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Intel's Netbook revealed as FTEC SmartBook, mystery solved
Finally, the Intel Netbook mystery is solved with the official unveiling of the 7- and 9-inch low-enders in Malaysia. The ruggedized laptops for kids (at least, initially) are manufactured by Malaysia's own FTEC and will carry a SmartBook moniker. The term "netbook" is generic, Intel-speak for highly-portable, Internet-centric laptops which Intel plans to target at young children, first-time buyers, seniors and housewives. Both of the 7- and 9-inch laptops feature 512MB of RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi, a USB 2.0 jack, Intel Celeron ULV processor, Linux OS, and water-resistant keyboards. The 7-inch will retail in Malaysia for RM1,199 ($377) and include a 40GB disk with optional, $31 Windows XP pre-load. The RM1,299 (about $409) 9-inch offers just 2GB of flash storage, integrated webcam, and optional theft control feature using network issued digital certificates. Shame that 9-incher is limited to just 2GB of storage, eh?[Thanks, Simon Y]Update: Intel's Netbook is sounding more and more like a genre or reference design of PC to be built by many manufacturers under many different names -- we saw this under the "2go" moniker just yesterday. There's also word it might in fact be the Classmate 2, but we're still waiting on some more clarification from the Intel folks.
A Perfect (and perfectly copied) World
See anything familiar about this website for a Malaysian online game called Perfect World? Yeah, so did Aerandul, and anyone else who's been to the official World of Warcraft site. They've got it all, from the feminine figure up top, right down to the menus on the side (although WoW's menus are collapsible, and this site's are not.The game itself even looks pretty close (ok, well, not that close), although stealing WoW's look and feel are a little more common than stealing its actual website design. As for what will happen to these guys, EU CM Aeus doesn't have specifics (or maybe just doesn't know), but my guess is that Blizzard might drop them a C&D, and then either hire someone in Malaysia to see the case through, or just forget about the whole thing. As he says, we'll have to watch the website-- if it goes down or changes, then we'll know Blizzard was successful.
DVD-sniffing dogs awarded medals, returning to NYC
Lucky and Flo, the two danger-loving police dogs whose exploits as international crime fighters are well know to readers of this site, have just become the first non-humans to be awarded Malaysia's outstanding service award for their tireless work in trotting around and sitting down at the first whiff of plastic. Following several raids that led to 26 arrests and $6 million in seized counterfeit DVDs during their five month tour of duty -- as well as a contract on their young lives -- these real-life Underdogs will be returning home to a hero's welcome in New York later this week, although there will be no ticker tape parade for the courageous canines. Rather, they'll be put right back to work in the hopes that they "take a bite out of movie piracy in the Big Apple," according to the Motion Picture Association's Edward Neurbronner -- that is, when they're not busy putting on little, um, dog-and-pony shows at local events. Well we certainly wish you guys luck as you begin your new career battling piracy stateside (and later on in Canada, apparently another hotbed of IP theft), although we're still not sure why the cops need trained dogs to help them track down all those nefarious pirates hiding in plain sight on almost every avenue in Manhattan.Read - MedalsRead - Return to NYC
The (fake) Engadget store returns in a new location!
Remember last year when we found out some dudes had set up gadget shop under the Engadget name in Midvalley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, without our permission? And then a fellow Engadget reader actually OUTED them on camera, as they denied even knowing what Engadget is? Well, that store eventually went out of business (or changed its name), so it was a happy ending -- until now.Looks like reader Stuart Thomson spotted a new, second Engadget store at what we understand is called "The Pyramid" mall (or perhaps Sunway Pyramid mall?), also in Malaysia. We wouldn't be surprised if this was started by the same guys who set up the last shop -- that logo looks identical to the one on the first Engadget store. Are we on the brink of an entire chain of totally unauthorized Engadget stores bootlegging our name? We don't know, but if anybody's headed to Malaysia and wants to go give these guys a stern talking to on our behalf, hit us up!
Engadget: 1, Fake Engadget store: 0
Remember that fake Engadget store in Malaysia that stole our name and logo and then pretended they'd never heard of us when one of our readers dropped by and called them on it? Well, we have some good news: the bastards are out of business! Or at least they've stopped using our name! Not sure exactly what happened, but reader Kurt Low dropped by the Midvalley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur the other day and discovered that the "Engadget" store had been replaced by a new tech shop called "fixIT.com". (We thought that maybe they'd decided to rip off some other tech site, but a visit to fixit.com reveals only a placeholder for a site that doesn't exist yet.) Anyway, big ups to all our Malaysian readers for boycotting the "Engadget" store, looks like we won this round![Thanks, Kurt]UPDATE: A couple of people wrote in to point out that if you compare this new photo with some of the older ones for the Engadget store it looks like it's the same business -- "Pusat Komputer" -- and that as we suspected all they've done is changed the name of their store. Which is definitely all we really wanted in the first place.UPDATE 2: Argh, turns out that "Pusat Komputer" just means "computer store", so it doesn't necessarily mean that the people who own this new shop are the same people who opened the fake Engadget store. If anyone in Kuala Lumpur happens to visit the store, could you ask 'em what's up?
Lucky and Flo sniff-out another $450k in pirated DVDs
Last month, the MPAA's two DVD sniffing dogs busted a ring of $3 million worth of pirated DVD movies and games in Malaysia. Over the weekend, Lucky and Flo sniffed down another $430,000 after police failed to find the discs during an initial search. After calling in the "canine brigade," the dogs were able to quickly sniff-out the discs hidden away in a room that could "only be accessed by the push of a button hidden under a plug outlet." Nice work pups, Scooby snacks for all.
