Heads up, travelers! Your dreams of walking through departure and arrival immigration at Singapore’s Changi Airport without a passport just became a reality!

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) recently rolled out a biometric integration in selected automated lanes at Terminal 3 on Aug. 5 for arriving Singapore Residents. According to their announcement last July 31, all terminals at Changi will be transitioning to passport-less immigration clearance by September 2024.

This biometric technology enables facial and iris recognition, which makes the entire process faster and more secure. As of now, ICA’s New Clearance Concept (NCC) only includes Singaporean Residents comprising Singapore citizens, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders. The automated system will also be introduced to other Singapore entry points including Seletar Airport, and land and sea checkpoints such as in the Marina Bay Cruise Centre where it's scheduled to roll out by December.

“Singapore is first in the world to implement token-less clearance on a large scale,” said Assistant Commissioner Phua Chiew Hua as reported by The Strait Times. “When fully implemented, both types of passport-less immigration clearance will reduce clearance time by 30 percent to 40 percent.”

This simplified process gives travelers more time to shop, dine, and explore Changi Airport, which has been named the world’s best airport by Skytrax not just once, but twelve times!

Although travelers can enjoy a faster and more simplified immigration clearance process, it doesn’t mean that you can ditch your passports altogether. You will still need them for check-in and baggage drop at Changi Airport, as well as for immigration procedures at your next destination. ICA may also implement random checks for verification so it’s important to keep your passports and other travel documentation in hand or somewhere accessible.

The passport-less immigration clearance project follows the implementation of automated immigration lanes for foreign visitors, which was successfully rolled out in May 2024.

Good news, HONOR users! The Chinese consumer electronics company has announced the launch of the HONOR 200 Series in Singapore, its new premium flagship lineup of smartphones equipped with AI features and studio-level photography.

The lineup is headlined by the HONOR 200 Pro (S$799), which boasts studio-level portrait photography with its 50MP portrait main camera and a Super Dynamic H9000 sensor, resulting in a perfect balance of light and shadows in photos. For taking distant images and videos, it is also equipped with a 50MP portrait telephoto camera and a customized telephoto sensor from Sony.

It also has an HONOR AI Portrait Engine, developed in partnership with Parisian art photography studio Studio Harcourt, which helps capture crisp and distinctive portraits.

For those looking for a seamless experience for gaming and browsing, the HONOR 200 Pro has a powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform and a CPU clock speed of up to 3GHz, which guarantees real-time responsiveness.

Its standard version, the HONOR 200 (S$599/S$699), is also equipped with amazing features, including a 50MP studio-level portrait camera, an ultra-slim design, an HONOR AI Portrait Engine, and a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip, among others.

The HONOR 200 Series is available for pre-order from now until Aug. 7, with a S$50 instant rebate for each order! It comes with a free HONOR SuperCharge Wireless Charger Stand or HONOR Earbuds X6.

Official sales are on Aug. 8. Each purchase comes with a 365-day Front & Back Crack replacement.

You can get your HONOR 200 Series at authorized HONOR Retailers, Best Denki, Challenger, Courts, Harvey Norman, and Gain City stores, or shop online via Lazada, Shopee, or TikTok. For more information, visit HONOR’s website.

Heads up, Samsung fans! You can now get to experience Samsung’s newest innovations in more locations, as the tech giant has opened three new experience stores in Singapore!

In cooperation with consumer electronics reseller OTTNO, the three new stores are established at Changi Airport Terminal 2 Departure Area, Compass One, and Junction 8. This brings Samsung’s total number of stores in Singapore to 12.

The highlight of the new openings is the Changi Airport store, which spans approximately 1,379 square feet. The store is adorned with an accessory wall that displays a wide range of unique accessories made specifically for Samsung products. The store is also offering 9% tax-free prices on all products for travelers visiting the airport.

At the new stores, customers will get to experience Samsung’s Galaxy AI features firsthand and learn how their features can help them with their daily tasks. This includes features like Live Translate, which allows users to understand another language in real-time, as well as Photo Assist, which helps users create flawless images.

These stores also showcase the latest Samsung products and offer in-person, one-on-one consultations for customers.

Speaking about this milestone, Brenda Nai, Operations Manager for OTTNO SES, said in a press release, “These stores serve as an experiential touchpoint for customers who prefer to learn more about Samsung's products in-store and in-person. As such, we have deliberately designed an experience in consultation with Samsung to bring the brand's innovation to life and making it relatable to the everyday consumers – especially in the age of AI.”

Experience Galaxy AI and their latest products by visiting these stores! To find a Samsung Experience Store near you, click here.

