HUAWEI is announcing the latest model of the MateBook series, the HUAWEI MateBook E (2022) notebook. The company introduced the device alongside the HUAWEI WatchGT Runner, VR Glass 6DoF, FreeBuds Lipstick and MateStation X desktop PC at a recent event in China. The new MateBook E comes in an ultra-slim 2-in-1 notebook design weighing 709 grams (1.1kg with the keyboard).
It comes with a 12.6″ OLED display that has an aspect ratio of 16:10, 2560×1600 resolution and brightness of up to 600 nits. It spots thin bezels and Huawei says the device has a screen to body ratio of 90%. The MateBook E is powered by Windows 11, an 11th generation Intel core processor and Intel Iris Xe Graphics. You can choose from either an i5 or i7 Tiger Lake-U processor and up to 16GB of RAM.
It has a 65W portable charger that gives you up to 54% battery life after 30 minutes of charging. The company says you should get a full charge after 100 minutes and up to eight hours of battery life usage.
The new Matebook comes bundled with either a Huawei Smart Magnetic or Slide Keyboard and 2nd generation HUAWEI M-Pencil stylus. The least configuration starts at CNY 5,999 ($940), whilst the highest retails at CNY 8,699 ($1,365). It is expected to start selling in China from December 1st but no word yet on when it’ll be global.
USB-C x 1（Thunderbolt 4, supports charging, transferring data, and DisplayPort) 3.5 mm headset, microphone 2-in-1 interface x 1 (CTIA standard support)
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Certiport is announcing the winners of the 2021 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) World Online Championship. The 19th edition of the competition took place virtually from November 9-11, due to the pandemic. It however attracted more than 200,000 contestants from 108 countries. Six people emerged first place winners with a $7,000 cash prize across six categories. Second and third place winners also won $3,500 and $1,500 cash prizes respectively.
The competition is open to students from the ages of 13 to 22 across the globe. They compete with peers to prove their superior skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This year, regional competitions were held worldwide and 160 finalists from 33 countries qualified to compete in the final round of the competition.
Four students from Africa emerged top ten winners this year. Paras Girish Khetiya from Kenya came tenth place in the Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019) category. Mahmoud Elkhoshet, Egypt, sixth place in the Microsoft Word (Office 2016) category. Ankain Lesly Chuo, Cameroon, tenth place in the Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019) category. Vanessa Obiedo, Nigeria, tenth place in the Microsoft Excel (Office 2016) category.
Next year, Certiport will host the 2022 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, CA, from July 24-27, 2022. To learn more about the event, search the event hashtag #MOSWC on Facebook and Twitter.
The 2021 Microsoft Office Specialist World Champions are:
Microsoft Word® (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019)
First place: Ondrej Cach, Czech Republic
Second place: Man Weng Tong, Macau
Third place: Qiao Yan Yang – Malaysia
Microsoft Word® (Office 2016)
First place: Huy Nguyen Quoc, Vietnam
Second place: Leyao Huang, China
Third place: Peng Yu Lin, Taiwan
Microsoft PowerPoint® (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019)
First place: Andrew Chuang Saladin, USA
Second place: Ma. Jessa Gomez, Philippines
Third place: Ka Hin Hung, Hong Kong
Microsoft PowerPoint® (Office 2016)
First place: Masaharu Komiyama, Japan
Second place: Carson Mulvey, USA
Third place: Siddh Vora, India
Microsoft Excel® (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019)
First place: Ami Nakazono, Japan
Second place: Joaquin Saul Rivera Rivera, Peru
Third place: Viktoria Zhelyazkova Kabaivanova, Bulgaria
Microsoft Excel® (Office 2016)
First place: Songyao Luo, China
Second place: Phat Nguyen Duc, Vietnam
Third place: Ka Kiu Chan, Hong Kong
“In 2020, we missed the opportunity to showcase the incredible talents and accomplishments of these MOS Champions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we couldn’t let the global pandemic stand in the way in 2021,” said Ray Murray, Vice President and General Manager – IT, Pearson VUE.
