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Tag: launch

  • Kakao postpones carpooling service

    Kakao postpones carpooling service

    Kakao Mobility announced las week that it would postpone the official launch of its carpooling service after a week of fierce protests from the local taxi industry. The Kakao affiliate started offering a beta version of the service last Friday that was made available to a randomly selected pool of users nationwide. On the same day, it declared that the official launch date of its carpooling service would be on Dec. 17.

    “After much consideration, we decided to postpone the official launch in order to listen and apply a wider range of opinions from taxi drivers, users and many others,” Kakao said in an official statement Thursday afternoon.

    But it did not specify when the official launch will be delayed until. The statement sparked rumors that this may be the start of Kakao indefinitely postponing the service’s official release, which the company denied.

    “What we know for now is that it’s not going to happen this year,” said a Kakao spokesperson. “But this doesn’t mean the delay is going to be an indefinite one. The exact date is still a matter of discussion.”

    The beta service will continue to be offered to random users selected regardless of age and region. Kakao explained that the beta service was being offered to a very limited pool of users, just enough to examine the technology and check the effect it may have on taxi drivers.

    The announcement comes six days after the beta service and the official launch date were released.

    The backlash from taxi drivers has been fierce, with widespread protests that culminated in a 57-year-old taxi driver setting himself on fire in front of the National Assembly in western Seoul on Monday.

    Two days later, a committee that consists of two taxi company associations and two taxi driver labor unions announced plans to stage a protest in Seoul on Dec. 20, with more than 100,000 people expected to attend. This would be the third protest targeted at putting a stop to carpooling services.

    Regardless of Kakao’s decision to postpone the launch, a source from the committee said there is no change to the plans for the protest.

    Taxi drivers also launched a sleep-in protest in front of the National Assembly starting from Wednesday, with members of the four organizations continuing their vigil in shifts through the night.

    Kakao, the local taxi industry and government officials have been in talks for more than half a year, but are still failing to agree on a solution to the carpooling service issue.

    Kakao wants to introduce a carpooling service during busy commuting hours, but drivers say that even if rides are limited to twice a day, they will still eat up around 59 percent of all taxi demand.

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  • Clot x Air Jordan XIII Low release date revealed

    Clot x Air Jordan XIII Low release date revealed

    International brand and retailer CLOT’s Air Jordan XIII pays tribute to co-founder and creative director Edison Chen’s youth, which he spent between Canada and Hong Kong. Chen chose to work on the Air Jordan XIII because it was his go-to during his high school basketball career — and remains a favorite shoe.

    To honor his Chinese heritage, he drew from a recent visit to Lintong county, Shaanxi province, where the Terracotta Warriors statues have remained for more than 2,000 years.

    To replicate the oxidation of that terracotta earthenware, the CLOT x Air Jordan XIII Low uses a Sepia Stone, Terra Blush and Canteen colorway.

    The design of the padded upper mirrors the armor worn by the Terracotta Warriors.

    Subtle nods to MJ come through in the side panel, where dots on each tile appear in twos and threes. To finish it off, metallic gold CLOT and Jordan Brand logos appear on the tongue, heel and sole.

    The CLOT x Air Jordan XIII Low releases exclusively at Innersect Shanghai, China, on December 8, followed by a global release December 13 at Juice Stores.

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  • Hyundai to unveil new large SUV Palisade

    Hyundai to unveil new large SUV Palisade

    Hyundai Motor’s new large SUV, set to be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month, will be called the Palisade. According to the carmaker Friday, its new model for the 2020 model year will be revealed on Nov. 28 during a press event at the L.A. motor show.

    The company will start taking preorders for the SUV in the Korean market starting at the end of this month, earlier than other countries. Hyundai Motor America said Thursday the car will be available in the U.S. market in the summer of 2019. Hyundai said the SUV was named after Pacific Palisades in southern California, an affluent neighborhood that boasts a series of coastal cliffs. The carmaker is hoping that the Palisade will live up to its premium-sounding name.

