Calm Before The Storm T
Managing Director Noor Azman Head of Department YK Cheah
he month of July has been a relatively quiet one, what with Aidilfitri celebrations still lingering in the air and everyone appears to be in a festive mood. That being said, it’s about time that all the new hardware announced at and prior to COMPUTEX start appearing, and this month, we’ve got quite a number of new things to play with. Our cover story for the month talks about online banking, and it’s a topic that we’re sure is close to a lot of people’s hearts, especially as online shopping is starting to become a really big thing in this region. We’ll be talking about the importance in keeping your online banking details safe, and what you can do to ensure that it stays that way. We’ve got two competing GPUs in the form of an NVIDIA GTX 1060 and AMD Radeon RX 480, which have been touted as the new kings of the hill for high-end 1080p gaming. As if that’s not enough, we’ve got not one, not two, but three brand new Intel X99 motherboards from ASUS, GIGABYTE and MSI respectively to play with too. The Intel LGA 2011 platform seems to be enjoying a renewed renaissance period no thanks to Intel’s brand new Broadwell-E processor, and oh boy, don’t we wish some of this tech trickles down to the Z170 platform. Is your PC facing some problems that are difficult to pinpoint? Want to do some diagnostic checks on your SSD? Our Practice section this month talks about running tests to ensure that your PC is free of problems and is running at optimum efficiency. Definitely worth a look so that you can figure out what the problem is before sending your PC to the repair shop. There’s more of course, but you’ll have to turn the pages to read about them!
EDITORIAL Deputy Editor Nazrin Zain Senior Writer Matthew Yap Writer Nixon Ng Contributors Edwin Lee, Christoph Schmidt, James E. Curtis, Caren Stella Geiger, R. Mattgey, Jörg Geiger, Robert Di Marcoberardino, Markus Mandau, Leo Joscha, Fabian von Keudell Design & Layout Halijah Ismail Cover Design Halijah Ismail SALES & MARKETING Senior Manager YK Cheah Consultant Muffadzlee Dato’ Sufian ADMINISTRATION Admin Manager WP Lim ONLINE www.chip.com.my @CHIPMY CHIP Malaysia PUBLISHER Online Dynamics (M) Sdn. Bhd. A-5-07 Block A, Neo Damansara Bandar Damansara Perdana, Jalan PJU 8/1 47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Tel: (03) 7727 6554 Fax: (03) 7727 3554
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Nazrin Zain Deputy Editor
No part of CHIP magazine / shall be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. All views expressed in the magazine are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of CHIP magazine / the publisher. All information in the magazine is provided ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ and CHIP magazine / the publisher makes no representations and gives no warranty of any kind, implied, express or statutory as to the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, non-infringement of 3rd party rights, title, merchantability and / or suitability / fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the said information. Under no circumstances whatsoever shall the CHIP magazine / the publisher be liable for any direct, indirect, special or consequential damages whether in contract or in tort arising out of or in connection with the use of the information made available in CHIP magazine. All prices, product versions and URLs’ are correct at the time of printing.
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COVER STORY NEWS & TRENDS
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066 Making Online Banking Safe Online banking is a big thing these days, but is it truly safe? We show you the benefits, dangers, and how to secure your online banking transactions
006 Local News Coverage of the latest news and events right on our shores
034 World Wired Web All the latest tech happenings around the world
030 Security Reports Monthly dose of security news
FEATURES
038 LegalTech Is Net Neutrality important?
052 Attack On Android Years on, Android continues to be a platform that is bugged with constant threats
064 WWW Turns 25 The Internet as we know it turns 25 this year. Let’s take a trip down nostalgia lane and see how it has advanced over the years
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TEST LAB
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075 Test Lab: The Tools Test Labs’ tools of the trade
077 Test Lab Contents Take a pick and get started!
084 Reviews Professionally conducted reviews following our stringent tests and benchmarks
LITE & LEISURE PRACTICE REGULARS 084
110 E-Sports Express What’s the latest gossip in the e-sports world?
112 Made Possible By The Masses Looking for music apps to entertain yourself on the move? Look no further! 114 Checking Your PC’s Performance Even a high-end PC needs to be checked up once in a while to ensure it performs well. Here are some of our tips on how to do it
001 Welcome Note 118 Tips and Tricks
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CHIP Downloads August 2016 We’re back with our monthly dose of interesting, free and handy tools for you to enhance your PC experience. If you want to know how you can get these files, follow the instructions below: 1. Head on our website @ www.chip.com.my and right at the top, click on the ‘‘Downloads” tab 2. After that, click on the respective month’s post. You will then be prompted for a password. The password can be found on this page monthly. 3. Navigate using the tabs and pick the categories you want to download the files from. Once you find the file you want, just click on it and you’re good to go! And it’s as easy as that! PASSWORD FOR AUGUST 2016 - PolarisPascal
Featured Tools
VirtualDub
VirtualDub is a video capturing/processing utility for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows platforms. Although it lacks the editing power of a general-purpose editor such as Adobe Premiere, it’s streamlined for fast linear operations over video. It has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters. VirtualDub is mainly geared towards processing AVI files, although it can read but not write MPEG-1 and can also handle sets of BMP images.
HandBrake HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs. You can get started with HandBrake within seconds, by choosing profiles optimised for your device, or choose a universal profile for standard or high quality conversions. HandBrake can process most common multimedia files and any DVD or BluRay sources that do not contain any kind of copy protection. You can also implement chapter markers, title and chapter range selections, and subtitles with HandBrake.
Avidemux Avidemux is a video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. It supports many file types including AVI, DVD, compatible MPEG files, MP4 and ASF, using a variety of codecs. Tasks can be automated using projects, job queue and its powerful scripting capabilities. Avidemix is available for Linux, BSD, MacOS X and Microsoft windows, the program was written from scratch, but the code has contributions from other people and projects.
Essentials
Our list of essentials consists of programs and software such as graphic drivers, browsers, compression software and even Cloud storage software that will improve a PC user’s experience. The links on our website won’t provide you with the files, instead it will lead you to the developers’ official website, where you can find the right file for you. 004
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The Monthly Downloads MediaPortal 2 Operating system: Win 7/8/10 In windows 10, users would find that “Windows Media Player” is not around anymore, it’s also said there would be no replacement for it in the new operating system. One program you can look at is MediaPortal 2, which also runs smoothly on older systems so even if you’re on a Pentium 4 or AMD XP2000+ it shouldn’t pose a problem.
Print Conductor Operating system: Win XP/Vista/7/8/10 Would you like to print multiple documents at a time without opening all those documents? Then Print Conductor is the right program for you, with this program all you have to do is add the files you wish to print and select the printer, and with a click you’ll instantly print all those documents.
Atom Operating system: Win 7/8/10 Atom is there if you need a high-performance programming language editor, it supports PHP, Javascript, HTML and many others. The tool can be adapted to almost all the requirements and demands of a user and makes a great alternative to Notepad++ or any standard editor.
Iperius Backup Operating system: Win 8/10 A power failure during the most urgent of times, and *poof* there goes your work. Not to mention if excess voltage not only damages your data but the entire system, but now with Iperius Backup you might have your last saving grace. You can backup all your data into the cloud and restore it on a new PC easily.
Emsisoft Decrypter Operating system: Win 7/8/10 The Trojan Autolocky is a ransomware which is currently taking the world by storm, encrypting files and only releasing them when payment is made. Emsisoft Decrypter decrypts the file system to help you get back your data without giving in to blackmail.
MegaGlest Operating system: Win XP/Vista/7/8/10 A cross-platform game that takes place on a map of varying size, such as large plains and fields, with terrain features like rivers, mountains, seas, or cliffs. Players must establish settlements to gain resources, defend against other players, and train units to explore the map and attack enemies.
Wise Registry Cleaner Operating system: Win 10 Wise Registry Cleaner is one of the safest registry cleaning tools available, its scanning engine is thorough, safe and fast. It scans the Windows registry and finds incorrect or obsolete information and fixes them, so that your system will work better and efficiently.
Seer Operating system: Win 7/8/10 This sleek tool allows users to add useful preview functions for files to the classic Windows Explorer. After installing the program all you have to do is select a file and hit the spacebar, it will then show a preview window containing information.
VDesk Operating system: Win 10 In Windows 10, virtual desktops are a part of the operating system. With VDesk, you can specify which Windows applications would run on a virtual desktop once, or would it permanently run on a virtual desktop.
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The Perfect 10 With HTC
The highly anticipated HTC 10 finally hits Malaysian shores
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ith the culmination in years of innovation and combining the best world class features consumers have come to expect, HTC is proud to announce the highly anticipated HTC 10 is landing onto Malaysian shores. With customer feedback being an integral part of HTC’s development process, combined with an obsessive attention to detail, the HTC 10 delivers everything that Malaysians would want from a flagship device. Carrying the slogan of “Power of 10”, the HTC 10 has been designed from the ground up as a smartphone worthy of the flagship title that symbolises greatness and independence but also that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This newest addition to the HTC phone family combines features that consumers have come to expect, like a world class camera and gold standard audio. The bold new metal unibody designed together with unparalleled performance combined creates a
smartphone that is truly a perfect 10. “With the HTC 10, we are proud to offer Malaysians the best innovations that we have made over the past 20 years, thus creating a device that stands out with an attractive price that everyone will love. With all its features, we are confident that consumers can look forward to another brilliant year with our HTC 10”, said Mr Faisal Siddiqui, President, HTC South Asia. Seeing as how frequently one uses their smartphone cameras today, HTC has packed the HTC 10 with the best smartphone camera available on the market today to give Malaysians more opportunities to capture brilliant moments. With the world’s first optically stabilised, large aperture f/1.8 lenses on both the front and rear cameras, new larger sensors, 12 million of HTC’s new generation UltraPixels, faster autofocus powering the main camera and a wide angle lens and screen flash on the front UltraSelfie camera, the HTC
10 delivers brilliantly sharp, low light and highresolution photos whether behind or in front of the lens. Whilst the HTC 10 nails it on the hardware with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM, HTC focuses on getting the right fundamentals for delivering the best in class software. By reducing the number of duplicative and pre-loaded apps and bloatware, and integrating the best of both HTCV and Google, a more streamlined phone was created that enables you to decide what you want on your handset. The HTC 10 comes in both Carbon Grey and Topaz Gold colours, only for the price of RM2,799. www.htc.com
The HTC 10 is the first smartphone to have OIS lenses on both the front and back cameras
Cheong Wah Tong, Country Manager, HTC Malaysia(centre) and Aaron Lim, Senior Field Technical Lead Engineer, Sales & Product, HTC Malaysia(right) revealing the HTC 10
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No lousy bloatware on the HTC 10 to bog down its performance!
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David Nalasco explaining the features of the new Radeon RX 480 graphics card
Ryan Sim, Channel Sales Director, ASEAN & India, AMD (third from left), David Nalasco, Senior Technology Manager for Graphics, Radeon Technology Group, AMD (third from right), and Peter Amos, APU Product Marketing Manager, AMD Client Business officially launching the AMD Radeon RX 480 here in Malaysia
designed so that it gives you a look at what to expect from performance levels when the cards are overclocked. At the event, AMD also revealed that the RX 460 and RX 470 will be launched in Malaysian markets “soon”. We did manage to get a look at the card at the event, and it is an impressive little thing, as it was hooked up to an Oculus Rift unit, and was able to play Eve Gunjack without any noticeable lag whatsoever. www.amd.com
AMD Officially Launch New RX 480 Graphics Cards In Malaysia Gamers can finally rejoice as the AMD Radeon RX 480 is now officially here
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MD’s new Radeon RX 480 graphics cards are already available in local computer stores locally, but the company recently held a media event to officially welcome it here, while unveiling a series of other cards which will be hitting the shelves here sometime soon. The idea behind the development of the Polaris chip that powers the RX 480 is the fact that virtual reality gaming is starting to become a big thing, but the cost of ownership is astronomically high. The RX 480’s starting price tag of USD199 aims to fix this problem by making the components needed to play VR games more affordable. There is an estimated number of 1.3
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billion PCs around the world right now, but out of that number, only 13 million PCs are able to utilise VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. With the launch of the RX 480, AMD aims to increase the number of PCs that are VR ready, whilst providing non VR games with the best gaming experience at an inexpensive price. With the RX 480, AMD also unveiled its new overclocking app called Wattman, which allows users to adjust various settings like core clock speeds, voltage levels and VRAM speeds. The app is also well-
A reference design Radeon RX 480 from XFX
The AMD Radeon RX 460 is a card that is yet to be launched, but is capable of playing VR games like Eve Gunjack smoothly
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(4th from left) TKP Dato’ Narander Singh, Kajang Prison Director, Jasmine Begum, Director of Corporate, External & Legal Affairs, Microsoft Malaysia and Emerging Markets, TKJP Dato’ Haji Hassan bin Sakimon, Deputy Commissioner General, Malaysian Prisons Department, Mary Snapp, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Philanthropies; and KP Dato’ Jamaluddin Saad, Director, Management of Inmate Division, Prisons Department of Malaysia, pictured on stage together at the event
Education For All
Microsoft works with Malaysian Prisons Department to improve digital literacy amongst juvenile inmates
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icrosoft Malaysia has recently announced a three-year partnership with the Malaysian Prisons Department to help juvenile inmates here gain digital literacy, skilling them for opportunities in the areas of digital inclusion, entrepreneurship and capacity building. This collaboration aims to educate 500 inmates, aged 16 to 21 from 13 different prison schools nationwide, with volunteers ranging from Microsoft staff, student partners, and even NGOs such as Yayasan Generasi Gemilang. The three-year partnership is aimed at getting these young adults geared for employment, or to pursue further education upon their release from prison. Besides training the inmates, Microsoft Malaysia is also looking to train the teachers
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in these institutions to make them a lot more computer literate, which would in turn help them teach the students computer skills in a more efficient manner. “We are excited about the partnership with the Prison Department of Malaysia on this program, which includes providing Digital Literacy, entrepreneurship, computer science and leadership amongst others, looks at employability and start-ups as an outcome for these 13 prison schools,” said Mary Snapp, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Philanthropies, during her visit here to Malaysia. This isn’t the first time Microsoft Malaysia has collaborated with the Malaysian Prisons Department as last year, 160 inmates from the Henry Gurney Prison School joined the
company’s Hour of Code initiative. They were introduced to a specially created “Minecraft” coding tutorial, where both students and teachers learnt about the basics of coding, while allowing them to navigate through the of Minecraft, plugging blocks together to complete actions and generate code. As that particular event was a major success, the Ministry of Home Affairs went into talks with Microsoft Malaysia to develop more capacity-building programs like Hour of Code, which led to the Malaysian Prisons Department to consider developing IT academies for the 13 prison schools nationwide. http://microsoft.com/en-my
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Alvin Liew, Director of Sales and Marketing for Plantronics Southeast Asia
The Voyager 5200 connected to its charging dock.
(Third and fourth from right) Alvin Liew and Richard Tan of Plantronics Southeast Asia, posing with the newly launched devices with local distributors.
Plantronics Launches New Wireless Devices The new BackBeat GO 3 is made for the music lover, while the Voyager 5200 is great for working professionals
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lantronics has just launched two new audio devices called the BackBeat GO 3 wireless earbud and the Voyager 5200 Bluetooth headset. Standing in stark contrast to one another, the former is designed to isolate the user and provide excellent sound quality, while the latter is good for professionals who need a highquality wireless communication tool on the go. Starting with the Voyager 5200, Plantronics has created a Bluetooth headset that allows users to be heard even in noisy environments. Equipped with Plantronics’ in-house WindSmart technology, this headset is able to reduce wind and noise effectively. This enables users to speak to another person on a phone, for example, and still be heard clearly despite the external
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noise. According to Richard Tan, Regional Consumer Business Manager for Plantronics Southeast Asia, the working professional thrives on mobility and that was the idea behind the design for the Voyager 5200. Besides the six layers of WindSmart technology to reduce noise, this headset also has an aerodynamic boom and a windbox that shields the microphone from noise generated by wind. It also has a proprietary wind-cancelling algorithm to keep the mics focused only on the user’s voice. Next, Alvin Liew, Director of Sales and Marketing for Plantronics Southeast Asia, took the stage to give a product briefing of the BackBeat GO 3. The BackBeat GO 3 is the opposite of the Voyager 5200, which is more for professional. This wireless earbud is
This carry case also charges the BackBeat GO 3 like a powerbank.
made for music lovers who want to lose the cables. Unlike many wireless earbuds with similar design, the BackBeat GO 3 isn’t tuned to be bass heavy but instead tries its best to reveal the many micro-details that can otherwise be drowned out by heavy bass. It has a sweat-proof P2i nano-coating that makes it ideal for use in a gym and a new design – compared to its predecessor – that’s much more comfortable. On top that, it also has a portable charging case that will provide an additional 13 hours of battery. Both devices are now available for purchase locally, with the Voyager 5200 priced at RM499 and the BackBeat GO 3 also priced at RM499 but has the charging case bundled along. Customers can also buy an optional charging cradle for the Voyager 5200 for RM168, which would be useful for those who are constantly away from any available wall plug or charging station. www.plantronics.com
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From left to right is Zeffri Yusoaf, Head of Communications & Public Affairs, Google Malaysia; Sajith Sivanandan, Managging Director, Google Malaysia, Vietnam, Phillipines and New Emerging Markets; Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood, CEO, MDEC; Lee Ching Wei, Co-Founder & CEO, iMoney Group during the event’s panel discussion
Google-Temasek SEA Research Findings There’s a lot of potential in the SEA region but also plenty of challenges standing before us which needs to be addressed
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oogle invited the media and related organisations to reveal their research findings of digital opportunity for the next decade. South East Asia is the world’s fastest growing internet region with an existing internet user base of 250 mllion and should grow to ~480 million users by the year 2020. Consequently, the SEA internet economy is expected to grow to ~USD200+ billion by 2025, driven mostly by the growth of first-hand eCommerce markets, and followed by online media, and online travel. Furthermore, the total first-hand eCommerce market in SEA is expected to reach ~USD88 billion by 2025, significantly outpacing the growth of offline retail with the potential to reach ~USD120 billion. There are three factors that are unique to sea
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that will drive its growth, the first being a burgeoning young population, second the lack of big-box retail access particularly difficult in remote islands which are abundant in Philippines and Indonesia, and lastly the rapidly growing middle-class. It is also said that the number of transactions is expected to be the biggest growth driver, as more people gain access to the internet and availability of products online increases. To make SEA a USD200 billion internet economy will require ~USD40-50 billion of additional investments over the next 10 years. Additionally, five other challenges must be addressed through public and private-sector initiatives for further growth. The lack of senior developers and CXO-level talent causes startups to rely on expat
talent from China and US, therefore the lack of talent must be addressed with new tech-focused educational programs that are needed to create a future pipeline. There is also still no scalable e-payment alternatives resulting in increased of ‘Cash on Delivery’ transactions, which in turn increases risk and costs for merchants. This is also the result of lack of consumer trust, as consumers are wary of making transactions online due to various security issues such as fraud. Then there’s the issue of internet infrastructure, low internet speeds and penetration rate due to regulatory and geographical constraints, where innovative PPP initiatives are required to make high-speed internet a commodity in SEA. Finally the government is needed to invest and focus on improving the road and rail networks, which are critical to ensure a fast and efficient delivery system. www.google.com
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Lee Jui Siang, Vice President of Mobile Division, Samsung Malaysia speaking at the event
The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro launch coincided together with a big durian feast hosted by Samsung Malaysia
Bigger And Better Than Before
The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro sports a large and vibrant 6.0 inch Full HD screen
Samsung officially launches the Galaxy A9 Pro in Malaysia
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he age of phablets is over you say? Not if Samsung has anything to say about it. The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro is now in Malaysia, and it’s certainly a phone that will raise more than just a few eyebrows. At a recent media gathering, Samsung Malaysia made the official announcement for the much talked-about smartphone. The Galaxy A9 sports a gigantic 6.0 inch display, and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, with 4GBs of RAM and 32GBs of storage space, which can be expanded via a MicroSD card, right up to 256GBs. Speaking of MicroSD cards, according to Samsung, each purchase of the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro will also come with a free 64GB Samsung EVO MicroSD card. Samsung also clarified that this isn’t a limited time offer, as each phone will definitely come
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with a free MicroSD card. At the back is a 16MP camera with built in optical image stabiliser (OIS), allowing users to take great-looking photos without having to worry about camera shake, as the OIS will take care of that. Up front, the A9 Pro has an 8MP wide-angle camera which also takes great selfie shots, while the home button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, providing you instant access to your phone and a variety of functions. For those who are looking for a device with long-lasting battery, fret not as the Galaxy A9 Pro comes with a whopping 5,000mAh battery, which is enough to keep the phone running for about two days. You also don’t need to fear that the phone will charge slowly, as the phone comes with Samsung’s fast charge technology which means the phone will be fully charge from
The Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro is available in three different colours: Gold, Black and White
empty in and around two hours. Available in authorised retailers nationwide, the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro retails for RM 1,999, and comes in three colour options that include Gold, Black and White. www.samsung.com/my
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Sierra Blair-Coyle, Professional Climber climbs a highrise building using a pair of LG CordZero‘s
From left to right Kong Mun Keen, General Manager Marketing, LG Electronics Malaysia, David Oh, Managing Director, LG Electronics Malaysia, LG OLED TV Marathon participants and Mohamad Alex Edward, Deputy General Manager, Malaysia Book of Records
Malaysia Book Of Records And Innovations With LG
perceived as ‘‘A Whole New Category of Television” in the electronics industry for its superior display technology, distinctive design and perfect colour contrast. The TV is enhanced by high dynamic range (HDR), a technology that provides infinite contrast ratio for unmatched clarity ensuring perfect black and vibrant colours. LG OLED TV received the coveted Innovation Award in CES 2016 for its superior display, making it a must-have feature in every living room. LG continued to defy odds by partnering professional climber Sierra Blair-Coyle to demonstrate the power of its CordZero canister vacuum cleaners. The two-time US champion professional climber conquered the side of a 140-meter high-rise building in Seoul, South Korea with just two canister vacuum cleaners strapped to her back. Blair-Coyle’s extravagant climbing effort proves the suction power of the LG vacuum cleaners when she completed the climb in less than 30 minutes. The LG Roadshow 2016 featured other innovations namely the SUPER UHD TV, home speakers, refrigerators, top and bottom load washing machines, air conditioner and many more. www.lg.com.my
LG breaks records and does what seems impossible with innovations that defy the odds
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G Electronics Malaysia clinched a new milestone by completing the ‘‘Longest Non-Stop Television Watching Marathon” under Malaysia Book of Records today. The announcement was made during LG’s Beyond Imagination Roadshow, an event showcasing record breaking and monumental efforts from around the world. Five young Malaysians took on the challenge to watch TV for 48-hours and successfully made it into the records book for their effort. Lee Jiin Aun, Chue Jia Hui, Loi Kah Hau, Tang Hoe Sing, and Siow Shook Yien continuously watched various programmes for two days and two nights,
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taking only one fiveminute break hourly. The attempt was completed earlier this month in a customised LG apartment featuring the multiaward winning LG OLED TV, well known for its superior perfect black picture quality, friendly to viewer’s eye and unmatched design. LG OLED TV is
The LG OLED TV which participants used to challenge the record, is well known to have superior image quality
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Maxis Introduces Best In Class IOT Solutions To Create Smarter Businesses
Maxis demonstrates the vast opportunities in business with the capability of IoT in different sectors
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axis announced that it will begin offering Vodafone’s world leading Internet of Things (IoT) services to businesses. The agreement means Maxis can now offer enterprises best in class IoT solutions to optimise costs, improve operational efficiency, create more value and ultimately deliver a better customer experience. By pairing its local market knowledge and leading high speed data network with Vodafone’s expertise and market leading platform, Maxis will be able to deliver the necessary technology required for businesses in Malaysia looking to implement IoT services in their operations. The IoT, which is about connecting devices over the internet, allowing them to talk to
us and each other by sending and receiving data, is drastically changing the way we live and work. With 25 billion connected devices predicted by 2020, the powerful combination of sensors and connectivity is propelling IoT from a mere ‘trend’ into the next industrial revolution. ‘‘The exponential growth of data and how people use them has had a huge impact on how businesses operate. Through our agreement with Vodafone, which brings with it a global standard of service, unrivalled IoT experience and highly ranked by analysts, we are equipping businesses in Malaysia with more than just connectivity through our advanced data network, but a suit of IoT solutions to digitalise and transform their operations. This is a milestone in our
New ways of doing business smarter made possible with IoT
The benefits of picking Maxis IoT
drive towards new ways of working and digitalisation for enterprises,” said Shanti Jusnita Johari, Maxis Head of Enterprise Marking and Products. Today, even a watch can track your fitness routine and send data to your doctor so they can prescribe the best medication for you, and you could remotely control your home appliances from across the world. IoT is also transforming the way businesses operate. Sensors in manufacturing equipment, for example, can monitor and send alerts when parts need maintenance, then automatically send reports to business owners. In construction, wireless sensors embedded in concrete foundation piles can ensure the quality and integrity of a structure. While consumer applications like fitness monitors and smart homes attract the most attention and can create significant value, the B2B opportunity is expected to generate nearly 70 percent of potential value enabled by IoT. www.maxis.com.my/iot
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Frankie Lee - Senior Manager, ASEAN Marketing, Wana Tun - Regional Technical Evangelist, Justin Peters - APAC Technology Solutions Director and Sumit Bansal - ASEAN & Korea Sales Director
Keeping Your Businesses Secure
Sophos Central provides easy-to-use security solutions to both partners and customers
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ophos, a company known for its enterprise-level network and endpoint security solutions has recently launched a brand new cloud-based management platform with the release of Sophos Central. Sophos Central is an integrated management platform that simplifies the administration of multiple Sophos products, enabling efficient business management for the company’s partners. This unified security management platform is an element of Sophos’ synchronised security strategy to enable multiple security products to work together seamlessly with simpler management and better security. ‘‘We see too many customers crushed
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under an avalanche of security tools that are too complex to manage effectively. Sophos Central simplifies this for partners and customers by bringing their Sophos products into one management platform. The synchronised
real-time information sharing enables a faster response to incidents and improved security for organizations of all sizes,” commented Bill Lucchini, general manager and senior vice president at Sophos. The Sophos Central software is made up of three core components, namely Admin, which allows the IT administrator to manage a variety of Sophos products all in one place, which includes endpoint, mobile, and web, with more features such as e-mail and WiFi management coming later. Partner, meanwhile, allows partners to manage product licensing, identity while tracking cross-sell and up-sell opportunities with ease. It also allows Sophos partners to remotely manage their customers’ Sophos solutions, without having to actually go on-site. The third component, Self Service, will be launching sometime later this year, allowing end-users within an organisation or business to manage quarantined e-mails, allocate provisioning for Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) policies, and even secure configuration of WiFi access points and hotspots on their own. ‘‘In addition to the ease of security management, Sophos Central makes it easy for our partners to manage their customers. They can proactively manage and track their business, identify and act upon revenue opportunities, manage customer security configurations and see all security issues in one dashboard. This can all be done remotely which reduces their overall cost of business and allows rapid growth without demanding more and more expensive resources” added Bill. www.sophos.com/central
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Acer Introduces Compact Desktops And Gaming Monitors Acer reveals compact performance desktops, and gaming monitors that don’t break the bank
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cer announced its latest Aspire tower series- the Aspire X3 and XC. The attractive desktops pack powerful processing power into a compact form factor to seamlessly power through all your daily work and play tasks. Along with the announcement, Acer also unveiled its KG series Entry Gaming Monitor, the KG270 and KG 240A, the gateway towards a smooth gaming experience. The Aspire X3 and XC harnesses the performance from sixth generation Intel processors to make computing smoother when you work, browse, or entertain. Memory-wise, the Aspire X3 and XC are equipped with up to 32GB of super-fast DDR4 memory for a smoother computing experience. In addition, thanks to the latest 802.11ac wireless, these desktops connect to the Internet, to wireless devices, and to the world with just a click and at three
times faster. Sporting higher performances but lower power requirements, the Aspire X series certainly packs a lot of processing punch into its small footprint. Meanwhile, the Acer Full HD KG270 and KG240A monitors are beautifully designed entry gaming monitors. They users into a perfect colourful world in Full HD 1920 x 1080, and provide the finest natural and sharp image quality. The series is equipped with AMD FreeSync technology for smooth gameplay with decreased lag and no screen tearing. Sporting an ultra-fast 1ms response time, it provides super smooth and fluid gaming experiences together with faster blur-free images. Through the Black boost technology, gamers can fine-tune the visuals to see more details in darker scenes. In addition, the high refresh rate of 144Hz on the KG240A speeds up the frames delivered
to provide an ultra-smooth 2D motion scene. Also taking into account of a user’s prolonged usage, the KG Series comes with Acer EyeProtect technology, which comprises of Acer’s Flicker-less, Acer Blue Light Filter and the Acer ComfyView. The Aspire X3 should be available early this month for RM3,499 and above, while the Aspire XC is available immediately at RM1,599. The KG240A is available and is priced at RM759, while the KG240A should be available sometime this month for RM899. www.acer.com/ac/en/my/content/home
The Aspire X3 offers premium performance together with a wireless charging deck for cahrging devices cable free
Game smoothly and safely with AMD FreeSync technology and Acer EyeProtect technology
The Aspire XC sports sixth generation Intel Core processors and up to 32GB of RAM for amazing performance
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Ultimate Protection On The Road With Transcend
Protecting you on the road, Transcend ensures you get everything on video no matter what
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ranscend Information Inc., a leading manufacturer of storage and multimedia products, has announced the release of its DrivePro 50 Car Video Recorder. Featuring an extremely compact size, a large F/1.8 aperture, Wi-Fi connectivity, a built-in battery, a highquality Full HD imaging sensor, and a G-sensor emergency recording function, the DrivePro 50 provides its users with ultimate protection on the road. The DrivePro 50 extremely compact size can be well hidden behind the rear-view mirror without blocking the driver’s view. The DrivePro 50’s large F/1.8 aperture is capable of capturing all details of an incident, including license plates, during either daytime or nighttime.
