Welcome back TechNavers and NewsByters, in this issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2020 #20, HUAWEI rises to 49 on the 2020 Fortune Global 500 Ranking, the Huawei Developer Webinar revealed more E-commerce solutions and Huawei collaborated with Infosyte to cultivate AI Talent with Ascend Technology.
Samsung offered a closer look at their biggest hits and highlights of the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020, while realme released their H1 2020 results. Celcom Xpax teamed up with Snap and MDEC for 3-months FREE unlimited Snapchat access, while for Maxis, Team Secret became the top Malaysian team for the PUBG Mobile World League East 2020 Finals. Digi introduced their Best-In-Value Go Digital Bundles for MSMEs while Lenovo announced their ThinkBook Plus dual-screen laptop along with their Education solutions for hybrid learning.
AMD announced new Radeon Pro Enterprise Drivers, their impact in Horizon Zero Dawn and AMD’s Q2 2020 x86 Market Share report. In addition, new AMD Radeon Pro 5000 Series GPUs are now available for updated 27-inch iMacs. The Special this episode is a speech by Xiaomi about 10 years to infinity.
For Misc Announcements:
- BMW Malaysia Celebrates the Dynamic Independent Spirit of Young Entrepreneurs in the New Normal
- No summer vacation: DDOS attacks tripled year-on-year in Q2 2020
- vivo’s Sub-brand, iQOO Announced as BMW M Motorsport's Top Global Partner Will Release iQOO 5 Series, Showing Speed and Passion
- Lazada backs MDTCA and MDEC initiative
- Astro’s Ultra Remote Wins a 2020 Red Dot Award for Product Design in the “TV and Home Entertainment” Category
- Epson offers up to 50% discount in celebration of their first flagship store on Lazada
- Alvin Chong to Premiere "Sayangku Salmah" First and Exclusive on TikTok
- PENJANA Aims to Catalyse and Accelerate Malaysia’s Digital Creative Content Global Outreach
- Local businesses can now announce all their PR news for free using Kepohchi
- Malaysia's MHub joins Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia program
HUAWEI ANNOUNCEMENTS
HUAWEI Rises To 49 On 2020 Fortune Global 500 Ranking
HUAWEI has ranked 49th on the Fortune Global 500 list in 2020. This is the first time that the telecommunications giant breaks into the top 50, continuing a multi-year track record of acceleration.
“HUAWEI’s net profit rose 5.6% in 2019, and revenue grew a further 13.1% year-on-year in the first half of 2020, despite the company’s persistent geopolitical entanglements,” said the Fortune report.
The Fortune 500 list ranks companies according to their revenue and profit, focusing on the size of the companies compared with other lists. The Fortune 500 rankings have become an important indicator that renowned companies use to measure their own strengths, size and international competitiveness, a parameter of global economy that transcends beyond borders, nationality, and cultural differences.
Earlier this year, HUAWEI has ranked No. 6 in Boston Consulting Group’s list of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2020, moved up by 42 places than last year, which was the highest ranking for the tech giant since it first made the list in 2012.
Enhanced Technologies Help E-commerce Platforms and Merchants Deliver a More Intelligent Live Streaming Experience
The Huawei Developer Webinar recently unveiled an enhanced live e-commerce solution. With global e-commerce sales increasing from $2.39 trillion in 2018 to $3.46 trillion in 2019 , and as more retailers and consumers look to online streaming to sell and buy, live e-commerce is expected to represent a larger chunk of the retail sector. Huawei’s innovative solution is designed to help developers unlock more opportunities in the rapidly growing e-commerce industry and enabling retailers to host superior live streaming experiences: easier, faster, and more immersive.
In this advanced live streaming solution, Huawei’s device virtualization kit enables camera devices to become the extra camera of the smartphone and allows easy switching between cameras with one click on the host’s phone. Products can be displayed from multiple angles and in engaging ways. The technology is cost efficient and can be easily operated from a single device.
The solution also integrates HUAWEI HiAI to enhance the e-commerce live streaming experience by enabling scenario-based sales. With real-time backdrop processing, digital backdrop replacements are made possible according to different scenarios, providing audience with natural and intuitive product demonstrations.
With Huawei’s AR capabilities integrated in live streaming, products can be displayed in an even clearer way: for example, the internal structure of smartphones can be displayed to demonstrate the detailed design and craftsmanship.
On top of that, considering the interruption brought by frame freezing could be really annoying during live streaming, Huawei’s enhanced 5G and Wi-Fi capabilities can reduce latency and increase download speed to ensure a more reliable and faster live streaming experience.
These technologies combine to make e-commerce live streaming more feasible, advanced, and professional for everyday users.
The online webinar unveiled the “Pilot Collaboration Program” that is designed to support developers who are keen to build more advanced live streaming solutions. Huawei will fund five global partners and help them to unlock more business opportunities in e-commerce live streaming with innovative HMS Core.
The event is the latest part of Huawei’s commitment in creating an ecosystem that enables developers to open new doors and allows Huawei consumers and AppGallery users to unlock more innovative and unique experiences.
Huawei Collaborates with Infosyte to Cultivate AI Talent with Ascend Technology
Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (Huawei) and Infosyte Sdn. Bhd. (Infostye), a homegrown ICT company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as part of its Huawei Ascend AI Talent Cultivation program. The partnership strengthens the program’s mission to build an innovative and sustainable Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem that enables a culture of digitalization and intelligent transformation in the Asia Pacific region.
