Friday, 24 May 2019

New smartphone/Android mobile care


First thing to do to a new smartphone/android mobile before use, even out of the store is to check if the IMEI number or numbers (2 card slots) on the receipt issued to you is the same with the one on the phone pack. If it is not the same, you are advice to report immediately. If it is the same, you can go with your phone, you get it.
IMEI for 2 slots



WHAT TO DO NEXT:



·         Open the pack, in it you will see your phone, charger, and even the earpiece.

·         Do not switch on your new phone without been fully charged.

·         Charge it first and ensure it is fully charged before any use.

WHY YOU NEED TO ENSURE YOUR NEW PHONE BATTERY IS FULLY CHARGE:
You need to ensure your new smartphone/android mobile is fully charged so that the battery will last its estimated duration and not to run before the estimated life span. 

After it is fully charged, switch on the smartphone/android mobile.

How to switch on your new smartphone/android mobile, long press on the power button till it vibrates, leave it, it will boot.

WHAT NEXT AFTER BOOTING?

What next after booting is to configure your phone to your taste.

·         That is, you select language of your choice but you are advice to choose the language you understand better, even best.

·         Set your time/date

·         Select your time/date format

·         Sign in with your email.

Now you can start to use your new smartphone/android mobile

How to know your IMEI number


IMEI NUMBER:
The International Mobile Equipment Identity(IMEI) is a number, usually unique, to identify 3GPP and iDEN mobile phones, as well as some satellite phones. It is usually found printed on the battery compartment of the phones, but can also be displayed on-screen on most phones by dialing *#06#, or alongside other system information in the settings menu on smartphone operating systems.

To check it, click on:
·         Menu, then settings 

·         About phone


·         Status


·         IMEI information

GSM networks use the IMEI number to identify valid devices, and can stop a stolen phone from accessing the network. The owner can have their network provider use the IMEI number to blacklist the phone. This renders the phone useless on that networks, and sometimes other networks, even if the thief changes the phone’s SIM (Subscriber Identity Module).
IMEI number

IMSI number

The IMEI only identifies the device and has no particular relationship to the subscriber. The phone identifies the subscriber by transmitting the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number, which it stores on a SIM card that can in theory be transferred to any handset. However, the network’s ability to know a subscriber’s current, individual device enables many network and security features.

Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Uber gears up for expansion of Toronto operation

Uber is shedding some of the secrecy around its forthcoming engineering hub in Toronto, revealing its location and new priorities for the company.
The San Francisco-based tech giant will vacate three offices in the city to move most of its Toronto workforce to the top five floors of 121 Bloor St. E.
It will dedicate several floors to its first engineering hub in Canada, which will develop at least two new areas for the company: grocery delivery and internal financial-technology tools.
The office will initially house 200 workers, but eventually accommodate 400 employees, including some currently being hired, engineering hub site lead Kare Kjelstrom revealed to the Star.
“The Toronto tech office is going to build software that is going to be used by Uber worldwide,” he said.
“We are creating a synergy effect ... and opportunity here, so I am pretty sure that as soon as it’s known that Uber has a strong tech presence in Toronto, it will attract Canadians abroad to come home.”
The move comes after trouble befell Uber’s initial public offering. The company, valuated at $120 billion (U.S.), went public in early May with shares priced at $45 each. They quickly sank to about $41, landing Uber a market capitalization of about $69 billion.
Those who had already invested in the company reportedly felt the stock prices were too high to purchase more, while mounting losses and slowing growth in some markets spooked others from backing the company. The IPO was dubbed a “train wreck” by experts and analysts said it lost more than any other American IPO since 1975.
Despite the debacle, Uber is determined to move forward and is now turning its attention to Toronto, a city with which it has strong connections. Toronto was the company’s first Canadian market to host its ride-sharing service and later became the birthplace of its popular UberEats offering and the home of its only autonomous research hub outside the United States.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi further solidified his commitment to the city last September, announcing Uber would invest $200 million over five years in its Toronto operations and build an engineering centre— now its 11th globally — there.
Source: The Star

Microsoft Gives Sony's Chipmaking Business a Boost

As part of a strategic partnership, Microsoft plans to develop new AI-powered image sensors with Sony.

