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OPPO recognizes unsung heroes of Bangladesh
OPPO has acknowledged some genuine heroes who faced strong challenges for creating a better future for Bangladesh though its 'Stories of Heroic People' campaign.
OPPO also extended support for their future endeavors as it believes in serving society as their mission states, 'Technology for mankind, Kindness for the world'.
Read:Oppo Reno7 SE 5G Review: Can it rule the upper mid-range segment?
In collaboration with BURO Bangladesh, OPPO Bangladesh granted the heroes and their storytellers cheques and gifts as the recognition of their contribution to Bangladesh on Thursday, at the head office premises at Dhaka, said a press release.
OPPO photographers and content creators captured the hero's emotions alongside with their heart touching stories by the OPPO Reno6.
The stunning AI Quad Camera with Bokeh Flare Portrait featured smartphone was used to capture and show emotions with better imaging features because every emotion deserves a portrait.
Read Best Upcoming Smartphones in Bangladesh in February 2022
Dulal Sir was subjected to inhuman torture at the hands of Pakistani forces during the liberation war. However, upon his survival, he again devoted himself to patriotism. Later, 65-year-old Dulal Sir built several educational institutions and mosques in his area to ensure education for all. He also taught students in Anirban Vidyalaya.
Hailing from Batiaghata Upazila of Khulna, 70-year-old freedom fighter and village doctor Rabindranath Biswas treated war-wounded freedom fighters in 1971. Since then, he has been providing free medical services for the poor and needy people. Although his name is not on the list of freedom fighters, he is not disappointed because to him, human welfare is more important to him than recognition.
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On the other hand, Sajedul Islam has been involved in various social activities as a volunteer. He donates blood himself and encourages others to donate. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he joined hands with Gopalganj Bandhu Mahal and provided free oxygen cylinders to dying patients.
The stories have been selected from thousands of stories collected in the 'Stories of the Heroic People' social activity campaign which was conducted during the national victory day as a tribute to the national heroes.
Through the lens of Reno6 every picture is worth a thousand words and these pictures are a testament to that. It is incredible how these people, in spite of the tribulations in life, manage to support the country and uplift others' lives with such resilience.
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Samsung Electronics' revenue hits record high in 2021
Samsung Electronics, South Korea's tech behemoth, posted its highest revenue last year on solid global demand for semiconductors, the company said on Thursday.
Consolidated revenue gained 18.1 percent over the year to reach a new high of 279.6 trillion won (232.8 billion U.S. dollars) in 2021.
Operating profit soared 43.5 percent to 51.63 trillion won (43 billion U.S. dollars) in 2021, marking the third-highest figure in the company's history. Net income jumped 51.1 percent to 39.91 trillion won (33.2 billion U.S. dollars).
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The record revenue was driven by the semiconductor business. Revenue in the chip-making unit amounted to 94.16 trillion won (78.2 billion U.S. dollars) last year, accounting for one-third of the total.
Samsung's fourth-quarter revenue also hit a quarterly high due to the expanded sale of premium smartphones, TVs and home appliances as well as the robust chip demand that offset the lower chip price.
Revenue advanced 24.4 percent from a year earlier to 76.57 trillion won (63.8 billion U.S. dollars) in the three months ending Dec. 31.
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Operating profit surged 53.3 percent to 13.87 trillion won (11.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the October-December quarter, and net income spiked 64 percent to 10.84 trillion won (9 billion U.S. dollars).
The semiconductor division recorded an operating profit of 8.84 trillion won (7.3 billion U.S. dollars) on revenue of 26.01 trillion won (21.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the fourth quarter.
Samsung said overall chip demand was strong in the fourth quarter despite a slight fall in average selling price and a continuation of global supply chain disruption.
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The company expected server chip demand to grow this year thanks to the increased IT investment and new high-core central processing units (CPUs), saying that mobile chip demand may increase with the expanded 5G lineup.
The display panel business registered an operating profit of 1.32 trillion won (1.1 billion U.S. dollars) on revenue of 9.06 trillion won (7.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the fourth quarter.
Mobile panel earnings continued to improve in the quarter on solid demand for newly-launched smartphones, but large panel earnings widened losses on a lower price for liquid crystal display (LCD) panels.
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Samsung forecast that robust demand for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels may continue this year based on rising 5G penetration and the growth of the foldable phone market.
The mobile phone and networks business logged an operating profit of 2.66 trillion won (2.2 billion U.S. dollars) on revenue of 28.95 trillion won (24.1 billion U.S. dollars).
Overall market demand was driven in the fourth quarter by the strong year-end seasonality and the increased sale of premium smartphones, such as foldable lineup and Galaxy S series, while the sales of PCs, tablets and wearable devices also contributed to the revenue growth, according to Samsung.
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The tech giant noted that uncertainties would remain over the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the component supply shortage, but it expected the market of smartphones and wearable devices to continue growing this year.
