The Zone

Windows Vista and Office 2007 was finally launched last weekend at LowYat Plaza in Malaysia and we were there to capture all of the excitement! We'll have a full report in the next issue of HWM so in the mean time, enjoy this batch of photos! :3

Olympus press conferences are always fun, especially if they've a product demo to go along with it. Today's launch of their new compact digital camera models saw a simple but effective demo of their new mju 770SW digital camera, which Olympus has touted as being not only waterproof to up to 10 metres but also freezeproof from -10 degrees Celcius, shockproof, and crushproof of up to 100kg! Click more to see pics of the demo!

Happy Chinese New Year~! HWM Malaysia won't be updating the blog during the holidays as most of us will be back in our hometown ushering in the Year of the Boar. We wish all our readers and clients happy holidays and may everyone have a safe balik kampung trip! Cheers~!

While everyone's attention may be directed towards the upcoming PS3 launch in Australia and Europe, Sony Singapore is planning a party of their own. On the 7th of March, the PS3 will officially debut in the country, retailing for SG$799 for the 60GB unit. There's even going to be a launch party! Look, details!

Date: March 7, 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 6 pm to 9.30 pm
Venue: The Clinic
Address: The Cannery, Clarke Quay 

200 free invites will be open to members of the public on a first-come-first-serve basis, so come early. There's going to be a mini tourney where you stand a chance to pick up a limited edition Champagne Gold PSP. Not only that, you'll be able to pick up either Genji or Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight for only SG$1 each. Cheap! Click the jump for more details.

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Engadget Chinese has captured a couple pictures of the Lantern Festival in Taiwan, where the Taiwanese district of Jiayi put up a massive 1:2.5 scale model of a Gundam in lantern form. Awesome! Since Malaysia likes making breaking records, maybe we should make a giant Zeon Lantern or something to counter it. ;)    

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It's neat concept - a combination of Xbox Live's options and Nintendo Mii's customization. It will probably take off in North America, but how well will it do in this region, especially Malaysia? It still doesn't help that the console is expensive and there is a lack of good exclusive titles. And as far as Malaysian gamers who buy pirated games are concerned, if the PS3 can't play 'backups', then it's a dud.

Still, this is a formidable concept that challenges both Microsoft and Nintendo...especially Nintendo. They need to get their WiiConnect24 system up and running, and allow more freedom to third-party publishers and developers to include multiplayer in their games. If they want, Nintendo could always come up with a new channel for Wii users to decorate their room with items achieved or won from their titles ala Animal Crossing; I'm sure the Wii is capable of doing that.

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I've 30 Granado Espada Closed Beta invites to give away, courtesy of Sendi Mutiara Multimedia and GameAxis. That's right. THIRTY. The requirement is simple. All you have to do is email me at fatcatlim@yahoo.com and if you're one of the first 30, I'll send you the ID and password. Only 1 invite per email/person. 30 emails don't count. :p

To download the game client, you can check out the download page here for the download links. Keep in mind that the game is a whopping 2.5GB download, so make sure you have enough space on your hard drive.

Granado Espada download links

Happy gaming~

Warewarewa were lucky to be invited to the launch of Panasonic's Planet 1080p Full HD showcase which happened today, and got to see the wonders of HD and the processes used to bring you HD products, from the recording to the playback. Well, we were there superficially because we were more interested in the lovely girls who were nicely wrapped up in nicest kimonos we've seen.

Pretty, aren't they?

Actually, the plasma TV they're posing with is even more beautiful, but at a price tag of RM250000, a bosom of 36cm is still much more affordable. 

(more pics after the break) 

Maxis is holding an Anime & Games Festival down in Sungei Wang Plaza, which will last till tomorrow. So if you're around the area, go check it out: there're a few activities and promotions going on. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the pics. :)

LG has teamed up with Google in a move that allows preinstalled Google software on LG mobile phones. Users can then use their extra accesibility to search, check their Gmail, update thier blog and even use a cut-down version of Google Earth (how is this possible, we're not sure).

Coming to Europe, America and Asia as early as the second quarter of 2007, will include a dynamic user interface, including one-click access, and the liberal use of Java for mobile. 

"“Building on our efforts to set new standards for wireless handsets, we are excited to partner with Google to offer extra value to consumers with enhanced mobile Internet experiences,” said Mr. Paul Bae, Vice President of the Product Planning Team at LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “LG’s mobile devices, combined with Google, will provide consumers with easy access to their favorite Internet services even without a PC and make it easy for them to stay connected while in motion.”"

We hope that the collaboration will make better phones, instead of rehashing the Chocolate brand over and over again, though.

Win the TV when you subscribe to the magazine!

Want to win this? Then make your way to PCFair07 this April 13 - 15 at KLCC! Purchase any PowerColor graphic card (PCI-e or AGP) from any dealer at PCFair next weekend, drop by the HWM booth, and you'll not only entitled to a free T-shirt but you'll be in the running to win a PowerColor X1950Pro card! (PCI-e version only) 

So if you pick up a PowerColor X1950Pro card at PCFair next weekend, you stand a chance to win another PowerColor X1950Pro card to pair your existing  X1950Pro card and make it an X1950Pro CrossFire system! Now how sweet is that? :3

See you guys down at PCFair07! 

It's back! The MSC Malaysia IP Creators Challenge Series 2007 is now on for local budding animators, artists, and game developers! Last year IP Creators Challenge saw up to nearly RM900,000 in grants given away to 25 winners. If you missed out last year, now's your chance to win grants to expand your creative idea into a marketable product!

The closing dates for the proposals (just the proposals, not the finished product) is 28 June 2007, so get cracking! During this time, MDEC will be holding a number of workshops for people new to pitching ideas and proposals to interested publishers, as well as talks on IP.

For more info, check out the following link.

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Heya people! What a wonderful, gloomy and hot morning it is and while most of the exhibitors from last weekend's PC Fair is either dozing off or repacking their booths for the next one to come, I am proud to present to you a collection of deliciously cute and beautiful women that was spotted over the weekend. Let's face it, no R600, no cutting edge stuff, what are we supposed to photograph then?

Not only do you get to oogle and drool over these pics, but you can also vote for your fav darling via the comments box and we'll give you something in return!

If this is real, then Superman should be, too! Scientists have found evidence that Kryptonite is real and present (for the lack of a better word) on Earth and that it has 'remarkable chemical similarities' to the fictional mineral.

Confirmed to be a totally new phenomenon by Brtish and Canadian scientists, the new substance, called Jadarite is not in the green crystallized form that we all learned to love, but its now in a white, powdered form.

Our only hope it that it isn't Tiberium (notice the similarities between Clark Kent's Kryptonite and Tiberium?)