Malaysian Pre-Orders For Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Series Opening Soon; Price Starts From RM 899

Along with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Samsung Malaysia has also confirmed the local preorder price and date for the new Galaxy Watch4 series. Much like the former, orders for the upcoming smartwatches will be open this Thursday on 19 August until 21 September 2021.

The company revealed that the standard model of the Galaxy Watch4 will be priced at RM 999 for the 44mm variant, and RM 899 for the 40mm. The larger version will be available in Black, Green, and Silver colours, whereas the smaller version arrives in Black, Pink Gold and Silver options.

Meanwhile, the pre-order prices for the more premium Classic models of the Galaxy Watch4 are RM 1,399 for the 46mm size, and RM 1,299 for the smaller 42mm. Both of these are offered in only two colour options: Black and Silver.

Samsung noted that all four Galaxy Watch4 models that will be on preorder are only the Bluetooth versions of the wearable. The company did not mention whether it is planning to bring in the LTE version at a later date, but we can safely assume that the watches sport a slightly higher price tag when it does eventually arrive.

You can pre-order the new wearables via the brand’s official Experience Stores, Online Store, and authorised partners. As a special promotion, Samsung is also giving away e-vouchers for its official Online Store worth up to RM250 to those pre-ordering the new Galaxy Watch4 series while stocks last.

PLAY Interactive Has A Game Development Fund For Malaysian Devs

Video games development can, and often does, get very expensive. Which is probably the reason why PLAY Interactive set up its PLAY Game Development Co-Investment Fund. As the name implies, it’s there to help local devs get the the financial help they need in making their games.

PLAY Interactive says that it has RM1 million being set aside for this fund. And each game dev applying for it can get up to RM100000 to help complete their game. Though it will have to complete the game within two years of receiving the grant.

Development window aside, there’s another caveat, and likely a bigger one, to this deal of accepting financial support. Once your game is done, PLAY Interactive will also hold worldwide publishing rights to the project. This effectively turns the company into a publisher. That being said, it’s likely not too bad a deal for indie devs, since they won’t need to worry about the whole publishing side of the game-making process.

For what it’s worth, PLAY Interactive isn’t picky as to what kind of games devs can make when applying for its game development fund. So even mobile game makers have the potential of getting a bit of extra cash infusion. The company is even willing to give out grants for port projects. If you’re a developer and wish to know more about the PLAY Game Development Co-Investment Fund, you can find out more by visiting its official website linked below.

Study Finds That Cybercriminals Are Utilising Malaysian Servers To Launch Malware Attacks

Cybercriminals are utilising servers located in Malaysia to launch online threats such as malware, claimed a recent study by Kaspersky Security Network (KSN). The company explained that this is due to most companies being closed as a result of the ongoing pandemic, therefore leaving their systems to fall behind in terms of cybersecurity.

KSN noted that cyberattacks triggered by local servers have ballooned to an alarming rate of 150% uptick with 512,014 incidents in the second quarter of 2021. This is a significant rise over the 204,313 cases that were recorded by Kaspersky during the period of January to March. 

Company general manager for Southeast Asia Yeo Siang Tiong says that Malaysia’s digitalisation drive not only welcomes investments to build more data centers locally, but attracts cybercriminals as well. At the same time, he is advising companies to equip servers and systems with holistic cyber defenses in order to thwart any potential threats.

In the same study, KSN also noted that it has detected over 28 million unique internet-borne cyberthreats in the second quarter of 2021, with over 8 million threats recorded locally. The overall total is said to be a drastic increase over the 10 million attacks that were blocked during the first three months of the year.

Kaspersky says that these infection attempts are often used to penetrate systems, and would usually take place when users visit infected websites. The most worrying variant being file-less malware that plants a malicious code into Windows’ registry or Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) subscription, leaving no object for static analysis on the disk.

Malaysian Artist Red Hong Yi Sells Doge Banknote NFT For Over RM320000

Red Hong Yi, the Malaysian artist who was recently in the news for creating a cover for TIME magazine, has just sold a non-fungible token (NFT) artwork after a two-week auction on the Binance NFT Marketplace for 36.3 ETH, worth roughly a little over RM320000.

The digital artwork titled “Doge to the Moon” is the first in her “Memebank” collection, which comprises six spoofed and redesigned banknotes from different countries. The series is a reflection of how meme assets, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs have disrupted industries, including traditional banking and art galleries.

Doge to the Moon, based on the Chinese Yuan and featuring the popular Doge meme, is a nod to China being at the forefront of the cryptocurrency landscape, and being the first in history to issue paper money during the Song Dynasty.

