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Tag: asia

  • Amazon Music takes on Spotify with Maestro, an AI-powered playlist generator

    Amazon Music takes on Spotify with Maestro, an AI-powered playlist generator

    Spotify’s AI DJ raised the bar for music streaming, and now Amazon Music is throwing its hat into the ring with Maestro. This new AI-powered playlist feature is currently rolling out in beta to select Amazon Music users in the US on iOS and Android.

    If you’re part of the rollout, you’ll spot Maestro either on your home screen after updating the app, or by hitting the plus button to create a new playlist. However, where things get interesting is how you create them. Maestro uses natural language, meaning you don’t need technical terms to build your playlists.

    With Maestro, everything starts with a simple prompt telling it what you want to hear. Want a playlist bursting with energy? Type “songs to get me pumped!” or maybe “upbeat summer jams”. Maestro even understands emojis, in case you’re struggling to find the words to describe your mood best.

    However, Amazon is clear: this is a beta feature. Maestro, like any new AI tool, will probably have some hits and misses as it learns what you like. They’ve even built-in safeguards to try to block offensive language or prompts that are just too inappropriate.

    As a brand-new feature, Maestro is currently accessible to a limited number of Amazon Music users across Free, Prime, and Unlimited tiers. If you’re in the beta, you’ll see the option front-and-center in the app. While Unlimited subscribers can instantly listen to and save their generated playlists, Prime and free-tier users get 30-second previews to help them decide if the playlist is a good fit.

    The battle for your ears is getting interesting. Spotify jumped ahead with its AI DJ, but Amazon’s Maestro signals that the competition isn’t far behind. Soon, generating playlists based on moods, vibes, or even bizarrely specific requests might become the standard way we listen to music.

  • Apple releases iOS 17.5 beta 2 giving EU iPhone users more unique capabilities

    Apple releases iOS 17.5 beta 2 giving EU iPhone users more unique capabilities

    Surely there are iPhone users living outside of the EU who wish that their country had something like the Digital Market Act (DMA) that forces Apple to unbutton locked-down iPhone capabilities. For example, with iOS 17.4, iPhone users in the EU could install browsers using browser engines other than Apple’s WebKit. It also allows iPhone users in the EU to sideload apps from third-party App Stores and use alternative payment options in the App Store among other things.

    Outside of the 27 member EU countries, none of the actions that Apple is forced to allow in the EU because of the DMA is available. What gives the DMA its bite is the penalty that can be imposed on tech companies that don’t follow the rules. The penalty could be as much as 10% of a company’s global revenue during the most recent year. If Apple, for example, failed to abide by DMA rules, it could face a fine as large as $38.3 billion

    Today, Apple released the second developer beta for iOS 17.5 and with this update, iPhone users in the EU can download apps directly from the websites belonging to app developers instead of having to install these apps from the App Store or another app storefront. Developers offering their apps through websites must protect iPhone users by meeting certain criteria. Developers need to be members of the Apple Developer program for at least two consecutive years.

    Apple has released iOS 17.5 beta 2 – Apple releases iOS 17.5 beta 2 giving EU iPhone users more unique capabilities
    Apple has released iOS 17.5 beta 2

    Apps that can be downloaded from a website must have rung up at least one million installs on iOS in the EU during the preceding year. Developers offering their apps through their websites will need to show their policies toward collecting data from users. Additionally, apps offered outside of the App Store need to include a way for iPhone users to get refunds, access customer service, and manage these apps.

    Apps distributed through developer websites avoid having to pay Apple its cut of revenue known as the Apple Tax. However, they must pay Apple a 0.50 euro Core Technology Fee for each install over 1 million over the past 12 months. Some organizations such as nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions, and government entities do not have to pay the fee.

    There might be a time when other countries institute their own versions of the DMA, but for now, installing apps from developer websites is limited to iPhone users in the EU.

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  • Google Chat working on adding group audio and video call function within Gmail Spaces

    Google Chat working on adding group audio and video call function within Gmail Spaces

    Google Chat, which is part of Google Workspace, is not exactly one of the leading chat applications out there. However, it is popular in workplaces and businesses where Google Apps are highly used, justifying continued development and improvement of the app. To that end, there may soon be updates that will allow for easy audio and video calls directly within group Spaces, giving the app more functionality to those that make it part of their daily workflow.

    This info comes from a tip shared exclusively with PiunikaWeb by AssembleDebug, who found the feature hidden in Gmail version 2024.04.07.622678535. From the screenshots, it looks like Google is planning to add two new icons to the top bar of a Space: one for audio calls and one for video calls. To avoid accidental calls, you’ll likely have to confirm your intent to start the call with all group members after clicking either icon. Also, it appears that the “Active Threads” icon may get a visual refresh, changing from a message icon to a thread icon.

