TECHWARF | Let's Talk Innovations

    Fly is a leading European mobile player which has been making waves across the world and has entered into Nigeria's lucrative mobile phone market, "Fly was the number 1 selling smartphone in Russia in 2013, a top performer in many European markets and has been doing exceptionally well this year in the Arabian gulf states". With its commitment to style, functionality and advanced technology, Fly has created a brand that has set new global benchmarks in the mobile industry. Speaking at the launch of the mobile phone in Lagos NITIN SOOD, Managing director FLY MEA Said, " West Africa and Nigeria in particular is a strategic new market for Fly, with its growing demand for smart phones and we are excited to enter into this market with first choice as our partner, which will further help us to penetrate the Nigerian market. He said that the new product range, -a series of 6 power packed smart phones and 3 feature phones, are designed with the world's very latest technology for an unparalleled user experience and will soon be available across Nigeria.
    Vice president, marketing, FLY MEA Mr Abdul Jabbar said " Fly is a challenger brand and we are bringing our latest handsets which are technologically advanced and stylish and are sure to appeal to consumers in Nigeria, and given the global demand shown for our products, we believe that there would also be demand here for premium quality mobile phones at reasonable prices", Nigeria's discerning consumers have been given a new and attractive option when buying premium mobile phones with the entrance of FLY into the market, Fly has partnered with first choice as its exclusive distributor given its distribution network across Africa with over 4000 points of sale. Fly which is one of Europe's leading mobile phone manufacturers sells its stylish, functional and technologically advanced smartphones and feature phones across Europe, the middle east, Africa, India, and Russia

Fly F51 android phone

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    With a redefined, trendy design backed by the most advanced functions to support social networking, SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS WEST AFRICA last weekend in Lagos unveiled the galaxy A5 and A3 respectively, It is ideal for consumers seeking practicality and functionality. According to Samsung, both devices are designed to empower young consumers to quickly and easily capture those special and meaningful moments, connect to social medias and share their daily experiences.
    "The Galaxy A5 and A3 comes in a beautifully crafted full metal uni-body, slim design, superior hardware and the best possible social media experience". According to Mr EMMANOUIL REVMATAS, Director of handheld products  for Samsung electronics west Africa, "These devices make our advanced galaxy experience even more accessible to the young and trendy consumers, the devices will be available in the new year and the first set of consumers to purchase the device would be given a selfie stick and mono-pod specifically designed to be held at arms length for that perfect shot, also with the improved adjustable audio function of both devices consumers can enjoy top quality sounds at any time and place without disturbance".
    Speaking on the launch of the phones at his movie premier, Banky W described the Galaxy A series as an innovative smartphone featuring a redefined full metal body. The products are Samsung's slimmest smart phones till date, they are available in pearl white, midnight black, platinum silver and champagne gold. Both devices come with two hybrid Sim slots which means users can decide between using two Sims or one Sim and use the second Sim slot for memory expansion with a micro SD card.

Samsung A3

Samsung A5

A bio-fuel production facility.

   The sustainable energy fund for Africa (SEFA) has approved a US $580,000 (about 101.1 million
Naira) preparation grant for the expansion of green energy and bio-fuels (GEB) bio-refinery in Nigeria. The project according to a statement releases by the African development bank (AFDB) is a pilot of small and medium entrepreneurship fundamentals (SMEFunds) an enterprise based in Lagos, Nigeria and the first bio-energy  cooking fuel production facility and distribution network in Nigeria. Specifically AFDB says the SEFA grant would be used for financing technical studies, business advisory studies and a full environmental and social impact assessment in support of the scaling up of SMEFunds/GEB operations, particularly the waste to ethanol cooking fuel production and distribution in Nigeria.
   The expansion entails growing the bio-gel production capacity from 1000 to 30,000 liters per day and ramping up the cooking stove manufacturing supply chain four fold over the next couple of years, After the approval MR Joao Cunha stated ""SEFA's support will enable the expansion of the first waste to ethanol and cooking stove operation in Africa. Itself a product of the ingenuity and capacity of African entrepreneurs and by offering a modern low carbon cooking solution GEB is also contributing to improving women and children's health, creating job opportunities and reducing deforestation associated with charcoal production.
   Nigeria currently has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world at over 3.3% per year, wood fuel consumers in Nigeria account for the estimated 100million cubic meters of firewood consumed annually. In addition wood fuel is the main source of heating for 56% of the population.

