ViewSonic just launched new solutions for the corporate and education segments!
Here’s a quick look at the new ViewSonic LED projectors, and the ViewSonic Studio!
ViewSonic Launches New Corporate + Education Solutions!
Thanks for the COVID-19 pandemic, many of those working in the corporate and education industry are looking for a hybrid approach to combine in-person and online meetings and education.
Capitalising on the increased demand in those market segments, ViewSonic is introducing two new 3rd Generation LED projectors, as well as their Hybrid Ecosystem ViewBoard Interactive Display.
3rd Gen ViewSonic LED Projectors
ViewSonic is offering two new 3rd Generation LED projectors – the LS500WHE and the LS550WHE, both offering a maximum brightness of 3,000 ANSI lumens, as well as greater energy efficiency, and a longer lifespan.
The ViewSonic LS500WHE delivers 125% Rec.709 colour gamut, with 50% lower power consumption, and an LED light source that does not require replacements (thanks to its 30,000 hour lifespan), and is mercury-free.
Its optical engine is sealed against dust, with an IP5X rating, ensuring optimal image quality regardless of the environment. And the LS500WHE offers a 360-degree tilt angle projection to support floor and ceiling projections.
The ViewSonic LS550WHE is a short-throw version that offers all of the LS500WHE’s capabilities, with a 0.49 short throw lens, together with horizontal and vertical keystone correction, as well as 4-corner adjustments to eliminate crooked or distorted images.
ViewSonic LS500WHE (left) and LS550WHE (right)
ViewSonic Studio For Education Tech Solutions
ViewSonic also launched the first ViewSonic studio in Malaysia, which offers educators and policy makers access to their latest edtech solutions, like the ViewBoard Interactive Display, and the myViewBoard visual learning software suite.
The ViewBoard interactive display has made significant inroads in the Malaysian education system, taking up 43.5% of the market share up to Q1 2022.
ViewSonic hopes to expand on this through their myViewBoard software suite, which would allow for Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP).
The integration of the ViewBoard interactive display, with their myViewBoard software suite will allow classrooms to adopt group work, with better engagement through enriched content and an immersive learning system.
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Palm Cooking Oil Price In Malaysia Shoots Up By 44%!
On 1 July 2022, Malaysians finally realised how much palm oil prices have gone up since the price control and subsidy scheme was put in place last year.
Depending on the brand and bottle size, palm cooking oil prices have shot up between 38% and 44%.
Brand
Bottle Size
Old Price
New Price
Difference
Alif
1 kg
RM 6.70
RM 9.50
+42%
Buruh
1 kg
RM 6.70
RM 9.45
+41%
Saji
1 kg
RM 6.70
RM 9.50
+42%
Seri Murni
1 kg
RM 6.70
RM 9.25
+38%
Vesawit
1 kg
RM 6.70
RM 9.40
+40%
Alif
2 kg
RM 12.70
RM 18.05
+42%
Buruh
2 kg
RM 12.70
RM 18.15
+43%
Saji
2 kg
RM 12.70
RM 17.90
+41%
Seri Murni
2 kg
RM 12.70
RM 18.10
+43%
Vesawit
2 kg
RM 12.70
RM 18.25
+44%
Buruh
3 kg
RM 18.70
RM 26.95
+44%
Vesawit
3 kg
RM 18.70
RM 26.65
+43%
Alif
5 kg
RM 29.70
RM 42.50
+43%
Buruh
5 kg
RM 29.70
RM 42.60
+43%
Saji
5 kg
RM 29.70
RM 42.20
+42%
Seri Murni
5 kg
RM 29.70
RM 42.70
+44%
Vesawit
5 kg
RM 29.70
RM 42.25
+42%
However, the government is maintaining the subsidy for cooking oil sold in 1 kg polybag packages, which will remain priced at RM 2.50 per packet.
The abolishment of the palm cooking oil subsidy would save the government about RM 20 million a month.
On social media, Malaysians are generally resigned to the fact that they will have to put up with increased food prices going forward. Some have suggested buying an air fryer, or boiling / steaming food, to cut down on the use of oil.
Looking at the bright side of things – perhaps, this will spur Malaysians to adopt a healthier diet with less fried foods!
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Malaysian government just announced the ceiling price for chicken and eggs for July to August 2022!
Earlier : Malaysia U-Turns On Chicken Price Float
Just 3 days after announcing that the price of chicken and eggs would be freely floated, the government of Malaysia announced a U-turn.
At 5:45 PM on 24 June 2022, the Prime Minister of Malaysia Ismail Sabri announced that the government has cancelled the floating of chicken price, and will continue to impose a price ceiling.
Malaysia Announces July-Aug Ceiling Price For Chicken, Eggs!
On Wednesday, 29 June 2022, the Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Ronald Kiandee announced that the ceiling price for chicken and eggs for Peninsular Malaysia for July and August 2022.
From 1 July until 31 August 2022, the price of a standard whole chicken would be capped at RM 9.40, but there was no mention of a price cap for the super whole chicken (slaughtered and cleaned without legs, head, liver and gizzard).
The price for eggs would also go up in tandem, with Grade A eggs capped at 45 sen each, Grade B eggs capped at 43 sen each, and Grade C eggs capped at 41 sen each.
Here is a comparison table of the current and new prices, with my calculations on the difference :
Feb to June
July to Aug
Difference
Standard Whole Chicken
RM 8.90 per kg
RM 9.40 per kg
+5.6%
Super Whole Chicken
RM 9.90 per kg
NA
NA
Grade A Eggs
RM 0.43 each
RM 0.45 each
+4.7%
Grade B Eggs
RM 0.41 each
RM 0.43 each
+4.9%
Grade C Eggs
RM 0.39 each
RM 0.41 each
+5.1%
In general, the ceiling price for chicken and eggs in Malaysia would be raised by about 5%, which is significantly lower than the 33% hike expected if their prices were freely floated.
This subsidy though isn’t really free, as taxpayers are ultimately footing the bill.
According to the government, it will spend RM 369.5 million for this additional subsidy on chicken and eggs, bringing the total amount spent to RM 1.1 billion since February 5, 2022.
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Dell just introduced a slew of new S Series monitors, as well as its first 14-inch Portable Monitor!
Dell Introduces 14-inch Portable Monitor + S Series Displays!
Thanks to the pandemic, the workplace has changed globally, with many companies now adopting a hybrid workplace policy.
Dell just introduced a slew of new S Series monitors, as well as its first 14-inch Portable Monitor, to address the need for employees to work between home and the office.
Dell 14 Portable Monitor (C1422H)
Built to be the ultimate laptop companion, the C1422H is Dell’s first ever 14-inch portable monitor, designed to deliver dual-screen productivity to work, present and collaborate anywhere.
Professionals working in the office, at home or on the go will appreciate the Dell Portable Monitor’s lightweight design. It weighs just over half a kilogram, and is less than a quarter-inch thick at its slimmest, making it extremely easy to travel with.
With an IPS panel that offers a Full HD display resolution, with an 16:9 aspect ratio, the Dell C1422H Portable Monitor offers easy plug and play with USB-C connectivity. Simply press the quick access buttons to adjust brightness (up to 300 nits) and the ComfortView feature that reduces harmful blue light emissions.
This sleek yet practical portable monitor complements all workstyles and productivity demands with a small continuous tilt stand that bends from 10 to 90 degrees. It also features Energy Star and EPEAT GOLD certification.
Dell 24 and 27 Video Conferencing Monitor (S2422HZ and S2722DZ)
Hanging out virtually with friends, family and co-workers will be easier with the new 27-inch QHD / 23.8-inch FHD monitors that are specifically designed for video calls.
For an easy out-of-box experience, these monitors come with a built-in 5 MP privacy pop-up camera, noise-cancelling microphones and dual 5 watt speakers. The pop-up camera stays hidden until you’re ready for video chatting, for privacy.
These video conferencing monitors feature Dell’s TÜV-certified ComfortView Plus – an always-on low blue light reduction technology that optimises eye comfort while retaining colour accuracy. Other features include USB-C connectivity, AMD FreeSync technology and a 75 Hz refresh rate for smoother graphics.
These two USB-C monitors offer the convenience of a single cable solution with USB Type Connectivity, to deliver video, audio, and data; while charging your laptop with up to 65 watts of power.
These monitors are great for those who want a clutter-free workspace, with a single-cable monitor to complement their laptops.
Dell 14-inch Portable Monitor + S Series Displays : Price + Availability!
These monitors are available with immediate effect from Dell online and authorised stores, at these starting price points :
Dell 27 Video Conferencing Monitor (S2722DZ) : A$915
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia just cancelled the floating of chicken price, and maintained water and electricity power rates!
Here is what you need to know…
Earlier : Malaysia Removes Price Control + Subsidy For Chicken!
On 21 June 2022, Malaysia’s Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi, announced that price control for chicken and chicken eggs, as well as subsidies for palm oil used for cooking will be removed.
From 1 July 2022 onwards, the price of chicken was supposed to be floated, and would depend on market forces. The price of chicken was expected to increase from RM8.90 per kg currently, to about RM11.90 per kg, once its price was floated.
The government needed to remove the price control on chickens because they would stop giving subsidies to poultry farmers on 1 July 2022 as well.
Now : Malaysia Cancels Chicken Price Float, Maintains Water + Power Rates!
Just 3 days later, the Prime Minister of Malaysia announced a U-turn on removing price control on chickens.
