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Category: General

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

  • AirAsia X Launches Kuala Lumpur – Taipei – Okinawa Flights

    AirAsia X Launches Kuala Lumpur – Taipei – Okinawa Flights

    AirAsia X has launched flights between Kuala Lumpur and Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan.

    AirAsia will operate the flights, which will fly via Taipei, four times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

    Flight D7 384 is scheduled to leave KL at 07:35 and land in Taipei at 12:20. The aircraft then departs Taipei at 13:20, landing in Okinawa at 16:00.

    The return flight, D7 385, is timed to leave Naha Airport at 17:30 and land in Taipei at 18:10 before departing for KL at 19:10. The aircraft is scheduled to land back in KL at 00:05 the following day.

    AirAsia X Chairman, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, said, “With the addition of Okinawa, AirAsia X now flies to 35 destinations. Together with AirAsia Group, our combined fleet of over 250 aircraft can now connect Okinawa with over 150 destinations across ASEAN, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the US.”

    Travelers from Kuala Lumpur to Okinawa Naha are not required to obtain a visa during their one-hour stopover in Taipei and may return to their seats after clearing a quick security check of their carry-on bags and inflight belongings.

    “As we begin to accept the delivery of the technologically-advanced Airbus A330neo aircraft later this year, the Group will continue to evaluate and consider launching exciting and viable new routes to destinations such as in Eastern Europe, within Asia and Australia. Such new routes, if viable, can accelerate domestic and regional tourism growth, especially in key markets with high demand,” added Tan Sri Rafidah.

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  • Masan chairman opens up on Vincommerce merger

    Masan chairman opens up on Vincommerce merger

    Masan’s acquisition of a majority stake in Vingroup’s minimart chain was a “big step” to break into consumer retail, the group’s chairman says.

    The food conglomerate chose Vincommerce as an acquisition target because it had the largest retail platform by a number of points of sale and accounted for 25 percent of the modern retail market, Nguyen Dang Quang, Masan Chairman, told shareholders in a report Thursday.

    Vincommerce’s network of 2,600 VinMart supermarkets and VinMart+ convenience stores nationwide is also well placed to bring added value to MEAT Deli, Masan’s clean meat brand, he said.

    “Although not everyone agreed with the merger deal, with many saying that retail is a completely different playing field, for us it all starts with putting consumers first, and this is our strength.”

    Quang said new shopping experiences and the ability to serve customers anytime, anywhere was a basic consumer need now. So combining Vincommerce’s modern network and Masan’s 300,000 traditional points of sale across the country will help build a modern and seamless retail system to serve consumers, he added.

    Thursday was the first time the Masan chairman has opened up about the group’s merger deal with Vietnam’s biggest private conglomerate Vingroup last December, which saw it acquire an 83.74 percent stake in Vincommerce.

    Masan will set up a new entity that holds the majority stake in Vincommerce, and an 85.7 percent stake in Masan Consumer, Masan’s subsidiary which produces consumer goods. Masan will hold 70 percent of this entity, while Vingroup and other investors that previously held stakes in Vincommerce but transferred them to Masan, will own the remaining 30 percent.

    Masan Group plans to have the new entity break even on an EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) basis in 2020, but said it could close between 150-300 stores that are unable to break even or fail to meet traffic targets.

    MSN shares of Masan Group on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange had plummeted to floor price upon news of the merger deal on December 3, and the stock had lost 22.6 percent at the time of writing.

    Several securities companies have said that although the merger deal is considered mutually beneficial to both parties in the long-run, investors are worried Masan’s short-term profitability will take a hit, as Vingroup’s retail business segment, mostly made up of Vinmart stores, has recorded losses for five consecutive years from 2014.

    The latest financial reports showed that the segment has gone on to lose VND2.52 trillion ($108.76 million) for Vingroup in the first six months of 2019.

    In a letter to Vincommerce employees in December, Vingroup had also said it will not hold a majority stake in the merged entity to focus resources on technology and industry.

