News on My Gadget Planet (English Articles Only)

Win tickets to G-Dragons concert tickets with Acer products

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 — Wednesday, June 12, 2013

If you find yourself in need of laptops and tickets to G-Dragons One of a Kind 1st World Tour concert, then you may want to drop by Level 3 of the Mines Shopping Centre from now till 16th June.
With every purchase of an Acer Aspire p3-171 or Aspire S7 product at the roadshows, the purchaser will also get tickets to G-Dragons one and only concert here in Malaysia.

At the same time, consumers can also participate in Acers official G-Dragon premiums giveaway contest by tweeting or posting on Instagram with the hash tag #myacertouch, no purchase whatsoever required. The contest ends 16th June and 10 winners will get their chance of winning a signature Big Bang Lightstick. Of course, participants can increase winning chances by purchasing a Aspire P3 or Aspire S7.

The roadshows also feature other touch products from the V series, Iconia series, and the Aspire R7. 50 customers will stand to win a RM100 shopping voucher each week until the end of June - they just need to submit an entry form at either the roadshow or via Acer Malaysias Facebook page.

eBay Malaysia Launches New Look

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 — Wednesday, June 12, 2013

As of June, eBay Malaysia has a new look on their site. The change is a less cluttered aspect of the old eBay, replaced with a cleaner and more contemporary look a move to personalize online shopping and e-commerce.
We hope to make the website more accessible and user-friendly, as well as relevant to their needs. Jason Lee, eBays Regional Director (South East Asia and Middle East) explained. The new eBay is the future of commerce, and were excited to make these new features available in Malaysia.

eBay, one of the Internets oldest e-commerce site, has 116 million active buyers around the world and 25 million sellers.

The new eBay Malaysia will have bigger pictures for consumers to view items they wish to purchase, as well as key product information. Shoppers will also be able to save more with a plethora of daily bargains, including up to 90 discount off recommended retail prices on a range of items.

The eBay website can also be personalized to show consumers items of their interest via the Feed: it is similar to a having a personal shopper, with the Feed attempting to match customer interest with eBays inventory on the front page. The Feed will not take existing customers past purchase patterns and incorporate it into the Feed, however.

The eBay mobile app, first launched in July of 2008, now has more than 100 million downloads since September 2012.

In the next few years, Jason emphasized, this US$10 trillion global retail market will change continually in terms of speed, access and overall experience. eBay will be at the forefront of this change, with tremendous growth taking place in South East Asia

With the e-commerce market up and growing, it is not surprising that eBay wishes to reinvent itself to suit the ever-changing needs of the market. Easier experiences always mean more welcoming consumers.

Lazada goes all-out in new campaign

Monday, May 27, 2013 — Monday, May 27, 2013

For an e-commerce website that just barely turned a year old in April, Lazada has big ambitions and dreams, targeting consumer growth and website improvement.
In a bid to introduce more Malaysian consumers to the world of online shopping, the online shopping mall announced a Giveaway Extravaganza contest that runs from May 20 to June 20, 2013 - the grand prize being that of a Mazda2 Hatchback.

Interested participants can join the contest by signing up for the Lazada newsletter on their website, and win Lazada shopping vouchers of up to RM300 daily. Consumers who spend a minimum of RM25 also stand a chance to win weekly prizes worth up to RM2,799.

Those interested in the Mazda2 Hatchback are eligible to win it when they spend RM50 and above on the online shopping mall. BCard holders also stand a chance to win other prizes when used during the contest period.

Apart from the Giveaway Extravaganza contest, Lazada is also launching a Syoknya Raya Bersama Lazada campaign which will kick off on June 1. It will run for a month, with the first two weeks emphasizing on home decor and home living products, while the third and fourth week will focus on religious books.

Thats not all - there is also a campaign with Visa that will also start on June 1. Customers will be able to enjoy discounts every day of the week when they purchase on Lazada Malaysia using their Visa card.

Lazada has enjoyed a comfortable customer growth since its launch, said Igor Pezzili, the Chief Executive Officer of Lazada Malaysia. Therefore in conjunction with our first year anniversary, the Giveaway Extravaganza contest is a way for us to give back to Malaysians,

Lazada started off with only a few categories and now it has expanded to include health and beauty products, home decor and so on, Igor added. Online shopping is only just picking up in Malaysia as an alternative shopping choice, with less than 10 percent of the shopping market, but it is definitely going to be a viable trend.