At 5:45 PM on 24 June 2022, the Prime Minister of Malaysia Ismail Sabri announced that the government has cancelled the floating of chicken price, and will continue to impose a price ceiling.
However, this does not mean the chicken price will remain at its current ceiling prices of :
Standard whole chicken : RM 8.90 per kg
Super whole chicken (without legs, head, liver and gizzard) : RM 9.90 per kg
According to his official statement, the government will announce the new ceiling price for chicken later.
He also announced that the government has decided to maintain the current water and electricity tariffs in Peninsular Malaysia, by continuing to provide subsidies worth approximately RM 5.8 billion.
Domestic users : A rebate of 2 sen per kW-hour will be maintained, with no surcharge.
Commercial and industrial users : A surcharge of 3.70 sen per kW-hour will be maintained.
This is good news for domestic users, but not so good news for commercial and industrial users who have to put up with the surcharge.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The government of Malaysia just announced that it will give RM100 / RM50 subsidy to the B40 group to cope with the increased cost of living!
Here is what you need to know…
Malaysia Removes Price Control, Subsidy For Chicken, Eggs, Cooking Oil!
On 21 June 2022, Malaysia’s Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi, announced that price control for chicken and chicken eggs, as well as subsidies for palm oil used for cooking will be removed.
There was an immediate uproar from consumers, as it would mean additional increases in food prices, that have already shot up in recent weeks.
Malaysia To Give RM100 / RM50 Subsidy To B40 Group!
To assuage the concerns of many citizens who are struggling to make ends meet in a time of high inflation, the Prime Minister of Malaysia Ismail Sabri today announced that the government will give a small one-time subsidy to the B40 group :
B40 families will receive RM100 (about US$22.70)
B40 individuals will receive RM50 (about US$11.35)
This small cost-of-living subsidy is meant to help the B40 group cope with the increased food prices.
It will be paid to their accounts together with Phase 2 of Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) programme for the B40 group.
For example, if you are a B40 senior citizen who is supposed to receive RM150 in Phase 2 of BKM, you will now receive RM200 = RM150 (BKM) + RM50 (additional cost of living subsidy).
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Malaysia is removing price control for chicken and chicken eggs, as well as the subsidy for palm oil used for cooking!
Here is what you need to know…
Malaysia Removes Price Control, Subsidy For Chicken, Eggs, Cooking Oil!
On 21 June 2022, Malaysia’s Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi, announced that price control for chicken and chicken eggs, as well as subsidies for palm oil used for cooking will be removed.
Currently, the Malaysian government imposes the current maximum retail price for chicken and palm oil used for cooking in Peninsular Malaysia.
Standard whole chicken : RM 8.90 per kg
Super whole chicken (without legs, head, liver and gizzard) : RM 9.90 per kg
5 kg palm cooking oil : RM 29.70 per bottle
3 kg palm cooking oil : RM 18.70 per bottle
2 kg palm cooking oil : RM 12.70 per bottle
1 kg palm cooking oil : RM 6.70 per bottle
From 1 July 2022 onwards, the price of chicken will be floated, and will depend on market forces; and the subsidy and price limit on bottled palm cooking oil of 1 kg, 2 kg, 3 kg and 5 kg will be abolished.
The abolishment of the palm cooking oil subsidy will save the government about RM 20 million a month. However, they will maintain the subsidy for cooking oil sold in 1 kg polybag packages, priced at RM 2.50 per packet.
The government needed to remove the price control on chickens, because they would stop giving subsidies to poultry farmers on 1 July 2022 as well.
The inflation of food prices will inevitably increase in July, so please be prepared!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Bitcoin rebounded above $20,000 while Ether shot over $1,100, after experiencing record lows! Here is what you need to know…
Bitcoin Rebounds Above $20K, Ether Shoots Over $1,100!
After a terrible week, cryptocurrencies are getting a big respite with Bitcoin rebounding above $20,000. and ether shooting over $1,100!
Last Saturday, Bitcoin crashed through the $20,000 line, and smashed right through the $19,000 and $18,000 support lines. It hit a record low of $17,663.80, wiping out 12% of value in less than a day.
The $20,000 mark was psychologically-important because Bitcoin first hit it in December 2020. It was also the peak of its last bull run, when it hit a high of $19,834 in December 2017. Bitcoin had, for the first time, fallen below the peak of its prior bull run.
But it gradually recovered over Sunday, and actually rose above the $20,000 mark at 7 PM. After a short sell-off early Monday morning, it recovered to above $20,000.
Ether had a terrible Saturday too, falling from $1,069.70 to just $903.23 – wiping out 15.6% of its value in less than 24 hours!
But it recovered quickly, breaching $1,000 by Sunday morning, and then the $1,100 mark by Sunday evening.
Like Bitcoin, Ether saw a sell-off on Monday morning, but it recovered again and stayed above $1,100
Bitcoin + Ether Rally May Be Shortlived
Cryptocurrency investors and traders are sure to be relieved by the rally, which kept both Bitcoin and Ether above those psychologically critical $20,000 and $1,000 price levels, even though they had already breached them two days ago.
The rally seems to be fuelled by investors and traders looking to buy cheap coins. Both Bitcoin and Ether were over 70% and over 80% below their all-time highs of $68,990.90 and $4,865.57 respectively.
However, the Bitcoin rally seemed rather weak – it was vacillating around the $20,000 mark, unable to push above $21,000. Ether did better, staying above $1,000 and rising above $1,100 on Sunday and Monday.
It seems likely that this rally will be short-lived, and could be a short respite before a larger sell-off.
As inflation remains red hot, with rapidly rising interest rates amidst recession fears, there is significant pressure to sell risky cryptocurrencies.
Even though both cryptocurrencies are holding steady right now, be prepared for more sell-offs that could trigger a vicious cycle of forced selling and falling prices.
The 2022 Crypto Winter may have been delayed, and spring isn’t coming soon.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Cryptocurrency prices continue to tank, with Bitcoin dipping below $19,000 and Ethereal sliding below $1,000!
Here is what you need to know…
Crypto Prices Tank : Bitcoin Below $19K, Ethereum Below $1K!
The week is ending on a bad note for cryptocurrencies, as prices continued to tank.
On early Saturday morning, Bitcoin crashed through the $20,000 line, and smashed right through the $19,000 line, trimming 7.4% of its value in less than 1.5 hours!
The $20,000 mark was psychologically-important because Bitcoin first hit it in December 2020. It was also the peak of its last bull run, when it hit a high of $19,834 in December 2017.
Bitcoin has, for the first time, fallen below the peak of its prior bull run; which may well spook traders, if not the HODLers.
It hit the bottom (so far) of $18,811.40 at 8:20 AM, before recovering slightly to hover around the $19,000 to $19,500 range.
Ethereum did even worse, falling from $1,069.70 to just $977.37 – wiping out 8.6% of its value in less than 2 hours!
It recovered, but hovered under $1,000 for most of the day, before dipping to another low of $978.91 at 4:50 PM.
Ethereal first hit $1,000 in January 2018, and never dropped below $1,000 after January 2021.
Will Bitcoin, Ethereum Prices Continue To Tank?
Bitcoin and Ethereum are now trading almost 60% lower, compared to last year; and Bitcoin is down over 72% from its all-time high of $68,990.90.
While many HODLers and crypto traders are hoping that this is the bottom, this may only be a short respite before a larger sell-off.
Investors may be forced to liquidate their positions after these psychological lines were breached, possibly triggering a vicious cycle of forced selling and falling prices.
As inflation remains red hot, with rapidly rising interest rates amidst recession fears, there is significant pressure to sell risky cryptocurrencies.
So look forward to more sell-offs, and both Bitcoin and Ethereum breaching more resistance levels. The 2022 Crypto Winter may well be here…
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The HUAWEI P50 is now available for pre-order in Malaysia, and the P50 Pro is now cheaper!
Take a look at the HUAWEI P50 and P50 Pro deals for Malaysia!
HUAWEI P50 + P50 Pro : Ultimate Photography Smartphones
The P50 and P50 Pro are HUAWEI’s latest photography-oriented P-series flagship smartphones. Let’s take a quick look at their key features!
True-Chroma Displays
The HUAWEI P50 Pro comes with a large 6.6-inch True-Chroma display, with a resolution of 1228 x 2700 pixels. The P50 has a slightly smaller 6.5-inch True-Chroma display, with the same resolution.
They both use an OLED panel with a wide P3 colour gamut, with a higher maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz (P50 Pro) or 90 Hz (P50), and a maximum touch sampling rate of 300 MHz.
These True-Chroma displays also boast a 1440 Hz PWM dimming control, to reduce eyestrain, and allow for comfortable viewing experience in low-light conditions.
Protected From Water!
Both HUAWEI P50 and P50 Pro smartphones are IP68 water-resistant, so they are safe from water splashes and immersion in up to 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes.
Flagship Performance!
Both HUAWEI P50 and P50 Pro smartphones are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G mobile SoC, which is kept cool by a 3D Graphene Liquid Cooling System.
Cameras Delight!
Both HUAWEI P50 and P50 Pro smartphones come with a 13 MP punch hole camera in the front. It has a decent f/2.4 aperture.
The HUAWEI P50 Pro’s key selling point is its massive quad camera setup that consists of :
a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
a 40 MP monochrome camera, with f/1.6 aperture,
a 64 MP 3.5X periscope telephoto camera, with f/3.5 aperture, and
a 13 MP wide-angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture.
The 40 MP monochrome camera complements the 50 MP camera by adding detail to the images it captures – what HUAWEI calls XD Optics with enhanced XD Fusion Pro technology.
