Tag: asia

  • Boscastle pies to be sold through Woolworths stores in Victoria

    Boscastle pies to be sold through Woolworths stores in Victoria

    Artisan pie brand Boscastle – founded in a gourmet store in Brunswick Melbourne back in 1988 – is now stocked at Woolworths Premium supermarkets across Victoria.

    Pattie’s Foods bought Boscastle’s bakery in 2018, adding it to its portfolio of brands which includes Four’N Twenty and Herbert Adams. Since then, distribution has expanded to 55 retail outlets and cafes across the state.

    “With significant disruptions to in-person dining since the beginning of Covid, we’ve seen a rise in consumers looking for premium food products to enjoy at home,” said Anand Surujpal, Patties Foods group GM of marketing and innovation.

    Research undertaken for Pattie’s Foods shows that since the pandemic arrived, 58 percent of consumers are eating at home more than eating at restaurants, even when government rules allow dining in.

    The Boscastle pies frozen range sold through Woolworths will include Angus Beef and Chicken & Mushroom pies, Gourmet Beef Party Rolls, and Butter Chicken Party pies, sold in single-serve and multi-packs. New packaging allows single-serve Boscastle pies to be heated prior to unwrapping.

  • Tesla Owner Gets Ticket For Parking At GM Plant

    Tesla Owner Gets Ticket For Parking At GM Plant

    In a crazy incident, a Tesla owner was fined with a parking ticket at a GM plant in Wentzville in the US. Apparently, the parking ticket was issued as the attendant thought the vehicle was not an American car. In many American factories, they have dedicated parking lots for brand-owned vehicles, foreign vehicles and made-in-America vehicles. In the case of this parking lot, it was just meant for American vehicles but the attendant didn’t realise the Model 3 in question was as American as a car gets.

    The car was parked in the lot which was meant for non-GM vehicles, so the mistake was quite clear, but regardless the news of this ticket was quite surprising. GM even bothered to comment on the situation.

    “Wentzville, like many of our manufacturing sites, has a parking policy and designated parking locations for GM vehicles, non-GM domestic vehicles and foreign nameplates. Plant security inadvertently thought the Tesla was a foreign car and wrote a ticket accordingly,” the Detroit based automaker revealed.

    The Model 3 is the best-selling electric car in the world. It is also the best-selling executive sedan in the world. It was also voted most American-made vehicle by cars.com’s American-made index just last week.

    In fact, the Model 3 has more American DNA than even GM’s vehicles including the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon which are manufactured at the Wentzville assembly plat. This ticket was revealed on a Facebook group called Useless, Unsuccessful and/or unpopular signage and has gone viral since.

  • ZTE reveals innovative 5G devices at MWC 2021

    ZTE reveals innovative 5G devices at MWC 2021

    ZTE Corporation, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise, and consumer technology solutions for the mobile internet, today has revealed its next-generation 5G Indoor CPE MC8020, and shared its plans for the next under-display camera smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2021. Also, ZTE’s much-awaited devices can be seen at Mobile World Congress from 28 June through 1 July 2021 at 3F30, Hall 3, FIRA GRAN VIA.

    ZTE is integrating its capabilities and expertise across handsets, mobile broadband, terminal chipset modules, and peripheral products to create a smarter 5G ecosystem. A variety of 5G products will be applied into four major application scenarios, specifically health, travel, education and entertainment.

    During Mobile World Congress, attendees can experience the connected 5G ecosystem through products on display, including the ZTE 5G Portable CPE MU5001, ZTE 5G Indoor CPE MC8020, ZTE Watch GT, ZTE LiveBuds and more.

    ZTE is globally recognized for industry-leading 5G terminal devices and technical innovations such as its flagship smartphone ZTE Axon Series.

    The newly launched ZTE Axon 30 Ultra ushers in the next era of mobile imaging technology with its Trinity Camera System, consisting of three 64MP cameras and an 8MP periscope zoom camera. Its high-powered system leverages the triple cameras to achieve new possibilities, such as capturing simultaneous shots for narrative-level storytelling, taking full-focus photos from long, medium, and close-up distance with one click.

    Soon, ZTE will unveil the second-generation under-display camera smartphone, marking another breakthrough in under-display technologies that aims to enhance the display experience.

