Author: Mei Ling Tan

Netflix indirectly confirms Exynos 2200 launch with Galaxy S22
The release of Samsung’s latest flagship series, the Galaxy S22 family, is just around the corner. This fact alone guarantees an increasing influx of leaks as the day approaches, and the latest one comes in the form of Netflix indirectly confirming the Exynos 2200 chipset in the Galaxy S22.

Netflix has always kept a detailed list of specific chipsets, as well as mobile devices, that are supported by the streaming platform—and an Exynos 2200 has just been added to the mix, as XDA Developers reports.

As far as we already knew, the Korean tech giant has been long in developing the Exynos 2200 processing chipset especially for use in the Galaxy S22 series, and Netflix has already more or less confirmed this fact. We can be sure that we’ll see the new chipset debut with the new series now, without fear of chip shortage-induced delays postponing the chip to a further generation.

If Samsung keeps to tradition, the versions of the S22 series equipped with the Exynos 2200 processor will be available all throughout Europe, while the models sold in United States, China, and India will be “stuck” with the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.

While the United States certainly aren’t getting the short end of the straw in this case, Verizon has been pressuring Samsung for the Exynos 2200 version for a while now. And if Samsung concedes, this means U.S. citizens will also have access to the revolutionary ray-tracing technology in the in-house chipset, which is a first in the industry.

The release date of the Samsung Galaxy S22 has been officially set for February 9, and the company has even opened a “reserve” option for users who want to get their hands on Samsung’s latest and greatest. Reserving a model before the big day also guarantees you a $50 credit towards accessories.

As for a quick refresher on the specs, the new series will pack displays ever so slightly smaller than the S21 series. The base model will have 6.1 inches of screen real estate, the middle model will have a 6.6-inch panel, and the Ultra will be a 6.8-inch giant—same as the S21 Ultra, in fact.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is rumored to be more akin to the Galaxy Note series than any S-series predecessor, packing an S Pen slot as well as a curved display. Remember, the S Pen is a defining characteristic of the productivity-oriented Galaxy Note family, and it will be more than interesting to see it with this top-of-the-line flagship.

The Galaxy S22+, on the other hand, promises the perfect middle ground for the average user, who wants Ultra-level power and features, along with a much lighter and more compact form factor. Because let’s face it: the S Pen slot will add a very noticeable difference in girth and weight to the top model.

As for the S22 batteries, they are known to be getting significant downgrades in terms of capacity—a fact which has left us questioning whether it will be truly compensated by the boost in more efficient and less power-hungry new chipset. According to reliable sources, the three models are expected to feature 3,700 mAh, 4,500 mAh, and 5,000 mAh batteries, respectively.

We already know about the Exynos 2200 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset situation, so that leaves the S22 cameras. The S22 Ultra will feature a quad-camera setup with a 108MP main shooter, two 10MP telephoto cameras, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens.

The Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus, on the other hand, will feature identical triple-camera setups with a 50MP main camera, a 12MP telephoto with OIS stabilization, and a 12MP ultra-wide.

As per most leaks, it appears all the S22 models will keep more or less the same design as their S21 counterparts—save, of course for the deviant S22 Ultra.
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February 1, 2022
Rubber firms’ profits surge
Many rubber companies reported higher profits in the fourth quarter of last year as export prices rose sharply.

The Vietnam Rubber Group Joint Stock Company’s gross profits were up 27 percent year-on-year to VND2.1 trillion on revenues of VND7.46 billion ($324.3 million), up 20 percent.

The Thong Nhat Rubber Joint Stock Company reported a 250 percent rise in profits to VND6 billion as revenues more than doubled to VND32 billion.

Hoa Binh Rubber Joint Stock Company saw a similar rise in profits to VND19 billion, and Dong Phu Rubber Joint Stock Company said it was up 6.8 times to VND278 billion.

