Malaysia
Latest
Belarus limits use of 'foreign' websites, while Kuala Lumpur mandates WiFi in eateries
Talk about polar opposites. In an update posted to the Library of Congress, we're told that the Republic of Belarus will begin fining citizens that host domestic sites on "foreign" domains. Crazy? Definitely, but no less true. Starting later this week, any Belarusian not registered as an entrepreneur may use "only domestic internet domains for providing online services, conducting sales, or exchanging email messages." According to the interpretation, it "appears that business requests from Belarus cannot be served over the internet if the service provider is using online services located outside of the country," and police (as well as the secret police) are authorized to "initiate, investigate, and prosecute such violations." Wilder still, owners of internet cafes could have their entire business shut down if users are found to be accessing external sites on those networks, and for those curious, the law "may" extend to browsing within one's private home. In a land a bit closer to the equator, it seems as if officials have their heads in a far more sensible place. Kuala Lumpur -- already home to one of the world's most lust-worthy airports and some of the most accessible / affordable mobile data plans -- will soon mandate that all new restaurants provide WiFi to their customers. And by "WiFi," we mean "access to the entire internet." According to the New Strait Times, the rule will be enforced as early as April, applying to eatery owners operating on premises larger than 120 square meters. We're told that existing owners will be forced to comply when renewing their license, and while the waves won't have to be given away for free, they'll be encouraged to charge no more than a "reasonable fee." Furthermore, the government is considering dipping into its own pockets in order to extend gratis WiFi to public facilities in the city, likely as a follow-up plan to the expiring WirelessKL contract. As if going to wander through Batu Caves and the colorful streets shown above weren't enough reason to visit Malaysia...
World of Warcraft makes inroads into southeast Asia
World of Warcraft may be slipping in the subscription department over this past year, but a recent deal may change all that. Blizzard has signed a contract with game publisher Asiasoft to bring the title to three additional countries: Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Blizzard's Paul Sams sees this move as a great way to expand ever further: "One of our top priorities is ensuring that our games are easily accessible to players all around the world. We are confident that as a leading online game services provider in southeast Asia, Asiasoft will help us reach many new players in this growing region." Asia is one of WoW's biggest markets, with countries like China producing massive amounts of players who are into the game. Under the terms of this deal, Asiasoft will get the rights to publish World of Warcraft and all of its expansion packs to the three countries, as well as Starcraft II and Diablo III.
Huawei gives October shipping date for MediaPad in Malaysia, US and China by year's end
Been wondering when you were gonna get a chance to smear fingerprints all over 7-inches of Android 3.2, courtesy of Huawei's MediaPad? Well, if you happen to live in Malaysia, it should be by the middle of October. The rest of you shouldn't fret though -- the company plans to have it on shelves in the US, China, Hong Kong and Thailand before the end of the year. Meanwhile, folks in Singapore can already place pre-orders for $598 SGD, roughly $473 USD. It's a bit later than the Q3 ship date we were originally told but, as they say, better late than never. Though, we're more apt to cry "gimme, gimme, gimme."
Defamation settlement requires Malaysian man to apologize 100 times on Twitter
The punishment, the saying goes, should fit the crime. When working within the legal system, however, it can be pretty tough to come up with a truly appropriate sentence. Settlements, on the other hand, offer a little more room for creativity, and after a Malaysian political aide / social activist used Twitter to air a grievance about a pregnant friend's employer, the publishing company turned to the social network for inspiration. Fahmi Fadzil tweeted an apology shortly after, but BluInc Media wasn't satiated. The two parties finally reached an elementary school-esque out of court decision, requiring Fadzil to apologize for his initial statement 100 times on the microblogging service. He began the apology today at 9:00AM his time, and will continue on until June 4th, as per the rules of the agreement. Those looking to inject a little diversity into their Twitter stream may want to wait a bit before following the guy.
