Microsoft will be hosting the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase live stream on Sunday, June 12th at 5 PM GMT. Or 8 PM EAT, 10 AM PT, 1 PM ET and 6 PM BST. Here is a time zone conversion to get the correct time in your zone.
The showcase will feature about 90-minutes of the latest games from Xbox Game Studios including Bethesda Softworks and other partners. Microsoft will also announce Games coming to Xbox this holiday, upcoming releases on Xbox Game Pass, and more.
Microsoft says the showcase will include everything you need to know and will be available in over 30 languages.
The Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase will include everything you need to know about the diverse lineup of games coming soon to the Xbox ecosystem, including upcoming releases to Game Pass on Xbox and PC.
The Xbox Games Showcase will stream live on the official and regional Xbox Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok pages. It will also likely be on Bilibili in China, Jeuxvideo in France, and VK in Russia. As well as OTT platforms including Samsung TV+, Xumo, PlutoTV and Vizio.
[jetpack_subscription_form subscribe_placeholder=”Enter your email address” show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Hi, sign up so you can get the latest in breaking news, reviews, opinions, events, opportunities and community updates right in your inbox. ” custom_font_size=”16px” custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Team RUTELA is the winner of the first edition of the Equity Group Hackathon in partnership with Microsoft. The University of Nairobi student team wins a cash prize of Kes. 600,000, 3 months mentorship with Microsoft, Technical Cloud certificates for all team members and a gift hamper.
The Equity Hackathon brought students from the University of Nairobi and Meru University of Science and Technology together. To deliver solutions to address business and social challenges in the Payments, Financial Inclusion and Digital Identity thematic areas. The Hackathon, which opened for registration on 4th February, saw a total of 663 students register and compete to be among the top 120 participants to take part as innovators.
Equity Group, in partnership with Microsoft, brought together the shortlisted students for the virtual Hackathon which ran from the 17th of February to the 17th of March this year. The initiative challenged the students to be innovative and collaborate to build proofs of concept and minimum viable products for predefined business problems and social issues.
The Hackathon was phased into 4 stages. The first phase involved instructor-led and self-paced training of the participants on Microsoft Azure and the Business Problem Statements. In the second stage, the students went through the coding with mentorship from representatives from Equity, the University of Nairobi, Meru University of Science and Technology and Microsoft. Their solutions then went through a 1st and 2nd knock off stage, which culminated in the selection of the 4 winners.
Kenya is emerging as an innovations hub, especially in the financial sector, and organizations need to start looking internally for solutions that will give them an edge in the market says Microsoft ADC Kenya Program Manager, Irene Githinji.
“We are indeed not surprised by the ideas we have seen these young students work on during the Hackathon. The spirit of innovation is ripe in Kenya and it is time for Kenyan corporates to start looking at local education institutions and technology hubs for the development of unique solutions for their business needs.”
Irene Githinji
Equity Hackathon Winners
Winning team – Rutela, from the University of Nairobi
1st runner up – team Jazia, from Meru University of Science and Technology
2nd runner up – Hubert Kimani, from the University of Nairobi
3rd runner up – Team Code Ninjas, from the University of Nairobi
The 1st and 2nd Runners Equity Hackathon winners took home a cash prize of Kes. 250,000 and Kes. 150,000 respectively, a 3 months mentorship opportunity from Microsoft and a gift hamper. The 3rd Runners Up won Kes 100,000 and a gift hamper for each team member.
“The Hackathon has enabled us to sharpen our skills and align them to the demands of the marketplace“, notes Maluki Muthusi, from team Rutela. “We are grateful for the guidance given to us by our lecturers and the teams from Equity and Microsoft throughout the competition. We look forward to applying the principles even beyond this competition“, he adds.
[jetpack_subscription_form subscribe_placeholder=”Enter your email address” show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Hi, sign up so you can get the latest in breaking news, reviews, opinions, events, opportunities and community updates right in your inbox. ” custom_font_size=”16px” custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Dynabook, previously operating as Toshiba PC is announcing the Dynabook Portégé X40-K laptop. A lightweight ultra-premium 14″ modern workplace laptop running the latest Intel 12th Gen P-Series 28W processor. It promises consumers great performance and productivity, portability and robust security.
The Dynabook Portégé X40-K laptop embodies a crafted dark blue aluminium chassis with diamond-cut perimeter edges. The laptop is light weighing 1.45 kgs and thin at 17.9 mm. It sports a thin-bezel 14-inch IPS or multi-touch display, with a premium backlit keyboard, and large multi-touch ClickPad. It comes powered with the latest 28-watt 12th Gen Intel Core processor and runs on Windows 11. You can choose between either a Core i5 or i7 CPU with up to 64GB of memory and ultra-fast SSD storage of up to 1 TB. The Portégé X40-K laptop will start selling at $1,349.99.
Dynabook says the Portégé X40-K is engineered and tested to MIL-STD-810H standards for strength and durability to ensure endurance to the rigours of daily use. It is ideal for multitasking and the Intel Iris Xe graphics can support up to four external 4K displays. Featured ports include a full-size HDMI, Gigabit LAN, 3.5mm audio, USB-A, as well as a microSD card slot. With one USB-A 3.2 port using a Sleep and Charge technology, that keeps the USB port powered, allowing the laptop to charge a smartphone or other accessories.
