International electronics manufacturing company, Sony has announced a new version of their handheld gaming system, the PlayStation Vita.

The company also pronounced that the new Wi-Fi only model, which they intend to make it available first in Japan by 10 October this year then spread around the world. The PlayStation Vista will be 15 percent lighter as it will weigh 219g, 20 percent thinner than what is already there and will feature an upgraded battery pack that will allow an extra one hour of battery life, meaning, it will have a total of six hours play-time.

The device will also have a MicroUSB charger and as well as 1GB onboard memory, and will be made available in yellow, pink, white, and grey, lime green and light blue colors. Moving with the technology times, Sony opted to change the Vita’s screen from LCD to a much more efficient OLED.

Sony revealed that users will now be able to buy a new storage size, a 64GB unit, which should retails for around $105

Sony announced a number of weeks ago that the Vita would receive a price drop on the current version, and should retain for around $199, while the 4GB memory cards are falling from $19.99 to $14.99; the 8GB from $29.99 to $19.99; the 16GB from $59.99 to $39.99; and the 32GB from $99.99 to $79.99.

In addition to the price drops on the current model, Sony also revealed that the current PS Vita model will be shipped with a new Play! Game Pack, which comes pre-installed with games and a memory card, as well as 90 days of PS Plus for free.

Vodafone Egypt has preferred Ericsson to install Ericsson Mobile Broadband Charging (MBC), a service that will grant up to 10 million users with an immense display of data options and more flexible on-demand subscriptions.

The MBC will allow mobile users to personalize both prepaid and postpaid data usage plans in real time. This solution, which is being integrated into the operator’s existing Ericsson Charging System, gives users the flexibility to utilize the best plan for their needs at any time. Already fully implemented for all Vodafone Egypt’s prepaid data users, the system will soon be rolled out for postpaid subscribers, with an estimated subscriber total of more than 10 million data users in 2014, and presents a model that may be of interest to mobile providers across the continent

The Head of Department at Vodafone Egypt, Abdelfattah Mabrouk said: “We always aim to provide our customers with innovative services that are personalized. Ericsson’s MBC allows us to do that on a whole new level, and provides superior capabilities for data charging. Mobile users do not want to be left without access to mobile data after they unknowingly reach their data limits. Ericsson’s innovative solution gives us the flexibility to offer consumers immediate top-ups without penalties.”

Egypt has an estimated 35.6 percent internet penetration, this means that, with a population of more than 80 million, about 29 million are active internet users.  

With the new business support solution (BSS), subscribers can buy daily service packages or data plans and to set up automatic bundle renewal upon exhaustion of an assigned quota or time. MBC provides an alert feature, which allows users to see the percentage of the current data plan that has been consumed, allowing them time to buy more data.

“Technology is now integrated into almost every aspect of our lives. In the transition to what we call the Networked Society, where everything is connected in real time, consumers are rapidly adopting smartphones and relying on them for everyday activities. MBC helps these subscribers to utilize data plans that suit their needs,” said Anders Lindblad, President of Ericsson, Region Middle East.

Frequency coordination discussions have finally agreed to setting up the mechanism to install digital television in 47 Sub-Saharan African countries.

The consolidation of national plans to implement the digital switchover in the African region is in agreement with the deadlines of June 2015 for UHF and June 2020 for VHF in 33 countries which is set in 2006 by ITU’s Regional Radiocommunication Conference (RRC-06), which adopted the GE06 TV Plan.

This landmark also makes Africa the first region to be in a position in 2015 to allocate bandwidth freed up by the transition to digital television – the so-called ‘digital dividend’ – to the mobile service for both the 700 MHz and 800 MHz bands. Decisions of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12) to facilitate availability of the digital dividend to the mobile service will be effective with some technical refinements immediately after the next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2015 (WRC-15).

ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré appreciated the high level of cooperation that had been shown to the process by African Telecommunications Union (ATU) and its Secretary-General, Mr Abdoulkarim Soumaila.

Mr François Rancy, Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau, announced that sub-Saharan African countries have begun submitting official modifications to the GE06 Plan following the final frequency coordination meeting held in Nairobi, 17-19 July 2013 and the deadline of 31 August set for notifications.

“The objective was to enable African countries to allocate the digital dividend to mobile services in the band 694-862 MHz, as a regionally harmonized implementation of the decisions taken at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2012,” Rancy said. “This objective was reached by re-planning the spectrum requirements of television broadcasting in the 470-694 MHz frequency band.”

