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PR Newswire

Easy Journey to the Cloud – Huawei Cloud Debuts HECS L

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SINGAPORE, April 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Transitioning to the cloud presents a crucial decision for enterprises, with selecting the ideal cloud server topping the priority list. Yet, for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), startups, and entry-level developers, this decision proves challenging due to high thresholds and deployment costs, alongside the ongoing maintenance and operational expenses of cloud servers.

In response to these challenges, Huawei Cloud introduces the Hyper Elastic Cloud Server Light (HECS L) today. This innovative cloud server distinguishes itself with four key advantages: no freezing, cost-effective, easy to use, and easy to manage. SMBs can now seamlessly embark on their cloud journey, benefitting from HECS L’s standout feature of “websites built in 3 steps with 2x the performance”.

HECS L is a silver bullet for building and managing various digital platforms, including websites, e-commerce stores, mini-games, business systems, and online test environments. Moreover, it streamlines cloud service setup, reduces expenses, and enhances overall efficiency.


QingTian Architecture + KooVerse: High Performance, Low Latency

The technical backbone of Huawei Cloud, QingTian Architecture, showcases two significant advancements: software-hardware synergy on the data plane and the Alkaid smart cloud brain on the management plane. On the data plane, QingTian doubles computing density and quadruples delivery efficiency. Its software-hardware synergy enables full offloading and acceleration for compute, storage, networking, and security resources, resulting in minimal storage and network latency. On the management plane, Alkaid facilitates global resource scheduling, dynamic governance, and intelligent computing power matching, ensuring efficient resource allocation and utilization. QingTian serves as the cornerstone for HECS L’s optimal performance, offering exceptional stability and speed, and zero freezing.

Complementing QingTian, KooVerse, Huawei Cloud’s global cloud infrastructure, elevates the efficacy of HECS L to new heights. With its unified architecture, KooVerse revolutionizes latency-sensitive operations such as audio/video streaming, real-time gaming, and online education. It enables HECS L users to experience a 50-ms latency circle, coupled with high security and stability.

Through the powerful synergy of QingTian and KooVerse, HECS L outperforms its counterparts in terms of efficiency and latency, emerging as the premier choice for agile services.


Better User Experience: Out-of-the-Box, Easy-to-Manage

Huawei Cloud HECS L not only boasts powerful capabilities but also prioritizes user-friendliness. Huawei Cloud researchers have meticulously identified the pain points users encounter throughout the cloud server lifecycle, addressing them with HECS L’s user-centric design. HECS L features low thresholds, visualized functions, centralized configurations, and a premium user experience. Specifically, it offers the following strengths:

  • Quick purchase: Streamlined cloud server setup process with various image and resource combinations.
  • Websites built in 3 steps: Effortlessly create websites, tools, systems, and environments in just three steps using preset images and scenario-specific templates.
  • Rollout in minutes: Provision resources with a few clicks and seamlessly orchestrate services, saving significant time.
  • Visualized management: All resources and connections accessible in one place, providing a comprehensive overview and detailed insights without navigating multiple tabs.
  • Simplified management: Timely reminders for resource status checks, facilitating easy renewal or cancellation.
  • Thorough guide: Comprehensive scenario-specific guides for step-by-step website setup, ensuring clarity throughout the configuration process.
  • Cost-effectiveness: Huawei Cloud’s commitment to cost reduction enables HECS L to offer competitive advantages and affordable prices. Users can easily find a cloud server with ideal specifications to suit their budget.


Huawei Cloud’s New-Offering Prime Season features enticing deals on HECS L. For just $10.79 USD, users can acquire a cloud server with 2 vCPUs, 1 GB memory for six months. For those requiring additional power, a cloud server with 2 vCPUs and 4 GB memory is available for only $80.26 USD for an entire year. For more information, visit Huawei Cloud’s official website.

More info: https://activity.huaweicloud.com/intl/en-us/prime-season.html

PR Newswire

SMOROBOT Launches Revolutionary Valor Series Intelligent Pool Cleaning Robots

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Unmatched Cleaning Experience with Advanced AI Technology

BEIJING, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On 28 March 2024, SMOROBOT officially unveiled the ValorTM series of intelligent robotic pool cleaners (hereinafter “Valor”), setting a new standard in automated pool cleaning and maintenance.

With the continuous advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), robots have become an integral part of our daily lives. The introduction of cleaning robots for pool settings has significantly enhanced the modern lifestyle, offering a blend of intelligence, ease, and premium experience. Valor, a revolutionary intelligent cordless robotic pool cleaner from SMOROBOT, is forged from the accumulated experience and insights garnered from the Tank series. The new Valor lineup emerges from years of extensive technological expertise, industry insights, and creative industrial design. It represents a major leap forward in pool cleaning technology, ushering in transformative changes in functionality.


