home and room with INSTAX products.

Source: FUJIFILM
Source: FUJIFILM
Source: FUJIFILM
Source: FUJIFILM
Source: FUJIFILM
Source: FUJIFILM
Source: FUJIFILM
Source: FUJIFILM
Source: FUJIFILM

The app is now available for free on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. The app, as mentioned, is compatible with any INSTAX film and photos that has been printed. Again, it is not a camera app. You can find out more about the INSTAX UP! and other products from their website.

Business, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Touch ‘n Go eWallet is at its Most Secure State Ever with 5 New Measures

March 7, 2023 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Touch ‘n Go should not be an unfamiliar name to Malaysians or residents of Malaysia. They are technically the first company in Malaysia to introduce cashless transactions via their Touch ‘n Go prepaid cards for tolls and later for public transportations. They were not the first to introduce an eWallet app for Malaysia, probably one of the latest. At their current state though, they are one of the most widely used eWallet apps in Malaysia.

As one of the most widely adopted eWallet in Malaysia, security and safety in transactions and storing money is a bigger concern than ever before. Even with various digital banking systems in place, scams and fraud activities still can happen. In that regards, Touch ‘n Go has introduced five measures in accordance to Bank Negara of Malaysia’s latest mandatory guidelines for banks to combat fraud and scams on their own platform.

Venturing Beyond Passwords

The first of the five measures implemented by Touch ‘n Go is to move beyond one-time password (OTP) systems to more secure systems. For Touch ‘n Go, that more secure system is through face verification. Facial recognition, as a security measure, is nothing new. It has been a security system that has been introduced on Android smartphones for a long time now and has been made better with each iteration and new technologies. In leveraging a modern smartphone’s camera system, the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app now requires a particular user’s face for app logins, PIN changes, and even perform transactions. They also require users to blink when using the feature just to make sure that offenders are not just using a photo of the user to access the app.

Tighter Fraud Detection and Blocking

Fraud detection has been a large part of operating digital payment systems. Even banks have their own ways and guidelines in handling fraudulent transactions. To ensure they can prevent fraudulent transactions, they have placed a few guidelines and rules to transactions. In some cases, transaction limits are set to prevent certain transactions from happening.

In accordance with the latest guidelines from Bank Negara Malaysia, Touch ‘n Go have implemented new rule sets for transactions. According to Touch ‘n Go, the new rule sets are tighter than before. There is also a new set of thresholds for transactions that will trigger alerts from the app. If any abnormal activities are tracked, an email alert will be sent out to users. Users still can set transaction limits too, in case of transactions where the set limit is breached, users will need to verify the transactions further.

One Device, One Account

While it is not a unique feature at this point, you can only attach your Touch ‘n go eWallet account to a single device. That means that even if you have two smartphones, you can only use your Touch ‘n Go eWallet on one of your devices. You cannot have both devices logged into the eWallet too.

They also introduced a feature called TapSecure on the app. The feature requires users to authenticate and verify transactions via the app. The feature can only be attached to one users’s linked device for transaction approvals within the user’s account.

Still Getting Through Toll Gates

All the new measures point to ensuring that users verify themselves before making any sort of transactions. There is a problem, however. Touch ‘n Go eWallet has been adopted to work with toll gate payments in Malaysia. If the measures are also implemented for toll payments, toll gates could be backed up.

In that sense, Touch ‘n Go is only implementing the security and verification measures based on their risk assessment. For low-risk transactions like toll gate payments, verification will not be required. There are also other low risk transactions implemented within Touch ‘n Go that will not trigger the security measures.

If you are logging into your eWallet for the first time on a new device, there will be a number of limitations to the app usage and transaction limit too within the first 48 hours. That limit also includes topping up the eWallet. Any transactions and top ups that is not within the limit will be rejected outrightly.

Easier to Reach

To bolster the effort in fraud prevention, Touch ‘n Go has also set up their own dedicated channel for fraud and scam reports. The call center will be based out of the National Scam Response Centre, Malaysia’s own fraud and scam response unit and center. The dedicated channel links you directly to a specialized team that will attend to any fraud or scam cases or queries. You can reach them at +603-5022 3888 and select “4” to make any fraud or scam reports.

For more information on Touch ‘n Go’s latest safety measures, you can check out their website.

techENT

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Touch ‘n Go eWallet is at its Most Secure State Ever with 5 New Measures

Venturing Beyond Passwords

Tighter Fraud Detection and Blocking

One Device, One Account

Still Getting Through Toll Gates

Easier to Reach

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