The DrivePro 50’s camera integrates a wide 130-degree viewing angle and a Full HD imaging sensor for clear and smooth 1080p (30fps) video recording. In addition, the 6 glass lenses plus 1 infrared filter lens are designed to prevent fogging from heat generated during extended recordings and to ensure the whole trip is recorded in high clarity. Thanks to its built-in Wi-Fi and the free DrivePro New App, the DrivePro 50 can be operated entirely via iOS or Android devices. When connected to the DrivePro 50’s dedicated wireless network, users can stream, playback, ad download videos, and easily adjust DrivePro 50’s settings directly from their smartphone or tablet. The DrivePro 50’s built-in G-sensor
OnePlus 3 Now Available Locally The wait is finally over as OnePlus finally launches its latest flagship smartphone in Malaysia
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martphone maker OnePlus has released its latest model, the OnePlus 3, in Malaysia via local distributed Brightstar Distribution Sdn. Bhd. With improved hardware and tweaks in design, OnePlus’ new smartphone aims to deliver a premium device with a greater user experience. The OnePlus 3 comes with flexibility as one of its key strong points. Not only is the device not tied down by any local carriers, it also comes with an unlocked bootloader, which allows users to mod the ROM of the phone if they so desire. ‘‘We know that the best smartphone is the one that works exactly how you want it to,” said OnePlus Founder and CEO Pete Lau. ‘‘The OnePlus 3 delivers that experience and combines what our customers already love
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about our products, with what they want and expect next. For example, Dash Charge sets a new standard for fast charging technology. It’s a flagship smartphone inspired by – and made for – our fans.” One of its highlight features is the fast charging technology called Dash Charge. It can give the device a day’s worth of power just by charging it for half an hour, and won’t feel hot in the user’s hand during charge.
instantly triggers the Emergency Recording mode when it detects an impact during recording. Alternatively, users can also activate the emergency recording mode manually by pressing the red emergency button; this is useful when situations occur outside the vehicle and you need to collect evidence. The bundled accessories ensure easy installation and operation. After the DrivePro 50 is mounted on the windshield and connected to the lighter socket, further driver involvement is not required. When the vehicle’s engine is turn on, video files are automatically recorded to the included Transcend High Endurance 16GB microSDHC MLC memory card that offers consistent durability and endurance. Moreover, with Loop Recording enabled, oldest video files in the memory card will be overwritten by new files when memory card capacity is full, eliminating the need to purchase additional storage. http://my.transcend-info.com/
This is due to the power management being handled by the adapter itself, so most of the heat is generated there instead of within the device. In addition, there are five custom safety measures designed to secure the adapter, cable and phone, so that users can charge the OnePlus 3 quickly without mishaps. The OnePlus 3 has plenty of other premium features, such as a 16MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) for clearer images. It’s also a device that looks good with its thin and curved aluminium body. Its display is a 5.5-inch 1080p Optic AMOLED with thin bezels and promises to deliver more true-to-life colours. A Snapdragon 820 powers the OnePlus 3, along with 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 64GB of Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0, while the OS is an Android Marshmallow based OygenOS. Available in Graphite and Soft Gold variants, the OnePlus 3 will retail for RM1,888. www.brightstarcorp. com.my/oneplus
news
Bid For A Superstar Phone From OPPO
RM43,000 was raised for a signed unit of OPPO’s F1 Plus FC Barcelona edition
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he appeal of a football star’s signature is certainly great, as OPPO has succeeded in auctioning its limited OPPO F1 Plus FC Barcelona Edition. This special edition device came with the signature of three famous FC Barcelona players, including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr. It was auctioned off online via GemFive.com, OPPO’s e-commerce partner. Beginning on the 18th of July and ending on 20th of July, the device was auctioned for RM43,398, with all proceeds to be fully donated to the 30-Hour Famine World Vision Malaysia. This amount marks the single device as OPPO’s highest priced smartphone in the Southeast Asia region, and shows that the star power of football celebrities can contribute to charity. In addition, it is also
OPPO Malaysia’s first charity auction. ‘‘We have witnessed the passion of the OPPO fans and FC Barcelona fans combined. It is to our great pleasure that we are able to offer such a sought after F1 Plus edition for our loyal fans in Malaysia, and able to do good deeds for the charity house. With such confidence, we will be working more closely with FC Barcelona for more exciting collaborations in the future,” said William Fang, CEO of OPPO Malaysia. ‘Besides that, OPPO has also
Astro Set To Broadcast The International 6 Enjoy high-quality DoTA 2 matches from your couch
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s the world’s most prestigious DOTA 2 tournament with a prize pool that surpasses any e-sports event, Astro expects there to be plenty of eyeballs on this year’s International 6 (Ti6) and will once again televised it, once again via its eGG Network (Channel 808) and Astro on the Go. Matches will begin at 1am local time of 3 August 2016, with teams battling it out for the final two Wildcard qualifier spots, ending with the grand finals that is set on 14 August 2016 (also 1am local time). The group stages will air between 4-6 August and will see the 16 qualifying teams battle for a chunk of the record breaking 18.5 US Dollar prize pool. Lee Choong Khay, Head of Sports Business at Astro, gave a simple brief on
the coverage saying: ‘‘eGG Network is proud to be the first in ASEAN to televise the full coverage of The International 2016 from the group stages till the grand finale. Over 1.6 million fans tuned in for the finals of TI5 last year and we believe for even stronger viewership this time around. Bringing the experience further, fans can cheer on their favourite teams at the Ti6 Grand Finals on 13th August viewing parties at 3 major locations across the country.” It is expected for there to be over 90 hours of the entire tournament to be broadcast on eGG Network, so DOTA 2 fans will get complete coverage of the event. But other than the satellite broadcast, eGG Network will also be hosting meet ups to watch the broadcast at TGV Cinemas.
made the remaining nine units of the F1 Plus FC Barcelona Standard Edition available for RM2,098. Those who bid in the charity auction would get priority in purchasing the special editions, with a first come first served basis. Featuring a head-turning blue-and- red colour scheme, an 18K gold-plated club insignia, an FC Barcelona-themed UI and an exclusive case sporting laser-printed signatures from five top Barca players, the special customised F1 Plus looks stunning in all angles and signifying the loyal spirit of the football club. www.oppo.com/my
Dubbed ‘The International Pub Stomp’, to be held on 14 August 2016, fans will be able to meet and mingle in three locations: 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Selangor, Tebrau Mall in Johor Bahru, and First Avenue in Penang. At the three locations, fans will get to meet Danelie Purdue, Faraz Shababi, Abdul Mu’adz and Faisal Ariffin from eGG Network. They also stand a chance to win gaming peripherals and eGG exclusive merchandise. The tickets for The International Pub Stomp will be available for purchase beginning on 3 August 2016 at www.tgv. com.my, or at the cinema locations listed above. www.egg.network
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Samsung Presents New Soundbars at KLIAV Show 2016
Many Samsung audio-video products were on display at the annual event
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he annual Kuala Lumpur International AV Show was left late in July, and Samsung was there to exhibit some of its latest AV products this year. Present at a small media briefing on the first day of the show, Jimmy Tan, Head of Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung Malaysia Electronics said, ‘‘Samsung is a torchbearer when it comes to innovation. We introduced many firsts in both design and technology in the TV/AV industry and have proudly led the global TV market for 10 consecutive years. We are in an era where technology thrives and as such, we will continue to feed our passion for innovation by creating the very best of visual displays and
home theatre systems for our customers’ everevolving entertainment needs. We are proud to embark on another decade of excellence by reinventing the modern-day viewing experience with our meaningful innovations.” Among the products on display, some were featured in this year’s Samsung SEA Forum, which was also held in Kuala Lumpur this year. One of it is Samsung’s latest SUHD TVs, which are Smart TVs that have the Smart Hub feature. With this, the SUHD TVs are able to detect and recognise compatible home entertainment devices automatically, without the need of individual setups. Samsung also had its latest curved TVs on display, as well as the new audio device – the
Samsung Malaysia‘s Jimmy Tan giving the media a short briefing on Samsung‘s current AV lineup
HW-K950 Soundbar. This soundbar has an unusual property and is the first in the industry to be packaged with two Dolby Atmos-enabled wireless rear speakers, allowing the HW-K950 to output in 5.1.4-channel sound for what Samsung believes to be a truly immersive cinematic audio experience. In addition, Samsung also featured its first 4K (or Ultra HD) Blu-ray player – the UBD-K8500. This Blu-ray player can deliver four times the resolution and 64 times more colour than regular Blu-ray players. It can also play older formats of optical discs, including standard Blu-ray discs, and has an up-scaling technology built into the player that allows it to enhance the image quality of those discs. The new HW-K950 Soundbar will be available in August at a few chosen Samsung Experience Stores, as well as at authorised dealers. It will retail at a price of RM5,999. www.samsung.com/my
SanDisk Expands Portfolio With High Performance SSD
The newly updated SanDisk SSD Plus eliminates the need to replace an aging laptop or desktop PC
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ot long after Western Digital’s confirmed purchase of SanDisk, the company launched the updated SanDisk SSD Plus, further expanding its portfolio of consumer SSD storage solutions available in Malaysia. The next generation SanDisk SSD Plus is an ideal solution for users who are looking to improve performance on an existing laptop or notebook. The SanDisk SSD Plus offers customers faster boot-up and shutdown times, improved application response and data transfer and improved overall system performance. By installing the SanDisk SSD Plus, users can instantly upgrade their PC or laptop, and eliminate the need to completely
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replace an aging laptop or desktop PC. In addition, with read speeds of up to 535MB/s, the SanDisk SSD Plus delivers up to 20X the performance of a typical laptop hard disk drive. The SanDisk SSD Plus is available in 120GB, 240GB and 480GB models, and enables users to conveniently enjoy high laptop or PC performance with solid capacity for media and applications such as photographs, videos, music and games. The SanDisk SSD Plus also features TLC NAND flash memory and SLC caching to maximise read and write speeds as well as burst performance. In comparison to hard disk drives, which offer high capacity value, SSDs deliver lower
power consumption and less noise, while offering enhanced boot-up and shutdown speeds, application launching and data transfer. SanDisk SSDs are designed and tested to provide superior shock and vibration resistance, as well as high durability, bringing consumers peace of mind. SanDisk SSD Plus drives come with a three-year warranty and is available in capacities of 120GB for RM239, 240GB for RM499 and 480GB for RM629. www.sandisk.com/home/ssd/ssd-plus
news
Shopback Launches Mobile App New cashback deals to accompany launch of app
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he online cashback platform, ShopBack Malaysia, has released its mobile app to the Google Play Store and iOS App Store. Along with the launch of the app, ShopBack offered all shoppers an additional RM5 cashback when they make a purchase via the app, as long as it was made during the promotional period from 19 to 21 July 2016. Moreover, 11 e-retailers will be joining in by giving away a plethora of cool deals and cashback. The e-retailers include the likes of Groupon, Hermo, Lazada and more. ‘‘Cashback is really just ‘getting cash back’. Online Cashback functions differently from credit card Cashback. There is no cap limit and we offer shoppers up to 30% Cashback every time when they spend at any of our partner stores. It is easy to use and the Cashback savings can be transferred into their bank account after validation period,” said Sharmeen
Looi, COO of ShopBack Malaysia. According to Looi, ShopBack now about 300,000 local users every month that are actively using the platform. Since its inception last year, the platform has paid RM5.4 million in total to its local users. It has partnered with over 1,300 merchants, helping make sales of over RM45 million every month in total for these merchants. Statistics that ShopBack has gathered showed that locally, only 30% of shoppers are from Klang Valley while the rest are from the other states. They have also discovered that local shoppers like to shop after meals, typically between 2pm-3pm or 9pm-10pm. As for types of purchases, local shoppers tend to buy from the Travel, Fashion, General Electronics and Household category merchants. But with the addition of merchants like Tesco and Guardian, ShopBack expects the F&B and Groceries
Sharmeen Looi, COO of ShopBack Malaysia, showcasing the Android version of ShopBack mobile app
category to be another popular one. ‘‘We value the notion and endeavour to enable Malaysians to shop smart and earn Cashback through daily purchases. The number of smartphone users in Malaysia is estimated to reach 11 million. It is a huge untapped population for us, and we are confident that ShopBack mobile app will be a strategic tool to bring online Cashback to more digital users in a faster way,” Looi added. xxx
U Mobile Adding More To Video-Onz Get more value for money with additional video content courtesy of Video-Onz
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Mobile has announced that its Video-Onz service will continue to be free until the end of this year - 31 December 2016. Launched earlier this year in April, Video-Onz enabled U Mobile customers to stream videos with no limits, as long as the content belonged to associated partners. Though the service hasn’t been active for long, U Mobile already has a healthy stable of partners to feed its customer base. Along with the announcement of the extension, U Mobile also revealed that it has added seven more partners, bringing up the total number of partners to 18. The seven are: The Edge TV, BFM 89.9, Viki, Dailymotion, YuppTV, StarLive, and Crunchyroll. In addition, U Mobile has made video streaming the key selling point of its new
Hero Postpaid Plan – the Hero P98. As the name implies, for RM98 not only will customers get 30GB of data and access to Video-Onz, they will also get unlimited calls to all networks and an additional seven months’ of free Video-Onz till 31 July 2017. ‘‘U Mobile’s Video-Onz is definitely one of our big innovations of 2016 and we have received tremendous positive response to the offering. Hence, we decided to extend the free streaming offering for Video–Onz until 31 Dec 2016. We have also worked hard to expand our Video-Onz partner list and now we have 18, a huge jump even though it has been less than three months since the launch. Of course, we will definitely be adding even more video partners to VideoOnz soon,” said Jasmine Lee, Chief Marketing Office of U Mobile.
Lee also commented on the Hero P98 plan, saying: ‘‘The new Hero P98 postpaid plan will definitely enhance customers’ video streaming experience even further. Apart from 24 hours free unlimited video streaming, anytime, anywhere on VideoOnz, customers of Hero P98 will also get a free monthly video subscription from a Video-Onz partner until 31st July 2017. This is on top of the 30GB and free calls to all networks that they will get to enjoy for just RM98 each month.” u.com.my/postpaid
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Attack On Critical Industrial Plants Attacks on atomic plants and other industrial complexes are probably higher than imagined - there are logins for sale on the web
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alware was discovered on a with radioactive elements are exclusively the past, there have been successful attacks computer of the Gundremmingen controlled analogously. For security expert on critical systems, e.g. the attack on a nuclear power plant. It is still Eugene Kaspersky, the danger is not averted blast furnace of a steel plant in Germany. unclear how the computer could have been with this: ‘‘I am surprised that we do not According to the Federal Agency for Security infiltrated, but it is not the first infection hear of such worrying cases more often.” In in Information Technology (BSI), there was in industrial plants; the massive damage to the plant manipulated system in due to the attack and the BSI the AKW was responsible classified the hacker’s technical for the logging of the ability as “very advanced”. loading machine for fuel. According to the security Tobias Schmidt, Speaker firm Intel Security, login access for the Gundremmingen of industrial plants can be nuclear power plant, found for sale on the Dark Web. emphasized that “all the The cyber gangsters also offer sensitive power plant contract hacks on the portals. sectors are decoupled As proof of authenticity of the and are fundamentally logins, the cyber criminals often designed in a redundant include screenshots of the user manner and such that interface. The victims however they are protected often do not realize that their against manipulation. login access are being offered for Also, all machines that sale on the net. Cyber criminals offer access to industrial controls on the Dark Web – for authenticity, they often attach screenshots come in direct contact
Data Theft Of The Month EMAIL ACCOUNTS: 272 M DATA RECORDS STOLEN
EBAY: PHISHERS USE USER-DATA
VOTING LIST IN MEXICO: 132 GB DATA STOLEN
An estimated 272 million access data is believed to have been hacked worldwide at the beginning of May. The security firm Hold Security, to whom the data was leaked, reported this. Fortunately, only two percent of the data records are usable. In all the other data, the addresses do not correspond or the password is incorrect. Google, Yahoo and Mail.ru arrived at this result after screening the data.
Phishers evidently use the data of the major eBay-hacks from two years back to send personalised phishing mails. You can find the complete name, address and the telephone number of the user in a letter supposedly coming from eBay. Around 145 million customer data was lost in the data theft at that time. The phishing mail often consists of malware in its attachment, and should be deleted immediately.
Unknown people have stolen data of 93.4 million Mexican voters in a data hack. Among other things, it contained the names and addresses of the voters. The data is available in a freely accessible database.
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Ransomware Infiltrates PCs Of German Authorities A
ccording to a report in the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung (Central German newspaper), the Constitution Protection department of Saxony-Anhalt became a victim of a Trojan attack. This report reveals that many computers were infiltrated with ransomware since mid-April. The exact processes should be discussed in a special session of the Parliamentary Control Panel (PKGr).
Hackers Use Bugs For Server Manipulation S
ecurity experts from CloudFlare warn of security loopholes in the server plug-in ImageMagick. The plug-in scales images on the server side for advertisements in the browser, allowing attackers to install malicious codes on the server via the bugs. This loophole is already being actively exploited according to CloudFlare. Patches are available.
Danger Barometer CloudFlare servers need to be patched immediately, to cover the security loopholes found in the plug-in ImageMagick. Through the bugs present on the plug-in, attackers can insert malicious codes into the server
High risk
Innovations For MS-Patch Tuesday M
icrosoft introduced a serious innovation in patches for Windows, Office & Co. with the Patch Tuesday in May 2016. Before this, users had the choice to install the updates directly through Windows Update or via manual download from the Microsoft Download Center. The latter option will no longer be available now; individual end-users can now obtain the updates of the Patch Tuesday only via Windows Update in Windows. Firms may still use the Microsoft Update Catalog through which they can download individual update files via Internet explorer and an appropriate plug-in.
False support
Hackers love iOS loopholes
Over 100 million viruses were discovered in 2015 which use the alleged support staff to get access to the user-PCs.
Hackers love iOS loopholes From all the mobile loopholes that are reported, more than 80 percent are found in iOS devices. This is because security researchers and hackers specifically look for bugs to install jail-breaks on the devices.
18
Millions support scan viruses
16 100
14 Medium risk
Share of bugs found in percent
90 82
12
84
84
80
10
70
8
60
2015 2014 2013
50
6
40
Low risk
4
30
2
20
0
10
Jan Feb Mär Apr May June Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2015
13
11
16 1
0 iOS
Android
SOURCE: SYMANTEC
Number of the Month:
272 million
4 <1
BlackBerry OS
<1
1
SOURCE: SYMANTEC
Over 272 million data records all over the world have been hacked and stolen since May, an alarming number that highlights the severe rise of cyber-attacks. The one silver lining is: only 2% of the data stolen are usable
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Ten-Year Old Cracks The Security System Of Instagram T
en-year old Finn Jani has developed a hack with that can delete the comments of other users from the Instagram platform. Jani reported the loophole immediately to Facebook, which owns Instagram. He got a test account from the security representatives there to be able to produce the evidence of the loopholes. This made him the youngest receiver of the Facebook “Bug bounty” – an award for capturing bugs. This bounty has a minimum of 500 dollars (approx. RM2,012), but it can be higher depending on the severity of the loophole discovered. Jani received 10,000 dollars (approx. RM40,242), which he plans to use to buy a new bicycle, football equipment and a computer for his brother. This incident is extremely embarrassing for Facebook and casts a dismal light on the security standards of the social network with its 1.35 billion users. The loophole was likely in the dynamically generated HTML-code for the comment-delete button. After scrutinising it carefully, Jani realised that his comment had a specific number and could be changed in the input line. Very clever for a 10-year old, but a rookie’s mistake on the part of Facebook.
Ransomware Censorship? For Android Apple Bans A Security-App From The Store I Malware Uses Secret Bug T ttackers can install the Cyber Police ransomware on devices with a JavaScript through two loopholes in older Android devices based on versions 4.0 to 4.3, which are variants that are still widespread. Once the ransomware is on the system, calls can no longer be received or made, and only a reset to the factory settings can free the smartphone from the virus. To protect oneself from such an attack, users must install anti-virus software on the devices, which will recognise such attacks and wards them off.
he anti-virus manufacturer, McAfee warns of a new type of malware which gets indelibly rooted in the system with a trick. The malware, Dynamer, uses an undocumented Windows feature for this. This allows users to create special system files, e.g. a folder with all the important Control Panel elements. The malware proceeds just the same way, but saves the malicious code in this folder. The content of the folder cannot be deleted by the user via the link of the folder that is sent. Modern anti-virus systems can however delete the virus without any problems. Be careful to regularly install the signature updates for the virus protection.
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f someone gives the impression that Apple’s iPhones can be unsecure, it is kicked out of the App store. The app “System and Security Info” of the security firm SektionEins wanted to check the iOS-devices for hidden jailbreaks, with which secret services and hackers can bug or infiltrate the telephone specifically. Just after a few days, the app - that searches iOS devices for evidence of a jailbreak or suspicious background services - was again deleted from the App store. The developers from Cologne speak about this censorship by Apple in their company blog. The aim of the app is, among others, to protect the users from spy firms like FinFisher from Munich, whose software of the same name uses modified Jailbreaks to spy on the iOS-devices specifically.
security report
Children At Risk Online A
research conducted by Kaspersky Lab and iconKids & Youth, suggests that children and teenagers from ages 8 to 16 are heavily addicted to social media communications. Not only that, the way they are using it in an unsafe manner which can jeopardise the safety of their friends and family. For the children these days, the internet has become a way of life, a way for them to connect with others. It is considered their most important online activity and the numbers from the research supports this: 35% have stated that they can’t stand being without social media. As they grow older, this form of online communication becomes their dominant method of social communication. However, social media can be as much a force of ill as it can be for convenient communications. In their desire to belong to certain social networking peer groups, young people inevitably share too much of their personal information on social media, information that can be used by people with malicious intentions. According to the Connected Kids Research, 66% of children actually reveal which school they go to, 54% like to talk about the places they visit and 22% have made their home address viewable. Furthermore, 36% of them reveal information about the expensive things their parents do, as well as information like their parents’ occupation (33%) and how much they earn (23%). With all this information on hand, the risk is high that potential kidnappers can easily locate children and better select their targets. In addition, the fact that 31% of children have no qualms with lying about their age online can bring on a whole set of other problems. The research reveals that about 17% of that age group pretend to be older and 10% of them will ‘match’ their age to the requirements of a website they intend to use. This could expose them to adult content, or unsavoury individuals who think the children are actually adults. Andrei Mochola, Head of Consumer Business at Kaspersky Lab, commented: ‘‘It is wise to teach children from an early age what can be shared – online and offline – and what should be kept secret, in the interests of the family’s safety and privacy. It is also important to use necessary privacy settings in social networks, so that only friends can see children’s posts and information. For an additional layer of protection, specialised security software, such as Kaspersky Safe Kids, allows parents to constantly monitor changes in their children’s friend list and wall posts, so that parents can protect their children before they unwittingly cause themselves harm.” Below are some tips given by Kaspersky Lab on how to educate children and help parents avoid the risks mentioned above: • Discuss with your children about their experiences and concerns • Try working together on the activities found on www.webwewant.eu • Encourage their creativity online, but teach them how and what type of posts can be uploaded before letting them do it alone • Explain why social media is for children aged 13 and over, teach them about rights and responsibilities • Befriend then online until you are satisfied that s/he has learned how to be responsible when using the internet and social media; from time to time print out their profile and stick it on the wall – online content takes on a very different aspect when it is printed for ‘public’ viewing • Set rules with your teen about the use of their webcam make sure they respect those rules • Encourage them to teach you about new options, apps and more, especially those that relate to privacy
Travelers Experience Higher Online Risks A
recent research by Kaspersky Lab states that travellers are leaving themselves wide open to security risk when abroad. These travellers are often using open, unsecured Wi-Fi connections, or handing off their smartphones to strangers, both of which are dangerous habits. According to the research, over 42% of travellers admit that they are more careless when on a vacation, as compared to if they are travelling for business. The research was conducted via a survey of 11,850 people all around the world, showing a clear pattern where travellers desire to be constantly connected to the internet. They do so without making sure that their data connections area secure, which puts them at risk of cyber-attacks. Some numbers quoted by Kaspersky were: 28% leave their devices unsupervised; 19% have left them with hotel concierges at one point or another; and 18% of people under the age of 25 have handed their phone to strangers, often to take a photo. Kaspersky Lab reports that the findings prove that when people are in ‘holiday mode’, they let their guard down, or exhibit unusual behaviour like drinking more than they usually do when abroad (15%). Travellers also often use public Wi-Fi that are not secured to visit websites with sensitive, personal information. This includes online banking (48%) and online shopping (46%). In addition, 35% of respondents have admitted that they make confidential calls in public, because they believe the language barrier keeps them safe. These behaviours are, of course, dangerous and should be fixed. Elena Kharcenko, Head of Consumer Product Management at Kaspersky Lab, said: “It is natural to want to relax on holiday, but too often our guard drops completely when connecting to the Internet, and our better judgment seems to put its feet up, and kick back. Should we connect? Should we post on social media? Yes, of course – but we advise users to take extra precautions when they do this abroad. Make sure you are being cyber-savvy and put measures in place to protect yourself and your data.” Kaspersky has suggested that even while away for a holiday, users should only connect to networks via a VPN and use a security solution on their devices to protect themselves from potential cyber-attacks.
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Time To Fight Back
IDC unveils strategy against cyber-attacks at ASEAN IT Security Conference 2016
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DC recently hosted its annual ASEAN IT Security Conference in Kuala Lumpur, entitled Critical C-Suite Security Knowledge. The conference highlighted how CIOs should prepare an accurate strategy to anticipate the threat of cyber-attacks in their organization. In today’s fast-paced digital world that is increasingly driven by innovations and technology advances, many enterprises are leaning on the Digital Transformation (DX) platform as a way to ensure timely services delivery, while also minimizing the complexity and costs involved. The ever growing demand of innovation applications on the latest devices is putting IT decision makers under great pressure to deliver IT solutions that meet expectations of businesses and customers. At this stage, IT security and protection then play a very critical role in the information technology equation. According to the Worldwide 2016 IT Security Predictions – Asia Pacific excluding Japan, the security services market in 2017 will increase by at least 30% due to the scarcity and high price of available data scientists, leading sub Fortune 100 companies to seek alternatives. However, IT leaders are not fully conversant with the correct strategy by which cyber security investments should be made. It is then important to note that cyber-warfare and cybersecurity investments are more akin to military spending and not a business ROI that can truly be expected. This year’s ASEAN IT Security Conference highlights the essential guidance for C-level executives in the development of an IT security strategy that ensures a more secure overall IT environment for their organization. “This conference has provided deeper insights into how attackers operate, the routes they use and what IT leaders could do in their organization to minimize the impact of these attacks. IDC has some clear ideas on what makes the IT leaders “more” or “less” secure,” says Simon Piff, Associate Vice President, Enterprise Infrastructure & Head of IT Security Research, IDC Asia/Pacific. The ASEAN IT Security Conference 2016 brought together regional IT leaders and prominent cybersecurity experts across verticals in Malaysia. The holistic insights offered at this event is oriented towards helping IT leaders plan their strategy in advance to deliver a secure business environment and more accurately identify key issues, challenges and requirements that are critical in minimizing future risks.
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Internet As A Source Of Family Disconnect?
New research from Kaspersky shows that spending too much time on the Internet is bad for family relations
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ccording to a recent report by Kaspersky Labs and iconKids & Youth, people are spending even more time online now, with a fifth of parents and children from a survey saying that the internet and connected devices can be a source of tension within families. The research, which surveyed over 3,700 families in seven countries, provides
an insight into how the digital world is disrupting traditional family dynamics. Whereas in the past parents were the first port of call for children seeking answers to questions or advice, one-in-four (23 percent) of the parents surveyed say that their kids now prefer to go online rather than talk to them. The research also found that 42 percent
of parents are not friends with their children on social networks, and 18 percent of them say this is because their children would find it embarrassing. While 21 percent of parents and 22 percent of children say that the internet can cause family tension, the most worrying point of all is that 31 percent of parents feel that the Internet isolates them from their children. The conflict may be exacerbated by the fact that the devices used to go online are often shared. Two-thirds of the families surveyed said they share a family computer. As result, 31 percent of parents surveyed complain that their child has broken something on a connected device or infected it with a virus while online (30 percent) and while a quarter of them has had to pay for something their child had ordered or downloaded. Andrei Mochola, Head of Consumer Business at Kaspersky Lab said: ‘‘It is only natural that using – and misusing – each other’s connected devices can become a cause of conflict for families. However, as we spend more and more time online, family dynamics are also changing. We recommend installing an integrated home Internet security solution on all devices in the home. This should be enhanced with Parental Control software, which can block access to inappropriate sites or apps and prevent sensitive data from being shared or deleted.” Janice Richardson, Senior Advisor at European Schoolnet, adds: ‘‘Although Internet becomes a source of conflict in some families, a recent study by the Joint Research Center of the European Commission interestingly underlines an emerging trend, with siblings and extended family members taking on a much bigger role in children’s online activities. Unsurprisingly, children are instinctively turning to the person they perceive to be able to fix technical issues, advise on sites and security tools and provide more objective responses to delicate queries.”
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Big Changes Announced At AMD Capsaicin Siggraph
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t this year’s Capsaicin Siggraph press conference, AMD revealed that some new graphics technologies and partnerships. AMD believes that these partnerships and technologies will change the industry and shape the computer graphics community for the coming years. One of the reveals was about the new Radeon Pro WX Series. It is a series aimed at modern professionals in content creation and engineering. Based on the AMD’s Polaris architecture, the Radeon Pro WX series is designed to “deliver exceptional capabilities for the immersive computing era”. Made to address specific demands in content creation today, the Radeon WX series is targeted at workloads like demanding design engineering, media entertainment, product development, or CAD designs. AMD also formally launch Radeon ProRender and moved its development under GPUOpen, which is an open source environment that will give developers access to the source code. With ProRender, content creators are able to realise their ideas by using high-performance applications and workflows enhanced by photorealistic rendering. In addition, ProRender is special in that it can use the computing capabilities of multiple GPUs and CPUs at the same time, while balancing the compute load evenly. With this feature, it can provide cutting edge GPU acceleration for faster and more accurate results. Plugins for the new Radeon ProRender are available for widely used 3D applications, including Autodesk 3ds Max, SOLIDWORKS by Dassault Systèmes and Rhino. Plugins for Autodesk Maya will also be made available soon. In terms of platform and hardware compatibility, Radeon ProRender will work on Windows, OS X and Linux operating system. It will support AMD’s GPUs, CPUs and APUs, as well as hardware from other vendors. AMD also announced the Radeon Solid State Graphics (SSG), an innovative technology based on Radeon Pro. This technology will deliver greater memory capacity directly to the existing GPU, which will provide greater performance. It’s ideal for when rendering huge data sets, such as real-time post-production of 8K videos, high-resolution rendering, VR content creation, oil and gas exploration, computational engineering, medical imaging and life sciences.
ELSTER Procedure Gets Ready To Fly High
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he electronic tax declaration (ELSTER) in a normal case: in 2015, 20 million income tax returns were filed via the Internet in the relevant tax office – an increase of almost a quarter as compared to 2014. Since 2011, the number of participants in the ELSTER procedure has more than doubled, according to the current figures of the fiscal authorities. The main reason for this is that almost every tax programme for the PC now has an ELSTER interface, through which the income tax return generated with software support can be transferred to the tax office easily and at lightning speed. The preferred processing of the income tax return by the fiscal authorities also speaks in favour of ELSTER. Furthermore, ELSTER users can expect a tax refund as early as four weeks after filing the income tax return.
Electronic income tax returns (ELSTER) in million 20
20 15.2
15
16.1
12 8.2
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3.6 1.1
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Big Update For Windows 7
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indows 7, which is still the most-used version by far, will be getting a second Service Pack after more than five years. The update, that has a somewhat weird name, “Windows 7 SP 1 Convenience Rollup” for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 contains all the patches for Windows 7 since the release of Service Pack 1 in February 2011. The update thus saves hours of downloads and installation sprees of missing patches with a re-installation of Windows 7.
Compact Camera With Superzoom And Effects
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ts ultra-wide-angle lens with a 25x optical zoom distinguishes the Canon PowerShot SX620 HS (approx. RM1,164, available from June). The image sensor has a resolution of 20.2 megapixels, with an image stabiliser to ensure sharp and non-blurred pictures across any distance. This is also applicable to the full-HD videos, which can be shot with the SX620 HS. In the Creative Shot mode, Canon saves five creative versions of the original picture, e.g. with fisheye or miniature effect.
Ultrasone: HighEnd Headphones To Go
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he Bavarian headphone manufacturer Ultrasone presented its new flagship at this year’s trade fair - High End - in Munich. The Edition M Black Pearl will be available in the market at the end of June for about €700 (approx. RM3,075). It is said to appeal to audiophile music fans. The closed, circumaural headphones mainly earn points for their wearing comfort and its headset function.
Western Digital Develops 64-Layer 3D NAND Memory
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torage maker Western Digital (WD) has made great strides in NAND technology development, a particular aspect that was previously not one of the company’s strong suits. According to reports, the company has – with the help of Toshiba – develop a next-generation 3D NAND technology, which has 64-layers of vertical storage capability. This concept is similar to AMD’s High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), except in the form of NAND storage. The new technology has been dubbed BiCS3 (Bit Cost Scalable 3) and the first production run has commenced in the two companies joint venture facilities in Yokkaichi, Japan. Initial output is expected to be out later this year, so further information and specifications might be revealed then. However, any commercial launch is not expected to be any time soon, as WD states that ‘‘meaningful commercial volumes” would not be available until the first half of 2017. Initial reports state that BiCS3 will come in 256 Gigabit capacity, with those in the future going up to asa much as half a terabit on a single chip. The executive VP for memory technology at Western Digital, Siva Sivaram, had this to say about the new technology: ‘‘BiCS3 will feature the use of 3-bits-per-cell technology along with advances in high aspect ratio semiconductor processing to deliver higher capacity, superior performance and reliability at an attractive cost. Together with BiCS2, our 3D NAND portfolio has broadened significantly, enhancing our ability to address a full spectrum of customer applications in retail, mobile and data centre.”
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Affordable Smartphone With Top-Class Features
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oth the manufacturers, Coolpad from China and Archos from France, have recently started offering very reasonable Smartphones with high-quality functions. Coolpad Torino S costs just €199 (approx. RM874), but has a curved HD display with 4.7-inch screen. The in-built fingerprint sensor on the back of the device allows you to use up to five fingers in order to not only unlock the device, but also to start different apps or call contacts. The device memory is 16 GB and can be expanded by 32 GB via a microSD – a feature that iPhones still do not offer. A likewise good price-performance ratio is offered by the Android smartphone Archos 50 Power for about €150 (approx. RM659). The manufacturer mainly wanted to earn points with its large 4,000 mAh battery capacity, which ensures a runtime of more than two days. It has a five-inch IPS display with HD resolution, as well as LTE connection and 2 GB RAM. Devices such as these are able to compete with Premium suppliers such as Samsung or Apple.
First Retrofit To An E-Bike MicroSD In 60 Seconds Worldwide T With 256 GB Capacity
he US start-up GeoOrbital recently started a Kickstarter campaign for a gear, which transforms almost every normal bicycle with a 26 or 28-inch tyre size and caliper breaks into an e-bike. Only the normal front wheel needs to be removed in this case and replaced with the GeoOrbital Wheel. The tyre made of hard foam will be driven over rollers lying on the rim and a battery is installed in the spokes. One charge of the bigger model with pedal assist is enough for about 80 kilometers and speeds of maximum 32 km/h according to the manufacturer. This has made it compulsory to wear helmets. The GeoOrbital wheel should be available from November for about $950 (approx. RM3,791).
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amsung is upgrading its offer among the memory cards through an intriguing product: the microSD EVO Plus. It offers 256 GB storage space as the first card of the UHS-1 category – sufficient for 12 hours of 4K video, 33 hours for Full HD or 55,200 photos. The writing and reading speed is up to 95 MB/s. Owing to its price of €250 (approx. RM1,098, this card is primarily for professionals.
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Macro Lens With Integrated Ring Flash
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anon recently presented the EF-M 28 mm 1:3.5 macro IS STM. This new lens for mirrorless system cameras is extending the portfolio of the EOS-M series that was sparse so far. It has an in-built ring-shaped flash and LEDs are used instead of a flash tube. The subjects are thus well-lit in super-macro mode, with an image ratio of up to 1.2:1. In addition, the camera-to-subject distance is only about nine centimeters and ring flash’s brightness can be adjusted gradually. This lens will be available from June for about €370 (approx. RM1,625).
Epson Is Top Telefónica Projector Turns The Manufacturer Again Smartphone Into A Bank F Account or the 15th year consecutively, Epson has been declared world number one in projector manufacturing by Futuresource Consulting. This marks a major milestone for the company and is proof of Epson’s solid success in this segment of the visual imaging industry. At 32.1% for 2015, Epson has the largest market presence in the 500-lumen and above category, up from 29.4% the year before. Home projectors for the same category recorded a similar percentage, with 35.1% of market share for 2015. The company’s market share has also been increasing at a steady pace over the last decade and a half. Within our region of Southeast Asia, Epson also maintained market leadership with 28% in 2015. Epson’s has a wide variety of different projectors, ranging from enterprise projectors for classrooms, interactive projectors for the enterprise sectors, and high brightness projectors for large venues. The company’s core projector technology now is 3LCD, a technology that allows Epson projectors to deliver images that are more lifelike and more vibrant. ‘‘We are continuously investing in innovative products and technologies to strengthen our position as market leader, and to create new value for our customers worldwide. We are proud to achieve this position, and as a company, will continue to drive innovations to create new visual experiences for our customers,” said Danny Lee, General Manager, Sales, Epson Malaysia.
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n late summer, Telefónica wants to compete with the banks and launch an account for the Smartphone. The O2 Banking offer includes a free-of-charge Mastercard, which can also be used to withdraw cash free of cost. In order to carry out a transfer, you simply need to enter the O2 number of the recipient in the Smartphone. In addition, customers can use the O2Banking app to obtain instant loan at any time. It can also be used as a salary account. Instead of interest rates, the customers will receive an additional data volume.
Drive More New LG Action Cam LTE Streams Safely Thanks To Garmin Drive To YouTube
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G Electronics is competing with the market leader GoPro with its new Action Cam LTE. The camera can directly stream to YouTube with a resolution of 720p without the need to use a Smartphone. Moreover, it is able to shoot in 4K at 30 pictures per second and in full-HD at 60 pictures per second. For outdoor fans, the camera also contains GPS as well as motion and position sensors, whose data is recorded upon request. The camera is supposed to hit the markets in June, but LG has yet to revealed its price.
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t the end of April, Garmin presented new navigation devices with Drive, DriveSmart, DriveAssist and DriveLuxe, which equip every car with additional safety features. DriveAssist contains a Dashcam for example, which automatically saves a video in case of any vibration. It also warns of imminent collisions and can help to keep track. Another new feature is the so-called Go-Alarm that can notify the driver as soon as the traffic starts moving again. Garmin has priced its most affordable model at €130 (approx. RM571), while the most expensive one is about €390 (approx. RM1,713).
