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.
Singapore combats COVID-19 with new contact tracing app
Singapore’s Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and Ministry of Health (MOH) have colloborated to develop and launch TraceTogether, a mobile app for contact tracing to combat COVID-19 spread.
Avaya Spaces available to schools and charities at no charge till August 31
Avaya is making its Avaya Spaces cloud meeting and team collaboration app available at no charge to educational institutions and non-profit organisations worldwide until August 31, 2020.
NVIDIA grants free Parabricks access to COVID-19 researchers
Researchers working on sequencing the novel coronavirus and the genomes of people afflicted with COVID-19 now have a helping hand — NVIDIA is offering a free 90-day licence to Parabricks, which uses GPUs to accelerate by as much as 50 times the analysis of sequence data.
Razer: From gaming mouse to surgical masks
In a series of tweets, Razer Chief Executive Officer Min-Liang Tan has announced that his company has turned some of its existing manufacturing lines from producing gaming devices to making much needed surgical masks to be donated to countries around the world.
ZTE to unveil Axon 11 5G on March 23
ZTE will launch the ZTE Axon 11 5G smartphone in China on March 23. The company has given little away from its announcement press release other than the fact that the ZTE Axon 11 will be compatible with both SA (standalone) and NSA (non-standalone) modes.
Adobe offers free Creative Cloud tools to students till end May
As schools shut temporarily because of the coronavirus pandemic, students have to turn to online or distance learning. Adobe is lending a helping hand by offering free access to Adobe Creative Cloud desktop apps for students till May 31.
NTT Docomo to launch 5G in Japan on March 25
NTT Docomo will launch its 5G service with a maximum data rate of 3.4Gbps in Japan on March 25. The downlink speed will increase to 4.1Gbps in June.
Technologies that matter at such a time as this
By Edward Lim
COVID-19 is hijacking life. From Facebook News Feed to printed newspapers, it’s everywhere. And it just seems to get worse with countries taking measures to prevent spread. Telecommuting has now become necessary for many.
Micosoft shutters all stores globally
Microsoft has announced the closure of all its stores across the global with immediate effect due to COVID-19 health concern.
Samsung starts mass producing fast mobile storage for flagship smartphones
Samsung Electronics has started mass producing the industry’s first 512-gigabyte (GB) eUFS (embedded Universal Flash Storage) 3.1 for flagship smartphones.
NVIDIA holds off GTC announcements
NVIDIA will not be making any product or news announcements next week, according to a NVIDIA blogpost.
Apple shuts all stores outside Greater China
In a surprising reversal, Apple has announced that the temporary closure of all its stores outside of Greater China to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It’s interesting in that Apple has just re-opened its China stores.
ViewSonic offers free distance learning tool to schools
Education has been affected as some cities and countries have closed schools and universities to contain the spread of the coronavirus. One way to keep students engaged is through online learning. ViewSonic has stepped in by offering its myViewBoard distance learning tool free to K12, colleges and universities during this period.
Hold the predictions
By Edward Lim
Research firms have played a vital role in providing the industry with vital information on market trends and technologies. Reports based on past quarters contain valuable analysis that helps enterprises and consumers make better sense of the numbers.
Apple stores back in business in China
After a month of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, Apple has reopened all its 42 stores in China. The closures had hit Apple’s revenue as China is the company third largest market.
Glue introduces VR-first collaboration platform
With the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses are letting staff work remotely as part of the social distancing efforts. Collaboration platforms have become increasingly popular with many turning to the likes of Webex and Zoom. Finland-based Glue Collaboration has taken this a step further with the introduction of the next generation of its VR-first collaboration platform.
Slido launches education version
The cancellation of SXSW EDU in Austin due to the COVID-19 outbreak may have affected its launch but Slido did not want to let the introduction of Slido for Education slide. Instead of a physical launch, it has announced online Slide Education, which aims to help lecturers stay connected with their students by powering two-way interaction during live and virtual classes.
Zendesk Singapore team spearheads chat product development
Zendesk has added to its chat product new features that were developed by its Singapore team. The Singapore office, which is Zendesk’s Asia Pacific Commercial Headquarters, has led the end-to-end development of Zendesk Chat since April 2014.
GTC goes online, Google IO and GDC scratched
It’s been a month of event cancellations due to COVID-19. NVIDIA has pulled the plug on the annual GPU Technology Conference (GTC) in San Jose and taking the show online. Just how much of the event will be held online is yet to be known but the definite go ahead is the keynote address by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang.
Ear-worn devices drive India wearables market to record growth
In a country that is known for loud road traffic, it is not surprising that ear-worn devices are in hot demand. According to IDC, earwear led the wearables market with 443.6 percent growth to 8.5 million units in 2019.
