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Gibraltar Masters 2018

Gibraltar Masters 2018
Caleta, England
Jan. 22-Feb. 1, 2018

Final Top Standings

1-7. GM Hikaru Nakamura USA 2781, GM Richard Rapport HUN 2700, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2793, Levon Aronian ARM 2797, GM Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2732, GM Michael Adams ENG 2709, GM Le Quang Liem VIE 2737, 7.5/10

8-25. GM David Howell ENG 2682, GM Abhijeet Gupta IND 2610, GM Debashis Das IND 2501, GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2724, GM Grigoriy Oparin RUS 2607, GM Wang Hao CHN 2711, GM Daniele Vocaturo ITA 2609, GM Boris Gelfand ISR 2697, GM S.P. Sethuraman IND 2646, GM Emil Sutovsky ISR 2673, GM Daniil Dubov RUS 2696, Lance Henderson dela Fuente ESP 2429, GM Ori Kobo ISR 2477, GM Ivan Cheparinov BUL 2699, GM Alexander Motylev RUS 2673, GM S.L. Narayanan IND 2573, GM Vladimir Epishin RUS 2536, GM Falko Bindrich GER 2605, 7.0/10

Total of 276 players

Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 50 minutes for the next 20 moves then 15 minutes play-to-finish with 30 seconds added to your clock after every move starting move 1.

Gibraltar is a very small, narrow peninsula covering 2.5 square miles located at the southern edge of Spain. It overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar and the northern coastal areas of Africa. If you look that up in the map you will note that it is thousands of miles away from England, and yet it is British Crown Colony. When asked, at the referendum in 2002, whether Spain and the UK should share sovereignty of Gibraltar, more than 98% of Gibraltarians said it should remain British.

Apparently it was captured by a Dutch force from Spain in 1704 and ceded in perpetuity to Great Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar at the foot of which is a densely populated city area, home to over 30,000 people, primarily Gibraltarians.

It is a financial haven, with a maximum of £30,000 (approximately P2.1 million) in income tax regardless of how much earnings you have and there is also no inheritance tax, no VAT, no capital gains tax and low income and corporate tax.

Some trivia: In March 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono flew to Gibraltar, where they were married in a 10-minute ceremony at the British consulate by registrar Cecil Wheeler. It was the only place that could marry them at such short notice. Within an hour they headed for Amsterdam, and the Hilton hotel, where they spent their honeymoon in bed, accompanied by the world’s press, to call for world peace.

As for chess, Gibraltar every year hosts one of the strongest international chess opens in the world with huge prizes and they exert every effort to make chessplayers feel at home. There was an unfortunate conflict of schedules this year between the Tata Steel tournament and the Gibraltar Masters and so Magnus Carlsen et al could not compete in the latter tournament, but anyway there were enough big stars to go around and elite players Levon Aronian, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Hikaru Nakamura showed up in the island to do battle.

At the end there was a seven way tie on 7.5/10. The top four on tie-break went into a playoff for the title (time control: 10 minutes play-to-finish with a 5-second increment per move. If the score is still tied then two blitz games will be played with 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment).

Semifinals
Levon Aronian beat Richard Rapport 2-0
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave beat Hikaru Nakamura 2.5-1.5

Finals
Levon Aronian defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2.5-1.5

Levon Aronian got £25,000 (around P1.7 million) for finishing first, the other six players tied for 2nd-7th got £10,500 (P750,000) each.

For Levon Aronian this is yet another super-win following his tremendous victory in the FIDE World Cup last September followed by another big win in the Palma de Mallorca Grand Prix in November. Even more than ever he affirms his standing as the top favorite to win the Candidates Tournament in March 2018. If he wins that too then it is on to a match for all the marbles — a world title confrontation with Magnus Carlsen.

Let us take a look at the chess he played in Gibraltar. First, a lightning attack which is surprisingly virulent.

Aronian, Levon (2797) — Hoolt, Sarah (2400) [A80]
Gibraltar Masters 2018 Catalan Bay GIB (3.18), 25.01.2018

1.d4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5 d5 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Be7 6.Bd3 Ne4 7.Bxe7 Qxe7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Ne2 c5 10.b3 Nd7 11.c4 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nd6 13.Qc2 Nxc4 14.Qxc4 Re8 [Conventional wisdom is that in such formations once Black manages to advance her e-pawn to e5 it should more or less equalize, but it is so simple to achieve that.]

