Riot Games To Release Its Own Game Launcher Soon

GOG Galaxy, EA Origin, and Steam are some of many game launchers that are currently available on PC. And if you happen to be a regular player of League of Legends (LoL) and Valorant, well… then get ready to add another one to that list.

According to Riot Games, the developer of the two aforementioned titles, the new launcher is aimed to unify all of its in-house games under a single platform and enable players to access them under a single sign-in. In addition, existing desktop shortcuts to titles such as LoL and Valorant will still work even after the rollout of its platform. However, it was not mentioned if accessing these shortcuts would directly launch their respective games, or redirect users to the new Riot Games Launcher.

From their description, the upcoming platform seems like it might function similarly to Activision-Blizzard’s BattleNet client, where each game features its own tab and respective page for launching it and receiving patch updates. At the same time, the overall launcher will also act as a central hub for users to easily keep up with the latest announcements, news, and events for each title. The developer ensures that the new launcher will be lightweight in terms of resource requirements.

The new Riot Games Launcher will first be available on 20 September for testing, and is expected to roll out to all players worldwide starting 4 October. The team noted that the latter is subject to change, should additional time be needed to iron out any issues as well as to add new features to the upcoming client app.

WhatsApp May Soon Allow Hiding Last Seen Status From Specific Individuals

While people are naturally more concerned about the double blue ticks, WhatsApp has another privacy feature in the form of the Last Seen status. Like the blue ticks, you can either let everyone see it, or no one at all. But the messaging app may be working to change that, allowing users to hide it from specific individuals.

WABetaInfo reports that the feature is currently in development. In an iOS screenshot, the privacy setting has a new option that reads “My Contacts Except…”. This is in addition to the existing three, which are Everyone, My Contacts, and Nobody.

By default, it would probably be rare that the basic My Contacts option sees any use. But with exceptions, you will at least have the option to, for example, hide your Last Seen status from professional contacts if you use the same number for work as you do your private life.

As is usually the case, there’s no indication as to when this new privacy option will go live. For what it’s worth, it will likely show up on both iOS and Android versions of WhatsApp. But again, it’s always possible that both platforms get the new option at different dates.

Lamborghini To Celebrate Countach’s 50th Anniversary By Unveiling A New Model Soon

It was 50 years ago that Lamborghini took off the drapes from the first prototype of its then-new Countach supercar during the 1971 Geneva auto show. The vehicle would then end up becoming one of the manufacturer’s more iconic releases in the following years, and a car that almost every 80s kid dreamed of owning one day.

To celebrate the Countach’s half-century anniversary, Lamborghini recently announced that it will unveil a new model soon. Specifically, during the ongoing Monterey Car Week event in a couple of more days. It’s also worth pointing that this is the first time the esteemed Italian supercar manufacturer has ever recycled a previously used moniker, as newer generation releases are often christened with newer names that are often inspired by the bullfighting scene (ie: the Diablo, Aventador, and Huracan are actually named after famous Spanish fighting bulls).

The announcement also saw the manufacturer releasing a 20-second long promotional video for the new model and a teaser photo (shown above). The latter being the more interesting of the two, as it showcases the next generation Countach wrapped up under a sheet. This also gave us a brief glimpse of its design, although it is hard to tell whether Lamborghini has done any modern updates to the vehicle.

As usual, the manufacturer is holding back details of the new Countach for its upcoming unveiling. However, Roadshow reports that a recent leak in Instagram revealed the car’s full name to be the Countach LPI 800-4. LPI stands for “Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido” (or Longitudinal Posterior Hybrid in english), a designation that was previously used by Lamborghini’s 2014 Asterion hybrid concept. This suggests that the new supercar may feature a hybrid powertrain, while the “800” is believed to represent its horsepower output and the “4” indicates that it would feature an all-wheel drive powertrain. As usual, it is best to take this information along with a healthy dose of salt for the time being.

Seeing that the new model is intended to celebrate Countach’s 50th anniversary, it is unlikely for it to be a production replacement for Lamborghini’s Aventador. That being said, it is also believed that the car would be a limited edition release, aimed towards collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Cooler Master Unveils StreamEnjin All-In-One Livestream Mixer: Coming To Malaysia Soon

Marking its first foray into the streamers market, Cooler Master has unveiled an all-in-one live broadcast solution called StreamEnjin. In case you are wondering whether there was a typo in the name, no, that is exactly what the company is calling its new streamer mixer which will be released in Malaysia soon.

Through the new StreamEnjin, Cooler Master said that it aims to provide a simplified livestreaming setup especially for those who are new to the activity. Equipped with dedicated HDMI input ports for 4K and Full HD videos, users can utilise the all-in-one solution to livestream up to two streaming platforms simultaneously at Full HD resolution.

