NITDA Sponsors 13 Nigerian Startups to GITEX Global Startup Movement

The 36th GITEX Technology Week also included the GITEX Global Startup Movement, which hosted more than 420 startups from 60 countries, and more than 1,000 entrepreneurs under one roof to invest, sell, and learn. NITDA also sponsored about 13 of Nigeria’s game-changing startups.

To promote international interest in ICT opportunities in Nigeria and across the continent, Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) hosted an Africa Investment Forum at the recently concluded 36th GITEX Technology Week.

“From digital oilfields running on drones and robotics, to smart grids distributing electricity generated from renewable energy, the energy sector in Nigeria and Africa hosts tremendous investment opportunities. GITEX Technology Week’s Africa Investment Forum provided the opportunity for companies to find new investment opportunities under one roof,” said Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), Director General of Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

With its focus on emerging markets, the GITEX Global Startup Movement is attracted a strong field of innovative entrepreneurs from Africa, among which included these startups from Nigeria, Geniigames, Wecyclers, DIYLaw, Astrosand, Phinnx, Rotors and Pilots, ebooks, Chowhub, Jaramobile, GoMyWay, Pinfoot, ArtNigeria and Logical Address, showcasing and competing for $160,000.

“Dubai connects Africa to global investors and companies. The energy, oil, and gas sector in Nigeria and Africa is rapidly undergoing digital transformation, and key players can discover the latest innovations and business opportunities at GITEX Technology Week,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice-President for Exhibitions and Events Management at the Dubai World Trade Centre, which hosts GITEX Technology Week.

In an Interview at the African Investment Forum, the Hon. Minister of Communication, Barr. Abdul-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, said, “although the Government has no business with business. But what our government does its best to encourage Investors, entrepreneurs and startups to be able to do their best and become the best that they can. The Nigerian government is going out of its way now to really encourage all startups and one of the you know very positive steps that government has done is to financially support 16 startups to come from Nigeria to this place all expenses fully paid by government.”

Additionally, he said, “we are going beyond that to also, do a register and a handbook of all these startups, all their contacts, their names, their information about what they are doing, to pack it together and distribute them to the international community for both Nigerian potential investors and potential foreign investors would have access to all of these startups and we believe this sufficient for them to starts collaborating and developing the ideas that our startups have.”

The GITEX Global Startup Movement ended with positive partnerships for startups like Geniigames, who are in talks with the pitch competition winners Acacus Technologies, a Dubai based tracking solution startup on potential collaboration.

Huawei To Consolidate Growth In South Africa With New Service Centres

When the Chinese multinational networking, telecommunications equipment and services company launched its store at Vodacom World in Midrand, Johannesburg in February 2014, they made history as that store became the first Huawei store in Africa. At the event, the company actually revealed their expansion plans which centered on opening additional stores in other parts of South Africa in the nearest future.

Many never knew how far or near that future will be until recently when they announced the official opening of the first two Huawei customer service centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town. These service centres which aside fulfilling their pledge of expanding the tentacles of the company in the country, are majorly targeted towards providing customers with top-notch service in these centres. Services such as training sessions, onsite device repairs, free engraving of devices and sales of extensive range of accessories will be offered at the centres.

Charlene Munilall, GM of Huawei Consumer Business Group SA even asserted that:

“As an innovative brand, Huawei intends to create an interactive space where every customer is important and will be treated as such by our in-store tech heroes. We understand that consumers seek holistic experiences to fit their lifestyles and our service stores succeed in providing this.”

These newly opened stores have been designed to incorporate technology, service, and repair in a flawless manner with the aim of handling to consumer, the convenience they crave from a typical multipurpose free wifi-enabled hub.

“We have seen significant growth in South Africa. Launching a local store is a key element to cater to the growing demand from our customers and further establish our brand in the country,” said Mr Bruce Wong, Huawei Key Account GM for Vodacom.

When this same commitment will spread to other African countries is a question no one has a concise answer to, but its tilting more towards sooner than later because according to Wong “Africa has great potential and is a key market for Huawei.”

