So last Friday we started on a series to document how we will start living with a HUAWEI smartphone free from the clutches of the evil Google ecosystem. No, they are not really evil; I am just trying to be a bit dramatic here. You get the idea though. Modern HUAWEI smartphones today only come with HUAWEI’s very own Mobile Services and AppGallery; no Google Mobile Services and Play Store. Kind of sad, really.
Last week we managed to download Facebook and WhatsApp. We did not have Instagram, or Netflix, or Telegram. In short, there were plenty of apps we did not have. Did we miss them? Yes, very much, I had Instagram and Netflix, and Prime Video installed in other devices just to scroll through them.
I Still Miss Social Media
In truth though, I am not that big of a social media person.
While I do scroll through social media from time to time, I seldom spend more
than 15 minutes scrolling through Facebook, or Instagram, or Twitter, and even
Snapchat. I have never logged onto Tik Tok.
That does not mean that I can completely ignore all this social
media though. Of course, if I am being honest, I do miss the apps. The idea of
just seeing what other people are up to in their own life; that can still be
quite fun, and quite traumatising depending on the contents.
Facebook can be quite enough though, especially with
Facebook Watch and the countless videos on the platform. That is technically
all the entertainment I got from the HUAWEI Nova 7i. To keep in touch with my
friends, I have WhatsApp. Then again, I turn on my WhatsApp on desktop barely
looked at my smartphone when it comes to messages.
Exploring the AppGallery A Little Deeper
Still, things are not so bad after scrolling through the AppGallery
once more. There are apps in the smartphone after all. Social media apps
include Snapchat, Tik Tok (of course), and WeChat (of course). Nope, nothing
else that I use as far as I can tell. There is even TrueCaller on the AppGallery.
Things are looking a bit up now that I scroll through a little
bit more through the AppGallery. You can find Viu, iflix, and some cinema booking
apps within the AppGallery to start with. No, no Netflix or even Amazon Video
Prime. For now, iflix and Viu would do. I personally don’t have a viu account,
so I stick to iflix. We are currently under the Movement Control Order (MCO),
so I cannot go for movies.
If not though, I can do some window shopping via Zalora, Lazada,
and even Shopee. There are even some games that you might be familiar with. One
of them is Cut the Rope 2 within the AppGallery. You can even find Lords Mobile
and Fortnite on the device. So to be fair, you are not really getting
shorthanded in terms of entertainment here.
For productivity, they have WPS Office on the AppGallery. While
some say that WPS Office app is better than the original Microsoft apps, I
would respectfully disagree. The modern Microsoft apps are now so much better,
and so much more optimised. At the same time, it is easier to sync your Microsoft
apps to OneDrive than anything else. This is a problem on the device though;
there are almost no Microsoft apps here.
I say almost because there is a particularly useful Microsoft
app that we love. That app is Microsoft’s Translation app. In our opinion, this
is the best translation app that mankind has ever produced. It is accurate and
works with plenty of accents. Still, we are not here for the Microsoft Translate
app.
It is Still Android, Just Without Google
The apps that are downloaded are also very similar to the
Android apps you find on Google Play Store. The EMUI 10 is based on Android 10
after all. Still, we found these apps. Which are great. If you are worried
about bringing them out as your electronic wallet, you would be relieved to
find Touch n’ Go app in there and Boost app. Grab is making its way on
AppGallery. Still, the two largest e-wallets in Malaysia has a foothold in
HUAWEI’s AppGallery. That means the HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS), and
AppGallery cannot be that bad, right? Too early to tell in my opinion.
Still, we are going to dive a little deeper than that. For
now, that is all we can walk away with. Stay tuned for the next part.
Malaysia is still under Restricted Movement Order (RMO), or Movement Control Order (MCO), or in other words, partial lockdown. We are just one step away from a national curfew or martial law. If you have been living under a rock and have not known what is happening outside your windows, we are under RMO/MCO/lockdown because of the COVID-19 situation which is worsening as the days go by. To be specific, we are under this condition to combat the worsening COVID-19 situation.
