Acer Scores Five iF Design Awards in 2016

Acer has scored five winning entries in the computer category at the 2016 iF Design Awards, one of the most coveted international design awards. The awarded products include a desktop and monitor from the Predator gaming line, a modular mini PC, and two high-end monitors.

The winning Acer products were selected among 5,300 entries from about 2,500 participants from more than 50 countries, by a jury of 58 high-profile international experts.

“Acer is especially pleased that our newly launched Predator gaming line have been recognized by the iF Design jury,” said Maarten Schellekens, Vice President of Global Marketing and Branding, Acer. “The new products have been well received by media and consumers across the globe, and these awards are a further testament to our never-ending pursuit of design and engineering excellence.”

Powered by the latest 6th Generation Intel® Core® i7-6700K processors, the Predator G6 (G6-710) delivers maximum power by utilizing the massive potential of the Intel core, the latest Windows 10 OS, and a market-dominating 64GB of DDR4 dual-channel memory. All this is packed into a radically redesigned armor-like shell crafted to look the part of an unstoppable fighting machine. The casing allows for a bi-directional inflow of air to enable the IceTunnel cooling, and also houses the expansion slots, letting the beast support up to 12TB of storage.

The Revo Build (M1-601) is a mini PC that is easily customized with blocks that provide different functions such as extra storage, speakers and microphones, or even wireless charging. The blocks connect precisely via magnetic pogo pins that make assembling a computer as easy as playing with toy blocks. The blocks can also work independently or with other PCs. The Revo Build mini PC is packaged in a tiny one liter chassis with a 125 x 125 mm footprint that takes up minimal space and can be placed almost anywhere.

The Predator Z35 is the first product of Acer’s Predator Z Series curved gaming monitors with NVIDIA® G-SYNC™. Its 35-inch 21:9 UltraWide Full HD (2560x1080) panel features a curvature of 2000R for immersive, wraparound gaming. It also supports overclocking to a lightning-fast 200Hz refresh rate, so gamers can find their enemies before they spot them and enjoy crystal clear turns on the racetrack, and features powerful audio with DTS® Sound, 9Wx2 speakers and Acer TrueHarmony technology.

The Acer XR342CK monitor features a curved 34-inch 21:9 panel with a 1900R curvature and delivers immersive, picture-perfect visuals. Special features like 6-axis color adjustment and DTS® Sound deepen the audio/visual impact, while a customizable ambient light at the lower edge of the monitor provides lighting effects that match the desired mood. The base can swivel from -30 to +30 degrees, allowing users to easily adjust the monitor to their desired viewing angle.

The Acer H277HU is part of the H7 series monitors, which are the world’s first to support USB Type-C, so that users can conveniently transfer data and display content from notebooks or smartphones, while charging them at the same time through just one cable. With a premium ZeroFrame design, diamond-cut and brushed-metal stand, the 27-inch H277HU boasts WQHD (2560 x 1440) display resolution, superior audio with Acer TrueHarmony and DTS™ Sound.

About the iF Design Awards

Organized by the International Forum Design of Germany, the iF award logo has become synonymous for outstanding design around the world since 1953. For more information about the iF design awards please go to http://www.ifdesign.de/

Focus Softnet Nigeria introduce ERP solutions Promo: 75% Price slash for SMEs

One of the most creative players in the enterprise computing landscape in the global market, Focus Softnet has launched its annual product promo for some select products in their stable for the Nigerian and West African markets. Operating in Nigeria as Focus Softnet Services Nigeria Limited, the company recently indicated that the promo, which comes in the form of a massive 75% price cut, is aimed at helping Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), and multinationals leverage on the strength of its range of ERP solutions to deepen their resource planning base.

Making this known recently in their Lagos office, the Managing Director Emeakpo‎ Moses Uvomata, explained that the justification for this unusual promo is based on the company's conviction that the enterprise in Nigeria is still operating in less than desired standards. “When you look at the fact that most companies in Nigeria including major ones, are still stuck in the 80s in terms of usage of information technology to drive their businesses, this is our own way of trying to grow the adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools to enhance productivity and growth for the enterprise and the nation” he said.

According to him, “ERP vanquishes the old standalone computer systems in Finance, HR, Manufacturing and the Warehouse, and replaces them with a single unified software program divided into software modules that approximate the old standalone systems. Finance, Manufacturing and the Warehouse all still get their own software, except that now the software is linked together so that anyone in Finance can look into the Warehouse software to see if an order has been shipped. ERP allows trace-ability of an order from the point it is entered to the point it is shipped, by anyone from any department. Thus, customer service is truly enhanced”.

