HWM - April 2016 MY

SUPERHEROES ARE EVERY WHERE
THE POWER TO DECIDE
APRIL 2016 // VOL 14 ISSUE 5
RM12.72 (Inclusive of 6% GST) (WM)
RM14.84 (Inclusive of 6% GST) (EM)
hardwaremag.com | hardwarezone.com.my
/myhwm | /myhwz
F E A T U R E
MADE IN KOREA
LG vs. Samsung
NEXT GEN
SSD
STORAGE
GOTTA CATCH
’EM ALL
A Pokémon
Retrospective
01
9 771675
T E S T
488301
ASUS
ZENWATCH022
Elegant Timekeeper
9 771675 488301
FUJIFILM
X-PRO2
The Rangefinder
Reborn
03
9 771675
488301
PP 18407/03/2014(033808) ISSN 1675-4883
04
Official Magazine for
9 771675
488301
Get Your
Daily Dose
of with
Tech
hardwarezone.com.my
Photo credit: Tomek Tuz & Viktor Hanacek
News
Features
Reviews
HWZ .TV
Never miss a beat on the latest tech happenings both locally and
around the globe.
Find out how you can make the right purchase decisions with our
in-depth, meticulous and unbiased reviews.
Stay informed through our comprehensive event coverage, feature
articles and interviews.
Get first-hand glimpses into industry trends, product previews and
interviews on our very own video channel.
Now in
MobileFriendly
Format!
Forums
Got something on your mind that you want to share? Register today
to get opinions on tech products, trends, and more.
S P E C I A L
C O M P U T E X TA I P E I
2016
WHAT YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO
If you’re visiting COMPUTEX
this year, you’re in for a
treat. With hundreds of
manufacturers, vendors,
distributors, and resellers
set to exhibit their wares and
products from May 31st to June
4th, you’ll be spoilt for choice
during the convention. But to
make things simple, here’s
what you can expect to happen
during the event.
NEW AND RETURNING
EXHIBITORS
As this is COMPUTEX, you can
expect many of the familiar
faces in the tech industry to
be present at the event. They
include manufacturers such as
Acer, ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte,
MSI, to name a few. Even
graphics and semiconductor
corporations, such as AMD,
Intel, and NVIDIA will definitely
be announcing several new
innovations.
INTERNET OF THINGS
(IoT), REVISITED
The Internet of Things (IoT)
concept has slowly but surely
been gaining momentum, and
many companies will be eager
to show off how their solutions
that will best allow them to
incorporate IoT technology
into their products and
solutions, and how they will
help to transform a building
into a secure smart home, or
a smart office.
SMART TECH, STARTUPS AND
APPLE-CENTRIC SHOWCASE
In 2016, COMPUTEX will
introduce three new exhibits:
SmarTEX, InnoVEX, and iStyle.
SmarTEX is where the latest
in smart technology and their
applications will be showcased.
InnoVEX, a start-up village with
out-of-the-box open booths and
networking space, is dedicated to
start-ups and potential investors.
At iStyle, you’ll be able to find
any and all types of Applecertified peripherals and apps
that have just launched or will be
launching in the near future.
TO LEARN MORE, VISIT
computextaipei.com.tw
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
3
ED'S NOTE
A
P
R
I
L
2
0
1
6
PUT YOUR GAME FACE ON
As consumers, competition among businesses
greatly benefits the masses, resulting in
better quality, lower prices, and more
importantly – a wider selection of products
and services to choose from. Just look at the
exciting innovations on display at the recent
Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona,
Spain. But of course, nothing came close to
Samsung and LG in their battle for supremacy
in the smartphone space, especially since the
two Korean titans are taking very different
approaches with their flagship devices. You’ll
find the full story on page 47 (“Made in Korea”).
Over the years, the saying “getting things done
fast” has helped spur countless developments
on the technological front. In this issue, we have
two shootouts that represent the very epitome
of speed: tri-band routers (page 56, “An Urban
Wireless Jungle”) and high-end PCIe SSDs (page
4
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
66, “The Next Generation of SSD Storage”), for your
reading pleasure.
2016 also looks set to be a fantastic year for gaming,
judging by the number of reviews we have here in the
April 2016 issue. Personally, I’m having a blast with Fire
Emblem Fates, and I can’t wait to get my hands on
Quantum Break and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
See you next month!
EDITOR
CORRECTION:
The Apacer AH650 on page 31 of HWM March 2016 is distributed
by: AMT PC Distributors Sdn Bhd (03) 3344 1124, Mobile Dot Com
Network Sdn Bhd (03) 6257 0925, and Servex (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
(03) 8024 6688 – Ed.
CONTENTS
A
P
R
I
L
2 0 1 6
35
THINK
THINK
35
SUPERHEROES ARE
EVERYWHERE
COMIC-BOOK MOVIE TIMELINE
5 COMIC BOOKS YOU NEED
TO READ
NASA WANTS YOU TO DREAM
OF SPACE
Q&A
44
BLAKE IRVING, GODADDY
IMPACT
46
GLASS, THE NEXT STORAGE
BREAKTHROUGH
FEATURES
47
MADE IN KOREA:
LG VS SAMSUNG
FOLLOW US
hardwaremag
.com
87
97
TELEPORT
6
HWM
facebook.com/
myhwm
GAX
|
APRIL 2016
google.com/+
hardwarezone.my
twitter.com/
myhwz
111
APERTURE
youtube.com/
HardwareZoneMY
119
SMB
@hardwarezonemy
11
GEAR
Cutting-edge technology
47
56
TEST
TRI-BAND ROUTERS
ASUS RT-AC5300
D-Link DIR-890L
Linksys EA9200
Netgear Nighthawk X8
TP-LINK Archer C3200
FEATURE
11
GEAR
66
HIGH-END PCIE SSDS
Intel SSD 750 series
Kingston HyperX Predator
Plextor M6E Black Edition
Samsung SSD 950 Pro
76
REVIEWS
Acer Aspire R 14
ASUS RT-AC88U
Kingston DataTraveler 2000
Lenovo ideacentre Y900
Linksys EA6350
Logitech G310 Atlas Dawn
Sudio Vasa BLÅ
66
TEST
127
LEARN
Creating a 3D character with
Adobe Fuse CC
Back to basics: Foobar2000
App Attack
56
TEST
136
REWIND
44
Q&A
PHOTOGRAPHY ZAPHS ZHANG
ART DIRECTION IAN CHONG
All prices quoted in this magazine
are in Malaysia Ringgit (RM), unless
otherwise specified.
8
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
GROUP MANAGING EDITOR
ASTER LIM [email protected]
EDITORIAL
Editor
MICHAEL LOW [email protected]
Contributing Editors
BRYAN CHAN [email protected]
ZACHARY CHAN
NG CHONG SENG
ALVIN SOON
JAMES LU
KENNY YEO
Senior Tech Writers
JOHN LAW [email protected]
MARCUS WONG
Tech Writers
AZIZUL RAHMAN ISMAIL [email protected]
IAN CHEE [email protected]
PETER CHU [email protected]
WONG CHUNG WEE
SALEHUDDIN HUSIN
KOH WANZI
LIU HONGZUO
CREATIVE
Creative Director
FREDERICK LIM [email protected]
Associate Art Directors
CHANG MING HIN [email protected]
KEN KOH
Graphic Designer
IAN CHONG
Junior Graphic Designer
ASMUNI ABDUL RAHMAN [email protected]
ADVERTISING SALES
Director
HENG CHIP HIAN [email protected]
SIMON LING [email protected]
Advertising Sales Manager
JASON WONG [email protected]
Advertising Sales Executive
TEO FEN LEIGH [email protected]
MARKETING
Assistant Manager, Online Advertising Operations
MONIQUE TAN [email protected]
ADMINISTRATION
Administration Manager
LAVINYA SHALINI [email protected]
PUBLISHING SERVICES
Senior Circulation & Subscription Manager
FRANCINE LOUIS [email protected]
Circulation & Subscription Manager
KENNETH SEW [email protected]
Circulation & Subscription Executive
MOHD FADZLI SALEH [email protected]
Production Manager
SATVINDER [email protected]
Assistant Production Manager
KONG AH KUAN [email protected]
Assistant Traffic Manager
LEE PHAIK LING [email protected]
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
DATIN AZLIZA AHMAD TAJUDDIN [email protected]
SENIOR CONSULTANT
LOO KIT CHOONG [email protected]
GENERAL MANAGER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
AND NEW MEDIA
MOHD FAIZAL ABDUL HADI [email protected]
HEAD OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
MARGARET SEBASTIAN [email protected]
SENIOR HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
HABIBAH MUHAMMAD [email protected]
SENIOR FINANCE MANAGER
SHIREEN GOH [email protected]
RESEARCH MANAGER
AUDREY CHAN [email protected]
INTERNATIONAL OFFICES
Singapore Office
Zachary Chan (Editor)
82 Genting Lane, Media Centre
Level 7, Singapore 349567
Tel: (65) 6319-6319,
Fax: (65) 6319-6227.
Email: [email protected]
Indonesia Rep. Office
Martin Wijaya (Chief Editor)
PO Box 6169 JKUPL 14440
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tel: (62) 21 612 0233/0955
Fax: (62) 21 6220 2580
Email: [email protected]
Philippines Rep. Office
Marvin R. Velasco (Editor)
Unit B-2, Topy Main Building, No. 3
Economia Street, Bagumbayan,
Quezon City 1110, Philippines
Tel: (63) 2634 9179
Fax: (63) 2634 9180
Email: [email protected]
Taiwan Rep. Office
Dennis Chou (Asia Media Contact)
2F-2, No.35, Sec 2,
Fushing South Road,
Taipei 106, Taiwan
Tel: 886-2-8773-4199
Fax: 886-2-8773-4200
Email: [email protected]
HWM (HardwareMAG®) Malaysia is published by Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd (7408-K)
Lot 7, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, Section 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: (603) 7952 7000 Fax: (603) 7960 0148 Email: [email protected]
Printed By Percetakan Lai Sdn Bhd. No 1. Persiaran 2/118c. Kawasan Perindustrian Desa Tun Razak Cheras. 56000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: (03) 9173 1111 Fax: (03) 9173 1969
Distributed By MPH Distributors Sdn Bhd (5048-A)
HWM (HardwareMAG), Copyright and trademark registered by SPH Magazines Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
The trademark and content may not be used or reproduced without the permission of SPH Magazines Pte Ltd and Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd.
No part of this magazine shall be reproduced in any form without the written consent from the Publisher. Comments, opinions and views of
individual contributors expressed in the magazine do not necessarily represent those of the Publisher. Under no circumstances whatsoever
shall the magazine/publisher be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages that may arise out of or in
connection with the use of the information made in the magazine.
All views, opinions, results and benchmarks used in this publication are based on the prerogative and expertise of the writer(s) serving the
respective market and readership of which the publication and products are marketed in.
Log on to www.hardwarezone.com.my & www.facebook.com/myhwm for a complete online experience.
10
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
G E A R
NEW THIS
MONTH
Every month, we receive dozens of product announcements and mentions, sit
through many a launch event and try out all kinds of devices. All these
products are then carefully curated by our crack team of tech gurus. The final list is
presented here in Gear and it is our hope you’ll find something to geek-out to.
MORE
INSIDE>
HTC VIVE
SteamVR-powered headset.
FUJIFILM X-PRO2
Rugged body, premium mirrorless.
LENOVO VIBE X3
Home theater in your pocket.
PLANTRONICS
BACKBEAT SENSE
The BackBeat SENSE may just be the one and
only pair of wireless headphones that you’ll ever
need. Not only is it built with premium quality
materials like plush memory-foam cushions,
it’s also able to serenade you with its classleading sound quality as well. The BackBeat
SENSE has a battery life of up to 18 hours, a
built-in microphone, and Plantronics’ OpenMic
technology, which allows you to hear what’s
going on in your surroundings without you
needing to take them off your ears.
Ban Leong Technologies Sdn Bhd (03) 7956 6300
/ MCM Distribution (M) Sdn Bhd (03) 2143 3829
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
11
G E A R
AVAST PREMIER
2016
Instead of relying on a dozen sketchy solutions
to protect your PC, why not let Avast Premier
2016 handle everything? Apart from being an
effective antivirus solution, Avast Premier 2016
also comes with an impressive set of tools
that can protect your home network and all
of your confidential information from leaking
into the outside world. It even comes with a
data shredder that ensures the files you delete
will never be recovered – a feature that will
definitely give you peace of mind should you
decide to sell off your PC.
APAC Venture Sdn Bhd (03) 7733 4080
12
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
G E A R
MOTO 360
(2ND GEN.)
It doesn’t matter if you spend most of your
time in the boardroom or at the gym, as the
second-generation Moto 360 will always be
able to accommodate accordingly. Don’t let
its minimalistic façade fool you though, as
the new Moto 360 is packed with potent
hardware, such as a 1.2GHz Qualcomm
Snapdragon 400 processor, an Adreno 305
GPU, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage,
and an optical heart rate monitor. Serious
about your fitness? Opt for the Moto 360
Sport instead, which features Motorola’s
AnyLight hybrid display to improve screen
legibility, and a built-in GPS to track your
speed, distance and pace.
ECS Astar Sdn Bhd (03) 6286 8222
14
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
HTC VIVE
The age of virtual reality gaming is finally at
our doorsteps, and one of those VR gaming
options arrived in the form of the HTC Vive. By
comparison to its competitor, the HTC Vive is
a VR headset that comes built with full motion
control functionality. With full compatibility and
support for Steam VR, this VR headset even
comes with its own set of motion controllers
as well, allowing users to jump straight into the
action of any of the device’s pre-made VR titles.
htcvive.com
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
15
G E A R
HUAWEI MATE 8
Officially launched in Malaysia, the Huawei
Mate 8 comes with Knuckle Sense 2.0, which
adds a lot of impressive features accessible via
tapping or by drawing gestures on the display
with your knuckles. There are also two variants
of the Mate 8. There’s the Standard variant,
which has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage,
coming in Moonlight Silver and Space Gray.
Then there’s the Premium variant, with 4GB
RAM, 64 GB internal storage, and a choice of
Champagne Gold or Mocha Brown for colors.
consumer.huawei.com
16
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
G E A R
SONY XPERIA
X SERIES
The announcement of the Xperia X devices
during MWC 2016 serves as the continuation
of the Sony’s now discontinued Xperia Z5
series of smartphones. Comprising the Xperia
X, Xperia X Performance, and the Xperia
XA, these five-inch wonders are beautiful to
marvel, hold, and suitably powerful. From the
snappy midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 650
in the Xperia X, to the new top-of-the-line
powerhouse Snapdragon 820 in the Xperia X
Performance, these next-generation Xperia
devices are sure to enrich your everyday life.
Sony Mobile Communications
Int’l AB (Malaysia) 1 800 88 7666
18
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
G E A R
LENOVO VIBE X3
Lenovo certainly means business with its
new midrange bruiser, the VIBE X3. Look
beneath its 5.5-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080)
wide-view display and you’ll discover its
1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core
processor, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, 32GB of internal
storage (expandable to 128GB via microSD),
and 3,500mAh battery. The 4G LTE-enabled
VIBE X3 also comes with a pixel-packed 21MP
PDAF rear camera that’s capable of shooting 4K
(3,840 x 2,160) videos, and an 8MP fixed-focus
front-facing camera. Love music? The VIBE X3’s
dual-front speakers are able to play them loud
and proud, as it’s packed with a Wolfson audio
codec and Dolby Atmos audio technology.
Lenovo Technology Sdn Bhd
(03) 7681 8000
20
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
G E A R
FUJIFILM X-PRO2
Equipped with a newly developed 24.3MP
X-Trans CMOS III sensor and the new X
Processor Pro image engine, the FUJIFILM
X-Pro2 is set to carry on the mantle of quality
and performance that its predecessors are
known for. This camera features the wellknown Advanced Hybrid Multi Viewfinder,
dual SD card slots, and the new ACROS Film
Simulation mode, which yields more punchy
monochrome images.
FUJIFILM (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
(03) 5569 8388
22
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
S P E C I A L
FOUR NOTEWORTHY REASONS TO OWN THE
CANON PIXMA INK
EFFICIENT E460
W IR EL ESS
R EADY
LOW P RIN T I N G
COS T S
NO. 1 INKJET
PRINTER BRAND
3 Y EA R S
WARRA NT Y,
1-TO-1 O NS I T E
EXCHA NG E
The PIXMA E460 will always
be primed and ready to
receive your print jobs, as its
Auto Power On function will
trigger itself to wake up the
moment you send it a task.
As the PIXMA E460 is able to
broadcast itself as a wireless
access point, you can connect
to it directly using your
mobile device and print your
documents wirelessly.
You won’t have to wring your
wallet dry just to maintain the
PIXMA E460. For just RM30,
the PG-47 black ink cartridge
is capable of printing up to 400
pages* of A4-sized documents.
The CL-57 color ink cartridge,
on the other hand, churns out up
to 300 pages* of them.
As one of the leading provider
of cutting-edge imaging
solutions, it’s easy to see why
Canon is recognized as the
No. 1 inkjet printer brand in
Malaysia for 20 consecutive
years. After all, Canon inkjet
printers and consumables are
manufactured to the highest
standards to ensure unrivaled
excellence and reliability.
For further peace of mind, the
PIXMA E460 is backed by three
years warranty with 1-to-1 onsite
exchange*. Should you encounter
any issues with the printer, you
can call the Canon Customer
Careline at 1 800 88 2000 for
troubleshooting assistance. If the
issue remains unresolved, you can
opt for a 1-to-1 exchange within
the warranty period.
* In accordance with ISO/IEC 24712
CANON MARKETING (MALAYSIA) SDN. BHD. (158419-H)
Block D, Peremba Square, Saujana Resort, Section U2,
40150 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
CUSTOMER CARE CENTER: Plaza Low Yat
NATIONWIDE CUSTOMER CARELINE: 1800-88-2000
24
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
* Only applicable for selected PIXMA Ink Efficient
printers and Peninsular Malaysia only, pick-up
and delivery will be borne by Canon Marketing
(Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
CanonPIXMA
www.canon.com.my
www.printtolife.canon.com.my
G E A R
‘UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S
END’ LIMITED EDITION
PLAYSTATION 4 BUNDLE
You can’t say you love all things Nathan Drake
until you have the ‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End’
Limited Edition PS4 bundle in your possession.
That’s because the 500GB PS4 console
included with the bundle features a silkscreened image of Nathan Drake, as well as
the Uncharted logo and the Latin phrase, SIC
PARVIS MAGNA, inscribed in gold. The phrase
translates to ‘Greatness from small beginnings’
in English, if you didn’t already know. The
bundle also comes with a matching DualShock
4 wireless controller, and of course, a copy of
the game.
LG DUAL DOOR-IN-DOOR
REFRIGERATOR
You might not be aware of it, but your fridge
actually consumes more energy each time you
open and close its door. This isn’t the case with
LG’s Dual Door-in-Door refrigerator though, as its
two independent ‘Door-in-Door’ compartments
are able to reduce cold air loss by up to 47.3
percent, simply because the entire refrigerator
isn’t opened – only a small dedicated section on
its front is. Helping to further minimize energy
consumption is its Inverter Linear Compressor,
which has been tested to save energy by up to 32
percent, compared to a conventional compressor.
LG Customer Service Center 1 800 82 2822
Sony Customer Interaction Center 1 300 88 1233
SAMSUNG GEAR 360
Helping you to capture 360-degree images with
just a simple tap of a button is the Samsung
Gear 360. It’s able to work its magic thanks to its
dual 15MP fisheye lenses, which are capable of
working together to produce 360-degree videos
that have a crystal-clear resolution of 3,840 x
1,920. Needless to say, you can also use the Gear
360 to capture 30MP still images as well. You
can expect the Gear 360 to capture sharp and
bright video and images regardless of lighting
conditions, as both its lenses have a low-light
friendly aperture of f/2.0.
samsung.com
26
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
TARGUS TERMINAL T-II PREMIUM
Designed and made specifically to deter and
prevent digital identity theft, the Targus Terminal
T-II Premium backpack is shielded by a special
Anti-Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
technology that has been lined in its zippered
compartments. Throw in the fact that it can
easily carry a 15.6-inch notebook, this backpack
doesn’t just exude corporate elegance, it screams
functionality too.
Targus Asia Pacific (M) Sdn Bhd (03) 6201 0600
ACER LIQUID Z630S
Despite being an entry-level smartphone,
Acer’s Liquid Z630S actually has pretty decent
hardware up its sleeves. It has a 5.5-inch
HD (1,280 x 720) IPS display, a 64-bit 1.3GHz
MediaTek MT6753 octa-core processor, 3GB of
RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 4,000mAh
Li-po battery. The dual SIM-enabled Z630S, which
runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop, also comes with
an 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash,
and an 8MP wide-angle front-facing camera for
all your selfies and wefies. Naturally, the Liquid
Z360S also comes with Acer’s BluelightShield
technology in tow to protect your eyes from the
potentially harmful blue light rays.
NO MAN’S SKY
‘EXPLORER’S EDITION’
Go forth and become a full-on space explorer with
the exclusive No Man’s Sky ‘Explorer’s Edition’
bundle, which is limited to a scarce 10,000 units.
The bundle, which comes included with a code
that you can use to redeem a digital copy of
the game via Steam or GOG, also features an
assortment of interesting goodies to get you
hyped up for your journey ahead. There’s a 1:35
scale replica of a spaceship from the game, a hardenamel ‘Traveler Pin’, a diorama display backdrop,
and a mystery item that will only be revealed upon
the game’s launch on June 21, 2016.
store.iam8bit.com
Acer Sales and Services Sdn Bhd (03) 5121 7245
SONY XPERIA EAR
The Xperia X series wasn’t the only thing that
Sony announced during MWC 2016. The Xperia
Ear, which is Sony’s take on the concept of a
next-generation wireless earpiece, is designed
to fit your ear canals without any physical aid
around it. It’s powered by a proprietary voice
technology, and can respond to some relatively
advanced commands, such “perform an Internet
search” or “Give me the GPS coordinates.”
Sony Mobile Communications Int’l AB (Malaysia)
1 800 88 7666
HTC ONE X9
Big fan of the curved and sleek design? If yes,
then there’s a very good chance that HTC’s
One X9 will interest you immensely. Beautifully
crafted from an all-metal aluminum design,
the phone runs on Android Marshmallow 6.0
OS right out of the box, while its large 5.5-inch
Full HD display guarantees that you will always
be able to view your favorite content in clear,
sharp, and concise detail.
HTC Customer Service Hotline 1 800 889 855
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
27
G E A R
LENOVO VIBE K4 NOTE
FUJIFILM X70
The Lenovo VIBE X3 a little too ferocious for your
liking? Perhaps you might be interested in its
more modest cousin, the VIBE K4 Note. It has
a 5.5-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS display, a
64-bit MediaTek MT6753 octa core processor,
3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable
to 128GB via microSD), and a 3,300mAh Li-po
battery. You won’t find the 21MP rear shooter of
the VIBE X3 on the K4 Note, as taking its place is a
13MP PDAF rear camera, while a 5MP fixed-focus
selfie camera is stationed on the front. At least
it does have the same front-facing Dolby Atmos
speakers and Wolfson audio codec to call its own.
The FUJIFILM X70 is essentially a twin of
the highly-acclaimed X100T, without the
hybrid OVF system. Instead, it has a 3.0inch touchscreen LCD that can be tilted 180
degrees upwards to facilitate framing and
selfie-taking! Apart from that, there’s a new
FUJINON 18.5mm f/2.8 lens on this camera,
which allows you to take wider pictures, with
comparable image quality to the X100T.
FUJIFILM (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (03) 5569 8388
Lenovo Technology Sdn Bhd (03) 7681 8000
SKROSS RELOAD 12
Going to be stuck in the great outdoors for
days on end? You can count on the Swissmade Skross Reload 12 to give your mobile
devices the juice that they need, as it’s packed
with a healthy 12,000mAh Lithium battery that
can be used to charge cameras, smartphones,
tablets, and even your portable gaming
consoles. As a matter of fact, you can even use
its two USB output ports (one of which with
quick-charging technology) to charge both
your devices simultaneously.
TJM Products Sdn Bhd (03) 7984 7844
28
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
LEAGOO ALFA 2
If you’re looking for an affordable, and cheerful
smartphone that can take some decent selfies,
it really doesn’t hurt to go for a relatively new
brand, such as the Leagoo Alfa 2. At just RM449,
you get a phone with a specially made Ion
Smart Touch interactive back touch panel, and
a 5MP front-facing camera that comes with its
own dedicated flash, guaranteeing that your
selfies will always be as bright as yourself.
leagoo.com.my
G E A R
LG SmartThinQ HUB
OPPO F1
Catapult your home into the 21st century
with the LG SmartThinQ Hub – a cylindrical
device that’s able to communicate and collect
information about the smart appliances and
sensors in your home, including refrigerators,
air conditioners, and even washing machines.
It can then display the information that it has
gathered on its 3.5-inch LCD screen, or speak
them to you through its embedded high-quality
speaker, which can likewise be used to stream
your favorite tunes.
If you like the color Rose Gold, and you’re the sort
of person who enjoys taking selfies on a regular
basis, then you should know that the Oppo F1
selfie phone is now available in that very color. So
not only will the phone’s 8MP front-facing camera
make you look good, it also makes the phone look
good on the overall.
Oppo Electronics Sdn Bhd (03) 7958 5399
lg.com
LIFEPROOF FRĒ FOR
IPHONE 6 PLUS / 6S PLUS
Considering that you’ve spent a fortune on your
iPhone 6s Plus, wouldn’t it only make sense for
you to protect your investment with a rock-solid
casing such as the LifeProof fre? That way, you
won’t have to be overly anxious and protective
about it. With the LifeProof fre, your iPhone can
survive being submerged at depths of up to two
meters for an hour, withstand drops from heights
of up to two meters, and become impenetrable
to snow, ice, dirt, and dust. Yes, the LifeProof fre
meets both the Military Standard 810G-516.6 and
the IP68 rating.
TJM Products Sdn Bhd (03) 7984 7844
30
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-WS770IS
You just can’t go wrong with this pair of
headphones from one of the world’s leading
authorities in audio engineering. The ATHWS770iS over-the-ear headphones, with its
53mm drivers, strikes a balance between rich,
deep impact bass, and accurate mid and high
tones. To top it all off, the ATH-WS770iS is also
extremely comfortable to both your head and
your ears.
sea.audio-technica.com
SONY WALKMAN NW-WS413
POMO KIDS MOJI
Rain or shine, land or sea, the Sony Walkman
NW-WS413 will be keeping you company with
your favorite symphonies, as its water- and
dust-resistance complies with the stringent IP65/
IP68 rating. Not only that, it’s even designed to
withstand the most extreme of temperatures as
well: from -5°C all the way up to 45°C. You need
not worry about the NW-WS413 drowning out
your surroundings completely, as it’s equipped
with two microphones that allows you to perceive
the ambient sounds around you.
You know that mini heart attack you get when
you lose sight of your children? The POMO Kids
Moji wearable aims to spare you from that
unnecessary trauma, as it utilizes GPS, Wi-Fi, and
A-GPS technology to help pinpoint your child’s
location. It even comes with a built-in SOS button
that your kids can trigger to alert you during an
emergency, which will subsequently transmit their
location to your smartphone. As a matter of fact,
you can even create designated safe boundaries
for your kids. Should they happen to leave it, you
will immediately be notified on your device.
Sony Customer Interaction Center 1 300 88 1233
Pomo Marketing (018) 392 2933
NEXUS 6P GOLD
Last year, Huawei made one of Google’s Nexus
smartphones, the Nexus 6P. This year, the
company is giving Nexus fans the 6P in a new
color: Gold. It comes with the same 5.7-inch
WQHD (2,560 x 1,440) AMOLED display, 64-bit
2.0GHz Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor,
Adreno 430 GPU, 3GB RAM, up to 128GB of
internal storage and 3,450mAh battery as it
did before. If color was the sole reason that
stopped you from getting the Nexus 6P, that
reason might have just been eliminated.
google.com/nexus
GEST
Gest is a wearable peripheral controller for your
desktop PC, which will allow you to operate the
PC without being stuck at your desk. Ideal for
conducting presentations, Gest also allows you
to mix gestures with standard input peripherals
like the keyboard and mouse. It is lightweight
and attaches to your palm for customizable
gestures. It tracks with each finger with nineaxis motion sensors, allowing all gestures to be
captured with precision.
gest.co
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
31
G E A R
WD MY CLOUD EX2 ULTRA
ASUS RT-AC5300
Built for the professionals in mind, the My
Cloud EX2 Ultra combines high performance,
multitasking, and data protection into a twobay NAS. The brain of the device is a 1.3GHz
dual-core processor, paired with 1GB of DDR3
memory, and it is available in 4TB, 8TB, 12TB,
or diskless configurations. Of course, the My
Cloud EX2 Ultra also runs WD’s own NAS OS that
features an intuitive interface.
Looking for the latest in AC5300 technology?
Maybe the RT-AC5300 is what you’re looking
for. You get three bands – one 2.4GHz and two
5GHz – that you can have Tri-Band Smart Connect
combining them into one SSID broadcast. The
RT-AC5300 also connects devices to the best
available band entirely on its own. It also comes
with ASUS’ AiRadar beamforming technology,
which adds connection stability to your connected
devices wherever they may be within the RTAC5300’s coverage area.
Eternal Asia (M) Sdn Bhd (03) 5569 2220
SDS Distribution Sdn Bhd (03) 7788 8700
Advancenet Technology Sdn Bhd (03) 8070 3633
LOGITECH M171
ZOTAC SONIX PCIE SSD
The Logitech M171 has everything that you
could possibly want from a wireless mouse:
it’s affordably priced, durable, and also highly
portable due to its compact form factor. What’s
more, the M171 is a reliable performer as well,
thanks to its 2.4GHz wireless technology that
has an effective range of up to 10 meters.
Unlike other wireless mice, which often require
frequent battery changes or recharges, the M171
– which uses only a single AA battery – can last
for up to a year, so you won’t have to worry
about it dying on you when you need it most.
Do you already have a serious processor and
graphics card fitted inside your gaming rig? Why
not complete the ‘holy trinity’ by upgrading your
rig with a fearsome storage device as well? The
Zotac SONIX PCIe SSD boasts speedy sequential
read and write speeds of 2,600MB/s and
1,300MB/s, respectively. The SONIX PCIe SSD,
which is available in a single 480GB capacity,
has a respectable MTBF rate of two million
hours, and is protected by technologies, such as
end-to-end data path protection and dynamic
wear leveling, for superior reliability.
MCL Berhad (03) 8024 9909
32
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
Cyntrix Technologies Sdn Bhd (03) 5880 5552
HUAWEI MATEBOOK
Also unveiled at MWC 2016 was Huawei’s first
ever convertible Windows 10 PC, the MateBook.
As you’d expect from a Huawei device, the
MateBook is well equipped with impressive
hardware, such as a 12-inch QHD (2,160 x 1,440)
IPS LCD display, a 6th generation Intel Core M
processor, up to 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and up to
512GB of SSD storage. The 6.9mm-thin MateBook
is also furnished with a sizable 4,430mAh battery,
which Huawei says is able to last through nine
consecutive hours of work, or 29 continuous
hours of music playback.
consumer.huawei.com
SKROSS BUZZ 2-IN-1 MICRO USB &
LIGHTNING CONNECTOR
With the Skross Buzz 2-in-1 Micro USB &
Lightning Connector, you won’t ever have to
worry about leaving your smartphone’s charging
cable behind, as it comes with an alarm that
will go off the very moment you detach it from
your device. There are two ways to deactivate
its alarm, either by pressing the snooze button,
or by disconnecting the other end of the cable.
Either way, you definitely won’t be forgetting
about your cable afterwards. Of course, the
alarm can also act as a deterrent to potential
thieves as well.
