NOKIA stages comback as Microsoft sells feature phone segment to Finnish firm

Nokia is all set to make a comeback in the mobile and tablet business thanks to a new agreement reached between the Finnish company and Microsoft. However, Nokia themselves would not be involved in the actual manufacturing or marketing process per se. Instead, that would be done by HMD Global Oy with Nokia just lending the rights to the use of its brand name.

This has been made possible via a new deal as per which Microsoft will be selling off Nokia’s feature phone business to a subsidiary of Foxconn and the young Finnish firm HMD Global Oy. HMD, in turn, will be developing new phones and tablets based on Android carrying the iconic Nokia branding. The entire deal values at $350 million.

Few technology companies evoke the same feelings of warm, fuzzy nostalgia as Nokia. Just mentioning the name brings back memories of a time when mobile phones were mainly just that – devices for making phone calls, rather than portable supercomputers that demand every other minute of our time for emails or social media.

Back then, mobile phones were liberators and if you owned one it was almost certainly a Nokia: the company made the bestselling mobile in every year from 1998 to 2007 – the year the iPhone was released. Defined by its near-unbreakable handsets, its (often too) stylish designs and the gaming sensation that was Snake – the company was once Europe’s biggest, with a market cap of $300bn (£205bn), and a revenue equal to a fifth of Finland’s GDP.

So the news recently that the company is set to re-enter the mobile market was naturally greeted with rose-tinted excitement. A newly founded Finnish company, HMD, led by a former Nokian, has licensed the Nokia name from what remains of the old company; primarily a telecoms and networking business.

Microsoft however stated they will continue to focus on the Windows 10 Mobile platform as well as the Lumia brand. It will just let go of Nokia’s feature phone assets which include the branding rights, ‘software and services, care network and other assets, customer contracts, and critical supply agreements.’ HMD will have the right to the use of the Nokia branding for ten years. It will also engage in the actual manufacturing, sales, and service of the devices. Nokia will be receiving royalty towards the use of its brand by HMD. Nokia will also have a representative in the HMD Board of Directors but won’t make any financial investments or hold equity in the new company. The deal, which is expected to be finalized later in the year will affect 4,500 employees, who, Microsoft said will be given the option to join HMD or FIH, the Foxconn subsidiary.

Once the deal is closed, Arto Nummela, a former Nokia executive will be the Chief Executive of HMD. Nummela right now takes care of Microsoft’s entire feature phones business besides serving as the head of the Mobile Devices business overseeing the entire Greater Asia, Middle East, and African regions.

“We will be completely focused on creating a unified range of Nokia-branded mobile phones and tablets, which we know will resonate with consumers. Branding has become a critical differentiator in cell phones, which is why our business model is centred on the unique asset of the Nokia brand and our extensive experience in sales and marketing. We will work with world class providers in manufacturing and distribution to move quickly and deliver what customers want” said Arto Nummela.

Florian Seiche, who right now is the Senior Vice President at Microsoft Mobile overseeing sales and marketing for Europe will be joining HMD as its president.

Microsoft readies HoloLens for military applications

With Microsoft eying the potential for its augmented reality (AR) headset to be used for military applications, the Oculus Rift has garnered a lot of attention in the press as Microsoft's HoloLens appears to be shaping up to be a very interesting take on virtual reality headsets.

The HoloLens was the surprise announcement at the Windows 10 launch earlier in the year with members of the press taken to the firm’s Building 92 for a demonstration of the headset and some hands-on time with it.

But just what does the HoloLens do, how much will it cost and when will the general public be able to buy it?

The technology company detailed, on its official enterprise blog, a vision of the future where military staff, from aircraft mechanics to battlefield tacticians, will use its HoloLens headset to enhance their view of real-world objects and events.

“HoloLens embraces mixed reality to enable users to engage with the physical world and interact with real people as they simultaneously explore 3D digital content,” wrote Sergio Ortega Cruz, Microsoft’s worldwide industry solution manager for public safety, national security and defense. “For military users, the benefits are enormous. By incorporating HoloLens into their everyday operations, defence organisations can operate far more efficiently while dramatically reducing costs.”