“It is inspiring to see students from 33 countries come together virtually to ‘speak Microsoft’. The winners receive extra praise, but every single student who entered has earned a valuable workforce credential that will help them find success in college and in their career. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of IT skills for tomorrow’s professionals and it’s incredible to see so many young people get introduced to IT certifications through the MOS World Championship.”
“The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship is one of my favorite events because these students are thrilled to compete and they inspire all of us with their competitive spirit and crowning achievement,” said Leigh Creswell – Director, Public Sector Skills, Microsoft. “These young people who worked to earn valuable industry-recognized certifications represent a bright future for our industry and a solid foundation for the future skilled global workforce.“
Certiport is the leading provider of performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners.
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Etihad Airways plans to meet net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and is looking to use Microsoft technology. The national carrier of the United Arab Emirates is announcing a new partnership with Microsoft to leverage its tools and technologies to advance its sustainability goals.
The companies will work together to use advanced analytics and AI to measure and benchmark Etihad’s environmental footprint. This will allow the business to implement and assess carbon efficiency savings across its business operations. The collaboration will focus on the implementation of technologies that will turn data into actionable insights. Unlocking scenarios and use cases that will help Etihad reduce its carbon footprint and meet the net-zero goal.
“Innovation and sustainability are at the core of our business. Our continued partnership with Microsoft will support us in meeting our sustainability goals to reduce carbon emissions. Both in the air through operational efficiencies, and on the ground. Through improvements in our back-office processes and technology infrastructure,” said Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation Group.
“Etihad is aligned with the UAE’s mission to conserve and preserve our environment for generations to come and we have made significant progress over the last two years towards our ‘net-zero carbon emissions by 2050’ goal with our sustainability portfolio. We look forward to working closely with Microsoft to enhance these developments.”
Tony Douglas
Etihad and Microsoft have also committed to jointly identifying opportunities for collaboration. To achieve both organisations’ sustainability goals while building thought-leadership and further partnerships with organisations in the UAE and the region. This will further drive the national sustainability agenda and build a supportive technology ecosystem. That will allow organisations of all sizes to take carbon reduction measures based on data-driven insights.
“We are aligned with the UAE’s long-term sustainability goals and practices to accelerate growth responsibly. While fulfilling the nation’s ambitious objectives,” said Sayed Hashish, General Manager, Microsoft UAE.
“For more than a decade, Microsoft has been investing to reduce environmental impact while supporting the digital transformation of organisations around the world through cloud services. The commitments and investments we make are important steps in reducing our own environmental impact. But we recognize that the opportunity for positive change is greatest by empowering customers and partners to achieve their own sustainability goals. Therefore, this partnership with Etihad is incredibly exciting. By empowering more and more organizations with the right insights, we will be able to reach critical mass to reduce carbon emissions on a significant scale.”
Microsoft and Etihad Airways announced the first-ever in-house AI Academy in the Middle East earlier this year. The Etihad AI academy powered by Microsoft will look to revolutionise the way the airline serves its customers
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Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp recently introduced a privacy feature that allows you to send disappearing messages. You are able to send photos and videos that disappear from the WhatsApp chat after the recipient opens it once. This feature is an improvement to the previous one that only allows the chat to disappear after seven days.
Here are a few things to know about the view once disappearing WhatsApp feature. Firstly, you must select view once media each time you want to send a view once photo or video. The media message will disappear after the recipient opens and exits the media viewer. The information will no longer be visible in the chat and the recipient can’t view it again. The photo or video is also not saved to the recipient’s photo or media gallery. The recipient is also not able to forward the photo or video to another person, nor star it.
You however need to understand that even though this is a way to send private messages, It is not altogether a secure way of sending sensitive information. WhatsApp encourages you to send view once media to individuals you trust and here is why. It is possible for someone to take a screenshot or screen recording since they know they can view it only once. People can also take a video or photo of the media with another device before it disappears.
How to send view once disappearing media on WhatsApp
Send view once media on Android
Open an individual or group chat.
Tap Attach, then tap:
Camera to take a new photo or video with your camera. WhatsApp limits recording videos to 16MB.
