Pet owners across Australia, rejoice! Dial A Vet has launched its nationwide telehealth platform that offers round-the-clock access to licensed veterinarians. In the land of animal lovers, this innovative service is set to transform the […]
Category: Social computing
Tata extends reach with Microsoft Teams
Tata Communications has announced a partnership with Microsoft on Microsoft Teams that will enable both Indian and multinational enterprises operating in India to make and receive high-quality voice calls on any Teams device, anywhere in […]
Genesys gets Radarr
Genesys is acquiring Radarr Technologies, an AI-based social and digital listening, analytics, and consumer engagement company. With the combined public social media capabilities of the Radarr Technologies solution and the Genesys Cloud platform, organisations can […]
Half of consumers will limit social media interactions by 2025
Growing consumer concern regarding the declining quality of social media platforms is expected to lead to 50 percent abandonment or reduction in usage by 2025, according to a Gartner survey. The survey findings point to […]
WhatsApp intros video messages
WhatsApp has added a new feature — video messages that lets users record and share short videos instantly in the chat. With the ability to record up to 60-second clips, users can respond in real-time […]
Threads guns for Twitter
The battle between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musl has intensified following Meta’s launch of Threads, which is a direct competition to Twitter. Built by the Instagram team, Threads is eaily accessible using Instagram credentials. Users […]
Zoom intros intelligent virtual agent for better customer support
Zoom has introduced Zoom Virtual Agent, an intelligent conversational AI and chatbot solution that aims to transform the way businesses assist their customers and employees. With the new solution, organisations can deliver better, faster web […]
Tencent powers up Nexontown
Tencent Cloud is collaborating with video game publisher Nexon to power up the Nexontown mobile app in South Korea. Nexontown is a metaverse platform with camping sites, classrooms and conference halls where users can interact […]
SK Telecom and Singtel team up on metaverse in APAC
Korea’s SK Telecom (SKT) and Singtel has inked a memorandum of understanding to jointly grow the metaverse business in the Asia-Pacific region, starting with Singapore. Singtel will share its 5G and other technology expertise while […]
Musk completes twitter acquisition
After six months of uncertainty, Elon Musk has finally completed his US$44 billion acquisition of Twitter. The billionaire kicked off his reign at the social messaging service company by firing CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO […]
Meta unveils Grand Teton AI platform
Meta has introduced its Grand Teton next-generation AI platform that packs in more memory, network bandwidth and compute capacity than the previous generation Zion platform. Grand Teton sports twice the network bandwidth and four times […]
Equinix sets aside US$50m to advance digital inclusion
Equinix has launched a global foundation to advance digital inclusion — from access to technology and connectivity to the skills needed to thrive in today’s digitally driven world. The Equinix Foundation is armed with US$50 […]
NVIDIA AI model CREATES 3D objects for the metaverse
Just like the physical world, the metaverse needs to be populated with similar items — albeit in a digital form. NVIDIA researchers have developed a tool that helps create items such as animals, avatars, buildings, […]
Newly-formed Metaverse Standards Forum to focus on interoperability
Though still in its infancy, the metaverse has received a boost with the formation of The Metaverse Standards Forum to cooperate on interoperability standards needed to build the open metaverse. Open for free to any […]
WhatsApp enables Android to iOS migration
WhatsApp is removing a major barrier for switching from Android to iOS. Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a Facebook post that the messaging platform is adding a new feature that allows secure […]
Aventis makes game-changing move into the metaverse
Singapore-headquartered Aventis Graduate School has unveiled its metaverse roadmap to become Asia’s first graduate school to enter the open metaverse. It’s a game-changing move hailed by industry experts as the metaverse is still fairly new […]
Elon Musk strikes US$44b deal to buy Twitter
Will he or won’t he? That’s probably the hottest question on Twitter amidst talk of a hostile takeover and poison pill plan in recent days. Well, it looks like Elon Musk has done it. He […]
Taiwanese startups give Ukraine social media edge
While Ukrainians battle with Russia on their homeland, AutoPolitic and QSearch have to lend them a helping hand in cyberspace. The two Taiwanese startups are providing pro bono strategic communication tools and training to counter […]
CYFIRMA introduces DeFNCE cybersecurity app for mobile devices
CYFIRMA has launched the DeFNCE cybersecurity app that helps mobile users be mindful of cyber safe habits such as setting a secure password, learning about emerging cyber threats, and being aware of cybercriminals targeting apps […]
