News

Chinese phone brands are (unsurprisingly) taking over Asia

Published

July 30, 2017

Marvin Velasco

In the latest well duh news of the week, Chinese brands Huawei, OPPO, Xiaomi, and Vivo are doing incredibly well in the two most important markets of Asia.

The metrics come from independent analyst company Canalys, which recently released smartphone shipment numbers for both China and India for the second quarter of 2017.

Let’s start with India:

Samsung still has a sizeable lead with minor growth compared to the second quarter of 2016. The bigger story, though, is the incredible growth of Xiaomi, Vivo, and OPPO during the same time span.

The three Chinese juggernauts are crushing the competition with their low- to mid-range offerings and expanding portfolios. Xiaomi, in particular, quadrupled its shipments compared to the same period last year.

Lenovo is simply hanging around, but is still making a big enough dent to take on Samsung’s 25 percent market share. It wouldn’t be surprising to see one of these brands overtake Sammy by next year, unless the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 is able to hold down the fort.

As for China, the stats Canalys provided paint a slightly different picture. Here are the shipment rankings for Q2 2017:

Huawei — 23 million
OPPO — 21 million
Vivo — 16 million
Xiaomi — 15 million

While not reflected on the list, the biggest story here is Xiaomi overtaking Apple to take the fourth spot in China. This was made possible by a 60 percent growth for Xiaomi year-over-year.

Do note, however, that shipment numbers don’t reflect profit. So, although the stats here look great, the reality is only Apple is making large profits from all the sales, with Samsung and Huawei far behind.

It’s gotten so bad, Huawei recently claimed to have given up on entry-level smartphones because of the small margins.

[irp posts=”16904″ name=”Huawei is ‘giving up’ on cheap phones”]

Gaming

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan is retiring next year

Aims to spend more time with his family

Published

September 29, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Since the start of the pandemic, the PlayStation has had a steady face. Jim Ryan essentially ushered in the PlayStation 5 generation by powering through the pandemic. Sadly, Ryan’s tenure is about to come to an end. The Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and President has announced his retirement from the position.

Yesterday, Jim Ryan officially announced that he will step down from his position after March 2024. Starting April 1, Hiroki Totoki — the current COO, CFO, and president of the Sony Group — will assume the position as interim CEO. Totoki will continue Ryan’s work while finding a more permanent replacement for the latter.

Ryan has been with the company for almost 30 years. However, he only recently assumed the top spot in 2019, just in time for the new PlayStation 5. Ryan’s job was made more difficult with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because everything turned to online communication, he was forced to be the more visible face of the PS5 through a series of digital launches.

However, according to his announcement, the position was taking a huge toll on his work-life balance. The constant commute between his home in the United Kingdom and his work in the United States led him to consider and decide on retirement.

Gaming

PUBG: Battlegrounds, Mobile team up with KFC

KFC-themed rewards, meals

Published

September 28, 2023

GadgetMatch

KFC has launched a collaboration with PUBG: Battlegrounds and PUBG: Mobile, allowing players to visit virtual KFC restaurants in-game featuring exclusive KFC items.

In-game visuals like the statue of Colonel Sanders, plane banner, electric billboards, and map decal are also available.

Starting October 2, PUBG: Mobile players may visit KFC Royale Restaurants across Erangel, Miramar, Nusa, and Livik maps.

These in-game restaurants offer players mouth-watering delicacies for health and energy boosts. KFC-themed items include the following:

KFC Royale Colonel Set
Chicken Cover and Set
Royale Delight Top and Parachute
Seasoned Squad Graffiti
Crispy Crunch Avatar Frame

The collaboration will last until November 6 for mobile users.

Meanwhile, PUBG: Battlegrounds players may acquire these similar items from KFC restaurants on the Erangel map:

KFC Chicken Box
KFC French Fries
KFC Energy Drink
Colonel’s Bucket Hat
Colonel’s Jacket
Colonel’s Shorts
Colonel’s Clogs
Colonel’s Parachute
“It’s Finger Lickin’ Good” Spray

This collaboration will last until November 7 on PC and November 15 on consoles.

As for the real world, customers can “Load up, Dive in” with PUBG-themed meals at participating KFC restaurants online or via its app in select regions to score a good loot straight from the Colonel’s kitchen.

Rewards include up to six battle cosmetics in KFC’s signature red and white colors.

KFC no stranger to gaming, tech

This isn’t KFC’s first brush with gaming or tech. The fried chicken specialists have collaborated with gaming and tech related brands over the years. This includes a similar execution with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a KFC Phone in China, and even a KFConsole.

News

Cignal named official broadcaster of NBA, NBA 2K League

Strengthened partnership

Published

September 28, 2023

GadgetMatch

Following a multi-year extension with the NBA, Cignal TV has become the official broadcast partner of both the NBA and NBA 2K League games in the Philippines.

The company will air both programs through its channels across free-to-air and satellite television, as well as streaming app Pilipinas Live.

Starting October 25, the 2023-24 NBA season may be watched live and on-demand on One Sports (free) and NBA TV Philippines (premium).

Marquee events such as the NBA All-Star weekend, Playoffs, and Finals shall also be broadcasted.

For PhP 149 a month, Pilipinas Live subscribers may also access locally produced programming, like “NBA HYPE” and “1 on 1,” a new show that shall discuss NBA’s premier players and teams from the 2000s to the present.

In addition, Cignal shall manage NBA.com/Philippines, the league’s official website in the archipelago.

NBA 2K League telecast

As part of Cignal’s partnership, the 2024 NBA 2K League season that tips off early next year shall be broadcasted for the first time on NBA TV Philippines and Pilipinas Live, including the Tha Banner Chain Series and NBA 2KL 3v3 Blacktop Series.

Cignal has also become the first-ever presenting partner of the NBA 2K League APAC Invitational, the NBA 2K League’s qualifying event for the Asia-Pacific region.

Coincidentally, e-Gilas Pilipinas competes in the eFIBA for the same region, so its top players have the opportunity to become eligible for the 2024 NBA 2K League Draft.