This blog was featured in an article on the growing influence of blogging in Kenya in yesterday’s edition of the Business Daily Newspaper. You can read the article, “Kenya has the third largest number of blogs in Africa” in full here>
Just found out that the latest Opera State of the Mobile Web for Africa Report for June 2010 came out this week. Interestingly, the research findings reinforce the fact that the mobile web is becoming more and more key in Africa. Some of the highlights of the findings are as follows:
- The top 12 countries using Opera Mini in Africa are South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Sudan, Libya, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Namibia, Mozambique and Mauritius.
- Some numbers: From June 2009 to June 2010, page views in the top 12 countries in Africa increased by 182%, unique users increased by 124%, and the amount of data transferred increased by 160%
- Growth rates in Africa: Sudan and Ghana lead the top 12 countries of the region in terms of page-view growth (4,645.6% and 916.5%, respectively). Sudan and Ghana also lead the top 12 countries of the region in growth of unique users (1,225.0% and 498.8%, respectively). Kenya leads the top 12 countries of the region in page views per user, with each user browsing 639 pages on average each month.
- Facebook, Google and YouTube all do well in Africa. Facebook is the top-ranked site in six of the twelve listed countries, and Google is ranked #1 in the remaining six countries.
- Nokia remains the most popular handset brand in Africa, followed by Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and LG.
In addition to the above highlights for Africa, a snapshot of the state of the Kenyan mobile web is as follows:
- Page-view growth since June 2009: 278.6%
- Unique-user growth since June 2009: 171.9%
- Page-views per user: 639
- Data transferred per user (MB): 6
- Data transferred per page view (KB): 10
Top 10 sites in Kenya (# of unique users):
- facebook.com
- google.com
- yahoo.com
- wikipedia.org
- youtube.com
- waptrick.com
- bbc.co.uk
- my.opera.com
- getjar.com
- goal.com
Top handsets for June 2010 in Kenya:
- Nokia 2330c
- Nokia 5130 XpressMusic
- Nokia 1680c
- Nokia 2680s
- Nokia 2600c
- Nokia 2700c
- Nokia 3110c
- Samsung SGH-E250
- Nokia 2630
- Nokia 6300
Nokia today unveiled a new, free on-line application wizard that will help anyone, including publishers, bloggers and consumers, to rapidly mobilize their content or brand on a mobile phone. The Ovi Application Wizard is a revolutionary publishing tool that will help consumers easily create content in minutes and distribute it to millions of mobile phone users through Ovi Store.
“No programming skills are required to use this tool and we have made it easy to use for everyone. Applications created in Ovi app wizard will appear within 24 hours in Ovi Store. This move is set to offer a fresh impetus to software development sector in East Africa and we encourage everyone to make use of it,” said Ms Dorothy Ooko, Communications Manager Nokia, East & Southern Africa.
Ms Ooko said the Ovi app wizard is available now as an open beta application for select English speaking countries and will be more commercially available to all the Ovi Store supported countries in the near future. Open beta applications refer to programs offered to a larger community group, usually the general public, who wish to download them onto their mobile phones.
The Ovi app wizard has the potential to spawn a completely new industry of third-party applications for even those with no programming skills, a positive trend that may place East Africa as a region at vanguard of technological innovation. Applications, popularly known as apps, are small software programs mobile phone owners can download. They sometimes have a functional purpose and sometimes are purely for entertainment or novelty value.
“We want to support application developers and build a local development community here. There is an opportunity to create locally relevant applications for our East and Southern African market. We have already seen apps created using the app wizard like Collepoa- an application aimed at addressing the needs of university and college students in Kenya- and Sleepless Kenya,” said Ms Ooko.
Nokia said two locally made mobile applications dubbed Afro Hot or Not and Wazzup! and available in its 
Ovi Store are proving increasingly popular to Kenyans. The two applications were based on local submissions into Calling All Innovators Africa 2009 – the students were the only Kenyans to make it to top 20 out of the plus 100 submissions.
Afro Hot or Not is, basically, an entertainment application that people to rate each other based on their looks and also meet new people if they so wish. Wazzup! is an entertainment application that provides information on fun events happening in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique. It has become popular with young and trendy Kenyans looking for updates in the news, sports, music and events.