Why this is the best way to go? There are plenty of graphs
and what not to be shown, but we are not going to do that here. All you need to
know is it is very important that we practice social distancing and stay at home
as much as possible to limit infection rate and risks.
Staying at home can be a drag for plenty though. We can understand
that, especially for those social butterflies out there. We feel your pain, but
at the same time I personally like staying indoors anyway. Still, it does get
boring; you run out of games to play, run out of books to read, generally
running out of things to do eventually.
It is quite a simple fix though. You can order books online now and buy games digitally. You do not need to step out of the house for all these for a while now. You can even get a movie on your couch with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, what not. Still, these things cost you money. There is something else you can do, for free – exercise.
The Right Tools Are Essential
We are saying that exercising can be fun, yes. Beyond that
though, in the days where you can barely step out of your home, it is always
important for you to keep yourselves active and healthy. By sitting around and working
all the time while watching YouTube recipe videos, you tend to get lazy, and
unhealthy.
We are pretty sure you have been eyeing those smartwatches and
fitness trackers for some time now. It is the in thing these days anyway. At
this time, you must be thinking; “maybe not now, maybe wait until this whole ‘stay
at home’ thing blow over”. We are telling you that is the wrong mindset, because
at this point the government is talking about extending the RMO/MOC/lockdown
for another two weeks. Even the Olympics committee is looking to postpone the
Tokyo Summer Olympics 2020 just to combat the pandemic that is the COVID-19.
Source: Garmin
Now is a good time as any to get a smartwatch or a fitness
tracker. If you are planning to get one already, Garmin makes some great stuff
(we can testify), and they are having some great promotions for their smart trackers
now. For example, the Garmin Forerunner 245 and 245 music (one of my personal favourites,
review coming soon) is on sale for MYR 1,299 and MYR 1,499 (originally MYR 1,450,
and MYR 1,699) respectively. It will last you up to 7 days in normal smartwatch
mode. It has GPS and built in music capabilities too. Be warned though, battery
will drain within 6 hours if you turn both on.
Source: Garmin
The Garmin Forerunner not your cup of tea? Need something more
basic? The Garmin Instinct would fit great with its ruggedness too. It is built
to the U.S. military standards 810G to ensure that it still works in the most
hostile environments. This would be perfect for you Spartan Challenge and Viper
Challenge junkies. It has a battery life of up to 14 hours. It has GPS too of
course, and that would last you u to 14 hours, 35 hours in UltraTac mode. You
can get it in its plain body form, or tactical form (ATACS camo) for MYR 1,299
and MYR 1,450 (originally MYR 1,450 and MYR 1,599) respectively.
Source: Garmin
Nope? Need something more smartwatch like? Need touch screen?
Something more elegant you can wear every day. There is the Garmin Venu, a
pretty looking thing that has all the great Garmin features with a pretty
AMOLED touch sensitive display. This smartwatch can last up to 5 days too, much
better than almost anything with proper smartwatch functionalities in the
market. Of course, the Garmin Venu also has GPS built into its svelte body and
music storing capabilities. With both on, you get 6 hours of battery life. But you
do not need more than that in your exercises. It is available now in plenty of
colour combination options for MYR 1,599 (originally MYR 1,799). My personal
favourite is the Blue Granite/Silver combination.
The Garmin smart trackers are on this discount until the 31st of March 2020, that is when the lockdown order ends too. All the promotions are also coupled by Free Shipping by Garmin with FREESHIPPING code from their local distributor. Well, because, you know, you cannot go out; and retails are not open. Visit their online store now.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
You have the Samsung Galaxy Watch or the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 that is now MYR 1,299 each. The Samsung Galaxy Watch, in my opinion, remains the best smartwatch that you can pair to your Android at this point. Of course they do not offer crazy one-week battery life. You get at most 3 days or so before needing a charge. Still, you get GPS, music storage, heart rate tracking, and activity monitor with them too. Plus, Samsung is participating in Lazada’s birthday promo on the 27th March 2020
Source: Apple
Or if you are an Apple user, you can always go back to the Apple Watch Series 5 currently. While we are not huge Apple fans, we have to admit that the Apple Watch has come a long way as a smartwatch option. The Apple Series 5 is a great smartwatch on its own with plenty of unique features like ECG monitoring, fall detection, and what not. Hey, it looks great too, in my opinion.
