ArabWeeks

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, launched on June 12 in New York City (USA) the thinnest and lightest tablet : Galaxy Tab S. This Super AMOLED tablet comes wrapped up in a highly stylish yet practical design and combines the most advanced display technology with a full range of enhanced productivity features for effortless multitasking which caters to consumers’ needs.

Keynote speaker, Mr. JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics said in his opening speech: “The tablet is becoming an increasing popular device for viewing and consuming content, which makes the display quality a critical feature”. “With the launch of the Galaxy Tab S, Samsung is setting the industry bar far beyond anything that has previously been available in a tablet. It will provide consumers with a visual and entertainment experience that brings colors to life like never before, beautifully packaged in a sleek and ultra-portable mobile device” he added.

Turn up the Color with the Industry’s Best Mobile Display – Super AMOLED

The Galaxy Tab S embodies the next evolution in mobile display technology, delivering a wider range of rich and crisp colors that are more true-to-life. Its industry-leading WQXGA (2560×1600, 16:10) Super AMOLED display meets more than 90% of Adobe RGB color coverage – able to express varieties of colors than ever before – and has a remarkable 100,000:1 contrast ratio which provides deeper and more realistic images by making blacks darker and whites brighter.

An additional Samsung screen technology is attributed to Adaptive Display. The tablet ensures the best visual experience anywhere, anytime by intelligently adjusting gamma, saturation, and sharpness based on the application being viewed, the color temperature of the viewing environment and ambient lighting. For professionals, AMOLED Cinema and AMOLED Photo let users manually adjust the display settings for bright, dynamic results for both video and photo content.

In addition, Galaxy Tab S users can fully enjoy content clearly and easily outdoors, even in bright sunlight. The tablet’s advanced outdoor visibility technology makes content easy to view.

Since Super AMOLED technology doesn’t require a backlight, the Galaxy Tab S consumes less energy than comparative LCD displays, able to maintain portable design. Both models have a sleek 6.6mm profile and at only 465g (10.5-inch) and 294g (8.4-inch), they are light and easy to carry. With its longer-lasting battery, and Ultra-Power Saving Mode, the Galaxy Tab S lets consumer enjoy hours of entertainment without having to worry about recharging.

Premium Content Eco-System

The Galaxy Tab S is made for entertainment and comes packed with a variety of content including: Samsung’s magazine service, “Papergarden”, Galaxy Gifts, “Marvel Unlimited” app and Kindle.

With Papergarden users will be able to view a wide range of popular digital magazines with vivid and true-to-life colors. With partnerships with more than 30 of the world’s leading mobile content and service providers, Galaxy Gifts offer premium content and services across a wide range of industries. Thanks to Marvel Unlimited, users will be able to access over 15,000 Marvel Comics through 3

months of unlimited free membership to Marvel’s and with Kindle users will receive a free book every month through Samsung Book Deals, plus the ultimate e-reading experience with access to a vast selection of e-books in the Kindle store.

Samsung has also partnered with Google Play to get users started with several specific gifts: access to a range of movie and entertainment content, as well as a variety of books and magazines from top publishers through the “My Library” widget. Galaxy Tab S users can now enjoy YouTube 1080P Full HD video, debuting on Android OS.

The Galaxy Experience – Productivity Features That Help You Multitask

The Galaxy Tab S delivers an unmatched selection of enhanced productivity and security features all available on both WiFi and LTE versions that provide users with the ability to effortlessly and safely multitask. Users can make and receive calls directly from their phone to their Galaxy Tab S, anywhere at home, no matter where their phone is with the Call Forwarding feature via SideSync 3.0. With Quick Connect, Galaxy Tab S quickly finds and connects to nearby devices, for easy content sharing. Additional useful features include ‘Multi User Mode’ that enables users to create their own personal optimized profile, accessing safely and conveniently with ‘Fingerprint Scanner,’ and a specially designed ‘Kids’ Mode’ with its own dedicated interface and kid-friendly applications.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S will come in a variety of connectivity options: Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi and LTE, available in 16/32GB* + MicroSD (up to 128GB). Users can also choose between the 10.5-inch and 8.4-inch versions, in Titanium Bronze, Dazzling White or Glam Red (for 8.4-inch only). The Galaxy Tab S will be available in selective markets from the end of June, 2014.

