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SOUQ.com Announces Record Sales During White Friday 2017
SOUQ.com today announced that the number of items sold during White Friday 2017 more than doubled compared to last year – making it the biggest shopping event in SOUQ history. An unprecedented one million deals were on offer during the event, and 18 items were sold per second during peak times. Customers enjoyed the four-day online shopping event and over 70 per cent of customers shopped through mobile devices across the region.

Ronaldo Mouchawar, Co-Founder and CEO, SOUQ.com.
Products from over 16,000 international fashion, beauty, electronics, grocery and other brands were on offer during SOUQ White Friday 2017 from the 22nd to 25th November across the GCC and Egypt. Almost half of payments during the event were through made through e-payment methods instead of cash, the highest SOUQ has seen in the region to date. This surge is a testament to customers’ rising confidence in online shopping and online payments.
Commenting on the record-breaking numbers, Ronaldo Mouchawar, Co-Founder and CEO, SOUQ.com, said: “We’d like to thank our customers who shopped with us on White Friday – we welcomed seven times more new customers during this shopping event compared to an average day. Our teams and thousands of sellers worked hard to make White Friday a great event for our customers – with over a million deals in total. It is exciting to see that so many customers used our convenient online payment options and our mobile App. Our teams will keep working to delight our customers by adding more products and selection, improving delivery times and offering first-rate customer service.”
SOUQ.com is constantly innovating on behalf of its customers to offer a seamless online shopping experience. SOUQ had invested heavily in local operations in the UAE, KSA and Egypt by expanding its fulfillment center (FC) facilities, upgrading technology, increasing local resources and adding pickup points ahead of White Friday to prepare for the high volume of orders. Hundreds of full-time and temporary FC associates were added ahead of the event to provide an impeccable shopping experience to customers.
Parikshit, SOUQ customer in the UAE said, “SOUQ White Friday sales is probably the best thing that happened to me this week! Bought a TV and it got delivered in a day.” Ali, an avid online shopper from the UAE commented, “SOUQ order delivered at competitive price that you can’t find in the local market and fast delivery despite high demand. Thank you SOUQ.com for the great deals and discounts.”
Nawaf, SOUQ customer in the KSA said, “The culture of White Friday spread across the region thanks to SOUQ and now this culture is ready to be extended to the rest of the world, a great team work and their efforts crowned with success.” Rabea from Jeddah said,” Thanks SOUQ, despite heavy rains in Jeddah I received my order within one day.”

Apps
Experience the ChatGPT ‘Make It More’ Trend: Generate Weird AI Images

AI art generators occupy a peculiar space, capable of rendering diverse scenarios, from a cosmic skateboarding dog to a coffee cup adrift in the ocean. Setting aside ethical considerations, some creations may not initially meet expectations, necessitating user prompts to refine the AI-generated output.
Yet, what if the aim isn’t to craft a polished piece of AI art? Enter the “make it more” trend, where ChatGPT users task DALL-E to generate an image and subsequently request the bot to amplify certain aspects. For instance, Justine Moore prompted DALL-E to create a bowl of ramen, then instructed it to make it spicier. The iterative process led to increasingly absurd results, culminating in a bowl of noodles shooting fire beams into outer space.
A Dad getting increasingly Dad-ier pic.twitter.com/1EUFECmnT3
— Justine Moore (@venturetwins) November 27, 2023
While the Make It More trend gains traction on ChatGPT and DALL-E, allowing users to experiment with various image transformations, it also raises concerns about resource utilization. The AI processing involved consumes power and energy, prompting considerations about the trend’s efficiency and environmental impact. Nevertheless, these prompts contribute to OpenAI’s ongoing efforts to enhance AI capabilities across platforms like ChatGPT and DALL-E.
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Samsung Internet is Now Available for Download on Windows PCs

Samsung’s default browser, Samsung Internet, has expanded its reach to desktop computers and laptops, now available for download on the Microsoft Store. One notable feature is the ability for users to sync their browsing data between their Galaxy devices and computers.
Upon launching the browser, users can import their browsing history, bookmarks, and search engines from other applications like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge by signing into their Samsung Cloud account. The browser also supports add-ons and extensions from Chrome and Edge, accessible through the Chrome Web Store.
Samsung Internet for Windows offers familiar features such as incognito mode, light and dark modes, and ad-blocker support. The design elements show similarities to both Chrome and Edge, providing a sense of familiarity for users of those browsers. A useful security feature allows users to delete bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and other data upon signing out, catering to those who share computers.
Despite its promising features, the browser’s PC debut is marred by a lack of complete sync support. Currently, only browsing history, bookmarks, and search engines can be imported, with no support for transferring saved passwords from Galaxy devices to computers. This omission may be addressed in future updates.
In May, Samsung Internet received an optimisation update for Galaxy tablet users. Toggleable features were introduced, allowing users to control the placement of the browser’s address, bookmark, and tab bars. The update also included a warning for users with a high number of open tabs, informing them that opening another tab would result in the deletion of the oldest tab.
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Google Clarifies the Cause of Missing Google Drive Files

Many Google Drive users recently experienced the unsettling disappearance of their files, prompting concerns. Google has now identified the root cause, attributing the issue specifically to the Google Drive for Desktop app. While assuring that only a limited subset of users is affected, the tech giant is actively investigating the matter and promises timely updates.
To prevent inadvertent file deletion, Google provides the following recommendations:
- Avoid clicking “Disconnect account” within Drive for desktop.
- Refrain from deleting or moving the app data folder, located at:
- Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/DriveFS
- Optionally, create a copy of the app data folder if there is sufficient space on your hard drive.
Before Google officially addressed the issue, distressed users took to the company’s support forum to report deleted files. One user from South Korea highlighted a particularly severe case where their account reverted to May 2023, resulting in the loss of anything uploaded or created after that date. Additionally, the user emphasised that they had not synced or shared their files or drive with anyone else.
As Google delves deeper into resolving this matter, affected users are advised to heed the provided precautions. The company’s commitment to ongoing updates reflects its dedication to swiftly addressing and rectifying the situation. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of proactive measures to safeguard digital data, especially as users navigate cloud-based platforms such as Google Drive.