TJM Products Sdn Bhd (03) 7984 7844
SYNOLOGY DISKSTATION DS216J
The latest 2-bay NAS from Synology is
designed for the home, providing media
streaming, as well as file sharing, and backup
solutions, all in a single package. Driven by
a dual-core CPU, the DS216j is capable of
speedy transfer speeds up to 112.75MB/s
and 97.6MB/s for read and write, respectively.
Powered by Synology’s award-winning
DiskStation Manager (DSM), this home NAS
solution arrives at the heels of the soon-to-bereleased DSM 6.0.
Build Technology Supply Sdn Bhd (03) 7955 3699
VIEWSONIC VX2771-SMHV
Looking for a near-borderless Full HD display
to complement your rig? ViewSonic’s VX2771smhv is a 27-inch SuperClear IPS display that
not only delivers a 178-degree wide viewing
angle, but also comes with a choice of premium
gold or silver metallic stand.
SDS Distribution Sdn Bhd (03) 7782 4700 /
Kaira Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd (03) 7955 3669
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
33
G E A R
ZOTAC MAGNUS EN980
ACTIVEON SOLAR X
It’s already proven that a gaming notebook is
capable of housing a desktop-size GPU, but
we’re willing to bet you’ve never seen a NUC
fitted with one either. Officially deemed by
Zotac as the most powerful NUC in the world,
the MAGNUS EN980 is currently the only small
form factor PC that has a desktop-grade NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 980 graphics card inside, along
with an equally powerful Intel ‘Skylake’ CPU.
The 16MP ActiveOn Solar X action camera
captures video in 4K. Powered by its own solarcharging system, it attains full charge in an hour
under the sun, and operates up to six hours
with its built-in 1,100mAh battery. It can also be
quickly charged via its Mini-USB port. Operate
the camera with its 2-inch touchscreen and
output 2160p videos from its Micro-HDMI port.
activeon.com
Cyntrix Technologies Sdn Bhd (03) 5880 5552
POLAROID MODELSMART 250S
34
HWM
|
PRYMA 01
Polaroid has sought to reinvent itself in recent
years and it seems one of the results of this
exercise is a 3D printer. Capable of printing
anything from 50-350 microns with autocalibration settings and even the capability to
print both in plastic and wood, the Polaroid
ModelSmart 250S should be a fun hobby printer
for both beginners and those who really know
what they’re doing.
Made in Italy, the Pryma 01 headphones has
a headband, which is handcrafted from the
same leather used to make luxurious branded
handbags. The headphones feature a pair of
40mm drivers with Mylar diaphragms, and
they are the audio engineering feat of high-end
Italian speaker maker, Sonus Faber. The Pryma
01 headphones come in five exquisite color
schemes to match, hopefully, your equallyexquisite wardrobe.
polaroid.com
pryma.com
APRIL 2016
T H I N K
SUPERHEROES
ARE EVERYWHERE
Superheroes are leaping from comic book pages onto the big
screen, and they’re coming faster than ever. Here’s a deeper
look at the superhero madness.
Text by Alvin Soon
Art Direction by Ken Koh
P I C T U R E S D I S N E Y/ M A R V E L , W A R N E R B R O S S & 2 0 T H C E N T U R Y F O X
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
35
T H I N K
WHAT’S
UP WITH
ALL THESE
SUPERHERO
MOVIES?
Superheroes are coming to the
big screen faster than a speeding
bullet, and there’s no stopping
them. Just how did it come
to this?
If you feel like you can’t hit the cinema these days without
seeing a superhero movie, you’re right. This year alone,
we’re scheduled to have Deadpool, Batman v Superman, Captain
America: Civil War, X-Men: Apocalypse, Suicide Squad, and Doctor
Strange playing in the theaters — that’s six superhero movies in
just one year!
And there are many more coming. The
various studios involved have released
timelines from now until 2020, and if
everything works out, 27 more superhero
movies will be coming in the next four years,
which makes an average of six to seven
movies a year. Not to mention all the spinoff superhero TV shows that are already on
the air, or yet to come.
If you think this is all too much, you have
one movie, and one post-credits cameo, to
blame.
How a single post-credits
scene changed everything
"While movies in this
century, like 2000’s
X-Men, and 2005’s
Batman Begins did
well at the box office,
it was really Iron
Man that changed
everything, in 2008.”
There have always been superhero movies and TV series. The list
ranges from classic (if painful), like the campy Batman TV show
from the 1960s, to forgettable (if beautiful), like Helen Slater as
Supergirl in the 1984 movie, to landmark (if, well, Michael Keaton),
36
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
like Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie.
And while movies in this century, like 2000’s X-Men, and
2005’s Batman Begins did well at the box office, it was really Iron
Man that changed everything, in 2008. Until Iron Man, the movie
studios had been content to take characters from comics, and
run them as individual movies. While characters and cast might
make a return in sequels, like in the X-Men
movies, they never tied together across
separate titles; Christopher Nolan’s Batman
Begins never even hinted at Superman’s
existence, much less had him appear in a
cameo.
Iron Man, though, introduced
something that audiences take for granted
today — the portentous post-credits ending
scene. After the credits finish rolling on Iron
Man, a mysterious Nick Fury suggestively
asks Tony Stark if he thinks he’s the only
hero in the world (hint), ominously tells
Stark that he’s just became part of a bigger
universe (hint, hint), then directly namedrops the “Avengers Initiative” on him (hint, hint, hint!).
Keep in mind that this is a full four years before the Avengers
movie actually hits the screen. This years-long story arc is
possible because of that universe Nick Fury talks about —
7 HIGHESTGROSSING
SUPERHERO MOVIES
OF ALL TIME
1
US$1,519.6
MILLION
The Avengers (2012)
2
US$1,405.4
MILLION
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
3
US$1,215.4
MILLION
Iron Man 3 (2013)
4
US$1,084.9
MILLION
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
specifically, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which is the
brainchild of a select team at Marvel’s film division, but mostly of
one man: Kevin Feige.
Who in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is
Kevin Feige?
PI C T U R E WA RN ER B ROS
Pre-Iron Man, Marvel had been content to partner with movie
studios like Columbia Pictures and New Line Cinema to make
movies based on their comic book characters. Circa 2004 though,
Marvel wanted to bring production in-house, retaining control and
profits of its movies. To do that, the comic company formed Marvel
Studios, a movie company.
It also assembled a creative think tank, with Kevin Feige, the
president of Marvel Studios, helming the group. Feige, who helped
to produce the Spiderman and X-Men franchises prior, is also a big
comics geek, which explains why the Marvel movies have stayed
so true to their original sources.
Together with his tight creative team, which included people like
Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, and acclaimed comics
writer Brian Michael Bendis, Feige was — is — responsible for
keeping the MCU on track and the movies on tone.
5
US$1,004.6
MILLION
The Dark Knight (2008)
6
US$890.9
MILLION
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
7
US$821.7
MILLION
Spider-Man (2002)
*Numbers from Box Office Mojo.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
37
T H I N K
WHY HASN’T THERE
BEEN AN AVENGERS
VERSUS X-MEN
MOVIE?
The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man,
Avengers and X-Men frequently meet,
or clash, in the immense Marvel
comics’ universe. Why aren’t they
doing the same in the movies?
It all has to do with licensing. In the
1990s, Marvel licensed the film rights
to many of their characters to various
studios, which is why 20th Century Fox
made X-Men, while Sony Pictures made
Spider-Man, and never the twain met.
While Marvel has retained or
reclaimed more of their characters’ film
rights since then, the key X-Men and
Spider-Man properties still belong to
their respective studios. But rumors are
that Spider-Man will be appearing in
Captain America: Civil War, and Sony is
working with Marvel for a new SpiderMan movie set in the MCU.
However the X-Men, Fantastic Four,
and Deadpool characters’ film rights
are still sitting firmly in 20th Century
Fox’s laps, so until that is resolved,
don’t expect the Merc with a Mouth
to be meeting up with everyone’s
favorite genius, billionaire, playboy,
philanthropist, anytime soon.
38
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
Introducing a new universe of movies
Marvel’s plan was for the studio to release films for individual main
characters, and then bring them together in one massive crossover film. The
idea of creating a shared, fictional universe across multiple characters is par
for the course in comic books, but not for movies.
Prior to Iron Man, it hadn’t been done before … well, maybe if you count
Ben Affleck’s Daredevil and Jennifer Garner’s Elektra … and maybe if you
count Halle Berry’s Catwoman. But nothing had been attempted at the same
scale as the MCU, running across multiple planned movies and multiple years.
While these previous movie duds are best left forgotten, they’re also
good reminders of what would have happened to the MCU had Iron Man
bombed — it would have fizzled out and been forgotten. But Iron Man didn’t.
The movie became an immense smash hit, both critically and commercially,
grossing over US$585 million at the box office.
The success of Iron Man led to the release of Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor
(2011), Captain America (2011), and eventually culminating in the crossover
The Avengers (2012). The Avengers became the first Marvel movie ever to
turn over US$1 billion in ticket sales, eventually grossing over US$1.5 billion
worldwide.
A shared movie universe didn’t just work, it turned out that it could work
spectacularly. And — you guessed it, now everybody else wanted in.
Everybody and their sidekick want a taste of that
shared universe
With the massive success of Iron Man and the subsequent movies in the
MCU, you could bet that Marvel’s long-standing competitor, DC Comics,
wanted in on some of that shared universe action.
But while Marvel enjoyed hit after hit, DC Comics
floundered with movies like 2009’s Watchmen and
2011’s Green Lantern. Christopher Nolan was doing
amazing work with his Dark Knight trilogy, but his
Batman was a singularly contained work, with none
of the shared world-building essential for a multicharacter franchise.
2013’s reboot of Superman, Man of Steel,
changed all that. When General Zod, the villain
of the movie, destroys a satellite, you can clearly
see the words “Wayne Enterprises” written on it,
signaling that this was a world Superman shared with Batman.
Even though it received mixed reviews, the movie became a box-office
success, and that was enough for Warner Bros. Pictures to green-light
the DC Extended Universe (EU), their answer to Marvel Studios’ MCU. The
next movie to come in the DC EU is Batman V Superman in 2016, and a
standalone Wonder Woman movie in 2017, with a Justice League movie
in the same year.
But it’s not just superheroes that want a shared universe. After the
Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm in 2012, they immediately
started planning for more Star Wars movies. And not just sequels to
Episodes I to VI, but an entire lineup of Star Wars
movies — one every year — based in the Star
Wars universe. The next Star Wars movie to come,
Rogue One, is the first Star Wars movie that isn’t a
sequel, but a spin-off starring an entirely new cast
of characters.
Even Transformers is being turned into a
cinematic universe. According to Deadline,
Paramount Studios has created a writers’ room
to pitch Transformers spin-offs, like individual
movies (the sixth live-action Transformers movie is
apparently a Bumblebee spin-off), animated movies, and possible G.I. Joe
crossovers, in addition to sequels to the existing movies.
"A shared movie
universe didn’t just
work, it turned out
that it could work
spectacularly.”
P I C T U R E D I S N E Y/ M A R V E L
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
39
T H I N K
Does this all sound crazy?
Yeah, it kind of does
If all of this sounds a little crazy to you, it
also sounds a little crazy to us. Imagine if
the original Ghostbusters movie had been
set-up as a 10-movie franchise, with three
phases, spin-offs involving other characters
and teams, a connected TV show and — you
know what, with the new Ghostbusters
movie coming out, that might actually be
happening.
The problem with all these superhero
and connected universe movies is that it
can all start to seem too much. It’s not long
after you see the last superhero movie that
you’re now watching the new one — and
how are they connected again? Wait, why
is this guy saying this — is it supposed to
be referencing that line in the second-last
movie when — hold on, are these characters
even in the same universe now?
But then again, everyone in the world still
seems pretty excited about big superhero
franchises. Last year’s Avengers: Age of
Ultron wasn’t even that good, but it made
over US$1.4 billion worldwide. Two sequels
are already in the plans, for 2018 and 2019.
And that’s the thing. As long as these
connected universe movies make immense
buck, the studios will keep on pressing them
out. Think you can make a lot of money
from a single hit movie? You can make a lot
more with that movie, its sequels, spin-off
movies, a giant crossover movie, associated
TV shows, tie-in video games and books, and
let’s not forget the comics.
The one light in this overwhelming
onslaught is that some of these movies turn
out surprisingly good. 2014’s Guardians of
the Galaxy was a movie nobody expected,
starring a group of Marvel’s B-list characters.
But it turned out to be a success, both
critically and commercially, grossing
US$773.3 million worldwide. 2015’s Ant-Man
did the same, with a superhero nobody
expected to like, actually becoming a really
good show.
As long as movie studios keep making
good superhero movies, then we’ll keep
watching them. More Captain America: The
Winter Soldier, and less X-Men: The Last
Stand. They get our money, we get good
entertainment, and everyone wins. So buckle
up, because — wait, an Aquaman movie is
coming? Seriously?
PI C T U R E WA RN ER B ROS
40
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
A COMIC-BOOK
MOVIE TIMELINE
How many more superhero movies are coming? A lot. Here’s a look at how
many movies based on many comic books have been made, starting with
2008’s Iron Man, as well as how many more are coming, being made, or planned.
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
13
20
14
20
15
20
16
20
17
20
18
20
19
20
20
Iron Man
The Incredible
Hulk
Watchmen
X-Men Origins:
Wolverine
Kick-Ass
Iron Man 2
Jonah Hex
Thor
X-Men: First
Class
Green Lantern
Captain America:
The First Avenger
Ghost Rider: Spirit
of Vengeance
The Avengers
The Amazing
Spider-Man
The Dark Knight
Rises
Dredd
Iron Man 3
Man of Steel
The Wolverine
Kick-Ass 2
Thor: The Dark
World
Captain America:
The Winter
Solider
The Amazing
Spider-Man 2
X-Men: Days of
Future Past
Guardians of the
Galaxy
Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles
Avengers: Age of
Ultron
Ant-Man
Fantastic Four
Deadpool
Batman v
Superman
Captain America:
Civil War
X-Men:
Apocalypse
Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles: Out
of the Shadows
Suicide Squad
Doctor Strange
Wolverine 3
Guardians of the
Galaxy Vol. 2
Wonder Woman
Spider-Man
Thor: Ragnarok
Justice League:
Part One
Gambit
Black Panther
The Flash
Avengers: Infinity
War, Part I
Ant-Man and the
Wasp
Aquaman
The Batman
Captain Marvel
Shazam
Avengers: Infinity
War, Part II
Justice League:
Part Two
Inhumans
Cyborg
Green Lantern
Corps
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The
Golden Army
Punisher: War
Zone
The Spirit
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
41
T H I N K
5 COMIC
BOOKS YOU
HAVE TO
READ
Comic books are home to some of the
best works of fiction, period. Here are
five of the best comic
books you have to read.
by Kenny Yeo
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
In The Dark Knight Returns, Batman is aged, jaded and weary, but he
sees his beloved Gotham City being terrorized by a new generation of
criminals and villains. Left without a choice, he dons his cape for one
last hurrah. The Dark Knight Returns is important because it comes at a
time when Batman was seen as a laughable kids’ hero. Fortunately, this
comic changed all that, and sets the tone for the Batman that we know
today - a gritty, troubled hero that uses his rage as a weapon.
V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta is set in a
dystopian version of the United
Kingdom where a fascist party
rules the people. The titular
character of the comic, V, is
introduced as a revolutionary
dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask,
who seeks to liberate the people
of the United Kingdom. The most
remarkable thing about V for
Vendetta is how it’s still relevant
today, even though it was first
published in 1988. The story of
courageous individuals standing
up against oppressive tyrants
never grows outdated.
Civil War
In Civil War, the U.S. government
introduces the Superhero
Registration Act, which requires
humans with superpowers
to reveal their identities and
register with the government.
This divides the Marvel Universe,
with Iron Man leading the
heroes that are pro-registration,
and Captain America leading the
heroes that are against. It’s a
great read as it’s not often that
you see heroes fighting against
each other, but it also explores
larger philosophical issues, such
as the importance of security
and the price of freedom.
The Infinity Gauntlet
Part of what makes reading
The Infinity Gauntlet so fun is to
witness the sheer omnipotence
of Thanos, the Mad Titan, as
he wields the invincible Infinity
Gauntlet. He takes on the
combined might of fan favorite
superheroes like Iron Man,
Spider-Man, Captain America
and the Hulk, as if they were
nothing but ants.
42
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
PICTURES MARVEL COMICS, DC COMICS & VERTIGO
The Watchmen
The Watchmen takes the idea of
superheroes and turns it on his
heads. Instead of perfect beings,
the heroes in The Watchmen
have the same eccentricities,
insecurities and quirks like the
rest of us. But it is the ambitious
plot, which begins casually as a
murder mystery, and develops
into something far darker and
encompassing, that makes The
Watchmen a modern classic.
NASA
WANTS YOU
TO DREAM
OF SPACE
by Alvin Soon
Space, the final frontier. Exploring strange new worlds,
seeking out new life and new civilizations may be lightyears ahead for us, but one day it won’t be. That’s the kind of
hope NASA wants to inspire with its posters of space travel.
There are 14 posters, each illustrating a different destination
in our universe, like our closest neighbor Mars, Saturn’s largest
moon Titan, and the faraway Kepler-16b, which orbits a pair
of stars.
Check out the posters and, in NASA’s words, “… remember
that you can be an architect of the future,” at the following URL
www.jpl.nasa.gov/visions-of-the-future
P I C T U R E S N A S A /J P L - C A LT E C H
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
43
Q & A
44
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
PH OTO G R A PH Y V E R N O N WO N G A R T D I R E C T I O N K E N KO H
You don’t want
someone typing
in Jeb Bush and
ending up on
Donald Trump’s
page, because
that’s going to
make Donald Trump
look very sharp.
Small businesses and the
importance of domain
ownership
BLAKE IRVING
CEO, GODADDY
by Zachary Chan
Can you give some insights into
GoDaddy’s aggressive expansion
into Asia with its recent launch
into 11 new markets?
We manage 20 percent of the global
domain inventory. Of the 270 million
domains in the world, 62 million
of them are in our backend. That’s
big. We’re currently localized in 26
languages, 53 different markets, 44
different currencies.
The thing that’s most important, is
that we’ve built our infrastructure to
be able to grow on the same platform
around the globe. The way we view
globalization is different than (a
traditional) deployment of thousands
of people. In a software company,
it’s a software problem. We have
a localization layer to take all (our
existing) services and produce them
in as many languages as we want, so
we can expand with little risk.
Any difference between Asia and
the rest of the world?
They’re homogeneous in a way that
small businesses want to achieve
the same thing. They want a digital
presence because they know they
can acquire more customers. What’s
interesting about Asia is that Internet
connectivity is ubiquitous, it’s pretty
much everywhere and it’s been
growing very quickly. Where there’s
Internet growth, where there’s
population growth and small business
penetration, that’s a good place for
us to be.
How about countries that aren’t as
connected like Vietnam compared
to one that is highly connected
such as Singapore?
There’s a huge opportunity to
go in early. (In Vietnam), Internet
penetration isn’t that huge, but small
business growth is crazy big. (In
Singapore), Internet penetration is
crazy, but the growth isn’t that big.
However, 40 percent of businesses
still do not have a website. They
might have a Facebook page or
presence in Yellow Pages, etc, so
there is still plenty of opportunity.
Speaking of Facebook pages, small
businesses may feel they can get
away with not having a website...
Imagine this. You have a Facebook
page to represent your business,
but do not own your domain.
Someone else could own it. (If you
had a domain), we could help point
all those to your Facebook page.
For example, blakeirving.com today
points to my Linkedin presence. I’m
not going to do up a website about
me and Linkedin already exists, but I
damn sure want my name registered.
I don’t want it to not resolve, see a
404 error or a parked page. You don’t
want to wait too long until it’s too
late. Jeb Bush knows this now.
Do you see changes in the way
businesses go online, from
building websites to the mobile or
apps first movement?
For small businesses, it’s actually a
non-question. You are not going to
have an app for every small business
you deal on your phone. You might
have a marketplace, such as
Amazon, where you go to search for
the services you want. There will be
room for location-based aggregators
such as Yelp! or Google Maps too.
Most businesses are found by
going through search. If it had a
website, you could click through to it,
but if it just had an app, you probably
wouldn’t install it. I think that the
whole notion that a small business
would invest in developing an app
first is not true. They want to be
found on the web. If you do a really
good job with a react-based website
that is super responsive, looks good
on a phone, looks good on a tablet,
you don’t really even need an app.
How do you help small businesses
other than securing a domain?
That’s actually our whole model, to
help people with an idea turn it into
something real. We run what we call
a lifecycle business. From, “I have
an idea, I want to get started but I
don’t know what to do,” to “I’m up
and running, I’m starting to make
money, what’s the next step?” and
“I’m now established, I might quit my
day job and go at this full time.” And
for those businesses that might have
already been established and they
think they don’t need a website, we
help those people too.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
45
I M P A C T
A HARD DISK AS
OLD AS TIME ITSELF
by Liu Hongzuo
46
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
times more data compared to
external hard drives of our time,
and keeping data so long that it’s
three times the age of our Earth.
The scientists call this
technology five-dimensional
(5D) digital data. Data is
recorded via nanostructures
created in fused quartz in
three-dimensional positions,
and two other dimensions: the
size and orientation of said
nanostructures. The researchers
are now looking for companies
to help bring this data storage
technology to market.
PICTURE UNIVERSIT Y OF SOUTHAMPTON
Current mediums of storage
all suffer from decay. Books
rot, photographs fade, and even
hard drives can become corrupt
within the decade. But that may
soon change.
Researchers at the University
of Southampton have created a
new data format that can store
information in tiny nanostructures
on a piece of glass. A glass disc
approximately the size of a
coin can store up to 360TB of
data, and each glass disc has
a lifespan of up to 13.8 billion
years, in temperatures as high as
190°C. We’re looking at storage
that records nearly a hundred
F E A T U R E
Made
in
Korea
한국 에r서 만든
In our age of evolving mobile technology and the
never-ending specifications war, two Korean
titans go at it again, smartphone against smartphone.
Who will dominate in 2016?
Text by Liu Hongzuo • Art Direction Ken Koh
PICTURES LG & SAMSUNG
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
47
F E A T U R E
EVERY YEAR, BETWEEN THE MONTHS OF FEBRUARY
and March, heralds transformation within the mobile
industry. Mobile makers come together to showcase
their latest accomplishments at the GSMA Mobile World
Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. This year’s MWC
2016 was no different. We saw many big brands come and
go. However, none came close to what Samsung and LG
went through to get their flagships talked about for weeks.
By now, you would’ve heard or read about the
Samsung Galaxy S7, seeking to be the refined pinnacle
of the successful Galaxy S6. The new flagship brought
back expandable storage, waterproofing and gave the
rear camera significant boosts. Samsung topped it off
with some minor, yet crucial tweaks to its smartphone
interface. These changes alone sounded like a winning
formula, which would please long-time fans and earn new
converts to the Samsung camp.
On the other hand, LG went for the glitz and glamor.
They wow-ed the crowds with a modular phone body,
which promised an array of customizations to suit many
different needs. These add-ons are on top of an improved
rear camera utility that also spoke to the masses. It is
certain that both brands are bringing their best and
boldest creations to the table.
It’s easy to compare these two phones based on their
merits alone, but the rivalry between Samsung and LG
“BOTH SAMSUNG AND
LG WERE ORIGINALLY
HUMBLE ORGANIZATIONS
THAT STARTED WITH
BUSINESSES UNRELATED TO
ELECTRONICS.”
INTRODUCTION
입문
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
PICTURES LG & SAMSUNG
48
runs deeper than simply being competing titles. Back
in their home turf, the two Korean divisions are integral
departments of their respective rival chaebols (wealth
clans) that survived the test of time itself.
Both Samsung and LG were originally humble
organizations that started with businesses unrelated to
electronics. In 1969, Park Chung-hee – the President of
South Korea back then – formulated an eight-year plan
to foster electronic businesses in the country. Park went
so far to ban the smuggling of foreign radios to keep
LG relevant, who was already in the electronics game.
However, Samsung planned to enter the electronics market
before the eight-year plan. Both founders met up to discuss
Samsung’s move into the new business. It was known
that both founders were originally close friends, and later
related by marital ties between their family members.
As fate would have it, the discussion did not go well –
LG found it distasteful when Samsung expressed intent to
encroach onto their territory, especially when LG did not
dabble in Samsung’s claim to wealth – the sugar refinery
business – out of respect for his in-law. After the heated
talk, the two founders were never close again.
Both chaebols went on to be modern-world titans. LG
reported a 116 trillion won ($130 billion) revenue in 2014,
and Samsung drew a revenue of 334 trillion won ($380
billion) – almost 25 percent of South Korea’s GDP – in
2013, according to statistics provided by the Fair Trade
Commission. With the bitter rivalry between two Korean
economic powerhouses in mind, this places the Samsung
Galaxy S7 and LG G5 comparison at higher stakes.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
49
F E A T U R E
SAMSUNG
GALAXY S7
PART OF THE HUBBUB OVER THE NEW WAVE
of flagship phones can be attributed to the processor
upgrades received this year. We refer to Qualcomm’s
Snadragon 820 SoC, and Samsung’s very own
Exynos 8890 processor. Before the Snapdragon 820,
Qualcomm commissioned Taiwanese manufacturer
TSMC to make their chips, only to face issues with
TSMC’s 16 nanometer manufacturing process.
Qualcomm then looked to Samsung, who was already
making its proprietary Exynos processors since 2010,
with a new 14 nanometer LPP process. Today, we
see Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge phones with
two variants – the ones sold in our region uses the
Exynos 8890, while U.S. sets come with Snapdragon
820. Either way, both chips are on par in terms of
benchmark performance, but Samsung pulls ahead
of LG simply because using the LG G5 would still
mean using a Snapdragon 820 SoC that came out of
Samsung’s factories.
Instead of adopting LG’s flashy approach at MWC
2016 this year, Samsung opted to play it safe for the
Galaxy S7 and S7 edge by capitalizing on the strengths
of the S6 handset, while cramming as many practical
features as possible. In no way is the S7 novel – it had
some changes to the rear design, but it still looked
almost the same as its predecessor. The new show
pony was its Always-on Display, but LG managed to
do the same screen feature, while reinventing what a
flagship smartphone could be.
On top of its limited innovation, the changes
made to the S7 felt more like a fix to old problems.
However, here is where the new Samsung phones got
interesting. The fixes were sensible, highly practical,
and it answered almost every request their fans had
for the S6. Water resistant and dustproofing made
a return to the S7 and S7 edge since it was sorely
missed on the previous device, and Samsung managed
to make the device rated with IP68 certification with
open ports that are safe for submerging in liquid.
Even the water-resistant Galaxy S5 was nowhere as
advanced as the S7 and S7 edge were. Expandable
storage also made a comeback, promising a boost
of up to 200GB via microSD card. It offsets the
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
좋은
disappointing lack of handsets with more than 32GB onboard
storage (64GB for Galaxy S6 edge) available in our region.
When you look beneath its surface, it’s easy to understand
why Samsung dared to let the Galaxy S7 out into the wild with
little physical changes. It sounds strange, but the infamously
bloated TouchWiz interface felt clean and breezy to use. The
phone makers decided to shift all their necessary proprietary
content into a single folder, while getting rid of all the others
people complained about. They threw in support for games via
a whole host of Game Tools that prevented accidental exits and
provided game recording. Nobody asked for a better camera,
but Samsung made the rear camera capture 56 percent more
light with its larger pixel size on the image sensor.
The end result can be seen as a ‘perfected’ modern-day
Android smartphone that provides all the necessary bits while
cutting out pointless ones. They also gave the S7 and S7 edge
upgrades that nobody expected it to have, all encased in a
physical design that still carries forward really well. It may not
have the glam factor LG brought to the playing field, but the
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge showed us why this Korean is
so confident of its progress so far.
PICTURES SAMSUNG
50
“EXPANDABLE
STORAGE ALSO
MADE A COMEBACK,
PROMISING A BOOST
OF UP TO 200GB VIA
MICROSD CARD.”
Capture 56 percent more light with its
larger pixel size on the image sensor.
IP 68 certification grants the Galaxy S7 with
improved water-resistance and dustproofing.
Expandable storage returns, granting
up to 200GB via microSD card.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
51
F E A T U R E
LG G5
SMARTPHONES, AS A WHOLE, BECAME UNORIGINAL OVER
the last couple of years. Even LG’s biggest Korean rival avoided
trying to reinvent its design this year, and LG took the cue to bring in
something that has only been largely experimental by phone makers
from the West. The LG G5 is a modular smartphone with swappable
attachments that can enhance a phone’s capabilities based on your
immediate needs.
Right off the bat, LG brought on the LG CAM Plus, a camera module
that converts your already-flagship smartphone into a standalone
one-handed camera, thanks to the extra grip and controls it provides.
They also worked with B&O to bring the LG Hi-Fi Plus, a DAC (digital to
analog converter) module for audio enthusiasts that up-samples audio
to 32-bit Hi-Fi quality through the attachment. It matters very little
that the modular camera and modular DAC will likely cost a pretty
penny since it satisfies a unique demand – smartphone users want
more perks, but they want to have a choice in the perks they can
keep, while shedding the rest.
Samsung’s new flagship may also have Always-on Display, but LG
wins in this department because the G5 offers removable batteries
for its phones. Both brands claim that the AOD will expend less than
one percent of battery charge per hour, but Samsung’s phones force
the user to choose between extra 20 percent for the next 24 hours,
or the convenience of time/date on your lock screen. G5 users simply
have to pop the phone open and replace the expended pack for a
fresh magazine, and it’s good to go with AOD toggled on.
“THE LG G5 IS
A MODULAR
SMARTPHONE
WITH SWAPPABLE
ATTACHMENTS
THAT CAN ENHANCE
A PHONE’S
CAPABILITIES BASED
ON YOUR IMMEDIATE
NEEDS.”
독창
While Samsung upgraded the low-light
quality of the rear camera performance,
LG chose to give their users more shooting
angle options instead. An additional 8MP
sensor with a 135-degree, wide-angle
lens sits next to the standard 16MP rear
camera. This adds a human touch to the
G5 – the wide-angle lens provides a field
of view that’s 15-degrees more than the
average human eye. This results in two
things – enviable wide shots of scenery
and impressive buildings for any Instagram
profile, and the ease of taking wefies
(group selfies) without worrying about
leaving a friend out. Ultimately, great specs
like ‘better low-light performance’ is not
as meaningful to the everyday user who
wants technology to work for them, and
not the other way round.
PICTURES LG
52
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
The LG CAM Plus is a camera
attachment that provides extra
grip and controls.
창적인
The LG Hi-Fi Plus is a DAC
(digital to analog converter)
module for audio enthusiasts.
An additional 8MP sensor with a
wide angle 135-degree view sits
next to the standard 16MP rear
camera.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
53
F E A T U R E
“THERE’S NO WAY YOU
CAN AVOID MENTIONING
THESE TWO CHAEBOLS
IF YOU WANT TO TALK
ABOUT LEADING-EDGE
PHONES OF 2016.”
CONCLUSION
결론
WHILE IT’S STILL PREMATURE TO
declare that 2016 will be a strict showdown between the two Korean rivals,
we’d still have to admit that LG and
Samsung are one of the few consistent
top performers in the mobile
electronics field today. Being the two
premium flagship phone models to
heat up the MWC 2016 show floor
says a lot about their standing not
just in South Korea, but across the
entire mobile electronics industry.
One thing’s for sure – there’s no way
you can avoid mentioning these two
chaebols if you want to talk about
leading-edge phones of 2016.
PICTURES LG & SAMSUNG
54
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
T E S T
LAB
RESULTS
MO RE
INSIDE>
ACER ASPIRE R 14
Sleek, lightweight & snappy.
KINGSTON
DATATRAVELER 2000
Pocket data vault.
LENOVO IDEACENTRE
Y900
Every month behind the doors of our super secret gadget testing
facility, the latest tech products are put through their paces using
industry-recognized benchmarks and our own blend of real-world usage
scenarios. Here are our findings.
