Jolla: Ex-Nokia employees launch smartphone

A team of ex-Nokia employees has released the first handset running on a new smartphone platform.

The Jolla phone - pronounced Yol-la - is powered by open-source operating system Sailfish, but can run most apps designed for Google's Android platform.

The company has paired with a major Finnish network, and hopes to set up a similar deal with a UK operator.

Industry analysts said Jolla faced a challenge in taking on a market dominated by Google and Apple.

Just 450 Jolla phones will be available at launch on Wednesday evening, with the majority going to customers who have pre-ordered the device.

Co-founder Marc Dillon told the BBC the company was in the process of ramping up manufacturing.

He said the phone's ethos was to provide a more "open" approach to how people used their mobiles, a contrast to the relatively closed systems used on the iPhone and, to a lesser extent, Android devices.

"There's different opportunities for people to get apps form different places, different stores," he said.

"We've created a world-class platform. Users will be getting more choice."

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“Start Quote

This is the 'what might have been' scenario had Nokia not gone down the Microsoft road with Windows Phone”

Geoff BlaberCCS Insight

Dumped OS

The platform - originally called MeeGo - was developed by Nokia, but dumped in 2011 in favour of the company adopting the Windows Phone system.

Nokia released just one handset running the software, the N9-00.

Antti Saarnio, chairman and co-founder of Jolla, told the BBC in May that MeeGo - now called Sailfish - had not been given enough chance to succeed.

"Everybody felt so strongly that they wanted to continue," he said.

Large parts of the Sailfish code were open-source, which meant anyone could expand and adapt the platform, Mr Dillon said.

"We are ramping up our Jolla community right now.

"There's already a Sailfish website so that developers can come and contribute."

David v Goliath

According to CCS Insight, 81% of smartphones shipped globally from July to September ran Google's Android software. Apple's iOS accounted for 13%.

Smaller players such as Blackberry, Microsoft and Mozilla made up the numbers.

Analyst Geoff Blaber, from CCS, said while it might seem Jolla was taking on an impossibly large challenge by trying to muscle in, its strategy could pay off.

"It's easy to characterise this as David v Goliath," he told the BBC. "But the fact is if Jolla can maintain a competitive cost base, there is already an enthusiast base seeking this product. It could be successful."

But Mr Blaber added the handset was a means to an end, and that Jolla's long-term strategy was to create a operating system it could licence to other manufacturers.

"This is the challenge," he said.

"At the moment we have a situation where Android is utterly dominant. They've got to prove the software is competitive and it works."

Jolla may also be buoyed by support in its home country as a result of Microsoft's planned buy-out of Nokia.

Jolla co-founder Mr Dillion said he was getting "stopped everywhere I go".

"We're not trying to piggy-back, but we have seen a bump," said Mr Dillon. "We've had a lot of support in Finland."

Mr Blaber added: "This is the 'what might have been' scenario had Nokia not gone down the Microsoft road with Windows Phone."

Source: BBC

iPad wonder: Apple can Apprehend your ipad thief

When robbers visited Mr. Tunde Makhinde’s house in Lagos last week and took his iPad with them, they did not know that they had shot themselves in the foot. The tech whiz had activated the tracking device on his iPad, and within a matter of days, had gone with law enforcement agents to catch the thieves red handed.

In the United States recently, an amazing app, Find my iphone, used to track down a stolen iPad and the man who allegedly took it from underneath a family’s Christmas tree. The victim on the ‘Find my iPhone’ app that sends out a signal to the device.Using his computer, the victim was then able to locate the iPad on a map, and alerted police to its whereabouts – just a few houses away.

Even the burglar who broke into Steve Jobs’ house was caught last year two weeks after the crime thanks to the technology in one of the late Apple founder’s own inventions. He might never have been caught if he hadn’t logged onto iTunes on one of Jobs’ personal iPads. Investigators say they were tipped off about the perpetrator when one of the stolen devices connected to Apple servers.

‘But I am no tech whiz!” you might say. That doesn’t matter. How smart would smart technology be if it can’t holler at its owner when it gets stolen? There are simple ways to be two steps ahead of the thief. The ‘Find My iPhone’ application can be used if an Apple device is stolen or misplaced. It does not come installed but can be downloaded for free.