15.Nf4 cxd4 16.exd4 Qd6 17.Ne5 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Qxe5 19.Rfe1 Qf6 20.Rad1 Qf7 21.Qb5 a6 22.Qb6 a5 [Not yet time for 22…e5, which is met by 23.Nd5 (threatening a fork on c7) 23…Rb8 24.Nc7 Rf8 (where else? 24…Re7 25.Rd8+) 25.Rxe5 and the e5 pawn is lost for nothing]

23.Nd3 Ra6 24.Qd4 b5 25.Qc5 Qb7 26.Ne5 Qb6 27.Qc1 [Sarah has been concentrating on the queenside but now she sees that Qg5 is very strong.]

27…Ra7 28.Qg5 Rae7 29.Rd3 Qc7 30.Qe3 Bb7 31.Rc1 Qb8 32.Nd7 Qa8 33.Qg5 Kh8? <D>

POSITION AFTER 33…KH8

Black should have played 33…h6. Now White’s attack begins.

34.Nf6! Rc8

[34…gxf6 35.Qxf6+ Rg7 36.Rc7 Reg8 37.Rdd7 Qf8 38.Rxg7 Qxg7 39.Rxg7 Rxg7 40.Qxe6 White is clearly winning]

35.Rcd1 Rf7

The knight is still immune: 35…gxf6 36.Qxf6+ Rg7 37.Rd8+.

36.Nd7 Rg8 37.Rh3

With the idea of Rxh7+, Kxh7, Qh5 mate.

37…h6 38.Ne5 Rf6 39.Rxh6+! Rxh6 40.Nf7+ Kh7 41.Nxh6 Bf3

[41…gxh6 42.Rd7+]

42.Nf7

Threatening Qh4+, Kg6, Ne5 mate.

42…Rf8 43.Qh4+ 1–0

Black chooses to resign rather than 43…Kg6 44.Ne5 mate, or 43…Kg8 Ng5 and a massacre.

And now we have another example of Aronian’s queen meandering all over the board, but once it gets to the kingside the attack is hard to defend.

Aronian, Levon (2797) — Sethuraman, S.P. (2646) [A13]
Gibraltar Masters 2018 Catalan Bay GIB (9.3), 31.01.2018

1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.Qa4+ Bd7 6.Qxc4 c5

To be followed by …Bc6. Aronian prevents that right away.

7.Ne5 Qc8 8.Qd3 Nc6 9.Nxd7 Nxd7 10.Nc3 Be7 11.Qb5 a6 12.Qa4 Nd4 13.0–0 0–0 14.d3 Nb6 15.Qd1 Rd8 16.Bd2 Qd7 17.Rc1 Rac8 18.b3 h6 19.Kh1!

Would you believe this is an attacking move? Watch.

19…Nd5 20.Nxd5 exd5 21.e3 Nc6 22.Qh5 Qd6 23.f4 a5 24.a4 Rb8 25.e4 dxe4 26.Bxe4 b6 27.g4

With Bc3, Rg1 and Rcf1 to follow.

27…Nd4 28.Bc3 f5

Taking the b3 pawn accelerates White’s attack. There will follow 28…Nxb3 29.Be5 Qe6 30.Rce1 and it is already looking very scary for Black.

29.gxf5 Bf6 30.Rg1 Re8

Did Black slip up here? Let us take a look at the alternatives.

30…Kh7 31.Rxg7+!! Kxg7 (Or 31…Bxg7 32.f6+) 32.Rg1+ Kf8 33.Qxh6+ Ke8 34.Bxd4 Bxd4 (34…Qxd4 is hopeless after 35.Qh7) 35.Bc6+ followed by mate;

30…Kf8 31.Rg6 Qe7 32.Rcg1 Rd6 33.Bxd4 Bxd4 (33…Rxd4? 34.Rxf6+! Qxf6 35.Rg6 Qe7 36.f6 gxf6 37.Qxh6+ Ke8 38.Rg7 and wins) 34.f6! Bxf6 35.Bd5 Rbd8 36.Rxh6! and wins;

Best defense appears to be 30…Kh8 31.Rg6 Qf8 32.Re1 when there is no immediate win for White in sight.

31.Qxh6 Rbd8 32.Rce1 Re7 33.Re3 1–0

Sethuraman resigns because of 33.Re3 Kf8 (33…Nxf5 34.Bxf5 Rxe3 35.Rxg7+! followed by mate) 34.Qh8+ Kf7 35.Qh5+ Kf8 36.Reg3 threat is Qh8+ followed by Rxg7+. Black can still wriggle around a bit but sooner or later the king will get caught.