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  • Lao Rugby Kicks of 2020 by Hosting the DHL Vientiane 10s

    Lao Rugby Kicks of 2020 by Hosting the DHL Vientiane 10s

    This story about the Vientiane 10s has been kindly provided by the Lao Rugby Federation Later this month rugby players and enthusiasts from Lao PDR, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, UK, and Australia will come together in Hanoi and Vientiane for the second consecutive DHL sponsored rugby 10s series.

    Formerly known as the Vientiane International Rugby Championship, the DHL Vientiane 10s is the LRF’s flagship competition. In 2019 the Lao Rugby Federation (LRF) partnered with neighboring Hanoi 10s to create a multi-tournament series spanning two weeks in January.4/

    The second year of the series will kick off in 2020 with a single-day tournament in Hanoi on 18 January and a multi-day tournament in Vientiane on 25-26 January. More than 20 local and international teams will compete in Men’s, Women’s, and U18 Girls and Boys contact competitions, as well as U13 tag rugby.

    In the largest year of the Hanoi 10s competition, 12 senior teams will participate in the men’s and women’s divisions joined by 8 U18s boys’ and girls’ teams from Vietnam’s newly-formed rugby clubs including Coui Ha Club, Hop Dong Club, Thong Tien Club, Nuong Dam Club, Kim Truy Club, and Du Sang Club. In the senior divisions, DAC Weredragons will be returning to the DHL Hanoi 10s to defend their Cup Championship.

    The Kim Boi Wild Cats, DAC Rejectors and Hanoi Dragons will also be returning in this year’s men’s division joined by tournament newcomers, Raw Dogs and Hanoi Ghost Dragons. In the women’s division, the Kim Boi Wild Cats will return for the second year of the tournament joined by five teams making their first appearance at the DHL Hanoi 10s including DAC Weredragons, Hanoi Barbarians, NUS Singapore and Alexandre Yersin.

    Three visiting international teams from DAC Weredragons will travel to Hanoi prior to the tournament in order to learn about and support the development of rugby in the country through participating in some activities with Vietnamese ChildFund Pass It Back teams.

    The ChildFund Pass It Back curriculum, which was piloted in rural Laos from 2012-2014, endeavors to help young people build knowledge and skills through rugby in topics like leadership, gender equity, future planning, safety and health.

    Today, more than 3,000 young players are registered and actively participating in the curriculum in Laos and over 1,000 in Vietnam.

    In addition to the action on the pitch, the Kim Boi Wild Cats from Hoa Binh Province in Northern Vietnam will be supporting most of the DHL Hanoi 10s tournament management.

    In the first year of the competition in Hanoi, the LRF was proud to send Lao staff to support in lead management roles for the largest 10s international competition held in Vietnam to date.

    This year, the LRF’s Vietnamese colleagues will be building on the skills they learned in 2019 and taking the reigns as match officials in the U18s competition and as senior first aid and technical leads in the senior competition.

    The LRF has been partnering with ChildFund Vietnam since 2015 to support rugby development in the country. Over the 5 years of the partnership, Lao Coaches have supported many exciting developments from the first international tag competition in 2017 through to the first women’s 15s match in 2019 where the Kim Boi Wild Cats faced off against the DAC Lao Nagas in a historic match in Hanoi.

    The Kim Boi Wild Cats are current or former ChildFund Pass It Back Coaches who have been developing their skills in rugby administration and leadership roles in their local community since 2015.

    This group of young Vietnamese leaders has recently registered their clubs with the Vietnamese government and now be applying their skills on the international stage as the DHL Hanoi 10s prepares for this record-breaking year.

    Following the excitement in Hanoi, the LRF will welcome 32 teams for the 14th year of the DHL Vientiane 10s on 25-26 January.

    Twelve men’s teams in the senior elite division will be bolstered by returning 2019 DHL Vientiane 10s Men’s Cup Champions, Royal Thai Police and include series competitors DAC Weredragons, Hanoi Dragons and Raw Dogs. The Lao Barbarians and Vientiane Buffalos will represent Laos in the men’s top division joined by the Royal Thai Navy, Bangkok Southerners, Bangkok Warriors, Changzhou Giants, DAC Rejectors and Regency.

    2019 DHL Vientiane 10s Women’s Cup Champions, the Vientiane Lions will return in the women’s senior division alongside the Vientiane Buffalettes and Xieng Khoung RFC from Laos.

