Author: entelechyasia

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.
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Business intelligence and analytics top priorities for Asean CIOs

GartnerBusiness intelligence and analytics are the top priorities of CIOs in Southeast Asia (SEA), according to a Gartner survey.Next on their list are mobile, ERP and cloud.

Eighty-four percent of CIOs in SEA recognise the need to adapt their leadership style in the next three years to succeed in digital business, compared with the global average of 75 percent. To achieve this, 69 percent said that they want to decrease their controlling approach to focus on significantly increasing their visionary and coaching attributes.

The annual survey covered more than 2,810 CIOs worldwide, representing more than US$397 billion in CIO IT budgets in 84 countries. It included responses from 117 CIOs from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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Mobile by entelechyasia

Mobile gaming fuelling gaming market growth

abi researchRising demand for mobile games is driving the video game market to reach US$80 billion in 2020, up from under US$70 billion last year, according to ABI Research.

Traditional PC and console segments, on the other hand, will see a one- to two-percent annual growth.

Triple-A titles have the potential to dramatically change a developer/publisher’s financials, but gaming’s long tail is equally important to the continued growth of the industry. This is particularly true in the mobile space where a hit title can catapult a mobile game developer into the upper echelons of the market — as was true for developers such as King Digital (Candy Crush Saga) and Supercell (Clash of Clans).

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GSMA launches e-commerce platform for telecoms industry

GSMAGSMA has launched GSMA Marketplace, an e-commerce platform dedicated to the mobile industry.

GSMA Marketplace leverages the associations’s reputation as a trusted intermediary in the telecoms industry to bring together buyers and sellers to do business more easily with each other.

“Whether you are a buyer looking for greater innovation or better prices in your procurement of products or services, or a seller seeking to win new business and enter new markets, GSMA Marketplace will let you browse, contact and connect with companies who can help you achieve your objectives,” said John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA.

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GfK and Abacus to collaborate on big data analysis

gfk_logoGfK and Abacus have agreed to advance the analytics available to the travel industry by supplying anonymised booking data for the specialist GfK Travelscan report.

GfK will receive a feed of the aggregated weekly live bookings of participating Abacus agents, initially based in Singapore, to produce a set of predictive analytics that should help to refine travel retail strategy for the sector.

“We are delighted to intensify our partnership with the leading provider of travel agent solutions across the APAC region. This will help to scale the robustness and representation of GfK Travelscan, while offering added value to the Abacus client base,” said Laurens Van Den Oever, Global Industry Lead of Travel & Hospitality at GfK.

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Vietnam only bright spark in Asia PC market

IDCVietnam is the only growth market for PCs in Asia in Q4, according to IDC. A total of 610,000 PCs were shipped during this period, bringing annual total to 2.13 million units, a two-percent increase over 2014.

In the second half of 2014, promotions of Windows 8.1 with Bing notebooks and the slow but steady growth of convertibles led to an increase in volumes that helped to stabilise the PC market.

“While it helps to prevent the drop of PC shipment in Vietnam, aggressive moves from vendors generally took down the price further that impacts the margins too. Looking at 2015, we’re still expecting a resilient PC spending added with small but growing gaming market to keep the market stable,” said Yen Phan, Market Analyst for PCs at IDC Vietnam.

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ZTE announces cloud desktop integrated solution

ZTEZTE has launched a cloud desktop integration solution based on server and PC virtualisation technology.

The solution enables users to access the cloud desktop with the terminal laptop, pad, thin terminal, netbook/cloudbook, or PC any time anywhere, by combining high-performance computing and 3D design scenarios supported by the PC-based virtualised desktop and the mobile office, flexible computing, and highly-centralised management scenarios supported by the server-based virtualised desktop.

It supports network access, multi-screen interaction, and account and application data sharing on different screens. This integrated solution takes the technical advantages of both the cloud desktop and PC desktop, and overcomes the bottleneck in the deployment of the cloud desktop. Users can access the same data disk from any of the desktops as the data can be shared.

