The unique shopping experience will feature a specially curated selection of Wizarding World-inspired merchandise, which will be on display and available for purchase in a holiday-themed setting designed to dazzle families of all ages.

“Christmas in the Wizarding World”, which is open for a limited time only, will be reminiscent of the setting and atmosphere of a wintry Hogsmeade village. Complete with an extensive wand assortment, film-inspired window displays and interactive elements, the themed shopping experience is sure to be a hit with fans of JK Rowling’s Wizarding World. Key features of the experience include:

>> A wide selection of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them inspired merchandise, perfect for holiday gift-giving.

>>Specially designed holiday ornaments and stockings

>> Hogwarts school robes

>> Fan-favourite plush owls

>> Wands, jewellery and branded collectible

Ollivanders will be outfitted with soaring shelves of hundreds of precariously stacked wands boxes, where shoppers will be able to experience a holiday surprise with the help of the Wand keeper.

A memorable photo opportunity, featuring a selection of background options from the “Harry Potter” films and “”Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”, where guests can purchase a keepsake of their Christmas in the Wizarding World experience.

An interactive Quaffle Toss game, where guests can score a goal amid a colourful display of Quidditch-themed attire and accessories.

Throughout the retail experience, animated windows will bring the iconic shops from the films to life, delighting fans and shoppers alike

“Christmas in the Wizarding World will redefine the traditional shopping centte holiday offering by creating a themed retail experience inspired by one of the most beloved brands of all time, Harry Potter,” says Eddie Newquist, chief creative officer of GES. “We’ve recreated the magical settings of Hogsmeade village and will bring it to the fans and families in Thailand, so they can experience this innovative retail environment.”

Find out more at http://www.SiamParagon.co.th.

Winners from the Thai event will receive prizes worth more than Bt100,000 and the right to represent Thailand in the upcoming Asia Pacific Predator League 2018 in Indonesia.

Held in Jakarta, the region’s biggest e-sport competition offers more than Bt5 million in prizes.

Nitipat Praweenwongwuthi, marketing director at Acer Computer, said recently that Acer (Thailand) was a constant promoter of e-sports.

In collaboration with the Thai E-Sports Association, Acer (Thailand) has raised public awareness of e-sports, created e-sport trends, and developed good attitudes towards them, he said.

Moreover, Acer (Thailand) has provided e-sport teams with gaming-equipment support, and has also sponsored their trip to attend e-sports competition overseas.

According to Newzoo’s “Global Esports Market Report”, there were some 9.5 million e-sport lovers in Southeast Asia last year, with about 1.1 million of them living in Thailand.

Across the world, up to 385 million people have watched e-sport tournaments so far this year, with most of them watched such competitions via online platforms.

It is estimated that Asia-Pacific people account for 51 per cent of these viewers.

The upcoming Predator League will be the Dota2 competition, and it is also Thailand’s first e-sport tournament to have been certified by the Thai E-Sports Association following the Sports Authority of Thailand’s move to recognise e-sport as a new form of sports and to officially accept the establishment of e-sport associations.

The Dota2 competition, which commenced on Saturday, promises to be a crucial forum for youth and e-sport fans who are interested in becoming e-sport players.

Winners will have opportunities to join the world-class forum later on.

To Acer, the contest is another milestone in its efforts to allow youth and e-sport fans to demonstrate their potential, Nitipat said, adding that the forum will at the same time also highlight the Taiwan-based computer company’s innovations that have been developed for the best user experiences.

The first round of Predator League tournaments runs through November 23 to select the 32 best teams.

The final round will then be held on November 25 at the@Arena Plus FpsThailand.

Six hundred bikes are now available for students and staff at the university in 7 parking areas including the parking lot next to Phra Bida yard, the parking lot at the front of dorm 10 (female dorm), the parking lot at the front of building 8 (male dorm), Lan It canteen, the main gate at the radio station sign, the back gate on the car-free side and the Division of Student Affairs.

Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus is one of the leading universities in Thailand with an area of over 395 acres and currently has a total student population of more than 15,000. For its part, the campus has set the scene through the introduction of the Green&Clean Campus project, which sees internal bike lanes expanded and extended to Suan Somdej and Rusamilea Beach.

Every Saturday, students and staff get on the bikes to undertake such worthy tasks as trash collection from public places. Ofo is aiming to increase the number of bicycles instead of motorcycles and support eco-friendly public transportation in the campus.

“The launch of Ofo at PSU was extremely well received. Within a day of Ofo’s launch at PSU, thousands of rides were generated as students and faculty members used the service to commute conveniently around the campus. Ofo bikes are available free of charge until the end of December 2017, says the firm’s Thailand’s general manager Noppol Toochinda.

This is the first time Local Alike has arranged these all-inclusive package travel deals which include tours to the local communities, return flights from Bangkok, accommodation with community members and delicious local cuisine. Prices start at Bt12,700 and the destinations include Pong Huai Lan Village, Chiang Mai (December 8 to 10), Hloyo Akha Village, Chiang Rai (December 8-11) and Lanjia Lodge, also in Chiang Rai over the same dates.

Eight other travel packages starting at Bt1,000 take visitors to Sawanbondin Farm and Homestay, Nature Trail at Baan Suan Pa, the tea and coffee plantations at Chiang Mai’s Mae Kampong Village, and Phrabat Huay Tom, Lamphun province.

Find out more at http://www.LocalAlike.com .email rux@localalike.com or call (081) 139-5593.

The glittering display was part of a gala dinner night hosted at the Shangri-La Hotel by the National Gem and Jewellery Research Institute’s Rachain Potjanasunthorn, Duangkamon Jiambutr and Suriyon Sriorathaikul with Commerce Minister Apiradee Tantraphorn as the guest of honour.

The dinner was attended by ruby disciples Nantawan Sakuntanak, Sumitra Kitkamjay, Jarin Sumanon, Suree Rattanahirunya, Rakchana Apikasemsan, Sean Gilbert, Henry Ho, Franky Fong, and Santpal Sinchawla, who all expressed their appreciation at the spectacular jewellery on show.

“This event celebrates the success of the World Ruby Business Forum 2017, which was held for the first time in Thailand. It has attracted experts and jewellers from all over the world to exchange insights on the ruby industry and to reinforce Thailand’s potential as a centre for jewellery by 2021,” said Suriyon.

The fashion show presented collections from nine brands, including The Amorous from Beauty Gems featuring a diamond necklace set in yellow gold and white gold adorned with a ruby weighing 353 carats. Also on display was the Ruby Hatta New World made from a ruby cut in a oval shape in a white gold setting surrounded by pearls and diamonds.

Eleven diamonds weighing 21 karats and rubies were the stars of Sukhadia’s necklace and earrings while Veerasak Gems showed a necklace, earrings and rings boasting rubies from Myanmar. Jacob displayed a colourful oval ruby with a variety of diamonds in a gold body fashioned into a necklace and worn with matching earrings.

PK Gems offered a gorgeous ruby ring with diamonds in pink gold. Sant Enterprise showed an emerald-cut ruby from Mozambique weighing 9.30 karats and Heng W. Princess Gems displayed a ring with a stone from Sri Lanka.

Guests also took part in auction of jewellery and rubies with the funds raising going the Safeguard Kids foundation. A Judith Leiber clutch went for Bt300,000, while a ruby ring from Sant Enterprise went to Dr Sudjai Chaiamnuey for Bt230,000.

For more information, check about http://www.WorldRubyForum.com.

A true gaming beast, the Asus ROG G703 is a notebook computer with the world’s first ultra-responsive 144Hz display, overclocked performance and unique Xbox features. It’s powered by an Intel Core i77820HK processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics. It comes with 17.3-inch Full HD IPS display and robust cooling to complement performance. It also features a fully customisable backlit keyboard with a dedicated Xbox Live hotkey and builtin Xbox Wireless. It’s yours for Bt149,990.

