Posts Tagged ‘Singapore’

Anime Festival Asia 2014 announces updates on regional plans

Thursday, December 4th, 2014

Collaborations with key industry heavyweights will see AFA debuting in Thailand as part of SEA’s largest popular culture festival in May 2015.  Photos in this article are courtesy of Anime Festival Asia 2014.

(from second left to right) Koichiro Natsume (CEO, Aniplex Inc. and Founder of Anime Japan); Shawn Chin (SOZO’s Founder, Managing Director and Anime Festival Asia’s Executive Festival Director); Ongard Prapakamol (BEC-Tero True Visions’ Managing Director); and Hidetoshi Takigawa (South East Asia Region Head, Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong Limited Singapore Branch).

(from second left to right) Koichiro Natsume (CEO, Aniplex Inc. and Founder of Anime Japan); Shawn Chin (SOZO’s Founder, Managing Director and Anime Festival Asia’s Executive Festival Director); Ongard Prapakamol (BEC-Tero True Visions’ Managing Director); and Hidetoshi Takigawa (South East Asia Region Head, Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong Limited Singapore Branch).

Industry partners spoke during the press preview for AFA 2014 in Singapore which takes place at Suntec City starting tomorrow till Sunday (5-7 December).

Key announcements include:

  • AFA: AFA announced a partnership with BEC-Tero True Visions (BTTV), a joint venture company formed by Thailand’s largest pay TV operator True Visions and the country’s largest concert and live events promoter BEC-Tero – to grow the popular culture markets in Thailand and Indonesia. AFA Thailand will be held with Bangkok Comic Con in April 2015, with an event in Indonesia slated subsequently.
  • Sony PlayStation: PlayStation is celebrating its 20th Anniversary and has unveiled the limited PlayStation 4 20th Anniversary Edition and an online contest.
  • Anime Japan: Anime Japan 2015, to be held on 21st and 22nd March 2015, will work together with AFA to cross-promote and introduce AFA to visitors during the event. Anime Japan 2015 will feature a new area to target trade visitors keen to discuss business collaborations and programmes.
HoriPro artistes May’n and Hayato Kakizawa, who plays Light in the musical Death Note that's premiering in Japan in 2015.

HoriPro artistes May’n and Hayato Kakizawa, who plays Light in the musical Death Note that’s premiering in Japan in 2015.

Below are more details from the press release.

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Sony announces PlayStation 4 20th Anniversary Edition

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014

Only 12,300 units of the limited edition PS4 will be available worldwide. It will be priced SGD689 in Singapore, IDR7,399,000 in Indonesia, RM1,779 in Malaysia, PHP26,999 in The Philippines, and THB20,990 in Thailand.

Update from AFA 2014 (4 December, 2014):

There will be a “PlayStation 20th Anniversary Online Contest” for customers in Southeast Asia to get a chance to win a purchase pass to buy the PlayStation 4 20th Anniversary Edition.

The contest will be held from 4th December to 21st December, 2014.

Customers can log in to the “PlayStation 4 20th Anniversary Website” from now on and register to participate in the contest within this period.

The participants will need to use their creativity to express why they should be given the purchase pass to buy the PlayStation 4 20th Anniversary Edition.

They can share any photo or video on Instagram to celebrate PlayStation 20th Anniversary with a specific hashtag.

The themes can be:

  • Your special PlayStation collection
  • Your best moment with PlayStation
  • PlayStation related cosplay
  • Anything you can think of!

All winners will be determined by the number of likes on Instagram (50%) and selected by a judging panel according to creative, inspiring and styling factors (50%).

An appearance reminiscent of the original PS: The PlayStation 4(PS4) system, Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK 4), PlayStation Camera, vertical stand and the mono headset all come in “Original Gray,” a limited color that replicates that of the original console.  The PS family mark labels are on the PS4 system, DUALSHOCK 4, and PlayStation Camera. The combination of colors is similar to that of the original PS.