NEWS Google Acquires VR Based Eye-Tracking Firm, Eyefluence

According to the latest reports, Google has acquired an eye-tracking company, Eyefluence. The company is into eye-tracking for virtual reality as well as augmented reality headsets. But this recent deal from Google hints its interest in these future technologies.The acquired company, Eyefluence was started by David Stiehr and Jim Marggraff in 2013. Their aim was to develop technology that can control VR and AR headsets by movement of eye. According to the company, “Eyes can instantaneously transform intent into action, enabling communication as fast as you can see,”.

There is already a Google Cardboard smartphone, VR Visor in the market which was released in 2014. And there are also rumours of company working on a VR headset.

This deal will allow Google to use the Eyefluence technology of eye tracking into their upcoming VR and AR headsets. Also, third part developers will be able to use it incorporated in Google’s UI toolkit.

The deal was finalized on Tuesday. Eyefluence said in a blog post, “With our forces combined, we will continue to advance eye-interaction technology to expand human potential and empathy on an even larger scale.”However, there are no details available regarding how Google is going to use it. But one thing is for sure, this technology is going to be one of the main feature in upcoming VR and AR related gadgets.

Dubai World Trade Centre adopts renewable energy across its assets

In its continued commitment to champion the UAE’s clean energy agenda, the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) seeks to be a benchmark in fully integrated, new-age renewable energy solutions across its developments.

As an integral part of this strategic agenda, DWTC has conducted an exhaustive feasibility study to develop a prioritised programme for the deployment of its various components across the real estate assets, both in the Trade Centre and Jebel Ali locations. Within the DWTC complex, the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC), internationally recognised as the emirate’s anchor destination for the international business community, is planned to be the flagship asset that will incorporate next-generation technologies for optimisation of solar power as well as the latest energy conservation methods, innovatively leveraging the expansive rooftops and facades of the halls that are part of the long-term conference and exhibition facilities within the development.

“DWTC’s commitment to contributing to the UAE’s clean energy agenda is exemplified in our deployment of pioneering sustainable and renewable energy solutions across the DWTC complex. The integral convention and exhibition assets in particular will spearhead our efforts to drive innovation and be the future global benchmark for sustainability, as it is aligned with Dubai’s master plan for a green future. The detailed feasibility study aims to incorporate next generation technologies for the exhibition halls that will be part of the retained permanent event and conference facilities within the DWTC complex. We envision this project at the heart of Dubai’s new business district, to serve as the emirate’s showcase initiative for clean and sustainable energy on an international stage,” said His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Dubai World Trade Centre Authority (DWTCA).

As part of the initial phases of DWTC’s comprehensive sustainability programme, the Trade Centre complex will see the installation of a 1.2MW photovoltaic solar power plant spanning circa 10,500 square metres and featuring around 4,500 photovoltaic modules, to generate an estimated 1,800 MWh/year to cater for 60 x 1-bedroom apartment equivalent residential unit requirements annually. The planned photovoltaic system is being designed as a noiseless and uniquely environment-friendly solution that not only maximises the capture of solar energy within a desert environment, but also looks at addressing issues around cost-effective conversion to power, unaided by mechanical movement and fossil fuels.

One Central, DWTC’s newest iconic mixed-use development has pioneered sustainability as part of phase 1 of the wider programme with its investments in solar rooftop technologies and innovative clean energy solutions. The project that has already been awarded LEED Gold Status is expected to generate 58 percent of its hot water demand by utilising Photovoltaic Cells within the skylights of its commercial assets, solar panel rooftops and flat plate collectors.

DWTC has further announced plans to build a solar-powered 6-storey car park, extending the application of the efficient solar rooftop technology, making the structure operable on natural resources and dramatically reducing its carbon footprint by adding flat plate collectors. All initiatives that have been assessed and outlined as part of the strategic DWTC renewable energy and sustainability programme for implementation across One Central, the DICEC complex and the Jebel Ali development, follow the Dubai Green Building Regulations and renewable energy guidelines from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 as announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai,prioritises the utilisation of sustainable energy in its commitment to making Dubai the city with the least carbon footprint in the world within the next 3 decades. The agenda focuses on delivering an environmentally friendly energy mix comprising solar energy (25 percent), nuclear power (7 percent), clean coal (7 percent) and gas (61 percent) by 2030, gradually increasing the utilisation of clean energy sources to 75 percent by 2050. Through initiatives such as Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest generator of solar energy in the world from a single location, Dubai set a new record for the cost of solar power in 2016, of about US$0.03 per kW/h, supporting the efficiency and cost effectiveness of solar power when compared to all other energy sources – including fossil fuels and nuclear power.

