In this week’s techENT Download weekly news round-up, we have the two biggest names in tech. The two names are Apple and Google. They are also on the same page this time. Apple and Google, this time is collaborating on a very special project. They are developing a new API based tech for contact tracing. That also means that health institutes and governments could benefit by zeroing down on patient zero or sources of outbreaks in clusters.
That is not all that Apple did last week though, they launched a new iPhone last week too. It is the new Apple iPhone SE, a recycled name with new hardware. You go back to a 4.7-inch display and a fingerprint sensor. Inside though, you get a powerful A13 Bionic System on a Chip (SoC).
Speaking of powerful though, OnePlus launches their brand new 2020 flagship – the new OnePlus 8 series. The OnePlus 8 Pro packs Qualcomm’s most powerful Snapdragon 865 SoC. It also comes with a very familiar 6.7-inch 120Hz QHD+ display and a 48-Megapixel triple camera arrangement.
If you are not up for something so upmarket though, there is the realme 6i that just launched in Malaysia for MYR 699 onward. While not the most premium name or pricing, you still get plenty of power from a MediaTek Helio G80 Octa-core SoC and quad-cameras. Also, you get a large 5,000mAh battery that should last you a day and more.
Samsung has released the Galaxy S10 Lite equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. The processor is paired with a minimum of 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage and up to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. A new and improved triple main camera consisting of a 48MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, and 5MP macro camera. For the selfie camera, it gets a 32 MP wide camera. Packing a relatively large-sized 4,500 mAh battery that could last you the entire day.
Coming in three different beautiful colours of Prism White, Prism Black, and Prism Blue. It is Priced at MYR 2,699 in Malaysia and USD$649 in the US. Will the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite live up to its other S10 Series? Is this Samsung’s answer to go against Chinese’s smartphone flagships?
This whole COVID-19 situation has been quite trying for plenty of people. For Malaysia, the country is in its third phase of a state sanctioned quarantine, or Movement Control Order (MCO) in their words. The MCO means that there are some imposed restrictions to how you can move about in the region. No one can come into or out of Malaysia at this time too. In other words, we are under a limited lock down.
This also means that most organisations in Malaysia are on a work-from-home policy, including us. Working from home is not a new concept though. Funnily enough, it is not tech-based firms that has gone big with work-from-home concepts. Still, this is the time when everyone just must start adopting the work-from-home culture. Not like they have a choice anyway in Malaysia.
Facebook has been one organisation at the forefront of business transformations in the region. They have also transformed how businesses work and sell their products in the modern world. They are more than just a Social Media app you have on your smartphones. Facebook is more than an app just to keep in touch with your friends.
It has become a live news channel, where you can view live updates on the most current news. You can set up watch parties (limited to Facebook Watch and videos) to a live event. It has become a live event space, if you might for the public. With Messenger and WhatsApp, it is a communication powerhouse; an all-in-one tool for your daily communication needs.
If you need to, Facebook can be your marketplace, or the place where you shop with marketplace. With Facebook Watch, it is your source of entertainment. It can even be your calendar if you really need it to be. It is truly a one-stop, go-to, solve-it-all platform where you can find anything and everything.
That is also why when we were given the chance to sit down with Nicole Tan of Facebook Malaysia, we took the offer up.
Nicole Tan is not just a random person in Facebook Malaysia. She is the Facebook Malaysia’s Country Director. When you say top brass, she is it for Facebook Malaysia. The buck stops with her. Of course, no one is better qualified to talk about Facebook’s presence and efforts in Malaysia than her.
Source: Facebook
We started the interview with a burning question of ‘how?’ Everyone is in this trying period that is the MCO and plenty are forced to bring work home. In that case, everyone has to adapt to a completely new working environment and culture. Every other person is of course looking toward the big tech names for guidance and inspiration.
Facebook has always had a very flexible approach toward this issue of course. Being a tech firm there are already measures in place for a work-from-home situation. In fact, Facebook Malaysia has adopted the work-from-home policy even before Malaysia’s MCO is implemented. According to Nicole Tan, the firm has adopted to the situation very quickly. Naturally, there has been a lot more web-conferencing that is needed for daily operations. For Nicole then, it is almost just like any other day in the office; just with more video conferencing than ever.
There is one big concern for consumers who are on Facebook though. The platform has become one of the biggest news channels in the world. In Malaysia at least, plenty rely on Facebook for the latest updates in the region. In these trying times, more so rely on Facebook and its services for information. With fears of cyber attacks and scams related to COVID-19 as well, fake news is another big concern. In that, Facebook has been working very closely with their partners which include health institutes and certain government departments to verify news sources. They are not just doing it on Facebook as a platform though. They are also doing it on Whatsapp, Messenger and even Instagram.
Source: Facebook
All this accumulates to Facebook’s very own COVID-19 specific information center. The section is also an accumulation for your benefit. Facebook, through the center is working to bring forward tips and resources from experts and other certified sources to keep you healthy and informed at this time. This is not something new for Facebook. At this time though, to verify all the news, they have spent quite a significant amount of money to work with fact-check networks just so that you get the correct information.
