Ever wished that you could use WhatsApp on your desktop? After all, it would make reading easier and writing messages faster. If you have, your wish was granted yesterday! WhatsApp is now available on the desktop […]
APAC PC market down 6% in 2014
It’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.”
5.2 billion SIM cards shipped in 2014
Global 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.
Lenovo strengthens grip on top spot as PC shipment rises 1% in Q4
Lenovo 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.
Renovo Coupe zooms ahead with NVIDIA DRIVE
Electric cars may not be common in Asia at the moment but Renovo is giving a foretaste of the capabilities with the Renovo Couple, the first all-electric American supercar. The 500-horsepower Coupe includes a cockpit concept […]
Flash-based array market clips US$11b in 2014
Flash-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.
Tablet sales to be sluggish in 2015
Global 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.
NVIDIA unveils Tegra X1 mobile super chip
Imagine supercomputing power in a mobile device. That’s what the newly-announced NVIDIA Tegra X1 mobile super chip can deliver. Built on the NVIDIA Maxwell GPU architecture, it is the world’s first mobile processor to pack more […]
China Telecom Sichuan launches commercial 4K ultra-HD iTV service
China 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.
MyRepublic offers free Teleport
MyRepublic subscribers, rejoice! Teleport is no longer a paid add-on option but free with immediate effect. The intelligent routing service gives subscribers seamless access and great streaming quality to a number of international websites, including Netflix and Hulu.
Huawei and Red Hat collaborate on OpenStack-based cloud solutions
Huawei 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.
Samsung rolls out rugged tablet
Samsung 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.
5 reasons why I like the Garmin Vivosmart
My 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.
India leads growth in Asian smartphone market in Q3
The 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.
LTE handset shipment to hit 680m units in 2015
With 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.
Samsung and ITE tie-up to equip students with industry-relevant skills
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.
Mobile data to account for more than half of global roaming revenues by 2019
Mobile 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.
Wearable band shipment up 37% in Q3
Wearable 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.
Singapore government IT spending hits US$3.2b
The 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.
More mobile broadband spectrum needed for APAC economic growth
Rising 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.
Smart garments show greatest potential for growth among wearable devices
Wearable 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.
Redmi Note 4G sold out in first run in Singapore
Xiaomi’s popularity continues to grow as its Redmi Note 4G was sold out in under four minutes in Singapore. It looks like consumers are really drawn by the affordability of the China-made smartphone, which costs […]
NVIDIA introduces Tesla K80
NVIDIA 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.
Data consumption driving teleco revenue in Malaysia
Data 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.
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge 4G+ available for pre-order in Singapore
Good 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:
- M1: www.m1.com.sg/galaxynoteedge
- SingTel: www.singtel.com/galaxynoteedge
- StarHub: www.starhub.com/galaxynoteedge
We are 2!
How time flies! Entelechy Asia turns two today. It’s been 24 months of bringing news and filing reports from events in Singapore and around the world. We must say that we are having a great […]
AIS picks Huawei for mobile broadband network
Thailand mobile operator AIS has deployed Huawei innovative Active Antenna Unit (AAU)-based Easy MacroTM solution across its network. Over the last few years, mobile broadband has developed rapidly in Thailand, predominantly driven by the high penetration […]
Alibaba sets US$8b target for November 11 sales
November 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.
ZTE: Pre5G will become available much earlier than 5G
Pre5G will become available much earlier than 5G, according to ZTE at a high-level international meeting of experts and industry officials to discuss global development of 5G technology. In an address to the International Workshop on […]
NVIDIA Shield Tablet reaches Asia — touches down in Japan and Korea
The wait is over for the NVIDIA Shield Tablet in Asia — at least for those in Japan and Korea. The NVIDIA Tegra K1-based portable device is now available in these countries, just in time […]
Global smartphone shipment soars past 300m mark in Q3
Q3 is a stunnin
g 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.
NVIDIA joins VMware in APAC vForums
Imagine 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.
Australia nudges towards hosted and cloud-based UC solutions
Australia’s on-premise unified communications (UC) market experienced a decline in revenues in 2013, according to Frost & Sullivan. This was mainly due to the improved understanding of the benefits of hosted and cloud-based UC solutions, which have now reached mainstream adoption.
Organisations are now able to deploy any UC application over a hosted model, and have a much improved understanding of the benefits of hosted and cloud-based UC solutions. In addition, the capital intensive nature of on-premise solutions limits the flexibility for organisations to adapt to the changing communication and collaboration environments. As a result, the on-premise UC market is approaching a phase where growth rates are flat or declining.