The rubbers industry saw profits surge since mid-2021 even as the Covid-19 pandemic peaked, thanks to the sharp increase in latex prices.

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, rubber exports rose by 37.5 percent to $3.28 billion in full-year 2021, making Vietnam the third-biggest exporter. It sells rubber to over 80 markets, including China, India, South Korea, Germany, and the U.S.

The Vietnam Rubber Association expects global rubber prices to keep increasing sharply in 2022-24 because of declining supply.

But the Agency of Foreign Trade does not concur with this assessment, saying prices would continue to rise only in the short term as many countries grapple with the Omicron variant of Covid and cut auto production.
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February 1, 2022
Vietnamese coffee industry game changer
King Coffee has a presence in 120 countries and is still on its way to expand further on the world map. Expo is a 170-year old event that takes place every five years, gathering businesspeople from more than 190 countries. This expo showcases all the remarkable events of a country’s past, present, and future. This is an extremely great opportunity for King Coffee to reach more than 190 countries at once.

Appearing at Expo 2020 Dubai, King Coffee has represented the coffee industry and Vietnam’s agriculture. We have cooperated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to organize activities to promote Vietnamese coffee to the world for six months (October 2021 – March 2022), especially the event of Vietnam National Day (Dec. 30, 2021) and Vietnam Coffee Week (Jan. 1, 2022).

As a major coffee brand, we participated in coffee-related activities during this event. All visitors really enjoyed our coffee, which impressed them by quality.

When we introduced Vietnamese coffee during Vietnam Coffee Week, visitors were surprised by egg coffee, Ede coffee, iced-milk coffee… They enjoyed learning how to use coffee filters, and discovering the philosophy of softness, lightness, sophistication to create a perfect cup of coffee compared to using compact espresso machines.

The exhibition is already halfway through and we have left our mark and accomplished our targets.

-How has King Coffee connected Vietnamese businesses to Dubai Gateway?

At Expo Dubai, King Coffee aims to promote coffee culture and development strategies for the coffee industry, and at the same time, widely inform businesses in other industries in Vietnam, who also consider this a great opportunity to go global.

We worked with Viettravel to engage most associations in all industries, supporting them to participate in this expo. Up to now, hundreds of Vietnamese businesses have gathered here. Expo Dubai makes it easy to set up an online exhibition channel, allowing businesses that are unable to attend offline events due to Covid-19 to participate, and promote their images. Meanwhile, we can follow all the events on social media channels and grab opportunities from Expo.

Since October 2021, we have done a wonderful job of connecting businesses in Dubai, and at the same time, promote our country. Dubai is an iconic city with a significant impact in 22 Arab countries. By having a presence in Dubai, businesses would enjoy many opportunities to access this market.Expo also organizes a National Day for participating countries. If a country has a potential industry, enterprises in that country might be invited to gather on National Day to find collaboration opportunities.

First autobiography

What excites you the most at Expo 2020 Dubai?

I have a clear goal in everything I do. When I decided to attend Expo 2020 Dubai, I thought about what would make King Coffee stand out and shine there. I started writing the book “The Queen of King Coffee” from the beginning of 2021, in order to release it at Expo Dubai. Without travel or business trips during the pandemic, I had more time for the book.

While publications regarding the Vietnam War are widely available, English-language books about Vietnamese culture, people, and business opportunities in Vietnam are scarce. Therefore, I decided to launch a book to introduce Vietnamese coffee and the country’s coffee culture to the world. This event drew the attention of the international media. Expo Dubai organizers also promoted this book on their media channels, reaching 192 countries.

The book was released on Dec. 29, 2021. More than 100 newspapers around the world have reported on King Coffee and the book. I am very happy to tell the story of Vietnamese coffee. I also published the book on Amazon, and it has received positive feedback from readers. When someone places an order, Amazon prints the book and delivers it to the customer.