Further information on the Giveaway Extravaganza contest and Lazada Malaysia can be found at http://www.lazada.com.my or their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LazadaMalaysia

Intel wants you to be updated to stay healthy

Monday, May 27, 2013 — Monday, May 27, 2013

If your PC is aging, now is a good time as any to buy a new one - especially as Intel is now having a PC Refresh Campaign. For any of your old Intel-based PCs of any brand, Intel will offer a trade-in program where consumers can redeem up to RM300 worth of cash rebates, depending on your model and type of computer.
The PC Refresh Campaign is Intels attempt to get consumers to throw out the old and bring in the new. With old-age PC users suffering from the Hourglass Syndrome - termed so because of the programs loading symbol - Intel believes it is best for consumers health for them to upgrade to new PCs instead.

Sufferers of Hourglass Syndrome, after all, exhibit anxiety and uncontrollable fidgetiness. Some of them even go so far as to commit acts of violence towards their lagging PC, as the PC cannot keep pace with their owners demands.

Over 300 million computers around the world are over 4 years old, and 65 percent of these older PCs are bulky desktops, says Norhizam Kadir, National Sales Manager of Intel Malaysia announced at the media launch of the campaign.

With so many developments in computing technology and touch-enabled Ultrabooks, end users no longer need to be chained to long lag times and slow PCs.

Intel Malaysia together with its PC maker partners will run a series of roadshows across 14 cities in Malaysia under the PC Refresh Generation Today campaign. It will run until the end of 2013, and hopefully encourage consumers to ditch their Hourglass Syndrome and get the latest in PC fare, such as touch-enabled Ultrabooks, convertible tablets and laptops.

Consumers who purchase a new PC during the campaign duration will stand a chance to win attractive prizes, including a trip to see a musical in Singapore and spa relaxation in Bali. The prizes are worth up to RM8,000.00. There are also other on-ground activities and contests whereby the first 20 winners can win discounts vouchers worth RM500 to purchase a new Intel-powered PC.

The old PCs will then be disposed of by Intel in an environmentally conscious manner. Generation Today runs from May 22 until Dec 31, 2013. Participating OEM partners include Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo.

Tonton TV is now an app on Samsung SMART TV

Sunday, May 26, 2013 — Sunday, May 26, 2013

FINALLY - If watching your favourite local TV programs on your computer isnt enough then now you can watch them on your Samsung SMART TV with the newly launched Tonton TV app.
The launch of the Samsung SMART TV only app is a collaboration between Samsung and Media Prima Digital as part of a partnership effort made official in September last year.

Video streaming applications are now popular among Malaysians. Tonton, being the first local content app for Samsung SMART TV, will help put us in the lead of creating enriching content offerings that will meet the needs of our consumers, said Kwon Jae Hoon, managing director of Samsung Malaysia Electronics at the launch.

Tonton has over 2.9 million registered users, and we are excited to extend Tontons reach to Samsungs customers as well. This partnership enforces Media Prima Digitals aim to supply Over-the-Top digital experience to users. Lam Swee Kim, group general manager of Media Prima Digital added.

The Tonton TV app will allow for Samsung SMART TV users to catch up with Media Prima TV Networks channels such as TV3, ntv7, 8TV, TV9, Gua TV and so forth on their TV sets.

Blackberry Q10 is now physical locally

Wednesday, May 08, 2013 — Wednesday, May 08, 2013

For the people who are not on board (pun not intended) the touchscreen fad, the new BlackBerry Q10 smartphone features a classic BlackBerry QWERTY Keyboard. The phone will be available on May 15 from all authorized partners in Malaysia (Celcom and Maxis), and pre-orders can be made from Celcom beginning May 8.
The BlackBerry Q10 is available in two colours, Black and White, and is made from durable and lightweight materials. It has a 3.1 inch 330ppi Super AMOLED touchscreen display, but the star of the device is definitely the QWERTY keyboard, which has a wider layout and larger sculpted keys.

The device features the ever-present BlackBerry Hub, which brings all conversations together in one place for users to access at any time from any app. The BlackBerry Balance feature separates personal and work-related applications for easier usage.

Theres also BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), which allows users to share things with fellow BlackBerry users. The BBM in Blackberry 10 includes voice-calling and video chat, as well as phone-screen sharing with another BlackBerry 10 contact.

