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”.
NVIDIA hold hands with Arm and tech leaders on GPU-accelerated servers

NVIDIA’s new reference design platform enables companies to build GPU-accelerated Arm servers for running a broad range of applications, from hyperscale-cloud to exascale supercomputing and beyond.NVIDIA has teamed up with Arm and a host of tech leaders to introduce a reference design platform for enterprises to quickly build GPU-accelerated Arm-based servers.
Lenovo retains pole position in India PC market in Q3
India’s PC market shipped 3.1 million units, rising 15.8 percent year-on-year in Q3, according to IDC. The key growth driver was the second phase of shipment to the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) under its ongoing initiative of free distribution of laptops in the state. The coming end of life of Windows 7 in early 2020 also contributed to the growth as corporate and enterprise users accelerated their upgrades to Windows 10.
Singapore unveils National AI Strategy
Singapore has upped its stake in artificial intelligence (AI) with the unveiling of a National AI Strategy.
Fintech startup ABC Technology makes Singapore its international HQ
Singapore’s vibrant fintech community has scored another first with Beijing-headquartered strtup ABC Technology making Singapore its international base.
HP mulls over Xerox offer
At one corner is a company that made cyclostying machines (above) history and whose name became a verb for photocopying. At the other corner is an IT giant that spewed dots per inch and made printing easy at home and in the office. From speculations this week, it looks like the two may become one.
5G: US$13.2t sales and 22.3m jobs by 2035
5G is expected to have more impact that originally predicted. According to the IHS Markit 5G Economy Study, the new mobile technology will generate US$13.2 trillion is sales enablement by 2035 — that’s a near US$1 trillion increase from the estimate in 2017.
Huawei narrows gap with Samsung at top of smartphone market

Huawei achieves strong domestic performanceDespite the challenges of US sanctions, Huawei has steamrolled ahead and narrowed the gap with Samsung for global smartphone supremacy in Q3.
Singapore hotels pilot face recognition check in

Grand Park City Hall is one of three hotels taking part in the pilot.Three Singapore hotels — Ascott Orchard, Grand Park City Hall and Swissotel The Stamford — are piloting a system that uses face recognition technology to expedite the check-in process.
NVIDIA unveils Jetson Xavier NX for AI supercomputing at the edge
NVIDIA has introduced the Jetson Xavier NX, which it dubbed as “the world’s smallest, most powerful AI supercomputer for robotic and embedded computing devices at the edge”.
IBM rolls out first financial services-ready public cloud
IBM has developed the world’s first financial services-ready public cloud with Bank of America (BoA) as its first collaborator. Under the arrangement, the bank will host key applications and workloads to support the requirements and privacy and safety expectations of its 66 million banking customers.
Smartisan reveals flagship Jianguo Pro 3 smartphone
Smartisan may not ring a bell to those in the region but what about TikTok? Smartisan and TikTok are both owned by ByteDance. The China-based technology company has launched the Jianguo Pro 3, its flagship smartphone that’s packed with leading features, including dual-video.
NTU scientists develop 1000x smaller quantum chip

The tiny chip uses quantum communication algorithms for better security than existing industry standards.
Google acquires Fitbit for US$2.1b

The Fitbit Versa 2 was launched in Septermber.The rumours have come true. After days of speculation, Google has confirmed that its is acquiring Fitbit for US$2.1 billion.
Computer and machine vision market to hit US$26b in 2024
Expanding range of applications and more powerful hardware are expected to drive growth in the computer vision and machine vision market in the next five years, according to BCC Research.
China steps up to 5G

The Huawei Mate X is one of the devices that’s ready for 5G.5G mobile phone services will be available across China from tomorrow (November 1, 2019). China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom have announced on their 5G plans which from 128 yuans a month.
Snow Software enhances Risk Monitor to strengthen cybersecurity and compliance programs
Snow Software has enhanced its Risk Monitor product to help organisations strengthen cybersecurity and compliance programs with insight across their technology landscape.
AI certification initiative launched in Singapore
AI Singapore (AISG) has announced the AISG AI Certification, a structure learning pathway to enable Singaporeans to reskill, upskill and deep skill in artifical intelligence (AI).
NVIDIA touts 2 new Shield models
NVIDIA has rolled out the Shield TV and Shield TV Pro media streamers to deliver new visual and sound experiences to the gogglebox.
Qualcomm to invest US$200m in 5G ecosystem
Qualcomm has launched the Qualcomm Ventures 5G Ecosystem Fund, which will invest up to US$200 million in building the 5G ecosystem.
Infineon inks 3 MOUs to accelerate innovations in Singapore

SM Tharman: Keep pushing the frontiers of innovationInventing the future together was the theme of this year’s OktoberTech Asia Pacific conference in Singapore organised by Infineon Technologies. And the semiconductor giant certainly walks its talk. At the opening of the event, it inked three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to help accelerate innovations in Singapore.
Infineon Co-Innovation Space takes flight as startups depart with commercially-ready solutions
A year after its launch, the Infineon Co-Innovation Space has borne fruit with two of its inaugural batch of startups coming up with their commercially-ready solutions built with Infineon’s microelectronics.
SENEC launches new-generation hybrid solar battery

