4G, the much-anticipated successor of 3G and the next generation of mobile phone communication standards, has arrived in the UK, parts of Europe, America, Asia, Australia and a handful of African countries. Its Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology has increased the capacity and speed of downloads and has been hailed as the Holy Grail for smartphone users …
Africa
E-com in SA – what and where are we shopping online?
E-commerce has swept its quick and convenient hand over the West – they need no further convincing about the benefits of shopping from the warmth of their living rooms and skipping the queues and hustle and bustle outside. So successful has e-tailing become that bricks and mortar stores, small family businesses and neighbourhood shops have …
‘Blackberry Babes’ – Ailing RIM to seek salvation on African shores
Blackberry used to be the fruit on everyone’s lips – a sleek business tool in a time when business was good. Now the mobile consumer seems to have been distracted by another fruit, bearing flashier looks, touch screens, fun apps and functionality to rival your PC. The Blackberry Playbook didn’t help either – a confusing …
The next big thing – Homegrown digital start-up Nexxr to hit it big?
Established by four Pretoria schoolboys, Nexxr is an on-line network for small e-commerce retailers, bloggers and others to share their company advertisements with the world at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising. For only $2.99 a month, registered users are able to share their ideas and promote their business worldwide. Mikhaeel Aboobaker, Cassim …
Technological development in Africa – a viable opportunity for philanthropy?
The impact of technology on social change across the continent cannot be denied. Remote areas are well-served by the use of expanding internet coverage, may it be for business or pleasure. Additionally, the growing use of mobile technology has seen ailing health care systems revived, with government and aid work made easier. Last month bbc.com …
Maliyo Games add an African twist to the gaming industry
Transforming what he had only experienced as an extreme irritation in Nigeria, Maliyo Games co-founder, Hugo Obi turned a pest into a pass-time with the African-themed video game, ‘Mosquito Squasher’. With growing interest in the game and others, Obi and his partner Oluseye Soyode-Johnson are quickly expanding their African-inspired gaming repertoire. The popularity of African …
Prepaid internet to connect South Africa’s townships to the web
Business owners in low income, rural and informal settlements have always struggled to get the internet connectivity they need as a result of poor infrastructure, a short supply of hardware and the unwillingness of business to invest as much as would be necessary to make affordable, widespread internet use a reality in outlying areas, until now. …
Future loos – Bill Gates revolutionises toilet technology
This may have been the last technological development you expected to hear about, especially since we’ve been perfectly happy to use the current flush system for some 150 years without questioning it a great deal. But only those of us lucky enough to be in areas where tons of water are at our disposal everyday …
Rapid SMS – how Unicef is saving lives by text
Text messages are useful in so many ways. They allow us to communicate in a few short lines, getting a message across, arranging a meeting, sending a reminder or just saying hi. As a quick and relatively cheap method of communication it is definitely an effective tool that many of us could not live without. …
Not so dark after all – Technological bright sparks making the continent proud
Technology is not an industry that one would automatically associate with Africa but just like our Western counterparts the continent is producing bright young things, making waves in the industry at home and abroad. Saheed Adepoju Earlier this month, bbc.co.uk reported that the 29-year old entrepreneur and Sun-certified Java programmer had invented an Android-operating tablet designed …