Dynabook Portégé X40-K laptop specifications
Dimensions
323.6 x 220.6 x 17.9 mm
Weight
1.45kg / 3.2lbs
OS
Windows 11 Pro Windows 10 Pro (with downgrade facilitation rights)
[jetpack_subscription_form subscribe_placeholder=”Enter your email address” show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Hi, sign up so you can get the latest in breaking news, reviews, opinions, events, opportunities and community updates right in your inbox. ” custom_font_size=”16px” custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Sandra Makena and Amanda Flavia, undergraduate students of Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT), Nyeri, Kenya, have emerged Earth Category winners of the 2022 Microsoft Imagine Cup Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regional competition. They are awarded USD2500 cash and USD2500 in Microsoft Azure credits in prizes.
Sandra and Amanda, engineering and computer science students respectively, teamed up to take part in the Microsoft student technology competition. Qualifying as part of 48 teams to the World Finals stage out of thousands of teams from 160 countries. The 48 teams consisted of four other student teams from Kenya, Cameroon and South Africa representing Africa. Five teams from the Middle East and six from Europe, thus 16 finalists from the EMEA region. With Sandra Makena and Amanda Flavia winning in one of the four categories for the EMEA region.
The students with the Team name ‘Sayari’ the Swahili word for planet, conceptualized the ‘Ideal Monitoring System’ to reduce post-harvest losses and maximize yields for farmers. The system, they say, will help farm managers monitor and maintain ideal conditions for maximum yields. As well as the safe storage of agricultural produce in storage and agricultural cold rooms.
Even though Sandra and Amanda emerged as Microsoft Imagine Cup EMEA category winners they did not get the top-scoring points in the region to progress to the next stage. This year only the top-scoring team in each region gets to advance to the 2022 World Championship, which takes place during Microsoft Build in May. V Bionic, a student team from Saudi Arabia, getting the top-scoring points qualifies to represent the EMEA region. They will face off with Melodic, USA and Nana Shilpa, Sri Lanka, Americas and Asia regional winners respectively. For the chance to win the grand prize of USD100,000 and a mentoring session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella.
The competition known by others as the Olympics of Technology marks its 20th anniversary this year.
Twenty-one business to business (B2B) tech startups will participate in the second cohort of the Microsoft GrowthX Accelerator program. They will work to co-create technology solutions with partners such as DHL, Etisalat, EY, Koç Holding, Lulu Hypermarket, and PwC. The startups will spend 12-weeks of virtual and physical workshops and training in the United Arab Emirates, thanks to its partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).
The accelerator program is designed to bridge the gap between corporates and B2B startups across the Middle East and Africa. By connecting them with large corporations with specific problem statements they are looking to solve. The 12-week program runs from March to June 2022. It will empower the B2B tech startups with technology, mentoring and market access.
“We’ve built on the success of the first GrowthX Accelerator says Roberto Croci, Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups. To develop a second edition that is even more hands-on and offers even more value for participating startups, he adds.
“The 21 startups participating in this event will gain incredible knowledge from mentors in the program. That will not only help them scale their businesses but drive real impact across the region. Together with ADIO, we look forward to empowering this second cohort of startups to develop their innovative ideas into next-generation solutions that can further drive our position as a global hub for technology and entrepreneurship.”
Roberto Croci
Here are the startups from across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region participating in the Microsoft for Startups program.
Meet GrowthX Accelerator program cohort 2 startups
AiFlux – provider of digital solutions to the renewables and oil & gas industries.
DevisionX – supports organizations in the manufacturing industry in building no-code AI-powered digital solutions.
Event Gates (EGT Kontrol AS) – develops AI solutions for security and manufacturing verticals.
Farmdar – empowers farmers with actionable data to lower costs, increase yield, enhance quality and reduce waste.
Farmin – AI-powered platform that delivers critical insights for smart cities.
Greener Crop – supports farmers in leveraging technology to operate profitable farms and harvest sustainable, nutrient-rich and locally grown fruits and vegetables.
AI – a software company with a focus on digitizing physical spaces.
Lune Technologies – developer and manufacturer of fiber optics and terahertz-based technology products for the aerospace, automotive, defence, energy and infrastructure industries.
monak e-services – on-demand delivery service
NutzenTech – provides data and technology-focused B2B and B2G solutions that reduce environmental footprint.
Nybl – a machine learning platform that turns underutilized data into actionable intelligence.
Occicor – helps CPG companies achieve better shelf management by transforming images into actionable data.
Olymon Solutions – provides smart automation solutions to unify the processes of grocers and food traders.
Pivony – a self-service web platform used to discover conversation topics and obtain insights from real user-generated data
PowerDev – unifies the energy market big data from multiple resources and provides a robust SaaS data analysis tool.
Sav – a platform that enables you to manage your finances better and is the most convenient way to achieve your financial goals.
