Debonair Devices targets emerging markets with Bamboo D700 Tablet

Debonair Devices Limited, a mobile phone solution provider company registered in the British Virgin Island, has concluded plans to launch its Bamboo D700 tablet into the Nigerian market.

It is the first tablet computer built specifically for emerging markets billed to be launched in Nigeria and later in 17 other African Countries.

Adebola Omololu, chief executive officer of the company said Bamboo D700 is the product of long-term research developed specifically to help provide solutions to some unique problems being faced by emerging markets.

Consumers in emerging markets, he stated, need real-time, on-demand access to content, the internet, computing and communication tools, and practical solutions to problems.

He said many of the tablets currently selling in Nigeria and other emerging markets are developed and targeted at western markets and lean towards the needs of western and established markets with prices ranging from $400 to over $5,000.

These tablets, he added, have little or nothing to offer the developing economies in terms of helping them to find solutions to the myriads of problems plaguing them saying that this propelled Debonair Devices Limited to conduct a research which led to the development of Bamboo D700.

“At Debonair, we recognised that tablets are developed to solve problems and started asking ourselves: how can we develop a tablet focused on the needs of emerging markets (such as Nigeria), with features that can match (or exceed) any luxury brand and at prices that appeal to the earning capacity of individuals in emerging markets?” Omololu said.

He stressed that: “Today, we’re pleased to announce the launch of the Bamboo D700 tablet computer. The first tablet computer built specifically for emerging markets.”

Some of the unique problems in the emerging markets that the Bamboo D700 is out to tackle include: Growth of small & medium scale business, Youth unemployment, Female empowerment, Government: Security, Education, Agriculture and Local contents.

“In many emerging markets, there are challenges of steady electricity supply from the national grid. Based on this, we have developed the Bamboo tablet to run on the optimal combination of the right Computer Processing Unit (CPU) speed, memory size and battery type to provide the longest lasting tablet computer device on a single charge,” Omololu added.

He also pointed out that emerging markets have a large number of users who would adopt tablet computers as their first computer hardware device for both voice and data usages which may lead to confusion on data and voice plans.

first appeared on businessdayonline.com

MAN raises concerns over ECOWAS common external tariff

The Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) has expressed concerns over the proposed common external tariff (CET) by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The ECOWAS CET, which is one of the key instruments for achieving regional integration and common market in the region, is aimed at harmonising the different tariffs in the member states. It was first mooted in 2000.

The implications of adopting the ECOWAS CET for member-states include the eradication of export prohibition and import prohibition lists; tariff changes can no longer be unilaterally undertaken by individual countries, including Nigeria as it has to be put before ECOWAS for approval; while levies, waivers and incentives cannot be utilised by member states as investment incentives measures or protection of local industries without reference to the Commission.

While speaking at a sensitisation workshop in Lagos organised by the MAN, Kola Jamodu, president, MAN, said if the proposed CET is adopted by Nigeria as it is currently constituted, it would have huge implications for the Nigerian manufacturers.

“We are of the view that if the CET is adopted as it is without given consideration to MAN position, Nigeria will lose the right to use fiscal policy measures as instruments to attract foreign investments into the major sectors of the economy and would no longer be in a position to use fiscal policy as an effective instrument to protect its fledging manufacturing base, among others.”

Commenting on the ECOWAS levy of 1.5 percent on all imports to be charged, Jamodu, who was represented by Gbadebo Giwa, vice president, MAN, said over 60 percent of collection would come from Nigeria and it would be a burden on manufacturers.

Charles Etuk, director fiscal policy and budget monitoring and evaluation, federal ministry of finance, said the federal government was taking into consideration the concerns of the manufacturers in the negotiations with ECOWAS.

first appeared on businessdayonline.com

The Secret to Weight Loss Might Be Poop Transplants From Skinny People (WTF)

Findings by a team of scientists at Washington University School of Medicine build upon an already sizable body of work that indicates microbes play a big role in managing your body’s weight. In the test, four sets of twins—one obese, the other not—gave the doctors fecal samples just teeming with all the lovely, intestine-dwelling microbes you could hope for. The scientists then transplanted the samples into mice bred to have no gut microbes of their own and found that the samples of thin lady poop made mice maintain a healthy weight, while the obese twins’ defecatory goodies made mice gain weight.Ashley FeinbergAs unlikely as it might seem, faecal transplants are actually turning out to be the stuff dreams are made of. And apparently, this magical poop procedure still has plenty to give. After some successful rounds of experimenting, scientists now believe that one possible answer to the rampant obesity problem could very well be lying in thin people’s faeces.

After performing further tests, the researchers were able to pinpoint one particular type of faeces-dwelling bug that was far more abundant in the slim women—a microbe called Bacteroides. That’s (probably) what was helping the thin mice stay thin.

Of course, until this theory has been tested on human subjects, we can’t be sure this would work on people. So far, though, these findings have scientists highly optimistic that obesity treatments could eventually come in the form of foods with a specially engineered sauce of microbes.

Besides, even if that doesn’t work, you could opt for a straight up transplant, and the thought of having someone else’s crap dumped into your body should be enough to make you lose your appetite anyway. 

Students don’t want us to end strike – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said it is continuing its nationwide strike on the advice of university students.

In a telephone interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, the President of the union, Dr. Isa Fagge, said  students were tired of the incessant industrial actions by the university lecturers due to the Federal Government’s failure to implement the agreement it had with ASUU since 2009.

Fagge said the union had decided to heed the advice of the students to continue the strike until the Federal Government fully implemented the agreement.

“Our students have come out to say they don’t want us to call off the strike until the Federal Government answers us, because they don’t want us to call off now and later we go back to strike again. So, we are heeding the advice of our students,” he said.

On the complaint by the Federal Government that it lacked the funds to implement the agreement, Fagge said it was not all about money, noting that government did not need funds to start implementing some parts of the agreement.

“There are issues and agreement they can implement without money. Why don’t they begin with those ones?” he asked.

He added that it was unfortunate that the government had pulled out of dialogue with ASUU, stating that the union would not be intimidated.

He said, “Now, government has pulled out of the dialogue. We thought we were the ones going on strike, but now government has also gone on strike.”

Last Thursday, university students under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Students reportedly staged a peaceful protest in Ado-Ekiti and flayed the Federal Government for failing to honour the agreement it had with ASUU since 2009.

The students, who were from public universities, threatened to disrupt activities of private universities, adding that the government was not bothered about their plight because children of government officials were studying either in private universities or studying overseas.

The university lecturers began an indefinite strike on July 1 and have been demanding full implementation of the agreement ASUU had with the Federal Government in 2009, which among other things include the UNESCO-recommended 26 per cent budgetary allocation for education. However, the government said it could not implement the agreement, and is seeking re-negotiation.

The Federal Government, last Wednesday, accused ASUU of being unrealistic by continuing its nationwide strike and asked it to rethink its demands, considering other commitments government has.

The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, who gave government’s position on the strike when he briefed journalists at the end of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, said apart from security, education was one of the sectors the government had expended a lot of money on.

first appeared on punchng.com