Autonomous Pool Cleaner with Powerful Suction and Underwater Vision System

Leveraging years of industry experience and innovation, SMOROBOT introduces the Valor Series Intelligent Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner, a new model featuring a TornadoTM suction system with an impressive 8000GPH extreme suction motor, complemented by four roller brushes at both the front and rear, and a double-layer ultra-fine filter basket. The cleaner is engineered to capture every speck of debris in the pool – leaves, fine sand, algae, stones, hair, and more – ensuring comprehensive cleanliness. The groundbreaking anti-clogging runner design addresses the perennial issue of clogged filtration systems and cleaning pipes found in traditional pool cleaners, allowing for uninterrupted and efficient operation.

Valor stands out not only for boasting the most powerful cleaning suction system in the industry, but also for its innovative motor power adaptive deployment system. The system automatically adjusts the robot’s travel and brush rotation speeds when encountering dirtier pool areas, optimizing suction power for unparalleled cleaning performance.

Alongside the groundbreaking Valor, SMOROBOT debuts its TridentTM underwater vision system, a first-of-its-kind integration of cutting-edge underwater detection and visual recognition technologies. Trident sets a new standard with its capabilities, including underwater 3D mapping, stain identification and positioning, obstacle avoidance, and path planning. By seamlessly integrating cameras, lasers, sonar, IMU, and other sensors, it accurately identifies the type, intensity, and location of pool stains. Trident then automatically generates a 3D pool map uses intelligent algorithms to optimize cleaning paths for the pool’s floor, walls, waterline, and steps, elevating the cleaning process to new level of efficiency. Furthermore, the directional cleaning capabilities allow it to intelligently assess dirt levels and adjust the cleaning strategy accordingly, ensuring the highest degree of cleaning efficiency.

Reliable, All-Terrain Pool Cleaning for Diverse Settings

Henry Pu, CEO of SMOROBOT, commented, “Recognizing the complexities of pool cleaning, our mission has been to revolutionize this task through AI technology. Our products are crafted to elevate lifestyles around the globe, offering everyone the luxury of effortless Clean.”

With the launch of the Valor Series Robotic Pool Cleaner, SMOROBOT has significantly enhanced the user experience. The product has been meticulously designed and continuously optimized, not only in terms of its exceptional performance and reliability but also in the innovations of its hardware and software. Every detail underscores SMOROBOT’s unwavering commitment to pool cleaning technology, while every innovation reflects a deep understanding of user needs. Valor now sets a new standard for functionality among pool cleaning robots worldwide, revolutionizing the industry with its groundbreaking capabilities.

Valor demonstrates exceptional adaptability to all terrains, capable of handling cleaning duties in a wide array of pool shapes and sizes. No matter the contour, whether diamond-shaped, bowl-shaped, rectangular or for diving, the series adapts to fulfill the unique cleaning requirements of all users. The tracked drive chassis with brushes ensures efficient wall cleaning, while the adaptive suction system maintains robust adhesion to walls no matter the material. This adaptability addresses the cleaning requirements of both the wall and waterline in all pool types.

The 10,400mAh removable battery boasts an impressive running time of up to 180 minutes per charge. The wide range of cleaning modes cater to a wide range of scenarios, including a Weekly Timer Mode for a “charge once, clean for a week” convenience, along with Standard, Rapid, and Professional Cleaning modes tailored to specific pool environments. Activating and switching between modes is effortless, with a simple button click. Once the cleaning operation is complete, the robot automatically returns to its starting position, and users can conveniently track the cleaning status through the accompanying app.

Given the necessity of pool robots to operate underwater for extended periods, they must be highly reliable in navigating complex and sometimes unclear underwater environments. The Valor series has undergone rigorous testing, enduring over 1,000 hours of operation in dirty conditions. They have achieved numerous professional certifications, including CE, FCC, RCM, REACH and ROHS certifications, etc. The batteries come with a full suite of six safety features, including short-circuit protection, overcharge protection, discharge over-temperature protection, charging over-temperature protection, charging low-temperature protection, and water ingress protection, ensuring a safe, worry-free, and superior intelligent pool cleaning experience for users worldwide.

About SMOROBOT

Focused on the philosophy of “Power of Effortless Clean”, SMOROBOT specializes in pool cleaning, offering comprehensive solutions from R&D to commercialization. With long-term technical accumulation, industry experience, and product innovation, SMOROBOT has achieved cable-free, highly intelligent pool-cleaning robots with versatile, automated solutions for global customers. With design and maintenance centers in the US, Europe, and China, SMOROBOT ensures localized rapid customer services, continually delivering exceptional experiences and solutions worldwide.

For more information, please visit https://www.smorobot.com 

or contact us directly at our official email address: bd@smorobot.com  

PR Newswire

Veritas Backup Exec Strengthens Resilience Against Ransomware for SMBs

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Latest release of all-in-one data protection solution features new malware detection, role-based access control and faster backup and recovery

SINGAPORE, March 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Veritas Technologies, the leader in secure multi-cloud data management, today announced enhancements to Veritas Backup Exec, the unified backup and recovery solution trusted by more than 45,000 small and midsize businesses (SMBs) worldwide. The latest updates include malware detection capabilities, role-based access control and additional optimizations for fast backup and recovery of business-critical data.

