Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Instagram test designed to make users more trusting of content

    Instagram test designed to make users more trusting of content

    When Instagram first launched, it was known for the filters that users could apply to their photos, which would then be shared among members. The company was acquired by Facebook in 2012 for a reported $1 billion. Instagram is not as well known as Facebook is for inflaming the passions of subscribers by spreading fake news and political propaganda. Still, a report published says that steps are being taken to prevent the dissemination of false posts over the platform. Instagram is currently running tests with fact checkers.

    Facebook currently employs 52 firms that it has partnered with to conduct fact checks. If content found on a particular Facebook post is proven to be false by one of the fact checkers, the post’s distribution through users’ news feed is reduced. And not surprisingly, Instagram’s policy is basically the same. Stephanie Otway, a spokesperson for the app says, “Our approach to misinformation is the same as Facebook’s — when we find misinfo, rather than remove it, we’ll reduce its distribution.” That means flagged posts will be removed from the Explore tab and the hashtag result page, but it will stay up on the author’s page. That limits the readership of these polarizing posts to those who have made a decision to subscribe to authors who disseminate such information.

    But there is a big difference between the two sites. The content on Instagram is not nearly as news-oriented as it is on Facebook, especially since the platform doesn’t have hyperlinks inside captions or member comments. Thus, the hysteria is more subdued than on Facebook where a single lie could turn millions of members into a foaming at the mouth crazy. So unlike Facebook, photos that are fake won’t be labeled and there will be no warning shown to Instagram members who want to share these images.

    “We all know any kind of images and pictures are a main driver of misinformation in any platform. Alerting those who share (false posts) like they do on Facebook would be best. But perhaps it is only the beginning of their actions there, I suppose. Even though there are plenty of problems regarding misinformation inside Facebook’s many platforms, they are still the ones who are taking the combat of misinformation more seriously.”-Tai Nalon, Director Aos Fatos

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  • City proposal to slap luxury tax on mobile phones raises hackles

    City proposal to slap luxury tax on mobile phones raises hackles

    HCMC’s proposal to impose a special consumption tax on mobile phones has drawn protests from experts, who said they are not a luxury product. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Binh of the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Institute of Policy and Development said the proposal should be carefully considered since no other country levies a luxury tax on mobile phones.

    The nature of such a tax is to hit luxury goods or discourage consumption of goods that use up foreign currency for imports or harm the environment or human health, he explained.

    “We have to ask ourselves whether mobile phones are essential or luxury, and what effect it has on the environment and health.”

    Mobiles are now ordinary goods used by everyone, he said.

    The city people’s committee has recently sent to the Ministry of Finance suggestions for a draft proposal on “expanding the tax base and preventing erosion of state revenues.”

    It said mobile phones are not luxury goods but not “very essential” either, and so it wants to regulate consumption to ensure it is “reasonable.”

    It also called on lawmakers to add items such as cameras, perfumes, cosmetics, gaming services, and beauty services to the list of items subject to special consumption tax to target the population segment with above-average income.

    Binh queried this rationale saying the city can simply use income tax for this.

    Nguyen Duc Nghia, chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Tax Agents Club, an association of tax consultants, said the mobile phone has become a commonplace product used by everyone.

    Therefore, a luxury tax would not have the effect of taxing only wealthy individuals and would instead affect everyone, he said.

    Truong Thanh Duc, chairman of Basico law firm, said special consumption tax is normally levied on luxury goods and those that are harmful or which the government wants to discourage people from using.

    In fact, in a quickly developing economy, this tax should be eliminated on many goods since what were once luxury goods gradually become essential items as people become more affluent, he pointed out.

    “Thirty years ago mobile phones were a luxury item but not taxed. Now it has become a popular item, with the number of telephone subscribers equaling the population. Levying a luxury tax on such a good is far from reasonable.”

    Up to 73 percent of the population uses mobile phones, on which 42 percent use smartphones and 50 million people use mobile social media, according to a report by Vietnamese digital advertising firm Adsota earlier this year.