According to Anand Balasubramanian, Industry Analyst of ICT Practice, Australia & New Zealand at Frost & Sullivan, the decline in the Australian UC market revenues can be attributed to the changing business preferences for communication and collaboration solutions.
T3 Singapore ceases
Another technology publication in Singapore has breathed its last. T3 Singapore has folded with the September issue being its last. This is a sad development for the print media industry. According to PlayWorks, publisher of […]
Microsoft hops on the “Band”wagon
Microsoft is the latest to dive into the wearables market with Microsoft Band, which works with Windows Phone 8.1, Android and iOS. It can track heart rate, steps, calorie burn, and sleep quality, as well as […]
NetApp rolls out new solutions and services for hybrid cloud
NetApp has announced new software, services, and partnerships that simplify data management across clouds, including a new version of the NetApp clustered Data ONTAP operating system, Cloud ONTAP, OnCommand Cloud Manager, and NetApp Private Storage for Cloud. These […]
3D printers set for rapid growth
The global 3D printer market is set to double next year to reach 217,350 units in 2015, according to Gartner.
From then, 3D printer shipment will more than double every year between 2015 and 2018, by which time worldwide shipments are forecast to reach more than 2.3 million.
“As we noted last year, the 3D printer market is at an inflection point. Unit shipment growth rates for 3D printers, which languished in the low single and double digits per year throughout the 30 years since the first 3D printers were invented, are poised to increase dramatically beginning in 2015. As radical as the forecast numbers may seem, bear in mind that even the 2.3 million shipments that we forecast will be sold in 2018 are a small fraction of the total potential market of consumers, businesses and government organisations worldwide,” said Pete Basiliere, Research Vice President of Gartner.
GSMA to recognise young innovator and connected women
GSMA has introduced two special awards to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Global Mobile Awards. The Young Mobile Innovator of the Year and Connected Women: Leadership in Industry awards will be presented at the Global Mobile Awards ceremony at GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on March 3, 2015.
The Young Mobile Innovator of the Year is designed to showcase young and exciting new talent from across the mobile ecosystem and is open to anyone between 18 and 25 years old, working in an organisation or independently, or currently pursuing further education. The Connected Women: Leadership in Industry award, will recognise leadership in the establishment of initiatives that have a positive impact in reducing the digital skills gap and attracting and retaining women and girls in mobile and telecommunications.
“These additional awards will put the spotlight on individuals and organisations that will be shaping the face of the mobile industry in the years to come,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer of GSMA.
A star is born in Malaysia
ZTE has launched the ZTE STAR 1 smartphone in Malaysia, the first time the model has been introduced outside China. According to the company, Malaysia was chosen because of the nation’s strong economy and development in […]
Singapore has right attributes for Smart City development
Singapore possesses the necessary ingredients for sustained Smart City developments, according to IDC Government Insights.
While it is still unclear which paths lead to the success of Smart City implementations, IDC explains that this forecast relates to an effective and innovative strategic leadership as well as strengths in close cross-industry ties across a multitude of technology and business partners alike to drive the necessary future developments of its city.
It defines Smart Cities as a district, town, city, county, metropolitan area, city state, or even functionally clustered government operations such as public order and safety, transportation, healthcare, and education sectors. Such next-generation models of cities are anticipated to capture, analyse, and use information to achieve over-arching long-term sustainability goals around improving the lives of their residents, business, and government services.
PhotoMath app solves algebra problems using smartphone camera
Algebra can be a bane to students and while some turn to their teachers for help, others request for assistance from parents, siblings and tutors. With PhotoMath, they now have another source of help. Best of all, it’s free!
PhotoMath, which is now available on iOS and Windows smartphones, leverage the devices’ cameras to scan a printed math problem and provide an answer in an instant — complete with the steps to solving the problem.
All the student needs to do is to install the app, scan the equation within a red frame and the app does the rest.
APAC PC market up 8% in Q3
Spurred by consumer PC demand in China and India, the APAC (excluding Japan) PC market rose eight percent in Q3, according to IDC’s preliminary results. However, shipment dropped five percent year-on-year compared to Q3 2014 to 26.6 million units.
In India, positive consumer sentiment after the elections resulted in high retail walk-ins while vendors in China pushed volumes in spite of a poor sell-out. Asean was a mixed bag with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand experiencing double-digit annual declines, while other countries such as Vietnam did well.