HOW WE RATE:
Products are rated on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being so abysmal, it should be a
crime to sell it, and 10 being almost perfect. Come now, nothing is perfect.
An Editor’s Choice may also be awarded based on unique merits.
Gaming business.
TEST
TEST
TEST
BEST
BEST
VALUE
EDITOR’S
M A L AY S I A
M A L AY S I A
M A L AY S I A
PERFORMANCE
CHOICE
76
CE
DISCLAIMER
While every care is made to ensure accurate or latest retail pricing is printed in our reviews, HWM Malaysia cannot be held responsible for changes in retail prices after time of print. You are advised to look for the latest pricing from retail outlets
and where there is a discrepancy between our printed price and price declared by a shop, the latter will prevail in choice.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
55
T E S T - TRI-BAND ROUTER SHOOTOUT
AN URBAN
WIRELESS
JUNGLE
If you ask us, we think tri-band routers
are the best choice for homes with
many connected devices. But with
so many options to pick from,
which is best? We are glad you
asked, and we are only too happy
to help. You’re welcome.
Text by Kenny Yeo
Photography by Zaphs Zhang & Darren Chang
Art Direction by Ken Koh
56
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
VS
ASUS RT-AC5300
•
D-LINK DIR-890L
•
LINKSYS EA9200
•
NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK X8
•
TP-LINK ARCHER C3200
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
57
T E S T - TRI-BAND ROUTER SHOOTOUT
ASUS RT-AC5300
combined to form a single super-fast Ethernet
First seen at IFA 2015 in Berlin last year, the RTconnection. Of course, this requires a client that
AC5300 router from ASUS looks completely bonkers.
can support this feature, but it’s becoming quite
And because of its unusual looks, it has been called
common for high-end consumer NAS systems to
an alien, a crab and a spider, amongst other things.
support aggregation. The RT-AC5300 router also
We think that it’s a very fitting design for a high-end
features USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, as well as
flagship router and it looks plain awesome. It has
buttons to instantly turn off the Wired accents, angular sides, sharp
Fi and LED indicators. There’s also
surfaces, and no less than eight
an additional button for WPS setup.
external antennas! It brings to
Powering all of this is
mind Lamborghini’s equally wacky
Broadcom’s new 4x4 5G XStream
Veneno hypercar, and that’s a good
Radical design.
platform, which consists of a
thing.
Class-leading
1.4GHz dual-core BCM47094 ARM
The only downside to its
performance
Cortex A9 processor and three
outrageous design is that it’s
and features.
BCM4366 4x4 radios. These radios
physically huge. It is also really
Support for port
are also MU-MIMO capable, so if
heavy at nearly 2kg, so wallaggregation.
you have the right client devices,
mounting is a no-go.
you can expect an overall network
Round the front are LED status
performance boost too.
indicators, and one thing that we
Setting up and managing
would have preferred is to have
Heavy and takes up
the router was easy, thanks to
LED status indicators for each of
a lot of space.
the ASUSWRT setup interface.
the individual Gigabit Ethernet
It’s not the prettiest, but it’s fairly
ports. As it is, there’s only a single
straightforward to use, loads
indicator for all four of them,
quickly and gets the job done. We
which isn’t very helpful if you are
like how it provides a good balance between ease
trying to determine which port is faulty.
of use and options for more advanced users. It
Speaking of LAN ports, there are four Gigabit
also has companion mobile apps that allow users
Ethernet LAN ports and a single Gigabit Ethernet
to remotely manage the router, schedule files for
WAN port. The first and second LAN ports support
torrent clients, and more.
aggregation, which means that they can be
AT A GLANCE
Frequency bands
2.4GHz and 2x 5GHz
Ports
1x Gigabit Ethernet
WAN, 4x Gigabit
Ethernet LAN
Total data transfer
rate
5,300Mbps
Price
RM2,199
Two of the LAN ports support
port aggregation, allowing users
to create a single super-fast
connection.
Buttons by the side let users
quickly turn off the LED status
indicators and even Wi-Fi.
The ASUS WRT interface looks
daunting, but it’s actually quite
easy to use once you get the
hang of it.
58
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
D-LINK DIR-890L
Setting up the D-Link DIR-890L router was
Initially revealed at CES 2015 over a year ago, the
a breeze, thanks to D-Link’s easy-to-navigate
D-Link DIR-890L caught our eyes for its bright color
and intuitive setup user interface. Most options
and bold design. Even though the ASUS RT-AC5300
are easy to understand and access and there’s
is now the most extreme looking router around, the
usually an ‘Advanced Settings’ button for more
DIR-890L isn’t that far behind. It has a highly angular
tech-savvy options to tweak to their hearts’
pyramid design and features six sizable external
content. We especially like how the DIR-890L’s
antennas. But the most visually arresting thing
QoS management system
about it is its bright red paint. It’s
is device-based rather than
also very large, measuring nearly
application-based, meaning to say
40cm in width and weighing nearly
that connections are prioritized
a full kilogram.
by ranking devices connected
Running down the middle of
Bold, attractive
to the router. Apps-based QoS
the router is a column of LED
design. Strong, allmanagement systems are trickier
status indicators, but again,
round performance.
to setup as they usually require
no indicators for the individual
the application’s port settings,
Gigabit LAN ports. It’s worth
which can be hard to obtain.
noting at this point that the
Users can also download the
Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports
mydlink Cloud app from the App
themselves also do not have their
Large and bulky.
Remote management
Store or Google Play to remotely
own status indicators.
apps not polished.
control and manage their routers.
Underneath the hood, the
However, like its competitors, the
DIR-890L router is powered by the
implementation of such apps still
Broadcom 5G XStream chipset,
leaves much to be desired since
which consists of a single dual-core
some features are missing from the app. D-Link
Broadcom BCM4709A running at 1GHz and three
also offers another app called SharePort that lets
additional offload Broadcom BCM43602 processors,
users access files on external storage devices
each dedicated to one of the D-Link DIR-890L’s three
connected to the router using their iOS or Android
radios. This is the same chipset you’ll find in just
device.
about every other AC3200-class router today.
AT A GLANCE
Frequency bands
2.4GHz and 2x 5GHz
Ports
1x Gigabit Ethernet
WAN, 4x Gigabit
Ethernet LAN
Total data transfer
rate
3,200Mbps
Price
RM1,099
LED status indicators on the
router let users know instantly if
something has gone wrong.
The router has four Gigabit
Ethernet LAN ports to connect to
other devices.
Enabling Smart Connect will
cause the router to broadcast
only a single SSID.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
59
T E S T - TRI-BAND ROUTER SHOOTOUT
LINKSYS EA9200
the USB ports, but since these are on the back of
Of all the tri-band routers available today, the
the router, their helpfulness is limited.
Linksys EA9200 is arguably the most conservative
As we mentioned earlier, almost every AC3200in looks. Since it is designed with a stand, it sits
class router is powered by Broadcom’s 5G XStream
tall at around 30cm, including the antennas, but
chipset, and the Linksys EA9200 is no different. The
as a result, it takes up lesser desktop space than
chipset consists of a single dualits rivals. All in all, it’s actually
core Broadcom BCM4709A running
relatively compact for a tri-band
at 1GHz and three additional
router.
offload Broadcom BCM43602
The other thing to notice is the
processors, each dedicated to one
fact that the EA9200 makes do
Compact, clean
of the router’s three radios.
with just three external antennas,
design. Very
One thing we really like about the
unlike the more common six.
strong all-round
Linksys EA9200 is its ease of use.
In reality, the EA9200 router
performance.
Linksys’ Smart Wi-Fi user interface
does have six antennas; it’s just
is arguably the most user-friendly
that three of them are hidden
one in the industry and offers a
internally. According to Linksys,
thoughtful balance of ease of use
the decision to do so was to
Only vertical
and control. It is not uncommon
give the EA9200 router a less
standing.
that advanced router features like
busy appearance, plus they were
Inconsistent
parental control and QoS can be
certain that performance would
performance at
daunting to configure and use; the
not be compromised.
range.
Linksys EA9200 makes everything
Round the front panel is a
look inviting and accessible.
Linksys logo that lights up, but
Through the Smart Wi-Fi
apart from that, there’s little
app that’s available on iOS and
else. There aren’t any LED status
Android, users can remotely control and edit their
indicators, and the only way to know if something
router settings, change passwords, enable Parental
is wrong is if the Linksys logo starts flashing - it
Control, and even access content on external
should glow solidly. There are, however, LED
storage devices connected to the router.
indicators on the WAN and LAN ports and even for
AT A GLANCE
Frequency bands
2.4GHz and 2x 5GHz
Ports
1x Gigabit Ethernet
WAN, 4x Gigabit
Ethernet LAN
Total data transfer
rate
3,200Mbps
Price
RM1,199
Behind the router are a single
USB 3.0 port and another USB
2.0 port.
Buttons on the side let users
quickly turn off the Wi-Fi
network.
Linksys’ Smart Wi-Fi user
interface is arguably the most
user-friendly in the market right
now.
60
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK X8
meaning the signal amplifiers have been moved
The Netgear Nighthawk X8 is another massive
from the motherboard onto the external antennas
router. It measures a whopping 31 x 26 cm and
themselves. This supposedly improves signal
weighs about 1.7kg. Because of its width, it looks
quality and performance.
like a Blu-ray player with antennas. Still, it’s less
Underneath it all, the Nighthawk X8 uses the
outlandish compared to the ASUS RT-AC5300, and
same Broadcom 4x4 5G XStream platform as the
the only unusual thing about it is its undulating top
ASUS RT-AC5300. This means a 1.4GHz dualpanel that resembles waves in the sea.
core BCM47094 ARM Cortex A9
To the left of this panel is a
processor and three BCM4366 4x4
column of LED status indictors,
radios. MU-MIMO is supported, but
and the Nighthawk X8 router has
compatible clients are required
indicators, for each of its Ethernet
if any performance gain is to be
LAN ports. On the front-facing
Six LAN ports.
seen.
panel, you get buttons to turn the
Support for port
Like all other Netgear routers,
Wi-Fi and LED indicators on and
aggregation.
the Nighthawk X8 comes
off, and a single button for WPS
preconfigured. A sticker on the
setup.
router indicates its SSID and also
Moving to the rear, we can see
its password, so you could use
a single Gigabit Ethernet WAN
Incredibly pricey.
it straight out of the box. The
port and six Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Some features
Netgear Genie setup user interface
ports. Considering the amount
frustrating to use.
is not the easiest to use, despite
of connected devices we have
the option for Basic or Advanced
these days, having six ports is a
settings. Furthermore, certain
refreshing change. Two of these
features like Parental Controls and ReadySHARE
six ports also support port aggregation, which
require additional registration or software, which
means they can be combined to create a single
makes it tedious and frustrating to setup.
super-fast connection.
There’s also a Genie app available for iOS and
The Netgear X8 only has half the number of
Android devices, but it is limited in use and missing
external antennas compared to the ASUS RTsome features that are found on the router’s web
AC5300. However, Netgear claims they are more
browser interface.
efficient because these are active antennas,
AT A GLANCE
Frequency bands
2.4GHz and 2x 5GHz
Ports
1x Gigabit Ethernet
WAN, 6x Gigabit
Ethernet LAN
Total data transfer
rate
5,300Mbps
Price
RM2,099
The Netgear router has
independent LED indicators for
each of its LAN ports.
This router has six Gigabit
Ethernet LAN ports, two of which
support port aggregation.
The Netgear Genie interface can
be frustrating to use.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
61
T E S T - TRI-BAND ROUTER SHOOTOUT
TP-LINK ARCHER C3200
at 1GHz and three additional offload Broadcom
The TP-Link Archer C3200 is quite unusual in the
BCM43602 processors, each dedicated to one of
realm of AC3200 routers because of its relative
the router’s three radios.
compact size. It’s shaped like a Mini-PC and
Setting up was a bit of mixed bag because the
channels much of the same aesthetic spirit as the
Archer C3200’s user interface isn’t as polished
Linksys EA9200.
as its rivals; many times, it isn’t
The antennas are especially
apparent where some of the
nifty, because while they aren’t
options are. Most of all, the QoS
removable, they can be neatly
option is a pain to configure
folded away into specially cut-out
because you must manually define
tunnels on the top panel. The top
Most affordable.
applications, IP and port ranges.
panel also has vents that allow
Pretty good
Fortunately, the Archer C3200
heat to escape to keep the router
performance.
actually comes preconfigured
cool.
and a sticker on the router will
The front panel is where
indicate its preconfigured SSID
users will find a row of LED
and password.
status indicators, which are less
Like most high-end routers
comprehensive than we would
User interface isn’t
today, the Archer C3200 can
have liked them to be. There are
as polished. Lacking
also be remotely controlled and
no individual indicators for the
features found in
managed using TP-Link’s Tether
Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports - a fault
rivals.
app, which is available for iOS
found in many other routers. So if
and Android devices. The app is
the lights for the LAN ports go off,
a pretty basic, but it shows you a
you’ll need to spend some time to
network map that lets you see devices connected
figure out which exact port is malfunctioning.
to your router, and also allows you to manage
And again, the Archer C3200 is powered by
your Wi-Fi and guest networks settings, and
the same Broadcom 5G XStream chipset found in
also activate or deactivate your parental control
other AC3200-class routers. This chipset consists
settings.
of a single dual-core Broadcom BCM4709A running
AT A GLANCE
Frequency bands
2.4GHz and 2x 5GHz
Ports
1x Gigabit Ethernet
WAN, 4x Gigabit
Ethernet LAN
Total data transfer
rate
3,200Mbps
Price
RM989
Buttons for WPS setup and
turning the Wi-Fi on and off are
conveniently located in front.
LED status indicators up front
quickly let users know if the
router is working properly.
The Archer CS3200’s UI needs
more refinement, as some
features are difficult to setup.
62
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
5GHz Downlink Speeds
(Mbps)
ASUS RT-AC5300
(higher is better)
The ASUS RT-5300 router’s performance was the
strongest of the lot. Though it wasn’t the quickest router
at two meters, its recorded speed of 173.71Mbps is still
very respectable. What’s more impressive, however, is its
downlink speed at our farthest test range of 17 meters.
At this extreme range it still managed 155.21Mbps,
which is a good 12 percent fastest than the secondplaced TP-Link Archer C3200.
173.71
155.21
D-LINK DIR-890L
173.03
136.62
LINKSYS EA9200
180.52
123.71
NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK X8
178.54
128.16
TP LINK ARCHER C3200
2m
17m
5GHz Uplink Speeds
(Mbps)
ASUS RT-AC5300
156.51
(higher is better)
Again, the ASUS RT-5300 router impressed us with its
strong overall performance. Its recorded uplink speed
of 156.51Mbps was the highest at two meters, and
its showing at 17 meters wasn’t too bad either. At 17
meters, the RT-AC5300 router managed 95.83Mbps,
which is only a shade slower than the Linksys EA9200
router’s 103.09Mbps.
174.60
137.84
95.83
D-LINK DIR-890L
150.75
74.72
LINKSYS EA9200
152.81
103.09
NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK X8
152.89
93.68
TP LINK ARCHER C3200
2m
17m
5GHz File Transfer Speeds
(Mbps)
147.72
72.81
ASUS RT-AC5300
242.42
(higher is better)
The ASUS RT-5300 router cemented its position as a
speed demon by recording the fastest speeds in our
file transfer test. In this test, we recorded its speed
as the router was tasked to download a 1GB file. Its
performance at 17 meters was especially noteworthy as
its recorded speed of 186.05Mbps was a very significant
18 percent faster than the second-placed D-Link DIR-890L
router.
186.05
D-LINK DIR-890L
235.29
156.86
LINKSYS EA9200
235.29
125.00
NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK X8
148.15
228.57
TP LINK ARCHER C3200
2m
17m
235.29
125.00
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
63
T E S T - TRI-BAND ROUTER SHOOTOUT
MODEL
NETWORKING
STANDARDS
FREQUENCY RANGE
SECURITY
ANTENNAS
PORTS
DIMENSIONS
ASUS RTAC5300
D-LINK
DIR-890L
LINKSYS
EA9200
NETGEAR
NIGHTHAWK X8
TP-LINK
ARCHER C3200
802.11ac/b/g/n/a
802.11ac/b/g/n/a
802.11ac/b/g/n/a
802.11ac/b/g/n/a
802.11ac/b/g/n/a
2.4GHz and
5GHz
2.4GHz and
5GHz
2.4GHz and
5GHz
2.4GHz and
5GHz
2.4GHz and
5GHz
WPA/WPA2
WPS support
WPA & WPA2
WPS support
WPA & WPA2
WPS support
WPA/WPA2-PSK
WPS support
WPA/WPA2-PSK
WPS support
8x external
antennas
6x external
antennas
3x external
antennas
4x external
active antennas
6x external
antennas
1x Gigabit
Ethernet WAN
4x Gigabit
Ethernet
LAN (2 with
aggregation)
1x USB 3.0
1x USB 2.0
1x Gigabit
Ethernet WAN
4x Gigabit
Ethernet LAN
1x USB 3.0
1x USB 2.0
1x Gigabit
Ethernet WAN
4x Gigabit
Ethernet LAN
1x USB 3.0
1x USB 2.0
1x Gigabit WAN
6x Gigabit LAN
ports (2 with
aggregation)
1x USB 3.0
1x USB 2.0
1x Gigabit
Ethernet WAN
4x Gigabit
Ethernet LAN
1x USB 3.0
1x USB 2.0
245 x 245 x
65 mm
387 x 247.3 x
119.5 mm
248 x 195 x
50 mm
316 x 264 x
61 mm
200 x 200 x
39 mm
ADDING IT ALL UP
AC5300 and AC3200, ever wonder what do these numbers mean and
how do manufacturers come up with these numbers? To begin, the
numbers indicate the total data transfer rate supported by the routers
and it is quoted in Mbps or megabits per second.
8 bits is a byte, so 5,300Mbps is equivalent to 662.5MB/s, whereas
3,200Mbps is 400MB/s.
Also important to note is this quoted total data transfer rate is
achieved by adding up the bandwidth offered by all broadcasted
networks. In the case of an AC3200-class router, its single 2.4GHz
network offers 600Mbps while its two 5GHz networks offer 1,300Mbps.
Add them all up and you get 3,200Mbps.
For AC5300 routers, because they support 4x4 spatial streams and a
special new technology called NitroQAM, the maximum bandwidth of
each stream is boosted. This results in 1,000Mbps on the 2.4GHz band
and 2,150Mbps on each of the 5GHz band. Add them all up and you get
5,300Mbps.
PICTURE ASUS
64
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
AND THE BEST
TRI-BAND ROUTER IS
ASUS RT-AC5300
ASUS has been especially dominant in the realm of high-end performance routers
and they didn’t disappoint with the RT-AC5300 router. When they unveiled the RTAC5300 router at IFA 2015, it took the networking world by storm with its impressive
specifications and radical design. Besides its looks, the RT-AC5300 router can actually boast of blazing-fast
performance and a rich set of features. Performance was strong on both uplink and
downlink sides, and it was also consistent throughout all tested ranges. In addition
to its class-leading performance, the RT-AC5300 router comes loaded with useful
features including two aggregated LAN ports, remote router management, cloud
storage functionality and AiProtection. For anyone looking for a high-end router that
can do it all, it doesn’t get much better than this.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
65
T E S T - HIGH-END PCIE SSD SHOOTOUT
INTEL SSD 750 SERIES
channels give it a huge advantage over most
The Intel SSD 750 Series can best be summarized
client-grade SSD controllers, which only have an
as the consumer version of the enterprise-focused
8-channel design. However, one feature notably
SSD DC P3700 SSD. It was one of the first PCIemissing is support for hardware encryption.
based SSDs to support the wide and fast PCIe 3.0
While the controller is likely to offer better
x4 interface and also the NVMe protocol. NVMe
performance, it also suffers from high power
(or Non-Volatile Memory Express) was developed
consumption. According to figures from Intel,
expressly for PCIe-based SSDs, and supersedes the
active and idle power draw
old AHCI protocol, with the goal to
for the smaller 400GB model
improve storage performance.
can be as high as 12W and 4W,
The SSD 750 Series is available
respectively, with no support for
in two form factors: a standard
Great all-round
DevSlp. In comparison, most SSDs
half-height half-length add-in card,
performance. Supports
with support for DevSlp can have
and also a 2.5-inch form factor that
the NVMe protocol.
idle power consumption figures
utilizes the new U.2 connector.
as low as 3mW.
A note about U.2 connectors;
The NAND in use in the SSD
they are only found on selected
750 Series is Micron’s 20nm
motherboards, so you may need
MLC NAND. The SSD 750 Series
an M.2 to U.2 connector if you do
Read performance can
is available in 400GB, 800GB and
opt for the 2.5-inch form factor.
be poor. No support for
1.2TB capacities. The reason for
The add-in card version features
hardware encryption.
these unconventional capacities is
a large and chunky silver heatsink
because a large amount of NAND
that covers the entire length of the
is dedicated to over-provisioning.
PCB board, whereas the 2.5-inch version looks like
The drive comes with a half-height installation
a thicker version of any other SATA-based SSD.
bracket, a CD containing Intel’s own NVMe driver,
Since the Intel SSD 750 Series is based heavily
and also Intel’s SSD Toolbox utility. This utility lets
on the SSD DC P3700, it is not surprising to see
users monitor and check on the drives’ status
the same mega 18-channel Intel CH29AE41AB0
and also quickly update its firmware when they
controller as its enterprise counterpart. This
become available. No cloning utility is provided.
controller is Intel’s own design and its 18 NAND
AT A GLANCE
Capacity
400GB
Controller
Intel CH29AE41AB0
NAND
Micron 20nm MLC
NAND
Price
RM1,699
Take note, the Intel SSD 750
Series uses a U.2 connector.
The Intel Toolbox utility makes
it easy for users to monitor
the drive and also update its
firmware.
68
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
KINGSTON HYPERX PREDATOR
PCIe 3.0 offers about 984MB/s of bandwidth per
Kingston has always been a prominent player
lane; PCIe 2.0 offers only about half or 500MB/s
in flash storage, but like Intel, has languished
per lane. Still, with support for four PCIe 2.0 lanes,
somewhat over the past two years. While
the HyperX Predator is no slouch. Sequential read
competitors have since ditched the aging
and write speeds for the 480GB drive that we have
SandForce’s SF-2281 controller, Kingston stuck to
here is claimed to be in the region of 1,400MB/s
SandForce with its HyperX Fury SSD from 2014.
and 1,000MB/s, respectively.
Unsurprisingly, it was no longer a competitive
Speed aside, another thing
offering.
readers should take note is that
Kingston has since re-doubled
the HyperX Predator does not
its efforts, swiftly switching the
support the NVMe protocol and
HyperX Fury to a more modern
Decent all-round
the drive also does not offer
Phison controller and turning to
performance. Drive can
hardware encryption.
Marvell for its flagship HyperX
fit in PCIe or M.2 slots.
As for the NAND memory,
Predator drive.
Kingston has opted to go with
The HyperX Predator is an M.2
Toshiba’s extremely popular
drive mounted on a PCIe adapter,
A19nm MLC NAND that also sees
and that’s not a bad thing at
action in a lot of other SSDs.
all. This means users have the
No hardware
The HyperX Predator comes in
flexibility to use the drive in either
encryption. Only
capacities of 240GB and 480GB.
a PCIe or M.2 slots. Simply remove
supports PCIe 2.0 x4.
Finally, the drive comes with
the securing screw and you can
a half-height installation bracket
even use the HyperX Predator in
and also a CD-key for downloading Acronis True
notebooks if it has a free M.2 slot.
Image, which is a useful cloning tool for those who
The Kingston HyperX Predator uses Marvell’s
intend to migrate their data from another drive.
new 88SS9293 controller and supports the PCIe
Unfortunately, there’s no drive management utility,
2.0 x4 interface. Even though the 88SS9293 is
but updating firmware was a cinch as Kingston
Marvell’s first controller to support PCIe 2.0 x4, it
provides executable files that makes firmware
is at a disadvantage when compared to drives that
updates pain-free.
support the wider and faster PCIe 3.0 x4 interface.
AT A GLANCE
Capacity
480GB
Controller
Marvell 88SS9293
NAND
Toshiba A19nm MLC
NAND
Price
RM2,049 (drive only)
RM2,099 (with adapter)
If you have a M.2 slot, you can
detach the drive from the PCIe
adapter.
The PCIe adapter fits into any
PCIe x4 slot.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
69
T E S T - HIGH-END PCIE SSD SHOOTOUT
PLEXTOR M6E BLACK EDITION
x2 interface. This means that its interface only
For the most part, if you have seen one SSD, you
has half the bandwidth of the Kingston HyperX
have seen them all. However, the Plextor M6e Black
Predator and only a fraction of SSDs that support
Edition manages to pull off the rare trick of being
PCIe 3.0 x4.
able to look attractive. The entire drive enclosure is
Fortunately, the Plextor M6e Black Edition
black and has an appealing sandblasted finish.
redeems itself in other ways. Plextor is generally
Looking around the drive, we can see that Plextor
regarded by enthusiasts to be one of the more
has outfitted it with LED status indicators, an
reliable SSDs brands around, and the reason for
additional 15-pin external SATA power connector,
this is apparent once you learn
plus extra pins that can be used to
about their rigorous testing
connect to HDD status indicators.
procedures. Pre-production units
You won’t find all these bells and
of Plextor’s SSDs are put through
whistles on the other drives.
Attractive drive. Lots of
a series of hard testing before
Plextor has been utilizing
useful bundled utilities.
they can be approved for retail.
Marvell controllers in their
This include a 100% burn-in
drives for some time now and
and aging test; a 48-hour long
the flagship M6e Black Edition
sustained read and write test;
continues in this tradition. Under
250 times boot cycle test; and
the proverbial hood is Marvell’s
Only supports PCIe
2.0 x2. Prohibitively
a 4000 time idle recovery test.
88SS9183 controller as well as
expensive.
This explains why Plextor drives
Toshiba’s A19nm MLC NAND. And
are generally one of the most
if you actually peel the heatsink
reliable around.
and enclosure off, you will find
On top of that, the Plextor M6e Black Edition
that the M6e Black Edition is a M.2 drive mounted
also supports a host of Plextor technologies,
onto a PCIe adapter - just like the Kingston HyperX.
including PlexTool, PlexTurbo, PlexVault,
Unfortunately, doing so voids your warranty, so
PlexCompressor, TrueSpeed and TrueProtect. These
the M6e Black Edition does not have the same
help improve and maintain drive performance, as
flexibility as the Kingston drive.
well as allow users to easily monitor and upgrade
The disappointing thing about the Plextor M6e
their drive’s firmware.
Black Edition is that it only supports the PCIe 2.0
AT A GLANCE
Capacity
512GB
Controller
Marvell 88SS9183
NAND
Toshiba A19nm MLC
NAND
Price
TBA
These pins can be connected
to your chassis' LED status
indicators.
There's an additional 15-pin
external SATA power connector,
should your motherboard be
incapable of providing enough
juice.
70
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
SAMSUNG SSD 950 PRO
more queues, to take advantage of the extremely
For the past four years, Samsung has made
low latency of flash-based storage.
important announcements at its annual SSD Global
Elsewhere, the SSD 950 Pro uses Samsung’s
Summit. In 2015, the highlight was the new SSD
own triple-core UBX controller and 32-layer MLC
950 Pro, Samsung’s newest flagship and its first
V-NAND. Vertical NAND was specially developed by
consumer PCIe-based SSD.
Samsung to address the shortcomings of current
The Samsung SSD 950 Pro is only available
planar NAND. It stacks cells on top of each other
in an M.2 form factor, so it is incredibly small. It
so that there’s no need to cramp cells so closely
also means that users without an appropriate
together. Cells that are too closely
M.2 connector will need to
packed together can cause
rely on an M.2 to PCIe adapter.
disruption, data corruption and
It supports the PCIe 3.0 x4
suffer from poorer endurance.
interface, which is something
Very fast. Good features.
As a result, the 512GB SSD 950
that many Samsung users have
Reasonably priced.
Pro is guaranteed to be good for
demanded because the SATA
up to 400TB of writes, this works
interface was clearly limiting the
out to over 200GB of writes per
performance of past Samsung
day - significantly more than its
flagship drives. Thanks to its
competitors. That said, because of
support for PCIe 3.0 x4, the
Erratic write
the lack of space on a M.2 stick,
512GB version of the SSD 950
performance on
certain workloads.
the SSD 950 Pro is presently only
Pro has rated sequential read
available in smaller 256GB and
and write speeds of a whopping
512GB capacities.
2,500MB/s and 1,500MB/s,
The drive is packaged as-is without any
respectively - roughly three to five times quicker
additional accessories, however, Samsung does
than SATA-based SSDs.
provide a utility called Samsung Magician, which
To further boost performance, the SSD 950 Pro
can be used to monitor and manage the drive.
is also one of the few consumer SSDs available
Samsung also provides its own data migration
now that supports the new NVMe protocol, like
software for users to easily migrate data from one
the Intel SSD 750 Series. In a nutshell, NVMe
drive to the new Samsung SSD.
allows for more commands per queue and also
AT A GLANCE
Capacity
512GB
Controller
Samsung UBX
NAND
Samsung V-NAND
Price
TBA
The Samsung Magician utility lets
users monitor the drive's status
and makes it easy to update its
firmware.
To the right is Samsung's
proprietary UBX controller. The
smaller chip to the right is the
512MB LPDDR3 DRAM buffer.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
71
T E S T - HIGH-END PCIE SSD SHOOTOUT
AS SSD
INTEL SSD 750 SERIES
1,877.51
(higher is better)
AS SSD is a benchmark that uses non-compressible and
completely random data. This benchmark is useful because
some controllers, like the once popular but now defunct
SandForce SF-2281, compress data first before moving them
around. However, with non-compressible and random data,
controllers cannot compress the data first, which forces
them to deal with data as they are. Therefore, this is a useful
benchmark to prevent drivers using controllers like the
SF-2281 controller or similar from gaining an upper hand.
Sequential Read (MB/s)
971.51
KINGSTON HYPERX PREDATOR
1,208.70
950.25
PLEXTOR M6E BLACK EDITION
643.89
592.90
SAMSUNG SSD 950 PRO
PCMark 8
1,851.33
907.96
Sequential Write (MB/s)
INTEL SSD 750 SERIES
5,064
(higher is better)
PCMark 8 is the most up-to-date system benchmarking
software from benchmarking specialist Futuremark. It was
designed for Windows 8 machines and the storage suite
tests put drives through a collection of 10 different real-life
workloads involving applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator,
InDesign, Word, Excel, and even games like Battlefield 3 and
World of Warcraft.
479.24
KINGSTON HYPERX PREDATOR
5,019
339.12
PLEXTOR M6E BLACK EDITION
5,013
333.96
SAMSUNG SSD 950 PRO
5,095
Storage Score
667.51
Storage speeds
ATTO Disk Benchmark
(higher is better)
ATTO is one of the oldest and most commonly used storage
benchmarks around, and it is a useful tool to gauge a drive’s
adeptness at managing compressible data. It’s also useful
for seeing how a drive performs across a variety of different
transfer block sizes and queue depths.
