Samsung Internet Browser Now Available On PC Via Microsoft Store

If you have a Samsung smartphone of any kind, chances are you’ve at least noticed the default, preinstalled browser, if not used it straight up. On the flip side, you probably have not hoped that there’s a PC equivalent. But if you have, then it looks like your prayers have been answered. Samsung Internet is now available on PC, and you can get it via the Microsoft Store.

For the most part, the PC version of the Samsung Internet browser behaves just as you’d expect from most other browsers. The basics like dark mode and an incognito mode equivalent are all there, plus some extras like a built-in ad blocker, which seems to work reasonably well from limited testing.

That being said, some quirks from the mobile version does carry over. One example is when changing video resolution on YouTube for instance. This sees the video stop abruptly as the browser buffers the video in the new quality rather than gradually changing.

One reason someone would use the Samsung Internet browser is probably so that they can sync their bookmarks and browsing history from the mobile version. Though it’s worth noting that this is not the only way to do it, as you can already to this with an extension for both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

Ultimately, the addition of the PC version of Samsung Internet is another browser alternative that has been made available. Competition is, as they say, good. Though it remains to be seen if this can make anyone move from their mainstay browsers. If you want to give it a try, you can hit the link below, as it may not appear when you search for it on the store itself.

The Nokia 8210 4G Feature Phone Now Available Locally At RM 299

Launched for the global market back in July 2022 is Nokia’s most recent feature phone, the Nokia 8210 4G, which is a modern take on the brand’s classic device of the same name from 1999. Though several months late, the company has officially confirmed that the new throwback handset has finally arrived in Malaysia.

For the uninitiated, the original Nokia 8210 was the brand’s smallest and lightest mobile phone in the market. Most interestingly, it continued to be in popular demand well into the first decade of the new millennium despite its old shelf age. Though not as legendary as the Nokia 3310 model, the handset is a fan favourite amongst retro cell phone enthusiasts.

At a glance, the modernised Nokia 8210 4G closely resembles the vintage model in terms of design, but with certain differences. For starters, it is obviously larger than the original, measuring at 13.8 mm (h) x 131.3 mm (l) x 56.2 mm (w) and weighs around 107 g. The phone’s  screen is larger too, coming in at 2.8-inches and features a resolution of only 320 x 240 pixels. Of course, situated below the display is a physical keypad for typing and such, while on the bottom is a microUSB port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Under the hood of the phone is a 4G-capable Unisoc T107 chipset, which comes with 48 MB of RAM and 128 MB of internal storage. And yes, that wasn’t a typo – the memory configurations on the Nokia 8210 4G are offered in megabytes (MB) instead of gigabytes (GB). However, you’ll be glad to know that the phone comes with a MicroSD card slot that supports up to 32 GB. There’s no Wi-Fi function, but it does feature Bluetooth 5.0 support.

Like most of its retro-based feature phones, the 8210 4G runs on Nokia’s S30+ platform, which means you won’t have access to certain apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and so on. But hey, at least there’s Snake and a handful of other pre-installed games to keep yourself entertained. Besides that, also onboard is an MP3 player and FM radio function.

If you thought the memory offerings were humbling, wait till you see what Nokia has in store for the phone’s imaging system. About that, situated on the back is a 0.3 MP camera which is likely an intentional callback to the early days of mobile phone photography. And in that spirit, there’s no selfie camera in front, which means you have to take your selfies the old school way of shooting and hoping that you landed a presentable shot.

Lastly, powering the phone is a removable 1,450 mAh battery. Though small in current technology standards, Nokia says it actually provides enough juice which would allow the 8210 4G to last for weeks before needing to connect to a charger.

The new Nokia 8210 4G is priced at RM 299, and is available in Dark Blue and Red colours. Those interested can purchase the feature phone via authorised Nokia dealers nationwide, as well as the brand’s official online stores on Shopee and Lazada.

ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 12GB Graphics Cards Now Available; Retails From RM7000

ASUS expanded its graphics cards lineup with the addition of its own custom-cooled NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3080 12GB graphics cards. Featuring 2GB GDDR6X more than the original RTX 3080 that launched last year, ASUS is releasing the card under two of its sub-brandings: the ROG Strix series and TUF Gaming Series.

Starting with the TUF Gaming series, ASUS will be releasing two versions of the card, an OC edition and standard, non-OC edition. In terms of clockspeeds, the non-OC edition will have a gaming mode and OC mode boost clock of 1710MHz and 1740MHz, respectively. While the boost clocks of the TUF Gaming OC edition of the RTX 3080 is set at 1785MHz for its gaming mode and 1815MHz for its OC Mode. For cooling, the card sports a 0dB triple-fan cooling solution, powered by Axial-tech fans nestled on top of a 2.7-slot thick heatsink.

