Nokia rolls out first Windows smartphones

New Nokia Window smartphones

By Prince Osuagwu

World mobile phone maker, Nokia at the Nokia world congress in London on Wednesday, launched two new smartphones based on Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7.5 operating system.
The phones, Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710 may begin Nokia’s  fight back against Apple's iPhone and rivals using Google's Android software.
Nokia's new boss, Stephen Elop, had previously warned that the company was stuck on a burning platform but with the launch of the new phones he said the the "rebirth" of Nokia has just happened.
The company promised to start shipping the Lumia 800 range almost immediately and potential buyers  in UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands could as well satisfy their appetites by November.
However, Nokia also introduced another four new basic phones which are also targeted at developing countries.
According to Elop, the phones would dampen the boundaries between feature phones and smart phones, just as they would also bring the internet "to the next billion people".

ASHA
Nokia calls the new range of phones Asha, perhaps using it to identify its target market since the name derives from the Hindi word for "hope".
Although the phones will be relatively cheap, they will sport features like touch screens, 5 mega pixel cameras, bright screens, 32GB storage for music and long battery life.
Profit margins in the market for basic phones are razor thin, and so Nokia's main focus will be on its new smartphones.
Mr Elop acknowledged that the Lumia 800 was a design development of a previous Nokia phone, the MeeGo-based N9. He said the Lumia is the first real Windows phone and predicted the company would be the leader in smartphone design and craftsmanship.
The Lumia 710, which comes in a range of funky colours, will be pitched as the affordable Windows phone.
The phone's product manager, Kevin Shiels, said the new phones would have integrated cameras with high-end Carl Zeiss lenses. He demonstrated how Windows Phone shows information and updates directly on the first screen, without having to tap into applications.

Nollywood actor arrested for trafficking drugs

Baba Suwe in one of his movies

By Prince Osuagwu

Nollywood actor and veteran comedian, Alhaji King Babatunde Ayinla Nurudeen Olasunkanmi Omidina,  who is popularly known as Baba Suwe was arrested on Wednesday night for being in possession of substances suspected to be cocaine.

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) who made the arrest said Baba Suwe was picked up at the International wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos, while boarding an Air France flight to Paris, France.

Baba Suwe the family man; Doing what he was supposed to do in France

Baba Suwe was on his way to Paris to act as a master of ceremony in a naming ceremony of an Air France staff scheduled for Saturday.

 NDLEA source told FreeTalkAfrica that the Air France staff who the veteran actor was billed to perform the MC for, was also picked up immediately he was arrested.

The scanning machine at the airport detected suspected substance hidden in Baba Suwe’s stomach, but the suspect was alleged to have denied that such drug was on him.

A second scanning proved that he was carrying the substance and this led to his immediate arrest. He is said to have been kept at the NDLEA office at the airport, where he would remain until he starts excreting the drugs.

In another of his movies

Reacting to the sad news, the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria(AGN), Mr Segun Arinze described the act as “an embarrassment to the Nigerian motion picture industry.'

“It a sad development I must tell. If truly he is arrested in connection with drug, he has come to the end of his career. I feel highly disappointed in him. Most of us have worked so hard to come the level that we are today.”

Arinze who is holidaying in America also added that “We cannot destroy the image we have built over the years because of the material things of life. We will meet with the executives of the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners(ANTP) and decide on what to do with him.”

Another notable film director and producer, Lancelot Imasuen and his colleague the president, Association of Movie Producer (AMP) Paul Obazele respectively, condemned the act, describing it as “tarnishing the image of the industry. 

Obazele said, "Baba Suwe is an icon and everybody looks up to him in the industry. This is surely not a good news at all.”

For Lancelot, “I'm not particularly happy because it will affect all of us who usual travel out of the country on regular basis. I know that things are difficult, but must he descend so low to be arrested in connection with drug.”

Other actors and producers of the Yoruba genre of the Nigerian film industry where Baba Suwe is king, also reacted.  For popular director of the epic Yoruba film “Aramotu”, Niji Akanni, "this is shocking and abominable and it is going to affect his career and the industry at large. It is a bad news, he has no reason to indulge in that act. Nobody is happy about the news"

The man when he is not on set

Others who couldn't utter a word at hearing the news only screamed and refrained from making any comment. 

Baba Suwe is a very successful and popular Yoruba actor, famous for his comedy roles in Yoruba movies. He is one of the icons in the film industry, having worked with virtually everybody in the industry. He was a recipient of the African Artists and Entertainers Afro-Hollywood award in New York which is like the African Grammy.