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  • Vietnam makes its very first 5G phone call

    Vietnam makes its very first 5G phone call

    Vietnam’s first 5G phone call was made Friday on the network of Viettel, the country’s largest telecommunications company. The trial called, made publicly with the participation of the Ministry of Information and Communications, showed that the speed of Viettel’s 5G mobile network connections reached 1.5-1.7 Gigabits per second, far exceeding the theoretical limit of the 4G network and equivalent to the speed of optical cable.

    Viettel said it will expand the test to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s two biggest cities, and expects to launch the commercial service in 2020. The military-run company said it is looking at many pricing plans for commercial 5G services.

    Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung, who led Viettel earlier, said the event marked Vietnam as one of the earliest nations in the world to successfully test the 5G network, after the U.S., Australia, Japan, and South Korea.

    “We all want to take the lead in the fourth industrial revolution and develop information and communications technology so that Vietnamese locals and businesses can compete in the global economy, and therefore, the earlier we launch the 5G service, the better,” he said.

    Viettel became the first firm to receive permission to trial 5G services in January. It was followed by MobiFone.

    Last November, Hung said at a conference that Vietnam should test 5G in 2019 and ensure nationwide coverage by 2020.

    “Vietnam should be one of the first countries to launch the network, at least in Hanoi and HCMC,” he had said. The country had been one of the last in Southeast Asia to roll out 4G services.

    5G is the latest generation of mobile Internet connectivity and should offer much faster speeds and more reliable connections on smartphones and other devices compared to the current 3G and 4G technologies.

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  • Ferrari Considering Netflix And esports Involvement

    Ferrari Considering Netflix And esports Involvement

    Ferrari is considering engaging with Netflix on a second Formula One documentary as well as joining the rest of the 10 teams in the esports world championship, team boss Mattia Binotto said on Friday. Ferrari and champions Mercedes did not cooperate on the successful ‘Drive to Survive’ 10-part fly-on-the-wall series filmed by Netflix last season, arguing that they needed to focus on the title battle. When their cars or drivers did feature, it was from the official world feed television footage.”It’s certainly an interesting program. We were not participating last season as Ferrari,” Binotto told reporters at the Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth round of the 21 race championship.

    “We are considering it at the moment. We have not taken our final decision, so it’s something we will do in the next few weeks.”

    Formula One’s managing director Sean Bratches said this month that he expected a second series to go ahead, with filming already underway. Ferrari is the only ones without a presence in the official F1 esports championship, which is in its third season and involves the teams only later in the year. Mercedes won both titles last year, as in the real world.

    Binotto said Ferrari’s stance on that could change as well.

    “Esport is increasing in terms of interest and certainly as Ferrari, we are looking seriously into it,” he said.

    “We are not yet fully committed to the program but it’s something where the discussions are ongoing and we will very soon make our own decision.”

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  • 2020 Skoda Superb Facelift Global Debut End of May

    2020 Skoda Superb Facelift Global Debut End of May

    The Superb is the flagship in Skoda’s portfolio and it is planning to present the 2020 facelifted model to the world on a special occasion. IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is a grand affair for the Czech carmaker and it has signed up for the 27th time as its lead sponsor and will supply 50 fleet cars for the event. Skoda will also seize the opportunity to unveil the 2020 Superb Facelift on May 23, 2019, on the quarter-final match day.

    Pulling off a surprise, Skoda may also introduce the Superb Facelift with a new plug-in hybrid powertrain which was expected in the next-generation model. For the first time in history, Skoda will be offering a hybrid model and we are expecting it to borrow the powertrain from the Volkswagen Passat GTE. The same 1.4-liter, turbocharged TFSI petrol motor which powers the Audi A4 is expected to be coupled with an electric motor in the upcoming Skoda Superb. We have seen the same powertrain earlier at the 2016 Auto Expo in the Volkswagen Passat GTE plug-in-hybrid variant in which it develops 212 bhp and 400 Nm of peak torque. The 2020 Skoda Superb is likely to get it in the same state of tune.

