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Tech Fails of the Year

Reviewed: Best Noise-cancelling pp iPhone X Apple p Headphones

THE POWER TO DECIDE

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EDʼS NOTE DECEMBER 2017

Don’t just buy into the hype Yes, it’s true. Tech gadgets are mostly all hype because we all desperately want to believe that we need something we never knew we needed until technology made it achievable.

When was the last time you thought to yourself, “I wished my washing machine had more wash cycles”?

Never. It wasn’t until app-connected smart washing machines came along with the option to do so, did you think that perhaps your clothes would be better off with a new wash cycle every other month.

Of course, some implementations of technology help you solve problems. For instance, smartphones have become the de facto camera for many, and as such, it’s only normal that somebody thought to put in live guides and overlays to help you shoot or compose better; a feature that works great with the smartphone, but never been possible on a regular camera.

It’s usually quite hard to tell if a product is overly hyped, over-engineered, or has smarts for the sake of being “smart”, because like I said, we never really know we want something until we’re told we want it. And we won’t realize we don’t need it, until we’ve tried it.

So, how do bad products get so much good press?

And why can good products still fail horribly? So, in our innite geeky wisdom, we delve into the reasons behind a few of the high-prole tech duds of 2017, and then some.

Zachary Chan Editor

ON THE COVER

PICTURE UNLEASH YOUR INNER CREATIVE ILLUSTRATION MAR KABAYAN ART DIRECTION ORLAND PUNZALAN All prices quoted in this magazine are in Singapore Dollars (SGD), unless otherwise specied.

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CONTENTS DECEMBER 2017

THINK

35 The real need for speed.

What makes a gaming phone?

Fake HDR TVs are giving HDR a bad name.

Watch: Stranger Things 2

IMPACT

FEATURES

45 AlphaGo Zero

Q&A

46 Tech Fails: 2017 Edition

36 Jack Oclee-Brown, KEF 40 Nick Walton, Amazon Web Services

68

Only Hear the Good Things FOLLOW US facebook.com/ hardwarezone

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HWM CONTEST GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS: 1 All contests published in HWM are open to all Singapore residents except employees of Singapore Press Holdings Limited, the sponsor, their media agencies and contractors.

2 SPH Magazines Pte Ltd’s decision on the winner shall be nal. Winner will be notied by post, email or phone. 3 Prizes are given at SPH Magazines Pte Ltd’s and sponsor’s discretion and subject to stock availability. Prizes offered are not transferable, exchangeable for cash or any other products and may be substituted with any gift or prize of similar value. 4 Taxes, shipping charges, insurance costs and other expenses not specied herein and imposed on the prizes are your sole responsibility. 5 Prizes not claimed by the winner within 45 days after the announcement made in HWM will be

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42

07

Need For Speed

32

American Muscle

36

Q+A: Jack Oclee-Brown

87

60

Smartphone Creaঞvity Guide 32 SHOWCASE

Auto: Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

59 TEST

SHOOTOUTS Portable External SSDs ADATA SE730H Samsung Portable SSD T5 WD My Passport SSD Active Noise-cancelling headphones AKG N60NC Wireless Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9

Pocket Rockets

Beats Studio Wireless 3.0 Bose QuietComfort35 Bowers & Wilkins PX Meterrs OV-1 Sennheiser PXC 480 Sony WH-1000XM2

80 REVIEWS

Apple iPhone X Casio TR Mini Logitech MX Master 2S MSI GT75VR 7RF Titan Pro Panasonic EZ1000

87 LEARN

Shoot better videos with your smartphone 7 ways for better mobile photography Why your phone may be the best audio player you have What is Nano USM and why it’s important?

96 GO

Samsung Innovation Museum, Suwon-si, South Korea

DECEMBER 2017

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GROUP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CAROLINE NGUI nguislc@sph.com.sg GROUP EDITOR RAYMOND GOH raygoh@sph.com.sg EDITORIAL (editorial@hardwaremag.com) Editor ZACHARY CHAN zachchan@sph.com.sg Deputy Editors NG CHONG SENG csng@sph.com.sg ALVIN SOON asoon@sph.com.sg Associate Features Editors JAMES LU jameslu@sph.com.sg KENNY YEO kennyyeo@sph.com.sg Senior Tech Writer MARCUS WONG cmwong@sph.com.sg Tech Writers WONG CHUNG WEE wongcw@sph.com.sg KOH WANZI wzkoh@sph.com.sg EDITORIAL SUPPORT Senior Manager, Administration and Editorial Support Unit JULIANA CHONG julianac@sph.com.sg Manager ALICE HAN tayaha@sph.com.sg Senior Editorial Coordinator MUNIRAH ABDUL RAHMAN munirahr@sph.com.sg

CREATIVE Art Director ORLAND PUNZALAN orlandsp@sph.com.sg Creative Director ALEX GOH alexgoh@sph.com.sg Chief Photographer VERONICA TAY verontay@sph.com.sg Executive Photographers FRENCHESCAR LIM frenchl@sph.com.sg TAN WEI TE tanweite@sph.com.sg Photographers DARREN CHANG darrenc@sph.com.sg VEE CHIN veechin@sph.com.sg VERNON WONG vernwong@sph.com.sg WINSTON CHUANG wchuang@sph.com.sg ZAPHS ZHANG teolc@sph.com.sg Editorial Support Executive JACQUELINE YIK jacyik@sph.com.sg

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G E A R

/

THE LATEST AND GREATEST

SUPER 35 FOR AERIAL

The DJI Zenmuse X7 features the world’s rst Super 35 video sensor, allowing it 14 stops of dynamic range and the ability to shoot 6K CinemaDNG RAW or 5.2K Apple ProRes at up to 30 fps, as well as 3.9K CinemaDNG RAW or 2.7K ProRes at up to 59.94fps. Add to that a selection of quality lenses, and you have a great option for incredible aerial footage.

MO RE INSIDE> UBTECH STORMTROOPER Soon, you can have your very own Storm Trooper patrol guard.

SAMSUNG STAR WARS VR7000 We always knew Darth Vader was a bit of a clean freak. How else is his suit so shiny?

PICTURE DJI

KEF LS50 NOCTURNE Glow in the dark, high-end audio.

Not Star Wars, but close enough.

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G E A R

RUGGED WITH FEATURES

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PICTURE TISSOT

The Tissot T-Touch Expert Solar II has a solar panel to recharge its battery, which can last up to a year without recharging. That means you can actually rely on the 20 functions it ships with, each of which you can call on by pressing on the screen. To turn on the Timer, for example, just press the crown, then place your nger on the word ‘Timer’ on the crystal display.

HI-RES STREAMING

With a MicroSD slot and HRA audio streaming capabilities, the Poly turns your Mojo into a full-edged audio player. It takes PCM data up to 768kHz resolution and DSD64 to DSD256 (QuadDSD), while supporing ACC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, OGG VORBIS, ALAC, WMA and MP3 le types. Simply put, it’s the easiest way to enjoy a quality music streaming experience.

PICTURE CHORD

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G E A R

DESIGN THAT LITERALLY SHINES

The LS50 Nocturne speakers are a special edition collaboration with reknown designer Marcel Wanders, with unique patterns across the speaker that represent sounds in nature.

Because they’re based on the recently released LS50 Wireless, you’ll have great sound that glows in the dark. Impressive, to say the least.

PICTURE KEF

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FIGHT THE RESISTANCE

Take on the Resistance with your very own stormtrooper. This robot from UBTech comes with augmented reality (AR) capabilities, voice command, facial recognition, and can even sentry patrol. Give your stormtrooper voice commands or control it via its app, and set it to patrol an area against intruders.

PICTURE UB TECH

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G E A R

LOOKS GOOD, SOUNDS BETTER

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PICTURE METERS MUSIC

Meters Music’s great looking M-Ears BT feature smart leather styling and magnets that clip the buds together when not in use, so you can leave them dangling around your neck without fear of losing them. They also support APTX-HD 48k 24bit audio streaming and are one of the only pairs of ANC APTXHD supported wireless in-ear headphones on the market that provides 8 hours of wireless listening for all-day enjoyment.

TWO SCREENS, ONE PHONE

ZTE’s Axon M is one of the strangest smartphones we’ve ever seen with two 5.2-inch displays, one on the front and one on the back. There’s a hinge between them that lets you ip the back display to the front, letting you run apps side-by-side or even extending the home screen to ll both screens. A Snapdragon processor, ngerprint sensor, and 20-megapixel camera round out the specs.

PICTURE ZTE

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G E A R

SYNC YOUR COOLER WITH YOUR MOTHERBOARD

Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid ML240L RGB AIO cooler boasts a dual-chamber design that helps isolate the heated coolant in its own compartment to maximize cooling. In addition, the RGB lights can be synced with the effects on motherboards from major vendors like ASUS and Gigabyte.

PICTURE COOLER MASTER

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LINKSYS SPECIAL

When milliseconds mean the difference between victory and defeat You’ll want a gaming router like the Linksys WRT32X in your corner.

PICTURE LINKSYS

Gamers are a funny bunch. Like motor heads, they do all sorts of things to up their game — like installing twin graphics cards with massive cooling systems, searching for a mechanical keyboard with just the right switches, and even the perfect chair to sit in to conquer the multiverse (metaphorically speaking).

But it can all come crashing down, the moment grandma starts streaming her favorite Korean drama and latency drops faster than a sack of bricks; blowing up your game before you can even see what happened.

Here’s the edge you need to solve that problem: The Linksys WRT32X AC3200 dual-band MU-MIMO WiFi router, built specically for gaming and gamers like you.

Here’s how it works. Most routers have a Quality-of-Service (QoS) system that prioritizes certain types of trafc over others. An average router, for example, usually prioritizes video streaming and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). It makes sense, because

while you can tolerate websitess loading slowly, you can’t talk if your VoIP call lags.

The Linksys WRT32X router e takes it one step further with the gine, exclusive Killer Prioritization Engine, me is which despite the ominous name good news for gamers. The Engine optimizes for lag-sensitive trafc, especially games. So when your brother starts downloading a massive zip le, for example, the Engine is clever enough to prevent that from slowing down your gaming connection.

You can even manually rank gaming as a higher priority than video streaming, so grandma’s 4K drama videos won’t affect your ping speed.

The WRT32X makes customization easy with a custom-designed Dashboard that’s not just easy to use, but a real pleasure to look at.

It gets better if you have a Killerenabled PC. The secret sauce in the Killer Prioritization Engine talks to the secret ingredient in the Killer-equipped

PC and shapes home trafc to reduce peak ping times, by up to 77%.

Besides the Killer Prioritization Engine, the rest of the router is no slouch, either.

The Linksys WRT32X AC3200 dual-band MU-MIMO router is built with enterprise grade hardware, there’s a1.8GHz DualCore ARM CPU inside with 256MB ash and 512MB of DDR3 memory, dual-band 3x3 with Tri-Stream 160 technology, four high-performance antennas for extreme range, 5-port SOHO-grade Gigabit Ethernet switch, and eSATA, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports.

So when milliseconds can make the difference between a decisive victory and laggy defeat, you’ll want a router that prioritizes gaming above all else, so even weepy streaming drama series won’t be able to stand in your way.

Find out more about the Linksys WRT32X AC3200 router at https://www.linksys.com/sg/wrt32x-gaming-router

G E A R

EXCELLENCE MADE PERFECT

The Aventho headphones are Beyerdynamic’s attempt to let you truly control your sound. Here’s how it works: a hearing test is run from your smartphone via a special app by Mimi. The results are then used to create a personal sound prole es itself, that’s stored on the headphone it lf so that th t to you. everything you hear is customizzed just j y

PICTURE BEYERDYNAMIC

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TP-LINK SPECIAL

One of the best ways to solve your WiFi problems is with routers like this Here are 3 reasons why you should take a look at a mesh router like the TP-Link Deco M5.

1. A SINGLE ROUTER MAY NOT SOLVE YOUR PATCHY WIFI We all know the pain of having a dead spot in the home or ofce — that one corner where WiFi is either sluggish or nonexistent. You might think that a more powerful router is the solution, but depending on what’s causing the dead spot, a single router may not actually work.

A more effective way to solve your patchy WiFi is to use a mesh system, like the TP-Link Deco M5.

Mesh routers consist of multiple routers, which are spaced across your home and blanket your entire house in WiFi. A set of three Deco M5 units, for example, can easily provide up to 4,500 sq. ft. of seamless coverage, and if you need wider coverage, you can easily add more Deco M5 routers to the network.

PICTURES TP-LINK

2. A MESH SYSTEM JUST WORKS, WITHOUT THE HASSLE There are other ways to extend your WiFi coverage, like using a secondary router or a range extender, so why use a mesh network system? The main reason is that the alternatives can take a lot of setting up, while a mesh network like the TP-Link Deco M5 just works.

Plugging in a secondary router, for example, requires you to have an Ethernet connection at that particular point, and not everyone has Ethernet cables running through their entire home.

A secondary router also creates a

you are from your router. But if your router isn’t smart enough to direct your devices to the better band, you can end up with a lot of devices on a single band, clogging the network.

The Deco M5 comes with TPLink ART (Adaptive Routing Technology), which intelligently chooses the best connection for all the devices in your home, depending on the location of the device and the Deco units. It’s completely seamless — as you move throughout your home, you won’t even • Seamless Connection know it when your • 3-Year Built in Antivirus • Parental Controls device switches bands, as you’ll experience smooth streaming and downloading.

second SSID, or a second network. A second network forces your device to have to switch between networks, and sometimes devices just refuse to drop off a network, even if the signal is weak.

The TP-Link Deco M5, however, creates a single SSID, so your device is always on the best possible connection, and it’s seamless.

Traditional range extenders, which plug into power sockets and don’t require an Ethernet connection, can also extend your WiFi network, but usually at the cost of connection speed.

3. GETTING THE BEST CONNECTION FOR EVERY DEVICE Routers these days usually transmit on two bands, the longer-range but slower 2.4GHz band and the shorter-range but faster 5GHz band. Connecting to one band will net you faster connection speeds, depending on how near or far

SOLVE YOUR WIFI PROBLEMS TODAY The TP-Link Deco M5 makes installation easy with an assisted setup that helps you nd the perfect spot for each unit.

HomeCare provides comprehensive security with robust parental controls and 3-years built-in antivirus protection.

The Deco M5 is currently available from Challenger and Hachi.tech with a member price of S$339 (U.P. S$399).

Existing MyRepublic customers can purchase the Deco M5 at Challenger and Hachi.tech at S$299. To qualify, simply show your MyRepublic bill at any Challenger store or if you’re shopping on Hachi.tech, enter promo code MYREPDECO40OFF at checkout.

New MyRepublic customers who sign up for a 24-months broadband contract at S$59.99/month will get a TP-Link Deco M5 for free.

Find out more about the TP-Link Deco M5 and MyRepublic plan at: https://myrepublic.net/sg/wifi-mesh

G E A R

PREMIUM VR

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PICTURE SAMSUNG

Samsung’s HMD Odyssey Windows Mixed Reality headset may just put all its competitors to shame. It is outtted with higher resolution AMOLED displays for more vibrant colors and deeper blacks, and comes with built-in AKG headphones for 360-degree spatial audio. Setup is easy as well, as it supports inside-out tracking so you don’t need to install external cameras or sensors. It also boasts a wide 110-degree eld of view to further immerse yourself in new worlds.

SINGTEL SPECIAL

5 things you need to know about the

Google Pixel 2 XL coming to Singapore The new Google Pixel 2 XL is easily one of the best Android phones to come out in 2017, and you can get one exclusively through Singtel. Here are ve things you need to know about the phone.

1.

4.

YOU’LL BE AMONG THE FIRST TO GET THE PIXEL 2 XL Singapore, through Singtel, is the rst country in Southeast Asia to get the Pixel 2 XL. If you ship it in from overseas yourself, you’ll miss out on the twoyear local warranty and servicing, so that’s not a good idea.