Examples Ortega Cruz gave included overlaying a 3D model – over the top of a grounded aircraft – showing a mechanic precisely what parts of the craft need to be taken part, replaced or recalibrated.

HoloLens may also be used to design and assemble military vehicles and equipment. Ortega Cruz said Microsoft’s AR headset would allow workers to save time, instruct one another with greater accuracy, and improve assembly efficiency. Finally, Ortega Cruz suggested that HoloLens could help leaders, in a command and control centre, to better strategize and “keep their soldiers safer” during combat operations.

The blog post in question, published on Monday, has since been removed from the site for reasons Microsoft has not specified. However, it is still visible via web cache.

Microsoft already provides some specific enterprise software and technology to the defence and law enforcement bodies around the world, such as its Aware suite. The company said it is committed to supporting defence organisations with innovative applications for its HoloLens technology.

Speaking at the San Francisco conference, HoloLens evangelist Alex Kipman told the audience that developer kits of Microsoft's VR headset will ship immediately, and offered a couple of use cases for the enterprise too. One from NASA showed Buzz Aldrin taking people on a tour of Mars, and another from Case Western University's Dr Pamela Davis, showed how HoloLens can help teach students medicine by providing three-dimensional displays.

She claimed students learned more from the three-dimensional augmented reality of HoloLens than from dozens of hours of studying, while the VR device allowed people from other countries to join in the lesson (seen as the red figure in the demo picture above).

In an interview with PC World, Dedeine said that the HoloLens goggles contain a processor that heats up during use, to the extent where the headset becocmes too hot to touch with bare skin and thus dangerous to wear for long periods.

For safety reasons, however, it will shut down automatically once it reaches a certain temperature.

"The most important thing is to really be economical... you would never need to do this with a console or PC - it's all about consumption of energy, battery savings," Dedeine said. "Even more important, it's heat - to not make the whole thing get too hot, as it would be uncomfortable to the user."

This issue is presumably due to the fact that, unlike rival augmented reality devices such as Oculus Rift, the HoloLens has its own processor and so does not require a PC to work.

Practo expands services, offers medicine delivery, consultation

India’s largest online doctor discovery company Practo Technologies Pvt. Ltd claims to have 200,000 doctors, 10,000 hospitals, 8,000 diagnostic centres and 4,000 wellness and fitness centres on its platform, besides facilitating 10-12 million monthly searches.

People tend to use doctor discovery apps only when they fall ill. Naturally. But that’s a problem for health start-ups, which would like customers to use their apps more frequently than just once or twice a year. With this goal in mind, India’s largest and best-funded healthcare technology start-up, is maximizing its use cases by adding a bunch of offerings apart from its doctor discovery service.

The company, backed by Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners, Tencent, Google Capital and others, has introduced doctor consultation and medicine delivery, started providing information, and even entered the beauty and wellness segment, initiatives which will make it a compelling proposition to be used at least once a week if not more, said Practo founder and chief executive Shashank N.D.

“We want to make sure that you don’t need to be unwell to come to our platform. We have built Practo Consult, which allows consumers to get free answers to their health questions from verified doctors. Practo Order, currently available in Bangalore, allows consumers to order medicines at home, because, for chronic patients, there is a regular schedule of medicine consumption. We have also launched Practo health feed that enables consumers to get access to high quality health content written by verified doctors. In the preventive healthcare space, we have the wellness and fitness segment, which is another reason for consumers to come to Practo even if they are not sick or unwell, and the use case of these consumers is more frequent,” said Shashank N.D.

Some of the new initiatives, such as consultation and medicine delivery, will also help Practo derive revenue from existing users, who currently do not pay for searching for doctors or diagnostic centres.

The company claims to have 200,000 doctors, 10,000 hospitals, 8,000 diagnostic centres and 4,000 wellness and fitness centres on its platform, besides facilitating 10-12 million monthly searches.