Based on the agreement, Huawei will be delivering training and technical assistance for Infosyte leveraging on its Huawei Ascend product series namely Atlas 200 Developer Kits, Atlas 500, Mindspore and others. To support these trainings, Huawei will be providing customized educational content such as product overviews, courseware, instruction leaflets, teaching videos, development samples, and case studies. Furthermore, Infosyte will be given the Ascend AI model and its case application and demonstration, as well as, be granted authorization to distribute HCIA-AI (Huawei Certified ICT Associate – Artificial Intelligence) examination trainer certificate. These commitments are meant to help Infosyte to construct effective AI theoretical and practical courses design for its customers.
Following the partnership, Infosyte will be considered priority for further opportunities with Ascend developer trainings, workshops, competitions, and other similar talent development activities. The ICT company has been working closely with Huawei for years to ensure that their training and projects are according to the highest standards and deliver the best results for their customers in Asia Pacific.
SAMSUNG ANNOUNCEMENTS
While we’ve covered the big recent Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020, if you’re interested in seeing what Samsung thought was interesting check out their site. Find out what they thought about the 5 devices unveiled there or focus on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series.
REALME ANNOUNCEMENTS
realme releases H1 2020 results
realme, recently released its H1 2020 figures and statistics. realme reported an 11% growth in Q2 2020, the only major brand to have registered a double-digit positive figure and has been named the fastest growing smartphone brand in the world for four consecutive quarters by Counterpoint. In Q1, Counterpoint also reported that realme was one of the only two brands to have registered positive growth with 157% YoY.
Based on the latest user numbers, realme has added 15M users in the first half of the year. realme reported that it is now a TOP 4 smartphone brand in Thailand, India, Cambodia and Egypt, and also achieved TOP 5 in Myanmar, Philippines, Ukraine, Indonesia and Vietnam, according to Counterpoint Research and IDC.
realme has focused on promoting 5G products in its retail markets, beginning with the X50 Pro 5G. realme has launched the first 5G-capable flagship phone in India, as well as Thailand's first 5G phone. The company has also launched Cambodia's first 5G phone under USD1,000.
In 2020, realme has implemented a 'Smartphone + AIoT' dual-driven strategy. In spite of a challenging economic environment, realme has successfully met targets laid out in this initiative. realme is on track to launch over 50 AIoT products in 2020 and over 100 the following year. In Q1 2020, despite realme being a new entrant into the smart personal audio market in India, it has secured a third place in terms of market share, according to a report by Canalys, a research firm.
realme defines its AIoT strategy as a "1+4+N" initiative, which refers to one core product (smartphones), complemented by four major groups of lifestyle devices (speakers, earphones, TVs and watches) which is in turn supported by "N" types of smart accessories.
realme's CEO, Mr Li Bingzhong, issued the following comments:
- Since 2018, realme has grown to 40M users, and this is due to the strong, youthful and international team here at realme. With an average age of only 29 years old, this team has shown that they dared to leap forward and proved the power of youth in a competitive market.
- As we continue to build upon a strong H1 performance, realme is aiming to sell 100m phones in 3 years. We plan to continue our international expansion plans, where we think there will be the most growth. For example, our AIoT products have been performing well in the Indian market, where we sold 15,000 TV sets within 10 mins and our smart personal audio devices have reached 3rd place in terms of market share within 3 months.
- realme has done well in expanding to nearly 60 different countries and regions. As the world’s fastest growing smartphone brand, this is a validation of our mission and strategy to empower youths to ‘dare to leap’ outside of their boundaries.
realme's products have also made waves in the design world. In 2020, realme's Design Studio have collaborated with world-renowned designers Naoto Fukasawa and Jose Levy, of Hermes fame to produce trendsetting realme products. In addition, realme has won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award for its X2 Pro Master, issuing a strong challenge to incumbent brands. realme has pioneered innovations not only in design but also in technology, most notably when it launched the world’s first 125W fast charging technology.
CELCOM ANNOUNCEMENTS
Celcom Xpax team up with Snap and MDEC for 3-months FREE unlimited Snapchat access
The evolving trends of the Internet continue to grow beyond the expectations of consumers and has never stopped, even throughout the Movement Control Order (MCO). Today, Malaysian youths are more engaged with multimedia messaging apps that engages their expression for creativity and indulgence with entertainment, creating more digital content every day.
In conjunction with the recent International Youth Day, Celcom Xpax is partnering with Snap and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) as part of today’s celebrations to provide Malaysian youth with greater access to the digital world and embrace fun digital lifestyles.
Celcom Xpax offers all new and existing Celcom Xpax customers FREE unlimited access to Snapchat for 3 months. Until 16 September 2020, Celcom Xpax customers can simply log on to the Celcom Life App and redeem their free 3-month Snapchat access. During this time, Celcom Xpax customers will be able to enjoy the magic of Snapchat and be free to express themselves, sharing moments with friends and family without worrying about using up their data.
Furthermore, in support to spread the importance of practicing social distancing and wearing face masks in public, Celcom Xpax customers will be able to enjoy specially designed and created Snapchat filter and AR Lens that will be made available soon, for the upcoming Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebrations.