For more product information, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com

Ramadan is upon us once again and Riyadh Marriott Hotel brings you to “A Culinary Journey through the Arab Nation” which happens to be the hotel’s theme this year.  The hotel offers not just a savory food but a cultural attraction through its well decorated passageway to the hotel’s main dining outlet, Mosaic Restaurant.

Every year, the hotel is being fancied over eye-catching embellishments to present the chosen theme. Engr. Abdullah Abu-ElGhait, Director of Engineering, and his creative group is the one behind the beautiful Ramadan decorations in the hotel.

As Riyadh Marriott Hotel brings you to different parts of the region, one will not be surprised to see the Pyramids of Egypt, the Petra of Jordan and many more inside this newly refurbished property.

There are two main venues allocated for Ramadan at Riyadh Marriott Hotel. Mosaic Restaurant offers traditional Ramadan specialties from all over the Arab world through a widespread and lavish buffet for Iftar and Sohur. A wide range of live cooking stations are also available for guests breaking their fast. Kids Playroom which is adjacent to the restaurant is open for kids to have fun moments.

Muin Serhan, Riyadh Marriott Hotel General Manager said “Our Iftar and Sohur offerings are priced competitively in the market so everyone can enjoy during this Holy month of Ramadan.” Additionally, children under 6 years of age accompanied by parents can dine complimentary while kids who are in between 6 and 12 get a half price.

Makarim Convention Center which won this year’s MENA Travel Awards Best Convention/Conference Center. The place is allotted for corporate and social groups that will have Iftar Party. A huge variety of salads, desserts, Ramadan drinks and live cooking stations are available to accommodate corporate business requirements.

A corporate Iftar promotion was also made available for companies that booked prior to June 28, 2014 where they can save 10% from the total bill and one complimentary dinner for every 10 paid participants.

For those who planned to stay at home to have a laid back and relax feeling, Riyadh Marriott Hotel also offers an outside catering delivered and served by the best catering team in the city. Guests will just have to sit back, relax and enjoy and hotel will do all the work.

For reservations, you can call us at +966 11 4779300 and email at RiyadhEBC@marriotthotels.com. You can also visit our website to find out more details, www.riyadhmarriott.com. Like us at Facebook – www.facebook.com/RiyadhMarriott. Follow us on Twitter – www.twitter.com/RiyadhMarriott

Enjoy a refined Ramadan atmosphere with an array of savory delights served at the distinctive Ritz-Carlton Ballroom during Ramadan.
With the widest range of cuisine and the palatial Ritz-Carlton vibes topped with the legendary service that Ritz-Carlton is world famous for providing, guests are guaranteed a gastronomic experience to remember.

With the widest range of cuisine and the palatial Ritz-Carlton vibes topped with the legendary service that Ritz-Carlton is world famous for providing, guests are guaranteed a gastronomic experience to remember.

Considered to have one of the most exquisite Ramadan tents in the Kingdom’s capital annually,          Four Seasons     Hotel Riyadh lives up to its reputation with an extensive range of culinary delights at its tent and other outlets during the Holy Month.

“With a newly refurbished tent with stunning decorations and modern lighting in an innovative and stylish look, and with the widest range of cuisine offered, guests are guaranteed a gastronomic experience to remember. Our food and beverage team will continue to surprise even the most discerning of diners during the Holy Month of Ramadan,” says Anthony Tyler, General Manager of          Four Seasons     Hotel Riyadh.

Iftar will start daily from 6:30 pm and will remain until 9:00 pm. The magnificent Iftar buffet showcases the diverse talents of          Four Seasons     chefs through the extensive range of Italian, Asian, Middle Eastern, and international dishes on offer with a children’s special corner.  The Hotel has also introduced a special Iftar offer for groups of 30 and above.

For an ideal outdoor Sohour buffet, The Grill Restaurant will remain open from 10:00 pm until 03:00 am during the World Cup 2014 and throughout Ramadan, where children and adults alike can enjoy a sumptuous Sohour buffet in a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere in the Hotel’s new tent by the poolside. The Grill will also host an Iftar buffet for private events only. The Grill offers plentiful Arabic and international inspired dishes, along with an eclectic assortment of savoury dishes and tempting desserts, perfect for the final meal of the day.

