Yearly Archives: 2022

PR Newswire

Solar Cell Pioneer Wins the €1 Million Millennium Technology Prize

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HELSINKI, Oct. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The 2022 Millennium Technology Prize has been awarded to Scientia Professor Martin Green of the UNSW Sydney, Australia, for his innovation that has transformed the production of solar energy.

The €1 million global award for technology, conferred every two years, recognised Green’s leadership in the development of the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC). Since its development in 1983, the PERC has gone on to become the most commercially viable and efficient silicon solar cell technology for use in solar panels and for large-scale electricity production, accounting for almost 90% of the global solar cell market. 

Green developed the PERC with his team by improving the quality of both the top and the rear surface of standard silicon solar cells.  When sunlight – in the form of particles called photons – enters a cell, it excites the electrons within the silicon. In this excited state, electrons can move through the cell, creating electric current.

The improved surface of the PERC allows the electrons to maintain this excited state – or move freely – for longer, resulting in greater and more efficient energy generation. The PERC has helped increase the conversion efficiency of standard solar cells by over 50% in relative terms from 16.5% in the early 1980s to 25% in the early 2000s.

The innovation has greatly reduced the costs of using solar panels, making solar energy more affordable than fossil-based alternatives. PERCs can also provide an energy supply to homes without them needing to be connected to a grid, ensuring a reliable power supply for remote communities.

Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland and Patron of the prize, conferred the Millennium Technology Prize upon Green at a ceremony in Helsinki today.

Professor Green said: “It is a great honour to have been selected to receive such a prestigious prize. It not only recognises my contribution to photovoltaics [the conversion of light into electrical power], but also the achievements of my students and research colleagues at UNSW, as well as those of the broader photovoltaic research and commercial community.

“I believe the Prize will increase my credibility as a spokesperson for what needs to be done to address climate change. We need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy to sustain the trajectory of human civilization on our shared planet. The pace of change is accelerating and the world will shift to solar and wind energy over the coming decade. I believe a huge transformation of historic significance is underway.”

Green and his team are currently working on combined cell technologies to reach 40% solar cell efficiency by exploring options such as stacking cells on top of each other. 

Green said: “Solar cells are increasingly being used to replace large power stations that use fossil fuels. In 2021, 20 countries or regions including Australia, Chile, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam and California (US) generated between 8% to 25% of their total electricity supply from solar energy, with this number growing quickly. 

“The rapid cost reductions in solar energy that my work has facilitated have come just in time, right at the point when the importance of acting immediately to address climate change has become overwhelmingly obvious.”

Professor Minna Palmroth, Chair of the Board of Technology Academy Finland, said: “Professor Green’s innovation has already and will continue to greatly enhance the quality of life for billions of people globally and enhance environmentally sustainable development, from national power grids to private housing.” 

Professor Päivi Törmä, Chair of the International Selection Committee of the Millennium Technology Prize, said: “PERCs can help us provide low-cost energy solutions and mitigate climate change. Continued research on solar cells is needed to replace their constituents that have limited supply, such as silver, with more abundant alternatives.” 

The 2022 ceremony celebrating Green’s innovation will be held alongside the Millennium Innovation Forum, also hosted by Technology Academy Finland, which runs from October 25-26. The Forum brings together internationally renowned experts to discuss how technology can solve the world’s greatest challenges. 

Speakers include Bellingcat’s investigative journalist and Executive Director, Christo Grozev, who implicated the Russian government in the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and is currently investigating war crimes being committed by Russia in Ukraine. It also features Tim O’Reilly, Web 2.0 forerunner and Silicon Valley expert; and Marissa Mayer, ex-CEO of Yahoo, and Google’s 20th employee and first female engineer.

The innovation forum’s session on diversity in research and development will be hosted by Finland’s Research and Innovation Council, which is chaired by Finnish Prime Minister.

There will be a press conference with Professor Martin Green at 9:00 am EEST (UTC+3) on 25th October 2022, embargoed until 25th October 2022, 6.30 PM EEST (UTC+3). Professor Green will also deliver a lecture at 5:10 pm EEST (UTC+3) on 26th October 2022.

For more information, press conference details or interview requests, please contact:

Saiansha Panangipalli
Email: saiansha@curzonpr.com and millenniumprize@curzonpr.com;
Tel: +91 99715 74820

Q/A with Martin Green about PERC:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M5qSa2GnIdH0clWpOHDXIxWZdKeiVUqx/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107249428655872742154&rtpof=true&sd=true

Watch and download a video and photos about Professor Martin Green, the 2022 Millennium Technology Award prize winner: here.

About the Millennium Technology Prize:

The €1 million Millennium Technology Prize is the preeminent award focused on technological innovations for a better life. This includes work that improves human well-being, biodiversity, and wider sustainability. Overseen by the Technology Academy Finland, it was first awarded in 2004 and its patron is the President of the Republic of Finland. Winners are selected by a distinguished international panel of experts from academia and industry. Innovations must be backed up by rigorous academic and scientific research and fulfill several criteria, including promoting sustainable development and biodiversity, generating applications with commercial viability, and creating accessible socio-economic value.

Past winning projects range from DNA sequencing that helped to develop COVID-19 vaccines, to ethical stem-cell research and versatile, affordable smart technology. For other information, visit https://millenniumprize.org/. 

