BEIJING, June 25, 2020 — iQIYI Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, today announced the winners of its iCartoonFace Challenge (the "Challenge"), the first large-scale cartoon character recognition competition in China. The team from Southeast University won the Challenge with a MAP (Mean Average Precision) of 0.9291 in the cartoon character detection track and the teams from Zhejiang University and Sun Yat-sen University jointly claimed the title of Best Algorithm in the cartoon character recognition track with a Rank1 accuracy of 92.4697%.
The Challenge, held in partnership with the 29th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) and the 17th Pacific Rim International Conference on Artificial Intelligence (PRICAI), was held over a period of two months, attracting a total of 481 participating teams from top universities and leading technology firms in China. Contestants included Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as renowned companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, JD.com and SenseTime.
While human facial recognition technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated and mature, cartoon character recognition is still in its infancy. Cartoon characters are far more complicated and diverse than human faces in terms of both color and texture. Other challenges include the fact that cartoon characters from the same content or universe could be highly similar in appearance, but characters from different universes may vastly contrast. Due to the complexity of this dataset, cartoon character recognition poses far more challenges than human facial recognition.
Currently, most of the existing cartoon datasets for recognition suffer from issues such as lack of data volume or noisy data. During the Challenge, iQIYI offered contestants access to the largest known manually tagged datasets in the world for cartoon detection and recognition that contains over 5,000 cartoon characters and more than 400,000 high-quality and authentic images.
iQIYI is committed to researching cutting-edge technologies and exploring their applications in entertainment. iQIYI has in the past two years successfully held two video-based multimodal biometric recognition challenges which helped significantly improve the accuracy of multimodal recognition technology. Currently, cartoon character recognition has been applied to multiple innovative businesses and features of iQIYI’s. For example, AIWorks can automatically collect cartoon character content to generate a mixed-cut video based on a specific theme; and a feature known as Qiguan (AI Radar) allows users to identify the cartoon characters in an animated show or movie.
Through the iCartoonFace Challenge held in partnership with IJCAI and PRICAI, iQIYI has achieved further breakthroughs in the field of cartoon detection and recognition, promoted the development of cartoon character recognition technology, enabled a deep integration of technology and content that could lead to more usage scenarios, thereby advancing the ongoing evolution of intelligent detection and recognition technology.
About iQIYI, Inc. iQIYI, Inc. is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China. Its corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for continuous innovation and the production of blockbuster content. iQIYI’s platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive library of other professionally-produced content, partner-generated content and user generated content. The Company distinguishes itself in the online entertainment industry by its leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary technologies. iQIYI attracts a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and has developed a diversified monetization model including membership services, online advertising services, content distribution, live broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online literature and e-commerce.
HERNDON, Virginia, June 25, 2020 — Each year, Deltek surveys leaders in the architecture and engineering (A&E) industry to identify benchmarks, trends and market outlook to help businesses identify their strengths and opportunities for improvement. This year, Deltek is launching the 41st Annual Deltek Clarity Architecture & Engineering Industry Report for North America, and for the first time, an additional global perspective to monitor the same trends and benchmarks throughout the EMEA and APAC regions.
Regardless of location, A&E firms are facing the same challenges across the business. Finding time to nurture client relationships, competing priorities for project managers and increasing profitability are the top challenges identified in North America, EMEA and APAC while the strategies for addressing these challenges vary by region.
Emerging Technology Trends Impacting Firms
One of the key focus areas for the Deltek Clarity A&E Industry Report is how technology trends are impacting the industry. Emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and geolocation, are becoming increasingly important to A&E firms globally. In North America, the top three trends most important for firms are IoT, geolocation and augmented/virtual reality. In EMEA and APAC, the top three trends are similar with IoT, geolocation and big data rising to the top of the list.
Examining the various regions shows firms are addressing their challenges with emerging technologies in different ways. While EMEA and APAC firms are putting people at the heart of addressing technology challenges, North American firms are focused on the strategic and process side of the equation. EMEA and APAC firms noted that identifying and developing technology subject matter experts, hiring staff or acquiring a company with necessary expertise and identifying a champion to lead the initiatives are the top strategies for firms.
In North America, A&E firms are focused on developing strategic plans for implementing technology trends, educating staff on trends and developing a budget for strategic investment. There is no right or wrong answer in strategy, but what’s important is that firms take these challenges and develop action plans to better incorporate emerging technologies into their businesses.
Benchmarking to Drive Business Forward
When setting targets for the business, it’s critical to evaluate if a firm’s targets are realistic – are targets too low or are expectations too high? The Deltek Clarity report delivers insight into numerous key performance indicators (KPIs) that are common in the industry such as projects on budget, utilization rate, operating profit, employee turnover rates and many more to enable firms to benchmark their business performance against other companies like theirs.
With the industry in flux, monitoring KPIs is more important than ever. Companies can use the benchmarks as a starting point to set more realistic targets, but then set up their solutions and processes to monitor the business consistently and frequently. If a company is global, it can now compare some of these key metrics to others within the same geography to ensure the targets are aligned regionally.
While the numbers themselves are a snapshot in time, this resource helps companies establish a realistic starting point, identify which KPIs they should be monitoring and empowers firms to do something about their business. What the number says is only a piece of the story. Using the KPIs, as well as the top challenges companies are facing, as a conversation starter with other leaders within the business, can help uncover underlying challenges or strengths. It’s also an opportunity to determine if technology is supporting the business or is creating more barriers. Some companies have the tools they need, but outdated processes are holding them back while other companies are still managing their business and monitoring their KPIs on spreadsheets and outdated systems.
