Category: Living

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  • Netflix indirectly confirms Exynos 2200 launch with Galaxy S22

    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.

  • Fuel distributors seek foreign supply amid refinery production trim

    Fuel distributors seek foreign supply amid refinery production trim

    Vietnamese fuel distributors are negotiating with foreign suppliers to ensure adequate inventory for the holiday after the country’s biggest refinery cease imports due to cash shortage.
    PVOil, the second-biggest fuel distributor in Vietnam behind Petrolimex, has secured a deal with a foreign supplier to import more gasoline amid the expected shortage.

    The supplier gave an acceptable price with reasonable delivery time, said Cao Hoai Duong, company chairman, without revealing details of the supplier and price.

    The fact that Nghi Son Oil Refinery has cut down its production from 105 percent to 80 percent due to insufficient funds is urging fuel distributors to scramble for solutions to have enough inventory for the upcoming nine-day Tet holiday, which begins Saturday.

    “The imports, together with our backup inventory, is enough for PVOil to cover the expected market shortage before, during and after Tet,” Duong said.

    An anonymous director of a central distributor said the company has finally been able to secure a deal with a supplier and will have enough inventory for the holiday.

    A media representative of leading distributor Petrolimex did not say whether it would import more as the company is still receiving the agreed amount of inventory from Nghi Son.

    “In whatever scenario we will strive to ensure there would be sufficient inventory to distribute to the market.”

    Nghi Son said that it had to cut production because state-owned energy giant Petrovietnam has not approved import contracts and therefore it has to cancel two crude oil imports this month.

    Therefore the factory might have to shut down in mid-February.

    However, Petrovietnam stated Wednesday that the factory canceled the two shipments and that it had nothing to do with the approval of import contracts.

    Matters concerning the contracts are part of Nghi Son’s restructuring plan, which is under negotiation, the statement read.

    Nghi Son Oil Refinery has a capacity of 200,000 crude oil barrels a day, or 10 million tons a year, twice that of Vietnam’s other refinery Dung Quat Oil Refinery in Quang Ngai Province.

    State-owned fuel company Petrovietnam has a 25.1 percent stake in the plant, while the rest are owned by three foreign firms: Kuwait Petroleum International (35.1 percent and Japanese companies Idemitsu Kosan (35.1 percent) and Mitsui Chemicals (4.7 percent).

  • Gold prices hit new peak

    Gold prices hit new peak

    Vietnam’s gold price hit a new historic peak of VND62.7 million ($2,769.32) per tael Tuesday, surpassing the previous record in August 2020, even as global rates went flat.

    Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC) sold its gold at VND62.7 million per tael Tuesday, up 1.2 percent to a new record. A tael equals 37.5 grams or 1.2 ounces.

    Jewelry company DOJI sold its gold at around VND62.6 million and Phu Nhuan Jewelry, for VND62.3 million.

    Global rates were little changed at $1,840.49 per ounce Tuesday afternoon as concerns about a faster pace of policy tightening by the U.S. central bank countered safe-haven demand, fueled by escalating tension over Ukraine.

    Vietnam’s gold is now VND12 million, or 23.7 percent, higher than global rates.

  • Rents for Hanoi serviced apartments plunge to three-year low

    Rents for Hanoi serviced apartments plunge to three-year low

    Hanoi serviced apartment rents fell by 3 percent to a three-year low of VND547,000 (US$24.16) per square meter per month last quarter, according to Savills Vietnam.

    Compared to a year earlier the average rents for grades A-C apartments decreased by 4 percent to VND705,000, and 11 percent to VND233,000.

    The average occupancy remained unchanged from the third quarter at 69 percent but increased by 2 percent year-on-year.

    Nam Tu Liem District saw the highest rate of 83 percent, followed by Hai Ba Trung with 79 percent and Long Bien with 78 percent.

    Ten grade A and B projects has an occupancy of more than 90 percent.

    Post-Covid-19 tenants have higher requirements of the place they live in, prioritizing a good healthcare system, air quality and green space, according to a global survey done last year. Branded serviced apartments that collaborate with epidemiologists to improve their healthcare and safety quality are thus favored by tenants now.

    Savills said investors are opting to build serviced apartments on a smaller scale, and studio and one-bedroom apartments account for 49 percent of the market now.