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BIOSTAR Pushes Continued Market Presence B
IOSTAR is proud to announce its commitment to the industry with its ongoing activities throughout the globe. BIOSTAR has recently been conducting regional product launches and activities to reinforce its brand and promote its dedicated to the industry with its new product line. It was recently that BIOSTAR celebrated its 30 years in the industry and is determined to fulfil its theme of Racing to the Future. BIOSTAR has been holding activities throughout the first half of 2016 with grand activities held in COMPUTEX 2016, and has immediately proceeded to visit other regions to engage in dealer and media promotions to launch their new products. BIOSTAR’s most recent stops included Thailand, Vietnam, and India. Notably to visit dealers, media and select power users and also inviting them to special activities like racing events and dinner parties, where BIOSTAR showcased their newest products in custom gaming machines and builds to showcase the new features of their products. ‘‘We have been in this business for 30 years and are looking forward to another 30 and onwards,” says Kevin Cheng, Global Marketing Manager, BIOSTAR. Kevin added ‘‘We will continue to race towards the future and our consumers and partners should be rest assured that we are doing our best.” BIOSTAR is currently launching their RACING and PRO series motherboards globally in various locations and will be holding more events in various locations in the future to showcase their new products. They believe in the value of working closely with consumers and dealers to produce a mutually beneficial relationship, thus promoting greater brand awareness and confidence from consumers and dealers.
Xiaomi Reveals Its First Laptop M
ajor Chinese gadget manufacturer has recently revealed the company’s first laptop, a slim machine that comes with some pretty good specs and a rather affordable price point. Named suspiciously similar to another famous laptop, the Mi Notebook Air comes in two different sizes – a more powerful 13.3-inch model and a more modest 12.5-inch one. Both come with a 1080p display with slim bezels, a 1-Megapixel webcam, backlit keyboard, and a charging port that uses a USB Type-C connector. In addition, there are two USB ports and an audio output. Also, both models will run on Windows 10. The differentiators lie in the hardware specs, with the more powerful 13.3-inch model set to come powered by an Intel Core i5-6200U processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and a Nvidia GTX 940MX GPU. On the other hand, the Mi Book Air 12.5-inch model will run on an Intel Core m3-6Y30 CPU, 4GB of DDR4 RAM, and 128 of SSD storage. It does not come with a discrete graphics processor. Availability locally is doubtful, though those who are interested can import it from China. The 13.3-inch model of the Mi Notebook Air is priced at 4,999 yuan (approx. RM3,050), while its smaller 12.5-inch sibling will cost 3,499 yuan (approx. RM2,135).
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BlackBerry Announces New Android Smartphone W
hile it has been down, it has certainly not thrown in the towel yet. BlackBerry is back with another smartphone and it’s an Android device. According to BlackBerry, the DTEK50 is the world’s most secure Android smartphone. Based on Android Marshmallow, BlackBerry used its expertise in smartphone security, privacy and productivity, to provide the DTEK50 with a full Android experience that has an all-touch design. This is different from the brand’s previous secure Android smartphone, which still featured the company’s famed specialty, a physical QWERTY keyboard. ‘‘We take our customers’ privacy seriously. That’s why we’re excited with all the security and functionality that’s built in our newest Android smartphone. DTEK50 merges the unique security and connectivity features BlackBerry is known for, with the rich Android ecosystem”, said Ralph Pini, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager, Devices, BlackBerry. According to a survey by Google Consumer Surveys, 50% of Android smartphone users say that their smartphone is not completely secure. ‘‘With an increase in cybercrime on smartphones, consumers need to recognize that the private details of their lives – where they live, their bank info, pictures of their kids – are at risk on their personal device,” said David Kleidermacher, Chief Security Officer at BlackBerry. “It’s equally important for businesses to protect their sensitive data from cyberattacks at all points of their mobile environment – from the device to the network and servers,” he added. The DTEK50’s target users are those who value security and privacy on their Android devices. It’s able to encrypt all of its user’s information, such as business critical data, as well as personal pictures, videos and contacts. Moreover, it has malware protection, back-up, wipe and restore functions built into the device. Other software are also included to give users of the DTEK50 with the visibility/transparency and control over the devices. For example, if an app wants to access sensitive information or components like the microphone, the user will know. BlackBerry is also aiming to deliver security patches as soon information is released by Google. This would be its advantage over Android devices from other brands, which often do not patch security exploits fast enough. The new DTEK50 is currently only available as pre-order from ShopBlackBerry.com for customers in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and The Netherlands, at a retail price of 299 US Dollars.
NVIDIA Is Powering The Force A
ccording to a blog post by NVIDIA, the companies GPUs have helped in the creation of new virtual reality content for ILMxLAB. Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB was formed last year with the purpose of creating a new generation of immersive platforms. Its new VR experiement, was created last year to build experiences for a new generation of immersive platforms. Besides ILMxLAB’s collaboration with Magic Leap to create original Star Wars content, it has been working on third-party VR experiences. With so much to work on, ILMxLAB artists require reliable professionals’ GPU and they have turned to NVIDIA’s Quadro GPUs. By using NVIDIA’s VRWorks VR SLI, a technology that enables the assignment of multiple GPUs to specific eyes, the artists have been able to quicken the rendering process. ‘‘VR SLI has nearly doubled our rendering power and allows us to create higher fidelity renderings,” says ILMxLAB Principal Engineer and Technology Development Lead Lutz Latta. One of ILMxLAB’s aim is to create new ways of storytelling, particularly using new platforms such as cinematic VR and modern computer graphics. NVIDIA’s Quadro GPUs and VRWorks software are highlighted as important cornerstones to success in that endeavour.
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Net Neutrality and Open Internet Rules Net Neutrality has been talked about for quite some time now, but do we truly understand what it means? Our resident IT law specialist talks about what the term entails By Edwin Lee Yong Cieh
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he issue of the need to maintain net neutrality and an open Internet concept has been a considerable debate for years, with the most recent development being the landmark ruling of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on 14 June 2016 in favour of net neutrality. Net neutrality is a principle which requires all Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”) to treat all sources of online content equally and provide all consumers the right to access the content on a nondiscriminatory basis. The idea behind net neutrality is that the Internet should remain open and neutral with uninhibited access to online content without the ISPs being allowed to block, impair or establish fast/slow lanes on the delivery of online content to consumers. However, ISPs argue that they have the right to optimise the use of the network resources and that Internet traffic or traffic prioritisation measures are necessary to ensure a reasonable quality of service standard for all Internet users, especially as Internet traffic continues to grow.
The Open Internet Rules in the US In the US, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has developed Open Internet Rules, which are designed to protect free expression, innovation and economic growth on the Internet, as well as to promote investment in broadband networks. The Open Internet Rules are also intended to ensure that consumers and businesses alike have access to a fast, fair and open Internet. The FCC’s Open Internet Rules came into force on 12 June 2015 and apply to both
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fixed and mobile broadband Internet access services, which is classified as a “telecommunications service” by the FCC. Essentially, the Open Internet Rules set out five bright-line rules, as follows: (a) No blocking: ISPs are not allowed to block access to lawful online content, applications, services or non-harmful devices; (b) No throttling: ISPs are not allowed to impair or degrade lawful Internet traffic on the basis of content, applications, services or nonharmful devices; (c) No paid prioritisation: ISPs are not allowed to favour some lawful Internet traffic over other lawful traffic in exchange for consideration of any kind (in other words, ISPs are not allowed to provide ‘‘fast lanes” to certain content/service providers who are willing to pay in exchange for fast lanes); (d) No unreasonable interference: ISPs are not allowed to interfere unreasonably with their end users’ ability to use broadband Internet access services, or with their edge providers’ ability to make lawful online content, applications, services and devices available to end users; and (e) Enhanced transparency: ISPs must publicly disclose accurate information regarding the network management practices, performance and commercial terms of its broadband Internet access services to allow end users to make informed choices and for content, application and service providers to develop, maintain and market Internet offerings. As many as 4 million of Americans have overwhelmingly voted to
legaltech support the FCC’s initiative in keeping a free and fair Internet. Many tech giants like Google, Facebook and Netflix have also rallied in favour of the Open Internet Rules. It is said that without net neutrality, ISPs may choose to deliver certain online content at a slower speed, for example, making the video streaming on Netflix or YouTube buffer, unless they pay extra to get in the fast lane. However, the Open Internet Rules were not welcomed by the ISPs and they brought a case against the FCC. They argued, amongst others, that as broadband is an information service, as opposed to a telecommunications service, hence the FCC lacked statutory authority to create the Open Internet Rules and impose them on ISPs. They also argued that some of the rules were unconstitutionally vague and ran afoul of the US Constitution. The US Court of Appeals rejected the ISPs’ arguments, and held in favour of the Open Internet Rules. The court held that: (a) FCC had the authority to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service. This was based on the evidence that consumers generally viewed broadband as an essential communications and information platform that transmits data of their own choosing to their desired destination, as opposed to a mere information service; (b) interconnection arrangements are derivative of the broadband Internet access service and hence, they could be regulated under the law; (c) FCC had the authority to come up with measures to encourage the deployment of broadband infrastructure and rules to govern ISPs’ treatment of Internet traffic; and (d) the Open Internet Rules generally require ISPs to offer a standardised service that transmits data on a non-discriminatory basis. Such equal access rule did not run afoul of the First Amendment to the US Constitution (which affirms the right to freedom of expression). This decision affirmed the US Government’s view that broadband is a utility that should be made equally available to all consumers, rather than a luxury that does not require government supervision. This decision marks a landslide victory for net neutrality in the US and an enormous win for consumers. With this decision, all ISPs must treat all Internet traffic equally, and this assures a level playing field for all online content and benefitting both consumers and online content developers alike. President Obama – The Man behind the Push for Net Neutrality Rules The current US President, Barack Obama, is known as an ardent supporter of net neutrality. He has been instrumental in calling on the FCC to take up the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality. In an open letter to the FCC in November 2014, he wrote, ‘‘an open Internet is essential to the American economy, and increasingly to our very way of life. By lowering the cost of launching a new idea, igniting new political movements, and bringing communities closer together, it has been one of the most significant democratising influences the world has even known… The Internet has been one of the greatest gifts our economy and our society has ever known… there is no higher calling than protecting an open, accessible and free Internet.”
Net Neutrality Concept in Malaysia & ASEAN In ASEAN, Singapore’s telecommunications regulator (the Infocomm Development Authority) issued its net neutrality policy in 2011 and it
appears that Singapore is the only regulator in the region which has taken a clear stand on net neutrality. Under this policy, ISPs can offer specialised or customised online content or services and can perform reasonable network management practices, but are not allowed to impose discriminatory practices which would render any lawful online content inaccessible or unusable. In other words, ISPs are not allowed to block lawful online content. However, there is no outright ban on ISPs throttling Internet traffic and selling fast lanes to content providers. In Malaysia, there are currently no provisions within the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (‘‘CMA”) that expressly address net neutrality. The closest related provision would be Section 197 of the CMA, which provides that service providers may set rates for their services in accordance with market rates. Section 198 in turn sets out certain principles on rate setting, which prescribes that rates, amongst others ‘‘must be fair and, for similarly situated persons, not unreasonably discriminatory” and ‘‘should not contain discounts that unreasonably prejudice the competitive opportunities of other providers.” Section 199 states that the Minister may, on the recommendations of the MCMC, intervene freely in the setting of rates for any competitive facilities or services provided, for good cause or public interest. In terms of blocking of online content, while it is noteworthy that the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees assures that there will be no censorship of the Internet, this, however, does not mean that any person may disseminate illegal online content without regard to the law. The Government has the power to direct ISPs to block access to or remove certain prohibited content if the content is found to have violated Malaysian laws. Delivery of online content is subject to the provisions of the CMA which prohibit the dissemination of indecent, obscene, false, menacing or other illegal or offensive materials and also the provisions of the Content Code and the Internet Access Service Provider Sub Code. For example, the Code says that ISPs must not discriminate unduly between persons in the provision of their services and must provide equal access to all consumers. ISPs must also endeavour to provide consistent and reliable access to the Internet services.
The view expressed in this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter and does not constitute professional legal advice. You are advised to seek proper legal advice for your specific situation.
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Alaric Choo (left) and Ian Ng (right) started the Secretlab journey to create great gaming chairs that are comfortable and affordable
D The Secret To
Comfortable Gaming Lies With A Chair Secretlab founders give us some insights into their design concept for their gaming chairs By Matthew Yap
uring a chance trip to Singapore in May, we made a visit to Secretlabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office located on Bendemeer Road to talk about the company and its flagship OMEGA Stealth chair, which we reviewed in our July issue. Following that, we sent founders Alaric Choo and Ian Ng some questions we thought our readers might be curious of. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how it went:
Hi guys, thanks for accepting our interview. To start, could you tell us more about yourselves? Alaric: We knew each other when we were younger and still avid gamers. We were competitive Starcraft 2 players so we knew each other from there. We then went on to play a number of games together and ended up working separately but in the same office. The company, Aftershock PC, belonged to an old mutual friend and gaming buddy Marcus Wee. He graciously gave us space to start work on Secretlab as well as mentoring us through the process as well.
How did you start Secretlab and what were the personal motivations or inspirations behind the founding of this company and its products? Ian: I had just renovated my house back then and was looking for a
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The Throne had a V1 and now a V2, what about the OMEGA Stealth? Would there be improved versions with different features? Alaric: We are very happy where the OMEGA is at right now in terms of product quality and features. Customer feedback and reviews have also been unanimously spectacular, so we do not expect any changes there.
Due to our exchange rate with the Singapore Dollar, the OMEGA Stealth is a bit pricey for Malaysians, while the Throne V2 hits a good price but lacks the premium multi-tilt feature. Will there be a ‘mid-range’ model in the future? The famed multi-tilt component, one of the reasons why people love the OMEGA series chairs.
comfortable and sick looking chair to fit my gaming setup. I found that the options in the market were very unappealing, in terms of either price or quality. One thing led to another and after lots of determination and help from mentors we managed to get the first batch of production out.
How long did it take to develop your first successful prototype? When it came to the research and development of the chairs, what were some of the discoveries and challenges that you have encountered? In terms of the features for the chairs, what kind of ideas or considerations do you have when designing them? Is there a particular theme or concept in mind?
Ian: We’re aware of the exchange rate issues that Malaysians are facing, and have been trying ways to make it more affordable via sales and instalment plans. A mid-range model isn’t currently in the pipeline but we’ve definitely considered it before.
Besides chairs, are there any plans to ever come up with other products that fit the gaming theme? No immediate plans at the moment, we plan on focusing on making our chairs more widely available first.
Your chairs are now sold in Australia too and are doing well, which markets are you targeting next? Ian: A few other countries are in the pipeline. We can’t however reveal them yet, but we’re working really hard on making it happen. We’re quite insistent on bringing our chairs into each market ourselves in order to maintain the same service standard that made us popular in the first place.
Alaric: We wanted to create a chair that was not only top in quality, but also being the best value for money on the market. We are practical and very critical of functions that should be included and omitted. The composition material used is also very important to us – we’re always looking out for the most suitable materials to be used for all parts of our chair. Ian: We also don’t want to produce lots of random designs. Instead, every one of our chairs released should resonate well with majority of our customers. We spend a lot of time doing research and getting feedback about colour schemes, detailed design choices, before we give the green light for a certain design.
What do your users like the most about your chairs? Ian: A chair is a chair and a personal preference thing, but our chairs have received almost perfect reviews from both media and users for its comfort and features. We’re very proud of that – it shows that we’ve managed to reach our goals from a product design perspective. Alaric: The Secretlab name has also become almost synonymous with quality assurance. They know that we take aftersales support very seriously so they can purchase with peace of mind.
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Eric Chan, Fortinet’s Solution Consulting Director for South East Asia & Hong Kong
Understanding Shadow IT With technology moving at a blistering pace, the concept of Shadow IT is fast taking root in businesses. We talk to Fortinet‘s Eric Chan to understand why this is happening, and the potential dangers behind it By CHIP Team With BYOD being widely adopted in the working environment, what are the implications for cyber security? The primary objective for most organisations implementing BYOD is to grant easy, secure access to the network across the entire user base. Gartner predicts that by 2017, most employers will require their employees to bring their own devices for work. Global market
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research and consulting company MarketsandMarkets expects the global market for BYOD to increase from US$67.21 billion in 2011 to US$181.39 billion by the year 2017. The benefits of BYOD include creating new mobile workforce opportunities, increasing employee satisfaction and reducing costs. However, security continues to be the biggest concern for BYOD. The challenges associated with BYOD can force an organisation to rigorously evaluate its security posture and infrastructure. Many employees have found that mobile devices often do not deliver the same strict policy enforcement capabilities as desktop devices. This policy gap enables many employees to use their mobile devices to access applications and content that is denied by standard corporate policy, such as video streaming. With mobile devices offering an easy way to bypass the limits normally imposed on them, users are putting a strain on the corporate network and exposing it to additional risk of compromise. With devices operating outside the confines of the traditional brick and mortar enterprise, the potential for data loss increases significantly. The threats to mobile users include the risk of malware infection, inadvertent or malicious sharing of critical business data or the devices being lost or stolen. Additionally, rogue wireless networks exist in the public with the sole purpose of stealing unprotected data. For every device manufacturer and version of the mobile operating system, there is likely going to be differences in what policies can be applied. Solving the mobile security challenge will be difficult by relying solely on agents. There are simply too many operating systems, devices and hardware platforms to expect agents to exist for every device and for every agent to act the same way on every device. Security professionals cannot rely on agents alone to secure the complex range of actions inherent in mobile devices. There has to be another layer of security that acts as the final authority. Ultimately the network needs to be aware of its traffic. Fortinet’s Security Fabric advocates an effective awareness strategy: • User identification – Who is on the network? What are they allowed to do? When did they join the network? • Device identification – What devices are on the network? Who do they belong to? What are they allowed to do? How do I find out when they start behaving badly? • Physical Topology – How are these devices connected to the network? What devices are they allowed and not allowed to interact with? • Network and Application Topology – What policies do we need? How are they distributed and enforced? Do we have a single view across the network? How do we know when a policy has been violated? Can a violation detected on one device trigger an automated response on another device?
Cloud storage applications such as Dropbox have proven to be extremely popular among Malaysians who want to transfer large amounts of data. What are some of the risks associated with such applications? There are several risks associated with the use of third-party cloud storage services. When using third-party file sharing services, the data is typically taken outside of the company’s secured IT environment, and that means that the data’s privacy settings are beyond the control of the enterprise. Data at third-party storage and file sharing apps is also
feature potentially at risk of being viewed or mishandled, thus leading to data leak. There are also a number of external threats that can lead to data leakage, including malicious hacks of cloud providers or compromises of cloud user accounts. Files in the cloud are among the most susceptible to hacking. Even if the cloud service provides encryption for files, data can still be intercepted on route to its destination. Despite cloud access being restricted based on user credentials; the security strength is based on individual users’ password and subject to compromise. While a credential compromise may not give attackers access to the data within your files, it could allow them to perform other tasks such as making copies or deleting them. While the cloud storage and file sharing services can offer great value to enterprises for their flexibility, scalability, and cost savings, it is critical that organisations address these security concerns with an implementation of a comprehensive cloud security strategy.
Employees and end-users are often thought to be the weakest link when it comes to cyber-security. What are some of Fortinet’s best security practices to address this? You can have the strongest systems but if you do not have the people who know how to use them, or how to protect data, then they are invariably going to become the weakest links. Until you close the human gap in the equation, you are always vulnerable to attacks. All employees must practice good cyber hygiene. Any individual with access to a company’s system represents a threat and must be part of that company’s cyber defence strategy. Fortinet recommends taking the following steps: • Compulsory password change every three months. Access will be denied if password wasn’t change. • Limit access to social media where data leakage may occur. Organisation may consider blocking such websites. • Enhance email filtering features, such as spam mails which may contain harmful viruses or backdoor Trojan that may spy on users’ computers. • Most importantly, educate users on usage of computers and IT security best practices. Remind users not to open unknown emails from senders which they do not know.
IoT and proliferation of smart devices have further exposed enterprise networks to cyber threats. How should enterprises defend against such threats? Networks are currently undergoing dramatic changes. Organisations are faced with issues including BYOD, IoT, virtualisation, SDN, cloud, the proliferation of applications and Big Data. Gartner predicts that the Internet of Things’ market will grow and there will be 26 billion connected devices by 2020. This has exponentially increased the attack surface that all organisations should be concerned with and protecting a company’s data and intellectual property is more important than ever. Many IoT devices are headless, run simple communications protocols, and are unable to run a client or even be patched. They rely exclusively on the access network for security. To defend against cyber threats, Fortinet advocates the following: Pre-programmed credit alerts and two-factor authentication are important tools than can easily be applied as a starting point. This can be a combination of things, such as log-in credentials combined with a token (chip card) or biometric (fingerprint). Companies could also employ attribute-based factors to assess the authenticity of users as they login. These attributes could be an encrypted cookie linked to a device, a source IP address, the typical time of day a user
accesses the system, or even the speed and pattern by which a user enters his or her password. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning - Potentially, AI could learn with a higher degree of efficiency and granularity what a unique set of attributes might be per user: what would individually equate to a good vs. bad authorisation. These attributes could then also be weighted, because some may be worth more, in terms of accuracy, than others. Applying AI on a profile-by-profile basis, organisations could possibly create tailored attribute rates that keep false positive rates low while leading to better user experience. Using threat intelligence inside existing security infrastructure you have is also important, as it can trigger on poor reputation domains and URLs coming to your network location and mailbox. The advent of NFV security in edge devices for small business (IE, AT&T UCPE) and even homes will also help, when enabled with proper threat intelligence. Protecting Access points (APs) is critical to wireless security, and to securely extending physical coverage for users. Today’s AP’s not only need to support high density environments, but also support security features like Application Visibility & Control (AVC), Wireless IPS (wIPS), and Rogue monitoring without the loss of performance. Fortinet’s latest Security Fabric is so important. Companies need deeply integrated security systems that share information across all areas, including wired, wireless, VPN, and cloud environments. And when that integration is coupled with machine learning capabilities, the system can flag abnormalities more accurately and more rapidly, and coordinate responses between different security deployments. All of this contributes to better response time for organisations in mitigating threats.
Could you elaborate on Shadow IT – is it similar to Dark Web and what are some of the vulnerabilities as a result of Shadow IT? Shadow IT is a term used to describe the use of unapproved devices and services on the network. For example, an IT department might have to support tablets not because they are corporate approved assets, but only because everyone from the CEO down has a tablet on the network. But there could also be myriads of devices on the network that IT doesn’t even know about. Most recently, Shadow IT has begun to include consumer or enterprise applications in the cloud, such as file sharing apps, social media, and collaboration tools, and it can also include lines of business that have deployed enterprise-class SaaS applications or sometimes even cloud-based infrastructure. There is often no corporate policy or decision to allow this, and most of the time its unknown by anyone on the IT team. The traditional perimeter of the data center, and the network itself, is fundamentally changing. Users expect to be able to access any information, from any location, at any time, using any device. The result is that the corporate network is expanding beyond its traditional borders to include web and cloud-based access. Securing data in this environment can be a complex process because that data no longer simply exists behind the iron doors of the data center. The flow of data transactions into and out of the data center, between data centers, or that is used and stored on a wide variety of devices is increasing at a dramatic pace. During this process, the nature of the data changes, and comprehensive data loss security strategies need to address. Fortinet’s Security Fabric allows different security technologies to work together to more effectively secure evolving network environments and solve new threat challenges.
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feature On the other hand, the Dark Web is the non-indexed part of the Internet which can only be accessed via a series of high-level passcodes that are only known by cyber criminals. The Dark Web consists of a few layers of abstraction that are differentiated by content, secrecy and difficulty in accessing them. The transformation to a digital business model has extended the network beyond the perimeter, which means that today’s networks and its related security are becoming borderless.
Why do employees practice ‘Shadow IT’ in the first place? Could it also be the CTO’s fault if employees are not satisfied with the current tech they have? Many employees practice ‘Shadow IT’, unaware of its implications. In large organisations, getting IT departments to approve a new hardware and software can be extremely time consuming and bureaucratic. Most organisations are not structured to offer new IT solutions at such a rapid pace. Employees often skirt around corporate policy and find their own technology solution because they simply want to get their work done. Unfortunately, Shadow IT practices leaves a company vulnerable to data leaks, possible phishing scams and significant data breaches.
As seen in recent months, ransomware has become a huge problem. What kind of security measures has Fortinet developed to combat ransomware, be it in practices, hardware or software development? Ransomware is a form of malware that infects devices, networks and data centers by preventing them from being used until the organisation pays a ransom in order to unlock the system. Ransomware is not new. However, ransomware attacks have become very sophisticated, targeted and lucrative. For example, crypto-ransomware can infect an operating system so that a device is unable to boot up. Other ransomware will encrypt a drive or a set of files or file names. Some malicious versions have a timer and begin deleting files until a ransom has been paid. All demand that a ransom be paid in order to unlock or release the blocked or encrypted system, files, or data. As such, Fortinet suggests these 10 critical steps to protect an organisation from the effects of ransomware: 1) Develop a backup and recovery plan – To prepare effectively in case of ransomware attack, back up your systems regularly, and store that backup offline on a separate device. It is also important to ensure that the backup process is practical and diversified. 2) Use professional email and web security tools – Specialisation tools can analyse email attachments, websites, and files for malware, and block potentially compromised advertisements and social media sites that have no business relevance. These tools should include sandbox functionality, so that new or unrecognised files can be executed and analysed in a safe environment. 3) Keep your operating systems, devices, and software patched and updated – This will ensure most up to date defence to block entry ways for cyber criminals as exploitations rely greatly on vulnerabilities. 4) Ensure your device and network antivirus, IPS, and antimalware tools are running the latest updates. 5) Use application whitelisting where possible - Whitelisting prevents unauthorised applications to be downloaded or run. Restricting users’ installations of unsolicited files, software and applications can also help to reduce the effects of ransomware.
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6) Segment your network into security zones - An infection in one area cannot easily spread to another with segmentation. 7) Establish and enforce permission and privilege – This ensures the fewest number of users have the potential to infect business-critical applications, data, or services. The uses of strong passwords are highly encouraged and to reduce risks, change the passwords often. 8) Establish and enforce a BYOD security policy – A clear and effective BYOD policy will ensure consistent enforcement of inspection, thus blocking devices which do not meet your standards for security (no client or antimalware installed, antivirus files are out of date, operating systems need critical patches, etc.) 9) Deploy forensic analysis tools – Forensics tools help identify where the infection came from, how long it has been in your environment, that you have removed all of it from every device, and that you can ensure it does not come back. 10) Do NOT rely on employees to keep you safe - While it is still important to up-level your user awareness training so employees are taught to not download files, click on email attachments, or follow unsolicited web links in emails, human beings are the most vulnerable link in any security chain, thus there must be alternative plans in the event of a security compromise.
Other than ransomware, what other notable cyber threats should CIOs in Malaysia be on the lookout for? The threat landscape is in a constant state of evolution and the arms race between cyber guardians and cyber criminals has been heating up dramatically over the course of the last year. Over 20 billion devices are expected to be connected in the next four years alone, forcing individuals and organisations to face an exponentially expanding attack surface, bound to a borderless cyberspace. In addition to ransomware, Fortinet predicts these top four emerging threats that will challenge our defenses: • Machine-to-Machine Attacks The exponential increase of unmanaged, “headless devices” driven by the Internet of Things will make these types of devices a tempting target for hackers looking to secure a beachhead into more traditional devices and corporate infrastructures. We will see a rise in the number of attacks that exploit flaws in trusted machine to machine (M2M) communication protocols. • Headless Worms Target Headless Devices Related to the rise in machine-to-machine attacks, the “headless devices” driven by the Internet of Things will also become a focus of worms and viruses that are designed to independently target and automatically propagate to other devices via trusted communication protocols. These viruses could be designed to cause the systematic failure of devices and the damages would be far more substantial as the numbers of IoT devices grows into the billions. • Jailbreaking the Cloud As adoption of virtualisation and cloud strategies increases, hackers are developing strategies to break out of hypervisors and infect the larger infrastructures and systems. Hackers will start targeting malware that exploits flaws in virtualisation protocols to jailbreak the cloud and gain access to wider infrastructure data. • Two-Faced Malware Malware has been continually evolving features to avoid detection as security measure like sandboxing become more prevalent. As Sandboxing become more resistant to these countermeasures, we anticipate the development of Two-Faced Malware designed to execute an innocent task to avoid detection and then execute the malicious process once it has cleared security protocols.
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Protect Yourself From Kickstarter Ripoffs Crowd-funding is an established financing instrument for technical start-ups, artists and cheats. We show you how to identify rip-offs on platforms like Kickstarter By Benjamin Hartlmaier
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hen the times are good, crowd funding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo facilitate breakthroughs of technical innovations such as the smart watch Pebble and the VR-goggle Oculus Rift. On the contrary, if things go bad, not the product, but only the account of the
fraudster is financed. One of the many attempts to get money from trusting supporters with false promises was the project “Kobe Red”. The alleged dried meat product made from Japanese deluxe beef was however ended by Kickstarter before the cheats could get away with over 120,000 US-dollars. This however, was
possible only because the financing period had still not elapsed. If a project is already successfully financed, Kickstarter will not return any money. If the initiator does not deliver, the supporters are completely on their own. Over 1,000 supporters of the video game Mansion Lord, whose developer absconded with 30,000 USD have experienced this exact same problem. Apart from frauds, successfully financed projects also often collapse because the suppliers back out or the initiators are overstrained. Until now, one could retrieve the invested money through Paypal-buyer protection. However, this has now ended partially: the payment agents are withdrawing the buyer protection for crowd-funding from 25 June in USA, Canada, Brazil and Japan. It is recommended that backers take a close look before investing in crowd funding projects. Read the guide below for things to watch out.
GUIDE
Four tips against crowd funding fraud Investing in crowd funding projects is always risky. To minimize it, one must be well-informed before clicking on ‘‘Support”. We give four tips for safe crowd funding. >How reliable is the project? A project on Kickstarter sounds too good to be true? Then alarm bells should start ringing. Before you invest in a new super gadget, you must research the technical background (Wikipedia is a good place to start). Furthermore, be very careful about what you see in campaign-videos: Is there a prototype already? Or is the company showing just a dummy or no product at all? Then it is better to stay away. >Who are the initiators? Also verify the initiators in addition to the product presented. Have they already worked on a similar project prior to this or completed a corresponding course of study? If there is a
company behind a project, it should not have been founded just before the start of the crowd funding campaign. Serious developers need a certain amount of lead time before building a prototype. >Is the project heavily over financed? It is good to be careful if the project sees too much success as well: developers, who initially wanted to deliver only several hundred copies of their new product, but suddenly need to produce more than a thousand pieces, most often do not have sufficient production capacity for it. Also, they often lack appropriate business partners and the experience for mass production. If a project has already met more than its
required financing goals, you should be careful. >What do other backerss say? Check the comments column of the project for justified doubts of other supporters before investing yourself. Questionable Kickstarter projects have also been accumulated on the site kickscammed.com (see below).
tech spelunk
HP Spectre These days, we see plenty of people who work without an office, or bring their work with them on the go. A thin and light laptop is something they all love to have, but it also has to perform well and look great too. The options that cater to this demand are out there, with one of the latest being a sexy entry from HP – the HP Spectre By CHIP Team
Marvellously Slim Design One of the biggest highlights of this laptop is how thin it is. At 10.4mm in thickness and weighing in at 1.1kg, the HP Spectre is one of the most portable notebook PC available today. With these dimensions, it can be slipped into a messenger bag and not feel like it’s even there.
‘‘Where’s My Bling!?” For those who like to work while the lights are out and their spouse is sleeping, the Spectre caters to that too. With its backlit keyboard and trackpad, using the machine in the dark isn’t that much of a problem.
A Multi-sensory Experience A full HD IPS display is employed for the Spectre’s 13-inch screen to deliver crisp pictures and extra wide viewing angles. This, coupled with HP’s dual speaker system with audio that is custom-tuned by the audio professionals from Bang & Olufsen, promises to create a sensory experience like never before.
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tech spelunk Robust Build When something is so slim and light, build quality becomes a concern. But fortunately, that’s not an issue with the Spectre. HP went with CNC-milled aluminium and carbon fibre to build this model, ensuring that it’s tough enough to withstand the rigours of constantly moving with its user.
Cooling To Match Its Performance A laptop PC in this category usually run on a Core M processor, but HP has outfitted the Spectre with one from the Core i5/i7 family. It also has 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a 256 or 512GB M.2 SSD inside, which should deliver decent levels of performance. In addition, HP came up with a hyperbaric cooling system to ensure that it stays as cool as it can.
Battery Juggernaut According to HP, the Spectre’s battery can power up to nine hours’ worth of active use on a full-charge. It’s using a hybrid battery system consisting of four battery cells, as opposed to a single large battery cell, which helped HP create a laptop with such dimensions.
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Technilexicon – 802.11ad The new WiFi standard 802.11ad extends current specifications instead of replacing them. It adds very high speed at close distance and with visual contact By Christoph Schmidt
60 GHz: Great speed but….
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clients can apply for fixed time periods for the router (they are service periods shown in the image ‘‘Flow of data transfer”) where data is transferred by considering the overhead without further negotiations.
ad-WiFi in practice Due to the short range, a router with 802.11ad has benefits only when it is in the same room as the client. On the client side, the Snapdragon 820 from Qualcomm is the first smartphone SOC with ad-WiFi support. Apart from the traditional WiFi in the vicinity, the high bandwidth predestines for point-to-point connections to transfer the cellphone display to the TV. This becomes possible as the transfer of cable signals like HDMI is planned in ad-standard. Even the wireless connection from USB devices can be conceived – especially the small antennae can be installed in many devices at less cost. Thus, the notebook could use two monitors, three USB-3 ports and audio devices wirelessly.
Hyper-WiFi in outdoor use Although it initially appears preposterous, research is being done on the application of the 60 GHz WLAN in open areas in cities. Many transmitting stations are required for this purpose due to the short wavelength but these stations are relatively small and inexpensive. For example, in this manner, Facebook is providing a fast 1 GB/s WiFi on its campus in Menlo park as a pilot project – meaning the 60-GHz bandwidth can also be a faster alternative to LTE.
