PCcom_June_2017

A DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR EVERY END-USER
JUNE 2017
PROTECTED BY
VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7
band of trackers
Health bands are now prescribed by doctors but how accurate are they? We tested them.
TESTED
HUAWEI P10 PLUS
SONY XPERIA XZS
ZHIYUN SMOOTH Q
GAMETIME
NIOH
FALL OUT SHELTER
GAME DEV STORY
MAY 2017
RM
12.70
(EM)
RM
10.60
(WM)

JUNE 2017
CONTENTS
42
GIZMOS
12
Samsung Launches The Galaxy
S8 & S8+ In Malaysia
WIRE
16 Back in Black!
20 Move Aside OLED
24 ZTE Blade V8 Lands In Malaysia
26 Lightning Fast LTE Approaching
28 Garmin Made for All
30
32
33
Insure Yourself Through Your Telco
5G Paves the Way to a Connected Future
Jabra launches the Evolve 75
Seeing Health and Technology Grow
43
52
56
58
60
62
64
COVER STORY
TESTED
Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom
Sony HDR AS300R Action Camera
Xiaomi Mi Box
Illegear Q5 Evo
Power Color Red Devil RX580
2
JUNE 2017

CONTENTS
96
BIZ2.0
96 Breaking from Brick and Mortar
97 Simple integrated data
security with Dell EMC
66
TESTED (CONT.)
67 Samsung QA65Q8C QLED 4K TV
68
vivo V5s
70
ASUS ROG GR8II
72
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
73
74
Raspberry Pi Zero W
Sharp AQUOS UA440X 4K UHD TV
100
102
SPOTLIGHT
INVIEW
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
MIDDLE OF THE PACK IS
NO LONGER AN ISSUE
91
PIXELS
104
GAMETIME
105 NIOH
108 Fallout Shelter
110 Game Dev Story
112 Power of the Predator Lands In Malaysia
114 E-Blue Lands in Malaysia
115 Battle of the Coliseum
4
JUNE 2017

THE
TEAM
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EDITORIAL
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Editor-In-Chief
Editor
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Sharil Abdul Rahman
Teh Wi-Liam
Satoko Omata
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T H
I S
Z
M A G A
I N E

EDITOR’S NOTE
A WORD
FROM
THE EDITOR
Hello and welcome to another issue of PC.com. We
have a packed issue for June, so let’s get right into it.
Health is a very important subject that everyone
needs to take care of. Without good health, we
can’t do the stuff that we like to experience daily. Hence why
the growth of the industry is important, and the growth we are
seeing of the health sector and IT spending is something to be
amazed. Another thing to be amazed is that there are many
names that are usually associated with consumer products in the
health sector. Check out our cover story this month to see what
we are talking about.
Of course we want to be healthy, so we invest in gadgets that
can help us track our lives and even our health info. These health
bands are full of tech, but then are they worth the money to
invest in? Check out our showdown this month as we put these
health bands to its paces (literally).
The new Huawei P10 Plus is our star of the Tested for June.
We also have a couple more items in the list that may catch your
eye. This includes the new Samsung QLED TV, the ASUS GR8
II, The Fujifilm X100F and for our football fans, the ExMobile JDT
Special Edition smartphone. Check out our tested page to see all
of these and more.
If you like challenging games, check out what we have in
our Gametime reviews this month. NiOH is a PS4 game that is
stimulating and beautiful to look at the same time, and it could
and maybe should be in your gaming list. Read our review if you
feel you agree with this statement.
June is shaping to be a month to look out for, as we have our
team on the ground at Computex 2017 in Taipei. Look out for our
coverage in our next issue. To all of our Muslim readers, Selamat
Berpuasa!
Until next month, keep on reading!
Sharil Abdul Rahman | PC.com Editor
Editor’s Review pg.52
8
JUNE 2017

INBOX
Mailbox
From Shafeeq M.
Subject
Write In And Win!
Stand a chance to win
A MYSTERY GIFT!
Send your mail to editor.pcdc@reach.com.my and please be
sure to include your full name and address for our record
What does the clock speed on graphic cards mean?
WRITE
& WIN!
LETTER
OF THE
MONTH
The greater the clock speed of a graphic card would result in faster performance but that is also dependent on
the architecture used in the graphic card (i.e. like NVIDIA’s Pascal architecture).
From Terrence C.
Subject
Is having a Full HD display screen on my phone
good enough?
Full HD resolution allows you to watch videos in 1080p resolution without any problems at all. However, you
won’t be able to get the full experience of 4K videos if you were to watch it on a Full HD display.
What are the differences between Western
Digital hard drive colours?
Chin Kok Leong
The colours of WD hard drives denote the different series,
RPM speeds and purpose of usage. For example, WD Blue
is for your everyday usage while Purple is more towards
video surveillance. Hope this helps!
STALK US ON http://facebook.com/pcdotcomd http://www.twitter.com/pcdotcom
10
JUNE 2017

WIRE
Samsung Launches The Galaxy
S8 & S8+ In Malaysia
The latest flagship from Korea hits local shores
After waiting for quite some
time, Malaysians can now
get their hands on the new
flagship from Samsung – the
Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+. The twin
offerings from the biggest electronics
company brings to the table a slew of
new features and a design that is out
of this world, and with curves to boot.
“We firmly believe that meaningful
progress can only happen when you
dare to defy barriers; and the Galaxy
S8 and S8+ are true representations
of our technology prowess and fine
examples of how we push boundaries.
By reshaping the device that we have
all come to intimately know and rely
on, and adding to it an exciting suite of
new features, our latest addition to the
Galaxy line-up define what it means to
simply ‘unbox your phone’. The Galaxy
S8 and S8+ open a gateway to a rich
mobile life that takes you beyond the
boundaries of today’s experiences
and unlock the full potential of your
imagination,” said Lee Jui Siang,
Vice President, IT & Mobile Business,
Samsung Malaysia Electronics.
The new phone features technology
like the new Infinity Display, a power
efficient yet powerful 10 nanometre
processor, a great combination of the
rear 12-megapixel camera and the
new front 8 megapixel selfie shooter, a
large screen within the compact body,
and large batteries – a 3000mAh for
12
JUNE 2017

Samsung dignitaries with VIPs at the launch
the Galaxy S8 and a 3500mAh unit
for the largest S8+. It also features
future-proof support such as Gigabit
LTE and USB Type-C connection that
can be used for fast charging, fast
data transfer or with the optional
Samsung DEX dock, a desktop-like
experience from a device that fits
snugly in your pocket.
The design of the new S8 and
S8+ is also something to check out,
as the subtle curvature flows from
the front of the device to the back to
create a more ergonomic grip ideal for
one-handed operation. The phone’s
camera, fingerprint scanner and heart
rate sensor have been incorporated on
the back of the device in a way that
minimises protrusions, ensuring a
sleek aesthetic at any angle.
The Galaxy S8 and S8+
provide strengthened security
features through the integration of
Samsung’s trusted Knox security
platform and a combination of
new and enhanced biometric
technologies. The Galaxy S8 and
S8+’s highly secure iris scanner
is fast, accurate and touch-free,
making user verification easier
than ever, adding to the device’s
other security feature – fingerprint
scanning. The Galaxy S8 and
S8+ also provide various security
services including Secure Folder, an
encrypted folder that keeps private
information separate and safe with
an added layer of security.
If you are looking to get one right
now, it is available from now and
retailing at RM3,299 and RM3,699
respectively; it is available from all
Samsung Experience Stores and
authorised dealers nationwide.
13
JUNE 2017

WIRE
Take Your Selfie Game
to New Heights
vivo Malaysia promises the Perfect Selfie with the vivo V5s
The brand ambassador of the V5s- Dato' Siti Nurhaliza and Joyce Chu
After receiving an
overwhelming response
from both the vivo V5 and
V5 Plus, vivo Malaysia
has kicked things up a notch with
an upgrade to its Perfect Selfie
smartphone with the vivo V5s.
Much like its predecessors, the vivo
V5s sports a metal unibody design
with sleek lines while the side
panel and back cover meet to form
seamless curved edges. The V5s also
includes elegant U-shaped cover
lines, making it great to hold while
still being incredibly stylish when
wrapped around your fingers.
With the help of Dato Siti
Nurhaliza, vivo achieved tremendous
sales throughout the year and is
expected to make an even bigger
impact into the Malaysian’s market
with the help of the songbird known
as Joyce Chu. She will be the latest
ambassador for vivo alongside Dato
Siti Nurhaliza as vivo’s selfie icon.
Touted as the Perfect Selfie
smartphone, the front-facing
camera on the vivo V5s is fitted
with a 20-megapixel IMX276
sensor with f/2.0 aperture as well
as an updated Selfie Spotlight,
providing extra lighting to enhance
your selfies. The V5s also comes
with the Face Beauty 6.0 Feature,
which has been fine-tuned to
beautify every aspect of your selfie
to make you look much better.
As for the rear-facing camera, you
will get a 13-megapixel f/2.2 shooter
that is supported by Phase Detection
Auto Focus technology as well as an
LED Flash. You can now store a wide
array of pictures as the V5s comes
with 64GB of internal storage, which
can be further expanded to 256GB
via a microSD card. It also has 4GB
of RAM, a 64-bit Mediatek MT6750
octa-core processor and a Mali-T860
MP2 GPU. To cap it all off, the V5s
also packs a 3,000mAh battery
capacity within its body so you can
have more time than ever with it. For
the display, the V5s is kitted with a
5.5-inch HD resolution panel while
being protected with a 2.5D curved
Corning Gorilla Glass.
The vivo V5s is available in
three colour options – Matte Black,
Gold and Rose Gold while retailing
at RM1,299.
14
JUNE 2017

WIRE
Back in Black!
The Oppo R9s makes a statement with its introduction, stating ‘black is the new black’
Amber Chia with the new R9s black
Having taken over the F1s
as Oppo’s official flagship
camera smartphone, the
R9s has seen a steady
stream of success come its way
since its inception. Backed with the
endorsement of its ambassadors, local
celebrity Neelofa and internationally
acclaimed model Amber Chia, the Oppo
R9s now comes in a brand new variant
known as the Oppo R9s Black Edition,
giving it a sleek and stylish new look.
However, the R9s Black Edition still
comes with 16-megapixel front- and
rear-facing cameras as well as Dual
PDAF Focusing technology with an
extra wide f/1.7 aperture feature that
can capture 40% more light than usual.
It’s also got 3,010mAh battery capacity
alongside Oppo’s industry-leading
VOOC Flash Charge technology, giving
the device more juice at a quicker rate.
The R9s also comes with ultrafine
‘six string’ antenna lines, which
"The R9s
comes with
ultra-fine
‘six string’
antenna
lines."
can operate on six different frequency
ranges. This will drastically improve the
performance of the R9s in both Wi-Fi
and 4G signals, giving you a smooth
and seamless internet experience. The
Oppo R9s Black Edition is available now
at RM1,828 and you can pick it up at
Oppo concept stores as well as Oppos
authorised retailers.
16
JUNE 2017

WIRE
Groove Along with Umobile
From Urbanscapes to Good Vibes Festival and even Ed Sheeran’s Malaysia Tour, Umobile is here
to help you out
If you are a music, arts and
festival junkie and you’re
using a Umobile number, you
are in luck for the rest of 2017
as Umobile launches its Unlimited
Ideas Groove Calendar for the rest of
the year, starting with Urbanscapes
2017 and followed by the Upfront
concert series, the yearly Good
Vibes Festival and capped off with
the highly-anticipated Ed Sheeran
Malaysian Tour.
Starting off with Malaysia’s
quintessential music, arts and
culture festival, Urbanscapes 2017 is
currently on-going from 5th to 21st
May and features a wide array of
music and performance art as well
as art installations. As a Umobile
user, you will be able to enjoy early
bird ticket prices, exclusive Umobile
x Urbanscapes 2017 merchandise,
Grabcar discounts and U Munchies.
These benefits are available through
the Umobile app on your smartphone.
The U Mobile Upfront concert is
another special deal to look out for
as it features established and upand-coming
acts from around the
globe who will perform at The Bee in
Publika. The next show is on 19th July
and will feature the London-based
duo known as Oh Wonder. Much like
Urbanscapes 2017, U Mobile Upfront
will have the same benefits.
One of the most eagerly
anticipated festivals in Malaysia
to date, Good Vibes Festival is
happening on 12th and 13th August
in Genting Highlands and will feature
a plethora of acts and musical
performances, great for any music
junkie. As early bird, phase one and
phase two tickets are already sold
out, Good Vibes Festival 2017 is
hot on its way to being the festival
to see and be seen. With the help
of Umobile, you will stand a chance
to get exclusive ticket giveaways,
special Umobile festival ticket prices
and even backstage passes.
Easily the most anticipated
concert of the year, Malaysia will
play host to UK’s very own Ed
Sheeran for his latest tour – The ÷
(Divide) Tour. Although the actual
confirmation date has yet to be
announced, it has been speculated
that Ed Sheeran will perform in the
month of November as that is around
the same time he is expected to play
in Singapore.
More information about Good
Vibes Festival and Ed Sheeran’s
Tour in Malaysia will be unveiled on
Umobile’s website in June 2017.
18
JUNE 2017

WIRE
Move Aside OLED
Samsung paves the way for its all-new series of TVs, the QLED
20
JUNE 2017
J
ust when you thought the
Galaxy S8 and S8+ were the
biggest thing to drop from
Samsung this year, it goes
the extra mile and introduces its allnew
premium lineup of QLED TVs,
ushering in a new wave of technological
innovations that were created to suit
your lifestyle. The Samsung QLED TVs
come in three models, ranging from
55-inches to a whopping 88-inches. the
Q7 series carries a 55-inch, 65-inch and a
75-inch, priced at RM12,999; RM19,999
and RM35,999 respectively. The Q8 also
carries a 65- and 75-inch model priced
at RM22,999 and RM36,999 while the
Q9 is the only model to have an 88-inch
priced at a cool RM99,999!
By integrating a new Quantum
Dot (QD) material into its QLED
display, the Samsung QLED promises
improved colour reproduction while
also producing 100% colour volume.
This means that the TV can produce
any and every colour at any level of
brightness. The TVs will also be able
to express the deepest blacks while
also generating rich details in colour,
no matter how dark or light the scene
on the screen is, giving you the greatest
possible outcome. Samsung has also
come up with new and enhanced
features for its QLED TVs, such as the
One Remote Control. By removing the
need of multiple controls, Samsung has
integrated every remote control into one
device so you'll never have to worry
about trying to figure out which remote
controls what.
Samsung also keeps the design
of its QLED TVs up to date with a
slimmer body while still maintaining
its clean and minimalist outlook. With
either a straight or curved display, all
"Able to express the deepest
blacks while also generating
rich details in colour"
of Samsung's current QLED TVs come
with a single optical cable and with the
option to be wall-mounted, giving it a
new tone of class and sophistication.
This nearly-invisible cable holds all
the wires needed for the TV and
connects it to the One Connect Box
while keeping your space clean and
organised without any clutter. If a wall
mount isn't up to your taste, Samsung
also offers a range of stylish TV stands
like its easel-like Studio Stand or its
Gravity Stand, which provides easy
display rotation.
The all-new series of QLED TVs
will be available starting 16 May 2017
onwards at all Samsung Brand Shops
and authorised dealers nationwide. In
conjunction with the launch, Samsung
also has another surprised in-stored for
you. Collaborating with the guys over
at iflix, you will be given 12 months
of complimentary iflix subscription
sponsored by Samsung with any
purchase of a 2017 Samsung Smart TV.
This promotion starts on the same day
the TVs go on sale and will end on 30th
June 2017.

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WIRE
Sony Impresses On All Fronts
Sony introduces a brand new range of TV models, ranging from BRAVIA OLED to
4K HDR quality
With CES 2017 done
and dusted, it was
time for Sony to show
Malaysians just what
they are made of when it came to its
BRAVIA TVs and home entertainment
systems. Not only did Sony expand
on its 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range)
TV lineup, it also brought back the
BRAVIA OLED TV panel through its
updated A Series TVs.
The A1 Series is fitted with an
OLED display with 4K HDR to back it
up, thanks to the 4K HDR Processor
X1 Extreme, which provides the
ultimate 4K HDR viewing experience.
It also features Acoustic Surface
technology where the entire screen
resonates with sound emanating
directly from the screen. The A1
Series features two sizes at 65”,
which will retail at RM29,999 while
the 55” will retail at RM16,999.
Sony also introduced a host of X
Series 4K HDR TV models, mainly the
X94E (75”), X93E (55”), X85E (75” and
65”), X80E (55”, 59” and 43”) and the
X70E (65”, 55”, 49” and 43”). These
4K HDR TVs feature the TRILUMINOS
Display alongside 4K X-Reality PRO
processing engine for true-to-life 4K
imagery. The X94E series is priced at
RM25,999 for the 75” and RM11,999
for the 55” while the X85E series will
be selling at RM16,999 for the 75”
and the 65” will retail at RM9,999.
The X80E series will be sold at
RM6,999 for the 55”, RM4,499 for
the 49” and RM3,899 for the 43”.
Lastly, the X70E series is retailing
at RM7,199 for the 65”, RM4,999
for the 55”, RM3,699 for the 49” and
RM3,099 for the 43”.
There are also two variations of the
W Full HD HDR Series, mainly the W75E
and W66E. The W75E series comes in
a 49” and 43” class model featuring
the TRILUMINOS Display alongside the
X-Reality PRO engine. The W66E on the
other hand feature a 49” and 40” class
model with the same engine. The W75E
is going for RM3,199 at 49” while the
43” is selling for RM2,499. Meanwhile,
the W66E is selling for RM2,799 at 49”
while the 40” is selling at RM2,199.
Also on display were Sony’s other
flagship, the Z series, featuring the
Z9D at 65”, 75” and a whopping 100”.
These BRAVIA 4K HDR TVs features
the new 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme
with Backlight Master Drive, X-tended
Dynamic Range PRO and even the 4K
X-Reality Pro engine.
22
JUNE 2017

WIRE
ZTE Blade V8 Lands In Malaysia
Blade V8 brings 3D into everyday perspective on the phone
Z
TE Malaysia launches
its latest Blade series
smartphone – Blade V8,
featuring a dual camera
equipped with Bokeh photos and 3D
shooting abilities. The device sports
a 5.2-inch screen and 2.5D curvededge
glass. Powered by Qualcomm
Snapdragon Octa-core chipset,
4G LTE, a 13 MP + 2MP dual rear
camera and 13 MP front camera for
high quality selfie with flash, a front
integrated fingerprint scanner, Full
HD screen resolution, Android N.
With the ability to detect depth
and distance, the Blade V8 can take
photos similar to those taken by SLR
cameras in macro mode. The dual rear
camera is also able to take photos
from different angles and combine
them together to create high-quality
3D photos. In addition, the refocus
mode allows users to select the focus
area after shooting in order to see
images from different perspectives. It
comes in a manual mode and multicamera
mode.
The Blade V8 sports Qualcomm
Snapdragon 435 Octa-core chipset,
Android Nougat 7.0 OS, and the new
ZTE MiFavor UI 4.2.
With this launch, ZTE also
noted that they are collaborating
with knowroaming, allowing users
to activate a virtual SIM card for
roaming while travelling to a foreign
country. They can buy the data on
the app which links payment to a
registered credit card. This cuts
down hassle from having to purchase
a separate SIM and configuring
settings while travelling.
One interesting thing to note, the
packaging box of the phone is also a
VR goggles. We did some hands on
during the launch event and – well,
it’s not the most sophisticated, but if
you did some fiddling it could be an
interesting contraption to play with.
The phone is available now in grey,
priced at RM 999. Other colours will be
announced on a later date, with Rose
Gold set for June release.
"Featuring a dual
camera equipped
with Bokeh photos and
3D shooting abilities."
24
JUNE 2017

WIRE
Lightning Fast LTE
Approaching
You can now have download speeds up to and beyond 400Mbps thanks to Celcom
Celcom Axiata Berhad (Celcom)
is now the first telco in
Malaysia to offer a Lightning
Fast LTE network, thanks to
the state-of-the-art 4-transmit-4-receiver
(4T4R) technology. This innovative piece
of technology will enable 4x4 multipleinput
and multiple-output (MIMO) mobile
devices in the country.
Some of the key enhancements
of Celcom’s Lightning Fast LTE over
its existing 4G mobile communication
services is the capability of supporting
much higher data speeds from the current
peak capability up to 400Mbps, reaching
further up to and beyond 400Mbps.
“The Lightning Fast LTE transmission
speeds up to and beyond 400Mbps will
enable seamless browsing experience
for the download of HD, 2K and 4K
multimedia quickly, without having to
compromise on quality,” said Azwan
Khan Osman Khan, Deputy Chief
Executive Officer, Business Operations,
Celcom as it reinforces the company’s
ideas in bringing to the Malaysian
consumers the latest and globally best
technology available.
“Ultimately, the launch brings
Celcom closer to being able to deliver
5G network speeds to our customers
in the near future. We will continue to
bring substantial enhancements to the
wireless networks as we have set our
sights on LTE Advanced Pro to achieve
this. As of now, the Celcom 4G service is
live in 268 major cities and towns across
the country,” he added.
26
JUNE 2017