“You can’t increase the frequency of doctor discovery; people fall sick at a certain frequency and once you have discovered a doctor, you don’t need a health app for the same doctor. But Practo’s story is much bigger than doctor discovery and the vision is to take care of all your healthcare needs. Anybody, anywhere, trying to do anything with healthcare, will touch Practo. From that perspective, it becomes an enormous market,” said Rutvik Doshi, director at Inventus Capital Partners, a venture capital firm. Practo, which was valued at about $500 million during its last fundraising of $90 million in August, does not yet charge consumers for searching for doctors and clinics or booking an appointment. Listing on Practo is also free for doctors. Its revenue comes from Practo Ray, a doctor-facing practice management software sold as a subscription-based, software-as-a-service product, and Practo Reach, a sponsored listing service for hospitals and clinics.

Besides, the acquisition of Insta Health Solutions, a hospital information management solution provider and Qikwell Technologies Pvt. Ltd, which has expertise in appointment scheduling at hospitals, in September has helped the company increase its revenue from enterprises.

Revenue rose to Rs.29.73 crore in fiscal 2015 from Rs.2.30 crore a year earlier, while the company incurred a loss of Rs.12.85 crore in FY15, as against Rs.9.88 crore in the year-ago period, according to documents filed with the Registrar of Companies.

Practo has entered Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil, becoming one of the few homegrown consumer Internet startups to capitalize on some of the high-growth, but largely untapped global markets.

The company has so far raised about $124 million from investors such as Tencent, Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners, Google Capital and Yuri Milner, the Russian billionaire and founder of DST Global among others.

Aviat Networks Provides Update on Corporate Realignment Initiatives

Aviat Networks, Inc., a top expert in microwave networking solutions, has provided updates on its corporate realignment initiatives and outlined aggressive actions to drive to profitability.

"We're continuing to see strong demand for our products and services within the Private Network vertical," said Michael Pangia, president and CEO, Aviat Networks.  "However, spending by Mobile Operators continues to be more challenging than anticipated.  This will have an impact on our short-term revenue, though we remain well entrenched within this segment, and believe we are positioned for growth as the next generation of technology upgrades comes to market.  We are also continuing our realignment transformation and aggressively instituting a series of Lean Six Sigma processes to drive better efficiencies and performance while significantly lowering our cost structure."

Aviat previously commenced a series of process improvement initiatives geared towards enhancing operational efficiencies, improving gross margins and lowering costs.  Based on the impact of these initiatives, the Company will be reducing its headcount by approximately 87 positions, resulting in an estimated annualized savings of approximately $6.0 - $7.0 million.  The majority of workforce reductions are anticipated to take place in Aviat's Fiscal 2016 fourth quarter. 

Aviat will also be implementing the next phase of its corporate realignment programs, which includes office consolidation, the integration of various shared service business units and other cost control measures, which should improve gross profit margins while lowering general and administrative expenses further.  Inclusive of the workforce reductions noted above, the Company anticipates overall savings of approximately $14.0 - $16.0 million during Fiscal 2017 compared to Fiscal 2016, with annualized savings higher based on programs deployed throughout the year.  Additionally, the Company anticipates that it will incur restructuring expenses associated with these events of approximately $4.0 million.

Mr. Pangia continued, "After analyzing our customers' spending plans and third-party industry data, we are taking more aggressive actions now to realign the organization to be profitable at a lower revenue run-rate than previously anticipated.  We believe we have leading technologies and differentiated services that address our customers' needs globally, and we will continue to invest in these areas.  As a result of the improvements made to date, we're in a better position to expedite our plans with a focus on generating positive Adjusted EBITDA in the first half of Fiscal 2017."

On January 4, 2016, Aviat Networks received a notice from The Nasdaq Stock Market ("Nasdaq") stating that the Company was not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) (the "Rule") because the Company's common stock failed to maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days. The Board of Directors intends to implement a plan that addresses the Company's non- compliance prior to the 180-day period granted by Nasdaq.

Verint Introduces Security Intelligence Initiatives for Customer Engagement and Enhanced User Experience

Verint® Systems Inc., has announced a series of strategic customer engagement initiatives focused on providing world-class service and support to its Security Intelligence customers and partners across the United States. These customer-centric programs leverage networking, education and technology to help further success with Verint solutions and increase customer and partner engagement.

