Microsoft Released Its Diversity Numbers, So How Does It Compare?

In the past few years a host of tech companies had their diversity numbers in their work force. But most of the big names of the Silicon Valley had just kept it themselves which includes Amazon, IBM and Orcale. Though there is no obligation on the companies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 wherein every company is required to file an EEO-1 form and listing all the employment data by race/ethnicity, gender and job category. The government is prohibited from making this data public but companies reveal it in order to boost its reputation and gain favour from the masses. Microsoft has just released its federally mandated diversity data in the public forum.

How Does Microsoft Fares Compared To Other Tech Companies? 

Microsoft has distinct diversity present right at the top order with an African-American board chairman, a female CFO and an Indian CEO. The overall statistics shows the same trend as of any other tech company with 60.6% white employed and 71% of workforce is composed of men.

Male Dominated WorkForce

Microsoft is ahead of Google, Twitter and Apple in terms of having higher number of male workers at a whopping 71%. However Intel is the most male-dominated tech firm in U.S with around 77% male domination and just 23% of females. Microsoft stats clearly state that the female staffs are quite marginalized in on the world’s biggest tech firm at just 29%. However Microsoft has a considerably small workforce at just 128,000 employees worldwide.

Fewer Women Finds Themselves Handling Tough Jobs

The tech companies have shown a trend that even having too many women in the workforce doesn’t guarantee an uplift advance to the higher positions of managers. These are namely a few women in leadership roles in companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft. Microsoft has created various initiatives and programs to hire more women.

Microsoft diversity stats also show a pronounced gender imbalance in its technical ranks. There are surprisingly only 17% women in the role of programmers, coders and other engineering type roles. Microsoft female tech headcount is better than the Twitter’s which just have 10% female in tech jobs.

A Huge Racial And Diversity Gap 

Microsoft has 61% white, 29% Asian, 5% Hispanic/Latino and just 3% black in its vast workforce. Comparatively Yahoo shows a 50% white headcount and Apple has a greater percentage of minority workers with Hispanic at 11% and black at 7%. Diversity stats has shown that 72.2% of all leadership positions are held by whites in Microsoft while Yahoo has 78% whereas Facebook just has 74%.

Steps and Programs Are Undertaken to Improve the Diversity

Comparing the Microsoft’s diversity stats from last the new report has shown that Microsoft is actively working towards closing the diversity gaps. Though it is been at a snail’s paper as it registered 1% percent fewer white employees from last year. Hispanics saw an increase of 0.5% while blacks and Asian rose by 0.3 % and 0.2 % respectively.

Beamforming

Beamforming – Signal Processing Technique

Beamformingor spatial filtering is one of those concepts, a kind of signal processing technique which is used in sensor arrays for directional signal transmission or reception which is achieved on combining elements in a phased array. It is done in a way that signals at certain angles experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interferences. Beamforming could also be used at transmitting as well as receiving ends to achieve spatial selectivity.

It could also be used for sound waves or radio and has various application in wireless communication, radar, sonar, seismology, radio astronomy, acoustic and bio medicine.To identify and estimate the signal of interest at the output of a sensor array, adaptive beamforming is used by means of optimal spatial filtering and interference rejection. The most effective form of beamforming is dynamic digital beamforming which uses an advanced on-chip digital signal processing – DSP algorithm, in order to gain total control on Wi-Fi signals. Performance has improved on creating several independent signal paths to optimum focus radio energy to and from client devices on a per packet basis. For a two stream configuration, there is a possibility to steer the energy of the antenna array in the independent spatial direction which are associated on both data streams and at the same time avoids interference.

Improves Wireless Bandwidth Usage

Beamforming could also help in improving wireless bandwidth usage and can also increase wireless network’s range which in turn could improve voice streaming, video streaming together with several other bandwidth and latency sensitive transmissions. It is made possible by receivers and transmitters using MIMO – multiple-input, multiple-output, technology wherein the data is sent as well as received with the use of multiple antennas in order to increase throughput and range.