As for the ROG Strix version of the RTX 3080 12GB, it seems that ASUS is only bringing in the OC edition of the card. In terms of speed, the card will be running on a gaming mode boost clock of 1860MHz and an OC mode boost clock of 1890MHz. Like the TUF Gaming series, the cooling solution of the ROG Strix series RTX 3080 12GB comprises a triple 0dB, Axial-tech fan solutions, but with a slightly thicker 2.9-slot heatsink sandwiched between the fans and PCB. Further, its cooler shroud is cloaked with an aRGB LED across the length of the card.

 

Be it the TUF Gaming or ROG series, all variants of ASUS’ RTX 3080 12GB cards sport the same 12GB GDDR6X graphics memory, 8960 CUDA cores, PCIe 4.0 support, dual HDMI 2.1 port, and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports. Pricing for the cards starts at RM7000 for the standard edition TUF Gaming RTX 3080 12GB, RM7050 for the OC edition, and RM7470 for the ROG Strix OC Edition.

Apple MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max Now Available For Malaysia

Aside from the 3rd generation AirPods, the new MacBook Pro (MBP) with M1 Pro and M1 Max processors are now available from Apple Malaysia’s website as well. All these products were first introduced during the company’s Unleashed event last month.

For those who missed the launch, the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors are available for both MBP 14 and 16. In terms of CPU, the M1 Pro is available with 8 and 10-core options which is also inclusive of 14 and 16-core GPU respectively, alongside up to 32GB of unified memory.

On another hand, the M1 Max comes with a 10-core CPU as standard while you can choose to obtain it with either 24 or 32-core GPU together with up to 64GB unified memory. In addition to that, the chip also has double the memory bandwidth of M1 Pro at 4000GB/s.

Meanwhile, other new elements that Apple has introduced through the latest MBP 14 and 16 are thinner screen bezels as well as a notch on their ProMotion 120Hz displays which houses the new 1080p FaceTime HD. These new models also marked the return of MagSafe charging, SDXC reader, and HDMI 2.0 port although the company has also decided to remove the Touch Bar.

Depending on the exact specs that you choose, the price of M1 Pro-based MBP starts at RM8,799 and can go all the way to RM21,999. As for the M1 Max variants, the price ranges from RM12,399 to RM25,199 and all of them can be obtained through Apple Malaysia’s website right away.

ASUS Announces GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition; Available Starting Mid-October

ASUS has officially pulled the veil back on its latest graphics card, the GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition. As per its namesake, this variation of the RTX 3070 was designed and made in collaboration with the Austrian cooling brand, Noctua.

The RTX 3070 Noctua Edition uses a dual-fan configuration and more importantly, the fans that are attached to the card are NF-A12x25 fans that have been fine-tuned to run with an ideal performance-to-noise ratio. Further, and in true Noctua fashion, the card’s aesthetics are painted in the brand’s iconic brown and off-white themes, while the cooler shroud itself helps them look like its case fans. Performance-wise, Noctua says that its fans will produce 10dB lower sound pressure level, compared to an ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 OC Edition.

The RTX 3070 Noctua Edition comes in two SKUs, an OC edition and non-OC edition. Specs-wise, the cards house 8GB GDDR6 graphics memory, 5888 CUDA Cores, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and three DIsplayPort 1.4a ports. What sets the two apart are their factory-set clocks: The OC Edition ships out with OC mode and Gaming mode boost clocks of 1845MHz and 1815MHz, respectively. While the non-OC edition’s clocks are rated at 1755MHz and 1725MHz.

ASUS says that the ASUS RTX 3070 Noctua Edition is slated for availability sometime in the middle of the month, but didn’t provide an exact date. On that note, the company also didn’t provide local pricing for the card.

Windows 11 To Be Officially Available On 5 October

Microsoft has announced that the general release of Windows 11 will officially take place starting from 5 October onwards. The announcement took place just two months after the new operating system made its official debut back in June.

So, what exactly going to happen on 5 October when it comes to Windows 11? For starters, it will be the day that consumers begin to be able to get their hands on PCs that are pre-installed with the new operating system.

At the same time, Microsoft said that it will begin to roll out Windows 11 to eligible Windows 10 PCs but this is where you have to manage your expectations. In today’s announcement, the company noted that newer devices will be offered to upgrade first.

Microsoft also said that the actual availability of the update for each device will depend on several factors including hardware eligibility, reliability metrics, and age. Nevertheless, the company expects that all eligible Windows 10 PCs will receive the free Windows 11 upgrade offer by the middle of 2022.

