Software firm dangles ‘winning recipe’ to techpreneurs

While every entrepreneur, especially in the technology space, is unique and each story is different, there is a common factor that unites them – they take risks, follow their dreams and pursue their passions.
Steven Cohen, head of Sage One International for Africa, Australia, Middle East and Asia, said that “taking action” is one of the critical steps to stand out as a small business owner, even in harsh economic climate.
Cohen said, “There’s a reason the term ‘wantrepreneur’ has come to describe so many people – action and execution are much harder than talk. Success is the result of your actions. It’s not always laziness that impedes action, sometimes over-thinking things, doubting yourself, or striving for ‘perfect’ can prevent us from getting on with things. It’s key to find a balance between

Apple Japan unit ordered to pay $118m tax for under reporting income

An Apple Inc iTunes unit in Japan was ordered to pay some 12 billion yen ($118 million) in tax by local authorities after underreporting income, media reported Friday.
The unit has since paid the amount, the reports said.
The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau determined that the unit, which sends part of its profits earned from fees paid by Japan subscribers to another Apple unit in Ireland to pay for software

Russia stands firm on porn websites ban

Russia on Thursday stood firm after slapping a ban on two major porn websites — rebuffing a tongue-in-cheek proposal to change its mind in exchange for premium access.
On Tuesday, Russia’s communications watchdog blocked widely-watched sites Pornhub and YouPorn after courts in the far eastern city of Vladivostok and the southern Voronezh region ruled they distribute pornography.
Pornhub, which says it is the world’s number one free pornography site, responded with a cheeky tweet to the Roskomnadzor watchdog, offering it premium subscription in return for lifting the ban.
“If we give you guys a Pornhub Premium account, will you un ban Pornhub in Russia?” the site wrote.
“Sorry, we are not in the market, and the demography is not a commodity,” the agency snapped back in English on its official Twitter, suggesting pornography is preventing the population from

Inactive phone numbers in Nigeria increase to 76 million – NCC

Inactive telephone numbers in the country increased from 67,331,498 in June to 76,164,149 in July, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed, Thursday.
In its “Monthly Subscriber Data’’ report released in Lagos, the commission said there were 8,832,651 unused numbers during the period, making up the total inactive lines.
It showed that of the 226,426,215 connected lines, only 150,262,066 numbers were active.
The report stated that of the 76,164,149 inactive numbers, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks had a share of 72,732,130.
The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA mobile) operators had a share of 3,240,313 while the Fixed Wired/Wireless networks had a total of 184,819 unused lines.
Similarly, of the 150,262,066 active lines, the GSM networks had 149,708,077 numbers, adding a

Apple seeks fresh momentum with iPhone launch

With new iPhones hitting the markets Friday, Apple is seeking to regain momentum and set new trends for the smartphone industry and tech sector.
The newest versions of the California-based technology giant’s lifestyle-changing iPhone aim to win over users with sophisticated camera technology, water resistance, more power and other improvements.
But Apple has raised eyebrows by eliminating headphone jacks in what executives heralded as an embrace of a wireless future for its new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
The devices with boosted memory capacity will be sold at roughly the same price as the models they replace, starting at $649 for the iPhone 7 for US customers, with deliveries in some 25 countries launching Friday.
What remains unclear for Apple is whether it can generate the same kind of excitement that surrounded previous versions of the iPhone, amid stiff competition from Samsung and other

Subscribers threaten to drag NCC to court over unsolicited SMS

The National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) has threatened to institute an action against the telecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in court over the regulator’s failure to sanction telecoms operators and Value Added Service (VAS) providers who consistently send unsolicited text messages, otherwise known as Short Message Service (SMS) to subscribers.
The warning came on the heels of the recent statement credited to NCC that it would continue to protect telecoms subscribers from unsolicited SMS by operators.
NCC had last week, issued a strong warning to telecoms operators to respect the rights of consumers and put an end to unsolicited SMS, but the warning rather angered subscribers, who felt NCC no longer have the feelings of subscribers, hence it kept ‘barking without biting’ on the issue of unsolicited SMS, which they said, had lingered for too long, without any definite action

Uber debuts self-driving cars

There’s a new kind of car on the streets of Pittsburgh. Uber has taken a huge step into the future, unveiling a small fleet of autonomous, self-driving vehicles for the exclusive use of its most loyal customers.
The company wants to put autonomous driving to the test in a city already known for its driving challenges.
“Pittsburgh is an old city, it has an organic road network, it has real traffic problems, it experiences extreme weather so we really feel that Pittsburgh is the double black diamond of driving,” Said Director of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Centre, Raffi Krikorian.
The challenges are many and various. Critics say self-driving cars are not safe enough yet….that

Apple says it’s not buying Tidal, but doesn’t deny talks

It’s been rumored for months that Apple was thinking about buying Tidal, the music streaming service started by Jay Z, but the iPhone maker now says a deal certainly isn’t on the cards.
Speaking to BuzzFeed News, Apple Music head Jimmy Iovine didn’t deny that the two companies had held discussions, but said that no acquisition was forthcoming. “We’re really running our own race,” Iovine told the publication. “We’re not looking to acquire any streaming services.”
The first rumor of a deal was reported by The Wall Street Journal in June, with Apple said to be particularly interested in Tidal’s close relationship with high-profile artists.
The streaming service has been home to exclusives from a number of musicians including