Boasting of a different of its Galaxy S4 smartphone, Samsung has added new features and this time supporting LTE-Advanced networks.

The “Galaxy S4 LTE-A” adds new sorts to the present lead smartphone and support for doubled mobile data download speeds on the few networks that support it.

The Galaxy S4 LTE-A’s advanced network enables users to experience significantly greater speeds that is a double dose of today’s LTE speeds. It has achieved this by leveraging carrier aggregation, a method that combines different frequencies and uses them as one.

The phone also comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.3GHz quad-core processor and a long-lasting 2,600mAh battery.

New features for the South Korean market include such as ImageON which analyzes images that users view, then identifies and plays videos related to the image with just one click. A high resolution Digital Media Broadcasting service delivers on-the-go consumption of live television programs.

The Galaxy S4 LTE-A will be in the market in the third quarter of this year.

Sony Mobile has revealed a waterproof smartphone, the ‘LTE enabled Xperia Z Ultra’. It has a large 6.4-inch display screen and 2.2Ghz quad-core processor.

Sony’s new Android phone has a built in display software that analyzes each image and reproduces missing pixels to optimize quality for the sharpest videos.

“The Xperia Z Ultra is the most exciting revolution in large-screen smartphone entertainment devices with both the slimmest and largest Full HD smartphone display in the world that is second to none.” said Calum MacDougall, Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications.

The Xperia Z Ultra phone weighs 212 grams and is as slim as 6.5mm. It has a seamless surface on the face and the back of the phone as it is made of tempered glass with the OptiContrast panel and is housed in a solid metal frame.

Sony’s master piece will contain an exclusive free entertainment content offer, including a free trial of the Music Unlimited2 service which is subject to availability.

Filming videos underwater has been made possible and easier by this gadget as is has a waterproof rating of IP55 and IP58. The camera features “Exmor RS for mobile”, HDR for both photos and film, and Superior Auto mode automatically activates HDR and noise reduction when needed.

The Sony mobile phone features the world’s fastest smartphone processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with HD voice, together with Sony´s audio Sony’s ClearAudio plus mode and Xloud loudness enhancement.

The Xperia Z Ultra will launch globally between July and September this year but the time of availability in the different markets will vary .  The  cost of this gadget will be confirmed.

Safaricom Ltd in partnership with Green Dreams Ltd have introduced the new revamped  iCow application, a set of agricultural service, which will be accessed using a USSD code aimed at promoting smart dairy farming.

The application will be accessed by USSD *285#, the farmer will subscribe to the code which will cost them Kshs. 3 per message.

With this application, Kenya’s farmers will be able to access tips on better farming methods which will help them improve their dairy output and afterwards increase their returns.

“iCow survey data shows farmers who have been on iCow for 7 months begin to realise an increase of milk of between 2-3 litres per animal per day. This is an increase of about 610-930 litres a year which translates into an average increased income of 25-30k per animal per year. iCow data shows farmers have reduced cow and calf mortality thus enabling farmers grow their greatest asset base,” said Su Kahumbu, Green Dreams Limited.

The application features, Kalenda, which offers farmers nutritional and vaccination tips for their cows during the gestational period and up to birth. Mashauri, another feature, is a service that sends farmers three SMS tips every week on dairy farming. The last feature is the Vet and Artificial Insemination service, which links farmers with professional veterinarians within their respective geographical areas on demand.

“iCow is an easy to use, affordable and convenient mobile phone application which will empower Kenya’s dairy farmers with global best practices. iCow is a clear demonstration of how technology is positively impacting key spheres of our economy,” said Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore who spoke as he launched the service during this year’s Brookside Breeders’ Show.

Sony has introduced its smartwatch 2 which will act as a second screen for Android smart phones.

The watch serves as a notifer, android app interface and phone remote control. It’s a ‘multi-functional watch’.

The smartwatch 2 offers a touch screen device that will enable the user to read messages check the time, use apps, take photos and all the things one does with the phone. This means users will not have to remove their phones from their pockets or bags.

“Sony is the proud leader in the smartwatch market since introducing our first Bluetooth watch in 2007,” says Stefan K Persson, Head of Companion Products at Sony Mobile Communications. “Competitors are only now launching first generation devices, while we are already launching a 3rd generation device with all the insight gained from over half a million customers,”

Person further said that the future of wearable devices is very bright as the analyst research had predicted that 41 million ‘smart’ watches will be sold by 2016.