The 2018 Chess Calendar has the Aeroflot Open (Moscow, Russia) to start Feb. 20-March 1. This is the world’s toughest open tournament with only players rated 2550 and above automatically allowed entry.

March 6-14 is the Reykjavik Open in Reykjavik, Iceland. This year it has been named as the Bobby Fischer Memorial in honor of Fischer who would have turned 75.

I don’t imagine though any of the eight (8) candidates (Sergey Karjakin, Levon Aronian, Ding Liren, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Alexander Grischuk, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So and Vladimir Kramnik) participating in these events. It looks like the next time we will be seeing any of them in action will be the Candidates Tournament in Berlin, Germany from March 10-28. This should be a real humdinger of an event.

 

Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant, he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.

bobby@cpamd.net

Google releases version of Instagram’s ‘Stories’

PARIS — Google launched its own “Stories” format Tuesday to compete with Snapchat and Instagram with image-driven news articles aimed at mobile phone and tablet users.

Content for its “AMP stories” initially comes from outlets like CNN, The Washington Post, Conde Nast, Wired and US People magazine, and is designed to load much faster on mobile devices than conventional articles and videos.

“On mobile devices, users browse lots of articles, but engage with few in-depth,” said Rudy Galfi, who is heading the drive at Google.

“Images, videos and graphics help get readers’ attention as quickly as possible and keep them engaged through immersive and easily consumable visual information,” he added.

“AMP stories” articles fill the screen and are image and video led. Users can tap on the home screen to read further or simply swipe to the next article.

Google claims the format, which it is opening up to software developers, gives “novel ways to tell immersive stories” without the “prohibitively high start-up costs, particularly for small publishers.”

It was developed with major US media outlets and can also be read on a computer.

“AMP stories aim to make the production of stories as easy as possible from a technical perspective,” Google said.

“The mobile web is great for distributing and sharing content, but mastering performance can be tricky,” it added.

But AMP Stories “gives great editorial freedom to content creators,” it claimed.

Snapchat, Instagram and particularly Facebook have all heavily used their own stories formats for full-screen displays of content.

Google said it eventually plans to bring “AMP stories to more products across Google, and expand the ways they appear in Google Search.” — AFP

Globe Telecom launches SD-WAN technology

GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. on Tuesday launched its Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN), a cloud-based technology aimed at businesses with multiple locations.

The Ayala-led telco said in a statement that SD-WAN utilizes a plug-and-play device using cloud-based technology that can be easily installed and configured as long as there is fixed broadband connectivity.

Globe SD-WAN complements a company’s existing Wide Area Network (WAN) and Internet Protocol — Virtual Private Network (IP-VPN) connections. Companies can also apply automated rerouting of traffic across the most efficient routes and connections.

“This is best suited for companies that have multiple locations. It facilitates the way you provide and manage connectivity to different locations,” Albert M. de Larrazabal, Globe chief commercial officer, told reporters during the launch event.

With the new technology, Globe said banks can run real-time applications and transactions on multiple connections to their branches and ATMs that leverage on an intelligent system. If a link fails, applications on bank transactions and operations will continue to run using available bandwidth in the other connections.

Companies can also re-route to SD-WAN non-mission critical activities including video conferencing calls, and e-mails.

Globe Senior Vice-President for Enterprise Group Peter Maquera is optimistic on the appetite of clients for the technology.

“We’re expecting a pretty good take up because it’s a proven technology,” Mr. Maquera told reporters.     

Globe recorded P15.08 billion in net income last year, down 5% from 2016. — P.P.C. Marcelo

DoT banks on farm tourism to expand visitor arrivals

By Maya M. Padillo,
Correspondent

DAVAO CITY — The Department of Tourism (DoT) is making a push for more farm tourism destinations around the country to help bring in its target eight million arrivals this year.

Tourism Assistant Secretary Eden Josephine L. David told reporters that the department’s campaigns and programs for this year aim to strengthen partnerships with the agriculture sector.

“It’s really tripartite partnerships and the private sector is part of this, such as the tour operators, farm tourism operators, commerce cooperatives — and  we are also being assisted by the academe,” Ms. David said.

There are currently 34 accredited farm tourism facilities around the country, she said, and the DoT wants to increase the number by helping potential sites by holding training programs to improve facilities and promotion.

