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Tag: asia

  • Signal announces support for usernames to hide your phone number

    Signal announces support for usernames to hide your phone number

    Signal, the popular messaging app, is introducing usernames to its platform. This optional feature allows you to connect with others without revealing your phone number, enhancing privacy on the app.

    As announced today in its blog, Signal users will be able to head to their settings and select “Profile” to create a unique username. The app will then allow its users to share said username by either generating a shareable QR code or a link. Alternatively, users can connect by typing your username into the new chat bar.

    Traditionally, Signal required the use of a phone number in order to register for an account and use its features. This translated to having to reveal your phone number to others that you exchanged messages with. While the app will still require a phone number in order to create an account, you will now have the option to shield it and instead use a username as your alias.

    Signal is also rolling out other security features, such as the ability to restrict who can find you using your phone number. This means you can prevent people from messaging or calling you on Signal, even if they know your phone number and know you have an account. Additionally, the app will now hide your phone number by default if users don’t already have it in their contact list. You can change this setting within Privacy > Phone Number > Who can see my number.

    These privacy-focused additions come after Signal began testing usernames last fall. Should you choose to go the route of creating a username, that also wouldn’t be visible on your profile details page or in chats unless you actively share it. As Randall Sarafa, Signal’s Chief Product Officer, explains, “Someone will need to know your unique username to start a chat with you on Signal.”

    While these features bolster privacy, Signal is aware of the potential for impersonation and emphasizes safety features like comparing safety numbers for verification. Currently, these features are only available in the app’s beta version, but will be rolling out to everyone in a few weeks. Your move WhatsApp!

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  • ECS Group wins Thai VietJet cargo contract in Asia

    ECS Group wins Thai VietJet cargo contract in Asia

    Low-cost carrier Thai VietJet Air has awarded the tender of its cargo operations to ECS Group with a signed master GSSA agreement with subsidiary AVS GSA Thailand, on 01 February 2024.

    ECS Group said it aims to increase revenue and cargo volumes for the airline, which operates flights across Thailand and Asia. 

    Thai VietJet Air currently operates a fleet of 18 A320-200 and A321-200 aircraft, focusing primarily on transporting general cargo and perishables. Destinations include Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

    “Thai VietJet Air has carved a solid cargo market share for itself on the Thai domestic market and offers an impressive international network across Asia – and all that without a freighter in its fleet,” said Monchai Jirakiertivadhana, CEO Indochina at AVS GSA.

    “AVS GSA therefore has an excellent base on which to further develop the airline’s cargo activities and improve its revenue performance,” he added.

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  • Google announces new feature coming to Android TV in the US

    Google announces new feature coming to Android TV in the US

    Although Google is pushing a new experience to TVs powered by Android TV, the operating system is still getting updates that includes new features or improvements meant to refine it.

    If you live in the United States and use a device powered by Android TV, you’ll be happy to know that Google is now rolling out a new update that adds a brand-new quick-access row on the home screen.

    Over the next few weeks, Android TV users will be getting a new way to access their favorite entertainment content directly on the home screen. The new quick-access row is positioned below the Favorite Apps row and includes shortcuts to play what’s next, watch free live TV, as well as popular titles and what’s trending on Google.

    The quick-access row will make a big difference, as Android TV users will no longer have to jump from app to app to find the content they want to watch. Just keep in mind that it will take weeks for this to pop up on your Android TV device.

  • Carousell co-founder Lucas Ngoo to step down this month

    Carousell co-founder Lucas Ngoo to step down this month

    Lucas Ngoo, the co-founder of Singapore-based online marketplace Carousell, says he will step down from managing the company’s operations.

    “After 11.5 remarkable years, I have made the personal decision to take a break and step back from day-to-day management of Carousell at the end of the month,” Ngoo wrote in a LinkedIn post.

    He added he still has a full interest in the firm and will act as a co-founder and board director, as well as an advisor when needed.

    He also shared his plans to learn more about new areas including innovation, AI in biotech/healthcare, climate tech/energy transition and web3 during the break.