YOU’LL ENJOY FASTER SPEEDS As a Cat 11 LTE device, the Pixel 2 XL lets you experience up to 500Mbps on Singtel’s network, which has the widest coverage in Singapore. That’s compared to a maximum of 400Mbps with the other telcos.

5.

2.

PICTURE GOOGLE

YOU’LL GET FREE, UNLIMITED BACKUPS FOR YOUR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS Every Pixel 2 XL owner automatically gets free, unlimited uploads of their photos and videos to Google Photos, in pristine original quality (up to 2020, after which you’ll get high-quality resolution uploads). Forget worrying about running out of space on your phone, or losing precious memories if you lose your phone.

Unlimited storage goes well with unlimited data, and that’s exactly what you’ll get when you sign up for Singtel’s DATA X INFINITY add-on.

That means you can always have your photos and videos uploaded over 4G, and automatically accessible through Google Photos no matter where you are.

Plus, with Singtel plans Combo 3, Combo 6, and Combo 12, you get

unlimited talk time and SMS, so with unlimited data and Photos storage, you’ll be living an unlimited smart life.

3.

YOU’LL ALWAYS GET THE LATEST UPDATES As a stock Android phone that’s made directly by Google, the Pixel 2 XL will always get the latest software updates in the shortest time. That means you’ll get to play with the newest Android features, as well as get timely security updates to protect your data from the latest hacks.

Get your Google Pixel 2 XL now at singtel.com/googlepixel

YOU’LL BE SMARTER (ARTIFICIALLY) Well, not in the sense that you’ll get bonus IQ points or that you’ll suddenly pass your exams with honors. But the Pixel 2 XL will augment your human smarts with its digital intelligence.

For one, you can search what you see with the new Google Lens. Point the camera at something you’re curious about, like a landmark, book, lm, album, or artwork, and let the power of Google Search illuminate you.

For another, the Pixel 2 XL comes with your own personal Google Assistant, built right in. Use your voice to ask Google a question, or ask it to do things, like take a sele, call someone, make reminders, or text someone.

(By the way, a localized version of Google Assistant will be released soon that’ll be able to understand Singlish!

How cool is that!)

G E A R

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Focal’s Shape series of studio monitors feature cutting-edge ax-sandwich cone technology, an M-shaped inverted-dome, new woofers and double passive radiators. These monitors provide wide and extremely precise stereo image, ideal for small rooms. Available in 4-, 5-, and 6.5-inch woofer models.

PICTURE FOCAL

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WESTERN DIGITAL SPECIAL

Why every traveling professional needs one of these 5 reasons why to carry the Western Digital My Passport SSD.

I

travel and work overseas frequently, and one of the things that worries me most is what would happen if my laptop gets stolen, or if it breaks somewhere during my journey.

My work data is often mission-critical and can’t be replaced, which is why I know how important it is to carry one of these in my backpack: a Western Digital My Passport SSD. Here’s why.

PICTURES WESTERN DIGITAL

1. BACKING UP IS AUTOMATIC WD Backup software is included with the My Passport SSD, which automatically backs up les, in case I forget to do it manually. I just keep the SSD plugged in when working.

Some people will wonder why I don’t just back up to online storage. The My Passport SSD will do that for you too, but the answer for me is that not every country I visit has high-speed Wi-Fi. 2. DATA TRANSFER IS FAST Data transfer is blazingly fast with the My Passport SSD, which is vital if you’re backing up large les on the move. If

you have a USB Type-C port, you can transfer les at speeds of up to 515MB/s, which means a 1GB le can take just a couple of seconds to jump over.

This is especially useful if you, like me, work with large batches of photographs, which can take up several gigabytes of space.

The My Passport SSD is also compatible with USB Type-A ports, and supports USB 3.1 Gen 2, as well as USB 3.0 and 2.0.

3. THE MY PASSPORT SSD CAN TAKE SOME KNOCKS Since it has to travel everywhere with me, my backup drive has to be able to survive some knocks. That’s why I’ve chosen an SSD over a traditional hard disk drive (HDD). Unlike an HDD, an SSD has no moving parts, which means there’s less chances that it’ll be damaged by a fall.

The My Passport SSD is also built to withstand a drop of up to 1.98 meters, which gives me additional peace of mind when I accidentally drop it.

4. THE MY PASSPORT SSD COMES WITH PASSWORD PROTECTION I don’t want to think about my work documents being exposed to anyone who can simply steal my drive and plug it in. That’s why I use the built-in WD Security Software to secure My Passport SSD with a password and 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption.

5. IT FITS INTO MY PALM Finally, a small but important reason: the My Passport SSD ts into my palm. I like to travel light, and this device helps to lighten my load. In contrast, traditional external HDDs are bigger than SSDs. The My Passport SSD only measures 90mm by 45mm by 10mm, or just slightly longer than my name card holder. It’s amazing to consider that you can get up to 1TB of storage for this size.

To find out more about the Western Digital My Passport SSD, visit https://www.hachi.tech/brands/WD

TOUGH, MODERN AND DEADLY

Just like its namesake, the Luminox Navy SEAL series of watches have an enduring reputation of ruggedness and precision. The latest 3500 series are updated in 2017 with a stainless steel case back for better water protection, and a lighter, tougher carbon combound bracelet. It also has a cleaner dial with larger fonts and wider minute and hour hands for better legibility.

PICTURE LUMINOX

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SINGTEL SPECIAL

Get WiFi mesh and smart home capability, all in one device W

hat do you actually need to make a smart home that just works? Three things: a fast and reliable internet connection, a smart hub to bring all your smart devices under central management, and solid WiFi coverage.

So you’ll need something like a 1Gbps Fibre Broadband plan from Singtel and the new Samsung Connect Home, which is a mesh networking WiFi router and SmartThings hub, all in one. The Connect Home is also the rst in the world to bring WiFi, Z-Wave, ZigBee and Bluetooth radios into one device.

SOLVE YOUR PATCHY WIFI WOES It’s no exaggeration to say that WiFi is the lifeblood of the modern home. But for many homes, getting WiFi isn’t the problem, getting WiFi everywhere in the house is. Getting a single router may not be the solution: WiFi signals can’t pass through every obstacle in the house.

If you have WiFi dead spots in the house, you could spend a lot of time trying to diagnose the cause. Or you could simply x it with a mesh networking system. Instead of using a single router to blast WiFi throughout the house, a mesh system like the Samsung Connect Home uses multiple nodes, placed strategically throughout the home, to blanket the entire house with WiFi coverage.

A single pair of Samsung Connect Home nodes can typically cover up to a four room at, but once again, not all homes and obstacles are created equal.

If a particular room has weak WiFi, just add more Connect Home nodes to improve WiFi strength!

PICTURES SAMSUNG

MANAGE YOUR SMART HOME WITH A SINGLE HUB AND APP Think of a smart hub as the middleman between your smart devices and you.

The hub corrals all of the devices together into one single user interface so you don’t have to ddle with multiple device settings. A hub also organizes them together, so they can work in tandem.

The Samsung Connect Home is not just a mesh router, but also a SmartThings hub that lets you control all of your smart devices using the Samsung Connect app. Connecting your smart devices together lets you create cool routines, for example, you can set up

mesh router, it can blanket your entire home with WiFi, ending patchy WiFi and bringing all of your wireless devices onto the network. As a smart hub, it brings all of your smart devices under a single app’s control.

In addition, a wide number of Samsung smart home appliances also work well with the Samsung Connect Home hub, which makes it an easy way to get started with a smart home.

Singtel also offers smarthome solutions that work with the Samsung

a rule that says if your motion sensor detects the front door opening after 7PM, it should turn on the smart lights in the living room. Using the app, you can even unlock the front door remotely for your friends and relatives to drop something off.

Connect Home. For example, you can get a multipurpose sensor, which can detect when doors or windows are open, or smart plugs, which can power on and off appliances. It all depends on the kinds of routines you’d like to automate.

Subscribe to Singtel’s exclusive offer of 1Gbps Fibre Broadband and top up just $12/month for a pair of Samsung Connect Home WiFi mesh devices.

What’s more, enjoy hassle free installation and 24/7 support for your Fibre Broadband service from Singtel.

GET STARTED TODAY A Singtel Fibre Broadband plan provides a fast and stable internet connection, and a Samsung Connect Home solves two problems in a single solution. As a

Find out more about the Singtel and Samsung Connect Home exclusive at www.singtel.com/samsungconnecthome

G E A R

1. IT GOES WITH THE MICE Logitech’s new Bluetooth speakers for the desktop sport silver accent rings with a premium fabric cover, making them look great on the desk while sporting great sound.

With 24 watt peak power, high-end drivers and rearfacing port tubes, MX Sound delivers crisp audio with bass, and can pair with up to two devices at the same time. LOGITECH MX SOUND

2. CRAZY POWERFUL

The Aorus X9 is a desktop replacement that’s surprisingly thin. It measures 29.9mm at its thickest point, but it comes equipped with insane specications that will tear through just about any game. This means an overclockable CPU, dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070s in SLI, and a nice 32GB of RAM. AORUS X9

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3. FINALLY COMES IN BLACK

PEAK DESIGN EVERYDAY BACKPACK HUCKBERRY EXCLUSIVE

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If you’re serious about sound on the go, you need a Walkman. The ZX3000 is all about audio quality in an immaculately tuned design, with a balanced output by S-Master HX digital ampli er technology. The entire body has been carefully considered for sound, from the aluminum chassis to the new internals.

SONY NW-ZX300

PICTURES LOGITECH, AORUS, PEAK DESIGN, SONY

The highly acclaimed Peak Design Everyday Backpack did everything right - except come in black. This Huckberry exclusive xes that with a special monochromatic design that’s more stealth than ever. This edition loses the attention-seeking blue and red highlights from the other colorways, but keeps it classy with leather accents.

4. SERIOUS ABOUT SOUND

5. I AM YOUR FATHER

6. QUAD-CORE GOODNESS

Get ready to go maximum warp, Star Wars fans. The Samsung Powerbot VR7000 robot vacuum cleaner is getting a limited edition makeover, with a Darth Vader and Stormtrooper version. Both models come with sound effects for each character, the Darth Vader unit will even breath heavily when you turn it on! Even Darth’s all-black mask was built with custom materials to mimic his famous veneer. SAMSUNG STAR WARS LIMITED EDITION POWERBOT VR7000

Razer has updated its Blade Stealth ultrabook with Intel’s 8th-generation quadcore processor, so you should get some additional multi-tasking oomph. It’s pairing the new chip with a generous 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM, so this is one of the most powerful ultrabooks around now.

RAZER BLADE STEALTH

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PICTURES SAMSUNG, RAZER, GOPRO

7. CLUTCH IN, CLUTCH OUT

8. ACTION, LIGHTS, CAMERA!

Razer nally made a mouse just for FPS gamers. The Basilisk’s signature feature is the so-called thumb clutch, a small lever that lets you temporarily engage a lower sensitivity, which can come in useful when scoped in on a sniper rie. The 16,000DPI optical sensor is reliable and accurate, and you can even customize the resistance on the scroll wheel. RAZER BASILISK

Now with a more powerful, custom-designed GP1 processor, improved digital image stabilization, and better low light performance. It shoots fast, at 4K/60p and a whopping 1080/240p for slow motion video. Besides the increased frame rates, the Hero6 also shoots 12MP photos. It’s waterproof up to 10m, and comes with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, as well as GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. GOPRO HERO6

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G E A R

9. BUG-FREE HARDWARE

10. LUXURIOUS PROTECTION

The LG K7i has the one feature you never knew was missing from your smartphone: a dedicated speaker on the back that emits ultrasonic waves that keeps mosquitos at bay! Other than that, the entry-level smartphone is pretty unspectacular, with a 5-inch 480p display and a 1.1GHz quad-core processor. LG K7I

Mujjo has reworked their leather and leather wallet cases with a brand new production process for the iPhone X. The signature full-grain leather is soft and ages gracefully with a unique patina, and the satin-like microber inside is exceptionally lightweight while providing luxurious padding. The leather case is also available as a wallet, with a leather card pocket in one slim package.

MUIJO LEATHER CASE

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11. MAKE SPACE You’ll need a super large chassis to even consider the MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X Trio. At 325mm long, the card is massive, owing largely to its triple-fan Tri-Frozr cooler. It features a 1,569MHz base clock and 1,683MHz boost clock in OC Mode, and seems more intended as a statement piece than anything else. MSI GEFORCE GTX 1080 TI GAMING X TRIO

PICTURES LG, MUIJO, MSI

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12. RESEARCH IN MOTION The Blackberry Motion is essentially a KeyOne without the physical keyboard. Instead, you get a larger 5.5-inch Full HD display. Inside, there’s a Snapdragon 625 processor, 4GB RAM, and 32GB storage. Like the KeyOne, the Motion comes preloaded with security-focused apps that make it ideal for those concerned about their privacy.

BLACKBERRY MOTION

13. INSPIRED BY SPEED

The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 offers a sophisticated mix of luxury and performance with a beautiful ceramic body design paired with top-end specs in the form of a Kirin 970 processor, 6GB RAM, 256 GB internal storage, and a dual camera system from Leica that combines a 12-megapixel color sensor with a 20-megapixel monochrome unit.

PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI MATE 10

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PICTURES BLACKBERRY, HUAWEI, MSI, INTEL

14. THE BEST GAMING CPU YET

15. A GOD AMONG MORTALS

Meet Intel’s rst ever mainstream CPU to feature six cores. The Core i7-8700K is Intel’s fastest gaming CPU yet, and the company has managed to improve on its multi-threaded performance while also boosting Turbo Boost 2.0 speeds to 4.7GHz. Base clocks are slightly lower at 3.7GHz, owing to the higher number of cores, but this may be Intel’s most compelling answer to Ryzen yet. INTEL CORE I7-8700K

This is one motherboard that’s actually deserving of its name. MSI has crammed every conceivable feature onto the Z370 Godlike Gaming, and then some. The board supports a whopping  ve M.2 SSDs and can even double as a wireless range extender, so you can connect devices directly to your PC. It also boasts an 18-phase power design and solid, heavy duty heatsinks to accommodate high overclocks and keep the key components running cool. MSI Z370 GODLIKE GAMING

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FUJIFILM SPECIAL

Upgrade the Rangefinder

Superior sensor meets intuitive touch controls in the new Fujilm X-E3.

engine that’s four times faster than the previous model. Movies can be captured at 4K (UHD) resolution, with high quality 100Mbps capture at 29.97fps.

An intuitive touchscreen LCD replaces the d-pad that has long occupied the back of the camera, putting the X-E3’s features at your ngertips while freeing the space for a more luxurious grip. The touchscreen features gestures that you already know how to use – ick, double tap, tap, drag, pinch – giving you instant access to functions and playback. And a new focus lever lets you move the focus area instantaneously in eight directions, for the perfect focus.

Fujilm’s legendary lm colors are available with Film Simulation on the X-E3. Shoot images and videos with

the rich, natural tones of lms like Fujilm Provia, Velvia and Astia, just as if you were changing lms.

Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth allows you to share your images wirelessly.

Bluetooth can stay constantly connected to your smartphone, transferring images automatically so they’re there as soon as you want them.

With the ability to shoot like a traditional rangender, control with an intuitive touchscreen, and share like a modern smart device, the Fujilm X-E3 is the rangender, upgraded.

To find out more about the FUJIFILM X-E3, visit FUJIFILM Studio at 3 Temasek Boulevard, Suntec City, #02-410, S038983.

FujifilmCamerasSG / FujifilmSG www.fujifilm.com.sg /

PHOTO BY: FUJIFILM X -PHOTOGRAPHER, RON LEE INSTAGRAM @RONINEEL

The Fujilm X-E3 is compact, faster, and even more intuitive to use than ever before. It features a completely redesigned chassis that strips away the unnecessary, leaving only the essential. And it features Fujilm’s unique X-Trans sensor and legendary lm simulations for the capture of unforgettable moments.