With ransomware attacks on the rise, data security is a growing concern for all businesses. Veritas research found that over the last two years, 65% of businesses had fallen victim to a ransomware attack in which bad actors infiltrated their systems. A majority also said data security risks are increasing. Small businesses can be especially vulnerable to ransomware attacks, without the in-house expertise to manage the complexities of data security. Many also forgo cyber insurance with a mistaken assumption that by virtue of their smaller size, they are more likely to fly under the radar of cybercriminals.

Simon Jelley, general manager for Backup Exec at Veritas, said: “Make no mistake, SMBs face the same danger as large enterprises. Hackers target smaller companies just as frequently and with more devastating consequences. Only one thing can guarantee recovery if attackers get in – having a reliable backup system. Veritas Backup Exec provides a simple-to-use, all-in-one solution for protecting SMBs’ critical data wherever it lives – in SaaS or specialized applications and workloads, on premises or in the cloud.”

The unified design of Veritas Backup Exec eliminates the need for multiple point products and offers SMBs a powerful, cost-effective way to keep pace with the changing data and threat landscape. Customers can also manage their entire data estate from a single console. Veritas continuously strengthens the solution’s capabilities and defensive measures, adhering to a rapid development cycle. The latest release of Veritas Backup Exec introduces several new features:

  • Malware detection – Equips SMBs with another line of defense against viruses propagating within their data environment. Veritas Backup Exec malware detection, powered by Microsoft Defender, can be used to scan both VMware and Hyper-V backup sets at any time or prior to recovery.
  • Role-based security – Limits access to data based on a user’s specific role. In the event an account is compromised by hackers, the hackers can only corrupt the small volume of data associated with that specific user’s account.
  • Faster backup and recovery – Optimizes protection performance with forever incremental backup of VMware and Hyper-V. Protection of virtual machines is now faster with parallel backup of multiple virtual disks and the included ability to recover virtual machines instantly.

Steve Walcott, server administrator at WalCorp, said: “Ransomware attacks have become inevitable in today’s world. Veritas Backup Exec helps us stay prepared and ready to recover quickly. The all-in-one design is cost-effective and gives us everything we need to keep our data secure, making it simple to protect data across environments.”

Christophe Bertrand, practice director at Enterprise Strategy Group, said: “Whether they realize it or not, SMBs have a target on their backs. Hackers know they lack resources, and our research confirms that SMBs think ransomware is more complex than other attacks and are more likely to pay extortion demands. Veritas is aiming to ‘democratize’ cyber resilience through Backup Exec, giving SMBs data defense tools to help them detect and recover from ransomware attacks with full confidence.”

Veritas Backup Exec is available as a subscription service and can be installed in 10 minutes or less. Once installed, completing the first backup takes only five minutes. Find a Veritas-certified partner or sign up for the Veritas Backup Exec free 60-day trial. To learn more about how the solution helps SMBs, watch the webinar on pinpointing cyber threats and recovering quickly from ransomware attacks.

About Veritas 
Veritas Technologies is the leader in secure multi-cloud data management. Over 80,000 customers—including 91% of the Fortune 100—rely on Veritas to help ensure the protection, recoverability and compliance of their data. Veritas has a reputation for reliability at scale, which delivers the resilience its customers need against the disruptions threatened by cyberattacks, like ransomware. No other vendor is able to match Veritas’ ability to execute, with support for 800+ data sources, 100+ operating systems and 1,400+ storage targets through a single, unified approach. Powered by Cloud Scale Technology, Veritas is delivering today on its strategy for Autonomous Data Management that reduces operational overhead while delivering greater value. Learn more at Veritas.com. Follow us on X at @VeritasTechLLC.  

Veritas and the Veritas Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Veritas Technologies LLC or its affiliates in the US and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. 

PR Newswire

ICZOOM Announces Upgrade The Risk Control Of The SAAS System To Improve Service Quality And Security

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HONG KONG, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ICZOOM Group Inc. (Nasdaq: IZM) (the “Company” or “ICZOOM”), a B2B electronic component products e-commerce platform, announced today that the Company has upgraded the risk control of its SAAS system to enhance its customer service capabilities and improve the quality and security of customer transactions.

ICZOOM’s electronic trading platform has undergone a system upgrade to provide a more secured trading environment for clients on the trading platform by improving the company’s business risk deployment and control nodes. The update includes without limitation enhanced credential analysis on customers, behavior analysis on trading activities and adds-on of a number of risk control nodes. The Company believes that the update could significantly improve the security protection and efficiency of transactions for the customers, therefore advance the operation of the business.

ICZOOM’s CEO, Mr. Lei Xia, commented, “We are striving to help more small and medium-sized microelectronics enterprise customers purchase electronic components more conveniently, reduce procurement costs and improve procurement efficiency as well as enhancing the security protection by upgrading our own platform services. This system upgrade will help us build and consolidate our competitive advantage, and we intend to continue to invest in research and development, strive to improve the quality of our technology and services, and continue to create value for our shareholders.”

About ICZOOM Group Inc.

