New Year Issue The handelot times issue 17 02. Intro THE HANDELOT TIMES- The Online B2B Magazine for Electronics Wholesalers The tech industry is changing quickly and we want to keep you up to date with the latest news. We are developing ourselves by opening up to new innovations in IT. We are growing and keeping a reliable source of B2B information from all over the world. With The Handelot Times, we will bring you more information about market trends, share cutting-edge ideas, and bring our world together with yours. Handelot.com- 10 years on the market The Handelot Times: Design: Adam Mieloszynski Copywriter: Melania Romanelli Copywriter: Brendan James Copywriter: Kazi Najib Ashraf Copywriter: The Old Hand Associates of the organisation: Taha Tuzuner – Business Consultant Team Leader Dima Malovanyi – Business Consultant Team Leader Alicja Gogola – Business Consultant Omar Benabdellah – Business Consultant Koushik Deka – Business Consultant Trang Nguyen – Business Consultant Jon Rodriguez – Business Consultant Venktesh Prasad – Business Consultant Jack Serdak – Business Consultant Victoria Chen – Business Development Iryna Mats – Administrative Manager Basak Senturk – Partner Coordinator Team Lead Aleksandra Rządkowska – Partner Coordinator Katarzyna Mroczkowska – Partner Coordinator Paulina Franikowska – Partner Coordinator Elzbieta Di Franco – Partner Coordinator Svitlana Shaposhnikova – Graphic designer Khrystyna Terletska – Administration Tetiana Handziuk – Administration Agnieszka Pulawska – CFO Valentyn Petruchek – Head of Development Alexander Golovnya – Development Cesar Gonzalez Patryk Skowron Advertising: For quotes please email times@handelot.com or call us at +48717152600. 02. Intro 03. Index 04-05. Quick Hits 06-07. VIP Interview Yusuf Karatas 08-09. Yukatel - Mobile Phones 10-11. TOP smartphones of the 2020 range_ more expensive, larger and 5G 12-14. 2020 trends for the Digital Workspace 15. Top Products Top Manufacturer Top Brands Top Models 16-17. Smart telecom 18-20. Brendan's Takeaways 21. Teksmart Used Phones Specialist 22-23. VIP Article- The Old Hand_2020 24-25. PPA - Mobile Phones 26-29. VIP Gold + services 30-31. Kitchen Tech in the 2010s and 2020s 32. Technology & Spirituality 33. Novaphone - Mobile Phones 34. What are the smartphones that take the best photos 35. JBdata Poland- Stop Business Terrorists 36- 38. Najibs corner Your Guid to a new You 39. H-asia - Mobile Phones 40-41. Rural Agent Networks 42-44.The best games of 2019 for PC, Xbox, PS4 and Mobile 45. Smartphone market 2019_ third quarter results 46-47. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite is official_ let's find out together 48-50. The best smartphones of 2019 51.The console market grew in 2019 but less than expected 52-53. What is handelot TEN- FAQ 54-55The Changing Perception of Gamers 56-57The technology trends that will dominate 2020 58-59 What Did We Get Wrong 60-61. Will Apple will overtake Samsung and Huawei in the 5G smartphone war in 2020 62-64. E-commerce in 2020_ changes, evolutions and trends 65. HANDELOT TEN back 04. QUICK HITS A selection of news from around the tech world. Via Telecompaper, Poland's state development bank BGK has concluded agreements with commercial banks and other entities on providing loans to operators deploying broadband networks under the state's Digital Poland program. Per GSMArena, Chinese smartphone brand RealMe is getting into the earbud game, including functions that lets users send different audio to wired and wireless headphones.For more on RealMe, read this issue’s Takeaways From The East. Worldwide semiconductor revenue decreased 11.9 percent year-on-year to USD 418.3 billion in 2019, according to preliminary results by Gartner and reported by Telecompaper. Intel regained the lead in the market as the downturn in the memory market negatively impacted many of the top vendors, including Samsung Electronics, the top vendor by revenue in 2017 and 2018. Techradar and Max Weinbach say that the upcoming Samsung S20 Ultra 5G will feature the typical SD Card slot with support for up to 1TB, up to 512GB of storage, up to 16GB RAM, and an astounding 108MP main camera, which led to speculation that prices will skyrocket for this line of mid-range phones. More on Samsung from GSM Arena, the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 will allegedly be called the Galaxy Z Flip. This follows news that the newest iteration of the Fold, which will be smaller than the first, will continue to use the Snapdragon 855 chipset. The site further went on to discuss that they expect foldable phones to be a major feature in the freshly-started year. Moreover, the publication expects them to get cheaper, as evidenced by Motorola’s new Razr. Bloomberg reports that Vodafone is looking to strengthen its position in South Africa by talking with Cell C Pty Ltd. about taking on the smaller rival’s contract-paying mobile-phone customers. The move would add a million more users to Vodafone’s subscriber base. Polish mobile operator Plus has incorporated Radoslaw Semklo in the management board of the company, per Telecompaper. Semklo will be a member of the board responsible for the IT segment. 05. Quick Hits Google: all smartphones coming out after January 2020 must have Android 10 Android 10 was launched in early September but Google has just confirmed that all phones launched after January 31, 2020 will need to have the new operating system on board. According to the developers of XDA, Google will authorize the use of GMS (Google Mobile Services) only to manufacturers who have provided smartphones that integrate an Android 10-based build. The step taken by the Mountain View company goes in a very specific direction: that of guaranteeing all manufacturers to offer updated software to their users. This will allow Google to distribute even more timely security updates. However, the builds will (only) have to be approved before January 31st. This means that it will be technically possible for a phone to go on the market after that date with an older version of Android. GMS are basically within the Google app package, as are the Google Play Store and all services provided outside of China. An important exception is for the moment represented by the Mate 30 series which is about to be launched worldwide without GMS, due to the commercial ban imposed on Huawei by the United States Department of Commerce. eReaders’ new era: they look like a book, but they are waterproof intelligent devices Physical buttons to turn the page with one hand, 7 'anti-glare screen, weight of only 192 grams, storage memory that allows you to keep 6 thousand books in your ereader: the new Kobo Libra H20 comes in two colors (black and white ), with 4 original SleepCovers (black, gray, pink and water), and is waterproof up to 60 minutes at two meters deep. Thanks to the resolution of 1680 x 1264 300 ppi, it offers a high definition reading experience and is characterized by a design that allows it to be gripped both with one hand and with both hands (the device can be turned vertically or in Horizontal) with double alternative: browse the pages with the touch or using the two physical buttons on the edge (in relief to simulate the grip of the paper book). ComfortLight PRO technology reduces exposure to blue light (which can adversely affect sleep) and automatically imitates the natural progression of the sun by emitting the optimal brightness and hue based on the time of day (thanks to the presence of the red light of the Spectrum that acts to stimulate melatonin). Through the integration to Pocket you can also save the web articles that you find interesting to be able to read them later directly on eReader. In 10 years the brain will be an interface The Internet of the senses, the technology that interacts with sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, will become reality by 2030. These are Ericsson's technological forecasts in the ninth edition of the 'Hot Consumer Trends' report. Within ten years, in practice, using the human brain as an interface, electronic devices will dialogue with our thoughts, giving rise to a new form of interaction. Augmented and virtual reality, 5G and automation will give a boost to this trend. The driving force will also come from the increasingly immersive entertainment and online shopping, but also from the climate crisis and the need to minimize its environmental impact. An idea of ​​what awaits us can be had from the acquisition concluded a few weeks ago by Facebook. The Company bought Ctrl-Labs, a startup that is studying how to allow people to communicate with computers via brain signals. In particular, that works on a bracelet that gives people control of their devices as a natural extension of movement. An intermediate step in creating interfaces that allow people to control and use computers through thought. Apple secret team Apple has a secret team that works on satellites and related wireless technology, to transmit data and bring internet connectivity directly to its customers' devices. There would be a dozen aerospace and satellite engineers working on the team to develop the project over a five-year time frame. The work would still be in its early stages and could be abandoned, sources still report, although Apple's CEO Tim Cook would have shown interest in the project and indicated it as a priority. The research area could lead to the possibility of transmitting data to users' devices, such as smartphones, but also to make geolocation more precise to improve maps and other services. At the moment it is not clear whether Apple intends to equip itself with its own constellation of satellites, or if instead it aims to develop ground-based equipment that exploits the data of existing satellites. 06-07 1. Time to share your profit for 2019. What was the turnover for 2019 and why have you billed “so little”? You are right. Unfortunately we did not make it to the billion by 2020. In 2019 the turnover was € 733 million. 2. The competition is growing higher. There are several companies who put themselves as a target to become bigger than Yukatel. How are you planning to beat them? What is your strategy for 2020? The competition only brings life to our company. The more competitors we have, the more secure we are in our business. Yukatel has only one strategy: reliability, fairness & secureness - and above all keeping it! 3. Last year you decided to sponsor your home town soccer team in Turkey. This is a big move. What was the incentive and why did you do it? A career in the soccer field was my dream. Since Yukatel always plays in the top league, I was tempted to associate our name with a "big player club". Yukatel-Denizlispor plays in the top league of Turkey, the so-called "Süperlig". 4. What do you think the Top industry in 2020 will be? Our industry has its own rules and special features. We will see together what 2020 will bring us and how it will develop. No other industry is as exciting as the mobile phone industry. 5. Coming back to 2019. Do you think you made the most out of 2019? Yes, since we all had done a great job. As you probably know, we created a bonus system that has also led to an increase in our earnings. 6. Can you briefly explain your reward system to us? With our YUKA Points rewards system, we reward our customers with every purchase. With the collected YUKA points, our customers can order lucrative rewards. Our bonus system was very well received by our customers! 7. What will you like to improve in Yukatel? We are constantly working to optimize processes and incorporate more and more innovative ideas into our business. 8. Have you ever thought of leaving Europe - making Yukatel Dubai, USA or HK? We see our work as a responsibility towards the European market. We cannot simply give up this responsibility! Nevertheless, we are also working on opening up new markets. 9. Are there any expansion plans we can already learn about? Yukatel will not only grow in terms of sales. Stay tuned! 10. Are there any trade fairs in Germany this year where we can meet you and your team personally? As one of the largest representatives of the IFA, we are represented this year with our own stand at the IFA in Berlin. Furthermore, Yukatel is a member of all B2B platforms and trade fairs across Europe. Like, for example, your B2B platform. At this point we congratulate you on your 10th anniversary. 11. What are the qualities that raise you from the competition? Our product variety and availability are still unmatched in the industry. We work every day to offer our customers an excellent service. Goods ordered by 6:00 p.m. will be dispatched the same day. 12. How do you ensure the increasing demands in service? With our newly introduced RMA system we guarantee an even faster and more reliable processing of the purchases. Our customers can track the status online at any time. But at this point, as usual, we are constantly working on optimizing our processes. 13. Yukatel has a central bank-grade credit rating. What is your secret for this success? Honestly, there is no big secret here! Honesty, reliability and security are the most important characteristics of success. Yukatel has been true to that philosophy for 25 years. 14. Yukatel is already 25 years old. Congratulations! What does Yukatel wish for in the future? We wish for a continued successful cooperation with our partners. 