Category Archives: News

OPPO Launches the Find N2 – the Other 2022 Foldable

If you are in the market for a foldable smartphone today, you will find about two eligible devices that suits your fancy. If its compact you are looking for, you have the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. For the larger form factor that features a larger, tablet like display, you have Samsung as well with their Galaxy Z Fold 4, and HUAWEI with their Mate Xs 2. We mentioned three devices but if practical is what you are looking for, you are probably going to end up with either the compact Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, or the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Now though you might have a proper third choice. You now can choose between a Samsung, or an OPPO. To be fair, there is no practical competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 at this point of time. The new OPPO Find N2 that they just launched is more of a Galaxy Z Fold 4 competitor instead.

The OPPO Find N2 is really as successor to the very interesting OPPO Find N that was launched very late in 2021 as well. In some sense, we want to consider the Find N2 a 2023 device. At the same time, the OPPO Find N2 packs hardware more comparable to 2022 flagship devices, hence.

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Source: OPPO

Inside, you find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 powering the Android 13 based ColorOS 13 user interface (UI). You have up to 16GB of RAM to play around with, so the device will never feel slow even if you max out your tab limit on Google Chrome or have more than 20 apps open at the same time. With the larger display, you might want to have a few apps open in multiple windows too. At the same time, if you are counting on the Find N2 to be productive, you get up to 512GB of storage to work with for all sorts of documents and even photos.

Folded, the device features an expansive and rather regular factored display that is a 120hz 5.54-inch AMOLED display with 18:9 aspect ratio. It offers Full HD+ in resolution and up to 1350 nits brightness for when you want to work with it under the sun. Unfold it and you will find a large 7.1-inch LTPO AMOLED display greeting you. It is smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s 7.4-inch display, but hey it is a little more sensible in your hands. It also offers up to 120Hz in refresh rate, HDR10+ colours, and up to 1550 nits in peak brightness which, in any way you look at it, is really bright. It is smaller and more modest compared to its Samsung competitor with only 1,792 by 1,920 pixels packed in.

Out the back, you will find a 50-Megapixel shooter. That main shooter is backed up by a 32-Megapixel telephoto shooter and a 48-Megapixel ultrawide camera. You also get the clever Hasselblad calibration, obvious with a large Hasselblad branding at the camera bump this time. What they did not brand on the device is the MariSilicon X they put into the device for image processing. Of course, the camera can also do 4K video recording, which should not be a surprise anyway. Out the front, when folded, you find a 32-Megapixel front facing camera on the cover display. Inside, you find another 32-Megapixel camera.

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Source: OPPO

It packs a 4,520 mAh battery to keep everything running for the day. It is larger than its competitor’s, but not by so much that it gets a significant advantage in battery life. Still, you can charge it at 67W with OPPO’s clever SUPERVOOC technology, which is a clear advantage over Samsung’s charging implementation. There is no wireless charging though, bummer.

What separates the OPPO Find N2 and its competitors apart is something you can hardly see. They call it a Flexion Hinge technology. Its aim? To minimize the display crease that is infamous with foldable devices today. It is also designed to be lighter than before with less moving parts for added reliability.

In fact, OPPO claims that they have reduced the number of moving parts within the hinge by 38 parts. There is now about 100 moving parts within the hinge. Less moving parts also means less things might go wrong. It is supposedly more rigid and stronger in construction too thanks to exotic materials like Carbon Fibre and high-strength alloy used in its construction. All these adds up to a weight saving of 42g over the older Find N.

The hinge also allows OPPO to reduce the stress on the folding display. Less stress also means less visible crease than before. OPPO claims that the visible crease has been narrowed by 67%, which sounds like a larger improvement, but we cannot confirm anything until we see the device ourselves.

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The OPPO Find N2 is currently only available in China. Prices starts at CN¥ 8,000 (MYR 5,072*) and tops out at CN¥ 9,000 (MYR 5,705*). If the current conversion rates are anything to go by, the OPPO Find N2 is priced at a much more accessible price range than its competition too. There are no confirmations on its availability and official price range in Malaysia just yet. More on the OPPO Find N2 can be found on their website. It is in Chinese though, since the device is currently only available in China.