ICZOOM Group Inc. (Nasdaq: IZM) is primarily engaged in sales of electronic component products to customers in Hong Kong and mainland China through its B2B e-commerce platform. These products are primarily used by China based small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) in the consumer electronic industry, Internet of Things (“IoT”), automotive electronics and industry control segments. By utilizing latest technologies, the Company’s platform collects, optimizes and presents product offering information from suppliers of all sizes, all transparent and available to its SME customers to compare and select. In addition to the sales of electronic component products, the Company also provides services to customers such as temporary warehousing, logistic and shipping, and customs clearance. For more information, please visit the Company’s website: http://ir.iczoomex.com/index.html.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expect,” “we believe,” “we intend,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “could” and similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

For more information, please contact:

ICZOOM Group Inc.

Investor Relations Department

Email: investors@iczoom.com

Source: ICZOOM Group Inc.

PR Newswire

ZEGOCLOUD Delivers Industry-Leading Latency, Elevating Live Streaming Experiences and Bolstering Platform Revenues

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SINGAPORE, March 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ZEGOCLOUD, a leading global cloud communication service provider, has made significant strides in delivering seamless, ultra-low latency experiences for live streaming and real-time video interactions.

With rigorous R&D and accumulated know-how in serving customer needs in real-time communication (RTC), ZEGOCLOUD has achieved a 90% success rate of millisecond-level experience in TTFF (Time to First Frame) globally. This translates into an exceptional TTFF of 79 milliseconds on average for live video calling and streaming platforms, supporting them in avoiding revenue losses associated with latency issues.

This optimization is crucial as it fosters positive first impressions, as the speed and fluidity of video loading and real-time engagement are pivotal for user satisfaction and retention on live streaming apps. “Studies show in live streaming, if it takes over two seconds to start, viewers start dropping off, and with each extra second, the platform is losing another 6% of the audience,” stated Kuk Jiang, co-founder of ZEGOCLOUD.

ZEGOCLOUD’s industry-leading TTFF optimization has proven successful in enabling businesses to enhance user connections, minimize churn rates, and ultimately increase revenue. With a success rate of over 95% for TTFF within 2 seconds in critical regions such as Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, ZEGOCLOUD’s solutions are poised to help platforms attract and retain users and drive substantial increases in revenue across various industries.

Purpose-built for industries from social entertainment to interactive live commerce, ZEGOCLOUD offers a full suite of real-time video engagement capabilities, including animated virtual gifts, in-app mini games, in-app chat, content moderation, beauty filters, cloud recording, and more. “By integrating ZEGOCLOUD, businesses can concentrate on their core operations and deliver high-quality live video to global audiences, streamlining the user experience and cutting down on costs and complexities associated with multiple third-party service integrations,” added Kuk.

ZEGOCLOUD’s specialized SDKs address common pain points like network complexity across regions and diverse device compatibility. Advanced features such as CDN live streaming, L3 acceleration, and customizable regional service settings provide robust, flexible solutions for different business scenarios.

About ZEGOCLOUD

ZEGOCLOUD revolutionizes virtual engagement with real-time interaction services for hassle-free cloud communication, connecting enterprises, teams, customers, and users. It lays the groundwork for businesses and developers to build RTI into their apps across the mobile internet and the metaverse.

Follow ZEGOCLOUD – https://www.linkedin.com/company/zegocloud/

Media Contact
Tanya Quan
tanya.quan@zegocloud.com 

PR Newswire

bolttech solidifies Japan presence, partners with Back Market

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The launch of the strategic partnership builds on bolttech’s growth momentum in the Japan market

TOKYO, March 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — International insurtech bolttech today announces its partnership in Japan with leading refurbished device marketplace, Back Market. The partnership, which marks one of bolttech’s first commercial launches in the country, will deliver embedded device protection to Back Market’s customers through a seamless online experience.

The jointly created device protection service ‘Back Up’ will provide Back Market’s customers with complimentary data recovery service for damaged phones and dedicated repair, ensuring minimal disruptions to their digital lives and an enhanced user experience. ‘Back Up’ offers comprehensive protection plans covering everyday risks such as breakage, corrosion, and liquid damage to extend the life of customers’ refurbished devices, with concierge services via a one-stop contact centre for added convenience. In turn, the repair services keep devices in circulation and out of landfills for a longer period.

Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Chief Executive Officer, Back Market said, “We set up a dedicated local team in Japan last year when we noticed a growing interest in refurbished smartphones in Asia Pacific, with customers keen to explore the benefits of the circular economy and creative ways to extend the lifespan of their devices. We’re excited to build on this partnership and celebrate the launch of ‘Back Up’ with bolttech in Japan. We hope this gives customers even greater peace of mind that their devices can be further protected against unwanted damage.”

Philip Weiner, Chief Commercial Officer, Asia and Europe, bolttech said, “As one of the leading insurance markets in the world, it’s exciting to see a growth in demand for insurtech solutions as customers in Japan seek more ways to protect the things they value. Back Market is an important partner for bolttech, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate this launch milestone with them.”

Headquartered in Singapore, bolttech is one of the leading embedded insurance and protection ecosystems globally, connecting 700 distribution partners and 230 insurance providers with millions of customers worldwide. bolttech’s first commercial launch in Japan follows its Series B fundraise last year, with lead investor Tokio Marine, Japan’s first insurance company with a 140-year history. The US$246 million funding round is the largest ever Series B for an insurtech.