08-09 Yukatel advertising 10-11. TOP smartphones of the 2020 range_ more expensive, larger and 5G_2 TOP smartphones of the 2020 range: more expensive, larger and 5G The opportunity came thanks to Qualcomm's Tech Summit where, finally, the American manufacturer officially presented the Snapdragon 865 revealing a very important detail that we could not communicate to you until a few days ago. The new top-end processor will in fact be equipped with a 5G modem and, although it is still separate, it cannot be eliminated as it happens today with the 855 and 855+, both available also in 4G version. A detail that perhaps many have underestimated but that actually completely changes the positioning of products in 2020. First of all we must start from an obvious observation: the new Qualcomm processor will be more expensive than the current model. We do not know in detail the costs that each brand will have to face but it is clear that the 2020 chipset will not be cheap. On the one hand, further technological development increases the costs, which have always gone up from generation to generation, on the other hand, the presence, obliged to remember, of the 5G modem makes the 865 a much more complex and consequently expensive hardware product. Added to this are the costs required by Qualcomm to enter the Snapdragon world and the fixed costs deriving from the use of 5G (as confirmed by authoritative internal sources). The presence of 5G also obliges manufacturers to insert the antennas dedicated to this technology. Finally we add, also because the new X55 modem present in the combination on 865 is a very complete product and able to offer any type of connectivity and of course also compatible with the SA standard and therefore able to support all the networks that will arrive in the coming years. The antennas for 5G however, unlike current 4G + technologies, are much less advanced and refined and therefore are much larger. Nothing strange, it will still take years before being able to reach the technological maturation and miniaturization of the current 4G + antennas, but space today is needed and is a necessary and sufficient condition for the use of 5G. Here then the thought goes immediately to the size of the future top of the range. In 2020 it is in fact very likely that the average size, which can be considered standard, of smartphones, will be close to 6.5 inches. The reasons are both linked to the extra antennas and to a greater energy demand. A 5G smartphone, even optimized to the best possible, will certainly consume more than a 4G + product as the networks, at least until 2021 in Europe, will be much less efficient and therefore our future smartphone will often be in search or in any case in areas with signal Less strong. The constant search for the network is one of the elements that has the greatest impact on the autonomy of mobile devices and therefore manufacturers will only be able to adopt very large batteries. The 2020 standard for the top ranges will be around 4500mAh with ranges up to 6000mAh for some particularly powerful solutions and with particular variations (in 2019 the Rog Phone 2 was a precursor among the top ranges with a huge battery). However, we also attended the presentation of the new Qualcomm 3D Sonic Fingerprint, the next generation of under-the-screen fingerprint reader that can dramatically improve the effectiveness and security of today's under-the-screen unlock systems. At the moment we do not know if this solution can be really used on top of the range smartphones starting from the first half of 2020, it is certain that a system 17 times larger than the previous one takes up more space. Space that cannot be created from nothing and that will involve an enlargement of the products. WHY MOST EXPENSIVE SMARTPHONE 2020? Clarified what are the dimensional implications related to the obligatory presence of a 5G modem within the top range that will exploit the Snapdragon 865, let's analyze the positioning of future new generation smartphones in the various price lists. 2020 smartphones will be more expensive. This is not a question but an affirmation and the motivations we show you to follow: - 90Hz OLED SCREENS: A top 2020 range can only have an OLED screen and probably 90Hz. Considering the binomial 865 and 5G, it is unthinkable that brands like Xiaomi that have always distinguished themselves for quality / price ratio, implement LCD screens associated with side fingerprint readers (because under an LCD today it cannot be put). Oled therefore for all, without exclusion and with costs that will be greater, and not a little, compared to the choices made this year. Let's add then the 90Hz (144Hz will be only for some) and here we have a nice product already more expensive than its previous generation. - FAST AND MINIMUM 128GB MEMORIES. If we can forget an LDC 865 5G, in the same way we can forget a 64GB expandable or non-expandable in 2020. The reasons are related both to the amount of data that can be transmitted through 5G services, and to the need for faster memories such as UFS 3.0 which will be the standard of the top of the range, both to the need to have enough space for games and especially video that will touch the 8K or 4K at 120fps. Only with the elements described to date, we are already at an important point for the prototype of the top of the range 2020 smartphone. - DISPLAY 20: 9. Not directly connected to the impact on costs, the new 20: 9 format will be, at least according to our vision, the 2020 standard. As you may have guessed, the larger sizes are necessary for various reasons but brands will not be able to market devices that are impossible to keep in but no. So if the width is to remain 'contained' it will be the height to be enlarged. The 20: 9 aspect ratio can become ultra widespread starting from Galaxy S11 with Sony which will continue to offer, after anticipating everyone, the 21: 9. - CAMERAS, 3 MINIMUM. Costs that will also increase due to the number of cameras. Although this year we have seen medium or low-end products with 2, 3 or 4 cameras, for the top of the 2020 segment we expect a minimum of 3 top quality cameras with a maximum of 5 overall rear lenses. The base will be Sony's 64MP with some 108MP solutions for the first half of 2020 and 200MP will touch in the second half of next year. OIS will be standard on the main, Wide Angle with Autofocus among the most used and a third zoom lens as a typical configuration. 12-14. 2020 trends for the Digital Workspace_3 2020 trends for the Digital Workspace According to Matrix42, leader in workspace management solutions, in 2020 automation will become increasingly important in the management of the devices and environments in which they are present. In parallel, the creation of IT security solutions based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will become increasingly important. We have identified 6 trends for the digital workplace that companies should consider in 2020. Let’s dive in! 1. Integration between workspace management and endpoint security As far as security is concerned, digital transformation in companies is developing at a faster rate than the acquisition of knowledge. In addition, IT operations and endpoint security will become increasingly interconnected as Information Technology becomes more agile. While automation-based productivity already has a prominent place in many companies, there is still a lot of work to do for IT security. Statistics such as the Report on the State of IT Security in Germany in 2019 published by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) show how much a switch to automated endpoint security is needed. The integration of workspace management and endpoint security is gradually becoming increasingly important for companies. The goal is to make digital working safer, without negatively impacting employee productivity. 2. Optimizing the digital experience of employees The shortage of skilled employees continues to increase, while competition for well-trained employees is intensifying. An increasingly important criterion on the basis of which qualified employees select their employer is the Digital Employee Experience (DEX), or the employee's work experience with the digital platforms provided by the employer's IT. The digital workspace, therefore, becomes an advantage, or a disadvantage, competitive in the struggle for the acquisition of talent. The opportunity of an optimized DEX that allows the automatic insertion of an employee, from the first day of work, is a point on which we leverage: the positive start of the new job depends on how simple and flowing the processes are in this phase. To ensure a satisfactory and continuous user experience, employees can access applications and data at any time, from any device and wherever they are. The digital work was designed to be virtually invisible to the employee in the background, through data encryption and decryption and through continuous protection against malware thanks to behavioral analysis. 3. Workspace optimized by AI Artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming modern workplaces: they organize, structure and automate processes, increasing their efficiency. In 2020, chat systems will become increasingly popular in companies and thanks to virtual support agents, which provide special support for modern workplaces, employees will be able to focus on the more creative and complex aspects of their work. The most recent chatbots are based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and are able to continuously learn new things. Virtual assistants such as the Matrix42 solution are able to answer technical questions and IT service requests and allow people to solve problems themselves. They support the IT department and manage processes intelligently. An important thing to remember is that chatbots should not only develop proposals for solutions but also be able to implement them independently. For example, a virtual support agent can detect a problem in the digital workstation from the initial stage, before the user notices it, and is able to independently start a background support process or solve the problem independently. As with all solutions that use Artificial Intelligence, it is important to ensure that human-machine communication is simple and easy to use and as close as possible to human behavior. 4. Management of expenses for the cloud The multi-cloud world, with an increasing number of cloud-based services provided by hyperscalers such as Microsoft or Amazon, is creating new challenges that go beyond managing IT environments and endpoint devices. Since cloud workloads can be easily distributed, this often leads to uncontrolled overload of the corporate cloud. Businesses need more visibility to track all cloud services, manage IT costs, optimize license costs and cloud expenses. Optimized cloud licensing management that enables greater cost optimization, both of SaaS applications and cloud workloads on Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS, offers significant support to IT administrators and greater visibility during this increasingly complex process. Management needs to know which contracts and which licenses are available and where and how they are used. Optimization, renewal and resolution options should be easy to use and available with just one click. 5. Mixed workspace The trend towards outsourcing cloud services shows no sign of diminishing. However, considering all the factors of the scenario, this is a currently impossible and little sensible choice. In our experience, the right path is 'cloud-first' but not exclusively: this means that the digital workplace is mainly composed of cloud components and locally installed elements, such as in Office365. In this case, Office apps can be easily accessed through the browser, while local Office applications on desktop computers, laptops and smart devices continue to be used. This will increasingly become the philosophy of using corporate applications. The mixed workspace, therefore, will continue to establish itself as a standard in 2020: on-premise solutions and cloud services will coexist with browser-based applications, mobile and virtual applications allowing for enormous added value. The high availability, synchronized data and uniform design, together with the key features, allow a user experience without limits. 6. UEBA goes beyond security It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish an ordinary user from a cyber-attacker as the latter are able to access the system by pretending to be reliable users using social engineering techniques, creating a digital identity or obtaining it through data theft. Once cybercriminals have gained access to an environment, detecting them becomes extremely difficult. In 2020, consequently, the User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) will acquire considerable importance and thanks to the use of Machine Learning (ML), it will allow to include in a safe evaluation, conducted in real time, background information such as behavior of the user, their location, data consumption and the apps used. Anomalies are detected and automatic responses are initiated. UEBA is able to resolve a criticality even before users understand that their device has a problem. Compliance with data protection policies and regulations are guaranteed from the outset, giving users the right to disconnect. 15. Top Products Top Manufacturer Top Brands Top Models 16-17. Smart telecom 2 pages 18-20. Brendan's Takeaways 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE EAST: HOW TO THRIVE EDITION When, in the course of certain technological events, the market takes a downturn, and when hopes of a quick rebound dissolve only for the malaise to become the status quo, the need to find a silver lining takes center stage. In discussing mobile phone shipments outright, there’s nothing more that can be said about the sad state of affairs that is plaguing our industry. Takeaways From The East is not one to tell you traders what you already know and feel, nor to beat the drums of gloom and doom! It’s time to look at interesting choices for opportunity that could point to new places to rake in serious revenue in the short term while we wait for the clouds to lift. While we wait for the newest reports of shipments for the fourth quarter of 2019, let’s quickly review the third quarter. Smartphone shipments actually increased worldwide, according to IDC. Maybe it’s only 0.8%, but we all need a win and we’ll take one where we can get it! The free-for-all in India is to thank for this modest rise, as well as China’s preparations for November 11th’s Singles Day. Meanwhile, Xiaomi is still out to play while Huawei stays at home. Samsung’s Galaxy helped bolster its profile, and Apple is still shooting itself in the foot. You know, the usual. However, it’s important to look at an outlier in the crowded markets of the east. It’s a story of a manufacturer doing what they must do to survive in trying times, and coming out the other end with an exciting business strategy that could be sustainable for years to come. I’m talking, of course, about BBK Electronics. BBK started in 1998 in the Dongguan sector of Guangdong, China. They are the firm behind three established smartphone brands on the market: Vivo, Oppo, and OnePlus, which all bring in respectable shares of the market each quarter. The reason this firm has become salient to talk about is because of the results its newest brand, RealMe, has garnered lately. Launched in May 2018 -- well under two years ago! -- RealMe has climbed all the way to 7th in the global smartphone shipment rankings in an extremely short time, achieving a growth of 800% year-on-year in Q3 2019. How has RealMe managed such astounding success? For one, they have gone big on premium smartphone features such as quadruple-camera setups, rear cameras as high as 64MP, water-drop designs, and pop-up selfie functions while still keeping the price point low (<$250). They have also built their name on word-of-mouth name recognition and have shied away from large marketing campaigns. Quality and value will always get the people talking! Another factor is where the brand has made their hay. Counterpoint Research estimates that around 80% of their shipments go to India, where they rank fourth on the overall list of brands and account for 16% of the total market, and Indonesia. Together, BBK’s brands account for 20% of the global smartphone market overall per Counterpoint and, shockingly, 46% of the Indian market according to Pritesh Pawar. Granted, a smartphone