Now listen here

1-More MK802 Bluetooth OverEar headphones boast rare Beryllium drivers for an exceptionally comprehensive sound and a durable, lightweight, and stylish TR90 synthetic titanium exterior. Convenient ear cup controls are compatible with Apple iOS and Android, allowing you to control Bluetooth, the 1-More app, volume, select songs, take calls, and activate voice control. The phones are on sale for Bt5,250.

Music to the ears

Rockbox Chunk Indigo is a portable Bluetooth speaker from Fresh ’N’ Rebel that can also function as a power bank. It supports Bluetooth 4.0 and it has 2×10 watts of output power and a 4,000 mAh battery with about 20 hours of playback time. It provides a USB port for connecting and recharging your smartphone on the go. It is available from http://www.ashop.asia for Bt3,490.

Phone with a touch of class

Premium Inear Bluetooth earphones designed by Jakob Wagner for Bang & Olufsen, the Beoplay H5 come in a colour called Vapour and are stylish enough to satisfy active lifestyle music lovers or gym rats. They’re on sale at RTB Technology Co Ltd for Bt9,900.

Smile for that selfie

Designed for the selfie-obsessed, the new OPPO F5 smartphone comes with AI Beauty Technology to ensure your shots are outstanding. Boasting 20-megapixel resolution and the Bokeh effect, the front camera uses an f/2.0 lens and 1/2.8-inch image sensor while the back camera has 16 MP resolution with f/1.8 lens. The 6inch display has 2160×1080 pixel resolution. It retails for Bt9,990.

Boasting noise cancelling technology and a sleek design, the new Sony WF1000X wireless earbuds certainly live up to their slogan “Wire free, noise free, stress free”.

I particularly like the fact that the wireless communication does away with the need for any connecting wire and headband, which makes wearing the phones, as Sony promises, comfortable and totally stress free.

The WF1000X has a compact and minimalist design and weighs in at 6.8g. And each earbud has an ergonomic ear hook for keeping it in place. Its internal antenna and fitting supporter keep the signal strong for constant streaming.

Each bud uses a tiny 6mm driver to deliver clear sound. They have a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz and fall into the closed-dynamic type of earphones.

The WF1000X uses Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity with support for A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, and HSP profiles and support for audio formats of SBC and AAC.

It uses NFC (near field communication) for easily establishing connection with a smartphone or MP3 player that also has NFC technology.

But where the phones really win out is the effective noise cancelling technology. You simply press a button to switch this technology on and the background noise is totally minimised, allowing you to really enjoy the music.

Moreover, the WF1000X uses Adaptive Sound Control technology to detect whether you’re travelling, walking and waiting and adjusts ambient sound settings should you opt for the Ambient Sound mode instead of the Noise Cancelling mode.

The power button on the left earbud also serves as a button for cycling through the modes and even provides voice guidance to tell you which mode you are in when you press the button. To get this function, just download the Sony I Headphones Connect app.

Moreover, the app can be used to customise the ambient sound settings, of which there are three: Normal, Voice and Equaliser. When you switch on the normal mode, you can hear all essential background sounds while the voice mode ensures you won’t miss announcements. You can use the Sony I Headphones app to find your perfect sound tone. Just use the app to switch between the three modes.

Of course, the WF1000X can be used as a hand-free headset for making and receiving phone calls. You can use either the power button on the left earbud or the multifunction button on the right to receive and end call. The multifunction button can also be used to play or pause the music. If you double click it, it will skip to the next track. Press it three times, the music will go back to the previous track.

The earbuds come with a charging case that also serves as a battery bank for the earbuds. The case weighs about 70 grammes.

The WF1000X has about three hours of battery life and it can be recharged twice by the carrying case so you will have about nine hours of battery life on the go.

I tested the WF1000X with Sony’s Walkman NWA25. The NFC technology helped me pair the NWA25 with the earbuds easily.

The music quality reproduced by WF1000X was really good with great clarity and strong bass when the earbuds were properly seated in the ears. In fact, the bass was impressive for inear-type headphones.

Sony WF1000X has a suggested retail price of Bt7,990.

