VidOvation hires Broadcast Media Veterans

Irvine, California, 3/12/15  - VidOvation, a leading manufacturer of Video, Audio and Data Communications systems, and CER-TEC, a Broadcast Media manufacturer's representative firm, announce their partnership.

VidOvation has invested heavily in John Cerquone and Leigh Herman of CER-TEC to help introduce transmission methods over fiber optic, wireless, and Ethernet/IP technologies. The intention is to present VidOvation's distinctive offerings to the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic areas.

As trusted advisers in the broadcast industry, these industry veterans from New York, New York possess the ideal assets to spread the word of inventive video transmission products such as VidOvation's custom designed National Hockey League adopted GoalView 60 GHz Wireless goal verification system and their Stagebox IP Camera Back developed by the British Broadcast Corporation.

Executive VP of VidOvation, Jim Jachetta, points out that VidOvation systems are the mission critical infrastructure all broadcast clients need. Jim states, "In addition to our competitive video transmission systems, we provide the back-bending flexibility and support every client desperately needs in this market."

CER-TEC stresses relationships with quality-oriented manufacturers. They strive to carry remarkable product lines in the areas of Broadcast Video, Audio, Media Delivery, OTT solutions, Cloud products and Digital Asset Management. VidOvation's unique positioning as flexible problem solvers and video transmission experts guarantee a strong synergy with CER-TEC to help clients from beginning to end. "We ensure that each project gets done right by being involved from start to finish," says John Cerquone, CEO. "This means serving consumers and manufacturers before, during, and after the investment."

VidOvation will be at the NAB Show 2015 in Booth C1113. VidOvation  will be introducing new wireless, cellular and ethernet-based transport systems.  Additionally, Jim will be presenting during NAB's Broadcast Engineering Conference on "Achieving 10Gbps Wireless Data Rates for 4K Video with Unlicensed 60GHz Spectrum".

AfriLabs receives $23k grant from Indigo Trust

Indigo Trust has awarded a second grant of GBP15,000 (US$23,000) to AfriLabs, a network of 36 technology innovation hubs in 18 countries across Africa. Indigo Trust made its first grant to AfriLabs in 2013, and said it was delighted to continue supporting its work and that of other hubs across Africa.

“AfriLabs fulfils an important role by providing a degree of coordination and interaction between different hubs and we’re delighted to announce a second grant to continue this work. We’re delighted to be supporting this work, especially given our investment in and involvement with many of the hubs who stand to benefit from AfriLabs’ work,” Indigo Trust said.

Indigo Trust has already made grants to hubs including Co-Creation Hub, iLab, BongoHive, RLabs, iHub, JoziHub and Hypercube, and Disrupt Africa reported last month the EUR373,000 (US$432,000) Joint Hub Fund Programme it established along with the DOEN Foundation and Hivos Foundation had awarded its first four grants.

Cameroon’s ActivSpaces, Uganda’s HiveColab, Ghana’s iSpace and Tanzania’s KINU were all recipients of cash from the fund, which was established in June last year and is aimed at catalysing the continent’s technology startup ecosystem in order for it to contribute to significant social changes and create employment. 

IBM Expands Global Research Network Into South Africa

IBM has announced plans to expand IBM Research - Africa with a new laboratory in Johannesburg beginning April 2015. It will focus on advancing Big Data, cloud and mobile technologies to support South Africa's national priorities, drive skills development and foster innovation-based economic growth. As part of a 10-year investment program through the Department of Trade and Industry and working closely with the Department of Science and Technology, the new research facility will be based at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits).

"IBM considers two factors when deciding where to place research labs: access to world-class skills and talent and the ability to work on pressing business and societal challenges that can be best addressed through advanced information technology," said Dr. John E. Kelly III, Senior Vice President of IBM Solutions Portfolio and Research. "South Africa provides an exciting backdrop as we look to expand our research efforts in the region. Our Africa-based researchers are part of a global community of IBM scientists who are forging the future of our company and ensuring that we remain at the forefront of scientific discovery."

