Author: Akin Naphtal

In an epoch where digital connectivity is crucial for economic participation and social inclusion, a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reveals women’s significant obstacles in accessing the digital world. The report highlights that women, especially in low- and middle-income countries, struggle with issues like obtaining formal identification, owning mobile phones, and acquiring digital skills, which are essential for full participation in the digital economy. The CSIS report emphasizes a persistent gender gap in digital access, noting that women are disproportionately affected by barriers that prevent them from engaging in the digital ecosystem. One of…

Dell Technologies has reported a significant boost in its financial performance, with server and networking revenue skyrocketing by 80% in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, largely driven by AI infrastructure sales. The Texas-based tech giant has closely aligned its strategy with artificial intelligence, positioning itself as a key supplier of AI infrastructure, particularly through its collaboration with Nvidia, a leading provider of GPUs and software for enterprise solutions. Dell’s reported revenue for the quarter, which ended on August 2, reached $25 billion, marking a 9% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth was primarily propelled…

New Zealand’s fixed communication services market is projected to see modest growth, with revenue expected to rise from $1.3 billion in 2024 to $1.4 billion by 2029, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics firm. The growth is primarily driven by the increasing demand for fixed broadband services, especially fiber-to-the-home/business (FTTH/B) connections, as the country continues to invest in fiber infrastructure to enhance high-speed broadband capabilities. GlobalData’s latest forecast for New Zealand’s fixed communications sector (Q2 2024) indicates that fixed voice services will experience a slight compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.9% between 2024 and 2029. This marginal…

British hosting company, DataVita has unveiled its new national cloud service, designed to offer clients data residency within the UK while providing full transparency on costs, including no hidden fees or egress charges. Positioned as an alternative to major public cloud providers, National Cloud aims to address challenges faced by organizations in regulated sectors when using public cloud services. As Scotland’s largest data center and cloud services provider, DataVita has partnered with HPE to develop National Cloud, which is built on the HPE GreenLake cloud platform. The infrastructure provided by HPE managed through GreenLake, is touted for its flexibility, allowing…

Amazon is set to release a upgraded version of its Alexa voice assistant in October, which will primarily be powered by Claude, an artificial intelligence (AI) model developed by Anthropic, according to sources familiar with the matter. The upgrade leads to the departure from Amazon’s traditional reliance on its in-house AI technology. The new version, dubbed “Remarkable Alexa,” will leverage advanced generative AI to handle complex queries and will be offered as a premium service costing between $5 and $10 per month. The classic version of Alexa will remain free. The shift to Anthropic’s AI was prompted by performance issues…

Google has unveiled a new feature for Gmail users on Android devices, enabling them to chat directly with its AI assistant, Gemini, within the Gmail app. The feature, known as Gmail Q&A, was rolled out on Thursday and is available to users who subscribe to Gemini, according to a company blog post. The feature is expected to be available on iOS devices soon. Gmail Q&A allows users to leverage Google Gemini as a personal assistant capable of reading and summarizing their entire email inbox. For instance, users can ask Gemini to summarize emails by simply stating, “Catch me up on…

Meta is now allowing preteens aged 10 to 12 to explore its virtual reality platform, Horizon Worlds, under the supervision of parent-managed accounts, with specific restrictions to ensure their safety. The tech giant announced that parents will soon have the ability to approve age-appropriate VR worlds for their children, such as “The Space Station,” “The Aquarium,” and the “Spy School” racing game. Preteens can request access to specific worlds, or parents can choose from a list of options to grant permission. To protect young users, Meta has introduced a new rating system categorizing VR worlds as 10+, 13+, or 18+.…

Nvidia has introduced Eagle, a bevy of artificial intelligence models that aim to improve how machines understand and interact with visual information. This new development marks a milestone leap in the field of multimodal large language models (MLLMs), which blend text and image processing to achieve more sophisticated AI capabilities. What Makes Eagle Different? The core innovation of Eagle lies in its ability to process high-resolution images—up to 1024×1024 pixels—allowing it to capture fine details essential for tasks like optical character recognition (OCR). Unlike traditional models that rely on a single vision encoder, Eagle uses multiple specialized vision encoders, each…

American telecom giant, Verizon has struck a partnership with satellite operator Skylo to offer a commercial direct-to-device messaging service for U.S. customers starting this fall. This new service will allow users with compatible smartphones to access emergency messaging and location sharing even when they are out of range of terrestrial cell networks. By early next year, Verizon plans to expand the service, enabling users to send text messages from anywhere via a satellite connection. Verizon confirmed that the service will be available at no additional cost to customers with capable devices, regardless of their price plan. Initially, the service will…

Klarna’s CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, has expressed excitement over the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on his company’s operations, revealing plans to reduce the human workforce significantly. The move, he suggests, could serve as a model for the broader industry. In Klarna’s H1 report released yesterday, Siemiatkowski highlighted the success of an AI system powered by ChatGPT, which the fintech company introduced earlier this year. After several months of implementation, the AI has proven capable of performing tasks equivalent to 700 employees, matching their productivity and maintaining customer satisfaction. This efficiency has led Siemiatkowski to consider reducing Klarna’s current workforce…