Razer has teamed up with Lazada to put its newly-launched Razer Game Store on the e-commerce platform for Southeast Asia.
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Tag: Malaysia
Alibaba and Google drive SEA transportation initiatives
Most Southeast Asian capitals and major cities are notorious for its traffic congestion. In separate developments, Alibaba and Google have taken steps to be more involved in the transportation industries in Malaysia and Indonesia respectively.
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Data consumption driving teleco revenue in Malaysia
Data and value-added services have driven mobile growth in Malaysia to reach 42.9 million subscribers and rake in revenues of US$7.45 billion in 2014.
According to Frost & Sullivan, the Malaysian mobile market is currently growing with a mobile penetration rate of 140.7 percent.
Non-voice ARPU is expected to grow by two percent to US$5.9 billion but it will not be able to compensate for the 2.4 percent decline in voice ARPU.
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A star is born in Malaysia
ZTE has launched the ZTE STAR 1 smartphone in Malaysia, the first time the model has been introduced outside China. According to the company, Malaysia was chosen because of the nation’s strong economy and development in technology, and its influence as a regional hub geographically and culturally.
“Malaysia is one of the biggest potential markets in the region. ZTE had focused on B-to-B business sector in the past. But now, we are ready to establish our brand in the retail market, and we are confident that our products will suit consumer’s needs. Our goal is to cement ZTE as an innovative and leading smartphone provider in Malaysia,” said Jacky Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of ZTE Device, Asia Pacific and Commonwealth Independent States.
The STAR 1 comes with excellent user-experience features, such 4cm macro shooting capability, clarity + imaging technology and a dual-colour temperature flash. Priced at RM1,088, it is aimed at the young, fashionable and innovative.
Mobile data to overtake voice in Malaysia in 2017
Mobile data is expected to bring in more revenue than mobile voice in Malaysia in 2017, according to IDC.Despite the penetration rate of Malaysian mobile users exceeding 140 percent and high prepaid-postpaid ratio, mobile operators have still been able to maintain their revenue growth. Total revenue has grown by 35 percent in the last three years, and IDC expects the revenue to continue to grow to RM27.6 billion in 2018 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.6 percent.
“Mobile data revenue will continue to grow strongly at CAGR of 8.5 percent and become the main driver of the total mobile revenue in the next five years,” said Alfie Amir, Research Manager of Telecommunications at IDC Malaysia.
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APAC PC market matches Q2 expectations
The Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) PC market grew two percent from last quarter and declined 10 percent year-on-year in Q2 to reach 24.3 million units, coming in marginally higher than IDC’s initial forecasts, according to the research firm’s preliminary results.In India, shipments to an ongoing large education project came in earlier than expected, adding about 100,000 units to the commercial PC segment. Thailand’s coup d’état, on the other hand, resulted in a steep double-digit annual decline as channels were wary to take in shipments. Microsoft’s Bing programme is ramping up in the region’s emerging markets, with Malaysia being the first to come in strong this quarter.
“The ongoing economic slowness in the emerging markets sets the tone of the overall PC demand and inhibited the region’s year-on-year growth. There are pockets of optimism coming from mature markets such as ANZ, Singapore, and Hong Kong, where the smartphones and tablets near saturation. However, the region’s growth has been adversely impacted with the rise of large-screen smartphones in China and most ASEAN countries,” said Handoko Andi, Research Manager for Client Devices Research of IDC Asia/Pacific.
GST implementation a boon for enterprise application market in Malaysia
While the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is not welcomed by most Malaysians, the move is expected to drive growth in the enterprise application (EA) market.
According to IDC, the tax initiative will be a boost to EA vendors as it forces business to either upgrade or replace their legacy system with a system that is GST compliant.
“With GST coming into effect in the early part of 2015, we predict there will be a scramble from the businesses to be fully GST ready in line with government regulations and the implementation will be one of the catalysts for growth in Malaysian EA market for 2014 and possibly in 2015 as well,” said Wong Yih-Khai, Market Analyst of Software at IDC Malaysia.