“As renewable energy initiatives gain impetus in the region, the DWTC continues to accelerate its undertaking of seeking out, sourcing and implementing sustainable energy solutions in every aspect of its operations – from mindful and responsible energy consumption to conservation, renewal and reuse, contributing actively to the strategic agenda for Dubai 2050 in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister & Ruler of Dubai,” added Almarri.

Tesco Bank halts online transactions after money taken from 20,000 accounts

The UK’s Tesco Bank was forced to halt all online transactions on Sunday, after thousands of customers saw money disappear from their accounts over the weekend. In a statement, the bank said it put the emergency measure in place after it became apparent that some of its 136,000 current accounts had been “subject to online criminal activity.” Speaking to ITV News, Tesco Bank CEO Benny Higgins said around 40,000 of these accounts had evidence of “suspicious transactions,” while 20,000 customers had money actually disappear from their accounts.

Higgins, said his company knew “exactly” how the accounts were accessed — calling them the result of a “systematic, sophisticated attack” — but wouldn’t specify how the attack worked, saying that it could compromise the criminal investigation into the breaches. While Tesco Bank certainly isn’t the first financial institution to be targeted by hackers, the scale of the attack makes it remarkable, as draining tens of thousands of accounts at once presumably requires a carefully coordinated strike.

TESCO BANK SAYS IT WILL REFUND CUSTOMERS BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON

Customers will still be able to use their debit cards for purchases in stores and cash withdrawals at ATMs while online purchases are disabled, and Tesco Bank says it will be refunding customers who lost money by Tuesday afternoon UK time, but angry account holders have taken to Twitter to complain about a delayed response to their concerns. In the meantime, Higgins says that Tesco Bank is “working hard to resume normal service on current accounts as soon as possible.”

Microsoft opens its Xbox feedback program to everyone

Microsoft is expanding its Xbox Preview Program to all Xbox owners in the next few weeks. The software maker is rebranding the Preview Program as the "Xbox Insider Program," to better align with Microsoft's Windows Insider Program. The changes will start rolling out over the next few weeks, and they'll mean that any Xbox owner will be able to provide feedback.

"The Xbox Insider Program will soon be open to all Xbox users," says Larry Hryb, Microsoft's director of programming for Xbox Live. "More fans will have the ability to provide feedback directly from their Xbox One consoles." This feedback will help Microsoft shape future dashboard updates for the Xbox One, but beta versions of the system updates will still be restricted to Preview members. Microsoft is not opening up its system updates to new members of the Xbox Insider Program just yet.

Google just redesigned Gmail for iPhone and made it way faster

Tredesigned Gmail app for iPhone with performance that’s gotten “a lot faster” in the company’s own words. The “fresh new look” includes sleeker transitions that result in Gmail suddenly feeling way more like a proper app and less like a clumsy overlay for Gmail’s mobile website. For one, swiping to archive or delete messages (depending on your preference) now feels as smooth and dependable as it does on Android.

Google has also brought over one big feature from Inbox: Undo Send. This new option slides up from the bottom after you’ve fired off an email, giving you a brief opportunity to take it back before all your typos are seen and ridiculed by co-workers. Search has gotten quicker with what Google calls “instant” results and spelling suggestions.

Unfortunately, this new Gmail refresh still doesn’t include a unified inbox, so you’ve got to switch between personal and work accounts and view them individually. That alone means I’ll probably be sticking with other email apps for the time being. But if you’ve been using the Gmail app for all this time, well, that experience is getting noticeably better today.

Google Calendar for iPhone is also being updated today with month view and week in landscape view — plus Spotlight search for finding your appointments, reminders, and goals. Sadly there’s still no iPad version of Google Calendar, so you’ll need another option for keeping up to date with your own life on Apple’s tablet.