“XP migration helped boost commercial PC spending earlier this year. But in recent quarters, we have seen Microsoft add a lot to the entry-level segment by launching the Windows 8.1 with Bing programme. This programme has helped consumers buy licensed OS PC in many countries in the region,” said Handoko Andi, Research Manager for Client Devices Research at IDC Asia/Pacific.
Google’s Nexus 9 breaks new ground with NVIDIA Tegra K1 64-bit processor
When Google announced the Nexus 9 last Wednesday, one of the more pertinent developments is that the new tablet sports the NVIDIA Tegra K1, which brings 64-bit capabilities to Android for the first time.
Google’s first tablet, the first Nexus 7, was also powered by the NVIDIA Tegra two years ago.
The Nexus 9 has broken new ground as the Tegra K1 is the first ARM processor for Android to take advantage of Lollipop support for 64-bit CPU architectures. Earlier known as Project Denver, the ARM v8-based custom CPU design brings class-leading efficiency and power to mobile devices.
VMware and NVIDIA preview NVIDIA GRID vGPU
VMware and NVIDIA have announced that Airbus Group, CH2MHILL and MetroHealth are among the first to join their early access programme to try the latest technology for GPU virtualisation and virtual application and desktop infrastructure, ahead of its general availability.
Customers selected to participate in the programme have deployed a technology preview of the solution. They get to work directly with the engineering teams from both NVIDIA and VMware, and provide direct input about their experiences — influencing future products, training, documentation and services.
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. Combined with VMware Horizon, the technology can deliver a great user experience and the scalability that IT teams require for the most demanding users in their organizations.
ZTE launches payment solutions
ZTE has launched a range of payment solutions including phone POS (point of sale), photonic and DTV (Digital TV) payment products.
With a NFC (near field communication) capable smartphone, users can install the phone POS app to enable the smartphone function as a POS payment device. Businesses and individuals can then manage a vast range of transactions including transferring money, checking account balances, paying off credit cards, topping up mobile phones and paying bills.
This functionality gives complete freedom to users, allowing them to complete transactions whenever and wherever they want, as well as allowing businesses to save on operating expenses by receiving immediate payment.
China open to using smartwatches as payment system
Smartwatches are set to be more than health trackers with countries around the world exploring different potential.
According to a recent GfK survey, 54 percent of respondents are keen to use smartwatches for payment even though mobile payment using a smartphone to pay at the checkout with near field communication (NFC) technology hasn’t proved very popular so far.
Besides mobile payment, the survey covering China, Germany, South Korea, the UK, and the US, revealed taht people in these countries see potential in using smartwatches to “carry” tickets for passenger transport or as security keys to their computers and online accounts.
GSMA announces connectivity guidelines to accelerate the Internet of Things
GSMA has published guidelines for the Internet of Things (IoT) market that outline how devices and applications should communicate via mobile networks in the most intelligent and efficient way.
The report, IoT Device Connection Efficiency Guidelines, has received the backing of leading mobile operators including AT&T, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, KT Corporation, Orange, NTT DOCOMO, Tata Teleservices, Telefónica, Telenor Connexion, and VimpelCom as well as ecosystem partners including Sierra Wireless and Jasper and aims to support device and application developers as the IoT market develops.
The guidelines include a number of best practice areas such as data aggregation within devices, non-synchronous network access, application scalability and guidance on how to manage signaling traffic from de-activated or out-of-subscription SIMs.
HP to split
When it comes to technology companies, being big may not be the best. In the mid-1990s, IBM, then the world’s leading IT company, had to wrestle with its size. It eventually divested product lines that were deemed to have low margins to focus on software and services. Out went its printers and hard drives. In 2005, IBM sold its personal computer business, including the ThinkPad notebooks to Lenovo. And last week, it officially pulled out of the x86 server market with the sale to Lenovo.
It looks like HP is facing size challenges and taking the same route as IBM of old. While IBM slumbered, HP went on an acquisition spree, chomping up Compaq, EDS and 3Com and many others. It became the world’s top technology company with revenues exceeding US$100 billion.
However, yesterday, HP announced plans to split into two companies — HP Enterprise to focus on enterprise technology infrastructure, software and services businesses, and HP Inc, which will concentrate on the PC and printing businesses.