    The returning Banger Belles will be joined by DAC Weredragons, Made in China and MSU Pretty Crabs, all of which will be competing in Vientiane for the first time in what promises to be an exciting women’s senior competition. Additionally, 8 U18s boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in the U18s division including Lao teams from the LRF’s newest clubs: the Vientiane Province Gold Crabs and the Kham District Golden Elephants.

    “Year after year the competition draws top University and Club teams from across the region for a weekend of rugby,” comments LRF President Mr. Virayouth Rathikoun. “This is set to be the biggest 10s series in the region to date and competition will be fierce.

    The LRF is proud to play a role in supporting not only a budding club scene in Laos, but also strong tournament administration and rugby development beyond our borders.”

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  • NokScoot soars to new heights for punctuality

    NokScoot soars to new heights for punctuality

    NokScoot, the joint venture low-cost carrier of Thailand’s Nok Air and Singapore’s Scoot, achieved its best-ever annual on-time performance (OTP) since the start of operation with an average of 86.55% in 2019.

    The airline’s 2019 punctuality report revealed that the airline obtained its highest OTP on record even though the flights flown increased by 30% or 1,162 flights. Last year alone, it operated 4,951 flights, an increased from 3,789 flights flown in 2018. During the busiest month of 2019 in December, it earned a perfect 100% OTP for both, Tokyo Narita International Airport in Japan and Qingdao International Airport in China.

    “At NokScoot, we always work hard in order to offer the best services and provide an enjoyable flying experience to our passengers.” said Yodchai Sudhidhanakul, CEO of NokScoot. “OTP is crucial and has always been one of our five core values, ‘Consistently Deliver’. We are committed to maintain and enhance the highest standard in every aspect, including punctuality, safety and convenience.”

    The carrier currently flies from Bangkok to nine destinations in East Asia and India, including Nanjing, Qingdao, Shenyang, Tianjin, Taipei, Tokyo, Sapporo, Osaka, and New Delhi.

  • Nok Air suspends Guwahati-Bangkok flights from January 20

    Nok Air suspends Guwahati-Bangkok flights from January 20

    As per reports, Nok Air is expected to resume its operations from April 12, 2020.

    The airline has cited ‘operational reasons’ behind its decision to suspend the flights.

    Nok Air, which is a subsidiary of Thai Airways International, had operated its flights in the Guwahati-Bangkok route twice a week.

    It may be mentioned that Nok Air, which had started its flight operations from Guwahati to Bangkok in September last year, had suspended its operations just four months after airline SpiceJet has suspended the Guwahati-Dhaka direct flight service.

    The reason behind the suspension of the ambitious Guwahati-Dhaka flight service was due to not getting the desired number of passengers.

    Due to poor business operations of the flight service, SpiceJet had first reduced the frequency of the flight service from daily to twice a week.

    However, the new outcome of the flight service still being poor, SpiceJet had finally decided to suspend its operations.

    At present, only two international flights would remain operational from the Guwahati airport and that is Druk Airlines’ flights from Guwahati to Singapore and Guwahati to Paro.

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  • Tet shopping frenzy at Hanoi supermarkets

    Tet shopping frenzy at Hanoi supermarkets

    With a week to go before the Lunar New Year, or Tet, supermarkets in Hanoi are thronged with shoppers.

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  • Cebu Pacific Celebrates Dinagyang with Fiesta Fun Fest

    Cebu Pacific Celebrates Dinagyang with Fiesta Fun Fest

    Festivals are much a part of the Filipino culture as its distinct cuisines and hospitality. Filipino festivals across cities are vastly different; with different practices and tributes but still tied to an undeniable sense of Filipino community and camaraderie.

    For 2020, Cebu Pacific launches the Fiesta Fun Fest, a global campaign that will highlight the country’s top festivals that have marked the Philippines as a tourism destination among locals and foreigners alike.

    Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival is the second stop of the Cebu Pacific Fiesta Fun Fest campaign, following the kickoff activity during the Sinulog Festival in Cebu early this year. In the true spirit of dagyang, Cebu Pacific will be having on-ground booths filled with fun games and prizes. Around 100 Grab cars will also bear the Cebu Pacific brand and its corresponding direct Iloilo routes to highlight the merits of travel, whether by land or air, especially during grand gatherings such as Dinagyang.

