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Microsoft has just unveiled the company's most affordable Internet phone in the market called the Nokia 215. Yes, Nokia name makes a comeback, probably to take advantage of the legacy and reputation of the Finnish company, once the world's largest smartphone maker. The Nokia 215 will cost just $29 (RM103) before taxes and subsidies and will offer essential connectivity as well as an impressive battery life. The phone features a 2.4-inch QVGA display (320 x 240 pixels). There will be Bluetooth connectivity options as well along with SLAM for easy file sharing. Like earlier feature phones from Nokia, this particular device too will come with Opera Mini for web browsing. Apps like Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Twitter will be built-in for a smooth social networking experience. Given the price tag, the phone does not support Wi-Fi but the user can access the web via 2G and dual band EDGE networks. As for the battery, the Nokia 215 comes with a 1100 mAh capacity one which provides up to 20 hours of talk time and 29 days of standby time. At the back, there is a very small 0.3MP camera sensor. The LED is located on top of the phone and can be used as a flashlight. The Nokia 215 will also have a dual-SIM version. Both models will be sold in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia in the coming months. Expect more details like Malaysia release dates and pricing soon.

Apart from the new ASUS ZenFone 2, the world's first 4GB RAM smartphone, ASUS also unveiled three new laptop / tablet hybrids at CES 2015. These devices in the ASUS Transformer Book Chi lineup vary in size, tech specs and pricing and feature a detachable magnetic keyboard. The costliest of the lot is the higher-end variant of the 12.5-inch ASUS Transformer Book Chi T300. The hybrid comes with an Intel Core M 5Y71 processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 8GB RAM and a Quad HD IPS display. The lower end variant of the T300 will feature an Intel Core M 5Y70 processor with 4GB RAM and 1080p IPS display. ASUS claims that this 12.5-inch model will be thinner than Apple's latest MacBook Air at 7.5mm. The other two models are the Transformer Book Chi T100 and the Transformer Book Chi T90. The T100 will be powered by an Intel Atom Z3775 processor with 2GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. It will feature a 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution IPS LCD display. On the other hand, the Chi T90 features an 8.9-inch 1280 x 800 pixel resolution display and is the world's thinnest 8.9-inch tablet. All the three models will run on Windows operating system. The higher end T300 will retail for $799 (RM2841) while the lower end model will sell for $699 (RM2485). The Transformer Book Chi T100 and T90 will bear a price tag of $399 (RM1418) and $299 (RM1063) respectively. All the three models will go on sale sometime in February 2015.

Seagate, has just announced three new portable storage devices before CES 2015. All the three hard drives offers cloud based storage options and will be showcased at the CES event held in Las Vegas. The first model called the 'Seagate Seven' will be the world's thinnest 500GB hard disk drive in the market. The company says that the 'Seven' will be available by the end of the month. The second model is the new 'Seagate Personal Cloud' which comes in three storage capacities – 3TB, 4TB and 5TB. The Personal Cloud for home users will start at $170 (RM601). However, the new Seagate Wireless is the pick of the announcements by the company. This particular hard drive takes portable storage to the next level by offering 500GB of cloud based storage for smartphone and tablet users who are hungry for memory. The Seagate Wireless does not require any cable connections as everything can be wirelessly streamed to the connected devices. Like the name suggests, this hard drive can create its own Wi-Fi signal. Up to 3 mobile devices can connect and stream media from this portable drive at the same time. It also has its own rechargeable battery which provides up to 6 hours of run time on a single charge. The Seagate Wireless will be available for sale by the end of January 2015 for $130 (RM460). The company is yet to reveal information about Malaysia release dates and pricing though.

Sony has revealed a new stainless steel edition of SmartWatch 3 and various other wearable devices at CES 2015. This includes a multi-sensor, waterproof headset prototype, Lifelog collaborations and more. The all-in-one headset will be called the Smart B-Trainer designed for runners with voice coaching and music playback. Other devices include the SmartBand SWR10 which features IP58 waterproof certification. The stainless steel SmartWatch 3 on the other hand features a 1.6-inch TFT LCD Transflective display at 320 x 320 pixel resolution. Other features include IP68 water proof certification along with a built-in GPS sensor, allowing it to work on it's own. While there are still no Malaysia release dates or pricing details, the SmartWatch 3 is expected to arrive sometime in February 2015. Sony will continue to explore collaborations with other parties especially through it's Lifelog Android app which is also acessible online at lifelog.sonymobile.com.

Recently announced, the Acer Liquid Z410 is a mid-range device which is priced very low to compete with phones like the Xiaomi Redmi 2 and ASUS Pegasus. It comes with a 64-bit MT6732 quad-core processor mated with ARM's Mali-T760 GPU. The phone has a 4.5-inch display with qHD resolution (960 x 540 pixels) which translates into a pixel density of 245 ppi. At the back, there is a 5MP camera with LED flash and up front, there is a 2MP shooter with 80-degree wide angle lens. The Z410 features front-facing speakers with DTS Studio Sound technology and a battery which will reportedly last for up to 5.5 hours or 400 hours of standyby time. Thanks to the processor, the device supports 4G LTE Cat4. The phone also comes with the company's AcerRAPID key below the camera which can be customized according to the user's needs. It even supports Acer QuickTouch gesture controls. No Malaysia release dates or pricing yet but the Acer Liquid Z410 will be available around February end this year in Europe, Middle East and Africa at a price of $155 (RM548).