We are delighted to bring the first BlackBerry 10 smartphone to Malaysian customers, Annamalai Muthu, Country Director for Malaysia at BlackBerry, said. The BlackBerry Q10 will offer BlackBerry fans and new customers ultimate performance in this timeless design.

The BlackBerry Q10 will retail for RM2,388 in Malaysian stores.

Samsung plays its Smart TV card once again

Friday, April 26, 2013 — Friday, April 26, 2013

It seems that this year at least, there is no stopping Samsungs momentum in the world of electronic devices and appliances. Fresh off the announcement of its Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Samsung NX300 camera, the Korean electronics megaplayer immediately announces new additions to their SMART TV lineup.
Respectively, both the Samsung Smart LED TV F8000 and the Samsung Smart Plasma TVF8500 according to Samsung, are set to redefine the way users interact with their television sets.

The Smart Interaction feature, for example, allows for users to interact with their television sets using only their voices and bare hands. There are also new increased commands for Voice Control, allowing the Smart TV to understand more commands like turning the television on, choose channels and determine volume all without the need of a physical remote control.

With their bare hands through motion sensor technology Smart Television users can browse through photo albums and zoom to see pictures up close on their television set. Social media addicts will be pleased to know that Samsung has incorporated a function that lets them Like a picture or post on Facebook, simply by thumbing up literally in front of the television.

Samsung also introduces the Smart Evolution Kit for existing owners of Samsung Smart TVs - installing the kit on their television sets will allow them to enjoy the upgraded features of the upcoming Smart TVs without having to upgrade their television sets. The Smart Evolution Kit will only be available to Malaysian consumers later in the year, however.

With quad-core processors, the Smart Televisions will also allow for smooth usage of the set, be it for viewing content, accessing applications, and or web-browsing.

The 64 Samsung Smart Plasma TV F8500 is priced at RM13,999, and the 65 Samsung Smart LED TV F8000 is priced at RM21,999. Both are currently available.

Microsoft Surface RT hits Malaysian market

Friday, April 26, 2013 — Friday, April 26, 2013

While there still no word on Surface Pro, the long-awaited Microsoft Surface RT however - which was released in the United States October last year - is finally available to the local market.
Carlos Lacerda, the Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia, said that Microsoft Malaysia is incredibly thrilled for Malaysians to experience the Surface brand device, starting with Surface RT.

It is a tablet with laptop capabilities. He continued.It will change the way people play and work on an electronic device.

Surface RT will be made available through selected stores nationwide in three participating retail partners: Challenger Malaysia, Harvey Norman, and Thunder Match Technology.

The Surface RT includes a Touch Cover that provides a super-thin and spill-resistant keyboard in various colours, an ultra-light durable casing, an integrated kickstand for the display, SkyDrive cloud connectivity, games, a microSDXC card slot for additional storage, Office Home & Student 2013 and so forth.

It is meant to last up to 8 hours of battery life, which will attract people who play and work on the go.

Additional details on Surface are available at http://www.Surface.com/my, the Surface Blog and Surface on Facebook.

Follow Microsoft Malaysia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MicrosoftMalaysia) and Twitter for additional updates: @mymicrosoft.

Top three teams of Microsoft Malaysia-ADB pack heads to India

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 — Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Dream X, Centium Software Sdn Bhd and Gnowledge Sdn Bhd have bested 26 other teams in the AppsForAsia redesigning development program and will be the local representatives at the Asian Development Banks 46th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors.
The teams will be joining other top three representatives from each of the participated countries such as Australia, Philippines, India and South Korea at ADBs event held in Delhi, India from May 2 to 5.

The AppsForAsia program is a Microsoft-ADB initiative that gives Independent Software Developers (ISV) across Asia a chance to put their sustainable solutions to real-time use.

Developers are given access to Microsofts Cloud platform, Windows Azure, as well as deeper insight into Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, to develop applications using the cloud across various platforms and devices.

They were also given technical and architectural consulting, as well as support, as they developed their applications to address real-world needs pertaining to seven key sectors; civil society, education, governance, transport, urban development, water, and youth.

The teams that won fulfilled the criteria of solving a need, creativity, impact and completed within the set duration of allocated time, says Microsoft Malaysia director of developer and platform evangelism Dinesh Nair.

The winners and their apps are as follows:

Dream X (Winner) - EPIC Hope allows users to identify on-going or planned sustainable housing projects for indigenous people. The user may find ways to then make contributions to fund or assist the project.