ADVERTORIAL
SPEEDY COLOUR PRINTS
ANYTIME AND EVERYTIME
H
igh quality professional colour prints is
now available for the desktop. Small
companies and enterprises who are
looking for an affordable solution to print
high quality colour pages – the OKI C332 is perfect
for them. From the compact size, superb print
quality and low operating cost – this is the right
colour print option for anyone.
Flexible media handling and high quality
output, combined with large memory for graphicsrich
documents, makes the C332 ideal for printing
marketing and other colour documents in-house
- and at the fastest print speeds in the market
which will result in better time management and
material costing.
High speed multi-media printing
Thanks to its versatile operations, the C332 is
capable to handle many forms of printing jobs.
This includes High Quality prints, duplex printing
and many more. In fact, the C332 is able to print
everything from A6 paper to 1.3 metre banners
right in body without any additional attachments.
Speedy Printouts
Not only the printout is high quality, it is also
speedy. The C332 has a fast time to first-print,
clocked at 9 seconds for colour prints, and 8.5
seconds for monochrome printouts. If you need
to get the prints really fast, you do not need to
wait. The C332 can perform ultra-fast prints, with
print speeds of up to 26ppm in colour, and 30ppm
in monochrome.
Prints for all
Computers connected to the local area network
can make full advantage of the C332 as it features
Gigabit Ethernet for easy network sharing in small
workgroups. With the Gigabit Ethernet, it enables
fast transfer of large colour files across the
network. Mobile printing from smartphones and
tablets are also supported as it is Google Cloud
Print 2.0 ready, as well as compatible with Apple’s
AirPrint. Thanks to the Wireless Direct feature, the
C332 offers a safe and simultaneous connection
of wired and wireless networking for print use. An
optional Wireless LAN module is also available for
workgroups looking for a wireless solution.
Economical and Environmentally
Friendly
The C332 is a high-performance printer that is
simple to set up and use. Compact and efficient,
the printer comes with a range of eco-friendly
features that helps to save energy and lower
running costs. This includes paper-saving features
like duplex printing, which comes as standard.
The Deep Sleep mode meanwhile reduces energy
consumption to less than 1.1W, helping you save
your electricity costs in the long run.
For more information on OKI DATA,
head to www.oki.com.my

WIRE
Garmin Made for All
Garmin introduces three new devices, one of which are for kids!
Garmin has officially unveiled
three new smart bands into
its arsenal – the vivosmart
3, the Forerunner 935 and the vivofit
jr., Garmin’s first attempt at making
smart bands targeted towards
children. While the vivosmart 3 and
the Forerunner 935 are successors to
an earlier time, the vivofit jr. is a oneof-a-kind
for Garmin.
The vivosmart 3 was made for
the everyday active user who is
constantly on-the-go as it provides
statistical insights on the wearer’s
fitness levels as well as providing an
estimated fitness age. This allows
the user to compare their own fitness
level with the estimation and work on
what needs to be done to get them at
the same age. If you’re a gym junkie,
the vivosmart 3 also comes with a
rep counting feature in its Strength
Training activity tool. This makes
it easier to lift weights and keep
count. Another new and nifty feature
introduced into the vivosmart 3 is the
all-day stress tracking feature, which
is capable of tracking stress levels
based on heart rate variability. It also
provides breathing exercises to lower
stress levels if it ever gets too high.
What makes the vivosmart 3
great is that its suitable for adults of
all ages; if you have a family, you can
get the kids involved with health and
fitness too with the vivofit jr. Fitted
with some of the same features as
the vivosmart 3 like step and sleep
tracking, the key feature of the
vivofit jr. is the free parent-controlled
mobile app. It provides educational
adventures in keeping kids fit
and healthy, family-oriented step
challenges as well as reward-based
task completions.
However, for heavy-duty health
fanatics who are interested in
marathons, triathlons and such,
the Forerunner 935 is the perfect
fit for you. While sharing similar
features with the Garmin Fenix 5, the
Forerunner 935 comes with a 24/7
heart rate monitor as well as new
training exercises, which will help an
athlete better recover through finetune
exercises. Paired with Firstbeat
technology, it allows wearers to
better monitor the performance
and better prepare for an upcoming
marathon or race.
All three devices are available
at Garmin’s headquarters located
in Cheras as well as concept stores
around Malaysia. The vivosmart 3
comes in black (small/medium/large)
and purple (small/medium) and will
be retailing at RM699. The vivofit jr. is
retailing at RM399 and is available for
kids aged between four to nine and in
three funky colours for kids – Broken
Lava, Digi Camo and Red Flower.
Lastly, the Forerunner 935 is priced at
RM2,449 and is available in black and
yellow with the option of switching
with Garmin QuickFit bands in leather,
silicone or metal.
28
JUNE 2017

seductive power. take it for a spin.
Experience technology at its very best on the all-new Spectre x360.
HP Spectre x360 13-ac029TU
Starting from RM5,299
www.hp.com.my/spectrex360
HP Spectre x360 powered by Intel® Core i7 Processor.
Intel Inside®. Extraordinary Performance Outside.
The wave of portable and versatile laptops
has steadily been on the rise for the past few
years as more and more people have come
to realise that the day of working in an office
cubicle is becoming a thing of the past. With the
help of the HP Spectre x360, you can now work from
anywhere and everywhere thanks to its consistent
performance while remaining extremely adaptable in
any given situation.
To ensure you can keep the Spectre x360 in your
arms or resting comfortably in your bag, it weighs
at only 1.32kg and is only 13.9mm thick, making
it the perfect laptop to have with you always.
With something that compact and lightweight,
the Spectre x360 also spares no expensive in the
design department as it was crafted entirely out of a
single block of aluminium. With a blend of black and
gold thrown into the mix, the Spectre x360 exudes
style and class while allowing you to remain highly
productive. Located at the back of the laptop lies two
360-degree hinges that keeps the base connected
to the 13.3-inch Full HD (FHD) display. The hinges
allow you to turn the Spectre x360 into four different
shapes of your choosing.
The crème de la crème of the Spectre x360 is its
versatility to turn it from a conventional laptop into
something more. If you’re busy grinding through your
emails and proposals, keep it in Laptop mode to get all
your work done. Once that is over and you’re ready to
present your work, flip the screen over into Tent mode
so you can have the best viewing angle of the Spectre
x360 without having the base in the way. If you
want to watch a movie or make a video call, flip the
screen over and leave the keyboard-facing side of the
base flat onto the surface to have it in Media mode.
Although the cooling fans will be facing upwards, you
won’t even hear it. Lastly, if you’d much rather prefer
to write down your thoughts onto the Spectre x360,
you can flip the display screen all the way until it rest
on the back side of the base, giving you a 13.3-inch
tablet to work with. Fun fact, the keyboard will be
disabled the moment you flip the screen.
If you’re wondering how the Spectre x360 can
keep up with all these features and functions, fret not
as its powered by Intel’s latest Kaby Lake processor
as well as having up to 8GB of RAM to boot. You
can now multitask through anything without having
to worry about the Spectre x360 trying to keep up.
It also comes housed with faster PCIe storage so
starting it up, shutting it down or even opening any
application or software, it is definitely more than fast
enough for your needs, especially when you’re onthe-go.
Not only is the Spectre x360 great for
productivity, it works wonders with movies and
music. This is due to the quad speakers, which have
been finely tuned by the experts over at Bang &
Olufsen. Watch your entertainment come to life as
the quad speakers are backed with HP Audio Boost,
HP’s very own audio configuration program that will
constantly measure and maximise the speaker’s
topmost output while ensuring the sound stays
crystal clear all-day long.
Ultrabook, Celeron, Celeron Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom, Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel vPro, Itanium, Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, vPro Inside,
Xeon, Xeon Phi, and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

WIRE
Insure Yourself Through Your Telco
U Mobile and Sun Life Malaysia to offer life microinsurance
Anew way to get insurance
coverage is now here.
U Mobile and Sun
Life Malaysia has just
announced a partnership between
the two companies to provide telcoassurance
to U Mobile’s base of over
five million customers. It will be the
first-time life insurance is offered to
mobile customers in Malaysia via a
telco service provider. Secondly, it is
also the first-time Malaysians will be
able to apply, subscribe and manage
their life insurance coverage entirely
via their mobile phone, if they are a U
Mobile customer.
U Mobile’s Chief Executive Officer,
Wong Heang Tuck, shared that the
telco is very driven by its customers’
passion and has an unlimited list of
ideas on how to benefit customers. He
pointed out that insurance coverage
is just one of the many services the
telco will be launching this year. “We
believe that all our customers would
want to have unlimited peace of mind
during their time of need. As a start,
we will be partnering with Sun Life
Malaysia to offer life microinsurance
which provides necessary and
adequate protection at low monthly
premiums.”
U Mobile will be making Sun
Life Malaysia microinsurance
products available to its customers
starting from October 2017. For
more information, visit the U Mobile
website at www.u.com.my
Representative from UMobile and Sun Life at the MoU signing
U Mobile announces new Hero P78
Post-paid Plan with free roaming
The lowest package price for unlimited data on the go
30
JUNE 2017
Anew plan has been
announced by U Mobile,
and it is one of their best
offers to their customers.
Called the Hero P78, the new postpaid
plan gives customers a bevy
of unlimited perks, in line with their
“Unlimited Ideas” tagline, for only
RM 78 a month.
Jasmine Lee, Chief Marketing
Officer shared that U Mobile is
confident that the plan is the best yet
in the market for smartphone users
in Malaysia today. “U Mobile is all
about coming up with unlimited ideas
so that our customers’ passions may
be fulfilled. With our latest Unlimited
Hero P78, we’ve deliberately kept
it really simple. With smartphones
becoming more powerful each day,
customers are also finding new ways
to use their data every day. Hence,
we decided to offer our customers
continuous high-speed data to do
whatever they like, whenever they
want.”
The new P78 plan will come
with a whole suite of Onz, which
includes Call-Onz, Music-Onz and the
new Roam-Onz. With the monthly
commitment, customers will get
unlimited high-speed internet and
voice calls. For Roam-Onz, users will
get 5GB monthly for roaming data,
when used with telco partners in 12
different countries:
• Australia (Optus)
• Bangladesh (Banglalink)
• Cambodia (Cellcard)
• Hong Kong (HKT)
• India (Aircell / Reliance)
• Indonesia (Indosat Ooredoo)
• South Korea (SK Telecom /
KTF)
• Laos (Beeline)
• Singapore (Starhub)
• Taiwan (Taiwan Mobile)
• Thailand (True Move)
• Philippines (Smart)
The new Unlimited Hero P78
will be available for a limited time
period – so interested parties
can head to the nearest U Mobile
centre and register themselves
Jasmine and Eunice at the P78 launch
to be on the new post-paid plan.
To mark the launch of the new
product and service, U Mobile
hosted an ‘Unlimited Ideas’
creative showcase where they
invited Eunice Martin, the winner
of the top food influencer award at
Influence Asia 2017.

Price: RM1,199
As far as looks,
in a class by itself
Motorola is back in the game by announcing a new addition to the family
Motorola first broke the mould of mobile
devices with the launch of the Motorola
RAZR, a flip mobile phone that had
many consumers in shock and awe.
These days, the craze for Motorola devices have died
down considerably. However, the launch of the Moto
M is just the device to bring Motorola back into the
mainstream market as one of the manufacturers in
mobile devices. Having already been acquired by
Lenovo back in 2014, Motorola brought forth the Moto
M earlier this year, complete with a 5.5-inch Full HD
(FHD) display wrapped in an all-metal body.
Available in Gold and Grey, the
all-metal unibody of the Moto M
keeps it looking spectacular,
whether on the table or
in the palm of your
hands. The biometric
fingerprint
scanner is
mounted
on the
back of the device right below the camera, giving you a
much easier and more natural finger placement rather
than many other smartphones these days. This leaves
the front device free of any noticeable buttons, giving
it a cleaner outlook overall.
Housed within the Moto M lies the Mediatek
Helio P15 octa-core processor and is available in two
variations – you can choose between having 4GB
of RAM and 64GB of internal storage space. This
gives you greater versatility when multitasking and
performance power to get everything that needs to be
done straight on the Moto M from switching between
social media apps to video streaming and even playing
games. If you’re starved for space, the Moto M
can also support an additional 128GB via
a microSD card, which will take
over the slot of its dual-
SIM capability.
Located
at the back
of the
device lies the 16-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0
aperture, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) and
Colour Correlated Temperature (CCT) flash with dual
LEDs. This allows you to capture stunning images
in crystal clear clarity with minimal noise and
distortion. The front-facing can also hold its own with
8-megapixels so your selfie game will always be on
point. When it comes to listening to music or watching
videos, the Moto M has got you covered as its rear
speaker features patented Dolby Atmos technology.
This will allow the sound to move in three-dimensional
space, giving you amazing clarity, richness and depth
to your music and movies that no other smartphone
can achieve.
If you’re worried about getting the Moto M wet,
fear not as it with an invisible layer of nanocoating,
protecting the device from accidental splashes and
spills. You also will never have to worry about the
Moto M dying out on you in the middle of the day
as enclosed in its metallic unibody lies a 3,050mAh
battery with rapid charging capabilities and is
supported with a USB Type-C port. Juice it up in a
matter of minutes and the Moto M will last you the
entire day.
For more information visit
www.moto.com/my

WIRE
5G Paves the Way to a
Connected Future
Celcom and Ericsson trials first ever 5G on the 28GHz band in South East Asia
From Left-Right: YBhg. Dr. Abang Azhari bin Abang Hadari, MCMC Commission Member; Michael Kuehner, Chief Executive Officer, Celcom Axiata Berhad;
YB Dato’ Jailani Johari, Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia; YBhg. Dato Ali Hanafiah, Chief Officer, Communications and Digital Ecosystem,
MCMC; YBhg. Datuk Hj. Md Afendi b. Datuk Hj. Hamdan, MCMC Commission Member; Mr. Todd Ashton, Head of Ericsson Malaysia & Sri Lanka
Celcom and Ericsson conducted
a 5G trial in Malaysia,
showcasing the future of 5G
technology and the potential capabilities
for a more connected world.
The trial featured 5G Radio
Prototypes, achieving a peak throughput
up to 18Gbps (Gigabits per second) and
latency as low as 3ms (milliseconds).
This is the first ever 5G trial on the
28GHz band in South East Asia. The
nation’s first 5G lab trial demonstration
was witnessed by Yang Berhormat
Dato’ Jailani Johari, Deputy Minister
of Communications and Multimedia at
Menara Celcom in Kuala Lumpur.
The event also showcased many
use cases, including robotic control,
connected environment, virtual reality,
Internet of Things (IoT) applications and
4K video streaming over 5G. Although
the technology is still a few years away
from rolling out to consumers, Celcom
and Ericsson are set to drive technology
innovations in Malaysia, supporting the
government’s “Digital Malaysia” vision
that calls for the creation of a developed
digital economy by 2020.
Todd Ashton, Head of Ericsson
Malaysia & Sri Lanka, says: “This
collaboration with Celcom is a further
demonstration of our support for
Malaysia on its journey towards 5G,
following on from the success of the
Innovation Center for 5G that we set
up last year with Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia. Together with partners like
Celcom, we will study and test this new
technology to capture the full potential
of 5G for consumers, business users and
entire industries in the country.”
Compared to 4G, 5G will give
consumers wider bandwidth, higher
bitrate and lower latency. This all
translates to faster upload and download
speeds, as well as shorter time
connected to the network - which saves
your device's battery life. As technology
becomes increasingly connected and
real time data a commodity, network
speed and latency becomes more and
more important. Technologies such as
VR, AI, machine learning, autonomous
vehicles, robotics and big data analytics
rely heavily on fast access to data.
Celcom’s recently announced
“journey to 5G” will involve the
deployment of key technologies such
as 4x4 multiple-input and multipleoutput
(MIMO) and 256 QAM
(quadrature amplitude modulation)
to provide users with data speeds up
to 400Mbps (megabits per second).
In the near future, Celcom will also
deploy IoT to enable digital and
connected living. Both Ericsson and
Celcom didn't comment on a specific
timeline for rolling out commercial
pilot trials in Malaysia.
Michael Kuehner, Chief Executive
Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad, says:
“5G is very important to Celcom as
it will support the development and
meet the communication needs of
consumers and digitisation of various
industries. It is critical that we explore
this new generation technology and
its capabilities with global partners
like Ericsson.”
Ericsson signed a Memoradum of
Understanding (MoU) with Celcom
in Barcelona back in February. The
MoU saw Ericsson and Celcom
striking a partnership, cementing both
companies' commitment to bringing
5G and IoT capabilities to consumers
in Malaysia.
Initiatives such as this 5G trial
illustrate the many technological
enablers needed to open up
opportunities and realise the full
potential of Digital Malaysia. 5G
presents a huge opportunity for
telecom operators who address
industry digitalisation, with foreseen
global revenue potential of USD 582
billion by 2026. Manufacturing and
energy sectors represent the biggest
opportunity for revenues created or
enhanced by 5G.
32
JUNE 2017

Jabra launches
the Evolve 75
First in the region, the new headset features active noise
cancelling
For companies who are looking to turn
their calls into pitch perfect voice
conversation, Jabra has introduced
a new headset called the Evolve 75.
And upgrade to the previous model launched
locally, the 75 now features two-stage noise
cancellation for both the speakers and the
microphone, which will help in transmitting
clear and concise conversation to the other end
of the call.
Designed for the open office, the Jabra
75 is part of the popular Evolve line that has
been sold for over 2.5 million units around the
world. Recent research from Jabra found that
knowledge workers lose about 24 minutes a day
thanks to noise and distractions, and it takes
on average 20 minutes to get back to the work
groove that they were on before.
The Jabra 75 comes with Bluetooth
connectivity, which is using the Bluetooth 4.2
version. It also supports Dual Connectivity,
where two devices can be connected at the
same time. This means you can connect both
your phone and laptop to the Jabra 75 at the
same time.
“The premise behind the open plan
office is to foster collaboration and improve
communication among employees. But despite
their many benefits, they have become breeding
ground for unsatisfactory labour output,” says
Holger Reisinger, SVP, Jabra Business Solution.
“The Jabra 75 provides businesses an alternative
solution to support an open office philosophy that is
conducive for better work performance.”
The Jabra 75 is now available, and if you are
looking to purchase one for the office, you can
contact Jabra right here.

WIRE
Epson to Nurture Young
Football Talent
Company sponsors Tunas Lagenda Football Club
As the saying goes – strike
the iron when it is hot.
When is one hottest, but
when they are still young? Hence
why Epson is investing on youth,
through the sponsorship of the Tunas
Lagenda Football Club (TLFC).
The agreement, which takes
effect immediately, will see Epson
supporting TLFC with monetary
sponsorship in addition to brand
engagement activities between
Epson and local football youth. As
‘The Club Sponsor’ for TLFC, Epson
aims to engage with Malaysians
nationwide through the common
language of sports, building values
of excellence and innovation and
sharing the joy that success brings.
“We are very pleased to support
Tunas Lagenda - the brainchild
of our national football legend
Haji Bakri Ibni, a midfielder who
represented the Malaysian national
football team in our glory days of the
70s and the 80s. He is an amazing
coach and advisor to have for the
young and aspiring Malaysian talent
who want to develop international
football excellence. The fact that
they are part of the National Football
Development Programme (NFDP)
launched by the Prime Minister in
2014, also speaks volumes of the
club’s achievements and potential.
At Epson, we stand for creative
thinking and challenging ourselves,
and not surprisingly, ur global tagline
is “Exceed Your Vision”, which we
see synergistic to Tunas Lagenda’s
key philosophy. We both stand for
breaking through barriers in pursuit
of excellence”, said Danny Lee,
General Manager, Sale & Marketing,
Epson Malaysia.
Elated with Epson’s outreach,
Haji Bakri Ibni, Founder, President
and Head Coach of TLFC said: “Tunas
Lagenda’s vision is to produce star
rated players for the national football
team, who will be the best in Asia
and the world. We are committed
to creating the next Football Legend
and we do this by recognising the
potential and giving equal opportunity
to all children in the country to put
forward their football talent and
develop it to the highest level. We
are thrilled that Epson Malaysia
shares our values and that we will
work together over the coming year
for even better results .”
“I believe that Malaysian
football can be again in the top
flight of Asian football. Through
our efforts at TLFC, we will bring
back the glory to Malaysian
football. Our young men from
TLFC will grow up not only to be
professional players but develop
the entire ecosystem by becoming
capable referees, part of technical
Danny and Haji Bakri at the signing ceremony
teams, football administrators and
so on”, Bakri concluded.
When asked, Danny said that there
is a possibility of players and coach
exchange with sister clubs under Epson’s
sponsorship umbrella - this includes
Matsumoto Yamaga FC in Japan. At
the same time the sponsorship will also
have Epson’s logo as the titular sponsor
spot on TLFC’s jerseys.
34
JUNE 2017

Power Onz Continues with
Unlimited Power
U Mobile Power-ing more universities across the country
For only RM8.50 power-up
your Internet experience
with 3GB of free data
every month with U Mobile! Get
your starter pack today during the
POWER Prepaid Roadshow.
In May, U Mobile visited INTI
International College in Subang
and AIMST Universiti in Kedah.
The roadshow will be continuing
to bring more joy to other various
educational institution across the
country until June.
Participate in games and activities
to win premium gifts, as well as signup
for a U Mobile prepaid line to
enjoy a range of benefits. It’s like a
gift that keeps on giving.
Snapshots of the activities at the UMobile roadshow
35
JUNE 2017

WIRE
On the Road Again With TM
For KL SEA Games 2017
TM continues celebration for regional games across Malaysia
TM continues their KL SEA
games Team Malaysia
roadshow this month,
visiting 5 locations across
the country. The roadshow kicked
off on the 15th of February at
Unisel, and has since reached 24
schools, colleges and universities
across Malaysia.
This month they’ve visited
AIMST in Kedah, USM in Penang,
Mahkota Parade in Malacca,
Restaurant Melayu in Malacca,
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and
Universiti Malaysia Sabah. With
more than 700 participants and
attendees for each location, the
roadshow continues its momentum
in high spirits. The events will be
running until July, leading up to the
SEA games.
The roadshow aims to promote the
team spirit in Malaysia in preparation
of the SEA games in August. Events
will be held in educational institutions
across the country, featuring games
including indoor archery, VR gaming,
as well as a challenge to beat Olympic
Bronze medallist Azizul Hasni in a
cycling competition.
Attendees to the Team Malaysia
roadshow displayed an active spirit
in participating for various activities,
including a very welcoming reception
for the VR games on demo. The
VR and Playstation 4 set displayed
during the roadshow was sponsored
by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Participants also took on the
Azizul challenge, where they attempt
to cycle the furthest distance in
a single minute. Azizul’s recorded
36
JUNE 2017