We'd like to say that we predicted it beforehand, but ASUS also announced the ASUS Zenfone Zoom ZX550 smartphone. According to ASUS it is the thinnest smartphone with a 3x optical zoom lens yet and features optical image stabilization (OIS), laser auto-focus and a 10-element lens. While it is built around the same tech specs as the ASUS ZenFone 2 with a 5.5-inch display it doesn't mention what processor or how much RAM it will be using, hinting that it could be using a still unnamed or unreleased processor, perhaps one of Intel's latest Cherry Trail Atom processors. Regardless of the processor, the Zenfone Zoom is estimated to arrive in Q2 of 2015 at $399 (RM1417). Check out the full tech specs below:

• Up to 128GB storage + 5GB ASUS Webstorage
• 5.5-inch display (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, IPS, 403ppi pixel density, 400nits brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass 3)
• 13MP rear camera (PixelMaster, f/2.7 to 4.8-aperture, 10-element lenses, 3x optical zoom, optical image stabilization (OIS), laser auto-focus, dual-colour Real Tone flash) + 5MP front camera (PixelMaster, f/2.0 aperture, wide-angle 85 degree lens)
• 158.9 x 78.84 x 11.95 | 185g
• supports 4G LTE Cat4, 802.11ac WiFi, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, dual micro-SIM, GPS
• features Selfie Panorama, 400% Low-light mode, Backlight HDR, Enhanced one-touch beautification mode, Manual mode, Zero Shutter lag 
• 3000 mAh battery
• Android 5.0 Lollipop + ASUS ZenUI
• Available in Meteorite black / Glacier white

Withings, a relatively small smart products manufacturer has just unveiled a new smartwatch that looks and feels like a traditional analog watch. The new Withings Activite Pop is the low-end version of the costlier Withings Activite luxury smartwatch that retails for $450 (RM1592). Made with cheaper materials, the company managed to slice down its cost to $150 (RM530). The reduced price and weight on the watch is achieved by using silicone for the strap and PVD coating on the watch case. Still, the watch looks well-built and stylish and will be available in three colors namely Azure, Shark Grey and Sand. The new Activite Pop will be able to monitor sleep patterns, much like the pricier Activite. It also allows users to set alarms via the companion app, which will wake them up using an optimally timed vibration. The new watch doesn't have a digital touch screen display,  instead it features a smaller dial on the face that displays the percentage of target that has been achieved. This greatly increases the battery life of the device as the company claims it can last up to 8 months. The watch is water resistant too, up to 98.4 feet. The Withings Activite Pop will be available for sale starting today in limited quantities for the US but we don't expect a Malaysia release date anytime soon. However, the company does have plans for a wide scale release within the US starting from March 2015.

ASUS officially announced the ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML smartphone at CES 2015 recently. Instead of offering 3 new versions of the original ASUS ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6, the new ZenFone 2 is just a single size with a 5.5-inch display (which is a good direction we think). The overall rounded back and metallic front panel with concentric circle design remains the same but the bezel is thinner at 3.3mm while the side is also slimmer at 3.9mm. The back looks like brushed metal (but is probably still anodized plastic) and features a dual LED true tone flash (amber LED + white LED). As we predicted, there is a Rear Key control as well for volume and perhaps scrolling. According to ASUS, there will be two versions. Both will feature the same 5.5-inch display but the more premium one will be the world's first smartphone with 4GB of RAM while the other one will remain at 2GB of RAM. Other notable tech specs include a 64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom Z3580 processor and 5MP front camera retailing at $199 (RM707).

Released a while back in late 2014, the SIM Kad Rakyat 1Malaysia or SR1M program aims to offer an affordable prepaid mobile number complete with calls, SMS and Internet. The program is part of the Malaysian Government BR1M initiative with each starter prepaid pack priced at RM5.90. It runs on Clixster Mobile, which uses DiGi's network but provides calls at 8 sen per block and SMS and 5 sen per MB of data. You can also get a monthly data plan of sorts at RM17 for 1GB of data. Check out the SR1M site or Facebook page for more information.

NVIDIA has officially announced their latest mobile processor system  with the 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra X1. Featuring tech specs that includes an octa-core processor and 256-core Maxwell GPU, the Tegra X1 offers 4K video playback at 60fps and 1.3 Gigapixel camera throughout. Fabricated using a more energy efficient 20nm process, the Tegra X1 is estimated to be 2x more powerful than it's predecessor the NVIDIA Tegra K1. The Tegra X1 also delivers more than 1 Teraflop worth of processing power, which is about what today's desktop processors can do. Still no plans on a possible mobile device, Malaysia release date or pricing but the Tegra X1 features indicate a device (possibly a tablet) with a 4K display and perhaps 4GB RAM. NVIDIA have said that they intend to use the Tegra X1 anywhere and everywhere, including inside cars (allowing them to drive and park on their own), homes and other smart devices.