The meeting in Nairobi organized jointly by ITU and the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) and hosted by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), attracted 124 participants from 35 Member States. It was the third and last overall coordination meeting of African countries, after similar meetings in Bamako (March 2011) and Kampala (April 2011) and a number of other bilateral and multilateral meetings held in 2011 and 2012.

The CSIR Meraka Institute in South Africa has launched a mobile application that allows users to receive information regarding the prediction, detection, monitoring and assessment of wild fires across Southern Africa.

This introduction was cartecy of the institute in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Environmental Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the South African National Space Agency. It is the mobile version of the CSIR’s Advanced Fire Information System (AFIS) and is available for both Apple iOS and Android devices.

 Research group leader for apps, Philip Frost, says the app provides fire managers, farmers and disaster personnel with a tool on their smart devices to receive information regarding wild fires in their areas.

 “Some of the main features include [showing] current wildfire locations detected by satellite, a five-day fire danger forecast for any location, and [showing] the number of days since the last fire at any location,” he said. 

The application shows very detailed information about detected fires, some of them including, intensity and time of detection is shown, as well as statistics such as fire count, frequency and time since last burn. It also allows for geo-tagged photo uploads of fires across the region and fire alert push notifications.

AFIS is a satellite-based fire information tool that provides near real-time fire information to users across the globe. The system utilizes information from various sources, including earth observation satellites and numerical weather prediction models to assist in fire management.

The CSIR first developed AFIS in partnership with Eskom, to allow the power utility’s management to respond quickly to fires under transmission lines, which could reduce damage and disruption to the power supply.

Fires cause approximately 20% of transmission line faults. Any fire that occurs within 5km from a transmission line in SA is automatically reported via SMS to Eskom’s national control centre and the relevant field staff in that region of the fire.

The mobile app is available free to all users with Apple iPhones and iPads and also Android devices.

Management at national managed ICT services provider Integr8 consider supporting business solutions integrator Business Connexion (BCX) in the roll-out of Citrix infrastructure to clients, as an ideal position.

Integr8IT’s technical service division was acquired by BCX in a landmark deal early in 2013.

BCX is a registered Citrix Systems integrator, which is part of the Citrix Solution Advisor network and the highest level a Citrix partner can achieve. Integr8 also has a proven track record in the integration and support of Citrix infrastructure, the partnership is expected to add measurable value to the market.

Citrix has also recently awarded Business Connexion with the exclusive status of Citrix Cloud Advisor.

Business Connexion has a team of highly skilled and experienced Citrix engineers and consultants, with more than a decade’s experience in designing, implementing and supporting enterprise Citrix environments.

Business Connexion has been honored with the Best Citrix Technical Competency for 2012 and as of now completing certification of an additional 40 engineers up to Citrix Certified Integration Architect (CCIA), the highest level of Citrix Certification. BCX Engineers are certified across all Citrix products.

Integr8 is the initiator and operator of the only South African based Nerve Centre®, a hub of technology, skill and process that is used to support and regulate the ICT environment of many of the country’s leading organizations.

Skills and the provision of access to Nerve Centre® is a value proposition that is exciting and adds practical value to BCX’s strategy to market explains

“There is certainly an increase in levels of adoption of this technology in the market,” says Robert Sussman, joint CEO of Integr8. “In addition to skills sets, Integr8 and BCX share a passion for the application of technology that makes a difference to businesses and helps decision makers derive value from investment in solutions to leverage off the cloud, off other key trends such as big data, big data analytics and data centre development and migration.”

The Integr8/ Business Connexion partnership is expected to meet an increasing market requirement for secure, reliable and quick service and support on Citrix infrastructure.

Kenya’s Chase Bank, Naivas Supermarket and Visa have launched a new prepaid shopping card featuring the latest chip-based technology to cut the risk of fraud.

The pre-paid card, based on EMV chip technology will eliminate the need to carry cash for both offline and online shopping at any Naivas outlet and as well act as loyalty card to reward Naivas customers.

According to Paul Njaga, Chase Bank’s Deputy CEO, the Naivas card powered by Visa is unique. “This is a family card, a tool of empowerment and a key to the financial freedom and prudence that every household desires. This is complemented by the easy access and control through web-based services. This feature enables users to manage their budgets and minimize risk of overspending.”