    The three-row SUV will offer seven or eight passenger seats, according to a spokesperson from Hyundai Motor. The major focus in designing the car is enabling everybody inside the car, even those in the third row, can enjoy their own space. In some vehicles with third rows, space is tight.

    The carmaker said its new Palisade will offer the most seating space among competing vehicles in the same segment. It also promised diverse seat adjustment options and an easy-to-use interface for adjusting car settings for passenger convenience.

    “For large SUVs, carmakers need to offer more value than just the basic driving performance,” a Hyundai spokesman said. “The spacious interior and intuitive interface for safety and convenience services offered in the car are its competitive edge.”

    The carmaker is expecting a lot from this vehicle, as it in hopes to make the Palisade its flagship SUV model when families are increasingly lean towards bigger SUVs over sedans. The Palisade will replace the Max Cruze (Santa Fe XL overseas) as Hyundai’s largest SUV.

    Specifications and pricing for the Palisade were not released on Friday.

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  • NTU Singapore launches seventh satellite

    NTU Singapore launches seventh satellite

    Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has launched its seventh satellite, the AOBA VELOX-III, into space from the International Space Station (ISS) on 16 January.

    It is the first Singapore satellite to be launched from the ISS, the 110-meter habitable human-made satellite that orbits the Earth. Unlike the conventional way of launching a satellite directly into space from a rocket, the two-kilogram VELOX-III was shot into orbit around the earth using a special launcher by a Japanese astronaut at the ISS.

    The AOBA VELOX-III is a joint project between NTU and Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech), one of Japan’s leading universities for satellite research and engineering. It is now orbiting 400 kilometers above Earth and will be conducting several tests, including the made-in-NTU micro-propulsion system, a new wireless communication system developed by Kyutech and experiments to evaluate the durability of commercial off-the-shelf microprocessors in space.

    “The successful deployment of the AOBA VELOX-III is a testament to the strong satellite engineering expertise at NTU. Building up the local satellite talent pool and developing disruptive technologies like the micro-thruster in the AOBA VELOX-III is important for Singapore’s budding space industry,” said Lim Wee Seng, director of the NTU Satellite Research Center.

    He said the NTU will now be developing its second joint satellite with Kyutech, which could lead to small and maneuverable satellites being used as space probes in future.

    Professor Mengu Cho, Director of Kyutech’s Laboratory of Spacecraft Environment Interaction Engineering, said the launch of AOBA VELOX-III is the tangible result of research collaboration between Kyutech and NTU for the past three years. AOBA VELOX-III is an important milestone in the Japan-Singapore inter-university space exploration.

    “We are looking forward to another joint satellite that is under development and scheduled to be launched in 2018. The long-term goal of the Kyutech-NTU joint space program is to do a lunar mission using the technologies demonstrated by these two satellites.”

    Professor Yoon Soon Fatt, Chair of NTU’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said conducting real satellite missions are key to training local talents for Singapore’s future satellite industry.

    “Satellite technology is a field that requires strong expertise across several disciplines, from power systems and batteries to integrated circuits and wireless communications,” he said.

    “The actual designing, building and operating real satellites in space gives a huge boost to the learning journey of our students and is an unparalleled experience for those seeking careers in the space industry.“

    Lim added that these space experiments by AOBA VELOX-III will enhance the university’s satellite building capabilities, paving the way for the next generation of nanosatellites that are more advanced and reliable.

  • HKBN Mobile launches Greater China 4G plans

    HKBN Mobile launches Greater China 4G plans

    Hong Kong Broadband Network’s new Mobile Services MVNO division has launched a line of Greater China 4G plans for corporate customers who frequently travel between mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

    The new mobile plans include data allocations shareable across the four markets via a single SIM. HKBN is using China Mobile Hong Kong’s 4G network to provide the service.