    The third-generation ZTE 5G Indoor CPE MC8020 supports both 5G SA and NSA modes, as well as Sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrum bands. Featuring the exclusive zlink Boost technology, the device enables dual-path convergence of 5G and wired broadband, allowing dual gigabit access.

    Additionally, the ZTE 5G Indoor CPE MC8020 employs the latest Wi-Fi 6 AX5400 access technology, delivering 200 percent faster access speed than that of the previous generation. The four-way omnidirectional high-gain antenna provides a high-speed 5G network for up to 128 Wi-Fi users simultaneously.

    Since the official appointment of Ni Fei as the new CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices, ZTE has gathered customer and industry insights to address pain points and ride big industry trends, accelerating the rollouts of innovative and highly-recognized products.

    ZTE also integrated its three major smartphone brands, ZTE, Nubia and RedMagic. The integration brought the Nubia Z30 back to market with its heritage of innovation. Furthermore, in partnership with Tencent, ZTE has rolled out the new RedMagic 6, one of the most powerful gaming smartphones in the market.

    ZTE has been investing in its brand with an eye set on next generation and the use of 5G. Most recently, ZTE has collaborated with the Director Zhang Yimou to produce high-quality television spots and appointed the famed Liu Haocun as ZTE’s new brand ambassador.

    ZTE plans to strengthen its direct-to-consumer relationships through offline retail sites. The company is stepping up construction of offline channels with plans to build 5,000 retail sites by the end of 2021. ZTE has completed construction of 3,000 ones to date. Shoppers can visit ZTE’s first 5G experience store in Shenzhen this summer.

    In Q1 2021 , ZTE’s consumer business has achieved year-on-year revenue growth of more than 60% largely driven by the integration of brand, product, and channel – a reply to ZTE’s strategic return to the terminal market.

  • Apple Car Team Rejigged Again

    Apple Car Team Rejigged Again

    The one thing that the Apple Car project at the legendary company has lacked is consistent management. After more changes late last year, a slew of executives left the Cupertino-based giant earlier this year revealed a report by Bloomberg. Three top members of the tear Benjamin Lyon, Jaime Way, and Dave Scott left, but Apple has made amends by hiring some more people like Ulrich Kranz who helped BMW make the i3 and i8 and was more recently the co-founder of Canoo.

    Apple has promoted Hanns Teppeiner, who was the co-founder and former president of robotic toy car startup Anki that was even featured by Apple at WWDC 2013. Similarly, Tim Cheng, formerly of Drive.Ai, a self-driving company Apple acquired two years ago has also been promoted.

    Apple also recently hired Hans Lee, the co-founder of Freedom Robotics which creates software to control fleets of robots. Martin Levihn, who now leads AI-based decision-making for self-driving cars has also been promoted. Apple also promoted Paul Costa who has been a longtime Apple hardware engineer.

    Day-to-day operations of the Apple Car project is run by Doug Fields who was a VP at Tesla for the Model 3’s development.  He spent five years at Telsa before returning to Apple where he used to be the VP for Mac hardware engineering. Before Apple, he used to be the CTO at Segway. He reports to Apple’s AI boss John Giannandrea who joined Apple previously in 2018 from Google. Giannandrea was handed reigns of the project from Bob Mansfield, an Apple veteran and a trusted confidant of Steve Jobs who used to run hardware engineering, before Dan Riccio.

    Bob Mansfield had retired but was pulled out of retirement by Tim Cook to run the project, but he has retired again and this time around it seems like it is for good. Recently at a conference, Tim Cook eluded to keep some secrets when asked about the Apple Car. In the past, he has called the self-driving car the mother of all AI projects.

  • Honda’s First All-Electric SUV To Be Called Prologue

    Honda’s First All-Electric SUV To Be Called Prologue

    Honda today announced that its first new mass-market battery-electric vehicle will be called Prologue, signaling a new electrified era that will lead to the company’s vision for 100% zero-emission vehicle sales in North America by 2040. An all-new SUV coming to market in early 2024, the battery-electric Honda Prologue will be, according to the company ‘highly competitive’ but specific details about the new vehicle will be released over the coming months.

