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政府已于2017年9月15日推出「创科创投基金」。该计划现正接受风险投资基金申请成为共同投资伙伴(截止日期:2018年1月15日)。简介会将于2017年10月3日于香港科学园举行，欢迎风险投资基金出席。

According to ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory, the total value of Augmented Reality (AR) in education will be approximately US$5.3 billion by 2023. At the same time, total revenues from Virtual Reality (VR) Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) used in education are expected to grow beyond US$640 million.AR and VR are powerful educational tools that can enhance the learning journey and outcome by providing interactive and engaging content, immersive storytelling experiences, flexibility and independence to students.“AR and VR educational applications shift the learning process from passive to active, allowing students to interact with content and practice their knowledge in real-time conditions,” said Eleftheria Kouri, Research Analyst at ABI Research. “Learning by experience leads to better understanding, enhances knowledge recall, and strengthens retention. Immersive and interactive experiences stimulate student’s motivation and increase their engagement level, which are fundamental factors for achieving learning goals.”Funding is one of the primary barriers for massive adoption of AR/VR solutions within educational systems, due to the high cost of headsets along with the limited financial resources in many schools. Mobile device-based solutions are a cost-efficient option due to the existing large install base, although fully immersive experiences aren’t possible. Head-mounted experiences provide the most immersive experience possible but also can be challenging when it comes to price and implementation.Average Selling Prices (ASPs) for AR glasses are expected to significantly decrease in the next few years, reaching US$733 for monocular and US$347 for binocular by 2023, which will help bring more AR to space. However, VR will reach lower device costs, with standalone headsets trending down toward US$200 ASP by 2023 and mobile-based VR housings for far less. Ease of setup and use with standalone devices make it a favorite for educational purposes.“AR and VR solutions can significantly enhance learning experiences for all age groups and assist educational efforts through greater student interest and interactivity, leading to objective improvements in learning efficacy,” continued Eric Abbruzzese, Principal Analyst at ABI Research. “In an ongoing quest to maintain student’s attention, new visualization and interaction tools are a natural fit. Greater visualization capabilities fit in upper learning and research efforts as well, so AR/VR can address the entire education ecosystem from Kindergarten through to post-graduate research. Add to this the flexibility of digital updateable and customizable content in a curriculum, and AR and VR are set up to play a catalytic role in education system going forward, provided the lowering prices and increasing content creation continue.”These findings are from ABI Research's Augmented and Virtual Reality in Education application analysis report. Caption: Image from iStockPhoto/gorodenkoff

InterContinental Shenzhen, Shenzhen Telecom and Huawei have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to create the world's first 5G smart hotel.By introducing the hotel industry’s first end-to-end 5G network with integrated terminals and cloud applications, the project will enable InterContinental Shenzhen to provide guests with the ultimate innovative luxury experience and open the door for digital transformation of entire hotel industry through 5G technology.Shenzhen Telecom is deploying Huawei's 5G network equipment in the InterContinental Shenzhen to achieve continuous indoor and outdoor 5G coverage, which will serve as the platform for a new generation of hotel services.Guests will experience innovative 5G hotel applications through 5G smartphones and customer-premises equipment (CPE) terminals, including 5G welcome robots, 5G cloud computing terminals, 5G cloud games and 5G cloud virtual reality (VR) rowing machines, providing business travelers with a convenient and efficient working environment, and leisure travelers with a high-end, immersive entertainment experience.InterContinental Shenzhen is the first Spanish-inspired luxury business hotel in China. It is also a leading partner for major local and global events. Throughout the years, InterContinental Shenzhen has won numerous international and domestic hotel industry awards for its creativity, attentiveness and personalized service.For the project’s kick-off ceremony, Shenzhen Telecom and Huawei jointly deployed a 5G Digital Indoor System on the hotel’s first floor and in the presidential suites.In the hotel lobby, guests can access the 5G network through CPEs or their smartphones to experience high speed 5G downloads and uploads. Service efficiency is improved with 5G intelligent robots that provide services including guest information, destination guidance, and delivery.The presidential suites covered by the new network provide guests with 5G hotel services such as cloud VR rowing machines, cloud games and 4K movies.An experience zone that was built for today’s ceremony featured the world’s fastest mobile download rate and a uniquely versatile telecommunications and entertainment guest experience.Golden Sun, General Manager of Shenzhen OCT Hotel Development Co Ltd, said: “the hotel always puts the guest experience first. Since consumer spending is continuously increasing, consumers are craving higher quality and better consumer experiences.“Guests expect new things and new experiences. The joint venture with Shenzhen Telecom and Huawei has brought more possibilities to the hotel. Riding on the advanced technology, we can imagine our future and fly with it freely. We are excited to see the 5G experience zone in InterContinental Shenzhen as this is the first step for our three parties to build 5G hotels.“On the other hand, we also hope to realize the comprehensive transformation of smart hotels and digital hotels by introducing 5G technology. We are willing to further cooperating with Shenzhen Telecom and Huawei to explore more in-depth application of 5G in the hotel scene, we hope that our experience can help the digital construction of the hotel industry and tourism."“InterContinental Shenzhen is a reputable scenario for Shenzhen Telecom. The good number of VIP customers, high user experience standard, short delivery period and high construction environment requirements, all pose great challenges to network deployment and operation and maintenance.” Feng Wei, Deputy General Manager of China Telecom Shenzhen Branch, said.Dr. Peter Zhou, Chief Marketing Officer of Huawei Wireless Solution, said: "5G is here - from the 4K ultra high-definition live broadcast of CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala early this year to today’s 5G entertainment and business transformation of the InterContinental Shenzhen’s presidential suites, 5G technology has penetrated into different industries.” 

