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SG Smartphone Tech Updates – Highly-Secured Google Pixel 3, 4-camera Samsung Galaxy A9 & Blockchain-powered XPhone

Singaporean love gadgets. In this small island-state with no more than 6 million people, we have one mega electronic fair in every 2 months approximately. It is also not surprising to know that we have one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the world. On average, one Singaporean is carrying 1.5 smartphones; no wonder many international brands choose to launch their smartphones in this tiny red dot.

 

There were so many smartphones launches recently in Singapore last week and the consumers have been spoiled for choices. If you have yet to find time to read out all the press releases, this article serves as a summary to make sure you are in the know.

 

Google Pixel 3/Pixel 3 XL

The Google Pixel 3 is probably the most high-profile launches recently. The Pixel UI has won praises in the market and a handful of tech reviewers has commented that the UI used in the Google Pixel line of phones are better than the “stock” android.

 

Besides improvements in the hardware from the earlier pixel phones, the biggest highlight of the Google Pixel 3 is the use of a new security chip called the Titan M. This is the same chip that Google used in their data centre which means that Google is bringing enterprise-level security technology to smartphones.

 

Google has also ditched 3.5mm port joining the likes of Apple to push for adopting new cable standard for our audio devices. For those who are still using the conventional headphones with the standard 3.5mm audio jack, the Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL are shipped with USB-C 3.5mm audio jack adaptor. You could still use your old expensive headphones with Google Pixel 3.

 

iPhone users, listen up! Before you feel like converting, you may wish to look on the CNET video below for comparison.

Samsung Galaxy A9

The rise of budget phones in recent years has prompted Samsung to launch mid-range Galaxy A series. Consumers has certainly benefited from the intense competition among the smartphone brands. At a lower price-point, the Galaxy A9 is offering specifications that are very comparable to those so-called “flagship phones” are offering.

 

The Galaxy A9 has caught attention from the media of being the first smartphone in the world that has not 2, not 3 but 4 rear cameras! Every camera sensor has its own purpose – ability for better optical zoom (2x to be exact), able to take wider images, better depth of field and better image qualities under low-light conditions.

The rationale of having 4 camera sensors is to give flexibility to the users who could toggle across different camera sensors to suit the users’ requirement – for instance long shots or wide shots.

 

Blockchain-powered XPhone

Pundi X, a Singapore-based blockchain start-up, has announced their very own smartphone called XPhone that runs on their own Function X OS based off Android OS 9.0. Essentially, it is still an Android phone powered by their own Function X blockchain; that means the data transmitted via your phone i.e. apps, pictures, video, messages, calls or any types of file are being stored or distributed through a network of decentralized nodes.

 

Traditionally, phone users go through the centralized mobile carrier to make a call via a number that is unique to every phone user. With Pundi X’s proprietary FXTP, users could by-pass the conventional internet protocol (http) completely to transmit data to another device. To put it simply, X Phone could potentially work independently at places without mobile signal. You should look at their product demo here.

The idea of X Phone is revolutionary. However, Pundi X comments the viability of its blockchain infrastructure depends largely on the spread of nodes (in this case, number of XPhone users).

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The New LG gram Targets Mobile Workforce

Last month,  LG Singapore held LG HE and IT Product Launch at Marina Bay Sand.  At the event, LG Singapore launched their new LG gram ultrabooks that target at mobile workforce.

 

LG Singapore pitches that Portability, Functionality, Battery Life, Durability are the 4 ingredients in their development of LG gram.

 

LG gram

Portability: The New LG gram comes in 3 distinct models – 13.3 -, 14- and 15.6- inch  weigh approximately between 960g – 1.1kg which honestly speaking, is very light compared to similar laptops in the market.  All the 3 models measured not more than 1.68cm which could fit comfortably into most sling bags used by mobile executives.

 

Functionality:   The new LG gram is equipped with latest 8th Gen Intel Core and SSD storage that delivers performance for mobile workers. Despite its slim body, it still has all the the necessary ports such as HDMI. microSD, USB, USB-C and headphone jack (Yes, this is a feature!)