In Davao operators are offering “fruit tours,” highlighting the region’s produce such as banana and durian.

The DoT is also working with Malagos Agri-Ventures Corp., which has a mountain-garden resort in Davao City and is a leading producer of cocoa as well as its own brand of chocolate.

“When you think of Davao you think of durian, chocolate or pomelo. When we think of Baguio, we think of strawberry; Calabarzon coffee; GenSan (General Santos City) tuna. So this is destination marketing,” she said.

The DoT official also said that boosting farm tourism will contribute to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) food security initiatives.

Republic Act 10816, or the Farm Tourism Development Act, designates the DoT secretary as chair of the Farm Tourism Development Board while the DA head is vice-chair.

Ms. David said farm tourism also makes agriculture attractive to younger generations.

“To engage the young generation, we present a sexy aspect of farming like farm tourism,” she said.

Ms. David said marketing programs should be supported by measures improving connectivity within the archipelago. “If we’re not interconnected, like air and land connectivity, that is a challenge.”

The DoT set a target of at least 6.7 million tourists in 2017. As of the first 10 months last year, the DoT reported 5.47 million arrivals.

Palace vows to take out red tape in SALN disclosures

By Arjay L. Balinbin

THE PRESIDENTIAL Communications Operations Office (PCOO) vowed on Wednesday, Feb. 14, that it would recommend to the Office of the President (OP) the immediate public disclosure of the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) of government officials.

“We will recommend to proactively disclose the SALN of officials. The recommendation will include a manifestation that SALN is one of the most frequently requested documents,” PCOO Assistant Secretary and Freedom of Information (FoI) Program Director Kristian R. Ablan said in a press briefing at Malacañang.

Mr. Ablan made this pronouncement when questioned why the current administration is imposing another level of bureaucracy on the distribution of SALN copies to the media.

Palace reporters noted that SALN documents were automatically distributed to them without an FoI directive in the previous administration.

Meanwhile, the PCOO also announced that it is considering organizing an FoI Advisory Committee, which will be tasked to provide “strategic policy direction and oversee the implementation of the FoI Program.”

The Committee “will be composed of government representatives and nongovernment representatives,” Mr. Ablan said.

He added: “From the government: PCOO as Chair; the Department of Justice; the Department of Budget and Management; the Department of Information and Communications Technology; the National Privacy Commission; the National Archives of the Philippines; one representative from the Senate; and, one representative from the House of Representatives.”

Mr. Ablan said representatives from the business sector, the academe, civil society, and the media will constitute the nongovernment members of the committee.

Mr. Ablan said the PCOO is focusing on “expanding the program to local government units (LGUs) with the help of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) through the promotion of local FoI Ordinances.”

On Feb. 28, the PCOO will conduct “an in-depth orientation for the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) to provide more details on how to access government information.”

Mr. Ablan reported that the PCOO’s “FoI portal, www.foi.gov.ph, now has 3,253 online requests for information lodged for 218 national government agencies (NGAs) and government-owned and/or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) currently onboard the platform. Out of these requests, 32% have been facilitated successfully and 37% are currently being processed.”

“[W]e remain hopeful that the FoI Bill will be passed to further strengthen this administration’s efforts in promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation,” he added.

Top 5 Philippine market players: International air passenger transport, by gross revenue

Kerr (not) coaching

It’s easy to see why the Suns balked at the idea of Warriors head coach Steve Kerr handing over his clipboard to his players for the duration of their match the other day. For all their lack of competitiveness, they have pride, and the sight of the opponents taking turns on the hot seat while playing them no doubt gnawed at it. To them, the implication was clear: They aren’t good enough to be taken seriously, so much so that even those with absolutely no experience whatsoever can do what’s supposed to be the most difficult job in the sport.

For the record, Kerr informed counterpart Jay Triano that he was going to make the unprecedented move because, as he explained in the aftermath, “I have not reached them for the last month. They’re tired of my voice.” Nonetheless, the Suns didn’t appreciate the development, with veteran Jared Dudley arguing it reflected “a lack of respect for an opponent” and guard Troy Daniels taking the opportunity to throw shade at the 2016 National Basketball Association Coach of the Year. “I don’t think it’s hard to coach those guys. I think anybody can do it.”

Regardless, what Kerr termed an “experiment” worked. The Warriors found themselves engaged from start to finish. As two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry explained, “It was a collective effort. We were just trying to stay locked in and enjoy the process of getting focused and knowing our sets, being thoughtful about what lineups are out there, what we’re trying to accomplish and execute.” Added general manager Bob Myers, “I thought it was great!”

