Speaking of robots, it may remind you of R2-D2 in Star War, however, it doesn’t feature with making phone calls.

You will be soon able to make phone calls to friends with a robot. Sharp debuted a robot phone called RoBoHon. It looks fantastic and is able to pack in a packbag.

Sharp displayed the prototype of RoBoHon at MWC in Barcelono in February. This RoBoHon was released in Japan on May 26, selling at minimum 12,000 yuan. It will be introduced to more countries in the near future. This RoBoHon is made by Sharp and Tomotaka Takahashi.

RoBoHon could completely replace the traditional smartphone as it could insert the SIM card and dial phone without connecting the mainstream device. Besides making phone calls, this device is able to receive and send emails, download apps.

It is designed with a 2.1-inch touch screen on the back of RoBoHon so that the users could manage the operation. The device could respond the voice demand. It could dail phone calls when users require or walk to users when there are calls in.

Users could use RoBoHon to take photos as one of its eyes is embeded with camera. When the photo is taken, RoBoHon will bend to reflect the photo with the proejction component set on the forehead on the floor or other flat surface.

RoBoHon runs Android 5.0, equips with 2.1-inch LED touch screen, RAM 16GB. It supports 3G/LTE and Wi-FI. Even though it is a bit expensive, its features will be great experience for users. Sharp predicted that it will be able to sell 5,000 RoBoHon each month.

Tim Cook was interviewed by Vikram Chandra of NDTV concerning sales decline of iPhone. Vikram Chandra asked Tim Cook whether it is worth having a iPhone with higher price in other countries out of US. Apple only charges about $ 600 for a new iPhone in US.

According to its last quarter earnings report, the sales volume of iPhone declined by 16%. In the meantime, Android smartphone rival users share in all iPhone markets. The experts predicted that iPhone sales volume in 2016 will decline continually.

Concerning the question that Vikram Chandra made, Cook admitted that it is over charged in Indian market. He claimed that the firm will consider decreasing the price of iPhone in the future. He said:” I am aware of the higher price of iPhone. We are adjusting our policy now. We believe that the price of iPhone will be set at an affordable price in the near future.” Cook implied that high selling price of iPhone will lead to fewer sales performance in this January.

Even though iPhone is sold at about $600 in United States. There are different prices for iPhone in oversea due to the fuctuations of exchange rate and localized tax system. For example, iPhone is sold at $931 in Brazil, $784 in India, $671 in UK.

iPhone is much expensive in comparison with Android smartphones that with similar functions. According to the data that made by Deutsche Bank, the price for iPhone in US this year is about $ 600, while sold at $931 in Brazil. It is 1.56 time of the native price. It sells iPhone at $865 in Indenosia which is 1.45 time of American price.

In the meantime, the selling prices in Italy, Danmark, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France and Australia are all over $700. Speaking of the selling price in China, it sells about $ 693 this year.

Cook claimed the customs and local tax system make difficulties for decreasing the price of iPhone. It faces challenge and pressure to make profit in Indian market.

Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle received an annual paid at $56.9 million in 2015 fiscal year. She became the highest paid female director in US.
The figure was made by Bloomberg Pay Index.

The Index counted the top 200 highest paid female directors among American listed companies and concluded their Pay Index in that year.

Besides regular stock bonus and $1 million basic salary, Catz was awarded with $10.5 million special stock right in 2015.

Ruth Parot, the CFO of Alphabet who used to work for Morgan Stanley was the second highest paid female director. She obtained the total amount of remuneration at $41.1 million, including $ 5 million setting-in allowance.

The third highest paid female went to ,Mary Barra who is the first female CEO in vehicle industry. She got $36.3 million last year. She once worked for GM as product development manager and was appointed as GM CEO in 2014.

There are 17 female directors ranked in the Bloomberg Pay Index, 15 of them are CEO of S&P 500 stock index companies.

Eric Hoffmann, vice president of Farient Advisors claimed that these female directors obtain relative higher pay as their salary is connected with companies performance.

Once the females work in the senior management group, their salary will be relatively higher than some male directors.

Catz was appointed as Oracle senior vice president in 1999. She even served as co-CEO and CFO. Catz is responsible for finance, manufacturing and legal affairs.

Catz’s remuneration is the same as another Oracle co-CEO Mark Hurd’s.

It is reported that the market share of Windows 10 on the basis of all Windows desktops will increased to 20% by the end of June. It is estimated that Microsoft will make another important Windows 10 update then.

Net Application report showed that the user share of Windows 10 in April was 15.3%, increased by 1.2% compared with March.

The growth rate of Windows 10 in April slowed down a bit in comparison with January and March, but increased faster than February.

Windows 10 accounts for 17.3% among all Windows systems. The reason why Windows user share in pc is different from the ones in all Windows systems is that Windows systems only account for 89% of market share instead of 100% in all personal computers.

Based on the statistics Net Applications released in the past 12 months, the user share of Windows 10 in destops will increase to 20% by the end of June. The Windows 10 system will serve over 300 million computers then.

Microsoft claimed the devices that run Windows systems have been over 1.5 billion sets. With reference to Net Application statistics, the number of devices that run Windows 10 are about 259 million sets. In other words, Microsoft only obtained 24 million devices that run Windows system in April.

The stastics made by StatCounter indicated that the user share of Widnows 10 in April was 17.9%, increased by 1.4% than March. Its statistics were calculated with global user share.

The performance of Windows 10 growth did better in United States. Digital Analytics Program claimed that Windows 10 accounted for 23.7% of user share in all Windows personal computers in April. It increased by 2.8% in comparison with March.