The previous winners of the Millennium Technology Prize are:         

  1. 2004 – Sir Tim Berners-Lee for the World Wide Web;
  2. 2006 – Professor Shuji Nakamura for the production of the first successful blue LED, the final step in creating a brilliant white LED;
  3. 2008 – Professor Robert Langer for his work in controlled drug delivery, the underlying technology behind mRNA vaccines. 
  4. 2010 – Professor Michael Grätzel for third generation dye-sensitized solar cells, which promise electricity-generating windows and low-cost solar panels;
  5. 2012 – Joint winners: Professor Shinya Yamanaka, for ethical stem cell research and Linus Torvalds for the Linux open-source operating system, which has become the basis of Android smartphones, tablets, digital television recorders and supercomputers the world over;
  6. 2014 – Professor Stuart Parkin, for developing increased data storage density, which has enabled a thousand-fold increase in the storage capacity of magnetic disk drives;
  7. 2016 – Dr Frances Arnold, for her work on directed evolution, which mimics natural evolution to create new and better proteins in the laboratory, and is being used to create green alternatives to fossil-based raw materials;   
  8. 2018 – Dr Tuomo Suntola, for atomic layer deposition (ALD), that enables manufacture of nanoscale thin material layers for microprocessors and digital memory devices, which has helped revolutionize smartphones.
  9. 2020 – Joint winners: Professor Shankar Balasubramanian and Professor David Klenerman, for the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology that can accurately determine the complete DNA sequence of an organism at a low-cost and in super-fast times and has helped researchers identify the underlying factors in individuals that contribute to their immune response to COVID-19.

About the Millennium Innovation Forum:

The Millennium Innovation Forum brings together people from business, academia, and the public sector to discuss new solutions to global problems. This year’s forum is hosted by Jason Palmer, presenter of The Intelligence podcast published by The Economist. Sessions include Diversity in RDI, Green Transition, Digital Transformation and Resilience. For information on speakers, sessions and watching the forum and Professor Green’s lecture online, visit: https://millenniumprize.org/events/millennium-innovation-forum/

To request press accreditation for attending the Millennium Innovation Forum, visit: https://e.eventos.fi/events/tapaus/millennium-innovation-forum/mif-media

About Technology Academy Finland:

Technology Academy Finland (TAF) awards the global €1 million Millennium Technology Prize and runs associated events and initiatives. It provides an international meeting ground for corporate life, academia, and policymakers, and promotes Finland’s position in the global community.

The following files are available for download:

iOS, Mobile, News

Apple Releases iPadOS 16 Finally

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The Apple iPad, in our humble opinions, is still the best type of table device out there. Well, when you consider that the iPad is no longer just one tablet, and that Apple makes all kinds of tablets to suit different types of users, it is clear why we say that the Apple iPad range is the most versatile range of tablets out there. Even just the regular iPad offers a better tablet experience than most Android tablets.

There are plenty of reasons why the Apple iPad range is so successful and sought after. The one thing that really sets Apple’s iPad apart is the operating system, the iPadOS. While it did start out as a glorified and enlarged version of the iOS, it really is in a class of its own today, especially with iPadOS 16 that is just released today. So, what is new?

New Messages Feature

Apple iPadOS 16 collaboration
Source: Apple

While the most popular messaging app in the region (Malaysia) is still WhatsApp, Apple’s Messages app has gone from strength to strength with every new iteration. In their latest iPadOS 16, you can now edit, unsend, and mark conversations as unread. That also means you get a little more control over your messages, who you send the messages to, and how you send the messages. If you made a mistake, simply retract the message instead of explaining that you made a mistake.

Via the new Messages app as well, users can invite their friends and family to SharePlay. Simply send them a SharePlay invite via Messages, and they can also join into the fun of watching a movie or TV show together, game together, or even workout together. For work, collaboration invitations can be sent via Messages, and everyone tagged on that messages thread can be automatically added to a document or spreadsheet.

Smarter Mail

Apple iPadOS 16 Mail search
Source: Apple

No more missing your emails with iPadOS 16. You now can mark an email with ‘Remind me’ feature so that you can always come back to the email later. That way, you can put emails in backburners and not forget to respond to the email or act accordingly. At the same time Mail will now alert you if you forgot to include recipients and attachments into your email just before you send it out. If you feel like you have made a mistake, you can retract or cancel delivery of the mail before it even reaches the recipients inbox. If you need to, you can even schedule your emails to be sent out at specific times.

Share Your iCloud Library

Apple iPadOS 16 iCloud Shared Photo Library
Source: Apple

Sharing is caring, and that holds true especially when it comes to your family. Via iCloud Shared Photo Library, up to six family members can share, edit, contribute, and enjoy the photos within the library. Of course, all the shared photos will appear in each user’s Memories and Featured Photos as well. Family moments, after all, is meant to be shared.

Safer Safari

Apple iPadOS 16 Safari
Source: Apple

Apple has also included passkeys with Safari with next-generation credential encryption feature. With passkeys, you can be sure that your credentials will never fall into the wrong hands. You simply use Touch ID or Face ID for all your verification needs. This function is synced across devices with iCloud Keychain. For better collaboration, Tab Groups allows you to share groups of webpages with your family and friends. Your friends and family can even add tabs to the group, and you can see what everyone is viewing.

Even Better Collaboration with Freeform

Apple iPadOS 16 Freeform
Source: Apple

The iPad is meant to be just more than an enlarged display for entertainment purposes. The iPad is also meant to be a productivity tool that offers a larger canvas to work with compared to smartphones. With Freeform, it becomes a powerful productivity and collaborative tool that allows users to share and work on the same canvas. With full support for Apple Pencil, the iPad takes collaborative productivity to the next level. Freeform also allows you to keep track of changes made by each user.