Gnowledge Sdn Bhd (1st Runner-Up) - Gnowledge enables users to create, publish, share and take tests, do exercises and complete assignments. The company with the use of its app hopes to be the de facto academic exercise sharing site as with YouTube is to videos. The public portal, www.gnowledge.com is free-to-use.

Centium Software Sdn Bhd (2nd Runner-Up) - With the use of cloud computing and the Internet to create a people-to-people social awareness tool Blood R2 allows users to request and tune onto alerts on where blood donation is required.

We know that maximizing the use of technology is one of the fundamental drivers that empowers the poor and helps them improve their lives, says ADB corporate secretary Robert L.T. Dawson.

Between 2000 and 2011, ADB supported 372 ICT-related projects and technical assistance worth RM41 billion (US$13.22 billion).

The annual ADB meeting will see an estimated of 4,000 delegates including finance ministers and ministers; central bank governors; policy makers; chief executives of corporations; leading academics and heads of think-tanks; leaders of civil society; members of the diplomatic corps; and journalists from international, regional, and local media attending the event.

Intel on the mobile bandwagon

Friday, March 15, 2013 — Friday, March 15, 2013

Mobile technology has come a long way. As the world gearing towards more lightweight and mobile technological experiences packed into a singular device, Intel knows the mobility experience with smartphones, tablets and ultrabooks is an eventual step to progress that no one can miss out on.
During Intel Technology Day on March 7, both Intel country manager Prakash Mallya and Leighton Phillips Director, Producer Marketing and Pricing - claimed that 2013 will be a game-changing year for Intel, with plans for end-users and consumers that Intel intends to reveal over the course of the year.

Also unveiled at the international Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas this past January, some of Intels plans include a new low-power Atom processor based platform and smartphone reference design targeted at the value smartphone market segment. Customers including Acer have announced support for the platform.

Tests reveal that phones running on these platforms outperform our competitors in terms of response and battery life. Leighton Phillips announced.

Intel Inside value smartphones includes features such as the Intel Atom processor Z2420 with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology. The processor can achieve speeds of 1.2GHz, 1080p hardware-accelerated encode/decode, and support for up to two cameras.

Ever keeping the cost-conscious customer in mind, the platform also includes the Intel XMM6265 HSPA+ model which offers Dual Sim/Dual Standby capability. The value smartphones area set to be launched in places like Latin America, Africa, India, China and Southeast Asia.

For performance and mainstream smartphones, Intel offers the forthcoming Intel Atom Z2580 processor platform which includes a dual core Atom processor with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, as well as a dual-core graphics engine.

Apart from the smartphones market, Leighton also revealed Intels plans in the tablets and ultrabook category. Tablet designs based on the Atom Processor Z2760 running Windows 8 are already on the shelves, with companies like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, LG and Samsung supporting the designs. The Atom platform claims to have all-day battery life, as well as being more power-efficient than competitive offerings.

With Intel, the future of Ultrabooks look set to be thin, elegant and detachable. Intels low-power line of Intel Core processors are available now and operate as low as 7 watts, giving Ultrabook designs more flexibility. The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S Ultrabook is an example of an Ultrabook benefitting from the processor.

Intel is looking into more ways that consumers can interact with their devices and bring them around without being weighed down by short battery life, cables and so on. Leighton Phillips explained. Ultrabooks with Intel processors have all-day battery power, are thin, have touch, voice and facial performances, as well as anti-theft identity protection.

With the future of technology in mind, Intel is also looking into other possibilities for technological interaction between humans - such as perceptual computing for life-like interactions.

For example, a child can be in the kitchen doing homework on a tech device when the mother comes in - she speaks, and the device answers. Leighton clarified. Wee also doing research on voice control looking into how to optimize and make voice a natural way to interact with devices.

With more than a few devices running on Intel processors, and Intel looking into more ways that technology can be included in daily life and human interaction, Intel is definitely very much hoping that 2013 will be a game-changing year. It remains to be seen if consumers will embrace Intel Inside devices apart from PCs, however, with the strong smartphones competitors across the board.

Still, the more the merrier, as they say, and whatever Intel has in mind is definitely gearing towards changing the human and technology game.

Malaysians loves their personnal mobility especially at work

Friday, March 15, 2013 — Friday, March 15, 2013

It seems like corporate companies will need to look into a more open technology policy this year, as an increasing mobile workforce influences the way employees work at the office. The results of the VMware New Way study in 2013 show that in the post-PC era, more and more employees bring their own devices to work 85, to be exact.
The study focuses on changing consumer technology lifestyle, and how these lifestyles influence the way things are run at work when they are brought into the workforce. explained Laurence Si, country manager for VMware Malaysia.