Uvomata said, "By re-engineering business processes and optimizing resources, developing and deploying user-friendly, flexible and cost effective industry specific solutions, we back our clients with complete and disciplined strategies for managing their work force globally through our HR services ranging from sourcing assessing and providing training and development needs of an organization work force. Focus Softnet has helped over 30,000 clients across the globe increase productivity and efficiency and run better.

‎"Our methodologies and strong technical expertise have been proven across markets around the globe. Our expertise in wide range of business applications in multi-tier distributed architecture and mobile device applications provide innovative and quality IT products and solutions to help the enterprise implement agile integrated system and processes that will ensure that their businesses continue to grow".

‎The strength of Focus is said to lie in the flexibility of their products. Not only can Focus ERP solutions be easily adaptable to any business process, a standard availability of additions like workflows and online approvals completely eliminate paper and scheduling of reports is a fantastic feature.

While unveiling some of the solutions in their stable that'll be available on the 75% promo, the CEO listed them as follows:

1) Focus 6 – this is a comprehensive accounting solution that empowers businesses to maintain, analyze and interpret financial health of an organization. Available at practically zero cost, this solution fits any startup requirement that envisions growth through transparency and efficiency. With detailed features that can handle Procurement, Financial Accounting, Inventory Control, Order Processing, Fixed Assets Management and payroll, Focus 6 has been adjudged as the best enterprise management tool for the small business.

2) Focus RT – this is a Multi-Tier application that works seamlessly over Local Area Network and the Internet in a distributed business environment. It operates with amazing speed when it is required to update data from remote locations over the internet in real time or in batch mode. Rated as superior to most mid-sized ERP solutions, the Focus RT has the ability to Track events across business locations, significantly increase operational efficiencies, scale up with ease, quick deployment and assured high return on investment

3) Focus I – this product has so far been rated highly against competition at all levels. Designed for the mid-level to high-end enterprise, Focus I is a revolutionary product that combines business intelligence (BI) tools with traditional ERP features enabling users to run statistical models, analyze data, extract, and generate business intelligence reports on the go.

“From the Accounting, Business Intelligence, HR, Inventory and CRM capabilities, our solutions have often been rated higher than most products from our competition including the likes of SAP, Tally, and Microsoft. Though our pricing is still lower than these mentioned ones, our sales promotional offer has even further reduced our selling price by almost 75%, thereby making it the most scalable and functional ERP solution in the market with the lowest cost”, the CEO concluded.

The promo is expected to run till the end of April 2016.

About Focus Softnet Services Limited

Established in 1992, Focus Softnet has a rich history of innovation, expansion and growth. With business associates in 25 offices across 15 countries, Focus Softnet’s experience and multi-domain expertise, in consulting services and skillsets are backed by a vast knowledge-base and a keen understanding of what it takes to run and grow a business. By re-engineering business processes and optimizing resources, developing and deploying user-friendly, flexible and cost-efficient industry specific solutions, we back our clients with complete and disciplined strategies for managing their work force globally through our HR services ranging from sourcing, assessing and providing training and development needs of an organizations work force. Focus Softnet has helped over 30,000 clients across the globe increase productivity and efficiency, and run better.  

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Kropmann Communications to Provide Argyle Data's Fraud Analytics App to African Telcos

Nigerian-based communications professional services provider Kropmann Communications Limited, has signed a reseller agreement to provide Argyle Data's native Hadoop fraud analytics technology as part of its services to mobile communications operators in Africa.

Kropmann is in the forefront of delivering new technologies to help address business challenges in Africa. Since its inception in 2005, Kropmann has entered into strategic partnerships and alliances to deliver actionable intelligence platforms for banks and telecommunications companies in areas including customer engagement optimization, compliance, business intelligence, security, fraud and risk.

Each year Africa's mobile/cellular carriers lose the equivalent of almost US$1.75 billion through theft of service, interconnect and related frauds. Fraud prevention and revenue assurance has become a major priority for all operators. 2015 research indicates a general consensus among regional telecoms carriers that between 1 to 3% of revenues are unbilled and that between 2 to 6% of billed revenues are unpaid(1).

