Faster computers: First graphene semiconductor on the prowl - ITREALMS

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Researchers have showcased the first functional graphene semiconductor. The discovery could change computing and electronics forever.

Scientists have made a breakthrough in electronics, creating the world's first functional semiconductor made from graphene — a material known for being tough, flexible, light and with a high resistance.

Their discovery comes at a time when silicon, the material from which nearly all modern electronics are made, is reaching its limit.

@2021 ReapVille: Expert warns ‘Children’s bedroom, last place to install computers’ - ITREALMS

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The children’s bedroom has been described as the last place to install computers, according to an award-winning child formator and president, Veteran Consultants, Mrs. Chinelo Okolo, reports ITREALMS.

Guest Speaker Mrs Chinelo Okolo with
ReapVille Schools' director, Mrs. Phil Ugwuoke at the occasion.

Delivering a special guest address at the 2021 Valedictory Ceremony and Prize Giving day of ReapVille Schools, Mafoluku-Oshodi in Lagos State, Mrs. Okolo who is a certified counselor and renowned resource person, noted that often it could be difficult to give children the required study space and quiet vicinity they need to enable them do their best especially during secondary school.

With computers everyone is more powerful – Cigdem Ertem

ITRealms:

The Regional President for Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Intel Corporation, Mrs. Cigdem Ertem has declared that with computers, everyone is more powerful, reports ITRealms.

She made this declaration while speaking at a press conference on the Personal Computer (PC) adoption initiative by a set of computing technology players in Lagos.

“With computers, everyone is more powerful,” she asserted.

These players, ITRealms reports include Dell, Microsoft, Asus, Zinox, RLG, Lenovo, Airtel and Diamond Bank.

Mrs. Ertem said that with the kind of partnership Intel is drawing on this initiative, more Nigerians would be empowered.

She also said that this would entail affordable computers, mostly with the support of the government.

“So I am happy to announce that we are in Nigeria to make computers and the internet more affordable,” she said.

Ertem pointed out that only Intel cannot do it all, thus the partnership becomes imperative.

There was series of remarks from the partnership including Dell, Microsoft, RLG, Lenovo and Diamond Bank.

ITRealms also reports that the initiative is aimed at nurturing and supporting the development of innovators as well as businesses in Nigeria.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 
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Pix: L-r New HP Nigeria, MD, Ify Afe, SSA Job Creation and Youth Employment to Vice President, Mr. Afolabi Imoukhuede, Regional President, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Intel, Mrs. Cidgem Ertem, speaking; Distribution Sales Manager, Lenovo West Africa, Mrs Terae Onyeje, Consumer Director, Microsoft Nigeria, Mark Ihimoyan and Regional Director, B2G West and Central Africa at RLG, Tosin Ilesanmi.

DHL Sub-Saharan Africa launches TC55

ITRealms

 

DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa has launched TC55 pocket-sized, all-touch computers that capitalizes on the latest technological advancements to ensure customers on the continent benefit from increased visibility and an enhanced experience, reports ITRealms.

The TC55 scanners operate on an Android platform and in addition to ease of use; they also have built-in location services and GPS navigation capabilities. The rise of e-commerce and increased competition are driving the demand for real-time supply chain visibility.

The Vice President, Operations, DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa,Oliver Facey, said that supply chain operators should increasingly invest in transportation management systems and solutions to improve the quality, speed and precision of service.  He says that these improvements will not only enhance customer experience, but also reduce operating costs and give operators a competitive advantage, ITRealms gathered.

“We operate across 51 markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, servicing over 40,000 customers; therefore delivery efficiency is key for us. As a network business, we need to ensure that our shipment data is captured accurately and in real-time. Our growth plans and improvements are driven by the voice of our customer, and in challenging and competitive global environments, they need us to provide accurate and real-time information to ensure that they maintain their competitive edge and speed to market,” saidFacey. 

“The new technology increases the speed at which we can process shipments at both customer locations and DHL facilities and also empowers our frontline employees with access to real-time shipment information which will assist them with workload management. Unlike consumer-grade counterparts, these devices have integrated data-capture capabilities, and are also built to endure the wear and tear of industrial environments,” adds Facey.

A press release from distributed by African Press Organization, APO, on behalf of Deutsche Post DHL, benefits for DHL customers include real-time shipment visibility, enhanced electronic proof of delivery, and on-time billing, ITRealms reports.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ GEE/ED,OPs

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PCFix: I can't watch video on my PC

I can’t watch video on my PC

Hi PCFix, I can’t watch streaming videos from the internet on my computer. What should I do? Jimoh Abiodun.

Ans: Hi Jimoh, You didn’t provide enough details about your computer; the Operating System software, your internet browser software, and your internet connection. However, the most common culprit for the inability to watch videos on the internet is a plugin; this is a tiny piece of software that is installed on your computer and works with the internet browser software on your computer.

The most common plugins are Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft Silverlight, Shockwave, WebpCodec and they enable your internet browser access and display multimedia contents online appropriately.

Depending on the Operating System software that is installed on your computer, you may have to update your current internet browser software.

