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Hong Kong Smart Apps Shine in Asia Smart App Awards 2024

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Hong Kong Sweeps Top Three in “Lifestyle, Social, and Entertainment” Category

Israel Wins Grand Award for Second Consecutive Year

HONG KONG, Sept. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The “Asia Smart App Awards 2024” (ASA) held its Award Presentation Ceremony at New World Millennium Hong Kong Hotel on 11 September 2024. Organised by the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA) and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), the ASA is well supported by partners from 16 other Asian countries/ regions as co-organisers. The ASA is dedicated to recognising the outstanding achievements of industry professionals in the smart app industry across Asia. It also provides an excellent networking platform for local smart app industry professionals and their counterparts in the region, with the aim to fostering the growth and development of the smart app industry, while encouraging Hong Kong’s cultural and creative industries to strengthen the use of smart apps in combination of technology to expand room for development. 

The Israeli company Vitalerter Ltd, developer of the Vitalerter app, which won the prestigious “Asia Smart App Awards 2024” Grand Award, also took home the Gold Award in the “Public Sector and Social Innovation Enterprise Category”. The app provides continuous monitoring for bedridden individuals using a non-contact wireless sensor that transmits data in real-time to an AI system for analysis. When the system detects a potential danger, it immediately alerts on-duty nursing staff via mobile phone.

Hong Kong contestants demonstrated outstanding performance in the 2024 edition of the ASA, particularly in the “Lifestyle and Entertainment Category”. Blua Health by Bupa (Asia) Limited won the Gold Award and the “Special Mention Award – Best UX/UI Design.” Blua Health is Hong Kong’s first AI-powered, one-stop health app, allowing users to assess their health status anytime, anywhere, guide their healthy lifestyle, and earn reward points. The Silver Award went to the Solos AirGo App, which enhances the smart glasses experience by integrating AI-driven conversations, translation, fitness tracking, and health monitoring, boosting productivity and well-being. The Bronze Award was won by the O+O MetaEvent Hub, which connects online and offline activities, enabling remote participants to engage in exhibitions and seminars through virtual avatars. The AI chatbot provides 24/7 service and analyses visitor behaviour to help optimise future events.

In the “Business and Commercial Category”, the Gold Award went to AIM, Korea’s first AI-driven investment app, offering top-tier personal investment advisory services. Users can quickly open accounts and receive expert advice from the AI algorithm “Esther” to invest in global markets. The app has served 70,000 users and manages $1 billion in assets. Other finalists in the three categories came from Israel, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, and Vietnam.

This year marks the 10th edition of the ASA. Since its inception in 2013, the competition has received over 1,300 smart app entries from across Asia, making it a prestigious and widely recognised event in the industry. It has become an annual highlight of the smart app industry in Asia. This edition, the ASA returns with the theme “AppAIchemy: Chapter 10 of ASA Saga”, highlighting the vibrant development of smart app across various fields including artificial intelligence (AI). The WTIA is pleased to continue collaborating with 16 co-organisers from various Asian countries and regions, including Mainland China, Israel, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, to bring this timely event to further foster the growth of the burgeoning smart app sector in Asia. This edition’s ASA Award Presentation Ceremony and Summit took place on 11 September, bringing together the elites of the Asian smart app industry with the aim of promoting cooperation and development through exchanges and discussions, and driving innovation and the wider application of smart apps.

Officiating at this edition’s award presentation ceremony, Mrs. Lowell Cho, Assistant Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries congratulated all the winners and encouraged Hong Kong’s cultural and creative industries to leverage technology to drive industry development.

Keith Li, Chairman of the WTIA, also expressed during the award presentation ceremony, “It is with great pride and satisfaction that we commemorate the tenth anniversary of this prestigious Asian event. For this milestone edition, we have once again convened distinguished industry experts from 16 other Asian countries and regions here in Hong Kong, underscoring the international significance of this occasion. This edition’s theme centred on the exponential advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), and the competing smart apps have aptly demonstrated their capacity to drive rapid innovation and transform industry paradigms across diverse sectors. I am particularly impressed by the exceptional innovation and technical acumen displayed by all contestants. Among them, the finalists deserve special commendation, with their tireless efforts and ingenuity duly recognised and rewarded. The ASA not only celebrates technological achievement but also reinforces Hong Kong’s position as a hub for innovation in the smart app industry across Asia. We look forward to witnessing the continued growth and impact of these groundbreaking technologies in shaping our future.”

