Messenger Rooms available on groups and eventsLess than a month after Messenger Rooms was rolled out, Facebook has given this videoconferencing feature more room to grow by availing it on events and groups.
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Entelechy Asia is passionate about technology -- from the home to the enterprise, and telecommunications. We deliver news, views and reviews from Asia from the perspectives of practitioners and followers.
Google Play Music to stop playing by end 2020
Google Play Music will stop playing by the end of 2020. It has joined a growing list of products that Google has canned over the year.
Free mask for personal data, anyone?
Razer’s offer to give five million masks to Singaporeans and Singapore residents to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic is nothing to be scoffed at. It’s a great act of charity from a company which makes Singapore its Southeast Asia headquarters.
SafeEntry as easy as Parking SG app with SingPass Mobile
Easy to use and very convenientFor those in Singapore who do not have the latest version of the SingPass Mobile app, now’s a good time to do so. It will help greatly in facilitating entry into more than 40,000 malls and buildings using the SafeEntry app.
Qualcomm introduces Snapdragon 768G gaming chip
Photo by Florian Olivo on UnsplashQualcomm Technologies has unveiled the Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G Mobile Platform that is designed to deliver smart, immersive gaming experiences.
China AI startup fights COVID-19 with lung analysis tool
GPU-powered Lung Doc is used by 30 hospitals in China.Shukun Technology was busy improving its AI-powered platform to diagnose heart disease and strokes when COVID-19 struck. The China AI startup quickly switched gear to develop a system that analyses chest CT scans to help speed up diagnoses of COVID-19 patients.
Visualise the future with new Vault Client release
Australia-based Euclideon has released the latest version of its Vault Client software for Windows, which incorporates tools for visualising massive 3D datasets and related information to meet the increasing demand for new ways of handling such huge files.
Tokyo Game Show switches to digital format
Tokyo Game Show 2020 (TGS2020), one of the world’s top events for the gaming community, has been cancelled and moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fusion Broadband is IBM Beacon Award winner
Australia-based Fusion Broadband has won the IBM Beacon Award for Outstanding Infrastructure Services Solution.
New Oculus Quests in the making
The Oculus Quest is an all-in-one VR headset (Source: Oculus)It’s been reported that Facebook is working on new versions of the Oculus Quest virtual reality (VR) headset. According to Bloomberg, the social networking giant is working on multiple potential successors to the Quest.
Microsoft to establish data centre region in NZ
Microsoft to set up data centre in NZ. (Photo by Dan Whitfield from Pexels)Microsoft will be expanding its global data centre footprint by establishing its first data centre region in New Zealand. With the new addition, it will have 60 regions around the world with Microsoft Azure available in more than140 countries.
NVIDIA adds Cumulus to its network software portfolio
Hot on the heels of its Mellanox purchase, NVIDIA has boosted its networking software capabilities following its acquisition of Cumulus Networks.
Nokia and Vodafone Hutchison Australia deploy low-band 5G spectrum
Singapore awards 2 5G licences
5G is finally coming to Singapore. Traditionally a fast adopter of telecommunications technologies, the nation has been a tad slower than some others in moving to the next generation of mobile telecommunications.
Google lets you Meet for free
Source: GoogleAnother free videoconferencing platform is available for everyone. Google has joined the likes of Facebook and Zoom by making its Meet business videoconferencing solution free for all from May.
Wave Computing crashes into Chapter 11
Photo by Emiliano Arano from PexelsIs this a sign of things to come in the tech industry? Wave Computing has filed for Chapter 11. And it’s a company that’s focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning, an area that is still very much the flavour of the month.
Zoom rides on Oracle Cloud
Source: OracleZoom Video Communications is banking on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to support its dazzling growth to 300 daily meeting participants in March.
Nokia inks multi-year deal with India’s Bharti Airtel
Expanding Airtel’s reach across India.Nokia has signed a multi-year contract with Bharti Airtel to deploy Nokia’s SRAN solution across nine circles in India. The move will enhance Airtel’s network capacity, particularly in 4G, by 2022.
IAR Systems to open India office
Sweden-based IAR Systems will be further expanding into Asia with the opening of an office in India in Q3. It opened an office in Taiwan earlier this year.
SiPearl aims to be the third party
For the longest time, the CPU market has been predominantly about two players — AMD and Intel. While there are others, they are way behind the Big Two. But French company SiPearl seems to be making a play to be the third party with the signing of a major licensing agreement with Arm.
NVIDIA completes US$7b Mellanox acquisition
Ten days after it received approval from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, NVIDIA has completed its US$7 billion acquisition of Mellanox Technologies.
