Sunday, February 28, 2021

BOE Showcases New 360-Degree Display Technology For Foldable Smartphones


Foldable smartphones have not become the norm for the regular consumer just yet, but that isn’t stopping manufacturers such as China’s BOE from innovating the foldable display technology. The company recently demonstrated a new 360-degree flexible screen that is able to be folded inwards and outwards, suggesting a potentially new multi-mode foldable phone approach.

As seen from the demonstration – a gif animation shared by Digital Chat Station on Weibo and later shared on YouTube by SparrowNews – BOE shows off the new display tech via a prototype phone that can fold inwards ala clamshell, assumingly for storage purposes. When unfolded, it is able to function as a tablet, much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Huawei Mate X series. Lastly, the device can also be folded outwards from tablet mode, transforming into a familiar smartphone form which utilises only one half of the display.

According to MyDrivers, BOE is said to adopt a “multi-neutral layer model design” for its new display and multi-mode foldable phone approach. This effectively reduces the stress of flexible outward and inward foldings, as well as reduces the possibility of causing creases from each fold. The report added that the company claims the display is able to last approximately 200,000 folds throughout its use.

Keep in mind that the foldable phone unit used by BOE in the demonstration is merely a prototype, therefore it lacks features such as cameras and so on. At this time, no smartphone makers have confirmed to be adopting this technology or multi-mode foldable approach.

The future of non-conventional smartphones is looking to be more interesting as of late, thanks to the recent display technology innovations. Aside from foldable screens, brands such as OPPO and LG are also exploring different approaches for their future products, namely rollable displays.

As for whether which approach would soon dominate the smartphone market in the foreseeable future remains to be seen. And that realisation will also take some time as the prices of such devices are still within the premium range, which – as mentioned earlier – is still far from being affordable for most consumers.

Samsung Galaxy M62 with 7000mAh Battery Coming To Malaysia For As Low As RM 1,599


The Samsung Galaxy family in Malaysia is about to expand once again as the company is about to release the Galaxy M62 in our market next month. Known as the Galaxy F62 in India, one of the major attractions of the phone is its humongous 7000mAh battery.

Also equipped with a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Plus display, the M62 is powered by Exynos 9825 which is the same processor that was featured on the Galaxy Note10 Series. The Malaysian unit is also equipped with 8GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage, according to the listing on Samsung’s official store on Lazada.


As for photography, the phone comes with a 64MP f/.18 camera on its big as its main tool alongside a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, 5MP f/2.4 macro, and 5MP f/2.4 depth cameras. There is also a 32MP selfie camera on the centre top part of Galaxy M62’s screen.

While Samsung didn’t mention the phone’s actual charging time, the waiting time to get back at least some of the phone’s 7000mAh battery capacity should not be that long since the Galaxy M62 supports fast chargers with a power rating of up to 25W.


Price-wise, the Galaxy M62 goes for RM 1,999 but it will be made available for RM 1,599 during its Malaysian debut in Lazada on 3 March 2021. At the moment, it is not known whether the phone will be released through other retailers, so you may want to give a call to your favourite phone dealer if you are interested in getting your hands on the new Galaxy M62.

PS5 SSD Storage Expansion May Be Accessible Following Future Firmware Upgrade


Back in November last year, Sony Interactive Entertainment said that the SSD expansion slot in the PS5 is “reserved for a future update”. Which is a complicated way of saying that it’s not available for use right now. That may change come summer, or some time between late June and late September.

Bloomberg reports that SIE will be pushing out a firmware update within that summer time frame. The update will come with optimised fans speeds for the PS5. But more importantly, it will also unlock the SSD slot inside the console. A Sony spokesperson says instead that “the timing has not been announced and details will be shared later”.

On one hand, this is great news. As spacious as 660GB sounds like, it’s ultimately not a lot. Especially not when two games in a single series can take up the bulk of it. But on the other, it’s not know yet if SIE has made significant progress with the certification of third-party SSDs.

Well, that and the fact that the PS5 isn’t exactly an easy console to get a hand of at the moment. But if you’re one of the lucky ones to own the console, then this may be the good news you’ve been waiting for.

Leica Q2 Daniel Craig x Greg Williams Limited Edition Now Available In Malaysia


Leica has launched a new limited edition of its popular Q2 camera, with the Daniel Craig x Greg Williams Limited Edition. As its name implies, the camera is created in close collaboration with the James Bond actor and the renown British Academy of Film and Television Arts photographer.