Peugeot 301

    Few months into the implementation of the Nigeria’s government Automotive Industrial Development Program and announcement of the new automotive policy, a lot of shake-up is happening within automobile companies in Nigeria. It started with Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Company Limited rolling out large quantities of  their IVM SUV (Innoson IVM SUV) at a very affordable price. Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Company Limited  has grown to be the popular choice amongst Nigeria’s indigenous car manufacturers. With their products gaining popularity and patronage by Nigerians.
   Fast-forward July 2014, the Managing Director of Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited, Mr Ibrahim Boyi has announced the company’s full support of the Federal government’s Automotive Industrial Development Program and had designated about 24,000 square meters within its premises in Kaduna State for the Local Components Park

Innoson factory

   It is a welcomed development considering how much good this is going to do to the Nigeria’s Economy, many jobs will be created for both skilled and unskilled laborers. The Minister of Commerce Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga being in full support of the new initiative explains that      "The automotive industry development plan took account of the problems that led to the collapse of the industry in the past and was developed after extensive consultations with the executives of the existing local auto manufacturers. That is why we plan to establish auto-skills and auto-companies parts in three parts of the country."
 



  He also revealed that the federal government would launch a vehicle financing scheme to make funds available to the Nigerian populace for the purchase of made in Nigeria vehicles under the new automotive policy.

   As the price of crude oil plummets globally, Nigeria is one of the countries hardest hit as most of its revenue and its economy is dependent on crude oil sale, As most of its patrons have either discovered crude oil in their countries or have become more dependent on renewable energy. Nigeria, a country blessed with abundant sunlight and wind has no excuse to make the most of those resources to generate enough power for domestic use and export the excess, It is in this light that PVC SOLAR INDUSTRIES, Solar IV manufacturers and total solar electricity power integrator decided to set up a 10 mega watt solar panel manufacturing plant in Nigeria, to not only make solar electricity more affordable but also create jobs for Nigerians.
   Speaking at the official groundbreaking ceremony at the project site, a 100 acre property in warewa along Lagos Ibadan express way Ogun state, the site engineer, who is also senior project engineer, PSC SOLAR UK LTD, Mr Ntogo Bakor Alex Alee said the idea behind the project was the company's desire to further reduce the cost of distributed solar energy power by this local manufacturing initiative thereby making alternative electricity affordable in Nigeria and the west African sub continent.
   The project, described as the first of its kind in Africa already has over 20 earth moving equipment and over 100 construction site engineers are on ground, underlining the local content commitment of the company in this endeavor. Also he stated that "over 3 billion naira worth of manufacturing equipment procured from RIMAS BV in Netherlands are on ground in nigeria, including sun simulators, stringers, larmators, automatic framers etc".

   EXPECTED PRODUCTS
   Solar panels to be produced in Nigeria include 12v/80 watts, 12v/160watts, 24v/200watts, 24v/250watts and all super efficiency Mano crystalline solar pv panels with efficiencies in excess of 35%, which is way above the industry average efficiency of 15% adding that africa now has a reliable manufacturer of superior quality inverters, solar pv panels, solar charge controllers - PWM, hybrid and MPPT versions from 12v-440v.
   Speaking on the company's plan for 2015/2016, the managing director and chief executive officer of PSC Solar uk ltd DR Patrick owelle said that the planned expansion of PSC solar uk ltd was underway with offices and ware houses in Abuja, Benin, and Kano and additional locations in port-Harcourt, Sokoto and Calabar are planned for late 2015. He indicated that plans are underway to develop a 100 unit total solar power luxury estate at the 100 acre project site which is slated for take off in June 2016.

   Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited is consolidating its leadership in Nigeria’s car manufacturing sector
with the launching of the Peugeot 301 in commercial quantity in Nigeria, an official of the company has
said. The Managing Director of the company, Mr Ibrahim Boyi, said the company was in full support of the
government’s Automotive Industrial Development Program and had designated about 24,000 square
meters within its premises in Kaduna State for the Local Components Park.
   Representatives of the Federal Government and the management of the Peugeot Automobile Nigeria, on
Saturday, had a feel of what the vehicle looked like, as they were taken round the park to inspect the Peugeot Components Auto Cluster Park. The Automotive Industrial Development Program is aimed at promoting local automobile production and reducing the importation of used cars.
   The unveiled Peugeot 301 was made from over 120 years of automotive experience in the traditional Peugeot style of safety, comfort and strength. Over the next six to twelve months, the company has promised to roll out the Peugeot 508 and 408 models while hoping that the Federal Government will ensure
the implementation and compliance of the automotive policy.

