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Category: Electronics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Electronics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Bitcoin debit card makes cryptocurrency more accessible

    Bitcoin debit card makes cryptocurrency more accessible

    Coinbase has launched a debit card that enables US users to spend bitcoins anywhere Visa is accepted.

    The launch of a debit card – and the recognition of the currency by the Visa card system is further evidence that the new generation cryptocurrency is building momentum globally.

    The card is a result of a partnership between Shift Payments and Coinbase. The former aims to integrate multiple currencies into a single card, while the latter provides digital ‘wallets’ where 2.8 million users across the world go to for their bitcoin transactions. With a Shift Card, users can link their Coinbase account to a physical Visa debit card, which they can use to pay at participating stores in real life or online, wherever Visa is accepted (the team is also working on incorporating airline miles and other loyalty points.)

    For now, apart from the US$10 card issuance charge, there are small fees – domestic transactions fees from BTC to USD are charged at zero per cent, and ATM withdrawals are US$2.50.

    The Shift Card could make bitcoin more accessible, and counter its lack of usage, which is caused largely by the misconception among consumers that not many businesses accept it. (They’re wrong: 38 million merchants worldwide do).

    Unlike conventional currencies, cryptocurrency is an open network not controlled by any bank or government, but managed by its users. It is hoped that the system will provide a more democratic, transparent, and cheaper way to trade, upgrading the status quo, which some argue were not designed for the digital era.

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  • Amazon Fire tablet hits China

    Amazon Fire tablet hits China

    Amazon has launched its first ever tablet in the Chinese market. The online retail giant has made the Amazon Fire tablet available in China. It initially launched in the West back in September with an eye-catching £50 price tag.

    With a price of 499 RMB, the Amazon Fire is pretty much identically priced in this new market.

    Amazon has had to find a new search engine partner for the China launch. Google is unable to operate in the country, so Amazon is partnering with top Chinese search engine Baidu to help power its tablet.

    Baidu will also provide apps through its 91Wireless Android app store, as well as online video through iQiyi – China’s second biggest online video service.

    Amazon doesn’t enjoy anything like the same market position as it enjoys in the US and UK over in China. It’s online retail business is well behind such local giants as Alibaba and JD.com.

    It will be interesting, then, to see how the Amazon Fire tablet fares in China – especially as its low price is nothing special in a market filled with affordable, decent-quality Android tablets.

    Still, the extensive backing of China’s top search engine should at least start the Amazon Fire tablet off on something like a level playing field.

     

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  • Samsung’s Galaxy phone most valuable brand in South Korea

    Samsung’s Galaxy phone most valuable brand in South Korea

    South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy smartphone was selected as the most valuable brand in South Korea for the fifth consecutive year, a survey showed Sunday.

    The Samsung Galaxy phone ranked first in the brand survey by Seoul-based market researcher Brandstock, followed by E-Mart, a discount store chain by retail giant Shinsegae Co.

    Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s gateway airport, climbed up one notch to take third place.

    Kakao Talk, South Korea’s biggest mobile messenger with 47 million users, and Naver, the nation’s No. 1 Internet portal, came next, the researcher said.

    The brand value of German automakers suffered after Volkswagen admitted that millions of its diesel cars worldwide were equipped with software that was used to cheat on emissions tests.

    BMW’s rank tumbled from 12th to 31st, and Volkswagen, which ranked 71st last year, dropped out of the top 100, following the emissions cheating scandal, it said.

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  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Mi Pad 2 unveiled in China

    Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Mi Pad 2 unveiled in China

    Xiaomi has this week launched two new devices to its ever growing lineup, namely the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 phablet and the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 tablet.

    While these two devices probably won’t be heading across the Pacific (or Indian Ocean, for that matter) any time yet, it’s worth noting just how impressive these two devices are.

    The Redmi Note 3 for one features a 5.5-inch 1080p display, up to 3GB of RAM, a MediaTek Helio X10 processor with eight cores, and up to 32GB of internal storage. There’s also a huge 4000mAh battery in its wholly metal boody, a fingerprint sensor at the rear, and will ship with Android Lollipop.

    xiaomi redmi note 3 1

    The cameras are also impressive, sporting a 13MP rear and 5MP front camera combo, with the rear sporting a two tone flash setup.

    The most impressive thing though? It’s price. At launch, the device will retail for RMB 899 in China, or around US$140 in the States. That’s ludicrous value.

    But not stopping there, the company also outed an iPad mini 4 competition in the Mi Pad 2.