Needless to say, the Warriors received significant backlash for what numerous quarters deemed to be a “stunt” they wouldn’t pull against better competition. And if Kerr “didn’t have four All-Stars, he wouldn’t be doing that, added the Suns’ 2015 first-round pick Devin Booker. Still, he stuck to his guns, ruing the fact that “whether it’s a controversy or not, it has to become one… [in] the world we live in.” Moreover, he disclosed that he intends to employ the same method again. “It’s a good exercise,” he said, “so I can see [us] doing it again one time, a couple of times.”

In the final analysis, Dudley’s right. The Suns wouldn’t have been patsies for Kerr were they simply better on the court. “Maybe right now, we don’t deserve respect. When you keep getting beat[en] by 40, teams won’t respect you.” Which is why it won’t happen anytime soon, and why other bench tacticians can make light of it in retrospect. It may or may not be a show of arrogance, but unless and until the Warriors are knocked off their perch, they should be free to employ it as they wish.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.

Universal, commercial banks book higher earnings

BIG BANKS booked higher incomes in 2017 amid robust lending growth which offset lower trading gains, latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

Universal and commercial banks operating in the country raked in a cumulative P146.33 billion in net profits last year, up by 6.8% from the P136.956 billion they made in 2016, according to preliminary central bank data.

Net interest income surged by 17.3% at end-December to reach P369.383 billion, improving from the P314.878 billion drawn from lending activities. Big banks granted a total of P7.867-trillion loans last year, 17.3% higher than the P6.706-trillion credit lines handed out in 2016.

Of this amount, soured debts totalled P97.531 billion to post a slight rise from P93.801 billion a year ago. Still, its share to total loans declined to 1.24% from 1.4% the prior year.

Deposits held by big players reached P10.614 billion, an 11.9% increase from end-2016.

Meanwhile, non-interest income netted P121.844 billion, slipping by 5.4% from the P128.857 billion generated the previous year. The decline came as trading income plunged by 28.3% to just P36.053 billion, coming from P50.285 billion booked in 2016.

In particular, gains realized from foreign exchange transactions stood at just P3.928 billion, just a third of the P11.447 billion which the banks made from currency fluctuations the previous year.

The peso depreciated by 5.78% versus the dollar in 2017. The local unit averaged at P50.4037 against the greenback last year, touching 11-year-lows as it traded above P51.

On the other hand, operating costs grew at a more modest 11.4% rate to P311.774 billion, coming from P279.866 billion they spent a year prior.

Across the entire banking system, preliminary BSP data showed that Philippine lenders booked a cumulative P167.734 billion in net income in 2017, up by 8.7% from P154.31 billion.

Systemwide loans reached P8.863 trillion, with non-performing debts accounting for just 1.72% of the total at P152.655 billion. The ratio improved from the 1.89% ratio posted in 2016, which meant that banks maintained a healthier asset profile. — Melissa Luz T. Lopez

Valentine’s chocolate buzz comes just as cocoa supplies tighten

JUST AS AMERICANS rush to load up on chocolates for Valentine’s Day, the global cocoa glut is finally starting to ebb.

Cocoa futures in New York have climbed almost 9% in 2018, making them one of the year’s best-performing commodities. As signs of tighter supplies mount, hedge funds have switched to betting on an extended rally, after holding negative wagers for the past two months.

This year’s gains for cocoa are a stark reversal from the last two years, when futures plunged more than 40% amid a global glut. The lower prices took a toll on growers, who cut spending on farm maintenance. That’s now showing up in crop quality as yields begin to drop in Ecuador, South America’s largest producer and a supplier of high-grade beans to companies such as Lindt & Spruengli AG. Indonesia, which used to be the world’s third-largest grower, is expected to become a net-importer this year as production declines and demand climbs. Recent dryness is also threatening output in parts of West Africa, which accounts more than two-thirds of global supplies.

“The lower prices have discouraged farmers, which we see often in these markets,” said Phil Streible, a senior commodity strategist at RJO Futures in Chicago. “The market has good fundamentals. Prices will perform quite well.”

In the week ended Feb. 6, hedge funds had a net-long position, or the difference between bets on a price increase and wagers on a decline, of 8,560 futures and options, according to US Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released Friday. That compares with a net-short holding with 6,810 contracts a week earlier.