37
JUNE 2017

GIZMOS
Time for presents and
celebrations! It’s Hari Raya and what
better reason to splurge than in this festive season?
Treat yourself to some top of the shelf gizmos and flaunt
your new toy. Share the joy without worrying after a year of
being frugal. Go on, treat youself! You deserve it after working tirelessly
for the whole year.
38
JUNE 2017

Samsung Galaxy S8
Limitless in Specs,
Limitless in Style
Samsung’s S8 has been the talk of the town and we can assure
you it’s as good as it sounds. Experience life out of the box
with the clean design, immersive display and top of the shelf
performance. We did some detail looks in our last issue and it
is definitely one of our personal favourites for the season, if not
the year.
www.samsung.com | RM3,299
Picture Perfect in
Colourful Style
Not many phones can claim to have Leica camera but Huawei’s
flagship line is definitely known for doing wonders with their
Leica approved phones. Keep your memories cover shot worthy.
Coming in a range of Pantone approved colours, spice things up
with a splash of colour.
Huawei P10
www.vmall.my | RM 2,499
39
JUNE 2017

GIZMOS
LG G6
Visuals That
are Fly Like a G6
The star of Mobile World Congress is unbeatably the LG G6.
One of the first phones to feature a huge 5.7” screen that fits
in your hand, LG delivers it in a 18:9 form factor, giving you
more joy in a single screen. With an impressive spec sheet that
includes Dolby Vision and HDR 10 support – gaming and movies
on the G6 will look amazing.
www.lazada.my | RM 2,999
Slo-mo the
Vital Moments
There are many good moments you’d want to keep, but some
are so good you’d want to rewind and relive it in slow motion.
With the XZs, you can keep the big moments in your life and
replay them in epic fashion. With hardware that is made for
speed, the XZs is not only good for the epic moments, but also
to keep up with your fast paced lifestyle.
Sony Xperia XZs
store.sony.com.my | RM 2899
40
JUNE 2017

Move with the Music
Dance to your hearts content with these sports headphones
that are made to stay in. With Bluetooth connectivity, you can
move freely without having to worry about the pesky wires.
From the original makers of Beats by Dr. Dre, Monster brings
high quality audio to your ears, letting you immerse in the beats
Monster iSport Victory
www.11Street.my | RM 588
Keep Your Life On Track
All the good Raya food shouldn’t be in the way of keeping
healthy! Easily track sleep, activities, calories – all on your wrist.
With a heart rate monitor as well, you can be sure to keep
pumping fit. Customisable to suit your mood or style, the Alta
HR also keeps you connected with phone notifications sent to
your wrist. With a week long battery, you don’t have to keep
remembering to charge everyday.
Fitbit Alta HR
www.fossil-asia.com | RM 730
41
JUNE 2017

GIZMOS
Rugged Protection
Drop tested protection for your new phone? Yes please! UAG
is a well-known name to keep your devices well protected.
Featuring composite construction with an armour shell and
impact resistant soft core, it comes with scratch resistant skid
pads and screen surround for maximum device protection.
Nothing beats protecting your most important link to the world.
UAG Pathfinder
www.lazada.com | RM 149
Screen Guardian
No more shattered glass. You can literally scratch this with
a knife and your phone won’t feel any scratches at all. The
company also does anti-glare and spyproof options. This is total
security beyond just surface protection.
BodyGuardz
Pure Tempered Glass
lazada.com.my | RM 179
42
JUNE 2017

COVER
STORY
Seeing Health and
Technology Grow
By Sharil Abdul Rahman
Two markets that are seeing great growth side by side for the
betterment of mankind
W
ithout anyone noticing, technology has seeped into our daily lives. From smartphones, computers and even something
as small as a connected light bulb – technology is not only an important facet of the modern daily life – it is also
a catalyst to many great things. However did you know that tech is also a big thing in the health industry? From
connected tablets to health bracelets – health tech is now becoming one of the big verticals to look out for. IDC
forecasted that Healthcare will be the fastest-growing industry in terms of IT spending, which is said to have a compound average
growth rate of just over 5% from last year.
43
APRIL 2017

COVER STORY
44
JUNE 2017
W
hile the idea may be
foreign, technology
has always been
part and parcel of
the health industry.
Major technological breakthroughs
and innovation are made possible
throughout the years by researchers
toiling through years of research and
information to come out with a result
that will change the medical and health
industry. Most of this discovery was
made with the use of tech and devices
that helped the professional extract the
required information.
One of the earliest tech that is still
in use today is the microscope. There
are many purported designers and
inventor of this medical tool, but the
idea of glass used together to magnify
a tiny (or microscopic) object. Of course
the modern microscope is more than
just a simple glass arrangement – we
have now companies that incorporate
new features and tech to make a
researcher’s live much easier.
Companies like Olympus and Leica
are but a few of the names that are
associated with the medical and health

45
JUNE DEC 2015 2017

46
JUNE 2017
COVER STORY
industry. They are the world leaders in providing
innovative microscopy, camera and software solutions
for imaging and analysis of macro-, micro- and
nanostructures.
Some of the features you can see in a modern
microscope includes enhanced glass for clearer image,
video capture, external image output and much more.
You may be surprised that we are seeing names that
are usually associated with photography in the health
sector, but taking a look back, it is a logical step from
them talking about taking a photo of a landscape, to
taking photos and video of something on a microscopic
level.
Not only imaging is important – data collection and
storage is also another big ticket item for the health
industry. As health care professionals look after their
patients, they collect a lot of data from their patients –
health status, readings, x-ray and many more data that
needs to be collated into a cohesive collection for the
health professionals to make judgement on the status
of the health of the patient.
To this extent, many companies around the
world are either producing or partnering with
other companies to produce health-sector specific
products that can help these health professionals to
collect and make sense of the data they have in their
hand. Companies like Apple, Microsoft, Panasonic
and HP are producing devices that can help these
professionals, but creating a central point of reference
for data. Products like the iPad, Microsoft Surface and
HP ElitePad Health are changing on how health data
are collected as doctors and nurses can now access
more data at their fingertips, to help in their diagnosis
and treatment of the patient.
With these new devices, comes new apps to take
advantage of the processing power that is available on
tap. Applications are evolving at great speed, catching
up to the needs and requirements of the health
professionals. Five years ago, doctors may have their
needed information on their Blackberries, but they are
usually just simple reference for specific items that
they need access to. Now with high speed broadband,
doctors can instantly get drill-down information in
regards the matter that they are checking at that
instance. Apps such as Epocrates and PEPID are now
invaluable tools to doctors on the go as these apps
allows instant referencing to happen – in regards to
drugs, symptoms and other information that can help
in diagnosis.
Doctors are embracing this explosion of technology.
Apart from apps that can help them get better
reference, there are also apps out there that gives
the patients better access to doctors. A company in
Malaysia has created Doctoroncall.com.my, a service
where patients can access information the nearest
doctor to their location. The service gives patients
information on the nearest clinic, without the need
to search the local directory. The service also gives
the doctor a channel to diagnose the patient directly,
without the need to wait in long lines in waiting
rooms, as the diagnosis can be done online, and better
still, the medicine delivered straight to the patient’s
doorstep. This service has been a great success for
the doctors who are involved in the service, and are
looking to expand their services in the near future.
Another segment of the health industry that is
actually dominated by big-name consumer brands is
imaging. Brands such as Olympus and Fujifilm are no

47
JUNE 2017

48
JUNE 2017
COVER STORY

stranger in this segment, as they are first and foremost
trusted brand names in consumer imaging world wide –
so it is a simple logical step for them to enter the world
of medical imaging as they can bring their expertise
in camera and lens technology to the diagnosis and
operating table. Olympus specifically is famous
for their micro-imaging technology, as they have
experience in creating products such as endoscopes
for diagnosis purposes. Fujifilm meanwhile is famous
for their digital X-ray imaging and diagnostic systems,
digital mammography systems and X-ray films. There
is a big chance that your next encounter with medical
imaging, you will see these brands on the side of the
endoscope/MRI machine the doctor will be using on
you.
One new area that is fast becoming big among
both the health professionals and even the consumer
are personal health tracking. This segment is now one
of the big verticals of the consumer health segment
that can’t be ignored, and the number of players that
are vying for a slice of the market pie is growing is
getting bigger by the year. Names such as FitBit,
Apple, Google and even Moto and Huawei are on the
bandwagon to deliver consumer grade devices that
can track health, and in turn, data that is collected can
be used by the physician to advise the user on how
they can enhance their lives, or maybe even tweak
their daily routines to turn their good life to a better
one.
Of course technology evolves over time, and
sometimes what was fantasy can be reality. Take for
example the Medical Tricorder from the sci-fi show
Star Trek. It is an all-in-one device that doctors can
flip open and diagnose the condition of a patient on
the spot, which can save time, energy and most likely
the life of the patient as the diagnose can be made
immediately.
We are not there as of yet, but thanks to the
teams who took part at the recent Qualcomm XPrize
competition, we are getting close to that reality. The
winner of the Qualcomm XPrize Tricorder competition
is a company called Final Frontier Medical Devices.
Their device, the DxtER, emerged as the winner for the
contest which netted them a US$ 2.5 Million grand
prize. The system, which revolves around the iPad, can
accurately diagnose over a dozen illnesses through the
usage of several sensors that can be attached to the
patient. These sensors are small enough that it can be
carried in a small bag to make the doctor more mobile.
Thanks to the connected iPad, the system can pull
together data from a patient’s personal and family
medical history. The system also pulls in data from
physical exams, information from files as well as
from the aforementioned sensors to make a quick and
accurate assessment of the patient’s health status.
This system is great for doctors on the go, or perhaps
for use during emergency times and triaging patients
on the ground.
Technology and health medicine is fully intertwined
since the dawn of mankind. They go hand in hand, and
they usually become catalysts for one and another to
advance technological innovation. As mankind steps
into the unknown, being in perfect health is very
important. Hence, technology and heath will be a vital
tool to master in the years to come .
49
JUNE 2017

Value | Expensive does not always means good.
Performance | A measure of how well the
product stands up to our testing.
Features | The best gimmicks and flashy
parts get the top score.
Design | Aesthetics are important. The nicer it
looks, the more points it gets.
Usability | The best for day-to-day tasks are
valued higher.
>7.5 >8.0
>9.0
TESTED
IF IT EXPLODES, WE'LL LET YOU KNOW.
reviews by atifi, wi-liam, sharil and satoko
50
JUNE 2017

TEST TOOLS
51
APRIL 2017

TESTED
The Flagship’s Flagship
Huawei P10 Plus
More Colour
Variety
Unlike the P9 Plus –
which only offered
two colours – the
P10 Plus gives you
eight colours to
choose from: Arctic
White/Dazzling
Blue/Dazzling Gold/
Graphite Black/
Moonlight Silver/Rose
Gold/Greenery.
Keeping some
Similarities
The Home and Volume
button placement
remains the same as the
P9 Plus as well as the
SIM card tray.
P10-TIALLY
AWESOME!
A Perfect 10?
After making its debut at MWC
2017, we finally get the muchanticipated
Huawei P10 Plus into
our labs. As an owner of a P9 Plus,
I felt obliged to take it in my stride
to see if the P10 Plus can woo me
away from my current paramour.
At first glance, I wasn’t a fan of its
front-mounted fingerprint scanner; I
much prefer where it was on the P9
Plus. However, the scanner is much
faster compared to my device and
even setting it up takes less touches.
Even the simplest of touches unlocks
the device, making it much easier to
unlock.
New is Always Better
After using the P10 Plus for a bit over
a week, I have been slightly swayed
by its design as its curved edges and
sides are much more comfortable
to hold compared to my P9 Plus.
It is also slightly smaller compared
to the P9 Plus in terms of screen
width, giving it a slight edge when
I have it in my hands. The downside
is the display screen, which is prone
to easy smudging – although it isn’t
considered punishable by death, it
smudges a lot more than the former.
Upgraded Hardware
The P10 Plus is fitted with its inhouse
developed HiSilicon Kirin
960 while the P9 Plus comes with
the 955. It also comes with 6GB of
RAM while mine has 4GB, making
multitasking and daily usage
significantly better. Although both
devices have an octa-core processor,
the P10 Plus just edges out ahead
of the P9 Plus in terms of speed and
performance. The benchmark scores
also paint a pretty picture as its
placed much higher compared to the
P9 Plus.
52
JUNE 2017

Crème de la Crème
Obviously, the main reason why
most people would be interested
in the P10 Plus – its Leica-certified
rear dual-cameras. This time round,
it comes with a 20-megapixel
monochrome lens and a 12megapixel
RGB lens with f/1.8 aperture. The big
win is obviously the optical image
stabilisation (OIS), which was missing
from the P9 Plus. After taking the
camera for a joyride, I must say that
the camera is much better compared
to mine and I now regret ever buying
the P9 Plus (I am a bandwagon
jumper).
Longer and Faster
The P10 Plus comes with a much
larger battery capacity – 3,750mAh
to be exact and it lasts much longer
compared to the P9 Plus while also
charging faster.
Starting out with its monochrome lens,
the P10 Plus captures great detail in it
while still remaining very sharp.
The picture places the focus on the shoe
while creating a nice bokeh effect, all
thanks to its wide-aperture lens.
Coming Out on Top
Even the camera on the P10 Plus focuses on the subject much faster compared to the P9 Plus and it can even record
in 4K quality. The P10 Plus has officially trumped the P9 Plus with its camera alone as that would give it the edge in
this race. Although I’m still using my P9 Plus, I am currently looking for buyers who are interested in a second-hand
device which is less than a year old – you know where to find me.
BENCHMARK
AnTuTu Benchmark v6.2.7 – 137,683 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme – 1,659 PCMark for Android Work 2.0 – 6,239
“ Although the price is a bit of a turn-off, the P10 Plus is still aces in my book while still besting my
VERDICT: own device. ” - Wi-Liam
SPECS
PRICE: RM3,099
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android Nougat OS 7.0
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 153.5 x (EMUI 5.1)
7 x 74.2 mm
DISPLAY: 5.5” IPS-NEO LCD
9.4
WEIGHT: 165 grams
GRAPHICS: Mali-G71 MP8
PROCESSOR: HiSilicon Kirin 960 CONNECTIVITY: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dualband,
DLNA, WiFi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.2,
MEMORY: 6GB RAM
STORAGE: 128GB ROM
NFC
(upgradable to 256GB via PORTS: USB 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
microSD)
53
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Ultra Nice, but Ultra (too) Big?
HTC U Ultra
Fingerprint
magnet
The glass back
ensures that all
fingerprints will live
on this phone – use
the included clear
cover or bring a
cleaning cloth to keep
it pristine.
It Learns
Thanks to the built-in
HTC Companion, the
phone learns from
your usage, and will
tweak itself to suit
your use style
HTC Boom Sound
Hear videos and music
with high fidelity – even
when using the built-in
speakers of the HTC U
Ultra
totally
future
proof
A big, big phone
If you are comfortable in carrying
a large phone around with you, the
HTC U Ultra may just be the phone
for you. With its 5.7-inch screen,
the phone is on the large size on
average, but because of the large
screen it can show more to the user
without sacrificing any realestate or
even features (except one of two)
that most modern smartphones has.
24 HOURS EXPERIENCE
HTC (will) Sense U
The latest version of the HTC Sense
overlay is quite interesting as it is not
as Sense-heavy as previous models,
and it combines both the design
aesthetic of stock Android and HTC’s
own design elements. The Sense
UI also works with the secondary
screen to show all the notifications
that is received throughout the day.
The second display also works as a
touch screen, so quick access icons
can be loaded there for easy access.
Shoot away
The camera on the HTC U Ultra is
one of the better shooters in the
market. The 12 megapixel HTC
UltraPixel 2 sensor features both
PDAF and Laser focusing system
to ensure photos are sharp and on
tack. It has on board Optical Image
Stabilization to ensure shake-free
photos, and the f/1.8 aperture lens
will give the camera a leg’s up for
low light photos. It can also record
4K video with ease.
FIRST IMPRESSION
“Oh my this is a
big phone. A tad
uncomfortable
perhaps to hold”
7 th HOUR
“Ok the dual screen
is very useful – don’t
need to switch on
my screen to see
notifications”
13 TH HOUR
“It is powerful to run
just about any apps I
throw at it”
24 TH HOUR
“Bring a
microfibre cloth –
it is a fingerprint
magnet to the
n-th degree”
54
JUNE 2017

Store everything
Load all of your content onto the
HTC U Ultra. The large 64GB of on
board storage will ensure that you
will have enough space when you
need it, and if you for some reason
filled that up, the microSD slot is
available, and you can slot in cards
with capacity up to 2TB. 4GB of RAM
also will ensure that your apps run
smoothly, with no lags or hiccups –
especially for games and intensive
apps that needs high processing
power.
Dual Display
Highlight 2 – Dual Display
A first for HTC – the Dual Display will,
well, display information on a second
Future Proof
The HTC U Ultra is definitely future-proof thanks to the USB Type-C connector that HTC chose to use with the
smartphone. The same port is also used for the headphone, which means the phone lost its 3.5mm audio jack.
However the included earphone are HTC USonic Adaptive Earphones, which will tune the audio stage so it is
personalized just for your listening pleasure.
BENCHMARK
AnTuTu 3D Benchmark v6.2.7 – 133,004 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme – 1725
VERDICT: “A big smartphone that is nice on paper, but can be a bit wanting when compared to its peers” - Sharil
SPECS
PRICE: RM2,599
with HTC Sense
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 162.41 x DISPLAY: 5.7” Quad HD LCD
79.79 x 3.6-7.99 mm
CONNECTIVITY: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac,
8.6
WEIGHT: 170 grams
dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth
PROCESSOR: Qualcomm
v4.2
Snapdragon 821
PORTS: USB 3.1, Type-C connector
MEMORY: 4GB RAM
STORAGE: 64 GB
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 7.0
55
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Zooming Into Your Hearts
Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom
Great for Videos
As it comes with a 5.5-inch,
Full HD 500nits AMOLED
display with 76.5% screento-body
ratio, the Zenfone
3 Zoom is perfect for
movies and videos as its
painstakingly bright and
clear without causing any
discomfort to the eyes.
Staying Awake
for Days
Paired with a 5,000mAh
battery, the Zenfone 3 Zoom
lasted me for almost two days
on a single charge – and that
is with me using it constantly
for social media and video
streaming.
Selfies Galore
The front-facing camera
is surprisingly powerful –
fitted with 13-megapixels,
f/2.0 aperture and with
a Sony IMX214 camera
sensor, you could take
countless selfies and not
be able to decide which
makes you look better.
great for
your social
media posts!
Metal is a Must
The Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom comes
with an all-metallic unibody design,
crafted in such a way that your fingers
would feel right at home. It certainly
does feel that way as its especially
comfortable when taking pictures. The
only drawback I have to the Zenfone
3 Zoom is that it tends to slightly
overheat when it’s on heavy duty
usage like streaming through Netflix or
YouTube videos. Aside from that, it’s
clear soft bumper made it a joy to have
in my hands.
It Takes Two
The time of dual-lens on smartphones
is here and Asus is now part of the
equation. The Zenfone 3 Zoom carries
two independent camera systems
– a 12-megapixel f/1.7 aperture, wideangle
lens while the other houses a
12-megapixel 2.3x optical zoom lens.
You can also switch between the two
lens for greater efficiency as the wideangle
lens is also great at capturing
images in super low-lighting conditions.
The optical zoom lens on the other
hand allows you to shoot at 12x zoom
while leaving the image sharp and
crystal clear with minimal noise.
DSLR-like Quality and Feel
Although it would be taking it a step
too far to say the Zenfone 3 Zoom can
match up to a DSLR camera, it does
provide a similar feel to what a DSLR
can offer when in Manual Mode. Aside
from being having control over the
shutter speed, ISO and white balance
with a single touch, you can also
instantly switch the lens between the
25mm or 59mm focal length, giving
you more versatility when shooting.
Changing the settings and switching
between the lens was easy and super
quick, which made things easy for a
newbie like me.
BENCHMARK
AnTuTu 3D Benchmark v6.2.7 – 51,268
SPECS
VERDICT:
3DMark Sling Shot Extreme – 461
“ Priced reasonably with great camera functions and a long-lasting battery, the Zenfone 3 Zoom is a keeper – unless
you hate smartphones that overheat quickly. ” - Wi-Liam
PRICE: RM2,099
(Marshmallow)
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 154.3 x 8 DISPLAY: 5.5” AMOLED
x 77 mm
GRAPHICS: Adreno 506
8.2
WEIGHT: 170 grams
CONNECTIVITY: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac,
PROCESSOR: Qualcomm MSM8953 dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth
Snapdragon 625 octa-core
v4.2
MEMORY: 4GB RAM
PORTS: USB 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible
STORAGE: 32/64/128 GB ROM connector, USB On-The-Go
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 6.0.1
56
JUNE 2017