    And yes, it looks just like the iPad. That’s somehow not such a terrible thing though, especially since the Mi Pad 2 now features a 7.9-screen with a 2046×1536 display, an Intel Atom heart, and a depth of only 7mm.

    xiaomi mi pad 2

    Arguably, the Mi Pad 2 won’t keep up with the iPad mini 2 or Microsoft Surface Pro 3 in a straight line, but it’s going to retail for around US$200 in China — or about three times less than the cheapest last generation Microsoft Surface.

    Other specs include a huge 6190mAh battery, an 8MP rear 5MP front camera combo, 2GB of RAM and up to 64GB of internal storage. The company has also bolted a USB Type-C port on it for charging and data transmission. And lastly, there’s a Windows 10 option, which should appease some doubters if this device ever does make it west.

    Unfortunately, the company didn’t launch the Xiaomi Mi 5 at the event, but these two devices at least hint at Xiaomi’s targets for 2016.

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  • Samsung’s Galaxy Phone Most Valuable Brand in S. Korea

    Samsung’s Galaxy Phone Most Valuable Brand in S. Korea

    South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy smartphone was selected as the most valuable brand in South Korea for the fifth consecutive year, a survey showed Sunday. 

    The Samsung Galaxy phone ranked first in the brand survey by Seoul-based market researcher Brandstock, followed by E-Mart, a discount store chain by retail giant Shinsegae Co.

    Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s gateway airport, climbed up one notch to take third place.

    Kakao Talk, South Korea’s biggest mobile messenger with 47 million users, and Naver, the nation’s No. 1 Internet portal, came next, the researcher said.

    The brand value of German automakers suffered after Volkswagen admitted that millions of its diesel cars worldwide were equipped with software that was used to cheat on emissions tests.

    BMW’s rank tumbled from 12th to 31st, and Volkswagen, which ranked 71st last year, dropped out of the top 100, following the emissions cheating scandal, it said.

  • BlackBerry Priv available in the Philippines

    BlackBerry Priv available in the Philippines

    BlackBerry announced the availability and full features of Priv by BlackBerry, the first-ever BlackBerry smartphone powered by Android in the Philippines. Priv is available at a suggested retail price of PHP 45,000 inclusive of local taxes. It will be available from mid-December through BlackBerry’s exclusive partner in the Philippines, MemoXpress.

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  • Philippines Welcomes Chinese Smartphone Huawei Expansion

    Philippines Welcomes Chinese Smartphone Huawei Expansion

    Chinese telecommunications equipment maker is extending its reach to Southeast Asia’s retails sector.

    Huawei has launched its first experience store at the SM Mall in Manila. This new experience store represents another major step of the overseas market expansion of Huawei and the company continues to develop and grow its brand influence.

    With an area of 110 square meters, the Huawei experience store adopts a full-white minimalist design representing the “Huawei and I” idea, which aims to establish a better interaction between Huawei and its end users. In this store, users can experience Huawei’s Android watch and Google’s Nexus 6P smartphone made by Huawei.

    Charles Wu, head of the Philippines region of Huawei, said at the store opening ceremony that they launched new technologies to help users improve their quality of life. Their existing devices are widely used by users every day. Huawei provides end-to-end solutions and they introduce new products to the market with their technologies.

    Jojo Vega, Huawei’s consumer business manager, said that consumers in the Philippines show great interest in Huawei’s products. The company is now more confident and believes its stronger platform can attract more consumers and promote more interactions.

    Huawei now has 40 branded retail stores and 32 simple sales outlets in the Philippines. The company plans to increase the number of its branded stores to 60 in the country by the end of 2015.

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  • Lenovo Indonesia flagship opens

    Lenovo Indonesia flagship opens

    Lenovo Indonesia has opened its first flagship store in Jakarta.

    It is the first time the Chinese technology giant has showcased products from all the categories it competes in under the one roof in Indonesia.

    The new store is located in Ratu Plaza Jakarta, providing customers with an integrated one-stop service.

    Lenovo store Jakarta

     

    Lenovo Indonesia GM Rajesh Thadani said the company’s existing stores in Indonesia tended to focus on specific categories.

    “With this flagship store concept, we can provide our customers with all Lenovo products from servers, PCs, smartphones and tablets through end-to-end [sales],” he said.

    Another 11 flagship stores are planned for Indonesia over the next three years, three of them within six months.

    Intel and IT Gallery are partnering in the stores’ development.

    Lenovo is actively building its brand awareness across Asia with a goal to become a major vendor of smartphones as well as building upon its market leadership in laptops.

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  • Vertu eyes China

    Vertu eyes China

    Luxury phone brand Vertu says its new Hong Kong investor will allow the brand to embark on its next growth phase – into Mainland China.

    Vertu will continue to operate its global business from its UK Headquarters with new partner, Godin Holdings, a Hong Kong based company backed by a group of international investors. This move will support accelerated growth for Vertu and maximise its ‘Luxury Tech’ market leadership position.

