First-day pre-orders for Samsung Galaxy Fold in Indonesia sell out in 31 minutes

In a mere 31 minutes, Samsung Galaxy Fold sold out on the first day of its online pre-orders, which officially kicked off on Friday at 9 a.m.

"We're very happy and appreciate the high enthusiasm shown by the public for the launch of Samsung Galaxy Fold in Indonesia," said Samsung Electronics Indonesia vice president of IT and mobile business, Bernard Ang, in a statement on Friday.

Priced at a staggering Rp 30,888,000 (US$2,213), the pre-order products, available in "space silver" and "cosmos black", come with several benefits, including Galaxy Buds, one year Infinity Flex Display protection, a cover and a zero-percent installment payment scheme for 24 months.

Registration for the two-day pre-order service opened Nov. 26 through its official website.

In addition to its unique 7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED main display that can be folded like a book, Galaxy Fold also boasts a 4.6-inch HD + Super AMOLED front display, six hexa cameras, a 7nm 64-bit octa-core processor, 12GB RAM and a 4,380 mAh battery. 

Source - The JakartaPost

Three #Cambodian cities chosen for Asean urban planning scheme

Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Siem Reap have been included in the Asean Smart Cities Network, and will benefit from the assistance of the Japanese government in creating technologically advanced urban spaces.

The Asean Smart Cities Network (ASCN) is a collaborative platform where cities from Asean member states work towards the common goal of smart and sustainable urban development. The project is supported by the Japanese government.

The chosen Cambodian cities will benefit from Japanese investment into modern facilities to improve the lives of their citizens, according to representatives of the Japanese government who yesterday attended the first meeting of the ‘Public-Private Platform for Urban Development between Cambodia and Japan’.

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The forum – attended by 58 Japanese delegates and companies as well Cambodian officials and members of the private sector – served to introduce ASCN to local authorities and companies.

Yuki Fumihiko, Japan’s Vice Minister of Land, said that given Cambodia’s rapid development, careful urban planning must be prioritised.

He said the ‘Public-Private Platform for Urban Development between Cambodia and Japan’ will allow Cambodia and Japan to keep an open line of communication to discuss urban development.

Ozawa Kazuo, counsellor for global strategies at Japan’s Ministry of Land, said ASCN allows the region to benefit from Japan’s experience in urban planning.

“Our goal is to help Cambodia and Asean avoid the same mistakes that we made in the past in urban development.

“We want to create smart cities that use modern technologies to tackle planning, development, management and operation issues.

“The ultimate goal is to create better spaces for future generations so that they can live comfortably and sustainably in urban spaces,” he said, adding that the programme focuses on key issues like traffic, green spaces, energy efficiency, and recycling systems, among others.

“Today we seek your support and cooperation to bring what we have already achieved in other countries to Cambodia. Together we can make this project a success,” he told his audience.

Chea Sophara, the Cambodian Minister of Land Management, said, “The platform today seeks to boost investment opportunities in urban development for Japanese businesses, including residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, as well as infrastructure.

“This first platform is a very good initiative and shows the confidence Japanese investors have in Cambodia. I believe this programme will further strengthen the relationship between our nations.

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“The ministry is ready to support Japanese investors who want to participate in the programme. The government supports this initiative of the Japanese government which will benefit Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Battambang,” he added.

Mr Fumihiko invited all Cambodian officials and businesspeople at the event to participate in ASCN’s next high-level meeting, which will take place in Tokyo in October.

Source - Khmer Times

Chinese smartphone brands team up to fight WeChat dominance

China’s biggest smartphone vendors are getting together for a software platform offering access to apps that can provide an alternative for WeChat’s more than 1 billion users.

Huawei Technologies Co., Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi Corp. are teaming with six smaller brands for Quick App, which lets users access a range of services including mobile payments. That’s a direct challenge to the mini programs of WeChat, owned by Tencent Holdings Ltd., which lets users order food and rent bikes without ever leaving the app.