The winning bidder of the NFT will get the physical silk print banknotes as well as the accompanying copper plate that has been etched with the design. Red has encouraged the winner to print as many copies of the banknote as they want, saying that it’s a critique of central banks and fiat money because continual printing of paper money leads to inflation (looking at you, Weimar Republic in 1923).

“NFTs may still be a novel concept to many, but I do believe in its potential to create a more transparent and efficient world. NFTs have been gaining prominence in the arts industry in recent times and have allowed artists to create digital certificates of ownership for their valuable work, ” says Red.

Some of the references in the Doge banknote include the Dogecoin logo, “WOW” phrase, and 06122013 — the date dogecoin was created, 6 December 2013. She mentioned that part of the proceeds will be donated to Mercy Malaysia’s COVID-19 Pandemic Fund, and a portion will also go into social and art projects to support the local community.

The other Meme Banknotes in the series — based on the US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Malaysian Ringgit, and Japanese Yen — will be minted and made available on the Binance NFT Marketplace over the next five months. There are plans for a Memebank Exhibition to be held later this year in Kuala Lumpur to showcase all the physical Meme Banknotes in the series.

Malaysian Creators Can Now Use YouTube Shorts

YouTube has announced that the beta version of YouTube Shorts, its new short-form video competitor to TikTok, is now available in more than 100 countries, including Malaysia. While the short-form videos were already available for us to watch, Malaysian YouTubers are now able to use the creation tools to create and post shorts.

Shorts’ creation tools include stringing multiple video clips together, the ability to record with music, and control speed settings. In conjunction with the expansion, YouTube is also adding new features to Shorts. You can now add text to specific points in your video, automatically add captions, record up to 60 seconds of content with the Shorts camera (up from 15 seconds), use filters, and best of all, you can sample audio from any video on YouTube.

According to YouTube, Shorts has surpassed 6.5 billion daily views globally. To support creators, the Google subsidiary is launching the YouTube Shorts Fund worth US$100 million (~RM418.9 million). YouTube will be giving out the funds every month to the most engaging Shorts creators as a reward. Unlike AdSense, creators do not need to be a YouTube partner to be eligible for the Shorts fund.

The short-video format was first launched as a limited release in India in September 2020. It was then expanded to 26 countries, including the US, before today’s global release (which includes our neighbour Singapore).

The beta has already started rolling out and will be available to everybody over the next couple of weeks, so don’t worry if you don’t see the option on your app just yet. If you want to try out the feature, you can start recording straight from the YouTube app by tapping on the create button. If you need more instructions, you can check out YouTube’s Shorts guide here.

Survey: Half Of Malaysian Gen Z, Millennials Will Be Frequent Augmented Reality Users By 2025

Deloitte Digital and Snap Inc., the developer of Snapchat, have produced a report estimating that half of Malaysian Gen Z-ers and millennials will be frequent augmented reality (AR) users by 2025.

As of 2021, the report found that approximately 3 million Gen Z-ers and millennials are frequent AR users, as in people who use AR weekly or daily. That figure is expected to grow by a whopping 187% to 8.6 million in 2025.

The report also revealed a shift in AR use towards utility as opposed to the playful videos that AR has been long known for. Today, 64% of Malaysian consumers on Snapchat use AR primarily at home for activities like communication (98%), media and entertainment (81%), gaming (79%), and shopping (67%).

Nine in ten Malaysians believe that AR will be even more important in their lives in the next five years. When asked what they expect to use AR for in the future, utility was put front and centre, with most Malaysians wishing to use the technology to help them stay connected with others, learn something new, and improve productivity levels.

The survey / report had 15,000 respondents from around the world, including Malaysia, with about half of which use Snapchat.

It’s no surprise why Snapchat is going all-in on AR since it plays such an outsized and even definitive role on the platform. Last month, the messaging app revealed the latest generation of its Spectacles which is specially designed for AR.

Foxconn Reportedly In Discussions To Buy Stake In Malaysian Tech Company DNeX

Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn is reportedly engaging in talks to buy a stake in Malaysian technology company Dagang NeXchange Bhd (DNeX), sources told Bloomberg.

Interestingly enough, the Taiwanese firm lost a bidding war to DNeX a few months ago over the acquisition of chipmaker SilTerra Malaysia Sdn Bhd. According to a Bloomberg source, Foxconn could buy a minority stake in DNeX and help grow SilTerra’s business.

Sources informed the US news outlet that the situation is fluid – the discussions are ongoing and could still possibly lead nowhere. When asked separately by Bloomberg, DNeX said it cannot comment on any specific discussion while Foxconn declined to comment.

