Optimus Technologies, Plot 128, Old Kiira Road, Bukoto, Kampala (2026)

15/10/2014

Mark Zuckerberg donates $25 million to fight Ebola.

The international effort to contain the spread of the lethal Ebola virus has gone quite poorly so far, with over 4,000 deaths attributed to the disease so far and new transmissions reported in recent days in the US and Europe.

As health care workers battle the outbreak on the front lines in various countries, a public outcry has sprung up surrounding the lack of funding available for research and treatment. But more money for the Ebola fight has just been contributed by a surprising source: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. As observed by the Hollywood Reporter, Zuckerberg announced on his page earlier today that he and his wife Priscilla Chan, a physician, have made a $25 million donation to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (The verge)

"We need to get Ebola under control in the near term so that it doesn't spread further and become a long term global health crisis that we end up fighting for decades at large scale, like HIV or polio," he said on a posting on Facebook. "We believe our grant is the quickest way to empower the CDC and the experts in this field to prevent this outcome."

06/10/2014

Buyers complain iPhone 6 ripping out their hair.

First, there was . Reports flooded the media that claimed iPhone 6 Plus was susceptible to bending when kept in your pocket.

Now, there's . A 9to5Mac community post reveals that iPhone 6 customers are complaining on social media that their new phones keep ripping out chunks of their hair when they hold the phone up to their ear to take a call.

Twitter users claim that the seam between the glass screen and aluminium back of the iPhone 6 is to blame, and it's that gap that their hair is getting caught in.

29/09/2014

Samsung Galaxy Alpha: First Impressions.

Apple filled a gaping hole in its product lineup with new iPhones boasting larger screens like Samsung's flagship Galaxy smartphones. Now, Samsung is coming out with a smaller phone that looks and feels more like an iPhone.

The new iPhones measure 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches diagonally, up from 4 inches before. Still, that's smaller than the 5.1 inches on the Galaxy S5 and the 5.7 inches on the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 4 phones.

But even Samsung is stepping back from its recent practice of releasing ever-bigger phones. The new Galaxy Alpha matches the 4.7 inches on the iPhone 6 and has a metal frame like the new iPhones, reflecting Samsung's attempt to mirror Apple's emphasis on design.

Unfortunately, the Alpha falls short in a few ways, including the resolution of its display. Other shortcomings will become apparent as I go through the various features.

The Alpha will be available in the U.S. starting Friday through AT&T. It will cost $200 with a two-year service contract, or $613 without one. The $613 price, which can be paid in installments, is less than the $650 starting price for the Galaxy S5 (Review | Pictures) and the iPhone 6. You also get double the storage with the Alpha, but it's still a high price to pay for technology that isn't top of the line.

22/09/2014

Google and Apple to introduce default encryption for all devices.

This will help make the users information more secure against cyber-attackers or any law enforcement agency trying to get a hold of your device for information.

Last week apple said their new OS 8 automatically encrypts the device on which it’s running thus making it every difficult for any one that isn't the owner of the device to use. Not even the guys at apple would be able to bypass the encryption on the device.

Earlier this week, Apple's boss Tim Cook posted an online message assuring users the company's philosophy was that a "great customer experience shouldn't come at the expense of your privacy".

16/09/2014

Microsoft to Unveil Windows 9 on September 30.

Microsoft on Monday sent out invitations to a September 30 event at which it is expected to provide a glimpse at the next version of its Windows operating system.

The US software titan revealed little with invitations that read: "Join us to hear what's next for Windows and the enterprise."

The event slated to take place in San Francisco will be aimed at developers behind programs designed for computers powered by Windows software, and at businesses that depend on Microsoft programs in their networks.

Microsoft was said to be working on a separate version of Windows for smartphones and tablets, as it works to adapt to lifestyles centered increasingly on Internet-linked mobile devices.

The next iteration of Windows, thought to be called Windows 9, is internally codenamed as the 'Threshold' update - one that Microsoft says will unify its operating systems across different device form factors.

While the company hasn't revealed much about the Threshold update, several leaks in the past few months gleaned from early leaked builds and insider sources indicate the OS will offer different features and interfaces for different types of devices.

Apart from a more touch-friendly interface for smartphones and tablets, Windows 9 is expected to bring an optimised interface for keyboard and mouse users on desktops, laptops, and hybrid tablets.

The September 30 unveiling is in-line with previous reports that claimed the company was expected to reveal the new Windows OS by October, and developer or technical preview before the end of the year, before releasing a consumer preview early next year, followed by the full release.

15/09/2014

Good afternoon Africa? Share with us how you are spending the afternoon.

15/09/2014

Acer launches hat for selfie addicts.

For selfie lovers, technology giant Acer has developed a giant Mexican sombrero fitted with a tablet on the hat's fold-down flap.

The glittery sombrero is equipped with an Iconia A-1 840 tablet that can take a shot of the wearer from various angles.

The position of the tablet on the hat allows the wearer to slide it around the brim for the ideal selfie.

The hat was designed in collaboration with fashion designer Christian Cowan-Sanluis.

"The sombrero style hat spins 360 degrees and has an integrated Acer tablet which enables struggling selfie takers to find their best angle," Acer UK said on its page.

Acer aims to help the selfie addict "understand lighting, how various expressions can change your face and ultimately create the perfect social media moment"

13/09/2014

Chinese Tech Giant Huawei on Europe Recruitment Drive.

Controversial Chinese technology giant Huawei which has been condemned as a security risk in the US and Australia is to recruit hundreds of research and development staff in Europe, the president of its French subsidiary said.