The HUAWEI P50 has a triple camera setup that consists of :
a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
a 12 MP 3.5X periscope telephoto camera, with f/3.4 aperture, and
a 13 MP wide-angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture.
66W HUAWEI SuperCharge Capable Battery!
Both smartphones support 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge technology for really fast charging, while the Pro version also supports 50 watt wireless charging, as well as Wireless PowerShare.
Stereo Speakers With Histen Technology
Both smartphones come with stereo speakers, with HUAWEI Histen technology which allows you to customise sound effects for different scenarios.
The HUAWEI P50 is available in the Golden Black and Cocoa Gold colours, while the Pro version is available in Silver Blue, Golden Black and Cocoa Gold colours.
Prior to launch, HUAWEI only provided us access to the Golden Black and Cocoa Gold colour options. Take a look at this colour comparison, and tell us which colour you prefer!
HUAWEI P50 + P50 Pro : Price + Deals
The HUAWEI P50 is priced at RM 2,999 (about US$682 / £546 / A$962 / S$935), with pre-order freebies of worth RM1,000 :
HUAWEI FreeBuds Lipstick
HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS) Rewards
The HUAWEI P50 Pro was originally priced at RM 4,199, but was just reduced to RM 3,699 (about US$842 / £674 / A$1,186 / S$1,153). Every purchase will come with a free HUAWEI Band 6 worth RM219!
Here are some online purchase options for your convenience :
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Samsung 980 Pro is still the epitome of a fast gaming SSD that will let you boot up instantly, and load massive games quickly.
Find out why it is still the favourite SSD for discerning gamers all over the world!
Samsung 980 Pro : Super Fast Gaming SSD!
When it was launched back in September 2020, the Samsung 980 Pro was amongst the best and fastest gaming SSD money could buy.
It boasted a brand new 8nm Samsung Elpis controller with a native PCIe 4.0 interface, as well as improved TurboWrite caching.
To keep it running at peak performance, the Elpis controller is nickel coated to improve heat dissipation. It also uses a heat spreader label to keep the NAND chips cool.
The 980 Pro SSD also uses Samsung’s latest V-NAND TLC flash memory, with storage capacities of up to 2 TB in an M.2 2280 form factor.
Each SSD comes with 512 GB to 2 GB of LPDDR4 cache, and uses some of its storage as a fast SLC cache of between 49 GB and 216 GB in size.
Thanks to this combination of both DRAM and SLC caching, the Samsung 980 Pro boasts sequential read speeds of 6.4 GB/s to 7.0 GB/s, and sequential write speeds of 2.7 GB/s to 5.1 GB/s.
Of course, once the write caches ran out, sustained write speed fell to 400 MB/s for the 250 GB model, 900 MB/s for the 500 GB model, and 1.7 GB/s for the 1 TB and 2 TB models. But this was generally not an issue for gaming PCs, where read speed is paramount.
Capacity
Fixed
Intelligent
Total
TurboWrite
Speed
After
TurboWrite
250 GB
4 GB
45 GB
49 GB
2.7 GB/s
0.4 GB/s
500 GB
4 GB
90 GB
94 GB
5.0 GB/s
0.9 GB/s
1 TB
6 GB
108 GB
114 GB
5.0 GB/s
1.7 GB/s
2 TB
6 GB
210 GB
216 GB
5.1 GB/s
1.7 GB/s
But note that TurboWrite requires you keeping approximately 20% of the drive’s storage capacity free or empty. If you fill up the drive beyond that, the Intelligent portion of TurboWrite will be reduced.
Also, to fully utilise the Samsung 980 Pro, your gaming PC should PCIe 4.0. It is backward compatible and will have no issues working with PCIe 3.0, but your drive will be limited to 3.5GB/s for sequential reads.
Samsung 980 Pro : Now A Fast SSD That Won’t Break The Bank!
When it was first released, the Samsung 980 Pro was not only expensive, it was much sought after and were consequently hard to come by.
The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t do us any favour, with computer part prices skyrocketing from a combination of increased demand and reduced production.
18 months later – the Samsung 980 Pro remains one of the better gaming SSDs money can buy, only it’s more affordable these days!
Of particular interest are the smaller 250GB and 500GB models. While they don’t offer that much storage space, they are much cheaper on a per GB basis.
Here is a look at the latest deals on the Samsung 980 Pro SSD globally :
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
We recently had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy A33 that was just launched, and here is our hands-on preview!
Samsung Galaxy A33 with 48 MP Quad Camera System!
Samsung just launched their Galaxy A33 mid-range smartphone, which boasts a 48 MP quad-camera system!
We had the exclusive opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Galaxy A33 smartphone recently, and here is our hands-on video experience!
6.4-inch Super AMOLED Display
The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with a large 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display.
It has a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 90 Hz!
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy A33 runs on the new Samsung Exynos 1280 mobile platform, which has a dual-tier CPU architecture :
four sustained-performance ARM Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
four energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.0 GHz
It also comes with a ARM Mali-G68 GPU running at 1.0 GHz.
Memory + Storage Options
The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal flash storage.
The memory capacity can be expanded through the RAM Plus feature, while storage can be expanded through a microSD card (up to 1 TB).
Cameras Galore!
The Samsung Galaxy A33 is targeted at those who love to take photos and videos.
In the front, it has a 13 MP camera, with an f/2.2 aperture, and in the back, it has a quad-camera system that consists of :
a 48 MP Dual Pixel camera with f/1.8 aperture
an 8 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
a 5 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
a 2 MP depth camera with f/2.4 aperture
IP67 Dust + Water-Resistance!
You will also love the fact that the Galaxy A33 is IP67-rated for dust and water-resistance! That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for up to 30 minutes!
Battery + Charging
The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, that supports up to 25 watts of fast charging.
The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 25 watt charger in-the-box.
Samsung Galaxy A33 Specifications
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy A33
Display
6.4-inch Super AMOLED
– 90 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection
IP67
OS
One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform
Samsung Exynos 1280
CPU
2 x ARM Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
6 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
We recently had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy A73 that was just launched, and here is our hands-on preview!
Samsung Galaxy A73 with 108 MP Quad Camera System!
Samsung just launched their Galaxy A73 mid-range smartphone, which boasts a 108 MP quad-camera system!
We had the exclusive opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Galaxy A73 smartphone recently, and here is our hands-on video experience!
6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ Display
The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with a large 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ display.
It has a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz!
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy A73 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, which has a triple-tier CPU architecture :
a Kryo 670 Prime core running at up to 2.4 GHz,
three sustained-performance Kryo 670 Gold cores running at up to 2.2 GHz, and
four energy-efficient Kryo 670 Silver cores running at 1.8 GHz
It also comes with a Qualcomm Adreno 642L GPU running at 490 MHz.
Memory + Storage Options
The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of internal flash storage.
The memory capacity can be expanded through the RAM Plus feature, while storage can be expanded through a microSD card (up to 1 TB).
Cameras Galore!
The Samsung Galaxy A73 is targeted at those who love to take photos and videos.
In the front, it has a 32 MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture, and the ability to combine pixels for better low-light performance.
In the back, it has a quad-camera system that consists of :
a 108 MP Dual Pixel camera with f/1.8 aperture
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
a 5 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
a 5 MP depth camera with f/2.4 aperture
IP67 Dust + Water-Resistance!
You will also love the fact that the Galaxy A73 is IP67-rated for dust and water-resistance! That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for up to 30 minutes!
Battery + Charging
The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, that supports up to 25 watts of fast charging.
The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 25 watt charger in-the-box.
Samsung Galaxy A73 Specifications
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy A73
Display
6.7-inch Super AMOLED+
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection
IP67
OS
One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
CPU
1 x Kryo 670 Prime core (2.4 GHz)
3 x Kryo 670 Gold cores (2.2 GHz)
4 x Kryo 670 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Check out the three colour options available for the new Samsung Galaxy A73 smartphone!
Samsung Galaxy A73 : Available In 3 Colour Options!
Samsung just launched their Galaxy A73 mid-range smartphone, and it is available in three pastel colours!
We had the exclusive opportunity to check out all three colour options for the Galaxy A73 smartphone recently.
In this video, you will be able to check out all three colour options for yourself. From left to right, they are :
Awesome White
Awesome Mint
Awesome Gray
Awesome Mint is, incidentally, an exclusive colour option for the Galaxy A73 smartphone. It is not available for the Galaxy A53 or the Galaxy A33 smartphones.
For your convenience, here is a comparison of its key specifications :
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy A73
Display
6.7-inch Super AMOLE+
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection
IP67
OS
One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
CPU
1 x Kryo 670 Prime core (2.4 GHz)
3 x Kryo 670 Gold cores (2.2 GHz)
4 x Kryo 670 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Check out the four colour options available for the new Samsung Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 smartphones!
Samsung Galaxy A53 | A33 : Available In 4 Colour Options!
Samsung just launched their Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 mid-range smartphones, and they are available in four pastel colours!
We had the exclusive opportunity to check out all four colour options for the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 smartphones recently.
In this video, you will be able to check out all four colour options for yourself. From left to right, they are :
Awesome Peach
Awesome Blue
Awesome White
Awesome Black
Awesome Peach is, incidentally, an exclusive colour option for the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 smartphones. It is not available for the Galaxy A73 smartphone.