    This upcoming feature aims to make communication easier for project groups and teams using Google Chat Spaces. Currently, initiating a group call in Google Chat involves the extra task of generating and sending a Google Meet link. The new direct call feature, however, will remove this additional step, leading to a more efficient workflow.

    While the feature is not yet available, it is evident from the code that Google is actively working on it. Hopefully, this new call feature will be integrated into the standalone Google Chat app, and not be limited to just Gmail. Furthermore, a window offering “Suggested apps to enhance your space” may soon appear at the top of Spaces, suggesting useful integrations with other Google Apps for even more productivity, sort of how Gemini currently does it.

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  • Tim Cook arrives in Vietnam

    Tim Cook arrives in Vietnam

    Apple CEO Tim Cook arrived in Hanoi Monday morning for a two-day business trip to meet notable content creators and app developers on App Store.

    Cook said upon arrival he was excited to meet with content creators, students and customers in Vietnam and learn about the way they use Apple’s products.

    Apple has unveiled plans to strengthen its commitments to Vietnam during his visit, including increasing spending for suppliers and fund a clean water initiative at schools.

    Since last year the company has been launching new major services in Vietnam.

    It opened the Apple Store Online in May and launched payment service Apple Pay in August, is taking pictures of Vietnamese streets to develop its Apple Maps and expanding recruitment to hire engineers to develop its Siri voice assistant in Vietnamese.

    Cook, 64, became CEO in 2011, and doubled the company’s revenues and profits by 2020. Under him, new products like Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, a virtual reality headset, were developed.

    In 2023 it became the first company in the world to achieve market cap of $3 trillion.

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  • IT jobs often fall off after 35 years old

    IT jobs often fall off after 35 years old

    Information technology education in Vietnam tends to focus on breadth rather than depth, so few people can or choose to stay in the field after turning 35.

    Recently, I came across a reader’s account sharing an interesting perspective. According to this person, IT engineers make thousands of dollars a month and can afford expensive houses and cars because very few people can stay in their positions or find similar ones after they reach the age of 35.

    However, I find this assertion about the IT profession falling off after 35 to be inaccurate.

    The essence of the IT field revolves around continuous learning. With a commitment to learning, one can excel in the industry well into their retirement years. The critical aspect here is the quality and depth of one’s learning.

    I can personally attest to the importance of fundamental knowledge acquired during university studies. Thanks to my solid foundation in linear algebra and statistics and probability, learning machine learning and artificial intelligence is relatively easy for me, while many others struggle because they lack the basic knowledge.

    Yet, there remains a significant gap between theoretical education and practical skills in Vietnam as IT education there tends to focus on breadth rather than depth.

    Hence, I have interviewed some candidates with a decade of experience who lack fundamental IT knowledge. Similarly, many boast impressive resumes filled with proficiency in numerous programming languages and tools. However, when it comes to understanding the underlying principles, they fall short.

    This gap presents a challenge when it comes to staying updated with the latest knowledge and trends. This is especially true for those employed in outsourcing companies. Often, they must quickly grasp the necessary knowledge and skills for a project, only to move on without delving deeper into the subject matter.

    This is why Vietnam has very few IT specialists.

    I have been in the industry for many years after turning 35 and have continued to pursue my IT career as I settle in the U.S. I am confident in my ability to stay relevant and thrive in the field until retirement age. Currently, I am doing fine despite tech companies facing a layoff wave here.

    So, do you think IT jobs truly lose their allure after the age of 35?

  • Vietravel Airlines reports first profits in 3 years

    Vietravel Airlines reports first profits in 3 years

    Vietravel Airlines has reported a profit of VND10 billion (US$400,128) for the first three months of the year, achieving its first profitable quarter since its inception in 2021.

    As a subsidiary of the tour operator Vietravel, the airline announced first-quarter revenues exceeding VND491 billion, surpassing its initial target by 42%.

    The profits stemmed from increases in domestic airfare prices, which typically reach their peak during the two or three weeks around the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. This year, the holiday period was from February 7 to 14.

    Typically, airfare prices start to decrease gradually after Tet. However, this year, prices have not followed the expected post-holiday downturn and have remained elevated.

    Factors contributing to sustained high prices include rising operational costs and a shortage of aircraft, particularly as numerous airlines have been forced to ground A321 planes, commonly used for domestic flights, for engine maintenance.

