China Telecom and Orange Extend Strategic Partnership to Provide IoT Experience for Enterprises

China Telecom and Orange Business Services has announced the extension of their strategic partnership into the IoT space today at the launch event of "eSurfing on the Silk Road, IoT with the World" in Shanghai, China. The new cooperation will enable both companies to serve their respective enterprise customers through a combined footprint across three continents Asia, Europe and Africa.

Multinational customers of China Telecom and Orange will be able to deploy IoT and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) services across each other's networks. China Telecom's enterprise customers with outbound IoT business can deploy their assets and offerings on the Orange networks in Europe and Africa.

Similarly, Orange global enterprise customers can leverage the rapidly growing Chinese market by relying on China Telecom's IoT network resources and business capabilities. Both partners propose a global solution to address local IoT connectivity requirements, leveraging eUICC capabilities and the commonly deployed Device Connectivity Platform of Ericsson for a seamless customer experience.

China Telecom and Orange will cooperate both commercially and technically to create new service models that support global IoT opportunities. Under this agreement, Orange will be one of China Telecom's preferred partners for connectivity in Europe and Africa, while China Telecom will support Orange for connectivity in China. Both companies also agree to jointly explore the potential of enhancing existing IoT capabilities and the application of new technologies such as mobile IoT in the global market.

Mr. Deng Xiao Feng, Managing Director of Global Business Department of China Telecom, said, "China is one of the fastest growing markets for IoT applications. China Telecom is working closely with Orange to push for the building of an innovative and advanced IoT solution to capture global IoT opportunities. China Telecom together with Orange will address the increasing IoT demand, and we are excited to support our enterprise customers with the IoT Open Platform, leveraging each other's strengths and capabilities.

We are able to expand business into other regions with an open, cooperative, mutually beneficial and win-win business collaboration. The fruits of global IoT development can benefit companies from each country."

Mr. Karsten Selle, Vice President, Finance & Administration of Orange Mobile Enterprise, said, "Orange Business Services is always striving for innovative solutions to respond to the global needs of its customers. We are looking forward to creating together with China Telecom true business benefits around the global IoT projects of our respective customers. With this extended footprint in Asia, we further strengthen our IoT and data analytics offering, Datavenue, with enhanced global connectivity capabilities."

China Telecom China Telecommunications Corporation ("China Telecom") is one of the largest state-owned telecommunication companies in China, with a total registered capital of RMB220.4 billion. At present, the size of China Telecom's total assets exceeds RMB 700 billion, with annual revenue of more than RMB 380 billion. Ranking 132nd in the 2016 Fortune Global 500, China Telecom was awarded the Most Honored Company, the Best Managed Company in the Asia Telecom Sector, as well as the Best Managed Company in Asia by esteemed international institutions for consecutive years.

Nokia 6 is coming to the US in July

HMD Global — the Finnish company that owns the rights to manufacture Nokia-branded smartphones — announced earlier this year that it would be releasing new midrange Nokia Android phones in the United States.
There's now have more information on the first Nokia phone to hit Stateside: the Nokia 6, which will be available in early July for $229.
The Nokia 6 is the largest of the three Android phones HMD Global announced at Mobile World Congress, featuring a 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage (expandable by microSD). On the software side of things, the 6 runs Android Nougat in its purest, unadulterated form — that means no bundled apps or overlaid skins. Plus, while the specs are decidedly average, the Nokia 6 does stand out with a metal unibody design built out of a single block of aluminum, which adds a premium touch to the otherwise midrange device.
According to HMD, the Nokia 6 will only offer full support for 4G LTE for T-Mobile customers. AT&T will be partially supported, while Sprint and Verizon CDMA-based networks won’t work at all.
The Nokia 6 will be available exclusively through Amazon sometime in early July in matte black and silver; additional “tempered blue” and copper colors will be offered later in the summer. While HMD has promised that the smaller Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 phones will also be making their way to the US as well, there’s still no news as to when those models will be available

Fujitsu to resell ImageWare biometric security solutions...as unit names new EMEA chief

Fujitsu is expanding its advanced biometric security solutions portfolio through a newly-signed agreement in which it will resell ImageWare Systems’ key security solutions including enterprise mobile biometric user authentication as a service. Under the agreement, Fujitsu not only extends its biometric identity and access management solutions to mobile devices but also to additional authentication methods including fingerprint, face, and voice recognition.

As a result, Fujitsu customers will now be able to deploy biometric authentication as a service running on the Fujitsu Cloud Service K5.

“Through this agreement with ImageWare Systems, our customers gain access to an enhanced portfolio of biometric security solutions that reduce the barriers to deploying highly secure biometric authentication,” said Thomas Bengs, director and head of Biometrics at Fujitsu in EMEIA. Businesses will also benefit from more choice than ever, both in terms of the technologies they deploy and the ability to offer authentication via mobile devices. Delivering biometric authentication as a service opens up many new use cases and reduces the complexity usually associated with security measures.”

Fujitsu’s current biometric identity and access management solutions, including its PalmSecure palm vein authentication solution, already use ImageWare System’s Biometric Engine as their backend identity storage and matching database.

The same technology is now available as a service, hosted on the Fujitsu Cloud Service K5. Fujitsu customers can quickly add highly secure biometric authentication to their security processes by deploying the ImageWare Systems GoVerifyID line of products.