    In addition to the Honda Prologue, the company will introduce an all-electric Acura SUV in the 2024 calendar year. Both will utilize the highly flexible global EV platform powered by Ultium batteries based on the company’s strategic partnership with General Motors. Honda also plans to launch a new series of EV models in the second half of the decade based on a new e:Architecture, with development led by Honda.

    In April 2021, Honda global CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, announced a vision to achieve carbon-neutrality for its products and corporate activities by 2050, including key targets for sales of electrified vehicles. This vision calls for the sales ratio of battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles in North America to progress from 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2035 to 100% by 2040.

    Honda has a long history in bringing electrified vehicles to market in the U.S., beginning almost a quarter-century ago with the EV Plus electric vehicle (1997); to America’s first hybrid, the Honda Insight (1999); the Honda FCX (2002), the industry’s first fuel cell vehicle in the hands of individual customers, and the Clarity series (2017). As Honda prepares for the launch of Prologue, the company will introduce hybrid-electric systems to more core models to continue to reduce CO2 emissions and bridge customers to the volume of battery-electric vehicles now in development.

  • Bank of Singapore Loses Market Head

    Bank of Singapore Loses Market Head

    Bank of Singapore has lost an industry veteran and market head for Greater China, sources said.

    Greater China market head Richard Hu has left Bank of Singapore, sources said, after joining in the role two years ago.

    Hu is an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in the region. He previously held multiple senior roles covering Greater China markets with Julius Baer, HSBC Private Bank, Credit Suisse, UBS, and Citi Private Bank.

    A spokesperson for the bank confirmed the exit. Although Bank of Singapore continues to be in hiring mode – it recently welcomed ex-UBS head of wealth planning for Singapore Paul Chua – it has also seen an outflow of executives in 2021.

    Earlier this month, we reported the departure of its head of Russia and Eastern Europe Vadim Bondarev.

    Several rival banks have been beneficiaries from recent exits such as RBC Wealth Management which named Vincent Cheng as a Hong Kong-based relationship manager and Credit Suisse which hired Rohit Narayanan to cover the India market. And In Janaury, Suresh Nair joined Standard Chartered Private Bank as a senior client partner.

  • Chinese EV Battery Maker CATL Extends Deal With Tesla

    Chinese EV Battery Maker CATL Extends Deal With Tesla

    Chinese electric vehicle battery maker CATL said on Monday it has extended a battery supply deal with U.S. EV maker Tesla Inc to 2025.

    Ningde-based CATL said in a stock exchange filing that it would supply battery cells to Tesla, which is making Model 3 sedans and Model Y sport-utility vehicles in Shanghai, until December 2025.

    Other Tesla battery suppliers include Panasonic Corp and LG Energy Solution.

  • Indosat partners Cisco for first commercial SRv6-based 5G-ready transport network in Southeast Asia

    Indosat partners Cisco for first commercial SRv6-based 5G-ready transport network in Southeast Asia

    Indosat Ooredoo, Indonesia’s leading digital telco, announced the first commercial deployment of Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) in Southeast Asia to support the development of its 5G services across the country. Partnered with Cisco, Indosat Ooredoo is transforming its Transport infrastructure into a state-of-the-art, programmable, 5G-ready transport network supported by IPv6 segment routing technology (SRv6) with Network Slicing, which enables a simple, scalable, agile, and reliable network to meet the needs of retail and business segment customers.

    This new technology, along with Indosat Ooredoo wide fiber optic network expansions, will support the growing demand for mobile data consumption with the emergence of newer technologies like Cloud Computing and Network slicing. SRv6 intelligent routing functionality that enables deterministic routing paths will guarantee high quality and low latency on-demand services with faster data connectivity and full automation required to serve digital communities throughout Indonesia. In addition, network slicing allows Indosat Ooredoo to create new digital services for each customer by enabling the functions that cater to their needs.

    Indosat Ooredoo, in partnering with Cisco, will accommodate the new requirements of 5G use cases of many business segments and industries, including fixed and mobile broadband services, through fully automated SRv6 infrastructure, and seamlessly migrate the currently existing network to the next generation software-defined network to improve customer’s digital experience with optimized TCO as one of the key elements of its network automation and digital transformation strategy.