Searover – provides AI and robotic solutions with a focus on predictive and preventive maintenance solutions in solar, wind and hydropower generation.
Swftbox – A plug & play platform that offers retailers faster deliveries (same day, next day) through its courier network and complete fulfilment services.
Trade Capital Partners (TCP) – trade finance FinTech that offers working capital solutions for SMEs and startups in Emerging Markets.
Valorafutbol – a Software as a Service product designed to increase reach, engagement and monetization opportunities for media, sports and entertainment stakeholders.
Workfam – a gamified employee engagement platform
The Microsoft for Startups MEA GrowthX Accelerator program has grown from the 15 startups that participated in the first cohort.
[jetpack_subscription_form subscribe_placeholder=”Enter your email address” show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Hi, sign up so you can get the latest in breaking news, reviews, opinions, events, opportunities and community updates right in your inbox. ” custom_font_size=”16px” custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
With the popularity of streaming reaching an all-time high, the demand for gaming laptops has gone off the roof. Owning one is coming to be seen as a necessity, but getting yourself one might be a lot harder than you’d have anticipated. There are a lot of parts that go into the making of one and a single component out of order could impact the overall performance of the laptop. So, what are some of the core specifications that you should be concerned about?
1) Graphics processing unit (GPU)
This is one of the most important components of a gaming laptop. A lot of the popular games are pretty graphics intensive, so you’ll need a strong enough GPU to handle that stress on your device. You might end up spending a fortune later on it if you decide to upgrade your GPU, so it makes financial sense to invest in a quality GPU right when you’re assembling one.
From the latest Nvidia RTX-30 series to the Radeon RX series, there are plenty of options to choose from. But, base this decision on what kinds of games you intend to play and more importantly on what kind of game settings you prefer. The cost can range anywhere from $800 to $3,000 depending on their make and their power.
2) Central processing unit (CPU)
The next crucial component that you need to pay attention to while buying is a central processing unit. With newer variants entering the market with every passing day, the definition of what makes a good CPU isn’t limited only to speed. It simply isn’t that straightforward these days, too many factors need to be taken into consideration here.
But, in a broad sense, all that you need to be aware of is that there are two major players, Intel and AMD who’re both vying for a slice of the pie. While Intel was at the forefront of cutting-edge technology, its competitors have caught up and upped their game. So, get to research to better understand which CPU meets your requirements and if it’s within budget.
3) Random-access memory (RAM)
RAM more or less determines how efficiently your device works and whether it’s able to run the latest games without any difficulties. 8 GB should be more or less enough to suit most of your needs, but you can always go for the 12 GB ones, in case money isn’t an issue.
Another decision that you need to be taking is whether you want to use HDD or SSD method of storage. While HDDs are the standard option, SSD is significantly faster and are better at handling intensive activities. But, the caveat is that the SSD is pricier and may end up eating into the budget that you might have reserved for something else. A nice trade-off in today’s world is hybrid laptops that use a mixture of both HDD and SSD modes of storage. While HDD serves as the major portal, SSD is only used as a boot drive.
4) Display
If you’re not planning on getting a separate monitor, then you most likely will need a good display unit to go along with the powerful hardware. Some of the factors that you should account for while buying one are:
A) Size
The size of the display unit will impact your overall gaming experience. While the standard fixture is about 16 to 17 inches, you can always get ones that are either 14 or 18 inches. It’s simply a matter of what works best for you.
B) Resolution
The gold standard is the 4K screens, but they are fairly expensive and are not compatible with all the devices on the market. So, instead, you can always go for the 1920 x 1080 display.
C) Refresh rate
While you can choose from a wide range of refresh rates, right from 60 Hz to 360 Hz, 60 Hz should be more than good for all practical applications. Faster refresh rates would necessitate a better GPU, meaning you’ll have to spend more money than you’d have originally accounted for.
5) Laptop insurance
You’d have noticed that a lot of these components do cost a significant amount of money. What’s the point of making all these expensive purchases if you don’t get to enjoy its privileges, thanks to an ill-timed burglary? Getting insurance for laptops might seem like a far-fetched idea considering that your brand-new laptop does come with a manufacturer warranty, but this does not cover the eventuality that your device is stolen following a break-in.
The great thing about laptop insurance is that it is an intrinsic part of a renter’s insurance or homeowner’s insurance since it’s listed under perils. So, in this case, you’re at least assured that you’ll be suitably compensated in case your precious gaming laptop gets stolen.
6) Gaming accessories
Some of the other accessories that you can consider buying are an extra set of monitors, decent headphones with noise reduction, a gaming keyboard, and mice. They are not exactly bare necessities as such, but your gaming setup will feel complete which should make for an unparalleled experience.
Conclusion
So, that was a list of some of the core specifications that you need to pay attention to while getting a new gaming laptop. Do remember that all of them can be modified according to your needs and there’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to buying one.
[jetpack_subscription_form subscribe_placeholder=”Enter your email address” show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Hi, sign up so you can get the latest in breaking news, reviews, opinions, events, opportunities and community updates right in your inbox. ” custom_font_size=”16px” custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