Avast launches secure Android browser
Android users have another browser option, a more secured one at that, following the release of Avast Secure Browser for Android.
NVIDIA CEO to deliver GTC 2020 keynote on May 14
Huang to make announcements in keynote address.If things had gone as originally planned, NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference (GTC) would have been done and dusted by now. But the coronavirus has forced the conference to go digital with NVIDIA Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang set to deliver his keynote address on May 14, 9pm (Singapore time).
Facebook zooms Rooms
Hold video calls for up to eight persons now — up to 50 in coming weeks, (Photo source: Facebook)
Can’t say this was unexpected. The demand is high and the need, urgent. In response, Facebook has launched Messenger Rooms, its videoconferencing service for the masses.
Google Ads: Identity please?
All advertisers on Google will have to show proof of identity and where they operate from as part of the search giant’s move towards greater transparency to users.
Zoom makes NASDAQ-100 Index list
Zoom soars to the index (Source: Pexels)COVID-19 has made a star out of Zoom Video Communications. Its popularity, usage and value has soared — all the way to becoming a component of the NASDAQ-100 Index, the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index and the NASDAQ-100 Ex-Tech Sector Index.
SyncWords makes Facebook Live real-time translation a reality
The dreams of organisations reaching a global audience via Facebook Live has just become a reality. Whether it’s an online church service or a press conference, SyncWords’ LanguageSync solution for real-time translation of English live programming to more than 40 languages is certainly an answer to prayer.
NEC leverages AI to come up with COVID-19 vaccine blueprint
If ever there’s a time to for technology to come to the forefront, it’s now. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been around for decades, creating hope but delivering on few promises. The emergence of deep learning in recent years has changed that landscape. It has brought drawn more to invest in and work on AI with results to boot.
Facebook takes 10% stake in India telco Jio Platforms
Facebook is investing US$5.7 billion or a 9.99 percent stake in India’s Jio Platforms. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, Jio will use the new invesment to pursue new opportunities for businesses of all sizes, especially small merchants, micro-businesses and farmers, and create digital ecosystems that will empower, enrich and uplift the lives of all 1.3 billion Indians.
ForgeRock raises US$93.5m to drive R&D and expansion
Digital identity solution provider ForgeRock has completed a US$93.5 million Series E round of fundraising to fuel research and development, cloud, global sales, and market awareness.
WhatsApp ups group calls to 8 participants
WhatsApp has raised the number of group call participants from four to eight, once its latest version is updated on Android and iOS. This feature will be particularly helpful during this period as many people are using group voice and video call platforms.
Arm joins O-RAN Alliance
Having powered generations of cellular devices, Arm has joined the O-RAN Alliance, a leading industry forum with a vision of openness and innovation fostered by a broad community of experts. And Arm aims to help drive this vision to become a reality.
BCM One buys nexVortex
Managed solutions provider BCM One has acquired nexVortex, a provider of business cloud communication services with operations in Herndon, Virginia, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Cognizant under ransomware attack!
Cognizant has confirmed that a security incident involving its internal systems, and causing service disruptions for some of its clients, is the result of a Maze ransomware attack.
Alibaba to pump US$28b in cloud infrastructure
Alibaba plans to pump in US$29 billion to boost its cloud infrastructure over the next three years. This comes on the back of increasing demand for cloud and data centre services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Qualcomm introduces IoT modem with extremely low power consumption
Source: QualcommQualcomm Technologies, has announced the Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT Modem that requires under one micro-amp (1uA) of sleep current for extremely low average power consumption.
China Telecom Shenzhen achieves wide coverage with 5G RRUs
Commercial 5G Book RRU deployed on poles. (Source: Huawei)Providing consistent 5G coverage in residential areas, urban villages, upscale communities, and backstreet alleys can be a challenge. China Telecom Shenzhen has overcome this by deploying in hundreds of Huawei 5G C-Band Book remote radio units (RRUs) on macro and pole base stations in China.
NVIDIA gets China’s nod for Mellanox acquisition
Photo by bongkarn thanyakij from PexelsNVIDIA has received approval from all necessary authorities to proceed with its planned acquisition of Mellanox.
GSMA launches Innovation Fund for mobile internet adoption and digital inclusion
GSMA has launched it Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion. Set up to increase mobile internet adoption and usage among those who have mobile internet coverage but are not using it, the fund is open for applications for countries in Africa and Asia.
Arm forms strategic partnership with Hexing on IoT
Arm has forged a strategic partnership with Hexing to use the Arm Pelion Internet of Things (IoT) platform to create full-stack IoT solutions for Hexing’s customers and expansion into new markets.
