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Samsung Malaysia recently teased an image showing off the metal  frame of their Samsung Galaxy Alpha smartphone. After years of putting out mostly plastic smartphones the Galaxy Alpha is the first Android smartphone from Samsung to offer a full metal frame. The teaser image says to go check out a Samsung Experience Store like the one in Mid Valley this 19 September 2014. While the frame is premium metal, tech specs for the Galaxy Alpha include the following:

• Octa-core Samsung Exynos processor (1.8GHz quad-core + 1.3GHz quad-core)
• 2GB RAM
• 32GB storage
• 4.7-inch display (Super AMOLED, 1280 x 720 pixel resolution)
• 12MP rear camera (ISOCELL, LED flash, 4K video record) + 2.1MP front camera
• features LTE Cat.6, WiFi 802.11 ac, MIMO(2x2), NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 BLE, Hall Sensor, Fingerprint Sensor, Heartrate sensor
• 132.4 x 65.5 x 6.7mm | 115g
• 1860 mAh battery
• available in charcoal black, dazzling white, frosted gold, sleek silver and scuba blue
• Android 4.4.4 KitKat

While the Apple iPhone 6 and Apple iPhone 6 Plus have yet to arrive in Malaysia, and won't be for another month or so, the Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C have both received a price cut at the Malaysia Apple Store. The 16GB version Apple iPhone 5S now starts from RM1999 (previously it was RM2399), while the 32GB version will be priced at RM2199. An 8GB Apple iPhone 5C on the other hand will be priced from RM1499, with no 16GB or 32GB version available at the Malaysia Apple Store. Colours remain the same though, with the iPhone 5S coming in silver, gold and space gray while the iPhone 5C comes in vlue, green, pink, yellow and white. We expect the pricing at Malaysian telcos to go down even further soon, perhaps even for FREE for the Apple iPhone 5S (the iPhone 5C is already free). We also expect the higher-end 16GB and 32GB Apple iPhone 5C and 64GB Apple iPhone 5S smartphones in stock to either get a quick sale or disappear off the shelves quietly.

Announced earlier in June 2014, iOS 8 generally was more open to customization, with the ability to change out the standard QuickType keyboard, a more useful Siri and new features like the Health hub app and Family Sharing. While Apple did not release the final version at the Apple iPhone 6 launch event, they did say when it would be released and for what devices. According to Apple, iOS 8 will be available for free download on 17 September 2014. It will be available to users who have an Apple iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad mini with Retina Display. As always, be sure to backup before you download the update, just in case.

The Apple Watch is probably the most anticipated smartwatch around. Going for a thick slab of touchscreen look with rounded corners and a Retina screen it will come in two sizes, one smaller 38mm sized case and another larger 42mm sized case, making it good for both men and women or at least those with small and large sized wrists. Like other normal smartwatches, it is a companion device, meant to work with your Apple iPhone but it is also a fitness tracker. Detailed tech specs are not available yet, but we do know that it has a battery life of about one day, uses an Apple S1 system-on-chip, has a Retina Display and NFC. It is compatible with Apple iPhones from the Apple iPhone 5 and above. Notable features are listed in this article.

Confirming many of the rumours, Apple is finally entering the phablet market with the official announcement of the Apple iPhone 6 Plus. Like it's smaller Apple iPhone 6 sibling, the overall thinner design with rounded corners and sides remains the same as all the dummy casings which were leaked lately. The iPhone 6 Plus will be 7.1mm thin and there is no premium version which will have a sapphire crystal glass display. As it is, most of the tech specs and features on the Apple iPhone 6 Plus remain the same as the Apple iPhone 6, except that the Apple iPhone 6 Plus has a larger 5.5-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution for a 401 ppi pixel density. Other tech specs different in the Apple iPhone 6 Plus include optical image stabilization for the still 8MP iSight rear camera. The iPhone 6 Plus also has support for landscape mode and some apps can activate a split display while the keyboard also has more keys.

In what has become the most leaked Apple iPhone to date, the Apple iPhone 6 has finally and officially been announced. Confirming most of the rumours, the Apple iPhone 6 will come in two versions, one with a 4.7-inch display and another with a 5.5-inch display. The 4.7-inch display version will be called the Apple iPhone 6. If you've seen the previously leaked dummy versions, not much has changed with the official iPhone 6. This means you get a 6.9mm thin metal chassis with rounded corners and sides. The most notable confirmed and unconfirmed features include the fact that it will not be using sapphire crystal glass, instead it will be using glass much like Corning Gorilla Glass 3 (Corning Gorilla Glass 3 was not named specifically). While the previous Apple iPhone 5S focused more on health, the newer focus for the iPhone 6 looks to be the camera as Apple are throwing in an image signal processor and faster auto-focus to help the still 8MP rear camera handle things. Notable new features of the Apple iPhone 6 can be seen in the article.

Sony has announced their first Android Wear smartwatch with the Sony SmartWatch 3. Designed to work with Sony's Lifelog app it can track fitness statistics, get notifications, answer calls and pairs with smartphones via Bluetooth. Tech specs include a 1.6-inch transfelctive display for good visibility in bright sunlight at 320 x 320 pixel resolutions. Other tech specs include 4GB of storage, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 512MB of RAM and a 420mAh battery. It comes in black and lime green with the cost being around 230 euros (RM945). As expected, there are no specific Malaysia release dates or pricing details available yet but it should be coming to Malaysia soon.

Sony recently announced their SmartBand Talk wearable device. A step up from the SmartBand, the SmartBand Talk features an energy efficient 1.4-inch e-ink display with a 288 x 128 pixel resolution. Other tech specs include an ARM Cortex-M4 processor, The SmartBand Talk comes in two sizes and both are IP68 certifief to be waterproof up to 1.5m. The wearable allows you to take and answer calls directly through the smartband and while it does take notifications from your smartphone it can also track your fitness and other health statistics. According to Sony, the SmartBand Talk should last 2-3 days on a single charge and connects via both NFC and Bluetooth. No details yet on Malaysia release dates or pricing but it should be available this year from around 159 euros (RM653).

As of the time of writing, Apple will be holding an event in the next 11 hours or so where many are expecting the next Apple iPhone, the iPhone 6 to be revealed. Quite a number of rumours and leaked images suggest that we could see two sizes of Apple iPhone 6, one with a 4.7-inch display and another with a 5.5-inch screen. Other rumours also say that we could see the Apple iWatch smartwatch and the latest version of iOS make an appearance, so if you're interested in seeing it all happen as it happens, do check out the Livestream event at about 1 o'clock tonight.

ASUS has announced their latest 64-bit addition with the ASUS VivoTab 8 (M81C). Powered by Windows 8.1 and a 64-bit 1.86GHZ quad-core Intel Atom Z3745 processor, the 8-inch tablet comes in black, gold, purple and white. Other tech specs include 1GB to 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage with up to 64GB microSD support, an 8-inch display with 800 x 1280 pixel resolution, a 2MP rear camera, 2MP front camera and 3040 mAh battery and weighs in at 330g. No Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet but it could cost below $249 (RM794) which is the retail price of the ASUS VivoTab Note 8.