Celcom Xpax’s Snapchat campaign is also aligned with MDEC’s youth empowerment initiative that aims to provide youths today with seamless and instant access to digital ecosystems. MDEC also aims to drive digital innovation by cultivating the ability for Malaysian youths to quickly adapt and be prepared for the digital future ahead.
For more information, visit their site. For more information about Lens Studio, please visit their site.
MAXIS ANNOUNCEMENTS
Powered by Maxis, Team Secret makes the nation proud as the top Malaysian team to qualify for the PUBG Mobile World League East 2020 Finals
Recently, Maxis-sponsored Team Secret PUBG Mobile (PUBGM) Malaysia became the top Malaysian team to qualify for the PUBG Mobile World League (PMWL) East 2020 Finals.
After a 3-week battle on the popular eSports stage, the team proved themselves as comeback kings by qualifying for the world-class event against 19 other teams across Asia. The team finished in fifth place in the League Play series and will proudly fly the Malaysian flag in the East Grand Finals this 6 - 9 August.
Maxis has been proud sponsors of Team Secret PUBG Mobile Malaysia after a partnership was signed between both parties in July last year. Leveraging Maxis capabilities as Malaysia’s No.1 Network and Team Secret, the world-renowned pro gaming organisation, both parties have been working together to produce exclusive and world-class gaming content to cultivate more Malaysian gamers to take on the world stage.
Over the past year, both Maxis and Hotlink have launched propositions for a superior gaming experience, including better Home WiFi experience with Maxis Fibre, the latest gaming smartphone bundles with Maxis Zerolution, and a truly unlimited internet and calls prepaid plan with 10% cashback for in-game purchases via Operator Billing for Hotlink Prepaid Unlimited customers. To hype up the recent PUBGM preliminary rounds, Hotlink also organized an exclusive PUBGM Pro Scrim livestream session where Team Secret trained against other Top 16 PUBGM pro-teams across Asia as ‘practice’ sessions pre-tournament.
Team Secret strives to bring together the best players to compete on the world’s biggest stages, putting forth the most entertaining experiences for eSports fans worldwide. Show your support and follow their journey to be Malaysia’s first world champion in PUBGM. Stay tuned to Hotlink’s Facebook Page and Team Secret’s Facebook Page for more exciting updates.
DIGI ANNOUNCEMENTS
Digi Introduces Best-In-Value Go Digital Bundles to Boost Recovery and Growth for MSMEs As Part of PENJANA
Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (Digi) recently launched three new Go Digital bundles, offering best-in-value digital marketing and e-commerce solutions, productivity tools, as well as internet connectivity plans that will help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) digitalise and grow their business, while enjoying savings of up to 70%.
Designed to meet the different needs of MSMEs, be it for Essentials, Productivity or Growth, the bundles feature digital solutions such as altHR, Omni Hotline, Avana Facebook Commerce, Microsoft 365 Business Basic Pack, and targeted SMS broadcast, as well as mobile data plans for internet connectivity, equipping MSMEs for the ‘new normal’ of working and managing business operations.
Additionally, with the highest-in-market discounts of up to 70%, the bundles are priced to suit MSMEs’ affordability, at a time when businesses are under cost pressure to sustain and grow.
This is also in line with the PENJANA (Pelan Jana Semula Ekonomi Negara, or Short-Term Economic Recovery Plan) initiatives, introduced by the government to help propel the nation’s economic growth. As MSMEs forms 98.5% of business establishments in Malaysia , under PENJANA, the government aims to drive digital adoption among MSMEs by providing the SME Digitalisation Grant.
The new Digi Business Go Digital bundles come in three different packages: Essentials Bundle, Productivity Bundle and Growth Bundle, which contain digital solutions for remote working, workforce management, e-commerce, and online marketing and sales, enabling MSMEs to maximise productivity and grow their business, at a fraction of the cost.
Furthermore, with Digi recognised as a Technology Solutions Provider (TSP) under PENJANA’s SME Digitalisation Grant, subscribing to the digital solutions qualifies MSMEs for the grant subsidy. This is on top of the discounted price offered by Digi as part of the bundle promo, translating to huge total savings of up to 70% and maximum value for businesses.
Digi is simplifying the grant application for MSMEs by managing the process end-to-end. Basically, MSMEs just need to sign up for the Go Digital bundles, submit all the necessary documents to Digi for verification on grant eligibility, and upon approval, Digi will complete all the relevant registration and onboard businesses on the various digital solutions. Businesses will then get billed every month only on the final amount after deducting the grant subsidy and discounts.
Previously, businesses would have to go through several steps and deal with different parties – from getting invoices from multiple providers for subscribing to the digital solutions, submitting the invoices on their own to BSN to apply for the grant, to waiting for approvals and then going back to each provider to validate the application and registration before enjoying the subsidies.
The simplified, hassle-free process by Digi brings improved cash flow management and work efficiency for businesses, and at the same time, help them focus on what matters most, that is to grow their business. The new Digi Business Go Digital Bundles are available now. For more information on the bundles or to sign up for one, visit their site.