manufacturer having multiple brands is hardly unprecedented. Huawei has Honor, and Xiaomi has their POCO phone. Yet this four seems a bit excessive. How is BBK so successful in this approach? Can they really make four smartphones that seem different enough to justify their establishment as brands? For starters, OnePlus is a premium brand known for its performance; its latest device, the 7T, packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 and up to 12GB of RAM. Additionally, their phones run its HydrogenOS variant of Android, which some have said fulfill the original vision of Android. Put simply, they are the flagships of the larger BBK. They have relied nearly exclusively on word-of-mouth advertising with no expensive marketing campaigns (also referred to as “pull marketing”) OR commission for offline sales, due to their desire to sell exclusively through their website. Oppo and Vivo, meanwhile, do largely the same things. They are meant to be lower-end phones for the shutterbugs and the selfie-takers of the world, with Oppo being in a slightly higher range than Vivo. They don’t come equipped with as fast processors as OnePlus, or nearly as much memory, or as optimized operating systems as OnePlus devices. In contrast, Oppo and Vivo have been the brands engaging in “push advertising”, coveting cricket and football sponsorships as a means of advertisement, and have even shelled out money on traditional advertising methods like billboards. BBK has also taken pains to project a sense of competition between the two brands, such as placing billboards for both brands in proximity to each other. So, three different smartphone brands to serve customers at three different price points. Where does RealMe fit in? It seems to be a hybrid of the brands that came before it, using pull marketing to entice buyers to pick up their camera-centric phones AND high-powered phones. Does it work? The numbers speak for themselves. They started from the bottom, and now they’re here quicker than anyone expected. BBK and its constituent brands have done a good job clearing the neighborhood competition. Now, they have the big smartphone brands in their crosshairs. Xiaomi may be the biggest single brand on the Indian market at 26%, but BBK is the biggest manufacturer at 46% between the four brands. Realme seems to be leading the charge: Quartz India claims the brand is trying to beat Xiaomi at its own pull advertising game, focusing on sales through its online portals, social media audience, and cutting down on overhead costs. All of this, combined with their bargain pricing strategy, allows them to reinvest more in the product. Consumer perception of Xiaomi and Realme is neck-and-neck as a result when it comes to design, function, and customer service according to CMR, but the most revealing statistic is that RealMe, at 1.7%, has the lowest return rate of all phones surveyed, compared with Xiaomi at 3.0%. All in all, the returns on investment look promising for RealMe, though Neil Mawston of Strategy Analytics thinks the brand is in danger of over-shipping and building too much inventory in India. 2020 will be a crucial year for RealMe to see whether these fears will become realized. THE TAKEAWAY At the end of the day, why do this? Well, the most surface-level observation is that having more irons in the fire means more opportunities for success. A more practical reason for this approach is to avoid any harm to the parent company in case of legal action - if one brand faces legal action or otherwise goes bankrupt, the others go unaffected allowing BBK to keep their place in the market. Is this multi-brand approach the future for smartphone manufacturers? It seems unlikely that Apple or Samsung would go this road, but it might have a certain appeal for Huawei and Xiaomi to diversify in this manner. Someone currently not in the smartphone game, possibly a home appliances manufacturer trying to take as much advantage of 5G as possible -- as BBK once did -- could expand on the brand differentiation in ways BBK (who is essentially using four brands to tackle two market strategies) isn’t. But to just start creating sub-brands is to miss the forest for the trees. BBK knows exactly who their ideal customer is. They have an eagle eye for opportunity and different means of snatching it up. They’re betting big on India, and they may just win. 21. Teksmart Used Phones Specialist1 22-23. VIP Article !!! The Old Hand_2020 2020 Happy New Year to each and everyone in the parallel trading business. This is the time of the year when we have all eaten too much, taken too much time off work, and more importantly, spent far too much money. We are all sitting alone contemplating the year ahead with concerns as to where our next buck is going to come from and how we are going to manufacture those all important greenbacks. It is now that we should be putting our brains into motion, thinking of new ideas, new innovation and new changes in direction. It is a fact that the first few months of the year are the months where some of the best new business ideas are spawned and initiated. So what does 2020 have to offer us guys and how are we going to capitalize on it? I believe that the worldwide distribution of new smartphones will continue to decline in 2020. I can’t see how it can be sustained., and it will certainly not appreciate. If it doesn’t decline then it will certainly stagnate. Stagnation is looked on by shareholders as the same as a declining market and is reflected in a downturn in the share price of any large company. I predict that the smartphone manufacturers will all suffer in 2020,as they did in 2019. Considering this, we will have to be far more creative to our approach when purchasing product as we have done for the last few years. It’s common sense to know that if manufacturers are finding it hard to profit from the sales of their product, we will find it equally as hard, if not harder unless we are magicians. Of course the business is still ticking. It still has a pulse, but it’s more important now than ever before to achieve the best possible purchase price. After all, bought right is half sold. Maybe it’s time to turn the screws a little harder on your suppliers and squeeze that extra bit of margin out of them. But don’t be too hard on them - be considerate and remember they also know and feel the hardships you are suffering. We must always remember that within the chain we all have to eat and we can’t live without each other. but Maybe, especially when things are tough, we can cut margins with equal measure. This is all about good communication between each of us. When times get tough we learn to be open and honest with each other and work together toward common goals, like survival, growth and sustainability through profit. On the subject of sustainability, maybe it’s time to look at a different marketplace! The second life business is still on fire and growing at an annual rate of 14%. Why not try trading a few graded and refurbished phones. The margins are certainly better than trading new kit, even though the process is a little more complex. Again, it’s down to trust and openness between the supplier and the buyer. When trust and integrity are put first, there should never be a problem between all parties concerned. Back in the day we called it “stand on”. If a supplier or a buyer was “stand on”, it meant that they would first take the product once they had given their word, and they would also deal with any after sales problems between all parties concerned, normally without hesitation! Wow how the world has changed! If you want to be really daring and give up the ghost of trading, then this is The Old Hand’s view on what is coming in the technology arena that will change everything as we know it. With the right thought process there may be an angle in it for you. After all, as traders we are very intuitive, creative and inventive. Remember the dot.com boom? Well its back in the form of AI (artificial intelligence) along with data management. It’s all in the software and how that software analyses and collates information with reference to businesses and how they operate by automatically applying that acquired information through artificial intelligence. This is the future of our lives. You may not like it, and you may be reluctant to accept it, but it will be your future. This is not a ground-breaking announcement from The Old Hand, but it is a very real statement and it will have a massive impact on your life future. Try and understand what it means to you and your industry and apply it. With the right application there is money to be made! Finally, the UK has now officially put into law the fact they are leaving the EU on 31st December 2020. Personally this saddens me, but I am not a politician and I have to deal with the cards I have been dealt, as do you. But if you trade with the UK then this will affect you. As you all know the UK is a huge trading partner. They rank as the fifth largest economy in the world. The details of trading relations with the rest of the world will be ironed out over the next 12 months. Those details will consist of import and export tariffs and trading legislation with both the EU and the rest of the world. Keep your nose to the ground and your eye on the ball. There will be losers and there will be winners, make sure you are one of the latter. It’s likely that new logistical services will be necessary. The only thing you should be concerned about is how you can profit from this new structure. The Old Hand wishes all the Handelot Times readers a prosperous and a profitable 2020. Keep The Faith The Old Hand 24-25. PPA - Mobile Phones 2 26-29. VIP Gold + services 30-31. Kitchen Tech in the 2010s and 2020s_2 WHAT CHANGED IN KITCHEN TECH IN THE LAST 10 YEARS? Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about their cuisine. Thanks to popular YouTube channels such as Tasty, Binging with Babish, and Food Wishes, people are more in tune than ever about the ingredients they buy and the tools they use. Some are becoming amateur cooking enthusiasts, and some are, well, lagging behind. That’s why a machine like Vorwerk’s Thermomix have been popular for decades. Initially launched in the 1960s, the Thermomix has been a godsend, including presets for food preparation methods from mixing to kneading dough to juicing fruits and veggies, and much much more. Vorwerk has claimed that that Thermomix can be used to complete meals with no advanced culinary experience, but that hasn’t stopped restaurant chefs from employing it in their kitchens to great success. Last year, Vorwerk released the latest edition of the Thermomix, called the TM6. Billed as the most sophisticated version of the device yet, it includes a sizeable digital screen and internet connectivity for quick access to thousands of recipes, even offering suggestions for meals based on what you have on hand in your pantry. It is certainly a smart kitchen appliance befitting of our times. But is it about to be rendered obsolete? This is yet another area where 5G technology could boost the power of this long-revered machine, or make it completely useless. The Handelot Times devoted an entire issue in 2018 to the imminent 5G takeover of technology. Although a lot of the imagined concepts for 5G are largely theoretical, there is one proof of concept being employed in China, and it’s for the kitchen. Haier, a consumer appliances company in the same vein as Vorwerk, has an entire subsidiary corporation called Haier Smart Home, which is spearheading the unexpected use of 5G in the kitchen using the networks that have been freshly rolled out in the country. The company already sells a “kitchen hub” project, which features a camera positioned directly above a stovetop. From there, users can do a lot of the same things that the Thermomix would let them, such as cooking a time-tested favorite dish or get experimental. But it also allows users to film the entire process. This would give internet-led cooking classes an entirely new dimension, enabling amateur cooks to have their progress monitored by teachers (whether human or composed of artificial intelligence technology). The social implications of sharing acquired knowledge would be a boon for the foodie community. It might even help the particularly aspirational among us create a Tasty or Food Wishes social media channel of their very own. It seems this is only the beginning. Last September, Haier announced its teaming up with SideChef to incorporate recipe suggestion technology into a device where it could be best used: the smart refrigerator. Soon to be rolled out in Europe, these fridges will be able to suggest recipes based on what is already inside, eliminating the need to input information to get suggestions. Vorwerk’s Thermomix is a machine that has had a special place in the heart of the kitchen, but it seems that its time is about to pass thanks to a Fortune 500 company in Haier Smart Home and a less-than five-year-old startup in SideChef. The addition of internet connectivity in its newest model is too little, too late. Unless Vorwerk can team with an equally enterprising start-up specializing in smart technology AND 5G connectivity, they are through with being a fixture in European kitchens. And that, in all likelihood, will end up being the difference between the 2010s and the 2020s for device manufacturers. 32. Technology & Spirituality_1 WHAT CHANGED IN THE 2010s: TECHNOLOGY & RELIGION The intersection of technology, religion, and spirituality has been one that’s confusing to navigate. As technology takes up more and more of our lives, it promises to become a part of our humanity through body modifications. Conversations about the ethics of this have already begun to take place, especially in religious communities over whether transhumanism flies in the face of the will of God. However, The Handelot Times is not the venue for such a weighty topic. In recounting some of the more unfortunate trends of the 2010s, we arrive at one that could go either way: a tentative embrace of tech by religion. Even believers use the internet, and it’s incumbent upon churches and religious leaders to be wherever their followers are. Here are some current gadgets and software that attempt to bring belief into the future. The “Click-to-Pray” Rosary Officially sanctioned by The Vatican, the world’s first “smart rosary” bracelet is a novel attempt at reaching out to young (and would-be) Catholics. Made of hematite, the bracelet is worn around the wrist and activated by making the Sign of the Cross, and takes users through a selection of rosaries, or series of prayers, and even includes personalized religious content. The fact that rosaries are not meant to be worn might rub some Catholic believers the wrong way. Select Your Donation Method For those that grew up some manner of Christian, the collection plate asking for donations to the needy made regular appearances at worship service, sometimes multiple times per mass. Now, not having loose change is no excuse for being stingy: The Guardian reports that Catholic and Protestant churches alike have begun to use contactless card readers to collect alms. Unfortunately, this means there’s no more anonymously slipping a couple of low-value coins into the basket - you will be judged. Keeping Kosher & Halal on Holiday Sometimes software developers just know how to cater to the faithful. Apps such as ScanHalal and OU Kosher help Muslim and Jewish observers, respectively, find restaurants where they can get a meal in keeping with their religious requirements, and even verify such requirements for store-bought products. 