Month: December 2020

Categories
News Smartphone Technology

Try to Trick Your iOS Group Texts are Worth with a bit of Effort

You may confuse between the holidays, the election, and the need to stay connected with your family and friends virtually during this pandemic. You may find that your group texts have been popping out since they want to get in touch. 

Although this thing can be so fun, group texts on iMessage sometimes get bad feedbacks of the free-wheeling chaos along with nonstop notifications as well. Luckily, there are some Apple’s updates for your group texting over the years,  especially the latest update that can be found in iOS 14. It makes communication sometimes bothersome, but it’s still essential to get better in some most unexpected ways as well. 

So, it is better to spend your time, find out how these new options work, and you can start to apply them in your group text. The messaging features can make your group text less annoying. You should know that the personalization options and new design also can make your whole experience become more fun, and it also promotes the feeling that you are not too far away from your friends or family. 

Threading and Tagging 

So, tagging is the best feature for those who are annoyed most with notifications but do not want to miss something necessary. When you open an info, then you have options to hide it. However, if someone writes a name in the group chat, then that name will turn blue. Click it will give you some options to tag that person as well. Then that person will get notifications that they have mentioned, although the alert is hidden. For those who slack and threading will feel more familiar as well. 

Threading can be used when you are on the group text, and someone asks a question that you want to give a response to. If you press and hold the message, there is an option to replay it. You can write your message. and your text will pop out as the threaded response under the original message. Other people can give a response as well. 

You can start to personalize your chat 

This new update can be your favorite feature. Apple has introduced more ways to personalize your chatting or messaging look. It may not be as crazy as other platforms offer you, such as WhatsApp and Messenger. However, these changes are so useful and meaningful at the same time. 

You may just start to use older options in the messaging, but it makes a difference. Do you know that you can give a name to your group text? Although you can name it with your best friends only a simple one, there is no rule that this name should be permanent or informative. You can use or name it however you are. For example, during the election, your sub-group of some of your friends make a chatting group to share links and journeys in different ways. Of course, you can name it as well. It is a good way to keep organized, however, this is also another way to stay on the same page with many laughs as well. 

The look of group chats, whether you just open the message or see a vertical list of all your chats, and the top part of the specific conversation – this is another opportunity to give you much joy and personality as well. Chats will be represented by a grouping of circles, each circle also represents one member. In default, this circle will turn grey and contain the initials of people as well. Even the size of the circle turns from time to time based on the most and least active members. 

By doing this, all photo collections will be displayed – people will laugh or do whatever in that photo that you choose to represent them. It is at the top of your group chat. Although it is a simple change, just the visual representation in the top part, however, it can make you feel more like texting is about spending the best time with each other. 

There is also an option to apply a photo or emoji to the group chat image. Of course, the photo bubbles will still occur in the chosen group photo, but there is an icon that pops out in the message list rather than small circles only. This feature is quite similar to the group name. It can be more helpful and descriptive. So, there are many ways to make your chatting group feel more joyful, and you get the best quality time with your friends or family as well.

Categories
Business News

Tension US-China and Virus Causes Oils Falls

Under tension between US-China and the ongoing pandemic virus has led to a fall in oil prices by 1% although it has a positive impact on OPEC deal production. The price of oil fell varies Brent crude oil settled at %48.79 per barrel fell 46 cents or 0.9% meanwhile the US crude oil fell to $45.76 per barrel or fell 50 cents or 1.1%.

The oil prices have been under pressure due to the exclusive reports from Reuters that report the United States was prepared to impose sanctions on at least a dozen official Chinese due to their involvement in Beijing’s disqualification of the elected opposition legislator in Hong Kong.   In Hong Kong, thousands of people are rallying against Beijing’s plan to impose National Security Laws in the city that returned to China in 1997. Police use water cannons and tears to disperse those people and react to controversy internationally.

For the last years, the tension between the United States and China has weighed the price of oil.  The United States and China ties have been worsening since the coronavirus outbreak. Both of the presidents have the debate over the outbreak included the lack of transparency and accusation to cover up the virus until it creates a pandemic over the world. Washington blames Beijing and says that the pandemic could be stopped at the source and also accuses of hiding the information to the world about the virus. The clash of the superpowers country also related to human rights, Hong Kong government, and trade war, and also US’s support to Taiwan.  The increasing tension between the US and China has added more anxiety to the market.

