TECH NEWS : VIVO Y71A SPOTTED, HUAWEI PROFIT RISE

Tech News

Huawei post 28.1% rise in its net profit in 2017

Shenzhen-based Huawei on Friday reported annual revenue of CNY 603.6 billion ($ 92.5 billion) an increase of 15.7 percent over 2016. Net profits were CNY47.5 billion ($7.3 billion), an increase of 28.1 percent year-on-year.

In 2017, Huawei's annual investment in research and development reached CNY89.7 billion ($13.8 billion), up 17.4 percent compared with 2016. The company's total R&D spend over the past decade has exceeded 394 billion yuan ($60.4 billion).

'We're on a new journey,' said Ken Hu, Huawei's Rotating Chairman. 'Opportunities and challenges are popping up faster than ever before, and nonstop open innovation is the only way we can keep ahead of the game.

Over the next 10 years, Huawei will continue to increase investment in technological innovation, investing more than 10 billion dollars back into R&D every year. We will actively pursue open collaboration, attract and cultivate top talent, and step up efforts in exploratory research. We want to better enable all industries to go digital and intelligent.'

Hu added, 'As we look to 2018, emerging technologies like the Internet of Things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and 5G will soon see a large-scale application. Throughout this process, Huawei will stay at the forefront of technological innovation and business transformation. More importantly, we will pay special attention to the practical challenges that our customers face as they go digital. Our job is to help them overcome these challenges and achieve business success. Ultimately, we aim to bring digital to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world.'

The company said that its Carrier business group generated CNY297.8 billion ($45.7 billion) in revenue, an increase of 2.5 percent year-on-year, focusing on helping global carriers maximize the potential of their existing network assets and seize new opportunities in video, IoT, and cloud markets.

Huawei's Enterprise business group enhanced innovations in cloud, big data, campus networks, data centers, IoT, and other domains, and drove extensive application of its products and solutions for a range of vertical industries. In 2017, Huawei's enterprise business generated CNY54.9 billion ($8.4 billion) in annual revenue, an increase of 35.1 percent compared with 2016.

In consumer business, the Huawei and Honor brands ran full speed ahead, leading to rapid growth in their respective markets. Huawei shipped a total of 153 million smartphones (including Honor) in 2017, and reported CNY237.2 billion ($36.4 billion) in annual revenue, up 31.9 percent year-on-year.

The Cloud Business Unit launched 99 cloud services across 14 major categories and over 50 solutions. The company also unveiled the Enterprise Intelligence (EI) platform and developed over 2,000 cloud service partners.

Lack of strict implementation

According to a new survey by ASSOCHAM and global software giant Microsoft, most cyber frauds in India's booming business process outsourcing (BPO) sector occur due to lack of strict implementation of existing information security protocols together with poor employee awareness.

It was noted that awareness about cyber frauds was low among freshers and job applicants, but it was relatively higher inexperienced employees.

'Both employees and customers are to be blamed for cyber frauds as employees lack ethics and customers for being careless about security and privacy,' admitted experienced BPO professionals while acknowledging that computer hacking, credit card/bank frauds, malware/virus, tech support scams are 'most prevalent.'

While enough measures exist in the BPO sector to keep a check on cyber frauds, it is the lack of seriousness at the organizational level towards the issue which is the root cause to the problem as casual attitude is often passed down to employees, a survey said.

'Basic protocols like frisking/checking before entry/exit, no mobile phones on the floor, no pen and paper and others are frequently overlooked, thereby exposing gaps.'

It was also revealed that there is certain casualness, as the general feeling is that most cyber frauds occur on a larger scale, and the security staff is not aware of implications of not following proper protocols.

'There is also little awareness of the importance of protecting data of clients leading to the casual attitude of employees towards data.'

While the seriousness of implications and fear of repercussions is not deeply instilled in the employees' minds, they can also get trapped or perpetuate those frauds unknowingly.

The survey sample design comprised of four focus group discussions (FGDs) and 20 in-depth interviews (IDIs) held across Delhi-NCR and Kolkata.

Vivo Y71A spotted on TENAA with a 5.99-inch display

Vivo last week launched the Vivo V9 smartphone in India. It is a flagship smartphone which comes with an iPhone X-like design and impressive specifications. The company is apparently working on a mid-range smartphone. We say so as a new handset called Vivo Y71A has been spotted on TENAA.

The TENAA listing has revealed the key specifications of the smartphone. The images of the Vivo Y71A are also on the available on the certification site. To start with the specifications, the smartphone is listed with a 5.99-inch display with a screen resolution of 1,440×720 pixels. Under the hood, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor.

The Vivo Y71A is expected to offer 3GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage space. In terms of optics, it sports a 13MP primary camera at the back, as well as a 5MP selfie snapper at the front.

The TENAA listing further reveals that the smartphone is backed by a 3,285mAh battery, and it runs on Android 8.1 operating system. The upcoming handset is said to measure 155.87×75.74×7.8mm and weigh 150g.

Talking about the design, the Vivo Y71A appear to have a sleek design. The display of the smartphone has narrow bezels around it. The smartphone is likely to carry a price tag of 1,098 Yuan (approx. Rs. 11,666).

Another Vivo smartphone called Vivo Y85 is also reportedly in the works. If rumors are to be believed, the Y85 will come with a 6.26-inch display with a notch at the top. The smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of inbuilt storage space.

Keeping in with the current trend, the device flaunts a dual rear camera setup, which comprises of a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor. At the front, the Y85 has a 16MP selfie camera with AI Beauty mode. There will also be other features like AR stickers and Face Unlock.

On the software front, the smartphone runs on Android 8.0 Oreo. As for connectivity, there are features like Bluetooth 5.0, dual SIM support, USB 2.0 (micro) port, GPS, and Wi-Fi. Powering the entire package is a 3,260mAh battery.