Imagine a world where there was no commissions on global trade? No custom bloc levies, no banking transactions fees. Imagine if an individual/entity in Namibia could purchase a truck from an individual/entity in Indonesia directly without having to worry about currency exchange and bank transfer charges? What if there was no need for a middleman, no bank, no lawyers, no credit unions, no central banks. Continue reading “Bitcoin in the present and a glimpse into the future.”
Author Archives: Tshuutheni Emvula
ASM.JS to take gaming and big data by storm
Web gaming is about to get a makeover. The folks over at Mozilla recently came up with asm.js, a subset of the javascript computing language, which allows for compilation of programs on ANY platform at near native compile speeds. In other words this means blazing-fast-rich-big-data web applications on ANY relevant platform or device that has a decent browser and internet connection.
For a more hands on description of what I mean head over to MonsterMadness Online a game developed by Trendy Ent using the Unreal Engine which works on, well…as I said anything purchased in the last five years that has a decent browser on it and a half decent (512kbps for a slightly choppy but playable experience) internet connection. Continue reading “ASM.JS to take gaming and big data by storm”
StartupBus hackcelerates Sterio.Me, a new edu platform for Africa.
One of the startup initiatives launched on the StartupBus Africa 2013 is this nifty audio over GSM teacher/student bridge called Sterio.me. The founders Chris Pruijsen, Danielle Reid and Dean Rotherham figured that the issue of teachers engaging their students and tracking their students outside of the classroom in rural Africa without the added benefits of feature gadgets like laptops and smartphones could be addressed through providing a simple audio platform which both teacher and students could access through GSM. Continue reading “StartupBus hackcelerates Sterio.Me, a new edu platform for Africa.”
Is Google’s Moto G THE smartphone for Africa?
Brazil, UK and other parts of Europe got their hands on Motorola’s newest smartphone, the Moto G, today. At an utterly astonishing price of 179USD (1825NAD) with no SIM and NO contract, this true feature phone is set to shake up Samsung’s current vice grip on the African cellular market with it’s worldwide release this coming January. Continue reading “Is Google’s Moto G THE smartphone for Africa?”
Startup Bus Africa! Help us get ready for next year!
StartupBus is an annual entrepreneurial road trip, during which the ‘buspreneurs’ conceive, build, and launch their startup. This November, for the first time, it will run in Southern Africa, bringing together 15 African and 15 International entrepreneurs for a truly unforgettable journey… Continue reading “Startup Bus Africa! Help us get ready for next year!”
TV White Spaces can deliver broadband access without interference
TV White Spaces—the unused spectrum between TV channels—have the potential to bring wireless broadband access to underserved and rural areas. These low frequency signals can travel long distances and fill a need in places where telecommunications infrastructure is lacking.
Google, joined by a group of partners (CSIR Meraka Institute, TENET, e-Schools Network, WAPA, and Carlson Wireless), wanted to help make this potential a reality. In March 2013, the grouplaunched a six-month trial using TV White Spaces (TVWS) to bring broadband Internet access to 10 schools in Cape Town, South Africa. The goal of the trial was to show that TVWS could be used to deliver broadband Internet without interfering with TV broadcast. Continue reading “TV White Spaces can deliver broadband access without interference”
New study finds shocking truth of mobile penetration in Africa
Mobile penetration as measured by the number of active Sims in use in sub-Saharan Africa has reached 61% of the population. But this masks the reality that fewer than one in three people in the region actually owns a mobile phone. According to a new research report from the GSMA, an industry lobby group that counts most of the world’s mobile operators as members, only 31% of sub-Saharan Africans has a cellphone.
Continue reading “New study finds shocking truth of mobile penetration in Africa”
Rwanda rolls out free wireless broadband, when will Namibia follow?
The Rwandan government last month rolled out an ambitious plan to cover 95% of the country’s landscape with free 4g broadband access. Starting with covering the lush rolling hills of Kigali with hotspots in their ‘Smart Kigali’ project, the country aims to transform itself into an ICT hub for East Africa and get rid of the usual connotations associated with its recent history. The country partnered with South Korean KT Corp to roll out the 4g network and access is granted freely in line with a new business model they are testing in the hopes that the Rwandan economy will grow fast and strong enough to justify the resources spent on providing free wireless broadband access. Continue reading “Rwanda rolls out free wireless broadband, when will Namibia follow?”
Namibia sets out to be most competitive tech economy in SADC by 2017
Namibia has set itself a target in the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP4) of becoming the most competitive economy in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region by 2017. This was the message of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister Joel Kaapanda at the Polytechnic of Namibia’s first annual Technology Day here on Wednesday. His special advisor, Mvula ya Nangolo, read the Minister’s speech on his behalf at the day being hosted under the theme “Innovative technologies for enhanced teaching, learning and assessment in Universities of Science and Technology”. “You will all agree with me that without proper investment in education, and especially higher education, this will not be possible. Knowledge and intellectual property are key to achieving national development,” Kaapanda said.
For the country to achieve Vision 2030 and become a knowledge-based society, it is vital that its citizens engage in continuous lifelong learning to acquire knowledge and remain relevant and competitive. He added that monitoring and evaluation reports of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have also shown that some progress has been made in increasing enrolments in primary, secondary and tertiary education.
Continue reading “Namibia sets out to be most competitive tech economy in SADC by 2017”
Meet the Raspberry Pi, a computer the size of your debit card.
Rasperry Pi is a credit card sized computer that runs on Debian developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in the UK. It It sports
- a Broadcom SoC (System on a Chip) that provides for CPU, GPU, SDRAM and USB
- a 700Mhz ARM11 CPU
- a Broadcom 250Mhz GPU with 1080p HD output capability
- Audio&Video in/out (HDMI, RCA, 3.5mm and more)
Continue reading “Meet the Raspberry Pi, a computer the size of your debit card.”