He said that Sony has over 200 unique apps which have been dedicated for the SmartWatch and with over one million downloads,they will continue to work with their strong developer network to deliver more compelling smartwatch experiences.

SmartWatch 2 introduces new features as a natural successor to the current Sony SmartWatch such as NFC connectivity for one-touch pairing, stunning premium design and a range of technologies including higher resolution for sharper viewing, better visibility even in sunlight, longer battery stamina, more intuitive interface, standalone watch functionality and a wide range of pre-installed and recommended apps.

When not connected to a smartphone, SmartWatch 2 works as a standalone digital watch. Sony SmartWatch 2 (SW2) will be available worldwide from September 2013.

Algeria is about to become big competition as 3G has been introduced this year. A new report from Pyramid Research says that the regulatory changes allow number portability and local loop unbundling.

The report, tagged ‘Algeria: Government Nationalizing Djezzy, Broadband Revenue to Soar as 3G About to Be Introduced’,  gives an accurate summary of the Algerian telecommunications, media and technology sectors based on proprietary data from Pyramid’s research in the market.

Ousmane Yatera, Pyramid Research Analyst, said that tight regulations that have been imposed  by the government have deterred  foreign buyers.

The only Ooredoo affiliate without 3G services, Nedjma, expressed high expectations from Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology, and it made a substantial effort to modernize its network in order to comply with the license requirements.

Similarly, the other operators have been investing a lot of money to improve their infrastructure for 3G. This move will give operators more flexibility to offer data-based services such as mobile video.

Yatera also believed that if mobile operators are successful in building high-quality 3G networks, they could also attract Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) customers who are not satisfied with the quality of the service.

In an intelligence report, pyramid research said that the Algerian communications market generated revenue of US$4.9 billion in 2012. They also added that they predict US$5.65bn for 2017, for a 2.9 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate).

The arrival of 3G will boost mobile data ARPS, which should generate 24 percent of total mobile ARPS by 2017.

As the government was talking to Amsterdam-based VimpelCom to acquire its 51 percent stake in Djezzy, Pyramid Research said that by the end of 2013, the government should be the strongest player in both the fixed and mobile segments.

National supplier of people’s management software and hardware solutions, Accsys, hosted students in their company. This was done as part of the annual Cell C Bringing a girl child to work initiative.

The Cell C Bring a Girl Child to Work is a long-running programme devised and introduced by the mobile services operator to expose learners to the realities of a modern business.

Every year, Accsys which is a regular contributor to the initiative, hosts 11^th and 12^th Graders from Wendywood and Alexandra High Schools.

Learners are given a guided tour through the offices, involving presentations by key personnel and are also given opportunity to engage with department leaders to better understand Accsys’ operations.

“The idea is that the learner will walk away from the experience with first-hand knowledge of a business environment at a progressive, leading company. This helps them at a time when they are considering what to do with their lives after acquiring their education. We also underline the fact that they do not need to stop learning when they complete their schooling – training and internships at companies are a sure way to gain valuable experience and continue the education process,” says Teryl Schroenn, CEO of Accsys.

The initiative seemed to make a lasting impression as Zinziswa Mcethe from Wendywood High said; “I enjoyed it because I want to study admin work. I enjoyed the spelling test and finding out about eLearning in the support faculty. It taught me how to market myself and provided me with different tips to better myself in the workplace. I also know my rights in the workplace… thank you very much for a wonderful day, filled with learning and fun.”

Lesley Sema from Alexandra High was impressed with the accountancy function and operation at Accsys. “I enjoyed getting to know what accountants do on a daily basis. The team is awesome and I would like to work as an accountant one day. This project motivated me a lot,” she said.

United States based, TA associates, a private equity firm intends to invest in an analytic providing company based in Mumbai India.The TA associates will invest INR 150 crore against a minority stake in the company.

Naveen Wadhera, the TA associate director and country head in India, says that Fractal Analytics fits well into their global strategy of supporting promoters because the company has put itself together as a niche business services company to a measure to meet most global ambitions.

Wadhera added that the associate company has been careful in investing in India and has so far been investing in few companies every year.

Fractal Analytics, with its operational analytic solutions has managed to regulate more than USD 20 million in 2012 and is expected to hint USD 30 million this year. The company has plans to expand to other countries, grow its sales team and to build more products with the received funding.

“We chose to partner with TA Associates because of their excellent track record in helping profitable companies become outstanding businesses,” said Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-Founder & CEO of Fractal Analytics.