RFID technology to hit license plates in Malaysia, too
In a bid to "stop automotive theft" from occurring so frequently in Malaysia, the Road Transport Department will begin fitting vehicles with RFID-equipped license plates that can be quickly scanned and analyzed by the boys in blue. The plate itself will receive a few minor aesthetic changes, but the integrated microchip is where the rubber hits the road; only authorized mechanics will be able to actually install the plates, and the microchip onboard will house information about the vehicle's model, make, and even driver information. The e-plate, as it's so aptly named, has already quelled theft in Japan (and hit Britain, too), and the RTD hopes that Kuala Lumpur will see the same drops in crime as the new plates make things much more difficult for carjackers since swapping out the plates won't exactly bypass security. The RTD's director-general has already set the implementation in motion, aiming to equip "new cars" first, while "older" (read: less desirable) whips will get the RFID treatment later on.[Via Inquirer]
Organized bandits make off with $12 million worth of PC components
In a daring early morning heist that could just as easily have been a scene from a movie like, um, The Heist, 20-plus well-organized robbers infiltrated a Malaysian warehouse complex on Monday, immediately subdued all 17 employees, and proceeded to steal over $12 million worth of microchips and motherboards. The thieves were able to gain access to the facility through a classic Trojan horse maneuver, wherein drivers of a truck that rolled up to the MASKargo Complex gate in Batu Maung, Penang tricked customs officials into believing that they were doing an undercover sweep for illegal immigrants. Once inside, the rest of the bandits lept out of the back of the vehicle and used chloroform to knock out the passive workers and sticks to beat down the non-compliant ones. It took the team nearly an hour to load up an astounding 18 pallets and 585 cartons full of components belonging to an unnamed multi-national corporation based out of Bayan Lepas, after which they sped off into the night with their valuable, high-tech booty. Police claim to have already captured two suspects in the case -- both were, shockingly , workers at the complex -- and are in the midst of hunting down the rest of the gang that pulled off what was clearly an inside job. As for the copious amount of missing PC hardware, officials speculate that the bandits will either sell them to shady OEMs on the black market, or, more likely, use them to build a supercomputer for leapfrogging to the top of the Folding@Home rankings.[Via The Inquirer]
Nintendo hits Malaysia (officially)
Nintendo has recently been mounting their new global offensive, and last week it landed in Malaysia in the form of an official counter in the Mid Valley Megamall in capital Kuala Lumpur. Sometimes these forays of Nintendo's are not so successful, but it seems that they has been welcomed in Malaysia despite the rampant piracy in the surrounding region.Fans are paying a premium for their official titles, but in return they get warranties and replacement policies, and a quality guarantee is nothing to turn down. And the area is beautiful designed, with lots of bright surfaces and display units. Check out a couple of photos after the jump.In related news ... would anyone else be willing to commit minor crimes for the above t-shirt, or is it just us?
Malaysian laptop thieves using mystery gadget to pick which cars to break into
Malaysia's New Straits Times reports that tech-savvy thieves in the district of Petaling Jaya have been using a "special gadget" in order to identify which parked cars have laptops hidden inside of them, with 255 laptops stolen from cars there so far this year. The police, who have not been able to get their hands on one of these mysterious devices, are stumped and are recommending that people carry their laptops with them rather than leave them in their cars. There have been a few (almost certainly) apocryphal tales of thieves using WiFi and Bluetooth to detect the presence of a laptop in a car or home, anyone have any idea what these guys are using? Are they shopping at the Engadget store, or are the police there just trying to come up with a fancy rationale for a crime wave?[Thanks, Joel]
A visit to the Engadget store...
That "Engadget" store in Malaysia? Yeah, it's for real, Engadget reader/shopper Jereme Tupa swung by the store on a recent visit to Kuala Lumpur and captured some nice footage of a very nervous-looking clerk denying that he'd ever heard of Engadget the website. Whatever, dude, we're not going to sue you or anything, but don't front that you didn't swipe both our name and our logo. Just fess up (and maybe throw in a nice little gift certificate to your shop) and we'll let it slide.WATCH - StorefrontWATCH - Denial
Text and drive in Malaysia and go to jail
If you're in Malaysia and you plan on spending any time behind the wheel, you'd better curb any temptation to read or send text messages while on the road. Declaring that "using the SMS while driving is more dangerous than talking on the handphone," government officials have mandated jail time for DWT. Having seen more than our share of distracted drivers, we'd have to agree -- even if we have a soft sport for our fans in Malaysia.
The Engadget store
So Engadget finally has a store. Aren't you stoked? Too bad it's absolutely not affiliated with Engadget or its parent companies (if it is, in fact, real, and not a photoshop or hoax). That, and apparently it's located in the Midvalley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. So, next time someone's in Malaysia, would you do us a favor and check up on 'em, make sure they're doing the Engadget name good? And since we can only assume the Engadget store's proprietors are reading this, we'd like to shout 'em out and say hey, what's up, were you planning on telling us about this at some point? Yeah, we can understand why not.Update: Uh, yeah, we can with some amount of certainty confirm that this isn't a photoshop job (see pics here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). Thanks to David, Sunil, and SCH! So, anyone talk to these guys yet?