    The car has already been spotted testing and design modifications on the new model will be rather subtle. The front bumper will get a wider air dam along with slightly muscular overhangs and the rear bumper will be revised as well. Moreover, new elements such as full-LED headlamps and new daytime running lights (DRLs) will also be on offer. Expect the rear to have the new widespread Skoda badging instead of the logo.

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  • Cebu Pacific’s income jumped 138% to P3.4b in first quarter

    Cebu Pacific’s income jumped 138% to P3.4b in first quarter

    Cebu Air, the operator of low-cost carriers Cebu Pacific and Cebgo, said net income jumped 138.4 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, on the back of strong passenger and cargo revenues. The airline unit of the Gokongwei Group said it posted a net income of P3.4 billion from January to March, up from P1.4 billion it earned in the same period last year. Revenues increased 16 percent in the three-month period to P21.17 billion from P18.26 billion it generated a year earlier.

    Passenger revenues increased 14.6 percent to P15.67 billion from P13.67 billion. The increase was attributed to the 8.5-percent growth in passenger volume to 5.289 million from 4.876 million last year as the group added bigger A321 aircraft to its fleet. The average fare went up 5.7 percent to P2,965 in the first quarter from P2,805 a year ago, contributing to the higher revenues. Cargo revenues grew 12.7 percent to P1.44 billion from P1.279 billion following the increase in both yield and volume of cargo transported in 2019. Operating expenses went up 8.4 percent to P17.34 billion from P15.997 billion a year ago.

    Cebu Air said the increase was driven by expanded operations, growth in seat capacity from the acquisition of new aircraft and the weakening of the Philippine peso against the US dollar. The peso depreciated to 52.36 per US dollar in the first quarter from an average of 51.49 a dollar last year. Flying operations expenses increased 3.8 percent to P7.173 billion from P6.910 billion.  “This was mainly accounted for by the increase in pilot training costs,” CEB said. Fuel expenses also went up as the fuel volume increased by 7.9 percent in the quarter.  The MOPS price of fuel slightly went down to $76.50 per barrel in the first quarter from $79.99 a barrel in the same period last year.

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  • Huawei’s first phone with a pop-out camera is Out

    Huawei’s first phone with a pop-out camera is Out

    Over the past year or so Huawei has welcomed the notch with open arms. Nowadays, though, most companies are looking for ways to remove it and, as it turns out, Huawei is no different

    Called the Huawei P Smart Z, the company’s latest smartphone represents both it’s newest offering in the budget segment and its first attempt at an all-screen device that includes no notch or cutout.

    Targeting fans of massive displays, the P Smart Z arrives equipped with a huge 6.6-inch LCD display that boasts a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080p) resolution. As you’d expect, the huge panel is paired with uniform bezels, the only exception being the chin which is slightly thicker. Also present is a pop-out camera, thus marking the first time Huawei has used such a feature.

    Hidden inside the mechanical module is a 16-megapixel selfie camera that offers an f/2.0 aperture. This is paired over on the rear with a vertically-aligned dual-camera setup. Speaking of which, this includes a 16-megapixel f/1.8 camera paired with a dedicated 2-megapixel depth sensor. Also present is an LED flash.

    While on the topic of the rear, it’s worth pointing out that the Huawei P Smart Z follows in the footsteps of Google’s Pixel devices by adopting a dual-tone rear. But rather than using different materials or textures, Huawei has simply opted for slightly different colors.

    Regarding the internal characteristics of this smartphone, the P Smart Z is equipped with a modified version of the Kirin 710 dubbed the Kirin 710F alongside a respectable 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Also present is Android 9 Pie straight out of the box along with the EMUI 9.0 overlay and a large 4,000mAh battery.

    The Huawei P Smart Z can be purchased right now in Italy or Spain for €279. Presumably, sales will eventually expand to other internal markets, but these details are yet to be confirmed.