The CEO further said that the company is passionate about helping companies influence advance analytics to understand the consumers better, optimize pricing & marketing and compete more effectively in the market place.

Large amount of in-house data has lately forced a number of companies to manage the data effectively; this has helped them to increase their productivity.

A survey report says 72 percent of Indian organizations have been considering or running the big data projects lately. Such data markets in India will be worth USD 1Billion by 2015, However, the global big data market which is valued at USD 6.3 billion in 2012 is expected to reach USD 48.3 billion by 2018, at a CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) of 40.5% from 2012 to 2018.

Samsung buyers who purchase any wireless or Bluetooth audio products will now enjoy three months of free unlimited access to more than 20 million songs available on Simfy Africa’s online music streaming service.

This promotion has been on from 1^st June 2013 and will continue up to the 31^st may 2014 with the chosen Samsung wireless and Bluetooth-enabled audio products including home theatre systems, AirTrack speaker systems, Mini Components Systems and Bluetooth speakers.

Lance Berger, the head of product marketing TV/AV at Samsung South Africa, thought that the Samsung wireless audio products combine innovative design that has the latest technology features that provide an enhanced entertainment experience.

“The partnership with Simfy Africa takes this to the next level by giving customers access to the music they enjoy listening to with one click and at no charge,” said Berger.

“Samsung wireless audio products make it easy to experience Simfy Africa at home and on the go with the high quality sound output form apps,”  said Davin Mole, Simfy Africa’s CEO.

Mole added that the experience comprises organizing ones favorite music through playlists, finding new favorites in the newest releases, sharing  them with friends on social media, downloading music using the offline mode as well as listenining without an internet connection, and taking music on their smartphones or tablets through the Simfy app.

In order to access the offer, buyers will go to the link found on the voucher, which will be included inside their recently bought Samsung audio product, and enter their unique code on Simfy Africa’s website.

Ryan Birkin, the chief business development officer for Simfy Africa advices those new to Simfy Afirca experience can go into any store with Samsung brand ambassador and they will be shown how to use Simfy Africa with their devices.

“This partnership is about bringing consumers a new flavour of sound by combining the respective strengths of both companies – giving them a range of mobile music options through an innovative ecosystem,” adds Berger.

Safaricom Limited has set its sight on the medium and small enterprises with the launch of ‘lipa an M-PESA Services, a campaign that is aimed at establishing the use of its payment service as a primary tool of transaction.

The ‘lipa na M-PESA payment  service for the M-PESA includes the payment of salaries, bills, merchant payment collection services, retail distribution, bulk payments and transport solutions.

The service will enable customers to make payments for goods and services that costs as little as ten shillings to as much as 70,000 shillings with no transaction fee.

Bobb Collymore, Safaricom’s CEO understood that the widespread use of M-PESA was driving the country’s cash lite economy agenda which he said is a more secure and efficient method of transacting.

“lipa na M-PESA is one of the ways through which we wanted to make mobile money work in micro-transactions. We want the mama mboga to tell you that it is okay for your sukuma via M-PESA or for the kibanda guy to say it is okay for our customers to pay for a plate of food via M-PESA. In the end, we want M-PESA to be celebrated not because it is a clever product; but because it is a product that is giving practical solutions to everyday problems,” said Bob Collymore.

CBK reports indicate that the country’s financial inclusion levels are now at 80 percent,  with mobile money contributing to about 57 percent for the total number of Kenyans  with access to some form of formal financial platform.

The first phase of lipa na M-PESA is anchored on an aggressive country wide recruitment exercise targeting to enroll more than 100,000 small and medium sized business on to its merchant service by April 2014.

Merchants looking to sign up for the services can visit a Safaricom retail shop, Safaricom authorized dealer or M-PESA agent.

Bestnet a manufacturing firm in Denmark has announced that it will participate in Energy Day in the country to highlight their solar solution, Sunlife that is aimed to help children in Africa.

“The aim is to raise awareness of sustainable energy solutions that ensure that energy resources are used wisely, and educates people on how green solutions can offer a better life to individuals around the globe,” the company said.

The company hopes that for every lamp sold at the event, it will donate a similar device to support a project in Pebi, Ghana to help children get light to study well into the night.

“Bestnet has already been pleasantly surprised by the number of local companies that have shown their support of this worthwhile project by pre-purchasing Sunlife® Solar Lamps prior to the event. We invite anyone interested in helping to either stop by our exhibit area on Friday June 21st, or to contact Bestnet to pledge their support,” said Bestnet Managing Director, Trine Angeline Sig.