“Ovi App Wizard is unique because it allows publishers to quickly and easily mobilize content in only a few minutes, and allows the publisher the opportunity to take advantage of Ovi Store’s vast reach and active users in more than 180 countries. Nokia’s goal is to mobilize the best content in the world to provide to our users,” said Ms Ooko.
Ovi Store is the easiest way to find my great content and apps for my Nokia device. An addressable base of 50 million existing Nokia Series 40 and S60 users are capable of enjoying and accessing the new service now by visiting store.ovi.com inside the device browser and by using the current Download! client on compatible devices to install the Ovi Store application.
Those wishing to use the wizard can visit www.ovi.com/appwizard to get started. Publishers are guided through a step-by-step creation process, requiring no programming skills. Ovi app wizard supports up to four multiple feeds, including RSS and Atom feeds. “An application can be monetized by enabling the optional advertising function and inputting established account information for their desired advertising partner (currently either AdMob, Millennium or Mpression),” said Ms Ooko.
You can view pictures from the event here>
Google is once again launching a new initiative that will engage technology entrepreneurs and developers to transform the web for Africa and the rest of the world. This is in-line Google’s key mandate of making the Internet relevant and useful for Africans, as well as developing offerings that are relevant for the African marketplace.
Going forward, it was announced last week that Google will be hosting developer and tech days across Africa with two exciting events, G-Uganda and G-Kenya, taking place early in September 2010. These web and mobile themed conferences will focus on Google’s developer and business technologies from Chrome Extensions, App Engine, to mobile and AdWords. Attendees will have the chance to explore Google’s open source technologies through a combination of tech talks, breakout sessions and codelabs run by engineers and business teams from across the globe.
G-Uganda will be held on September 1st – 2nd 2010 at Speke Conference Centre just outside of Kampala. Closely on its heels, G-Kenya is running September 6th – 8th 2010 at Strathmore University in Nairobi.
Each day of the conference will cater to a different audience, spanning professional developers, students and tech marketers. Take a look at the G-Uganda & G-Kenya to learn more about a G-day that might fit your appetite. You must pre-register as space is limited.
This is a pleasant surprise! The Standard Newspaper also quoted this blog this week with regards to the post I made last week on Safaricom and Huawei launching the first Android-powered mobile handsets in Kenya. Earlier this week I made a brief post on the same whereby the Daily Nation had also quoted this blog. I’m beaming! 
In another first this week, I had a chance to get up close and personal with Samsung’s Android Galaxy S (Model: GT-I9000) smartphone during the Samsung Africa Forum 2010 in Johannesburg (South Africa). The handset is simply stunning and marks Samsung’s first commericial foray using the wildly popular Android mobile operating system. I got a first hand look at the handset and tinkered around with it. There are so many things about it that make it a major milestone for Samsung in its wide arsenal of smartphones. It has a gorgeous Super AMOLED display and the intelligence as well as the userbility of the device come shining though with flying colors.
Having spoken to a good number of executives from Samsung regarding their plans for the Samsung S, I secured reliable information that they intend to launch it in Kenya sometime in September or October 2010. Earlier this week, also as reported on this blog, Huawei and Safaricom launched the first Android smartphone in Kenya which is expected to retail for around Kes. 30,000.00 when it hits the marketplace. The Galaxy S would therefore be the second Android handset to come to Kenya on this basis.
The Galaxy S which has not yet been launched anywhere in Africa yet already has over 100 mobile networks globally who have signed up to launch the much lauded device before the end of the year. In the US, the Galaxy S is already causing waves following its launch recently under the name “Captivate” with AT&T. Many mobile networks worldwide are planning to use the Galaxy S as a linchpin for smartphone market penetration owing to its formidable capabilities.
“The Android-powered Samsung Galaxy S will set a new standard for smartphones, and the excitement we’ve seen from operators and retailers for this device is testament to that,” said JK Shin, president and head of mobile communications business. “The Samsung Galaxy S is the perfect device for people in all corners of the world who want that extra edge; to be more effective, productive, better connected, and in tune with their smart life – both personal and professional – all in a very easy and simple way. We’re extremely confident that this device is going to be very successful in every market.”
