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
Source: AvayaAvaya 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
Source: AdobeAs 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 eUFS UFS 3.1: 3x faster than previous generationSamsung 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
Huang: This is a time to focus on our family, our friends, our community.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
Apple’s Shanghai store is among all that has reopened.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
Apple AirPods are hot in India.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.
Cancelled MWC Barcelona dishes out awards
Mobile World Congress Barcelona may have been canned but the organiser has decided that the awards must still be handed out. It has announced the winners of its Global Mobile (Glomo) Awards.
HP strikes back, touts value creation
HP is not taking the Xerox takeover bid lying down. Backed by strong Q1 results, it is striking back, even teasing a reverse takeover of Xerox instead.
80% of businesses: 5G will have significant impact
5G will have a significant impact, according to 79 percent of respondents to an Accenture study. However, security concerns remain as countries explore the implementation of the next generation mobile technology.
2 Singapore IT events shelved, Computex Taipei to go on
COVID-19 is leaving a trail of cancelled events in its footpath. Two IT events scheduled this week in Singapore have been canned.
GSMA pulls the plug on MWC Barcelona 2020
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, MWC Barcelona 2020 organiser GSMA has announced the official cancellation of this year’s event. Due to take place from 24 to 27 February 2020, the event showed signs of scale […]
Coronavirus situation shifts IT Show
The popular IT Show in Singapore, scheduled to take place in March, has been postponed until further notice because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Arm launches AI chip for IoT devices
Source: ArmArm has launched the Cortex-M55, an artificial intelligence (AI) processor based on the Armv8.1-M architecture with Arm Helium vector processing technology for significantly enhanced, energy-efficient digital signal processing and machine learning (ML).
Xerox ups HP offer
Xerox is pressing ahead with its HP takeover by launching a tender offer of US$24 per share for all outstanding common stock — that’s US$2 more than its original proposal — on March 2, 2020.
MWC Barcelona hit by string of withdrawals
The list is growing. Amazon has joined Ericsson, LG and NVIDIA in pulling out from MWC Barcelona. Held from February 24 to 27, the leading mobile event is expected to see fewer participants this year because of the novel coronavirus situation.
IBM selects new Chief
IBM has chosen Arvind Krishna to be its new Chief Executive Officer from April 6. The current Senior Vice President for Cloud and Cognitive Software will take over the reign from Virginia Rometty, who will remain as Executive Chairman of the Board and serve until her retirement at the end of the year.
EyeTech launches EyeOn gaze tablet
EyeTech Digital Systems has launched EyeOn, an all-in-one, ultra-slim eye gaze tablet that enables people with mobility and motor impairments to use eye movement to select, type, and speak.
ForgeRock names David Hope as SVP of APAC and Japan
Digital identity solution provider ForgeRock has appointed David Hope as Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific and Japan.
Microsoft plots hijack of Google search engine for Office 365 users
Netscape used to be the king of browsers in the 1990s until Microsoft came along and bundled Internet Explorer from Windows 95. This swayed many PC users to the Microsoft browser and marked the demise of Netscape.
Strong demand for 5G to drive APAC smartphone sale in 2020
5G is expected to boost smartphone sale, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, in 2020. Greater China and emerging Asia-Pacific will retain the top two positions globally with respective sales of 432.3 million and 376.8 million smartphones this year, according to Gartner.
Huawei turns to TomTom for maps
Source: HuaweiSlowly but surely, Huawei is putting together the pieces for its Google alternative in the light of the US ban. The latest is a tie-up with TomTom for maps to replace Google Maps.
Intel regains top spot as semiconductor market dips in 2019
Despite a 0.7 percent drop in revenue, Intel climbed to the top of the global semiconductor market in 2019, according to Gartner.
Juniper Systems rolls out Mesa 3 rugged tablet
Juniper Systems has released the Mesa 3 rugged tablet for use in rugged handheld computing and data collection.
End of Windows 7
Today marks the end of Windows 7. Microsoft is stopping support and updates for this highly-popular operating system.
Zini Mobiles launches “world’s smallest mobile phone”
Zini Mobiles has launched the Zanco tiny t2, dubbed “the world’s smallest mobile phone” at just a tad over 6cm long. The 31g miniature phone is intended for those who need an ultra-lightweight mobile device that can handle essential daily tasks, including taking photos with it’s 2.4cm display.
Sim Lim Square fails again in en bloc sale
Sim Lim Square may be the go-to place for tech stuff in Singapore but the building has failed in its second attempt at an en bloc sale. According to The Straits Times, the tender closed on December 30 without receiving any bid.