 

The product also comes with Fingerprint ID that enable users to log in and power on with the press of a button without comprising security.

 

Battery Life: LG gram is equipped with a 72Wh battery that LG claims could last up to 22.5hrs in a single charge. The long battery life is very ideal for busy executives who are always on the move.

 

Durability: The new LG gram has improved its build quality;  a magnesium alloy called Nano Carbon (with Magnesium) is used for the LG gram’s body. This material is known to be tough and light and is commonly used  in aerospace engineering. LG gram is even put under US military MIL-STD 810G durability tests for resistance to impact, pressure and temperature. You may wish to see the short demo we shot at the event below.

 

My thoughts: The product demo is impressive and freelancer like me who is always on the move will be keen to own one.  Speaking about the price, the LG gram is selling at RRP starting from SGD1,999 . Indeed, it is a hefty price tag compared to other similar products. Afterall, you have to pay a price for the portability and toughness of the product.

 

In business, it is about productivity and impression. The LG gram has packed with supreme hardware features that promises to deliver productivity and powerful. However, LG, in the laptop market, has not established a clear business impression as compared to other established names like Lenovo’s ThinkPad and Apple’s Mac (ok, Mac is for creative professionals). In my opinion, you are paying more on the LG gram’s hardwares than the brand. In short, you are getting what you pay for but this product may not the one that caters to all.

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Creative achieves next breakthrough with Super X-Fi by investing USD 100M and 20 years into R&D

Falling sales, reduced production and loss of investors’ interests – for the last decades, these are some of the negative stuff you’ve heard about our homegrown Creative Technology (“Creative”). However, this has not deterred Mr Sim Wong Hoo, founder of Creative, from continuing his fight in the struggling audio business and this year, they are coming back with their latest technology that aims to change the way how consumer experience audio entertainment – Super X-Fi. The Neo Dimension is fortunate to be invited to Creative headquarters to hear first-hand from Mr Sim on this technology.

 

Announced in the CES 2018, Super X-Fi received positive reviews from the media and audio experts at the event. This latest technology has also been named “Best of CES 2018”. Back in Singapore, this technology has sparked investors’ interests in the company. The stock (stock quote: C76.SI) has jumped more than 300% within a week and the rally does not show any signs of slowing down!

 

So what exactly is Super X-Fi?

To put it simply, it is a new audio technology designed specifically for headphones to produce an immersive surround audio experience to users. Mr Sim further explains that every person is unique and perception of “good audio” varies person-to-person. This perception of “good audio” is what he called individual’s custom sound map. The beauty of Super X-Fi is that it matches the audio output to the individual’s custom sound map by analysing anthropological features of one’s head and ears.

Creative has invested USD 100M in research on a perfect sound profile. For the past 20 years, they have run countless trials on rooms, sound systems, headphones and test subjects. With the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) engine, the anthropological features of a person’s head are extracted along with the dynamics of the targeted headphones, and the AI engine synthesizes them to create a multi-dimensional map of the desired room acoustics.

 

Using this synthesized SXFI map, Super X-Fi recreates the audio holography to create a magical listening experience for headphones, custom-made to each individual’s unique physique.

 

Despite the level of sophistication in the technology, the end-user experience is extremely simple. All users need to do is take pictures of their head with their phone, select their headphone type, and they can start playing.

 

Technology – Good or Bad?

Before the presentation started, they took images of my head and ears using a mobile phone. Then the technology analyzed the data and mapped a sound profile that is customized to me. I listened to the demo and it was mind-blowing! The surround sound I heard from the headphone was amazing and I even took the headphones off just to confirm that I wasn’t hearing the sound from the physical surround speakers. Judging from the guests’ reactions, they were equally or almost as impressed as I am.

 

As part of the demo, we get to hear other guests’ sound profiles and indeed, those sounded horrible to me.

 

We all know that everybody has their own perception on what is considered a “good sound” but no one in the industry could solve this decades-long problem. Creative’s Super X-Fi could be the game changer.

