New Features on One UI 8 Watch Help Users Build Healthier Habits

 When it comes to health, small changes can make a big difference. Every incremental improvement to daily habits contribute to a healthier whole, and the upcoming One UI 8 Watch is designed to help build these habits more effectively through a suite of new features that support sleep, heart health, fitness and nutrition.

What’s New:

New features  include Bedtime Guidance  to optimize sleep; Vascular Load  to measure stress on the vascular system during sleep; Running Coach  to support personalized training strategies; and Antioxidant Index  to measure carotenoid levels for healthy aging. These features — part of One UI 8 Watch on the latest Galaxy Watch series — will be available to a limited number of users through a beta program. 

Why it Matters:

The goal of these new features is to help build healthier daily habits — which can be challenging as they don’t develop overnight. It takes time to form lasting behavior patterns, and meaningful change often becomes visible only after sustained effort. But the rewards are worth i

For example, while eating unhealthy food may not have an immediate impact, it can lead to significant health consequences over time. Conversely, healthy habits may not produce instant results, but they often contribute to long-term physical and mental well-being.

“Sleep remains a cornerstone of our approach to health as it influences physical and mental well-being, social relationships and even work performance,” said Dr. Hon Pak, Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Health Team, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics. “Now, we envision the Galaxy Watch delivering holistic insights centered around sleep — insights that lead to meaningful changes in daily life. We believe this aligns with our vision of empowering people to lead healthier lives through proactive care and holistic health management.”

New Features

Samsung Health’s new features are designed to help users build healthy habits by providing instant feedback as a motivating tool.

Bedtime Guidance

A single night of restful sleep offers immediate health benefits, encouraging proactive behavioral changes that contribute to a healthier tomorrow. This begins with setting and maintaining a consistent, optimal bedtime.

• Samsung continually advances its sleep-related features, including sleep pattern analysis, sleep coaching, tools for optimizing sleep environments and a feature that detects signs of sleep apnea  — a common sleep disorder.

• Now, Samsung is introducing additional tools for better sleep, such as recommending an optimal bedtime based on individual lifestyle and sleep patterns along with reminders to help users stay consistent.

• By analyzing sleep data from the past three days, the feature evaluates both sleep pressure and circadian rhythm to suggest a bedtime that maximizes alertness the next day.

• This feature is especially helpful for those recovering from periods of irregular sleep. If users go to bed later than planned for several days or follow inconsistent schedules between weekdays and weekends, Bedtime Guidance will consider these factors to help ensure sufficient rest.

Vascular Load

Sleep is a window into overall health, influencing holistic well-being. The Galaxy Watch series leverages this opportunity to measure vascular load — the amount of stress on the vascular system during sleep.

• The vascular system carries blood throughout the body to deliver oxygen and nutrients while removing waste, making it a key indicator of heart health.

• During sleep, stress on the vascular system should naturally decrease. However, excessive fluctuations may negatively impact cardiovascular health.

• By wearing the Galaxy Watch during sleep, users can receive insights into vascular load and the stress placed on their vascular system. 

• Because health factors are interconnected, Vascular Load also provides insight into lifestyle components such as sleep, exercise and stress — helping users maintain a healthier routine and build positive habits.

Running Coach

 

While sleep is a vital time to restore and support overall health, managing well-being during active moments is equally important. Running is one of the most accessible fitness activities, and Samsung has long supported runners by offering features that promote consistent training and help users reach their fitness goals.

• Many runners experience injuries due to over-pacing or undertraining. Running Coach is designed to help users train safely for marathons through optimized intensity and injury-preventive routines, making it ideal for beginners.

• The feature offers motivation and real-time guidance, creating a personalized training program based on the runner’s fitness level

• By wearing the Galaxy Watch and running for 12 minutes, users receive a performance analysis and a running level score from 1 to 10. Based on this data, a detailed training plan is generated to support completion of a 5K, 10K, half marathon or full marathon. As users complete sessions, they level up and unlock their next running challenge.