  • Skoda India Opens Its Largest Workshop Facility In Coimbatore

    Skoda India Opens Its Largest Workshop Facility In Coimbatore

    Skoda Auto today announced opening a new workshop facility in India in association with SGA Cars India, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The new facility is Skoda Auto’s largest workshop in the country and is spread across 49,585 sq. ft. of the premium service area, equipped with 50 bays, and a capacity to serve 20,000 vehicles per annum. The service workshop also has more than 40 dedicated aftersales personnel, and the company says that it has been built in line with Skoda’s new corporate identity and design.

    Skoda India feels that the new modern workshop facility will further strengthen its position in Tamil Nadu, and help the company achieve a strong foothold in the southern markets. Inaugurating the new state-of-the-art service facility, Zac Hollis, Director – Sales, Service and Marketing, Skoda India, said, “Skoda Auto India is set to strengthen its presence in the southern markets of our nation. The dimensions of the new facility are a reflection of the region’s potential for the brand. We are confident that our partnership with SGA Cars India will play an important role, in scaling up the brand, by offering our patrons a hassle-free ownership experience and utmost peace of mind.”

    Commenting on their partnership with Skoda, Arputharaj, Dealer Principal, SGA Cars India said, “We are delighted to partner with Skoda Auto India to introduce our newly designed workshop facility. The state-of-the-art service infrastructure and optimized business processes will enable us to deliver an unmatched service experience. The advancement of Skoda makes us more confident and committed to our valued customers.”

    Skoda India currently has a network of 64 sales and 62 service outlets across the country. However, as part of its ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, Skoda Auto plans double its dealer network across 50 new cities, over the next 3 years, to further increase the accessibility of the brand. As for some of its customer initiative programmes, the company recently also introduced ‘EasyBuy’, an assured introductory 57 percent buyback value programme for the Skoda Superb model range, at the end of the three-year contractual term. This is in addition to the company’s existing Skoda Shield Plus plan which offers motor insurance, 24×7 roadside assistance, and an extended warranty for all Skoda cars.

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  • David Beckham Receives A 6 Month Driving Ban For Using Mobile Phone Behind The Wheel

    David Beckham Receives A 6 Month Driving Ban For Using Mobile Phone Behind The Wheel

    English footballer David Beckham has been handed a six-month driving ban for using his mobile when he was behind the wheel. The former England captain pleaded guilty to the charge after he was photographed by a member of the public holding a phone as he drove his Bentley in “slow moving” traffic in London on November 21, last year. Beckham was at Bromley Magistrates Court, south of London earlier this week, where he was given the six-month ban, fined 750 Pounds, and was ordered to pay 100 Pounds to prosecution costs and a 75 Pound surcharge fee within seven days.

    The 44-year-old already has six points on his license from his previous offenses for speeding and now gets six more. Beckham pleaded guilty to the charge and said there is no excuse for what happened. However, the former Manchester United player also said that he had “no recollection of the particular incident.”

    While the district court Judge Catherine Moore said she acknowledged the slow pace of the traffic, she did also say that there was “no excuse” under the law. Prosecutor Matthew Spratt said: “Instead of looking straight forward, paying attention to the road he appeared to be looking at his lap.” Beckham’s lawyer Gerrard Tyrrell further stated that the footballer found driving relaxing. He said, “He takes his children to school each day and picks them up when he can. To deprive him of that is something he will acknowledge.”

    The short but important ban on David Beckham reiterates why need to avoid using our phones behind the wheel. The incident should serve as an example to drivers across the globe that safety can’t be ignored even if it is in slow moving traffic.

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  • Qualcomm shows how important Apple’s business is

    Qualcomm shows how important Apple’s business is

    Last month, just as Apple and Qualcomm were into the opening statements of their billion-dollar trial in San Diego, surprising news was released. Behind the scenes, Apple and Qualcomm had been negotiating a settlement and both companies finally shook hands on a deal. Apple paid the chip maker an undisclosed amount of money; in return, Apple received a 6-year licensing agreement (with a two-year option) and a multi-year chip supply deal.

