Archive for the ‘travel’ Category
Friday, August 30th, 2019
Grab Hitch seems to have hit some glitches within their app with users being logged into the accounts belonging to OTHER users.
Update (1742H, 30 August, 2019)
Grab Hitch has sent out the following message to its drivers to reassure them:
“Dear Hitch Driver, earlier today we experienced an issue in our system. As a result, for a brief window of time some of you were shown another driver’s details in your profile. This issue has been fixed and we’d like to assure you that at no point was your wallet compromised or at risk. We apologise for this issue. If you have any questions please reach out to us via Help Centre in the app.”
Update (1310H, 30 August, 2019)
Around 1pm, the glitch seems to have been fixed by Hitch.
Kudos to such fast rectification!

Grab Hitch user logs into somebody else’s account, views their wallet details. The right image shows some of the different user accounts that he was connected to.
First reports of the Hitch Glitch came in around noon from users in Singapore.

A Grab Hitch driver had a confirmed ride from another driver in his account. To pick up or not to pick up?
Users were logged into the accounts of OTHER users when they get into the app.
The basic profile information eg. name, email and phone number remain correct.
But other information, such as the profile photo, car make & model, car photo, license number, confirmed rides reflected that of the “other” driver.
They could see the wallet details in these other accounts as if it were their own.
(more…)
Tags:Apps, glitch, Grab, Hitch, outage, Singapore, software
Posted in App, Apps, News, Singapore, Software, Tech news, Tickers, travel | No Comments »
Sunday, August 4th, 2019
First opened in 1887 and declared a National Monument by the government on its centennial, the grand old dame has reopened on 1 August after an extensive 2-year restoration that began in 2017.
* This story first appeared in The Travel Memoir.
Had a chance to walk through the charming grand dame of 1887 vintage on the Sunday prior to its reopening before the hordes descended.
The hotel now offers 115 suites in nine categories, including the Grand Hotel Suites and Presidential Suites.
The Long Bar – where the Singapore Sling cocktail was invented – has also been refreshed.
At 132 years old, the newly reopened Raffles Hotel has certainly seen a large part of Singapore’s 200-year old history after founder Sir Stamford Raffles colonised the island. This statue of Raffles sits in the Raffles Arcade and will observe the progress of the nation going forward into the next 200 years.
A night at the hotel ranges from slightly less than S$1,000 for its cheapest suite, to almost S$12,000 for one night in a two-bed President Suite.
(more…)
Tags:hotels, opening, Raffles, Singapore, travel
Posted in Events, events, newArrivals, Singapore, travel, Visits | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 31st, 2019
Ready To Travel, a travel app subsidiary owned by SATS, today unveiled the new features and services in Version 2.0.
This story first appeared in The Travel Memoir.

Ready To Go 2.0 puts social back into group vacations.
These include access to over 400 airport lounges worldwide and a new global bag-locate service that tracks and expedites the return of delayed baggage with a 96-hour guarantee – from the time the flight lands to baggage return – after which travellers will receive the pay-out.

The Ready To Go team (from right): Albert Pozo – Chief Digital Officer, SATS; Eileen Tan – Vice President, Consumer Services, SATS (Ready To Travel); Head of Marketing, Consumer Services, SATS (Ready To Travel).
With the new global bag-locate service – from S$6, travellers can insure 2 bags with a pay-out of up to S$2,200 per delayed bag.
Through Ready To Travel, the Bag Locate service provider works with the airline to locate delayed baggage, while sending email updates to the traveller.
More details below from the press release.
(more…)
Tags:app, baggage, launch, luggage, Ready To Go, SATS, Singapore, travel
Posted in Announce, Apps, Events, events, Launch, Lifestyle, Press Release, Singapore, Software, software, travel | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 30th, 2019
For the first time, all 114 hawker centres in Singapore will be documented on Google Maps’ Street View by early 2020.