PHotos: Hersteller
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must be restricted to legally permitted, iFi exists in most households licence-free and a few frequency bands today. That said, current that are still free which, in this case, is the technology often reaches its 60 Gigahertz band. As disturbances through limits as the data throughput is quite high other 60-GHz net- works can be hardly for something like HD video streaming and envisaged due to strong signal damping, big downloads. the engineers of the standard Wireless The new 802.11ad standard aims blow Gigabit Alliance have divided the band into away these limits. While the established a few but broad radio channels – these are specifications 802.11n and 802.11ac use the subranges on which the transmitters frequency ranges of 2.4 or 5 Gigahertz, and receivers must unite. ad-devices work in 60 GHz band. The The short wavelength of the ad-signals bandwidth usable there is huge, also there is suitable for very small antennae. Many of are no other radio technologies which could these can fit in to a mobile device. The new cause disturbance; thus data rates of 5 to 6 standard uses such antennae arrays for GB/s are actually possible in reality. improved beam forming. The radio radiation But there is a downside: The highis oriented specifically frequency radio waves are for the destination damped by the air but device through physical obstacles do not modulation of the block the signal. Therefore, radio waves. Thus, radio connections between ….less range as air and obstacles block the signal heavily or connections stronger satellites in the vacuum of completely than 2.4 or 5 GHz can outer space use this be established – only frequency range. In the one out of these works with a cellphone, in home network, this technology works for each case, owning to its size. Also, ad only a few metres and by line of vision reserves a time window for the which is why they are offered in specifically optimisation of the beam forming in every advertised routers. End devices switch radio interval (0.1 to 1 second). This seamlessly from Hyper-WiFi to the slower guarantees a consistently good connection, standards if they go out of the ad-range. even when the devices are moving. WiFi Turbo with specific boost ad-WiFi offers not only more bandwidth Technically, the multiband capability is theoretically but also uses them better implemented such that a control link is than n or ac in reality. They come into maintained in the 2.4 or 5 GHz band and practice due to protocol overheads, at the Data Turbo in the 60 GHz band is maximum 50% of the nominal data rate. The engaged only if it is available. new standard should achieve up to 90% Like other radio standards, ad-WiFi through more efficient data transfer. ad-
feature The first 802.11ad devices
1
Apart from the conventional radio technology, the TP Link Talon AD7200 1 has an additional chip and corresponding antennae for the 60-GHz band. Dell Latitude 6430u 2 uses WIGIg-radio technology for wireless and fast connection of a docking station with display and USB-3 ports
1
Frequencies and bandwidths In contrast to the currently used radio frequencies 2.4 and 5 Gigahertz, the wavelength 1 of the 60-GHz band from ad-WLAN is only half a centimetre. This high frequency is particularly absorbed strongly by atmospheric oxygen.
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This reduces the range but also reduces the interferences which allows three very broad radio channels with 2.1 GHz 2 and a high transfer rate. 60 GHz 0.49 cm
2.4 GHz 12.3 cm
5 GHz 5.51 cm
60 GHz
0 2.4 GHz 5 GHz 59.4
5.15–5.275 2.4–2.485
57.24
2
58.32
59.4
Channel 1 (not EU)
61.56
60.48
Channel 2
62.64
63.72
65.88 65.88
64.8
Channel 3
Channel 4
Signal section (appr. 0.1-1s) Signal management phase
Alarm signal
Data transfer
AT (Announcement time) Meta & service data
CBP 1 (Contention-based period)
SP 1 (Service period)
Negotiable transfer
Defined transfer window
SP 2
CBP 2
SP 3
Flow of data transfer The regularly transferred Beaconsignals shape the data flow. Useful data is transferred to the CBPs and SPs where the latter permit particularly efficient transfers through defined time windows.
Sector-level search
1
QUELLE: JÖRG RECH, ‘WIRELESS LANS“
BT (Beacon time)
A-BFT (Association beamforming training) Fine tuning of beam forming
Transmitter
1
Transmitter
Recipient
In every time window for the beam forming fine tuning, transmitters and receivers determine the direction of the partner 1 and strengthen the signal precisely in that direction 2
802.11n
802.11ac
Frequency band
2.4 GHz*
5 GHz
60 GHz
Available bandwidth
0.085 GHz
0.455 GHz
6,48 GHz
Channel width
20–40 MHz
20–160 MHz
2.16 GHz
Nominal data rate
1.0 MBit/s
2.166 MBit/s
6.8 GBit/s
Optimal practical data rate
~ 200 MBit/s
~ 400 MBit/s
5–6 GBit/s
One-family home
Apartment/ Floor
1 room
Typical range
802.11ad
Differences between 802.11 n and ac The more efficient data transfer by 802.11ad is seen in the fact that the practical data rate comes close to the nominal value as compared to n and ac. chip malaysia
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* (5 GHz möglich, aber selten)
Recipient Beam-forming fine tuning
Beam-forming –Training Phase
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UHD monitors are constantly becoming cheaper. Does this mean that one can buy it for every work desk? Having such large displays with big resolutions doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come without its own set of problems By Sepp Reitberger
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igher resolution is always better. Back when LCD displays first came out, it was a breath of fresh air as it meant not only that monitors no longer take up too much space, but the colours were also a lot more vibrant. When widescreen displays became a thing, it also meant making multitasking a much simpler effort. I
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could place the windows of system console, editor, compiler and mail-program next to each other on it at the same time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what magnificent comfort! With the flat screens of the 2000s, I re-experienced this: The first 24-inch with Full-HD resolution finally made it possible to display Adobe InDesign and Outlook or Browser next to each other.
Stumbling Blocks Before talking about the good experiences, came the bad ones. My computer at the publishing house is fitted with a GeForce 520 GT which has two dual-link DVI ports for monitors. In theory, the bandwidth of these connections is sufficient for the UHD resolution in 30 Hertz. There are DVI inputs on the monitor but less as compared to most other UHD monitors. The simple DVIHDMI adapters which are available for cheap use only one DVI link. Because of this, the usable resolution is limited to full-HD. We must get hold of a new graphics card. There are no cards with UHD-capable HDMI 2.0 in our IT-equipment. Therefore, I insert a GeForce GTX 760 with display port in the PC. Actually I am expecting to install some drivers and change some settings in
Photos: Juliane Weber (Aufm.); Gigabyte (Grafikk.)
4K For Workstations
In 2016, it now seems almost compelling to take the next step: good UHD monitors with quadrupled Full-HD resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) are available for around 1,000 euros (~4,400 MYR).
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UHD Checklist Operating system The good UHD support speaks for Windows 8.1 or 10 Software The scaling functions in Windows 10 can cause problems for old software. Use the latest versions. Graphics card connection UHD needs HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 for full quality. Cable The cables must meet the current HDMI or DisplayPort standards or there will be image interferences
Windows 7 works only with a magnifying glass Windows 7 is not prepared for high resolutions as icons become too small, the operation with two monitors leads to frustration.
Windows but as soon as I start the system with the UHD monitor at the output, the login-window appears unusually small. I see it in UHD.
UHD With Goggles? Everything is now small on the screen – The 163 dpi of the monitor not only means that pictures will have a much finer resolution than as on a standard screen with 92 dpi, but also that all the elements of the Windows user interface will be reduced to smaller than one-third of the size. During the last eye checkup, the company doctor had certified a visual capacity of over hundred percent for me, but the toolbars of Adobe InDesign and also of Photoshop (in each case in the CC 2014 version - see screenshots above) strain my eyes. This is no longer the correct way to operate. In the display-settings of Windows 7, there is a dialog under ‘‘Make text and other items larger or smaller” with which all the contents can be expanded up to 150 percent. This also works - in parts. Start menu, icons and system dialogs are thus easily usable, the ribbon menu toolbars of Office 2016, which I have on my computer, are also suitable to the UHD conditions. A program suite ignores the Windows settings for the display size but as far as possible: the Creative-Cloud program by Adobe InDesign
Windows 10 is more flexible The current Windows adjusts every display individually and forces applications into sensible scaling. The benefits of the high resolution is now more practical.
and Photoshop of all things, have calculated their own settings for scaling of the user interface – they however do not change anything. As I connect the monitor as an additional display to the mini-display port of my laptop, I am confronted with two more problems: Windows 7 cannot go about it sensibly if 2 displays have very different pixel densities. The adjustment of the display for the external monitor means that the icons appear grotesquely large on the laptop screen and many system dialogs are cut. Furthermore, the integrated graphics card achieves only 30 Hz in my Core i5 in the UHD resolution. YouTube-Videos with 24 pictures per second judder a lots. Now I am really frustrated: I cannot really use the UHD monitor in my work environment. Finally, I simply set Windows on Full HD and am at least pleased with the quality of the monitor.
UHD Needs Windows 10 This possibly could not have been all. I finally connect the UHD monitor to my test PC. That not only has a powerful graphics card inside, but above all, also has Windows 10 on it. I install the latest version of Creative Cloud on this computer and then see: everything is as it should be – namely without manipulating the system settings. The system automatically adjusts to the pixel density on every screen. This makes work fun: I can see
Graphic cards with DVI support the high resolution only in theory. UHD needs Display Port or HDMI
The right GPU for UHD From GeForce 5XX: UHD 30 Hz on HDMI From GeForce 7XX: UHD 60 Hz on DP 1.2
From Radeon HD 5000: UHD 30 Hz on HDMI From Radeon HD 6000: UHD 60 Hz on DP 1.2
From Intel HD gr. 4000: UHD 30 Hz on HDMI From Intel HD gr. 5000 UHD 60 Hz on DP 1.2
two notebook pages in original size and judge without magnification how screenshots and pictures look. I just need to convince our in-house IT department for a quick upgrade to Windows 10.
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Attack On Android Has Android become a victim of its own success? Monthly security patches cannot prevent the rise in the flood of malware – and it is becoming increasingly threatening By Markus Mandau
W
e already know from Windows – and many users have also experienced this: malware lurks in every nook and corner as soon as you access the Internet. Is a similar fate threatening Android? A comparison shows that the conditions also correspond: just like Windows on the desktop, Android is by far the most widely used system on smartphones – and hence, the first target for malware. Google responded to this situation last year and issues monthly security patches,
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just like how Microsoft does for Windows. They have barely impacted the number of malware programs. The numbers from an AV test confirm this. The central German test lab for anti-virus programs has recorded about 12 million samples of malware for Android in its database till today. January 2016 was the worst month in that respect with over a million new samples. Since then, the level has approximately been maintained. There is a simple reason as to why the Google updates cannot stop this trend of
increase in malware: so far, these hackers used loopholes in Android to infiltrate the Smartphone only sporadically. Rather, they rely a lot more on ‘‘Social Engineering” and tempt the users to install infected apps themselves. Hence, some experts advise to forego anti-malware on Android. Instead, one should act carefully and not install any app outside the Google Play Store. This could soon change because malware now also uses system loopholes. In this case, caution is not sufficient protection, because the user is no longer the weak point but the operating system is. It is then important to always install the latest security patches.
Split: The Google PatchDilemma Stagefright was a big bang. The loophole prompted Google to release monthly security patches. The framework of the same name uses Android for processing of multimedia files. Experts of the security startup Zimperium have found a way to
Lead Story: Veronika Zangl (composing); Stock photo/petekarici (Hg.) Google (Smartphone) Photos: Manufacturer (Products)
feature
feature Android-Patches only for new versions Google has modernized the security architecture of the kernel with Android 4.4. Older versions are hence no longer patched; about one-fourth of all the devices are still affected by this. 0.1 % Froyo (2.2)
7.5 % Marshmallow (6.0)
2.2 % Gingerbread (2.3.3–2.3.7) 2.0 % Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.3–4.0.4)
35.6 % Lollipop (5.0–5.1)
20.1 % Jelly Bean (4.1–4.3)
Samsung S III
create a buffer overflow via the Stagefright framework. We already know of buffer-overflow from Windows: with that, malware can write data in a different area of the main memory, which is reserved for system programs if something goes wrong. Thus, the malware finally gains access to the root and can do whatever it wants on the operating system.
Version number as the big question The parallels between Android and Windows stop with the distribution of the patches. Unlike Microsoft, Google provides them automatically only for its own Nexus devices. At the same time, the smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, LG or HTC also receive the patches. They independently decide which devices they will still patch. In some cases, the providers from whom many customers buy their smartphones, also get involved and publish
Samsung S4
Current version
4.3
Version
4.4.2
Version
5.0.1
Last Update
02.05.2015
Update
29.01.2016
Update
22.12.2015
Even if Google distributes new patches to the smartphone manufacturers, it does not mean that older devices will also receive them.
32.5 % KitKat (4.4)
Available patches No more patches
Samsung S4 mini
their own updates. Normally, manufacturers and providers preferably
routine, Google has eliminated 164 loopholes in all, 70 of which were critical.
attend to new releases and top models. Patches are installed on the remaining smartphones if at all necessary and with a delay. One finds hundreds of possible constellations in the wild. Researchers of the University of Berkeley have attempted to lighten the thicket of versions: In October 2015, their analysis revealed that 87 percent of all devices are not up-to-date. Old system versions constitute a significant proportion of the unsafe devices, because Google provides its monthly patches only for Android 4.4 and higher. This is related to the fact that Google built the Kernel-extension Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) subsequently: partly in version 4.4 and completely from 5.0. SELinux ensures that every application runs in a protected environment. If there is a security problem, then Google patches just the Android versions with SELinux. Since the introduction of the patch
For Google it is critical that a privilege escalation is possible via buffer overflow for instance. We must check whether the latest patch is installed on our smartphone in the system information under ‘‘AndroidSecurity patch-Level”. This cannot be said as a general statement: there are older devices with Android 5.0, which are up-todate, and those like Galaxy S4 which has not seen any patches since months (see above). This is a problem because Stagefright is not easily fixed.
Malware attacks system loopholes Currently we are at Stagefright 3.0. For this version, security experts from the Israeli firm NorthBit have, for the first time provided a proof of concept, a guide about how malware can make use of the loopholes: The user surfs a website in which an infected video is integrated. It starts
Monthly security patches: almost 170 Android loopholes eliminated Since August 2015, Google is releasing monthly security patches. Until now, 70 critical loopholes have been eliminated, which would have facilitated a privilege escalation for the malware.
total
critical
high
moderate
low
2015 August
21
8
8
4
1
September
8
2
4
1
1
October
29
20
5
3
1
November
7
2
4
1
0
December
16
4
10
2
0
2016 January
12
5
2
5
0
February
13
7
4
2
0
March April
19 39
7 15
10 16
2 8
0 0
Total
164
70
63
28
3
In ‘‘Settings”, one can verify, when the last patch was installed
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Malware is increasingly targeting Android The number of malware families, which use their own attacking methods in each case, is important for the security situation. According to the security report by Symantec, the number has greatly increased in the last year.
automatically and ensures that the player on the smartphone crashes. As soon as the user tries to play back the video, the malware enters the system with increased rights. The guide explains in detail, how one can leverage Android’s memory protection ASLR (AddressSpace Layout Randomization) for a targeted buffer overflow. Google eliminated the loophole with a patch released in April.
1,000 4,350
7,612
9,839
13,783
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
SOURCE: SYMANTEC
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The ransomware Dogspectus poses as cyber police and blocks older devices that are no longer patched
Malware Versus Virus Scanner For older devices with OS versions of Android 4.3 and older, active malware with root access is already on its way: at the end of April, the security specialists from Blue Coat discovered a new ransomware that took advantage of a system loophole for the first time. Dogspectus is loaded as Drive-byDownload over an infected advertising banner. The malware stops running apps, prevents the start of anti-malware applications and ensures that it is activated first during a system restart. Fortunately, the ransomware does not encrypt any files, but only blocks the device and unblocks it again for a fee of 100 USD. The experts could connect the infected smartphone to a PC and download all data. From there, the unit could be reset to the default factory settings, which cleans the system of the malware. If Dogspectus had also encrypted the data, it
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Protection from simple ransomware The process superficially seems just as is the case with Dogspectus, but this is misleading. Unlike malware with root access, antivirus apps seem very well-equipped against them. In March, AV-Test had
The protection programs do this
Protection apps monitor web surfing using the Accessibility Service in Android, which is actually intended for visually impaired people.
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would have been lost just as is the case in Windows with ransomware. Luckily, the majority of Android malware is still not going the complicated way for security loopholes. According to Andreas Marx, director of AV-Test, most of the installations are done via thoughtless interaction within the scope of social engineering: ‘‘the users mostly search for things which are not available in Android by default, such as Flash Player, Erotic apps or updates for the banking apps.”
Just like Dogspectus, the ransomware ‘‘Lite” also attempts to lock the device, but finds it more difficult because it has to manage without root access. In a non-rooted Android, the user cannot miss this even with a thoughtless click. But it may give an app rights, like ‘‘Device administrator”. If this happens, the malware can prevent itself from being disabled from the system. If the user tries to do just that, he is simply presented with the lock screen and will be locked out from his own device.
The anti-virus experts from AV-test have reviewed how well Android protection programs recognise malicious apps. The known sector names are not doing badly. Known Virus Scanner
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Real-time detection of all new android malware
Detection of android malware from last 4 weeks
Avast Mobile Security 5.0
99.9 %
99.9 %
AVG AntiVirus Free 5.1
99.3 %
99.8 %
Avira Antivirus Security 4.3
98.9 %
100 %
Bitdefender Mobile Security 3.2
100 %
100 %
ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus 3.2
99.9 %
99.9 %
G Data Internet Security 25.10
99.8 %
100 %
Kaspersky Lab Internet Security 11.10
99.8 %
100 %
McAfee Mobile Security 4.6
99.3 %
99.8 %
Norton Mobile Security 3.13
99.9 %
100 %
Sophos Mobile Security 6.0
100 %
100 %
Trend Micro Mobile Security 7.0
99.8 %
100 %
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For apps that are installed via sideloading, antivirus software is imperative
systematically investigated the efficiency of Android protection apps. If you take a look at the results of the names known from the Windows (see below), they often reach a recognition rate between 99 and 100 percent for all the latest malware. If the malware is around for a month, then the antivirus apps can almost always catch them. The protection programs also register with increased rights in Android. They can be found in the system settings under ‘‘Device administrators” and also in ‘‘Operating Assistance”. Here, Android has provided functions, among other things, which facilitate the operation of the device for people with restricted vision, such as the test display with high contrast or the voice output of texts. Apps which use this system interface may monitor activities on the smartphone and intervene if needed. Antivirus software uses Android’s Accessibility Service for monitoring browsers or for child safety. Because of the extended rights of this service, the scanners can strike if the users surf websites with malicious code.
Last countermeasure: start Android in Safe mode
loophole. Some anti-virus apps have integrated a rooting detection, but this does not mean automatic protection, says Marx: ‘‘Here, the user must naturally still decide whether the action has been carried out by him or whether it is a malware attack.” If it concerns apps, the antivirus software will notice the installation in each case. If the web filter strikes in the browser, Marx at least seems to be confident that the attack can be preventively blocked using this.
Android’s China syndrome Social engineering will continue to play an important role whatever the future of Android brings. Google faces a similar dilemma just like the Android patches. Its Play Store is blocked in China. The Chinese need to switch to alternate shops or make do with sideloading of apps, i.e. get APK files from the net and install them with a double click. This means that they must permit the ‘‘Installation of apps from other sources” in the Android settings and thus, deactivate an important security feature of the system. Whether it is sideloading or China-shop,
both are missing the app check implemented in the Play Store. The consequences of this are indicated in the numbers laid out by Google’s security report for 2015: Without Play Store, the probability of a malware attack increases tenfold, whereas a dangerous app is delivered only in 0.15 percent of all the cases. If the device is infiltrated once, the user has no protection options. Sometimes the Safe mode offers one solution, which functions similar to that in Windows: with a long click on the ‘‘Switch off” button, you can prompt a restart, where Android boots up only with Google’s own apps. Older malware which has not claimed any rights as ‘‘Device administrator” can still be removed this way. In case it still possesses these rights, one can at least access one’s data from outside and make it safe provided it has not already been encrypted by any ransomware. Marx recommends Android users to regularly back up data – ideally on a PC and not only on the Cloud. One does this in exactly the same way in Windows.
Dead heat for system access Currently, we have somewhat of a strange situation in Android, that malware and antimalware are competing for extended rights in the operating system. ‘‘Finally”, assesses Marx, ‘‘antivirus scanners are allowed to do all that malware can”. This poses the question as to how well-equipped are the protection programs against malware, which aims to gain root access via a safety
Sideloading of apps can be easily prevented via the system settings
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feature
Digitising Physical Content Get your super-8 videos from the storage, slide boxes from your basement and music cassettes from your garage and bring old analogue treasures into the digital age with our guide
D
igital photos, music and videos occupy the most space on average hard drives, SSDs and NAS systems today. Photos, music and videos existed long before computers in every house. Years ago, it was all analog but most of us have all but left that era. Photo albums, negatives, slides, vinyl records, music cassettes, VHS and Super 8 videos mostly gather dust in the basement and these treasures are discovered only when packing to moving or during spring cleaning. In this
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guide, we will show you how to preserve such memories as well as important documents.
Digitising Photos
Photos are the usual path of entry into the world of digitisation. Since capturing huge collections takes up a lot of time, you should inspect the collection and sort out
shaken, blurred or unwanted photos. Clean the photos before digitising using a slightly moist microfibre cloth. Open photo cartons with a thick layer of dust can be cleaned using compressed air which will remove the rough dirt and then use a dusting brush.
Scanning is the best option The best results of digitisation of photos can be achieved using a scanner. You do not need any special equipment, the scanners on multi-function printers are
Fotos: Juliane Weber (Aufm.); Hewlett Packard (Drucker); Fujitsu (Scanner); Sony (Plattensp.); Hersteller (Produkte)
By Jรถrg Geiger
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The scanning software integrated in Windows cannot do more. Using a proper scanning software is better
Paper photography can be digitised easily using a scanner, or a multifunction printer
enough for the same. Important: Clean the glass surface of the scanner! The minimum resolution for a photo is 300 dpi. In reality, scans up to 600 dpi are a good compromise between quality, the scanning time needed and storage space. If you are planning for large-format prints, then you can use the maximum resolution of the scanner for individual photos. Save the images as lossfree TIFFs if you want to edit them later. JPGs or PNGs are good if you want to just view the photos or post them on social networks. The colour depth is at 24 Bit by default (8 Bit for every colour channel) but many scanners also support 48 Bit. This does sound good but actually has no relevance for the display or print. If you are planning some extensive editing, then you should use the 48 Bit version if the image editing program is compatible with it. Photoshop, obviously, works well but not Photoshop Elements. The scanning program installed in Windows or OS X can be used but with restrictions as it is not so simple to use. If you do not wish to shell out money for special scanning software, then you can use software that came with the scanner or printer. For example, you can scan several photos in a jiffy and the scanning software will then identify the various photos, automatically separate them, realign them and save the results as separate files. Scanned photos can be archived easily and quickly on the PC. If needed, you can edit the photos using a software like Paint.NET.
Using Photoshop or Lightroom, you can retouch digitized photos
Not everyone has a scanner with him/her and only some photos need to be digitised. This can be solved by taking photos of the paper photos. You can obviously use an SLR camera and an expensive tripod to build a perfect digitisation station but that is not needed for now. If you visit your aunt once a year, then you can quickly take her photos using your smartphone. Free apps like Heirloom will help you in this matter. You just need to capture all four corners of the photo using the app and the rest happens automatically like correcting the photo orientation. You can also select the sections and share photos. If you do not have time or the mood or equipment to scan by yourself, then go to a photo scanning service which quite a number of photo and camera stores in and around Klang Valley have.
The digitisation of paper photos can be done using a smartphone app
dpi. For a manageable number of slides, the so-called duplication attachments for digicams â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a reasonable alternative if the remaining camera equipment is already available. Third option are the special slide and negative scanners which are also available under 100 Euro (RM500). Huge collections can include several thousand slides and scanning all of them
Slides and Negatives In order to digitise slides and negatives, you need to use a scanner with a transparency unit which creates at least 2800 dpi. If you want larger prints, then it may also be 4800
TIFF is a logical setting for editing photo scans. Not all tools can work with 48 Bit colour depth
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feature may take months. If you do not want to spend so much time with old photos, then either use a professional service or get a slide scanner which moves slides one after another like a projector. Such a device is the DigitDia 6000 from Reflecta. Do not be fooled by the nominal 5000 dpi resolution, the quality of the digitised photos is sufficient for large A5 prints and screen displays. The price of 1,500 Euro (MYR 7,500) may be scary but the device offered is cheaper to use and after digitising your own collection you can sell the Reflecta Scanner at a good price on sites like eBay.
CanoScan 9000F Mark II scans slides and negatives at 4,800 dpi
With Nikon ES-1, you get a slide copier set for lenses under 100 Euro (MYR500)
Digitising Videos
Personal videos are unique, in which can be easily digitised if the suitable playback device can be found. For example, a VHS video recorder. When it comes to digitising, modern video recorders have some advantages as compared to the older ones as they frequently reduce noise or adjust the brightness automatically. The procurement of a special device with a built-in DVD or hard disk recorder is actually a good solution but expensive. It is worthwhile only for businesses as prices of good devices can go into several hundreds of Euro â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but their prices remain stable and they have a good resale value. A Video Grabber acts as a bridge between a normal video recorder and the PC. This analogue to digital converter docks to the recorder via the composite or S-Video connection and can be connected via USB to the computer. There are more expensive solutions with integrated hardware encoders that work faster. You can leave the encoding to a
Video Grabbers connect recorder and PC and also have tools for digital conversion
software which comes along with the cheap grabber for about 20 Euro (MYR100). For example, the LogiLink Video Grabber has a version of Ulead Video Studio SE in the pack. VHS movies can then be saved as MPEG1, 2 or 4 or as DivX on the hard drive.
Editing Is Necessary While digitising videos, if you cannot get around with the editing, the software of the converter cannot be relied on. Instead, you can work with powerful freeware tools like VirtualDub. Either try the Capture module
Once videos are digitised, the various devices are no longer used; a free tool like HandBrake accomplished format conversions
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For extensive slide collections, a slide scanner like DigitDia 6000 from Reflecta is recommended
from VirtualDub to directly digitise videos or you can convert the MPEG videos into AVI with AviSynth. The reason for the shift: VirtualDub can work only with AVI. You can obviously pick from a plethora of videos on the hard disk and for example, play the previous analogue collections on a tablet or smartphone. The freeware tools like HandBrake make the necessary format conversions in just a few clicks.
Scanning reel movies is tedious If you want to digitise reel movies then you will need a projector so that you can record the movie being played on the screen which is the easiest way to do it. If none of your friends have one, then you can look for one on eBay or Mudah. Variably adjustable playback speed is an important feature as you can then increase the 18 images per second to 25. Alternatively, instead of a canvas screen, you can use deflections. Ideally, recording is done with a HD camcorder or HD video function of a latest digicam. A tripod is not necessary. Important: The digicam should record the projected film from edge to edge; focus must
feature Filming of reeling films is tedious, sadly the result is mostly poor
Many service providers digitalise movies, the price difference is quite considerable
1
2
Automatic text recognition In the scanning software, select the OCR profile 1 , set the format to PDF
be manual.
Movie scanner or service provider Like for slides, there is an interesting solution from Reflecta for Super 8-reels. The Super-8-Scanner looks like a projector but instead of optics, it has a scanning unit which records the film in individual images with 1140 x 837 pixels. The images are then merged using a tool of your choice (for example, the free Avidemux). The image sharpness of the Reflecta scanner is clearly better than the recording but the dynamics of Super 8 overburden the device. Therefore, for optimal quality, you have to individually set the brightness for every scene. The scanning takes up 40 times more time than the duration of the film. Thus, a larger collection will keep you busy for weeks or even months. The price of the Super-8Scanner (appr. 1000 Euro) can be expansive, but can fetch a good resale price after its work is done. Service providers, in case of films, are worth a look as they have professional equipment and save you the time and effort. The pricing is per piece for VHS cassettes and there are good offers under 10 Euro (MYR50).
Digitise Documents Quickly Insurance policies or bills ensure a well-piled writing desk and many metres of files and folders. That is why you need to digitise these documents.
More efficient than multifunction devices, real document scanners digitise even larger paper volumes
keywords. If a scanner is not available or if you have to quickly digitalise a document while travelling, then there are free apps like Microsoft Office Lens.
Scanning is the first choice The scanning unit of a usual multi-function device is generally sufficient for documents. A special document scanner is recommended only when you have to digitise an extensive inventory or deal with large amounts of paper. The simple scanning with on-board resources from Windows and OS-X is recommended when your PC is wellmaintained. If you scan a receipt as an image, then name it carefully and store it in a way so that it is easy to find. Scanning with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is best suitable for digital documents. The OCR extra from the scanner manufacturer is sufficient for home use. Select PDF as the format to save the files and select English as the OCR language in the settings. You will then find the digitalised document when you search using
When you are in a hurry, you can scan even with the help of an app
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feature 2a
1
2b
1a
Recording Music Vinyl records are experiencing their second spring. Fans swear on the special sound and their durability surpasses every music CD. As the use does make its mark on the discs and you want to enjoy your favourite music everywhere, digitalisation is also an option for record owners. The situation is somewhat different for music cassettes. Speaking of quality, they are on the off-side and the jaws of time keep gnawing on the tapes. In this case, you should digitise them as soon as possible, and a software that can help you out with this is one called Magix Audio & Music Lab. In this tutorial, we will show you how to digitalise audop using the Magix software.
1
Finding the connection
Vinyl records and music cassettes can be
3a
digitalised in real time but it takes longer than ripping a CD. You have to connect a tape deck or a record player to the PC on which Magix software is running and then just play the music. Coupling the two depends on the hardware used. The classic method is via the Clinch outputs (Line-out, Aux-out) of the stereo system to the line input of the sound card. Mostly the stereo jack sockets are there and you need an adapter from Cinch for 3.5 mm jack which costs only a few Ringgit. It becomes complicated when your stereo system does not have any Phono input for the record player. Then you have to introduce a preamp here. If you are keen on good sound quality then you have to pay a bit more. An alternative: Recently, new record players with integrated digitalisation units have entered the market that send an audio stream to the PC via USB. Such a model is the Sony PS-HX500. The belt-driven turntable is a solid product and
3b
its sound measured against the price (appr. 500 Euro (MYR 2,500) itself is decent with the accompanying pick-up; if you are an audiophile, then you will also like the option to save the audio stream in high resolution (up to 192 kHz sampling rate and up to 24 Bit resolution). Unfortunately, the software provided by Sony is disappointing as it is suitable only for recording. It is better to go back to our Magix tool for the further processing of the WAV files.
2
Importing music
Open Magix software. The program has many functions but it is clearly structured. On top, you will see the latest audio material along with control knobs. The lower area of the windows is responsible for the import. You have to select ‘‘Import” (2a) on the left here. On the right next to it, you will see a few tabs out of which ‘‘Vinyl Record” and ‘‘Cassette” are important for digitisation. Even if the different areas look the same at first, it is important to select the appropriate tab. The automatic song recognition has been specially optimised for the source used. Play an LP or a cassette – loud passages are best for adjusting the levels. The ‘‘Recording level” should be in the ‘‘safe” (2b) zone.
feature 4a
4b
5a
4c
If the level enters the ‘‘Too loud” zone, then there may be distortions and if it enters the ‘‘Too low” zone, then the recording may fade away. You can adjust the level using the level slider on the left. Once this is done, the green controller in the middle with the Pause symbol is next. It is responsible for track recognition. Play a music piece till the end and observe whether the level falls under the green controller. If not, then you will need to re-adjust the level. But no worries: You can separate the tracks manually afterwards, you will have to do that anyway in case of merging pieces. Before you start recording, click on ‘‘Settings” and fine tune. For example, set the recording format to MP3 or FLAC and also set the resolution and sampling rate. The setting “Automatic track recognition” is important.
3
Removing noise
The supreme discipline in digitalisation of music is the ‘‘Cleaning” i.e. the removal of noise such as the humming of the power adapter or the crackles and pops of discs. There are many methods in the Magix software which you can use or combine to
remove this noise. With ‘‘Auto-Cleaning” (3a), the software analyses the recording and makes cleaning suggestions. You can compare the original and the result. If you are not satisfied, you can choose a suitable preset from the menu ‘‘Vinyl Records” (3b). Classify the recording like ‘‘Good state” for slight background crackles. You will hear the effect in real time. Apart from the automatic processes, you can also re-adjust every effect module yourself. Clicking on the gearwheel icon will reveal more options. The last settings will be automatically retained upon exiting the module.
4
Improving sound
After the noise is eliminated, you can specifically improve or change your recording in the »Mastering« area. You can also try out effects in mastering during playback. You can also jazz up your recordings using specific styles via »Auto-Mastering« (4a). With just one mouse click, you can listen to the results, bit Disco sound from the 70s, Bar Jazz or Classical music. Clicking on »Original« will take it back to the initial status. More modules specifically optimise the sound or dynamics. General tips are
difficult; you can play with the settings of the module but do not exaggerate the effects. The options ‘‘Dynamics” (4b), ‘‘Brilliance Enhancer” (4c) and ‘‘Stereo Enhancer” are worth trying.
5
Digital Finish
Finally, clicking on ‘‘Tracks” will give you an overview of the track selections. Check whether all music pieces have been really identified. You can get the title information for albums via ‘‘freedb” via an online query. The ‘‘ID3 Editor” (5a) allows more additions. When everything is done, you can save as audio files, burn them or even share the recordings online via ‘‘Export” (5b).
5b
feature
Unknown and unused When asked if they know about Smartphone-payment via NFC, users reply as follows: 49 % Yes, but I do not use it
Source: statista.com/eResult
7% I know and use it
Is NFC Faltering? Near Field Communication should make things a lot easier and also turn the smartphone into a money purse. That said, the technology isn’t without its own faults and shortcomings By Benjamin Hartlmaier
I
t has been praised by the industry for years. The attractive new mobile payment world, in which plastic cards and wallets are a thing of the past. The smartphone would take over its function from now on. The key technology for the digital wallets is called Near Field Communication, NFC. This allows transmission of data over short distances of up to four centimeters without contact. But ten years after its launch, NFC has yet to live up to its full potential. Behind the scenes, there is currently a lot of movement around NFC. Is its
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breakthrough around the corner? Or has the technology already failed? A striking example of the status quo of the payment by NFC in the Smartphone, is the “NFC City Berlin” initiative, which ended in April: providers such as Telekom, Vodafone and O2, together with different partners such as Obi and Rewe, had attempted for a year to establish the smartphone as a wallet in the capital. But in the end, even the leader of the initiative had to state that the transactions during the project term were “still low-key overall”. In other words: despite major
marketing and investment efforts – about 1000 stores were fitted with NFC-terminals – almost nobody wanted to pay with a smartphone. This impression is reinforced with the fact that upon asking, the initiators are not willing to give us any concrete numbers for the NFC payment transactions.