Stabilise Your Mobile
Zhiyun Smooth Q
6-Inch Space
Fit up to a 6-inch
smartphone
comfortably
Totally Sturdy
It has a plastic but
robust build
Say goodbye to
shaky shots
Various Modes
There is even a
vertical mode for
certain apps for
social media and
video streaming.
3-Axis Magic
The Zhiyun Smooth Q brings to the
masses a way to stabilize their video
taken with the smartphone that does
not come with optical stabilisation
built in. What you get is a gimbal that
can rotate on the X, Y and Z axis (pan,
rotate and twist) so your videos will be
buttery smooth everytime you swing
around the room for footage.
Full Camera Controls
After installing the companion app,
users can control the parameters of the
gimbal with the physical controls that
is on the gimbal itself. Control the pitch,
yaw and roll of the smartphone head.
There is also a button to activate the
shutter or video recording, depending
on the mode the app is in. Of course
the gimbal can be used without the
app as well.
Free to Follow
There are two main modes with the
gimbal – a free mode (also known
as follow) and a locked mode. The
former will allow free movement of
the smartphone without focusing on
a single point, while the latter will lock
the focus point to a single point, so that
whichever direction you are swinging
the gimbal it will be locked to that
point. The latter is useful to follow a
subject while the latter is useful to do a
360-degree video around someone or
something.
VERDICT: “ Make your smartphone smooth as silk with the Zhiyun Smooth Q ” - Sharil
SPECS
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD):
RANGE OF MOTION: PITCH: 320 degree;
WEIGHT: 450 grams (without
roll: 270 degree; pan: 360 degree
smartphone)
CONTROLLABLE RANGE: pitch: -135 to
8.8
OPERATING TIME: 12 Hours
185 degree; roll: -30 to 30 degree; pan: 360
CHARGE TIME: 2 hours
degree
STABILISATION: 3-axis (x, y, z)
MODES: Tracking, follow, panorama,
vertical
MAX SMARTPHONE SIZE: 6 inches
57
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Perfecting The Action Cam
Sony HDR AS300R Action Camera
Protect It from
Everything
The AS300R action cam
comes with a sturdy
underwater housing
that also doubles as a
case against dust and
accidental drops. Even
its body is splashproof
and freezeproof to
prevent any damage at
all.
No More Shaky
Footage
With the Balanced
Optical SteadyShot
feature added into the
AS300R, you never
have to worry about
your shots appearing
shaky ever again as this
stabilisation feature
cancels it all out while
making your videos
look crystal clear.
More Than One Way to
Strap On
Whether it’s strapping the camera
onto your chest, helmet, dongle or
cradle, the AS300R can fit into any
device for a first- to third-person
view of what you’re shooting. If you
want to capture still shots, you can
also fit the action camera onto a
tripod to give it more stability.
Shoot from Anywhere
Bundled together with theAS300R
action cam is the Live-View Remote,
which can either be strapped to your
wrist or held with your hand. This
allows you to see what the camera
sees while giving you full control
of the camera as well. The action
camera also comes with a built-in
stereo mic so you won’t need to
insert an additional mic to capture
the sounds of nature.
Capture All the Sights
To keep up with the likes of GoPro
and Garmin, Sony has come up
with its very own iteration of
action cameras with the Sony HDR
AS300R action camera. What
makes this action cam great is its
usage of Exmor R CMOS sensor
paired with the BIONZ X image
processor and the ZEISS Tessar
ultra-wide lens. Whether you are
mountain climbing, tearing it up
with a dirt bike or just taking a
drive in the country, the AS300R
will catch it all in HD quality at 60
frames per second.
SPECS
“ The Sony HDR AS300R Action Camera is perfect for the great outdoors and the
VERDICT: everyday adventurer looking to capture the beauty of nature. ” - Wi-Liam
PRICE: RM1,799
Dustproof, Shockproof
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 47.0 x 29.4 MEMORY SLOT: Yes
x 83.0 mm
HARDPOINTS: Yes (Wristband, Mount
8.6
WEIGHT: 109 grams
Adapter, Cradle and Tripod Socket)
SENSOR: 1/2.5 type (7.20 mm) backilluminated
"Exmor R" CMOS Sensor CONNECTIVITY: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
LCD PANEL: Yes
VIDEO: MP4: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, PORTS: 1x Memory card slot, 1x Micro HDMI
XAVC S format: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 output, 1x Multi/micro USB terminal, 1x
FEATURES: Waterproof (up to 60m), Stereo minijack
58
JUNE 2017

Fiesty Little Beast
Monster Firecracker
No slipping
Rubber bumpers ensure that if you put
it on any surface it won’t slip off. It’s
survived my maniacal driving, while not
moving an inch on the dashboard.
Bluetooth connected
The Bluetooth sensor is
quite sensitive, and connects
easily with my mobile
devices. If I left an area, and
returns to the vicinity, it
reconnects instantly.
One cable to charge
The charging cable is a
standard microUSB so if
your phone uses the same
wire – you don’t need to
bring any extra wires just to
charge this baby up.
Compact, yet powerful
The Firecracker is named aptly – it’s
small but packs a punch. Around the
size of a water bottle, it’s lightweight
and easy to carry anywhere –
camping, road trip, or just a small
speaker in the room. Don’t be fooled!
They might be small, but it can get
really loud – enough that you can
hear clearly what is being played in a
room 2 floors up. The music quality
is decent too – not top of the shelf,
but definitely clear, with bass coming
through really nicely. Although
softer tones can get ever so slightly
muffled.
Is it a torchlight?
Yes. Yes it is. It’s a torchlight – and
a very bright one at that. You could
totally camp out with that. You can
search for keys in the dark with that.
You can even use it to double up as
lighting for photography if you’re in
a pinch. Besides that, it’s weather
proof – so you don’t have to worry
about it getting wet. It’ll still work
without troubles
Keep going, forget the
cables
The battery is said to last for 25
hours – and indeed, on full blast I’ve
subjected my house to my sometimes
eccentric music choices for the
entire day and it was still going.
Plus point if you turned it on and it’s
not connected to any devices for a
significant period of time, it will turn
off automatically, saving power.
SPECS
“I love this thing. It’s portable, convenient and packs a punch. While audiophiles might
VERDICT: still have some bone to pick, I’m sold. ” - Satoko
• Built in super-bright 7 hour flashlight • 25+ Hours of continuous play
• High-intensity daylight, 5000K • Splash resistant (IPX-5)
8.5
• 500 Lumens
• Heavy-duty cabinet with colormatched
strap and carabiner clip
• Pure Monster Sound wirelessly with
NFC
• Sealed Port for aux in (3.5mm) and
• Stereo (from 2 Full-Range Drivers) power
with passive bass radiator
• Black, Gold, Red, Green Camo
• High intelligibility mic for calls
59
JUNE 2017

TESTED
A New Way To Enjoy TV
Xiaomi Mi Box
Plug it In
It has both 3.5mm and
Optical audio out
Talk to Me
The wireless
Bluetooth remote is
also for voice search!
Android on your TV
The Xiaomi Mi Box is a surefire way
to put Android to any TV you may
have. Just hook up the HDMI cable,
and boom – you have an internetconnected
TV. Underneath the metal
skin of the Mi Box is a quad-core
processor, running Android 6.0. We
may see it being updated to Android
7.0 in the future, or even straight to
Android O.
Add to your viewing
experience
Thanks to the nature of the OS,
you can run most software that
is available on the Play store. This
includes games. Yes, your TV can now
be a console. Also, install any media
player app on this and it can easily be
your next video player to play back
your video. Plus, there are also apps
for Youtube and Netflix so you can
get more than what you pay for.
Cast your troubles away
One feature that Xiaomi managed
to build into the Mi Box is a Google
Chrome Cast. What you can do with
this is share (or ‘cast’) any content
on your smartphone to the screen
through it. This can be video files,
image files or any apps that supports
Chrome Casting. Just swipe and
share.
SPECS
VERDICT: “A great way to expand your TV’s capability ” - Sharil
PRICE: RM 299
STORAGE: 8GB
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 101 x 101 OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 6.0
9.0
x 19.5 mm
GRAPHICS: Mali 450 750MHz
WEIGHT: 176.5g
CONNECTIVITY: HDMI, WiFi, Bluetooth,
PROCESSOR: Quad-core
Gigabite Ethernet
Cortex-A53 2.0GHz
MEMORY: 2GB DDR3
60
JUNE 2017

Down to Basics
BLU Grand M
Nano SIM
You’d be forgiven
to think that
given the specs,
you’re expecting
a micro SIM slot.
Nope – you have a
nano SIM slot and
a hybrid slot for
nano SIM or micro
SD.
Charger?
Oddly the charger
that came in
the box came
with a US pin –
and without a
detachable cable.
I had to use my
other cables to
charge it. It works
with any micro
USB heads
Keep it essential
With limited storage and memory – you might want to keep
your apps to the bare essentials – or use Lite version of apps.
It’s down to basics
OK, it’s not bells and whistles and
there isn’t a lot to sing about. It’s got
a standard specs that could hold up
to daily use. Of course if you decided
to load a graphics heavy game it’s
going to lag and seize up for at least
a good 30 seconds. Having said that,
it does do daily tasks pretty well.
Given it’s a RM300 range phone, it’s
reactive to changes and swapping
between a few apps is smooth.
Lights, Camera, Action!
The camera is actually quite decent. It
comes with a 5MP rear camera and a
3.2MP front camera – both front and
rear camera has LED flash. It’s pretty
clear too, with colours that are vivid.
Standard day use
At 2200mAh, it’s not going to be a
power house. Just generally scrolling
through social media, browsing web,
texting, navigation, taking photos
and calling – that will take you
through a decent work day. But if you
are looking to use battery sucking
applications like navigation for long
periods – well, be prepared to have a
charger ready.
BENCHMARK
AnTuTu 3D Benchmark – 16436
PCMark Android Benchmark – 1287 3DMark – Ice Storm Extreme – 2025
VERDICT: “ Sure, it’s not the best phone out there – but for that price? You’re getting enough of your money’s worth. ” - Satoko
SPECS
PRICE: RM 369
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 6.0
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 144.7 x 71.8 Marshmallow
x 8.9mm
DISPLAY: 5-inch display (480 x 854 pixel
7.0
WEIGHT: 156g
resolution, IPS curved glass)
PROCESSOR: 1.3Ghz quad-core GRAPHICS: Mali-400
Mediatek MT6580 processor
CONNECTIVITY: 802.11 b/g/n Wifi,
MEMORY: 512MB RAM
Hotspot, 3G (GSM | HSPA+ 21Mbps)
STORAGE: 8GB storage + up to PORTS: Micro USB v2.0
64GB microSD
61
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Gaming Made Affordable
Illegear Q5 Evo
More is
Always Better
The Q5 Evo comes
with 6GB of DDR4
RAM, which can
be expanded to
32GB for greater
performance and
speed.
Great for Movies
With the 15.6-inch FHD
display, you can now
enjoy movies paired
with the Sound Blaster
Cinema 3 feature builtinto
the speakers.
Upgrade
Needed
Although the
15.6-inch FHD
anti-glare display
is more than
adequate, I’d
much rather
upgrade it to
include Wide
Colour and Wide
View for better
resolution.
Build Your Own
Illegear has always been known to
gamers around Malaysia as the only
brand that allows you to customise
your own gaming laptops. Sadly,
that almost always comes with an
exorbitant price tag. While most
of its gaming laptops are towards
the steep pricing range, the Illegear
Q5 Evo is a much more affordable
option compared to its older brother
– the Q5.
Bang for your Buck
If you’re into the modern wave of
virtual reality (VR) gaming but are
afraid of having to pay through the
nose to experience it, the Q5 Evo is
capable of accommodating VR-ready
gaming, theoretically. With specs
like the NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti GPU as
well as the Kaby Lake i5-7300HQ
processor, the Q5 Evo is VR-ready
as it meets the Oculus Minimum
Specifications. Although we never
got a chance to test it out as we don’t
have an Oculus Rift lying around in
the office but on paper, it should
work out just fine.
Gaming Made Easy
eSports scene with games like Dota
2, Overwatch, League of Legends
(LoL) and Counter Strike: Global
Offensive (CSGO), the Q5 Evo would
be your best bet at streaming live
games as well as gaming on it. After
running through Dota 2, Overwatch
and CSGO, the Q5 Evo handles itself
pretty well without any frame rate
drops and virtually no lag whatsoever.
However, you might want to reduce
the settings on Overwatch otherwise
your frame rates would drop but not
to the point of being unbearable.
62
JUNE 2017

Fix the Trackpad
Although 90% of my time with the
Q5 Evo was for gaming, I have no
need for the trackpad as I’ll be using
the mouse. However, the real flaw I
had with the laptop was its trackpad,
which had a really challenging time
registering my movements or when I
were to click on something. Although
it isn’t that big of a deal, it does
hamper my daily usage quite a bit as
I had to stick with my mouse for the
entire duration after that.
Easy Plug & Play
The Q5 Evo comes with a host
of USB ports for all your devices
and even a HDMI port if you want
to display it on the big screen.
Keeping your
wallet safe
Perfect for FPS Gamers
The full RGB backlit keyboard
also comes with W/A/S/D
gaming keys, perfect for FPS
gamers.
BENCHMARK
3DMark Professional Edition Fire Strike Ultra (4K Gaming) – 1,942
3DMark Professional Edition Fire Strike (High-performance Gaming PC) – 6,854
PCMark 8 Professional Edition Creative Accelerated 3.0 – 4,417
SPECS
VERDICT:
“ Its affordable price added with above average specs make the Q5 Evo the perfect starter kit for a gaming
laptop. ” - Wi-Liam
PRICE: RM3,999
View (1920 x 1080)
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 29 x 386 x 265 mm GRAPHICS: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti, 4GB
WEIGHT: 2.5 kg
GDDR5
PROCESSOR: 7th Gen. Intel Core i5-7300HQ CONNECTIVITY: Built-in Gigabit Ethernet LAN,
Processor (2.50GHz to 3.50GHz), 6MB Smart Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC + Bluetooth, M.2
Cache
interface
MEMORY: 8GB DDR4 RAM
PORTS: 1x HDMI output Port, 1x USB 3.1
STORAGE: 1TB 2.5” HDD
Gen 2 Ports (Type-C), 2x USB 3.0 Ports (1
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows Home 10 USB Charging Port), 2x USB 2.0 Ports, 1x
Single Language
Headphone-out, 1x Mic-in, 1x RJ-45 LAN
DISPLAY: 15.6" Full HD Anti-glare Display (10/100/1000Mbps)
featuring IPS / AHVA Wide Color & Wide
Great for Casuals
When it comes right down to it, the
Q5 Evo is a great laptop if you’re
looking to play games like Dota 2
and Overwatch on it without any
problems. With its modest price
point and adequate specifications,
the Q5 Evo is for gamers who are on
a budget but still want something
stylish while still holding its own when
gaming.
8.0
63
JUNE 2017

TESTED
The Devil Is In
Power Color Red Devil RX580
Slim Enough
The card is slim enough to slip
PCI-e devices below it on the
motherboard
A Tough Guy
Robust and strong
performer for any game you
want it to play.
Not the Devil
The Red Devil by Power Color is one of
the first RX580 based graphic card in
the market. The card is quite boxy, and
features heavily angular shapes. Black
with red accent is the order of the day,
which is apt for it’s “Red Devil name” –
not to be confused with the Red Devil
football team yeah.
Performs like the Devil
Under the hood, this graphic card
rocks a 14nm AMD RX580 chipset
(Ellsemere), 8GB of GDDR5 memory
that has been clocked to 2000Mhz
and has an interface width of 256bit.
The card itself will try to push itself
to 1380Hz, which is a mind blowing
optimisation compared to the RX480.
For efficient power draw, the card
utilise an 8+6 power connections.
Maybe it is the Devil…
The Red Devil RX580 supports DirectX
12, as well as Vulkan. Combined with
the 8GB GDDR5, as well as the faster
clocked graphics, AAA games should
be not a problem with this card. And
best of all this powerful card only
draws 550W max
BENCHMARK
3D Mark: Timespy : 4009 Firestrike Ultra : 3148
VERDICT: “ Performs much better than Jose Mourinho. ” - Din
SPECS
PRICE: RM TBA
MEMORY CLOCK: 2GHz
DIMENSIONS (HXL): 111 x 267 mm MEMORY BUS WIDTH:256-bit
SLOTS: 2
TDP: 185W
8.8
STREAM PROCESSORS: 2304 POWER CONNECTOR: 1x 6-pin PCIe + 1 x
STREAM PROCESSORS
8-pin PCIe
CORE CLOCK: 1257MHz
BOOST CLOCK: 1425MHz
RAM: 8GB GDDR5
64
JUNE 2017

Mid-tier Power
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
Gently, Now
It uses pins rather than LGA – so be
careful when installing this in your
motherboard
Light em' Up!
The included Wraith CPU
cooler is cool – it even comes
with RGB lighting!
More to Come
More motherboards supporting
this CPU will be available after
computex, so stay tuned!
Middle of the Pack Power
For those who are ok with something
middle of the pack, the new AMD
Ryzen 1500X is perfect for you.
Why? The value it represents is quite
something else. It has the same number
of cores as a comparable CPU from the
Blue team, but at a lower price point. If
you are looking value for money, this is
a good investment to start with as you
will be getting more power for every
RM you spend.
65watt TDP
Thanks to the lower TDP on the 1500X,
it does not need super expensive
power supply or even cooling to keep
it cool. But it will still deliver the power
and performance you expect from
the Ryzen series of processors. We
saw impressive performance from
the 1500X, nearly matching its bigger
brother the 1600X, and edging some of
the other processors available on the
market currently.
Unlocked performance
Because the Ryzen chips are all
unlocked processors, there will be
little barrier for anyone to start to
dabble and overclock this processor. It
is also stable enough at most speeds
even when overclocked to deliver
good performance in daily usage and
gaming, that we are whole heartedly
recommending this for anyone who
are looking for a mid-tier computer to
build around.
BENCHMARK
PCMark: Work (Accelerated): 4728 Creative (Accelerated): 7941
Cinebench: Multicore: 786 Single Core: 144
Geekbench: Multicore: 13809 Single Core: 3873
VERDICT: “ Get this to start your next mid-tier CPU build” - Wi-Liam
SPECS
PRICE: RM 899
PROCESSOR: AMD Ryzen 1500X
SPEED: 3.5Ghz
SOCKET: AM4
TDP: 65W
CACHE: 20MB L2+L3
GRAPHICS: None
8.2
65
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Keeping it Curvy and with Quality
Samsung QA65Q8C QLED 4K TV
Be Gone Cable
Clutter
Samsung fits all
your cables into
a single optical
cable connect to
its One Connect
Box, removing
the need for cable
management and
giving your TV a
much cleaner and
neater outlook.
You’ll Need Deep
Pockets
To get your hands
on one of the QLED
TVs, you will have
to pay through
the nose – the
cheapest QLED
TV it has to offer is
priced at RM12,999…
food for thought.
66
JUNE 2017
Riding on a High
Just when you thought Samsung
couldn’t get any more popular after
the high demand of its Galaxy S8
and S8+ smartphones, it goes ahead
and introduces its QLED TVs in
spectacular fashion. Being the first in
the industry to feature quantum dot
(QD) technology into TVs, Samsung
is paving the way for constantly
innovating our lives with its devices,
whether it’s a smartphone or even a TV.
Home Theatre-friendly
Coated in a full on metallic body, the
Q8C features a 65-inch QLED 4K ultra
HD display paired with a border-less
design. Watching movies on it is a
definite must as you will now have
nothing in the way of the screen so
you can enjoy it like how the director
intended for it to be. Not to mention
– it’s sleek, metallic design can blend
into any modern household with ease,
giving an added touch of class and
elegance.
We Need More QD Tech
QD technology essentially
encompasses very small
semiconductor particles that are only
nanometres in size and is capable of
emitting light of specific frequencies if
electricity or light is applied to them.
In Samsung’s case, its QD technology
helps to create an even brighter TV
without causing friction with the colour
and contrast, giving you a perfect
blend of sharpness and brightness.