China is one of the world’s largest importers of crude oil and supports the rising of crude prices this year. During 11 months of the year, China has imported 503.92 million tonnes or 10.98 million barrels per day. This count has risen 9.5% from the previous year.  In November, the General Administration of Customs reported that the oil import has risen from the prior month of the countries. 

China also plays an important role in the global economy. China is a country that becomes one of the fastest-growing countries. China has support for the global economy including opportunities in several aspects such as investment, international cooperation, trade, and more that support the prosperity and stability in the world.  

In the United States, gasoline consumption has fallen into the lowest rank in the Thanksgiving holiday for more than 20 years. OPIS reported that this condition happens because fewer Americans do travel during the Corona pandemic. The United States has totaled more than 16.6 million cases with more than 301.000 death cases. The United States is a country that has the highest number of coronavirus cases. Donald Trump as well as his wife,  Melania are tested positive for covid just weeks before the US election day.  Both get tested after the senior politics Aiden wound gets positive. 

Coronavirus cases surge globally and have forced a series of lockdowns in new regulations to include tight restrictions measures that regulate in Germany, United States, South Korea, and California. The coronavirus second wave is not an impossible matter and policy on lockdown and restriction can send crude oils to fall back to the lower rank fast. This is global knowledge that the market knows well.   In 2020, oil prices will fall by 40% so far. 

After OPEC+, both oil contracts were gained. OPEC+ are members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies. They agree to reduce the oil production in January and continue limitation to immense existing supply curbs. The production reduces expected 7.2 million BPD or 7% from global demand in January. It has cut 500.000 BPD from the current. The existing cuts are predicted will continue until March. 

With the OPC deal agreed, now traders are looking back to the fundamentals of trading, supply, and demand. They are forced to do this as it does not look good in the short term. 

Demand for global oil has been slumped by 30% because the coronavirus pandemic has restricted the movement through the world. The decreasing rate in oil demand has led to growing oil inventories globally.  

Vaccine optimism hopefully will increase the global economic sentiment, including the price of oil. The expectation of vaccines helps to offset the fears of coronavirus cases. Vaccine euphoria has started and the vaccine program is expected to be able to awaken the market and crude oil prices.

Categories
News Technology

Sweet Spot as the Most Precise Position for Atom Qubits in Silicon for Quantum Processor Improvements

A group of researchers from the Center of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) in cooperation with Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC) has invented the quantum of Sweet Spot. The quantum is to position qubit in silicon to improve the atomic based quantum processor.

Sweet Spot is known to have some benefits in the world of quantum computing. One of them is to make the quantum bit, known also as qubit, to place phosphorus atoms in silicon more precisely. This method is pioneered by the Director of CQC2T, Professor Michelle Simmons. Currently, the method is the leading approach in the world in the area of silicon quantum computer development.

It Develops Stronger Interaction

From the result of the research that has been published in Nature Communications, precise placement is proven to be important to develop a stronger interaction among qubits. Not only is it related to the interaction but uniquely, stronger combinations of qubits also happen with Sweet Spot.

In his statement, Professor Sven Rogge who leads the research said that his team has invented the most optimal position to create interactions between qubits that are stronger, faster, and reproducible. The professor also adds that the strong interaction is needed to engineer a kind of multi-qubit processor. In the end, a functional quantum computer can be created as well.

There is also a term namely the gate of two qubits in the research. It refers to the blocks that arrange the center of a quantum computer. It uses an interaction between a pair of qubits to do the quantum operation. For the atomic qubit in silicon, there has been other research to conduct before that. In the previous research, it is suggested that for a certain position in the silicon crystal, the qubit interaction contains oscillation components to slow down the gate operation as well as to make it more difficult to control.

Prof. Rogge stated still in the interview that in almost two decades, the potency of oscillation characteristics from the interactions has been predicted to turn into further challenges for the improvement.

Now, through the new measurement of the qubit interaction, Prof. Rogge’s team has developed a deeper understanding related to the oscillation characteristics. At the same time, it suggests further placement strategies that are more precise. The strategies are to generate a stronger interaction between qubits. Interestingly, the result is what has been believed by many people to be impossible to happen for a long time.

Figuring Out Sweet Spot in the Crystal Asymmetry

Furthermore, the researchers also state that they currently have found out that placing qubits is very important to create stronger and more consistent interactions. This important view has a significant implication for the big-scale processor design.

The main author of the research, Dr. Benoit Voison, states that silicon itself is a kind of anisotropic crystal. It means that the placement direction of the silicon atom significantly influences the interaction between them. 