A Near-Field Hurdle One cannot really blame the users because in practice, the hurdles for mobile payment via NFC are high. It is not enough to own a NFC-compatible smartphone. One who wants to use the payment systems of Vodafone and Base must change the previous SIM card against a special NFC SIM, on which payment information is saved, in addition to the NFC hardware in the Smartphone. If NFC is not installed in the device, then one must stick a NFCsticker on the rear cover. Since the stickers also work without a mobile device, they can be stuck to any object. The mobile payment solution by O2 considers the principle, “NFC in Smartphone” as completely absurd: m-pass works exclusively with stickers – if you use
Photos i. UZS v. li. O.: iStockphoto/pixdeluxe; Giro Go; Payback; dpa/Picture Alliance/Emanueal Bloedt;iStockphoto/Julia Albul(2)
44 % No
feature Girogo, Visa Paywave and MasterCard Paypass indeed rely on NFC, however not on the Smartphone: The chip is present in the debit or credit card
With the Payback app, one can soon pay in the dm drug stores and Real markets – however via QR code and not NFC
The NFC-based ticket system Touch & Travel of the German railway will be discontinued at the end of 2016. The reason: the service has few users
one, you must deactivate the NFC hardware in the smartphone, so that the payment is smooth. Owners of an NFC-compatible iPhone, who want to pay using it, must also rely on stickers in this country. This is because Apple has reserved the NFC-hardware exclusively for the in-house service Apple Pay, which is offered only in the USA and Great Britain until now. Whether and when Apple Pay will come to other countries is anybody’s guess. Samsung meanwhile offers its cashless
payment service, Samsung Pay in Europe, besides Great Britain and Spain. Its introduction in other European countries has been planned for the second half of 2016. In South East Asia, only Singapore is slated to gain access to this service.
Payback Gains Ground Over NFC Another setback for NFC in Europe is the new Payback app. With it, one can now pay via mobile devices in dm drug stores and from July onwards at Real. However, payment is made not with NFC, but via QR
code. The dealers rejected the NFC option, said a Payback speaker upon being asked. As if it were not bad enough news for the NFC, it has now gotten out that the railway will set up its service Touch & Travel by the end of 2016. The mobile ticket system in which tickets can be purchased via NFC terminals at the platforms has only 100,000 users – too few for the railway. The trend shows: unless there is a miracle, NFC in the smartphone as everyday technology has for the time being failed us.
Niche applications for NFC As a wireless transmission technology, NFC has not penetrated far into the daily lives of smartphone users yet, like Bluetooth or WiFi. In special application cases, Near Field Communication can however offer a lot of advantages. We are presenting three scenarios in which NFC is used.
Data transfer
Automate Smartphone
Connect devices
If WiFi Direct, Bluetooth or WhatsApp are not available, contacts, websites or media can also be sent via Android Beam directly from device to device.
Apps like Trigger can program NFC-tags such that a Smartphone carries out a specific action, as soon as it is placed on it. It then goes to mute, for example.
Devices like headphones and Smartphone connect quickly via NFC and without entering pin codes. The music is then transmitted over other mediums like Bluetooth.
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1994 One browser for all With Mosaic Netscape, the first web browser is available to the mass market
1991 WWW starts The first website is publically accessible
1980
1990
http://info.cern.ch
CHIP TIMELINE The World Wide Web Turns 25 Today, the World Wide Web comprises of more than a billion websites. It all started 25 years ago – with a proposal to improve the information flow at CERN By Christoph Schmidt
I
n 1989, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) commissioned its Large Electron-Positron Collider LEP for researching into particle physics. The world was going to be revolutionalised by a byproduct: the World Wide Web. CERN
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employee Tim Berners-Lee actually only wanted to improve the information transfer within the research organisation. An “Internet” with connected computers, mails, FTP and Usenet were all already available. Berners-Lee specified the programming
language HTML, which allows formatting and mainly links to other documents in the text documents. Moreover, he developed the first web-server and browser to offer HTML documents and make them legible. On 6 August 1991, he presented his project in a
PHOTOS AND SCREENSHOTS: CERN (HG, 1991); PROVIDER (4)
was the first Internet address of the world. It is accessible even today
feature
2005 Web becomes interactive YouTube is the first video portal and pioneer for Web 2.0 as well as social media
2000
2010
1997
2016
Breakthrough with a search engine
Multimedia in the network A majority of the traffic creates videos from streaming services
Google revolutionizes the web search and starts its triumphal march
news group and facilitated public access to the first website http://info.cern.ch. Today you can see that the site is being reconstructed. The project comparison between this simple and now extremely fast text page with a current website shows the rapid development at a glance. Berners-Lee first used the name ''WorldWideWeb” for the browser he developed. The progress with the browsers together with the development of the HTML specification made more and more featurerich websites possible, which became increasingly interesting for the providers and those searching for information and
services: Soon after, Netscape Navigator started its ascent in 1994, and Microsoft bought Internet Explorer from Spyglass in 1995, who are the developers of the Netscape predecessor Mosaic. In the same year, the commercial WWW was born: eBay as well as Amazon started and laid the foundation stone for e-commerce. For a long time it was difficult to find relevant information on the chaotic proliferating web. Google took over this mammoth task on 15 September 1997 by recording how often the page is linked by others in addition to the information content of a website.
The importance of linking and interaction led to the term “Web 2.0” characterized in 2003, where users increasingly create content on their own and use interactive services. Facebook started in the year after that to develope the web into a participation internet and into a communication platform. There are now about a billion websites which contain all the possible information, media and products – Tim Berners-Lee certainly could not have imagined this in 1991. If this goes on, the web is likely to have much more than 25 years ahead of it.
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Making Online Banking Safe Online banking is a big thing now as it is a very convenient way to pay for your bills and purchases on the web. We will show you how you can make your devices safe for banking By Fabian von Keudell
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cover story How Europeans use online banking Europe as a whole is at the forefront of online banking services. Countries like Norway, Finland and Sweden are almost fully reliant on it, as they aim to be rid of physical cash altogether over the next several years Norway
90 %
Finland
86 %
Sweden
80 %
Luxembourg
65 % 58 %
France United Kingdom
58 % 51 %
Germany 39 %
Spain 28 %
Italy Greece
14 %
Proportion of the online banking users
Source: Eurostat
O
nline banking is booming – every bank, ranging from CIMB to Maybank and RHB all have their own online portals where users can do all of their payments at the tip of their fingers, without having to leave their homes or offices. So why not carry out all banking transactions online? The transactions are very quick in most cases. But, banking is nowhere near safe with it. Cyber criminals are hoping for big catches thanks to Trojans, bogus websites and social engineering. So that you don’t walk into their trap, we will explain how you can protect your desktop computer and your mobile phone against attacks, which TAN procedure is safe and what is to be done if you are faced with the worst-case scenario and a hacker still manages to access your account. Moreover, we compare mobile banking apps for iOS and Android.
For banking transactions, you should use a separate user account with standard rights. This makes it difficult for Trojans to steal data
How To Make PCs Safe For Banking Most of the users use online banking via the browser on the computer. This is more convenient than making transfers on a small Smartphone display – but also more dangerous. Windows is still the main target for hackers. You should follow a couple of important tips so that you can still carry out your banking transactions safely.
Photos: iStockphoto/Sean Pavone (Skyline), assalve (Geld) Composing: Jennifer Heintzschel
Install Windows update The most important basis for a safe banking transaction is a computer that is protected against malware. Hence, ensure that you essentially install all the critical security updates via the Windows Update function. First of all, you can leave aside the other updates such as the bug fixes recommended by Microsoft – there were problems with a few of these patches in the past. However, as mentioned earlier: critical updates are mandatory in view of the computer security. In Windows 7, you can ‘‘Change settings” and remove the checkmark in front of ‘‘Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates” in the Windows Update settings. The same is applicable to Windows 8. If you see Windows 10, there is no distinction between the updates.
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Create a separate account In addition to updates and virus protection, we recommend a separate Windows account for your banking transactions. This makes it difficult for attackers to access already secured cookies and temporary Windows data. Furthermore, this also protects bank statements if they are saved in the ‘‘Documents” folder of the relevant online banking user account; this is because Windows blocks accounts from accessing other accounts’ data. In order to create the login in Windows, click ‘‘Accounts > Family and other users” in the ‘‘Control Panel” in Windows 10, select ‘‘Add another person to this PC” there and then press ‘‘I do not know the login information of this person > Add user without Microsoft account”. Specify the login name and password, then click on the account and select ‘‘Standard User” as the account type.
Install banking browser For banking transactions, you should either
rely on a dedicated banking application, for example ALF-BanCo, or use a special virtual browser, for example BitBox. The advantage of this special browser: even if malware is on a rampage on the desktop computer, the virtual browser is hundred percent sealed off. However, this is not a solution for daily surfing because comfort falls by the wayside with respect to downloads and plug-ins in case of BitBox. This solution is however perfect for online banking. As BitBox starts the browser in a
Quick tips for banking Sign out After online banking, you should sign out immediately. Otherwise, malware can snoop around in the account Use two devices Always use a second device for generating TAN for releasing transactions Define limits Define a transfer limit. You thus restrict the damage in a worst-case scenario
cover story The Germans know and use this safety procedure during online banking Sm@rt-TAN is already used by half of all the online banking users. On the contrary, the more convenient and safe pushTAN procedure is still almost unknown 35 %
Sm@rt-TAN plus
50 % 42 %
Mobile TAN
56 % 12 %
HBCI
27 %
iTAN pushTAN
Photos: iStockphoto/Petar Chernaev (mobile); Reiner SCT
None of the above
29 % 1% 8% 3% 11 %
separate virtual environment, you should have a modern computer (not older than five years) with sufficient computing capacity. When installing BitBox, select the ‘‘Expert Mode”. Only then will you be able to select e.g. the Download directory subsequently if desired. It is best if you use the ‘‘Documents” folder of the new Windows account that is not visible to other users for this.
Use a separate banking OS With BitBox, you are already protected against attacks almost hundred percent. However, only if they aim at the desktop system. Attacks, which break into the virtual browser and thus act within the virtual environment, continue to be a threat – albeit a minor one. If you want to play it safe, you will not get past a Linux-Live systems. The system starts from a DVD or a USB stick if desired and offers an extremely safe environment for online banking since most malware aim at Windows.
Use Awareness
Source: Initiative D21
20 %
standard programs. When selecting banking apps, it is important that the software supports different security features, e.g. that it prevents screenshot photos. Hackers can access personal information using such screenshots.
Protecting iOS devices Apple system users are essentially wellprotected against attacks. The reason for this is the rigid checks of all the applications in the App Store by Apple as well as the limited access rights of the iOS operating system – but they also make use of the anti-virus systems on the devices pointless. The users can barely protect themselves from current loopholes, which are already known, but for which no patch is still
Banking On The Smartphone It is recommended that you use a banking app on smartphones. It has the advantage that the data is encrypted and transferred to the bank by all means and the software is better protected against attacks than
The tanJack by ReinerSCT transfers generated TANs wirelessly to the encrypted banking app on the mobile
You need to select the Expert mode to change settings in the Browser-in-the-Box tool
available from Apple. When entering any login data, especially during online banking, you should rely on using the fingerprint scanner installed from iPhone 5s onwards. By comparing the fingerprint, the system then logs you into the banking apps. You need to enter the banking PIN only once while installing the app. For the login, the app will trust the iOS system in future. The fingerprint for the comparison is in a safe storage area – hackers have not been able to intercept or forge it so far.
Secure Android OS with tools The Android operating system is an easy target thanks to its open architecture for hacker attacks. Equipped with the corresponding authorisations, apps can monitor the system completely – and thus your online-banking accesses. In principle, just like in case of iOS, you should also always use a separate online banking app in Android and never access your account via the browser. Such apps are much better protected against attacks than conventional browsers. If your mobile phone is equipped with a fingerprint scanner as an access control, you should also use this to activate the banking app. This method is equally safe as in case of Apple. Another Android hitch: due to the comprehensive authorizations in the OS, it is possible for malware apps to either delete the banking app and replace it with a forged version, or to monitor the network traffic in the background. However, you can prevent
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cover story Malaysia has its own fair share of mobile banking apps too, which allows you to do a variety of banking tasks
this with simple tools. For one, install an anti-virus system on the device; it constantly monitors your system in the background and notifies suspicious accesses. In addition, you can install the ‘‘McAfee Financial Security” app from the Google Play Store. The app checks whether installed banking apps have been changed. Financial Security checks the checksum of the app and compares it to a McAfee database. Moreover, the app checks the network connection. During online banking, if you access an unsecured WiFi, the McAfee app disconnects the WiFi connection and establishes the connection to the bank via the mobile network. Moreover, ARP attacks (Address Resolution Protocol) are no longer possible with the use of the financial security tool. In case of such an attack, attackers manipulate the network connection and divert queries to bank addresses to hacker sites.
However, in some cases, the attackers use social engineering – information freely available on the Internet, to obtain copies of your SIM cards for example. The criminals can intercept your transaction codes with it and transfer money from your account. In most cases, it is enough to implant a virus on the PC, which does not seem threatening at all. In case of the Acecard malware, attackers use a supposed junk mail from Adobe, which offers Adobe Flash to Android customers. Although Flash for Android was discontinued in 2012, a few people still fall for this trap. In order to protect yourself from such malware, you
Regardless of the platform you’re doing online banking on, hackers often find a way to avoid protective mechanisms. A simple virus protection is often helpful against it.
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Mobile Banking Trojans Cyber terrorists have now found a completely deceitful trick to access your data: they first
Photo: Apple
Hackers Come Through These Loopholes
should install banking security apps like McAfee Financial Security.
Some banking apps display an overview of the dealings entered on linked Smartphones, e.g. the Apple watch, if desired
cover story
The McAfee app Financial Security checks the device safety among other things, before using the banking apps
this as well. One of the simplest ones is the installation of a Trojan such as Zeus-P2P on the desktop computer for example. As soon as you release a transfer in the browser, the virus changes the recipient. The SMS, which you receive from your bank, often contains only the bank name, the amount as well as the OTP. If you do not carefully check the recipient bank here, you send the money to
overlay designs. Acecard usually gets on the mobile device via spam mail – disguised as an app update for known software tools.
Attack on OTPs The One Time Password (OTP) procedure in which you receive a transfer code as an SMS on the mobile phone, was considered as relatively safe at times. However, there are now attack routes for
Attacks of a mobile banking Trojan Acecard malware infects Android devices and spies on access data for online banking there.
ain Sp 91
in y rita man B t r 7 e a G 06 Gre 1, 65
ia str Au 9 27
d lan Po 0 17
y rke Tu 5 22
lia a ssi 4 ustra u R 77 A 098 ,
2
1,
pushTAN removed
Source: Kaspersky
A US 6 12
the wrong recipient by entering the OTP. An attack in which hackers stole login data via malware was much more complex, but not any less successful. In order to carry out a transfer, the mobiles of the victims were the only things missing for the criminals. For this, the gangsters simply applied for a new SIM card with the victim’s provider and got it sent to another address. The data required for legitimisation was available to them from the social media accounts of the victim. With the activation of the SIM card, the attackers now received the OTPs on the new SIM card. In the past years, the hackers got away with more than one million Euros (MYR 5.0 million). The mobile phone network providers have certainly implemented additional safety measures now, which should prevent such a process, but the fraud continues even today in some cases. Some branches of the provider still do not check the identity as carefully as required.
In Europe, the pushTAN procedure is one of the prized procedures when it comes to safety during online banking. In this method, the bank encrypts and transfers the TAN (similar to OTP) to a separate app on the mobile phone. Security researcher Vincent Haupert and Tilo Müller from the University of Erlangen have however found a way as to how this procedure can also be removed – without the user realizing anything about it. The attackers use a Super-User approval in Android to forge the transfer amount. However, this worked only because the
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Illustration: iStockphoto/suriya9 (Weltkarte)
spread software on the Internet, which does not pose a risk to the computers initially. Such a base virus structure is classified as ‘not very threatening’ by most anti-virus companies and hence will not be dealt with as a priority. Once the software has spread, the virus calls its actual commands and additional functions via a command server. This can sometimes take place only months after the infection. The same happened in case of the Acecard virus. Acecard is a banking Trojan for Android devices, which was discovered for the first time in February 2014 – the virus however started its attack only in May; the attack continues to this date. In the past year, Acecard damaged 1067 users only in Germany. In order to access the data, Acecard uses a simple, but effective way: the virus places its own formula over the view of the login form, which is almost identical to the real one. The software then taps logins of the online banking portals among other things. The unique feature about Acecard is its transformation ability: conventional banking Trojans generally create an overlay window for two banks in a section; Acecard supports more than 30 different login windows. And this is nowhere near the end. Via its Command & Control server, the virus consistently receives updates and new
cover story banking app and pushTAN app are installed on one and the same device. This is how the attackers hacked the Sparkassen (savings banks) app in November 2015. The hackers also found a loophole in the subsequently updated app and could carry out the attacks. Both the experts are advising that the banking app and pushTAN app should not be used on one device.
Who Is Responsible For Cyber Attacks? Online banking frauds are a rare thing in Malaysia, but is quite rampant in Europe. According to paragraph 675v of the German Civil Code, the user must pay for damages during online banking only if he is grossly negligent or has acted deliberately. However, there are traps.
Forged websites The crux is the design, which is considered as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grossly negligentâ&#x20AC;?. An online banking customer, for example, had entered all the 100 TANs from his list on a forged website. The Munich Higher Regional Court considered this to be grossly negligent. However, the
courts did not charge the user for entering one single TAN on a deceptively real website according to the current legal practice.
Manipulated TAN data Thanks to wide circulation, the mobile TAN attracted the attention of hackers. Outwitting the procedure is not trivial, but works with sufficient amount of resources. In such cases, the customer is naturally not responsible for this. The situation is again different if a hacker manages to manipulate the transfer. If the user stops checking the transfer data in the SMS, it will be interpreted as gross negligence, according to a ruling by the Cologne District Court. The same due diligence is also applicable to TAN generators: the bank did not have to refund the loss to a man from whom 18,500 euros (MYR 83,000) was stolen using a Trojan according to the ruling by the Darmstadt District Court: he had missed checking the data for the TAN generator.
Banks promise safety In order to make customers overcome their fear of online banking, some banks advertise with a safety promise: in case of fraud, the companies chip in for the resulting damage. However, these safety promises differ distinctly in detail as some banks are only minimally above the statutory minimum standards with it, others on the contrary
If you do not compare the data of the TAN reader with your transfer data, you are being careless
surpass it extensively. Depending on the bank, the financial institutions however insist upon specific prerequisites, for example, an activated SMS notification service or a onetime registration in case of emergency. Many banks also expect a criminal report with the police before they refund. The following is applicable to the safety promises of the banks on the basis of the many different conditions: read through the General Terms and Conditions carefully and check the conditions under which the bank pays.
Banking in real-time The Berlin-based start-up Number26 (number26.de) wants to be the most modern account of Europe. For this, the company, which works together with the Wirecard Bank, has come up with something very special: real-time access to transactions and card settings. > Sales notification As soon as you have made a purchase in a shop, the sale directly appears in the banking app of Number26. In addition, the users receive a Push notification on the mobile if requested. A manipulation, for example theft and use of the credit card, can thus be detected immediately. > Card options In addition to the real-time display of the sales, the Number26 users can also modify card options in real-time. Thus, for example, the PIN to withdraw money can be changed or the card can be blocked with immediate effect and unblocked again. Those who are safetyconscious can thus keep the card blocked all along and remove the block shortly before the purchase. Moreover, specific blocks can be set up, e.g. online or foreign payments as well as the option to prevent cash withdrawals at ATMs.
In the Number26 app, different blocks can be set up for credit and Master cards - in real-time
All the transactions of Number26 appear on the linked mobile phone if requested, using the Push notification
cover story
Has Cash Been Scrapped? Only in four countries in Europe can you still pay every amount in cash. A majority of the countries rely on electronic money transactions even today, with negative consequences
France Maximum limit: €1000. Individual transactions however do not have any cash limit
Maximum limits for cash payments No legally prescribed maximum limit, however exceptions in practice No maximum limit for cash payments No information
Portugal Maximum limit: €1000. Everything above this must either be settled using a bank card, transfer or cheque
Photo: Reiner SCT Illustration: iStockphoto/mattjeacock (Europakarte)
F
rom the end of 2018, the 500 Euro bank note will be discontinued, and the end of physical cash will also be a possibility. A reason for this: black money transactions and the financing of terror groups should be hampered. The plan, in Germany’s case: cash transactions should be capped at 5,000 Euros in the future. In Italy, the practice of capping has already started. For controlling mafia money, a limit of 1,000 Euros was introduced in 2011. This was however increased to 2,999 Euros at the start of 2016 owing to difficulties in the tourism sector. France intensified the cash limit only in October 2015 – after the terror attacks on the “Charlie Hebdo” editorial office at the start of January. Experts are disputing whether the restrictions will really result in a decline in terror financing. Their justification: private transactions are excluded from the regulation. As long as no invoice is issued, a control is thus impossible. Nobody will seriously assume that terror financers will expect an invoice. If cash payments are restricted further, alternatives are still available (see right).
Italy The maximum limit here is at €2,999. Violations can be punished up to 40 percent of the cash payment transaction
These services send you money While cash is still king in South East Asia and throughout most of the continent, it’s always a good idea to look at some of the changes in transaction methods that are happening across Europe. Here are some money transaction apps that don’t require you to physically hand over money. > Cringle Cringle users can send up to 100 euros (RM500) per month to friends. All that you need to know in addition to this is the mobile phone number of the recipient. In the background, Cringle then withdraws the money from the bank account of the sender and transfers it to the bank account of the recipient.
> Lendstar Lendstar functions according to a similar principle such as Cringle. However, the app additionally offers the option of lending money. Lendstar shows the lent amounts in an overview and sends a repayment query with a deadline if requested. > Kesh, PayPal With both these services, users can pay en route in transactions with their accounts. The process is extremely easy: users will scan a QR code with their mobile phone or log into the pointof-sale terminal using the app and release the payment. The hitch: only very few businesses support this.
test lab
TEST LAB: The Tools Here at the CHIP Test Labs, we adhere to the high requirements set by the CHIP International Testcenter standards. This means that everything here -- from our own personal knowledge and to our trusted tools of the trade -- are meant to provide the most optimised, unbiased and comprehensive review to every product that comes through our doors. As thus, our test bed tools are specifically picked to get the most out of every test we perform
Intel Platform Motherboards Intel DZ77GA-70K MSI Z87 MPower
Processors Intel Core i7-3770K Intel Core i7-4770K
Graphics Processing Unit MSI GeForce GTX 980 GAMING 4G
CPU Cooler Cooler Master X6
PSU, Storage & RAM Power Supply
Memory
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid (1300W)
Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3K4/16GX Kingston HyperX FURY HX318C10FWK2/8 Kingston HyperX Predator HX430C15PBK4/16
Storage Western Digital Black² Dual Drive Western Digital My Book Live Duo
AMD Platform Motherboards ASUS Crosshair V ASUS A88X-Pro
Graphics Processing Unit ASUS Radeon R9 290X
Processors
CPU Cooler
AMD FX-8150 AMD A8-3850
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Benchmark Software Operating System Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit)
Futuremark PCMark 8 3DMark
Industry Standard Benchmark Tools AIDA64 SiSoftware SANDRA Speccy Unigine Heaven
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Armaggeddon Molotov-5 Zowie ZA12 Zowie FK1 honor 5C Wiko U FEEL Ducky One Orange Legends MSI GTX 970 Tiger HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M377dw AMD RX 480 Dell Precision Tower 3420 ASUS X99-Deluxe II TP-LINK Neffos C5 Max Cooler Master MasterKeys Lite L Combo HTC 10 Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver ASUS VivoMini VM65N GIGABYTE X99-Ultra Gaming MSI GTX 1060 GAMING X MSI X99A XPower Gaming Titanium Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro
CHIP Awards CHIP Editorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice Award
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Ratings Each product review is rated on a scale of 1 to 5 for different key parameters:
Awarded to products that receive unanimous endorsement from all CHIP editors for its overall brilliance
CHIP Outstanding Award Reserved for products that combine astute technical performance with good quality and design
CHIP Recommended Award Given to products that possess singular quality worthy of a recommendation
PERFORMANCE : Refers to the efficiency of execution FEATURES : Rates the abilities and unique characteristics available DESIGN : Varies according to product. Finished products - form factor and build quality. Hardware components - layout, size and cooling solution. Software - user interface VALUE : Calculated from the performance and features of the product in relation to the price
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first looks Watching From Above The Aztech WIPC411FHD IP camera sports a 2.0 megapixel lens perfected further by a 4.2mm focal length, a 355-degree horizontal pan and 120-degree vertical tilt angles for viewing control, and an H.264 video compression format to maximise storage without affecting quality. In addition, the WIPC411FHD has an improved 90-degree angle of view that provides an even wider range of surveillance in addition to 1080p HD surveillance quality. Through the Aztech IP Ca app, you can now record real time surveillance videos using you deviceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s local storage, and view up to four surveillance areas simultaneously. Aztech WIPC411FHD Contact: Az-Technology Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7804 8450 Info: www.aztech.com.my
The Buzzing Of Bees A small size and elegant design packed with stunning performance, the ASRock Beebox-S can do pretty much everything that a standard desktop is capable of. Powered by Intel sixth generation Core i3 and i5 CPUs, it supports frequencies of up to 2.8GHz, hence delivering great performance with low power consumption. It also supports the latest DDR-4 SO-DIMM dual channel memory technology with a maximum capacity of 32GB. The Beebox-S packs two HDMI ports and a single DisplayPort, making it capable of connecting dual monitors simultaneously. To make graphics capability more distinctive, it supports 4K playback and High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC/H.264) technology, transforming your home into an entertainment centre effortlessly. ASRock Beebox-S Contact: AMT PC Distributors Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 3344 1124 Info: www.asrock.com
The Pyramid Returns The D-Link DIR-895L is the heart of your Smart home connectivity. Equipped with a dual-core processor, gigabit ports and tri-band it provides a blazing ast home network that connects all your computers, mobile devices and smart home devices to your broadband Internet connection. Sporting 3 wireless modules and built based on Broadcomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NitroQAM technology, the DIR-895L can provide up to 2167Mbps per 5GHz band and 1000Mbps on its 2.4GHz band, offering abundant bandwidth to cater to all your needs. It is also built on the latest AC WAVE II standard where the MU-MIMO technology is incorporated, the DIR-895L can concurrently communicate with multiple MU-MIMO clients at the same time. D-Link DIR-895L Contact: Advancenet Technology Sdn. Bhd., Ingram Micro Sdn. Bhd., Lab Seven (M) Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 8070 3633, (03) 7952 8188, (03) 80758811 Info: www.dlink.com.my
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first looks Bring Your Beats Around At home or on the move, enjoy great sound with the Sony h.ear go, the world’s smallest portable wireless speaker that is HighResolution Audio compatible. The h.ear go packs a powerful audio punch, thanks to its newly-designed 35mm diameter HighResolution full-range speaker unit. Left and Right channel speaker chambers are complemented by dual passive radiators that extend low-end response, and despite its compact size you’ll enjoy room-filling sound, with EXTRA BASS delivering a taut largerthan-life low-end. If you’re out and about, the compact h.ear go won’t weight you down especially with a massive 12 hour battery life. Sony h.ear go Contact: Sony (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Phone: 1 300 88 1233 Info: www.sony.com.my
Smaller And Better The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini Edition enables raw gaming power to come to smaller builds without compromising thermal performance and noise level. This is made possible with a single wide 90mm fan helped with direct GPU contact and a carefully designed aluminium heatsink providing even greater heat dissipation all within a 6.85-inch length. The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini Edition is based on the latest edition within the NVIDIA Pascal architecture, with superior performance that can drive the VR experience. The Mini is VR Ready while only taking 2 PCIE slots, making this the perfect upgrade for enthusiasts and users who are looking to march into VR or build a powerful compact system. ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini Edition Contact: Sun Cycle Sdn Bhd Phone: (05) 322 5531 Info: www.cycle.com.my
More Monitors Than Ever The new SAPPHIRE GPRO Commercial Graphics features leading chip technologies and a set of industrial enhancements in durability and connectivity. The SAPPHIRE GPRO 6200 is tailored for interactive walls, digital signage in financial trading, hotels, conference environments, medical centres as well as media and entertainment use. Utilising a powerful AMD Graphics Core Next based chip and 4GB of GDDR5 high speed memory, the GPRO 6200 enables a wide range of multi-display solutions across various vertical markets. This single-slot ATX card features six Mini DisplayPort 1.2 outputs that can drive up to 6 displays. SAPPHIRE GPRO 6200 Contact: Build Technology Supply Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7955 1136 Info: www.sapphirepgs.com
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first looks Less Is More The ECS H110S-2P is a mini-STX form factor motherboard that extends high performance and flexibility to something as small as a hand. Mini-STX was defined by Intel and ECS as the next generation form factor. It’s smaller than mini-ITX and reduces the layout space of the PCB by 29 percent. However, the ECS H110S-2P still keeps various design features and components on such a narrow and small space. You can choose any standard LGA115x CPU cooler to make the platform as cool as possible. Just choose a suitable chassis to be a builder of a One-Litre computer with our mini-STX motherboard design. The ECS H110S-2P holds the philosophy of ‘‘Less is more” to make things easier. ECS H110S-2P mini-STX Motherboard Contact: Ingens Sdn. Bhd. Phone: (03) 7688 9888 Info: www.ingens.com.my
Ultra-Fast Response The ViewSonic VX2757-mhd sports fast input response and ultra-fast response times. Offering low input-lag, utilising a monitor process reducer, which decreases signal latency. It delivers the fastest display signal from the graphics card to the display, giving users an edge against the competition. It also features Viewsonic’s exclusive ClearMotiv II imaging technology to deliver ultra-fast 1 millisecond liquid crystal response times, in order to create smooth images without streaking, blurring or ghosting. It also equipped with VESA Adaptive-Sync technology and AMD FreeSync technology, the variable refresh rate capability of this monitor virtually eliminates screen tearing and stuttering for fluid game play during fast-paced action scenes. ViewSonic VX2757-mhd Contact: Build Technology Supply Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7955 1136 Info: www.build.com.my
External, Portable, Incredible Embodying ADATA innovation and dedication to premium products, the SE720 packs read/write performance of up to 500MB/s in a super-compact form factor that weights a mere 33g. The smallest external SSD with a reversible USB Type-C connector in the world at the time of writing. The SE730 supercharges data transfers with USB 3.1 Gen 2. It’s sandblasted metallic enclosure and robust build means it carries an official IEC IP68 dust and water proof qualification, as well as military-grade shock proofing. The SE730 offers the ultimate in external SSD style, performance, durability, and mobility, all while weighing less than a golf ball and fitting easily in the palm of your hand. ADATA SE730 Contact: Achieva Technology Sdn. Bhd. Phone: (03) 7955 1768 Info: www.adata.com
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first looks Powering your Mobile Devices The ASUS ZenPower Pro offers one of the highest capacities of any power bank of similar dimensions. It’s one of the smallest power banks for its capacity, and has a creditcard sized footprint, yet it features an incredible 10500mAh capacity, dual USB ports and a built-in LED flashlight. It also features multiple protection systems and international certificates and is among the world’s safest chargers. The ZenPower Pro feature’s Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology and is designed to charge the batteries of supported devices much faster than conventional chargers. It identifies the exact power needed by the device and conducts the charging at the most optimal voltage and speed. ASUS ZenPower Pro Contact: Dynamics Distribution Sdn Bhd., ECS Astar Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 8024 2100, (03) 6286 8222 Info: www.asus.com/my
Built To Be Tough Designed for military, law enforcement, and private security applications, Transcend’s DrivePro Body 52 body cameras are the clear choice for rugged, secure and dependable evidence collection with exceptional picture quality. The camera features a compact camera unit attached via a flexible 1.2 metre cable capable of 1080p Full HD video recording, a 360-degree rotating clip mount and Velcro mount, a high-quality belt holster, a built-in Wi-Fi function, a snapshot button, long battery life, and a non-removable 32GB internal storage with high-quality MLc flash chips. In addition, Transcend’s DrivePro Body 52 body cameras are both shock and IPX4 water resistant. Transcend DrivePro Body 52 Contact: Amble Action Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7968 6899 Info: www.transcend-info.com
More Modular Than Ever Cooler Master wants users to have absolute control over how their case looks and functions. FreeForm provides options to not only adjust the case exterior, but also offers interior layout flexibility in a mid-sized case. In the MasterCase Maker 5, FreeForm allows a single case to support a host of different configurations, enabling users to upgrade rather than replace their case and system. Though a unique Clip-and-Click panel, Freeform lets users adjust vertically or remove the drive cages entirely. This flexibility allows building multiple system configurations like home servers, water-cooled workstations, or gaming rigs with dual-slot extra-long graphics cards using a single case. Cooler Master MasterCase Maker 5 Contact: Ban Leong Technologies Sdn Bhd, Build Technology Supply Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7956 6300, (03) 7955 3699 Info: www.coolermaster.com
chip malaysia
august 16
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first looks The Simple Slitherer The Abyssus V2 is a basic-but-versatile ambidextrous gaming mouse perfected for any playing style. It features an upgraded 5,000 DPI optical sensor, lighting features and on-the-fly programmability. Four rapid-fire, tactile, hyperresponse switches are featured on the mouse which have a lifespan of up to 20 million clicks. Both the main mouse buttons feature contoured grooves for more control, and dedicated cycling button allows users to quickly toggle between five different customisable DPI stages anytime. The Abyssus V2 is molded, textured, and the rubber side grips are optimised for liftoff and swiping gameplay. Razer Abyssus V2 Contact: Ban Leong Technologies Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7956 6300 Info: www.razerzone.com
Portable Banging Beats The Philips Bluetooth Speaker BT2600 is an easy-to-carry, compact and rechargeable speaker that delivers a clean and powerful sound experience that you would not expect from a small speaker. Available in a variety of colours, the BT2600 features multi-pair technology, allowing you to connect to two smart devices at the same time simply by touching your smartphone or tablet on the speaker. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfect for sharing music with friends, at parties, or just playing different songs stored on different devices. The Bt2600 offers complete flexibility as these slim and lightweight designed speakers can easily be carried and placed anywhere. With its built-in rechargeable battery, the speaker allows you to enjoy music for 8 hours long without the fuss of tangled power cords. Philips Bluetooth Speaker BT2600 Contact: Gibson Innovations Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. Info: www.gibsoninnovations.com
High Performance For the Mainstream User The SanDisk SSD Plus offers users faster boot-up and shutdown times, improved application response, data transfer and improved overall system performance. By installing the SanDisk SSD Plus, users can instantly upgrade their laptop or PC, and eliminate the need to completely replace an aging laptop or desktop PC. In addition, with read speeds of up to 535MB/s, the SanDisk SSD Plus delivers up to 20X the performance of a typical laptop hard disk drive. In comparison to hard disk drives, SSDs deliver lower power consumption and less noise, while offering enhanced boot-up and shutdown speeds, application launching and data transfers. SanDisk SSD Plus Contact: Ingram Micro Sdn Bhd, Vector Digital Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7940 8888, (03) 2143 2822 Info: www.sandisk.com
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first looks Smooth As Silk? Cloth mousepads were designed for those that prfer the control of cloth and the comfort of rubber bases. The ZOWIE G-SR Mousepad does not sacrifice stability for comfort, featuring a rubber base the G-SR is soft and 100 percent flat to ensure the same performance across the mousepad regardless of any surface. The G-SR is 480mm in length and 400m in width to allow you have a wide area for your mouse to glide if you’re a gamer which makes wide movements. The thickness of the mousepad is 3.5mm and the sides are stitched to prevent fraying of the edges, providing you with a simple, smooth, durable and controlled gaming environment. ZOWIE G-SR Mousepad Contact: BenQ Marketing & Services Sdn. Bhd. Phone: (03) 7954 7800 Info: www.benq.com.my
Metal Never Looked So Good Following the trend that HTC set for all-metal smartphones, its design team has once again raised the bar when it comes to creating beautifully crafted devices for Malaysians. The HTC One X9 pulls through with the look and feel of high end silk, creating a softer, warmer and more luxurious finish to the phone. Tapping into the fashion world’s obsession with silver and gold, the HTC One X9 comes in two colours, Gold and Gray, making it the perfect accessory. At just 75.9mm, its glass curved front and finely honed corners make it one of the most slender handsets in its class. HTC One X9 Contact: HTC Careline Phone: 1 800 88 9855 Info: www.htc.com/sea
One Keyboard For Any Device The K780 Multi-Device offers quiet and responsive typing and features large keys that are carefully scooped for typing comfort and precision. A convenient 10-key pad makes it easy to enter numbers and an integrated rubber slot with a soft finish, securely cradles a variety of mobile devices at a perfect reading angle, ranging from smartphones to 12-inch iPad Pro’s. The keyboard is slim and is built solidly while being designed to look good in a modern home or office environment. The K780 adapts to your devices, so whether you are using a windows PC or iPhone, the key layout is familiar and you can even access your favourite shortcuts. Logitech K780 Multi-Device Contact: Ingram Micro Sdn Bhd., MCL Sdn Bhd., M-Link Sdn Bhd., Kaira Technologies Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7955 8188, (03) 8023 3800, (03) 7728 9003, (03) 7955 3669 Info: www.logitech.com/en-my
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Armaggeddon Molotov-5 Price: RM99.90 Contact: Leapfrog Distribution Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7803 6703 Info: www.armaggeddon.net
Driver: 40 mm dynamic – Dome type Delta Zero Sensor Frequency Range: 20-20,000 Hz Sensitivity: 103dB/mW Microphone frequency: 75-20,000 Hz Microphone sensitivity: 42+-4dB
By Matthew Yap
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
Compact Value Armaggeddon’s new headset might not have doomsday class performance but offers amazing value
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here are about a dozen brands that produce gaming headsets, some surprisingly quite close to home. When Singapore-born Armaggeddon sent us a unit of its Molotov-5 gaming headset, we wanted to see how well it performs. The unit we received was the red one (there is also a blue and yellow version), which thankfully didn’t look tacky. It sports 40mm audio drivers and is rather compact. Rather than the larger headsets that cover the ears entirely, the Molotov-5 is an on-ear headset so sound can leak out if the volume is too loud. Its earcups and headband have pleather as the outer material, with foam inside for cushioning. Additionally, there is a hinge on both sides of the headset, which allows users to fold it into a more compact form. Unfortunately, there’s no carry case included, which would have made it more travel-friendly. Build quality is decent for this headset. The headband can be flexed to a good degree so that it can fit most people, while also light and tough enough to survive dropping from a desk. In addition, the metal supports on both sides holding the earcups to the headband are sturdy and shouldn’t bend out of shape, unless too much force is exerted on it.