The Sunlife solar lamps have a simple and elegant design. The company admits that the products are easy to use and suitable for the targeted market in Africa. The product also includes solutions such as LED rechargeable lights, rechargeable batteries, cellphone connectors and radio connectors.

“Sunlife products provide much needed relief to the affected, by helping to rebuild their lives from destruction to come back one regained sense of normalcy by providing lighting, connectivity and information,” the company said.

“In Denmark, we cannot imagine such a life, but for about 600 families in the coastal area of Pebi in Ghana, it is still a reality in 2013. They have no access to electricity and, after daylight hours, productive activities such as children studying and parents working must stop due to the darkness,” Sig said.

The continent has experienced great initiatives to light up rural areas in Africa. Good examples are the M-Kopa solar lighting project in Kenya that enables families to purchase solar units and pay a small daily fee to acquire the units.

Tigo Rwanda has launched its own automated teller machines product that will see its customers purchase airtime and send money.

According to The New Times, the Tigo-Matic ATMs are the first of its kind in Africa and Rwanda specifically. This service will extend money transfer and aritime purchase to thousands of its clients across the country.

“This is a smart innovation that promotes the digital lifestyle we want Rwandans to adopt,” said Jean Philbert Nsengimana, the youth and ICT minister. “I would like to thank banks and telecom firms for partnering to ensure we move towards a cashless and paperless economy with financial inclusion.”

Diego Camberos, the firm’s chief executive officer, added that the new services which are now installed in two centres, Muhima and Nyabugogo service centres would offer convenience to customers.

“Implementing this solution is part of our strategy to meet the ever growing expectations of subscribers,” Camberos said.

The Tigo-matic ATMs will also enable clients to conduct a SIM swap and receive their cards on the spot.

Rwanda has a mobile penetration rate of about 55 percent by March this year.  Rwanda’s population is about 10.5 million but is steadily rising in implementing innovation and technology in all its sectors.

Earlier in March, Jean Baptiste Mutabazi, RURA’s (Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority) head of Communication and Media Regulation attributed the increase of use of ICT in Rwanda, especially in the mobile phone sector to cost effective measures. A cheap phone in Rwanda could cost Rwf 8,000 (US$12) and this is affordable to the majority.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID) in a meeting in Washington D.C. announced plans to build a global investment platform that depicts how to support innovative solutions to the world’s most intractable development challenges.

The mission of Global Development Innovation Ventures (GDIV) will be to focus resources in international development towards innovative approaches with demonstrated and totally successful results.

GDIV will adopt the model of the Development Innovation Ventures program at USAID, which are designed to source powerful solutions from anywhere in the world, test them using rigorous methods and staged financing, and bring to scale those that offer more value for money than standard practice and improve the lives of millions.

This will unlock investment capital from both private and public sectors, to scale solutions commercially or through public sector adoption.

“We are proud to see that this model, born at USAID, has become a global tool for improving effectiveness in development,” said Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator. “Our partnership with the UK and future GDIV investors will amplify our impact through the discovery of breakthrough technologies and approaches to help end extreme poverty.”

GDIV will feature items like, A global competition for investments which will be supported by GDIV, an evidence driven investment strategy which the company will fund appropriately and a market place for development successes.

Enterprise communications group, Aastra has launched a campaign for its products in Middle East and Africa regions to improve communication and network communications for companies.

The company provides Voice-over-IP, SIP trunking, Unified Communications and Collaboration, Video telephony & conferencing and Fixed-Mobile Convergence technologies, which they say are not as vibrant in Africa and Middle East as in North America.

The company says that these technologies help users to reduce costs and also increase efficiency in their systems.

“With the Transform campaign we are targeting enterprises with legacy PBXs such as Ericsson MD110 and Aastra Telephony Switch offering them customized migration plans and promotional offers to move to server based communication systems with state-of-the-art hardware and software, capable of supporting all new technologies in business communications,” says Alex Naumov, head of Sales Aastra Middle East & Africa.

He also added that, “Utilising latest technologies like High Definition (HD) video conferencing business can significantly reduce their travel cost and increase environmental support without compromising on the quality of face to face meetings. We offer enterprises the possibility to trial new solutions before deploying them, combined with a promotional price for transforming their existing system.”