Dr. Voison said that his team has acknowledged the anisotropic crystal even before. However, further studies have just been done currently. Besides, there is no other team that has been investigated in detail how the crystal is used optimally to reduce the oscillated interaction strength.

The team also has figured out that there is a special corner, which is later called the sweet spot, in a particular area in the silicon crystal. The sweet spot is where the strongest interaction between qubits is done. More importantly, the sweet spot can be achieved by using a lithography technique namely the scanning tunneling microscope (STM.)

STM to Map the Functions of Atomic Waves

By using STM, the team can do some other actions. One of them is mapping the functions of an atomic wave on the 2D image. Besides, it is also to identify the spatial location right in the silicon crystal. Those functions were firstly shown in 2014, in research published in Nature Materials. It was also filed in one of the Nanotechnology papers in 2016.

In the latest research, the team applies the STM technique to observe the details of atom scales from the interaction between atomic qubits that have been combined. According to Dr. Voisin, by using the technique of quantum imagery, his team is able to observe anisotropy in the wave functions as well as the direct interference in the area. It is basically the starting point to understand how the problem happens.

His team understands that in the beginning, they must know the effects of each material separately. It is before seeing the complete imagery to solve the problem. This is how the team found out the sweet spot that is compatible with the atom placement precision offered by the STM lithography technique.

Categories
News Technology

Timnit Gebru: Google Staff Gathers Behind Fired AI Researcher

It is reported that hundreds of Google staff have recently signed a letter supporting a famous Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics researcher who was fired by Google. The leading ethics researcher is Timnit Gebru. Her position in Google was the co-lead of the Ethical Artificial Intelligence Team. Timnit Gebru was fired after sending an email that accused Google. Her colleagues in the giant IT company have signed a letter accusing that Google is doing censorship and racism.

On the other hand, Twitter users gather together around Dr. Gebru to support her as well by using a hashtag #BelieveBlackWomen. However, Google denies the AI researcher’s version of events. Timnit Gebru is a well-respected AI researcher in the use of artificial intelligence and the field of ethics. She is famous for her work on racial bias in technology. She also has criticized that failure to recognize black faces. Joy Buolamwini, Timni Gebru’s co-author mentioned in one of those well-known papers that Dr. Gebru deserved more from Google.

She says that Google’s credibility can be severely damaged by firing Dr. Gebru for her courage to demand integrity. Joy Buolamwini also adds that we all owe Dr. Gebru a debt for advancing the artificial intelligence field as well as equality with grace and humility.

What Exactly Happened?

Timnit Gebru alleges that she was summoned to a meeting that would discuss a research paper she had co-written when she was about to go on leave. Dr. Gebru mentioned that she was ordered to withdraw the research paper. She was also told that Google was not ready to get involved in a discussion about the matter. After the meeting, Timnit Gebru criticized the decision via an email sent to an internal group called ‘Brain Women and Allies.’ Platformer has published the copy of the email.

Dr. Timnit Gebru started the email by saying that her fellows in the group are not worth having a conversation she would talk about. She also said that members of the group do not have to write their documents anymore because it would not make any difference. Timnit Gebru had sent an email to her management laying out several key requirements to remove her name from the paper. And if they were not met, she would ‘work on the last date’ for her employment.

According to the female AI researcher, Google replied, “We respect your decision to leave Google… and we are accepting your resignation.” Google continued by saying that the end of Dr. Gebru’s employment should happen quicker. The reason is because Google finds that some particular aspects of the email sent by Dr. Gebru to her non-management group reflects behavior that does not meet Google’s manager expectations. This is what is considered as Google fired Dr. Timnit Gebru.

Dr. Gebru disputed whether she had resigned. She tweeted that Jeff Dean, a senior manager at Google who handles AI research, had fired her. She guessed that the management decided for her. The research paper that Dr. Gebru had co-written remains unpublished. However, the MIT Technology Review has summarized the content of the research paper, stating that it focused on the risks of training AI by utilizing huge archives of text data.

How Has the Reaction Been?

The open letter that shows support for Dr. Gebru has attracted almost 2,000 signatories since her dismissal. The signatories are both from within Google and the wider industry. Timnit Gebru said on her Twitter, “It has been very uplifting for me to see.” The news about her dismissal came out on the same day when a US labor agency accused the research giant of illegally firing staff because of their involvement in union activity. Staff at Google who worked with Dr. Gebru have praised her academic contributions as well as her work as a manager.

