SAP Africa Code Week launches in Ghana...appoints new head of education

The 2017 edition of Africa Code Week (ACW) arrived in Ghana this week with a series of Train-The-Trainer (TTT) workshops that took place.

Jointly organised by SAP, Dreamoval and the Ghana Education Service in Accra and Kumasi, these workshops are equipping local parents, teachers and educators with the coding skills and teaching materials they need to train children and youth in their immediate communities.

Africa Code Week was started in 2015 by SAP Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) EMEA together with public and private sector partners, with a long-term goal of empowering more than 200 000 teachers and positively impact the lives of 5 million children and youth within the next 10 years.

With over half a million young Africans introduced to coding across 30 countries so far, Africa Code Week key partners (SAP, UNESCO YouthMobile, the Cape Town Science Centre and the Galway Education Centre) have set new ambitious goals for 2017: impact the lives of 500 000 youth across 35 African countries over the course of an eight-day period from 18 to 25 October.

Ghana joined Africa Code Week in 2015, engaging 730 children and youth in the first year. Last year, the Dreamoval Foundation became the implementing partner for ACW in Ghana: with their support, 590 teachers were trained as part of the Train-the-Trainer sessions and an astounding 51 710 children and youth engaged in October 2016 – 56% of which were girls. Dreamoval will be, once again, the Implementing Partner for Africa Code Week 2017 in Ghana.

We have set ourselves the target of training 800 teachers this week and 150 000 young Ghanaians from October 18- 25,” says Francis Ahene-Affoh, head of business development and marketing at Dreamoval.

Train-The-Trainer workshops were held at the GNAT Hall at the Accra Polytechnic in Kumasi, with Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Education, Barbara Ayisi Acher, attending the launch. The Africa Code Week delegation also met with several Ghanaian dignitaries during the course of this training week, including Ghana Vice President His Excellency Dr Mahamudu Bamumia. For Vice President Bamumia, who has assured his full support to the initiative, “Africa Code Week is a powerful leverage for the public sector to wide-spread digital literacy on a nation-wide scale.”

According to Claire Gillissen-Duval, Director of EMEA Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP and Global Lead for Africa Code Week: “The initiative’s effectiveness in empowering the next generation of Digital Economy workers in Ghana requires knowledgeable instructors who are able to provide mentorship and skills transfer to participating youngsters.”

In a related development, SAP Africa has announced the appointment of a top executive to lead digital transformation education across the African continent. SAP Africa announced the appointment of Goutam Dev as its new Head of Education for Africa.

The newly appointed executive has been with the enterprise services company since 2005. He has held various leadership roles in services, sales, strategy, and general management across a range of geographies.

According to SAP Education, they position themselves as the world's largest IT education provider and a recognised market leader by successfully delivering customer and partner enablement. Noteworthy, Dev regards the digital skills gap as one of the top barriers to digital transformation among SAP Africa’s customers and partners.

“As a business, it is our stated objective to help companies with their digital transformation initiatives. By combining SAP's broad range of knowledge offerings in both a classroom and digital setting, we aim to focus on driving a comprehensive, rapid, and easy-to-consume learning and enablement strategy, which we see as being key to our customers' success and growth in Africa. Further, by extending the reach of enablement across the continent, we are able to unlock the tremendous growth potential in Africa, which is the largest market for SAP Education in the EMEA region", says Dev.

Dev has previously served in an executive role as the Chief of Staff to the Office of the SAP Africa CEO where he was tasked with the execution and strategic decisions of the CEO across all lines of business and also across 54 African countries.

Intel readies new 'Ice lake' chip that'll supercede 8th-generation processors

As Intel prepares to unveil its 8th-generation Coffee Lake processors next week, the company has released basic information on an upcoming 10-nanometer "Ice Lake" chip, which will serve as the successor to the 14-nanometer Coffee Lake and 10-nanometer Cannon Lake chips.

Details on the Ice Lake architecture, which will be made on Intel's 10nm+ process, have been shared on Intel's codename decoder.

"The Ice Lake processor family is a successor to the 8th generation Intel(R) CoreTM processor family. These processors utilize Intel's industry-leading 10 nm+ process technology," reads the site.

As AnandTech points out, Intel's decision to share details on Ice Lake is odd because the company has not announced or shared details on Cannon Lake, the first chips that will be built on its 10-nanometer architecture, and Intel is also referring to Ice Lake as the successor to its soon-to-be-announced 14-nanometer Coffee Lake chips, leading to confusion about its upcoming processor lineup and how Cannon Lake fits in.