33. Novaphone - Mobile Phones 1 34. What are the smartphones that take the best photos_1 What are the smartphones that take the best photos? There is still a month to go at the end of 2019, but according to DxOMark, the time is already ripe for drawing up the ranking of the best photographic smartphones of the year. The popular portal specializing in the analysis of sensor performance is right: it is unlikely that a top of the range will come out from here at the Ces in Las Vegas next January. So what are the photo-phoners to bet on? Of the thirty-one top models reviewed in the past months, there was an equal merit at the top. The first place is in fact shared by two models that deserved a score of 121. The first is Huawei Mate 30 Pro, which finally made its debut on the occasion of Black Friday. On board we find a 40-megapixel quad-bayer main sensor with f / 1.7 aperture, 3x optical tele, ultra-wide angle with very large sensor 1 / 1.54 inches and an equivalent 18 mm. The second is Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition / Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro with its 108 megapixel eye that produces detailed 27 megapixel images by combining four pixels in one, 20 megapixel ultra wide angle lens and two 2x equivalent 50 mm canvases and according to that it multiplies by 3.5 (94 mm equivalent) plus a macro sensor. Following, with a score of 117 points we find Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, while the other top of the Korean range Samsung Galaxy 10 5G, ex-record holder until the end of summer with its 116 points, is In fifth place. In the sub-rankings, the Xiaomi wins hands down in the zoom section thanks to the combination of 108 megapixel sensor and 50 x zoom with 109 leaving an abyss (14 points) between itself and Huawei P30 Pro, therefore Mate 30 Pro, Pixel 4 and Honor 20 Pro. Best ultra-wide angle is that of Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G in front of iPhone 11 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy 10 5G, Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition and Samsung Galaxy S10 +. For night photos the record holder is Huawei Mate 30 Pro in front of Google Pixel 4, P30 Pro, Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, Galaxy 10 5G and Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition. In the ranking dedicated to the video part, the winner is the iPhone 11 Pro Max with 117 points thanks to its HDR performance with fidelity of color reproduction, exposure calibration and white balance. Same score, but slightly below Xiaomi Mi Cc9 Pro Premium Edition aka Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro, therefore Google Pixel 4 and the pair formed by Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G and Samsung Galaxy 10 5G 35. JBdata Poland- Stop Business Terrorism ARTICLE SPONSORED BY JBDATA Sp. z o.o. DURINA GATE: THE GOOD LIFE OF TURBADO CEO STEPHAN DURINA If you search for the name of Stephan Durina on Google, you will find that of a normal person who is a successful entrepreneur. And on paper he really is. Based in London, on his LinkedIn profile Durina presents his position at the Ecosystem TURBADO® Mobile-Phone and also his presence at the BENEKO® Marketplace-Enabler. In addition, of course, to owning other companies such as: Turbado, Kullm LLC, Daisuke Mission and Bestcena. Awarded by many marketing and online sales magazines, as well as a permanent presence at the countless conferences in the sector, Durina seems to be a completely reliable person, with his head on his shoulders and also and above all with a solid successful seller experience behind him. Turbado, on the other hand, is a renowned B2B sales company, which makes Amazon the ideal place to market its products: renting new electronics for 2 years to its clients, giving them the dream and the freedom to buy without having to cover the cost all at once. 'Turbado gives customers the ease of mind when buying their electronics. Instant warranty exchange, anytime upgrade for the newest model, guaranteed buyback. Turbado's mission is to remove insecurity from customer's decisions about purchasing their electronics. Turbado takes care of all incidents the customer runs into, by providing all-in-one solution. All household products managed under one reliable service for life long. Returning, re-using, replacing anytime and anywhere.' Despite this semblance of normality, however, another facade hides behind Durina's success, which has a distinct name: tax fraud. Although the end consumer will not be denied the material possibility of accessing the desired electronic products, in fact, on the other hand there is clear evidence that Durina has implemented a series of tax evasion and non-payment of invoices to the detriment of the authorities in charge. Basically, throughout the years he sold phones and electronic supplies on Amazon, but instead of generating a sales invoice he generated a rental one, so not to pay VAT taxes. Although Amazon does not carry out these checks, therefore, the rumor in the sector has spread to such an extent that, in order to expose Durina's fraudulent behavior, a fictitious company, Kulm LLC, has been created to bring it out into the surface! Stefan Durina’s companies, in fact, after several analisys, have resulted to be clearly registered in tax Paradises created only for purpose of renting phones and get away with taxation. The Police suspect VAT fraud and fraud overall from those. In July 2019, Durina stopped to pay invoices financed by ING Bank. While the Insurance company Hermes and Coface covered the 90%, the rest 10% of his fortune is already lost, and this is why he is trying to uncover all his debacle while still selling products on Amazon (as well as and maintaining a high profile on Social Media). This article is to warn all good people in smartphones and consumer electronics business about the behavior of such “celebrated” person in the market of Mobile Phone Industry. At the end of the day, not all stories end up in (fiscal) Paradise. 36- 38. Najibs corner Your Guide to a new You 3 YOUR GUIDE TO A NEW YOU! FIND A NEW DIRECTION! I have been a tech buff forever and have been writing about products and the market mechanics for ages. The dialogue has been “healthy” to say the least. Well, the market has shifted and now we in the Middle East, Africa and some parts of Asia are experiencing a new wave. The tectonic plates of business have shifted, and new skills are required to master the markets. If we try to address the new normal with the old tools, then we are setting ourselves up to fail. Old jobs have vanished and are being replaced by the latest tools of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Will trading disappear altogether? The answer is no but the margins in hardware coupled with an automated system won’t require the man on the floor making umpteen phone calls to close deals. Organizations are becoming leaner by the day resulting in mass layoffs. As the jobs of yesterday have gone to oblivion, it is imperative that new skills be taken on to survive in the long run. In the Middle East, the furthest people have reached is a WhatsApp message, and that’s where the acquisition of any future knowledge has stalled. With platforms such as Handelot and others, the once holy grail of secretive contacts is available to everyone and, with a little effort, they are in touch with the movers and shakers of the Industry. Keeping the challenges in perspective, I thought of presenting a small guide for individuals looking to make a change in their lives to diversify and become a new person to take the new economy in stride. This article will present a few tips and, if you are willing to spend a little bit of money ($250-300 max), then you will be on your way. So, let’s jump right in and begin the journey to the new world: 1. Find Your Why by Simon Sinek (https://simonsinek.com/find-your-why/) Start with the “WHY Discovery Course”. This interactive course uses Simon Sinek’s proven process to help you find clarity, meaning, and fulfilment. Through a series of videos, the co-authors of "Find Your Why" will help you discover your WHY and live in alignment with your purpose. The concept of WHY is grounded in the biology of human decision-making. The Golden Circle maps perfectly with how our brains work. The outer section of the Golden Circle (WHAT) corresponds to the outer section of the brain (Neocortex) which is responsible for analytical thinking and language. The middle two sections of the Golden Circle (WHY and HOW) correspond to the middle section of the brain (Limbic System) which is responsible for our behaviour, decision-making and our feelings. The part of our brain that controls our feelings has no capacity for language, which makes putting our feelings into words difficult. This course is designed to help you find words to express what truly inspires you. Once you are through the program, you will be able to clearly define a new you and what is it that you would like to achieve in the future. It’s a fun-filled program that will open avenues that you once thought impossible. 2. Udemy, The Online Learning Treasure Trove (https://www.udemy.com/) There are plenty of resources and award-winning training programs available that you can work on in your spare time. Attendees receive certifications, which are great references to mention on your resume and LinkedIn profile. The skills are refined through scientifically proven methods, and the instructors are industry leaders and academics from top institutions. A lot of these courses are available for as little as $9.99, an unprecedented value! Here’s an excerpt from the “Online Sales Prospecting Course”: By the end of this course, you will be able to define, find, engage and pre-qualify new prospective clients for your business. Throughout the course you will learn how to build self-confidence, overcome phone fear, get past gatekeepers, build trust, engage prospects with effective sales scripts, and open-ended questions and much more. (https://www.udemy.com/course/sales-training-sales-prospecting-for-beginners/). Udemy is ideal for busy bees, and once proficient you can also learn about creating a passive income stream by publishing your own training programs. Your years of experience will come in handy for someone, somewhere. 3. Coursera, Get Certified from Top Universities (https://www.coursera.org/) Both Udemy and Coursera are effective for learning and offer a wide variety of different courses. Udemy is better for someone with a more relaxed learning style that wants to go through the course at their own pace, while Coursera has more of a traditional course format and timeline. At Coursera the teaching style is that of a classical and traditional University with the majority of the trainers being professors from top institutions. Many LinkedIn profiles now mention the courses taken from these platforms, a sign that individuals are proud of using them to enhance their knowledge and move on to the next challenge in their lives. 87% of people learning for professional development report career benefits like getting a promotion, a raise, or starting a new career. With Coursera, start streaming on-demand lectures today from top instructors at Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, Google, IBM, and more. 4. Fiverr, A True Winning Platform (https://www.fiverr.com/) You have skills that you are ready to offer the world. Platforms like Fiverr and Guru (https://www.guru.com/) get you connected to the world of freelancers. Offer your services to the whole world and create a passive income that is rewarding and connects you with top professionals from around the globe. This is the time to create the life that you’ve been dreaming of. Get it together, shake off the fear and investigate the new world! If you need any help in getting started, or want more information on my tips, you are more than welcome to contact me at kazi.najib@playtorium.com 39. H-asia - Mobile Phones 1 40-41. Rural Agent Networks 2 THE ROLE OF RURAL AGENT NETWORKS IN THE SMARTPHONE WORLD In the last edition of the Handelot Times, we reported on how smartphone manufacturers are looking to sub-Saharan Africa to find brand new customer bases, equipping devices with need-specific features. What we didn’t discuss so much, is how those phones get to end users. As one might expect, regular distribution networks like mobile money agents, while doing a good job in urban areas, often falter in rural ones. This is an opportunity for all sorts of e-commerce firms to establish a network of rural agents to penetrate deeper into markets in Africa, East Asia, and Latin America. And initial results seem very promising. Why don’t mobile money agents make more effort in rural areas? According to CGAP, agents reach fewer clients from whom to generate transaction fees because of the low population densities in rural areas. This makes it difficult to break even, let alone make a profit. They also bring the hardship partly on themselves. In an attempt to build a competitive advantage, mobile money providers and regulators sometimes compound this challenge by requiring their agents to be exclusive (or only represent one mobile money provider) or dedicated (or only operate in the mobile money business). On the flipside, e-commerce companies providing DFS have reached scale in urban areas. It’s little wonder, then, they have set their sights on expanding to rural ones, where cash still dominates transactions. Some of these companies are already showing impressive gains in rural outreach. Perhaps the most mature example is Alibaba’s Rural Taobao program. Launched in 2014, Taobao has already established a rural agent network that serves 30,000 rural villages where customers can pay cash for goods and services they bought via the Taobao network. Similar approaches aiming to have rural coverage are being developed by providers like StoreKing and Paytm Mall in India, Go-Jek and Grab in Indonesia, Jumia Pay across Africa, Oxxo in Mexico and Mercado Pago across Latin America. These new providers have stronger incentives to service rural clients given the vast product mix they can monetize, and they are mobilizing large investments to develop such agent networks as part of their broader strategies. Okay, cool. What implication does this have for smartphone providers? For one, GSMA argues that manufacturers can effectively distribute devices to rural areas by working through, or partnering with, rural agent networks. Beyond employing more traditional sourcing and inventory optimisation approaches, manufacturers and mobile network operators (who often subsidize the cost of new devices) are innovating in various ways to strengthen their outbound supply chains. The goal of these efforts is to extend their footprint in a cost-efficient manner. Savings are also passed onto consumers, who can forego the cost of traveling to larger urban hubs to collect their purchases. In some contexts, mobile network operators could fruitfully partner with entities like rural shopping services, thus expanding distribution of operator-branded devices. In other contexts, a network is not present, operators themselves may have the best available rural agent networks and could create a system whereby rural agents sell phones on offer, providing a mobile money-based layaway plan. The opportunities to help rural people, who are already making a big investment and leap of faith by just buying a smartphone that most of us would take for granted, and help everyone else keep and grow their business. Why take this path to growing business? In the coming decade we’ve all just started, where it’s hard to expand business and ship anymore than we’ve already shipped, expanding into under-serviced communities does a world of good for everyone involved. It won’t be easy to innovate and create distribution networks, but if ever there was a time to channel the spirit of the early days of mobile phone trading, this is the time to get in on what all the old hands have been talking about. The gains made here will lead to rock-solid relationships with businesses and customers for not just years, but decades to come. 42-44.The best games of 2019 for PC, Xbox, PS4 and Mobile_3 The best games of 2019 for PC, Xbox, PS4 and Mobile Another incredible vintage. This is the most spontaneous and genuine way to describe the last twelve months of gaming just passed. 