Antioxidant Index

A holistic approach to health naturally includes a focus on aging and healthy aging. However, behavioral factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, UV exposure, stress and lack of sleep can accelerate aging by increasing free radicals in the body that damage cells. Antioxidants, compounds found in many healthy foods, neutralize these free radicals to help prevent chronic illness and support healthy aging.

• The Galaxy Watch can measure carotenoids — antioxidants found in green and orange fruits and vegetables — that are stored in the skin.

• Antioxidant Index uses an industry-first feature to assess carotenoid levels in just five seconds via an advanced, light-activated BioActive Sensor.

• These insights can reflect behavioral changes. For example, drinking carrot juice may result in a measurable change in the index, offering motivation to adopt healthier habits.

Great health comes from the combination of many small changes — and with Galaxy Watch, it’s now more achievable than ever.

Today is the final day! Grab the all new Galaxy Watch Series with these rebates as well to expand your Galaxy ecosystem:

Emirates adds another ‘Best International Airline’ award to its portfolio of accolades

 Emirates has garnered another slew of awards this month, including ‘Best International Airline’, ‘Best International First Class’, and ‘Best International Airline Lounge’ from the Forbes Travel Guide Verified Air Travel Awards, as well as a host of titles from entities such as the World Travel Awards, The Times and Sunday Times Travel Awards, and the Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Awards.

For the second year running, Emirates has been voted as the Best International Airline by 9,000 frequent fliers in the hospitality industry, including luxury travel advisors and Forbes Travel Guides inspectors, with results validated using a star ratings system. Forbes detailed why Emirates was selected as the ‘Best International Airline.’

‘The secret to the Dubai-based airline’s success is that it continually refines every aspect of the passenger experience. For example, Emirates recently debuted an opulent lounge-like check-in area for its First-Class and Skywards Platinum members, and it’s the first autism-certified airline, with more than 30,000 cabin crew and ground staff trained to support travellers with autism.’

Echoing the same sentiment, Emirates was revealed as the ‘Best Long-Haul Airline’ at The Times and The Sunday Times Travel Awards 2025 – cast from 900,000 reader votes. This award was credited to Emirates for its ‘cabin crew service, First Class suites (including showers) and fleet of roomy Airbus A380s.’ The Times also mentioned that Emirates continues to expand its footprint and has ‘connected the Middle East to five new destinations this year, including Shenzhen in southern China' and 'Siem Reap, the entry point to the Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia.’

Emirates also recently scored 87.86 in the Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Awards Best Airline Category, as well as winning the title of Middle East's leading airline brand at the regional finals of the World Travel Awards 2025.

Emirates takes first place for its First Class, across multiple awards

Emirates is the world’s largest operator of international First Class travel - offering 26,800 seats a week and the largest inventory of international First Class seats in the industry, entirely comprised of private suites. At the recent Forbes awards, Emirates also claimed ‘Best International First Class -Emirates First Class on the Boeing 777-300ER’ for its suites that ‘deliver sky-high luxury: floor-to-ceiling doors, zero-gravity seats, Bulgari fragrances and food—ranging from movie snacks to caviar’, as well as ‘extras like chauffeured transfers, a service that helps passengers quickly navigate connections in Dubai and airport lounge access’.

Emirates was bestowed the title of Forbes’ ‘Best International Airline Lounge’ for its First Class Lounge in Dubai which offers ‘everything a traveller could need and more: delicious dishes ranging from baked John Dory to 72-hour braised beef short ribs, a cigar bar, bar, shower spas, a complimentary 15-minute spa treatment and plentiful areas to rest or work. Though arguably the best perk is the convenient direct boarding from the lounge.’

Emirates also won several more honours for its First Class offering at the World Travel Awards 2025 regional final - Middle East's leading airline – First Class and Middle East's leading airline lounge – First Class.