The ASA 2024 has three award categories: Public Sector and Social Innovation Category, Business and Commercial Category, and Lifestyle and Entertainment Category. The gold winners of each award category were further assessed to determine the winner of “Asia Smart App Grand Award”, which was presented to Vitalerter Ltd.

The two special mention awards introduced in this edition, namely the Special Mention Award – The Best Start-up and the Special Mention Award – The Best UX/UI Design, were open to teams from Hong Kong and the 16 participating countries or regions, aiming to recognise innovative applications from start-ups and applications demonstrating excellence in user experience and interface design. ReCube Limited from Hong Kong won the Best Start-up Award with their application “ReCube”, which allows users to easily borrow and return reusable tableware at partner restaurants, while encouraging environmental protection through a points system, thereby promoting sustainable development in the community. As for the Best UX/UI Design Award, a smart app from another Hong Kong company, Bupa (Asia) Limited’s Blua Health outshone its competitors by utilising AI technology to provide personalised health management advice so that users can conduct health assessments anytime, anywhere through the app, and cultivate healthy lifestyle habits through a points reward system.

The lists of the Asia Smart App Awards 2024’s awardees* are as follows:

Asia Smart App Grand Award

Awardee: Israeli – Vitalerter (Vitalerter Ltd)

Public Sector and Social Innovation Category:

Gold Award – Israeli – Vitalerter (Vitalerter Ltd)Silver Award – Indonesia – paperless (PT Digital Kreasi Muslim)Bronze Award – Indonesia – Silang App (Silang.id)

Business and Commercial Category:

Gold Award – Korea – AIM (AIM Inc.)Silver Award – Vietnam – Store Optimizer (Palexy Company Limited)Bronze Award – Malaysia – Agmo EV Super App (Agmo Holdings Limited)

Lifestyle and Entertainment Category:

Gold Award – Hong Kong – Blua Health (Bupa (Asia) Limited)Silver Award – Hong Kong – Solos AirGo App (Solos Technology Limited)Bronze Award – Hong Kong – O+O Meta Event Hub (Chef Digital Limited)

Special Mention Award–The Best Start up

Awardee: ReCube, ReCube Limited (Hong Kong)

Special Mention Award–The Best UX/UI design

Awardee: Blua Health, Bupa (Asia) Limited (Hong Kong)

*Further details and full winner lists (including the list of Certificate of Merit winners) of each category of “Asia Smart App Awards 2024” are available on official website at https://bestasiaapp.hk. 

The Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA) organises the Asia Smart App Awards (ASA) 2024, the 10th edition following the success of past editions, with funding support from the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA). The ASA is dedicated to recognising the contributions of industry insiders to the smart app industry, provide a networking platform for smart app industry professionals from Hong Kong to other Asian countries and regions, encouraging growth and development of the industry.

The WTIA remains committed to enhancing the reach of these awards across Asia, bolstering the development of the local smart app industry, and facilitating local smart app talent in business expansion. The awards have drawn participants from an increasing number of Asian countries and regions, including Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Israel, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, India, Cambodia, and Bangladesh.

In addition to the “Asia Smart App Awards 2024” Award Presentation Ceremony, the Asia Smart App Summit was held on the same day. The Summit convened expert representatives from 17 Asian countries and regions to engage in discussions about trending topics.

The organiser express its gratitude to the CCIDA for the funding and to all the partners, supporting organisations, and speakers for their strong support. The highlights of all events of the ASA 2024 will be uploaded to https://contest2024.bestasiaapp.hk/  for review.

Media Enquiry:

Market Hubs Holdings Limited

Lierence Li

Debbie So

+852 3998-4900

+852 3998-4900

lierence@markethubsgroup.com

debbie@markethubsgroup.com

About the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association

The Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA), established in 2001, is a not-for profit, politically-neutral trade association dedicated to the wireless and mobile industry. The WTIA acts as a platform, an aggregator, and a community for industry professionals to learn and drive emerging wireless and mobile technologies, governance, and standards. It facilitates networking between like-minded professionals, boost interoperability between networks and devices, and strives to help all organisations apply these technologies to existing or new businesses. The WTIA also represents and is supported by digital industries pertaining to mobile such as digital entertainment, digital marketing & media, and start-up sectors. To know more about the WTIA, please visit http://www.hkwtia.org. 