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Gadgets by entelechyasia

New NVIDIA SHIELD made to game

SHIELDFirst, there was the SHIELD portable. Then, the SHIELD Tablet. Today, at Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, NVIDIA has unveiled its third SHIELD, an Android TV console that delivers video, music, apps. and amazing games to the home.

Built on Android TV, SHIELD can play top-quality 4K video content, includes one-click access to Google Voice Search and provides the richness of Android’s app ecosystem.

The sleek device comes loaded with NVIDIA technologies, including the recently launched NVIDIA Tegra X1 mobile superchip. It can also access the NVIDIA GRID game-streaming service, which is powered by GeForce GTX supercomputers in the cloud.

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Android is top OS for smart devices

abi researchSmartphones and tablets helped boost Android’s reign over all smart device operating systems (OS) in 2014.

According to the ABI Research report, although Android’s reign is strong, that dominance may have reached its peak as OS competition increases. It expects Android to experience a modest CAGR of 10 percent between 2014 and 2019 as leading OEMs realise the profits produced by Android vendors is finite and seek new OSs for differentiation.

Since inception, the smart device market has been rapidly increasing as devices, especially smartphones, become ubiquitous.

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5 reasons why I like the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

My Samsung Note EdgeThis week’s introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge brought back memories of when the first Samsung Galaxy Note came out in 2011. While many were pooh-poohing the smartphone for being too large and bulky, I was really excited and among the first owners.

Four years down and I have not regretted that decision to cut over from what was the last Symbian-based Nokia phone to the massive Android smartphone. In fact, my family of four now carries the entire Samsung Galaxy Note range (OK, we’ve retired the original Note).

Last December, I upgraded from my trusty but slowing Note 2 to the Note Edge. It’s been nearly three months and I’m really loving it — the same feeling I had with the first Note.

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Wearbles sale to triple in 2015

The HTC Grip is a newcomer to the wearable market.
The HTC Grip is a newcomer to the wearable market.

With vendors are rolling out new wearable devices at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, it is not surprising that the market is set to boom.

In 2014, GfK noted that 13.5 million health and fitness trackers were sold globally compared to 4.1 million smartwatches. This year, that combined number is expected to jump 51.2 million units in 2015.

Last year, actual sales of health and fitness trackers (HFT) easily outstripped smartwatches. This was driven, in part, by the significantly lower average sales price of HFT, making these devices more affordable than full-feature smartwatches.

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HTC debuts Vive VR headset

HTC ViveThrough a strategic partnership with Valve, HTC has introduced HTC Vive, which aims to transform the way consumers interact with technology and the world around them. If you’re planning to go out and grab one, hold steady because the consumer edition will only be available at end 2015.

HTC and Valve have introduced a full room scale 360-degree solution with tracked controllers so users can get up, walk around and explore virtual space, inspect objects from every angle and truly interact with surroundings. The headset features high quality graphics, 90 frames per second video and great audio fidelity.

HTC is also introducing new wireless VR controllers that will make users feel as one with the virtual environment. The new HTC VR Controllers come in a pair and are designed to work with a wide range of VR experiences.

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Managed security services market to hit US$32.9b in 2020

abi researchDriven by increasing complexity in security requirements, the global managed security services market is expected to be worth US$15.4 billion by the end of 2015 and hit US$32.9 in 2020, according to ABI Research.

Implementing and managing a successful security programme is a complex affair and most organisations lack the security expertise to manage security solutions from a wide variety of vendors. Rising threats, government regulations and a lack of internal resources are driving businesses to turn to managed security service providers which offer expertise and dedicated security personnel.

Information security incidents are on the rise as cybercriminals increase their focus on both large and small businesses. In 2014, there was a 49-percent increase in data breaches and a 78-percent increase in the number of data records stolen or lost compared with 2013. This indicates that a comprehensive IT security system is becoming increasingly necessary across the corporate, consumer, and public sectors.