As part of Samsung’s drive to democratize the smartphone market, the Galaxy S will be the flagship model of the smartphone range Samsung will introduce this year. It will also offer enhanced opportunities for developers and new revenue streams for operators. JK Shin continued, “Everyone is going to benefit from this revolutionary new device: from the consumer with the phone in their hand, to application developers and the many global operators who have signed up to support the Galaxy S. This truly is a phone for the whole ecosystem.”
Featuring Samsung’s dazzlingly bright 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and a 1 GHz application processor, the Android™-powered Samsung Galaxy S is designed to provide immersive, intelligent and integrated experiences, with the power to enrich people’s lives through best-in-class services and technologies. It will introduce people to the concept of the “Smart Life” – a smartphone experience that is simple, organize and integrated; one that enriches the lives of users.
The Galaxy S features Samsung’s super-fast TouchWiz 3.0 user-interface (UI), giving users instant access to their mobile lives. Smart Life is further enabled through intuitive, integrative features, including the Swype text input service, the rich augmented reality browser, Layar, and advanced Location Based Service (LBS) capabilities.
More than 50,000 applications from Android Market and Samsung Apps will allow users to extend the benefits and excitement of the smartphone experience even more. Users have access to Google mobile services, such as Google Search, Gmail, and Google Maps. Some of the key features of the Galaxy S are as follows:
- eBook: Provides best-in-class reading experience on the phone. Customizable fonts, easy text search, and intuitive book list management offers convenient and customized reading experience.
- HD Video: Super fast 1 GHz processor enhances HD video playing and recording features on dazzling Super AMOLD screen.
- Daily Briefing: Offers instant access to weather, news, stocks, and the scheduler.
- AllShare: Enables inter-device connectivity via DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) technology.
- Augmented Reality: Shows users’ surroundings and displays information on camera-view. Tele-Atlas POI provides richer information than ever.
- Swype: Provides fast and easy way to input text on screen while on-the-move.
- Write and go: Jot down an idea first and later decide on a format such as SMS/ MMS, email, calendar or memo.
- ThinkFree: Apps to view and edit Microsoft Office 2007 documents.
- Smart Alarm: Wakes up with a natural alarm sound and automatically turned-on display light.
In addition, the specifications for the Galaxy S are as follows:
Network
- 2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE) : 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
- 3G (HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps) : 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz
OS: Android 2.1
Display: 4.0” WVGA Super AMOLED (800×480) with mDNIe
Camera: 5.0 mega-pixel camera + VGA Video Telephony Camera, Auto Focus,
Self shot, Action shot, Add me, Stop motion, Cartoon shot, Smile shot,
Panorama shot.
Video: HD(720p@30fps) video playing & recording
Codec: Mpeg4, H.264, H.263, H263Sorenson, DivX/ XviD, VC-1
Format: 3gp (mp4), WMV (asf), AVI (divx), MKV, FLV
Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, OGG, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WAV, MID, AC3, IMY, FLAC, XMF.
Value-added Features
- Android Market™ and Samsung Apps for more applications and contents
- A-GPS
- Augmented Reality with Layar Reality Browser powered by Tele Atlas POI
- 1 GHz Application Processor
- SMS/ MMS/ Email/ Video Messaging/ Exchange ActiveSync
- Sensor: Accelerometer, Digital compass, Proximity, Light
- Offline & No SIM Mode, RSS Reader, Mobile Widgets
Connectivity
- Bluetooth technology v 3.0
- USB v2.0 (High-Speed)
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Memory: 16GB / 8GB storage, 512MB RAM, external memory slot (upto 32GB)
Size: 64.2 x 122.4 x 9.9mm, 119g
Battery: 1500 mAh
The Samsung Wave
As noted in an earlier post on this blog today, I am in Johannesburg (South Africa) following the Samsung Africa Forum 2010. At the event, I received reliable information that Samsung will be launching its Wave mobile handset in Kenya sometime in August 2010 in conjunction with Safaricom, the leading mobile network in Kenya. The Samsung Wave is the first mobile handset to be released on Samsung’s new, open mobile platform, Bada. Bada allows mobile users to simply and easily download apps from SamsungApps, an integrated application store accessible from the device and online. SamsungApps include games, e-books, utility services and health and lifestyle applications.