Standing Up to OLEDs
Samsung fits its QLED TVs with plenty
of features that is sure to rival even
the best of OLED TVs. Aside from its
QD technology, the brightness of the
TV reaches up to 2,000nits, which is
a lot for a TV. The Q8C also comes
with HDR technology, which further
increases brightness of colours while
still maintaining the deepest blacks on a
much wider range as compared to what
is provided with a conventional TV.
Many Ways to Mount
Whether mounted on a wall, with a
Gravity Stand or the easel-like Studio
Stand, the Samsung Q8C 65-inch TV
can be displayed in a variety of ways
to suit your household.
Free Streaming
Lasting until 30th June, every
purchase of the Samsung QLED
TV grants you a free 12-month
subscription to Asia’s top VOD
service – iflix.
One Remote to
Control it All
Whether it’s the TV, its One
Connect Box or even your Bluray
player, every Samsung QLED
TV comes with the One Remote
Control, removing the need for
multiple remotes.
Giving Colours New Life
Thanks to HDR, it also provides great colour contrast to the Q8C, allowing
you to spot even the darkest of objects in a black background setting. The
Q8C also comes with a wide viewing angle without compromising on its
colour consistency. While most TVs lose out on colour and contrast when
viewed from a side angle, the Q8C provides the same consistency,
no matter where you’re watching it from.
VERDICT: “ Curvy-licious and glorious...if only i have deep pockets for this ” - Wi-Liam
SPECS
PRICE: RM22,999
Processor, Voice Interaction, Supreme
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 828.04 x UHD Dimming, ConnectShare, Closed
1440 x 106.68 mm
Captioning, TV-to-Mobile Pairing, Easy
9.2
WEIGHT: 26.4 kg
Pairing
DISPLAY: 65” Curved
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi
PANEL TYPE: QLED 4K UHD
Direct
FEATURES: Quantum Dot Colour, 4K PORTS: 4x HDMI, 3x USB, 1x Ethernet,
HDR Elite, UHD Upscaling
1x Digital Audio Out (Optical), 1x RF In
MULTIMEDIA: Smart Hub, Quad-core (Terrestrial/Cable Input)
67
JUNE 2017

TESTED
For the Girls
vivo V5s
for the devoted
selfie queen
Great for Guys and Gals
The V5s comes in two colours
– Crown Gold and Matte Black,
making it great for both genders
as the colours.
Easy on the
Eyes and
Hands
Its curved edges
and metallic
unibody makes
the V5s easy to
grip your fingers
around while still
looking great.
Seen One, Seen All
As with most smartphones these days,
vivo has taken a similar approach to its
flagship – the V5s with a sleek metallic
unibody design. Although quite stylish,
it pretty much shares the same design
concept from Oppo. At a certain angle,
it also resembles the ever-popular
fruit smartphone that we all love to
hate. The only flaw I could find with
the design is the fingerprint scanner
placement, which I am not a fan of.
Touching is Fun
Except little kids, that is just
unacceptable. However, I digress; the
V5s is equipped with the FunTouch OS
3.0, its own iteration for the Android
smartphone. With reduced bloatware
while still featuring nifty features, the
V5s is great if you’re looking for a nononsense
smartphone. One feature
that I adore is the App Clone function,
giving you another copy of an app
that can hold two separate accounts.
This helped me distinguish between
WhatsApp chats of girls so I don’t
accidentally reply to Sarah, thinking it’s
Olivia (names have been changed for
obvious reasons).
Selfie King Candidate?
With the tagline ‘Perfect Selfie’, you
would guess that the V5s is capable
of taking excellent selfies that increase
your Follower count on Instagram and
Facebook. As debatable on who the
real selfie king is, the V5s would be a
strong candidate as its front-facing
20-megapixel camera. It also has plenty
of features to deceive your followers
into thinking you have flawless skin
and perfect complexion, making it that
much easier to gain more followers and
sponsorships.
68
JUNE 2017

Lasting Long
Enough
With the 3,000mAh
battery, the V5s is
fairly long-lasting as
I could go through
an entire day with it
without needing a quick
recharge.
Numbers Don’t
Lie… mostly
Based on the
benchmark scores,
the V5s comes off as
a completely mediocre
smartphone that is only
capable of taking gorgeous
selfies and uploading them
onto social media. To a certain
extent, that is true but the V5s
is also great for streaming videos
and playing casual games like
Pokemon Go and Candy Crush
without causing the battery to drain.
However, if you’re into games that
are graphic-heavy, you might want to
steer clear from this.
Just smile
and wave
Taken with the Face
Beauty feature, the
V5s’ front-facing
camera does make
your complexion
insanely clear while
covering up any
blemishes you may
have.
I'm High
Dynamic
Range
The HDR feature
on the front-facing
camera makes
your pictures look
highly realistic but
still keeping it clear
and sharp.
Overall Experience
As I am not the type to flood my Facebook or Instagram with selfies (I’m
not that narcissistic), I would probably still get the V5s as its priced quite
reasonably, which means I wouldn’t have to break the bank for it. As most
smartphones go, the V5s is great if you’re looking for a good-looking
device that can do all the necessities and can last you for hours; if you’re
into selfies, that’s an added bonus.
BENCHMARK
AnTuTu Benchmark v6.2.7 – 41931
3DMark Sling Shot Extreme – 320 PCMark for Android Work 2.0 - 3,070
VERDICT: “ If your goal in life was to be a social media influencer, this phone will bring you onto the right track. ” - Wi-Liam
SPECS
PRICE: RM1,299
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 6.0
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 153.8 x 7.6 (Marshmallow)
x 75.5 mm
DISPLAY: 5.5” IPS LCD
8.2
WEIGHT: 154 grams
GRAPHICS: Mali-T860MP2
PROCESSOR: Mediatek MT6750 CONNECTIVITY: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n,
octa-core
WiFi Direct, DLNA, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0
MEMORY: 4GB RAM
PORTS: microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go
STORAGE: 64GB ROM (upgradeable
to 256GB via microSD)
69
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Be A Great Hero
ASUS ROG GR8II
this is the
ultimate mean
machine
Listen to footsteps
Gaming-grade audio with
ROG SupremeFX audio- Hi-Figrade
audio, including Sonic
Studio III and Sonic Radar III for
unbeatable aural experience
LAN Party Approved
The volume of the machine is only
4-litres, making it portable enough
for LAN parties
Small yet powerful
The power brick is quite hefty,
but it powers the juice needed
to run this machine
Compact yet powerful
If you are looking for something
that is small yet gives a good punch
for games – the ASUS GR8II is your
ticket. Thanks to the powerful Intel
Core i7 7700 inside this machine, it
can handle just about anything you
can throw at it – be it modern AAA
gaming, intensive graphic-based
computation or even simple web
browsing.
Graphics for VR
If you are thinking of getting a
VR headset, the GR8II is able to
playback your VR content – just
about. The NVIDIA GTX 1060 in
the system will be able to pump
out all of your VR content, but do
not expect the best at the highest
resolution. Still, the fact that
something this small can be your VR
machine is very commendable.
Full Selection of Ports
Thankfully the GR8II does not come
with lack-o-port-titis. On the front
you get two USB 3.0 ports, alongside
audio and microphone ports, while
at the back you get a bevy of ports
which includes Gigabit Ethernet, USB
Type-C, multiple USB 3.0, two HDMIs,
one DisplayPort and even an optical
S/PDIF port for high resolution audio.
70
JUNE 2017

Lacking in storage options
Out of the box, you only get 256GB
of SSD storage. Yeah, it is barely
enough for two or three games that
nowadays can run up to 30GBs per
install or more. Luckily ASUS has
made upgrading the GR8II an easy
one – just slide open the side panel,
and you have access to more M.2
slots and 2.5-inch bays for more
SSDs.
full power,
console sized
Let there be light
Yes, you get RGB lights
everywhere – on the front,
on the sides and on the top.
Like a jet engine
The GR8II is quiet when it is idle – the
rated value is about 23db, which is about
the same as a quiet room. However
when it is on full load – it will get loud
quickly. The first time we heard the fans
spooling to cool the system we thought
a jet engine was going to take off!
However the cooling is working because
the system did not heat up as expected
for something that is this small and
compact.
BENCHMARK
PCMark8: Work Accelerated - 2841
Creative Accelerated - 7722
Home Accelerated - 5078
SPECS
3DMark: Firestrike Ultra - 2879
TImespy - 3917
VERDICT: “ A great gaming machine, the size of your shoebox. ” - Sharil
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 281.3 x 299 GRAPHICS: NVIDIA GTX 1060
9.2
x 88 mm
CONNECTIVITY: 4 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 3.1
WEIGHT: 4KG
(Type A), 1 x USB 3.1 (Type C),
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7 7700 2 x HDMI,1 x DisplayPort, 1 x RJ45 LAN, 1 x
MEMORY: 8GB, upgradable to 32GB Kensington Lock, 1 x Optical S/PDIF out, 1 x
STORAGE: 128GB SSD
Audio Jack(s) (Speaker out)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 10
71
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Flip It However You Want
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
Hello
The camera supports Windows
Hello, but it is oddly located
near the hinge
Force is strong
Opening this is impossible
with one hand – the magnets
holding the two parts are
strong
Do it however you want it
If you need a machine can do just
about anything in a fairly compact
machine – do check out the Dell XPS
13 2-in-1. Not only it is a svelte piece
of engineering marvel, it also has
enough power to do what you want
to do. Plus, it can switch around to
different modes – a laptop mode,
tablet mode, tent mode and a stand
mode
A 13-inch in a 12-inch body
Not only the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
is small, it is compact. Dell has
managed to make magic happen
and fit a 13-inch display in a 12-inch
laptop body. It has an expansive
edge-to-edge display that is also a
2K display, making it able to show
more for less real-estate space. Plus
the laptop has a fan less design so
USB Type-C is the future
Even though it is slim, it has enough
space for a few connecting ports.
You get two USB Type-C – one
on each side – that also works
for charging and external display
through Thunderbolt. A microSD slot
is there for any external data, and a
combo headphone/microphone jack
completes the package. Oh, Dell also
included the required dongles to
turn the USB Type-C to both normal
USB and HDMI.
72
JUNE 2017
BENCHMARK
AnTuTu 3D Benchmark – 66,237 3DMark Sling Shot – 757 PCMark Work 2.0 – 4,407
“Can get hot, but it’s a good performer for on the go warriors ” - Sharil
SPECS
VERDICT:
PRICE: from RM 5,899
DISPLAY: 13.3” FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 8 -13.7 x 304 x 199 touch display,Silver
mm
GRAPHICS: Intel HD Graphics 615
8.6
WEIGHT: 1.24KG
CONNECTIVITY: 2 x USB Type-C, MicroSD slot,
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7 7th Generation Headset Jack
MEMORY: 8GB
STORAGE: 256GB
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 10

Gumstick PC
Raspberry Pi Zero W
WiFi Included
The clever WiFi antenna is
built into the board itself – no
external dongles necessary
Mobile just got better
The small size means it can
go to just about anywhere
that needs a computer
Smaller than your watch!
The Raspberry Pi Zero W is an
engineering marvel. The people at
the Raspberry Pi Foundation has
managed to cram in a full computer
into something that is half the width
of a credit card. The CPU, RAM and
everything needed to have a full PC
experience is all there in the tiny
board.
Wireless connectivity onboard
Not only you get everything on
board, the Raspberry Pi Zero W
also features something that was
not present in the previous model
– wireless connectivity. Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth is now available on the
teeny board, so you do not need to
connect external wireless dongles
to connect this board to the world.
Saves precious space too!
Make It Into Anything
The beauty of a Raspberry Pi board
is the ability to make it into anything
you want. Turn it into a robot? Just
add motors and sensors. Have it as
your media player? Install Kodi. What
to make it into a science project?
There are thousands of links out there
on the web to turn this small pc into
something that can collect data.
There is no limit on what you can do
with the Raspbery Pi Zero W.
VERDICT: “A new way to teach tech to the masses” - Sharil
SPECS
PRICE: RM20
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth LE, WiFI,
DIMENSIONS (HXWX D): 60 x 30 miniHDMI, microUSB
x 5 mm
8.6
WEIGHT: 9 gram
PROCESSOR: Broadcom BCM2835
@ 1GHz
MEMORY: 512 MB LPDDR2 SDRAM
STORAGE: 8GB on microSD
OPERATING SYSTEM: User-specific
73
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Sharp Like A Blade
Sharp AQUOS UA440X 4K UHD TV
Built-in Speakers
The UA440X also comes with double-firing
speakers located at the back of the TV
on both sides, giving you clearer sound
without any distortion.
Easy
Navigation
The remote of
the UA440X
comes with
a dedicated
button for both
Netflix and
YouTube so you
don’t have to
waste time and
effort changing
any settings.
Not so
Versatile
Aside from its
regular twolegged
stand,
the UA440X
can be wallmounted
but
it would have
to be from a
third-party as
Sharp doesn’t
produce its own
wall mounts for
the TV.
HDR Not Included
Sadly, the UA440X or even any other
Sharp TV for that matter comes with HDR
technology, giving it less range in terms of
colour and brightness.
Slow and Steady
Unlike its competitors, Sharp has
been rather slow in taking off with
its range of TVs as the likes of LG
and Samsung have shot past them
thanks to the use of OLED and QLED
technology. However, what Sharp
lacks in technological innovations,
it makes up for it in pricing as the
UA440X is reasonably priced,
making it a worthy option to take
into consideration.
Above Average Picture
Quality
In terms of how the TV performs,
it cannot match up to the likes of
LG, Sony or even Samsung for that
matter. The good thing about the
UA440X is that even with its 60-inch
4K UHD resolution, it still performs
admirably with colours consistency
looking bright and sharp without any
bleeding or pixilation. However, the
TV doesn’t come with a wide viewing
angle so watching it from the sides
can cause the picture to look bland
and blurry.
Is it Worth Buying?
Priced at RM5,699, the Sharp AQUOS
UA440X is a value buy in most cases
as you will get a 60-inch TV with 4K
UHD resolution at a reasonable rate,
most of which can’t be said about
other brands in the market. The only
drawback is its smart TV applications,
limited mounting capabilities and
its somewhat bulky demeanour –
depending on whether you’re into it
or not.
SPECS
“Affordable with above-average picture quality, the Sharp AQUOS UA440X 4K UHD TV is worth
VERDICT: investing in if you’re looking to start out slow in the home entertainment department. ” - Wi-Liam
PRICE: RM5,699
Application (YouTube and Netflix)
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 791 x 1,355 MULTIMEDIA: -
8.0
x 86 mm
CONNECTIVITY: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
WEIGHT: 25 kg
Ports: 2x HDMI, 1x USB, 1x Ethernet
DISPLAY: 60”
PANEL TYPE: 4K UHD Backlit-LED
FEATURES: Built-in Video Streaming
74
JUNE 2017

Sony’s X-citing Comeback
A Smart Smartphone
After using it for a couple of days, the
Smart Stamina studied my usage and
crafted a specific battery-saving plan for
me to accommodate my heavy usage
without draining the battery.
Sony Xperia XZs
Dump it in Water
The Xperia XZs finally
gets a IP65/68 rating so
you won’t have to worry
about water or dust
affecting the device.
A Device to Behold
Thanks to the TRILUMINOS display, the
5.2-inch screen of the Xperia XZs gives
out rich and vibrant colours while still
maintaining its consistency.
Xzellancy
at it's best
If it Ain’t Broken…
Sticking with a similar design that
has not faltered for some time now,
Sony Xperia smartphones has stuck
to its guns by giving almost all its
devices a similar look. However,
the key difference to each device is
the feel of the smartphone in your
hands. The XZs is by far the most
comfortable to hold in your hand,
especially for long hours when
wrapped around your fingers. It’s not
particularly wide so it makes it a lot
easier to type one-handed.
A Worthy Adversary
When it comes to picking a
smartphone for its camera quality,
the Xperia XZs should be mentioned
along the top contenders. Taking
a leaf out of its CyberShot camera
series, the Xperia XZs comes with
the Eye Motion camera, capable of
capturing what the eye normally
doesn’t. Although it only comes with
19-megapixels at the rear, it also has
laser autofocus electronic image
stabilisation (EIS) and even predictive
phase detection so you won’t miss
out on anything ever again.
Slow it Down
One of the two great camera
features would be the Super Slowmo,
which slows down your shot to
960 frames per second. This gives
you an inside look on your shot and
how it comes to life. Another would
be the Predictive Capture, which
picks up on the movement in front of
you and snaps up to four images for
you to choose from in case you were
to capture it too late.
BENCHMARK
AnTuTu 3D Benchmark v6.2.7 – 94,221
SPECS
VERDICT:
“ Aside from its steep price point, the Xperia XZs is long-lasting and has an Instagram-worthy smartphone with
awesome features. ” - Wi-Liam
PRICE: RM2,899
(Nougat)
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 146 x 8.1 x DISPLAY: 5.2” IPS LCD
72 mm
GRAPHICS: Adreno 530
8.0
WEIGHT: 161 grams
CONNECTIVITY: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/
PROCESSOR: Qualcomm MSM8996 ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot,
Snapdragon 820 quad-core
Bluetooth v4.2,
MEMORY: 4GB RAM
PORTS: USB 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible
STORAGE: 32/64GB ROM
connector
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 7.1
75
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Retrospective
The retro design
bodes well even in the
21st century
A Camera For The Streets
Fujifilm X100F
Compose comfortably
The Fujifilm X100F is an upgrade
to the X100 series, but this is an
evolutionary upgrade rather than a
revolutionary. One of the features
that was carried forward from the
previous model is the excellent
hybrid view finder. This viewfinder
works both as an optical viewfinder
as well as an electronic one – users
can switch between the two with a
simple press of a button. Plus it is
very comfortable to use too, thanks
to the rangefinder layout and design.
APS-C goodness
Behind the Fujinon glass is an APS-C
sensor – the same sensor size that is
used in DSLRs. You get great image
quality with a sensor this size, and
the X-Trans sensor delivers colours
that pops, with Dynamic range that
is not achievable with smaller sensor
sizes. It does mean that the lens
can’t go into the body, but that is a
trade-off that we are ok to have in
regards to sensor quality.
Full Manual Control
The Fujifilm line of cameras are
one of the few brands out there
that puts all of the important
photography controls as physical
dials on the body itself. The trend
continues with the X100F. It shares
mostly the same controls as the
other X100 series, but this time
Fujifilm added the control joystick
from the larger cameras to the
X100F. This means that users
can move around the focus point
without taking their eyes off from
the viewfinder.
76
JUNE 2017

Satisfying clicks
One of the hallmarks of this camera
is the everything is within reach, and
everything has a very satisfying click
to it. The dials click into place with
every turn, and this in turn makes it
very enjoyable to use this anywhere
you have it. The fact that it looks
like a classic camera adds to the feel
of using the X100F when you are
out and about on walkabouts – you
will feel like you are carrying a film
camera, not a modern digital one.
OG Shutter
The shutter button
accepts old-school
shutter triggers
No Tilting
The screen at the back
does not tilt, or even
have touch
Fujifilm colours
One factor of this camera that is
also enjoyable to own is the X-Trans
sensor. The colours produced with
this camera sensor is unlike others
in the market. It pops out on screen
– both on the camera and on your
desktop. Not only that, the focus is
speedy and accurate that you can
just bring it up to your face and snap
away with abandon. It also comes
with the Fujifilm film simulations so
that you can apply it to your photos
before you shoot it.
VERDICT:
“ Bring this camera with your next vacation trip ” - Sharil
SPECS
PRICE: RM6,288,
1,040,000 dots
DIMENSIONS (WXHXD): 26.5mm x CONNECTIVITY: WiFi
9.0
74.8mm x 52.4mm
PORTS: Mini HDMI/Audio Jack/microUSB
WEIGHT: 469 grams
SENSOR: APS-C
STORAGE : SD/SDHC/SDXC card
DISPLAY: 3.0-inch touch-screen LCD
77
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Business Partner for the Small Office
OKI MC 573
Easy reload
The design of the
machine means all
the stuff you need is
in convenient reach.
Tray, ports, interface –
no fumbling needed.
Connect and go
in minutes
Don’t worry about
downloading any
software – it’s already
all there. Just scan for
device and print.
Simple interface
No confusing buttons,
does things as said
on the tin. Copy?
There’s a button for
that. Scan? There’s a
button for that. Fax?
You already know the
answer.
No Rocket Science
The installation is easy and quick
– it takes minutes, if that. There’s
no need for any extra installation
– connect you LAN and go. Your
devices on the same connection will
automatically detect it. The interface
is easy enough to use – copy, scan,
fax and print – you don’t need to
figure out any rocket science to use
this multifunction printer. It’s a small
enough machine that can fit on any
regular sized table.
No Jam, No Smudge
Print the AGM report, print an IKEA
catalogue – the printer will still be
running smoothly. No worries. Sure,
it’s not the fastest printer, but it
does a decent job, printing a 130-
page document taking less than
10 minutes. The colours are quite
crisp, and does daily documents
quite well. It’s not going to look like
our magazine you’re holding, but it
will look professional enough for a
business report. There are also no
issues about ink smudges found in
many rollers.
Colour clarity
Scanning and copying documents
is quick, easy and clear. The operations
are simple, no need to set 101
different settings just to copy or
scan. It’s all immediately obvious on
the MFP’s interface. The copy and
scan quality is clear, with no fuzzy
edges, all the details are clearly reflected
on the copies or scans. With
the copies, it’s nearly indistinguishable
to which is the original. You’ll
have to squint really hard.
SPECS
VERDICT:
“A solid multi function printer for everyday work use. Simple to operate and no extra setups
needed. ” - Satoko
PRICE: RM 4240
DIMENSIONS(WXDXH) : 427 x 576 x
472mm
WEIGHT : < 31 kg approx
WARM-UP TIME: Up to 35 seconds
from power on and up to 28 seconds
from power save
PRINT SPEED: 30ppm colour/mono
INTERFACE: USB 2.0 Device, 10Base-
T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T Ethernet,
Host USB x 1 (Front), Host USB x 1 (IC
Card Reader connection),, Wireless
IEEE802.11a/b/g/n (Optional)
PROTOCOL: All major network
protocols supported via ethernet card
with internal web server for printer and
network card set-up and management.
TCP/IPv4&v6, NetBIOS over TCP,
DHCP, DHCPv6, BOOTP, HTTP, HTTPS,
DNS, DDNS, WINS, UPNP, Bonjour, SMTP,
POP3, SNMPv1&v3, SNTP, IPP, IPPS, WSD
Print, LLTD, IEEE802.1X, LPR, Port9100, Telnet,
FTP, AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Wireless
IEEE802.11a/b/g/n, WEP, WPA, WPA2,
Personal, Enterprise
SUPPORTED OS: Vista (32-bit & 64-bit) /
Server 2008 (32-bit & 64-bit) / Windows 7
(32-bit & 64-bit) / Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) /
Windows 8 (32-bit & 64-bit) / Server 2012 (64-
bit) / Windows 8.1 (32-bit & 64-bit) / Server
2012 R2 (64-bit) / Windows 10 (32-bit & 64-
bit); Linux PPD; Mac OS X 10.8.5 to 10.11
MEMORY (STD./MAX.): 1GB RAM; 3GB eMMC
INPUT CAPACITY: TRAY 1: 250 sheets of
80gsm; Multi-purpose tray: 100 sheets of
80gsm; RADF: 50 sheets of 80gsm
OUTPUT CAPACITY: Face Down: 150 sheets of
80gsm; Face Up: 100 sheets of 80gsm
8.4
78
JUNE 2017

