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Huawei achieves its biggest revenue to date despite the trade ban from US

GadgetByte

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January 3, 2020

Huawei achieves its biggest revenue to date despite the trade ban from US

In 2019, we saw Huawei replace Apple as the second-biggest smartphone brand in the world. But Huawei looked more ambitious. The company’s recent growth also complemented the ambition. But it had to slow down a bit, courtesy of the US trade ban. Interestingly, Huawei is showing what it is capable of on its own after American companies broke all the ties with it. Being the company it is, Huawei is still on a roll. This time the company has accumulated its biggest revenue to date. Huawei posting such record revenue is a clear indication that the company can survive on its own.

US trade ban

Huawei is facing a trade-ban in the United States. Since May of 2019, Huawei has been restricted to carry out any sort of transaction with US-based companies. The biggest problem for Huwaei so far has been the Google Mobile Service (GMS).

Over the years, GMS has a big hand in Android’s growth in terms of both usage and popularity. Huawei has been restricted to integrate it into its smartphone because of the ban it faces.

Huawei Record Revenue (2019)

When the trade-ban was introduced, dark clouds hovered over the future of the brand. We didn’t know if we could see any other device from the company. But that’s “long” gone now. Huawei is still launching new devices.

But sales is what catches our attention. The company has reported sales of 240 million smartphones in 2019. That’s additional 36 million smartphones sold compared to 206 million smartphones sold in 2018.

With this, Huawei has secured its position as the second-biggest smartphone brand in the world. Only Samsung has a better sales figure than Huawei.

Eric Xu -Huawei Deputy Chairman — Eric Xu – Huawei Deputy Chairman

Huawei’s record revenue in detail

Huawei has gone all out in overcoming the dependency on Google. And if the company’s financial report is any indication Huawei might even pull out the impossible.

Huawei has reported its revenue a bit over 850 billion Yuan; an 18% increase over 2018’s figures. That is around 122 billion in US dollars. To put it into perspective, that’s the biggest revenue the Chinese company has ever had in its history.

The Future of Huawei

While the sales figure shows no sign to worry, Huawei’s deputy chairman, Eric Xu, has confessed tough times for the company. He also said that the trade-ban can make it “difficult” for the company to “survive and thrive” over the long run.

To continue to grow as a company, Huawei is planning on getting rid of the company’s poor performing managers. There might also be some changes in the operational structure of the company.

The trade ban saga was one of the most talked-about events of 2019. The fact that it came after Huawei replaced US-based Apple as the second-biggest smartphone in the world created a lot of buzzes. And with Huawei putting all its efforts to fight against the ban, we might see the events make some more headlines in the time to come. Huawei achieving such a milestone with its record revenue to date has shined some hope for the company nevertheless.

Samsung trademarks new Galaxy A series smartphones for 2021

GadgetByte

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January 3, 2020

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Samsung trademarks new Galaxy A series smartphones for 2021

With the current success that Samsung has had with its M-series and the revamped A-series, we expected the company to add to these lineup of smartphones in 2019. The news of the new Galaxy A01 and Galaxy M31 caught our attention. But it seems like Samsung has thought further down the line than we thought. Recent leaks suggest that Samsung has already trademarked new smartphones under the Galaxy A series, that are expected to arrive in the market in 2021.

Samsung Galaxy A Series (2021)

Samsung has reportedly trademarked new smartphones under the Galaxy A-series. These phones are set to launch after a year. The trademark was filed with South Korea based SungAm Suh International Patent and Law Firm.

It has shed some light on devices such as Galaxy A12, Galaxy A32, Galaxy A42, Galaxy A52, Galaxy A62, Galaxy A72, Galaxy A82, and Galaxy A92. These phones will make their way into the market in 2021. We might get some information about the specs these phones will pack at the end of this year. We can even take references of the devices scheduled to launch this year like the Samsung Galaxy A51 And Galaxy A71.

Samsung Galaxy A71 Display — Samsung Galaxy A71

Samsung’s efforts to regain market share

With the emergence of Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Samsung started to lose its ground in the entry and mid-range segment of the market. It was more evident in the South Asian market where Samsung failed to please its audience with its offering at the lower end of the market. Samsung tried to improve that in 2019 with the all-new M series and also revamped its A-series of smartphones for the same. The smartphones under these lineups did well in the market. And Samsung is keen to build on this early success.

Galaxy A series in 2019

Samsung launched well over 10 smartphones under the A-series lineup of smartphones. First, it launched phones from A10 to A90 in the first two quarters of 2019. Later, the “s” variants of these phones were released.

