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Posts tagged as “Tech”

Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 6s Gen 3: Modest Bump for the Mid-Range

June 10, 2024

Qualcomm has quietly introduced the latest addition to its mid-range mobile processor lineup, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3. While positioned as a new generation chip, it appears to be more of an iterative upgrade than a ground-up redesign.

The focus of the 6s Gen 3 seems to be on providing performance boost over its predecessors, the Snapdragon 695. This is achieved through a modestly overclocked CPU. The new chip utilizes two Kryo CPU clusters: a pair of Cortex-A78 cores reaching up to 2.3 GHz and a cluster of six Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz.

Beyond the CPU bump, details are a bit sparse. Qualcomm mentions an Adreno GPU but hasn’t confirmed any specific improvements. The 6s Gen 3 utilizes a 6nm manufacturing process, ensuring decent power efficiency alongside its performance gains.

The chip supports global 5G connectivity with Sub-6 and mmWave support, making it a great option for upcoming mid-range smartphones. It also boasts the Qualcomm® Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engine for enhanced AI capabilities and a FastConnect 6200 modem for improved connectivity.

However, a potential weak spot lies in the camera capabilities. The Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 reportedly only supports up to 1080p@60fps video capture, which might be underwhelming considering most flagship phones have moved on to higher resolutions.

Overall, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 seems like a competent mid-range processor offering a slight performance improvement over previous options. While it delivers the expected features like 5G and AI capabilities, the decent camera support might be a point of consideration for smartphone manufacturers. While there’s no official word yet on which smartphones will sport this chip, we’ll keep you posted as soon as we have more information.

ICQ: A Messaging Pioneer Signs Off After 28 Years

May 26, 2024

The instant messaging (IM) platform ICQ, a name synonymous with early online communication, is set to shut down on June 26, 2024, after nearly three decades in operation. Originally developed by the Israeli company Mirabilis in 1996, the client was bought by AOL in 1998, and then by Mail.Ru Group (now VK) in 2010. ICQ predates giants like Yahoo Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger, making it a true pioneer in the realm of online chat.

ICQ, pronounced “I seek you,” offered a free service that allowed users to connect with others through unique identification numbers. The platform’s familiar bouncing ball notification system became a pop culture icon, signifying the presence of a waiting message.

While ICQ enjoyed immense popularity in its early days, it struggled to keep pace with the evolution of communication technologies. The rise of mobile messaging apps and social media platforms ultimately led to its decline.

The official ICQ website confirmed the impending shutdown and recommends visitors to try VK Messenger and VK WorkSpace, which belong to the ICQ’s current owners.

New Ray-Bans with Meta’s AI are Coming Soon

April 11, 2024

Newest Ray Ban will be the next best AI Assistant
A report, mentioned that Meta’s Llama 3 model will be integrated into Ray Ban. This will be an improvement to Meta’s previous collaboration with Ray Ban’s smart glasses.

Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer

The previous Ray Ban smart glasses featured a 12 MP camera, touch sensors for volume, voice control, and live-streaming capabilities. The smart glasses are currently available in the US, UK and Canada.

The development in the new AI model is thanks to Yann Lecun.

Meta’s New AI Developments
Yann Lecun is Meta’s chief AI scientist. His team is currently working on a video-based learning model for AI. V-JEPA (or Video Joint Embedding Predictive Architecture) is a model that aims to replicate the real-world observational capabilities of humans. The new learning model will “train” AI to have a foundation to give way to reasoning capabilities.

Yann LeCun, Meta AI Chief from meta.com

In their blog, Meta says that V-JEPA is all about helping AI develop a sense of “perception” to help improve AI assistants. AI assistants in smart glasses like the Ray Ban help provide contextual information for users of said products.

Yann Lecun’s interview with Lex Friedman revealed interesting developments regarding the  competitor to the ChatGPT model. In the interview (in video below), Yann Lecun mentioned that the company is always developing models that will be integrated into consumer products.

People will be excited to know that Meta will release two smaller Llama 3 models in the next few weeks this April. Meta launched Llama 2 in July of 2023. This year, Meta plans to release their newest AI model around the same time.

Aside from the release date, an interesting take is that Meta’s Llama 3 will reportedly match ChatGPT 4’s capabilities. The company is in a race with OpenAI as more and more companies join the AI hype including Google and Bing.

There are no official dates yet for the release for the new model. Aside from the AR glasses, Meta plans to integrate their AI models into Whatsapp.

Riot Games and Moonton Games have settled their Intellectual Property Dispute

April 2, 2024

Riot Games finally withdrew all lawsuits against Moonton for alleged copyright infringement.

History

The first time Riot Games filed a lawsuit against Mobile Legends was in 2017, for the supposed copyright infringement of their assets, in addition to stylistic similarities. Prior to this, Riot Games had reached out to Google to remove Mobile Legends from the Play Store. However, Moonton relaunched as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang before Google could take action. The court dismissed the copyright infringement lawsuit in 2017. Tencent, which is currently the parent company for Riot Games, again filed a case against Moonton CEO Xu Zhenhua for allegedly violating the non-compete clause in his contract. The lawsuit settled for $2.7 million. Despite Tencent’s win against Moonton, the case details never revealed if Xu Zhenhua did in fact infringe on copyright. Riot Games still filed lawsuits against Moonton in the following years for a variety of reasons, including title card similarities – the Mobile Legends Bang Bang title card was updated the following year as League of Legends released its new logo in 2019.

