VOLUME 16 ISSUE 11

PC.COM IS THE OFFICIAL

EXCLUSIVE MEDIA
PARTNER FOR AGES 2016

GAMETIME TESTED
STREET FIGHTER V ASUS STRIX
LAUNCH IN MALAYSIA SOAR 7.1
XCOM 2 REVIEW SONY HT-ST9
SOUNDBAR

RISE OF THE MSI GS60

GHOST PRO

TOMB RAIDER OPPO PM-3

HEADPHONES

SHOWDOWN

BEAST
POWERED
MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G vs MSI GTX 980 GAMING 6G
vs POWERCOLOR AMD R9 RADEON FURY X
 MARCH 2016

CONTENTS

38 bIz2.0
38 IT employment still weak in Malaysia
40 WEF attendees warned about mobile security
44 New business focused Core CPU

12 WIRE 46 Google parent topples Apple as most valuable

company

14 LG Innofest 2016 report 47 IT spending in Malaysia to exceed world

average
21 New smartphone from ASUS with Optical Zoom
48 Telenor predicts year of change
22 New initiative to bring internet to more women
23 Microsoft updates wrong devices
24 Study reveals profiles of Malaysian smartphone isers
26 New phone from ExMobile heats up the market

49 gIzMOS

58 TESTEd
27 Many users still use insecure passwords 60 Western Digital Blue PC SSHD 4TB
28 New Ricoh camera can capture surround images 61 ATH CKS550iS Solid Bass In Ear Headphones
32 New Android malware targets mobile banking 62 ASUS Strix Soar 7.1 PCI-E Sound Card
33 Windows 10 required for newer hardware 64 ATH WS770iS Solid Bass Over Ear Headphones
34 Google produces report on 2015 YouTube ads 65 Sony NW-ZX2
36 LG partners with Netflix for 4K 66 Sony HT-ST9 Soundbar
37 Victory for Apple against Samsung 67 Sony PCM-D100

2
MAR 2016
 CONTENTS

70 TESTEd (CONT.) 95 TECH 101

70 ASUS RT AC 5300 Wireless Tri-Band Router

72 Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
74 WD MyBook Pro
75 MSI GS60 Ghost Pro
76 Alcatel One Touch Flash 2
77 Canon EOS M10
78 OPPO PM-3

103
80 Huawei Mate S
gamETimE
100 Street Fighter V Launch
BEAST POWERED
103 Barbaric Times
108 No Retirement Yet
110 Horror Show
114 Review | Rise of The Tomb Raider
117 Review | XCOM 2

81 SHOWdOWN

89 COvEr STOry

120 SpOTligHT
DIGITAL INITIATIVES
FOR MANUFACTURERS 124 iNviEW

4
MAR 2016
 THE
M
TEA

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 EDITOR’S NOTE

I
t is the best of times and the worst of times. But,
before you jump to any conclusions, I am not planning
a sequel to A Tale of Two Cities. While it would be
nice to bring back one of the greatest tragic heroes
in fiction, Sydney Carton, back from the dead, it is probably
not going to be very realistic. A decapitation is usually fatal.

The same probably applies to the mainstream PC industry,

which is not having the best of times. As you would read in
this issue, the hardware PC industry is in a slump and many
of the industry stalwarts are lining up to predict a gloomier
future. Even the ‘booming’ mobile industry is feeling a bit
deflated with the trio of Apple, Samsung and Qualcomm
reporting lower profits.

But it is also the best of times for another sector of the PC

industry – gamers and hardware enthusiasts. There was
a time when ardent gamers had to familiarise themselves
with a CPU’s voltage and clock multiplier settings just to
get a few extra frames per second. The memory of the
glory days of mucking around the BIOS settings of an Abit
motherboard can still bring a wistful look to the eyes of
old-timers.

Judging by the recent CES in Las Vegas, every Tom, Dick

and Harry (or Dell, Lenovo and HP) is now chasing PC
gamers. Who would have thought that a giant ‘business’
PC company like HP or Lenovo would make such a huge

A WORD FROM fuss about the puny gamer?

THE EDITOR
Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

And let us not forget the gamer favourites such as Razer, MSI
and Asus. Even good ol’ AMD has been making overtures
to the enthusiast community with the recent launch of its
backlit Wraith CPU cooler and Radeon Crimson GPU driver.
Other manufacturers are also bringing out their own suite
of tweaking and overclocking tools. It certainly is the best of
times for the gamer and the hardware cognoscenti.

Ajith Ram | PC.com Editor

8
MAR 2016
 I GOT IT
HERE

“We are professional retail operation for the ICT industry. Our ICT Centre is
a 20,000 square foot premise at 1st Avenue, Penang and includes popular IT
and Telecommunication products. Visit an iconic IT shopping experience that
caters to your lifestyle needs. ”

ICT Shops Available At 2ND Floor 1ST AVENUE

RETAIL OUTLET ENQUIRY +603 2727 2727
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Mailbox
letter
From Ivan
oF tHe
When I get a call on my iPhone, my iPad also starts buzzing. MontH

Reply
To Ivan

From PC.com

Hi Ivan,

It sounds like you are using the same Apple ID on all your iOS devices. You can change this by switching off
iPhone Cellular Calls in the FaceTime section of each device’s Settings menu. You should do this only in the
devices you do not wish to use.

Can I upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows My Mail application has no inbox subfolders. How do
10 Pro? I fix this?

Govinder Chia Yee

Yes. If you have it, you can upgrade using a spare
key from an earlier edition of Windows, including
Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate, Windows 8 Pro, or
Windows 8.1 Pro. But be aware that you might need
to use a generic product key first and then activate
after the upgrade is complete.
The Windows 10 Mail app will show separate inbox folders
for each mail account you set up, but it won’t show any
subfolders within them and you cannot create any. So even
if you have subfolders set up in your webmail account, they
won’t appear in Mail.

Stalk uS on http://facebook.com/pcdotcomd http://www.twitter.com/pcdotcom

10
MAR 2016
 - 21 -
neW smartphone From asus
14 LG InnoFest
WIth optIcaL zoom
2016 report
- 22 -
neW InItIatIve to brInG
Internet to more Women

- 25 -
neW phone From exmobILe
heats up the market

- 28 -
neW rIcoh camera can
capture surround ImaGes

- 36 -
LG partners WIth netFLIx
For 4k

Wire
Hooking you up to the latest.

21 22 25 36

12
JUN 2016
MAR 2015
 Available at all major
bookstore. Download
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Covers critical economic, financial and business developments that
BUSINESS TODAY impact Malaysian and multinational enterprises, and marries it to a
lifestyle focus that’s second-to-none.

The country’s leading local ICT magazine, and continues to

PC.COM be every newbie and veteran user’s ultimate guide to the
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 WIRE

Signing In
LG InnoFest 2016 report

H
oping to be lucky again in 2016,
LG held its annual InnoFest
conference in Seoul on February
16th and 17th. The InnoFest
roadshow began earlier this year in Dubai
with an expo for partners in Africa and the
Middle East.
LG InnoFest provided the company with
the opportunity to showcase its diverse
range of products including consumer
electronics and home appliances for the
benefit of regional business partners,
retailers and media. This year’s edition
gave approximately 300 dealers and
journalists from 15 countries across the
region, including Singapore, Indonesia and
Thailand, the chance to gain hands-on
experience with LG’s latest products.

14
MAR 2016
 WIRE

At the conference, LG introduced its new

LG Signature product lineup. According to
LG, it brings together the company’s best
technology and best designs under a single
brand name.
Some of the home appliance offerings
in the Signature lineup include a Twin
Wash washing machine, a Door-in-Door
refrigerator and a hybrid air purifier. The
LG Signature products have been carefully
designed by a special team of leading
design experts. The most impressive of
these are obviously the company’s latest
OLED TVs. Boasting better blacks and
higher contrast than regular LCD TVs, this
year’s lineup of LG OLED TVs also include
HDR and 4K features.
HDR stands for high dynamic range. It
essentially takes a series of images, each
shot with a different exposure from darkest
to lightest. HDR combines the best parts of
the three overexposed, underexposed, and

16
MAR 2016
balanced shots to create a dramatic image
with beautiful shadowing and highlights.
In order to experience all the light and
shadow variations in a daylight image,
HDR is an absolute requirement. 128-bit
HDR has been available to videogame
developers for sometime now. However,
due to the limitations of the standard LCD
and CRT displays, it was not possible to
display the full colour range of the image
– until now. With the advent of the HDR
OLED TVs, games and movies will start to
look much better.
Another topic that was doing the rounds
at the conference was IoT. Although no
details were available, LG is promising
more IoT smart devices this year. Google
has already announced LG as one of its
key partners.
Attendees also got the opportunity
to visit the world-famous N Seoul Tower
which hosts a massive OLED display
made up of 248 individual 55-inch LG
OLED TVs.

17
MAR 2016
advertorial
Brilliantly
HtC OnE a9
ALL-METAL DESIGN
A
n evolution of the iconic HTC
One family design, the HTC
One A9 draws on the natural
beauty around us, by using
rich, striking colors and unique finishes –
an approach called “metalmorphics.
New curves, refined edges, and
precision-cut ridges on the power
button flawlessly combine with the
super-thin metal frame giving the phone
a natural and lightweight feel. The
elegant dual finish, available in a Carbon
Gray, and Topaz Gold, is brushed with
hairline detail and bead-blasted before
the sides are polished, giving additional
depth and richness that is unique to the
smartphone market.
Finally, in a stunning fusion of metal
and glass, a 5-inch, edge-to-edge,
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3, Full HD
AMOLED screen cascades into the
metal frame, giving you brighter and
more vivid colours for brilliant graphics
and gaming, even in direct sunlight.
INNER PHOTOGRAPHER
Your best camera is the one you use
whenever the moment strikes, so it
should be able to capture stunning shots
in any situation. The HTC One A9’s front
and rear cameras, coupled with powerful
yet simple editing tools, mean epic
photos and videos are only a tap away.
Its main 13MP rear camera features
Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), which
automatically minimises hand shake and
corrects vibrations to give you a crystal-
clear picture every time. Meanwhile, the
front UltraPixel camera delivers the best
self-portraits in any lighting condition,
using HTC’s UltraPixel sensor to capture
300% more light than conventional
smartphone cameras.
With the HTC One A9, no detail is too
small. Offering an optional Pro mode to
capture the perfect photo without being
a photography expert, you can also
save photos using RAW capture – a tool
used by professional photographers
– for an unmatched level of detail and
post-shot editing flexibility. Or you can
keep things simple with Photo Editor’s
one-button enhancement feature,
which automatically brightens colors
and sharpens edges for unbelievably
clear and crisp photos.
AUDIO PERFECTION
Game changing audio has always been
core to the HTC One family - the HTC
One A9 delivers amazing sound quality,
with HTC BoomSound integrated into
the headset combined with Dolby
Audio surround technology, delivering
immersive, vibrant sound that matches
a live experience in your headphones
by taking high-resolution audio to the
next level.
With a built-in DAC that delivers
audio at 24-bit, 192KHz quality – better
Sometimes a still photo just isn’t
enough. With the HTC One A9’s
Hyperlapse editing tool, you can speed
up your videos to 12 times as fast for a
dramatic time-lapse effect, creating an
immersive video that perfectly captures
the moments that matter.
Speed through your video or use
capture mode to edit in slow motion,
highlighting those unforgettable memories.
Or use HTC Zoe to easily and automatically
mix your best shots and videos into one
professional-looking highlight reel that can
be shared with friends and family to tell the
story of any moment from every angle.
than CD quality – it provides a richness
and depth like you’ve never before
heard from your music collection.
A powerful high-output headphone
amplifier, with double the output of
other handsets, provides more power
and dynamic range so you can hear
every nuance of your favorite music,
videos and games. Optional high-
resolution audio certified HTC Pro
Studio Earphones deliver both noise
isolation and truly immersive sound.
advertorial
OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE
Featuring the newest Qualcomm
Snapdragon 617 processor with
integrated X8 LTE and 64-bit octa-core
CPUs, the HTC One A9 is designed to
deliver a perfect balance of powerful
performance, fast connectivity and
better battery life. With support for
epic LTE wireless speeds through
next-generation carrier aggregation
technology, it delivers more high-
definition streaming videos, more
pulse-pounding high-resolution audio
and more storage in the cloud to hold
everything your heart desires.
The phone is available in both 16
and 32GB configurations and features
expandable memory, supporting up
to 2TB in SD card storage, perfect for
storing all your apps, games, photos,
music and videos.
To protect your smartphone, pair
it with the HTC Dot View II case,
available in Obsidian. Its retro-inspired
dot matrix cover reveals instant
NEW ANDROID
The first non-Nexus smartphone
powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow,
the HTC One A9 brings Google’s latest
innovations and the simplicity of HTC
Sense right out of the box. Combined
with a multi-directional fingerprint
scanner, Android Pay makes purchasing
items as secure and as easy as “tap, pay,
done.” Google’s Now on Tap feature also
intuitively provides contextual information
about whatever is on your screen – look
up reviews for a movie from a text, hear a
song mentioned in a blog post, or book
seats at a restaurant from an email, all at
the press of the home button.
With so many new features, the HTC
One A9 has also been designed with
all new power-saving capabilities to
maximise battery life. Doze automatically
turns off power hungry applications
when your phone is left idle, such as
when charging overnight, while App
Standby knows when an app open in
the background isn’t being used and
shuts it down until you need it again.
In addition, the phone’s new processor,
AMOLED screen and support for the
optional HTC Rapid Charger 2.0, for up
to 75% faster charging are all optimised to
maximise battery life throughout the day. In
real terms this means, for example, that you
can play 12 hours of HD video on one charge.
notifications, weather updates, caller
ID and more, even while closed, and
simple gesture controls bring music,
flashlight, radio and voice recording
tools closer than ever.
Cool Contest
International PC modding contest

C
ooler Master has announced
the Case Mod World Series
2016, a competitive modding
event designed to connect
modders everywhere with
US$30,000 in cash and prizes to be
won. Cooler Master has brought
together sponsors such as Asus,
Avexir, Dremel, Nvidia, and OCZ
to support and engage with the
PC modding community. The Case
Mod World Series is in its seventh
installment and this year, Cooler
Master is expanding the scope of
the series to include local meet and
greets, and modding sessions.
Judges on this year’s panel will
feature recognised names from
around the globe including Ermanno
Bonandini from Italy, Ronnie Hara from
Brazil via Japan, Richard Keirsgieter
from the Netherlands, Antony Leather
from The UK, Richard Surroz and Brian
Farrell from the USA.

Zoom for Quality

New smartphone from Asus with optical zoom

A
sus has launched the ZenFone
Zoom, the world’s thinnest 3x
optical zoom smartphone with
a Hoya lens. According to Asus,
the phone has built-in optical
image stabilisation to eliminate shakes and
blurred shots, and is powered by a quad-
core Intel Atom processor with 4GB RAM.
The phone comes with a 13MP
PixelMaster camera, 10-element lens and
laser auto-focus. It also has 128GB storage,
250Mbit/s LTE, BoostMaster fast-charging
and a full HD display. The camera is capable
of 32-second long exposure, 5cm close-up
macro and has a 28 - 84mm focal length.
“Now, with the Asus ZenFone Zoom, we
offer users a smartphone that has not only
the look and feel of a DSLR camera, but
the advanced features to match, said Asus
Malaysia Country Manager, Jimmy Lin.
The rear camera benefits from a dual-
LED Real Tone flash to create the natural
illumination for indoor portraits. The ZenFone
Zoom’s rear lens also has laser auto-focus to
point and shoot in just 0.03 seconds.

21
MAR 2016
 WIRE

Woman Power
New initiative to bring internet to more women

D
igi Telecommunications through
its Empower Societies initiative,
has launched its Digi Wanita Era
Digital (DigiWED) programme as
a commitment to bring the power
of the internet to more Malaysian women.
This new programme is a nationwide
outreach to inspire and empower women in
Malaysia through greater internet adoption
and education on basic internet skills.
WED is digital collaboration between
Digi, the Ministry of Communications
and Multimedia Malaysia, the Malaysian
Communications and Multimedia
Commission (MCMC) and the National
Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO).
The main thrust of WED is a series of
educational meet-ups that will be conducted
at 1Malaysia Internet Centres and NCWO
affiliates’ offices around the country. These
meet-ups will introduce women to basic,
safe usage of smart devices and the internet
for communicating, sharing, browsing, and
entertainment, as well as give them good
reasons to use the internet.
According to Orsolya Sekerka, Digi’s
Chief IT Officer and WED Champion, 48.5%
of the Malaysian population are women,
and 6 million of these women have yet to
access the internet.

Eradicating VR Sickness
New Nvidia VR prototype eliminates nausea

A
t Virtual Reality LA 2016 in a breakthrough VR headset design that back LCD panels separated by 5mm. These
Southern California, Nvidia produces no seasickness side effects. The are sandwiched between a backlight on the
demonstrated a revision of prototype “Light Field stereoscope” unit far side of the viewer and the two circular
its Light Field VR prototype uses two layered displays with back-to- viewing lenses near the viewer's eyes.
unit attached to a desktop PC
equipped with a Maxwell-based GPU.
With today’s VR headsets, a user’s eyes
are more focused on the displays rather than
the actual image. This results in terrible eye
strain over long periods, wearer fatigue,
and most commonly, motion sickness.
Today’s head-mounted displays (HMDs)
often require the use of headphones to help
alleviate much of the “seasickness” effect
that plagues any VR environment.
The Nvidia and Stanford project completely
eliminates the headphone requirement with

22
MAR 2016
Apple Tumbles
Apple reports slower growth due to iPhones
A
pple has reported the slowest
growth in iPhone sales since
the product's 2007 launch and
warned sales will fall for the first
time later this year. The US tech
giant sold 74.8 million iPhones in its fiscal
first quarter, compared with 74.5 million a
year ago.
Apple said revenue for the next quarter
would be between $50bn (£34bn; €46bn)
and $53bn, below the $58bn it reported
for the same period a year ago. This would
mark Apple's first fall in revenues since it
launched the iPhone.
Despite first-quarter iPhone sales being
below the 75 million expected by analysts,
it was still a record quarter for the company.
Apple revenue in the three months to 26th
December was $75.9bn and net profit was
$18.4bn, both of which are the highest
ever recorded by the company.
Sales of iPhones accounted for 68%
of the company's revenue in the period.
Apple boss Tim Cook credited "all-time
record sales of iPhone, Apple Watch and
Apple TV" for the performance.
But the firm's chief financial officer, Luca
Maestri, said the company was operating
in "a very difficult macroeconomic
environment". He added that "iPhone
units will decline in the quarter" and that
the company was not projecting beyond
those three months.
Mr Maestri partly blamed the strong
US dollar for Apple's flat sales, estimating
it had knocked $5bn off the company's
revenues. Sales of the iPhone were
Crashing Times
Microsoft updates wrong devices
M
icrosoft recently released the
first firmware updates of the
year for its latest Surface Pro
4 and Surface Book devices.
These were automatic updates
that were supposed to add battery charging
enhancements, a more accurate fingerprint
sensor driver, and support for Microsoft’s
Surface Pen on the Surface Pro 4 device.
Unfortunately, the update wasn’t rolled
out to the correct devices as the company
originally intended. Users of the older
Surface Pro and Surface Pro 3 models
basically flat. What's more, the revenue
outlook for the next three months indicates
we can expect the first fall in sales since
the iPhone's 2007 launch.
The iPhone is still an object of desire
in China. But at a time when Apple
says it's seeing softness in the Chinese
economy, the attractions of cheaper rivals
from local firms like Xiaomi may grow.
Apple's sales in Greater China - defined
by the company as China, Hong Kong and
Taiwan - rose 14%, but that was much
slower than the 70% increase a year ago.
China accounts for almost a quarter of
Apple's sales, more than all of Europe
combined. Mr Maestri said the softness
in China was "something that we have
not seen before", Reuters reported.
Apple desperately needs new products.
Perhaps the 1,000 engineers rumoured
to be working on an Apple Car will come
up with the exciting innovation which
Apple's fans and investors await with
growing impatience.
Geoff Blaber, an analyst at CCS Insight,
said Apple was "generating industry
defying margins" and had cash of almost
$216bn. Speaking to analysts, Mr Cook
said the company had "the mother of all
balance sheets" and that its financial
position had never been stronger.
Daniel Ives, an analyst at Capital
Markets who owns shares in Apple, said
given the "white knuckles fears" ahead
of the results, he would "characterise the
overall headline performance as better
than feared".
complained that the Surface Pro 4 firmware
update was automatically installed to their
previous-generation devices - silently in
the background and without warning –
after which their tablets started crashing
spontaneously and giving black and blue
screens of death.
The issues include rebooting into
a black screen, waking up from sleep
randomly, occasional blue screens ending
in “Driver Power State Failure,” and not all
drivers being up-to-date as described in
the Surface Pro 3 update history page.
23
MAR 2016
 WIRE

Generation Gap
Difference in online attitudes between age groups

W
hen it comes to staying safe
online, consumers aged 45
and over are more cautious
than younger Internet users
about sharing information, but
can lack the knowledge to spot a damaging
scam or imminent threat.
According to recent consumer surveys
from Kaspersky Lab, those aged 24 and
under are more willing to reveal information
about themselves online and take fewer
steps to protect themselves, but understand
potential threats better and can recognize
them more easily.
The research found that for younger
people, sharing data online is an everyday
occurrence, with 83% undertaking private
messaging online, compared to just 53% of
the over 45s.
“While it is clear that more mature
Internet users are likely to take fewer risks
with their personal information online;
when confronted with a cyber-threat they
are less cyber-savvy about identifying and
dealing with it. There is no substitute for
having a strong digital protection instinct,”
comments David Emm, Principal Security David Emm, Principal Security
Researcher at Kaspersky Lab. Researcher at Kaspersky Lab

Getting Smarter
Study reveals profiles of Malaysian smartphone users

V
serv, the smart data platform App junkies – Install the highest number playing games on the mobile phones. 17%
for mobile marketing and of apps and games at the rate of 11 apps in of the smartphone users who install around
commerce has released the a month. 11 apps and games a month are classified as
Smartphone User Persona Report Power users – Spend the most time App Junkies. 16% of the smartphone users
2015 for Malaysia. According to on smartphones at 219 minutes a day, who are predominantly females and spend
the report, the smartphone user base in predominantly female users with higher 219 minutes a day on their smartphones are
Malaysia is expected to reach 11 million than average engagement across multiple classified as Power Users. 13% smartphone
in 2016 and observe an upward trend of 10 app genres. users who are predominantly females and
percent from 2013 to 2017. Utilitarians – Utility-driven app usage along spend almost an hour and a half each day
The boom in the Malaysian smartphone with apps for voice calls, news and emails. on social networking, chat & VoIP apps are
market is primarily being propelled by Social stars (13 percent) – Spend half of segmented as Social Stars. Dabblers and
Malaysians under 30 years old with 64 their time on social networking and chat Utilitarians are driven by need and spend
percent users fall in that age bracket. apps (almost an hour and a half each day). the least time on their mobile devices (171
This trend forces marketers to rethink Data Guzzlers spend up to 52 mins a day and 177 mins per day).
their approach to marketing and
communications as they are now reaching
out to a generation that is more informed
and connected than ever.
Based on a study conducted by Nielsen
Informate Mobile Insights, the report
segments Malaysian smartphone users into
different user personas and provides rich
insights into each persona’s app usage, time
spent on various apps, data consumption
patterns and their demographics.
According to the report, smartphone
users spend an average of 187 minutes per
day on their devices. The six smartphone
user personas that emerged:
Data guzzlers – Identified by the highest
data consumption, with usage skewed
towards browsing and gaming
Dabblers – Lowest engagement with their
smartphone and seldom access apps and sites.

24
MAR 2016
Upping the Game
New gamer’s motherboard from Asus

A
sus has announced the 6th-generation processors and DDR4 Pro Clock technology for turbo-charged
immediate availability of memory. These advanced features base-clock (BCLK) frequencies.
Maximus VIII Hero Alpha here in include 5-Way Optimisation auto- Maximus VIII Hero Alpha also includes
Malaysia. The ATX Z170-based tuning for instant performance boosts, audio by SupremeFX 2015 with Sonic
gaming motherboard is packed second-generation T-Topology for next- Studio II, Intel Gigabit Ethernet, LANGuard
with advanced gamer-friendly features. level DDR4 memory overclocking, and and GameFirst IV technologies.
Asus says it is the world’s first motherboard
with an integrated RGB header compatible
with standard 12V RGB LED strips for
instant custom illumination.
Maximus VIII Hero Alpha is the latest
evolution of ROG’s gamer-delighting
Maximus VIII Hero motherboard, with
the two new four-pin headers for RGB
strips, 2x2 (2T2R) 802.11ac Wi-Fi with
Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO), USB 3.1
Type-A and Type-C powered by an Intel
USB 3.1 controller and dual NVM Express
(NVMe) U.2 sockets and M.2 for three-
way RAID setups.
Based on the latest Intel Z170
Express chipset, Maximus VIII
Hero Alpha is engineered for great
overclocking experiences with Intel

Voltage Increase
New phone from ExMobile heats up the market

E
XMobile recently unveiled its latest
VoLte series smartphones and EX
Watch for the Malaysian market.
In 2016, EXMobile intends to
create a better brand awareness
among local consumers with media
collaboration and strategic alliances. The
company plans to be more proactive with
its digital presence in social media, online
advertising and provide a better web
experience for consumers.
The latest EXMobile VoLte 2 smartphone
sports a 5-inch 1280 x 720 pixels resolution
Super Colour TCL IPS screen with 320 PPI
pixel density. It has a 2.5D curve glass with
nano coating covered on both front and back
panel. Its body dimension measurement is
144 X 71 X 6.8 mm with a device weight of
139 grams.
Under the hood, the phone is running
on Mediatek 6735A quad core processor
coupled with a Mali T720 GPU, 2GB of RAM
and 16GB of internal storage that can be
expanded with microSD card up to 64GB.

25
MAR 2016
 WIRE

Trade-in and Prosper

New online smartphone trade-in service

H
uawei Technologies Malaysia
has announced that it now
offers its device trade-in service
via the company’s online retail
portal, Vmall.my. With this,
Huawei has become the first smartphone
manufacturer in Malaysia to offer an online
trade-in service.
Speaking on the dual benefits of taking
the service online, customer delight
and sustainable, environment friendly
operations, Huawei said that old handsets
will be processed depending on their
condition to ensure proper management of
electronic waste.
Besides the service being a ‘green’
initiative that advocates consumers to be more move that promises great end user benefits. their doorstep and provide them with an
environmental-conscious, the hassle-free and Once users have registered for a trade-in, e-voucher that can be used to make purchases
convenient trade-in process also doubles as a service supplier will pick up the device from on Vmall from the comfort of their own home.

Going for Gold

Acer event celebrates 25th year in Malaysia

A
cer Malaysia, together with its
partners, kicked off 2016 with
a specially organised night
held to celebrate and recognise
achievements among Acer partners
in Malaysia. This inaugural event was
graced by Acer Inc.’s Corporate President
and CEO, Jason Chen. 2015 also marked
the 25th year of Acer Sales and Services
establishment Malaysia.
“Acer Malaysia has been growing
continuously, both in terms of
employees and revenue since its
inception in 1990. We could not
have done it without the strong and
unwavering support from all our
partners,” said Ricky Tan, Managing
Director of Acer Sales and Services.
Themed ‘Go for Gold’, the event saw Acer
Malaysia’s top dealers walking away with
their well-deserved accolades categories
such as Best Performance, Best Consumer
Product, and Best Commercial Products as
well as Partners of the Year awards.

26
MAR 2016
Taking a Dip
Walkman going where no Walkman has gone before

T
ake your music to new places
with the brand new wearable
WS413 Walkman. The WS413
wearable Walkman from
Sony is now salt waterproof
and dustproof so you can listen to
your favourite songs whilst enjoying
water sports such as kayaking or
swimming. Its sleek design further
eliminates drag interference so you
are not restricted in any way. This
has been enabled by the addition of
an internal terminal which resists any
accumulation of foreign particles and
is highly corrosion-resist. A rustproof
coating on the surface of the front
case ensures that your Walkman is
protected both inside and out.
The WS413 Walkman comes equipped
with both everyday earbuds, and
specially designed waterproof earbuds
that are covered with a thin film to form
a barrier against water getting through
without compromising comfort.

Insecure Passwords
Many users still use insecure passwords

T
he fifth annual password
survey from Splash Data has
shown that there is still a
huge chunk of people who
think that '123456' and
'password' are safe. In fact, they are
the two most popular.
'12345678' has gone up one place,
and so has 'qwerty', while '12345' is
down two places. The next five are
'123456789', 'football' (up three places),
'1234' (down one), '1234567' (up two)
and 'baseball' (down two).
It seems that the message about
obvious words is getting through
as 'dragon', 'monkey' and 'letmein'
all dropped sharply. However, at the
lower end of the table, these are being
replaced by the likes of 'starwars'
'princess' and 'solo'.
There is an option in Windows 10
to use a PIN instead of a password.
Hopefully, as biometric identification
becomes more pervasive, the use of
insecure passwords will become less of
a problem.

27
MAR 2016
 WIRE

Surround Shooting
New Ricoh camera can capture surround images

R
icoh recently launched its Theta
S at Sunway Lagoon. The Theta
S is a spherical camera that can
capture 360-degree still images
and 25-minute-long videos. The
new version upgrades the image sensor
and video quality. With the upgrade, users
can now shoot near Full HD at 30fps with
a 14-megapixel resolution. The fish-eye
lenses on each side of the compact body
captures images of just over 180-degrees
and combines them together, creating
smooth 360-degree photos that can be
viewed in any direction.
The camera comes with an aperture of
f/2.0 and dual 1/2.3-inch sensors with an
internal storage doubled to 8GB, allowing
for around 65 minutes of total video (each
individual video is limited to 25 minutes or
4GB). Alternatively, it can store up to 1,600
photos at highest quality.
A new feature also allows users to
preview photos before taking them,
enabling users to view or edit images and
videos, and sharing them to their desired
audience via social networking sites.