PR Newswire

Philippines’ Metrobank partners with CBTW to transform its wealth management technology

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Metrobank and CBTW are implementing Temenos Wealth to improve Metrobank’s operational efficiency, elevate the customer experience, and accelerate business growth.

MANILA, Philippines, March 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Collaboration Betters The World – CBTW, a global tech and business solutions company, announces its strategic partnership with Metrobank, one of the Philippines’ leading universal banks, to assist the Bank in transforming its wealth management technology. CBTW will support Metrobank in enhancing its wealth management services by implementing Temenos Wealth.

With Temenos Wealth, Metrobank gains access to the most complete solution available in the market. The Temenos solution includes wealth analytics with embedded responsible AI, digital onboarding capabilities and self-service functions including robo-advisory and goal-based planning. A key aspect of the selection of Temenos’ advanced technology platform was its composable API-driven architecture which enables extensibility and simple integration with existing third-party applications, helping to reduce cost and risk while increasing business agility.

This move further cements Metrobank’s mark as the preferred partner for High Net Worth and Ultra High Net Worth clients. Known for its dynamic and holistic approach towards wealth management, Metrobank has been recognized as best in class and was recently awarded by Asiamoney as 2023 Best Domestic Private Bank in the Philippines for the second consecutive year and named as the Best Bank for the Ultra-High-Net-Worth clients.

From left: Metrobank Institutional Sales Head - Ric Pedrosa; Metrobank Information Technology Group - Bernie Ramos; Metrobank General Services Group - Christine Yang – Castillo; Metrobank Financial Markets Sector Group Head - Fernand Antonio Tansingco; CBTW APAC CEO - Pieter van Diermen; Temenos Wealth Specialist for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa - Eric Mellor; and CBTW Banking Technology Solutions Service Line Leader - Jon May
From left: Metrobank Institutional Sales Head – Ric Pedrosa; Metrobank Information Technology Group – Bernie Ramos; Metrobank General Services Group – Christine Yang – Castillo; Metrobank Financial Markets Sector Group Head – Fernand Antonio Tansingco; CBTW APAC CEO – Pieter van Diermen; Temenos Wealth Specialist for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa – Eric Mellor; and CBTW Banking Technology Solutions Service Line Leader – Jon May

Pieter van Diermen, CEO APAC, Collaboration Betters The World – CBTW, said: “With extensive experience in implementing Temenos solutions since 2012, a collaborative ethos, and a highly skilled software engineering team, CBTW is honoured to stand as Metrobank’s preferred partner in driving their digital transformation through the implementation of Temenos Wealth. With a longstanding presence in Manila, Philippines, as well as throughout the APAC region, CBTW is dedicated to delivering exceptional services to bolster Metrobank in their mission to provide an unparalleled banking experience and ensure their customers are in good hands.”

Fernand Antonio Tansingco, Financial Markets Sector Head, Metrobank, said: “We are excited to partner with CBTW and adopt Temenos’ technology to modernize our wealth management capability. As a Bank that prides itself in helping our clients preserve their wealth to build lasting legacies not just for themselves, but also their families, we are always in search for innovative solutions that will allow us to provide a better experience for our clients. With this initiative, we can continue to provide a highly personalized service to our customers.”

Ramki Ramakrishnan, Managing Director – Asia Pacific, Temenos, shared: “We are proud to partner with CBTW to support Metrobank with the digital transformation of their wealth management business. With clients among the largest global financial institutions and boutique firms, Temenos Wealth is the de facto software solution for the private wealth management industry. With proven solutions and a robust presence in the Philippines we are committed to support Metrobank and its future growth.”

About CBTW

Collaboration Betters The World – CBTW a global tech and business solutions company with a presence in 21 countries and a team of more than 3,000 professionals. We operate across nine service lines including Strategy & Governance, Product Design & Growth, Software Engineering, Data Analytics & AI, Cloud & Enterprise Platforms, Cyber Security, Banking Technology Solutions, Smart Industrial Solutions, and Life Sciences Solutions. As a trusted technology partner with over 20 years of experience in the APAC region, we pride ourselves on our ability to offer best-in-class software engineering services and banking technology solutions to help our clients hasten their digital transformation. For more information, please visit https://collaborationbetterstheworld.com/.              

About Metrobank

Metrobank is the country’s second largest private universal bank that empowers both retail and business clients with customized financial products and services fit to help reach their goals and full potential. It has an extensive consolidated network that spans over 940 domestic branches nationwide, more than 2,300 ATMs, and above 30 foreign branches, subsidiaries, and representative offices. The Bank believes that its robust capital position and balance sheet strength will provide ample support as it navigates through uncertain times. Capital ratios are among the highest in the industry, with total CAR at 18.3% and Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio at 17.4%. Consolidated assets stood at PHP3.1 trillion at the end of December 2023, making it one of the strongest and well-capitalized banks in the country. For more information, please visit: https://metrobank.com.ph. 