The X-E3 is designed like a traditional rangender, with twin control dials for expert control, and a bright electronic viewnder for seeing every detail. The 24.3MP X-Trans sensor is unique to Fujilm, with a random pixel array that resembles lm grain and captures lifelike, vivid images.

A new autofocus algorithm tracks faster subjects more accurately, powered by a X-Processor Pro image

S H O W C A S E

American Muscle Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

By Kenny Yeo

PICTURE CHEVROLET

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Few cars have a name that is as cool as the Corvette’s. Now, few cars will be able to match its performance. Chevrolet has just announced the new ZR1 and it is bristling with muscle. In fact, Chevrolet says this is the most powerful and fastest production Corvette ever.

Power comes from a Chevrolet’s latest power plant called the LT5. It is a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that puts out an astronomical 755hp and 970nm of torque. That’s all very exciting, but what will get purist even more excited is the news that the ZR1 will be offered with the choice of a seven-speed manual with rev-match. If three pedals are too much for you to handle, you could opt for an eight-speed auto.

To control all that horsepower and fury, the ZR1 is available with two different aero packages to keep the car glued to the tarmac. The more aggressive ZTK Performance package comes with a front splitter, underbody spoiler, and a large xed rear wing that help develop up to 430kg of downforce, which is like driving around with a large bear strapped on top.

Chevrolet is coy on the ZR1’s performance for now and will only say that it has a top speed in excess of 338km/h.

Nevertheless, expect the ZR1 to be competitive against the very best that Europe has to offer.

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T H I N K

/

FREE YOUR MIND

ALPHAGO ZERO

The idea that an AI that can learn from a human-free environment, and the possibility of coming up with solutions that no human would ever have thought of, is both exciting and scary.

MO RE INSIDE> DEDICATED GAMING PHONES. YAY OR NAY? A concept that’s constantly revived by the industry, but why?

PICTURE DEEPMIND

DO YOU REALLY HAVE HDR? Fake HDR is giving TVs a bad name.

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Q & A

SHRINKING THE LOUDSPEAKER Jack Oclee-Brown, Head of Acoustics, KEF

By Marcus Wong

Are there any improvements left for the Q-driver?

Yes! We’re literally applying for a patent now on a new thing. There’s still stuff we want to improve on it.

Like, we all know the problem: you’re splitting up the sound and it’s coming from all different places. Then suddenly in ’87 you could make much smaller magnets, and KEF realized that means you could miniaturize the tweeter, and put it inside the cone.

Great! We’ve got two drivers acoustically as one driver now. But, you don’t realize the full impact of a decision like that until now. We’ve created a solution, but also a whole lot of different issues to solve too. It’s taken at least 25 years until you can only hear benets now. In the early Uni-Qs, yes you could hear benets in soundstage, maybe how it interacts with the room, but also problems, like coloration.

Now, we’re kinda over the main problems; towards the renement stage. Any time you have a new Uni-Q, you know there’s stuff that isn’t as good as it could be that you work on. And now we’re doing that for the next generation; I’m sure we’ll also uncover other problems to work on.

There’s also different areas where we can apply the technology. Miniaturization, trying to get ones that can play louder or do more in smaller packages.

Different driver materials?

Yeah, there’s been a big transition in driver materials at KEF right? First generation Uni-Qs were always – plastic mid-range cone, silk dome tweeter. We don’t use any of those anymore. We’ve got titanium or aluminum dome tweeters, aluminum cones. Through study (and) analyzing materials, we make these steps.

So what do you think will be the next big development in terms of audio then?

Well, the LS50 Wireless has been an interesting project; because everyone in audio for the last 30/40 years has said: “active is better”. Active speakers can sound better.

But you don’t get a chance where you can listen to a passive one and an active one and go – “I get it!”

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‹ Everything

can get smaller but sound the same ›

With the LS50 Wireless you can, because we’ve got the same driver, same material, same acoustics as the LS50 passive. It’s quite a big improvement, and we’re really interested to explore that more. When you go active, you can break the rules.

We’re very used to the idea that if you need more sound output or more bass...

Bigger is better?

Yes. You have to have a bigger loudspeaker. So I’m really excited at looking into that. Can we deliver more sound from something that’s smaller than what you would expect, in a dramatic way?

Denitely we’ll be pushing in that direction, and towards the integration of convenience and streaming.

Using it with your phone, and making it sound good in your own home, not just the dealer’s showroom.

And calibration?

Yes, calibration. On the LS50 Wireless it’s quite easy right?

You just go through the questions and say where your speaker is setup, but it’s a huge step forward the user.

We can look at taking that to the next level, (perhaps) automating it somehow? That kind of a thing.

The key thing for us, sometimes you see products make a step forward because they have some sort of neat DSP correction, but then you listen to it and you feel; it’s also suffering a little bit because the correction introduces artefacts.

That’s what we’re really focusing on with the LS50W. We’re introducing things like Phase Correction, but really trying not to make anything else worse. I think you’ll nd a lot of people with similar ideas, but we’re all going to be doing it in different ways. It’s going to be a lot of work. *laughs*

PICTURE KEF

Innovative tech to come in the next ve years I don’t think we’re going to see a complete radical change in how we make sound. Most loudspeakers basically have a magnet, a coil, and something that moves backwards and forwards. And we have had that for 70 years.

What we’re seeing is that DSPs are widely available now, ampliers are getting more powerful; integration is starting to get more popular. When you do that, you get more control over the driver.

You could say that drivers are very mature technology, but now we add on cutting edge DSPs with clever algorithms, so we can push that further than before. So what could that mean? It could mean you could get a product that’s very small that could sound like a full-sized speaker with lots of bass and volume. Everything can get smaller but sound the same - that’s my prediction.

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T H I N K

It’s obvious why we’re even talking about this. Razer made a smartphone, and it’s positioning it as a device created for gamers, by gamers. This is a company whose bread and butter is a huge range of gaming peripherals and systems, so it’s easy to buy into this narrative.

The Razer Phone is super powerful. It has a ton of RAM. It even has a 120Hz display, still a rarity on smartphones today, and a thumping speaker system. Pair that with a bunch of partnerships with game developers who are optimizing their titles for the 120Hz screen, and it seems like you have a winning formula.

The only problem is that its Snapdragon 835 processor is used on practically every other Android agship. Select SKUs of phones like the OnePlus 5 and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 also bring 8GB of RAM to the table.

When it comes to raw hardware powering the Razer Phone, there’s

smartphones.

One reason could be that mobile gaming tends to be more casual than its PC equivalent, with less of a focus on things like aim and twitch reactions. There are tournaments for games like Mobile Legends, but smartphones still aren’t attracting the same level of attention from gaming hardware manufacturers.

Furthermore, many games aren’t even that hard to run, which reduces the incentive to have dedicated gaming hardware for the select few titles that are more resource hungry.

To be sure, the market for mobile games is booming, with revenue from smartphone and tablet gaming already exceeding that from PC. But even though the pieces look to be in place for a smartphone dedicated to gaming, the fact remains that there really wasn’t a need for such a device, because existing models are already so capable.

WHAT MAKES A GAMING PHONE? Surely you need more than just a fast processor.

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little to differentiate it from the current crop of high-end devices, contrary to what you’d expect from a so-called gaming phone.

At the end of the day, the Razer Phone is left with just its screen and speakers to stand on. Those are no doubt excellent, but it still feels like something is missing from a phone with such a heavy focus on gaming.

This only begs the question – is there even such a thing as a gaming phone? Gaming desktops and laptops are clearly a cut above the rest, and they’re driven mainly by the high frame rates that gamers clamor for. E-sports is a big driving factor as well, as professionals constantly demand the best possible performance.

But things aren’t as clear for

PICTURE RAZER

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By Koh Wanzi

T H I N K

Watch

Stranger Things 2: not that strange after all More monsters, same problem.

By Koh Wanzi

Jonathan and Nancy’s efforts to get justice for Barb – you know, the freckled nerd who got snatched up from Steve’s swimming pool early in season 1 – also feel too much like fan service. Barb didn’t stick around long enough to have much of an impression, and maybe the show shouldn’t dedicate entire episodes to internet memes.

The rest of the show is peppered by inexplicably bad decisions by

Hopper, ham-handed attempts to shove couples together (Hopper/ Joyce, Jonathan/Nancy), and a disappointing lack of anything new. Season 2 is basically a blander version of season 1, but with more monsters.

Stranger Things 2 reuses a successful formula, but its lack of the world building and mystery that made the rst season so magnetic leaves much to be desired.

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PICTURES NETFLIX

The rst season of Stranger Things was a magical trip back to the 1980s. Its charming nostalgia was coupled with an intriguing new mythology and powerful performances by the show’s young stars, making for an enthralling story centered on friendship and adventure.

Season 2 tries to recapture some of that magic, and it brings back the same retro visuals and gives a fan favorite more screen time. Millie Bobby Brown continues to impress as Eleven, but efforts to give her an independent story arc feel too far removed from the main storyline.

She doesn’t hook up with the rest of the gang till late in the season, and while she’s off hanging out with Eight and her motley band of mists with funky haircuts, Hawkins is being swamped by a pack of demogorgons (or demo-dogs).

Q & A

GLOBAL ON DEMAND Nick Walton, Head of ASEAN, Amazon Web Services

By Alvin Soon

If you were to explain it simply, what is Amazon Web Services?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing service. We think of it as delivering I.T. resources on demand, instantaneously, and then making them available on a payas-you go basis. In the old world, you had to build data centers, buy servers and maintain servers. Today you can access a broad range of I.T. resources on demand, similar to turning on a light switch.

One of the reasons you’d want your own servers is because of security and privacy. So how does AWS hold up on those two fronts?

Even large companies can’t invest the amount of money and resources into security that we can. One of the customers we have is Capital One, they’re about the eighth largest nancial services company in the US. They’re a large customer and their CIO has publicly stated that he’s more secure on AWS then he is on his own data center.

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What’s something a business can do on AWS that they might not be able to achieve on their own?

One thing that’s changing is the ability to understand customers at a level of detail that’s never been possible before. Grab is one of our customers, and one of the things they’re doing is leveraging our analytics platform to understand trends in demand for transportation services, both in real-time and in a predictive manner.

So they’re able to say with a high degree of accuracy where there’s going to be high demand for taxis and transportation, based on the large number of inputs that they’re able to analyze using our platform. That allows them to

serve customers better, it allows their drivers to be more productive and to be in the right place at the right time.

So what separates AWS from the rest, like Microsoft Azure and the Google Cloud Platform?

Pretty much every large technology company today is trying to build a replica of what AWS has been doing over the last 11 years. And I think that our rst strength is our experience, there are no short cuts in providing services to millions of customers every month.

The second is that we’re very customer obsessed. More than 95 percent of our roadmap for the new services and the new features that we’re building are driven by our customers. We have a large ecosystem of partners that provide us with very large amount of input to help us decide which services are most important for our customer base. In 2016, we released more than a thousand new services and features, and we continue to innovate at a very fast pace.

“Today, with Amazon Web Services, companies can go global in minutes.”

PHOTOGRAPHY DARREN CHANG

What do you think has contributed to the trend of businesses moving from their own data centers to cloud services?

In the business world, we’re seeing intensifying competition through globalization, through the increasing removal of barriers to entry into new markets. All of these things are putting pressure on businesses. They need to be able to move fast. Today, with Amazon Web

Services, companies can go global in minutes.

Look at a company like iFlix, a video-on-demand streaming platform which is expanding across Southeast Asia. Their ability to support markets across S.E. Asia is a function of running on AWS, and not to forget — Netix also runs on AWS!

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T H I N K

Modern hypercars have absurd performance, but one number still eludes automakers today. Meet the two cars that hope to crack the magic 300mph mark.

THE NEED

By Kenny Yeo

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BUGATTI CHIRON One car that has a good chance of doing so is the Bugatti Chiron.

Founded in Germany by Italianborn Ettore Bugatti in 1909, the company has been in the business of going fast from the very beginning.

It has almost unrivaled pedigree in this arena since the Veyron and the upgraded version of the Veyron, the Veyron Super Sport, both held titles of the world’s fastest street-legal production car.

The Chiron is the successor to Veyron and is powered by an 8-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine that produces 1,479hp and 1,600nm of torque. It is, as you would expect, properly quick. Bugatti claims it can go from 0 to 100km/h in 2.4 seconds and 0 to 200km/h in just 6.1

seconds. In a test, the Chiron went from 0 to 100km/h in 2.4 seconds; 0 to 200km/h in 6.1 seconds; 0 to 300km/h in 13.1 seconds, and nally, 0 to 400km/h in 32.6 seconds.

The Chiron can easily go faster, but for now, its top speed is electronically limited to 420km/h (261mph) for safety reasons. According to Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace, no street tire has been certied to be able to handle the forces generated by the Chiron at speeds in excess of 280mph (450km/h). As a result, even Bugatti themselves do not know the true top speed of the Chiron.

That said; Michelin is currently working with Bugatti to develop a set of tires that will be strong enough to allow the Chiron to really stretch its legs. The tires are expected to be

PICTURES BUGATTI; HENNESSEY

112 years ago on the sands of Ormonde Beach, Florida, Englishman Arthur MacDonald became the rst man to go faster than 100mph (160km/h) in a car.

The car used for this feat was a Napier L48 that produced around 90hp, and MacDonald achieved a speed of 104.65mph (168km/h).

It would take another 82 years before mankind could go beyond the next 100mph. This was accomplished in 1987 when Ferrari unveiled the F40. It had a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V8 that produced 478hp, which gave it a top speed of 201mph (324km/h). This was 30 years ago, and ever since then, mankind has been trying to go faster than ever, all in the hopes of cracking 300mph (483km/h).

FOR SPEED Top speed, Hennessey says, is a staggering 301mph (485km/h). ready next year, after which Bugatti will take the Chiron for an ofcial top speed run.

HENNESSEY VENOM F5 Hennessey Performance Engineering is no stranger to speed. Founded in 1991 by John Hennessey, the company made a name for itself tuning and modifying cars.

In 2013, it made headlines when its Venom GT hypercar achieved a top speed of 270.49mph (436km/h) at Kennedy Space Center’s 3.22 mile-long landing strip. This was faster than Bugatti’s Veyron, but because the run was only done in one direction (the Guinness Book of Records requires speed runs to be done in both directions), the Venom GT did not qualify as the world’s

fastest production car.

Now, the company has announced the successor to the Venom GT and it’s called the Venom F5. Powering the Venom F5 is a bespoke 7.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that develops 1,600hp and 1,762nm of torque, which makes the Venom F5 more powerful than the Chiron.

Not only it is more powerful, the Venom F5 is very much lighter too.

Weighing just 1,360kg, the Venom F5 compares favorably against the Chiron’s 1,996kg. As a result, the Venom F5 will be signicantly quicker too. Hennessey estimates that the Venom F5 will get from 0 to 300km/h in less than 10 seconds the same time it takes most family sedans to see 100km/h on their speedometers. More amazingly,

Hennessey believes the Venom F5 will get from 0 to 400km/h in less than 20 seconds. Top speed, Hennessey says, is a staggering 301mph (485km/h).

The big differentiator, however, is that its tires won’t be a limiting factor for the Venom F5. According to its maker, John, tires are not a problem for the Venom F5 because it is signicantly lighter. “Tires are a limiting factor for Bugatti. But I don’t believe they’re a limiting factor for us.

When we do our math, we know that we are not overloading them. We’re not even close to the load specication of the tires at our speeds.”

John plans to take the Venom F5 for speed runs once the rst prototypes are completed sometime next year.

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T H I N K

“FAKE HDR” TVS ARE GIVING HDR A BAD NAME When “HDR-compatible” doesn’t mean what you think it means.