Beginning in July, Fujitsu customers in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa will be available to purchase the ImageWare Systems solutions. Pricing will vary according to country and configuration.

“By taking advantage of our powerful biometrics solutions delivered via Fujitsu’s cloud-based security as a service, many more businesses can easily enhance their security,” said Jim Miller, chairman and CEO of ImageWare Systems. “The potential applications are plentiful: Enterprises can add features such as mobile security for application logins or manage access to controlled areas, while retailers can use biometrics to help prevent fraud or to manage loyalty programs. There are also many potential applications in the financial industry where confirming identity in online, mobile or ATM banking is crucial. Finally, in healthcare, biometrics authentication easily confirms patient identity, accelerating check-in for example during visits to the doctor.”

Previously reported in some quarters, Fujitsu recently signed an agreement to resell Nok Nok Labs’ S3 Authentication Suite to deliver end-to-end FIDO authentication to the Japanese market and worldwide to its global customer base.

In a related development, PFU Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited (Japan), has appointed Toru Maki as its new president and chief executive officer for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

PFU is a globally active IT provider that designs, manufactures and markets computer hardware, peripheral products and enterprise software. It is one of the leading providers of professional personal, desktop, workgroup and high-volume production scanners.

In his new role, Maki will be responsible to further expand PFU's position as the number one provider of document capture solutions in EMEA, said a statement from the company. Moreover, the company wants to achieve this by not only growing the hardware business but also putting a strong focus on the PaperStream and ScanSnap software and on professional services, it said.

Maki joined Fujitsu in 1982 and held various positions in finance and administration as well as management positions in the company's document scanner business. His last positions prior to taking over his new role were as head of the scanner business in India and senior director for international sales.

Speaking on his new role, Maki said: “Our company has always focused on its innovative power to build customer-oriented technology that has kept us at the forefront of the industry.” As president, I want to build on that and deepen our customer relationships in order to gain a thorough understanding of their business requirements,” he added.

Uber Founder Travis Kalanick Resigns as C.E.O.

Travis Kalanick stepped down on Tuesday as chief executive of Uber, the ride-hailing service that he helped found in 2009 and built into a transportation colossus, after a shareholder revolt made it untenable for him to stay on at the company.

Mr. Kalanick’s exit came under pressure after hours of drama involving Uber’s investors, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, who asked to remain anonymous because the details were confidential.

Earlier on Tuesday, five of Uber’s major investors demanded that the chief executive resign immediately. The investors included one of Uber’s biggest shareholders, the venture capital firm Benchmark, which has one of its partners, Bill Gurley, on Uber’s board. The investors made their demand for Mr. Kalanick to step down in a letter delivered to the chief executive while he was in Chicago, said the people with knowledge of the situation.

In the letter, titled “Moving Uber Forward” and obtained by The New York Times, the investors wrote to Mr. Kalanick that he must immediately leave and that the company needed a change in leadership. Mr. Kalanick, 40, consulted with at least one Uber board member, and after long discussions with some of the investors, he agreed to step down. He will remain on Uber’s board of directors.

“I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight,” Mr. Kalanick said in a statement.

Uber’s board said in a statement that Mr. Kalanick had “always put Uber first” and that his stepping down as chief executive would give the company “room to fully embrace this new chapter in Uber’s history.” An Uber spokesman declined to comment further.

The move caps months of questions over the leadership of Uber, which has become a prime example of Silicon Valley start-up culture gone awry. The company has been exposed this year as having a workplace culture that included sexual harassment and discrimination, and it has pushed the envelope in dealing with law enforcement and even partners. That tone was set by Mr. Kalanick, who has aggressively turned the company into the world’s dominant ride-hailing service and upended the transportation industry around the globe.

Mr. Kalanick’s troubles began earlier this year after a former Uber engineer detailed what she said was sexual harassment at the company, opening the floodgates for more complaints and spurring internal investigations. In addition, Uber has been dealing with an intellectual property lawsuit from Waymo, the self-driving car business that operates under Google’s parent company, and a federal inquiry into a software tool that Uber used to sidestep some law enforcement.

Uber has been trying to move past its difficult history, which has grown inextricably tied to Mr. Kalanick. In recent months, Uber has fired more than 20 employees after an investigation into the company’s culture, embarked on major changes to professionalize its workplace, and is searching for new executives including a chief operating officer.

Mr. Kalanick last week said he would take an indefinite leave of absence from Uber, partly to work on himself and to grieve for his mother, who died last month in a boating accident. He said Uber’s day-to-day management would fall to a committee of more than 10 executives.

But the shareholder letter indicated that his taking time off was not enough for some investors who have pumped millions of dollars into the ride-hailing company, which has seen its valuation swell to nearly $70 billion. For them, Mr. Kalanick had to go.

The five shareholders who demanded Mr. Kalanick’s resignation include some of the technology industry’s most prestigious venture capital firms, which invested in Uber at an early stage of the company’s life, as well as a mutual fund firm. Apart from Benchmark, they are First Round Capital, Lowercase Capital, Menlo Ventures and Fidelity Investments, which together own more than a quarter of Uber’s stock. Because some of the investors hold a type of stock that endows them with an outsize number of votes, they have about 40 percent of Uber’s voting power.

Benchmark, Lowercase, First Round, Menlo Ventures and Fidelity did not respond to requests for comment.

