HWM Singapore August 2020

I CAN’T REALLY believe that it’s already August and 2020 has almost slipped by. My last few notes were really about the impact of Covid-19, and how the HWM and HardwareZone team has been coping. Now I can’t speak about other markets, but I have been quite fascinated at how fast the tech industry has settled into the new norm. If you’ve been reading through the past few months of HWM, you’d probably have noticed that the TEST section of the mag has been decided thin, no thanks to the pandemic’s global impact on planned launches as well as logistics to get products into market. But this month, we’ve started to see a resumption in activity for tech events as well as a semblance of normality in the supply chain. The…

“Have we gone too far down the smartphone photography rabbit hole?” That was my initial reaction when I first discovered the world of photo filter apps half a decade ago. One particular app, Meitu (also known as MTXX), defied photography logic and reasoning with its impressive selfie beautification techniques. How on earth does the app apply or remove makeup to a portrait photo with nearly no point of reference? It was insane for its time. While it was a must-have app for the better gender, I’ve also found some use for the software. Tweaks like eye bag removal and blemish cover-ups helped reduce the number of police reports made every time I uploaded a selfie to Instagram or Facebook (kidding, it was just regular user reports within the respective social media networks). SURE,…

As we go through the fourth industrial revolution that digitises everything we do, economic and societal fundamentals are changing in ways we have not experienced before. Although we measure everything more accurately than ever before, we are increasingly confused as to what we can trust and what not. We harness artificial intelligence to drive operational processes, which triggers the vital need for humans to define the intent and ethics of those automated systems. Headcount in a company can be an asset, a liability, and a bottleneck all at the same time. Although technological advances reduce the need for humans to perform labour, the demand for humans to work together to solve vital issues is only growing. In a way, the delegation of laborious tasks to robots and AI means that humans…

“VALORANT IS A TEAM-BASED TACTICAL SHOOTER THAT TAKES PAGES OUT OF OVERWATCH AND CS: GO. ITS MAIN GAMEPLAY MODE IS SEARCH AND DESTROY; TWO OPPOSING TEAMS TAKE TURNS TRYING TO PLANT OR DE FUSE A BOMB IN A SPECIFIED ZONE.” It’s been over a month since Valorant’s release, so it’s pretty much still in its infancy. However, developer Riot Games intends for it to become a successful esports powerhouse. This raises several questions: what is the game about, what is it currently doing right (or wrong) and what Riot might need to do to ensure everything goes according to plan? Conceptually, Valorant is a team-based tactical shooter that takes pages out of Overwatch and CS: GO. Its main gameplay mode is Search and Destroy; two opposing teams take turns trying to plant…

Remember Lamborghini’s crazy Sián hypercar? You know, the one with over 800hp? It’s now available in a roadster version. Say hello to the Sián Roadster. With the roof gone, the car looks even more striking. And it also gives its lucky owners the chance to experience the V12 nestled behind the seats in its full fury. The powertrain is unchanged, this means you get a 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 that makes a staggering 774hp at 8,500rpm. And as if that’s not enough, there’s a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that’s incorporated into the gearbox that produces an extra 33hp. All in, that’s 807hp in total. The mild-hybrid system can also sufficiently power and manoeuvre the car for short distances. Handy when you want to start up and get out of the house without waking…

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll worldwide for both individuals and economies. As a precaution, many countries have implemented strict lockdown measures such as closing schools, restaurants and borders, while mask-wearing in public and social distancing have become a must. The enforcement of these policies, along with the extensive testing of populations has helped to minimise infection rates. However, the pandemic’s effect on each nation’s economy has been brutal. When an individual is found to be infected with the coronavirus, the race is on to find those who have come into contact with them, as these people could be carriers or even be infected. This has led to hundreds of coronavirus contact-tracing mobile applications being developed worldwide and backed by various governments and national health authorities, as well as guidelines…