Tag: #travel

With Valentine’s day coming up in 2 weeks’ time, many of you will be pondering over what you can get for your significant other. How about something both practical and stylish at the same time? You will be hard-pressed to find a better gift option than one of the lovely backpacks from Gaston Luga.

 

Gaston Luga’s bags scream minimalist chic. The founder, Carl Sundqvist, had the vision to make a line of bags with Scandinavian minimalism (shout out to all IKEA fans!) and elegance to suit all different occasions. This vision is definitely realised in each and every product that Gaston Luga offers.

For those with “wanderlust gene”, you will be pleased to know that Gaston Luga have a variety of tags to match with how you feel and showcase who you are. But the most outstanding feature that really resonates with us is their passport and travel ticket pocket. Important travel documents should be easily accessible and at the same time safely kept. So Gaston Luga designed a special pocket with a beautiful leather detail on the back. This means that the important stuff are kept close to the body and becomes impossible to be pickpocketed, and yet you can easily access them when passing through various checkpoints while travelling. Honestly, this should become a standard for all backpacks to follow.

 

We believe the pictures will speak for themselves. It is hard for us to imagine someone not liking the design of these bags.

The Clässic range has a capacity of 15L and an inner compartment which can fit a 13-15” laptop. The Pråper range (not pictured) has a capacity of 18L and also an inner compartment which can fit a 13-15” laptop. The Clässy range (which is a slimmer Pråper) has a capacity of 13L and the inner compartment can fit a 13” laptop.

 

All the bags are made with thick and strong cotton for durability. It is also noteworthy that the bags use vegan leather, so you can rest easy knowing your purchase is cruelty-free.

A little extra perk for you: when you order from outside the EU, the Swedish VAT will be deducted from the listed price (i.e 20% tax rebate on the listed price) so you are paying less than what you see on the website. There is free shipping globally by DHL express so you can definitely get the bags in time for that special occasion. Furthermore, you can get another 15% discount on the VAT-free price with our quote “NEODIMENSION”. (Effectively, this blog is giving you more than 30% discount!)

p.s. You may want to watch our unboxing on Youtube here.

SINGAPORE – September 12, 2017 – Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), a technology provider to the global travel industry, today unveiled findings from its 2017 Asia Pacific Corporate Traveller study. One key finding shows that 80 percent of travel managers now believe mobility to be the biggest priority in managing corporate travel; another underscore the rise of premium economy as a new corporate favourite class; a third finds companies trying to stay on top of corporate travellers who are increasingly deviating from their travel policy.

“The increasing incidence of non-compliance is the result of corporate travellers booking out of policy, where they extend business trips to include some leisure time at their own expense. With more companies shifting accountability of policy compliance to the traveller, the ability to integrate non-traditional sources of flight and accommodation, and option to change plans easily while on the go, will go a long way in helping the corporate traveller adhere to policy without compromising on the quality of travel,” said Jason Toothman, vice president of global accounts, Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific.

 

Almost half of all corporate travellers make changes to their trips

 

According to the study conducted on corporate travel professionals from across 19 countries in the region, more than 43 percent of corporate travellers are deviating from company policy ahead of the trip and 42 percent are making changes while travelling.

 

As companies strive to find the balance between driving compliance and increasing their corporate travellers’ satisfaction, respondents have seen corporations actively re-crafting their travel policies (32 percent in 2015 vs 47 percent in 2016) to accommodate more booking autonomy. One quarter of respondents also noted that most of their clients have deployed mobile app(s) that incorporate policy compliance options, shifting accountability of compliance to the traveller.

 

Rise of mobile and virtual payment technologies

 

When asked what it is they considered to be the biggest priority in managing corporate travel in their organisation, 80 percent of travel managers believe mobility – from making a booking through a mobile device, to itinerary management, to staying in touch with their traveller via instant messaging – is their top priority, highlighting the importance placed on moving towards a mobile first strategy. 66 percent also quoted looking at alternative forms of payment technology as a high priority area for them.

Today, new technologies are emerging at a rapid pace, ultimately opening up countless new revenue channels for travel companies to tap into. Travel managers have an opportunity to engage their corporate travellers on multiple devices at all points of the journey for a truly seamless trip. Product solutions that can seamlessly integrate booking, itinerary management, messaging, virtual payments, expenses reporting and travel risk management will help corporate travellers improve their traveller experience, whilst helping their organisations maximise efficiency, streamline expenses and improve compliance.

