WeChat and Weixin, a sister product designed for users in Mainland China, announced a milestone when registered user accounts surpassed more than 300 million on January 15 this year. At the end of March, the combined monthly active users of WeChat and Weixin reached 194.4 million, representing a year-on-year growth rate of 228.4%. WeChat, along with Weixin, is a popular mobile social application worldwide, shaping a new way of communication and interaction. As of this week, WeChat Malaysia has reached a significant growth in user accounts, increasing its penetration rate of Malaysian smartphone users from 60% to breaking the 70% mark.

Popular Features Users Love about WeChat

WeChat is free to install, use and download. Users can text each other, swap voice messages with a “Hold to Talk” feature, video chat, as well as share images, music, and videos. It supports all smartphone platforms including Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Symbian, and Windows Phone operating systems. WeChat also comes with comprehensive privacy setting functions, which enable users to limit who they share their information with.

Key features WeChat offers:

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20, 2013 – In a media briefing announcing the launch of Intel Malaysia’s latest PC Refresh campaign called ‘Generation Today’, Intel executives expressed their suspicions that the Hourglass Syndrome may still be afflicting many Malaysian PC users.

The “Hourglass Syndrome” is characterized by abnormal behavior exhibit by users of aging PC systems. These symptoms include anxiety, uncontrollable fidgetiness and spontaneous acts of violence directed towards the lagging PC. Most aging PCs cannot keep pace as quickly as their owners would like, leading to stress and frustration.

“Our data shows that over 300 million computers around the world are over 4 years old, and 65 percent of these older PCs are bulky desktops,” said Norhizam Kadir, National Sales Manager of Intel Malaysia in the briefing.

“In recent years, there has been many exciting developments in computing technology including the introduction of the Intel Core Processor Family – soon to be in its 4th Generation – and touch-enabled Ultrabooks. Old lagging PCs should not hold us back from our fast paced lifestyles and it is time to upgrade to the latest technology available to us.”

In an effort to encourage Malaysian consumers to upgrade their PCs to the latest touch-enabled devices powered by Intel, Intel Malaysia together with its PC maker partners will run a series of roadshow across 14 cities in Malaysia under the ‘Generation Today’ campaign. This campaign, which runs until the end of 2013, intends to introduce to consumers a wide selection of the latest touch-enabled Ultrabooks, convertible tablets and laptops.

Intel Malaysia will also offer a trade-in program at the roadshows where consumers can redeem up to RM300 worth of cash rebates in exchange for old Intel-based PCs of any brand, upon the purchase a new PC during the campaign duration.

“There will also be on-ground activities and contest; and with each purchased PC, consumers stand a chance to win attractive prizes worth RM8,000.00 during the campaign,” he added. “As we work towards getting Malaysian PC users to move on from their aging devices, it is our hope that the Hourglass Syndrome will become a thing of the past by the conclusion of this campaign.”

‘Generation Today’ will run from 22 May until 31 December 2013. Participating OEM partners include Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo. For more details and the list of road show locations, please refer to http://generationtoday.intel.com or contact gentoday@in2ideas.com.

(Norhizam Kadir, National Sales Manager of Intel Malaysia and Fay Ter, Marketing Manager of Acer Malaysia)

Nur Liyana Johari from SM Sains Tuanku Syed Putra, Perlis and Sarah Wong Jia Xin from SMK Batu Lintang, Sarawak did the nation proud by winning 3 awards in total, and was awarded a total of US$6,000.00 and US$1,000.00 respectively.

(left, Sarah Wong and right, Nur Liyana)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 20, 2013 – Ionut Budisteanu, 19, of Romania was awarded first place for using artificial intelligence to create a viable model for a low-cost, self-driving car at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Society for Science & the Public.

Ionut said his research addresses a major global issue. In 2004, car accidents caused 2.5 million deaths worldwide1, and 87 percent of crashes resulted from driver error2. With 3-D radar and mounted cameras, Ionut created a feasible design for an autonomously controlled car that could detect traffic lanes and curbs, along with the real-time position of the car – and it would only cost $4,000. He received the Gordon E. Moore Award of $75,000, named in honor of the Intel co-founder and fellow scientist.

