Like Whatsapp, Telegram has become one of the world’s most popular messenger app to date. It is younger than Whatsapp though, if you are wondering. Its funky UI and the fact that you can use a single messenger account on multiple devices at the same time is really what attracts users into the platform though. Being in a popular position means that they do want to maintain that popularity by constantly introducing updates and improvements to the app.
In their latest update for the app, Telegram has introduced a few new features to the app. One of the most significant improvements is in the battery consumption department of the app. Telegram can now go into a sort of “power saving mode”.
The mode, as Telegram puts in their blog, is not just to improve battery life, or to extend battery life in emergencies. It is also a measure to improve the app’s performance on older smartphone devices. It can also be set to automatically turn on at a battery level threshold, or you can manually toggle it on or off on your own.
The mode will turn off things like “autoplay” for videos, stickers, and even GIFs that you receive or send to your friends. It also limits the interface animations and effects. All this will also lessen the app’s burden and demand on the CPU and GPU of your smartphone which translates to less power consumption from the hardware itself while running Telegram.
For iOS users, they can even opt to limit the app’s background updating. But that means you might not see Telegram notifying you of new messages unless you get into the app. In that case, you might just want to leave that feature alone unless your battery levels are at a desperate level.
Other improvements from the update includes a more granular control to playback speeds on received and sent media. You can now play videos at 0.2x to 2.5x speeds. You can also easily keep track of who has read your messages in groups with less than 100 members. It offers a timestamp data too, allowing more of an overview to who your messages have reached. Invitations to groups has been made a little better and easier too for users who restricts their profile. Those users will get invite links instead of being automatically added to the group. They have also updated the sticker order to show your ‘recently used’ stickers on top first before listing everything else you have. There are new packs of animated and interactive stickers and emoji you can explore and use. If you are a Telegram Premium user, you have access to ten new custom emoji packs. For more information on Telegram the improvements they have just introduced in their app, you can head over to their blog.
Gaming is not cheap, that is a known fact. To own a decent smartphone that games well will cost you at least MYR 1,500 onward and up to MYR 7,000. Modern gaming consoles will set you back around MYR 2,500 these days too. Then you have gaming PCs; a decent gaming PC that can run games nicely at Full HD resolution will still set you back MYR 2,500 onward if you do not mind working with older hardware. You have not even factored in the price of games today.
You want to spend the bulk of your money on the hardware. You can save money on the games you play if you are patient. You can save up on peripherals too. Still, you want to make sure you get a decent gaming display, because they might make or break your gaming experience.
For gaming, you need a low response time, preferably anything below 5ms. You also want a fast refresh rate so that you can take advantage of the processing power of newer gaming set ups; you want at least 75Hz. But you also want excellent colours for that immersive quality; you want an IPS panel on the display at least. The reality is that displays that fit all the bill will usually set you back North of MYR 1,000.
What if we tell you that you do not need to spend that much for a gaming display that offers you everything we listed above? For MYR 549, you can get an Acer Nitro VG270 E gaming display.
It fits the bill for a basic gaming monitor. You get 1ms response time and it offers 100Hz refresh rate, fast enough. You also get an IPS panel pushing more than 16 million colours to you.
At that price though, what are you giving up? What is the caveat? Is this worth your hard-earned money? We dive in and find out.
Design
The Acer Nitro VG270 E looks like those generic displays you can find in the stores. It is slightly thicker than most displays of its size but not unreasonably thick. The thickness is necessary for some cooling solutions, we think.
It also features ultra-thin bezels. There is also a 75 x 75 VESA mounting out the back. That means you can ditch the small monitor stand that comes with the display. Oh yes, the tiny monitor stand that it comes with can be assembled and disassembled without tools. The small stand has some red and gloss black highlights that indicates “gaming”.
There are no RGB modules or attachments here. It does not come with an RGB outlet too. It is a basic gaming monitor after all, a cost-efficient one at that. Even the stand it comes with is a standard monitor stand without height adjustments, and limited tilt adjustment. There is a hole that we think could be used for some cable management on the stand, but only if you do not mind sticking the base out the back of your desk.
There is a large Acer logo on the top left right of the monitor’s backplate just above the cooling vents. There is another Acer logo on the bottom lip of the display up front to let you know that it is not a Predator product. Out the back, in the middle of the backplate framed by the VESA mounting points is a kind of logo in the shape of a ‘V’. We presume that it is a sort of ‘V’ for VG0 series or something like that. That logo gets covered if you use a VESA mounting, yes.
Hardware
As mentioned, you get an IPS panel for this display. The IPS panel only offers Full HD resolution. Full HD is quite enough for most games and means you do not need top-of-the-line hardware to get it running.
TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Acer Eyecare (blue light filter)
Miscellaneous
1x HDMI 1.4 1x DP 1.2 AMD Freesync VESA compatible
Features
At MYR 549, you may want to also adjust your expectations with the monitor. If you read through the spec sheet too, the monitor is pretty bare. Still, that does not mean that there are no good qualities to the Acer VG270 E.
AUX Out? Nope. Speakers then? Nope. No Problem
One of the sacrifices comes in the form of your audio. The monitor does not feature built-in speakers. There is no audio passthrough as well to get your audio out from the monitor. That means that you do not get an AUX output port on the monitor.