Weather App Comes to iPad

Apple iPadOS 16 Weather
Source: Apple

Of course, with the larger real estate of the iPad’s display, you really want to fully take advantage. The Weather app does just that complete with immersive animations, detailed maps, and forecasts. With a single tap, users can check on precipitation, air quality, and temperature of the region. If there is a severe weather alert issued in the area, users will also be notified via the Weather app.

Drag and Drop

Apple iPadOS 16 Live Text
Source: Apple

With iPadOS 16 users can also pick up objects from within images to be put into apps like messages with Visual Look Up. The feature now also recognizes birds, insects, and statues. Live Text is also better at understanding texts in videos throughout the system. Users can easily transpose videos and audio to text and quickly copy and paste the texts.

Pro Workflow

Apple iPadOS 16 Pro feature Stage Manager
Source: Apple
Apple iPadOS 16 family overview
Source: Apple

Exclusive to the iPad Pro, iPadOS 16 makes it an even more indispensable tool for the ones working in the creative industry. Taking advantage of the highly vivid and accurate Liquid Retina XDR display on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the OS allows users to use the iPad as a reference display for your editing workflow. This is especially useful for colour grading your work on or for visual approval work too.

Multitasking with Stage Manager

Apple iPadOS 16 Pro feature Stage Manager
Source: Apple

Apple has teased Stage Manager for a while now and it has come to the iPadOS 16, finally. It works pretty much like custom widow groups in Windows OS. You can group apps that are open together and layer apps on top of each other and open all of them simultaneously so that you do not lose time switching from one task to another. You can even create a group of apps that can be opened together in the Dock area to save even more time on your workflows. At the same time, an update that will be brought forth to the M1 and M2 versions of the iPad Pro will allow the tablet to support external displays with up to 6K in resolution.

Availability

Apple iPadOS 16 Home
Source: Apple
Apple iPadOS 16 Game Center
Source: Apple

Apple’s iPadOS 16 is now available for download over-the-air (OTA) for your Apple tablet. Of course, you want to make sure that you have an Apple iPad no older than the 5th generation. If you own a 5th generation iPad Mini and later, you get to enjoy iPadOS 16 too. All iPad Pro models will get iPadOS 16 update. More on Apple’s iPadOS 16 can be found on their website.  

Mobile, News

It’s Not Just You… WhatsApp is Down Again

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UPDATE (5:04PM 25/10/2022): It looks like WhatsApp is slowly coming online for users. However, Meta has not yet released any details on the outage.

If you’ve been trying to access WhatsApp web or send a message over the app and having issues, you’re not alone. It looks like thousands of users around the globe are experiencing yet another outage of the popular messaging app. This seems to be a recurring issue with the app having at least two outages this year alone.

Screenshot 2022 10 25 162607

While there has been little information shared about the outage this time, it looks like Meta is well aware of it. The company has issued an official acknowledgement of the incident but hasn’t shared any details. In the statement from a Meta spokesperson, the company states, “We’re aware that some people are currently having trouble sending messages and we’re working to restore WhatsApp for everyone as quickly as possible.”. It’s worth noting that the official WhatsApp Twitter account has yet to release anything on the outage.

The issue was initially reported at about 3 pm Malaysian time with a sharp increase in reports on downdetector. The problem doesn’t seem to be isolated and has affected multiple countries across the globe including Malaysia, France and India. It’s worth noting that WhatsApp is one of the widest-used messaging apps in Malaysia and the Southeast Asian region. The outage is definitely going to be disruptive.

PR Newswire

Hebei International Industrial Design Week to open in November

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SHIJIAZHUANG, China, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The 5th Hebei International Industrial Design Week will be held from November 10 to 16 in North China’s Hebei Province, with the Netherlands as the guest of honor.

The province’s new modern city Xiongan New Area will serve as the event’s main venue while some activities will also be held in the cities of Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao and Dingzhou.

A series of activities will be featured in the main venue, such as the launching ceremony and keynote speeches, Xiongan Design Forum, the industrial design innovation exhibition, international design new product releases, the third Goldreed Industrial Design Award, Dutch Design Day and design innovation tours, making it an open platform for international design cooperation featuring meetings, exhibitions and awarding ceremonies, according to Hebei Provincial Industry and Information Technology Department.

Xiongan Design Forum, World Design Organization (WDO) and World Design Weeks will join hands in hosting a series of activities like keynote speeches and round-table dialogues.

Topics will cover urban development, industrial transformation, new normal of production and life, new consumption trends, and sustainable development, among others. Leading figures from domestic and foreign design institutions, manufacturing enterprises and universities will be there to interpret and discuss pioneering design innovation ideas and trends.

The International Design New Product Releases will invite top design firms, design masters and cutting-edge designers at home and abroad to launch new designs in conjunction with fashion brand companies and manufacturing enterprises.

Besides, representatives from manufacturers, platform enterprises, incubators and financial institutions will also attend the conference, providing opportunities for the industrialization and market-oriented cooperation between the two parties, and helping the transformation of designs into products and the establishment of design values.

The Goldreed Industrial Design Award’s foreign president WDO Chairman David Kusuma and Chinese president Professor He Renke of the School of Design and Art of Hunan University, as well as other guests, will attend the awarding ceremony.

They will unveil the winners of the award’s third event and present trophies. To further enhance the event’s international influence and brand value, the competition for fourth Goldreed Industrial Design Award will be launched to invite outstanding industrial design institutions, companies, teams and individual designers from all over the world.