As planned, the book will be translated into several languages, first in Arabic to reach 22 Arab countries. When I released the book in Dubai, local businesspeople wanted me to take part in many activities to talk to women, young people about starting a business, not just the book. They want to translate the book into Arabic to make it reach more people.

They are impressed with the image of women running startups, not only in the coffee sector but also other industries. The book offers them a lot of information. In fact, women are being encouraged to step out of their comfort zone and obtain freedom in doing business. I expect my book to motivate them to be more confident.

Will the book be available in Vietnamese?

The book is expected to be released in March in Vietnam, followed by Vietnamese and English versions in June 7 in the U.S. Many readers in the U.S. told me they were looking forward to the premiere.

The Vietnamese book is not a translated version from English but a different one. The book is a guide for startups and women to balance life and business, as well as female leaders’ responsibilities and aspirations for their country.

If the English book represents the world’s view of Vietnam, the Vietnamese version describes the viewpoint of a coffee business leader.

I was a business leader for more than 20 years, but I didn’t let people get to know me. This was good for my family before, but not so good for me when something went wrong.What do you expect from this book?

I think a female leader should balance her reputation and personal life to proactively play the right role, which will strengthen the business.

Everyone may know my important decisions to establish the Trung Nguyen and G7 brands, the journey to make them successful not only in the country but also around the world.

For me, every challenge can be dealt with. When you know how to overcome it, you can strengthen your position.

Do you have any ideas for your next book?

Because I am a coffee aficionado, the next book might be “The Master of Coffee” by a coffee specialist. In order to promote Vietnamese coffee, I also have to do many other things. King Coffee will have a chain of coffee shops around the world, and its products will be available in supermarkets all over the world. I want to introduce the very unique and different ideas and culture of Vietnamese coffee to the world. Surely it will be worthy of world recognition.

World record for Vietnamese Robusta

Why are you so devoted to coffee?

I was born and raised in a coffee region. Since I was a child, I witnessed the coffee price drop after bountiful crops, and vice versa. Coffee prices were very low and precarious. The farmers had no idea what the outside world was like. In the coffee ecosystem or global value chain, the farmer segment generated very small value.

At that time, in my knowledge, there were many well-known coffee companies in countries that did not grow coffee like Sweden, the U.S… I always wondered why they could do it but we couldn’t?

During 1975–1986, coffee was considered a luxury commodity. I clearly saw that coffee was in great demand, so why not make coffee popular? While coffee had so many benefits, like boosting creativity and concentration, efficiency at work, why didn’t we give coffee a chance to live?

More than 20 years ago, we hardly saw coffee in supermarkets, but today coffee occupies six shelves at Coopmart. Visitors to Vietnam give priority to buying Vietnamese coffee to bring home because of its good quality. That is a good foundation to promote Vietnamese coffee, as well as King Coffee, in the world market.

In October 2021, The World Records Union recognized Vietnam as the largest producer and exporter of Robusta coffee. How did this affect Vietnamese coffee?

It is a historic milestone because Vietnam’s coffee industry had endured several hundred years to achieve a world record.

I believe Vietnamese coffee has all the conditions to achieve a world record. Although facing many difficulties in persuading associations or state agencies to consider coffee a national asset, I am still determined to push for the World Records Union to recognize Vietnam as a the largest Robusta coffee producer and exporter in terms of output and productivity, along with heritages of the unique and distinctive art of brewing (Ede coffee, racquet coffee, filter coffee), the art of blending and enjoying diverse, creative and unique coffee through drinks and dishes (egg coffee, iced milk coffee…). When I announced this record at Expo Dubai, all the visitors burst into applause and paid special attention to King Coffee.

It is worth mentioning the World Records Union has recognized specially prepared Vietnamese coffees like iced milk, egg coffee, and Ede coffee. Here, we are mixing different types of coffee together to create a more tasty, unique cup of coffee, all without the use of flavorings and chemicals. The recognition of the art of blending is useful for coffee makers to improve their products.