The card is further supported by Internet and mobile access to account balance, statements and stop card functionality. The card boasts access to over one million ATMs & 29 million merchants worldwide, this makes it more than a reward card but a lifestyle oriented card.

The card is being launched at an ideal time as Kenya’s card technology migrates towards chip enabled technologies.

According to Naivas Chairman, Mr. Simon Mukuha, the card is a way of rewarding loyal customers. “We attribute our growth and development to the Naivas customers. It is for this reason that we go out of our way to come up with such products if only to reward and say thank you. This is just a beginning, we will give you more” – said Mr. Mukuha.

Naivas will run an E-Coin facility so customers’ change can be loaded directly onto the card as money. “This is one of the most appealing benefits to Naivas customers as it eliminates the hassle of carrying change or carrying a lot of coins given as change at the retail point,” states Mr. Mukuha.

Jabu Basopo, Visa Country Manager for Southern and East Africa says the card comes into the Kenyan market at an opportune time as it will enhance access to financial services. “Prepaid products are a key priority for Visa, so we are delighted to partner with Chase Bank and Naivas to bring this card to the Kenyan market. For those lacking access to traditional banking services, the option of a prepaid card helps the underserved move from an inefficient and costly cash-and-carry lifestyle to a more convenient and secure way to make everyday purchases,” explains Mr. Basopo.

The cards can be found at Chase Bank branches and Naivas outlets. For free top ups, users visit  all Naivas outlets, M-pesa, Airtel Money and Chase Bank branches.

Zimbabwe’s first tech hub, Hypercube is set to launch in November as the country strides towards innovation to solve local problems.

The hub launches in Zimbabwe at a time when technology hubs have taken centre stage as sources of innovation and collaboration across Africa, yet Zimbabwe has lagged behind in this crucial area.  This is not surprising given the country’s recent economic history, but with the stabilisation of the economy following the introduction of the US dollar, the Hypercube team is eager to see Zimbabwe catch up with the rest of the continent.

Hypercube, whose mantra is “Tech in 4D”, will set out to strengthen the country’s technology ecosystem by focusing on what they term as “The 4 Dimensions of Technology”, which are Community, Co-Learning, Co-Working, and Co-Innovation. The Tech Hub will have 4 distinct spaces dedicated to each of these dimensions, and will offer a variety of membership options targeted towards meeting the different needs of people within the tech community. At its core, Hypercube will aim to be an open and inclusive space where anyone interested in technology, particularly local developers, can participate in a range of events and programs.

The Hypercube Board of Advisors, which is made up of Nikki Kershaw, Nigel Mugamu, Rinesh Desai, Munya Chiura, and Taps Murove, has also committed to working to increase the participation of women in the technology sector, as well as stimulating job creation for the youth through entrepreneurship. Hypercube has already started engaging with local, regional, and international partners, and is planning a number of launch events in November.

During the launch of its newest range of Lumia phones, 625 and 925 for the South African market, Nokia has unveiled that it is working to improve imaging capabilities to its range of phones.

Almost two years ago, when Nokia launched the 808 PureView, the world thought that the imaging experience would remain on the Symbian range. But with the recent launch of the Lumia 1020, the company has made it clear that it is serious about imaging.

Features such as multi frame capture and selection of different parts of a photo frame and being able to share it through social media without losing quality is setting apart the Lumia range from other brands.

“We are not only thinking of imaging alone,” Ifi Majid, Nokia’s Head of Global Sell-in and Smart Devices said during a showcase in Johannesburg this week. “There are big possibilities to merge, imaging, location and social platforms for a more richer experience.”

Majid showcased the flagship model of the Lumia range, 1020 and explained how imaging has become the core for the 41 MegaPixel PureView phone.

There has been a lot of talk of the superior performance of the Lumia 1020 globally. Although the release date for the phone in Africa has not been made public, the phone is attracting positive reviews across the continent.

The company itself has concluded a competition dubbed Nokia Imaging Hackathon which saw over 1000 developers create imaging apps for the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Electronics giant Samsung has unveiled its latest tablet, the GALAXY Note 10.1, 2014 Edition. The device makes use of a WQXGA Super clear LCD (2560×1600) resolution in a 10-inch display, 1.9 GHZ Octa Core processor (for 3G / WiFi only version) and 3GB RAM.