    Apartments with two and three bedrooms account for 35 percent and 14 percent.

    The four projects that came into the market last year have small units with an area of 15-56 square meters accounting for some 65 percent.

    The revenue per square meter from small apartments is 4-15 percent higher than from larger ones.

    Studio and one-bedroom serviced apartments are becoming flexible, offering dual keys and both long-term and short-term lease.

    Savills said thanks to having double the space (kitchen, living room and office), dual-key apartments serve tenants’ demand for working remotely.

  • Manufacturing, IT firms rush to recruit workers

    Manufacturing, IT firms rush to recruit workers

    Manufacturing and tech companies are rushing to recruit workers as foreign companies show rising interest in setting up or expanding their factories in Vietnam.

    Electronics manufacturer Jabil Vietnam is recruiting 500 workers in Ho chi Minh City, with a bonus of VND3.3 million ($145.62) promised to each new employee.

    Other companies in Saigon Hi-Tech Park Training Center, including drugs company Sanofi, along with electronics manufacturers Platel Vina and Intel are also looking for technicians.

    HCMC companies need around 30,000 new workers before the annual Tet holiday, which falls in the first week of February this year, according to the city’s Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

    After Tet, they need up to 75,000 more, it said, adding that information technology, electric and electronics are the main sectors recruiting.

    A recent report by recruitment company Navigos shows that in the north, many new electronics manufacturing projects from China are looking to recruit staff.

    But these factories have difficulties in finding the right people as they are located far away from big cities and there are few fluent Chinese-speaking workers.

    Navigos says there is large competition for workers in the IT industry, especially in artificial intelligence, Big Data and blockchain, due to the shortage of talents.

    Since the last quarter financial companies are also looking for IT personnel, which shows the sector could post higher demand for these workers this year, the report said.

    Global IT companies are investing in Vietnam by establishing representative offices or research and development centers in Hanoi, HCMC and Da Nang City, it added.

    In manufacturing, multinationals are looking for senior Vietnamese leaders to hold key positions like director of the Asia Pacific region or Southeast Asia, Navigos stated.

    “This shows Vietnamese capabilities have risen to secure key regional positions.”

  • Netflix fails to reach its growth forecast, stocks suddenly plummet

    Netflix fails to reach its growth forecast, stocks suddenly plummet

    Netflix investors haven’t been happy with the company and its recently announced 2021 final quarter report. Netflix has failed to meet its forecast for subscriber count for the last quarter of 2021, and this has caused its stocks to plummet by a staggering 20%

    It seems that even before the report was released, investors were worried about the fact that the movie-streaming platform isn’t growing as much and as fast as it should. Unfortunately for Netflix, its report of subscriber additions was lower than what was projected by the company itself, and this is having a negative impact on its investors and its own stock.

    Its stock plummeted nearly 20% in response to the report, and this is the lowest the stock had dropped since June of 2020. Now, let’s check the numbers.

    Netflix’s forecast for subscriber additions was that it would report 222.06 million paid subscribers by the end of last year. However, the company reported that it ended the fourth quarter with 221.84 paid subscriber additions… well, the difference here is not major by any means, but it seems to have caused investors to worry.

    The issue that investors are reportedly having with Netflix is its inability to find new ways to keep growing. The company’s own estimate shows that the next quarter will most likely have a low subscriber growth as well, which is not particularly encouraging news.

    According to its new estimate, Netflix expects to add 2.5 million subscribers in the first quarter of this year. This estimation is down from the 4 million that the company achieved during the same period last year.

    However, with all this being said, there are still many people coming to Netflix and paying for the movie streaming service. Netflix experienced revenue growth of 16% year-on-year, and paid memberships rose by 9% from last year. These numbers pretty much mean that Netflix is still growing, although a bit slower, but still, regularly.

    The company noted that although subscriber retention and engagement levels are remaining healthy, the acquisition growth has not yet accelerated to what it was before the pandemic. Additionally, the company added that the slower subscriber growth could be due to factors including the pandemic and macro-economic hardships that several parts of the world are currently undergoing.

    In the report, Netflix did not say much about its recent price hike in the US. Instead of commenting on it, the company pointed to its recent Play Something feature as one example of how it adds additional value for its subscribers. Additionally, the company seems to have also brushed off discussions and investors’ concerns about its rising rivals before the investor call.