 

Mr Sim Wong Hoo analogize Creative’s Super X-Fi to a Color TV. He further elaborated, “Before TV you are watching black and white, then the switch of black and white TV to color TV; so we are now witnessing the switch right now!”

 

 

A Good Technology = A Good Business?

A good technology is an asset to the company but how much return you could squeeze from this technology depends on the strategies and business models.

 

For the past decades, Creative has been making losses. In recent years, it has been increasingly more difficult to compete with new and upcoming entrants in the market. The key success factor for Creative’s Super X-Fi would be to gain adoption in the market speedily by licensing this technology to headphones or smartphone markers. Speed is crucial, especially in the technology space.

 

 

As part of the plan, Creative will be launching a free Super X-Fi app where users could play downloaded content without purchasing any Creative headphones. Creative hopes to acquire 50 million users.

 

To get the full experience of Super X-Fi, users can purchase the dongle which Creative plans to sell at a competitive price point of USD 150 to attract consumers.

 

The free Super X-Fi app and the dongle will be available by mid-2018.

 

Creative, A Growth Stock Again?

 

Investors seem to be convinced that Super X-Fi is going to turn Creative around. It makes perfect sense for the company to focus on the headphones market given the projected high growth in the global market.  Quoting Mr Sachin Mittal, a DBS analyst in a Bloomberg report, “If the product gains just 0.5 percent share of the global headset market in 2020, Creative would gain revenues of $232 million”

 

I believe that the growth of the global headset market is inflated in the Bloomberg report. Based on their statement, this puts the value of the global headset market at USD 46B. Several research papers suggest that the global market could be worth USD 11B to USD 20B by 2020 to 2025. Suppose we take a more conservative yet optimistic estimate of USD 20B, that would be approx. USD 100m of revenue by 2023 (more than 100% jump from Creative’s revenue in 2017!).

 

Without a doubt, Creative is a growth stock. However, high growth essentially means high-risk. The challenge for Creative is to sign their first purchase order to start the first mass-production of the chip.  Now, it is hard to predict which headphone maker is going to give them the business. On the flip side, they are competitors as well.  The strategies of launching app and dongle are sound but is it good enough for Creative to turn their enemy into Frienemy?

 

How about licensing their technology to smartphone makers? Smartphone leaders like Apple and Samsung have already started the battle in the audio space. Apple has acquired celebrity headphone brand Beats Audio in 2014 and has started to manufacture their own audio headsets. Samsung, on the other hand, has acquired a US-based audio specialist Harmon in 2016. Ever since then, they have been bundling AKG earphones, Harmon’s subsidiary, with Samsung Galaxy S’s series of phones. Now, the question is, “If not Apple nor Samsung, who else can Creative offer their technology to in the smartphone market?”

 

To the investors, is the risk worth taking?

Fundamentally, Creative is holding approx. USD 100M of cash and more importantly, it is debt-free as of now. They should have sufficient financial capacity to market this technology for the next couple of years (They should be able to weather through if this new technology fails).

 

However, this stock is likely to be volatile in the short term which could be an opportunity for speculative traders.

 

For long term investors, this stock is a high-risk-high-return play. As I have mentioned earlier on, the extreme scenario is unlikely to bankrupt the company, but the high volatility may be of concern to some investors. Based solely on the potential of this technology, this stock could be undervalued but sign of market acceptance has yet to be seen.

 

Important! Please Read: All comments and suggestions here are purely my opinions. Investors should exercise their own discretions before taking up any positions on this stock.     

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Samsung Singapore Launches Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. introduces the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ this month. The new phones are redesigned with a new Dual Aperture lens that powers an innovative low light camera, Super Slow-mo video capabilities and personalized AR Emoji.

Samsung unveil Galaxy S9 and S9+

First Impression – What’s New in Galaxy S9 and S9+ compared to S8 and S8+?

