IBM unveils new workload management software

NEW DELHI: IBM has expanded its portfolio of software-defined infrastructure solutions with cognitive features. The new intelligent resource and workload management software is called IBM Spectrum Computing.

Spectrum Computing is designed to make it easier for organizations to extract full value from data to accelerate performance-intensive analytics or machine learning. The technology can be used across industries.

The platform offers new cognitive and resource-aware scheduling policies that help increase the utilization of existing computing resources.


IBM Spectrum Computing assists organizations with consolidating data center infrastructure and sharing resources across on-premise, cloud or hybrid environments. It includes three new software products.

It works with cloud applications and open source frameworks and simplifies the adoption of Apache Spark, an open source big data analytics framework, while delivering up to 60% faster analytical results.
The platform was developed over two years through the collaboration of IBM developers and clients focused on accelerating next-generation analytics. The software manages multiple applications at one time ensuring allocation of resources to achieve faster results.

"IBM Spectrum LSF helps us achieve excellent performance for our most demanding computing and data intensive applications. We can get more accomplished with fewer resources, reducing infrastructure and administration, and speeding new race car designs," said Matt Cadieux, CIO, Red Bull Racing.

HP, Apple top list of tech companies fighting forced labour risk

NEW YORK: HP Inc and AppleInc topped a list issued on Thursday ranking how well technology companies combat the risk of forced labor in their supply chains.

Workers who make components in information and communications technology (ICT) companies' supply chains are often migrants who are vulnerable to becoming forced labor, said the report byKnowTheChain, an online resource for business.

An estimated 21 million people are victims of forced labor around the world, according to the International Labour Organization. Forced labor is estimated to generate some $150 billion in illegal profits every year.

Forced laborers may be charged high recruitment fees to get jobs , be trapped in debt servitude, deprived of their passports or other documents, or made to work excessive hours for low pay, the report said.

KnowTheChain was founded by Humanity United, a US-based foundation, and other organizations in 2013.


HP, Apple , Intel Corp, Cisco Systems Inc and Microsoft scored highest on the list of 20 publicly traded ICT companies. At the bottom were Keyence, BOE Technology and Canon. Eighteen of the 20 companies have publicly demonstrated a commitment to eradicating forced labor in their supply chain, the report said.

"However, far fewer of these companies also have strong processes in place to implement these commitments," it said.

Overall, ICT companies are doing little to give workers a voice in their supply chains, such as enabling freedom of association or providing access to grievance mechanisms.

On the other hand, most companies are making efforts to trace their supply chains all the way down to the providers of commodities, such as minerals, it said. Intel surveys its suppliers and visits smelters and refiners in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it said. Companies were rated on factors such as public awareness and commitment, purchasing practices, monitoring and auditing processes.

A Cisco spokesman said: "We believe that companies have a duty to respect human rights in their supply chains ... We recognize that there is still more for us to do. Ongoing transparency and discussions with our stakeholders will continue to inform our progress."An HP spokesman said: "At HP we believe that our actions must focus on addressing some of he greatest challenges we face as a society, including combating human trafficking, forced labor, and other forms of exploitation of vulnerable workers."

Apple , Intel, Microsoft, Kayence and Canon did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and BOE Technology could not be reached.

Tata group has made hanush 155mm Artillery Gun !!!!Make In India!!!!

Tata group has made hanush 155mm Artillery Gun

Dhanush as an artillery system has proved to be one of the best amongst its class. A 45 Calibre towed gun system capable of targeting at long ranges incorporating autonomous laying features and having one of the most sophisticated suites of electronic and computing systems in the world.

The success of 155mm/ 42 Cal Dhanush under trial is of paramount importance for the futuristic ATAGS programme 

In the Artillery modernisation plan, the Indian army needs 814 Mounted Guns, 1580 Towed Guns, 100 tracked Self Propelled guns,180 wheeled Self Propelled guns and 145 Ultra Light Howitzers at a whooping cost of one lakh crores 

Its long range, light-weight and automation features will help it immensely. Loading ammunition will be fully automatic, and it will be compatible with various kinds of ammo as well. 

This 155mm and 45 calibre gun has a maximum effective range of 38 km in plains while the original Bofors gun could not fire effectively beyond 27 km 

Gun Control Computer (GCU/ETC).