    Netflix stated that the added competition could be affecting the company’s growth, but despite the growing competition, it is still continuing to grow in every country and region where new streaming alternatives have launched. The company underlined that the greatest opportunity in entertainment right now is to transition from linear (basically the traditional way to watch TV programs) to streaming. Basically, with under 10% of total TV screen time in the US, which is Netflix’s biggest market, the company has loads of room to grow and improve.

    However, it seems Netflix’s biggest concern is that its growth and signups are slowing down in pace even during a quarter in which it launched two of its most-viewed films, Red Notice and Don’t Look Up. The company will definitely need ways to justify the lack of acceleration in its subscriber growth or find ways to account for it to keep its investors calm.

  • Snapchat announces changes to protect teens from strangers, drugs

    Snapchat announces changes to protect teens from strangers, drugs

    It’s a jungle out there, and in the 21st century, it’s a cyber jungle we’re talking about. According to research done by Pew Research Center back in 2018, “95% of teens have access to a smartphone, and 45% say they are online almost constantly.”

    The most popular platforms among teenagers are YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat, and the companies behind these services are constantly launching new features in order to protect the youth.

    Instagram, for example, introduced a slew of features back in December last year that let parents set time limits, and urge teens to “take a break.” And now it’s time for Snapchat to follow suit. The company announced on its official blog a couple of changes aimed to protect teens from strangers, potential harassment, and drugs. A new feature has been added to Quick Add –
    Snapchat will no longer show users aged 13-17 as friend suggestions to other people unless they have a certain number of friends in common.

    “We recently added a new safeguard to Quick Add, our friend suggestion feature, to further protect 13 to 17-year-olds. In order to be discoverable in Quick Add by someone else, users under 18 will need to have a certain number of friends in common with that person — further ensuring it is a friend they know in real life,” reads part of the official announcement.

    Another sensitive topic when it comes to minors is drugs. Eight teens lost their lives after overdosing on drugs allegedly bought on Snapchat during the past two years, and the company faced heavy criticism and demand to up its drug-fighting game.

    In the latest update, Snapchat shared the progress it made with its drug-detecting algorithms, and also introduced two new partners to the Heads Up portal – Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), and Truth Initiative.

    “88% of drug-related content we uncover is now proactively detected by our machine learning and artificial intelligence technology, with the remainder reported by our community. This is an increase of 33% since our previous update. When we find drug dealing activity, we promptly ban the account, use technology to block the offender from creating new accounts on Snapchat, and in some cases proactively refer the account to law enforcement for investigation,” wrote the company.

    Snapchat is also working on new parental control features that will allow parents to monitor their children’s activity on the app. These tools have been in the making since last Fall, and according to Snapchat, they will be rolling out in the coming months.

    “In the coming months, we will be sharing more details about the new parental tools we are developing, with the goal of giving parents more insight into who their teens are talking to on Snapchat, while still respecting their privacy.”

    Snapchat started the year with a slew of new features – including Bitmoji reactions, Poll Stickers, Chat Reply, and an improved Calling interface, although they are all related to the user experience on the platform. It’s nice to see that the company is also trying to make the popular chatting app a safer place for teens.

  • Google announces the end of YouTube Originals

    Google announces the end of YouTube Originals

    If we roll back the time to 2016, we will witness one of Google’s many initiatives—to create a new service that would one day stand toe to toe and compete with the likes of Netflix. Well, here we are, in 2022, and it seems this endeavor proved too ambitious even for Google.

    Of course, we are talking about YouTube Originals—a program that was created to provide, as the name suggests, original content in a longer-video format. Alas, YouTube’s Chief Business Officer, Robert Kyncl, shared that the program will be coming to a close. He also announced that Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s global head of original content, will be leaving Google on March 1, 2022.

    YouTube Originals started with a logical first step. It gathered well-known creators that had made a name for themselves on the platform and invited them to take part in said new form factor.

    Later on, however, other content with more budget behind its production started to pop up, such as the now-popular Cobra Kai show. Unfortunately for Google, though, after ending the second season, the show was then taken by none other than Netflix itself, the main competitor of YouTube Originals.