    Siu Rui Quek, Marcus Tan, and Ngoo founded Carousell as an e-commerce platform for preloved goods in May 2012. Ngoo was also chief technology officer until Igor Volynskiy took over the role in September 2019.

    The company accelerated its Southeast Asian expansion in recent years with the acquisitions of sneaker marketplace Ox Street in 2021 and fashion reseller channel Refash and electronics recommerce platform Laku6 in 2022.

    However, in December 2022, Carousell announced the layoffs of 110 employees, about 10 per cent of its workforce amid the uncertain macroeconomic environment. It also moved into a cheaper office as part of cost-cutting measures.

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  • Pepper prices rising in Vietnam

    Pepper prices rising in Vietnam

    Pepper prices rose in the central highlands and southern Vietnam 3.6% to VND86,000 ($3.50) per kilogram on Monday as sinking supply fuels higher demand, according to the Vietnam Pepper Association.

    Climbing prices were recorded in the central highlands provinces of Dak Lak and Dak Nong, as well as the southern provinces of Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Binh Phuoc, near Ho Chi Minh City.

    The association has reported that Vietnam’s pepper production is set to fall 10-15% to 160,000-165,000 tons this year.

    Prices are therefore expected to rise even further to around VND100,000.

    Indonesian black pepper prices are now around $3,906 per ton, while Malaysia’s Kuching ASTA price is at $4,900.

    Global demand is set to fall this year due to geopolitical tensions, experts have predicted.

    The Vietnam Pepper Association targets a pepper and spice exports of around $2 billion next year, equivalent to about 400,000-500,000 tons.

    Last year the country exported 267,000 tons of spices worth $912 million, up 16.6% in volume, but down 6% in value.

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  • Vietnam’s agricultural exports to China expected to rise

    Vietnam’s agricultural exports to China expected to rise

    According to the Agency of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam expects to increase its agricultural exports to China as the neighboring country agreed earlier this year to review regulations permitting the official export of Vietnamese poultry meat.

    The agency cited statistics by the General Department of Vietnam Customs showing that Vietnam shipped abroad 22,450 tonnes of meat and meat products worth US$110.35 million last year, up 19% in volume and 30.4% in value from 2022.

    The products were delivered to 28 markets around the world, with Hong Kong, China, Belgium, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Cambodia, France, and the U.S. among the biggest importers.

    Vietnam exported 4,770 tonnes of poultry meat and edible by-products valued at $12.04 million, representing year-on-year increases of 136.1% in volume and an 214% in value.

    China, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, South Korea, and Hong Kong were the main buyers.

    At present, Vietnam ships two products of the livestock industry to China, including bird’s nests and milk, under official export according to the protocol on exporting bird’s nest signed in 2022 and another on exporting milk signed in 2019 between the two countries.

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  • Luxury airline plans to give select passengers a Vision Pro to use as in-flight entertainment

    Luxury airline plans to give select passengers a Vision Pro to use as in-flight entertainment

    At least one airline is planning on offering the Apple Vision Pro to some passengers as part of its in-flight entertainment offerings. Beond is a Maldivian airline that flies to five destinations and calls itself the world’s first “premium leisure airline” with business class service that includes gourmet meals, seats that fold down completely allowing passengers to sleep more comfortably during a flight, and soon, in-flight entertainment led by the Apple Vision Pro.

    In a press release dated Thursday, Beond said that it will start  offering the Vision Pro to select customers on its flights to the Maldives. Beond’s fleet has just doubled to two after the airline took possession of its second jet and in the middle of this year, it will start flights from Milan, Dubai, and Bangkok to the Maldives.

    Tero Taskila, Beond’s Chairman and CEO, said, “The Apple Vision Pro will transform the inflight entertainment experience, and we will be first to offer it to select passengers. In addition to our existing and ever-growing library of inflight content such as movies and games, Beond will showcase stunning resort destinations and activities in the Maldives. We are working now with partners in the Maldives to prepare truly amazing footage.”