• Inertial Navigation System (INS).
• INU, CDU, Phonic Wheel, Travel Lock sensor.
• Muzzle Velocity Radar (MVR).
• Gun Sighting System.
• Modified Electro-hydraulic Valve Block system.
• Communication System-STARS V Radio MK II.

Danush is going to be a first successful flag ship venture under the much hyped ‘Make in India’ mission. 

Enhanced HD voice for VoLTE launched by T-Mobile and Ericsson

Enhanced HD voice for LTE takes voice quality to the next level in LTE VoLTE and Wi Fi networks, as T Mobile launches first commercial service in the US with support from Ericsson.

In the app-centric world of modern smartphones, it's easy to lose sight of progress in phones' core function - voice services. But that's changing with the introduction of Evolved HD voice for LTE, now entering the market and bringing greatly improved audio quality and reliability for voice and music within calls.

To evolve HD voice services further is enabled with the Enhanced Voice Service (EVS) next-generation audio codec, standardized in 3GPP for VoLTE/LTE networks. This improves the quality of voice and music within calls beyond today's narrowband voice and HD voice services (which is already deployed in many 2G, 3G and LTE networks).

T-Mobile has pioneered commercial EVS services in the Unites States. With Ericsson's support, T-Mobile provides nationwide EVS support for VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling users, delivering even greater audio quality than current HD voice services, and better call reliability and quality across both T-Mobile's LTE network and Wi-Fi access.

Mark McDiarmid, Vice President Radio Network Engineering and Development at T-Mobile says: "With Ericsson's partnership, we've been able to bring better voice reliability and higher fidelity calls to T-Mobile customers in more times and places than HD voice alone could provide. We already have three EVS-capable devices in the market and will have seven by the end of the year."

Phones have always been about bringing people together, but for much of their history, they have been capable of carrying only a limited part of the human voice's dynamic range. When mobile phones first launched in the 1980s and smartphones in the 1990s, they supported only narrowband voice capabilities. HD voice (wideband voice capabilities) finally debuted on 3G networks in 2009, then on 2G a few years later, and was extended to LTE in 2012. But now, with Enhanced HD voice expanding the available audio spectrum even beyond HD, callers will feel like they are standing next to each other

Ericsson has been one of the main contributors to EVS standards development within 3GPP, along with 11 other companies, including network vendors, device and chipset vendors, technology companies, and operators. Ericsson demonstrated EVS in public for the first time at Mobile World Congress 2014, and the first operator trials followed.

To achieve more natural voice and better quality music within calls, EVS brings together new codec support in the device's chipset and software, and adaptions of the acoustic design of phones (such as ensuring that microphones and speakers are capable of covering the expanded audio frequency range). Commercial device support for EVS is already strong - major chipset vendors support it now, which means that several device vendors have started enabling this on commercial phones.

Mobile networks also need to be updated with new software in the IMS core network to support EVS. The Ericsson Session Border Gateway (SBG) and the Ericsson Media Resource System (MRS) include this new functionality.

For users, Enhanced HD voice brings significantly improved HD voice quality, excellent in-call music quality, and even the possibility for stereo sound in the future. In particular, users will enjoy better quality audio in areas with limited LTE coverage and more robust voice services on networks prone to packet loss and jitter.

The improved audio quality and service reliability of Enhanced HD voice also means clearer on-hold music, announcements, and voicemail. It also opens the door for innovative new uses, such as customized ring-back tones, sharing live music over voice calls, and others that will emerge as people explore the possibilities of the new technology.

For operators, the globally interoperable, standards-based technology delivers telecom-grade quality using the same bandwidth as HD voice. Enhanced HD voice enables operators to provide more attractive and high-quality voice services (bundled with LTE data subscriptions) for consumers and enterprise users. The marketing name of this new service towards consumers is yet to be defined by the market.

With Enhanced HD voice available on commercial VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling networks, mobile phone subscribers can now hear the full dynamic range of the human voice in calls for the first time in the history of mobile phones. Smartphone calls can now make people feel as though they are standing next to each other - and the benefits are crystal clear.

Mobile, phone-based microscopes work well in the field with minimal training

Handheld, mobile phone based microscopes can be used in developing countries after minimal training of community laboratory technicians to diagnose intestinal parasites quickly and accurately.