The user then signs in with their unique Apple ID.a device goes missing, the owner can activate the app on a computer. Signals ‘ping’ the device and its whereabouts can be seen on a map online.can then choose to display a message on its screen, play a sound for two minutes at full volume, lock the device or erase all of its data.can be used on iPhones, iPads, Apple computers and iPods.

iOS 7 includes a new feature called Activation Lock, which makes it more difficult for anyone to use or sell your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch once it’s gone missing or has been stolen. And it starts working the moment you turn on Find My iPhone in iOS 7. Turning off Find My iPhone or erasing your device requires your Apple ID and password. And your Apple ID and password are required before anyone can reactivate it.

But what happens if you find your device on a location you can’t reach? Go for second best-initiate a remote wipe to delete your personal data and restore your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac to its factory settings. With iOS 7, Find My iPhone can continue to display your custom message, even after your device has been erased. And if you do retrieve your device, you can restore it from your iCloud backup. iCloud is not just for backup, it can help you find your apple device on the map. If one of your Apple devices goes missing, iCloud can help you figure out where it is. Just sign in at iCloud.com or use the Find My iPhone app to see your missing iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac on a map.

Source: Vanguard

Tackling menace of substandard mobile phones in Nigeria

THE trade on sub-standard mobile of phones has become a flourishing business in mobile sales outlet in the country.
  These phones popularly known and most times call ‘China phones’ or ‘chinco,’ a derogatory cliche to describe some of the sub standard products coming from China, have unique selling points – cheap prize tag and dual SIM platform. When the original products, which these counterfeits are adapted from, are selling at about $400 to $500, the fakes are selling for far less than a $100 and can contain two or four SIM cards.