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ZTE rolls out next generation super HD 4K smart set-top box

ZTEZTE has launched its super HD 4K smart set-top box (STB) product B860A, which uses the 64-byte system solution, Cortex-A9 architecture and four-core CPU.

Running on Android 4.4, the STB supports the latest H.265 video code standard. It uses advanced technology to improve the relationship between the code stream, code quality, time delay and algorithm complexity so that it is at the most optimised setting.

In comparison to the video compression efficiency of H.264, H.265 can save half of the bandwidth, effectively helping to accelerate development of 4K super HD service. The STB has 4K (4096×2160) super high resolution, providing a significant visual difference between the 4K resolution and the ordinary HD.

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India smartphone market shrinks in Q4

IDCSmartphone shipment in India observed its first drop in Q4, according to IDC. The decline was attributed to a high channel inventory at the beginning of the quarter among general trade which in turn was caused by the surge witnessed in online sales during festive season.

Q4 was seen as a correction phase when the Smart Phone market shrank by four percent while the feature phone market plummeted by about 14 percent over the previous quarter. The overall mobile phone market stood at 64.3 million units in Q4, which reflects a sequential drop of 11 percent over Q3 and an annual drop of five percent in 2014.

The feature phone to smartphone migration trend is clearly visible as smartphones formed a healthy 35 percent of the overall mobile business in Q4, an increase of 13 percent fom a year ago.

Continue reading India smartphone market shrinks in Q4
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NVIDIA SHIELD may go underwater with US Navy submarines

SHIELD droneThe NVIDIA SHIELD gaming console may be designed with gamers in mind but the US Navy is considering using the device in its nuclear submarines.

Instead of manipulating avatars, SHIELD may be used in navigating submarines. Sounds cool, doesn’t it? After all, SHIELD is already used to fly drones (see video, right).

For more than a decade, the US Navy has been putting off-the-shelf tech into its submarines’ sonar systems. The Navy can swap this gear in and out fast so sailors always get the most advanced stuff.

Continue reading NVIDIA SHIELD may go underwater with US Navy submarines
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Shoppers bring online competition to brick-and-mortar stores

GfK mobile compare pricesSaw a product you like in a brick-and-mortar shop? Why not whip out your smartphone to read a review of the product or compare prices with other stores? That’s what more and more shoppers are doing during their visit to physical stores.

According to a GfK survey of mobile phone users in 23 countries, 40 percent of shoppers compare prices online while another 40 percent contact a friend or family member for advice. Thirty-six percent take photos of products that interest them.

Globally, men outweigh women on using their mobile phone inside a store to compare prices on a regular basis, standing at 42 percent and 37 percent respectively. The most active age group is shoppers aged 20-29, with nearly half (49 percent) saying they regularly do this, followed by those aged 15-19 and 30-39, both at 45 percent.

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Tablet shipment down 12% globally in Q4

CanalysThe stats are in – tablet shipment dropped 12 percent to 67 million units in Q4, according to Canalys. The desktop market fell back into a decline in Q4 as Windows XP upgrades waned. The notebook market held firm with another quarter of just one percent growth.

Total PC shipments (desktops, notebooks and tablets) fell six percent in Q4 to reach 148 million units, resulting in full-year 2014 shipments of 528 million units, up three percent on 2013.

Apple regained the top spot in the PC market on the strength of holiday sales, with just under 27 million units shipped. Lenovo’s shipments grew six percent year on year to almost 20 million units as it increased its market share to 13.3 percent. Samsung dropped out of the top three to make way for HP, with growth of 17 percent driving shipments over 17 million units, its best quarter since Q3 2011.

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Smart glasses poised for enterprise adoption

abi researchMany may have been misled that Google Glass is dead and gone, a failed innovation. But that’s not what is happening. Google has simply retired it Glass Explorer Program and graduated Glass out of Google[x].

Smart glass is alive and well and ABI Research expects 2015 to be a big year for smart glasses with unit shipment growth of nearly 150 percent, almost of all of which will be in the enterprise and public sector.

