The prize-winning tech helping Ghana’s farmers to grow, pioneering legal services online in Uganda Accra, Ghana | AFP | Agyei Douglas is a farmer who grows vegetables near Kumasi in Ghana’s central Ashanti region. He used to struggle to access markets and capital. The information he needed was broadcast on …
Read More »RINGTONES: Mobile phones ring changes for Nigeria’s music industry
MTN, which has 60 million subscribers in Nigeria, says it is the largest distributor of music Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Phizbarz is only 23 but hopes to become the next Nigerian Afropop star to be famous across Africa — and to get himself known and earn a living, he’s using …
Read More »Finland is the world’s most smartphone-obsessed country
Smartphone-obsessed Finns rank tops in screen time Helsinki, Finland | AFP | On the crowded morning metro in Helsinki, silence prevails. Everyone is hunched over their smartphone screens, reading the news, checking emails or watching videos. A loud “yeah!” breaks the quiet, along with delighted screech from a toddler whose …
Read More »Huawei takes jab at Samsung with ‘no explosion’ phone
Munich, Germany | AFP | Chinese electronics firm Huawei on Thursday unveiled its latest Mate 9 smartphone in Munich, designed to challenge global market leaders Apple and Samsung with features including a high-quality camera and higher-capacity battery. As Korea’s Samsung struggles with negative publicity following the high-profile recall of its …
Read More »Tablet market shrinks as demand grows for hybrids
San Francisco, United States | AFP | The tablet market shrank in the recently-ended quarter, as shipments of bargain-priced computers with detachable screens hit a record high, according to market analysis firm International Data Corporation. Tablet makers shipped 43 million units in the quarter, down 14.7 percent from the number …
Read More »Clinton voices concern over AT&T-Time Warner mega-deal
Washington, United States | AFP | White House hopeful Hillary Clinton said the proposed mega-merger of AT&T and Time Warner “raises questions and concerns” and merits further study. AT&T and Time Warner, home of CNN and HBO, have said the proposed $108.7 billion deal will benefit consumers as they gird …
Read More »Verizon warily staying with deal to buy Yahoo
Laguna Beach, United States | AFP | A Verizon executive overseeing the deal to buy Yahoo said Wednesday the deal was moving ahead pending the outcome of an investigation into an epic hack. Verizon expected that within 60 days it would have the “outcome” of how the massive breach at …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Deal turns telecom giant AT&T into new media-entertainment powerhouse
New York, United States | AFP | AT&T on Saturday unveiled a mega-deal for Time Warner that would transform the telecom giant into a media-entertainment powerhouse positioned for a sector facing major technology changes. The stock-and-cash deal is valued at $108.7 billion including debt, and gives a value of $84.5 …
Read More »Samsung struggles with critical Note 7 recall
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Samsung said Wednesday it was doing its best to push through a challenging recall of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, as it offered a software fix to jolt users into returning defective devices. The success of the recall is seen as crucial to Samsung …
Read More »Deal puts Microsoft apps on Lenovo smartphones
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Microsoft apps such as Office and Skype will be installed on Lenovo mobile devices powered by Android software under the terms of a collaboration announced. The US technology giant and the Chinese computer titan said they were “deepening their strategic relationship” with a …
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