Memory Improvement
New memory standard finalised

J
EDEC, the major semiconductor
engineering trade organisation
that sets standards for dynamic
random access memory, or DRAM
has finalised the GDDR5X specification.
This is the memory specification which is
expected to be used for next-generation
graphics cards and other devices.
The new technology is designed to
improve bandwidth available to high-
performance graphics processing units
without fundamentally changing the
memory architecture of graphics cards or
memory technology itself.
The GDDR5X SGRAM (synchronous
graphics random access memory) standard
is based on the GDDR5 technology
introduced in 2007 and first used in 2008.
The GDDR5X standard brings three key
improvements to the well-established
GDDR5: it increases data-rates by up to a
factor of two, it improves energy efficiency
of high-end memory, and it defines new
capacities of memory chips to enable denser
memory configurations of add-in graphics
boards or other devices.

28
MAR 2016
Streaming Partnership
Digi and iFlix partner for videostreaming

D
igi Telecommunications and iflix
have teamed up again to offer
Digi subscribers unlimited access
to tens of thousands of hours of
entertainment. This latest offer
represents a significant deepening of the
relationship between the companies.
From January onwards, all Digi customers
who sign up or upgrade to a Digi SmartPlan
65 or above will receive a 12-month iflix
subscription, valued at RM96, bundled with
their new postpaid plan at no additional charge.
Last October, Digi and iflix announced a
partnership which allowed Digi customers to
pay for their iflix subscriptions through their Digi
prepaid or postpaid accounts thus eliminating
the need to use a credit or debit card. Along
with this, Digi customers could also register for
an iflix account and get 60-days full access to iflix,
valued at RM20, at no additional charge.
Digi customers can connect to iflix
without needing to register for an account.
All they have to do is install the app, which
is available on Android and iOS, and launch
it. iflix automatically recognises customers
connecting through Digi’s network.

Lenovo Group’s New Marketing Lead in SEA

Malaysian lead to drive next wave of the company’s growth across the region

N
o stranger to the local ICT
scene, Kenneth Low, who
was Lenovo Group Ltd’s
marketing manager in
Malaysia for the last three
years, has moved up the ranks and
is now its new regional marketing
leader for South-East Asia. Low is
tasked with overseeing and ramping
up the Lenovo brand’s next wave of
business growth.
Based in Kuala Lumpur, Low will be
responsible for driving and developing
Lenovo’s marketing strategies, as
well as providing strategic brand
directions for the countries in the
region to adopt.
He will oversee initiatives across
Lenovo ASEAN with responsibilities
and key objectives that include
driving social media and increasing
digital engagement, innovating new
demand generation campaigns, as
well as overseeing fresh PR and retail
initiatives. Low will also be overseeing
Lenovo’s advertising, sponsorships
and strategic partnerships.
Marketing managers from
Lenovo ASEAN as well the Lenovo
headquarter team will be reporting
to Low. He will be reporting directly
to Nick Reynolds, Chief Marketing
Officer, Lenovo Asia Pacific.
“We are very happy to have
Kenneth take on this role as he
has a strong and proven integrated
marketing track record across both
agency and in-house. He’s not only
planned, coordinated, and driven
multiple successful multi-channel
integrated marketing campaigns
but also garnered numerous awards
and accolades. With a strong eye on
execution, detail and focus on results,
Kenneth truly exemplifies the Lenovo
Kenneth Low
Way values,” says Reynolds.

29
MAR 2016
 Comprehensive
product reviews_

Exclusive insights
into the IT industry_

yourself with www.liveatpc.com

The latest
gadgets and gizmos_
 WIRE
Mobile Banking Targeted
New Android malware targets mobile banking
K
aspersky Lab’s anti-malware
research team has discovered
Asacub – a new malware that
targets Android users for financial
gain. When first identified, Asacub
displayed all the signs of an information
stealing malware; however some versions
of the Trojan are targeting users of online
banking in Russia, Ukraine and the US.
With millions of people worldwide using
their smartphones to pay for goods and
services, 2015 saw cybercriminals exploit
this by focusing their efforts on developing
malicious financial programs for mobile
devices. For the first time, a mobile banking
Trojan entered the Top 10 most prevalent
malicious programs targeting finances. The
Asacub trojan is yet another example of this
worrying trend.
The first version of the Asacub trojan,
discovered in June 2015, was capable of
stealing the contact lists, browser history, list
of installed apps, sending SMS messages to
given numbers and also blocking the screen
of an infected device – all standard functions
for a typical information stealing Trojan.
However, in autumn 2015 Kaspersky
Lab’s experts discovered several new
versions of the Asacub trojan which
confirmed its transformation into a tool
for stealing money, with the new version
Lens for the Future
HoloLens to be completely wireless
32
MAR 2016
equipped with phishing pages mimicking registered to the same person as tens of
log-in pages of banking applications. domains that were used by Corebot,” warns
At first it looked like Asacub was Roman Unuchek Senior Malware Analyst at
targeting only Russian-speaking users, Kaspersky Lab USA.
because the modifications contained fake
log-in pages of Russian and Ukrainian banks.
But after further investigation, Kaspersky
Lab’s experts found a modification with
fake pages of a large US bank. These
new versions also contained a new set of
functions including call redirection and
sending USSD requests (a special service
for interactive non-voice and non-SMS
communications between the user and
cellular provider), which made Asacub a
very powerful tool for financial fraud.
Although Kaspersky Lab has been
aware of several different versions of the
trojan for some time, the company’s threat
detection systems found almost no sign
of active Asacub campaigns until the end
of 2015. Within just one week, Kaspersky
Lab identified more than 6,500 attempts to
infect users with the malware making it one
of the 5 most popular mobile trojans of that
week, and the most popular trojan-banker.
“When analysing this trojan, we found
that the Asacub malware has connections
to criminals with links to a Windows-based
spyware called CoreBot. The domain used
by Asacub’s Command&Control center is
M
icrosoft has provided new
details of their augmented
reality headset, the HoloLens.
Any universal Windows 10 app
will run natively on the device
and that developers will need to create 3D
apps to realise the HoloLens’ full potential.
The device features Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
In the battery life department, the HoloLens
will be “very much like a laptop.” That means
up to 5.5 hours of basic use and 2.5 hours of
high-intensity use.
The HoloLens will be able to connect
with other units, including over the Internet.
HoloLens owners will thus be able to share
experiences with other HoloLens users,
viewing an object together at the same time.
The experience will naturally depend on the
available bandwidth, like for any Internet-
connected device.
Microsoft has not given a release date for
the HoloLens. The Developer Edition will be
available this quarter for US $3,000.
New Windows Restrictions
Windows 10 required for newer hardware
I
n an effort to increase its worldwide
Windows 10 install base, Microsoft
has announced that it will end
support for operating systems older
than Windows 10 on newer chipset
platforms, including Intel’s Skylake, in a
year and a half from now, and that Windows
10 will be the only supported Windows OS
on new chipset platforms in 2016.
The company updated its hardware
support policy, which now states, “Going
forward, as new silicon generations are
introduced, they will require the latest
Windows platform at that time for support.
This enables us to focus on deep integration
between Windows and the silicon, while
maintaining maximum reliability and
compatibility with previous generations
of platform and silicon. Windows 10 will
be the only supported Windows platform
on Intel’s upcoming 14nm Kaby Lake
silicon, Qualcomm’s 14nm MSM8996
silicon (Snapdragon 820 SoC), and AMD’s
upcoming 28nm Bristol Ridge APU silicon.”
In other words, if you purchase a new
device later this year with an Intel Core 7000
Series (14nm Kaby Lake) CPU, Qualcomm
Snapdragon 820 SoC or AMD socket AM4-
based Bristol Ridge APU, you will only be
receiving official support from Microsoft for
its Windows 10 operating system.
Smashing Times
New role for Malaysia’s badminton ace
The announcement also applies to SoCs
from Qualcomm, Samsung, and others
that power many of the latest Windows
10 tablets and ultrabooks. Until July 17,
2017, Intel Skylake-based devices on the
company's "supported list" will continue
to support Windows 7, Windows 8.0 and
Windows 8.1. Microsoft says "during the
18-month support period, these systems
should be upgraded to Windows 10 to
continue receiving support after the
period ends."
In the blog post, Microsoft emphasised
Windows 7’s decade-old platform
architecture and some of the challenges
it brings for hardware manufacturers.
Windows 7 will continue to be supported
for security, reliability and compatibility
through January 14, 2020 on previous
generation silicon. Likewise, Windows
8.1 will receive the same support through
January 10, 2023.
According to Microsoft, the negative
side effects of using an older OS over
Windows 10 are already quite tangible.
“Compared to Windows 7 PCs, Intel
Skylake when combined with Windows
10 enables up to 30x better graphics and
3x the battery life – with the unmatched
security of Credential Guard utilising
silicon supported virtualisation,” says Terry
Myerson, Executive Vice President of the
Windows and Devices Group.
“Credential Guard” is Microsoft’s new
virtualisation-based security mechanism
that stores Windows and other login
credentials into a virtualised area in
hardware away from the main operating
system. This prevents credential attack
theft techniques used in many targeted
attacks from successfully obtaining any
confidential user credential information
in the Windows 10 Enterprise
operating system. Data stored by the
new “isolated LSA” environment is
protected using virtualisation-based
security and is not accessible to the
rest of the operating system.
X
OX Mobile, the mobile operator
has named Malaysian hero,
and number 1 shuttler, Dato’
Lee Chong Wei as its brand
ambassador.
XOX Mobile has been on an uptrend,
registering a profit for the last four quarters,
and posting profit after tax of RM1.17million,
on the back of RM90.95million in revenue
for financial year ended June 30, 2015. Its
subscriber base has grown to 920,000,
thanks in part to its newly launched XOX
Mobile Postpaid plan.
The signing of Malaysia’s legendary
badminton hero is meant to give a higher
profile for XOX Mobile. The signing
coincides with a resurgence in the fine
form of the former world number 1 and
two time Olympic silver medallist who
won his fifth Malaysia Masters Grand Prix
Gold title, last week. Dato’ Lee Chong
Wei might be representing Malaysia in
badminton at the Rio Olympics 2016 in
Brazil this coming August.
33
MAR 2016
 WIRE

interesting Views G
oogle Malaysia has released
its YouTube Malaysia Ads
leaderboard for the year 2015.
The list represents the top 10
ads on YouTube Malaysia that
resonated most with audiences across
Google produces report on the country in the whole of last year and
celebrates the brands that performed best
2015 YouTube ads among Malaysian audiences through a
combination of popularity and promotion.

HeRe aRe THe Top 10 YouTuBe MaLaYSia adS FoR 2015:

34
MAR 2016
 THe Top TReNdS FRoM
THiS LeadeRBoaRd aRe:
• Touching hearts. Six out of ten ads in
the year 2015 were related to the two
major festive occasions in Malaysia
- Chinese New Year and Hari Raya
Aidilfitri. Five of the ads did really well
Blessings - Malaysia Airlines to tell great, emotional stories around
the theme of family, homecoming
and nostalgia and even Hotlink’s
light-hearted music video of rapping
grannies was family-oriented.

• Ads that take their time. The

Astro Gempak - Kosong Kosong
leaderboard is yet again dominated
by ads that were born digital, with
formats created specifically with
YouTube’s audience in mind. If we
look at the length of the videos: 9 out of
10 are well beyond the traditional TV
30 seconds, with three ads past the 7
minute mark with Malaysia Airlines’
clocking up close to 12 minutes. Clear
Malaysia’s ad takes the idea of telling a
story over time to even greater lengths
with their “webisode” that’s actually
part two of a six-part series. Viewers
on YouTube will engage with longer
videos from brands as long as brands
have a great story to tell.

• Make movies, not ads: What’s

really striking about these ads is
their cinematic quality, for example
Petronas’ “Sampai Hati”, with its
carefully crafted shots and inventive
use of crisp black-and-white and color,
is constructed as a short film rather
than an ad. Astro Gempak’s short
video, tells the true story of a former
drug addict that took an emotional
turn at the end of the video reminding
us of “forgiveness” while also
entertaining and Knife’s 10-minute tale
of a daughter’s reconciliation with her
mother is an emotional story first, and
Petronas - Sampai Hati
a way to promote cooking oil second.

35
MAR 2016
 WIRE

Raging Fever
New French smartphone hits Malaysia

W
iko Mobile, the French
brand has introduced
three devices – the Fever,
Highway Pure and Lenny2
in Malaysia.
“Wiko has been successful in
adapting the latest technology
trends as desired by mobile users
into innovative products,” said
Ken Ang, Business Development
Director Malaysia, Wiko Mobile. He
continued, “Today, we bring Wiko
to Malaysia because of the fast-
growing smartphone market and
ideal demographic.”
Fever has a glow-in-the-dark
effect. Showing off its true self,
Fever’s phosphorescent design
absorbs the daylight and reflects
it once in the dark, making it the
first glow-in-the-dark smartphone
in Malaysia. More than just for the
night birds, the Fever is equipped
with a 5.2’-inch Full HD display.
The slightly rounded lines fit a 2.5D
curved glass and the phone has a 5mm
visual thickness and a premium look,
accented with metal frame and soft
touch leather-effect back cover.

LG - Netflix partnership
LG partners with Netflix for 4K

L
G has initiated a global
partnership with Netflix to
facilitate the expansion of
Netflix’s global on-demand
Internet streaming operations
beyond the Internet TV network’s already
established markets (the Americas,
Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand
and Japan).
The expansion will bring an extensive
library of high-quality content, including
4K HDR-mastered original TV series, to
more markets in Asia, the Middle East and
Europe. At the time of Netflix’s launch, LG
and Netflix will combine efforts to provide
prepaid access to the Netflix service.
Among Netflix’s acclaimed original
TV show series are Marvel’s Daredevil,
Orange is the New Black and Sense8.
The company also plans to provide global
members with its HDR-mastered original
TV series Marco Polo.

36
MAR 2016
pointless Verdict
Victory for Apple against Samsung
A
pple won a ban in the
Californian courts on some
Samsung devices from the
yester years. These include
the Admire, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note,
Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 Epic
4G Touch, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S3
and Stratosphere.
The handsets have the ‘innovative’
slide-to-unlock feature. It is unlikely that
mobile phone sellers will be particularly
bothered by the verdict. Judge Lucy Koh
precision Revamped
New lineup for Dell workstations and servers
D
ell has announced a range of
end-user computing solutions
that address the diverse
demands of mobile workers
and professionals worldwide.
In partnership with Microsoft and
Intel, these systems ship with the new
Windows 10 platform and 6th Generation
Intel Core processors or the latest Intel
Xeon processors for mobile workstations.
of the US District Court for the Northern
District of California ordered a sales ban on
the devices because of three patents.
"The court finds that Apple will suffer
irreparable harm if Samsung continues
its use of the infringing features, that
monetary damages cannot adequately
compensate Apple for this resulting
irreparable harm, and that the balance of
equities and public interest favour entry of
a permanent injunction," said the judge,
according to reports.
The entire Dell Latitude 3000, 5000 generation Intel Core processors and
and 7000 Series has been completely Xeon CPUs. The options include the
refreshed with thin and light designs. first PremierColor 4k Ultra HD displays
Dell has taken design cues from its highly with 100% minimum Adobe RGB
acclaimed XPS line. The new lineup colour gamut.
includes the Latitude 13 7000 Series
Ultrabook, Latitude 12 7000 Series 2-in-
1, and Latitude 11 5000 Series 2-in-1.
The revamp includes Dell Precision
workstations powered by the new 6th
37
MAR 2016
 BIZ 2.0

Arming for 4K
New mobile GPU for 4K devices from ARM

A
RM has announced a new mobile WQXGA (2560x1600) on tablets and composition layers, for graphics and video,
graphics chip, the Mali-DP650 WQHD (2560x1440) on smartphones, but at Full HD (1920x1080 pixels) resolutions
which it said was designed to also Full HD (1920x1080) for slightly lower and beyond while maintaining excellent
handle 4K content on a device’s end devices. picture quality and extending battery life,”
screen and on an external “The Mali-DP650 display processor said Mark Dickinson, general manager,
display. Many smartphones can record 4K will enable mobile screens with multiple media processing group, ARM.
video and this means that smartphones
could be a home to high resolution content
which can be streamed to a large, high
resolution screen.
According to ARM, the new Mali DP650
can juggle the device’s native resolution
and the external display’s own resolution
at variable refresh rates. The GPU is
able to handle different resolutions but
it is optimised for a “2.5K”, which means

Weak Employment
IT employment still weak in Malaysia

A
ccording to the latest Monster
Employment Index (MEI), the
demand for IT professionals in
Singapore, Malaysia and the
Philippines is still struggling,
with little sign of recovery.
The MEI, a monthly gauge of online job
hiring activity, records the industries and
occupations that show the highest and lowest
growth in recruitment activity. In December
2015, Singapore registered the least decline
in hiring activities in the IT, Telecom/ ISP and
BPO/ ITES sector at -3% year-over-year.
Malaysia reported a -33% year-
over-year decline in the sector, the
weakest among the three markets
surveyed. This is a further dip from
November’s -30% year-over-year,
making it one of the lowest growth
sectors in the country.
Demand for Software, Hardware and
Telecom professionals are just as slow,
with negative growth reported across
all three markets, and demands in
Singapore and Malaysia coming in as
the lowest growth industry.

Beating Predictions
Microsoft does better than expected

M
icrosoft has started the New
Year with profits of $6.3bn
(up 8 per cent on the year)
driven largely by increasing
revenues from its cloud business.
“Businesses everywhere are using the
Microsoft Cloud as their digital platform
to drive their ambitious transformation
agendas,” said CEO Satya Nadella in a
statement. “Businesses are also piloting
Windows 10, which will drive deployments
beyond 200 million active devices.”
The 8 per cent non-GAAP profit rise
on last year’s results has left investors
pleased, with shares up a similar 8 per
cent on the news. The company reported
earnings per share of $0.78 and has
handed out $6.5bn to investors in share
repurchases and dividends.
Azure’s revenue bounced up 140
per cent and server products and cloud
services is up 10 per cent. Elsewhere,
Office 365 got another 20.6 million
subscribers compared to 3 million a year
ago, and Dynamics CRM Online revenue
is up 11 per cent in constant currency.

38
MAR 2016
Another Loss
Apple loses to Samsung - again
A
pple’s second high-profile
patent win against Samsung
was appealed, just as the first
was. A panel of appeals judges
entirely wiped out Apple’s victory and its
$120 million verdict.
The new decision found that out of three
different patents Apple became famous for
winning with, one wasn’t infringed and
two of them are invalid.
The ‘647 patent described how to
turn phone numbers and other software
“structures” into links, allowing users to
take actions like calling a number with one
“click” rather than copying and pasting.
The jury awarded Apple $98.7 million
based on that patent, but the appeals
judges today held that the patent wasn’t
infringed at all. They held that “Apple
failed to prove, as a matter of law, that
the accused Samsung products use an
‘analyser server’ as we have previously
construed that term.”
Appeals judges also invalidated one
of Apple’s most consistently ridiculed
patents, the ‘721 “slide to unlock”
patent. Jurors awarded $3 million based
on infringement of that patent, but the
appeals panel said the patent is invalid
because of prior art.
The appeals court was convinced
by two pieces of prior art for “slide to
Enhanced Security
New VMware platform for mobile workers
V
Mware has unveiled a new
platform for delivering secure
digital workspaces for flexible
work styles and bring your
own device (BYOD) offices.
A digital workspace can give
IT a more efficient, simplified way
of managing users, devices and
applications. It can provide end users
with a simple way to seamlessly access
all business resources regardless of
device type. It also provides a secure
and powerful platform that enables a
more effective mobile workforce.
“With over a million connected devices
expected by 2025, Malaysia is quickly moving
towards a collaborative mobile economy.
Mobility has become mainstream with
unlock.” First, there was the Neonode N1,
a Microsoft-powered touchscreen phone
that pre-dated Apple’s iPhone by a few
years. Samsung lawyers trotted out a
“Quickstart Guide” for that phone, which
instructed its users to “right sweep to
unlock” the phone. However, the phone
didn’t have “a moving image associated
with the gesture.”
But that missing step had also
been disclosed well before the iPhone
unveiling. Samsung pointed to a paper
and accompanying video presented at
a 1992 “computer-human-interactivity
conference.” That paper, by a research
scientist named Catherine Plaisant,
describes a variety of on/off switches
that could be used in a touchscreen
environment, pictured below. The controls
include a “slider toggle” that could be
moved with a finger.
Apple argued that a “skilled artisan”
wouldn’t have combined those two
references, because the Plaisant paper
described wall-mounted devices, while
the Neonode reference was about phones.
The appeals judges disagreed, writing that
one would “naturally turn to references like
Plaisant to find solutions.” They invalidated
the patent as obvious.
Finally, the judges considered the ‘172
patent on Apple’s “autocorrect” feature.
employees accessing information anytime,
anywhere and on any devices. Enterprises,
therefore, require the applications to support
That was held invalid in light of prior art,
too. Apple lawyers didn’t claim their client
invented auto-correction entirely, but they
alleged that Samsung had copied Apple’s
method of doing it.
Samsung had counter-sued with two
of its own patents. Apple was found to
have infringed one of them, the ‘449
patent related to camera systems and
image compression. That win was upheld,
along with the jury’s verdict that Samsung
should get $158,400.
The decision doesn’t affect the results
of the first trial. Samsung was finally forced
to pay Apple $548 million after losing
that one on appeal. That case is headed
towards a third jury trial to re-consider
certain damages issues.
this flexibility in today’s digital workspace,”
said Ron Goh, President of Southeast Asia
and Korea, VMware.
39
MAR 2016
 BIZ 2.0

Warnings for Davos

WEF attendees warned about mobile security

K
aspersky Lab has warned
attendees at the World Economic
Forum in Davos about the risk of
cyber-espionage attacks using
malware designed for mobile
devices. Many of the cyber-espionage
groups investigated by Kaspersky Lab in
recent years were found to make use of
sophisticated mobile malware, capable of
infecting a range of mobile devices and
stealing all kinds of valuable information.
According to the company, significant
events, like the World Economic Forum, serve
as a hub for important conversations and
attract high-profile visitors from all over the
world. But a high concentration of important
people in one place also attracts malicious
cyber-attackers, who consider public events
a good opportunity to gather intelligence
with the help of targeted malware.
According to Kaspersky Lab statistics,
at least five of the sophisticated cyber-
espionage campaigns discovered in
recent years have made use of malicious
tools capable of infecting mobile
devices. Sometimes these are custom-
made malicious programs, created and
propagated during a given cyberespionage
campaign, as was seen in the Red October,
Cloud Atlas and Sofacy campaigns.
In other cases, the malicious actors
tend to use so-called commercial
malware: a special set of offensive tools
sold by commercial organisations like
HackingTeam (whose tool is called RCS),
Gamma International (FinSpy) and others.
The data stolen with help of such tools, such
as competitive intelligence, is of immense value
to cyber-spies. Many organisations believe
that standard PGP encryption is sufficient to
protect mobile email communications, but this
is not always the case.
“This measure doesn’t solve the core implemented for desktop security:
problem. From a technical perspective, the Default Deny and Whitelisting.
original architectural design used in emails
allows for metadata to be read as plain text • Protect your devices with a password,
on both sent and received messages. This not a PIN. If the PIN is found, the
metadata includes details of the sender and cyber-attackers may gain physical
the recipient as well as the sent/receipt access to your mobile device and
date, subject, message size, whether there install the malware implant without
are attachments, and the email client used your knowledge.
to send out the message, among other
things,” said Dmitry Bestuzhev, security • Use encryption in the data storage
expert at Global Research and Analysis memories that come with your
Team, Kaspersky Lab. mobile devices.
To overcome this, many sensitive
conversations now take place over mobile • Do NOT Jailbreak your device,
devices using secure applications and end- especially if you’re not sure how it will
to-end encryption with almost no metadata impact your device.
or where metadata is basically impersonal.
However, there are additional measures
that could help to protect private mobile
communications from third party access.
Dmitry Bestuzhev recommends the following:
Always use a VPN connection to connect
to the Internet. This helps to ensure that
your network traffic cannot easily be
intercepted and reduces its susceptibility
to malware that can be been injected
directly into a legitimate application being
downloaded from the Internet.
• Do not charge your mobile devices using
a USB port connected to a computer, as
it could be infected with special malware
installed on the PC. The best thing you
can do is to plug your phone directly into
the AC power adapter.
• Use a mobile anti-malware program. It
has to be the best one. It seems that the
future of these solutions lies precisely
in the same technologies already

Below Expectations
Samsung predicts fall in revenues

S
amsung is attempting to copy
Apple again – at least in its
financial predictions. Samung
warned that its future results
might be soft due to slowing economic
growth in China and weaker emerging
market currencies.
“Broadly weaker IT demand will make
it difficult to maintain 2016 profits at the
level of the previous year’s,” Samsung said
in a statement accompanying its fourth-
quarter results, adding that “challenging
business conditions” would remain for the
current quarter and last throughout the
first half of this year.
Samsung said that the strength of the
Korean won compared to other major
currencies had helped its third-quarter
earnings, but changed to a negative impact
of about $331 million in the fourth quarter.
Samsung said its October-December
operating profit was $5.05 billion, matching
its earlier guidance. Revenue rose 1.1
percent slightly better than it predicted.
Some analysts believe Samsung will
see its profit fall for the second time in
three years in 2016, as slack demand for
gadgets undercuts prices of memory chips
and displays that helped to offset declining
mobile profits last year.

40
MAR 2016
Troubled Times
Toshiba set to quit chip business

T
oshiba, recovering from a $1.3bn In the NAND area, Toshiba’s be re-invested in its flash business.
accounting scandal, could exit operations are profitable and it is There are some 8,000 employees in
peripheral chip businesses second in the market behind Samsung. Toshiba’s disk business, and layoffs
while concentrating on its Selling the non-core businesses could are being pondered at a Philippines
NAND core. Reuters and Japan’s generate $1.68bn and this cash could plant it operates.
Nikkei reported loss-making parts of
Toshiba’s chip business lines, such as
systems LSI (Large Scale Integration),
microcontrollers, analogue semi-
conductor chips, and discrete chips used
in industrial machinery, vehicles, and
domestic appliances, are all up for sale.
One interested party is the Development
Bank of Japan Inc.

Better Than the Rest

IT spending in Malaysia to exceed world average

I
T spending in Malaysia is forecast
to reach almost MYR69 billion, up
7.6 percent over 2015, the highest
growth rate in the Asia Pacific region,
well above the average 4.5 percent for
the region, according to Gartner, Inc.
Comparatively, worldwide IT spending
is forecast to total $3.54 trillion dollars in
2016, just a 0.6 percent increase over 2015
spending of $3.52 trillion dollars. 2015 saw
the largest U.S. dollar drop in IT spending
since Gartner began tracking IT spending.
$216 billion dollars less was spent on IT in
2015 than in 2014 and 2014 spending levels
won’t be surpassed until 2019.
“The rising U.S. dollar is the villain behind
2015 results,” said John-David Lovelock,
research vice president at Gartner. “U.S.
multinationals’ revenue faced currency
headwinds in 2015. However, in 2016 those
headwinds go away and they can expect an
additional 5 percent growth.”
The devices market (PCs, ultramobiles,
mobile phones, tablets and printers) is
forecast to decline 1.9 percent in 2016.
The combination of economic conditions
preventing countries such as Russia,
Japan and Brazil from returning to stronger
growth, together with a shift in phone
spending in emerging markets to lower-
cost phones, is overlaid with weak tablet
adoption in regions where there was an
expectation of growth.
Ultramobile premium devices are
expected to drive the PC market forward
with the move to Windows 10 and Intel
Skylake-based PCs. Gartner has slightly
reduced the speed of adoption over the
forecast period, as buying in Eurasia, segment will be impacted by the abolition
Japan, and the Middle East and North of roaming charges in the European
Africa moves away from purchasing these Union and parts of North America. While
relatively more expensive devices in the this will increase mobile voice and data
short term, but expect them to revert traffic, it will not be enough to counter the
back to buying in 2017 as the economic corresponding loss of revenue from lost
environment stabilises. roaming charges and premiums.
Data center systems’ spending is
projected to reach $75 billion in 2016, a
3.0 percent increase from 2015. The server
market is the segment that has seen the
largest change since the previous quarter’s
forecast. The server market has seen
stronger-than-expected demand from the
hyperscale sector, which has lasted longer
than expected.
The worsening economic environment
in emerging markets has had little effect
on the global enterprise software spending
forecast for 2016, with IT spending on pace
to total $326 billion, a 5.3 percent increase
from 2015.
Telecom services spending is projected
to decline 1.2 percent in 2016, with
spending reaching $1,454 trillion. The
Table 1. Worldwide IT Spending Forecast (Billions of U.S. Dollars)

41
MAR 2016
 BIZ 2.0
Cyber Threat to SMBs
Small businesses face the same threats as large ones says Noah Gamer,
Senior Manager, Search Marketing, Trend Micro Inc.
H
ackers have plenty of impetus
for targeting large enterprises,
especially government
agencies, financial institutions
and health care organisations.
Even large entertainment firms such
as Sony Pictures, retailers like Target
and telecommunications companies
including TalkTalk have been exploited
by cyber criminals.
That said, the highest valued companies
are not the easiest targets, especially since
there are relatively few of them compared
to the amount of small and medium-sized
businesses. Hackers on the prowl will follow
any and all leads to a quick payday.
Often, this means firing into the crowd,
so to speak. Cyber criminals will have better
success going after a larger number of
targets than trying to orchestrate advanced
targeted attacks against one bigwig
organisation. Even as cyber criminals
42
MAR 2016
continue to become more ambitious, in all
likelihood, cyber attackers will continue to
go after smaller businesses in 2016. For this
reason, it’s worth reviewing some of the
biggest cyber threats currently facing SMBs.
DDoS Attacks
Distributed denial of service attacks
represent a huge cyber threat to any
business, but especially to SMBs that can
only afford limited bandwidth. As hinted at
in the name, the purpose of a DDoS attack
is to shut down a server, thereby blocking
user access to specific Web services
or applications. This is accomplished
by flooding network intrastate with
meaningless traffic. Hence the name, the
heavy distribution of requests results in a
network crash.
There are countless motives for
orchestrating a DDoS attack. For example,
it may be executed in an attempt to shut
down specific security services, so as to
orchestrate a more serious, supplementary
attack. However, more often than not, the
goal is extortion.
Hackers will flood a network, and
will send ransom notes to the company
stating that they won’t ease up until a
certain amount of money has been paid to
them. This is precisely what happened to
ProtonMail in late 2015. Cyber attackers
shut down the company’s central data
center, and then requested a ransom of 15
Bitcoins, the rough equivalent of $6,000.
In response to pressure from third parties,
ProtonMail paid the ransom. However, the
cyber criminals did not ease up.
The first main takeaway here is
that DDoS attacks remain a significant
threat to all organisations, but especially
companies that offer web-based services,
and in particular, SMBs that might not have
significant bandwidth.