    With a modest fleet of just three A321 aircraft, Vietravel Airlines is nevertheless setting ambitious goals, targeting VND1.05 trillion in revenues for the next quarter. The airline is expanding its network with new routes and increasing the frequency of flights both within Vietnam and internationally.

    Currently, Vietravel Airlines operates charter flights to Japan, connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Takamatsu and Da Nang with Fukushima, among others.

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  • AEON Hong Kong switches to Vietnamese bananas

    AEON Hong Kong switches to Vietnamese bananas

    Japanese retailer AEON has replaced Philippine and Taiwanese bananas with Vietnamese imports at its Hong Kong outlets.

    AEON started selling Vietnamese bananas at its 91 outlets in Hong Kong last year because they are of high quality and grown using a process that does not result in waste, Yuichiro Shiotani, CEO of AEON Topvalu Vietnam, said at a forum Friday.

    “This process meets AEON’s sustainability criteria.”

    Apart from prices, environment friendliness and quick delivery are now top priorities for retailers, he added.

    The company plans to double its purchase of Vietnamese bananas this year and also switch exclusively to Vietnamese mangoes instead Thai and Philippine varieties.

    Mirash Basheer, CEO of May Exports Vietnam, a division of LuLu Group International, a major retailer headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, said there is increasing demand for Vietnamese goods, especially those that meet green production requirements.

    May Exports Vietnam plans to buy more cashew from Vietnam, along with other products such as canned fruit juice, coconut juice and canned tuna.

    U.S. retailer Walmart said it buys from around 500 suppliers in Vietnam, but most are foreign-owned companies with Vietnamese ones mostly being secondary suppliers.

    More Vietnamese goods could reach American consumers if they meet sustainability criteria, a spokesperson for the retailer said.

    Do Ngoc hung, a trade consultant for Vietnam in the U.S., said Vietnamese businesses should study the requirements of U.S. distributors such as Walmart, Costco and Amazon, who all require green products.

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  • Samsung adds more language availability within Galaxy AI

    Samsung adds more language availability within Galaxy AI

    Samsung is taking a big leap forward today in its AI ambitions. Galaxy AI, the company’s on-device intelligence engine, just got closer to overcoming language limitations across the world with a huge expansion in language support.

    This spring, Arabic, Indonesian, and Russian support will be added to the thirteen available languages. Additionally, Australian English, Cantonese, and Canadian French dialects are now supported.

    But Samsung is not stopping there as later this year the company plans to bring Romanian, Turkish, Dutch, Swedish, and both traditional Chinese and European Portuguese support as well to Galaxy AI. This is a huge step in bringing AI capabilities to everyone globally, just like TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samung, said: “Committed to democratizing mobile AI for all, Galaxy AI’s language expansion this year will allow even more Galaxy users to communicate beyond language barriers on a scale that is completely unique to Samsung.”

    As a reminder, these are the things that Galaxy AI can do for you:

    • Live Translate: If you make phone calls to another country or to someone who speaks another language, Galaxy AI can act as your own interpreter.
    • Interpreter: In-person chats can now be a breeze, even when they take place in different languages, with split-screen translations.
    • Chat Assist: Helps you tone down work emails and write snappy social posts with grammar and tone check.
    • Note Assist and Transcript Assist: Get summaries, formats, and even translations for those long meeting notes.

    You’ll be able to add these additional languages to your Galaxy device by downloading the new language packs that can be grabbed right from the Settings app. Right now, newer devices such as the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Tab S9 series. However, more devices will be joining the Galaxy AI family soon.

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  • Waze announces some cool new features designed to take the pain out of driving

    Waze announces some cool new features designed to take the pain out of driving

    There is a battle going on internally at Google. This battle is between mapping and navigation apps Google Maps, and Waze, both owned by Google. Google Maps delivers the total package getting you quickly and safely from point A to point B, and recommending where users should go to eat, sleep, and seek entertainment. Waze is more focused on the journey itself, offering crowdsourced information about traffic, weather, road conditions, police activity, road closings and more.

    Waze also has a bunch of cool features. For example, you can be given your turn-by-turn directions by a celebrity, or even have them delivered in your own voice! Many features on Google Maps start out on Waze so that they can be battle tested before moving on to Google Maps. With that in mind, Waze has announced some new features coming to the app. As Waze puts it on their web site: “Over the coming weeks, Waze is adding new features that will enhance your driving experience and provide more information about the road ahead. Get ready for safer, smoother drives!”

    New features coming include:

    Heads up on curves, bumps & toll booths! No more surprises! Waze now warns you about sharp curves, speed bumps, toll booths, and more. Stay informed and enjoy a smoother ride.

