Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says he messed up the company’s opportunity to develop Windows Mobile because he was distracted by its antitrust case brought by the Justice Department.

Had he not been distracted, Gates believes Windows Mobile would be what Android is today.

“There’s no doubt that the antitrust lawsuit was bad for Microsoft, and we would have been more focused on creating the phone operating system. And so instead of using Android today, you would be using Windows Mobile,” Gates said in an interview at The New York Times DealBook Conference.

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And he argues Microsoft just missed delivering Windows Mobile for an unknown Motorola smartphone, which could be the Moto Droid from 2009 – Motorola’s first Android phone and a key device that helped popularize Android in the US.

“We were so close,” said Gates. “I was just too distracted and I screwed that up because of the distraction. We were just three months too late with the release that Motorola would have used on a phone. So it’s a winner-takes-all game, that’s for sure, but now nobody here has even heard of Windows Mobile.”

While Microsoft’s antitrust battles did, in his view, stop it from developing Windows Mobile to its full potential, he argued that the legal wrangles weren’t necessarily good for consumers either.

But, in hindsight, Gates now sees a silver lining to Microsoft’s antitrust troubles and the fate of Windows Mobile. Gates says he wouldn’t have retired so early had it not been for the antitrust case and that gave him the opportunity to work on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Gates officially retired in June 2008. However he stepped down as CEO in 2000, one day after the Justice Department said it would pursue a breakup of Microsoft. The CEO role would go to Steve Ballmer, who inherited Gates’ Windows Mobile and Windows XP tablets.

In 2013, Ballmer would announce Microsoft’s plan to buy Nokia’s devices unit as part of an ultimately failed bid to get Windows Phone off the ground. By the time Microsoft officially acquired Nokia devices in February 2014, Ballmer had retired and was replaced by current CEO Satya Nadella. Soon after, Microsoft wrote off its Nokia devices business.

Next year Microsoft will launch its Android-based Surface Duo phone and is focusing on getting Office Mobile on to Android devices and driving Office 365 subscriptions.

Gates comments on antitrust come amid calls by some politicians, such as Elizabeth Warren, to break up big tech companies. Gates earlier this year said that breaking up tech companies won’t solve anti-competitive behavior by big tech.

However, previously lamenting Microsoft’s failure to produce what Android is today, he said software is a “winner-takes-all” market.

Story Credit: Liam Tung

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MTN Nigeria Communications Plc on Wednesday announced a revenue of N856.48 billion for nine months ended Sept. 30, 2019.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the revenue figure is on the company’s nine months unaudited result posted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) website.

The unaudited result showed that the revenue represented a growth of 12.03 per cent when compared with N764.46 billion achieved in the corresponding period of 2018.
Profit after tax dropped to N148.32 billion during the period under review in contrast with N157.19 billion achieved in the comparative period of 2018, a decrease of 5.64 per cent.
Also, profit before tax stood at N212.01 billion in contrast with N227.08 billion in 2018, representing a decrease of 6.63 per cent.
The company’s Earnings Per Share stood at 729k during the review period and lower than 772k achieved in the comparative period of 2018.

The company said that its mobile subscribers during the period increased by 0.1 million to 61.6 million.
Also, active data users increased by 1.6 million to 22.3 million, while service revenue rose by 12.1 per cent to N854.9 billion.
Commenting on the performance, Mr Ferdi Moolman, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, said that it was currently exploring financing options to diversify funding sources.
Moolman said that the company’s performance was very encouraging and also demonstrated the resilience of its business despite challenging environment.

“We sustained double-digit growth in service revenue led by growth in voice and data revenue.
“We are currently exploring financing options, including the issuance of Commercial Papers as part of our debt strategy to diversify our funding sources and optimise overall funding costs.
“In the remaining quarter of the year, we will continue to prioritise the expansion of our 4G network, coverage and drive active data subscriber growth.
“We expect voice and data revenue to continue to grow on the back of subscriber growth and increasing demand for data services.

“Having launched our Super-Agent services, our goal is to build a network of 100,000 agents by year-end.
“Super -Agent has always been a part of our MoMo plan and obtaining the licence shows we are on track with our plans.
“While we continue to engage with the Central Bank of Nigeria regarding obtaining a Payment Service Bank licence, we are fully harnessing opportunities that Super-Agent licence brings,” Moolman said
 
Story Credit : NAN

The war between the Banks and CEO seems not to be abating as allegations of the CEOs of Banks purportedly made the official call for the commencement of End User billing.