The MIMO technology was introduced first with the 802.11n standard and continues to be an important feature of the 802.11ac standard. Devices which support beamforming, aim their signals on each client, focusing on the data transmission in order that more data could reach the targeted device instead of radiating out in the atmosphere. Beamforming technique can be divided into two sections namely conventional or fixed/switched beam, beamformers and adaptive beamformers or phased array – desired signal maximization mode/interference signal minimization or cancellation mode.

Conventional/Adaptive Beamforming Techniques

Fixed set of weightings and time delays or phasing are used for conventional beamformers for the purpose of combining the signals from the sensors in the array, using only the information with regards to the location of the sensors in space as well as the wave directions. In the case of adaptive beamforming techniques, the information is combined with properties of the signals received by the array to improve rejection of unwanted signals from other directions, the process of which could be carried out in time or frequency domain. Beamforming being computationally intensive, Sonar phased array has a low data rate which can be processed in real time in software which is flexible to transmit and or to receive in various directions at the same time.

 Radar phased array on the other hand has a high data rate which usually needs dedicated hardware processing which is hard-wired to transmit and or to receive in one direction only at a time, though new field programmable gate arrays are quick to handle radar data in real time and could also be quick in reprogramming, like software, blurring the hardware/software distinction.

10 Ways Technology Changed Lives

We all know the use and important of WhatsApp, it has been around, but in India the sale and use of Smartphones have changed the lives in 2014, as the prices of technology is crashing and market is witnessing the crowd of cheap Smartphones and other electronic gadgets. If we leave some controversies such as; troubles app-based controversy of Uber, so there is no doubt that apps have given us unprecedented control while driving. In present, Smartphone has become one of the best tool to live comfort life no matter you are thinking about shopping, food order, locating the spa or beauty salon, booking movie tickets, clearing the electric bills and other things. There is some predictions, how technology will evolve us  in 2015.

1.Fitness Trackers: 

In present, we all are fitness conscious because of tight professional life. Now it’s not enough to go to park for gentle walk, unless you check your fitness data such as; heart rate, calories burned and more. In 2014, we have seen a lot of wearable devices, which are able to monitor all activity including your sleep patterns and the basic feature is that it can paired with your Smartphone or you can share your fitness data socially.

2.Dating Apps

Few years before in our country there was no concept of dating, but after the era of Orkut and Facebook it improves. In 2014 dating apps have changed the concept of dating and as well as romance. If you are alone and want to hang-out with partner, so all you need to have dating app in your Smartphone. In market a lot of matchmaking apps are running, so that you can find the suitable partner according to location, education, professional, region and more.

3.Online Shopping: 

We all are busy in our professional as well as personal life, but shopping is the essential part of our lives especially if you are women. In present the situation between e-commerce companies are not less than any war, they are offering new schemes, deals and discounts to grab the attention of customers. People are doing a lot of online shopping because it offers best price, much number of options and on the same time it also save the price less time.

4.Front-Facing Cameras: 

If you will analyze the “Top trends of 2014”, then you will get to know that the trend of selfie was the hottest trend in 2014. Front-facing cameras help you to put the phone at arm's length for better shots, and without front-facing cameras it was so difficult to capture the clear shot.

5.Streaming Videos: 

Due to heavy competition the prices of internet has decreased and now 3G is in the reach of everyone. With YouTube app anytime we can watch our choice of videos anytime not matter it’s just simple movie trailer, bollywood song or full length move.

6.Power Banks: 

Our lives are running on Smartphones and electronic gadgets, but what if your power gets over. Use power banks to continue with your mobile activity because with power banks you can charge your Smartphones, mp3 players and more anytime anyplace. Power banks are life-altering and helping you to get the freedom from use of USB. In present, power banks have become the mainstream purchases.

Over 100 Million Mobile Phone Users in Pakistan May Lose Connections

In Pakistan, more than 100 million pre-paid mobile phone users would lose their connections after the deadline of 28 days, which has given by Pakistan Government. All of the telecom companies are expressing their inability to do anything against restriction because Pakistani Government has set the deadline of 28 days for verification process. In deadline period, all the telecom companies will have to verify each and every subscriber with post-paid SIMs and then they have to block all of the pre-paid SIMs of same users.

After the brutal act and effect of terrorist attack, the Interior Ministry of Pakistan issued the short deadline to verify all pre-paid SIMs. As we all aware about the recent terrorist attack on an army school in Peshawar, which was held on 16th December, so just after one day Pakistani Government decided to set a restriction on pre-paid SIMs.