For your convenience, here is a comparison of their key specifications :
Specifications
Galaxy A53
Galaxy A33
Display Size
6.5-inch
6.4-inch
Display Type
Super AMOLED
Dynamic
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
90 Hz
Protection
IP67
OS
One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform
Samsung Exynos 1280
CPU
2 x ARM Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
6 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Take a look at the new HUAWEI nova 9 SE smartphone, and find out why you should not miss its pre-order!
HUAWEI nova 9 SE : Why You Should Not Miss Its Pre-Order!
HUAWEI just launched the nova 9 SE – a phenomenal new mid-range smartphone with a 108MP camera!
Take a look at its key features, and find out why you should not miss its pre-order!
6.78-inch FullView Display
The HUAWEI nova 9 SE comes with a massive 6.78-inch FullView Display, with ultra-narrow bezels that are just 1.05 mm on each side!
This display has a FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2388 pixels, with a 90 Hz refresh rate, and a 270 Hz touch sampling rate for a much smoother visual experience!
Sleek + Trendy Design!
The HUAWEI nova 9 SE features the Star Orbit Ring design with a 3D glass back, which is very slim at just 7.94 mm, and weighs only 191 grams.
HUAWEI is also offering it in a variety of nature-inspired colours – Crystal Blue, Pearl White and Midnight Black.
108 MP AI Quad-Camera System!
The HUAWEI nova 9 SE is targeted at those who enjoy photography, and features an upgraded AI-enhanced quad camera system that consists of :
a 108 MP High-Resolution Camera,
an 8 MP Ultra-Wide Angle Camera,
a 2 MP Depth Camera, and
a 2 macro camera
It is remarkable that such an affordable mid-range smartphone actually comes with a 108 MP high-resolution camera.
Not only can you capture super-high resolution 108 MP photos, it boasts a larger 1/1.52-inch sensor with Multi-Frame Fusion capability.
I cannot stress just how important that is – these technologies allow the nova 9 SE to deliver exceptional image quality even in low-light conditions.
And in super low-light conditions, it can even combine four pixels into one for shots that would not be possible on other smartphones.
16 MP Selfie Camera!
In the front, the HUAWEI nova 9 SE has a 16 MP wide-angle camera, offering the ability to capture more at high resolution.
This front camera supports 4-in-1 Pixel Binning technology that combines four pixels into one, for stunning selfies even in low-light conditions.
In addition, its Super Night Shot capability accurately recognises human faces, and optimises the background to give you well-balanced selfies at night.
Creative Blogging Features!
The HUAWEI nova 9 SE goes beyond just the camera hardware, and introduces two videography features to allow for greater creativity.
Its Continuous Front + Rear Recording capability lets you seamlessly switch between the front and rear cameras, while recording your video. You no longer have to stop recording to switch cameras, which may disrupt the recording process. It also saves you time and effort to stitch the videos together.
It also supports Dual-View Video Recording, letting you record from both the front and rear cameras at the same time. Best of all – you can continue to zoom in and out to wide-angle, for maximum creativity!
As you can see, these features not only allow you to create more unique videos, you can now literally insert yourself into, and be part of your videos!
66W SuperCharge!
The HUAWEI nova 9 SE comes with a large 4,000 mAh battery. But HUAWEI didn’t just stop there.
Its battery actually supports the 66W SuperCharge, the brand-new Low-Voltage Double Charging Pump, and Triple-Terminal Battery Charging technologies.
These battery technologies allow the nova 9 SE to charge up to 60% of its battery in just 15 minutes, with a full charge in just 36 minutes!
In case you are worried, its battery received the TÜV Rheinland Safe Fast Charge Certification, guaranteeing you a worry-free super-fast charging experience!
Every pre-order will come with these free gifts worth RM560 :
HUAWEI FreeLace worth RM379
HMS exclusive rewards worth RM181
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
I just had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the new Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone, and here are my first impressions!
Samsung Galaxy S22 : Hands-On Experience!
The Samsung Galaxy S22 arguably offers the best bang for your buck in the new Galaxy S22 family!
Here is our hands-on experience of this compact flagship smartphone!
6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with a large 6.1-inch display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel.
Its wide colour gamut of 100% DCI-P3, a peak brightness of 1300 nits, and a contrast ratio of 2 million:1 will guarantee the best possible image quality, whether indoors or outdoors.
Gamers will love its high dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, with a touch sampling rate of up to 240 Hz.
The display is truly magnificent. In addition, it is super bright, so there’s no problem using it outdoors in bright sunlight!
4nm Flagship Mobile Platform
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC, which is fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology.
Together with a powerful Adreno 730 GPU, it has eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :
a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.
So far, it has no problem handling everything I threw at it, but I will have proper benchmark numbers up for you shortly.
Memory + Storage Options
Samsung will be offering just two memory and storage options :
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
Unfortunately, it does NOT support any storage expansion through a microSD card.
Cameras Galore!
As a Samsung flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S22 comes with a smorgasbord of cameras!
In the front, it has a 10 MP camera, with a wide f/2.2 aperture.
In the back, it has a triple-camera system that consists of :
a 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 aperture,
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, f/2.2 aperture, and
a 10 MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture
Built To Last
The Samsung Galaxy S22 has a tough Armor Aluminium frame, and is protected in the back and front by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+.
Thanks to its heft and Armor Aluminium frame, it feels really solid in my hand.
On top of that, it is IP68-rated against dust and water ingress. That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
Battery + Charging
The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with a 3,700 mAh battery, which supports wired charging at up to 25 watts, and wireless charging at up to 15 watts.
Despite having a relatively small battery, the Galaxy S22 appears to have a long battery life. I will have its battery test results up shortly.
It also supports Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to recharge other smartphones and wearables like the Galaxy Buds2.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
In addition to those online options, these pre-order gifts and promotions are also available at :
all Samsung Experience Stores (SES)
selected Samsung authorised retailers
all Senheng, Grand Senheng and senQ stores
all Urban Republic stores
selected AEON stores (i.e. Taman Maluri, Ampang Utara2, Mid Valley, IOI Mall
all Best Denki stores
all Courts Malaysia stores
all Harvey Norman stores
all Bintang Maju stores
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The new vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold smartphone is here, offering a new elegant colour option for selfie-lovers!
Find out if the vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold is what you have been waiting for!
vivo V23e Mirage Gold : For Photography Enthusiasts!
The new vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold smartphone is designed for photography enthusiasts, offering really great front and rear cameras at an affordable price point.
Those are some of the most important characteristics many consumers are looking for in their smartphones during the pandemic.
6.44-inch Display
The vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold comes with a massive 6.44-inch display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.
It uses an AMOLED panel, which delivers much better colour gamut and brightness than regular LCD displays.
High-Performance Mobile SoC
The MediaTek Dimensity 810 is a new and faster mid-range mobile SoC, with an integrated 5G modem, and :
two high-performance Arm Cortex-A76 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz,
six power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores, and
an Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU to accelerate 2D and 3G graphics
It also features a Multi-Turbo software that intelligently optimises network speed, heat dissipation, AI and gaming performance.
RAM + Storage
The vivo V23e Mirage Gold comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory, with an additional 4 GB of extended RAM, giving up to 12 GB of RAM – more than enough to handle multiple memory-hungry games and apps at the same time!
There’s also no need to worry about storage – its 128 GB internal storage is plenty enough for a multitude of games and apps. And if you run out, you can top up storage through a microSD card!
44 MP Selfie Camera
When it comes to photography, the vivo V23e Mirage Gold offers both great selfie shots from its 44 MP front camera, with a wide f/2.0 aperture for great selfies even in low light conditions.
The front camera automatically focuses on your eye area, to ensure that you are always in focus; with software enhancements to deliver a natural portrait look.
You can also opt for Multi-Style Portrait to create portraits in a variety of distinct styles!
You can also take photos in really dark conditions using its Front Camera AI Extreme Night feature, which uses multi-frame noise reduction to combine multiple shots into one bright and clear shot!
It also supports Steadiface Selfie Video, which ensures that your face remains stable and clear, no matter how you move.
50 MP Triple-Camera System
In the back, it has a 50 MP main camera with a wide f/1.8 aperture, together with an 8 MP wide-angle camera, and a 2 MP macro camera for really close-up shots (as close as 4 cm).
The main camera supports Double Exposure, allowing you to take two different photos and combine them for a unique double-exposed shot!
5G Connectivity
While 5G connectivity is still not available in Malaysia, and sparse around the world, the integrated 5G modem means you’re future-proofed.
More importantly though are its other connectivity options. It comes with support for dual-band WiFi-AC, Bluetooth 5.1 and a reversible USB Type C port.
Sleek + Light
The vivo V23e Mirage Gold features a premium glass-covered chassis, with a smooth anti-fingerprint finish.
It has a sleek profile that is just under 7.5 mm thick, and weighs just 172 grams.
Large Fast Charging Battery
To power all that, the V23e Mirage Gold comes with a large 4,050 mAh battery, which gives you a full day of usage and then some!
On top of that, it supports 44 watt flash charging – a quick 30 minute flash charge will restore its battery life to 69%! Best of all – vivo included the charger in the box!
vivo V23e Mirage Gold : Specifications
Specifications
vivo V23e Mirage Gold
Display
6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED Display
– 1080 x 2400 pixels
OS
Funtouch OS 12 (Android 11)
Platform
MediaTek Dimensity 810 (MT6873)
CPU
2 x Arm Cortex-A76 cores (2.4 GHz )
6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores
The vivo V23e 5G was originally available in two colour options – Sunshine Coast on the left, and Cosmic Aurora on the right.