China Mobile Hong Kong will use its relocated Hong Kong Open Lab to stimulate the adoption of 5G and the development of 5G applications

Hong Kong based payment and cryptocurrency platform provider Crypto.com has added a regulated stablecoin developed by US-based Paxos to its platform

McAfee antivirus users have joined those of Sophos and Avast in complaining about Windows Update breaking their systems

Serverless computing is designed to automate infrastructure provisioning and eliminate the burden of server management

Businesses are aware of the importance of delivering first-class personalized customer experiences (CX), but the implementation of marketing and CX technology remains fragmented, according to new research from Adobe in partnership with Econsultancy.The “Digital Intelligence Briefing: 2019 Digital Trends” promises insights into the current state of digital trends set to impact companies this year. The report is based on a global survey of more than 12,500 marketing, advertising, e-commerce, creative and IT professionals working for both brands and agencies.The role of DXAccording to the report, a significant amount (19%) of respondents cite customer experience optimization as the most exciting opportunity this year. Surprisingly, a majority (54%) of global companies categorize their CX maturity as either “not very advanced” (46%) or downright “immature” (8%).Indeed, 44% of marketers said the biggest challenge they face this year is “difficulty getting a holistic view of customers across all interactions”, while 31% of marketers see a “lack of marketing technology integrations” as a barrier to securing an end-to-end view of audience and customer interactions.And while personalization remains an area of focus for organizations looking to provide advanced customer experience, 44% of marketers admit that the biggest challenge they face is “difficulty getting a holistic view of customers across all interactions”.On that front, almost a third (31%) of marketers cited a “lack of marketing technology integrations” as a barrier to securing an end-to-end view of audience and customer interactions.DX in APACIn the Asia Pacific (APAC), just 9% of the organizations in the region regard their customer experience as “very advanced”, compared to 15% of US respondents that described their companies this way. Indeed, 24% of APAC executives describe themselves as cautious compared with 34% in the US.It is worth noting that organizations that classify themselves as CX leaders are almost three times more likely than their peers to have exceeded their top 2018 business goal by a significant market, notes the report. More than anything, this illustrates the fact that CX is now an essential differentiator for businesses today.Unsurprisingly, one in four (24%) of APAC businesses state that they have experienced a positive rather than negative impact from the increased focus on consumer data protection.Technology underpins successUltimately, a more unified approach in marketing technology is needed. This area is notoriously fragmented, no thanks due to the historical build-up of outdated systems and disparate solutions and homegrown fixes dedicated to quickly plug gaps and address new needs, notes the report.Achieving the potential of digital transformation hence necessitates that businesses establish an effective technology base and leverage the right kind of digital technologies for successful CX – such as through the use of data-driven marketing and machine learning.“Our research indicates that as new techniques and practices related to customer experience emerge, organizations are struggling to keep up with the rate of change,” said Paula Parkes, Adobe Asia Pacific Senior Director of Marketing. “Our priority is to work with brands to unlock the possibilities of customer experience management and accelerate their business transformation.”“Although organizations understand the importance of data-driven marketing and technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, there is a lag in implementation. Instead, many companies resort to using a patchwork of technologies, resulting in business fragmentation,” she said.The full report from Adobe can be downloaded here (free registration).Further reading:Adobe sets the stage for the future of customer experienceAdobe launches Experience Platform for real-time personalization at scaleAdobe: Why it pays to be an experience business Caption: Image credit: iStockphoto by Getty Images/Warchi