    It was no secret that Apple was getting desperate for a company to supply it with 5G modem chips for the iPhone. Apple wasn’t totally convinced that Intel, whose 4G LTE modem chips are exclusively used on the 2018 iPhones, could deliver the 5G component in time. In fact, during the FTC v. Qualcomm non-jury trial in January, Apple supply chain executive Tony Blevins testified that the firm had spoken with Samsung and MediaTek about sourcing their 5G modem chips. And even though Intel said early last month that it would ship its chips starting in the second half of this year, Apple still felt compelled to shake hands with Qualcomm. Hours after the agreement was announced, Intel said that it was leaving the mobile 5G modem chip business.

    According to one analyst, Apple will pay Qualcomm as much as $9 for each iPhone it sells with a 5G Qualcomm modem chip. The terms of the settlement obviously benefit Qualcomm greatly, and the company has decided to reward its executives including CEO Steve Mollenkopf. The executive received a bonus consisting of 40,794 shares of Qualcomm stock. The shares are currently valued at over $3.5 million. Not that Mollenkopf was underpaid; last year he took home $20 million according to data from FactSet.

    Other Qualcomm executives received bonuses too, thanks to the settlement with Apple. Company president Cristiano Amon scored $2.14 million in Qualcomm stock and Chief Technical Officer James Thompson was given $1.65 million in company shares. Other beneficiaries included General Counsel Donald Rosenberg and interim CFO David Wise. The pair received $1.22 million and $254,000, respectively. Wise pointed out that other Qualcomm employees will receive higher bonuses too, thanks to the settlement. Investors also have benefited from the deal with Apple (assuming that they weren’t short the stock). The day before it was announced, Qualcomm’s shares closed at $57.18. Yesterday, the stock closed at $85.84, which means that it has soared 50% over the last three weeks.

    The bonuses and the stock surge are both an indication of how important Apple’s business is for Qualcomm. Apple only used Qualcomm’s modem chips on the iPhone from 2011-2015. As a result, Apple demanded and received a $1 billion incentive payment from the chip maker annually. But Apple CEO Tim Cook was upset that Qualcomm was receiving five times more in royalties than it was paying all of its other suppliers combined. Qualcomm’s royalty payments were based on the retail price of the iPhone, and that didn’t make Cook very happy either.

    Apple ended up testifying against Qualcomm at a hearing held by the South Korea Fair Trade Commission. That angered Qualcomm, as did a statement from Apple that it would have to add a second modem chip supplier due to “Qualcomm’s exclusionary conduct.” At the same time, Qualcomm learned that Apple was planning on using Intel modem chips on the iPhone 7 and it stopped sending Apple those $1 billion checks. In return, Apple told its contract manufacturers like Foxconn and Pegatron to stop paying royalties to Qualcomm. Apple sued Qualcomm in January 2017 leading to a number of suits filed by both companies against each other. All of those suits have been withdrawn by Apple and Qualcomm as part of the settlement.

    Now that Apple and Qualcomm are on speaking terms, a 5G iPhone seems a sure bet for 2020.

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  • APAC Billionaires Hit the Hardest in 2018

    APAC Billionaires Hit the Hardest in 2018

    Global billionaire wealth and its population have fallen for only the second time since the global financial crisis in 2008, with those in APAC suffering the most.

    After reaching record levels the previous year, global billionaire wealth in 2018 declined by 7 percent to $8.6 trillion, while the billionaire population fell by 5.4 percent to 2,604, according to the 2019 edition of Billionaire Census, published by global ultra high net worth intelligence and data company Wealth X.

    This fall in wealth was largely caused by a slowdown in global growth, persistent trade tensions and a slump in equity markets, the report said. The findings of the report, which has been published annually since 2013, were based on Wealth-X’s global database of more than 1 million records on the world’s wealthiest individuals.

    The report noted that apart from the U.S., U.K., Russia, and France, nearly all of the top 15 countries by billionaire population saw a decline. Asia-Pacific’s billionaire population fell by 13.4 percent, driven by large declines in China, India, and Singapore.