Leveraging Technology to Address Top Challenges
As more firms explore digital transformation, they face challenges with not only the technology, but outdated processes. When looking at what the top firms are facing, processes and technology are at the core of nearly every challenge. A&E firms around the world are struggling with project managers having competing priorities. Firms are looking to address these challenges through more clearly defined responsibilities and better processes or best practices. Business developers are struggling to find time to nurture client relationships and the top challenge is the same across regions. Financial managers are looking for ways to better manage profitability while firms continue to struggle finding and retaining employees.
By looking at some of the key trends and challenges facing A&E companies around the world, firms can start to take a closer look at their own processes and their own technology to better understand where there are opportunities to up-level their technology, expedite their journey to digital transformation and streamline processes to make their business more efficient and effective.
Bringing Clarity to the Conversation
The Deltek Clarity report is a catalyst for meaningful conversations with leadership teams, management and employees, to help them uncover the barriers to success, identify areas for improvement and ensure alignment of initiatives across the business. The full reports will give firms greater insight into business and pinpoint where there is room for improvement. Deltek can help a firm’s digital transformation through technology and process improvement so it can move its business forward. It’s time to bring clarity to the conversation and take action to power project success.
The Predator X25 gaming monitor boasts an incredibly fast 360 Hz refresh rate, supporting the smoothest possible animation and gameplay
Predator XB3 gaming monitors deliver lifelike visuals for smooth gaming with up to a speedy 0.5 ms (G to G) response time, NVIDIA® G-SYNC® compatibility and DisplayHDR™ 400
Refreshed Predator Orion 9000 and Orion 3000 gaming rigs give enthusiasts powerful performance for gaining an advantage over their opponents and streaming their battles to fans and friends
The newest Nitro 50 gaming desktops support entry-level to mainstream gamers with a wide range of configuration and pricing options
Predator Gaming Chair x OSIM gives relaxing massages to ease tension and maximize comfort during and after gameplay
Predator Cestus 350 mouse supports gamers with speed, precision and style—wirelessly
Acer has rounded out its award-winning gaming line with a host of powerful, cutting-edge gaming PCs, monitors and accessories. Options are available to suit a wide range of gamers, from professionals looking for top-of-the-line technology to casual players wanting a solid gaming desktop at an affordable price.
“Our latest gaming line-up is outfitted with some of the most innovative and powerful technologies available today,” said Jerry Kao, Co-COO of Acer. “As a leader in the gaming industry, we strive to help gamers gain an advantage over their opponents with robust, feature-rich systems and devices that push the boundaries of performance, ease of use and comfort.”
Predator X25 Monitor – Amazingly Fast 360 Hz Gaming
This powerful 24.5-inch 1920 x 1080 gaming monitor boasts a super speedy 360 Hz refresh rate to give players the smoothest possible animation. Featuring the latest NVIDIA® G-SYNC® processors, the Predator X25 delivers an optimal gaming experience loaded with advanced features, making games look as realistic as possible.
The Predator X25 can also adjust its brightness and color temperature automatically based on environmental light. With LightSense, the Predator X25 detects the amount of ambient light in the viewing environment and automatically adjusts its brightness settings to maximize viewing comfort. AdaptiveLight automatically adjusts the monitor’s backlights to suit the ambient light in the room, while ProxiSense reminds gamers to take a break after a set amount of time. Ergonomic, the monitor is adjustable with -5 to -25 degree tilt, +/- 30 degree swivel, up to 4.7-inch height adjustment and +/- 90 degree pivot.
Predator XB3 Series Monitors – Smooth Gameplay, Brilliant Visuals
Acer is launching four Predator XB3 series monitors: the 31.5-inch Predator XB323QK NV, the 27-inch Predator XB273U GS and Predator XB273U GX, plus the 24.5-inch Predator XB253Q GZ. All are certified as NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible, with up to 240 Hz refresh rates and up to 4K UHD resolution, this new line of monitors delivers silky smooth gameplay and wide 178-degree viewing angles. DisplayHDR™ 400 supports stunningly bright images with high contrast and color accuracy, while up to a 0.5 ms (G to G) response time in overdrive drastically reduces motion blur in fast moving images. The new line includes Acer AdaptiveLight, helping gamers stay comfortable during long gaming sessions, and is ergonomically designed, with a stand that features tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment. RGB LightSense lets gamers choose a variety of different lighting effects, including color, speed, duration and brightness, which can be set to react to gameplay, music or video.
Predator Orion 9000 – Extreme Performance for Pros and Hardcore Gamers
Designed for hardcore and professional gamers, the refreshed Predator Orion 9000 (P09-920) delivers extreme performance, advanced cooling and easy upgradability. A gaming monster, this series packs a powerful punch with up to an Intel® Core™ i9 Extreme Edition processor, dual NVIDIA® Geforce® RTX® 2080 Ti graphics cards in SLI mode, up to three 3.5-inch HDDs and two 2.5-inch SDDs with a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C hot swap dock for SSD/HDDs. Three 4.7-inch Predator FrostBlade™ fans provide up to 16% more airflow and 55% increased static pressure compared to prior generations[1], while a CPU liquid cooler fan keeps the temperature low as battles heat up. Integrated Killer™ E3100G and Intel® WiFi 6 support fast and reliable wireless connectivity. Overclocking can be activated at the touch of a button. An EMI-compliant edge-to-edge tempered glass side panel showcases the colorful ARGB lighting on the internal fans and has a tool-less design to simplify upgrades. The chassis includes a convenient headset cradle, handles and wheels.