Samsung Galaxy A series 2021 vs our take on A series (2020)

We believe that Samsung will work on what has already worked out for them. So we might see the new lineup of A series (2020) getting launched similarly as in 2019. We will see phones from A11 to A91. Later, Samsung will complement them with some “s” variants.

Check out our impressions of Samsung Galaxy A51:

Canon 90D DSLR & EOS M6 Mark II Mirrorless camera Launched in Nepal

GadgetByte

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January 3, 2020

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Canon 90D DSLR & EOS M6 Mark II Mirrorless camera Launched in Nepal

Sony and Canon are going quite aggressive these days. Maybe the demand for cameras is increasing or the competition is getting fierce, they are launching cameras one after another. Maybe it has to be the rivalry as both of these camera manufacturers planned to announce their new products on the same date. While Sony announced its new A6600 and A6100, Canon released the EOS 90D DSLR camera and its mirrorless counterpart: the Canon EOS M6 Mark II. And, both these cameras are now available in Nepal via its official distributor — CANON Image Square.

Also Read: Canon Camera Price in Nepal

Canon EOS 90D and Canon EOS M6 Mark II Overview:

At the press event, Canon executives told that these two devices are ‘basically twins’: twins in a sense that both of these cameras come with similar internals despite having different look and feel. That being said, both of these cameras come aboard with the same 32.5MP APS-C sensor. And it’s quite an upgrade over the EOS 80D and M6, which used to have a 24.2MP sensor.

For its size, the sensor has the largest resolution in any professional camera. Both of these cameras are powered with the latest Digic 8 processor to handle the image/video processing. But despite having a similar processor and sensor, the continuous shooting on the 90D can go up to 10 frames per second whereas, in the M6 Mark II, it hits 14 fps.

Even on the video front, these cameras have received quite an upgrade. These new cameras can record crop-less 4K videos at 30fps. That means the device uses the full width of the sensor while capturing the movies without any crop. And even while recording the 4K movies, you can use Dual Pixel AF because of which the autofocusing is expected to be fast and smooth.

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Although 4K videos can be recorded at 30fps, there is no option to record them at 24fps. And that can be a bummer for some. The Canon EOS M6 Mark II also doesn’t have a headphone jack, which by the way, is present on the EOS 90D. Nonetheless, you get a mic jack on the camera and you can also get a tilt-up display on the M6 Mark II and an articulating one on the 90D display. And these features make the device quite handy for self-shooting and vlogging. Apart from the ability to record the 4K videos at 30fps, there are also options to record 1080p movies at 30, 60, and 120fps.

Canon EOS M6 Mark II

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As for the connectivity, both of these cameras come with the in-built Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options on the wireless side. For wired connectivity, the Canon EOS 90D comes with the outdated MicroUSB port. But in the case of M6 Mark II, you get a rather modern USB-C port. Talking about the storage, you get single UHS-II SD card slot for both of these devices.

Despite having all these similarities between these two models, there is also a fair bit of differences. The Canon EOS 90D comes with an in-built optical viewfinder. However, the EOS M6 Mark II lacks any sort of viewfinder on its default state. However, the Canon EOS M6 Mark II features a hot-shoe on which an optional EVF-DC2 electronic viewfinder can be attached when needed. Adding to the list of differences, the 90D comes with a weather-sealed body and a joystick for moving the AF points.

Canon EOS M6 Mark II & EOS 90D Price in Nepal:

As for the price, the Canon 90D along with 18-135mm kit lens will cost Rs.2,14,900 in Nepal. In comparison, its international price is $ US1,349. Similarly, EOS M6 Mark II will arrive later next month and is expected to ost to cost around Rs. 1,50,000.

You can purchase these cameras at CANON Image Square.

Location: Shop No. 106, 1^st Floor, Civil Mall, Sundhara, Kathmandu

Contact Number: 01-4257297

Email Address: [email protected]

Vianet introduces the “Triple 20 Offer” as it enters its 20th year of service

GadgetByte

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January 2, 2020

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Vianet introduces the “Triple 20 Offer” as it enters its 20th year of service

Marketing campaigns from local ISPs have been kinda wild in recent times. They were (and still are) offering almost everything from TVs, smartphones, electric heaters, and even life insurance to persuade people to join their service. These crazy campaigns might have worked for them since a lot of people gave in to the idea of such extravagant offers. And with the country soaked in the vibe of the New Year, we have seen some subtle offers from ISPs, like the one Subisu is providing to its customer. Talking about offers, Vianet has also launched the new “Triple 20 Offer” for its internet services.