The full touch Samsung Wave has a Super AMOLED 3.3” display, which is brighter and less reflective than previous AMOLED displays and it is powered by a 1GHz processor. This offers users the best graphic performance available today. The fast-response display has a high resolution WVGA (800×400 pixels) at 400 candela brightness. Samsung’s latest TouchWiz 3.0 user interface on the Wave provides a tactile, intuitive user experience and includes iconic new features such as motion UI, smart unlock and customizable widget screen. This means that the TouchScreen user interface is responsive and intuitive.
Samsung Wave features The Social Hub – creating a center of social networking and messaging activity with push-based, “Always On” integrated messaging. SNS, IM and e-mail contact information is listed on the phone’s display alongside traditional contact email and phone number information.
The Wave’s high-speed CPU ensures swift, smooth application usage and multi-codec support for DivX and Xvid, making the device into a personal entertainment system. Finally, HD video decoding and recording capabilities make the Samsung Wave an outstanding device for capturing, sharing and viewing video.
I had a chance to use the Wave briefly at the Forum and the first thing that grabs your attention is the Super AMOLED display which is stunning in its visual quality being both crisp and sharp. Its also quite easy to use as far as the user interface is concerned and certainly represents a leap forward from the Samsung Jet which was launched in Kenya earlier this year. The Samsung Wave is already available in South Africa as of this writing so Kenya is one of the first entry markets for Africa. The specifications for the Samsung Wave are as follows:
Network
2.5G : 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
3G: 900/2100 MHz
Display
3.3” WVGA (480×800) Super AMOLED with mDNIe
Camera
5.0 Megapixel AF camera w/ LED Flash
Touch AF
Face/Blink Detection, Lomo Shot, Vintage Shot, Beauty Shot,
Smile Shot, Panorama Shot, Geo-tagging, Photo Editor
Video
HD video playing & recording
5.1ch mobile theater
MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV,DivX, XviD
Video editor
Audio
Music Player with DNSe & SRS Sound Effect
Find Music, DISK UI
3.5mm ear jack
FM radio/ recording
100 hr playing time
Value-added Features
Integrated messaging (by Seven)
Samsung branded application store based on bada platform
TOUCHWIZ 3.0 w/integrated phonebook, voice & motion UI
Dolphin Browser 2.0 / one finger zoom
A-GPS, On/off board navigation (3D Map), LBS
SMS/ MMS/ Email/ Video Messaging/ Exchange ActiveSync
Accelerator Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Digital Compass
BPP, OPP, PictBridge (USB Printing)
Offline/ No SIM mode, voice command, RSS reader, communities, mobile widget
Connectivity
Bluetooth technology v 3.0
USB v2.0 (Full -Speed)
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Memory
2GB/8GB + microSD (Up to 32GB
Size
118 x 56 x 10.9mm
Battery
(Standard) Li-Ion, 1,500 mAh
I am currently in Johannesburg in South Africa after attending the inaugural Samsung Africa Forum 2010 that showcased 500 of Samsung Electronics (Samsung) innovative products. The event clearly indicated that Samsung has big plans for Africa across the board. Samsung is the global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies having been founded in South Korea 41 years ago.
The Samsung Africa Forum is a three-day extravaganza where Samsung will showcase the latest innovations across all of its product categories, from audio visual and home appliances, to mobile handsets, digital cameras and notebooks. The forum was attended by key media, customers, distributors and top Samsung executives and government officials. The forum aims to promote co-operation, innovation and the exchange of new ideas in technology.
Outlining the company’s roadmap for growth in Africa, Mr. KK Park, head of Samsung Electronics African Headquarters, said: “With 980 million people, 15 percent of the world’s population lives in Africa, but the region produces only 2.6 percent of global GDP. In our view, that growth potential is an enormous opportunity to do business and increase our market share on the continent.”
“In 2010, we are focusing in on Africa’s top 10 economies, which together generate 79 percent of the region’s wealth and house almost 47 percent of the population. Our key focus countries continue to be those with large and growing populations, such as South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Sudan,” Mr. Park said.