In February, DNeX and its Chinese investor partner won their bid to acquire SilTerra from Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional for RM273 million. Speaking to reporters later, Foxconn Chairman Young Liu indicated that the firm was still interested in obtaining a partnership with SilTerra.

With the world facing a crippling chip shortage, Foxconn has been expanding its footprint in the semiconductor business. Earlier this month, it entered a joint venture with fellow Taiwanese firm Yageo to form a company dedicated to making chips.

Relatedly, Foxconn itself sees the global chip shortage possibly lasting well into the second quarter of 2022.

Sony Introduces Fully Unstaffed Production Line At Malaysian TV-Making Factory

Sony has deployed its first fully unmanned production line at a TV-making factory outside Kuala Lumpur and plans to expand automation to other lines there too.

According to Nikkei Asia, the electronics giant is embracing this kind of technology to better compete with its South Korean and Chinese competitors. Indeed, the automation move is projected to cut production costs at the factory by 70% from fiscal 2018 levels by fiscal 2023.

The company is employing off-the-shelf robots, but is internally developing key elements such as control programming. It described full automation as challenging due to processes that involve parts that are difficult for robots to handle.

Unsurprisingly, with the shift to automation, Sony will gradually reduce the factory’s workforce of thousands, opting not to renew their limited-term contracts. The company also plans to automate audio equipment production at the KL factory after shutting its main audio equipment factory in Penang by September.

Once the automation technology is firmly rooted at the KL plant, the electronics giant will consider employing it at other factories as well. It’s extraordinarily timely considering the havoc COVID-19 has unleashed on global manufacturing. For example, Foxconn factories in India and Vietnam have recently seen work disruptions because of the pandemic.

On the flip side, automation does generally mean fewer jobs in the medium- to long-term, bringing with it economic, political, and social problems. Indeed, the loss of manufacturing jobs in the US (mainly due to technology) has caused considerable anger and resentment.

Malaysian Telcos Offering Free Calls For Aidilfitri; From 10pm Tonight Until 10am Tomorrow

The Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Saifuddin Abdullah has recently announced that local telcos will be offering Malaysians with free calls for the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration. He revealed that this effort is organised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), with the collaboration of various mobile service providers such as Celcom, Digi, Maxis, redONE, TM, Time dotCom, Tune Talk, U Mobile, Yoodo, and Yes 4G.

With the recently implemented Movement Control Order (MCO) nationwide, any form of public gatherings for celebrations and such are strictly prohibited – as part of the updated SOPs determined by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the National Security Council (MKN). In the interest to elevate the spirits of all Malaysians for tomorrow’s Aidilfitri festivities, the aforementioned telcos will be offering customers free unlimited voice calls starting from 10:00 PM tonight on 12 May, until 10:00 AM tomorrow morning on 13 May 2021.

However, Saifuddin noted that the free calls are subject to the terms and conditions determined by their respective telcos. Users are recommended to refer to their service providers for any clarification, he added.

Do keep in mind that this joint effort only applies to voice calls during the duration – including calls between the telco companies mentioned earlier. However, it’s worth mentioning that those who wish to use their data for video calls and so on for tomorrow should utilise the free 1GB daily internet provision from all local telcos, which is currently ongoing until 31 July 2021.

Disney+ Web Address Now Redirects Malaysian Users To Disney+ Hotstar Website

For the longest time, Malaysian users that have tried to visit Disney+ official website would be redirected to a placeholder page where they can register their interest for the streaming service. Things have changed though as the Disney+ web address now redirects users to a different site.

Specifically, if you typed Disney+ URL (disneyplus.com) on your browser, you would be redirected to Disney+ Hotstar’s website (hotstar.com/my) instead of the ROI’s site (preview.disneyplus.com/my). As you can see from the redirected URL, we are likely looking at the address for Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia.

However, that address currently brings users to Disney+ Hotstar India (hotstar.com/in/my) instead. Furthermore, that specific section would return a 404 error as you can see from the screenshot above.

So, there is still no Disney+ Hostar Malaysia at the moment but we still deem that the sudden URL redirection is yet another huge sign indicating that the service is coming to Malaysia soon. Before this, we have seen its social media pages as well as the specific Malaysian user interface within the Disney+ Hotstar app.

Not to forget, Disney has also recently confirmed that it is shutting down the majority of its TV channels in Southeast Asia in order to focus on its streaming service. For what it’s worth, we believe that it is just a matter of time before Disney+ or Disney+ Hotstar make its debut in Malaysia.