Valentine’s Day, celebrated Feb. 14, represents the biggest “rush” for chocolate buying in the US, said Jacques Torres, a former pastry chef who now runs eight eponymous stores selling luxury chocolate products and ice cream across New York City. About 55% of Americans celebrating the holiday plan on purchasing candy, up from 50% in 2017, according a survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

Even beyond the sweethearts’ holiday, chocolate consumption is on the rise. In the five years ending 2022, US retail sales of confectionery chocolate will climb 2.2% to 1.4 million metric tons, fetching $20.3 billion, according to researcher Euromonitor International. In recent years, consumers have shown a leaning toward higher-grade products and have bought more dark chocolate, which typically uses more raw material.

Rising prices could signal higher costs down the line for retailers like Mondelez International, Inc., the maker of Cadbury chocolates and Oreo cookies. Cocoa’s decline over the past several months should start to play out favorably for the company this year, Chief Financial Officer Brian Gladden said on an earnings conference call in late January. There’s often a lag between movements in the futures market and the impact for retailers because of a company’s stored inventory and hedging positions.

For makers of specialty chocolates like Torres, higher cocoa prices are actually good news because rising revenues for farmers will allow them to produce more high-grade beans that require bigger investments.

“Prices are too low for farmers,” said Torres, who’s dubbed himself Mr. Chocolate, also runs a cocoa-processing facility and buys about 150 tons of the commodity a year. “If they continue at these levels, they will keep planting high-yielding trees, and not premium qualities,” he said, adding that his concerns over finding better beans have spurred him to buy a 5,000-tree cocoa plantation in Mexico. — Bloomberg

‘M factors’ that will drive a company’s innovation

By Michael Ngan

IN every sector, innovation is the inevitable next step. Companies everywhere are under immense pressure to generate new product and service innovations even faster than before. What was once revolutionary has quickly become the norm, and organizations are beginning to realize that they need to be able to move just as fast to stay ahead of increasingly saturated markets. Which brings to mind, how then can today’s companies reinvent the wheel?

Home to the world’s largest population of Internet users and bolstered by a thriving mobile-savvy millennial generation, Asia is leading the pack. IDC forecasts that Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) will represent the largest market for innovation accelerators, reaching more than US$600 billion by 2020. We explore the key driving forces — ‘M factors’ as we call it — leading innovation in Asia and how these will continue to shape device innovation as we know it today:

MILLENNIAL EXPECTATIONS
Millennials are taking over. These born and bred digital natives will make up more than 70% of the work force by 2025, and will come with an estimated US$6 trillion in disposable income by 2020. For companies looking to capture their attention, they need to realize that millennials bring an entirely new set of expectations to the consumer market. They want things wherever they are, whenever they want it. The rise of the ‘sharing-market’ has also lessened the need for millennials to own things. This has led to the emergence of an ‘experience economy’ — where personalized and interactive experiences are top priority. For instance, if a millennial watched a movie and felt like walking in the shoes of a Star Wars Jedi master for a day, they would be more than willing to put down the dollars to experience it if they can.

We are seeing businesses starting to address this with a fevered emphasis on delivering more choices and more experiences to tomorrow’s end-users. This means leveraging new technologies such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and automation to support new behaviors and experiences across diverse devices.

MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY
Personalized experiences are driving today’s innovation, and for organizations to stay ahead, they need to deep dive into the end-users habits that are dominating everyday life. Gone are the days where a device serves just one purpose; users are becoming increasingly savvy, and they expect their devices to do as many things as they are while seamlessly integrating into their daily routine.

The advent of smart assistants and rapid adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) has opened the door to many opportunities for greater integration between devices. Gartner predicts that 30% of interactions with technology will happen through conversations with smart machines. The industry is pointing toward the inevitable smart home, fitted with technologies that will enable users to conduct web searches, play music, create lists and provide calendar updates with just a simple voice command. Already, studies have shown that more than 65% of users around the world engage with voice technology and a third do so because it is more convenient when performing daily duties like getting dressed or cooking meals.

MOBILITY REDEFINED
With Asia set to be home to 5.6 billion connected devices by 2020, surpassing North America by almost five times, mobile is becoming the new norm. Be it making payments, ordering breakfast or even completing a work document on the go, Asian millennials are driving this shift. They will expect nothing less than intuitive, high-performance yet aesthetically pleasing devices that deliver experiences beyond the user interface — be it for work or play.