    To make this year’s Dinagyang Festival even more fun, Cebu Pacific will be holding a special sale for all routes in and out of its hub in Iloilo. For as low as PHP99, fly direct between Iloilo and Cebu, Clark, Puerto Princesa, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General Santos and Manila; from Iloilo to Singapore, and vice versa for as low as PHP2016; and Iloilo to Hong Kong for as low as PHP499.

    Iloilo serves as the primary hub of Cebu Pacific in Western Visayas, with nine direct domestic and international routes and 172 flights weekly, catering to a growing number of travelers in the region. Cebu Pacific has maintained its leadership in the Iloilo market, with 54% capacity share.

    Watch out for the next stop of the Cebu Pacific Fiesta Fun Fest! Visit the official Cebu Pacific social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more details.

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  • Taxis, ride-hailing apps hike Tet ride charges

    Taxis, ride-hailing apps hike Tet ride charges

    Taxis are refusing to charge by the meter and ride-hailing apps have doubled ‘peak hour’ prices and added surcharges as Tet draws close.

    Monday evening, five days before the Lunar New Year (Tet), Hoang Viet requested a car on ride-hailing app Grab. He was surprised to find that his 14-kilometer trip from an office block in Duy Tan street to the Gia Lam Bus Station cost VND280,000 ($12.11), more than double the usual price.

    When he tried to request rides on other apps like Be and Fastgo, he found that the prices were cheaper, but was unable to find a driver who would accept his request.

    Many others have reported running into similar situations since last week, especially during peak hours when travel demand is high as people rush to shop before Tet.

    Ngoc Mai, another resident, said it took her half an hour to call a taxi home after taking her child to a shopping center in downtown Hanoi.

    “Before opening the door, the driver asked me for VND120,000 ($5.2) for a 5-kilometer trip. This usually costs VND60,000-70,000 ($2.6-3) on regular days,” she said.

    Mai then asked three other taxis parked around the mall, but received similarly high quotes, with drivers saying they were charging more because of traffic jams around the city. Mai ended up requesting a ride on an app, but it took 20 minutes for the driver to come to pick her up.

    During the ride, Mai’s driver apologized and explained that the roads had become heavily congested over the last few days. Despite his company charging higher fees, he was making only VND1 million ($43) from less than 10 rides, while on normal days, his revenue could go up to VND1.5 million ($65), he said.

    “It’s not that we want to reject passengers, but roads are now very busy, especially in downtown streets, where it could take an hour to go just one kilometer. Yes, we have raised prices, but Grab has done so as well,” said the driver of a traditional taxi who did not wish to be named.

    Taxi prices are expected to go even higher, with most-ride hailing firms adding a surcharge to support drivers during the Tet holiday – from January 23-27.

    From Wednesday, passengers will have to pay an extra VND10,000 ($0.43) per trip on GrabBike and VND15,000 ($0.65) on GrabCar, the Singapore-based company has announced.

    Local ride-hailing firm Be also said it was adding a surcharge of VND20,000 ($0.86) per car ride during Tet peak times, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 4 p.m.-11 p.m.

    Meanwhile, Indonesia-based Go-Viet has said it will charge an additional VND20,000 ($0.86) for GoBike rides for the first 2 kilometers, and an additional VND5,000 ($0.22) for every kilometer after. It will also charge an additional VND10,000 ($0.43) fee per trip during the night.

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  • AirAsia, Malindo cancel all flights bound to and from Wuhan, China

    AirAsia, Malindo cancel all flights bound to and from Wuhan, China

    AirAsia Group Bhd and Malindo Air have both halted all flights to and from Wuhan, China, in view of the coronavirus outbreak there.

    While Malindo did not specify how long the suspension will be in effect, AirAsia said the canceled flights affect all AirAsia flights bound to Wuhan from Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok and Phuket until Jan 28.

    Both airlines, in making the announcement in separate statements today, said they are closely monitoring the situation in Wuhan.