There are of course, plenty of options out there for you. There are more stuff in Garmin’s product range that might fit your preference better, or there are even great options from other people. There are also cheaper, more basic stuff out there. You just have to go into the interwebs and look.
Back to Basics
Back to keeping yourselves at home. There are plenty of
exercise videos you can actually watch from YouTube to keep yourself active. A search
of home exercises come up with a plethora of videos that might fit your needs
at home, so we are not going to feature any video here.
If you are not into the exercising videos or instructional
though, that is okay too. There are other ways to keep yourself active. Yes, we
try to do them too.
For one, you can just make sure you walk around the house.
While you might have set up your workstation at home to be as convenient as possible
for you work wise, you should separate all the living stuff and work stuff.
This ensures that you do not stay in one place for too long. Somehow this
forces you to get up and walk around the house to get water, or tea, or even food.
Maybe you should even put your smartphone further away from you so that you
will walk up to it to answer if there are any calls. I know I am doing that. Only
issue is, if you accidentally put it on silent or leave your headphones on. Of
course, check in from time to time.
Who says you need weights to keep yourself active at home? Keeping
yourself active at home can be just as simple as keeping yourself active in the
office. You have water bottles you can use as weight to do your weight-lifts
and what not. While it may not be as intensive or taxing on your body than those
crazy home workouts you see on YouTube videos, it is still something you can do
to keep your body moving.
Of course, since you actually have plenty of time at home
now, since you do not have to travel to work on a daily basis (you free up at
least an hour of your day, you have not considered the time you take to go out
with your friends, for meals). You have at least that one hour to get proper
exercises done. You can do your basic push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, and whatever
not. Of course, there are some more effective exercises you can find from
YouTube and what not.
Still do not want to do it in front of the TV? Garmin has
something called a Squad
Virtual Challenge. It is a community-based fitness and exercise program
that is now online. Obviously you have to be a Garmin owner to take advantage, hence the promotions. But you get new
regimes every two weeks from the Squad Virtual Challenge (for now), so you can
do something different every two weeks or so to keep your workout sessions more
varied.
There are also plenty of other workout regime subscriptions or community workout plans out there. Some are free, some are not. Some of them may work for you, some of them may not. It really depends on what you want out of your workout sessions too. So you should really look into it.
Going to the gym, or even going for an outdoor jog is not
really an option at this time. You really have to find the time on your own to
keep yourselves active. We also understand that it can get quite difficult
since you are just staying at home most of the time. It is important to keep
yourselves active though. An active lifestyle is a more productive lifestyle, trust
me.
Last year, Samsung introduced a new way of cooling your home with its first ever “wind-free” air-conditioning system. The new approach to air-conditioning was a literal breath of fresh air in a space that has become pretty drab over the years. When anyone thinks of air-conditioning, the picture that comes to mind is always a wall mounted machine which actively blows cool air out to cool the room. However, Samsung took inspiration from stones in caves which were able to cool its surroundings.
With this inspiration, the company looked to revolutionize their offerings by offering something similar. Last year, the company introduced it’s R32 rated AR9500M, its first “Wind-Free” air conditioner. The AR9500M brought a new, optimized design of Samsung’s signature triangle air-conditioners. The new design came with over 10,000 micro air holes in the casing. This design allowed Samsung to optimize airflow to allow gentler cooling of the room. It also introduced a new mode of cooling to Samsung air-conditioners.
This year, Samsung’s new AR9500T takes the design of its predecessor and throws it out the window. The new, revamped air-conditioner adopts a familiar, compact design we’ve seen in many other air-conditioners. According to Samsung, the new design was adopted after consulting their partners and service team. They’ve created a modular air-conditioner which is able to be installed and serviced a lot easier than its previous models. The new AR9500T also comes with an increased 23,000 micro holes to create more still air and more efficient cooling.
