Category: Science &Technology

Microsoft has announced it will release a trial version of its latest operating system this February the 28th, 2012.

Microsoft will hold the launch of their latest Windows 8 Consumer preview in Barcelona, Spain this month.

Invitations sent to journalists across the world indicates that the date and location of the launch were purposely made to coincide with the World Mobile Congress to show customers how serious the company is about its mobile operating system.

Microsoft says the general public will no longer have to wait for long before they can get their hands on Windows 8. The Preview will allow everyday consumer to download and use a pre- release version of Windows 8, the system which will function as an operating system for traditional desktops, laptops as well as tablets will be free and available to anyone who wishes to use it.

Microsoft warns users that since the software is still unfinished, they will be likely encounter problems in the system such as, bugs, and other features which aren’t completely finished, and because of this, they ask that only users with advanced computer skill should try it.

Where in September last year Microsoft had released the Windows 8 Developer Preview that came with tools that programmers could use to build apps and get familiar with Windows 8 this new operating system represents the redesign of the system since its debut in 1995 as windows 95.

The design of Windows 8 comes mainly from the Live Tiles and Metro themes environment of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.

Some of the software’s insights are new visual and Wizard-Driven Paradigms for exploring data, developing analytic workflow and webcasts. The tiles will be blocks that feed real time updates from e-mail, social networks, messaging and other services to the home screen.

This design is made to be more tablet friendly, with functions such as the leaked screenshots which has replaced the start button with the new swipe able area that consumers can use to bring up various menus.

Windows 8 which is dominated by Google and apple powered devices relies heavily on design elements taken from Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 environment, including Metro themes and Live Tiles.

Tiles are blocks of screen real-estate that feed real-time updates from social networks, messaging, e-mail, and other services to the home screen.

Microsoft has not announced a release date for the final version of Windows 8, but analysts believe the new Operating system may be ready in time for the 2012 holiday season.

The new iPhone – the 4S – is the first product to be launched since Steve Jobs left his CEO post, and possibly the first to get a luke-warm reception from Apple fans.

Before he passed on, Jobs was the co-creator, innovator and, largely, the face of the brand with indisputable strength.

The new phone has disappointed fans anticipating something perhaps more innovative than what many see as just a faster version of the iPhone 4.

Professor John Naughton of the Open University and Wolfson College, at the University of Cambridge says that the response to the new iPhone has little to do with the product itself.

“The ‘disappointment’ reaction to the iPhone 4S is a reflection mostly of the idiocy of the stock-market analysts and some parts of the blogosphere,” Naughton said.

“What did they expect? A phone that could do teleporting? The 4GS seems to me to be an intelligent enhancement of an already superb product: the voice-recognition system is potentially very important; and the improved camera is also significant – the iPhone is now the most popular camera on Flickr, for example. This seems to have bypassed the more excitable – and clueless – parts of the mass media.”

“Apple’s real problem is that Apple’s competitive advantage is culture – many great technology companies have tried to replicate Apple and failed,” said Stephens, who does not think customers will downgrade the brand after Jobs’s passing.

Ian Stephens, principal at Saffron Brand Consultants in the UK says,”The thing that frustrates them is that they get smart people, they invest, the do the market research, and yet, time and time again, they fall short of where Apple is, and the difference is culture,” said Stephens, who said Jobs, known as a “tough micro-manager on every level”, was “irreplaceable and an all-encompassing eye-in-the sky”.

The danger the company faces is that Apple will stop being Apple, and that “over time their invincibility will wane, and the very hungry competitors around them will actually do what they’ve not been able to do for at least the last decade, and match Apple’s ability to somehow create these amazing products that capture people’s imaginations, because those things have come from the Apple culture, and the Apple culture comes from Steve Jobs,” Stephens said.

With the ever changing technology, a new application for smartphone owners has gained ground. It’s known as WhatsApp.