INTEL SSD 750 SERIES
156.74
484.93
KINGSTON HYPERX PREDATOR
341.9
315.8
PLEXTOR M6E BLACK EDITION
311.4
265.8
SAMSUNG SSD 950 PRO
553.3
524.7
INTEL SSD 750 SERIES
1,063
1,776
KINGSTON HYPERX PREDATOR
1,498.5
1,013
PLEXTOR M6E BLACK EDITION
4K, 5 queue depth Read (MB/s)
4K, 5 queue depth Write (MB/s)
723.7
614.3
SAMSUNG SSD 950 PRO
2,297
512K, 5 queue depth Read (MB/s)
512K, 5 queue depth Write (MB/s)
72
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
956.4
INTEL SSD 750 SERIES
KINGSTON HYPERX
PREDATOR
PLEXTOR M6E BLACK
EDITION
SAMSUNG SSD 950 PRO
CAPACITY
400GB
480GB
512GB
512GB
INTERFACE
PCIe 3.0 x4
PCIe 2.0 x4
PCIe 2.0 x2
PCIe 3.0 x4
Intel CH29AE41AB0
Marvell 88SS9293
Marvell 88SS9183
Samsung UBX
Micron 20nm
MLC NAND
Toshiba A19nm
MLC NAND
Toshiba A19nm
MLC NAND
128Gbit 32-layer
3D V-NAND
SEQUENTIAL
PERFORMANCE
Sequential read:
Up to 2,200MB/s
Sequential write:
Up to 900MB/s
Sequential read:
Up to 1,400MB/s
Sequential write:
Up to 1,000MB/s
Sequential read:
Up to 770MB/s
Sequential write:
Up to 625MB/s
Sequential read:
Up to 2,500MB/s
Write: Up to 1,500MB/s
RANDOM
PERFORMANCE
Random 4K read:
Up to 430,000 IOPS
Random 4K write:
Up to 230,000 IOPS
Random 4k read:
Up to 130,000 IOPS
Random 4k write:
Up to 118,000 IOPS
Random 4K read:
105,000 IOPS
Random 4K write:
100,000 IOPS
Random 4k read:
Up to 300,000 IOPS
Random 4k write:
Up to 110,000 IOPS
HHHL add-in card or 2.5inch with U.2 connector
M.2 with HHHL adapter
HHHL add-in card
M.2
MODEL
CONTROLLER
NAND
SSD FORMAT
UNDERSTANDING THE PCIE INTERFACE
SSDs are very fast and the SATA interface that many consumer
SSDs currently use isn’t providing enough bandwidth to fully
maximize an SSD’s potential. SATA in its current iteration provides
just 6Gbps of bandwidth. After taking encoding inefficiencies into
account, you are looking at about 4.8Gbps or 600MB/s, which also
explain why most SATA-based SSDs currently top out at around
at that speed. Now, the PCIe interface offers significantly more
bandwidth. The latest version, PCIe 3.0, offers roughly 984MB/s per
lane. This in turn means that the fastest PCIe-based SSDs today,
which supports PCIe 3.0 x4, enjoy a maximum bandwidth of roughly
4GB/s - that’s six times more than SATA 6Gbps. PCIe 2.0, on the
other hand, serves up 500MB/s per lane. As a result, PCIe 2.0 SSDs
are usually slower than PCIe 3.0 SSDs.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
73
T E S T - HIGH-END PCIE SSD SHOOTOUT
AND THE BEST
HIGH-END PCIE SSD IS
SAMSUNG SSD 950 PRO
For the past two or so years, Samsung has
done a stellar job in cementing its position
as the world’s foremost purveyor of SSDs.
Thanks to its enviable position as one of
the few truly integrated SSD manufacturers,
Samsung has been able to provide
innovative solutions and products like no
other SSD manufacturer can.
So unsurprisingly, the SSD 950 Pro is a
stellar drive and a worthy winner in this
shootout. Though Intel’s SSD 750 Series just
about matches it for speed, the SSD 950 Pro
is faster overall in our tests. Plus, it comes
with other useful features such as the
easy-to-use Samsung Magician utility and
support for hardware encryption, which
makes the 512GB SSD 950 Pro an easy drive
to recommend to hardcore system builders
who want to splurge on the best.
74
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
T E S T
AT A GLANCE
Type
Bluetooth in-ear
earphones
Driver Diameter
10.2mm (dynamic)
Frequency Response
18Hz – 23kHz
Connection
Bluetooth 4.1
Price
RM455 (incl. 6% GST)
STYLISHBEATS
Sudio Vasa Blå
Judging by the popularity
of music services like
Spotify, and the fact that the
app has been downloaded
4.8 million times on Google
Play, a lot of us love to listen
to music. With this in mind,
Swedish company Sudio opted
to introduce the Vasa Blå
Bluetooth in-ear headphones.
The Vasa Blå is actually
an updated version of
Sudio’s rather popular Vasa
earphones, featuring Bluetooth
connectivity, rather than the
standard 3.5mm jack. This is a
double-edged sword because
on one hand, you're getting
wireless freedom, while
at the same time, you're
at the mercy of the
rechargeable battery.
Without beating (pun!)
around the bush, let's talk
about the sound quality of
these earphones. During our
time with these earphones,
we played a number of tracks
that emphasized different
76
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
things. Adele's 'Hello' sounded
great, with solid vocals and
distinguishable instruments
in the background. With
Hozier's 'Take Me to Church'
however, the highs were
slightly overwhelming.
Overall, we found that these
earphones perform well with
instrumental music, but suffer
slightly when it comes to rock.
One thing’s for certain
though, the sound profile
is tuned for accuracy, which
is something that classical
and instrumental lovers will
appreciate. If you're a bass
head, you'll want to head
to the equalizer to boost
the bass. It's also important
to note that it's best to
pair these earphones with
smartphones with aptX
technology, for better
audio quality.
These earphones are also
equipped with a microphone,
which is located in the in-line
remote control, allowing you
Here's what's bundled with the
Sudio Vasa Blå.
CONCLUSION
to receive calls easily, and
continue listening to your
music afterwards.
In terms of usage and
design, the Vasa Blå looks
great, especially in the Rose
Gold/Black color scheme that
we reviewed. They're light,
and when placed behind the
neck, feel almost weightless.
There's an in-line remote
control close to the right
earpad, and a small module
for you to connect a MicroUSB cable to charge it. Four
differently-sized sleeves are
bundled, so finding one that's
comfortable is easy.
In a nutshell, we found
the Sudio Vasa Blå to be a
good pair of in-ear Bluetooth
earphones. They offer handsfree functionality, and have a
fairly accurate sound profile.
At around RM400, they're also
reasonably priced, making this
an easy recommendation.
A stylish pair of
Bluetooth in-ear
earphones that
sounds good.
SPECIFICATIONS
Sensitivity 112dB // Impedance
32 Ohm // Housing Composite,
aluminum // Weight 14g // Battery
Up to eight hours // Warranty
1-year // Contact TJM Products Sdn
Bhd // Telephone (03) 7984 7844 //
URL sudiosweden.com
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.0
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
By Bryan Chan
T E S T
REINVENTING
THEWHEEL
Logitech G310 Atlas Dawn
If you had a dozen
different mechanical
keyboards manufactured by
a dozen different companies
laid on a table in front of you,
there’s a very good possibility
that you could point your finger
at either one of them and
correctly claim that it’s fitted
with key switches that are
made by Cherry, a Germanbased keyboard maker.
This is unless one of the
keyboards on display happens
to be the G310 Atlas Dawn,
which has been fitted with
Logitech’s own Romer-G
mechanical switches rather
than Cherry’s tried-and-proven
ones. A very brazen move by
Logitech, no doubt, but will it
be good enough to win over
the fingers of the many Cherry
switch purists out there?
But before we delve into
that, let’s go ahead and talk
about the G310’s design and
features. First and foremost,
you won’t find a number pad
on the G310, as the extra
length would only make it
cumbersome to be carried
with you to your next gaming
tournament or LAN party. And
with a modest weight of 765g,
you really shouldn’t end up
building any muscles while
you carry the G310 around.
The only perceivable flaw
about the G310’s design is its
cable, which unfortunately isn’t
detachable.
Located behind the G310
is its removable Arx Dock,
which can be used to prop up
your smartphone or tablet.
There’s a legitimate reason for
this: if you were to download
the free Logitech Arx Control
app onto your iOS or Android
device, you’ll be able to use
it as a second screen to
display additional information
regarding your PC’s
performance or compatible
games.
Now then, let’s talk about
the key (pardon the pun)
component of the G310
– its keys.
Each key is centerilluminated, which in layman’s
terms simply means that
they are fitted with their own
individual LED light, complete
with four brightness levels.
Unlike the bog-standard
keycaps that are fitted onto
most mechanical gaming
keyboards, the Performance
Facet Keycaps – yes, that’s
what they’re actually called –
of the G310 are intentionally
designed with edges that
are raised ever-so-slightly to
improve your performance
in-game.
While they’re not going to
turn you into a professional
gamer overnight, they will,
however, help guide your
fingers back to the center of
the keys as they scramble
about while you’re gaming,
without you needing to take
your eyes off what’s happening
on-screen.
As we’ve established
earlier, the G310 is fitted with
Logitech’s proprietary Romer-G
switches, which sad to say,
aren’t particularly satisfying
to type on. Yes, Logitech says
that they provide “up to 25
percent faster key switch
actuation”, but the fact of the
matter is, the keypresses feel
mushy and lacks any tactile
feedback whatsoever. If we
were to compare the ‘feel’ of
the Romer-G switches with one
of Cherry’s MX switches, we
would probably say that it feels
somewhat similar to a Cherry
MX Brown switch – but quieter
and significantly less gratifying.
By Peter Chu
AT A GLANCE
Switch
Mechanical
Backlighting
Blue Only, Customizable
Customizable Keys
No
Multimedia Keys
Yes
(shared with function
keys)
Price
RM499 (incl. 6% GST)
The Game Mode button of
the G310 Atlas Dawn can be
modified to disable certain keys.
CONCLUSION
Do try out
the Romer-G
switches on the
Logitech G310
Atlas Dawn
before you buy.
SPECIFICATIONS
Cord Length 1.8m // Features
Romer-G mechanical switches, Arx
Dock, Game Mode, backlight on/off
button (with four brightness levels)
// Weight 0.765kg // Warranty
2-years // Contact MCL Berhad //
Telephone (03) 8024 9909 // URL
www.logitech.com
T E S T E D & R AT E D
7.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
77
T E S T
SLEEK,LIGHTWEIGHT & SNAPPY
Acer Aspire R 14
Back when Microsoft
first launched its first
iteration of the Surface Pro
in 2012, the concept of the
notebook, and by extension,
the Ultrabook, was reimagined
for the vox populi. Since
then, many companies have
tried (rigorously) to emulate
Microsoft's success with their
2-in-1 convertibles. The end
results of their efforts have
been a hit or miss, while some
of them are complete mimics
of the notebooks. Luckily for
us, the Acer Aspire R 14 is its
own kind of 2-in-1 convertible.
But the question is: is it a hit?
The brush metallic motif of
the Aspire R 14 is appealing
to look at, and equally as
satisfying to the touch when
we used it as our daily driver
(In fact, this review was
written entirely with this unit).
Its performance isn't too
shoddy either, having scored
an average of 3,800 points
on the accelerated option for
both the Home and Creative
benchmarks of PCMark 8.
By comparison to other
notebooks, that score isn't
too bad, especially when you
consider that this model is
only packing a 6th generation
Intel Core i5 mobile processor,
and a meager 4GB of LPDDR3
RAM.
One caveat that we noticed
while reviewing the Aspire R
14 was with its display. Yes,
it's nice that Acer actually
managed to fit in a 16:9 ratio,
Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display
into the notebook, but again,
compared to other notebooks,
its brightness levels seemed
rather subdued. We're not
saying that it's a bad thing, but
even at maximum brightness,
we still had to squint our eyes
at the display from time to
time.
That aside, the experience
with this notebook wasn't
bad. Despite its paltry 4GB
of RAM, we still managed to
play some of our own media
content on the device. Out in
the wild (by that, we mean
cafés and restaurants most
of the time), we were able to
watch movies and YouTube
videos comfortably, setting the
device up in tent mode. While
on the move, we switched to
the Aspire R 14's tablet mode
to make reading a little easier,
and back to its laptop state
whenever we found a table.
Endurance on the Aspire R
14 was something of a mild
disappointment for us. On the
battery life test for PCMark 8,
we only received a maximum
of three hours and 18 minutes
on a full charge, which is
really not what we'd expect
of a new notebook using
Intel's ‘Skylake’ architecture.
However, outside of the
synthetic benchmark and in
our basic use of the device,
the device actually lasted
significantly longer and giving
us nearly six hours of emails,
videos, and other work-related
tasks.
Processor
2.4GHz Intel Core i56200U
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Memory
4GB LPDDR3
Storage
128GB M.2 SSD
Price
RM2,899
The addition of a USB Type-C
port makes this notebook futureproof.
By John Law
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
AT A GLANCE
CONCLUSION
Acer's refresh of
the Aspire R 14
is essentially its
way of futureproofing the
device for the
next several
years to come.
SPECIFICATIONS
Display 14-inch Full HD (1,920
x 1,080) touch screen w/ 360
rotatable hinge // Graphics Intel
HD Graphics 520 // I/O Ports 1x
Power Port, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x
USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x HDMI-out,
1x headphone and microphone jack
combo, SD card reader // Battery
4-cell Li-Prismatic (3,220mAh) //
Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Wi-Fi + Bluetooth // Dimensions
342.9 (W) x 243.8 (D) x 17.7 (H) mm
// Weight 1.9kg // Warranty 1-year
// Contact Acer Sales and Services
Sdn Bhd // Telephone 1 800 88
1288 // URL www.acer.com.my
78
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
GAMING
BUSINESS
Lenovo ideacentre Y900
The Lenovo ideacentre
Y900 is a pre-build
desktop gaming rig that
packs power in a case that is
both subtly eye-catching and
practical. Although not for the
DIY purist at heart, this gaming
rig from the number one PC
maker in the world, certainly
has its advantages.
Design-wise, the ideacentre
Y900 checks off all the boxes
of what you'd expect from a
modern gaming PC: it's black,
has glowing red lights, and
looks as if it came out from a
sci-fi movie. That said, it does
not look ‘out of this world’, but
rather more down to earth.
The chassis also has an easyto-open transparent side panel
that lets you not only gaze at
its graphics card and internal
components under warm red
lights, but also access them.
The side panel pops right
off once you flip a lock switch,
and hit a button on the top
of the machine, allowing you
to easily gain access to the
components without busting
out a toolkit. The Y900's
hot-swap hard drive bays
can be opened with a quick
push, though you'll need a
screwdriver once it's time
to change graphics cards
– an understated, but very
appreciated feature.
Another design feature we
appreciate is how clean the
inside of the chassis really
is. Everything is accessible,
with no nests of wires
clogging things up. This makes
upgrading the Y900 a painless
and easy process.
It can be configured with
up to a 6th generation Intel
Core i7 processor, backed
by up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM
(achievable using four DIMM
slots), and there's enough
space to slot in another
graphics card for a dual GPU
setup. There's also ample
space for up to four hard
drives that can store up to
2TB each.
The review unit that we
received was fitted with an
Intel Core i7-5500U processor
with 8GB of memory, 2TB
of storage, and an NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 970 graphics
card.
It was able to handle our
test games with little problem.
In our benchmark tests, it
scored a higher than average
9,693 and 5,025 on Fire Strike
and Fire Strike Extreme, and a
commendable 2,590 on
Fire Strike Ultra. These
numbers show that the Y900
is more than capable of
handling 1080p gaming, but
an upgrade is needed to
achieve 4K gaming.
As this is a Lenovo PC, we
also put the Y900 through
3DMark’s Home and Creative
tests. It scored 4,623 in the
Home test, clearly showing
that it is overpowered for
typical everyday tasks. In
Creative, however, the Y900
prove to be a competent
companion for the creative at
heart by scoring a high 6,091
in tests that include video and
graphics rendering.
Finally, at retail, the
ideacentre Y900 comes
bundled with a Lenovo Y
mousepad, gaming mouse,
and gaming tactical keyboard.
AT A GLANCE
Processor
6th generation Intel Core
i7-5500U
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
Memory
8GB RAM
Storage
2TB HDD
Price
RM6,499
The open, spacious, and easilyaccessible interior of the Y900
reflects its possibilities.
CONCLUSION
The Lenovo
ideacentre Y900
is a gaming PC
for beginners
and experts
alike.
by Azizul Rahman Ismail
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
SPECIFICATIONS
OS Windows 10 // Audio 7.1
Surround Sound with Dolby Home
Theater // Rear Ports 2x USB 2.0,
4x USB 3.0, 1x Gigabit LAN,1x HDMI
/ 1x VGA / 1x DVI, 6x audio jack with
SPDIF (7.1 Surround Sound), 1x PS/2
Combo // Front Ports 7-in-1 card
reader (SD / SDHC / SDXC / MMC
plus / MMC / MS / MS_Pro), 2x USB
2.0, 2x USB 3.0 (1st port support
always on USB charging), 2x audio /
microphone jack // Case Volume
34 liters // Color Black with red
accents and LEDs // Dimensions
206.4 x 503.5 x 478.9 mm // Weight
Starts at 15kg // Warranty 3-years
// Contact Lenovo Technology Sdn
Bhd // Telephone (03) 7681 8000 //
URL www.lenovo.com/my
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
79
T E S T
LANPORTSOVERWHELMING
ASUS RT-AC88U
Wireless routers usually
come with four LAN ports,
and the rest of the features
usually emphasize on its ability
to work wirelessly, hence
the name. There have been
much advancement in Wi-Fi
technology, and unless you’re
looking at a small network
switch, routers usually have
the same four LAN ports.
This time, we’re looking at
something a little bit different:
the ASUS RT-AC88U.
And the difference is a
small, but significant one: it
has eight LAN ports. Doubling
the number of LAN ports
allows for more devices to be
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
connected via LAN cable, while
keeping the wireless bands
free to serve the ever-growing
number of devices that don’t
come with an RJ45 port for
their connectivity needs. The
eight LAN ports also allow for
better use of the 802.3ad Link
Aggregation Group technology,
which lets you use two RJ45
cables as a single connection
when connected to a NAS.
Of course, this doesn’t mean
the RT-AC88U is skimping on
its wireless features. It’s an
AC3100 router, which means it
has a 2.4GHz band going with
speeds of up to 1,000Mbps,
a 5GHz band going up to
2,167Mbps, and support for
MU-MIMO. In other words,
this is one router that got you
covered whether you prefer
good old-fashioned cable
connections or wireless. On
current tech, our tests have
shown that in ranges of 5m,
10m and 15, the RT-AC88U will
get 1GB worth of files across
devices wirelessly in 42.8, 53.1,
and 55.9 seconds, respectively.
4GB, on the other hand, is
moved in two minutes 55.8
seconds, two minutes 58.5
seconds, and three minutes
and 15.7 seconds, respectively.
Making use of this
performance isn’t difficult
either. The UI is very
straightforward and unless you
love your network tweaks very
much, all you need to do is to
go in and set your passwords
for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz SSIDs.
Even if you don’t have a PC
with you, you will still be able
to go though the setup process
using the ASUS Router mobile
app. All you need to do to get
started is connect to one of the
router’s default SSIDs.
At this point, you might
also be wondering if there is
enough space for anything else
on a router that has eight LAN
ports. The good news is that it
does have a USB 2.0 and a USB
3.0 port that seemingly comes
as standard on most routers in
the class. And if you have a lot
of aggressive-looking gear for
your gaming setup – notebooks
or PC casings with aggressive
edges and peripherals of
similar design – then the ASUS
RT-AC88U fits perfectly in the
mix, with or without the four
detachable antennas.
by Ian Chee
AT A GLANCE
Standards
802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz +
802.11a/n/ac 5GHz
LAN Ports
8x 10/100/1000 LAN ports
WAN Port
1x 10/100/1000 WAN port
USB
1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0
Price
RM1,799
Eight of the LAN ports in all their
glory.
CONCLUSION
There are
probably more
LAN ports here
than you have
wired devices,
but wireless
still works
wondrously too.
SPECIFICATIONS
Signal Rate 5GHz: Up to
2,167Mbps, 2.4GHz: Up to
1,000Mbps // Antenna 4x external
// Security 64-bit WEP, 128-bit
WEP, WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK, WPAEnterprise , WPA2-Enterprise, WPS
support // Dimensions 300 (L) x
188 (W) x 60.5 (H) mm // Warranty
3-years // Contact SDS Distribution
Sdn Bhd / Advancenet Technology
Sdn Bhd // Telephone (03) 7788
8700 / (03) 8070 3633 // URL www.
asus.com/my
80
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
AT A GLANCE
Standards
802.11a/g/n/ac
Ports
1x USB 3.0, 4x Gigabit
Ethernet
Max. Link Rate
867Mbps
DLNA Certified
Yes
Price
RM699
The user interface is often
neglected on most routers, but
not on the Linksys EA6350.
ESSENTIALHOME
ROUTER
Linksys EA6350
Positioned at the top end
of the brand’s midrange
router offerings, the Linksys
EA6350 brings features
more commonly found in
higher-end models, but at a
more affordable price. It is
deceptively simple on the
outside, but its functionality
and toolset are definitely an
above average affair.
It is small, lightweight, and
sports the typical Linksys
design footprint. There’s
nothing substantially different
about the exterior of the
EA6350 next to the EA6300,
apart from its two antennas,
which are affixed permanently.
They swivel and tilt, but they
cannot be replaced.
While we did experience
some minor hiccups with
the initial setup wizard,
we were able to perform a
manual setup instead. It was a
relatively easy exercise, which
left us to wonder what the
initial setup wizard is for.
Once logged in, we were
welcomed by a pleasant and
intuitive user interface that
Linksys usually reserve for
higher-end router models.
The UI includes the complete
Smart Wi-Fi Tools, which is
one of the best features of
the EA6350. Other notable
inclusions are Guest Access,
and the Media Prioritization
tools.
The implementation of
Guest Access in this router is
one of the most user-friendly
implementations we've seen.
It is off by default, which is a
good thing, and once enabled,
the default settings are very
practical, leaving the feature
ready to be used as-is.
Media Prioritization is not
your typical QoS feature.
It uses a drag-and-drop
interface, allowing users to
enforce Internet traffic priority
not only to applications, but to
devices as well. You can also
add your own applications
to the list, while connected
devices appear automatically.
Being a Linksys Smart Wi-Fi
device, the EA6350 is also
compatible with the Linksys
Smart Wi-Fi app. It allows
users to enable and manage
parental controls, content
filtering, device monitoring,
router management, IP
cameras, and more – right
from their smart device.
Even with all these features,
speed poses no issue for the
EA6350, a dual-band router
rated at 300Mbps for 802.11n,
and 867Mbps for 802.11ac. In
our tests, the router is capable
of attaining an average
65MB/s speed, a respectable
result. You can squeeze a
little more performance by
making your preferred device
a priority, but that would
be at the expense of other
devices that are connected
to the router.
CONCLUSION
For those who
are looking for a
practical home
router with highend features,
look no further
than the Linksys
EA6350.
SPECIFICATIONS
Remote App Smart Wi-Fi //
Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet // Guest
Access Yes // Security WPA2,
RADIUS // Operating Frequency
2.4GHz and 5GHz concurrent //
Dimension 256 x 40 x 184 mm
// Warranty 1-year // Contact
Glocomp Systems Malaysia Sdn Bhd
// Telephone (03) 7652 1188 // URL
www.linksys.com/my
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
by Azizul Rahman Ismail
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
81
T E S T
AT A GLANCE
Capacity
32GB
Waterproof and
dustproof
Certified to IP57 ratingt
Compatibility
USB 3.0 compliant and 2.0
compatible
Interface
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB 3.0)
Price
TBA
POCKET DATA VAULT
Kingston DataTraveler 2000
Kingston DataTraveler
2000 is a USB drive that
features USB 3.0 speeds and
hardware level encryption. It’s
definitely intriguing, especially
to the more security-inclined
individuals. The DT2000 does
sacrifice ease of use to a
certain degree to ensure that
sensitive data stored within
your USB drive is for your
eyes only. Here, we take a
look at the trade-offs and see
if the DT2000 is worth your
consideration.
The DT2000 looks and
functions exactly like the
datAshur Pro drive by iStorage,
a company that specializes in
making hardware encrypted
storage device in the U.K. In
fact, it is basically a rebranding
of the exact same product.
The design and build
is a statement of quality.
The drive’s casing and its
accompanying matching
sleeve is made of durable
aluminium, which gives it a
sturdy feel. Once capped, the
gasket at the base of the drive
effectively turns the whole
thing waterproof. We like the
82
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
addition of a steel wire loop
at the end of the drive, as it
makes it easier to hang the
drive off of a keychain.
As we said at the beginning,
with security comes a level
of complexity. And in this
case, it comes in the form of
a passcode system, which is
also the main feature of the
drive. Although easy to use, it
is not exactly intuitive. A user
manual would have helped.
Instead, Kingston opted to
include a four-panel pictogram
and a URL to the online user
manual in its packaging
instead. It should be note the
URL took us to the product
page, instead of linking us
directly to the instructions.
Upon unlocking, you’ll find
a copy of the user manual
within the drive.
The two-line vertical
number pad used to input
the passcode onto the drive
is small, but clicks with each
press affirmatively. It’s going
to present some challenge
for people with wider fingers.
Nevertheless, the buttons
seem resilient enough from
wearing out or being damaged
over time.
Apples to apples, the
performance of the DT2000
is as we expect. In practice,
smaller files felt like they
took longer than they should
during transfer, while larger
files fared better. On the
other hand, the DT2000 is no
ordinary apple. It is encrypted
and built for security after
all, so a little slowdown is
acceptable.
by Azizul Rahman Ismail
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
Our test shows results that are
close to the rated speeds, but
only on sequential data.
CONCLUSION
For the security
conscious,
the Kingston
DataTraveler
2000 is a
powerful tool.
To everyone
else, it is a tough
USB device that
takes an extra
step to get into.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model DT2000 // Rated USB 3.1
Speed 135MB/s read, 40MB/s write
// Rated USB 2.0 Speed 30MB/s
read, 20MB/s write // Hardware
Data Encryption 256-bit AES in
XTS mode // Dimensions 80 x 20 x
10.5 mm // URL www.kingston.com
L A B
E X A M
LEAN, MEAN, AND SUBTLE
At Long Last, We Get Our Hands on AMD’s A10-7870K APU
By John Law
Yes, we know what some of you
are thinking, and yes, it’s been
nearly a year since AMD made the
A10-7870K available back in 2015.
The Accelerated Processing Unit
(APU) was supposed to be AMD’s
top-of-the-line APU, long before the
arrival of the current king of APUs,
the A10-7890K and its new silent
Wraith cooler (to be honest, we
would have loved to get our hands
on that APU). But to be fair, this is
the first APU that we’ve seen in
our labs since our February 2014
issue, when we tested the previous
herald of APUs at the time, the
A10-7850K.
But again, this is the first
APU that we received since its
predecessor, and believe it or
not, our time with the A10-7870K
revealed to us that it’s definitely
more meat than potatoes.
Godavari, A More Refined Kaveri
As an echo to the beginning of
this Lab Exam: AMD’s Kaveri
APU is old. Its 28nm die process
is both a dated and a legacy
component, especially since the
world has moved on towards
the manufacturing of processors
made with the 16nm and 14nm
die processes.
The A10-7870K is what many
amongst the media has deemed
as a ‘Refreshed Kaveri’, as well
as its official nomenclature:
Godavari. In the eyes of a general
consumer, Godavari is meant to be
an improvement over the A107850K Black Edition APU, and how.
Off the bat, the A10-7870K’s base
frequency is set at 3.9GHz, with
a turbo frequency of 4.1GHz. The
frequencies for the GPU cores have
been increased significantly as well
too, up from 720MHz on the A107850K to 866MHz on the Godavari.
To keep a long story short: that
frequency bump visually makes a
difference in both the performance
and experience, as you’ll see in our
charts further into this article.
It’s still fitted with the same
number of Compute Cores: four
CPU cores, along with eight GPU
cores, which are based on a revised
variation of AMD’s GCN (Graphics
Core Next) technology, the engine
that powers AMD’s latest Radeon
graphics cards. That itself makes a
world of a difference between AMD
and its direct competitor in this
field, Intel, especially when it comes
to running some of today’s video
game titles without the presence of
a dedicated graphics card.
Before we go any further, let us
be clear: the A10-7870K is not, by
any means, an iteration of AMD’s
mobile Carrizo APU. Far from
it, this APU is still based on the
current (and again, relatively dated)
Steamroller architecture, and not
the Excavator.
And so, with that out of the
way, let’s get right down to the
nitty gritty of all our Lab Exams:
the scores and performance
numbers of the A10-7870K, and
just how much it pulls itself in
front of the competition.
5000
P C M ar k 8 P e r f or m anc e B e nc hm ar k s
4524
4000
3857
3000
2576
2000
2246
1000
0
Creative
A 10-7870K (APU only)
Home
A 10-7870K (with R9 390X)
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
83
Well Oiled and Significantly Improved
As with all our Lab Exams, here’s a brief specifications
summary and what you get in the A10-7870K for a
mere US$138 (approx. RM564):
8000
• 28nm ‘Godavari’ Kaveri Refresh Architecture
• 12 Compute Cores (4 CPU + 8 GPU)
• CPU Frequencies: 3.9GHz Base Clock /
4.1GHz Boost Clock
• GPU Clock Speed: 866MHz
• 2x 96KB 3-Way Set Associative Share
Instructions L1 Cache
• 4x 16KB 4-Way Set Associative Data L1 Cache
• 4MB L2 Cache
• Memory Controller: DDR3-2133
• PCIe 3.0 Controller
• 95W TDP
• Socket FM2+
• AMD A88X Chipset
5000
While there isn’t much difference between the A107870K and the A10-7850K Black Edition physically, AMD
assured us that the former APU had been improved
upon in more ways than just a frequency bump (e.g.
the thermal interface of the A10-7870K had been
enhanced), and as such, would be able to perform that
much better than its predecessor.
Naturally, to run our benchmarks, we needed an
FM2+ motherboard. To that end, our testbed consisted
of the following components:
• ASRock Fatal1ty FM2A88X+ Killer
• Apacer 16GB 2,133MHz Thunderbird RAM
• Corsair H75 AiO Cooler with Dual High
Performance 120mm Fans
• Sapphire R9 390X NITRO 8GB
• Corsair RM1000 PSU
In order for us to see just how capable the A107870K really is, we didn’t want to just pit it against
its predecessor. We also benchmarked the APU in
two segments for its graphics performance: the first
segment with itself, and the second with a dedicated
graphics card that utilizes AMD’s current GCN 1.2
architecture (hence the R9 390X).
One thing to note: even without the graphics card,
we found it imperative to use a set of RAM sticks that
had high-speed memory frequencies (in this case, the
highest we had was 2,133MHz). The reason for this is
simple: as there is no external graphics card, RAM with
higher frequencies will inherently help the Compute
Cores inside an APU to perform more efficiently.
For our synthetic benchmarks, we ran the APU
under PCMark 8’s Home and Creative Suite, as well
3DMark’s Fire Strike test on both segments.
So how did it perform? To put it simply: AMD wasn’t
joking. Just on PCMark alone, the A10-7870K itself
scored 3,857 and 2,246 on the Creative and Home
test respectively, while with the graphics card, the
APU obtained a higher score of 4,524 and 2,576 on
the Creative and Home respectively. Even without an
external card, the APU’s score came very close to it
when it was tested by itself.
S y n theti c G am i n g
B en c hm ar k s (3 DMar k
Fire Strike Tes t)
7000
7235
6000
The score with the R9
390X notwithstanding,
the A10-7870K
is definitely more
capable than its
predecessor.
4000
3000
2000
1000
1599
1175
0
3DMark Fire Strike
A 10-7870K (APU only)
A 10-7850K (APU only)
A 10-7870K (with R9 390X)
Re al -T i m e B e n ch m arks # 1 ( A v e rage F P S )
A 1 0 - 7 8 7 0 K A P U v s . R 9 3 9 0 X ( at H i gh e s t P o s s i b l e G rap h i cs Setti n g )
15
Dragon Age:
Inquisition
32
14
The Witcher 3
34
AMD has certainly made
improvements with the A10-7870K.
24
Hitman:
Absolution
38
31
Tomb Raider
66.5
0
10
20
A 10-7850K
30
40
50
60
70
R9 390X
Re al -T i m e B e n ch m arks # 2 ( A v e rage F P S )
A 1 0 - 7 8 7 0 K A P U v s . R 9 3 9 0 X ( at H i gh e s t P o s s i b l e G rap h i cs Setti n g )
BioShock
Infinite
38
49.5
27
MGS V: TPP
35
27
Crysis 3
The APU can certainly hold its own,
even without the presence of an
external graphics card.