IBM turns to NVIDIA to power OpenPOWER-based systems
Having exited the x86 server business, IBM has turned its focus to a new range of systems that leverages GPU acceleration delivered by NVIDIA.
Built on IBM’s POWER8 processor, the new IBM Power S824L servers are optimised for big data workloads. The new systems tightly integrate IBM and other OpenPOWER member technologies, including NVIDIA’s GPU accelerator technology for the first time, to unleash computing performance to help enable banks to better analyse risk, energy companies to more precisely locate oil reserves, and scientists to more quickly identify cures for diseases.
They provide clients the ability to run data-intensive tasks on the POWER8 processor while offloading other compute-intensive Big Data workloads to GPU accelerators which are capable of running millions of data computations in parallel and are designed to significantly speed up compute-intensive applications.
Worldwide semiconductor market to grow 7.2% this year
A slew of demand for semiconductors is helping the industry to hit a targeted 7.2 percent growth to hit US$338 billion this year.
Apple and Samsung are among the many IT vendors that have unleashed new products in recent months, spurring the growth in the semiconductor market.
“Semiconductor revenue set an all-time record in the third quarter of 2014, fueled by a strong electronics build for the holiday season. Get ready for a flood of new product introductions, ranging from simple low-cost tablets to high-end ultramobiles and smartphones. Demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been robust, but there is concern for other types of devices planned for the holidays,” said Jon Erensen, Research Director of Gartner.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 4G+ available for pre-order in Singapore
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is now available for pre-order from telcos and the Samsung Experience Stores in Singapore with delivery from October 11.
Those interested can register their interest at:
- M1: www.m1.com.sg/galaxynote4
- SingTel: www.singtel.com/galaxynote4
- StarHub: www.starhub.com/galaxynote4
Alternatively, those who would like to pre-order the S$1,088 phablet without a contract can do so at Samsung Experience Stores at Great World City, Tampines Mall, AMK Hub, and Jurong Point.
New Honda cars to feature NVIDIA Tegra-powered Android infotainment system
The 2015 editions of the Honda Civic, Civic Tourer and CR-V will leverage the power of the energy-efficient automotive-grade NVIDIA Tegra processor for the Honda Connect infotainment system.
Easy and intuitive to use, the Android-based system is responsive to touchscreen gestures such as pinch, zoom and swipe to give drivers the same experience that they get on their smartphones and tablets.
Featuring rich, vibrant graphics and the ability to customize screens, Honda Connect delivers a personal experience to whoever is behind the wheel. The Tegra-powered system drives a seven-inch capacitive touchscreen display for satellite navigation, AM/FM/DAB, rearview camera and vehicle information. Access to the Honda App Center enables compatible apps for use on the touchscreen, such as Aha Radio.
Microsoft jumps to Windows 10
Skipping a generation seems to be the norm these days. A couple of weeks ago, NVIDIA introduced its GeForce GTX 900 series, bypassing the 800 series. Yesterday, Microsoft made a similar move by skipping a highly anticipated Windows 9 to introduce Windows 10.
In a technical preview, Microsoft highlighted advancements in the new operating system that are designed for business, including an updated user experience and enhanced security and management capabilities.
“Windows 10 represents the first step of a whole new generation of Windows, unlocking new experiences to give customers new ways to work, play and connect. This will be our most comprehensive operating system and the best release Microsoft has ever done for our business customers, and we look forward to working together with our broader Windows community to bring Windows 10 to life in the months ahead,” said Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President of the Operating Systems group at Microsoft.
Lenovo becomes leading x86 server provider in China
Lenovo is now the biggest x86 server provider in China, following the completion of its acquisition of IBM’s x86 server business. And IDC believes this acquisition will enrich Lenovo’s x86 server portfolio and strengthen its products and channels.
According to the research firm’s latest data, Lenovo shipped 99,101 units in the first half of 2014 and is ranked 4th among all vendors in the same category.
Combining IBM and Lenovo’s shipments in this period of time would make Lenovo the biggest vendor in China x86 server market with a market share of 23.9 percent.
Huawei presents stylish Prime mobile wifi
Huawei has unveiled the Huawei Mobile WiFi Prime E5878, claimed to be the world’s thinnest at 7.5mm, the equivalent of five credit cards stacked on top of each other.
Delivering download speeds of up to 150 Mbps and connectivity for up to 10 devices, Huawei Prime is so compact and portable at 109.5mm long and 58mm wide that it can easily slide into a pocket or bag to stay connected on-the-go, making it ideal for small and home office business professionals.
