Features

Sneaky Apple announcements: Weekend Rewind

Is something big coming?

Published

March 23, 2019

Rodneil Quiteles

Here are the top stories on GadgetMatch this week.

1. Apple announced a bunch of things, Tim Cook starts a meme

Apple quietly announced a bunch of updates to their products, ahead of what many expect to be a big announcement at the end of March.

The company announced significant updates to the iMac. The 21.5-inch iMac now features Intel’s eight-generation six-core processors, while the bigger 27-inch iMac can offer up to an eight-core Intel Core i9 processor which promises 2.4 times faster performance.

AirPods can now be wirelessly charged. It’ll work with any Qi wireless charging solution. It also delivers better performance efficiency, faster connect times, 50 percent more talk time, and the convenience of hands-free “Hey Siri.”

The iPad Air and iPad mini get a boost in performance, as well as Apple Pencil support for the iPad mini, an A12 Bionic chip, and Retina display with True Tone tech and wide color support.

But perhaps the most significant thing that came out of these updates is Tim Cook giving birth to a new meme.

2. Travel video shot with Huawei P30 leaks

After Huawei’s moon and other samples “leak,” now comes what appears to be a travel video taken with the Huawei P30 Pro.

Cinematographer Parker Walbeck uploaded a Cancun travel video on his channel which was supposedly shot with the P30 Pro. Walbeck did say he made a few edits in post production but also went on to praise the phone’s optical and digital zoom capabilities.

3. Tesla’s Model Y is more affordable

Tesla is taking another stab at a mass market EV with the Tesla Model Y. It can easily be mistaken as the Model X at first glance with its long, sloping lines, wide bonnet, and lower grille. The difference is that being a crossover, the Model Y is bigger. In front there are LED fog lamps, auto dimming and power folding side mirrors, and a choice of 18-, 19-, or 20-inch wheels.

Pricing starts at US$ 39,000 and stretches to US$ 60,000 for the top-of-the-line Performance model. In between those are the Long Range and Dual Motor AWD which are at US$ 47,000 and US$ 51,000, respectively.

4. Black Shark 2 in your area

Xiaomi’s gaming smartphone isn’t playing around. The Black Shark 2 is here with top-of-the-line specs namely a Snapdragon 855 chipset, Adreno 640 GPU, up to 12GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of internal storage.

The Black Shark 2 touts a Samsung-sourced 6.39-inch AMOLED screen, pumping out images at 2340 x 1080 resolution. Additionally, the display’s brightness goes up to 430 nits. Latency has also been reduced to 43.5ms. It has motion interpolation, optimizing the display for gaming purposes.

5. Google Stadia is for people with high-speed internet

At its recent Game Developers Conference, Google unveiled Stadia, its new cloud-based gaming platform. Unlike the PlayStation Now, Stadia does not require its own console. According to Google, gamers can access the platform anywhere online — laptops, TVs (through Google’s Chromecast), and smartphones. Thankfully, the service is brand agnostic; any device will work.

Predictably, this new platform will require a lot of bandwidth, so bad news for locations that don’t have access to really fast internet. And they really should’ve just called it Google Games or Google Gaming. GG.

Weekend Rewind is our roundup of top news and features you might have missed for the week. We know the world of technology can be overwhelming and not everyone has the time to get up to speed with everything — and that includes us. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the rewind.

Related Topics:AirPods Apple Apple Pencil Black Shark 2 Google Stadia Huawei Huawei P30 Pro iMac iPad Air iPad mini Tesla Tesla Model Y Tim Cook

Features

GadgetSnaps: Malaysia shot on the Infinix Note 40 Pro+ 5G

Beyond charging tech

Published

April 24, 2024

GadgetMatch

The Infinix Note 40 Pro+ 5G prides itself in its charging technologies. But what about its camera capabilities? Well, here’s a quick round-up of the many photos we took around the time the Note 40 series was launched in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

The NOTE 40 Series features a 108MP main shooter with 3x Lossless Superzoom. It also has OIS for steadier shots when taking videos.

The edits applied to the photos here only some resizing and cropping to make the page easier to load. Take a look at all these sample shots

Infinix Note 40 Pro series launch day

Kwai Chai Hong/ ‘Little Ghost Lane’

Petaling Street (Chinatown)

In and around Central Market

Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery

Istana Negara entrance

Merdeka Square

Malaysian Bak Kut Teh and more

Petronas Twin Towers at night

Steady shooter

The Infinix Note 40 Pro+ 5G isn’t a stellar shooter. But at its price point, it’s pretty darn decent for capturing different scenarios. Take these photos into some editing software and you can certainly elevate their look.

The NOTE 40 Pro+ 5G is priced at PhP 13,999. It may be purchased through Infinix’s Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop platforms, where customers can get up to PhP 2,000 off. Additionally, the first 100 buyers can get an S1 smartwatch or XE23 earphones. Alternatively, customers may opt for the Shopee-exclusive NOTE 40 Pro (4G variant) for PhP 10,999.

Features

LOQ and LOAD: The Lenovo LOQ 2024 is for gaming and more

Your entry to PC Gaming

Published

April 23, 2024

GadgetMatch

Get your game on with the Lenovo LOQ 2024. This capable laptop is your entry point to PC Gaming and a lot more.

It comes an absolutely affordable price point: PhP 48,995.

You get capable hardware and the hood to support gaming and more. The Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9I runs on the 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and Intel Arc Graphics.

Those are key to bringing unreal graphics to this segment. Supporting latest tech like DirectX 12 Ultimate, players are able to enjoy high frame rates on the Lenovo LOQ.

Creating content? It comes with AI Advantage to help boost performance. Engines and accelerators boost the media processing workloads especially for creatives. It also works with Intel’s X Super Machine Learning, Leading to images that are as close to reality.

The laptop supports a configuration of up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD Storage.

As for its display, the device has a large 15.6-inch, Full HD panel that is more than enough for gaming, video editing, content consumption, and whatever else you do on a laptop. This display has 144Hz refresh rate, 300 nits brightness, and anti-glare.

Videos come out clear, crisp, and realistic. Audio is punchy and as loud as it gets. Windows Sonic elevates it more when you use headphones. And it just takes a few minutes to render HD videos on editing software.

As it runs on Windows 11, if you are going to use it for work, you can take advantage of various features. The Lenovo Vantage Widget is there for constant reminders, Copilot will help you organize your tasks, and Microsoft Edge is there for casual browsing.

There is an assortment of ports at the back for easy connectivity. And as this is meant for gaming, we put it to the test. Racing that looks better with high frame rate? Check. Shooting titles that require heavy work? Not a problem. You can play all your favorites and not worry about performance.

Best of all, it takes less than an our to juice up this laptop all the way to 100%.

So, whether you’re looking to get started with PC Gaming, or an upgrade for work and entertainment needs, the Lenovo LOQ has you covered.

This feature is a collaboration between GadgetMatch and Lenovo Philippines.