THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014 technology

Lumia growing in popularity

Nokia Lumia 630 Group Lumia 635 Range Range DUBAI: At a regional conference held in Dubai, Devices announced with Word Flow and social apps like WhatsApp and WeChat. videos fast and easy. that the first Lumia devices running 8.1 are now available • A unique colorful design with changeable shells and 4.5” ClearBlack screen • With the enhanced Nokia Camera with Living Images, it’s easy to add move- across the Middle East, Near East and North Africa. delivering a great entertainment experience with apps and games including ment and emotion to static pictures, while imaging apps such as Nokia “Lumia smartphones are growing in popularity across the region,” says Arto Asphalt 8 and Vimeo. Storyteller, Nokia Creative Studio and Nokia Refocus bring even more levels of Nummela, Senior Vice President Microsoft Devices, India Middle East and Africa. • More choice with three variants, including the Lumia 630 in 3G single SIM creativity to any photo. “This new chapter in the Lumia story builds on the success of the Lumia 520 for and the first Lumia with 3G Dual SIM; plus the speedy Lumia 635 in /LTE. The • With four high-performance microphones and Nokia Rich Recording, affordable smartphones, and also brings new innovations at the high end. The Lumia 630 Dual SIM provides a seamless switching between two SIM cards and Nokia Lumia 930 captures HD video like never before, with incredible direction- combination of Lumia differentiators and Microsoft services provides a com- helps people manage their social life, clearly separating calls and messages to al audio and support for surround sound capture and playback. pelling proposition for both consumers and business users”. make it cheaper and easier to connect on your own terms. • A 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor makes activi- With .1, people still get the Start screen they can make • The same experiences as high-end Lumia smartphones including ties like Xbox gaming, image capturing and video processing even faster and their own, Live Tiles that provide updates at a glance, Office Mobile, Outlook SensorCore with Bing Health and Fitness, , Nokia Camera, free richer. Mobile, Windows Phone Hubs, and the entertainment experience. In fact, they Nokia MixRadio streaming, and free Global maps and navigation from HERE, • The new SensorCore also brings low power motion sensing to help get everything they liked about Windows Phone 8 and more, including tons of which save both time and money. people track their activity all day without using up the large 2420 mAh bat- new features, enhancements, and improvements. With Windows Phone 8.1, the The Lumia 630 and Lumia 635 have started to roll out in the region and will be tery - perfect for exercise and exploration using apps like Bing Health and story continues with a number of new features - like , Word Flow available in black, white, yellow, orange and green•. Fitness. and Senses - that are more personal than those offered by any other platform. • Integrated features including one swipe notifications from Action Lumia 930: Centre, the new Microsoft Enterprise feature pack, Microsoft Office, Lumia 630 and Lumia 635: The Lumia 930 with Windows 8.1 integrates the best of Microsoft and Lumia OneDrive, Nokia Camera, and HERE Maps and Drive+, all of which work The , available in both Dual SIM and Single SIM variants, and to deliver the ultimate video and imaging experience on a . The seamlessly to make the Nokia Lumia 930 a great tool for work and play. the Nokia Lumia 635 with 4G capability, are the first Lumia devices running Lumia 930 packs a rich suite of applications and services into a beautifully crafted The Lumia 930 is expected to be available during the third quarter of Windows Phone 8.1 available in the region. They deliver an unrivalled affordable design with metallic details and vibrant new colours, while keeping content like 2014. It will be available in a range of colors including black, white, green, smartphone experience and add award winning design and experiences found photos, videos and documents in sync across Windows Phone, PC, tablet and yellow and orange•. on high end Lumia to the leading personalization brought by Windows Phone Xbox devices. New Accessories to enhance the Lumia experience: 8.1. “The Lumia 930 is our latest flagship device in the Lumia range,” says Ifi Majid. The colorful Mini Speaker connects wirelessly using the new “Dual SIM is a key feature in many countries across Middle East Africa and we “It comes with beautifully crafted flagship design, flagship specs from processing easy to use Device Hub app and plays for 15 hours transforming almost any have seen great traction on our Dual SIM devices across the Asha and Nokia X power to screen quality to feature set and flagship imaging capability, synony- surface into big-sounding bass. It’s the perfect accessory to help people get range,” says Ifi Majid, Head of Global Sell-In and Customer Engagement, Product mous with our high end Lumia smartphones.” the most from MixRadio streaming, videos and games, and also functions as Marketing for Microsoft Smart Devices. “We are now thrilled to bring Dual SIM to • The crystal clear 5-inch Full