People and organizations can do great things with Cortana, Microsoft Edge, Xbox App, new Office Universal apps and more.
Microsoft Corp. announced that Windows 10 will become available Wednesday as a free upgrade1 or with new PCs and tablets. Windows 10 includes innovations such as Cortana,2 an Xbox app and Microsoft Edge for a familiar, yet more personal and productive, experience. The most secure Windows ever, Windows 10 is delivered as a service and kept automatically up-to-date with innovations and security updates.
Windows 10 offers one experience that will become available on the broadest range of devices, including PCs, tablets, phones, Raspberry Pi, Xbox One, HoloLens and more — with more than 2,000 devices or configurations already in testing. The new Windows Store and Windows Software Development Kit also become available Wednesday, opening the door to new and innovative app experiences on Windows 10.
People around the world will celebrate the launch of Windows 10 Wednesday at fan celebrations in 13 countries and via a new yearlong initiative to celebrate people and organizations making a difference around the world. Microsoft encourages people to share how they plan to #UpgradeYourWorld and to vote for a global nonprofit to receive a cash donation by simply mentioning the nonprofit in a post on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and using the hashtags #UpgradeYourWorld and #vote. More information on Upgrade Your World can be found at http://www.windows.com/upgradeyourworld.
“A new era of Windows starts today. From the beginning, Windows 10 has been unique — built with feedback from over 5 million fans, delivered as a service and offered as a free upgrade,” said Terry Myerson, executive vice president, Windows and Devices Group, at Microsoft. “Windows 10 delivers on our more personal computing vision, with a natural, mobile and trusted experience. Along with our partners, we’re excited to deliver the best Windows ever, which will empower people and organizations around the world to do great things.”
Windows 10: Best Windows ever
Windows 10 is fast and familiar — with the return of the Start menu and Live Tiles for instant, streaming updates of what matters most. Windows 10 is the most secure Windows Microsoft has ever released, with enhancements to Windows Defender and SmartScreen to help safeguard against viruses, malware and phishing and innovations such as Windows Hello, which offers a fast, secured, password-free way to log in.3 Keeping up-to-date is also simple, as free updates will help people stay current with the latest features and security updates for the supported lifetime of the device.
Windows 10 is more personal and productive, with voice, pen and gesture inputs for natural interaction with PCs. It’s designed to work with Office and Skype and allows you to switch between apps and stay organized with Snap and Task View. Windows 10 offers many innovative experiences and devices, including the following:
·Cortana, the personal digital assistant, makes it easy to find the right information at the right time.
·New Microsoft Edge browser lets people quickly browse, read, and mark up and share the Web.
·The integrated Xbox app delivers the Xbox experience to Windows 10, bringing together friends, games and accomplishments across Xbox One and Windows 10 devices.
·Continuum optimizes apps and experiences beautifully across touch and desktop modes.
·Built-in apps including Photos; Maps; Microsoft’s new music app, Groove; and Movies & TV offer entertainment and productivity options. With OneDrive, files can be easily shared and kept up-to-date across all devices.
·A Microsoft Phone Companion app enables iPhones, Android or Windows phones to work seamlessly with Windows 10 devices.
·The all new Office Mobile apps for Windows 10 tablets are available today in the Windows Store.4 Built for work on-the-go, the Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps offer a consistent, touch-first experience for small tablets. For digital note-taking needs, the full-featured OneNote app comes pre-installed with Windows 10. The upcoming release of the Office desktop apps (Office 2016) will offer the richest feature set for professional content creation. Designed for the precision of a keyboard and mouse, these apps will be optimized for large-screen PCs, laptops and 2-in-1 devices such as the Surface Pro.
Windows 10: Best platform for businesses
Feedback from millions of IT pros has shaped Windows 10, the most extensively tested version of Windows ever. Ready for corporate deployments, Windows 10 will help companies protect against modern cyberattacks, deliver experiences their employees will love and enable continuous innovation with a platform that keeps companies up-to-date with the latest technology. Businesses will be able to control the frequency of their updates and select the features and functionality that are right for each group of their employees.
Windows 10 includes built-in, enterprise-grade security, so customers can replace passwords with more secure options, protect corporate data and corporate identities, and run only the software they trust. New management and deployment tools simplify device management, help lower costs, and enable companies to power their business with the enterprise strength of the Microsoft Azure cloud.