However, what buyers of these products perhaps never put in perspective was the huge cost and pains that subsequently follows these cheap priced phones as against the original products that may cost a little higher.
   Most times, consumers, who are constrained by ignorance, poverty, inability to detect counterfeit products, go ahead to purchase fake products that may be rather harmful to them. Consumers opt for substandard or counterfeit mobile phones because they are cheap and look like the originals.
   All these are informed mainly by the advancement and sophistication of counterfeits in recent times, and compounded by the lack of zeal of producers to partner with regulators in the education of consumers to remove fake products from the market.
    In spite of the efforts made by government agencies like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), to combat counterfeiting in Nigeria, the business appears to have taken a foothold to the detriment of consumers, manufacturers and government alike.
   The result of a recent research carried out by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the International Data Corporation (IDC), disclosed that Nigeria lost more than N19.8 million to software counterfeiting in 2009, and also recently, Microsoft, the global giant in software development, stated that consumers and companies spend millions of dollars each year on counterfeit copies, financing scammers, who threaten the integrity of the software industry.
   World-renowned mobile phone manufacturers, including Nokia, have identified Asia as one of the main sources of fake phones. In China, they are locally known as “Shanzai” or black market cell phones, and ‘Shanzai’ is a local term used to mean copied of faked products.
    The ever-growing ‘Shanzai’ market has responded quickly to the needs of mobile users by quickly manufacturing fake version of all the new models. The top models, which have been faked, include Nokia E86, Nokia N 95, Nokia 8800, Nokia E91, Nokia E69 and also Nokia N87. Like the originals, they come meticulously packed with a charger, headphones and an instruction manual.
   The only and the major difference is that these phones come without a warranty, cluttered and clunky software difficult to operate and low quality batteries, which may explode anytime. The fake versions do not adhere to any safety standards of the industry. These global brands have been warning mobile users about the dangers of buying a fake model. 
    In China, there was a case of a T45-year-old man, who was severely injured as his fake mobile phone exploded violently, causing serious burns.
   However, the UK market has been flooded with these fake mobiles, and in order to prevent customers from using these mobile phones, countries like the United States and Australia are devising ways to de-link these fake phones from connecting to their country’s existing mobile network.
   In the telecom market, apart from the loss of valuable income through the purchase of substandard mobile phones and their frequent replacement by consumers, there is a growing concern that the result of highly hazardous emissions from fake mobile phones, may soon begin to manifest.
    Counterfeit mobile phones are low in quality and do not meet safety standards, and in some situation, the radiation from them is beyond the permissible limits, and can cause serious damage to the health of consumers.
    Products of counterfeit products evade legitimate sources of government revenues like duties and taxes. Also employment opportunities are lost, as genuine producers and employers of labour are hindered from attaining economies of scale, and as a result forced to shut down on many occasions. This goes with the concern in the world that, terrorists get their funding from illegal activities like counterfeiting, smuggling, bunkering among others.
   In a speech delivered by Director-General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Emmanuel Amlai at a roundtable conference, on counterfeit products highlighted that products counterfeiting has become so prevalent that on a daily basis, the lives of consumers are threatened and national economy and security are jeopardised due to the prevailing activities.
    He said in view of the foregoing, the influx of fake and substandard products, has been a source of concern to the federal government and as the apex consumer protection agency, the issue has compelled it to come up with an interventionist programme like the establishment of joint task force, in conjunction with the SON, NESREA and market associations on fake and sub-standard electrical and electronic products.
     The Head of Care, Nokia West Africa, Mr. Silvin Sinan, some time in an event staged by Nokia in Lagos, explained that as long as the trade on counterfeit mobile devices continues, government loses revenue in the form of taxes, the economy loses potential employment opportunities, and investors are discouraged, thus dealing a deadly blow on government’s efforts at encouraging foreign direct investment (FDI). He said this discourages creativity and innovation, because the very existence of cloned counterfeit devices is an infringement on intellectual property.
    Sinan noted that the interesting thing about the trade in counterfeit devices is that it is a buyer’s market. This means that it is the demand for them that encourages the supply.” We believe that if the average consumer is aware of the potential hazards that he exposes himself to, every time he purchases a counterfeit device, chances are that he would have a rethink, the more people are aware of these dangers, the less vulnerable they become and the cheap prizes of these devices become less and less attractive,” he stated.
    As a further move to eliminate substandard products from the Nigeria market, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, director-general of the SON, at a telecom forum in Lagos stated that his organisation would be collaborating with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), to rid the Nigerian mobile market of fake devices that do not meet the stipulated international standard for products that should be imported into the country.
   However, in an interview with mobile phone dealers in Lagos, shows that there is ready market for phones considered as substandard because they are cheap, and comes with almost all the features of devices considered as superior products.
    They stated that these phones, which are mostly manufactured in China, are emerging technology that with time can be developed to meet with global standard, and that because most Nigerians live below average level, the devices have become widely acceptable to the masses.
    But according to SON, the influx of substandard phones would soon be curtailed, as it would adopt collaborative measures with the Nigeria Customs Service both at the country’s border and seaports in this regard.

Source: Guardian

ASUS adds two devices to Nigeria’s mobile market

World’s third largest PC manufacturers, Asustek, last week joined technical forces with Intel corporation to launch two Intel-powered devices comprising the Asus fonepad 7 and the Asus Transformer Book T100, saying the features suited the Nigerian market.

Both tablets are powered by Intel Atom processors, Intel Atom Z2560 and Intel Atom Bay Trail-T Z3740 quad-core processor respectively.

Unveiling the devices, Regional Director of ASUS for Africa, Turkey and Israel, Mr. Shawn Chang, said that “the two devices that we’ve launched today, the Fonepad 7 and the Transformer Book T100, are all run by the latest Intel processors. They are  designed to fit the Nigerian market. From battery life to the performance of their processors, and to their retail prices, everything is right. These are the devices you want to offer to your loved ones as  Christmas gift”

Also Country Manager of Intel West Africa, Mr. Bunmi Ekundare said the partnership between Intel and Asus was a welcome development, adding that “Intel is glad to be able to extend our long collaborative history, including our most recent, the Ultrabook and Intel-based tablets and again, to Asus. Our partnership with this company is recurring and we are pleased with that.”