May 21, 2019 at 8:10PM
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Sony (NYSE:SNE) recently announced a strategic partnership across the cloud gaming, AI, and semiconductor markets. The cloud gaming announcement attracted the most attention, since the two rivals seemingly joined forces to counter Alphabet's Google Stadia.
However, the AI and semiconductor partnership was also significant. Microsoft and Sony will jointly develop new image sensors for enterprise customers that will integrate Microsoft's Azure AI technology into Sony's chips. This deal could give Sony's oft-overlooked semiconductor business a shot in the arm, while expanding Microsoft's cloud business.
A smartphone being used to take a picture of a sunset.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

How this deal helps Sony

Sony's semiconductors unit mainly sells image sensors for cameras and mobile devices. The business supplies image sensors for roughly half the smartphone market, and its major customers include AppleSamsung, and Huawei.
This business enables Sony to profit from the growth of the smartphone market even as its own Xperia phones control less than 1% of the global market. Rising demand for image sensors for multi-camera phones is offsetting declining sales of sensors for traditional cameras. The unit's revenue rose 3% annually in 2018 and accounted for 10% of Sony's top line.
Sony expects its semiconductor revenue to rise 13% this year as smartphone makers buy more mobile image sensors and 3D sensors for multi-camera phones. That growth could help offset the slowdown in Sony's core gaming unit, which is expected to generate flat sales growth as its hardware sales decline.
Building AI-powered image sensors for enterprise customers with Microsoft could give Sony's chipmaking business a second growth engine alongside its mobile image sensors. It could also offset any further declines in its image sensors for traditional cameras.
The companies also stated that they would incorporate Microsoft's AI platform and tools into Sony's consumer products "to provide highly intuitive and user-friendly AI experiences." This indicates that Sony's partnership with Microsoft might extend to its other business segments in the future.

How this deal helps Microsoft

Microsoft's core growth engine is its commercial cloud business, which grew its revenue 41% annually to $9.6 billion last quarter and accounted for nearly a third of the company's top line.
That business has three pillars of growth: Office 365, Dynamics CRM, and Azure, the second-largest cloud platform in the world after Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Web Services. Azure generated 75% year-over-year constant currency sales growth last quarter, which easily outpaced the growth of Office and Dynamics.
Microsoft is expanding Azure by leveraging Windows' dominance of the PC market to expand its enterprise presence, tethering IoT (Internet of Things) and edge devices to Azure, cross-selling new services to existing customers, and forging big partnerships with brick-and-mortar retailers that don't want to feed Amazon's most profitable business.
Image sensors play a key role in that expansion. For example, Microsoft recently developed next-gen stores with Kroger (NYSE:KR) that use a smart retail system powered by IoT sensors, image-recognition cameras, and digital shelves that display prices, promotions, and nutritional information on screens.
A cashierless shopping system.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.
Microsoft is also reportedly developing its own cashierless store technology, which runs on image and motion sensors, to help retailers counter Amazon Go. Those sensors are all tethered to Azure, which accumulates and analyzes the data for Microsoft's retail partners.
Partnering with Sony ensures that those efforts receive a steady stream of image sensors that are already integrated with Azure -- which could widen its moat against Amazon, Google, and other cloud platform rivals.
A win-win deal for both companies
Sony and Microsoft's AI and semiconductor partnership will help both companies as demand for AI-powered image sensors rises. Sony gains another growth engine for its semiconductor business, while Microsoft extends Azure's reach into more IoT and smart retail solutions.
Source: The Motley Fool

The US just warned that drones made in China could be used as a way to spy, but not in the way you think

The US Department of Homeland Security is concerned that China-made drones and the data they can collect could potentially get into the hands of the Chinese government , according to aDHS alert obtained by CNN .
DJI spark drone
BusinessInsider USA Images
DJI spark drone
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is concerned that China-made drones and the data they can collect could potentially get into the hands of the Chinese government, according to a DHS alert obtained by CNN .
The alert, reportedly sent out on Monday, claims that Chinese-made drones have the ability to share information and data to a server that isn't exclusively controlled by the drone manufacturer.