The Google Street View Trekker weighs 18kg and contains seven high-resolution cameras to create an immersive 360-degree panoramic view. A full charge of the trekker battery lasts for 6-8hrs.
The initiative is a collaboration between Google and the organisations that are co-driving the nomination to inscribe Hawker Culture in Singapore on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Street View Trekker with representatives from Google, NHB, NEA and FMAS, at Chinatown Market.
These organisations include the National Heritage Board (NHB), National Environment Agency (NEA) and Federation Of Merchants’ Associations, Singapore (FMAS).
The aim is to document Singapore’s beloved hawker centres on Google Maps to make them discoverable to anyone curious about our hawker centres or looking for their favourite hawker stalls.
More details below from the press release.
(more…)
Tags:FMAS, Google, hawkers, maps, NEA, NHB, Singapore, Street View, trekker
Posted in Announce, Brief, Events, events, Food, Google, Internet, News, Press Release, Singapore, travel, Visits | No Comments »
Saturday, April 27th, 2019
The press conference for IFA 2019 in Berlin (6 – 11 September) was held at 11am today in Andalusia, Spain.
Global press conference for IFA 2019 (6 – 11 Sep in Berlin) is happening right now here in Andalusia, Spain. Hans-Joachim Kamp, Chairman of the supervisory board gfu, Consumer & Home Electronics – shares major global trends of technical consumer goods (TCG).
Hans-Joachim Kamp opened the global press conference with the major trends for TCG.
He concluded that the Global Market for technical consumer goods was still growing, especially smart and connected devices are gaining importance.
Jens Heithecker, Executive Director (IFA) & EVP (Messe Berlin Group) announced that Sennheiser would be the first official audio partner for IFA.
Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin says, “”Trust is at the heart of every relationship”
Dr. Christian Goke, CEO Messe Berlin, unveiled that Richard Yu, CEO Consumer Business Group, Huawei, would be the opening keynote speaker for IFA 2019.
He also announced that Cristiano Amon, President Qualcomm, would be the second keynote speaker for IFA 2019.
Dr. Christian Goke, CEO Messe Berlin, unveils that Richard Yu, CEO Consumer Business Group, Huawei, will be the opening keynote speaker for IFA 2019.
Dr Goke next revealed that the Global Innovation Partner country for IFA NEXT in 2019 would be Japan.
Below are the details from the press release.
(more…)
Tags:Andalusia, appliances, briefs, consumer, electronics, event forecast, events, exhibitions, IFA, IFA GPC, IFA GPC 2019, power briefings, presentations, press conference, Spain, travel
Posted in Announce, Brief, Events, events, Exhibition, Live Event, Press Release, Reference, Seminars, Spain 2019, travel | No Comments »
Friday, April 26th, 2019
The first day of the IFA GPC 2019 comprises a series of power briefs by industry leaders and analysts on the latest trends and products in consumer electronics and home appliances. Here is a rundown on what transpired in those proceedings.
Day 1 of the IFA GPC 2019 kicks off with the MC, Dave Graveline (right), handing the mic over to Jens Heithecker, Executive Director (IFA) & EVP (Messe Berlin Group), for the opening address.
This year, there are altogether 11 power briefings.
As I attend these sessions, I will post a brief synopsis of each session on Instagram and consolidate all the synopsis here.
So stay tuned!
Power Briefing 1
Power Briefing by Philips on how to “#makeLifeBetter: From personal to personalised health”.
Philips is innovating in the field of data-driven insights into health, with its huge expertise in connectivity, big data and Artificial Intelligence. Announced was the Philips Sonicar Teledentistry Solutions. Philips Sonicare Teledentistry service provides patients with remote dental consultation from licensed dentists within 24 hours.
The Philips Sonicare app acts as a “virtual hub” for personal oral healthcare. Users can manage their complete oral care daily and share brushing data with their doctors, putting personalised guidance and advice at their fingertips.
Presenting was Marlies Cebetsberger, Personal Health Leader Philips Market DACH.
(more…)
Tags:Andalusia, appliances, briefs, consumer, electronics, event forecast, events, exhibitions, IFA, IFA GPC, IFA GPC 2019, power briefings, presentations, Spain, travel
Posted in Appliances, Audio, Brief, Events, events, Exhibition, Figures, Gadgets, gadgets, Opinion, Seminars, Sennheiser, Spain 2019, TCL, travel | No Comments »
Thursday, April 25th, 2019
IFA Global Press Conference 2019 is happening this weekend in Andalusia, Spain. I will be covering this consumer electronics and home appliances showcase, as part of a small group of media that the show organisers invited from Singapore.
The venue for IFA GPC 2019 – the Barceló Punta Umbría Beach Resort near Huelva in Andalusia, Spain. Looking forward to the seeing old friends – both among the journalists as well as the brands at tonight’s welcome dinner & drinks.
The media delegation from Singapore is part of an international corp invited by Messe Berlin, the organisers of IFA and this Global Press Conference.
IFA this year will be from 6 – 11 September, 2019.
(more…)
Tags:Andalusia, appliances, consumer, electronics, event forecast, events, exhibitions, IFA, IFA GPC, IFA GPC 2019, Spain, travel
Posted in Business IT, Events, events, Exhibition, Seminars, Spain 2019, travel | No Comments »
Monday, April 1st, 2019
IFA this year will be from 6 – 11 September, 2019. As in previous years, the annual consumer electronics & home appliances show will be preceded by a preview cum global press conference for the media from 25-28 April.