Ekundayo also saidContinuing, he added that “Intel’s new Atom Z2560 and Intel Atom Bay Trail-T Z3740 quad-core processor not only deliver power, they are also guaranteed to drive the quality of performance and flexibility that accommodates a range of devices and market needs”.  The Asus Fonepad promises to offer the dual value of voice communication of a Smartphone and the entertainment opportunities afforded by a tablet, and comes with the convenience of carrying just one device.

Source: Vanguard

NITDA targets 100,000 jobs via outsourcing

As part of initiatives to fulfil it mandate, the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA says over 100,000 jobs will be created in the country annually through Information Technology, IT outsourcing sector.  The Director General of the agency,  Dr. Ashiru Daura, made this  known during the second National Outsourcing Conference held in Abuja.

Dr. Daura said, though the sector is in its infant stage, it  has the capacity to create over 100,000 jobs in the economy, given the  efforts of the agency in making Nigeria a leading  IT hub in Africa.

When achieved, he stated that thousands of Nigerian unemployed youths would be gainfully engaged in different IT outsourcing jobs within and outside the country.

“NITDA is aware of the priority place job creation is given in  Mr. President’s Transformation Agenda. It is our resolve to support the  President on this agenda by creating an enabling environment for providing job opportunities for our teeming youths through the use of IT enabled services. We have no doubt that IT outsourcing will go a long way in complementing the federal government’s effort to tackle the challenge of unemployment in the country,” he said.

Also speaking, the chairman of Nigerian Association of Information Technology Enabled Outsourcing Companies, NAITEOC,  David Onu, boasted that outsourcing industry in Nigeria is capable of generating N1.3trillion annually if it is well developed and would be able create over five million jobs in the next ten years.

He stated that over 10,000 unemployed Nigerians have so far been engaged in the sector.

The NAITEOC Chairman, while calling for more support of the sector by both government and the private sector, said the sector, if given the priority attention is capable of boosting the country’s gross domestic product.

Source: Vanguard

Nigeria’s $25bn telecom market, haven for businessmen

Traffic to the Nigerian pavilion, at the just concluded International Telecommunications Union, ITU Telecom world summit became unprecedented as the Secretary General of the union, Dr Hamadoun Toure encouraged investors to head to Nigeria, stoutly claiming that the country’s telecom market is haven for technology businesses.

This was as the Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah had highlighted several prospects that could benefit interested investors in the Nigerian economy, in an attempt to woo investors to the new broadband sector the country was nurturing .

Juwah also had his path ways cut with two prominent business entities in the Nigerian telecom sector, MTN and Etisalat testified to having turned their economies around with the Nigerian investment.

At that point, it was a matter of who is fit to come and where his business plans are fit to compete. The stage was set when on the first day of the event, Nigeria snapped the golden opportunity of hosting the Leaders Lunch Forum, capitalising on the opportunity to showcase to thousands of participants from across the world, pathways to revitalising its economy with broadband business.

Toure was there, savouring the details, particularly when Juwah’s diplomatic presentation of Nigeria’s broadband business plan held everybody spell bound: ‘“I do not need to bore you on the figures of our population because you already know that Nigeria is the most populated black Nation in the world. You are also aware of the high ratings of Nigeria in terms of mobile penetration and general ICT growth.

Investment in the Nigerian telecom industry is well over $25 billion and we can say that it is well invested.  ICT sectoral growth is at 30 percent for the past 3 years, sectoral contribution to GDP was 7.05 % in 2012 and currently stands at 8.53 percent. You can’t  get it better anywhere, in terms of robust and steady favourable business climate”

Juwah however quipped in : “But we still have low broadband penetration. However, we have a lot of international broadband cable lying on our shores, amounting to about 10 tetra bytes but we have inadequate fibre infrastructure in several states leading to high cost of services.

The problem we have in Nigeria is actually that of distribution to the last mile. Although, this may be a challenge, we also see it as an opportunity that investors can come and take advantage of “

“However, in order to address the paucity of broadband penetration in Nigeria, government had introduced some regulatory initiatives. First of all, government has released a national broadband plan from 2013-2017. We as NCC, representing government, have also been holding consultation on a proper framework for broadband investment and services in Nigeria.