The task of choosing the perfect ISP isn’t as easy as it may seem. First of all, there are a lot of options to choose from. And the services they offer look all similar to an average Joe. So the ISPs try to attract potential customers through different schemes and campaigns.

Vianet Internet: Triple 20 Offer

We have bid goodbye to 2019. People have a large expectation with 2020 – largely because we will be celebrating the Visit Nepal 2020 as a nation. Talking about celebrations, you might have missed this but Vianet is also celebrating its 20 years in the business. That’s already two 20s and to add to that Vianet has launched a revamped 20Mbps internet plan.

Under the Vianet Triple 20 offer, this entry-level plan is now available at Rs. 11,400 per year. The discounted price of the plan is complemented by free NETTV subscription, under which you can enjoy 250+ channels for free. Vianet has also discounted Rs 1,000 on installation charges. This offer will be available until January 14 only. The aforementioned prices are exclusive of 13% VAT.

Also, read about other offers from Vianet.

Crazy Campaigns? But Why?

Back in the time, the internet was something luxurious in Nepalese society. But today, it has become a basic necessity. Every individual and household is looking for a stable connection. That is where the marketing strategies come into play. So what do you think of the new offer from Vianet?

Find out more about this offer by clicking here.
Also, check out our unboxing video of the OnePlus 7T!

Subisu brings the “Offertunity” scheme to celebrate its 19th anniversary

GadgetByte

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January 2, 2020

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Subisu brings the “Offertunity” scheme to celebrate its 19th anniversary

If you have noticed, the local ISPs have been crazy of late when it comes to their marketing campaigns. These lucrative campaigns are usually meant to attract new customers. Often users complain about companies neglecting them in their new offers. While adding a customer is important, it is a more important task for any service provider to retain them. With their recent trends of offers, Subisu looks to be a company that is working on retaining its customers, while luring in new subscribers as well. Talking about Subisu, they are currently celebrating 19 years of establishment and have announced “Offertunity” on the occasion for their internet packages.

Subisu Internet: Offertunity

Subisu is a well-known ISP in Nepal. It is one of the leading Internet, Network and Television service providers. Recently, the company has completed 19 years of its establishment and to celebrate the occasion, it has announced a new offer named the “Subisu’s Offertunity”. Let’s take a look at what the company is offering.

Under the “Internet + Clear TV Offertunity”, existing Subisu subscribers can purchase the 25Mbps Internet with Clear TV’s Premium package (275+ channels, 95+ HD channels) for 15 months’ duration. This plan will cost Rs 15,600. Its Rs 1,040 per month if you do the maths. But if you’re new and are looking to subscribe to this scheme, you’ll have to bear additional cost for the ONU device and Clear TV’s Set-Top-Box (STB).

Similarly, the “Clear TV Offertunity” costs Rs 221 per month (245+ channels, 65+ HD channels). Including the STB, this package will cost Rs. 3536 for 14 months’ duration.

Mind you, all the prices mentioned above aren’t inclusive of VAT. So, an additional 13% VAT is in store.

Along with this, users can also enjoy 3 months’ free premium subscription of Daami music. For those who are hearing the name for the first time, it is a music streaming app along with an integrated online radio service. Right now, it boasts of having over 20,000 Nepali songs to cater to.

If you are currently under any of the services provided by Subisu, you will certainly find this offer useful. An internet package with TV and music streaming subscription is unique in the Nepalese market, to say the least. It’s good to see that the company is pushing towards providing quality service for its existing as well as potential customers despite the catastrophe it suffered a couple of months ago.

MediaTek announces Dimensity 800: MediaTek’s Answer to Snapdragon 765?

GadgetByte

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January 1, 2020

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MediaTek announces Dimensity 800: MediaTek’s Answer to Snapdragon 765?

Mediatek has recently announced Dimensity 800 under the new Dimesity lineup of smartphone chipsets. The announcement was made at MediaTek’s Product Communication Conference. The chipset is aimed at the mid-range and upper mid-range segment of the market. The MediaTek Dimensity 800 will be officially launched in the first quarter of 2020 and we will probably see the phones powered by it in the third quarter of 2020; if not later.

The Dimensity Series

MediaTek launched the new Dimensity series in November. The first chip from the series –Dimensity 1000 came soon after the company’s partnership with Intel was official. The Dimensity 1000 is built on the 7nm process and comes with 8 cores (4× 2.6 GHz Cortex-A77 + 4× 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55). Upon its release, MediaTek claimed that it was the most power-efficient 5G chip in the smartphone world. The Helio M70 5G modem integrated into the chip resulted in a compact chip with the added advantage of power efficiency.