In addition, I see many other opportunities to spread awareness and responsibility among the coffee business community, including using reputable branded products. That paves a way to create sustainable development for the coffee industry.

What are your expectations for the development of Vietnamese coffee in 2022?

Despite Covid-19, the coffee industry still grew in 2021. Although coffee shops had to close, the products were still delivered to the door. People usually consumed 1-2 cups of coffee per day, but 3-4 glasses during the pandemic. The global coffee industry grew by 4 percent last year, also in Vietnam.

I think Vietnam needs to quickly develop strategies for the coffee industry, to take advantage pf huge opportunities in the next five years with the law of supply and demand. If we don’t, other countries will do better, and surpass us. This is a very good time for Vietnam to reflect, prepare a solid strategy to create a game changer for the whole coffee industry.

What do you usually think during the Tet holiday?

Leaders need to pay more attention to their employees at any time, especially in this pandemic period. They should be concerned about how to keep employees safe, fully vaccinated, and unaffacted by the pandemic. Motivation from the leader also helps employees have a more positive mindset, thereby maintaining operations.

Tet is a time that brings family together. I miss my father very much, who passed away more than 20 years ago. My Tet grew warmer with him. The street around my house would be lit by fireworks. Everyone drank champagne, congratulated each other. He taught me to understand myself, the value of living life. Dad also taught me little things. I miss my father very much and miss Tet holidays with him. Now my family often tells stories about him at gatherings. When all members are united, the family always feels warm and happy.
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February 1, 2022
Taxi firm Vinasun lays off 2,500 employees

Taxi company Vinasun laid off more than 2,500 employees, including some 1,800 drivers last year with the Covid-19 pandemic causing the business to shrink significantly.

According to its newly released financial report, Vinasun had 1,877 employees at the end of 2021, down more than 2,500 people against the beginning of the year. It laid off some 1,900 employees in the last quarter alone.

The recovery of the transport market after the prolonged social distancing was not as fast as expected, resulting in low workload and a large number of cars idling in in parking lots, Vinasun deputy general director Ta Long Hy told VnExpress Saturday, explaining the downsizing,

“Some people wanted to change jobs, return to their hometowns or were stranded in pandemic-hit areas, which was another contributing factor to the sharp increase in the people leaving their jobs,” he added.

2021 is the third consecutive year Vinasun has drastically cut its staff. It had laid off approximately 1,000 and 1,400 people in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Vinasun recorded revenues of VND484 billion ($21 million) last year, down more than 50 percent against 2020, and made after-tax losses of VND280 billion, nearly four times its original estimate.

The company has been making losses for two consecutive years and if the situation does not improve this year, its stock may be delisted on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange.

February 1, 2022
CITIC Telecom CPC appoints new CEO
CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (CITIC Telecom CPC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited, announced that Brook Wong, vice president of CITIC Telecom has been appointed to the additional role of chief executive officer of CITIC Telecom CPC effective 1st February, 2022, succeeding Esmond Li who has decided to retire and step down from CEO of CITIC Telecom CPC after over 20 years of service in the Group.

“Wong has long been a visionary in telecommunications, applying his tremendous insight, depth of experience, and passion for technology to the cause of creating the innovative and intelligent future,” said Frank Cai, vice chairman of CITIC Telecom CPC. “We are delighted to welcome Wong to CITIC Telecom CPC, and I’m confident that he will lead the team to continue pursuing our motto ‘Innovation Never Stops’ and to win in this fast-changing, dynamic industry. I believe that all of us will benefit from his leadership and expertise.”Wong is the vice president of CITIC Telecom, overseeing China market since 2008. He has extensive leadership experience working with various telecommunications companies. An expert in developing and executing strategies for the Greater China market. His ability to see the big picture, from crucial market development to macro strategic perspectives, will be invaluable to CITIC Telecom CPC’s customers.