Huawei Prime features press and play functionality with a five-second start up to provide quick connectivity for up to 10 WiFi-enabled devices at once with a range of 100 metres.
Emerging markets to give tech devices US$10b boost
India, China, Pakistan, and Vietnam are among the top five emerging markets that will drive tech devices sale in 2015, according to GfK.
The resarch firm has forecasted that the global technology device market will remain at US$1 trillion next year, just as it has been since 2011.
| Top 10 tech device growth markets in 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 2014 (U$b) | 2015 (U$b) | Percentage YoY | Growth (U$b) |
| India | 30.0 | 34.8 | 16% | 4.8 |
| China | 199.0 | 200.8 | 1% | 1.8 |
| Nigeria | 5.1 | 5.7 | 13% | 0.7 |
| Pakistan | 4.2 | 4.8 | 15% | 0.6 |
| Vietnam | 5.5 | 6.1 | 11% | 0.6 |
| Bangladesh | 3.3 | 3.8 | 13% | 0.4 |
| Brazil | 39.0 | 39.3 | 1% | 0.4 |
| Egypt | 4.6 | 5.0 | 8% | 0.3 |
| Indonesia | 12.4 | 12.7 | 3% | 0.3 |
| Philippines | 3.8 | 4.1 | 6% | 0.2 |
| TOTAL | 306.9 | 317.1 | 3% | 10.1 |
Source: GfK
Cellular offloading strategies drive wi-fi test equipment market
In its revised mobile service bundles, SingTel added free wi-fi access for its mobile users in selected locations in Singapore. This is said to be part of its strategy to alleviate data congestion on its 3G and 4G networks.
The trend is set to continue across the globe as telcos wrestle to cope with the increasing demand for mobile data. To enable wi-fi access, they need to purchase wi-fi test equipment, creating strong opportunities for Wi-Fi test equipment manufacturers globally.
According to Frost & Sullivan, the wi-fi test equipment market earned revenues of US$528.9 million in 2013. This is expected to more than double to reach US$1.09 billion in 2020.
Graphics-as-a-service a ‘very attractive business model to consider’
NVIDIA VCA (visual computing appliance), which began shipping in August, has opened up the possibility of graphics-as-a-service.
The scalable, network-attached GPU rendering appliance with eight high-end NVIDIA GPUs is designed to provide designers and artists with the graphics power needed to create photorealistic images. It dramatically accelerates ray tracing, enabling users to interact with computer models of such high visual fidelity that it can eliminate the need for 3D physical prototypes.
While currently designed for ray tracing, NVIDIA is working with independent software vendors (ISVs) to apply VCA to other areas, according to Sandeep Gupte, Senior Director of Professional Services Group at NVIDIA (right).
Gone Girl is first 6K film produced using NVIDIA Quadro
David Fincher’s highly anticipated thriller Gone Girl starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and Neil Patrick Harris hits theatres on October 3. The film is generating as much attention for its star power as it is for the highly advanced production approach of the filmmakers. It’s the first feature shot entirely in 6K and the first feature to use NVIDIA Next-Gen Quadro GPUs. Edited by two-time Academy Award-winner Kirk Baxter, ACE, it’s also the first studio feature edited entirely in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
The production system and workflow for Gone Girl is the most advanced technical design of any feature film to date. The filmmakers opted to shoot in 6K, but frame for 5K to have an ability to reframe and stabilise, with greater resolution than before. They also wanted to retain control over a majority of the post-production in-house to improve turnaround and reduce overall costs.
“Shooting in 6K, we had a large amount of RED media content to be converted and reviewed,” explained Jeff Brue, Post Engineer. “This, combined with a need for an ability during editorial for every shot to be reframed, posed a unique challenge.”
Samsung avails Curved Soundbar in Singapore
If you own a Samsung Curved TV, match it with the Samsung Curved Soundbar HW-H7501 which is now available in Singapore for S$999.
Designed to work in conjunction with Samsung’s Curved UHD TVs. the Samsung Curved Soundbar is crafted with a finely brushed aluminium finish that matches and complements the Samsung Curved UHD TVs.
It can be easily wall-mounted and installed under the TV without the need to drill separate holes into the wall. With a width of 42mm and same curvature radius of 4,200mm as the Samsung Curved UHD TVs, the soundbar delivers a greater sense of curve by surrounding the viewer and providing a powerful listening experience.
Entelechy Asia 