By Ng Chong Seng

Most HDR content also support wide color gamut for deeper colors and that isn’t something any Tom, Dick, and Harry TV is capable of either. To realize WCG, LCD TVs have started adopting new display/ backlight tech: Samsung has QLED (quantum dots), LG has Nano Cell, and Sony has Triluminos; and in general, all 4K OLED TVs can do WCG. As you’d so rightly expect, these premium TVs are all midrange models and up.

So the pet peeve I now have with TV makers is entry 4K TVs that claim to be HDR-compatible. In almost all cases, any sub-$1K TV that claims it accepts a 4K signal and won’t show you a garbled picture.

By no means should you expect it

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Not all TVs can do HDR properly. This Samsung Q8C QLED TV that uses quantum dots for high brightness and wide color gamut support can. right content, an HDR picture “pops” way more than a normal picture.

More “lifelike” images, if you will.

But to do HDR properly - higher contrast, brighter highlights, wider colors - specic hardware is required.

And this is where the marketing line starts to get fuzzy.

For one, brightness is a critical factor for effective HDR display. Most high-end 4K LCD TVs and OLED TVs tout a peak brightness of at least 1,000 and 600 nits respectively for this reason. For the former, they also have either an edge-lit or full-array local dimming system to control the screen backlight, to ensure a bright section truly stands out from its darker surrounding parts.

to actually display HDR or WCG without verifying it. Case in point: I was watching Netix on a low-end $700 4K TV that other day and the HDR label popped up on screen. So while Netix was indeed supplying an HDR stream and the TV accepted it, the resulting picture quality was piss-poor. I blame the TV (correctly) because I know the real reason, but most users are likely to point their nger (wrongly) at HDR. Come to think about it, no wonder many people I’ve talked to poo-poo HDR; they probably experienced it on a sub-par TV. Yes, one day all TVs would be capable of doing HDR properly, but that day isn’t today.

PICTURE SAMSUNG

Have you heard about this “fake 4K” kerfufe that happened several years ago? In short, there was one camp that argued if each pixel isn’t made up of three colored subpixels, it isn’t a true 4K TV. Another camp maintained that a strict RGB matrix is unnecessary, and picture quality concerns can be overcome algorithmically. Personally, I think as long as you’re happy with what you see on screen and it’s appreciably better than 1080p, then sub-pixel layout be damned.

However, there’s now another “fake something” episode that I actually feel strongly about, because I think it’s harming unwitting 4K TV buyers. I’m referring to “fake HDR” TVs. For the uninitiated, HDR (high dynamic range) is, in my opinion, the best thing that could happen to 4K TVs. Done properly and with the

I M P A C T

ALPHAGO ZERO BECOMES A SUPERHUMAN PLAYER WITHOUT HUMAN HELP

This AI taught itself how to be the best in the world.

By Alvin Soon

PICTURE DEEPMIND

Earlier this year, the computer program AlphaGo made waves by beating the world’s then-number one ranked Go player, Ke Jie. Now, a new version dubbed AlphaGo Zero has beaten the original, and it did so by teaching itself the game without any human help, and in only 40 days.

Go is a notoriously complex game, with more permutations than chess – it’s been estimated that the game has more possible moves than there are atoms in the universe, which makes it an excellent platform to test AI software.

Previous versions of AlphaGo, developed by Alphabet’s DeepMind division, learned the game from seeing how humans played the game, then played against itself to rene its strategies. AlphaGo Zero, however, did something

different. It started with no prior knowledge of the game, with only the basic rules as input, and learned how to play Go by playing against itself.

Within three days, AlphaGo Zero surpassed the abilities of AlphaGo Lee, the version that beat world champion Lee Sedol in 2016. Within 40 days of teaching itself, AlphaGo Zero beat all previous versions of AlphaGo and became, quite possibly, the best Go player in the world.

The accomplishment has more to do than about playing board games. An AI that can teach itself without human intervention can then be applied to other problem sets, like the laws of physics and chemistry. Without the constraint of human knowledge and bias, it’s even possible that a learning AI can come up with solutions that humans would never even have imagined.

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PICTURES PEBBLE, NIKON, SNAPCHAT INC, LILY, KODAK, FUJIFILM, DJI,

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When technology is driven by hype, gadgets touted as the next big thing often wind up being huge disappointments. This is our list of the duds of 2017 and what you’d be better off spending your money on instead.

By Team HWM

SEIKO, OLLOCLIP, GOPRO, APPLE, PANASONIC, SONY, POGOTECH

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LILY DRONE: When you never even w make it to the nish line

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By Koh Wanzi

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he Lily drone was the drone that never was.

Lily Robotics launched in mid-2015 with a promotional video of a snazzy new camera drone. It automatically followed you around, and could y on its own once thrown into the air.

The video was super slick, showing the drone swooping smoothly after a snowboarder, even switching to shoot in slow-mo when he jumped. One intrepid kayaker even tossed the drone into a river, only for the waterproof unit to shake it off and take to the air.

The clip was so compelling that the company fetched a whopping US$34 million in pre-orders, and US$15 million in investments before it had even shipped a single unit.

As it turned out, the promised drone never materialized, and after multiple delays on the original February 2016 ship date, the company announced on 12 January 2017 that it was shutting down and would be providing full refunds.

In the same blog post, Henry Bradlow, one of the founders, said that they had been unable to secure nancing in order to unlock their manufacturing

| DECEMBER 2017

line and ship their rst units. It also seems likely that Lily simply overstated its capabilities, as a December 2015 blog post cited the need to redesign its ight software and change certain hardware components.

Lily’s promises of waterproong, portability, and nifty ight capabilities were thrilling, but the company ultimately over-promised and underdelivered.

A lawsuit also reared its head, alleging that Lily intentionally misled customers with its video that was not shot using its own working hardware.

In fact, Lily supposedly used a GoPro camera mounted on a manually operated DJI drone, two products Lily was supposed to compete against.

In addition, the suit alleged that Lily did not have a single prototype that worked as advertised when the video was shot. More damningly, in emails uncovered by the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, Lily CEO Antoine Balaresque talked about needing to be careful about “[lying] publically”, because a “lens geek could study our images up close and detect the unique GoPro lens footprint”.

GET THIS OR MAYBE THIS

DJI Spark

A

t $749, the DJI Spark isn’t that much more expensive than the pre-order price of the Lily drone (US$499). It has a similar focus on ease-of-use, and you don’t have to tangle with a stick controller to y it. Instead, you can control it using a smartphone app, gestures, or a separate remote that extends the range of the drone.

This is a good beginner product, and you can also launch it from the palm of your hand because of how compact it is. What’s more, it has ActiveTrack, a computer vision technology that lets it track and follow a subject around.

WHAT I’D GET INSTEAD

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PICTURES LILY, MSI, DJI, GOPRO

orget cameras or drones, how often do you go outdoors anyway. For $788, you might as well upgrade your gaming rig and get a GeForce GTX 1070 Ti. This MSI card has a base clock of 1,607MHz and boost clock of 1,683MHz, but overclocking it will probably push it into GeForce GTX 1080 territory. It’s cooled by MSI’s Twin Frozr VI cooler, and features a dedicated heatsink for the memory chips. What all this means is that you can sit at home and enjoy all that virtual scenery, blockbuster movies and AAA games without fear of crashing your investment into the side of a building.

GoPro Hero6 Black

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or all the furor around Lily’s alleged use of a GoPro to capture the video for its promotional footage, maybe you’re better off getting the real thing.

The new GoPro Hero6 Black retails for $750, and its rugged, waterproof construction will let you shoot in most weather conditions.

The highlight feature is its ability to shoot up to 4K footage at 60fps, which is a great boon for the kind of fast-paced activities that you’re going to be capturing with the camera. In addition, it supports up to 240fps at 1080p for slow motion video, a nice feature that athletes and professionals will appreciate.

The custom GP1 processor also affords a bunch of image quality and performance enhancements, and you get a 2-inch LCD for easier navigation and controls.

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SNAPCHAT SPECTACLES: Too few too early, too many too late

By Ng Chong Seng

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ith an eye towards doing more than just a chat app, Snapchat Inc. announced

glasses available for purchase online on February 2017, the cool factor had already worn off. The

a rename to Snap Inc. in September 2016. Along with the move came Spectacles, the

Spectacles finally came to Europe in June, but the once-exclusive item is now yet another disposable

company’s first hardware, which was basically a pair of sunglasses with an integrated video camera.

Available in three colors, Spectacles’ main job is to create ‘memories’ - 10-second videos in a circular 115-degree format - that Snapchat users can then transfer over and use in the app.

gadget that no one wants.

Considering that most people still don’t feel comfortable being recorded by camera glasses, are the Spectacles doomed from the start? Maybe.

But Snap’s weird sales strategy also played a role.

The company should have just made a couple

Snap did almost everything right at the beginning with the US$129 Spectacles: limited units were available, and you could only find them at special

thousands of these, sold them off quickly, and declared the whole experiment a success. Snap perhaps also ignored the elephant in the room, and

vending machines that popped up randomly across the U.S. Demand soon outstripped supply, and snaking queues were a common sight whenever a Snapbot vending machine popped up in town. Many Spectacles also found their way to eBay, going at double or three times the original price.

by that I meant the Facebook-owned Instagram.

By June 2017, Instagram Stories (a Snapchat clone) announced 250 million daily active users, a good 100 million more than Snapchat. Sure, crossposting is a thing, but Spectacles’ proprietary video format and app lock-in (exported circular videos

But the excitement neither lasted long nor reached enough people. When Snap made the

appear in a distracting white square) made this too much of a chore.

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GET THIS

OR MAYBE THIS Sony RX0

Y

es, Snapchat may be the pioneer of this whole ‘stories’ concept, but today, Instagram Stories rules the roost. And unlike Snapchat, Instagram accepts both photos and videos.

In terms of gear, a small action cam like the Sony RX0 or Xiaomi Yi 4K camera makes the most sense portability-wise, and either will give your better footage than any camera glasses.

But if you asked me, for quick documenting of daily activities, any hardware contraption or le transfer process will inevitably slow you down. Modern smartphones all have pretty good cameras already, so why not just use your phone and download a bunch of captioning and touch-up apps to create your masterpiece?

PogoCam

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f you so insist on camera glasses, Pogotec’s PogoCam is one alternative, albeit implemented in a slightly different manner. In a nutshell, PogoCam is a small camera that sticks to a PogoLoop adapter that you must rst attach to the temple of your existing glasses. Since the camera attaches to the adapter magnetically, you can pop it off anytime to return to non-creepy mode. The US$149 camera takes up to 100 photos or six 30-second videos on a single charge, transfers the les wirelessly to your phone via Bluetooth, and is water and sweat resistant. It also comes with a smart case that provides three more charges, and which holds up to 16,000 photos or (180) 30-second videos.

WHAT I’D GET INSTEAD

I PICTURES SNAPCHAT INC, PGOTECH, OLLOCLIP, SONY

f I’ve US$150 to up my Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat game, I’d rather get a lens set for my phone. For example, the US$200 Olloclip Filmer’s Kit for the iPhone 8 and 7 comes with a sheye lens, a 15x macro lens, an ultra-wide-angle lens, a super-wide-angle lens, a 2x telephoto lens, as well as a 225-degree articulating mobile video grip. Android (or BlackBerry) users can consider Photojojo’s universal magnetic lens series.

Crafted out of solid aluminum and outtted with thick, high-clarity glass, these lenses magnetically attach to a metal ring or plate that you rst stick on the phone. The Super Kit, which consists of a wide/macro lens, a supersheye lens, a sheye lens, a telephoto lens, a polarizer, and a GorillaPod tripod for phones, costs US$119.

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By Alvin Soon

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he Nikon DL is the story of three cameras that could have been, but never even got

increasing development costs and concerns that the cameras could turn a prot in the slowing

a chance. Nikon originally announced the compact 4K cameras with 1” sensors in 2016, to compete against the likes of Sony’s premium RX100 cameras.

camera market.

At the same time, Nikon notied shareholders of ”extraordinary loss.” It wasn’t good news for Nikon fans then, and Nikon’s performance

The announced Nikon DL cameras sound like they would have been marvels. Built around

since hasn’t been rosy either. Nikon reported that for the rst half of scal year 2017, overall

a 20MP version of the CX sensor in Nikon’s mirrorless 1 series, the cameras supposedly had the ability to shoot at 20 frames per second with continuous autofocus. The DL18-50 and DL24-85 had reasonably fast aperture ranges of f/1.8 to

camera unit sales have declined, and year-onyear revenue has dropped, with prots down by 15.1%.

Could the Nikon DL cameras have helped Nikon’s numbers? It’s hard to say — the camera

f/2.8, while the DL24-500 provided 20x optical zoom. All three would have shot 4K video.

Nikon missing the original ship date in June 2016 was the rst red ag. Nikon blamed it then on problems with the image processor, but then news about the DL went dark. In February 2017, the company released a statement saying

market has been in steep decline ever since the rise of smartphones, and compact cameras have taken the biggest hit. At the same time, however, because of the cancellation, Nikon now has nothing in its arsenal against the likes of Canon’s PowerShot G, Panasonic’s LX/TZ, and Sony’s RX series of 1” premium compact

that the DL compacts had been cancelled, citing

cameras.

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PICTURES NIKON, PANASONIC, SONY, OLYMPUS

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Nikon DL: The cameras that could have been.

GET THIS

Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V

T

he Sony RX100 V is the current darling of the premium compact camera world. It sports a 20MP 1” sensor with phase-detect AF (like on a DSLR), with a 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens, 24fps shooting with full autofocus and autoexposure, and 4K video capture.

However, there are two downsides; the low 220-shot battery life, and the high $1,499 asking price. If those are deal breakers, check out the older RX100 IV, which is rated for 280 shots.

OR MAYBE THIS

WHAT I’D GET INSTEAD

I

f I was going to shell $1k-odd for a camera that’s compact, I’d rather get the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III for $1,298. It’s not that much bigger than a compact camera, and is still noticeably smaller and lighter than a DSLR. You get a bigger Micro Four Thirds sensor, longer battery life, Olympus’ extraordinary 5-axis optical image stabilization, and unlike a xed-lens compact, the ability to change lenses.

Panasonic Lumix TZ110

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ome people just want the zoom, but most large-sensor compact cameras are either small with limited focal ranges, or big with long optical zooms. The Panasonic Lumix TZ110, however, is special. It packs a long 25-200mm equivalent zoom lens with a 1” sensor in a body that’s not much bigger compared to a compact camera.

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STONED: The rise and fall of Pebble

By Kenny Yeo

O

nce the darling of the smartwatch industry and the Kickstarter community, the story of Pebble is a stark reminder that, in tech, things can fall apart very quickly.

The idea of a smartwatch has been tossed around for a long time, but it was only in 2012 that things started kicking off thanks to a little company called Pebble. On 11 April 2012, Pebble launched a Kickstarter campaign for its Pebble Smartwatch. The Pebble Smartwatch has a 1.26inch e-paper display and could show notications from your Android or iOS device. The campaign had a modest target of US$100,000, but thanks to the interest around smartwatches at the time, it met its goal in just two hours. When the campaign ended on 18 May, Pebble made history by raising US$10.2 million on the back of 68,929 pledges.

In early 2015, Pebble turned to Kickstarter again to launch its second-generation smartwatch, the Pebble Time. It was an even greater success, raising US$20.3 million from 78.471 backers. Even today, the Pebble Time

| DECEMBER 2017

still remains to be the most funded project on Kickstarter.

By 2016, it was apparent that trouble was brewing at Pebble when it turned to Kickstarter again for the Pebble 2, Time 2, and Core - the company’s third-generation series of devices. At this point, many were wondering why Pebble, which enjoyed so much success on Kickstarter previously, had to keep returning to the platform to raise funds.

We now know that Pebble was in fact mired in debt. The Pebble Time failed to meet sales goals and the company ended 2015 in the red.

