2017 - itbusinessdirect

Google Maps will soon tell you when it’s time to get off your train or bus

December 11, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

Google is about to launch a small but useful update to Google Maps that will give you live guidance and interactive real-time notifications during your journey. The idea here is to give you real-time updates while you are on your transit journey. These updates will appear in the Google Maps app and, maybe most importantly, on your Android lock screen. To get started, you search for your transit directions in Google Maps as usual. So far, so good. What’s new here is that you’ll soon be able to tap a…

China’s phone market is now dominated by five companies, none of which is Samsung

December 6, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

China is the most unique smartphone market in the world: a phone maker can be a global sales leader without ever treading beyond Chinese borders, and small upstart challengers can suddenly explode in popularity from out of nowhere. The latter aspect is becoming harder now, however, as the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel shows that China’s top five phone vendors are becoming a more solid and dominant group. Kantar reports that, for the calendar quarter ending in October, the top five of Huawei, Xiaomi, Apple, Vivo, and Oppo accounted for…

Drone collisions worse than bird strikes for planes

December 6, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

A US study into drone safety has suggested that collisions with aircraft are more damaging than bird strikes. It said current aircraft manufacturing standards are not appropriate for the growth in drone use but stopped short of saying such hits could be fatal. The US Federal Aviation Authority said it will work with drone-makers to develop technology to detect and avoid planes. It estimated there will be 2.3 million drones in use by the end of this year.The FAA study recreated a collision between a drone and an aeroplane using…

Google launches a data-friendly search app for users in emerging markets

December 6, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

Google is continuing its push to make its services accessible for people with lower-end mobile devices or slow internet connections after it introduced Google Go, a data-friendly search app. The app was first spotted in beta in August — when it was known as Search Lite — and now it has been released for select Android devices (here). At just 5MB the app won’t take up huge amounts of space on a device — that’s important because cheaper devices that are popular in emerging markets have limited capacity — while…

Millions caught in virtual keyboard app data breach

December 6, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

Security researchers claim to have found the personal data of 31 million Android users of the keyboard app Ai.type after finding an open database online. The app offers themed keyboards for phones and tablets.The researchers claimed data left visible included names, phone numbers, locations and Google queries. The boss of the Israeli company behind the app admitted the breach but said most of the data was not sensitive. Bob Diachenko, from the Kromtech Security Centre, part of security company Mackeeper, said the amount of data required by the app at…

Role of Technology in efficiencies and food waste

December 5, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

The 10-year framework of 6 programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns (10YFP) is a global framework of action to enhance international cooperation and to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production (SCP), in both developed and developing countries. At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012, heads of state adopted the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns (10YFP), a global framework for action to accelerate the shift towards SCP in both developed and developing countries. One of the programmes within 10YFP…

DotConnectAfrica founder, Sophia Bekele, wins monumental court case against National Bank of Ethiopia

December 5, 2017December 7, 2017

Photo: DCA Founder and CEO Sophia Bekele speaking during the African Women’s Forum Special Program, Crans Montana Forum, #CMF17 Barcelona (Spain). Sophia Bekele, an Ethiopian native with American nationality has won a milestone legal battle against Ethiopia’s Central Bank – that is the National Bank of Ethiopia – whose decision led her to lose shares she inherited from her late father, the Founder of both United Bank and United Insurance, at an undervalued rate at both institutions. Ms. Bekele, a global entrepreneur and the CEO of DotConnectAfrica (DCA) Group – one…

Huawei Joins Hands with PCITC to Embrace Smart Factory 2.0

December 5, 2017 Dianne Jacobs

Our Earth faces increasingly grave environmental problems. Although more people have realized the significance of environmental protection and have chosen shared bicycles and electric cars as part of their low-carbon lifestyles, yet we still rely heavily on non-renewable energy such as petroleum. How much oil is left and how long will it last? According to estimates from conservative experts, the sustained oil reserves left may last only 30 to 40 years at present rates of consumption, and the next oil crisis may happen much sooner than expected. Governments and socially-responsible…

SEC’s new cyber unit takes its first action to halt an initial coin offering ‘scam by PlexCorp

December 5, 2017December 5, 2017

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Canadian crypto company PlexCorp with violating securities laws by selling up to $15 million in an initial coin offering (ICO). ICOs have seen explosive growth over the past year as fledgling companies have used them to raise more than $3 billion in capital through various cryptocurrencies. However, experts have warned they can present several dangers to unsuspecting investors hoping to get into a hot new market as regulations are pretty loose. Called PlexCoins, PlexCorp allegedly used this cryptocurrency to scam would-be investors hoping…