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We had varying experiences when trying out the Molotov-5. While it can and will fit most people, more often than not we found it clamping down on the top of our ears. This causes our ears to get sore when we use it for long sessions, as the foam inside isn’t as soft as we’d like. The sound quality for this pair of headset is actually quite decent. Like many gaming headsets, it’s skewed towards delivering bigger bass. Counterstrike or FPS gamers would probably appreciate it more, since it gives sounds of explosions that little bit of oomph. Trying to play music with it is, predictably, not that great because the boomy bass can overwhelm the details in music, particularly the mid-tones. One con to consider is the microphone. To communicate with it, we had to press the push-to-talk button, which can be frustrating to use when playing games. On the other hand, when used as it is intended – as a mobile headset – the mic makes a lot more sense. By using a push-to-talk format here, call recipients won’t have to listen to too much ambient noise when we’re not speaking. This can be good in loud, noisy environments as it would spare the recipient from too much noise pollution.
It can be folded into a more compact form, making it travel friendly
To use the microphone, this push-to-talk button must be pressed
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Decent sound quality Affordable
Not comfortable Mic not convenient for PC use
CHIP CONCLUDES Although it doesn’t have the fancy bells and whistles of the larger gaming headset, the Molotov-5’s sound quality is not bad. However, it’s not very comfortable and is unsuitable for desktop use.
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Zowie ZA12 Price: TBA Contact: BenQ Marketing & Services Sdn. Bhd. Phone: (03) 7954 7800 Info: www.zowie.benq.com Sensor : Avago 3310 DPI: 400/800/1,600/3,200 USB Connector: USB 2.0 Poling rate: 125/500/1,000Hz Dimensions: 122 x 63 x 40 mm Weight: 90g
By Nazrin Zain
Performance: Features: Design:
No Frills, All Thrills
Two additional buttons adorn the side of the ZA12, which is pretty standard fare for gaming mice
Zowie shows you don’t need fancy gaming gear to have fun
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f you’re into the e-sports scene boom, no doubt you know, or at least you’ve heard of Zowie. The PC accessories brand, which was recently acquired by BenQ is beginning to expand rapidly here in Malaysia. The Zowie ZA12 is one of two gaming mice that were sent to us recently, with the other being the FK1. The ZA12 is one of three variants of the ZA series of mice, the ZA11, ZA12, and ZA13, with the ZA11 being the biggest and the ZA13 the smallest. The ZA12 sits right in the middle, and fits standard adult palms the best, in our opinion. As far as the look and design of the ZA12 goes, the mouse sports a standard polycarbonate shell, and on top of the standard left and right click buttons plus scroll wheel, it also has four side buttons, two on each side of the mouse. At the bottom of the ZA12 is a button that allows you to adjust the poling rate of the mouse. While this is technically still considered on-the-fly, the fact that you have to lift the mouse to change the DPI settings might be a
deal-killer to some. Users have four options to choose from here: 400, 800, 1,600, and 3200 DPI. The ZA12, in our opinion is a pretty great all-rounder mouse. We played a variety of games with it, ranging from MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV to FPS titles like Serious Sam 3 and even RTS games like Starcraft II, and the mouse feels very comfortable throughout all these gameplay sessions. Weighing in at just 90 grams, the ZA12 is an excellent mouse of choice for competitive FPS titles too, like Overwatch and Counter Strike: Global Offensive. When set at appropriate DPI, the mouse can whiz across the pad lightning quick, or become superbly stable if you happen to be on sniping duty. That being said, for MMORPG titles, it could be a very hit and miss thing sometimes, where you could accidentally click on the wrong enemy, or even worse, the wrong skills. But throughout most of my play time, this is a rare occurrence, however and doesn’t really affect gameplay most of the time.
The DPI switcher is located underneath the mouse, allowing users to set different level of mouse sensitivity
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Comfortable to use Performance
DPI switch inconveniently located at the bottom
CHIP CONCLUDES If you’re looking for a simple, no-fuss gaming mouse, the ZA12 is one you could consider getting yourself. The fact that there are a variety of sizes that you can choose from within the same series means that you’ll always get a mouse that fits your palm the best.
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Zowie FK1
Price: TBA Contact: BenQ Marketing & Services Sdn. Bhd. Phone: (03) 7954 7800 Info: www.zowie.benq.com Sensor : Avago 3310 DPI: 400/800/1,600/3,200 USB Connector: USB 2.0 Poling rate: 125/500/1,000Hz Dimensions: 67 x 128 x 37mm Weight: 90g Performance: Features: Design:
By Nixon Ng
Wowie For Zowie
Regardless of how you enjoy holding your mouse, the Zowie FK1 works both ways for both left and right handed gamers
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ot a new name in the gaming peripheral scene, the Zowie name used to be under ZOWIE GEAR but was then acquired by BenQ end of last year. Zowie has been known by enthusiast as a brand that makes simple yet well performing gaming peripherals. With the acquirement of ZOWIE GEAR, BenQ announced that ZOWIE GEAR would become their new gaming division, and expanding their products to include mice, mousepads, sound cards, monitors and other gaming accessories. This time around we were able to get our hands on a Zowie FK1 gaming mouse, an ergonomic mouse aimed to dominate the gaming world without all the bells and whistles. Right out of the box, the FK1 looks almost like any other ergonomic gaming mouse, but decided to go for a rubber cable instead of a braided one to decrease friction and increase cable flexibility. The ergonomic shape of the mouse makes it comfortable to grip even in a claw or palm style grip, and each button was easy to reach even with the different grip styles.
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The mouse glided smoothly on top of a Zowie GS-R mousepad and had a good lift-off distance which suits claw-grip users. After a bit of digging we also found out that the FK1 uses an Avago 3310 sensor which are used in other popular optical mice. There’s something that many gamers don’t realise when choosing mice, and that is hardware acceleration. A lot of gamers prefer having no mouse acceleration, but there are plenty of mice out there which have built-in hardware acceleration. Hardware acceleration is present on the Zowie FK1 but only ever so slightly. The mouse buttons require quite a bit of actuation force for it to register, this may be a plus or a minus to some. Some of us prefer being able to click easily while others may prefer using a bit more force as to prevent misclicks, so it’s entirely up to user preference when it comes to the mouse buttons. The scroll wheel is tactile and works well while browsing sites or reading web novels, one of the more comfortable and tactile scroll wheels we’ve experienced.
The FK1’s buttons are a treat to click but those who like a lighter actuation force might find it awkward
The FK1 uses an Avago 3310 sensor that sports low acceleration for those who prefer it that way
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Smooth glide Comfortable grip
None
CHIP CONCLUDES The Zowie FK1 is a great all-rounder mouse which performs great regardless of what grip you’re using. Even though there are plenty of rivals out there for picking a good mouse, the Zowie FK1 would easily find itself in your shortlist after a few tries.
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honor 5C Price: RM799 Contact: Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Phone: 1 800 22 3366 Info: www.vmall.my Display: 5.2-inch 1080 x 1920 IPS CPU: Quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 + quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 GPU: Mali-T880MP2 Memory: 2GB Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi, LTE Storage: 16GB eMMC Flash expandable with microSD Operating System: Android 6.0 Camera: 13MP (rear), 8MP (front) Dimensions: 147.1 x 73.8 x 8.3 mm Weight: 156 g 3DMark Icestorm Unlimited: 11,678 points PC Mark Work: 5,439 points Antutu: 52,532 points
By Matthew Yap
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
Honourable Choice honor continues to deliver great value with their smartphones
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his year, smartphone makers haven’t been (in our opinion) innovating much, but are instead engaged in an ‘arms race’ to deliver better specs, better components. The honor 5C is the same, aiming to do so with a lower price point. The honor 5C unit we received comes with a white front and brushed metallic silver back. It has an 8MP front camera with an LED flash, while the back has a square-shaped rearcamera and fingerprint sensor. A fingerprint sensor on a smartphone at this price range is almost unprecedented, so this addition is a premium feature that’s much appreciated. Next are the sides, with the removal dualSIM tray on the left. One of its slots double up as a micro-SD slot and supports cards of up to 256GB, so it can really store a lot of content. We would have preferred the volume and power buttons on the right to be more textured, but they’re not slippery and have a good click to it so it’s not an issue. At about 5.7-inch tall, the 5C is not very large so it’s not hard to use it with one hand, nor is it too small so watching multimedia content on it is still good. However, do note that the brushed aluminium back is a bit
slippery and it scratches easily so it’s best to use a case with it. Our experience using the honor 5C was a largely positive one. For one, it’s quite responsive and more than suitable for the standard use: browsing, multimedia, and even some simple games. But activate too many apps or browser tabs at the same time and the 2GB of RAM starts to show its limits. The fingerprint sensor offers a lot of utility, allowing us to browse the gallery by swiping on it, or bring down the notifications centre. Although, when compared to swiping normally on the screen, its response time is slightly slower. The audio is average at best and lacks bass, which is expected with a device of this size. Display quality is somewhat better, with colour calibration available, but maximum brightness isn’t high so it hampers visibility under sunlight. This smartphone would have been gotten our glowing stamp of approval if the cameras were better. The autofocus is not the slowest, but it isn’t fast either. And while it’s more than capable of good shots in well-lit conditions, noise level is bad in pictures taken in low-light conditions; this applies to both cameras.
It’s surprisingly to see a fingerprint sensor on a phone at this price
We like the smooth, rounded edges found on the 5C, which makes it pleasant to hold in the hand
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Affordable Fingerprint sensor
Average camera
CHIP CONCLUDES All things considered, the honor 5C is a product that offers great value. Its overall performance is decent and the fingerprint sensor has some handy uses. It’s too bad the cameras aren’t all that great.
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august 16
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Wiko U FEEL Price: RM699 Contact: Wiko Mobile Info: http://my-en.wikomobile.com/
Display: 5-inch (HD) Processor: MediaTek MT6735 Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi Memory: 3GB Storage: 16GB expandable with microSD Operating System: Android 6.0 Camera: 13MP (rear), 5MP (front) Dimensions: 143mm x 70.7mm x 8.55mm Weight: 147g 3DMark Icestorm Unlimited: 5,249 points 3DMark Icestorm Extreme: 3,039 points 3DMark Icestorm: 5,363 points PC Mark Work: 3,694 points Antutu: 29,552 points Performance: Features: Design: Value:
By Nixon Ng
Are You Feeling It? A great phone if you’re on a budget as you get exactly what you’re paying for while getting a little bit more luxury features
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ot many people are willing to spend thousands on a phone, especially those who just want to have a phone that works. Wiko has been doing great within the range of budget and mid-range phones, providing a nice range of products at affordable prices without compromise. This time Wiko sent us their Wiko U FEEL and we are prepared to give it a run for its money. The first thing we noticed about the U FEEL was its sandstone back cover, which has a nice texture to it that feels a lot like a fabric. The body has a nice weighted feel for its size and the 5-inch 2.5D curved screen looks great. The screen itself displays things perfectly, and has a wide view-angle which could cause users who love to privacy to consider getting a privacy screen protector. Reading on the U FEEL is comfortable with text displayed crisply and clearly, while watching videos on the phone satisfying as well. The Mediatek MT6735 processor does well in providing a smooth user experience,
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especially with its 3GB of RAM providing you some extra lee-way for multi-tasking applications. We found no issues while using different applications, other than an occasional stutter once in a while but it shouldn’t pose a problem. The rear 13MP camera sports a Sony IMX 258 sensor, 5P lens and a blue optical filter providing great picture quality, and there’s also the LED flash which provides just enough light to get a better photo in low-light conditions. For the selfie-lowers out there, the 5MP front camera features a selfie flash so you can always take a selfie wherever you are. What we enjoyed about the camera was it Dual-View mode which allows capturing of images and videos from both the front and back cameras together. While thinking of all the pictures and videos you could be taking, let’s not forget that the U FEEL has 16GB of built-in memory for you store your recorded media, but if that isn’t enough no problem as the U FEEL supports an external microSD card up to 64GB if you ever need more storage.
The sandstone back cover has a nice texture to it, akin to fabric
Doesn’t look very slim, but don’t be fooled, the phone fitted well in our hands
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All-rounder Dual-View
None
CHIP CONCLUDES Sitting somewhere in the mid-range the Wiko U FEEL is an interesting phone, packed with certain features you don’t usually see in phones in this range, the U FEEL is a phone you can consider if you’re not willing to spend more on higher-end phones.
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Ducky One Orange Legends Price: RM369 Contact: Ultimatch Solution Sdn. Bhd. Phone: (03) 7931 7187 Info: ultimatchsolutions.com.my Keyboard Switches: Cherry MX Red NKRO: Yes Interface: USB 2.0 Dimensions: 440 x 140 x 41mm Weight: 1.31kg
By Nixon Ng
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
Quack Quack… I Mean Clack Clack
The orange legends look so good on top of black
This is one duck that means business
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echanical keyboard enthusiasts have come to love the clicks and clacks of their boards, but after the clicks and the clack what else could possibly come next? Keycaps, that’s what’s next on the mechanical keyboard food-chain. Usually when one find that their keyboard is satisfactory, they would find ways to modify them further, maybe with a new cable, or even a new case, but keycaps seems to be the easiest and most aesthetically pleasing way to “upgrade” your keyboard. The Ducky One sent to us sports Doubleshot ABS keycaps with orange legends, this is actually quite significant. Double-shot ABS keycaps are created by combining two different colours of plastic, in this way the keycap surface and the character will not be worn out. The durability of the keycaps are basically assured to last a long time, and the orange on black theme is beautiful to look at. The keycaps had a nice clack to it when bottoming out, and was smooth to the touch gliding from one key to another.
The body itself seemed to be smaller than older Ducky keyboards, we think it’s because Ducky had made the bezel narrower. The Ducky One has two-stage feet to adjust your keyboard into 3 different angles – flat, short and tall. This comes as a treat because now users have the ability to adjust it more to their liking than ever before, though the only gripe we had with the feet were the short ones which felt a tad flimsy, whereas the tall one was much bigger and sturdier. The switch used by the Ducky One sent to us was Cherry MX Red, known for being a gamer’s favourite. The keys were nice to work on, even when during word processing or just daily chatting. Though we understand that typists usually like the click of a Cherry MX Blue board, the Cherry MX Red is also a good switch for typing said one of our writers. The build quality of the board as a whole is very good, it had a nice weight to it and feels durable, and has a nice body when you press the keys down.
The two-step angle adjusting feet, the smaller one could be sturdier
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Double-shot ABS Build quality
Small feet feels flimsy
CHIP CONCLUDES You wouldn’t find it hard to look for a great board from Ducky these days, and the Duck One Orange Legends is no exception. The keyboard performs great and the Doubleshot ABS keycaps with orange legends would even make an enthusiast happy.
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MSI GeForce GTX 970 Tiger Price: RM 1,479 Contact: JW Power Marketing Sdn. Bhd., Mediaforte (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Advancenet Technology Sdn. Bhd. Phone: (03) 2148 1307, (03) 7960 6868, (03) 8070 3633 Info: my.msi.com GPU: NVIDIA GTX 970 Memory: 4GB GDDR5 Ports: DVI x2, HDMI x1, DisplayPort x1 Slot Size: Double 3DMark FireStrike: 11,582 points 3DMark FireStrike (Extreme): 5,121 points 3DMark FireStrike (Ultra): 2,316 points
By Nazrin Zain
Performance: Features: Design:
A Tiger In Your PC
Two 6-pin PCIe power plugs are required to power up the card
The GTX 970 is still good for Full HD gaming
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hilst all the graphics card hype now surrounds the likes of NVIDIA’s GTX 10XX series and the new AMD’s Radeon RX 480, the GTX 970 series of cards is now likely the go-to card for an inexpensive high-end 1080p gaming option, as it still holds its own against the new kids on the block. The MSI GTX 970 Tiger may just be what you’re looking for. The GTX 970 Tiger sports MSI’s cool Armor 2X cooling system, which sports aluminium fins, copper heatpipes and two black-and-white 10mm fans which help dissipate heat from the HSF. At the back, the 970 Tiger features two DVI ports, one HDMI port and one DisplayPort for video output. To power the card, two six-pin PCIe power plugs are required. The 970 Tiger comes out of the box with similar clock speeds as that of the reference design, but thanks to the MSI Afterburner software, you can still overclock the core clock a fair bit to get the most out of your GPU. As far as overclocking is concerned, we were
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able to push the base clock to about 1,100MHz without a problem. Throughout our tests, the GTX 970 Tiger was still able to play all the latest games, like Doom, Rise of The Tomb Raider and Grand Theft Auto V at the highest settings at 1080p. In some cases, like Shadow of Mordor, we’re even able to push the card to play at 1440p, with adjustments in some settings. The great thing of course is that throughout most of these tests, the fans were keeping the card’s temperature under control, but it’s only when the action gets a bit heated do the fans start becoming somewhat audible. That said, the noise wasn’t all too loud, and we were still able to game in relative silence as the sounds that can be heard were mostly ones that are being output by the speakers. One of our favourite things about the card, besides its performance and features, is how easily it blends in with the multitude of black and white motherboards that are coming out lately. Modders and system builders would definitely want to consider.
The MSI GTX 970 Tiger comes with the standard accompaniment of video out ports
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Performance still holds up to the new cards
None
CHIP CONCLUDES No doubt the GTX 10XX and RX 480 cards are the talk of town right now, but the GTX 970 is still a great choice if the aforementioned cards are still difficult to find in stores right now.
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HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M377dw Price: RM 3,179 Contact: Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn. Bhd. Phone: 1 800 22 6998 Info: www.hp.com/my Type: Laser Max Paper Size: A4 Max paper count: 250 Scanner: Yes, 1,200x1,200 DPI Connectivity: WiFi, USB 2.0
By Nazrin Zain
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
Small In Size, Big In Performance
This touch screen display is where all the magic happens
Print quickly and securely with HP’s latest printer
I
t’s been a while since we last reviewed a printer. HP recently unveiled a brand new line of products here in Malaysia, and one of them happens to be a multifunction printer. We were recently given the opportunity to review one of them, the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M377dw, a printer that HP says not only gives you excellent printing performance, but guards against outside threats such as hackers too. Up front, the M377dw sports a touch-screen colour-graphic display, which is pretty much where all of the options and functions that can be used on the printer are housed. If you’re looking for less cable clutter around the printer, you’ll be happy to know that it has WiFi built-in, and supports a variety of authentication types, including WEP, WPA, WPA-2, and has support for AES and TKIP encryption formats. Printers are traditionally used alongside computers, but with the M377dw, you can also print from smartphones, tablets and USB thumbdrives as well. It has support for HP
ePrint, Apple AirPrint, as well as Google Cloud Print, amongst others. Printing quality is very decent for both monochrome and colour prints, as we managed to get about 25-30 prints per minute for the former, and around 20 prints for the latter. The first page out times meanwhile varies around 10-15 seconds depending on the type of prints that you’re putting out. Print quality is also quite good, with no noticeable carbon dust beside the text prints, while the colour prints look sharp and vibrant. The input tray holds up to about 250 pieces of paper according to HP, with an option to add a paper tray that holds out 500 more pieces of paper if your office needs it. As far as toners are concerned, HP says that each of the standard toners are capable of printing out up to 2,300 pages, which is great because it means that you don’t have to switch them out every so often, making them quite value for money.
The M377dw’s toners can be accessed from the rear of the printer
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Performance Features
Price
CHIP CONCLUDES If your office happens to be a small or a mid-sized one, the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M377dw is a great printer to have to share amongst your colleagues. Initial cost of ownership may be a bit high at first, but with the features built into this printer, you’ll save up on toners, and have more space for other things.
chip malaysia
august 16
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AMD Radeon RX 480 Price: N/A Contact: AMD Malaysia Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 8316 3512 Info: www.amd.com GPU: AMD RX 480 Memory: 8GB GDDR5 Ports: 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort Slot Size: Dual-Slot 3D Mark Fire Strike: 10,906 points Fire Strike Extreme: 5,355 points Fire Strike Ultra: 2,755 points Time Spy: 4,214 points Performance: Features: Design:
By Nixon Ng
The New Budget King? At the RX 480’s price point I don’t think any other card can come beat it within the same price range, high performance with VR-ready capabilities makes the RX 480 AMD’s current golden egg
W
ith VR gaming just around the horizon, AMD is already prepared to give gamers the VR experience we need. With the release of AMD’s Polaris graphic cards and graphic cards yet to come, the future of VR seems to be in good hands when it comes to hardware. With the AMD RX480 you can have mid-range graphic performance whilst enjoying VR at reasonable prices. Without further ado, let’s get into AMD’s latest graphic card for the masses. The AMD RX 480 is based on the new Polaris architecture that combines the latest 14nm FinFET process and AMD’s advanced power, gating and clocking technologies. With the smaller architecture we can expect there to be better cooling and lower power consumption while enjoying high performance without compromise. The RX 480 is also HDR (High Dynamic Range) ready, although only TV’s have the privilege of enjoying this technology, AMD has said they were working with monitor manufacturers on this and we may see HDR monitors in the near future. The new Polaris architecture supports
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HDMI 2.0b along with DisplayPort 1.3 for greater compatibility with new generation monitors. When it comes to gaming performance, the RX 480 performs like a high-end card from the previous generation but at the price point of a mid-range card. The current generation of games on 1080p shouldn’t have any issues playing smoothly on this graphic card. Even if you’re just a casual or competitive MOBA gamer, in the future newer games should still be playable if you choose to pick up this card. Before we forget, the core clock of the RX 480 is 1120MHz but when going into heavier loads, the RX 480 is capable of boosting up to 1266MHz for its boost clock. When it comes to cooling and noise we didn’t expect too much since it’s a reference blower-style cooler. But due to the reduced heat from the Polaris architecture we did notice that card ran a lot quieter than other blower-style coolers. Unfortunately, we did not have any VR gears on us so we weren’t able to test VR games, which we may revisit on future graphic card reviews.
Only a 6-pin power connector is needed to power this bad boy
Three DisplayPort’s and one HDMI port seems to be the norm, would be better if they gave an extra HDMI
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Performance Price – performance ratio VR-ready
None
CHIP CONCLUDES If you’re out to buy a card that’ll be ready for the future and don’t have much to spend too much, AMD’s RX 480 is hands down the best choice other than aiming for a second-hand card.
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Dell Precision Tower 3420 Price: RM3,832 Contact: Dell Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd Phone: 1 800 88 0301, 1 800 88 2888 Info: www.dell.com.my Operating System: Windows 10 Pro Processor: Intel Core i7-6700 Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro K620 Memory: 32GB DDR4 Storage: 2TB HDD Input/Output: 1x PS/2 Keyboard, 1x PS/2 Mouse, 1x Optical drive, 1x Gigabit LAN, 3x DisplayPort, 1x DVI-D, 1x HDMI, 1x VGA, 1x audio jack, 6x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0 Dimensions: 92.7mm x 292.1mm x 290mm Weight: 5.3kg PCMark Home: 3,960 points PCMark Creative: 3,848 points PCMark Work: 3,466 points
By Matthew Yap
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
Upgrading Made Easy This desktop from Dell doesn’t look like much, but it’s a capable workstation for all sorts of rendering work
D
ue to all the premium laptops to high-end gaming desktops, often times we forget that there’s a lot of people who want a simpler PC or workstation. Dell has always been one of those that does this category justice and one of its latest is the Precision Tower 3420. The Dell Precision Tower 3420 is a workstation in a Small Form Factor (SFF). It’s slim enough to be kept at a corner of the desk without occupying too much space, or laid flat and placed under a monitor if preferred. As a well-equipped machine, the Tower 3420 comes with not only a good number of USB ports, it also has an optical drive, a variety of display outputs, Gigabit LAN port, and old school PS/2 ports for both keyboard and mouse. Inside, this desktop comes back with workstation grade hardware. There’s an Intel Core i7-6700 powering it, along with 32GB of DDR4 RAM, a Nvidia Quadro K620 GPU, and 2TB of HDD storage. This particular configuration is
meant as a workstation, with the GPU ideal for graphics rendering for 2D/3D models. The biggest advantage of this desktop, as opposed to many other pre-built desktops, is that almost everything inside the Tower 3420 can be replaced easily. Pulling a latch at the back of the case allows for removal of the side panel and access to the internals. From there, all it takes is some effort to remove the components on top, in order to do upgrades. Not only can the hard drive be replaced, so can the optical drive and the RAMs beneath the drive cage. It’s also possible to install a M.2 SSD on the motherboard, remove the CPU cooler to upgrade the processor (Kaby Lake, for example), as well as replace the Quadro K620 GPU. Overall, we are quite impressed with the performance of this SFF desktop PC from Dell. Its computing performance is great and is particularly suited for rendering work, as expected. In operation, it’s as quiet as it can be and temperatures remain at about 78-degree Celsius, which is not too hot.
A set of basic keyboard and mouse is included here
The side of the desktop can be unlatched, allowing you to swap out some of the components within
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Compact Upgradable
GPU upgrade options limited Poor keyboard and mouse set
CHIP CONCLUDES For a workstation, the Tower 3420 provides the performance required for rendering tasks that are not too demanding. Best thing yet, this package is relatively affordable, compared to more high-end workstations.
chip malaysia
august 16
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test lab
ASUS X99-Deluxe II Price: RM2,115 Contact: Build Technology Supply Sdn Bhd., ECS Astar Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7955 3699, (03) 6286 8222 Info: www.asus.com/my/ Socket: LGA 2011-v3 Chipset: Intel X99 RAM Slots: 8 Memory: 3333(O.C.)/3300(O.C.)/3200(O.C.)/3000( O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2133 MHz DDR4 Ports: 2x LAN, 3x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1x USB Type-C, 4x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 5x Audio ports, 1x Optical (SPDIF), 3x WiFi antenna port, 4x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16, 1x PCIe 2.0 x4, 1x PCI x1, 8x SATA 6Gb/s, 1x SATA Express, 1x M.2 socket 3 (vertical), 2x U.2 connector PCMark 8 Home: 4,215 points PCMark 8 Creative: 4,887 points PCMark 8 Work: 3,636 points
By Matthew Yap
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
Luxury Package ASUS really gave us a pleasant surprise with how much they’ve managed to stuff into the box of the X99-Deluxe II
T
he newer X99 motherboards have started appearing on the market last month, with ASUS’ X99-Deluxe II among the most premium model there is currently. The ASUS X99-Deluxe comes in a large black box with the ATX-sized motherboard, as well as tonnes of goodies inside. This includes a PCI card for an extra M.2 SSD, another one for USB 3.1 Type-C supporting Thunderbolt 3, a fan extension header, a wireless AC antenna extender, and a three-way SLI bridge. Just like its predecessor, the Deluxe II has a cover over the I/O ports and audio chipset on the motherboard to help drastically reduce EMI, as well as metal reinforced PCI Express slots. It also has a M.2 socket in a vertical position, plenty of additional headers for USB ports, a connector for a RGB LED strip, and a 4-pin connector for a water pump. With eight DIMM slots, this motherboard can support up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM running at a maximum of 3,333 MHz. Other nice additions are like the dedicated circuits for the fan headers, to help prevent over-temperature or over-current; extra pins (compared to the standard LGA-2011 socket) on the CPU socket for more headroom in overclocking the CPU and RAM, while
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maintaining greater stability; and the semiopaque clips on the PCI-e slots that allow the RGB lights to shine through. Installing this motherboard is a relatively simple process. A CPU installation tool is available, but unnecessary for those who are experienced with CPU installations. We did run into clearance issues for the CPU cooler, due to the CPU socket’s proximity to the DIMM slots. But as long as the RAMs are installed first, it’s not an issue. Also, depending on how many RAMs are being used, different installation configurations that ASUS specified must be followed, or the system won’t even boot up. The vertical M.2 SSD slot is highly unusual and requires the extra bracket found in the box to secure it in place. It’s a little bit of extra work, compared to the typical single screw to secure, but not a big deal breaker. Overall, the performance of the Deluxe II is indeed good. The RGB LEDs are a nice touch, but not viewable unless a casing with a transparent side panel is used. What will definitely appeal to the enthusiasts out there, however, is all the extras that it offers and the fantastic build quality that ensures this motherboard a long lifespan.
A simple layout here, but packed with extras like the USB Type-C port and the antenna connectors for wireless AC
A bunch of extra goodies come packed with this motherboard
+
Useful components included High quality build
Price
CHIP CONCLUDES A motherboard that can handle extreme overclocking and last the distance. It’s a top-end, high performing motherboard with tonnes of added value.
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TP-LINK Neffos C5 Max Price: RM699 Contact: ECS Astar Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 6286 8222 Info: www.ecsm.com.my Display: 5.5-inch (FHD) Processor: MediaTek MT6753 Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi Memory: 2GB Storage: 16GB expandable with microSD Operating System: Android 5.1 Camera: 13MP (rear), 5MP (front) Dimensions: 152mm x 76mm x 8.95mm Weight: 161g 3DMark Icestorm Unlimited: 6,818 points 3DMark Icestorm Extreme: 4,343 points 3DMark Icestorm: 7,612 points PC Mark Work: 3,768 points Antutu: 37,021 points Performance: Features: Design: Value:
By Nixon Ng
May The Neffos Be With You TP-LINK’s foray into the mobile world is well done, providing a satisfying experience at a reasonable price point
T
P-LINK is known mainly as a global provider of network products, but it was only recent that they began their foray into the world of smartphones. Now TP-LINK has a line of smartphones under the title C5, and we had the pleasure of testing the TP-LINK Neffos C5 Max, their highest end smartphone at the time we received it. The Neffos C5 Max is a simple looking phone, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing as there are users who like a simple and neat design. Though the silver metal accented edges do make for some elegance in the midst of the simplicity. The 5.5-inch IPS screen sports Full HD resolution and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass for added protection. The IPS screen makes for outstanding viewing angles and great image reproduction, all the while making text comfortable to read as well. Despite its simple outlook the phone has some pretty good hardware under its hood,
a MediaTek MT6753 and 2GB of RAM. The 2GB of RAM is something we didn’t like as the average modern user likes to multi-task on their phone and the 2GB of RAM just doesn’t cut it. Although the RAM is a problem the Neffos C5 Max is still capable of smooth operation on a day to day basis. Applications still work smoothly and menus and navigation are lag-free unless multiple applications are running at a time. It’s not recommended to run many background applications. Another downside would be its speakers, which we found adequate for normal usage but disappointing when it came to listening to music especially heavier kinds like J-Rock or Orchestral. The phone also comes with 16GB of built-in memory with a microSD slot to expand it up to 32GB. All that storage can be put to good use with the phone’s 13MP rear camera which takes satisfying pictures, and should be able to capture your special moments without a hitch.