Unlike the regular Leica Q2, the new limited edition sports a black and gold colour scheme, which the company described as “exclusive and elegant”. Fluffiness aside, the camera indeed  looks classier and more distinctive than the original release. All of its engravings, symbols and strap rings are inlaid in gold, while the entire body is presented in matte black – along with a diamond patterned Nappa leather embossing covering its front. Even Leica’s signature logo and red dot follows the new look.

The rest of the camera, such as its hardware and fixed lens, remains the same as the original Leica Q2 which debuted in 2019. As a quick recap, it comes with a 47.3MP full-frame sensor, a 3.68MP OLED electronic viewfinder with 0.76x magnification, and a 3-inch LCD touchscreen display on its back. The Q2’s fixed lens is a Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH prime lens with macro capability. There’s no optical zooming function but thanks to its large onboard sensor, the camera allows for crop-to-zoom edits in post. Connectivity-wise, the Q2 comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities for transferring photos to smart devices wirelessly.

Despite featuring Daniel Craig’s name, this limited edition of the Leica Q2 is not the same as the alleged 007 Limited Edition that was leaked in September last year. According to the images provided by industry insider Nikoshita, the latter features a green colour scheme and even includes a 007-themed lens cap as well as a similarly themed steel briefcase. Ever since the leak, the supposed 007 Limited Edition is nowhere to be seen and is likely delayed (or cancelled) due to the numerous delays of the latest James Bond movie, No Time To Die.


Moving on. The Leica Q2 Daniel Craig x Greg Williams Limited Edition is immediately available at the brand’s official store in Avenue K, Kuala Lumpur and authorised dealers. The camera is priced at a whopping RM30,300, and is limited to only 750 units globally. Each unit also comes with an exclusive carrier strap made of black Nappa leather, featuring gold coloured gilded eyelets.

Pokemon Legends Arceus Finally Takes The Franchise Open World


The Pokemon Company announced the much teased remakes of the fourth generation games, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. But Pokemon Legends Arceus is definitely the more important game announcement by the company. This is simply because it’s the game that finally takes the franchise into the open world.

Pokemon Legends Arceus is set in the same region as the fourth generations games, Sinnoh. But rather than the modern setting that fans recognise, this game brings players back in time to a more feudal looking age. The Pokeballs also look feudal, being obviously made of wood.

And according to the game’s dedicated website, you’ll be creating, and completing, naturally, the region’s first ever Pokedex. Which sounds like a lot of retconning. To hammer this point home, your starters are the second generation fire type starter Cyndaquil, the seventh generation grass type starter Rowlet, and the fifth generation water type starter, Oshawott.


From what little gameplay the Pokemon Legends Arceus showed, it looks like there will still be turn-based battles. Or, at least against stronger creatures. For others, the trailer implies that you can catch them in the wild without the need for battles to weaken them first. The open world itself is slightly reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and of Capcom’s Okami.

Pokemon Legends Arceus is slated to be released for the Nintendo Switch in early 2022. For fans suffering from franchise fatigue, this may be the entry to get you excited again.

India Unveils New Rules For Twitter, Facebook And WhatsApp


India will be imposing new rules on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp, Reuters reported. The world’s largest democracy has increasingly come under criticism for Internet censorship after it shut down mobile Internet services in response to farmer protests near the country’s capital.

Under the new rules, large social media firms will have to establish a grievance redressal mechanism and, within three months, appoint staff to coordinate with the authorities. They must also take down content within 36 hours of being legally ordered to do so.

Companies will have to cooperate with investigations and other cyber security-related incidents within 72 hours of being asked. When legally ordered, they’ll have to reveal the identity of the person who wrote a message or post. Facebook and Twitter both said they would study the new rules, while WhatsApp declined to comment, Reuters said.


Indian farmers have taken to the streets and social media to protest new agricultural laws passed by the government. After employing Internet shutdowns in the past, the India government demanded that Twitter remove tweets with the hashtag “farmer genocide” and block certain accounts that gave support to the protests.

Twitter initially complied with the government’s orders but then reversed the blocks citing “insufficient justification”, the BBC said. The Indian government was furious, threatening to jail Twitter employers in India. Twitter then responded with a blog post explaining its suspension actions.

Going by the new rules, it’s probably safe to say that the Indian government isn’t satisfied.

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Friday, February 26, 2021

Canon PowerShot Zoom Coming To Malaysia In April; Retailing At RM1379


Canon has announced that the PowerShot Zoom will be arriving in Malaysia later in April. The device was originally unveiled last year in September and was also a Japan-only exclusive up until recently. It is also the only PowerShot-branded product to be presented in a monocular-like form factor, enabling for easy one-handed controls.