"In the next two or three years, we are going to double our researchers" in Europe, who currently number around 800, Francois Quentin told AFP.

A total of 200 of the new staff, including applied mathematicians and designers, will be based in France.

In July, Huawei was ranked as the world's number three smartphone maker by sales, behind South Korea's Samsung and Apple of the US, according to research firm International Data Corp.

It has 17 research sites in Europe spread across eight countries, including Germany, Finland and Italy, and expects to employ 13,000 people across the continent by 2017.

The Shenzhen-based firm was founded in 1987 by former People's Liberation Army engineer Ren Zhengfei, and is now among the world's top makers of telecommunications equipment.

Washington has long seen it as a security threat due to perceived close links to the Chinese government, which the company denies, and both the United States and Australia have barred it from involvement in broadband projects over espionage fears. It denies such allegations vigorously.

Huawei announced net profit of 21 billion yuan ($3.47 billion) last year, up from 15.62 billion in 2012. Sales revenue surged 8.5 percent year on year to 239.03 billion yuan, it said.

11/09/2014

Microsoft may buy Minecraft maker Mojang for $2 billion.

Microsoft Corp is in serious discussions to buy Mojang AB, the Swedish company behind the popular "Minecraft" video game, The Wall Street Journal said, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.

The deal is be valued at more than $2 billion and could be signed as early as this week, the Journal reported.

"Minecraft" is a game where players build structures with blocks to protect against nocturnal monsters.

The acquisition will add to Microsoft's Xbox video game business, at a time when the competition in the video game console market is heating up.

Microsoft said in April it had shipped 5 million Xbox One units to retailers worldwide since the launch. In the same month Sony Corp said it had sold more than 7 million PlayStation 4 units as of April 6 and was struggling to keep up with consumer demand.

09/09/2014

Twitter tests 'buy' button for ads.

Twitter on Monday began testing 'buy buttons' that let people make purchases directly from marketing posts fired off at the globally popular one-to-many messaging service.

The move comes as Twitter works to ramp up its appeal to people curious about what is happening at any given moment and to advertisers eager to connect with them.

"This is an early step in our building functionality into Twitter to make shopping from mobile devices convenient and easy, hopefully even fun," group product manager Tarun Jain said in an online post.

03/09/2014

Apple Sends Invitations for September 9 Event; iPhone 6 Launch Expected

Apple's latest product launch will be in a setting that holds a special place in its history, signaling how big this event is for the company.
The Sept. 9 launch, which is expected to feature a larger iPhone and possibly a computerized watch, will be in the same Silicon Valley venue where Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs, took the wraps off the original Mac computer 30 years ago. That machine was hailed as a major breakthrough that helped bring personal computing to the masses.

These events have become an annual rite since the 2007 release of the iPhone, but this year's may be the most highly anticipated since the iPad came out in 2010.

A "smartwatch" or other wearable technology would mark the company's first foray into a new product category since the iPad came out.

True to its secretive nature, Apple Inc. isn't giving any clues about what's on the Sept. 9 agenda. "Wish we could say more," Apple said in a succinct white invitation mailed Thursday to reporters and others.

The company scheduled the event at an auditorium about 3 miles from its Cupertino, California, headquarters. It seats about 2,300 people, a far larger capacity than the places that Apple usually uses to show off its new products.

Apple watchers expect an iPhone with a larger screen than the 4-inch display on the previous two generations of the device. The iPhone 6 is expected to feature a 4.7-inch screen to make it more competitive with larger smartphones made by Samsung Electronics and other rivals relying on Google Inc.'s free Android software. There also has been speculation that Apple may release another iPhone model with a 5.5-inch screen.

A bigger-screen iPhone could unleash a surge of sales among Apple fans who own iPhone with smaller displays. Some analysts think Apple could sell at least 70 million units of the iPhone 6 within the first few months after the device hits the market.

Although the iPhone is Apple's biggest moneymaker, much of the intrigue around this year's event surrounds the possibility that the company may release a long-awaited smartwatch that could help monitor people's health and serve as control center for Internet-connected appliances and electronics in the home.

30/08/2014

Microsoft, Samsung, Others Eyeing Cyanogen to Compete With Google:
Cyanogen, the maker of what may very well be the most popular fork of Google's Android operating system - CyanogenMod, is reported being eyed by several major companies for a partnership or acquisition.
According to a report (full article behind a paywall) by The Information, companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung and Yahoo are among the big names that are considering the mobile software startup Cyanogen as a 'potential partner or acquisition target.'
The chief reason these companies would be looking to either buy or partner Cyanogen would be to do something about Google's absolute dominance of mobile operating systems - the latest IDC Q2 2014 report shows Android with a 84.7 percent share of the global market. An acquisition or partnership would also save companies (like Amazon, and formerly Microsoft with the Nokia X software platform) the trouble of developing their own forked Android operating systems, and staying up to date with advancements.

The report also notes that Cyanogen had raised $30 million last year from venture firms and also Tencent, the Chinese Web services giant. The company is said to planning a 'Series C' round of funding as well.
Of all the companies said to be interested in this deal, The Information says Microsoft may be the furthest ahead, as supposedly 'a person briefed by Microsoft' said Cyanogen recently met with CEO Satya Nadella.
Cyanogen in August released CyanogenMod 11.0 M9 based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat. Several changes were made since v11.0 M8, including themes support for additional UI elements, bug fixes in heads up notifications, new lock screen features, improved torch performance, and more.

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