Aside from that, the AR9500T comes with a new three step cooling process. The air-conditioner kicks into high gear with Fast Cooling mode. It does this by actively blowing cooled air. Samsung claims that the new air-conditioner can blow air further than any model before it; allowing it to cool faster and more efficiently. This is helped by the improved Digital Inverter Boost. After this, the air is dehumidified to optimal humidity. Once the air is at the desired temperature, it uses the wind-free mode to maintain the comfort.
The AR9500T is the first air-conditioner from Samsung to have A.I. Auto cooling. The new feature is uses data from thermostats which collects temperature data from the outside and inside. The A.I. uses this data in tandem with the user’s usage patterns to optimise cooling and maintenance. This is paired with the ability to control the air-conditioner through Samsung’s Smart Things Platform.
The new Samsung AR9500T Wind-free air-conditioner is currently on the market. Purchases of the new Wind-Free air conditioner is eligible for a new Samsung Air Purifier at 50% off! The promotion starts from 1st March till 31st May 2020.
A little while back, the team at techENT had the privilege of catching up with Nana Murugesan, Managing Director for International Markets at Snap Inc. and Ba Blackstock, CEO of Bitmoji at Snap Inc. The interview was done shortly after the launch of Bitmoji TV. Snap had acquired Bitstrips, the company that owned Bitmoji, back in 2016 for a healthy USD$64.2 million.
During this interview, techENT posed questions to Nana and Ba regarding Snapchat and also Bitmoji TV. In particular, how the new integration will benefit and change the scene for Snapchat. Here’s the full interview text.
techENT: Looking back a little bit, Snapchat had a boom in the social media space with its unique offering of creating “disappearing” content. When Facebook introduced its own with Stories across its apps, the drop in users on Snapchat was heavily reported. What has changed with Snapchat and how have users responded to this?
NanaMurugesan: First of all, Snapchat isn’t social media. From the very beginning we designed Snapchat to enhance your experience outside of the app and reflect the way that people have interacted with their best friends, long before the creation of the smartphone. To a certain extent, this was a reaction to what we were seeing on social media and the issues these platforms face. So just like in real life, your conversations with your friends disappear and your stories unfold in chronological order.
Bitmoji of Nana Murugesan
While other platforms may now have these features, their underlying philosophy is very different. On Snapchat, people are free to be themselves, with their real friends. There have never been likes or comments, so it feels like less of a competition. That way, Snapchatters aren’t pressured to be pretty, perfect or popular; and we don’t stockpile data so our community doesn’t have to worry that everything they send will be kept for eternity. Snapchat also opens directly to the camera and over 3.5 billion Snaps are created each day.
We’re focused on creating engaging experiences through which our community can stay close with their real friends and when not chatting or Snapping with those they love. For example, we introduced Snap Games last year and recently launched Bitmoji TV.
techENT: What is the user base for Snapchat now?
NanaMurugesan: We are really happy to see a continuous growth in our Daily Active Users. During our last earnings call (Q4, Feb 2020), we shared that there are 218 million people on average, globally using Snapchat every day. This is a 17% year over year growth (31M).
Bitmoji of Nana Murugesan
techENT: What are some of the new features that users are crazy about on Snapchat?
Nana Murugesan: Apart from Bitmoji TV, we’ve been finding all sorts of ways to let Snapchatters have fun with their Bitmoji. So far, Bitmoji Stories have been a hit amongst users, with an average of 18 million viewers per comic strip. Created as a personalised comic that features the Bitmoji of Snapchatters and their friends, it also eventually became the inspiration behind Bitmoji TV.
Bitmoji of Nana Murugesan
We’ve also since introduced several games that feature your Bitmoji such as Bitmoji Tennis, a battle-royale style game called Tiny Royale, and recently we released Ready Chef Go, a co-op cooking game played with your friends and Color Galaxy – where you can conquer the galaxy together.
Adding to more shareable moments, Snapchat also launched Cameos in December which lets you put your face on animated memes and short GIFs that also feature you and your friends.