The second lesson from the incident
is that any SMB that falls prey to an attack
should not pay a ransom. Recovery will be
time consuming, and will most likely impact
revenue. However, paying cyber criminals a
ransom only for them to continue the attack
will result in even more lost money. When it
comes to prevention, network vigilance is key.
Any early signs of an impending DDoS attack
may make it possible to mitigate the effects.
Laying out a smart network infrastructure
that can evenly distribute barrage of traffic
may also alleviate some of the strain.
Striking the Point of Sale
Point-of-sale malware is not a new cyber
threat, but it’s one that has become
especially prominent in the past few years.
According to Trend Micro, SMBs were hit
particularly hard in 2015, having accounted
for 45 percent of all scenarios involving POS
malware. Everything from restaurants to
boutiques to small service providers are
heavily targeted, mainly because cyber
security is not quite as strong for these
companies. Not to mention, smart, sneaky
new strains of POS malware are always
being created.
For example, Trend Micro researchers
recently discovered a form of malware
that seeks out POS systems in a network.
Dubbed “Black Atlas,” the malware does
not appear to target specific companies in
any particular industry. However, SMBs are
the most likely to be affected.
Other POS threats come in the form
of skimmers. These are basically rigged
payment processing units that are designed
to collect card information, which is then
sold on the Dark Web.
Part of the reason this is such a big
problem for SMBs is because smaller
businesses are more likely to purchase
less-expensive, poorly vetted card payment
systems. Some of these are actually pre-
configured with skimmers. In fact, Trend
Micro noted that in China, cyber criminals
can actually receive text messages every
time a skimmer successfully plunders
payment information.
In order to avoid being snagged by a
POS malware scam, SMBs are encouraged
to always purchase verified, well-known
payment processing systems. This will
significantly reduce the threat of skimmers.
Defending against POS malware is slightly
more complicated as strains continue to
become more elaborate, and generally more
difficult to detect.
There have been several cases in the
past few months of hotel chains having
customer payment information stolen as
a direct result of POS malware. The good
news, however, is that the use of EMV
chip technology significantly reduces the
chances of payment information being
pilfered. Rather than using the same code
for every transaction – as magnetic stripes
do – these chips generate a single-use script
for each purchase, so that even if hackers
to manage to collect this information, it is
essentially useless.
Therefore, SMBs are encouraged to
make the shift to EMV card processing
systems as soon as possible, especially
considering that as of October 2015,
liability for stolen payment data shifted
to merchants. Any business that does not
have EMV card reading technology, and is
hacked, can therefore be held accountable
for the ensuing damages. Many small
businesses can hardly afford to become
the victim of a POS malware ploy, let along
cover subsequent legal damages.
Phishing Scams
Phishing scams will always be a problem
for companies of all sizes. As long as
corporations continue to fall for these ploys,
hackers will work tirelessly to bring down
their targets, which include SMBs. Much
like DDoS attacks, modern phishing scams
often take the extortion angle. One of the
most prominent, recent examples is the
notorious CryptoLocker strain. There are
various forms of encryption malware, and
many of them start off as phishing scams.
Basically, an employee might receive an
email with a request to download a certain
PDF or XML. In theory, an aware user
should be cognizant of the danger involved
with downloading a shady file, but on a
particularly busy day, a phishing email may
trick even the most wary of workers. Upon
opening the cleverly disguised executable,
files on the network are locked down. What
typically follows is a payment request in
order to decrypt the files.
43
MAR 2016
 BIZ 2.0

Security Processing
New business-focused Core CPU

I
ntel has announced the availability Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, start meetings using new or existing
of its 6th generation Intel Core Panasonic and Toshiba are all releasing displays or projectors. Auto-disconnect
vPro processor family. The latest enterprise-ready devices featuring the new and integration of Skype for Business offer
iteration of Intel Core vPro Intel processors. Enterprise buyers can customers a seamless meeting experience.
processors addresses the security choose from a variety of designs including For small businesses, Intel is offering
and productivity demands of large 2 in 1s, Ultrabooks, ultrathin clamshells, Intel Small Business Advantage (Intel
businesses with authentication security, mini PCs and All-in-One desktops. SBA), an easy-to-use solution to help
enhanced performance and collaboration With the new CPU series, Intel is small business owners protect and grow
for 2 in 1s, Ultrabooks, All-in-Ones and also introducing updates to its Intel their company. It provides small business
the latest desktops. Unite feature for a more connected way owners with an easy and centralised way
Intel is previewing a new security to meet in the workplace. It includes to connect and share information coupled
innovation called Intel Authenticate for extended display capabilities so meeting with automatic security and maintenance
businesses to begin internally testing participants no longer need to search for updates. Intel SBA includes collaboration
and qualifying. Intel Authenticate is the right adapter or dongle. Both onsite features, such as chat and file share,
a hardware-enhanced, multifactor and remote attendees can more easily and coupled with security capabilities, like the
authentication solution that strengthens securely view and interact with content USB blocker, to help keep small business
identity protection on the PC, making it in real time. Employees can instantly owners in control of their data.
less vulnerable to identity and security
credential attacks.
Intel Authenticate verifies identities
by using a combination of up to three
hardened factors at the same time:
“something you know,” such as a personal
identification number; “something you
have,” including a mobile phone; and
“something you are,” like a fingerprint.
IT can choose from multiple hardened
factors of authentication that are based
on company policies, and no longer has
to rely solely on employees remembering
complicated passwords2. Intel
Authenticate is compatible with Microsoft
Windows* 7, 8 and 10, and is available for
customers to preview.

Catching Snoopers
New technology to catch cable spies

A
llied Telesis has announced
that it has released a
security measure to prevent
eavesdropping on fibre
communications, Active
Fibre Monitoring. The patent-pending
technology can detect when a cable
is being tampered with, and will
raise an alarm to warn of a possible
security breach.
Fiber-optic links are used extensively
for long-range data communications
and are also a popular choice within
the LAN environment. One of the
perceived advantages of fibre is that
eavesdropping on traffic within the
cable is not possible. However, it is
now possible to acquire devices that
can snoop traffic on fibre cables.
In response to this threat, the
company has developed Active Fibre
Monitoring, a technology that detects
small changes in the amount of light
received on a fibre link. When an
intrusion is attempted, the light level
changes because some of the light is
redirected by the eavesdropper onto
another fibre. As soon as this happens,
Active Fibre Monitoring detects the
intrusion and raises the alarm.

44
MAR 2016
Slowing Down
Market slowdown affects Qualcomm

H
ot on the heels of Apple and quarter, pulling down its equipment and business from its technology licensing
Samsung, Qualcomm is also services revenue by 21.6 percent. Revenue business and this predicted downturn was
predicting lower revenues from licensing declined 10.4 percent. probably the reason. Its revenue forecast
in the coming months. The Qualcomm said in December it had of $4.9 billion-$5.7 billion was also below
company expects its mobile decided not to split its slowing chipmaking analysts’ expectations of $5.68 billion.
chip shipments to fall by 16-25 percent
in the second quarter and 3G, 4G device
shipments to decline by 4-14 percent.
The company trimmed its estimates
for “premium tier shipments” due to
“slower than expected sell-through at a
large” customer, it said on a post-earnings
conference call. Qualcomm’s mobile
chip shipments fell 10 percent in the first

Buggy Problem
Serious flaw in Linux discovered

S
ecurity researchers have released and higher. SMEP and SMAP will make in place as soon as you read this, or
details of a significant flaw in it difficult to exploit as well as SELinux within hours afterwards. That really is
Linux that could have left millions on android devices. Maybe we’ll talk the might of open source at work.
of phones, computers and about tricks to bypass those mitigation It was revealed earlier this week
servers’ root directories open to in upcoming blogs, anyway the most that Ubuntu Linux has been awarded a
intruders for the past three years. Users of important thing for now is to patch it major contact with AT&T, outflanking
everything from the biggest server to the as soon as you can.” Microsoft and IBM.
smallest Android phone are vulnerable, Red Hat, one of the biggest players in The UK government, meanwhile,
security experts say, including any device enterprise Linux, has been instrumental is looking at ways to move to a more
that runs Linux. in resourcing a fix for the bug, which open source environment and recently
Perception Point researchers found that has been nicknamed CVE-2016-0728, announced that it will start working
the OS keyring facility added in Linux and it’s thought that the major kernel towards the use of LibreOffice rather than
kernel 3.8 could be exploited to hide a distributions are likely to have a patch licensing Microsoft’s Office suite.
payload of malicious code. OS keyring
was designed as a way to store legitimate
credentials such as encryption keys,
authentication tokens and so on. But a
blog post has shown a proof-of-concept
exploit in which a potentially harmful
payload was added to the keyring using
kernel executable memory.
There is no evidence of the exploit
being used in the wild, and Linux
kernel administrators have been
informed privately.
Some would argue that the whole point
of an open source kernel is that these things
can be dealt with quietly and discreetly by
the community, but sometimes a security
firm wants to make it news and sometimes
we let them.
In this case, the firm has concluded
(spoiler alert): “The vulnerability
affects any Linux kernel version 3.8

45
MAR 2016
 BIZ 2.0

Richest of All
Google parent topples Apple as most valuable company

G
oogle’s parent company,
Alphabet has become the
world’s most valuable
company. Alphabet was
born just a few months ago,
but it’s already earned the title of the
most valuable company in the world
with a market cap of around $570bn
following its Q4 earnings, compared to
Apple’s $538bn.
This is the first time Google’s value
has exceeded Apple’s since 2010,
likely helped by Apple’s lower-than-
expected Q1 2016 earnings during
which the firm reported iPhone sales
of 74.78 million smartphones, up
slightly from 74.46 million in the year-
ago quarter. Behind Alphabet and
Apple sits Microsoft at $433bn and
Facebook, at $328bn.
During its earnings call, Alphabet
reported a 5.3 percent increase
in profits to $4.9bn and saw its
revenues climb 18 percent to $21.3bn,
surpassing Wall Street expectations
and likely causing many to raise
an eyebrow over Google’s recently-
revealed £130m UK tax deal.

Enter the Dragon

China gears up to take on the West

C
hina is making more moves Tsinghua could look to set up a joint a state cash-fuelled rampage through
as it tries to set up an venture with Micron, thus avoiding outside (American, European and
indigenous and patent- any US regulatory opposition to it Asian) semi-conductor businesses,
protected semiconductor taking over the firm instead. using these regions’ business
chip capability. The fear is that China could go on openness to gain a foothold.
Xu Jinghong, the chairman of
Tsinghua Holdings, said in a Davos
World Economic Forum interview
that Tsinghua wanted to buy two
semi-conductor manufacturing
companies.
Tsinghua, through its Tongfang
Guoxin subsidiary, is already committed
to spending some $12bn to build a
NAND/NOR flash fab and, it appears,
China is intent on becoming a major
force in semiconductor manufacturing
and lessen reliance on foreign suppliers.
Western Digital is taking in a $3.8bn
investment from Unisplendour, which is
owned by Tsignhua. That equates to a
15 per cent stake.

46
MAR 2016
Rent a Device
New device renting scheme from HP
H
P has announced that it is
offering a Device-as-a-Service
programme to help enterprises
in Malaysia more easily
acquire, deploy, manage, and refresh their
PC technologies.
With HP Device as a Service (DaaS),
customers use their PCs like a utility - they
pay one price per seat on a monthly basis
over a three or four year period. They also get
customised services and support from HP,
such as PC configuration and installation,
Productivity Problems
Malaysian companies less efficient than expected
M
icrosoft has unveiled the
results from its recent New
World of Work (NWoW)
study, which showed that
large enterprises with more
than 250 employees were lagging behind
expectations to be more productive,
collaborative and innovative in today’s
modern workplace.
While 64% of the 200 enterprise
employees surveyed in Malaysia considered
themselves to be mobile workers, the study
also unveils what workers feel they need
to succeed in today’s digital, fast-paced,
modern workplace. Microsoft’s NWoW
Study also generated insights on their
current work and life needs and the gaps
that exist between them.
The NWoW Index was derived from
respondents who rated themselves highly
in three key pillars – people (whether
today’s employees have the capabilities to
work flexibly and productively in the digital
modern workplace, and are supported
by leaders and cultures that help them
succeed in this dynamic environment),
place (whether employees can work flexibly
– anywhere at any time – and if their
workplaces support a collaborative, dynamic
design with the ability to work at work,
home or with customers) and technology
(whether employees are empowered with
technology to enable them to succeed in this
environment, allowing collaborative work
wherever they may go).
In Malaysia, only 40 out of 100
respondents rated themselves highly
in embracing new People, Place and
onsite break-fix, data migration, proactive
support, while having the ability to refresh
to the latest HP technology for subsequent
contract periods. The devices covered under
HP DaaS include commercial desktops,
notebook PCs, tablets, and workstations.
HP DaaS incorporates services, support
and eventual disposal as part of an overall
services agreement. This is different from
typical leasing agreements where PC
acquisition, setup and maintenance are
covered under separate contracts.
Technology principles, placing the country This study helps us better understand how
ninth amongst the 12 markets involved in work and life has changed for Malaysian
the study. employees – to determine how well
The findings clearly showed that the supported they are from their workplaces,
traditional notion of work is changing, even or from a technological standpoint, in
within enterprises in Malaysia: being enabled to succeed,” said Michal
The responsive organisation: 56% of Golebiewski, Chief Marketing & Operations
respondents said that they were required Officer, Microsoft Malaysia.
to respond to internal stakeholders within
four hours; while 54% said that they were
required to respond to external customers
within four hours.
Work doesn’t end at 5.00pm: A majority
(77%) said that they were still required to
be contactable outside of work in order to
complete their work effectively.
Limited mobile productivity in a highly
mobile workforce: 62.5% of respondents
said they needed to be in the office to
access special equipment or tools that are
only available in the office.
Bring-your-own-device and Bring-
your-own-service culture is increasingly
pervasive: Employees in Malaysia were
using more personal devices (48%) to get
work done. 62% were also using online tools
that go beyond just email – document & file
sharing, storage, virtual meetings and social.
Achieving work life balance is
challenging: 82% of respondents said that
work life balance was a very important
aspect of their job, but only 57% felt that
they had adequate balance today.
“Over the last decade, globalisation
and technological innovations have made
today’s workplace increasingly modern
and mobile – bringing the world closer and
changing the way people live and work.
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MAR 2016
 BIZ 2.0

Data Revolution
Telenor predicts year of change

T
elenor Group’s Research arm
has published the key global
telco trends identified for
2016. With 60 percent  of
the global population, nearly
half the world’s internet users and
spotlights focused on some of the
strongest emerging markets, these
trends are set to invariably have the
greatest effect on Asia—the global
region poised to produce some of the
greatest and most significant success
stories in the age of digitalisation.
The 2016 Trends:
Customers will Co-Create
serviCes
Customers are increasingly digital
savvy, demanding and empowered.
This puts demands on companies
to deliver superior digital customer
experiences, and be more aligned with
the customer’s changing behaviour than
ever before. There has been a shift from
companies defining their own services,
to customers making their needs
heard and translated into the market
through active feedback. This year, the
transition will be more evident.
digital assistants, search results and
suggestions, and more relevant ads.
more iot serviCes with lpwa
Future Internet of Things (IoT)
devices need low cost and low power
consuming networks. Low Power Wide
Area networks will enable a future
smart society with many new and
exciting IoT services and platforms.
levelling out the playing
fielD
In 2016, governments and regulatory
authorities will have to deal with an
intensifying debate on how to adjust
the traditional legal frameworks to the
new competitive digital environment
and a growing sharing economy.
trenD impliCations for asia
In a region once looked upon by global
businesses as an outsourcing hub
primarily for manufacturing and call
centre functions, digital technologies
are bringing virtually every industry,
opportunity, skillset and challenge to
Asia. Local governments and the public
sector are leveraging this technology to
level playing fields as well, digitalising
citizen services and dedicating specific
governmental resources to spearhead
the digitalisation of their economies.
While Asia continues to be the
world’s most affected region by
natural disasters, with nearly half of
all globally reported disasters striking
one or more of its member nations,
protecting the advancement created
by digitalisation is quickly becoming
a tenant of its design. Digitalisation
and big data are working together to
provide better tools to prevent and
minimise the toll disasters take on
local communities and economies.
As well pinpoint where aid is needed
most when they do strike.

Data for soCial gooD

Telecom big data will be used more
in 2016 to tangibly help society - for
the purpose of social good. As data
develops, so does the capacity to use it
to address and monitor issues such as
health and safety. Big data currently is
being created in just about everything
we use and do. From phones, cars,
business, infrastructure and much more
–the constant accumulation of data will
now will be finding applications to help
society at large.

softwarisation
Networks as software rather than
hardware will take off as technologies
such as Network Function
Virtualisation (NFV) and Software
Defined Networking (SDN) will enable
new ways of designing and operating
networks.

Deep learning
This year has been marked as the phase
that machines will understand more
digital content as they get more deeply
integrated into digital services and
devices. Consumers will experience
this through new services, better

48
MAR 2016
 - 01 - 08 XboX chatpaD
Music Wrap: portable
bluetooth speakers

- 03 -
roccat kiro

- 06 -
hover X ultiMate
GaMer’s lapDesk

- 07 -
kevlar plaYiNG carDs

- 16 -
plaYseats evolutioN
GaMe chair
15 GaeMs M155 15.5” hD
- 18 - portable GaMiNG
phoNejoY bluetooth MoNitor
coNtroller

Gizmos
where technology meets lifestyle

01 03 06 16

49
MAR 2016
 GIZMOS
02 loGitech MX Master
Wireless Mouse
Logitech Mx Master Wireless Mouse is designed
to give you the best grip and buttons. The mouse
itself can be used for daily work or for gaming.
All of the mouse’s buttons can be programmed
specifically to your needs and using Bluetooth
connectivity, the mouse can be programmed and
used on up to three Windows or Mac computers
and laptops. On a single charge, the mouse will
be able to last for about an average of 40 days.
Moreover, the dark sensor below the mouse is
01 Music Wrap: portable used to give you the best tracking, even on glass!
bluetooth speakers
www.amazon.com | US$ 79.93
The music wrap is a portable, bluetooth speaker
that can be worn around your neck or be placed
around your home. The speaker itself is durable
and can be transformed into multiple shapes. The
device itself is compatible with iOS and Android
devices as well. It has 400 hours standby time and
unlike many Bluetooth speakers out there where
users get about 5 hours of music per full charge,
Music Wrap battery lasts up to 8 hours!

musicwrap.co | US$ 35-69

03 roccat kiro
Gaming powerhouse ROCCAT has again come
out with its latest gaming mouse with its highly
adaptive build. The mouse caters for both left and
right handed gamers. The design of the mouse
is done perfectly with soft materials to eliminate
sweat and buttons that gamers can customise
specifically. Instead of creating a big bulky size
mouse, ROCCAT has created a small mouse.

www.newegg.com | US$ 39

50
MAR 2016
04 eboNY WooD fillMores
heaDphoNes bY lstN
Designed by LSTN, the Ebony Wood Fillmores
headphone has a beautiful, clear sound
complemented by its rustic design with shellac
wood finish. The headphone itself is developed
using state of the art audio technology and would
fit your current playlist, gaming needs. In terms
of design, the Ebony Wood has been upcycled
so it is sustainable. In addition, it has a durable
cable wrapped in vinyl and has a built in mic for
handsfree usage.

www.fancy.com | US$ 100

06 hover X ultiMate
05 razer WilDcat GaMiNG GaMer’s lapDesk
coNtroller for XboX oNe This is a must-get portable gaming station for
all the hardcore gamers out there! This LapDesk
Razer has the XBox One with its latest Razer
will hold your laptop and has additional places for
Wildcat gaming controller. Featuring four extra
your mouse and phone. It also has a fan on the
buttons, players can redesign and configure the
bottom to help ventilate your laptop. In addition,
controller any time they like. In terms of grip,
if there is any extra heat left, it will be absorbed
Razer Wildcat is equipped with a different grip
in the material. It will never let you feel the heat
texture and all at an ideal weight. There are
while playing games for long hours.
also two bumpers located at the shoulder of
the controller and two removable triggers to
www.fancy.com | US$ 105
fit player’s needs. It is a bit expensive, but the
features make it worthwhile. It is available in
two colours: Black and green which compliment
the XBox One.

www.amazon.com | US$ 149.99

51
MAR 2016
 GIZMOS
08 XboX chatpaD
Let’s admit, we all have a hard time chatting in a
game with our friends using arrow keys. Fear not,
XBox now has come out with the XBox Chatpad
to help gamers have a pleasant experience playing
any game. It works easily - all you have to do is to
plug in the chatpad onto your wireless controller.
The Chatpad also comes with a chat headset
that has a 3.5mm jack. For a much better gaming
experience, you will need to connect your XBox One
with Windows 10 and there you have it! Chatting
becomes easier now with the new XBox Chatpad!

www.amazon.com | US$34.95

07 cooler Master XorNet ii

Xornet II combines its renowned unique
ergonomic design with one of the best claw
grip designs, made specifically for First Person
Shooters (FPS) and Real Time Strategy (RTS)
gaming. When playing a FPS game, the mouse has
about 3,500 DPI and the large rubberised scroll
wheel offers notched resistance that is needed for
accuracy, while scrolling through different types
of weapons in FPS games. Gamers can also adjust
the mouse’s sensor according to any surface. The
mouse can be re-calibrated for an epic gaming
experience.

www.coolermaster.com | RM 159 09 kevlar plaYiNG carDs

Ever thought to yourselves why every time you were
to play Poker for example, the cards are not fresh?
Well, the Carbon Kevlar playing cards are here to save
your day. Made from 100% Kevlar and Carbon Fibre,
these cards are designed to last you a lifetime. With its
improved front and back protective coating, it is now
water, scratch and chip resistant. A special UV coating
that is only used for iPhone glass coating is used for
these cards. In terms of pricing, it is quite expensive,
but in our opinion, we think it is worth the money for its
longevity and finish. No word on whether this playing
cards are available in Malaysia, but it is retrievable on
online stores.

www.etsy.com | US$ 130

52
MAR 2016
 12
10 piXelkabiNett 42
This product is designed to give arcade gamers a
nice retro fill. The Pixelkabinett 42 is designed using
old cabinets and caters to two players. The gaming
world is continuously evolving with top of the line
products each day and this is definitely a collector’s
item. Don’t be fooled by its vintage looks, Pixelkabinett
42 operates with a glowing Saturn speaker grill added
as a decoration with buttons and joysticks. The arcade
device can be folded when not in use. This is a definite
must try for young gamers of the 21st Century. It is
handmade with high quality wood finishing and is for
sale in the US. The price though is a bit high.
www.lovehulten.com | US$ 4,083
razer blackWiDoW
chroMa GaMiNG keYboarD
Having trouble typing in dim lighting conditions?
Razer BlackWidow Chroma RGB Gaming
Keyboard is now here to make your late night
gaming experience better. The keyboard itself
is compatible with both Mac and PC, and it has
mechanical switches that help you input data at a
faster rate and with better accuracy. The Chroma
backlight has about 16.8 million colour choices
for you to choose to fit your every needs. Not just
that, the keyboard comes equipped with macro
recording that allows you to easily access and
launch important functions. Unlike many keyboard
wordings that fade after a certain amount of time,
this keyboard is very durable for the hardcore
keyboard bashing, late night gamers.

11 colorWare collectioN www.amazon.com | US$ 159.14

soNY Dualshock 4 GloW
When playing games on the PlayStation with awesome
graphics, we often switch off all the lights to get
enhanced graphics. But to some of us, the issue comes
when we can’t see what buttons to press on the
controller as it does not have a guidance light. Well,
ColorWare Collection has released a glowing Sony
DualShock 4 controller. No more complaints about how
you can’t see what buttons you are pressing when
playing games now and of course it makes night gaming
a little more fun than it used to be. ColorWare have only
made 100 Limited Edition glow controllers with a highly
sensitive six-axis sensor and touch pad. Night gaming
has now been improved.

www.colorware.com | US$ 199

53
MAR 2016
 GIZMOS
14 MoGa ace poWer
coNtroller
If you’re one of those persons that can’t perform in
FPS games on an iPhone because you don’t know
the controls, well, the people in MOGA have created
a controller that attaches itself to an iPhone in order
to function fully. The buttons are positioned at the
left and right sides of the controller so it doesn’t
interrupt the iPhone in the middle. It is connected to
the iPhone using a lightning connector with its own
13 X rocker ii Wireless viDeo boost technology that ensures a longer gaming time
for users before the battery runs out. Previously
GaMe chair this item was priced at almost US$100 but now the
The year 2016 just keeps on getting better for prices have been cut so that there are no excuse for
all the gamers out there, thanks to X Rocker II anyone owning an iPhone not to get it. When fitted,
Wireless Video Game Chair. So if listening to it kind of looks similar to the Sony PSP.
audio via a broken speaker in the CyberCafe can
be challenging, just get yourself this amazing www.amazon.com | US$ 11.50
chair and experience a whole new audio gaming
experience. The chair is equipped with 2 forward
facing speakers and one sub-woofer. As seen,
the side panel contains volume, bass control,
input/output jacks, and band switch. We know
how much of a toll long hours of gaming can
be to your back but this chair also comes with
back support. Playing your favorite video games
now while seated in this chair is a relaxing
experience.

www.amazon.com | US$ 199

15 GaeMs M155 15.5” hD

portable GaMiNG MoNitor
The GAEMES M155 delivers yet again with
an astonishing 15.5 inch gaming monitor. The
15.5 inch HD screen uses LED lighting which
gives much better graphics than an ordinary
smartphone or portable device. The device
is just around 1.5 killograms in weight which
makes carrying it in handheld luggage through
airports easier.

www.fancy.com | US$ 170

54
MAR 2016
16 plaYseats evolutioN
GaMe chair
Playing your favorite racing games now gets more
fun with the Playseats Evolution Game Chair. The
bundle includes Playseat Evolution White, Playseat
Gearshift Holder Silver. Playseat Evolution is the
definitive solution for the ultra-realistic driving
simulation to be experienced in your living room.
We have all seen tons of brands out there that boast
of steering sensitivity coming close a real race car
feel but always fall short. Unlike many race seats
that are unable to be folded, this one does with ease
for a better storage.

www.playseat.com | US$299
18 phoNejoY bluetooth
17 kaNoa Wireless heaDphoNes coNtroller
Phonejoy Bluetooth controller is now available for
Listening to music now gets much easier and tangle-
Android phones. The device is definitely a pocket
less with KANOA’s latest wireless headphone. These
sized controller that is designed for convenience.
headphones can be controlled using any Bluetooth
Its EasySlider expansion system is able to fit
device from a distance up to 33 feet. Moreover, the
phones up to 6.1 inches. The device itself is
variety of ear tips ensures it fits the users perfectly.
wireless and uses bluetooth connections with
With its high quality audio, it can be customised
dual analogue, four shoulder buttons and a D-pad
with the help of any device with an equaliser. One
for the ultimate precise control. On your hands,
full wireless charging provides you with 4 to 6 hours
the device makes a perfect fit with its ergonomic
of playtime. The headphones are now available for
design and 8 hour battery capacity. Gaming now
pre-orders at a discounted price by using the coupon:
gets easier with Phonejoy’s Bluetooth controller!
KANOAFAN (only for a limited time).
www.amazon.com | US$ 69
www.getkanoa.com | US$ 149

55
MAR 2016
 GIZMOS

You can find these products and more in

RadioShack outlets at:
Mid Valley Megamall Berjaya Times Square
Bangsar Shopping Centre Hartamas Shopping Centre
Sunway Pyramid IOI City Mall
Avenue K Sunway Putra Mall
Gardens (shop-in-shop inside Borders)
The Curve (shop-in-shop inside Borders)
Tropicana City Mall (shop-in-shop inside Borders)
Gurney Plaza Penang

auDio techNica
sport 1is
Designed especially for active use, the ATH-SPORT1iS
SonicSport in-ear sports headphones combines all
the features of the ATH-SPORT1 with smartphone
capabilities. A universal in-line mic and controls allow
you to answer/end calls, control music and adjust
volume at the touch of a button.
Like the ATH-SPORT1, the hinged ear hooks pivot
to provide a custom fit for secure, long-lasting comfort.
Featuring high-quality drivers for clear, detailed and
dynamic sound, the headphones come with both
standard silicone eartips (XS/S/M/L) for outstanding
sound isolation and ridged eartips (S/M/L) to allow
some ambient noise for safer use outdoors, making
the ATH-SPORT1iS ideal headphones for running. It
is available in Black, Red and Navy Yellow.

56
MAR 2016
auDio techNica sport 2
Take outstanding audio for a run. With
interchangeable secure fit earpieces, the ATH-
SPORT2 SonicSport in-ear headphones are
designed to stay in place while jogging, working
out or engaging in other sporting activities.
The S/M/L earpieces are ergonomically
constructed to mirror the hollow of the ear and
provide a secure, comfortable fit. Plus, since the
headphones don’t wrap around the outer ear,
they are perfect for those who also like to wear
sunglasses while working out.

auvio colour buDs 3.0

• 4’ Flat cable – Minimise knots with tangle-resistant
flat cables
• Long-lasting comfort – Choose from three different
tips to find your ideal fit
• 3.5mm Plug – Connect to most of your devices – old
or new
• Free app download – Navigate your music, adjust
the volume and select equaliser settings with the
AUVIO EQ App

auvio colour buDs

W/Mic 3.0
• Flat cable – Minimise knots with tangle-resistant
flat cables
• Long-lasting comfort – Choose from three different
tips to find your ideal fit
• In-line mic – Take a call without removing your
headphones
• 3.5mm plug – Connect to most of your devices – old
or new
• Free app download – Navigate your music, adjust
the volume and select equaliser settings with the
AUVIO EQ App

57
MAR 2016
 aWarDs

PLATINUM award
- 60 - Minimum Score: 9.0
Western Digital Blue PC The best of the best and all wrapped into a
neat package.
ssHD 4tB
GOLD award
- 62 - Minimum Score: 8.0
asus strix soar 7.1 PCi-e Outstanding in performance, features
sounD CarD and design.