Gallery to select an existing photo or video from your phone.
Tap 1.
Tap Send.
Send view once media on iPhone
Open an individual or group chat.
Tap Camera to take a photo or video, or select one from your Albums. Alternatively, tap Attach, then tap:
Camera to take a new photo or video with your camera. WhatsApp limits recording videos to 16MB.
Photo & Video Library to select an existing photo or video from your iPhone’s Photos or Albums.
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Microsoft Student Summit Africa (MSSA) is back and is scheduled to take place from 1st to 3rd December 2021. The free three-day virtual conference will seek to upskill and expose students to Microsoft technologies. With learning covering artificial intelligence, cloud computing, Microsoft Power Platform, web development, etc.
The event will have two days of learning with about 20 deep-dive sessions. Learners will form teams and collaborate on projects in a hackathon on the third day and compete to win prizes. Like the previous editions, there will be sessions on recruiting workshops for software engineer and program manager roles.
The Microsoft student summit is open to students in universities and tertiary institutions across Africa and the globe. But only students in Africa will be eligible to participate in the hackathon and win prizes.
Microsoft Africa Development Center is sponsoring the summit and learners will get the opportunity to hear and learn from Microsoft leaders and software engineers.
Click for more information and register your details to participate in the MSSA. Don’t forget to share this post with your friends or anyone who might benefit from this training.
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Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) and Viasat Inc. are announcing the launch of the first Real-Time Earth (RTE) facility in Africa. The partnership hopes to bring new space opportunities and jobs to the region. And expand Viasat’s ability to deliver critical earth observation and remote sensing data on-demand around the world.
Viasat’s RTE satellite ground station facility is co-located at the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory, Kuntunse. It includes a Viasat full-motion 7.3M S/X/Ka-band antenna and associated infrastructure. The antenna is currently ready to provide global satellite operators with the ability to perform Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) capabilities as well as rapidly download, stream and/or disseminate valuable satellite-based data in a timely and secure manner.
Viasat worked in partnership with the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI), a government-based institution under Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), focused on coordinating all space, science, technology and related activities in Ghana. The new facility hopes to contribute to Africa’s Technology and Space Growth Initiatives. By promoting new space opportunities and local job creation through ongoing site management and maintenance. With this new station, Viasat’s RTE global network is now active in five continents.
Eric Aggrey, research scientist and project manager of Ghana Radio Astronomy Project, GSSTI said, “The development of Viasat’s new antenna site has been an extremely positive opportunity for the people and economy of Ghana. We have positively grown our presence in the global space and technology sector and look forward to expanding our relationship with Viasat to bring additional new space opportunities, technologies and skillsets to Africa.”
“We knew we wanted to grow the network to cover Western Africa, and it was clear right away GSSTI was the best partner for us. It is a very professional organization that brings years of experience and expertise in antenna systems. We were evaluating several different locations in Ghana because it was an area that our customers identified as a gap in coverage — not just for RTE but for almost every ground-service provider. The Ghana site provides equatorial coverage and fills that gap in coverage for satellite operators looking to downlink imagery in a timely manner in this critical region of the world.”
Aaron Hawkins, Viasat RTE business manager
Viasat RTE provides Ground-Station-as-a-Service (GSaaS) capabilities in support of environmental, insurance, shipping, energy and government operations. It is a fully-managed, affordable ground network that supports next-generation and legacy geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO), medium earth orbit (MEO) and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites using the S-, X-, and Ka-bands, enabling operators to meet current and future data requirements.
“The new RTE ground station, located in Ghana, is part of Viasat’s strategic growth plan for a global RTE ground service network, with prior operations already located in North America, South America, Australia and Europe,” said John Williams, vice president, Real-Time Earth at Viasat. “By working in partnership with GSSTI, we have opened a state-of-the-art RTE facility, bringing jobs and economic growth to the region, while further differentiating Viasat’s service through our ability to provide satellite operators access to world-class antenna systems for high-speed RTE connectivity of payload data across a secure network.”
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