The 11th annual DISTREE Middle East begins today with more than 500 delegates registered to attend the three-day event. DISTREE Middle East runs from May 12th to 14th at the Fairmont Bab al Bahr in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

IBM’s new Power E850 can take on cloud and database processing
IBM is building slimmer versions of its Power hardware — used by its Watson supercomputer — to run complex database applications as well as simpler Web-based ones.

Bit and byte
Widely renowned as one of the top technology trade shows in the world, the 2015 edition of CeBIT played host to a range of internationally acclaimed companies and insider experts in Hannover, Germany. Among the highlights were SAP’s CEO Bill McDermott and a video link Q&A with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Ericsson takes patent dispute with Apple to European courts
Following up on lawsuits in the U.S., a dispute between Ericsson and Apple over royalty payments has now moved also to Europe.

MEA smartphone shipments soar 83 percent
Smartphone shipments to the Middle East and Africa saw unprecedented year-on-year growth of 83 percent in Q4 2014, IDC.

Huawei to expand retail presence
Huawei Technologies is seeking to double its retail presence around the world, amid a growing a pushing to sell more mid-range and high-end smartphones.

IKEA releases its line of wireless charging furniture
IKEA has launched its Wireless Charging collection of furniture, which has built-in Qi-enabled wireless chargers for compatible mobile phones. In …

MEA tablet sales up 26 percent
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) tablet market recorded robust year-on-year growth in the final quarter of 2014, with holiday purchases and aggressive end-of-year promotions spurring a particularly strong performance in the consumer segment.

Mobile storage about to balloon with new 3D flash chips
Smartphones, tablets and PCs are about to get a whole lot more storage capacity thanks to new 3D flash chips from Intel and Micron that cram more bits into a smaller space.

Facebook Messenger opens for third-party developers
Facebook is throwing open its Messenger app to third-party developers, letting them add new functions that will make it much more than a tool for communicating with friends.
GITEX Shopper Spring 2015 launches Shopper Smart Living section
Taking place from 1 – 4 April 2015 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the third edition of GITEX Shopper Spring 2015 and the debut of Shopper Smart Living are expected to meet the increasing demand for home appliances and consumer tech products that is being driven by a fast growing local and regional population.
Path to success
With resellers being the key component of the channel landscape, RME profiles leading players and discusses important factors to their success.

Palo Alto discovers widespread Android vulnerability
Palo Alto Networks has revealed details of a widespread vulnerability in Google’s Android mobile operating system that allows attackers to hijack the installation of a seemingly safe application – Android Package File (APK) – on user devices, replacing it with an app of the attacker’s choice.

HTC replaces CEO with founder
HTC founder Cher Wang is taking over as company CEO, as the Taiwanese Android smartphone maker fights to revive its struggling business.

Huawei unveils slick-looking Watch
Huawei is making its first foray into the smartwatch market with a new Android Wear device that was announced today in Barcelona alongside two other wearable devices.

Google confirms carrier plans
Google has confirmed for the first time that it plans to offer connectivity directly to mobile users in the U.S., but a senior executive downplayed the competition it would be to major U.S. cellular carriers.

‘Incredibly advanced’ hackers hit ME infrastructure
A cyber-espionage group with a toolset similar to ones used by U.S. intelligence agencies has infiltrated key institutions in countries including Iran and Russia.

Etisalat launches eLife TV offer
Etisalat has launched its new full HD Smart TV offer, bundling Smart televisions from Samsung and Sony, starting from as low as AED89 on a discounted 24-month instalment basis.

Where there’s a will…
Nader Henein is all too aware of the ever-present IT security risks that envelope our day-to-day lives. BlackBerry’s Regional Director for the Advanced Security Division describes the ease at which the everyday user can be compromised, and what the company is doing to secure defences.

Insular IoT
Samsung CEO Boo Keun Yoon drew attention to a do or die issue in his keynote the Consumer Electronics Show 2015 – that of interoperability among systems and vendors in Internet of Things technology.