365 days of great outings, big surprises and pleasant confirmations. We therefore decided to bring together all the noteworthy productions within a single article, with the aim of creating the definitive guide to the best games of 2019. At the same time, we worked to create a homogeneous list, trying not to really exclude anything. By reading the titles we have collected, you will find out if we did it or not. Attention, before continuing, one premise is necessary: ​​the following is not a ranking, but rather a real list sorts according to the release of the games. Given the myriad of possible analyzes, we have opted for the creation of a hub dedicated to the event, so everyone can orient themselves and recover what they find most interesting. The topics covered are many, and we are sure that among these you will also find the one that most appeals to you. After the preambles, let's set off to discover the best games of 2019! Resident Evil 2 - PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC After the excellent seventh chapter, Capcom returns to the market with the remake of what could perhaps be called the most iconic chapter in the series. Resident Evil 2, which tells the adventures of Leon and Claire, is a perfect mix of action, horror and survival dynamics that will truly leave you breathless. Also, despite what you might think, this new Resident Evil 2 isn't a lazy remake. On the contrary, it represents an excellent example for all those development studios that seek the optimal formula for re-proposing cult productions in a modern key. From the graphic sector to the gameplay, Capcom wanted to modify and improve almost all aspects of production, with the aim of making the product more contemporary, without forgetting its historical origins. Resident Evil 2 is the best nostalgia operation and the most appropriate re-launch of a franchise that was starting to stagnate before the experimental seventh chapter. By showing that it understood its duality, made of the echo that speaks to the players of the 90s and the more modern one with an action soul, Capcom gives new life to Raccoon City. Those who played the original will find familiar notes but will be equally confused as a novice novice, victim of that horror fueled by fear which, in turn, arises from the key factor of the entire series: unpredictability. Resident Evil 2 is a survival horror in its purest sense, enriched with fresh mechanics and an unparalleled sound design, an operation whose success is affected only in minimal part of the repetitiveness due to the double scenario. Returning to Raccoon City has never been so terrifying. Apex Legends – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC With the Titanfall series, Respawn Enterteinment has certainly proven to be very competent when it comes to creating great quality first-person shoots. Unfortunately, however, the second chapter of the franchise did not gather the desired results, ending up becoming almost a sacrificial victim in the last quarter of the year which, as traditionally, sees the release on the market of the great Call of Duty and Battlefield blockbusters. In silence, however, the software house has worked on what we could safely call the best battle royale currently on the market. Apex Legends, in fact, which cleverly mixes typical elements of the genre with dynamics that are very familiar to those who love Respawn titles. The strengths of the game are certainly the gameplay, immediate, frenetic and fun, the system of heroes and classes very balanced and the infrastructure of the servers that has practically never caused any noteworthy problems. Mention of demerit instead for the loot system that rewards little if not in the face of many purchases in the shop - there is still talk of aesthetic rewards - and also for the first seasonal pass, a bit weak in the proposal. It would be little correct not to deservedly reward a project like Apex Legends. Avoiding partisan pre-launch campaigns and supporting only the merits of its development team, Respawn Entertainment's new Battle Royale shows itself to the public as a solid product, well packaged and with a personal and well-defined identity. The decision of the developers to offer a different alternative from the competition, a gunplay already known to lovers of the genre and a skillfully layered gameplay, have allowed Apex Legends to obtain the right acknowledgments from the public and critics. The future of the new Respawn creature is now in the hands of the development team that will have to expertly manage this immediate, and well-deserved success. The Division 2 - PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC The looter shooter market in recent years has certainly seen an increase in the reference products, just think of Destiny (1 and 2), the first The Division and the recent Anthem. All these games, for better or for worse, have experienced ups and downs. None of these, however, has managed to agree all since the day of release, a rather curious scenario if we think about the fact that after the case history of the last few years the various publishers had reference material to work on. This year, however, The Division 2 has arrived, perhaps too similar to its predecessor in terms of look and gameplay, but profoundly improved and perfected in the dynamics and therefore worthy of being considered one of the best games of 2019. Complete, deep, well fulfilling and stratified, the Massive title has all the fundamental characteristics to convince critics and the public, also with a free and well thought out post launch support. Looking forward to Borderlands 3, The Division 2 is the best title of this genre you can play. The plot remains one of the slightly subdued notes, but is compensated by the charisma and attention to detail of the setting that favor greater identification than what films and characters do. The gameplay encourages more tactical strategies by elevating the fighting to more reasoned clashes in which the synergy between the members of the group makes the difference. The excellent depth of customization of your equipment encourages the test of different game styles which the endgames are joined by the specializations that contribute to new and further game approaches. The Division 2 is the best launch of a shared-world shooter strongly focused on the loot: it is massive, fulfilling, complete and from here it can only improve with new content. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Among the best games of 2019 could not miss Sekiro, the new From Software action that after the Souls series and following Bloodborne engages with Feudal Japan, telling the epic of a Shinobi intent on finding and saving his master. The game became famous for its extreme difficulty, combined with the undeniable quality of the gameplay, the plot and the combat system. Among the most discussed topics, it is impossible not to mention the discussion concerning the bosses, considered by many to be too difficult. Sekiro's qualities are to be found in the value that this difficulty has within its playful ecosystem: learning to master the combat system travels hand in hand with the growth of the player, who just like the Shinobi protagonist of the adventure will mature with the Pass the time, until it becomes a real war machine. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is much more than a video game: it is a philosophy to be known, assimilated and made one's own if you want to discover it in its entirety. A path of life in which the growth of the character goes hand in hand with that of the player and where mistakes are not easily forgiven: this makes it the most difficult and punitive game that From Software has proposed to us so far. Forget the experience accumulated with Dark Souls because the formula devised by Miyazaki this time, while not denying the difficulty over the lines that has characterized the last games but rather amplifying it at times even beyond what is necessary, focuses on the action genre and interprets it relying on that same philosophy that for years we find in his works. The cycle of death and rebirth, awareness of oneself and one's limits to challenge and overcome, the idea that death can be defeated and transcended, is all part of an experience that the player must recognize and from which to allow himself to be absorbed in order to Fully understand the mechanics that govern the game. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an extremely punitive and complex game, a threshold that discriminates between those who do not fear the challenge and those who prefer an experience so demanding but where not to lose your head. Because this is something to be made clear: we are not facing a game for everyone and From Software is not afraid to admit it, becoming a white fly in a period where the video game is seen as an inclusive product of all kinds of audiences. If you want to get closer to it, do it especially with this awareness, or you would risk ruining the experience. Strengthened by a highly technical and layered combat system, which goes well with breathtaking scenarios that frame a more linear story than what we have been accustomed so far but not for this trivial or obvious, the game sins in the excessive difficulty with which it is proposed - the result of a balance that would have deserved some more attention precisely in the absence of that role-playing progression seen in the various Souls and up to Bloodborne. Net of this aspect and of a resurrection mechanic that would have benefited here too from a more dedicated management, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice comes out with its head held high as yet another excellent production of From Software. It leaves a mark on the videogame scene precisely by virtue of all those sensations that follow each other and mix in the player with each new clash, allowing him to discover that growth depends precisely on the mistakes. Staying in one's secure amnion does not bring any progress while daring can be punitive but extremely satisfying when the fruits are reaped. And of this, of an internal maturation, the game will never be stingy. 45. Smartphone market 2019_ third quarter results_1 Smartphone market 2019: third quarter results Global smartphone shipments grew by 1%, the first growth after a two-year decline. On the smartphone market 2019, the third quarter results arrive from Canalys. A series of market stimuli in line with demand have allowed global growth of 1%, the first growth after two years of declines. Samsung shipped 78.9 million devices, an 11% increase over the third quarter of 2018, thanks to an implementation of new products that have regained market share lost in the past. The Galaxy A series has replaced the old Galaxy J family and the price / specification ratio has improved. In the high end, the increase in models resulted in a success with the Galaxy Note 10 family which sold more than 5% more than Note 9. Huawei has increased its sales to 66.8 million, up 29%. An extraordinary increase after the damage caused by the US Entity List ruling in the second quarter of this year. Its strength was supported by the market in China, but it also improved its fortunes in many foreign markets where the volume increased sequentially from 21.5 million in the second quarter to 25.3 million in the third quarter, as numerous distributors and Operators have resumed purchases of Huawei smartphones that had been stopped in Q2. In the 2019 smartphone market, the third quarter instead recorded a -7% for Apple compared to the same period of 2018. iPhone 11 got excellent reviews. It has tangible improvements on battery life and camera performance, in addition to the discount over the iPhone XR which was a welcome surprise for consumers. However, Apple devices do not have 5G technology and will have to deal with this handicap also in 2020. It will lose operators' investments in 5G marketing and promotions and the prospect of an iPhone 12 with 5G could convince some customers to delay the Purchase of a new iPhone waiting for the new one with 5G. Apple will have to implement an excellent persuasive strategy to keep the sales volume high early next year. A great help could come from the launch of the entry-level iPhone in the first quarter of 2020. 