Predator Orion 3000– Powerful Performance in a Mid-Sized Tower
The newest Predator Orion 3000 models are made for gamers desiring a mid-sized tower rig for enjoying their favorite game titles or diving into streaming without seeing an impact on performance. Thanks to a 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor[2] and GeForce® RTX 2070 SUPER™ GPU[2], it can tackle a wide range of games. Top that off with up to 64 GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 memory, up to 1TB[2] PCIe NVMe SSD and two 3.5-inch SATA3 hard drives, and it has the guts for editing and storing videos. Two custom-engineered Predator FrostBlade™ fans swiftly handle intake and exhaust to keep temperatures low, while the lighting on the fans and vertical light bars at the front of the case can be customized with special effects and up to 16.7 million colors via PredatorSense™ software. An optional EMI-compliant tempered glass side panel showcases the powerful components and colorful RGB lighting within. Killer E2600 fuels high-speed gigabit network performance and Intel® Wi-Fi 6 functionality[2] delivers high-speed, low-latency wireless performance.
Nitro 50 – Practical Desktop for Casual Gamers and Beginners
The Nitro 50 Series desktops deliver powerful performance for lag-free gaming and smooth graphics-intensive tasks with up to a 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor and up to a GeForce® RTX 2060 SUPER™ GPU. Up to 64GB of DDR4-2666 memory[2] fuels the best possible performance. Sharp contours and red LEDs[2] set the mood for epic game play, while the 18-liter chassis fits neatly on or under a desk. Powerful Predator FrostBlade™ cooling keeps the temperature low, and gamers can control and make adjustments to fan speed in real time. High capacity storage is provided by a 1TB NVMe PCIe SSD[2] and two 3TB HDDs[2].
The latest Predator mouse brings gamers fast and accurate control without messy wires. Different games feature varying play styles, each having its own optimal settings. With the Predator Cestus 350, players can create five custom profiles or leverage preset DPI (up to 16,000) settings via the hyper-accurate Pixart 3335 optical sensor and make use of 8 programmable buttons, enabling them to optimize their mouse for each game. It also supports fast wireless connectivity with a polling rate of 1 ms/1000 Hz for wireless and 0.5 ms/2000 Hz for wired.
Predator Gaming Chair x OSIM – Maximum Gaming Comfort
Designed for professional gamers and eSports enthusiasts alike, the new Predator Gaming Chair x OSIM gives a relaxing massage that leverages OSIM V-Hand™ Massage Technology to emulate the agile hands of a professional masseuse on the user’s neck and shoulders. Together with other massage techniques such as knead, press, roll and tap that cover the entire back, this gaming chair has been specially designed to decrease tension and optimize physical comfort during or after gameplay.
The cozy and ergonomic chair is highly adjustable, able to be reclined up to 145 degrees, and gamers can make use of buttons on the chair’s right-side arm rest to control two sets of rollers that mimic a pair of agile hands tracing the s-curve of the spine. Three automatic massage programs (Neck & Shoulders, Lumbar and Energize) are available, designed by a massage expert to target the neck, shoulder and lumbar regions—all known to be common pain points for gamers due to prolonged periods spent sitting.
Gamers are provided with many options to customize their massage beyond simply varying the massage techniques used. The chair’s rollers can be adjusted to suit six different shoulder positions in order to cater to people of differing heights and there are also roller width settings which provide gamers with the ability to hit exactly the right spot, regardless of their body width. Furthermore, gamers have the option of setting a programmable spot-massage that focuses on a single area, giving particularly aching muscles a bit of extra attention and care.
Featuring black carbon fiber patterned PVC leather with metallic dark gray and teal accents, the Predator Gaming Chair x OSIM has a sporty, yet professional, look and feel. Topping it off, two built-in Bluetooth speakers on the chair’s headrest deliver dynamic sound effects to intensify gaming immersion without the hassle of a headset.
Pricing & Availability
The Predator XB3 Series will be available in North America in September starting at USD 429.99; in EMEA in August starting at EUR 439; and in China in July, starting at RMB 2,999.
The Predator Orion 9000 will be available in EMEA in October starting at EUR 2,799; and in China in September, starting at RMB 20,999.
The Predator Orion 3000 will be available in North America in September starting at USD 999.99; in EMEA in August starting at EUR 899; and in China in July, starting at RMB 8,999.
The Nitro 50 will be available in North America in September starting at USD 799.99; in EMEA in August starting at EUR 799; and in China in July, starting at RMB 4,599.
The Predator Cestus 350 gaming mouse is currently available in North America starting at USD $124.99; in EMEA it will be available in Q2, starting at EUR 99.
Exact specifications, prices, and availability will vary by region. To learn more about availability, product specifications and prices in specific markets, please contact your nearest Acer office via www.acer.com.
About Acer
Founded in 1976, today Acer is one of the world’s top ICT companies and has a presence in over 160 countries. As Acer looks into the future, it is focused on enabling a world where hardware, software and services will infuse with one another to open up new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike. From service-oriented technologies to the Internet of Things to gaming and virtual reality, Acer’s 7,000+ employees are dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of products and solutions that break barriers between people and technology. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.
[1] Performance is based on a comparison at 24dBA with the 120x120mm Predator FrostBlade™ fan and a fan of the same size as those used in PO9-900 and PO9-600 devices. Actual airflow will vary based on site conditions, size of fan and other factors.
[2] Specifications may vary depending on model and/or region. All models subject to availability.
StaffAny joins the fight against COVID-19 by waiving CICO Global’s download fees till end-2020
SINGAPORE, June 23, 2020 — Singapore start-up StaffAny, which offers workforce management tech solutions, has developed and launched a new mobile app, called CICO Global (Clock-in, Clock-out). As many regional economies are slowly emerging from lockdowns, businesses are carefully reopening. The app helps regional businesses and their employees reopen in an efficient and safe manner by leveraging digital solutions to encourage businesses to easily employ safety measures, such as contact tracing, safe distancing and staggered employee hours. CICO Global is ideal for businesses that require the recording of staff attendance (in particular, part-timers or hourly workers), such as F&B outlets, convenience shops, and retailers like supermarkets.