Comparison of Art Styles

Stylized metallic gold logo "League of Legends" against black bacground
League of Legends new logo in 2019
Stylized metallic gold logo "Mobile Legends Bang Bang" on black background
Mobile Legends Bang Bang most recent logo receives ire for allegedly copying Riot Games

Moonton’s 515 Unite isn’t an exception to the similarities between the two franchises. It shares visual aesthetics with some sections of K/DA’s POP/STARS, and a closer examination reveals definite similarities in both the music and artistic style.

League of Legends’ virtual Kpop Group K/DA

Moonton’s 515 Unite

Just more recently, Moonton has released a new hero that closely resembles Riot Games’ Arcane character Vi. The new Mobile Legends hero Julian has been criticized by League fans as an amalgamation of League’s Sylas and Arcane’s Vi.

New Mobile Legends: Bang Bang hero Julian from Moonton
League’s Sylas official skin splash art from leagueoflegends.com
Vi from Riot’s Arcane

Moonton’s Guinevere Psion of Tomorrow skin also sparked comparisons, with its design having a striking resemblance to League of Legends’ K/DA Ahri skin.

K/DA Ahri’s official skin splash art from League of Legends
Guinevere from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang featuring Psion of Tomorrow skin with fox tails

Following ongoing legal disputes, Riot Games and Moonton Games have settled their differences under undisclosed terms.

Moto Watch 40 announced

February 10, 2024

Motorola has announced the latest addition to their smartwatch family, the Moto Watch 40. The Moto Watch 40 follows the design of the Moto Watch 70 that was launched in May 2023. The Moto Watch 40 features a curved 1.57-inch LCD display with more than 85 watch faces. The watch is build using a zinc alloy casing and interchangeable silicone watch strap and is IP67 rated. The Moto Watch 40 will be running Moto Watch OS that supports supports notifications but does not support message replies or on-device calls.

It has a 24/7 heart rate monitor, a SpO2 tracking and, sleep and stress monitoring that is integrated with Google Fit. Moto Watch 40 is powered by a 240mAh battery that the company claims can last up to 10 days on a single full charge, it has fast charging support that can fully charge the watch in just 25 minutes using its two-pin magnetic charger.

Moto Watch 40 will available in two colors; Phantom Black and Rose Gold colors, and will retail for $65 from Motorola’s official website. No word yet for the global release of the Moto Watch 40.

Source: GSM Arena

Watch the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked January 2024 Event with this Official Replay from Samsung

January 20, 2024
Watch the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked January 2024 Event with this Official Replay from Samsung

Welcome to the era of mobile AI. Come see how Galaxy AI can empower you. Live on January 17, 2024.

00:00 Galaxy Unpacked
02:48 Opening Keynote: TM ROH
08:38 New way to get things done
21:50 Circle to Search with Google
35:08 New way to create
37:34 The Artful Awakening: The Wonder of Camera Innovation
49:29 New way to play
54:09 Design & Durability
59:50 Sustainability
64:20 New way to manage health
71:31 Closing

Galaxy Unpacked 2024 in a Nutshell

January 20, 2024

The biggest highlight of the event is Galaxy AI. Multitasking has never been easier thanks to Samsung’s collaboration and use of Google’s Gemini on the device.

Feature #1: Live Translation

Several keynote speakers introduced separate features for the phone. The first feature is a live translation option, allowing users of the Galaxy S24 series to instantly understand what their contacts are saying.

The Live Translate feature has long been available with Google Assistant, but it turns out that the Galaxy S24 series will be the first set of devices to take advantage of the feature without phone users having to switch between apps.

These are the supported languages for now:

  • Chinese
  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Hindi
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Thai
  • Spanish
  • Vietnamese

Feature #2: Photomoji

There are better ways to encapsulate a response to a friend’s weekend getaway suggestion. Emojis, for example. The Photomoji feature on Samsung Galaxy S24 allows creation of stickers and emojis straight from their photos without the need for third-party apps.

Feature #3: Chat Assist

If pictures aren’t your thing, the Galaxy S24 also makes it possible to rewrite your texts to a more appropriate tone. Say you want to communicate with a Gen Z male teen, the Galaxy S24 lets you choose from several text responses.

Feature #4: Transcript Assist

Recording meetings is a hassle since you have to identify different speakers. This hurdle is minimized by Transcript Assist’s ability to provide you with a transcript, all the while detecting who’s speaking at each turn.

Feature #5: Notes Assist

A stylus is pretty to use with any Galaxy device, but it doesn’t exactly make your handwriting any better. That’s why Notes Assist is there to make your handwriting cleaner. Notes Assist also formats the content in whatever way you like. Formatting will become a thing of the past as AI does it for you.