33
24
Fallout 4
27
21
Far Cry 4
46
19
Cities:
Skyline
13
0
10
A 10-7850K
84
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
20
R9 390X
30
40
50
60
Dragon Age: Inquisition
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Hitman Absolution
Tomb Raider
Bioshock Infinite
Metal Gear Solid V:
The Phantom Pain
Crysis 3
Fallout 4
Far Cry 4
Cities: Skyline
•
•
•
•
Dragon Age: Inquisition
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Hitman: Absolution
Tomb Raider
BioShock Infinite
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
(MGS V: TPP)
Crysis 3
Fallout 4
Far Cry 4
Cities: Skyline
A 10-7870K
(with R9 390X)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Av er ag e P ower Dr aw ( T DP )
A 1 0 - 7 8 7 0 K A P U v s. R9 39 0 X
A 10-7870K
(APU only)
3DMark’s Fire Strike test was where the difference in
power became quite stark, if not obvious. With the R9
390X, the system gave us a score of 7,235, while with
just the APU’s GPU cores (which are based on AMD’s
Radeon R7 Series GPU), the mighty processor managed
to achieve a score of 1,599. Before you start thinking
that the latter score is low, remember: this is an APU
running at full speed on a Full HD display. If anything,
that’s really impressive.
It didn’t even stop there, as the A10-7870K
continued to show us just how well it could hold its
own when we put it through some today’s modern
game titles, which were:
135
94
54
345
200
55
0
50
100
Idle
At Full HD and with each game’s graphics setting
tweaked between low and medium, we’re happy to
report that the A10-7870K was consistent throughout
all the games and barely skipped a beat in its frame
rates. In fact, the APU actually outperformed the R9
390X in Cities: Skyline, where the presence of the card
actually caused the game to stutter between 7 and 21
fps at best.
70
CONCLUSION
At an approximate price of just RM564, AMD’s
‘Godavari’ A10-7870K APU is both a definite and
marked improvement over its predecessors. There
is little to wonder as to why many techies have
referred to this lovely piece of computer engineering
as a tentative console killer. With that being said, if
you’re building a shoe-string gaming system that’s
capable of running some of today’s titles at Full HD at
moderate settings, along with a little future-proofing
for DirectX 12, then here’s an APU that’s definitely
worth your time.
30
150
200
Average
250
350
Full Workload
AMD A10-7870K
O v er al l Tem p er at u r es
60
62
56
50
40
300
45.2
39
47.5
39
20
10
0
Idle
(in Celsius)
A 10-7870K (APU only)
Average
(in Celsius)
Full Load
(in Celsius)
A 10-7870K (with R9 390X)
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
85
T E L E P O R T
COMPACT
SIDEKICK
The Xperia Z5 Compact has all the features of its bigger siblings,
but hits the sweet spot in size.
MO RE
I NS ID E >
BORROWED BEAUTY
We share our thoughts about the HTC One A9.
BIGGER FACE, BETTER TRACKING
Work out with the Garmin Forerunner 235.
REFORGING PARTNERSHIPS
HTC and Google reportedly signed three-year
deal for Nexus smartphones.
WAR OF THE DRONES
Here's a cannon made just for capturing drones.
93
UNLOCKED
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
87
T E L E P O R T - HO T S HO TS
GUILTYUNTILPROVEN
INNOCENT
France Might Fine Apple One Million Euros for Refusing Requests to Unlock
iPhones
The French government is looking into the possibility of
passing a bill that would allow them to force Apple to pay
as much as one million Euros (approx. RM4.56 million) in fines
every time the company refuses its requests to unlock an iPhone.
The penalty, which is still under consideration, was submitted
with the aim of fighting back against terrorism, as well as other
criminal activities, such as organized and financial crimes.
As you can guess, this amendment was submitted just after
Apple's victory in its current legal wrangle with the FBI in the U.S.,
where the residing judge at the time had ruled that the company
cannot be forced to unlock iPhones under the All Writs Act, a law
that had been signed into place by the country's founding father,
George Washington.
For many, the act of the FBI seeking Apple's help to
break into their own phone's security is seen more as an
extension of courtesy to the fruit company than anything else,
with many people (Edward Snowden included) having stated that
if the FBI wanted to, they could just as easily crack the mobile
device's security.
France was put in a pretty bad spotlight last year. The country
had both witnessed and experienced two attacks from extremist
attacks on two separate occasions, the latest incident having
took place in November last year, and ending in a bloody
massacre of more than a hundred civilians.
France is contemplating on fining Apple for its
refusal to hack its own iPhone. (Image source: The
Verge.)
FBI Could Hack iPhone's Software Security If They Wanted to, Said Snowde
88
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
Facebook
Acquires MSQRD
Face-Swapping App
Facebook recently purchased
the face-swapping app, MSQRD,
which as its name suggests, allows
smartphone users to swap faces
of people on photos. The app was
developed by Belarusian company
Masquerade, and has many filters
that are funny and hilarious. “At
Masquerade, we’ve worked hard to
make video more fun and engaging
by creating filters that enhance
and alter your appearance. Now,
we’re excited to join forces with
Facebook and bring the technology
to even more people,” said Eugene
Nevgen, Chief Executive Officer of
Masquerade.
________________________________
Flickr's Photo
Upload Tool, Uploadr,
No Longer Free
MERELY A COURTESY
As you may have surmised from the other articles in
this section, Apple's battle against the FBI to
safeguard the privacy and security of the iPhone has been
a struggle.
But beyond the support Apple has received and
the many tech giants who are backing the company,
there is one glaring inconsistency that some parties have
asked: Is the FBI really incapable of hacking the iPhone's
security layers?
“If they really wanted to, the FBI could hack into any
iPhone that they want,” said Edward Snowden, the
infamous whistleblower who first made headline when he
divulged private and confidential information of the U.S. to
the Internet.
Cracking the phone is apparently as simple as copying
the encrypted content out of the iPhone, and then
attempting to gain the passcode through brute force.
In this manner, if the data gets wiped after 10 wrong
passcode inputs (the maximum number of tries allowed on
an iPhone), the hacker merely has to restore the backed up
BYTES
Photo-sharing site Flickr has done
the unthinkable by making its photo
uploading tool, Uploadr, exclusive
to Flickr Pro members only. “The
biggest change is that we are making
the desktop Auto-Uploadr a Flickr
Pro-only feature, giving Pro members
exclusive access to the tool. This
feature lets you effortlessly upload
all of your photos from wherever
they are being stored, while making
them accessible from any device.
If you are already a Pro member,
you won’t see any changes to your
existing subscription,” Matthew Roth,
Community Manager for Flickr, wrote
on Flickr Blog regarding the change.
________________________________
Qualcomm's
Snapdragon 820
More Powerful
Than Apple's A9
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 has
officially dethroned Apple's A9
SoC as the most powerful mobile
processor in the current market.
According to an announcement, the
Snapdragon 820 SoC scored 136,383
on AnTuTu's CPU test, with the Apple
A9 scoring a close 132,657 behind
it. However, in terms of graphics
performance, the Snapdragon 820
scored a significant 55,098 points
on the GPU test, pulling ahead of
Apple's A9 SoC by more than 20,000
points.
“If the FBI wanted to, they could hack
any iPhone that they want.” - Edward
Snowden.
content into the phone to make another attempt at cracking the phone.
There are other methods in which the FBI can do this, but as it stands, the act of
getting Apple to cooperate actually bears another implication: should a judge ever rule
out that Apple must give in to the FBI's demands, it actually sets a precedence for a
U.S. government body to take advantage of other bigwig companies in the future, and
that's something Apple and the rest of the free world is not keen on.
‘LITEWEIGHT’
SUCCESS
Facebook Lite Now Being Used by 100
Monthly Million Active Users
Facebook recently achieved another
milestone with its lightweight app,
Facebook Lite, which reportedly reached 100
million monthly active users.
The app, which is less than 1MB in size, was
coded with the goal of helping users living in
countries with slow connections to download
the app in a matter of seconds, and be socially
connected with their friends in just a matter
of minutes.
Facebook stated that statistically, at least
1.6 billion people still live in places where
mobile broadband networks (e.g. 3G and 4G
networks) are not widely available, which
makes data access difficult. Furthermore, even
if they did have mobile data connectivity, these
countries may still face issues with stability
and intermittent connectivity (much like how
some mature telcos are still experiencing
similar issues).
Facebook Lite now has 100 million monthly active users around the world.
To reiterate, Facebook's Lite version of
its popular app is optimized to work more
efficiently on 2G networks, and to reduce
the amount of data used when chatting and
finding friends on it. In order for them to
achieve this low bandwidth latency, Facebook
had its engineers use specific tools, such as
Augmented Traffic Control and Innovation Lab,
to simulate 2G networks for testing their app
in realistic conditions.
To keep a long story short: Facebook Lite's
development and design is so efficient that
even an older Android device, such as the
Samsung Galaxy Y, which came out in 2009,
was able to run the app without a hitch.
With that said Facebook does recommend
that Facebook Lite users run the app on
Android devices that are, at the very least,
on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS for a more
optimal experience.
UNITED WE STAND
Apple Gains Support from Tech Giants in its Stance Against the FBI
Apple's tough battle with the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the U.S.
may be taking a toll on the Cupertino
company, but last month, the company
discovered that it was not alone in its fight
to protect the iPhone's security.
Many companies showed their support
when they pledged to stand besides Apple
in their fight for consumer privacy. The
companies, which include the likes of
Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft,
gathered last month to file a joint amicus
brief, so as to join Apple in its defiance
against the FBI's request for Apple to create
a backdoor OS that would allow the law
enforcement agency the ability to break
into the iPhone belonging to the suspect
involved in the San Bernardino case.
The support comes just after Twitter,
Airbnb, LinkedIn, and 13 other companies
also filed a separate joint amicus brief, along
with Intel and AT&T submitting their own
filing on the matter of privacy.
"The government is not just asking
companies to do what they do in the
normal course of business; the government
is asking companies to change how they
do business," they said in their filing. But
while they noted that they don't have any
sympathy for terrorists, the companies
added that "cell phones are the way we
organize and remember the things that are
important to us; they are, in a very real way,
an extension of our memories. And as a
result, to access someone's cell phone is to
access their innermost thoughts and their
most private affairs."
Apple's battle against the FBI just got a little easier,
thanks to the support from big companies. (Image
source: Wired.)
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
89
T E L E P O R T - HO T S HO TS
REFORGING
PARTNERSHIPS
HTC Reportedly Signed Three-Year Deal with
Google for Nexus Smartphones
Remember when HTC made the
world's first Nexus smartphone? The
year was 2010, and the phone in question
was known as the Nexus One. For all intents
and purposes, the phone became the
bedrock of many of today's more powerful
Nexus devices.
Sadly, HTC was only commissioned by
the Google for that one year, and ever
since then, the company has turned to the
likes of Korean giants Samsung and LG to
manufacture Nexus smartphones.
Google and HTC's deal may see the Taiwanese brand
making Nexus smartphones once again. (Image
source: AnandTech.)
Last month, however, rumors began
circulating that the Taiwanese brand and
Google have apparently signed a threeyear deal, which means that the renewed
partnership will possibly see HTC making not
just one, but two new Nexus smartphones
this year.
In addition to that, the contract also
states that HTC will be responsible for the
production of all future Nexus smartphone
models for the next three years. Essentially,
this means that it is highly possible that
HTC will be introducing up to six new Nexus
smartphones until the year 2019.
Google's change of heart towards HTC
may be due to LG's decision to pull out from
producing any new Nexus smartphones in
the future. Furthermore, current reports
suggest that Chinese-brand Huawei is still
on the fence about making another Nexus
device. Given the success of the Nexus 6P,
though, there's a very high possibility that
the company won't be saying no if they're
approached by Google once more.
PROTECTIONONYOURWRIST
Kaspersky Extends Digital Security to Wearables
Kaspersky recently extended its protective reach in the mobile
world to include the digital security of wearables.
The antivirus company recently did this through an update that
allows consumers who utilize its security solutions to extend the
protection from their Android smartphones
directly to their Android Wear smartwatches.
"Statistics show that Android continues to
be the second most attacked platform after
Microsoft Windows, which is why owners
of Android-based devices are strongly
recommended to use security solutions.
At the same time, the Internet of Things market is rapidly developing,
attracting more and more users. This means that security solution
vendors need to make it possible for customers to use the IoT in
combination with their protection solutions," Alexey Chikov, Product
90
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
Manager at Kaspersky Lab, commented.
Smartwatch intrusions are slowly but surely becoming more
commonplace in today's digital age. With Kaspersky's update, a user's
smartwatch will now be able to display notifications from Kaspersky
Internet Security for Android when paired
with a smartphone or tablet. Some of these
notifications include threats detected on the
wearable, or on the phone.
As an extra added layer of protection, the
new update also includes tools to remotely
control a device in the event that it is lost or
stolen, to filter out unwanted calls and messages, and to hide any and
all personal data from prying eyes.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is available on Google Play.
T E L E P O R T - UNLOC K E D
BORROWEDBEAUTY
HTC One A9
They say that imitation
is the sincerest form
of flattery, be it a habit,
personality, or even a product
design. It's an act that many
of us commit whenever we
discover something that
would most definitely pique
the interest of the masses. In
the case of the HTC One A9,
the general consensus is that
the phone's physical style and
design pays homage to that
of one of the most popular
smartphones in the world.
So then, HTC has gotten
the looks of the phone down
pat, but does its performance
match its beauty? During
our synthetic benchmarks
of Quadrant, PCMark, and
3DMark, the One A9 managed
to attain a score of 24,138 on
Quadrant, 3,981 on PCMark's
work performance test, and
a score of 381 on 3DMark's
new Slingshot 3.1 test, which
is pretty impressive. You're
probably wondering why
AnTuTu isn't on this list, and
we've actually got a relatively
simple answer to that: the
phone just wouldn't let us run
the benchmark, no matter how
many times we tried to bypass
the built-in feature that’s
preventing us from doing so.
Using this phone as our
daily driver, it was fun to
whip out the One A9 during
conversations with friends or
in public, only for people to
glance twice at our direction,
almost as if they were trying
to reassure themselves of the
model and brand of the phone
we were using.
Its real-time performance
was fast, albeit there being a
slight lag between each swipe
and activation of the apps.
Just like the One M9, the rear
camera of the One A9 isn't
fitted with HTC's UltraPixel
sensor (which is only 4MP).
Instead, the UltraPixel sensor
has been moved to the front
of phone, which makes a lot
more sense for a camera
sensor that was ultimately
designed for the photogenic
selfie-lover.
Despite not having the
BoomSound presence at the
front of the phone (it's been
redesigned to only function
with earphones), the speakers
were still loud enough that
we could still hear the sound
of our videos playing in an
open and relatively noisy
public area.
Alas, one major problem
with the One A9 is the battery
life. The phone tends to be
quite power hungry, and by
our observation, it drains a
little more than 25 percent of
the battery within a few hours,
and that's only with us using
it to check our mail, watch
the occasional YouTube video,
and checking our Facebook
notifications.
By John Law
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
AT A GLANCE
Network
4G LTE / WiFi
Display
5-inch Full HD
(1,920 x 1,080)
Camera
45 x 45 x 11.7 mm
Display Resolution
13MP f/2.0 (rear) with
Sapphire Cover lens,
UltraPixel f/2.0 (front)
OS
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
w/ HTC Sense
Price
RM2,299
The fact that its SlingShot score
is more than 100 points is already
very good.
CONCLUSION
HTC's asking
price for the
One A9 is a bit
on the high
side, especially
for a midrange
smartphone.
SPECIFICATIONS
Processors 1.5GHz 64-bit
Qualcomm Snapdragon 617
(octa-core) // GPU Adreno 405 //
Memory 3GB of RAM // Storage
32GB internal memory (expandable
up to 200GB via microSD) //
Connectivity 3.5mm audio, MicroUSB 2.0, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 //
Battery 2,150mAh // Dimensions
145.75 x 70.8 x 7.26 mm // Weight
143g // Warranty 1-year //
Contact HTC Customer Service
Hotline // Tel 1 800 889 855 // URL
www.htc.com/sea
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
91
T E L E P O R T - U N L O CKE D
AT A GLANCE
Network
4G LTE
Camera
13MP (Rear) / 8MP (Front)
Display
5-inch HD (1,280 x 720)
OS
Android 5.1 Lollipop w/
ColorOS 2.1
Price
RM1,198
The OPPO F1’s rear camera has a
dozen different shooting modes.
CONCLUSION
The OPPO F1
is the go-to
device for the
perfect selfie.
SPECIFICATIONS
SIM Dual SIM: Micro-SIM and
Nano-SIM // Processor 1.5GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 //
Connectivity 3.5mm audio jack,
Micro-USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n,
Bluetooth 4.0 // Memory 3GB RAM
// Storage 16GB (expandable via
microSD, up to 128GB) // Battery
2,500mAh // Dimensions 71 (W)
x 7.25 (D) x 143 (H) mm // Weight
134g // Warranty 1-year //
Contact Oppo Electronics Sdn Bhd
// Telephone (03) 7958 5399 // URL
www.oppo.com/my
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.0
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
92
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
PRETTY AS A
PICTURE
OPPO F1
Selfie: a word that’s so
profound and important to
mankind, that it was declared
as Oxford Dictionaries’ word
of the year back in 2013. The
word possesses so much
significance, in fact, that it has
even managed to secure itself
a spot in the Merriam-Webster
dictionary the following year,
in 2014. Seeing that society
adores the entire concept of
selfies, it only makes perfect
business sense for smartphone
manufacturers to capitalize on
it, by developing phones that
are purpose-made to capture
the best possible selfie, like the
OPPO F1.
Under the hood of the
F1 lies a 1.5GHz Qualcomm
Snapdragon 615 processor,
3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal
storage (expandable up to
128GB via microSD), and
a 2,500mAh battery that
regrettably isn’t compatible
with OPPO’s famous VOOC
quick charging system. Modest
hardware, but definitely
competent enough to ensure
that apps are quick to load
and close, and that games
ran smoothly without any
noticeable hiccups.
As far as benchmarks are
concerned, the F1 managed
to obtain a score of 3,530 on
PCMark, and 9,116 on 3DMark’s
Ice Storm Unlimited test,
which is pretty respectable,
considering the midrange
hardware that it’s equipped
with. Next up, Quadrant and
AnTuTu, which the F1 managed
to zoom through with a score of
26,691 and 34,564, respectively.
You shouldn’t have any
problems running mobile games
on the F1, as it managed to run
the Epic Citadel benchmark on
Ultra High Quality at an average
frame rate of 53.1 fps.
But let's be honest, you really
wouldn’t be buying a phone
that bears the slogan ‘Selfie
Expert’ for its performance now,
would you? Since we’ve already
established that the F1 offers
decently powerful hardware to
keep the majority of its users
satisfied, it’s only fitting that
we addressed the remaining
elephant in the room: whether
the F1 is indeed an expert
at selfies.
Assigned to capture all your
weird (and wonderful) selfies
is the F1’s 8MP front-facing
camera, which has a relatively
wide aperture of f/2.0, and a
decent 1/4-inch image sensor.
It’s capable of capturing
bright and sharp photos even
under less-than-stellar lighting
conditions, which ironically
might not be something you’d
want if you’re not graced with
spotless skin complexion.
And that’s exactly where the
F1’s trump card, its ‘Beautify
3.0' beautification mode, comes
into play. It has three preset
levels for you to choose from:
weak, medium and strong.
From our observation, the
medium setting is adequate
enough to rid your face of most
minor facial imperfections (e.g.
blemishes and acne spots),
while opting for strong would
render your skin unnaturally
smooth and radiant – almost
as though it was made out of
porcelain, even.
When you’re done capturing
vanity shots of yourself, you
can use the 13MP rear camera
of the F1 to capture the world
around you – though its image
quality isn’t anything to write
home about. Don’t get us
wrong, the 13MP shooter is
perfectly capable of taking
photos that are worthy enough
to appease your legion of social
media followers; it’s just that
when you start scrutinizing
them, you’ll notice that its finer
details tend to be shrouded by
image noise.
By Peter Chu
The latest entries in
Sony’s Xperia Z lineup
may have been overshadowed
by the aptly-named Xperia Z5
Premium Dual, what with its
4K display. With that said, Sony
is still the only manufacturer
to make flagships in sizes
that don’t claim exclusivity
to your pocket, and with the
latest Z5 series, it’s the Xperia
Z5 Compact.
As with previous Compact
variants of the Xperia Z
flagship devices, the Xperia
Z5 Compact shares nearly
all the components of the
bigger-sized siblings. You have
the octa-core Qualcomm
Snapdragon 810 with the
Adreno 430 GPU, 32GB of
internal storage with support
for a microSD card of up to
200GB, the 23MP main camera
and the 5MP secondary one.
The things that are different
are a smaller RAM count at
2GB, a slightly smaller battery
at 2,700mAh, and the obvious
4.6-inch HD display.
And that last point really
makes a world of difference.
Having a phone of that size
makes it feel like you have
a phone in your hands, and
not a portable TV. You can
send messages, take photos,
and even play certain games
with one hand, giving your
other hand the freedom to do
something else like holding
on to your drink. And when
you have to put it away, it
doesn’t claim exclusivity to
your pocket, allowing you to
have something else like, say,
a small card holder, share the
same pocket with the Xperia
Z5 Compact.
Of course, while the Xperia
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
COMPACT
POWERHOUSE III
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
AT A GLANCE
Network
4G LTE / Wi-Fi
Display
4.6-inch HD (1,280 x 720)
Camera
23MP (rear), 5MP (front)
OS
Android 5.1 Lollipop
(upgradable to Android 6.0
Marshmallow)
Price
RM2,299
The power button and fingerprint
sensor is slightly indented in,
which is a nice subtle touch.
CONCLUSION
Z5 Compact may come in a
pocket-friendlier form factor,
it has its minor share of flaws.
First off, the sides are made
of matte plastic instead of the
usual aluminum found on the
other Z5 devices. This makes
it a little less sturdy, but it
looks arguably better, being a
singular, seamless piece. On
the back is frosted glass that
is still more scratch-resistant
than plastic, but it does give
the feeling that it’s more prone
to getting marks compared
to a crisp piece of glass. That
said, all of these do make it
more grip-friendly when you
hold it in your hands, even
if you’ve recently dipped
your hands into a pool of
melted butter.
On performance, the Xperia
Z5 Compact may have 1GB
of RAM less than its siblings,
but it does have less pixels to
churn out, which should make
performance comparable. In
fact, here are the results of
our usual list of benchmarks.
The Xperia Z5 Compact
managed a score of 26,289 on
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited,
4,966 on PCMark, 28,466 on
Quadrant, and an average
of 59.3 fps on Epic Citadel
running on Ultra High Quality.
It would also last eight hours
and 21 minutes of continuous
use, but under more realistic
use scenarios, still easily last
you two days.
By Ian Chee
Sony is still the
savior to those
of us who look
for flagship
specs in a sub-5inch form factor.
SPECIFICATIONS
Processors 2.0GHz 64-bit
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
(octa-core) // GPU Adreno 430 //
Memory 2GB RAM // Storage
32GB internal memory (expandable
up to 200GB via microSD) //
Connectivity 3.5mm audio, MicroUSB 2.0, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 //
Battery 2,700mAh // Dimensions
127 x 65 x 8.9 mm // Weight 138g
// Warranty 1-year // Contact
Sony Mobile Communications Int'l
AB (Malaysia) // Tel 1 800 88 7666 //
URL www.sonymobile.com/my
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
93
T E L E P O R T - U N L O CKE D
ELEGANT TIMEKEEPER
ASUS ZenWatch 2
AT A GLANCE
Wireless Sync
Yes
Processor
1.2GHz Qualcomm
Snapdragon 400
Memory
512MB RAM
Storage
4GB eMMC
Price
RM699
The ZenWatch 2’s metal crown can
be pressed to turn the screen on
and off, and long-pressed to bring
up the apps menu.
CONCLUSION
The ASUS
ZenWatch 2
is reasonably
priced,
comfortable
to wear, and
packed to
the brim with
features. Need
we say more?
SPECIFICATIONS
Display 1.63-inch AMOLED w/ 2.5D
curved Gorilla Glass 3 // Display
Resolution 320 x 320 pixels //
Input Physical button, touchscreen
// Communication Bluetooth
4.1, Wi-Fi // Battery 400mAh
rechargeable Li-ion // Warranty
1-year // Contact ECS Astar Sdn
Bhd // Telephone (03) 6286 8222 //
URL my.asus.com
94
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
If we were to ask you to
name a dozen different
smartwatches off the top of
your head, you’d probably be
able to blurt them all out in
record time, complete with
a smug look on your face.
However, we’re pretty sure
you’ll be left flabbergasted
if we were to narrow down
the criterion to Android
Wear-powered smartwatches
instead, which include the
Asus ZenWatch 2.
Unlike the many
smartwatches that we’ve had
the opportunity to review over
the past year – including the
Garmin Forerunner 235 in this
month’s issue – the ZenWatch
2 is actually running on a fullfledged OS that’s developed
by Google specifically for
wearables.
Naturally, that also means
the ZenWatch 2 is packed
with proper hardware as well,
such as a 1.2GHz Qualcomm
Snapdragon 400 processor,
512MB of RAM, and 4GB of
eMMC flash storage.
Suffice to say, we didn’t
encounter any performance
issues while we were
nonchalantly swiping our way
through the Android Wear
interface on the ZenWatch 2,
which was done via its 1.63inch, 320 x 320 always-on
AMOLED display (with a pixel
density of 278 ppi). And while
we have no qualms with its
bright, crisp, and responsive
display, we do, however, wish
that it came with slightly
thinner bezels.
As far as comfort is
concerned, the ZenWatch
2 is easily one of the most
comfortable smartwatches
we’ve worn to date. Its
lightweight watch face
doesn’t make you want to
gnaw it off after an entire
day of wearing it, while its
interchangeable silicone strap
was very accommodating to
our wrist.
And thankfully so, as there
are many great things that
you can do with the ZenWatch
2, all thanks to the Android
Wear OS. Having it push your
smartphone’s notification is a
given; you can also have the
ZenWatch 2 track your fitness
and sports activities as well,
using the built-in Google Fit
app. It does so very accurately
too, despite its lack of a GPS
module. The 220-odd steps
that it took us to walk from
our car to the office actually
translated to 219 steps on
the ZenWatch 2, which is
slightly off the mark, but the
accuracy is still praiseworthy
nonetheless.
You can even have the
ZenWatch 2 perform quite an
extensive number of actions
with just your voice, like
sending a WhatsApp message
to a friend, or having it set
an alarm for a particular
time. Don’t worry, the voice
recognition system on the
ZenWatch 2 is pretty spot-on.
As long as your pronunciation
skills are up to par, you won’t
have to end up reiterating the
same command a hundred
times over before it registers.
With average use –
which primarily constitutes
of reading the frequent
WhatsApp, Facebook
Messenger, and Gmail
notifications that crop up – we
managed to wring out one and
a half days of battery life from
the 400mAh battery, which is
pretty impressive considering
its hardware and capabilities.
If you’re going to be using it
mostly to tell the time, you
should easily be able to make
it past two days before having
to give it a recharge.
by Peter Chu
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.0
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
BIGGER FACE, BETTER
TRACKING
AT A GLANCE
Wireless Sync
Yes
Battery Life
Up to 9 days
Display
45 x 45 x 11.7 mm
Display Resolution
215 x 180 pixels
Price
RM1,550
One of the accurate things this
watch does: tracking your sleeping
patterns.
CONCLUSION
Exercising and
trying to gun for
peak heart rate
intensity with
the Forerunner
235 has never
been more fun.
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth Bluetooth Smart //
Battery Rechargeable Li-ion //
Input Pre-set buttons // Weight
42g (with strap) // Warranty 2-years
// Contact AECO Technologies (M)
Sdn Bhd // Telephone (03) 9285
8062 // URL www.garmin.com
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Garmin Forerunner 235
Back in February, we
took a look at Garmin's
vivosmart HR fitness tracker,
and even took it for a spin
at our leisure. Compared to
most fitness trackers, the
vivosmart HR showed us just
how accurate a heart rate
monitor could be (step counts
notwithstanding). This month,
we'll be taking a look at the
Forerunner 235, a device that
stands out more as a watch
than a fitness tracker.
Is the Forerunner 235 a
smartwatch? Well, yes and
no. The first thing that you
will notice upon opening its
packaging is that the display
isn't touch-based. Instead,
the controls, navigation, and
functions of the Forerunner
235 are controlled by the
preset buttons from the sides
of the watch, just as you would
a normal watch.
While it may seem unusual
that Garmin would miss out
on an opportunity to give this
device a touch-sensitive face
(especially when you consider
the device's asking price),
we actually see where the
company was going with this
when they designed it.
A touchscreen on the
watch face would've simply
been treated more as a mere
luxury than a necessity, and
considering the amount of
sweat that we managed
churn out during our workout
sessions with this watch, we're
kind of glad that Garmin didn't
put in that luxury. Despite that,
the display genuinely stands
out with its vibrant colors and
animated sections.
One of our judging criteria
for a fitness tracker is in how
accurately (or at least, as
close as it possibly can be) it
measures the number of steps
a person takes, to which the
Forerunner 235 suffers from
the same problem as other
fitness trackers: phantom
steps being taken, even idle or
not in motion.
Steps count aside, the
Forerunner 235 does actually
have a wide variety of tracking
measures installed in it. If you
connect it via the Connect
app on your smartphone, the
Forerunner 235's colorful
display actually lets you see
the distance you've traveled,
how fast you were running,
and even how well-rested
you are throughout the week.
It even gives you a colorful
representation of your heart
rate, along with your maximum
heart rate at the height of your
physical intensity.
Last but not least, the
battery life on the Forerunner
235 can summarily be
described as ever ready and
long-lasting. On a full charge,
this fitness tracker cum watch
didn't even prompt to be
charged until almost a week
and a half later, and this was
with Bluetooth enabled along
with an active connection to
our phone.
Available at
by John Law
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
95
T E L E P O R T - I G N I TI O N
AUTOMOTIVEHACKING
MADEEASY
Hacker Creates Tool That Allows for Easy Hacking into Cars
Image source: Forbes.
Automotives today are
loaded up with all the latest
features and technology, which
have in turn contributed to an
increase in traffic safety (in a
manner of speaking).
But as with all computer-driven
devices, these new cars are just
as susceptible to hacking as
much as any other electronic
devices in today's connected
world. Some hackers have
already proven that it is possible
to shut down a car completely,
and have done so while the car
was on a public road (the vehicle
in question was a Jeep). However,
one hacker has set out to show
that car hacking can not only be
fun, but also safe.
Craig Smith, the founder of a
company called Open Garages
vehicle research lab, recently
released a free hacking tool
call UDSim during the Nullcon
conference in Goa, India.
What is UDSim? It's effectively
a software that automatically
starts ‘fuzzing’ a car's system: it
essentially throws different kinds
of junk data across a network in
an act to seek out errors. Errors
which, when found, can be
exploited by hackers such
as Smith.
Usage of the UDSim is
extremely simple as well. Smith
says that all one needs in order to
use the tool is a notebook PC and
a connection to the car's OBD-II
port, which can easily be found at
dealerships and garages.
UDSim is also one of the first
hacking tools to have a graphical
interface, instead of the typical
command line execution, which
gives the tool an even greater
appeal to those who want
something easy and fun to
tinker with.
WAROFTHEDRONES
An English Company Creates a Shoulder-Mounted Cannon That Captures
Drones
Don't like drones flying within your compound? Well then, there are many
ways in which you can deal with the situation. Obviously, if you are
somehow in possession of a firearm, you are obliged (and depending on which
country you are in, entitled) to shoot the irritating machine from out of the sky.