Take a look at how they compare against the new Mirage Gold colour (centre). Do let us know which you prefer!
vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold : Price, Availability + Deals!
The vivo V23e 5G has a launch price of RM1,599 – approximately US$378 / £286 / A$532 / S$517.
For a limited time, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM528 from now until 20 February 2022!
Limited Edition vivo x L’Oréal Paris Valentine’s Gift Box
1 Year Extended Warranty
1 Year Screen Crack Protection
From 21 until 28 February, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM399 :
1 Year Extended Warranty
1 Year Screen Crack Protection
If you like the vivo V23e Mirage Gold, make sure you get it now!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
vivo just launched their V23 5G smartphone, offering dual front cameras with dual LED spotlights for selfie-lovers!
Take a look at the new vivo V23 5G, and find out if this is the selfie pal you have been waiting for!
vivo V23 5G : For Selfie + Photography Enthusiasts!
The new vivo V23 5G smartphone is designed for selfie and photography enthusiasts, offering really great front and rear cameras at an affordable price point.
Let’s take a look at its key features, so you can figure out if this is the smartphone you have been waiting for!
6.44-inch Display
The vivo V23 5G smartphone comes with a massive 6.44-inch display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, and a 90 Hz refresh rate.
It uses an AMOLED panel, which delivers much better colour gamut and brightness than regular LCD displays.
Flagship-Class Mobile SoC
The MediaTek Dimensity 920 is a new and faster flagship-class mobile SoC, with an integrated 5G modem, and :
two high-performance Arm Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz,
six power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores running at up to 2.0 GHz, and
an Arm Mali-G68 MC4 GPU to accelerate 2D and 3G graphics
RAM + Storage
The vivo V23 5G comes with two RAM and storage options :
8 GB of RAM + 128 GB of internal storage
12 GB of RAM + 256 GB of internal storages
Dual Selfie Cameras!
When it comes to photography, the vivo V23 5G offers expanded creativity with dual selfie cameras, supported by dual-tone LED spotlights!
For high-resolution portraits, you have an incredibly high-resolution 50 MP front camera, with a large f/2.0 aperture for great low-light performance.
But if you need to fit many people in, you can opt for the 105° super wide-angle 8 MP camera, with an f/2.28 aperture!
The dual-tone LED spotlights help to ensure even and adequate lighting, even in ultra low-light conditions!
64 MP Triple-Camera System
In the back, it has a 64 MP main camera with a wide f/1.89 aperture, together with an 8 MP wide-angle camera, and a 2 MP macro camera for really close-up shots (as close as 4 cm).
The main camera features the Samsung ISOCELL GW1 image sensor, which lets you take really great photos in low-light conditions by combining four pixels into one, through its Tetrapixel technology!
5G Connectivity
While 5G connectivity is still not available in Malaysia, and sparse around the world, the integrated 5G modem means you’re future-proofed.
More importantly though are its other connectivity options. It comes with support for dual-band WiFi-AC, Bluetooth 5.2 and a reversible USB Type C port.
Premium Colour Changing Glass Body!
The vivo V23 5G features a Fluorite AG glass-covered aviation aluminium chassis, with a layer of crystals that changes colour with the light!
The glass-aluminium body not only imparts a premium feel, it offers a sleek profile that is just under 7.6 mm thick, and weighs about 180 grams.
Large Fast Charging Battery
The V23 comes with a large 4,200 mAh battery to give you a full day of usage and then some!
On top of that, it supports 44 watt flash charging, and best of all – vivo included the charger in the box!
The vivo V23 5G is available in two colour options – Sunshine Gold on the left, and Stardust Black on the right.
vivo V23 5G : Launch Deals!
The vivo V23 5G has a launch price of RM2,099 – approximately US$502 / £367 / A$694 / S$675.
From 14-16 January 2022, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM688:
vivo TWS 2e wireless earphones
1 Year Extended Warranty
1 Year Screen Crack Protection
From 14-16 January 2022, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM558:
Wireless vacuum cleaner
1 Year Extended Warranty
1 Year Screen Crack Protection
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine is now cheaper, thanks to a price limit that kicks off today!
However, it is still not a very good COVID-19 vaccine, so why bother? Here is what you must know…
Sinovac + Sinopharm Vaccines Now Cheaper!
For some time now, people have been complaining about the prices of the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, which ranged from RM95 to RM190 per dose.
So the government of Malaysia set price limits for both Chinese vaccines that take effect today, Saturday, 15 January 2022.
Note : These price limits do NOT include service charge and the cost of disposables used during the administration of the vaccine.
Vaccine
Maximum Price
Per Dose
Wholesale
Retail
Sinovac CoronaVac
RM 62
RM 77
Sinopharm COVILO
RM 49
RM 61
While this is great news for people who want Chinese vaccines, I should point out that this does not make the Sinovac CoronaVac a better vaccine. It is just cheaper to buy, not better.
The truth is – Sinovac CoronaVac is not a good COVID-19 vaccine, which is why the National COVID-19 Immunisation Program (PICK) no longer offers it.
In this article, I will show you why we should NOT bother with the Sinovac vaccine, even if it’s cheaper… and what Chinese vaccine you should opt for, if you must absolutely get a Chinese vaccine.
Sinovac Vaccine Is Cheaper, Not Better, So Why Bother?
Here is a quick summary of why the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine was, at best, a temporary solution until better vaccines become available.
Only 50% Effective Against Ancestral COVID-19
Even when it was first approved, the Sinovac vaccine offered just over 50% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19. It was literally, the least efficacious COVID-19 vaccine in the world.
The massive RECoVaM study recently showed that its limited efficacy dropped precipitously after two months, with a big drop in protection against hospitalisation.
Despite claims that its antibodies can bypass mutations in the spike protein, antibodies from the Sinovac vaccine was shown to be completely unable to neutralise the Omicron and Beta variants of COVID-19.
For Travel To China : Sinopharm Is Cheaper + Better Than Sinovac
When we lacked access to better vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, the Sinovac vaccine was better than nothing.
But now that Malaysia is offering far superior COVID-19 vaccines for FREE, why should we settle for less effective vaccines?
The popularity of Chinese vaccines is partly due to Chinese propaganda, and partly because China offers travel advantages for people vaccinated with Sinovac or Sinopharm vaccines.
China initially would only allow travellers who were fully-vaccinated with Chinese vaccines to enter. This forced people who want to travel to China to use only Chinese vaccines.
China has since relaxed their restrictions by allowing travellers who are fully-vaccinated with non-Chinese vaccines to enter as well, but considers them no different from unvaccinated people:
those who received inactivated virus vaccines (Sinovac / Sinopharm) are allowed to take only one PCR test before flying to China
everyone else, whether partially- or fully-vaccinated with other kinds of COVID-19 vaccines, or completely unvaccinated, are required to take three PCR tests or two PCR tests and an antibody test, before flying to China
In other words, China is offering people fully-vaccinated with Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines the special privilege of avoiding two additional PCR tests, which is a big advantage.
Hence, people who need to travel to China are still FORCED to pay for Sinovac / Sinopharm vaccines – the only COVID-19 vaccines available worldwide that use inactivated virus technology.
So here is my advice. If you have to travel to China, opt for the Sinopharm vaccine. It is not only cheaper than Sinovac, it is a far better COVID-19 vaccine!
Vaccine
Ancestral
Delta Variant
Omicron Variant
Infection
Severe
Disease
Infection
Severe
Disease
Infection
Severe
Disease
Sinopharm COVILO
68%
73%
67%
71%
35%
53%
Sinovac CoronaVac
47%
50%
46%
49%
24%
37%
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
For some time now, people have been complaining about the prices of the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, which ranged from RM95 to RM190 per dose.
Some even claimed that the Malaysian government used taxpayer’s money to purchase the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, and questioned why they had to pay through the nose for them.
They are only offering the public the option to purchase the COVID-19 vaccine of their choice at private hospitals and clinics.
Malaysia Sets Price Limits For Sinovac + Sinopharm Vaccines!
After complaints of excessively high prices for Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, the government of Malaysia looked into the issue.
In a 13 January 2022 announcement, they agreed that the prices of COVID-19 vaccines offered by the private sector was too high, and set price limits for both vaccines.
Vaccine
Maximum Price
Per Dose
Wholesale
Retail
Sinovac CoronaVac
RM 62
RM 77
Sinopharm COVILO
RM 49
RM 61
These price limits will take effect on Saturday, 15 January 2022, and do NOT include service charge and the cost of disposables used during the administration of the vaccine.
They also reminded the public that all private health facilities that were licensed to offer such private purchase vaccination are required to publicise their COVID-19 vaccine prices, so the public can easily make price comparisons.
The Malaysian government will continuously monitor the import and market price, and adjust the price limits over time.
Action will be taken against individuals or companies that fail to comply with these rules and price limits, under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
Individual : Fine of up to RM100,000, or jail not exceeding three years, or both, or a RM50,000 compound
Company : Find of up to RM500,000, or a compound of up to RM250,000
The public should submit complaints about any breaches to the Ministry of Health’s Public Complaints Management System (SISPAA) at https://moh.spab.gov.my.
Sinovac + Sinopharm Price Limits : Cheaper, Not Better
Now, I’m very happy that the government has finally set price limits for these vaccines. They were really expensive.
But even though these vaccines are now cheaper, they are still no better than they were before.
The truth is – Sinovac CoronaVac is not a good COVID-19 vaccine, which is why the National COVID-19 Immunisation Program (PICK) no longer offers it.