Intel's current Kaby Lake chips were built on a second-generation 14nm+ architecture, while Coffee Lake is a third-generation 14nm++ architecture. Both Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake are available for both desktops and laptops, but it appears the 10-nanometer Cannon Lake chips succeed Coffee Lake chips in laptops, while desktops won't see 10-nanometer architecture until the release of Ice Lake.

AnandTech speculates that the chip confusion is the result of the difficulty behind developing a 10-nanometer architecture. Intel needs to perfect 10-nanometer chips for smaller processors before moving on to larger desktop processors.

Simply put, the first generation of 10nm requires small processors to ensure high yields. Intel seems to be putting the smaller die sizes (i.e. anything under 15W for a laptop) into the 10nm Cannon Lake bucket, while the larger 35W+ chips will be on 14++ Coffee Lake, a tried and tested sub-node for larger CPUs. While the desktop sits on 14++ for a bit longer, it gives time for Intel to further develop their 10nm fabrication abilities, leading to their 10+ process for larger chips by working their other large chip segments (FPGA, MIC) first.

Intel's 14nm++ Coffee Lake chips will be officially unveiled on August 21, and these are the chips that we are likely to see in Apple notebooks and standard iMac desktops in the coming year, but again, it's unclear how Cannon Lake fits into the lineup and whether those chips will be available for some machines in time for 2018 refreshes.

As the successor to Intel's 8th-generation chips, Ice Lake is not likely to be available until late 2018 or 2019, with an exact timeline to be determined by Intel's success in improving its 10-nanometer architecture.

Renault-Nissan establishes technology innovation lab

The Israel Innovation Authority’s (IIA) “Technological Innovation Labs” Program has reached a new milestone this week as it selected the five franchise holders to operate the labs for a three-year pilot period.

The labs, funded by the IIA, will provide technological infrastructure and knowhow to entrepreneurs, including Renault-Nissan Alliance, to establish their proof of concept.

Throughout this period, the Authority will assist in funding the establishment of the labs’ technological infrastructure for the benefit of the entrepreneurs and their start-ups, with a budget of up to NIS 4 million.

The Authority will also cover ongoing operational costs of up to a half million shekels per year. The start-ups accepted to the labs will receive up to 85 percent of funding or NIS 1 million to establish their proof of concept.

The target audience for the program is entrepreneurs and startups, with innovative ideas in the relevant verticals, who are interested in getting a proof of concept and developing their idea into a product.

The program also focuses on attracting leading multinational corporations focused on adopting open innovation and in supporting startups through the labs by making unique technological infrastructure accessible, especially technological infrastructure, which is not currently available in Israel.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance will operate a technological lab established in the entrepreneurial complex in Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Atidim business center, focusing on smart urban mobility.

The other four companies are Merck-Flex, which researches innovation for electronic devices; Enel-Shikun & Binui Holdings Ltd. focusing on smart infrastructure of construction, transportation and energy; Ham-Let (Israel-Canada) Ltd., focusing on industrial data, and Frutarom, aimed at developing unique, functional raw materials for the food and beverage industries.

Aharon Aharon, CEO of the IIA, said the project “puts great emphasis on introducing innovation to the manufacturing industry. We received 16 outstanding proposals, indicating a real need that the program addresses.”

He further noted that the lab program will “serve as a platform for connecting the manufacturing industry with the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation for which Israel has become renowned. It will help give Israeli companies a competitive edge globally.”

Anya Eldan, IIA Vice President and head of the Start-Up Division, said that “the lab program enables the development of innovation ecosystems in a variety of fields in advanced manufacturing by leveraging the technological infrastructure and knowhow of large companies – in Israel and around the world – for the benefit of start-ups. The program joins our successful Technological Incubator Program at the Start-Up Division of the Israel Innovation Authority.”