Streaming adoption grows 46% in Asia
Streaming became highly popular during the pandemic as people were faced with movement restrictions and many had to work from home. According to a Conviva report, streaming adoption in Asia grew 46 percent in Q3 […]
Facebook becomes Meta
Facebook (the company) has rebranded as Meta in a move towards a new way of connecting, finding communities and doing busines. The social media app’s name remains unchanged. A metaverse is where people and everything […]
Facebook apologies after 6-hr outage
In an age where many lives evolve around social media, a six-hour platform outage may feel like an eternity. It’s not only one platform but three — Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram — that went down, […]
hoolah partners Jumper.ai on BNPL solution
hoolah is partnering Jumper.ai to offer buy now pay later (BNPL) to merchants in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. This new payment option will let customers pay later in a convenient, flexible and transparent way […]
China blocks DiDi app
What was supposedly a week of celebration for DiDi following its listing on the New York Stock Exchange ended with a whimper with its app being blocked in China. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) […]
Parler back on App Store
After a four-month suspension, Parler has returned to App Store following some tweaks to meet Apple’s requirements. It is a welcome move for the social media platform, which was removed from App Store after the […]
Clubhouse to roll out Android app globally this week
The invite-only social media app Clubhouse will be rolling out its Android app globally this week — starting from Japan tomorrow. Launched on iOS in 2020, Clubhouse had gained popularity on the back of its […]
Google to introduce multi-skin tone handshake emoji in 2022
If you’ve ever wished for a handshake emoji featuring two different skin tones, Google will make your dream come true in 2022. The process to be inclusive in this regard started in November 2019 when […]
Microsoft takeover ends in Discord
It seems like Microsoft’s rumoured acquisition of Discord is over. Just a month ago, rumours emerged that the software giant was in talks to buy the game messaging platform for US$12 billion. According to reports, […]
Social and collaboration software market to grow 17% in 2021
The worldwide social software and collaboration market is expected to reach US$4.5 billion in 2021, up 17.1 percent from 2020, according Gartner. Two key growth factors are the need to support remote work during COVID-19, […]
Microsoft in Discord acquisition talk
Microsoft is reportedly in talks with Discord over a US$10 billion acquisition. According to sources, the messaging platform has been on the lookout for either a deal or even to go public. It seems that […]
Facebook to end Watch Party on April 16
Facebook’s Watch Party, which lets users watch videos together, will become history on April 16, 2021. No reason was given for the removal of this feature, which was introduced in 2018. Watch Party comes in […]
WhatsApp enables voice and video calls on desktop app
WhatsApp has made its desktop app more appealing by adding voice and video call features, bringing it on par with Signal and an edge over Telegram which only allows voice calls. These features were previously […]
Australia passes news media bargaining code
Australia has passed the News Media Bargaining Code to get Facebook, Google and other tech platforms to pay Australian publishers for showing their contents in posts and searches. Under the code, Facebook and Google will […]
Facebook and Australia: Friends again
Australia should be able to view news on their Facebook feeds again in the next few days. This about turn comes after the Australian government agreed to change its proposed media bargaining law aimed at […]
WhatsApp presses on with update
Despite the pushback from users, WhatsApp is determined to press on with its privacy updates. Since news broke of the changes to privacy terms and conditions, the messaging app has faced what it deemed as […]
No more news sharing and viewing on Facebook in Australia
Facebook has taken the drastic step of blocking publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news. This ban is in response to the Australian government’s proposed new Media Bargaining law, […]
Parler returns
One month after it was hooked offline by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Parler has returned online. In various reports, it seems that Parler’s lifeline came from SkySilk, a Los Angeles-based cloud platform. Its resurrection must […]
Parler axes CEO
Parler CEO John Matze has been fired by the company’s board. According to his memo to staff (reported by Fox News), Matze noted that on January 29, 2021, “the Parler board controlled by Rebekah Mercer […]
Telegram sweetens WhatsApp migration by enabling chat history move
Telegram has gained more than 100 new users in January, the bulk of whom were probably former WhatsApp users who were peeved by new terms and privacy policy. And Telegram has just added an incentive […]