However, we recommend the following because of their versatility and wealth of plugins and extensions: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Opera. These are cross-platform software, meaning they are compatible with various Operating System software, including but not limited to Microsoft Windows, Apple MAC OS, and Linux Distributions.

It takes 45mins to boot my PC

Hi PCFix, each time I switch on my desktop computer, it takes about forty-five minutes before it starts to boot up. Recently, it has not been booting up at all. What can I do to make it function normally again. Akinsinde Afis.

Ans: Hi Afis, depending on the Operating System software that is installed on your computer, you may be able to perform a system restore; this will return your computer to an earlier date which it functioned normally.

In order to access this feature, you should keep tapping the F8 key on the keyboard as soon as you turn on your computer, this will halt the boot process and take you to a diagnostic page, and you should select Safe Mode. This will boot up your computer in a diagnostic mode and you can perform the system restore.

Note, that the system restore function will delete all programmes installed after the date you choose to restore to, but all your documents are not affected in any way. If you have made changes to your computer BIOS software, you may have to restore it to the default setting.

Occasionally, when changes are made to the boot order, the computer will always look for boot up information from various sources before finally checking the hard drive and this can slow down the boot up process considerably.

My PC does not boot to Windows

Hi PCFix, my computer does not boot to Windows anymore, I noticed that it gives an error message (hard disk failure, insert system disk) what could be wrong with it? Adelabu Ibrahim

Ans: Hi Ibrahim, that is one message every computer owner should dread. It means your computer hard drive is faulty and needs replacement before you can use your computer again. Sadly, all your data on the hard drive is at risk of being totally lost.

If you have critical information on the hard drive, you can take it to specialists who can perform recovery on it and get your information out.

Note that all computer components have a lifespan and your hard drive may have reached the end of its lifespan. Also, if you have dropped the computer recently, the shock may have caused a physical damage in the hard drive, hence, the error message you get on the screen. Before getting a replacement, you should consult the manufacturer’s manual for your computer to know the appropriate replacement part number and a host of other details.

Freezing computer

Hi PCFix, whenever I turn on my computer, it only shows the first stage of booting up, and then it freezes. What should I do to fix the problem? Ekezie Chinani

Ans: Hi Ekezie, the first thing you should do is to go into the Safe Mode of your Operating System software; you can access it by continuously tapping the F8 key as soon as you power on your computer. You will see a diagnostics page with lots of options, select the option for Safe Mode and press enter.

Your computer will most likely boot up in diagnostics mode, and there you can perform a system restore to an earlier date. Good practice is to choose a date before you noticed the error; this will delete the most recent software you may have installed after the date chosen, but will not affect your documents.

However, if your computer does not boot up into Safe Mode, you may have to re-install the Operating System software on your computer. For newer computers, they are shipped with a recovery partition instead of software CDs or DVDs. You can access the recovery partition by pressing the F11 key (for HP computers) when you power up your computer.

Caution! Make sure you have an external storage device on hand to back up your data as the recovery process will restore your computer back to its factory state and wipe your hard drive.

I changed my operating system, my wireless disappears

Hi PCFix, I changed the Operating System software on my HP Compaq Presario V6000 laptop from Windows Vista to Windows 7, and then I discovered that the wireless function is no longer responding. What is the best way to solve the problem? Oladitan Ahmed

Ans: Hi Ahmed, you have a case of missing driver software on your laptop. The easiest way to solve this problem is to go to the support section of your laptop manufacturer’s website and download the appropriate driver for your new Operating System software.

Usually, not all the hardware drivers for a computer are pre-bundled with the Operating System software. Some of the necessary drivers for your computer are delivered via Windows update while others need to be downloaded manually from the manufacturer’s website.

Some manufacturer’s bundle the necessary drivers in the C drive on your computer and unless you format the hard drive, you can always make use of them. Since you are upgraded from Windows Vista to Windows 7, some drivers from the old Operating System Software may work with the new Operating System. Please confirm with your product manual, downloadable from the manufacturer’s website.

Akin Ibitoye
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

CommTech refutes importation of 490,000 computers

The Ministry of Communications Technology (CommTech) has refuted allegations that the Federal Government imported 490,000 Personal Computers (PC) in anticipation of boosting penetration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the country.

Mrs. Omobola Johnson

Special Adviser to the Minister of Communications Technology, Efem Nkanga, made this rebuttal, saying that Minister, Mrs. Omobola Johnson never spoke with any report on such a project as at Monday, June 19, 2012.

ITRealmsOnline recalls that news reports credited to the New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had earlier alleged that the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson had informed a reporter with NAN, that the federal government acquired 490,000 PCs, which represents about 70 per cent of the 700,000 computers so far bought by the ministry, for sale to interested Nigerians at subsidised rate.

She reiterated that the news report is false and is “a figment of the imagination of the reporter.”

Maintaining that at no time on Monday (or anytime) did the Minister speak with any reporter on such an issue.

Mrs. Nkanga also noted that one of the Ministry’s primary goals is to create an enabling environment that will ensure that local content in the sector is developed for the benefit of Nigerians.

“To ensure local value added in the sector, the Ministry is in the process of finalising local content guidelines and policy interventions that will create a level playing field for local Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and stimulate demand for the products of indigenous manufacturers,” she said.

Remmy Nweke

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