A first of its kind, community-based study carried out in the Republic of C�te d'Ivoire, West Africa found that two different handheld microscopes could both effectively rule in individuals infected by parasites - important in allocating resources for public health screening - but varied in their sensitivity to detect all cases of an illness, in comparison to a conventional laboratory microscope. The study entitled, "Accuracy of Mobile Phone and Handheld Light Microscopy for the Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis and Intestinal Protozoa Infections in C�te d'Ivoire," is published online in the open access journalPLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases on June 27, 2016.

"We wanted to know if we could put these portable field microscopes into the hands of individuals who would use them in day-to-day settings, and whether they would be effective. We wanted to see how they would work in real-world situations where there are few labs," said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, senior author and physician in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network.

Intestinal worms affect almost two billion people world-wide, predominantly in areas with poor sanitation and unsafe water. In children, these parasites may lead to malnutrition, stunted growth and development and can lead to chronic disability, with serious health and economic consequences.

Microscopes are vital in the diagnosis and surveillance of many of these parasitic infections, and are a staple in every clinical and public health lab worldwide - except in developing countries where these parasitic infections are common.

Dr. Bogoch and his team tested two portable handheld microscopes: a commercial Newton Nm1 microscope and a mobile phone-based CellScope - essentially a smartphone with a special custom-fitted lens attached over the camera and light source, developed by University of California engineers - to detect intestinal parasites.

Local laboratory technicians were trained to operate the two handheld microscopes. In total, the technicians examined stool and urine samples from 226 individuals for the detection of parasites. The accuracy of all slides was evaluated by all microscopes: the two handheld devices, as well as a conventional, "gold" standard microscope.

The two handheld microscopes were very good at ruling in infections, and the Newton portable microscope was able to detect even very low-burden infections. The CellScope missed some low-burden infections, however newer iterations of this device are currently being tested to increase its sensitivity.

"It was heart-warming to see how well and easily these portable, handheld field microscopes were adopted and used in a rural setting," said Dr. Bogoch, who is also a Clinical Researcher at the Toronto General Research Institute (TGRI). "This will help us map out the areas of greatest need."

He adds that novel diagnostic approaches for common parasitic infections could have a profound impact on care of patients, as well as on public health approaches to screening in resource-poor areas.

Accurate, portable, battery-powered microscopes which can deliver quality diagnostics to the poorest of the poor in underserviced areas can significantly ease the severe burden of infectious diseases, says Dr. Bogoch.

Liquid Telecom Buys South Africa's Neotel

Privately owned Liquid Telecom has announced that it is buying South Africa's Neotel owned by India's Tata Communications and Nexus Connexion for ZAR6.55 billion (USD428 million).

Liquid Telecom is partnering with Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), a South African empowerment group which will take a 30 percent stake in the company.

Liquid Telecom says that the deal will create the largest pan-African broadband network and B2B telecoms provider. Its network currently spans 12 countries from South Africa to Kenya, with further expansion planned.

"Liquid Telecom is the right partner for the next phase of Neotel's evolution. We believe that Liquid Telecom will deliver on the vision of a well-connected Africa, which will augur well for the South African telecom industry and Neotel's customers," Vinod Kumar, Managing Director and CEO, said in a joint statement.

The transaction is subject to approval by South African regulatory authorities and is expected to be completed later this financial year.

Tata Communications previous attempt to sell Neotel to Vodacom failed through due to regulatory complexities.

Sistema Buys Out Russian Government Stake in India's MTS

Russia's Sistema is buying the 17.14% stake in India's Sistema Shyam Tele Services Ltd (SSTL) currently owned by the Russian government.

Sistema currently owns 56.68% of SSTL, which offers mobile phone services under the MTS brand.

Although Sistema did not say how much it is paying for the stake, a deal agreed back in 2011 lets the Russian government sell the stake for at least USD777 million.

"Under the agreement, payment for the shares will be made to the Russian federal budget in instalments over a period of five years as follows: 30% in 2016, 25% in 2017 and 15% in each of 2018, 2019 and 2020," the company said in a statement.

