Wide out loud productions

Apple’s HomePod has faced two consistent criticisms right from the start. First, people said, it’s the dumbest of the smart speakers — that both Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers can do more. Second, it was said to be way too expensive. If you want a smart speaker, the thinking went, you could get an Amazon Echo Dot for $50, and sometimes as little as half that during promotions. Why pay Apple $349 then (and $299 now)? Hearing both criticisms repeated recently, I couldn’t let it pass… There is truth to the first claim, especially when you compare Siri to Alexa. However, as I discovered when trying the Echo Dot, there is a very large rider to that statement. Alexa is not inherently smarter; instead, it allows third-party developers to add “skills” to the platform. I noted then the two big drawbacks of this approach. First, because anyone can add a skill, there are lots of competing skills, many of which are worthless. And the required syntax means you can’t … [Read more...] about Comment: Two years on, the HomePod is still a widely misunderstood product

Farmers harvest white-legged shrimp in the Mekong Delta province of Bạc Liêu. – VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Sử Viet Nam News HCM CITY — The potential of large quantities of shrimp by-products from which high-value products can be made has not been exploited since neither State-owned agencies nor private players have bothered to invest enough in research or processing, experts have said. Shrimp output was more than 720,000 tonnes last year, and the processing industry produced 320,000 tonnes of by-products from them, mostly in the form of heads and shells. Shrimp heads and shells can be used as raw materials for producing high-value products like chitosan, which is widely used in food, agriculture, bio-technology, cosmetics, medicines, and waste treatment. Speaking at a seminar held in Cần Thơ City on Wednesday, Trang Sỹ Trung, principal of Nha Trang University, said the quantity of shrimp by-products would continue to increase in the coming years and reach an estimated 500,000 … [Read more...] about Experts lament waste of shrimp by-products, call for making high-value items

A female worker receives sexual and reproductive services as well as family planning information through BlueStar clinic, located inside the Pou Yuen factory in HCM City’s Bình Tân District. — Photo mariestopes.org.vn Viet Nam News HCM CITY — More than 27,000 female workers have been provided information about sexual and reproductive healthcare and family planning as the result of the Business Partnership Platform (BPP) funded by the Australian government. A dissemination workshop was held today at Pou Yuen Co., Ltd in Tân Tạo Industrial Zone in the city’s Bình Tân District to share the impact and key findings from November 2016 to June 2018. The project’s aims including improving the health and well-being of Pou Chen Group’s predominantly female workforce by enhancing the provision of specialist sexual and reproductive healthcare on-site at its Pou Yuen factory. Nguyễn Trọng Hậu, director of the initiative, said nearly 80,000 workers at the factory have … [Read more...] about On-site reproductive, family planning services improve female factory workers’ health, productivity

An organic red-flesh dragon fruit orchard in Long An Province’s Chau Thanh District. The fruit is a popular variety grown in the districts Chau Thanh, Tan Tru and Thu Thua and Tan An City in Long An Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Bui Giang Digital transformation in agriculture increases production efficiency and offers consumers greater transparency about food products. However, progress remains sluggish in Viet Nam, and more research is needed. Bo Xuan Hiep reports. Farmer Le Van Chin from the southern province of Long An recently livestreamed an advert about his cooperative’s red-flesh dragon fruit on his Facebook page. “Hi everyone! Here is the dragon fruit garden of Que My Thanh Cooperative. After 25 days of harvest, it has a thin peel and red flesh. Rest assured we never use any harmful chemicals to spray the fruit. We guarantee that it is healthy and tasty,” he told viewers. “I livestream various stages such as farming, harvesting and packaging to create consumer confidence … [Read more...] about Farmers embrace livestreams, high-tech advances in push for better quality, productivity

Asahi, NutiFood set up joint venture for dairy products By Hung Le Executives of Asahi and NutiFood shake hands at the announcement ceremony of their joint venture – PHOTO: HUNG LE HCMC – Local dairy producer NutiFood Nutrition Food and Japanese beverage group Asahi, the owner of Japanese baby food brand Wakodo, established a joint venture today, January 10, offering nutritional products for children, in line with Japanese criteria, to the Vietnamese market. The joint venture, called Asahi-NutiFood, has an equal share of capital between the two firms, which is expected to play to their own strengths. NutiFood has extensive business experience, and its distribution channels have been widely established across the country. Meanwhile, Asahi has expertise in the production of high-quality powdered milk and baby food. It also has specialized knowledge of nutrition for children and can provide sales tips on food products for infants. The leaders of the firms revealed … [Read more...] about Asahi, NutiFood set up joint venture for dairy products