 
The Toyota Camry is one of the most popular cars in Nigeria, Dubai and many parts of Africa. You could hardly count 5 cars without seeing a Toyota Camry, The Camry is very reliable, efficient and comfortable, you could hardly find a car as reliable and efficient as the Camry in its segment. It offers you the comfort of a luxury car with the cost efficiency of a small car, Which would account for its wide use and appearance everywhere in Africa. The Toyota Camry's sculpted appearance exudes sophisticated styling and attitude in a blend aerodynamic elegance and refined functionality with a sporty edge, The Camry is a beauty to behold and the interior finishing is luxury personified.
   The Camry is loaded with an array of unique features, for instance the power rear window sunshades provide privacy in the rear seats and will automatically retract when the reverse gear is engaged, Rear seat control panel provides switches for the power reclining rear seats, power rear window sun shades, audio system and air conditioning system among others. The Camry's class leading drive performance comes from its powerful engine and automatic transmission. The Camry is available in 2.5 and 3.5 litre engines, both engines are equipped with a super intelligent six speed automatic transm

ission.
   The Camry safety features are class leading, they include " multi SRS airbags, crash safety body, back monitor, WIL concept front seats, intelligent VSC for cornering and intelligent AFS that illuminates driving direction at night". All these and more make the Camry standout above others in its class.

   

The number of automobile companies to set up assembly plants in Nigeria has continues to swell as renowned German truck and bus maker MAN entered into an agreement with SCOA Nigeria plc for the assembly of MAN products in Nigeria, The agreement signing held in Lagos recently was witnessed by the deputy consul of the federal republic of Germany MR Joerg Steckham. The MAN delegation was led by its vice president MR Adel luenz and the head of sales for the middle east and African region MR Noel Macaron while the SCOA team was represented by the chairman SCOA Nigeria limited MR Henry Agbamu and the group managing director and CEO DR Mossad Boulos.
   The SCOA boss explained in his speech that the partnership with MAN will not only serve the Nigerian market but also the ECOWAS sub-region, Adding that they were privileged to have the best products and also to be the first European brand to be assembled in country under the new policy. The new MAN assembly plant which is to commence operation next month has an annual production capacity of 3000 vehicles and can be expanded to increase capacity. Mr Henry Agbamu noted in his speech that " having MAN products assembled in Nigeria by SCOA is simply awesome and with the support of the Nigerian governments newly launched automotive policy, the SCOA motor division is simply the right destination for MAN".

Apple has begun selling audio products from Bose again, as 9toMac first spotted. The return comes nearly two months after it pulled the range for unknown reasons.

It was never clear why Apple cut Bose out, but it is likely to be related to a lawsuit the audio company that Apple purchased for $3 billion earlier this year, in July over noise cancelling headphones.

The two sides settled on October 10, ending the need for the case to go to court, but Bose products disappeared from Apple's online store and officeline retail outlets just a week later. Bose also stole a march on its rival when it became the official audio product for the NFL right before Apple's purge, although that didn't stop many sports stars from using Beats products and being fined for doing so in some cases.

Perhaps it was a case of Cupertino flexing its retail muscles as a warning or a move to assist sales of Beats, but either way the relationship seems more stable now. That means that you can hit up Apple's on and offline stores in the U.S. before Christmas if you know someone who'd acknowledge a new set of headphones or speakers in their stocking this year.    

  The Porsche Cayenne continues to exude class leading features 12yrs after it made a debut in the automobile luxury SUV segment, Now in its second generation, the Cayenne offers better handling, comfort and family friendly size that made the original a hit in a lighter package with greater power and fuel efficiency, Available in three new variants, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo and for the first time the Cayenne SE Hybrid, The first plug in hybrid in the premium SUV segment, The new Cayenne features a redeveloped engine which delivers higher torque than its predecessors.
  Porsche has also enhanced the fuel efficiency of the Cayenne to continue its ethos of delivering increased power without compromising efficiency, When matched with more precise handling capabilities, the new Cayenne represents a sport SUV beyond compare, another chapter to Porsche unrivaled legacy of breaking new grounds.
  MR Anurag Shab, Brand manager at Porsche center in Lagos, a subsidiary of stallion motors limited acknowledged the outstanding characteristic of the Cayenne at a media launch in Lagos on Tuesday 25th November, He said "The new Porsche cayenne embodies the ultimate Porsche traits, class leading performance and outstanding drive ability, no matter the road conditions the new cayenne delivers a unique experience". He added that the cayenne incorporates an even sharper design with precise lines and purposefully placed light re fracturing edges with front body wings, bonnets and air blades which are all newly shaped. At first glance the new cayenne is a Porsche through and through with its bi xenon headlights and four points LED daytime running lights, The new layout of the models rear lights creates a three dimensional effect with the break lights designed in four elements.
   