That is not such a bad thing though. You might as well spend the extra money you saved on the monitor on better quality headphones or Bluetooth speakers. An external speaker or headphones will always produce better sound than most built-in speakers even on modern displays.
HDMI in, DP in
HDMI input should always be expected on modern displays. It is not an HDMI 2.1 port, but it does not matter. HDMI 2.1 ports are usualy required for resolutions above 4K or even to drive higher framerates on 4K displays. In this case, you are only getting Full HD resolution at 100Hz. An HDMI 1.4 port is way more than enough to handle the demands of the display panel.
What could be more significant is the fact that the Nitro VG270 E packs a DisplayPort 1.2 (DP1.2) inlet. Most modern GPUs come with one HDMI port and multiple DP out ports. That is because DP chords allow for a higher data transmission between two hardware. On this display, it is really made just so that newer GPUs with less HDMI ports can take advantage of the Nitro monitor.
AMD FreeSync
AMD’s FreeSync is like NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology in preventing screen tearing in high fps situations. While NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology has some exclusive technologies behind it, you may not notice too much difference in its final implementation. You are still getting a sort of tear-free gaming experience with AMD’s FreeSync.
For us, we tested the display with F1 2022 to really push the frame rates of the display. We hardly notice any tearing on the display with V-Sync off. At the same time, screen-tearing on Full HD is mostly an issue of the past. Most hardware made in the last five years or so can easily handle gaming at Full HD resolution at 144Hz without too much of a tearing issue.
Look at Those Colours on This IPS Panel
A 27-inch IPS panel at this price point is quite unheard of. In fact, we thought it would be impossible to fit an IPS display on displays at less than MYR 800 price point. Acer has proved us wrong this time with the VG270 E.
This means that the VG270 E offers a much better experience compared to any displays in its price range. IPS panel also means that you get a fast, smooth display with excellent contrasts and colour depth. It is not the most premium IPS display, since you can only push about 300nits out of it. When you game though, the 300 nits brightness should not matter much. The sRGB colour calibrated display offers vivid and rich colours on your images.
This feature alone makes the display feel more expensive than it is. At the same time, when you look at the display, you know that your money is spent in all the right places. You really are better off spending the money you saved on much better audio gear.
Performance
Like we said, your MYR 549 is spent on features that matter. The bulk of it goes to the panel itself. Better panel means you get better gaming and display experience.
100Hz + 1ms – Fast Enough
To be fair, the sweet spot for refresh rates on gaming displays these days is in the region of 144Hz. You see high-end eSports displays too going at up to 360Hz. 240Hz displays are also becoming more popular these days.
In most cases, 100Hz is more than enough for casual gamers. You still get a smooth gaming experience if your hardware can drive it. If you are playing AAA titles you might not even be getting anything beyond 90fps unless you push the graphics settings down.
There are faster responding displays too. You can get a Predator gaming monitor that responds at 0.1ms (grey-to-grey), if you really want. 1ms is still plenty fast enough for even competitive titles like Counterstrike: Global Offensive (CS: GO), F1 2022, and even Assetto Corsa. There is a small caveat here, you only get 1ms response time if you activate the display’s Visual Response Boost. For that, you want to access the monitor’s OSD settings and put the display in extreme overdrive. It makes the display dimmer, but the display is not that bright in the first place at 300nits.
Gaming with IPS at Full HD
Gaming in Full HD at 27-inch is not as bad as it sounds. We tested the monitor with games like F1 2022, Hot Wheels Unleashed, and Red Dead Redemption. Only Hot Wheels Unleashed hit 100 fps in our test with a 2022 Predator Helios 300 packing an Intel Core i7-12700H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060. F1 2022 averages about 35-40fps while Red Dead Redemption was nicely running at 60fps. All in all, all the titles play well with the monitor and are within the monitor’s capabilities. All the games look excellent on the display, the images look sharp and immersive enough to work with. Most of them are also running High to Ultra graphics settings, which is good news to those who has budget set-ups with entry-level GPUs.
The colours reproduction from the Nitro monitor is better than we expected. F1 2022 looks vibrant and alive with the IPS panel. Hot Wheels Unleached looks colourful and rich even when you get racy. Red Dead Redemption, at 60fps, Red Dead Redemption feels immersive and beautiful.
We chose these games instead of the usual CS:GO and DOTA 2 because we also wanted to show that even budget set-ups can run AAA games at Ultra or High graphics smoothly. It is one of the biggest benefits of choosing Full HD resolution over 2K. Of course, Full HD resolution only works up to a certain size, anything bigger than 27-inch might warrant 2K resolution to fully enjoy.
If you prefer console gaming owning a PlayStation 4 or the PlayStation 4 Pro is more than enough with the Nitro monitor. You will be able to enjoy all your games at Full HD at up to 60fps in this case without a fuss.
For the Movie Buffs
Thanks to the richness and accuracy of the IPS panel, videos look great too. Netflix and Amazon Prime app will natively support the Full HD resolution and stream at Full HD. Full HD videos require less data to stream. That also means that you get a smoother stream even at lower internet speeds. Drive to Survive on Netflix still looks detailed, immersive, and rich on the Nitro display.