    The executive continued, “The inflight experience will build anticipation for passengers before they arrive in the Maldives. Offering the Apple Vision Pro is another step in our vision of delivering a premium travel experience to our customers, from the start to finish of their journey. We’re proud to be the first airline to deploy the technology.” The press release didn’t mention how many Vision Pro units would be aboard each flight, nor did it mention how the airline would determine which passenger(s) would get the opportunity to don the headset.

    Now that Beond has become the first airline to announce plans to offer the Vision Pro to passengers, we could see the larger commercial airlines add the Vision Pro to their in-flight entertainment offerings. Considering the number of larger capacity planes that airlines could order the headset for, Apple could get a windfall.

  • Embraer gears up for Singapore Airshow

    Embraer gears up for Singapore Airshow

    Embraer is set to display its growing portfolio of aircraft at the Singapore Airshow on 20-25 February, as the company looks to strengthen its presence in Asia Pacific

    The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, which also has an office in Beijing, will showcase its aircraft solutions for defense and security, commercial aviation, and business aviation, including the Asian debut of subsidiary Eve Air Mobility.

    The biennial industry event in Singapore gathers the most influential players in international aerospace and defense, and Embraer excited to show the collective strength of its aircraft lineup.

    Making their debut at the show are Embraer’s C-390 Millenium for military transport aircraft and the Praetor 600 business jet. The C-390 was recently selected by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), whilst the Praetor 600 was delivered to South Korea’s flight inspection centre at end-2023.

    On its debut, Eve Air Mobility will be presenting an overview of its eVTOL, services and operations solutions including its Urban Air Traffic Management software solution.

    The company will have its full-size eVTOL cabin mockup on display, marking its first trip to Asia Pacific as part of its world tour. Eve and will also offer visitors a unique virtual reality (VR) flight experience.

    Also joining the lineup at this year’s Airshow with a brand new ‘Tech Eagle’ livery is the E195-E2 commercial jet, which doubled in deliveries last year and got firm orders from Scoot.

    “Our presence in Asia Pacific is growing and the Airshow provides us a great platform to further interact with the aerospace and defense communities across the region,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO at Embraer.

  • Apple Podcast bug means no new episodes for some titles although there is a simple workaround

    Apple Podcast bug means no new episodes for some titles although there is a simple workaround

    Remember Apple’s television ads for the iPhone 3G? The ad would tell you, regardless of any problem you need a solution for, “There’s an app for that.” When you think about it, for any subject matter that you have an interest in, there’s a podcast for that. And if you are an iPhone user, you probably use the Apple Podcasts app. But until recently, the app had a serious problem that was preventing users from listening to the latest episodes of certain Podcasts stored in the user’s library.

    The bug prevents the latest episodes for affected podcasts from showing up as these episodes will not automatically be downloaded. This means that these podcasts won’t appear in the Up Next queue. If the user knows that a new episode for a podcast he/she follows has dropped, the episode can be discovered by looking for the new episode in the app’s search tab. But many podcast app users rely on getting alerted by the app whenever a new episode is ready and thanks to the bug, this is not happening.

    It’s unknown exactly how many podcasts are affected by the bug but complaints on social media seem to indicate that the problem is widespread. And there is the aforementioned workaround. Open the Apple Podcasts app and after tapping the Search tab on the bottom right of the screen type in the name of the podcast you want to hear the latest episode of and tap the blue “search” bar next to the space bar on the virtual QWERTY keyboard. Press the Episodes filter above the search results (which is also below the search bar) and the latest episode will be on the top of the list. Just press the play button on the right of the listing to hear it.

    You might not have to do this much longer because some users say that they are now getting new episodes automatically sent to their Apple Podcasts app. If so, that’s good news. If not, try the workaround until your Podcast app is working perfectly again. By the way, if you don’t have the app on your iPhone, click on this link to download it from the App Store.