But on Twitter, Mr. Gurley of Benchmark, one of the earliest supporters of Mr. Kalanick at Uber, said of the executive, “There will be many pages in the history books devoted to @travisk — very few entrepreneurs have had such a lasting impact on the world.”

Mr. Kalanick’s resignation opens questions of who may take over Uber, especially since the company has been so molded in his image. And Mr. Kalanick will probably remain a presence there since he still retains control of a majority of Uber’s voting shares.

WhatsApp now a major force in news media – rated high for fake news

WhatsApp is becoming one of the prevailing ways people discover and discuss news, according to a study. But use of the messaging app appears to vary widely between countries.

In Malaysia, more than 50% of those surveyed said they used WhatsApp for news at least once a week. But in the US, the figure was only 3%, and in the UK it was 5%. The Digital News Report also indicates the Brexit debate has led to growing mistrust of the UK's media.

It said only 43% of respondents declared that the news could be trusted - down from 50% last year - with the BBC in particular criticised for having both a pro-EU bias and failing to expose the "distortions" of the leave campaign.

The research was carried out by the Reuters Institute For The Study of Journalism and covered 34 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, in addition to Taiwan and Hong Kong. It was sponsored by the BBC and Google among others. A total of 71,805 people were questioned by YouGov in January and February to generate its data.

The results indicate that Facebook remains the most popular social media and messaging service for news engagement in all but two countries - Japan and South Korea - where, respectively, YouTube and Kakao Talk dominate.

But it adds that use of Facebook for news had dipped in more than half of all the territories where a year-on-year comparison was possible. By contrast, sharing news stories and chatting about them appears to be on the rise within private instant messaging apps, and WhatsApp in particular.

According to the report, WhatsApp is now the second most popular social service for news in nine of the 36 locations, and the third most popular platform in a further five countries. The authors provide several potential explanations for WhatsApp's rise.

Its use of end-to-end encryption means messages can only be seen by their senders and recipients, offering users protection against being monitored by the authorities. "Some of the biggest growth we've seen is in places like Turkey, where it's positively dangerous for people to express anti-government preferences on open networks like Facebook," explained one of the study's authors, Nic Newman. "As a result people are using closed groups where they are more confident of expressing their views."

WhatsApp has also benefited from the fact that in much of Latin America and elsewhere mobile networks are offering unlimited data use within the program, so encouraging its use. Furthermore, several Spanish and Chilean media outlets have embraced the app. Radio stations commonly ask listeners to send in short voice recordings via the service, and local news sites have added share-to-WhatsApp buttons to their pages.

However, Mr Newman said beyond that, it was difficult for the media to take advantage of the app's popularity beyond publishing stories that people want to share. "You can set up branded areas or groups of people on your own, but it's incredibly clunky and time consuming, and there are few tools to help," he explained. "And part of WhatsApp's appeal is that users don't get interrupted by brands, making it a very pure form of messaging. That's something [its developers] will really try to hold to."

The report also highlights widespread concerns about so-called "fake news". It highlights users' suspicions that social media's lack of rules and use of viral algorithms have helped low-quality false stories spread quickly.

But it says there is also strong distrust of the mainstream media, in particular in Asian and central, southern and eastern European countries, where the industry is perceived as being too close to government.

Chinese Partner Mobile Unveils PS 3 Phone – hints on local phones production on First Anniversary

Partner Mobile, one of the Nigeria’s newest mobile phone brands has launched PS 3 mobile phone into the market to celebrate its one year anniversary in the Nigerian. PS 3 is said to be coming into the market to consolidate on the innovative ingenuity of the brand following the success of PS1 PS2 and PS Power.

The phone is an android OS 7.1 mobile phone that comes with deca-core 2.6GHz processor. With a 5.5inch FHD IPS LCD, the phone comes with an innovative dual 13MP back camera and an 8MP front camera. It has a 3350Mah battery and comes with a RAM of 4GB and a ROM of 64GB.

Describing the performance of Partner Mobile brand in the Nigerian market for the past twelve months, the Chief Operating Officer of the company, Simon Klepper, said the brand has been successful despite the challenging Nigerian economy, the decreasing value of Naira and political challenges. Klepper attributed the success of the brand to true commitment and perseverance shown by the company. He added that Partner Mobile in the coming years would deeply penetrate the Nigerian market and also establish itself as a reputable company in the country.

“Partner Mobile’s first year in the Nigerian market has got to be viewed as a success. The last year has been a challenging one for the whole of Nigeria with the current dwindling economy, the decreasing value of the Naira and political change. For any company to launch itself under such conditions it has to show true commitment and perseverance, Partner Mobile has displayed these qualities,” Klepper said.

Also commenting on the company’s penetration into the Nigerian market, Marketing Manager, Partner Mobile, Ifeoluwa Akerele-Molokwu, said the brand name has been marketed to a large extent. According to her, “Partner Mobile devices have been made to fit into every social and economic class.”

She said: “We have our gadgets currently in major stores across the country and we are still working towards reaching more customers by partnering with other dealers.

“We have made available devices to fit into every social and economic class and also putting into consideration the current economic situation. Better said, we’ve got a Partner for everyone.”

Unveiling the marketing strategies deployed in ensuring that many Nigerians became aware of Partner Mobile brand, the marketing manager emphasised that they employed the strategy of pricing and innovation, which is equally in line with their promise to release updates, deliver the latest innovation and at affordable prices.