 

Premium Economy – A new corporate favourite

 

Amidst economic uncertainty, companies are cutting back on premium class air travel and as such, premium economy options have become the next best alternative without significantly impacting travellers’ comfort. From the report, over half of the respondents indicated that companies are switching class from business to premium economy. On the other hand, some businesses are upgrading travellers from economy to premium economy for higher traveller satisfaction. Both forces have contributed to 81 percent of respondents are seeing an increase in premium economy bookings.

The Sabre Asia Pacific Travel Study surveyed corporate travel professionals from 19 key markets across the region, representing corporate travel management companies and travel agencies servicing corporate accounts. Countries covered included Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.

HONG KONG (April 18, 2017) – Khoo Teng Chye, Executive Director for the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), Ministry of National Development (MND), Singapore, has been appointed Chairman of Singapore for the Urban Land Institute (ULI), an interdisciplinary research and education institute with more than 40,000 members dedicated to leadership in real estate and land use and creating thriving communities worldwide.

 

Khoo, who was formerly the Chief Executive of PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency and Chief Executive Officer/Chief Planner at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), is ULI’s first Council Chair to come from the public sector in Asia Pacific. As ULI Singapore Chairman, he will lead the Executive Committee in Singapore, which will continue to focus their efforts in providing long-term thinking and sustainable solutions for the city’s ongoing development.

 

ULI Singapore has been extremely active in the city for a number of years. The National Council has advised on a number of issues related to urban development and in 2016, ULI Singapore, together with the CLC completed a piece of research on “Creating Liveable Cities through Car-lite Urban Mobility” which proposed practical recommendations on moving cities towards a more sustainable mobility future with reference to the city-state. This is the third initiative that ULI has worked on together with CLC, with the other two being defining 10 Principles for Liveable High Density Cities and producing a report on Creating Healthy Places through Active Mobility. One of Khoo’s core objectives, as Chairman, is to extend this relationship between the two organisations further, and to continue to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and understanding with regards to sustainable urbanisation.

 

Khoo’s second objective is to help ULI play an active role in supporting some of the exciting new developments in Singapore, like the proposed second Central Business District at Jurong Lake. Khoo believes that many of ULI’s international members are in the unique position to advise and work with the Singapore urban planning and real estate community.

 

The World Cities Summit takes place in Singapore every two years and is a platform for government leaders and industry experts to address liveable and sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions and forge new partnerships. Khoo’s third key objective is to help ULI serve as a strategic partner to the event, as it has in the past, and work on exciting new initiatives planned for the event in 2018.

 

“I firstly became familiar of ULI’s work when I was working for the URA so it is an honour for me to be invited to be Chairman of ULI Singapore,” said Khoo. “Urbanisation is a complex process everywhere in the world and the public sector has to work with the private sector for it to be a success. ULI helps both sides come together, through providing new models of collaboration, and I look forward to helping extend ULI’s mission in Singapore.”

 

“We’re very excited that Khoo Teng Chye will be leading the national council in Singapore as he has been a great advocate of ULI in the past,” added John Fitzgerald, Chief Executive Officer of ULI Asia Pacific. “His knowledge of the Singapore real estate industry is unparalleled and with his leadership I am confident that ULI will continue to play an important role to the development of the city.”

 

Under Khoo’s leadership, ULI Singapore Executive Committee members include Frank Khoo, Global Head of Asia, Real Assets, AXA Investment Managers; Daniel Cerf, CEO, Cache Logistics Trust; Blake Olafson, Managing Partner, Asia Capital Real Estate; Scott Dunn, Vice President, Southeast Asia, AECOM; Bernard Phang, Managing Director, GIC; Darren Sabom, Head of Underwriting, APAC & Head of Southeast Asia Acquisition; Magdelene Chua, Partner, PwC Singapore; David Huang, Partners Group; Gaurang Khemka, Founder, URBNarc; Terence Tang, Managing Director, Colliers International; Niel Thassim, Head of Asia, Private Funds Group, Brookfield Asset Management; Choon Fah Ong, CEO, Edmund Tie & Company; Augustine Tan, Executive Director, Far East Organisation; Yu-Ning Hwang, Director (Land & Liveability), Strategy Group, Prime Minister’s Office; Benett Theseira, Managing Director, Head of Asia-Pacific, PGIM Real Estate

Acronis – Scuderia Toro Rosso partnership has accelerated the development of innovative products​, providing the most complete data protection and universal data storage solutions for businesses operating in the automotive industry.