    Since shipping its first phone in 2002, Vertu had sold around 450,000 devices worldwide, with an average selling price of around £5000 per handset last year.

    “Godin brings with it a significant understanding of the world’s fastest developing luxury market, China, as well as an ability to help with the technical development of a future range of industry leading Vertu products,” the company said in a statement.

    Vertu runs 70 of its own boutique retail stores and is sold through 430 partner stores in 66 countries. It is not yet clear if the brand will expand in China through its own store network of partner with an existing retailer.

    The new investment has led to a management shakeup with CEO Massimiliano Pogliani stepping down after three years

    As part of the new investment, a number of changes have taken place within Vertu’s management, replaced by Billy Crotty. Justine Rouch, COO and Davide Vassena, VP product and marketing, have both also left the company.

    Crotty says the company has a clear vision for the next phase of its growth.

    “Vertu is regarded as the clear leader in the luxury mobile category; a company with a strong USP, brand equity, product roadmap and established retail network; the ‘Handmade in England’ aspect of Vertu is appreciated globally as a particularly valuable, fundamental brand strength.

    “Godin Holdings’ investment will allow Vertu to maintain its leadership position within the luxury technology industry and to expand its already world class product portfolio.

    “Mainland China is a key market for Vertu, alongside its other pan-Asian and European business. All in all, the Godin team are perfectly placed to offer both investment into the company, as well as mobile technology industry expertise and contacts. Godin believes that significant growth opportunities lie ahead for Vertu, within specific markets as well as through new product developments.”

    A key part of Vertu’s future is the launch of Vertu Club, explains Crotty.

    “Vertu Club will be the umbrella for the evolution of our on-device and off-device services. Our aim is to ramp up the already very close relationship we enjoy with our customers through Concierge, Life and Certainty apps, in order that it can inform, to an ever increasing degree, not only the portfolio of services we offer, but the manner in which we do so, in order that we create a world class personal service, unattainable in any other format than that which can be achieved by being a member of the Vertu Club.”

  • Apple’s Fifth Retail Store in Beijing Opens November 28

    Apple’s Fifth Retail Store in Beijing Opens November 28

    Apple has announced that its fifth retail store in Beijing, and 27th in China, opens Saturday, November 28 at 10 AM local time. The store will be located in the new Chaoyang Joy City shopping mall at 101 Chaoyang North Road in Beijing’s city proper Chaoyang District.

    The new store will be open 10 AM-10 PM local time everyday and offer traditional Apple Store services, including the Genius Bar, Workshops, JointVenture, events and seminars. Apple’s four other retail stores in Beijing are located at China Central Mall, Sanlitun, Wangfujing and Xidan Joy City.

    Apple has opened more than seven new retail stores in China this year, including locations in Chongqing, Dalian, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanjing and Tianjin. The company is committed to expanding its footprint in China, an increasingly important market, under the leadership of retail chief Angela Ahrendts.

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  • Lenovo opens first flagship store in Indonesia

    Lenovo opens first flagship store in Indonesia

    PT Lenovo Indonesia has opened its first flagship store in Indonesia, located in Ratu Plaza Jakarta, providing customers with an integrated one-stop service for all products of the US-based gadget and computer manufacturer.

    Lenovo Indonesia’s general manager Rajesh Thadani said that the flagship store was different from Lenovo’s existing retail locations in Indonesia in which all of Lenovo’s products, from smartphones to PCs were rarely sold in one convenient location.

    “With this flagship store concept, we can provide our customers with all Lenovo products from servers, PCs, smartphones and tablets through end-to-end [sales],” he said as quoted by Kontan.co.id on Monday in Jakarta.

    Lenovo would open flagship stores in 12 large cities in Indonesia within the next three years, he added.

    “Three flagship stores will be opened in the next six months,” Rajesh said.

    He did not provide details on the investment that the company needed to open the three new flagship stores. However, he estimated that the amount would not be excessive as the company was cooperating with Intel and IT Gallery in opening the flagship stores.

  • Solar-powered Apple Store to debut in Singapore

    Apple is poised to become the first company to open a fully solar-powered store in Singapore as part of its ongoing efforts to go green with renewable energy source.

    The Cupertino-based tech giant has signed a partnership deal with solar energy developer Sunseap Group for acquiring 100% renewable electricity, once the project goes live.

    Reuters reports that Apple plans to create 200 megawatt solar energy projects in China and work with the local suppliers to obtain more renewable energy. In addition, the company is committed to purchase more power from a California solar farm for its new Silicon Valley campus, which will use rooftops to harness power from the sun.

    Apple’s new retail store and neighbouring public-owned buildings in Singapore will use rooftop solar panels on 800 buildings to generate 50 megawatts (MW) of total renewable energy that can power up to 9,000 homes. The company’s new facility will burn around 33MW of the project’s capacity.