With the launch of the Oppo Reno3 5G, we also came across Mediatek’s Dimensity 1000L. The 7nm chipset comes with 8 Cores (4 x 2.2 GHz Cortex-A77 + 4 x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 ). Other than the low clocked performance cores, it shares many of its specs with Dimensity 1000. There’s also the Helio M70 modem integrated for 5G connectivity.

The Dimensity 800

Though MediaTek hasn’t revealed anything about the Dimensity 800, rumors have already started circulating the internet about its alleged specs.

The model number of the chip is thought to be MT6873. As we can guess from the moniker, the new Dimensity 800 will pack less power than the previous Dimensity 1000 5G. It is said to be an octa-core chip (2 x A76 cores + 6 x A55 cores).

According to MyDrivers, the Dimensity 800 will be based on the same architecture as the Dimensity 1000L chip but will be smaller with reduced manufacturing cost than the latter. The Dimensity 800 will also come with dual-mode 5G support as in the Dimensity 1000 and the Dimensity 1000L. It might even feature the Helio M70 modem that we saw in the previous chips.

Launch And Competitors

The Dimensity 800 will first be presented at CES 2020. The company is set to start mass production of the new Dimensity 800 in the second quarter of 2020. We might start seeing smartphones powered by this chip in the third quarter of 2020. The chip will compete against Kirin 800 series and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7-series.

Huawei Y9s now available in Nepal: Affordable mid-ranger with Pop-up camera

Nikhil Shrestha

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December 31, 2019

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Huawei Y9s now available in Nepal: Affordable mid-ranger with Pop-up camera

Huawei has been pumping out decent lower-mid range smartphones under its ‘Y’ series. The Y9 2019 was an okay-ish device with great potential which just couldn’t excel at anything particular. Similarly, the Y9 Prime was also good-enough mid-ranger that featured a pop-up camera. And now, the latest addition to them is the Huawei Y9s which brings a pop-up camera and Kirin 710F chipset to the mid-range price segment in Nepal.

Huawei Y9s Specifications

Body: 6.42 x 3.04 x 0.35 inches; 206 gm
Display: 6.59-inches “Huawei Ultra FullView” IPS LCD panel
Resolution: Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels); 19.5:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Hisilicon Kirin 710F; 12nm Mobile Platform
CPU: Octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU: Mali-G51 MP4
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB (expandable up to 512GB)
Software & UI: Android 9.0 (Pie) with Huawei’s EMUI 9.1 on top
Rear Camera: Triple-camera;
– 48 MP, f/1.8 primary shooter
– 8MP, f/2.4 ultra-wide-angle lens
– 2MP, f/2.2 depth sensor
– Single LED flash
Front Camera: 16MP, f/2.2 aperture; motorized pop-up
Security: Side-mounted Fingerprint-Scanner
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity: Hybrid Dual Sim (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), MicroSD card, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BDS, USB Type-C
Battery: 4000 mAh with 10W charging
Colors: Midnight Black, Breathing Crystal

Huawei Y9s Overview

Design and Display

Starting with the design, the Y9s features a similar notch-less and bezel-less display like the Y9 Prime. However, there are still minimal bezels on the top and the bottom resulting in an 84.7% screen-to-body ratio. The display here is a tall 6.59-inches LCD panel with Full-HD+ resolution. So, I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching videos or other content on the Huawei Y9s.

Moreover, the phone’s front and back are made of glass with aluminum frame giving it a premium look and feel despite being a lower-midrange phone. And like the recent Nova 5T, you get a side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the Y9s.

Also Read: Huawei Mobile Price in Nepal [Updated]

Camera

Moving to the camera, it has a triple rear-camera setup with a 48MP primary unit. There’s an additional 8MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP depth sensor for those bokeh effects, while the 12MP selfie camera rises from underneath the top frame of the phone.

Performance and Memory

Now, the performance isn’t something impressive on the Y9s as it comes with the same Kirin 710F that we saw on the Y9 Prime. It is a good chipset but not good enough for an upper midrange phone. However, Huawei has been gracious enough to embed the base and only variant of the Y9s with 6/128GB memory. Moreover, it runs on Android 9 (Pie) with EMUI 9.1 on top, with all Google’s suite of applications and services. So, no trouble there!