5G smartphone market, 5G will help recovery While the uncertainty of the global economy mixed with the constant threats regarding trade / tariff continues to dominate, there may be a glimmer of hope thanks to the introduction into the world of 5G smartphones. Distributions and commercial structures have been opened in many countries and while 2019 will be a year of transition to the introduction of 5G technology, 2020 is expected to be the year of the definitive launch. IDC expects a 8.9% increase in shipments in 2020, reaching a total of 123.5 million mobile phones delivered. It is believed that this growth will reach 28.1% by 2023. Android vs iOS, the market forecast The share of Android in the 2019 smartphone market will go from 85.1% to 87.0% mainly due to the launch of 5G and the consequent replacement of old devices. An increase in sales volumes of compound annual growth (CAGR) of 1.7% is expected with the shipment of 1.3 billion devices in 2023. Android sales prices predict an increase of 3.2% thanks to the push given by the new devices that Will be available from 2019. On the iOS side, the 2019 smartphone market will instead be a challenging year for the shipment of iPhones with volumes that will decrease to 177.9 million, a -14% less annual due to market saturation and the lack of 5G devices. However, it is expected that Apple will launch 5G devices in 2020 which will slightly increase sales volumes since the advantage will be to be able to understand the conditions of the 5G market compared to its competitors with the consequent possibility of implementing a much more strategic device launch. 46-47. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite is official_ let's find out together_2 Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite is official: let's find out together Although the official presentation is still missing (expected for January 10, 2020), we already know everything about Galaxy Note 10 Lite, one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2020. Let's find out the device together, based on the latest information leaked on the net and on the technical sheet approved by the American FCC. Obviously we will update the article as soon as we have official information on the smartphone, but we are more than sure that it will not change much compared to the data sheet that we will analyze below. Galaxy Note 10 Lite is a smartphone that is positioned in the medium-high range of the market: it mounts a Samsung Exynos 9810 processor, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB of expandable internal memory. The screen will be a huge 6.7-inch FullHD + AMOLED-type panel with a small hole in the center, just like the Galaxy Note 10 models that are already on the market. Note that in this case the screen will be flat and not curved. The cameras will be 4: one front 32MP, 3 rear all 12MP (normal, wide angle, zoom). As we can see from the image at the beginning of the article, Galaxy Note 10 Lite offers a different design from the current Note 10, with clearly more rounded corners and a camera panel on the back that takes up a little that of Google Pixels. This new design will characterize Samsung's new devices for 2020. Obviously, the classic S Pen, equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 technology, will not be missing. Note the presence of the 3.5mm audio jack for headphones and a 4500 mAh battery with 25W fast charge. The operating system will be Android 10 at launch. The expected sale price is around 600 euros, an honest figure for a product of excellent quality. There is only one problem: at this price today we buy 'normal' Galaxy Note 10, which is more powerful, beautiful and performing. So what's the point of this Note 10 Lite? I honestly don't understand it. Here, however, the data sheet of the smartphone. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite: Data Sheet and Technical Specifications OS: Android 10 with One UI 2.0 Dimensions and weight: 163.7 × 76.1 × 8.7mm for 198 grams Display: Super AMOLED 6.7 ″ FullHD +, 398ppi density, HDR support Integrated fingerprint sensor Center hole for 32MP front camera SoC: Exynos 9810 RAM: 6GB Internal memory: 128GB expandable up to 512GB Connectivity: 4G LTE, dual band WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm jack, USB-C, GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo Battery: 4.500mAh with 25W quick charge S Pen Front camera: 32MP f / 2.0 Triple rear camera: 12MP dual pixel, f / 1.7 12MP wide angle f / 2.2 12MP tele f / 2.4 Video recording up to 4K @ 60fps Price and availability Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite The smartphone should cost 609 euros, although the price is obviously to be confirmed. The device is expected to be available from January 2020. We will update the article as soon as we have official information on the device. 48-50. The best smartphones of 2019-3 The best smartphones of 2019 With the arrival of the end of the year, we sum up and see which have been the best among the many new mobile terminals launched in this 2019. Another year has passed and it is time to draw conclusions regarding the best smartphones released by the various companies during 2019. The sales of new terminals have remained almost at the same levels as in 2018, with an overwhelming majority obtained by Samsung which - thanks also to the US ban - has distanced Huawei by consolidating itself as the best-selling brand in Italy, and beyond. Indeed, to give an idea of ​​the predominance of the Korean company in Italy we can say that Samsung has sold more or less the same number of smartphones sold by Huawei and Apple - third classified - put together (source GfK)! All the others have only to share the crumbs, with Wiko selling well in the lower end of the market, the Chinese Xiaomi and Oppo growing, and some historical brands that instead continue to lose market share. Here, however, we do not want to talk about sales but rather what we think were the best smartphones of the year, dividing them into various categories both by price range and by type of use of the terminal. In our analysis we will only consider Android smartphones, since iPhones offer a different user experience and do not cover the various price ranges, in addition to being a separate category compared to the competition. We will then consider only products released in 2019, the list prices recommended by the manufacturer, and in the case of several memory cuts of the basic one. On the technology side, it was the year of the first 5G smartphones, although high prices, limited coverage and consumer applications still absent did not encourage their spread and make us think that even 2020 will not be the year in which the The average user can search for a 5G mobile phone. We also finally saw the first folding displays, including announcements, withdrawals and re-announcements, which also in this case suggest that we wait for a greater maturity of the technologies involved. So let's see which smartphones we have considered among the best of the year. Best in the low end: Wiko View3 The entry-level market segment is the one that often forces us to make several compromises, as it is not possible to have good performance and quality components at a price of less than 200 euros, however this is a range that is in great demand by all those people who cannot or don't want to spend too much, and that maybe they use the phone for what was once considered the primary use, to call. In this range, however, noteworthy smartphones have come out, such as some Nokia models with Android One and Enterprise Recommended certification - we mention the Nokia 4.2 or the small Nokia 2.2 - but also a large series of Xiaomi Redmi that while not immune to some software problems we represent with the more balanced Redmi Note 8T. Towards the end of the year Realme 5 Pro and Oppo A5 (2020) also arrived, two well-designed terminals with discrete performance, but overall we want to give our prize as the best low-end smartphone to Wiko View3, able to offer a good user experience at the price of only € 159. Best in the medium-low range: Honor 9X Going up in price we find smartphones that are able to offer some more advanced features while maintaining a price within everyone's reach. Among these we can highlight the Nokia 6.2 with PureDisplay HDR, Oppo A9 (2020) with a 5000mAh battery, Realme X2 with an excellent quality quad-camera and Motorola G8 Plus which combines the best features of the One family devices launched in the first months Of the year. Our prize, however, goes to Honor 9X which combines good features and highly satisfactory performance at the recommended price of € 249. Best in the medium-high range: Oppo Reno2 We continue to rise in price and we start to find some of the smartphones that have made their mark most this year thanks to the excellent value for money. Among these we cannot fail to mention the Pixel 3a, the first mid-range Made by Google smartphone, but also Realme X2 Pro and Motorola One Zoom that we saw at IFA; then we add the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro, the most successful of the year for the Chinese house, the Huawei Nova 5T and the TCL Plex, with its video camera dedicated to lowlight videos. Our choice as the best of the medium-high range, however, goes to Oppo Reno2, which combines a particularly pleasant design and innovative technology in the shark fin camera with performance that can never disappoint. Best in the high end: Google Pixel 4 And we have reached the high end, the one where all the main players in the sector meet to define the characteristics of the smartphones of the moment. And if Samsung Galaxy S10e is the most accessible representative of the popular Korean smartphone family, OnePlus 7T Pro rightly brings in this list what until a few years ago was an outsider, while Honor 20 Pro consolidates the excellent quality of the Chinese house. How not to mention also Xiaomi Mi Note 10, which arrives in this price range although not without problems here and there. The best high-end smartphone for us, however, remains the Pixel 4, which thanks to Google's innovations (just think of the Radar Soli) remains the reference point of the Android world. Best in premium range: Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Even higher up are the premium terminals, those in which companies concentrate their latest innovations and sometimes bring some technologies that will take some time before they become mainstream, or sometimes they are destined to disappear completely. We cannot fail to mention in this category the Sony Xperia 1, the first smartphone to present a 21: 9 CinemaWide display and to condense the best technologies of the Japanese house in a mobile terminal, or Oppo Reno 10X Zoom which brought us the first periscopic zoom, but Also LG G8x ThinQ Dual Screen, which brings an alternative and more functional solution of folding displays, or Huawei Mate 30 Pro penalized by the absence of Google Apps which are essential for the average user. However, our choice as the premium smartphone of the year goes to the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, which continues the Note dynasty, improving all aspects. Let's now examine some of the best smartphones of the year going to highlight the categories on which the technical characteristics and marketing campaigns of the respective companies are focused. Best camera-phone: Google Pixel 4 There is no doubt that the photographic performance of smartphones is always higher, and that right on the camera we are witnessing some of the major struggles between different companies. And if Nokia 9 brought the PureView brand back to us on a penta-camera, Oppo Reno 10X Zoom was, as we said before, the first smartphone to announce a periscopic zoom, although Huawei P30 Pro was the first to actually bring it to the shelves; Honor 20 Pro manages to combine hardware very similar to that of the cousin, significantly lowering the sale price and making the technologies available to everyone, while usual Xiaomi screams large numbers with the 108MP camera of the Mi Note 10, which we have seen, however, don't live up to competitors. And just to reiterate that it is not the megapixel count that makes the difference but rather a well-developed software, our award for best camera-phone of the year can only go to Google's Pixel 4, the first Pixel to have a dual camera Rear and to integrate many innovations including astrophotography and the best night mode on the market. Best battery-phone: Oppo A9 (2020) Another very important aspect in choosing a smartphone is autonomy, with many users willing to give up some features in order to be sure of arriving in the evening with sufficient energy even with very intense use of the terminal. During the year, several products were launched with batteries with an even greater capacity of 5000mAh, and among these we remember Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M2), just in the first weeks of the year, and Samsung M30s. In recent months, Realme 5 and Xiaomi Mi Note 10 have also been added, but the battery-phone of the year that in our opinion combines excellent autonomy with good performance is certainly Oppo A9 (2020). Best gaming-phone: Asus ROG Phone 2 When it comes to gaming, top performance and uncompromising dedicated game modes are required, and although several manufacturers have integrated a special game mode into their smartphones that deactivates notifications to avoid distractions and activate higher performance thanks to GPUs called Turbo, Boost and more, the only smartphone designed entirely for gamers is Asus ROG Phone 2, which therefore deserves our special recognition by right. 51.The console market grew in 2019 but less than expected_1 The console market grew in 2019 but less than expected Earlier this year, analysts at Newzoo, a company specializing in data collection and processing in the industry, had forecast earnings of more than $ 150 billion from console and video game sales worldwide. A figure, however, that at the gates of the end of this 2019, has been revised. The initial estimates on the gaming market were 152.1 billion, or a growth of + 9.6% compared to last year. It was also estimated that the United States would overtake China as the world's largest gaming market, mainly due to issues within the Asian power in terms of licenses and video game addiction prevention measures such as the law that recently prohibited minors from Play more than 90 minutes a day during the week and no more than three on holidays. The overtaking of the United States on Japan did not however take place. The revised and corrected analysis of the Newzoo company lowered these forecasts to around $ 148.8 billion. There wouldn't seem to be a big difference given the volume of earnings but, as the site VG24 / 7 points out, the figure of 3.3 billion is still substantial if you think that such a sum equals the price of 66 weeks on board the Space Station International. Overall, the video game market will have grown 7.2% by the end of 2019 compared to last year. Other interesting Newzoo data include those on the console game market, whose sales, albeit on the rise, slowed down earlier than expected in favor of the smartphone market. A figure perhaps to be considered physiological given the advanced stage of the current console generation. The PC market is growing more timidly with + 2.8%. According to forecasts, in 2022 the gaming market will be worth 189.6 billion dollars. Super Smash Bros Ultimate, for the game director Street Fighter 2 remains the champion Based on sales figures released by Nintendo, Super Smash Bros Ultimate for Switch in the first days of November was crowned as the best-selling match fighting game in history thanks to the 15.71 million copies sold at September 30, thus exceeding, in less Street Fighter 2's one-year world record. But there is someone who now wants to downsize that result and paradoxically he is the game director of Super Smash Bros. ultimate himself. We were initially surprised by the fact that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was recognized as the best-selling fighting game in history because in Japan the Nintendo series does not fall into the category of fighting games but in that Of Action Fighting Games. For Sakurai the king of the fighting game always remains Street Fighter 2, adding that the legacy of the Capcom title has inspired countless other games such as the same Super Smash Bros Ultimate especially in the most competitive aspects and in the addition of characters from the classics of the fighting game genre as Example Terry Bogard recently introduced from SNK's Fatal Fury series. Sakurai also added that if it is towards Smash Bros. Ultimate that it has complicated aspects, it has never been designed for a single type of public considering it suitable, for example, also for children. Beyond the comparisons with Street Fighter 2, Super Smash Bros Ultimate has pushed the Nintendo series towards another record figure: in its twenty years of life the saga has in fact sold 53.03 million copies. This figure would exceed the sales of other series such as Tekken, Dragon Ball, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat all between 45 and 47 million copies. 