That is not all they have been doing in the fight for COVID-19 though. Being one of the largest tech firms in the world, they could contribute plenty to the efforts around the world. They join other multinationals in donating relief funds and even development of vaccines. In total, they probably has put forth about US$ 70 million in the efforts of not just fighting the disease, but also fighting the side-effects of the global pandemic.
In that also, Facebook is using their platform to help Small Medium Enterprises (SME) even here in Malaysia. Globally Facebook will be offering grants for SMEs or even guide businesses to survive this period of MCO. If you need more information on that, do visit their website.
Source: Facebook
Nicole also added that they are also working with certain Non-Government Organisations (NGO) and Non-Profit Organisations; one of them is Yellow House KL. Of course, there are more that they are doing in the global fight of COVID-19. You can keep yourselves updated on their efforts on their newsroom.
Nicole also gave us a lot of good insights on how Facebook has adapted to the global pandemic situation. For that you should refer to the interview video. Facebook is a free Social Media platform that is available for free on Google’s Play Store for Android and Apple’s Play Store for the iOS.
Last week, a few interesting happened in tech. While most has to do with the COVID-19 development and fight, there were a few new interesting products too. For one, the long-awaited HUAWEI P40 series makes Malaysian debut in the week. There are only two variants currently though – the standard HUAWEI P40 and the HUAWEI P40 Pro. The HUAWEI P40 Pro+ is, as touted, coming way later. Prices start from MYR 2,799 and you can already pre-order the devices on HUAWEI’s website and Lazada until the 10th April 2020. Alongside that is the HUAWEI MatePad Pro that was announced a little over a month ago. Malaysia is currently only getting one variant of it though (8GB + 256GB). You can also pre-order them now at MYR 2,399. The flagship smartphone and tablet will start shipping from the 11th of April 2020. Of course, if you pre-order, you get more HUAWEI exclusive stuff from HUAWEI too.
There were some new notebook PCs that is supposed to arrive in the market sometime later this year too. The 10th Generation Intel Core processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX SUPER equipped notebook PCs break cover. So many of them at the same time; there are some from ASUS, from Acer, from Lenovo, and from MSI. The most expensive we have seen so far is the MSI GS66 stealth at up to MYR 16,000.
Back on the topic of COVID-19, the world is focused at, not only in treating the disease, but also coping with the quarantine and helping the front liners. We have the #VentilatorChallengeUK that was answered by many private conglomerates in the region including Formula 1 teams. At the same time, plenty are taking advantage of the situation. So, we all must do our parts and be careful.
On this week’s techENT Download, HUAWEI announced their new HUAWEI P40 Series with a huge 50-megapixel camera while Xiaomi took on themselves to steal the spotlight with the Xiaomi Mi 10 series and the Redmi Note 9s. Not being one to be left behind, Realme announced their Realme 6 in Malaysia while Samsung unleashed the Galaxy M31. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Series and the Note 10 series also get some love with new camera upgrades.
In the UK, Dyson has started making 15,000 ventilators to help with situation while Scientists turn to the people to create the largest Crowd Sourced, Distributed Computing network with Folding@Home! Help molecular biologists decipher SARS-CoV-2 structures with Folding@Home. You can lend a hand by downloading the software at https://foldingathome.org/.
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No, not the OPPO Find X2 Pro. This is the regular OPPO Find X2. This is the new OPPO flagship device.
The OPPO Find X2 series is a flagship two years in waiting. It
was a successor to OPPO’s most powerful and most expensive device at its
launch. Which also means that it needs to be as powerful and just as expensive.
It packs s Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC which, incidentally
makes it the most powerful smartphone OPPO ever made. It is also sold at MYR
3,999 onward and goes all the way to MYR 4,599 (OPPO Find X2 Pro). It is the
most expensive, or most premium OPPO smartphone ever launched. Those two boxes
are ticked then.
However, it does not deliver the same ‘wow’ factor as the
original OPPO Find X. Instead of having a crazy motorised pop-up mechanism that
everyone grew to love in the Find X, the OPPO Find X2 is now just a plain candy
bar smartphone that resembles a HUAWEI P30, I dare say. Still, it does not mean
that it is not a handsome device, it is still pretty with the Ocean finish.
There is one thing that blew our minds though. It is the O1 Ultra
Vision display that caught our attention. It is a QHD+ display, plenty for a 6.70inch
display. It is also refreshing at a rate of 120Hz with 240Hz sampling rate. What
does that mean? It means ultra-smooth and snappy experience of a smartphone. Get
this as well, it refreshes at 120Hz while pushing QHD+ in resolution. It is not
scaled down in anyway.
In fact, the O1 Vision engine scales regular 30fps videos up
to 120fps just to take advantage of the display. That makes everything looks
better on screen. We did not notice any image distortions or flickers as well
while watching things like YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Video Prime. While the
differences are subtle, the experience difference is quite drastic; especially
if you can put another flagship side by side and compare.
We had a little bit of concerns with the battery because of
the high refresh rate and resolution. The combination of that still allows the 4,200
mAh battery to last a complete workday with more to give though. If not, we can
break out the SuperVOOC charger and charge it within 38 minutes. We have not
tried that, we should.