It's unlikely that live video feeds from China-made drones could be shared with the Chinese government, and audio feeds aren't usually available as many drones don't come with microphones. With that said, some drone software saves snippets of video and images that could be saved on a drone company's servers. Information like flight and operations data, too, could reveal where, when, who, and potentially why a drone is being used.
As part of a 2017 national intelligence law, China expects its citizens and companies to support its national intelligence activities. The alert reportedly suggests that Chinese drone companies could share or be forced to share data collected from their drones abroad, including those in the US.
While the alert didn't single out any specific manufacturers, Chinese drone manufacturer DJI holds a significant majority of the drone market share in North America up to 80%, according to an industry analysis from CNN.
In 2017, the US Army issued a ban of DJI drones after alleging that the company shared critical infrastructure and law enforcement data with the Chinese government.
DJI said in a statement to Business Insider that it has total control over how the data stored in its servers is handled, and that its technology has been independently verified by the US government and US businesses. The company also assured that customers can enable options that would protect their data, as per the DHS's reported recommendations. As for corporate or governmental use of DJI drones, the company said it offers models that don't transfer data to DJI directly, or over the internet at all.
DJI's full statement is below:
"At DJI, safety is at the core of everything we do, and the security of our technology has been independently verified by the U.S. government and leading U.S. businesses. DJI is leading the industry on this topic and our technology platform has enabled businesses and government agencies to establish best practices for managing their drone data. We give all customers full and complete control over how their data is collected, stored, and transmitted. For government and critical infrastructure customers that require additional assurances, we provide drones that do not transfer data to DJI or via the internet, and our customers can enable all the precautions DHS recommends. Every day, American businesses, first responders, and U.S. government agencies trust DJI drones to help save lives, promote worker safety, and support vital operations, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We are committed to continuously working with our customers and industry and government stakeholders to ensure our technology adheres to all of their requirements."
The DHS alert comes a week after an executive order from President Donald Trump effectivelybanned the sale of Huawei telecoms equipment in the US.
See Also:

Time to Repeal the Rule That Aided Uber’s IPO Flop


It’s clear now that Uber Technologies Inc.’s initial public offering will be left with a less than five-star review. The stock remains below its IPO price, and many people have heaped fault on the bankers who told executives that Uber could be worth $120 billion. Nonetheless, according to a Bloomberg News article, Michael Grimes, Morgan Stanley’s top Silicon Valley banker who led the deal, isn’t experiencing a drop-off in demand for his services.
That could be because the real hazard that set the Uber IPO on a crash course — long before Grimes began moonlighting as a driver to win the company’s business — is a little-talked-about seven-year-old rule change that more than quadrupled the effective limit on the number of investors a company can have before its IPO. Given Uber’s weak start, and the potential for others, it’s time for lawmakers and regulators to revisit that change. 
Raising the private market investor cap was a provision in the 2012 JOBS Act, which despite the acronym had little to do with creating jobs. More directly, the act made it easier for startups to raise money and relaxed some rules for going public. But its most lasting impact lifted the number of shareholders a private company could have to 2,000 from 500 before it had to start publicly disclosing its finances and quarterly results. Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, still an unblemished star at the time, argued that the 500-investor limit was forcing the social media giant to go public before it was ready and would soon be disruptive for other disruptors. The flop of the company’s IPO later that year seemed to prove her point.
Ultimately, the JOBS Act allowed companies to stay private much longer than they would have in the past. Until recently at least, that has been a big boon to Uber, Lyft Inc., Airbnb Inc., WeWork Companies Inc. and other so-called tech unicorns, which have been able to raise buckets of cash and keep their finances largely out of public view and scrutiny. For investors, the data is mixed. Jay Ritter, a finance professor at the University of Florida, says that from 2001 to 2011, IPOs did slightly better than the market in their first three years, or about 1.3 percentage points. After 2012, they have done slightly worse, by about 1.8 percentage points. First-day IPO returns from 2012 through the end of 2017 were 17%, compared with 12% for 2001-2011, but the former period doesn’t include any market busts. Ritter says he’s not convinced the JOBS Act has materially hurt the IPO market.
Nonetheless, the Uber IPO offered some more evidence that the increase in pre-IPO shareholders may be hurting returns for average investors. Both the Wall Street Journal and the the New York Times have reported that part of what stalled the IPO was that BlackRock and other institutional investors that normally buy IPO shares were already Uber investors and didn’t want any more. That dried up the normal demand for IPO shares and hurt the Uber offering. It’s not clear that Uber had more than 500 investors before its IPO, but it’s likely. The startup tracking website Crunchbase put the number of pre-IPO Uber investors at 98. But that doesn’t include the company’s earliest investors, nor any of its 22,000 employees, or former employees or contractors, many of whom surely received shares. What’s also true is that BlackRock and others were investors in IPOs even before the JOBS Act, but the rule change has made it easier for mutual funds companies and other nontraditional venture capital firms to invest in private companies, so more money is chasing companies like Uber at earlier and earlier stages. You can’t blame retail investors if they start to feel left out.
The good news, perhaps, is that the Securities and Exchange Commission is already on this issue. From Chairman Jay Clayton’s first speech, he has harped on the problem of more and more companies staying private. He seems concerned that if investing returns shift away from public markets, then investors will lose interest in the U.S. stock market. And that would be problematic because robust stock markets have been a hallmark of vibrant economies.
I have been skeptical of this concern. Most successful large companies go public at some point. And there can’t be private market gains without some public market gains. Private investors need happy public investors to sell to. It’s far too early to say Uber’s public investors won’t be rewarded, but the stock market has produced another disappointing IPO on a big stage. That’s something the SEC and lawmakers should be concerned about. Taking away some financial flexibility from companies such as Uber and Airbnb may not seem like the best move, but confidence in public markets is more important. If resetting the investor limit would assure that, it would be worth it.
To contact the author of this story: Stephen Gandel at sgandel2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Niemi at dniemi1@bloomberg.net
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Stephen Gandel is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering banking and equity markets. He was previously a deputy digital editor for Fortune and an economics blogger at Time. He has also covered finance and the housing market.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Buy Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Stock Before Q2 2019 Earnings?

Shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise HPE jumped over 3% during regular trading Tuesday to help extend its recent streak of positivity. The firm also announced its planned acquisition of supercomputer maker Cray Inc. CRAY last Friday. Now, with HPE set to report its quarterly financial results on Thursday, let’s see if investors should consider buying HP Enterprise stock.
Recent News & Overview
Hewlett Packard Enterprise last week said that it agreed to purchase supercomputing leader Cray, in a deal valued at roughly $1.3 billion. The firm will pay Cray investors $35 a share in cash, which represented a 17% premium to last Thursday’s closing price. HPE’s deal is projected to help the firm compete on a bigger scale in the data-driven age and improve its position against rivals like International Business Machines IBM.
Company management said that the deal will help create a more “comprehensive end-to-end portfolio across compute, storage, interconnect, software and services” in the quickly expand artificial intelligence and high-performance computing spaces. The deal is projected to be HP Enterprise largest since it started trading in 2015.
Hewlett-Packard split into HPE and HP Inc. HPQ in 2015. Today, HPE sells enterprise-level servers, storage, and networking gear, and has lost ground to the likes of Cisco CSCO and Dell. Plus, the cloud-computing age has seen Amazon AMZN and Microsoft MSFT eat away at its business.
Overall, shares of HPE have climbed roughly 16% in 2019, which falls below its industry’s 18% average climb. HPE closed regular trading at $15.25 per share Tuesday, down roughly 14% from its 52-week intraday trading high of $17.68.


Outlook & Earnings Trends
Before we dive into what to expect from HP Enterprise’s second-quarter fiscal 2019 financial results, let’s quickly look at how the tech sector has performed so far this quarter. As of last week, roughly 80% of the S&P 500’s tech companies had reported their Q1 results, with overall earnings down -6.6% on +3.8% higher revenues. Meanwhile, 81.1% had beat EPS estimates and 69.8% had topped revenue estimates. Investors should note that rough quarters from giants such as Apple AAPL helped drag tech down (also read: Can Q1 Earnings Reports Help Retail Stocks?).
Moving, Palo Alto-based HP Enterprise is projected to see its quarterly revenue slip 0.33% to $7.44 billion. Last quarter, the firm’s revenue dipped 1.6% and fell short of our Zacks Consensus Estimate. At the bottom end of the income statement, HPE’s adjusted quarterly earnings are projected to pop 5.9% to reach $0.36 per share. The firm’s adjusted EPS figure soared over 31% last quarter and topped our estimate.
It is worth noting that the company has seen zero earnings estimate revisions over the last 60 days, which means analysts’ outlooks have remained unchanged. With that said, HP Enterprise has topped quarterly earnings estimates in the trailing four periods by an average of 13.4%.
Bottom Line
HP Enterprise is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) based, somewhat, on its lack of earnings revisions. HPE also sports “B” grades for both Value and Growth in our Style scores system, with HPE’s price/sales ratio of 0.66 marking a discount compared to its industry’s 1.84 average. The firm is also a dividend payer with a yield of 3.05% at the moment.
With that said, buying stocks heading into earnings is never easy on the stomach, as it is hard to know how Wall Street will react in the near term, even to a “strong” report. Yet HP Enterprise has shown some signs of life recently and it seems set to expand based on its recently-announced acquisition.
HP Enterprise is set to release its Q2 fiscal 2019 financial results after the closing bell on Thursday, May 23. So make sure to head back to Zacks for a complete breakdown after the firm reports.
Will you retire a millionaire?
One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, “7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire.”

Click to get it free >>