An AI researcher, Deb Raji said on his Twitter that he cannot count how many times she encouraged them, spoken out for them, and defended them. Deb Raji also tweeted, “She has made real sacrifices for the Black community. Now it’s time to stand with her!”

What Does Google Say?

Jeff Dean mentioned in an email that there had been so many speculations and misunderstandings about the firing incident. Mr. Dean alleged that Timnit Gebru’s research paper was submitted a day before the deadline. So that there was not enough time for Google to review it. He also added that the research paper ignored relevant research.

What do you think about this event?

Categories
News Space Technology

Supernova Stars Impacts

There is research from Michigan State University that exploding stars will create faster life-giving carbon atoms. It is faster than what they think first. The discovery brings the scientists to reveal the mystery they leave, related to the elements creation theories, and also new science in fusion and astronomy areas.

Carbon is one of the main elements of Earth. It explodes Supernova stars by creating the triple alphas fusion reaction. The “alpha” means a helium atom core that is created from two neutrons and two protons. When the three elements are fused, you will have carbons that consist of six electrons, six neutrons, and also six protons.

The reaction of the fusion is not that efficient, but there will be something that will help it. The researchers use supercomputer models to see the excess protons in its innermost become a supernova can trigger a triple alphas fusion reaction. The strength is 10 times stronger than the general carbon atoms we have.

This results in the number of carbon in the universe. Yet, for researchers, it leads to another question. They previously think that excess protons were used to create certain heavier molybdenum and ruthenium isotopes that are found on Earth. These elements cannot be created in other places, unless through Supernova, as an MSU professor said.

If it’s not the Supernova stars, the isotopes are then generated from other ways, but they don’t know how yet. They have alternatives, but it’s not easy to come up with one of them and destroy their theories. Thus, this might be the birth of new science.

Supernova Stars Facts

Some stars are not fading, they’re burnt. It ends their evolutions through Supernova, a massive cosmic explosion. When Supernova stars explode, the debris will get into space for around 25,000 miles per second. The blasts are not only produced carbons, but also some other materials like iron that is the component to make us and our planet. And for heavy elements, they are only made in Supernova. Thus, we carry those special elements that can only be produced through the stars’ explosion, in our bodies.

When stars explode, they produce clouds of gas and dust to space, and then to interstellar diversity. In further, the clouds create a shock wave that will compress the clouds of gas to form new stars. Yet, not all stars are formed into Supernova stars. Some are cold and end their lives as black dwarfs or white dwarfs.

Yet, some stars are even larger than the sun. And these kinds of stars will create a Supernova star when the fusion process in the core runs out of their fuel. Fusion will create pressure, and when it slows down, the core of the star will start to condense under the gravity. It will then be hotter and denser.

Impacts of Supernova

When Supernova stars happen, there will be several impacts in space, and also on Earth, if it happens near Earth. It gives us obvious effects on the Earth’s biosphere. Yet, it depends on the energy and type of Supernova you have. Yet, it is interesting that the Supernova explosion can be 3000 light-years away. The Supernova signature was seen on Earth in 1996, in metal isotope form signature. Another finding was reported in the Pacific Ocean.

Supernovae can be dangerous if they explode close to the Earth, it is called Type Ia Supernovae.

This type of Supernova arises from the white dwarf star and can affect the Earth, and the effect on both the star system and the Earth isn’t well studied. The closest star that can be the candidate of Supernova stars is IK Pegasi. And the researchers estimate that there will be Supernova Type II happening if it’s 26 light-years away from the Earth. It can result in the loss of the Earth’s ozone layer. And fortunately, the closest candidate is even more than 500 light-years.

Another impact of the explosion of Supernova stars is gravitational waves. Yet, so far, there is no report about the gravitational waves caused by the Supernova. The only waves that Earth experiences is from the fusion of neutron stars and black holes. Cosmic rays is another impact. Yet, the production of cosmic rays caused by space events was found only in a small number. From the Supernova W44 and IC 443 remnants, gamma rays are detected. The rays exist when the SNR accelerates protons that create effects on interstellar material.

For notes, it is speculative when we talk about the closest candidates to be the next Supernova. Further research to have an exact timescale and mechanism are needed.

Categories
Gaming Technology

The Elder Scrolls Online Release

The Elder Scrolls Online was recently released by Bethesda through the Markarth DLC Game Pack. This lets their users use to play this game online until this year. Bethesda ANZ chooses Twitter to promote their release of the game pack. On this platform, users are allowed to choose their own adventure-type story. The first thing to do is choosing snowy hills, roads, or woods, and from this place you can have several branching types to choose like whether you’re fighting, making friends, or many more.