More than 90 percent of smart glasses are expected to be sold in the enterprise or public sector for uses such as remote assistance, police and military, security, warehouse and barcode scanning, and, in the consumer space for gaming.

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Dropping oil price a US$1 trillion boost for GDP and IT spending in H1 2015

CanalysWhat has proven a massive hit for the oil and gas industry may turn out to be a silver lining for the IT industry and GDP as a whole in the first half of this year.

According to Canalys, business and consumer IT spending will be boosted by the current oil shock, as prices remain below US$50 per barrel. It believes the reduction in prices will provide a short-term economic stimulus equivalent to a large tax cut, boosting corporate profits and consumer disposable incomes, which will filter into IT spending.

“Price falls translate into a transfer of wealth from producers to importers. Oil producers received approximately US$340 billion less in the second half of 2014 compared with the first half of the year, based on average monthly production and prices. The difference will be even more significant if prices remain at US$50 per barrel and production continues at the same level for the next six months. If this scenario happens, producers will receive almost US$1 trillion dollars less compared with the first half of 2014,” said Matthew Ball, Principal Analyst of Canalys.

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APAC PC market down 6% in 2014

IDCIt’s not surprising but the Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) PC market dipped 6.3 percent to 101 million units in 2014, according to preliminary results from IDC. The fall is not as bad as in 2013, which saw a 10.3 percent drop.

In Q4, the market was flat year-on-year, reaching 25.9 million units, which was marginally higher than IDC’s initial forecasts.

“The good news is that 2015 should not contract as much as last year. While high retail channel inventory and uncertain economic conditions will still bear down on China, upcoming commercial sector activity should help offset that somewhat. India should still have post-elections momentum and yet another large education tender. Indonesia should similarly have post-elections momentum, although high inflation and currency fluctuations are downside risks,” said Handoko Andi Research Manager for Client Devices Research at IDC Asia-Pacific.”

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5.2 billion SIM cards shipped in 2014

abi researchGlobal SIM card shipment will reach 5.2 billion units in 2014, a 5.32 percent increase from 2013, according to ABI Research.

LTE, NFC, and M2M are gaining momentum and considered the trends for the next few years.

Large markets such as India, China, and Saudi Arabia are currently among the last countries to undergo ID registration regulations. Among them only India saw a massive decline in shipments during 2013 but data from 2014 show that the market has successfully stabilised and steady growth is expected from 2015 onwards.

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Lenovo strengthens grip on top spot as PC shipment rises 1% in Q4

GartnerLenovo maintained its pole position in the PC market, holding off HP and Dell. However, the gap between Lenovo and HP narrowed as HP garnered 18.8 percent of the market in Q4, relative to Lenovo’s 19.4 percent, according to Gartner. Dell remained third with 12.7 percent market share.

Overall, worldwide PC shipment totalled 83.7 million units in Q4, a one-percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2013. These results indicate a slow, but consistent improvement following more than two years of decline.

“The PC market is quietly stabilising after the installed base reduction driven by users diversifying their device portfolios. Installed base PC displacement by tablets peaked in 2013 and the first half of 2014. Now that tablets have mostly penetrated some key markets, consumer spending is slowly shifting back to PCs,” said Mikako Kitagawa, Principal Analyst of Gartner.

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Flash-based array market clips US$11b in 2014

IDCFlash-based array is more than just a flash in the pan. The emergence of more robust offerings that can handle a wide range of increasingly complex workloads helped drive the worldwide flash-based array market to US$11.3 billion in 2014, according to IDC.

The impact that flash-based arrays will have on the datacentre is undeniable as more flash-based platforms are delivering enterprise-class data services, including snapshots, clones, encryption, replication, and quality of service (QoS) as well as storage efficiency features.