The popular Elements Restaurant will offer an Iftar and Sohour dining concept focusing on live-action cooking stations, sections devoted to particular international cuisines, a generous salad buffet, and a mouth-watering dessert corner.

For guests who wish to experience more of Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, the hotel has introduced a special Ramadan room offer, where guests can stay at a Superior single room starting from SAR 1,420.00 per night, including Iftar at the Ramadan Tent or Elements Restaurant, or Sohour at Elements Restaurant or through In Room Dining with a special Sohour menu.

         Four Seasons     Hotel Riyadh announces the following companies as Preferred Partners at its Ramadan tent: Turkish Airlines; Mohammad Yousuf Naghi Motors, which will display the latest models of BMW and Rolls Royce; Alam Al Safwa for perfume and incense; Cayan Group for real estate and development; Dar Al Hayat, the leader in advertising, publishing and media; Al Homaidi Watches and Jewellery Company; Southwind Telecom – Alcatel;  Back Comfort; and Samsung, which will display the latest LED and Smart TV screens throughout the tent.

         Four Seasons     Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre infuses Ramadan celebrations with unparalleled style and sophistication, and makes the Holy Month one to truly remember.

Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel, is offering a unique Iftar experience perfect for spending special Ramadan moments with those closest to you at its stunning Fawanees Tent throughout the Holy Month. Located in one of the most spectacular royal banquet halls, Prince Sultan’s Grand Hall, the Fawanees Tent offers splendid Arabesque surroundings and a menu curated by the hotel’s celebrated chefs.

Featuring a deliciously prepared Iftar buffet bursting with a selection of mouth-watering dishes from around the globe, the spectacular Fawanees Tent provides the ideal setting to break your fast. The buffet is comprised of a wide variety of hot and cold starters, scrumptious mains, delectable desserts and traditional Ramadan beverages, water, and Arabic coffee and tea. Offered throughout Ramadan between sunset and 8:30 pm, the buffet is priced at SAR 330 per person for adults and SAR 165 per child aged between six and 12. Children under six dine for free.

Riyadh’s most exclusive restaurant, The Globe located atop the Al Faisaliah Tower, is inviting the city’s residents and guests to experience a delightful Suhoor with breath taking panoramic views of Riyadh. The Globe’s refined Asir Lounge welcomes guests looking for a light Suhoor amidst a blend of modern elegance and opulence. Both Suhoors include traditional Ramadan beverages, water and Arabic coffee and tea. Offered between 11:00 pm and 4:00 am,

In addition, the Fawanees Tent offers customized services, fabulously organized prayer areas and private banquet settings for gatherings up to 1,500 people throughout the Holy Month. For corporate clients, Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel, provides tailored corporate Iftars, Suhoors and special Ramadan packages.

The Fawanees Tent is sponsored by Via Arabia, SACO, Northrop Grumman, GolPeech Saffron, Bashammakh, Back Comfort, Al Issa Auto, Al Youm/ Al Marari, Emdad Riyadh, Bank Emirates NBD and Intelligent Media.

For bookings, please contact Al Faisaliah Hotel on Faisaliah.reservation@rosewoodhotels.com or call +966112732222.

The long-awaited World Cup 2014 football season has finally launched, and so did the opening of El Capitolio lounge and Le Bijou Café’s outdoor terrace at Burj Rafal Hotel Kempinski. Matches will be played daily on widescreen LED’s in the lovely atmosphere of Riyadh’s one-of-a-kind outdoor terrace that overlooks a cascading water fountain, adding a unique glamour to the place, in the presence of a mist system that adds the perfect cooling touch to Riyadh’s warm weather. Football enthusiasts can enjoy watching the matches in a luxurious atmosphere coupled with a uniquely selected menu of food and beverages, specifically designed to match the World Cup theme and meet the high expectations of Kempinski’s guests. “It is our founding principle to provide the finest elements of luxury, comfort, and premium service to our guests to ensure them an utmost pleasant experience every time and all the time at Burj Rafal Hotel Kempinski”, said General Manager Stephan Kaminski of Burj Rafal Kempinski.