Working together with the onboard physical control panel, all editing, transitions, queuing, and previews can be done directly through the proprietary iPad app that Cooler Master has created for StreamEnjin which also comes with up to 8 preset scenes. Unfortunately, the device can’t be used with other operating systems at the moment although Cooler Master did say that the support for selected Android tablets is currently in the works.

At the same time, the price tag for StreamEnjin is rather hefty despite it being targeted at newcomers. While Cooler Master did note that the pricing has yet to be finalised, we were informed that the StreamEnjin is expected to cost RM 3,999 once it arrives here in Malaysia sometime in September.

New Leak Suggests Nikon Might Launch A US$1000 Retro-Inspired Camera Soon

A recent leak first reported by Nikon Rumors is suggesting that Nikon may be planning to launch a new retro-inspired mirrorless camera soon. Believed to be called the “ZFC”, the new camera is shown to feature a design that is reminiscent of the Nikon FM series that were released during the 1970s and 80s.

But before we move forward, we would like to clarify that the full overhead view of the alleged camera shown above is a visualisation created by Nikon Rumors, using parts from different mockups to fill in the blanks. The actual leaked photos provided to the publication (shown below) only revealed portions of the device – mainly showcasing its viewfinder, upper dials, as well as its shutter and record buttons. So keep in mind that there is a chance the visualisation may end up as inaccurate.

As for its hardware, the site claims that the new ZFC camera will be a Z-mount APS-C camera and would feature similar specifications as the Nikon Z50 from 2019. To recap, the latter is equipped with a 20.9MP sensor, an ISO range of up to 51,200, high autofocus at -4 EV, 11fps of high-speed continuous shooting, and up to 4K UHD video recording with no crop.

Besides that, Nikon is also expected to launch two APS-C prime lenses alongside the ZFC, under a new “SE” line: a 28mm f/2.8 and a 35mm f/1.8. The latter is expected to be shipped together with the camera as a kit lens. Unlike the ZFC, Nikon Rumors noted that the new lenses will retain the familiar Nikkor Z-mount design and would not feature a retro-inspired look.

Nikon is said to announce the camera later this month on 28 June, while its release is expected to happen at the end of July this year. The new Nikon ZFC will reportedly retail at US$999 (~RM4,112), while the pricing for the two lenses remains unknown for the time being.

If this leak is accurate, this would make the unannounced ZFC to be the second retro-inspired digital camera from Nikon. The first being the Nikon Df in 2013, which also featured a “timeless design” based on the brand’s classic FM series. But unlike its alleged mirrorless successor, the camera was much bulkier due to being a DSLR.

Google Assistant Can Soon Turn Off Your Phone

The Google Assistant can do a fair number of things on an Android Phone. And soon, it looks like there will be a new ability added to the list of things that it can do. And that is powering down your phone.

This ability will be part of Android 12. The upcoming version of the mobile OS will have added the ability to invoke the Google Assistant with a long press of the power button. But this is the same action that you’ll normally use to turn off the phone. So the option to do so is being given to the virtual assistant since it’s taking over power button hold command.

Alternatively, another way to turn off a phone running Android 12 would be to hold the power button and the Volume Up button. Which would mean a lot of accidental screenshots in the process.

9to5Google reports that this assistant feature was found in the code of a beta version of the Google Search app. Though the power and volume up combo for turning off the phone doesn’t work yet. At least as of Android 12 Beta 1.

On one hand, it’s probably not a feature of the Google Assistant that most people will use. After all there’s no reason to turn off your phone under normal use case scenarios. Unless if you do so with relative frequency, then the process of doing so will be a little longer.

COVID-19 Breathalyzer Test To Begin Trial At Singapore-Malaysia Border Soon

Singaporean authorities have recently provisionally approved a COVID-19 breathalyzer test, which is claimed to be capable of determining if an individual is infected with the virus in under a minute. A trial of the device is set to begin soon at the Singapore-Malaysia border, according to a report by Reuters.

The breathalyzer test is developed by the country’s Breathonix Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of the National University of Singapore. The company says that the technology used analyses the chemical compounds of a person’s breath in order to determine whether a person is infected. This is done by blowing into disposable mouthpieces that are connected to the tester, which would be replaced during each test to prevent cross-contamination risks.

Breathonix says that the device has achieved more than 90% accuracy after a series of pilot clinical trials in the country. It is also faster and non-intrusive when compared to the traditional COVID-19 swab test that are regularly used, which makes it ideal for checkpoint-based inspections such as those at borders.