In terms of hardware, the most notable difference is the overall dimension and weight. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ is slightly shorter  and wider than its predecessor making the device looks less elongated.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are also slightly thicker and heavier than the S8 and S8+. (S9/S9+ is 8.5mm thick and weighs 163g and 189g respectively, S8/S8+ is 8.0mm thick and weights 155g and 173g) . This is probably due to the new Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF camera sensor with OIS (F1.5/F2.4) used in the Galaxy S9 and S9+. Despite the slight difference in the overall dimension, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ shared the same display size of the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

The camera, which is the main selling point of this year’s Galaxy S9 and S9+, is packed with Samsung’s Dual Aperture (F1.5 / F2.4) that automatically lets in more light under low-light condition. Like Sony’s Xperia range of smartphones, Samsung has included Super Slow-mo features in Galaxy S9 and S9+ to allow users to take dramatic slow-motion video.

Having packed with new enhancement in Galaxy S9 and S9+, faster processors (10nm, 64-bit, Octa-core processor (2.7 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad) 10nm, 64-bit, and Octa-core processor (2.8 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad) respectively ) are used to power the devices.

Samsung adds AR Emoji in Galaxy S9 and S9+ which allows users to create an emoji that looks, sounds and acts like them. AR Emoji analyzes a 2D image of the user and maps out more than 100 facial features to create a 3D model that reflects and imitates expressions, like winks and nods, for true personalization.

 

Overall, my first impression on Galaxy S9 and S9+ – the phone looks and feels like the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Comparing the specifications, slight enhancement made in Galaxy S9 and S9+ may not attract consumers. Nonetheless, first impression may not do any justice to Samsung.

Price and Availability

The Galaxy S9 (64GB) is selling at SGD 1,198 whereas Galaxy S9+ is selling at SGD 1,348 (64GB)/SGD 1,498 (256GB). Pre-order commerce from 1 March 2018, Thursday 12pm.

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Samsung Launches Galaxy A8 and A8+ in Singapore

To kickstart the year 2018, Samsung Electronics Singapore debuted their latest smartphones in the Galaxy A series – the Galaxy A8(2018) and the Galaxy A8+(2018). Samsung prided their A-series as a mid-range smartphones for the young.

So how far has Samsung achieved in attracting the young to switch from iPhones to their Galaxy Series? Let’s take a closer look of the Galaxy A8 and A8+.

Source: Instagram user @weewu

Enhanced Front Camera Capabilities – Dual Front Camera with Live Focus and Face-Unlock Features

The new Galaxy A8(2018) and the Galaxy A8+(2018) feature a new 16MP + 8MP F1.9 Dual Front Camera in addition to an impressive 16MP rear camera, allowing users to capture important moments and memories at any time and location. As the Dual Front Camera is made up of two separate cameras, users have the flexibility in choosing the type of selfies to take – from close-ups with the background, to portrait shots with a clear and crisp background. With the advanced Live Focus feature, users can easily create and adjust the bokeh effect on the smartphones before or after taking a picture.

 

Also fitted with facial recognition security features, consumers can opt for a quick and hassle-free way to unlock their Galaxy A8(2018) or Galaxy A8+(2018) with just a look. By simply scanning your face with the front camera and enabling the facial recognition feature under the security settings, consumers are ready to unlock their phone in a quick and effortless manner.

 

 

Though I like the idea of putting 2 cameras on the front, I still find it strange that they didn’t do it like-wise for the back.

 

Galaxy S8’s and Note 8’s Infinity Display on Galaxy A8

For the first time on the Galaxy A, Samsung brings in the Infinity Display which is the key feature of their Samsung’s premium Galaxy S8 and Note 8. The Galaxy A8 and A8+ comes in 5.6-inch and 6.0-inch screen size respectively. With an 18.5:9 display ratio that goes beyond the bezel, the device provides users with the ultimate cinematic experience. The smartphone screen is also supported with a premium metal frame and a curved glass on the back and front, providing users an ergonomic and comfortable grip when using the sleek and stylish device.

 

 

Water Resistance – IP68 – Certified, Separated Dual Sim Card Slot and MircoSD card slot

Continued from the previous Galaxy A series, the new Galaxy A8(2018) and A8+(2018) are equipped with IP68-certified water and dust resistant capabilities, allowing them to withstand elements including rain, sweat, sand and dust.