The firm, which entered the Nigerian market a year ago, said all the logistics have been put in place to enable it commence the production of features phone from quarter one (Q1), 2018.

Speaking in Lagos, at the weekend, the Technical Partner, Partner Mobile, Shola Akintola, said the plant would be sited either in Abeokuta or Lagos, saying all the component parts of the phone would be manufactured in Nigeria. He however, identified the country’s erratic power supply as a major disincentive to investment.

Canon expands monochrome print portfolio- the varioPRINT series

Canon Europe has launched its new varioPRINT 140 series of production printers, delivering productivity gains compared with previous devices. The new varioPRINT 140 is capable of printing 143 images per minute in both simplex and duplex modes, making it the fastest printer in the light- and mid-volume production segments.

The printer can deliver monthly print volumes of up to 800 000 copies, more than doubling productivity compared with the varioPRINT 135. Peak monthly production volumes may reach up to 2,2-million A4 prints.

Together with the varioPRINT 140, new varioPRINT 130 and varioPRINT 115 models are also being introduced, offering speeds of 133 and 117 A4 images per minute respectively.

The introduction of Océ PRISMAsync 5 technology further boosts productivity, using remote printer driver technologies to enable production planning and job scheduling up to eight hours in advance.

The remote app is downloadable to a smartphone or personal tablet, and allows operators to focus on other tasks while receiving real-time notifications of upcoming operator actions, such as loading media or adding consumables, or alerts of immediate actions needed. One or multiple PRISMAsync Print Server-driven digital presses can be monitored at a glance, helping expedite manual interventions to increase device uptime and productivity.

PRISMAsync 5 offers new impositioning possibilities, such as layout, trim and cover, alongside an embedded JDF/JMF interface. The new controller also enables PSPs and in-house print departments to work more securely, thanks to a configurable user interface which allows for audit logging and back-up and restore capabilities. New features such as page numbering, special book copy functionality and an intuitive copier interface improve usability, particularly in ‘walk-up’ environments.

The varioPRINT 140 series offers a full range of in-line finishing options, including stapling, saddle stitching, folding, die punching, inserting, ring binding and high-capacity stacking. The new W1 booklet finisher offers a new saddle stitch option for flat finished booklets, while the updated F1 booklet trimmer expands customers’ trimming capabilities.

A new professional punch is available, offering A4+, A3 and A4 SEF punching in one model, and with the capability to handle heavier media up to 300 gsm. The open Document Finishing Device (DFD) Interface also enables in-line connectivity to specialist, third-party finishing devices. For back-up or walk-up environments, the new printer features a simplified catch tray enabling a simple ‘no finishing’ configuration.

Tech heavyweights Set to Tackle Broadband Challenges at Nigeria’s 2017 ICT CEO Forum

Stakeholders across the public and private sector of the nation’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are set for the 2017 edition of the Nigeria ICT Impact CEO Forum (NIICF) & Africa Digital Awards (ADA).

The event with the theme: "Broadband Access: The Challenges of Cyber Security Threat & Effect of Social Media Era," will bring together Information and Communication Technology (ICT) leaders driving the Nigeria growth.

Billed to hold on August 25, 2017 at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, the event will feature a welcome address by Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu and two keynotes from the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta and the Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Mr. Ferdi Moolman.

Other seven lead speakers at the annual twin-forum, comprising discussion and award, include the Managing Director, MainOne, Ms. Funke Opeke; and the Managing Director, Nigcomsat, Ms. Abimbola Alale. Others include the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Patami; Director General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Is'haq Kawu; Managing Director, Galaxy Backbone, Mr. Yusuf Kazaure; President, Nigeria Internet Registration Asociation (NIRA), Rev. Sunday Folayan, and Partner Muiz Banire & Associates, Mr.  Kunle Adegoke.

The two plenary sessions at the forum will be on broadband, social media & Internet of Things (IoT) and cybercrimes and cyber laws.

Speaking in a press statement, the event coordinator, Mr. Tayo Adewusi, said the forum offers exclusive sessions around the latest developments and trends in Nigeria’s ICT landscape and corporate environment, especially around broadband, Internet security, IoT and social media. “The forum is envisioned as the foremost impactful meeting of top C-level executives in the industry,” he said.

According to Adewusi, Nigeria has come to appreciate the importance of ICT to simplify and improve productivity and efficiency, stressing that this has informed a need to have  a platform such as ICT Impact CEO Forum , which creates a plaform for C-level executives to meet with industry players to discuss the current trends and project into the future.

Adewusi also stated that Africa Digital Awards (ADA) will take place simultaneously with the forum, noting that this year's event will be breath taking.

“ADA is designed to annually honour distinguished individuals and corporate for having distinguished themselves in the contribution to the development of the industry,” he said.

Some of the award categories to be contested by nominees include Most Outstanding Telecom Company of the year, Most Outstanding Telecom Company with the Widest Data Coverage in Nigeria, Most Outstanding Cyber Security Company of the year, Most Outstanding Cloud Computing Security Company of the year, Most Outstanding 4G LTE Provider of the year, Most Outstanding Indigenous Software Company of the year, among others.

“The key criteria for this year's over 50 nominations include value of the service or technology in solving recognised technology problems, meeting network requirements, optimising service and performance & enhancing customer service, overall quality of innovation and contribution to ICT advancement, originality & vision, potential industry growth and service, market success/acceptance and contribution to end – user’s quality of experience and service efficiency,” he added.