"The downside of the growth in mobile services in African countries is that it has attracted the attention of global criminals which, combined with the high cost of delivering service in this region, highlights the importance of operators actively engaging in identifying and reducing revenue leakage," said Kim Fraser, CEO of Kropmann Communications Limited. "While the region's telecommunications industry has seen a quantum leap in the past decade, revenue fraud and the high cost of service delivery is a challenge for which the telecoms industry in Africa urgently needs new solutions. Argyle Data's fraud detection technology allows operators to fight known and unknown fraud types in real time, and we are very pleased to add their application to our portfolio."

Argyle Data's system is used by some of the world's largest mobile operators to gain real-time visibility into revenue threats and attack patterns, which cost the mobile communications industry an estimated U.S.$38 billion a year. Argyle Data's is the first in a new generation of native Hadoop applications that exploit the power of machine learning to uncover critical insights in real-time from vast data lakes.

"Research from the CFCA(2) shows major growth in both International Revenue Share Fraud and Premium Rate service fraud, which in Africa is over 28% of the total," said Vikash Varma, President and CEO at Argyle Data. "Subscription and dealer fraud constitute a further 29% of the total revenue loss to fraud in Africa. Argyle Data's breakthrough approach has already been proven to dramatically improve fraud detection and prevention. We are very pleased to work with Kropmann to provide operators with a way of reducing revenue losses to fraud in the region."

About Kropmann Communications Limited
Kropmann Communications Limited is incorporated and headquartered in Nigeria. The company became fully operational in 2009, with a vision to be the foremost indigenous professional services and VAS content provider in Nigeria. Managed by experienced executives, Kropman is in the forefront of delivering new technologies to help address business IT challenges in Africa. Kropmann Communications Limited is also a licensed Internet Service Provider and a VAS content Provider to both organizations and individuals.

About Argyle Data
Argyle Data is used by the world's leading mobile operators to detect the fraud, profit, and SLA threats that cost the industry $38 billion per year. Argyle Data's industry leading native Hadoop application suite uses the latest Hadoop and Big Data machine learning technologies, proven at Facebook and Google, to identify the revenue threats and attack patterns being waged against mobile networks in real time.

Samsung introduces innovation in cleaning

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. a global leader in home appliance innovations, has announced a significant addition to its laundry lineup for 2016, which features intuitive and clever design changes that translate into big benefits for consumers. The new product showcases simple, yet truly practical innovation that changes the way consumers look at cleaning. Samsung will debut this innovation – alongside its other groundbreaking home appliance introductions – at Samsung Africa Forum 2016.

"Samsung’s focus is on marrying beautiful design and practical innovation to create appliances that help consumers be more efficient. Taking note of the way consumers tackle cleaning in their home, we set out to create simple yet meaningful solutions to address obstacles they often just accept as part of their routines," said Sunil Gupta, Africa Regional Product Manager, Digital Appliances. "Our latest washer reflects Samsung’s commitment to infusing refined style, thoughtful innovations and unmatched performance into everything we do."

Making the Washing Machine Work on Your Schedule

Samsung recognises that in the rush to get laundry done on a frenzied weeknight or during a crazy weekend, a stray sock may simply get overlooked in the race to get everything else done – so Samsung’s simple, practical response to that is to add the industry’s first "AddWash" door to its front load washer. The Samsung AddWash Front Load Washer has a distinctive access door that makes it convenient to add any item such as a piece of forgotten laundry or extra detergent in mid-cycle without needing to drain the washer and open the main washer door.

All it takes is a push of the Pause button, and in a second the extra door can be opened, and it’s big enough to add a sweater or even a pair of jeans. Users can also put in hand-wash items or add extra amount of fabric softener at the start of the rinse cycle.

Samsung’s core technologies applied

The new Samsung AddWash model features Samsung’s innovative technologies to deliver superior time saving and washing performance – making sure you get the clean you need in as little time as possible. From gently caring for delicate fabrics, to advanced technologies that make detergent work harder, to a full load washed in as little as 59 minutes, Samsung’s AddWash can easily keep up with your family’s toughest laundry tasks.

The SuperSpeed cycle, for example, is enabled by the SpeedSpray technology, which shoots out jet sprays of water, so detergent gets rinsed quickly and cleans clothes faster. The water sprays then shower the laundry with clean water, which is drained away simultaneously.

The ecobubble™ technology pre-mixes detergent with air and water, and then fills every inch of the drum with bubbles that penetrate the fabric 40 times faster than the normal mix of water and soap. The ecobubble™ offers both gentler fabric care and outstanding wash results even in cold water, while delivering energy savings as well.