There is a small trade off with the price tag though. The Nitro VG270 E does not with speakers. While your PC might recognize the HDMI device and try to push audio through the monitor, you might want to get into your audio settings and push the audio back through your laptop’s speakers, your external speakers, or even headphones.
For Your Work
We must stress that the display is not meant for colour grading. Even with the IPS panel, the Nitro is not calibrated enough for colour grading work. You can spend your own money and time to get it closer to sRGB standards though. Still, 27-inch is great for video workflows. While you may not be able to get colour grading works done, there is still plenty of real estate to scrub through your videos and work with other tools on your video editing app.
We work with a lot of Microsoft Word documents since we do a lot of write ups. In that sense, the monitor can offer some good eye protection, since you might be staring at the display a lot. The display itself offers a hardware coded blue-light filter that you can access from the OSD settings. In some sense, it is a better blue-light filter than what Windows can offer you natively, but that also means that your display turns more yellow. It works though, we feel like we can effectively look at the display for hours without feeling strained.
The Nitro VG270 E – That All-in-One, All-You-Want Monitor at a Budget
It does not have 144Hz refresh rate. It does not even come in the ideal 2K QHD resolution at that. It does not even have built-in speakers. There is no audio processor or passthrough as well on the monitor, you only get three old format ports on the monitor – a power inlet, HDMI 1.4 inlet, and a DisplayPort 1.2 inlet.
100Hz is better than 60Hz and 75Hz and is enough for competitive gaming. At Full HD, you require less power from your hardware. That also means you can save even more money on your gaming set-up. The money you saved buying this monitor can also be better spent for a better audio solution for more immersive gaming or even entertainment purposes. You do not need DP 1.4 or HDMI 2.0 as well, you are only projecting at Full HD and up to 100Hz. A DP cable is also included with the purchase, so your modern GPUs still can work with the monitor.
At its price point of MYR 549, you get everything you need. You get an IPS panel too at that. In that sense, there is almost no competition to the gaming monitor that is the Nitro VG270 E at this price point.
It is not a perfect gaming monitor. For that, you want to look at Acer’s own Predator gaming monitor line-up. If you have even more money to spend, you also might look at what other brands like ASUS ROG, Samsung, and even LG is offering in that space. At the same time, if budget is not an issue and you have a set-up with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 at the very least, this should not even land in your radar. It will still make a rather nifty and cheap secondary monitor for your chats and other windows.
For a budget set-up, with a mid-range gaming PC set-up with something like an older NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, and Intel’s 8th Generation Processors, this is a perfect set-up. Even for more modern set-up with at least the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series GPU and Intel’s 19th Generation processor, this is right up your field in terms of modern gaming. Like we said, the money you saved on your monitor can be spent on a decent headphones. You can buy something like a Sony WH-CH720N headphones that we are reviewing for your set-up, for example. Trust us, you are going to be more than happy with this kind of set-up.
The ASUS Zenbook line-up must be one of the most innovative, if not the most innovative thin-and-light notebook names in the industry. The namesake is also the first in the industry to pioneer what Intel and ASUS called the Ultrabook segment in modern computing. Before the Zenbook, Windows laptops with Intel processors were clunky, heavy, and lasts no longer than 3 hours away from the sockets. They were not very fast too back then. If you wanted a notebook that could be a working PC away from home without too much fuss, you needed a MacBook.
Fast forward to 2023 and we have their latest Zenbook thin-and-light to boot. Welcome to the latest Zenbook 14X OLED and Zenbook 14 Flip OLED laptops. While they look similar, they are built different and for slightly different things.
ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is the next evolution of the Zenbook line-up for 2023. It is the most powerful 14-inch thin-and-light from ASUS so far, which should not come as a surprise. As with any new laptop announced in 2023, it carries the latest and greatest from Intel and NVIDIA.
To start with, the new thin-and-light “ultrabook” packs Intel’s most extreme processor to date for mobile computing. It comes with Intel’s 13th generation Core i9-13900H (up to) CPU alongside up to 32GB of LPDDR5-4800 RAM, which is sort of a CPU reserved for only the most powerful and extremes of laptops. As with any laptop with this kind of CPU fire power, you want a discreet GPU to run along with it. The Zenbook 14X OLED packs NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3050 entry-level GPU. That is not a bad thing; it is still a powerful GPU, but its power requirements means you do not need a chunky heat management solution to work with.
The result is a thin chassis that only measures 16.9-inch at the thickest. It is an all-metal chassis that ensures rigidity and durability like no other, it feels premium too. It does not weigh all that much too at just 1.5kg. At this point, you start to also wonder how it still packs so many features.
The Zenbook 14X OLED comes with a Full HD webcam. Alongside the webcam, there is an IR (infrared) blaster and an ambient light sensor for facial recognition and eye protection purposes. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB Type-C) with a full-sized USB type-A 3.2 Gen2 port alongside a full-sized HDMI 2.1 port. They have learned from their mistakes a little bit; it has an AUX jack on the side. It even comes with 1TB of SSD storage, if you need it to. Within the svelte chassis also is a 70Wh battery that should last you all day.
As with its namesake, the ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED comes with a large 14.5-inch OLED display. That OLED display is not a plain Full HD display you get out of so many laptops its size. It is a 2.8K high-resolution display you can show off to all your graphic designer and content creator friends. It offers DisplayHDR 600 with TrueBlack certification colours and Delta E<2. That means you get an almost lifelike colour reproduction and representation on your display that could be useful not just for your enjoyment, but for your work as well. The panel even boasts 120Hz, which might be good for gaming (which you totally can do).