The WhatsApp Messenger is a proprietary cross-platform mobile messaging app for smartphones allowing users to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS.

The new application is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia and those phones can all message each other! Because WhatsApp Messenger uses the same internet data plan that used for email and web browsing, there is no cost to message and stay in touch with friends.

In addition to basic messaging iPhone, Android, Nokia and BlackBerry WhatsApp Messenger users can send each other unlimited images, video and audio media messages.

The application synchronizes with the phone’s contact’s book, so users do not need to add contacts in a separate book. As the underlying technology the application uses the open standard XMPP.

WhatsApp was founded by two guys who spent combined 20 years doing geeky stuff at Yahoo! Inc. before starting WhatsApp Inc.

SMS is an older messaging system with a limited functionality and high cost.
WhatsApp Messenger aims to provide more at a lower cost. We are sure you and your friends will figure out the difference between SMS and WhatsApp Messenger very quickly.

However, security concerns arose in May 2011 when a security hole was reported in WhatsApp which left user accounts open for hijacking.

Communications made by this previous version of WhatsApp were not themselves encrypted, and data was sent and received in plaintext, meaning messages could be easily read if packets could be sniffed.

In September 2011 a new version of the WhatsApp Messenger application for iPhones was released.

However, in this new version, the developer has closed a number of critical security holes that allowed forged messages to be sent and messages from any WhatsApp user to be read.

Kenya Airways (KQ) has acquired a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the aviation world’s latest offering. The Dreamliner boasts 20 percent less fuel consumption.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the world’s first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction.

KQ’s latest acquisition is expected to create stiff competition in the East Africa’s aviation industry which has seen countries in the region scaleup their Aviation.

Af­rica is considered as the place of opportunity, with a very positive outlook by Aviation industry forecasts.

Boeing vice president Van Galliard described the 787 Dreamliner as a quantum leap in aviation technology.

KQ makes history as one of only two African airlines to have made concrete orders of the aircraft machine and the only two to have been on the Dreamliner’s world tour’s itinerary.

Wednesday over 200-plus dignitaries, including Kenyan government officials, stakeholders in the travel and aviation industry and journalists from 65 countries witnessed as the Dreamliner touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

It is now only a matter of time before Kenya Airways receives the first of the nine Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes that it has ordered.

The test flight was on its second leg in Africa, coming from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where it first tasted the African airspace.

The first new plane in the 21st century is on a six-month tour of the world.

This month alone it is scheduled to make six stops in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Globally KQ flies to more than 45 destinations worldwide and the routes will soon be expanded, with the coming in of the 787 Dreamliner.

Kenya has also announced plans to increase its Boeing 737 and 777 fleets.

Boeing decision to produce more environmentally friendly fuels from oil fossil products is also in line with KQ’s green ambition.

The first new plane in the 21st century is on a six-month tour of the world. This month alone it is scheduled to make six stops in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Kenya Airways managing director Titus Naikuni, “We are moving forward as an airline. We now need the new terminal to come on stream to meet the new demands for space,” he said.

A riveting photo “Solar Panels: The Sunny Energy” by a young Durbanite, Dina Osman, and a catchy rap video “Me and My Bike” celebrating bicycle transport by Dickson Oyuki of Kenya won top honors in the Africa-wide Connect4Climate competition announced in Durban today.

Rwanda ‘s Alfonse Karenzi among Connect 4Climate Competition Winners.

Robyn Curnow, South African CNN Anchor, announced the winners at the packed Africa Pavilion of the COP 17 meeting. The event celebrated and showcased the creative energies of African youth, ages 13 to 35, who contributed 639 photos and 47 videos to answer key questions such as, How is climate change affecting Africa? Your country? Your community? You, your friends, and your family?

“The C4C competition was first and foremost an effort to hear the voices of African youth and engage their creative talents to create climate smart solutions for tomorrow,” said Andrew Steer, World Bank Special Envoy for Climate Change.