From Malaysia, Nur Liyana Johari from Tuanku Syed Putra Secondary Science School won second award from the United Airlines Foundation and third award in the environmental management: recycling and waste management category and was awarded US$5,000.00 and US$1,000.00 respectively for her project entitled ‘BIO-OIL: the use of specially made catalyst’. Sarah Wong Jia Xin from SMK Batu Lintang won third award in the engineering: electrical and mechanical category and was awarded US$1,000.00 for her project entitled ‘use of biosorbent for removal of colour and heavy metal from dyed waste water’.

Eesha Khare, 18, of Saratoga, Calif. received the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award of $50,000. With the rapid adoption of portable electronics, Eesha recognized the crucial need for energy-efficient storage devices. She developed a tiny device that fits inside cell phone batteries, allowing them to fully charge within 20-30 seconds. Eesha’s invention also has potential applications for car batteries.

Henry Lin, 17, of Shreveport, La. also received the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award of $50,000. By simulating thousands of clusters of galaxies, Henry has provided scientists with valuable new data, allowing them to better understand the mysteries of astrophysics: dark matter, dark energy and the balance of heating and cooling in the universe’s most massive objects.

“We support the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair because we believe that science and math are the foundation of innovation, which is imperative for global economic growth and advancing society,” said Prakash Mallya country manager, Intel Singapore and Malaysia. “This competition encourages millions of students worldwide every year to explore their passion for math and science while developing solutions for global challenges.”

This year, approximately 1,600 young scientists were chosen to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. They were selected from 433 affiliate fairs in more than 70 countries, regions and territories. In addition to the winners mentioned above, more than 500 finalists received awards and prizes for their innovative research. Awards included 17 “Best of Category” winners who each received a $5,000 prize. The Intel Foundation also awarded a $1,000 grant to each winner’s school and to the affiliated fair they represent.

The following lists the 17 Best of Category winners from which the top three were chosen:  

Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, has owned and administered the International Science and Engineering Fair since its inception in 1950.
“We congratulate Ionut, Eesha and Henry on their success at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair this week in Phoenix,” said Elizabeth Marincola, president of Society for Science & the Public. “Their research demonstrates the value of hard work and creative thinking. All the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair finalists here this week show great promise in harnessing the power of science and innovation to solve problems and create opportunity for our global community.”

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair honors some of the world’s most promising, rising student entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists. Finalists are selected annually from hundreds of affiliated fairs. Their projects are then evaluated onsite by more than 1,200 judges from nearly every scientific discipline, each with a Ph.D. or the equivalent of six years of related professional experience in one of the scientific disciplines.

This is the first year that all Intel International Science and Engineering Fair finalists will receive digital badges recognizing and rewarding their achievements in independent scientific and engineering research. Volunteers, judges and interpreters will also receive badges. Digital badges promote informal modes of education and provide recognition and credentialing for achievements beyond the classroom. Learn more about the badging initiative at http://badging.societyforscience.org.

A full listing of finalists is available in the event program. The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2013 is funded jointly by Intel and the Intel Foundation with additional awards and support from dozens of other corporate, academic, governmental and science-focused organizations. This year, more than US$4 million was awarded.

To learn more about Society for Science & the Public, visit www.societyforscience.org, and follow the organization on Facebook and Twitter.

To get the latest Intel education news, visit www.intel.com/newsroom/education, and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Here’s the announcements Google made at I/O:

Detail information such as photos, videos, and announcements at: https://developers.google.com/events/io/. Check out the 3 hours+ video of Google I/O 2013: Keynote, the show starts on minutes 6:27.

All you need to do is like Asus Malaysia Facebook site, print and cutout the provided product images of ASUS Fonepad & ASUS MeMO Pad to create a mockup and show how ASUS Fonepad or MeMO Pad can delight and bring fun to your lifestyle in photography form. Check out terms and condition at here: Be Creative Win – Terms Conditions.pdf

Product Images:

Kuala Lumpur 14 May 2013 — FalconStor Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: FALC), a market leader in disk-based data protection, today announced the results of IDG Research Services’ quick poll, “Backup Technologies; the Tale of the Tape.” The independent survey shows that deduplication has entered the mainstream and is effectively addressing the backup and data storage issues caused by exponential data growth. Large enterprises are leading the way – with mid-size companies and small businesses not far behind – in deploying and reporting significant benefits of the technology, including faster backups, quicker recovery, more efficient data management and lower operating costs.