  • Google Docs, Slides and Sheets apps get new formatting sidebar on Android tablets

    Google Docs, Slides and Sheets apps get new formatting sidebar on Android tablets

    Google’s three apps that make writing and editing text such a breeze even on mobile devices, Docs, Slides and Sheets, have been updated earlier this week with a bunch of improvements to their comments system.

    Over the weekend, the search giant confirmed that another important update is making its way to Android users. All three apps, Docs, Slides and Sheets, are getting a new formatting sidebar that reduces the number of taps needed to navigate to formatting options.

    Basically, you’ll be able to arrange text, tables, images and more, much easier than before. The new formatting sidebar will be rolled out to Android tablets at the beginning of the next month, Google announced in a blog post.

    According to the Mountain View company, the update will be released to Scheduled Release domains on March 6, while users enrolled in the Rapid Release domains should already be able to take advantage of the new formatting sidebar on their Android tablets.

    It’s important to add that the new feature is available to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. So, just about everyone who uses Google’s Docs, Slides, and Sheets apps.

    In related news, Google announced that its Slides apps is getting another new feature that will allow users to easily drag and drop an image to replace the background in the app.

    This feature is currently rolling out to Rapid Release domains and should be launched to Scheduled Release domains on February 26. It will be available to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts.

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  • iOs Facebook, Instagram apps to charge Apple service fee for boosted posts

    iOs Facebook, Instagram apps to charge Apple service fee for boosted posts

    Meta is about to implement a 30% fee for those who wish to boost (enhance) the visibility of their posts on the Facebook and Instagram iOS apps, a response to Apple’s 2022 App Store update that mandates a 30% cut from such digital transactions.

    This charge targets ads or “boosted posts” designed to expand content reach, necessitating that boosts purchased on iOS be processed through Apple, thereby incurring the 30% service charge before taxes.

    “The change, which goes into effect later this month, stems from a 2022 App Store update where Apple extended its typical 30 percent cut of digital purchases to boosted posts, which are essentially ads. The change particularly targeted Meta and other social apps that let people pay in-app to increase the reach of their content”, and adds that Meta notes in a statement that small business owners and influencers who want to purchase a boost on iOS will now be billed through Apple, “which retains a 30% service charge on the total ad payment, before any applicable taxes.”

    Meta says purchasing boosts via Facebook and Instagram’s desktop or mobile websites is how to get around the Apple fee that is being passed on to iOS users. The alternative imposes significant constraints on iOS app users, who must now preload funds with an additional 30% fee to cover Apple’s transaction costs. This new payment method will debut in the US, with plans to expand to other markets later.

    “We are required to either comply with Apple’s guidelines or remove boosted posts from our apps,” Meta says. “We do not want to remove the ability to boost posts, as this would hurt small businesses by making the feature less discoverable and potentially deprive them of a valuable way to promote their business.”

    Meanwhile, Apple defends its policy, asserting that digital goods and services within apps must utilize In-App Purchase, including boosted posts.

  • Apple is compelled to remove Home Screen web apps from iOS in the EU due to the DMA

    Apple is compelled to remove Home Screen web apps from iOS in the EU due to the DMA

    What many thought was a bug has turned out to be a move made on purpose by Apple as the latter will not allow web apps on the iOS Home Screen in the European Union. On its Developer support page, Apple notes that the EU’s Digital Market Act (DMA) requires it to allow users to select a browser that doesn’t use Apple’s WebKit browser engine for the first time. Because of this, Apple said that it had to remove the Home Screen web apps.

    Apple says Home Screen web apps on iOS are built on WebKit and they “align with the privacy and security model for native apps on iOS.” This is important and Apple goes on to say, “That integration means Home Screen web apps are managed to align with the security and privacy model for native apps on iOS, including isolation of storage and enforcement of system prompts to access privacy impacting capabilities on a per-site basis.

    However, without this isolation and enforcement, malicious web apps could read data from other web apps and even use their permissions to access the user’s camera and microphone without his or her consent. Browsers could also install web apps without the consent or awareness of the user.