Please see below for more:

https://journalng./2019/10/23/exclusive-leaked-memo-shows-banks-asked-telcos-to-charge-for-ussd-thecable/

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday adjourned till Wednesday the trial of musician, Azeez Fashola popularly known as Naira Marley, who is facing card fraud charges.
The trial was scheduled to commence yesterday, but Marley, through his counsel Mr Olalekan Ojo SAN, prayed Justice Nicholas Oweibo to halt proceedings until a motion he filed yesterday morning was determined.
In the motion, the defendant prayed the court to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to furnish him with the prosecution witnesses’ statements.
Ojo said: “In the course of pre-trial preparation, it was discovered that certain documents which we require and to which prosecution made reference in their proof of evidence, are not available to us.”
He prayed the court to hear his motion before the prosecution calls its first witness.
But, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, opposed the adjournment application.
According to him, the prosecution was not in possession of the required documents, besides, the defence was not entitled to the statements as of right.
In a bench ruling, Justice Oweibo granted Marley’s prayer.
Ojo moved the motion and again, Oyedepo opposed him.
After hearing the motion, the judge ruled in Marley’s favour. He ordered the EFCC to provide the defence with its investigators’ statements, if any.
He held: “In criminal trial, it must be borne in mind that criminal trial at the Federal High Court is summary trial, therefore proof of evidence is not required. However, the investigating officer’s report must be furnished to the defence and the statements of witnesses if any.”
He adjourned trial till tomorrow.
Earlier, before yesterday’s proceedings began, Oyedepo observed that Marley had entered the dock with a small bag.
He said: “My lord, playing very safe, I observe that the defendant is with his bag, may I request that for security reasons, the defendant remain in the dock without his bag?”
The judge motioned for the defendant to comply and Marley placed the bag on the pile of documents beside him.
Fashola, popular for his “Am I a Yahoo Boy” and “Soapy” tracks, is being prosecuted by the EFCC on an 11-count charge of conspiracy, possession of counterfeit cards and fraud.
His co-defendant is one Yad Isril, said to still be at large.
The defendant was arraigned on May 20, 2019, but pleaded not guilty.
He secured N2 million bail with two sureties in the like sum.
According to the charge, the defendant committed the offences on different dates including November 26, 2018, December 11, 2018, and May 10,
Fashola and his accomplices allegedly conspired to use different Access Bank ATM Cards to defraud their victims.
They allegedly used Access Card number 5264711020433662 issued to other persons, in a bid to obtain fraudulent financial gains.
Fashola was said to have possessed these counterfeit credit cards, belonging to different cardholders, with intent to defraud, and which also constituted theft.
The offences contravene the provisions of Section 1 23 (1) (b), 27 (1}, 33, 33(9) Cyber Crime (Prohibition) Prevention Act, 2015.

Story Credit: The Nation

https://journalng./2019/10/22/updated-naira-marleys-card-fraud-trial-adjourned-till-wednesday/

The NCC has finally come out with a Press Release asking the Operators to discontinue End User Billing using USSD Codes.

For more updated info see at https://thejournal.ng

Russian actors trying to interfere in the 2020 US election seem to be focusing on Instagram. Facebook announced Monday (Oct. 21) that it had identified several coordinated campaigns on its platforms from Iran and Russia. The Russian effort involved only one Facebook account, but 50 Instagram accounts focused primarily on the US, Facebook said.

Of course, it might just be that Facebook found the Instagram accounts, but observers have been predicting that the platform will play a big role in 2020 disinformation campaigns. A report from the Senate Intelligence committee suggests that during and after the 2016 election, Instagram was a far more powerful tool for the Internet Research Agency (IRA) than both Facebook and the media’s narrative indicated.

For More see here:
https://journalng./2019/10/21/election2020-for-russian-election-meddlers-its-all-about-the-gram-quartz-investigates/

Kanye West has revealed a new release date for his Jesus Is Kingalbum. The rapper tweeted on Sunday that he will release the record on Friday, October 25. This date coincides with the release of a documentary film charting the recording of the album in IMAX cinemas.

Jesus Is King was first scheduled for release on September 27. That date was pushed back by two days but the album remained unreleased. West held listening sessions for the album and has continued to host his Sunday Services in the interim period. The most recent Sunday Service took place in Kingston, Jamaica this past weekend.

For your daily online Scoops and News bits please follow https://TheJournal.ng

For your daily online Scoops and News bits please follow https://TheJournal.ng