About Temenos

Temenos is the world’s leading open platform for composable banking, creating opportunities for over 1.2 billion people around the world every day. We serve 3000 banks from the largest to challengers and community banks in 150+ countries by helping them build new banking services and state-of-the-art customer experiences. The Temenos open platform helps our top-performing clients achieve return on equity three times the industry average and cost-to-income ratios half the industry average. For more information, please visit www.temenos.com.

PR Newswire

Google-backed learning app QANDA Unveils its First U.S. Product, Prep.Pie

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  • Prep.Pie is a gen-ai-powered study tool designed to support U.S. college students’ exam preparation.

LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Mathpresso, creator of Asia’s leading learning app QANDA, unveiled their first U.S. targeted product today. Prep.Pie is a gen-ai-powered study tool designed to support U.S. college students’ exam preparation.

Google-backed learning app QANDA Unveils its First U.S. Product, Prep.Pie
Google-backed learning app QANDA Unveils its First U.S. Product, Prep.Pie

Prep.Pie leverages generative AI integrated with QANDA’s core engine to deliver a highly personalized study aid aimed at enhancing study productivity. Students can upload their study materials, and Prep.Pie will generate a comprehensive preparation package tailored to their exam needs. After conducting over 300 detailed interviews with students in its closed beta phase, Prep.Pie has officially launched for USC and UCLA students.

Key features of Prep.Pie include:

  • Prep Notes: Reorganizes all key content based on the study materials uploaded for the upcoming exam and provides an easy-to-grasp overview.
  • Prep Sets: Offers practice exams, detailed solutions, and relevant concept explanations.
  • Quick Solver: Employs QANDA’s text and image recognition technologies to instantly solve problems using the QANDA database.

Additional features, including Prep Cards and Additional Explanations, will be introduced to the product in the first half of the year.

Prep.Pie is developed by Mathpresso, a developer of MathGPT, a math-specific large language model that broke the world record in various mathematical benchmarks last December. QANDA, its flagship app, is the largest AI-powered learning platform in Asia, incorporating OCR and LLM technologies to provide detailed solutions and study guides. This approach has cultivated a self-enforcing data flywheel, boasting over 90M registered users and handling 4-8 million queries daily. 90% of its user base is located outside Korea, with predominant clusters in Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. Mathpresso raised $130 million to date from various partners including Google, ByteDance, Samsung Ventures, SBVA, Mirae Asset Venture, Goodwater, and GGV Capital.

Mathpresso aims to create the world’s premier AI tutor by enhancing AI capabilities and transforming it into a 1:1 tutor. Given the localized and diverse nature of educational content, influenced by hyperlocal factors such as teaching styles and school systems, there’s a risk of AI delivering content that lacks personalization. Prep.Pie focuses on the hyper-local aspects of education, addressing the specific needs of different schools, curriculums, and instructors.

Prep.Pie is now available by monthly subscription at USC and UCLA, with plans to expand to other West Coast universities for the first half of the year and a nationwide rollout by year’s end. It delivers unparalleled coverage and results in STEM and business subjects – domains where QANDA’s proficiency in numerical knowledge is prominently displayed.

“With the launch of Prep.Pie, we’re taking a major step forward in transforming how students study,” said Jake Yongjae Lee, CEO of Mathpresso. “By blending cutting-edge AI with our extensive experience as an edtech leader in Asia, we’re ready to bring a personalized educational experience in the US that is truly hyperlocal.”

About QANDA (Mathpresso)

Seoul-based edtech startup Mathpresso (QANDA) operates the AI-powered learning platform, QANDA. The app has gained 10 million monthly active users globally including South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. Leveraging QANDA’s vast database and traffic, Mathpresso plans to integrate its LLM-based AI tutor into its vertical services, including QANDA Tutor for tablet-based individual tutoring, and QANDA B2B & B2G SaaS, ensuring a deeply personalized educational experience for all students. Since 2015, Mathpresso has secured investments from Google, ByteDance, SBVA, and Samsung Venture Investment.

PR Newswire

SONATRACH and Huawei Jointly Innovate a Smart Oil and Gas Pipeline Fiber Sensing Inspection Solution

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BARCELONA, Spain, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — At the MWC Barcelona 2024, SONATRACH, the state-owned oil company of Algeria shared the achievements of the smart oil and gas pipeline fiber sensing inspection solution deployed with Huawei. The solution ensures high security, intelligence, and high efficiency of pipelines through automated pipeline inspection, which is enabled by distributed fiber optic sensing technology.


As a key contributor in the oil industry of Algeria, SONATRACH runs about 43 oil and gas pipelines, accompanying with 14,000 km optical cables. Traditional manual inspection is costly and inefficient, and it is difficult to obtain the pipeline running status 24/7 in real time. The SONATRACH Joint Innovation Center hopes to work with Huawei and other partners to reduce O&M costs, proactively warn pipeline damage, and quickly locate fiber cuts using innovative technologies.

Huawei has developed an innovative pipeline fiber sensing solution using the distributed fiber optic sensing technology. In the solution, Huawei OptiXsense EF3000 (an optical sensing device) is deployed to implement 24/7 high-precision automatic pipeline inspection and warning.