KEY SPECS

– Driver unit: 6mm (dome type)

– Magnet: Neodymium

– Frequency response: 2020,000 Hz

– Bluetooth: Version 4.1, 2.4GHz band; SBC, AAC formats; A2DPm AVRCP, HFP, HSP profiles

– Noise cancelling: on/off with switch

– Battery: charging time: 1.5 hours; battery life: 3 hours

– Earbuds weight: 6.8g

– Charging case: 2 hours to charge case (3 hours with earbuds)

– Case dimension: 103.0 x 42.6 x 24.5mm

– Case weight: 70g

An affordable smartphone with a good quality camera and acceptable performance, the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus costs less than half of the company’s new flagship XZ1.

So what do you get for your money and is it worth it?

In short, yes, with a few provisos, the first being that it’s not blazing fast.

Sony says it’s able to keep the price of XA1 Plus low – a touch under Bt11,000 – because it uses a cheaper CPU from MediaTek as opposed to the expensive flagship CPU from Qualcomm.

The XA1 Plus is powered by MediaTek helio P20 Octa Core 64-bit processor with four cores running at 2.3GHz and the other four at 1.6GHz.

During the test, I didn’t feel the P20-based XA1 Plus was slow. Most tasks and apps ran well. The menus and touch-screen were responsive. And HD video clips and High-Resolution Audio files played smoothly.

The XA1 Plus is equipped with 4 gigabytes of working memory or RAM. It has 32GB of internal storage, using eMMC storage type, which is cheaper than the UFS type used in upmarket smartphones.

The XA1 Plus has 5.5-inch Full HD display with 1080×1920-pixel resolution. The display is large and more than adequate for viewing photos and HD video clips. During the test, I enjoyed watching HD clips from YouTube and HD programmes on the TrueVisions Anywhere app.

The XA1 Plus provides two nano SIM slots and a separate microSD expansion slot. So you can use two SIM cards at the same time and still have a slot for expanding the internal storage.

The ability to double as a Hi-Res Audio music player makes the XA1 Plus worth buying. I tested its music playback with Sony MDR1ABT Hi-Res Audio headphones and the songs sounded great with good details of the musical instruments and powerful bass. To augment music quality, Sony uses Smart Amp and ClearAudio+ technologies with the XA1 Plus, enhancing the loudness and clarity of the music.

The XA1 Plus also has fast Internet connection. I tested it on TrueMove H’s LTE 4G network. Downloading apps was fast and my snapshots were backed up to my Google Photos cloud storage in no time.

I used Ookla Speedtest app to measure the connection speed and found that the XA1 Plus had a download speed of 57.49 Mbps and upload speed of 32.34 Mbps.

The XA1 Plus can also function as a good quality compact camera thanks to its large 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS for mobile sensor with 23-megapixel resolution. That means the sensor is as large as the image sensors used in many compact digital cameras.

Since the Exmor RS is a back-illuminated CMOS image sensor and the camera itself is equipped with a bright f/2.0 lens, the XA1 Plus can capture good quality shots even in low-light environments. Moreover, it comes with Steady-Shot technology that allows the camera to capture clear, smooth videos even when you’re on the move.

The XA1 Plus also provides a dedicated button that launches the camera in just 0.6 seconds. When you press the Quick Launch button, the XA1 Plus is ready to take the shot also in 0.6 seconds. The button can also be used as the shutter button, making it convenient for selfies.

The main camera uses 24mm equivalent lens and captures surprisingly good landscape shots. It comes with several shooting modes, including Manual and Superior Auto.

I used the Superior Auto mode during the test and was impressed at the way the camera analysed the scene then selected appropriate scene modes for me, resulting in good quality, sharp and clean shots in most cases.

The main camera also has good low-light performance as it supports up to ISO6400 sensitivity.

Its front camera has a 1/4-inch Exmor R sensor with 8 MP-resolution and 23mm equivalent wide-angle lens with f2/0 lens. During the test, we enjoyed taking selfies shots inside The Nation newsroom and were pleased with the results. The front camera is also good for taking group selfies.