Fuji Xerox to become Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp
Fuji Xerox is changing its corporate name to Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp on April 1, 2021. All Fuji Xerox affiliates and sales companies in and outside Japan will also change their names respectively on that date but their new names will be announced later.
Beyond makes it three for digital full bank licence in Singapore
The Beyond consortium led by V3 Group and EZ-Link has become the third player vying for a digital full bank licence in Singapore. It follows submissions by a Singtel-Grab team and another by Razer, Sheng Siong and four other partners.
China to lead in global robotics systems and drones spending in 2020
China will lead in drones and robotics systems (US$46.9 billion) in 2020, according to IDC. Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan and China) (APeJC) will be the second largest region with US$25.1 billion in spending, followed by the US (US$17.5 billion) and Western Europe (US$14.4 billion).
Singtel and Grab team up for digital banking licence in Singapore
Singtel and Grab have joined hands to apply for a digital full banking licence in Singapore. In a joint statement, the companies announced that they will form a consortium with Grab taking a 60 percent stake and Singtel 40 percent.
Xerox targets HP shareholders
Having been rebuffed by HP Inc, Xerox is taking its bid for HP shareholders with a presentation entitled “Xerox + HP: A value-creating combination”.
Snow Software snaps up Embotics
Sweden-headquartered Snow Software has acquired Embotics will enable CIOs to understand and manage their full technology stack from software and hardware to infrastructure and applications, regardless of environment.
Certis harnesses technologies, operationalises AI
Chua: Combining operations and technologyOperations and technology must work hand in hand in order for organisations to gain better leverage and improve services.
Sleeprate and Garmin aim to help consumers sleep better
Japan, India and Singapore are the top threee most sleep deprived nations in the world, according to a study. Thankfully, help is on its way for those who want to sleep better. Sleep platform Sleeprate is collaborating with Garmin on a mobile self-help sleep assessment and improvement program that aims to help consumers sleep better, track their recovery, and optimise workouts.
LG Electronics appoints Kwon as new CEO
LG Electronics has reshuffled its top leadership with the appointment of Brian Kwon as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Bespoke launches AI chatbot for Ginza subway line
Nearly one million riders on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line will now be able to tap on the capabilities of Bebot, an AI chatbot.They will be able to access naviation and useful train information all along the line using the app
Huawei grows while smartphone market slumps in Q3
The Honor Pro has helped Huawei grow in Q3.Amid a 0.4 percent contraction in the global smartphone market in Q3 compared to the corresponding quarter last year, Huawei continued to stride ahead with 26 percent growth. It has narrowed the gap with Samsung at the top while pulling away from Apple in third spot.
Panasonic exits semiconductor business
Panasonic has totally moved out of the semiconductor business by selling its last plant to Taiwan firm Nuvoton Technology.
Oculus buys Beat Saber maker
The award-winning Beat Saber is an easy to learn and addictive VR game.Oculus has acquired Beat Games, maker of the highly popular VR game Beat Saber, for an undisclosed sum.
AI Innovation Day to focus on IVA
From enhancing public safety to improving customer experience, intelligent video analytics (IVA) is shaping the way videos are used for more informed decision-making. The technology is the focus of AI Innovation Day, which will be held at Kent Ridge Guild House in Singapore on December 4.
HP rebuffs Xerox again
Just days after Xerox threatened to make its takeover bid hostile by approaching HP Inc’s shareholders, HP Inc has issued a strongly worded statement, “We will not let aggressive tactics or hostile gestures distract us from our responsibility to pursue the most value-creating path.”
Huawei opens 5G-powered AI lab in Singapore
Singapore will have 100 more artificial intelligence (AI) architects and 1,000 more AI developers over the next three years — thanks to the newly-launched Huawei AI lab.
TerraMaster unleashes high capacity D8 Thunderbolt 3 storage drive for professionals
The D8 Thunderbolt 3 is compact and easy to carry around.
TerraMaster has unveiled the D8 Thunderbolt 3 high capacity storage drive for professionals working in mission critical productions.
HP: No go to Xerox bid
HP board of directors halts Xerox bid.HP Inc has rejected a proposed acquisition by Xerox. In a letter sent to John Visentin, Vice Chairman and CEO of Xerox, HP board of directors unanimously concluded that the bid “significantly undervalues HP and is not in the best interests of HP shareholders”.
Entelechy Asia 