TECH - itbusinessdirect

Andela to lay off 400 staff across Africa, confirms $50M in revenue

September 18, 2019 Editor

Africa-focused tech talent accelerator Andela will cut 400 junior engineers across Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, Chief executive and co-founder Jeremy Johnson said the move will impact junior engineers as the company focuses on boosting its senior talent. “This shift in demand also means that we now have more junior talent than we are able to place,” he said in a statement. “This is a challenge for the business, and for these junior engineers who want and deserve authentic work experiences that we are not able to provide.” Approximately 250 junior…

Tesla Entry App Malfunction Locks Out Car Owners

September 4, 2019 olivia Craig

Some Tesla owners reported being locked out of their vehicles on Monday evening because the electric car’s app was down. The problem is, app connectivity shouldn’t have any effect on unlocking a Tesla. Downdetector, a tracker for users to report technical difficulties with web-based services, also showed that many users were having trouble with Tesla’s app. @Tesla your server is down for maintenance and we’re locked out of the car. What’s your ETA? — Melissa Chan (@melissachanhk) September 2, 2019 On Monday, numerous drivers found their apps were down “for maintenance”…

Intel unveils Nervana its first ever AI-driven neural network chip

August 21, 2019

San Francisco: Intel has unveiled its first high-performance Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven neural network chip “Nervana” to meet the growing high-speed computing and robotics demand. The chip-maker showcased the Nervana neural network processors, with the NNP-T for training and the NNP-I for inference at the “Hot Chips 2019” conference at Stanford University in California on Tuesday. “To get to a future state of ‘AI everywhere,’ we’ll need to address the crush of data being generated and ensure enterprises are empowered to make efficient use of their data, processing it where it’s…

Apple Card just quietly launched, takes a new approach to credit cards use

August 13, 2019

Last week, Apple Card was launched, a new product that just might make the tech firm a lot of money. However there wasn’t much elation and ululation. This is because, anyone who put their name down to get Apple notifications likely got a highly personalized invitation about the product. To celebrate the launch, Apple didn’t release an expensive ad featuring exited customers, rather, Apple’s YouTube page was filled with explanatory videos. The Card is Apple’s different approach to credit cards use, statements are handled, and rewards are redeemed, without any…

Negotiated fares taxi hailing app inDriver, targets more African cities

July 22, 2019

Online ride hailing service, inDriver, which allows passengers to negotiate the fare with drivers, has begun recruiting drivers in Harare for the service, which it intends to launch in the capital towards the end of this month. inDriver, which is headquartered in New York, has 26 million users in more than 200 cities throughout the world. The service is already operating in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The inDriver app is used by passengers and drivers to be linked up and negotiate fares. The app can also be used…

Koko Energy firm Launches ethanol burners to be refuelled using Smart ATMs

May 29, 2019 Editor

Energy solutions firm Koko Networks has unveiled a two-burner ethanol stove for low-income households as it seeks a piece of the cooking gas business. The specially-designed cookers will retail at Sh7,000 and come with a refillable smart canister with a capacity of 2.3 litres that dock with KOKOpoints, which then dispense fuel they have pre-purchased by topping up their KOKO accounts with M-PESA. They then take their smart canister home to dock into their KOKO Cooker, a modern, high-power 2-burner ethanol stove that delivers affordable cooking energy, safely and conveniently.…

Google cuts ties with Huawei, to stop licensing its Android OS to the Chinese phone maker

May 20, 2019

Alphabet Inc’s Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday, in a blow to the Chinese technology company that the U.S. government has sought to blacklist around the world. Holders of current Huawei smartphones with Google apps, however, will continue to be able to use and download app updates provided by Google, a Google spokesperson said, confirming earlier reporting by Reuters. “We are complying…

Microsoft opens first Africa Development Centres in Nairobi and Lagos

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 Editor

It was almost three decades ago that Microsoft opened its first offices in Africa. In this time, they witnessed incredible growth on the continent – more internet connectivity, more digital capability and more innovation. Africans have expanded the applications of technology, changing the way communities bank, farm and even access healthcare. As the next step on Microsoft’s journey in Africa, and to better understand a continent rapidly adopting technology in the cloud, and at the edge, Microsoft launched its first Africa Development Centre (ADC). With two initial sites in Nairobi,…

Tencent and Alibaba licenced to compete world’s biggest banks to offer Hong Kong banking

May 9, 2019 Editor

Tencent and Alibaba are set to compete with some of the world’s biggest banks including HSBC and Standard Chartered as Hong Kong opens up its market to online competitors. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has issued virtual banking licences to China’s top technology groups, adding to the growing number of companies that have already been approved to provide digital services in the Asian financial hub. China’s Xiaomi, the world’s fourth largest smartphone maker, and PingAn, the world’s largest insurer, were also granted a licence on Thursday by the city’s banking…

3D printing technology discovery could reduce costs of surgery in Kenyan

May 6, 2019 Editor

As rugby-player Chris Muraguri wore his number 7 jersey while he recuperated at his one-roomed house in Nairobi, nursing a right foot double fracture, he surfed the internet looking for ways to speed up his healing. He was hoping to return to the rugby pitch as well as to his pharmacy class at the University of Nairobi. He came across 3D printing technology and made a skeletal prototype of his injured foot that he shared with his doctor, Prof Symon Guthua, a surgery consultant at the University of Nairobi. “Professor…