LENOVO ANNOUNCEMENTS
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus dual-screen laptop enhances productivity for the modern multitasker
Lenovo Malaysia recently introduced the ThinkBook Plus, the latest ThinkBook designed for the next generation workforce. While stocks last, customers who purchase ThinkBook Plus on Lenovo Malaysia Official Website can “top-up” and buy the ThinkBook Urban Backpack and ThinkBook Wireless Media Mouse for only RM1!
ThinkBook Plus features an innovative e-Ink cover display that helps users be more productive when multitasking by improving focus, collaboration and creativity. Featuring a 13.3-inch FHD main display and a 10.8-inch e-Ink display on the cover, users can sketch and take notes with the integrated Lenovo Precision Pen and receive essential notifications when the lid is closed, allowing them to stay focused during meetings. The e-Ink display is made from Corning Gorilla Glass NBT, a unique glass solution for touch-enabled notebooks that provides enhanced scratch resistance, and reduced scratch visibility.
Around 60% of today’s workforce is comprised of Gen Z and millennials , and while these digital natives are familiar with multitasking across devices, research has proven that this may not be the most efficient way of working where employees can lose up to 2.1 hours per day due to time required to refocus on a task. Moreover, employees in Asia have also expressed interest in adopting new form factors into the workplace. Lenovo believes that with smarter technology, employees can enhance their focus and productivity, regardless of role and task.
The design innovation around ThinkBook Plus was based on customer insights and data relating to multitasking work practices. The device is a new kind of laptop designed help users fully maximise their multitasking efficiency:
- Collaborate better by staying focused during meetings by receiving only essential notifications on the cover display such as calendar appointments, instant messages or important emails. Take notes instantly with the integrated Precision Pen, which can be synced with Microsoft OneNote. Control VoIP calls quickly with meeting hotkeys and experience better audio clarity with Harman speakers and Skype-certified microphones. With Amazon® Alexa® for PC integrated, users can quickly execute several common tasks, without the need to open the laptop.
- Create and convert real time ideation into diagrams and notes by sketching on the cover screen with the Precision Pen. Personalise the device with a unique screensaver on the laptop cover and enjoy the laptop experience with a narrow bezel FHD WVA, and dTPM 2.0 enables enhanced hardware security.
- Review documents quickly without distractions on the cover display that supports annotations. Open the laptop for more complex revisions leveraging the power of 10th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, Windows 10, standard solid-state storage (SSD) and available Intel® Optane™ memory.
- Respond quickly thanks to Modern Standby which ensures emails and updates are received, even when the lid is closed. Smart Power On simplifies Windows Hello authentication with the fingerprint integrated into the power button.
Additionally, Lenovo provides flexible, expert technical support and service to the customers, allowing them to have direct access to skilled and experienced Lenovo technicians with Lenovo Premier Support. The warranty program is a comprehensive after-sale service that offers advanced hardware and software support extended from 9am – 8pm on-site services on weekdays. For more information, customers can reach out to their assigned Lenovo Sales Representative.
For more information about the ThinkBook series, visit their site.
Lenovo Enhances Portfolio of Education Solutions to Meet Evolving Demands of Hybrid Learning
Recently AMD added the AMD 3015e and 3020e Mobile Processors to the AMD mobile portfolio, providing a great entry-level laptop experience for web browsing, writing emails, creating documents and spreadsheets, and streaming HD entertainment. These processors are designed to power a broad education portfolio from our partners, starting with Lenovo with their 100e and 300e laptops announced today.
Built on award-winning AMD “Zen” core architecture combined with integrated AMD Radeon™ Graphics, the AMD 3015e and 3020e processors offer everyday PC users with snappy responsiveness, great battery life, immersive multimedia and HD gaming experience.
Check out the site for more details.
AMD ANNOUNCEMENTS
Latest AMD Radeon Pro Enterprise Driver Increases Performance, Power Efficiency
Recently, AMD released the latest version of its enterprise driver, Radeon Pro Software for Enterprise 20.Q3, providing professional graphics users with performance optimizations and a range of enhanced features for complex workflows, including intelligent power management and improved image quality.
Highlighted features include:
- Up to 15 percent faster performance in the geomean of the SPECviewperf 13 benchmark viewsets compared to the Radeon Pro Software for Enterprise 19.Q3 driver.
- Greater power efficiency when used with the Radeon Pro W5700 graphics card, consuming up to 42 percent less power than the competition. Radeon Pro Software for Enterprise features an intelligent power usage management capability enabling select AMD Radeon Pro graphics cards to choose the optimal power for different professional application workflows.
- When testing with the Radeon Pro W5700 graphics card, Radeon Pro Software for Enterprise 20.Q3 provides up to 53 percent better multitasking performance versus the competition while running the Max viewset in a SPECviewperf 13 modeling workflow.
The Radeon Pro Software for Enterprise 20.Q3 driver can be downloaded here.