Once dominated by storage startups looking to carve out a niche with flash-optimised solutions, the promise of flash in the datacentre is driving traditional enterprise storage vendors, such as Dell, EMC, HDS, HP, IBM, NetApp, and Oracle, to all get on board and offer flash-optimised hybrid flash arrays, and in some cases, all-flash arrays.

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Tablet sales to be sluggish in 2015

GartnerGlobal demand for tablets will continue to be slow in 2015, according to Gartner. Worldwide tablet sales will reach 233 million units, an eight percent increase from 2014.

“The collapse of the tablet market in 2014 was alarming. In the last two years, global sales of tablets were growing in double-digits. The steep drop can be explained by several factors. One is that the lifetime of tablets is being extended – they are shared out among family members and software upgrades, especially for iOS devices, keep the tablets current. Another factor includes the lack of innovation in hardware which refrains consumers from upgrading,” said Ranjit Atwal, Research Director of Gartner.

Gartner analysts expect vendors in the devices space to announce new partnerships at CES this week that lead to innovative apps that use personal data to tailor the user experience.

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China Telecom Sichuan launches commercial 4K ultra-HD iTV service

China TelecomChina Telecom Sichuan has launched the first commercial 4K ultra-HD iTV network service in China. It has teamed up with Huawei to release a 4K ultra-HD intelligent smart set top box, making China Telecom Sichuan the first telecommunications company in China to use 4K STBs for carrying video services.

By combining fibre broadband, 4K ultra-HD video capabilities, and a 4K ultra-HD network construction, the 4K ultra-HD iTV service aims to deliver better quality picture and smoother 4K video experience.

China Telecom Sichuan has adopted the H.265 video coding standard for a better user experience, and also deployed leading technologies to optimize the code stream, coding quality, delay, and algorithm complexity.

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Huawei and Red Hat collaborate on OpenStack-based cloud solutions

OpenstackHuawei and Red Hat are partnering to accelerate collaboration around OpenStack for network functions virtualisation (NFV) required by communication service providers (CSPs).

According to a survey by Infonetics Research, 93 percent of telecommunications operators plan to deploy NFV as carriers work to modernise the way telecommunications networks are built and operated. As OpenStack establishes itself as the platform of choice for NFV workloads, Huawei and Red Hat are engaging in a global partnership to cooperatively engineer carrier grade cloud solutions for CSPs.

As part of this initiative, Huawei and Red Hat aim to combine Huawei’s world class domain expertise and extensive global experience with telecommunications companies and Red Hat’s leading OpenStack and open source expertise to help CSPs embrace cloud computing with a carrier grade OpenStack solution.

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Samsung rolls out rugged tablet

Galaxy Tab ActiveSamsung has unveiled Galaxy Tab Active, a ruggerised tablet that’s designed just for business use.

Developed following consultations with leading companies across vertical markets — such as retail, logistics and transportation — the tablet is the first inspired by professionals and designed specifically to boost business productivity.

Its features deliver business functionality based on performance, durability and protection, allowing professionals to work without limitations in and out of the office. The Galaxy Tab Active provides full connectivity and meets the always on needs of today’s mobile business environment.

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5 reasons why I like the Garmin Vivosmart

Garmin VivosmartMy first experience with a fitness band began exactly a week ago when I bought the Garmin Vivosmart at Sitex.

This was after much evaluation of the options available in the market. Essentially, wearables fall broadly into two categories — activity tracker and smartwatch. I wanted the look of an activity tracker (which I think looks cool) with the features of a smartwatch, especially notifications from smartphone.

The Garmin Vivosmart fits these requirements nicely. After one week of wearing it, I must say that its features have transformed my life in several ways.

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India leads growth in Asian smartphone market in Q3

IDCThe smartphone market continued to grow in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan in Q3, albeit at a modest six percent quarter on quarter, according to IDC.

During this period, India led with 23 million units shipped, and added around five million units to the market over Q2.

Emerging markets in the region also surged ahead with 23 million units shipped, accounting for 22 percent growth as tier-1 Chinese vendors extended their reach outside China.