The consumer electronics unit logged an operating profit of 700 billion won (581.6 million U.S. dollars) on revenue of 15.35 trillion won (12.8 billion U.S. dollars) in the final quarter of last year.
Demand for TVs and home appliances increased in the fourth quarter due to year-end seasonality, but the growth slowed on the back of the fading effects of pent-up demand.
Read realme registers stunning global growth in 2021
Samsung forecast that demand would rise this year for premium and super-large TVs, predicting a sluggish market for home appliances.
Samsung's capital expenditure totaled 48.2 trillion won (40.1 billion U.S. dollars) in 2021, including 43.6 trillion won (36.2 billion U.S. dollars) for semiconductors and 2.6 trillion won (2.2 billion U.S dollars) for display panels.
2022 Samsung QLED, Lifestyle TVs recognised by top global certification institutes
The 2022 Samsung Lifestyle TVs won the "Eye Care" certification from Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker in Germany, one of Europe's largest technical-scientific associations with more than 36,000 members.
The certification applies to Samsung's 2022 Lifestyle TV models including, The Frame, The Serif, and The Sero. The screens are evaluated on various categories, including safety, gentle to the eyes, flicker level, uniformity, and colour fidelity.
The new Lifestyle TVs were assessed for safety from blue light emission and melatonin inhibition levels based on a light hazard classification method set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
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Samsung's 2022 Lifestyle TVs satisfy the IEC's standards for screen flickering, which can cause eye fatigue or headache for viewers. They were also recognised for excellence in colour fidelity and picture quality uniformity, both elements of which contribute to the eye comfort level while watching TV.
The TVs were also verified as glare-free by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a leading independent safety science company.
UL's verification validates the glare-free claim by assessing the products against the unified glare rating testing standard set by the International Commission on Illumination.
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Samsung's new Lifestyle TV models use a new Matte Display with anti-glare, anti-reflection, and anti-fingerprint properties to deliver the optimal brightness and provide the best picture quality without glare.
These glare assessments were calculated based on test results of watching TV in both 300 lux, which is equivalent to a brightly lit work area, and in 70 lux, which is usually the value for a dimly lit work area.
Also, Samsung's new 2022 QLED models received the world's first "Pantone Validated" certification from Pantone, the world-famous brand in the global colour industry and creator of the Pantone Matching System.
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These models receiving this recognition from Pantone include all 20 newly released models – 15 QLED TVs in both 4K and 8K and five monitors.
Samsung's 2022 QLED TV line-up was recognised for its accurate expression of 2,030 Pantone colours and newly added 110 skin tone shades.
Telenor unveils 5 tech trends that will shape 2022
Telenor Research, a scientific research unit of Norwegian technology conglomerate Telenor Group, has unveiled the seventh edition of "Tech Trends," highlighting how technology and digitalisation can enable a green transformation which it believes will define the upcoming year.
Grameenphone revealed the research findings at an event in the capital Monday. The five anticipated tech trends for 2022 were revealed in a keynote and an expert reflection session.
The core impression of the predictions for 2022 revolves around global climate change and its impact on the ecosystem.
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The trends predict how new-era advanced connectivity, climate-friendly energy-efficient modern hardware, edge cloud, and 5G technology will be more eco-friendly, increased demand for green job skills with institutions and digital learning platforms offering climate micro-degrees, an optimisation war between companies to make devices more energy-efficient and environmental-friendly, a surge in climate aware influencers and taking the next generation's expectations with importance to mitigate potential threats of the "great resignation."
The report also has three tips on how businesses can avoid this threat once the pandemic is over. The trends are primarily influenced by the ongoing global pandemic and its consequences.
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Trend 1: Green clouds on the horizon
Due to the immense growth in data usage, there is higher energy demand. Hence, cloud computing has seen exponential growth, and also edge computing is expected to take over by an acceptable margin in the coming year.
"We predict that 5G networks worldwide will have the capability to do local breakout of data traffic to and from Edge data centres," said Bjørn Taale Sandberg, head of Telenor Research, during a virtual keynote presentation."
"Energy-efficient Edge data centres reachable from mobile devices over 5G networks will start popping up, at an increasing rate, in 2022. As a result, energy will also be saved in data distribution networks since part of the data traffic and electricity will be transferred locally only."
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Trend 2: Big appetite for climate micro-degrees
With modern careers requiring employees and employers to be climate-friendly, there is a need to adapt to lifelong learning on sustainability. Environmental policy and regulation will also increase the demand for green job skills in 2022.
"A growing number of businesses will implement green micro-degrees and courses as part of their 'curriculum' to slake the green knowledge thirst among employees. The businesses that fail to facilitate opportunities to acquire green online learning credentials on-the-job risk being perceived as less attractive in the eyes of new talent," predicts Sandberg.