Feature #6: Circle to Search

There’s also a new way to search on the Galaxy S24 series. Circle to Search is Google’s first gesture operated search method, all without having to manually input it onto a search bar. You can simply draw on an existing image, text, or video, and results will be delivered on the same screen of the currently used app.

However, all this sounds intrusive. That’s why Samsung allows users to choose what information is being processed by AI online. 

Feature #7: Camera and Image Post-Processing

In their partnership with Instagram, Samsung Galaxy’s S24 series will be the first device to have HDR enabled by default. With regards to content creation and social media posts, it’s now easier to edit photos with the help of Generative AI. All edited pictures will have a watermark, though.

The camera is packed with more power, and a video demo by Mr. Beast shows the camera’s stunning clarity on a 10x optical zoom. Other features were also shown during the event.

Feature #8: Share with anyone with Quick Share.

If you’re still using Bluetooth to share files, you’re missing out on Samsung’s Quick Share function. The update is it’s compatibility with a multitude of devices so you only have to press one button to share to other phones. Or PC’s. or TV’s.

Feature #9: Pro-visual Engine.

Gaming-wise, the Galaxy S24 series’ NPU can handle the heaviest. The addition of Ray Tracing make the experience more immersive, as told by guest and streamer Pokimane.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series will be available for pre-order starting January 17 until the end of the month. Check out the price list below.

  • Galaxy S23 FE – $599 ($699 in the US)
  • Galaxy S23 – $699
  • Galaxy S24 – $799
  • Galaxy S24+ – $999
  • Galaxy S24 Ultra -$1299

Source: Samsung Newsroom

Lego Polaroid now on Sale for PHP 5,999.00

January 16, 2024

After leaking and being announced last year, the Lego Polaroid is now available for PHP 5,999.00.

The Lego Polaroid is made up of 516 pieces and includes many of the design features that made the original OneStep Camera so popular among fans, captured in a unique display model with functional features. Also included alongside the camera is a buildable Polaroid Time-Zero Land Film pack and three LEGO Polaroid illustrated ‘photos’.

If you’re a photographer, whether a professional or hobbyist, the Lego Polaroid is a addition to your collection. It is currently available in all Bankee Bricks retail stores in the Philippines and online.

Apple Vision Pro to launch this February 2024

January 9, 2024

After 7 months of waiting, Apple has finally launch the Apple Vision Pro, at least in the US, which will be available on Friday, February 2nd, pre-orders for the device will begin Friday, January 19th. The Apple Vision Pro is priced at $3,499 and is Apple’s first new major product category since the Apple Watch in 2015.

The Apple Vision Pro is a compact pair of glasses that lets you navigate, interact, and enjoy content in a spatial way. It features a custom micro-OLED display, a 3D camera, Spatial Audio, and a dual-chip (M2 and new R1 chip) system with advanced technology and design. The device is designed to blend digital content with the physical world, using visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system. It offers an infinite canvas that transforms how you use the apps you love, allowing you to arrange apps anywhere and scale them to the perfect size, making the workspace of your dreams a reality. You can browse the web in Safari, create a to-do list in Notes, chat in Messages, and seamlessly move between them with a glance. The device also has augmented reality capabilities, but can also switch to virtual reality seamlessly by using the dial on the headset.

The Apple Vision Pro is Apple’s first 3D camera. You can capture magical spatial photos and spatial videos in 3D, then relive those cherished moments like never before with immersive Spatial Audio. Your existing library of photos and videos looks incredible at remarkable scale. And panoramas wrap around you — making you feel like you’re standing right where you took them. You can also take spatial videos with iPhone 15 Pro, then view them on Apple Vision Pro.

Apple Vision Pro will be available starting at $3,499 (U.S.) with 256GB of storage. Pre-orders for Apple Vision Pro will begin on Friday, January 19, at 5 a.m. PST, with availability beginning Friday, February 2.
Apple Vision Pro will be available at all U.S. Apple Store locations and the U.S. Apple Store online.

ZEISS Optical Inserts — Readers will be available for $99 (U.S.), and ZEISS Optical Inserts — Prescription will be available for $149 (U.S.).

Apple Vision Pro comes with a Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band — giving users two options for the fit that works best for them. Apple Vision Pro also includes a Light Seal, two Light Seal Cushions, an Apple Vision Pro Cover for the front of the device, Polishing Cloth, Battery, USB-C Charge Cable, and USB-C Power Adapter.

Samsung partners with Hyundai to connect Smarthome to your EV

January 4, 2024

Samsung and Hyundai just announced that signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on January 3 to develop solutions for future lifestyles that fully integrate the smart home and connected cars.

The two S.Korean-based company are developing “the next-generation smart home” to connect Samsung’s SmartThings with Hyundai and Kia’s connected cars, including EVs, to develop the “Home-to-Car” and “Car-to-Home” services as well as an integrated home energy management service.

This means that the “Home-to-Car” and “Car-to-Home” services connect the smart home with in-vehicle infotainment systems, allowing for remote control in both directions. Using Samsung’s SmartThings platform, users will be able to perform a variety of actions pertaining to their cars while at home, like remote starting them, controlling air conditioning, opening and closing windows and checking their battery charging status. And from EV cars, users can control of home appliances such as TVs, air conditioners and EV chargers will also be possible.