- 68 - Silver award
sony MDr Z7 Minimum Score: 7.5
Above average but yet still deserve recognition.

- 70 -
asus rt aC 5300 Wireless evaluation
tri BanD gigaBit router
value | Expensive does not always mean good.

- 72 - Performance | A measure of how well the

product stands up to our testing.
sony xPeria Z5 CoMPaCt Features | The best gimmicks and flashy parts
get the top score.
- 75 - Design | Aesthetics are important. The nicer it
looks, the more points it gets.
Msi gs60 gHost Pro
usability | The best for day-to-day tasks are
valued higher.
- 78 -
oPPo PM-3

76 alCatel one touCH

FlasH 2

tested
If it explodes, we'll let you know.
62 68 70

reviews by ajith ram, din, daryl tan, andrew tong & rkl
58
MAR 2016
TEST LAB guiDe
Starting this year, we are improving our internal testing methodologies for
all components and devices. Also, starting this month we are introducing a
new Editor's Choice award for the best product in each category such as PCs,
inkjet printers, smartphones and DSLR cameras.

inkjet Printers
a) Print a reference page for colour images, black and white text using the
same DPI settings.
b) Scan printed pages into Adobe Photoshop using identical settings.
c) Compare scans from different printers using the Histogram function.

sMartPHones
a) Performance: Using 3DMark and GFXBench GL.
b) Battery life: Using PCMark for Android.
c) Camera Quality: Capture the same photo using identical camera settings.
d) Compare the photos using Photoshop Histogram analysis.

GFXBench GL PCMark

59
MAR 2016
 TESTED

speed Hybrid
Western Digital Blue PC ssHD 4tB RM TBA by din

W
henever you are choosing
a hard drive today,
there would always be
a conundrum. Do you
choose the higher speed
of the SSD, buy pay more or the slower but
cheaper mechanical drive that also has
more space?
Well because of that the SSHD is born.
SSHD, or Solid State Hybrid Drives in theory
is the marriage of both worlds, where a
mechanical hard drive with a large storage
is combined with a SSD chip to give fast
access to data while still be cheap.
One of the latest SSHD drives to hit
the market is the Western Digital Blue PC
SSHD that comes with either 1TB or 4TB
of storage, as well as 8GB of NAND SSD.
We recently received the 4TB version from
Western Digital.
BLUe BLInK
The 4TB drive that we have comes in the
standard desktop-sized 3.5-inch flavour.
Note that the 1TB version uses the smaller,
laptop friendly 2.5-inch size instead. At
first glance, the drive looks similar to your
everyday mechanical hard drive that is
large, bulky and extremely heavy. The
difference that one might notice on the
Western Digital Blue PC SSHD 4TB is the
rather large controller PCB on the bottom of
the drive.
Indeed, the 8GB of NAND that comes
with the drive resides on this PCB. The
NAND is controlled by a JMicron controller
that is the heart and soul of this hard drive.
How so? Well the hard drive will learn and
adapt automatically to your usage. It will
try to fill up the NAND with files that you
usually would access and in theory would
be instantly there for you whenever you
need them.
DeCent HarDWare
While the Western Digital Blue PC SSHD
4TB could be used as a boot device,
meaning the OS is installed in it, we decided
to forego that as we feel the 8GB NAND is
not enough for both OS and applications.
Instead we used it as a storage for gaming
and movies/videos, to see how fast files can
be transferred and games can be loaded.
What we found out is that it takes a
while for the NAND and the drive to fully
work together. But once it does, they tend
to work well. Games do load faster than a
normal mechanical drive, and compared to
our normal drive, we could read/write data
faster as well.
PartInG WorDS
The Western Digital Blue PC SSHD 4TB
drive is quite a good piece of hardware if
you want to have a fast performing drive
but are unwilling to spend a lot on SSD.
While it might not be as fast as a real SSD,
you won’t find a 4TB SSD in this kind of
price range anytime soon. It’s perfect for
storage and accessing those files that you
need quickly.

sPeCs
InterFaCe: SATA 3 6GB/s
CaPaCIty: 4TB
ForM FaCtor: 3.5-inch
nanD SIze: 8GB

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

verDiCt
High performance for a
low price
"...a good piece of
hardware if you score
want to have a fast
performing drive
but are unwilling to
spend a lot on ssD. "
din 8.5
60
MAR 2016
Party in your ears
atH Cks550is solid Bass in ear Headphones
Y
et another entry in its Solid
Bass lineup, the ATH CKS550iS
is Audio Technica’s In-ear
solution for those who want
something more portable than
a circumaural full-sized headset. Promising
to deliver a sound signature that favours
the low end of the spectrum, the CKS550iS
is quite a departure from the Japanese
company’s usually neutral sounding
offerings. Will these headphones live up to
their billing, or will they serve up a whimper?
It’s time to find out.
StyLISH & eFFeCtIVe
Despite the vast selection of earphones in the
market, the CKS550iS somehow manages to
stand out with its stylish and sleek design,
incorporating golden accents on top of a
matte black finish. These earphones feature
huge 12mm dual magnetic field drivers,
which promise ample bass within a sleek
package. Audio Technica has also seen fit
to include several different sets of earbuds
to ensure the perfect fit, though the default
buds felt fine to me.
I was able to go on a workout session
without the earphones ever coming close
RM TBA
to falling out, which is something that
can’t be said for most of its competitors.
The downside to the snug fit is that
sometimes, it can get a bit uncomfortable
with it pressing against my ear. Switching
to a smaller earbud mitigated this, at the
expense of a less snug fit. Overall, these
earphones manage a good balance between
design and functionality.
Further enhancing its appeal is the
flat cables, which meant no matter where
I stashed them, they never ended up
tangling, which is incredibly useful. There
is also a microphone and in-line controls,
allowing it to be used as a hands-free kit
while driving. The fact that Audio Technica
included a pouch to store them in further
sweetens the deal.
FUn tIMeS
Just as advertised, these earphones truly
delivered on the bass front. Low end sound
signature was excellent, along with really good
details and sound separation. Both electronic
and rock based songs sounded a lot more
engaging and fun with these on, leading to
some head-thumping good times. Where
these fall short is in the mid-range and highs.
by daryl tan
While certainly not as bad as some other bass-
focused offerings, the highs tend to get a little
bit muddy, and the mids are clearer on some of
Audio Technica’s other offerings.
This leads to some tracks sounding not as
full as we’d like, lending a sort of emptiness
to them. Unless you only listen to bass-
heavy music, you might end up a little bit
disappointed with these considering the
limited use case of the CKS550iS.
Of course, while they may be heads and
shoulders above any bundled offering, at this
price point, the expectation certainly exists,
and these earphones unfortunately do not
offer anything more than what is on the box.
Simply put, these are excellent
earphones for the average consumer and
most of today’s hit music will definitely fit
these well. However, if you have a playlist
that encompasses a wide range of genres,
you might want to look elsewhere.
sPeCs
IMPeDanCe: 40Ω
SenSItIVIty: 104 dB
FreqUenCy: 5 – 24kHz
CaBLe: 1.2m flat cables with in-line controls
and microphone
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
verDiCt
an excellent earphone for bass
lovers, but not for anyone else
score
daryl 8.2
61
MAR 2016
 TESTED

entry-level Perfection
asus strix soar 7.1 PCi-e sound Card RM TBA by andrew tong

"...the soar is
a fantastically
affordable one
and it offers much
better bang for
buck as it offers
big improvements
in audio over
integrated solutions."

W
e have looked at the high-
end Strix Raid Pro previously
and today we are looking at
the most affordable of the
Strix sound cards, the Soar.
The non-Raid version has much the same
hardware and features as its bigger brothers,
but it comes without the fancy volume control
and its Raid mode features. Is the Strix Soar
still worth your every penny?
SaMe CoMPonentS
Same as Strix Raid Pro, Asus uses high
grade Nichicon capacitors in Strix Soar.
They are also using the TI TPA6120A2
headphone amplifier chip which is
a very accessible broad partnering
design to accommodate a wide range
of headphones from 16 to 600 ohms
which seems like the most viable option
considering the price range of this
sound card.
Another component of Strix Soar on the
PCB is the ESS Sabre9006A Premier 8 Channel
Audio DAC converter chip which delivers up
to 116dB of resolution. Asus have also paired
up C-Media USB 2.0 6632AX High-definition
Sound Processor with full 192kHz/24 bit
support and CS5361 A/D converter which has
a 114dBa dynamic range.
eVerytHInG CoVereD
Like its bigger brother, Strix Soar is a good-
looking sound card with its pretty shroud.
While it is not there to funnel airflow like a
graphics card would, it instead offers some
EMI protection and also gives physical
cover to some of the more sensitive internal
components like the capacitors.

62
MAR 2016
 As mentioned on the packaging, a four
layer PCB is used on the Strix Soar, with two
layers of ground incorporated to separate
digital and analog digital interference.
The PCB has the same layout as the Raid
version of the card. Power is claimed to
be independently supplied and regulated
to reduce noise and if you have a chunky
graphics card cooler taking up extra slots,
Asus has done a good job of keeping Strix
Soar streamlined.
Great qUaLIty
For testing, we used the same listening
hardware as the Strix Raid Pro which are
Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones,
Razer Kraken 7.1 gaming headset and
Klipsch R110SW. There is no doubt that the
sound quality delivered was good, like the
Strix Raid Pro and the headphone amp had
no problems driving them.
All the tested headphones sounded
extremely punchy and focused, and virtual
surround effect was still noteworthy.
Another improvement is that quiet clicks
and background sounds which come from
the headphone amplifier chip are much
more apparent now with the Strix Soar in
place. For the Klipsch R110SW, the jump in
quality of the first few notes sounded out
from the speakers was very apparent.
The first few tracks I played using the
Klipsch R110SW provides much fuller
sound and the sound was clearer, crispier
and more nuanced, with a much more well
represented frequency range.
no eXternaL BoX
As mentioned just now, the only difference
between the Strix Soar and Strix Raid Pro is
that the bigger brother came with a bundled
volume control that could also tweak some of
the back-end software options for the sound
card. Although it is an added convenience
if it is on your desktop, it is not something
I felt the loss of that keenly. The options can
still be easily adjusted outside of a game if
needed and even with that bundled volume
control I still have to minimize it to tweak the
options mid-game.
Another option worth mentioning is
the Sonic Radar Pro. It acts as a visual-
audio overlay when playing certain games
which let you ‘see’ where sounds are
coming from. This could probably result in
a gameplay advantage in the case of a FPS
or in tense horror titles.
In summary, Asus Strix Soar 7.1 has
high grade components, good build
quality, an attractive EMI shroud, full
support for up to 7.1 surround sound with
192KHz/24bit audio, a huge number of
tweakable options, is simple to use and is
very affordable.
All in all, Asus has done a great job with
its line of Strix sound cards. While there is
some argument to be made for spending
more on its expensive bigger brothers, for
those on a budget, the Soar is a fantastically
affordable one and it offers much better
bang for buck as it offers big improvements
in audio over integrated solutions.
sPeCs
oUtPUt SIGnaL-to-noISe ratIo:
Line out: 116dB
HeaDPHone: 110dB
LIne In: 110dB
HeaDPHone: 0.003% (-90dB)
FreqUenCy reSPonSe: <10Hz to 48kHz
oUtPUt FULL-SCaLe VoLtaGe:
2Vrms (5.65Vp-p)
SaMPLe rate anD reSoLUtIon:
44.1K/48K/88.2/96/
176.4/192KHz@16/24bit
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
verDiCt
a very good audio card for the
PC enthusiast
score
andrew 9.0
63
MAR 2016
 TESTED
Heart-thumping
atH Ws770is solid Bass over ear Headphones
A
udio Technica isn’t quite
like most brands when it
comes to headphones. With
a wide variety of professional
audio offerings, along with
the amazing ATH-M50X in its lineup, the
Japanese manufacturer is one of the most
revered audio brands on the market today.
Relying on a usually pristine sound
signature and well balanced soundscape, it’s
surprising then to see the words ‘Solid Bass’
in its name. Does a brand usually known for
its reference-quality headphones have what
it takes to reign in the party crowd?
eXCeLLent BUILD
The design of the WS770iS is definitely not
what one would call boring; our unit was the
gunmetal grey version, with yellow accents
and looked pretty awesome. While it does
feature some plastic in its design, the build
quality and metals used throughout does
give it a pretty premium feel.
The headphones feature a closed back
circumaural design, with huge earcups that
will cover most people’s ears. The foaming
64
MAR 2016
RM380
on the cups are pretty good and are as
comfortable as they come, though I noticed
a little bit of extra pressure on the bottom
part of the earcups.
These cans are pretty heavy due to its
size, and I had to take them off after an hour
due to discomfort, but a friend reported no
such issues, so your mileage may vary.
Unlike many other headphones, the
1.2m long cable is non-detachable. They
are of the flat variety though, which means
it won’t tangle when you toss it in your
bag. There is an in-line remote included as
well, which can be incredibly useful when
used in conjuctino with a smartphone.
Unfortunately, Audio Technica doesn’t
include any kind of carrying case with the
WS770iS, so you’ll have to be mindful of
what you pack it with less you accidently
damage it.
BaSS MonSter
Audio Technica is not kidding when they
call this their ‘Solid Bass’ lineup. The bass
signature from these cans are absolutely
amazing for something in this price
by daryl tan
segment. Tracks such from Deadmau5 and
Daft Punk sounded vibrant and engaging,
with solid bass response and sharp sounds.
Unlike other bass heavy headphones,
the bass in these don’t quite overpower the
mids and highs, though switching to a less
bass-heavy track did reveal that the treble
isn’t quite as crisp as we were used to in an
Audio Technica.
Vocals did feel a little bit drowned out,
though I was still able to make out what
the characters were saying while watching
movies on these. Simply put, unless your
playlist is dominated by electronic or rock-
based music, these cans won’t do much
for you and something a little more neutral,
such as ATH’s M30 or M40 will probably
suit you better.
Regardless, it’s safe to say that for most
people, these cans will impress just as much
as an entry level beats, and that’s saying
something. The extremely competent
low signature makes listening to the right
tracks downright exciting. You don’t even
have to be a bass lover to appreciate what
these headphones can do to your music.
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
verDiCt
at this price, bass lovers will
be glad they don’t have to
pony up for a Beats to have a
decent experience
score
daryl 8.0
Portable audio Heaven
sony nW-Zx2 RM4,999 by daryl tan

G
iven the advent of
smartphones, the iPod or any
other dedicated MP3 player
has basically gone the way
of the Dodo. After all, why
bother getting just an MP3 player, when a
smartphone can be that and so much more?
Well, Sony believes there’s still a
segment of the market that desires a high
performance portable audio player, and so
we have the NW-ZX2. Built on an Android
OS, the portable music player promises
audiophile audio in a small package. But
considering the eye-watering asking price,
is this a worthwhile investment?
UnDerStateD eLeGanCe
Picking up the ZX2, we were immediately
surprised by how hefty the device felt. There’s
something of a premium feel to the weight
here which is further enhanced by the soft
leather patch on the rear. The curved sides do
help the device fit snugly in the hand along
with the bump towards the bottom.
Like any good MP3 player, aside from
the obligatory volume rockers on the side,
the play/pause, skip next and skip previous
buttons are also present and accounted for.
All the buttons are a little recessed into the
sides, which makes them a little difficult
to find, but each of them has a satisfying
" regardless of genre,
tactile feel. There is also a microSD slot
hidden under a flap on the bottom, in case
128GB of storage happens to not be enough.
Unfortunately, instead of utilising the
ubiquitous micro-USB port for charging, or
the new USB Type-C port, Sony has opted
to use their proprietary WM-Port charging
port. This means that if your device
happens to run short on power, and you
forgot to pack your cable, there’s no easy
way to just borrow a friend’s cable.
Additionally, if you break your cable,
you have no choice but to get an official
replacement from Sony instead of using a
spare cable you might have at home. In an era
of increasing emphasis on user-friendliness,
this feels like a misstep on Sony’s part.
UnDer tHe HooD
The ZX2 runs on Android 4.2, which while
several years old now at this point, is fine since
the main star is really Sony’s music player
application. Still, the older Android firmware
along with the modest specs does make
navigating around the device a little bit slow,
considering other offerings on the market.
Moving on to the star of the show,
which is the music itself, the ZX2 truly does
output some wonderfully sounding music.
Regardless of genre, the sound signature
is incredibly clear, and sound separation is
sublime. You can really pick out every single
instrument present, and it’s a truly exciting
experience. While non-audiophiles might not
be able to fully appreciate it at first blush, plug
your headphones into a generic smartphone
and the difference is immediately apparent.
While the ZX2 is without question a
competent music player, you will definitely
need some equally good headphones to truly
take advantage of it. Considering the amount
you would have to drop for one of these, we’re
going to assume you already have something
good to go with these. If headphones that
come bundled with your phone are all you
have (and you enjoy them enough), you might
want to think twice about the ZX2.
sPeCs
DIMenSIonS: 131.2 x 65.1 x 18 mm
WeIGHt: 235 g
DISPLay: 4 inches, 854 x 480
FeatUreS: ClearAudio+ Clear Bass, DSEE
HX, Surround Sound
aUDIo: LINEAR PCM, AIFF, ALAC, DSD,
FLAC, HE-AAC
VIDeo: ACV, MPEG4, WMV9
StoraGe: 128GB
ConneCtIVIty: WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC
PortS: microSD up to 200GB, 3.5mm audio
jack, WM-PORT
Battery: 2700mAh (non-removable)
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

the sound signature 0

is incredibly clear,
and sound separation
is sublime." verDiCt
amazing sound processing
leads to tracks dripping with
emotion and detail

score

daryl 8.2
65
MAR 2016
 TESTED
Premium Home audio
sony Ht-st9 RM6,000
S
ony’s audio offerings go far beyond
just headphones; the HT-ST9 is the
latest in their home audio line up,
offering a soundbar that promises
a true home theatre experience.
The problem with soundbars is that unlike
a traditional multi-speaker setup, you do
lose a measure of flexibility with regards to
configuration and the quality usually isn’t quite
as good. Of course, while soundbars have been
improving, the real question is whether Sony’s
latest flagship soundbar deserves a place in
your living room.
eLeGant & CoMPLete
The HT-ST9 has basically everything you
could ask for: a wireless subwoofer, seven main
speaker drives for the highs and mids, Sony’s
S-Master HX digital amplifiers and even a
small LCD display on the front, displaying
status messages and the current input.
Connectivity is no slouch here either, with
Bluetooth, NFC, Wifi, HDMI, 4K pass through
and even multi-room listening using the
SongPal App. With up to three HDMI inputs,
you can plug in multiple devices, utilising the
HT-ST9 as a HDMI switch. This is incredibly
convenient as you will probably never need to
switch out any of your cables while flipping
between say, cable TV or a set top box.
There’s even a USB socket nestled at
the side, allowing you to plug in an external
USB stick for immediate audio pleasure. Its
dimensions are also pretty decent, and should
sit nicely in front of TVs 48 inches and above.
66
MAR 2016
by daryl tan
The HT-ST9 is also pretty user friendly. To and definitely added to the experience
pair the hefty subwoofer, simply connect it when watching movies.
to power and it will automatically search for One sore point was when connecting
and pair with it. The only unfortunate thing the soundbar via Bluetooth: for some
is that the surround sound here is software reason, the audio was about a half
based, not hardware, but with a soundbar, second behind the action, which was
it’s no big loss. very distracting. Using a direct HDMI
connection is definitely the way to go with
HoMe tHeatre these speakers.
So, how does it perform? Well, in a nutshell, Jam-packed with features and
it’s good, but not exactly great. Sony’s connectivity options, the HT-ST9 should
included their Digital Sound Enhancement definitely make your short list, especially if
Engine (DSEE), and it definitely works. you have a sizable collection of devices to
Even compressed MP3 files sounded really hook it up to.
impressive, with greater sound separation
and a solid mid and high soundscape.
Turning it off though, caused everything sPeCs
SIze (SoUnDBar): 113 x 8.8 x 42.6 cm
to sound quite dull and muddy. As for audio SIze (SUBWooFer): 24.9 x 40.3 x 42.6 cm,
modes, you’re probably be better off leaving 16 Kg
ConneCtIVIty: Bluetooth, NFC, Analog
them off as they tend to make the sound Audio In, Ethernet, USB-A, HDMI (x3 in, 1x out)
feel rather artificial. PoWer oUtPUt: 800W
aMPLIFIer CHanneLS: 7.1
Football mode had me quite intrigued,
but in practice, it felt like the HT-ST9 was
10
trying to simulate being in Wembley, but 9
rather than enhance the experience, it 8
7
made it feel a little fake. Of course, your
6
mileage may vary, but I wasn’t able to really 5
appreciate it. 4
3
Still, even on Standard mode, the HT-
2
ST9 was extremely competent and few 1
complaints were to be had. The subwoofer 0
definitely defines these speakers though,
as without it, the soundbar alone struggled
to differentiate itself from a pair of good TV verDiCt
speakers. Low frequencies were punchy an excellent soundbar that
can stand up against any
multi-unit setup
score
daryl 8.6
Crystal Clear recordings
sony PCM-D100 RM4,000
W
hat do you do when what
you need is not something
that plays back audio, but
something that records it?
At the highest level, Sony
believes that you should look no further
than its 4th generation flagship recorder.
Aside from the addition of DSD recording,
the PCM-D100 also features a long excluded
feature: speakers, which means you can
now listen to audio recordings without
earphones. Still, considering the availability
of older, cheaper models, is it worth its
staggering asking price?
FeatUre PaCKeD
Built primarily out of aluminium, the D100
feels rigid and solid without the heft one
might expect at first glance. The condenser
mics are even protected by twin metal roll
bars, which means the D100 can probably
take a knock or two without many problems.
Still, it’s quite beefy in terms of size,
and you’ll probably want to carry it around
in a bag rather than a pocket. The face
of the D100 is dominated by a series of
control buttons while the inputs such as
the mic/line selector and the various I/O
ports are located on the sides. The battery
compartment, along with the screw thread
by daryl tan
are on the bottom of the device, leading to a
pretty intuitive separation of control.
Despite the intimidating amount of controls,
everything feels exactly where it should be,
which was really useful while I was testing
it in the field. I never had to look longer than
a couple of seconds to find what I wanted,
which is a testament to Sony’s design.
Controlling the device was also pretty
painless as the large monochrome screen
was big enough to display everything you
needed to see, such as metering data, time
information and file names. You can even
toggle the backlight on or off, which can
be a little bit helpful when trying to eke out
that few extra minutes of recording time.
reCorDInG qUaLIty
For the asking price, we have to say that the
D100 really delivers on audio quality. The
D100 is capable of recording Direct Stream
Digital (DSD) at 2.8224MHz, and there is
some significant advantages to that. The
bespoke mics have some impressive range,
and is able to competently capture mid
and high ranges without sacrificing any
low end frequencies. Even very high range
audio sounded excellent when played back.
Still, if there is some criticism to this,
the sensitivity of the D100 is a little too
much when recording handheld, picking
up far too much finger movement. You
really need a stationary stand, especially
for professional work. Thankfully, there’s
a wireless “Remote Commander” option
which can let you perform some basic
operation such as pause or record from a
distance, giving you some control even far
away. Sony’s pre-amp is also excellent, and
almost any external microphone will be able
to take advantage of this and sound superb.
To sum up, the D100 is an extremely
competent recorder. It’s a brilliant piece
of hardware, especially if what you’re
looking for is crystal clear recordings of the
highest quality. The only downside to it is
the asking price. If your demands aren’t
too high, we would recommend going for
the older D50, which is still a very capable
device in its own right.
sPeCs
ForMatS (reCorD): DSD, WAV, MP3
ForMatS (PLayBaCK): DSD, WAV, MP3,
WMA, FLAC, AAC-LC
MIC: Electret condenser microphones
MaX InPUt: 128 dB SPL
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Memory: SD, SD-HC, SD-XC, Memory Stick Pro
Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG
Battery: 12-25 Hrs (x4 AA)
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
verDiCt
Incredibly expensive, but
flawless audio recording
score
daryl 8.4
67
MAR 2016
 TESTED

For the audiophile

sony MDr Z7 RM2,599 by daryl tan

W
hile Sony is a pretty
ubiquitous name when
it comes to headphones,
most of their higher-
end offerings are usually
priced on the lower spectrum of true
audiophile gear. The MDR Z7, however,
is designed from the ground up to be a
legitimate competitor against headsets
like the Beyerdynamic T90. With a similarly
stratospheric price tag, does the Sony have
what it takes to play with the big boys?
ForM anD FUnCtIon
Reminiscent of Sony’s other high end
headphones, the MDR Z7 is a beautifully
crafted piece of tech; you won’t find any
cheap plastics here, with metal ear cup
holders and superbly plush cushions on
both the ear cups and headband. The
mostly black pair of cans may look non-
descript among other fancier designed
headsets, but pick this guy up and you’ll
know it’s the real deal.
While the MDR Z7 has a pretty large
frame, it’s still a great deal lighter than
most of its competition. Combined with its
While most of the headphones in this
segment generally use an open back
design to try and achieve a clearer and
airier soundstage, Sony has opted for
a closed back design for the MDR Z7.
From a usability perspective, Sony’s
implementation deserves some praise as
the audio feel very closely mimics that of a
traditional open backed pair of headphones.
While it isn’t quite the same, it does benefit
from the fact that there is very little sound
leakage both out of and into the MDR Z7.
aUDIo eXCeLLenCe
So, while the design and comfort of these
cans may be a cut above the rest, its audio
capabilities are nothing to scoff at either.
Like most audiophile headphones, the MDR
Z7’s soundstage is incredibly broad and
precise. Opening up an orchestral piece
will expose your ears to instruments you
didn’t even know were there.
The treble is superbly well balanced
while the bass, while not as overpowering
as a Beats, is present and punchy, giving the
overall sound a very pristine, natural feel.
Simply put, listening to high-fidelity
some incredibly talented musicians. As
mentioned, these cans actually utilise a
closed back design, which is staggering
when you realise just how natural sounding
the soundstage is. Sony has designed a
headphone that comes very close to open
back headphones, yet with all the benefits
of a closed back design.
So, should you get it? It really
depends. We reviewed Sony’s MDR-1A
a couple of months back, and for the
vast majority of you, any headphone in
that class will suffice. It has extremely
competent audio capabilities, is
lightweight and is well-built. While
the MDR Z7 is certainly better, it isn’t
better by a whole lot. However, if you
have high end audio amps and high end
source material, the MDR Z7 will be able
to take advantage of those to deliver a
truly incredible experience.
sPeCs
tyPe: Closed, Dynamic, Circum-aural
ConneCtIVIty: Detachable Y-type cable
IMPeDanCe: 70 Ω
SenSItIVIty: 102 dB/mW
FreqUenCy reSPonSe: 4 – 100,000 Hz

extremely comfortable urethane cushion audio files on the MDR Z7 makes it feel
ear cups, we were able to wear these for the as if you were there in person, listening 10
9
entire day with nary a hint of discomfort. to beautiful music being crafted by 8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

verDiCt
Incredible both in comfort and
sound, the MDr z7 stands
proud among the very best
audiophile headphones

score

daryl tan 8.0

68
MAR 2016
speed Demon
asus rt aC 55uHP RM TBA by din

F
inding that the router that
comes with your ISP is a bit
lacking? Want something better,
but you don’t want to invest too
much into a new router? Well,
Asus might have the perfect router for you,
with the Asus RT AC55UHP. This dual band
router is rather similar to the previous Asus
RT AC55U, but with some minor upgrades.
So what are those? Let’s find out.
FaSt & FUrIoUS
The Asus RT-AC55UHP, as with other
Asus’s networking products comes in a
large black box featuring the router on the
front. The box itself is rather simple, and
contains the router itself, two detachable
antennae, a single LAN cable, and a power
adaptor. Also included are a manual, a DVD
as well as an antenna spacer.
SPaCe DroID
The router itself is trapezoid like in shape,
and is the shape of choice for Asus for
most of its current range of routers. At the
rear are two wall mount holes that lets you
mount the router on the wall, but it’s right
at home on your desk too. The top of the
router has a diamond shaped patterns that
looks rather cool.
At the front is a single USB 3.0 port
which lets the router share any drive that
you plug in here as a shared drive, or turn
your printer into a network printer. Another
USB 2.0 port at the rear does the same thing
as well. Also at the rear are four Gigabit
LAN Ethernet ports as well as a single
Gigabit WAN port coloured in blue. The two
antennae are attached to either sides of the
rear as well.
eaSy netWorKInG
The Asus RT-AC55UHP supports DHCP
for existing networks, or UNIFI/Maxis fibre
for those that want to use it at home. The
Asus-WRT GUI is quite easy to navigate
through, giving a lot of options to users. If
the options are too overwhelming, then a
quick and easy setup wizard can help you
as well.
The router has dual Wi-Fi band, a 2.4Ghz
network running at 300Mbps and a 5Ghz
one at 867Mbps. The dual gain antenna
helps the router achieve this speed, and
the antenna spacer fixes the antenna at the
most perfect angle. Indeed, we tested the
Wi-Fi and found out that it still works well
even at two or three floors above or below.
nICe BonUS
What are the differences between this and
the RT-AC55U? Well this one supports WIFI
802.11 b/g/n/ac while the old RT-AC55U
only supports WIFI 802.11 n/ac. Also the
antenna is now fully round, instead of some
weird, squarish shape on the old router.
ConCLUSIon
If you are looking for a cheap, easy to use
but powerful router not only for your home,
but also for your office, then the Asus RT-
AC55UHP might be just the thing for you.
sPeCs
InterFaCe: 1x Gigabit Port (WAN),
4x Gigabit Port (LAN),1 USB 3.0/1 USB 2.0 (HDD
File Sharing, 3G/4G modem)
antenna: 2x external dual band antenna
oPeratInG FreqUenCy: 2.4GHz/5Ghz
(dual-band)
WIFI SUPPort: 802.11a/b/c/g/n
WeIGHt: 500g
SIze: 207x148x35.5mm

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

verDiCt
Cheap and effective

score

din 8.6
69
MAR 2016
 TESTED

enter the kraken

asus rt aC 5300 Wireless tri Band gigabit router RM TBA by din

"lightning
fast network,
gigabit
ethernet, easy
configuration
and fast
Wi-Fi, the
asus rt5300
certainly ticks
all the correct
boxes."

