VConnect, Nigeria's Largest Local Search Engine Debuts

L-r: Director, Vconnect global services ltd., Mr. Deepak Singhal, MD/BD consult, Mr. Tola Bademosi and General Manager, Vconnect, Mr. Deepanker Rustagi at the media launch of Vconnect services held at Zen place, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos .

By Prince Osuagwu

VConnect Global Services Limited, an information service provider and Nigeria’s largest local search engine has unveiled its services with the main thrust to bridge the information gap that existed between information seekers (consumers) and the suppliers thereby helping both parties to connect with ease and convenience
VConnect provides the most comprehensive and updated information about products and services available in Nigeria with over 200,000 Nigerian businesses currently listed on VConnect Database.
Speaking at the media launch event held at Zen Gardens, Ikeja GRA, Lagos on Tuesday March 8, 2011, General Manager, VConnect Global Services Limited, Mr. Deepankar Rustagi disclosed that the company is set to revolutionalize information services industry in Nigeria by providing information whenever where and without any additional cost.
Deepankar revealed that the main objective of VConnect is to provide accurate information to the users with the aim of becoming the most reliable & most used local search engine for every information seeker in Nigeria.
“We observed that in daily routine, people look out for certain information relating to products and services around them like, where can I get this?, who can give me the best service?, how do I get their contacts? and so on”. He Said.
“VConnect provides ready answers to these questions through two channels which are Web and Telesearch. Information seekers are to log on to www.vconnect.com to access information through the Web or by calling the dedicated hotline on 070 0000 8888 using Telesearch at no additional cost.” He Continued
He explained further that VConnect allows local businesses to register on the portal free of charge while offering them a platform to  advertise to consumers at affordable rates. He noted that the service will improve the connectivity between the customers and goods/services providers leading to quick and better buying decisions.
“Most often, we look for information around us like - where is the  closest Restaurant, need phone number or contact for diesel or cooking gas supply or we could be in need of emergency services like Hospitals, Ambulance Services, Fire Service or even the Police in our local area, all this information you can get through VConnect” He noted.
Commenting on how VConnect will assure the public of the authenticity of the information provided by the business owners to protect the consumers, Deepankar revealed that VConnect have a dedicated large field team that gather information and verify the businesses before they are registered and made public for the users.
Also Speaking at the launch, a Director of the company Mr. Deepak Singhal  described VConnect as a large scale initiative which will be  an avenue for every businesses to be registered regardless of size and financial strength thereby creating a level playing ground and helping small and medium scale businesses to grow.
Mr. Deepankar explained that the dream of building the Nigerian Data Warehouse (Products and services) is a collective responsibility of all and can only be achieved when we all come together and provide active feedbacks.

Where is the iPod technology taking entertainment?

Apple's iPod touch 2g

By Prince Osuagwu


I would probably not be correct to say that Apple’s Steve Jobs got the inspiration of iPod, the portable media player launched Oct. 23, 2001 from Nigeria’s foremost and popular Reggae musician, Ras Kimono.
But it is quite obvious today, that piece of technology has not only changed the entertainment equation around the world, but has also altered the landscape for portable audio players.
When Ras Kimono debuted with his epic title Rhumba stylee in the late 80s, clutching a large size audio cassette recorder on his shoulder, a lot of people thought he was going crazy. But that was the extent he loved his music to be with him, anywhere he goes.
Perhaps, Steve Jobs was somewhere watching, thinking that if music was to be with one, wherever he goes, then the technology housing the music must be light to carry about. And so, in less than two decades he debuted with the iPod.
Today, iPod is different things to different people— a life partner, a soul provider, sorrow evacuator and happiness merchant.
Its cousin, the iPhone, which went on sale in June 2007 with its more than 100,000 applications, has changed social interaction, health care, education and, most importantly, how people communicate.
From Apple alone there are up to 4 or 5 models of iPod, which includes the iPod shuffle, an incredibly small, wearable music player with buttons, and VoiceOver. It tells you the song or playlist you’re listening to.
iPod nano, the smaller, lighter iPod  with features like a built-in FM radio, pedometer, clip, and more.
iPod classic; with 160GB of storage for music, video, and photos. Apple says iPod classic is the take-everything everywhere iPod.
And now the new iPod touch which has more fun than ever with FaceTime, Retina display, HD video recording, and the powerful A4 chip.
Now, look at how far this piece of technology has taken entertainment:
On the run and in the gym.
Your iPod nano or iPod touch is your running partner, along with the Nike - iPod Sport Kit or Sensor and a pair of Nike shoes. With the sensor in the shoe, the iPod gives feedback while it records your run. When you’re done, sync your iPod with nikeplus.com and you’ll see how fast you’ve run and how far you’ve come.
iPod is also a personal trainer at the gym by just connecting the device to any iPod compatible cardio equipment. It instantly records one’s workout and charges his iPod while the music and video keep him pumping. Even the iPod nano with the new built-in Pedometer can help one keep fit by counting his steps.
On the road.
The iPod today can drive the car’s sound system. Nearly every new vehicle offers an option to connect the iPod. Just plug your iPod in and suddenly your cabin is filled with whatever is playing on your iPod.
Two Cameras double the fun.
It is even easy these days with the iPod touch to capture video with its two built-in cameras. It shoots amazing HD 720p video from the back camera. And with its advanced backside illumination sensor, it captures beautiful footage even in low-light settings. Meanwhile, as all these are going on, the built-in microphone, records conversations, music, or any audio at the same time. And on the front of iPod touch, the built-in camera is perfect for making FaceTime calls1 and shooting self-portraits.
Can you now imagine how much fun can fit into something so small?.