Other than just colour grading on the nice display, you would want to watch movies on it. You can Netflix at high-resolution with little issue with the built-in WiFi 6E connectivity. The speakers in this are powerful too with ASUS’ latest Smart Amplifier technology, harman kardon tuning, and Dolby Atmos certification. If you are using it for video conferences, there is also a dual-mic array that comes with AI noise-cancelling technology.
ASUS Zenbook 14 Flip OLED
If you need something more flexible there is the convertible laptop that is the Zenbook 14 Flip OLED. It comes with the same 2.8K resolution as the Zenbook 14X OLED. But it is not an expansive 14.5-inch. Instead, it is a slightly smaller 14-inch. It still offers up to 90Hz in refresh rate and offers DisplayHDR500 with TrueBlack certification. You also get up to 100% in DCI-P3 colour gamut, which is plenty accurate. The best part is that it swivels up to 360-degree to make it a 1.5kg tablet you can carry around and work with in any form you like.
Inside, you will find an Intel Core i5-1340p mid-range processor alongside 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and Intel’s own Iris Xe integrated graphics. It may not sound like much, but this is enough for you to not just enjoy movies with. You can get plenty of browsing and even other work done with it. You can edit photos with it as well, if you want. To ensure that you have enough storage for all your photo work, you have 512GB in SSD storage too.
Alongside all that, you get a nice Full HD webcam with IR blaster for Windows Hello security. You have speakers with Smart Amp technology, tuned by harman kardon, and Dolby Atmos certification. Underneath all that you still get WiFi 6E connectivity and a large 75Wh battery pack that should keep your convertible running all day.
Price and Availability
The ASUS Zenbook 14X OLED is now available in its Intel Core i7-13700H + 16GB LPDDR5 guise at MYR 5,999. It comes in two attractive colours – Inkwell Gray or Sandstone Beige. It will also be available in an Intel Core i5-13500H flavour and an extreme Intel Core i9-13900H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 combo for MYR 4,999 and MYR 6,999 respectively in April 2023. If you prefer the convertible form factor, the ZenBook 14 Flip will be available later in the month in Foggy Silver colour option for MYR 5,499. For more information on ASUS’ latest laptops, you can head over to their website.
HONG KONG, March 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Bonfire Media, a premium digital marketing training provider, and KORNERSTONE, a renowned professional certification training provider in Asia for over 15 years, today announced a strategic partnership where KORNERSTONE would be a distribution partner of the Full-Time Certified Digital Marketing Professional (“CDMP”).
Licensed by Bonfire Media from the Digital Marketing Institute and introduced to Hong Kong 7 years ago, the globally recognised CDMP has been taken by more than 220,000 professionals around the world who were keen to learn world-class knowledge in full-funnel digital marketing, including content marketing, display advertising, search marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and more.
Founded in 2006, KORNERSTONE is dedicated to providing professional training for individuals and businesses in global certifications in Info-Tech, Finance, and Management, such as the ubiquitous PMP, CFA, and many more. “We are thrilled to partner with Bonfire to offer this much-needed global certificate course in digital marketing,” said Catherine Chan, Founder of KORNERSTONE. “Digital marketing is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes and industries, and we are proud to provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in this fast-paced field.”
The partnership between KORNERSTONE and Bonfire Media represents a unique opportunity for individuals and businesses to upskill and stay ahead of the digital marketing curve. The course is designed to provide students with a real-world understanding of digital marketing without the buzzwords and is taught by local expert practitioners.
“At Bonfire Media, we are passionate about providing strategic yet practical digital marketing training to individuals and businesses,” said Patrick Tam, Founder and Principal Lecturer of Bonfire Media. “We are excited to collaborate with KORNERSTONE to offer this comprehensive digital marketing course and help professionals succeed in this rapidly evolving industry.”
“We are excited to partner with Bonfire Media in promoting the esteemed CDMP course from the prestigious DMI. As the world continues to digitize, it is paramount that professionals stay ahead of the curve by acquiring cutting-edge skills and knowledge. This course offers a unique opportunity for our members to attain the expertise required to excel in the dynamic field of digital marketing.” Kenneth Chan, General Manager of KORNERSTONE said.
Established in 2006, KORNERSTONE, a renowned professional training provider in Asia, has over 15 years of experience in providing professional training programs to individuals and corporate members. With the letter K stands for Knowledge, KORNERSTONE has a strong belief that knowledge is the cornerstone of success for every business. TRAINOCATE becomes the major stakeholder of KORNERSTONE in 2017. Combined, the companies possess 30 years of experience in delivering superior professional development and certification programs in info-tech, finance, and management across the globe including Singapore, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, China, Australia, UAE and USA. For more information, visit https://www.kornerstone.com
About Bonfire Media Limited
Founded in 2015 by local digital practitioners, Bonfire Media is a premier digital marketing training provider in Hong Kong. Through standardized certification and customized training programs, we train senior professionals in digital communications to solve business problems. We are an authorized partner of global certification bodies such as the Digital Marketing Institute and UX Design Institute, working with them to evangelize an international standard in our industry. For more information, visit https://www.bonfiremedia.hk.