HD OLED display lets you watch your favourite a convenient speaker phone on the go. our Windows Phone portfolio, with the Lumia 630. This smartphone is an all- shows, movies or video clips in any condition, and thanks to a 2420 mAh battery Nokia Treasure Tag ensures that you are never far from things that are round great value proposition with signature design, superior imaging capabili- and built-in wireless charging, there is no need to worry about running out of bat- important to you - be it the pictures and videos of your family on your Lumia ty, great sound for music and video. And for those who want a little extra per- tery. 930 or your keys or handbag. It notifies your phone through a dedicated formance, the Lumia 635 with 4G/LTE capability offers a great user experience”. • An advanced 20MP PureView camera with optical image stabilization and application when your belongings are left behind. Use Here maps to locate • A Snapdragon quad core processor providing a faster social experience high quality ZEISS optics makes capturing and reliving amazing images and the lost things on the map. Unmanned aerial vehicles flying to the US farms Multi-spectral camera to survey crops MOULTRIE, Georgia Aerial drones, a technolo- gy perhaps best known for helping hunt terror- ists, may soon begin helping US farmers moni- tor what’s happening in their fields. In Georgia, a group of state and federal officials - along with members of industry and academia - has been working since 2009 to develop a drone that can save a farmer’s time and resources during the growing season. BEIJING: Nils Pihl sits next to a work station at his apartment, which he converted to The public got its first glimpse of the drone an office in Beijing. Pihl has spent 18 months building what he calls cutting-edge at a flight demonstration last month at a software to crunch “really big data sets.” — AP research farm. By deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle, or ’s startups hope for UAV, with a multi-spectral camera to survey crops, farmers could spot water and nutrition boom after Alibaba IPO issues, insect infestations and fungal infections. “The UAV saves a tremendous amount of BEIJING: Nils Pihl has spent 18 months common way for ambitious companies to building what he calls cutting-edge soft- raise additional funds after being nurtured time,” said Eric Corban, founder and chief tech- ware to crunch “really big data sets.” But by venture capital and other early nology officer for Guided Systems Technologies instead of going to Silicon Valley, the 27- investors. Inc., a company that helped develop the soft- year-old Swede and his four colleagues Regulators lifted the ban earlier this ware. “Traditionally you would walk the field, have been working on his invention from a year, making way for 11 IPOs in the first and you would only get a small portion of the field sample.” MOULTRIE: Josh Frizzell, with Guided Systems Technologies Inc., carries an unmanned aerial vehi- small apartment overlooking smoggy three months of 2014, just one short of the cle back from the landing site of a crop survey demonstration at the Southeastern Agricultural northwest Beijing. number in the US during that time, accord- Although the technology is only in the test- ing phase, commercial use could begin once Center’s research farm in Moultrie. The company developed the flight and data-collection soft- In typical startup fashion, they’ve raised ing to accounting firm PwC. Analysts were ware for a Georgia consortium’s agricultural aerial crop-management project. — AP hundreds of thousands of dollars after expecting as many as 400 Chinese IPOs this the Federal Aviation Administration issues countless pitch meetings and were racing year, but confusing new regulations issued rules. Agriculture has had a rich history of technol- “I’ve seen us go from two-row planting to prepare their product for launch. Their by the government have again held back “We’re working very close with the FAA,” said ogy advances, but one industry veteran thinks equipment and harvesting, and everything, to investors are in Beijing as well as the US. offerings. Steve Justice, director of the Georgia Center of the use of farm drones may top the list. Don really big equipment,” Koehler said. “I’ve seen a China might seem an odd choice for Innovation for Aerospace. “They have direction Koehler, executive director of the Georgia lot that’s gone on. I’ve seen yields go up. But in young tech entrepreneurs. Instead of inno- Largest company from the Congress to issue rules for the use of Peanut Commission, has been with the agency that 28 years, I don’t think I’ve seen what I’ll see vation and risk taking, the country is more Still, Chinese companies such as No 2 unmanned aircraft systems by the fall of 2015.” for nearly three decades. in the next eight years.” — AP associated with state domination of the e-commerce site JD.com have listed in the economy, rampant intellectual property US this year, and entrepreneurs and theft and heavy duty government censor- investors in China are expecting a flood of ship of social media. Perceptions, however, investment. Five new technologies at the World Cup are changing. The high profile success of “If Alibaba goes public at say $150 bil- Jack Ma’s