Microsoft is announcing the addition of Availability Zones to the South Africa North cloud region. Expanding the region to have three unique physically separated locations within the region. To bring higher availability and asynchronous replication of applications and data for disaster recovery protection.
Microsoft says the Availability Zones give users additional options for high availability for their most demanding applications and services. As well as confidence and protection from potential hardware and software failures. By providing three or more unique physical locations within an Azure region.
These zones located in Johannesburg will each have their own power, cooling and high-speed low latency connections. Let’s say you are deploying a web tier consisting of 3 virtual machines, you can place one in each zone. So that if zone A fails your customers will still be able to access the other virtual machines in the other availability zones in the same Azure region. This is really ideal where data residency laws and regulatory requirements are important.
South Africa North is the only Azure cloud region in the Middle East and Africa to get availability zones presence. Microsoft will bring availability zones to the UAE North region and establish a new datacenter region in Israel this year.
Microsoft launched two cloud regions in Africa, South Africa North and West located in Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively. And two in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Interestingly, when you check the Azure global infrastructure map it appears Microsoft is hiding certain regions. Regions it classifies as reserved access regions and this includes South Africa West and Abu Dhabi. Although these regions are available to customers, they will require you to go through a request process in order to gain access. The process to request access is straightforward and you can initiate it directly within the Azure portal.
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TECNO plans to deploy Android 12 on the upcoming HiOS 8.5 update for the CAMON 17 and PHANTOM X. The company notes that with the public release of Android 12, the TECNO CAMON 17 and PHANTOM X will be amongst the first few phones to receive the update. The update will improve the software infrastructure, security and privacy, connectivity, and gaming experience of users. The customized HiOS8.5 will launch simultaneously on the devices with Android 12.
We are excited about Android 12’s update says Stephen Ha, General Manager of TECNO. Which bring a more convenient and personalized experience to consumers ranging from a new UI design to comprehensive security and privacy protection upgrades, he adds.
TECNO has always been committed to providing users in emerging markets with cutting-edge technologies synchronized with industry trends and continuously optimizing the experience of using our devices.
Stephen Ha
TECNO says it is redesigning HiOS 8.5 to feel more responsive and intuitive for users based on the Android 12. So users will be able to experience more unified themes across apps and even devices. For example, widgets will appear more rounded and accessible in Android 12, so that users can retrieve information with ease.
HiOS will also get the Za-Hooc security concept optimization which integrates software and hardware with regards to privacy protection. Other updates coming to HiOS8.5 include improvements to game performance, optimizations to the barrage and call rejections features.
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itel is announcing its second laptop the itel Spirit 1 notebook laptop few months after introducing the Able 1 laptop. The company introduced the device at the online launch event of the itel S17 smartphone and other itel family products. Where it also introduced the itel Smart Watch1, itel Wireless Neckband, itel blender, standing fan, electric stove and itel Cinema TV Projector.
Officially, the company says the itel Spirit 1 laptop comes in a metal surface body design with a 15.6 inch full HD display. It is powered by a Core i3 Intel processor and intel plus 655 display card. The device will ship pre-installed with Microsoft’s new Windows 11 OS. With its 51 watts big battery, itel says one charge can give you about eight hours of usage time. Spirit 1 can be configured with up to 1 terabyte of hard disk space and 8 gigabytes of RAM. It comes with three USB ports, one HDMI, a micro SD card reader, an earphone jack, and an RJ-45 port.
It seems the Spirit 1 laptop is supposed to have more processing power and handle more work than the Able 1 laptop. But the Core i3 processor feels like it is still geared towards light office work, entertainment and studies than power users.
This is what the company says about the device.
Earlier this year we launched our first laptop Able 1, we have recieved so many feedbacks and felt your passion for more. So today we are bringing you the brand new itel Spirit 1. The first laptop in its prize range that comes with a three by two watts box speaker.
No official retail price or the availability date has been announced yet. It is suggested it could be in the $600 – $700, NGN 250,000, GHS 3,000, KES 65,000 price range. We will check and get you full specifications and update you on any changes necessary.
itel Spirit 1 device Specifications
itel didn’t mention specifics when it comes to the hardware architecture. We did a little digging around and believe this will be the specifications of the new device.
estimated price Nigeria NGN 250,000, Ghana GHS 3,000, Kenya KES 65,000, $600 – $700
What are your thoughts on the new itel laptop devices? Check out what’s new on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to follow for the latest videos in the ecosystem.