STAMFORD, Conn., March 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Emeren Group Ltd (“Emeren” or the “Company”) (www.emeren.com) (NYSE: SOL), a leading global solar project developer, owner, and operator, today announced that it does not hold cash deposits or securities at Silicon Valley Bank.
About Emeren Group Ltd Emeren Group Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) is a leading global solar project developer, owner, and operator with a ~3 GW pipeline of projects and IPP assets across Europe, North America, and Asia. The Company focuses on solar power project development, construction management and project financing services with local professional teams in more than 10 countries. For more information, go to www.emeren.com.
NEW YORK, March 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Huion, a leading innovator and manufacturer of digital drawing devices, is celebrating its 12th anniversary across all the platforms, including social networking sites and the official community.
Founded in 2011, Huion has grown from a startup to an industry leader in the last decade. When asked what the secret to its success is, Huion will say it is Innovation. Huion acted to provide its customers with the best products and cutting-edge technology. As a result, it rapidly developed as a global brand with a good reputation. For the time being, Huion has become a baseline of comparison in the industry, frequently recommended by communities and creatives for its great value.
Huion sticks to “Technology + Innovation” strategy
In recent years, Huion strives for a “Technology + Innovation” strategy as it expands its product line ranging from entry-level to high-end workflow, catering to a diverse range of creators and professionals.
From 2022 to 2023, Huion has introduced the industry’s largest pen tablet, Inspiroy Giano; the industry’s first pen tablet with dual dial controllers, Inspiroy Dial 2; in addition, it rolled out its first smart digital notebook, Huion Note; the intuitive Inspiroy 2 series of tablets; and the new pen computers Kamvas Studio 16 & 24, which drew much attention.
As for technological achievement, Huion introduced the latest PenTech 3.0+ to give artists a more natural writing experience. PenTech 3.0+ technology is first used on PW550 and PW550S. With the linear pressure sensitivity, the new pens will react smoothly and take the user experience to the next level.
During that time, Huion also won design awards, such as GOLDEN PIN DESIGN AWARD 2022 and Red Dot Design Award 2022. It is undeniably a form of recognition and encouragement for Huion, propelling it to greater heights.
Huion’s prospects in the near future
Huion’s mission is to bring digital ink solutions to more people around the world, allowing them to express their ideas and values with boundless imagination and creativity, regardless of their background and status. Today, Huion users come from all over the world, including Europe, Southeast Asia, North America, and Australia.
We’ve seen the power of innovation, and we still believe it’s the key to the longevity of an enterprise. In the foreseeable future, Huion will continue to innovate and lead the way in the industry.
BEIJING, March 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, Edianyun Syndicated Loan Meeting was successfully held. Sixteen major banks in China, including Xiamen International Bank and Bank of East Asia, attended the meeting under the leadership of Fubon Bank. Ji Pengcheng, Founder and CEO of Edianyun, Zhang Bin, Co-founder and COO of Edianyun, and Ma Xiliang, President of Fubon Bank Beijing Branch, were present.
Fubon Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fubon Financial Holding Co., Ltd. and the second largest financial holding company in Taiwan, with a total asset of RMB 2,418.3 billion.
“I have been looking forward to this event and hope to continue the friendly cooperation with other banks on the project of Edianyun. Edianyun is a pioneer that spurs the development of China’s enterprise office IT industry, something that’s recognized both home and abroad and drives us to lead the syndicated meeting,”said Ma Xiliang.
“Strategically, Edianyun mainly targets SMEs, which are over 1.5 million and continue to grow in China. SMEs face more severe IT challenges than large enterprises as they are short of money and professional IT teams and have a tough time in digital transformation and upgrading.” Ji Pengcheng added, “Edianyun offers stable, high-quality IT services to help SMEs promote efficiency, digital transformation and upgrading, and competitiveness at lowers costs. In return, such SMEs help Edianyun develop a business model featuring growth and profitability. In the future, we are committed to providing enterprises with effortless access to our services.”
As Zhang Bin said, “What distinguishes Edianyun from others is its ability to attract customers with lower costs and retain them with convenient services. I recently met an old customer who told me that his company has been using Edianyun service since 2015 without any change even though the company’s development direction has changed five times.”
Edianyun has more than 40,000 paying customers and 1.1 million devices in service. In 2022, the company maintained over 90% customer retention thanks to its constantly upgrading digital technology.
Edianyun’s manufacturing and service system takes each product and service to the lowest level, thereby standardizing manufacturing and services.
In the case of computer screen damage, instead of being discarded, the computer’s backlight and backlit paper will undergo digital detection separately to identify the exact problem, which is then specifically addressed. For example, if the backlit paper is found to be yellow, it will be replaced. Remanufacturing technology extends computer life from 3 to 5 years up to 7 to 10 years and cuts carbon emissions by 50,000 tons per year while effectively meeting customer needs.
The Xuanji system, independently developed by Edianyun, can flexibly dispatch more than 3,000 engineers nationwide to deliver door-to-door on-site service within two hours. In addition, Edianyun continues to improve its service efficiency and capability and is now promoting the regional grid-based service on a trial basis to reform its original service model and offer exclusive “fully managed” IT services to enterprises.