“This is an opportunity to make the connected car’s Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car services more convenient in various fields,” said Haeyoung Kwon, Vice President of Hyundai and Kia’s Infotainment Development Center. “We plan to accelerate our technology development to continuously make global Hyundai and Kia customers’ journeys meaningful.”

Tiktok updates app for Devices with Large Screens

December 19, 2023

Tiktok just announced that the company has updated the app, so users will have enhanced app experience for viewers using devices with large screens like tablets and foldable smartphones.

The company explained that viewers will now have a better experience watching Tiktok videos using large screen devices, since viewers will have clear video feed, streamlined navigation bars and support for both landscape or portrait view.

The update is a clear indication that not all viewers are using mobile phones to watch TikTok and there may be a growing number of users that uses tablets and foldable smartphones to watch and may be even created tiktok videos.

Sony PlayStation 5 and Games on Sales in the Philippines starting this 18th until 31st December 2023

December 18, 2023

Sony Playstation are currently on Sales in the Philippines for a limited time, they offer discounted price for PS5 Console, Peripherals and Game Titles. The offer will be available at participating retailers, which you can find by going to https://www.playstation.com/en-ph/local/retailers/.

PS5 Consoles Original SRP  Promotion SRP 
PlayStation®5 Console PHP 30,790 PHP 23,990
PlayStation®5 Console – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Bundle PHP 33,890 PHP 27,090
PlayStation®5 Console – Two DualSense™ Wireless Controllers Bundle PHP 33,990 PHP 27,190
PlayStation®5 Console – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition Bundle PHP 36,290 PHP 29,490
Peripherals Original SRP (Local Currency) Promotion SRP (Local Currency)
PULSE 3D™ Wireless Headset PHP 5,590 PHP 4,990
PULSE 3D™ Midnight Black Wireless Headset PHP 5,590 PHP 4,990
PULSE 3D™ Gray Camouflage Wireless Headset PHP 5,590 PHP 4,990
DualSense® wireless controller PHP 3,990 PHP 3,190
DualSense® wireless controller – Midnight Black PHP 3,990 PHP 3,190
DualSense® wireless controller – Cosmic Red PHP 4,290 PHP 3,190
DualSense® wireless controller – Nova Pink PHP 4,290 PHP 3,190
DualSense® wireless controller – Galactic Purple PHP 4,290 PHP 3,190
DualSense® wireless controller – Starlight Blue PHP 4,290 PHP 3,190
DualSense® wireless controller – Gray Camouflage PHP 4,290 PHP 3,190
DualSense® wireless controller – Metallic Red PHP 4,290 PHP 3,190
DualSense® wireless controller – Metallic Blue PHP 4,290 PHP 3,190
Game Title Original SRP (Local Currency) Promotion SRP (Local Currency)
PS5 PlayStation®5 Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut PHP 3,490 PHP 1,990
PS5 PlayStation®5 God of War™ Ragnarök PHP 3,490 PHP 1,990
PS5 PlayStation®5 The Last of Us Part I PHP 3,490 PHP 2,490
PS5 PlayStation®5 Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales PHP 2,490 PHP 1,490
PS5 PlayStation®5 Horizon Forbidden West™ Complete Edition PHP 2,990 PHP 1,990
PS4 PlayStation®4 Horizon Zero Dawn PlayStation Hits PHP 1,099 PHP 550

Sony PlayStation also have deals available in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. If you’re from these country, check out the source link to know the

Source: playstation.com

Sony PlayStation Portal Remote Player now available for Pre-order in Saudi Arabia

December 12, 2023

Here’s something for the gamers, the Sony PlayStation Portal Remote Player is now available for pre-order in Saudi Arabia.

First announced last August, The Sony PlayStation Portal Remote Player is more of an accessories to the PS5, since you can use the device to stream and play PS5 games from your console to the PlayStation Portal. The Portal connects to the PS5 via Wi-Fi and supports all PS5 games that are compatible with Remote Play. This includes both first-party and third-party games, as well as VR games. The Portal also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio.

You can pre-order your Sony PlayStation Portal Remote Player from Extra and Sony World, for SAR 949 or around ₱14,000.00. Customers who will pre-order the Sony PlayStation Portal Remote Player will receive their devices by February 2024.

Meta rolling out end-to-end encryption on Messenger by default

December 7, 2023

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Messenger, just announced that it is rolling-out end-to-end encryption on 1-on-1 chats and calls on Messenger. End-to-end encryption have always been available on Messenger but this roll-out the company is making end-to-end encryption on Messenger by default. End-to-end encryption means that only you and the other person you are sending the message to, can see the messages and calls, not even Meta can view them.

Loredana Crisan, Head of Messenger explains;

Since 2016, Messenger has had the option for people to turn on end-to-end encryption, but we’re now changing private chats and calls across Messenger to be end-to-end encrypted by default. This has taken years to deliver because we’ve taken our time to get this right. Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up. We’ve introduced new privacy, safety and control features along the way like delivery controls that let people choose who can message them, as well as app lock, alongside existing safety features like report, block and message requests. We worked closely with outside experts, academics, advocates and governments to identify risks and build mitigations to ensure that privacy and safety go hand-in-hand.