March 24, 2017 — Acronis, a global leader in hybrid cloud data protection and storage, is proud to support Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One team in 2017, as it puts its fastest and the most innovative racing car, STR12, through the paces at the first race of the season at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.

Serguei Beloussov, Acronis founder and CEO, said: “We are proud of our fruitful relationship with Scuderia Toro Rosso and we’re excited about the new season. The first Grand Prix of the year marks the start of a new wave of activities, as we continue to release innovative products for data protection, storage, and disaster recovery.”

Acronis Backup 12 — #1 Backup for Small Business

The partnership between the two companies began in July 2016 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Scuderia Toro Rosso became a launch partner of Acronis Backup 12. The product has been well-accepted and delivered over 40% growth in adoption in over the last eight months. Acronis Backup 12 is the most complete data protection solution available to small businesses today, supporting 16 different platforms, protecting all business data — servers, workstations, virtual machines and public cloud workloads such as Microsoft Office 365.

 

An extended version of this product, Acronis Backup 12 Advanced, is scheduled for release in Q2 2017. The new edition will support a number of advanced features, including Acronis Active Protection™ against ransomware, Acronis Notary™ blockchain-based data verification, Acronis ASign™ blockchain-based document signing, SAN storage snapshots, smart alerting and reporting, roles and delegation capability, and off-host backup processing.

 

Acronis Backup Cloud — #1 Backup for Service Providers

Acronis Backup Cloud is the world’s only backup solution specifically designed for service providers. This week Acronis announced the addition of Plesk, cPanel, and website backup functionality, making it the most complete hybrid cloud backup-as-a-service platform available to service providers today.

 

Acronis Backup Cloud business is going through an explosive growth, far exceeding the 18% public cloud services market growth rate forecasted by Gartner for 2017: more than 15,000 devices were added in the last 30 days alone; over 100% YoY growth in bookings; seven-fold YoY growth in cloud storage.  Service providers are in a prime position to protect their customers’ data and build their business with Acronis’ support and innovative technology.

 

Acronis Storage — #1 Software Defined Storage Solution

Acronis Storage universal software-defined storage solution for cold and hot data turning commodity hardware, is a perfect companion for Acronis Backup Cloud. Acronis Storage beats the competition in price and technology, providing easy management and data storage reliability for backup, file sync and share, and any other application data. ESG Lab has validated Acronis Storage to be up to 20x faster than the competition and as much as one-sixth of the cost of either traditional in-house storage or public cloud storage.

 

Scuderia Toro Rosso Team Principal Franz Tost, says: “Acronis came on board in the middle of last year. Not only do we have to ensure that our data is protected and safe, we also want to access any part of it almost immediately in some situations, for example, when it comes to making a snap decision relating to race strategy. As leaders in hybrid cloud data protection, Acronis is able to meet both those requirements.” ​

 

Acronis Racing Weekends

To promote best practices and encourage innovation, Acronis will continue holding Acronis Racing Weekends alongside Formula One Grand Prix in key regions around the world. This year Acronis will introduce a new format that will turn these events into a fountain of great ideas, innovation, and networking opportunities. Additional details will be announced separately at a later stage.

I am sure everyone had this experience before for not able to change your leftover foreign currencies simply because the amount is just too small for the money changer to do so. Often, you will chuck this leftover currencies into your drawer hoping that you will be able to use it in your next trip but the outcome – you will just forget about it completely!

While this is the exact problem that TravelersBox wishes to tackle! TravelersBox is a Finch company that helps travelers convert their leftover foreign currency, including bills and coins, into digital money with favorite e-Gift cards (iTunes, JD.com, Grab, Tokpedia, Starbucks, Facebook) or e-wallet brands (PayPal and Baidu).

TravelersBox, Gibraltar-registered company, first started at Ataturk airport in Turkey and subsequently expanded their footprints to other parts of the world. Now, they are in Singapore!

TravelersBox kiosks were first installed in Changi Airport in mid-December. When asked about the rationale of entering the Singapore market, Tomer Zussman, CEO and founder of TravelersBox, ““Singapore Changi Airport is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia and the world, and we are thrilled to be able to join an airport of this scale. We believe that this is a service that will be of great value to travelers here and we will continue to bring leading brands and companies onboard as partners.”