This year’s IFA GPC will be in Andalusia, Spain (25-28 April, 2019). Venues in the past have included Hong Kong & Shenzhen in China (2016), Lisbon in Portugal (2017), and Rome in Italy (2018).
IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin – international radio exhibition Berlin) is a global consumer electronics and home appliances show held annually in Berlin in September.
The IFA Global Press Conference (IFA GPC) that precedes the actual trade show attracts more than 300 journalists from over 55 countries.

Brands participating in this year’s event include Philips, Sennheiser, Samsung, BVT, Haier, Hoover, Metz Blue, Plugsurfing, Skyworth, TPVision, Candy, Gorenje, Hisense, Safera, TCL; as well as research houses GfK and IHS Markit.
During the IFA GPC, some of the IFA exhibitors and partners get to show a preview of their IFA offerings and pitch to the international media what their brands offer to consumers.
(more…)
Tags:Andalusia, appliances, consumer, electronics, event forecast, events, exhibitions, IFA, IFA GPC, IFA GPC 2019, Spain, travel
Posted in Accessories, Appliances, Event forecast, Events, events, Exhibition, Gadgets, Philips, Samsung, Seminars, Sennheiser, Spain 2019, TCL, travel | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 27th, 2019
GoalBetter will offer a suite of benefits – including insurance, medical teleconsultation and fuel rebates – for private-hire drivers in Singapore.

GOJEK GoalBetter launch at Andaz.
GOJEK has today unveiled GoalBetter, its dedicated benefits programme for driver-partners in Singapore.
GOJEK has been steadily rolling out its partnerships for staff benefits over the past few months.
These four partnerships with 3rd-party service providers – DBS Bank, Esso (ExxonMobil), Gigacover & Doctor Anywhere – has been bundled together under its GoalBetter programme for its driver-partners to provide all-rounded benefits for them.
Launching in an initial pilot phase to selected drivers on April 1, GoalBetter will roll out to all eligible drivers from June.
GoalBetter is built on four pillars: better earnings stability; better protection; better flexibility; and better experience.
Through partnerships with third-party service providers, GOJEK will offer its driver-partners a suite of benefits that align with GoalBetter’s four pillars.
Details below from the press release
(more…)
Tags:DBS, Doctor Anywhere, ESSO, Gigacover, GoalBetter, GoJek
Posted in App, Automobile, Gojek, Software, travel | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 1st, 2019
It’s 2019. Happy New Year!
Sunrise over the Ella Gap in Sri Lanka. Photo taken with Google Pixel 3 XL Android phone, with auto-added saturation in Google Photos.
A new day… A new year … A new beginning.
Best Wishes for the New Year.
(more…)
Tags:Ella, Google, holidays, New Year, photography, photos, Pixel, Pixel 3 XL Travel, potd, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka 2018, vacation
Posted in Google, Holiday, Photography, Photos, Pixel, POTD, POTD, Sri Lanka 2018, travel | No Comments »