Customer engagement software provider Freshworks this week announced the integration of its customer engagement suite with WhatsApp Business to offer on-the-go conversational support via WhatsApp.The move will allow Freshworks to manage and route user conversations on WhatsApp within the Freshworks customer engagement suite using Omniroute. The result is better customer service and more efficient support through WhatsApp and other integrated channels on the Freshworks platform.Supporting users on WhatsAppSpecifically, the Freshworks integration will allow users to reach businesses with any query, directly on WhatsApp, and businesses can immediately respond and offer support.Over 1.5 billion people from 180 countries use WhatsApp to stay in touch with family and friends, and the messaging platform is particularly popular in countries such as India, Malaysia and Singapore.The integration with the WhatsApp Business solution further fulfills this promise while giving businesses the power to manage conversations at scale. Responses can be text messages, images, GIFs, attachments or from a selection of canned responses.In addition, Freshchat dashboard provides separate insights on WhatsApp conversations, like chat volume and productivity within the WhatsApp channel. According to Freshworks, this integration is already available in four continents leveraged by support and sales functions across verticals like e-commerce, media, travel, and finance.“Users no longer have to jump through hoops to reach out to a business - all they have to do is flip out their mobile and engaging with their favorite brand is just a message away on WhatsApp,” said Girish Mathrubootham, CEO of Freshworks.“Omnichannel customer engagement is becoming the imperative to providing great customer support. The integration with the enormously popular WhatsApp platform enables customers and prospects to get in touch with businesses instantly, offering support through this widely used medium of choice,” he said.Further reading:WhatsApp crosses a billion users, but faces long road aheadZendesk launches WhatsApp Business Solution integrationIndia set to offer Whatsapp mobile payments soon Caption: Image credit: iStockphoto by Getty Images/Jacob Ammentorp Lund

Salesforce recently launched the Asia Pacific AI Readiness Index, which evaluates the quality and strength of AI frameworks and ecosystems in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.Specifically, the Index examines AI readiness across the spheres of consumer, business and government, and provides practical recommendations to improve AI adoption in these three areas.Commissioned by Salesforce and prepared by TRPC, the report sets out the potential benefits and challenges of AI, and through qualitative research and quantitative modelling, assesses the ability of consumers, businesses, and governments to adopt, deploy, and support AI technologies.Some key findings of the report include:Singapore leads the region in overall AI readiness followed by Hong Kong and India Singapore also takes the lead in terms of business and government readiness Thailand takes the lead in terms of consumer readiness, followed by Hong Kong and Singapore AI adoption remains is fragmented and uneven across the region Trust and accountability are key to wider AI adoption, and Governments must drive AI readinessSingapore ranks highest in the overall Index due to it having one of the region’s most progressive and conducive approaches to AI.From data protection laws to nationwide cybersecurity strategies, Singapore’s institutions have built strong regulatory foundations to maximize the impact of digital technologies on the economy.Sassoon Grigorian, Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Salesforce, makes the following recommendations:Strengthen AI-specific data protection policies: The Singapore government must demonstrate its hardline stance on the misuse or misappropriation of private information. Strengthening both data protection and business certainty in a fast-evolving technological environment is the road to a solid foundation for countering data breaches, ensuring public trust and the continued development of AI.   Build a regional hub for AI research centers: Singapore has been successful in attracting businesses to set up regional headquarters that service the rest of the region. A similar approach must be adopted to ensure AI businesses create and grow local AI research centers. This will not only give Singapore a strong foothold in the regional AI value chain, it will give it further the region’s ability to develop a local AI talent pool.   Strengthen skills upgrading initiatives to build a homegrown pool of versatile AI talent: AI Singapore has launched two initiatives – AI for Industry (AI4I) and AI for Everyone (AI4E) – to equip 12,000 Singaporeans over the next three years. This is a great start, but more needs to be done for Singapore to become a regional AI hub. Whether it is introducing coding at an early age or encouraging computational thinking, making AI a part of the education system can both bridge the local AI talent gap and quell future workers’ fears of the impact of AI on their jobs.   Incentivize creativity and innovation to foster a dynamic AI ecosystem: Innovative capabilities are becoming core business skills. From tech start-ups to multinational corporations, businesses are looking beyond employees’ technical skills to remain competitive.54 The ability to think critically and solve problems creatively are highly sought-after competences that Singapore cannot afford to neglect. Apart from fostering such aptitudes in educational institutions, Singapore can incentivise out-of-the-box thinking in the workplace by making it one of many KPIs for career progression. Further reading:Infographics: Asia Pacific AI-Readiness Index  Three ways to accelerate AI adoption Three AI breakthroughs and what they mean for business 