The program aptly called Elevate, is a unique and exciting customer advocacy program designed to boost and enhance customer engagement using an online platform that encourages collaboration and the sharing of best practices. Customers of Verint Security Intelligence Solutions™—as well as those that leverage the company’s customer engagement optimization solutions—will benefit from a robust forum that enables them to connect and network in an innovative and fun way via an assortment of informational, educational and rewarding advocacy opportunities. 

Elevate is designed to help users position themselves or their business as an innovative, customer-focused market leader—helping them to elevate their status, brand, and benefits gained from their

Verint technology investment. It also delivers opportunities to connect with peers and other industry experts to share experiences, expertise, key learnings and feedback. Incentives for participation are offered in the form of points, which can be redeemed for a wide variety of rewards. Exclusive invitations will be sent to current Verint customers.

Verint Smart Support™, a mobile application that empowers users to connect with Verint 24/7, on-demand from any mobile device is being introduced to extend the company’s customer service and support network. It delivers the benefit of remote access to support requests, training collateral, troubleshooting tips, warranty status, architect specifications and more. Verint Smart Support is designed to increase engagement with customers by providing self-service support tools and resources for on-the-go users. Available initially on Android devices in May 2016, the Verint Smart Support application can be downloaded free from the Google Play Store.

In addition, Verint has enhanced its software delivery approach with the introduction of Verint vDelivery™, an electronic software fulfillment system that is now available for the latest Verint EdgeVMS™ upgrade. Electronic fulfillment of software is a best practice in today’s market, increasing speed to market, eliminating physical media costs, and proactively pushing updates and patches to customers as needed. This new delivery method is available initially with the Verint EdgeVMS Upgrade Kit and is planned as the standard delivery method for all future software releases.

“Our focus on the delivery of world-class customer service and support is what drives cutting-edge initiatives like these,” says Steve Weller, senior vice president and general manager, Verint Video and Situation Intelligence Solutions™. “Using Verint Smart Support and Verint vDelivery are ways we are driving continued collaboration with key stakeholders and engaging in new ways of conducting business within the security intelligence community.”

Verint® is a global leader in Actionable Intelligence® solutions with a focus on customer engagement optimization, security intelligence, and fraud, risk and compliance. Today, more than 10,000 organizations in 180 countries—including over 80 percent of the Fortune 100—count on intelligence from Verint solutions to make more informed, effective and timely decisions.

More troubles at NITDA as 245 'Peter Jack' staff gets the boot

The employment and sack of over 245 staff of the National Information Technology Agency (NITDA) is generating controversy between the affected staff and Minister of Communications Barrister Adebayo Shittu. The 245 staff “duly” employed by controversial former DG of the Agency, Peter Jack, in November 2015 were summarily asked to stay off work on the orders of the minister after the agency had asked them to open salary accounts and choose their pension administrators.

However, Barrister Shittu said yesterday that the staff were employed through the back door by a former NITDA Director-General, according to a Daily Trust report.

Spokesman for the aggrieved staff, Kabiru Abubakar, said NITDA employed them legally because the agency got approval from the ministry’s former Permanent Secretary, Dr. Tunji Olaopa and the Federal Character Commission (FCC) before recruiting them.

“How can the minister say we were employed illegally when the ministry and the Federal Character Commission duly approved our employment? Why is the minister playing politics with our lives; the fact that they have problem with Peter Jack should not make us bear the brunt?” said Mustapha, who was employed as a Higher Executive officer 1 on CONITSAS 8 step 2.

The spokesman said they had met with Dr. Vincent Olatunji, acting DG of NITDA, twice but he told them only the minister could rectify their employment. He stated that the 245 staff would stage a peaceful protest at the Federal Secretariat Abuja today to iron out their issues with the government.

“Why would the government that promised employment for youths go ahead to cancel same employment created by its own agency? The former NITDA Director- General got approval from the Ministry of Communications to recruit and the Federal Character Commission approved the employment of 245 of us who scaled through the interview hurdle,” Mustapha said.