If you’re Skyrim players, you will remind yourself that Markarth is a city with a waterfall, a place where Forsworn murder happened. They have a storyline called the “Dark Heart of Skyrim” which becomes part of the game pack. This also is included in the game’s recent expansions.

A user tried to play this game, he died several times right before he made it to the end of the game. Users or players in New Zealand and Australia even can screencap their game, and submit it. The Elder Scrolls Online provides prize packs for the winner. And during the promotion, players can try to play ESO games and try its full game for free. While if you would like to pay the full standard edition, it is now discounted up to 60%.

Overview

This game is a multiplayer online role-playing game that was published by Bethesda Softworks and was developed by ZeniMax Online Studios. The Elder Scrolls Online was launched in 2014 and they launched for OS X and Windows, while for Xbox Series X or S and PlayStation 5 are planned.

The game takes place in a continent called Tamriel. And the story you have in this game will be connected to the Elder Scrolls franchise’s other games to create a storyline. This feature had been developed for around seven years, and after that, it was then released in 2014.

With the release of their rebranding and re-release of the series, they receive mixed reviews from players. The improvement lies in their Tamriel Unlimited which some critics praise what they have changed. To have this game, you need to buy for its monthly subscription, but in 2015 they changed the subscription system by having an optional subscription and also a buy-to-play feature with microtransactions.

In June 2015, they released the game for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles and changed their name to The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. The game is successful, it has around 2.5 million active users with 16 million copies sold by this year 2020.

Free to Play

To welcome the QuakeCon event, Bethesda makes the Elder Scrolls Online completely free to play. Whatever the platforms you have, users can now download the game with ease. They also are able to play it without having to purchase it or paying the subscription fee. Yet, be hurry to enjoy the excitement.

When Bethesda shares the promotion to the users, QuakeCon will conduct a live streaming event to share their next projects. To give rewards and to celebrate the events, the studio offers the game free until the end of the events. Thus, users can access the full game free until August 29 for PS 4 players and August 19 for Xbox One and PC players.

At this time, users will be allowed to have the Morrowind expansion and also the whole base game.  

They start the game with a series called the Dark Heart of Skyrim battle. And to begin it, players will get 500 crowns as rewards, also premium currency. Users can use the rewards to purchase cosmetic items.

During the promo, the game offers you a discount of 50%. The game includes the Morrowind expansion and the base game, while if you’re looking for the Greymoor standard, it offers discounts of 35%. All of the editions include the Elsweysr and the Summerset chapters, as long as the aforementioned packs.

Its Release

This game was firstly launched in 2012, along with the issue of their magazine. And for Mac and Windows users, the game was announced in 2024. A year later, the Elder Scrolls Online was released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 users, and the last was in 2020 when the game ported over to Stadia.

Several problems occurred on the first release. Some users said that they cannot activate the features though they already pay for the full month. The investigation was conducted, and they found out that there was a duplication exploit that keys users to increase big fortunes. These accounts were then banned. Other releases for this series are Tamriel Unlimited and also the Gold Edition.

Categories
Business News

Shoppers find home in scented candles, home scent this holiday season

Welcoming the holiday season, people hunt various gifts at shops. On the other hand, cologne and perfume are quite trendy for holiday gifts. In 2020, however, the beauty industry gets an additional boost from various kinds of scents: home aroma.

How could that happen? Shoppers buy tons of smelling-good things such as candles, diffusers, and other scented pieces since they find comfort in smaller luxuries during the virus pandemic, as said by Larissa Jensen, the advisor of president and beauty industry for the NPD Group.

According to a report, the home scent is a prominent player all year. This very makes sense since people are homebound more than ever, said Jensen.

This is such an interesting thing since people tend to skip lipstick and eyeshadow, considering physical distancing and wearing a mask are two important things nowadays – the fragrance industry has found its rare bright spot, which can turn into a lovely collaboration of beauty and fragrance industries. 

Data suggested that fragrance sales drop up to 17 percent from January to September without any sign of an increase in both beauty retailers and department stores. On the other hand, home fragrance sales climb up to 13 percent. Meanwhile, gift sets with home scents in them, such as lotion and candle in a hamper, rise to 22 percent, as reported by the NPD Group. The ups and downs of those different industries took place during the same period.

