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U Mobile recently announced that they have completed the 1st phase of their 4G LTE expansion 3 months ahead of schedule. This means more sites with 75Mbps U Mobile 4G LTE coverage in Malaysia across the Klang Valley, Putrajaya, Seremban, Port Dickson and Johor. Far from resting on their laurels, they also announced future expansion plans of 5000 new sites for Malaysia in the coming 5 years and 1000 new 3G sites in Malaysia by the end of the year. New technologies being worked on include pre-5G with Huawei, VoLTE (Voice-over LTE) and IMS. In tandem with these plans, U Mobile recently launched new plans with the HERO Postpaid P70 that offers 7GB of data for RM70 a month and the POWER Prepaid pack offering 1GB of free data every month for life. Here's what they had to say about it all:

"U Mobile is a data centric telco. 70% of U Mobile's customers are smartphone users, hence we want them to have the best Internet and data experience in terms of speed and quality. We also believe in giving our customer the best value possible and we do so by offering our customers thebest mobile plans in the market today. U Mobile believe that the demand for smartphones and data will keep increasing. Hence, we will continue our network expansion plans by rolling out 5000 new site over the next 5 years. This roadmap is part of U Mobile's integrated strategy to maintain our leadership as the telco with the best overall customer experience." Too Tian Jen, U Mobile Chief Technology Officer 

Google have long had a hand in smartphones with their Nexus smartphones but are now venturing into the hybrid tablet space with the Pixel C which they say is the first Android tablet built end-to-end by Google. Featuring an aluminum body with a 10.2-inch display that packs in a 2560 x 1800 pixel resolution, the tablet comes with an optional and detachable Bluetooth keyboard that latches on with magnets. The keyboard can be latched on to the front and back and is also charged inductively via the tablet when not in use. Tech specs for the Pixel C tablet include an NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB/64GB storage, a USB Type-C port and Android 6.0 Marshmallow. No Malaysia release dates or pricing details but it is expected to start from $499 (RM2219) for the 32GB storage version and $599 (RM2664) for the 64GB storage version. The keyboard will go for $149 (RM662).

As expected, Google have announced their latest additions to the Nexus series of smartphones with the Huawei Nexus 6P and LG Nexus 5X. Both smartphones come with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, a fingerprint sensor, dual front speakers, USB Type-C ports and a 12.3MP rear camera with super large 1.55-micron pixel Sony sensor that can record 4K video at 30fps. Quite obviously the Huawei Nexus 6P is the more premium of the two with an all metal body and 5.7-inch 2K or quad HD display. Measuring in at 159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3mm thin, the Nexus 6P features tech specs that include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 32GB/64GB/128GB storage, 8MP front camera and 3450 mAh battery with quick charging.

The LG Nexus 5X is no slouch either but tech specs are a bit more midrange with a Snapdragon 808 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB/32GB storage, 5.2-inch FHD display, 5MP front camera and 2700 mAh battery. Both of the new Nexus smartphones do not have expandable memory or microSD slots, don't support wireless charging and don't have Optical Image Stabilization. In any case, there are still no Malaysia release dates or pricing details just yet but the Nexus 6P is priced from $499 (RM2219) for the 32GB storage version while the Nexus 5X starts at $379 (RM1686) for the 16GB storage version. Both will be available on the Google Play store in the US but we expect it to start shipping out elsewhere starting from 19 October for the Nexus 5X. 

Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd recently announced that they are extending the free trial period of their Digi Music Freedom music streaming service to 31 December 2015. Those who haven't activated their music passes can still activate them from now on to get 120 days of free music streaming. Existing subscribers will continue to enjoy the service for free and both will not have to pay any extra Internet or data fees. In addition, Digi are also adding on new music streaming partners with Samsung Milk Music and MixRadio. They join existing music streaming services such as TIDAL, Guvera, JOOX, Spotify, KKBOX, Deezer, Rdio, Hitz.fm, Era.fm, My.fm, MIX fm, LiteFM, SINAR fm, MELODY FM, THR Gegar, THR Raaga, SoundHound, BE-AT.TV and Q.us.

The Apple Malaysia site recently revealed that the Apple iPhone 6s will be available in Malaysia on 16 October 2015. While Malaysia has never been in the first batch of countries to get the latest Apple iPhone, traditionally the latest iteration has almost always appeared sometime in November or December. The Apple iPhone 6s brings a number of new hardware upgrades to the iPhone along with a stronger, tougher full metal body. These features and tech specs include the latest Apple A9 processor, a 12MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, 3D touch, new Rose Gold colour and more but there are still no details on Malaysia pricing just yet. No news yet if this also means that we could be seeing the Apple iPhone 6s Plus on the same date as well but due to Malaysia's current currency rating we expect that the traditional $100 (RM445) price increase will be higher than before. Currently the iPhone 6 is going for RM2699 so a jump to RM3199 for the iPhone 6s doesn't seem entirely out of the question.

Recently leaked internal slides for the upcoming Huawei Nexus 6P (made for Google) have surfaced. The slides reveal nearly everything except for Malaysia release dates or pricing details. Tech specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 processor, 32GB / 64GB / 128GB storage, 5.7-inch display with wide 2K or QHD display, dual front speakers, a USB Type-C port and a 3450 mAh battery. It will come with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and weigh in at 178g. Other features include an inproved camera (no actual MP mentioned) and a fingerprint sensor for better security. Stay tuned for more developments.

The idea of an Android-based BlackBerry smartphone or device has been circulating for quite some time but it looks like the first such device has been confirmed. Going by the name of BlackBerry Priv, the smartphone features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. While there still isn't any official announcement, it recently got confirmed by John Chen, CEO of BlackBerry with hands-on pics from @evleaks. Tech specs and features are still rumours though, but it is expected to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB RAM, 18MP rear camera with dual LED flash and use a more secure version of Android Lollipop. Still no Malaysia release dates or pricing details but it should be coming in the next few months.

Rumours about the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL have cropped up including tech specs and renders of Microsoft's next flagship smartphone in a while. Coming courtesy of @OnLeaks the Lumia 950 XL measures in at 151.9 x 78.4 x 7.8mm but will be 9.9mm at its camera hump. Tech specs and features include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage + microSD, 5.7-inch 2K display, 20MP PureView Camera, 3300 mAh battery, USB Type-C port and Qi wireless charging. Expected to arrive on 6 October 2015 with the Lumia 950 and Lumia 550, there are still no Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet. While the renders and video look accurate, do take this rumour with a pinch of salt as there could still be surprises in store for Microsoft Lumia fans.

Vertu are generally known for selling luxurious phones made from premium materials with super high price tags, but most of the time, tech specs for their phones have been rather underwhelming. The newly announced Vertu Signature Touch finally goes a step further in the tech specs department by offering a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, 5.2-inch FHD display with sapphire glass and a 21MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus and 4K video recording. Built from titanium, ceramics and handcrafted leather pricing begins from £6500 (RM43373) with a release date on 16 October 2015.

The folks at Pebble have announced their first round smartwatch with the Pebble Time Round which at 7.5mm thin and 28g is currently the world's thinnest and lightest smartwatch. Featuring a 1.25-inch circular e-ink display the Time Round offers a 22mm band and 14mm band and also has quick charging as well. The first thing most people will notice are the rather thick bezels but like other Pebble smartwatch, the Time Round is Android and Apple iPhone compatible. There is a cost to battery life due to the size shrink but it should last more than a day on a single charge. No Malaysia release dates or pricing details but it is currently available at pre-order for $249 (RM1093) in November 2015.