Battery

On to the battery, there’s the standard 4000 mAh unit. The disappointing news here is that it comes with a significantly slower 10W charging. So, while the competition is providing 18W or higher charging, Huawei couldn’t be bothered to include a faster charging on its less expensive smartphones.

Huawei Y9s Price in Nepal & Availability

The price fo Huawei Y9s in Nepal is Rs 33,900. You can get your hands on the device through official Huawei showrooms, and select online and offline stores in Nepal.

Model Name	Price in Nepal	Available stores
Huawei Y9s (6/128GB)	Rs 33,900	Dokoman Mobile Retail Shops

Though the price of the Huawei Y9s in Nepal is similar to that on the foreign market, I feel it’s not that competitive when looking at the competitors. The phone is available for NRs. 33,900, which I think is a little more than it should’ve been. For a similar price or less, you can get Xiaomi’s killer mid-ranger – the Redmi Note 8 Pro or Samsung’s Galaxy A50s which is a great phone as well, since it received a significant price-drop.

Xiaomi’s Redmi Go gets a price cut in Nepal; Enjoy 4G & Android at cheapest price

Pratima Adhikari

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December 31, 2019

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Xiaomi’s Redmi Go gets a price cut in Nepal; Enjoy 4G & Android at cheapest price

Android Go has been released with the aim of providing the cheapest of smartphones with a good, if not a full Android experience. And with a similar goal, Xiaomi launched the Redmi Go in Nepal some 6 months ago. However, Xiaomi is now offering both the 8GB and 16GB variants of the Redmi Go at a discounted price.

Xiaomi Redmi Go Specs Overview:

Going by the specs, the Redmi Go is a 5-inch device with HD resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio. You get the very basic 1GB RAM with 8 or 16 GB expandable storage (the expansion is via a dedicated slot up to 128 GB).

Likewise, the performance is put together by the Quad-core Snapdragon 425 ( clocked at 1.4 GHz, Cortex A53) chipset with Adreno 308 GPU. As mentioned earlier, the Redmi Go is based on the Android Go operating system (Android 8.1 Oreo).

As far as the cameras go, you get a single 8 MP camera with LED flash and HDR feature. The front houses a decent 5 MP shooter for selfies.

Moving on, the phone has Dual SIM slots and the phone does support 4G. Backing up the Redmi Go is a modest 3,000 mAh battery, which is considerable for the price.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mobiles price in Nepal

Xiaomi Redmi Go specifications:

Operating System: Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition)
CPU: Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (28nm)
GPU: Adreno 308
SIM (s): Dual SIM
Display: 5.0 inches HD IPS LCD screen with 16:9 aspect ratio
Rear cameras: 8 MP with LED flash and HDR
Video: 1080p
Front camera: 5 MP with HDR
RAM: 1 GB
ROM: 8 GB (expandable up to 128 GB with a dedicated slot)
Battery: Non- removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery, MicroUSB 2.0
Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity
Colors: Blue and Black
Others: Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi Direct, hotspot

Xiaomi Redmi Go Price in Nepal, Availability:

The Xiaomi Redmi Go is available in 2 variants in Nepal: 8GB and 16GB. The price of the 8GB variant of the Redmi Go is Rs. 7,499 (previously: Rs.8,999). Similarly, the 16GB variant costs Rs. 7,999 (previously Rs. 9,999). You can avail the offer from 900+ Mi stores in Nepal.

Model Name	Price in Nepal	Availability
Xiaomi Redmi Go (1/8GB)	Rs. 7,499	Mobile Retail Shops
Xiaomi Redmi Go (1/16GB)	Rs. 7,999	Mobile Retail Shops

Daraz hopes to continue its success from 2019 in 2020

GadgetByte

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December 31, 2019

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Daraz hopes to continue its success from 2019 in 2020

Daraz has, without a doubt, created a shift in the lifestyle for both businesses and customers alike. Buying anything without the hassle of a salesperson and getting it delivered to your doorsteps, I mean what’s there not to love? From customizing user experience by incorporating AI, creating jobs, launching card pre-payment – Daraz has been covering all the milestones that lead Nepal to a digital era.

Their statistic really show how much we as a country have become accustomed to the world of e-commerce.

Daraz 2019 – Statistics

This year alone the site had 339,069 visitors and about 1,239,940 total orders. Moreover, 3,062 sellers successfully sold their items. The majority of these figures can be seen owing to the recent 11.11 campaign. The second rendition of this shopping spree took place on November 11 as the previous year. Not only that, the 2nd Daraz 11.11 saw more than 3.5 Lakh users registered in a single day. Now that’s more than double of what it was in 2018’s 11.11.