“The response was enthusiastic with entries from every country on the African continent. The photos and videos we see today are proof positive that even as governments deliberate climate change, people are taking action on the ground and achieving results.”

The 54 winners hail from 20 African countries including Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zambia. Prizes include solar backpacks, digital video and still cameras, and computer tablets.

Commenting on the importance of the awards, Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility, a C4C sponsor, said, “C4C is an inspiration for those most often regarded as too young to be heard. Now, young Africans can reach world audiences through this new platform.”

“I am convinced that the search for solutions to today’s climate change challenges must include those who will suffer its consequences the most and have the most to contribute through their daily actions. These are the young stakeholders.”

Young people submitted climate change stories related to one of six categories: agriculture, energy, forests, gender, health, and water. The response to the competition was impressive, with entries from budding photographers and filmmakers from every country on the African continent.

The winning photographs include powerful images of drought and floods as well as innovative solutions such as solar panels, clean cookstoves, and reforestation projects to name just a few.

The C4C campaign unites over 110 partners, including international organizations, social media networks, UN agencies, civil society including academic institutions, as well as youth organizations and private sector representatives.

Since launching in September, C4C has built a Facebook community of over 100,000 followers with a weekly online reach of six million.

The Italian Ministry of Environment is a core sponsor and founding member of the initiative. In a message, Corrado Clini, Italy’s newly-appointed Minister of Environment said, “Today’s rapidly changing social media environment presents a great opportunity for global discussion, advocacy, and participation.

The C4C campaign is amplifying local voices and enabling policymakers to listen and learn from the innovations that are happening throughout Africa and helping to bring together environmentally-engaged citizens from all corners of the globe.”

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has this morning of Wednesday paid a courtesy call on the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on talks of strengthening bilateral ties to harmonize Information Technology projects.

President Kagame is currently in the South Korean port city of Busan for the summit on the sidelines of an international conference on aid effectiveness.

President Lee called for President Kagame’s support for South Korean firms tapping into the African country’s energy industry and infrastructure-building projects.

During the visit President Kagame, described South Korea’s IT industry as a role model, adding that he hopes to turn Rwanda into an IT and economic hub in eastern Africa.

South Korea’s telecommunications giant Korea Telecom (KT) is currently engaged in setting up wireless broadband facilities in the Rwandan capital of Kigali.
Seoul also funds a separate project to build the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Center at the National University of Rwanda.

East Africa Community (EAC) Science, Technology Commission will have its headquarters in Rwanda following the apparent spirited efforts to turn the country into the technological hub in the region.

This was approved by the bloc’s sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for the Community Affairs and Planning in its three-day meeting that ended on Friday in Zanzibar.

The Council also approved quota system in the recruitment of staff in its organs and institutions. The system is to strike poise in hiring proficient staff from all EAC member states.

“The ministers agreed that Burundi and Rwanda will, host institutions under the EAC,” a press release from the Arusha-based EAC Secretariat read in parts.

“The sectoral ministers also agreed that a verification exercise would be carried out for purposes of advising the Burundi government on the details of the requirements for hosting the EAC Health Research Commission,” the statement added.

Kiswahili Commission was given to Tanzania which is the regional role in the promotion of the language, that is widely spoken in the region and beyond.

The officials from the EAC partner states also decided that a review of the existing criteria for hosting EAC organs and institutions would be undertaken to ensure among others; an equitable distribution of the organs and that such criteria shall guide all future hosting of the institutions.

According to the decision made in the meeting, all EAC member countries are now hosting some regional organs and institutions.

Currently, Uganda hosts four organs, while Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania and Rwanda are hosting one regional organ each.

Arusha is the headquarters of the Community and its three organs; the Secretariat, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) and the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

Institutions located in Uganda are the East African Development Bank (EADB), Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO), Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) and the Civil Aviation Security and Safety Oversight Agency (Cassoa).