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YouTube to launch YouTube App for Kids on February 23

YouTube Kids, a new app designed especially for the little ones, is reportedly coming next week.

Let’s face it – for many kids these days, tablets have replaced TV, toys, or that old-fashioned concept of “playing outside” as their favorite pastime. Whether that’s good or bad is up to every parent to decide, but tech companies are more than eager to capitalize on this trend. Enter a variety of kid-centric tablets (Fire HD Kids Edition, Samsung Tab 3 Kids, Fuhu Nabi, etc.) and now this new app geared towards YouTube’s youngest users.

USA Today reports that the app, expected to launch February 23, features a simple, kid-friendly interface, stripped of non-essentials like comments. The main interface will consist of eight thumbnails showcasing popular content, as well as shortcuts to video, radio, educational, and exploration sections. Parental controls such as password-protection, timed use, and search filters are all available.

“Parents were constantly asking us, can you make YouTube a better place for our kids,” the project’s product manager told USA Today, noting that family-oriented content is growing four times faster than YouTube’s overall view growth.

At least initially, YouTube Kids will only be available for Android devices. Stay tuned for an official announcement on Monday.

Source: http://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-kids-588627/

What is a domain name?

A Domain Name is a textual version of an IP Address, the number that points to a particular website. For example, the number 206.190.60.37 is the IP Address for yahoo.com. Each domain name on the Internet corresponds to such numbers.

Without domain names, each and every website would have to be recalled by a number like this, similar to the telephone system, but much more difficult to remember. For this reason, domain names were introduced, and have made navigation on the net much simpler.

BT invests USD 7.491M towards better mobile services

Telecom: Bhutan Telecom (BT) expects to remove 90 percent of the problems related to B-mobile services and its connectivity by September this year.

BT’s chief executive officer (CEO), Tshewang Gyeltshen, said the company would spend USD 7.491M to improve mobile connectivity services across the country.

“It’s a big investment,” the CEO said, accepting the current complaints from the public today. “We’re planning to work through all the problems.”

Tshewang Gyeltshen attributed the current problems to timeworn equipment, outdated system, and towers. Some of them are unable to cater to the services required and have to be replaced.

According to BT officials, the towers’ capacities also need expansion. “The towers have certain capacity as per the number of users,” the CEO said, adding the capacity has to be increased if the number of users increased. “Users have increased tremendously.”

BT officials also made it clear that it would take time, because the coverage was huge. However, work started since last December.

The CEO, meanwhile, said there were limited people with the capacity to do the required expansion work. “Having deployed people in problematic pockets, problems in many areas have been solved.”
Meanwhile, officials also mentioned that the BT base was “small,” meaning the market was not huge and the revenue low, unlike in other countries.

Given the constant change in technology, the costs incurred in any telecom works were huge, officials said. BT CEO said people want fast service at cheap rates, which, according to him, was hard to maintain.
“However, our motto is to provide the most reliable and effective services,” Tshewang Gyeltshen said.
In 2013, the company also invested Nu 200M and has currently carried out two systems’ audits.

Source: http://www.kuenselonline.com/bt-invests-usd-7-491m-towards-better-mobile-services/#.VOjZe_mUeSo

HP to open product and service centre in Bhutan

Tech: In what should enhance technical and trouble shooting support for technological devices in Bhutan, Hewlett-Packard (HP) has partnered with a local company Yangkhor IT Solutions, to provide after sales services in Thimphu.

As the company is also involved in the education sector, it has also chosen to sponsor the training of 10 IT graduates annually, starting this year.

HP business manager for Bhutan, Kazi Shohidul Islam, said that 10 IT graduates will be trained locally by Yangkhor IT Solutions.

He said that they will be trained in technical IT skills focusing on products and solutions. The training will take between six months to one year.

Upon completion, the partnership company will employ those that meet their criteria. They will serve as HP representatives in Bhutan.

He added that HP will provide its local partner with the required certification and technical knowledge so that it can provide IT support for large organisations in the government and private sector.