Aside from the end-to-end encryption, new features have been introduce to Messenger like Editing messages that are sent, Set a message to disappear after 24 hours, read receipt control, photos and video upgrades, speed control on voice messaging and additional security technology to make the Messenger platform more secure.

Rockstar Games release trailer of GTA VI

December 6, 2023
Rockstar Games release trailer of GTA VI

Song: Love Is A Long Road
Artist: Tom Petty
Written by Thomas Earl Petty and Michael W. Campbell
Published by Universal Music Works on behalf of Wild Gator Music (GMR) and Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. as agent for Gone Gator Music (ASCAP) and NotoriousJBPSongs (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Universal Music Enterprises, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

The trailer confirmed a number of rumors surrounding the game, first is that it confirmed the first female protagonist ala Bonnie and Clyde, then the release of the game which will be in 2025 and that the game will be available in both PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The GTA VI is the eighth main Grand Theft Auto game, following Grand Theft Auto V, and the sixteenth entry overall. The game have been in development for 10 years.

Apple announces Watch Series 9 (PRODUCT) RED

December 2, 2023

Apple is once again partnering with (RED) to raise awareness and funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS. In line this with this, Apple has release the new Apple Watch Series 9 (PRODUCT) RED, it’s the new Apple Watch Series 9 but everything in RED.

The Apple Watch Series 9 (PRODUCT) RED will include a new palette and solar analog watch faces in red, joining Metropolitan, World Time, Numerals Mono, Gradient, Stripes, and Typograph in a collection of specially customized watch faces celebrating World AIDS Day.

Aside from the portion of the sales of (PRODUCT) RED that goes in goes directly to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS. Apple also said that the starting December 1 to 4, App Store will donate all proceeds from select, exclusive in-app purchases for three amazing games — MONOPOLY GO!, Gardenscapes, and EA Sports FC Mobile — to the Global Fund, including playful avatars, cool shields, and star soccer players.

Additionally, starting on December 1st until December 8, Apple will donate $1 for every purchase made using Apple Pay on apple.com, through the Apple Store app, or at an Apple Store location.

Source: Apple

Amazon intros Q, a new generative AI-powered assistant for AWS customers

November 29, 2023

Amazon just announced Q, a generative AI-powered assistant that aims to “answers to pressing questions, solve problems, generate content, and take actions using the data and expertise found in your company’s information repositories, code, and enterprise systems.”

From their press release;

Amazon Q provides information and advice to employees to streamline tasks, accelerate decision making and problem solving, and help spark creativity and innovation at work. Designed to meet enterprise customers’ stringent requirements, Amazon Q can personalize its interactions to each individual user based on an organization’s existing identities, roles, and permissions. Additionally, Amazon Q never uses business customers’ content to train its underlying models. Amazon Q brings generative AI-powered assistance to customers building on AWS, working internally, and using AWS applications for business intelligence (BI), contact centers, and supply chain management to help organizations of all sizes and across industries use generative AI safely. Amazon Q is available to customers in preview, with Amazon Q in Connect generally available and Amazon Q in AWS Supply Chain coming soon.

Amazon Q will compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard and Microsoft’s Copilot, which is also powered ChatGPT. Amazon Q will be available in 2 Pricing plan; Amazon Q Business for $20/month/user, while the Amazon Q Builder will be $25/month/user.

Source: Amazon

Ayaneo Slide Handheld Gaming PC announced

November 21, 2023

Ayaneo has officially launched their latest handheld gaming PC – the Ayaneo Slide, the first handheld gaming PC from Ayaneo to feature a full keyboard.

The Ayaneo Slide is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U cpu. with 6-inch 1080p IPS display, It also has a full QWERTY (RGB) keyboard, a QWERTY physical RGB keyboard will appear when you sliding the display up, similar to the Sidekick. The Ayaneo Slide also features a touchpad, and a hall-sensing joystick with up to 64 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 4TB M.2 NVMe SSD for storage.

Here are the notable specs of the Ayaneo Slide;

  • 6” FHD IPS display, 1080p resolution, 368ppi, 400 nits, 100% sRGB, 85% DCI-P3
  • AMD Ryzen 7 7840U
  • QWERTY physical RGB keyboard
  • 28W maximum TDP
  • “3+2” Triple Copper Tube Cooling System
  • RAM: up to 64GB LPDDR5x
  • Storage: Up to 4TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD
  • Wi-Fi 6E
  • Bluetooth 5.2
  • 2x full function USB Type-C
  • Power button fingerprint sensor
  • OS: Windows 11 Home with AYASpace 2 Software Manager
  • Dimension: 226 x 90 x 28.5mm (37.5mm at controller)
  • Weight: 650g
  • Battery: 46.2Wh battery
  • Colors: Sunrise White, Bright Black

The Ayaneo Slide will allow you to access and download games from various game platforms, including but not limited to Steam, Xbox, Origin, Epic, and Ubisoft Connect. The Ayaneo Slide is available for pre-order now on Indiegogo. The starting price is US$899 for the 16GB + 512GGB model and US$1,5999 for the 64GG + 4TB variants. A special discount will available to those who will preorder the Ayaneo Slide.