Top apps available on Windows 10
The new Windows Store will open Wednesday and begin accepting new apps for Windows 10. The Windows Store offers one-stop shopping for popular free and paid apps, games, movies, TV shows and the latest music, which can work across all Windows 10 devices. The new Windows Store is the only store where people can use Cortana to control apps with their voice5 and get real-time notifications on their app tiles. All Windows Store content is certified by Microsoft to help keep devices safer. In addition to existing Windows 8.1 apps such as Netflix, Flipboard, Mint.com, “Asphalt 8: Airborne” and The Weather Channel, the Windows Store provides a constant stream of new and updated Universal Windows Apps and games, including Twitter, “Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition beta,” Hulu, iHeartRadio, USA TODAY, “Candy Crush Saga” and many more others including WeChat and QQ, which will launch soon .6
Easy upgrade, devices now available
Upgrading to Windows 10 is easy for customers running a genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 PC or tablet. Starting Wednesday, people who reserved their upgrade to Windows 10 will be notified in waves when their upgrade is ready to be installed. For business customers, Windows 10 is available to start deploying within their work environments, and starting Aug. 1, organizations that have volume licensing can upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education.
Retail partners are ready to help people upgrade to Windows 10 with our largest tech bench program ever, including more than 100,000 trained retailers and tens of thousands of stores around the world. Free upgrade programs will be available Wednesday, with Windows 10 software becoming broadly available in retail stores around the world between mid-August and September. Devices running Windows 10 will be available in some retail stores on Wednesday, with many, many more devices to become available in the weeks and months ahead.
Microsoft has also worked closely with retailers to introduce programs to help people easily upgrade, including Best Buy, Bic Camera, Croma, Currys/PC World, Darty, Elkjøp, Fnac, Jarrir, Incredible Connection, Media Markt, Staples, Yamada Denki, Yodobashi and many more leading retailers from around the world.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
OPIC and Microsoft begin financing discussions with Kenya’s Mawingu Networks
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s Development Finance Institution, today signed a mandate letter to begin financing discussions with Mawingu Networks, a provider of solar-powered wireless Internet across rural Kenya.
OPIC’s President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield is in Nairobi for the 2015 Global Entrepreneur Summit, and signed the OPIC mandate today alongside Antony Cook, Microsoft’s Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs for the Middle East and Africa, who served as a witness to the mandate between OPIC and Mawingu.
Mawingu Networks was able to establish their current operating model using an initial grant from Microsoft’s 4Afrika initiative, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an investment from Angel Investor Jim Forster, and early funding from Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc.
Using a network of solar-powered “nomadic” wireless internet stations, Mawingu provides last-mile connectivity access to areas that cannot economically access the Internet. Spurred on by the promise of Mawingu’s initial pilot operations, OPIC’s consideration of a potential $4 million loan would allow a commercial expansion of a proven model to utilize existing technology of TV White Spaces (TVWS) connectivity for off-grid Internet access.
“The development potential from creative private sector organizations like Mawingu captures the spirit and promise at the heart of this week’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit,” said Elizabeth Littlefield, OPIC’s President and CEO. “Financial support at crucial stages of a company’s business evolution can transform a great idea into a deeply impactful reality for millions in the developing world. By leveraging technology and ingenuity, Mawingu’s massive reach to connect rural African communities to the Internet is just beginning, and I look forward to the growth and scalability of this model that OPIC financing can unlock.”
“Mawingu was the first of the 6 TV white space pilots Microsoft has deployed in Africa in collaboration with partners, making Africa a leader in TV white spaces. We hope regulators across the continent develop legal frameworks that support broader commercial deployment of the technology. It is now time to work with both local and global partners such as OPIC to go commercial and scale to impact not just thousands, but millions of lives across Africa,” Says Antony Cook, Microsoft’s Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs for the Middle East and Africa
“This is an exciting day for the Mawingu team. The support from OPIC will really help us deliver on the potential of this opportunity to help connect millions of Kenyans to the Internet for the first time” says Mawingu Director Tim Hobbs.
“Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. is investing in African entrepreneurs and startups in order to develop scalable solutions from within Africa,” said Lauren Kickham, Vulcan Inc.’s head of Africa entrepreneurship program. “We are pleased that our investment in Mawingu will help drive resiliency in African communities. Through our pilots and partnerships, we will de-risk and catalyze growth of new businesses.”
OPIC’s President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield is in Nairobi for the 2015 Global Entrepreneur Summit, and signed the OPIC mandate today alongside Antony Cook, Microsoft’s Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs for the Middle East and Africa, who served as a witness to the mandate between OPIC and Mawingu.
Mawingu Networks was able to establish their current operating model using an initial grant from Microsoft’s 4Afrika initiative, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an investment from Angel Investor Jim Forster, and early funding from Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc.
