The iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5nSa LOL :D

The iPhone 5 has had mixed reactions since its unveiling a few weeks ago and most of the reactions are due to the technology it has together with the fact that nothing much has been upgraded since the iPhone 4s.

Apple for the first time since the first iPhone seem to have not met the enormous expectations of their customers as it was widely anticipated that the iPhone 5 would take the smartphone market.





These videos basically outlines the realization that many people have come to make with regards to the iPhone 5; there is nothing special about it and maybe it's tech infringes on personal privacy.

Happy Birthday Ubuntu 9 years old

This is a cool Infographic that explains the journey of the worlds open source OS that was launched in 2004.

Windows 8 : HIT OR MISS

Microsoft is o the verge of releasing its newest operating system, WINDOWS 8, following the success of its predecessor Windows 7 which was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009. Windows 8 has already has three pre-release versions: 

• Developer Preview (September 13, 2011)
• Consumer Preview (February 29, 2012)
• Release Preview (May 31, 2012)

 Windows 8 is slated for a a final release on October 26, 2012 when it will become available to the general public for commercial purchase.
The Windows 8 OS has many new features and is quite different in terms of user graphical interface as well as the location and positioning of  common features such as the power button and menu.Windows 8 has its own antivirus so  no need to buy one as it works efficiently well.

As is the case with new tech many users may find it cumbersome to use for the first time especially if you don't have a touch screen. After a few days, using Windows 8 becomes more pleasant and the OS tends to grow on you with all its new features as well as the optimized ones of its predecessors. When judging Widows 8 it all boils down to user preference and taste as it is fast, reliable and stable.

Steve Jobs Dies at 56

Apple Inc co-founder and visionary CEO up to August 24 2011 has passed on aged 56 years old. Jobs was born in San Francisco in 1955 by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, California, who named him Steven Paul. He leaves behind his wife Laurene Powell Jobs and their four children.He was also served as the CEO of Pixar animation studios and a Director of the Walt Disney Company in 2006.Under his leadership Apple Inc. has been a technological giant in the computer and mobile handset industry for many decades as well as being an innovative company that has produced revolutionary gadgets such as the iphone and ipad. There is also the successful line of Apple computers which run on MAC operating systems.
Jobs was a successful inventor and was either primary inventor or co-inventor of 338 US patents or patent applications related to a wide range of technologies. he is described as many as one of the greatest American innovators who wasn't afraid of thinking differently and had a vision of changing the world.

Jobs announced to his employees that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his pancreas in mid 2004. Job had stated that he had a rare and far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor.He initially resisting the idea of conventional medical intervention and embarked on a special diet to thwart the disease. Later on in July 2004, Jobs underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (also known as "Whipple procedure")  that appeared to successfully remove the tumor.during this period Jobs  did not require nor receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Numerous messages of condolence have poured in from millions of people all over the world to the extent of crashing down some social media sites like twitter. messages have also come from prominent personalities such as US president Barrack Obama, Microsoft Co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates, Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg amongst others

How Nunua Na M-Pesa Works

In a milestone that is set to re-define the shopping experience, Kenyans can now pay for their goods at supermarkets using the M-PESA service.

Dubbed Nunua na M-PESA, the new service can be enjoyed by over 12 million M-PESA customers and is initially available at all Uchumi and Naivas Supermarket outlets across the country. This follows the signing of partnership agreements between leading telecommunications firm Safaricom and the Uchumi and Naivas Supermarkets.

While speaking at the launch ceremony held at an Uchumi outlet, Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said the company was leading the way towards a cash-less society where most payments will be made via the telephone or online, hence reducing the risks involved in carrying cash.

“I am extremely excited to be launching Nunua na M-PESA service allowing cashless payments at-the-till for people without a bank account. It resonates with our company‟s commitment to lead the way in innovations that provide convenience and security to our subscribers,” said Joseph. “Following positive feedback from customers who participated in a pilot, as well as the Central Banks go-ahead to roll-out, we shall now proceed with expanding the merchants that will accept Nanua na M-PESA”.

Joseph said Safaricom will continue partnering with organizations to expand the variety of payments that can be made using M-PESA with the aim of providing increased convenience to Kenyans while at the same time maximizing their mobile phone usage.