The OPPO Find X2 is now available in across Malaysia for MYR
3,999. It is available in two colour options – Aurora and Black. Both colour
options feature different build materials, we suggest getting the black just
because of its ceramic finish. Of course, more information on their website.
In this week’s techENT download, things are a little bleak
with the COVID-19 situation. We had to close our office because the government has
issued a Movement Control Order which limits our travels in and out of the
house. That also means that we have to start working from home full time. As of
yesterday’s announcement, it is going to be the situation until the 14th
of April 2020.
Still, we are optimistic and will still bring you the latest
in tech. In that regards, there are a couple of smartphone launches within
Malaysia itself. The two most interesting ones are the foldable devices coming into
the Malaysian smartphone market fold. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and HUAWEI Mate
Xs is officially available in Malaysia now. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is available
in participating stores at MYR 5,888. The Huawei, on the other hand, is now
available online and you can get your hands on your own unit for MYR 11,111. You
can choose between a delivery or pick up at your favourite HUAWEI store; though
the latter option might be handy way later.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro is finally in Malaysia for MYR 4,599.
The OPPO Find X2 Pro was also one of our most anticipated smartphone to come
into the market. At the same week, HMD Global (Nokia) announced what seems to
be the most affordable 5G ready smartphone in the world with the Nokia 8.3.
They also brought back XpressMusic with their the ‘new’ Nokia 5310.
Beyond that we also saw the Sony PlayStation 5. No, there
are no product renders, or even a reveal of the device. It was just a reveal of
the specifications of the PlayStation 5. It is just slightly less powerful than
the Microsoft Xbox Series X. There is one thing extra on the PlayStation
though, and that is called the ‘Tempest’ 3D audio engine.
Samsung recently unveiled their new foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip at their Unpacked event! We’ve got it in our hands for review! Here’s a quick hands on of the new Z Flip!
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ and is paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. It comes with a 6.7-inch foldable Dynamic AMOLED screen with a 21.9:9 aspect ratio. It has a FHD+ resolution of 2636×1080 pixels and a pixel density of 425ppi. on the cover it has a 1.1-inch Super AMOLED display.
On the camera front, it has a 10 megapixel selfie camera with a 1.22μm pixel size and an 80˚ field of view. The selfie camera comes with an f/2.4 aperture for respectable low light performance. The main camera setup is a dual 12-megapixel sensor setup with and Ultra wide and wide angle sensor. The Galaxy Z Flip is now available in Malaysia for MYR5,888.
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In this week’s Download weekly round-up we have the Realme C3, Realme 6 series, the BlackShark 3 series, and the OPPO A31. We are expecting to see the OPPO Find X2 as soon as Tuesday, so stay tuned to that.
The Realme C3 is Realme’s 2020 answer to the fast growing entry-level smartphones market. It is sold for MYR 499 and packs all the basic goodies to make it a smartphone. The Realme 6 series launched in India but we are expecting to make an appearance in Malaysia pretty soon. Same goes to the extravagance that is the Black Shark 3 series. The Black Shark 3 is a quite a recipe though with pop-up triggers and Qualcomm’s super powerful Snapdragon 865 SoC.
Oppo has launched their entry level MYR 699 OPPO A31 in Malaysia as well. That would be accompanied by the OPPO Find X2 flagship with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 SoC pushing the 120Hz 2K display. Even the camera set-up looks impressive, even if it is just three lenses instead of four or five.
Meanwhile, COVID19 shuts down more than just MWC. Microsoft MVP, Facebook F8, Adobe Summit, Google Next Cloud, and Google I/O has all been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Computex is still happening though currently.
We had Isa Rodriguez of Isa Does Tech on our podcast last week! Do head to the link to give a listen. We are also excited to have Adam Lobo from Adam Lobo TV over in our podcast in the coming week.
Here’s the TechENT Download for the week of 24th February. Boy was it an eventful one for tech! Here’s run down of some of the most pertinent tech news of the week!
AMD Feels the heat from ASUS as the Strix RX 5700 overheats after the company’s recommended settings didn’t cut it for cooling.
Sony releases a slew of devices spearheaded by the Xperia 1 II to usher in a new age of mobile with a focus on Content Creators. Together with the Xperia 1 II, they also announced a new Xperia 10 II and Xperia L4 completing their offerings for the mobile segment.
HUAWEI showed the world how to fold with its Mate Xs. The new foldable spearheaded a whole line up of MateBook D and the new MateBook X Pro laptops and the new MatePad Pro. While HTC is making a come back with its new Wildfire.
More updates as we’re hearing more developments around the COVID-19 impact on the tech industry. This time, it looks like it’s Microsoft saying that its being affected.
We’ve started a new Podcast, techENT’s Tech & Tonic! The new podcast will see us talk about some of the most interesting news and topics in tech with some of our friends in the industry. It is available on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, Breaker, and other podcasting host channels! If we are not yet on your favourite channel yet, let us know in the comments so that we can work our way there!