Using a network of solar-powered “nomadic” wireless internet stations, Mawingu provides last-mile connectivity access to areas that cannot economically access the Internet. Spurred on by the promise of Mawingu’s initial pilot operations, OPIC’s consideration of a potential $4 million loan would allow a commercial expansion of a proven model to utilize existing technology of TV White Spaces (TVWS) connectivity for off-grid Internet access.
“The development potential from creative private sector organizations like Mawingu captures the spirit and promise at the heart of this week’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit,” said Elizabeth Littlefield, OPIC’s President and CEO. “Financial support at crucial stages of a company’s business evolution can transform a great idea into a deeply impactful reality for millions in the developing world. By leveraging technology and ingenuity, Mawingu’s massive reach to connect rural African communities to the Internet is just beginning, and I look forward to the growth and scalability of this model that OPIC financing can unlock.”
“Mawingu was the first of the 6 TV white space pilots Microsoft has deployed in Africa in collaboration with partners, making Africa a leader in TV white spaces. We hope regulators across the continent develop legal frameworks that support broader commercial deployment of the technology. It is now time to work with both local and global partners such as OPIC to go commercial and scale to impact not just thousands, but millions of lives across Africa,” Says Antony Cook, Microsoft’s Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs for the Middle East and Africa
“This is an exciting day for the Mawingu team. The support from OPIC will really help us deliver on the potential of this opportunity to help connect millions of Kenyans to the Internet for the first time” says Mawingu Director Tim Hobbs.
“Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. is investing in African entrepreneurs and startups in order to develop scalable solutions from within Africa,” said Lauren Kickham, Vulcan Inc.’s head of Africa entrepreneurship program. “We are pleased that our investment in Mawingu will help drive resiliency in African communities. Through our pilots and partnerships, we will de-risk and catalyze growth of new businesses.”
Microsoft Employability Platforms bet on creating 100,000 job opportunities by the end of the year
Microsoft is aiming to create over 100,000 job opportunities and reach over seven million people across the Middle East and Africa by the end of the year through its Employability Platforms, in partnership with organisations from public and private sectors, as well as NGOs. Launched in 2012, the YouthSpark Employability Platform for the first time provides job-seekers with end-to-end career guidance, upskilling, job-matching and mentorship – all centred on a free online hub that brings the best resources together in a bold attempt to address unemployment and underemployment.
In the MENA region the platform is called Ta3mal (“works” in Arabic) and is a partnership between Microsoft and Silatech, a non-profit organization supporting youth access to employment across the Arab world.
“Unemployment in Africa and the Middle East is not a new issue, but its scope is growing with the youth bulge and economic downturn worldwide and we need to find new solutions to address this problem,” says Ali Faramawy, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Middle East Africa (MEA).
Microsoft’s solution, in the form of its Employability Platforms, has landed in markets including Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq, Qatar, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Algeria, Ghana, Palestine and Turkey and will expand to 21 countries across MEA including Tanzania, Pakistan, Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Mauritius. To date, the YouthSpark employability platform has reached 5.8 million youth with a target of reaching 7 million by the end of FY15. In addition, 69,000 job opportunities have been posted on the job search tool against 100,000 job openings goal to be reached by the end of the year.
Silatech Chief Programs Officer Martin Roeske commented on the partnership, saying “The Ta3mal network of Employability Platforms across MENA shows what we can do when NGOs and the private sector join strengths and resources together to achieve real impact.”
“Part of the unemployment problem is caused by a lack of economic opportunity, as well as the fact that graduates from secondary and tertiary institutions lack the skills required by employers,” says Faramawy. “But there is no shortage of determination and even in a country like Iraq that has been faced with some dire situations, our platform has helped put 30 000 youths into jobs in the past 14 months.”
Microsoft’s solution is not only to provide access to job opportunities to interested youth, but to define pathways through which to equip them with the necessary skills, including soft skills, to land and hold onto these jobs. “Job seekers need to be equipped with skills like how to write up a CV, have a successful interview and how to dress in the workplace, which is why we have included videos, articles and courses of this nature on the platform along with the more competency based courses,” comments Faramawy.
Retention is also higher when graduates are in jobs matched to their aptitudes and career ambitions. This is why the first step on the platform is a series of tests, to help each user to determine their strengths as well as areas of improvement. Based on that, they can decide from a selection of 1000 courses on the platform they should sign up for in order to improve their skills in their areas of interest including entrepreneurialism. “We also focus on helping entrepreneurs simply because there aren’t enough jobs to go around so people need to know how to self-employ and perhaps even employ one or two others,” explains Faramawy.