The XA1 Plus also comes with a finger print reader embedded on the power button on the right, which allows you to secure your phone and unlock it with your right thumb. I checked it out and had no problem in unlocking the phone with my right thumb.

The 3430 mAh capacity battery is large enough to ensure good battery life. Moreover, the XA1 Plus uses Battery Care technology to protect your phone from overcharging and increase its lifespan. It also uses Qnovo Adaptive Charging to adjust charging currents to expand battery life.

The XA1 Plus also comes with Smart Cleaner that automatically deactivates the apps you don’t use and clears the cache, to optimise storage and memory as well as saving your battery.

The Xperia XA1 Plus has a premium look and feel. With rounded borders and stylish details, it feels smooth and fits the hand perfectly.

It is available in Moonlit Blue, Black, Silver and Venus Pink and retails for Bt10,990.

KEY SPECS

– OS: Android 7

– Networks: GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G), UMTS HSPA+ (3G), LTE (4G) Cat6

– CPU: MediaTek helio P20 Octa Core 64bit (Quad Core 2.3GHz + Quad Core 1.6GHz)

– Memory: 4GB

– Storage: 32 GB eMMC, expandable with microSD by up to 256 GB

– Display: 5.5-inch full HD 1080p, protected with Corning Gorilla Glass

– SIM: Dual nanoSIM

– Cameras: Main: 23MP 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS seensor, 24mm, f/2.0 lens; Front: 8MP Exmor R sensor with 23mm wide-angle f/2.0 lens

– Connectivity: AGNSS (GPS + GLONASS), Wi-Fi Miracast, Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology, Google Cast NFC, USB Type-C

– Sound: SmartAmp, Clear Audio+, Stereo Recording, Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology, aptX / A2DP

– Battery: 3430 mAh with Qnovo Adaptive Charging and Quick Charging (MediaTek Pump Express Plus 2.0)

– Dimensions: 155 x 75 x 8.7 mm

– Weight: 190g

Top-level experts from three world-class leadership development institutions, namely The Arbinger Institute, Tirian and The Ken Blanchard Companies addressed and shared their knowledge at the seminar at no charge to the participants. The event aims to propel organisations in the new business world to operate on a solid footing at maximum efficiency in an era of abrupt change and to spread relevant business approaches to organisation leaders in Thailand and ASEAN.

SEAC focused on three pertinent factors in the new way of developing people and organisations to quickly keep abreast with change.

“Outward Mindset” made the point that in order to live in today’s world, businesses need to adjust their mindset. Having an outward mindset means, first and foremost, seeing people as people and understanding other people’s needs, objectives and challenges to reach the common goal.  Consequently, this leads to a collaborative partnership that will contribute to a strong corporate culture and efficient goal achievement. The outward mindset can help businesses grow in a disruptive world by improving their ability to transform organisations and innovate differently.

In term of experiential learning, sharing knowledge is vital to enable learning. In a world where change radically influences every aspect of life, traditional learning and training are no longer adequate and is no guarantee that they can change deeply-rooted habits, which in the real world can also be useful. Unfortunately, the outcome is not long lasting.  People who have been trained may be armed with good knowledge, and that by itself is a good start. But in terms of their understanding and ability to change themselves and their surroundings for a long-term positive effect, they will need to be aware of present-day processes and techniques.  Experiential learning thus complements the traditional learning process and encourages behavioural changes in people based on the belief that people learn best when they create memorable experiences through doing and actual practice.

Leaders should be asking themselves how they manage people, and what they have to do to lead their colleagues and promote their capabilities? A core duty of a good leader is people management. Good leaders must get their colleagues to participate in the effort to increase productivity and work efficiency.

“Past experiences by the organisation and their leaders do not guarantee survival and future business sustainability. Leaders of today’s businesses should adapt and prepare themselves for change. When leaders are ready, people are ready, then organisations are ready, allowing their businesses to ‘live’, ‘learn’, and ‘lead’ effectively regardless of the change that may come in any form and despite the new reality,” Arinya said.