Google Earth’s New Timelapse Feature Allows You To Watch As Malaysian Cities Grow, Change

Google Earth has a nifty new feature called “Timelapse” that can give you a bird’s eye view (or really, a satellite’s eye view) of cities and other places as they change across time.

The tech giant calls it the biggest update to Google Earth since 2017, incorporating 20 million satellite photos from the last 37 years. So you just type in a place you want to see (say “Kuala Lumpur” or “Johor Bahru”) and you can watch it change across nearly four decades.

It’s pretty cool, we have to admit – especially when applied to a city or town that you’ve grown up in. To begin, you can simply click here and use the search bar to find the place you want to see.

For example, here’s a view of Kuala Lumpur from 1984 to 2020.

If you prefer a more guided tour, you can open Google Earth and click on the ship’s wheel to find Timelapse in Google Earth’s storytelling platform, Voyager. While there, you can click on “Warming Planet”, for example, and watch the melting of an Alaskan glacier as the years pass – a worrying reminder of climate change.

Google has also helpfully uploaded a whole bunch of timelapse videos on this webpage and on YouTube. You’ll find videos of Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, and Segamat along with predictable inclusions like New York and London.

Survey: 70 Percent Of Malaysian Employers Would Make COVID-19 Vaccination Compulsory

A survey of over 1,000 Malaysian employers and employees found that 70% of the former would make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for all their staff. In contrast, only 33% of employers in Australia, 33% in the United Kingdom, and 35% in New Zealand would require their staff to vaccinate.

Malaysian employees appear too happy to oblige. The survey by Employment Hero found that 76% of them agreed to take the vaccine and only 7% said they would refuse.

Still, most of those surveyed are unsure when they’ll be able to work from their offices again. Only 29% of Malaysian employees and 31% of Malaysian employers are expecting to return to the office in the next six months.

Because of that, some employers are considering adjustments to their operations. 32% of Malaysian employers foresee that their teams would continue working remotely or flexibly, and just as many said they would allow more geographic and work hour flexibility.

Unsurprisingly, as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, stress levels among Malaysian employees (61%) and employers (58%) have increased, but many employees (47%) aren’t comfortable discussing their mental health with their superiors.

“The mental-health fallout of COVID-19 in the workforce needs more attention. The workplace is an important environment to discuss mental health, but because of the stigma attached to it and the fear of job losses, many people are continuing to suffer in silence,” said Employment Hero CEO and co-founder Ben Thompson.

The survey was conducted in March 2021, aiming to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected employers and employees across the world.

Malaysian named top in the world for chemistry

Cheryl Chow Shu Wei, a 17-year-old from Beaconhouse Sri Inai International School, Petaling Jaya has once again placed Malaysia on the global academic map after being named ‘Top in the World’ for Chemistry.

Cheryl beat out nearly 1 million other students from around the world to earn the prestigious award from the Cambridge Assessment International Education during the recent Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards. Cheryl gained the highest standard mark in the world for International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations for Chemistry.

Commenting on the recognition, Cheryl said, “I am truly ecstatic to receive this prestigious global recognition. To know that I’ve been named the best in Chemistry in the whole world, it is something I could never have dreamt of!”

“This past year has been extremely difficult with the pandemic and learning from home. So, I’m even more proud of my accomplishment. Of course, none of this could have been possible without the help of my parents, teachers and peers who motivated and encouraged me to never give up and always try my best,” she added.

Every year, over 1 million students from around the world participate in Cambridge International based examinations, with Cambridge’s IGCSE programme representing the world’s largest provider of international qualifications being thought in close to 2,000 schools in over 50 countries.

This is the next feather on Cheryl’s already magnificently decorated cap. In 2019, Cheryl was crowned the overall top participant at the prestigious Mangahigh East Asia Maths Ninja Challenge 2019, a competition that saw her beat out 14,240 students from Japan, China, Korea and Singapore and other countries across East Asia. She also bagged gold in the national level Kangaroo Math Competition and was a top achiever in the 2019 The University of St Andrews Maths Competition.

But Cheryl’s prowess does not stop at Chemistry and Maths, she is also a storytelling virtuous, having clinched a finalist spot in the 10th edition of The New York Times Asia-Pacific Writing Competition 2019. She also earned gold finalist recognition in the international level The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition in 2019 and 2020.

Speaking on the achievement, Nicki Coombs, Executive Principal for Beaconhouse Sri Inai International School said, “We are incredibly proud of Cheryl’s latest achievement. Whether it is Chemistry, Mathematics or English, Cheryl has shown her exceedingly outstanding capabilities across the board when it comes to academics.”