Always Stay Connected
Dlink DWR-932 4G Mobile Router
No fear
of the dark
There’s a light that turns
on automatically, so you
can still see the room on
your live feed, even when
it’s dark.
Please keep me
plugged in
It relies on a micro
USB power source, so
you could very easily
disconnect it. Given it’s
such a small size, you
could bring it anywhere
to monitor anything.
Help, I can’t see
my back
With 180 degree visions
and no rotation, you can
see everything but it’s
limited to the front. So
if someone was behind
that camera, it won’t
know unless the person
made a sound.
Easy setup
Everything about the setup of
this cam can be done in minutes.
Scan a code, register, link it, and
you’re ready to go. Simple setup
that requires little to no technical
knowledge.
180 degree view
While it’s not one of those fancy
rotating cameras, it certainly covers
a wide area with 180 field of vision.
The picture is clear and you can
record on the app itself, if you didn’t
insert any microSD card. When live
viewing on the app, you can record
video and snapshots as well.
Intruder alert!
You can set notifications on the app
to alert you when there is a motion
or noise. You can even set the level
of noise and the area of movement
which you’d want alerts on. There’s
a slot for a microSD card and if you
plugged it in, it will record audio and
video or snapshot when a motion or
sound is detected.
SPECS
VERDICT:
“It’s not one of the most sophisticated or amazing looking ones, but it functions very well,
and it’s very simple to use. ” - Satoko
DIMENSIONS (H X W X D): 4.3 x 2.4 x
2.4 inches
WEIGHT: 0.23 lbs (camera only)
TEMPERATURE: OPERATING: 0 to 40
°C (32 to 104 °F); Storage: -20 to 70 °C
(-4 to 158 °F)
HUMIDITY: Operating: 20% to 80%
non-condensing; Storage: 5% to 95%
non-condensing
CAMERA HARDWARE: 1/3"
2-megapixel progressive CMOS sensor;
16 ft night vision with infrared LEDs;
Built-in microphone; 10x digital zoom;
Focal length: 1.7 mm; Aperture: F2.5;
Angle of view: (H) 180° (V) 86° (D)
180°
EXTERNAL DEVICE INTERFACES:
802.11n wireless, microUSB power connector,
microSD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
VIDEO COMPRESSION: Simultaneous H.264/
MJPEG format video compression JPEG for
still images; H.264 multicast streaming
Video Resolution: 1920 x 1080 at up to 15 fps;
1280 x 720 at up to 30 fps; 800 x 448 at up to
30 fps; 640 x 360 up to 30 fps
AUDIO SUPPORT: AAC, G.711
MOBILE SUPPORT: mydlink Lite app available
for iOS, Android devices, and Windows Phones
Network Protocols: Pv6,
IPv4, ARP, TCP, UDP, ICMP; DHCP Client;
NTP Client (D-Link); DNS Client; DDNS Client
(D-Link); SMTP Client; HTTP Server; UPnP port
forwarding; HTTPs for configuration; RTP/
RTSP/RTCP; ONVIF; Bonjour
8.2
79
JUNE 2017

TESTED
Southern Tigers Roar
Exmobile Ola JDT
Free Stuffs
Get free official
wallpapers and updates
straight from the phone
which will be updated
from time to time
Like a Champ
Feels great holding it
with the slim design
and smooth body
texture, not to mention
that cool JDT emblem
at the back just make
it much more exclusive
Only for you
Exclusive JDT Apps
are pre installed
so you can get to
know the team and
get direct updates
from the club.
Making a Mark
The champions of 2016 Malaysia
Super League are totally stepping
up their game with the launch of the
Exmobile Ola JDT. The new mobile
phone is packed with multiple
functions such as the fingerprint
scanner, real-time beautification
mode on front camera and therefore
setting a high standard for the team
for having such an exclusive look
of JDT FC emblem embedded on
the phone itself. From wallpapers to
apps and even the back of the phone
has the fierce JDT FC logo. It's so
JDT that even the start up screen has
a 3D revolving version of the logo.
A true phone for the true fans of the
southern tigers.
Worth Every Cent
It's double sided arc design
complimenting the smooth body
texture and together with the
standard mid range phone functions
it is undeniably a great phone for
it's price. Weighing at 158.5g it feels
sturdy and most importantly it's slim
design made the OLA a perfect fit
on my hand. Not to mention the 5.0
Megapixel front camera with realtime
beautification camera plugin
and also the 8.0 Megapixel back
camera just made sure that you're
getting a bunch of cool functions
with affordable price. Plus, you get
2 exclusive official JDT Apps pre
installed.
Made For The Fans
This is the kind of phone that
you would definitely buy if you're
passionate about JDT. Even if you're
not, it's functions and accessabilities
are great and the best part is you
can access JDT's official app and
also shop directly by just a click on
the phone. Well, I personally think
that the JDT logo placement made
it all look so much cooler than your
average phone. It totally made me
feel like I'm a JDT fan right away.
The phone also gives way for the
fans to connect with the latest
information about the southern
tigers. Dude, this is just over the
top cool. This is the club that will
revolutionise Malaysian football
scene.
VERDICT:
“An exclusive feel, made for the fans .” - Syafiq
SPECS
PRICE: RM599
DIMENSIONS (HXWXD): 14.47 x 7.17
x 0.865 cm
WEIGHT: 158.5g
PROCESSOR: MTK6737 Quad Core
1.3GHz
MEMORY: 4GB RAM
STORAGE: 16GB ROM (upgradeable
via microSD)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 6.0
(Marshmallow)
DISPLAY: 5.0” IPS HD LCD
GRAPHICS: ARM Mali T720P MP1
CONNECTIVITY: 3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz,
4G: FDD-LTE 800/900/1800/2100/2600MHz,
Bluetooth v4.0
PORTS: microUSB 2.0
8.0
80
JUNE 2017

SHOWDOWN
TIME TO GET
PHYSICAL!
Dubbed as the modern-age arm candy, we decide on which smart band is best suited for you.
L
iving in a country such as Malaysia, it is a fairly arduous task to actually maintain a healthy lifestyle while being constantly
bombarded with new cafes, restaurants and whatnot popping up all around you. Known as a smorgasbord of cuisines
blended together to create a harmonious culture coming together for the love of food, it is a task on its own to keep track
of your own dietary needs and still going after that popular ramly burger.
In this month’s Showdown, we talk about the four distinct types of smart bands that will keep you in track of your diet while still
giving you enough leeway to have a cheat day occasionally.
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SHOWDOWN
WeLoop – Now 2
F
irst up to bat is the WeLoop Now 2 smart band, distributed from Olike
Malaysia, the official accessories partner with Oppo smartphones.
Although still fairly new into the market, the WeLoop Now 2 has
managed to tick all the right boxes, from being a highly affordable smart
band to even providing great features along with it. Priced at RM199, the Now
2 is highly affordable for people who aren’t looking to break the bank for a new
smart band. In terms of pricing alone, the Now 2 would be an instant winner as it
appeals to the masses, especially with the ever-fluctuating economy that resides
in Malaysia.
The design of the Now 2 is also slightly different compared to the rest of the
entries we have for today’s Showdown; while most carry a slim body with a slim
wristband to match, the touchscreen display is larger compared to the rest. This
proved to be a hit-and-miss as I did quite like its size while plenty of other people I
knew didn’t really fancy it. Another wonderful thing about the Now 2 is its weight
– weighing in at only 16 grams, you wouldn’t even notice you have it on you!
This is great, especially for sleep as it proved to not be a nuisance as I do tend to
move around a lot in my sleep. The wristband is also another aspect of the design
that I quite liked as it didn’t itch nor annoy me in any way; on the contrary, it was
quite comfortable to wear on for days. My only pet peeve with the wristband is
the difficulty in trying to lock the clasp in place. Lastly, it’s sweatproof, waterproof
and shatterproof so you don’t have to worry about taking it for a long run, a swim
or even if you accidentally drop it.
In terms of performance, the Now 2 could do just about anything most smart
bands can do these days. It managed to track the difference between running
and slow walking (something I did a lot), how many calories I burned during that
entire session of walking mixed with a little bit of running, the number of steps I
took as well as the total distance I travelled. It could also track when I was doing
sports like futsal although this wasn’t very accurate as it said I only ran 100 odd
steps in a 10-minute game when I clearly ran way more than that; my panting and
wheezing were testament to that. The sleep tracker was also a little bit off as it
showed that I woke up from deep and light sleep zero times when in actual fact,
I woke up at least twice to use the bathroom – unless of course I was dreaming,
which I can’t really tell anymore at this point.
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SHOWDOWN

Fitbit Alta HR
FFitbit has always been at the forefront when it came to smart band
technology as its constantly coming up with innovative technologies on
how to better your lives through its smart bands. The Alta HR is the latest
introduction to its already formidable lineup of wearable technology,
which have been steadily growing in popularity over the years. However, the thing
about Fitbit’s smart bands is its price and the Alta HR is no different as it retails at
RM730, a rather steep price to pay to want to stay fit. This is exactly why people
like me will never achieve beast mode status as we must pay through the nose
for it. Although you do get a host of Fitbit technology that can set you in the right
direction, paying RM730 for a smart band is pretty absurd to say the least.
Design-wise, the Alta HR borrows elements from its previous flagship, the
Fitbit Charge 2 as it’s an almost carbon copy-like with the Alta HR being much
slimmer while the Charge 2 was a lot chunkier and big. In typical Fitbit fashion,
the wristband on the Alta HR in interchangeable, much like its many other smart
bands. This makes wearing the Alta HR worthwhile for every occasion as you can
choose between its premium leather band – that comes in three colours – and its
metallic cuff-like bands. The latter encompasses either its stainless-steel choice
or you can also opt for the more ostentatious 22k gold-plated band. There are
also Alta HR special edition bands, which uses the most popular colours of the
season right now paired with 22k gold, making you look stylish and classy at the
same time.
However, despite all its quirky accessories that can be paired with the Alta
HR to go along with its ridiculous price, Fitbit has made it to be one of its most
consistent smart bands to date. One of its standout features is the PurePulse
technology – Fitbit’s very own heartrate tracking technology. I’d like to say that
the PurePulse technology is highly accurate as my heartrate was off the charts
as I was trying to keep my lungs from bursting out of my chest. Another notable
feature is Fitbit’s all-new Sleep Stages feature, which will show your sleep time
in light, deep and REM sleep. This helped me better understand my own quality of
sleep as I come to realise that I am an unhealthy human being and that’s putting it
lightly. It also comes with a nifty silent alarm to wake you up based on the number
of hours you’ve slept and when is the correct time. Through the Fitbit smartphone
app, you can also curate your very own exercise plan, which the Alta HR will
ensure you follow every step of the way. Of course, you can always just give up
halfway and grab that bag of chips that’s been calling out to you for the past hour;
that’s what I did anyway.
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SHOWDOWN
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
A
lthough first made popular through its market-breaking smartphones,
Xiaomi has since branched out into developing more than just
smartphones with the introduction of its Mi Mix, Mi Box and even
Mi TVs. One such area that Xiaomi touched on is also the smart band
market with its Mi Band 2. Retailing at RM94, the Mi Band is by far the most
affordable smart band in this month’s Showdown. For something along this price
point, you would think the Mi Band 2 can only offer so much but it has more than
you would think.
Much like the Alta HR and the Now 2, the Mi Band 2 features an LCD
touchscreen display but its silicone strap cannot be changed, unlike the Alta HR.
When comparing all three smart bands together, the Mi Band 2 is slightly smaller
but is still large enough to display the statistics like your heart rate, step count and
the number of calories burnt. However, the display of the Mi Band 2 comes with an
OLED panel, which promotes itself to be power-efficient so it will last longer without
draining the battery. The Mi Band 2 is also splash resistant with an IP67 certified
rating while also being resistant to dust and corrosion.
The Mi Band 2 also supports many features that can be found in the smart
bands for our Showdown like step count, heart rate and even the time just to name
a few. It can also track your sleep with statistical analytics to tell you when you’re in
light and deep sleep. One unique feature about the Mi Band 2 is when paired with
your Android device, you just have to place the smart band close to the device to
unlock it without the need for passcodes or fingerprint recognition. Once paired, you
will also receive message and call notifications.
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SHOWDOWN

Misfit Shine 2
P
art of the Fossil Group, which are famous for its line of watches as
well, the brand from America known as Misfit came out with the Shine
2 smart band with a unique twist. Its circular face is a breath of fresh
air compared to the rest in this month’s Showdown as all share similar
aesthetics. However, the Misfit does share one trait with other smart bands today
and that is its price; at RM461.88, the Shine 2 is priced between the Alta HR and
the Now 2 but still much more expensive compared to the Mi Band 2.
The Shine 2 does come with a wide range of colours to choose from and the
price changes depending on the colour. We got the Rose Tone Misfit Shine 2,
which shares the same price as the Carbon Black – every other colour is priced
at RM277.11. One unique feature about the Shine 2 is that there are no hour or
minute hands on its face; rather, there are 12 LED lights which make up the hours
of the day and will light up according to the time. The LED lights will also light
up to show progress reports as well as notifications when connected with your
device. Another great design aspect of the Shine 2 is that it cannot be charged as
it comes with a replaceable coin cell battery, capable of lasting up to six months.
The smartphone app that connects the Shine 2 to your device is easy to use
with easy to set goals as well. While other smart bands require a constant Bluetooth
connection with the device to record your stats for the day, the Shine 2 doesn’t need
to stay connected as you can connect it at the end of the day to check on all your
progress. The Shine 2 is also waterproof so you can take it for a swim to track your
progress and it can stay with you in the shower as well! Sadly, the Shine 2 doesn’t
come with a heart rate monitor but it does come with the usual features like step
count, calories burnt, sleep tracking and your activity level. The face of the Shine 2
can also be removed if you’re too tired of the same band colour and are looking to
opt for something a little bit flashier.
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SHOWDOWN
Brand/
Specs
Display
Battery
Heart Rate
Monitor
Waterproof
Changeable
Bands
Price
WeLoop
Now 2
Yes
(Rectangular)
Built-in
Rechargeable
Battery
Yes Yes Yes RM199
Fitbit Alta
HR
Yes
(Rectangular)
Built-in
Rechargeable
Battery
Yes Yes Yes RM730
Xiaomi Mi
Band 2
Yes
(Rectangular)
Built-in
Rechargeable
Battery
Yes Yes Yes RM94
Misfit
Shine 2
Yes
(Circular)
Removeable
Coin Cell
Battery
Yes
Yes
No
RM461.88
CONCLUSION
Choosing between these four smart bands is a task on its own as each has its own
set of features that are different from one another while still sharing other similar
features like the usual step count, calories burnt, etc. etc. With that said, if you’re
looking for a more budget-friendly smart band that can do all of the above while
still looking stylish, the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 is a great choice as you can even
change the bands to give it a different look or to even match your outfit of the day.
If you’re not interested in changing its band, you can stick with the WeLoop Now
2. However, if you’re really interested in making a change in lifestyle and need all
the help you can get, the Fitbit Alta HR is the partner for you as it’s features are
second to none but so is its price. Lastly, if you’re looking for something that is
long-lasting and complementing how you look on a daily basis, the Misfit Shine 2
is a good choice for you.
90
JUNE 2017

pixels
Middle of the pack is
no longer an issue
The Canon EOS 800D is fighting above its paygrade
Announced in February 2017, the new EOS 800D is a DSLR camera that caters to entry-level users. It comes equipped with the latest image processor, DIGIC
7, a maximum ISO speed of ISO 25600, 45 AF points in its viewfinder, a continuous shooting speed of up to 6 fps, and compatibility with Bluetooth. Yuki
Marubashi shares her experience with the new Canon EOS 800D.
91
JUNE 2017

pixels
I shot my child’s old drawing along
with shortened crayons that show signs
of frequent use. In order to portray
a soft feel, I shot with a little bit of
backlight, and searched for a suitable
angle while checking the result on Live
View, making sure that the drawing
would not be masked by the reflection
of light.
EOS 800D/ EF50mm f/1.8 STM/ FL: 50mm (80mm equivalent)/ Aperture-priority AE (f/3.2, 1/320sec,
EV±0)/ ISO 400/ WB: Daylight (B1)
Top entry-level DSLR that encapsulates the latest technology
The EOS 800D is the latest model to follow in its vastly popular line of DSLR cameras catered to entry-level users. Equipped with the latest image processor,
DIGIC 7, it features a maximum ISO speed of 25600 to give improved rendering, 45 AF points, a continuous shooting speed of up to 6 fps, and compatibility with
Bluetooth low energy technology.From the actual shoot, I felt that the usability of the camera has been improved. In particular, the convenience I experienced
while shooting in Live View is worthy of special mention.Although I highly commend the vari-angle monitor, which is also present on previous models, shooting with
the monitor extended to the side may result in users wondering if they are shooting at an accurate horizontal level. No fears about that with the EOS 800D, which is newly
equipped with an electronic level that determines the correct horizontal level, enabling you to shoot with ease. This can also be used when shooting objects on a table, where
slight variations in the horizontal level can affect the image that you ultimately get.Furthermore, the AF speed also provides an ease of use. With Dual Pixel CMOS AF, focus
can be established very quickly with just a touch on the monitor.
EOS 800D/ EF50mm f/1.8 STM/ FL: 50mm (80mm equivalent)/ Aperture-priority AE
(f/2.5, 1/2,500 sec, EV+0.7)/ ISO 400/ WB: Daylight
Placing only an arm through to the
other side of the fence, I used Live View
shooting to capture the drooping plum
flowers. Since this method of holding
the camera made it unstable, it was
difficult to prevent camera shake. To
counter that, on the screen, I touched
the flower I wanted to focus on, which
allowed AI Servo AF to track the focus,
and enabled me to capture the shot.
92
JUNE 2017

EOS 800D/ EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM/ FL: 18mm (29mm equivalent)/ Aperture-priority AE (f/6.3, 1/500 sec, EV+0.3)/ ISO 1600/ WB: Daylight
I captured a dynamic shot of the child using a wide-angle of 18mm. Even if the child
is moving, using [Face + Tracking AF] enables focus to be accurately positioned onto
the face throughout all frames, without it shifting to the playground bars or onto
his foot in the front of the picture.
EOS 800D/ EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM/ FL: 88mm (141mm equivalent)/ Aperture-priority AE (f/5.6, 1/800 sec, EV+0.3)/ ISO 400/ WB: Daylight
Shooting at a very low position close to the ground with Live View captures the face
of the cat clearly and portrays a spacious background. When the cat approached me a
few moments later, using AI Servo AF in high-speed continuous shooting allowed me
to capture all of the frames in focus.
93
JUNE 2017

pixels
To bring out the dewy atmosphere of
the forest after rain, I set the white
balance with an emphasis on blue.
Since the ‘Tungsten light’ setting
would make the image appear too blue, I
corrected the white balance by moving
it towards the amber/green end. Even
though I used a shutter speed of 1/25
sec, which was slower than what I
would normally use when shooting
handheld at the telephoto end, the image
stabilization ensured that there was no
visible camera shake in the image.
EOS 800D/ EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM/ FL: 135mm (216mm equivalent)/ Aperture-priority AE (f/5.6,
1/25 sec, EV±0)/ ISO 800/ WB: Tungsten light (A9, G8)
I noticed that I had been using Live View for the
majority of the scenes in this test shoot, including
those with moving subjects. Using [Face + Tracking
AF] detects and tracks a face even if there are many
other elements present in the surroundings. Since
it is able to maintain its focus onto a face even if
the person looks down or is partially obscured for
a moment, I was able to shoot a scene of a child
playing in a playground with ease. Combining this
with the ‘high-speed continuous shooting’ drive
mode setting enables greater shooting success.
Perhaps this will encourage the use of Live View
shooting for photographing everyday scenes
involving children.
Upon testing the camera, I found many features
which affirm its usability. For example, Creative
Filter now features as an independent shooting
mode. This means that even if your camera is set
to shoot in RAW, you just need to turn the Mode
Dial to apply a Creative filter effect to the image
(note that the image will be saved in JPEG). I feel
that the EOS 800D is a camera that will satisfy
entry-level users who have a strong desire to
improve their shooting skill.
By Yuki Marubashi
94
JUNE 2017

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BIZ 2.0
Breaking from Brick and Mortar
GIL Malaysia 2017 shares how entrepreneurs of today do what they do and achieving success
G
lobal markets are being
disrupted by an accelerating
pace of innovation in the
digital world. Digital transformation
has entered an era of unprecedented
change for enterprises necessitating
a fundamental shift across processes,
functions, customer engagement
and many other aspects of business.
Today, more than ever before, it has
become imperative for organisations to
implement concrete strategies around
digital transformation.
“Digital transformation is deeply
impacting our businesses and our
society. The digitisation of data helps
make things more efficient by saving on
paperwork, manpower and time, where
multiple things are now in reach at
the click of a button. While digitization
is creating great value for society;
collaboration between businesses,
regulators and policy-makers to
maximize value for business and wider
society will be imperative,” says Manoj
Menon, Senior Partner & Asia Pacific
Managing Director, Frost & Sullivan.
In its tenth year, Frost & Sullivan’s
Growth Innovation and Leadership (GIL)
2017: Malaysia congress addresses
the continuing the journey to visionary
innovation, where among its sessions,
the event hosts a panel discussion
with some of Malaysia’s up and coming
entrepreneurs in this digital age, where
they share their views and experiences.
Despite being one of the largest
eCommerce markets in Southeast Asia,
Malaysia still has a long way to go
with its penetration rate only at 1% to
2% as compared to 7% to 8% in more
advanced countries.
According to Jesrina Arshad,
Co-founder and CEO of PurelyB, she
became an entrepreneur due to her own
frustration of having to battle health
issues. As for Goh Chee Hau, Managing
Director of The Lorry, he co-founded The
Lorry in 2014, when a digital platform
for lorry rentals have not existed yet.
To them, being an entrepreneur
in the digital age means providing
solutions to the consumers by creating
or disrupting products and services to
suit the consumers’ needs.
Easier Said Than Done
It is an exciting time in the Southeast
Asian region with all the disruptive
technology rising in entrepreneurship.
Combined with all the support from
the government and institutions
like Malaysian Global Innovation &
Creativity Centre (MaGIC) and Malaysia
Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC),
it’s safe to say that we can expect to
see a lot more innovation coming from
local SMEs.
However, Karl Loo, CEO of
ServisHero believes that the major
inhibitor holding entrepreneurs back
from reaching their full potential is
the cultural and mind shift change.
Needless to say, they would need
the support from the people around
them to back up the courage it would
take to do something that is outside
the norm.
“I think one of the biggest
challenges is taking the risk going
down the journey of entrepreneurship
and breaking the traditional career
path,” states Loo.
“That’s mostly the case for
women,” adds Jesrina. “They lack
the confidence to turn their great
ideas into reality – but once they
see the success of other women
Speakers: Jesrina Arshad, Co-Founder and CEO of PurelyB; Goh Chee Hau, Co-Founder and Managing Director of
The Lorry; Joel Tay, Chief Business Officer of Soft Space and Karl Loo, CEO of ServisHero during the panel discussion
entrepreneurs out there, they will feel
more empowered to take that step.”
She also mentions the saturation of
the market today causes people to doubt
themselves more, making them fear
failure if their product/services are not
uniquely interesting enough to be a hit for
the consumers.
When There’s a Will, There’s a Way
From the words of Joel Tay, Chief
Business Officer of Soft Space, this
is the golden age of opportunity.
Entrepreneurs who come up with
disruptive technology also have a choice
to work together with the disrupted to
create brand new offers – with fintech
being an example. More and more
financial institutions are going digital
and adapting the way they do business
to improve customer experience.
With all this technology going
around, it is only natural that there
should be enough space to cater the
demand, which calls for more data
centres to store the information.
“People rely heavily on technology
and web services now. As a result,
there’s going to be a high demand for
infrastructure to support this digital
economy,” concludes Loo.
96
JUNE 2017

