The question everyone is asking is whether the Galaxy S4 will outperform the very successful Samsung Galaxy S3 which surpassed the 3 million mark in just 21 days after launch.

Samsung in Korea has some numbers for us – it has shipped over six million units as at 10^th may 2013 which is just 14 days after launch. What is even more interesting is that about 4 million of these units were sold within 4 days of launch – This is about 1 million units a day.

What this means is that Samsung has managed to sell about 42,000 Samsung Galaxy S4 units per hour in the first 4 days. These are huge numbers.

Safaricom in Kenya had good numbers on pre-order Read more »

image courtesy - itpro

Symantec Corporation Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 18 (ISTR) has in a 2012 study revealed a 42 % upsurge targeted attacks compared to 2011 results on the same.  Designed to steal intellectual property, targeted cyber-espionage attacks are increasingly hitting the manufacturing sector as well as small businesses, which are the target of 31% of these attacks. In addition, consumers remain vulnerable to ransom-ware and mobile threats, particularly on the Android platform.

Here is a detailed World and Africa Rankings Chart report. “This year’s ISTR shows that cyber-criminals aren’t slowing down, and they continue to devise new ways to steal information from organizations of all sizes,” said Sheldon Hand, territory manager, Indian Ocean Islands, West Read more »

Bharti Airtel, one of the world’s leading MSP with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, says it is still completely committed to Uganda and said it will “continue to make investments and offer world-class and affordable services to customers in the country”. Airtel’s acquisition of Warid Telecom has received approvals from the Uganda Communications Commission. With this, Airtel will further consolidate its position as the second largest mobile operator in Uganda with a combined customer base of over 7.2 million and market share of over 39%.

Warid customers will be able to retain their existing mobile numbers and continue to enjoy benefits such as remaining balances in their SIM and existing services. In addition, Warid customers will benefit from Airtel’s ‘One Network’ across 20 countries and get access to innovative products and roaming benefits on successful Read more »

Image Courtesy, mynokiablog

Nokia has unveiled the Nokia Asha 501 – the 1^st device to run on the new Asha platform, designed to make the experience faster and more responsive and also to helps devs. push their applications and monetize them on the Nokia store.

Standout design, innovative user interface – The Nokia Asha 501, available in 6 colours, makes higher-end design and quality accessible to more people. It comes in just two parts: a durable, removable casing and the scratch-resistant glass display, which features a 3inch, capacitive touchscreen and a single ‘back’ button. It weighs 98 grams. The device offers a simple swipe to access everything on 2 main screens-

Home – a traditional, icon-based view for launching individual apps or accessing a specific feature, like the dialler or phone settings

Fastlane – inspired by how people really use their phone i.e. recently accessed contacts, social ne Read more »

I am a big fan of ICT; especially as an enabler in emerging markets. That is why I was excited sometime in 2012 when Google announced their solution to carrying coins as fare in your pocket. It is the Beba Pay Card that is to enable daily commuters to pay from a debit card. So when Kenya’s very own deputy pres. Ruto announced that he was commissioning the Google Beba Card, I was excited because it not only moved us closer to Vision 2030, but it also went to affirm our faith that the new government is embracing ICT.

The initiative is in conjunction with Equity Bank, one of Kenya’s largest footprint banks whose model of attracting the low income mwananchi has placed them among one of the largest customer base banks in Kenya. It is run by Dr. James Mwangi, crowned Africa Forbes Person of the Year, 2012. Brilliant man he is. I sat and watched during his acceptance speech how he borrowed about 300 Million KES from Mr. Muguku as Read more »

Microsoft has remained a strong participant and contributor to Intellectual Property. The company has been a part of World Intellectual Property Organization efforts in actively recognizing the World Intellectual Property (IP) Day (celebrated on 26th April of every year) – An event that urges governments, industry and consumers to promote discussion about the significance of protecting IP rights. Respect for the rule of law is a strong contributor to the IP rights culture, which is in turn essential in spurring innovation in local economies. An increase in legitimate technology businesses can add revenue that supports a country’s government programs and other infrastructure goals, creates jobs, increases profits for the broader industry, and helps create a strong business ecosystem. Environments Read more »

Last week on Saturday Kampala was abuzz with talk of how the Ugandan Warid Telecom Uganda, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi based  Essar group had been bought out by the second largest teleco and market  challenger Airtel, subsidiary of Bharti Airtel from India. It was confirmed later in the week with a Presser from Airtel. Most people were surprised that for the first time Airtel was not on the receiving end of a re-brand having gone through a series of 5 re-brands since its start back in 1995. That in itself has been an arduous journey which has brought them many fortunes and quite many misfortunes as they struggled to erase the bitter taste the very first brand had left in people’s mouths. And no, I will not go off on a tangent. Read more »

Ten African innovators have developed practical solutions to some of the continent’s most intractable problems.  Chosen from more than 900 applications from 45 countries, the finalists for the Innovation Prize for Africa 2013 provide practical examples of Africa’s investment potential.

The winners of the IPA 2013 will be announced at a gala dinner on 7 May in Cape Town, South Africa hosted by the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business and the Sekunjalo Development Foundation. The winner will receive USD 100 000 for the best innovation based on marketability, originality, scalability, social impact and clear business potential.  A runner up will receive USD 25 000 for the best commercial potential and another finalist will receive USD 25 000 as a special prize for social inno Read more »

If you are an aspiring, practicing or city-based farmer, then you need to look out for iKilimo. iKilimo is the information mobile reference tool for all farmers that Avallain, the company behind it, says will be provide fresh and easy information to farmers on projects that they are working on and also allows them to share ideas, expertise from animal and crop husbandry, and information on how you can make the most of farm products as well as by-products.

If you want plans on a Green-House, you also need to check out these guys on Green House farming on Facebook. Read more »

Image Courtesy, IndiaTimes

Nokia now has a new Asha Device with a dedicated Whatsapp Button. Yes, you read right. A Whatsapp Button that will now help you access the App faster. What is more is that all Nokia Asha 210 devices will come with Whatsapp as a free App.

The Nokia Asha 210 Build and Specs – It has a 2MP camera that is easily accessible using a dedicated hard-key even when the keypad is locked and various editing and sharing options for images. It also features a few added extras like Self-Portrait which helps to center self-portraits without the front facing camera (Yaay! to all those women who’re always taking duck-face pics of themselves) and a built-in voice that guides the user to ensure they are in the frame, before taking the shot.

Another extra is the Slam Feature that works by enabling the transfer of content such as images or videos to another Bluetooth-enabled phone without the need to pair devices.  Read more »