“Her achievement is a testament to the Beaconhouse approach to holistic education and life-long learning. An approach that provides a balanced emphasis which has contributed to Cheryl’s extraordinary performances across subjects and throughout the years,” she added.

For further information on the Beaconhouse Group of Schools please visit: www.beaconhouse.edu.my. To find out more about Cambridge Assessment International Education and the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards please visit: www.cambridgeinternational.org

Personal Data Of More Than 11 Million Malaysian Facebook Users Leaked Online

Personal data that belonged to more than 500 million Facebook users have been leaked online through a popular data marketplace forum that has previously listed databases from a Malaysian payment platform, e-commerce merchant, and the national electoral roll up for sale.

Over 11 million Malaysian Facebook users are said to be part of this leak which was first highlighted by Alon Gal, who is the Co-Founder and CTO of Israelian cybersecurity company, Hudson Rock. He pointed out that the leaked database contains not only users’ Facebook ID but also their phone number, full name, birthday, account creation date, relationship status, and bio.

It also contains their current and past location while some accounts also have their e-mails present in the leaked database.  A sample of the data has since been verified as legit by Business Insider who has matched them with phone numbers and e-mail addresses of known users.

This is not the first time that this particular Facebook database has leaked online though. Alon has actually highlighted it back in January but at that time, it was being presented through a Telegram bot and one has to pay for credits in order to obtain information from the leaked database.

Now, the data is generally being made available for free (if you were active enough in the marketplace forum) which means that the barrier is significantly lower than before. However, the Director of Strategic Response Communications for Facebook, Liz Bourgeois has tweeted out that the data came from an old security issue that the company had fixed back in 2019.

That being said, many of the details within the leaked database can’t really be considered “old” though. Hence, they seemed rather ripe and ready to be exploited by crude marketers, scammers, and hackers.

Now, the data is generally being made available for free (if you were active enough in the marketplace forum) which means that the barrier is significantly lower than before. However, the Director of Strategic Response Communications for Facebook, Liz Bourgeois has tweeted out that the data came from an old security issue that the company had fixed back in 2019.

That being said, many of the details within the leaked database can’t really be considered “old” though. Hence, they seemed rather ripe and ready to be exploited by crude marketers, scammers, and hackers.

Black Shark 4 Series Now Official; Malaysian Launch Coming Soon

Xiaomi subsidiary brand Black Shark has recently launched its latest gaming smartphones, the Black Shark 4 series, in China. Consisting of a standard and Pro variant, both handsets feature a new minimalist-esque design, advanced cooling systems. Each is also equipped with different high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets.

Both Black Shark 4 models feature a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display with HDR10+, a resolution of 2400 x 1980, and a refresh rate of 144Hz. The new models now feature a top-centered cutout which houses a 20MP selfie camera – a first for the series. Other than that, the duo also comes with 5G support, Always-On functionality, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, dual stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and Android 11 via the brand’s Joy UI 12.5 system.

Power-wise, the standard Black Shark 4 and its Pro variant sports a 4,500mAh battery with 120W fast charging support via USB-C. Xiaomi claims that both models are capable of achieving 50% charge in just 5 minutes, while a full top-up would only take 15 minutes. Unlike last year’s model, neither handset is equipped with a secondary port for magnetic charging.

As expected, both Black Shark 4 models offer different key hardware and features that set each other apart. The standard variant is equipped with a Snapdragon 870 5G chipset, which is basically a tweaked up version of last year’s 865 flagship chip. Memory-wise, the phone is offered with up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and a maximum of 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage.

On its back is a triple camera setup arranged in a horizontal array. The Black Shark 4 features a 48MP main camera, paired with an 8MP ultra-wide and a 5MP macro. It is capable of shooting 4K videos at 30 or 60fps, FHD 1080p at up to 240fps, and 1080p slow motion footage at 960fps.

Meanwhile, the Pro model comes with the higher-end and more recent Snapdragon 888 chipset, along with RAM of up to 16GB LPDDR5 and storage of up to 512GB UFS 3.1. Exclusive to it are two shoulder buttons for gaming on the right side of its body.

Imaging-wise, the Black Shark 4 Pro comes with a triple camera setup consisting of a 64MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, and a 5MP macro sensor. Its video recording capabilities are similar to the standard model.

The Black Shark 4 gaming smartphones will be available for sale in China by the end of the month. Prices start at RMB2,499 (~RM1,582) for 6/128GB for the standard variant, while the Pro model starts at RMB3,999 (~RM2,532) 8/256 GB for the same memory configuration.

Black Shark Malaysia has confirmed that the new series will launch locally “very soon”. We’ll definitely keep you posted once we receive more information in the coming days or weeks.