The move comes as SSTL is in the process of merging its teleccom operations with Reliance Communications (RCom). SSTL shareholders will be left with about 10 percent of the enlarged company following the mergers.

The deal will give Rcom an additional 9 million data subscribers, USD230m in revenue and access to efficient 800MHz/850MHz spectrum in eight Indian regions, or circles.

The tidying up of the shareholder stake also means that the Russian government is no longer a direct shareholder in the Indian telecoms market.

China's ZTE granted extended reprieve from US sanctions

China's ZTE has been granted a temporary reprieve by the US government which had imposed sanctions on the company following allegations that it broke US sanctions against a number of countries.

In a statement, the US Commerce Department said it would extend the temporary lifting of sanctions against ZTE until the end of August. It did not explain the decision.

The firm was hit with sanctions barring it from buying US supplied telecoms components back in March, but was granted a temporary reprieve which was due to expire this week.

"This extension of relief reflects ZTE's continuing efforts to fulfill its commitments to create a best-in-class compliance program. It also recognizes ZTE's determination to cooperate with authorities, resolve the continuing investigation and share information as requested," the company said in a statement.

Android 68%, Apple iOS 31% in the USA

The latest sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech for the three months ending in April 2016 shows Android accounted for 67.6% of smartphone sales in the US, followed by iOS at 30.7%.

"Many of the most impressive services introduced at the 2016 Apple and Google conferences featured more intelligent, chattier, smart assistants -- Google Assistant and Apple Siri. Google Assistant is finding its way into Google Home, Google's yet-to-be-released competitor to the Amazon Echo, and messenger app Allo. Apple's Siri, now open to developers, will become a key element for Apple's own home automation plans through its new app Home, HomeKit, and Apple TV, as well as an improvement in the iOS messaging app," according to Lauren Guenveur, Consumer Insight Director for Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

"Given how important voice recognition will be for new services using Siri and Google Assistant, it is surprising to note that voice is not yet a particular driver of phone satisfaction," she added. "Just 3.2% of iOS owners and 3.9% of Android users cite voice recognition as a driver of satisfaction, well behind phone reliability/durability at 41.9% for iOS, and screen size at 45.2% for Android. But, as voice becomes an integral part of the user experience, we should expect its low prioritization to change."

Global Market Data

During the three-month period ending April 2016, Android made year-on-year gains across other regions, though the trend is slowing. In the EU5 (Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), Android accounted for 76.0% of smartphone sales, up 5.8 percentage points from 70.2% in the three months ending April 2015. In China, Android share accounted for 78.8% of sales.

In the EU5, Android's year-on-year growth between March 2015 and 2016 was 7.1 percentage points. For the April-to-April time frame, that number dropped to 5.8%, with only a 0.4 percentage point gain for the three months ending March 2016, up from 75.6% to 76%.

In Great Britain, both Android and iOS grew market share in the three months ending April 2016, marking the first growth for iOS since October 2015, rising from 34.7% to 35.1%. Android share in Urban China rose 4.8% year-over-year and 1.1% period-over-period, giving it 78.8% of smartphone sales in the three months ending April 2016.

"Market share increases in other parts of the world have clearly been a result of movement either from the Windows ecosystem or a feature phone," Guenveur added. "In the US, Android gains are powered by repeat customers. Among those replacing their smartphones, more than nine out of ten (91.4%) of Android buyers owned a previous Android device."

"In both Europe and the US, the smartphone market is approaching saturation, and future successes for either of the two dominant ecosystems will come chiefly from drawing customers away from the other," Guenveur continued. "With Windows phones exiting the market, this battle will only intensify. For Android-Google and iOS-Apple this will mean not only looking to new markets where smartphone penetration has not yet peaked, such as India, and Latin America, but also to new services and products."

Ericsson and Sprint kick off next-generation sporting experience

Ericsson and Sprint are giving sports enthusiasts a front row seat for exciting new changes coming into play when 5G enters the sporting experience at Philadelphia's Lincoln Field. The companies are streaming ultra high definition 4K ultra high definition (UHD) video streams over a live 5G wireless signal using 400 MHz of spectrum, including a live 4K UHD camera stream from the Sprint Fan Zone.