As a quick recap, the Canon PowerShot Zoom is a pocket-sized camera that weighs only at 145g – featuring a 12.1MP 1/3-inch CMOS sensor, paired with the company’s own DIGIC 8 processor. With that, it is capable of recording Full HD videos at 1080/60p, and snapping high resolution photos at up to 10 frames per second. Unfortunately, 4K recording is not in the cards for the Zoom. 

The camera also comes with several built-in features such as Face Detection autofocus, built-in stabilisation, and a maximum ISO of 3200. True to its namesake, it offers an impressive zooming range equivalent to 100-400mm lenses via optical, and up to 800mm digitally.

For shot framing assistance, the PowerShot Zoom features a 0.39-inch electronic viewfinder (EVF) that has a resolution of 2.36 million dots, which Canon says is similar to the one equipped on its EOS RP mirrorless camera. As for connectivity, the Zoom comes with Bluetooth and WiFi support which allows you to pair it with a smartphone to review captured photos or videos. 

In terms of battery life, Canon says that the monocular camera – when fully charged – is able to provide approximately 60 minutes of movie record time, 150 still shots, and a live viewing time of 70 minutes. Other than that, it also includes a microSDXC card slot,  a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, and a wrist strap attachment.

Despite looking and functioning like a spy gadget, the Zoom is intended to let users get closer to the action – regardless whether at a football match, concert, or even birdwatching. That being said, we do not condone spying or any similar acts that intrude on privacy.

The Canon PowerShot Zoom will retail at RM1,379 once it lands in Malaysia later in April.

Airbnb Posts Huge Loss, Yet Exceeds Expectations In First Earnings


Airbnb, the short-term property rental platform, showed an eye-popping loss of US$3.89 billion (~RM15.75 billion) in its first earnings report since its IPO (Initial public offering) last December, CNBC reported. But the company also performed ahead of market expectations and its competitors.

Aside from its recent IPO, Airbnb is also closely watched as a potential barometer for a travel industry badly ravaged by COVID-19. During the last quarter (Q4 2020), the company took in revenue totalling US$859 million (~RM3.48 billion) – notably more than the US$747.4 million (~RM3.03 billion) that were expected by analysts, Reuters reported.

More importantly, Airbnb didn’t do as badly as its competitors, seeing a year-on-year revenue drop of just 22%. In contrast, rival Expedia saw a whopping drop of 67% while Booking Holdings similarly posted a 63% fall.


Indeed, Airbnb’s letter to shareholders emphasised the company’s “resilience” despite the pandemic and lockdowns across the globe. The firm also attributed a large chunk (US$2.8 billion / ~11.34 billion) of its reported loss to stock-based compensation costs.

But despite all its (relatively) rosy talk, the company is still tightening its belt and won’t be spending as much on marketing. “What the pandemic showed is that we can take marketing down to zero and still have 95% of the same traffic as the year before,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told CNBC’s Jim Cramer.

Lazada Malaysia To Release Personalized and Stackable Discount Voucher For Its 9th Birthday Sale


Believe it or not, Lazada who now is a staple in the Malaysian e-commerce scene has been around for almost nine years. Naturally, the popular e-commerce platform will be celebrating the occasion with a massive sale.
In conjunction with Lazada 9th Birthday Sale, the company will be rolling out a special discount voucher called Lazada Bonus. What made this particular voucher different is that its value is personalized to each user according to their shopping history and preferences on Lazada.

Users can obtain the Lazada Bonus voucher through the platform’s main page as well as the dedicated page for the Birthday Sale that will be opened on 1 March 2021. Subsequently, they can then utilize the special discount voucher on products that have Lazada Bonus Badge on them.


However, one must take note of the distribution and utilization dates for the voucher though because they don’t take place at the same time. Specifically, the first round of Lazada Bonus voucher’s distribution will be from 1 to 2 March and the vouchers accumulated during these two days can be utilized on 3 March.

Alternatively, you can grab the Lazada Bonus voucher during the second distribution period which takes place from 20 to 26 March and utilize it for eligible products on 27 March. Do note that while you can get your hands on the voucher on daily basis, this is limited to once per day throughout the redemption period.

Furthermore, the maximum amount of Lazada Bonus voucher that users can collect cumulatively will be RM 40. Not to forget, the Lazada Bonus voucher can also be used on top of other vouchers such as seller’s discounts and free shipping.