"South Africa is amongst the most technologically and scientifically advanced countries in the world," said Naledi Pandor, Minister of Science and Technology. "However, it is essential to increase research and development activities in order to foster innovation and support the further diversification of the economy. We welcome IBM Research to South Africa and offer our very best scientific talent to ensure its long-term success."

Fostering Innovation IBM's South Africa researchers will partner extensively with local universities, research institutions, innovation centers, start-ups and government agencies, thus bolstering South Africa's emerging innovation ecosystem and helping to develop next generation technology skills. The company has already struck up agreements with Wits University, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to collaborate on research programs and skills development.

"The development of a successful innovation ecosystem is crucial to the further development of the South African economy and the country's international competitiveness," said Professor Adam Habib, Vice Chancellor and Principal, Wits University. "IBM Research's decision to locate in Johannesburg will give a huge boost to a dynamic community of programmers, designers, developers, entrepreneurs and start-ups."

The new lab will be located in the Tshimologong Precinct in Braamfontein - an inner-city area which is today re-emerging as one of Johannesburg's most dynamic and vibrant districts.

The new South Africa research team will be led by Dr. Solomon Assefa, formerly a research scientist at IBM's flagship Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York. Dr. Assefa has co-authored over 50 scientific articles and has 45 patents. He was named one of the World's Top Young Innovators under 35 by MIT's Technology Review in 2011 and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Last year he was named a Fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences.

Aligned with areas of strategic national importance and bolstering South Africa's leadership in science and technology, the lab's focus areas will include:

Digital Urban Renewal The lab's inner-city location will allow IBM's new researchers to form part of a 'living lab' that will explore the role of advanced digital technologies and Big Data analytics in urban renewal. Mobile technologies, global positioning systems, cameras and sensors are becoming ubiquitous in cities, thereby providing opportunities to re-imagine the delivery of services such as transportation, energy and security. IBM's researches and partner organizations will develop solutions using computational modeling, Internet of Things and cognitive systems to engage more effectively with citizens and help revitalize inner-city areas in South Africa and around the world.

Helping to Transform Healthcare IBM's South Africa-based researchers will explore new approaches using Big Data analytics and cognitive computing to increase the efficiency, scalability and effectiveness of healthcare in resource-constrained environments in South Africa and across the African continent. IBM Research is already engaged with the KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH) to research new treatment approaches to fight tuberculosis (TB). Using Big Data technologies in bacterial genetics and drug susceptibility tests, the work is increasing understanding of the genomic mechanisms that cause resistance to antibiotics.

Big Data for Big Science IBM's new researchers will also contribute to the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) radio telescope project which aims to answer fundamental questions about the origins of the universe. In one of the most ambitious science efforts ever launched, scientists from South Africa will work with those from ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy and IBM Research -- Zurich to collect and analyze unprecedented amounts of Big Data from deep space that contain information dating back to the Big Bang more than 13 billion years ago.

BIH takes multi-pronged approach to Botswana’s tech development

The Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH), which is funded by the country’s government, is taking a multi-pronged approach to develop the country’s tech startup ecosystem. The hub was a product of the Botswana Excellence Strategy of 2008, which set economic diversification, job creation, and moving the country towards a knowledge-based economy as key goals.

BIH was established to play a key part in creating a prosperous, productive and innovative Botswana, developing and operating Botswana’s first Science and Technology Park. It is mandated with supporting new ventures and existing companies in key focus sectors such as ICT, Biotechnology and mining and clean technologies.

Disrupt Africa reported last week BIH is in the process of implementing an Innovation Fund to provide seed and early-stage growth funding to qualifying businesses, ideas and concepts, but this is only the latest strategy undertaken by the hub to support entrepreneurs in the country.

The hub also runs the First Steps Venture Centre (FSVC), a technology entrepreneurship development scheme developed as a hybrid business incubation and acceleration venture programme. It currently has 15 startups under incubation.