    Thankfully, Kyncl shared that Google will respect the commitments it has already made to certain fund programs, like YouTube Kids Funds and Black Voices. He also mentioned that they will honor already contracted shows that are in progress, as well as the creators associated with them. Kyncl also assured said creators that they will be contacted directly soon.

    Google has a long track record of starting things and then deciding to abandon them out of the blue. With that said, this is not the case with YouTube Originals. The program lasted for about seven years, and the search giant gave it a try. Also, despite rumored new upcoming shows, there were obvious signs that it was all coming to a close.

  • YouTube Music, Premium launches annual subscription

    YouTube Music, Premium launches annual subscription

    Google has long been offering YouTube Premium and YouTube Music monthly account memberships, where users can subscribe and pay every month for access to millions of songs and videos for ad-free viewing and downloading.

    As of today, YouTube is officially rolling out a new subscription option to users across the board of both these paid YouTube services. In addition to monthly subscriptions, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music will now also offer subscriptions on a yearly basis, which will end up saving long-term users a good bit of money in the long run.

    So, how much money will the new annual subscription actually save you, compared to a monthly plan? Turns out, as part of the initial launch hype, Google is offering a limited-time discounted price, which will last for 6 days before it expires.

    Only until January 13, new users can benefit from an annual YouTube Premium plan priced at $107.99. Compared to the $11.99-per-month regular price, it offers a savings total of $3 per month, adding up to $36 of savings over 12 months.

    The YouTube Music yearly plan is slightly cheaper, coming in at $89.99 each year, or $2.50 less per month than the monthly subscription (for annual savings of $30).

    After the offer expires on January 13, we expect users can still enjoy decent rates for the yearly plan, but they will more than likely be less cost-effective than the current prices.

    Keep in mind that if you’re already subscribed to a monthly YouTube Premium/Music plan, though, you can’t just switch to the yearly subscription. You’d have to completely cancel your current plan, and then re-sign up to the new one. It’s definitely a slightly more time-consuming process, but still definitely worth considering.

    It should be noted that the yearly subscription plan is currently only available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Turkey, Germany, Thailand, India, and Japan.

  • Netflix’s price increase won’t affect T-Mobile customers

    Netflix’s price increase won’t affect T-Mobile customers

    As many of you probably know already, Netflix has raised prices of all plans in the United States and Canada. Starting this month, old and new Netflix subscribers will have to pay up to $2 more each month to benefit from the company’s streaming service.

    There are a few exceptions though, and if you’re a T-Mobile customer, we’re happy to report that the price hike won’t affect you. Assuming you already have Netflix included in your T-Mobile plan, the new pricing structure shouldn’t worry you at all. T-Mobile has just confirmed that “your Netflix is still on us,” which means that the Netflix benefit included in your plan remains on the carrier.

    If you’ve upgraded your Netflix on Us (to Standard or Premium), you will see Netflix’s price change reflected on your T-Mobile bill starting as their changes go into effect. However, if you wish to change your T-Mobile plan to start getting Netflix on Us, you can certainly do that in My T-Mobile.

    We previously reported that prices for all Netflix plans in the United States will increase from $1 to $2 per month. The new monthly price for the standard plan is now $15.50, exactly $1.5 more than last month. Also, the 4K Premium plan is now priced at $20 from $18. Finally, the basic plan will be $1 more expensive, so subscribers will now have to pay $10 per month.

  • Value-added tax to be cut to 8 pct from February

    Value-added tax to be cut to 8 pct from February

    A draft government decree reduces value-added tax on many products and services from the current 10 percent to 8 percent from Feb. 1.

    The decree on tax reduction to foster economic recovery approved by the National Assembly will also make expenses on pandemic prevention deductible.

    The VAT cut will lead to a loss of some VND49.4 trillion (over $2.1 billion) in revenues, according to the Ministry of Finance.

    The deductible expenses will lead to a loss of VND2 trillion.

    The lower VAT rate will not apply to telecommunications, information technology, financial activities, banking, securities, insurance, real estate, metal, and prefabricated metal products, mining (excluding coal), coke, refined petroleum, chemicals, and chemical products, and goods and services subject to excise tax.