Failure to raise funds from investors led it to lay off a quarter of its stuff in March 2016. By then, it was forced to turn to Kickstarter again to raise the necessary monies needed to produce the Pebble 2 in the hopes of staying aoat. But it was too little too late. Later that year, Pebble led for bankruptcy and sold its intellectual property to rivals Fitbit; the Pebble Time 2 and Pebble Core were ultimately canceled.

GET THIS

OR MAYBE THIS Seiko Prospex “Turtle” 200M

W

Apple Watch

A

pple has continuously improved the Apple Watch since its introduction in 2015 and the latest model is the fastest and most polished yet. The latest Apple Watch Series 3 features a built-in GPS and altimeter, more workout modes, and can even monitor your heart rate and warn you if it detects any irregularities. It is waterproof too so you can take it swimming or into the shower. And for those who love dressing up, Apple now offers a myriad of different strap options so you can customize your Apple Watch to suit your style.

hy fuss about with a smartwatch that requires charging every now and then?

The Seiko Prospex “Turtle” 200M is a mechanical watch that features an automatic or self-winding movement, which means it is powered the actions of your wrist. As long as you are wearing it, a spinning rotor inside will wind a mainspring in movement and give it the energy to run.

Fully wound, this watch can run on its own for about 40 hours, after which a simple shake is enough to get it running again.

Best of all, it looks cool and is water resistant up to 200 meters.

WHAT I’D GET INSTEAD

L PICTURES PEBBLE, APPLE, LINKSYS, SEIKO

et’s face it. All of us are addicted to the Internet. There are numerous studies done that prove that Wi-Fi rage, the feeling of frustration and anxiety that we get when our Wi-Fi goes down, is real. And fortunately, a single Wi-Fi router is usually not enough to provide coverage around the entire house.

To x this, you need a mesh networking system, and the best I that I have tested so far is the Linksys Velop. So if I had a couple of hundred dollars to spend, I rather invest in a Velop and rid my home of Wi-Fi dead spots!

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KODAK EKTRA SMARTPHONE

By James Lu

T

he Kodak Ektra smartphone is named after Kodak’s legendary 1941 35mm Ektra camera – unfortunately, that’s where the similarities end. While the Ektra has the basic look of an old school vintage lm camera, once you pick it up you’ll realize it’s anything but. Constructed entirely of plastic, with a tacky faux-leather rear to top it off, the Ektra looks and feels cheap. Despite being plastic, it’s also thick and heavy, with massive bezels around the display that make it look like a phone from ve years ago.

The Ektra doesn’t do much to impress in the specs department either, with a relatively small 5-inch display, a Mediatek processor, and only 32GB internal storage. It’s also lacking a ngerprint scanner, which means it’s incompatible with Android Pay. And forget Android Oreo, the Ektra doesn’t even have Nougat, it’s still running on an ancient version of Android Marshmallow.

| DECEMBER 2017

But all of these shortcomings could be forgiven if the Ektra had a killer camera - after all, that’s the appeal of a Kodak smartphone right? The camera certainly looks the part with a massive metal lens ring and one of the largest camera modules we’ve ever seen. Turns out, that’s all for show though. The Ektra is using a three-year-old Sony IMX230 21-megapixel 1/2.4-inch sensor, the same sensor found on other non-camera centric mid-range smartphones like the Sony Xperia M5, Huawei Honor 7 and Motorola Moto X Style.

Kodak does pair that sensor with a relatively fast f/2.0 aperture lens and optical image stabilization but photos from the Ektra have consistently shown it to produce poor results.

The Kodak Ektra is the perfect example of a company trying to cash in on nostalgia and delivering a mediocre product at a very high price - the Ektra launched at a staggering £449 (S$800).

GET THIS

OR MAYBE THIS OnePlus 5

F

or the same price as the Ektra, you can get the vastly superior OnePlus 5, with its agship

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and a whopping 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage space. The OnePlus 5 also has a full aluminum build, a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display, a ngerprint scanner, fast charging, and it’s just been updated to run on Android 8.0 Oreo. The OnePlus 5 also sports a more modern dual camera setup pairing Sony’s latest 16-megapixel IMX398 sensor with an f/1.7 aperture lens and a 20-megapixel

Fujilm X100F

Sony IMX350 sensor with a telephoto f/2.6 aperture lens.

I

f you’re craving the look, feel and hipster appeal of a vintage camera but you actually want something that also takes great photos, look no further than the Fujilm X100F, which is now in its fourth iteration.

Behind the X100F’s gorgeous retro rangender aesthetic lies state of the art internals, with a 35mm equivalent f/2.0 xed lens, a 24-megapixel X-Trans CMOS sensor, one of the best hybrid optical/ electronic viewnders around, and an incredible 325 selectable auto-focus points for precision shooting.

Fujilm is also famous for capturing some of the best colors out there, so you know all of your photos will have that magical cinematic look.

WHAT I’D GET INSTEAD

I

f you’re looking for the best camera on a smartphone, Google’s Pixel 2 XL is probably it. An f/1.8 aperture lens is paired with a 12.2-megapixel,

PICTURES KODAK, FUJIFILM, ONEPLUS, GOOGLE

1.4 μm pixel size sensor with optical image stabilization that produces some of the best still photos we’ve seen out of any smartphone camera.

The camera is capable of shooting in HDR mode all the time, and consistently captures vivid and lifelike colors and details without over saturation or sharpening, making it one of the best cameras for capturing subtle shades and tonal detail.

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HOW WE RATE: Products are rated on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being so abysmal, it should be a crime to sell it, and 10 being almost perfect. Come now, nothing is perfect. An Editor’s Choice may also be awarded based on unique merits.

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EDITOR’S CHOICE

MOR E INSID E> APPLE IPHONE X If you wanted it, you’ve gotten it already. Right?

CASIO TR MINI Meet the sele cam with a real ring light.

PANASONIC EZ1000 OLED TVs just got another serious contender.

PICTURE CASIO

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THE ADATA SE730H • SAMSUNG PORTABLE SSD T5 • WD MY PASSPORT SSD

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Pocket Rockets

Need an external drive that is small enough to t your pockets and fast enough to transfer gigabytes in a jiffy? Then what you need is a portable external SSD. But which is best?

By Kenny Yeo Photography by Angela Guo At Direction by Orland Punzalan

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AT A GLANCE

CAPACITY 512GB CONTROLLER Silicon Motion SM2258 MEMORY TYPE 3D TLC NAND PRICE From $169 for 256GB

THE ADATA SE730H ADATA has been one of the most aggressive players in the portable external SSD market. In total, ADATA has a portable external SSD lineup consisting of no less than 8 drives in different form factors and utilizing different types of ash memory.

Its agship is the SE730H. ADATA claims that the SE730H is the world’s most

the case and quite a fair amount of force is required to pop it open. This ensures water does not get into the connector and drive. Pop it open and you will be greeted by a USB Type-C connector. ADATA also clearly states that the SE730H’s dust and water resistant ratings only apply when the cover is rmly sealed.

The SE730H supports USB

compact SSD and it is slightly less bulky than its rivals. In

3.1 Gen 2 and that means speeds of up to 10Gbps.

addition, ADATA is also proud of the fact that the SE730H

Inside the drive, what you will actually nd is a compact M.2

is IP68 dust and water 2242 SSD drive with a Silicon Compact and rugged. resistant, and that it has Motion SM2258 controller passed the U.S. Army MILand 3D TLC NAND from STD-810G 516.6 shock and Micron. USB bridging duties drop resistance test. In short, are handled by a Via Labs No adapter for the SE730H is one tough and VL716 chip. And according older non-USB Type-C devices. sturdy drive and should hold to ADATA, users can expect up well to the rigors of daily transfer speeds in the region use. of around 500MB/s. The The reason the SE730H is SE730H is only available in so tough is due to its design. It features 256GB and 512GB capacity points. an aluminum chassis that feels extremely Unlike its rivals, the SE730H drive only solid and exhibits no exing even under comes with a USB Type-C to USB Type-C heavy pressure. To spice things up a little, cable and that’s it. There are no additional it is available in red and gold nishes. Also, cables and there is no bundled security the SE730H is water resistant because its or backup software. Users will have to connector is hidden behind a plastic and take measures of their own to prevent rubber cap. The cap secures tightly to unauthorized access to their data.

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A safety cap ensures dust and water do not get into the drive.

The drive’s USB Type-C port supports the faster USB 3.1 Gen 2 standard.

AT A GLANCE

CAPACITY 2TB CONTROLLER Samsung MGX MEMORY TYPE 64-layer TLC V-NAND PRICE From $179 for 250GB

The Samsung Portable SSD T5 comes with two cables, one for USB Type-C and another for USB Type-A devices.

The Samsung Portable SSD software makes securing your drive a cinch.

SAMSUNG PORTABLE SSD T5 The Samsung Portable SSD T5 is the SSD T5 will support transfer speeds of up ash memory giant’s third generation to 540MB/s. portable external SSD. It is the successor The Portable SSD T5 does come with to the Portable SSD T3 and the Portable extra accessories and software. Users will SSD T1. be pleased to know that Samsung has In terms of design and size, the new thoughtfully provided two cables with Portable SSD T5 is identical to the T3, and the Portable SSD T5: a USB Type-C to USB weighs just slightly over 50g.

Type-C cable and USB Type-C The Portable SSD T5 features to USB Type-A cable. This an all-aluminum chassis to means users will be able to help dissipate heat. The T5 use the Portable SSD T5 with will be available in 250GB, their devices even if it doesn’t 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacity have a USB Type-C port. points - identical to the T3.

On the software side, Easy to secure, stylish, compact.

The smaller 250GB and the Portable SSD T5 comes 500GB models come in blue, bundled with the Samsung while the larger 1TB and 2TB Portable SSD security models come in black. software. This allows users Cables are long The big change inside to enable “Security Mode”, and unwieldy. is the fact that it uses which is basically a password Samsung’s latest 64-layer TLC protect feature for the V-NAND, the rst consumer Portable SSD T5. This is product to use it. The disabled by default, but users Portable SSD T5 also uses an upgraded can activate it by entering a password of ASMedia bridging chip, thereby allowing their choice. A word of warning, however, the Portable SSD T5 to support USB 3.1 there is no way to reset the drive if you Gen 2 speeds of up to 10Gbps through forget your password. If you do forget a USB Type-C connector. Completing the your password, the only x is to bring to package is Samsung’s MGX controller, the Samsung and have them factory reset it same used in the very excellent SSD 850 for you, but doing so means you lose all Evo. According to Samsung, the Portable your data.

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AT A GLANCE

CAPACITY 1TB CONTROLLER Marvell 88SS1074 MEMORY TYPE TLC NAND

WD MY PASSPORT SSD After acquiring SanDisk, WD wasted ports. Unsurprisingly, if you peel open no time in releasing a string of SSD the chassis, what you will nd inside is products. The My Passport SSD is the an M.2 SATA drive that is based on the largest of the trio, but not by a whole lot.

SanDisk X400 SSD. This means a Marvell It is roughly the size of large Zippo lighter 88SS1074 controller paired with SanDisk so it will still t easily into your pockets.

TLC NAND. WD claims data transfer rates It is also the second lightest drive here of up to 515MB/s. The My Passport SSD at just 40g. However, unlike is available in 256GB, 512GB, the ADATA SE730H and and 1TB capacities.

Samsung Portable SSD T5, Similar to the Samsung the My Passport SSD has T5, the My Passport SSD a plastic chassis. Even so, comes with WD Discovery, it doesn’t detract from its a suite of backup and drive performance. In fact, WD utilities. The most important Useful uঞliঞes.

Shock resistant. says the My Passport SSD of them all is probably WD is built to withstand drops Drive Lock, which lets users of up to 1.98 meters. In password protect their addition, I would argue that drive. It uses hardware 256Disappoinঞng the My Passport SSD looks bit AES encryption. Another performance. the most interesting of the useful utility is WD Backup, trio. The alternate nishing which is a backup utility on the chassis is quite that lets user back up their attractive. system to the drive or to a Like its competitors, the My Passport Dropbox account.

SSD relies on a USB Type-C connector Based on our impressions, it seems and supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds like the My Passport SSD treads a middle of up to 10Gbps. To ensure maximum ground between the ADATA SE730H compatibility, the My Passport SSD also and Samsung T5. On one hand, it isn’t comes with a handy USB Type-C to USB quite as fast as the T5. On the other, Type-A adapter so that you can use it it can’t match the SE730H in terms of with devices that do not have USB Type-C ruggedness.

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PRICE From $159 for 256GB

WD provides a USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter to ensure compatibility with older devices.

WD Drive Unlock secures your drive against unauthorized access.

BENCHMARK PERFORMANCE ADATA SE730H

PCMARK 8

4923

PCMark 8’s storage test measures performance across a wide variety of different workloads and applications. This includes games like World of Warcraft and Battleeld; creative designing apps like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign; and productivity apps like Microsoft Word and Excel.

AS SSD ҐSEQUENTIAL READ AND WRITEґ AS SSD is a benchmark that uses noncompressible and completely random data.

This takes away the advantages of SSD controllers that compress data before moving them, such as the old SandForce SF-2281 controller.

Samsung Portable SSD T5 4972 WD My Passport SSD 4722

ADATA SE730H Read:

476.33 MB/s

Write:

462.01 MB/s Samsung Portable SSD T5

Read:

485.22 MB/s

Write:

478.42 MB/s WD My Passport SSD 447.29 MB/s

Read:

396.40 MB/s

Write:

TIMING TEST This test measures the time taken to copy 17GB worth of les including HD videos, photos, music, and documents.

ADATA SE730H 57 seconds Samsung Portable SSD T5 59 seconds WD My Passport SSD 66 seconds

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THE BEST PORTABLE EXTERNAL SSD IS… SAMSUNG PORTABLE SSD T5 The Samsung Portable SSD T5 gets the nod in this tight contest thanks to its handsome compact design and blazing all round performance. The Portable SSD T5 is small enough to t in pockets and it consistently came out tops, or near the top in our benchmarking tests.

Another neat thing about the Portable SSD T5 is that it has a simple but effective password protection system. Last but not least, the Portable SSD T5 also available in the widest variety of capacities from 250GB all the way up to 2TB - so there’s something for everyone.

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AKG N60NC WIRELESS • BANG & OLUFSEN BEOPLAY H9 • BEATS STUDIO WIRELESS 3.0 • BOSE QUIETCOMFORT 35 • BOWERS & WILKINS PX • METERS OV-1 • SENNHEISER PXC 480 • SONY WH-1000XM2

A pair of good noise-cancelling headphones is a godsend when you’re trying to drown out the drone of the plane on a ight or just general day-to-day annoyances. They also let you listen to your music at lower volumes, saving your ears in the process.

PICTURES 123RF

By Marcus Wong Photography by Vernon Wong Illustration by Mar Kabayan At Direction by Orland Punzalan

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AKG N60NC WIRELESS The wireless version of last year’s AKG N60NC, and they pretty much follow exactly the same formula – small, lightweight, and portable.

Looks-wise, the N60NC wireless is an exact twin of the N60NC too, with the same perforated grill nish and just a slight change in button design.

There’s now extra buttons to activate wireless listening, as well as basic playback controls to adjust volume and skip tracks. The N60NC Wireless offers 15 hours of wireless playback (with ANC activated) and 30 hours via cable with ANC on a single charge. The charging cable has also changed, as the N60NC Wireless now uses a more traditional micro USB cable for charging.

Like the previous version, they will again work endlessly in passive mode if you simply connect it via cable. However, Bluetooth pairing only happens when the cable is unplugged, so that’s one thing to note if you’re wondering how to initiate the pairing.

In terms of noise-cancelling performance, we were again fairly impressed by these on-ear

headphones. They managed to hold their own thanks in part to plump ear cushions which offer good passive noise cancellation to start.