W
ow, just wow! That’s the
only word that came out of
my mouth when I unboxed
this behemoth. The Asus
RT AC5300 is by far the
largest, weirdest and most powerful router
that I have ever encountered. When you
think of a router, you would think of a normal
square box with some antennas. The Asus
RT AC5300 smashed that completely. Asus
has, for some reason engineered some kind
of networking monster here.
BIG anD HeaVy
The Asus RT AC5300 comes in a large,
very heavy black box. On the front of the
box, you will encounter the first image of
the router. You might utter the word “WTF”
when you see the picture, but as Asus
eloquently put it on the box, it stands for
WTFast instead of what you are thinking.
The box slides up smoothly to reveal the
router inside, safely snuggled in its place
like a sleeping headcrab.
Also inside is the adapter, that accepts
any normal laptop three rounded pin power
connector, and three power connectors for
different plugs, namely the UK (that we
use), Australia and the European two pin.
Underneath, you will find a VIP member
warranty notice, a manual booklet as well as a
DVD. Also you will find eight, yes, eight antennae
that can be attached to the router itself.
HeaDCraB
The router itself is a big, square trapezoid
thingy that is mostly black with some red
accents to make it look cool. You know what
literally makes the router cool? Awesome
looking vents on the top that helps with
dissipating heat from the router. Each side
of the router has two antennae connectors
that you can attach the antennae to.
At the front side, LED indicators for the
status of the router can be found. On the left
side, you will find three buttons, namely the
WPS button, a button to turn the Wi-Fi on or
off, and another button to turn off the LEDs
if they are annoying when you try to sleep at
night. Also there is a single USB 2.0 connector.
Meanwhile at the rear, as usual for a
router you will get four LAN ports, all rated
at Gigabit speed. A single WAN port is
coloured in blue, as well as a USB 3.0 port
also in blue. Last but not least, the power
button is also at the back of the router.
trIPLe attaCK
The router is a tri-band router, with a single
2.4Ghz Wi-Fi band, and two 5Ghz bands.

70
MAR 2016
This router is certainly perfect for those
looking to have a long range device to put
in their office. The Wi-Fi signal should have
500 square metres of coverage, but that’s
mostly without any obstructions in the way.
Expect a smaller coverage when used in a
building with many rooms.
Each of the different bands can have
its own SSID and work separately from
one another, as well as being controlled
separately in the router’s control panel.
Each band also can be configured to have
3 guest networks each, helpful when you
have that annoying guy that wants to use
your network but you don’t want him to
access your LAN.
KInG CraB
The Asus RT AC5300 is powered by a
Broadcom BCM4709C0KFEBG dual-core
1.4GHz CPU with 512MB of RAM. This
means it is quite powerful and should be
able to handle a lot of network packets. It
also comes with three BCM4366 4x4 2.4/5G
single chip 802.11ac SoC radios to power
each of the Wi-Fi bands.
Why the AC5300 name though? That’s
because in theory, the Asus RT AC5300
can achieve a total combined speed of
5300Mbps! The 2.4GHz network can
support a throughput of 1000Mbps, and
each of the 5Ghz network supports up to
2150Mbps. Combine all these and you get
the 5300Mbps.
BULKy StUFF
With a footprint of around 25cm x 25cm,
the router is quite large. The antenna itself
is around 14cm and the whole shebang
weighs in at a hefty 2kg. It does generate
some heat, as after a while of using it we
could feel the heat from the top vents. So
you might want to put this in an open spot.
We are quite disappointed that Asus
has not made the RT AC5300 router wall
mountable. Yep, while the router is square
and would look cool on your wall, there is
no way to do that other than to drill some
holes in the router, which we don’t suggest
you do. The 2kg weight also means that you
don’t want to use double tape either.
The antennae are also quite floppy and
just a small touch would make them fall
flat down on their face. And putting the
antennas other than in the “up” position
would take more space than we would really
like. So most of the time you will be using
the crab flat on its back pose for the router.
FInaL tHoUGHtS
Since the Z011D is bigger than the vanilla
Zenfone 2 Laser, ASUS has decided to
provide it with a bigger battery. The
3,000mAh battery gives the Z011D a slight
boost in longevity when compared with its
smaller sibling under standard day-to-day
usage. Under normal use, the Z011D can last
an entire day before a recharge is needed.
That said, if you’re a heavy phone user,
you might want to lug a spare power bank
around as the battery doesn’t last long under
extremely heavy usage (read: GPS usage).
More oF tHe SaMe
So what do we think of this router? Well
intimidating looks aside, it’s quite a
powerful and robust router. The Wi-Fi
coverage does live up to what Asus says,
as we can easily get signals even from
3 floors away. The router supports Unifi
(both business and home) as well as Maxis
Fibre. So if you are using any of these,
you can replace your current default
router without much configuration. The
router itself can be controlled by your
smartphone using Asus’s router app. We
are quite disappointed about the boot
time though. It feels like it takes twice
as long to boot up compared to other
routers that we have tried.
But this router is certainly not
meant for home use. Well you can use
it at home if you have the bucks. To
be honest, we feel that if you want to
power your small office or if you have a
place where you like to give guests Wi-
Fi (like a small hostel, or a food place)
then this is certainly the perfect router
for you. Lightning fast network, gigabit
Ethernet, easy configuration and fast
Wi-Fi, the Asus RT5300 certainly ticks
all the correct boxes.
sPeCs
InterFaCe: 1x Gigabit Port (WAN), 4x
Gigabit Port (LAN), 1 USB 3.0/1 USB 2.0 (HDD
File Sharing, 3G/4G modem)
antenna: 8x external dual band antenna
MeMory: 128MB FLASH/512MB DDR3 RAM
oPeratInG FreqUenCy:
2.4GHz/5Ghz/5Ghz (tri-band)
WIFI SUPPort: 802.11a/b/c/g/n
WeIGHt: 2kg
SIze: 245x245x65mm
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
verDiCt
your all-in-one solution
score
din 9.0
71
MAR 2016
 TESTED
return of the Mini Flagship
sony xperia Z5 Compact
T
hese days, it seems like to
be considered a flagship
smartphone, unless you’re
Apple, you better make sure
the screen of the device is
at least 5.5 inches, otherwise no one will
take you seriously. Accordingly, this has
led to all devices 5 inches and smaller
relegated to the ‘mid-range’ smartphone
segment, with appropriately middle-of-
the-road hardware.
72
MAR 2016
RM2,299 by daryl tan
As such, when Sony announced
that they would be following up on the
impressive Z3 and Z3 Compact with the
Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact, it seemed
like there would continue to be a device
with flagship level performance that
could actually be used in one hand.
MInI IS tHe WorD
If you’ve used any flagship Xperia device
in recent years, the OmniBalance design
"if you’ve used any flagship
xperia device in recent years,
the omniBalance design
of the Z5 Compact will be
instantly familiar to you."
of the Z5 Compact will be instantly
familiar to you. Unlike many unibody
flagships currently on the market, the
Sony phone is also waterproof, minus
the annoying flaps that previous
iterations had for the charging port and
headphone jacks, though the SD and
SIM card tray still requires one.
Sony’s continual improvement of the
formula has led to a beautiful, timeless
design. Even the distinctive camera
shutter key is still there, allowing the
camera to be fired up with minimal fuss.
One significant change though, is
that the sides are now flat rather than
rounded, partly to cater for the new
power button. No longer a small round
metal button, its flat, oblong design now
houses a fingerprint reader that seems
to be all the rage these days. It works
decently enough, but unlike the bigger
fingerprint scanners on an iPhone or
Nexus 6P, the limited surface area of
the power button has led to a pretty
high error rate. I had to retry unlocking
the phone multiple times, and this
can sometimes get pretty irritating,
especially considering the flawless
execution on other flagships.
MIXeD PerForManCe
Unfortunately, while the outside may
be as impressive as ever, it’s on the
inside that the Z5 Compact seems to
struggle. Despite rocking a flagship-level
Snapdragon 810 chipset and only driving
a 720p screen, performance on the device
seems rather hit-or-miss, with niggling
slowdowns here and there you simply
wouldn’t expect to see on a device of this
price point. Despite not even upgrading
to Android Marshmallow, Sony still
seems to struggle optimising its skin to
work properly, which can be frustrating
when seeing how its rivals simply fly
though Android.
The camera experience on the
Z5 Compact is also an exercise in
frustration. Despite boasting decent
optics, the software is simply too buggy,
too often. For instance, if the camera
was fired up while the phone was
locked, pressing the options button to
access the camera settings will throw
you right back out into the lock screen.
Sony has also seemed to have not
fixed its overheating problems, as I was
only able to record 8 minutes of video
before the phone had to shut itself
down to cool off. Firing up the app was
slow and simply opening the album
took several seconds. A few years ago,
waiting 4 seconds for the album to load
"Considering the gargantuan
sizes of batteries these days,
what the Z5 Compact can
do in its small chassis is
mighty impressive."
might be acceptable, but today, it’s
simply unacceptable on a flagship.
no CHarGer no ProBLeMS
One thing that Xperia phones have yet to
disappoint on is battery life. Like many of its
predecessors, Sony’s optimisation seems to
have done wonders for the battery, allowing
it to easily last into the next day.
Add fast charging to the mix, and
you will likely never have to worry about
battery on this device. Considering the
gargantuan sizes of batteries these
days, what the Z5 Compact can do in
its small chassis is mighty impressive.
Still, it’s difficult to recommend the Z5
Compact. Despite being of an excellent
size while retaining many flagship
features, the fact that those features feel
more half-baked than complete makes it
difficult to recommend.
sPeCs
DIMenSIonS: 127 x 65 x 8.9mm
WeIGHt: 138 g
CertIFICatIonS: IP68
DISPLay: 4.6 inches, 720 x 1280
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
GraPHICS: Adreno 430
MeMory: 2 GB RAM
CaMera: 23MP autofocus with LED flash,
5.1MP front-facing camera
StoraGe: 32GB
ConneCtIVIty: WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, 4G LTE
PortS: microSD up to 200GB, 3.5mm audio
jack, micro USB
Battery: 2700mAh (non-removable)
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
verDiCt
excellent waterproof design
and decent optics, but buggy
software
score
daryl 7.6
73
MAR 2016
 TESTED
storage tank
WD MyBook Pro RM3,679
W
estern Digital has been a
mainstay in the computer
storage game for the
longest time, and has
garnered a reputation for
their reliability. Despite the proliferation of
Solid State Drives and M.2 drives, they’re
still priced out of reach of most consumers.
Most consumers can only afford the barest
minimum of storage spaces in search of the
fastest speed.
So what’s the next best thing if overall
space is your major concern? WD seems to
believe their latest high-performance multi-
drive storage RAID system will answer all
your portable, large storage needs.
HeFty BeaSt
If you’re looking for a portable hard disk
to toss in your bag when hitting the road,
the MyBook Pro may not be for you. With
both drive bays filled up, the system can
get pretty hefty, and its mainly designed
to be placed on a desk for long periods of
time. For a multi-bay device, its footprint
is pretty small, allowing it to fit virtually
anywhere on your desk. Considering
the sensitive interior, the chassis of the
74
MAR 2016
by daryl tan
device is comprised of a solid, metal build,
containing multiple dampeners to ensure
the hard disks inside remain safe.
As for connectivity, you certainly won’t
be left wanting; there are two USB 3.0 ports
out front for easy access, while the back
houses a further two thunderbolt ports,
yet another USB 3.0 port and the power
connector. There’s even a Kensington lock
thrown in for good measure.
The chassis utilises a convenient plug
and play system. To remove any of the 6TB
drives included inside, a simple tug of a flap
will immediately release it, and you can slot
any standard hard disk drive inside.
SPeeDy oPeratIon
Western Digital has included its WD
Drive Utilities application to manage the
device. Within the utility screen, there
are various options available, such as the
RAID management configurator, sleep
timer, system diagnosis and even an
option to erase the drive, should the need
arise. It should be noted that the setup of
the MyBook Pro cannot be done through
Thunderbolt. You will need a USB 3.0
connection to your PC for the setup.
Measuring the performance of the
device on RAID 0 configuration, it returned
pretty decent read/write speeds of
391.2/363.9MB/s, which is about par for the
course. Using RAID 1 (which mirrors both
drives), read/write speeds dropped to about
half of RAID 0, which is still pretty good
considering it matches up pretty evenly
with other offerings on the market.
So who is the MyBook Pro for? The
potential for up to 12TB of data in a single
hard disk solution is something that pro
users as well as media enthusiasts will
appreciate. With Thunderbolt and USB 3.0
connections, there are a multitude of options
available as you will be able to connect
your mobile devices, drive 4K monitors or
even tack on additional storage thanks to
Thunderbolt’s ability to daisy chain up to
6 different devices at once. If your storage
needs mainly consist of storing games and
movies, you might probably want to look for
a more portable solution..
sPeCs
DIMenSIonS: 4.28 x 8.51 x 5.82”
ConneCtIonS: Thunderbolt 2, USB 3.0
ConFIGUratIon: RAID 0, 1; JBOD
PerForManCe: 435 MB/s transfer
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
verDiCt
Very user friendly, but
expensive
score
daryl 7.6
Beauty Falls short
Msi gs60 ghost Pro RM12,900 by ajith ram

A
s regular readers would
have realised, we have been
featuring a series of high
quality gaming laptops from
MSI over the past few months.
This month we have the MSI GS60 Ghost
Pro which has the honour of being the first
laptop we have seen with a 4K screen.
Going by the packed halls of the recently
completed CES, it looks like this year will go
down as the year of 4K.
GorGeoUS DISPLay
There is no question about it – the move from
Full HD to 4K does make a difference, even
within the confines of a laptop screen. From
the perspective of brightness and clarity, the
GS60 Ghost Pro’s 4K screen is the best we
have seen. As expected, text and images
are razor sharp with very little aliasing. If you
are seeking a laptop for some design work
using Photoshop or Illustrator, you cannot go
wrong with the GS60 Ghost Pro.
DeCent HarDWare
This 4K laptop also has some decent
hardware inside. The CPU is Intel’s ‘Skylake’
Core i7 6700 running at 2.6GHz. It also has
8GB of RAM. Like many other laptops and
all-in-one PCs we have seen recently, the
GS60 Ghost Pro has hybrid graphics. The
integrated Intel graphics adapter powers
the 2D display while the 3D and gaming
duties are handled by the Nvidia GeForce
970M. There is an additional 3GB of RAM
attached to the Nvidia GPU.
Storage comes in the form of a solitary
1TB hard drive. This is a bit surprising as
we have seen other MSI laptops sport a
speedy SSD as well.
FaLterInG PerForManCe
Despite its decent hardware pedigree, the
GS60 Ghost Pro is not the fastest kid in the
block - or even close to it. The lack of a SSD
to hold the Windows 10 operating system
immediately makes boot up a much slower
process. The laptop is also a hot product
– literally. Even under normal usage, the
bottom half of the Steel Series keyboard
becomes more than warm at times.
This also probably explains the
throttling and mediocre performance that
we experienced. Despite the inclusion
of the dedicated Nvidia GPU, games are
completely unplayable at the screen’s
native 4K resolution. This is hardly a
surprise considering that even a high-
end desktop with a dedicated GPU has
trouble providing playable frame rates at
that resolution.
The situation does not get any better
at Full HD. As our benchmarks revealed,
frame rates are in the single digits.
The GS60 Ghost Pro is a strange beast.
Although it boasts an excellent 4K screen,
its performance is not worthy enough to
catapult it to the ranks of true desktop
replacement laptops. Therefore, it will likely
remain a niche curiosity for now.
sPeCs
CPU: Intel Core i7 6700
MeMory: 8GB
GraPHICS MeMory: 3GB
15.6-inch 4K LCD screen
1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive
GPU: Intel integrated graphics + Nvidia
GeForce GTX 970M
Realtek audio
BenCHMarks
UnIGIne HeaVen: 61
UnIGIne VaLLey: 93

" Despite the inclusion of 10

9
the dedicated nvidia gPu, 8
games are completely 7
unplayable at the screen’s 6
5
native 4k resolution." 4
3
2
1
0

verDiCt
a very pricey laptop with a
great 4K screen

score

a jith 7.4
75
MAR 2016
 TESTED
not a Flash in the Pan
alcatel one touch Flash 2
L
et’s be honest. When was the
last time you went looking for an
Alcatel phone? Alcatel is hardly a
name that comes to mind when
you consider smartphones.
FLaSHy DeSIGn?
It is obvious even at first sight – the One
Touch Flash 2 is a beautiful phone. Quite a
surprise considering the ‘me too’ designs
that crowd the entry-level market. Alcatel’s
marketing literature waxes eloquent on
the phone’s ‘French’ minimalist design
and we have to agree with that. With its
smooth contoured edges and slightly
curved back, the Alcatel phone has the
feel of a premium smartphone. It is also a
major departure from the previous version
of the same brand.
The shiny power, volume buttons are
located on the thin right edge of the device
along with a dedicated camera button.
The headphone socket is at the top right
76
MAR 2016
RM649 by ajith ram
corner of the phone while the micro-USB
connector is at the bottom.
MoDeSt SCreen
We are a bit disappointed by the One Touch
Flash 2’s screen resolution which tops out
at just 1280x720. The modest resolution is
a bit of a surprise considering that many
entry-level phones now boast Full HD
screens. On the plus side, the 5-inch LCD
screen is quite bright and colourful.
DeCent HarDWare
The One Touch Flash 2 is powered by a
Mediatek MT6753 SoC which comprises
of an octa-core ARM Cortex 53 CPU and a
Mali-T720MP3 GPU. Although not exactly
cutting edge, this Mediatek SoC is now a
common sight in entry-level phones.
The One Touch Flash 2 also comes with
2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage
which can be expanded to 128GB using
a microSD card. Another nice feature
is the phone’s dual SIM option which
is surprisingly missing even in many
premium smartphones.
Despite its low price, the One Touch
Flash 2 has a pretty beefy 13MP rear camera,
putting it in the same league as much more
expensive phones. Although the screen is
" alcatel’s marketing
literature waxes
eloquent on the
phone’s ‘French’
minimalist design..."
lower resolution, the phone can record Full
HD videos at 1080P resolution.
PerForManCe MatterS
As one would expect from an entry-level
phone, the One Touch Flash 2 did not set
any performance records. The device ships
with Android Lollipop and is fast enough
for regular use like web surfing or video
streaming via YouTube. But it struggles
with the latest generation of graphics heavy
games. To be fair, it is unlikely that anyone
buying this phone will be looking to entertain
themselves using those types of games.
Without a shadow of doubt, the Alcatel
One Touch Flash 2 is a smartphone which
punches well above its price. Those on
the lookout for a mid-range phone should
definitely consider this one and save
themselves some money.
sPeCs
oS: Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop)
CPU: Octa-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53
CHIPSet: Mediatek MT6753
GPU: Mali-T720MP3
InternaL StoraGe: 16GB
raM: 2GB RAM
Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh
battery
CoLoUrS: Volcanic Grey, Mica White
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
0
1
verDiCt
Beautiful and inexpensive
with some good features
score
a jith 8.6
small and Powerful
Canon eos M10 RM1,889 by ajith ram

I
n this era when smartphone
manufacturers are falling over
themselves touting the photographic
capabilities of the built-in cameras, is
there any need for a compact digital
camera such as the Canon EOS M10?
PLaStIC anD CHeerFUL
At first sight, the EOS M10 appears similar
to the older M3 version but is slightly smaller
and lighter. Also, unlike its expensive DSLR
siblings, the M10 is built out of hard plastic
rather than aluminium or a magnesium
alloy. Although it might appear that way,
the camera is not waterproof. So be careful
using it in rainy conditions.
MInIMaLISt FeatUreS
Despite its diminutive size, the EOS M10
boasts a DSLR quality APS Type C sensor.
But the camera dispenses with the usual
Mode dial completely and so you cannot
select options such as manual, aperture
priority, shutter priority, landscape, portrait
etc. Instead, the dial on top switches
between video, still and auto shooting
modes. The EOS M10 seems to be built
around the ‘point and click’ philosophy.
locked, saving some space in the bag. Despite
this useful feature, the EOS M10 cannot be
described as a pocket camera – unless you
want your pocket to bulge prominently.
The M10 lens has a f3.5-6.3 range, making
it perfectly usable in normal conditions.
Obviously, it is not going to compete with
DSLR lenses which are much faster. But the
M10 does have optical image stabilisation,
a welcome feature for capturing photos at
night or while in motion.
VIDeo reCorDInG
The camera can also record Full HD videos
in MP4 format. In this age of high-end
smartphones featuring 4K video recording
capabilities, the M10’s Full HD recording
capability might appear a bit inadequate.
All videos and images are saved onto a SD
card which is not included in the package.
Despite the very low prices of flash memory
these days, it is a bit annoying that camera
manufacturers are not bundling memory
cards with their products or integrating it
into the device itself.
As is the current vogue, the M10 has features
aimed at the selfie generation. If you rotate the
3-inch LCD 180 degrees, it will go into a self-
toP PerForManCe
Let there be no doubt about it. Under normal
conditions, the M10’s 18 megapixel sensor
captures images which rival most high-end
DSLR cameras. It also makes it clear why there
is still a need for compact digital cameras even
when the market is flooded with smartphones
claiming great photographic performance.
The performance delta with the smartphone
cameras widens even further during night
photography. Thanks to its larger lens and optical
image stabilisation, the M10 takes night photos
with much lower noise and less blurring. Even
smartphones with full-size sensors such as the
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium cannot match the M10.
If you are serious about the quality of your
photos, but do not want the hassle of a large
DSLR, you should definitely consider packing
the Canon EOS M10 in your bag at all times.
sPeCs
tyPe Digital single-lens non-reflex AF/AE
camera
reCorDInG MeDIa SD memory card,
SDHC memory card, SDXC memory card
IMaGe SenSor SIze 22.3 x 14.9mm
IMaGe SenSor tyPe CMOS sensor
eFFeCtIVe PIXeLS 18.0 megapixels
aSPeCt ratIo 3:2
IMaGe tyPe JPEG, RAW

Another interesting feature of the camera portrait mode which allow you to activate effects
is its collapsible 15-45mm lens. When you are such as background blur, image brightness and 10
9
not shooting, the lens can be ‘collapsed’ and for the truly vain, skin smoothing.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

verDiCt
Small and versatile.
everything you need in a
digital camera

score

a jith 9.2
77
MAR 2016
 TESTED
aural Magnetism
oPPo PM-3 RM1,399
O
nce upon a time, before
OPPO formed its smartphone
division, the company was
releasing various other
consumer electronics under its
OPPO Digital division. It is from this division
that the OPPO PM-3 headphone came into
being. We’ve mentioned this particular
headphone in 2015 during out audiophile
headphone showdown, but we never did a
proper review for it. Well, now that we have
the headphones in our offices proper, it’s
time we take a good look at the PM-3.
CLaSSy
If you were to tell me that the PM-3 was
designed by Apple, I would actually
believe you. The OPPO PM-3 is beautifully
designed, featuring a sleek, compact
design, making it the perfect pair of
headphones when you’re out and about.
One other important point to note is that
the PM-3 is a closed-back headphone.
MaGnetS GaLore
Besides the uh…”unorthodox” design of
the PM-3, OPPO has also used a rather
unique piece of tech in this particular pair
of headphones: planar magnetic drivers.
Planar magnetic drivers function in the
78
MAR 2016
by rkl
same principle to dynamic drivers in that
two magnetic fields interact with each other
to cause motion.
However, the difference with planar
magnetic drivers is that the motion
generated would be channelled across a
thin, flat film, allowing the force to spread
across the diaphragm. Generally speaking,
headphones that utilise planar magnetic
drivers are huge, which makes the PM-3 size
a huge surprise.
SCaLeD UP
Now that we’ve gotten the looks and tech out
of the way, let’s get to the performance. I am
happy to say that the PM-3 is a very impressive
sounding pair of headphones. Firstly, the PM-3
is a closed-back headphones, which means
that the sound is pumped directly into your
ear without any outside sound mixing into it
like open-back headphones. As such, this also
means that sound leak isn’t an issue when it
comes to the PM-3.
WorLD oF SoUnD
The PM-3’s sound signature has much
in common with the sound signature of
monitor headphones. What that means
is that, for the most part, the highs, mids,
and lows of a song is given equal focus.
No one part of a song overpowers any
other part, allowing you to identify the
various instruments that form the music
without needing to strain your ears to
do so. The bass is surprisingly punchy as
well, make it great for people like me who
are EDM junkies. While an amplifier isn’t
really mandatory to properly use the PM-3,
having one would allow the PM-3 to reach
its true potential.
aUDItory BLISS
Personally speaking, if I had the discipline
to save up some cash, I would buy the PM-3
without any hesitation. For me, the PM-3 is
exactly what I look for in a headphone. The
compact size and the powerful, balanced
sound suits my tastes very well. If you like
your music well-rounded and powerful, the
PM-3 is a headphone that will make you
very happy indeed.
sPeCs
WeIGHt 320 g
DrIVer tyPe Planar Magnetic
DrIVer SIze 55 mm diameter
FreqUenCy reSPonSe 10 – 50,000 Hz
IMPeDanCe 26 Ohm
SenSItIVIty 102 dB in 1 mW
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
verDiCt
a powerfully balanced set of
headphones that look and feel
great
score
rkl 9.4
amped up
oPPo Ha-2 Portable Headphone amplifier RM1,689 by rkl

A
longside the PM-3, OPPO has
also seen it fit to drop off the
HA-2 for us to review. The
HA-2 is a portable headphone
amplifier/digital audio converter
combo that is meant to be paired up to the
PM-3. So without further ado, let’s just dive
right into it.
LooKS DIFFerent
In terms of design, the HA-2 is unlike some of
the other DACs/amps that I’ve seen thus far.
Whereas most DACs are usually black boxes
of various sizes, the HA-2 looks more like a
power bank by comparison. It’s reasonably
small, sleek and comes with a leather casing.
Simply put, the HA-2 is a looker.
JaCKeD In
For audio output, the HA-2 comes with
a single 3.5 mm stereo output as well as a
single 3.5 mm stereo audio-in port. As the
device is a meant to be compatible with
smartphones and the like, you’ll find a USB
port and a micro USB port at the bottom of
the device.
Furthermore, the HA-2 comes with all
the cables you need to connect the amplifier
to your device of choice, be it smartphones
or your own computer. One curious thing
to note is that the toggle right next to the
"...i can safely say
that the Ha-2 is a
USB ports needs to be switched depending
on your audio input. Apple devices occupy
the A slot, the computer occupies the B slot,
while all other devices, such as Android
smartphones, occupy the C slot.
aLL In tHe DetaILS
Performance-wise, the HA-2 is very
versatile, being able to drive a huge variety
of headphones. Much like the PM-3, the
HA-2 produces monitor-like sound, which
means the sound is flat and forward. This
allows the HA-2 to synergise extremely well
with the PM-3.
At the side of the device, you’ll find two
switches. The first of these is bass boost,
which boosts the low end frequency by
about 5 decibels. The other switch allows
you to toggle between Low Gain and High
Gain, depending on how power hungry your
headphones are. As I don’t really have any
particularly demanding headphones, I stuck
with Low Gain throughout my usage.
on tHe Go
Since the HA-2 is touted as a portable
headphone amplifier, I’ve brought the thing
out for a field test. Battery life on the HA-2 is
rather decent as it is able to last around 6 hours
on a single charge. Charging up the HA-2 is
rather fast too as the amplifier comes with
OPPO’s own VOOC rapid charge technology.
Also interesting is the fact that the HA-2
can also function as a surrogate power bank,
although doing so would obviously eat into
the HA-2’s play time.
DeFInIteLy PreMIUM
After roughly 2 weeks of use, I can safely
say that the HA-2 is a great amplifier/DAC
to own. I can also safely say that not many
would actually buy it. Why? Because of the
RM1,699 asking price. Yes, the HA-2 is much
more expensive than the PM-3. If you’re not
an audiophile, I suspect spending over a
thousand Ringgit for the HA-2 would be out
of the question.
sPeCs
WeIGHt : 175 g
DIMenSIonS : 68 x 137 x 12 mm
FreqUenCy reSPonSe : 20 Hz – 200 kHz
reCoMMenDeD HeaDPHone
IMPeDanCe : 16 Ohm – 300 Ohm
HeaDPHone aMPLIFIer oUtPUt
IMPeDanCe : 0.5 Ohm
DaC CHIP : ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018-
K2M
InPUt ForMat : Stereo PCM, Stereo DSD
(DoP v1.1 or native)
PortS : 3.5mm input jack, 3.5mm output jack,
USB A port, USB micro-B port
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2

great amplifier/ 0
1

DaC to own."