Samsung’s AddWash also has a Digital Inverter Motor, which delivers superior energy efficiency, minimal noise and longer-lasting performance.

A smart washing machine

The Samsung AddWash Front Load Washer comes with an array of smart functions, which work with both Android and iOS smartphones. That not only makes it easy to monitor the progress of the laundry program, but also offers the option to alert users on their smartphone just before the start of a new washing cycle, for example if they want to add a few delicate or hand-wash items towards the end of the wash cycle

Africa’s first solar powered airport set to launch in South Africa

 

South Africa is set to unveil  Africa’s first solar powered airport. The airport will be completely functional without the country’s electricity grid as the installation of photo-voltaic panels will generate sufficient electricity through harnessing energy from the sun. It has been reported that the solar airport project was spearheaded by the agency of the Department of Transport‚ Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and the Minister for Transport, Dipuo Peters, is set to officially launch the airport located in the city of George, South Africa.

Before South Africa, the Cochin International Airport located in the city of Kochi, Southern India, opened the world’s first solar powered airport back in 2015. The airport took nearly $9.5million and 6 months to complete. As of 2013, the airport already had a 1 MegaWatt solar power plant, which could produce 4,000 units of electricity daily. However, in 2015, the solar plant was set to produce 60,000 units of electricity every day, more than enough to meet its daily requirement. Today, the Cochin airport is still operational and can save enough energy to run on rainy nights as well during night operations.

Answering questions on the sustenance of South Africa’s solar powered airport plans, a renewable energy expert working in the United Kingdom, Chukwuemeka Ukwuaba, has said this airport does not need to be less functional if there is no adequate solar energy (sunlight).

"Just like we have airports which run on conventional power supply, a solar powered airport will have its power supply coming from solar energy using different solar systems. Solar systems are being integrated with power storage these days and are also being hybridized with other power systems in order to maximize generation capacity. Obviously, sunlight does not last the whole day and the adequate amount of sunlight that can be harnessed by solar systems is only available for barely 6 hours in a day," he said.

Ukwuaba cited certain challenges associated with having an airport of this nature in South Africa, which is rife with economic, academic and employment challenges. For instance, capital and operation or maintenance cost of running a solar system is higher than that of a conventional power system, so if the economy of the country is shaky at best, will the government be able to keep the place running?

However, he presented a few advantages to the presence of a solar powered airport in South Africa. To him, every amenity basically creates new job opportunities. "The airport won’t be an exception, airports being the gateway to businesses, will obviously bring about economic improvement in the country, something South Africans need."

This ought to be a welcome development considering this is Africa’s first solar powered airport. Ukwuaba believes that although the solar powered airport is situated in South Africa, the entire continent will eventually benefit from its services. "Africa has the highest potential of resources in the world, but we are not maximizing these resources. Solar energy, being inclusive in these resources, is abundant in Africa and also free. This project should be a stepping stone and a leading example to other African countries to harness this source of energy," he stated.

Cellphone tech sparks innovation in Africa

The cellphone is to sub-Saharan Africa what the steam train was to 19th-century Europe: the mechanical workhorse driving social and economic transformation.

Seizing the opportunity provided by the first near universally available infrastructure, hundreds of technology start-ups have sprung up across the region to plough new trade routes and seek breakthrough innovations.

There is mounting competition between global technology companies — IBM, Google, Facebook, China’s Tencent — for a slice of what are some of the world’s fastest-growing information technology (IT) markets.

The ethos pervading this new ecosystem — centred in Nairobi, Lagos and Johannesburg, but with offshoots across Africa — was encapsulated recently by Mark Essien, creator of one of the first hotel-booking websites in Nigeria.

Far from being a handicap, the deficit in physical infrastructure, such as land lines and railways, provided Africans with a unique chance to step ahead, he argued at a recent Lagos conference.

"The future of technology for Africa is not in playing catch-up. But in looking at the things we lack and using each of those gaps as an opportunity for us to invent something we can use to leapfrog the rest of the world," Essien said.

The first big leap came with the adoption of cellphones. The next wave of technological advances is occurring as high-speed internet and smartphone handsets become more accessible.

By 2025, half of sub-Saharan Africa’s billion-strong population will have internet access, 360-million via smartphones, according to McKinsey. Two years, ago its research identified this growing connectivity as providing huge opportunities for IT businesses in healthcare, education, finance, agriculture, retail and servicing governments.

Already there is an app for almost everything: herding cattle in Kenya (i-Cow), private security in Ghana (Hei Julor!), remotely monitoring patients in Zimbabwe (Econet) and in Uganda, an Uber-like service (Yoza) connecting dirty laundry to mobile washerwomen.