In related news, Mercury Research recently released their Q2 2020 x86 CPU Market Share report and the strength of the AMD line-up is evident, gaining quarter over quarter and year over year in all key segments. The unit share info is as follows:
- AMD overall x86 CPU share was 18.3%, an increase of 3.5 share points quarter over quarter (QoQ) and 1.2 share points year over year (YoY)
- Highest since Q4 2013
- AMD desktop x86 share, excluding IoT, was 19.2%, an increase of 0.6 share points QoQ, and 2.1 share points YoY
- AMD desktop share has grown in 10 consecutive quarters
- Highest since Q1 2014
- AMD notebook x86 share, excluding IoT, was 19.9%, an increase of 2.9 share points QoQ, and 5.8 share points YoY
- AMD notebook share has grown in 12 consecutive quarters
- This is a new record for AMD x86 notebook share. The company’s previous high was 19.4%, achieved in Q4 2006
- AMD client x86 share, excluding IoT, was 19.7%, an increase of 2.2 share points QoQ, and 4.7 share points YoY
- Highest since Q1 2012
According to Mercury, AMD also gained QoQ in the x86 server market. AMD utilizes a server-specific TAM of roughly 20 million CPUs, based on IDC data. We will update our x86 server share once IDC Q2 2020 data is available.
MISC ANNOUNCEMENTS
BMW Malaysia Celebrates the Dynamic Independent Spirit of Young Entrepreneurs in the New Normal
Inspired by new and young entrepreneurs emerging due to the Covid-19 pandemic, BMW Malaysia commits to supporting emerging independent entrepreneurs in initiatives moving forward. The premium automaker discovered and followed several emerging entrepreneurs and businesses including Chunky, Super Secret Social, and Breakfirst by Amy – who the premium automaker collaborated with during the introduction of the All-New BMW M135i xDrive and New BMW X1 sDrive18i recently.
Discover the Dynamic Independent Spirit of the All-New BMW M135i and New BMW X1 sDrive18i and these inspiring individuals and entrepreneurship here or here.
No summer vacation: DDOS attacks tripled year-on-year in Q2 2020
The Kaspersky Q2 2020 DDoS attacks report has revealed that the number of DDoS attacks in the second quarter of 2020 increased three-fold in comparison to Q2 2019.
The figure is almost the same as the number of DDoS attacks in Q1 2020. Kaspersky experts believe the rise in malicious activity can be attributed to the impact of COVID-19, as both cybercriminals and their targets have had to reconsider their summer plans.
vivo’s Sub-brand, iQOO Announced as BMW M Motorsport's Top Global Partner Will Release iQOO 5 Series, Showing Speed and Passion
Recently, vivo’s sub-brand, iQOO has announced that it has officially become the top global partner of BMW M Motorsport. Being seen as one of the most anticipated devices, the iQOO series has come to be known as a strong performance-driven device. To spice up the iQOO series, it is reported that iQOO will release its iQOO 5 series BMW co-branded custom model on 17 August.
Adhering to its brand philosophy, iQOO has always been pursuing ultimate performance and experience. Since the birth of BMW M Series, iQOO 5 series has also been making continuous progress towards the goal of being able to produce exquisite and opulent products like BMW. Every aspect and detail of the product is trying to achieve the best in everything, making the development of iQOO 5 series become the incarnation of high performance. The letter "M" in “BMW” has also become synonymous with speed, performance, control, and elegance, signifying the performance of speed and passion is basically a matter of minutes.
Lazada backs MDTCA and MDEC initiative
As we approach Merdeka celebrations this month, Malaysian shoppers will be able to fully embrace solidarity with their fellow countrymen through the 'Buy Malaysia' and 'PENJANA Shop Malaysia Online' sales on Lazada. The two campaigns will run concurrently and are well-positioned to support local products and sellers, while also spurring the nation’s digital-led economic recovery.
From now until 31 December, the Buy Malaysia sale on Lazada, in partnership with MDTCA, will offer RM8 in Free Shipping vouchers, in addition to the amazing discounts of up to 70%, on products from popular local brands, including Bonia, Sembonia, Desamall@Online, MyFishman, Rams Home Décor, and more. Get ready for a blast from the past with nostalgic Malaysian childhood snacks such as Apollo chocolate wafers and layer cakes, durian popcorn, ice gem biscuits, Lot 100 Sour+ gummies, potong ice-cream, and more.
From now until 30 September, the PENJANA Shop Malaysia Online sale, in partnership with MDEC, will provide Lazada Wallet users with immediate savings of up to RM29 in credit rebate (no minimum spend) and discount vouchers.
Astro’s Ultra Remote Wins a 2020 Red Dot Award for Product Design in the “TV and Home Entertainment” Category
Astro’s new Ultra remote has won the prestigious 2020 Red Dot Award for Product Design in the “TV and Home Entertainment” category. The Ultra remote was chosen by a jury of 40 international experts for its impressive user-friendly button layout and logically arranged layout thus enabling the device to be operated comfortably.
The Ultra remote is part of Astro’s new Ultra Box with features that include 4K UHD, Cloud Recording and a new user interface that enables seamless content consumption across multi screens, improved content discovery with personalised recommendations, play from start functions and the ability to record multiple shows at the same time. More than 100,000 customers have installed the Ultra Box.
As part of its design, the surface of the Ultra remote consists of a combination of matte and gloss surface. Its characteristic feature is the splayed top, which reflects the Astro’s signature product styling. The buttons are made with premium hard plastic with metal dome membranes which provides instant feedback and precision clicking, thus improving the clicking experience.
Some future features of the remote include, a voice control function for content discovery and a find-me function to ensure that the remote remains easy to locate. The remote also works on a cloud-based TV database for the remote to be updated with the latest software to work with various TV brands in the market.