Jensen also stated that fragrance is always considered as a little engine that helps in many ways. Even though the drop can be surprising, its recovery is even more remarkable.

Even though the sales of fragrance were declining a little, it rebounds somewhat faster than other categories in the beauty section. The fragrance section that includes candles to perfumes gained a lot during the global crisis, even after a little drop during six months in a row. While makeup sales declined by 31 percent in the third quarter from time to time, the fragrance section grows stronger by a one percent rise in sales during the last three months. 

An interesting fact suggested that fragrance gift sets are not just as a piece to give to loved ones or friends. Shoppers love the packages even before seeing what’s inside – packages are a better deal. Consumers take that as a value now, especially if they should lose a job and couldn’t make income during the virus pandemic.

Even Jensen also contributed to the trend of home scents. She has tons of candles and burns them day and night. She believed that burning home scents make the house feel cozier and brighter. People need to escape while the year didn’t allow anyone to do so. Thus, using a home scent is an excellent way to escape without going out of the house.

Ulta Beauty brand reported its result for the third quarter. The company showed that the graphic of bath and fragrance sales were on top of the game, even with double-digit growth. Nonetheless, other categories didn’t perform as well as the previous categories. On the other hand, sales at stores open and online during the last 14 months as well as the quarter faced the downhill nearly 9 percent throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the shares of Ulta Beauty on Friday closed by 3.45 percent, crawling down its value. Still, the company’s shares stick up to 10 percent throughout the year.

The L Brands that owns Bath & Body Works has enjoyed a bounce from fragrance. The CEO, Andrew Meslow, said that the fragrance trend has been accentuated during the timeframe of the virus pandemic, as he quoted in an investor conference. Other than buying hand sanitizers and more soaps, shoppers love to personalize their houses since they have to stay at home more than ever. When you are at home for too long, you may not feel at home anymore. Thus, the presence of home scents is such a personal trend. The best part is that people use fragrance for houses, schools, or even offices.

Jensen of NPD also reported that customers are willing to spend more money on retailers’ websites to purchase colognes and perfumes in the past few months. The most preferred smells include something with lots of fragrance oils but lasts longer, even though those kinds cost more. Jensen believes that shoppers love purchasing scents because they have a close relationship to emotions, since everybody may have a different perspective about it. On the other hand, scents bring back memories. Shoppers probably buy more fragrances to remember how nice the time was before the virus pandemic.

Categories
Business News Smartphone Technology

LG Electronics Smartphone Products

In a press release on Monday, LG Electronics declare that they reorganized their mobile phone division to increase their outsourcing division. This reorganization is done for low to mid-end smartphones that they produce. The aim of this action is of course to compete with their Chinese rivals, and also to cut costs.

LG Electronics Give Up the Manufacture

Their communication business reported several shocking news, that they experienced operating loss for 22 consecutive quarters. This results in the making of new management called ODM or original design manufacture, as delivered by their spokeswoman.

This means, the LG products will handle the manufacture and the design of the smartphones, while LG Electronics will only just put their label on each product. And it is not only the manufacturer, they also reshuffle their production position and its research positions. The spokeswoman says these positions were reshuffled to others’ division. The goal for having more simple management is to focus on their production of high-end smartphones and in-house R and D. While the low-end and mid-end smartphones will be handled by the ODM.

LG might not be number one in the smartphone market globally, they are ranked as number 3 in the global market by Strategy Analytics in the first quarter of 2013. They used to be included in the top seven smartphone brands, but in 2014 they lost from Chinese smartphone companies like Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo, and also Oppo.

LG Electronics competes with Chinese competitors, they’re not competing with Samsung or Apple. That is why they try to add more value to their lower-end smartphone models. The analyst at Counterpoint also said that LG tries to use the Chinese firms’ original design manufacturers to compete with the Chinese companies.

He also added that marketing ability is needed to compete with the Chinese firms, and though LG Electronics source their own products, without marketing, they won’t make it. LG also said last year, in October that they will expand their ODM to produce more mid-range smartphones from the lower-end smartphone.

The History of LG Electronics

This South Korean multinational electronics firm is based in Seoul, South Korea. The global sale of this company in 2014 reached US$55.91 billion, which makes it one of the fourth-largest corporations in South Korea. LG Electronics run four different business units, includes Mobile Communications, Home Entertainment, Vehicle Components, as well as Air Solutions, and Home Appliances.