“This is yet another effort by Safaricom and partners to deepen online and cash-less payment solution in Kenya. It resonates with our company‟s commitment to lead the way in innovations that improve the living standards of our subscribers, in line with M-PESA‟s „Bigger Than Cash‟ aspirations,” said Mr Joseph.

HOW NUNUA NA M-PESA WORKS:

To enjoy the service, customers will need to show an accepted identification document and follow these simple steps on their M-PESA menu:

1. Select „Buy Goods‟

2. Enter the „Till Number‟ of the organization they are paying (as displayed)

3. Enter the amount they wish to pay (Between Sh100-35,000)

4. Enter the M-PESA PIN number, confirm their entry and then press OK.

Upon payment, both the customer and the supermarket sales assistant will receive a confirmation SMS from M-PESA. The sales assistant will then complete the transaction and issue the customer with his sales receipt as normal – indicating the amount paid by M-PESA.

Currently there is no charge to use the Nunua na M-PESA service; however Safaricom may at a later stage introduce a nominal fee. Payments of between KShs 100 and 35,000 per transaction can be made

Since launch in March 2007, M-PESA has evolved beyond money transfer into a total mobile commerce solution. Towards this end, Safaricom has partnered with various utility providers cutting across various sectors of the economy.

About M-Pesa

The M-PESA service, the first of its kind in the world, was launched in March 2007. As at 30th August, 2010, the service had over 12.6 million customers and 20,000 Agent outlets countrywide. The service does not require users to have a bank account; an important aspect in Kenya, where millions of people do not operate bank accounts. With M-PESA, account holders can buy electronic funds at an M-PESA agent and send the electronic value to any other mobile phone user in the country, who can then redeem it for conventional cash at any M-PESA agent. M-PESA customers can hold up to KShs50,000 in their M-PESA account at any one time, and can do transactions of up to KShs 70,000 in a day. Between KShs100 and KShs35,000 can be deposited, sent or withdrawn per transaction.

Orange lowers internet access charges for mobile users

Nairobi, September 30, 2010… Orange Mobile customers can now access the internet at the most competitive rates in the market. The new charges on the Internet Everywhere Service will see prepaid mobile customers 50MB of data every week at a cost of Sh.50.

Orange Chief Executive Officer Mickael Ghossein said the new mobile internet tariff targets the increasing number of people who are using their mobile phones to access the internet.

Ghossein added, “Orange has used its unique advantage in the data market to effect the price changes, to ensure that our esteemed customers continue using the services affordably. We believe the mobile web is one of the key areas of growth in the mobile telephony industry.”

To subscribe to the new EDGE/GPRS rates, customers are required to send a blank SMS to 1234 from their mobile handsets. Customers who may opt to continue with the previous pay - as – you – go internet access charges will still be able to do so for Ksh. 7 per MB.

Last week Orange slashed by half, the cost of internet bundles for customer’s using its Internet Everywhere broadband wireless modems. The company also has the most attractive unlimited wireless internet access weekly bundle that goes for Kshs 999 for 7 days.

Orange is expected to introduce 3G services on the GSM platform before the end of the year.

Safaricom to start testing 4G technology

NSE Listed telcom firm Safaricom is expected to start technical trial of the 4G (fourth generation) technology on its network within the next two months. The roll out of the next generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology (4G) will be carried out by Huawei Technologies company from China.

Safaricom and Huawei signed a three year strategic partnership under which Safaricom selected Huawei as its vendor of choice for the supply of its core network requirements, and roll out the fourth generation network at a cost of 12 billion shillings.

Speaking during the signing ceremony held at Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen China, Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Michael Joseph said the company was also keen to overhaul its billing system, core network and expand its 3G network coverage throughout the country.

“We are going to do a technical LTE trial on our spectrum to see if it suits the Kenyan market and its commercial viability. This is completely a technical trial and not a commercial trial and we are going to do the trials within our spectrum in the next two months.”

Michael Joseph said once the 4G network becomes operational, Safaricom customers will be able to enjoy high speeds of 600 megabit per seconds or 1.5 gigabit per seconds in both downloads and uploads. The new technology will enable Safaricom to deliver a combination of services like data, voice, and video and download services like iTunes which will be billed through a different charging system.

He said in the next two years the company will overhaul its current system to march the precepts of the LTE technology .The first phase will include installation of the operating system for the prepaid system, followed by upgrading of the postpaid system which will later will include converging both systems to have one billing system. “We believe this will enable our customer service unit to monitor the customers’ calling histories and their tariff plan on one screen,this will be a superior customer service platform.”