Using Smartphones and driving made easier with Pioneer NEX receivers

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. has expanded its popular NEX platform with five new NEX in-dash multimedia receivers for 2017. The double-DIN 7” LCD AVH-2330NEX and AVH-2300NEX and double-DIN 6.2”LCD AVH-1330NEX and AVH-1300NEX models are designed to complement the smartphone lifestyle of today’s consumer with continuous connectivity and access to a variety of entertainment options.

The AVH-3300NEX expands the NEX line-up into the smaller, more universal single-DIN in-dash receiver size, providing for the first time, a smartphone connectivity solution that easily fits into many older and collectible cars coveted by automotive enthusiasts.

The units feature a redesigned, simple-to-use interface and compatibility with popular automotive specific smartphone interfaces and apps such as Apple CarPlay®, Android Auto™1 and Waze®, plus entertainment options such as Bluetooth® music streaming and hands-free calling, Spotify® and Pandora®. For 2017, the new NEX models have been engineered with an optimized PCB layout for audio signal integrity and a number of audiophile-grade components to deliver a premium audio listening experience.

“With Pioneer’s new line of 2017 NEX receivers, we’re making in-vehicle connectivity and great entertainment even more accessible by continuing to offer popular smartphone and music services, but at a more consumer-friendly price point,” said Ted Cardenas, vice president of marketing at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

“Plus, the introduction of the AVH-3300NEX single-DIN option significantly increases the number of compatible vehicles, specifically meeting the demand for the latest smartphone connectivity in a form factor that can be installed into many of the unique, exotic, or simply older vehicles that car lovers drive.”

Bluetooth Wireless Connectivity – All models feature built-in Bluetooth2 wireless connectivity for convenient hands-free calling and music streaming with compatible Bluetooth enabled devices. Users are able to pre-register up to five smartphones with the receivers, enabling hands-free calling and/or music to be streamed from any of the five previously paired phones, eliminating the need to pair and unpair devices. Additionally, the response time between switching pre-registered devices is faster, as is access to music and contacts stored on the connected device.

To maximize the connectivity options and call quality for hands-free communication and wireless audio streaming, each NEX receiver features Bluetooth AVRCP 1.6 to provide browsing capability of a user’s media library, and HFP 1.6 with wideband speech for clearer overall sound quality, making it easier to recognize and understand voices during calls.

Three of the five models feature Android Auto integration, allowing consumers to quickly connect their compatible smartphones to extend the Android platform into the car in a way that is purpose-built for driving. Designed with safety in mind, Android Auto utilizes a simple and intuitive interface to provide navigation, communication, music and more, combined with powerful new voice actions for minimized distraction, so users stay focused on the road. Smartphones running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or newer operating systems offer Android Auto and will work with the three Pioneer models.

Does it really make sense for Apple to buy over Adobe?

Last year various commentators and investment analysts were of the opinion that it would be good for Apple to buy Adobe Systems. There are many reasons it would be great for creative professionals if Apple buys Adobe. While a number of analysts see this as a useful move, there’s been no comment from Apple whether they might buy Adobe.

Apple has enough cash to buy Adobe, with more than $250 billion in cash reserves, Apple could buy Adobe with no debt and still have more than $150 billion in cash, leaving it with enough to also buy car company Tesla and still have more than $100 billion. An acquisition of Adobe by Apple would benefit Adobe’s customers, and provide long-term value for Apple and their shareholders.

Apple is relentless and focusing on improving the user experience. Apple products and apps emphasize simplicity and give thought to the scenarios in which a user will want to utilize their creations. Adobe emphasizes quantity over quality, adding more features and tools to their apps rather than considering how they will be used. The results is that Adobe customers can no longer comprehend the Adobe apps without Adobe training because a small number of apps each have thousands of features and tools.

A user could take more than six days of InDesign classes and still not know everything within the application, or would need more than 10 days of Photoshop classes to master the application. Compare this to the relative simplicity of Apple’s apps, such as Keynote or Final Cut, which require much less training.

Adobe is consistently worried about meeting the most recent quarterly sales targets. While this may be good for shareholders in the short term, in the long term their customers receive products that are rushed to market and are not built to last. The Apple culture would be good for Adobe’s product teams.

Adobe is no longer just a creative company. While they are best known for their creative tools such as Photoshop, they have a large and growing marketing, advertising, and analytics business they purchased from Omniture, and their PDF forms.

During the early days of Adobe Systems, Apple’s founder Steve Jobs expressed an interest in buying the company. This happened after Jobs saw a demonstration of Adobe’s printer technology PostScript which made desktop publishing possible. A decade after offering to have Apple buy Adobe, Jobs was railing against Adobe’s Flash platform, and how it was both riddled with bugs and energy inefficient, wearing down the batteries in mobile devices. He found Adobe’s Flash software so bad that he dictated it would not run on the iPhone and iPad, and publicly criticized Adobe. Jobs was also upset at Adobe’s decision to abandon the Mac OS for certain video applications, which led Apple to offer their own video and photo applications. At the time Jobs appeared to take it as a personal affront that Adobe would not offer their tools on the Mac OS.

While Flash is still not available on Apple’s devices, Adobe has conceded defeat and effectively acknowledged that Apple was right in not supporting Flash. This month Adobe is renaming their Flash tool as Adobe Animate, and de-emphasizing the Flash file format as the web community as a whole has moved on to HTML5. With the personal history of Steve Jobs feelings towards Adobe also out of the way, with new CEOs at both companies, making a return to the early discussion of Apple buying Adobe more plausible. 