The smart oil and gas pipeline fiber sensing inspection solution is based on Huawei’s optical fiber sensing solution and live-network service management process. When external construction occurs around a pipeline, the accompanying optical fiber deployed along the pipeline collects vibration information and transmits the information to the optical sensing device deployed in a station or block valve station (BVS) equipment room, thereby achieving precise positioning.

Joint innovation practices show that the fiber warning solution has excellent performance in pipeline inspection scenarios, for example:

  1. Different events such as fiber cuts, manual excavation, and mechanical excavation can be accurately analyzed, so that a valid site visit can be arranged.
  2. The alarm accuracy is high, with a false positive rate of only 0.012 times/km/day. All alarms within 2 meters above the optical fiber can be reported normally.
  3. The positioning capability is powerful. The average positioning error is less than 10 meters, and the GIS location information on the optical cable map is accurate.

Sana Lallali, manager of SONATRACH Joint Innovation Center, said, “Fiber Sensing Inspection Solution helps solve problems such as difficult manual inspection and slow risk identification. We are satisfied with the joint innovation achievements with Huawei. We hope to further cooperate with Huawei to promote the intelligent transformation of the oil industry.”

PR Newswire

DreamSmart Group launched open AI terminal MEIZU 21 PRO and other new products, fully embracing AI

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BEIJING, March 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On 29 February 2024, DreamSmart Group held a special event to launch the first open AI terminal MEIZU 21 PRO and a new colour variant of coronet blue of MYVU smart AR glasses, and announced its “All in AI” new strategy to embrace the promising future of AI technologies.

MEIZU 21 PRO is available in five colours: Black, Ultra Black, White, Purple, and Green. The 12GB + 256GB variant is priced at RMB 4,999 yuan, the 16GB + 512GB variant at 5,399 yuan, and the 16GB + 1TB variant at 5,899 yuan.


MEIZU 21 PRO: Building an open AI terminal

MEIZU 21 PRO is a futuristic device crafted for the AI era, incorporating the pinnacle of design, interaction, and craftsmanship of classic smartphones, embracing the AI era.

As MEIZU’s first flagship phone with an open platform, MEIZU 21 PRO is open to all large model platforms, providing developers with system permissions, API documents, and the processor’s AI computing power, so that developers have full freedom to develop more innovative functions and application services.

To attract large model teams across the world to construct the AI ecosystem, MEIZU will invite all interested teams to develop large model applications on its open platform. At the same time, MEIZU will also set up a reward as high as 1 million yuan for large model application teams with the highest number of monthly active users to stimulate their innovation vitality.

Based on the powerful AI capabilities of the FlymeOS operating system, MEIZU 21 Pro has rich new AI features including the AI Portal, AI-Assisted Input, AI Gallery and AI Voice, refreshing user experience, making itself standing out among AI terminals.


MEIZU 21 PRO is not only an open AI device, but also a large-display flagship smartphone with AI features that is holdable in one hand, with a 6.79-inch 21:9 ratio “one-hand large display” and 74mm ultra-narrow body design, which not only makes the phone more comfortable when held in one hand, but also provides a more immersive experience in scenarios such as watching movies and playing games.

MEIZU 21 PRO uses a 2K+ colourful display on the front, whose colours are super delicate and rich. The display accuracy of up to 512PPI allows every pixel to show every detail in extreme. Whether watching high-definition videos or playing large games, you can enjoy excellent visual effects.

In terms of appearance, the double-sided arcs of MEIZU 21 PRO makes the users’ hand more comfortable when holding it; the innovative Xingyuan technique applied to the back, an integration of technology and art, creates extremely advanced frosted texture. The newly developed MEIZU Titan Glass 2.0 makes its drop resistance more than 200% higher than the previous generation, bringing users safer experience.

In terms of performance, MEIZU 21 PRO is equipped with a third-generation Snapdragon 8 flagship processor, LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0, bringing users an unprecedented smooth experience. Its unprecedented innovation in improving interaction experience brings mobile phone interaction to a new height.

With Qualcomm’s latest generation of mTouch Max wide-area ultrasonic fingerprint recognition technology, the fingerprint recognition area of MEIZU 21 PRO has been increased from 8mm*8mm to 30mm*20mm. This means users can easily unlock the phone by touching the fingerprint area from any angle, which is more convenient and comfortable.

MEIZU 21 PRO also achieved a new breakthrough in fingerprint recognition. Its one-key unconscious fingerprint addition function enables users to gently touch the fingerprint area to add their fingerprint, without other unnecessary operations. The pressure interaction function greatly improves the interaction experience of users.

The imaging system of MEIZU 21 PRO has also been greatly upgraded. Its hardware reaches the top in the industry and software optimisation demonstrates MEIZU’s excellence in imaging technologies. Its back cameras include a combination of a 50-megapixel wide-angle main camera, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera to achieve full-focus coverage.

At the same time, the airframe of MEIZU 21 PRO has also been significantly improved, whose water and dust resistance reaches IP68, improving its durability and reliability, bringing users freer experience to use it.

FlymeOS: Building new experience with an AI-enabled system

As a leader in human-machine interaction systems, MEIZU’s Flyme team released its strategic vision of All in AI to users, revealing the future direction of FlymeOS intelligent operating system, providing the best example for the industry in terms of new applications, new architectures and new concepts of human-machine interaction.