“Rafal innovation” photography competition in Riyadh, was concluded under the slogan of “Innovating professionally”. This competition which targets to engage amateur and professional young photographers in a two weeks campaign, succeeded in attracting more than two million viewers, and the active participation of amateur and professional photographers, under the sponsorship of Burj Rafal .

This Contest aims to expose young photography talents of both genders. The jury put simple number of criteria for participating in this competition, where participants take spontaneous picture of Burj Rafal from a convenient angle that shows the creativity of the participant and highlights the beauty of the photo. 15 Participants were declared winners, and they were granted an IPhone 5S each as a motivating and honorary award.

Mr. Darwish Bakeer, Chief Commercial Officer, Rafal real estate development company, commented:  “Rafal Innovation” Social media competition which was conducted over Twitter and Instagram was an innovative, overwhelming and successful experience by all means.  Rafal Innovation Hashtag resulted in attracting almost 2.5 million viewers, and hundreds of active participants, which indicates the size of outstanding talented young people in this country .”

Mr. Bakeer Also added: “Photography is considered to be one of the means of civilized and cultural communication; it contributes to bring out the urban cultural dimensions, which is what we wanted to highlight throughout this competition and this is the reason behind the active interactions in the competition. We also followed a very systematic methodology in evaluating the photos.”

The participants expressed their happiness to be part of this competition which enabled them to post their photo immediately after taking it, in an easy and unique way.

Abdullah Yehia, one of the winners, who came across this competition by chance, commented:  “I took a spontaneous photo of Burj Rafal from the top of the financial centre while taking pictures of Riyadh City. I followed the advice of one of my friends and I posted the photo on the Rafal Innovation Hashtag, and I was thrilled to receive a call from Rafal team informing me that my photo was one of the winning candidates.”

Faisal Salem AlThiab also expressed his gratitude to Rafal Real estate development company for providing the chance for young people to show their talents and honoring them, he said: “I took the photo of Burj Rafal and Kempinski hotel at sunset, using a 170̊ lens camera, and by posting this photo, I became one of the winners in this competition.”

As For Ibrahim Abdullatif, one of the winners who succeeded to capture a creative photo of Burj Rafal, he says: “I took the photo from the top of Tamkeen tower, after I saw the competition on Instagram, and I was lucky to become one of the winners of this competition and to meet the amazing Rafal team.”

It is worth mentioning that “Rafal Innovation” photography competition required the participants to take a photo of Burj Rafal, one of Riyadh’s high class landmarks, and the tallest luxurious residential tower in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

.

Kingdom Centre has launched its “Kingdom Summer” event Festival for the period from 6 June and until the 14^th of June. The event, which goes in Line with the Riyadh Festival for Shopping and entertainment, incorporates many traditional and artisanal displays reviewing the history and heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in addition to a fine arts exhibition for Saudi Artists.

The exhibit includes traditional Saudi art inspired by the history and heritage of the country and other traditional handicraft items made directly in front of the visitors and shoppers. There is also a Corner displaying ancient children toys, some of which are more than 40 years old. In addition to the display of a Traditional vintage Bentley and Ford Cars.

The exhibition also includes items made by productive families, such Sadu and Saaf Palm products, decorative items, decorated quilts and handmade wool clothes.

In this traditional atmosphere, a traditional Majless is displayed, decorated by traditional coffee tools and set, next to a multicolor Hennah design corner for Women.

Saudi Artists display some of their art to the public and complete their paintings, live in front of the people, while telling them about it and about the artistic movement in the kingdom. And their participation in the “kingdom summer” event comes to spread the fine art culture among the Saudi Society

Ms. Nada Al Ateeqi, General Manager, Kingdom Centre, said” we are really happy to host these activities which shed light on the Kingdom’s history and to expose the work of the productive families which offer Saudi women the opportunity to join the local workforce and be a productive member of the community”

“Kingdom Summer Event” is hosted in Kingdom Centre, one of Riyadh’s most famous landmarks. This Centre incorporates a large number of international brands in addition to “Ladies Kingdom” which is one of the finest shopping centres dedicated for women.

Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management,has received the prestigious ISO50001:2011 certification, becomingthe first private company in Saudi Arabiato achieve the industry accreditation.

Assessed by Bureau Veritas, a global leader in Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC), Schneider Electric was awarded the ISO 50001:2011 certificationfor its advanced energy management solutionsimplemented across its office-cum-plant complex at Riyadh’s 2^nd Industrial City.