An appearance reminiscent of the original PS: The PlayStation 4(PS4) system, Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK 4), PlayStation Camera, vertical stand and the mono headset all come in “Original Gray,” a limited color that replicates that of the original console. The PS family mark labels are on the PS4 system, DUALSHOCK 4, and PlayStation Camera. The combination of colors is similar to that of the original PS.

The number 12,300 reflects the launch date of the original PlayStation on 3rd December, 1994.

The PS4 itself as well as the surface of the DUALSHOCK 4 controller’s touch pad are embossed with the  “△2○×□” pattern, a special arrangement of the “△○×□” logo mark with  “○” resembling the number “0” to indicate the 20th anniversary.

The PS4 itself as well as the surface of the DUALSHOCK 4 controller’s touch pad are embossed with the “△2○×□” pattern, a special arrangement of the “△○×□” logo mark with “○” resembling the number “0” to indicate the 20th anniversary.

The limited edition PS4 – which resembles the original PlayStation – and included accessories will come in “Original Gray” colour, packaged in a special commemorative box.

The original PlayStation was the first home console in video game history to reach a milestone of over 100 million units in cumulative worldwide shipments.

The limited edition PS4 offers a sense of nostalgia to long-time PlayStation fans, while also providing a fresh experience to those who never picked up the original console.

The PlayStation 4 20th Anniversary Edition includes the following:

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New arrivals: Casio EXILIM EX-MR1 with mirror for selfies

Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

The Casio EXILIM EX-MR1 (S$429) is available in Singapore at SITEX 2014 and selected Casio authorised retailers from 27 November 2014.

The front surface is mirrored with the lens directly behind it.

The front surface is mirrored with the lens directly behind it.

The 14-megapixel EXILIM EX-MR1 is the latest in Casio’s EXILIM range of compact digital cameras.

Designed to optimise the user experience when taking self-portraits, the EX-MR1 has a novel front-facing mirror so that ladies can adjust their appearance to their liking when taking selfies.

The Casio EXILIM EX-MR1 comes in Green, Pink and White (shown here).

The Casio EXILIM EX-MR1 comes in Green, Pink and White (shown here).

The mirrored front surface of the EX-MR1 is has special coating that allows light to pass through to the lens while also reflecting it out to the user.

With the camera lens directly behind the mirror, ladies are able to snap away while looking directly at their reflection and maintain eye contact with the lens.

Subjects are able to check their appearances and experiment with different poses while the photographer views the image through the LCD monitor.

Weighing ony 133g, the EX-MR1 is simple, chic and ergonomically designed to fit nicely in a lady’s palm.

The shutter button is placed along the side of the camera.

The EX-MR1 has a 21-mm wide angle lens suited for ‘selfies’ and an Auto Rotation function to easily preview both landscape and portrait images.

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New arrivals: Lumia 535 Dual SIM @ only S$199 from 5 Dec in Singapore

Tuesday, November 25th, 2014

Microsoft Devices offers the 5-inch Windows Phone 8.1 phablet at an affordable S$199. The budget phablet comes with a 5-megapixel front camera and dual SIM.

The Lumia 535 Dual SIM will be available in a range of colours including orange, white, cyan and black. Bright green and dark grey are not available for Singapore.

The Lumia 535 Dual SIM will be available in a range of colours including orange, white, cyan and black. Bright green and dark grey are not available for Singapore.

First announced on 10 November in the US, the Lumia 535 will debut in Singapore on 5 December, at an affordable price of S$199.