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WeChat, which is available on all the major operating systems, is nearly ubiquitous in China as people use their smartphone to buy food, pay bills and send money to friends. Mini programs has further entrenched the app by making it a one-stop shop for daily essentials and helping Tencent capture more of the revenue spent by consumers.

The vendors will each have equal status in the alliance, which is designed to improve efficiency for both smartphone users and app developers, said Kaylene Hong, a spokeswoman for Xiaomi.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Laos May Get Free Public WiFi System

Business Korea Magazine reported that the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT has announced on the 6th of February that the latter’s information and communications technology (ICT) including free public WiFi system construction constitutes this year’s special contribution project of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and collaboration projects will be launched with Laos, Vietnam and Nepal in that framework.

The ministry plans to launch a free public WiFi system construction project in Laos, an augmented reality (AR) tourism content development project in Vietnam, and a digital disaster communication system construction project in Nepal.

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The duration of the special contribution project is from March this year to February or August 2019. The budgets required for the subprojects range from US$30,000 to US$55,000.

Established in 1979, the APT is an international council for telecommunications development in the Asia-Pacific region. The purposes, among others, of the special project include technology transfer to APT member countries and the overseas expansion of South Korean business interests. The project will be based on the ministry’s fund specially allocated for the APT.

Source - Laotian Times

Huawei bets on AI phone in challenge to Apple, Samsung

Chinese technology group Huawei unveiled its latest smartphone Monday, talking up the advanced artificial intelligence capabilities it hopes will cement its place among the world's three biggest manufacturers.

The Shenzhen-based group's new Mate 10 phone appears just weeks after Apple unveiled its top-of-the-line iPhone X, a timing choice many industry observers have read as a direct challenge to the California tech titan.

Huawei has become a fixture in listings of the top three smartphone makers by worldwide unit sales in recent years, investing heavily in technology and design to vault beyond the low- and mid-range devices that still round out its range.

Like rivals Apple and Samsung, it has built AI features directly into the processor at the heart of its latest phone, allowing the device to help users translate between languages, choose the most appropriate camera settings or take over busywork like organising files and photos.

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Ideally, AI can help shift such everyday tinkering into the background, saving people time and minimising annoyance.

"This phone is designed for ultimate performance, that's the most important thing," Huawei consumer electronics chief Richard Yu told journalists and bloggers in the southern German city of Munich.

Huawei uses Google's Android operating system rather than keeping the same tight control over hardware, operating system and third-party apps as Apple.

Google executive Jamie Rosenberg made a brief appearance on stage to promise new tools early next year to let developers access the phone's AI processor.

"Computing is undergoing a fundamental shift from being mobile first to AI first," Rosenberg said.

Source - TheNation

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Apple starts recruiting staff for #Bangkok shop

Apple Thailand on Wednesday started recruitment for 13 positions at the first Apple Store in the country, which will open in Bangkok soon.

It announced the vacancies on its website. Available posts include a manager, market leader, shop leader and education development executive.

An Apple public relations officer told The Nation that the location of the shop and its opening date is still confidential.

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 “We’re excited to begin hiring the team that will open our first Apple Store in Thailand. Bangkok is one of Asia’s leading cultural and tourism centers, with a vibrant design and architectural scene.

“We look forward to providing customers an amazing space to experience all of our great products, services and inspiring educational programs that are loved by Apple customers around the world,” a statement on the Apple Thailand website says.

 Read also: Apple opens first store in Taiwan

This article appeared on The Nation newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post

Windows 10 update set for October release

Microsoft on Friday announced that a major update to its Windows operating system will be released globally on October 17.

Release of Windows 10 "Fall Creators Update" will come the same day that Windows Mixed Reality headsets powered by the software hits the market, Microsoft executive vice president of operating systems Terry Myerson said in a blog post.

Unlike virtual reality gear already available, Windows headsets made by partners such as Acer, Asus, HP and Lenovo will not require cameras to track user movements, according to Myerson.

Windows headsets will be priced as low as $299, and will need to be plugged into computers powered by the Fall Creators Update, Microsoft said.