“FSVC seeks to support technology-oriented startups within the Botswana Innovation Hub priority areas, that have the potential to grow into both the local and international markets as well as a knowledge sharing platform in which contribution to the broader development of technology entrepreneurship in Botswana can be made,” FSVC programme manager Tshepo Tsheko told Disrupt Africa.

BIH also runs the Cyber City Kgotla Developer Community, an open community workspace “where innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and investment meet”. The community aims to facilitate the development and growth of innovative technology ideas to benefit Botswana economically and socially.

“We are building a platform for all those in the technology space in Botswana to actively engage, from the researcher, developer, tech entrepreneur, ICT corporate to investor,” said Tsheko. Not content with these two interventions, BIH has also partnered Microsoft, with the tech giant underpinning the hub’s entrepreneurship development initiative with state-of-the-art technology facilities, while the Southern African Innovation Support (SIAS) programme seeks to promote collaboration within the innovation systems of nearby African countries in order to provide greater impact on economic and social development.

“To unlock innovative potential, it is important to establish and sustain a holistic and interconnected environment, which has a foundation, built on both knowledge and practice. SAIS contributes to developing this environment by bringing together the elements of the systems of innovation in each country, and strengthening the capacity of platforms that enable product, service and social innovations,” said Tsheko.

He said the various schemes – designed to mentor and coach entrepreneurs – would serve to boost the Botswana technology space, which he said had started to bloom in the last 5 five years. “Botswanan entrepreneurs have seen the potential in the innovation space here for many years. With not only Botswanans taking note, international corporates as well as expats have noticed the growing space,” Tsheko said.

“Today Botswana has very diverse culture in different spaces of technology, whether it is ICT or clean technology. With the youth being the biggest demographic of baby boomers in the tech space, the market anxiously welcomes innovation product development.”

However, he said like every good technology, until its relevance is explained the market will not welcome it. “Thus initiatives like ours assist in building awareness of the need for entrepreneurship and technology development,” Tsheko said.

Hub sustainability has been the subject of ongoing debate and interest in recent months, with Tsheko saying BIH’s sustainability strategy was premised on strategic commercial projects with both government and private sector partners. These range from the leasing of land for development, turnkey development for companies locating in the park, and development of turnkey data centres.

“This will enable BIH to continue to invest in supporting and nurturing technology innovation and entrepreneurship in Botswana,” he said, adding BIH’s programmes were initiated to to boost different sectors of entrepreneurship and development.

“These result in new businesses, new markets and job creation, with those factors being some of the key focuses of our country’s development Sustainability comes from empowerment, relevance, being beneficial, these come from the seed of result.”

ATF, MEST partner to support African tech entrepreneurs

African Technology Foundation (ATF) and the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) have announced a partnership aimed at supporting the development of African technology and a new generation of African entrepreneurs.

With both ATF and MEST having operations in Silicon Valley, the partners said the agreement will see them leveraging their cross-continental presence to identify and evaluate technology related opportunities in Africa, as well as promote scholarship and mentorship opportunities for African entrepreneurs.

Under the partnership, ATF and MEST will mutually develop their respective and collective business interests in the internationalization of African technologies; develop global opportunities for the investment in, and mentoring of African entrepreneurs; and will leverage existing partnerships and networks to support pan-African technology ecosystems.

Under the partnership, ATF and MEST will mutually develop their respective and collective business interests in the internationalization of African technologies; develop global opportunities for the investment in, and mentoring of, African entrepreneurs; and will leverage existing partnerships and networks to support pan-African technology ecosystems.

“Central to this [partnership]is the bridging of knowledge gaps for aspiring African entrepreneurs that are either starting new ventures or scaling up their existing operations. Africa’s future will be hugely reliant on the rapid growth of knowledge economies and the entrepreneurial endeavors of a youthful population driven by stage agnostic technologies,” said Stephen Ozoigbo, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of ATF.

“We are delighted to be teaming with MEST, whose training programme has empowered hundreds of entrepreneurs in West Africa and provided a unique and globally recognized platform for driving technology based investments to the region,” Ozoigbo said.