Earlier in 2025, Emirates was honoured with several awards including Best Long-Haul Airline at The Telegraph Travel Awards, 2025's Most Recommended Global Brand by YouGov, and multiple categories at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards, such as Best Airline Worldwide for the 12th consecutive year, Best First Class, Best Premium Economy Class, and Best Airport Lounge in the Middle East. Additionally, Emirates Skywards was named as the Best Global Airline Loyalty Program at the International Loyalty Awards 2025 and the World Travel Awards Middle East's leading airline rewards programme.

START YOUR ENGINES: ASIA’S FIRST LEGO® FERRARI BUILD & RACE NOW OPEN AT LEGOLAND® MALAYSIA RESORT

  The wait is over! Asia’s first LEGO® Ferrari Build & Race attraction has officially opened at LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort, bringing together the thrill of motorsports and the boundless imagination of LEGO play.

This new, one-of-a-kind attraction fuses hands-on creativity, cutting-edge digital technology, and Ferrari’s legendary racing spirit — inviting guests of all ages to design, build, and race their own LEGO Ferrari. The experience is anchored by the world’s first life-sized LEGO® Ferrari F50, built exclusively for LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort — a stunning showcase of craftsmanship, engineering, and innovation.

A Celebration of Speed, Imagination, and Innovation

Located in the IMAGINATION Zone, the LEGO® Ferrari Build & Race experience puts guests in the driver’s seat from start to finish, across five interactive zones designed to ignite curiosity, creativity, and friendly competition.

Ferrari Garage: Step into the world of Ferrari and explore iconic memorabilia, fun facts, and the showstopping centrepiece — the world’s first life-sized LEGO® Ferrari F50. Built from 421,652 LEGO elements, this masterpiece weighs 1,603 kilograms and took 1,306 hours to build.

Build Zone: Let your imagination take the wheel as you design and assemble your own LEGO Ferrari race car from scratch.

Test Zone: Put your creation to the test across three tracks — Speed, Steering, and Tune tests) each designed to challenge your car’s power, precision, and performance.

Virtual Race Zone: Scan your car and take it to the digital tracks on a virtual replica of Ferrari’s Pista di Fiorano track in Italy. Customise, compete, and capture your victory on the winner’s podium!

DUPLO® Build Area: A special corner for the youngest builders, with larger DUPLO bricks for safe, hands-on fun.

A Milestone for LEGOLAND Malaysia and Johor Tourism

The launch was officiated by Menteri Besar Johor, YAB Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, marking another proud milestone for LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort. 

The opening of LEGO® Ferrari Build & Race reinforces LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort position as Southeast Asia’s ultimate family destination and comes just ahead of Visit Johor Year 2026 and Visit Malaysia Year 2026, spotlighting the resort’s pivotal role in boosting tourism and family-friendly experiences in the region.

“We’re proud to bring this world-class attraction to Malaysia, and to be the first in Asia to do so,” said Cs Lim, Vice President of LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort. “This experience captures the essence of both LEGO and Ferrari — creativity, innovation, and excitement — all brought to life in a way families can enjoy together.”

“Ferrari has always stood for performance, passion, and excellence. The LEGO Ferrari Build & Race attraction is a fun, interactive way to share that spirit with new generations,” added Benoit Montaigne, Global Creative Manager Experience at Ferrari.

Fueling Tourism and Family Experiences

With its blend of STEAM-inspired play, hands-on building, and digital interaction, the attraction is expected to be a must-visit highlight for the year-end school holidays, attracting visitors from across the region and neighbouring Singapore.

This milestone follows a year of exciting developments at LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort, including MINILAND Singapore and the world’s first LEGO Flower Garden MINILAND, further strengthening the resort’s role in driving Johor’s tourism and economic growth.

Grab Your Bricks and Start Your Engines!