Locations: Airport Boulevard, Changi Airport Terminal 2, #02-168 Departure / Transit Lounge Central, Singapore / 9 Bishan Place, Junction 8 #02-41, Singapore / 1 Seng Kang Square, Compass One, #03-06/07, Singapore

Ride-hailing app TADA is celebrating its sixth anniversary this year, and it promises big surprises for its users.

Through its month-long celebration, “TADA FEST,” the ride-hailing platform is giving riders a chance to win prizes in the TADA QUEST, including ride vouchers and three major rewards. There are also weekly missions, where riders can redeem vouchers and other perks from TADA’s partner brands.

For the TADA QUEST, lucky customers taking TADA rides from July 1 to 31 will see a special in-car hanger where they can scan a QR code to receive ride vouchers or tokens to claim one of the major prizes: three winners will get the Garmin Forerunner 955 Smartwatch worth S$789, two winners will get a Rimowa Luggage worth S$1,490, while only one winner will get a S$6,000 cash.

To top it off, riders can also unlock TADA, DBS, and Tomoro Coffee vouchers weekly by collecting stamps from every TADA ride taken, with no minimum spend required.

“This milestone is not just about our success; it’s about honoring the incredible drivers and riders who have made this journey possible. Their trust and support have propelled us forward, and TADA FEST is our heartfelt way of saying thank you and celebrating the supportive community we’ve built together,” said TADA CEO Sean Kim.

TADA was launched in Singapore in 2018. Today, the platform has become one of the country’s most trusted ride-hailing platforms.

Learn more about TADA FEST’s rewards by visiting its website or Facebook page.

Heads up, Apple fans! Apple’s spatial computer, Apple Vision Pro, is coming to Singapore soon!

The Vision Pro will be available in Apple Store locations nationwide, the Apple Store website, and the Apple Store app starting June 28, but you can already pre-order it as early as today! It will retail for as low as S$5,299, with storage capacities of 256 gigabytes, 512 gigabytes, and one terabyte.

The device to be sold in Singapore comes with a VisionOS 1.2 operating system and English and Simplified Chinese language support. It also comes with accessories like a personalized Light Seal with two Light Seal Cushions, an Apple Vision Pro Cover, USB-C Charge Cable, USB-C Power Adapter, battery, and more.

The device also carries over 2,000 apps, including productivity apps like Microsoft 365 and Zoom, games such as The Lost City and Where Cards Fall, among many others.

Meanwhile, the Vision Pro Travel Case retails for S$299 while AppleCare+ for the device costs S$749.

Upon purchasing the product, customers can get a personalized walkthrough on setting up the Apple Vision Pro. Users will need to use an iPhone or iPad with Face ID and the latest version of the Apple Store app for a face scan, which will help Apple find the optimal Light Seal and head band sizes to fit users.

For customers who need a thorough walkthrough, they can book demos at their local Apple Store, available starting June 28 at 8 AM on a first-come, first-served basis.

To pre-order or learn more about the Apple Vision Pro, click here.

When the term “hacker” comes to mind, you probably think of illicit activities and online threats. In Singapore alone, the prevalence of ransomware and phishing attacks surged significantly with 54% recorded in 2021 and continued to rise by 175% in 2022, with the banking sector being the primary target, according to a review on Singapore’s cybersecurity challenges published on Feb. 11.

For the uninitiated, hacking culture consists of three categories: namely white, black, and grey hat hackers. Black hat hackers are notorious for exploiting security vulnerabilities for malicious purposes, while white hackers are more "ethical" ones who leverage their skills to fix vulnerabilities. In contrast, grey hat hackers are usually involved in morally ambiguous activities which means that their actions and motivations may walk the line between legality and illegality.

If you’re intrigued by the world of hacking or fascinated by the complexities of cybersecurity, chances are you’ve read the comic book series “Hackers: Superheroes of the Digital Age” by Vivek Ramachandran.

Based in Singapore, Vivek is the founder and CEO of SquareX, a browser-native security product or browser extension programmed to keep users safe from nefarious online activities. More than just being a seasonal cybersecurity expert with over 20 years of experience, he is also a security researcher, author, and speaker-trainer.

The Beat Asia caught up with Vivek to learn about his cybersecurity journey, entrepreneurial pursuits for SquareX, and more.

Please share with us the story of how your tech journey started

My journey into the world of cybersecurity and technology began when I was quite young, back in the year 2000, during the massive denial-of-service attacks that targeted prominent websites, including Yahoo. I vividly remember the hacker named Mixter who developed the notorious Tribal Flood Network tool responsible for those attacks. This event piqued my curiosity and led me to download the tool in an attempt to understand how it worked, even though I couldn't grasp much of it at the time.