  • Vietnam leads region in power production

    Vietnam leads region in power production

    After adding 3,420 megawatts of power capacity last year, Vietnam now leads Southeast Asia with 76,620 MW.

    It represented a 9.8 percent increase in capacity, CEO of national utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN), Tran Dinh Nhan, said at a forum Friday.

    He however expressed concern that 27 percent of it is from renewable sources and this high ratio is causing difficulties in managing distribution.

    There were times last year when 60 percent of power generation were from renewable energy, but due to plunging demand because social distancing curbs to contain Covid-19, this led to an oversupply of power, he said.

    But EVN has forecast that in June, when temperatures peak, the north could see power shortages while the central and the southern regions might have oversupply.

    It expects power consumption to rise by 7.6 percent this year to 242.4 billion kilowatt-hours.

  • Spotify is going to shut down its own original podcast studio

    Spotify is going to shut down its own original podcast studio

    As many of you may probably know, Spotify has been investing in the ever-growing podcast industry in recent years. Despite that, the music streaming service has decided to shut down its in-house podcast Studio 4.

    It seems that Spotify has now told employees that work at Studio 4 that it will be closed after January 21. Original shows, such as Dissect and Chapo: Kingpin on Trial, were produced in Studio 4. Well, luckily this isn’t the only podcast studio that the company owns; however, it was the first in-house studio that it created before its major studio acquisitions.

    Some of the employees working at Studio 4 have been reassigned to other positions, while some unfortunate ones were laid off with the option to apply for another job at the company. So far, Spotify hasn’t given a reason as to why it is closing Studio 4, but a reported internal note stated this was done to help the company progress faster. Additionally, another reason for the closure given by Spotify in the internal note was to “facilitate more effective collaboration” across the organization.

    Reportedly, the affected employees were quite surprised and some of them found the news quite upsetting.

    For the moment, it is unclear what will happen to the Spotify shows that were produced at Studio 4, but not all of them may be abandoned. For example, Dissect Podcast will not be canceled and will continue as usual on Spotify, according to the show’s official Twitter account.

    Spotify’s presence in the podcast market has been steadily growing, and last year, the company introduced paid podcast subscriptions. Recently, it also acquired a firm that possessed the technology to easily transform broadcast audio to podcasts, in an attempt to enrich the podcast experience to its users.

  • Instagram testing a new “Edit Grid” feature

    Instagram testing a new “Edit Grid” feature

    Facebook is busy adding new features to its sweet child Instagram, as it seems. According to the app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, the popular photo social network will be getting a cool new feature soon.

    Paluzzi posted a couple of images on Twitter, showing the new functionality in action. “Instagram is working on the ability to edit the profile grid allowing you to rearrange posts in any order you like,” wrote the researcher.

    The new “Edit Grid” option appears in the profile settings and allows users to re-arrange their profile gallery regardless of the date each photo was posted. This feature seems to be pretty useful, as it will allow people to choose what they want to show on their photo grid.

    Alessandro Paluzzi also shared some insight on new stickers Instagram has been working on lately. Among these is a new reaction emoji, although we’re not sure when will all these new features start rolling out.

    At the beginning of January, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced three new feed changes coming to the platform. Since these are already rolling out, users now have three new ways to sort their home screen – Home, Favorites, and Following.

    Home shows your feed organized the way you’re used to seeing it, while Favorites shows posts from accounts you’ve put a Star on. The third option will display posts from people you follow.

  • Spotify starts serving interactive ads to podcast listeners

    Spotify starts serving interactive ads to podcast listeners

    After investing big in podcasts, Spotify is trying to recoup some of that investment through ads. Starting this week, Spotify users listening to podcasts will be getting interactive ads that the streaming service refers to as CTA cards.

    These CTA cards are “the latest step in Spotify’s vision for the future of audio as an interactive, multi-way experience.” They will appear in the Spotify app when a podcast ad begins playing and will reappear later on while the user explores the Spotify app.

    According to Spotify, its CTA cards are supposed to make it easier for users to directly discover the products and services they’re interested in “without having a hard-to-remember promo code or vanity URL.”

    After running some tests, Spotify claims that advertisers with clickable ads have shown twice as many site visits compared to non-clickable podcast ads. CTA cards will be available across select Spotify Original & Exclusive podcasts in the United States.