    Emergency vehicle on the road ahead. Get notified about emergency vehicles stopped along the road, giving you time to slow down and help protect first responders. Available now to drivers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and France, with more countries coming soon.

    Say goodbye to sudden braking. Get alerts about speed limit decreases ahead, helping you to safely adjust your speed and avoid accidents, traffic jams, and even tickets.

    Your usual route, only better. Waze highlights your favorite routes for easy access and offers faster options if there’s traffic.

    No more driving in circles, literally. Navigate tricky roundabouts with clear instructions that show you the best lane to choose and where to exit.

    Stress-free parking is here. Choose the best parking spot! Compare rates, locations and amenities in advance and pick the best one. Soon, you will be able to reserve your spot from the app (currently available only in the U.S. and Canada).

    To add the Waze app to your iPhone, tap on this link to head to the App Store. Android users can install Waze on their phone by clicking on this link which will take them to the listing page for Waze in the Play Store.

  • YouTube Music promises Podcasts will get better on the platform

    YouTube Music promises Podcasts will get better on the platform

    Google Podcasts is officially dead. That has been the case for a week now, and the designated replacement – YouTube Music – is just not cutting it yet. The YouTube Music podcasting experience is rough, and users aren’t holding back on the feedback.

    Thankfully, the YouTube Music Podcasts team seems to be listening. They took to Reddit to let us know they hear us and are “working on a lot more improvements,” but also shared a short list of things that have already been achieved for podcasts, such as:

    • Sorting options: You can now sort a podcast’s episodes from newest to oldest, oldest to newest, most popular, or default. It’s pretty puzzling that this wasn’t a day-one feature, though.
    • International love: Non-US users now get podcasts on their Home feed, including the new “Recommended shows” shelf that is already available to U.S. users, making new episode discovery a lot easier.
    • Search Tweaks: Improved search results, making it easier to find the podcasts you actually want.

    These tweaks are a start, but it’s shocking these weren’t ready before Google Podcasts was sunsetted. YouTube Music is currently missing core features that even casual podcast fans are going to notice.

    Many of the suggestions on that Reddit thread involve basic stuff that is still frustratingly absent. Having features like being able to search for an episode within a subscription, chapter navigation, and being able to mark episodes as played are some of the top ones.

    Even though the transition from Google Podcasts to YouTube Music was just officially announced last year, we’ve known for quite some time that was the plan all along. Considering that timeline, it is a wonder why so many features that were previously on Google Podcasts have yet to be ported to its replacement.

    Hopefully, Google takes the user feedback to heart and begin to implement these improvements as soon as possible. As users were left without an alternative, many could opt to flee to other platforms like Pocket Casts or Spotify, so it is of major importance that the experience be fixed expeditiously.

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  • TikTok plans to take on Instagram with new app for sharing photos

    TikTok plans to take on Instagram with new app for sharing photos

    TikTok users have started getting pop-up notifications about a new app that the social network company plans to launch soon. The app is called Notes and allows users to share photos like Instagram.

    TechCrunch reports that TikTok has already confirmed the Notes app was in development, but the company didn’t offer any timeframes for releasing the photo sharing app.

    As part of our continued commitment to innovating the TikTok experience, we’re exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in a dedicated space for those formats.

    The notification that many TikTok users have been getting in the last couple of weeks mentions that Notes is “a new app for photo posts.” Also, TikTok explains that “your existing and future public TikTok photo posts will be shown on TikTok Notes.”

    Thankfully, TikTok will offer the option to opt-out from the app: “if you prefer not to show your public TikTok photo posts on TikTok Notes, turn this off now.”

    The upcoming Notes app is not the only project that TikTok is currently working on. The company is also experimenting with different formats such as text posts and longer videos.

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  • Rice exports rise 42%

    Rice exports rise 42%

    Vietnam exported 2.1 million tons of rice in the first three months, worth $1.4 billion in total, up 42% year-on-year in value.

    According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, main buyers such as the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Ghana, Malaysia, and Singapore all posted growth.

    The Philippines and Indonesia, however, are making efforts to increase production to reduce their dependence on Vietnamese rice.

    African countries, which have long been a buyer of Vietnamese rice, are now also being supported by other countries to grow their own rice.

    The ministry therefore urged rice exporters to diversify their markets and increase their product quality to make Vietnamese rice more competitive.

    Vietnam’s 5% broken rice export price is now at $576 per ton, down 12% from the beginning of the year and lower than competitors in Thailand and Pakistan.

    Vietnam, which ranks third globally in rice exports, aims to ship $5 billion worth of rice this year, up from a record $4.7 billion last year.