A simple design for simple purposes
The accented silver edges definitely gives it a bit of a classy look
+
Performance
Speakers 2GB RAM only
CHIP CONCLUDES For those who are looking for a simple phone that does what it was meant to do, the TP-LINK Neffos C5 Max does just that, and we can recommend it if you’re looking for a simple phone that performs well for its price.
chip malaysia
august 16
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Cooler Master MasterKeys Lite L Combo Price: RM 299 Contact: Ban Leong Technologies Sdn Bhd, Build Technology Supply Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7956 6300, (03) 7955 3699 Info: www.coolermaster.com Switch: Cooler Master Mem-chanical/Omron 10M Sensor: Avago 3050 LED Colour: RGB Connector cable: USB 2.0 Dimensions: 553 x 129 x 41 mm Weight: 1.058KG
By Nazrin Zain
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
A Colourful Combo
Cooler Master’s keyboard and mouse combo add colour to your gaming experience
K
eyboard and mouse combos are quite a common sight these days, but more often than not, they’re usually pretty low-key, and are made to be as cheap as possible, while compromising on a fair bit of quality. Cooler Master aims to change all that with the MasterKeys Lite L Combo. This particular setup allows you to have an above average keyboard and mouse setup at an affordable price, which also come with RGB lighting that allows you to brighten up your own home or office desktop setup. As far as look and feel go, the MasterKeys Lite L Combo is as standard as most keyboard and mice come. The keyboard sports an allpolycarbonate chassis, with removable keycaps that are Cherry MX compatible, even though the switches used are of Cooler Master’s own design, called Mem-chanical switches, which are a hybrid of a mechanical switch and normal membrane ones. The mouse meanwhile utilises an Avago 3050 sensor, which is complemented with Omron switches, which not only provide tactile clicks, but also a long-lasting lifespan. On top of the usual four buttons and one scroll-wheel combo, the mouse also comes with an on-thefly DPI switcher, which goes from 500 all the
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way up to 3,500 for a super stable, or extremely fast gaming experience. As mentioned before, both the mouse and keyboard come with RGB lighting options, and in the case of the keyboard, it has six lighting zones, with a variety of lighting modes, including breathing, wave, ripple, scan and a host of others. With the mouse, you get to choose if you want to have static colours, or have them cycle through different hues. Controls for the mode and colour switching can all be done via the keyboard, without having to install any software, and same goes for the mouse. The colours and lighting modes on the mouse can be changed by doing a combo of clicks, all of which are well-documented in the manual. The keyboard is quite an enjoyable one to use if you’re doing a lot of typing. Whilst the clicks on the keys don’t feel as tactile as that of the Cherry MX, it’s actuation force is similar to that of Brown switches, which is something we do like quite a bit. The mouse does not lag far behind as the Omron switches ensure that each click is a satisfying one while ensuring that they last longer than most other mice at this price point.
The MasterKeys’ mouse is a pretty simple, straightforward device
The lighting options for the MasterKeys keyboard can be changed directly from the keyboard itself without any software installation
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Price Performance
RGB lights don’t illuminate keys properly
CHIP CONCLUDES The Cooler Master MasterKeys Lite L Combo is a great set to have if you’re looking to buy a mouse and keyboard that doesn’t chip away too much on your budget.
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HTC 10 Price: RM2,799 Contact: HTC Careline Phone: 1 800 88 9855 Info: www.htc.com/sea Display: 5.2 inch (2,560x1,440) Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC Memory: 4GB Storage: 32GB (expandable via MicroSD up to 2TB) Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow Camera: Rear-facing 12MP UltraPixel, Front-facing 5MP camera Dimensions: 145.9 x 71.9 x 3.0 mm Weight: 161g AnTuTu Benchmark: 134,070 points 3DMark SlingShot ES3.1: 2,183 points PCMark: 5,736 points
By Nazrin Zain
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
The Power Of 10 HTC makes a return with a bold statement
H
TC’s flagship phones have always been some of our favourite smartphones to play around with. With many brands now competing in that same premium space as of late, how does its latest and greatest, the HTC 10 fare? Read on to find out how it did during our short time with it. Sporting a 5.2 inch display with a resolution of 2,560x1,440 pixels, the HTC 10 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, with 4GBs of RAM and 32GBs of storage space, which is expandable via a microSD slot, which allows the phone’s storage to go up to 2TBs. The HTC 10 also runs Google’s latest Android 6.0 operating system, codenamed Marshmallow. One of the best things about the HTC 10, we feel is its insistence to keep to a form factor that provides users with a big display real estate, but stops short of being too unwieldy. The aluminium unibody design makes a return of course, but this time around, there is a thick chamfered bezel at the back of the phone, making it look considerably thick. Also located at the back is the 12MP Ultrapixel 2 camera, which takes some pretty brilliant looking shots both in places where
there are plenty of or lacking light. HTC has also added manual controls in the form of the Pro mode in its camera app, allowing users to control the camera’s settings to shoot photos in certain ways. Performance-wise, the HTC 10 is easily on par with the best flagship smartphones out there in the market right now. Right from the various benchmark numbers, to real life usage scenarios, the HTC 10 does not miss a beat. You can install pretty much any app on it and the phone will run it with no issues whatsoever. Battery life is also a big plus for the HTC 10, as the 3,000mAh battery not only lasts you throughout the entire day and a bit more on a single charge, the phone also sports a USB Type-C connector that is QuickCharge 3.0 certified, which charges the phone from empty up to 50% in just half an hour. As an extra, audiophiles will also be happy to know that the HTC 10 supports end-to-end 24bit Hi-Res sound, which is previously only seen on Sony phones. The earphones that come with the device also is capable of driving the lossless format without any noticeable loss in quality.
The HTC 10’s rear-facing 12MP camera takes some pretty great shots too
The HTC 10 is the latest smartphone to sport Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3.0-certified USB Type-C port, which charges the phone from empty to 50% in 30 minutes
+
Performance Design
Price
CHIP CONCLUDES The HTC 10 comes in at the time when the company sorely needs a powerful flagship to lift it up, and the device does exactly that admirably.
chip malaysia
august 16
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Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver Price: TBA Contact: Amble Action Sdn Bhd., Convergent Distribution(M) Sdn Bhd., Ingram Micro Malaysia Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7665 3939, (03) 2144 1881, (03) 7952 8188 Info: www.kingston.com Driver: 50mm dynamic - neodymium magnets Frequency Range: 12-28,000 Hz Sensitivity: 104.5dB/mW Mic: Electret condenser microphone Recording pattern: Uni-directional, Noisecancelling Weight: 360g
By Matthew Yap
Performance: Features: Design:
Comfort Revolution Kingston has up the game with its latest gaming headset, with visible improvements over its older siblings
A
lot of gaming headsets have ridiculous price tags, but don’t provide the comfort, sound quality, or even microphone quality to justify the cost. There are some exceptions, however, and Kingston’s HyperX Cloud Revolver might just be better than most options out there. As the next in line of Kingston’s HyperX gaming headset series, Kingston has made quite a few design changes that differentiates the Revolver from its predecessor, the Cloud II. From first impressions alone, the Revolver looks sleeker than the Cloud II and doesn’t have that slightly tacky plastic plate on the earcups. Kingston opted to keep the oval-shaped soft pleather earcups for the Revolver, which is fine because the 50mm drivers mean that the earcups are big enough most people. In a move to keep the cost low, Kingston did away with the extra set of plush velour cushions and the USB sound card. This is easy to tell, because the extended cable ends in two 3.5 mm jacks that plug into the audio out and line-in of a motherboard’s back IO. It does have inline volume control and a mute switch for the microphone. The last component is the detachable boom
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mic that plugs directly into a port on the left side of the headset. It’s not as flexible as the one on the Cloud II, but it isn’t a big deal as its natural position is just right – below and away from the user’s mouth, while being off-centred. We really like the build quality of the Revolver and the comfort it provides. Thanks to its steel frame, it’s really solid yet doesn’t feel like it’s heavy on our heads because the elastic headband will adjust accordingly. The pleather earcups are also softer than the one that comes with the Cloud II, sealing the audio output in and keeping external sound out. In addition, we didn’t feel it clamp hard during use. In terms of sound quality, the Cloud Revolver’s sound signature is typical of gaming headsets – bass heavy. Overall, it’s good enough for gaming since it does allow us to hear where sound is coming from. It’s still decent for music, though audiophiles probably won’t be all that impressed with it. The mic performs well, delivering clear voice quality to recipients without distortion. Kingston used a noise-cancelling boom mic for the Cloud Revolver, which helps eliminate the ambient noise in the environment like the hum of a PC’s fan.
No more USB sound cards this time, only a cable splitter for the PC
This detachable boom mic is semi-flexible and performs well enough
+
Comfortable Good mic Solid build
Not quite meant for music
CHIP CONCLUDES There’s no external 7.1 audio USB sound card, but the sound quality isn’t that different from the Cloud II. However, the Cloud Revolver is very comfortable to wear and is multiplatform, allowing you to use it with next-gen consoles too.
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ASUS VivoMini VM65N Price: RM2,299 Contact: Build Technology Supply Sdn Bhd, Servex(Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Ingram Micro Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Achieva Technology Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 7955 3699, (03) 8024 6688, (03) 7952 8188, (03) 7955 1768 Info: www.asus.com/my Operating System: Windows 10 Processor: Intel i5-6200U Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 930M Memory: 4GB DDR4 Storage: 1x 1TB HDD PCMark Work: 2,672 points PCMark Home: 2,359 points PCMark Creative: 2,319 points
By Nixon Ng
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
Portability And Performance
Portability done right by ASUS, a PC with a wide variety of uses combined with the input and outputs of a PC
F
irst there are desktops, meant for stationary purposes and high-end gaming with all the inputs and outputs you’ll ever need on your desk. Then there are laptops which although could reach desktop level performances, it lacks the multiple inputs and outputs of a desktop. But if you’re looking for computer for media purposes and require a lot of inputs and outputs, you could take a look at the ASUS VivoMini VM65N. The ASUS VivoMini VM65N actually makes a pretty good travel companion if you’re going to stay at hotels with TV’s that sport a HDMI connection. Carry along a portable keyboard and mouse and a HDMI cables and you’re all set to have a mobile PC when you’re anywhere in the world. The VM65N runs on an Intel Core i5-6200U Skylake processor, a pretty decent processor that should handle everyday tasks smoothly and efficiently. Such as word processing, data entry and even watching movies. It works exactly like a basic PC would at home, but with greater portability and retaining connectivity. The VM65N can also work as a media server
for your home, or when you’re on vacation with nothing to do at your hotel. It sports a total of 6 USB ports for charging devices and connecting external storage devices. Speaking of storage devices, the VM65N allows you to change your hard drives for an SSD or another larger HDD for faster performance. You can also add additional RAM up to 16GB’s of DDR4 2133MHz RAM. For casual gaming the mini-pc has a NVIDIA GeForce 930M with 1GB of dedicated memory so you can play those less demanding games, and also enjoy watching videos in true 4K and UHD resolutions when working together with NVIDIA’s Optimus technology. The built-in SonicMaster speakers are quite decent for small bedrooms or living rooms, but will require speakers when blasting out in a medium sized room. The VM65N is a quiet player, not making much noise when playing high-resolution media, and the temperatures are actually quite decent. There’s also the ASUs Media Streamer and Remote Go! Apps that can turn your VM65N into a home theatre PC by streaming music and video files from your mobile device.
All the connectivity and inputs you’ll need for a long, long time
Vivo Dual-Bay in the flesh, just slot it in screw in the case and slide it back into place. Easy as 1,2,3!
+
Portability Connectivity
None
CHIP CONCLUDES Find that you lack the space for a full-sized desktop in your home or want to connect a laptop to a monitor but you don’t have enough desk space? The VM65N is perfect for those with space restrictions as it is VESAmount compatible.
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GIGABYTE X99Ultra Gaming Price: RM1,799 Contact: Nation-Tech Sdn.Bhd., Ban Leong Technologies Sdn Bhd Phone: (03) 4280 6636, (03) 79566300 Info: www.gigabyte.my Socket: LGA 2011-v3 Chipset: Intel X99 RAM Slots: 8 Memory: 3600(OC)/3400(OC)/3333(O.C.)/3200 (O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2400( O.C.)/2133 MHz DDR4 Ports: 1x PS/2, 2x LAN, 3x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1x USB Type-C, 6x USB 3.0, 5x Audio ports, 1x Optical (SPDIF), 2x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16, 2x PCIe 3.0 x8, 1x PCI x1, 10x SATA 6Gb/s, 1x SATA Express, 1x M.2 SSD connector, 1x M.2 WiFi connector, 1x U.2 connector PCMark 8 Home: 4,219 points PCMark 8 Creative: 4,714 points PCMark 8 Work: 3,584 points
By Matthew Yap
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
High-end Gaming Made Affordable While X99 motherboards can be expensive, GIGABYTE shows that it doesn’t have to break your bank entirely
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rands these days see the gaming community as the biggest targetable market and so we’re not surprised with the name of this motherboard from GIGABYTE X99-Ultra Gaming. The X99-Ultra Gaming doesn’t have many in the way of extra frills in the box, only a 3-way and 2-way SLI bridge, a pair of Velcro straps to secure cables, and an extension cable for a RGB LED strip. By cutting out the extras and focusing on its features, GIGABYTE helped the user save money for other key PC components. This motherboard also has top notch build quality. Not only does it have metal reinforced brackets for the DIMM and PCI-e slots, there are high quality capacitors, dedicated power phases, and many more. Besides that, there’s a cover over the back I/O ports and the audio chipset, shielding these parts from electromagnetic interference from other components on the board. For add-ons, it has a M.2 SSD, a M.2 WiFi connector, a U.2 connector and SATA Express port for compatible SSDs. Additionally, those
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who have chassis with lots of fans would appreciate the five 4-pin connectors for chassis fan or water pumps. And lastly, there’s two gigabit LAN ports, one from Killer Gaming Network and the other by Intel, so users can isolate their game network data from general browsing or downloads. As expected, there are eight DIMM slots on this motherboard and the spacing can be tight there. Larger fan CPU coolers might block the first PCI-e slot, so smaller ones or a water cooling solution would work better. Also, a 3-way SLI setup could block some of the headers on the board as well. In terms of performance, the X99Ultra Gaming has plenty of headroom for overclocking. But in practice, users would likely be bottlenecked by the CPU, especially if it’s not one that’s suitable for overclocking. With two PWM capable 4-pin connectors, it’s possible to install two separate cooling solutions too – one for the CPU and another for GPUs – so it’s possible to achieve really good temperature levels and acoustic.
All PCI-e slots on this motherboard have a metal bracket reinforcing them
Premium motherboards like this now tend to feature USB Type-C port as a standard
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Comparatively cheaper Dedicated RAM power phase
Clearance issues
CHIP CONCLUDES A great option for gamers who want a system that can do extreme overclocking, but don’t care for the often times insane prices that X99 motherboards command.
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MSI GTX 1060 GAMING X Price: RM1,519 Contact: JW Power Marketing Sdn. Bhd., Mediaforte (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Advancenet Technology Sdn. Bhd. Phone: (03) 2148 1307, (03) 7960 6868, (03) 8070 3633 Info: my.msi.com GPU: NVIDIA GTX1060 Memory: 6GB GDDR5 Ports: 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort Slot Size: Dual-Slot Dimensions: 277 x 140 x 39mm 3D Mark Fire Strike: 11,866 points Fire Strike Extreme: 6,173 points Fire Strike Ultra: 3,177 points Time Spy: 4,513 points Performance: Features: Design: Value:
By Nixon Ng
A Gamer’s Grail
MSI does it again with the GTX 1060 GAMING X, bringing us the Twin Frozr VI cooler that we love and the great performance of a NVIDIA graphic card all-in-one
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ith the release of the GTX 1060 the world is going wild as the bar for mid-range gaming has been brought up once again. Ushering a new benchmark for graphic cards at its price range, reaching performances that were only capable in high-end graphic cards in the past. MSI decided they had to have their own take in this and came up with their MSI GTX 1060 GAMING X to show what they’re made of. The MSI GTX1060 is NVIDIA’s latest mid-range graphic card occupying the space between high-end gaming and budget gaming, and also serves as a portal into VR gaming as well. If you’re just a 1080p gamer and would like to get into VR gaming in the future, the GTX 1060 seems like a good choice. But getting back to the GTX 1060 GAMING X, out of the box we are invited by MSI’s trademark Twin Frozr VI cooler, we personally are a huge fan of the Twin Frozr series of coolers. The Torx 2.0 isn’t just aesthetically pleasing, but also provides silent and cool gaming all the time. When running benchmarks the graphic
card proved to be a silent giant with the fans only starting to spin when action really gets nitty and gritty. Even then the card was silent when placing our ears right next to the graphic card, but this might also depend on your cooling setup and whether your room’s ambient temperature is low or high, in our case it was the former. The graphic card now also comes with a backplate which we found to be a great addition, so gamers on a tighter budget can still enjoy having aesthetics. The GTX 1060 usually runs on only a single 6-pin connector but MSI decided to replace that with an 8-pin connector to allow higher power draw for overclocking purposes. When on Gaming Mode which MSI deems it to be the smoothest and stable overclock they can achieve for gaming on this card, the core clock finds itself at a base clock of 1569MHz and a boost clock of 1784MHz. This is evident in our gaming, as it easily plays the latest 1080p games without a hitch. Though certain games may have a higher requirement than most, we are pretty certain that 1080p gaming would be of no problems whatsoever.
A backplate on a mid-range card will definitely please the masses
The Torx 2.0 fans that we have come to love up close
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Performance Twin Frozr VI Backplate
None
CHIP CONCLUDES On a tight budget, but are willing to spend that few extra bucks on a graphic card? The MSI GTX 1060 GAMING X is no doubt a worthy contender if you don’t already own a GTX 970 or GTX 980.
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MSI X99A XPower Gaming Titanium Price: RM 2,169 Contact: JW Power Marketing Sdn. Bhd., Mediaforte (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Advancenet Technology Sdn. Bhd. Phone: (03) 2148 1307, (03) 7960 6868, (03) 8070 3633 Info: my.msi.com Socket: LGA 2011-v3 Chipset: Intel X99 RAM Slots: 8 Memory: 3333(O.C.)/3300(O.C.)/3200(O.C.)/3000( O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2133 MHz DDR4 Ports: USB 3.1 Gen 1 x4, USB Gaming Port x2, USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A x1, USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C x1, Intel WiFi/Bluetooth x1, HD Audio Connectors x5, Optical S/PDIF x1 PCMark 8 Home: 4,320 points PCMark 8 Creative: 4,831 points PCMark 8 Work: 3,825 points
By Nazrin Zain
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
A Titanium Behemoth
MSI’s new X99 motherboard ticks all the right boxes
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e’ve got a triple whammy of brand new X99 motherboards this month, no thanks to Intel just recently launching their latest series of Broadwell-E processors. MSI is on board with their highestend motherboard in the form of the MSI X99A XPower Gaming Titanium. To start off, the motherboard’s PCB is encased entirely in a metallic sheen of grey. This, coupled with the Steel Armor reinforcements on the RAM, PCIe, and M.2 SATA slots ensures that both the slots are protected from possible bending issues. The motherboard sports eight DDR4 RAM slots which supports quad-channel memory up to 128GBs of RAM, a very generous 10 SATA III ports, one M.2 SATA port, and a whopping five PCIe 3.0 slots for multi-GPU support as well as others, such as PCIe SSD, WiFi and many more. The XPower Gaming Titanium motherboard is also very generous in terms of I/O, sporting two USB gaming device ports, four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, as well as one each of USB Type-A and Type-C Gen 2 ports. If you’re looking to go wireless, the motherboard also has support for Intel WiFi and Bluetooth connections.
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If you’re looking to do a fair bit of overclocking with this board, you’re in luck as the motherboard comes with a bucketload of options to help you do just that. The OC Engine feature, in particular lets you fine-tune BCLK numbers with minute adjustments from 100MHz to 125 and 167MHz straps to achieve maximum possible numbers in overclock. Helped together with extreme socket designs which adds more pins to the CPU socket, premium power phases and overvoltage protection, you don’t need to worry too much about burning your processor and motherboard to push for those overclocking records. In our case, we managed to overclock our Intel CPU to about 4.2GHz with relative ease, and with a better cooling solution, we’re fairly sure that the CPU will be able to clock even higher, with adjustments to both BCLK and voltage values are tested even further. On top of an update to MSI’s UEFI Click BIOS 5, users can also easily recover a corrupted BIOS by connecting the power cable to the motherboard (no CPU required), inserting a USB drive with the BIOS files inside and using the Flashback hotkey on the motherboard itself.
The XPower Gaming Titanium boasts MSI’s Steel Armor reinforcements on the PCIe slots, the M.2 SSD slot and the RAM slots
As far as I/O ports go, MSI is very generous with the ports on the XPower Gaming Titanium motherboard
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Performance Design Features
Price
CHIP CONCLUDES The MSI X99A XPower Gaming Titanium is a motherboard to behold. It scores full marks from us in terms of performance and features, making it one of the motherboards to recommend if you’re looking to build a Haswell-E or Broadwell-E system.
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Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro Price: RM 1,999 Contact: Samsung Malaysia Electronics Sdn Bhd Phone: 1 800 88 9999 Info: www.samsung.com.my Display: 6.0 inches (1,920x1,080) Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC Memory: 4GBs Storage: 32GBs (expandable via MicroSD up to 256GB) Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow Camera: Rear-facing 16.0MP with OIS, front-facing 8MP Antutu Benchmark: 74,329 points 3DMark SlingShot ES3.1: 868 points PCMark Work:
By Nazrin Zain
Performance: Features: Design: Value:
Is Bigger Always Better?
Samsung’s Galaxy A9 Pro packs more things in a bigger shell
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ne would think that the age of phablets is coming to its end, but Samsung goes against that line of thought with the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro, in an attempt to prove that there’s always an advantage with going big. It is not an understatement in saying that the Galaxy A9 Pro is easily one of the biggest smartphones we’ve seen. Underneath the phone’s 6.0 inch Full HD display is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, with 4GBs of RAM and 32GBs of storage, which is expandable via a MicroSD card, which Samsung is generously including with every purchase of the device. At the back, the Galaxy A9 Pro sports a 16.0MP camera that has an aperture of f1.9 and Optical Image Stabilisation built in. This is great especially for those who enjoy going out and about, taking photos without having to worry about the big phone wobbling too much. Big displays, big storage space and a camera with more megapixels than many. That’s not all as the Galaxy A9 Pro also comes sporting a 5,000mAh battery, which is easily
over 1,500mAh more than many flagship-level phones out there. During our tests, a single charge can easily last two whole days, even with moderately high usage patterns. If charging such a large capacity battery worries you, fret not as the phone charges pretty much from empty to full in just one to two hours. Samsung’s fast-charging technology is brought over to this phone, making it similar to an extra power bank if you have another phone that requires additional battery power. Performance-wise, we’re happy to note that the Qualcomm processor and 4GBs of RAM on the Galaxy A9 Pro performs as well as can be expected. Playing games on the 6.0 inch screen feels very vibrant, with nary a lag in most of the games we’ve tested. The only problem we faced with the phone throughout our time with it is that its glass back and aluminium sides make the phone a tad bit slippery, and combined with the girth of the phone, makes for some heart-stopping moments as the phone has a tendency to slip around in our hands.
The Galaxy A9 Pro sports a 16MP camera with OIS at the back
The Nano SIM and MicroSD card slots are placed side by side on the SIM tray
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Battery life Performance
Slippery
CHIP CONCLUDES For what it is, the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro is a giant of a phone, and one that will definitely be one to consider if you’re looking for a large mobile device that can last you for days.
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For The Watch
A fast-paced FPS game that emphasises on teamwork, team composition, and capturing objectives. Not only that, the game is surrounded by interesting back stories and vibrant characters By Nixon Ng
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verwatch is Blizzardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest game, receiving much hype even before its release. The game has become one of the most popular games to hit PCs and consoles this year. It puts 12 players into two teams of six, and brings them into the world of Overwatch to duke it out. Those familiar with team-based shooter Team Fortress 2 will find it easy to get into this game, as the two games share many similarities when it comes to capturing or moving objectives. The game is exciting to play, especially with friends as a great team composition can make a
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game much easier to be won. The roles are divided into 4 categories – Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support. Each role comes with several pre-defined hero characters, each with their own unique weapons and abilities that are played differently from each other. Some players may find certain heroes better for frontal skirmishes, some lying in wait for an enemy, or even those staying close to their allies providing support. The variety of heroes and the different ways you use them allows a player to find what truly suits their own playstyle. What we found best about Overwatch is on how easy it was to get into the game. Some of us are veteran shooters, but even our less FPS inclined players found it easy to enjoy the game. Another good note about the game is Blizzard’s attentiveness to the balance of the game. It hasn’t been long and many heroes have found themselves nerfed or powered up, to ensure each and every hero is viable for casual and competitive play. Furthermore, players are given the opportunity to unlock or purchase cosmetic items to change the appearance of a hero’s theme and weapon. To unlock many of the items available in Overwatch you can either purchase a ‘Loot Box’ or by levelling. To explain what gameplay is usually like, let’s pick one of our favourite heroes which is Genji. Genji is a cybernetic ninja with a troubled past, almost killed by his brother but saved and rebuilt into what he is now. His main attack comes in the form of rapidly
throwing shurikens at his enemies, but he is also capable of climbing up walls and deflecting enemy projectiles. We used our wall climbing capabilities and cybernetic agility to not only disorient our enemies but to also take down the weaker heroes in the enemy team's backline. Due to Genji's low health, and the enemies’ quick reaction to us, he can also be swiftly taken out by the enemy. While we were out of commission waiting for our hero to spawn, the enemy successfully captured their first objective, with that our teammates quickly retreated back to the next objective to prepare our defences. The enemy also realised that Genji
was a threat to them, so the enemy relied on tank heroes to counter us. This shows that there is no one hero that is perfect and flawless. You can become exceptionally good at one hero but there’s always another which holds the advantage over you. This went back and forth until the final objective was captured in which then we switched sides to become the attacking team. This dynamic gameplay is what really captures the attention of gamers, but Overwatch isn’t just all gameplay. Overwatch also consists of a diverse cast of heroes that spans genders and ethnicities, all which have deep backgrounds. The game is slowly gaining traction in the e-sports scene and we wouldn’t be surprised if it became big. It has huge potential and depending on how the developers work on it, it will keep growing.
Overwatch Genre: First-Person Shooter Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Info: https://playoverwatch.com System Requirements Platform: Windows, PS4, Xbox One
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Hero Cast Fast-paced Frequent balancing Easy to get into
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Poor leaverbuster system Frequent server routing issues
Gameplay: Graphics: Sound: Replayability:
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The Swansong Of Nathan Drake
We take a look at the final chapter of Nathan Drake’s adventure, which happens to be full of climbing, explosions, and whole villages of enemies that appear to have come out of nowhere By Nazrin Zain
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dmit it. You didn’t believe it when Uncharted 4 was first announced at E3 a few years back. But it did indeed happened, and after months and months of delays, the game finally decided to come out, and it somewhat served as a bittersweet end to round up Nathan Drake’s adventures.
Plot The game starts off, interestingly enough, with a flashback. Not just any flashback, it was one where Nathan was accompanied by his brother, Samuel (Sam) Drake when they were children. The cutscene then cuts off to when they were
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young adults, accompanied by the game’s antagonist, Rafe Adler, who were looking for clues to pirate captain Henry Avery’s treasure. At the end of the flashback, it was shown that Sam was shot and believed dead by both Nathan and Rafe. The game then cuts off to the present time, where Nathan works as a salvage diver, when Sam sprung a surprise on Nathan by revealing that he was still alive after all, thus restarting the search for lost pirate treasure. As far as the story goes, Nathan Drake’s final journey throughout the multitude of beautiful places around the world is punctuated
by plot points that can be seen from a mile away, and even when the inevitable twist came, it still felt predictable, although no less entertaining due to how Nathan and crew got there in the first place. Sully, Nathan’s mentor makes a return, as does Elena, who is now Nathan’s wife. Both of them make for excellent sidekicks to Nathan as they not only help him out, but also provide funny commentary during otherwise drab moments of travelling.
Gameplay Uncharted 4’s gameplay is very much similar to that of previous games, with a number of notable additions and omissions. Nathan gets two brand new pieces of equipment to help him traverse terrain: a grappling hook that lets him latch onto pieces of hanging planks, and later on, a pick which lets him grab onto porous terrains as he traverses walls and such. At times, a well-timed combination of the two equipments are necessary in order for Nathan to move forward, and failure in executing these mechanics often result in his death. Puzzles make up a considerable portion
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of the game as well, as Nathan and gang all have to figure out a whole variety of puzzles cooked up by Henry Avery before they can get their hands on his treasure. Uncharted 4 by far probably has the most puzzles out of any Uncharted game we’ve played, and it’s not just your brain you have rely on, but also your (or Nathan’s) brawns sometimes, for example, the clocktower puzzle at King’s Bay, where you have to jump on moving cogwheels to get to certain locations to activate switches. The Uncharted series has always been known for its variety of weapons as well, ranging from handguns, to shotguns, automatic rifles and even grenade launchers, and in Uncharted 4, it is no different. There are more weapons in this game than you have fingers on two hands, although unfortunately you can only carry one main weapon, one side arm and three grenades. Speaking of grenades, in Uncharted 4, you can no longer lob back grenades that are thrown at you. You’re now forced to run away and look for new cover whenever the grenade location icon pops up, which does get a bit annoying when you hardly have room to move around to. Like other Uncharted games, you have the option to be Rambo, or approach the bad guys with stealth. Naughty Dog makes things a bit easier for you this time if you decide to go stealth by allowing you to tag enemies ala MGSV. Throughout our experience in the game, the best course of action is to go stealth first, take out as many enemies as you can, and then fire away all guns blazing, letting all the enemies you may have missed come to you instead. One annoying thing about skirmishes in Uncharted 4 is the number of enemies there seem to be at every stronghold. At one point in
the game, the enemy bases seem to not only have a number of gun-totting baddies, but also snipers, and grenade troopers. It gets even worse when many of them can seem to notice you from a field away and accurately throw grenades right on top of your head, making you run away from your cover. If there are patches of tall grass in your surroundings, you could also use them to try and cool down the situation a little, although in our experience this only works a handful of times, as the enemies that are on high alert will still be able to spot you regardless of where you’re hiding.
Graphics And Music If there are two things most, if not everyone have no complaints about with Uncharted 4, it is quite likely the graphics and music for this game. Naughty Dog has perfected the craft of making the most out of the PlayStation 4’s hardware, which is mind-boggling to say the least. Regardless if you’re in the cold plains of Scotland, or the warm locale of Madagascar, the landscape design of Uncharted 4 is second to none. The environment design is impeccable in this game: from the outdoors, to the building, and the character modelling are all top notch and look very lifelike. The motorcycle chase scene in particular is absolutely an absolutely great combination of gameplay and graphics as you escape the chase of bad guys, taking them down as you move along. The in-game graphics is so impressive in fact that the cutscenes are rendered in real time, which explains the lack of a Theatre Mode in the game. The music for Uncharted 4 is composed by Henry Jackman, who has also helped compose
music for movies such as X-Men: First Class, Captain America: Civil War, and Big Hero 6, to name a few. The songs he composed for Uncharted 4 fits the tone and pacing of the game, which makes it very enjoyable to listen to when playing. The tunes are tense when they need to be, and relaxing and enjoyable when you’re traversing the terrain of various countries.
Extras If you look closely, there are a lot of hidden gems and cameo appearances that make themselves seen and heard in Uncharted 4. Some of the most obvious ones are the Crash Bandicoot levels which is directly lifted off from one of Naughty Dog’s most popular games back in the day. In one of the earlier missions, The Malaysian Job, the phone number that was shown on the map when Nathan was talking to his boss is an actual phone number, and will be redirected to a voicemail box of Hasnul Hadi, the Creative Content & Technologies Director of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, MDEC. In fact, there is a chase scene between Nathan and a Humvee towards the end of Uncharted 4 which is actually a tribute to the boulder levels of Naughty Dog’s own Crash Bandicoot. Once you finish the game, depending on how many secret treasures you collect by the end, you’ll also gain points that allow you to unlock certain modes in the game, like Invincibility and Unlimited Ammo. Uncharted 4 was a fun game to play, even if the original intent was just to see how Nathan Drake’s story unfolded itself at the end, as Naughty Dog has mentioned that they have no intention to make another Uncharted title after this one. It is nostalgic, with a bit of frustration thrown in, but the good and the bad is exactly what makes the series such fun to play.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Genre: Action Adventure Developer: Naughty Dog Info: www.naughtydog.com System Requirements Platform: Sony PlayStation 4
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Excellent story Enjoyable gameplay Beautiful graphics
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Enemy spawn Lack of Theatre Mode
Gameplay: Graphics: Sound: Replayability:
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lite & leisure E-SPORTS NEWS
E-Sports Express Latest E-sports updates from the region and around the world
By Matthew Yap and Nixon Ng
''That’s a lot of money!” If there are still any doubts that e-sports has the potential to compete with traditional sports, at least in terms of prized money, then look no farther than this year’s Dota 2 The International 6. TI6’s total prize pool has recently hit the 17 million US Dollars mark (approx. RM52 million) and continues to grow with crowdfunding from its legion of players. Valve’s annual major tournament has thus surpassed the 10 million USD milestone for three years in a row, which is rather jaw dropping for those who like to tell their kids that they can’t make money by playing games. As mentioned, the money for the prize pool is collected through crowdfunding, specifically via the sale of the TI6 Battlepass and the various in-game items that are tied to it. This crowdfunding will likely continue all the way up to the start of the tournament proper, which is scheduled to begin on 3rd August 2016.
Valve Cracks Whip Over Gambling Sites There has always been gambling when it came to sports, so when the popularity of e-sports title grew it was inevitable for e-sports betting websites to surface. That’s fine and dandy, but Valve has decided that any sites using its Steam OpenID API was a no-no and have started cracking down on t hem. The company has begun to send C&D (Cease & Desist) notices to online betting websites that are using the Steam OpenID API, the same one that Steam’s in-game trading system uses. Such sites have been around since the advent of the system, with Dota 2 and CS:GO – two of the most popular titles – sporting many of these gambling sites. Unfortunately, without any industry regulations in place, there’s no way to control the issue. However, due to the recent high profile case of CS:GO streamers abusing this system, Steam has decided that enough was enough and have started cracking down on these sites. A statement from Valve reads: ' We are going to start sending notices to these sites requesting they cease operations through Steam, and further pursue the matter as necessary.”