verDiCt
a great portable amp that
comes with a rather steep
asking price for the average
consumer

score

rkl 9.0
79
MAR 2016
 TESTED
skin Deep
Huawei Mate s RM2,400
W
hen Huawei announced
the Mate S last year, they
took pains to emphasise
the premium smartphone’s
design with the launch
theme being ‘gold’. This is very well reflected
in the device itself which has a unibody all
metal design with a prominent gold trim.
BeaUtIFUL SHeLL
The full metal design also has the
advantage of superior heat dissipation
compared to hybrid metal and plastic
models. The Mate S is also extremely
thin, measuring just 7.2mm at the edges.
Weight is also not a problem with the
device weighing just 156gms.
There is no real bezel to speak of with
the Gorilla Glass cover extending right
to the edges. But keep in mind that it
does not curve all the way around like
the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. There is a
fingerprint scanner on the rear, precisely
where your index finger is likely to be.
The fingerprint sensor has been upgraded
from the previous version, boasting 100
percent increased recognition speed and
increased sensitivity. In our tests, it was
certainly very responsive.
The fingerprint sensor is also useful for
taking selfies. Tapping it in selfie mode will
80
MAR 2016
by ajith ram
trigger the shutter while swiping down premium smartphones which can now
will allow access to the notification center. record 3K and 4K videos. Our test device
Swiping from left to right (and vice versa) in came with Android Lollipop. Huawei has
the Gallery app will allow scrolling between confirmed that a future update will upgrade
your various photos and videos. it to the latest Marshmallow version.
DISPLay MatterS MeDIoCre PerForManCe
The Mate S has an AMOLED Full HD 1080p Despite its impressive looks, the Huawei
display. In the current age of 4K smartphones Mate S is not a great performer. Rather
like the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, it would be surprisingly, it came up short even against
fair to say that this resolution is below par for an ageing device like the Samsung Galaxy
a premium device. On the flip side, the 5.5- Note 4 which is a year older. Needless to
inch AMOLED screen does produce higher say, it is easily outmatched by Huawei’s
contrast images and is also very bright. own other premium smartphone launched
just after the Mate S, the Nexus 6P. It seems
In-HoUSe HarDWare very clear that Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin
In an interesting choice, Huawei has chosen SoCs have a long way to go before they
its own HiSilicon Kirin 935 SoC to power the catch up with the offerings from Samsung
Mate S. In a market dominated by premium and Qualcomm.
smartphones with the Qualcomm Snapdragon
810, it certainly sets the Mate S apart.
The HiSilicon Kirin 935 consists of an octa- sPeCs
WeIGHt: 156 g
core CPU and a Mali-T628 MP4 GPU. The DISPLay tyPe: AMOLED
GPU in particular is not the most powerful reSoLUtIon: 1080 x 1920 pixels
ProteCtIon: Corning Gorilla Glass 4
around. The SoC is also paired with 3GB of oS: Android Lollipop
RAM. Internal storage starts at 32GB which CHIPSet: HiSilicon Kirin 935
CPU: Quad-core 2.2 GHz & quad-core 1.5 GHz
can be expanded using a microSD card. GPU: Mali-T628 MP4
The 13MP rear camera is also not raM: 3GB
rear CaMera: 13MP
the highest in the premium smartphone
segment. It is capable of recording Full HD
videos at 30 fps – again not matching other 10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
verDiCt
Literally golden in design, but
not quite in performance
score
a jith 8.6
showdown
POWERED
MSI GTX 970 MSI GTX 980Ti
Gaming 4G Gaming 6G
I
t has indeed been a long road for the
dedicated 3D graphics accelerator.
Ever since the advent of the 3DFX
Voodoo in 1997 with an ‘astonishing’
4MB of VRAM, the premium graphics card
has come a long way.
Originally used exclusively in games
such as Quake and Incoming, the GPU has
now morphed into a versatile multipurpose
beast that is challenging the supremacy of
the CPU in applications ranging from video
encoding to DNA sequencing. Even so,
there is no doubt that the main target of the
Powercolor AMD R9
Radeon Fury X
discrete graphics card industry is still the
avid PC gamer.
Today, compared to the original Voodoo,
modern graphics cards have gigabytes of RAM
and an order of magnitude higher processing
power. From the consumer’s perspective, there is
still no better application to show off a graphics
card’s potential than a cutting-edge PC game.
Later this year, we will be introduced to a
new generation of GPUs from both AMD and
Nvidia. Before the arrival of those beasts, let
us take one last look at the current kings of
the graphics card hill.
81
MAR 2016
 showdown
MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G
Gamer’s Dream
by andrew tong
J
ust recently I was able to get my
hands on a retail version of the
GTX 970 from MSI. The MSI GTX
970 Gaming 4G features the new
Twin Frozr V that has two10cm fans that
can be controlled individually through MSI’s
software. Besides, overclocking, the MSI
GTX 970 can be controlled automatically
through MSI gaming’s app.
PRETTY BEAST
There is no doubt that the MSI GTX 970 is
one of the prettiest graphics cards that I
have ever seen. However, will it be able to
stack up against other high-end graphics
cards? Let’s find out.
Similar to MSI’s other ‘Gaming’ series of
products, the two tone red and black colour
scheme is used in the MSI GTX 970 and it
really sets a nice tone for the innards of the
case. I also love the vertical ‘flashes’ over the
black section of the cooler.
TWIN FANS
A key selling point and a major feature of
the MSI GTX 970 is the inclusion of the Torx
82
MAR 2016
fans which are angled more aggressively
at the topside to enhance airflow while still
remaining very quiet. The other side of the
MSI GTX 970 features the heatpipes for the
Twin Frozr V cooler.
Below the fan shroud, the heatsink just
hardly peeks out at the rear of the MSI GTX
970. To the lower left is the PWM fan header
and each of the fans can be independently
controlled through MSI’s software. The I/O
area of MST GTX 970 is a standard affair
with HDMI and DisplayPort supported
along with DVI-D and DVI-I.
The power control of MSI GTX 970
is handled by an ON Semiconductor
NCP81774 4-phase controller which is
located at the back of the PCB. It operates
in a 3-phase interleaved mode with six
dual-channel Sinopower SM7320 doubled
with drivers at the back.
The GPU power also uses 6x0.20uH
“Super-Ferrite-core” chokes with
6x820uF solid capacitors while a Richtek
RT8807 controller is used for memory
on a two-phase setup using two pairs
of NIKO Semiconductor PK616BA and
PK632BA MOSFETs with two 0.68uH
Super-ferrite chokes.
For the 4GB memory modules of the MSI
GTX 970, MSI uses Samsung K4G41325FC-
HC28 rated 1.5V at 0.28ns (7000Mbps). A
2Mbit ChingsTek 8-pin SOIC chip is used for
the BIOS flash memory and it is located near
the GPU core.
IN CONCLUSION
My expectations were fully met and
exceeded with the performance delivered
by the MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G. As you can
see from all the benchmarks and tests, it is
undeniable that MSI has built a great card
that easily takes the place of the GTX 770.
For instance, Crysis 3 was able to hit
more than 60 frames per seconds using the
MSI GTX 970. I knew that the MSI GTX
970 Gaming 4G would be faster than the
GTX 770, but I didn’t know it was that fast.
Another notable improvement in the MSI
GTX 970 is that the Twin Frozr fans keep the
GPU temperature under 50°C.
During testing, the fans did not kick
in until the CPU had reached 60°C. Even
though the fan speeds were very low, the
temperature still stayed right around 70°C.
When overclocking, the temperature would
never hit 80°C.
The power consumption test showed that
MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G uses less power
consumption to deliver more performance,
resulting in higher power efficiency than
previous generation of GPUs.
Overall, the MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G
delivers great baseline performance results
that are easy to improve upon with a bit of
overclocking using the MSI Gaming app.
This card is a beast in this price segment
and if you are looking for a GTX 970 as your
next video card, you can’t go wrong with the
MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G.
 “Another notable
improvement
in the MSI GTX
970 is that the
Twin Frozr fans
keep the GPU
temperature
under 50°C”

“My expectations
were fully met and
exceeded with
the performance
delivered by the
MSI GTX 970
Gaming 4G.”

83
MAR 2016
 showdown
“None of the
games we threw
at the card could
trouble it; Grand
Theft Auto V ran
brilliantly, as did
Rise of The Tomb
Raider.”

“...they widened the

width of the card
so that it maintains
a large surface
area for the heat to
dissipate. The result
is a slim, compact
looking, but highly
efficient card...”

84
MAR 2016

The Dragon Arose
W
hile the recent hype is
on the red team’s rather
innovative and powerful
graphics solution, Nvidia’s
flagship model, the GTX 980Ti, is still one of
the best GPUs there is in the market right
now. And we are still seeing a lot of GTX
980Ti-based models being released. One of
them is from MSI.
The aptly named MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming
6GB is, obviously, targeted for gamers. But
what does it have compared to other models in
the market? Well a few things, as we shall see.
It would be more appropriate to call
Canon’s ink bottle design ‘spill resistant’
rather than completely spill free. During our
test, a few drops did leak out, but nothing
much to be concerned about.
RED DRAGON
The MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming 6GB comes in
a medium sized box. Since this is a flagship
model, we were quite surprised that it didn’t
come in a much larger, flashier package. The
black and red box features a large red tribal
dragon logo, which is seen on other MSI
“Gaming” products.
Inside, you will find a large black box, which
contains a smaller box, where you will find a
driver DVD, manual, a 6pin to 8pin GPU power
adaptor and a product brochure. Below that is
the real treasure – the MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming
6GB, tightly packed in its own foam enclosure.
TWIN TERROR
The MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming 6GB is a marvel to
look at, kudos to MSI’s engineers for coming up
with the innovative design. The cooler is based
on the dual fan MSI Twin Frozr V cooler. And a
unique thing about the card is that one part of
the card is red, while the other is black with red
MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming 6GB
accents. On the side, the MSI logo lights up
via LED, which makes it an awesome sight
inside a casing that has a side window.
The inclusion of an aluminium backplate
means the card won’t bend under its own
weight, and trust me, it’s one hefty card.
It also helps with dissipating heat and
gives the card a premium feel, perfect for
its status as a flagship GPU. Two massive
100mm fans help pipe the heat away when
the card is under operation.
Speaking of heat dissipation, usually
third party manufacturers that try to give
better cooling performances, compared to
the default Nvidia cooler. But with the MSI
GTX 980Ti Gaming 6GB, MSI has kept the
card slim at no more than two slots wide.
To compensate, they widened the width of
the card so that it maintains a large surface
area for the heat to dissipate. The result is
a slim, compact looking, but highly efficient
card in terms of cooling performance.
TWIN CERBERUS
The MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming 6GB, as the
name implies, comes with 6GB of GDDR5
VRAM graphic memory. This should help
with getting at least 60FPS at extremely
high resolutions, for example in 4K gaming.
If 4K is still out of your reach, the card also
supports triple monitor setups, in which the
6GB GDDR5 VRAM will help a lot.
The card comes overclocked, with a base
clock of 1178MHz, boost clock of 1279MHz
and a memory speed of 7100Mhz. But to
access these speeds, you need to install the
accompanied MSI Gaming App software,
even without which the card will still run at
a rather lofty 1140MHz.
For further overclocking, the card
accepts two 8-pins for a total of 375W power
by din
input. This allows users more headroom
to overclock the card, without it shutting
down due to being underpowered.
FIRE BREATHER
If you feel that a single MSI GTX 980Ti
Gaming card is not enough (and we find
that hard to believe), the card can be
combined with another in SLi mode. With
the correct motherboard, you could also
pair up to three of these babies. You will be
the envy of everyone at your LAN party.
To help output all its power, the MSI GTX
980Ti Gaming comes with a Dual Link DVI
output, three DisplayPorts, and one HDMI
1.4 output. Sadly this means you won’t be
able to do 4K gaming with the HDMI output
as it does not support 60Hz over 4K.
DRAGON RISING
The MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming 6GB is one of
the best single-card solutions that we have
seen. Not only does it run cooler than the stock
Nvidia card, it’s also quieter, thanks to those
two large 100mm fans. None of the games we
threw at the card could trouble it; Grand Theft
Auto V ran brilliantly, as did Rise of The Tomb
Raider. All games ran at 60FPS or more at the
highest settings with minimal adjustments.
We could see the card being perfect for
those using multiple/triple monitors, as well
as a 1440p 144Hz monitors.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We really love the slim size and the red and
black theme of the card. But the best thing
is the performance that the card outputs,
as well as the overclocking potential it
has. Gamers that are looking for the best
performance should definitely give the MSI
GTX 980Ti Gaming 6GB a chance.
85
MAR 2016
 showdown
Powercolor AMD Radeon Fury X
Fast and Furious
by din
T
here has been a wind of change
blowing over the graphics card
scene, and amazingly it’s not
from the green side this time
around. AMD has released it’s new flagship
graphic card, and boy oh boy, if a product
can be the poster child of the technological
advantage of using a PC, then the Fury X
should be on it.
Gone are the days of seperate RAM
soldered on the PCB connecting to the GPU
chip via a bus. AMD has bucked the trend,
introducing HBM, aka High Bandwith
Memory. With the HBM, AMD has combined
both the GPU and the memory on the same
die, meaning data transfer is much faster.
Not only that it speeds things up, but it has
a lot of other knock on effects like lower power
usage, smaller PCB size, as well as better heat
management. And the AMD Radeon Fury X
is the first AMD product to utilise the HBM.
TROPICAL DREAMS
The AMD Radeon Fury X is powered by
a new chip by AMD. Still named after
a country, this chip is called Fiji, and is
based on the GCN 1.2 architecture, with a
whooping 8.9 billion transistor count. While
still based on the 28nm technology like the
Hawaii chip before it (that powers the much
loved R9 280 and 290 cards), it now features
a memory bus width of 4096 bits, a whole lot
larger than the previous 512 bits.
The large bus width is due to the memory
is on the same die as the GPU, and this also
means that instead of having high speed
GDDR that heats up the more you push it,
the HBM can be clocked at a relatively slower
speed and still yield better performance.
Indeed, the HBM is only clocked at 1Gbps,
compared to 5 to 6Gbps that you would
usually find on normal GDDR5.
Fiji also has more Stream Processors, 4096
vs 2816 on the flagship Hawaii as well as more
texture units, 256 vs 176. The chip itself is
clocked at a rather speedy 1050MHz. It supports
86
MAR 2016
DirectX 12.1 as well as AMD’s Freesync when
paired with a supported monitor.
MEMORIES
Due to HBM being a new technology, yields
have been a problem. Indeed, this is true for all
graphics cards that utilises new technologies.
Due to this, the HBM that comes with the
Radeon Fury X is only 4GB in size.
Note that this is indeed a complicated
engineering feat, and the fact that AMD
has managed to find a way to create this
chip is an engineering marvel in itself.
WATER COOLING
We are lucky to receive a Powercolor
version of the Radeon Fury X from AMD for
this article. The first thing that you would
notice about the Radeon Fury X is the large,
totally built-in, water cooling loop that
comes with the graphics card. This water
cooling unit that looks suspiciously like
that from a certain well known casing and
cooling vendor is standard with all Fury Xs.
But while we think the water cooling
setup is cool and everything, we do think
it’s rather bulky. The water cooling unit can
be installed at any 120mm intake port on
your PC. But due to the length of the water
cooling loop, the most likeliest place would
only be on the rear of your PC. Depending on
your casing, and if you already have another
water cooling unit installed for your PC, they
could overlap and provide a tight fit.
And you most likely won’t be able to
crossfire this, unless your casing is big
enough to fit two watercooling radiators.
Also while the fan is a standard 120mm fan,
you need to open the card before you can
replace it. It’s easy, but kind of a hassle.
BOXY
Bulky watercooling aside, the graphics card
itself is a well built product. It feels hefty to
touch and does feel like a premium product in
your hand. It’s also quite short, compared to
other high end graphics cards. Since the PCB
does not need to host the VRAM anymore, the
Radeon Fury X is only 200mm in length.
The front part of the card is a matte
metal plate that can be opened to reveal the
water cooling loop and radiator/fan wiring.
The body itself is just a metal case that
encompass the cooling loop, the Radeon
Fury X PCB and a black metal plate at the
rear. Simple, but fits the purpose well.
The card will use up two slots in your
casing, without encroaching the territory of
the third slot, unlike other high end graphics
cards. This means you won’t be loosing an
extra slot underneath, and since the cooling
is elsewhere, you can safely use that slot
without worrying of hampering cooling too.
THE BLING
Since the card uses its own water cooling
loop, the Radeon Fury X needs two 8pin GPU
power connectors to work. On top of these
two power connectors are eight LEDS that
will light up, and like a music amp, would
rise or fall according to how much stress you
are putting on the card.
To make it even more cooler, the Radeon
logo on the side of the card will light up
when your PC is powered on. Use this in
a windowed PC casing at night, and you
might want to have a party right there in the
comfort in your own room!
TESTING TIMES
We benchmarked the Radeon Fury X with
3DMark Extreme, and achieved 7364 points.
That is one of the highest scores we have
seen in 3DMark, which shows the HBM
technology is the way to go. We also tested
the card on games, and it did not dissapoint.
Star Wars Battlefront ran smoothly well as
Project Cars and Rise of The Tomb Raider.
The AMD Radeon Fury X is AMD’s latest
flagship, and they should be proud of what
they achieved with this card. Awesome
engineering and great performance.
 “The AMD Radeon
Fury X is AMD’s latest
flagship, and they
should be proud of
what they achieved
with this card. ”

“...the fact
that AMD has
managed to
find a way to
create this chip
is an engineering
marvel in itself.”

87
MAR 2016
 showdown

COMPARISON

POWERCOLOR AMD MSI GTX 970 MSI GTX 980TI

RADEON FURY X GAMING 4G GAMING 6GB
GRAPHICS CORE: AMD Fiji XT GRAPHICS ENGINE: Nvidia Geforce GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX980 Ti
STREAM PROCESSORS: 4096 GTX 970 MEMORY: GDDR5 6GB
GCN COMPUTE UNITS: 64 BUS STANDARD: PCI Express x16 3.0 CLOCk: 1178Mhz (1279Mhz Boost)
RENDER OUTPUT UNITS: 64 MEMORY TYPE: GDDR5 MEMORY CLOCk: 7100 MHz
GPU FREqUENCY: 1050Mhz MEMORY SIzE(MB): 4096 OUTPUT: DVI x1, HDMI x1, DP x3
MEMORY: 4GB HBM MEMORY INTERFACE: 256 bits
MEMORY INTERFACE: 4096bit MAXIMUM DISPLAYS: 4
MEMORY BANDWIDTH: 512GB/s MAX RESOLUTION: 4096x2160@24Hz
POWER CONSUMPTION: 145W

PRICE: RM1,799 PRICE: RM3,000 PRICE: RM3,500

score
8.7
Conclusion
There is little doubt that this year promises
to be a good one for PC gamers. In addition
to the yearly stalwarts like Call of Duty, there
is an impressive array of high quality games
scheduled for release this year. The year has
started off with two great PC games already
available, namely Rise of the Tomb Raider and
XCOM 2 (see reviews in this edition).
Both of these games along with future ones
such as the impending Need for Speed are geared
to push high-end PC hardware to its limits. All of
the graphics cards in this month’s Showdown
score
8.8
are perfectly suitable to be in those PCs.
The MSI GTX 970 4G is the cheapest of
the three graphics cards. Despite this, it is
still fast enough for any of the current and
upcoming games. Like all MSI cards, it is also
highly overclockable.
The Powercolor R9 Radeon Fury X is the
only one in our Showdown with an AMD
GPU. It is also an unusual one with a hybrid
cooling solution. Very quiet even at its peak
performance, it keeps up well with the Nvidia
graphics cards.
score
9.5
PC gamers who buy premium graphics
cards demand performance with no
compromises. The MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming
6GB fits this bill perfectly. As the name implies,
the MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming 6GB is the elder
brother of the other MSI graphics card in the
Showdown. It has an extra 2GB of RAM and
is slightly faster than the GTX 970. It also has
excellent overclocking potential.
For these reasons, the MSI GTX 980Ti
Gaming 6GB is the winner of this month’s
premium graphics card Showdown.

88
MAR 2016
COVER STORY

Digital
Initiatives for
Manufacturers
S
oftware AG shared its predictions for the
manufacturing and supply chain industry in 2016,
derived from its expertise, market observations
and interactions with its customers.

Sean Riley, global manufacturing and supply chain solutions

director at Software AG, noted: “2016 will be a year fraught
with opportunity and uncertainty. The only certainty is
that manufacturers will seek to become more flexible and
more agile in their business practices, value chains and
customer offerings. I believe there are six key initiatives that
manufacturers will need to adopt to be successful in 2016.”

89
MAR 2016
 COVER STORY
Digital tranSforMationS will
Drive growth anD Profit
Manufacturers will adopt technologies
in the coming year that will allow them
to transform their operating models and
digitally connect processes, events,
actions, internal associates and external
partners. This will enable manufacturers to
develop global standards that are flexible
to accommodate regional, customer or
product requirements.
Additionally, information about product
usage, production capabilities, customer
requirements and market requirements will
be ingested, analysed and shared faster than
ever before. Becoming a digital enterprise
ensures the productiveness of associates
is not only fully utilised but that their
knowledge is spread across the enterprise.
This will be central to manufacturing
strategy and will be the lynch pin for all
major initiatives as the success of this
adoption will be directly measured by the
impact on the bottom line.
90
MAR 2016
obSeSSive cuStoMer focuS
PuSheS innovation
Understanding customer requirements and
innovating based on known and unknown
wants will begin shaping manufacturing
value chains. This will spur manufacturers
to adopt capabilities, such as mass
customisation, faster than expected in
order to provide differentiated products
to business and consumer customers.
This customer focus shift will be coupled
with the increase of demand-driven micro
logistics networks that push finished goods
closer to the customer and are able to
nimbly respond to customer demand.
the internet of thingS (iot)
fuelS new revenue
IoT will drive a shift in business
models that are based on availability
rather than goods or services. In 2016,
manufacturers will begin focusing
on providing pricing models for
equipment and products based on
controllable outcomes.
This will be most prevalent in several selected
industries, such as industrial equipment,
power generation and HVAC providers.
These pricing models will exactly match
customer requirements to compensate for
static growth and hard fought margins.
As an example, industrial equipment
manufacturers will provide pricing based
on yield, quality availability and uptime
as they will be able to monitor equipment
performance and dynamically predict
remaining useful life of equipment and
components to ensure assets are effectively
maintained and utilised without failures or
unplanned maintenance interruptions.
Know what’S where,
anD when
Central to ensuring inventory usage is
the ability for manufacturers to increase
visibility to all inventory levels. This
includes static materials and maximising
the value of, and gaining real-time visibility
into, inventory in-transit.
Equally important is the ability for
manufacturers to become resilient to
exceptions and disruptions. This will
enable manufacturers to eliminate short
term forecasting and become near term
demand-driven, also known as ‘capacity
for resiliency.’
Central components of this capacity for
resiliency are supply chain risk management
and incorporation of 3D printing. This is part
of an innovative postponement strategy to
ensure specific products can be utilised for
specific demand at the last possible time,
ultimately increasing the total value of
held inventory.
Protect your ProPerty
According to analysis by Netnames,
counterfeiting increases by 15% annually
and already costs manufacturers a
staggering $1.8 trillion dollars in lost
annual revenues. Unlike previous years,
the protection of both intellectual and
physical property will become paramount
in 2016, especially as manufacturers, and
their partners, become more connected
and digital. Information sharing is critical
to successful collaboration. However,
protecting schematics and technology
advances from piracy or theft from suppliers
will force many manufacturers to make
some very difficult decisions.
Manufacturers will take direct action
to monitor partner production outputs,
component and materials orders and take a
concerted effort to track certified products
to quickly identify the root causes of found
counterfeit goods. These efforts have not
been done in earnest until now.

collaborate to innovate,
cautiouSly
Manufacturers have increasingly relied
upon suppliers to provide high levels
of service and in 2016, they will begin
relying on them to provide product and
service innovations that support customer
centricity, operational excellence and
supply chain resiliency.

This will require a deeper strategic

understanding of unique and standalone
capabilities, capacity, and a comprehension
of the capabilities that can be delivered by
a group of partners and the enterprise.

On this basis, manufacturers will transition

their supply chains to supply webs where
partners are interdependent, co-innovative
and collaborative with each other on both
a tactical and strategic nature in order to
create shared and distributed value.

91
MAR
DEC 2016
2015
 FEATURE

92
MAR 2016
Stronger Passwords
REQUIRED
D
igital devices now hold the
key to a wealth of private and
personal information with 88%
of users storing this type of data
on their devices, according to a recent
consumer survey by Kaspersky Lab.
But with many devices remaining
unprotected, users’ digital friends
could easily become frenemies, giving
cybercriminals an open window through
which to steal and exploit sensitive and
informative data.
When it comes to entrusting information
to digital devices, nearly half (48%)
of users store their email and online
account passwords and login details on
them, and over a quarter (28%) use them
to store financial data including bank
details, payment credentials and PIN
codes.
Having this information at their
fingertips when logging into an
account or paying a bill online might be
convenient for the user, but it also makes
these devices hugely attractive and
potentially lucrative for cybercriminals.
Smartphones are the most popular
device on which to store private data
– including email messages, contact
details and sensitive information – for
93
MAR 2016
 FEATURE

9 out of 10 respondents (87%), closely
followed by computers (84%) and tablets
(76%). However, despite the increase
in storage of personal information on
digital devices, 2 out of 5 (17%) tablet
users still admit to having neither
password protection nor any security
solution for their device, which is also
true for 13% of smartphone users and
3% of computer users.
For these users, their trusted devices
could easily become their digital
frenemies – giving up their secrets and
exposing confidential information.
“With the use of digital devices
intrinsically linked to our offline
world, consumers are entrusting more
information to their smartphones,
tablets and computers without a second
thought. This change in lifestyle has
not necessarily led to a change in mind-
set however, with the safety of this
information often overlooked in favor
of ease of access and convenience.
Protecting your confidential data and
Victor Yablokov, Head of Mobile
Product Line at Kaspersky Lab
mobile devices with security solutions
and passwords is essential to keeping
the cybercriminals out in the cold and
your personal data remaining private,”
comments Victor Yablokov, Head of
Mobile Product Line at Kaspersky Lab.
To ensure a digital friend doesn’t
transform into a digital frenemy,
Kaspersky Lab recommends that people
always set strong passwords for devices
and for their online accounts.

This lack of cyber savviness and failure

to protect devices, should they fall into
the wrong hands, is further compounded
by another recent Kaspersky Lab quiz.
It found that only 8% of users delete
private information from their devices
immediately and only 2 in 5 (17%) people
create password-protected folders for
their personal and sensitive information.

A mere 7% encrypt data from prying

eyes. Worse still, over a quarter (27%) of
users believe they have no confidential
information at all, despite the fact that
almost all users store their passwords,
browser history, contact lists, messages
and much more on their devices – all of
which should remain confidential.

94
MAR 2016
 TECH 101

Google Drive TUTORIAL 1

How to organise your
files in Google Drive
Saving lots of files in Google Drive is a great way to keep them safe. But as you put more
and more files there, keeping things organized can be a bit of a challenge. So, here are
some recent improvements that will help you more easily put things where they belong:

When you’re browsing files, the

toolbar now shows a “Move” icon for
files already in Drive and “Add to My
Drive” for everything else.

When previewing files, a new icon

lets you add the file to any folder in
“My Drive” quickly and easily.

From search results, you can now

drag and drop files into folders.

95
MAR 2016
 TECH 101

When you store important files in Google Drive they’re not only safe, they’re accessible
from any device. And finding them again from any device should be super easy so we’re
rolling out a new search experience to get you better results — even faster.

Drive lets you search across all your files, regardless of the device they came from. To make that easier, you can use these
new ways to find your files:

Narrow your search to a file type

from the search box on Android, iOS,
and the web.

Open advanced search instantly

from the search box.

Access recent files or search Drive

from the home screen using 3D Touch
on iOS.

Search Drive using the iOS search

bar without opening the Drive app.

Several behind-the-scenes improvements give your search queries even better results than they did before. And to get
more specific results, anyone can now do the following:

Search for shared files by file owner using their name Use advanced search options like the date a file was
or email address. modified, words it contains, or who it was shared with.

We know how important it is to stay organized at work, so we’re making it easier to move
and arrange your files and folders in Google Drive. When looking at Search results or
items in the Shared with me, Recent, or Starred views in Drive, you’ll now see one of two
options in the toolbar at the top of the screen. If the item you’ve selected is not already
located in My Drive, you’ll continue to see the option to Add to My Drive. Clicking on that
option will add the item to My Drive and then allow you to move it to various folders.

Alternatively, if the item you’ve selected is already in My Drive, you’ll now see an option to Move to, which will make it
easy to move that item to a new or different folder via a simpler, clearer workflow.

96
MAR 2016
As an added bonus, you’ll also be able to drag and drop items from your search results to your folders.

In addition to these improvements,

we’re making it simpler to organize
Drive files when you’re previewing
them. For example, if you’re previewing
a document that’s not already in My
Drive, you’ll now see an option to Add
to My Drive in the toolbar at the top of
the screen. If you add that item to My
Drive (or if you’re previewing an item
that’s already located in My Drive),
you’ll now be able to quickly and easily
move that file to different folders,
directly from the preview screen.

Safety First: Four easy Android security tips

The Unity Asset Store is home to a growing library of free and commercial assets created both by Unity Technologies
and also members of the community. A wide variety of assets is available, covering everything from textures, models and
animations to whole project examples, tutorials and Editor extensions. The assets are accessed from a simple interface
built into the Unity Editor and are downloaded and imported directly into your project.

Unity users can become publishers on Asset Store, and sell content they have created.

97
MAR 2016
 TECH 101

Emails can contain all sorts of important information–from your friend’s new address, to
a flight confirmation number or a link to pay a bill. The challenge is, these bits of info are
often buried inside larger conversations. Inbox now includes a number of improvements
to help you find answers even faster.

Answers at a glance
Now when you’re searching for a frequent flyer number or shipping status (for example), Inbox will show it at the top of
search results–no more digging through individual emails to find what you’re looking for.

Get addresses, phone numbers, membership numbers, flights, events, bills, package tracking and more in seconds.

Streamlined search results

Underneath any quick answers, you’ll see a “Top results” section that orders emails by relevance. Below that is all the email
results, ordered by date, but chances are you won’t have to look here often.

Every second counts, so start saving time with Inbox, and spend it on what matters most.