The closed-loop system Case independently developed by Edianyun supports the whole-process and real-time monitoring, warning and verification of every customer’s demand and hits every tiny problem “to the core.”
Such technologies equip Edianyun with the competitiveness that outperforms exclusive equipment reselling companies, enabling it to provide high-quality products and services at low costs that ultimately benefit customers.
“Edianyun focuses on services and solutions to SMEs and gains insights into the IT industry, SMEs and the business itself in the promising SME office IT market. It’s compellingly attractive for investors,” said Ma Xiliang said.
As we advance, Edianyun will deepen its cooperation with major banks to jointly explore the broad office IT market, truly help SMEs, and boost China’s office IT industry!
SHENZHEN, China, March 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — TD Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLG) (the “Company”), a commodities trading service provider in China, today announced its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Ms. Renmei Ouyang, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, stated, “The challenging market environment and uncertain macro-economic conditions have significant impact on our business. We continue to deliver high quality services to our customers and our efforts have been greatly recognized by our customers and industry. Our online to offline e-commerce commodities trading platform, tongdow.com, was awarded Top 100 China Industrial Internet Enterprise of 2022. Our subsidiary Shenzhen Qianhai Baiyu Supply Chain Co., Ltd. was awarded the 2022 China (Industry) Leading Enterprise. These awards once again demonstrate the competitiveness of the Company in the industry. Looking ahead to 2023, we expect to take multiple necessary initiatives to strengthen our business resilience and enhance our market position. Leveraging our experience and expertise, we remain focused on improving our services, enhancing our brand awareness and executing the strategic plan to capture the opportunities ahead of us as the market recovers.”
Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Highlights
Total revenue was $156.84 million, consisting of $155.44 million from sales of commodity products, and $1.39 million from supply chain management services for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of 22% from $201.13 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Net income was $4.25 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with net loss of $0.94 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Basic and diluted earnings per share were $0.08 and $0.07 respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with basic and diluted loss per share of $0.04 for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Results
Revenues
For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company sold non-ferrous metals to 29 third-party customers at fixed prices, and earned revenues when the product ownership was transferred to its customers. The Company earned revenues of $155.44 million from sales of commodity products for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with $197.95 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company earned commodity distribution commission fees of $1.39 million from third-party vendors, compared with $3.18 million from third-party vendors for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Cost of revenue
Cost of revenue primarily includes cost of revenue associated with commodity product sales and cost of revenue associated with management services of supply chain. Total cost of revenue decreased by $42.33 million, or 21% to $155.80 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $198.13 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to a decrease of $42.25 million in cost of revenue associated with commodity product sales. The decreased cost of revenue is in line with the decrease in sales.
Selling, general, and administrative expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $0.71 million or 9%, to $8.84 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $8.14 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. Selling, general and administrative expenses primarily consisted of salary and employee benefits, office rental expenses, amortizations of intangible assets and convertible promissory notes, professional service fees and finance offering related fees. The increase was mainly attributable to (1) amortization of intangible assets of $4.63 million, and (2) amortization of convertible promissory notes of $1.21 million.
Share-based payment for service
On December 16, 2022, the Company issued 300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock as compensation to a settlement and mutual release agreement with White Lion Capital, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company, and recognized $324,000 share-based payment for service to profit and charged back $280,000 share-based payment for service to profit to a PR service provider.
On March 4, 2021, the Company issued 750,000 fully-vested warrants with an exercise price of $0.01, with a five-year life, to an agent who was engaged to complete the warrant waiver and exercise agreements. The Company applied the Black-Scholes model and determined the fair value of the warrants to be $1,695,042. Significant estimates and assumptions used included stock price on March 4, 2021 of $2.27 per share, risk-free interest rate of one year of 0.08%, life of five years, and volatility of 71.57% for the year ended December 31, 2021.
On July 16, 2021, the Company issued 140,000 shares of the Company’s common stock as compensation to a PR service provider for increasing the Company’s visibility in the financial news community, and recognized 141,400 share-based payment for service to profit.
Interest income
Interest income was primarily generated from loans made to third parties and related parties. Interest income increased by $6.96 million or 69%, to $17.04 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $10.08 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to the growth of loans made to third-party vendors for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Amortization of beneficial conversion feature and relative fair value of warrants relating to the issuance of convertible promissory notes
For the year ended December 31, 2022, the item represented the amortization of beneficial conversion feature of $1.21 million of three convertible promissory notes issued on March 4, 2021, October 4, 2021 and May 6, 2022.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, the item represented the amortization of beneficial conversion feature of $1.46 million of three convertible promissory notes issued on January 6, 2021, March 4, 2021 and October 4, 2021.
Net income (loss)
Net income was $4.25 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with net loss of $0.94 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022 Cash Flows
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $0.89 million, as compared with $4.31 million as of December 31, 2021.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $4.34 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with $8.03 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Net cash used in investing activities was $125.54 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with $71.52 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $117.39 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with $64.12 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
About TD Holdings, Inc.
