Tech Round-up Week 2 Nov 2020: No More Free Unlimited Storage on Google Photos, US$74b On Alibaba's

Google changing storage policies for free accounts

Google will soon be changing their storage policies for free accounts. Currently, Google offers 15GB of free storage for each account, with emails and files stored in Google Drive counting against the 15GB. Photos and videos, however, are currently free to store as long as they’re under 16MP or if you let Google degrade the quality.

Starting from 1 June 2021, any photos uploaded to Google’s storage servers will count against the 15GB. Before that though, any images uploaded now in high quality and not original quality will not count against the 15GB of free storage.

In addition, another new policy Google is implementing is that if a user is inactive in any of Google’s offerings, such as Drive, Gmail, Photos or others, the content stored there might be deleted after 24 months of inactivity.

The user will be notified multiple times before Google attempts to delete any content, and Google states: “The simplest way to keep your account active is to periodically visit Gmail, Drive or Photos on the web or mobile, while signed in and connected to the internet.”

Consumers in China spend a total of US$73 billion on Alibaba’s retail platforms during 11.11 sales

Credit: Reuters

Singles’ Day, or 11 November, is a hugely important day, not just for consumers looking out for great deals, but also for e-commerce sites where plenty of revenue flood in on that day. Alibaba has reported that a collective 498 billion yuan (US$73 billion) was spent across their online retail platforms like Taobao and Tmall, beating last year’s record of 268.4 billion yuan.

Doubtless, this is due in large part to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen consumers shift towards a trend of purchasing goods and necessities online. Data provided by China’s Ministry of Commerce has shown that China’s online retail sales reached 5.15 trillion yuan (US$736.7 billion) in the first half of 2020.

Mastercard partners with Shanghai Shentong Metro Group

Credit: Reuters

Overseas travellers will now be able to use Mastercard cards to access the metro system in Shanghai, thus reducing the inconvenience of having to purchase physical tickets. By adding a Mastercard card to the Shanghai Metro App, cardholders will be able to enjoy the same tap-and-go experience as Shanghai residents do.

Mastercard is looking to bring this to other areas such as dining and shopping as well.

Dennis Chang, Division President, China, Mastercard said: “Mastercard first entered the Chinese market three decades ago, and is glad to now have the chance to help Chinese tourism better align with international standards and is fully committed to playing an active role in China’s efforts to forge a global, interconnected payments ecosystem and enable Shanghai’s ambitions to achieve the titles of ‘Five International Centres’ (Economy, Finance, Trade, Shipping and T&I).”

PropertyGuru hosts Asia’s largest multi-country virtual property expo

Credit: PropertyGuru

From 11 November to 12 December, PropertyGuru will be hosting the largest multi-country virtual property expo in Asia, with over 300 projects in 10 countries showcased.

The virtual expo is to mimic a physical expo, with homebuyers and investors able to experience local and overseas developments and connect with the property developers right from the comfort of their homes.

Jeremy Williams, Chief Business Officer, PropertyGuru said: “COVID-19 has rapidly evolved the way consumers are exploring properties and many are increasingly using virtual tours and digital tools to continue transactions. Amidst these new trends, our expo brings the best projects and developers of the region to the fingertips of property seekers across Asia, without compromising their health and safety.”

The expo can be viewed here.