98
MAR 2016
 - 100 -
STREET FIGHTER V
LAUNCH

- 103 -
BARBARIC TIMES

- 108 -
NO RETIREMENT YET

- 110 -
HORROR SHOW

- 117 -
REVIEW | XCOM 2

GameTime
This is where the fun begins
114 REVIEW | RISE OF
THE TOMB RAIDER

100 103 110 117

99
MAR 2016
 gametime news

100
MAR 2016
RIsE Up
Street Fighter V officially launched in Malaysia
by rkl | photos by heirul mk
S
treet Fighter V is one of the most
anticipated games of 2016. Fans
of the series have been patiently
waiting for years to see the latest
entry in Capcom’s popular fighting game
franchise in action. Eight years after Street
Fighter IV was released, they don’t have
to wait any longer as Street Fighter V has
officially been released.
To commemorate the launch of Street
Fighter V, PLAY Interactive held a midnight
launch for the game at APW in Bangsar.
Various other partners and sponsors were
also in attendance to assist in the running
of the event. This included local video
games retailer Gamer’s Hideout, internet
provider Telekom Malaysia, the Multimedia
Development Corperation (MDeC), gaming
accessory manufacturer Mad Catz, and toy
manufacturer Bigboystoys HK.
Video game development studio
Streamline Studios was also present at the
launch event. The Netherlands-based video
game development studio with operations
in Malaysia has collaborated with Capcom
on the development of Street Fighter V.
Needless to say, the collaboration
between Capcom and Streamline Studios
is yet another milestone for video game
developers in the country. “It has been
fantastic working with Capcom and
an honour to work on such an iconic
101
MAR 2016
 gametime news
intellectual property as Street Fighter.
We’ve enjoyed every second of
our collaboration,” says Alexander
Fernandez, CEO of Streamline Studios.
At the launch event, gamers were treated
to cosplays and a mini Street Fighter V
tournament as the crowd patiently waited
for midnight to arrive. Multiple PlayStation
4 consoles were set up at the event, allowing
early attendees to try out Street Fighter V
before the game officially launched. Those
who have yet to pre-order their copy of the
game from Gamer’s Hideout could do so as
there was a counter at the event that was
ready to process new orders.
102
MAR 2016
Eventually, midnight arrived and the
first person in line, Hendra Wardi, became
the first person in Malaysia to own a copy
of Street Fighter V for the PlayStation 4.
To end the festivities, a lucky draw
was held whereby those who pre-ordered
Street Fighter V would stand a chance to
win Mad Catz PlayStation 4-compatible
arcade sticks and gamepads,
Bigboystoys-sponsored Street Fighter
figurines worth up to RM2,000 and more.
The grand prize for the lucky draw,
entrance tickets plus return flight to the
Tokyo Games Show 2016 was won by
Desmond Hoh.
BaRBaRIc TIMES
New Conan game set for a bloody launch

F
uncom has announced Conan other players to build entire settlements “What Funcom is doing with ‘CONAN
Exiles, a multiplayer open-world and fortified strongholds. Unleash your fury EXILES’ is capturing the essence of Conan
survival game that will enter early in savage, fast-paced combat and execute and his world,” said Fredrik Malmberg,
access this summer on PCs with a bloody and bone-crushing attacks that will CEO of Conan Properties. “The fight for
full launch to follow for PC and consoles. At see heads rolling and limbs flying. Fight survival in Conan’s savage world has been
the end of last year Funcom announced a other players to dominate the exiled lands, chronicled in comics, movies, and novels,
renewed agreement with Conan Properties, and even call upon the wrath of the heavens and now you too will get to experience the
and teased that this news was on the way. to aid you by sacrificing enemy players on same struggle to achieve domination over
“There is no better setting for an open- the alters of the gods. the world.”
world survival game than the world of
Conan,” said Joel Bylos, Creative Director
at Funcom. “Hyboria is a harsh and
unforgiving land where only the strongest
can survive while the weak are swiftly cut
down. Whether it is hunting animals for
food, fighting monsters and other players,
or building entire settlements, we want to
make sure players feel like they are really
fighting to survive and prosper in the most
brutal fantasy world ever.”
‘Conan Exiles’ is first and foremost a
multiplayer game that can be enjoyed on
both private and public servers, but it will
also feature a single-player mode.
You are an exile, one of thousands cast
out to fend for themselves in a barbaric
wasteland swept in sandstorms and
besieged by enemies on every side. Grow
crops or hunt animals for food. Harvest
resources to build weapons and tools. Build
a shelter to survive. Ride across a vast world
and explore alone, or band together with

103
MAR 2016
 gametime news

YEt ANOTHER FpS

New sci-fi FPS from EVE creator

A
ccording to CCP, their
development team in Shanghai
has been working on a prototype
for a first-person shooter for PC
in the sci-fi universe of New Eden (the
universe in which EVE Online, DUST 514,
EVE: Valkyrie, and Gunjack are set).
It is being built with Unreal Engine 4.
According to CCP, this is an evolution of
Project Legion, the concept they announced
at EVE Fanfest 2014. This new project is still
in an early phase of production, and there
will be a further update at EVE Fanfest on
this year as a part of the free livestream of
the event.
Since this new game will be different
from DUST 514 (although keeping many of
its parts), there will be tiered recognition
rewards to DUST customers.

BustIng TIME
New Ghostbusters game tied to movie reboot

T
his year’s female-led
Ghostbusters reboot will be
accompanied by an Activision-
published console title, it
has been reported. Online site Retail
Merchandiser claims, in an interview
with Sony Pictures Consumer Products
senior VP Mark Caplan, that a ‘full-fledged’
Ghostbusters game is on the way to PS4
and Xbox One with an expected release
around the same time as the film in July.
The report doesn’t specify whether the
title will feature the new Ghostbusters or
the more traditional cast. Bill Murray, Dan
Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson
previously starred in Atari’s licensed
Ghostbusters title, released in 2009. The IP
has a long gaming heritage stretching all the
way back to 1984’s game of the same name.
That was published by Activision, too.
The publisher has been getting its hands
muddied with plenty of licensed titles
recently including last year’s Transformers:
Devastation and the upcoming Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles game, both of which
are developed by Platinum.

104
MAR 2016
WItnEss TO MONEY
Long awaited indie game sells very well

J
onathan Blow’s mesmerising, Braid by units, more than doubly, is a really he did note that neither PC nor PS4
maddening open-world puzzler, nice success.” dominated sales and both audiences
The Witness, has shifted Blow couldn’t give detailed figures, had a strong appetite for his seven-
“substantially more than 100,000 as he’s under contract not to, but year passion project.
units” within a week.
The developer made the announcement
in a blog post where he noted that his
follow-up to Braid has already grossed over
$5m. Blow said that this is “a good chunk
more revenue in one week than Braid made
in its entire first year.”
Of course, one must bear in mind that
Braid only launched on one platform initially
before coming to Steam eight months later.
It also cost much less to buy at $14.99
(£10ish) rather than The Witness’ somewhat
controversial price point of £29.99 / $39.99.
“This is great because as price goes
up, naturally the number of units sold goes
down,” Blow said. “So the fact that we beat

cRashIng STARS
StarCraft world champion arrested on match-fixing charges

L
ee “Life” Seung-Hyun, the 2014
StarCraft World Champion, has
been arrested in South Korea on
suspicion of match-fixing. The
19-year-old was taken into custody for
questioning and then arrested and charged
with ‘receiving money to match-fix’.
A report from the Changwon Police
District prosecutor’s office suggests Life
has been implicated in a series of fixed
matches confirmed to be in relation to last
year’s nine further arrests.
The 2015 scandal, which saw coaches and
players arrested including Prime’s head coach
Park “Gerrard” Oi Sik and Choi “YoDa” Byung
Hyun, has now claimed the highest profile name
of any in StarCraft’s sadly tarnished history.
Life began competing when he was just
14, taking his first major title a year later. He
is considered one of the best Zerg players in
the world. It is unknown which matches Life is
alleged to have fixed, though the investigation
is being carried out by the same members
of the Korean Cyber Bureau as have been
prosecuting the nine from last year.

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MAR 2016
 gametime news

RIsIng HUNTERS
Capcom does better than expected

C
apcom reports that it has seen an
uptick in both sales and profits
over the past nine months,
driven primarily by sales of
games - most notably, the latest Monster
Hunter game. According to its most recent
earnings report, Capcom saw profits of 7
billion yen (roughly $59 million USD) on 57
billion yen (~$480.1 million USD) in the nine
months ending December 31, 2015.
That’s more profit and significantly more
sales than the company saw in the same
period a year prior, when it reported 6.5
billion yen in profit on 47.8 billion yen in
sales, and the company attributes the rise
in profits primarily to strong performance in
its Digital Contents business, the division
responsible for Capcom’s console and
mobile game production.
Capcom reports Monster Hunter X for
the 3DS was a standout success for the
division, surpassing sales expectations and
selling over 3 million units.

EspoRts BOOM
Massive rise in eSports revenue predicted

M
arket research firm Newzoo million due to faster-than-expected growth. to the year prior, since Newzoo reports
reported that roughly $325 Looking ahead, the firm is effectively 2014-2015 saw a roughly 67 percent uptick
million was generated by predicting a bit of a slowdown in global in global eSports revenues - from $194 to
eSports worldwide last year, eSports revenue growth this year compared $324 million.
and it predicts that number will rise 43
percent to hit $463 million by the end of
this year.
Those figures come courtesy of a blog
post published by the company to drum up
attention for its 2016 Global eSports Market
Report, and helps shed some light on the
state of the industry for developers who
are interested in (or currently neck-deep
in) making games geared for professional
competitive play.
Newzoo’s figures encompass revenue
from ticket and merchandise sales,
advertising, additional game publisher
investment and more (see chart embedded
below), and are even higher now than
in September, when it raised its eSports
revenue forecasts for last year to $278

106
MAR 2016
oculus RIdEs VR WAVE
Facebook’s VR company favourite among game developers
A
new survey suggests that when
it comes to getting games
developers on board for its
high-end virtual reality vision
of the future, Oculus is beating its rivals,
Valve/HTC, and Sony.
The survey, which was released ahead
of March’s Game Developers Conference
suggests that, so far, the Oculus Rift is
getting “outsized interest” from games.
GDC’s 2016 State of the Industry Report
surveyed 2,000 professional developers
who attended the popular annual trade
show during the past three years. It asks
them about their current work and interest
in various virtual reality and augmented
reality technologies.
More than 19 percent of respondents
said they were currently working on a
game for the device Oculus Rift. This made
it the most popular VR headset among
the developers. Second place Samsung’s
GearVR at 8 percent of respondents, Google
Cardboard at seven percent, and HTC Vive
and PlayStation VR had six percent each.
More than 20 percent said their next VR
project would be on the Rift, compared to 9
percent for PlayStation VR and eight percent
for the HTC Vive. However the Rift is not
home and hosed yet. A quarter of respondents US households by 2030. However only 27
said they “are not currently interested in percent of respondents said they thought
developing for VR/AR headsets.” virtual reality headsets would ever
More than 44 percent said they weren’t surpass game consoles.
currently working on VR or AR games at the
moment but were at least open to the
idea. Another problem for the Rift
was one of the reasons it appears
be doing will with developers
is that 77 percent of them have
actually tried it.
This compares with 46
percent for Google Cardboard, 31
percent for GearVR, 21 percent for
PlayStation VR, and 19 percent
for the HTC Vive.
The risk for the Rift is that
developers will become more
aware of the opposition and get
a little more enthusiastic.
Most of the game developers
think that consumer-grade
virtual reality is more than
a quickly passing fad and 75
percent of respondents said that
VR/AR “is a long-term sustainable
business to be in.”
More than 86 percent said such
headsets will be in at least 10 percent of
107
MAR 2016
 gametime news

ghostlY TIDINGS
Ubisoft and EA spar over Ghost trademark

U
bisoft is opposing rival publisher The notice of opposition was filed by opposition. As part of this, Ubisoft makes
EA’s attempts to trademark Ubisoft against EA in January. Ubisoft note of the fact that it has in fact been
‘Ghost’. The firm claims that actually began action against EA last year, using the Ghost Recon trademark since
the trademark will ‘cause but has only just published its notice of November 13th, 2001.
confusion’ with its Tom Clancy’s Ghost
Recon franchise, which has a new entry,
Wildlands, launching this year.
The document indicates that EA
attempted to register a Ghost trademark
on March 18th 2015. It’s not clear why
EA is attempting to get its hands on that
trademark, though the firm does have own
a developer called Ghost Games.

no REtIREmEnt YET
Peter Molyneux says he is not retiring yet

I
t has been an interesting time new piece of hardware out, or when And indeed, as Eurogamer notes, the
for fans (if any) of veteran game there’s a new monetisation technique longtime designer mostly avoided press
designer Peter Molyneux. The net out, and just be a programmer and a attention in the latter half of 2015, as 22cans
was abuzz with rumours of his designer. That happened within that experienced significant staff turnover and
retirement – and now he has decided 24 hour period after that interview.” was “rebooted” with a new CEO.
not to. This is well in line with a talk But now Molyneux is back, and talking to
By all accounts, Molyneux’s career Molyneux gave at a game development the press about how he intends to not talk to
hit a bit of a rough patch in 2015. Early conference last year, months after the the press unless he has something to show.
on he found himself in the hotseat over RPS interview was published, in which For Eurogamer it’s Godus Wars, 22cans’ new
unfulfilled promises about his studio he advised developers that talking to real-time stragey game that launched today
22cans’ crowdfunded god game Godus. the press too early can be your undoing. on Steam’s Early Access service.
Later, he engaged in a contentious
interview with Rock Paper Shotgun
that inspired him to withdraw from
speaking to the press and, as he claims
now, to consider retiring from game
development outright.
“When I put that phone down I felt
like giving up. Whenever you have one
of those big reactions to anything in life,
it is always that child inside of you who
comes up and says, well, fuck it then,”
Molyneux told Eurogamer, noting that
“it was tempting to retire” but that he
ultimately decided against it.
“The only thing I can do is hunker
down and strip myself back to what I
really am, which is someone who just
loves what he does with a passion that
is often misinterpreted by people,”
he continued. “And to stop being
a spokesman, stop being a person
journalists phone up when there’s a

108
MAR 2016
no pLAY
Sony fails to trademark ‘Let’s Play’
S
ony tried and failed to trademark
the term “Let’s Play”. Earlier
this year, Sony Computer
Entertainment America tried to
trademark “Let’s Play” with the United
States Patent and Trademark Office,
but the attempt was rejected because,
the USPTO said, there would have been
consumer confusion with something
called “LP LET’Z PLAY”.
“LP LET’Z PLAY” is a trademark held
by a US company that works to connect
gamers together. Now, though, the USPTO
no longER KING
Xbox One sales well behind PlayStation 4
A
s part of its investor call after its
quarterly earnings report, EA
CFO Blake Jorgensen revealed
that the combined install base
for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is over
55 million. That number strongly implies
that the install base for the Xbox One is
around 19 million units. Sony had earlier
reported that it has sold nearly 36 million
units of its PlayStation 4.
This news lends credence to a report
that 18 million Xbox Ones were active and
online, which was culled from the greater
lEapIng AHEAD
Google-supported AR outfit secures more funding
M
ixed reality startup Magic
Leap has raised $793.5 million
through a new funding round
led by Chinese e-commerce
outfit, Alibaba.
Magic leap is no stranger to huge
investments, having previously raised $542
million back in 2014, although the size of
this latest cash injection is perhaps even
more notable given the company has yet to
release a single product.
has wised up to the common sense reason
why you can’t - shouldn’t - trademark
Let’s Play: because it’s a generic term
used to describe thousands of videos of
people playing games.
The McArthur Law Firm said this
latest rejection is “far more lethal” to Sony
than the USPTO’s previous rejection.
“Given the strength of this evidence, we
are confident that Sony will not be able
to overcome this rejection,” the firm said.
“The term ‘Let’s Play’ is now forever in
the public domain.”
pool of Windows 10 activation numbers.
The system’s OS was moved to Windows
10 in November 2015.
Microsoft, for its part, has said it will
no longer report install base numbers for
its consoles. It did, however, report other
stats on its console ecosystem today,
including Xbox Live user
numbers and revenues.
As of September 30th last
year, the install base for
the Wii U had hit 10.73
million units.
Despite keeping its tech under It looks like the device might become
wraps, demo videos released online a video game platform in the future, with
suggest Magic Leap will eventually the startup having brought in a number
release a device similar to Microsoft’s of game industry veterans including 7th
HoloLens headset. Guest creator, Graeme Devine..
Described as a “mixed reality lightfield”
experience by Magic Leap CEO, Rony
Abovitz, the mysterious tech is being
pitched as a “computing platform” that
will let users “seamlessly combine and
experience their digital and physical lives.”
109
MAR 2016
 gametime news
nIntEndo VR?
Nintendo takes VR seriously - again
H
aving previously dismissed
the technology, Wii U and 3DS
platform holder Nintendo has
seemingly softened its stance
toward VR. Analyst Serkan Toto says
that the company has told investors that
it is “looking at VR”, although it did not
elaborate. There are three premium virtual
reality headsets on the way this year –
Facebook’s Oculus Rift, Valve and HTC’s
Vive SteamVR and Sony’s PlayStation VR.
Google has already made inroads into the
market with its Cardboard headset, while
Samsung’s Gear VR, made in collaboration
hoRRoR SHOW
Ubisoft partners with film company
S
pectreVision, the production
company co-founded by actor
Elijah Wood, is to work with
Ubisoft on virtual reality
experiences. Wood created the
company in 2010 alongside Daniel
Noah and Josh C. Waller, and counts
acclaimed noir vampire movie A Girl
110
MAR 2016
with Oculus, is already available.
Even Apple is being tipped as making
a VR move of its own, and while Microsoft
seems slightly distant from the sector it is
busy developing its Hololens augmented
reality headset.
Nintendo, however, has been cool on VR
until now. Last year both American boss
Reggie Fils-Aime and development boss
Shigeru Miyamoto said the tech was at
odds with the company’s social philosophy
– none of which has stopped analyst
speculation that VR work has been going
on behind the scenes.
Walks Home Alone At Night among Ubisoft previously revealed VR title
its portfolio. Eagle Flight, which is due out for
SpectreVision will team up with PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and the
Ubisoft’s Montreal-based FunHouse HTV Vive later this year.
studio to ‘create, develop and produce “We’re thrilled to partner with an
interactive virtual reality content’, industry leader like Ubisoft to explore the
SpectreVision CEO Lisa Whalen innovative and burgeoning technology
announced at the Sundance Film Festival. that is virtual reality,” said Whalen.
 In most cases, the use of these tools is
considered as cheating, as they give players an
unfair advantage. Blizzard, the game’s creator,
does not approve of these services. This isn’t the
only downside; Symantec observed that some
of the third-party services contain malware. If a
player installs them, then attackers may be able
to open a back door on their computer, and steal
sensitive information and Bitcoins.
Rather than paying money or using in-game
methods, some players may try to cheat to get
additional gold and dust. This can lead them to

malIcIous
applications like Hearthstone Hack Tool v2.1,
which promises that “gold and dust won’t be a
problem anymore.” Such applications are a total
scam; they do not work.

GAMING
Symantec has recently observed Trojan.
Coinbitclip posing as a Hearthstone gold- and
dust-hacking tool. Because Bitcoin addresses
are long and include random characters, many
Malware targets Blizzard’s Hearthstone users who mine Bitcoins use a clipboard
to facilitate the process. Trojan.Coinbitclip

A
ccording to new Symantec research,
attackers have disguised information-
stealing malware as third-party add-
ons and cheats for Blizzard’s online
card game Hearthstone.
Hearthstone players looking to gain an unfair
advantage often turn online for tools to help them
play better or earn more rewards. In this case,
attackers created third-party programs that
promise to benefit Hearthstone players, but in
reality can compromise their computers with
malicious software capable of opening a back
door, recording from their webcam, logging key
strokes, and stealing passwords.
hijacks the user’s clipboard and replaces the
user’s Bitcoin address with one from its own
list—this is how the malware steals someone’s
Bitcoin. The sample Symantec observed had
10,000 Bitcoin addresses in its body. The Trojan
selects an address from the list that most closely
resembles the address it is replacing.

top of THE CLOUDS

New eSports partnership for MSI

M
SI, has announced an exclusive Cloud9 is an American professional 2012, Jack Etienne has led teams to wins in
sponsorship with international eSports organisation with members in North world championships in games like Heroes
eSports champions, Cloud9. America, Europe and Asia. Since founded in of the Storm and League of Legends.
Effective immediately, MSI will
be outfit Cloud9 eSports teams with the
highest-performance gaming products on
the market, including MSI’s laptops for on-
the go gaming, and cutting-edge gaming
graphics cards and motherboards.
“MSI breathes and lives gaming, and
we’ve dedicated countless hours and
resources to support the world’s eSports
community,” said MSI’s Andy Tung,
President of Pan America. “MSI is committed
to gaming and is proud to welcome Cloud9
to our family of more than 12 professional
gaming partnerships worldwide.”
“MSI is one of the most trusted names in
gaming and eSports, and we are delighted
to be a part of the family,” said Jack Etienne,
Owner and Founder of Cloud9.

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 gametime news

nEW YEaR NEW ENGINE

Amazon releases game engine with Twitch integration

A
mazon has released a new, free $1.50 per 1,000 daily active users; AWS CryEngine. Aside from adding the AWS
game engine, Lumberyard, which services will be charged at the normal rates. SDK to the engine, Amazon has also
offers deep integration with its The game engine is in beta, but is brought in new low-latency networking
Amazon Web Services server freely usable and downloadable today.n code based on what Double Helix, the
infrastructure and also with Twitch, its video Lumberyard’s core engine technology is Southern California studio it acquired in
game-focused streaming service. based on Crytek’s CryEngine. Amazon 2014, developed for Xbox One fighting
The engine, including its full source code, licensed the German studio’s engine and game Killer Instinct.
is completely free to download and use to got “full, unencumbered access to the The company is hoping that
make PC and console games. Amazon will not technology” to build upon, says Mike Lumberyard will appeal to developers who
charge any kind of royalty or subscription fee. Frazzini, vice president of Amazon Games. make games that thrive on broadcasting,
Lumberyard is powerful and full-featured However, Lumberyard represents a online and eSports scenes, and user-
enough to develop triple-A, current-gen branch of that tech, and the company is generated content. The engine is “mod-
console games. The company has signed replacing or upgrading many of CryEngine’s friendly,” meaning that developers can
official tools deals with Microsoft and Sony, systems. Future versions of CryEngine and package up Lumberyard’s level and item
so you can immediately build games for the Lumberyard will continue to diverge. creation tools as a “subset tool chain”
Xbox One and PlayStation 4 with it. Mobile At launch, Lumberyard already has and distribute them with their game for
support will come later. components that are not based on players to use.
Monetisation for Lumberyard will come
strictly through the use of Amazon Web
Services’ cloud computing. If you use the
engine for your game, you’re permitted to
roll your own server tech, but if you’re using
a third-party provider, it has to be Amazon.
Integration of Amazon’s Twitch video
streaming tools at a low level also helps
to cement that platform’s dominance in
the game streaming space. Alongside
Lumberyard, the company has also
announced and released GameLift, a new
managed service for deploying, operating,
and scaling server-based online games
using AWS. GameLift will be available only
to developers who use Lumberyard, though
it’s an optional add-on. GameLift will cost

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pIRatEs CRACKED
Chinese cracking group gives up for one year

A
major game piracy group says
it will cease releasing any of
its DRM- and copy protection-
stripping cracks for the next
year, ostensibly to examine whether or not
its efforts have any material effect on game
sales. But there’s little reason to expect this
“experiment” to yield any useful results.
The Chinese piracy collective 3DM has
decided in an “internal meeting” not to
crack any more single-player games as of the
Chinese New Year. Then, after a year spent
away from the cracking scene, the group
says it will “take a look at the situation... to
see if genuine sales have grown.”
It’s hard to imagine 3DM’s unilateral
action having that much effect on legitimate
game sales. After all, there are plenty of
other active groups in the cracking “scene”
that will try to fight to increase their own
exposure by filling the hole left by 3DM.

VR BENCHMARK
Valve releases benchmark for VR PCs

V
alve has released a free
benchmark on Steam, the
SteamVR Performance Test
benchmark. It is not meant
for virtual reality headsets, but
rather tests the performance of your
PC to see if it can handle SteamVR
and virtual reality.
The benchmark is based on a
two-minute sequence from Valve’s
Aperture Robot Repair VR demo and
checks if the system is capable of
running VR at 90 FPS. It also checks
if virtual reality content “can tune the
visual fidelity up to the recommended
level,” according to the description
on the Steam page.
The test actually provides three
levels of results, “Not ready”,
“Capable” and “Ready”, depending
on the final score of your system
and suggests which component is
the actual bottleneck and should be
upgraded if you are looking to get a
VR-ready system.

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 gametime reviews
A True, Immersive
Action-adventure
Rise of the Tomb Raider
A
s promised, Rise of the Tomb
Raider has finally made its way
over to PC, much to the delight
of gamers worldwide after the
release as an Xbox exclusive last November.
Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have
put together a more marvelous sequel to
their already successful reboot of  Tomb
Raider from 2013. And only on a PC do they
have the tools to polish this gem of a game
up until it’s almost blinding.
Indeed, in  Rise of the Tomb Raider, you
won’t know when to pick up the controller
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by andrew tong
and when to put it down – the graphics are
so sharp, crisp and detailed and the gameplay
truly looks like one giant CG movie.
RECREATING A LEGEND
Picking up a year after her adventures on
the mysterious island of Yamatai,  Rise
of the Tomb Raider  follows Lara Croft on
her quest to redeem her deceased father,
Lord Croft, who passed on before he
was able to prove the existence of a Holy
Grail-type artifact that could grant its user
immortality. Attempting to cut her down at
every chance is Trinity; a mysterious group
that not only attempted to silence Lord
Croft, but also covered up the events that
unfolded on Yamatai, discrediting Lara in
the process.
MORE OF THE SAME
While she’s not confined to an island this
time around, Lara never reaches the level
of globe-trotting that Nathan Drake does,
as she spends most of her time in the cold
wilderness of Siberia, save for a brief spell
in the polar opposite deserts of Syria.
Still, the open world formula that worked
so well in  Tomb Raider 2013  is now three
times bigger than its predecessor, and
shines just as bright as you’ll spend most
of your time climbing and traversing the
environment, with some gunplay and
stealth combat sprinkled throughout.
Rise of the Tomb Raider now  has a
greater variety of environments, but those
 environments offer more things to do. There
are narrative collectibles — diary entries
and artifacts that piece together the history
of the region — plus hidden environmental
challenges, boxes containing pieces to put
together new weapons and coin caches that
allow you to purchase other upgrades.
There’s even a full side quest system,
“It’s everything the old with NPCs who give you tasks to complete
Tomb Raider games were in the surrounding area with rewards for
and now so much richer, pulling through. Despite that, there is also the
more detailed, more optional content in the game which are the
involved, more dramatic, tombs themselves. Tombs are now bigger and
and just way more fun.” better than ever.
In each level, there are puzzle-tombs just
like the old days, where Lara will explore
huge ancient spaces littered with deadly
traps, solve dramatic environmental puzzles,
and decipher ancient texts to reveal crypts
of useful loot. However, the puzzles they task
you with solving are wonderfully designed. I
was often left scratching my head for an hour
or longer before reaching a solution, but that
time never felt wasted.
On top of increasing the size of the
areas,  Rise of the Tomb Raider  has also
greatly expanded the crafting system from
the previous game. Lara can now hunt
and craft in Far Cry style. You can create
all sorts of devious tools and weapons to
configure Lara’s gear, weapons, and ammo
to suit your play style from stealth style to
going in guns blazing.
There are also plenty of opportunities
to craft bombs, grenades and incendiaries
for creating all kinds of havoc around the
campfires of your enemies. This provides
another layer of motivation for carefully
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 gametime reviews
exploring environments rather than just
rushing headfirst into the next story beat.
BEAUTIFUL LOOK AND FEEL
The most striking aspect of Rise of the Tomb
Raider are the environments themselves.
While it utilises the same Foundation
Engine that powered the 2013 reboot, the
enhancements and upgrades made to the
engine over the last couple of years are now
even more evident.
On high settings, the PC pushes well
past what next-gen consoles are capable
of to produce some truly astounding vistas
and play-realms. You will find yourself
pausing to simply take in how beautiful a
job the developers have done. The lighting,
the shadows, the flutter of the leaves, the
ripples of the water and the shifting of the
snow, indeed, these are the richest in-game
graphics I’ve ever seen. Lara does battle with
this play-world itself, and not simply just the
enemies within it.
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MAR 2016
are still as spectacular as ever. Even I was
particularly pleased with Lara’s dexterity, it
doesn’t mean you’re immune to screwing up.
Mistime a jump or grab at the wrong ledge and
you are history. With games like  Assassin’s
Creed  overpowering their heroes more and
more with each release, it’s refreshing to
see Lara Croft is just skilled, and not some
infallible super-hero.
BOTTOM LINE
Rise of the Tomb Raider on PC is pretty, but
it’s far more than just eye candy. It is clearly
the best course of action. It’s everything the
old Tomb Raider games were and now so
much richer, more detailed, more involved,
more dramatic, and just way more fun.
The gun-heavy combat is fast and exciting.
The puzzles, too, give you some clever brain
teasing and platforming fun, despite being
relegated to side content. Lara’s crusade
against the moustache-twirling villains
of Trinity is intriguing, though the father-
daughter backstory feels played out this time
around. Rise of the Tomb Raider runs well,
looks beautiful and plays great. So if you’re a
PC gamer in the market for an action game,
you can’t go wrong by picking it up.
Still, this leap in graphical quality does
come with some limitations. While it is
playable on a decent range of hardware, Rise
of the Tomb Raider  is a considerably more
demanding game than its predecessor, and
this shows in its minimum and recommended DEVELOpERS: crystal dynamics
PC requirements. pUBLISHER: square Enix
If you’re using a mid or high end gaming pLATFORMS: Xbox one, Xbox 360,
PC, you’ll likely be able to run it without issue, WIndoWs and ps4
RELEASE DATE: 28 January 2016
but running the game with everything turned (WIndoWs)
up to the max is a different challenge in itself. GENRE: action-adventure
Thus, if you want to keep a completely locked pLAYERS: single-player
60 fps at 1080p, for instance, you will need to
9
turn some settings down a notch. Thankfully,
you can tweak the graphic settings on the
fly in-game, without the need for a restart.
score:
While it is as convenient as it seems, my only
criticism is that the game lacks an in-game
benchmark, something that PC developer
/10
GREAT
Nixxes is looking to add down the line.
The gameplay itself is rewarding and fun
too. The combat is intuitive without being too
easy or hard, and Lara’s gymnastic abilities