Aastra’s operations are global with more than 50 million installed lines around the world and a direct and indirect presence in more than 100 countries.

The Aastra campaign  is pegged to end on 31^st December 2013.

M-Pesa, a mobile-phone based money transfer service for Safaricom and vodacom, has now been launched in Mozambique by a leading mobile phone company Vodacom- SA

According to the governor of the Bank of Mozambique, Ernesto Gove, the existence of a strong and stable financial system that is comprehensive and inclusive is an objective that must be realized for the benefit of people living in districts without any point of access.

He said, adjustments to the legal and regulatory framework in 1999 and 2004 paved way for new forms of financial institutions and the emergence of new services and products.

Launched in 2007 Kenya M-Pesa has spread quickly, and has become the most successful mobile phone based financial service across 8 countries, Kenya, Tanzania, Afghanistan, South Africa, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo and now Mozambique .Worldwide it has 17 million users.

According to the researchers, there are about five million subscribers to mobile phone services, which is about a quarter of the population.

In every country there are greater institutions of learning that produce the next entrepreneurs that change the world and just like Stanford University in California and Kenya is no exception.

Kenya being in the front end of technology in Africa has grown its human resource base with brilliant and intelligent graduates making into tech each and every year.

JKUAT Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology

Might be the leading tech developers and techprenuer institution. It’s YCombinators of the best in technology in Kenya.

The campus has produced market leading developers like Okii the founder of Echorest ,Savykenya ,Maina Imani a software engineer with Twitter, M-Shamba founder who won the best agriculture startup in Safaricom Apps Star Challenge, Eureka founder that was the second best general App in the challenge respectively. It’s also the only institution full of hackers who watch movies before they premier with famous Hall Six being the ‘incubator’.

The campus produces best developers in software and is very dynamic with competitions being held in the institution on annual basis in all fields. This includes Jkuat Tech Expo, JLUG Hackathons.

Strathmore University

It’s the most rising private university in Kenya with majors mainly in Computer science, IT and Accounting. The institution boosts of a tech hub inside its vast compound, Safaricom Tech Hub. The campus has produced the likes of Coders 4 Africa Technical director Kenya, Sheila Kimani Pulse writers, bloggers and many other tech developers that are building cool web and mobile apps in Africa.

The institution is positioned in a very feasible location surrounded with all Kenya tech hubs and accelerators  like iHub ,m:Lab ,iLab and The GrowthHub.It lags behind due to lack of boarding facilities for students to share and do stuff together like JKUAT’s Hall Six.

University of Nairobi

UON is the oldest of all the campuses in Kenya. It was rated the best in Kenya in global rankings, with the support of MIT the institution boosts of a idea hub and prototyping base for engineering and design stuff. The computer science graduates of this campus mostly work for the cooperate world and few opt for self employment compared to JKUAT and Strathmore. The institution boosts of boarding facilities but the tech ecosystem is still low with many students lacking computers and poor internet access facilities. The growth potential is huge in the campus and it’s the best place to be due to proximity to the capital city and a large pool of early adopters due to a population of over 50k students.

Kenyatta University

It’s the current leading in population and infrastructure development in Kenya. The university boosts of ultra modern library and computer lab with very fast internet connectivity but less innovation is experienced in the institution.

Ethio Telecom the state-owned telecom company in Ethiopia is offering 3G high-speed internet service package with 3G dongle and 3G Wi-Fi router to its post paid and prepaid customers.

This high-speed, portable and mobile 3G internet service comes in three packages with different bonuses : 1GB with bonus 150MB in Birr 400, 2GB with bonus 200MB in Birr 600 and 4GB with bonus 350MB in Birr 800 monthly rent, the bonus is available every month on every package.

According to the company,the 3G high-speed Internet service offer is available for both enterprise and residential customers of Addis. In addition customers in Addis Ababa could get 3G dongle and 3G Wi-Fi router at a price of Birr 799 and Birr 1,529 respectively from nearby ethio telecom shops.

The new service includes free connection fee for a one month promotional period from March 21, 2013 to April 20, 2013.

The prepaid customer of the 3G high-speed Internet service package should recharge the bundle amount every month using the scratch able card unutilized bundle will not be transferred to the next month both in the prepaid and postpaid mode. 3G internet service package with 3G dongle and 3G Wi-Fi router to both postpaid and prepaid subscribers. The new service is offered with free connection fee for a one month promotional period from March 21, 2013 to April 20, 2013.