This initial encounter ignited my interest in cybersecurity and technology. I embarked on a quest to comprehend not only the programming languages involved but also the methods behind crafting such tools. As I dived deeper into this intriguing world, my interest, addiction, and obsession with cybersecurity grew, setting the foundation for my career in the field.

How would you describe the work culture at SquareX?

At SquareX, our company culture is built on a foundation of innovation and collaboration. We foster an environment where creativity and fresh ideas are not only encouraged but also celebrated. Our teams are diverse, bringing together individuals with a wide range of skills and perspectives, which fuels innovation.

To maintain our edge in the rapidly evolving cybersecurity market, we prioritize continuous learning and R&D. We encourage our employees to stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and invest in their professional development. This commitment to growth enables us to adapt swiftly to emerging threats.

In short, we at SquareX are all about coming up with smart ideas, learning together, and working as a team to lead the way in cybersecurity. It's this kind of environment that keeps us on top of our game and lets us keep delivering top-notch security solutions to our customers.

We constantly read news about hundreds of millions being lost in online scams. What do you think is the root issue, and how can this be solved?

The root cause is that we live in an increasingly complex digital world powered by technologies which are difficult for the average person to understand. This makes it easy for attackers who are more technologically adept to scam and fool the ones that are not. Moreover, these attackers have further enhanced their attacks using AI tools like ChatGPT, making it even more difficult for users to simply identify an attack attempt based on bad grammar.

Unfortunately, the average person lacks security awareness about how they could get attacked in the digital world or which products they could use to safeguard themselves. This can be solved with public-private partnerships to create both security awareness and a culture of good security habits and product use.

What inspired you to write the comic book series “Hackers: Superheroes of the Digital Age”?

After the acquisition of Pentester Academy, I was looking for ways to give back to the community primarily via mentorship, which led me to write and publish “Hackers: Superheroes of the Digital Age."

This initiative was, in a way, my response to the mainstream media's negative portrayal of hackers, often depicted as villains in a digital world. By introducing a series that showcases the diversity and ingenuity of hackers, my aim was to demystify hacking, presenting it as a creative science. The series highlights hacker vigilantes from various backgrounds tackling global issues with knowledge as their weapon, though not always with success.

In today’s AI-driven world, attackers are using technologies like ChatGPT to create malicious code and more convincing scams. How will SquareX’s technology address these concerns?

With the advent of ChatGPT and now AI voice, video assistants, and deep fakes, we won’t be able to rely on our human senses to decide if something is real or virtual just based on seeing or hearing. As SquareX runs on the web browser, we are able to see what users see and hear what is said out there. We are currently building an AI-based security system, which can detect deep fakes in video, audio, and images. Stay-tuned!

Can you tell us more about SquareX’s approach to securing end users and enterprises against web attacks in the browser and how this is differentiated?

Today, the web browser is the most used application on your computer for work and personal life. Attackers now intelligently target users via multiple channels, including web mail, malicious documents, networks and scripts all via the web browser.

SquareX protects against these attacks by deploying a browser extension that constantly monitors everything that is happening on the browser. This allows SquareX to detect and mitigate threats in real-time for every user.

SASE/SSE solutions are unable to protect users against modern web threats that happen on the client side, and endpoint security solutions have no visibility into what happens in the browser during an attack. Hence, we hear more and more enterprises these days are falling victim to cyberattacks.

To address the current limitations and needs of the market, SquareX offers enterprises full visibility into the attack chain, enabling them to effectively threat-hunt and identify similar attacks across their networks and geographies. Empowering the enterprises with detailed threat graphs would help them understand how and where the attack originated.

Our dream is for every web user, from our grandparents to the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies, to “Be Fearless Online.”

What would you say to the young and emerging entrepreneurs who are about to embark on their business journey?

First and foremost, embrace innovation. In today's fast-paced world, the ability to identify opportunities and pioneer creative solutions is paramount. Don't be afraid to think differently and challenge the status quo.

Secondly, build a solid and passionate team. The right people, who share your drive, can take your business to great heights. Lastly, commit to lifelong learning. Business changes constantly, and to lead, you must always be a student. Never stop learning and upskilling yourself

This interview has been edited for clarity. Read more about by Vivek Ramachandran here. Stay updated on SquareX’ latest updates by checking its website.

Enjoyed this article? Check out our previous Elevator Pitch profiles here.