Valve announces Steam Deck OLED with bigger display and better battery life

November 11, 2023

Valve just announced the new Steam Deck OLED, a update to the 2 year old Steam Deck. Like what the name suggest, the new Steam Deck OLED will feature a 7.4” HDR OLED Touch screen and up to 1,000 nits in brightness.

Spec-wise the new Steam Deck OLED will feature a 7.4-inch OLED Display with 1280 x 800 x RGB resolution with 1,000 nits peak brightness (HDR) and up to 90Hz; a new 6 nm APU,
16 GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (6400 MT/s quad 32-bit channels), support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, and a 50Wh battery that will last for 12 hours of gameplay. You can checkout the full specs of the new Steam Deck OLED here.

The new Steam Deck OLED will be available this Nov. 16th with a $549.00 price for the 512GB model and $649.00 for the 1TB variant.

HONOR opens its first authorized store in Saudi Arabia

November 5, 2023

HONOR Saudi just open its first authorized store in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East earlier this month. The store is located in Al Hayat Plaza in Dammam, Eastern Region of the Kingdom. Those who visit the store’s opening day received special offers.

Here are some photos as posted by @HonorKSA;

Disney Plus to increase subscription plan in the Middle East

November 4, 2023

Disney Plus, the popular streaming service, has announced a price increase for its subscription fee in the Middle East. The new pricing will take effect starting 21 November 2023. This means all the existing users signed up on or before 17 October 2023 and set to renew every month, will be charged at the revised subscription prices starting 21 November 2023. If the payment fails, the billing retries that happen on or after 21 November 2023 will be billed at the new price.

The monthly subscription fee for Disney Plus in the Saudi Arabia increase from SAR 29.99 to SAR 39.99. The annual subscription fee will now be SAR 354.99. The price increase appears to be part of the company’s plan to “accelerate profitability for the business.”

Below will be the new price plan of Disney Plus subscriptions in the Middle East;

Compare to Netflix’s Standard plan of SAR 43/month, the new SAR 39.99/month price of Disney is still low.

Apple announces new 14‑inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chips

October 31, 2023

Together with the new iMacs, Apple also announce the 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M3 chips, the 16-inch Macbook Pro will also be updated with the new M3 Processors. Aside from the refreshed Macbook Pros, Apple also release a new Space Black color for both the 14‑inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Both the 14‑inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will share the following parts;

  • 14.2-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina XDR display;1 3024-by-1964 native resolution at 254 pixels per inch
  • SDXC card slot
  • HDMI port
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • MagSafe 3 port
  • 1080p FaceTime HD camera

There are also a number of differences that buyers needs to consider when choosing between the 14‑inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro; The 14‑inch MacBook Pro will be available in M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max processors while the 16-inch Macbook Pro will only support the M3 Pro and M3 Max CPU.

Macbook Pro Keyboard view
Macbook Pro Side view
MacBook Pro Cover

The 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M3 CPU;

  • Color – Space Gray and Silver
  • CPU – Apple M3 chip, 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
  • GPU – 10-core GPU
  • Storage – 512GB or 1TB; Configurable to: 1TB or 2TB
  • RAM – 8GB unified memory; Configurable to: 16GB or 24GB
  • Battery – Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback and up to 15 hours wireless web
  • Ports – 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for: Charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s) and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s)

The 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro and M3 Max CPU;

  • Color – Space Black and Silver
  • CPU – Up to 12-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores
  • GPU – up to 18-core GPU
  • Storage – 512GB or 1TB; Configurable up to 8TB.
  • RAM – 18GB unified memory; Configurable up to 128GB (M3 Max with 16-core CPU)
  • Battery – Up to 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback and up to 12 hours wireless web
  • Ports – 3x Thunderbolt 4 ports with support for; Charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s) and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s)

The 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max CPU;;

  • Color – Space Black and Silver
  • CPU – 16-core CPU with 12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
  • GPU – up to 40-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
  • Storage – 512GB, 1TB; Configurable to 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB
  • RAM – 18GB, 36GB and 46GB; Configurable up to 64GB or 128GB
  • Battery – Up to 22 hours Apple TV app movie playback and up to 15 hours wireless web
  • Ports – 3x Thunderbolt 4 ports with support for; Charging, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s) and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s)

Both the 14‑inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro are now will be available with the follow prices;

  • 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 starts at $1,599 (U.S.)
  • 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro starts at $1,999 (U.S.)
  • 16‑inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,499 (U.S.)

Apple announces new 24-inch iMacs powered by M3 CPU

October 31, 2023

After announcing the new CPUs, Apple announces the new 24-inch iMac powered by the M3 chips.