Sony says PlayStation Network will return to Asia, starting tomorrow
Good news, Asia -- the PlayStation Network is finally coming back. Today, Sony announced that it will restore its gaming network across the continent, more than a month after falling prey to a crippling data breach. The company's PSN services are already up and running across other parts of the world and, beginning tomorrow, will light up once again in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and even Japan, which had been harboring serious reservations about the network's security. Gamers in South Korea and Hong Kong, meanwhile, will have to wait a little longer before returning to normalcy, though Sony is hoping to completely resolve the issue by the end of the month. The company certainly seems eager to put this saga to bed, and for understandable reasons. The incident has already cost Sony an estimated $171 million in revenue -- not to mention the untold numbers of suddenly wary consumers.
Dell XPS 15z available in Australia and Asia, fits Sandy Bridge in under an inch of thickness
The XPS 15z, true to Michael Dell's word, is now with us. Provided "now" is May the 24th in whatever part of the world you happen to live in. Laptop shoppers in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan -- a group of nations already enjoying the glories of Tuesday -- can now buy the 0.97 inches-thick 15z for prices starting at just under A$1,400. That buys you a Core i5-2410M from Intel (2.3GHz default speed, 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost), a generous 6GB of DDR3 RAM, backlit keyboard, GeForce GT 525M graphics with 2GB of dedicated memory, a 750GB hard drive, and a 64WHr battery. The screen spans 15.6 inches diagonally and offers 1920 x 1080 resolution. Stepping up to A$1,700 gets you a Core i7-2620M (2.7GHz default, 3.4GHz TB) and 8GB of RAM. Juicy specs, we must admit. Now when's midnight coming? [Thanks, John]
Alienware M14x laptop now available to order... in Malaysia (update: M11x too)
Well, it looks like those eager to get their hands on Dell's much-leaked Alienware M14x laptop now finally have at least one option, although it might not be the most convenient one. The gaming laptop has just turned up on Dell Malaysia's website, where it's now already available to order starting at RM 4,799, or roughly $1,600. Of course, this is an Alienware laptop, so there's also quite a few higher-end options available for some extra cash, including up to a Core i7 2820QM processor, 8GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M graphics with 3GB of DDR3 memory (and Optimus technology), and your choice of either a 1,366 x 768 or 1,600 x 900 resolution on the 14-inch display. As for a broader release, Pocket-lint is reporting that both the M14x and M18x will be officially announced (if not released) on April 19th which, last we checked, is tomorrow. [Thanks, koinmove] Update: Looks like the US (or global, perhaps) release for the M14x is indeed on. Or, Alienware's coincidentally teasing something else entirely at the exact same time. Thanks, Jason. Update 2: Ah, and now we have the little M11x R3 showing up on Dell's Australia and New Zealand sites. Thanks everyone. Update 3: As expected, the UK's also getting the M14x and the new M11x. Thanks, Thomas.
Aluminum iMac survives fire, water
Recent incidents of arson in the city of Petaling Jaya, Malaysia have resulted in many businesses losing nearly everything they had. One fire this past week left a certain business owner with little left to salvage, but there was one bright spot to be found poking out from the ashes. Or rather, there were two... A pair of iMacs survived not only the intense heat of the blaze that night, but also the subsequent water that firefighters used to extinguish the flames. According to our friend Wei who sent us this story, the iMacs were of the mid-2007, 20" aluminum variety. There's no longer that clean, finished exterior, of course, but the computers miraculously still work (see photo on the right) which is certainly a testament to how well they were made to begin with. If this story sounds familiar to you, it should. It's not the first time we've featured an indestructible, fire-proof iMac here on TUAW. About one year ago, a Swedish man was also unfortunately hit by a house fire that destroyed his entire home and everything in it. Everything except for his iMac that is, which was still functional after the ordeal.
Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs and motherboards now on sale in Malaysia, what Consumer Electronics Show?