52-53. What is handelot TEN- FAQ 02!!!! Handelot TEN WHAT IS IT? The Handelot Trade Event Network (TEN) is the gathering to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Handelot. To that end, we are inviting 500 of our close partners to spend 3 days in the exclusive, all-inclusive, fully dedicated Warszawianka Resort, near the beautiful Zegrzynskie Lake and a heartbeat away from Warsaw. TEN will take place in June 2020. WHAT WILL WE DO? The primary goal of TEN is to celebrate with style everything that brought us together during all this time – as well as a lot of networking. But TEN is a lot more. You can expect high-profile educational sessions with world-class keynote speakers in a variety of areas we know well: logistics, trading, finance, market trends, emerging markets and business development. Also, TEN will bring lots of business opportunities since a good number of our top partners all have their own offices in the venue. During the event, we will feature a number of businesses where our most trusted partners will have the option to invest. These opportunities will be in and out of our core business, covering a wide range of topics such as renewable energy, startups, electric mobility and real estate. Finally, we will have a good number of fun activities for those looking to relax and have a good time such as a casino, a discotheque, local food and drink, and watersports. HOW IS TEN DIFFERENT? First, Handelot TEN presents a unique and innovative event concept. It blends the best of traditional exhibitions and the best of business events. That's right: in one single place we will have the amenities to enjoy a great time together such bars, restaurants, massage parlors, gyms, and of course comfortable rooms. We will also feature numerous offices available to our sponsors and those interested companies to hold their own private meetings with new and existing partners on site. A unique selling point of TEN it will be its approach to networking. With a force of 23 consultants on site, Handelot will leverage its unmatched consultancy workforce in the industry to ensure genuinely proactive and effective networking. Given that each Handelot Consultant will have 20 companies assigned to them, this will ensure that each company has the attention and support during the event not only to network effectively based on each company’s needs, but also with the luxury of enabling personal introductions between our partners. Once you buy your TEN ticket, it’s all yours. From event entries, transport to-and-from the airport, accommodation, food, drinks (both non-alcoholic and alcoholic), and all the good stuff mentioned above, you don't have to worry about anything while staying with us. We’ve got you for everything...but the airfare. That’s on you. WHY ATTEND? The main reason most people will come to the event is to spend some quality time with Handelot’s Team on its most special day. Nonetheless, here are all the reasons why you should attend TEN: • Innovative networking approach with the support of your Account Manager or Partner Coordinator at Handelot. • Get to know the senior management of our Event Partner, Yukatel, as well as our other sponsors: SG Spa, XTG, Parktel, Vitel Mobile, Gersim, Global Resource Trade, Globomatik, Telepart, Smalltronic, Velara, Novaphone, PPA and Al-Thanayan. • Keynote speakers discussing the changes that lie ahead in the next few years in hot topics such as finance, logistics, product trends and management. • New business opportunities will be present in a variety of areas such as renewable energy, infrastructure, e-commerce and real estate. • A group of professional consultants such as lawyers, financial advisors, and bankers will make themselves available to answer your questions. • Unlimited high-quality food and beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). • Relaxing time enjoying a massage in the resort’s beauty and spa centre with direct access to Lake Zegrzynskie. • Socialize, dance and drink time in the in-house disco. • Enjoy our private beach, aquapark, pools and sauna. There are boats and ski-jets for those more daring. • Wine and cigar tasting will be available for those feeling decadent enough. • On-site casino, which will include a Texas Hold’em poker tournament. • First class gym and squash facilities. • Bowling alley and game rooms available for those in a playful mood. 54-55. The Changing Perception of Gamers_2 WHAT CHANGED IN THE 2010s: HOW WE LOOK AT GAMERS All that time in front of the screen may be paying off. The 2010s saw the integration of technology into our lives like never before. If you think that can be said about every decade that came before, think about this: tech has changed the way we think about the people who make it. It used to be that programmers were thought of simply as “geeks” or “nerds” that were not desirable to emulate or socialize with due to a perceived, inherent “uncoolness”. Today, tech knowledge is fashionable, and the greatest minds in the game are now some of the most prominent public figures we have, like Elon Musk. But what of the gamer? When video games first exploded in the 1980s, they were viewed as a pastime that, like television, would rot the brains of children and turn them into zombies. For a long period of time, television was not a particularly high-brow form of entertainment; shows had lower budgets than movies and appealed to base emotions and preferences, with extended periods of watching (what we’d call “binging” today) being the domain of “couch potatoes”. Yet in the decade prior television had a renaissance, with creators coming up with increasingly complex plots and characters, first on pay channels like HBO before spreading to basic cable and driving the growth of the streaming industry into the behemoth it is today. And to be a fan of certain series is to carry a mark of distinction. Being that television was so mediocre for so long when video games appeared, it is understandable that another screen-based form of entertainment would garner similar lamenting responses. As such, people were so seriously worried about the detriments of gaming that any potential benefits were stifled. We’ve talked about them here in The Handelot Times - game developers are including more and more opportunities for physical activity to complement multisensory audiovisual experiences. And gamers who play them are getting so much more out of the gaming experience than their predecessors. It turns out that dedicating enough time to certain genres, such as strategy games and puzzles to name a couple, are actually giving gamers particular sets of skills. It also turns out that these skills can make someone a usable asset on the job market. Team leadership, problem-solving, and strategic thinking are all highly sought-after. That’s not to say that one can stroll into an interview bragging about their thousands of hours spent playing Call of Duty will instantly land a job, just that spinning these skills the right way on a CV can be beneficial. The British Broadcasting Corporation even reports that the Royal Air Force is courting recruits who double as gamers for a variety of roles due to their supposed abilities to assimilate information, react swiftly and coordinate actions under pressure. Once seen as a hopeless pursuit, outreach efforts such as this prove that there is life beyond gaming. ONCE A GAMER, ALWAYS A GAMER? At the outset of the video game industry, the product was so engaging for its child-oriented customer base that concerned parents were worried that games might be starting and feeding obsessions. We can see that they don’t necessarily have to be. But let’s go the other way: what if all one wants to do is play video games? The 2010s have proven that a lucrative career can be had in the gaming world through the rise of eSports. It makes sense that eSports has become a cash cow. Watching other people play can be nearly as fun as playing yourself. Before the decade just past, eSports were fun to watch, and tournaments were held worldwide where champions could pick up the odd cash prize. However, it’s become so much bigger than that. eSports has organized itself into leagues and drawn investment from global brands and even Hollywood interest. National labor departments around the world have begun to regulate eSports as legitimate work. Similarly, governing bodies have been formed worldwide to organize competition, and there has even been a push to get them included in the Olympics! These professional gamers are even creating job opportunities for others. Becoming a multi-million dollar behemoth means the industry runs a tight ship, helmed by account managers, business development executives, digital marketers, internal travel agents for esports tournament organizers, and gaming house managers. Even if you’re not good at games and just like memes, eSports teams hire “freelance meme specialists”, which means that this is a cottage industry that could be birthing another cottage industry altogether. That last sentence is deep. Obsessive gamers were supposed to be burnouts and losers. It turns out they are driving the evolution of the global workforce in ways we could not have forseen ten years ago. We used to laugh at them. If they weren’t so busy making everyone around them rich, they might have half a mind to laugh at us. 56-57. The technology trends that will dominate 2020_2 The technology trends that will dominate 2020 The new year is preparing to offer a multitude of innovations that will amaze all lovers of new technologies. Here are some advances. The iGaming and online betting sector are now entirely based on the growth of the internet and the continuous evolution of related technologies. Due to the frenetic rhythms that characterize today's times, in turn the information technology industry is also strongly influenced and this is why iGaming and online betting are in a constant situation. Instant access have in fact become real buzzwords, in a world where everything is now online and connected to the web. The gambling sector has obviously exploited this in its favor, readjusting the offer and untying it from the so-called traditional casinos, bringing this kind of entertainment to mobile devices all over the world. Devices that nowadays can easily pass through HD cameras, music players, video players and much more. It is therefore not surprising how a smartphone can turn into a real mobile casino with a click. In fact, every year the games available grow in number and quality, so much so that by now you don't even have time to wonder at the new progress, that already a new technology or a new even more performing game is in the launch phase. Obviously, this is no exception to 2020, for which in fact there is already talk of new trends in technology that will influence a large portion of the entertainment sector. From the analysis of big data, to VR and Augmented Reality, without obviously leaving behind all that part linked to payments via blockchain, the new year is preparing to offer a multitude of innovations that will amaze all lovers of new technologies, inevitably attracting them or new ones. Big data analysis Online customers are becoming increasingly demanding and this is understandable, being the Internet a place that offers a choice so vast that it can truly satisfy everyone. This is no exception for iGaming: in the near future, it is estimated that casinos will be able to correctly predict and anticipate the behavior of their customers, thus having a significant advantage over them, simply by obtaining an infinite amount of data obtained at each access players through their accounts. So soon these data will be analyzed through the use of powerful algorithms based on Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to investigate the specific needs of each user, thus further personalizing the offer. VR and Augmented Reality The Achilles heel of online casinos, however, has always been the lack of a strong sensorial experience like that experienced in traditional ones, between lights, sounds, colors and breathtaking scenery. New technologies such as VR and Augmented Reality - to which one of the first experiments was the popular PokemonGo - have been well applied in this sector to try to overcome this flaw in iGaming. Here, therefore, online casinos are increasingly approaching this type of experience so sought after, involving at least two senses - sight and hearing - which, with the help of engaging graphics, are able to arouse great emotions and Bring the player into a parallel dimension. Blockchain payments With the incredible success of Bitcoin, online casinos have adapted to the new trend and have started to accept the most famous cryptocurrencies: even if the legislation in fact tends to be still rather skeptical as governments are reluctant to legalize a currency on which they have no control, gambling with bitcoin has managed to stay at the forefront and certainly blockchain technology in general could in the future bring benefits for both casinos and players. Deep learning Deep learning is a rapidly evolving machine learning technique that helps build, train and test neural networks capable of creating increasingly accurate probabilistic models. That is, capable of predicting business or process results, identifying patterns, occurrences and exceptions in data flows. Natural language When we speak of natural language generation we refer to a family of technologies that work together on the basis of a series of rules, models and machine learning systems to generate real-time expressive modes recognizable by human users, both in terms of conversations verbal, both in terms of gestures and facial expression. Digital twin The 'digital twins' allow the creation of digital models of buildings, machinery or physical objects to provide a better understanding of their performance or to provide a better experience to the end user. Serverless computing Serverless computing is a form of server architecture designed to further abstract the development, calculation and execution of resources from servers - a step further than the concept of virtualization - still reducing the burden related to infrastructure management and maintenance of servers and instances. Quantum computing Quantum computing is an emerging computer paradigm, still tied to the research and development phase: the creation of a real quantum computer remains on the horizon, but the development of technology is indispensable as it allows you to quickly increase the power and efficiency of the calculation Other implementations Finally, how not to mention other important advances that have revolutionized the way we interface with devices. Among these, the 3D facial recognition that allows you to create avatars that are very similar to the player and the voice recognition, thanks to which you can play without having to use the controller, interact on social networks and other activities that have changed not only the world of Game, but even the everyday life of people. One example is Alexa, the virtual assistant developed by Amazon and Google Assistant. 