    “This is in response to the travel ban from the officials in Wuhan on the coronavirus outbreak to ensure the safety, security, and comfort of air travel to the flight crew and guests or passengers,” said Malindo.

    “Passengers who hold a valid booking for travel between Jan 23 and Feb 8 this year may contact our call center at +603-7841 5388 or walk into our ticketing office for further assistance,” it added.

    AirAsia, meanwhile, assures that the safety and wellbeing of its guests and Allstars is its top priority. AirAsia is complying with advice and regulations from global and local health authorities, including the World Health Organisation.

    “AirAsia guests who are in Wuhan are advised to abide by announcements made by the Government and health authorities, and to contact their respective diplomatic missions or embassies in China for assistance,” it said.

    It has also arranged the following alternatives for those who wish to alter their traveling plans to and from Wuhan:

    1. Reroute: Reroute to any other mainland China station for flights to Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok and Phuket without additional cost, subject to seat availability. Applicable for all flights until Feb 29, 2020, or

    2. Credit account: Retain the value of your fare in your AirAsia BIG Loyalty account for future travel with AirAsia. The online credit account is to be redeemed for booking within 90 calendar days from the issuance date for your travel with us. The actual travel dates can be after the expiry date as long as our flight schedule is out. Applicable for all flights until Feb 29, 2020, or

    3. Full refund: Obtain a full refund to your original payment method for the amount equivalent to your booking if flights are canceled. Applicable for all flights until Feb 15, 2020 and return flights from Feb 16-29, 2020.

    “Guests whose flights fall into the above date range can obtain a full refund in the amount equivalent to that booking in the form of original payment. Refund requests can be made with AVA at support.airasia.com. From the main menu categories available, click on ‘refund’ then ‘new refund request’ and finally ‘AirAsia flights to/from Wuhan’. From there, simply follow the instructions as directed by AVA.

    “For bookings made through travel agents including online travel agents, refund requests are to be made via the respective travel agents,” AirAsia added.

  • Kung Hei Fat Choi!

    Kung Hei Fat Choi!

    As we welcome the Year of the Rat, all of us at Retailnews.asia would like to wish you and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous Lunar New Year!

    This Lunar New Year marks not only the beginning of a new decade but also the start of the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle. The Year of the Rat is known to be a symbol of wealth, vitality and the beginning of a new day. Likewise, crm.retailnews.asia wishes you all the best in a fresh start to 2020 filled with great health and prosperity.

    We hope you surround yourselves with family and friends as you welcome the year with celebration and love.

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  • Azimut Yachts Hong Kong Concludes a Remarkable 2019

    Azimut Yachts Hong Kong Concludes a Remarkable 2019

    Azimut Yachts celebrated the group’s 50th anniversary year packed full of exciting events, sales, new launches, deliveries and awards throughout 2019. Azimut Yachts Hong Kong, with its offices and dealer partners in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and Singapore saw a wave of confidence across the region with an impressive number of yacht sales and handovers plus a series of well-planned and well-attended event. The busy year also saw the opening of two new sales offices; in Aberdeen, Hong Kong and Shenzhen Bay Yacht Club, Guangdong China.

    Bringing Azimut Yachts to Asia’s Doorstep

    A series of more than 10 events across Asia further promoted and elevated Azimut Yachts in the region. Through each of the events, Azimut Yachts celebrated with existing yacht owners as well as, provided an opportunity to showcase new yachts to potential new Azimut owners.  Events included the Macao Boat show, the Shenzhen Bay Yachting Festival – where Azimut Yachts Guangdong hosted the La Dolce Vita Italian Night – filmed by “Dolce Vita” Chinese TV and exclusive private bank and supercar events in Singapore and Hong Kong. In the coastal Taiwanese city, Tainan,, the first new S6 delivered to the region was handed over at the new Argo Yacht Club. The regional event of the year was the Azimut Yachts Party at the Singapore Yacht Show, where over 200 guests enjoyed live music and dance performances waterside against the backdrop of the New Azimut 55 and 25m Grande.