    The region also saw the largest decline in billionaire wealth – billionaires here saw their net worth fall by an average of 9 percent, compared to 7 percent in EMEA and 6 percent in the Americas. The report attributed this to three factors: weak equity market performance on the back of slowing growth, tariff disputes, and emerging market volatility.

    Top Billionaire Countries

    1. United States (705 billionaires)
    2. China (285)
    3. Germany (146)
    4. Russia (102)
    5. United Kingdom (97)
    6. Switzerland (91)
    7. Hong Kong (87)
    8. India (82)
    9. Saudi Arabia (57)
    10. France (55)
    11. United Arab Emirates (55)
    12. Brazil (49)
    13. Italy (47)
    14. Canada (45)
    15. Singapore (39)
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  • Pomelo Fashion boosts revenue by 5x with in-house tech stack forstreamlining vertical supply chain

    Pomelo Fashion boosts revenue by 5x with in-house tech stack forstreamlining vertical supply chain

    Omnichannel fast fashion company Pomelo builds a proprietary in-house technology stack to enable the seamless management of a complex vertical supply chain across its multiple locations and labels. This technology stack was developed to meet Pomelo’s changing logistical
    needs as it’s business model evolved from one based on private label sourcing to one that is fully vertically-integrated, allowing for control over every aspect of launching, building, and scaling a fashion brand.

    Named Henry after Henry Ford, who popularized the modern assembly line for mass production, Pomelo’s solutions stack forms the common foundation of its building and scaling strategy, and integrates all aspects of its processes from design, manufacturing, content creation, retailing (in-app, online, and in-store) to inventory optimization. Henry is used in Pomelo’s multiple labels and categories including Pomelo, PM, Alita, and BEET across a manufacturing base spanning Southeast Asia and China.

    “Our competitors are still using spreadsheets and paper purchase orders to manage a highly complex system of product development, manufacturing, and omnichannel retailing. As a fashion company with tech DNA, we’re building, from the ground up, a brand-new tech stack for today’s digital world that incorporates the latest in machine learning, big data, and automation,” says Lloyd Lin, Regional Vice President of Production. “We have always been focused on technology as a means to innovate key areas of the business, including our supply chain.”

    Managing Fashion Supply Chains in a Digital World Pomelo’s tech stack started as a simple back-end inventory tracker in 2015. Today, 4 years on, Henry is now capable of tracking the entirety of Pomelo’s supply chain in real-time and functions as the brand’s control center. It accurately manages profit margins and provides data-driven insights and analytics on customers’ purchase behaviors that simplify the design and purchasing teams’ buying decisions. With Henry’s help, Pomelo, and their customers, in turn, have enjoyed significant costs-savings.

    In the same vein, Pomelo’s supply chain has also seen further streamlining and innovation in 2018. The samples production process, essential to every new launch of which Pomelo has three weekly, is a long process involving multiple iterations and external vendors. In order to reduce material waste, production costs and time spent, Pomelo’s newly established samples lab automates the process of sample production. Managed entirely in-house, the lab is customized for Pomelo products, allowing for better quality control. In 2019, Pomelo plans to put in place a bidding process that allows production partners to bid on orders in their areas of specialization to further optimize the supply chain.

    The trailblazing startup, which terms itself a Digitally Native Vertical Brand (DNVB), focuses on innovating key areas of its business, like the supply chain, through technology. The results of Pomelo’s optimization push speak for themselves: in 2018, Pomelo dramatically expanded its range across labels by more than five times, and its total revenues by nearly the same amount.

    Pomelo’s technology team is primarily based in Bangkok, but also has developed resources in China and India. “The rate at which we continue to improve our technology is a long-term competitive advantage we are very excited about, and ultimately a key differentiator for Pomelo. We will continue investing in and strengthening our team, as well as our technology stack to ensure that we are setting the standard for how an omnichannel fashion brand anchored in today’s digital world should be managed.” says Pomelo CEO David Jou.