Motorola builds first retail Android tab, ET1

By Prince Osuagwu

New Motorola ET1

Motorola Solutions, has unveiled the first in an emerging category of enterprise-class tablet computers designed for a variety of vertical markets. Tagged the ET1 tab, the new product brings the familiarity and popularity of a consumer-class user experience to true enterprise-class devices that includes enhanced durability, an optional barcode scanner and magnetic stripe reader, hot-swappable battery packs, and secure system software.
Key industrial-strength accessories such as secure multi-slot recharging stations are said to be also available in this new product.
The product is targeting those who use their PCs all day-long . The Wi-Fi-enabled ET1 is built password-protected, so it can be easily shared and instantly provisioned for each employee according to his or her level of responsibility and access rights.
Based on log-in information, managers can automatically control and monitor use of approved applications to help ensure on-the-job productivity is not compromised.
Because of the built in enterprise-ready hardened version of the Android operating system, the ET1 tablet is designed to be used 24 x 7 by multiple staff members.
The product is supported by Motorola’s portfolio of enterprise-grade software modules including RhoElements, a new HTML5 application enablement framework. This ensures that businesses can now quickly and cost-effectively develop enterprise applications once and deploy them on both traditional Windows Embedded Handheld and Android-based Motorola devices, allowing for consistent user experiences.
The ET1 incorporates a durable Gorilla Glass, 7-inch color display, designed for customer-facing applications containing video and images. In addition, the screen bezel can be customized to match the retailer’s brand.

Backside of the ET1 tab

Motorola’s ET1 tablet offers a comprehensive suite of enterprise-class features and accessories including durable design to withstand multiple bumps and drops during a workday, Optional integrated bar code scanner and magnetic stripe reader, hot-swappable rechargeable battery pack, with memory back-up battery to retain RAM data for up to 15 minutes when the main battery is removed, single- and multi-slot tablet and battery chargers, Front- and rear-facing cameras.
There is also the availability of Bluetooth-connected handheld bar-code scanners, mobile-payment readers and mobile printers in the new device.
Motorola says the ET1 tablet will be available from the Start with Comprehensive Coverage program, providing coverage for normal wear and tear as well as accidental damage to internal and external components, significantly reducing unforeseen repair expenses.
The tablet will be available anytime, this quarter

iPhone 4S hits 1m pre-orders

By Prince Osuagwu

Apple's new baby -iPhone 4S

Even with the demise of Apple’s Steve Jobs, his handiwork is still breaking barriers. This is as the pre-orders of Apple's iPhone 4S, a product introduced just a day before he died have exceeded one million mark in a single day.
Apple's Philip Schiller says that first day pre-orders of the new iPhone 4S are the highest of any new product that the company has ever launched. This also breaks the already known records of Apple’s previous single day pre-order record of 600,000 held by iPhone 4.
 iPhone 4S includes iOS 5 and iCloud that work with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store content in iCloud. iPhone 4S comes in either black or white and will be available in the US for a price of US$199 for the 16GB model and US$299 for the 32GB model and US$ 399 for the 64GB model.
iPhone 4S will be available from the Apple Online Store, Apple's retail stores and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and select Best Buy, Target and Walmart stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 4 is available for US$99 and iPhone 3GS is available for free with a two year contract. iPhone 4S will roll- out worldwide to 22 more countries by the end of October including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Latest wackie Innovations in technology industry

Compiled by Prince Osuagwu



World’s cheapest tab now in India

world cheapest Aakash tablet

India has finally launched probably the world's cheapest 7-inch touchscreen tablet dubbed Aakash.
Aakash, means 'sky' in Hindi. The new innovation is a result of efforts by India's Ministry of Human Resource and Development to develop a low cost computing device that could be used by students across the country.
 Aakash, is set to be sold to students at the government subsidized price of US$35. The regular retail price of the tablet is expected to be around US$60 when the unit hits the shelves as a commercial version called the UbiSlate 7.





Behold RIM's new BlackBerry Tag app

RIM has unveiled BlackBerry Tag for its BlackBerry smartphone users to connect with one another and share multimedia content. BlackBerry Tag, which will be

Blackberry

 

 

 

incorporated in the next BlackBerry 7 OS update, will allow users to share contact information, documents, URLs, photos and other multimedia content. BlackBerry Tag will also enable users to instantly add one another as contacts on BBM. BlackBerry Tag takes utility of NFC technology included in the recently launched BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 and BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 smartphones, and these are the first BlackBerry smartphones that will support BlackBerry Tag. RIM also plans to expose BlackBerry Tag through APIs on the BlackBerry platform, allowing software developers to take utility of 'tap to share' functionality from within their own applications.

More pictures........