Speaking of which, Reuters says that the company will be working together with Singapore’s health ministry for the upcoming trial for the breathalyzer at the country’s Malaysia-Singapore border. According to Breathonix’s recent post on Facebook, the tester will be deployed at the Tuas checkpoint and is slated to begin “in the next few days”.

It’s also worth noting that the test will be carried out alongside the current compulsory COVID-19 antigen rapid swab test during the trial. Those screened as positive, on the other hand, are required to undergo a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab test, the company added.

Meanwhile, MYEG announced that it has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Breathonix, with the aim of becoming the latter’s exclusive local distribution partner. The company added that it will apply for the requisite regulatory approvals and certifications for the breathalyzer test and associated systems in preparations to have them available commercially in Malaysia.

There has been no announcements or plans on having Breathonix’s COVID-19 breathalyzer test to be used at the Malaysia-Singapore border in Johor at this time. The same can be said for its potential deployment and testing in other local locations as well.

Fitbit Wearables May Soon Get Snore Detection

Sleep tracking is a pretty common feature these days for smart bands and smart watches. But Fitbit looks to be adding one extra feature to its sleep tracking functionality. It’s snore detection, which adds another layer of sleep analysis.

9to5Google found hints of the feature in the Fitbit 3.42 APK. The full name of the feature is called Snore & Noise Detect. And as the name suggests, it tracks the frequency of your snoring relative to the amount of time you are asleep. And it also measures ambient noise in the background.

All this will be done via the microphone on the wearable. But if you have a partner who snores, your Fitbit wearable won’t actually know who is the one snoring. Also, the use of this feature will be limited if you have, for some reason, ambient noise that’s louder than your snoring.

If you’re thinking that this will cost a lot in terms of battery juice, you’ll be right. A line in the Fitbit APK tells users to charge the device up to at least 40% before calling it a day. It also explicitly says that using this feature will result in more frequent charging.

9to5Google notes that while it is able to enable the feature briefly, it’s not widely available to use in the Fitbit app. There’s no indication as to when the new Google subsidiary will change this either.

Alienware X-Series Is The Brand’s Thinnest Gaming Laptop To Date; Coming Soon To Malaysia

Over the years, the gaming laptop industry has been trying to shed the typical bulky and thick image that is being associated with a gaming laptop. For Alienware, the brand managed to deliver that with its current generation of the M-Series releases to a certain extent but not at the level of the upcoming Alienware X-Series.

While Alienware has yet to reveal how thin its new X-Series laptop is going to be, the teaser images and videos that Alienware has published so far clearly backing up its claim that the new model is going to be the thinnest Alienware gaming laptop to date.

One of the initial details that the brand has released regarding its new X-Series laptop is that it will feature a new thermal interface material (TIM) called Element 31. Said to be made from a gallium-silicon matrix, the material apparently has a much higher thermal performance compared to other TIM that Alienware has used before.

Other than that, the X-Series laptop will also mark the debut of the patent-pending Alienware Quad Fan solution. Aside from featuring a noticeable amount of heat pipes, the solution also utilises two sets of evacuative and outlet fans to move heat out of the ultra-thin gaming laptop.

While this was not explicitly mentioned by Alienware in its teaser video, you should be able to notice the number “17” on its lid which signifies its screen size just like the existing M-Series laptops. In case it is not obvious enough, what you’re looking here is essentially the brand-new Alienware x17.

Other than that, we have also been informed by Dell that the company is planning to release the x17 into Malaysia by mid-June. The base model will carry an 11th-Gen Intel Core i7 H-Series chip, Full HD display, 16GB of RAM, 512GB solid state drive, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 as well as a rather hefty RM 10,999 price tag.

Meanwhile, expect to hear further updates regarding the new ultra-thin gaming laptop in a few weeks time as Alienware is planning to reveal more information regarding its new x17 ultra-thin gaming laptop on 1 June via its Twitch channel.

JKJAV To Open Another Registration Session For AstraZeneca Vaccine Soon

The Special Committee on the COVID-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) will be announcing another registration session for the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine sometime next week. This was revealed by the coordinator of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK), Minister Khairy Jamaluddin via Twitter earlier today.

Minister Khairy also said that the Vaccine Administration Centres (PPV) for the distribution of the AZ vaccine outside of Klang Valley will be announced at the same time as well. However, the exact day and time of the announcement were not revealed through the tweet.

The minister has previously shared that thousands of people have cancelled their vaccine registration in MySejahtera after the government announced that it is about to roll out the AZ vaccine through PICK. Hence, it was then decided that the AZ vaccine be given a separate distribution channel while still being deemed as part of the PICK.

A separate registration process was then opened last Sunday which saw all of the 268,000 available doses to be fully reserved within 3 hours 20 minutes even though there were some hiccups during the early portion of the registration session. The subsequent distribution of the AZ vaccine took place yesterday and will last until early June.