The 2013 results is an indication that companies need to adopt more flexible and open, yet still secure, technology policies to enhance employee productivity and job satisfaction. He added that 30 of people would consider leaving their jobs due to poor IT policies, while dealing with IT issues is the 5th most stressful issue at work.

Personal devices that are brought to work include tablets (52), smart phones (81), and laptops (85). Employee reasons for using personal devices for work include getting more done (27), feeling more engaged (28), their work is mobile in nature (38), the device has more functions (38), and clients contact them via personal phone (39).

The study also reveals that 71 of employees work from home, and 69 spend time working on holidays. Away from the office, 88 of users use cloud-based apps for their work. As such, this reveals a potential security risk, as confidential company info is carried out of the office.

Corporate IT policies are now ill-equipped to deal with the trend, with 96 of those surveyed says IT know employees bring their own personal devices to work, yet only 26 say IT give them support with their personal devices. The ones that are not supported then either fix issues themselves (68), or use Google to fix the issues (64).

It is certain that managing challenges that arise from the influx of personal computing devices in the workplace can no longer be neglected, added Si.

The study is commissioned by VMware and conducted by Acorn Research and surveyed over 2,100 people in 12 countries across Asia-Pacific, including 150 responses from Malaysia.

In a separate announcement, VMware also unveiled the VMware Horizon Suite, a platform for workplace mobility. It consists of VMware Horizon Workspace, VMware Horizon View, and VMware Horizon Mirage.

E-mail virus attack lowest in five years

Friday, February 22, 2013 — Friday, February 22, 2013

The e-mail as a mode of transportation for online virus distributers has dropped. According to the January 2013 Symantec Intelligence Report, the global ratio of email-borne viruses was one in 400 emails (0.25 percent). This is a decrease of 0.11 percentage points since 2012 came to an end, and is the lowest virus rate recorded since 2009.
In January, Malaysias ratio of email-borne viruses in email traffic was lower than the global rate at one in 678 emails (0.15 percent). This is a decrease of 0.02 percentage points since December 2012.

Also included in the report are the results for the top five geographies with the highest virus rate in 2013, as well as the top five industry sectors with the highest virus rate in January 2013.

Respectively, the former included Hungary, South Africa, United Kingdom, Italy and India. The latter included the Public Sector, Education, Accommodation/Catering, Transport/Utility, and Non-Profit.

Types of malware that are usually sent out around this time of the year are Valentines Day spam. These typically arrive in the form of an ecard. Symantec and Microsoft also partnered to take down a notorious botnet known as Batmital, and have shut down all known components that were used to operate the botnet.

Fuji Xerox signs document managing services with Nomad Offices

Wednesday, January 16, 2013 — Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Nomad Offices aims to improve their services provided to their tenants over the coming year. One of the steps taken so far is their recent partnership with Fuji Xerox Asia Pacic Malaysia Operations, announced on Jan 9 at The Nomad Offices at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
This partnership between The Nomad Offices and Fuji Xerox aims to create a single interface for The Nomad Offices administrator to subscribe new tenants and upload their information into its ApeosWare Management Services (AWMS) server.

All information will be integrated to The Nomad Offices centralized communication server, the Business Centre System.

This will allow tenants to immediately use facilities provided in the serviced offices. A password protected account and a key card will be provided to respective tenants to access their files on the Fuji Xerox machine.

With the revamped and more efficient process, our tenants will benefit with higher quality of services, said The Nomad Group ICT senior manager Charles Francis.

Cheng Shea Li, assistant general manager of The Nomad Offices concurred. Investing in technologies is a vital element to enhance tenants experiences in generating greater business value. For The Nomad Office, this is also in line with our vision to be up-to-date in office technology.

The partnership with Fuji Xerox, in addition to providing better document management services, also aims to promote a greener environment at work, with less wastage occurring.

At Fuji Xerox, we wish to surpass the expectations of our customers by implementing solutions that can help them operate better. We will continue to give our best in delivering cutting edge document management solutions to our partners business growth, said Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific Malaysia Operations president Sunil Gupta.

The partnership aims to take off by February while the second phase of the partnership will help extend the better document management service to other The Nomad Offices in the region.

