Latest News

Intel Corporation recently announced their new Intel Xeon E7-8800/4800 v3 range for server side super computer clusters and private clouds. Designed to deliver accelerated business insight through real-time analytics (being able to process big data in an instant) the new Intel Xeon E7-8800/4800 v3 range delivers up to 6x better business processing application performance for in-memory transactional workloads. It is further optimized with new Intel Transactional Synchronization Extensions. In terms of tech specs alone the Intel Xeon E7-8800/4800 v3 feature up to 18 cores which is a 20 percent increase from it's predecessor for up to 70 percent more decision support analytic sessions per hour. The new processor range offer new options in terms of scalability with support for up to 32 sockets, 12TB of DDR3 or DDR4 memory and 12 processor models so you can choose the right Intel Xeon E7 v3 for your computational needs at will. Pricing begins from $1224 (RM4368) to $7175 (RM25610) per 1000 units with Intel Xeon E7 v3 powered products coming soon. Here's what Intel had to say about the new range, but you can also check out more at the Intel site:

“In the digital services economy, success or failure can depend on how quickly businesses act on insight from vast stores of data. The Intel Xeon processor E7 v3 family is the engine for accelerating business intelligence through real-time analytics, enabling businesses to improve customer satisfaction through more personalized products and services, generate new revenue streams and enhance operational efficiency.” Diane Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of the Data Center Group at Intel

Huawei Malaysia recently sent out the invites for the upcoming Huawei P8 smartphone launch for the South Pacific region. Set for after early June 2015, this includes Malaysia so we should see Huawei's latest flagship smartphone here sometime in June 2015 or afterwards. Features for the Huawei P8 include it's new world's first RGBW camera sensor which allows for better low-light performance and light painting. The camera also comes with optical image stabilization. Other new features include an improved Director's mode and much more but the main tech specs include the latest 64-bit 2.0GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 930 processor and Android 5.0 with EMUI 3.1. Maintaining the same thin profile, the P8 goes for a rounded metal frame with chamfered edges and multi-layer back. So far there are no specific Malaysia pricing details yet but the standard version is priced at €499 (RM1975) while the premium version with 64GB storage goes for €599 (RM2371). Check out the full tech specs and features list below:

• 64-bit 2.0GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 930 processor
• 3GB RAM
• 16GB storage
• 5.2-inch display (full HD, 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution)
• 13MP rear camera (OIS, RGBW sensor, DSLR-level Image Signal Processor, F2.0, dual color temperature flash) + 8MP front camera
• supports dual SIM 4G LTE, GPS, Bluetooth 4.1+LE, WiFi b/g/n
• features wind-suppression anti-noise mic, dual antenna design
• 2680 mAh battery
• 144.9 x 72.1 x 6.4mm | 144g
• Android 5.0 Lollipop + EMUI 3.1 

Recently passing China's TENAA, the vivo X5Pro has various features and tech specs which have already been confirmed. This includes a rounded metal frame design with 2.5D curved glass on the front and back. Features that have been confirmed now include a retinal scanner and a 32MP shot using the front camera. Tech specs include a Snapdragon 615 processor, 3GB RAM, 6-inch display, 3200 - 3500 mAh battery. The retinal scanner appears to scan the iris to unlock the device but there is no news yet on how secure or how fast it might be able to do so. Hopefully the vivo X5 Pro arrives soon in Malaysia but we still have no specific Malaysia release dates or pricing details just yet.

China's TENAA has recently received a new posting with the HTC One M9ew. Like the HTC One E8, the One M9ew will have a plastic backside but retain the same dual front speaker design and other M9 tech specs and features. These include a 5.2-inch display with 1440 x 2560 pixel resolution and 3GB RAM alongside a 20MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, 4MP UltraPixel front camera and fingerprint scanner. It will offer a microSD slot though but there is no news yet on any Malaysia release dates or pricing details. We should find out soon enough so stay tuned for that and further developments.