Where are these kiosks located? 

There are eight kiosks located at Terminal 1 and 3.

Currencies accepted in TravelersBox Changi Airport

In the initial period which will accept nine currencies, including the Singapore Dollar, Indonesian Rupiah, Australian Dollar and Chinese Renminbi.

Visitors will be able to change these currencies into credits with companies such as Grab, Tokpedia, Lazada, Facebook and Amazon.ch, with more to come in the future.

Partners in TravelersBox Changi Airport

Amazon.ch, Amazon.jp, Facebook, Grab, iTunes, Lazada, Qoo10, Starbucks, Skype, Tokopedia, Viber, Changi Foundation.

 

 

The Swiss made KLOK-01 and KLOK–02 unisex timepieces by Klokers, is making its debut in Southeast Asia with Lamch & Co, at Antė @TANGS Plaza and Antė @Takashimaya.

KLOK-01: Inspired by the side rule
Klokers timepieces are neither vintage nor retro but part of a transverse reality. They offer a means to travel between yesterday and tomorrow, being resolutely focused on the future. These are the Klokers Machines To Travel Through Time.

Before the advent of cheap pocket calculators, slide rules were the fastest method for working out complex calculations. Travel through time as Klokers pays homage to this iconic, form-followsfunction instrument with the brand’s first watch, the KLOK-01, featuring three rotating disks displaying time along a vertical line.

The KLOK-01 display is a graphical representation of a slide rule using three rotating concentric rings to display the time along a vertical red line. The rings — one each for hours, minutes, and seconds — rotate at different speeds, making the whole dial a symphony of motion.

 

KLOK-01 is Swiss Made and features a high-tech movement with a high-precision quartz movement. The rotating disk displays are driven by high-efficiency, bi-directionally functioning Lavet micromotors that boast low power consumption. These disks display the time on a vertical red line at the top of the dial. An integrated magnifying lens in the crystal ensures maximum legibility when reading the time.

 

The 44 mm case of KLOK-01 is made from a composite metal polymer offering high strength and low weight and ensuring that the timepiece fits comfortably on wrists of all sizes. What’s more, the KLOK-01 is also waterproof up to 5m. A pusher at 8 o’clock on the case band releases the watch from the docking “jewel” for ease of changing watches and bracelets.

KLOCK-02: Push button time travel

Until the end of the 19th century, most towns and cities throughout the world had their own time.  And while that might seem a recipe for chaos now, back then the fastest form of transport was the horse and here was no need to a more structured system. However, with the advent of the railroads opening up much of America, it became evident that train timetables needed to be harmonized, not just for travelers but also avoiding trains travelling in different directions on the same track at the same time.

 

Then in 1884, the timezones we know today was established. While time zones were essential in enabling fast and reliable train transport, they were even more so when international aviation (quite literally) took off. Today, many if not most of us have regular connections, either physical or digital, with friends, family, and colleagues in various locations and time zone around the world and KLOK02 makes it easier than ever to know not just where they are, but when they are.

 

 

While it may be the large arc of the retrograde minutes and seconds sweeping across the top section of KLOK-02 that first catches the eye, it’s the small windows underneath where the real magic happens. A circular opening displays jumping hours, to the right of which is a window showing cities, each city in one of 24 time zones around the world. A short press of the pusher on the case band at 4 o’clock changes the city/time zone and the hour in that city’s time zone automatically synchronizes.  A longer press of the pusher causes the date to display.

KLOK-02 features a high-precision, quartz regulated, Swiss Made Soprod SOP 813 mechatronic movement with displays driven by high-efficiency/low power consumption, bi-directional Lavet micromotors. The KLOK-02 just like the KLOK-01 is also waterproof up to 5m.

 

The slim 43 mm case of KLOK-02 is made from a composite metal polymer offering high strength and low weight, ensuring that the timepiece fits comfortably on wrists of all sizes. A pusher at 8 o’clock on the case band releases the watch from the docking “jewel” for ease of changing watches and bracelets.

 

Klokers watches are highly evocative, triggering memories and personal stories from iconic objects of our past. They are like time shuttles for the wrist, reviving timeless style elements and channeling them into fresh, contemporary, playful timepieces respecting the origins of their inspiration.