Let us all warmly greet the Core i5-2300, the i5-2400, and the Core i7-2600, three desktop-bound members of Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge CPU brigade. You'll note that all three are fully dressed in their retail attire in an image coming from Malaysian electronics store Compuzone, which also has a full pricing and speed breakdown for these central processing units. The 3.4GHz Core i7 part costs 939RM ($301), followed by 609RM ($195) for the 3.1GHz 2400, and 585RM ($188) for the 2.8GHz 2300. It seems like Intel's up to its old tricks again, letting some stock roll out early in distant Asian locales. At least this should mean there'll be plenty to go around once the CES 2011 launch of these chips is out of the way. Hit the source for more details and to scope out pricing for the new LGA1155 motherboards. [Thanks, Melantha]
Malaysia Airlines now offers iPad check-in (video)
It's getting easier and easier to enjoy in-flight entertainment on Apple's briskly moving tablet, but why wait till you get to the gate to dive in? If you're flying out of Kuala Lumpur, you can play with that 9.7-inch IPS touchscreen while you daydream of that time that watched Entrapment with your soulmate, book your flight, find departure times and even check in at dedicated kiosks. Adapting its iPhone application MHMobile for iPad use, Malaysia Airlines has installed five terminals at Kuala Lumpur Sentral so far -- where the company presently serves just 900 customers a day. See the interface in action after the break, or just download the existing app at our more coverage link if you're in search of that elusive globetrotter feeling.
Alienware M11x gets overseas Core i3 / i5 / i7 and NVIDIA Optimus bumps (update: US too)
We've been hearing about an impending CPU update to Alienware's M11x for some time now, and now Dell Malaysia has quietly updated its website with options to order the revised not-quite-netbook. So what's new? Well, there's NVIDIA Optimus for starters, and the Intel Core 2 Duo processor has been thanked for its time and shown the door in lieu of Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs on a QS57 chipset. Prices start at RM 3,699, or about $1,110 in US bills. Speaking of which, while Dell's US site has yet to update, we've seen what's purported to be some internal documentation that pinpoints the official stateside launch for the revised M11x as tomorrow (technically, it's already Tuesday in Malaysia). No confirmation yet, but hey, it'd make for a pretty nice pre-E3 gift. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: UK Alienware lovers can now also get their Core i5/i7 M11x fix, as the new hardware options have gone live on the laptop's local microsite. Yes, Optimus is there too. [Thanks, Mike] Update 2: And now it's live in the US with prices starting at $949 with a Core i5 520UM. Less if you're thinking Core 2 Duo, which you're not. [Thanks, MastrCake]
MacCores iTab Mini mod gives us a taste of the future
Given that September 9 is unlikely to finally reveal the fabled Apple tablet, this might be the nearest thing we have to it for a while yet -- and it has one other advantage: it's real. The iTab Mini is a mod project of the "more time and energy than sense" variety (our favorite kind) that melds together a 12.1-inch resistive touchscreen display with the remnants of an old PowerBook and a decidedly modern Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD spec. The outcome is, in a word, stunning. You can find a full run-through of the build at the read link.
Garmin-ASUS nuvifone G60 spills loads of Linux-laced screenshots
Yeah, we've seen our fair share of glimpses at Garmin-ASUS' nüvifone G60, but with the Linux-based phone just weeks away from shipping over in the Far East, these last minute looks are becoming all the more tantalizing. A reviewer over in Malaysia managed to spend a bit of quality time with the handset, and while he's still waiting for his official review unit, he managed to snag a litany of screenshots that gives us a fantastic idea of what to expect from a user interface perspective. We have to say -- we kind of dig the whimsical look at a glance, but it makes us wonder just how serious of a smartphone this thing really is. With Android already out, does this UI look like it has the chops to compete? Hit the read link and let us know.[Via GPSTracklog, thanks Rich]
Garmin-ASUS nuvifone M20 and G60 shipping to Singapore in August
After a patently absurd amount of delays, it actually feels like the Garmin-ASUS nüvifone tandem is approaching a proper launch. Whether or not anyone actually cares anymore, however, remains to be seen. Across the sea over in Malaysia, one particularly lucky soul seems to have stumbled upon both the Linux-based nüvifone G60 and the WinMo-powered nüvifone M20, and he claims that both handsets will be shipping en masse to the region "within 30 days." Best of all, that totally jibes with what we've heard directly from Garmin today, which has informed us that the smartphone will be in Singaporean stores in August, with a few other Asian nations seeing it in late July. Now, if only North Americans could look forward to the same...