The remote was designed by ruwido exclusively for the Ultra Box, reflecting Astro’s brand and design. ruwido is an Austrian based company with the leading position in terms of design, technology and manufacturing of input devices and interaction mechanism.
Customers who would like to upgrade to the Ultra Box can call 03 7481 8000 or visit their site.
Epson offers up to 50% discount in celebration of their first flagship store on Lazada
Epson, recently launched their first local, official e-Commerce store on Lazada on 15 August 2020. The omni-channel strategy marks the company’s new digital milestone in offering shopping convenience and ease of products accessibility to consumers. In time with the current predicaments, Epson’s move into e-Commerce will promote a contactless, safer shopping experience for all. Interested fans can head on to Lazada to search for “Epson Flagship Store” and follow the store – there will be discounts and vouchers up to 50% off on selected products, available for use on 15 Aug.
The official store houses over 120 product SKUs. This includes the full range of its award-winning EcoTank ink tank printers, selected entry level business inkjet printers, business projectors, home projectors, scanners, label printers and dot matrix printers. All purchases comes with original Epson warranty. Consumers can also purchase inks and consumables, selected product spare parts, and accessories such as printer maintenance box. These products will also be part of the one-day launch promotion campaign on 15 August – fans can ‘follow’ the store on their Lazada account to avoid missing out on deals and free gifts promotion.
For more information on Epson and its range of products, kindly visit their website.
Alvin Chong to Premiere "Sayangku Salmah" First and Exclusive on TikTok
Alvin Chong alongside Universal Music Malaysia will be premiering his upcoming single “Sayangku Salmah” in an early exclusive on TikTok, as part of the nation’s first music-artist showcase on the platform. This single will be available for fans to indulge on TikTok from today onwards, spanning across all mobile operating systems.
The release of “Sayangku Salmah” will be complemented with an official #sayangkusalmahchallenge for all to participate, courtesy of Alvin Chong, Universal Music Malaysia, and TikTok. The challenge on TikTok, which will begin on 14 August and last till 23 August, invites TikTokers to dance according to Alvin’s Choreography, or share their own rendition of it using the song “Sayangku Salmah”.
PENJANA Aims to Catalyse and Accelerate Malaysia’s Digital Creative Content Global Outreach
The RM35 million allocation that the government is channeling to the local digital creative content industry, via the National Economic Regeneration Plan (PENJANA), is expected to reinforce the continued growth for this sector. Called the PENJANA Dana Kandungan Digital (Digital Content Fund – PENJANA DKD), it will further expand and enhance two existing digital content programmes that the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) – an agency under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia (KKMM) – manages.
The PENJANA DKD will be used to enhance two specific initiatives, namely:
- PENJANA Digital Content Creators Challenge (PENJANA DC3+):
This initiative, a long-running programme that MDEC created, was designed to enable local talents to hone their creativity and ability in conceptualise new ideas for content. It also includes accelerating the development and commercialisation of these concepts. The end-goal is to increase the participation and capability of local talents in producing world-class digital content.
As an enhancement platform, PENJANA DC3+ will replace the previous DC3 structured programme with a concept that encourages the use of Malaysian themes. This includes adaptations of local stories, historical folklore, or making the setting identifiable as Malaysian. The PENJANA DC3+ programme also places more emphasis on works that are commercial in nature, containing a strong social message, or a combination of these elements in the form of short animated films, short films with visual effects and digital comics.
- PENJANA Digital Content Grant (PENJANA DCG):
This initiative was created to help local creative industry players adapt to the ‘new normal’ amidst the continuing global pandemic. Local studios can take advantage of this programme to assist in their marketing activities, digital distribution and the creation of new and exciting intellectual properties (IPs). The goal is to ensure companies can continue to produce quality creative content in the field of animation and related digital content.
PENJANA DCG is an extension of the existing MDEC Digital Content Grant, an initiative that promotes the development of local digital creative content. The programme’s main goal is to drive forward the digital creative content industry. The original fund that the Government previously introduced had successfully produced several animated works that penetrated international markets that have achieved global recognition. This includes Upin & Ipin The Movie, Boboiboy The Movie, Ejen Ali the Movie, Hogie the Globehopper, Origanimals, No Straight Roads, and Re: Legend .
Both original initiatives were the result of increased public-private engagements that continue to empower the digital creative content industry. This also created various opportunities for Malaysia’s pool of potent creatives.
Through DC3+ and the updated DCG, MDEC aims to support 50 digital content projects. Additionally, four new animation projects that have international appeal must also be produced.
By enabling more active collaborations among industry players and the public sector, these latest initiatives are expected to enhance the competitiveness of Malaysian-based artists and digital content enterprises globally.
Applications are now open for PENJANA DC3+ with the closing date being set at August 31, 2020. As for PENJANA DCG, it is ready to receive submissions since August 1, 2020. For more details check out their site here and here.
Local businesses can now announce all their PR news for free using Kepohchi
Just as the Malaysian economy looks to bounce back, lifestyle newswire Kepohchi is reaching out a helping hand by offering its services for free! Acknowledging the fact that many businesses have struggled to find their footing from the coronavirus pandemic, homegrown newswire, Kepohchi is looking to support fellow local businesses to boost their publicity and marketing efforts by connecting them directly with relevant media in Malaysia.