“African Technology Foundation has done a superior job at bridging the gap and connecting the dots between innovators in Africa and tech forces in Silicon Valley and beyond,” said Neal Hansch, managing director, MEST incubator.

“We strongly believe this partnership with ATF will benefit our trainees and incubated companies at MEST by furthering their reach and visibility. We’re excited to work together for years to come and collaborate for the benefit of increased entrepreneurship and recognition of the skilled developers and tech talent across the continent.”

Acer launch Chromebooks for classrooms

Acer is committed to the Chromebook and has unveiled two new models designed for schools. Both are designed to stand up to the rigors of use by students. One is an 11.6-inch highly portable model and the other a big 15.6-inch Chromebook.

The Acer C740 Chromebook is designed for education programs that allow students to take their Chromebooks home. It is small and light to fit in a backpack for the trips back and forth between school and home.

Chromebooks are a big deal for schools because they're cheap and relatively easy to lock down. However, not just any Chromebook will do -- ideally, you want a laptop that can survive bumps and drops from less-than-careful students. Acer thinks it can handle that unforgiving audience. Both laptops have shells that withstand up to 132 pounds of force, corners that handle falls from up to 18 inches high, and reinforced hinges that won't easily snap. The C740 even gets specially extended hinges to make sure it won't flop or twist in high-stress situations, such as a kid's backpack.

The Acer C910 Chromebook has a large 15.6-inch display that is available with either a high-resolution option (1920 x 1080), or the more budget-friendly standard laptop resolution of 1366 x 768. All of the displays on this and the C740 have anti-glare properties. They're respectable systems beyond those tougher exteriors, for that matter. Both Chromebooks have the option of Intel Broadwell-based Celeron or Core i3 processors, and either 2GB or 4GB of RAM.

You're mostly paying based on the screen and storage. The C740 starts things off with a 1,366 x 768 display, a 16GB solid-state drive and a 9-hour battery at $260. Pay a little more for the $279 C910 and you'll get little more than the larger LCD and a slightly shorter 8-hour runtime, but there are more sophisticated variants with 1080p displays and 32GB of space. Both Chrome OS models will be available in February, or in time for schools starting their early planning for the next school year. And before you ask, the C720 isn't going away -- Acer tells us that the C740 is an education-specific model rather than a replacement.

Two New Motorola Smartphones, Moto G Titan And Moto E Styx Surface

Details of two new Motorola handsets have surfaced on Argos, an online retailer website from the U.K. The entire specifications of Moto G Titan and Moto E Styx along with pricing were listed on the retailer's website.

According to GSMArena, the Moto G Titan has similar specs that are available on the second generation Moto G that was released last year. It measures 141.5 x 70.7 x 10.99 mm but it weighs 6 g more than the Moto G 2014 edition. The 5-inch display of the device supports a slightly different resolution than HD resolution of Moto G 2014. It supports 1280 x 768 pixels and it comes with 8 GB of native storage. It is powered by a quad-core processor and it brings along an 8 MP main shooter. GSMArena claims that the Moto G Titan is the 4G LTE enabled version of Moto G 2014. Argos had listed the Moto G Titan with a price tag of £159.95 (around AU$ 295) for the unlocked edition.

Moto E Styx is also being dubbed as the 4G LTE version of the Moto E that was released in 2013. The handset has almost the same design and appearance like the Moto E budget phone. However, the Moto E Styx features an upgraded quad-core processor. The original Moto E is driven by a low-end dual-core processor. Argos had listed the handset with a price tag of £109.95 (around AU$ 202).

Both the handsets are featuring the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop update. Motorola has not spoken anything on launching new handsets in this year. Hence, there is no confirmation on Moto G Titan and Moto E Styx.

On Jan 14, IBTimes had reported that a new low-end Motorola smartphone was spotted at the FCC regulatory organization in the U.S. The handset is being referred to as Moto E successor handset. Fresh rumours have only revealed the dimensions of the device but other rumours claim that it will feature 4.5-inch display with support for 540 x 960 pixels, Snapdragon 400 CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 5 MP camera and more.