The activities of the design week will make full use of modern IT technologies such as 5G, VR/AR and big data to display offline activities by means of online exhibition and live broadcasting, breaking the time and space constraints and creating an online design week that never ends.

Since 2018, Hebei has held four International Industrial Design Week in the Xiongan New Area, including 139 forums, exhibitions, match-making and exchange activities that have attracted enterprises from over 50 countries and regions, and 25,000 design works.

China-based embassies of Finland, Italy and Britain organized delegations trips to the events, and more than 50 well-known design institutions at home and abroad like the WDO and the Hong Kong Federation of Design Associations sent representatives there.

The International Industrial Design Week pioneered the mode of organizing expo both online and offline in Hebei. The four events have attracted more than 170,000 attendees and visitors, and more than 28 million visits online.

Hebei has leveraged the International Industrial Design Week as an important platform to cultivate and develop industrial design service industry, promote the deep integration of industrial design and manufacturing industry, and bring innovation and development onto the global stage.

Industrial data showed that the number of industrial design enterprises in Hebei reaches 470 this year, more than 9 times that of 2017, ranking the fifth in China. There are 20 municipal industrial design industry organizations in Hebei, accounting for 15 percent of the country’s total industrial organizations.

Hebei has 11 provincial level and municipal-level industrial design awards, ranking the fourth in the country. The province has cultivated 11 national-level industrial design centers, and created 5 in 2021 alone, achieving a historic breakthrough.

Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hebei-international-industrial-design-week-to-open-in-november-301658097.html

Accessories, Reviews

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro In-Depth Review – One Step Closer to the Perfect Pair

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Samsung’s Galaxy Buds series has become one of the most iconic earbuds available on the market. It’s become a must-have accessory for any Samsung owner. We’ve even given the earbuds an award or two since it was introduced. They’re playful, sporty and – at times – unique.

Galaxy Buds2 Pro Review 2

However, that gives the new Galaxy Buds2 Pro an even bigger legacy to live up to. With a new, updated take on a must-have audio accessory, the latest edition to the Galaxy Buds lineup is looking to up the ante with better features, higher-quality audio and a more ergonomic design.

So, the big question is – does it live up to its legacy? Did it up the ante enough to earn a spot in your pocket and bag? We’re taking a deep dive to find out the answers to these questions and more.

Design

Samsung has committed to the design of its case since it introduced the Galaxy Buds Live. I have no complaints when it comes to this though. The standardised casing design has made it possible to use older accessories or get fun new ones for the cases. The simplicity of the design of the casing is also one of the highlights for me as it’s compact and easy to deal with when it comes to travelling.

Galaxy Buds2 Pro Review 11

Casing aside, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro comes with significant changes in the earbuds’ design. Yes – I said significantly. It may not seem like it when you look at them, but the small changes that Samsung has made to the earbuds affect how they fit, the noise cancellation quality and even the comfort of the earbuds over long periods.

The first and most obvious change is with the breadth of the wings of the earbuds. The Galaxy Buds2 Pro come with a wider wing or body which allows it to fit snugly in the ear canal and the ear itself. The larger, more snug fit helps it stay in the ear more securely. It wasn’t even moving when I was using it in the gym. Running on the treadmill and even lifting weights didn’t cause them to fall out.  This is astounding considering that Samsung has made the Buds2 Pro 15% smaller than the Bud Pro.

Galaxy Buds2 Pro Review 1

While it may seem like there are some insignificant changes in the design itself, these changes have also affected the performance of features like noise-cancelling and ergonomics. In addition to being more fitted, the new wings are also one of the changes that contribute to better ergonomics. The Buds2 Pro is, somehow, more comfortable to wear over long periods. This wasn’t just true for me, I had a few friends, and my siblings try them as well – all said the same, it’s comfortable and feels very natural to wear. Even while wearing a face mask there was little fatigue and aching.

Connectivity, Galaxy Wearable App & SmartThings Find

With Quick Connect, connectivity on the Galaxy Buds2 Pro has been significantly simplified. Simply opening the case will cause the connection prompt to appear on devices which support the protocol. Yes, this does include PCs and laptops. However, if they don’t support the protocol, it’s a simple task of touching both earbuds and holding them for about 5 seconds. Then it’ll jump into pairing mode. The problem with this method of pairing is that it’s so discreet in letting you know it’s ready to pair. There’s no blue LED or physical indication aside from it appearing on the list of available Bluetooth devices; the only indication you will have is an audio prompt if you have them in your ear while pairing.

Galaxy Wearables App

Aside from the audio features of the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, you will be prompted to get the Galaxy Wearable app from the Play Store – if you don’t already have it. The app gives you more granular access to features like noise cancelling, 360 Audio and more via the app dashboard. Samsung has also released a similar app on the Microsoft Store for Windows specifically for the Buds lineup. It mirrors nearly completely the options you have with the Galaxy Wearables app.

Screenshot 20221025 121557 Galaxy Buds2 Pro Manager
Screenshot 20221025 121634 Galaxy Buds2 Pro Manager
Screenshot 2022 10 20 183640
Screenshot 2022 10 20 183536

With the two apps, you have a visual representation of your controls when you use the touch sensors on the earbuds. However, some of the newer features like high-fidelity codecs aren’t reflected in the app. Instead, you will have to trust your ears as you use them with Samsung products.

SmartThings Find

When it comes to finding a misplaced earbud, Samsung has made it even easier with the Galaxy Buds2 Pro. They’ve even enabled it on each bud. This feature alone is enough to convince me to buy the Buds2 Pro.

