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At MWC 2015, Microsoft announced two new smartphones, namely the Lumia 640 and the Lumia 640 XL. However, at the MWC Keynote the company also showed off a Universal Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard that is compact enough to fit inside your pocket. The new accessory can come in handy especially when you don't have a notebook PC or a laptop nearby or if you're a mostly tablet and phone user. The keyboard is said to be compatible with all major operating systems including iOS, Android and Windows. So, this handy accessory can convert any iPad, iPhone, Android phone or even Windows device into a laptop for a limited period of time. Incidentally, even the latest Windows 8.1 update does not support Bluetooth keyboards. However, the product page for this foldable keyboard confirms that Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 will add this support. So, after this update, Windows phone users will finally be able to use new Bluetooth accessories like third party keyboards on their devices. It is also said that the upcoming Windows 10 will come with this support built in. Microsoft has yet to announce official pricing or availability details of this Universal Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard, but expect more information soon. 

Along with the new Microsoft Lumia 640, Microsoft also unveiled a larger variant of the device called as the Microsoft Lumia 640 XL. It will feature a much larger 5.7-inch display as opposed to the 5-inch display found on the Lumia 640. The phone will have some other upgrades in the tech specs department too. It will be powered by the same 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB RAM as the smaller version and there will be 8GB of expandable storage onboard. The 5.7-inch display will sport a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and will come with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The rear camera gets bumped up to 13MP with a 1/3" sensor and f/2.0 aperture. Up front, there will be a 5MP wide angle camera ideal for group selfies. Given the 5.7-inch display, the phone will be slightly larger and will measure 157.9 x 81.5 x 9mm. The Lumia 640 XL also runs on the new Windows 8.1 Denim update and is upgradable to Windows 10 OS when it becomes available later in 2015. The large 3000 mAh battery makes sure that the phone keeps running throughout the day. The phone will go on sale in April at $210 (RM762) for the 3G variant and $245 (RM889) for the LTE version but there are no specific Malaysia release dates just yet.

Microsoft recently announced two new smartphones with one of them being the affordable Microsoft Lumia 640. The phone runs on the company's latest Windows 8.1 Denim version. Microsoft notes that the phone will be upgradable to Windows 10 soon. Also, users will get free 1 year subscription of Microsoft Office 365 on the device. As for tech specs, the Lumia 640 features a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor with 1GB RAM. There will be a 5-inch Clearback IPS LCD display up front sporting a decent 720p HD resolution with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. At the back, the phone has an 8MP ¼" sensor with f/2.2 aperture with dynamic flash and auto HDR. At the front, there is a 0.9MP camera. The phone measures 141.3 x 72.2 x 8.8mm and weighs just 145 grams. The new Lumia 640 will have dual SIM versions of both 3G and 4G supported models. It will be available for sale starting April 2015 in cyan, orange, black and white colors.  Pricing starts at $155 (RM562) for the 3G variant and $177 (RM642) for the 4G LTE model. No Malaysia release dates have been revealed just yet but they should arrive in Malaysia soon.

Thanks to an anonymous tipster, it appears that apart from the Honor 4X, Malaysia could also soon see the Honor 6 Plus smartphone as well. Recently spotted in Malaysia, the smartphone features a unique dual-camera setup that allows you to change apertures and focus points for some neat refocusing or bokeh effects. In addition, the back cover and metal frame offer a solid enough body that is nearly bulletproof (check out the video below). Other tech specs include an octa-core Kirin 925 processor, 5.5-inch full HD display, 4G LTE, NFC, an infrared port and more. Our anonymous tipster couldn't provide any specific Malaysia release dates or pricing but indicated that we could see the Honor 6 Plus as soon as the end of March 2015 or early April 2015. Considering that it is currently priced for about $320 (RM1171) we could see it be priced below RM1300, perhaps from RM1099 to RM1199 or so.

Intel is looking to really help local Malaysian tech companies into the limelight by providing Intel tech and expertise for mobile devices. This includes local device maker iPro and we were recently able to get some hands-on time with their latest iPro Livepad 8.9 tablet. Powered by a 64-bit Intel Atom Z3735F processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and an 8000 mAh battery this surprisingly powerful tablet also sports  an 8.9-inch full HD (1920 x 1200 pixels) display and Windows 8.1. The Livepad 8.9 was recently on promotion at Plaza Low Yat for just RM699 with a free bluetooth keyboard (complete with trackpad) and casing worth RM199 for 500 early-bird buyers. Unfortunately, all of these keyboard and casing promos have already been snapped up. The RM699 offer is still available for buyers at www.iclickz.com while stocks last (as of the time of writing, they still had stock) but after this the tablet is expected to retail at RM799. We managed to score some hands-on time with the iPro Livepad 8.9 tablet in this article.