Simple integrated data
security with Dell EMC
Dell EMC Integrated Data Protection Appliance gives you a peace of mind for you data’s safety
Dell EMC introduces their
Integrated Data Protection
Appliance (IDPA), a solution
that ensures data is secure, backed
up and protected against disasters
and outages.
IDPA is a purpose built, preintegrated
and turnkey appliance
that converges protection storage,
software, search and analytics in a
single appliance. By providing data
protection across a wide ecosystem
of applications and platforms,
this removes the complexity in
setup or management for different
applications, platforms or data silos.
With expansive coverage for
physical and virtual workloads across
multiple hypervisors, the solution
also offers native cloud-tiering for
long-term retention. IDPA comes
with encryption, fault detection and
healing capabilities, as well as ability
to scale.
Not only can companies deploy data
protection measures faster using IDPA, it
also offers the simplicity of a single user
interface for typical daily operations.
IDPA will be available in four
different models (DP5300, DP5800,
DP8300, and DP8800) for customers in
SMB and enterprise alike. Starting at
34 terabytes usable capacity at entry
level, the family scales up to 1 petabyte
usable capacity at the high end.
Dell EMC is also rolling out new
capabilities to its cloud data protection
portfolio to enable customers to simply
and effectively protect and back up
their data anywhere, anytime.
With the release of Data
Domain Virtual Edition (DD VE)
3.1, organisations can gain the
performance, efficiency, and
reliability of Data Domain in the
cloud. DD VE enables back up of
both traditional and emerging
workloads in Amazon Web Services
(AWS) and Microsoft Azure and
efficient replication to, from and
within the cloud. Additionally, the
Data Protection Suite can perform
monitoring and reporting of these
backups in the cloud.
Data Domain paired with Data
Protection Suite can now provide
low-cost disaster recovery to the
cloud by enabling organisations
to extend protection of their onpremises
environments to AWS S3.
Data is sent securely and efficiently,
requiring minimal compute cycles
and footprint within AWS.
In the event of a disaster, VM
images can be restored and run
from within AWS. Since neither
Data Protection Suite nor Data
Domain are required in the cloud,
compute cycles are only required
in the event of a restore, bringing
more cost savings to users.
Dell EMC Integrated Data
Protection Appliance is orderable
now and will be generally available
in the summer of 2017.
New Dell EMC Cloud
Capabilities are available with the
latest versions of Data Domain
Virtual Edition (DD VE 3.1) and Data
Protection Suite.
97
JUNE 2017

BIZ 2.0
Kickstarting Careers with
Digi CXO Apprentice
Digi CXO Apprentice programme second year is now open for applications
D
igi is calling all young
Malaysians to join the
second cycle of Digi’s CXO
Apprentice programme.
The apprenticeship remains Digi’s
innovation DNA, giving a unique
approach, through a full-year direct
mentorship programme with all of its
top management team members.
Similar to the first year, the fresh
graduates will compete for eight
exclusive spots to apprentice with
Digi’s top management team for a year.
The 12-month apprenticeship will
see eight young talents, each tagged to
one of eight Digi Chiefs (CXOs), namely
the Chief Executive Officer, Chief
Finance Officer, Chief Marketing Officer,
Chief Network Officer, Chief Corporate
Affairs Officer, Chief HR Officer, Chief IT
Officer and Chief Digital Officer.
The selected eight apprentices
will be exposed to high-level
decision-making, dealing with
real business challenges, working
on high-impact projects across
different business areas. They will
be guided with direct input and
guidance from their respective
management mentors.
The pioneering batch of CXO
Apprentices has reached the final
quarter of their programme, and
discussions are currently ongoing
to identify their future roles. Their
respective CXOs will continue
mentoring them while they
transition into their new roles.
Year Two 2017 Digi CXO
Apprentice Timeline
• Applications for Year Two
2017 open in end-April and will
close by end-May
• Mid-June: Shortlisted
candidates invited to participate
in a game-based assessment
• Early-July: Top 50 candidates
invited to the Freedom
Challenge
• End-July: Top 25 candidates
invited for the final assessment
in July
• The 8 Apprentices to be
selected by end-July and begin
in August.
Application Eligibility
Final-year university students
in their final semester with
a Bachelor’s Degree or fresh
graduates who have worked for less
than a year from any background:
• Open to Malaysians only
• Communicate well and with
confidence
• Have the will to win
• Possess a collaborative attitude
• Able to reason out issues and
solve problems
• Desire to overcome challenges
• Want to work in a digital
company
Submissions to apprentice with
Digi are open until 26 May 2017.
For more on Digi CXO Apprentice
and to apply, visit www.digi.com.
my/cxoapprentice.
UPDATE: We have been
informed that submissions are
extended until 11th of June
2017. Get moving!
98
JUNE 2017

CONTEST
SCAN AND WIN A P10
Scan ME!
What makes the Huawei P10 a desirable smartphone? That’s largely due to its dual-camera Leica lens carrying a 20-megapixel
monochrome alongside a 12-megapixel RGB sensor with f/2.2 aperture glass. Aside from that, you can also enjoy the easy user
interface of EMUI 5.1 paired with Kirin 960 CPU through its 5.1” FHD display screen. The Huawei P10 also comes in a total of
eight different colours for you to choose from.
Terms & Condition
1.This contest is open to all Malaysian residents
2.All the mechanics of the contest needs to be followed, or entry will be deemed incomplete and will be disqualified
3.The winner of the contest will be selected through a third party platform to ensure fairness
4.This contest will run from 5th of June, until the 15th of July 2017
5.Employees and family members of Reach Publishing Sdn Bhd and Huawei Malaysia are ineligible from joining in this contest
6.All results are final, with no appeals to the contest organizers to be entertained
7.Each entry into this contest is the responsibility of the named person in the entry. Reach Publishing Sdn Bhd will not be held responsible for any discrepancies in name or other details submitted
into the contest proper
8.The winners will be contacted by Reach Publishing Sdn Bhd once the contest is over, subject to time and availability of the officers in charge of the contest
9. Judges decision are final
http://bit.ly/LiveP10

SPOTLIGHT
CREATING A NEW WAVE
By Sharil
OF SOUND AND MOBILITY
WE TALKED TO NG YEW CHOONG, SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR OF HOT GADGETS ON HIS
VENTURES INTO IT SECTOR IN MALAYSIA
100
JUNE 2017

Hot Gadgets is no stranger in the local
IT market, as they have been the name
behind the push of the JBL brand here
in Malaysia. Now they have brought
in two new brands – BLU and E-blue.
One of it is a smartphone brand, while the other
is a gaming peripherals brand. We talked to Ng
Yew Choong, Sales and Marketing Director of Hot
Gadgets to talk about the company, and what are
their plans in the Malaysia.
Congratulations on the launch of the brands
BLU and E-Blue in Malaysia. First of all, can
you share with us a brief background on Hot
Gadgets?
The company actually started in 2013 as a fulfilment
company, supporting other distributors in Malaysia.
But after 2014, we decided to change our focus
from fulfilment to become the sole distributor for
IT products. We also then started to be the sole
distributor for Harman Kardon AKG from then
onwards. We started with four employees, and as
of last year, we have over 30 employees covering all
our distributor business.
The BLU brand is popular in the United States
as an affordable brand that is marketed
exclusively through Amazon. What was the
reason this brand was chosen to be marketed
in Malaysia by Hot Gadgets?
The BLU brand is well known in USA, and the
Greater America continent. We would like to have
the same experience and exposure of the brand
to the Southeast Asia market. We have been
appointed as the sole distributor for the brand for
this region, and we are starting the distribution
in Malaysia in the beginning. Hot Gadgets will
be heading to Vietnam next to distribute BLU in
that country. We also found that the pricing and
marketing strategy of the BLU brand fits Southeast
Asia right now.
With a selection of phones catering to
different segment, what was the selection
criteria to market certain models here?
Basically, we selected only 10 out of the more than
50 models available in their catalogue. We also
want to bring consumers better quality products
for their choice, which is also backed by a twoyear
warranty for every unit. We don’t think any
other brands out there offer warranty that long for
products at this price point. We are targeting the
mid-tier market rather than the high-end market.
The reaction to the brand has been good thus far,
and we will be turning M-Mart to be the first BLU
touch-and-try corner for the brand.
E-Blue is a very interesting gaming brand,
with a wide range of products under its
wing. As per the question for BLU, what is the
reason Hot Gadgets chose this brand to bring
into Malaysia?
If you talk about the brand, we are bringing almost
everything in the catalogue. The only thing we are
not bringing in is the Iron Man branded products.
We are waiting for updates from our principal on
this matter as they want to market this line globally.
Is Hot Gadgets bringing in the full range of
products from the E-Blue range?
E-blue is already a good performer for our offline
market. We are getting good reaction for the market,
especially for our tables and chair surprisingly. Our
dealers are getting high volume enquires on the
E-blue products, so we are forecasting that the
brand will be one of our best performer for the year.
What can we expect from Hot Gadgets in
the next few months in term of branding,
marketing and new products?
We are looking to do more branding and product
exposure to more people around Malaysia. Not
only we want to strengthen JBL’s position here
in Malaysia, we also want to push both BLU
and E-blue to the Malaysian mass market. In
September, we will be doing the first JBL Fun Run
2017, which you can check out on our Facebook
page. It is the first JBL-branded run event in the
world, and we have representatives coming from
the principal company, Harman.
We also would like to retrofit a corner of the
M-Mart to be a showcase of our brands as well
– for JBL, BLU and E-blue products. We expect to
have this happen sometime around the start of the
third quarter.
101
JUNE 2017

inview
How the Malaysian Telcos
surviving the digital storm
2016 Malaysia mobile service market performance
102
JUNE 2017
T
he Malaysian mobile service
market is highly competitive
and price sensitive. in a country of
31 million people, industry witnessed
subscriber penetration to plateau
around 140%, with 44.3 million
mobile subscribers at the end of 2016.
with declining traditional
voice revenues and increasing
competitive play, the focus has
moved to the mobile data services.
To support the business growth
from digital services and deliver
enhanced customer experience,
Malaysia CSPs accelerated their
4G network rollout (88% of the
population) and modernized their
existing infrastructure.
During the CY2016, the Celcom
and Maxis observed consolidation
in terms of their subscribers and
cumulatively they lost 2.5 Mn users.
On the other hand, U Mobile, Digi and
top 3 MvnOs - TuneTalk, XoX and
Redone, showcased strong customer
momentum based on their strong
value propositions and aggressive
marketing, and added 2.5 Mn
subscribers that saw industry register
58k subscriber net-addition.
To attract new customers
and retain existing ones, CSPs
offered affordable device-bundling
campaigns and introduced attractive
data propositions with generous
quotas. CSPs also fortified their
digital services portfolio to deliver
a superior customer experience
and effectively monetized the data
opportunity. These campaigns helped
drive the smartphone penetration to
67% and mobile data penetration to
70% of the subscriber.
As a result, average data
consumption per user almost doubled.
non-voice revenues grew by 9.2%
By Avinash Sachdeva, Senior Analyst, Frost & Sullivan Digital Transformation Team
and contributed 47% of the total
mobile service revenues. However,
the growth of the digital service
segment was not enough to contain
the 11% decline in voice revenues,
and overall mobile service revenues
declined by 1.4%. Despite all
the market challenges, Service
providers were able to sustain their
profit margins through better cost
control measures.
2017 Q1 performance
Amidst the intense competition,
Maxis performance was relatively
stable as compared to Digi. it
witnessed 1% mobile subscriber
net-attrition during the quarter and
registered a 2.5% decline in the
total revenues, yet it maintained
its profitability. Digi lost 0.5 Mn
customers and reported revenues
decline of almost RM 100 million,
primarily from its price-sensitive
prepaid segment. However, it was
able to lower its operating expense
and because of lower taxes, its PAT
margin improved by 1pp to 24%.
The Malaysian mobile services
industry is expected to bottom-out over
the next few quarters and CSPs will
stabilize. The next phase of growth for
the industry will come on the back of
higher adoption of digital services and
new business opportunities from the
enterprise segment.
New leadership at TM
early this month, Datuk Seri
Mohammed Shazalli Ramly joined
Telekom Malaysia as its new MD
and Group CeO. Datuk Sahzalli, is
highly appreciated for delivering
32 consecutive growth quarters
at Celcom through his business
acumen and innovative strategies.
The appointment is being viewed as a
progression towards the re-merger of TM
and Axiata Group amidst the challenging
scenarios in the overall telecom industry.
within a few days in his new job,
Datuk Shazalli announced some key
appointments at the top management
in TM & its subsidiaries. All these
appointments are in-house talents that
are promoted to take the leadership roles
and are expected to play an instrumental
role in the transformational journey of the
service provider.
webe’s new CeO –
Moharmustaqeem, who has a
decade long experience working
with one of the leading mobile SPs
in the country along with Datuk
Shazalli are anticipated to change
the business fortunes for one
of the smallest mobile service
providers in the country. Since
the P1 acquisition, the industry
expected TM to introduce quadplay
services after completing the
business integration, which did not
happen. So now, under the aegis
of these two able leaders and
new management, it will be quite
noteworthy to see if webe is able
to leverage TM’s 2.4 million homebroadband
subscriber base across
the nation as part of TM Group’s
convergence strategy, and if TM
will emerge as a fully converged
service provider?

DEATH IS
INEVITABLE
NIOH
By Teh Wi-Liam
A
fter slogging through hours of Dark Souls III, only to die over and over and
over again, I made a vow to never put my sanity through that experience
ever again. However, all that diminished when Nioh was released.
Through it’s Dark Souls-inspired combat mechanics (which includes ridiculous
mechanics of making death inevitable), Nioh taught me a valuable lesson. No, it
doesn’t involve patience or peace; Nioh taught me to never get sucked into the
hype of newly-launched games, even if it will be worthwhile experience because
my heart, sanity and dignity cannot take losing to AI-controlled enemies anymore.
104
JUNE DEC 2016 2017

105
JUNE OCT 2016 2017

GAMETIME reviews
106
JUNE OCT NOV 2016 2017
T
he Premise
Set in the year 1600 during a
fictionalised dark fantasy version of
the Sengoku period in Japan where
the clans were at war with each other prior to
the unification under the Tokugawa shogunate
and right before the Edo period, Nioh takes
you on a whirldwind adventure through the
control of William, the main protagonist (one
of the reasons I wanted to do the review for
my namesake). Looking like a grimmer version
of Geralt from Witcher 3, Nioh is your typical
hack-and-slash game, much like the Dark Souls
series and Bloodbourne where you will have
to systematically plan your battles before it
happens as your enemies will lay waste to you
if you don’t (a mistake I should’ve encountered
much sooner).
Be warned: Nioh is unforgiving and
merciless as it will sense blood in the water
the moment you display any signs of weakness,
much like the girl I used to sort of date.
Kicking Things Off
Right off the bat, I must say that Nioh has a
horrendously slow start, which is great for firsttimers
as it gives you a chance to familiarise
yourself with the game and its mechanics as
well as find the right fighting style for you.
This slow start is also great as it gives you
the chance to witness your death again and
again as you curse yourself, your TV, your PS4,
your neighbours and probably your neighbour’s
annoying children to oblivion (I’m not saying I
did that).
I discovered that my fighting style is highly
primitive – charge forward and no looking
back. Little did I realise that that is the worst
kind of fighting style and you should not follow
suit. After dying for the umpteenth time and
losing all my gold and Amrita (the game’s
experience points), I finally caved and placed
my controller down – no I didn’t fling it at the
TV – and went out to clear my head. Once that
was all over, I restarted the game only to see
myself die and die again at the hands of two
heavily-armoured knights; oh, what joy.
The strategy to Nioh is timing and being
able to keep your Ki stamina bar healthy while
still dishing out attacks, which eats at your
stamina. I know that sounds like a doublenegative
but with practise (I mean a lot of
practise), you will be able to lay waste to
both human enemies as well as supernatural
beings.
Throughout the course of the game, you will
be able to pick up a variety of weapons, which
include polearms, broadswords, axes and a
wide range of other swords. This will in turn,
deplete your Ki stamina, depending on which
weapon you’re using. If it’s an axe or polearm,
it will deal more damage in a single hit but eat
up more Ki while swords will deal less damage
but in turn deplete less Ki. Nioh is all about
finding the right balance between maintaining
your Ki, avoiding enemy attacks – which also
takes up Ki – and dishing out enough damage
to them.
Shrines Are the Best/Worst
Much like the bonfires scattered around Dark
Souls, Nioh follows a similar approach with its
Shrines, where you can exchange all the EXP
you’ve gained and turn them into levels, which
will increase your stats and such. Shrines also
act as a safe haven for you as it will count as a
checkpoint in the game so if you ever die (you
will… a lot), the respawn point will be at the
last used shrine.
However, do note that once you activate a
shrine, it will reset the enemies in the area.
This will mean that you will have to cross
through waves of them, again, much to my
dismay.
If You’ve Prevailed
Along the way, William will be able to summon
Guardian Spirits, which are animals that will
aid you in battle by combining both your health
and stamina into a single bar. This will give
you added stat boosts like increased attack
damage or defense. Each Guardian provides
different stat boosts and can only be switched
out when using Shrines so be sure you have
the right Guardians for the right situation. In
more than one occasion, I’ve actually forgotten
that I have Guardians Spirits or maybe my ego
just got the better of me thinking that I could
actually defeat my enemies without any help.
Believe me when I say this – Guardian Spirits
are crucial, especially when you’re fighting for
your life.
Sadly, Guardian Spirits will be lost when
you die. Fret not, you can get them back again
when using Shrines but at the cost of your lost
EXP so it will come down to decisive planning
as to whether you’re willing to forgo a huge
chunk of your EXP just to stay alive.
I Failed to Understand
The key thing about Nioh – much like Dark
Souls and Bloodbourne – is that dying is a
part of the game. If you can’t handle losing
(like how I can’t handle rejection due to my
on-going issues), Nioh is not the game for you.
Also, if you’re the type of gamer to rage, you
might want to invest in additional controllers,
TVs, window panes, etc. etc. as this game
will make you want to flip your table over and
swing a sledgehammer over your PS4. Trust
me, I’ve had that feeling more than once.
But, if you can look past all this, Nioh
is actually a pretty decent game with a

compelling storyline and an ever-challenging
gameplay that will constantly keep you on
your feet. From switching up combat styles to
weapons and Guardians, Nioh is a game that
will keep you glued to your seat and never see
the light of day.
Developers: Team Ninja
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Release Date: 8 February 2017
Genre: Action RPG
Players: Single-player, Multiplayer
score:
8.5/10
GREAT
107
JUNE OCT 2016 2017

GAMETIME reviews
THE RISE OF
Fallout Shelter
By Teh Wi-Liam
TOTALITARIANISM
W
ith the days of apocalyptic wasteland while living in destitute being a recurring theme in movies, books and even video
games, one can’t help but wonder what it would be like to live in times like these. For obvious reasons, I would want to avoid
anything that is Mad Max- related as I just can’t see myself spraying chrome on my mouth while reciting lines of Valhalla
and shouting, “WITNESS ME!” Unless of course you throw in Rosie Huntington-Whitley into the fray then we have a deal.
However, I digress; I wouldn’t mind being put in a somewhat similar situation, minus the whole ‘eating-scorpions-to-survive-whilerunning-from-crazy-idiots-on-motorbikes’
thing. For those who aren’t familiar, Fallout is one of the more popular post-apocalyptic video
game series with over seven game titles spanning from PS 2 to PS4. Fallout Shelter borrows elements from previous game but the main
element is the Vault Shelter, which you will be the Overseer of.
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JUNE OCT 2016 2017

S
eeping Things Tidy
First off, Fallout Shelter reminds me of
Sims with the stark difference being you
can’t outright kill your Vault Dwellers
(believe me, I tried). There is a way to kill them but
it takes a lot of time and sanity, both of which I don’t
have much of. The game starts you off with a basic
tutorial on how to build, maintain and manage your
Vault Shelter as you expand it with more and more
Dwellers making their way to you.
In order to keep your Vault Shelter from
crumbling, you will have to assess each and every
Dweller on its stats called SPECIAL – which stands
for Stamina, Perception, Endurance, Charisma,
Intelligence, Agility and Luck. By assessing their
stats, you can then place each Dweller at different
locations in your Vault like the Diner, the Power
Generator or the Water Treatment room. These guys
are the backbone of your Vault as they will work to
keep it up and running, which in turn will keep your
Food, Water and Power bar above the threshold. If
it were to fall below, you will get updates from Pip-
Boy.
Started From The Bottom, Now We Here
Fallout Shelter initially began as a mobile spinoff
game to the Fallout series on the console. It has
since been made available through Steam as well
for free. Much like its mobile version counterpart,
Fallout Shelter is a free-to-play game but with
annoying consequences. Each room has a timer to
when it will replenish your food, water and supply
bars and just like any other mobile game, it will
make you wait. To get rid of the long timers and
processes – you will have to pay real cash instead
of using the Rush ability, which will get the job done
quicker. While that is all fine and dandy, there will
be a possibility of the job failing, which will most
likely result in fire or a Radroach infestation. This
will then cancel out all the work your Dwellers have
done in that time.
Keeping You Entertained
Just as an added titbit because I thought this
was pretty hilarious – if you put a male and female
Dweller in the same living quarters, they will
eventually begin to take a liking to each other. At
which time, they will fall in love and consummate
that love. What I love about the control of time
with Fallout Shelter is that it takes on average two
to three minutes to replenish the food, water and
supply bar but it takes less than a minute for a man
to impregnate a woman.
You can also send your Dwellers out into the
Wasteland to gather supplies, Caps (the in-game
currency) as well as gaining EXP while battling the
deformed foes which you probably will never meet
unless they come barging through your Vault.
It Needs More
Sadly, the novelty of Fallout Shelter wears off pretty
fast as it lacks a lot of depth as well as any sort
of narrative storyline. The use of microtransactions
are also a big turn off as the idea of having to pay
to play seems utterly ridiculous as where is the fun
and joy in that. Lastly, Fallout Shelter lacks any sort
of ending, which leads me to believe that you will
be working your Dwellers to the bitter end until they
grow old and die, which is when their children will
take over their jobs. This reminds me of the thirdworld
countries where generations of a family tree
end up working in the same factory.
I’m basically running a totalitarianism. Oh good
God; this is where my reign of terror begins.
Developers: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Xbox
One, Steam
Release Date: 29 March 2017
Genre: Simulation
Players: Single-player
score:
8.0/10
GREAT
109
JUNE OCT 2016 2017