The group operates regionally around Southeast Asia which includes Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Philippines. In Malaysia, The Nomad Offices are located at Menara Hap Seng, Menara Prestige, Pavilion KL, and The Gardens.

Samsung unveils new product at Consumer Electronics Show 2013

Monday, January 07, 2013 — Monday, January 07, 2013

A new year comes with new launches and to get a head start, Samsung has rolled out its list of what the company will be showcasing at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan 8 to 11.
- The Samsung NX300 Compact System Camera

The NX300 has a 20.3 Megapixel APS-CMOS sensor, a wide ISO rage (ISO100 - 25600) and a Hybrid Auto Focus (AF) system among other features. The unveiling is accompanied by the announcement of the worlds first one-lens 3D system - 45mm/3D lens - for a consumer camera.

- Enhanced Series 7 Chronos and Series 7 Ultra

To be thinner and lighter, the highlight of the Series 7 Chronos is its ten-finger multi-touch touchscreen as well as touchpad and keyboard. The Series 7 Ultra is the first Ultrabook in the Series 7 family.

- Premium Touch-Screen Monitors

The Series 7SC770 Touch Monitor will be optimized for Windows 8 and is a multi-touch display that supports up to 10 points of simultaneous multi-touch while the Series 7 SC750 has a slim design and is capable of a 90-degree pivot.

- Evolution Kit for an Evolving SMART TV

The Evolution Kit works as a back attachment to Smart TVs giving owners access to newer features. It was first introduced at last years CES.

- SMART TV Software Development Kit

The Smart TV Software Development Kit 4.0 allows for Smart TV software development on Linux and Mac, in addiction to Window O/S.

New 4K series Canon EOS cameras hit market

Friday, February 22, 2013 — Friday, February 22, 2013

Need some serious high-definition video shooting done? This is Hollywood quality shooting right here. With the recently launched Canon EOS C500 and EOS-1Dc cameras you are pretty much set to make your own Avengers movie.
Unless you are in the movie making business you may give these cameras a skip but if you insist to own one expect to pay up to RM110,040 (USD$36,000) for the C500 and RM 36,680 (USD$12,000) for the 1Dc.

According to Canon, they hope the cameras see collaboration with the local film making industry.

The C500 is already available in the market while the 1DC will only see stock in January.

Own your Maxis-iPhone 5 package tonight

Thursday, December 13, 2012 — Thursday, December 13, 2012

Thats it - No more waiting, no need for importing and no more waiting for that sweet and sexy iPhone 5 and whats it going to feel like in the palm of your sweaty hands because tonight, Maxis unveils its iPhone 5 package.
First of the many local telcos to do so, the launch event takes place at CapSquare in Kuala Lumpur accompanied by a host of performances and events held by various radio stations like ERA, Fly, Hitz and My FM.

The event will run from 8pm all the way up to midnight. A massive turnout is expected.

Local scene plays host to first ever Asian Animation Summit

Tuesday, December 11, 2012 — Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Malaysia was recently host of the inaugural Asian Animation Summit (AAS) on the 10th and 11th of December. The summit aimed to get together international animation experts and local animators, in order to engage in co-production and co-financing animation opportunities.
The AAS was introduced by Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), in collaboration with Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) and Australias ABC TV. The event, supported by Kidscreen Australia, showcased Asias animation projects to the movers and shakers of the animation industry worldwide.

36 animation concepts in the early stages of financing and development from Australia, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore were screened and pitched at the AAS to an audience of international personalities in the creative area to be judged.

Following the presentations, additional time was provided for follow-up meetings and casual networking between budding animators and programme buyers.

Kamil Othman, the Head of the Creative Multimedia Cluster, MDeC, spoke at the event of how our local animators could benefit at the summit. They can add more to their technical and knowledge skillsets, by meeting and collaborating with international experts in the industry.

Othman also mentioned how Malaysia has grown in terms of animation, bringing up the example of Upin and Ipin, the Malaysia animation. Upin and Ipin has been very well-received, and it has even started broadcasting in Indonesia. I believe Malaysia is at the tipping point of becoming a regional animation powerhouse, and is set to do more.

Kim Dalton, the CEO of ABC Australia and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, was also present at the event. He indicated his desire that both countries learn from each other with the partnership.

I believe partnerships are essential, especially in order to bring out our individual strengths. Hopefully, this will let us move towards our desired outcomes, said Dalton.

Countries like Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea have over the past few years produced creative and technical talents that have worked on globally renowned cartoon series and movies. We look forward to seeing more new ideas at the summit, he added.