Once users have been upskilled, the Employability Platform connects them with professional and entrepreneurial opportunities. To achieve this, there is a mentoring function allowing users to connect with volunteers around the world to receive informal guidance from experts, while a ‘job posts’ function presents them with suitable positions in the private sector, with a special focus on those youth with little to no professional experience.
“There are lots of employment resources out there for youth, but the great thing about the Employability Platform is that it offers one central space where users can find out what they’re good at, take courses to upskill, speak to people in their desired industry and view jobs in that industry,” comments Faramawy.
Accounting student at Damanhour University in Egypt, Mostafa Baragheet, made use of ‘Masr Ta3mal’ – Egypt’s Employability Platform – when extra-curricular courses became too expensive. After taking a personality test and taking part in a career consultation session, he signed up for accounting and business management courses through the platform. “With the guidance of Masr Ta3mal’s consultant, I was able to help myself without spending any money, and I gained the confidence to start my own company.”
Faramawy calls the Microsoft Employability Platforms “a solution in a box that can be tailored locally.” The target audience is not specifically university students, but simply young job-seekers across MEA needing the tools to take the step into the working world. Microsoft views itself as the solution provider, and relies on government, NGOs, universities, vocational schools and the private sector to bring the platform to life.
“The young minds of MEA are amazing incubators for new ways of thinking. But we also have to develop new ways of thinking when investing in their development if we are to help the next generation fulfil its potential.”
In the MENA region the platform is called Ta3mal (“works” in Arabic) and is a partnership between Microsoft and Silatech, a non-profit organization supporting youth access to employment across the Arab world.
“Unemployment in Africa and the Middle East is not a new issue, but its scope is growing with the youth bulge and economic downturn worldwide and we need to find new solutions to address this problem,” says Ali Faramawy, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Middle East Africa (MEA).
Microsoft’s solution, in the form of its Employability Platforms, has landed in markets including Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq, Qatar, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Algeria, Ghana, Palestine and Turkey and will expand to 21 countries across MEA including Tanzania, Pakistan, Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Mauritius. To date, the YouthSpark employability platform has reached 5.8 million youth with a target of reaching 7 million by the end of FY15. In addition, 69,000 job opportunities have been posted on the job search tool against 100,000 job openings goal to be reached by the end of the year.
Silatech Chief Programs Officer Martin Roeske commented on the partnership, saying “The Ta3mal network of Employability Platforms across MENA shows what we can do when NGOs and the private sector join strengths and resources together to achieve real impact.”
“Part of the unemployment problem is caused by a lack of economic opportunity, as well as the fact that graduates from secondary and tertiary institutions lack the skills required by employers,” says Faramawy. “But there is no shortage of determination and even in a country like Iraq that has been faced with some dire situations, our platform has helped put 30 000 youths into jobs in the past 14 months.”
Microsoft’s solution is not only to provide access to job opportunities to interested youth, but to define pathways through which to equip them with the necessary skills, including soft skills, to land and hold onto these jobs. “Job seekers need to be equipped with skills like how to write up a CV, have a successful interview and how to dress in the workplace, which is why we have included videos, articles and courses of this nature on the platform along with the more competency based courses,” comments Faramawy.
Retention is also higher when graduates are in jobs matched to their aptitudes and career ambitions. This is why the first step on the platform is a series of tests, to help each user to determine their strengths as well as areas of improvement. Based on that, they can decide from a selection of 1000 courses on the platform they should sign up for in order to improve their skills in their areas of interest including entrepreneurialism. “We also focus on helping entrepreneurs simply because there aren’t enough jobs to go around so people need to know how to self-employ and perhaps even employ one or two others,” explains Faramawy.
Once users have been upskilled, the Employability Platform connects them with professional and entrepreneurial opportunities. To achieve this, there is a mentoring function allowing users to connect with volunteers around the world to receive informal guidance from experts, while a ‘job posts’ function presents them with suitable positions in the private sector, with a special focus on those youth with little to no professional experience.
“There are lots of employment resources out there for youth, but the great thing about the Employability Platform is that it offers one central space where users can find out what they’re good at, take courses to upskill, speak to people in their desired industry and view jobs in that industry,” comments Faramawy.
Accounting student at Damanhour University in Egypt, Mostafa Baragheet, made use of ‘Masr Ta3mal’ – Egypt’s Employability Platform – when extra-curricular courses became too expensive. After taking a personality test and taking part in a career consultation session, he signed up for accounting and business management courses through the platform. “With the guidance of Masr Ta3mal’s consultant, I was able to help myself without spending any money, and I gained the confidence to start my own company.”