Unlock year-round family fun with the new Triple Park Annual Pass Family Bundles at LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort! Enjoy unlimited access to the Theme Park, Water Park, and SEA LIFE Aquarium, plus exclusive perks like early previews, free parking, and discounts on F&B and retail. Perfect for families of three or four, with convenient add-on options available for larger groups — it’s the ultimate way to make every visit a new adventure!

For more information, visit the LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort Homepage or visit our Facebook and Instagram for details and tickets. 

WonderBrew bags 6 World Kombucha Award medals

 WonderBrew, Malaysia’s home-grown brand of kombucha (fermented tea), made history on the global stage by clinching six prestigious titles at the World Kombucha Awards 2025, held last week in Barcelona, Spain.

 

In its first-ever international competition, WonderBrew emerged as one of the biggest winners at this year’s event, clinching one Gold, four Silvers, and one Bronze, across both Taste and Design categories.

 

This victory marks the first time a Malaysian brand has won at the World Kombucha Awards and the first time an Asian brand has secured six titles in a single award year.

 

The winning entries are:

• One Gold (Taste) for Passionfruit Mint Kombucha (also WonderBrew’s best-selling kombucha of all time);
• Three Silvers (Taste) for Nihon Green Tea Kombucha, Mango Jasmine Kombucha, and Raspberry Lemon Jun Tea;
• One Silver (Design) for Nihon Green Tea (World’s Best Bottle Design Category); and,
• One Bronze (Taste) for Pink Guava Jun Tea

 

The World Kombucha Awards (WKA), now in its third year, is a globally-recognised competition organised in collaboration with Kombucha Brewers International (KBI). It celebrates excellence in the fast-growing kombucha industry by honouring brewers for both quality and creativity.

 

This year’s edition was its most competitive yet, featuring 360 entries from 39 countries competing for top honours in 22 distinct categories, up from 250 entries in 2024. Each winning kombucha underwent rigorous assessment by a panel of six accredited judges over a two-day judging session with blind tasting sessions.

 

WonderBrew’s success stands as a remarkable achievement, not just for the brand but also for Malaysia’s presence in the global functional beverage scene.

 

“We started with a small dream of making kombucha accessible to every Malaysian. Winning these awards among the world’s best brewers is an incredible milestone, and we’re proud to fly the Malaysian flag high in Barcelona,” said Joseph Poh Wen Xian, co-founder and CEO of WonderBrew. “This recognition proves that local innovation and passion can compete with the world’s best.”

 

Poh and co-founder Loke Boon Eng (Boon) started the brand on a small scale in 2018 and its offering of naturally-bubbly fermented tea with local flavours has won over thousands of health-conscious consumers.

 

Regional beverage powerhouse Loob Holding Sdn Bhd later took a strategic stake in the business. Commending WonderBrew for this historic win, founder and CEO of Loob Holding Bryan Loo said: “This achievement reflects the strength of Malaysia’s homegrown innovation and the growing global demand for functional wellness beverages. It validates our long-term vision to position WonderBrew as a regional leader in healthy, sustainable drinks while proving that Malaysian brands can compete successfully on the world stage.”

 

WonderBrew has grown to become Malaysia’s leading kombucha producer, with more than 2,000 retail touchpoints across supermarkets, convenience stores, cafés, hotels, and restaurants nationwide. The brand prides itself on sourcing locally and partnering with Malaysian farmers to recycle production waste, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability and community empowerment.

 

The brand is well-positioned to tap into the rising global demand for functional and fermented beverages. According to recent industry reports, the global functional drinks market is projected to reach around US$248 billion by 2030, while the kombucha segment alone is forecast to hit US$9 billion in the same period.

 

Moving forward, WonderBrew plans to expand its footprint in Southeast Asia and introduce more lifestyle wellness drinks. Its entries featuring Jun Tea (a fermented green tea kombucha with honey), won two of its six medals proving this category has gained global recognition and endorsing WonderBrew’s excellence in this innovation.