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  • BMW narrows gap with market leader Mercedes in Vietnam’s luxury car scene

    BMW narrows gap with market leader Mercedes in Vietnam’s luxury car scene

    Mercedes, the best-selling luxury auto brand in Vietnam for years, is seeing BMW close the gap rapidly following the start of local production.

    Mercedes sold 3,416 units last year, a 57% decline from 2022 but still the highest for the seven luxury brands in Vietnam.

    BMW jumped from fourth place in 2022 to second last year with sales of 2,023, a 108% increase. It was the only brand to achieve an increase in sales.

    In third place was Lexus with 1,532 units, a marginal drop from 2022. Volvo, Audi, Porsche, and Land Rover followed it. Together the seven sold 8,638 vehicles, down 36%.

    Mercedes used to outsell BMW 6-8:1, but the gap has narrowed to around 1.5 times. Its share of the luxury auto market has dropped from 60% in 2022 to 40% while BMW’s has jumped from 7% to 23%.

    The rise is attributed to BMW’s manufacture in Vietnam by Thaco. The first BMWs made in Vietnam were sold at the end of 2022, and now four models are sold at cheaper prices than imported units.

    Among the models are Series 3 and X3, which are considered the main competitors to Mercedes’s C-class and GLC.

    Brad Kelly, CEO of Mercedes Vietnam, said that the race between Mercedes and BMW has become more even and similar to their competition globally. But others in the luxury segment have also been gearing up.

    In March Audi opened its third showroom in HCMC and fifth in the country. It is in a residential area and includes a quick maintenance facility.

    This is its new type of urban showroom, and it plans to open more in Vietnam to reach 18 by 2032. Managing director of Audi Vietnam, Ferry Enders, expects luxury vehicle sales to surpass the auto industry average.

    Volvo Vietnam earlier this year opened its fourth showroom. Land Rover opened a showroom in Hanoi last year and plans to open one in HCMC latest by next year. Mercedes now has 17 showrooms and BMW, 15.

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  • Power demand expected to surpass forecasts on early onset of hot weather

    Power demand expected to surpass forecasts on early onset of hot weather

    Power consumption in Vietnam this summer is expected to increase by 13% year-on-year between May and July, 9.6% higher than forecast, posing possible supply challenges.

    This is because the weather is expected to become hot sooner than normal, and this could cause pressure on supply, especially in the north, Nguyen Quoc Trung, deputy director of the National Load Dispatch Center, said at a forum Monday.

    The north needs around 25,000 MW of power, rising by 10% annually.

    This means every year a new Son La hydropower plant, with a capacity of around 2,500 MW, needs to be built, a major challenge to the power sector, Trung said.

    Between April and July this year peak demand in the region might reach 27,500 MW, up 17% year-on-year, while production would only rise 10%, he added.

    But Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has ordered state-owned power monopoly Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to “ensure there are no power shortages under any circumstances.”

    To ensure supply, the National Load Dispatch Center has been storing water in dams. There are now 11 billion cubic meters, 2.7 times higher than a year ago.

    EVN plans to generate higher-cost power such as from oil and liquefied natural gas.

    Vo Quang Lam, its deputy director, said the Vietnam requires three times power as the global average to create its GDP, and so all consumers should conserve electricity.

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  • WhatsApp to roll out new photo library shortcut for faster sharing

    WhatsApp to roll out new photo library shortcut for faster sharing

    WhatsApp keeps rolling out new features regularly, and now it seems it is working on making it easier for everyone to open and share photos. According to WABetaInfo, a reliable source for WhatsApp updates, the Meta-owned messaging app is widely releasing a feature to quickly open the photo library.

    While the official changelog doesn’t offer much insight, the latest version of the iOS app, 24.7.75, has unveiled that this feature is now rolling out to all. Essentially, it’s a handy shortcut for swiftly accessing the photo library. Users can simply long-press the attach button within the chat bar, saving time by directly navigating to their photo library without any extra steps.

    If you haven’t got this feature yet, keep in mind that it may be gradually rolled out to some accounts over the next few weeks, even though it’s not mentioned in the official changelog. As mentioned, the Meta-owned app frequently introduces new features, so installing all the latest updates will ensure you have access to the latest features and enhance your overall user experience.

    On a different note, WhatsApp is gearing up to introduce a picture-in-picture option for videos. This means you will be able to watch videos while browsing through multiple chats or other parts of the app. Additionally, the app is set to receive a series of little tweaks, all aimed at enhancing the user experience.

    As an example, WhatsApp is currently testing a redesign for its calling screen to make it easier for users to know where to tap to hang up. Moreover, a new simplified “Like” button for reacting to status updates could be introduced in a future app update.

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