e-commerce company Alibaba, lion to $180 billion and they continue to RIO DE JANEIRO: The 2014 World Cup will the Germany team’s hotel near Porto Seguro nament to be partly captured in Ultra High which is planning a giant initial public grow at 30 percent a year, in five years this represent the first time that goal-line tech- in the eastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Using Definition (UHD), which boasts a resolution offering in the US this year, has drawn could be the largest company in the nology has been used at football’s show- the hashtag #aneurerseite (#onyourside), approximately four times higher than con- attention to how the former startup out- world” by market capitalization, said piece event, but technological advances will supporters can send picture messages ventional High Definition television and maneuvered eBay in China to become the Richard Hsu, managing director of Intel also shape the tournament in other ways. encouraging the team that will be displayed requires a satellite network capable of han- world’s biggest online bazaar. More recent- Capital China at a recent startup forum in Here, AFP Sports identifies five new tech- on the wall for the players to see. A similar dling 100 megabits of data per second. The ly, use of smartphones and the mobile Beijing. “And if the largest market cap in nologies that will aid players, officials and idea was used at Frankfurt airport before the tournament is seen as a trial run for the tech- Internet has grown explosively, creating the world is now a Chinese company fans during the competition, which starts on squad flew out to Brazil. nology, which is not yet widely available. new opportunities for e-commerce and involved in e-commerce, how much Thursday: other tech ventures. “We find this to be like attention is the rest of China going to WhatsApp iPads the best incubator you could get,” Pihl said get?” Vanishing foam Uruguay’s players have been keeping in England’s players have each been in his building’s courtyard, where children Budding Chinese firms of all types In a bid to prevent teams from illegally touch with each other prior to the tourna- equipped with iPads containing person- chased each other and couples took twi- raised more than $1 billion in venture cap- gaining ground at free-kicks, referees at the ment by using the WhatsApp instant mes- alised information about their group-stage light strolls. “We don’t consider ourselves a ital in the first quarter, a 35 percent jump tournament will be armed with small canis- saging service on their smartphones. Striker opponents. The Football Association has Chinese startup. We’re a Valley startup over the same period last year, according ters of vanishing foam. The biodegradable Edinson Cavani revealed that he and his designed a scouting app that allows Wayne hanging out in Beijing to keep our costs to Dow Jones VentureSource. That was far low.” short of the nearly $10 billion raised in the white substance will be sprayed on the pitch team-mates used the app to share their Rooney, Steven Gerrard and their team- Alibaba and a handful of other online US during the same period, but enough to to mark where free-kicks should be taken thoughts on the World Cup draw, which saw mates to access personal data and video ventures are the most visible examples of rank China ahead of Europe in venture from and the 10-yard distance that the oppo- the South American champions paired with footage of the specific opponents they will companies that began with a startup ethos capital. sition’s defensive wall must observe. Known England, Italy and Costa Rica. “It was a bit like come up against at the tournament. and thrived despite bumps along the way. Behind the numbers are China’s vast as Aero Comex Futline, the substance dis- ‘Oh, Italy! Oh, England!’” Cavani told Britain’s England have also been using heat cham- Perhaps the biggest challenge for startups market of more than a billion people and solves within a minute. “Players respect it,” FourFourTwo magazine. “That messaging bers and wearing extra layers of clothing in came three years ago when several the eagerness of Chinese consumers to says Australian referee Ben Williams. “It’s a group is great for keeping us in contact training in a bid to replicate the humid con- Chinese companies were caught in adopt innovations such as shopping via great innovation and I’m looking forward to because we’re playing all around the world ditions in the Amazonian city of Manaus, accounting scandals and forced off US smartphone and the latest social media. using it.” and we can support each other. In that where they will play Italy on Saturday. stock exchanges. Chinese firm iResearch forecasts mobile moment, it went crazy!” “We’ve made progress,” said midfielder Such problems pushed Chinese regula- phone games alone to bring in $11 billion The ‘Twitterwall’ James Milner. “We haven’t left any stone tors to halt all IPOs in China, another blow a year in revenue in 2017, triple the cur- The German Football Federation (DFB) has Ultra High Definition television unturned, and our preparation has been to the startup scene since going public is a rent amount. — AP installed a specially designed ‘Twitterwall’ at The 2014 World Cup will be the first tour- very good.” —- AFP