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LTE handset shipment to hit 680m units in 2015

abi researchWith more 4G LTE models announced this year, shipment is set to grow by 204 million units to 676 million in 2015.

ABI Research estimates that the total number of LTE connected devices shipped worldwide will exceed 1.89 billion units by end 2019, demonstrating the need for infrastructure and spectrum to support the stellar growth in the industry.

“With the proliferation of larger screen smart devices driving up the insatiable appetites for content and faster speeds, ABI Research estimates that there will be 350 commercial LTE networks forecasted by 4Q 2014,” said Cheri Wong, Research Analyst of ABI Research.

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Samsung and ITE tie-up to equip students with industry-relevant skills

Samsung mobile
ITE students will be industry-relevant skills to work on Samsung mobile devices.

The ITE-Samsung Tech Hub was opened this week to provide real-world training that will enhance the employability of ITE (Institute of Technical Education) students in Singapore.

It consists of a Display Solutions Centre to showcase various emerging display technologies, and a Mobile Service Centre which simulates Samsung’s customer service environment to train students in mobile device technical support and customer service.

ITE College East students enrolled in Nitec in Electronics (Mobile Devices) and Nitec in Electronics (Display Technology) are currently taking lessons at the facility.

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Mobile data to account for more than half of global roaming revenues by 2019

ovumMobile data roaming will generate about US$50 billion in revenue by 2019, contributing as much as 56 percent to global roaming revenues, according to Ovum.

The revenue contribution from Asia is increasing, particularly from Central and Southern Asia, which is expected to grow at a compound average growth rate (CAGR) of 12 percent over the forecast period, as one of the highest among all regions.

“The sheer size of the region contributes to the increase, as does the fact that mobile services will penetrate further into these markets over the forecast period, and the overall propensity to roam is set to improve gradually,” said Nishi Verma Nangia, Senior Analyst of Ovum.

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Wearable band shipment up 37% in Q3

Moto 360Wearable bands are all the rage with many new models announced and expected to be available in the coming months.

In Q3, nearly five million wearable bands were shipped — an increase of 37 percent quarter on quarter, according to Canalys.

Motorola Mobility’s Moto 360 is the most successful among Android Wear devices, accounting for over 15 percent of the smart band market. Despite being supply-constrained, its appealing design helped it to easily outship other Android Wear products.

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Singapore government IT spending hits US$3.2b

GartnerThe Singapore government continued to invest in IT this year with spending expected to hit US$3.2 billion, up 3.2 percent from 2013.

According to Anurag Gupta, Research Director of Gartner, IT services, which includes consulting, implementation, IT outsourcing and business process outsourcing, would be the largest overall spending category throughout the forecast period within the government sector.”

“Government spending on IT services is expected to grow three percent in 2014 to reach US$1.9 billion, up from US$1.8 billion in 2013 – with the business process outsourcing segment growing 5.3 percent in 2014,” he noted.

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More mobile broadband spectrum needed for APAC economic growth

GSMARising demand for broadband will spur economies in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC).

According to a new GSMA report, increased broadband connections in APAC will generate US$1.2 trillion of GDP growth and create up to 35 million new jobs by 2020.

However, this opportunity can only be realised if governments act now to fully release existing harmonised mobile spectrum bands and allocate more spectrum for mobile to meet rising consumer demand and support the development of new mobile services in the longer term.

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Smart garments show greatest potential for growth among wearable devices

GartnerWearable electronic devices for fitness shipments are forecast to reach 68.1 million units in 2015, down from 70 million units in 2014, according to Gartner. This temporary dip in sales will be driven by an overlap in functionality between smart wristbands, other wearable fitness monitors and smartwatches.

However, the market for smart wristbands and other fitness monitors will rebound in 2016 because of versatile designs and models with lower-cost displays.

“Fitness wearables are used for tracking health, which goes hand-in-hand with fitness and wellness. Consumers will be able to integrate the data from most wearables into a single account where their data can be analysed using cognizant computing to provide useful insights to wearers.,” said Angela McIntyre, Research Director of Gartner.