Over the years, there has been much debate over the efficiency of taking notes with the pen and paper versus typing it out on the PC. However, it is interesting to note that the multi-sensory process of holding a pen to surface enables recorded content to be more memorable and better suited for conceptualizing, prototyping and brainstorming. Just ask your friends and colleagues!

Increasingly, we see companies pulling out all the stops to meet this demand — through devices that deliver the ‘2-in-1’ value that go beyond the traditional form factor. Offering productivity on the go without compromising on aesthetic, smart devices out there are already delivering the multi-sensory PC and tablet experience. Some are even mimicking an actual book that comes with dual stylus pens, integrating the function of traditional note taking with advanced touchscreen and keyboard capabilities. What’s more, they even come with gorgeous glass halo keyboards with haptic feedback for ease of use!

Asia is at the forefront of device innovation, and manufacturers today need to stay ahead of market trends to stay relevant in this increasingly competitive market. Devices need to provide the basic mobility, functionality and convenience of a smart device, and at the same time deliver a personalized, multifunctional experience.

Before you know it — the traditional smart device will be a thing of the past and your organization could be the one to bring the next game-changing innovation to the industry.

 

Michael Ngan is Lenovo Philippines’ country general manager. The views expressed are his own and do not reflect those of BusinessWorld Publishing Corp. and its owners.

Chinese New Year Dining (02/15/18)

QUEZON CITY AND MAKATI CITY
Marco Polo Ortigas’ Lung Hin is bringing seasonal dishes to the fore for the Lunar New Year starting with the Prosperity Toss Salad with Salmon Yu Sheng. The traditional salad is available for takeaway, for small and large orders. Dishes like poached Hong Kong sesame chicken, sautéed Imperial tiger prawn with Supremes Stock, and poached yellow croaker fish with tofu are also available for and can accompany special set menus, with a choice between Double Prosperity or Endless Fortune menus. The exclusive dishes and set menus are available until Feb. 21. Visit www.marcopolohotels.com or call 720-7777 for inquiries.

Usher in the Year of the Dog with an auspicious Cantonese feast at New World Makati Hotel. Set menus crafted for good luck and prosperity are on offer at Jasmine, named one of the “Top 20 Restaurants of 2017” by Philippine Tatler. A highlight is the Poon choi “big bowl feast” to draw in good luck for the whole year round and a Yu Sheng salad toss for abundant success this year. Set dinner menus start at P15,888 and are available until Feb. 18. An unlimited Yum Cha lunch is also available at P1,388 per person. A traditional eye-dotting ceremony followed by a dragon and lion dance will be held at Jasmine on Feb. 16 at 12:30 p.m. For details and reservations, call 811-6888 ext. 3338.

YU SHENG lucky salad at the New World Makati Hotel’s Jasmine restaurant.

Meanwhile, the Makati Diamond Residences will have a traditional dragon dance at 10 a.m. on Feb. 16 to usher in abundance and good fortune. Guests can expect a prosperity treat at Alfred and Baked, with a 20% discount on all food and beverage to welcome in the Lunar New Year. For inquiries and reservations, call 317-0999 or e-mail reservations@makatidiamond.com.

To prepare and welcome the Year of the Dog, catch the lucky dragon and lion dance at The Lobby of The Peninsula Manila on Feb. 16, 10:30 a.m. The Lobby’s chefs have also prepared a sumptuous Chinese-themed feast of “lucky” dishes that are symbolic of happiness, prosperity and good fortune in a three-course set dinner available from Feb. 16 to 18, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. (P1,850, pre-payment is required). The Lobby will serve a limited à la carte menu at the time. Over at buffet restaurant Escolta, a Chinese New Year Brunch will be offered on Feb. 18, noon to 3 p.m., for P4,300 (with free-flowing Champagne for adults), P3,100 (adults), and 1,288 (children under 12). Prices are subject to 10% service charge and prevailing government taxes. For inquiries or reservations, call 887-2888, e-mail diningpmn@peninsula.com, or visit peninsula.com.

MANILA
Diamond Hotel’s Corniche’s Chinese New Year Lunch and Dinner Buffet features authentic and popular Cantonese dishes from Feb. 15 to 18, priced at P2,500 net per person. It includes salmon Yu Sheng for prosperity, wok-fried crab for wealth, and, of course, Teochew-style roast suckling pig for luck, among other auspicious and symbolic food. Spend a minimum P5,000 at the buffet and get a chance to pick-a-prize from the Prosperity Tree. Moreover, a P5,000 spend at the Corniche Lunch Buffet on Feb. 16 entitles guests to a free 10-minute consultation with feng shui expert Angel Macalino. There will also be a lion and dragon dance by the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation at 11 a.m., while the Kim Hwa Ensemble serenades guests with their traditional musical instruments. Amulets and charms are for sale at the hotel lobby until Feb. 18. For inquiries, call 528-3000 ext. 1121.