While Lenses aren’t a new feature, both Snapchat’s internal team and Snapchat’s Official Lens Creators are constantly creating new, innovative and fun lenses that are loved by many Snapchatters. In fact, every day over 70% of Snapchatters play with AR Lenses, and over 600,000 Lenses have been created by our community through Lens Studio.
techENT: Snap Inc, Snapchat’s parent company, acquired Bitstrips back in 2017. What was the strategy behind the acquisition?
Ba Blackstock: In late 2014 Bitstrips launched Bitmoji, which surged in popularity in 2015, becoming a cultural phenomenon. It resonated with people because it gave them a way to represent themselves in their online interactions that felt more personal, authentic and fun.
Bitmoji of Ba Blackstock
The massive popularity of Bitmoji led to a conversation with Snap, in which we realised that our companies shared the same passion for creativity, self-expression and visual communication, so it seemed like a natural fit to join forces.
Through the acquisition we were able to use Bitmoji to bring a new kind of visual identity and expression into Snapchat, and to grow Bitmoji to become bigger than ever before. Since joining Snap Bitmoji has been the #1 iOS app in over 100 countries.
techENT: Have any of Bitstrip’s Bitmoji features been introduced in Snapchat? How popular/well-received is Bitmoji since their introduction?
Ba Blackstock: Bitmoji has transformed the experience within Snapchat by becoming Snapchatters’ visual identity in the app, as well as giving them lots of new ways to communicate and express themselves – from stickers in chat, to geofilters on Snaps, to 3D Bitmojis in AR lenses, to Bitmoji Stories in Discover.
Bitmoji of Ba Blackstock
Bitmoji has proven to be incredibly popular and over 70% of Snapchatters now have a Bitmoji.
techENT: Tell us what is Bitmoji TV.
Ba Blackstock: Bitmoji TV is a fully animated show starring your own Bitmoji, that you can watch now on Snapchat – with new episodes coming out every Saturday morning. Each episode is between 3-5 minutes long and makes your Bitmoji the main character, alongside celebrity guest stars like Andy Richter, Jon Lovitz and Riki Lindhome, to name a few.
Bitmoji of Ba Blackstock
The premise of Bitmoji TV is that you are the biggest new star on TV – you’ve been cast in every show, every movie, every commercial, and each episode is a fast-paced combo of very different scenes. One minute you’ll see yourself in an action movie, the next minute you’re in a soap opera, then you’re in a sitcom. We’ve created our own animation style that is an audiovisual feast for the senses, with you at the center.
techENT: What sets Bitmoji TV apart from other platforms such as IGTV and YouTube? / Why introduce another platform in a space that seems so crowded?
Ba Blackstock: Bitmoji TV represents the beginning of an entirely new category of entertainment – a personalized experience that is unique for every single viewer. It’s also one of the first fully animated shows that’s designed to be viewed on your phone, in the vertical format. We had to build our own experimental animation and rendering technology to make it possible for this show to exist. But more than that, it’s a new experience that you can share with your friends that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
Bitmoji of Ba Blackstock
Bitmoji TV represents the beginning of an entirely new category of entertainment – a personalized experience that is unique for every single viewer. It’s also one of the first fully animated shows that’s designed to be viewed on your phone, in the vertical format. We had to build our own experimental animation and rendering technology to make it possible for this show to exist. But more than that, it’s a new experience that you can share with your friends that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
techENT: What type of content can we expect from Bitmoji TV?
Ba Blackstock: Bitmoji TV makes you the star of just about every type of TV show imaginable – talent shows, cop shows, sitcoms, soap operas, action movies and more. Every episode is different and is a fast-paced collection of various shows, as seen through the lens of Bitmoji’s unique sense of humour.
Netflix has come a long way from just CD rentals to the biggest online streaming platform not only in the United States but across the entire globe. Netflix has been busy improving its services and features. So what does Netflix have up its sleeve this time to keep our butts stuck to our couch.
This time around, Netflix has added a top 10 list of what’s popular on Netflix in each country. This new label would be displayed on the top right corner of the show’s poster. Other than whats the most popular on the entire Netflix. Netflix has also separated what’s most popular based on whether it is a TV show or Movie.