All these features make the Porsche cayenne standout above others.

Proforce Nigeria ltd is an indigenous Nigerian defense company specializing in the production of different varieties of armored vehicles and personnel protection and up armoring of vehicles. Proforce Nigeria ltd was incorporated in 2008 as a total defense solution provider specializing in armored vehicles and personal protection. the company's focus is on the delivery of confidence in protective mobility, proforce produces a variety of products which include combat helmets, body Armour(vests), up armored cars, armored personnel carriers(APC), infantry combat vehicles(ICV), tactical armored vehicles, UAV drones and military trucks among others. Proforce is also said to be in the process of designing an indigenous armored tank(MBT), This if successfully tested and incorporated would be the first armoured  tank produced in the whole of west Africa and possibly the whole of africa and would shoot the Nigerian industry to the league of weapons producers because even in developed countries very few countries produce the MBT. Proforce Nigeria ltd's line of armored vehicles are comparatively cheaper than its counterparts produced elsewhere in the world due to internally and locally sourced materials but provides the same level of protection as the others. example is the proforce MK1, MK2 and MK3.





 COMPONENTS MATERIALS AND PARTS : CONSEQUENCES ON THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY


 Components and materials used in the production of the proforce line of armored products are sourced in country and this accounts for its relative cheapness and also it encourages local industries such as the ajaokuta steel mill located in nigeria's western parts, this factory is capable of producing militarygrade steel which is used for armoured vehicle production and up armoring. The job creation possibilities are also numerous as it could provide jobs in a number of sectors in the economy like exports, steel industry, engineering sector among others. On a yearly basis the NIGERIAN government, army, airforce, police and paramilitary acquire, refurbish and maintain over 1500 armored  vehicles for both private and military use at the cost of millions and sometimes billions of dollars from foreign countries to the detriment of local industries. Proforce Nigeria ltd produces over 400 armored vehicles yearly with the possibility of expansion to accommodate larger orders.
 The proforce MK3 which is similar to the Carat black scorpion fast attack vehicle offers almost the same level of protection and firepower and troop carrying capacity but at a lesser prices than that of the Carat black scorpion. The Nigerian government and military have fought the war against insurgency in grossly inadequate 4WD vans and this has led to the unnecessary deaths of troops and this has affected morale, While an indigenous solution lies at proforce Nigeria ltd.

AUTHORS NOTE

Proforce Nigeria limited is a welcome technological development as it provides jobs, protection for the gallant troops laying down their lives for their country, provides a home grown solution for armored vehicles like bullion vans and vip protection and improves Nigeria's standing as an indigenous weapons producer in the international community, a position formally held in Africa by south africa, It also helps in the area of research and development, technology development and transfer and more. It is the belief of most nigerians that if an indigenous solution to our defence problems is found then it should be wholeheartedly supported by the nigerian government and state governments who are tasked with the purchase of products for the nigerian security agencies. It should be noted that in the 90's the Nigerian military was held to ransome by the western world with sanctions which in turn delayed the supply of weapons platforms purchased and paid for by the Nigerian government and also in 2014 where the western world and its allies refuced to supply the Nigerian military with weapons systems and troop protection systems(apc's and ifv's) for the persecution of the war against terror, Efforts of proforce nigeria ltd if supported would result in a sense of pride and national unity in the nigerian populace and Africa at large and should be encouraged.