Faramawy calls the Microsoft Employability Platforms “a solution in a box that can be tailored locally.” The target audience is not specifically university students, but simply young job-seekers across MEA needing the tools to take the step into the working world. Microsoft views itself as the solution provider, and relies on government, NGOs, universities, vocational schools and the private sector to bring the platform to life.
“The young minds of MEA are amazing incubators for new ways of thinking. But we also have to develop new ways of thinking when investing in their development if we are to help the next generation fulfil its potential.”
Monday, July 20, 2015
Eastern Hill Academy Adopts Etisalat Cliqlite for e-Learning
Driven by a need to improve the education standards of its students and promote open access to quality education in the country, Eastern Hill Academy School, Enugu, has adopted the use of Cliqlite, Etisalat’s child friendly educational product as an e-learning tool to boost teaching and learning in the school.
According to a statement made available to news men at the school’s Prize-giving Day recently in Enugu, the school’s administrator, Chineye Ikenma said that the school adopted the use of Etisalat Cliqlite device as an e-learning tool in order to give its students a unique opportunity to easily access educational materials online and address problems that are associated with examination failure.
(L-R): Head, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Elvis Daniel; Founder, Eastern Hill Academy, Mrs. Oyenyekwena Adaeze; Administrator of Eastern Hill Academy, Mrs. Chineye Ikenma and Manager TEEN Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Mrs. Ifeoluwa Oyeyipo, at theEastern Hill Academy speech and Prize Giving Day, held at the school premises in Enugu.
Mrs. Ikenma added, “We kicked off the use of this device in September 2014 and currently, we have over 73 students in our school using it. Cliqlite device has made it easy for us to access educational programs such as Nigerian education curriculum, exam materials and educative games. Another unique thing for us and the parents is the security function that enables parents and guardians protect children from harmful content on the internet.”
Responding to the latest development, Head, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Elvis Daniel, who was also present at the event expressed gladness that the school appreciates the value in Cliqlite and adopted it as an educational learning resource to promote its educational programs.
Daniel stated, “At Etisalat, we are driven by a sustained commitment to revolutionize learning in the country and we are happy that Eastern Hill Academy is part of this dream. Cliqlite is a learning tool that every child should own in this age to keep up with trends and learn in an enjoyable and safe manner. Keeping children in class alone has become boring these days, so rather than giving your child a mobile phone or tablet without any restrictions, Etisalat Cliqlite is a better option.”
Cliqlite supports learning and development for children and teenagers between the ages of 8 to 15 years. Users enjoy the benefits of preloaded educational apps and approved textbooks on the Cliqlite tab. The educational content include approved primary, junior and senior secondary school textbooks, Wikipedia app, Okada books, dictionary, sounds (pronunciation app), Typing Tutor and ‘Spell Me Right’, amongst others.
According to a statement made available to news men at the school’s Prize-giving Day recently in Enugu, the school’s administrator, Chineye Ikenma said that the school adopted the use of Etisalat Cliqlite device as an e-learning tool in order to give its students a unique opportunity to easily access educational materials online and address problems that are associated with examination failure.
(L-R): Head, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Elvis Daniel; Founder, Eastern Hill Academy, Mrs. Oyenyekwena Adaeze; Administrator of Eastern Hill Academy, Mrs. Chineye Ikenma and Manager TEEN Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Mrs. Ifeoluwa Oyeyipo, at theEastern Hill Academy speech and Prize Giving Day, held at the school premises in Enugu.
Mrs. Ikenma added, “We kicked off the use of this device in September 2014 and currently, we have over 73 students in our school using it. Cliqlite device has made it easy for us to access educational programs such as Nigerian education curriculum, exam materials and educative games. Another unique thing for us and the parents is the security function that enables parents and guardians protect children from harmful content on the internet.”
Responding to the latest development, Head, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Elvis Daniel, who was also present at the event expressed gladness that the school appreciates the value in Cliqlite and adopted it as an educational learning resource to promote its educational programs.
Daniel stated, “At Etisalat, we are driven by a sustained commitment to revolutionize learning in the country and we are happy that Eastern Hill Academy is part of this dream. Cliqlite is a learning tool that every child should own in this age to keep up with trends and learn in an enjoyable and safe manner. Keeping children in class alone has become boring these days, so rather than giving your child a mobile phone or tablet without any restrictions, Etisalat Cliqlite is a better option.”
Cliqlite supports learning and development for children and teenagers between the ages of 8 to 15 years. Users enjoy the benefits of preloaded educational apps and approved textbooks on the Cliqlite tab. The educational content include approved primary, junior and senior secondary school textbooks, Wikipedia app, Okada books, dictionary, sounds (pronunciation app), Typing Tutor and ‘Spell Me Right’, amongst others.
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