High-end flip phones are back. Meet the Samsung Leader 8: dual-display flip phone

You might have thought that flip phones were out of fashion, but Samsung is doing its best to prove you wrong. On Thursday, following weeks of leaks and rumors, Samsung unveiled the Leader 8 flip phone on its website. Previously known only by its model number (SM-G9298), the Leader 8 is an Android-based, dual-display flip phone with surprisingly competitive specs and a stunning design.
Set to launch in China in the coming days, the Leader 8 feature two 4.2-inch displays — one on the front and one inside. Both are Full HD Super AMOLED screens, with the front display allowing users to quickly check information like the date, the time or call reminders. Leader 8 users will also be able to change the background image and the style of the clock on the front display of the phone.
In addition to the two HD displays, the phone also features a Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, 2,300 mAh battery, 12-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera. The Leader 8 also has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and supports wireless charging.
At a glance, the Leader 8 almost looks like a miniature Galaxy S8. Of course, once you flip the phone open, your perception changes entirely. Inside the phone, you’ll find a control pad surrounded by inlaid buttons, one of which can be configured to serve as a customizable hotkey. Below the control pad is a fairly standard key pad, which look like pretty much another other flip phone’s key pad.
So far, the Leader 8 has only been confirmed for release in China, though Samsung has yet to announce a price. We very much doubt that this phone will make it overseas, but our fingers are crossed.

Via: MSN

Stratagem design Machines that Gamble Like No Human can!

Listening to Andreas Koukorinis, founder of UK sports betting company Stratagem, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that soccer games are some of the most predictable events on Earth. “They’re short duration, repeatable, with fixed rules,” Koukorinis tells The Verge. “So if you observe 100,000 games, there are patterns there you can take out.”

Stratagem is a British company that takes bets on soccer games. Currently, it employs some 65 human experts who study matches across the globe and uses machine learning to automate parts of the process of betting, like figuring out when people like to gamble the most.

The mission of Koukorinis’ company is simple: find these patterns and make money off them. Stratagem does this either by selling the data it collects to professional gamblers and bookmakers, or by keeping it and making its own wagers. To fund these wagers, the firm is raising money for a £25 million ($32 million) sports betting fund that it’s positioning as an investment alternative to traditional hedge funds. In other words, Stratagem hopes rich people will give Stratagem their money. The company will gamble with it using its proprietary data, and, if all goes to plan, everyone ends up just that little bit richer.

But what's down the pike, founder Andreas Koukorinis tells potential investors and The Verge, is an AI that can watch a game in real time, and, with thousands upon thousands of data points, predict who can win. "They're short duration, repeatable, with fixed rules," Koukorinis tells The Verge. "So if you observe 100,000 games, there are patterns there you can take out." The company is raising money for a £25 million ($32 million) fund to test those patterns out.

The number of possible bets on soccer or any other sport are limited only by the imagination of the bookies, ranging from coin flips to red flags to what color shoes Beyonce will wear at halftime. So Strategem is starting with the basics, trying to get its AI to understand goal chances. Koukorinis has his AI hooked up to regular broadcasts, which can get tricky with instant replay. But the AI marks up the screen with various boxes as players slash through the midfield and make an attempt on a goalie. It's similar to what a self-driving car AI sees.

Currently, Kokorinis tells The Verge that the AI is doing 50-50 so far, which might not seem so impressive. But it took a while for SABR to catch on as well, when baseball scouts were convinced that athletic potential could only be assessed through the naked eye. Stratagem is taking a bet on betting and assuming a similar revolution is coming.

Microsoft's new patent reveals 'Surface Phone' features...to Challenge IPHONE 8 and GALAXY NOTE 8

Even though Microsoft has reported a fall in Surface PC line and Windows phones revenues, the Redmond-based tech giant is aiming for new devices called "Surface Phones" and has made its patent public. 

According to a report in Forbes on Monday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has confirmed that Microsoft will "make more phones, but they will not look like phones that are there today." 

Earlier this year, Nadella declared that 2017 would see Microsoft launch the ultimate mobile device saying, "We will continue to be in the phone market not as defined by today's market leaders, but by what it is that we can uniquely do in what is the most ultimate mobile device." 

On July 21, Microsoft reported that the Windows Surface revenue decreased two per cent -- mainly due to product lifecycle transitions. Phone revenues were effectively zero as with the previous quarter. 

Even after these results, the company has now published patent on smartphones. 

Titled 'Wireless Communications Device', the patent talks about a bendable smartphone with antenna, battery, SIM card holders and screen connectors split over a hinge to create a dual-winged device. Although the device is just titled “Wireless Communications Device,” the patent describes a bendable smartphone with an antenna, battery, SIM card holders, and screen connectors split on a hinge that creates a dual-screened device. Many are assuming that this is the new Surface Phone, especially since the patent describes some earlier rumors of the phone.