In terrorist attack, all terrorist was used to communicate through Subscribers Identification Modules (SIM) and it was from one of these five telecom operators. In all over Pakistan, currently there are more than 140 million pre-paid SIMs, out of which 10 percent are post-paid, according to Pakistani officials. As per recent reports, “All telecom operators want nearly six month (150-200) days of period for this huge operation of verification. They all are claiming that they will block all of pre-paid SIMs, when the deadline will complete. If the pre-paid SIMs, will get blocked for a month, so general public will suffer, and as well as telecom companies will bear the financial loss.

As we all know that it’s huge process, but its very short time for this detailed process”. According to telecom operators, it is difficult to verify more than 100 million pre-paid SIMs on urgent basis. According to officer of one of the leading mobile phone organizations, “They need some more time to complete whole process as soon as possible”. All the affected subscribers are now rushing towards the franchises, franchises and customer sales centers to get the post-paid SIMs.

The representatives of all five telecom companies; Zong, Warid, Ufone, Telenor and Mobilink will have to attend the meeting the meeting with Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, Interior Minister; Ismail Shah, Chairman of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Minister of state for IT and Telecommunication, Anusha Rehman to thoroughly discuss and find out the solution to this problem. Now people are waiting for meeting to get the clear picture about this regulation.

Before one year, to stop illegal SIMs, PTA had introduced the unique biometric verification system for illegal SIMs analysis. All the cellular companies have installed this unique biometric verification system in all the franchises, retailers and customer sales centers, but still government is receiving a lot of complaints for the sales of illegal and unauthorized SIMs. But telecom companies are calming that after the unique introduction of the biometric system, the sale of unregistered and illegal SIMs has not been possible any more.

Smartphone Maker You Never Heard Of Valued At $45 Billion

If you ask anyone about the leading smartphone makers around the world, the obvious answer that we get is Samsung and Apple but what about the third largest smartphone maker? If you thinking about Sony, Nokia, LG, and Lenovo then you are absolutely wrong.

For those who are not aware, the third largest company is the Chinese company known as Xiaomi. If sources have to be believed, then the company has just raised over $1.1 billion through funding from some of most powerful tech industry's players. Currently the company’s value is around $45 billion, which is more than Motorola, LG, and Sony when combined together. The company at present is most valuable startup in the world, and the worth is even more than Pinterest, Uber, and Airbnb.

Xiaomi: 

The company is one of the fastest growing smartphone makers in the world. The company’s sales rose more than 211% to over 17 million smartphones during the third quarter of 2014. This is 50% of the number of iPhones sold by Apple. While the company was having only 2% of the marketshare in 2013, by end of 2014, the company’s share doubles to 5%.

This Chinese smartphone maker rose to such high prominence rather quickly as they focused on the Chinese market and some of the other nearby high-growth countries. The company is known to be the 2nd smartphone brand sought after Samsung in China. Xiaomi has just started selling out their smartphones in Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, and Russia. The company has taken the entire growth markets storm as they are offering super-low price phones through online-only sales.

The gorgeous Mi4 smartphone, which debuted in August, is known as "iPhone killer” in the country. The developers have built the phone exactly like iPhone. With the added knack of excellent marketing, the company has been able to attract a massive number of people in China. According to Bin Lin, co-founder of Xiaomi, their sole aim is to bring innovation into everyone’s life in 2015.

At present, the biggest question that surrounds the company is whether they will be able to cross and grow beyond the countries they are currently operating in for selling phones. A simple example, the company has the potential to shake the entire US market, which is leading and filled with iPhone and Apple dominance?

Looking at the current trend, the company, and the smartphones have not been able to welcome in the United States of America. Some of the other competitors of the company like Huawei, Yulong and Lenovo, have still not headed towards the American soil. In the past decade, Nokia is known to the worldwide leader in cell phone sales and that too without any significant presence in the United States of America. Even though Sony, LG, and other company’s have been able to get success in international market, but still failed to gain footing here.

At present, the company as no plans or in future to sell their smartphones in the United States of America. But, if they plan to do so, they have to be prepared to face one of the biggest challenge ever.