“I am honored and truly proud to be appointed to lead CITIC Telecom CPC. Under all the former managements’ leadership and accomplishments, together with its innovation, technology, and talents, it lays a solid foundation for a leading DICT service partner around the globe. We are committed to delivering the most innovative and intelligent solutions to propel the ICT industry forward,” said Wong. “Over the 14 years I have worked at CITIC Telecom, I have seen the many ways in which our people, product, and service create a rapidly growing and innovative company. I look forward to working closely with the management and the team, to continue promoting our company culture of ‘unity, collaboration, tolerance and caring’, to lead and accelerate CITIC Telecom CPC to be ‘best-in-class global-local intelligent DICT service partner”, to foster customer-oriented corporate culture, create a win-win situation with our partners, and strive for new heights.”
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Thai cafe serves up crypto advice with coffee and cake
A cafe in northeast Thailand has become home to cryptocurrency traders, adding banks of screens showing the latest market moves and dishing out investment advice alongside coffee and cake.

Behind a calm exterior of cherry blossom trees, customers of HIP Coffee & Restaurant stare at their laptops, supping nervously on iced coffee – part of a surging interest in digital assets in Thailand that has regulators worried.

“It’s exciting for me to be here because I get to meet people who share the same interests,” said Detnarong Satianphut, a 35-year-old crypto trader.

“We traders get to exchange information because in the trading world we are coming up against millions of people.”

Cryptocurrencies have been gaining momentum in Thailand, with as much as 251 billion baht (US$7.62 billion) in digital asset traded in November, according to the latest official data.

Earlier this month, Thailand said it would start to regulate the use of digital assets as payments, warning of potential risks to financial stability and the overall economic system.

HIP cafe, which has been around since 2013, got its crypto makeover in 2020.

Since then, according to staff, its customers have doubled. Manager Oakkharawat Yongsakuljinda said the cafe provides alternative investment opportunities for people in the surrounding Nakhon Ratchasima province.

It offers free investment consulting and is planning on starting its own cryptocurrency coin.

Its customers say trading in the cafe offers them the best chance of success in a volatile market, in which the most well-known cryptocurrency, bitcoin, hit six-month lows this week.

“Having so many screens helps a lot … We immediately know and get to analyze crashing factors and whether we should buy,” said 23-year-old trader Apakon Putnok.
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January 31, 2022
Vans owner slips as production delays, China curbs hit sales forecast
Vans shoe maker VF Corp cut its full-year revenue forecast on Friday as it struggles with material shortages, labor issues at factories, and a slump in sales in China due to COVID-related lockdowns, sending its shares down over 6 percent.

Fresh pandemic restrictions and store closures late last year in many Asian countries, including China, took a toll on many US apparel makers that for years have relied on these countries for the bulk of their production and sales growth.

VF Corp said the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus was also impacting its sales across the world.

“The latest virus surge across Europe has contributed to declining consumer confidence, deteriorating traffic, and stretched retail staff in our stores,” VF Chief Financial Officer Matt Puckett said on an earnings call.

Despite facing labor and raw material shortages, VF said it expected manufacturing to return to near full capacity in the coming weeks.

The company cut its fiscal 2022 revenue forecast to about US$11.85 billion from US$12 billion. It expects revenue for its “Active” unit, which houses the Vans and Supreme brands, to increase between 31 percent and 33 percent, compared with a prior range of 35 percent to 37 percent gain.

The Denver, Colorado-based company’s total revenue rose 22 percent to $3.62 billion in the third quarter ended Jan 1, slightly ahead of analysts’ average estimate of US$3.60 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
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January 31, 2022
McDonald’s faces massive court claim over ‘shameful’ worker treatment

Trade union SDA has lodged a multimillion claim in the Federal Court against McDonald’s Australia seeking compensation for about 900 current and former employees the union alleges have been denied paid rest breaks and misled about their rights.