Read OPPO recognizes unsung heroes of Bangladesh
Trend 3: Optimise everything
The global need for greater energy efficiency has the chance to trigger the "optimisation of everything" battle between consumer electronic manufacturers.
Devices consuming electricity now outnumber humans by four, and they will become even more dominant in the future. "Since transforming our energy supply will take time, we need to optimise everything – not least the use of energy by our devices," warns Sandberg.
"Going forward, more companies will put enormous sums of money on the table to acquire the knowledge and assets needed to come out on top of the optimisation battle."
Read Samsung Electronics' revenue hits record high in 2021
Trend 4: Here come the greenfluencers
It has become imperative for influencers to acknowledge the young people's climate engagement, especially through social media.
With the recent disappointments from the UN's Climate Conference (COP26) and a grim outlook in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report fresh in memory, there is now an expectation of seeing a new movement shape the world of social media, that is coined "greenfluencing."
"An undergrowth of climate-aware influencers and activists has emerged across niches on social media, and we believe their growing follower bases will be duly noticed by the influencer universe's established elite," explains Sandberg.
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"Influencers who appear oblivious or indifferent to climate challenges will be perceived as outdated. Instead, followers will flock to influencers who demonstrate climate awareness regardless of niche. Marketers will turn their attention in the same direction."
Trend 5: Don't lose out on the 'lost generation'
With work-from-home and such trends reshaping organisational preferences and cultures, companies must take the next generation's expectations seriously to avoid facing great resignation.
During the continuation of the pandemic, it will be tough for the young to establish and grow a personal network and acquire a general understanding of the corporate lingo and culture, as forming new social relations using only digital communication is much more challenging.
Read 2022 Samsung QLED, Lifestyle TVs recognised by top global certification institutes
"Many companies will in 2022 find that large groups of young employees who never got proper onboarding are likely to struggle – unless good leadership is exercised," says Sandberg.
Symphony exports smartphones to Nepal
Local mobile handset maker Symphony has started exporting "Made in Bangladesh" smartphones to Nepal.
The company is also planning to expand its exports to Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and Sudan by this year.
The announcements were made Saturday at the Symphony factory in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital.
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Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mostafa Jabbar attended the inauguration programme as the chief guest.
Symphony first exported 15,000 phones to Nepal on 26 October last year.
"We will send 10,000 Symphony phones to Nepal every month,'' said Jakaria Shahid, managing director of Edison Group, the parent company of Symphony.
"The manufacturing unit in Ashulia can produce 10 lakh handsets a month. Around 1,500 people work here," he added.
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In 2018, Symphony started to produce smart and feature phones at its factory, which can manufacture 10.2 million devices annually.
Walton brings 11th Gen laptops
Walton Digi-Tech Industries has launched three new laptops with Intel's 11th Generation processors.
The Tamarind MX11 series laptops are equipped with Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors, 8GB RAM, high-speed SSDs, and the original Windows 11 operating system.
Walton Digi-Tech DMD Liakat Ali said: "These new models of laptops, with multitasking facilities and advanced features, will give users more dynamic experience during their regular tasks including, games and entertainment."
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The Core i3 processor laptop has been priced at Tk57,500, Core i5 Tk71,500 and Core i7 Tk84,500.
The devices have 8GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM, which can be expanded up to 32GB.
Also, the laptops have 512GB NVMe SSDs that can be expanded up to 1TB.
Core i3 model laptop has Intel's Ultra HD graphics while Core i5 and Core i7 have Intel's Iris Xe graphics.
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The laptops have a four-cell smart lithium-ion battery that is capable of providing up to eight hours of power backup with a 65W fast charging adapter.
Other features include a 1MP HD camera for clear video calls, high definition audio, a built-in array microphone, two 1.5W speakers, and a dual fan.
Walton, Buet sign MoUs to work on research, innovation
Walton and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to conduct joint research and bring innovation to the electronics and hi-tech products manufacturing sector.
Walton Digi-Tech Industries signed an MoU with Buet while Walton Hi-Tech Industries signed another one with the Research and Innovation Centre for Science and Engineering (RISE) of the university.
Read: Walton inks deal with Danby to expand footprint to North America
The deals were inked in the capital Tuesday.
Buet Vice-Chancellor Professor Satya Prasad Majumder and Walton Digi-Tech Chairman SM Rezaul Alam inked an MoU.
Walton Hi-Tech Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Golam Murshed and RISE Director Professor Muhammad Anisuzzaman Talukder signed another MoU.
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Satya Prasad said: "Due to the lack of adequate research opportunities within the country, our students are moving out of the country. Today's industry-academy collaboration has paved the way for them to work on research and innovation at Walton."
Last year, four engineering universities signed MoUs with Walton to jointly work on the research and development of domestically produced hi-tech products.
