Category: MOBILE

Apple’s AirPods have taken 26% of the online market for wireless headphones

Staff Writer
airpods

Apple finally launched the wireless Bluetooth powered AirPods. Already, AirPods own 26% of the online wireless headphone market, cementing what Apple CEO Tim Cook has called “a runaway success.” Wireless headphones accounted for half of the entire online U.S. headphones market for the first time in December 2015. Three out of every four headphones sold online in the states were of the wireless variety. Besides Apple, Samsung has its Gear IconX wireless ear buds that compete with the AirPods. But Apple does have the benefit of having sold millions of Apple iPhone…

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Nokia Sues Apple For Patent Infringement

Staff Writer
Patents

Five years after Apple and Nokia settled a lawsuit, the tech giants have again locked horns over patents with Apple filing an anti-trust lawsuit against third-party companies Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs) that act on Nokia’s behalf, and the Finland-based firm suing Apple directly. “We’ve always been willing to pay a fair price to secure the rights of patents covering technology in our products,” said Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock. “Unfortunately, Nokia has refused to license their patents on a fair basis and is now using the tactics of a patent troll…

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AT&T Launches first 5G Trial For Intel

Staff Writer

5G and its multi-gigabit cellular speeds probably won’t hit the market until 2020, but one corporate customer of AT&T has already tasted what it will be like. AT&T has launched what it believes as the first business customer trial 5G wireless technology, promising to bring gigabit-level internet speeds to smartphones in the long run. AT&T previously worked with Ericsson to conduct the company’s first public demo, which handled 4K video streaming and real-time camera feeds in speeds of up to 14 Gbps. AT&T has taken the 5G technology it worked on with…

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European Union privacy officials asks Facebook told to stop exploiting WhatsApp data

WhatsApp launches end-to-end encryption on messages for all its users

European Union privacy chiefs said Facebook must stop processing user data from its WhatsApp messaging service while they are investigating the privacy policy changes the company announced in August. The Article 29 Working Party, made up of privacy chiefs from across the 28-nation EU, told Facebook it had “serious concerns” about the sharing of WhatsApp users’ data for purposes that were not included in the terms of service and privacy policy when existing users signed up to the service, according to a statement e-mailed on Friday. European privacy watchdogs don’t…

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Cybersecurity firms greenlit to decrypt Viber, WhatsApp traffic

Russian cybersecurity companies have a greenlight to decrypt traffic of such popular communication tools as Viber, WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger, a popular business daily reports. The measure is connected to a recently-adopted anti-terrorism law. “We are going to look into the main messengers — WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Skype both for iOS and Android,” Kommersant cites a letter from an employee of Con Certeza, a company dealing with the development of tools necessary for enforcing law in the telecommunications field. The employee wrote that the company aims to make…

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Samsung recalls the Galaxy Note 7 due to battery problem

The massive recall of one of Samsung’s flagship devices is an embarrassing setback for the world’s biggest selling smartphone maker. The Note 7 was unveiled just a month ago, and big rival Apple (AAPL, Tech30) is expected to show off its new smartphone next week. Samsung (SSNLF) said Friday it had found a problem with the battery in some of the phones and was halting sales. In the coming weeks it will offer customers a new product for free to replace all 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s that have been…

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Mobile tech and services generated $150 billion in Africa, 725 million unique subscribers expected by 2020

Staff Writer

The GSMA study ‘The Mobile Economy: Africa 2016’ was launched at the GSMA Mobile 360 – Africa event held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from July 26 – 28, 2016. The report highlights the increasing contribution of Africa’s mobile industry to the regional economy, including employment and public funding, and mobile’s role a platform for digital and financial inclusion. Industry overview At the end of 2015, 46% of the population in Africa subscribed to mobile services, equivalent to more than half a billion people. The region’s three dominant markets –…

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UNICEF Report Tackles Online Safety Among Youth From 25 Countries

Staff Writer
UNICEF

A new report released by UNICEF, Perils and Possibilities: Growing Up Online has revealed that 8 out of 10 18 year olds believ that young people are in danger of being sexually abused or taken advantage of online. The report  was based on an international poll of more than 10,000 18-year-olds from 25 countries and it discusses the young people’s perspectives on the risks they face while growing up in a connected world. The report revealed that more than 5 out 10 of the people who participated in the poll…

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Ghana Is The Next Country To Receive Uber After Uganda

Staff Writer
Uber Africa launches Uber Cash in partnership with Flutterwave

Just a few days after Uber opened operations in Kampala, Uganda, ItNewsAfrica reports that Ghana will be the next country to receive the service. Accra, Ghana’s capital city will join Uber’s growing network in Africa, a good choice since the city boasts a population of 2.27 million people and a thriving economy. The large population will now have access to efficient transport through Uber. Alon Lits, the General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa said that: “Accra is bustling, connected city that Uber is proud to be launching in. It’s rapid…

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Intel Launches A Radio Show To Empower Girls In Nigeria

Staff Writer
Intel

Intel through their ‘She Will Connect’ program have launched a radio show and a features column that is aimed at providing digital literacy skills to women and girls in Nigeria, Vanguard reports. The move is part of Intel’s efforts in empowering women and girls by enabling them to pick up skills in digital literacy through new, innovative and scalable models. In line with this, the radio show, ‘She Will Connect Radio Show’ is targeted at young girls and women and will help them access an innovative combination of digital literacy…

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