“The new GALAXY Note 10.1 is the most progressive 10-inch tablet, delivering the best viewing and multitasking experiences. It is the most recent demonstration of Samsung Mobile’s focus on constant product innovation to stay aligned with shifting consumer interests,” said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics.

According to Samsung, “the new GALAXY Note 10.1 expands on the advanced productivity and creativity leadership delivered by the original Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1. In addition to enabling productivity, the device has been redesigned with a sleek, light, slim frame that is both fashionable and portable.”

The tablet is 9.57 x 6.75 x 0.31 inches in dimension, weighs 18.87 0z, has a screen size of 10.1 inches and a resolutions of 2,560 x 1,600. The Galaxy Note 10.1 has battery strength of 8,220mAh, WQXGA Super clear LCD screen type and has aninternal storage of 16, 32 or 64 GB and external storage of up to 64 microSD.

It has an 8MP rear camera as well as 2MP front-facing camera, video capture for 1080p, Wi-Fi connectivity of 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz). The radio is HSPA and LTE enabled and has a 4.0 Bluetooth version, has a RAM of 3GB and  operates on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as well as 4.3 Jelly Bean.

Just like previous version of the device, the new device will also make use of Samsung’s S Pen technology. “The updated S Pen included with GALAXY Note 10.1 improves responsiveness, delivers day-to-day efficiency enhancements and produces more creative input capabilities.

It will also include GALAXY Note 3′s updated S Pen features such as Action Memo, Scrapbook, Screen Write and S Finder.”

Samsung also revealed that the GALAXY Note 10.1 will come shipped with Samsung’s security application, which allows users to store apps in a secure environment.

“Users can activate Samsung KNOX with ease which allows them to run and store security-sensitive applications and data inside a protected execution environment called “container.” The security inside the container is strengthened by system-level protection of Samsung KNOX against malware and phishing attacks as well as hacking attempts on physical devices when devices are stolen or lost.”

Tanzania needs more than $148-million to connect over 200 villages located in the rural areas by constructing new telecommunications towers across the country, says the country’s Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology.

Local media have reported that the World Bank’s allocation of funds to the Universal Communication Services Access Fund (UCSAF) has been met with objection by Tanzania’s government.

The Ministry’s Deputy Minister, January Makamba, said that the Tanzanian government is already in talks with the Indian government about the allocation of funds for the project, as the government voiced its objections towards the bureaucracy of releasing funds to the UCSAF.

“If we get these funds, we will then be able to connect all areas that almost many Members of Parliament have been requesting to be connected with telecommunications services,” said Deputy Minister Makamba in a House sitting.

The request follows the Tanzanian government’s displeasure in the allocation of funds from the Word Bank to the Universal Communication Services Access Fund (UCSAF), which is tasked with raising funds to ensure than telecommunications are rolled out across the country.

McAfee has made it public that it has been able to reach more than 100,000 youth, parents and teachers around the globe with its cyber education program.

The McAfee Cares – Online Safety for Kids Program is a free school initiative that utilizes McAfee employees, partners and customers who volunteer to train children and parents on ways to stay safe, as well as maintain good ethics in their online behavior.

According to the 2013 McAfee Digital Deception study, “Exploring the Online Disconnect between Parents and Kids,” about 25 percent of youth spend five to six hours a day online. Eighty-six percent of youth believe that social media sites are safe and are aware that sharing personal details online carry risk, yet they continue to post personal information such as their email addresses and social security numbers.

“We have a responsibility to equip the next generation of computer users with the skills they need to safely experience all the benefits of the Internet,” said Craig Hockley, Regional Director, South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa, McAfee, Inc. “And just as important is making sure they understand how to be responsible cyber citizens. We teach skills needed to navigate the digital world, including how to safeguard against cybercriminals, hackers and cyber bullies.”

Earlier on in May 16, McAfee hosted its second annual McAfee Global Community Service Day to continue the effort of helping hundreds of non-profits around the world. As part of this day of service, McAfee volunteers taught cyber education to approximately 25,000 kids, parents and teachers around the world.

The McAfee Online Safety for Kids program is recognized by IDG’s Computerworld Honors Program as a 2013 Laureate. The annual award program honors visionary applications of information technology promoting positive social, economic and educational change. Founded by International Data Group (IDG) in 1988, The Computerworld Honors Program is governed by the not-for-profit Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation.