Even when it was first approved, the Sinovac vaccine offered just over 50% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19. It was literally, the least efficacious COVID-19 vaccine in the world.
The massive RECoVaM study recently showed that its limited efficacy dropped precipitously after two months, with a big drop in protection against hospitalisation.
When we lacked access to better vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, the Sinovac vaccine was better than nothing.
But now that Malaysia has access to far superior COVID-19 vaccines, why should we settle for less effective vaccines?
Best of all – the government is offering superior COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca for FREE!
So great, these vaccines are now cheaper… but why on Earth should you pay for less effective vaccines?
Do the smart thing – get vaccinated under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Program (PICK) for FREE!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Samsung just unveiled another Fan Edition smartphone – the Galaxy S21 FE (SM-G990)!
Take a look at the new Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, and find out why it’s such a great bargain!
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE : What You Need To Know!
Samsung just unveiled another Fan Edition smartphone – the Galaxy S21 FE (SM-G990), which promises to offer a great bargain for their fans!
It basically offers the best features of the Galaxy S21 series, with the same premium design, at a very attractive price point.
Let’s take a look!
120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display!
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE does not skimp on its display, which is an awesome Dynamic AMOLED 2X display!
It has a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a 120 Hz refresh rate, and a 240 Hz touch sampling rate in its Game Mode.
Protected From Drops + Water!
Its Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus – the toughest glass ever used on a Galaxy smartphone!
On top of that, the Galaxy S21 FE is IP68 water-resistant, so it is safe from water splashes and immersion in up to 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes.
Flagship Performance!
Samsung didn’t skimp on performance either – the Galaxy S21 FE is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G mobile SoC!
It comes with 8 GB of RAM, and either 128 GB or 256 GB of storage. Make sure you choose the storage option you need, because it does not support additional storage through microSD card.
Cameras Delight!
In the front, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a high-resolution 32 MP selfie camera, with a wide f/2.2 aperture.
In the back, it has a triple camera setup that consists of :
a 12 MP main camera, with a Dual Pixel sensor, and f/1.8 aperture
a 12 MP wide-angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture, and
an 8 MP 3X telephoto camera, with f/2.4 aperture
Long Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE comes with a large 4,500 mAh battery, which supports 25 watt wired fast charging, and 15 watt wireless charging.
It also supports Wireless PowerShare, which allows it to recharge your wearables and other smartphones wirelessly.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is available in four colour options, from left to right – Graphite, White, Olive and Lavender.
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Acer just launched the Aspire Vero – a new green laptop for environmentally-conscious consumers and companies!
Take a look at the 2021 Acer Aspire Vero, and find out how it differs from other laptops!
2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Green Laptop With 30% PCR Chassis
The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero is a new laptop, designed to meet the discerning requirements of environmentally-conscious consumers and companies.
Its chassis is made from 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, while its keycaps contain 50% PCR plastic. This allows the Aspire Vero to save about 21% in CO2 emissions.
The Acer Aspire Vero is also designed to eliminate electronic waste by making it easy to disassemble, repair or upgrade – a far cry from some other brands.
The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero also ships in a box made from 80-85% recycled paper pulp, and it swaps plastic bags for paper sleeves instead.
The single piece of plastic in the box – a thin protective sheet between the keyboard and screen – is made from 100% industrial recycled plastic.
All graphics on the box are also printed with soy ink, and Acer did away with any printing on the laptop chassis. On top of that, users can convert the 100% recyclable packaging into a DIY laptop stand!
The laptop comes with a 99% recyclable 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display, and is powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core i7 or Core i5 processor with Intel Iris Xe Graphics.
For greater energy efficiency and longer battery life, you can switch on the Eco+ mode in the Acer VeroSense software.
It features the latest connectivity capabilities – Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.1, and even an RJ-45 ethernet port, as well as two USB Type A ports, a USB Type C port, a HDMI port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.
The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero runs on Windows 11, and comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2021
2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Specifications
Acer is offering two variants of the Aspire Vero laptop in 2021. For your convenience, I prepared this table comparing their key specifications :
Specifications
Acer Aspire Vero
(Core i5)
Acer Aspire Vero
(Core i7)
Model
AV15-51-522W
AV15-51-75SA
Display
15.6-inch IPS display
Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080)
OS
Microsoft Windows 11 Home
Processor
Intel Core i5-1155G7
Intel Core i7-1195G7
Memory
8 GB LPDDR4X
16 GB LPDDR4X
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Storage
512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Networking
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201
Bluetooth 5.1 RJ-45 Ethernet Port
Connectivity
1 x HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A (with power-off USB charging)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1
Type C
1 x 3.5 mm audio jack
Webcam
Acer HD webcam (1280 x 720)
Battery Life
Up to 7 hours
Dimensions
363.4 mm wide
238.5 mm deep
17.9 mm thick
Weight
1.8 kg
Price
RM3,399
RM4,299
2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Price + Availability
The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero is available for purchase with immediate effect, with these official launch prices :
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The HUAWEI nova 9 features an RYYB Ultra Vision camera and a 32 MP selfie camera for those who enjoy taking photos and videos!
Find out if the nova 9 is the smartphone you have been waiting for!
HUAWEI nova 9 With RYYB Cameras For Content Creators!
The HUAWEI nova 9 smartphone is targeted at millennials who love taking photos and videos, and enjoy creating content and vlogging too!
To cater to photo + video enthusiasts, the nova 9 comes with a 50 MP RYYB Ultra Vision Camera and a 32 MP selfie camera with ultra slow-mo capability, and a slew of other cool features.
Here’s a quick round-up of its key features!
6.57-inch 120 Hz OLED Smooth Display
The first thing you will notice is the large, beautiful 6.57-inch OLED display, which boasts a P3 colour gamut with ΔE < 1 colour accuracy.
On top of that, it can refresh at up to 120 Hz, and has a touch sampling rate of 300 Hz – giving you silky smooth visuals with lightning quick touch response.
Powerful Mid-Range Platform!
The HUAWEI nova 9 is built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G mobile platform, which offers :
a Kryo 670 Prime (A78-based) core running at 2.4 GHz,
three Kryo 670 Gold (A78-based) cores running at 2.2 GHz,
four Kryo 670 Silver (A55-based) cores running at 1.8 GHz
Adreno 642L GPU running at 490 MHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G is a new mid-range mobile SoC built on the 6 nm process, which offers preppy performance without the higher power consumption of flagship mobile SoC.
The nova 9 also uses Graphene and VC Liquid Cooling technology to keep the Snapdragon 778G cool, even in the most strenuous gaming session!
Flagship-Class Cameras In A Mid-Range Smartphone!
To cater to vloggers and content creators, HUAWEI introduced new camera technologies and a new RYYB sensor in the nova 9 smartphone.
In the front, it boasts a magnificent 32 MP selfie camera, with a large f/2.0 aperture and support for slow-motion 720p video recording at up to 240 fps!
At the back, it has a very high resolution 50 MP RYYB Ultra Vision camera, which features a larger sensor size of 1/1.56-inch and a wide aperture of f/1.9 . This camera not only records 4K video, it can record ultra slow-motion 720p video at up to 960 fps!
In addition, the 50 MP camera has an innovative RYYB colour filter array that lets it collect 40% more light, delivering superior low-light performance.
The nova 9 also sports an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, a 2 MP macro camera and a 2 MP depth sensor. But the camera hardware is just one part of the story.
Its XD Fusion Engine uses computational photography techniques to enhance the photos you take, while its Ultra Vision HDR Technology helps you shoot with ease in all kinds of environment.
Content creators will also love the new Dual-View video function, which gives you greater creativity for your videos and vlogs!
Stylish Ultra-Thin Design!
The HUAWEI nova 9 has a stylish ultra-thin design that is only 7.77 mm thick, and weighs just 175 grams.
Its chassis features a new advanced anti-glare Starry Flash AG Glass coating with a double-film and double-coated matte finish, with a star-inspired Star Orbit Ring on its rear camera.
It comes in two colour options – Pristine Black and the signature Starry Blue colour!
66W SuperFast Charging Battery!
The HUAWEI nova 9 comes with a large 4,300 mAh battery, that supports 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge.
You never need to worry about running out of battery, because a quick 38 minute charge gives you a full charge!
Full Suite Of Apps Through HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS)
The HUAWEI nova 9 has access to a full suite of important apps through the HUAWEI AppGallery, for banking, social media, food & beverage, e-wallet, shopping and of course, games!
Best of all – you only need to use a single HUAWEI ID to access the HUAWEI AppGallery across your different HUAWEI devices. Parents can also enable parental control function to restrict access and limit how much time children can use their devices or browse the Internet.
Its built-in Email app lets you manage multiple email accounts – Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo; while Petal Search gives you access to an AI-powered mobile search engine for a better browsing experience. It can even look for apps in trusted third-party stores, giving you even more options outside of HUAWEI AppGallery.
HUAWEI nova 9 : How To Pre-Order One!
You can pre-order the HUAWEI nova 9 from 8 to 19 November 2021 for just RM1,999 at these online and offline stores in Malaysia :
Every pre-order will come with freebies worth up to RM829!
HUAWEI nova 9 : Contests!
To celebrate the launch of the nova 9, HUAWEI has arranged two contests for you to join :
Be A Nova Star Karaoke Battle!
From 5 November until 18 November 2021, you can join the #BeANovaStar Karaoke Battle for a chance to win THREE (3) brand new HUAWEI nova 9 smartphones!