Screenshot 20221025 135446 SmartThings
Screenshot 20221025 135556 SmartThings
Screenshot 20221025 135435 SmartThings

However, Samsung’s SmartThings app needs a little update to be more intuitive when it comes to locating the buds. The SmartThings Find interface makes it so that if you have more than one device in a location they’re all stacked on each other which also means that you’ll be hard-pressed to tap on the locate button if your Buds and smartphone and tablet are in the same place. This is exacerbated by the fact that for the Buds2 Pro, each of the buds and the case is detected as its device unless they’re in the case. So even with just a phone and the buds, you’ll see up to 4 devices stacked. If and when Samsung addresses this issue, it will possibly be a must-have for any Galaxy User hands down.

Performance

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds devices have ever been a good choice when it comes to earbuds. In fact, we’ve given them a few awards before thanks to their affordability and features. That seems to be the case even with the new Buds2 Pro. Samsung has made small but meaningful improvements that elevate the user experience.

Sound Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro comes with some improvements when it comes to sound quality overall. However, the bulk of the improvements overall depends on the new Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC) Hi-Fi Codec. The new codec enables up to 24-bit Hi-Fi sound to be wirelessly streamed to the earbuds via Bluetooth. That said, the SSC Hi-Fi codec is only available to Samsung devices running OneUI 4.0 and above and the bit depth of audio will be app dependent.

Galaxy Buds2 Pro Review 3

Knowing this, we first tested the Buds2 Pro with the Galaxy Flip4. The sound quality overall was good with the Flip4. Using apps like TIDAL with Master quality delivered pretty deep, full sounds with a full soundstage. The audio was crisp with adequate highs, robust mids and deep lows. However, if you’re using the Buds2 Pro out of the box, you’ll be using the calibration directly from Harman Kardon, which tends to favour full mids and deeper lows. The sound quality remained the same even after 48 hours of use – usually referred to as the “burn-in” period. For audiophiles, sound quality can be very subjective to the type of soundstage you’re looking for. To me, the sound from these earbuds was pretty decent, but not the depth or breadth that I enjoyed fully.

After testing it with a Samsung device, we tested it with one of the other smartphones I was reviewing at the time – one that wasn’t a Samsung. There wasn’t a substantial difference in the sound quality. However, there was a slight difference that I would think only audiophiles who are looking for it will appreciate. While the bit-depth is lower, the sound was still crisp, clear and full. Connectivity with non-Samsung devices is also not impacted.

360 Audio

Samsung’s approach to 360 Audio is also much improved with the Buds2 Pro. Moving from stereo to 5.1 channel and 7.1channel vastly changes the experience. With the previous buds, the 360 audio wasn’t immersive. It was very janky in that the experience was tied to the position of the phone instead of how the sound was recorded. However, with the Buds2 Pro, that wasn’t so much the case. Listening to 360 Audio tracks on TIDAL was very different and even with YouTube videos, the sound was more immersive. The sound wasn’t so much tied to the phone as it was the position of the sound being recorded. Listening to concert recordings in 360 audio on TIDAL was like you were in the middle of the action. However, with the limited support for the experience, there wasn’t much to use 360 Audio with.

Advanced Intelligent Noise Cancellation

The noise cancellation of the Galaxy Buds2 Pro has been significantly improved thanks to the updated design and improved noise cancellation thanks to an updated algorithm. The updated design of the Buds2 Pro provides a better seal when it comes to noise cancellation. The larger, more ergonomic fit also mechanically blocks out ambient noise. It does such a good job of it that you don’t hear much even without noise cancellation turned on. Samsung could have gone the extra mile to provide foam tips in the box to give even better noise isolation.

Galaxy Buds2 Pro Review 9

However, you just have to kick on ANC (active noise cancellation) and you’re nearly completely isolated auditorily. I was astounded by the performance. I’ve only had this experience with Sony’s category-leading WF-1000XM4 so far – and that’s with the foam tips! Samsung’s impressive updates to the algorithm and noise-cancelling mics have created a commendable experience when it comes to noise cancellation. Their inner and outer mics work in tandem with the windshield vent to create one of the most comfortable ANC experiences. Being someone who easily gets headaches with changes in auditory pressure, the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro is one of the only pairs where I have not had this issue. I could wear these for hours with ANC and not have an issue.

Voice Detect

With the Buds2 Pro, Samsung also introduced Voice Detect as part of their Advanced Intelligent ANC. This feature tunes down the music and turns on ambient sound with voice amplification when it detects you speaking. It does this by using the inner mic to detect any aural changes or reverberations. Simply put, the inner mic detects if there is any change in the sound indicative of you speaking. It does this pretty well, and as a plus, it doesn’t pause or stop the music you’re listening to. Instead, it just turns in down to be in the background.

One of the more irritating things that did occur with this feature is that it would detect me clearing my throat or sighing as me talking. This also occurred when I was brushing my teeth. Thankfully, a simple long touch on the buds kicked back to normal. It also seems to be learning from previous instances as it didn’t kick into passthrough mode as much when I was brushing after the first 3 times.

Seamless Connectivity & Multidevice Usage

Galaxy Buds2 Pro Review 6

One of the main features that Samsung is banking on with the Galaxy Buds2 is the seamless connectivity that allows you to jump between devices. It is capable of doing this. However, it’s not that seamless it comes to non-Samsung devices. For instance, if I’m watching Netflix on my Galaxy Tab A8 and a call comes in on my S22+, I’ll get a notification and can jump over to the S22+. This allows me to answer the call on my Tab A8 with a simple touch or by touching the Buds themselves which is a big convenience. The same experience doesn’t happen when I’m working on my ASUS laptop. While it does still work to jump between the connections, it has to be done by pulling up the Bluetooth settings and connecting to it manually. If Samsung would work more seamlessly with Windows, it would be a big plus.

