Smart Shopper PNG

When it comes to smartphones, the world is undisputedly owned by Apple and Samsung. For proof, look no further than the list of Top 10 best-selling smartphones in the world (Q1-Q2 2023). [1]   and   [2] You will not see one Chinese brand on the list. Despite the relative ‘affordability’ of Chinese phones – the global market is dominated by Apple and Samsung. Before we look at the fail, let’s look at the market landscape as it reveals even more about Apple-Samsung dominance. For starters, China has the world’s largest smartphone user base “with a staggering 783 million users.”   [3] The smartphone market base is twice as big as India and three times bigger than the USA. In China, leading Chinese ‘home brands’ like Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Lenovo command significant market shares, although this is more driven by affordability. In China, Apple is the sole major non-Chinese brand, holding around 20% of the 5G smartphone market share. Mind you, 20% is a ...

  The new Galaxy S24 smartphones have been announced and here is some advice: Don’t buy anything less. If you can afford it, buy the S24 because it is an absolute game-changer. When Galaxy launched the new S24 line-up a few weeks ago it was met with immediate rave reviews. Samsung has teamed up with Google to introduce generative Ai features in the new phone. These features include ·         circle to search (snap a photo, circle or mark what you want to know more about, and Google will find it for you)   ·         Simultaneous real-time live translation of foreign language phone calls – not just text, but also speech!  😮 ·         Ai suggestions for editing your photos, and achieved with a simple click! One commentator said: “This is the kind of sci-fi futuristic stuff people have been hoping for. Now it’s finally here!” The new S24 comes packed i...

Forty Years: Stories of Hope, Hardship and Success. The 40th Anniversary of Hargy Oil Palms, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea.  (Kindle Edition) is now available on Amazon. Synopsis In November 2017, author Glenn Armstrong and photographer Rocky Roe were invited to visit the Hargy Oil Palm plantations and operations located in a remote region of West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. Their task was to document and record a 'snapshot' of the company on the eve of its 40th anniversary - to capture the experience of being part of the vast expanse that is Hargy Oil Palms - the geography, industry and humanity. In these parts, at the foot of Mount Ulawun, one of Papua New Guinea's most active volcanoes, tenacity makes the difference between failure and success. The book, first published as a hardcover in 2018, contains first-hand accounts of Hargy's 40 year history - stories of hope, hardship and success. The latest eBook release includes an update on the...

In November last year we gave you some useful tips on buying a mobile phone. Now, with ‘back to school’ just around the corner, it’s time to look at the laptop-buying experience, which is slightly more complicated. 1. Operating system Apple Similar to smart phones, it’s Apple vs the rest of the world. The rest of the world is bigger. Apple's macOS is a bit more beginner-friendly than Windows, but it binds you to the Apple eco-system. Apple Mac laptops are expensive, so make sure it is what you really need, want and can afford. Apple uses its own chips, which we will get to shortly. Windows Windows is the most popular choice in the world and gives you access to Microsoft apps like MS Office, Access, or Outlook. For desktop and laptop computers, Microsoft's Windows is the most used globally at 69%, followed by Apple's macOS at 21%, and Google's ChromeOS at 3.7% (in the US up to 7.9%). It therefore stands to reason that there are also more laptops using Windo...

Our previous blog looked at distance learning as a viable option for students. Distance learning is delivered through a platform called a 'virtual classroom'.  A virtual classroom includes the following features: video conferencing: using the best web conferencing software to facilitate learner-teacher-learner communication; digital whiteboards: offering real-time demonstrations and diagrams; instant messaging: allowing typed conversations on lower bandwidths; participation controls: enabling students to participate in discussions, mute their surroundings or virtually ‘raise their hands’; sub-chats: breakout rooms to facilitate collaboration between learners; video recording and downloading: to save live lectures as video-on-demand for later reference; end-to-end encryption: to ensure virtual classroom access is restricted to authorized learners. Virtual teaching tools exist in PNG - right here, right now! Not only does distance learning provide opportu...

No, we’re not talking about a wacky ‘free education’ system, we are talking about access to world-class ‘distance’ or ‘remote’ learning. Distance learning allows you to study anywhere in the world without having to leave your home – it’s a form of education in which the main elements include physical separation of teachers and students during instruction and the use of various technologies to facilitate student-teacher and student-student communication. Distance learning allows students to pursue academic qualifications while working a job or carrying out their personal schedules. It facilitates learning from home without the additional costs of accommodation and travel. This is done through the use of virtual meeting and conference platforms. Is it effective? Well, 85% of surveyed online students said that they found distance learning the same as or even better than traditional classroom-based courses. The global online education market is also projected to reach US$350 billio...