The new iMac with M3 is up to 2x faster than the prior generation with M1.1 And for those upgrading from an Intel-based iMac, the new iMac is up to 2.5x faster than the most popular 27-inch models,2 and 4x faster than the most powerful 21.5-inch model.3 It also features an expansive 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels and over a billion colors, faster wireless connectivity, and a seamless experience with iPhone. Combined with its best-in-class camera, speakers, and mics, along with macOS Sonoma, iMac with M3 is better than ever — perfect for everyone, from families to small businesses, aspiring creatives, students, and gamers. Customers can order the new iMac starting today, with availability beginning Tuesday, November 7.

The new iMacs will be available in 7 colors; Blue, Green, Pink, Silver, Yellow, Orange, Purple with a starting price of $1299 for the iMac with 8-core GPU and $1499 for the iMac with 10-core GPU and 256GB SSD model.

Here are the key specs of the new 24-inches iMac.

  • 24-inch 4.5K Retina display
  • 1080p FaceTime HD camera
  • Apple M3 chip (8-core CPU and up to 10 core GPU)
  • Up to 24GB unified memory
  • Up to 2TB storage
  • Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
  • Native DisplayPort output over USB-C
  • 2x Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • Two USB 3 ports (up to 10Gb/s)
  • Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
  • Bluetooth 5.3
  • Colors: Blue, Green, Pink, Silver, Yellow, Orange, Purple

You can checkout full specs of the new iMacs here.

OPPO officially announces Find N3

October 19, 2023

OPPO has officially announce the Find N3, the first horizontal foldable by the company to be available outside China. The Find N3 features a number of improvements over the previous generation, including a more powerful processor, a larger and brighter display, and a better camera system.

The Find N3 is powered by the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is the fastest mobile processor on the market. The phone also has 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of storage.

The Find N3 has a 7.82-inch AMOLED display on the inside and a 6.31 inches display on the outside. The inner display has a resolution of 2440 × 2268 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The outer display has a resolution of 2484 × 1116 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz, Min 10Hz.

The Find N3 has a triple-lens rear camera system with a 48MP Sony LYTIA-T808 “pixel stacked” sensor, 48MP sensor ultrawide lens with autofocus and then 64MP zoom camera sensor with a 3x 70mm f/2.6 stabilized periscope lens. AS for the front shooters, the OPPO Find N3 uses dual-selfie cameras; 20MP Main screen and 32MP for cover screen.

The Find N3 runs ColorOS 13.2, which is based on Android 13. The phone has a 4805mAh battery that supports 67W SUPERVOOC 2.0, SUPERVOOC, VOOC 3.0, PD3.0 (9V/2A) fast charging. You can find the full specs here.

The OPPO Find N3 is available Classic Black and Champagne Gold colors. Even though the device was launched globally, it will initially be available in Singapore for SGD 2,399 (SAR 6,552.67, converted). Preoders will be open tomorrow October 20, 2023.

Xeleqt AI wins the Grand Prize at the Start-up Innovation Challenge at the PH Digicon 2023

October 19, 2023

Xeleqt AI, a startup that develops artificial intelligence-powered solutions for the financial industry, has won the Grand Prize at the Start-up Innovation Challenge at the PH Digicon 2023.

Xeleqt AI is an IoT-enabled business-to-employee platform that helps businesses automate their operations, improve productivity and services. The company’s platform is already being used by a number of leading companies in the Philippines and around the world.

Together with Xeleqt AI, Mylo Speech Buddy and Vison Technologies won the contest, placing 1st and 2nd runner-ups, respectively.

The winners of the Start-up Innovation Challenge receive a number of prizes like; cash prizes of Php250,000 (1st), Php200,000 (2nd) and Php150,000 (3rd); mentorship, and access to resources and support from PLDT Enterprise and Smart Communications.

The PH Digicon is the largest digital technology conference in the Philippines. The conference brings together leaders from the government, industry, and academia to discuss the latest trends and developments in digital technology.

Intel Announces 14th Gen Core Desktop Processors

October 17, 2023

Intel has officially announced the launch of its 14th Generation Core desktop processors. The new lineup, based on the refreshed Raptor Lake architecture, includes the Core i9-14900K/KF, the Core i7-14700K/KF, and the Core i5-14600K/KF2.

The 14th Gen Core desktop processors come in a variety of configurations, delivering up to 24 cores and 32 threads and up to 6 GHz of frequency right out of the box. The top-of-the-line Core i9-14900K processor has a boost frequency of up to6 GHz speeds, making it the fastest desktop processor from Intel to date.

In addition to the performance improvements, the 14th Gen Core desktop processors also include a number of new features, such as support for DDR5 5600 and DDR4 3200 memory speeds. The processors also feature Intel’s new Thread Director technology, which intelligently allocates workloads to the right cores at the right time.

The new 14th gen chips will feature integrated support for Wi-Fi 6/6E and Bluetooth 5.3, as well as discrete support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.42. There is also support for Thunderbolt 4 as well as upcoming Thunderbolt 5 wired connectivity – supporting up to 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth.

Intel Core 14th Gen desktop processors will be available at retail outlets and via OEM partner systems starting Oct. 17, 2023. They will be compatible with existing 600/700-series motherboards.