We have announced open for auction our free 2.3Ghz spectrum, for wholesale service operators to provide last mile broadband services to our regions and hinterlands. This will commence in January 2014. We are also getting ready to license what we call Infrastructure companies, InfraCo, to roll out high speed broadband backbone in 2014.

Nigerian broadband map has mandated what is called the open access model as a strategy and we as a regulatory agency have out rightly decided to solve the tactical issues involved in owning access by developing what we call the Nigerian Open Access Model. So there are mountains of opportunities now for any investor that would want to tap into the huge growing Nigerian broadband market” he added.

But it was on the second day, as a special guest, when Nigeria again hosted participants to an event tagged ‘Nigeria Day’ at the pavilion, that Toure spilled his mind: “Nigeria is the largest country in Africa by population and the engine of the continent in terms of business. There are enviable human and natural resources in this country and I can say that the natural resources we can see standing are even far more than the ones deposited in the ground.

I have observed that Nigeria Nigeria’s growth has remained steady over a few years and this is a good sign for prospective businesses that crave for returns on their investments.

Nigeria was ranked the highest mobile growth by ITU for five consecutive times and that means that there are things they are doing right. It’s not possible to retain that for such a long time by fraud.

Today, we are moving from connect Africa to transform Africa and Nigeria being the business hub of Africa is important in this transformation. It has taken the lead for this in many respects because they have visionary leaders. The country’s First Lady is the ITU’s child online protection champion and she is acknowledged worldwide for protecting children and empowering women. I would like to thank her.

However, the position of the First Lady to protect children online was instrumental and an opportunity for Nigeria to correct its image which criminals from other countries, unfortunately, are trying to tarnish. Every day, you see someone purported to be from Nigeria, trying to sell one thing or the other online. But we know they are not Nigerians. Nigerians are industrious and their economy is friendly to business people” he added

Meanwhile, part sponsors of the Nigerian pavilion, MTN, Etisalat and Airtel, capped the accolades with testimonies of how the Nigerian business climate had treated them, encouraging other investors to dismiss whatever negative impressions they had about the country because they were mostly unfounded.

On behalf of the operators, Corporate Services Executive of MTN, Mr Akinwale Goodluck noted: “MTN’s decision to invest in Nigeria in 2001 was a decision highly criticised in South Africa. But it is a risk that has now paid off.  I could still remember that the day the license was granted in 2001, the share price of MTN dropped by 40 percent but today, the share price in South Africa is over two thousand rands.

I also remember that a lot of people said that GSM will not work in Nigeria because there was no light but we came in and have been posting good returns. we also can say that Policy wise,, the government has been responsive enough. We want you to come and join us and together we shall share the good news”

Source: Vanguard

Computer village relocates to Katangowa Internet City next year, says LASG

The Lagos State Government has disclosed that arrangements have been concluded to relocate all computer dealers in Ikeja to Katangowa Internet City, in Oke Odo area of the state, in the first quarter of 2014.

However, it has dispelled rumours making rounds over non-functioning of over 100,000 Close Circuit TV Cameras installed across the state by the Federal Government, saying the cameras have since been activated for effective surveillance and crime monitoring.

The government also disclosed that no fewer than 100,000 residents had been captured by the Lagos Residents Registration Agency, LASRAA from the beginning of this month.

Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Adebiyi Mabadeje, made the remarks at a recent media parley on the activities of his ministry.

According to him, all major players in the Information Technology, IT, industry would soon be moved to the 15 hectares of land axis, assuring that it would generate jobs for hundreds of Lagos residents when it finally kicked off.

“I cant categorically say when we are moving them to the city, but we are working towards the first quarter of next year. We are discussing with all stakeholders in the market to ensure the success of the project. All the traders at the market now, will be fully carried along in the project.”

“The new market will be a modern standard market that will serve as one stop shop for IT industry. This will further enhance business in a friendly and enabling environment that will add value and ensure accessibility.”

Allaying the fears of residents, Mabadeje, confirmed that the CCTV cameras in Lagos are fully operational contrary to the speculations, describing the installation of the cameras as part of the integrated communication project of the state.

Source:Vanguard