If you're looking to capture the aforementioned drone, there are also a
myriad of ways to that. For the Dutch, they train eagles (no, really) to hunt down
these drones. But, for the British, they decided that it was more practical to
create a cannon (again, really) that didn't just knock out the drone, but still keep
intact for the sole purpose of finding out what footage the drone has captured.
The weapon is known as the SkyWall100, and it is a shoulder-mounted
cannon designed by British company OpenWorks Engineering. The cannon is
basically a gas-powered launcher with an intelligent programmable projectile
which, when fired at a drone, will bring down an incapacitated drone via an
embedded parachute that controls the descent of the drone.
The SkyWall100 has an operating range of 10 meters, and even has a smart
scope built into the system for easier aiming and target tracking. The best part
about the SkyWall100, however, is that it's portable and can be rapidly reloaded
in a crisis where tackling multiple drones is key to winning a battle.
96
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
Meet the SkyWall100, a cannon
that is designed to bring down
drones without damaging them.
APRIL 2016 VOL 14 ISSUE 1
AGENT
ACTIVATED
TA K E B AC K N E W YO R K I N
TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION
REVIEWS
STREET FIGHTER V,
RISE OF TOMB RAIDER,
AND MORE
FEATURE
A POKÉMON
RETROSPECTIVE
G A X - NEWSWIRE
BLAST
FROM
THE
PAST
Xbox One Preview Update Lets You Buy BackwardsCompatible Xbox 360 Games
Not one to lose out to the
likes of Sony, Microsoft has
also unveiled updates for the Xbox
One console. Sadly, the update,
which consists of several highly
requested features, is currently only
available to Xbox One Preview
participants. On the bright side, you
can expect them to be rolled out to
all consoles in the coming weeks.
It’s without a doubt that the
biggest, most exciting feature of
the Xbox One Preview update is
the ability to browse and purchase
backwards-compatible Xbox 360
games. A feature that should have
been included with last November’s
‘New Xbox One Experience’ update,
it’s the catalyst that enabled the
Xbox One to run selected Xbox
360 titles.
Other new additions include the
ability to participate in 16-person
Party Chats, which, up until now,
was only limited to 12 people.
The Twitch app for Xbox One has
likewise been given an update as
well – you can now include the
conversations of your Party Chats
into your broadcast. Naturally,
party members are able to
choose whether or not to have
their angelic (or demonic) voices
transmitted out for all of Twitch to
hear. But of course, it is the party
leaders who will have the final say,
as they have the authority to mute
a party member’s audio even if
they have decided to join the fray.
Then there’s the refreshed
Reputation system, which
has been given a minor visual
overhaul to ensure that you’re
distinctly aware of the fact
that your teammate in Halo 5:
Guardians has a ‘Needs Work’ or
an ‘Avoid Me’ reputation level –
who you should probably avoid
at all costs if you want to actually
enjoy the game.
It’s without a doubt that the biggest,
most exciting feature of the Xbox One
Preview update is the ability to browse
and purchase backwards-compatible
Xbox 360 games.
BRIDGING
THE
GAP
PS4 Firmware Update 3.50 to Introduce Remote Play to the PC and Mac
Ask and you shall receive.
Sony is finally adding PC
and Mac support to the
PlayStation 4’s Remote Play
feature, allowing gamers to
indulge in their favorite PS4 titles
through their desktop or
notebook PC.
This highly sought-after
feature comes as part of the
PlayStation 4’s 3.50 firmware
update, which should be pushed
to all PlayStation 4 owners later
this year. If you’ve pre-registered
yourself to be part of the PS4
System Software 3.5 beta
trial, you should have already
received an email containing the
instructions on how to download
the update.
Of course, the 3.50 update
also brings about plenty of
other interesting features, such
as the ability to appear offline,
98
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
and the option to be notified
when your friend comes online.
You’ll also be able to schedule
future gaming sessions together
with your friends as well. Don’t
worry, you and your friends will
automatically be added into a
party when the planned session
begins, so you won’t have to
painstakingly round them up one
by one yourself.
Also included with the update
is the ability to see what your
friends are playing, making it
easy for you to gatecrash their
games, or coax them into joining
a lobby that you’ve hosted. If
your friends are the kind of
people who believe that engaging
in friendly fire is more gratifying
than actually winning, you can
now livestream their looney
antics directly to Dailymotion
on PS4.
MURDER
ON
THE
DANCE
FLOOR
#
#
Genei Ibun Roku FE Retitled as Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE for Western Release
If you’ve always wanted to
take down your enemies while
some of the latest J-pop tracks are
blaring in the background to spur you
on, you’ll probably enjoy what Tokyo
Mirage Sessions # FE has in store
when it launches for the Wii U in
North America on June 24.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions # FE is
essentially the western release of
Genei Ibun Roku # FE, the eclectic,
J-pop-centric game that was
released in Japan last December.
Developed by the same company
that brought you the criticallyacclaimed Persona series, Tokyo
Mirage Sessions # FE is a Japanese
RPG that will have players defend
the city of Tokyo (if you couldn’t
already gather from its name) from
the enemy spirits that are known as
Mirages, who are stealing its citizens
away to an alternate dimension to
harvest their creative energy.
Since the game’s storyline is set in
Japan, Nintendo has decided that
they will be releasing the game over
in the U.S. with its original Japanese
voiceover track, but complemented
with English subtitles.
Developed by the same company that brought you
the critically-acclaimed Persona series, Tokyo Mirage
Sessions #FE is a Japanese RPG that will have players
defend the city of Tokyo.
BOOM,
HEADSHOT!
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered to be Launched on the PlayStation 4 in May
Finding the PC or PlayStation
3 graphics of tactical RPG
Valkyria Chronicles a tad bit too
unrefined for your tastes? Well, you
better have a PlayStation 4 sitting at
home, as Sega recently announced
that Valkyria Chronicles Remastered
will be arriving – in both digital and
physical formats – to the PlayStation
4 on May 17 in the US and Europe.
Although we’ve yet to receive
official word on when exactly the
game will be arriving on our shores,
we did do a little bit of snooping
around and noticed that many local
game stores are currently taking preorders for it. Needless to say, each
of the stores is selling the game at
their own respective prices. But as a
rough estimation, Valkyria Chronicles
Remastered has an official retail
price of US$29.99 (approx. RM122)
over in the U.S., and CA$44.99
(approx. RM138) in Canada.
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered
will include all of the game’s
previous DLCs: Hard EX Mode,
Edy’s Mission, Selvaria’s Mission,
and Challenge of the Edy
Detachment; dual Japanese and
English audio; trophy support;
and of course, the ability to run in
glorious 1080p and 60 fps.
The special ‘Europa Edition’ version
of the game, meanwhile, will come
with an additional 32-page art book,
called The Art of Valkyria Chronicles
Remastered, as well as a doublesided poster with the protagonists
Squad 7 on one side, and antagonist
Selvaria Bles on the other. Sadly,
Sega says the bundle will be
exclusive to Europe.
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered will
include all of the game’s previous
DLCs: Hard EX Mode, Edy’s Mission,
Selvaria’s Mission, and Challenge of
the Edy Detachment.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
99
G A X - FEATURE
By Ian Chee
GIVE YOUR PS4 A
STORAGE UPGRADE
Seagate Game Drive for PlayStation
THE GROWTH OF SPACE NEEDS
The PlayStation 4 gives you 500GB of storage by default, but games today
take up an average of 40GB of space. This means you can have about 12
games installed before you need to do some housekeeping. This is fine if
you have a blazing-fast Internet connection that lets you download games or
their patches whenever you feel like playing a game that you’ve previously
deleted due to space constraints. Not to mention, like PCs, the more filled up
your hard drive is, the longer it generally takes for your games to load. Which
is why, if you aren’t a gamer with a 12-game library, a storage upgrade will be
inevitable – it’s only a matter of when you need to get it done
100
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
INTRODUCING SEAGATE’S
GAME DRIVE FOR PLAYSTATION
And when it comes to the actual
upgrading, there are a number of
things you’ll need to consider, as
you would when doing the same
for a PC. Do you want a 1TB drive
or larger? Are you looking at only a
capacity upgrade, or do you want to
improve load times as well?
For now, we’ll be using Seagate’s
Game Drive for PlayStation. It’s
called that, but it is actually a
2.5-inch Solid State Hybrid Drive
(SSHD). This is a 1TB SSHD, which
is Seagate’s recipe of a 1TB HDD,
with 8GB of it being a solid-state
cache. If you’re not familiar with
SSHDs, the idea behind it is to have
the low price-per-gigabyte and
sheer storage space of conventional
HDDs, but to also give users SSDlike performance. With this, we’ve
gotten both capacity and speed
upgrades covered.
To test if the Game Drive for
PlayStation really delivers what we
think it should when it comes to
speed improvements; we ran a few
games and recorded the load times
at specific intervals. We made sure
the games had their latest updates
installed, and that they were running
the same version on the stock drive,
as well as the Seagate SSHD.
THE FIVE TIME TRIALS
For our games, we had Metal Gear
Solid: The Phantom Pain, Devil May
Cry 4 Special Edition, Bloodborne
and its expansion The Old Hunters,
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, and
Mortal Kombat XL. We first ran MGS
V: The Phantom Pain and timed
how long it took to load from the
Aerial Command Center helicopter
to the default landing zone on
Mother Base. On DMC4 Special
Edition, we recorded the load time
from the mission select menu to
the Mission Start screen of Mission
20, on Legendary Dark Knight
difficulty, playing as default Vergil.
For Bloodborne, we timed the bane
of early Bloodborne players – the
load time for respawns after death,
with our location being Mergo’s
Loft: Middle, and the enemies being
the first group you encounter after
spawning from the lamp. On the
fourth game, Warriors Orochi 3
Ultimate, we recorded the time it
took to load from the main menu
to Gauntlet Mode’s base camp. For
the last game, Mortal Kombat XL,
we went from the main menu to
the Krypt and timed how long that
took to load.
For each scenario, we ran
them five times and recorded the
average time. Our first scenario on
the stock drive took an average
of 15.9 seconds to load, while
with the Game Drive, the time
recorded was an average of 13.2
seconds. The second scenario
saw a smaller improvement
in comparison, with the initial
load time of 11.9 seconds going
down to 11.7 seconds. The third
scenario, on the other hand, saw
no difference in load times at
all, with both drives loading in
an average of 14.5 seconds. The
fourth and most inconsistent
scenario saw the stock drive
loading in an average of 25.5
seconds, while the Seagate drive
achieved an average of 15.8
seconds, with more consistent
load timed between the five runs.
The final scenario has the stock
drive loading in 15.5 seconds and
the Game Drive doing the same in
an average of 14.8 seconds.
As our tests have shown, some
games see a little, but not quite
significant improvement in load
times, while some, like MGS V in
our test scenario, saw a fair boost
in load times, while Warriors Orochi
3 Ultimate also getting more
consistent load times, leading to
a lower average. The exception
here is Bloodborne which, one
of its earliest updates has done
a very brilliant job in remedying
the abysmal load times it had at
launch, resulting in very consistent
load times in both the stock PS4
drive and the Game Drive.
And there you have it. The
Seagate Game Drive for PlayStation
not only gives you double the
storage capacity of the stock PS4
drive, but also gives you improved
load times for games, in terms of
sheer speed, as well as consistency.
If you’re thinking it’s about time you
replaced your stock PS4 drive, the
Seagate Game Drive for PlayStation
is a good candidate for your
consideration.
Lo a d T i m es
i n P S 4 G a m es
30
Only five Philips head screws in total
hold the drive to the bay, and the bay to
the rest of the console.
25.5
25
20
15.9
15
15.8
14.5 14.5
15.5
14.8
13.2
11.9 11.7
10
5
0
Metal Gear
Solid V:
The Phantom
Pain
STOCK
Devil May
Cry 4
Special
Edition
Bloodborne
Warriors
Orochi 3
Ultimate
Mortal
Kombat
XL
SEAGATE GAME DRIVE FOR PLAYSTATION
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
101
G A X - FEATURE
By Peter Chu
GOTTA
CATCH
‘EM ALL!
Celebrating the Past, Present,
and Future of Pokémon
TWO DECADES OF NOSTALGIA
Oh, how time flies. It certainly does
feel like it was only a couple of
years ago when we were so hellbent on memorizing the names of
all 151 Pokémon just to be the envy
of our friends, and now, 20 years
on, that number has increased by
almost fivefold, to a mindboggling
722. Good luck trying to learn them
by heart now, we say.
If you didn’t already know, this
year marks the 20th anniversary
of the Pokémon franchise, which
means it’s about time that you
paid your dues to Satoshi Tajiri,
the forefather of Pokémon, for
breathing life into your otherwise
dreary childhood with his everso-lovable creations. But in all
seriousness, you really have to give
the man credit for being able to
create (and foster) a franchise that,
up until this day, is still very much
adored by people across the globe,
both young and old, and in spite of
language barriers.
While we won’t be able to
chronicle the entire Pokémon saga
in its entirety within the span of
three pages, we will at least do
our level best to point out the key
developments in the Pokémon saga
that helped it evolve into the global
phenomenon that it is today.
BLASTING OFF AT THE
SPEED OF LIGHT
One could say that Pokémon’s
surge in popularity began after the
franchise’s first two video games,
Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green,
launched in Japan back in 1996.
Developed by Game Freak – which
was founded by none other than
Satoshi Tajiri himself – Pokémon
Red and Pokémon Green were both
exclusive to the Nintendo Game Boy,
and they chronicled the quest of a
10-year old boy who’s determined
to become a Pokémon Master.
102
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
Oh, how time flies.
It certainly does feel
like it was only a couple
of years ago when we
were so hell-bent on
memorizing the names
of all 151 Pokémon
just to be the envy
of our friends, and
now, 20 years on, that
number has increased
by almost fivefold, to a
mindboggling 722.
Pokémon X & Y
This was then followed up with the
debut of the animated Pokémon TV
series in Japan in 1997. In similar
vein to the games that precede it,
the Pokémon TV series tells the
story of 10-year old Ash Ketchum
(Satoshi), who strives to become
the best Pokémon Master there
is, with the help of his newfound
friends, Pokémon trainers-cumGym Leaders, Brock (Takeshi) and
Misty (Kasumi). Safe to say that
you’re going to have to spend quite
a fair bit time catching up with the
series if you have yet to begin, as
it now spans slightly more than
900 episodes.
But it was only in 1998 that the
Pokémon franchise really took off,
as it was the year that Pokémon
Red and Blue – essentially the
English version of Pokémon Red and
Green – along with the animated
Pokémon TV series landed in the
U.S. Fun fact: Pokémon Red and
Blue were crowned the ‘Best-selling
RPG on the Game Boy’ by the
Guinness Book of Records in 2009,
after collectively selling more than
23.64 million copies in the Japan,
U.S., and U.K.
In the following year, the
Pokémon Trading Card Game was
unveiled, which unsurprisingly
became an overnight sensation,
resulting in its first expansion
pack, Jungle, being released a
short six months afterwards. In
2004, the first-ever Pokémon
Trading Card Game Championships
was held in the Sunshine State of
Florida, and it has since grown to
become an annual event, drawing
competitors from across the globe
to battle it out for glory.
Even until today, more
expansion packs are being
introduced to the Pokémon
Trading Card Game. As it stands,
there are 67 different expansion
packs that you can buy. What’s
even more astounding is that
more than 21.5 billion Pokémon
trading cards have been printed
as of September 2015, and in 11
different languages, no less.
Though the crowning glory of
1999 for the Pokémon franchise
was no doubt the premiere of
the first Pokémon feature film,
Pokémon: The First Movie. Sure,
the movie didn’t go down well
with critics due to its purportedly
slow pacing – one critic even
called it ‘abysmally bad’ – but their
sentiments didn’t exactly deter
fans from heading to the theatre
in droves to watch it. It fact, the
movie even managed to become
one of the highest-grossing anime
films to date, with a worldwide
gross of US$163,644,662 (approx.
RM671 million).
The Pokémon franchise grew
exponentially in the subsequent
couple of years, no thanks to the
onslaught of new video games, TV
series, and feature films. But words
alone can’t describe just how
successful and lucrative the whole
Pokémon business is, which is why
we’ve taken the liberty to provide
you with some interesting numbers.
At the time of writing, the
Pokémon franchise consists of
73 games (including spin-offs), 18
feature films, a 900 episode-long
(and counting) TV series, and even
a Super Bowl commercial (!). As
far as sales figures are concerned,
more than 277 million Pokémonrelated software have been sold
worldwide, the aforementioned 18
films have generated more than
76.72 billion yen (approx. RM48.5
billion) in box-office revenue, while
the total worldwide market size of
the Pokémon franchise sits at 4.6
trillion yen (approx. RM165 billion).
In this particular context, the
phrase ‘a roaring success’ would be
considered an understatement.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
103
G A X - FEATURE
THE NEXT FRONTIER
So, what’s next for the Pokémon
franchise? Well, plenty of things,
actually.
First and foremost, there will
be two new games arriving on
the Nintendo 3DS by the end of
this year to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of the Pokémon
series, and they’re called Pokémon
Sun and Pokémon Moon. Not
much information about either
of the two games have been
disclosed thus far, but what we
do know is that they will have a
host of new Pokémon for you to
seek and collect, and will likewise
serve as the inaugural ‘Generation
Seven’ series of games.
If you’ve downloaded the Virtual
Console versions of Pokémon
Red, Blue, and Yellow from the
Nintendo 3DS eShop, you will be
able to transfer all the Pokémon
that you have caught in the three
games over to Pokémon Sun and
Moon using the Pokémon Bank
storage, provided that you’re
willing to pay its US$4.99 (approx
RM20.50) annual subscription fee.
Speaking of games, Nintendo
also plans on releasing the first
Pokémon game for Android and
iOS devices as well – and it’s going
to be radically different from the
slew of weary mobile games that
you’re probably well familiar with.
We’re not exaggerating
here: Pokémon Go will actually
be using augmented reality
technology and location-based
tracking to allow you to catch
Pokémon out in the wild, literally.
Developed in collaboration with
former Google startup Niantic
Labs, Pokémon Go is scheduled
for a release some time this year
as a free app, but it will come
replete with in-app purchases.
104
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
To keep your eyes from being
glued indefinitely to your
smartphone’s screen, Pokémon
Go will come with a separate,
but optional, Pokémon Go
Plus wearable. It connects to a
smartphone via Bluetooth, and
will vibrate and light up to notify
you of in-game events, like when
you’ve bumped into a Pokémon,
for example. It also comes with a
button on its front that will allow
you to perform basic actions such
as throwing a Poké ball.
If you’re finding the whole
concept of an augmented reality
Pokémon game a little too far-out
for your liking, you can always stick
to the slightly more conventional
Pokémon Co-Master board game for
iOS and Android devices.
Scheduled for release this
spring in Japan as a free-to-play
app, Pokémon Co-Master is
essentially a board game whose
mechanics work similarly to the
traditional Chinese board game,
Go, but with collectible virtual
Pokémon figurines and familiar
Pokémon-esque gameplay thrown
into the mix. No word on whether
the game will eventually be
translated into different languages
and sold outside of its native
country, but it probably would only
be a matter of time before it does.
Despite it already being 20
years since the whole Pokémon
revolution came to be, you can’t
deny that the franchise is still
very much as evergreen as it was
during the first few years of its
inception. And at the rate that
it’s growing and reinvigorating
our love for Pokémon every step
of the way, it should definitely
be well on track to keep its
momentum going for the next 20
years to come.
Pokémon Go will actually
be using augmented
reality technology and
location-based tracking
to allow you to catch
Pokémon out in the
wild, literally.
Pokémon Go Plus Wearable
G A X - REVIEWS
DYSTOPIAN CLEANUP CREW
Tom Clancy’s The Division
AT A GLANCE
Genre
Third-Person Shooter
Developer
Ubisoft Massive
Publisher
Ubisoft
Platform
PC, PS4 (Tested), Xbox One
MONEY IS THE ROOT OF
THIS PESTILENCE
Tom Clancy’s The Division
introduces itself in a pretty odd
manner. You are shown multiple
clips of people going on a mad
shopping spree on Black Friday,
and things gradually turn into
what feels like a series of zombie
apocalypse movie trailers.
Following that, the Strategic
Homeland Division (or simply
Division) is introduced and you,
an agent of the Division, are
called into action. You are first
taken through a short tutorial in
a small playable area of what’s
supposed to be a small section
of dystopian Brooklyn, before
moving on to the larger area of
Manhattan.
In many ways, the game
feels like an interesting blend
of Shadow of Chernobyl
and Destiny. You have the
similar – though not quite as
severe – post-apocalyptic feel
of the former throughout the
game, with general gameplay
being more like the latter. You
start off with your standard
equipment, and get better
ones as you progress by either
buying them with mission cash
rewards, by scavenging and
looting from dead enemies,
or crafting them yourself. The
quality of the gear you get is
determined by your level, and
the generosity of the RNG.
The Division is generally really
good, to put it simply. There’s a
certain warm, fuzzy feeling that
third-person shooters with RPG
elements give you that vanilla
first-person shooters just don’t.
With that said, there are some
problems.
ALWAYS ONLINE IS
JUST AS DYSTOPIAN
The first concerns the NPC
enemies you face. Those
belonging to either the
Cleaners or Rikers look well
armed enough to provide the
challenge that they do. The
issue is when ordinary rioters
come running at you, with
pistols and SMGs doing more
damage than your assault
rifle or LMG, and you take
more damage from those pea
shooters wearing protective
gear than they do from your
heavy weaponry, with hoodies
being their only armor. This
gets especially ridiculous at
higher levels, when they take
20 marksman rifle shots to the
head before keeling over, and
you get knocked down from
one second of SMG spraying.
Then, you have the
nonsensical necessity to
always be online. Yes, we know
The Division is built around
cooperative play, but this meant
that you can’t play when the
servers are down, and when
they’re not, you’ll have to wait
in line before you can. And
when you do get into the game,
you face the issue of lag even if
you choose to play alone, which
makes about as much sense
as getting a hangover even if
you’ve not had any alcohol in
your system.
CONCLUSION
The Division is a
great game, but it
could be so much
better if it allowed
players to play
without the need
to be connected
all the time.
by Ian Chee
TESTED & RATED
8.0
/10
Dynamic weather and day-night
cycles also give things a
little more variety.
MALAYSIA
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
105
G A X - REVIEWS
MORE TOMBS, LESS CRINGE
Rise of the Tomb Raider
AT A GLANCE
Genre
Action-Adventure
Developer
Crystal Dynamics
Publisher
Square Enix
Platform
PC (Tested), Xbox One,
Xbox 360
IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS
Lara’s return in the wellreceived 2003 Tomb Raider
reboot was praised for its
strong writing, atmospheric
presentation, and focus on
survival-based gameplay.
Despite borrowing liberally
from Naughty Dog’s Uncharted
series, the addition of skill
progression and in-game
challenges ran parallel to
Lara’s development as a
character in this origin story.
A Definitive Edition soon
followed with enhanced
visuals, improved physics, and
native 1080p presentation (at
least on the PS4 release). It
was only natural that a sequel
was greenlit, but as a timed
exclusive for Xbox consoles?
While PS4 owners will have to
wait till late 2016 to have a go
at Rise of the Tomb Raider, PC
gamers only have to endure a
brief two-month wait to pick
up where Ms. Croft last left off
after the Yamatai expedition.
Having survived her
brush with the supernatural,
Lara’s sophomore adventure
concerns the search for the
Divine Source, an artifact
106
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
believes to hold the secret of
immortality. Her late father’s
research points to the lost city
of Kitezh which, according to
Russian folklore, is plunged
beneath Lake Svetloyar to
protect it from invading forces.
The journey will take players
through some of the most
treacherous parts of Siberia,
all while keeping Lara one
step ahead from a ruthless
paramilitary group named
Trinity, who is also (surprise,
surprise) after the same
‘MacGuffin’.
NEW AND IMPROVED
Many of the major collectibles
return, but there’s also
the need to scavenge for
resources in the wild to craft
specialty arrows, improved
ammos, explosives, and
healing items (ala The Last
of Us) on the fly – adding to
the sense of urgency during
combat. One of the main
criticisms levied against
the previous installment
was the dearth of ‘proper’
tomb raiding. Many were
disappointed with the number
of optional tombs (eight if you
count the DLC) and found the
puzzles to be simplistic at
best. This time around, there
are nine Challenge Tombs that
are easily missed if you’re
not looking closely, and they
can be quite satisfying to
complete.
While combat has been
refined to a certain degree, the
exploration and platforming
aspects remain the strongest
elements in Rise of the Tomb
Raider, especially with the
inclusion of stealth climbs
and underwater swims. Once
again, there are large hub areas
connecting the more linear
paths for Lara to traverse,
and you’d do well to revisit
previously inaccessible locations
to uncover hidden items and
other surprises. The PC version
is even more of a stunner, as
evident in the high visual fidelity
demonstrated by the real-time
cutscenes. There are also a
respectable number of graphics
options to enhance the visuals
further, such as PureHair, HBAO+
ambient occlusion, dynamic
foliage, and more.
by Michael Low
CONCLUSION
Effortlessly
expands on
the original in
meaningful ways.
Easy does it…
TESTED & RATED
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
AMBITIOUS TO A FAULT
Street Fighter V
AT A GLANCE
Genre
Fighting
Developer
Capcom, Dimps
Publisher
Capcom
Platform
PC, PS4 (Tested)
CONCLUSION
ROCK-SOLID HERITAGE
Very few video game
genres achieve the kind of
longevity afforded to fighting
games. Case in point: the
arrival of Street Fighter IV,
where a near decade-long
hiatus has done little to
diminish Capcom’s prized
fighting franchise. By 2014, the
game was filled with enough
new content, characters, and
balance tweaks that Ultra
Street Fighter IV was released
in arcades, as well as on home
consoles and PCs. Building on
the active community behind
the series, it was a no-brainer
that Street Fighter V would
soon follow with a combination
of new and reworked gameplay
mechanics, along with a strong
focus on online competitive
play. What most players did not
anticipate, however, was the
absence of modes and features
that are standard-fare for
fighting games on day one of
its release.
At launch, there are 16
fighters to choose from, four of
which are newcomers, while
another four are returning
favorites from the Alpha/
Zero series. A shake-up is in
order for a series with over
two decades of playbook
evolution, and the first casualty
is none other than SFIV’s Focus
Attack. Joining the tried-andtrue EX gauge is the all-new
V-Gauge which, depending on
the character, may contain
two or three bars that fill
up as they receive damage.
The V-Reversal countermove
consumes one V-Gauge bar,
whereas V-Trigger will either
drain slowly or deplete the
full V-Gauge completely upon
activation. V-Skill moves, on
the other hand, do not require
the V-Gauge. The key takeaway
from the V-System mechanic is
that every character benefits
from abilities that are unique
to them, and it is up to you as
the player to leverage on these
newfound techniques.
(MOSTLY) ONLINE
EXPERIENCE
For better or worse, modern
game releases tend to have
its share of teething issues,
and an online-dependent
title like Street Fighter V is no
different. Some of the notable
launch day complaints ranged
from corrupted Fighter IDs to
matchmaking issues and arcade
stick woes, but Capcom was
quick to address connectivity
problems in the days that
follow. What’s more upsetting
is the omission of an Arcade
mode, but in its place is a Story
mode that consists of two to
four single-round matches,
which are interspersed with
static cutscenes and voiceovers. Survival mode fares
better, offering a rotating
choice of battle supplements
between fights in your quest
to unlock the color variations
for each character. At the time
of writing, both the Challenge
mode and in-game store have
yet to go live, but the game
is expected to receive the
cinematic story expansion as a
free update in June, as well as
six DLC characters all the way
till September. In conclusion,
it’s hard to recommend Street
Fighter V to casual fighting fans
in its current form, as it feels
rather unfinished for a fullpriced release.
by Michael Low
Street Fighter
V scores all the
right points for
the FGC crowd,
but it needs
to step up its
content game.
“I’m ready for my close-up!”
TESTED & RATED
7.5
/10
MALAYSIA
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
107
G A X - REVIEWS
PATH OF THE DRAGON
Fire Emblem Fates
AT A GLANCE
Genre
Tactical RPG
Developer
Intelligent Systems
Publisher
Nintendo
Platform
3DS
FOLLOW YOUR HEART
Fire Emblem is one of
Nintendo’s long-running
franchises that have enjoyed
strong success in Japan, and
a steady following outside its
home country beginning with the
Game Boy Advance releases. Two
more titles were localized for the
GameCube and Wii respectively,
but both were saddled with
limited print runs, and criticized
by mainstream gamers for
their unforgiving difficulty and
‘dated’ graphics. Things were
looking grim, but the release
of Awakening helped turn the
tide for the series (and the 3DS),
thanks to positive reviews and
strong sales. Now that Fire
Emblem Fates has arrived on
our shores, how does it fare in
comparison to previous entries?
First, there are three versions
of Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright,
Conquest, and Revelation
– each representing a path
that the player will take in the
war between the Kingdoms
of Hoshido (Birthright) and
Nohr (Conquest). For the full
experience, you will have to
unlock the second and final
108
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
paths for US$19.99 each. If
you managed to secure the
Special Edition, all three paths
are unlocked from the get-go.
Some will see this as a cash-grab
move, but it does make for an
interesting narrative turn, as the
story diverges from Chapter 5
onwards, leading to different set
of challenges, accompanying
characters, and conclusions.
FAMILY CAN BE
YOUR WORST ENEMY
Similar to Awakening, the player
can customize the Avatar’s
name, gender, appearance, and
voice to their liking. Unlike in
the previous title, the Avatar
serves as the main protagonist
in Fates, with his or her army
to command across various
battlefields. Based on our
multiple playthroughs, it’s
clear that Birthright is aimed
at newcomers and Awakening
fans, while Conquest offers
quite a challenge even for
series’ veterans with its diverse
objectives, and limited gold/
experience gains. Revelation,
on the other hand, plays like
a hybrid of the other two.
In addition to Classic (read:
permadeath) and Casual (units
revived post battle) modes,
Fates introduces Phoenix, a third
mode under Normal difficulty
that revives downed units to
full health (with the exception
of the Avatar and another key
character) at the end of the turn.
Also returning from
Awakening is the Support
system, which plays a critical
role in building affinities and
developing relationships
between characters, the latter
which can result in marriage
and offspring, who can then
be recruited into your army
(don’t ask). Much of the fun
is derived from the My Castle
hub and unlocking support
conversations, which ranged
from funny and awkward to
serious and insightful. There was
a brief controversy regarding the
removal of a ‘petting’ minigame,
but we’re glad that they kept
the same-sex relationship option
intact. Purists, however, will not
be happy with the absence of
Japanese voiceovers.
by Michael Low
CONCLUSION
Explore the
repercussions
of your decision
in true Fire
Emblem fashion.
Animated cutscenes are back!
TESTED & RATED
9.0
/10
MALAYSIA
GRAVITATIONAL PULL
Gravity Rush Remastered
AT A GLANCE
Genre
Action-Adventure
Developer
SCE Japan Studio,
Bluepoint Games
Publisher
Sony Computer
Entertainment
Platform
PS4
TOPSY-TURVY
Back when you were a
kid, you’ve probably spent
an unhealthy amount of time
pondering about what life would
be like if you had superpowers. If
being able to manipulate gravity
happens to be the superpower
of your fancy, it’s safe to say that
you’ll end up thinking twice about
wanting to have such an ability
once you’ve played Gravity Rush
Remastered.
Initially conceived for the PS
Vita back in 2012, it was hardly
surprising that Gravity Rush has
been given the remastering
treatment for the PS4, seeing that
it raked up many positive reviews
from both critics and players.
Besides, the relaunch of Gravity
Rush would most definitely
help the franchise create some
traction for its upcoming sequel,
Gravity Rush 2, which is currently
in development.