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  • Volvo Cars Could Cut Several Hundred Jobs

    Volvo Cars Could Cut Several Hundred Jobs

    Swedish carmaker Volvo, which is owned by China’s Geely, is cutting several hundred jobs, Swedish radio reported on Friday citing sources.The carmaker, whose number of employees has more than doubled over the past decade to about 43,000, confirmed it was reviewing staff and other costs to ensure its business had the “right skills”.

    “As a growing company, Volvo Cars is constantly reviewing its cost base. This becomes even more important in light of the headwinds the industry is facing and Volvo Cars are now increasing its focus on costs related to staffing and bought services,” the company said in an emailed statement.

    The jobs primarily affected were those of consultants and staff involved in factory production will not be affected, a Volvo spokesman said. He declined to specify the number of job cuts and savings expected from the layoffs. Volvo’s fortunes have come under renewed threat with the car sector facing one of its most challenging periods due to trade conflicts, hefty bills to develop electric and driverless cars, and an overall downturn in the industry.

    The company, which has put its listing plans on ice due to the tariff wars and auto stock downturn, has reported lower first-quarter profit and warned that margins will remain under pressure this year.

  • Android Q may have a life-saving feature exclusive to Pixel phones

    Android Q may have a life-saving feature exclusive to Pixel phones

    At Google I/O this year, the company behind Android revealed many new and exciting things coming to the next iteration of the world’s most popular mobile OS. These include native support for foldable devices, system-wide Dark Mode, Smart Replies and Suggestions, and a handful of other features.

    But aside from those, savvy developers have uncovered something else that’s coming with Android Q, and it wasn’t mentioned at this year’s I/O. The folks over at XDA have found lines of code in the Android Q Beta 3, referencing a possible automatic car crash detection feature. The beta has an app called Safety Hub, and strings of code within the app suggest that automatic car crash detection is coming to Android Q, and that it may also be a Pixel-exclusive feature.

    Google is no stranger to introducing Pixel-exclusive features, though they’ve been more on the “bonus” side of things, so to speak. Two prominent examples are the excellent Night Sight mode, baked into the Google camera app, and unlimited Google Photos storage for original quality photo backups, available only to Pixel phone owners. However, more essential features have always managed to make their way into Android skins by other OEMs, so the upcoming car crash detection may start as a Pixel-exclusive thing and become more widely available thereafter.

    It’s currently unclear how Android Q will detect car crashes, though it’s likely going to happen by gathering data from various sensors on the phone. For example, Google could use GPS data to determine whether you’re driving, use the accelerometer to detect when a violent stop occurs, and even rely on the microphone to pick up the sound of the crash. After an accident has been detected, the Safety Hub app could automatically alert emergency services and/or select contacts.

    We have our fingers crossed that future Android Q betas will reveal more about this potentially life-saving feature, and that it won’t be Pixel-exclusive forever.

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  • Deutsche Bank Hires Asia Fixed Income Head

    Deutsche Bank Hires Asia Fixed Income Head

    The German lender’s latest recruit from J. Safra Sarasin is the latest in a series of hires as it looks to grow in the region. Deutsche Bank has hired Eric Leung to lead its Asia fixed income team in its Wealth Management division. The news was confirmed by a representative of the bank, who said he started on Wednesday.

    Leung joins from global pure-play private bank J. Safra Sarasin, where he worked for over a decade, most recently as Executive Director and Head of Fixed Income Asia. Prior to that, he worked at HSBC Private Bank.

    He will be based in Hong Kong, reporting to Akshay Prasad, managing director, head of capital markets, Wealth Management.

    Under Lok Yim, the bank’s head of Asia, Middle East and Africa, Deutsche Bank WM has set its sights on Asia’s rich, bolstering its ranks to grow its business, particularly in North Asia.

    In an interview with Reuters in 2018, he said Deutsche Bank is focusing on ultra high net worth clients in the region, those with more than $25 million, and the top end of the $5-$25 million high net worth bracket.

    Deutsche has some $230 billion in assets under management (AUM), $56 billion of which is in Asia, according to Hong Kong-based Asian Private Banker.

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