The US technology titan showed off the Windows 10 update at the company's annual developers' conference early this year to encourage creation of offerings tuned to the software.

At the time, Myerson said the update will offer, among other upgrades, "enhancements in gaming, security, accessibility, and immersive new experiences made possible by Windows Mixed Reality."

 

The original version of Windows 10 debuted a little more than two years ago.

The latest version of Windows 10 is being built into a wide array of devices that will be on the market in time for the year-end holiday shopping season, according to Microsoft.

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The company promised an audience of more than a billion people for those who develop services or applications for Windows 10.

Microsoft has highlighted how Windows 10 will let software savants serve up creations on the full spectrum of smart devices, including the HoloLens augmented reality headgear.

"By combining our physical and digital worlds, we believe mixed reality is the next step in the evolution of human computing," Myerson said in the blog post.

Microsoft was left behind in the smartphone market, which is dominated by Apple and Android-powered handsets.

Designing Windows to make Microsoft cloud services available from competitors' devices and moving quickly in the nascent mixed-reality market were seen as shrewd moves by the company.

Windows 10 is designed to power all kinds of devices, from wearable computers to smartphones to desktop machines, and an application needs to be written just once to perform on all of them, according to Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella.

Nadella said at the conference that "the mobility of the experience is what matters, not the mobility of the device."

To get Windows 10 adopted quickly, Microsoft plans to give it away as a free upgrade for a year after its release.

 

Source - TheJakartaPost

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Smartphone maker HTC explores strategic options

HTC Corp., the beleaguered manufacturer that once ranked among the world’s top smartphone makers, is exploring options that could range from separating its virtual-reality business to a full sale of the company, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Taiwanese firm is working with an adviser as it considers bringing in a strategic investor, selling its Vive virtual reality headset business or spinning off the unit, the people said. HTC has held talks with companies including Alphabet Inc.’s Google, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.

A full sale of HTC, which has businesses ranging from VR to handset manufacturing, is less likely because it isn’t an obvious fit for a single acquirer, one of the people said. 

Shares of HTC rose 4.7 percent in Taipei on Friday to the highest close in more that two weeks, giving the company a $1.9 billion market value. The company has shed about 75 percent of its value over the past five years as its smartphone market share dipped below 2 percent.

No final decisions have been made, and HTC may choose not to proceed with any strategic changes, the people said. Representatives for HTC and Google declined to comment.

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The Taoyuan City-based firm has been attempting to refocus its growth prospects on the high-end VR business, with shipments of the Vive headset totaling more than 190,000 units in the first quarter, according to research firm IDC.

HTC cut the price of the Vive by $200 earlier this week, in an effort to expand product sales and its user base, which is more important now than earnings, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst David Dai.

The company is also trying to revive its smartphone unit with its latest flagship U11 model and a contract manufacturing deal to assemble Google’s Pixel handset.

“It’s a cutthroat Android smartphone market out there,” Ramon Llamas, IDC’s research manager for wearables and mobile phones, said in an interview, referring to the mobile operating system developed by Google.

“Apple and Samsung have made it hard for HTC to stay at the top of the market, and Chinese phone makers have made it hard for HTC to dominate the middle and low end of the market,” Llamas said.

A transaction with a Silicon Valley firm like Google would mark a face-saving moment for Cher Wang, HTC’s co-founder and largest shareholder, who took over as chief executive officer of the the manufacturer in 2015. Wang has been unable to stem the losses in market share since returning to the company in a full-time capacity. The daughter of a petrochemical billionaire, Wang was Taiwan’s richest woman until HTC’s stock tanked.

HTC, founded in 1997, began as a contract manufacturer. In 2002, it won a deal with Microsoft Corp. to make Windows-based phones and quickly became one of the top producers globally. It also made the first Android phone in 2008.

Vive is a “different beast” from Facebook Inc.’s Oculus VR and Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC’s PlayStation VR, Llamas said. “I am not seeing other companies really making that play, competing in that same area,” he said.

 Read also: HTC revenues plunge to an eleven-year low

Source - TheJakartaPost