On Feb. 16, attract blessings and good luck with a traditional dragon and lion dance, coin and candy shower, and other Chinese goodies at the Manila Pavilion Hotel. Try the dinner buffet at Seasons for P1,200.00 per person (See story on this page — Ed.). The festival will not be complete without the traditional tikoy, available at the hotel’s Patisserie until Feb. 18. For details, visit www.waterfronthotels.com.ph.

PASAY CITY AND PARAÑAQUE CITY
Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila ushers in the Lunar New Year with a feast prepared by Spiral’s resident Chinese Chef Michael Tai. The featured menu showcases recipes popular in China, Malaysia, and Singapore and have been served to royalty in Imperial China. Prices range from P2,580 to P4,650 net per person, from Feb. 15 to 18, available for lunch or dinner buffet. For inquiries and reservations, call 832-6988 or e-mail H6308-FB12@sofitel.com.

The Marriott Manila’s Man Ho has a 10-course set menu for 10 persons at P33,880++ which is meant to attract luck and joy. Man Ho will also offer a Lunar New Year trademark, Poon Choi, a one-pot communal dish good for at least 10 persons, signifying prosperity and affluence with its assortment of abalone, prawns, sea cucumber, dried fish maw, and more, available at P15,888++. Auspicious Cantonese favorites are available a la carte like roast goose, abalone, and Peking duck. Koi fish-shaped tikoy is also available for P1,688 per box. These are available at Man Ho until Feb. 16. For inquiries, call 988-9999 or visit manilamarriott.com.

City of Dreams Manila ushers in abundance, happiness, and good fortune with auspicious Chinese New Year specialties at Crystal Dragon, daily until Feb. 20. The Lunar Chinese New Year à la carte menu highlights two styles of the Yu Sheng salad: the traditional Prosperity Abalone and Salmon “Yu Sheng” salad and the Shredded Roasted Duck variation with fresh fruit salad in sesame dressing. The restaurant also offers two set menus and new dishes in the à la carte menu for the occasion. Groups of four to six can choose from the Happiness and Abundance five-course set menus which are available for at P3,680++ and P6,680++, respectively. For inquiries and reservations, call 800-8080, or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila.com, or visit www.cityofdreamsmanila.com.

THE CONRAD Hotel’s tikoy

The Conrad Manila ushers in the Lunar New Year with a lion and dragon dance auspiciously paired with a selection of authentic Chinese delicacies at the multi-award-winning China Blue by Jereme Leung on Feb. 16 for lunch and dinner. Specially crafted premium set and à la carte menus will be available, highlighted by an array of propitious entrées such as steamed stuffed crab claw and dried oyster money bag in crab roe sauce to welcome “money in the bag”; wok-fried king prawn and mini abalone sea treasure in an imperial hot pot for financial prosperity and business success; and stir-fried king prawn with crispy oat flakes and salted egg to attract wealth and happiness among others. There will be live musical entertainment and a modern take on the traditional Yee Sang toss. Diners may choose from the à la carte signature dishes, or the showcase Chinese New Year set menu for a group of 10 diners for P29,888+++. This year’s collection of tikoy come in almond, passion fruit, yuzu jelly, and red bean flavors, presented in koi fish and mini gold bars shapes to represent abundance and good fortune. They are available at any of the hotel’s dining outlets for P1,500 net per box until Feb. 16 only. For reservations and inquiries, e-mail conradmanila@conradhotels.com or call 833-9999.

Crimson Hotel Filinvest City celebrates Chinese New Year with a “Taste of Luck” at the Grand Ballroom on Feb. 18, 12:30 p.m. Discover what the Year of the Dog means for you as Feng Shui expert Joseph Chau reveals the predictions for 2018 during the Chinese New Year Sunday Brunch which also features arts and music performances (P1,688 net per person). Meanwhile, Café Eight offers a selection of Chinese-inspired dishes in its buffet until Feb. 28 (P1,383++, P1,599++ with free flowing drinks). For inquiries and reservations, call 863-2222 local 1612 or e-mail alabang.cafe8res@crimsonhotel.com.

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