In case you missed it, here is the minimum system requirement for Windows 11:

• Dual-core 64-bit processor or SoC running at 1GHz
• DirectX 12-compatible graphics with WDDM 2.0 driver
• 9-inch display with HD 720p resolution and 8-bits colour depth
• 4GB of RAM
• 64GB storage
• UEFI, Secure Boot capable system firmware
• Trusted Platform Module 2.0

Not to forget, your system must also be powered by one of these AMD, Intel, or Qualcomm processors in order to be an eligible Windows 11 system. While you may be able to the new operating system on your machine through the age-old ISO method despite it not meeting the requirement, you may have to manually download and install important updates as Microsoft is going to cut off the Windows Update feature on unsupported PCs.

Microsoft To Make DirectStorage Available On Windows 10

Microsoft seems to have backtracked on one of its major feature for Windows 11, DirectStorage. Instead of keeping it an exclusive feature for the future OS, the company has decided that it will be making it available to Windows 10 as well.

To recap, DirectStorage is a technology that is designed to maximise the performance of a game by “enhancing” the link between its storage medium and the onboard GPU. If this sounds familiar, it’s because the technology is similar to that of NVIDIA’s RTX IO that the GPU maker announced last year, although the feature still isn’t available to the public. Through the feature, NVIDIA says that its feature should offer up to 100 times faster drive performance, while also offloading a major chunk of data utilization from the system’s CPU.

Moving forward, Microsoft says that any game that was built to make use of the DirectStorage SDK should technically be compatible with Windows 10 version 1901 or newer. That said, it should be noted that Windows 10 will be making use of a legacy OS storage stack, instead of the upgrade OS storage stack that will be available in Windows 11.

The First 100 Units of Nothing’s New Earbuds Now Available Through StockX

Even though the launch event will only take place on 27 July, you are now able to get your hands on the Ear (1) true wireless earbuds which are the first product from Carl Pei’s new company, Nothing. Well, at least the first 100 units of the earbuds as it has been made available by the company for bidding through StockX earlier this week.

As you may know, Carl is one of OnePlus’ co-founders but left the smartphone company last year not long after the launch of the Nord series. He then established Nothing in late October 2020 before officially announcing it to the world in January this year.

In March, the company then showed off the prototype of its true wireless earbuds which are called Concept 1 and are said to represent Nothing’s design principles. Fast forward to May, the Ear (1) was confirmed as its first product to be released into the market.

While the company originally said that its first product will be launched within the first half of the year, Ear (1) missed the mark by a month but nevertheless, the listing at StockX marked the first time that the Ear(1) is being made available to consumers. Nothing also took the opportunity to reveal the design of the charging case for the earbuds via the marketplace which is more known to sneakerheads and hypebeasts.

To make them special, each of these Ear (1) will be engraved with the number between 1 to 100 which signifies their nature as the first set of earbuds to be produced by Nothing. While Carl has said that the Ear (1) will be priced at US$99 (~RM419), the highest bid shown on the StockX listing is currently much higher at US$787 (~RM3,325) which in a way may signify the hype that Nothing may possess right now in anticipation for the launch of the earbuds later this month.

Samsung Galaxy A22 LTE Now Available For Pre-Order In Malaysia At RM899

Just weeks after releasing the 5G variant in our market, Samsung’s official stores on two popular local e-commerce platforms have since listed the Galaxy A22 LTE. While they might share the same name, there are some noteworthy differences between the LTE and 5G variants of the phone.

For example, the Galaxy A22 LTE is running on MediaTek Helio G80 while the 5G model is equipped with a slightly more powerful MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip. The LTE model also has a slightly smaller 6.4-inch HD+ screen as compared to the 5G variant which has a 6.6-inch FHD+ display but the A22 LTE does feature a 90Hz Super AMOLED panel while the A22 5G comes with an LCD TFT panel.

In Malaysia, both variants carry the same 128GB internal storage but memory-wise, the 5G has more RAM at 8GB while the LTE model is limited to 6GB. There is also a 48MP f/1.8 camera on both devices but the LTE model also offers optical image stabilisation which is something that is not available on the 5G model.

Even though both devices have a 2MP /f2.4 depth camera, the A22 LTE also has an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a dedicated 2MP macro camera while the A22 5G only has a 5MP ultra-wide camera. The 5G model also has a lower resolution 8MP selfie camera as opposed to the same camera on the LTE model which is equipped with a 16M sensor.

Regardless of your choice, both the A22 LTE and 5G come standard with a 5,000mAh battery alongside the support for 15W fast chargers. In terms of pricing, the Galaxy A22 LTE goes for RM899 which is RM100 less than the Galaxy A22 5G.