Apart from the more polished
comic-book style graphics (think
Borderlands), nothing much has
changed over in the storyline
department – you’ll still be
controlling protagonist, Kat, who
has the ability to control the
forces of gravity as she pleases,
no thanks to her companion, a
mystic cat named Dusty. Since
the laws of gravity don’t quite
apply to her, she’s able to walk on
walls, ceilings, throw objects, and
float freely as though she was in
outer space.
Sounds fun, but not when
you’re the one controlling her
movements. If you’re prone
to getting motion sickness
while playing first-person
shooters, you’ll probably end
up feeling woozy after 10
minutes of playing Gravity
Rush Remastered. You can give
yourself a pat on the back if you
can manage to play the game
for more than hour in a single
sitting without feeling giddy.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
Getting Kat to break free from
the clutches of gravity is simple
enough – just tap the R1 button
and you’ll start hovering on the
spot. To actually make progress,
you’ll have to point the camera
to where you want to go, and
tap R1 again to begin drifting
towards that direction – which
is when things will begin to feel
a little disorientating. And that’s
because the camera angle in
Gravity Rush Remastered isn’t
always anchored onto the
direction where Kat is heading
to. For example, if Kat were to
walk on the ceiling of a particular
building, the camera would often
times depict her as though she
was walking on the ground, thus
making your senses go haywire
as they ever so desperately try to
get their bearings straight.
Once you learn how to
differentiate top from bottom,
you’ll have to put your gravitydefying talents to good use by
protecting the beautifully crafted
city of Hekseville from the
onslaught of glob-like enemies
known as the Nevi – who are as
predictable as they come. Learn
their attack style and time them
well, and you’ll easily be able to
defeat them without a scratch.
With that said, we actually
did enjoy playing Gravity Rush
Remastered. Yes, it will take you a
fair bit of time to finally learn how
to synchronize Kat’s movements
with the rather uncooperative
camera, but the sense of
achievement that comes as a
result would definitely be worth it.
by Peter Chu
CONCLUSION
Overcome the
slightly steep
learning curve
of Gravity Rush
Remastered,
and you’ll be
able to truly
appreciate all that
it has to offer.
TESTED & RATED
8.0
/10
MALAYSIA
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
109
G A X - REVIEWS
ANOTHER GREAT JRPG
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
AT A GLANCE
Genre
RPG
Developer
Nihon Falcom
Publisher
XSEED Games
Platform
PS3, PS Vita (Tested)
A WORTHY ADDITION
Any JRPG fan would have
played at least one Legend of
Heroes game by now. Developed
by Nihon Falcom, the same
people responsible for the
amazing The Legend of Heroes:
Trails in the Sky series, as well
as the Ys series, The Legend of
Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is
the latest JRPG title from the
developer to receive an English
localization.
Fans who have been following
previous Legends of Heroes
series, namely Trails of Zero and
Trails of Azure, will be familiar
with the events in Trails of Cold
Steel, as the game is set as
the same time and arc as the
other two games. While this
is so, newcomers will not feel
out of place because there are
plenty of background elements
explained throughout the game.
Without spoiling too much
though, Trails of Cold Steel (and
its subsequent sequels) focuses
on the Erobonian Empire, who
are portrayed as the antagonists
in earlier games. This is a rather
interesting take on things, as
we get a good look at the social
structure of the empire, and how
110
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
the game’s group of protagonists
is attempting to defy this.
You take on the role of Rean
Schwarzer, who belongs to
Class VII in the Thors Military
Academy. Class VII is unique in
the way that it’s the only class –
ever - from the empire that has
both noble and normal citizens
as students. Throughout the
game, you learn more about
the rest of your classmates
and hone your combat skills, all
while a civil war is looming in
the background.
A LAYER OF STRATEGY
Gameplay is pretty
straightforward – it’s somewhat
of a Persona clone. There are
elements of a life-simulator, but
it’s a turn-based RPG at its core.
The life-sim elements allow you
to forge better ‘Links’ with your
classmates and other NPCs,
which in turn lets you perform
more powerful moves in combat.
As for combat itself, all
characters have access to Arts
and Crafts. Arts are mostly
magic-based skills based on
what ‘Quartz’ you equip on
a character, while Crafts are
unique character skills. The Links
mentioned above lets you link
two active characters, upon
which they can follow-up with
attacks or support each other.
In short, the gameplay in Trails
of Cold Steel is easy enough to
understand, yet deep enough to
remain interesting.
CONCLUSION
SOMETHING YOU CAN SINK
YOUR TEETH INTO
Overall, Trails of Cold Steel is
definitely an RPG worth playing.
The characters are fleshed out,
while the story, which has a
tendency to drag in the first
half of the game, works up to
be more exciting later on. The
ending is a cliffhanger though,
so you’ll definitely want to get
Trails of Cold Steel II, if it does
get localized.
If you have the
time and patience,
The Legends of
Heroes: Trails of
Cold Steel will
reveal itself to be
a solid RPG.
by Bryan Chan
TESTED & RATED
8.5
/10
There are nine members in Class VII.
MALAYSIA
April 2016 | Vol 8 Issue 8
T E S T
Finally, a
successor to
the X-Pro1
arrives!
T E S T
Take perfect
selfies with
the Casio
EXILIM
EX-TR70
N E W S
Canon
introduces
a new
entry-level
DSLR, the
EOS 1300D
A GAME OF
RESOLUTION
CONTENTS
114 // NEWS
113 // NEWS
The EOS 1300D is Canon’s latest
entry-level DSLR.
113 // NEWS
FUJIFILM Malaysia launches new
X-series products, including the
X-Pro2.
114 // NEWS
Sony launches the α6300 and G
Master lenses at CP+ 2016.
116 // TEST
The FUJIFILM X-Pro2 is put through
its paces.
118 // TEST
Love selfies? Find out if the Casio
EXILIM EX-TR70 is the best selfie
camera around.
113 // NEWS
116 // TEST
118 // TEST
Spoilt For Choice
CP+ 2016 is over, and many camera manufacturers have new contenders in their lineup. From
Sony’s α6300 to FUJIFILM’s X-Pro2, photographers who are looking to upgrade their gear will
definitely be in for a hard time choosing the right camera, as they’re all pretty amazing in their own right.
To help you in this regard, we tested one of the top contenders this year, the FUJIFILM X-Pro2. Is
it able to surpass its predecessor, the highly-acclaimed X-Pro1, or is it merely a minor upgrade? Find
out in our review.
Apart from that, we also review the Casio EXILIM EX-TR70, which is likely the top choice when it
comes to a camera that’s made for selfie lovers. Equipped with a feature called Make-up on Movie,
this camera can apply make up effects in real-time! Check out our review if your interest is piqued.
As always, if you’ve got any feedback or comments, don’t be shy to drop us an email!
Bryan Chan
HWM Malaysia
aperture uses the ASUS ProArt PA238Q monitor
for all its image editing and viewing
112
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
A P E R T U R E - NEWS
A NEW EOS JOINS THE FRAY
Canon Announces New EOS 1300D
The EOS 1300D
is the latest
entry-level
DSLR from the
Japanese camera
manufacturer.
Geared for beginners, the
EOS 1300D is easy to use.
There’s a new entry-level
DSLR from Canon and it’s
called the EOS 1300D. Equipped to
meet the demands of beginners,
the EOS 1300D has an 18MP
APS-C sensor, an ISO range that’s
expandable to 12,800, and of
course Wi-Fi and NFC capabilities.
To maximize functionality, the
EOS 1300D can also be remotely
controlled, thanks to the Canon
Camera Connect app, which is
available for free on both the
iOS App Store and Google Play.
Once linked to a device with the
Camera Connect app, you will be
able to control the shutter speed,
aperture, and ISO of the camera
remotely. This makes it incredibly
easy to get long-exposure shots,
and even group shots.
There’s also a variety of
creative filters that can be applied
in-camera, including Soft Focus,
Grainy Black and White, Toy
Camera, Fish-Eye, and Miniature.
The intensity of some of these
filters can be customized, allowing
you to express your creativity in
an effective manner.
Other features include a 3-inch
920k dot LCD monitor that helps
you to compose in Live View
mode, as well as an autofocusing
(AF) system with nine points.
While on the subject of the AF
system, Canon equipped the EOS
1300D with an AI Servo AF system,
which can track and keep moving
subjects in focus.
Sadly, there’s no 4K video
recording, but that doesn’t mean
this camera can’t record good
quality videos. It is able to record
up to Full HD 30p quality, which is
great for most occasions. As of the
time of writing, local pricing and
availability is yet to be confirmed.
THERE’S A NEW X-PRO IN TOWN
FUJIFILM Malaysia Launches the X-Pro2, X70, and FUJINON XF100-400mm
Early in March, FUJIFILM
Malaysia launched three new
X-series products in Malaysia – the
X-Pro2, X70 and FUJINON XF100400mm F4.5-5.6 R LM IOS WR lens.
Longtime FUJIFILM users will
know that the X-series is where
the company parks its high-end
offerings and that hasn’t changed.
The X-Pro2 is the company’s
flagship interchangeable system
camera, and naturally, it’s
equipped with some of the latest
technology, such as a new 24.3MP
sensor and an updated Hybrid
Multi Viewfinder. It also has dual
SD card slots, as well as a new
ACROS Film Simulation mode for
more punchy black and white
photos. Furthermore, it is dustand splash-proof.
The X70, on the other hand,
is best described as a simplified
X100T. It makes use of a 3-inch
touchscreen LCD that can be
flipped 180-degree upwards for
framing purposes, and to relay
information. In addition, there’s also
Advanced SR Auto, a mode that
helps you take sharp, well-exposed
photos, thanks to the fact that it
recognizes faces, and takes into
account the entire lighting condition
of the frame before automatically
adjusting its focus, exposure, ISO,
and other settings. The lens on
this camera is a newly developed
FUJINON 18.5mm f/2.8 lens.
Last but not least is the FUJINON
XF100-400mm F4.5-5.6 R LM IOS
WR lens. Designed for professionals
who want to shoot sports or
wildlife, this lens has up to five
stops of image stabilization, and
comprises 21 lens elements in 14
groups. It weighs less than 1.4kg,
and also makes use of a fluorine
coating to repel dirt and water.
The X-Pro2 is priced at RM8,188
(body only), the X70 at RM3,388,
and the XF100-400mm is going for
RM8,998.
(From left to right) Hon Soon Teng, Head of Sales, Imaging Solutions, and Kelvin Ooi,
Marketing Manager, Imaging Solutions, FUJIFILM Malaysia
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
113
A P E R T U R E - EVENTS
OF G MASTER AND
THE α6300
Sony Launches the α6300 and G Master Lenses
When the α7R II was first unveiled last year, many
held back on getting one due to the fact that the
lenses in Sony’s lineup didn’t provide enough
resolution to match the powerful 42.4MP sensor of
the α7R II. That has changed, because at CP+ 2016
this year, Sony launched its G Master series, as well
as a new APS-C camera, the α6300.
114
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
α6300
The α6300 succeeds the
well-received α6000. Like its
predecessor, it’s the flagship
camera in Sony’s mirrorless APS-C
lineup. Naturally, this camera
comes with some beefed up
specifications, such as a new
24.2MP sensor, expandable ISO
up to 51,200, and an XGA OLED
EVF. But most importantly is its
AF system that is considered the
world’s fastest, with an acquisition
rate of 0.05 seconds, and it’s also
the camera with the world’s most
number of phase-detection AF
points, with 425 points.
If you’re a videographer, you’d
be happy to learn that the α6300
is capable of shooting 4K videos,
with full pixel readout and no
pixel binning. What this essentially
means is that you’ll be able to
make full use of this camera’s
sensor when shooting 4K.
We were able to get some
hands-on time with the
camera during CP+ 2016, and
though we didn’t get to test it
extensively, we’re amazed at
the performance of this camera.
The autofocus performance was
exactly as advertised – there was
a miniature train track set up, and
when set to AF Tracking mode,
the camera easily kept up with
the train.
Button placement doesn’t
stray far from other Alpha
cameras, so if you’ve used one
before, you’ll feel right at home
with this camera.
In addition to having some
hands-on time with the
α6300, we were also given the
opportunity to briefly try out two
of Sony’s new G Master lenses –
the SEL2470GSM (24-70mm f/2.8)
and the SEL85F14GM (85mm
f/1.4). For the uninitiated, the G
Master lenses were developed
for full-frame cameras equipped
with high resolution sensors, and
they offer the highest optical
resolution Sony has to offer when
it comes to lenses.
SEL2470GSM
This 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master
lens will likely be the lens of
choice for many Alpha users.
It has a flexible zoom range,
and currently features the best
optics technology Sony has to
offer. This lens comprises 18 lens
elements in 13 different groups,
one of them being an Extreme
aspherical lens, and another two
being aspherical lenses. This
results in bokeh that’s creamy
and very pleasing to the eyes.
During our time with this lens,
we found it to be slightly heavy,
and it feels somewhat clumsy
when paired with a camera
like the α7R II, but this is an
inconvenience we’ll gladly live
with, for amazing image quality.
Shot with Sony SEL2470GSM at 70mm, 1/5 second shutter speed, f/9, ISO 100.
SEL85F14GM
Button placement on this camera is similar to most new Sony Alpha cameras.
Continuing to impress us was the
85mm f/1.4 G Master lens. Similar
to the SEL2470GSM, this lens is
bulky and feels mildly awkward
on a compact camera. Again,
the reason why these lenses are
huge is because Sony wanted the
absolute best in resolution, so this
is something we can live with.
Comprising 11 lens elements
in eight different groups, this lens
focuses reasonably fast, and the
image quality is truly amazing.
Center sharpness is great, with
little to no drop in sharpness at
the edges. As you can see, the
bokeh produced with this lens
is also very pleasing, making it
a lens we’d love to use for any
portrait photography.
The α6300 has an EVF, just like its predecessor.
Shot with Sony SEL85F14GM at 1/320 second shutter speed, f/1.4, ISO 5,000.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
115
A P E R T U R E - TEST
AT A GLANCE
Sensor
APS-C X-Trans III CMOS
Megapixels
24.3-Megapixels
Dimensions
140.5 x 82.8 x 45.9mm
Weight
445g (body only)
Price
RM8,188 (body only)
THE RANGEFINDER
REBORN
FUJIFILM X-Pro2
Images taken at up to ISO 25,600
remain usable.
Dual memory card slots give more
options to photographers.
The X-Pro2 represents the
flagship rangefinder of the
family, and marks the start of
a new generation of cameras
for FUJIFILM. It’s the first
camera from FUJIFILM to get
the new 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS
III sensor, and that’s matched
with a high performance X
Processor Pro for stunning
image quality.
The continuous shooting
goes up to 8.0 fps, just like
the X-T1, but the X-Pro2 has
a bigger buffer allowing it
to maintain that rate for 83
frames (in JPEG quality) almost twice of what the X-T1
achieves (47 in JPEG quality).
In fact, almost everything
is improved, and it seems the
X-Pro2 is the embodiment
of all of FUJIFILM’s latest
technologies, like the
Advanced Hybrid Viewfinder
from last year’s X100T, and
the electronic shutter from
the X-T10 and X-T1. So, you
could easily say the X-Pro2
truly marks the beginning of an
exciting new year for FUJIFILM.
From the front, the
X-Pro2 looks virtually
unchanged from the original,
with the exception of the
larger handgrip, and the
inclusion of a front control dial.
Turn it over though, and you’ll
find that all the buttons have
been shifted to the right of
the rear LCD. There are more
custom function buttons and a
larger grip too.
All of the X-Pro2’s displays
are also much enhanced, from
the viewfinder to the LCD.
The optical viewfinder (OVF)
finally comes with a diopter
adjustment dial so you can
account for less than perfect
eyesight, and it now covers 92
percent of the frame, up from
90 percent in the original.
Again, a flick of the OVF/EVF
switch lever in front toggles
the display in the viewfinder
from OVF to EVF, but now you
can get an additional Electronic
Viewfinder (EVF) window
that can display your focus
point in either 100 percent
view, 2.5x magnification, or
6x magnification, allowing
to check focus with greater
accuracy. This works even
with Manual Focus assist, and
so offers an option for even
greater precision when using
the OVF.
PICTURES FUJIFILM
116
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
On that note, the X-Pro2
has a total of 273 AF
points across the frame,
approximately 40 percent of
the imaging area is covered
by faster Phase Detect AF
pixels with the number of
Phase Detect AF points
increased from 49 to 77. And
there’s now a handy Focus
Lever by the side of the LCD
that allows you to quickly
shift your focus point.
Up top, the control dials
have also seen change.
They’re now slightly bigger,
and the shutter dial now
incorporates a window for
setting the ISO level. That’s
accomplished by slightly
lifting up the ring surrounding
the dial, then turning. This
moves an inner dial which
adjusts the camera’s ISO. All
the ISO settings are there, as
well as the auto ISO setting,
the ranges for which can
be defined in the camera’s
menus.
The X-Pro2 also gets dual
memory card slots, a first
for FUJIFILM. This falls more
in line with the concept of a
‘professional series camera’,
and is definitely a welcome
introduction. The X-Pro2 is also
weather sealed like the X-T1,
and it continues to offer a flash
sync port for use with studio
strobes.
The X-Pro2 is a fast and
responsive camera, and we
found the autofocus to be
extremely fast overall, even in
lowlight. Because the Focus
Lever made it so easy to
switch focus points, we found
ourselves using single point
focus most of the time, which
is perhaps testament to how
well spread the AF points were
across the frame.
The X-Pro2‘s Hybrid
Rangefinder ability to display
a secondary window, was also
a very handy feature, as it
allowed us to literally see what
the camera had in focus before
you even pressed the shutter,
which is certainly faster than
checking your focus on the
playback.
One thing that’s stood
out to us the most, was the
amount of detail captured by
this camera. We compared
some of the shots of our
studio test scene against shots
taken previously with fullframe cameras that boasted
higher megapixel counts, and
found that the images were
certainly comparable in terms
of resolution and sharpness,
especially at the higher ISO
sensitivities.
by Marcus Wong
CONCLUSION
An extremely
impressive
camera that
pushes the
boundaries.
SPECIFICATIONS
LCD 3-inch LCD with 1.62 million dots
// ISO ISO 200 to 12,800, extendable to
100/ 25,600/ 51,200 // Shutter speed
Mechanical: 30 seconds to 1/8,000
sec, bulb mode up to 60 minutes;
Electronic: 30 seconds to 1/32,000 sec
// Image Stabilization Lens // Hot
Shoe Yes // Image Format JPEG,
14-bit RAW, RAW + JPEG // Video
Up to Full HD, 60p // Connectivity
Wi-Fi, 1x Micro-USB, 1x Micro-HDMI,
1x microphone/shutter release
input (2.5mm) // Warranty 1-year
// Contact FUJIFILM Malaysia //
Telephone (03) 7958 4701 // URL
www.fujifilm.com.my
TESTED & RATED
9.0
/10
M A L AY S I A
Available at
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
117
A P E R T U R E - TEST
SELFIE CONNOISSEUR
Casio EXILIM EX-TR70
Selfie-takers can usually
be categorized into two
distinct groups. There’s the
casual selfie-taker – who
really isn’t all that concerned
about the quality of their
selfies, just as long as their
face can be seen clearly – and
there’s the devout selfie-taker,
who expects their selfies to
be exquisite enough to be
featured on the front cover of a
magazine. For the latter of the
two groups, there’s the Casio
EXILIM EX-TR70 – a dedicated
selfie camera that’s poised to
meet their lofty selfie demands.
As far as specifications are
concerned, the EX-TR70 has
11.1MP, a 1/1.7-inch CMOS
image sensor, an EXILIM Engine
HS, Ver. 3 image processor,
a fixed aperture of f/2.8, an
ISO range of 80 to 3,200, and
a 3-inch, articulating TFT LCD
touchscreen. The EX-TR70 isn’t
capable of shooting in RAW,
so you’ll have to make do with
saving your selfies under the
JPEG format.
Not a dealbreaker really,
as the EX-TR70 does come
included with built-in
beautification features that
you can use to touch up your
portraits. From whitening and
darkening your skin tone, to
adjusting how smooth and
flawless you want your skin to
be – everything can be done
from within the camera itself,
with the help of an on-screen
slider. Just a word of advice
though: moderation is key.
The EX-TR70 comes with
seven different shooting
modes for you to choose
from: Auto, Premium Auto Pro,
Make-up, Instant Movie, Best
Shot, Art Shot, and Posing
Shot. If you’re the kind of
person who prefers letting
the camera do the work, the
Premium Auto Pro mode is
the way to go. Prefer getting
your hands down and dirty
instead? Set it to conventional
Auto mode, where you’ll be
able to manually configure
settings like white balance, ISO
and focus mode. The Make-up
mode, meanwhile, is actually
already integrated within
both the Auto and Premium
Auto Pro modes, so you don’t
specifically have to be using
that mode to doll yourself up.
It’s really no surprise that
the EX-TR70 is able to produce
images (and selfies) that are
significantly much better in
quality than those from your
smartphone’s front-facing or
rear camera. There’s noticeably
less noise, the overall image is
sharper, brighter, and clearer,
while color reproduction
is pretty much spot on –
definitely much more visually
appealing than the appallingly
grainy selfies that are plastered
all over social media.
Unlike the EX-TR60 (its
immediate predecessor), the
EX-TR70 is able to apply its
beautifying effects onto its
video recordings in real time,
which it does commendably
well. It was able to lock
onto our face and enhance
it accordingly, despite us
moving and bobbing around
haphazardly during our
mock vlog.
You can transfer the photos
and videos that are stored on
the EX-TR70 to your smartphone
wirelessly through the EXILIM
Connect app, which can be
downloaded for free from
Google Play or the iOS App
Store. For convenience’s sake,
you can opt to have the EX-TR70
automatically transfer them to
your smartphone the instant you
capture them, using the EXILIM
Auto Transfer feature.
by Peter Chu
118
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
AT A GLANCE
Type
Compact
Megapixels
11.1MP
Image Processor
EXILIM Engine Ver. 3
Sensor
1/1.7-inch CMOS
Price
RM4,199
The touch-sensitive ‘Selfie Pad’ on
the side of the EXILIM EX-TR70 can
be used to toggle various ‘Selfie
Art’ filters.
CONCLUSION
You’ll need to be
a die-hard selfie
enthusiast to really
appreciate the
EXILIM EX-TR70.
SPECIFICATIONS
Focusing Contrast Detection AF
// Image Quality JPEG // LCD
Monitor 3.0-inch vari-angle TFT LCD
touchscreen // ISO ISO 80 – 3,200
// Storage 1x microSD card //
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Bluetooth Smart, Micro-USB //
Dimensions 128.5 (W) x 60.9 (H) x
16.3 (D) mm // Weight Approx. 149g
(w/ battery and memory card) //
Warranty 1-year (18 months upon
e-warranty registration) // Contact
Marco Heritage (M) Sdn Bhd //
Telephone (03) 4043 3111 // URL
www.casio.com.my
TESTED & RATED
8.0
/10
M A L AY S I A
Available at
SMB
VOLUME 9 ISSUE 1
THE SMALL MEDIUM BUSINESS SECTION
120
CHATIME TURNS TO
WINDOWS 8 AND
MICROSOFT
AZURE
One of the Most Well-Known Tea Companies in the Country Credits
Microsoft’s Software and Cloud Solutions for its Bubbling Success
INSIDE
AZIZUL RAHMAN ISMAIL
He knows what you need
Getting ahead in business is all about getting
the information you need, when you need
it, and Azizul knows this well. He digests
business related technology, events, news,
and products to give you only what you
need to drive your small and medium-sized
business ahead of the pack.
120
REPORT
Coverage of business events in and out of the
country
125 ANALYSIS
WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
119
S M B - REPORT
MACHINE
ENDPOINT
FIREWALL
Barracuda NextGen Firewall S-Series Enables
Customers to Securely Connect Thousands of
Machine Endpoints
Barracuda Networks expanded its next-generation firewall
product family with the addition of the new Barracuda NextGen
Firewall S-Series, which helps customers enforce proper access
privileges, secure and centrally manage all communications, and quickly
roll out thousands of devices to untrained staff in remote locations.
“The Barracuda NextGen Firewall S-Series empowers customers
to massively scale thousands of connected devices with powerful
technology that is easy to use and affordable. The Barracuda NextGen
Firewall S-Series launch further underscores Barracuda’s aim to help
customers optimize network traffic and better regulate application
usage in highly distributed and hybrid environments,” said Thiban
Darmalingam, Regional Manager of Barracuda in Malaysia.
The S-Series includes two new products: the Barracuda NextGen
Firewall Secure Connector 1 (SC1) and the Barracuda NextGen SAC. The
former is a small appliance that includes firewalling, Wi-Fi, and full VPN
connectivity, while the other is a virtual gateway capable of running in
Microsoft Azure environments, or in private clouds to optimize network
traffic flow and centrally apply next-generation security functionality to
deployed SC1 appliances.
The Barracuda NextGen Firewall S-Series promises greater
flexibility to securely connect highly distributed networks such as ATM
machines, and includes the same advanced security functionality such
as Application Control, Anti-Virus, IPS, and URL filtering well known
with the Barracuda NextGen Firewall F- and Barracuda NextGen
Firewall X-Series products.
Both the Barracuda NextGen Firewall Secure Connector 1 (SC1)
appliance and the Barracuda NextGen Firewall Secure Access
Concentrator (SAC) virtual appliance are available now.
CHATIME ADOPTS
MICROSOFT
Known Best for its Creative Tea-Based Drinks, Chatime Now Makes for the
Cloud with Windows 8 and Microsoft Azure
Chatime Malaysia has turned to Microsoft
solutions to enhance its business operations
with Windows 8 and the enterprise-grade cloud
computing platform, Microsoft Azure. The move will
affect the company’s 800 trained tearistas (tea
equivalent to baristas), and across 150 outlets.
“Keeping pace with our growing business and
customer base was a growing challenge for us. In
order to serve a beverage liked by all, we use only
high quality tea leaves and ingredients to serve
close to four million Chatime in Malaysia drinks
a month. Our expanding business meant that we
were in need of a system that was capable of more
than just tabulating sales numbers. We believed
that we needed to better understand customer
behavior better – essentially, what makes them tick,
and what doesn’t – and ultimately, this would be
translated into business insights that we could use
to consistently serve quality drinks,” said Bryan Loo,
Managing Director of Loob Holding Sdn Bhd, the
license owner of Chatime Malaysia.
Chatime began replacing its traditional POS
120
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
systems with Windows 8 in April 2014. The company
then moved their data to Azure, making the
centralized POS system fully connected to a cloud
infrastructure. This allowed Chatime to access
transaction data from all of its outlets, live – literally,
anytime, anywhere – and extract it in a suitable
format that would help them translate the numbers
and data into a workable report.
“Chatime’s decision to move to Microsoft
Windows and Cloud-based Azure came at an
opportune time for the company, as more and more
SMBs in the food and beverage industry are realizing
the need for a modern and affordable, yet scalable
platform to remain nimble in a fast-paced industry.
With Microsoft’s affordable cloud-based platform
that minimizes capital expenditure, improves
operational efficiency and ultimately optimizes
revenue in the long run, we hope to empower SMBs
in Malaysia to focus their efforts in what matters to
them most - growing their business,” said Azizah Ali,
General Manager, Small and Midmarket Solutions
and Partners at Microsoft Malaysia.
APPOINTMENT
Kaspersky Lab Confirms New
APAC Managing Director
Kaspersky Lab officially confirmed the
appointment of Maxim Mitrokhin to the
position of Managing Director of Kaspersky
Lab Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore, Maxim
will spearhead the company’s dynamic
growth strategy in the region.
Maxim is now responsible for continuing
Kaspersky Lab’s business growth in the
region with a focus on reinforcing B2C
market share, as well as driving channel
engagements and development in the B2B
sector.
“Kaspersky Lab’s APAC team is in
top gear, as we take on the challenge of
maintaining growth in the B2C market as
well as expanding our enterprise security
portfolio in the region. With Maxim at
the helm, I am confident that his wealth
of operational expertise and thorough
understanding of the Kaspersky Lab
proposition will push development forward
in the SMB and enterprise markets and
drive new initiatives and business growth,”
said Garry Kondakov, Chief Business Officer,
Kaspersky Lab.
MICROSOFT
DYNAMICSAX
APPOINTMENT
Autodesk Appoints New
Business Leaders in ASEAN
Businesses Will Be Able to Combine the Best Practices for Mission-Critical
Apps with the Flexibility and Simplicity of Upgrade via the Cloud
Microsoft announced the availability of its
next-generation cloud ERP solution, Microsoft
Dynamics AX. Built on and for Microsoft Azure, the
enterprise-class business application aims to bring the
power, speed and intelligence of cloud computing to
people and organizations to achieve more.
“Customers from
around the world
are using the cloud
in incredible ways
to accelerate and
transform their
business. Today’s
release is an
exciting milestone
extending
Microsoft’s
business cloud
offerings. It’s
now possible for
organizations to run their entire business in the cloud
with Microsoft — from productivity with Office 365, to
business analytics with Power BI and Cortana Analytics
Suite, customer engagement with Dynamics CRM and
business operations with Dynamics AX,” said Scott
Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Cloud and
Enterprise.
Through Azure cloud, Dynamics AX provides enhanced
security along with global availability and scale. It works
like any other Microsoft applications that people are used
to, with proven business logic of a complete business
suite, as well as enhanced with new constructs such as
Workspaces that provide a collaborative canvas.
The new Dynamics AX also takes the capabilities of
Lifecycle Services (LCS) to the next level with the ability
to combine the
best practices
for their missioncritical apps with
the flexibility
and simplicity
of upgrade via
the cloud. With
LCS, Dynamics
AX will formalize
the concepts of
development, test,
and production,
making the ongoing
upgrade quicker to implement and deploy, and easier to
manage.
Customers can sign up for the service today as the
new release is available as a monthly subscription in
three simple versions that include self-serve user, Task
user, and Enterprise user. Businesses can get up and
running quickly with this simple and transparent pay-asyou-go model.
Autodesk announced the promotions of
Rama Tiwari to the position of Regional
Director of Sales in ASEAN, and Chris Lee to
Country Manager of Malaysia, Singapore and
Brunei. Both are based in Singapore.
“Rama and Chris are industry veterans
with two decades of collective Autodesk
experience under their belt. As we continue
our shift to a subscription-based business
model worldwide, they will be instrumental
in accelerating Autodesk’s growth and
expanding our presence in the region,”
said Patrick Williams, Senior Vice President,
Autodesk Asia Pacific.
Tiwari will be relocated back to
his native Singapore from Autodesk’s
headquarters in San Francisco, where he
spearheaded the successful transformation
of the company’s flagship AutoCAD.
Likewise, Lee brings with him a solid
sales track record and deep industry
knowledge, having held sales positions
in Autodesk’s core industries, namely
manufacturing, architecture, engineering
and construction (AEC), and media and
entertainment (M&E) in ASEAN since 2008.
LENOVO-NUTANIX STRATEGY
Companies in the ‘Third Platform’ Era Need to Start Considering the Implementation of Invisible
Infrastructure for Next-Generation Enterprise Computing
Lenovo Malaysia and Nutanix
recently held a roundtable
panel discussion with leading
analyst International Data
Corporation Asia/Pacific Pte Ltd
(IDC). The discussion revolved around
the strategic importance for
organizations to focus on innovation
in order to continue achieving
business success in the ‘Third
Platform’ era.
“Asia Pacific’s transformation
through technology change and
disruption is significant as it will be
pivotal in reshaping the competitive
landscape across verticals. In order
to capture value from IT infrastructure innovation, organizations need
to put into place next-generation
infrastructure building blocks so they
can remain competitive in the 3rd
Platform era,” said Rajnish Arora,
Vice President, Enterprise Computing
Research, IDC Asia/Pacific.
Rajesh Viliyakath, Enterprise
Business Group Leader, Lenovo SEA
added that “Enterprise needs are
changing and the demand for varied
server as well as other supporting
infrastructure offerings are growing
rapidly. Selecting the right tech-
nologies is only part of the job;
integrating them into services that
meet business needs and building
scalable processes for provisioning
and support represent the more
complicated and challenging part
of capturing value from innovation.