The Home V3 Hybrid can be used to charge electric vehicles.SENEC has launched in Australia SENEC.Home V3 Hybrid, a hybrid solar battery that provides households with up to 90 percent solar power self-sufficiency. This translates to massive savings as home owners may only need to draw 10 percent of their power usage from the grid.
Simon IoT launches management platform for IoT data market
Vast amounts of data are vital for Internet of Things (IoT). At Mobile World Congress Los Angeles, Simon IoT has launched an innovative IoT management platform and pricing model that offers “fairly priced, reliable IoT data” to companies ranging from start-ups to large enterprises.
NVIDIA announces EGX edge supercomputing platform for AI, IoT and 5G
NVIDIA has announced the NVIDIA EGX Edge Supercomputing Platform which lets organisations deliver next-generation AI, IoT and 5G-based services at scale and with low latency. Along with annoucing this at his keynote address at the opening of Mobile World Congress in Los Angeles, NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang declared that we have entered a new era, where billions of always-on IoT sensors will be connected by 5G and processed by AI.
Gojek founder to join Indonesia cabinet

Source: World Economic ForumFrom founding a startup to being part of the Indonesia cabinet, 35-year-old Nadiem Makarim has certainly come a long way. The Founder and CEO of ride-hailing and e-payment giant Gojek has announced his resignation from the company his started to join newly re-elected President Joko Widodo’s team.
Singapore Polytechnic first to offer AI diploma course
It’s a case of preparing them early as Singapore Polytechnic (SP) became the first polytechnic in the country to offer a full-time diploma in applied artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics from April next year.
SAP opens data centre in Singapore in e-commerce push
SAP has expanded its presence in Asia-Pacific (APAC) with the opening of a new data centre in Singapore to support SAP Commerce Cloud deployment.
Slack releases new app for Salesforce
Slack has strengthened its partnership with Salesforce with the release of a new Salesforce for Slack app that provides a significant update to Sales Cloud integration and integration with Service Cloud.
Singapore eyes up to 4 5G networks
5G is about to become a reality for the masses in Singapore. With 20 times faster surfing speed than 4G, the next generation mobile technology is expected to drive the nation’s digital economy.
TerraMaster releases entry-level NAS for SOHO and home users
TerraMaster has unveiled the F2-210 , an entry level network attached storage (NAS) solution for home and small office home office users.
Google Pixel 4 loses key edge

By Edward Lim
The much awaited Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL smartphones were announced at Google 19 yesterday. Interestingly, Google chose to talk more about the software capabilities rather than the hardware specifications, avoiding direct comparison with other flagship smartphones.
Qualcomm announces IP e-learning platform for India startups and MSMEs
Help is at hand for India startups and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to get quickly from mind to market, following the launch of the L2Pro India IP e-learning Platform.
Samsung, China Mobile and Alibaba among world’s top 10 tech companies
Samsung, China Mobile and Alibaba have made it to the top 10 of Forbes 2019 top 100 digital companies. The Korea giant came in third behind Apple and Microsoft, but edged out Google and Intel.
Dyson switches from electric car to battery
High-end vacuum maker Dyson has shelved plans to build an electric car. Instead, the British technology company will concentrate on making a revolutionary battery.
India’s Stellapps Technologies wins Rabobank’s SustainableAg Asia Challenge

Umesh Parjapat of Stellapps Technologies (second from left) with (from left) Albert Boogard of Rabo Foundation, Diane Boogard of Rabobank Asia and Harjan Kuiper of Rabobank Singapore.Stellapps Technologies put on a stellar presentation to win over the judges and take home the top prize of US$10,000 at Rabobank’s SustainableAg Asia Challenge. Fending off 13 other shortlisted competitors from China, India, Indonesia, and Singapore in a field of 138, it impressed with its SmartMoo internet of things (IoT) platform, which improves yield per animal, traceability and quality of milk in emerging countries.
Zendesk launches Gather and Sunshine Conversations
Zendesk has launched Gather, which lets companies provide trusted and transparent support to customers through online community forums. They can engage with each other and company experts to offer guidance and insight beyond what a single customer support agent might be able to handle.
Maxis goes with Huawei for 5G
Malaysia’s second largest mobile network operator Maxis has inked a deal with Huawei to roll out 5G in Malaysia next year.
Avast survey: 1 in 5 smartphone photo is terrible or a duplicate
The average person stores 952 photos on their smartphone, of which 22 percent are of bad quality, blurred, dark, or duplicates, according to an Avast survey.
NVIDIA RTX takes live TV up another notch
While ray tracing has been adopted to make gaming more real, the technology took live broadcasting to another level at the opening of The League of Legends Pro League regional finals in Shanghai. The live show host interacted with an augmented reality gaming character in a real-time mixed reality broadcast.
Singapore: Most ready for AI

As a city, Singapore is the world’s most ready for the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, according to research firm Oliver Wyman Forum. London, New York, San Francisco, and Paris made up the rest of the top five with Sydney slotting in at 10th.
AWS avails NVIDIA T4-powered Amazon EC2 G4 instances
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced general availability of G4 instances, a new NVIDIA T4 GPU-powered Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instance designed to help accelerate machine learning inference and graphics-intensive workloads.
India server market dips in Q2
The server market in India dropped one percent year on year, driven primarily by a dip in x86 server sales.
Rabobank shortlists 15 startups for SustainableAg Asia Challenge
India and China startups and innovators dominate the list of 15 shortlisted finalists for Rabobank’s SustainableAg Asia Challenge. The other challengers come from Indonesia and Singapore.
Watch your bin — the rubbish version!
Your rubbish bin could be a treasure trove for thieves. What you deem as garbage may contain a repository of sensitive information that could come back to haunt you.
IBM keeps betting on mainframes with z15 launch
The mainframe computer is not quite going the way of the dinosaur. Even in today’s age of Intel-based servers, there’s still room and relevance for the mainframe. This explains why IBM has launched the z15, its 15th generation of the mainframe.