Playtime & Battery Life

Samsung touts 5-hours of playback with ANC activated on the Buds2 Pro. During our review time with the Buds2 Pro, we got about 4.5 hours on average. That was when it came to zoning out and writing in front of my laptops. However, on daily commutes and the like, it’s highly doubtful that you will be getting anywhere near the 5 hours promised in one session. That said, the buds do charge pretty fast in the case. I got to about 60% charge in about 20 minutes of charging. That said, the cases do provide an additional 18 hours of battery life according to Samsung. However, we were nowhere close to hitting this in our time with the buds. Most of the time, the buds ended up on our wireless charging pads when it wasn’t on the go.

An Almost Perfect User Experience for Galaxy Users Only Hindered by the Incessant need for Exclusivity & Software That Feels Like A Work-in-progress

Samsung continues to take important steps to improve its offering when it comes to the Galaxy Buds2 Pro. Being a Galaxy ecosystem device, it is not surprising that Samsung has opted to make features like High-Quality Audio exclusive to Samsung flagships. That said, Samsung is taking strides to make sure that the Buds2 Pro remains intact on non-Samsung devices including Apple products. The user experience remains mostly uncompromised with great noise cancelling thanks to the upgraded microphones and better seal. Even with the slightly lower-quality audio, it doesn’t leave you wanting more on the audio side of things unless you’re an audiophile. Even with the misgivings of the SmartThings Find app, it still remains one of the top earbuds out in the market right now.

Galaxy Buds2 Pro Review 10

All in all, the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro is one of the best options for earbuds available in the market particularly when it comes to the sub MYR1,000 price point at MYR899. With the updated ergonomic design, better noise cancelling, speech detection and better audio quality the Buds2 Pro has become the most compelling piece of the mobile audio hardware in Samsung’s audio portfolio. If you’re looking for a good pair of earbuds you’re probably looking in the right space. However, audiophiles may be better off looking elsewhere for better audio quality and breadth.

PR Newswire

Woolworths Group Partners with Gr4vy to Accelerate Payments Innovation within Its Wpay Payment Platform

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Gr4vy’s payment orchestration platform technology to power Wpay’s payments platform 

SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Gr4vy, the leading cloud-native payments infrastructure company, today announced a multi-year partnership with Woolworths Group, Australia & New Zealand’s largest retailer. Gr4vy’s payment orchestration platform (POP) technology will power Woolworths Group’s Wpay payment platform to accelerate the company’s product development and innovation agenda. This partnership will make it easy for Wpay to deploy and manage payment complexities and offer advanced payment optionality to Woolworths brands and other Wpay merchants in Australia.

Woolworths Group represents one of the largest processors of card payments in Australia, settling an annual value of more than $60 billion in payments across more than 1.1 billion transactions in 2022 alone. Wpay, a new standalone payment business launched by Woolworths Group in June 2022, extends the benefits of the investments they’ve made in their payments platform to other merchants who may not have the scale to build it themselves. 

“Merchants need payment platforms that deliver customers’ preferred payment methods at checkout while still retaining the ability to streamline, deploy and orchestrate all the back-office payment complexities that come with the retail checkout experience,” said John Lunn, Founder and CEO of Gr4vy. “We’re honored that Gr4vy’s no-code orchestration platform’s technology has been selected to power Wpay’s payments platform to accelerate their growth as an end-to-end payments solution provider to merchants in Australia and New Zealand. We look forward to our continued strong working relationship and future, ongoing collaborations with Wpay and Woolworths Group.” 

Gr4vy’s team collaborated with Wpay to carefully identify and deliver specific Gr4vy product and payment orchestration infrastructure capabilities to implement and enhance the already comprehensive payment platform and product offerings. As a result, merchants onboarded through the Wpay platform can now offer even more exceptional payment optionality, streamline and manage transactions both on the front and back end of the checkout experience and effectively drive better customer payment experiences.

“Wpay is committed to investing in leading-edge payment capabilities and technologies to help service our retail businesses and provide the best possible customer experience as part of our Wpay payments platform,” said Paul Monnington, Managing Director of Wpay. “I’m excited about this partnership, what it will bring to our merchants’ customer payments experiences and look forward to collaborating in the future.”

Gr4vy’s no-code payment orchestration layer seamlessly enables merchants to deploy, manage, customize and optimize the right payment method for the specific user. The company offers merchants dedicated instances of Gr4vy in the Cloud, preventing shared infrastructure or server loads. Merchants can get multiple dedicated instances of Gr4vy to reduce points of failure. Gr4vy also includes everything merchants need for payment infrastructure, including connectors to leading payment service providers, front and backend payment orchestration, no-code admin tools, and a dashboard to control and manage everything within their payments stack. Gr4vy can spin up these individualized cloud Instances from the most simple to the most complex requirements. Merchants can deploy across the globe and even on the Edge to ensure their customers always have the payment solutions and options they need worldwide.

For more information, please visit www.gr4vy.com/wpay.