The action covers more than 110 restaurants across Australia directly owned and operated by the fast-food company and follows eight previous Federal Court claims lodged by the SDA against McDonald’s franchise operators.

The claim, lodged in South Australia, is currently on behalf of 338 current and former McDonald’s staff employed across 92 restaurants, but the union is actively talking to others and has opened a website to recruit people who have worked for the company during the past six years, to join the action.

SDA national secretary, Gerard Dwyer describes the case as the biggest of its kind in Australian history, and “a groundbreaking moment for some of the most vulnerable workers across the country”.

“The fact that one of the largest employers of young Australians (on junior rates of pay) has been deliberately and systematically denying teenagers their breaks is astonishing. It takes a lot of courage to openly stand up and speak out against their employer and the SDA is proud to stand with them in ensuring these workers get what they’re owed.”

He said the action has the potential to impact thousands of workers Australia-wide and lead to millions of dollars of compensation payments if successful.

The union wants affected workers to be paid compensation for working through their breaks and for the company to be penalised by the court for breaching the Fair Work Act.

It alleges that along with concealing employees’ meal break entitlements, many store managers told workers they could have a free soft drink in lieu of a paid rest break and that they didn’t receive the breaks as they could go to the toilet or have a drink whenever they needed to. The SDA says the law provides for a 10-minute break for any staff member who works a shift of four hours or more.

“McDonald’s have been feeding crew members a cock and bull story about their break entitlements for too long,” said SDA South Australian branch secretary, Josh Peak.

“Fast food restaurants are busy, hot and the work is exhausting – it’s shameful to think young workers have been denied their rightful breaks and told they don’t exist. Paid rest and drink breaks aren’t optional, they’re a right for all fast-food workers,” he said.

“It shouldn’t have to take nine Federal Court claims for McDonald’s to clean up their act.”

January 31, 2022
Snickers unveils Creamy Peanut Butter bar in Australia
Snickers has released its limited-edition Snickers Creamy Peanut Butter bar in Australia for the first time.

The Snickers Creamy Peanut Butter bar is made with real peanut butter, silky smooth caramel and fresh ground peanuts, enrobed in the rich Snickers chocolate.

Mars Wrigley Australia Marketing Director Ben Hill says the variation has been a smash hit overseas, and he’s excited for Australians to finally get their hands on the product.

“We know how much our customers love the classic Snickers bar, with its satisfying layers of nougat, caramel, and the signature peanut crunch,” he says.

“Now, thanks to this innovation in texture, our fans can get Snickers satisfaction in both crunchy and smooth – something that is sure to delight peanut butter fans of all kinds.”

Snickers Creamy Peanut Butter is available in a 36g twin pack for RRP $2 from leading retailers including Woolworths, Coles, Metcash, 7 Eleven, Coles Express, BP, Ampol, ALDI and Big W.
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January 31, 2022
Vietnamese tired of advertisements popping up online
Vietnamese Internet users find online advertisements tiresome and do not want to watch them, a survey by YouGov has found. In a poll of 2,429 digital users, last December the British online market research and data analytics firm found that 47 percent of respondents always skip or want to skip online ads and 43 percent find the ads “annoying.”

Only 25 percent said they are “interesting.”

Thue Quist Thomasen, CEO of YouGov Vietnam, said: “Our survey also shows that even though most people remember seeing online ads, they are significantly less likely to recall clicking on ads or buying products after seeing ads.

“In my view, the online marketing industry in Vietnam is largely, and fairly, preoccupied with tracking ad frauds and viewability. But marketers often pay insufficient attention to the metrics that truly matter, such as impact and quality, which are the key elements that drive advertising success.”

Soames Hines, CEO of Ogilvy Vietnam, one of Vietnam’s largest creative agencies, said:”The survey’s results confirm what I have been thinking about digital advertising in Vietnam: There are so many ads nowadays that it’s hard for scattered branded banners to be effective across different websites.