Celebrate an abundance of good fortune with a brand new smartphone and the best plans to stay on top of this Chinese New Year 2015! Taking advantage of Malaysia's fastest and most reliable mobile network, Celcom are offering various smartphones for the Year of the Goat with the FIRST by Celcom plan. Utilizing Celcom's OPTIMISER feature with the FIRST plans you can get a mobile plan personalized exactly for your needs based on your usage. Featuring up to 4GB of WiFi Internet or up to 250 minutes of voice and 250 SMS FIRST plans offer one of the best packages around. Offering something for every user, the smartphones available for Celcom's Blue Cube Outlets Chinese New Year Campaign include the following from RM38 to RM1088:

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G ~ RM88 with Celcom FIRST plans (RRP: RM589)

• Samsung GALAXY Note 4 ~ RM1088 with Celcom FIRST plans (RRP: RM2,499)

• BlackBerry Passport ~ RM988 with Celcom FIRST plans (RRP: RM2,399)

• Sony Xperia Z3 ~ RM988 with Celcom FIRST plans (RRP: RM2,399)

• OPPO Find 7 ~ RM538 with Celcom FIRST plans (RRP: RM1,798)

• OPPO Neo 5 ~ RM38  with Celcom FIRST plans (RRP: RM598)

Drop by a CELCOM BLUE CUBE store and ask for any of these smartphones and the plan, FIRST by Celcom to get massive savings for this Chinese New Year. For more information regarding this promotion and the various smartphones check out the Celcom site or www.celcom.com.my.

The next-gen value smartphone known as the Honor 4X was recently spotted out and about in Malaysia thanks to an anonymous tipster. Previously codenamed the Honor Cherry, the new smartphone will use a 64-bit processor and come with 4G LTE connectivity. A look at the tech specs in the pics reveal 2GB of RAM and the aforementioned octa-core processor running at 1.2GHz. Other visible tech specs includes 8GB storage and what appears to be a 5.5-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. The back design appears to have a nice looking cross thatch pattern and the Honor logo looks engraved. A side by side shot of the Honor 4X next to an Apple iPhone 6 Plus reveals other design changes along with no sign of any Huawei branding. Our anonymous tipster claims that the Honor 4X is coming to Malaysia sometime in late March to early April 2015 and will slot in somewhere in between the Honor 3C Lite and Honor 6. Since the Honor 3C Lite is priced at RM399 while the Honor 6 is going for RM999, this would place the Honor 4X at around RM499 to RM899. No news yet on specific Malaysia release dates or pricing details but stay tuned as we could be getting more information soon.

Thanks again Mr. Anonymous!

While the sequal to the Pebble smartwatch, the Pebble Time has already been announced and successfully funded several times over, it is now the turn of the Pebble Time Steel version. Tech specs and features are mostly the same except for an increased 10-day battery life along with an extra leather strap. While it looks and works the same as the Pebble Time smartwatch, the Pebble Time Steel smartwatch sports a more premium metallic design. This is reflected in the amount of pledge it starts from, which is $250 (RM906). It is set for a retail price of $300 (RM1087) so you do get some savings and you can also upgrade from Pebble Time to Pebble Steel without losing your place in line. The Pebble Time Steel is available as an additional pledge for the original Pebble Time Kickstarter campaign. Check out the video for yourself in this article.

Alcatel has announced two new smartphones at MWC 2015, both called the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3. There will be two different versions of the device, one sporting a 5.5-inch display and the other with a 4.7-inch display. It looks like Alcatel is taking some inspiration from the Apple iPhone 6, but the similarities end there. The new Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 smartphone features JBL front facing speakers with Harmon Kardon Clari-Fi audio technology. This tech restores the audio quality of compressed digital music ensuring the best sound experience for the user. The major highlight of the device is that it's reversible. This means, the user can talk on the phone even when it's held upside down. The interface also changes accordingly. As for the tech specs, the 4.7-inch device features a quad-core Snapdragon chipset and 720p display resolution. On the other hand, the 5.5-inch features a powerful octa-core 64-bit Snapdragon 615 processor and full HD 1080p display resolution.  There will be a 13MP rear camera at the back with LED flash and 84 degrees wide angle front camera with Fast Face Focus tech which can focus in just 0.26 seconds. Other features include 4G LTE connectivity and Android 5.0 Lollipop OS out of the box. No Malaysia pricing or availability details have been revealed so far. 

BlackBerry has officially announced the BlackBerry Leap, their latest touchscreen phone with a 5-inch display. What is notable about this BlackBerry touchscreen smartphone is that BlackBerry claim that it has a 25-hour battery life with continuous usage. Partly due to the large 2800 mAh battery, it could also be so thanks to a rather undemanding Snapdragon S4 Plus processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage. The Leap measures in at 9.5mm thick and weighs 170g with an 8MP rear camera and a front camera. while it runs a BlackBerry Hub, it can use the Amazon Appstore and will let you install Android apps. No Malaysia release dates or pricing yet, but hopefully it does better than the previous BlackBerry touchscreen smartphones like the Z10 and Z3. Check out the official hands-on video in this article.