In terms of audio performance, the headphones give you a slightly forward sound with deep bass and pretty good performance across the audio spectrum. For example, on a recording of Rebecca Pidgeon’s Spanish Harlem, the headphone presents all of the musical instruments in the piece in good detail. There’s a nice, full bass from the cello in the piece, and Pidgeon’s vocals are presented with a haunting quality that really captures the listener.

On our formal test tracks, we’d say these performed best on Adele’s Melt My Heart to Stone, presenting the track with good naturalness and a nice warmth to Adele’s vocals, making it an engaging listen overall.

Overall, seems like the N60NC Wireless will work with any type of music from down tempo to classical to pop. In particular, tracks with a fairly heavy bass component will work well, though the forward nature and heavy bass can feel slightly overwhelming at times.

AT A GLANCE

Very light weight and compact.

TYPE On-ear wireless ANC headphones

Sound can get a bit faঞguing.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE 10-22,000Hz WEIGHT 199.4g PRICE $449

Simple volume buttons can be found on the right ear cup.

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The headphone folds away neatly for storage.

BANG & OLUFSEN BEOPLAY H9 The BeoPlay H9 features large ear cups with adaptive foam cushions wrapped in soft lambskin, and a neckband wrapped in genuine cowhide leather that’s meant to age nicely over time. Given the obvious quality of the headphones, we’re a little disappointed by the nondescript fabric pouch provided, but they probably make for a smaller overall package that’s easier to bring around with you.

We like that the headphones again feature removable batteries, but the t of the battery is so tight, we wouldn’t be surprised if you gave up trying to replace the batteries and instead tried to charge via USB and a regular powerbank instead (We tried; it works). Given that the headphones are rated for 14 hours of wireless music though, that’s probably not something you’ll have to worry about for the most part.

In terms of noise-cancelling, we were surprised to see that the H9 only performed about on par with the smaller N60NC wireless given that the H9 had an over-ear design that should offer more passive noise cancellation to start with.

Still, there’s a noticeable reduction in ambient sound once ANC is activated, and more importantly, the sound signature of the headphone isn’t affected.

The H9 offers a slightly laidback sound signature with good naturalness and fairly large sound stage. We thought its strengths seemed to be more in the upper ranges of the audio spectrum, as the headphone did better with tracks like Vivaldi’s Concerto No.1 in E-major “La Primavera” and Ana Caram’s Correnteza. The violin component in the former piece was extremely well rendered, with great verve presented. These headphones are capable of good clarity and it can give good body in the lower mids too, though we do wish it had a bit more in the lower ranges.

For example, on our formal test tracks, we found ourselves wishing there was just a bit more bass on Tiesto’s Elements of Life.

The headphones have the imaging capabilities to make you feel surrounded by sound, but without that bass kick the track just isn’t as intense as you’d expect it to be.

AT A GLANCE

Nice clean design with luxe features.

TYPE Over-ear wireless ANC headphones

Poor noise-cancelling abiliঞes.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE 20Hz-22kHz WEIGHT 295g PRICE $699

Touch controls on the earcup allow you to control playback.

The battery is user replaceable.

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BEATS STUDIO WIRELESS 3.0 The latest version of Wireless ANC headphones to come from Beats, the Studio Wireless 3.0 are quite a bit cheaper than the previous version, as they now retail for $478 down from the $590 before.

They get Apple’s W1 chip for “Class 1 Wireless Bluetooth connectivity and battery efficiency”, so you’ll now get 22 hours of wireless playback with ANC activated. It also gains a Fast Fuel that’s supposed to give you three hours of playback from just ten minutes of charging, so it’s denitely a headphone that’s meant to be used all day.

In terms of looks, The Studio Wireless 3.0 doesn’t deviate much from Beats headphones of generations past, but to their credit they’ve toned down the shiny look with new matte options, so the headphones don’t scream out for attention anymore.

What’s noticeably improved though; is the ANC. Beats now calls their ANC “Pure ANC”, and it leverages on Apple’s W1 chip to continuously detect and adjust for the environmental noise around

you. The Studio Wireless 3.0 surprised us by how much better ANC capabilities were compared to the previous version, so we do have to give kudos to the engineers at Beats for that.

In terms of audio performance, we thought the headphones had a pretty good sense of rhythm, as they handled faster tracks like Tiesto’s Elements of Life well. The headphone has a good sense of stereo imaging and is able to give good energy to the track, but could do with being a little tighter on the bassline.

It’s something that shows up on a track like My Friends by the Red Hot Chili Peppers too. The guitar intro starts the track off nicely, and the vocals are rendered fairly well throughout the piece too, but when the bass kicks in towards the middle it feels slightly bloated, throwing you off from the piece. The track also seemed to need a little bit more separation as the guitars got a little muddied through the bridge portion.

Still, we do think the headphones are improved acoustically compared to previous versions, so hopefully the trend continues.

AT A GL AT GLA G GLANCE LANC NCE N CE C E

Much improved ANC performance.

These lights indicate the battery life remaining.

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T TYP TYPE YP PE ANC O On Onn-e ea ear aOver-ear ar wiirrel w e elle essssswireless ess ANC head AN hea ead eadpho ad dp ph pho hon ho nes ne ess e headphones FRE FRE EQ QUE QU UENC NCY N CY RE RESPO SP S PO ONS ONSE NS NSE SE E 10 FREQUENCY 101 0 22, 22, 22 2,0 00 000 0 00Hz 00 RESPONSE 0Hz Hz 20Hz-20kHz WEI W WE EI EIG GH GHT HT T WEIGHT 19 199 99 9 9.4 .4g 4g 4 g 260g PR P PRI RIC RI CE E PRICE $4 $44 $ 4 44 449 49 $478

Sound not as rened as the others.

Touch controls on the earcup allow you to adjust volume.

BOSE QUIETCOMFORT 35 The only holdover from last year’s shootout; these actually do have a new version out that adds Google Assistant features.

But that particular model won’t arrive here till early next year, and acoustic performance is unchanged between models. As we mentioned last year, the Bose QuietComfort series has always been among the top noisecancelling headphones in the market, and the QuietComfort35 (henceforth QC35) continues to hold the flag as one of the best.

This headphone and the Sony MDR-1000XM2 remain the only headphones that create a palpable vacuum of noise when ANC is activated, and the resulting reduction in ambient noise truly lives up to the ANC promise.

Perhaps more importantly, you don’t hear much hissing or buzzing from the ANC system itself so you’re really left to enjoy your music with additional coloration.

In terms of audio, the QC35 seems to work pretty well with all genres of music. There’s

a nice warm bass, and it also seems to have a pretty good sense of rhythm and pace. In our testing, the headphone kept up well with Johnny Friggo’s I Love Paris, though we thought some of the lower notes could have been better defined. Vocals seem to be a strength with these headphones, as exhibited on a recording of Sara K’s If I could Sing Your Blues. With that track, Sara’s vocals were clearly the focus, with good separation from the rest of the instruments in the piece.

The headphone also seems to project a slightly wider soundstage than normal, as on our formal test tracks, it seemed the crowd in the track Hotel California by The Eagles was quite far away. The bass in the track was well handled, and the heavy guitar work in the piece also gave the headphone an opportunity to show off its strength in the mids.

Faster moving tracks also work well with this headphone, as the other test track the headphone did particularly well on was Tiesto’s Elements of Life.

AT AT A GLANCE GLA GLA GL LANC NCE CE C E

Good ANC and ba ery life.

Physical buttons on the earcup let you adjust volume.

TYPE TYP TY TYP YPE O ANC OnOn n n-ear ea e ar aOver-ear wiirre w rel elless less essssswireless ANC he AN ea ead a ad dp ph pho ho hon ne nes ess e headphones FRE FRE REQ QUE QU UENC UE NCY N CY C YR RE ESPO SP S P PO ONS NS NSE SE E 10 FREQUENCY 101 0-22, 22 22 2,,000 ,00 0RESPONSE 000 000Hz 00Hz Hz — WEI WE W EIIGH E GH GHT HT T WEIGHT 19 199 99 9 9.4g 4g 4g 310g PRIC PR PRI CE E PRICE $4 $ $44 44 4 49 $559

Rendering of instruments could be be er.

A simple switch activates noisecanceling.

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BOWERS & WILKINS PX The Bowers & Wilkins PX is a gorgeously designed pair of over-ear headphones that have a decidedly industrial look thanks to the machined aluminum nish and the liberal use of ballistic nylon shell on the ear pad covers. These fold at for easy storage, and also come with a nicely designed cloth pouch for travel.

The PX boasts added smarts that allow it to digitally up-sample all incoming audio to 768kHz, further enhancing the detail.

ANC can be altered on the go via a companion smart app, so you can choose how much of the environmental noise to let in via a slider or by choosing one of three presets. The headphone also has smart sensors to detect when an ear pad is off your ear, and will automatically pause playback, restarting it once it detects that both ear pads are on once more.

This not only saves you battery life, but also saves you having to backtrack to the right spot.

The headphone also impressed in terms of audio, as it was easily one of the most musical

of the group. A recording of Eric Clapton’s Layla from his Unplugged album was like a free ticket to the concert, because if you closed your eyes you can easily picture where everything was.

Clapton slightly off center, with the lead piano and his backup singers to the left. Bass is round and sweet, but not too overwhelming as to take over the track.

This was again reected in the PX’s rendition of Melt my Heart to Stone by Adele, as the headphone gives the bass line in this track good body and adequate depth.

Adele’s vocals have good clarity, and the drums (and cymbal work) anchor the entire piece nicely, while the piano work shows of the headphone’s capabilities on the high end.

Performance aside, our issues with the PX come from the fact that cushioning doesn’t extend out enough to properly support larger ears, so you may nd your ears squashed against the drivers.

ANC performance also lags slightly behind the Bose QC35 and the Sony WH-1000XM2.

AT A T A GL G GLA GLANCE LA LANCE NCE NC CE

Great sound quality overall.

The tiny button second from right engages the environmental listening function.

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TYPE TY T TYP YP YPE O Over-ear ANC OnOn n n-ear ea ea ar rw wiirrel re elless essssswireless AN A NC hea ea ead ad dphones ph pho p hone ho nes ess e headphones FRE FRE EQ QU QUE UEN UE NCY CY C Y RE RES SP SPO PO P ONSE ONSE NS SE SE 10 FREQUENCY 10 100-22, 22,0 22 000 00 0 00 00Hz RESPONSE 0Hz Hz 10Hz-20kHz WEI W WE EI EIG GH GHT HT HT WEIGHT 19 199 99.4 99 99.4g .4g 4g 4 g 335g PR PR PRI RIIC CE E PRICE $4 $ $44 $449 44 4 49 $569

Not comfortable for long periods of use.

The PX’s main cable is showcased as part of the design.

METERS OV҃1 Meters Music may seem like a new player to the headphone scene, but it’s actually an offshoot of Ashdown Engineering, a company that makes bass ampliers for acts like Lenny Kravitz and U2 amongst others.

Meters Music was established to better differentiate their consumer products from their professional ones, and the OV-1 is one of their rst ANC headphones.

It showcases a working VU (volume unit) meter on either side, and oversized ear cups with plush cushioning that easily engulf your ears. Despite being actual working meters that measure the output of the music you’re listening to, the meters serve more of an aesthetic function than a practical one; you can’t look at them with the headphones on can’t you? Still, the OV-1’s steampunk looks are a refreshing breath of air in a market ooded with staid designs.

Surprisingly though, the headphones aren’t as heavy as they look, coming in at just 372g (slightly more than a can of drink).

They were really comfortable on the head, and we thought the extra

cushioning added a level of passive noise cancellation to start. No surprise then that the headphone was among the better ones in terms of isolation when ANC was activated.

With Meters’ heritage in loudspeakers, it’s perhaps not surprising that the OV-1 has a more bassy sound signature compared to the rest, but they do give good detail too. With a recording of Spanish Harlem by Rebecca Pidgeon for example, the headphone does well to isolate Pidgeon’s vocals from the backing instruments. There’s a good sense of separation in the track, so you can quite easily pick out where each instrument is.

The headphone gives you very full sound in the mids and lows, but performance understandably suffers a little in the highs. On our formal test tracks for example, the headphone turns in an engaging presentation of Buckethead’s Sail on Soothsayer with good details from the lower mids down to the bass notes, but the highs seemed to lack that last bit of crispness the Sony and the Bowers & Wilkins were able to offer.

AT A GL AT G GLA GLANCE LA LANC NCE CE C E

Great comfort and design.

TYP TY TYP TYPE YPE O ANC headphones OnOn n n-Over-ear ea e ear ar a w wiirre rel elless less es ssss AN AN C he ea ead a ad dp ph pho ho hon ne nes ess e

Needs more renement in the highs.

F FRE FREQUENCY REQ RE QUE QU UENC UE NCY N CY C YR RE RESPONSE ESPO SP S P PO ONS NS NSE SE E 10 20Hz-20kHz 101 0-22, 22 22 2,,000 ,00 000Hz 000 000Hz Hz WEI W WE WEIGHT EIIGH E GH GHT HT T 372g 19 199 99 9 9.4g 4g 4g P PRI PR PRICE RIC CE E $4 $ $44 44 4 49 $500

The thick ear cushions give extra passive noise isolation.

Both ear cups feature a working VU meter on the side.

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SENNHEISER PXC 480 If the Sennheiser PXC 480 looks extremely familiar, it’s because it’s practically the wired version of last year’s PXC 550 Wireless.

Sennheiser says it offers you the same build quality and audio performance, so what you lose in return for a lower price and better battery life is simply the wireless capabilities and some of the appsupported features.

In terms of design, the PXC 480 is virtually identical to the PXC 550 save for the cable. It folds away neatly for storage, and of course offers the same high level of comfort thanks to the large cushions. Also worth noting, is that the ear cups swivel to let you easily get a good t without too much clamping.

ANC performance also seems the same as with the PXC 550.

That’s to say – very good, but still just behind the Bose QC35 and the Sony MDR-1000XM2. We’d say it’s on par with the Bower & Wilkins PX too, but without the app support that allows you to adjust the level of noise-cancelling at will; denitely one of the better ones

out there.

The PXC 480 demonstrated excellent audio performance across the board in our testing, with great detail and clarity that’s worthy of the HRA tag. On a recording of Ottmar Liebert’s Fireopal for example, the headphones produced a very substantial bass but balanced it with nice, crisp mids in the lead guitar. Throw on something like John Legend’s Ordinary People, and you’ll get sparkling highs from his piano, as well as good clarity in the mids in terms of Legend’s vocals.

No surprise then, that the headphone performs best with Hotel California by The Eagles when it comes to our formal test tracks. The intro starts with a nice mellow tone to the lead guitar, then brings in the cheers of the crowd nicely as the other guitars join in. Highs are nicely picked out, and there’s good weight on the lows in the form of the percussion drums that hold the beat. Needless to say, this is one of those headphones that really make you start up and listen.

AT A GLANCE

Excellent detail throughout the audio range.

TYPE Over-ear wireless ANC headphones

Noise-cancelling could be be er, even at its price.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE 17Hz-23kHz WEIGHT 225g PRICE $459

The tiny button below activates ANC.

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There’s no cushioning over the drivers in the ear cup.

SONY WH҃1000XM2 The nal headphone in our shootout, this is again an improved version of a contender from last year. With the WH1000XM2, Sony has kept the same drivers and tuning, but added some intelligent features to give you more control over your audio via an app on your smartphone.

You can now adjust the level of ambient sound, add a virtual surround sound effect, and even choose which direction you hear sounds from.

ANC performance is excellent again, as it really feels like the headphone creates its own bubble of sound once ANC is activated.

The headphone also gets even better battery life than before too, giving you 30 hours on a single charge so you’ll be able to enjoy your music without distractions for longer. Another welcome improvement is the addition of a quick charging feature, and that gives you 70 minutes of play from just 10 minutes of charge.

Sony has also included an Atmospheric Pressure Optimizing feature to take into account how pressure differences affect

sound so that should give even better performance in the air.

We didn’t quite get to take a ight to test that on, but we did run the headphone through our usual testing and found the audio performance to be as excellent as before.

For example, on a live recording of Old Love by Eric Claption on his Unplugged album, the headphone did an excellent job of imaging the entire set. Close your eyes and you can clearly picture the master slight off-center to your left, with the accompanying pianist to the right, and the bass guitar next off to the far right. The stereo imaging and detail of the headphone makes you feel like you’re really right in the crowd with front row seats to an excellent performance.

No surprise then that it does best on The Eagles’ Hotel California in our formal testing, as the acoustic instruments really play well to its strengths.

Bass is nice and warm, with good depth. Overall, it seems like the headphone will perform well on all genres of music, making it quite the versatile performer.

AT A GLANCE

Excellent noisecancelling and comfort.

Type Over-ear wireless ANC headphones

Touch pad controls take geমng used to.

Frequency response 4Hz-40kHz Weight 275g Price $549

The headphone features NFC for easy pairing.

ANC and ambient sound share the same button now.

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MODEL

TYPE

DRIVER FREQUENCY DIAMETER RESPONSE

AKG N60NC Wireless

On-ear wireless ANC

—

10Hz-22kHz

BATTERY LIFE (only ANC activated)

WEIGHT (without cable)

PRICE

30 hours

199.4g

S$449

20Hz-22kHz

21 hours

295g

S$699

—

20Hz -20kHz

22 hours

260g

S$478

—

—

20 hours

234g

S$529

10Hz – 20kHz

33 hours

335g

$569

20Hz - 20KHz

12 hours

372g

$500

headphones.

Bang & Olufsen

Over-ear wireless

40mm

BeoPlay H9

ANC headphones

Electro dynamic

Beats Studio 3

Over-ear wireless

Wireless

ANC headphones

Bose QuietComfort

Over-ear wireless

35

ANC headphones

Bowers & Wilkins PX

Over-ear wireless

40mm full

ANC headphones

range

Over-ear ANC

40mm

headphones

dome ANC

Over-ear ANC

—

17 Hz -23kHz

50 hours

225g

$459

Over-ear wireless

40mm,

4Hz - 40kHz

30 hours

275g

S$549

ANC headphones

dome

Meters OV-1

Sennheiser PXC480

headphones

Sony WH-1000XM2

type(CCAW Voice Coil)

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THE BEST ANC HEADPHONES ARE… TEST

BEST

PERFORMANCE

< SONY WH-1000XM2 It wasn’t broke, but Sony made it better. The WH-1000XM2 gives you the same great performance, even better battery life than before and some added smarts, all at a slightly lower price point too. Again, this is one headphone where you don’t suffer a huge drop in quality listening via wireless thanks to the various technologies built in, so it certainly gives you freedom to enjoy your music. The difference in noise-cancelling capabilities between this and the Bose QC35 is slight, but it’s denitely there. In terms of audio quality though, the WH-1000XM2 was only seriously challenged by the Bowers & Wilkins PX, which wasn’t as strong on the noise-canceling front. So, the WH-1000XM2 is easily our winning pick again.

TEST

BEST VALUE

AKG N60NC WIRELESS > Wireless listening capabilities? Check. Good noise-cancelling and audio performance?

Check. The N60NC Wireless is a stylish pair that will t easily into anyone’s lifestyle. It’s compact size means it travels well, and the well-rounded audio performance means the headphone will allow you to enjoy any genre of music with it. So add to that the impressive 30-hour battery life (15 hours on wireless) and the comfortable ear cushions, and you have a formula for hours of audio enjoyment. It doesn’t hurt that it’s the most affordable headphone here too.

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The Future of iPhone

Apple iPhone X

By James Lu

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you’ll nd on the 8 Plus, but the telephoto lens is an upgraded f/2.4 shooter (the 8 Plus has an f/2.8 telephoto lens). The benet of both lenses being optically stabilized is that there’s now no downside to shooting in zoom mode.

Okay, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the display notch. Some apps use iOS’s auto-layout system and ll the entire screen, but will often have content disappearing behind the notch or will be cut off at the sides due to the unusual aspect ratio. Other apps that don’t ll the screen instead have huge black borders at the top and bottom. Now I understand that eventually these problems will go away as more app developers update their apps for

PICTURES APPLE

The iPhone X is the most exciting iPhone since… well the rst iPhone.

Much of that is due to its new bezel-less 5.8-inch Super Retina HD OLED display. The 5.8-inch display has a 2,436 x 1,125 pixels resolution (~458ppi) but because of its tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio, it’s not actually that big. In fact, the X is closer to the iPhone 8 in size than it is to the 8 Plus, and if you watch regular 16:9 aspect ratio content on it,

there’ll be big black bezels on either side, so it will appear about the same size as a phone with a 5-inch display.

While the bezel-less display is the focal point of the new iPhone, it’s not the only shiny new thing on the X - quite literally. The X has a new stainless-steel band that runs around the sides of the phone; on the Silver model it’s a gleaming chrome nish, while the Space Gray X gets a DLC coating that is equally reective, but not quite as ashy.

Like the 8 and 8 Plus, the back of the X is glass, which enables wireless charging.

The X also boasts a dualrear camera setup like the 8 Plus, only this time, both 12-megapixel cameras have OIS. The wide-angle lens is the same f/1.8 lens

the X, but for now it’s an annoyance and it spoils my enjoyment of an otherwise amazing display.

The other big new feature on the X is Face ID. Everything on the X revolves around Face ID: it’s how you unlock your phone, it’s how you use Apple Pay, it’s what enables Animoji, it’s the whole reason the notch in the display exists.

So does Face ID work?

Yes... for the most part.

The technology behind Face ID uses an IR light, a dot projector, and a IR camera, collectively called the “TrueDepth camera” all tucked into the notch at the top of screen. When you turn the display on the IR light turns on, and if the IR camera detects a face, the dot projector ashes a pattern of 30,000 dots. The camera then takes a 2D photo, which gets turned into mathematical depth model, sent to the secure authentication chip, and matched against the stored value. This all happens in under a second, and in theory, it’s just as fast as Touch ID. Generally speaking, Face ID works great. Raise the phone, look at it, and your screen unlocks. But it’s not perfect and sometimes it takes longer than usual to

unlock. It also requires you to look at the phone from a mostly head-on angle, and it doesn’t work if your phone is sideways or upside down.

Like the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, the iPhone X uses Apple’s new A11 Bionic processor. As expected, benchmark performance on the X was class-leading, and it easily blew away every Android competitor.

As for battery life, the X lasted twelve and a half hours on our video looping benchmark, which is nearly two hours longer than the iPhone 8, but slightly shorter than the 8 Plus.

The iPhone X is the iPhone we’ve been waiting for, and nally delivers an

CONCLUSION

ambitious and forwardfacing take on what an iPhone can be. But like a lot of rst-generation hardware, it’s not without aws. Face ID works, but it’s not the nely-tuned perfection that is Touch ID; the new Super Retina HD display looks amazing, but it’s spoiled by that notch.

New things come at a price too: the iPhone X is extremely expensive. If you’re still on the fence, stick with whatever iPhone you already have or go for an 8 or 8 Plus instead. Wait for Apple to ne-tune Face ID and work out how to cram all of those TrueDepth camera sensors into a smaller package.

The iPhone you’ve been waiting for, but it’s not perfect.

AT A GLANCE

OPERATING SYSTEM iOS 11 PROCESSOR Apple A11 Bionic hexa-core BUILT-IN MEMORY 3GB RAM DISPLAY 5.8-inch Super Retina HD 2,436 x 1,125 pixels (458ppi) OLED CAMERA Dual 12-megapixel (f/1.8, 28mm & f/2.4, 56mm), OIS BATTERY 2,716mAh DIMENSIONS 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm WEIGHT 174g PRICE From $1,648

The aluminum frame has been replaced with a shiny stainless steel.

8.5

T E S T E D & R AT E D

/10

The rear cameras on the iPhone X are vertically orientated.

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T E S T

Colors that live in true blacks Panasonic 65-inch EZ1000 OLED TV

By Ng Chong Seng

AT A GLANCE

TECHNOLOGY OLED RESOLUTION 3,840 x 2,160 pixels HDR SUPPORT HDR10,�HLG HDMI INPUTS 4 PRICE $10,999

4K TVs. It has four HDMI 2.0 inputs, supports HDR10 and�HLG�HDR formats (but not Dolby Vision), and runs Panasonic’s easy to understand My Home Screen 2.0 smart TV platform. If you’re like me and prefer to keep your home screen simple, you’ll be well pleased.

Intelligent Frame Creation (a frame interpolation setting) to the lowest setting to improve motion resolution.

Turning on Clear Motion also improved motion sharpness, but this caused a slight dip in brightness.

With a peak brightness of about 650 nits and a wide

done trim, and a cool-looking pedestral that creates a oating TV look.

The hefty stand that runs across the bottom is actually part of a Dynamic Balde Speaker system that houses no less than 14 speaker units (eight woofers, four squawkers, two tweeters, and a quad passive radiator).

While this Technics-tuned soundbar doesn’t support Dolby Atmos, it still generates room-lling sound and offers good stereo separation.

Feature-wise, the EZ1000 doesn’t veer too much from the other premium

Out of the box, the True Cinema and Professional picture modes offer the most realistic and accurate colors.

The EZ1000 has an excellent color management system too, but my review set was pretty spot on that I didn’t feel the need for drastic re-calibration. About the only thing I did was to set the

color gamut (99% DCI-P3), HDR truly shines on the EZ1000. HDR10 4K Blu-rays and Netix streams all delivered exceedingly good contrast, with plenty of detail in specular highlights as well as in the shadows. While it couldn’t go as bright as some of the best LCD TVs, the true blacks and excellent viewing

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CONCLUSION

The EZ1000’s OLED panel and image processor combine well to offer excellent HDR and SDR performances.

angles more than made up for it. Even ‘normal’ SDR content looked great. Overall, Panasonic’s Studio Color HCX2 processor is a peach.

The TV also worked well as a gaming display, with a very low input lag not too dissimilar to LG’s W7 and G7 OLED TVs. With the EZ1000, Panasonic has shown that it is a serious player in the premium OLED space. With the right price, Pansonic has a winner on its hands.

8.5

T E S T E D & R AT E D

/10

SINGAPORE

PICTURES PANASONIC

The EZ1000 is Panasonic’s agship TV going up against the likes of LG’s E7 and Sony’s A1 OLED TV series. It attempts to strike a balance between an eye-catching and unobtrusive design; mostly pulling it off thanks to a negligible screen bezel, a glossy but tastefully

Integrating the speaker into the stand means all you see on the screen is the content.

T E S T

I’ll admit I took this review on a whim.

The new TR Mini intrigued me because unlike the standard TR series, Casio dispensed with the charade that they’re selling a digital camera that’s good at taking seles and went for

Selfie game stronk!

to maintain lighting at different distances.

Through the Exilim Connect app, you can automatically transfer

Casio TR-M11

photos wirelessly to your

By Zachary Chan

take before posting your shots on Instagram. Casio’s

phone; one less step to

the jugular: a digital camera

strength is in software

that’s only purpose IS

here, but they probably

taking seles. The clamshell design means you won’t be

need to widen the scope of what make-up mode can

pointing the lens anywhere

do in the future. Perhaps

else except your face, and

the inclusion of masks and

we’re not even talking about full body shots.

The camera features a 13MP sensor, but your shots are limited to about 10M or 8M as shooting ratios are xed at 4:3 or 1:1. Shutter, ISO and white balance are all auto, but specications is not important here. What you do get is a whole range of

lters?

Judging purely on technical capabilities, I would rate the TR Mini poorly. However, this is not about the specs, it’s about the experience. I’ve combed TR fan blogs and social media groups and you’ve got to hand it to Casio.

They know what their users

CONCLUSION

This isn’t a camera.

It’s a beauty portrait generator.

Don’t worry, the top cap is meant to be snapped off to access the microSD slot.

PICTURES CASIO

options to tweak make-up mode, from skin tone to smoothness. Additional effects include eye bag and mole remover; it can even digitally insert catchlights.

All make-up modes work awlessly on video as well.

The only problem here is that the mono mic picks up too much background noise in video shoots.

The main draw of the TR Mini is an 8-LED ring light array, plus an

additional LED at the base of the clamshell. Since the camera is meant to be used up close, the ring light provide uniform lighting.

You can set different pre-programmed lighting modes which would activate different LED groupings. The question is, do they work? Yes, in a dim, conned space.

Otherwise, the LEDs aren’t bright enough to make a difference even at arms length. Perhaps Casio could have included adjustable brightness steps

AT A GLANCE

SENSOR 1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS MEGAPIXELS 10.5MP effective (12.76MP total) LENS 21mm, F2.8 STORAGE 50MB built-in, microSD support PRICE $699

want. And for this, I can nd no wrong with the TR Mini.

At $699, it’s cheaper than the regular TR80 too. For its target crowd, this is the denition of a “Shut up and take my money” product.

7.5

T E S T E D & R AT E D

/10

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When Logitech unveiled the MX Master back in 2015, it quickly became a favorite

a mix of PCs or Macs too. All

Hail the Master

you need to do is to install Logitech Options, enable Flow on your computers,

Logitech MX Master 2S

because of its ergonomic design and customizability.

Two years on, its successor,

and connect them to the same network. Flow can

By Kenny Yeo

even be used to copy and

the MX Master 2S is here.

paste text and les between

It is hard to tell the

computers.

The older MX Master

difference from the outside because the two are

mouse had this little switch

identical in terms of design.

located on the underside

Why x what ain’t broken

to manually switch

right? The MX Master 2S

between desktops, which was cumbersome. So for

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power users working with multiple systems, Flow is an invaluable tool.

Finally, the icing on the cake is the improved battery life. The new MX Master 2S now boasts a battery life of 70 days, up from 40 days in the original.

If you need a mouse for work, few can match the Logitech MX Master 2S’s wide breadth of abilities.

TEST

EDITOR’S CHOICE

AT A GLANCE

WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY Bluetooth, Unifying receiver SENSITIVITY Up to 4,000 DPI

CONCLUSION

As far as productivity mice go, the MX Master 2S is peerless.

BATTERY LIFE Up to 70 days

9.5

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NUMBER OF BUTTONS 7

/10

WEIGHT 145g

SINGAPORE

PRICE $149 Users can customize the MX Master 2S using the Logitech Options app.

PICTURES LOGITECH

remains a joy to hold, although it also continues to be more suited for righthanders.

One of the big changes to the MX Master 2S lies under the proverbial hood. The mouse still uses a Darkeld sensor, which lets it track on just about any surface, including glass, but it is now more sensitive. The sensor now tracks up to 4,000 DPI, making it noticeably smoother and more accurate. That being said, it is still not an ideal device for gaming.

Elsewhere, the MX Master 2S retains its seven buttons and two scroll wheels, all of which are customizable using the excellent Logitech Options app. The app offers deep customization and you can even set up specic behaviors for specic apps.

This way you could use the side thumb wheel to scroll through tabs in your web browser and then have it works as a horizontal scroll wheel when viewing spreadsheets.

Another big addition is a new feature called Logitech Flow, which lets you seamlessly control up to three computers using a single MX Master 2S (or another Flow-enabled mouse). Oh, and this can be

T E S T MSI’s new GT75VR 7RF Titan Pro belongs to a rareed breed of laptops that has always seemed slightly puzzling to me. They’re hulking pieces of plastic and metal, with swooping lines and gaping exhaust vents reminiscent of muscle cars.

They also tend to cost upward of $5,000, so they’re often pilloried for costing more than a high-end desktop. At $5,899, the Titan

A Titan in more than just name MSI GT75VR 7RF Titan Pro

By Koh Wanzi

Pro is a prime candidate for such criticism, even if it’s armed to the teeth with components that can put a desktop to shame.