Aside from the Lazada Bonus voucher, the e-commerce company said that plenty of other promotions will be offered throughout March in conjunction with its 9th Birthday Sale. The list which is rather extensive includes RM 9 Free Shipping, 9x money-back Lowest Price Guaranteed deals, RM 9 Lazada Flash Sale, Lazada Wallet rewards, Chup Dulu and discounts of up to 90%.

For more details, keep a look for the Birthday Sale’s page to pop up on Lazada’s official website as well as its mobile apps this coming Monday, 1 March.

Xiaomi Launches Redmi K40 Flagship Series In China


Xiaomi has recently launched three models of the new Redmi K40 flagship series in China. These consist of a standard K40 model, a Pro version and a high-end Pro Plus – all of which are equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 series chipsets.

All three variants share the same display across the board, which is a Gorilla Glass 5-protected Samsung E4 6.67-inch AMOLED flat panel with 1080 x 2400 px resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate. The Redmi K40 trio features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor on the power button, Dolby Atmos tuned stereo speakers, sub-6 GHz 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, Bluetooth 5, NFC, an IR blaster, and a 4,520mAh battery with 33W fast charging via USB-C. Concurrently, all three are also certified IP53 for dust and water resistance.

Both the Redmi K40 Pro and Pro Plus are equipped with the same Snapdragon 888 chipset, but differ in terms of RAM and storage configurations. Specifically, the former comes with up to 6GB RAM and up to 256GB of storage, while the latter is offered only with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. The standard K40, on the other hand, is powered by a Snapdragon 870, along with RAM and storage options of up to 12GB and 256GB respectively. It’s also worth pointing out that the 870 is a revamped version of Qualcomm’s last flagship, the Snapdragon 865, now featuring a clock speed of 3.2 GHz and an Adreno 650 GPU.


The Redmi K40 trio comes with a triple rear camera setup which features the same 8MP ultra-wide and 5MP telephoto macro sensors. What sets each model apart is their main cameras; where the Pro Plus features a 108MP sensor, the Pro gets a 64MP, and the standard version features a 48MP sensor instead. Video-wise, the two high-end variants are capable of recording in 8K at 30fps, while the vanilla’s maximum video resolution is capped at 4K/30fps. All three models come with a 20MP front-facing camera housed in the punch-hole cutout in the main display.


In terms of pricing, the standard Xiaomi Redmi K40 model retails at RMB2,000 (~RM1,252) for the 6/128GB configuration, RMB2,200 (~RM1,377) for 8/128GB, and RMB2,500 (~RM1,565) for 8/256GB. Meanwhile, the K40 Pro is priced at RMB2,800 (~RM1,753) for the 6/128GB, RMB3,000 (~RM1,878) for 8/128GB and RMB3,300 (~RM2,066) for 8/256GB. Lastly, the K40 Pro Plus – as mentioned earlier – is only offered in one configuration at 12/256GB, which retails at RMB3,700 (~RM2,316).

While the new Redmi phones (especially the Pro Plus model) do share some similarities with Xiaomi’s own Mi 11 flagship, they are clearly aimed towards users of the brand’s ecosystem  series that are considering a more affordable alternative. Provided that they don’t mind going with a flat display panel, and slightly smaller battery capacity.


All three smartphones will be on sale in China on 4 March, but their global availability has not been confirmed at this time. However, sources say a recent discovery in the IMDA (Infocomm Media Development Authority) listing suggests that the standard variant of the Redmi K40 may be sold globally under Xiaomi’s other subsidiary brand POCO instead.

PlayStation Shuts Down Japan Studio, Its Oldest First-Party Dev


Sony Interactive Entertainment is closing its oldest first-party developer studio, known simply as Japan Studio. The studio was responsible for a wide range of games, such as Ape Esape, Patapon, Gravity Rush and Knack.

Sources to VGC say that the “vast majority” of its staff were let go, with their contract not renewed ahead of the company’s next business year starting 1 April. That being said, localisation and business staff will remain. And Team ASOBI, which made the Astro Bot games, will continue as its own standalone studio.

In a statement to IGN, SIE confirmed that it is reorganising the Japan Studio, re-centering it to Team ASOBI. External production, localisation and IP management of Japan Studio titles will be handled by the “global functions” of PlayStation Studios.


The restructuring follows a number of high profile departures, and announcements of that nature. According to VGC, Sony Japan Studio veterans Kazunobu Sato, Junya Okura and Keiichiro Toyama left late last year to set up Bokeh Game Studio. Toyama was the director of the Gravity Rush and Silent Hill series. Then there was Teruyuki Toriyama, producer for Bloodborne and the Demon Souls remake, who said he was leaving at the end of 2020.