Shittu however, stated that the ministry might reconsider their case after the substantive DG had been appointed at NITDA.

Apart from employment racketeering, the former DG was also accused of inflating contracts and other shady deals while in office.

Is it China or the iPhone 6S that is sending Apple to trouble again?

Apple got hit with a lot of bad news recently. First, the company posted its first quarterly revenue drop since 2003. And then billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn revealed that he has dumped all of his shares in Apple. NPR explores whether the company is really in trouble or if is this all just a bump in the road.

Though Apple's stock has rebounded nicely from its 52-week low levels, however, there's still a lot of uncertainty about the company going into the quarterly earnings. The apparently weak sales of the iPhone 6S has been a matter of great concern among investors.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are great smartphones, ones that are pretty tempting to Apple fans trying to decide on the best time to buy a new iPhone: Is it better to buy an iPhone 6s now or wait until the iPhone 7’s release date this fall? Whether your old smartphone needs replacing ASAP or you’ve mentally allocated your tax refund to a brand new iPhone, you may be leaning toward the iPhone 6s. But because no smartphone is perfect, the iPhone 6s has its own share of problems, despite numerous positive reviews from both tech reviewers and everyday consumers.

Coupled with that, China's shutdown of iTunes and iBooks is an unsubtle reminder of the Chinese government's power over Apple. Apple stared down the United States government over iPhone encryption, but China has the power to bankrupt Apple in a matter of months.

Also iOS 9 has had a bumpy ride. Despite claims this generation of iOS would focus on optimisation as opposed to major features, each major iOS 9 release – 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3 – has suffered from significant problems. But even if the bugs haven’t improved since iOS 8, Apple AAPL +1.64%’s attitude towards them certainly has.

Last month Apple launched iOS 9.3.1 – primarily to address serious problems introduced in iOS 9.3 – and this fix in turn was discovered to cause a majority security hole. Yet, unlike the silence that greeted many problems in iOS 8, Apple has again fronted up immediately and admitted to the flaw.

Apple fessed up to the Washington Times, confirming iOS 9.3.1 contained a bug that made it easy to bypass lockscreen security (both PIN and fingerprint) to access a user’s contacts and photos.

Initially when Apple launched the first generation MacBook, Intel's first Core M processor generation was grounded on the company's Broadwell architecture. It was very difficult for the chipmaker to manufacture Core-based chips for MacBook. Recently Apple refreshed its MacBook computers using second-generation Core M processors grounded on Intel’s Skylake architecture.

This new enhanced processor includes some important changes like superior support for hardware video codecs, noteworthy smaller package size, faster graphics and CPU performance, and an integrated image signal processor. However, no single improvement can change the game, but, if combined together, they will convey a substantial advancement in the user understanding.

The most important change is the use of large battery size to offer a more efficient platform. It permitted the company to claim an enhancement in battery life to 11 hours of iTunes movie playback and 10 hours of web browsing.

According to the China Mobile’s (CHL) most recent quarterly results, it added many new 4G users, slightly less than its record December quarter. It reported 64.2 million new 4G customers as compared to 64.7 million customers in previous quarter. China Mobile now has 376.5 million 4G customers, a surge of 163% year over year, which accounts for 45% of its entire 833.9 million users. This clearly indicates that China is one of the most important markets to drive the company’s future growth.

Another reason why China plays a significant role in top-line growth of Apple because it accounted for 53% of the company’s overall revenue growth in 2015 and 70% of the company's top-line growth in the fourth quarter of 2015. Therefore, it is very necessary to understand the Apple’s China business.

On the other hand, China has the second highest operating margin for Apple and it produces the second highest operating margin dollars at $7.6 billion. The company recently reported that China will become its largest market, and if existing drifts continues, it will be Apple’s biggest operating profit contributor before it internments the top-line title.

Although the iPhone 6S will fail to beat the bar set by its predecessor, its most likely that Apple will report a good quarter. The introduction of the iPhone SE, along with the enhancements in the Mac should offset some of the lost sales from the iPhone 6S. Interesting times(?)