ITy Bytes 27 August – Nokia Android 10, Apple watch chargers, Huawei StorySign, MS Edge Chromium, Sharp A3 lasers, Epson desktop scanners, MacTel to bring Apple to SMBs

IT y Bytes 27 August

ITy Bytes 27 August – in this edition,

  • Nokia (HMD) smartphones to get Android 10 soon,
  • It seems Apple Watches need frequent recharges,
  • Microsoft Edge gets ‘beta’,
  • Huawei adds two new Auslan books to StorySign,
  • ITy Bytes 27 August SMB news
  • Sharp’s SMB to enterprise laser printers,
  • Epson’s fast SMB workgroup scanners,
  • MacTel first MVNO to supply Apple iOS devices to Aussie SMBs,

ITy Bytes 27 August is a short, curated collection of news you may like to know

ITy Bytes 27 August

Nokia (HMD) smartphones to get Android 10 soon – yet another reason to buy

Nokia uses pure Android be it Android Go in its value range, Android One in its mass-market r Pure Android in the mid/premium market.

It has announced the Android 10 rollout from Q4, 2019. HMD Global’s unique Android promise ensures that Nokia smartphone owners benefit from two years of OS upgrades and three years of security updates.

Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global said:

Nokia Android

“With a proven track record in delivering software updates fast, Nokia smartphones were the first whole portfolio to benefit from a 2-letter upgrade from Android Nougat to Android Oreo and then Android Pie. We were the fastest manufacturer to upgrade from Android Oreo to Android Pie across the range. We are the only manufacturer 100% committed to having the latest Android across the entire portfolio. Thank you to everyone in our Beta programmes which help to build on our unique Android promise and ensure your Nokia phone experience just keeps getting better.” 

It seems Apple Watches need frequent recharges

GadgetGuy has received a tsunami of releases for Apple Watch chargers and power banks. In fact, two of our most popular articles in July were for the green USB Apple Watch charger and the Belkin Boost 2K Power Bank for Apple Watch.

 Aussie accessory company 3SIXT has Jetpak Apple Watch Power Bank 1000mAh Keyring good for two watch charges on the go. Four LEDs show remaining charge, and it is topped up via micro-USB. It outputs 5V/1A (5W), so it should match the speed of the original charger. It is 61.8 x 16.5 x 39.2mm  x 50g. $99.95 from Optus, Vodafone & Telstra.

3SIXT

Microsoft Edge gets ‘beta’

Microsoft Edge – you know the browser that comes with Windows and everyone uses Chrome or Firefox instead. Well, its Chromium engine version is up to the final beta and tested by over one million downloads and 140k+ feedbacks.

MS Edge

Microsoft has thrown its considerable weight behind Chromium. To date, it has contributed more than 1,000 commits to the Chromium project. It made sense to change the engine to Chromium and pursue a standard for web browsing in the pursuit of making the web better for everyone. Microsoft is good like that.

Huawei adds two new Auslan books to StorySign

Huawei has today announced the expansion of the StorySign app in Australia, by adding two new books in Auslan – the sign language of Australia’s deaf community.

The new books, ‘Max the Brave’ by Ed Vere and ‘All About Spot’ by Eric Hill, are now accessible on the StorySign app, which harnesses the power of Huawei AI to translate popular children’s books into sign language to make storytime possible for deaf and hard of hearing children.

New research commissioned by Huawei, reveals the hidden deaf literacy problem in Australia along with the importance of storytime when developing literacy skills. Key findings from the research:

  • 47% of Australians are unaware that literacy is an issue for children that are deaf or hard of hearing.
  • 56% are unaware there are many different sign languages.
  • 94% believe reading bedtime stories improve children’s literacy skills, encourages imagination and creativity and helps parent and child bonding.
  • 76% of parents feel that technology such as StorySign could help make storytime possible with their children.

Larking Huang, Managing Director of Huawei Consumer Business Group in Australia said,

“Globally, millions of deaf children are struggling to enjoy the wonderful world of books. Together with Deaf Australia, Huawei’s mission is to raise awareness and help address the issue of deaf literacy. With more than 35,000 app downloads, StorySign is changing the lives of deaf children in Australia and around the world. We are committed to building out this program to help improve deaf literacy and ensure all children can enjoy storytime.”

Alongside the app expansion, Huawei Australia has continued its partnership with national charity, Deaf Australia, to make a real difference to deaf children’s lives.

https://youtu.be/rQazllUknIU

ITy Bytes 27 August – Small Business News

Sharp reminds us it does SMB to enterprise laser printers too

Sharp may be better known for microwaves, but it has a substantial SMB to enterprise printer range. Its new A3 ‘Cube’ MFD (multi-function device) BP20C20/25 series can start as a compact 20/25 ppm (A4) or 12/14ppm (A3) desktop printer and you can add extra input rays.

You can now print or scan directly from your smartphone, tablet or PC using AirPrint, Google Cloud Print or the Sharpdesk Mobile app via an optional wireless LAN; or plug in a USB drive to select a file from the pop-up menu to print any stored documents or save scans to it directly without using a PC.

These MFDs automatically rotate and sort multi-page documents into sets, and let you copy the front and back of ID cards onto one page, saving you more time and effort when copying or scanning documents.

ITy Bytes 27 August Sharp A3

Epson reminds us it has fast workgroup scanners

Having owned a large business, I appreciate the need to convert paper to digital – a scanner is a digital onramp. I also understand the need for reliability, especially where financial records are concerned and where you may need to scan different sizes and weights of paper.

Epson’s new DS-870 and DS-970 ($1499/1799) have a three-year business warranty. Interestingly these desktop scanners can scan 27-413gms paper at 65/85ppm and long page scanning in single-pass duplex.

They come with Epson Scan 2.0 software that makes it easy to edit images with features such as de-skew and auto-rotate. Document Capture Pro is the easy to use solution for capturing and storing electronic documents.

They are rated at up to 9000 sheets a day and have a three-year business warranty.

ITy Bytes 27 August Epson desktop scanner

MacTel becomes first MVNO to provide Apple iOS devices to Aussie SMB

Macquarie Telecom will bring Apple to the SMB, offering bespoke and off-the-shelf iOS apps for business on iPhone and iPad. It is the first MVNO in Australia to work directly with Apple.

It will initially focus on the delivery of core Apple products and business apps, before expanding to deliver a device enrolment program integrated with Apple Business Manager.

Luke Clifton, Group Executive, Macquarie Telecom, said,

“This offering will help mid-sized businesses in Australia experience the power and value of Apple. Great business devices, coupled with native apps that will see our customers become more mobile, increase productivity and solve more business problems. Mobility used to be an afterthought, but that is changing as enterprises’ needs change. This move will see business mobility become a business-leading area of our company.”

ITy Bytes 27 August

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