Lenovo products and solutions are
designed to transform enterprise’ IT
into a growth engine for greater efficiency, agility and resiliency, allowing
them to do more with less.”
Meanwhile, Lenovo also officially
announced the availability of Lenovo
hyper-convereged appliances that
are powered by Nutanix software in
Malaysia. This is a result of a partnership between Lenovo and Nutanix.
“Lenovo is an undisputed leader
in multiple technology markets, and
it has earned the trust of thousands
of enterprises around the globe
with its innovative and high-quality
product. Partnering with Lenovo is
a critical milestone in our journey to
bring invisible infrastructure, with the
efficiencies of web-scale technology
and power of consumer-grade design, to companies of all sizes,” said
Paul Serrano, Senior Director and
Chief Evangelist, Nutanix.
(From L-R) Rajesh Viliyakath, Enterprise Business Group Leader, Lenovo SEA; Khoo
Hung Chuan, Country General Manager, Lenovo Malaysia; and Paul Serrano, Senior
Director & Chief Evangelist, APJ, Nutanix.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
121
S M B - REPORT
DELL DATA
PROTECTION
PC Maker Giant Offers New Backup and Recovery
Solutions, Brings Clients to the Cloud
Dell announced a series of new data protection solutions to
help organizations better protect business-critical systems, applications, and data both on premises and in the cloud. These solutions
includes the general availability of Dell Data Protection | Rapid Recovery,
three new data deduplication appliances models, new Dell Data Protection |
Endpoint Recovery – Free Edition, and the new Dell Data Protection | NetVault
Backup 11.
Dell Data Protection | Rapid Recovery now integrates features of AppAssure and other leading Dell IP to help eliminate downtime. It enables customers to attain ZeroImpact recovery of systems, applications and data across
physical, virtual and cloud environments.
Rapid Snap for Applications technology takes snapshots of entire physical
or virtual environments up to every five minutes, giving users immediate access to data in the event of an incident and the power to restore in real time.
In addition, Rapid Snap for Virtual technology offers agentless protection of
VMware VMs.
“With the next generation of Data Protection solutions, Dell is committed
to helping companies gain control of their IT environments, and protecting the applications and data that flows across the organization both on
premises and in the cloud. These significant enhancements to the Dell Data
Protection portfolio help organizations utilize the opportunities of cloud and
build a future-ready infrastructure by ensuring they have instant access to
systems, applications and data that run their businesses. From clients all the
way to the cloud, Dell Data Protection solutions deliver a combination of performance, price and flexibility that no other vendor can match,” said Matthew
Johnston, General Manager, Systems & Information Management, Asia-Pacific
and Japan, Dell Software.
Matthew Johnston, General Manager, Systems & Information Management, AsiaPacific and Japan, Dell Software.
START-UP
FINTECH
LEADERS
iMoney Group’s CEO and Co-Founder Joins Ranks
of Top 100 Fintech Leaders in Asia
Lee Ching Wei, CEO and Co-Founder of iMoney Group was recently
inducted in Next Bank’s inaugural Fintech Asia 100 list, alongside the
region’s industry leaders. According to Next Bank, this is largely thanks
to Lee and his partners’ efforts in making iMoney a customer-centric offering
and experience, as well as its rapid growth and sharp team.
“It’s a great honor to be named alongside key industry players in the
financial industry. We will continue to invest heavily to develop our Fintech
offerings and evolve with consumer needs as we see great potential for
expansion in South East Asia. Our commitment is firmly rooted in our goal to
be the go-to for personal finance service comparison and consultancy in the
region,” Lee Ching Wei, CEO and Co-Founder of iMoney.
Established in 2012, iMoney Group is a leading financial comparison website in South East Asia. Last year, iMoney originated RM5 billion (USD$1.2 billion) in home loans, over 100,000 credit card and personal loan applications,
and now works with more than 50 financial institutions across six countries.
iMoney’s Fintech offerings include a free online comparison service and
personal finance consultation for information and application of credit cards,
home loans, broadband plans, insurance, amongst others.
Next Bank, on the other hand, is a global community of financial service
industry leaders and practitioners. Originating in Singapore, Next Bank brings
together peers from across disciplines including start-ups, banking, technology, and design, and is represented by city chapters of like-minded people all
over the world.
Lee Ching Wei, CEO and Co-Founder of iMoney Group.
122
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
S M B - ANALYSIS
THE JACK OF ALL
TRADES
Canon imageCLASS MF628Cw
The Canon imageCLASS
MF628Cw is a color laser
printer with additional scan,
copy, and fax capabilities. A
wired network-ready printer,
it also has built-in support
for Wi-Fi and WPS for easy
setup. Mobile printing can be
easily done via methods such
as Apple’s AirPrint as well as
through Canon’s new Print
Business app (available on
both iOS and Android) that
also supports mobile scanning.
If you allow the printer to
connect to the Internet,
you can literally print from
anywhere using Google
Cloud Print.
With its generous 3.5-inch
color touchscreen and the
ability to add favorite settings
as shortcut buttons, the
MF628Cw is easy to use, even
for walk-up jobs. I also like
that I can directly print from
and scan to a USB key, and
send scanned documents via
email and to shared folders.
One gripe during setup: while
the all-in-one toner cartridge
is environmentally friendly and
fairly compact, the printer is
still big and heavy (26kg when
loaded).
Equipped with a modest
150-sheet cassette tray and
a 1-sheet manual feed slot,
the MF628Cw’s spec sheet
lists a print speed of 14ppm
(both mono and color). A
Canon printer, it’s no surprise
that it uses the host-based
UFR (Ultra Fast Rendering) II
LT print language to speed up
the communication between
computer and printer. And
indeed, we recorded a print
speed of 13.8ppm, a number
that matches Canon’s claims.
That said, that’s still slower
than the 18ppm speed that we
got from the Fuji Xerox CM225
fw. Like Fuji Xerox’s S-LED
model, the Canon MF628Cw
also doesn’t support automatic
duplex for two-sided printing.
The 50-sheet ADF’s scanner
doesn’t do single-pass
scanning for two-sided
documents, too.
That said, we’ve few
complaints with regards to the
print quality. While still a bit off
from what one’d expect from
a RM1,660 laser printer, overall
the MF628Cw produces sharp
text and renders intricate
details convincingly, and that’s
despite its 600 x 600 dpi native
resolution. Color accuracy isn’t
its strongest suit though.
Ultimately, the MF628Cw
is just that: a well-rounded
laser all-in-one for users with
modest needs. If you can
do without the fax, ADF, and
wireless functions, there’s an
MF621Cn that costs RM1,350.
If a laser printer isn’t a musthave, I’ll actually suggest going
for Canon’s MAXIFY MB5370.
This 23ipm (mono) and 15ipm
(color) inkjet all-in-one costs
RM1,264, supports single-pass
doubled-sided scan, and has
two trays that accept up to
500 sheets of paper.
by Ng Chong Seng
AT A GLANCE
Features
Print, scan, copy, fax
Print Speed
14ppm (black and color)
Paper Handling
150-sheet tray
1-sheet manual slot
Interface
USB 2.0, Ethernet,
Wi-Fi
Price
RM1,660 (icn. 6% GST)
You can scan to or print directly
from a USB key via the front port.
CONCLUSION
An easy-to-use
laser all-in-one
with a 50-sheet
ADF; pity its lack
of a duplexer.
SPECIFICATIONS
Paper Size A4, B5, A5, B6, Letter,
Legal, Statement, Custom Size (Min.
128 x 139.7mm to Max. 215.9 x
355.6mm) // Ink Cartridge 331
Black, 331 II Black, 331 Cyan /
Magenta / Yellow // Print Features
Poster, Watermark, Page Composer,
Toner Saver // Print Resolution
600 x 600 dpi // Dimensions 430
x 484 x 375 mm // Weight 22kg
(24kg w/ cartridge) // Warranty
1-year // Contact Canon Marketing
(Malaysia) Sdn Bhd // Telephone
1 800 88 2000 // URL www.canon.
com.my
T E S T E D & R AT E D
7.5
/10
PICTURES CANON
M A L AY S I A
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
123
S M B - ANALYSIS
4-BAY POWER
ASUSTOR AS3104T
AT A GLANCE
CPU
Intel Celeron 1.6GHz dualcore (burst up to 2.16GHz)
processor
Memory
2GB DDR3L
(non-expandable)
External Ports
3x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI 1.4b
LAN
1x Gigabit Ethernet
Price
RM1,864.54 (incl. 6% GST)
ADM, the OS that powers the
AS3104T, is one of its biggest
strengths.
CONCLUSION
You should
consider the
AS3104T if you
are looking
for a NAS that
can do almost
everything,
despite its
design quirks.
SPECIFICATIONS
HDD 4x 3.5-inch SATA II/III //
System Fan 1x 120mm // Max
Internal Capacity 32TB (4x 8TB
HDD) // File System Internal:
EXT4, External: FAT32, NTFS, EXT3,
EXT4, HFS+ // Dimensions 165
x 164 x 218 mm // Weight 1.6kg
// Warranty 3-years // Contact
Build Technology Supply Sdn Bhd //
Telephone (03) 7955 3699 // URL
www.asustor.com
124
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
ASUSTOR makes some of
the most versatile NAS
systems for consumers and
businesses alike. The brand
pioneered many technologies
that others emulate to stay in
the game, but perfect, its NAS
designs are not. We take a look
at the AS3104T to see what
improvements have been done,
what are the lessons learnt,
and what innovations ASUSTOR
brings to the table this time
around.
The AS3104T’s stylish
diamond-plate finish is typical
of NAS makers. However, it
doesn’t bring anything new to
the table, and its overall design
is not one of our favorites.
Thumb screws are the
prominent fasteners when it
comes to the AS3104T. They
hold the cover onto the unit,
as well as the hard drives that
are installed within the unit.
Although they technically
qualify as tool-less, it’s hardly a
modern implementation. While
they look good, you’ll have
to remove plenty of screws
to install or replace HDDs in
this unit, whereas other NAS
designs utilize trays with snapon fasteners.
If you can look past the
design quirks, you are going to
find one of the best performing
NAS systems available to date.
Its processing power comes
from an Intel Celeron 1.6GHz
dual-core processor, which is
then paired with 2GB of DDR3L
memory for a NAS that is fast,
responsive, and versatile.
The versatility of the
AS3104T is most evident in its
selection of apps. The number
of apps available for the device
ranges from media players, to
browsers, and server software.
In fact, you can connect the
NAS to a monitor or TV display
via an HDMI cable, plug in a
keyboard and mouse, and have
yourself an ADM-powered PC
(ASUSTOR’s own OS) capable
of productivity applications and
web browsing.
Setup was simple. Although
ASUSTOR recommends that
users download the application
from the official site and
configure the NAS from there,
we find that accessing the NAS
and installing it through the
network to be much easier.
The 4-bay AS3104T NAS fares
very well in our tests. Read
and write speeds averaged at
100MB/s. We also find the Mac
OS-like user interface to be very
user friendly.
by Azizul Rahman Ismail
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
AT A GLANCE
Processor
Marvel ARMADA 1.3 GHz
dual-core
Memory
1GB DDR3
File System
EXT4 for internal HDD
Internal Hard Drive
WD Red NAS hard drives
Price
RM1,559
WD’s MyCloud Dashboard
displays all the information
you need in one simple to
understand layout.
CONCLUSION
The WD My
Cloud EX2
Ultra brings
power and
performance
in a NAS to an
affordable level.
SPECIFICATIONS
Interface 1x Gigabit Ethernet,
2x rear USB 3.0 expansion port //
Drive Bays 2x 3.5-inch hard drive
bays, hot swap capable, tray-less
design // Disk Management RAID:
JBOD, spanning, 0/1, RAID migration
(JBOD to RAID 1), hot swapping,
disk roaming, array roaming //
Remote Access My Cloud mobile
app, My Cloud.com web access //
Dimensions 99 x 157 x 152 mm //
Weight 1.6kg // Warranty 3-years
// Contact Amble Action Sdn Bhd //
Telephone (03) 7968 6899 // URL
www.wdc.com
MAKE CLOUD
PERSONAL
WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra
The My Cloud EX2 Ultra
brings more power and
more performance to WD’s
play into the NAS market.
Backed by the latest My Cloud
OS and loaded with WD Red
hard drives, the EX2 Ultra has
the brains, the capabilities, and
the features to be
a contender. Nevertheless, it
could improve its game further.
As the newest addition to
WD’s NAS Expert series, the
EX2 Ultra retains the same
basic design of the EX2, which
looks like a thick volume, but
is slightly thinner and taller.
It looks very good on a shelf
or on a desk, and it still places
both of its USB 3.0 expansion
ports at the back of the unit,
while the hard drives are only
accessible from the top of the
unit. This makes swapping
drives not as easy as it could
be. As the top of the unit is
also where the grill is, it is too
easy for dust to gather and
accumulate in the unit as well.
Setting up was easy. Just
plug in the unit, go to the
setup website, and after a
few clicks, the NAS is up and
running – mostly.
WD’s My Cloud OS is
undeniably one of the best
designed NAS OSes out there
today. It’s intuitive, pleasant
looking, and easy to navigate.
The home screen acts as
the system’s main console,
giving users all the relevant
information including capacity,
device status, network activity,
numbers of users, and more,
all in one screen.
Powering the EX2 Ultra is
a Marvel ARMADA 1.3 GHz
dual-core processor and 1GB
of memory, similar to the one
inside the My Cloud EX2100.
The results are speeds as
high as 116MB/s read and
112MB/s write, which
are commendable.
What still needs improving
is the My Cloud OS’ app
environment. The modest
number of apps is acceptable,
expected, and welcomed. For
users, a decisive or curated
list of apps is the faster and
simpler option.
Nevertheless, the apps felt
like they lack synergy, as if
they operate in silos, separate
from each other. For example,
the Plex media player used
on the My Cloud OS, although
powerful, works separately
from the OS.
With that said, the WD
My Cloud EX2 Ultra is a
dependable NAS that is
more than competent for
professional and small
office use.
by Azizul Rahman Ismail
T E S T E D & R AT E D
8.5
/10
MALAYSIA
Available at
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
125
S P E C I A L
ALL FOR SCIENCE,
SCIENCE FOR ALL
Monash University Launches MASSIVE 3
Supercomputer, Powered By NVIDIA GPUs
graphics cards. More specifically,
the M3 runs on a combination of:
• 1,700 Intel Haswell CPU-cores,
• 50 NVIDIA Tesla K80 GPU coprocessors which are used for
data processing and high-end
visualization,
• Eight NVIDIA GRID K1 GPUs for
medium-end visualization that
are made to support up to 32
users concurrently.
(From left to right) Allen Finkle, Chief Scientist of Australia; Ian Smith, Vice Provost,
Monash University; and Christina Mitchell, Dean of Faculty Medical, Nursing and
Health Sciences, officiating the launch of the new MASSIVE 3 facility.
If you’ve been following us on our
travails with NVIDIA, you’ll know
that nearing the end of 2015, we
were given a chance to take a
tour of the CAVE2 facility, a giant
display built and powered by
NVIDIA’s own Quadro workstation
GPUs. The facility, which is housed
inside the Clayton campus of
Monash University in Melbourne,
Australia, was designed to aid
academic researchers in their
pursuit of science.
As one would expect, the
backbone behind the CAVE2 is,
of course, powered by not one,
but two supercomputers, known
simply as MASSIVE (short for Multimodal Australian ScienceS Imaging
and Visualization Environment).
However, back in February of this
year, Monash University unveiled
yet another supercomputer –
known simply as the MASSIVE 3 (or
M3), to further aid in their scientific
endeavors in the field of medicine,
diseases and illnesses.
Just like its two other
supercomputer sibilings, the new
M3 supercomputer is a beast
of a machine. Where the CAVE2
was designed to create highly
126
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
detailed renders of subjects,
places, and the odd anatomical
structure of a biological being,
the M3 was primarily designed for
the purpose of High Performance
Computing (HPC).
The M3 is no slouch either. Like
the previous two supercomputers,
the M3 is powered by NVIDIA
The CAVE2 facility at
Monash University
just amassed a new
supercomputer to
play with.
To speed things up, the M3 also
houses a 1.15 Petabyte Lustre
parallel file system, which is
essentially a storage device that
is capable of reading data at 24
gigabytes per peak second. To put
that into layman’s terms: that’s
approximately four times the peak
transfer speed of the current M.2
medium, which most high-end
notebooks and gaming PCs use.
However, even when we went
back to Monash University for
the announcement of its new M3
supercomputer, we never really
got the chance to check out the
machine or its housing facility, on
the grounds that the institution did
not allow photos or videos of it to
be taken.
HPC and Deep Learning in the
realm of science has long been
a driving force for academic
institutions. These highly-complex
facilities and GPU-powered
supercomputers have been
responsible in helping scientists
in medicine and forecasting
weather patterns, creating and
reconstructing elements within the
human body, as well as animals.
These include the ability to
replicate – with absolute intricacy
– intimate details of the human
nervous system, synaptic patterns
of a brain, or even a complete
render of mouse’s head.
Sure, NVIDIA’s GPUs are the driving force
of the M3, but look at the number of
those Intel CPUs!
Fuse CC is a new application in the ever-evolving
Creative Cloud suite of creative software from
Adobe, and it allows you to easily build realistic 3D
characters with little or no 3D experience. These
characters can then be used in Adobe Photoshop CC,
where you can give them poses for designs and mockups
or even animate them for output to video.
In this first of a series of tutorials, we’ve got Adobe’s
Paul Burnett taking us through the basics of using Fuse CC.
Text by Marcus Wong
M O RE
I N S ID E>
PICTURE ADOBE
• RETURN OF FOOBAR2000
• APP ATTACK
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
127
L E A R N
3D CHARACTER
CREATION WITH
PAUL BURNETT
Fuse CC has four stages – Assembly,
Customize, Clothing and Texture. Although
you need to assemble a character first, you can do
the others in any order, and in fact you can go back
later and change the elements in Assembly too.
ASSEMBLING YOUR CHARACTER
CLOTHING YOUR CHARACTER
The first step is to simply choose a head, torso, legs and arms from the
available selection. They don’t need to be exactly what you are after,
because each one is customizable and if you want, you can come back
and change it later. Now that I have a body to work with, I’m going to jump
ahead and put clothing on him before I customize him.
To dress your character, you can choose from a selection of Tops,
Bottoms, Shoes, Hair, Hats, Eyewear, Beards, Gloves, Masks and
Moustaches. For my character, I have chosen a simple shirt, jeans, canvas
shoes and glasses. Remember, you can customize these as well!
PICTURES ADOBE
128
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
ADDING TEXTURE TO YOUR CHARACTER
I am going to jump ahead again and change some of the textures on the
clothing and body before I customize. So jumping to the Texture tab, I can
select the shirt and change the colors and texture.
I want him to be wearing a dark gray shirt with blue denim jeans, black
canvas shoes and black frame reading glasses. So all I need to do is click
on each piece of clothing to select it and make the changes. This is where
you start to realize that the character is infinitely customizable.
First, the shirt. Once I have chosen a color, I can add it to my favorites
to easily use it again for all the parts of the shirt. With the jeans, I can
simply choose from a preset fabric – Regular Denim, then change the
fabric color on the shoes to black, and also the frames of the glasses.
Because I want the glasses to be reading glasses, I have turned the
opacity of the lenses to 0. Finally I’m adding a beard and moustache for
that three-day growth look.
CUSTOMIZING YOUR CHARACTER
This is where the fun starts and you can spend as much time as you want
customizing every feature of your character. Jump to the Customize tab
and you can edit every imaginable feature of the arms, face, head, legs,
teeth and torso. As an example, there are 17 elements of the teeth that
can be individually customized. I am just going to keep it fairly simple
here, so all I am going to do is give him a slight smile.
USING IT IN PHOTOSHOP CC
Now, I have my 3D Character, I’m going to use it in a design. Again, this
part is very simple. All I do is click Save to Creative Cloud Libraries,
name it, select the Library I want to save it in, and I’m done! Fuse
uploads the character to my Creative Cloud Library and I can access the
3D model in Photoshop CC.
Once the file is saved to my Creative Cloud Libraries, I can open
Photoshop CC, create a new document and simply drag the character
onto it from the Library.
This is a true 3D character, so I can rotate, pan, scale, and even give it
a pose or animation. I am going to jump to the 3D window layout, which
gives me access to the 3D tools. If I select the character in the 3D layers,
I can then choose between hundreds of poses and animations. I can
step through the frames of the animation to choose a pose I like, or I can
output the entire animation as a video. The 3D layer in Photoshop CC is
like any other layer, so I can build the 3D character into any design I like
with 2D and 3D elements together.
Join us next month, where Paul takes you through the basics of
Photoshop Fix.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
129
L E A R N
A BEGINNER’S
GUIDE TO SETTING
UP FOOBAR2000
The streaming revolution may be upon us, but for the diehard
audiophile, nothing beats procuring your own high-quality files.
by Koh Wanzi
If there’s one thing Spotify doesn’t offer, it’s CD-quality sound. Sure, you could go to Tidal for that, but if you’re looking to stream high-resolution
audio, you’ll pretty much be left out in the cold. Perhaps you’re not even that much of a stickler for sound quality and just have an entire hard
drive of songs you don’t quite know what to do with. Either way, you’ll need a dedicated music player to organize your music library. And no, we don’t
mean some new-fangled version of Windows Media Player.
For this, we return to a classic. Foobar2000 has been a staple media player and manager for Windows since the early 2000s, and it’s still one of the
better ones out there to keep your precious garden of tunes well-tended. It’s a bit plain at first sight, but offers rich customization options and supports
a wide range of add-ons for extra features.
MAKE IT YOURS
Installing add-ons is simple. Foobar2000’s official download page has
a section dedicated to all the components you can grab to customize
your listening experience. These are downloaded in the form of a .dll
file. To enable them, simply drag the file into the Components folder in
the installation directory, and you’re all set. Unless otherwise stated, all
the add-ons we talk about here can be found on the main website and
enabled in this manner.
You’ll also need to navigate to the View menu, hover over the Layout
button, and then enable layout editing mode before you begin.
Next, click on 'create a scratchbox' in the same sub-menu to start
setting up your own custom layout. This calls up a blank window pane in
which you can add UI elements of your choosing. Simply click anywhere
within the window to bring up the UI control panel, and select one of the
splitter options. The left/right one will create a vertical divider, while the
top/bottom one will create a horizontal one.
You can opt for a single left/right splitter and two top/bottom ones to
create a unified left column and three other panes for displaying your
music library, album cover flow, and some neat visualizations.
ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE
You’ll want to grab an add-on component called Facets to help you
organize your music. In the scratchbox, click on the leftmost pane to
bring up the 'Add New UI Element' window again. Next, select Facets
from under Media Library Viewers to add it.
From this point on, it’s a simple matter of adding or removing columns
and selecting what you would like them to display from dropdown
menus. We suggest just sticking to a single pane and setting it to display
just the artist name, so when you select one artist, all their albums will
appear in the playlist window that we’re going to set up next.
This component is called SimPlaylist, and it will display your current
playlist neatly according to albums, complete with thumbnails of the
album covers.
PICTURES FOOBAR2000
130
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
DISPLAY ALBUM ARTWORK
An add-on called WSH panel mod and script (WSH CoverFlow) will let you
add an album cover flow to your interface, and also serves as a more
intuitive way to select individual albums.
Note: This isn’t available on the Foobar2000 website, but a simple
Google search will throw up the right download link.
The album cover flow goes in the top-most pane, after which you’ll
be prompted to open the WSH Panel Mod Configuration and paste in
the script included in a text file in the original download. The covers are
organized alphabetically, and a nifty slider at the bottom shows your
position in the alphabet, a great help when you’re scrolling through
covers of your huge music library.
ADD SOME VISUALIZATIONS
Finally, you can spruce up the interface with a visualization pane at the
bottom of the window. Foobar2000 already has some built-in options like
a spectrogram or peak meter, but these can be found a little wanting as
they’re more concerned with displaying technical information graphically
than anything else.
An alternative is Shpeck, which lets you run the array of Winamp
visualization plug-ins without needing to install Winamp itself. We’ll use
a plug-in called MilkDrop as an example, but you’re free to use whatever
catches your eye.
After setting the bottom pane to run Shpeck, navigate to the
Preferences window and look under Visualisations for the Shpeck
settings. All that’s left is to specify a Winamp directory from which it will
grab the plug-ins – this folder can be located anywhere, although it’s
probably simpler to put it in your Foobar2000 folder – and then select
MilkDrop to enable it.
APRIL 2016
|
HWM
131
L E A R N
GOOD OL’ TIMES,
BRAND NEW PHONES
by Liu Hongzuo
With how powerful smartphones are these days, memorable games from the yesteryear that ran
on bulky machines can be easily ported into your pocket. Finding a good one, however, is tougher
than clearing Super Mario using only one life. That’s why we dug into the man-child in us to bring you a
serving of great and nostalgic console games from the last decade.
FINAL FANTASY IX
SECRET OF MANA
CRAZY TAXI
iOS, Android
US$20.99, RM92.74
iOS, Android
US$7.99, RM32.68
iOS
US$4.99
This classic RPG
from year 2000
holds the highest
Metacritic review
score out of all
existing Final
Fantasy games, beating its
newfangled successors despite
having PlayStation 1 graphics
and a simple storyline. It’s
relatively bug-free, compared to
other Square Enix ports that are
available on the App Store. As a
game, it’s technically robust and
well-balanced; with a plot that
blended adventure, friendship,
self-discovery, and romance (that’s
all we can say without spoiling
too much). If you want to re-live a
good console port, Final Fantasy
IX certainly checks all the boxes.
One of the earliest
and uncommon
RPG games that
uses real-time
instead of a
turn-based battle
system, Secret of Mana was
considered innovative and deep
for a game of its time. Originally
debuted in 1993 on the SNES, it
featured a beautiful soundtrack
and 16-bit graphics ahead of
its time. It was released under
different names in various regions,
but it now goes by its maiden
name in the mobile app stores. As
one of the Top 100 games of all
time (according to IGN), this is a
must-have in your games library.
First seen in video
game arcades
back in 1999, this
mindless racing
game was later
ported to the Sega
Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. It
was also a novel game concept
back in its time – having near
misses and driving like a lunatic
would score you more points than
simply taking passengers to their
destination in the shortest time.
Of course, an app wouldn’t burn
coins like the arcade. The iOS port
is based off the Dreamcast port,
and phones these days can run
the game effortlessly at 60 fps. The
game itself is fast-paced, easy to
learn, yet difficult to master – just
like old times.
Originally a 1999
PC game, this 2D
turn-based artillery
strategy game was
so popular that it
received a port to
the Xbox – 10 years later. It is still
as great, since the game strikes
a nice balance between humor,
strategy, and utterly humiliating
your friends. It comes with a
clever single-player campaign too,
and the iOS version gives you cute
little hats for your little worms to
wear. We recommend this version
of Worms over the others because
it has one of the best interfaces,
with the same gameplay, and a
fairly recent update to fix all of the
last glitches found in the port.
One of the best Final Fantasy games
gets a new breath of life through
smartphone ports. Technology is
awesome.
16-bit nostalgia paired with an
impressive storyline, immersive
soundtrack, and unique battle system
is what made Secret of Mana stand out
from the rest for the last 20 years.
Easy to learn, but hard to master. This is
revenge for all the coins you’ve wasted
in the arcade – time to get good at
Crazy Taxi.
A combination of strategy, a wacky
arsenal, and pleading worms makes
this a wonderful single-player and
multiplayer game that stood the test
of time.
HWM
|
APRIL 2016
iOS, Android
US$4.99
P I C T U R E S F I N A L F A N TA S Y I X , S E C R E T O F M A N A , C R A Z Y TA X I , W O R M S 2 A R M A G E D D O N I L L U S T R AT I O N I A N C H O N G
132
WORMS 2
ARMAGEDDON
S U B S C R I P T I O N
SUBSCRIBE
TO HWM
Be the first 30 subscribers
to win GP Batteries
Portable Powerbank
(worth RM109)!
The N304 Power Bank is a multipurpose
battery pack with a capacity of 10,400mAh
to charge two devices at the same time. It’s also
equipped with advanced protection technology to
prevent overheating or short circuit. Enjoy peace of
mind when you charge your smartphones, tablets,
or other devices on the go.
The product image
shown is for illustration
purposes only
• 10,400mAh, 3.7V 38.4Wh
• Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
• 5V DC 2A input current, 5V DC 2.1A +
1A output current
• 107 x 73 x 23 mm
• 265g
Visit my.gpbatteries.com for more information.
Prize courtesy of GP Battery Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd
(03) 5569 3499
12
Issues for
RM144
Only
What are you waiting for? Subscribe today!
This subscription promotion is only valid for the print edition, for the sale period of the April 2016 edition. Current print subscribers may also enjoy
this subscription promotion (the new subscription period will automatically start when the current one expires). The subscription rate and offer
are applicable to Malaysian addresses only. Subscriptions are non-refundable and non-transferable. Subscribers’ information may be used in future
marketing or promotional activities. Gifts are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and are while stocks last. Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd reserves the right
to amend or replace gifts if stocks run out. Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd and the sponsor shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by the subscriber or
any party in accepting, possessing, using or consuming the gifts. For subscription enquiries, call (03) 7952 7000 or e-mail [email protected].
S U B S C R I P T I O N
GET YOURS NOW
Subscribe today and
get an Audio-Technica
ATH-CKF500 inner ear
headphones for FREE*
YES! Please start my subscription to
HWM Malaysia from ________ (month)
2016 / 2017
HWM Malaysia Subscription Rates
HWM 1-year (Normal Post)
Registered Mail
Courier Service
Peninsular Malaysia
RM144
RM161
RM192
East Malaysia
RM168
RM185
RM258
Name:
Salutation: Mr / Ms / Mrs / Dr / Prof
Age:
Sex:
M/
F
Company:
Designation:
Mailing Address (Hse/Off):
Postal code:
Telephone: (H)
Telephone: (O)
(H/P):
Email:
I/C No.:
Payment by (Please tick whichever applicable):
Cheque
Name of Bank: ___________________________
Money Order
Cheque No: __________________________
Money Order No: ________________________
Signature: ___________________________
• An eligible subscriber can win only one prize in the LUCKY DRAW. Prizes cannot be
exchanged for cash.
• Should stocks run out, HWM Malaysia reserves the right to change the gifts with any other
item/s of equal or similar value.
• Free gifts applicable to residents of Malaysia only.
• Please allow 4 weeks for processing.
Please send in your subscription accompanied with payment to:
Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd (7408-K)
Lot 7, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, Section 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia. Tel: 603 7952 7000 Fax: 603 7960 0148
Email: [email protected]
• All checks must be crossed and made payable to: Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd
• GUARANTEE! You may cancel your subscription in writing and receive a refund on unmailed
issues minus RM35 for cancellation and processing charges.
• Receipt will be issued on request only
• All magazines will be sent out separately to subscribers
* Terms and conditions apply
C O N T E S T
W I N N E R S
HWM MALAYSIA
CONTEST WINNERS!
Did you join one
of our contests?
Not sure if you’ve
won? To find
out, head on
over to our new
HardwareZone
Malaysia site @
hardwarezone.
com.my and
check out our new
Forum (on the top
navigation bar).
There you’ll find Contest Winners.
Click on it and you’ll see the list of
contests we have had – explore them
to find if your name is there!
If it is, see how you can claim your
prizes!
Congratulations to all our lucky readers and for those who
didn’t win anything – keep trying as we have new contests
every month! Good luck!
REWIND
The netbook is a shortlived
sub-notebook category from
2007. The Toshiba NB305,
which was released in 2010,
was one of the last before
Apple ushered in the era of
tablets with the first iPad.
PH OTO G R A PH Y Z A P H S Z H A N G A R T D I R E C T I O N K E N KO H
136
HWM
|
APRIL 2016