Married to this explosion of innovation are the region’s demographics — more than 70% of the rapidly urbanising population is under 30. "The first thing they want is a phone and the next is information," says Aly-Khan Satchu, a Nairobi-based investment analyst.

Armed with both, Africa’s youth are hooking up to networks far beyond their immediate communities, creating new outlets for music, TV, fashion and social comment. Nor can the politicians afford to ignore the ramifications.

The social media campaign unleashed when Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls rebounded to help deprive Goodluck Jonathan of a second term as Nigeria’s president.

"What the Great Western Railway was to Victorian England, the mobile networks are to Africa," says Africa investor, Miles Morland.

For all the excitement, however, there is a caveat: the easy fortunes were made in the past decade. Then, private equity investors such as Morland made five or 10 times their money. They did so by backing African entrepreneurs who recognised the scale of pent-up demand and jumped in to build telecoms companies while their global counterparts hesitated, convinced most Africans were too poor to afford handsets or airtime.

...

PRICE wars and slowing growth in near-saturated urban areas have since thinned margins. So, some of the latest innovation is being driven by commercial necessity. Products such as M-Pesa, the mobile money system pioneered by Kenya’s telecoms operator Safaricom, raise fresh revenues and help the company retain subscribers.

More broadly, the start-up terrain is treacherous and fragmented, and only a few companies have yet proved an ability to scale up regionally and become commercially viable. So far, the companies that have been most successful in attracting investment have tended to be those replicating western models, such as the online retailers in Nigeria — Jumia and Konga.

Many technology groups developing consumer apps lack the finances to market their products and are obliged to work with the phone operators.

Ayisi Makatiani, the Kenyan who created pan-African media aggregator Africaonline and now runs his own private equity fund, says the first wave of venture capitalists who backed innovative start-ups were mostly burnt. However, experienced players are arriving, he says, helping to marry international expertise with local knowledge. "I haven’t seen so many Americans arriving in 20, 30 years."

In more advanced markets, the spread of mobile money systems and developments in logistics are combining with increased smartphone use to allow groups to sell everything from insurance to fresh fruit online.

"The question is how do you now use the current digital platforms to disrupt the traditional businesses and offer services in a much more efficient way?" Makatiani asks.

It has taken longer for most companies to find the answer than early enthusiasts anticipated. The constraints presented by data costs, regulation, and financing, have proved a drag.

"We are in an evolutionary phase," says Aly-Khan. "We have not yet found the ways of creating the kind of commercial value US companies have been so brilliant at doing. But we are moving in the right direction."

Tunde Kehinde, co-founder and joint MD of Africa Courier Express, co-founded Jumia in 2012 with a $1m investment from Rocket Internet, the German start-up incubator. Today, it has grown to become one of Nigeria’s top e-commerce websites, with more than 100-million visits last year.

 

    

Microsoft partners Real Madrid and other Football Clubs to Use Windows

Microsoft’s partnership with Spanish football club Real Madrid is going very well, so the software giant is looking into ways to expand into the sports field with more similar agreements with different teams across Europe.

Peter Jaeger, senior director DX and a board member of Microsoft Germany, said in an interview with Sports Business Daily that the company is currently in talks with some other football clubs, but nothing is certain for now, so more announcements could follow soon.

Microsoft already has a similar partnership with Hamburg SV in Germany, but more could be reached as the season will restart soon in most of the countries after the winter break and the closing of the transfer market.

Only “technological partner” for now

And yet, Redmond explained that while it’s looking at the football business for partnerships, it’s still not interested in becoming an official sponsor for a specific team. What it wants, however, is a technological agreement similar to the one in the United States for the NFL – Redmond provides tables and software to teams in order to view stats and comparisons during the games.

“We won’t buy a football club and we won’t invest millions into a sponsorship deal. We are a technological service provider. We can help generate more money for the sponsors and for the clubs. We support them in fan engagement and merchandising,” Jaeger was quoted as saying.

And Germany now seems to be the next destination, with Jaeger adding that Microsoft’s “own team” could soon be announced.

“We started in the U.S. But we are trying to get into the German market with our own team,” he added.

With such agreements, Microsoft not only becomes the provider of key technology for these teams but also strikes important marketing deals that could spur adoption of its products in Europe. Just imagine how many people would buy a Windows Phone if Cristiano Ronaldo were using one every day.