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GAMDIAS aims to rock gaming market
Started in 2012, GAMDIAS aims to take on the big guns in gaming peripherals and be among the top three in the world. In its sight is Malaysia where it has unleashed its gaming products such as the ZEUS laser gaming mouse (right), HERMES gaming keyboard, HEPHAESTUS gaming headset, and AEGIS headset holder and cable management with four USB ports.
The company’s unique name is a combination of acronym and Latin with “GAM” standing for “Gaming Art in Motion” and “DIAS” being Latin for “god”. Together, it means “god of gaming”.
GAMDIAS provides a diverse range of gaming peripherals to all types of gamers, and owns a variety of patented features, including GAMDIAS ELEMENT of keyboard, tool-less adjustment of mouse side panels, and cooling system of headset ear cups.
ViewSonic VX52 series entertainment displays deliver ultimate gaming experience
ViewSonic has launched the VX52 series of entertainment displays, which includes the 24-inch (23.6-inch viewable) VX2452mh and 22-inch (21.5-inch viewable) VX2252mh.
The new displays feature Full HD resolution and ClearMotiv II technology that delivers 2ms ultra-fast response times for blur-free, detailed images. Paired with an ultra-high 50M:1 MEGA Dynamic Contrast Ratio and dual built-in 2W stereo speakers, the VX52 series’ sharp, crisp color performance and immersive sound make it perfect for extreme gaming and multimedia entertainment.
The series also features ViewSonic’s proprietary Game Mode technology, which enhances visibility and detail by brightening the dark scenes of video games for the ultimate gaming experience.
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SEA smartphone sales up 61% in first three quarters
Southeast Asia consumers bought 41.5 million smartphones, spending US$10.8 billion in the first three quarters of this year, according to GfK Asia.
Indonesia led the way with sale of 14.8 million smartphones worth more than USS3.33 billion. Thailand and Malaysia were next with 7.2 million and 6.4 million units sold respectively. However, in terms of smartphone sales revenue, the ranking of these two countries are switched with Malaysia garnering US$2.25 billion while Thailand raked in US$1.96 billion in January to September.
“The increasing affordability of smartphones, particularly in the developing markets is helping many consumers in these countries make the switch from their basic feature phones to own their very first smartphone,” said Gerard Tan, Account Director for Digital Technology of GfK Asia. “It is worth highlighting the significant milestone of September being the month whereby sales penetration reached the halfway mark; where one in every two mobile handsets purchased in the region is now a smartphone.”
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ViewSonic introduces wireless presentation gateway for sharing of multimedia content
One major bugbear for using tablets is the difficulty in using it for presentations. It often involves setting up adapters and cables. ViewSonic has the answer for that with the new Miracast and Intel WiDi optimised ViewSync WPG-370 gateway solution.
Ideal for enterprise, SMB, and education environments as well as AV installers, the WPG-370 provides advanced universal wireless connectivity for any new or existing projector, monitor, TV, or large-format display.
Whether projecting from Windows, Mac, iOS or Android platforms, this solution makes it easy to wirelessly push content onto the screen without cords and wires.
Touch-enabled notebooks top wish list
Touch is in. Beyond touch screen phones, users in Asia-Pacific want touch-enabled notebooks.
According to an IDC Asia-Pacific end user survey, 82 percent of respondents prefer a touch-enabled notebook for their next purchase.
The annual survey that studies end user behaviour and usage on client devices. The usage explosion of smartphones and tablets, where touch screen is a prominent feature, is a key driver of taking these screens to the personal computer. The study also finds that the majority of PC users today, even in emerging markets, own a smartphone, especially for 26-35 year olds at 87 percent.
ViewSonic introduces 24-inch optical multi-touch display
Zoom, tap and swipe using fingers, gloves and stylus — that’s what users can do with the new 24-inch ViewSonic TD2420 monitor. Compatible with Windows 8, the monitor is intuitive and suitable for both home and business use.