Read OPPO recognizes unsung heroes of Bangladesh
The universities are the Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Islamic University of Technology and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
Vivo V23 5G launched in Bangladesh
Global smartphone brand vivo brought its newest flagship phone V23 5G to the Bangladesh market Monday.
A combination of 50MP AF Portrait Selfie and 8MP Super Wide-Angle Camera will enable V23 5G users to capture hyper-clear portraits.
The Dual-Tone Spotlight and front camera's AI Extreme Night Portrait mode allow for better shots in dark lighting.
READ: A look back at vivo's 2021 journey
Stylised portraits are also maximised with the new Party Portrait feature to capture captivating party scenes. The new Natural Portrait feature meets a diverse range of selfie needs.
Low-light night portraits have been taken to the next level via the 8MP Super Wide-Angle Night Selfie mode that perfectly captures the atmospheric night-time party moments, vivo says.
V23 5G also features 4K Selfie Video. Also, the phone's triple rear camera module consists of a 64MP GW1 Super-Sensing Camera, an 8MP wide-angle camera and a 2MP macro camera that supports Super Night Mode.
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The device is designed to deliver a unique look and feel with a diverse appeal to suit multiple styles, all within a 7.39mm ultra-slim body.
The design is complemented by Color Changing Fluorite AG Glass to provide a super fine and textured feel that is soft to touch yet resistant to fingerprints.
V23 5G is equipped with MediaTek Dimensity 920 processor. Gamers can enjoy a super-smooth performance with a 90Hz refresh rate display, extended RAM 2.0, a Liquid Cooling System and Ultra Game Mode.
READ: Vivo V23 Pro Review: Does the quality concur with the look?
Also, the phone has a 44W FlashCharge capability, powering the super-slim 4200mAh (TYP) battery.
The V23 5G comes in two colour variants, Stardust Black and Sunshine Gold.
The phone can be pre-booked till January 21. After that, it will be available in Bangladesh's authorised vivo outlets. The price of the device will be Tk39,990.
Read Best Upcoming Smartphones in Bangladesh in February 2022
realme registers stunning global growth in 2021
realme, one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands, has registered phenomenal growth across different markets in the world in 2021 and is all set to disrupt the premium and high-end smartphone market with their phones from GT Series in 2022.
With the advent of a new year, realme is gearing up to come up with more innovative smartphones for the users.
On this occasion, realme Founder and CEO Sky Li has penned an open letter describing the milestones achieved by realme in 2021 and the manufacturer’s vision in the new year.
Read:Smartphone and Tab Expo 2022: Realme showcases innovation excellence
realme has become the fastest smartphone brand ever to ship 100 million smartphones globally in August 2021. Following this record-breaking achievement, realme’s annual smartphone sales volume has reached a record high of 60 million units, that increased 50% over the previous year. Already a Top 5 brand in 21 different markets, realme has also become the fastest-growing 5G Android brand in Q3 2021.
“We will pursue ever greater innovations in technology and design to break into the Premium Segment with 70% of the company’s R&D resources focusing on high-end tech”, said Sky Li.
2021 was a happening year for realme as it has become a real best-selling brand globally. realme has created different records and made it to the top spots on the bestselling lists during different campaigns like Black Friday, 11.11 and Diwali festival organized by e-commerce platforms.
Read:Daraz 12:12 campaign: 'Realme becomes top-selling smartphone brand'
realme GT NEO 2, the flagship of the year, became the “Top 1 Best Selling 5G Smartphone’ at Daraz’s 11.11 sale, the world’s biggest sale campaign. In India, realme remained the top smartphone brand on Flipkart with more than 40% of the sales on the platform. Consequently, realme has been ranked as Top 1 best-selling smartphone brand in Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia on local platform like Daraz.
Apart from these, realme is developing a diverse portfolio of 5G products with an aim to offer 100 million 5G phones in the next three years to the young users. Besides affordable 5G phones, realme will also bring more AIoT products to young consumers as realme has entered AIoT 2.0 development phase with its advanced ‘1+5+T’ strategy.
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A look back at vivo's 2021 journey
Chinese technology company vivo introduced various flagship devices and expanded its offering in 2021.
It released multiple products with a variety of price ranges.
The brand added imaging technology from Zeiss to its premium X Series. The V series carries the identity for all-around smartphones with high-end capabilities, and the Y Series offers a wide range of affordable smartphones which are designed to meet the needs of young customers.
Also read: Vivo V23 Pro Review: Does the quality concur with the look?
V1, a fully customised integrated circuit chip dedicated to imaging and video applications with leading-edge visual quality, was unveiled by vivo. It meets user needs by optimising smartphone application scenarios.
In Q1 2021, vivo became the second-fastest growing 5G smartphone brand in the world, with 19 million units shipped, up 62 percent from the previous quarter, according to the company.
Also read: Vivo Y15s Review: Is this budget phone worth buying?