News

Huawei officially announces Harmony OS

Android should be worried

Published

August 9, 2019

Shivam Vahia

A few months ago, the Trade War took an ugly turn and its effects were seen on consumer technology for the first time. As a security measure, the U.S. barred Huawei from doing any business with American companies. In a nutshell, Huawei could no longer depend on Android and use Play Services for its smartphones.

This was the tipping point for the Chinese giant and it vowed to not succumb to external pressure. Immediately, there were reports that Huawei has ramped up work on its own operating system, dubbed Hongmeng OS back then. And even though the U.S. scaled back sanctions after a few weeks, it was clear to Huawei, it needs a backup plan.

On August 9, Huawei has finally shown off its new operating system, officially called Harmony OS. Keep in mind, the development has been in process for years, but it got an accelerated push due to the ban.

At the Huawei Developer Conference, the company said Harmony OS is built on a microkernel, meaning it can be deployed on a wide range of devices. This is similar to Google’s Fuchsia OS, but it leverages in-house “Ark” compiler to process multiple languages like C/C++, Java, and Kotlin. Additionally, HTML5, Linux, and even Android apps will be able to run on the OS in the coming future.

Huawei will be releasing a Software Development Kit (SDK) soon for developers to make apps across multiple devices like televisions, smartphones, smartwatches, and even car kits.

The first device to run Harmony OS will be launched by Honor and it’ll be a smart television. We won’t be seeing a smartphone running Harmony OS this year and the company still affirms its dependence on Android.

Work on version 1.0 of the OS was started two years back and version 2.0 of its microkernel will be released next year while version 3.0 arrives in 2021. The company’s Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu also added Harmony OS will be faster and safer than Android.

According to Huawei, there’s no root access in the OS, making it safer than Android. They also boasted EAL 5+ certification, an international standard for assurance levels. Lastly, the operating system will be made open-source in the near future.

News

iPhone 13 pre-orders in Singapore begin today

Published

September 17, 2021

Rodneil Quiteles

Are you ready? Pre-orders for the iPhone 13 lineup begin today in Singapore! Specifically, it starts at 8PM.

Apple’s latest and greatest set of iPhones are coming to Singapore and you can secure one for yourself by heading to the Apple Singapore website. This year’s lineup is pretty much an iteration of last year’s. That means we get upgrades for all four models: iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini

New to this pair of iPhones is the A15 Bionic chip which, you already know, boosts the performance of the iPhone. You’re also getting Cinematic Mode which automatically adds background blur to your videos. It does this through an algorithm. It’s the first of its kind on smartphones.

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

This year’s pair of Pro iPhones are even more Pro than ever. It shares the same A15 Bionic chip as the other iPhone 13s, but it boosts performance thanks to a different, more powerful GPU. You also get the ability to shoot in Apple ProRes format. A boon for professional mobile filmmakers.

Pricing

The iPhone 13 starts at SG$ 1,299. Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 mini starts at SG $ 1,149.

The iPhone 13 Pro starts at SG$ 1649 (SG$ 69 a month for 24 months) and SG$ 1799 (SG$ 75 a month/24 months) for the iPhone 13 Pro Max variant. The base storage still starts at 128GB but goes all the way to 1TB — also a first on any iPhone.

Accessories

The Pulse 3D Wireless Headset now sports Midnight Black

Nicely paired with the DualSense controller and your “Midnight Black” PS5

Published

September 17, 2021

Gab Orlina

Back in June, Sony announced two additional colorways for its next-generation DualSense controller. Apart from the classic white, the PlayStation 5’s newest controller also received a Midnight Black and Cosmic Red. This time around, they’ve extended the invitation to another PS5 peripheral, the Pulse 3D Wireless Headset.

Much like the DualSense controller, the headset will also come in Midnight Black. Other than this, everything else is pretty much the same for the Pulse 3D Headset. In essence, it still gives you deeper, more immersive 3D sounds to games that fully take advantage of this. It’s just that now, you have other color options to choose from. Whether or not this also comes in Cosmic Red, Sony has yet to announce that.

It’s worth noting that included in the PS5’s second major update is an equalizer for the 3D Pulse. It adds another layer of control for players. This lets them enjoy the game precisely the way they want to. But if tweaking isn’t your thing, there are also three presets: Standard, Bass Boost, or Shooter.

The Pulse 3D Wireless Headset in Midnight Black will be available on October 29 for PhP 5,590/ SG$ 149 / MYR 469/ DR1,699,000 / THB3,490 / VND2,699,000.

Entertainment

Shopee’s 10.10 K-Pop performer is ITZY

Following sister group TWICE’s footsteps

Published

September 16, 2021

GadgetMatch

Image from @ITZYofficial on Twitter

Shopee is on a roll. After securing performances from K-Pop supergroup TWICE, the online shopping company has also secured performances from K-Pop 4th Gen superstars ITZY. The group is set to perform on their 10.10 Brand Festival Shopee live.

Shopee has yet to reveal what else they have in store for 10.10. But what we can expect for sure is another generous round of vouchers and giveaways.

ITZY is a five-member girl group featuring Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna. The group debuted with the song “Dalla Dalla”. In 2020, they launched the shoulder dance craze with their comeback “Wannabe”. On September 24, the group will release their first full album called Crazy In-Love with the title track “Loco”.

Early Shopee Christmas

In the Philippines, Shopee is already kickstarting its Christmas campaign. They are welcoming the holidays essentially the voice and face of Christmas in the country — Jose Mari Chan. Shoppers can catch the singer-songwriter on holiday-themed in-app games such as Shopee Catch and Shopee Collectibles from September to December.

The singer-songwriter will also give out treats via ShopeePay come December. He’s doing it along with other celebrities and influencers. Look for ShopeePay Celebrity Pamasko on your homepage and play the game to receive ShopeePay credits.

You can activate your ShopeePay wallet by clicking on the ShopeePay wallet bar, entering your personal information and OTP, and creating and confirming your ShopeePay PIN.