This company employs more than 80,000 people with 128 operations worldwide and is known as the world’s second-largest company that manufactures LCD television.

In 2018, LG started to stop their smartphone production in South Korea. They then moved the production to Vietnam to cut costs and to be able to compete with other smartphone manufacturers. The employees will be relocated to the home appliances business site, while the whole laborers who work for their company will be fully from Vietnam.

Their Products

LG hopes that they can offer maximum solutions and understands their customers well. It is hoped they can help their buyers have better lives with their ceaseless innovation. LG gives new experiences with their products so that the customers achieve a better life. Their slogan also changes several times to meet the modern era. LG says “Life’s Good” and they also believe in “Innovation for a Better Life”.

LG Electronics also helps business owners by providing several services, like Commercial Display for business owners to have stunning digital signage both for outdoor band indoor displays. They also provide IT solutions that bring you various cloud computing and computer monitors service that will increase productivity, security, and daily operations.

Solar panels for residential or business from LG offer reliability, high performance, as well as consistently with more than 20 years of warranty.

LG also provides you residential and commercial air conditioning systems and the residential design industry.

One of the business units in LG is its mobile devices, which includes tablet devices and smartphones. LG released several series of smartphones and one of them is LG G Flex, a curved smartphone in 2013, and the announced in Europe, Asia, and also North America. Their latest smartphone is the G7 ThinQ series that was announced in a media briefing in 2018. This manufacturer also released their tablet computers with several competitive features like LG’s Knock Code that allows you to unlock your device with taps, or the Q Pair feature that will let you sync the table with smartphones. Text messages and phone calls even come up in real-time on your tablet.

And like other smartphone manufacturers, LG Electronics also has its own SmartWatch that was announced in 2014. Their smartwatch brings an Android-based system that became the first smartwatch that had a newer feature like WiFi.

Categories
Business News

A New Additional Tax is Regulated Only for Millionaires in Argentina

Argentina has passed a regulation about a new tax for the richest people. The additional tax is proposed to pay medical supplies and aid in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. The regulation itself was passed by senators only in a process with a total of 42 voters while 26 others rejected it. Currently, the tax is namely the millionaire’s tax.

With the tax, those people with assets valued more than 200 million pesos or around USD 2.5 million must pay it. Currently, the number of millionaires that is estimated with that number of assets is around 12,000 people. 

Bad Effects of Pandemic in Argentina

Based on the latest report, Argentina has about 1.5 million cases of Coronavirus infection. Meanwhile, the number of deaths is almost 40,000 cases. It is really not a good thing. Even the country has been on the fifth rank of countries in the world that report a million cases to confirm in October. Ironically, the population of the country itself is only 45 million people, making Argentina the smallest country to surpass the number.

It makes the government must be concerned about the situation even more. After doing many attempts to press the cases, one of the solutions is improving the treatment quality of the patients. Sure, quality improvement seems to possibly happen if there are not enough budgets to cover.

It is also getting worse after the government enacts total isolations and lockdowns that cause the economic condition of the country is getting pressed. The number of unemployment as well as poverty is significantly increased. Additionally, the government’s loan is raised. Ironically, even before the pandemic, Argentina indeed has some monetary problems. The country has passed through an economic recession since 2018.

“Quareternal” in Argentina

In the country itself, currently, there is a term “Quareternal” or the eternal quarantine. Sure, this term is a joke to describe the condition of Argentineans during the pandemic. Yes, the lockdown regulation is really tight. As information, Argentina is the second country with the longest lockdown duration for more than 5 months.

But the joke turns into sadness after the lockdown done from March affects their conditions economically, socially, and psychologically. The metropolitan area of Buenos Aires is a place where 40% of the population is living in. At the same time, the area is the heart of the economy of the country. Sadly, this is also the place with the most severe cases of the virus. So, there is no other choice except to totally close the location.

There are some rules related to lockdown in Argentina. People, particularly in the metropolitan area of Argentina can only go outside to buy foods and basic needs and to access the closest public services. Sure, it means that other things outside the matters above are forbidden including recreations and entertainment.

Furthermore, public transportation services are available only for essential workers or those people with special permission. Others who drive cars without permissions will lose their driving licenses. Outdoor sports and exercises are completely stopped. Fortunately, starting in June, they are starting to allow although only in particular hours.

The age group that is prone to virus transmission in Argentina is kids. For this matter also, kids are not allowed to go outside. In some cases, it is okay for them to accompany their parents to buy basic needs. Beyond that, they must stay at home without exceptions. 