58-59 What Did We Get Wrong_2 THE 2010s: WHAT DID WE GET WRONG? They say that hindsight is 20/20. Well, in 2020, we’ve all got the hindsight to look back on the past decade at the gadgets and trends that we thought would shape where we are today. In doing so, we can either acknowledge our missteps, shake our heads and laugh quietly to ourselves, or we can lock eyes on the future and pretend the past never happened. Whichever way you choose to cope, there’s likely something on this list you’re guilty of getting caught up in. Let’s reminisce. GADGETS Nintendo Wii U Believe it or not, Nintendo’s follow-up to the Wii actually gave gamers a good idea of the shape of their world to come. The Japanese games giant guessed correctly that wireless, portable gameplay. That said, the Wii U was but a half-measure; the device provided a decent-enough screen and workable controls, but made functionality too dependent on proximity to the system’s base station. All of which meant that “gaming anywhere” only meant “gaming anywhere inside the house”. Granted, the Wii U was released in 2012, years before 5G was a practical idea, which meant that it was being developed before 4G had reached full prominence. The omnipresence of fast connectivity that defined the latter half of the decade made Nintendo’s Switch possible as it freed itself from the traditional idea of the console. Microsoft PixelSense (formerly Surface) No, not the tablet you’re probably reading this on at this very moment (in which case, hi!). Before the Surface redux ushered in a new era of mobile computing, the tablet was a coffee table, aimed at public spaces rather than the friendly confines of home -- the $10,000 price tag all but made sure of that. Designed to be a communal experience, the horizontal touchscreen was built to accommodate several users at once and even interact with objects placed on it, such as the ingredient list of drinks. All in all it’s a neat idea, but the rub here is that software developers abandoned support it soon after each subsequent release of the Surface. It was rebranded the PixelSense in 2012 and an SDK was made available for developers in preparation for a wider public release. But have you ever seen one in the wild? Us, either. Google Glass They say you should never punch someone wearing glasses, but then Google went and released a pair of expensive, super-futuristic spectacles that made you want to throw a right hook to anyone wearing them. Again, this is a cool idea gone wrong, and a wearable computer-without-the-computer seems like a version of the future we’ve been promised for decades. But the fact that the Glass contains a camera that can record a user’s sight has brought up privacy concerns and subsequent legal issues that have kept the device in development hell. That’s to say nothing of how big of a distraction it is to have a screen in your face literally all of the time. TRENDS Filters As smartphone processors could support more and more expanded functionality and their camera setups got more and more complex, social media outlets like Instagram and Snapchat felt the need to put that power to use in their apps. This is how we got to pictures where you could have bunny ears, the face of a puppy, or even swap faces with your significant other. Admittedly, this was fun for about five minutes. But once everyone and their mother began sharing them to our Facebook and Twitter feeds, it became yet another bane of our existence. See also: Bitmoji. Streaming “What?” you say. “Streaming is great! You’re nuts.” You know what? It is! But you know what’s not great? Established television series being exclusive to this service or that, and having to shell out more money for each new service that comes out just to stay on top of it all. For a couple of short years, it seemed we would all be free from the shackles of cable providers that offered bloated packages of channels we’d never watch in our wildest dreams. With streaming came the advent of original content, though, and as more creators created more and demand rose ever higher, even more outlets were needed. And that’s about where we are now. Choose your streaming content wisely. “Thermal Events” Okay, this one is actually no laughing matter. For all the advances in smartphone technology there have been, it’s been a rather unfortunate decade for manufacturers who have so loaded their devices with innovation that the battery explodes (not just because of battery overload - tragic design flaws in device components de-emphasized battery placement and led to faulty connections). In the case of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7, the issue was so severe that the phone was banned from commercial aircraft and labeled a hazmat product before being discontinued entirely. But we all know there’s not enough space in the Handelot Times to list every phone with these problems. Stay safe out there, consumers. 60-61. Will Apple will overtake Samsung and Huawei in the 5G smartphone war in 2020_2 62-64. E-commerce in 2020_ changes, evolutions and trends_3 E-commerce in 2020: changes, evolutions and trends How much has online business changed in the past 10 years? On a scale from 1 to 100 we could say 100 or the maximum that could reach, for now. In just ten years the online market has had a truly remarkable increase thanks to the advent of e-commerce, and year after year we have seen more and more changes not only in our way of shopping, but also and above all that of relating to this universe. From this point of view, 2019 was the year - and we are talking about the past because the forecasts are now all aimed at 2020 - in which smart intelligence has really started to take the upper hand in digital logic. To fully understand this speech there is an example, very close to our everyday reality, which could be very interesting to analyze. The whatsapp case Since whatsapp was born, conversations between people have never been the same. We have gone through several phases that have definitely changed the way we speak. Today: - Writing has become the predominant weapon of any conversation that requires attention; - Voice messages outperformed the calls. Today we all communicate with voice messages instead of the classic phone call. In a few years, technology has definitely changed the way we communicate. Now, analyzing this small cross-section of today's society allows us to get to the first point of the trends for e-commerce 2020: you can do voice search on an e-commerce, asking the voice assistant to show the product based on preferences of colors, sizes etc. What does this mean? That e-commerce in 2020 will have to adapt their logic to the introduction of software that allows voice search. More than 70% of people today use the voice assistant to search the internet. More than half of this percentage will prefer to use the voice assistant to browse e-commerce, rather than going to a real shop and relating to a job. Of course, if for a moment we focused on a sociological analysis, we will understand that today the number of people who prefer virtual interaction to physical interaction is somewhat identifying how much society is really changing. How much will change the way of doing e-commerce in 2020 If there hadn't been people able to appreciate digital changes, today we would most likely not be able to talk about trends for e-commerce. This is to say that in reality nothing could be possible today, if all of us had not wished to progress and improve our lives. Smart intelligence in the business world, for example, was born for this: companies and individual entrepreneurs really wanted to improve their internal management processes. Automation represents the answer to this implicit question. Today without the automated processes we would not have the detailed information we have about customers when we do analysis, and it would be much more complex to manage the development and production process. The changes in e-commerce in 2020 affect 3 main aspects: - The way of relating supply and demand - Customer care - Personalization There are 3 points linked together but which at the same time develop autonomously more and more innovative solutions, in order to make online shops real shopping experiences, positive and more and more interactive. The way of relating supply and demand If until recently it was possible to buy only from the site in particular, today social networks are expanding these capabilities. Already now you can see the potential of social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, where with a simple click you get on the products and buy it. But why is this happening? The answer is soon deduced: people spend more than two hours a day on social networks and want to buy directly from there. Another important consideration for social media is also true. The trends of 2020 see people increasingly inclined to share their purchases of products and services. Just scroll through the Facebook feed to realize it and this means that e-commerce will create a direct link between the product and social platforms. This possibility is already in development, but it is not yet widespread. Next year it will be and the rule of reciprocity in this sense applies. For example, if we see that a trusted friend or colleague of ours has purchased a product or service online, we are encouraged to purchase it. The sharing itself acts as a review. This discourse actually leads us to another very important concept, namely that of the multi-channel offerings. It must be possible to act in a multi-channel perspective when new offers are published. It will be necessary to think of creating ad hoc sales strategies according to the channels on which the offer is published, even if it is always the same. A single sales strategy for everything is probably not enough. It will be sufficient to think cross-media, since with the advent of augmented reality in e-commerce, there will be more than one platforms with which you will interact. The evolution of customer care Personalizing is the key word of the customer care process. Of course, when you make big numbers with your e-commerce it can be quite complex, but that's why automated systems meet you. The big news in this sense is that of special data collection software that will be able to immediately recognize the customer who returns to the online store - exactly as it happens when we always go to the same physical store. The advantage of all this? Offering the consumers what they like or need before they even know it. You will have to learn to customize the offers, thus having 50% more conversion possibilities. With a view to improvement, the check out form is also very important, and therefore the payment methods. For some time now it has been understood that the payment methods had to streamline and make the customer's purchase process much easier. The famous abandonment of the cart for example, depended - and in some cases unfortunately it is still so - on a lack of clarity of the check-out form. They didn't understand each other: the payment methods; where to click to continue the process; the logic according to which the prices changed at the shopping cart. In particular, the last point was crucial for many e-commerce, because they tended to be unclear about shipping costs. For example, the product was paid € 10 but in the final bill it was € 15 the final price. The reason? Shipping costs were added. Consequence: abandonment of the cart and black stamp on e-commerce. Fortunately, today we have overcome this stumbling block but the part concerning payment methods is still very complex for 'hasty' consumers. Hence, 2020 sees the appearance of special Apps connected to the site, able to charge the selected item without the use of a credit card. Pretty compelling solution for those who can't stand wasting time with an abstruse payment system. Customization The distances between online shop and consumer must be shortened. The consumer must be able to trust what you offer him and he must feel that he is at home on your online store. But how is it possible to do all this? 2020 will probably be the prelude to the introduction of VR (virtual) applications that will allow consumers to see the product perhaps with a hologram in front of it - very futuristic but possible. The e-commerce of the future increasingly see augmented reality as a parallel to the physical one, where you enter the online store and choose the dress you like best. It is a very advanced and futuristic perspective, but not so far from today's possibilities. An example already very close to us today is the use of Google Lens which through a special visual analysis system, and with the help of artificial intelligence will be able to obtain information on products and items you see on the street for example. And what about the sectors in which e-commerce will invest more in 2020? Food is by far the most successful business ever. During 2019, for example, it was the one that had the most evolution of all in terms of Apps for food delivery for example. Following him there will be: - IT and electronics; - Beauty; - Specialization of organic products; - Tourism; - Fashion; - Interior design and furnishings; - Smart home services.