The 5000sq.meter plant, which articulates Schneider Electric’s commitment to energy efficiency in the region, employs over 1000people including 200 Saudi nationals in the capacity of managers, professional engineers and technicians. The plant has the potential to expand production capacity by an estimated 25-30 percent through manufacturing and assembling products for utilities operation, electrical distribution, industrial oil and gas, automation, infrastructure and energy efficiency management.

Ahmad Al Rashoud, Vice-President of Business Development and Energy Management Solutions at Schneider Electric Saudi Arabia, said: “The ISO certification is a definite milestone for us and for the broader industry in Saudi Arabia. It supports our corporate strategy to foster local talent in a state-of-the-art working environment, through the deployment of innovative and sustainable solutions.”

He added: “As a global company,we are actively working to promoteenergy efficiency and sustainability,and we believe that the most effective way of doing this is to lead by example. This certification highlights the power of sustainability modelsin securingemphatic returns on investment in terms of enhancing safety, employee morale, reduced wear and tear of equipment, as well as loweringenergy consumption and pollution.”

Maen AL Nimrawi: Energy Bureau Manager at Schneider Electric Stated That: Schneider Electric identified its operation services at Schneider Electric EPS Ltd’s main office located in the second industrial area of Riyadh as the largest consumer of electrical power and opted to get the site certified by end 2013. During the six months it took to achieve compliance with the stringent ISO standards, Schneider Electric was assessed for total energy consumed, design, construction, operations, commissioning and maintenance.

With the plant’s established energy saving processes,Schneider Electric is well on course to achieve a 15 per cent energy saving per employee by end 2015, by which time the company aspires to have all its three manufacturing plants in Riyadh and regional offices in Jeddah and Khobar ISO certified.

ISO 50001:2011 supports organisations in all sectors in optimising energy efficiency through the development of EnMS. As with all ISO certifications, the ISO50001:2011 accreditation can be obtained by companies keen on integrating energy management into business practice.

IDC today hosted a one-of-a-kind roadshow that for the first time provided a holistic 360-degree view of the datacenter. The event, held at Riyadh’s Four Seasons Hotel, showcased the key aspects of datacenter technologies, covering overall adoption trends and dynamics, economics and cost optimization, management, capacity planning, business continuity, and key implementation strategies.

IDC’s Datacenter 360 Roadshow featured a niche audience that consisted of key industry players and decision makers that play a major role in the IT-related strategic decisions taken within their organizations. Datacenter-domain vendors were also present in order to provide a much-needed supply-side perspective.

The Middle East datacenter market has seen increased momentum toward next-generation trends over the last 12 months. With this in mind, today’s event highlighted the current state of datacenter adoption in the region and took an in-depth look at what is in store for the future. The event also dissected all the major industry pain points currently challenging the Kingdom’s end-user organizations and uncovered the key solutions required for developing a sustainable datacenter strategy.

A number of informative panel discussions were also hosted throughout the course of the day, with the focus ranging from emerging trends in datacenter adoption to private cloud-enabled datacenter infrastructure to global best practices for efficient datacenters. Commenting in one such session, Zeeshan Gaya, a research manager at IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, explained how the Saudi datacenter services market has come a long way in recent years in terms of services maturity.

“There is a shift in mindset currently underway, with customers increasingly utilizing third-party datacenter providers for their hosting requirements in a bid to avoid making large capital investments,” said Gaya. “In order to capitalize on the increasing demand for hosting services, Saudi Arabia has played host to a surge in investments in datacenter space as providers aim to offer new and innovative services to their customers while maintaining high-quality and strong service delivery capabilities based on international standards.”

To ensure the very latest technology developments are covered at the event, IDC has partnered with some of the world’s foremost ICT vendors, including: Schneider Electric as Platinum Partner, Juniper Networks, PaloAlto Networks and FVC as Gold Partners, Commvault and Commscope as Silver Partners and Veeam as Exhibition Partner.

For more information about IDC events and to learn about the range of flexible partnership opportunities on offer, please contact Ms. Ronita Bhattacharjee, associate vice president for conferences at IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, at rbhattacharjee@idc.com or on +971 4 391 2747.