He said that the company will provide services and support solutions for services like cloud computing, servers, and security, among others. He added that HP has also asked its local partner to establish a centre in Phuentsholing by this or next year. “HP is very focused for this market,” he said.

Yangkhor IT Solution’s Phub Gyeltshen said that the current trend is for foreign IT companies to come to Bhutan, market their products and supply it. He said that with IT skills lacking in the country, after sales support and a local point of contact is usually a problem.

Phub Gyeltshen said that with HP’s entrance, this problem should be addressed. The partnership is expected to not only benefit users of information communications technology, but to strengthen the IT sector in Bhutan, said Phub Gyeltshen.

Source: http://www.kuenselonline.com/hp-to-open-product-and-service-centre-in-bhutan/#.VOjZm_mUeSo

Tier III data centre launched in Phuntsholing

The facility offers to provide 99.982 percent availability of services to its customers

lyonchhoenTech: With Bhutan Telecom (BT) launching a certified tier III data centre in Phuentsholing, yesterday, individuals, entrepreneurs, and organisations across the country can now host their computer systems and information in a safe and secure location, within Bhutan.

The data centre will provide 99.982 percent availability of services to its customers, which indicates the amount of time the services are guaranteed.  The 99.982 percentage roughly translates to about only two hours outage in a year.

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay launched the data centre in Phuentsholing, yesterday.  It is the country’s first tier III data centre  certified by the Uptimes Institute in the USA.

The centre will offer three major services to customers.

It offers rack space for both single phase and 3-phase power, in which organisations can keep their servers, cage services and cloud services.

Cage service is when a particular client does not want even BT officials in the centre to access their data, except for housing and maintaining the server and data.  Cage services are relevant to banks, officials said.

The centre is composed of multiple distribution paths, with equipment that are dual powered.  The centre also has multiple uplinks and has a concurrently maintainable site infrastructure.  This means that the centre is linked by two uniform power connections with two uniform cables, in which one will function if another is damaged or is under maintenance.

In addition to the hosting services, the BT data centre will also provide remote hands services and managed services.

In the remote hands service, a client can call and have the host do any changes to the data as required.

The centre will also procure equipment for clients, if there is demand.

Further, the data centre building is managed by the Intelligent Building Management Systems (IBMS), which helps in providing a secure environment for protecting the clients’ data.

Lyonchhoen Tshering Tobgay also made it very clear that the service reliability of 99.982 percent should be maintained as per the tier III design certification.

“Tier III is Tier III, ” lyonchhoen said, pointing out it must be ensured such reliability is provided. “I need 99.982 percent.”

Lyonchhoen also said he would have high regard and appreciation if the data centre provided such reliability.

Lyonchhoen said that, if the reliability was not provided in the initial year, the goodwill would be lost, and that it would be difficult to regain the goodwill.

Lyonchhoen also highlighted how Bhutan’s first tier III data centre was different from those abroad.

“Our centre is a clean and green one,” he said, pointing to the renewable energy used by the centre. “We have to market this green data centre to the world.”

Lyonchhoen also pointed out that the centre was in a pollution free environment and a politically stable one.

BT CEO Tshewang Gyeltshen said reliability of 99.982 percent would be ensured. “Yes, we have to maintain it,” he said, adding that BT staff would be monitoring the centre 24×7.

BT professionals, Tshewang Gyeltshen added, would continuously monitor the performance of the data centre system through live management. “Everything is systemised, so it’s possible.”

As constant power is critical for data centres, the CEO said a back up system of two diesel generators has been provided.  A total of 12,000 litres would be available onsite for the two generators.

“The generator will automatically start if there’s power interruption,” Tshewang Gyeltshen said.

The data centre is also built in such a way that small earthquakes  will not be able to hamper its service.

The data centre already has five clients, whose websites are being hosted by the centre.

Officials said the number of customers couldn’t be fixed because customers differ in size and service demand.

BT has invested Nu 167M to construct this centre in Phuentsholing.  BT chose the border town because of it is close proximity to the international gateway.

Source: http://www.kuenselonline.com/tier-iii-data-centre-launched-in-pling/#.VOjZ_vmUeSo

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