While Apple does offer a number of apps, ranging from Keynote and Final Cut to Photos, the software applications business has been only a side note for the company. While Adobe’s tools run on Apple devices, it would require a dramatic shift in Apple’s emphasis for Apple to buy Adobe.

Via: www.agitraining.com

Nigeria’s GoMyWay reports 150% membership growth

After just 2yrs in existence, Nigerian ridesharing startup GoMyWay, has experienced a 150 per cent increase in registered members and a 300 per cent increase in the number of seats offered in the last year.

Funded by investors including Konga founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Sim Shagaya and former Amazon and Naspers executive Bill Paladino, GoMyWay connects passengers with car owners going the same route with empty seats to spare, in a bid to provide a solution to transportation problems in Nigeria via a people-powered transportation network.

The startup says it has seen strong growth over the last year, and has now recorded rides shared in 16 states in Nigeria, up from five at its last anniversary. Average seat occupancy is 2.8 people per ride, up from 1.8 in the first year, indicating that car owners on the platform are being connected to more passengers than before.

“Looking back, it is interesting to see how much we have grown. We have seen an increasing acceptance of this concept of ridesharing by Nigerians and are more than glad to be at the forefront,” said GoMyWay chief executive officer (CEO) Damilola Teidi.

“More so, it has given us the courage to push further in our quest to make GoMyWay a mainstream transport option.”

In celebration the second anniversary, GoMyWay has announced the start of an annual Rideshare Week Campaign across the country. The week-long campaign will be the first in Nigeria and is aimed at encouraging people to share rides as an alternative mode of transportation, as well as creating public awareness on the benefits of ridesharing.

“The goal is that the Rideshare Week will become bigger every year, and ultimately, many more Nigerians will get involved in the ridesharing culture,” Teidi said.

The maiden Rideshare Week will run from the June 5 to June 10, and will include a giveaway contest tagged the ‘GoMyWay Carfie Contest’. It asks individuals to post a selfie with at least one other person in their car, and share it on social media in a bid to win cash and other prizes.

Safaricom strategizes...to take M-Pesa to Nigeria, Angola

Safaricom Ltd may expand its popular mobile-banking service M-Pesa into countries such as Nigeria and Angola, as East Africa’s biggest company grapples with regulatory scrutiny in its home market of Kenya.

The sale of a 35 percent stake in the Nairobi-based company to Vodacom Group Ltd. by parent Vodafone Group Plc has enabled Safaricom to look to new markets, Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore said in an interview at his office in the Kenyan capital. That’s because Vodafone has an agreement with the South African government to only expand in Africa through Vodacom, its majority-owned Johannesburg-based unit.

“Before the end of the year, I would expect to have something to roll out,” Collymore said June 8. Safaricom may seek to agree to platform-sharing deals with competitors such as MTN Group Ltd. to expand M-Pesa rather than set up in new countries, he said.

The expansion of the mobile-banking service would be Safaricom’s first significant move since Vodacom’s $2.6 billion stake purchase last month and will enable the company to examine growth opportunities outside its home country, where its market-leading position is under pressure from regulators. M-Pesa, which means mobile money in Swahili, had more than 25 million customers in 11 countries such as Tanzania and Ghana at the end of March, proving popular in countries without developed banking systems.

In Kenya, 79 percent of mobile banking transactions are made over M-Pesa, which processed 851 billion shillings ($8.2 billion) in the third quarter of last year. Safaricom shares have gained 19 percent this year, valuing the company at 911 billion shillings.

Kenya’s telecommunications regulator is finalizing a market study on Safaricom’s dominance of the industry amid calls by some lawmakers for the company to be broken up. The report will probably conclude that while Safaricom isn’t abusing its market position, it should be ordered to share infrastructure and say up front when it plans to change prices or introduce new offers, Collymore said.

“We are not objecting to share, because sharing means you get additional revenue,” the CEO said. “What we are losing sleep about is compelling us to share at a regulated price. If you are going to start to regulate how much we are going to charge, we are going to have a problem. We’re going to have a fight about this one, because why would my investors invest?”

The release of the regulator’s report has been delayed by the expiry of the Communications Authority of Kenya Chairman Ben Gituku’s three-year term in office last month and the fact that no replacement has been found yet, Director-General Francis Wangusi said last week.

But just like Rocket Internet, a Berlin-based startup builder which has spread itself so thin across the world, the launch of M-Pesa into new markets would mean new partnerships and capital investments which will sent Safaricom’s revenues and share price tumbling down as the telco adapts to these new markets. For short-term retail IPO investors, this is likely the best time to cash out.

South Africa’s Vodacom Group which is set to acquire a 34.94% stake in Safaricom is itself a failure at operating mobile money in its own market even though it had at money, the M-Pesa platform and personnel it needed. Just buying into Safaricom and replicating its success across sub-Saharan Africa M-Pesa won’t miraculously save its soul. Vodacom said following a thorough review, it discontinued its M-Pesa product after showing a little prospect of growth in the country.

Speaking about the decision, Shameel Joosub, Vodacom Chief Executive Officer, said: “Vodacom’s decision is based on the fact that the business sustainability of M-Pesa is predicated on achieving a critical mass of users. Based on our revised projections and high levels of financial inclusion in South Africa there is little prospect of the M-Pesa product achieving this in its current format in the mid-term.”