About Gr4vy

Gr4vy is a cloud-native payments company that takes the complexity out of merchants running payments infrastructure, freeing them to focus on what matters most. We redefine payments by providing an intuitive, cutting-edge payment orchestration platform (POP) that leverages the power of the Cloud to modernize payments infrastructure. Our orchestration layer upgrades merchants’ payments stack to make them more nimble. Our no-code dashboard centralizes the integration and management of a merchant’s payment methods, providers, conditions and transactions and empowers them to do more in less time. We enable merchants to streamline and manage payment methods, services and transactions all in one place. At Gr4vy, we’re passionate about payments, efficiency and extraordinary customer experience.

About Wpay

Wpay is a proven retail payments platform, designed for retailers. Originally developed for the Woolworths Group, Wpay is now available for merchants across Australia. Our understanding in how customers connect through payment experiences at scale and our focus on developing positive payment experiences help merchants to grow their business and move beyond payments. Wpay is a comprehensive merchant platform that can be tailored and will continually evolve to meet clients’ changing needs, helping deliver powerful customer experiences. A platform that combines your expertise and ours, with some of the most innovative thinking in the market.

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Global Times survey: Chinese youngsters more confident, objective facing the West

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By GT staff reporters

BEIJING, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — More Chinese youngster agreed that China can look at the West from an equal position. But there are also a notable part of them who acknowledge that China still lags behind the West in some aspects such as technologies, social welfare and film and television industries, and call for enhanced exchanges with Western countries, according to a latest survey of the Global Times Research Center. 

The results showed that nowadays Chinese youngsters are growingly confident in their own country given China’s magnificent achievements, but meanwhile they also have a very objective and clear understanding that the major gap between China and the West lies in the field of ideology. To achieve the long-term development goal, China still needs to continue efforts and learn and cooperate with the West in various fields, analysts said.

Being confident while also acknowledging our own shortcomings, this is in fact a higher level of confidence, Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.

The West in this survey includes the US, member nations of the European Union, the UK, Japan, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The survey was conducted in September and October, covering 1,655 youngsters aged 14-35 from 110 Chinese cities.

The survey showed that nearly 65 percent of the respondents agreed that now China can look at the West from an equal position, with two main reasons that “it is the natural result of China’s continuous development and strengthening” and “China plays a prominent role in the international arena and should be more confident.” Some of the group agreed that China and the West have their own advantages in different fields and can learn from each other.

This generation of young people grew up in an age when China began to accumulate capacity. They have witnessed the process of China’s rapid progress to a modernized state, and have enjoyed the benefits of modernization, Chinese analysts said.

Despite the confidence, Chinese youngsters are aware that China still has a long way to exceed the West in many other fields and achieved its long-term development goal.

According to the survey, 2.5 percent of the respondents warned that “there is still an obvious gap between China and the West, so we should not be blindly overconfident.”

In specific fields, 24.5 percent of the respondents agreed China still lags behind the West in technologies; 22.6 percent thought China is behind the West in social welfare and 16.6 percent thought we lag behind the West in film and television industry.

About 37 percent of the respondents called for strengthening exchanges and communications with the West via social media platform; 31.8 percent called on more cooperation in environment protection and 31.1 percent called for expanded trade and investment.

The younger generation in China has shown confidence in viewing the West, and they can also see some of our own shortcomings, and I think admitting our own shortcomings is a higher level of self-confidence, analysts said.

Having the courage to admit inadequacies and face up to the gaps are actually an important part of strategic self-confidence. In other words, self-confidence includes not only challenging competitors, but also valuing competitors and facing them squarely, analysts noted.

Cision View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-times-survey-chinese-youngsters-more-confident-objective-facing-the-west-301657288.html

PR Newswire

Call for Entries Issued for 10th Annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

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The only business awards to recognize innovation in business throughout the entire region

FAIRFAX, Va., Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Stevie® Awards have issued the call for entries for the 2023 (10th annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the only business awards program to recognize innovation in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region.

The early-bird entry deadline, with discounted entry fees, is November 22, 2022. The entry deadline is January 17, 2023, but late entries will be accepted through February 15 with the payment of a late fee. Complete entry details are available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are open to all organizations in the 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region: large and small, for-profit and non-profit, public and private.

The awards focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever it is achieved in the workplace. Entries will be accepted in English in the following awards category groups:

A new category group for 2023 will recognize Thought Leadership innovation in strategy, development, and execution since the beginning of July 2020.

In addition to a number of new categories, a public voting component has been added. Winners in the Company/Organization categories will now be determined by a unique blending of the scores of the professional judges and the votes of the general public.

Asia-Pacific Stevie Award winners will be announced on March 29. Winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during an awards banquet on May 27 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Scores of professionals from throughout the region will participate in the judging process to determine the Stevie winners.

Some of the Asia-Pacific region’s most innovative organizations have won Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards in the past five years including ABS-CBN Corporation, Cisco Systems, DHL Asia Pacific Shared Services, EventsAIR, Freelancer.com, Fuji Television Network, Inc., Google, Globe Telecom, Hana Financial Group, Hong Kong Tourism Board, HP Inc., IBM, KB Kookmin Card, KT, Megaworld Corporation, MSL China, Nasdaq, Ooredoo, PT Petrokimia Gresik, Seegene Medical Foundation, Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., Shanghai Disney Resort, Singtel, SM Supermalls, Tata Consultancy Services, Telkom Indonesia, VNPT Vinaphone Corporation, Viettel, and more.

The Stevie Award is among the world’s most coveted prizes. The name Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for “crowned.”

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

– Stevie®, American Business Awards® and International Business Awards® are registered trademarks of Stevie Awards, Inc.