Modular prefab design

  Nigeria's quest for affordable houses has received a boost as Sonif group, an indigenous Nigerian company has introduced a concept that will deliver affordable houses i a matter of days. Speaking on the concept, the managing director of Sonif Prince Sabastine said that the prefabricated housing unit is made of thick sandwich panels which have external and internal metal sheets with coil coating procedure. According to Prince Sabastine, Sonif has a monthly production capacity of 300 units of prefab houses, a prefab house of 80 square meters can be installed in four days by four men.
  In his words " Our prefab homes are fully protected and guaranteed against earthquakes and different wind pressure with wall panels of 50mm we can achieve great resistance to wind pressure. the average durability of a prefab home is 50 years. the low price of the product is its greatest and best selling point, the cost per square meter is the lowest compared to other building systems like concrete, bricks and wood considering the same comfort level".
  It is also a great opportunity for youths to learn the installation technology in programs sponsored by their respective states, local governments, donor agencies and others and also a great source of employment.

 Today Microsoft and Dropbox declared a partnership that will see Dropbox better support Microsoft's Office suite, and the latter better integrate into the product stack of the storage firm. The news comes after Box, another enterprise-facing storage firm, integrated with Office 365, Microsoft's Office as a service solution, and OneDrive enhance its product mix with unlimited storage.

The deal has four main parts: Quickly editing Office docs from the Dropbox mobile app; accessing Dropbox docs from Office apps; sharing Dropbox links of Office apps; and the establishment of first party Dropbox. Both companies, reached on the phone, were fascinated by how large Dropbox is 80,000 paying businesses and hundreds of millions of users. Not that Microsoft wouldn't prefer that OneDrive were bigger. It just isn't.

As such, Microsoft can't leave out Dropbox: It's defato cloud storage play, and Microsoft wants to sell into the cloud space if office 365 is going to be the cloud play for productivity, what choice did it have?

Let's talk about king making. Box had to integrate on its own. This deal is much more. Both companies refused to comment on whether either party was paying either party, so presume that Microsoft is paying Dropbox. Windows Phone apps don't spring from the mist. Microsoft is knighting Dropbox. If you use office, and are in a large association, and want to snag a popular cloud storage option, you now have one.

If office 365 revenues are going to replace traditional office sales receipts, there is little option. Microsoft can buy Dropbox a very fine idea concept, poisoned by the specter of a Quantive's past or it can partner with a firm that it is trying to kill, which is likely cheaper. Here we are.

Keep in mind that drunk venture capitalists in Silicon Valley will tell you that Dropbox is rewarding maybe. But at least for now it has a powerful, new, short term Microsoft doesn't like to lose.  

    

  
     
       

Hooke is a pair of Bluetooth headphones that also double as binaural, or 3D, recorders. The project is currently entering its final day on Kickstarter, having raised $154,000 over its $100,000 goal, and is scheduled to ship in June 2015.

Unless you are a raging audiophile, you are probably wondering why you'd want a pair of binaural recorders attached to your head. its inventor, sound designer Anthony Mattana, explains that professionals can use it for live concerts, virtual reality technology (like Oculus Rift), lectures, live theater, and cinema. Consumers can use it for an array of scenarios that they want to immortalize in 3D sound.

''Imagine grandma is sick and home for Christmas. Parents could capture Christmas morning and livestream the event to grandma. All grandma needs is a regular pair of headphones to feel like she's there. Imagine capturing your child's first time riding a bike in 3D audio or your family trip to the beach,'' Mattana says. In inclusion to its Bluetooth connection, Hooke also comes with a stereo 1/8'' cable so it can be used with devices like GoPro or DSLR cameras.

Mattana, who is based in Brooklyn, spent five years working as a sound designer for live theater productions.

''I've always been in love with the immersive qualifies of live sound, the true feeling of being there. However, I wanted to find a way to capture that immersive sound and let someone outside of the theater feel like they were there. So I started researching into 3D audio or binaural recording  technology and discovered that all the current products needed a lot of equipment, were very expensive, and were not very portable,'' he says.

'' I wanted to make 3D audio recording as portable as a GoPro camera, so I combined all of the technology found in professional binaural recording solutions into a simple, affordable pair of wireless headphones. Now a user can listen to music on their smartphone and record 3D audio without any extra gear.''

Hooke already has a functional prototype, a production schedule, and manufacturers. Mattana says that the ship date for the product also takes into consideration any problems that might occur in the production process.

''No Bluetooth chip currently does what Hooke's does. Because of this, we knew it was necessary to have a functional prototype prior to launch. From this point on, any setbacks that may occur will come from mass production manufacturing and we have given ourselves plenty of time by setting the delivery date to June 2015,'' he says.




  

 

After years of capping video playback at 30 frames per second, it looks like YouTube is finally raising the bar.