About the Asia Smart App Awards (ASA)

The Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA) organises the Asia Smart App Awards (ASA) 2024, the 10th edition following the success of past editions, with funding support from the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA). By uniting 16 co-organisers from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Israel, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, in addition to Hong Kong, the ASA carries this auspicious occasion to further encourage the development of the expanding smart app industry. For more details about the ASA, please visit www.bestasiaapp.hk.

About the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) established in June 2024, formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK), is a dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative industries with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and cross-genre collaboration, promoting the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries under the industry-oriented principle, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community to implement Hong Kong’s positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. CCIDA’s website: www.ccidahk.gov.hk.

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SOURCE The Wireless Technology Industry Association

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Linktel Technologies Highlights Breakthrough 1.6T LPO Performance & Strong Market Pull at OCP 2026

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SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At the recent 2026 OCP Global Summit, Linktel Technologies showcased its cutting-edge optical interconnect portfolios engineered specifically for next-generation AI computing networks. Among the heavy lineup, Linktel’s 1.6T Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) solutions commanded immense industry attention, drawing heavy customer interest for their unprecedented energy efficiency, ultra-low latency, and supply-chain resilience.

Spotlight: 1.6T LPO Performance & High Customer Traction

AI data centers face immense scaling pressures, demanding higher bandwidth densities with tighter thermal and power budgets. Linktel’s 1.6T LPO solutions—highlighted by the 1.6T LPO 2DR4—delivered standout performance metrics that captured the spotlight at the summit:

Ultra-Low Power Consumption: Operates with power consumption as low as an impressive 10W, drastically mitigating data center cooling and power loads.Minimal Latency: Features a linear optics architecture that cuts down signal processing delays, making it a critical asset for high-performance AI scale-out fabrics.Enhanced Supply-Chain Resilience: Eliminating the optical DSP mitigates component choke points, ensuring robust scalability for mass deployments.Proven Interoperability: Following its breakthrough performance and multi-switch platform interoperability at the early September 2026 1.6T LPO-MSA Plugfest, Linktel has laid a solid foundation for the 200G-per-wavelength ecosystem.

Surging Market Interest

Throughout OCP 2026, Linktel’s live demonstrations of its 1.6T LPO, LRO, and FRO modules drew crowds of data center architects and industry partners. With volume production already in place, Linktel is fully equipped to meet the exploding market demand for energy-efficient, high-density 1.6T connectivity.

Overview of Other Innovations at OCP 2026

In addition to the heavily requested 1.6T LPO lineup, Linktel showcased two other major high-speed architectural pillars:

12.8T Liquid-Cooled XPO:Featured a live thermal demonstration integrating advanced liquid cooling to guarantee stable operations in high-density AI nodes.As a founding member of the XPO MSA, Linktel is actively scaling XPO series with FRO, LRO, and LPO variants for comprehensive scale-up, scale-out, and scale-across frameworks.6.4T/7.2T NPO Modules:Displayed with covers removed to reveal internal architectural designs supporting both ELS and ILS configurations.Combines compact high density with low power and low latency, backed by an established 6.4T/7.2T NPO roadmap.DMD Technology & Executive Presentation:Linktel Engineer Director Dr. Grace Zhang hosted a heavily attended Executive Session titled “Dispersion Managed Transceiver for Next-Gen AI Fabrics,” detailing cost-effective 800G (20km) and 1.6T (10km) solutions for OCS SuperPOD architectures, as well as the feasibility of 400G per lambda (3km).With its DMD product line already in volume production, Linktel actively calls upon ecosystem partners to join forces in collaborative development. To drive ecosystem maturity, Linktel is open to sharing its U.S.-filed patents, paving the way for industry-wide adoption and advancements in next-gen AI fabrics.

About Linktel Technologies

Linktel Technologies is a global leader in optical transceiver development and manufacturing, supplying high-speed optical I/O connectivity—including pluggable transceivers, optical engines, and ODM/JDM services.

For more information, visit www.linktel.com or follow Linktel Technologies on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Linktel Technologies

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Advanced Manufacturing in Focus: Smart Life and Robotics Take the Spotlight at 140th Canton Fair

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 18, 2026 /CNW/ — Phase 1 of the 140th Canton Fair, themed “Advanced Manufacturing,” opened on October 15 and will run through October 19. As one of the event’s most closely watched sections, the Consumer Electronics and Information Products zone once again serves as a showcase for the latest achievements in China’s manufacturing and technology industries.