There was also local music to ensure that the tourists truly get the drive

The story of South Africa strategy to attract investors through self Branding

By Prince Osuagwu

South Africa is not leaving anything to chances about its quest to be the hub of African businesses.
Recently it gathered journalists around the world to see for themselves what potentials abound in Africa, with South Africa as a reference point. The tour was not political just as it could have been in other African countries. Interestingly the South African government handed the BRAND SOUTH AFRICAN project to professionals who gathered experts in all sectors including Banking, Health, Energy and other business areas who reeled out action plans in their different sectors.
It was one of the most perfectly organised tours I have ever witnessed in my career as a journalist. The tour took the journalists from Nigeria,South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, Egypt, Zambia, Kenya among others, across Johannesburg,Pretoria and Cape Town and in each location, it became clearer that South Africa is a proud African continent flag bearer.
What with the COP17 billed to be hosted there between November and December this year, the country is not ready to leave any bit of opportunity it could provide its business environment. An elated Minister of Internal Relations and Cooperation, Mrs Maite Nkoane who eventually is the incoming president of the COP17 is already celebrating the milestones of the event in the history of South Africa. For her, this is another World cup. And we all knew what leverage the 2010 world cup left for country.
From the Ten point plan Health Sector reforms by the radical South African Minister of Health in Pretoria to the Alternative energy plant and the robust wine farms in Cape Town, there was no doubt that South Africa has taken time to strategise on what it wants and those that would deliver them to the promised land.
The Brand Africa team stuck to time and made the tour worthwhile for the tourists. The hospitality is a story that has no end and the friendliness leaves a lasting taste in the mouth of all participants, to say the least.
These picture could speak volumes.
Enjoy them!

Having Fun in a dinner party on arrival day

Steve Jobs bows to Pancreatic cancer in a smart way

By Prince Osuagwu

The death of co-founder and former chief executive of US technology giant Apple, Mr Steve Jobs, yesterday could be described as a smart exit. This is judging by the fact that news of his death filtered in just a day after he introduced Apple’s latest iPhone 4S model.
Interestingly, Jobs's family had issued a statement saying they were with him when he died peacefully on Wednesday.

Jobs died at the age of 56. However, a better part of his life was dedicated to countless innovations that enrich and improve lives and make the world immeasurably better. Although cause of his death has not been yet announced, it could not be far from the pancreatic cancer which Jobs himself announced he was suffering from in 2004.
Like the American President said in his tribute to Jobs, "Steve was among the greatest of American innovators, brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it"
No matter how his life is viewed, Steve Jobs truly created gadgets which has changed people's perceptions of machines. Steve Jobs came into lime light when in April fools day 1976, he in conjunction with his school friend Steve Wozniak introduced the first Apple computer, tagged Apple 1. In fact, for more than two decades, after the first Apple computer, the company was predominantly a manufacturer of personal computers, including the Apple II, Macintosh, and Power Mac lines, but it faced rocky sales and low market share during the 1990s.

Cutting edge products

Since then the company through the visionary leadership of Steve Jobs, has introduced cutting edge products like the colourful iMac computer, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad to the world. The latest iPhone 4S model was also introduced just a day before his death.
However, the latest era of phenomenal success for the company has been in the iOS Apple range of products that began with the iPhone, iPod Touch and now iPad.
With a market value estimated at $351bn (£227bn), Jobs contributed immensely to making Apple the world's most valuable technology company, it has become today.

Biography
Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco in Feb 1955 to students Joanne Schieble and Syrian-born Abdulfattah Jandali. He had a summer job at Hewlett-Packard while at school but dropped out of college after six months and went travelling in India, where he became a Buddhist.
He was to launch Apple with his school friend Steve Wozniak in 1976 and also caused the first Apple computer to be sold the same year.
In 1985, there was a boardroom squabble and he left Apple and bought Pixar animation company in 1986 for $10m. He managed the company he called NeXt until 1996 when Apple bought it. He returned to become Apple’s CEO in 1997. At return, Jobs  brought with him a new corporate philosophy of recognizable products and simple design. With the introduction of the successful iPod music player in 2001, Apple established itself as a leader in the consumer electronics industry, dropping "Computer" from its name.
Jobs married in a Buddhist ceremony in 1991 and has three children with his wife. These are in addition to a daughter from a previous relationship. He is said to have a personal wealth estimated at $8.3bn (£5.4bn) as at year end 2010
He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, and after three periods of sickness leave, resigns as Apple CEO in August 2011
As the face of Apple, he represented its dedication to high-end technology and fashionable design. Inside the company Jobs was said to have exerted a level of influence unheard of in most businesses.
In 2004, Mr Jobs announced that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. He had a liver transplant five years later. In


id="lw_1317942857_5">January 2011, he took medical leave, before resigning as CEO in August and handing over his duties to Mr Tim Cook.
In his resignation letter, Mr Jobs said: "I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role."
Jobs remained Apple's chairman till death.

In his tribute to Jobs, the new Apple CEO, Mr Tim Cook, said that “Steve Jobs left behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple".