Friday, June 21, 2013

Instagram | Killing how many in one stone?

With the latest update from the popular Instagram you can now add photographs and upload videos to your profile. So how many kills did Instagram get with one stone?

Well so far it killed three birds in one stone which are: 

1- Flickr: Flickr was one of the most successful photography portfolios on the web then extended to mobile apps, yet it didn't match Instagram's simplicity and hype. Flickr even reached a point where it had to imitate Instagram yet to no avail.

2- Keek & Vine: With Instagram offering video upload keek does not withstand any chance of keeping up with it even though it was the first in the business. It might survive thanks to its "over 15 seconds" upload limit which is limited in Instagram but with a much more "trashy" content it might never stand a chance. 

3- Cinemagram: It may not be as famous as Flickr or Keek but that doesn't mean we cannot give it justice and allow it to die honorably. Cinemagram is the only broad app that offers GIF "motion pictures". Now with the short/limited time period available in Instagram videos, these videos simply can be seen as any other GIF image which would make people replace Cinemagram in a heartbeat. 

So the latest update from Instagram either killed three apps in one stone OR it will kill most instagram members for good and become another "trashy" app. 


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

It's official | Honda Al-Ghanim

From Arab Times"Al-Ghanim, Honda Announces Tie-UpKuwait Firm Seeks To Boost Customer Satisfaction

KUWAIT CITY, June 10: “Although we at Alghanim Industries are proud and excited about our new partnership with Honda, we know that might excite us even more is increasing our customers’ satisfaction level and developing their lifetime experiences with products and services we now provide”, were the words of Aghanim Industries CEO, Omar Kutaiba Alghanim, as he spoke at a press conference Sunday evening at the Ice Skating Rink announcing the new partnership between Alghanim Motors and the Honda Motors corporation of Japan. Alghanim stated that the promising partnership between Honda and Alghanim Industries is based on shared values both companies cherish, including customer centricity, diversity, teamwork, meritocracy and respect in the work place as well as a professional and empowering environment that considers its employees as a core asset. He added that Alghanim Industries and Honda have long shared a mutual goal of serving customer needs in Kuwait to the highest international standards.

Under the new partnership, Alghanim Industries now has the sole right to distribute Honda products including its automobile range, power products, marine machinery as well motorcycles. Alghanim Industries will also provide state-of-the-art service centers supported by qualified service engineers for all Honda products along with all-new sales showrooms. The first showroom is currently located at Safat Aghanim on the fourth ring road. The Alghanim Industries CEO noted that “although we at Alghanim Industries are proud and excited about our new partnership with Honda, we know that might excite us even more is increasing our customers’ satisfaction level and developing their lifetime experiences with products and services we now provide”, adding that “our customers are our calling and it gives us great pleasure to go beyond their wants and needs with our newfound partnership with Honda”.

Also speaking at the presser which was also attended by the Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait Toshihiro Tsujihara,  was Director of Honda Middle East, Shinuchi Uchida who also stated that having achieved worldwide sales of 25.6 million units of various Honda products in 2012, Honda is excited to have Alghanim Industries as a partner to further the growth of both companies. Another Honda exec in attendance was Manabu Nishimae-COO for regional operations, Europe, Middle East & Africa and CIS.
 

Partnership
The press conference was part of a huge festive event hosted by Alghanim Motors to mark the new partnership between Alghanim Industries and the Japanese multinational Honda. Highlights of the evening included dazzling performances by ASIMO, Honda’s Humanoid robot, a Kuwaiti Folklore group and Dance ensembles from Japan and the UAE. The Japanese group, Taiko Ensemble was led by Joji Herota while singer Hussain Jasmi led the UAE group. The 8-man Taiko drummers mesmerized the audience with two rounds their dominating beat and rhythm, concluding with the third-a collaborative performance with the Kuwaiti folkloric group. The successful collaboration was meant to mirror the equally balanced and harmonious nature of the new partnership between Honda Motors, the epitome of Japanese technology and innovation, and Alghanim Industries.

The huge element of surprise at the event though was the presence of ASIMO, the smartest robot in the world that is the culmination of two decades of humanoid robotics research by Honda engineers in Japan. He was brought to Kuwait to reveal to the audience what the human mind has achieved in the field of technology; a robot that act just as humans do.

ASIMO who can comprehend and respond to simple voice commands, walked onto the stage all by himself to dance, serve drinks and shake hands with the MC with whom he had a short dialogue. He also has the ability to recognize faces of a select group of individuals. Using its camera eyes, ASIMO can map its environment and register stationery objects while avoiding collision with obstacles as it moves through the environment. As development continues on ASIMO, Honda demonstrates the humanoid robot around the world to encourage and inspire young students to explore the infinite universe of science and technology. In the future ASIMO may serve as another set of eyes, ears, hands and legs for people in need. Someday, ASIMO might help with important tasks such as assisting the elderly or disabled people as well as performing certain tasks that are dangerous to humans including firefighting or cleaning up toxic spills."