Its been a while since I have kept up with the latest offerings from Netflix but here are some of the TV shows that I feel are a must-watch.
RIVERDALE
What started off as a murder mystery series quickly became a disturbingly addictive show. The spin-off of the Archie comic book series starts off with the mysterious murder of Jason Blossom, the popular kid in town.
Viewers were strapped onto their seats through a multitude of plot twists throughout the first season. The first season finale ended with a cliffhanger, luring all of us gullible souls into the second season. This was where the writing went off the rails, venturing more so into the realm of teenage fan-fiction. But hey, who can resist the cliffhangers and the hilariously cringy writing?
CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA
As another spin-off of a well-known comic series from the good-old-days, the Netflix exclusive takes a darker turn in this witchy tale. The first season is essentially the coming of age story of Sabrina, where she has to choose between being a mortal and a witch.
As it ruffled some feathers among the satanist community, it remains an interesting watch, especially if you like feeling like a badass when the show’s official soundtrack comes on. Though it seems to be going down the same route as Riverdale in terms of writing, it’s a nice, lighthearted show for lovers of the fantasy genre.
THE GOOD PLACE
If you like Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Office, you’ll love The Good Place. The show is basically a take on the afterlife and morality. Though chock full of actual ethical philosophy, the show maintains its comedic tone throughout the seasons.
The story starts with the main character, Eleanor Shellstrop being assigned to what seems to be the wrong afterlife she deserves. Eleanor alongside Chidi, Tahani, and Jason, the ethically confused quartet go on a journey of self-betterment so they can end up at The Good Place.
Netflix is arguably one of the most popular content streaming platforms out there. So, what happens when the largest content streaming platform when they release a sequel to one of their most popular teen romance dramas? Well, they allow you to stream the original for FREE.
The original romantic comedy, “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before”, which aired last year, will be available to stream for free. The free stream is done in conjunction with the launch of its sequel, “To All The Boys, P.S. I Still Love You”. The stream will be made available until 9 March, 2020. You can access the free movie at netflix.com/toalltheboys.
To All the Boys I Loved Before follows Lara Jean (played by Lana Condor) after her sister accidentally sends out love letters she’s written. These find their way to their intended recipients, boys whom she’s loved from afar. The movie chronicles the events that happen as she has to come face to face with them.
The sequel which premiered on Netflix on February 12, 2020 follows Lara as the letters continue to reach their recipients. The complication? Things have started to blossom between her and one of the boys from the first movie.
So, don’t miss out on the original misadventures of Lara Jean as she navigates a very awkward situation. However, you will need to subscribe to Netflix to watch the sequel. Netflix subscriptions start at MYR17 for the mobile only plan in Malaysia.
Official Synopsis
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once? Lara Jean Song Covey’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control when the love letters for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all– are mysteriously mailed out. From New York Times Bestselling Author, Jenny Han, the film adaption of the popular YA novel stars actress Lana Condor (Alita: Battle Angel, X-Men: Apocalypse) and Noah Centineo (Sierra Burgess Is A Loser, The Fosters).
To All The Boys I’ve Loved P.S. I Still Love You
It’s a new year and Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter (Noah Centineo) are no longer pretending to be a couple. They ARE a couple. And, as Lara Jean navigates a trove of official firsts with Peter — her first real kiss, her first real date, her first Valentine’s Day — she finds herself leaning more on Kitty and Margot (Anna Cathcart and Janel Parrish), Chris (Madeleine Arthur), and an unexpected new confidant, Stormy (Holland Taylor), to help her manage the complex emotions that come with this new chapter of balancing a relationship and figuring out her authentic self. But when John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher), another recipient of one of Lara Jean’s old love letters, enters her life again she must rely on herself more than ever as she’s confronted with her first real dilemma: Can she love two boys at the same time?
*This article is a contributed article byRavi Saraogi, Co-Founder and President of Uniphore, APAC *
2020 marks the transition into the great unknown. With the emergence of
new possibilities and challenges ahead of us, successful organisations must be
quick to identify and take advantage of opportunities through the power of emerging
technologies. Specific to the customer service industry, brands that utilise
Conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies will improve business
operations and customer experiences.