    HKBN secured an MVNO a license in July, and launched mobile services in September, introducing a range of consumer plans including a HK$446 ($57.50) unlimited 4G service.

    The new corporate 4G plans range from HK$198 for 1GB of data shareable across the four markets to HK$448 for 10GB of data.

    Each plan comes with unlimited voice calls and SMS, as well as free call management value added services during the contract period and free use of the MobileOffice Plus app, which allows smartphone users to remotely make and receive calls from their designated business number from anywhere.

    “With increasing business travelling between Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, cross-border data services are in high demand,” HKBN chief commercial officer for enterprise solutions Billy Yeung said.

    “By partnering with CMHK, we are best positioned to offer our customers high-value and cost-effective Greater China service plans.”

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  • IPhone 7 to officially launch in Thailand on Oct. 21

    IPhone 7 to officially launch in Thailand on Oct. 21

    Three major mobile operators in Thailand including AIS, DTAC and TRUE have announced will begin selling the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus on Oct. 21.

    While the pre-ordering will start early on Oct. 14 for all three companies, AIS and DTAC have opened a page for interested customers to register and guarantee the chance to pre-order the phones.

    Apple Watch Series 2, a product announced by Apple at the event in San Francisco on the same day as the new iPhone, will also launch in Thailand on Oct. 21.

    Apple has faced controversy by removing the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 in order to offer a waterproof handset. However, the new phone comes with a 12-megapixel camera and optical image stabilization, an impressive upgrade from the camera in iPhone 6s.

    The iPhone 7 comes in Silver, Gold and Rose Gold and the new colors Black and Jet Black.

  • Pokemon Go device launched in Japan

    Pokemon Go device launched in Japan

    Hundreds of people have stood in long lines outside Japanese stores to buy the Pokemon Go Plus device.

    In Osaka, around 700 people waited outside a Pokemon Centre shop to buy the device when the store opened at 0800, two hours earlier than usual.

    Pokemon Go Plus allows Pokemon Go players to interact with the mobile game without looking at the phone.

    “(Using the peripheral gear), Pokemon hunting will speed up because I don’t have to stare at the (Smartphone) screen. I want to get them (Pokemon monsters) one after another,” said Kana Sugiura, 29, who was waiting outside the store, to Japanese news agency Kyodo.

    Pokemon Go Plus is a gadget similar to a wristwatch but attached with a clip that connects to the game.

    The device, which costs around US$35 (A$47), is connected to the mobile phone via Bluetooth, and through a led light (green or blue) and vibrations notify the player when there is a ‘poke stop’ or a Pokemon nearby, which can then be captured by pressing the device button without any need for the phone.

    The peripheral add-on is available from Friday in most countries – including Australia, said game developer Niantic in a statement.

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  • Facelifted Mazda CX-5 launched in Thailand

    Facelifted Mazda CX-5 launched in Thailand

    Mazda Sales (Thailand) has launched the facelifted CX-5 with tweaked looks, new safety and convenience features, more economical drivetrains and slightly lower retail prices.

    Exterior changes include new front grille design and LED daytime running lights with adaptive function up front. Inside, there’s the brand’s latest infotainment called MZD Connect. There’s also a new drive mode selector to alter the vehicle’s driving characteristics.

    Safety features from Mazda’s i-Active Sense package include lane departure warning, automatic braking at low speeds, blind spot monitoring and rear traffic alert.

    The engine lineup has been streamlined to just two variants. The 2.2-litre diesel now comes with front-wheel-drive-only format that’s capable of yielding 17.5kpl on the average.

    The 2.0-litre petrol can now take E85 gasohol – just like in the Mazda 3 and CX-3 – and can return 14.5kpl. The 2.5-litre variant, meanwhile, has been dropped from the CX-5 lineup.

    Under new excise tax rules based on CO2 emissions, the diesel now has a lower price range of 1.53-1.69 million baht, whereas the petrol costs between 1.22-1.33 million baht.