Malaysia Explorer

By Edwin Yapp

Plug into the latest on the Internet, mobile and multimedia

Archives for 2008

From virtual, and back again to reality

Monday, November 24 2008 04:05 PM

Companies like Microsoft and Dell Computer, are known for leveraging the Internet. But lately, they are "going physical".

Microsoft Malaysia and Dell have opened their first Retail Experience Store in Asia, located at Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur.

The store will showcase the latest Dell computers, powered exclusively by Microsoft software. But, it's not just a distribution channel...... Read more ť

Tags: Dell Computer Corp., Asia, Internet, Kuala Lumpur, Software, sales, information technology, computer, Microsoft Corp., information technology company

Use mobile phones on MAS flights

Wednesday, November 05 2008 09:49 PM

Don't you hate it when the air stewardess comes up to you and says you're not allowed to use your mobile phone until the plane has stopped moving?

If you take Malaysia Airlines, you can use your mobile phone and Blackberry-type devices to make phonecalls, send SMS and e-mail.

MAS will become the first air carrier in Asia to..... Read more ť

Tags: Asia, service provider, China, Australia, SMS, Japan, phone, mobile, cell phone, Europe

Shopping locales designated as cyber centers

Monday, September 29 2008 03:47 PM

When you think of cyber centers, where Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)-status companies can set up offices, you wouldn't normally think of shopping centers--but two such locations have been given this status.

The two shopping destinations--Mid Valley City and Bandar Utama--have been elevated to cyber centers by the Multimedia Development Corporation, the government agency tasked with developing..... Read more ť

Tags: Multimedia, fiber-optic network, fiber-optics, Network, Bandar Utama Cybercentre

M'sian authorities reverse Web site ban

Friday, September 12 2008 02:35 PM

The government has decided to order the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to reinstate access to blocked Web sites including Malaysia Today, the popular but controversial political site maintained by Raja Petra Kamarudin.

This is a good move. Letting such a ban stand would have created a very bad precedent. ..... Read more ť

Tags: Web Site, Web

Mobile number portability arrives in Malaysia

Tuesday, September 02 2008 02:59 PM

Mobile number portability (MNP), which allows mobile phone subscribers to switch carriers while retaining their numbers (including the prefix), has finally arrived in Malaysia.

With mobile phone penetration at nearly 97 percent and MNP now rolled out, consumers will stand to gain from the intense competition for market share that will ensue.

Now that consumers can switch as they..... Read more ť

Tags: Malaysia, phone, telecommunications company, mobile, cell phone, Mobile Number Portability

Does popularity moderate bloggers' tone?

Tuesday, August 12 2008 10:50 AM

I came across an interesting commentary about how bloggers get bureaucratized by their popularity.

The posting comments on a chapter in a book called Making Online News entitled, "The Routines of Blogging".

Here are the relevant passage:

"More than one blogger said a key turning point in the way they practise blogging was the moment they felt the gaze of the..... Read more ť

Do new media the Huffington way

Monday, August 04 2008 02:58 PM

As a newspaper columnist who writes about New Media, I sometimes get queries from readers who want to start their own online newspaper.

One online paper from the U.S. which has done tremendously well in the past year is HuffingtonPost.com, helmed by Arianna Huffington. She was featured in a fascinating Q&A, in which she shares the..... Read more ť

How to get around in Cyberjaya

Monday, July 28 2008 02:15 PM

The first time I set eyes on Cyberjaya was in 1997.

It was still being built at that time and when I attended the groundbreaking ceremony, the area didn't even have mobile phone coverage.

Taxis wouldn't go there unless you booked them for the entire time, and they would charge a bomb for transporting you there.

Today, the..... Read more ť

Time for online TV to arrive?

Thursday, July 17 2008 03:59 PM

Several Malaysian outfits have tried to do online TV. Two notable ones were Cyberjaya.tv and Malaysia.tv. Both are now defunct.

There was even a stillborn attempt by famous TV news anchor and producer Suhaimi Sulaiman. He's now gone back to traditional TV.

But that hasn't stopped others from trying. Cuzzy Media is the latest of the online TV players..... Read more ť

Can traditional media beat new media in speed?

Sunday, June 29 2008 01:18 AM

In the aftermath of the 2008 General Election in Malaysia, there has been tremendous interest about the impact of new media on the political scene.

As a mew media analyst, I've been invited to so many talks centered around the topic of new media.

In late April, I gave a talk at the Power of Web 2.0 forum.

This month,..... Read more ť

Jump to 1 2

Subscribe to BlogCentral

Click this link to view this blog as XML.
Add this feed to your online news reader

Latest in Blog Central

About the blogger

Edwin Yapp

An engineer by training, Edwin first cut his teeth as a cellular radio frequency optimization engineer in one of Malaysia's largest telcos. After more than five years, he hung up his radio engineering boots to try his hand at technology reporting at The Star, Malaysia's leading English daily, where he won several awards for Best Online Technology reporting. He left to start his own editorial consultancy and is now a freelance journalist for several publications, including ZDNet Asia. A self-confessed gadget geek, Edwin hopes his blog contributions will stir up deeper discussions within the Malaysian technology scene.