Click “sing now” and record video of you singing or in your own creative ways with the “nova star” branded filter.
Upload the video to the Karaoke Battle, set it as “Public” and hashtag #HUAWEInova9star #BeAnovaStar.
Be A Nova Star Dance Challenge!
From 7 November until 13 November 2021, you can join the #BeANovaStar TikTok Dance Challenge to win a HUAWEI band 6 smartwatch!
Do the #BeAnovaStar TikTok Dance Challenge (“Dance”) with branded filter;
Record and upload a video of yourself doing the movements of the Dance with the hashtag #BeAnovaStar #HUAWEInova9 on to your TikTok profile; and
Make your TikTok profile public.
The winner will be announced on 18 November 2021!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
HUAWEI just introduced a new laptop – the MateBook 14s with a 90Hz display, and the latest 11th Gen Intel Core processors.
Find out why this is such a great all-round laptop!
Why HUAWEI MateBook 14s Is A Great All-Round Laptop!
In the past few years, HUAWEI has been aggressively creating laptops, to drive their 1+8+N concept of a fully-connected life.
The new HUAWEI MateBook 14s is their latest computing lynchpin in that strategy, as an affordable, high-performance laptop for business professionals.
Let’s take a look at its key features, and why it is such a great all-round laptop!
90 Hz High-Resolution Display
When you open up the HUAWEI MateBook 14s, the first thing you will notice is the expansive 14-inch FullView display with really thin bezels.
This is a high-resolution touch-screen display with a 2.5K resolution of 2520 x 1680 pixels, that supports a maximum refresh rate of 90 Hz and a wide 100% sRGB colour gamut.
For maximum viewing comfort, it has built-in Smart Brightness Adjustment with Dual Eye Comfort, and is certified by TUV Rheinland as a low blue light and flicker-free display.
Performance
The HUAWEI MateBook 14s is powered by the latest 11th Gen Intel Core processors, with two variants at present :
Intel Core i7-11370H : 4C / 8T, 12 MB cache, up to 4.8 GHz
Intel Core i5-11300H : 4C / 8T, 8 MB cache, up to 4.4 GHz
Both variants feature the latest Intel Iris Xe Graphics, with these RAM + storage options :
And if you need additional performance, you can activate its Performance Mode. By simply pressing the Fn+P key combo, the CPU TDP will be boosted to 45W, giving you a boost in CPU performance!
All that is powered by a 60 Who battery, and a pocketable 90W power adapter that supports HUAWEI Super Charge. A quick 15 minute charge gives you up to 3 hours of battery life.
Multimedia Prowess
Whether it’s for work or entertainment, the HUAWEI MateBook 14s will surely impress with its four speaker system.
Powered by HUAWEI SOUND, these speakers produce an enveloping virtual surround sound field around the user, which can be further adjusted using the four pre-set audio modes.
The MateBook 14s also features a quad-microphone system, which works with the new HUAWEI Personal Voice Enhancement technology, to intelligently isolate and boost your voice while cutting out ambient noise.
Its four microphones, which are placed along the laptop edges, can pick-up audio from sources up to 5 metres away, and ensure that you are clearly heard, even in noisy environments.
HUAWEI Innovation
The HUAWEI MateBook 14s is designed to work with other HUAWEI ecosystem devices, as part of their 1+8+N concept. Hence, it comes with a bevy of innovative tools for multi-device sharing and collaboration!
The Mirror Mode lets you mirror the MateBook 14s display onto a HUAWEI tablet, letting you use those devices as a digital drawing pad.
You can also use Mirror Mode to allow different groups to collaborate on the same content.
The Extend Mode lets your HUAWEI tablet serve as a secondary display, giving you more space to work with, or letting you play music / video while you work.
The Collaborate Mode lets you easily and wirelessly transfer content between the MateBook 14s and another HUAWEI device! You can just drag and drop the files you want using the mouse!
The Collaborate Mode also lets you use your laptop keyboard and mouse with your HUAWEI tablet or smartphone!
It Can Run Mobile Apps!
The HUAWEI MateBook 14s comes with the beta version of Mobile Apps Engine, which lets you run mobile apps (like WeChat, for example) directly on the laptop!
This not only lets you have a bigger, more expansive view of your mobile apps, you can now have two mobile accounts – one for personal use, one for work or business use.
HUAWEI MateBook 14s : Price + Pre-Order Deal!
The HUAWEI MateBook 14s is available to pre-order from RM4,999 (approx. S$1,599 / US$1,999 / £869 / A$1,599), from 28 October until 6 November 2021.
Every purchase of the HUAWEI MateBook 14s will come with freebies worth RM1,366 :
HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro
HUAWEI Bluetooth mouse
HUAWEI Backpack
Office 365 (1 Year Subscription)
You can grab the pre-order deal for the HUAWEI MateBook 14s at these two official stores :
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
72.2 mm wide
86.4 mm tall
15.9 mm to 17.1 mm thick
Unfolded
Dimensions
72.2 mm wide
166.0 mm tall
6.9 mm thick
Weight
183 grams
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Unboxing + Contents!
The new Galaxy Z Flip 3 is Samsung’s third-generation Flip device, featuring not only a large foldable 6.7-inch display, but also IPX8 water resistance!
As a Samsung ultra-premium smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 comes in a premium two-tone black-grey box, with these items inside :
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 smartphone
Quick Start Guide
USB-C to USB-C data and power cable
SIM tray ejection pin
Unfortunately, it does not come with a fast charger in-the-box, or an USB-C to 3.5 mm audio adaptor. Not does it come with any USB-C earphones…
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 boasts a large 6.7-inch Infinity Flex display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel that has a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1080 x 2640 pixels.
In case you are wondering – the crease is visible if you view it from an angle, and you can feel it if you run your finger over it. But after using it some time – you will forget it’s even there.
The display is large and really beautiful – with excellent resolution, colour gamut and brightness. And it folds into a really compact device about the size of a pager – if you are old enough to remember what that is!
Its foldable display has a new protective film made from stretchable PET, and newly-optimised display panel layers that are 80% more durable than the Z Fold2 display. It is now certified to withstand folding at least 200,000 times!
If you are new to foldable phones, you will be really tentative about folding it. But over time, it will become really natural – you won’t even think twice about folding it before shoving it down your pocket.
But while the Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) can withstand a lot more folding, you must still take care not to SCRATCH it. Avoid putting it together in your pocket or handbag with hard objects like coins, another phone, etc.
You also need to remember to fold it once you don’t need to use the main display. Don’t worry – even if you fold it a 100X a day, it should last 5.5 years!
1.9-inch Cover Display
In the front, it has a small 1.9-inch Cover Display with a Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 260 x 512 pixels.
This redesigned Cover Screen is 4X larger, making it easier to view notifications and messages without opening the Z Flip 3.
You will be able to check your schedule, the weather, and your daily step count with the new Cover Screen widgets. You can even coordinate its wallpaper with the new Galaxy Watch4 or Galaxy Watch4 Classic!
The Cover Display also serves as a camera preview display, letting you use both rear cameras for superior selfies! This is one of the Z Flip 3’s relatively unknown but truly useful feature.
Performance + Storage
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G mobile platform, which makes it one of the most powerful smartphones in the world.
Our review sample came with 8 GB of memory, and 128 GB of fast UFS 3.1 storage. It is also available with 256 GB of storage.
It only supports a single SIM card, with no microSD card tray. There is no option to increase storage, but generally 128 GB of storage is more than enough for most people.
Protection
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is water-resistant in up to 1.5 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes, but is not dust-resistant due to its foldable display and folding mechanism. Hence, it is IPX8-rated.
To protect against dust and other particles, its Hideaway Hinge has enhanced Sweeper technology, with shorter bristles.
In addition, its chassis is made with Armor Aluminium, and the Cover Display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. Its Dual Pixel main camera is also protected by Gorilla Glass with DX.
Buttons
The only buttons you will find are on the upper right side of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 – the Volume control buttons and the Power button, which doubles as the fingerprint sensor.
Pressing the Power button twice activates the Quick Shot mode, which lets you take selfies using the rear cameras with the Cover Display for preview and control.
Only One Port
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 comes with a USB Type C port, which supports USB 3.2 connectivity.
It does not come with a 3.5 mm audio jack, or a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter in the box.
Battery + Charging
Powering all that is a 3,300 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which supports 15 watt fast charging, and 10 watt wireless charging. It can even wireless recharge other devices, albeit at just 4.5 watts.
This is a pretty small battery, and rather slow charging speeds. On top of that, it does not come with an in-box charger. So you will have to use your old charger, or buy a new one.
Samsung flagship smartphones are notable for featuring cutting-edge cameras, but the Galaxy Z Flip 3 stayed with the last generation cameras.
In front, it uses a 10 MP punch hole camera, with an f/2.4 aperture. To be clear, this is an excellent camera. It’s just not new.
But don’t worry – you will end up using this selfie camera only for video calls, and use the better cameras at the back for your “selfies”!
Dual Cameras At The Back
In the back, it has a dual-camera system, which consists of :
a 12 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture
a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, with f/2.2 aperture
These cameras are offer great image quality, even in low-light conditions – thanks to their large apertures.
As I pointed out earlier, the Cover Display lets you use these cameras for really excellent selfies. Just double-press the Power button with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 folded to activate these cameras.
This is why Samsung did not “upgrade” the front camera. These rear cameras are really the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s true selfie cameras.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Photo Samples
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3’s rear cameras may “only” have 12 MP sensors, but they are truly excellent cameras.