    “We are excited with the launch of Southeast Asia’s first SRv6-based 5G-ready transport network together with Cisco to support Indosat Ooredoo’s digital transformation journey, addressing our consumers and enterprise customers’ needs for on-demand and scalable network requirements. This is a major step in building our Next-Generation Programmable Transport Network that is future-ready, scalable, with automated operations enabled by Software Defined Network (SDN) and intelligent segment routing functions of SRv6. This will allow us to deliver fast, on-demand, high-quality low-latency connectivity services for 5G, cloud computing and IoT for both consumers and enterprises across Indonesia establishing a strong foundation for 5G architecture moving forward to support Indonesia’s vision as a fully digital nation” said Medhat Elhusseiny, Chief Technology and Information Officer of Indosat Ooredoo.

    “Indosat Ooredoo has an intense focus on improving service quality for its customers while driving the efficiency as well as the new revenue creation,” said Sanjay Kaul, President of APJ Service Provider, Cisco. “With the launch of SRv6 network programming, Indosat Ooredoo is pioneering the next phase of IP networking through simplification, automation, and championing the needs of its customers. With the capabilities provided by SRv6, Indosat Ooredoo, powered by Cisco, aims to support Indonesia as it continues its digital economic transformation to drive operational efficiencies, customer experience, as well as product and service innovation across their organizations. Together, Indosat Ooredoo and Cisco can ensure a better network, digital experience, and a more inclusive future for all Indonesians.”

  • Snapchat’s latest update fixes major crash bug on the iPhone app

    Snapchat’s latest update fixes major crash bug on the iPhone app

    Yesterday, Snap released an update for its iOS app which introduced a nasty bug that would prevent those who updated it to continue to use Snapchat. Basically, the app would crash at launch or just after the camera feed would pop up on the iPhone’s display.

    Although it was unclear how widespread the issue was, Snap acknowledged the problem and promised to fix it as soon as possible. That came after a wave of tweets that pointed out the bug, including one of The Verge’s writers who posted an article about the issue and tweeted it.

    True to its promise, the social company confirmed at the end of the day that the crash bug has been addressed. Snap also recommends those who are still having problems with the Snapchat app on their iPhones, to manually update to version 11.34.1.35 in the App Store.

    These things happen sometimes, but it rarely happens that they are fixed so soon. Kudos to Snap’s engineers for nailing this one so fast and props to users who patiently waited for the fix.

  • Minimalist Interior Design: Top 4 Tips for Creating a Stellar Look For Your Home

    Minimalist Interior Design: Top 4 Tips for Creating a Stellar Look For Your Home

    When it comes to modern interior design trends, if there’s one thing that designers swear by, it’s minimalism. The ‘less is more’ philosophy bodes well for millennials who wish to go for practical aesthetics that look good but also serve a purpose. The same is true for those in small spaces, such as 1 BHK, 2 BHK or 3BHK, where many are increasingly opting for HDB minimalist designs. In fact, the current generation is so inspired by this philosophy that they don’t just restrict it to design or fashion but have also adopted it as a way of life.

    The minimalist interior design doesn’t necessarily mean something boring or dulled-out. However, it can be tricky to find the right balance that prevents your décor from looking over the top while maintaining its appeal and beauty.

    Image Source: Shutterstock

    The best way to do this is by looking around your home and spotting things that don’t necessarily need to be there. In other words, minimal home décor is all about knowing when your home décor stops looking like décor and starts looking like clutter.

    Sounds confusing? To break this down, we’re sharing four tips that can help you transform your home into a minimalist’s heaven.

    # 1 Pick Your Colours Wisely

    Colours are a major part of your interior décor – exactly why you need to be particular about the colours you choose for your home. Neutral colours such as tan, brown, white, and grey are a big part of minimalist interior design as they tend to have a calming effect on your senses and do not look loud.

    However, when it comes to HDBs, know that HDB minimalist designs are not completely devoid of bright colours. You can go for contrasting accents and introduce a pop of brightness in your home. Colourful cushions, throw blankets, frames, or even rugs can be a great way to break the monotony and brighten up your space.