I am expecting quite a few good animations to be shown, said Othman.

The 36 concepts are pitched to programme buyers from television networks across the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada and North America. The summit is also attended by broadcasters from the Asia Pacific region.

For more information on the Asian Animation Summit, log on to the website www.asiananimationsummit.com. For more information on the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), please visit www.mdec.my

CA Technologies an identity provision solution leader

Monday, December 10, 2012 — Monday, December 10, 2012

The KuppingerCole Leadership Compass report has named CA Technologies as a leader in market, product, innovation and overall strength. The market analysis report on identity provisioning is done by KuppingerCole, an analyst firm that focuses on identity-centric information security.
The report looked specifically at the CA IdentityMinder solution, which was one of 22 identity provisioning products evaluated. The IdentityMinder was rated a Strong Positive for Security and Functionality, and Positive for Integration, Interoperability and Usability.

The current version is well integrated and provides the full feature set to be expected from identity provisioning solutions, said Martin Kuppinger, founder and principal analyst at Kuppinger Cole.

The CA IdentityMinder identity management solution provides a configurable identity management foundation for each unique client - improving IT operational efficiency and effectiveness in the process.

Vic Mankotia, the vice president of solution strategy, Asia Pacific and Japan, CA Technologies, says he is proud of the latest industry analyst recognition, adding that it provides added confidence for customers who rely on CA Technologies to protect their business with a comprehensive identity and access management portfolio.

To learn more about CA Technologies Identity and Access Management solutions, visit http://www.ca.com/us/it-security-solutions.aspx.

BTs new facility in Bangsar South active by 2013

Monday, December 10, 2012 — Monday, December 10, 2012

Malaysias Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and British Telecommunications Group (BT) announced the start of BTs Global Shared Service facility to be operational in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur in early 2013.
The facility is made up of two centres. The first is the Global Development Centre which joins the network of eight other GDCs in the world, offering information and communication innovation services.

The second centre is the Contract Delivery Shared Service Center (CDSS), which is part of a global network that provides commercial and contract management business knowledge.

BTs expansion in MSC Malaysia is an exciting opportunity to create geographical diversity in our technology business and to collaborate with Malaysian universities to develop the key skills and expertise required to enable BT to deliver for its customers around the world, said BT Group chief intelligence officer, Clive Selley.

This is important to us as we chose MSC Malaysia because of its globally competitive and multilingual workforce in addition to a world-class business environment and technology infrastructure, he added.

In line with the goals of Digital Malaysia, investments such as this will be instrumental in accelerating the development of our nations digital economy, as well as providing the rakyat with the knowledge and expertise that will spur us towards our goal of becoming a developed economy by 2020, said MDeC chief executive officer Datuk Badlisham Ghazali.

Reports show that the SSO industry plays a part in transforming Malaysia into a high-income, knowledge-based economy. In 2011, MSC Malaysias revenue positioned the country as one of the top three global SSO locations on A T Kerney Global Services Location Index 2011, after India and China.

This festive - Why Malaysians shop online

Tuesday, November 27, 2012 — Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Shopping, like eating, is an unofficial national sport beloved to Malaysians. Festive seasons in particular give us more reason to shop but there are those who detest going out, waiting, and dealing with crowds. For that online shopping is where salvation lies.
Fellow shopaholics across the nation intend to do 46 of their festive shopping online to avoid hassle, spending an average of twelve times online shopping for clothes, bags and accessories, electronic gadgets, shoes, and fragrances.

According to the latest PayPal study as conducted by GfK, Malaysians chose to shop online due to the convenience of browsing and paying wherever you are, reading reviews on sale items, getting the best bargains are appealing factors.

The PayPal study also indicates that nearly half (47) of Malaysians will use their mobile devices to shop an average of three times or more per month. Using online retail stores apps as well as location-based shopping apps, Malaysians intend to get every bang for their buck looking for the best deals and sales promotion.

The hassle though, includes the likes of shipping hurdles, buying things you do not need, not having buyer protection policies and losing important information can be avoided. Making a shopping list, paying attention to the fine print, and having a digital wallet such as PayPal to avoid entering credit card details and other personal details are just a few tips that can go a long way in ensuring a smooth happy transaction.

Still, shopping online remains as an alternative to our favorite past time but more importantly is to shop safely and savvy to avoid unnecessary heartache.

Happy shopping!