In the meanwhile, Net Applications assumed Apple OS X user share will be increased to 9.6% among global personal computers market share. Windows systems share will drop under 90%.

From Maps to Flight Search, Google has been an indispensable part of modern traveling. It seems that Google is testing a new multi functional tourist application.

Netherlands Android World revealed that the users of Google Local Guides project are testing on a new software called Trips. It can collect the flights, hotel reservations and other tourist info from users email mailbox and download them to the local files so that users could check their traveling plans without internet connection.

It is said that the Guides of Trips are divided into several blocks, for instance, the “Getting around”block offers users the information concerns routine, public transportation, taxi, car pooling and car rental that they could choose to leave the airport when they get off the plane. While “Things to do” block enables users to find the local popular tourist sites, shows and recommended routines on it.

Google Maps, on the other hand, plays an important role for Trips as well.

What’s more, Trips is also featured with “Reservations” “Food & Drink” and “Need to know” blocks. Android World stated that the Trips app collected the suggestions based on localized users.

It also revealed some screen-shots of Trips app. The new app’s design is in accordance with Google’s customary style. It is worth noting that Google just updated its Search software last month, adding a new feature called “Destinations”. It sounds like Trips is an extension of “Destinations” concept.

Google just gave a vague response to answer this reveal. It suggested users to continue to apply its Google Flights, Hotel Search, Destinations features to complete their tourist plans.

Sun was one of Silicon Valley giants that was established in 1980s. It provided hardware and software for thousands of enterprises.It was acquired by Oracle in 2010.

Speaking of the three current giants Apple, Facebook and Twitter in Silicon Valley, they all face pressure to explore market.

Apple

The public have been concerning the sales of iPhone. Apple last Earnings report indicated that iPhone sales would decline in 2016.
The exchange rate problem declined the its revenue in Chinese market. Apple iBooks and iMovies service had been closed in 6 months since being released in China.

Twitter

Jack Dorsey unemployed some employees and reorganized the board of directors since he has been working as CEO again. Its business suffered loss during the reorganization. It might lose more users.

Co-founder of lastminute.com Martha Lane Fox became one of Twitter’s membership of board of directors last month.

Twitter also teamed up with National Football League to broadcast the live matches. Even though Twitter did not make much profit from these matches, it attracts more potential users to pay attention to its platform.

Facebook

The situation of Facebook is a bit different from the above two companies’. It made different challenge. It attempted to launch VR devices, live video, intelligent chatrobot and areoplane. Not all of them made success.

The VR technology is a hot topic this year. There are not many users obtaining a VR device so far. Its has market potential. We don’t know whether its Coulus Rift will be succeed. Zuckerberg claimed it could considerate as success when its sales reach 50 million to 1 billion sets.

Apple needs to take measures to stop the declining sales of iPhone, Twitter needs to attract more new users and Facebook needs to adjust its focus on services and projects.

IBM announced the first quarterly earnings of 2016 by March 31st today. The earnings showed that IBM received the total revenue at $18.684 billion based on GAAP. It decreased by 4.6% compared with its revenue in Q1 2015. Its net profit of Q1 2016 was $2.014 billion, decreased by 13.5 YOY. The net profit for sustainable operating business was $ 2.016 billion which decreased by 16.5 % YoY.

Its free cash flow in this Q1 was $ 2.3 billion, increased by $1.2 billion YOY. IBM distributed $1.2 billion cash as dividends to its shareholders in Q1 and $ 900 million for stocks buy-back.

By the end of Q1, IBM held $14.9 billion cash which increased by $ 6.7 billion compared with 2015.

Classified by departments, their increase rate seemed slower and suffered decrease in some important apartments.

Its Global Business service department gained $ 4.1 billion revenue, declined by 4.3% before exchange rate adjustment. Its Strategic Imperatives revenue increased by 19% YOY before exchange rate adjustment.

IBM predicted that each of its share will profit at least $ 12.35 in 2016 fiscal year. According to the non-GAAP standard, each of its share will profit at least $ 13.5 in 2016 fiscal year.

It previous predicted its annual free cash flow will range from $ 11 billion to $12 billion.

Its share increased by $ 0.81 till Monday, closing at $ 152.53. However, its share decreased by $ 7.54 on Tuesday.

F8 was held yesterday. Mark Zuckerberg stressed that the firm will keep promoting Internet.org and Free Basics during the conference.

He did not reveal the development of Free Basics. However, Ime Archibong, director of product cooperation and Emeka Afigbo, manager of African product cooperation implied Free Basics did not meet the expectation.

It is well known that Facebook released the Free Basics in 37 countries around the world. It quit Egyptian and Indian markets recently as the local departments and internet radical people assumed Facebook violated the Network Neutrality.

Archibong announced on F8 that there are 25 million people using Free Basics service so far. It increased by 6 million people in comparison with the data in January.

Afigbo claimed that 50 % of 25 million users purchased the traffic within 30 days they experienced Free Basics. This figure excited the team.

However, Free Basics service only cover 1.67% of the potential users in 37 countries. It was failure to Facebook.

Some of potential users who live in relatively developed regions can access to internet. Therefore, they have no need to use Free Basics service.

Facebook has chance to obtain more users for Free Basics in those countries. The 50% conversion rate still attracts many operators and merchants.

Facebook introduced a series of new tools to help Web developers optimize websites,such as Free Basics emulator. During its Beta testing phase, Free Basics emulator attracts 500 developers.

Free Basics service won’t bring financial burden to Facebook. The cost goes to the operators who cooperated with Facebook. Each of new Free Basics user will be one of Facebook’s membership among 1 billion users.