StaffAny CICO clock in and temperature logs mobile app flow
To help the Asia Pacific business community fight against COVID-19, StaffAny is waiving CICO’s download fees for regional businesses until the end of 2020[1]. CICO is also in line with Singapore’s recently announced Fortitude Budget as it helps businesses use digital solutions to reopen in a safe manner and encourages workers to comply with post-Circuit Breaker measures.
“We first developed CICO as the ‘lite’ version of our original StaffAny solution and launched it in Singapore to help businesses here reopen, providing employers with a peace of mind that their staff was complying with our local Circuit Breaker measures. We were greatly heartened by the number of sign-ups – hundreds in just a short period of time. We wanted to find a way to extend CICO and help the regional community to continue operations smoothly and safely, as we know many companies – especially SMEs – have been badly hit by COVID-19,” said Janson Seah, co-founder, StaffAny.
CICO Global is a workforce management mobile application that employees and their managers can use in the following ways:
Automated timesheets – Employees use CICO Global to verify when they enter and leave the business. After downloading CICO Global on their mobile phones, employees use the app to scan a QR code based at the work premise. CICO Global verifies the individual, time of arrival and departure, as well as the geo-location of their mobile. CICO Global then automatically tabulates the number of hours registered at work, including overtime. This removes the need for manual clock-ins (which can be easily mis-recorded) or outdated punch-cards. The contactless system also reduces the chances of any virus transmission. When employees clock in, they can also make a health declaration to confirm they have not travelled abroad recently or been in contact with a COVID-19 patient[2].
Dashboard for visibility – Managers no longer need to visit each outlet to verify staff have clocked in for work. Using the CICO Global dashboard, they can easily verify attendance and clock-in/out times. By tracking staff properly, managers can ensure staggered hours and that employees are not being cross-deployed to different outlets.
Notifications – When assigned staff does not clock-in, CICO Global notifies the manager so that necessary action can be taken. Notifications are also provided to employees to remind them of an upcoming shift. This helps prevent lateness and no-shows.
Record keeping – All records are within the app and can be easily exported. This eliminates time-consuming paperwork for multiple records, such as health declaration, temperature taking, or clock-in/out times.
“Clocking in for work was previously quite tedious – multiple clock-ins, signing many health declaration forms, and all the messy paperwork that comes with it. A couple of times, an employee would accidentally miss out on something and my team would need to constantly check. Now with CICO, things are simpler, faster, and neater. I have more time to focus on managing operations, in particular, sorting out deliveries and our new take-away initiative,” said Walden Ting, Operations Manager Brotzeit, a German bar and restaurant in Singapore.
See Annex A for details on some of CICO’s pioneering users.
Setting up CICO Global is simple, instant, and does not require any hardware. Businesses simply log on to CICO Global (https://www.staffany.com/cicoglobal) and sign up. Regional businesses that sign up by 31 July can access CICO for free till the end of this year (with StaffAny waiving the regular fee of S$39 per month). After signing up, businesses can start instantly by adding/importing their employees’ details in bulk. Employees will then receive an invitation from their employer via SMS to download the StaffAny CICO app and they would be able to clock in immediately. Businesses that continue using the app will pay the regular fee after the end of this year.
“As economies ease their lockdowns and businesses resume, we want to minimise chances of a surge in the number of cases of COVID-19. Because of this, it makes sense that some measures stay in place, including safe distancing, staggered working hours, no cross-deployment of staff, and contact tracing. This is why StaffAny will keep providing CICO Global for free to regional businesses until the end of the year. Hopefully, this will help everyone to stay safe and efficient at the workplace, as regional economies start to open up for business again,” explained Janson Seah.
Set up in 2018, StaffAny is a Singapore start-up company that aims to connect human resources and operations within organisations, for greater efficiency, productivity, and better communications among staff. The company is supported by NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore, incubated at BLOCK71 Singapore, and founded by a team of alumni from the NUS Overseas Colleges programme.
[1] Waiver of CICO Global fees until end-2020 is done as long as businesses sign up before 31 July 2020.
[2] The health declaration is optional. Should employees wish, the health declaration form can be removed.
About StaffAny
StaffAny is a workforce management solution for companies who engage hourly workers. The most common way to manage hourly workers today is to do it via clunky spreadsheets. The process is time-consuming and tedious and we believe more needs to be done.
At StaffAny, we make time for businesses to do what matters. We empower today’s connected workforce with a data-driven approach to managing hourly workers. We have brought smiles to hundreds of paying locations via our integrated scheduling and time tracking Software as a Service (SaaS).
Our job today is to connect HR and ops internally within organisations, and our vision is to enable businesses to be connected to the leaner workforce of tomorrow. For more information, please visit https://www.staffany.com/.
Annex A: Pioneering businesses using CICO
Juan Valdez Cafe
Juan Valdez Cafe, a global coffeehouse chain originally from Colombia, South America, has seven outlets with 30 employees in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. Since Malaysia’s Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed on 18 March 2020 to curb the country’s COVID-19 transmission, it has been tough on F&B businesses as they could only do takeaways and deliveries. Although Juan Valdez Cafe’s revenue took a hit, the restaurant adapted its business and took the opportunity to give back to the community. It swiftly got on food delivery mobile apps like Beepit, foodpanda, and GrabFood, expanded its menu offerings, and started its own initiative called “Support Our Local Heroes” to distribute free drinks to frontliners such as healthcare workers, delivery riders, and news reporters. It also launched local favourites at affordable prices to let Malaysians continue enjoying these dishes while supporting local businesses and micro-entrepreneurs during this period of social distancing.