In conjunction with the phone’s release in Malaysia, Samsung will include a free soft case for each pre-order of Galaxy A22 LTE. Since the phone is not listed yet on Samsung Malaysia’s official website at the time this article was published, you may want to head on to Samsung’s official store on Lazada and Shopee instead.

Huawei MatePad Pro Available In Malaysia On 18 June; Price Starts From RM3999

Huawei has officially launched the 2021 edition of the MatePad Pro in Malaysia, which is slated to be available for sale next week on 18 June. As noted in our previous report, the new tablet is also one of the first devices from the brand to feature its new HarmonyOS platform.

Just in case you missed it, the MatePad Pro features a 12.6-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 and an aspect ratio of 16:10. Huawei claims that the tablet’s screen has a colour accuracy rating of  ∆E < 0.5, which makes it ideal to function as a secondary monitor for professionals such as designers or photographers. Besides that, the display also features the brand’s ClariVu Display Enhancement technology and Eye Comfort Mode for optimum viewing experience. Audio-wise, the new MatePad Pro features eight Harman Kardon-tuned speakers, and four onboard microphones. 

Under its hood is Huawei’s own Kirin 9000E 5G flagship chipset, which is accompanied by 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of UFS3.1 storage. Users are also able to expand the tablet’s storage up to an additional 256GB by slotting in a proprietary Nano (NM) Card, if they so wish. In terms of battery performance, the 2021 MatePad Pro comes with 10,050 mAh capacity which features wired and wireless fast charging support at 40W and 27W respectively. It also has the ability to reverse charge other compatible devices via wired at 5W and wireless at 10W.

On the back of the tablet is a dual camera setup consisting of a 13MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 3D TOF (time of flight) sensor for improved autofocusing. Meanwhile, housed in front on the side bezel is an 8MP camera for selfies and video calls.

Other than that, the new MatePad Pro comes with the upgraded Huawei Share feature via HarmonyOS. This enables for seamless multi-screen collaboration capabilities and data transfer with other compatible devices. Further aiding with the user’s productivity on the tablet is the support for the brand’s 2nd generation M-Pencil accessory, which now boasts a low latency of 11.2ms and features 4,096 points of sensitivity. The first party stylus can be attached magnetically on the side of the Pro for both storage and wireless charging, and is also compatible with older MatePad models.

Also introduced during the launch is the new Huawei Smart Magnetic Keyboard, which can be magnetically attached to the 2021 MatePad Pro. Much like the M-Pencil above, attaching the keyboard will also charge its internal battery.

The new Huawei MatePad Pro will retail starting from RM3,999 once it arrives on store shelves next week. In the meantime, pre-orders for the tablet are now available for interested customers starting today until 17 June via the brand’s official web store, Experience Store, as well as its Lazada and Shopee stores.

2021 iPad Pro M1 Now Available From Apple Malaysia; Price Maxed Out At RM 10,399

Following the release of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in purple colourway earlier this month, Malaysian consumers are now able to purchase yet another new product that was announced during Apple’s Spring Loaded event last month. This time around, it comes in the form of the 2021 iPad Pro tablets.

As you may have heard, one of the biggest attractions of the new iPad Pro is the fact that it is powered by Apple’s own M1 chip and Apple has chosen to utilise the variant with an 8-core GPU for the tablet. The 12.9-inch model is also equipped with the new Liquid Retina XDR display while the 11.9-inch variant still comes with a Liquid Retina display just like its predecessor.

In case you missed it, here is the full price list for the 2021 iPad Pro M1 in Malaysia:

11-inch 2021 iPad Pro M1

128GB: RM 3,499 (Wi-Fi) / RM 4,149 (5G)

256GB: RM 3,949 / RM 4,599

512GB: RM 4,849 / RM 5,499

1TB: RM 6,649 / RM 7,299

2TB: RM 8,449 / RM 9,099

12.9-inch 2021 iPad Pro M1

128GB: RM 4,799 (Wi-Fi) / RM 5,449 (5G)

256GB: RM 5,249 / RM 5,899

512GB: RM 6,149 / RM 6,799

1TB: RM 7,949 / RM 8,599

2TB: RM 9,749 / RM 10,399

Aside from Apple Malaysia’s own online store, you can also order the 2021 iPad Pro M1 through local Apple Authorized Resellers such as Lazada, Machines, and Switch.

All three AAR have noted that the tablet will be making its way to Malaysia within the second half of this month in case you want to check them out in real life first but with the MCO 3.0 now in place, that may not be the best option for the time being.