*Approximately based on exchange rate of CN¥ 100 = MYR 63.40 as of 19/12/2022 on xe.com

WhatsApp Calls Improved with New Features

WhatsApp endeavors to improve its users call experience with an update bringing a host of new features.

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WhatsApp video calls now support up to 32 people, with notifications for new joinees. Image source: Meta

While it made its mark in the world of secure messaging, WhatsApp intends to attract more users to its voice and video call functions too. To kick things off, group video calls have gotten bigger with support for 32 persons in a single call. That is four times more than previously supported number of callers. If the calls get too chaotic, a new feature allows both direct messaging and muting of call participants. By long pressing on a participant, an enlarged interface appears to perform these functions without interrupting the call. Gathering users for a WhatsApp call is now easier with a new call link feature that can be shared to participants.

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Colourful waveforms with private message and mute features help manage large calls. Image source: Meta

Voice calls have received new features too. It is now easier to know who is talking in a large group call with colorful waveforms overlayed on the speaker. If someone pops into the group call, a notification now pops up to mark their arrival. iOS users will receive an exclusive, minimized in-call video screen feature. Users can now multitask on their devices without interrupting an ongoing video call. This feature is still currently under beta testing and will roll out in the new year.

Even with new features for WhatsApp calls, the commitment to privacy and security still remains. As always, the end-to-end encryption on all communication through the app by default remains in place. For more details on the new features, visit Improved Calling Features on WhatsApp | Meta (fb.com).

Mali GPU security gaps puts your device at risk

A known security vulnerability in Mali GPU could affect millions of Android devices as it remains unpatched as reported by Google.

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A known Mali GPU security vulnerability remains unpatched and puts your Android device at risk.
Image source: Forbes

As reported first by 9to5Google, Google Project Zero has highlighted a security vulnerability known as CVE-2022-33917 affecting only Mali GPUs. The platform is found on non-Snapdragon Android devices most notably Samsung Exynos chipsets, and Google’s Tensor chipsets. Mediatek Dimensity devices from OPPO, Xiaomi. According to developer ARM, this vulnerability allows attackers to gain access to freed memory. Google added that “…by forcing the kernel to reuse these pages as page tables, an attacker with native code execution in an app context could gain full access to the system…”.

ARM has already been informed of the vulnerability by Project Zero as early as July this year. On their official site, ARM has stated that they have already fixed the vulnerability on their end. However, security measures are yet to been taken by smartphone developers like Samsung, Google and the rest. A statement on 27th November by both Android and Pixel teams stated a fix is currently under testing. It was stated that the fix will be available to all “in the coming weeks”. Two weeks on since then, no further updates have been provided.

Source: 9to5Google, PhoneArena, SamMobile

ZTE announces the Voyage 40 Pro+ to succeed Axon 40 SE

ZTE announces the new Voyage 40 Pro+ in China, a device that improves upon the Axon 40 SE released in October.

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The Voyage 40 Pro+ improves upon the Axon 40 SE. Image source: GSMArena

ZTE has retained the key design elements and hardware of the mid-range Axon 40 SE and made some select improvements. Both phones share a similar appearance with the twin circular camera housing on the back and dimensions. They share the same 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution and 770 nit peak brightness. But that’s where the similarities end.

Chipset, battery and cameras upgrades from the Axon 40 SE

The Voyage 40 Pro+ has hardware improvements all around, starting with the mobile platform it runs on. Powering the device is a Mediatek Dimensity 810 that offers improved core speeds and 5G connectivity. This a step up from the Unisoc T618 chipset seen in its predecessor. The memory configurations have been doubled from the Axon 40 SE, with 8GB of RAM and 256 GB storage. It still retains a microSD slot and has the option for further virtual RAM up to 6 GB. The battery also has a capacity increase to 4510mAh with significantly faster 66W charging, up from 4500mAh and 22.5W charging. The main shooter in the three camera setup has also improved, with 64MP sensor up from 50MP. The 5MP macro cam and 2MP depth sensor from its predecessor still remains. The front camera too is upgraded to a 16MP shooter from 8MP.

Voyage 40 Pro+ special edition and availability

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Available in two colors and a special Starry Night edition. Image source: GSMArena

The Voyage 40 Pro+ is now retailing in China, exclusively for the moment, retailing at an estimated RM1393 (2200 yuan). It is available in two colors; Sky Blue and Twilight Gray. Also available is the Starry Night edition, inspired by the van Gogh painting, retailing for the same price. For more details and availability in Malaysia, visit the official ZTE Malaysia website and follow ZTE Malaysia Facebook page.