    # 2 Have a Single Focal Point

    Minimalist interior design is all about reducing the noise in your space and inviting openness. This is why minimal homes have a single focal point that acts as the centrepiece for the rest of your design. This focal point gives you a direction to base your décor around and gives you a starting point to draft your positive and negative space.

    A good example here could be the seating area of your minimalist living room. The couch or the sofa set could act as the focal point, while the open area around the sofa set could be your breathing space.

    # 3 Declutter, Declutter, Declutter

    Decluttering is a big part of minimalist interior design. Minimal homes have a lot of open space and do not hoard anything that’s not essential. So, if you’re dreaming of living in a minimal house, get ready to say goodbye to all those things that you haven’t used for quite some time.

    This also involves revaluating what you display on open shelves and what you hide away in cabinets. Investing in appropriate storage solutions is also a big part of minimalist interior design as it helps keep the house spacious and open.

    # 4 Be Tasteful With Art

    Many people believe that minimalist interior design has no room for art. However, this cannot be farther from the truth. But you need to be tasteful while choosing art for your minimal home. The art pieces should reflect your personality and go with the colour and theme of your room.

    Going monochrome with your art pieces is a great idea to incorporate character into your home without going too away from the minimalist interior design theme.

    So, these were a few tips that can help you realize your dream of living in a minimal home. However, it’s always a good idea to get professional inputs while redecorating your home – whether it is for HDB minimalist designs, minimalist living room designs, or minimalist interiors for your whole house. Expert professions can help and guide you to explore new ideas and also help you save time and money.

    Amongst the many, Livspace is known for offering a plethora of interior design services to make your décor dreams come true. Be it end-to-end solutions, procurement of raw materials, installation or handling carpenters, plumbers and other necessary service provides – they ensure timely execution, while you get to enjoy a hassle-free interiors’ service. To know more about Livspace, head to their website today!

     

  • Rakuten Mobile partners Cisco to advance network for 5G and IoT services

    Rakuten Mobile partners Cisco to advance network for 5G and IoT services

    Cisco and Rakuten Mobile, Inc. today announced a major milestone for Rakuten Mobile’s network infrastructure in support of efforts to build a better, more inclusive internet for the future.

    Rakuten Mobile operates the world first’s fully cloud-native mobile network. It launched 4G service in Japan in April 2020, and launched 5G non-standalone (NSA) services in September 2020 in record time. With four million subscribers today, Rakuten Mobile continues to advance and scale its network to support new demands driven by the growth of remote and mobile workers.

    With the implementation of Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) and Cisco Routed Optical Networking, Rakuten Mobile plans to expand its capabilities to support enterprise customers with 5G and IoT services. To support its future 5G SA services with network slicing capabilities, Rakuten Mobile will introduce SRv6 micro-segments, an extension to the SRv6 network programming model that is key to addressing multi-domain 5G deployments across its network. Cisco Customer Experience (CX) will plan and implement the overall architecture and design.

    Transitioning to SRv6 will help Rakuten Mobile increase network resiliency and support a wider range of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that are foundational for upcoming 5G and IoT services. With Cisco Routed Optical Networking, Rakuten Mobile can consolidate coherent pluggable optics into a router, making the entire network more automated to deploy services faster (from 100 days down to 40), reduce power consumption by nearly 30 percent, and increase profitability through high-quality services at a competitive price.

    “Reimagining mobile networking is at the very heart of Rakuten Mobile’s strategy, and our decision to go full-speed ahead on SRv6 and Cisco Routed Optical Networking demonstrates our effort to take advantage of technology innovation at every layer of the stack,” said Tareq Amin, Chief Technology Officer, Rakuten Mobile. “We knew that Cisco would walk in lock-step with us as we worked through each phase needed to implement this new technology and align it to our business goals.”

    “Cisco and Rakuten Mobile are on a path to profoundly change the way network infrastructure is built, in order to connect as many people as possible to quality internet services,” said Jonathan Davidson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group, Cisco. “Rakuten Mobile continues to mark important milestones to take its network to the next-level, and together we are showcasing the blueprint for the internet for the future to support our world of wireless and cloud- powered experiences.”

  • Tiki raises $43.5 mln via corporate bonds

    Tiki raises $43.5 mln via corporate bonds

    E-commerce platform Tiki has raised VND1 trillion (nearly $43.5 million) over the last three months by issuing corporate bonds.