It features aull HD 1080p LED mercury-free backlight display, 1920×1080 resolution, 20,000,000:1 high contrast ratio, and is fronted by 7H hardness anti-scratch glass. The TD2420 integrates numerous connection ports including HDMI1.4, and VGA input, to enable users to access devices such as PCs, laptops, or gaming consoles. It also supports SRS Premium Sound for life-like sound effects.
ViewSonic’s TD2420 is available at authorised IT retailers in Malaysia for RM1,029.
ViewSonic launches new projectors with dual pen interactivity and advanced connectivity
ViewSonic has introduced a new PJD8 series of projectors — PJD8653ws, PJD8333s and PJD8633ws — that features dual pen interactivity and advanced connectivity functionality.
“When it comes to ultra short throw projector solutions, it’s common that manufacturers will offer either reflective mirror technology or direct projection technology, but we feel it is important to offer our customers both. Paired with advanced interactive and connectivity features, our brand new PJD8 series delivers the opportunity of choice, not chance.,” said Roger Chien, Product Manager of ViewSonic
This new ultra short throw, networkable series allows the projector to be mounted right above a whiteboard or screen without creating hot spots, shadows or casting bright light in front of the presenter, making it perfect for smaller or difficult projection spaces like classrooms and meeting rooms.
Mobile privacy concern could limit widespread adoption of mobile apps in Malaysia and Indonesia
Mobile users in Malaysia and Indonesia are concerned with mobile privacy, according to a new research by GSMA and local mobile operators.
The study of more than 1,500 Malaysian and Indonesian mobile users shows that increased transparency and choice in how their personal data is collected and shared could boost take-up of mobile apps in Indonesia. The mobile apps market globally is worth US$29 billion and growing at 36 per cent per annum. The research was presented at a Data Protection and Privacy Conference hosted by the GSMA, Celcom Axiata and DiGi in Kuala Lumpur.
“It is clear that mobile users are concerned about their privacy and are more likely to interact with apps and receive targeted promotions if they feel it is respected,” said Tom Phillips, Chief Government and Regulatory Affairs Officer of GSMA.
WeChat soars past 100m registered users milestone
WeChat has surpassed the 100 million registered user account milestone. That’s remarkable considering the strong competition it is up against.
In the last three months, it doubled its registered user account base reaching the 100 million milestone shortly after an independent survey found that the platform was the fifth most used smartphone app worldwide.
Since its international debut, WeChat has been well received in Asia, quickly becoming the most popular mobile social app in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia across multiple smartphone OS platforms, where the user base has recently gained tremendous growth.
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Rhythm & Hues Studios creates award-winning visual effects with NVIDIA GPUs
By Edward Lim, Managing Consultant, CIZA Concept
Founded in 1987, Rhythm & Hues Studios is a visual effects company with corporate headquarters in El Segundo, California and production facilities in India, Malaysia, Canada, and Taiwan.
The studio has won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Babe (1995), The Golden Compass (2008) and Life of Pi (2013), on top of four Scientific and Technical Academy Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Computing power and unified platform needed
Lots of computing power are needed to create computer graphics imagery (CGI) in films. Besides this requirement, Rhythm & Hues also needed to standardize on a platform that can be used in its studios around the world. This unified platform is critical as work is shared and done concurrently in different parts of the world.
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Malaysia’s PC market down 18% in Q1
The PC market in Malaysia dropped 18 percent in Q1, compared to the same period last year, according to IDC’s Asia/Pacific Quarterly PC Tracker. However, the 898,000 units sold in the quarter represented an 18 percent growth in sequential quarter.
A major delivery of mini-notebooks nationwide under the government’s Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) project was the only notable event in an otherwise lacklustre quarter. The education and enterprise segments both posted declines after flushing their budgets last quarter.
Retail spending on PCs was also curtailed by distractions from Chinese New Year festivities and the influx of smartphones and tablets into the market. However, the positive response to touch-based notebooks in retail was a notable silver lining in a gloomy retail climate.
Project Shield comes to Southeast Asia