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NVIDIA introduces Tesla K80

NVIDIA Tesla K80NVIDIA has unveiled the Tesla K80 dual-GPU accelerator designed for a wide range of machine learning, data analytics, scientific, and high performance computing (HPC) applications.

The Tesla K80 dual-GPU is the new flagship offering of the Tesla Accelerated Computing Platform, the leading platform for accelerating data analytics and scientific computing.

It combines the world’s fastest GPU accelerators, the widely used CUDA parallel computing model, and a comprehensive ecosystem of software developers, software vendors, and datacentre system OEMs.

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Data consumption driving teleco revenue in Malaysia

frost and sullivanData and value-added services have driven mobile growth in Malaysia to reach 42.9 million subscribers and rake in revenues of US$7.45 billion in 2014.

According to Frost & Sullivan, the Malaysian mobile market is currently growing with a mobile penetration rate of 140.7 percent.

Non-voice ARPU is expected to grow by two percent to US$5.9 billion but it will not be able to compensate for the 2.4 percent decline in voice ARPU.

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Samsung Galaxy Note Edge 4G+ available for pre-order in Singapore

Samsung Galaxy Note EdgeGood news to those in Singapore holding out for the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge 4G+, the stylish Note with at the curved edge. It is now available for pre-order for collection from November 22.

Consumers can visit the following telcos for more information:

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Alibaba sets US$8b target for November 11 sales

Alibaba 1111November 11 is Singles’ Day in China and the singular thing retailers are aiming for today is record sales. China e-commerce giant Alibaba has set US$8.18 billion (RMB50 billion) as its 2014 target of single-day transaction value for the November 11 online shopping festival, according to IDC.

The research firm believes Alibaba is very likely to achieve five percent more. “11.11” is not only a festival for Alibaba, online shoppers, and online retailers; it also changes consumers’ buying behaviour and impacts the evolution of the China e-commerce ecosystem.

“11.11” has become a special day for many Chinese consumers ever since Alibaba created this single-day online shopping festival in 2009. The total transaction value during last year’s “11.11” reached US$5.73 billion (RMB35 billion), which shocked Alibaba’s e-commerce competitors all around the world as well as the entire retail industry.

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Global smartphone shipment soars past 300m mark in Q3

Q3 is a stunninCanalysg quarter for smartphones as global shipment broke the 300 million unit barrier for the first time. This represented year-on-year growth of 23 percent, according to Canalys.

While Samsung and Apple remain the market leaders, the tussle for the third spot is heating up with was Xiaomi (six percent) followed closely by Lenovo and Huawei at five percent each.

“The global market is becoming more competitive, with vendors beyond Samsung and Apple enjoying growing success. A year ago, in Q3 2013, Samsung and Apple together accounted for 48 percent of worldwide smart phone shipments. While still impressive, in Q3 2014 this had slipped to 38 percent. This trend is likely to continue. It is down to the strong value proposition and increasing quality of products offered across all price points by competing vendors, most notably Chinese companies. In fact, six of the top 10 global vendors in Q3 are based in China,” said Chris Jones, Vice President and Principal Analyst of Canalys.

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NVIDIA joins VMware in APAC vForums

NVIDIA GRID vGPU vSphereImagine the power of shared GPUs? NVIDIA and VMware are showcasing how enterprises can leverage the power of shared GPU using VMware vSphere and NVIDIA GRID vGPU at vForums currently on in Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

NVIDIA GRID vGPU technology allows multiple virtual machines to share the power of a single GPU to deliver rich graphics experiences with professional 2D and 3D applications.

The partners are also pushing an early access programme that provides a technology preview of these technologies. Enterprises can try the GPU virtualisation and virtual application and desktop infrastructure, ahead of its general availability by signing up at www.nvidia.com/grid-vmware-vgpu. Those selected get to work directly with the engineering teams from both NVIDIA and VMware.

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