Source: GSMArena

WIKO Buds 10 now available on Shopee

Wiko Malaysia has announced the release of their affordable earbuds, the Buds 10 in Malaysia.

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Lightweight and affordable, the Wiko Buds 10.

The French manufacturer’s latest entry into the budget true-wireless earbuds market features 12-mm bio-diaphragm dynamic drivers with copper-coated aluminium armature. This design results in lightweight earbuds, weighing at 4.2g, without compromising on audio quality. Wiko claims that the earbuds will fit snugly and users will barely feel them when in use. With Bluetooth 5.2, the buds offer stable connectivity and low latency, useful for gaming.

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Long battery life of up to 30 hours.

The lightweight design coupled with IPX4 rating makes these buds suitable for use outdoors and for exercise. Wiko claims a single playback charge will last up to 6 hours and 30 hours total with the charging case. There is also dual mic noise-cancelation for clearer calls, handy in noisy environments. The buds can also be controlled through touch via embedded smart sensors.

Currently, the Wiko Buds 10 is for sale in Malaysia exclusively through the official Wiko Shopee Store for RM129. For more information of the device and its features, visit the official Buds 10 product page and official Facebook page.

PICO celebrates with new store and Christmas VR bundles

With Christmas just around the corner, PICO has kick-started celebrations with the launch of its new VR store and game bundle to boot.

First VR Concept Store opens in Sunway Pyramid

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PICO opens its first Malaysian VR Concept Store in Sunway Pyramid.

PICO fans will now be able to try their favorite devices at the first PICO VR concept store in Malaysia. The new store opened its doors on the 10th of December, located in Sunway Pyramid. The store has four experiential zones for gaming, fitness, entertainment and social for customers to try out the VR headsets, especially the new PICO 4 All-In-One headset for themselves. There is also friendly, trained crew in-store to help customers with their retail or technical queries.

Apart from attracting new customers, PICO also aims to please their existing customers with a dedication to aftersales service. Their current warranty programme allows a one-for-one exchange for defective units that can be easily performed at the concept store.

Regional Director of PICO Southeast Asia, Allen An hopes that through the store, customers will enjoy experiencing the PICO 4 headset, and will be convinced to get one. With that in mind, the store had a Store Launch Promo where the first 10 customers to purchase a PICO 4 will also get a PICO Neo Link 3 (256 GB) unit for free. The next 20 customers to purchase a PICO 4 can purchase a second unit for just half price. And if you missed out on the opening day deals, fret not as PICO has more to offer.

#TheBestXmasGift for VR fans by PICO

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For fans of fitness, art, music and of course VR games, the PICO 4 has something for everyone.

With more games available, the PICO 4 All-In-One VR headset is proving to be a versatile gift for Christmas to satisfy fans of all genres. Gamers can enjoy the new archery game In Death: Unchained and zombie shooter After the fall. Stay fit with VR fitness classes in LesMills Bodycombat and All-In-One Sports VR, which features 11 different sports. Music lovers will enjoy Smash Drums, enhanced with the PICO 4’s binaural stereo speakers while art lovers can express themselves on the virtual canvas of MultiBrush.

Also on offer is a special bundle of games worth RM 476.93 for free with every purchase of the PICO 4 this holiday season. The Christmas Pack 4-game bundle consists of Superhot VR and In Death:Unchained for action games fans, LesMills Bodycombat for fitness and MultiBrush for art enthusiasts. These games are in addition to the standard Starter Pack bundle that comes with every PICO 4 purchase. Games included are All-in-One Sports VR, Down The Rabbit Hole, OhShape, and After The Fall, worth RM 440.00.

The PICO 4 All-In One VR Headset is retailing now at RM1699 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and RM1999 for the 256 GB variant. To get your, head to the PICO VR Concept Store or buy online at Lazada, Shopee or TikTok shop. For more information on more products and the store, visit https://www.picoxr.com/my.

