The Asian electronics manufacturer HTC has officially announced the pre-order of a product creating the latest buzz in the crypto world – their blockchain-enabled smartphone called Exodus 1. According to the Exodus website, the smartphone can only be purchased in cryptocurrency – for 0.15 Bitcoin or 4.78 Ethereum – which, at the moment, converts to around 960 US dollars. The expected shipping date is December 2018, making the Exodus phone the perfect end of year gift for blockchain enthusiasts. The new smartphone will have a 6 inch Quad HD+ display, 16 MP dual rear and 8 MP dual front cameras, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. Yet these usual specifications are not what makes this phone unique. The intriguing blockchain side of the phone will include a hardware cryptocurrency wallet called Zion, which was developed by HTC. To keep…
InMobi, a tech company providing marketing solutions to enterprises, has announced the acquisition of the mobile data and advertising company, Pinsight Media. This all-stock deal between Pinsight Media’s previous owner Sprint and InMobi is part of a broader strategic partnership between the two companies, covering devices, data, media and marketing. “Sprint’s partnership with InMobi goes beyond this acquisition. We have been looking for a strategic partner that can deliver the latest digital marketing and mobile advertising technologies, besides having a deep appreciation of regulatory, privacy, and data concerns. This partnership provides Sprint with an innovative partner for driving our marketing success,” commented Rob Roy, the Chief Digital Officer at Sprint. Pinsight Media works with leading US telecoms service providers and advertisers to improve targeted advertising on mobile devices. InMobi will benefit from the deal by bringing the user behavior analysis and marketing strategy insights from Pinsight to the…
RingCentral, the California-based cloud communication and collaboration solution provider, has made a definitive agreement to acquire the cloud digital customer engagement platform, Dimelo. Dimelo is a single management interface enabling communications with customers through a variety of channels, including email, social networks, chat and mobile. This innovative platform is already in use by major companies across a number of industries, including Allianz, AXA, BNP Paribas, ENGIE, Orange and Telenor. “In today’s digital world, engaging with customers over digital channels is crucial to business success. With Dimelo, consumer-facing enterprises can transform how they engage with their customers. Simply put, Dimelo enables companies to vastly improve their customer interactions by delivering world-class integrated experiences across a multitude of digital channels. We’re excited to welcome the Dimelo team to RingCentral,” said the CEO of RingCentral, Vlad Shmunis. The addition of the Dimelo platform will expand the already considerable RingCentral solution…
EE is the first mobile operator to launch a 5G network trial site in the UK. The BT owned telco has based its testing predominantly using Huawei network equipment, coupled with the 3.4GHz spectrum it bought at the UK communications regulator (Ofcom) auction. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the behavior and performance of 5G technology in real-life settings outside of the testing lab. The initial trial is located in the Montgomery Square area of Canary Wharf, London, where more than 150,000 people pass through on a daily basis. It might seem strange that a practical trial has been started with no commercially available 5G devices, but the end goal is to evaluate the 5G spectrum and to test devices for performance, speed and coverage in areas with traditionally high 4G mobile network usage. “This live trial is a big step forward in making the benefits…
October 1st, 2018 will be remembered as the date when the first 5G broadband network went live, with the telecommunications giant Verizon launching its 5G network in parts of Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento. The company confirmed that it will be expanding its coverage shortly, pending the installation of new standards-compliant equipment. “The world’s first commercial 5G service is here. We’ve formed incredible partnerships with many of the world’s leading technology companies, the international technical standards bodies, public officials, developers and our own customers to drive the 5G ecosystem forward, faster than most had predicted. And now, actual customers. It’s been an incredible journey…and we’re just at the starting line,” the president of Verizon Wireless, Ronan Dunne, expressed enthusiastically. The very first user on this network, a resident of Houston, Clayton Harris, became one of the early adopters by setting up a “5G Home” service, an ultra-fast…
Vodafone New Zealand recently announced it will be the first telecommunications company to launch an Intelligent Digital Human in cooperation with a Kiwi company, FaceMe. While the identity of the Digital Human should be revealed within the next two months, it is already clear that the AI-based assistant will be of great benefit in improving the self-service experience for Vodafone’s customers, and allow staff to devote time working with more complex customer demands. “Great customer experience happens through meaningful conversations. FaceMe has evolved AI technology to create Intelligent Digital Humans that are human-like in their appearance and interaction. Thanks to machine learning, they are capable of continuously learning how to anticipate our customers’ needs and better serve them,” explained Vodafone’s director of Customer Operations, Helen van Orton. Orton emphasized that this initiative is not a replacement for front-line customer service, but will rather aid in maximizing staff…
On Monday 24th September, Apple announced that it has finally completed the acquisition of Shazam, an application that helps users identify songs, TV shows, commercials and movies. The takeover of one of the highest rating music apps by the technology giant is said to be valued at 400 million US dollars. “Apple and Shazam have a long history together. Shazam was one of the first apps available when we launched the App Store and has become a favorite app for music fans everywhere. With a shared love of music and innovation, we are thrilled to bring our teams together to provide users even more great ways to discover, experience and enjoy music,” commented the vice president of Apple Music, Oliver Schusser. The application has already been downloaded more than 1 billion times, and remains one of the most popular places to interact with peers by discovering and sharing favorite songs,…
A German mobile network testing company, Rohde & Schwarz, have announced in their recent press release the upcoming launch of the first commercially available 5G New Radio (NR) measurement solution. The product will be displayed at the Mobile World Congress Americas taking place from 12 to 14 September, 2018 in Los Angeles. This pioneering developer of test and measurement equipment for 5G will present their 5G NR network measurement solution, that allows 5G users and regulators to measure 5G NR network coverage accurately. In addition, users will have the ability to verify the correct operation of beamforming and interworking between 5G and other technologies. This new solution consists of a network scanner with 5G NR scanning software, and the unique R&S ROMES4 Drive Test Software suite. Users will have two options for the test scanners: the compact R&S TSME6 Drive Test Scanner, or the R&S TSMA6 Autonomous Mobile Network Scanner…
Google has officially announced that its next ‘Made by Google’ event will take place on October 3rd in New York City. While the company remains very secretive about the hardware that will be launched at the event, the key devices expected to be unveiled are the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL smartphones. Thus far, the corporate giant has not yet made their major competitors Samsung and Apple tremble with envy nor fear with its previous versions of the Pixel phone, but the highly-leaked Pixel 3 devices might change that situation. If the rumors are true, the Pixel 3 XL device will have a controversially large notch, while both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL should sport dual front-facing cameras, an Android 9 Pie operating system and glass backs for wireless charging. Along with the new smartphones, the Google PixelBook 2, a new version of Pixel Buds,…
Vodafone India and Idea Cellular have finally completed their $23 billion merger after the National Company Law Tribunal approved their request to join forces in becoming the number one telecom service provider in India. The new entity will be listed as Vodafone Idea Ltd and will have a base of over 400 million subscribers (35% subscriber market share and 32,2% of the market revenue share), surpassing the long-time market leader Bahrati Airtel. The rival that aroused the idea for the merger with its successful entry into the market, Reliance Jio, is left in third place. “Today, we have created India’s leading telecom operator. It is truly a historic moment. And this is much more than just about creating a large business. It is about our Vision of empowering and enabling a New India and meeting the aspirations of the youth of our country,” commented the chairman of the new board…


