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>
Tag Archive for 'Kenya'
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
Below is an 18 minute video that I had meant to upload a week ago but it proved to be a challenge at the time. Finally though, its up! Its a complete clip of the briefing made to Kenyan Media by Manoj Kholi of Bharti Airtel and Airtel Kenya of their plans for this market. Its also my second uploaded video from the event where Naushad Merali also spoke briefly and that video is also on this blog. Enjoy the same:
Manoj Kohli of Bharti Airtel talks to the Media of their plans for Airtel Kenya. from Moses Kemibaro on Vimeo.
Below is the Marketing Plan presentation I gave yesterday Friday the 2nd July 2010 at the Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Stakeholder Forum. I have also provided a link below to some pictures I took at the well attended forum:
Although English, French and Portuguese are the official languages used in most African countries, many Africans are in fact more comfortable and eloquent using their indigenous languages, particularly when communicating with friends or when they want to fully express their views. This could not be more evident than in Ethiopia or Tanzania, where Amharic and Swahili are used in every aspect of society — from studying in school, filling out government forms, to writing an SMS.
Google’s Gmail interface is like your modern-day postal clerk: it helps you organize and control your mail experience, just as interacting with the postal clerk does for regular mail, only a lot faster. Now think – isn’t it great when you can understand your postal clerk and express yourself more clearly to him/her? Well, starting this week, Gmail is available in Swahili and Amharic, adapting to over 100 million speakers located in East and Central Africa, and in the Diaspora.
Switching Gmail to Swahili or Amharic is easy. Once logged into Gmail:
- Click on the “Settings” link on the top right of the page.
- Toggle the display language drop down then select Kiswahili or Amharic from the list.
- Hit save, and voila!
In addition to changing the display language, you can now read and write your email in Swahili or Amharic if you’re more comfortable in these languages. For example, while using the Amharic display, you can turn on transliteration to convert letters typed on a regular Roman keyboard to Ethiopic characters instantly. And to read all incoming messages in Swahili, simply turn on the Message Translation lab. All messages that aren’t in Swahili will get automatically translated by Google Translate.
No machine translation tool is perfect, but if you are a Swahili speaker who doesn’t understand a word of French, this feature can be quite handy when you need to get the gist of a message. Whether you are new to email or a veteran, these new language options will be useful and make the internet and email more accessible to a much wider group of people across East Africa.
The Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) is having its seventh Open Public Forum today Friday the 2nd of July 2010 at the Sarova Panafric Hotel from 8.00 am. KENIC’s mandate as the .KE registry is to the manage the Kenya’s country code top level domains (ccTLD).
The forum will be a focal point for bottom-up multi-stakeholder discussions of KENIC’s policies and developments over the past year. Thereafter, the same venue will host KENIC’s seventh Annual General Meeting (AGM) to which all stakeholders are invited to attend. Details of the AGM are available online at availed on the KENIC website here>
In an announcement at the end of last week, Google has teamed up with Moving The Goalposts (MTG) Kilifi to bring football fever to rural communities on the east coast of Kenya as well as Internet-based education. In the evenings MTG is showing matches on a giant screen in rural areas where people would not otherwise have access to television. During the mornings, Google has set up a rural ICT lab to train the MTG girls and provide basic ICT education.
Satellite technology is being set up to provide data connectivity for the rural Internet classroom, funded by Google. In the classroom, the MTG students will be able to learn how to use the Internet and computers as part of storytelling, using video, audio and photographs to communicate with people around the world.
Moving The Goalposts, Kilifi (http://www.mtgk.org) is an organization that uses football to develop essential life skills – confidence, leadership, self esteem – to vulnerable young women. MTG targets teenage girls between the age of 9 and 25 years from poor families. Bringing the girls together around football also provides an opportunity to provide education about reproductive health, human rights and economic empowerment.
Joseph Mucheru, Lead, Google Sub-Saharan Africa said, “This is one of our first initiatives targeted at children in rural areas and we hope to learn from it and continue encouraging rural populations to go online and use the Internet. I am delighted that we are able to support broadcasting the games to thousands of people who are passionate about football. They would not otherwise be part of the football fever sweeping the world for the first championships held in Africa.”
The project started on June 6th 2010 and will finish on July 12th 2010. The location is Kilifi, Kenya, where the Internet classroom is set up at the local MTG centre, and girls from 7 schools around the region are attending the ICT skills training. Meanwhile, the screen will be travelling to a number of sites in the area. They have already been to Mnarani primary school field, Karisa Maitha (Bukungu) Stadium and are currently in Bahati till 22nd June. The screens will also be going to Matsangoni (23-26th June), Silala (27th-29th June) and Ganze centre (from 30th June).
Recent Comments