 

One thing to note, the Galaxy A8(2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) supports Dual Sim and microSD cards expandable storage upto 256GB and they have the 2 slots separated from one another. Unlike their previous Galaxy S series which use a hybrid microSD and Sim card slot, you could use both Sim cards and microSD simultaneously.

 

Supports Samsung Pay and Gear VR models

Both the Galaxy A8(2018) and A8+(2018) are also the first in the Galaxy A line-up to support most of their Gear VR models.

 

The Galaxy A8 and A8+ are equipped with Samsung Pay where users can make safe and secure mobile payments almost anywhere. Simply swipe up to bring up the last transacted credit or debit card, scan your fingerprint or key in your PIN and make payment.

 

 

Local Pricing and Availability

The Galaxy A8(2018) and A8+(2018) will be available from 27 January 2017 at a recommended retail price of $648 and $798 respectively, including GST. Available in Gold and Black, the devices will be available at all local telecommunication operators, selected consumer electronic stores, authorised mobile retailers, Samsung Experience Stores and selected online marketplace.

Source: Instagram user @weewuOpening of the Revamped Samsung Experience Store@Vivocity Promotion

In celebration of the revamping of the Samsung Electronics Store at VivoCity, customers who purchase any Galaxy smartphone or tablet at a recommended retail price of $400 and above will receive a $30 Mapletree voucher at the point of purchase. Customers who purchase a Galaxy Note8, S8+, S8 or Tab S3 will receive a $50 Mapletree voucher instead. This promotion will commence from 18 January 2018 on a while stocks last basis.

 

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Nokia 8 Will Hit Singapore Stores From 14 October Onwards

You have heard it right! The rumor is true. Nokia’s first Android phones – Nokia 8 will be coming in to Singapore and you could get them through major electronics and  Telco’s exclusive stores from 14 October onwards.

Ever since the announcement in Aug this year, the Nokia 8 has been receiving a lot of attentions from the market. Unlike other smartphone markers which try to differentiate themselves from others by putting a lot of proprietary bloat-wares in the Android OS, Nokia 8 will be powered by  stock version Android OS.  This means that Nokia 8 users will get updates soon after Google release it instead of waiting for the patching from the phone manufacturers.

If  you are keen to know what other benefits of stock android, you may wish to read up more here

 

Nokia 8 will be available in three colours – Polished Blue, Tempered Blue and Steel in Singapore at a suggested retail price of SGD 769 from tomorrow through sole distributor A-Mobile at all M1 Shops, Courts, Harvey Norman, Challenger, Sprint Cass, Mustafa, Handphoneshop, 3Mobile and selected AMobile authorised retailers.

About HMD Global

Headquartered in Espoo, Finland, HMD Global Oy is the new home of Nokia phones and tablets. HMD designs and markets a range of smartphones and feature phones targeted at a range of consumers and price points. With a commitment to innovation and quality, HMD is the proud exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand for mobile phones and tablets. Nokia is a registered trademark of Nokia Corporation

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Singtel’s No. 1 iPhone 8 Plus Customer Bought The Phone For His Mum

Singapore, 22 September 2017 – Singtel this morning launched the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus with great fanfare at its exclusive event at Marina Bay Sands Exhibition Hall C. Mr Eng Guan Theng, 30, was the first in line at 6am, waiting eagerly to purchase two iPhone Plus phones, one for himself and the other for his mother.
A Singtel customer since 2008, Mr Eng’s first iPhone was the iPhone 3G. “I’m very excited to be the first Singtel customer in Singapore to get the new iPhone 8  Plus. I got one in Space Grey and another in Gold – I’ll let mom choose which colour she wants!”

An annual highlight on Singtel’s calendar, iPhone launches are always an exciting time for the telco. This year’s two-day event features 40 sales counters, and an entertainment, connectivity and family zone where customers can explore services such as Singtel Circle, Singtel Dash and MobileSwop Unlimited. Customers will also be entertained with live streaming of Singtel TV while they wait for their appointments.
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Samsung Launches Galaxy Note8 in Singapore

Singapore – 24 August 2017 – Samsung Electronics Singapore introduces the Galaxy Note8. With the Galaxy Note8, Samsung claims that consumers can get a bigger Infinity Display that fits comfortably in one hand, an enhanced S Pen that allows communication in a more personal ways, and improved camera for better photo experience.