The Lumia 535 offers five free integrated Microsoft experiences:

  1. Make memorable Skype video calls and seamlessly switch between voice and video with built-in Skype integration. Fit more memorable backgrounds or add more friends into Skype video calls and selfies with the 5 MP wide angle front facing camera.
  2. With Microsoft Office Mobile, you can now access, edit and share Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and OneNote notebooks wherever you are, with the pre-installed Microsoft Office suite.
  3. Save and sync photos, videos and Office documents securely with 15GB of free OneDrive cloud storage.
  4. Connect with work and personal e-mail while on the go, with built-in Microsoft Outlook.
  5. Add a whole new dimension to your console entertainment with Xbox One SmartGlass, the perfect companion app if you want the best of your Xbox One from both in your living room and on the go. Connect and control your Xbox One and stay connected with the games and gamers you like.

Lumia 535 sports a 5-inch qHD (960 x 540 pixels, 16:9) IPS made of Gorilla Glass 3 with capacitative touchscreen at resolution of 220ppi.

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New arrivals: HTC Desire EYE phablet and RE camera

Monday, November 24th, 2014

HTC hopes to reinvent mobile photography and imaging with the HTC Desire EYE “double exposure” smartphone, the RE fun camera, EYE Experience imaging software, and enhanced Zoe video editor.

The HTC Desire EYE will be available in Singapore from 27 November at SITEX 2014 at S$728 S$628, through StarHub and M1.

Errattum:

HTC has updated that the price of the HTC Desire EYE in Singapore during SITEX 2014 to S$728 from the S$628 in the original press release.

HTC Desire EYE (left, in White and Coral Red duotone) phablet and HTC RE (in green) camera.

HTC Desire EYE (left, in White and Coral Red duotone) phablet and HTC RE (in green) camera.

HTC has announced two new innovative gadgets which I had the chance to preview last week – the RE fun camera and Desire EYE Android phablet – both of which are water proof.

HTC RE camera

The RE camera will be available from late December onwards. HTC has yet to announce its price tag in Singapore.

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Events: Intel Future Showcase at Singapore Carlton Hotel

Friday, November 21st, 2014

The Intel Future Showcase puts Asian innovation in the spotlight and offers visitors a behind-the-scenes look at Asia’s role in driving the company’s innovation and technology development.

The Intel Education 2 in 1 Reference Design, offering the flexibility and mobility of a tablet plus the performance and productivity of a laptop - offering versatile learning for students. The ruggedised device is drop, water and dust resistant - suitable for outdoor learning as well as within the classroom. I first saw this design in Singapore during the Intel Solutions Summit back in April this year.

The Intel Education 2 in 1 Reference Design, offering the flexibility and mobility of a tablet plus the performance and productivity of a laptop – offering versatile learning for students. The ruggedised device is drop, water and dust resistant – suitable for outdoor learning as well as within the classroom. I first saw this design in Singapore during the Intel Solutions Summit back in April this year.

The Intel Future Showcase is being held in Singapore for the first time, offering a glimpse into the innovation that goes on inside Intel’s Asian and global operations.

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Research: GlobalWebIndex finds mobile networking booming with WeChat users

Thursday, November 20th, 2014

WeChat has the youngest demographic out of all competing social communications apps, with one third of its global users aged 16 to 24. Andrew Ng attended the media brief for tech4tea.com.

Jason Mander, Head of Trends, GlobalWebIndex, briefing on major trends of the social media scene. To the left is Jowie Law, Director of Global Communications at Tencent, the parent company of WeChat. Photo credit: Andrew Ng.

Jason Mander, Head of Trends, GlobalWebIndex, briefing on major trends of the social media scene. To the left is Jowie Law, Director of Global Communications at Tencent, the parent company of WeChat. Photo credit: Andrew Ng.

A recent research by GlobalWebIndex (GWI), a market research company specialising in online consumer behaviour claims that 80% of WeChat’s young users said it was critical for them to be contactable at all times.

“WeChat has witnessed a remarkable growth rate during this period especially among the youth generation, with WeChat’s efficient and entertaining platform continuing to attract users on a massive scale. We are excited about WeChat’s strong growth momentum both globally and throughout Singapore, and expect to see it adding more users in the coming quarters,” said Jason Mander, Head of Trends at GlobalWebIndex.