“It is crucial to make sure that our employees comply with all safety measures and come to work healthily, as this in turn helps us fulfill our responsibility towards our customers whose safety is our top concern. Originally, we were using a manual clock-in system where employees had to record attendance, take and log their temperature on a separate form and declare health status manually on paper upon arriving at work. This was time-consuming, inefficient and not hygienic with unavoidable surface contact made. Keeping these paper records was bulky and in order to have full sight of employees’ attendance, we needed to visit each outlet. CICO Global has helped in consolidating real-time data logged from all seven outlets onto a single platform, and gives me full visibility over employees’ attendance and overtime. Furthermore, it digitalises temperature and attendance logs in a contactless manner. CICO Global has saved us time, allowed us to become more efficient and have better control over operations and staff allocation. Although COVID-19 has affected our business, being adaptable and open to innovation has allowed us to improve and keep operations smooth, even with the additional measures that we have to comply with, due to the lifting of the conditional MCO,” said Mr Khalip Latif, Director, Juan Valdez Cafe, Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Starting in 2017 as a cafe based at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Foreword Coffee Roasters had grown to three outlets staffed by a team of 20. The company is a social enterprise, hiring individuals with disabilities and special needs, as the company recognises their potential and provides inclusive employment and training opportunities within the F&B industry. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Singapore, Foreword Coffee Roasters was forced to close two of its outlets. The remaining cafe only handles take-away orders and is located at the Centre for Healthcare Innovation in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. To boost its business, Foreword Coffee Roasters has expanded its online shop which offers handcrafted bottled coffee and other products.
“Healthcare safety has always been paramount for the F&B sector. Previously, employees had to perform SafeEntry whenever they passed any of the entry points at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, log in again later when they reached work, and then log into SafeEntry which was a hassle. Because of this, using CICO was convenient in helping to save time and reduce stress. We have seen a significant increase in our online sales since Circuit Breaker measures came into effect. Due to the popular demand of our bottled coffees, we have just launched a new subscription model, which offers customers discounts when they purchase in bulk. So, using CICO has been a great help for me, as it allows me to monitor who is on-site preparing the drinks, even when I’m not at the cafe,” said Lim Wei Jie, Founder and Director, Foreword Coffee Roasters.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the F&B sector, and many companies have had to adapt quickly to the digital era to engage with their customers. Good Luck Beerhouse developed an online website, to allow customers to order take-aways from them, in particular their craft beers, which they sell in a 640ml take-away container. Owner Kevin Ngan realised that many of his F&B neighbours along Haji Lane would be in a similar predicament. He invited them onboard his online platform, and together they provide joint deliveries under the ‘Solidarity on Haji Lane’ campaign, so customers can enjoy a range of food items – from gourmet burgers to oysters, dim sum, and prawn mee – paired with their favourite craft beer.
“We’ve had to completely change our understanding of how the F&B environment operates. We kept our team lean, refined operations and spent hours designing new campaigns and fine-tuning our propositions, so the company could survive. And while the additional revenue generated from our ‘Solidarity on Haji Lane’ campaign has been marginal, the solidarity and support for one another is absolutely priceless! Because of this extra work required to keep the business running, we’re definitely grateful for the time saved with the integration of CICO and SafeEntry. Not only is this time saved, but there is greater peace of mind that we are complying with the various measures to stay safe, as we stay open,” said Kevin Ngan, Owner, Good Luck Beerhouse.
Like most businesses, Phoon Huat – a company that provides baking ingredients and supplies – has been impacted by COVID-19. However, in an unusual turn of events, it has actually led to an increase in B2C sales, as more people are choosing to bake as they stay at home. This has resulted in long queues for certain outlets, and Phoon Huat has had to deploy manpower to help out with queue management. The company currently has 380 employees and began using StaffAny’s enterprise solution mid- 2019 at one of their new outlets, to better manage staff rostering.
“Our employees – in particular their health and safety – are our utmost priority. When Singapore raised our risk assessment to DORSCON Orange, we rolled out StaffAny’s contactless time and attendance taking functions to our headquarters, which also includes our production and logistics operations, to reduce the need for staff to make physical contact when clocking in or out. StaffAny’s solution has been great – we can access all reports, and plan shifts more efficiently. Our original plan was to use StaffAny to get accurate timesheet data, but we are now using StaffAny for data analytics. This is especially useful, as we’ve had to adapt to a change in our business model, after seeing a significant increase in retail sales, and at the same time a drop in B2B sales. In addition, we’ve also had to put in place two teams working at different times in our production and logistics operations, as one of the safe distancing measures in the workplace. And because StaffAny integrates with SafeEntry, it has definitely made checking-in and out much more convenient for our staff. Together with StaffAny, we are doing our best to coordinate efforts, together with the whole nation, to combat COVID-19 together,” said Mr Lee Tjen Chew, CFO, Phoon Huat.
The 9-hour concert received a total of 2 million views
BEIJING, June 19, 2020 — Livestreaming on Kuaishou, a video-sharing and live streaming platform in China, a 9-hour online charity concert initiated and hosted by a popular Chinese amateur singer Li Yuer wrapped up with an overwhelming response from the audience in early May – more than 2 million viewers tuned in to watch the show.
Chinese amateur singer Li Yuer is hosting a 9-hour online charity concert on Kuaishou, receiving a total of 2 million views
Engaging with the audience alongside other singers during the live concert, Li launched an online fundraising campaign with all proceeds going to the student aid foundation established by herself to help hundreds of students living in the impoverished villages.
Since the foundation was founded seven years ago, Li has been trying to bring support society through the power of music. In addition to raising funds for the students this time, the singer also connected with the government of Dong’an county in Hunan province, where she was born, in a bid to encourage people to support the local poverty-alleviation program.
“The overwhelming response from the audience during this session brought me to my knees in gratitude,” said Li. “Once again, I am grateful for the incredible generosity of my supporters and this platform where I can spread love and positivity across the nation.”