* PR Newswire Asia is the official news release distribution partner of the 2023 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

PR Newswire

Adyen powers the future of financial services by launching embedded financial products

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The product suite enables a potential revenue uplift of up to 70% for platforms and marketplaces

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Adyen (AMS: ADYEN), the global financial technology platform of choice for leading businesses, has broadened its offering by taking live two new embedded financial products – Capital and Accounts – which are now available to platform and marketplace businesses in the US and Europe via Adyen’s single integration. Research conducted in partnership with Boston Consulting Group finds that 64% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are interested in financial services embedded within a platform. To capitalize on this banking-as-a-service opportunity, Adyen has developed an innovative suite of financial products comprising cash advances, business bank accounts, and card issuing. Together with embedded payments, these power the future of financial services by enabling platforms to deliver superior financial experiences to their SMB users. 

“Platforms are at the center of a transforming financial services industry – and Adyen is primed to further drive this revolution,” said Adyen’s co-founder and CEO, Pieter van der Does. “Embedded finance is a logical next step following our embedded payments offering. By historically investing in our banking licenses and industry-leading technology, we have positioned ourselves as the sole provider offering a full embedded financial product suite via a single integration. From this vantage, we are excited to seize the opportunity that banking-as-a-service brings.” 

Traditional financial services are stifled by legacy systems, reactive approaches, slow approvals, and lack of vertical knowledge. These factors have long resulted in the under-serving of SMBs, and lead to 65% of platform users willing to switch financial services providers in favor of solutions better integrated into their business processes. With Adyen’s single integration, platforms can meet this growing user demand by embedding financial services to consolidate SMBs business and financial operations under one roof. 

Adyen’s embedded financial product suite offers a modular solution that brings unparalleled control and customization options for platform business. With 94% of SMBs interested in cash advance solutions stating they would benefit from their loans being pre-approved, Capital enables platforms to proactively offer business financing based on historic payments data. With 72% of SMBs valuing an integrated bank account experience, Adyen’s Accounts product allows users to run their finances where they do business and get instant access to funds. Going hand-in-hand with Capital and Accounts, Issuing completes the offering by enabling users to easily spend their funds on platform-branded payment cards. By adopting the suite, platforms can round out their offering and unlock the capabilities of an end-to-end financial ecosystem.

Learn more about Adyen’s new embedded financial products – Capital and Accounts

About Adyen

Adyen (AMS: ADYEN) is the financial technology platform of choice for leading companies. By providing end-to-end payments capabilities, data-driven insights, and financial products in a single global solution, Adyen helps businesses achieve their ambitions faster. With offices around the world, Adyen works with the likes of Facebook, Uber, H&M, eBay, and Microsoft. Adyen continuously improves and expands its product offering as part of its ordinary course of business. New products and features are announced via press releases and product updates on the company’s website. 

Adyen’s investment into its embedded finance suite and the percentages mentioned in this press release are backed by industry research conducted in partnership with Boston Consulting Group. Learn more about their findings here.

Source: Adyen Inc.

PR Newswire

Bilibili Manhua’s most popular Chinese comic characters come to life on famous landmark digital screens

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Chinese comics exhibit potential for establishing an important presence in world markets

SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — In September, a lineup of videos presenting Chinese comic characters appeared on the screens of NASDAQ and Tokyo Shibuya, drawing sizable attention. The winning lineup was selected from the just-concluded summer vacation event, the Chinese Comic Star Project, launched by Bilibili Manhua. The lineup included Heaven Official’s Blessing, Breaking Through the Clouds, The Saintess has a Showdown, Global Examination, BLISS ~ End of Gods, Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!, Fatal Flower and Song of the Sky Pacers.

The Chinese Comic Star Project is a campaign, launched by Bilibili Manhua in 2021, to determine and highlight what fans of the platform consider the best among its content. The event is now in its second year. The one-month campaign debuted with the submission of more than 4,000 Chinese comic works and concluded with eight winners based on the results of voting by hundreds of thousands of the platform’s fans. The vast participation in the voting process demonstrates the love that fans have for the platform and its content.

In recent years, many popular Chinese comics have earned recognition on the international stage and started exerting influence on the broader worldwide market. The driver of this increase in popularity has been the launch of overseas marketing campaigns by Chinese comics platforms seeking to raise the visibility of their assets outside of the home market.

To cite an example, Heaven Official’s Blessing from Bilibili Manhua won a place among the top eight performers for two consecutive years as a result of the success of the Chinese Comic Star Project. Derivative products and authorized co-branding platforms vastly added to the influence and commercial value of the intellectual property (IP). In the 18 months since the launch of the English version, 8,288 visitors have rated the comic on Anime-Planet, garnering an impressive 4.4 out of 5. As of October 17, 2022, Heaven Official’s Blessing was ranking 102nd among all comics on the platform. On Facebook and other social media platforms, seven interest groups were spontaneously formed by comic fans, collectively adding up to some 100,000 followers. Readers from around the world recommended this comic, drawing attention to and spurring the purchase of its merchandise. Whether in terms of the quality of the content, or the influence of readers, the comic serves as just one example of the huge potential, artistically creative Chinese comics in overseas markets.

Bilibili Manhua is the largest legitimate comics distribution platform in China and holds the leading position both in terms of scale and of activity among ACG (Anime, Comics, Games) fans. The platform was launched in November 2018, and currently hosts nearly 100,000 comics. Bilibili Manhua operates and manages the whole industry chain, including original comic creation and the subsequent animation, film, games, vomics, peripheral derivatives, publications, and IP licensing. A spokesperson for the platform said, in the future, “on the basis of ensuring the management of superior comic content in our home market, we also look forward to their outstanding performance overseas.”