Despite the fact that many business sectors are allowed to open during our Recovery Movement Control Order, some are still finding their footing with the art of digitalization - having moved from conventional marketing such as fliers, in-store display, and so on. It can be challenging to get news and messages across in time when online space is ever more relevant but also has a high chance of being buried quickly if it does not reach the intended target audience in time. To help local Malaysian owned businesses ride the wave of the economic challenge, Kepohchi is offering its newswire space for free.
Lifestyle businesses and brands simply have to register with Kepohchi to get their stories and content published at no cost to a network that reaches over 5,000 journalists and over 3,000 print and digital media companies across Malaysia. Rather than blasting out press releases in hopes of your content getting noticed, Kepohchi is helping you place your content on www.kepohchi.com - a designated public forum for media to notice and publish.
There is a space for almost every lifestyle brand to publicize themselves – from beauty, business, career, conscious living, entertainment, fashion, food & beverage, health & fitness, home & décor, places & travel, sports, and technology.
Kepohchi aims to make a difference by helping businesses get back on track, while achieving its purpose in supporting fellow local businesses to weather the pandemic wave. In times like this, Kepohchi believes that it is pivotal that we share the spirit of #kitajagakita. Check out their site for more details.
Malaysia's MHub joins Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia program
Southeast Asia’s startups have helped build a thriving internet economy. Now, they have an equally important role to play in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic—and in tackling some of the biggest challenges Southeast Asia faces across education, health, e-commerce, logistics and financial technology.
In June, we launched Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia, a three-month online program to support startups working on social, economic and health problems across the region. We received more than 600 applications, and today we’re announcing the 15 startups chosen for the first cohort.
Over the next few months, these startups will receive mentorship on both technical and business challenges. We’ll also connect them to teams from Google and the wider technology industry, and provide workshops focused on designing products, customer service and leadership development for founders.
Here’s the full list of startups. We can’t wait to help them move their ideas forward as they make a difference for Southeast Asians over the next decade and beyond:
- Advance (Philippines) is a credit platform that provides short-term salary advances for Filipino employees.
- DeafTawk (Pakistan) has created a digital sign language interpretation service platform that breaks down communication barriers.
- GIZTIX (Thailand) is an integrated logistics platform that helps customers grow their businesses and reduce operating costs.
- Hacktiv8 (Indonesia) helps train beginner developers, supports them in finding jobs and provides a new, fairer type of student loan.
- Kata.ai (Indonesia) has developed a conversational artificial intelligence platform that enables more natural conversations between businesses and their customers.
- MHub (Malaysia) is an end-to-end property transaction platform which makes the process of buying a home easier by linking property developers, real-estate agents and potential customers.
- Riliv (Indonesia) has created an online counseling and meditation app to help people with their mental health.
- Rumarocket (Philippines) has developed an AI tool that helps companies make hiring decisions using behavioral science.
- Sehat Kahani (Pakistan) is working on providing access to affordable, technology-enabled healthcare via a network of qualified home-based women doctors.
- SenzeHub (Singapore) offers a wearable, AI-powered device that determines a patient's location and does vitals reading and crisis detection.
- Shoplinks (Singapore) provides consumer-goods clients with tools to digitize their customer engagements and promotions.
- Smartfuture (Singapore) is a telemedicine platform and self-monitoring diagnostic kiosk that allows users to check key health vitals
- Thuocsi.vn (Vietnam) is an online platform to buy medicine, first aid and dispensary items
- TopCV (Vietnam) is a recruitment platform that better connects recruiters and candidates.
- Walee (Pakistan) is a trading app to connect businesses looking to sell items online with social influencers who want to collaborate with them.
Special: Xiaomi Celebrates 10 Years: From 10 to Infinity
Xiaomi celebrates its 10th Anniversary today with a commemorative speech by Lei Jun, Chairman, CEO and Founder of Xiaomi. In the speech, Lei Jun shared an overview of the 10-year journey Xiaomi went through and to now becoming a Fortune Global 500 listed company.
Setting sail: Our dreams, finding real talent and the right name
Lei Jun began the speech by recalling Xiaomi’s humble beginnings, “From the very beginning, Xiaomi’s dream was to ‘Make the world's best phones, priced half so that everyone can afford them’. The idea was to improve user experience on the strength of intermingling software, hardware, and internet services – a potential to pose as a disruptive player than a hardware-only business does.”
He continues, “Xiaomi built its initial ‘dream team’ in its start-up phase by employing talents from industry leading technology companies. The right company name is also of great importance when starting a business, and Xiaomi (as spelled in Chinese pinyin, or Small Rice, literal meaning by the character “小米” in Mandarin) was eventually selected after research found it resonated best with target focus groups.”
With no prior expertise on hardware, Lei Jun along with a team of software engineers developed a mobile operating system. By focusing on heavily used functions such as phone calls, text messages, contacts, and desktop, the team eventually successfully developed the first version in just two months. Subsequently, an online forum was created where volunteers were invited to flash the ROM of their own devices.
“It was a touching moment to see 100 users willing to bear huge unforeseeable risks and flash their devices to MIUI. With no promotion at all, 100 users during the first week, doubled to 200 in the second week and then redoubled to 400 in the third,” Lei Jun shares.