Through its online poll, IDG Research collected information from 215 qualified IT leaders at large, medium and small companies across various industries regarding their use of backup and deduplication technologies. Key survey findings include:

“Data is growing at the rate of 50 to 60 percent annually, which results in conventional backup and data protection environments becoming an overwhelming, costly burden. Unsure of what else to do, companies have purchased more backup media and spent a lot of money trying to solve the problem. However, with the introduction of deduplication technology, companies were able to cost-efficiently back up information to disk and store data for longer periods of time,” said Suresh Nair, general manager and vice president of sales and marketing of Asia Pacific for FalconStor. “Today, deduplication is an integral aspect of any modern storage strategy. The IDG survey shows that deduplication has been deployed and tested by a wide range of midsize to large enterprises, demonstrating its benefits to the rest of the market and accelerating adoption of the technology.”

The survey data also revealed that an aggregated 59 percent of companies polled are using a combination of disk-based backup and tape storage; and an aggregated 39 percent are using disk-based backup with deduplication. Tape continues to be a cost-effective medium for data archiving, especially as businesses are required to retain records for longer periods of time, while disk-based systems are deployed for faster backup and recovery. Deduplication increases the efficiency of both disk and tape, optimizing the management of both short- and long-term storage.

The FalconStor® Virtual Tape Library (VTL) solution, one of the industry’s fastest and most flexible disk-based backup and deduplication systems, is widely used by enterprises to optimize data backup, recovery, and storage. The FalconStor VTL solution provides customers the flexibility to optimize backup for speed and efficiency by tailoring deduplication processes to the needs of their environment. The system offers an array of deduplication options, including inline, concurrent, post-processing or no deduplication – and the flexibility to deploy them in multiple configurations to match types of data and available storage. Global Deduplication another key feature with FalconStor VTL, further enhances efficiency as it minimizes replication of data between between offices within an organization.

Study demographics
IDG Research polled 215 qualified IT leaders in various industries regarding the current and future use of backup and deduplication technologies. At the time of the survey 33 percent of these individuals worked at firms with more than 5,000 employees; 24 percent had between 1,001 and 5,000 employees; 35 percent had between 101 and 1,000 employees; and eight percent had between 50 and 100 employees.

Additional resources:

According to Nuffnang, Acer Malaysia is going to launch a brand-new ultraportable touchscreen device on Thursday, 23rd May 2013, the very Microsoft Surface alike tablet dubbed as Acer Aspire P3 Convertible Ultrabook. Stated by Acer,

The Acer Aspire P3 Ultrabook™, inspired by Intel®, encompasses everything you need from several devices in one piece of technology. Open it up inup its protective cover into Ultrabook 178-degree-viewing mode, then flip and switch into tablet mode in one swift movement. If you want to move even faster than that, then you can detach the touchscreen and make a quick getaway.

The touch centric device equipped with 11.6-inch IPS LCD 10 point multi-touch HD display, storage of 60GB/120GB, rear-side 5MP camera, front-facing HD webcam, HDMI, USB 3.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, Windows 8 (instead of Windows RT) as operating system. It also comes with a detachable full-size chiclet keyboard (no touch-pad though), where you can attach Aspire P3 on it and transform from tablet mode into notebook mode which provides total comfort for doing longer documentation.

The Leash cost of RM 115, bought it from Kevin from mauinsons.com. The strap comes together with 4 braided Kevlar® Anchors and a soft pouch.

The strap is adjustable from 19 inches (48 cm) to 60 inches (152 cm). Some advantages of Leash are: it works with any camera, smooth webbing glides over clothing, light and compact that fits in pocket.

The Anchor disks slide into clips on the end of Leash, locking in with a click. To unlock the anchors, press the disk down with your thumb and push it out in the reverse direction.

Leash’s anchor attached on Capture® quick-release base plate‘s Cow Hitch. There are four directions hitch and a D-ring connection screw on base plate, that allow you to choose which to attach the leash’s anchor on.

Attached it on my recent bought Capture Camera Clip System as sling strap. I also leave an extra anchor on the camera hitch (instead of two anchors), in that way, i can switch it to neck strap anytime to take a more stable high angle shot. Used it on recent crowded 508 event, the leash and capture clip makes whole camera system become more secure and fast to access.