    Introducing New Yachts to Asia

    In October Azimut Yachts Guangdong proudly welcomed the first new Atlantis 45 to a captivated audience in Shenzhen, China. The Atlantis 45 is the successor to the Atlantis 43, a very popular yacht that exceeded all expectations by delivering over 140 yachts worldwide in four years. Featuring Volvo IPS propulsion, this new model takes on design cues from her larger sister, the Atlantis 51. The vertical bow stretches forward to boost the dynamics of a boat bringing out the sharpness of this yacht’s contours and its sporty soul.

    A series of successful 2019 Deliveries

    The Group completed an impressive number of deliveries across Asia. In 2019 several new models, including the S6, Atlantis 45, Azimut 55, Azimut Grande 25M and Azimut Grande 32, were delivered to new and repeat clients in Taiwan, Shenzhen, Singapore and Hong Kong. In addition, throughout the year, there was a steady stream of deliveries of the ever-popular Flybridge and Magellano models across all regions, and during the summer season alone no fewer than four  Azimut Grande models were delivered to Hong Kong and Singapore clients.

    In 2020 the Group  will introduce the latest new Azimut models to Asia, such as the stunning new S Range sisters the S10 and S8,  and the Azimut 78 Flybridge, all recently launched at the Cannes Yachts Festival in September.  New Azimut models are always hugely anticipated and these are no exception, with and S8 and 78 Flybridge already set for Hong Kong and Singapore deliveries before the summer.

    Regional Awards

    In addition to several industry awards won by the Group in 2019, Marine Italia Ltd, Azimut Yachts Hong Kong was awarded “Best after-sales support Worldwide (Excluding USA)” during the Azimut Yachts GLOBAL dealers meeting 2019 for their exceptionally high-quality customer service work and investments in customer support for the region.

    Azimut|Benetti closed out the 50th anniversary year, confirming its place for the 20th time as the world’s leading builder of high-end mega yachts, based on the international Global Order Book 2020 ranking of top yacht builders recently published by the highly- reputed magazine Boat International.

  • Facebook dark theme rolling out to more Android users

    Facebook dark theme rolling out to more Android users

    Facebook has been trying to implement the long-awaited dark theme into its Android app for many months, which isn’t something unusual. We’ve been hearing reports about the company’s struggles to finalize the feature, but it looks like Facebook’s endeavor turned into a marathon rather than a sprint.

    Starting today, a lot more people have started to see the new dark theme in the Facebook app reports. We’re still not convinced that Facebook has finally nailed the feature for Android users and is making it available for everyone.

    However, it’s a clear sign that the company is confident in the results and is rolling out the dark theme to more Android users, one of the final steps before a wider deployment. It’s probably just coincidence that a few days ago WhatsApp has finally managed to deliver the highly-anticipated dark theme to Android beta users.

    We can’t promise you that you’ll see the new dark theme right away, but we’re certain it won’t take long until Facebook will start a wider roll-out of the feature, so stick around for more updates on the matter.

  • Google offers three apps to keep you from getting addicted to your phone

    Google offers three apps to keep you from getting addicted to your phone

    The Google Play Store now features three Google apps designed to fight back against phone addiction. One, called Envelope, was developed by the company’s Special Projects – Experiments division and currently supports the Pixel 3a only. This app first requires you to print out a real envelope and put your Pixel 3a into it. There are cutouts only for the fingerprint reader and the main camera in the back. This reduces the functionality of the phone which will be able to make and take calls, give you the time, and take photos and videos. In other words, the app essentially turns your smartphone into a feature phone.
    Keep in mind that the envelope does prevent you from viewing the photos and videos you have just taken. Because the UI uses a black background, the app is battery friendly even if you keep your Pixel 3a inside the envelope all day. The few comments posted on the Play Store mostly gave Envelope a strong review.
    Another app found in the Play Store designed to fight phone addiction is called Activity Bubbles. Each time you unlock your phone, a new bubble is created on the screen. The bubble continues to grow in size until the phone is locked. This gives you a visual look at how often you are using your phone over the course of a day. This app and the Screen Stopwatch were developed by Google Creative Lab. The Screen Stopwatch is somewhat similar to the Activity Bubbles. Every time you unlock your handset, the large stopwatch counts off how long the display has been active over the course of a day. All three of these apps are free.