Eventbrite slices US$100m off annualised expenses due to COVID-19
The events industry has been among the biggest casualties of the coronavirus pandemic. Events of all sizes around the world have been cancelled or postponed as the world hits the pause button. Global ticketing and experience technology platform Eventbrite has announced an US100 million expense reduction plan as a result of the impact of COVID-19.
Stadia Pro free for 2 months
Source: GoogleMore people staying at or working from home during this COVID-19 period are turning to gaming as a source of entertainment or to get some respite. And now they can enjoy free access to Google’s paid cloud gaming platform Stadia Pro for two months.
Zoom hits security and privacy bumps
Among the few sparkles of hope in this period is Zoom whose video conferencing solution has become famous almost overnight. With movement and gathering restrictions in place in many parts of the world, Zoom has become a tool that many have turned to to stay connected and keep operations running.
OCBC Bank strengthens mission-critical security with SSH.COM
Singapore’s OCBC Bank has secured its mission-critical infrastructure with SSH.COM products including Tectia Client/Server and PrivX.
Korea startup harnesses AI to deal with array of healthcare issues
If there’s a phrase to describe artificial intelligence (AI) startup Vuno, it has to be “It thinks BIG”. While most startups aim to use technology to tackle one medical condition, the Korea company decided to cast its net wide by using NVIDIA GPU-powered AI products to address diagnoses of different diseases.
Samsung and Cisco partner on workplace transformation
Videoconference has become the go-to technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have to work from home or remote locations as companies adapt to a new way of working. Samsung Electronics HK and Cisco are teaming up to transform modern workplaces using Cisco Webex and Samsung’s Flip 2 digital flip chart.
ABC Technology listed among IDC’s 101 fastest growing fintech in APAC
Fintech startup ABC Technology has been rated by IDC as among the 101 fastest growing fintech companies in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan).
Xerox withdraws hostile takeover bid for HP
Xerox has dropped its hostile takeover bid of HP. After months of hot pursuit, with Xerox bids and HP counter statements, it looks like any deal is off the table — another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hyundai to build smart mobility lab in Singapore
Hyundai Motor is building an open innovation lab to develop future mobility technologies in Singapore’s Jurong Innovation District.
TPG launches S$10 mobile plan in Singapore
Source: TPGConsumers in Singapore can now get 50GB of mobile data for just S$10 per 30 days. That’s what TPG Telecom is offering for its no-contract SIM Only plan starting today. Plus, the plan comes with 300 local call minutes and 30 local SMS. In May, it will also pack a free 1GB roaming to selected countries.
Dell EMC and Comet unveil Kubernetes architecture
Dell EMC and Comet have unveiled a Kubernetes reference architecture for data science teams using the their artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled infrastructure and machine learning platform.
Zendesk extends helping hand to charities and startups
In response to the impact of COVID-19 on charities, Zendesk is offering free software and support to help them manage volunteering, relief efforts and home assistance.
Online education platform Yuanfudao raises US$1b in funding
Lessons are increasingly being conducted online because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand has been a boon for online education platforms. China-based Yuanfudao has raised US$1 billion in a new financing from investors such as Tencent Holdings, Hillhouse Capital Group, Boyu Capital, and IDG Capital.
Planet Computers announces 5G slider phone
There’s hope for those longing for a return of the slider phone with a keyboard for touch typing. Planet Computers has announced the Astro Slide 5G Transformer, the first 5G smartphone with a keyboard.
Huawei and Tencent set up innovation lab on mobile cloud gaming
Huawei Cloud and Tencent Games have set up a joint innovation lab on mobile cloud gaming as part of their strategic partnership.
Megvii avails AI framework on open source
China has just made the battle for artificial intelligence (AI) supremacy a little more intense following the announcement by Megvii Technology that it would make its MegEngine deep learning framework open source.
Microsoft cans Inspire event
Another major tech event has fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic. Even before registration has begun, Microsoft has axed the Inspire 2020 partner conference in Las Vegas from July 19 to 23.
Computex shifts to September
Computex has been moved to September because of the COVID-19 pandemic, its organisers announced today. This shift follows reports of Taiwan companies being concerned with the event being held in June.
GTC Digital gives participants more bang for the buck
What could have been a dampener may just turn out to be a better offering for participants who have registered for this year’s GPU Technology Conference (GTC). Yes, they won’t get to go to San Jose. Yes, they will miss the face-to-face meetings. But, NVIDIA has put great thoughts into making GTC Digital, the online version, just as engaging and informative. Plus, NVIDIA has refunded all participants so they can attend most of the conference for free.
Computex on the brink?
The writing’s on the wall. One by one, major trade shows have fallen victim to the coronavirus. Computex Taipei has until now showed no sign of being scratched.
Entelechy Asia 