TD Holdings, Inc. is a service provider currently engaging in the commodities trading business and supply chain service business in China. Its commodities trading business primarily involves purchasing non-ferrous metal products from upstream metal and mineral suppliers and then selling to downstream customers. Its supply chain service business primarily has served as a one-stop commodity supply chain service and digital intelligence supply chain platform integrating upstream and downstream enterprises, warehouses, logistics, information, and futures trading. For more information, please visit http://ir.tdglg.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release may contain certain “forward-looking statements” relating to the business of TD Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary companies. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects” or similar expressions, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: there is uncertainty about the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the impact it will have on the Company’s operations, the demand for the Company’s products and services, global supply chains and economic activity in general. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company’s periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website at http://www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.
Common stock (par value $0.001 per share, 600,000,000 shares authorized; 106,742,117 and 27,634,830 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively) *
106,742
27,635
Additional paid-in capital
344,295,992
224,900,948
Statutory surplus reserve
2,602,667
1,477,768
Accumulated deficit
(38,800,375)
(42,200,603)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income
(8,984,925)
11,666,607
Total TD Shareholders’ Equity
299,220,101
195,872,355
Non-controlling interest
(1,245,932)
–
Total Shareholders’ Equity
297,974,169
195,872,355
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
$
363,097,798
$
227,436,233
*
Retrospectively restated due to five for one reverse stock split, see Note 13 – Reverse stock split of common stock.
TD HOLDINGS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
For the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in U.S. dollars, except for the number of shares)
For the Years Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Revenues
Sales of commodity products – third parties
$
155,443,398
$
173,904,016
Sales of commodity products – related parties
–
24,049,999
Supply chain management services – third parties
1,391,903
3,180,227
Total Revenues
156,835,301
201,134,242
Cost of revenues
Commodity product sales – third parties
(155,789,519)
(173,996,000)
Commodity product sales – related parties
–
(24,045,511)
Supply chain management services – third parties
(7,525)
(84,118)
Total operating costs
(155,797,044)
(198,125,629)
Gross profit
1,038,257
3,008,613
Operating expenses
Selling, general, and administrative expenses
(8,844,739)
(8,137,481)
Share-based payment for service
(44,000)
(1,836,442)
Total operating expenses
(8,888,739)
(9,973,923)
Other income (expenses), net
Interest income
17,035,200
10,079,776
Interest expenses
(523,980)
(313,965)
Amortization of beneficial conversion feature relating to issuance of convertible promissory notes
(1,212,617)
(1,463,883)
Other income (expense), net
59,088
(285,774)
Total other income, net
15,357,691
8,016,154
Net income from continuing operations before income taxes
7,507,209
1,050,844
Income tax expenses
(3,253,672)
(1,991,201)
Net income (loss)
4,253,537
(940,357)
Less: Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests
(271,590)
–
Net income(loss) attributable to TD Holdings, Inc.’s Stockholders
$
4,525,127
$
(940,357)
Other comprehensive income (loss)
Net income (loss)
$
4,253,537
$
(940,357)
Foreign currency translation adjustment
(20,651,532)
4,781,112
Comprehensive (loss) income
(16,397,995)
3,840,755
Less: Total comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interests
(271,590)
–
Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to TD Holdings, Inc.
(16,126,405)
3,840,755
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding-Basic
52,972,727
21,483,527
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding- Diluted
58,590,270
24,219,866
income (loss) per share- basic
$
0.08
$
(0.04)
income (loss) per share- diluted
$
0.07
$
(0.04)
TD HOLDINGS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
(Expressed in U.S. dollar)
For the Years Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net income (loss)
$
4,253,537
$
(940,357)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation of plant and equipment
2,885
622
Amortization of right-of-use lease assets
306,546
45,309
(Gain) loss on disposal of right-of-use lease assets
(20,092)
–
Amortization of intangible assets
4,630,169
3,927,961
Amortization of beneficial conversion feature of convertible promissory notes
1,212,617
489,000
Interest expense for convertible promissory notes
465,201
417,784
Amortization of discount on convertible promissory notes
434,333
–
Share-based payment for service
44,000
1,836,442
Standstill fee relating to convertible promissory notes
–
356,934
Monitoring fee relating to convertible promissory notes
263,982
–
Amortization of beneficial conversion feature relating to issuance of convertible promissory notes
–
1,463,883
Inventories impairment
17,540
–
Deferred tax liabilities
(792,114)
(825,945)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, (net of assets and liabilities acquired and disposed):
Other current assets
1,830,247
5,558,942
Inventories
(491,943)
–
Prepayments
(456,052)
–
Due from related parties
(15,986)
(496,242)
Advances from customers
(4,497,189)
(4,170,261)
Due from third parties
(192,670)
(2,619,091)
Income tax payable
4,046,672
2,808,268
Due to related parties
(20,071)
(5,516,085)
Accounts payable
(3,162,561)
3,299,002
Other current liabilities
(3,507,517)
1,039,735
Lease liabilities
(41,152)
886,866
Due to third party loans payable
24,977
471,243
Net cash provided by operating activities
4,335,359
8,034,010
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Purchases of intangible assets
–
(5,115,803)
Purchases of plant and equipment
(6,700)
(3,469)
Purchases of operating lease assets
(250,171)
(923,964)
Investment in subsidiary, net of cash acquired
(96,638,468)
(15,579,946)
Payment made on loans to third parties
(109,106,926)
(108,800,053)
Collection of loans from third parties
70,150,111
13,504,542
Collection of loans from related parties
10,448,662
45,397,738
Investments in other investing activities
(134,254)
–
Net cash used in investing activities
(125,537,746)
(71,520,955)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Repayments made on loans to third parties
(29,735)
(558,088)
Repayment made on loans to related parties
–
(1,901,724)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock under ATM transaction
–
2,192,989
Proceeds from issuance of common stock under private placement transactions
114,420,000
57,877,941
Proceeds from issuance of convertible promissory notes
3,000,000
6,500,000
Proceeds from exercise of warrants
–
7,500
Net cash provided by financing activities
117,390,265
64,118,618
Effect of Exchange Rate Changes on Cash
394,111
979,382
Net (Decrease)/Increase in Cash
(3,418,011)
1,611,055
Cash, Beginning of Year
4,311,068
2,700,013
Cash from continuing operations
$
893,057
$
4,311,068
Cash paid for interest expense
$
83,496
$
92,062
Cash paid for income taxes
$
1,681
$
75,416
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations
$
250,171
$
–
Issuance of common stocks in connection with conversion of convertible promissory notes
$
4,730,150
$
–
Issuance of common stocks in exchange of investments in one equity investee
BEIJING, March 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — On Friday, the new leadership of the state institutions and the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference was elected at the two sessions. Xi Jinping was unanimously elected Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission. This fully reflects the common aspiration of the whole Party, the military and the people of all ethnic groups in the country, and fully embodies the high degree of unity of the will of the Party, the will of the people, and the will of the country. Embarking on a journey full of glory and dreams, the sense of direction and certainty brought about by this achievement has further strengthened the firm confidence of Chinese society in its unity and striving.