The upgrades are expected to begin in the next six months and will be done in two phases.

The Dawn of Video Conferencing Catching up With Corporate Kenya

The dawn of video conferencing is catching up with corporate Kenya,
thanks to revolution in ICT bolstered by arrival of undersea fibre
optic cables.Companies with regional presence are sometimes forced to
hold board meetings in the countries they operate in.


Video conferencing enables companies to save on travel, accommodation, allowance costs incurred in business conventions and meetings as well as save the time spent moving.Environmentalists say business travel contributes to air pollution largely due to the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere eventually causing huge financial losses to those businesses in the long term.


Video-conferencing equipment cost between Ksh 40,000 and Ksh 4M
depending on the size and use.Google Kenya, Telkom Kenya, and Bamburi
cement have video conferencing facilities.


Video Conferencing Providers in Kenya



1. UUNET

Internetservice provider UUNET has a partneship with electronic manufacturer
Sony to provide video conferencing facilities in Kenya. UUNET provides
the bandwidth capacity required to enable the video conferencing and
they also resell video conferencing equipment.



2. Sight and Sound Ltd

Sight and Sound is a vendor of Polycom video conferencing
equipment.Sight and Sound has implemented over 50 sites, most of them
for NGOs, embasies, and few corporates.


3. Kenya Development Learning Centre

KDLCoffers outsourced conferencing facilities for between sh 14800 to sh
37,000 an hour.

Orange launches lowest on net calling tariff for post-paid and pre-paid customers

• The KSh 2/- per minute calling tariff is the country’s lowest on net calling charge
• For only Ksh 100 top up, the new tariff also accords customers free on net calls from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily

Nairobi, August 25 2010…

Integrated telecommunications provider Telkom Kenya today announced the lowest on net tariff of Ksh 2/- and slashed its off net tariff to Ksh 4/- for its GSM customers following the revision of interconnection rates by the Communications Commission of Kenya.
The new tariff also comes with an additional benefit of free calls from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. for only Ksh 100 top up per month across all Orange networks such as Orange mobile, Orange wireless and Telkom Fixed (landline).


Making the announcement in Nairobi today Mr. Ghossein said, “Effective today midnight, both our Orange GSM post and pre- paid customers will enjoy a new call and SMS rates of Ksh 2.00 per minute for calls and Kshs 1 for SMS whereas calls to other networks will be charged at Ksh 4/- per minute and Ksh 2/- per SMS respectively”.
Exuding optimism about the future of Telkom Kenya following the new tariff, Mr. Ghossein added, “We will continue to maintain a strong focus on strengthening our distribution and network capability with a view to ensuring that our customers consistently enjoy value for money through provision of reliable and quality services.”


He confirmed that the new tariffs were developed in tandem with Telkom Kenya’s integrated business model and stated that Telkom Kenya would soon announce new tariffs for its Orange Wireless and Telkom Fixed (landline).


The CEO noted that the market dynamics had shifted, requiring the industry to focus beyond voice and text messaging. “We do not intend to engage in price wars since our strategy is clear on providing value for our customers, better customer care and quality of service. Despite the current market frenzy, Orange is determined to keep leadership in data and value added services’,” he said.


As a local company partnered with a global player of international acclaim, France Telecom, Mr. Ghossein said that Telkom Kenya was committed to the development and sustainability of the Kenyan market, as the upcoming hub for regional telecommunication and has therefore taken long term view of the industry in rolling out its business model.
To this end, he explained that Orange would keep its focus on growing its bouquet of unique value added products and services to its customers as one-stop shop (fixed, mobile and internet)


“With our extensive national coverage of infrastructure which carries voice and data, our customers should rest assured that we will continue to give them better integrated services at the most competitive price, “he said.
While lauding CCK’s move to address the interconnection rates, Ghossein confirmed that Telkom Kenya had officially taken issue with CCK’s decision to set the interconnection rate for fixed lines with GSM at Ksh 1.67 on the basis that it was too low to be sustainable and did not take into consideration running costs as well as network maintenance costs.

.............................................................................................