YouTube ‘Add to Queue’ Button Coming Soon on Your Smartphone App

One of the best features that your streaming apps have added into their interface is the ‘Add to Queue’ function. It is also one of the most underrated and one of those functions you tend to take for granted because the function seems too sensible and natural not to have. You can create your own instantaneous playlist without going through the hassle of curating and naming an entire playlist just for that one moment; why would you not have the button? Your YouTube app on your Android and Apple devices does not have it though.

Do not get us wrong, YouTube has an ‘Add to Queue’ function when you go on YouTube on your PC. If you are accessing YouTube via your smartphones or tablet, you do not get that functionality for reasons we cannot understand. You cannot even access that function if you access YouTube via your smartphone’s web browser unless you switch it to desktop browsing mode. For some time now, we have been quite frustrated with the limitation because, if you think about it, most of your YouTube consumption will be on your smartphone or tablet devices via the app itself. It is probably one of the most quietly demanded functions on the YouTube app too, we think.

As the year is coming to a close, there is some good news from Google. YouTube is now testing the ‘Add to Queue’ function on both Apple and Android devices. At this time, the test looks like it will go on only for a limited time. We can only hope that after the limited time the function will go on as a default feature on the YouTube app on both Android and Apple devices.

Currently the tested feature is only available to YouTube Premium users on both platforms. If you are a YouTube Premium user and have not seen the function, you might want to try to get into your Profile settings and turn on ‘Try New Features’ to not only test that one function, but other functions they might bring to the YouTube app in the future. To see if you have the function available to you, you simply have to click on the three dots that appear on the top right of your video and click ‘Add to Queue’. You will have full control over your video playlist with a display menu at the bottom of the screen after enabling the ‘Add to Queue’ function and creating a temporary playlist.

According to sources, the test will only last until the 28th of January 2023. Keep in mind that the function does not extend to adding YouTube Shorts into the playlist. There is no clear indication on whether or not the function will officially be available for YouTube app users in the wider scheme of things, but we are betting that it would be not too long after testing period.

Source: 9To5Google

Axon 40 Ultra Space Edition Takes ZTE To The Stars

ZTE has unveiled in China, a souped-up version of their Axon 40 Ultra flagship with the new Space Edition.

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With memory options you can see from space, the Axon 40 Ultra Space Edition ups the flagship game.
Image source: GSMArena

Extra-large memory configurations and faster charging speeds

The major offering of this new edition is perhaps the largest configuration of memory and storage in the market. It is available in 12 GB RAM with 512GB storage or 18GB RAM with 1TB storage. This not the first time ZTE has done this, with its previous Axon Ultra 30 flagships offering the same in its Aerospace edition last year.

The Space edition shares mostly the same hardware with the Ultra 40 standard edition. It comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 platform, a 6.8-inch 120hz AMOLED display with 2480 x 1116 pixels resolution and 5000mAh battery. It also has the same dedicated security chip by ZTE that is claimed to have passed encryption testing and has three privacy and security certifications. However, no concrete details on specifications and functionality on this chip has been announced just yet. The camera setup is a triple 64MP sensor assembly with wide angle, ultra-wide angle and periscope capabilities respectively.

The hardware upgrades, apart from larger memory, is faster charging speeds of 80W from the base 65W. The design of the phone receives some changes for the better too. The back panel of the conventional Ultra 40 is replaced with ceramic material that is textured to give a more premium feel. The camera bump is now flush against the back panel, as opposed to the island design of the base unit.

Available only in China, ships with a bespoke box

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A bespoke box for a truly premium feel. Image source: GSMArena

The Axon 40 Ultra Space Edition is currently only available in China and comes with a bespoke box and protective case. Price estimates are RM3744 (5999 yuan) for the 12GB/512GB variant and RM4886 (7700 yuan) for the 18GB/1TB variant. For further details and availability in Malaysia, visit the official ZTE Malaysia website and follow ZTE Malaysia Facebook page.

Source: GSMArena

[CES 2023] More SmartThings for the Future – A Samsung Editorial

CES 2023 is upon us early in January of 2023, there is no surprises there. The show is also a place where you can find the latest and greatest from all sorts of electronics manufacturer, a sort of showcase of what end users like us can expect to see throughout the entire year. It is not uncommon to see new smartphone concepts, new laptop concepts, and even new ways to experience technology in the show. While it is happening early in the year, you can expect manufacturers to bring their big guns to the show. One of those manufacturers you can be excited about is Samsung.