ITU keen on seeing more young women in ICT, Technology solving driving problems

By Prince Osuagwu

The International Telecommunications Union, ITU, is worried that instead of more participation, more and more young women are shying away from the study of Information and Communications Technology ICT.
The union said it would unravel what is behind the sharp downwards trend in young women opting to study information and communication technology even as ICT qualifications offer good job prospects and higher-than-average remuneration.
It averred that in the US, for example, the proportion of girls studying ICT courses has dropped from a mid-‘80s high of 37% to just 29% today, and is still falling. The scenario is also playing out in other countries of the world including African countries.
Consequent upon that, the Union has slated a meeting in its Geneva headquarters next week, to debate the issue. The duo of ITU’s Senior Communications officer and Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, Toby Johnson and Sarah Parkes noted that with a panel comprising Ministers, top educators, industry experts, media and young students, the debate will look at how ICTs are taught in schools and universities, how girls perceive careers in technology  and what is informing their life choices.
The debate would also look at the cultural and economic barriers mitigating against this and perhaps proffer solutions on possible ways to encourage more girls into the technology field.

Technology to minimize driver distraction

In a related development, experts and executives from the car industry, ICT community, governments, research and development institutes and academia and the general public are also going to pick brains on how to some driving related problems emanating from texting, making calls, and other interaction with in-vehicle information and communication systems while driving.
Though these are serious sources of driver distraction even as they  increase the risk of traffic accidents on the road, many drivers across the world are seen engaging in either one or all of them while driving.
Standards and design guidelines for these systems and devices, whether portable or fixed in the vehicle, can contribute to decreasing driver distraction, allowing the driver to focus on the road ahead.
Perhaps that is why the ITU has introduced the  Fully Networked Car forum to examine this and other topics linking ICTs and vehicles.
The forum would be infused into the Geneva International Motor Show beginning tomorow in Geneva. Part of the agenda would be electric vehicles and Intelligent Transport Systems that offer the potential for cars to foresee and avoid collisions, navigate the quickest route to their destination, make use of up-to-the-minute traffic reports, identify the nearest available parking slot and minimize their carbon emissions.
For the sixth year running, international standards organizations ITU, ISO and IEC say they would be hosting this ground-breaking event, bringing together key players involved in the development of technologies and standards, as well as other major industry representatives.

ITU Sec Gen, Dr Hamadoun Toure

NCC finds Delta state a dependable ally for ICT sector transformation

Gov. Uduaghan of Delta State and NCC, EVC Dr Juwah: Seeing future in Technology..... is it?