The Galaxy Note8 is equipped with two 12MP rear cameras with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) on both the wide-angle lens and the telephoto lens.

Enjoy and Do More on the Infinity Display 

Featuring a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display that allows users to see more and scroll less, the Galaxy Note8 has the biggest screen ever on a Note device, yet its narrow body makes it comfortable to hold in one hand. With the new Galaxy Note8, users are equipped with more room to watch, read and draw—making it the ultimate multitasking smartphone.

 

Live Messaging with Enhance S Pen

Samsung introduces Live Messaging that allows users to create animated messages and this works on any apps that supported animated GIF files.

 

Better Pictures with Galaxy Note8’s Camera

The Galaxy Note8 is equipped with two 12MP rear cameras with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) on both the wide-angle lens and the telephoto lens. Whether users are exploring a new city or running around their backyard, OIS allows them to capture sharper images.

 

For more advanced photo-taking, the Galaxy Note8’s Live Focus feature lets users control the depth of field by allowing them to adjust the bokeh effect in preview mode and after they take the photo.

 

In Dual Capture mode, both rear cameras take two pictures simultaneously and allow users to save both images; one close-up shot from the telephoto lens and one wide-angle shot that shows the entire background.

 

The wide-angle lens has a Dual Pixel sensor with rapid Auto Focus, so that users can capture sharper, clearer shots, even in low-light environments. The Galaxy Note8 is also equipped with an industry-leading 8MP Smart Auto Focus front-facing camera for sharp selfies and video.

Local Pricing and Availability

Interested buyers can place their pre-order from 25 Aug 2017. The Galaxy Note8 will be available from 15 September 2017 at a recommended retail price of $1,398 including GST. Available in MidnightBlack, Maple Gold and Orchid Gray, the device will be available at all local telecommunication operators, major consumer electronic stores, authorised mobile retailers, Samsung Experience Stores and Lazada Singapore.

Galaxy Note8 Product Specifications:

  Galaxy Note8 
OS  AndroidTM 7.1.1 (Nougat)
Network  LTE Cat. 1623
Dimension  162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6mm, 195g
Processor  10nm, Exynos 2.3GHz Quad + 1.7GHz Quad
Memory RAM: 6GB

ROM: 64GB

External Storage: microSD slot up to 256GB
Display 6.3” Infinity Display, Quad HD+ 18.5:9, 2960×1440
Camera Rear: Dual Camera [Wide] 12MP Dual Pixel OIS AF (F1.7), [Tele] 12MP OIS AF (F2.4) Front: 8MP AF (F1.7)
Battery  3,300mAh
Charging  Ultra Fast Charging, Fast Wireless Charging (built-in)
Connectivity  Wi-Fi® 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), VHT80, MU-MIMO, 1024-QAM, Wi-Fi Direct®, Bluetooth® 5.0, USB 3.1 Type-C, NFC
Audio Format Supported:

UHQ 32-bit audio & DSD (Direct Stream Digital) 64/128
Video UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) | @30fps
Water

Resistance 

Water & Dust Resistance (IP68) – Note 8 and S Pen
In-box

Accessories

Transparent clear cover, Micro USB Connector, Earphones Tuned by AKG by Harman, Travel Adaptor, Type-C USB Cable, Ejection Pin

 

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Collaboration between CyberSource and OnePlus To Offer Payment Alternative To The World

Singapore – 19 January 2017 – CyberSource, a Visa Inc. company (NYSE: V), and one of the world’s largest providers of eCommerce payment management services, today announced its collaboration with OnePlus, a global mobile technology start-up focused on developing flagship smartphones for its tech-savvy users.

Leveraging CyberSource’s suite of payment management solutions, OnePlus will be able to securely accept digital payment methods through both web and mobile channels as it looks to grow its market share across Europe and North America.

OnePlus will deploy CyberSource’s full suite of payment, fraud management and tokenization services. Through the CyberSource global payment gateway, OnePlus will be able to process a wide range of international online and mobile payments from multiple credit card issuers, as well as certain alternative payment methods.

Since its founding in 2013, OnePlus has grown rapidly in a short time and operates in more than 30 countries today. As the company continued to expand overseas, OnePlus wanted to offer preferred payment options and currencies in local markets to expand customer reach, without increasing payment security or fraud risk for customers in Europe and North America.

 

“OnePlus needs to continue building trust among our customers for sustainable growth,” said Steven Gao, head of global eCommerce at OnePlus. “This relationship with CyberSource is important to that strategy as we are now able to accept a greater variety of payment modes and streamline payment acceptance, thus improving the entire customer experience.”

Additionally, OnePlus will use CyberSource Decision Manager, which features the World’s Largest Fraud Detection Radar. With insights from over 68 billion transactions processed annually by Visa and CyberSource, supplemented by over 260 real-time global validation tests, OnePlus will be able to automatically screen more inbound orders faster, with increased accuracy and less manual interventions. This will significantly enable OnePlus to better mitigate its online fraud rate with the ability to accept more genuine orders with confidence, while minimizing the rejection of valid ones.

“Today’s customers expect more choices,” said Sarah Wu, Head of Sales, Greater China, CyberSource. “Increasingly, customers are more likely to simply abandon their shopping carts if their preferred payment option is not available. As merchants look to expand overseas, a solid and secure payment management infrastructure will help improve customer experience. We are thrilled to work with OnePlus to optimize their payment and fraud management services, enabling them to provide a secure end-to-end online payment experience that caters to their growing user base.”

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BenQ Launches 2 Projectors Targeted at Home Users – W8000 Home Theater Projector & DLP 4K UHD projector W11000

BenQ, recognized for making good qualities projectors, announces 2 new products targeted at home users – W8000 & W11000. These projectors have been tested and certified by THX engineers for image qualities that ensures delivery of good cinematic experiences to home users. So, what are the differences between these 2?

BenQ launches new DLP Projector - W11000 that is capable of delivering #4K display. Source: Instagram user @weewu
BenQ launches new DLP Projector – W11000 that is capable of delivering #4K display. Source: Instagram user @weewu

Resolutions 

This is by far, the most obvious difference between the 2. The W8000 is delivering Full 1080P which is common standard used in most of the video content whereas W11000 is capable of producing 4K UHD Display. Although some of you may argue that there aren’t many 4K content in the market, is there a need to have a 4K display?

I have never buy into that argument since there are so many projectors in the market that could upscale 1080P to 4K just so like the BenQ W11000. However, most 4K projectors you see in the market start off with 1080P resolution and subsequently render to 4K (so as to impress the user with the difference but usually, this takes up processing time). The W11000, instead of following this process, starts off at 2K. Then, using XPR fast switching technology, the individual pixels on the DLP chip render the output by 2 times to 4K.

 

Versatility

BenQ launches W8000 home theater projector. Source: Instagram user @weewu
BenQ launches W8000 home theater projector. Source: Instagram user @weewu

Space (in Singapore) is a luxury. Most of us stay in HDB which does not provide a luxurious space for big theater equipment. The W8000 comes with 5 interchangeable lens that gives users the flexibility in different room scenarios – whether from a small room with a Wide Zoom Lens or a long zoom Lens for hall (upto approx 11m!).

Capable in delivering 4K quality, the W11000 works well in almost any home environment.  Nonetheless, I will suggest to leave a big piece of wall as your projector screen. It is 4K afterall! Why not fully capitalize on it?!

Price

The BenQ W8000 home theater projector is priced at SGD 3,888 after GST (pricing includes Standard Lens) which is very competitive  in the market.

The BenQ W11000 home theater projector is priced at SGD 7,299 after GST which is a steal! Most projectors at this range will be around 5-figures.

BenQ W8000 is available now whereas BenQ W11000 will be available mid-December 2016 onwards.

For sales enquiries, please visit Home Cinemapit Pte Ltd and KEC Sound and Vision Pte Ltd.

 

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