Samsung is in a rather unique position in the world. It is a technology giant that is involved and participates in many industries. If you have not known yet, Samsung has rather unique role in the military equipment industry as well. What they are most known for today is their unique approach to smartphones with their folding flexible displays. But according to the latest editorial you can find in their newsroom, written by their current CEO, JH Han, that is not all they want to be known for.

It is no secret that Samsung, very much like Apple, wants to build an ecosystem for themselves. At some point, it looked like their ecosystem, known as the Galaxy ecosystem, built around the smartphone experience is going to take over and pivot the South Korean giant away from Google’s complete ecosystem. Now, they seemed to have turned things around a little and embrace Google a little bit more, save for a few things.

Samsung’s Galaxy ecosystem is not technically a failure though. It has evolved a little bit more instead. It has developed into something they call the SmartThings ecosystem.

SmartThings – The Heart of it All

SmartThings, in a lot of sense, has always been there. It is not a replacement to the Galaxy ecosystem; it is a big part of it. It has a lot more potential in the smart home space than you think though. For 2023 then, instead of focusing on the smartphone side of things, Samsung plans to bring more IoT products and expand on SmartThings, which could be more exciting than it sounds.

According to the published editorial, Samsung is working with more partners this time for SmartThings. That can only mean that Samsung is expanding its compatibility and ability to more than just Samsung products. They are integrating AI implementations into SmartThings too, which is not entirely unheard of, but just means that their SmartThings products can just be smarter and more intuitive to work with over time than before. Where this will sit between the Apple Home and Google Home IoT framework, only time can tell.

The focus is not to just make the SmartThings ecosystem smarter and more readily available for users, but to also make it more sustainable than ever before. In a way, Samsung wants to make SmartThings the center of your eco-friendly practices. That also means that Samsung will be committed to creating more energy efficient products and more environmentally conscious packaging decisions.

We mentioned earlier that Samsung is in rather unique position in the world. They are in all sorts of sectors and are rather successful in all the industries it has participated in. They make some of the world’s most popular Television, they are the world’s leader in terms of display technology, they are a leader in the world of smartphones in both popularity and innovation, they make very compelling and very clever home appliances. They are in the perfect position to introduce a whole host of products and solutions that can talk to each other and integrate them seamlessly into your lives.

From the published editorial, we think that we can be excited for Samsung in 2023. You can expect Samsung to shift its focus a little in 2023. Of course, that does not mean that you will not see the usual Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Z flagship smartphones being released and pushing smartphone technology to the limits. But you can expect Samsung to shift gears when it comes to their home appliances. For CES 2023 at least, we think that Samsung will focus more on smart home appliances or even announcing new partners to their SmartThings ecosystem. We can only wait and see.

God Of War TV Series Coming to Amazon Prime Video

God of War is coming to life thanks to a deal between PlayStation Studios, Sony and Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime broke the news in a single tweet which read “God of War is coming”. The announcement comes barely a week after God of War won six awards at the Game Awards.

According to Deadline, Prime Video has been in negotiations with Sony and PlayStaion to bring the critically acclaimed game to the silver screen since its first report in March. It appears like negotiations have gone well with some of Hollywood’s best TV Fantasy talent coming onboard. The God of War series is apparently going to be helmed by Rafe Judkins who has worked on titles like Amazon’s “The Wheel of Time”, “Agents of SHIELD” and “The 4400” to name a few. He’ll be working with the creators of “The Expanse” Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. The series has already been in production since March according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Fan of the series will definitely be excited to see where the series takes its inspiration as God of War as a franchise has a rich library of tales to tell. According to the report from Hollywood Reporter, the story will be taking its queue from the game after Kratos hangs up his blades and retires to the Norse realm of Midgard. Of course, if the game is any indication, we’re in for loads of adventure and thrills as Kratos and Arteus discover that his late wife’s last wish was a quest in disguise. The father and son duo will be facing the minions of Hel and take on new gods and mythical creatures as they seek to save the world.

God of War

God of War is the latest game in Sony’s library to get the Hollywood treatment. It joins the ranks of Unchartered and, most recently, The Last of Us. There’s no indication when the series will be released nor any news of the cast just yet.