Tech
Why Samsung solving ‘first world problems’ matters
As someone who lives and breathes technology every single day I’m skeptical whenever a new company says its new thing(s) will change our lives in meaningful ways.

Cheesy. Corny. Dorky. All of these words typically describe a Samsung press conference where it announces a slew of new products.
But at the IFA tech show in Berlin this year, Samsung’s message — “your new normal” — was anything but cheesy because it reminded me how convenient technology has made life. Most of us will never admit it, but we all take technology for granted.
As someone who lives and breathes technology every single day, is one of the first to see the latest and greatest innovations before everyone else does, and reviews new tech products for a living, I’m skeptical whenever a new company says its new thing(s) will change our lives in meaningful ways.
Samsung’s IFA press conference is not what I would have called exciting. If you’re looking for spectacle, that’s what its Unpacked events are for.
The company announced a bunch of handful of new products like a new flatscreen QLED TV, a 49-inch QLED gaming monitor with 1-millisecond response time, an improved smart washing machine, and better connectivity for its smart fridges.
Is it sad that I actually want Samsung’s QuickDrive washing machine that washes clothes in half the time? pic.twitter.com/yuOApk2u8P
— Raymond Wong ??? (@raywongy) August 30, 2017
Samsung also dedicated a chunk to the new fitness-focused Gear Sport smartwatch, Gear Fit2 Pro…
Ecommerce
Has Covid-19 prompted the Belt and Road Initiative to go green?

– Covid-19 led to a slowdown in BRI projects
– Chinese overseas investment dropped off in 2020
– Government remains committed to the wide-ranging infrastructure programme
– Sustainability, health and digital to be the new cornerstones of the initiative
Following a year of coronavirus-related disruptions, China appears to be placing a greater focus on sustainable, digital and health-related projects in its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
As OBG outlined in April last year, the onset of Covid-19 prompted questions about the future direction of the BRI.
Launched in 2013, the BRI is an ambitious international initiative that aims to revive ancient Silk Road trade routes through large-scale infrastructure development.
By the start of 2020 some 2951 BRI-linked projects – valued at a total of $3.9trn – were planned or under way across the world.
However, as borders closed and lockdowns were imposed, progress stalled on a number of major BRI infrastructure developments.
In June China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that 30-40% of BRI projects had been affected by the virus, while a further 20% had been “seriously affected”. Restrictions on the flow of Chinese workers and construction supplies were cited as factors behind project suspensions or slowdowns in Pakistan, Cambodia and Indonesia, among other countries.
Tech
InMobi partners with Gojek to offer brand solutions to SEA clients
Mobile marketing firm InMobi announced it has partnered with Southeast Asian super app Gojek to develop its advertising, consumer intelligence, and identity resolution for brands in the region.

Mobile marketing firm InMobi announced it has partnered with Southeast Asian super app Gojek to develop its advertising, consumer intelligence, and identity resolution for brands in the region
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Startups
Traveloka to launch financial services in Vietnam and Thailand
Traveloka, which says it has 40 million active monthly users, is developing “buy now, pay later” services for Vietnam and Thailand.

Indonesian company Traveloka and Southeast Asia’s largest online travel startup, plans to launch financial services in Vietnam and Thailand as it eyes a listing in the US, its president said.
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