Though M-Pesa continued to gain solid traction in Kenya, Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the DRC, Vodacom failed to save it South Africa arguing high levels of financial inclusion in South Africa and a less supportive macro environment unlike in Kenya and other growing markets.

Sony talks PlayStation VR and blockbuster titles

Unlike Microsoft's unveiling of the Xbox One X at E3, Sony didn't focus on new hardware when it took to the conference stage in Los Angeles. Instead, the company, which already has the lion's share of the gaming console market, celebrated the biggest titles which will be arriving for the PS4 and for Playstation VR.

Its media showcase was very heavy on its gaming titles, especially exclusive content such as Spider-Man, which Sony has foregrounded as the main difference between itself and console rival Microsoft.

The gaming trailers shown on the E3 stage were almost all sequels to existing gaming franchised and brands. The eighth instalment of the God of War series was a soft reboot of the franchise, moving the narrative away from the Greek mythology which had influenced the previous games into Norse mythology.

A glimpse at the sequel to Uncharted 4: A Thief's End displayed some of the series' highlight set pieces and puzzles.

For most attendees and onlookers, PlayStation's Spider-Man title was the blockbuster announcement with its extravagant visuals and choreographed stunts, including parkour, web-slinging and, of course, a helicopter chase.

Sony announced that it had sold more than 60 million PS4 consoles over the last four years, with titles such as Horizon: Zero Dawn, which is getting an expansion, contributing to more than 487 million games being sold.

Also announced at E3 were a number of new games for the PlayStation Virtual Reality (PSVR) headset, which was released worldwide last October - and which the company claimed had sold over one million units.

VR games announced included The Inpatient, a psychological horror and puzzle game requiring the user to figure their way out of the terrifying Blackwood Pines Sanatorium, untangling intrigue, conspiracy and moral dilemmas.

The £349.99 headset is designed to be fully functional with all of the PS4 consoles on the market, hitting the VR gaming market which doesn't have access to the expensive gaming PCs which dominate the sector.

Taxify to protect Nigerian drivers and riders...launch insurance cover

Rivals to Uber in the mobile taxi industry, Taxify, has launched a new personalised insurance package for their partner drivers and riders, called Taxify Cover in Nigeria.

Uchenna Chukwuebuka Okafor, Operations Manager in Lagos, highlighted the fact that most traditional insurance covers differ from driver to driver and these covers usually do not extend to cover a rider’s belongings.

This means that if there had to be an accident, riders various insurance companies in order to ensure that they were properly compensated.

“Before the introduction of Taxify’s Cover, riders who depend on the vehicle comprehensive insurance to settle liabilities have been disappointed as these policies do not totally cover accident and personal effect liability,” said Okafor.

“To ensure an added layer of safety during trips, we partnered with Autogenius and Aiico insurance PLC to provide industry leading insurance coverage to our driver partners and riders on all Taxify trips,” he added.

Driver partners who already have their own personal comprehensive cover will still be able to take advantage of the Taxify Cover, this will allow them to protect their rider’s personal effects. Another option for the drivers will be to opt for comprehensive cover if they have third party insurance or no insurance at all.

“Should they lose their assets or should such assets be damaged either as a result of an accident or assault, the cover also makes provisions for that. So phones and tablets can be replaced or repaired,” Okafor said.

Although Okafor was not clear whether Taxify planned to implement a similar program in other markets, he did hint that the company could be looking to launch the service in other regions. “Safety of riders and driver-partners during trips is a priority at Taxify. The local teams in these countries would definitely have something cooking,” he concluded.

Microsoft Co-founder unveils world’s biggest plane ever

Billionaire and co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen, has just unveiled the world's biggest plane, possessing a wing span longer than an entire football field. The Stratolaunch carrier plane rolled out of its hangar and in to public view at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California on Wednesday to undergo fueling tests.

The giant plane is designed to launch rockets into orbit from an altitude of around 30,000 feet. It has a wingspan of 385 feet (117 m), a length of 238 feet (72 m) and a tail height of 50 feet (15 m).

According to Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, the plane uses six Boeing 747 engines built by Pratt & Whitney and has a maximum payload capacity of approximately 550,000 lbs.

Jean Floyd, Chief Executive Officer of Stratolaunch Systems, wrote in a statement Wednesday that the fuel testing "marks a historic step in our work to achieve Paul G. Allen's vision of normalizing access to low Earth orbit."

Stratolaunch previously announced that it will initially launch a single Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket, but the firm intends that the plane could ultimately launch up to 3 satellite rockets in one flight.

"Over the coming weeks and months, we'll be actively conducting ground and flightline testing at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

"This is a first-of-its-kind aircraft, so we're going to be diligent throughout testing and continue to prioritize the safety of our pilots, crew and staff," said Jean Floyd. He added that Stratolaunch is on track to perform its first launch demonstration in early 2019.

Ericsson appoints new head of GCC... partners Tigo in 'as-a-service' capacity in Rwanda

Ericsson in Market Area Middle East and Africa has appointed Wojciech Bajda as head of Ericsson in Gulf Council Countries (GCC) and Global Customer Unit (GCU) Zain and a member of the Market Area’s Leadership Team.