MIUI first caught attention from abroad, one month after its launch, on XDA Developers, an online mobile software development community. MIUI was recommended with utmost enthusiasm by a user on the US-based developers' forum. Since then, MIUI has become trendy in the tech-savvy circle around the world with users started to voluntarily build up local versions of Mi Community in various countries and regions. MIUI versions in different languages were also developed, and efforts were taken to adapt this system to different models. Thus, shaping a widespread global campaign, with seeds of Xiaomi's globalisation sown. This was the origin of the Mi Fan culture.
Xiaomi established its hardware team with the best talents from around the world. The goal of making the best possible smartphones set a high bar for the supply chain. This posed a great challenge as most leading supply chain companies are not willing to partner with small companies. With much determination, Xiaomi eventually managed to secure supply chain partners for its first generation smartphone, Mi 1. It became a bestseller, with 300,000 smartphones being produced in the first batch and a registered sales volume of 7 million units was recorded in total.
Shortly after Xiaomi's business took off, a request to help drive the domestic manufacturing supply chain by riding the Xiaomi Phone trend came from the regulatory body. At the start of 2012, "Redmi Project" (Hongmi Project, as spelled in Chinese pinyin) was laid out. This was started with the mindset on making smartphones for everyone in China and working preferentially with domestic suppliers.
Lei Jun shares, “The popularity surrounding first generation Redmi was far higher than expected, it was phenomenal to have sold 44.6 million units in total. This number, back in 2013, helped drive the growth of the domestic supply chain.”
Xiaomi's high popularity also brought about a bewildering exhibition of extreme sentiments. Many strived to learn from Xiaomi. “We have also been willing to disclose our entire model, hoping to offer help to more entrepreneurs, and pushing forward the reforms in more industries with our model. In 2014, we started this "Ecosystem plan" to incubate more start-ups,” Lei Jun explains.
Over six years, Xiaomi has incubated over 100 ecosystem companies and marketed over 1,000 products deeply loved by our users.
On December 12, 2013, the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV bestowed upon Lei Jun an honour to be one of the annual figures in economy and business, the most prominent public award a Chinese entrepreneur could get.
Within the next five years, Xiaomi would eventually see its revenue soared from RMB 20 billion (RM 12 billion) to RMB 174.9 billion (RM 105 billion), a significant increment of almost 800%.
However, starting from 2015, Xiaomi showed signs of growth fatigue. In the smartphone industry, there had been no precedent of managing to turn the table after sales volumes plummeted. Xiaomi, at that time, was at the intersection of life and death.
At the beginning of 2014, MIX was conceptualised by Xiaomi’s engineers, posing the question of “What would the future smartphone be like?”. The idea of making a full-screen display smartphone was groundbreaking at that time.
After a few hurdles, Mi MIX was born. Mi MIX wowed everyone when it was launched and was even bestowed a gold winner honour on its design by US-based, International Design Excellence Awards. It was later added to the collections in three of the world's renowned design museums, including the National Design Museum in Finland.
“The success of Mi MIX owes its thanks to our invaluable engineering culture. Engineers are our assets. To fully unleash our engineers' capabilities to innovate and explore in uncharted areas, we have set up the Xiaomi Annual Technology Award. This is Xiaomi's highest honor to core R&D project teams that bring about prominent technological breakthroughs and contributions. USD 1 million worth of stocks will be awarded,” Lei Jun shares.
The price to performance ratio is key to Xiaomi’s success. Over the past few years, Xiaomi has taken all-out efforts to improve product quality regardless of cost. These improvements have earned Xiaomi many awards and accolades, both in China and overseas. In 2019, Xiaomi received the national top quality and technology award.
From 10 to infinity
Xiaomi has had many milestones and experienced many great achievements and moments. Here are the three top spotlight moments:
Firstly, it was the IPO and the announcement of the 5%. Prior to Xiaomi's IPO, on April 25, 2018, a launch event was held in Wuhan University, where it was announced that a decision approved by the Board of Directors, a promise to Xiaomi users that the hardware business will have an overall after-tax net profit margin that will never exceed 5%. If the margin crosses 5%, Xiaomi will find a way to return the excess above 5% to their users. Lei Jun’s philosophy is "Good companies earn money, and great companies win users' hearts”.
Secondly, Xiaomi Campus opened its doors in July last year. And lastly, making it on the Fortune Global 500 list.
Future strategies
Lei Jun shares his three points in this strategy.
Firstly, being a start-up again. “To lead ourselves out of today's predicament, we would need the passion from our start-up period. Talents must be valued, incentives need to be given and strategic opportunities have to be grasped,” says Lei Jun.
Secondly, internet + manufacturing. Lei Jun continues, “We believe in the power of the internet, and its methodologies. We will continue to empower manufacturing with the internet. We have developed lots of high-end manufacturing facilities, and designed the fully automated production line of high-end smartphones. Xiaomi Industry Fund has invested in over 70 semiconductor and intelligent manufacturing companies, to shape up our future of becoming the "manufacturing of manufacturing".
Lastly, plan longer, walk farther. “We will evaluate all the things in a view of 10 years, and do things that will value in the long-term. In the meantime, we will keep a prudent strategy,” says Lei Jun.
For more information on the speech, please visit their site.
Thanks for reading TechNavers and TechNave NewsByters. As always, stay tuned to TechNave.com and if you think your brand or PR should be in our latest issue of TechNave NewsBytes 2020, let us know.
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