Google in Aussie showdown
Faced with a proposed new Australian law on having to pay news sites for links to their articles, Google is threatening to pull the search engine out of the continent. Google is not the only […]
Parler’s website back, service still down
An unlikely source has helped to revive social media platform Parler, a week after its forced removal by America’s Big Tech firms. Reports suggest that its website is now hosted on Russia’s DDOS Guard. However, […]
WhatsApp pushes update deadline to May 15
Three more months. WhatsApp users have more time to consider if they are prepared to accept the messaging platform’s new terms and conditions. This follows a backlash that has resulted in millions migrating to alternatives […]
WhatsApp’s loss is Signal and Telegram’s gain
The repercussion of WhatsApp’s new terms and conditions are massive with many users flocking to alternatives such as Signal and Telegram over the past few days. Signal is reaching one million daily downloads while Telegram […]
Parler strikes back
Dealt with a killer blow, social media platform Parler has struck back at Amazon Web Services (AWS). It has filed a lawsuit against the cloud computing service provider for violating anti-trust law and breach of […]
New WhatsApp terms: Accept or delete account
WhatsApp has updated its terms and privacy policy which users need to accept by February 8 or consider deleting their accounts. According to the WhatsApp alert, “After this date, you’ll need to accept these updates […]
Telegram to add ads in 2021
Messaging app Telegram, which has around half a billion active users, will be inserting advertisements in 2021 as part of its monetisation strategy. More traffic translates to more expenses which can add up to “at […]
Facebook under fire
Facebook has come under fire in the United States for anti-competitive practices. The Federal Trade Commission and 48 states alledges that the socila media giant has become a monopoly by gobbling up its competitors, namely […]
Baidu targets US$3.6b JOYY purchase
Baidu has agreed to pay JOYY US$3.6 billion for its video-based entertainment live streaming business YY Live in China, which includes YY mobile app, YY.com website and PC YY. The transaction is expected to be […]
Instagram gets reels and shop tabs
Instagram has got two new tabs — a Reels tab fors discovering short and fun videos, and a Shop tab to provide easy acess to brands and products. Reels was first announced in August when […]
Zendesk adds WhatsApp capabilities
Zendesk has established a strategic partnership that lets companies engage with customers, share information and respond to questions across WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. According to Zendesk and ESG research, companies with the best customer experiences […]
WhatsApp message: Gone in 7 days
WhatsApp messages just keep growing and growing, taking up tons of space on users’ smartphones. Deleting messages can be troublesome and time-consuming. A newly-announced feature lets users choose if they want their messages to disappear […]
Scienjoy applies 5G technologies to live streaming
Scienjoy is leveraging 5G technologies to create a fully immersive user experience and drive the development of entertainment that combines online, offline, and virtual reality. The China live streaming platform is pioneering the application of […]
Mute WhatsApp notifications forever
If you’ve been inundated with WhatsApp notifications, the messaging platform has just introduced a magic word — “Always”. Instead of the previous maximum muting duration of one year, you can now mute chats forever. You […]
Nearly half of consumers to use more online services post-pandemic
If online service usage was not already the norm before COVID-19 struck, it will certainly be post-pandemic as nearly half of respondents (45 percent) to a ForgeRock survey plan to consumer more online services post-pandemic.
Oracle and Walmart acquire combined 20% stake in TikTok Global
ByteDance has received a reprieve from the US ban on TikTok following the creation of TikTok Global, in which Oracle and Walmart will have a 20 percent stake.
Oracle to take a 12.5% stake in TikTok Global
In a double announcement, Oracle has become TikTok’s secure cloud technology provider and taken a 12.5 percent stake in TikTok Global.
No more TikTok and WeChat downloads in the US from September 20
The US government is tightening the noose around TikTok and WeChat. From September 20, both China-originated apps will no longer be downloadable from App Store and Play Store in the States.
Google Drive trash to automatically delete after 30 days
This has been a long time coming. From October 13, trash items in Google Drive will be automatically deleted after 30 days.
Tencent makes Singapore its Asia hub
Tencent is opening an office in Singapore that will serve as its Asia hub.The WeChat owner has offices in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, highlighting the importance of the region to the company.
ByteDance picks Oracle for TikTok
Move aside, Microsoft and Walmart. It seems that ByteDance has decided to partner with Oracle to solve its TikTok challenge in the US.
Entelechy Asia 