“What brands want are great campaigns that win the hearts and minds of consumers. Tiny banners and seemingly haphazard five-second videos just won’t be enough for brands to get what they want.”

With 21.5 percent average annual growth in 2020-25 digital advertising in Vietnam is a booming business, according to the ‘Vietnam Digital Marketing Trends’ report released last year by digital marketing firm Novaon Ads.

Advertisers are expected to spend $934 million on digital advertising in 2022, according to Statista, a German company specializing in market and consumer data.

Vietnam has among the highest number of Internet users in the Asia Pacific. According to Statista, as of January 2021 the country of 96 million had around69 million Internet users.

“Advertisers are often too focused on delivering ads as efficiently as possible while forgetting about the creative aspect of digital advertising,” Carl Söderblom, vice president of operations & business development at Swedish company Adnami, said.

“This, in turn, results in low impact, ineffective ads. With high-impact ads, advertisers can … ensure they… are effective at driving results as well.”
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January 31, 2022
WhatsApp CEO hints at iPad app release

WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart lent some hopeful words to fans of the messaging platform during an interview this week, when he announced that the company is looking into creating a native iPad WhatsApp app.

WhatsApp users have long been nagging the Facebook-owned company to make a viable app for Apple’s iPad, but WhatsApp has been holding off—just like Instagram still lacks a native iPad app as well.

The reason for this is that until now, the way that data was encrypted on the WhatsApp platform didn’t allow for the company to safely sync it across multiple devices while maintaining the same level of encryption. However, according to Will Cathcart, the underlying technology has been evolving, and WhatsApp has been hard at work to make this possible in the future.

“We did a lot of work on the technology for supporting multiple devices,” Cathcart said in the interview.

“Our web and our desktop apps now have that. If I have a multi-device on, I can turn my phone off or lose my network connection and still get messages on my desktop. That would be really important for a tablet app, to be able to use the app even if your phone isn’t on. So the underlying technology is there.”

WhatsApp’s beta version of multi-device support, created last year, allowed users to link up to four devices at a time to their account. However, the downside was that you needed your phone to be connected to the internet the whole time for it to work—and even the beta version didn’t include any iPad support.

With the new technology allowing for data to remain encrypted while syncing, and Cathcart’s positive outlook, it seems that a native WhatsApp app may just be looming on the horizon after all.

January 31, 2022

TikTok honors Holocaust Remembrance Day

On Thursday, January 27, the world celebrated International Holocaust Remembrance Day—and viral media platform TikTok has joined in to do its part in memorializing the holiday, and combatting antisemitism on the platform.

Yesterday, TikTok officially announced that it would be offering new tools and features to combat the spread of hate speech and marginalization, as well as provide users with educational content to counter any misinformation on the platform.

To do this, TikTok has partnered with UNESCO and the World Jewish Congress to display a new banner across the screen, which users will see when they search for certain Holocaust-related phrases. The banner reads, “Remember to consult trusted sources to prevent the spread of hate and misinformation,” a text accompanied by a link to aboutholocaust.org.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder, stated that “the World Jewish Congress is proud to partner with UNESCO and TikTok in making factual and reliable information about the Holocaust available to the TikTok community,” as recorded in TikTok’s official blog post.

“TikTok allows us to reach a new audience,” he continued, “some of whom may be uninformed about the horrors of the Holocaust and therefore be potentially susceptible to misinformation. We welcome the platform taking responsibility and leveraging its reach to stop the spread of antisemitism and Holocaust denial.”

January 27 marks the date of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—the largest Nazi concentration camp—in 1945. It is a day on which the whole world gathers to remember the millions of people who were killed in the Holocaust during World War II.

However, TikTok’s decision to spread awareness about antisemitism isn’t limited to the Holocaust Remembrance Day holiday, nor to a week, or even month, after the event. According to the blog post, this will be a permanent change to the platform, implemented along with the provision of new educational reading material on TikTok’s main Discover page.

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