On the consumer side of things, Microsoft will continue to build up its cloud based activities that drove exponential growth and helped it report much better profits than expected for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, which ended on June 30.

Microsoft’s Surface Phone has pretty much been a myth based on some strong rumors for the past year. There was especially a lot of excitement when a couple of months back, Tech Times reported that the mysterious phone would indeed be announced at a Microsoft event on May 23.

Unfortunately (or fortunately for fans of Microsoft’s laptop/tablet hybrid), the new Surface Pro, rather than the Surface Phone, was announced. However, some new information verifying the existence of a Surface Phone revealed today has excited smartphone lovers.

According to most rumors, the Surface Phone is likely to run Microsoft’s mobile ARM processor, which Microsoft just demonstrated running desktop apps on. This will make using apps such as Photoshop painfully slow, but it’s doubtful that anyone will be purchasing a Surface Phone to use specifically as a photo editing device.

There has been no date set yet for the Surface Phone, but many believe it will be available during the fourth quarter of 2017. Microsoft will certainly have a lot of competition. Around the same time, the much-hyped iPhone 8 will hit the market.

As MacRumors notes, at least one version of the device will have a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED screen with an increased pixel resolution, an advanced A11 processor, and a glass body. There allegedly won’t even be a need for a physical home button, and there are strong rumors that Apple has perfected facial recognition so much that there will be no need for Touch ID. And finally, Apple is set to add wireless charging capabilities to the iPhone—something Samsung has done with its phones since 2014.

Speaking the Galaxy Note 8, Tom’s Guide reports that Samsung’s large device will likely be worth the wait. The large smartphone is said to have a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen that could have a 4K resolution, which would be great for using it in the Gear VR. However, a 4K screen could also eat up a lot of battery life.

The Note 8 will likely also have a whopping 6GB of RAM, a dual 13MP camera with 3X optical zoom, and an advanced Snapdragon processor. It will look very much like the Samsung Galaxy S8+, which isn’t a bad thing according to most.

Based on all the rumors, which smartphone are consumers looking forward to the most? Is it the Microsoft Surface Phone, the iPhone 8, or the Galaxy Note 8? 

Desktop Metal gets $115 million in funding to deliver metal 3D printing

Desktop Metal has already earned a number of fans with its 3D printed metal technology — Lowe’s, Caterpillar and BMW were all among its earliest clients. As first noted by CNBC, the Massachusetts-based startup is also getting some healthy monetary support, adding $115 million of venture funds to its coffers this week. The Series D features a number of high profile names, including New Enterprise Associates, GV (formerly Google Ventures), GE Ventures, Future Fund and Techtronic Industries, the holdings company that owns Hoover U.S. and Dirt Devil.

Founded in 2013 by four MIT professors, Desktop Metal isn’t the first company to bring metal 3D printing to market, but it’s probably the most efficient. By its own measure, the company’s machines are able to print objects at up to 100-times the speed of their competitors. That’s good news for those clients using Studio, the prototyping machine the company announced last year — but even more useful for those planning to use the upcoming Production, a system designed to bring the technology to manufacturing.

Speed has been of the main bottlenecks in mainstreaming 3D printing for manufacturing — metal or otherwise. The Production system isn’t going to replace wide scale manufacturing any time soon, but it will make it a more realistic possibility for smaller speciality parts, with its ability to print 500 cubic inches of metal per hour. According to CEO Ric Fulop, that works out to millions of parts per year for a given machine.

“You don’t need tooling,” he tells TechCrunch. “You can make short runs of production with basically no tooling costs. You can change your design and iterate very fast. And now you can make shapes you couldn’t make any other way, so now you can lightweight a part and work with alloys that are very, very hard, with very extreme properties.”

The list of companies that have embraced the $50,000+ Surface is pretty diverse. Automakers like BMW are using it to prototype products, and the local robotics community has also been extremely excited about the device’s ability to print in a broad range of alloys. For smaller companies without access to big machining warehouses, prototyping with metal is a pretty big pain point.

“One of the benefits for this technology for robotics is that you’re able to do lots of turns,” says Fulop. “Unless you’re iRobot with the Roomba, you’re making a lot of one-off changes to your product.”

Desktop Metal is still pretty small, at around 150 people — mostly engineers, according to Fulop. Along with R&D, this latest funding round will go a ways toward increasing that staff and reach, with plans to extend to more markets, including Europe and Asia.