The Allocations of Fund from the New Tax

Those situations lead the government to make a new regulation related to the tax. Focusing on the rich people to pay more tax is considered the best solution as well as it is a fair thing for all. Those millionaires must pay progressive rates up to 3.5% for the wealth in Argentina and up to 5.25 % for the wealth abroad. The President of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez expects to collect up to 300 million pesos from the tax.

However, not all people agree with the new tax regulation. The opposition group worries that the tax will cause trust damages for the investors. Besides, it is possible also that the tax will no longer run in the future. It is only done once after it is regulated. 

The AFP News Agency reports that from the money collected, about 20% will be used for medical supplies, 20% is for small and medium enterprises assistance, 20% is for students’ scholarships, and the rest of 25% is for natural gas ventures. It is not known yet whether the new regulation will be successful or not. However, the government is confident enough that it will give positive effects on the Argentineans during the pandemic.

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Gaming News Technology

The Mystery of the High Cost of PS 5 and Other Game Consoles in the Market

PlayStation’s fans seem to have a dream to buy PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, the price of the PlayStation 5 is expensive. The increase in the price is for both the digital and disc versions. So, how much is the price of PlayStation 5 in the retail and street market? What are the reasons behind the high cost of PlayStation 5 in the market? We have the explanation below. 

The Price of PlayStation 5 

PlayStation launches two versions of the latest console, which are the PlayStation 5 disc version and the PlayStation 5 digital version. The price is different when you buy in the retails and street markets. Based on the latest information the cost of the PlayStation 5 disc version is $499 in the retail. The cost is even expensive in street markets in which it reaches $1.024. How about the price of the PlayStation 5 digital version? It is the same. You can get a new PlayStation 5 digital version for $399 in retail. You even have to spend $990 if you buy this game console in the street market. It means the cost in the street market is $591 higher than the cost in the retail. The cost is including extra games, controllers, or accessories. The high cost of this product even triggers PS 5 owners to sell it online. 

The Comparison Between PS 5 and Other Game Consoles 

How about other game consoles? Is the cost of those consoles also expensive? This phenomenon is not only happening on PlayStation 5 but also on other game consoles including Xbox, Nvidia TRX, and AMD RX. For example, the  Xbox Series X is $499 in retail, whereas the street price reaches up to $835. The Xbox Series S is $299 in the retail and increases drastically in the street market to $471.

There is no significant difference in the Nvidia RTX for PC. The Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti is the cheapest in which the cost is $399, whereas Nvidia RTX 3090 is the most expensive in which the price is $1.499 in the retail. The cost of these products doubled in the market. Let’s say the cost of an Nvidia RTX 3090 is $2.076 in the market, whereas the 3080 version is $1.227 and the 3070 version is $819. The cost of Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti in the market is $675. You have to spend up to $1.232 to buy an AMD RX 6800 XT since the retail cost reaches $649. For a cheaper option, you can use AMD RX 6800 in which cost is $841 in the market and $579 in the retail. The description above concludes that the cost of game consoles has increased significantly from retail. Indeed, they are even more costly in the street markets. 

The Sales of PS 5 in the Online Market 

One of the most reputable online stores can sell up to 1.000 units. It seems that people choose to buy the digital version compared to the disc version. Tragically, there is no selling at all for the disc version. It also happens in the Xbox Series X. Indeed, it is because of the costly price in the market.  In contrast, PC gamers seem happy with the release of the new Nvidia and AMD graphics. Both of the products show good sales in one of the most reputable online stores such as eBay. 

Experts predict that this condition will not stop soon. The high-cost makes these products impossible to buy at the market. On the other hand, some people were disappointed because they failed to buy certain Nvidia RTX versions in the online store. Some experts and gamers predict that it is only a market strategy. This situation happens many times for unknown reasons.  

Things that People Do Dealing with This Condition 

Some PS5 owners decide to sell their consoles due to the high cost. The plan is to earn the money from the sale and get another better option. For example, they may sell their PS5 and get an AMD RX 6800. The problem is that finding the AMD RX series is more difficult than finding a PS5 in the market. It seems that gamers have to think twice before buying or selling their consoles. You have to make sure that you get the best option whether you buy a new console or sell it and get a new one. If it is not, you can only wait until the cost is back to normal so you can buy it and make your dream to play PS5 or other game consoles come true. One thing for sure, gamers are always waiting for the latest improvement from these consoles.