turn-based
Tactical Jewel
XCOM 2 by andrew tong
I
was a huge fan of XCOM: Enemy
Unknown. It is an impressive
accomplishment. Tasked with
reimagining an obtuse, cult-classic
strategy game from the mid ‘90s for a modern
audience, the developer managed to both
honour and streamline the complexities of
the source material. Now, nearly four years
after Enemy Unknown’s release, its sequel,
XCOM 2 has finally returned to form almost
entirely in the best of ways. With it comes
the same brutal difficulty, new looks, new
story, and that same rewarding gameplay.
“It’s top of the class
when it comes to
turn-based tactical
gameplay, and I
honestly can’t get
enough.”
NEW ENEMY
XCOM 2  takes place 20 years after the
initial invasion and war in  XCOM: Enemy
Unknown. In the aftermath, the aliens found
a way to turn the tide. Ultimately, humanity
was forced to come to peaceful negotiations
with the invaders, by which the aliens
established a puppet human government
and new order known as Advent. You take
on the role of ‘Commander’ who oversaw
the original XCOM project and prior war
years, and are tasked with leading the last
remnants of un-brainwashed humanity in
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 gametime reviews
guerrilla resistance against Advent and the
Earth’s new alien leaders.
TACTICALITIES
Much like Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2 ‘s
gameplay can be split into two main parts,
base building management and strategic
missions. Building and managing the
base is a matter of choosing priorities.
There are a number of specific rooms
covering science research, weapon
production, and so on, but each can only
work on a single project and you’ll always
have a big list.
It makes every decision an important
one, and comes to define your tactics
in a wider sense. If you just race up the
weapon and armor tech trees as fast as
possible, you’ll be ignoring soft buffs to the
base’s efficiency and capabilities which
may have a bigger payoff in the long term.
Similar to the first game, building
certain facilities in certain areas can
grant bonuses to overall production.
Players can also assign people to different
station to maximise the speed of research
and other productions.
However, the scarcity of resources and
your decisions will affect you over the
campaign. Supplies and personnel really
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MAR 2016
are precious, and making bad calls like
setting your scientist to work for 14 days
on magnetic weapons, when you have
other projects that will come to fruition
much quicker, can leave your operation
feeling lopsided for weeks. As a result,
you might mismanage your base and it
will go under by degrees and collapse.
pRIORITISE MISSIONS
Players can now travel the world with
the new renovated command center
searching for events as well as gathering
help from other resistance groups despite
scanning the world for events. On top of
that, players will eventually choose what
to do on two missions. The first mission
is that the aliens are creating a new type
of armour that will enhance their soldiers’
defenses for the next month, another
mission may further the Avatar Project.
Players must choose what would be the
best thing to do. They really don’t want
buffed up enemy soldiers, but at the same
time, if the Avatar Project finishes, it’s a
game-over scenario. This give a sense of
urgency that goes along with these big
decisions, especially when most of the
decisions are a difficult choice of “I’m
kind of screwed either way.”
BATTLE WITH CARE
The next part of XCOM 2 is the turn-based
battles. Similar to XCOM 2’s prequel,
players will command their squad of XCOM
operatives around a map while trying to
take out alien forces. Moving characters
around the battlefield takes some thorough
consideration as no one is safe out there
and thus it is a must to stay in full cover.
Besides, flanking enemies rather than an
all-out attack is advised, and utilising your
troops’s powers depending on their class
can provide different strategies for different
situation.
There are also new options to help
you in the game. Troops begin as raw
rookies before drifting into one specialism
or another, but the grenadiers and
sharpshooters of the first game are now
joined by a stealth and close-quarters
combat operative, the ranger, and a new
specialist class with support capabilities
and a customisable drone.
For instance, the grenadier has the
power to blow up enemies from afar and
the ranger can be a deadly soldier with a
sword. Even within the different classes,
you have choices to tailor the specialist for
combat support or medic roles or the ranger
for infiltration or melee attacks. Combine
these with a steady drip feed of new alien-
derived equipment, and there’s scope for a
huge range of different strategies.
CONCEALMENT
The biggest change in combat in XCOM
2 is the inclusion of a concealment mode.
Concealment acts as a sort of ‘fog of war’; at
the beginning of every mission, your squad
will go unnoticed by enemy operatives,
and they won’t be discovered until you
send them out too close to an alien, or if
you open fire. By moving under the cover
of ‘concealment’, you can now initiate
ambushes and takedowns, which is just
a fancy way of flanking and putting your
soldiers into ‘Overwatch’ mode, and then
firing on a target.
If all goes well, your team will respond
to the alien’s reaction, mowing down a
sizeable chunk of the enemy force in one
fell swoop. Of course, it’s not always as
easy as it sounds, as occasionally an alien
will flee and warn his/her comrades. And
every now and then, if your ambush should
fail, the enemy might be able to launch a
counterattack, or trigger special abilities,
making the remainder of the battle a tad
more difficult.
GRApHICS pERFORMANCE
In term of graphics, the game looks terrific.
It’s not a huge step up from XCOM, but it’s
definitely prettier and will strain your PC a
lot more, especially if you max out the game
setting. The added customisation options
and prettier graphics make this a more
visually satisfying experience all around.
ALIENS OR BUGS?
Bugs are as rampant as aliens in  XCOM
2 right now. One time the game just went
black. Other times, the animation freezes for
an agonisingly long time when ‘Overwatch’
is triggered.
Sometimes animation goes all haywire
for no reason. I’ve heard of people having
an even worse time such as aliens can’t
be killed and thus missions can’t be
finished, resulting in a game that can’t be
completed. Basically, right now,  XCOM
2  is a buggy mess. It may be small stuff DEVELOpERS: firaxis games
that’s just annoying like I’ve experienced pUBLISHER: 2k games
pLATFORMS: WIndoWs, os X and
or it may be much worse. It’s hard to say.
linux
Hopefully patches and mods will shore up RELEASE DATE: 5 february 2016
the bugs, because they get in the way of GENRE: turn-based tactics
some really terrific gameplay. pLAYERS: single-player, multiplayer
VERDICT
8
score:
If you’re anything like me, and are willing
to look past some assortment of technical
issues,  XCOM 2  will undoubtedly surprise
and draw you in, whether you’re a series
greenhorn or a XCOM veteran. There’s no
other game quite like this on the market.
/10
GOOD
It’s top of the class when it comes to turn-
based tactical gameplay, and I honestly
can’t get enough.
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MAR 2016
 spotlight
All About Data
I
n the coming years, due to
rapid digitisation and move to
the cloud, both small and large
companies in Malaysia will be
generating large amounts of data.
Managing this data and mining it
will be a major challenge for all types
of businesses.
PC.COM interviews Praveen Thakur,
Vice President, Technology Business
Unit at Oracle.
: Could you tell us more about
database-as-a-service (DBaaS)? How does
it help transform a business?
Praveen Thakur: Businesses today are
inundated with tonnes of data that needs
to be managed. Data is a treasure trove
of information that not only ensures the
smooth running of the business, but also
provides insights for further growth of the
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MAR 2016
company, and proper data/information
management is the driver that sets
that transformation in motion.
DBaaS is a paradigm where end users
(database administrator, Developers,
QA Engineers, Project Leads, etc) can
request database services, utilise it for
the lifetime of the project, and then have
them automatically de-provisioned and
returned to the resource pool.
This provides organisations with a
shared, consolidated platform from
which organisations can easily
provision database services. It
also has elasticity to scale up and
scale back database resources, and
chargeback based on database usage,
thus increasing cost efficiency. DBaaS
follows the definition laid down by the
National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) for cloud computing
–Self Service, Rapid Elasticity,
Measured Service (metering and
chargeback) and Resource Pooling.
Enterprises today are constantly evolving
with hundreds or even thousands of new
applications to meet growing business
demands. This growth has driven up the
cost of acquiring and managing servers
and storage in the industry. Initially, we
viewed DBaaS primarily as a consolidation
exercise for reducing capital expenditures
(CAPEX) for our customers, but as it
evolved, we realized that other key drivers
like self-service, chargeback, and capacity
planning facilities proved to be key for
businesses to not only reduce costs, but
to have the resources and support to enact
real business transformations.
On-demand access to software and
infrastructure in a self-service provision
by our Enterprise Manager solution, along
with its elastically scalable and metered
manner has helped our customers address
issues related to the quality of their service
and has given them the flexibility to meet
the dynamic nature of business workloads.
Last but not least, DBaaS aids the
mitigation of security issues. Maintaining
each database in a separate container
creates a kind of virtual moat, which is
an impediment for the bad guys. Security
is enabled by default across database
environments to avoid the possibility of
having the weakest link.
: Are organisations in Asia
receptive towards DBaaS? What are some
of the factors hindering or encouraging
them to adopt DBaaS?
Praveen Thakur: The global adoption
trend towards cloud and the rising
database workloads have created demand
for cloud database and DBaaS across
industries, such as government agencies,
financial services, academic sector,
healthcare and life science industry, media
and entertainment, professional services,
telecom, and manufacturing.
Praveen thakur
Vice President, technology
business unit at oracle
The awareness of the benefits that DBaaS
brings to an organisation’s foundation and
how it simplifies further initiatives is well-
received and attractive to both the public
and private sector organisations in Asia.
However, the decision to adopt solutions
do not lie solely with CIOs or CTOs. It
goes through rounds of evaluation with
multiple stakeholders. Key business
decision makers may not be well-versed
with technology and have concerns around
security settings, service level agreements,
whether the technology is the right fit, the
trustworthiness of the solution provider,
cost efficiency, ease of use, and more.
These are valid concerns.
These concerns are easily addressed with
simplified and integrated solutions that
work on an operational expenditure (OPEX)
model, securing stakeholder buy-in.
DBaaS offers organisations an opportunity
to standardize and optimise on a platform
that eliminates the need to deploy, manage
and support dedicated database hardware
and software for each project’s multiple
development, testing, production, and
failover environments.
The architecture is inherently designed for
elasticity and resource pooling, delivering
production and non-production database
services that support average daily
workload requirements while scaling-up
to handle increased demand and scaling-
down when that demand has subsided.
With these benefits, companies are
increasingly adopting DBaaS solutions. The
DBaaS model enables consumers to avoid large
upfront investments in hardware, software
and services. This cost structure especially
resonates with line of business managers.
Not only does the DBaaS model enable
more agile database services, it also
helps the business to allocate costs. User
organisations pay to the degree that they
consume each service, incentivising those
organisations to be more efficient. They
can commission databases for particular
purposes, then decommission them and
return them back to a resource pool that
all organizations share. Charging back
for database services can transform the
IT environment from a cost center to a
revenue generator.
: How should an organisation
know if it is ready to adopt DBaaS?
Praveen Thakur: DBaaS is only
interesting when it delivers quantifiable
benefits to the business, both internally
and externally. To determine the
benefits of DBaaS to an organisation,
consider quantifying the following
business requirements:
Business user benefit – DBaaS must be
able to benefit the business directly
or indirectly.
For example, would a business user be
able to accomplish their work better,
faster or in a more cost-effective manner
if DBaaS was available?
Business processes benefit – DBaaS
should provide a measurable benefit
to business processes such as supply
chain management, enterprise resource
planning, or human capital management.
For example, could DBaaS provide a
more agile and optimised foundation to
support key business processes that rely
on database services?
An organisation is ready to adopt DBaaS
the moment they are ready to address
their database management issues.
: Could you share some tips
on developing a good DBaaS strategy?
And what should Asian organisations
look for in a DBaaS solution?
Praveen Thakur: For successful
adoption and sustainable execution, it
is important to understand how DBaaS
fits into the overall environment. The
greatest value will be reaped when your
DBaaS strategy is considered along with
the organization’s overall enterprise
architecture and IT strategy. Enterprise
architecture helps to structure DBaaS
projects through a series of overlapping
steps, or iterations. A systematic process
determines how these environments
should be created, with attention to the
business, technical, and operational
implications.
For example, if the HR department wants
to implement a new payroll service and
share it with other departments, the
EA team needs to begin by creating
use-cases that reflect the needs of
each department. They then consider
the profiles of the various departments
and develop a service catalogue that
lists the functions these agencies need.
Then each department can provision
as little or as much of each service as
needed and also specify the degree
of availability, disaster recovery, and
uptime requirements.
Within Asia, organizations are generally
very process-oriented. This is a good
starting point to embark on a DBaaS
solution. DBaaS comes in to further
simplify processes and to add “oil” to the
“gears/processes” of the organization to
improve workflow efficiency and boost
business productivity.
: According to an Imperva
report, DBaaS could be used by hackers
to compromise an organisation’s
database without accessing its network,
thus increasing the risk of a data
breach. What are your thoughts on this?
And how could organisations using
DBaaS solutions reduce the risk of this
happening?
Praveen Thakur: Security threats
have always been a concern when it
comes to hosting information offsite.
However, just by making security more
fundamental to computing and including
it at the database level rather than only
in the application all applications can
inherit that security. Having multiple
security levels further enhances data
protection, enabling reduction in the
risk of compromising one’s data.
Secured multi-tenancy is one such level
of deterrence. By maintaining databases
in separate containers, this creates a
virtual moat that makes it harder for
hackers to access all information at
once.
Not only do security settings and service
level agreements (SLAs) apply across
tenants, SLAs can also be applied to
individual tenants/containers to ensure
that only role-assigned individuals are
granted access.
It is better to have security at the level of
the processor than the operating system
because silicon is more tamper-proof, and
this is much safer than having it in software
because software can be changed.
The philosophy behind security
organsations need to adopt is that it
should be “always-on”, and enabled by
default across the entire technology stack
and into the cloud for true safety.
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 spotlight
ImAgIng Perfection
C anon is the largest inkjet printer
manufacturer operating in
Malaysia. The company also
has a major presence in the digital
camera market.
PC.COM interviews Jeffrey Kung,
Asst. Director of Consumer Imaging
& Information (CII) Division, Canon
Marketing (Malaysia).
: How much of an impact is
there on overall consumer sales due to the
depreciating Malaysian currency?
Jeffrey Kung: The depreciating value
of our Ringgit has definitely impacted
Canon’s business in Malaysia. This is
not something unique only to Canon, as
most businesses in various industries are
also facing the same situation. Despite
this challenging period, we are looking
to introduce and implement marketing
strategies that will positively impact our
market share and give greater value to
our customers.
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MAR 2016
It was mentioned at the G series launch
last year that Canon has just over 50%
market share in Malaysia. Do you feel
that the depreciating local currency
will affect this position in 2016?
Although the depreciating local
currency will likely impact our sales,
we have actually developed stronger
marketing strategies for the year in
order to sustain our sales and market
value.
Being able to retain the No.1 position
in Malaysia’s inkjet printer market
for the 20th consecutive year in 2015
is definitely a testament to Canon’s
impeccable quality. With that said,
my team members and I will continue
working closely together to maintain
this prestigious position for many more
years to come.
: Is there any assembling of
Canon printers or cameras in Malaysia?
Jeffrey Kung: Apart from our camera
lenses, no other camera or printer parts
from Canon are assembled in Malaysia.
Jeffrey Kung
Asst. Director of Consumer
Imaging & Information (CII)
Division, Canon marketing
(malaysia).
: What is your market share for
DSLR cameras in Malaysia?
Jeffrey Kung: As of 2015, our market
share for DSLRs stands at 49%. However,
we are looking at strategic marketing
strategies for us to increase our market
share in years to come as we believe that
our innovative products and features have
what it takes to allow us to capture a bigger
market.
: In your opinion, what sets
Canon DSLR cameras apart from the
competitors like Sony and Nikon?
Jeffrey Kung: Canon has a long-standing
history of more than 80 years in the
imaging industry since year 1933 and is
committed in refining its diverse imaging
technologies based on its core optical
technologies. In addition, Canon strives
to produce exceptional and reliable lenses
and cameras that cater to the diverse
needs of a photographer, from first-time
users to advanced amateurs as well as
professionals — while expanding the
photographic and video imaging culture. 
Canon cameras are recognised globally
and were recently honoured with four “Best
Photo and Imaging Product” awards by the
Technical Image Press Association (TIPA),
representing 27 photo and imaging magazines
from 16 countries across five continents.
Last year, marks another significant
milestone for Canon as we celebrate two
momentous accomplishments including
the production of 250 million digital
cameras and the 11th  straight year of No.
1 share for global interchangeable-lens
digital camera market.
: With the rise of smartphones,
sales of consumer digital cameras have
been declining. Does Canon have a
strategy to counter this trend?
Jeffrey Kung: We recognise that
smartphones are trending now due to its
convenience. However, nothing beats the
quality of a digital camera when it comes to
taking exceptional shots. As such, we need
to educate the public on the importance
of ‘shoot & print’ whereby high quality
photos are shot, printed and shared with
loved ones for lasting remembrance; never
to return but infinitely enjoyed.
At Canon, we have always encouraged
photo-printing culture as we believe that
a treasured memory when captured in
print immortalises the moment in time.
Through photo-taking and photo-printing,
not only that the public is able to capture
the precious moment but also cherish them
in the years to come when looked back. It is
always all these fine details which will add
significance and beauty in one’s memories.
Exploring cross-functional, divisional
integration and interaction is important to
achieve our goals.
: Can you please share more
with us on this move to merge the camera
and printer division as one?
Jeffrey Kung: Canon is a company that
is focused on providing total imaging
solutions, and we would like our customers
to experience our products as one
seamless solution. Hence, the merging of
Consumer System Products (CSP-printers)
and Imaging Communication Products
(ICP-cameras) divisions will assist us in
achieving this goal.
Furthermore, for years now we have been
trying to inculcate the photo taking and
printing culture amongst Malaysians.
With our cameras, customers will be able
to snap and experience high quality photos
(input) and cherish them in the form of
printouts via our printers (output). This is
what we mean when we say that Canon
is a company that is renowned for its total
imaging solutions.
: Under this new division,
can we expect to see more synergy in
terms of marketing efforts and launches?
Jeffrey Kung: There will definitely be
more cross-product marketing efforts
in order for us to emphasise more on
‘shoot & print’ (input & output). This
goes back to our efforts in inculcating
the photo taking and printing culture
in Malaysia.
We are at this point shaping our focus
and direction as well as strategising
our plans for this year.
: What new things can we
expect to see with the merger? What
will be the focus and direction, moving
forward?
Jeffrey Kung: We certainly are
looking forward to allow our customers
to experience both products as part of
their total imaging requirements. It
will allow us to bundle the products for
their consideration.
This new division gives us the chance
to explore new methods, campaigns
and activities in order to reach out to
the Malaysian market.
Our focus and direction is to ensure
that CII will help drive Canon
Marketing Malaysia to greater heights.
Enhancing our brand presence in the
consumer and business markets is also
one of our key focus areas.

: Do tell us more about your

role as the Assistant Director with CII?

Jeffrey Kung: It is an exciting yet

challenging role and I am taking each day
in my stride. Being the custodian for the No.
1 inkjet printer brand in the country is a big
responsibility and now, to work with a bigger
team and to oversee our camera products
is an honour. I look forward to charting a
growth pattern for CII in the years ahead.
I work very closely with my team and we
have a shared vision and goal to facilitate
increased performance in sales and
customer satisfaction.

In working as a team, we believe

that continuous effort in promoting
improvements in business processes,
systems and structures will be essential
to increase our productivity and meet our
sales target.

123
MAR 2016
 inview
Big Data Transformation Predicted
by Daniel Ng, Senior Director, APAC, Cloudera
W
e saw major transformations
in information technology last
year, as many organisations
looked towards being more
effective in managing and leveraging
their data for decision making. The focus
on smart city type of initiatives that
drive trends like enhanced connectivity,
improved mobility, and generally the
proliferation of and access to data, in Asia
Pacific, further pushed up the significance
of data for businesses, both big and small.
In 2016, we will see an even wider
shift in this regard as data will be further
embedded into decision-making processes
across businesses and industries. Business
decision makers will want to, if they have
not already, tap on data-driven initiatives
to gain a competitive advantage and play a
part in the connected universe.
In fact, this is becoming inevitable for
businesses as the data-culture is already
permeating into our daily lives. Think
smartphone apps that analyse traffic data
and advise users on the best route to take
for getting around a city, wearable fitness
trackers that help users monitor and live a
more active lifestyle, etc.
As big data gets bigger and the world gets
even further dependent on it, the following is
a list of trends that stand out for 2016:
COLLISION COURSE
More than ever, organisations will look
to technology and data to solve real
124
MAR 2016
business problems. In the past few years,
we have seen popular use cases, such
as organisations developing a 360 view
of customers to build revenue streams,
driving efficiency in product and service
delivery, as well as managing risk,
compliance and cybersecurity.
This year, companies will look beyond
the technology and see the business value
of these use cases – they will realise,
even more, the true meaning of turning
data into dollars. Now, organisations will
derive greater value by aligning data and
technology to business objectives.
MODERNISATION IS KEY
More traditional enterprises will start
functioning like modern enterprises,
becoming more open to being data-
centric and information-driven. These
traditional enterprises will overcome the
challenge of different silo systems that
they traditionally have with the help of
easily available, modern data management
analytics platforms. They will continue
to become less application and process-
centric, resulting in a higher competitive
advantage for their products or services,
regardless of what size or growth stage
their business may be at.
DATA AS A SKILLSET
While the trend to leverage big data for
insights has grown quickly across the globe,
the general awareness of the value that can
be extracted from data has been low in the
Asia Pacific region. Now that organisations
across all verticals are increasingly using
technology to extract value from big data,
it is clearly driving demand for data-related
skillsets. As such, we will continue to see a
crunch in skilled data professionals.
This gap can only be filled with more
education and training opportunities
– schools that will teach data analytics
and data science, and private sector
companies that take the lead in supporting
skills upgrade. The industry will come
together to cultivate a new generation of IT
professionals who will fill the skills gap for
employers in the region.
INTERNET OF EVERYTHING
When it comes to big data, the
manufacturing industry deserves special
attention. We have seen the rise of the
Internet of Things (IoT) over the last couple
of years, but in manufacturing, whether it
is for vehicles, mobile phones or household
appliances, we will increasingly see
sensor-run applications that will enable
predictive maintenance.
Ultimately, these can be features that
send information back to a product’s
manufacturer, allowing technicians
to predict and fix problems quickly or
engineers to develop better designed
next-generation products. We will see
a quality-enabling evolution, thanks to
data technology.
Other industries will also continue to
go through a data evolution. Healthcare
organisations, for example, will be able
to learn much more about their patients
through data and using the information
to solve medical and patient care issues
effectively or in a shorter time. IoT will
continue to transform industries in 2016.
OPEN SOURCE
This year, we will see an increased
amount of trust that enterprises place on
open source, as it becomes an even more
critical component of IT. Open source data
management is flexible, scalable and cost-
efficient, making it ideal for companies
with a large amount of data.
In a recent poll we did for industry
players, 83 percent of respondents said
they are using open source to some extent
today, and 91 percent said they are either
using open source now or plan to adopt
open source technology by 2020. This is
no surprise as open source systems are
becoming more secure than before with
data encryption, user authentication or
authorisation techniques, and more.
Lagging Behind
Malaysian companies fail employees

M
icrosoft has unveiled the Work doesn’t end at 5.00pm: A majority aspect of their job, but only 57% felt that
results from its recent New (77%) said that they were still required to they had adequate balance today.
World of Work study, which be contactable outside of work in order to “Over the last decade, globalisation
showed that large enterprises complete their work effectively. Limited and technological innovations have made
with more than 250 employees were mobile productivity in a highly mobile today’s workplace increasingly modern
lagging behind expectations to be more workforce: 62.5% of respondents said they and mobile – bringing the world closer and
productive, collaborative and innovative in needed to be in the office to access special changing the way people live and work.
today’s modern workplace. equipment or tools that are only available This study helps us better understand how
While 64% of the 200 enterprise in the office. work and life has changed for Malaysian
employees surveyed in Malaysia considered Achieving work life balance is employees,” said Michal Golebiewski,
themselves to be mobile workers, the study challenging: 82% of respondents said that Chief Marketing & Operations Officer,
also unveils what workers feel they need work life balance was a very important Microsoft Malaysia.
to succeed in today’s digital, fast-paced,
modern workplace. Microsoft’s NWoW
Study also generated insights on their
current work and life needs and the gaps
that exist between them.
The NWoW Index was derived from
respondents who rated themselves highly
in three key pillars – people (whether
today’s employees have the capabilities to
work flexibly and productively in the digital
modern workplace, and are supported
by leaders and cultures that help them
succeed in this dynamic environment),
place (whether employees can work
flexibly – anywhere at any time – and if
their workplaces support a collaborative,
dynamic design with the ability to work
at work, home or with customers) and
technology (whether employees are
empowered with technology to enable
them to succeed in this environment,
allowing collaborative work wherever they
may go).
In Malaysia, only 40 out of 100
respondents rated themselves highly
in embracing new People, Place and
Technology principles, placing the country
ninth amongst the 12 markets involved in
the study.
The findings clearly showed that the
traditional notion of work is changing,
even within enterprises in Malaysia:
The responsive organisation: 56% of
respondents said that they were required
to respond to internal stakeholders within
four hours; while 54% said that they were Michal Golebiewski, Chief Marketing &
required to respond to external customers Operations Officer, Microsoft Malaysia
within four hours.

125
MAR 2016
 inview

Security Loopholes
Cisco annual report highlights security problems in companies
resources to launch effective
campaigns for profit gain. Additionally,
direct attacks by cybercriminals,
leveraging ransomware alone, put $34
million a year per campaign into their
hands. These miscreants continue to
operate unconstrained by regulatory
barriers.

Managing Director for Cisco Malaysia

Albert Chai, Managing
Director for Cisco Malaysia
Albert Chai said, “Security threats
in Malaysia are still on the rise.
Today, most organisations will need
to access  public cloud  solutions by
bypassing IT. This is a matter of
concern for many Malaysian CIOs
and CEOs given that it puts their
organisations at substantial risk
for data security and compliance
challenges. Online attackers have
become bold and are adopting an
integrated approach by the day,

T
he Cisco 2016 Annual
Security Report examines
threat intelligence and
cybersecurity trends and
reveals that only 45 percent of
organisations worldwide are confident
in their security posture as today’s
attackers launch more sophisticated,
bold and resilient campaigns.
While executives may be uncertain
about their security strength,
92 percent of them agree that setting up complex infrastructures
regulators and investors will expect that are hard to detect.”
companies to manage cybersecurity
risk exposure. These leaders are “This means an integrated approach is
increasing measures to secure their an absolute imperative for businesses
organisations’ future, particularly as in Malaysia to secure their critical
they digitise their operations. infrastructure. Working towards
a cohesive security landscape,
The report highlights the challenges where companies, industries, and
businesses face due to the rapid governments like Cybersecurity
advancements of attackers. Hackers Malaysia communicate and collaborate
increasingly tap into legitimate to thwart cyber criminals can prevent

Maturity Levels by Country

126
MAR 2016
significant data loss. This goes
across the network to the endpoint
and from the cloud to every corner of
operations,” he added.
Businesses are up against security
challenges that inhibit their ability
to detect, mitigate and recover
from common and professional
cyberattacks. Aging infrastructure
and outdated organisational structure
and practices are putting them at risk.
The study sounds a global call-
to-arms for greater collaboration
and investment in the processes,
technologies and people to protect
against industrialised adversaries.
TOP RESEARCH FINDINGS
DECREASING CONFIDENCE,
INCREASING TRANSPARENCY
Less than half of businesses surveyed
were confident in their ability to
determine the scope of a network
compromise and to remediate damage.
But an overwhelming majority
of finance and line-of-business
executives agreed that regulators
and investors expect companies
to provide greater transparency on
future cybersecurity risk. This points
to security as a growing boardroom
concern.
TIME TO DETECTION FASTER
The industry estimate for time to
detection of a cybercrime is an
unacceptable 100 to 200 days. Cisco
has further reduced this figure from
46 to 17.5 hours, since the 2015 Cisco
Midyear Security Report was released.
Shrinking the time to detection has
been shown to minimise cyberattack
damage, lowering risk and impact to
customers and infrastructures worldwide.
AGING INFRASTRUCTURE
Between 2014 and 2015, the number of
organisations that said their security
infrastructure was up-to-date dropped
by 10 percent. The survey discovered
that 92 percent of Internet devices are
running known vulnerabilities. Thirty-
one percent of all devices analysed are
no longer supported or maintained by
the vendor.
SMBS AS A POTENTIAL wEAK LINK
As more enterprises look closely at
their supply chain and small business
partnerships, they are finding that
these organisations use fewer threat
defense tools and processes. For
example, from 2014 to 2015 the number
of SMBs that used web security
dropped more than 10 percent. This
indicates potential risk to enterprises
due to structural weaknesses.
TRUST MATTERS
With organisations increasingly
adopting digitisation strategies
for their operations, the combined
volume of data, devices, sensors, and
services are creating new needs for
transparency, trustworthiness, and
accountability for customers.
OUTSOURCING ON THE RISE
As part of a trend to address the talent
shortage, enterprises of all sizes are
realising the value of outsourcing
services to balance their security
portfolios. This includes consulting,
security auditing and incident
response. SMBs, which often lack
resources for an effective security
posture, are improving their security
approach, in part, by outsourcing,
which is up to 23 percent in 2015 over
14 percent the previous year.
SHIFTING SERVER ACTIVITY
Online criminals have shifted to
compromised servers, such as those
for WordPress, to support their attacks,
leveraging social media platforms for
nefarious purposes. For example, the
number of WordPress domains used by
criminals grew 221 percent between
February and October 2015.
BROwSER-BASED DATA LEAKAGE
While often viewed by security teams
as a low-level threat, malicious browser
extensions have been a potential
source of major data leaks, affecting
more than 85 percent of organisations.
Adware, malvertising, and even
common websites or obituary columns
have led to breaches for those who do
not regularly update their software.
THE DNS BLIND SPOT
Nearly 92 percent of “known bad”
malware was found to use DNS as a
key capability. This is frequently a
security “blind spot” as security teams
and DNS experts typically work in
different IT groups within a company
and don’t interact frequently.
Maturity Model Ranks
127
MAR 2016
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