Back in June, YouTube reported that 60 FPS video playback was on the way in ''the coming months''. Alas, the only examples of this to pop up since were a handful of EA game trailers that YouTube handpicked to showcase the new, ultra-slick framerate.

Sometime in the past few hours, however, it seems the roll out out started spreading far and wide. A good number of user uploaded video shot at 60 FPS are now playing back at their proper framrate, rather than being sliced down to a relatively chunky 30 FPS.

It may not work in all browsers (if all else fails, try chrome. Safari also seems to work and make sure you're using the HTML5 player, though most people will be on that by default by now) but when it works, it's gloriously obvious.

Video previously shot at 60 FPS but uploaded before today, however, still seem to be playing at the older framerate.

We've reached out YouTube to find out just how widespread this roll out is (can all users upload at 60 FPS now, or just many more than before?), and whether or not they plan re-process any of the old stuff uploaded before they made the switch. Given the silly amount of video that YouTube has backlogged, however, I wouldn't bank on much of that old stuff getting the upgrade treatment.  

Apple CEO Tim Cook took to Businessweek with an essay he penned himself accepting that he is gay, saying that despite valuing personal privacy, he has decided to openly state his sexual preference in order to hopefully help others who might be struggling with their own identity, or with discrimination based on their sexual orientation.

       I don't consider myself an activist, but I know how I've benefited from the sacrifice of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or motivate people to insist on their equality, then it's worth the trade-off with my own privacy.

Cook's sexuality is no one's business but his own, and isn't newsworthy in and of itself, But his choice to take a very public stance and articulate his own thoughts on the record definitely is, as it reflects his continued commitment to social justice, and a strength of personality that is truly inspiring.

Smartphones may be in a pain sometimes. The carriers couldn't carry a cold from one human being to another, let alone a signal to your device but when they do work, they can do some incredible things. Your phone can play games, keep you informed on the news, let you talk to your friends in all sorts of interesting ways and anonymously post photos of your junk on the Internet. Now it can do something that no one thought we would be able to do with a phone without facing some kind of legal authority: deliver weed to your home.

Nestdrop is a new app for iOS and Android phones that's designed for medical marijuana users. It actually allows them to order the stuff, and to then have their ''medication'' delivered right to their doorstep.

First, the app must confirm that the user has permission from  a doctor collect medical marijuana by uploading a photo of a doctor's recommendation and their Medical Marijuana Identification Card. Once they have been approved, they can order all sorts of buds, edibles and even THC concentrate right from their phone. A delivery man will even bring it to their door within an hour of the placement of their order.

Between this, pizza delivery, and the Drizly app letting you order alcohol delivered right to your door well, you officially have no reason to ever leave your house.

      

Alcatel-Lucent is preparing to open up Africa's most populous nation to the benefits of ultra-broadband connectivity by launching a 100 gigabit-per-second fibre-optic network with MTN Nigeria.

MTN Nigeria, which covers more than almost 90 percent of Nigeria's land mass, will deploy a 100G network that re-uses existing 10G optical assets thereby avoiding MTN past investments while ensuring future proof and state of art solution.

Nigeria's growing economy is fuelling a proliferation of mobile subscribers, which number about 275  to every one landline in the country. As a result, Nigeria has a significant nee for reliable, mobile broadband access to support growing demand for bandwidth hungry services such as streaming video plus the ever-increasing need from enterprises for storage and data centre connections.

According to both parties involved: ''The new network also gives MTN the capacity and flexibility to offer wholesale services to other service providers in the region.''

Alcatel-Lucent is supporting MTN Nigeria's rapid growth in mobile subscribers by building a 100G DWM/OTN network using Alcatel-Lucent's 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) platform, a family of equipment that has been designed according to the latest international SD-FEC zero touch photonics and coherent technology.

According to Alcatel- Lucent, the Agile Optical Networking combines WDM, OTN, and GMPLS/ASON control plane intelligence to assure scalable, versatile, reliable and efficient transport at 100G and beyond.

Lynda Saint-Nwafor, CTO of MTN Nigeria said:  ''MTN discovered we needed to upgrade our network to meet customer expectations for ultra-broadband connectivity and high reliability within Nigeria's very competitive marketplace. We wanted a state of the art solution that met three main criteria: increased network reliability, a high degree of scalability to prepare the network for 400G and beyond, and safety of our exiting 10G investment. Alcatel-Lucent's demonstrations showed that they could meet all of our criteria and we look forward to improving the network overlay in 2014.''