Android Will Soon Remind Users To Keep Their Heads Up While Walking

There are plenty of video clips with people walking into things because they were looking at their phone. Google’s Android mobile OS may be getting something to help make sure you’re not the subject of a similar video. And it has a very on-the-nose name, Heads Up.

Twitter user Jay Prakash Kamat shared screenshots of the feature in action on a Google Pixel 4a. And it’s as straightforward as it sounds. With it turned on, your phone will remind you to look up while walking, rather than at it, when you’re walking. Heads Up also comes with a reminder that this “doesn’t replace paying attention”. Or, if it’s telling you.

According to XDA, the Heads Up feature is rolling out only on the Google Pixel series of devices. Not entirely surprising, since the Pixel phones usually get new Android features earlier than any other. No word on when it will be available on devices by other brands just yet.

The Heads Up feature is another entry into overarching Digital Wellbeing umbrella, first introduced in Android 9 Pie. But it’s quite unfortunate that we’ve come to the point that we need our phones to remind us to watch where we’re going.

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.

RTM To Launch TV6 Soon; Currently On Trial Through myFreeview

Some may saw the public broadcaster as a dinosaur given the fact it has been around since 1946 but it seems like the digital era has also provided Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) with more room for growth. In fact, RTM is now gearing up to launch a new TV channel very soon.

Called TV6, the channel has not yet been officially announced by RTM although its existence was acknowledged by the broadcaster’s Twitter account earlier today:

The test transmission of TV6 has been taken place since 1 March on myFreeview through the platform’s channel 113. However, it is not yet available through RTM’s streaming platform, RTMKlik or any other broadcast partners such as Astro and unifi TV.

At this moment, the channel is broadcasting its contents from 7:00 AM to midnight and it is not known for now if RTM has a plan to eventually turn TV6 into a 24-hours channel. Similarly, we also don’t have any idea regarding the actual type of contents that RTM will show through TV6 although the channel is currently showing classic TV series, variety shows, and movies.

TV6 is the fourth dedicated TV channel that the public broadcaster has launched since making the transition to the DTTV era. It has been rumoured that RTM is planning to launch TV6 on 1 April but just to be sure, do stay tuned for further information as we will keep you posted once we received more concrete details regarding the new TV channel.

Analyst: Apple iPhones Not Getting USB-C Anytime Soon

Apple first gave the USB-C port to the iPad Pro back in 2018. Since then, the hope has been that the port will show up on iPhones as well. It looks like that hope will remain unfulfilled for quite awhile more, according to an analyst’s report.

Analyst of Apple products Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note that “there is no visibility on the current schedule” for iPhones to be getting USB-C. A possible reason for it is because the port has a lower waterproofing rating than the old Lightning port.

And perhaps more importantly, switching to the universal port will hurt the company’s profitability. Therefore, if the company ever abandons the Lightning port, Apple may go straight to the portless iPhone. Though it won’t happen so soon, because the company’s MagSafe market ecosystem isn’t mature enough just yet.

Kuo also says that newer iPhones will not be getting Touch ID on power buttons. Though he notes that he believes the iPhone will “significantly improve the user experience if it adopts” the tech.

So instead of integrating it with the power button Apple will likely implement the tech directly under the display. This lines up with Kuo’s own prediction from back in 2019, as well as the more recent rumour roundup by Bloomberg.

Android Users Can Soon Measure Heart Rate Via A Phone’s Rear Camera

Google has introduced new health tracking features to its Fit app, which allow users to measure their heart and respiratory rate by using a phone’s rear camera. The company noted on its recent blog update that these new additions will be first rolled out to its Pixel smartphones, and will eventually come to more Android devices in the future.

To measure heart rate, users are required to place their finger on the rear camera for scanning. Through this, the app will track colour changes in the skin as blood moves through the finger tip. If this sounds familiar, Samsung previously introduced this method years back on its Galaxy smartphone series, up until the Galaxy S20.

The respiratory tracking feature, on the other hand, relies on the selfie camera to monitor a person’s breathing pattern. Users will need to position their handsets so their head and upper torso are visible to the camera for scanning. Google explains that this feature employs a machine learning technique that mimics a doctor’s procedure of checking a patient’s respiratory rate by watching their chest rise and fall when breathing.

The company added its internal studies claim that heart rate readings via the app were accurate within 2%, while the respiratory rate monitoring function is accurate within one breath per minute. The features were tested on people with different skin tones for the studies, which yielded similar results in terms of accuracy. 

As mentioned earlier, Google has plans of expanding the availability of these features to other Android smartphones outside of its own Pixel line-up. However, the company did not reveal when the roll-out is expected to happen.