Tech Round-Up Week 2 December 2020: Disney+ Coming to SG, ViewQwest Named Fastest ISP in SG & More

Disney’s streaming service set to launch in Singapore on 23 February 2021

Credit: Disney

Singaporeans have felt left out for a long while now, thanks to Disney+ not being available here. Well, no longer. The streaming service is set to launch in Singapore on 23 February 2021, and will bring with it all the great shows like The Mandalorian, Hamilton and other Marvel shows.

Disney+ Singapore will offer content from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic as well as Star. Some content from 20th Century and FX will also be available to stream. Subscription will be priced from S$11.98 per month, and will allow for up to four concurrent streams, unlimited download on up to 10 devices and up to seven different user profiles.

ViewQwest named fastest Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Singapore for third year running

Credit: SpeedTest by Ookla

If you’re looking to upgrade your internet speed at home, you might want to consider switching over to ViewQwest. According to SpeedTest by Ookla, ViewQwest is the fastest ISP in Singapore for Q2-Q3 2020, with top download and upload speeds of 728.74 Mbps and 772.51 Mbps respectively.

The winner is determined based on the latest result of Speedtest by Ookla in Singapore, where over 3.6 million user-initiated tests are used to ascertain which internet service provider has the fastest download and upload speeds.

Vignesa Moorthy, CEO of ViewQwest said: “Singapore has adapted to the new norm where majority of work and play are now done at the safety and comfort of the home. As our customer base and their usage continue to grow, we expect further increase in network traffic going into 2021. We have intensified our efforts to ensure our customers will continue to enjoy the fast and reliable network they have come to expect from ViewQwest.”

Mastercard & Pine Labs partner to offer “pay later” solution to five SEA markets in 2021

Credit: Pine Labs

Merchant commerce platform Pine Labs has partnered with Mastercard to offer even more “pay later” solutions to the South East Asia market, with their solution coming to Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia.

There are already options to pay by instalments via credit card, but the solution from Mastercard and Pine Labs will enable a broader variety of payment methods, including debit cards and bank accounts across in-store and online merchants.

According to a recent study by Coherent Market Insights, the global “pay later” market is expected to grow from US$7.3 billion in 2019 to US$33.6 billion in 2027, with Asia Pacific expected to be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period.

Singapore mobile app allows users to check heart rate and more with smartphone camera

There have been stories about phone brands looking to implement new and more convenient ways to measure the health of users, including Huawei’s phone that has an IR temperature sensor included in the rear camera array that can be used as a temperature scanner.

An ex-RSAF pilot, Jonathan Lau, is looking to do something similar with Nervotec, a mobile app. Nervotec is described as “a mobile application that uses remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) to measure an individual’s vital signs through their smartphone camera in under a minute.”

Using homogenised Big Data and AI, Nervotec claims that it allows for any smartphone camera to capture anybody’s preliminary medical information with a quick snap. Once the app has been installed, all the individual has to do is scan their face and the app will measure their vital stats and proceed to fill out a symptoms checker as part of the process.

It certainly sounds interesting, and Nervotec claims that “large corporations in Singapore from the services and construction industry” have begun incorporating their platform for employees. rPPG is still a relatively new technology, but there have been studies done that indicate that this method of heart rate tracking is accurate.

foodpanda expands q-commerce offering with Muji, IKEA, Watsons and more

Credit: foodpanda

Food delivery services have expanded past just meal deliveries lately, with deliveries from convenience stores, mini-marts and more now possible. Foodpanda is jumping on the train with their partnerships with Muji, IKEA, Watsons, Lawson and Tesco for customers in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and more.

If you’re in Singapore and you love IKEA food products, but always don’t want to end up queuing for a long time, you’re in luck. IKEA’s meatballs, salmon products and more from the Swedish Food Market are now available for delivery through foodpanda’s platform.

Muji is available on the Hong Kong and Taiwan foodpanda apps, while our neighbours across the causeway are one of the first to get Tesco and Watsons on the Malaysian foodpanda app.

We’re definitely excited for even more retailers to join up so that we can get all our necessities together!