Hatim Zougari, Country Senior Officer of Alcatel-Lucent in Nigeria's, stated that: ''we knew that MTN's top priority was bring reliability to their customers but they also wanted to offer ultra-broadband and they wanted to retain usefulness of as much of their legacy network as possible. We were able to show that we can give them a cost-effective solution that accomplishes all of their goals in a way that no one else could.''  

 

Apple's iOS 8.1 arrives today, and it brings with it some impressive new abilities. First and foremost, at least in terms of its long-term impact, is probably the introduction of Apple Pay, the new mobile payment solution built into iPhone 6 and 6 plus, and the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. But 8.1 also offers the ability to send/receive texts and phone calls from your phone on your Mac, the return of ''Camera Roll,'' the public beta of Cloud Library and more.

Apple's first big update for iOS 8 is a mix of features that didn't quite make the launch of the original software, and things that the company is adding based on user feedback, like the return of Camera Roll. The ability to make and receive calls on your Mac, as well as ''green bubble'' (i.e. non-iMessage) SMS, was something first announced at WWDC in June, but required OS X Yosemite to run, so it makes sense that it wouldn't arrive until after the launch of Apple's new desktop update last week, this too likely needed a little more time in the oven, why is why it didn't launch baked into iOS in 8 in September.

Having used iOS 8.1 briefly before its release, I can say that that on the iPhone it's a big improvement, thanks in large part to the communications sharing features it brings between desktop and mobile. The capacity to make and receive calls at your desk, and to get texts from your friends even if they're not using Apple devices, is a great boon, provided you don't have too noisy a phone . If you receive a heavy volume of texts and calls, only some of which are actually all that important, you might find the symphony of pings a bit much, but any texts/calls inbound to me are generally few and far between, as well as things I need to genuinely pay attention to.

Bringing Camera Roll back does cancel some confusion in iOS 8.1 device media management, though I must confess I was never left all that confused by its absence in the first place. As for Apple Pay, while it seems like the feature launch in iOS 8.1 with most long-term potential, initially it's going to be limited by retail availability, and also the fact that it's U.S.- locked- a fact which means I won't have a chance to trial it in a real world situation for the time begin. In staged demos with live terminals, however, it performs very well.

iOS 8.1 is available for your device as an over-the-air update, which you can locate by going to Settings > General > Software Update; you can also plug your phone or tablet into your computer and update via iTunes, which might be preferable if you're still on an OS version earlier than 8.0, since the size requirements for over-the-air are significant. To use the new Continuity features with your Mac, you'll have to download and install OS x 10.10 from the Mac App Store, which is a free update.





        

A software application developed by the University of Cape Town to monitor patients
diagnosed with  HIV and TB  and on treatment for same is being implemented by countries such as Mozambique, Malawi, Vietnam and Pakistan.The electronic register, developed by UCT's Centre for Infectious Disease, Epidemiology and Research (CIDER), is already in use in over 3000 clinics in South Africa. Known as TIER.net, the software was developed because paper registers used to keep track of HIV patients became outdated and unreliable. Although another application-ekapa2-exists that performs the same basic function it is not in used by all clinics as it relies on internet access to work. TIER.Net, on the other hand, operates offline, requiring only a computer.

COLLABORATION

The application is the result of collaboration between CIDER, the Canadian International Development Agency, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organisation. The Western Cape and national government teams also participated in the development of the software.

Representatives from Mozambique, Malawi, Vietnam and Pakistan were at UCT recently for training on TIER.Net.
CIDER has been responsible for supervising the implementation of TIER.Net and eKapa 2 in the Western Cape, as well as training "master implementers" for the national Department of Health.

Originally the idea was that TIER.Net would only be used in the Western Cape, but it soon attracted the attention of the Department of Health, who requested that it be made available to all clinics in South Africa.
There are more than 4 000 public sector clinics in South Africa, with TIER.Net being used in more than 3 000 facilities. It cannot be implemented in all clinics as some do not have electricity.

Once clinics have been equipped with bandwidth, they will cross over to eKapa 2.
"All three systems – paper register, TIER.Net and eKapa – are interoperable," said CIDER's Meg Osler, who oversaw TIER.Net's software development. All three systems can be used to produce the same reports that feed into a single provincial and national database for ARV services.