One Commune, One Product By Kuniharu Yamada Kuniharu Yamada on the Fansipan peak - PHOTOS: SUPPLIED BY KUNIHARU YAMADA Kuniharu Yamada introduces himself as a member of the JICA Volunteer Program in Vietnam. Hello! My name is Kuniharu Yamada. I’m living in Hanoi. After gaining my BS and master’s degree in molecular biology, I took part in the development of several medicines which helped improve the quality of life for patients and some medicines for gene therapy in Japan. Prior to my application for the volunteer program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), I had finished my MBA program majoring in global business development. I’ve been a volunteer assigned by JICA to work at the Vietnam Rural Industries Research and Development Institute (VIRI) since November 2017. After more than 20 years of establishment, VIRI has carried out various projects in 53 cities and provinces throughout Vietnam and supported over 200 production teams in rural areas … [Read more...] about One Commune, One Product

HCMC to promote cooperation in key industrial products The Saigon Times Daily Employees work at a plant manufacturing electronic accessories, operataed by Nidec Sankyo Vietnam Company in HCMC. The city wants to promote further cooperation, especially in the fields of science and technology – PHOTO: VNA HCMC - HCMC has collected feedback from experts and the relevant agencies to bolster the growth of key industrial products and promote further cooperation, especially in the fields of science and technology. The municipal departments of Industry and Trade and Science and Technology on May 14 held a conference to introduce a list of key industrial products that the city prioritizes for investment in the 2018-2020 period. Addressing the meeting, Nguyen Ky Phung, deputy director of the Department of Science and Technology, said the city has issued many policies to support scientific and technological studies, technology transfers and the incubation of innovative startup … [Read more...] about HCMC to promote cooperation in key industrial products

WB says reforms needed to stimulate investment, productivity growth By Thanh Thom Country Director for the World Bank in Vietnam Ousmane Dione (L) and Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, at a workshop in Hanoi on June 7 – PHOTO: WB HANOI – Vietnam needs to boost domestic investment and productivity growth to renew its growth momentum and achieve its targeted high income status by 2045, said economists from the World Bank (WB) office in Vietnam at a workshop in Hanoi on June 7. Held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the workshop, entitled “Achieving Quality Growth in 2021-2030: Policy Options and Priorities,” was aimed at contributing to the formulation of two important strategic documents: the socio-economic development strategy (SEDS) for 2021-2030 and the socio-economic development plan (SEDP) for 2021-2025. Sebastian Eckardt, a senior economist at the WB office in Vietnam, told the participants that there is not a large amount of room … [Read more...] about WB says reforms needed to stimulate investment, productivity growth

FPT Shop receives orders for int’l products By Chi Thinh An employee of FPT Shop provides information on products and special offers to customers on the occasion of Prime Day 2019 – PHOTO: COURTESY OF FPT HCMC - Local retailer FPT Shop has expanded its ecommerce business by allowing customers to place orders for goods made in the United States and Japan on the shopping website hangmy.fptshop.com.vn through its business partner Amazon, a U.S.-based multinational ecommerce platform. FPT Shop officially launched the cross-border ecommerce service on the occasion of Prime Day 2019, from July 15 to 17. Customers can visit the website and choose from a wide selection of products, mainly those made in the United States, Japan and Germany, in terms of technology, fashion, cosmetics and travel, ranging from luxury to regular brands. They can also enjoy special discounts of up to 80% during the Prime Day event. After choosing their favorite items, buyers must place a 50% … [Read more...] about FPT Shop receives orders for int’l products

ASEM ministers wrap up ‘productive’ session (27-05-2009) HA NOI — World ministers gathering in the capital expressed their common belief that the global economy would start recovering next year, if countries around the world co-operated closely. Chairman of the 9th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM9), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem told international journalists that the meeting was held successfully with agreements on a wide range of matters. The theme of the FMM9 was "forging a closer Asia-Europe Partnership to address the financial and economic crisis and other global challenges." Over 400 international delegates held discussions on how to tackle emerging global issues. Khiem described discussions as "candid, open and productive" on important international and regional issues and ASEM future co-operation and development. He also said that while more time is needed to solve all ASEM issues, "our time and efforts have produced … [Read more...] about ASEM ministers wrap up ‘productive’ session