Chinese amateur singer Li Yuer is hosting a 9-hour online charity concert on Kuaishou, receiving a total of 2 million views
Make the music happen
Joining on February 13, Li quickly became one of the most-followed online streamers on the platform who gained 1.5 million followers within 100 days. Now with her 1.8 million fans, the up-and-coming singer’s live-streaming sessions have accumulated a total of 40 million views with 400,000 Kuaishou users watching her performance every day.
Humorous and outspoken, Li’s unfiltered image and personality are woven into her music by her marvelous voice, making her songs the embodiment of her personal stories about chasing dreams with perseverance and hardworking. 100 days since Li joined Kuaishou, her musical journey on the platform has allowed her to receive support from a wider audience, and in return, encourage more grassroots sing-song writers to follow their dreams and hearts.
“My biggest hope has always been bringing more high-quality songs to my audience on this platform,” Li said. “All I want is to create something for my music fans, for this incredible music community, a virtual hangout space for people connect with one another, to see some of their favorite musicians, and to listen to the soundtracks that resonate with their hearts.”
“With more music professionals with similar visions joining Kuaishou to carve out careers and establish their own friend cycles, I can see Kuaishou has become a community where musicians are able to explore the new opportunities and create more meaningful songs for themselves and their fans,” she said.
“I love this inclusive platform which embraces people from all walks of life, and musicians with dynamic creativities inspired by their personal experiences. It is the community where people can see themselves grow, learn, and share while leveraging the resources and tools to bring out meaningful changes to the music industry.”
About Kuaishou Technology
Kuaishou Technology, headquartered in Beijing, China, runs Kuaishou, one of the world’s leading short video social platforms, boasting more than 300 million daily active users since 2011. Users can use the platform to create and share videos with friends and their communities through posts, likes and comments. Known for its active and vibrant community of over 300 million users, the app is available on iOS and Android.
LONDON, June 18, 2020 — FIDE Online Arena, the official chess gaming platform, today redefined online chess with the global launch of the new gaming experience and online ratings. Chess players from around the world are now able to compete for the official online ratings and qualify for official titles. This makes chess the first IOC-recognized sport to create the officially-recognized online category.
The online experience has been designed by World Chess, the company that organized the 2016 and 2018 Championship matches that were dubbed the main chess events of the 21st century and have resulted in immense rise of popularity of chess globally. FIDE Online Arena has the same look and feel as a professional chess tournament: the same chess pieces, boards, colors, and even typefaces. Sounds of moves and pieces capture replicates those from the final games of the 2018 World Chess Championship Match.
Online gaming adheres to the over-the-board FIDE rules, including Swiss tournament structure, time controls and other requirements. Players from around the world are able to play official online rated games (€25 per year) and qualify for the official online titles, effectively becoming professional chess players by playing on computers or mobile devices.
Official ratings and titles data will be recorded on Algorand blockchain and open to all other chess platforms and media sites, making the official online ratings universal. Algorand’s public blockchain allows digital chess organizations to verify player’s ratings in a scalable manner for the hundreds of millions of chess players globally. Storing ratings on blockchain will ensure full transparency and reliability associated with decentralized systems. Algorand’s throughput of over 1000 transactions per second ensures instant recording of ratings on blockchain and open access to the data for the community.
FIDE Online Arena employs FIDE-approved complex anti-cheating technology as well as an Artificial Intelligence behavior-tracking module.
As an official cybersecurity partner for the FIDE World Chess Championship series, Kaspersky also provides a complex protection for the newly released gaming platform, including protection from DDoS attacks, analyzing the website’s load with various techniques that help to detect an attack on time and use traffic filtering mechanisms. Thus, even if there is an attack, all users will retain constant access to the platform.
"We believe that the next World Chess Champion will be someone who learned to play chess on a computer," says Ilya Merenzon, World Chess CEO, "And we are looking forward to an opportunity to give people around the world an opportunity to play chess for a professional online rating and get a thrill of a professional competition and eventually take on Magnus Carlsen and become the next world champion," adds Merenzon.
About FIDE Online Arena FIDE Online Arena – the official online chess platform which awards official online ratings and titles. It hosts rated tournaments and games 24 hours per day. Arena.myfide.net,
About FIDE The International Chess Federation or Fédération Internationale des Echecs, (FIDE), is recognized by its members and the International Olympic Committee as the international federation in the domain of chess, the supreme body responsible for the sport of chess and its Championships. FIDE has the sole rights to organize the World Chess Championships and the Chess Olympiads. www.fide.com
About World Chess World Chess is a London-based media company. It’s an official broadcaster of the World Chess Federation events and a commercial partner of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). World Chess organized the World Championship Matches in Russia, USA, and the UK. It revolutionized chess by signing the biggest media partnerships in the history of chess. World Chess is also developing Armageddon, the chess league designed for television. It operates worldchess.com.
About Algorand Based in Boston and founded by cryptography pioneer and Turing award winner Silvio Micali, Algorand is an open-source software company building technical innovation for the borderless economy with a platform that delivers decentralization, scalability and security. Algorand’s first-of-its-kind, permissionless, pure proof-of-stake protocol supports the scale, open participation, and transaction finality needed by users to build opportunity and fulfill the promise of blockchain technology. For more information, visit https://www.algorand.com/
About Kaspersky Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 250,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
World Chess leverages Algorand to remove friction in new era of decentralized and transparent gaming; expands access to players globally
BOSTON, June 18, 2020 — Algorand, a world-class blockchain powering secure and efficient frictionless exchange, today announced official ratings and titles data from World Chess players will be recorded on Algorand’s decentralized blockchain network in real-time, bringing reliability and transparency to the rating system of digital chess.
Coming on the launch of digital chess games by FIDE Online Arena, millions of chess ratings from players all around the world will be recorded on the Algorand blockchain for the first time ever, and universally accessible to all other chess platforms and media sites, making this a momentous event for both the digital chess and blockchain communities.