From the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to the ongoing two sessions, “striving in unity” has always been a key and frequently used word. The development and changes in the internal and external situation has made “striving in unity” more important and urgent, and it has become a rigid demand in China.
In the 10 years of the new era, in the face of risks, challenges and tests from politics, economy, ideology, and nature, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi at the core unites and leads the Party, the military, and the people of all ethnic groups in the country to carry out the great struggle with many new historical characteristics. We have won the battle against poverty as scheduled, built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, achieved the first centenary goal, achieved a major and decisive victory in COVID prevention and control, and created a great achievement of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The main theme running through this great journey is striving in unity.
The judgment on the current situation at the second plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC held not long ago is: “The world is undergoing momentous and rapid changes unseen in a century, and it has entered a new phase of turbulence and transformation. China has entered a development period in which strategic opportunities, risks and challenges are concurrent, and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising, and it must therefore be ready to withstand high winds, choppy waters and even dangerous storms.” The more this is the case, the more it requires internal unity, and under the leadership of the Party with Comrade Xi at its core, we must be united and as one like tough steel. The spirit that has supported the Chinese people to achieve prosperity and the Chinese nation to realize rejuvenation for a century is more special and precious today than ever before.
The CPC always represents the fundamental interests of the vast majority of the people, and has no special interests of its own. It never represents any interest group, any power group, or any privileged class. This is a prominent manifestation of China’s institutional advantages and the deep-rooted driving force behind Chinese society’s striving in unity.
Embarking on a new journey, we will rally even more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi at the core, comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese modernization. The unity and striving of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people belong not only to China but also to the world. This is worthy of respect and also makes people feel exhilarated.
BARCELONA, Spain, March 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — During the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023, Huawei held a healthcare media roundtable themed “Accelerate the Digital Journey of Healthcare, Create New Value Together”. Xia Zun, President of Huawei Global Public Sector, introduced Huawei’s four scenario-based healthcare solutions and announced the first smart hospital online showcase at Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital, which is open for the first time to customers outside China.
Xia Zun, President of Huawei Global Public Sector (first from the right)
Xia Zun said, “Healthcare digital transformation is entering the deep-water zone. New digital technologies, such as 5G, F5G, AI, IoT, and cloud computing, are combined with medical engineering to support the innovations in healthcare, and speed up its development. Huawei will stay humble, work with customers and partners, who have the expertise and know-how, and step up our strategic investment to help the healthcare industry accelerate digital transformation.”
All-Optical Medical Imaging Solution for 3D Image Viewing
Huawei’s All-Optical Medical Imaging solution can load thousands of images in seconds and reconstruct the image in 3D with 4K high definition, offering a fast, stable, and intelligent experience.
Digital Pathology Solution to View 1000+ Slices in Seconds
Based on Huawei OceanStor Pacific distributed storage and lossless compression algorithms, Huawei’s Digital Pathology solution speeds up the storage and query of pathological data, and saves more than 30% storage space.
Smart Ward Solution for Intelligent and Wireless Ward Management and Services
Using 5G, IoT, and Wi-Fi technologies, Huawei Smart Ward solution help hospitals reduce management costs, and improve patient experience through healthcare IoT applications, such as IV fluids monitoring, baby theft prevention and etc.
Smart Hospital ICT Infrastructure for Ever-fast, Secure, and Long-lasting Systems
Huawei’s ICT infrastructure solution, featuring active-active DC and converged campus network will ensure that business systems can run 24*7 smoothly.
Huawei is committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. Healthcare is one of the key sectors for Huawei’s Global Public Sector business. As of now, along with over 2,000 ecosystem partners, Huawei serves more than 2,800 hospitals and medical research institutions in over 90 countries and regions worldwide.