The cameras both offer good low-light performance, thanks to the wide f/1.8 and f/2.2 apertures. But the wide aperture also creates creates a narrow depth-of-field, so there is the risk of ending up with an out-of-focus photo.
Here are ten unedited photo samples for you to check out.
When used in the selfie mode, the rear cameras deliver Instagram-friendly square 9MP photos with a resolution of 2992 x 2992 pixels, and a file size of about 1.3 MB (HEIC format).
When used unfolded, the rear cameras deliver can be used to take 12MP photos with a resolution of 4000 x 3000 pixels, and a file size of about 3 MB (HEIC format).
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 comes with a small 3,300 mAh battery.
To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.
Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.
It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.
We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20% several times, and this was the best result we obtained with 60 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates :
Work 3.0
Galaxy A52
(60 Hz)
Galaxy A52
(90 Hz)
S21 Ultra
(60 Hz)
S21 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Note20
Ultra
Z Flip 3
(60 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(120 Hz)
Battery Capacity
4,500 mAh
4,500 mAh
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
4,500 mAh
3,300 mAh
3,300 mAh
Battery Life
15 hrs 33 mins
12 hrs 30 mins
11 hrs 22 mins
10 hrs
26 mins
10 hrs
9 mins
8 hrs
11 mins
6 hrs
44 mins
Utilisation
per min.
3.86 mAh
4.80 mAh
5.87 mAh
6.39 mAh
5.91 mAh
5.38 mAh
6.53 mAh
This is the biggest problem with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 – a relatively short battery life, because it pairs a powerful processor and a very large display with a small 3,300 mAh battery.
Even with the display set to 60 Hz, it only lasts just over 8 hours. If you set the display to dynamically adjust its refresh rate up to 120 Hz, that drops to just over 6.5 hours.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Recharging Speed
S21
Ultra
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy A52
Z Flip 3
Redmi 9T
Battery Capacity
5,000 mAh
4,500 mAh
4,500 mAh
3,300 mAh
6,000 mAh
Charger Output
25 watts
25 watts
15 watts
15 watts
18 watts
Recharging Time
64 mins
66.5 mins
84.5 mins
88.5 mins
184 mins
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
62.5 mAh
54.1 mAh
42.4 mAh
29.8 mAh
26.1 mAh
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 recharges very slowly, even using the same 15 watt Samsung fast charger as the Galaxy A52.
It actually took longer to recharge its smaller 3,300 mAh battery than the Galaxy A52 which has a much larger 4,500 mAh battery!
Its only saving grace – it was able to recharge slightly faster than the Xiaomi Redmi 9T.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Work Performance
We first tested the Galaxy Z Flip 3 using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
Work 3.0
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
S21 Ultra
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Redmi
9T
Mobile Platform
SD 888
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
SD 750G
SD 662
Performance Score
13317
12535
10523
7874
5986
Web Browsing
11637
10185
8865
7021
5844
Video Editing
7762
6336
6232
5693
3423
Writing
15316
15247
11112
7454
6657
Photo Editing
25357
37847
30789
15812
12031
Data Manipulation
11938
8310
6825
6424
4799
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 lets the Galaxy Z Flip 3 easily handle anything you throw at it, whether it’s just posting your latest Instagram pictures or editing a 4K video.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Gaming Performance
For gaming, we tested the Galaxy Z Flip 3 using 3DMark, with these results :
3DMark
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
Note10+
Device
SD 888
Exynos
990
Exynos
9825
Sling Shot Unlimited
9248
8026
3327
Wild Life Unlimited
3952
4504
3288
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
1174
1387
528
Look at that – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 packs a serious punch when it comes to gaming.
It may seem unbelievable because the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is so slim and stylish, but it will easily handle any game you throw at it. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!
The only problem is that because it’s so thin – it can get real toasty when you game on it. The back of the chassis can get as warm as 42°C.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Overall Performance
We then tested the Galaxy Z Flip 3 using AnTuTu, yielding these results :
AnTuTu
Galaxy
Z
Flip 3
Galaxy
S21 Ultra
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Redmi 9T
Device
SD 888
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
SD 750G
SD
662
AnTuTu Score
696767
624411
522735
341908
173559
CPU
206228
166290
146783
105098
64505
GPU
242573
258995
215205
88068
31734
Memory
133586
120805
89376
60642
40377
UX
114380
78321
71371
88100
36943
The AnTuTu benchmark confirms that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a beast of a performer, beating even the very fast Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Let’s do a quick wrap of what I really like, and don’t like, about it.
Better Displays
I love the large 6.7-inch foldable display that is now tougher and more durable, and supports the 120 Hz refresh rate.
Even the larger 1.9-inch cover display deserves special mention, because it is a lot more functional!
Great Performance
Even though it looks real sleek, it is powered by the incredibly powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 mobile SoC.
It will easily handle EVERYTHING you throw at it – even graphics-intensive games. It gets toasty when you game, but hey, at least it doesn’t feel like a brick!
Good Cameras
The front camera is nothing to write about, but the rear cameras are good, even though they are still stuck at 12 MP.
I like how the larger Cover Display lets you easily use the rear cameras for really good selfies.
Short Battery Life + Slow Charging
The problem with the sleek, light design – its small 3,300 mAh battery which barely does 6.5 hours with the 120 Hz refresh rate.
It doesn’t help that it recharges really slowly, even with a standard 15 watt charger… and don’t get me started on the lack of an in-box charger!
Zilch In-Box Freebies
For a premium product, it comes with zilch freebies in-the-box. As mentioned before, there is no fast charger.
There is also no USB-C to 3.5 mm audio jack, not even a pair of USB-C earphones. Neither did Samsung provide even a cheap TPU case.
Incredible New Price Point
On the other hand, Samsung really surprised me with the new price points :
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
vivo just introduced the X70 Pro and X70 smartphones featuring ZEISS optics and a unique gimbal camera!
Find out if the new vivo X70 gimbal smartphones are what you have been waiting for!
vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : What You Need To Know!
vivo just launched their X70 series of professional photography flagship smartphones, with two models – the X70 and the X70 Pro.
Both models come with ZEISS optics for their cameras, and a unique Ultra-Sensing Gimbal Camera, to allow users to capture the best possible photos and videos, even in the most challenging conditions.
Here is what you need to know about the new vivo X70 series smartphones…
Large AMOLED Display
Both the vivo X70 and X70 Pro come with a large 6.56-inch AMOLED display, with a resolution of 1080 x 2376 pixels.
They both support a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 240 Hz response rate, as well as HDR10+ support and Hi-Rest certification.
There is a subtle difference between the two models though – the vivo X70 display has a 2.5D edge, while the Pro version has a 3D curved edge.
Performance
Both models are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 – a 5G mobile SoC built on the 6 nm process, with eight processor cores that consists of :
a high-performance A78 core running at 3 GHz,
three sustained-performance cores running at 2.6 GHz, and
four high-efficiency A55 cores running at 2 GHz.
In addition to its 8 processor cores, it has a 9-core Arm Mali-G77 MC9 GPU, and a 6-core MediaTek APU 3.0 AI processor.
RAM + Storage
The vivo V70 comes with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, while the Pro version comes with a whopping 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
Even though they both come with a lot of memory, they support Extended RAM 2.0 – giving them additional 4 GB of memory on call!
There is no option to upgrade storage through a microSD card, but they both come with more than enough storage for most users, and most importantly – it’s super fast UFS 3.1 flash storage!
Cameras Co-Engineered With ZEISS
Both models have a high-resolution 32 MP front camera, with a triple camera system for the X70 and a quad camera system for the X70 Pro.
Both camera systems were co-engineered with ZEISS and feature lenses with ZEISS T* coating to reduce unwanted light flares, ghosting, stray light and other image artifacts.
The pièce de résistance of both models is the unique Ultra-Sensing Gimbal Camera, which is coupled with the Gimbal Stabilisation 3.0 technology, to let you capture steady images and video even in the most challenging conditions.
They also support VIS 5-Axis Ultra Stable Video technology, which integrates enhanced optical image stabilisation (OIS) with electronic image stabilisation (EIS) to aggressively stabilise the X/Y-axis as well as Z-axis rotation for silky-smooth video.
Rounding that up is a slew of AI-enhanced photography and videography technologies, like Real-Time Extreme Night Vision, Super Night Video, Pure Night View, Pro Cinematic Mode and more.
Battery + Charging
The vivo X70 Pro and X70 come with large batteries – 4,450 mAh and 4,400 mAh capacities respectively, for a long battery life.
On top of that, they both come with a USB charger in-the-box, which supports 44W FlashCharge for extremely fast charging.
vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : Specifications
To make it easier for you to decide between the two models, we created this table to compare their key specifications :
vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : Price + Pre-Order Deals
The vivo X70 is priced at RM2,499 – approximately US$598 / £437 / A$822 / S$806.
Here are the freebies you will get if you pre-order one from now until 1 October 2021 :
Protection Plus : 1 year extended warranty + 1 year screen crack protection
Premium Gift Box : Bluetooth speaker + car charger + 1-month Viu subscription
The vivo X70 Pro is priced at RM3,299 – approximately US$789 / £577 / A$1,085 / S$1,064.
Here are the freebies you will get if you pre-order one from now until 1 October 2021 :
Protection Plus : 1 year extended warranty + 1 year screen crack protection
Premium Gift Box : Bluetooth sound bar + 1-month Viu subscription
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