Algorand’s open, public blockchain brings full transparency and automation to the digital chess ecosystem. As player ratings will be verified on the blockchain, results reporting will be reliable and secure from fraudulent activity. With the Algorand protocol removing friction from the existing model, millions of global chess players will have access to transparent reporting to one of the world’s most popular games. Algorand’s public ledger provides enterprise-grade scalability to accommodate digital chess organizations’ need to verify ratings for the hundreds of millions of chess players globally. The combination of transparency, security and scalability make Algorand the preferred platform for reliable and transparent reporting in the digital gaming ecosystem.
“We are beyond thrilled to partner with FIDE Online Arena and World Chess to bring digital chess ratings onto the Algorand blockchain for the first time,” said Sean Ford, COO of Algorand. “This historic moment brings the blockchain community one step closer to mainstream adoption, as a widely popular competitive game like chess leverages distributed ledger technology to serve as the official record for trust of millions of online chess players and fans.”
Six months after World Chess, the designer of the online chess experience and the company that organized the 2016 and 2018 Championship matches, announced a hybrid IPO on Algorand, World Chess is leveraging the Algorand blockchain to further develop inclusive and modern gaming opportunities for millions of chess players around the world, including rewards and incentives for the chess community, internal currency and blockchain-based live betting.
“It’s exciting to continue bringing innovation to chess,” said Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Сhess. “The advent of digital games on the internet made chess more popular than before, and now we can’t wait to further explore blockchain innovation for digital chess.”
World Chess will be hosting a virtual game on June 17 where renowned player Sergey Karjakin and Turing Award-winning cryptographer and Algorand Founder, Silvio Micali will face off in a match. Viewers will be able to witness the first-ever recorded digital chess ratings on the blockchain. To view this historic event please visit: www.worldchess.com.
About Algorand Inc. Algorand Inc. built the world’s first open source, permissionless, pure proof-of-stake blockchain protocol for the next generation of financial products. This blockchain, the Algorand protocol, is the brainchild of Turing Award-winning cryptographer Silvio Micali. A technology company dedicated to removing friction from financial exchange, Algorand Inc. is powering the DeFi evolution by enabling the creation and exchange of value, building new financial tools and services, bringing assets on-chain and providing responsible privacy models. For more information, visit https://www.algorand.com/
About FIDE Online Arena FIDE Online Arena – the official online chess platform which awards official online ratings and titles. It hosts rated tournaments and games 24 hours per day. The platform’s fairplay is supported by advanced FIDE-approved anti cheating software. The platform was launched in June 2020. https://arena.myfide.net/.
About FIDE The International Chess Federation or Fédération Internationale des Echecs (FIDE), is recognized by its members and the International Olympic Committee as the international federation in the domain of chess, the supreme body responsible for the sport of chess and its Championships. FIDE has the sole rights to organize the World Chess Championships and the Chess Olympiads. www.fide.com
About World Chess World Chess is a London-based media company. It’s official broadcaster of the World Chess Federation events and a commercial partner of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). World Chess organized the World Championship Matches in Russia, USA, and the UK. It revolutionized chess by signing the biggest media partnerships in the history of chess. World Chess is also developing Armageddon, the chess league designed for television. It operates worldchess.com.
“The Bad Kids”, an iQIYI original production on the list, perceived as this year’s most critically acclaimed Chinese online drama
BEIJING, June 18, 2020 — iQIYI Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, recently released the content list for its Mist Theater, a content category dedicated to domestically produced suspense dramas. The six distinctive short dramas released as part of the new library will broaden the creative approaches of Chinese suspense drama productions and refresh the storytelling style of the genre. The launch of new category also underscores iQIYI’s strengths and advantages in creating original suspense dramas.
iQIYI Debuts Suspense Drama List for ‘Mist Theater’
Among the six dramas, Kidnapping Game, The Long Night, The Bad Kids and Wisher, were adapted from well-known suspense novels by authors such as Japan’sKeigo Higashino and China’s Zi Jinchen and Na Duo. iQIYI collaborated with Wuyuan Culture, Eternity Pictures and other first-class studios to produce high-quality content throughout the entire production process of scripting, filming, editing and production. The star-studded iQIYI productions cast features dozens of renowned domestic actors and major crowd-pullers such as Liao Fan, Qin Hao, Wang Jingchun Wang Qianyuan and Zhu Yawen. The Bad Kids boasted a score of 9.0 out of 10 on Douban, a popular Chinese website providing user reviews and recommendations for movies, TV series, books, etc., within 18 hours after its release. To date, its score has reached 9.2, becoming the online Chinese drama with highest score so far this year.
Since the debut of the Youth Theater and Mystery & Suspense Theater categories in 2018, iQIYI has pioneered the building of dedicated category-based communities online by bringing together like-minded users who are fans of same content genre through content and interactive features. The launch of the Mist Theater, which upgrades the platform’s previous offerings, is a crossover creation of iQIYI’s dual focus on genre-oriented theater-like operation and short drama series creation.
The Mist Theater builds on the Mystery & Suspense Theater, transforming the channel from a content categorization-based model into a comprehensive theater model that boasts multiple features, including drama production, content scheduling, user service, paid subscription and business cooperation.
Following the launch of Mist Theater, iQIYI has partnered with KFC to run a co-branding marketing campaign that will provide with 10 million cups of KFC’s K COFFEEs that each contain hidden clues to the mysteries of the dramas. These clues entail 18 items that drive the plot development of six dramas, such as the butterfly tattoo from Kidnapping Game and white sneakers from The Bad Kids. In addition, it also provides iQIYI’s VIP members with limited cups of free KFC K COFFEEs as well as nearly 1 million K COFFEE coupons. Under the campaign, iQIYI VIP members who purchase any product from KFC’s ground coffee selection online will be given the early on-demand pass for dramas from the Mist Theater library. By promoting the Mist Theater, KFC is also increasing its brand awareness and sales through acknowledgement posts and pause advertisements.