Pricing for the new Intel Core 14th Gen desktop processors will be the same as the previous generations, Core i9-14900K at $589, Core i7-1700K at $409, and the Core i5-14600K for $319.

DICT’s statement on the hacking and defacing of the House of Representative website

October 16, 2023

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) just release an official statement regarding the defacing of the House of Representative (HoR) website.

This is the full text of DICT’s statement;

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) confirms that a cybersecurity incident involving the House of Representatives (HOR) website occurred on Sunday, 15 October 2023.

The HOR immediately put the website offline to prevent further unauthorized access and reported the incident to the DICT – Philippine National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-PH).

CERT-PH is conducting an investigation to determine if sensitive data has been exfiltrated by the threat actor.

Recommendations were likewise provided to the HOR IT Team to prevent future security breaches on their website.

The DICT informs the public that the HOR website shall be online soon with its security vulnerabilities already addressed.

The next stages of the investigation on the incident, which include threat actor attribution and case build-up, shall be pursued by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, in coordination with our law enforcement agencies.

The DICT reaffirms its commitment to be an active partner of government agencies as they fulfill the primary responsibility of safeguarding their own ICT systems and infrastructure against cyber threats.

By:

Renato A. Paraiso
Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs
DICT Spokesperson
pio@dict.gov.ph

At the sametime, DICT also release a Tagalog version of their statement.

Yesterday, the website of the House of Representative (HoR) was hacked by the hacker group 3MUSKETEERZ, defacing it with the troll face meme captioned it “You’ve been hacked. Have a nice Day! Happy April Fullz Kahit October Palang! Fix your website.” and changed its content with the same messaging.

Website of House of Representative hacked by 3MUSKETEERZ

October 15, 2023

Website of House of Representative (Congress) have been hacked and defaced by 3MUSKETEERZ.

The group used troll face meme captioned it “You’ve been hacked. Have a nice Day! Happy April Fullz Kahit October Palang! Fix your website.” The group even changed its content with the same messaging.

The official X (twitter) account (@HouseofRepsPH) already release a statement and that they are currently working with Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and law enforcement agencies concerned to investigate the matter.

PRESS STATEMENT
Secretary General Reginald Velasco

We wish to inform the public that the official website of the House of Representatives experienced unauthorized access earlier today. Immediate steps have been taken to address the issue, and we are working closely with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and law enforcement agencies concerned to investigate the matter.

While we work to restore the website fully, we ask for patience and understanding. We are committed to ensure the security and integrity of our digital platforms, and we will implement additional measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

For the moment, we advise the public to be cautious of any suspicious emails or communications that claim to be from the House of Representatives.

We will keep the public updated as more information becomes available.

As of this posting, the website is currently offline and accessing the website http://www.congress.gov.ph/ will just give you the standard “This site can’t be reached” message.

Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion

October 15, 2023

Microsoft has officially acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, the deal has now been finalized after a lengthy regulatory review. The announcement was made by both company and published official statement on their respective website. Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture and accelerate business growth. Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming and will be part of Microsoft’s Xbox Team.

Activision Blizzard is one of the largest and most successful video game companies in the world. It is the publisher of popular franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush, and Diablo. Microsoft is already a major player in the gaming industry with its Xbox console and Xbox Game Pass subscription service. However, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard gives Microsoft a significant boost in market share and makes it the third-largest gaming company in the world, behind Tencent and Sony.

When the deal was first announced, it faced regulatory pushback and was delayed due to concerns about competition in the cloud gaming market. To address these concerns, Microsoft made several concessions, including giving consumers in the European Economic Area free licenses to stream their Activision Blizzard games. Microsoft also signed agreements with console rivals Nintendo and Sony, promising them access to Call of Duty games for 10 years.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was the last regulator to approve the deal. The CMA stated that the concessions made by Microsoft were a “game-changer” that would allow for competitive prices and better services.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, write a letter/email to announced the acquisition.

Huawei launches the 18K Gold Huawei Watch Ultimate Design

October 10, 2023

Huawei just announced its first gold edition smartwatch, the Huawei Watch Ultimate Design. The Huawei Watch Ultimate Design is a premium smartwatch with a sleek design and long battery life. It is powered by the latest Wear OS operating system and features a number of powerful features, including a built-in GPS, heart rate monitor, and sleep tracker.

The Huawei Watch Ultimate Design has a 46mm stainless steel case with a 18K gold and nanocrystal ceramic bezel and sapphire crystal lens. The watch is available in two colors: Gold and black.

The Huawei Watch Ultimate Design has a 1.5 inches LTPO AMOLED color screen with a resolution of 466 × 466 pixels, PPI 311. The display is bright and clear, and it is easy to see in all lighting conditions.

Overall, the Huawei Watch Ultimate Design is a premium smartwatch with a sleek design and long battery life.

  • 14-day maximum battery life
  • 8-day typical battery life
  • 4-day battery life with Always On Display enabled

You can checkout the full specs of the full specs here.

Huawei Watch Ultimate Design is now available for preorder with an SRP of AED 10,999.00 or around SAR 11,232.30. In the Philippines, the Huawei Watch Ultimate Design will retail for ₱159,999.00.