By Prince Osuagwu

Since assuming office as the Executive Vice Chairman, EVC of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Delta state born Dr Eugene Juwah has embarked on a consistent crusade to cause a radical transformation of the Nigerian economy through the application of necessary technologies.
From engaging the operators to designing policies and projects on broadband penetration among others, Dr Juwah has been trying his hands on every available means that can help his course. Part of his strategies, which he revealed to FreeTalk Africa recently, also includes visiting and engaging visionary leaders and worthy professionals that can give result oriented ideas to achieving both the tasks he had set for himself and those the commission traditionally demands.
Last week, Juwah perhaps felt it was time to go home with his visions to see how much honour he may receive at home if he were to be a prophet.
Incidentally, his state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, also saw a leeway through the NCC, to develop the state’s ICT vision. It was like taking two to tango as Uduaghan pledged to work closely with the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to enable the state develop its ICT vision which he described as the basic infrastructure for the socio political transformation of the state.
The NCC helmsman with his team who visited Uduaghan Thursday, briefed him on the commission’s plan to build an Emergency Communications Centre in Asaba to handle emergency calls, just as the commission also plans to build a Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) Learning Centre in the state for the training of manpower for the communications industry.
An excited Uduaghan promised that the state will key into all NCC programmes and take advantage of them for the benefit of the people of Delta State.
He also commended the SIM Card Registration by the NCC saying that it will help reduce criminality in the country.
According to Uduaghan “I am one of the happiest persons in the country because SIM Card Registration has started and it will reduce criminality. The exercise will help us in dealing with criminality,”
The governor said that he was personally surprised that the SIM he bought recently could only do emergency calls as the card was not registered. He noted that such development was good for the health and safety of the country.
Meanwhile, Juwah had promised the governor and his Executive Council members, who received them that NCC had accepted the mandate to take communications to the various ends of the country, adding that his administration would address outstanding issues in the industry.
On the DBI, project, Juwah told Delta state that the institute is a centre of excellence being fully funded by the Commission to address the dearth of manpower which bedeviled the industry at the advent of mobile technology in the country.
DBI has its  main campus in Abuja, but with facilities in Lagos and Kano. He stated that work will soon commence in three other centres, of  Asaba, Yola and Enugu.
Uduaghan expressed happiness with the development, saying that the activities of the Commission in the state would compliment his administration’s effort to build and ICT Park for the transformation of the state.
“We are developing an ICT Park in Asaba here; that is why I am happy about your projects. We will key into your programmes and take advantage of them for the benefit of our people,” he said.

Apple's iPad2: All efizzy?

Steve Jobs Apple, last Wednesday introduced the iPad 2. Those who seem to know says there is nothing too special apart from the efizzy of new introduction. However, Apple makes us all to believe that the new introduction sports a 33% thinner design and weighs 0.2 pounds less than the original iPad. There's also a dual-core 1GHz processor, optional AT&T and Verizon models, front- and rear-facing cameras, but same 10-hour battery life, and it'll be available in white or black.

Pricing

Pricing will be the same as the previous models: $499, $599 and $699 for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi models, respectively—$629, $729 and $829 for the comparable 3G-equipped models.
Accessories
Apple will sell a $39 HDMI connector cable that allows you to hook the iPad 2 up to your TV and watch full-resolution 1080p video.
The tablet will also be able to utilize a new "Smart Cover" protector—a magnetically-attached screen cover with microfiber lining that can be folded into a stand similar to the original, but won't be as bulky or cumbersome.
 
Software Enhancements

Apple will be rolling out version 4.3 of iOS on March 11, which will use technology from the Safari web browser found on Mac computers to double the speed of Javascript-heavy web pages on the iPad 2. iTunes home sharing—playing videos and music files from your home computer on the iPad 2—is on board, too, as is improved functionality of Apple's AirPlay technology.

Why are sound makers not making the headlines?

By Prince Osuagwu

With the way things are going, it seems that the future would be ruled by emotions. That is why at the movies, the image gets all the glamour. When critics talk about an Oscar-worthy film, they usually refer to the powerful acting, sweeping cinematography and dazzling visual effects but leave out one of the most important - the sound tech.
Imagine a film when all of a sudden everything goes mute. Perhaps all the costly actors and actresses will lose colour because dialogue is dead and apparently all other technological ingredients in the film, worthless.
Whatever rating the sound technology is given in a movie it does not remove its position as an extremely important part of the filmmaking process. Sound helps to establish mood, build suspense and create a reality touch. In animated films, sound is often the difference between a cute cartoon and a convincing digital reality.

What the sound Editor does

The sound editor is responsible for everything heard in a movie. He is most often called the sound designer because he is essentially creating a systematic balance of audio from hundreds of different sources for a desired effect.
Sound editing sometimes plays a corrective role in a less pristine video quality, pixilated video images  and scrappy camera work.
However, some of these technocrats are hardly mentioned, least celebrated and in most cases poorly remunerated. The actors and actresses, video techs and even video editors get all the hype. Yet the sound Engineer gazes right into the mind of the Directors to ensure that the filmmaker’s vision is reflected in the movie's sound.