It is estimated that about 70% of organizations will integrate AI to
assist employee productivity by 2021[1] to
meet the high demand of delivering faster, relevant and holistic services to
today’s customers. More often than not, customers today are frustrated that
broken customer service systems and poorly equipped agents don’t understand
their requests. To fix this, businesses must move away from a siloed experience
and approach service holistically.
Photo by mahdis mousavi on Unsplash
In terms of the adoption of the adoption of AI in Malaysian businesses,
it was revealed that only 26% of companies in Malaysia have actually begun
integrating AI into their operations, according to a survey that was conducted
in 2018. The low adoption rate is attributed to two key barriers that are
related to organizational culture on AI and limited employee skill sets2.
Thus, the time is now to blend the capabilities
of people and AI and better understand conversations in real-time for
businesses to stay ahead of the race.
New Power to Customer Voice
With technological capabilities, it’s about time we start hearing what
customers really want. Customers today are time poor, distracted and empowered
by lots of products and services to choose from. Instant gratification is their
modus operandi. With other factors like price point and product quality being at
par, superior customer service remains challenging and is often a deal breaker.
In a competitive landscape, customers demand a seamless experience when
interacting with a brand.
That said, poor customer experiences are not difficult to resolve at
all, more so today due to machine learning, AI and automation. This is because AI
is now helping brands to truly listen to the voice of the customer and
understand their needs in order to quickly resolve customer queries, deepen customer
engagement, and deliver superior customer experience at scale.
Making Headway with Conversational Service Automation
Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Gobind Singh Deo emphasises
Malaysia’s potential in the development of AI in both public and private
sectors, and the importance of ensuring the local government and industries
capitalise on the opportunities at hand.[2]
The use of AI is becoming more prevalent in the customer service industry as conversations become more complex. There is a small window of opportunity for brands to deliver personalised customer service, particularly when your engagement happens across diverse channels. Being equipped with an understanding of context, sentiment, behaviour and real intent, and being able to act on such insights in real-time becomes even more crucial.
Photo by Joseph Pearson on Unsplash
Conversational Service Automation is about enabling front office
automation in contact centres. Consider this scenario: A customer starts a
conversation with a chatbot for quick self-service. The bot is able to provide
some quick and valuable updates based on the customer’s previous interactions.
If the conversation gets more complex, the voice bot politely hands the call to
a human agent via a live transfer. The agent is assisted through real-time
analytics and chat transcripts to be able to make the next best offer which the
customer gladly accepts.
This automation backed by real-time analytics is continuously
self-learning, enabling real-time listening of conversations across channels
and then converting them into actionable insights. As a result, a win-win
situation is created where businesses can reduce work pressure on call center
agents, improve accuracy of information and greater customer satisfaction.
Getting Ahead of the Race with Voice and AI
We are in the midst of a customer experience transformation and
conversational AI technology is leading this change. There is a positive acceptance
from both businesses and customers to adopt newer conversational AI
technologies. This is driven by the try-before-you-buy and pay-as-you-go models
offered, which enterprises find appealing and less risky. Brands can take
smaller bets, test-and-learn and then scale up.
Automation has successfully allowed computers to respond to contexts
within queries, monitor customer behaviour and improve overall customer
service. Moreover, contact centre agents can now receive real-time alerts and
recommendations for upsell and cross-sell. The time is now for companies to
leverage conversational AI to deliver a quantum leap in customer service, in an
industry that is full of potential. It is good to note that brands that embrace
conversational service automation will be the ones who stay ahead of the
competition and thrive in the new decade.
Smart Bands and Smartwatches are becoming some of the most essential fitness accessories nowadays. However, they always need manual input of meals, caloric intake and hydration. That’s where the HEALBE GoBe3 sets itself apart from the competition. The new smart band from HEALBE is touting the first ever commercially available smartband which tracks caloric intake automatically.