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Here is how to watch the first-ever virtual Google for Africa event on October 6. Google is hosting its annual Africa event online this year. This is different from the previous country-specific events held in only Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. It will for the first time have participants from across the continent join the event. The live stream will start at the following times 9 AM GMT, 10 AM WAT, 11 AM CAT, 12 PM EAT and 11 AM SAT.
Although Google is hosting the event online the format hasn’t changed. There will be a keynote session where the company will introduce new ecosystem products and share more on its investments in Africa. Then there will be masterclasses that take registered participants through introductory and hands-on product sessions. Nigerian musician Tiwa Savage will give a special closing performance to cap the event. Click the link to get more details, register and participate in the virtual event.
Google will stream the event on the Google Africa YouTube page. We are embedding the live stream here so you can bookmark this page and visit it when the event goes live. You can also use the remind me feature on the scheduled YouTube event to set a reminder and get a notification when it starts.
Watch Google for Africa 2021 event live
https://youtu.be/GJw_gOAnAtE
Google will be announcing new collaborations and what it is working on with partners to increase connectivity in the region. It will also showcase new Africa centric updates in products like maps and search at the event. We might get to hear more about what Google plans to do with YouTube creators in Africa.
Join us to watch and tell us what you are looking forward to. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Google is hosting a special Africa event on October 6th. It will kick off at the following times across the region 10 AM WAT, 11 AM CAT, 12 PM EAT, 9 AM GMT, and 11 AM SAT. The Google for Africa 2021 event will be an online-only event and not in-person this year. Due to the global pandemic, we will not have the usual country-specific mini-events. Google’s invite reads “Google leaders will share updates of the work we’re doing to support Africa’s digital transformation”. We expect the company to highlight new products, product updates specific to Africa and investments across the continent.
As is the norm at Google Africa events it will have two parts, a keynote and masterclass sessions. A forty-five-minute keynote session led by Google and Alphabet CEO, Sundar Pichai. And 7 masterclass sessions that will hold across two days and cover topics related to creators, businesses and developers.
Other Google leaders speaking at the event are Juliet Ehimuan, Director West Africa, Mariam Abdullahi, Director Platforms and Ecosystem, and Ruth Porat Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Alphabet and Google.
We will be sharing some updates on the work that we are doing to make Google more helpful to people in Africa at our inaugural Google for Africa event on Wednesday, October 6. We will be hosting 5 masterclasses covering areas like SMB growth, digital advertising, nonprofit management, YouTube Shorts, and intro to machine learning for developers.
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Microsoft is expanding its Surface devices market in Africa as it opens a new market in Egypt. The company is officially launching Surface Pro 7, Surface Laptop Go and Surface Go 2 for organizations in Egypt. This will increase the Surface market in Africa to two with South Africa being the only other market.
We are pleased to share the next step in our journey to support organizations and businesses says Mirna Arif, Country Manager, Microsoft Egypt, with the introduction of Surface Pro 7+, Surface Laptop Go and Surface Go 2.
It comes as no surprise to see Egypt become a market this quick as Mirna was the immediate Surface Business Group Director for the Middle East and Africa. It will be interesting to see the adaptation and growth of the devices in Egypt.
There is no immediate mention of prices. Microsoft says you can make an order for the devices through authorized device partners in Egypt. Alternatively, you can register your interest and find out more about the devices through Microsoft Certified Distributor, Redington Egypt.
Finn Morris, Surface Business Group Director at Microsoft Middle East and Africa notes, “We’re excited to introduce Surface products to the Egyptian market. Offering a new, Windows-powered alternative in the devices segment that balances security, aesthetics, speed and versatility.”
The announced Surface devices are currently heavily on discount across various markets and I will expect these to be as well. Microsoft also recently hosted an event to announce a new generation of Surface devices. The Surface Pro 8, Surface Duo 2, Surface Go 3, Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Pro X. I expect these new devices to be available to the Egypt market next year.
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