Computers and sound Editing

Today, most sound editors use digital audio workstations for sound editing and almost all sound editors use computerized editing systems known as digital audio workstations. Digital audio workstations are multi-track systems that greatly simplify and enhance the sound editing process for all types of professional audio production like film audio, studio recording, DJs, and all.
The beauty of it all is that outside the more professional systems, like DigiDesign’s Pro Tools, which require a special sound card and are typically used in conjunction with large digital mixing boards and are compatible with hundreds of effects and virtual instrument plug-ins, the most basic systems are simply software applications that can be loaded onto a standard personal computer.
One of the big advantages of digital audio workstations is that they allow sound editors to work with graphical representations of sound. With magnetic tape, everything was done by ear. Now editors can look at the sound waves on the screen. They can see extraneous background noise and remove it with a click of the mouse. Some DAWs can automatically clean up audio, removing clicks, hisses and low-level background noise that would have ruined a take in the old days.
With graphical interfaces, sound effects designers can study the waveform of a sound and easily bend and distort it to create something completely new. A lion’s roar can be stretched and pitched down to become the bellow of a tremendous sea monster.

Politics is unpredictable in Africa --- Leo Stan Ekeh

Leo-Stan Ekeh

By Prince Osuagwu

Chairman Zinox Technologies Limited, Mr Leo Stan Ekeh, last week told a gathering of business moguls at the 13th Annual Africa Business Conference in the Harvard Business School, that Politics is often unpredictable in Africa and the polity is neither guided by ideologies or time tested traditions.
He also described African politics as a game where opportunism and mediocrity take the place of merit and the jungle justice of survival of the fittest becomes the benchmark for running society. He linked all these to reasons why African ICT has had very low growth, saying that “what affects politics affects all the sectors of the economy including the stock exchange and ICT”Speaking on the “Building of a True Indigenous African Institution – The Zinox Experience”, Ekeh, listed volatile politics, irregular power supply, policy somersaults or inconsistency by Governments, shortages of trained and experienced manpower, and skepticism at the government, corporate and individual levels as some of the problems facing the building of institutions in Africa.
Other challenges according to him, included keen international competition, low purchasing power, a lack of a credit culture, lack of a credible database and low ICT capacities among the leaders of Africa.
For him, in spite of these odds a good number of indigenous brands are doing very well in Africa as a result of the vision and doggedness of a new crop of educated and disciplined entrepreneurs. Mr. Ekeh said that the new crop of entrepreneurs are driven by patriotism, passion to build a global brand that is ready to compete and beat the world’s best in different sectors, they are often humble and have an enhanced digital mind.
Zeroing in on Zinox Computers, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh revealed that from the launch date on the 12th of October, 2001, Zinox was designed to be a source of national identity for Nigeria just as HP is for the U.S.A, Lenovo for China, Acer for Taiwan, and Mercer for South Africa. He observed that leadership came with its responsibilities and Zinox has had to salvage the Nigeria voters’ registration exercise in Nigeria by supplying 11,500 DDC Machines in 2 weeks in 2006; and 80,000 in 35 days in 2011. Mr. Ekeh stressed the point that the Zinox intervention in 2006 was at the instance of a foreign firm that failed on its contract to deliver data machines. That display of capacity and competence earned Zinox 60% of the supply of the DDC Machines in 2011. Zinox again out performed her foreign competitors by delivering on time and in addition provided a total of 74 support engineers free of charge to INEC as Zinox executed this project with very strong patriotic considerations. In addition, Zinox has been socially responsible helping the nation to host large events like the All Africa Games, COJA, in 2003 and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting,CHOGM, in 2004.
Recommendations: Ekeh however made recommendations to guide Africa into development. 1. Governments at all levels must support local industries through policy and preferential patronage; 2.Governments must keep energy at the top of their priority table if Africans are to get used to IT products;  reduce the cost of the internet; 3.indigenous companies must take capacity building seriously; 4.entrepreneurs must encourage partnerships, certifications and trends from outside the country to ensure that the local firms are focused on world-class quality; 5. A deliberate scheme ought to be put in place to extend IT training programmes to the main crust of leadership in Africa. Finally, he charged all African youths at Harvard to rise to the challenges of African development and ‘they cannot afford to fail having had access to the best’.