The 120Hz display is one of its key features, and it’ll let you take full advantage of the powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 and overclockable

AT A GLANCE

DISPLAY 17.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080-pixel 120Hz TN PROCESSOR Intel Core i7-7820HK processor (2.9GHz, 8MB L3 cache)

CONCLUSION O ON

A super p powerful p f gaming g g la lapt ptop p op p bogged down by chunky design design, nois noisy isy y fans, and steep price. noticeable if you’re used to IPS gaming displays.

Furthermore, viewing angles are poor, typical for a TN screen. That said, most gamers will probably care more about the 120Hz

keyboard feels great, and there’s a nice clicky feel to the switches.

The two 256GB SSDs in RAID 0 provide blazing fast storage performance, with speedy sequential read

how noisy the fans are. The cooling system does its job

refresh rate than color reproduction.

and write speeds, so nearly every aspect of the laptop

well, but the fans are so loud they actually get in the way of

One standout feature is support for 10Gbps Ethernet, courtesy of the Aquantia AQtion 10Gbit Network Adapter. This is a rst for

comes tuned for top-notch performance.

However, these luxuries come at a price, and the Titan Pro is awfully thick and heavy.

voice chat in Discord or Skype during gaming.

processor under the hood.

Games should appear buttersmooth, but we’d have also

a laptop. Then there’s the SteelSeries Rapid RGB mechanical keyboard, which

It measures 58mm thick and weighs 4.56kg. Battery life isn’t great either, so you’ll

liked to see G-Sync support at this price.

The TN panel also produces slightly muted

may just be one of the best parts of this laptop. It uses low-prole Kailh switches, and you get up to 3.4mm of

need its huge power adapter with you at all times if you do try to bring it with you beyond your desk.

colors, which is especially

total key travel distance. The

Another gripe we have is

MEMORY 32GB DDR4-2400 GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 STORAGE 2 x 256GB PCIe SSDs RAID 0 PRICE $5,899

The Titan Pro supports output to three external 4K displays.

7.5

T E S T E D & R AT E D

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PICTURES MSI

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L E A R N

/

BE SMARTER

SMARTPHONE CREATIVITY GUIDE Because the best camera is the one thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always with you.

By TEAM HWM

PICTURE LG

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HOW TO SHOOT BETTER VIDEOS WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE Video is fast becoming the most popular content shared on social media and thanks to smartphones, recording professional-looking videos, whether you’re vlogging, recording an event, or even shooting your own indie lm, has never been as easy. By James Lu

FRAMING

When shooting people there are three types of shot you’ll want to use:

> Full

ORIENTATION

Nothing ruins a video like having two black vertical bars along the sides of your video. Avoid this amateur mistake by always shooting in landscape orientation while recording. Not only does landscape make your video look more aesthetically pleasing in general, it’ll also make it t properly on any TV

24 FPS creates an imperceptible stutter that creates a pleasing, cinematic effect. It will make your footage look less like real life, but more like a big screen movie.

> 60 FPS For more uid, life-like video, shoot at 60 frames per second. This setting

A full shot shows the entire subject’s body from head to toe.

It’s used to give a subject context in their setting and is often used as an establishing shot.

> Medium A medium shot shows the subject from about the waist up.

It’s useful for a when a subject is conveying information and it still allows you to still see them interacting with their

or computer screen.

is ideal for capturing events like birthdays and weddings, as it will look the most true to life.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT FPS

> 120/240 FPS

more emphasis is being placed on

Most smartphones let you change

Generally speaking, you’ll only

the subject.

the settings you’re shooting video at.

While many will default to 30 frames

shoot at above 60 FPS if you’re shooting slow-motion footage.

> Close

per second, it may not be the best setting for the type of video you’re shooting.

This is great for creating dramatic effects while shooting sports or other fast-paced action. For

A close up focuses on the subject’s

24 frames per second may seem

reference, 120 FPS will let you playback about ve times slower

slow, but it’s the standard used in all Hollywood movies. Shooting at

than normal, and 240 FPS will be ten times slower.

bit of the shoulders. Close ups place emphasis on the subjects facial expressions to help convey

> 24 FPS

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| DECEMBER 2017

face. Generally speaking, you’ll shoot their head, neck and a

emotion.

PICTURES LG

88

environment. With a medium shot the setting has already been established in prior shots and

ADVANCED TIPS

To take your videos to the next level, consider a smartphone with advanced recording options like the LG V30+.

The V30+’s Cine Video mode lets you shoot professional-looking video footage from your phone.

The mode’s Cine Effect is great for setting the tone of your video.

There’s a palette of 15 presets – Romantic Comedy, Summer Blockbuster, Melodrama, Noir, etc. to start you off, and you can also adjust the intensity of the colors and add vignette effects to capture the perfect mood. According to LG, the colors applied in Cine Effect were developed in collaboration with post-production coloration experts.

Cine Video also offers a great zoom feature called Point Zoom.

Instead of only zooming in and out on the center subject, Point Zoom lets you zoom in anywhere

However, Log format also preserves the color gamut in the saved les, which lets you easily adjust them in

on the screen for dramatic effect.

Best of all, Point Zoom’s smooth zoom motion replicates the look of a professional camera dolly. Just tap on the screen where you want to zoom in, and drag the slider to zoom in and out.

post-production.

Currently, the only smartphone that can shoot footage in Log format is the LG V30+. To enable it, open the LG V30+ camera app, tap on Mode, select Manual Video, then go to Settings, and scroll to the bottom to turn on Save as LG-Cine Log. A useful tip for shooting in Log is to use the Display LUT mode.

Display LUT (Look Up Table) will add some of the color back to your footage while shooting, but just as a reference on your display. The actual saved video will have the same at color prole.

SHOOT IN CINE LOG FORMAT

For the best quality video, you need to shoot in Log format. If you’re unfamiliar with this, it’s basically the equivalent of shooting photos in RAW. Essentially, Log format shoots footage with a much atter image, meaning colors will look more subdued. This allows the camera sensor to focus more on light and increase the dynamic range.

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7 WAYS TO TAKE BETTER PHOTOS WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE

The camera on our smartphones, like the LG V30+, is the most important in our lives. Here’s how to make the best use of it. By Alvin Soon

1. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LIGHT

Photography is all about the light. Directional light provides shape with shadows, variations in lighting creates contrast between light and dark areas.

Whenever a photo feels ‘at,’ chances are you need better light. Good sources of light: beside a window, during sunrise and sunset, and warm sources of articial light.

2. USE THE WIDE-ANGLE

LENS FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT

A wide-angle lens is usually used to capture more of the landscape, since it can ‘see’ more than a normal lens. However, you can also make use of the wide-angle lens on the LG V30+ for dramatic effect, as wide-angle lenses distort perspectives and make verticals converge.

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L E A R N

3. TRY TRACKING FOCUS

4. USING MANUAL MODE

The challenge with ‘normal’ autofocus is that if your subject moves after focus is acquired, you can actually lose focus. If that happens to you, try turning on ‘tracking focus’ in Settings.

Tracking focus will lock on to your subject, and attempt to follow it even if your subject, or your camera, moves, adjusting focus as it goes.

To get more from the LG V30+’s camera, check out Manual mode. Manual mode opens up the controls for the camera, letting you set parameters like white balance, shutter speed and ISO. This becomes especially useful if you want to try more sophisticated shots, like longexposure photos on a tripod.

Increase the shutter speed and lower the ISO accordingly, and you can grab moments like starlit skies or motion blur.

5. USE THE RULE OF THIRDS

Subjects placed smack right in the center of a frame can make a photograph look boring, because the image is weighted equally. In contrast, placing your subject along a third of the frame, a principle also known as the ‘rule of thirds,’ helps make a photo more dynamic, as the image has uneven weight.

6. MATCH SHOT LETS YOU

GET FUNNY CONTRASTS

Photography is more than just about artsy statements, it can also be fun and whimsical.

Smartphones are great for this because there’s an app for every style, and your phone probably has some interesting shooting modes as well. Try the LG V30+’s Match Shot mode for example, which combines two images together in new and interesting ways.

7. USE GUIDE SHOT TO HELP

YOU LEARN

Everyone can always learn how to shoot well, and modern smartphones are again better at this than a standard camera.

The LG V30+ for example, has a Guide Mode, which overlays a well-taken image over the viewnder to help you get the composition right. You can even add your own photos to learn how to shoot just like your favorite photographers.

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SOUNDS BETTER ON MOBILE What is High Resolution Audio, and how your smartphone is now the best audio player there is.

By Marcus Wong

High Resolution Audio (HRA) has been the buzzword for the last few years, with more and more manufacturers producing products with the HRA logo on them. Think dedicated devices like the Sony NW-ZX Walkmans, Onkyo DP-X1A and even some of today’s smartphones, like the LG V30+. These all have their own set of quality DACs (Digital Analog Converters) that are capable of handling HRA. Even music streaming services like Tidal, Qobuz and Deezer are coming out with services that promise “better-than-CD” quality.

Obviously, HRA is here to stay. But what does it really mean? And how is it different from your regular MP3?

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FLAC / AIFF /WAV FLAC / AIFF /WAV

24bit / 192kHz

24bit / 96kHz

HI-RES

COMPACT DISC CD-DA

1411Kbps - 16bit / 44.1kHz

NORMAL MP3 MP3

128 - 320Kbps

AUDIO QUALITY DIFFERENCES

CONVERTING ANALOG AUDIO TO DIGITAL

Ideal Sound Wave

WHAT IS HIGH RESOLUTION AUDIO?

PICTURES 123RF

Well, for starters it’s important to note that the denition of “High Resolution Audio” isn’t set in stone.

Unlike High Denition Video, the parameters of what qualies as HRA and what doesn’t haven’t been properly dened yet. For the most part, it just refers to audio that has a higher sampling frequency and greater bit depth than CD (16bit/44.1kHz).

That’s been further formally dened by Digital Entertainment Group, Consumer Electronics Association and The Recording Academy together with various record labels as: “Lossless audio that is capable of reproducing the full range of sound from recordings that have been mastered from better than CD quality music sources” This means that it’s not one particular le format, but several possible ones. FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), WAV, AIFF and DSD are several of the formats that offer lossless audio in the required quality.

Hi-res Bit rate

Bit rate

Non Hi-res

Frequency

THE SPECIFICS

You’ll generally nd HRA les at 24bit/192kHz (bit depth/sampling frequency), but les at 88.2 kHz and 176.4kHz can be considered HRA too, so long as they provide better than CD quality audio. As we mentioned earlier, as long as it’s a lossless format that’s captured from a higher than CD-quality source, (i.e.

16bit/44.1kHz) it’s HRA. But what do those numbers mean really? Well, just think of it as a painting. Bit depth is like the number of colors you have to use, while Sampling Frequency is like the number of strokes you get to nish the painting. The higher both numbers are, the closer you can get to reproducing the original.

That’s especially true because we’re recording an analog source into digital, so everything is converted to a series of 1’s and 0’s. This means that instead of reproducing a smooth curve that follows the sound wave, we’re trying to get an approximation of the curve with a square wave – not the easiest thing to do.

Frequency

MASTER QUALITY AUTHENTICATED

Just like how a 1080p video le upsampled to 4K isn’t true 4K, you can’t convert your MP3s into FLAC and expect HRA. If you don’t relish re-encoding all your CDs again or just don’t have CDs to begin with, you can start your HRA journey by heading to online music stores such as HDTracks (hdtracks.com), Naim Audio (naimaudio.com), and 7Digital (7digital.com).

Now what about Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)? Well, this is a relatively new encoding technology capable to creating HRA les the size of an MP3. The only caveat is that you need an MQA capable decoder to benet from it. If you don’t want to spend money on another dedicated device, the LG V30+ is the rst globally available smartphone to support MQA out-of-the-box, making it one of the best HRA audio players around.

Even streaming services, such as Tidal and Deezer are starting to adopt MQA, so you can be sure that HRA isn’t just an option available for the audiophile, the future of streaming will be HRA too.

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WHAT IS NANO USM AND WHY SHOULD IT MATTER WHEN CHOOSING A ZOOM LENS? Canon’s engineers came up with a way to make lenses lighter and more precise, literally by making its components much smaller, and functionally too, because you now only need one zoom lens for both stills and video.

Here’s how the magic works.

By Zachary Chan

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

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have exactly the same optical specications; 18-135mm telephoto length and f3.5-5.6 aperture.

All three lenses have image stabilization, as indicated by the IS designation.

What’s actually different about these lenses is the mechanism that drives the lens elements during autofocus as you’re shooting. The original lens uses a more traditional micro motor to drive its focusing.

As videography became more prominent among DSLR uses, the second lens with a new Stepping Motor (STM) was introduced. STM achieved two things: silent and smooth AF operation while shooting video. However, while STM was great for videography, it wasn’t

quite capable of keeping up with the speeds required by modern highspeed phase detect AF systems, such as Canon’s own Dual Pixel CMOS AF.

ENTER NANO USM

The term USM stands for UltraSonic Motor, and there are actually three different types of USM implementations. The rst two— Ring USM and Micro USM—drive the lens through rotational movement, and can be found in heavier and professional range of Canon lenses specically designed for high-speed photography. These are not the focus of this article.

Nano USM is the latest, and smallest iteration of this technology.

It is also the rst to marry the speed

PICTURES CANON

We’re normally more caught up in the advances made to a camera body than the lenses that accompany it, and rightly so, because that’s where all the megapixels, varied autofocuses, and image processors are all located after all. What about lenses then? Are they just the sum of their focal lengths and aperture ratings?

Take Canon’s standard EF-S 18-135mm zoom lens for example.

There have been multiple versions of this lens, the EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS from 2009, the EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM released in 2012, and the EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM released in 2016.

You’ll notice that all three lenses

“NANO USM TAKES THE BEST OF BOTH USM AND STM TO MAKE THE IDEAL LENS FOR STILLS AND VIDEO.” and responsiveness of USM for still photography and STM for smooth and silent videography.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The motor itself is so tiny, it ts on the tip of your nger. The Nano USM component is actually a combination of a ceramic piezoelectric element and an elastic metal body. When current is applied to the element, the body exes and changes shape.

Depending on the type and rate of the current applied, precise control of the exing is achievable, generating the high-speed ultrasonic vibrations required to move the lens elements, which in

turn results in incredibly quick and responsive focusing.

Unlike the Ring- and Micro- type USM implementations, Nano USM uses a linear drive similar to STM. In fact, they’re basically the same in principle. Both implementations use a guide bar to move the focal lens in a straight-line motion.

In the STM implementation, actuation is achieved using a leadtype screw and rack assembly driven by a stepping motor. The stepping motor functions using pulse signals to drive small minute movements, which translates to a silent, smooth and continuous AF that’s required for videography. But, as mentioned before, STM is unable to match

USM in terms of driving speed and responsiveness.

The Nano USM implementation replaces the entire mechanical stepping motor, lead-type screw and rack assembly of a traditional STM, leaving just the Nano USM itself to drive the focal lens along the guide bar. Not only does this reduce the complexity of the lens assembly, it also helps to reduce size and weight of the entire lens.

This is why Nano USM-equipped lenses such as the EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM and EF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 IS II USM are ideal for any situation, be it high-speed, highprecision AF for still photography or quiet and smooth AF for videography.

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A TRIP THROUGH GEEK HISTORY Samsung Innovation Museum, Suwon-si, South Korea

By Alvin Soon

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PICTURES SAMSUNG

Located about one and a half hours away from the heart of Seoul, the Samsung Innovation Museum is actually not just about Samsung. Five oors of exhibitions take you through a pretty thorough history of modern technology, from the discovery of electricity to the rst transistors, from the rst wooden barrel washing machines to the rst black and white TVs, from the rst massive mobile phones to the latest smartphones.

Expect, of course, a oor full of the latest Samsung products, but also a fascinating display of Samsung’s beginnings and early products. The SIM is open from Monday to Friday (reservations only), and on Saturdays, as well as national holidays.

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