This innovative co-branding marketing campaign follows several collaborations between iQIYI and KFC. As innovative pioneers in the respective fields of video entertainment and food and beverage with a large base of young users, iQIYI has cooperated with KFC many times in terms of member services and exclusive set meals. iQIYI and KFC previously collaborated in 2017 to release set meals that were based on the iQIYI IP-based drama series Legend of Zu Mountain 2, ushering in a wave of co-branding marketing between entertainment IP and dining scenarios in China. In 2019, two companies collaborated to launch the "iQIYI VIP Products Day". Under the collaboration, iQIYI VIP members were able to enjoy a wide selection of KFC’s coffee, afternoon tea products for a discounted price. A series of cooperation between iQIYI and KFC proves that dining integrated with entertainment is able to create interesting cross-branding marketing campaigns and offer value-added benefits for its members and customers.
SINGAPORE, June 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ —Today Coda Payments (“Coda”) and Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, announced that players in six markets across Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, can purchase VALORANT Points on Codashop (www.codashop.com), a website where millions of customers come to top up their favourite games every month.
VALORANT is a free-to-play team-based, first-person tactical shooter game with a 5v5 setup. In the main game mode, each player gets to pick Agents, characters that have exciting abilities like building walls, calling down airstrikes and more.
How to Top Up VALORANT Points
As soon as the transaction is completed, VALORANT Points will appear in the game. There’s no login required on Codashop, neither do users need to use a voucher nor PIN code.
Gamers love Codashop due to the wide range of popular local payment methods that are accepted, including
MPT
Telenor
Ooredoo
Mytel
easyPoints
WaveMoney
Coda as the exclusive alternative payment channel for VALORANT’s launch in 6 countries on Jun 2, 2020, will also offer payment solutions for Riot Games’ upcoming titles, including Teamfight Tactics Mobile and League of Legends: Wild Rift.
“Our mission at Coda is to make world-class content accessible to everyone,” Philippe Limes, Coda’s Chief Executive Officer, said. “With this partnership, we are delighted to make it simple for millions of players to participate in the new competitive stage.”
“Here in Southeast Asia, we recognize that gameplay and payment preferences are extremely diverse,” said Justin Hulog, General Manager of Riot Games Southeast Asia. “Our partnership with Coda will allow gamers to access and enjoy all our upcoming, new games with comfort and ease.”
About Coda Payments
Coda Payments (www.codapayments.com) helps digital content providers monetize their products and services in more than twenty emerging markets. Publishers of leading games like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile, streaming platforms like beIN and Bigo Live, dating apps like Tinder, and video-on-demand platforms like Viu have integrated with Coda to accept payments on/at:
their own website using Codapay, allowing their users to pay at a wide network of alternative payment channels, including using direct carrier billing with dozens of telcos;
Codashop, which more than 11 million users visit every month to top up their favourite games and content services; and
Coda’s e-commerce (Lazada, Tokopedia, Bukalapak, Shopee), telco (Digi, XL), and super app (Gojek) distribution partners who leverage Coda’s xShop solution to offer their users a wide range of premium digital content.
Coda helps its clients collect payments in Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nigeria, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Founded in 2011, Coda is headquartered in Singapore with additional offices in Jakarta and Bangkok. It is backed by Apis Partners—a private equity asset manager that invests in growth-stage financial services and financial infrastructure businesses in Asia and Africa—and GMO Global Payment Fund, whose strategic management company is GMO Payment Gateway, Japan’s largest online payment gateway.
Riot Games was founded in 2006 to develop, publish, and support the most player-focused games in the world. Riot has finally released its first major non-League of Legends Game: VALORANT, codenamed Project A. It was announced during its League of Legends’ 10-year anniversary stream in October 2019.
Riot continues to evolve the game while delivering new experiences to players with Legends of Runeterra, VALORANT, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Teamfight Tactics, and multiple work-in-progress titles.
Founded by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, Riot is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and has 2,500+ Rioters in 20+ offices worldwide. Riot has been featured on numerous lists including Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” “25 Best Companies to Work in Technology,” “100 Best Workplaces for Millennials,” and “50 Best Workplaces for Flexibility.”
SHANGHAI, June 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — On June 7, AKB48 Team SH (TSH, these idols belong to Shanghai Shangyue Culture Development Co., Ltd.), the Chinese sister group of Asian idol girl group AKB48, made its debut performance — Samuneiru online.
AKB48 Team SH Hosts First Online Show Samuneiru and Ticket Sales Heating Up
Since February, the travel of all the 48 groups across Asia whose main activities are theatrical performances has been suspended due to the COVID-19. The online performance is not only TSH’s first theatrical performance since its building, but also brings the only one 48 Group that restarts its public activities.
TSH will broadcast online every week. Audience both home and abroad may watch the show on the broadcasting platform. Click the link to purchase the tickets if you are interested:
Songs in the performance were adapted with Chinese lyrics from those in Samuneiru—the hot theatrical performance of AKB48 from Japan. The performance includes million-selling covers of original songs such as You Are the Melody and Be My Baby. The warm melody and encouraging lyrics inspired everyone in front of the screen to be brave and keep going on. Fans from everywhere were very supportive despite the lack of fervent interaction on the scene. The Group also attracted many young music lovers as it ranked the top of the list of broadcasting platform with an audience number of 500,000. The performance was originally scheduled in February offline but was delayed until June due to force majeure. After waiting for 114 days, these girls stood on their dream stage and brought fans a wonderful audio-visual feast with their clear and beautiful singing and dancing. Meanwhile, their relentless effort and gesture of sweating on the stage also conveyed lots of positive energy. Let’s look forward to more exciting performances of TSH in the future!
