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Google Launches Arabic Version of 'Read Along' App

Google Launches Arabic Version of 'Read Along' App
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Google Launches Arabic Version of 'Read Along' App

Google Launches Arabic Version of 'Read Along' App

Google launched on Tuesday the Arabic version of its Read Along app for android devices. The app provides an interactive amusing experience to help children over the age of five improve their reading skills with the help of an in-app reading virtual buddy named "Dia".

The company has observed remarkable progress among children since the launch of the app earlier this year. Children who read less than 45 correct words per minute made an improvement of 35 percent to 85 percent in their oral reading fluency after using the app for 100 minutes over two to three weeks.

Once downloaded, Read Along can be used offline. It uses Google's speech recognition technique to interact with the children and help them read visual and verbal notes while reading the books provided by the app from around the world. Children can learn how to read with "Dia" which reads first then listens to the little ones' performance. It also gives positive and encouraging feedback during the reading like parents and teachers. Children can click on the image of "Dia" every time they want to listen to the pronunciation of a certain word or sentence. The app provides customized suggestions for each child based on the progress they make and offers programs and educational games that encourage them to read more.

The Arabic version of the app is characterized by a richer library that includes a collection of creative stories specially designed by Google for the app users. The stories include "Kuku going to the party," which highlights important values in the Arab world like friendship, compassion, and perseverance. The app also includes many creative stories aimed at stimulating writing, composition, and expression in Arabic.

As part of the company's commitment to promoting Arabic reading in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Google has called young writers, aged five to 11 years, to write their own stories and send them before September 30, to get the opportunity of publishing them in many languages on major educational platforms such as Read Along, The World Digital Library, and Pratham Books Storyweaver. Winners will be announced in October.

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Samsung’s Preliminary Q4 Profit Falls Far Short of Estimates as Chip Issues Drag

Samsung Electronics’ booth is seen during Korea Electronics Show 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Samsung Electronics’ booth is seen during Korea Electronics Show 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Samsung’s Preliminary Q4 Profit Falls Far Short of Estimates as Chip Issues Drag

Samsung Electronics’ booth is seen during Korea Electronics Show 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Samsung Electronics’ booth is seen during Korea Electronics Show 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2024. (Reuters)

Samsung Electronics' preliminary fourth-quarter operating profit missed estimates by a large margin, with the South Korean tech giant hit hard by extra costs as it works towards providing high-end chips to Nvidia.

Its earnings were dented by rising research and development costs and the ramp-up of manufacturing capacity for advanced semiconductors, the company said in a statement. Slowing demand for conventional memory chips used in PCs and mobile phones also weighed on earnings, it added.

The world's largest memory chip, smartphone and TV maker expects to log an operating profit of 6.5 trillion won ($4.5 billion) for the three months ended Dec. 31, well below an LSEG SmartEstimate of 7.7 trillion won.

The expected profit is 131% higher than the same period a year earlier, but down 29% from a disappointing third quarter. Preliminary revenue came in at 75 trillion won, slightly lower than analysts' estimates.

Rival SK Hynix is Nvidia's main supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in artificial intelligence graphics processing units (GPUs) whereas Samsung has struggled to meet Nvidia's requirements.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters in Las Vegas on Tuesday that Samsung has to "engineer a new design" to supply HBM chips to his company, adding that "they can do it and they are working very fast," Korea JoongAng Daily reported.

Samsung said at the time of its third-quarter earnings that it was making progress in supplying HBM chips to Nvidia but has not made any public updates since then.

Greg Noh, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities, said Samsung's profit was possibly eroded by one-off costs as well as disappointing chip and display earnings.

Samsung finished 3.4% higher with analysts attributing the gain to the sense that the company's woes had already been factored in and were unlikely to get worse.

"There are concerns about Samsung's major businesses continuing to lose competitiveness. But chip demand may have bottomed already," said Lee Min-hee, an analyst at BNK Investment & Securities, adding that smartphone demand in China may gradually improve.

Shares of Samsung, South Korea's biggest company by market value, slumped 32% last year, far more than a 10% decline for the wider market.

By contrast, SK Hynix is expected to post record earnings for the fourth quarter and its stock surged 23% last year.

Samsung will release detailed fourth-quarter results on Jan. 31.

RISING COMPETITION

Samsung said fourth-quarter earnings also fell for its division that designs and manufactures logic chips, hit by slower mobile phone demand, lower utilization rates at its factories and higher research and development costs.

The division may have widened losses to about $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter from about $960 million in the preceding quarter due to struggles to increase production yields, analysts said.

Earnings for its devices business, which includes mobile phones, TVs and household appliances, dropped as it has been some time since new mobile phone models were launched and because competition has increased, Samsung said.

Analysts said its mobile division earnings may have declined year on year due to lower sales for its premium foldable phones.

Slowing demand likely offset the positive impact of weakness in the local currency which boosts earnings from overseas.

The South Korean won dropped to its weakest level in 15 years in December after President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law decree triggered political turmoil. It was also hurt by US President-elect Donald Trump's pledges of higher tariffs on imports.