Samsung is currently the African market share leader in the broad consumer electronics category, including being the No. 1 brand for TV’s, SBS Refrigerators. Plans are underway to achieve leadership in other categories, including mobile phones, washing machines and air conditioners, through Samsung’s innovative product lineup, enhancing in-country marketing, strengthening distributor infrastructure, as well as tightening and improving supply chain management.
Showing its strong commitment to the region, Samsung continues to expand its in-market presence with subsidiaries and branch offices, as well as the appointment of 12 senior country managers. Samsung currently employs 242 local staff across five subsidiaries and offices.
“Our business model, although global in nature, is tailored to suit each individual market we enter, and our African strategy caters specifically for African market requirements,” Mr. Park explained. “For example, in Africa refrigerator demand is for larger capacity models in comparison to customers in Europe. Customizing the product lineup for each market is a crucial element in our success.”
Samsung has also sought to address the regional issue of counterfeit or gray market products infiltrating the market, specifically in the mobile phone space. The company aims to minimize and eradicate parallel importation through the use of e-warranties, where customers register product serial numbers prior to purchase. Initial data on the success of this initiative looks promising.
Importantly, Samsung’s commitment to Africa extends beyond market leadership to its role as a contributing member of African society and supporter of regional development. Mr. Park concludes: “Samsung has always strongly believed in nurturing a win-win partnership where the company gives back to the countries it does business in. To this end we have addressed the education, skills and unemployment challenges faced by many African countries today by launching initiatives such as the Samsung Real Dreams project, aimed at practical skills transfer, education and assisting disadvantaged youth to find meaningful employment.”
With the explosive growth predicted for Africa, Samsung is well positioned to be part of revolutionizing the region into a truly world class player on the world stage.
The leading Kenyan technology services concern AccessKenya Group (AccessKenya) yesterday announced 99.97 per cent network connectivity in its fibre optic network in the first six months of 2010. This demonstrates that network reliability is a key benefit of AccessKenya’s network infrastructure in Kenya.
“We are pleased to provide our customers with a highly reliable fibre network, which allows us to deliver outstandingly high broadband speeds and unrivaled network reliability to our fast growing corporate and residential customers” said Mr Jonathan Somen, AccessKenya’s Managing Director. Somen said with the rapid growth of AccessKenya’s fibre optic network, any new building connected to the would not affect the connectivity of existing customers, ensuring efficiency and reliability.
By building the network using ring topology, AccessKenya’s fibre optic network is built in the form of multiple rings which ensures that if one part of the network fails, traffic is rerouted to another part of the ring immediately thus eliminating connectivity disruptions for clients. In the instance when the fibre may be damaged, once repaired and normally within a few hours, the normal operating cycle is automatically restored.
“This is another significant advantage of our network that we believe puts our network ahead of others in the market today. The reliability of service will further cement our position as a leading provider of data services and IT services in Kenya,” said Mr Somen. AccessKenya’s network has been built using the latest technology that enables the delivery of reliable services to clients as well as new value added services for larger clients.
AccessKenya has already covered Nairobi with its fibre network and will soon be commencing construction of a fibre network in Mombasa. The Mombasa network will also be built on the same guidelines as the Nairobi network. The new fibre network will give AccessKenya the ability to offer reliable and significantly higher speeds to its 6800 customers from its 5000 megabits of international bandwidth from the TEAMS and SEACOM high speed undersea cables.
In addition to its fibre network, AccessKenya has significant wireless WIMAX and Motorola Canopy networks in Kenya that cover thousands of kilometers of coverage nationwide. AccessKenya’s fibre network is currently 150 kilometers of fibre covering 250 buildings in Nairobi and the firm has also partnered with TATA Communications to host its Tier 1 POP in Kenya.
Ok. This is without a doubt one of my busiest days of weekday blogging. I was just making my way out of the office when an email from home.co.ke came in that I could not resist posting here. Basically, Tribe Hotel and Home.co.ke have teamed up for a Pop Idol type of event called “Tribal Idol”. I don’t have all the details here but I’m gathering that they will be streaming it online live at home.co.ke. It should be interesting if it actually works. Below is the flyer I got in my email this evening.
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