Microsoft Surface Go pre-order starts now from RM1749
What's up, TechNavers? In this week's NewsBytes, we are starting off with the announcement of availability for the Microsoft Surface Go. As mentioned in our previous post, the Surface Go is now on pre-order starting from RM1749 and will officially launch in the Malaysia market on 28 August 2018 at any authorized retailers.
There are two models for the Surface Go, which are the 4GB RAM/64GB eMMC (RM1749) and 8GB RAM/128GB SSD (RM2399). Also, there are several accessories for the tablet including the Surface Go Type Cove, a new Surface Mobile Mouse and a Surface Pen that are sold separately, with a price range of RM144 - RM549. To read the full specifications and retailer outlets, you can check it out at their newsroom page here.
Wacom introduces a new Intuos pen tablet
Are you one of those modern artists that are in the digital art platform? You might want to check out Wacom, a global company based in Japan that provides state-of-the-art hardware and software for drawing, painting and image editing. Recently, they have announced a new and improved Intuos pen tablet for both beginners and veterans.
Available in both small (RM326 without Bluetooth, RM464 with Bluetooth) and medium-sized (RM878 with Bluetooth), the tablet area has a smaller footprint and lighter weight along with a built-in pen tray, four express keys, an LED indicator and in the Bluetooth models. The tablets have a 60% battery improvement and the pen boasts 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, battery-free Wacom EMR technology, and an improved ergonomic design for better handling.
Digital artists who purchase the new Wacom Intuos can download up to $160 (~RM651) worth of creative software, including Corel Painter Essentials 6 for design and illustration, CELSYS CLIP STUDIO PAINT PRO for comic and Magna creation, and Corel AfterShot 3 for photo editing. You can find out more about the devices here.
Samsung opens a new Smart Community Centre at RPS Legap, Sungai Siput
As Samsung Malaysia Electronics continues their Love & Care campaign, they have just recently launched a new Samsung Smart Community Centre within the rural areas of RPS Legap in Sungai Siput, Perak. So what did the rural people get from the company? Well, just some Samsung tablets, a 65-inch UHD Smart TV, 24-inch LED monitors, a refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, and wall-mounted air conditioners.
This villager from RPS Legap happily engaging with YAB Tuan Ahmad Faizal bin Dato’ Haji Azumu, Chief Minister of Perak (front right)
A collaborative effort with Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (JAKOA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), YAB Tuan Ahmad Faizal bin Dato’ Haji Azumu, Chief Minister of Perak said:
“Congratulations to the parties in stepping up to make a difference in people’s lives. Thanks to this initiative, the residents of RPS Legap will now receive digital education which will drive their ambitions and inspire them to achieve more. Let’s continue to support the national agenda in using ICT towards achieving a knowledge-based nation, and do our part for our community towards a better Malaysia,”
For more information about the Samsung Smart Community Centre in RPS Legap, you can read the full story over here.
Western Digital Begins Sampling 1.33 Terabit, Four-Bits-Per-Cell, 96-Layer 3D NAND
Meanwhile, Western Digital has been busy developing a new second generation four-bits-per-cell architecture for 3D NAND. This allows them to push for a higher storage capacity of 1.33 terabits (TB) in a single chip (that's right, CHIP) thanks to the QLC technology. It was implemented for the company’s 96-layer BiCS4 device which was developed at the joint venture flash manufacturing facility in Yokkaichi, Japan with their partner Toshiba Memory Corporation.
“Leveraging Western Digital’s silicon processing, device engineering and system integration capabilities, the QLC technology allows 16 distinct levels to be sensed and utilized for storing data, BiCS4 QLC is our second generation four-bits-per-cell device, and it builds on the learnings from our QLC implementation in 64-layer BiCS3. With the best intrinsic cost structure of any NAND product, BiCS4 underscores our strengths in developing flash innovations that allow our customers’ data to thrive across retail, mobile, embedded, client and enterprise environments. We expect the four-bits-per-cell technology will find mainstream use in all these applications.” said Dr. Siva Sivaram, executive vice president, Silicon Technology and Manufacturing at Western Digital.
That's pretty cool, I guess. The possibilities are endless with a chip that stores 1.33TB! You can check out the full story over at their newsroom here.
SamSam the Ransomware
Did we just make that name up? Nope, it's a real ransomware and a threat to the cyber world. According to Sophos, a global leader in network and endpoint security, they have released an in-depth investigation on the ransomware that first appeared in December 2015, providing a good understanding of how this ransomware attacks. According to Peter Mackenzie, Global Malware Escalations Manager at Sophos, he said:
“Most ransomware is spread in large, noisy and untargeted spam campaigns using simple techniques to infect victims and demand relatively small sums in ransom. What sets SamSam apart is that it’s a targeted attack tailored to cause maximum damage and ransom demands are measured in the tens of thousands of dollars. The attack method is surprisingly manual, and more cat burglar than smash-and-grab. As a result, the attacker can employ countermeasures to evade security tools and if interrupted can delete all trace of itself immediately, to hinder investigation.”
That's the bad news, but good thing that there is a way to countermeasure this. You can refer to the detailed whitepaper here, as well as an article on naked Security here.
musical.ly and TikTok join forces
Onto the more fun stuff, TikTok and musical.ly are now working together to create a new global app with the same TikTok name. What's the difference? Well, there's a new logo, a personalized viewing experience and offers more creative tools to make your videos.
Don't fret, you don't need to make a new account as existing creators’ from both musical.ly and TikTok accounts, content and fan base will move automatically to the new TikTok app. You can download the new version in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store now for free. Read more about the unified app in their newsroom here.
That's all, folks! Stay tuned for more NewsBytes at TechNave.com.
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