    There is still no word on the actual location and the launch date for the upcoming retail Apple Store in Singapore. However, Sunseap managing director Frank Phuan has sounded positive about globalising sustainable energy practices as more and more companies start embracing the new technology.

     

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  • Apple to open its first retail store in Singapore in 2016

    Apple is expanding its retail store globally pretty rapidly, as the company has now announced opening of its first retail store in Singapore. Apple’s this store is reportedly going to open sometime in 2016. We first got this news last month, when it was reported that the Cupertino based company is opening its first retail store in Singapore.

    Today, Apple has listed out several job vacancies like Specialists, Business Specialists, Creative, and some other Apple positions for its Singapore Retail Store. This store is going to open at Knightsbridge at a four storage luxury shopping center.

    As of Now, Apple doesn’t have any official retail store in this region. So people, who are interested in buying Apple product have to buy their devices from third party retailers or online store. But if anyone wants to buy product from Apple’s official retail store, then they have to go to company’s retail store in Hong Kong or Australia.

    As of now, we don’t have any specific date of opening of Apple retail store in Singapore, but it is going to open sometime next year.

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  • New Apple Store Opens in Chengdu on November 21

    New Apple Store Opens in Chengdu on November 21

    Apple, continuing its aggressive retail expansion in China, has announced that it will be opening its 22nd retail store in the country in Chengdu, a major city in Sichuan Province, on Saturday, November 21 at 10:00 AM local time. The new store is slated to open less than a month after the grand opening of the 21st Apple Store in China in the major port city of Dalian on October 24.The new Chengdu store will be located in the upscale Taikoo Li shopping plaza at 8 Middle Shamao Street in the Jinjiang District, where several high-end retailers such as Gucci, Omega and Zara are located. The store will be open 10 AM-10 PM local time everyday and offer traditional Apple Store services, including the Genius Bar, Workshops, JointVenture, events and seminars.

    Apple has also posted new job listings for its first retail store in Singapore, which is rumored to open in late 2016 at the Knightsbridge four-story luxury shopping center. The company is looking for Specialists, Geniuses, Creatives, Business Specialists and other traditional Apple Store positions.

    Apple does not currently have an official retail presence in Singapore, a large city-state and country south of Malaysia in Southeast Asia, but the Apple Online Store and dozens of Apple Authorized Resellers operate in the region. The closest physical Apple Stores are located several hours away by plane in Australia and Hong Kong.

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  • BlackBerry’s Priv Arrives in Hong Kong

    BlackBerry’s Priv Arrives in Hong Kong

     BlackBerry Ltd’s first Android-based smartphone, Priv, is coming to Hong Kong, according to a company release. Priv is expected to be formally available in retail stores in Hong Kong starting mid this month. In Hong Kong, Priv will be available at a price starting from HK$6,488. The device costs $700 in the U.S.

    BlackBerry Ltd’s Priv is set to officially launch in Hong Kong in the coming days. Powered by Alphabet Inc’s Android, BlackBerry presents Priv as a productivity tool that also doesn’t compromise on security or privacy. BlackBerry will sell Priv at HK$6,488 in Hong Kong as it targets to reclaim lost share of the smartphone market in Asia. The device is sold in the U.S. at $700 and is initially supported by AT&T Inc.

    Priv is a dramatic departure from BlackBerry’s hardware tradition. The smartphone not only runs a foreign operating system (Android), but also features dual keyboard whereby one is virtual and the other is a traditional physical keyboard. According to BlackBerry, the physical keyboard is perfect for fast and accurate typing, which is why power professionals would love the device.

    As a productivity tool, Priv gives users access to more than a million apps on Alphabet’s Google Play.

    Hardware built encryption

    Physical keyboard for productivity is only one of the key distinguishing features of Priv. BlackBerry has also improved security in the device by building encryption into the hardware. Most mobile security features are software-based. However, with heightened risks of hacking, building security into the device chips is expected to become popular. Speculations recently swirled that Alphabet was considering making custom chips for Android phones and it is believed the strategy is aimed at bringing device security to the chip level.

    In the case of Priv, BlackBerry has not only build encryption keys into the hardware, but also guarantees secure boot to ensure that nothing catches you unawares.

    Specs
    BlackBerry Ltd’s Priv spots 5.4-inch AMOLED display that renders resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. The device is powered by Qualcomm, Inc.’s Snapdragon 808 processor. Priv ships with 32GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 2TB through microSD card. The smartphone comes with 18MP camera at the back.

    The productivity nature of BlackBerry’s Priv is reinforced by a 3410 mAh battery capable of delivery 22.5 hours of usage.

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