John Saw, Chief Technology Officer, Sprint, says: "Achieving speeds up to 4 Gbps far outside the lab environment, in the parking lot of Lincoln Financial Field and in the midst of thousands of visitors, is exciting. It gives us a great opportunity to demonstrate how far we have come technologically, and why 5G will matter to fans."

Visitors to the Sprint Fan Zone can challenge their friends with a "connected" soccer ball delivering stats while live 4K UHD video of the kick streams over 5G to monitors, allowing participants to see themselves and their results. Going forward, both the game ball and the players could be connected so that fans could see real-time information and analytics about the speed, rotation and height of the ball. Commentary will also become more insightful, with new stats and graphical analytics on TV.

Glenn Laxdal, Head of Technology and Strategy, Ericsson North America, says: "5G will make possible a wider range of services than any network has done before, and sporting events are a great way to show this off. We are happy to help Sprint inspire fans with this peek into the 5G future, especially given our history together of bringing technology upgrades that improve the consumer experience. We look forward to Sprint's evolution to 5G, particularly given their unique spectrum position and technology foundation."

Other future changes coming to the fan experience with 5G connectivity include the ability to experience matches from new vantage points, using phones to switch between different 360-degree, ultra-high definition virtual reality cameras filming all around the stadium. 5G will deliver enough capacity to the stadium for fans to stream high-quality video and share the views from their seats with others at the same match.

5G standardization will not be finalized for a few years, but the technology has already progressed far enough to provide gigabit speeds in real-world environments. Ericsson is leading the 5G market, both in 5G technology development demonstrations such as MIMO, beamforming, beam tracking and network slicing, and in driving the ecosystem development that is required to ensure 5G will fulfill its promise across all industries.

Huawei Working on New User Interface for Android Phones

Huawei is reported to be working on a revamp of its Android user interface to make it more appealing to Western audiences.

The EMUI (Emotion UI) is a skin that Huawei applies on top of the Android OS to differentiate its smartphones from other models, but is predominantly designed for Asian markets.

Industry reports suggest that the smartphone manufacturer is now working on a version EMUI 5.0 for launch this autumn, with a design that more closely matches vanilla Android OS, while retaining its customisation options.

The change is said to be aiming at a simpler design which is more appealing to Western audiences, although with the downside that it would end up losing some of the distinctiveness that makes Huawei smartphones stand out from the crowd.

Lets hope Huawei will give us new revolution .

India's Tata Teleservices Ordered to Pay $1.17 Billion in Compensation

Japan's NTT DoCoMo says that it has been awarded USD1.17 billion in compensation following a dispute with India's Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL).

The origins of the dispute date back to an agreement signed in 2009/11 when the Japanese carrier built up a 26.5 percent stake in the Indian mobile network forUSD2.6 billion.

As part of the investment agreement, NTT DoCoMo was granted an option that would enable it to require the majority shareholder, Tata Sons to find a buyer willing to pay at least half the value of the investment if the Japanese firm wanted to sell.

As the investment soured, NTT DoCoMo exercised its option in July 2014, but after Tata failed to find a buyer, filed for international arbitration in January 2015.

Now, the London Court of International Arbitration has ruled in favour of NTT DoCoMo and ordered TTSL to buy back the stake, offering USD1.17 billion in compensation.

Although a legal victory for the Japanese company, there is some doubt as to whether the Indian company will be able to afford to make the payment.

There is also doubt about how the agreement would comply with Indian regulations which ban sales of stakes in companies for more than their realistic market value, and TTSL's valuation has dropped over the years to the point that it is less than even the half-price return that NTT DoCoMo has been seeking.

Vodafone Planning Indian Stock Market Listing

Vodafone is reportedly planning a stock market listing for its Indian subsidiary by the end of this year in a move that could raise around USD2.5 billion for the company.

Citing people with knowledge of the plans, the Reuters news agency reports that the filing could be made as early as August, with the formal listing taking place within a few months after that.

That Vodafone would list shares locally is not unexpected as the company has long indicated that it would do so, but it has been held up by a number of factors, not least ongoing tax disputes.

India's second-largest mobile operator after Bharti Airtel, has begun work on the prospectus that would include the Indian division's financial results for the first half of the calendar year, the people told Reuters.

Sources, who declined to be identified as the information is not public, said that the exact timing of the IPO would depend on local stock market conditions.