 

Klokers will be available on 14th February 2017, for the first time in Southeast Asia, at Antė @TANGS Plaza and Antė @Takashimaya. The KLOK-01 retails for $699 and the KLOK-02 retails for $1,499.

 

Geylang International FC (GIFC) announced that it will be partnering with Epson for another year. The one-year sponsorship extension will see increased partnership between the Club and Epson Singapore, now GIFC’s Platinum sponsor, with new initiatives in the pipeline.

As part of Epson and GIFC’s commitment to develop youths through football, both parties have agreed to work hand-in-hand to further utilise the partnership with Matsumoto Yamaga FC, by sending talented youth footballers for a training stint with the Japanese club later this year. Epson Singapore Cup 2017, co-organised by GIFC and Epson, will also be part of the activities in the upcoming partnership.

The signing ceremony between Mr Toshimitsu Tanaka, Managing Director (Southeast Asia) of Epson Singapore, and Mr Ben Teng, Chairman of GIFC was held as part of the press event today at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Singapore, February 7, 2017 — A familiar brand in Singapore, Garmin’s consumer products have been sold here through distributors since the early 1990s. As part of the brand’s strategic plan to strengthen their presence in the region, Garmin will now be directly managing the sales and marketing of its consumer business devices in the Southeast Asia and India region.

Singapore was selected as the regional headquarters for Garmin’s regional expansion because of the nation’s vibrant pro-business environment, political stability, centralised geography and strong infrastructure.

The company has appointed Mr. Engelhard (Al) Sundoro as Managing Director for the South Asia/ India Region since January 2017. Mr. Sundoro brings with him a wealth of experience having worked with Garmin International in America since 2007. Mr. Sundoro will manage Garmin’s consumer business in six South-east Asian countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand) and India and its marine business in South-east Asia, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and India.

“As a company, we need to be an enduring brand that consistently innovates. In order to do that, it is essential for us to be closer to our customers to understand what they need. Even as a global brand, Garmin sees each market differently as the customer needs in each region is diverse. Outside of US, China and Taiwan, it is a natural step for the brand to strengthen our presence in South-east Asia with Singapore as our headquarters as consumers here tend to be early adopters of technology,” said Mr. Al Sundoro, Managing Director for South Asia/ India Region.

Garmin has a strong foundation in engineering products for aviation and marine since 1989. With engineering a fundamental part of the brand’s DNA, innovation, precision and attention to details are ingrained in the products designed by the brand.

Aiming to engineer quality wearables to complement the daily active lifestyles of users, Garmin recently announced its partnership with EZ-Link to launch a special version of its vívosmart HR activity tracker with built-in NFC contactless payment smarts. Users can tap their fitness band to make payment for train and bus rides, cab rides and retail purchases in Singapore.

“Working with partners such as EZ-Link to make our products more meaningful to consumers in each locale is an example of what we want to do with our business here,” added Mr. Sundoro.

 

After so much controversies, it is confirmed by SBS on 24 Jan 2017 that the popular variety show “Running Man”  will continue with the original cast Yoo Jae Suk, Kim Jong Kook, HaHa, Lee Kwang Soo, Ji Suk Jin, and Song Ji Hyo.

 

“In view of the overwhelming response by local and International fans, we have decided to continue the Running Man series with the original cast members,” said Creator of the hit variety show who is also the Chief Producer of Seoul Broadcasting System’s (SBS) Variety Team. “I sincerely thank the Running Man members who made the difficult decision to stay on the show. And in order to repay fans who have continuously showered us with love and support through the past 7 years, we will continue to do my best to make Running Man even more enjoyable,” he added.

On top of that, SBS official also said that Kang Garry will be appearing as special guest on the coming 29 Jan’s airing.

 

On ONE, Running Man has long been an anchor programme on the channel; in both Malaysia and Singapore, ONE is the top pay TV channel during Running Man’s premiere telecast slot on Fridays at 11pm. It is also the no.1 variety programme among the 4 Korean entertainment channels in Singapore. In Malaysia, the show has been and continues to be the top-rated programme not just on ONE, but also amongst the four Korean entertainment channels in the country.*

 

Fans can continue to watch the latest episodes of Running Man on ONE every Friday at 11pm (10pm JKT), within one week of its Korean telecast.  ONE also airs classic episodes of Running Man in a throwback slot every Saturday night at 11pm (10pm).

For more information about the show or its broadcast schedule, visit www.ONEtvasia.com/shows/running-man.

 

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.”