A VGC source also said that Sony Japan Studio hasn’t been profitable enough in recent years. The studio wanted to prioritise making games that appeal to the Japanese market first. This meant that its projects were overshadowed by big international hits by other first-party studios.

TikTok To Settle Privacy Lawsuit For US$92 Million


TikTok has agreed to pay $US92 million (~RM372.6 million) to settle numerous lawsuits claiming that the app collected user data without consent and shared it with third parties, NPR reported. Tiktok still denies those allegations but said it wants to move on.

“Rather than go through lengthy litigation, we’d like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community,” a company spokesperson said.

“The TikTok app’s lighthearted fun comes at a heavy cost,” lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote in the lawsuit.

Owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, TikTok is the subject of considerable controversy in the United States. Former US President Donald Trump tried to force the sale of TikTok to a US company with a threat of a ban.


With President Biden now in power, the push for Oracle and Wallmart’s acquisition of TikTok’s US operations has been indefinitely paused according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The new administration is reportedly reviewing Trump’s actions against the social media company but no official decision has been reached so far.

Starlink Begin To Accept Deposit From Malaysian Customers Ahead Of Its 2022 Rollout


While most people mainly know the company due to its Mars ambition as well as its founder Elon Musk, SpaceX does have plenty of interesting projects under its wings. One of them is Starlink which aims to provide Internet connectivity throughout the world via thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit.

Years in the making, SpaceX kicked off the public beta test for Starlink in the U.S and Canada in October 2020 before moving on to other countries a few months later. Now, SpaceX has begun to accept deposit from those who are interested to be among the first to use Starlink in Malaysia.

We have learned about the deposit through a newsletter that came into our inbox which said that we can now place a deposit for Starlink. We originally registered our interest in the service sometime in the first week of February, just out of curiosity.


Years in the making, SpaceX kicked off the public beta test for Starlink in the U.S and Canada in October 2020 before moving on to other countries a few months later. Now, SpaceX has begun to accept deposit from those who are interested to be among the first to use Starlink in Malaysia.

We have learned about the deposit through a newsletter that came into our inbox which said that we can now place a deposit for Starlink. We originally registered our interest in the service sometime in the first week of February, just out of curiosity.

In the e-mail above, SpaceX noted that it may take a year or even more before we can actually utilise Starlink in Malaysia. True enough, Starlink’s website said that the service is expected to be here only in 2022 after we provided the general vicinity of our headquarters into the site.

In order to verify whether the 2022 rollout date is meant just for Kuala Lumpur or also in other parts of Malaysia, we have entered random addresses from other areas throughout Malaysia:


In the e-mail above, SpaceX noted that it may take a year or even more before we can actually utilise Starlink in Malaysia. True enough, Starlink’s website said that the service is expected to be here only in 2022 after we provided the general vicinity of our headquarters into the site.

In order to verify whether the 2022 rollout date is meant just for Kuala Lumpur or also in other parts of Malaysia, we have entered random addresses from other areas throughout Malaysia:


According to the Deposit Payment Terms on Starlink’s official website, the refundable USD 99 (~RM 401) deposit will be applied for the purchase of Starlink Kit once it is available for our region. The actual price for the kit has not yet been revealed for Malaysia although it cost USD 499 (~RM 2,022) in the U.S without including tax and shipping fees.


Meanwhile, the website has also stated that users can expect data speed from 50Mbps to 150Mbps together with a latency range of between 20ms to 40ms during beta period. It also pointed out that Starlink’s speed, latency, and uptime will improve as SpaceX continue to launch more satellites for the service and Elon Musk himself has tweeted earlier this week that the speed will soon be increased to around 300Mbps.

As a comparison, CONNECTme which is an Internet service run by local satellite operator, Measat provides a download speed of up to 20Mbps as well as 1Mbps upload speed. While the monthly fee in Malaysia was not revealed by SpaceX, the Starlink’s beta stage in the U.S carries a monthly cost of USD 99 (~RM 401) which is much higher than Measat who charges between RM 198 to RM 298 per month for CONNECTme.


However, we don’t have any knowledge regarding Starlink or SpaceX operation in Malaysia for the time being. In fact, we don’t know if SpaceX has actually received approvals or engaged with local authorities such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission in order to offer Starlink in our market.

We are now reaching out to SpaceX for further clarification but nevertheless, do check out Starlink’s official website right here if you want to know more about the new satellite-based Internet service.

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