The HEALBE GoBe3 is a smartband which comes with sensors designed to monitor nine key vitals. This is done non-invasively through the surface of the skin and, according to its manufacturer, with real time accuracy. The vitals tracked include sleep, stress, energy balance, heart rate, and steps taken. It does all this tracking through the hypo allergenic titanium sensor contacts on the back of the device.
Monitoring Calories Through Your Own Electrical Impulses
The new HEALBE GoBe3 uses the company’s proprietary HEALBE Flow technology to monitor caloric intake. It does this by monitoring the bio-electrical impedance of skin cells. This method of monitoring caloric intake is backed by an understanding of the human digestive system and nutrient absorption.
Our body digests different foods at different intervals after we consume it. When the nutrients are absorbed, cells create a differential gradient to assist. Essentially, the cell pump water out to allow nutrients in. HEALBE Flow uses this movement to detect the caloric value and nutrient breakdown of foods. In essence, it monitors the differences in bio-electric charges in skin cells to derive the caloric value of foods. The impedance is then used to calculate the caloric value of foods and their nutrient content.
This method was recently verified by researchers at the University of California Davis. Their research found that the technology that HEALBE uses in the GoBe3 is as accurate as manually tracking caloric input. This research is supported by another piece of independent research by the Red Cross Hospital in Guangzhou, China. Both pieces of research found the HEALBE Flow to have 89% accuracy in its reporting.
Taking On the competition with Cutting Edge Technology
Aside from the groundbreaking HEALBE Flow technology, the GoBe3 is equipped with an always-on MIP display. The display is touted to be glare free. The GoBe 3 is also lighter and sleeker than its predecessor. In addition, the smart band has interchangeable straps which come in many colours and designs. The new design is also touted to increase the accuracy of tracking. This paired with a new optical pulse sensor allows more accurate and more frequent data collection. The GoBe3 also has WiFi capabilities which speeds up data processing.
Pricing & Availability
There’s no official price for the GoBe3 announced just yet. However, we expect that the smart band will continue to hover around the USD$169 of the GoBe2.
Keep an eye on healbe.com for the GoBe3’s availability.
The new year is around the corner and, we’re pretty confident, you’re
looking for something new, we’re pretty sure you’ll want to look into this.
With the turn of the decade happening, it would make the most sense to gear
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Perfect Combination of Connectivity and Productivity for
MYR32.53 day
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A Smarter Approach to Studying for MYR19.39 a day
If you’re a student taking
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Get Jet Setting with a winning combo for only MYR22.13 a
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Those of us who are constantly traveling need something lightweight yet powerful. HUAWEI’s travel essentials allows you to stay productive on the go with the MediaPad M6 10.8-inch and it’s keyboard cover. The lightweight tablet allows you work on-the-go with HUAWEI’s powerful HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor and 4GB of RAM. If you need to work with precision, the tablet has support for HUAWEI’s MPen stylus.
Traveling isn’t just about being productive on-the-go. You also have to deal with crowded spaces and long hours in commute. The HUAWEI FreeBuds 3 allows you to tune out the noise with its intelligent noise cancelling. Thanks to its lightweight design, the FreeBuds 3 also allows you to wear them for long hours without discomfort. If you do get tired of the FreeBuds 3, you can look stylish, be productive and even answer calls on the HUAWEI x Gentle Monster smart glasses. Of course, to bring everything together and to capture every moment in amazing quality, you’ll be using the HUAWEI Mate30 Pro. All of these devices will be able to communicate seamlessly with one another to enhance your productivity and also give you a seamless, hassle free experience.
Get Fit the Smart Way for only MYR8.97 a day
Of course, with the new
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The HUAWEI Watch GT2 will
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Stay focused while working
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With all these bundles, there’s little excuse when it comes to kicking off the year in a Smart way with HUAWEI’s Smart Life. The bundles are catered for any thing you’re looking for. In fact, there were so many that we had to choose the best ones to get you started. To find out more about the bundles and to get your own, visit huaweitogether2020.3ex.com.my.
*DISCLAIMER: This is a paid advertorial by HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES SDN BHD. It does not reflect the opinions or views of the techENT editorial board or writers.*