Leading telecommunication company MTN has introduced a Global Multiprotocol Label Switching Virtual Private Network (Global MPLS VPN) which will be a connecting key network Points-of-Presence in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Djibouti, Tanzania and the United Kingdom.

”Our enterprise customers will experience a seamless managed network service, leveraging off MTN’s undersea cable investments and our 24 operations across Africa and the Middle East. MTN’s data superhighway will connect key locations to deliver global scale, high-quality network and world-class support,” says Pieter Verkade, MTN Group Chief Commercial Officer.

With this service, customers will have visibility of their network through MTN’s Global Network Operations Centre, which is managed in-house by a team of highly skilled professionals across technical and business disciplines.

Other people to benefit from this service include people from financial services, logistics, gas and oil, manufacturing and retail, who will be able to completely outsource their Wide Area Network (WAN), Local Area Network (LAN) and Customer Premises Equipment management requirements.

The network also enables various business applications, including tele-presence, video and audio conferencing, file sharing, application and data hosting. The service will extend to over 20 geographies by end of this year, and a further 32 countries by 2014.

In addition to MTN markets on the continent, other targeted countries include Angola, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Chad, Senegal, DRC, Egypt, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

“MTN is particularly excited about this launch as it heralds a new era for us as a global operator and more importantly, for our customers on the continent. We believe that MTN’s Global MPLS VPN service will add immense value to our enterprise customers’ businesses. MTN anticipates that the service will become an important conduit to enhancing the role of enterprises in the growth of key economies on the continent,” adds Verkade.

Kenya is expected to be opening a new e-waste recycling plant in Nairobi before the end of next year.

The new factory will be a collaboration between East African compliant Recycling (EACR), DEG (Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft) and HP. The e-waste management system will feature collection, recycling to global standards and resource recovery.

DEG is one of the largest European development finance institutions that aims to establish and expand private enterprise structures in emerging countries.

The project will commence with an initial pilot of four collection points each working with a network of registered informal sector workers.

“We firmly believe that e-waste management holds opportunities in skills transfer and revenue generation that can be turned into drivers for incorporating Africa’s informal recycling networks into economically, ethically and environmentally sustainable systems,” said Charles Kuria, MD, HP Kenya.

Kuria said training the informal sector to proper collection, dismantling and recycling of e-waste is important for Kenya to take advantage of on revenue opportunities whilst ensuring e-waste management can operate as a self-sustaining system.

According to Robert Truscott, CEO, EACR, participants in all aspects of the recycling system will be trained to ensure devotion to globally recognized health and environmental standards.

“It has been a lifelong ambition to establish sustainable and profitable e-waste recycling in Africa, where the amount of e-waste is expected to grow and modern recycling methods are rarely established. There is a real opportunity for job creation around proper e-waste management,” said Truscott.

According to UNEP,  in 2010 Kenya generated 11,400 tons of e-waste from refrigerators, 2,800 tons from TVs, 2,500 tons from personal computers, 500 tons from printers and 150 tons from mobile phones.

ICT is being extensively used in the education, health, industrial, trade and communication sectors. Private sector has been installing heavy computing equipment and data centers, mainly mobile operators, banks, and manufacturing sector companies and now with the laptop project, it is expected to increase more.

The European Environment Agency and United Nations Environment Programme estimate that 40-50 million tons of electrical equipment waste is produced each year globally.

For most of sub-Saharan African countries, the lack of a sustainable e-waste management infrastructure means that e-waste is collected and recycled in crude methods, causing the release of toxic chemicals to the environment and putting those refurbishing and dismantling e-waste at risk.

In October 2011, HP opened the East African Computer Recycling Company (EACR) in Mombasa, Kenya, in partnership with Camara Education, an ‘Education through ICT’ NGO working with disadvantaged communities in Africa.

Kenya generates thousands of tons of electronic waste per year – waste that on the one hand can cause great harm to the environment, but on the other, can be used as a resource and an economic stimulus. EACR is operating Kenya’s first e-waste recycling facility, operating to international health, safety and environmental standards and establishing a local, sustainable IT e-waste recycling industry. Until now, the facility received end-of-life IT from business and public sector customers, as well as from the informal sector, assessing the waste for refurbishment or recycling. EACR offers its workers advice on handling e-waste containing hazardous materials such as lead and cadmium.