A significant proportion of brands collect feedback, but fail to act on it, according to a new report by Qualtrics, which noted that failing to act on insights and address negative experiences have an adverse impact on customer loyalty.Feedback mattersAccording to the “State of Customer Feedback” report, 42% of consumers say brands collect feedback but fail to act on it. This is based on a survey of 500 consumers.Around four out of five (84%) consumers say they are less likely to buy again when negative feedback remains unresolved. When resolved, however, 54 percent of respondents say they are more likely to purchase again.In Singapore, it was found that less than half of customer feedback (48%) is being actioned. Another 42 percent says the feedback was acknowledged but not acted upon, while 10 percent says feedback were ignored completely.The speed at which customers expect responses vary depending on the feedback channel used. Overall, 80 percent of consumers want feedback within 24 hours - with just under two-thirds (62%) saying it is received within this timeframe.Social media has emerged as a popular tool for customers to provide feedback, with LinkedIn and Instagram are the most likely feedback channels in which brands are deemed most likely to respond within a 24-hour time frame.In addition, email is the preferred option among consumers for sharing positive (39%) and negative (40%) feedback. Online reviews are also a popular platform for positive feedback, with 28 percent opting for this platform. When it comes to sharing negative feedback, phones are the preferred platform after email (18%).“Organizations can engage with customers on their terms, interact with them when and where it suits them, and get straight to the issues that matter using dynamic data collection tools that adapt intelligently to feedback in real-time,” suggested Foo Mao Gen, Head of Southeast Asia, Qualtrics, who suggested that companies leverage the feedback to deliver a better experience in the future.Further reading:Why Cathay Pacific decided to revamp its customer feedback systemHow AI is set to revolutionize the customer experienceBuilding an integrated customer experience for traditional and online retail Caption: Image credit: iStockphoto by Getty Images/MicroStockHub

Hong Kong’s online lending pioneer has gone beyond using AWS for compute and storage purposes. It now using AWS for AI, automation and security to name a few

The latest Gartner Emerging Risk Monitor Report revealed that concerns about rapidly accelerating privacy regulations and their associated regulatory burdens are the top emerging risk that organizations face globally.The quarterly survey of 98 senior executives across industries and geographies showed that “accelerating privacy regulation” (64%) had overtaken “talent shortages” as the top emerging risk in the Q1 2019 Emerging Risk Monitor survey (see Figure 1). Concerns around privacy regulations were consistently spread across the globe, denoting the increasingly numerous and geographically specific regulations that companies must now comply with.“With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) now in effect, executives realize that complying with privacy regulations is more complex and costly than first anticipated,” said Matt Shinkman, managing vice president and risk practice leader at Gartner. “More budget dollars from IT, legal and information security are going to address GDPR compliance, just as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is set to take effect, adding another layer of complexity for companies to navigate in this area.”RELATED: Gartner forecasts worldwide information security spending to exceed US$124B in 2019Figure 1. Top five risks by overall risk score: 2Q18, 3Q18, 4Q18, 1Q19Source: Gartner (April 2019)The data showed a particularly elevated concern among executives from the banking, financial services, technology and telecommunications, and food, beverage and consumer goods sectors, with at least 70% of executives in each sector indicating it as a top risk. The CCPA is one of several new global privacy regulations modeled after Europe’s GDPR law, which has been in effect since 2018. An increasingly fragmented data privacy regulatory landscape, with new privacy laws also recently enacted in Australia and Japan, have complicated the path to full privacy compliance for many organizations. “We are now seeing an evolution from GDPR-specific concerns, which have been on executives’ minds for the past couple of years, to a broader recognition that their organizations need to overhaul their entire data security governance strategies,” said Shinkman. “GDPR compliance is really just the starting gun in this process, and not the finish line.”A number of other emerging risks cited in the survey may also be contributing to executive unease around accelerating privacy regulation. “Pace of change” was the second overall risk most concerning to executives surveyed. Concerns about lagging or misconceived digitization were both among the top five risks, while outdated policies and procedures were flagged as a top 10 risk. Caption: Image from iStockPhoto/zoranm

The Communications Authority has accepted revised commitments from HKBN and WTT to address competition concerns arising from their imminent merger

JOS, Manulife, Hong Kong Maxim's Group and Sino Group have named the winners of this year's JOS Innovation Awards

Cisco Talos says state-sponsored attackers are battering DNS to gain access to sensitive networks and systems