GAMETIME reviews
EVERY
GAMER’S DREAM
Game Dev Story
By Teh Wi-Liam
W
hen I was a kid and having recently just got my first ever gaming console (it was a PS1), I always had a dream of working at a gaming
development and publishing company like Square Enix because of how its game made me feel as a child growing up (Final Fantasy VII changed
my life). Sadly, as I grew older, those dreams stayed just that – dreams. Also, reality caught up with me after doing some research on what it
takes to create a video game and I said to myself, “yeah, I’m definitely not cut out for that.”
Are you actually kidding me, game! How about no, Karen Karen you imbecile!
110
JUNE OCT 2016 2017
For this month’s mobile game review, we
have an oldie but goodie – Game Dev Story,
which puts you as the owner of your own gaming
company where you will have to come out up
with innovative ideas for videos games and hire
new and competent – I cannot emphasise this
enough – employees. All this must be done while
keeping your company popular amongst gamers
and keeping the appeal there.
Keeping Me Glued to the Screen
From the moment you start to the time you save
the game; Game Dev Story is a roller coaster
ride of emotions. It took me 15 minutes alone to
decide on a company name – we all know that
is usually the hardest part – and I haven’t even
begun deciding on what I want my first game to
be about. The in-game tutorial is very helpful
with plenty of insights on how to keep your
company afloat while still churning out games.
You will be able to choose from a list of

My ever-increasing fan base Now what does this remind me of There’s just no pleasing you critics
genres like Adventure, Action, Puzzles and the
likes and mix it with which platform you’d like
the game to be played on, the type of game
you’ll be developing and the direction of how you
want the game to turn out. Game Dev Story also
follows along a similar route to how video games
in real life work with developers and publishers
as there will be announcements of new gaming
consoles. You will then be able to buy the license
of said new game consoles and produce games
for them, thus increasing your fan base.
During the alpha and beta stages of the
game, you will need to choose from your list of
employees on who would be better equipped to
work on the sound and graphics for the game.
You are also given choice of being able to hire
freelancers to do the work for you instead of your
employees. Trust me, sometimes it’s better to get
freelances as your employees can be a bit… how
do I put this gently – stupid. Why I say that is
because during the production of the game, your
employee will come up to you say they want to
try and boost the game’s production, whether
it’s through graphics, sound, it’s fun factor or
creativity. On more than one occasion, they have
failed me miserably. When they fail (which they
will!), it will also increase the chances of the
game getting more bugs than there already are.
Bugs Are Good!
Which leads me to my next point; if your game
is under development and gets hit with tons of
buggy codes, that could also be a good thing as
you will gain more Research Data points from
debugging them. The points can then be used to
train or level up your employees, decreasing the
chances they will screw up on the job.
Another note to take away from Game Dev
Story is that time moves really fast. When you’re
in-between creating new games, there are also
contract jobs you can take up to earn some fast
cash like coming up with ringtones, creating
game scenarios or even designing some new
characters. However, when you’re busy with
Contract jobs, you won’t be able to develop new
games and once your fans realise that you’ve
gone quiet, they will start to lose interest in
you so it’s best to maintain a healthy balance
between doing Contract jobs to earn cash and
maintaining your fan base by creating new and
exciting games.
What to Take Away from This
Game Dev Story is pretty fun and honestly quite
interesting and you work your way around your
company trying to create new games that will
not only boost sales but also your profits and
even your fanbase. Although this version is the
free one because I am too stingy to actually
spend RM10.99 on the full version, I am actually
quite tempted into paying for the full version of
the game. With that being said, if you want a
mobile game that you just won’t be able to put
down, Game Dev Story is the one..
Developers: Kairosoft
Publisher: Kairosoft
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows-
Release Date: October 9 2010
Genre: Business simulation
Players: Single-player
score:
9.0/10
AWESOME
111
JUNE FEB 2017

gametime news
Power of the Predator
Lands In MaLaysIa
Acer launches the Predator 21X
Models and mascot posing with the Predator 21 X
112
JUNE 2017
H
ow do you fancy a computer
that is as pricy as a midsized
sedan? That is what
the new Acer Predator 21 X
is, and it is now available in Malaysia
for an eye-watering RM 39,999. The
laptop is part of Acer’s a five-day
roadshow. The Predator 21 X is the
world’s first laptop to offer a curved
21-inch IPS display (2560 x 1080
resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate)
that is taking Acer’s Predator brand
position in gaming to a new level with
its showcase of advanced technology
and never-before seen innovation.
Acer Sales & Services Sdn Bhd
General Manager of Products, Sales
and Marketing, Chan Weng Hong
said, “The Predator 21 X along
with Acer’s wide range of gaming
devices reinforces our commitment
to premium gaming with discerning
enthusiasts around the world in mind.
The Predator 21 X is Acer’s flagship
gaming laptop and is advanced
beyond anything available in the
market today.”
Bruce Howe, General Manager,
Microsoft Consumer and Devices
Sales, Microsoft Malaysia added, “On
behalf of Microsoft, I congratulate
Acer on the launch of the world’s first
curved screen laptop. We are proud
and excited to collaborate with Acer
to deliver a modern device powered
by Windows 10. At Microsoft, our aim
is to enhance the user’s experience
and with this in mind, the device is
packed with amazing built-in features
like Windows Ink, Paint 3D, enhanced
gaming features and Windows Hello
that enables users to login in to their
devices securely. Also designed
to provide the most complete 3D
experience, Windows 10 is the best
gaming platform for users today.”
Product Presentation by Jeffrey Lai, Product Manager from Acer Malaysia
Underneath that monstrosity that
is the Predator 21 X are components
that can rival even the best desktop
computers available out there. At the
heart of the machine is an Intel Core
i7 processor, what is overclockable
by the end user to get more out of
their gaming experience. It has not
one but two NVIDIA GTX 1080 in SLi
to deliver unmatched graphics to the
gamer. Talking about graphics, the
1080p, 21:9 screen on the Predator 21
X is curved, the only machine in the
market that is designed to feature a
curved screen. This wider size also
gives games a wider view angle for
the gamers to immerse themselves
in the world they are playing in.

“You can identify
enemies, aim, and
take cover simply by
gazing at objects on
the screen.”
Of course if that is not enough, up
to three additional screens can be
connected to the 21 X, as well as
3D goggles for the true immersive
gaming experience.
To enhance immersion even
further to the next level, the laptop
also integrates Tobi eye-tracking
technology. The eye tracker consists
of illuminators and cameras that
complement keyboards, mice and
gamepads as an input method for
a new gaming experience. You can
identify enemies, aim, and take
cover simply by gazing at objects on
the screen.
For gaming controls, the
Predator 21 X comes with a
full-sized keyboard with a full
complement of Chery MX Brown
switches, to give the best tactile
experience while typing or gaming
on the machine. The keys are full
RGB and can be customised by
using Acer’s own software. Cooling
down the machine is up to the five
fans that Acer has installed into the
Predator 21 X.
A lucky person will be able
to purchase this limited unit as
there will be only one available in
Malaysia, for the price of RM 39,999.
For more information, please visit
Acer Malaysia Facebook or call Acer’s
Product Infoline at 1800-88-1288
(9am – 6pm, Mondays to Fridays).
Models posing with the newly launched Predator 21 X
Johnson Seet, Bruce Howe, General Manager, Microsoft Consumer and
Devices Sales, Microsoft Malaysia, Chan Weng Hong, Jeffrey Lai
113
JUNE 2017

gametime news
e-BLue Lands In MaLaysIa
E-Blue makes its way to our shores to give you even more choices when it comes to gaming peripherals
P
opular for being the sole
distributor for both consumer
lifestyle and luxury audio
devices like AKG, JBL and
Revel to name a few, Hot Gadgets are
now the sole distributor for E-Blue in
Malaysia, an up-and-coming gaming
peripherals company, focused towards
gaming mice, keyboards, headsets
and even gaming chairs and fullyoperational
desks.
E-Blue is also popular for coming
up with Iron Man as well as Captain
America inspired gaming peripherals,
much to the enjoyment of Marvel
fans around the world. What sets
E-Blue apart from the other gaming
companies is that it is the world’s first
illuminate PC gaming chair while still
providing authentic leather cushions
and is ergo-designed to provide
maximum comfort.
razer KeePs uP wIth ConsoLe
GaMInG
You can now have your very own Razer Raiju PS4 Controller instead of the conventional DualShock 4
114
JUNE 2017
W
hen it comes to console
gaming, it has always
been overlooked
compared to PC gaming
as there are much more peripherals
for PC gaming. Razer however, sees
no gender as it came out with the
Razer Raiju eSports controller for the
PS4. Sadly, it wasn’t available around
Asia Pacific during its release but it
is now!
Retailing at RM749, the Razer
Raiju comes with two unique, fullyprogrammable
multi-function bumpers
and triggers, which can then be
personalised to have your very own
custom button layout. All the additional
bumpers, triggers and actions are fitted
with Razer’s proprietary Hyperesponse
mechanical switch technology, making
it the perfect controller for any type of
PS4 game.
It also comes with a dedicated
quick control media panel where
you can choose to increase or
decrease the volume as well as
mute so you will never miss a beat
while gaming.

BattLe of the CoLIseuM
Red Bull Coliseum is back for Season 2 with an even
bigger prize pool!
a whIrLwInd
roManCe
a
fter the conclusion of the Red Bull
Coliseum last year, which saw a prize
pool of RM50,000 and three dominant
eSports titles, Red Bull Coliseum is
back for Season 2 with an even bigger prize
pool of RM100,000 and two new game titles,
FIFA Online 3 as well as Blizzard’s very own
Overwatch. These two games will join the
already stable roster of games – Dota 2, CS:GO
and FIFA 17.
Having attracted over 1,100 players during
its debut season, Season 2 is looking to increase
that to over 5,500 players this time around in a
total of five different countries around Southeast
Asia, which will include Malaysia, Thailand,
Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. It
will be looking for 512 teams (2,560 players) for
Dota 2, 256 teams (1,280 players) for CS:GO, 512
players for both FIFA 17 and FIFA Online 3 as
well as 32 teams (192) for Overwatch. There will
of course be regional qualifiers held in all five
countries while the main event will be held in an
undisclosed location in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
With a major eSports event of this scale,
Red Bull Malaysia will not be pulling it off on
its own as it has brought along various other
official partners. MSI will be the Official Laptop
Partner of the event while Logitech is the Official
Peripherals Partner during the event and Digi is
the Official Streaming Partner. Air Asia is also
the Official Travel Partner while both Garena and
Gamesbond are the Official Industry Partners.
i
f you’re leaning towards a gaming rig rather
than a gaming laptop but don’t know where
to start on building one, fear not as MSI
has got you covered with the Vortex G65VR
SLI gaming desktop PC. Dubbed the world’s first
smallest gaming desktop PC, the Vortex G65VR
is VR-ready so you don’t have to worry about
building a gaming desktop PC to suit it. It also
comes with Storm Cooling technology to keep it
cool at all times, a built-in gold certified power
supply unit and it can be extended to support up
to 6 monitors at one go.
Other Features:
• Processor: Intel i7-6700
• OS: Windows 10 Home
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070/ 8GB DDR5
• Memory: 16GB DDR4
• Storage: 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD + 1TB HDD
(7200rpm)
• Ports: HDMI x2, Mini Display x2,
Thunderbolt 3 x2, USB 3.0 x4
• VR Ready
VorteX G65
froM rM 11,999
My.MsI.CoM

gametime eSports
ICefroG strIKes aGaIn
Valve’s Dota 2 receives a major patch update dubbed 7.06
D
ota 2 is a game that is
ever-changing and is
constantly evolving along
with the gameplay meta that changes
whenever there is a patch update.
This time round, the game receives a
relatively huge patch update, dubbed
patch 7.06 and along with it, brings the
inevitable nerf/buff hammer for plenty
of the previous meta-favourite heroes.
The biggest change that has
received plenty of traction since the
patch’s release is the replacement
of Respawn Talents on no less than
42 heroes in the game. Talents were
introduced during the game-shifting
patch known as patch 7.00, which saw
the game receiving a total makeover
alongside plenty of other updates
and changes. Talents were a fresh
introduction into the game as it requires
each hero to dedicate a total of four skill
points at levels 10, 15, 20 and 25, which
provided some much-needed diversity
and versatility into the game. While
most talents were simple upgrades
like added physical damage, movement
speed, armour or even granting lifesteal
and spell damage amplification to name
a few, one of the biggest Talents would
be reducing the death timer on certain
heroes with that Talent listed in its Skill
Tree. Mostly reserved for supports, this
provided a notable change into the
gameplay meta as a reduced death
timer on heroes would allow a team to
bounce back into the game, even if they
lost all five heroes.
Although most heroes that
received the Talent change were
acceptable like Enigma receiving
an additional Malefice Instance,
Bristleback gaining 10% Spell
Lifesteal and Earthshaker receiving
an additional 350 range on Fissure,
some of the Talent change were
downright ludicrous. For example,
in place of Furion’s Respawn Talent,
it is now a ‘Remove Teleportation
Cooldown’ Talent instead, making
it insanely difficult to gank Furion or
even split-push other lanes safely.
Warlock’s Respawn Talent change is
also ridiculous as it can now Summon
another Golem upon death, making
the grand total of two Golems or even
three if Warlock has the Aghanim’s
Scepter upgrade.
Other noteworthy Respawn Talent
changes includes Techies additional
250 Attack Damage, which turns
Techies from being a nuisance to a
downright pain in the behind to deal
with. Aside from Techies, Magnus
also gains an additional 500 Skewer
range, Jakiro’s Macropyre now deals
Pure damage and Pierces Immunity
and Io’s Tether provides a Stun.
Plenty of heroes also received
reworks on their Aghanim’s Scepter
upgrades but the most notable one’s
would be to Dazzle and Medusa. For
Dazzle’s case, its Aghanim’s Scepter
upgrade used to increase the Area of
Effect (AoE) to its Ultimate – Weave
as well as the duration. It has now
been changed for its life-saving
ability, Shallow Grave from being a
single-target skill to an AoE skill. This
gives Dazzle the potential to save all
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JUNE 2017
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OCT 2016

“magnus gains an additional 500
Skewer range, Jakiro’s macropyre
now deals Pure damage and Pierces
immunity and io’s tether provides a
Stun.”
four teammates and thus, turning
the tides of a teamfight with one
skill. Medusa’s Aghanim’s Scepter
upgrade pays tribute to her ultimate,
Stone Gaze, which turns enemies to
stone if they’re looking at her. With
the upgrade, Medusa’s Mystic Snake
can now turn enemy heroes into
stone as well for one second. The
stun duration is then increased by 0.2
seconds per bounce with a total of
six jumps at Level 4, making the stun
duration to be a total of 2.2 seconds.
Other updates and reworks to the
game includes the usage of Shrines,
which are now locked until after
five minutes into the game, making
it that much harder for midlaners
to win their lane based on damage
output alone. Creep denies also give
30% experience points (XP) bounty
to the denying team and there is an
added melee creep in the mid lane
for the first 15 minutes and creeps
meet a bit closer towards the offlane
towers. Neutrals were also not
spared as it goes back to its original
spawn time of one minute instead
of two but it now gives 20% less XP
and gold.
Roshan also now drops Cheese
on its second death rather than the
third, placing him in much higher
importance than before; Buyback
cooldown has been increased from
seven to eight minutes; Uphill misschance
no longer applies to flying
units (Batrider using Firefly) and of
course, Illusion building damage
reduced from 50% to 60%.
117
JUNE 2017

gametime news
entry-LeVeL PasCaL GPu
NVIDIA introduces yet another edition to its Pascal 10 Series lineup with the GT 1030 GPU
W
hen it comes to GPUs,
NVIDIA is clearly still
leaps and bounds ahead
of AMD. From its GTX
10 Series GPUs like the GTX1080 and
1080Ti to even the GTX Titan and Titan
Xp, NVIDIA’s GPUs always seem to
know what the users want, before they
even know about it. This time around,
NVIDIA introduces the latest addition
to its lineup with its GeForce GT1030.
At first sight, the GT1030 is aimed
towards the entry-level and budgetfriendly
users who are looking to
build their own PCs on a very strict
budget but without skimping on
performance. It’s packed with 384
CUDA cores with a boost clock
speed of 1468Mhz while also having
a memory bandwidth of 48Gbps. It
also comes with 2GB GDDR5 RAM
while also being able to support 4K
Ultra HD (UHD) gaming graphics and
HDMI/DP.
The best thing about the GeForce
GT1030 is that it is now made
available worldwide from NVIDIA
GeForce partners around the globe
and the starting price is at US$69
(approx. RM298).
new Is aLways Better
NVIDIA teases a brand new GPU architecture called VOLTA
118
JUNE 2017
m
uch like its previous
architectures likes
Maxwell and the current
Pascal, NVIDIA has set
the bar when it comes to creating
consumer GPUs as well as highperformance
computing. The most
recent announcement to come out
of the mean green machine is to do
with Volta, NVIDIA’s latest graphics
architecture alongside the Tesla V100.
This silicon-based successor
to NVIDIA’s highly popular Pascal
architecture features a silicon chip
made on TSMC’s 12nm Fin-FET
manufacturing process while packing
a hefty 21.1 billion transistors on a
815mm² die.
The Volta architecture on
itself will feature ground-breaking
innovations like 640 Tensor
Cores, which can deliver over 100
Teraflops per seconds (TFLOPS) of
deep learning performance. This is
more than five times the increase
compared to the previous generation
of Pascal architecture.

GIrL GaMer aLert!
One of the four main hosts for Astro EGG 808, Pinda Panda gets her own six-episode series
H
ailing from the Eastern
Himalayas of Bhutan, which
gifted Malaysia one of the
most colourful eSports
personalities it has to offer – pindaPanda,
also known as Pinda Rika Dorji. She also
is also a TV host on Astro eGG channel
808, which is the first eSports-only
channels in Southeast Asia. Although
graduating from university with a degree
in civil engineering, her true calling came
in the form of auditions held at Astro,
looking for personalities who could host
the eGG channel.
Pinda now also has her own show
on Astro eGG called ‘The pindaPanda
Show’, a six-episode series,
focusing on the life of pindaPanda
while also touching on her daily life,
her pursuit of her passion – eSports
– and many others. The show will
also take viewers into life in Bhutan,
giving you a glimpse of her roots and
her home.
“We are excited to see the
tremendous engagement from eSports
fans on eGG Network. To further expand
our content, we are pleased to present
an all-new and original ‘The pindaPanda
Show’ featuring our talented host,”
said CK Lee, Vice President of Sports
Business at Astro.
CoMPetInG wIth the Best
ViewSonic launches a brand new gaming monitor with 240Hz refresh rate
i
f you’re looking to build or
upgrade your own gaming
rig, ViewSonic wants you to
consider its latest gaming
monitor, the XG2530. This 25-inch
gaming monitor packs a mean punch
thanks to its native Full HD (FHD)
1080p resolution as well as having
a refresh rate of 240Hz. The XG2530
gaming monitor also comes with
versatile connectivity options that
include a DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI
1.4 and 2.0, which supports AMD
FreeSync and also USB 3.0 A/B ports.
However, the pinnacle of the
XG2530 gaming monitor is its 1ms
response time, giving you a seamless
and stutter-free performance during
the most intense gameplay. The
monitor also has a refresh rate
of 240Hz for greater fluidity with
astounding visual effects. For firstperson
shooter (FPS) gamers, the
XG2530 also comes with an exclusive
ColorX gaming mode, which delivers
an optimal refresh rate and response
time while pumping out consistent
and vibrant colours to the game.
“Our commitment to competitive
gamers by pushing ourselves to
realise the most important aspects of
what truly matters to enhance player’s
experience during game play is the
soul of our idealism for the XG2530,”
said Chaw Foo Hong, Country Manager
of ViewSonic Malaysia. The monitor is
available from May 2017 onwards and
is priced at RM1,999.
119
JUNE 2017

FUTURETECH
Tesla Has Got Competition
The Lucid Air from Lucid Motors is the next dream car to look forward to.
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Wheeling Around Without Air
Bridgestone new air-less tyre concept for bicycles
B
ridgestone just created a new wheel
concept for bicycle tyres that will
eliminate the need for riders to head to
the nearest air pump.
The “Air Free Concept” is a
technology that eliminates the need for tires to
be inflated with air to support the weight, using
a unique structure of spokes stretching along the
inner sides of tires. In addition, the resins that are
used in the spokes and rubbers help realize more
efficient use of resources.
Your next bicycle tyre may just be the new
design from Bridgestone, as it eliminates the need
to pump your bike, and is flexible enough that
we may just see new bicycle designs in the near
future. Plus, it is very futuristic looking as well!
120
JUNE 2017

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