    Apple adds, “Addressing the complex security and privacy concerns associated with web apps using alternative browser engines would require building an entirely new integration architecture that does not currently exist in iOS and was not practical to undertake given the other demands of the DMA and the very low user adoption of Home Screen web apps. And so, to comply with the DMA’s requirements, we had to remove the Home Screen web apps feature in the EU.”

    Apple adds, “EU users will be able to continue accessing websites directly from their Home Screen through a bookmark with minimal impact to their functionality.” The tech giant also was forced to remove support for Home Screen web apps on Safari in the EU because the DMA requires equality for all browsers. Since third-party browsers can’t have Home Screen web apps, neither can Safari.

    The absence of Home Screen web apps in the EU was first noticed with the release of iOS 17.4 beta 2. The changes will come to all iOS users in the 27 member EU states once iOS 17.4 is released in the first week of March.

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  • Google Messages cool animated background “Screen Effects” now available to the app’s beta testers

    Google Messages cool animated background “Screen Effects” now available to the app’s beta testers

    A new feature has been added to Google Messages that really drives home the point that you’re trying to make with a text message. Called Screen Effects, it delivers animation in the background of a message when certain phrases are sent or received. The animation takes up the entire background, and while the feature has only a small number of trigger phrases at the moment, you can only see this in action if you are a beta tester for the Google Messages app.

    Luckily, I am a beta tester for Google Messages so Screen Effects works for me. For example, I texted the phrase “I Love You” and hearts appeared in the background until a dove flew north leaving a white trail which became the regular background for the app. The entire animated effect ran for about 10 seconds. If you type “Sounds good,” multiple giant thumbs up appear all over the background.

    Google says that there are more than 15 phrases that trigger a Screen Effect on Google Messages and they work whether you are messaging another Android-toting RCS user, or an Android user connected to the SMS platform using a non-RCS messaging app. If Screen Effects is too much for you (and granted, they are not for everyone), we’d love to tell you how to disable it on the app. Except that you cannot disable the feature.

    If Google is still accepting users to be beta testers for Google Messages, go to the Play Store listing for the Google Messages app, choose “Become a Tester,” and follow the instructions. Back in the day when I used Android as my daily driver 99% of the time, I made sure to become a beta tester for core Google apps because you’re sure to get a head start on receiving new features like Screen Effects.

    The Play Store listing for Google Messages will also let you know if you’re already a beta tester for the app. On the listing, if you are already registered as a beta tester for Google Messages, you’ll see a paragraph with the heading, “You’re a beta tester.”

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  • Louis Vuitton launches chocolate store in Singapore

    Louis Vuitton launches chocolate store in Singapore

    Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton has launched its first chocolate store outside France, in Singapore.

    The chocolates, offered at Marina Bay Sands’ Louis Vuitton Island Maison boutique, are inspired by award-winning pastry chef Maxime Frédéric and prepared with ingredients including hazelnuts harvested on his farm in Normandy.

    The store’s design features yellow as the main colour tone. It also offers chocolate-based cakes and pastries with LV’s monogram logos.

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  • Hermes beats rivals with record sales growth and net profit

    Hermes beats rivals with record sales growth and net profit

    French luxury house Hermes has reported a 16 percent growth in revenue to $14.46 billion for last year, with net profit surging 28 percent to $4.64 billion despite global demand for luxury goods slowing down.

    Sales in the fourth quarter ended December 30 reached $3.56 billion, up 13 percent.

    “These solid results reflect the strong desirability of our collections and the commitment and talent of the house’s women and men,” said Axel Dumas, executive chairman of Hermes.

    The group’s sales in America and Europe increased by 21 percent and 20 percent, respectively, and in Asia (excluding Japan), by 19 percent, with sales growth in all the region’s markets. Sales in Japan surged 26 percent.

    “In the medium-term, despite the economic, geopolitical, and monetary uncertainties around the world, the group confirms an ambitious goal for revenue growth at constant exchange rates,” the company said in a statement.

    Further reading, Gucci’s parent company, Kering Group, reported a revenue of $21 billion for last year, down 4 percent against 2022.