Daraz’s Managing Director, Lino Alhering said that the campaign broke all records for Sale Day. They received almost 50,000 orders within those 24 hours. The team even went on to organize another campaign named “12.12” after the modest success of the former.

The Future

The statistics clearly show the meteoric rise of Daraz in the past couple of years. This is mainly due to the fact that the company has always looked forward towards improvement.

In 2019 alone multiple upgrades were introduced in Daraz. These upgrades include pre-payment options through Debit/Credit card; better review and rating system including a feature that allows direct chat with the seller in real time called instant messaging; in-app games and much more.

In addition to all these, Daraz has also invested in improving its infrastructures. By establishing its own logistics unit called Daraz Express (DEX), along with employing more than 300 personnel, the company really hopes for good days in the future too.

Not only that, multiple new brands have also joined Daraz this term. THe new faces include the likes of Samsung, Casio, Adidas, Titan, Xiaomi, Sonam Gears, TVS, and more.

With such a huge upgrade since 2018, it’s no wonder that the company’s number of sellers and orders have increased by 200% and 270% respectively.

As per their data, Daraz currently hosts 100,00 plus users daily. And along with that, delivers more than 1.6 Lakh packages all over Nepal each month. The upgrades that Daraz made last year will certainly help them achieve their aim of increasing these figures in 2020.

Most of us witnessed the improvement in Daraz app this year, and the company hopes to keep doing so in the future as well. Currently, they are working on introducing new payment methods such as digital wallets and more entertainment features for its consumers in 2020. Furthermore, the company is also looking to further digitize the logistical ecosystem.

Nevertheless, the company will need to continue working on educating buyers through social media, video ads, and other outreaches. They clearly still have a long way to go to earn the buyers’ trust in Nepal. But with more and more people opting for virtual service these days, as depicted by the Daraz year-end data, I reckon it won’t be long before the company becomes a household name for online shopping.

“The company has had its fair share of success as well as criticism. This is acknowledged by Daraz’s MD himself saying feedback and criticism are what help them improve and be better.” But other than that, their business model and the kind of revolution that they have brought into the Nepalese market is really amazing. Everything is now at your fingertips. I really hope that sites such as Daraz really hit off in the market in the coming days.

Facebook Messenger to ditch sign up using phone numbers

GadgetByte

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December 31, 2019

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Everyone has heard of Facebook Messenger. Most of us even use it in our daily life to reach out to our friends, family, local businesses, and whatnot. Those who have at least tried Facebook’s messaging platform must have signed up for the service. Until now, there were two ways to sign up for Facebook Messenger; one through your Facebook account and the other through your phone number. Facebook has quietly ditched the latter, and now everyone will be forced to create a Facebook account to use the Messenger app.

Facebook Messenger: The story so far…

Before Messenger became a thing, there was Facebook Chat. It was developed in 2008 to help people connect to their Facebook friends. Facebook overhauled the service in 2010 and about a year later released Messenger as a standalone app.

In 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp. Facebook couldn’t resist bidding for the app as it showed a phenomenal user growth rate at that time. A year later, Facebook introduced the feature to sign up for messenger using phone number; a trick they learned from WhatsApp.

Facebook Messenger Sign up: The Current Scenario

If you try to sign up for Messenger as a new user you will notice that the feature to sign up using the phone number is no longer available. You will be forced to create a Facebook account to use the messaging platform.

Facebook confirmed the change in an email sent to VentureBeat. The feature was removed to simplify the process of signing up as the majority of the Messenger user had already signed in using their Facebook account. It was also clarified in the email that all the Messenger users who had signed up for the app through their mobile number before the change will not be affected.

Also read: Facebook Pay launched – Will be available across Facebook’s family of apps

The Transition Phase

Unlike the claim by Facebook, the transition hasn’t been smooth for all of its users. Some users, who had used their phone numbers to sign up for Messenger before the change, have reported that they are receiving messages that say that their account has been restricted. Some have even taken to Reddit to share the problem.

Other Changes…

Facebook has also stepped back from using the data provided for two-factor authentication for its “People you may know” feature. The decision was made following the revelation of the fact that Facebook had been using the contact numbers provided for the 2FA for advertisement purposes.

The Bigger Picture

The recent move to remove the sign-up using mobile number aligns with the company’s attempt to unify WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Facebook plans to bring all of its messaging platforms under an integrated infrastructure. The plan for unification was announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the start of 2019.