GWI is a multi-market research company, covering 32 markets and representing 89% of the global Internet population.

Focusing on Singapore specifically, WeChat is most popular with 16 to 34 year olds, with this age group dominating nearly half of the WeChat user base.

According to GWI, WeChat had experienced significant growth with an active user base increase of 156% globally, and a staggering 499% in Singapore between Q1 2013 to Q3 2014.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of the world’s Internet users and 39% within the APAC region now actively use the app.

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Events: Salesforce Essentials in Singapore Marina Bay Sands

Tuesday, November 18th, 2014

Simon Davies – Vice President for ASEAN, Greater China and Korea, Salesforce – brought the latest updates and insights from one of the leading companies in cloud computing and CRM.

Salesforce Essentials was held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Photo: Andrew Ng.

Salesforce Essentials was held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Photo: Andrew Ng.

Newly launched solutions were also showcased during a Cloud Expo tour, while local Asian customers shared how Salesforce had transformed their business and helped them connect with their customers in new ways.

“It was great to hear some of the latest updates on CRM and their customised “Wealth Management” module. What I found interesting was when Simon Davies briefly chatted about some innovations where Siam Bank used their cloud to bring financial apps direct to the end customers,” recalls Andrew Ng – tech4tea.com – who attended the media briefing.

Talking points included updates, innovations and initiatives from Dreamforce 2014, as well as how Salesforce had grown exponentially to become one of the top 10 fastest growing software companies in the world.

Also discussed were tech trends that Salesforce saw affecting businesses in the future, including the internet of customers, wearables and increased mobility.

The company also shared how Singapore and Asia as a whole was important to Salesforce’s global business, and what Singapore/Asia customers look for in their cloud, social and mobile solutions.

For reference, at the end of this post is the press release for Dreamforce 2014 last month in San Francisco, US.

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IT Fair: SITEX 2014 (27 – 30 Nov) @ Singapore EXPO & promotions flyers

Sunday, November 16th, 2014

From 27 November, the final of the four large annual IT exhibitions in Singapore will take place for four days (27 –  30 Nov) at the Singapore EXPO, in Halls 5 & 6. SITEX 2014 will open daily from 11 am to 9 pm (Admission FREE).

SITEX 2014 @ Singapore EXPO (Halls 5 & 6) from 27 - 30 November. Admission FREE, daily 11am to 9pm.

SITEX 2014 @ Singapore EXPO (Halls 5 & 6) from 27 – 30 November. Admission FREE, daily 11am to 9pm.

Established in 1988, SITEX 2014 will see more than 500 brands of infocomm and consumer electronic products spread over more than 200,000 sq ft of exhibition space.

For SITEX 2014, I’ll be compiling selected promotions and flyers from the exhibitors in a photo album on the tech4tea.com Facebook page.

Promotions/Flyers in alphabetical order

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Jawbone expands UP family with UP MOVE & UP3 fitness bands

Wednesday, November 5th, 2014

Jawbone announced today that they will be releasing two brand new activity trackers in the coming weeks – the UP MOVE (S$85) and the UP3 (S$288) wristbands.

Jawbone UP MOVE (left) and Jawbone UP3 (right) activity tracking fitness bands.

Jawbone UP MOVE (left) and Jawbone UP3 (right) activity tracking fitness bands.

The UP MOVE will be available in November before Christmas this year, while the UP3 will be made available by early next year in three colors.

“美国消费者电子零件制造商 Jawbone 宣布了两款新的健康手环:Jawbone UP MOVE(十一月起: S$85新元) 以及 Jawbone UP3(明年初开始: S$288新元)。” – 科技点心(微薄)

The UP by Jawbone App for UP MOVE will be available on iOS and Android devices as free download from the App Store and Google Play.

The UP by Jawbone App for UP3 will be available on iOS soon as a free download from the App Store. A compatible Android app for UP3 will be available early next year.

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