There are now many AI features in FlymeOS, including Aicy voice assistant and AI gallery. The Aicy assistant is able to answer not only general questions, but also provide professional knowledge, and also generates texts or pictures according requirements described in natural languages; AI Gallery supports the use of natural languages to search for images, and its functions like Image Enhancement, Magic Eraser, and interesting AI Portrait give users more freedom to experience its powerful image editing and creation capacity.

At this special event, the Flyme team put emphasis on new features such as AI Portal and AI-Assisted Input. AI Portal integrates AI into mBack familiar to Flyme users, who can wake up system AI at any time by simply repressing mBack, making every conversation between users and the large language model more comfortable. AI-Assisted Input autonomously comprehends the context of conversations and automatically generate accurate responses on behalf of users. When generating texts, AI-Assisted Input not only provides one single choice, but also presents multiple alternative suggestions to satisfy different needs of users.

The Flyme team also came up with an ambitious new vision of design, namely AI Native and AI First. AI Native defines the way to use the product according to the characteristics of generative intelligence, making the interaction experience of FlymeOS more convenient and clearer; AI First means with more powerful and generalised large-scale model intelligence, AI functions need to be easier and more accessible for users.

To create outstanding FlymeOS system experience, the Flyme team proposed a number of groundbreaking new concepts of AI technology from a forward-looking perspective at the event, including AI Pocket Secretary, Task Robot, AI Memory Manager, AI Mini APP and Open API Open Plan. These new concepts of AI technology proposed for the AI era are intended to lead the innovation trend of future operating systems.

In this new AI era today, the way to interact is undergoing fundamental changes. With more than 10 years of dedication in developing operating systems, the MEIZU Flyme team will make full use of its significant advantages in human-computer interaction to accelerate the upgrade and optimisation of intelligent operating systems built for the AI era, bringing users more intelligent, convenient and efficient experience.

MYVU: First to realise connectivity with Apple Watch

Since the launch of MYVU All-weather fashion AR smart glasses, MYVU has been widely acclaimed and paid much attention to by various industries. With the success of the special event, MYVU once again announced product upgrades at this event, including practical AI functions such as Smart Music, Smart Meeting Minutes, AI Persona, as well as AI Interpreting and Transcribing supporting 6 languages.

MYVU is also the first to achieve connectivity with Apple Watch, enabling iOS users to enjoy MYVU’s all-weather fashion AR smart experience.

It is worth mentioning that at the event, DreamSmart Group also announced its collaboration with Malaysia’s Digital Way Group to launch the international version of MYVU smart AR glasses, priced at $599, which will premiere in 11 Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

“All in AI” strategic plan: Embracing AI

At the special event, MEIZU also released details of the “All in AI” strategic plan, including the creation of AI Device, the reconstruction of the Flyme system and the construction of the AI ecosystem.

Among them, MEIZU’s AI Device includes AI-based product form design, AI-based global call of hardware computing capacity, etc. By reconstructing the form of hardware products, MEIZU will bring users a more intelligent, convenient and innovative AI product experience. Flyme will also restructure systems and applications from the bottom up by deeply integrating AI technology into the operating system to bring users a more intuitive AI interaction experience. MEIZU will also focus on the construction of AI ecosystems, and fully open MEIZU AI Device hardware to international top large model teams, including OpenAI, to jointly promote the innovation and development of AI technology.

After two years of teamwork, resource allocation, product planning and full pre-research of related technologies, MEIZU now has the ability to switch to the field of AI. As a fully-developed technology ecological company, MEIZU has all-round hardware teams ranging from R & D to the supply chain, as well as a software teams responsible for systematic development, design and interaction, providing solid technical support and service guarantee for implementing the All in AI vision.

MEIZU will gradually put the vision into practice through three years of ecosystem planning and technical development. According to the vision, in 2024, MEIZU’s newly created mobile operating system for the AI era will be updated to build the infrastructure capability for the AI era; MEIZU also plans to release its first AI Device product during Black Friday in the United States this year, and compete head-on with the world’s top AI Device manufacturers.

DreamSmart Group is a full-stack platform of smart terminals across multiple industries. The Group seamlessly integrates smartphones, smart AR glasses, and smart cars around FlymeOS, thus establishing an ecosystem of smart mobility with software and hardware combined. With the advancement of technologies, the interconnectivity of automobiles and smartphones leads the industry into an era of intelligence and ecosystem 3.0. Due to its profound technological expertise across multiple industries, DreamSmart Group is hailed as a representative enterprise in smart ecosystems, along with companies like Huawei and Xiaomi.

The MEIZU brand under DreamSmart Group has enjoyed a history of 21 years and boasts over 30 million MEIZU fans. Shen Ziyu, Chairman and CEO of the Group, stated, “MEIZU had once been a pioneer in China, dashing from the era of MP3 players into the smartphone era. Today, as we transition from the smartphone era to the AI era, MEIZU stands at a new starting point. Through continuous innovation and efforts, we strive to become a leader in AI technologies and to bring users an immersive experience across multiple devices and all scenarios.”