About Telkom Kenya
Telkom Kenya is committed to providing innovative, accessible and refreshingly simple communications solutions to its customers. With fixed network, wireless, data, mobile and internet services, Telkom Kenya is the only truly integrated telecommunication solutions provider in the country. Orange Mobile, Orange Fixed Plus and Orange Broadband are Telkom Kenya’s GSM, wireless and internet services provided under its commercial brand, ‘Orange’. The national fixed line service, Telkom Fixed, is provided under the Telkom Kenya brand. Established in 1999 as the nation’s original telecommunications provider, Telkom Kenya continues to have the largest footprint across the country enabling more people to connect, create and come together to achieve more.
For more information please visit www.orange-tkl.co.ke; www.orange.co.ke

SAFARICOM UNVEILS NEW POSTPAY RATES

August 24, 2010...Safaricom’s PostPay customers can now call make calls at a flat rate of Sh3 per minute.

This follows the launch of a new tariff plan for this category of subscribers by the country’s leading telecoms operator. The rates will apply for both on and off-net calls and will be applicable throughout.

Per second billing applies on this tariff, which takes effect starting August 25 and is targeted at the firm’s PostPay, a key component of its 16 million-strong subscriber base.

Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said the tariff was a way of thanking the firm’s PostPay subscribers for their loyalty and extending to them price concessions similar to what PrePay customers were enjoying.

“Our PostPay customers are a huge reason for our success. We thank them for their custom and considerable spending on our network. We promise to remain responsive to their needs and promise them a number of incentives, going forward,” said Mr Joseph.

Earlier in the day, Safaricom had announced a value-based PrePay tariff promotion whose main point was a Sh2 per minute calling rate on the purchase of certain air-time denominations, the lowest level in the market currentlyt

SAFARICOM EXCITES MARKET WITH LOWEST CALL RATES

August 24, 2010...In a move that is likely to excite the local market, Kenya’s leading telecoms operator Safaricom has today unveiled a new tariff promotion that will see its subscribers call from as low as Sh2 per minute.

The Sh2 a minute charge represents the cheapest calling rate by any operator in the Kenyan market currently.

Under the new scheme called Masaa Tariff, customers will be able to make calls within the network at between Sh2-5, depending on the value of their last top-up. Calls to other operators will cost Sh3-5.

Subscribers who buy airtime worth Sh100, Sh250, Sh500 or Sh1,000 will be able to make on-net calls at Sh2 a minute, while the off-net rate for these airtime values will be Sh3. On the other hand, airtime worth Sh5 or Sh10 will attract a discounted flat rate of Sh5 both for calls terminating within and outside the Safaricom network. Subscribers who buy airtime worth Sh50 will now pay Sh3 a minute for both on and off-net calls while for the Sh20 denomination, the on-net rate is Sh4, while calls outside the network will cost Sh5 per minute.

Per second billing applies on the Masaa Tariff, which takes effect starting August 24 to September 23 and is primarily targeted at the firm’s Prepay subscribers.

Commenting on the development, Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said Masaa Tariff was a way of thanking the firm’s over 16 million subscribers for their loyalty, in light of new rates guidelines announced by the regulator, and would be the first in a series of such moves as the firm marks 10 years as an authentic Kenyan success story this year.

“We thank our customers for enabling us to become a globally-celebrated Kenyan success story in the telecoms world. We shall continue creating true value for our customers by listening to them and coming up with propositions that best answer their needs. We recognize that this has been a great pillar of our leadership,” said Mr Joseph.

He promised all Safaricom subscribers a “bagful of pricing and promotional incentives” going forward it seeks to consolidate its leadership in the Kenyan market, while continuously delighting its growing subscriber base.

About Safaricom...Formed at the turn of the decade, Safaricom has firmly established its credentials as a regional leader, spawning a virtual telecoms revolution in Kenya.

Safaricom is a total telecoms company. With a subscriber base of over 16 million, Safaricom offers all telecoms services under one roof: mobile and fixed voice and data services on a variety of platforms: Kenya’s widest and only 3G network; a growing fibre optic cable footprint and its most expansive WIMAX presence.

For more details please go to: http://www.safaricom.co.ke/

Free High Speed Internet Connection in Nairobi

Need a stable WiFi point in Nairobi? Here are the hot spots, where you are guaranteed to get high speed free internet connection.

WiFi uses radio waves to create reliable high speed connections between computers, printers, gaming devices,mobile phones and home entertainment systems.