Smart Life Solutions Address an Aging and Globalized Market

A highlight of this section is the focus on smart living, which brings together smart solutions designed to support healthier, safer, and more independent lifestyles.

For example, wearable devices and continuous glucose monitoring systems enable convenient tracking of key health indicators such as heart rate and blood glucose levels. Meanwhile, wearable exoskeletons and other AI-powered devices support mobility training and functional recovery. For home and elderly care, companion robots, electric nursing beds and home-use hyperbaric oxygen chambers, offer a combination of daily care, wellness support and lifestyle assistance. All these solutions highlight a growing shift toward technology-enabled living, where health management, personal care, and independent living are becoming more accessible and connected.

Service Robots Demonstrate Expanding Real-World Applications

The Service Robot Zone remains one of the fair’s most popular attractions in this edition.

Among the crowd favorites is a humanoid robot standing roughly 70–80 centimeters tall. With its expressive movements and playful appearance, the robot draws constant attention as it dances, approaches visitors and occasionally performs flips to the delight of onlookers. Behind the product is a company that has overcome key challenges in compact joint modules and modular humanoid robot development. Its independently developed high-power-density joints deliver remarkable agility and explosive movement, while modular architecture provides flexibility for a wide range of future applications.

More broadly, the Service Robot Zone features exhibits spanning a wide range of application areas, including embodied intelligence, specialized operations, urban services, and smart living. Full-size humanoid robots, dexterous hands with multimodal sensing capabilities and wheeled robots highlight the latest advances in artificial intelligence, perception technologies and motion control. For demanding industrial and emergency environments, exhibitors are presenting robotic inspection systems, live-line maintenance robots and underwater propulsion robots designed to improve safety and operational efficiency.

The commercial services sector is also well represented through reception robots, façade-cleaning robots and fully automated coffee kiosks, while everyday life applications include wearable exoskeletons, robotic lawn mowers and educational robots for home use. Together, these exhibits demonstrate how China’s robotics industry is accelerating its transition from technological innovation to large-scale commercialization.

As the 140th Canton Fair gets underway, the showcased innovations highlight China’s growing strength in advanced manufacturing, turning cutting-edge technologies into practical, market-ready solutions for global customers.

For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:
https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

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SOURCE Canton Fair

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October 2026 Global Sources Hong Kong Shows Phase II Opens Today

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Asia’s first dedicated B2B Pre-Owned Mobile Devices focus pavilion 
Tencent Brings AI Ecosystem Products to the Show

HONG KONG, Oct. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Phase II of the October 2026 Global Sources Hong Kong Shows opened today at AsiaWorld-Expo, running from October 18 to 21. The four-day event focuses on four core tracks — mobile electronics, smart home security and appliances, lifestyle electronics, and sports and outdoor — bringing together more than 2,100 quality Asian suppliers across more than 4,000 booths, showcasing approximately 160,000 new products including mobile devices, smart wearables, AR/VR, smart home, energy storage and charging, personal health care, pet products, and sports and outdoor equipment.

John Kao, Vice President of Hong Kong Shows & Overseas Shows at Global Sources, said: “Hong Kong possesses a regulatory framework aligned with international standards, efficient intellectual property protection, and proximity to the Greater Bay Area’s manufacturing heartland — enabling it to meet buyers’ dual demands for compliance and efficiency. Buyers no longer need to travel to multiple locations: right here in Hong Kong, they can assess Asian manufacturing supply, complete compliance reviews, and place orders — all in a single visit. The trust established between buyers and sellers on site is often difficult to achieve through months of email exchanges. We aim to continuously strengthen Hong Kong’s role as an international trade hub, enabling genuinely capable suppliers and serious buyers to connect efficiently on this platform.”

Asia’s First B2B Phone Trade Focus Pavilion Officially Debuts

Hong Kong has long been an important transit hub for the global second-hand phone trade. According to IDC data, global used smartphone shipments reached 225.7 million units in 2024 and are projected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 4.9% through 2029. While the market continues to expand, compliant distribution capability remains the key threshold for entering this space.