CS:GO Gambling Scandal The case of the gambling scandal was fairly recent, with CSGO Lotto the centre of the issue. This site facilitates betting for CS:GO skins via the use of Steam’s OpenID API and a Steam bot, the latter of which is not allowed by Steam according to the Steam subscriber agreement. A few weeks ago, there were some who found evidence that prominent CS:GO YouTubers - Trevor ‘TmarTn’ Martin and Tom ‘ProSyndicate’ Cassell – are founders of CS:GO Lotto. Now, users of the site are openly questioning whether the site rigs the bets for them, so that they can entice people to join the site by showing how much they win through their videos.
Football Club Signs E-Sports Player Though e-sports may be growing bigger, some titles are more popular while others are not so much. FIFA certainly falls under the second category, but that’s not about to stop organisations from signing up FIFA e-sports players. While there were rumours that English Premier League football club, Manchester United, were going to buy an e-sports team, it was the Red Devils’ city rivals in blue, Manchester City, which has signed Kieran 'Kez' Brown, a professional FIFA player.
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ELeague Announces Overwatch Open ELeague has announced a partnership with tournament organiser FACEIT to host a USD300,000 Overwatch Open. Open qualifiers began on 23 July, and only thing ahead now is the regional finals of the tournament that will be held on 25-29 September in ELeague studios at Turner Broadcasting’s home base in Atlanta, Georgia. The regional finals and grand finals of the tournament will be broadcasted live on streaming platform Twitch and televised live on TBS, with the winner taking home USD100,000 and the runner-up taking home USD32,000.
‘zews’ From Coach To Gamer Brazilian Counter-Strike head coach Wilton ''zews” Prado of SK Gaming has left the organisation to join team Immortals as a player. The former SK Gaming coach is replacing Gustavo ''SHOOWTiME” Goncalves who has been picked up by team INTZ e-Sports, this move came right after winning Major League Gaming Columbus with Luminosity Gaming and ESL One Cologne 2016 under the SK Gaming banner. This will be the first time zews is playing professionally again since his departure from team Yakuz4.
Team SoloMid and Fnatic Joins The Watch Team SoloMid and Fnatic have finally found their way into the Overwatch scene only a short while after Competitive Play was introduced to the game. After overwhelming response Team SoloMid is roud to announce the start of their Overwatch division with the pickup of Code7. Code7, is the former roster of Gale Force eSports that had found success in top North American tournaments. Not falling behind is Fnatic who is creating their first ever US based team, with well-known names such as Iddqd and Vonethil, there’s also Stoop and coolmatt69 who are known as some of the top players in the NA scene.
Valve Cracks Down On CS:GO Gambling Sites Valve has finally started cracking down on 23 betting sites that use its Steam platform. Valve clarified that gambling sites that are using Steam accounts to conduct their business is subject to the terms of the Steam Subscriber Agreement. These terms will ban external sites from asking users to connect their Steam accounts to trade their in-game items for real money. Popular gambling community CSGO Lotto has gone offline since 8 July, with CSGO Double following shortly after receiving their own violation notice.
Astral Authority Disqualified From NA Fall Regional Astral Authority is facing a disqualification after Blizzard deliberated together with ESL due to exploiting a bug. The bug involves Tyrael and his level one talent “Even in Death”. Even in Death allows a player to cast spells while in Passive Form, however spells deal no damage. There’s a delay between cast time and damage, and if timed perfectly an ability like Smite can be cast after death before exploding. After death Even in Death no longer applies so Smite damage and additionally exploding damage applies to surrounding heroes which was not what Blizzard had intended. It was after complaints on a reddit post was made against Astral Authority for using the bug that it truly came to light.
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lite & leisure CROWDFUND
Made Possible By The Masses Our monthly look at crowd-funded projects that are taking the Internet by storm By Matthew Yap and Nixon Ng
Das Keyboard 5Q – Key Notifications, Literally
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ith the Das Keyboard 5Q, we have the world’s first Cloudconnected keyboard. The idea is unique: This open API, RGB keyboard can perform as a dashboard for various Cloud applications, such as websites. For example, it can be programmed so that a particular button flashes green if the build test for a Cloud application passes, or red if there’s a critical failure. There’s a lot of interesting potential uses for it, so go check it out on Kickstarter to find out more. http://kck.st/295aW8s
The Z – Mouse Reimagined
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f you think that no gaming mouse can surpass the likes of the Steelseries Rival 700 or Logitech’s G900 Chaos Spectrum, then think again. A Kickstarter project called “The Z” is poised to claim the number one spot with its highly innovative mouse. It has a number of unique features, such as being able to operate on the Z-axis, which allows gamers to have actions like tilting, pivoting, and more, just by using the mouse. http://kck.st/298pwf5
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Soundlazer VR
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irtual Reality is a hotly discussed topic this year and everyone wants a piece of the pie. However, the Soundlazer doesn’t actually spit out laser, nor is it the VR that’s constantly talked about. This directional speaker can be positioned above you, emitting sound in a ‘sphere’ shape below it so that you can enjoy your personal ‘bubble’ of sound. It has an innovative design and the concept is rather interesting. http://kck.st/1WYzndY
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CASE Remote Air – Make Your Camera Smart
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he CASE Remote Air is the world’s smallest and most powerful smart camera controller out there. The CASE Remote Air allows you to wirelessly control your camera with your smartphone or PC. Simply connect the CASE Remote Air through your camera’s USB, and it will generate a WiFi hotspot that will connect your smartphone or PC to your camera. It’s equipped with advanced functions including live-view, parameter editing, HDR, focusstacking, bulb, time-lapse, video control, and many more. http://bit.ly/2acvxfb
The SuperBook – From Smartphone To Laptop
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ou already do a lot on your smartphone, it’s convenient, portable, and holds all of your apps, files, and contacts. You could accomplish a lot more with it, but its small screen size and limited mobile interface you are held back quite a bit. With The Superbook those restrictions are now removed, at its core, The Superbook is a smart laptop shell that provides a large screen, keyboard and multi-touch trackpad, over 8 hours of battery, and phone charging capabilities. When plugged into your Android smartphone, it launches our app to deliver a full laptop experience. http://kck.st/2adAXWs
Modobag – Ride Your Luggage
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our days of riding the luggage trolleys are over with the Modobag, featuring the latest in luggage design and advanced motorised technology. The Modobag is a luggage you can ride, it combines the convenience of standard suitcase with the innovation of personal transportability. It sports SPRS-GSM tracking, and dual USB charging ports to create the world’s only motorised, smart and connected carry-on that gets you to your destinations three times faster than the average walking speed. http://bit.ly/2axDMQF
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Checking Your PC’s Performance How is your PC? Even if you’re running a high-end gaming machine, it’s important to make sure that your components are in good condition By Jörg Reichertz
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he game suddenly freezes, textures disappear, colourful streaks are drawn across the screen or – even worse – the computer completely refuses to start. In some games where a lot of action happens, buggy hardware is unacceptable. Take precautions and have a good look at your computer using analysis tools, which cover a variety of application. There are also software available for each hardware component. With the diagnosis tools used here, you can track down errors in the system.
2 For hobby mechanics: complete solution AIDA64 is another commercial software, which is suitable for everyone who assembles their gaming computer themselves. AIDA64 provides a comprehensive documentation of the computer and additionally offers a large selection of diagnosis procedures. A few of them are especially designed for the screen, e.g. the ‘‘Calibration Tests”.
3 Fan: remain cool
And this is how it works 1 System: Everything at a glance With Dr. Hardware 2016, you get a professional system analysis tool, which covers all the fields of application. The tool digs out countless data from your computer, it checks the processor, BIOS, cache, bus, memory elements, chip set, PCI-devices and much more. The software, tried and tested fpr years, was optimised for Windows 10 and is suitable for desktop computers, notebooks and Windows tablets. You can test the software free of charge for 30 days.
SpeedFan meanwhile measures the temperature of the CPU, graphics card and the hard disk amongst other things. The speed of the fans can also be monitored and controlled – with a little patience, you will find the optimum ratio of the CPU performance and noise generation. Advanced users can engage deep into the system with this tool. Speedfan also reads voltage values and displays them graphically.
4 Monitor: adjusted perfectly The EIZO monitor test immediately brings the following to light: on
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the basis of 24 different test images, it checks whether your monitor is adjusted correctly or pixel errors have already crept in. Different parameters such as geometry, convergence or brightness are also checked by the programme.
5 Graphics card: stress test FurMark puts your graphics card under pressure and exposes every error mercilessly. Specify the details at the time of starting: window or full-screen mode, resolution and other settings. You can also decide between the benchmark mode and the stability test. The load is especially high in this regard.
6 Hard disk: are read errors lurking?
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Before undetected write and read errors ruin your gaming session, you should take precautions with CrystalDiskInfo Portable. The tool reads the SMART values of the hard disk and provides information on time as soon as any critical values crop up. It is also compatible with modern SDD hard disks.
7 Memory: defective elements? MemTest86 is a classic among the memory tests, which helps you to track down RAM errors. If the RAM contains faulty memory cells, MemTest86 shows you a list with the detailed memory addresses of the defective cells. Since the last update, DDR4-RAM can also be checked.
8 Games: is the hardware enough?
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Your computer is probably completely sound technically, but it is not powerful enough for modern games. 3DMark can be used in order to find this out. We use this benchmark in our Test Lab as well. The different graphics and physics tests of the 3DMark will stretch the graphics card to the limit.
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Tips Tricks AUGUST 2016
WINDOWS & OFFICE Windows 8 Activate WiFi and select the correct wireless network
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In order to turn on WiFi in Windows 8, you need access to the settings. Press the key combination [Windows]+[W] to search for the settings. Enter "WiFi” in the search bar of the settings and go to "Activate or deactivate WiFi”. You can switch on or switch off "WiFi” with the click of a mouse under "Wireless devices. If the "WiFi” is switched on, you have activated it. In order to be able to access a wireless network, you need to select it first. Open the settings using the shortcut [Windows]+[I]. After clicking the WiFi icon, Windows lists all the networks, which you can receive. Search for your wireless network in this list and connect to it.
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Windows Backup and restore the registry database of Windows
Before you make changes to the registry database of Windows, you must do a backup so as to be able to restore it if necessary. To do this, use the [Windows]+[R] combination to open the "Run” window. The registry opens by entering "regedit” and pressing "OK”. After right-clicking the "Computer” entry right at the top, select the "Export” command in the context menu. This opens a new window in which you need to select a storage location and a name for the backup file. After
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02 Select a storage location for the backup after exporting the registry database
clicking "Save”, a backup of the registry is created. If problems occur after accessing the registry database, open the backup file with a double click and confirm the following query with "Yes”. After restarting the computer, the registry is restored. With the help of the CCleaner software, you will always keep the registry database up-to-date. CCleaner checks the registry for unnecessary entries and will then correct them.
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03 With this tool, you can transfer your Outlook data to the Smartphone
also on your Smartphone. Before you start the App on your mobile phone, you need to configure a few settings on the PC. To do this, open the tool and go to "File > Settings”. Under the menu item "Synchronisation”, select the data records to be synchronised. For this, select the "Outlook …” entry in "Contacts:”, "Calendar:” or "Notes:” in each case. You can now connect your Smartphone to the PC. To do so, open the app on your mobile phone. It supports WiFi, Bluetooth and cable connection. If the tool does not detect your Smartphone automatically, click on "File | Connect” on the PC and select the connection type under "Mobile phone with Google Android operating system”. The software will now synchronise your data in the background.
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Windows Get Movie Maker to correctly play a video
It is sometimes found that Windows Movie
Outlook Synchronise your Android Smartphone with Outlook
You can transfer your Outlook data smoothly to your Android Smartphone using the MyPhoneExplorer tool. Install the programme on your computer and
04 After conversion into the AVI format, the Movie Maker should play every video
tips & tricks Maker plays only the sound of a video but does not display any picture. Reasons for this can include different file formats and versions of the Windows tool kit. You can solve this problem with the FormatFactory tool. After you have installed the software, load the source file in FormatFactory and convert it into an MKV file. Once the conversion is complete, navigate to the target directory and open the MKV file with the Windows Movie Maker. The picture should also be visible now. If the MKV file cannot be played, convert your source file into the AVI or WMV format.
05
Excel Protect individual cells or cell areas
05 In order to block a cell area, select it and place a checkmark in front of “Blocked”
If you block individual cells in Excel, they can no longer be modified, but the remaining lines and columns of the workbook can be. However, the protection of individual cells is somewhat more complex to set up than the blocking of an entire worksheet. First right-click on the small grey square that you will find on the top left between the column name and the line numbering. The entire working area then turns grey and the context menu appears. Call the "Format cells ...” command there and open the "Protection” tab. The "Blocked” option is activated by default. Deactivate this function and exit the menu by clicking "OK”. Now select the cell or the cells, which you wish to block. If these cells are not next to each other, click on these cells individually by keeping the [Ctrl]-key pressed. After that, call the context menu once again with a right-click, click on "Format cells ...” and activate the
"Blocked” option in the "Protection” tab. You have two options to activate the cell protection option: either click on the "Protect sheet” option in the "Check” tab in the ribbon or right-click the tab in the lower sheet area and calling the "Protect sheet” command in the context menu. In both cases, you have the option to assign a "Password to suspend the sheet protection” so as to increase the level of security. Otherwise, confirm the blocking without assigning any password by clicking "OK”.
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Windows 7 Respond correctly to start-up problems of your PCs
An average worst-case scenario for many users: after switching on the computer, the screen remains black, Windows 7 does not start. However, there are a few measures, which can bring the operating system to resume the operation. Restart your PC. As soon as BIOS starts, press [F8], with which you call the advanced start options of Windows. To begin with, decide on the "Safe mode”. If Windows does not boot up with it, select the "Enable Boot Logging” option. Both the modes mentioned start Windows without additionally installed services. New drivers could be responsible for this problem. If you have installed new drivers recently, search for older software and driver versions on the manufacturer’s website. Uninstall the new drivers completely and restart your computer if necessary. Then install the drivers with which the system had last functioned. If you are unsuccessful with the advanced start options, try it with a clean restart. For this, select the "Enable Boot Logging” mode in the BIOS. Then open the "Run” window using the shortcut [Windows]+[R], enter the "msconfig” command and click "OK”. Then open the "System start” tab and press the "Deactivate all” button. Now switch to the "Services” tab and hide all the Microsoft services using the "Hide all Microsoft services” button. Subsequently deactivate all the other services. Then shut down your PC and restart it. If it works without any problems, a newly installed or modified service is responsible for the difficulties in booting. You can now try to identify this service by gradually reactivating
Deactivation and reactivation of services helps in the troubleshooting if Windows causes trouble
the deactivated services and restarting Windows every time. As soon as the start-up problems crop up again, you have found the problem. During the debugging, you can also fall back on the start help on the Windows DVD. For this, allow your PC to be booted from the Windows DVD, after you have modified the booting sequence previously in BIOS. After the restart, select the "Start help” option and allow the Windows installation to check the boot sequence. This process can take some time. Subsequently restart your PC and restore the previous boot sequence in BIOS. Incidentally, it is always worth an attempt to return to an earlier system status in case of start-up problems via the system restore ("Start > System Restore > Restoration”). However, you must perform a back-up of your data before you do this.
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Word Define the line spacing in documents separately
When writing texts, it can sometimes be practical to expand or condense the standard line spacing. In the text processor Word, this is done quite fast. Open the "Start” menu and move to the "Paragraph” group in the ribbon to the left from the centre. Click on the "Line spacing” button there. In the window that now expands, select the desired line spacing. The standard value is "1.15”. For a more precise determination of the spacing, go to "Line Spacing Options”. The cursor then directly appears in the field for the spacing value and you can define the line spacing at will.
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You can define the distance between the lines separately in Word
After clicking "OK”, the selection list appears with a drop-down menu in the Excel spreadsheet
Windows can try to solve problems with line adapters on its own
options – thus different eye colours in our example – in a new Excel file. Then select the cell in which you wish to insert your selection list. Now click on the "Data validation” icon in the "Data” ribbon in the "Data tools” group and select the "Data validation …” entry. In the following window "Data validation”, select the "List” point in the "Settings” tab under "Allow”. Subsequently determine the expressions
The "0x80070035” error code can also appear. The problem mainly goes back to a Windows update from last November and should have already been resolved with an update. Hence, open the "Settings” in the start menu and search for the latest updates in "Update and Security”. This could even be the solution. If not, open the Control Panel and click on the "Network and Internet” option. In "Network and Release centre”, you will find the "Fix problems” point in "Change Network Settings”. You need to select the "Network adapter” category there and follow the instructions. Windows now searches for problems and solutions. If this too does not help, uninstall the network adapter. Windows reinstalls it automatically after a restart. Open the "Run” window with the [Windows] +[R] combination, enter "devmgmt.msc” in the "Open” field and confirm with "OK”. This opens the Device Manager. Right-click an adapter in the "Network adapter” category, click on the "Uninstall” command in the context menu and confirm the process. Then repeat these steps for all the existing
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Windows 7 Release RAM using Visual-Basic Script
Using a VBScript, you can empty the RAM of your computer very easily. The basis for the script is a text document. In order to create it, open the Editor via "Start > All Programs > Accessories”. Now enter the
08 Write a short Visual-Basic script for releasing RAM
line "FreeMem = Space(32000000)” (without quotation marks). Save the document with "Save As”. So that a VBScript is created from the text file, the file ending must be ".vbs” instead of ".txt”. Set "ANSI” in "Coding”. By double-clicking the script, Windows releases the specified volume of RAM. 32,000,000 bytes, i.e. 32 MB according to this example. But be careful: if you delete more than half of the installed RAM, the system can become unstable.
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Excel Create selection list with drop-down menu in Excel
In order to create a selection list in the calculation table, first enter the selection
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contained in your list in the "Source” field. For this, click on the icon next to the text field and select the list created in the first step. After pressing [Enter], the selected cell area appears in the "Source” text field. By clicking "OK”, confirm your entries in the "Data validation” window – and the selection list is created.
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Windows 10 Solve problems with network adapters
If Windows 10 complains that a network protocol is missing, it has a negative effect on the Internet connection. The error messages are, for e.g., "The network path was not found” or "At least one network protocol is missing on this computer”.
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PowerPoint Print slides without the margins
When printing PowerPoint slides, a more or less wide margin is consistently formed. In order to minimise it, go to "File > Print” and go to the "Printer properties”. Use the "Advanced” button and check the "Marginless print” option. However, you still do not get rid of the margin completely. Open the "View” tab and select the "Notes Master” there. In the "Wildcard character” group, you can now hide fields such as
tips & tricks
11 PowerPoint slides can be expanded manually in order to keep the interfering margin as narrow as possible
"Headers”, "Footers”, "Date” or "Number of pages”. If you set the slide to the desired size after that, you will come significantly closer to getting a marginless print.
Panel. If the DNS server error no longer crops up subsequently, the firewall could have been responsible for the error message. Changing the browser for a brief period can also put things right. If you have installed two browsers, try to access the Internet using the second one. The installation of another browser should not be necessary if the problem is fixed. If the DNS server problem still exists after these three steps, open the user interface of your router. Enter the "8.8.8.8” IP address as the DNS server in the connection settings there. This is the IP of Google’s DNS server, which you can use instead of your configured DNS server.
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To finish, click a graphic element and, in the "Format” menu in the "Drawing” group, modify the so-called "Shape contour”, i.e. the colour, the "Thickness” or the appearance of the "Lines” (continuous, dotted, etc.). Text fields for labeling can be added via the "Insert” menu.
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Windows 10 Continue using the old Windows Photo Viewer to view images
PowerPoint Insert and format a time bar in the presentation
Using a time bar, you can present different
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Windows Access websites despite a striking DNS server
The error message "DNS server is not responding” indicates that connections to websites are no longer possible. In such a case, there are a few options for rectifying the error. The first countermeasure is always restarting the router. Remove the mains plug, wait for about 30 seconds until all the electronic components have been discharged and then re-connect the router to the power supply. The firewall of your computer can also be a source of interference. Therefore, deactivate the firewall via the Control
12 Deactivation of the firewall can solve problems with the DNS server and clear the Internet access again
14 With a minor registry intervention, the Photo Viewer can be a standard tool for viewing images
13 The time bar of a presentation can be designed at will as regards colours and line design
data clearly in PowerPoint. In order to create the time bar, call the menu command sequence "Insert > Forms”. This opens a window with numerous graphic elements. The "Line” or the "Arrow” is best suited for a time bar, which are located to the extreme left in the "Lines” field. If you have clicked an element, you can get the line or the arrow to the desired length using the mouse. In order to add marks to the time bar, click "Line” and drag it to the suitable position in the length of your choice. The position can be changed using the arrow keys and the length can be varied with the mouse. You can create other marks similarly or duplicate them with a rightclick and "Copy” or "Insert”.
In Windows 10, you generally open your photos using the Photos app. However, with a small trick, you can also continue to use the good-old Windows Photo Viewer feature. It has not really disappeared in Windows 10, but only intended for special image files. To use the photo display, open the "Run” window using the [Windows]+[R] shortcut, enter "regedit” and start the registry with "OK”. There you need to navigate to the "HKEY_LO CAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows Photo Viewer\Capabilities\File Associations” path, right-click in a free area on the right side and select the "Character string” entry in "New”. Enter the ".jpg” character string as the "Name” and double-click it to open it. In the "Edit character string” window, set "PhotoViewer.FileAssoc.Tiff” as the "Value” and confirm with "OK”. Repeat this process for all the other image formats used by you such as PNG, JPEG, GIF or BMP. The "Value” always remains the same. In order to define the Photo Viewer as the default tool in Windows 10, close the registry editor and open any random image file. Windows now offers you multiple viewing programmes. Select the "Windows Photo Viewer” and activate the "Always use
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tips & tricks this App for opening .xxx-files” option. After clicking "OK”, your settings are saved. This query appears only once for every image file type.
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Windows Retrieve lost download folders
16 The Microsoft tool EasyFix undertakes the removal of the Office suite – simply download and start
15 Restore the Download folder with a console command if it can no longer be found
Windows saves all the downloads in the Download folder, which is accessed by many users via the Start menu or desktop shortcut. If this shortcut is lost, open the Explorer and navigate to "C:\ Users\ Username\”. You should find the Download folder here. If not, open the Start menu and click "Run...”. Enter "cmd” in the "Open” line and confirm with [Enter]. In the console that opens, now enter "attrib -s -h C:\ users\username\downloads” command and replace "Your Username” with your individual user name. After pressing [Enter], Windows restores the Download folder. You should subsequently check your PC for viruses for security reasons as they have probably deleted the folder.
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Windows Delete backup files that are no longer required and free up memory
During the installation of service packs and updates, Windows creates backup files, which take up a lot of storage space
HARDWARE SSD Optimally configure and accelerate a slow SSD
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Even the fastest SSDs become slow with time. However, with a few tricks, you can bring your flash memory up to speed again. First check whether the AHCI mode is activated. It is a prerequisite for using the TRIM function, which re-releases deleted blocks. To do this, open the registry with the "regedit” command in the "Run” window and navigate to the key "HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\Msahci”. After double-clicking "Start”, change the DWORD value to "0”. In
MS-Office Uninstall Microsoft Office without a trace
If serious problems crop up with Microsoft Office, it is recommended to uninstall the Office suite completely and subsequently re-install it. However, an uninstallation via the Control Panel’s "Programmes and Function” is generally not thorough enough and does not delete all the data and entries. In order to really uninstall Office without
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a trace, Microsoft offers a small tool called EasyFix for every Office version, which you can start without installation after downloading. If you wish to uninstall Office 2016, 2013 or Office 365, enter http:// support.microsoft.com/kb/2739501 in the browser. If you use the Office versions 2010, 2007 or 2003, the corresponding download link is http://sup port.microsoft. com/kb/971179/de. After starting the uninstallation tool, the programme carries out a brief troubleshooting. The subsequent uninstallation can take some time. The tool now deletes all the files and entries, which are a part of Office.
in the long run. To delete the backup files, open the "Run” window using the key combination [Windows«]+[R] and enter "cleanmgr” in the "Open” line. "Disk Cleanup” opens after clicking "OK”. Now select your system drive and again click "OK”. Windows is generally installed on the hard drive "C:” and is already selected. The tool now starts to scan your hard drive. This can take a few minutes. A window opens subsequently, which displays 'Files to be deleted”. Activate the "Windows Update Cleanup” option there, press "OK” and click "Delete files”. If you cannot view the "Windows Update Cleanup” option, click the 'Cleanup System Files” option below to the left. Windows then starts another search run and subsequently shows you the deletion options. Note: After deleting the backups, you can no longer remove the installed updates and service packs.
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The "Windows Update Cleanup” feature ensures lots of free storage space – by deleting update backups
By deactivating the idle state and using the standby function, many write accesses are excluded
tips & tricks the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV”, again enter "0” as the DWORD value. Subsequently restart your PC and make the corresponding change in BIOS. Under "Advanced Chipset Features”, switch to the AHCI mode in case of "SATA-Mode”. Now ensure that the TRIM function is activated. Start the command prompt ss"cmd.exe” as Administrator and enter the "fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify” command in the terminal. If you receive the "DisableDeleteNotify = 0” notification after pressing [Enter], the TRIM function is active and you can close the command prompt. However, if the notification is "DisableDeleteNotify = 1”, the TRIM command is not activated. Then enter the command "fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0”. After pressing [Enter], the TRIM function is activated. In order that PC and SSD cooperate optimally, the Windows settings too must be compatible. The SSD-Tweaker tool (on CHIP-DVD) takes care of this for you. Immediately after the start, the programme recommends the optimum settings to you. Accept them by clicking the "Automatic Optimisation” button. The changes are saved after restarting the PC. So as to not bother your SSD with several unnecessary write accesses, you should deactivate the idle mode. For this, restart the command prompt as Administrator, enter the "powercfg –h off” command and confirm with [Enter]. If you now use the Standby mode, instead of shutting down Windows completely, the system starts much faster. The Standby mode ends all the write accesses to the SSD and saves your data in the RAM.
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iPhone Clean the camera lens of the iPhone from dust
That dust collects on the camera lens of your iPhone over time is something you can only just avoid. Hence, a gentle cleaning is necessary occasionally. For this, first remove the coarse dirt carefully with a soft brush. It then comes down to precision work: clean the camera lens using a microfibre cloth, which you place on a cotton bud. Dip the microfibre cloth into warm water first. If there are traces of grease on the lens, possibly due to fingerprints, add a little detergent to the
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A really clean camera lens once again using a cotton bud and a spectacle cloth
Do you need more storage space and speed? Then treat your console to a new hard disk
water. You can also use cloth for glasses instead of a microfibre cloth.
storage device > Copy to system memory”. Then use the [X] key to select the files that you wish to restore.
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PlayStation 4 Remove and replace the hard disk of the Sony console
To replace the hard disk of a PlayStation 4, first back up your game files. To do this, connect a USB stick or an external hard disk to the PlayStation and select "Management of the data saved by the application > Data saved in the system memory > Copy to USB storage device” in the menu. Use the [X] key to select all the files whose backup needs to be taken, click "Copy” and remove the USB stick once this process is complete. Turn off the PlayStation and pull the left upper cover of the console to the left. Remove all the screws of the hard disk bracket and pull out the hard disk. Subsequently remove the bracket, fix the new hard disk in it and fit everything once again. A firmware update is now available. After you have downloaded it from the PlayStation homepage, save the "ps4update. pup” file on a USB stick (min. 1 GB) in a previously created folder "PS4” and there in the sub-folder "Update”. Connect the stick to the switched-off PlayStation and press the Power key for about seven seconds in order to start the Safe mode. Then click 'Install System Software” and follow the instructions for the setup. To install your previously backed-up data on the new hard disk, connect the USB stick containing the backup to the PlayStation. Open the menu and navigate to "Management of the data saved by the application > Data saved on the USB
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Keyboard Clean the keyboard with post-it notes and in the dishwasher
Most of the time, all-day use in offices, keyboards almost magically attract dust and dirt. Cleaning them occasionally helps to maintain the hygiene and extends the lifetime of the keyboard. A simple and effective method is to use post-its. Pull the adhesive side of the yellow note slowly through the rows of keys – dust and dirt get stuck to it. The cleaning is more thorough after removing the keys, which can be pulled using a cap puller from the keyboard. First take a photo of your keyboard so as to be able to re-insert the keys correctly after cleaning. Treat the keys to a wash in the cutlery basket of the dishwasher at 40 degrees. In the meantime,
21 In case of dirty keyboards, a wash in the dishwasher can really work wonders
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tips & tricks clean the keyboard using a vacuum cleaner set at the lowest suction capacity.
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BIOS Acertain the BIOS version of a motherboard manually using software
23 After changing a few settings, Spotify still plays all the tracks despite the initial refusal
22 The CPU-Z tool will help you to find out the manufacturer, version and date of release like a flash
Find out the BIOS version of your motherboard by pressing the [Pause] key at the start of the booting process and noting down the version number that is displayed. An alternative is offered by the CPU-Z tool. In the "Motherboard” tab, you will be able to read the manufacturer, version number and date of release under "BIOS”. In some computers, the information is perhaps not displayed during the booting process. You then need to read the BIOS version as described.
WEB, PHOTOGRAPHY & CO. Spotify Bring the difficult streaming service to play a song
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This can be annoying: you wish to listen to a very specific song on the streaming service Spotify and instead receive the "This track cannot be played” error message. If you are currently using the free account of Spotify, then proceed as follows: Open the "Edit” menu and go to "Settings”. In the "Sound Quality” field, you will find the point "Streaming with high quality (only Premium)”. It can be activated in some free accounts due to an error. In this case, deactivate it. Subsequently switch to the desired track and play it.
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As a Premium customer, you have this option: Open the "Settings” in the "Edit” menu and scroll to the "Local Files” field. In "Show songs of”, Spotify lists different music sources such as "Downloads”, "Windows Media Player” or "Music Library”. Deactivate all these sources. Your desired track should now play. If it still does not play, empty the cache in Spotify. For this, open the "C:\ Users\ Username\AppData\Local\Spotify\ Storage” folder in the Explorer and delete all the files saved in it. Also deactivate the "Display songs not available in Playlists” point in the "Display options” field in the
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Photography Turn off the shutter noise of the Smartphone camera
In some Smartphones, the shutter noise of the camera can be turned off; this can be done via the settings in the Camera app provided by the manufacturer. In Samsung and LG Smartphones, this is however not possible.
An app ensures silent clicks – e.g. "Stille Kamera” (silent camera). Another option is to put your phone on mute. But be careful: the camera does not fall silent with this in every device. If you have rooted your Smartphone and thus have Admin rights, you have the option of falling back on multiple apps, which can be used to turn off the sound, for example "Ultimate Sound Control”.
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Photoshop Rectify lens errors automatically and manually
The results are not always optimum even in inexpensive lenses. However, Photoshop can automatically rectify lens errors. To do this, open the "Filter” menu and click the "Lens Correction...” entry. In the following window, you will find selection criteria for the camera model, lens and the focal length used – sorted according to manufacturers and possible lenses – in the right page menu in the "Auto Correction” tab. Compare
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Silence the annoying triggering noise of the Smartphone camera with app support
With Photoshop, you can undo lens errors automatically or manually
tips & tricks these criteria with your camera and your lens – if Photoshop has not already done this. Photoshop subsequently corrects the distortion, the chromatic aberration or even the vignetting with the help of databases. If your camera-lens combination is missing in the Photoshop databases or if you wish to fix it yourself, you can manually define all the values in the "User-defined” tab, e.g. the individual colour fringes of the chromatic aberration or the transformation angle. At this point, you can also save the correction settings for your camera so as to automatically use them for multiple pictures. Click the small "Manage Settings” button to the extreme right on top and select the "Save settings...” option. You can always quickly apply the personal camera profile again to other photos in the same menu with "Load Settings...” later.
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PDF Scan PDF documents and comment on them
With the word search, you can find words and text passages at lightning speed even in long PDF documents. Open the "Edit” menu in the PDF document and click "Search”. The "Search” window now appears at the top on the right with an input field. Enter the term there, for which you want to search the PDF document. Access the individual search results using the "Next” and "Back” buttons. By inserting comments in a PDF file, you can quickly document every flash of thought. In the PDF file, right-click at the point at which you wish to insert a comment. Now call the "Add Note” command in the context menu. This opens
a window with a text field in which you can write your comment. After right-clicking the notes field, you can click "Respond” and thus quickly exchange information.
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Gimp Merge images using the Photoshop alternative Gimp
Gimp, you can merge multiple pictures and form panorama pictures with a fluent transition, as an example. First create an empty image file with "File > New”. Then open both the photos which you wish to merge. Now click in the toolbox on the "Rectangle Selection” tool (first icon) and "Hide Edges” with a radius of "100.0”. Now move over the image area, which you want to copy, while keeping the mouse-key pressed. If you want to copy the left half (of the new image), you must leave a large distance to the right edge and if you wish to copy the right image part, leave a lot of space on the left. This area will become
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transparent to be precise and allow a fluent transition. Use the [Ctrl]+[C] shortcut to now copy the image section and then click "Edit > Insert as > New Layer” in the empty image. Now do the same with the second image. Ensure that you now keep a distance to the image border on the other side. Now telescope both the selected layers in the image that is empty so far and then click "Merge Image” in the "Image” tab. You can crop the result further and also optimize it using the "Colours” and "Filter” tabs.
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VLC Media Player Convert songs and videos with the VLC Player
You can use the VLC Media Player to not only play the most varied audio and video files, but also convert them. You only need a few steps to do this. Open the VLC Player and click "Media” in the menu bar. Select the "Convert/Save” option. Now click "Add” and select the file that you want to convert. If the file is a video with subtitles, you can add it by setting a checkmark in front of "Use a subtitle file” and search for the corresponding file by clicking the "Search” button. Then click "Convert/Save” and select the desired output format in "Settings” or adapt the output file using the "Tool” button. Then select a target file by clicking "Search” in "Target”, navigating to the desired location and specifying a file name. In order to convert the files, click "Start”. This process can take some time depending on the file size.
Before merging, specify the display detail of both the photos using "Rectangle Selection”
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Notes can be very easily added to PDF files, to which it is also possible to respond
The VLC Media Player can also convert films with sub-titles into another format
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in the next issue SEPTEMBER
Is Technology Replacing Humans? As computers and robotics become more advanced, more and more jobs are displaced. Things look bad for the future, at least in terms of job security, but is it really?
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Technology: The Who’s And What’s
WhatsApp Encryption, Secure?
In this piece we talk about some of the most significant progressions in technology, and the people who made those possible
With mobile security an increasing concern, WhatsApp has implemented an end-to-end encryption for security and privacy. We took a look at the new encryption feature to see if it’s up to scratch
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