    Issued from 16 March to June 13, the bonds are non-convertible with a fixed interest rate of 13 percent per annum, one of the highest rates in the local market.

    Over 97 percent of Tiki bonds’ buyers are Vietnamese individual professional investors. Two domestic institutional investors and two foreign investors also bought the bonds.

    Tiki will use the VND1 trillion to increase its working capital, expand warehouses, invest in subsidiaries, and fund advertisement and marketing campaigns, among others.

    After suffering losses in recent years, Tiki still has to spend big to grab market shares from rivals like Shopee, Lazada, and Sendo.

    Tiki reported losses of over VND750 billion in 2018, and more than VND320 billion in 2019.

  • Cheer cheese formerly known as Coon hits shelves

    Cheer cheese formerly known as Coon hits shelves

    Cheer, the cheese brand is formerly known as Coon, has rolled out its range under the new name and packaging across Australian supermarkets.

    The company said it aims to launch more products nationally over coming weeks. The new range comes with 10 items, ranging from Tasty Slices, Mozzarella Slices, Colby Block and Tasty Shred.

    Earlier this year, parent Saputo announced the change of its Coon cheese brand to Cheer due to suggestions of a racial slur associated with the name. While the old name was often inappropriately used to describe ethnic groups, the cheese was named after Edward William Coon, who patented a unique ripening process that was used to manufacture the original Coon cheese.

    “Cheer is the same great cheese that millions of Australians have grown up with and enjoyed for generations,” said Cam Bruce, commercial director at Saputo Dairy Australia. “We look forward to bringing that little bit of happiness to everyone’s day, whether it’s a sliced snack, part of the family dinner or a melty, midnight toastie.”

  • Chinese Automaker Geely Auto Scraps STAR Market Listing Plan

    Chinese Automaker Geely Auto Scraps STAR Market Listing Plan

    China’s Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd said on Friday it is dropping plans to list new shares on the mainland’s Nasdaq-like STAR Market.

    Zhejiang-based Geely Auto, China’s highest-profile automaker thanks to parent Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s investments in Daimler AG and Volvo Cars, is listed in Hong Kong with a market capitalization of HK$255 billion ($32.85 billion).

    In September, Geely Auto said in a filing that it planned to raise 20 billion yuan ($3.10 billion) from the STAR Market listing.

    Geely Auto is aiming to sell over 1.5 million vehicles this year. It also said would seek external funding for its newly-launched electric Zeekr brand.

    In February, Geely Auto said it abandoned the merger plan with sister company Volvo Cars.

  • UOB Taps Digital Innovation to Grow Wealth Franchise

    UOB Taps Digital Innovation to Grow Wealth Franchise

    The bank aims to double its wealth fee income by 2026, which translates to a compound annual growth rate of over 15 percent over the next five years.

    UOB is hoping get more of its customers to kickstart their investment journey by expanding its digital wealth offerings and investing in digital innovation, particularly as customers in the region are increasingly affluent but still underserved.

    On Thursday, the bank launched «SimpleInvest» on its UOB Mighty app, which aims to help customers grow their wealth via Liquidity, Income or Growth solutions that places their funds in either UOB Asset Management’s United SGD Money Market Fund, or a basket of actively managed funds by renowned international asset managers such as Allianz, Fidelity International, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Schroders and UBS Asset Management.

    The digital self-serve solution was developed to lower the barriers first-time investors encounter when starting their investment journey, Jacquelyn Tan, UOB’s group head of personal financial services, said at a media launch.

    According to the bank’s, many of its customers who are new to investing think it is difficult and require significant sums, or do not have the knowledge or confidence to do.

    The bank is also hoping that the personalization of wealth management for each customer, such as by providing them information and insights that are relevant to their needs and lifestyle choices, based on their banking patterns, will enable them to have the confidence they need to make wiser financial decisions.

    To reach its wealth management targets, UOB will be investing S$200 million ($148.74 million) in digital innovation over the next three years.

    It will also be progressively rolling out its suite of digital wealth solutions across the region, and targets one in four of its customers across the region to tap on its digital wealth solutions.