For the first time, the show has partnered with the Hong Kong International Communications Electronic Chamber (HKICEC) to unveil the “HKICEC Global Mobile Exchange Pavilion,” Asia’s first dedicated B2B pavilion for Pre-Owned Mobile Devices. The pavilion brings together nearly 60 leading companies from Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond — including Zhuan Zhuan, ATRenew, US Mobile Phones Inc., Belong Inc., and ecoATM LLC — exhibits and services span new mobile devices, professionally tested and data-sanitized refurbished smart devices compliant with EU WEEE standards, intelligent testing technologies, recycling solutions, and compliant export services. The pavilion offers buyers from Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia a trusted and comprehensive sourcing platform, creating a green trade corridor that connects Chinese Mainland’s manufacturing strengths, Hong Kong SAR’s international platform, and global markets.

Tencent AI Makes Show Debut; AI Mass Production Enters the Delivery Phase

The product selection logic for AI products has undergone a marked shift in the second half of the year. The focus has moved entirely from “What new AI products are available?” to deployment capability and delivery efficiency — no longer chasing feature gimmicks alone, buyers place greater emphasis on whether products can effectively address real needs and ship reliably on schedule. Suppliers’ overall fulfillment capability has surpassed mere product highlights to become the primary assessment criterion in sourcing decisions. The Phase II “AI+ Theme Zone” features over 1,200 booths spanning seven segments: AI terminal devices, AI wearables, AI glasses, AI toys, AI pet products, AI personal health devices, and AI-integrated products, showcasing suppliers’ proven ability to move from concept to mass production. The zone also extends to lifestyle electronics including wearable electronics, smart pet products, personal care and beauty tech, sports, outdoor and fitness tech, gifts, and smart living, covering a wide range of real-world application scenarios.

Tencent joins forces with its ecosystem partners to exhibit under the theme “AI-Empowered Business Growth,” showcasing Tencent’s AI office assistant WorkBuddy alongside enterprise-grade AI solutions from ecosystem partners, including the AI-powered business growth tool Buda.im and Busabase. Running concurrently with the fair, the “AI Agent Summit” brings together over 100 industry, investment and technology leaders to explore how AI Agents are moving beyond demos into real-world deployment and revenue generation, with in-depth discussions on commercialisation pathways, industry standardisation and emerging opportunities across the AI Agent ecosystem. In addition, the show has partnered with the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA) to launch a Taiwan AI Supply Chain Theme Pavilion, showcasing the region’s established industrial cluster strengths in AI modules, components, and contract manufacturing.

Vietnamese Manufacturing and Mobile Accessories Take Center Stage; Diverse Sourcing Zones Debut

Phase II features a dedicated “Vietnam Sourcing Fair” zone, bringing together approximately 50 Vietnamese manufacturers with mature export capabilities, covering three product categories: fashion products and apparel, home and kitchenware, and gifts and packaging. For buyers seeking to diversify sourcing risks, the zone enables them to simultaneously access China’s main supply chain and Vietnam’s emerging production capacity at the same show, and negotiate directly face-to-face with Vietnamese factories.

With new-generation flagship smartphones from major brands hitting the market, demand for compatible mobile accessories is ramping up. The show floor features over 2,000 mobile-accessory booths showcasing new offerings including phone cases, charging gear, stands, and data cables, providing global buyers with an extensive range of options. The event also hosts the “Global Buyer’s Top Picks” creative phone-case contest to identify case designs with strong market potential.

The concurrent Hong Kong Security Tech Show, supported by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME), showcases products and solutions spanning security surveillance, smart access control, and cybersecurity.

Best of Innovation Awards Recognize Outstanding Products; Global New Product Launches Converge in Hong Kong

The Phase II Best of Innovation Awards focus on products across mobile electronics, smart home, security and appliances, lifestyle electronics, and sports and outdoor categories, with judging criteria emphasizing practicality, cost-effectiveness, technological maturity, and market relevance — identifying innovative products with genuine commercial deployment potential. Phase II also introduces a dedicated “AI Innovation Award” to recognize exhibits with outstanding applications of AI technology. The awards program continues its partnership with the internationally renowned European Product Design Award (EPDA)™ to present the “Best Product Design Award,” honoring products that combine innovative thinking with exceptional design. The show also serves as the preferred launch platform for multiple exhibitors’ annual new products, featuring heavyweight global and Asia premieres that further consolidate Hong Kong’s position as the world’s premier stage for consumer electronics product debuts.

About Global Sources

Global Sources is an internationally recognized multi-channel trade platform, connecting Asia with the world for 55 years. The company has been dedicated to facilitating global trade by connecting verified suppliers with qualified buyers worldwide. To date, it has successfully served more than 14 million registered buyers and users globally, providing efficient and convenient trade solutions.

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SOURCE Global Sources

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