Hello Kitty Online's world domination plan has begun
While Massively focuses on a lot of the bigger games on the market, the World of Warcrafts and Warhammer Onlines out there that define fantasy MMOs for many gamers, we still like to keep our eyes on the lesser-discussed MMO titles. Which leads me to my point -- we're on to you Hello Kitty. We've said this before and we'll probably say it again, Hello Kitty has her cute little eyes set on nothing less than absolute global domination through Hello Kitty Online.It began with her decking out Beijing with even more stars than the real Beijing, a feat most thought impossible, much less swathing the city in pink and purple hues. We've since learned that she wants Brazil, as well as Singapore and Malaysia, in her little paws. Apparently the next phase of her plan involves new avatar customization options with cute little... outfit... thingies... in the item mall. It's diabolical! Just check out the screengrabs below, if you dare.
Visa rolls out its first commercial NFC payment system
Nokia fulfilled its part of the bargain by rolling out its NFC-enabled 6212 cellphone last year, and it looks like Visa is now finally making the phone a good deal more useful -- in Malaysia, at least. That's where the company has launched its first commercial NFC (or Near Field Communications) payment service for point-of-sale transactions, which will let folks simply wave the phone in front of a reader to make a purchase instead of going to the hassle of swiping a card. What's more, it doesn't look like this is simply a limited trial, with 1,800 stores in the country ready to accept the magical payments out of the gate, and Maxis and Maybank on board to let folks easily access their credit account. Better still, Visa has also said that this move finally signals the shift from pilot programs to actual roll-outs, although it's unfortunately not being all that specific about the next few markets on tap just yet.
Dell Malaysia nabs a Studio 14 laptop before the rest of us
Here's a fun game that you can play at home: what comes between "Studio XPS 13" and "Studio 15"? If you guessed "Studio 14," you can count just about as well as those Dell marketing types. Granted, granularity has always been sort of a thing with Dell, so we can't really harsh on them too much for giving us more options -- though this laptop has only popped up at Dell Malaysia so far, so perhaps we'll be spared the distinction (unlikely). For 3,599 RM (that's "Malaysian ringgits," about $1,038 of our boringly "US dollars") you can score a Core 2 Duo T8100 2.10GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, X3100 integrated graphics, 250GB HDD and a 14.1-inch LED-backlit 1280 x 800 display. Those magical media playback controls to the right of the keyboard? Those come free.[Thanks, Clinton T.]
Zelda theme played during Malaysian PS3 launch
In case you guys didn't know, Sony just launched the PS3 in the Southeastern Asian country of Malaysia this past weekend. Ah, but that's not even the intriguing part of this story. When managing director of Sony Malaysia Naoi Sudo ascended onto the stage, a rather familiar tune began to play. No, it couldn't be!Oh, but yes it is! The iconic theme song that every video game player should know -- the theme to the Zelda games by Nintendo, can clearly be heard. We have no idea how this happened, perhaps the sound person had a hard night of partying beforehand. This isn't exactly the end of the world for Sony, but it certainly is humiliating for the company that a Youtube user managed to capture the moment in a grainy video, which is available for you right after the jump.[Via NWF]
Perfect World continues Southeast Asia business expansion
When "online gaming" and "Asia" are mentioned in the same sentence, it's a safe bet that either Korea or China are going to be mentioned. But the countries of Southeast Asia are also hotbeds of MMORPG fandom, a fact that's not lost on game companies operating elsewhere in the continent. Chinese game publisher Perfect World has struck a deal that will allow for greater expansion into Southeast Asia. The licensing agreement has been made with Malaysian online game operator Cubinet, which will bring Perfect World's title Chi Bi to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Cubinet will handle the localization of Chi Bi for the various Southeast Asian gaming markets, offering the game in Chinese, English, Vietnamese, and Thai. Chi Bi is a fantasy MMORPG based on the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The title's introduction to the SE Asian markets follows Perfect World II, Legend of Martial Arts, and Zhu Xian, and marks another potentially lucrative pairing between Perfect World and Cubinet.
HTC Touch Diamond store spotted in Malaysia
The HTC Touch Diamond is hitting shores world-round, and this store in Malaysia is making a big deal of things with a full selection of accessories, alluring attendants, and what appears to be a permanent address. If the touchscreen and Opera browser don't get you, the shiny displays certainly will. Follow the read link for more pictures of the new store.[Thanks, freedomzaft11]