Ultimate Ears from Logitech recently announced their new UE Boom wireless speaker. Designed for the young and trendy, the speaker is shock, water and stain resistant with a 360 degree sound and 15 hour rechargeable battery. In addition to being able to work with both iOS and Android devices, the UE Boom has another feature called Double Up which allows one UE Boom speaker to link up with another UE Boom speaker for either a stereo-to-stereo mode or traditional left/right stereo mode. Priced at RM799 the UE Boom is available at authorized retailers but here is what Ultimate Ears have to say about it:

“The digital age has changed how we listen to our favorite songs and interact with music. While online music services have made it easier to access your music, it's remained a challenge to have an anytime, anywhere listening experience that can be shared with others. UE BOOM solves that problem. Ultimate Ears strives to amplify the social experience of listening to music, bringing people together around the music they love. UE BOOM is designed to bring music out into the world, and that’s why we’re also supporting this introduction with a campaign to inspire young music fans to make music social.”Rory Dooley, general manager of Ultimate Ears

Celcom Axiata has officially announced that it will support the wishes of Yang Berhormat Dato' Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Communication and Multimedia Minister in the implementation of GST for prepaid top-ups. According to them, as a comitted company, they will provide full support and cooperation for the greater good of Malaysians. This is in response to the recent announcement on the implementation of GST for prepaid services in Malaysia. The Celcom announcement was made by Dato' Seri Shazalli Ramly, CEO of Celcom Axiata Berhad in support of Shabery's suggestion that consumers should receive RM10 worth of prepaid air time when they purchase RM10 pre-paid reload value. According to BERNAMA, the minister said once an agreement has been reached with the companies, he would present it to the Cabinet and obtain their greenlight before implementing the new price system as soon as possible.

Malaysia is finally getting the Xiaomi Mi 4 for RM1199. While it isn't available through the official online Mi Malaysia channel, local distributor Mont Asia is bringing in the 3G 16GB storage version for RM1199. It will be made available through roadshows and Mont Asia distribution channels soon and come with a 1 year limited warranty from Xiaomi Malaysia. Mont Asia can be contacted via Whatsapp at +6017-4590001. Tech specs for the Mi 4 are still quite high-end with a 2.5Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB RAM, 5 inch 1920 x 1080p display, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front shooter, an IR blaster and IP67 certification for water and dust resistance.

While the ASUS ZenWatch (W1500Q) has not been made officially available in Malaysia, third-party sellers like SatuGadgetDotCom and DirectD are now selling the smartwatch from RM799. Other third-party sellers can also be found selling it for as low as RM769 which you can see with a quick visit toLelong.com.my. As a refresher the tech specs for the ZenWatch include a Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage and a curved 1.63-inch display with 320 x 320 pixel resolution covered by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Available in rose gold and silver, the ZenWatch comes with a leather strap and is compatible with devices that can run Android Wear. 

Microsoft Malaysia has sent out the invites and it looks like Malaysia will be the first country in the Asia Pacific to get their own Microsoft Store. Located at Suria KLCC on Level 3, the Microsoft Store will offer users first hand access to Microsoft products like the Microsoft Lumia smartphones and Surface tablets along with the various accessories for each of Microsoft products available in Malaysia. If you're looking to get some hands-on time of your own, do swing by on 9 May 2015 at Suria KLCC. Rumours indicate that this could mean that we're finally getting local support for the Microsoft Xbox game console, but these are still early days and we can't confirm that just yet. In addition, Microsoft have also opened up a Facebook event page stating that you could also win 2 tickets to Paris. We expect more prizes to be also up for grabs so do check them out for yourselves. 

Usually when smartphones appear on China's TENAA it almost always means that it is confirmed. However, a recent entry for the ZTE Nubia Z9 is one of the few rather dubious posts as it is reported as having 8GB of RAM and a 3.5GHz processor. One of the reasons why we think TENAA could be a bit incorrect this time around is the listed 3.5GHz processor is just a combination of the 2GHz and 1.5GHz set of quad-core processors for the octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor previously listed for the ZTE Nubia Z9. We're still unsure how 3GB RAM became 8GB of RAM but it seems unlikely that ZTE would make the jump from 4GB RAM straight to 8GB. Other rather suspicious tech specs include a dual 8MP rear camera as opposed to the 16MP rear camera previously reported (the pictures also show only a single camera). No Malaysia release dates or pricing details were revealed but ZTE is expected to launch a device on 6 May 2015 so we shouldn't have to wait long to find out for sure.