Since businesses in Kenya are not required to pay for a commercial license to operate a WiFi hotspot, public access is sometimes provided free of charge as a value-added service.To take advantage of a public WiFi hotspot, your laptop must have WiFi capability that is activated to detect existing hotspots automatically. This means that when you turn on your laptop in a WiFi hotspot, it will alert you that a WiFi network exists and ask whether you want to connect it.Most airports, hotels, coffee shops and restaurants, worldwide provide free hotspots to attract clients.And Kenya is no exception.Here is a list of WiFi hotspots that you can use to access the internet for free.



1. The Mug Coffee Shop

Mug Coffee Shop (www.themug.co.ke) on Kaunda street has a very stable
connection.



2.The Lifestyle Lounge at Nakumatt Lifestyle,

Koinange/Monrovia street is also pretty good.



3.Alan Bobbe's Bistro

(www.andrews.co.ke) at Andrews Apartments Rhapta Road
has an extremely fast connection.



4.Dorman's Coffee House

(www.dorman.co.ke) at Sarit Centre provides good internet access
that is password protected. But once you gain access the first time
you can configure your laptop to automatically remember the network
and access protocols.



5.Java Coffee House

(www.nairobijavahouse.com) at Sarit Centre, has an open access
configuration that anyone can use to browse.Both the Dorman's and Java
coffee shops at Westgate shopping Mall have WiFi access.



6.Ngong Hills Hotel

(www.ngonghillshotel.com) and Wildbeest Camp
(www.wildbeesttravels.com) on Kibera Road also provide stable
connectivity.


7.The Java and Dorman's WiFi connection at
Nakumatt Junction, Dagoretti is simple. The connection is not very
fast, but with a good laptop and a multi-tab browser, you will have a
nice browsing experience.

Zain Kenya Launches New Calling Rate: 3 Shillings To All Other Networks

Zain Kenya today launched a new callin tarrif that lowered calling rates by a staggering 50 percent.

Zain calls to other networks will 3 shillings both for prepaid and postpaid customers. SMS to all other networks will now cost 1 shilling.

This lowering of prices is in accordance with Communication Commission of Kenya directive to harmonize the interconnection rates. CCK news reduced the interconnection fees to 2 shillings from 4.50 shillings.

Zain Kenya Managing Director Rene Meza said assured consumers that the huge reduction in calling rates was not an offer but a permanent value proposition which seeks to make mobile services affordable to all Kenyans.

The new Zain Kenya tarrif is so far the most affordable tarrif in the market and it is bound to bring out pricing wars from the other mobile service providers; mobile phone services will become more accessible to Kenyans and hence increase penetration especially in rural Kenya.

AccessKenya H1 Profit Down 55 Percent

Internet service provider, AccessKenya has recorded a 55 percent
decrease in before tax profit in the first half of this year's
financial year.

AccessKenya's before tax profit dropped to 40.1 million shillings in
the first half. According to AccessKenya the fall in pretax profit is
as a result of price reductions and a weaker Kenyan shilling which
dropped to a five year low against the dollar in the first half thus
increasing the cost of servicing their loans.

Total sales dropped by 17 percent to 876 million shillings.
AccessKenya had earlier cut the price of its internet by 80 percent
after linking to the undersea fibre optic cable.

Bharti Airtel EASSy Deal To Boost Broadband in East Africa

Bharti Airtel Ltd in consortium with 15 other global telecom companies,
has invested $ 263 million for laying an undersea communication cable
to boost data connectivity in East Africa.


The 10,000 kilometre cable with a capacity of1.4 tera bits a second, will be the largest submarine cable serving the continent of Africa.

The EASSy fibre optic cable connects Mtunzi in South Africa to Port
Sudan in Sudan with landing points in 9 countries. It will also link
East Africa to the rest of the world.

The submarine cable will help steady and guarantee a continuous all
time connectivity of the East African countries with the rest of the
world.


The arrival of EASSywill boost the roll-out of inter country and national fibre networks.The East African backbone system ring,Mombasa-Nairobi-Kampala-Kigali-Bujumbura-Dar es salaam-Mombasa, is under development and it is expected to be complete by 2010.


The EASSy arrival will bring higher bandwidth, lower prices and it
will boost the much needed e-commerce in Africa. In Kenya e-commerce
will be a big boost to the tourism Industry which still uses traditional
methods of hotel reservation.