    Google originally offered the Digital Wellbeing app on the Pixels and it now is available for other Android phones as well. Last year, Google added a new requirement to the licensing agreement that it requires phone manufacturers to sign in order to use the Google Mobile Services version of Android. All phones upgraded to or installed with Android 9 or Android 10 must now come with Digital Wellbeing or feature a similar app developed by a licensed Android manufacturer.

    The topic of screen addiction was addressed in a documentary from 2016 called The Screenagers. In 2018, students from California’s Stanford University made big news by protesting against screen addiction at an Apple Store in Palo Alto. The protestors belonged to a group called Stanford Students Against Addictive Devices or SSAAD. The group was complaining that Apple wasn’t doing anything to stop users from constantly checking their iPhones. Some believe that this protest specifically led Apple to create Screen Time, a feature that tracks the daily usage of an iPhone user. And that led Google to create Digital Wellbeing.
    Screen addiction is a real problem. Last month, a study from London consisting of 42,000 adolescents discovered that 25% of the kids in the study were addicted to their phones and even experienced withdrawal symptoms when they had their handsets taken away from them.
  • Twitter is adding a major messaging feature to its apps

    Twitter is adding a major messaging feature to its apps

    Perhaps some of you already heard that Twitter is working on a messaging feature that somewhat mimics Apple’s iMessage reactions. The feature was in development and testing for a while now, which is why some of you might already know what’s this all about.

    Today, the social media platform announced that new emoji reactions for Direct Messages are available on the web, Android and iOS. Twitter also explains how to use the new messaging feature and advises users to update to the latest version to get it if they didn’t already.

    To add a reaction, hover over the message and click the reaction button (heart and plus icon), or double-tap on the message and pick an emoji from the pop-up. You can undo a reaction at any time and it will be removed from the message for all participants. Click or tap on a reaction in a conversation to view who reacted to the message.
    You can add an emoji reaction to any type of Direct Message be it text or media attachments. And yes, every time your Direct Message will get a reaction, you will be notified via Twitter. If you don’t like that, you can simply mute these notifications for 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 week, or Forever. This means that you will continue to receive new messages, it’s just that you won’t receive any notifications each time you get them.

    Now, it’s important to note that if you’re using an older version of Twitter that doesn’t support the new messaging feature, you will still get them but they will be displayed as text-based messages.

  • New App Makes Retail Workplaces More Accessible for People with a Disability

    New App Makes Retail Workplaces More Accessible for People with a Disability

    Helping to increase the employment of a more diverse workforce

    The first workforce management solution app to be fully accessibility compliant has been launched, making retail workplaces in Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific region more inclusive for people with disabilities and an ageing population.

    The new release of Humanforce’s mobile app complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA rating. This means it meets 100 percent of the recommendations for making content accessible to people with disabilities including colour-blindness and low vision.

    “There is an unresolved tension between the business and technology vendor desire for integrating the most advanced technology solutions that often best meet the needs of millennial workers, and also making the workplace more inclusive of diversity,” explained Mike McGee, Chief Product Officer, Humanforce. “Too often we see the former being the priority at the expense of workers with a disability and those that make up our ageing workforce.”

    Recent research from McKinsey found that businesses, such as large chain retailers, with higher diversity are more likely to achieve higher financial performance. However, people with a disability are often overlooked when it comes to workplace diversity. The Ministry of Manpower found in June 2018 that 28.6 percent of people with a disability in Singapore were employed, while 4.2 percent were unemployed but looking for work, which translate to an unemployment rate of 12.9 percent. Additionally, it found that 67.2 percent of people with a disability were outside of the labour force due to poor health or disability. This compares to a 2.3 percent unemployment rate for the entire Singapore population.

    “Retail employers can be doing much more to make the workplace more inclusive for the people with a disability currently working and also to increase employment of the many people with a disability looking for work. And as we see the retirement age raised to 35 by 2030 and the re-employment age also go up to 70 by 2030, we’re also going to see the number of people with a disability in the workplace increase.

    “A key piece of the puzzle is ensuring all the workplace technologies retailers invest in to increase their success don’t work to preference younger workers, while discriminating against workers with a disability and the ageing population,” added Mike.

    Find out more about Humanforce.

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