Bajda will be based in Dubai and he will be responsible for driving the company’s business in the GCC markets in addition to driving the company’s business for Zain Group within Ericsson.

Ericsson Middle East and Africa President Rafiah Ibrahim says: "The new leadership team is set to enable our customers’ current and future success with the ambition of becoming more responsive to their needs. Our focus remains to be our customer’s trusted partner of choice across the Middle East and Africa market and with this new team, I am confident that we will be able to achieve our wanted position."

Prior to assuming his current role, Bajda held the responsibility of driving Ericsson’s non-operator business across region Middle East.

In a related development, Tigo Rwanda has partnered with Ericsson to completely overhaul its Business Support Systems (BSS) ecosystem.

According to information supplied by the companies, Tigo Rwanda is the first operator across the Millicom group that has transformed its BSS operations and gone live with Ericsson's 'as a Service' model for its complete BSS needs. The solution covers the full spectrum of charging, billing, provisioning, mediation and roaming functionality combined with advanced customer care and self-care solutions for management and ordering of services.

Ericsson says the partnership will benefit Tigo customers with "new and innovative offerings combined with shorter time to market, improved customer experience and increased operational efficiency."

Xavier Rocoplan, Chief Technical and IT Officer at Millicom says, "This is another major step in our IT transformation and process improvement journey. The 'as a Service' operating model is a very important component of our long term strategy. This new way of looking at BSS activities is a cornerstone in Millicom's operational excellence program that strives at always delivering a better experience for our customers in a more efficient manner. The partnership with Ericsson has enabled us to quickly meet our strategic needs and provide a solid foundation for future development. We have already begun to see improvements in the experience for our consumers and employees in Rwanda."

Rafiah Ibrahim, SVP and Head of Market Area Middle East & Africa, Ericsson, says: "Our partnership with Tigo Rwanda and the implementation of Ericsson's innovative BSS 'as a Service' model signifies an important first step towards future collaboration across the Millicom group. We are confident that the trust and cooperation embedded in this business model, which lies at the centre of revenue generation for Tigo, will further strengthen the strategic relationship in BSS between Tigo Rwanda and Ericsson, as well as the entire Millicom group."

In March this year, Tigo in Tanzania and Ericsson partnered to launch the first of a series of rural pilot tower sites to extend mobile broadband coverage to specific regions.

As Java turns 22, Amazon signs ‘father’ James Gosling

In 1990, Sun Microsystems employees were growing tired with C and C++. Engineer Patrick Naughton was frustrated at Sun’s APIs and was given the opportunity to do something about it; he would create an alternative language as part of The Stealth Project. The Stealth Project was soon renamed the Green Project and Naughton was joined by Mike Sheridan and James Gosling to create what later became Java. That’s 22 years ago!

Ironically, Amazon Web Services has chosen the anniversary period to sign up computer science heavyweight James Gosling, often referred to as the “Father of Java,”. Amazon made the announcement on Facebook this week, that he would be joining the cloud provider as a distinguished engineer.

Gosling came up with the original design of Java and implemented its first compiler and virtual machine as part of his work at Sun Microsystems. He left Sun in 2010 after the company was acquired by Oracle, spent a short time at Google, and most recently worked at Liquid Robotics designing software for an underwater robot.

Amazon confirmed that Gosling had joined the company but didn’t offer any further comment on the work he would be doing there. Gosling will join other tech luminaries, including Adrian Cockroft, Swami Sivasubramanian, and Werner Vogels.

While it’s unclear exactly what he’ll be working on, Gosling seems like a natural fit for the teams creating AWS’s tools for the Internet of Things. He’s intimately familiar with the process of deploying IoT systems, as well as the challenges that arise when it comes to using the public cloud with IoT.

“In my case, there are no cloud providers [Liquid Robotics] can use, so we end up rolling our own for everything, which is a real pain,” Gosling said at IP Expo Europe in 2016, when discussing IoT systems. “I mean, a lot of the cloud providers would make my life hugely easier, but convincing [a] random Coast Guard from some random country that they should trust Amazon is really, really hard.”

athenahealth to Acquire Praxify Technologies

athenahealth, Inc., a leading provider of network-enabled services for hospital and ambulatory clients nationwide, has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Praxify Technologies, Inc., a Palo Alto, US-based company focused on reinventing how doctors work with health data to drive productivity, portability, and improved decision support. athenahealth expects that the acquisition of Praxify will advance the company’s platform strategy and mobile capabilities to drive frictionless workflows and intelligence at and around the moments of care. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

“Leveraging advancements in machine learning and natural language processing, Praxify has invested several years in developing highly intuitive technology to enhance the delivery of high quality patient care. In combination with our cloud platform and services, Praxify’s team and technology will help us further reduce the many inefficiencies of healthcare’s clinical and operational workflows,” said Prakash Khot, chief technology officer, athenahealth. “We will work together to surface new streams of knowledge in natural and mobile ways, so providers and care teams can be fully present, informed, and efficient. We’re thrilled to have their talented team join our mission to make healthcare work as it should.”

athenahealth believes this acquisition will accelerate research and development initiatives across the company by adding significant expertise in mobile and user experience design. Additionally, the underlying technology on which Praxify is built will be integrated into athenahealth’s cloud platform, and will create new opportunities for both internal and third-party developers to rapidly build and launch applications. Together, the organizations will be better positioned to speed development and delivery of innovation at scale for the healthcare industry at large.