Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As Uganda accelerates efforts towards digital integration, device financing is emerging as a critical solution to bridge the digital divide and empower more individuals and businesses to participate in the connected economy. While mobile phone use in Uganda has surged in recent years, smartphone penetration …
Read More »Momentum grows for ban on smartphone use in U.S. schools
LOS ANGELES,Carlifornia | Xinhua | A nationwide movement to ban smartphone use in U.S. schools is gaining traction, as the nation’s second-largest school district has approved a “phone-free” policy during school days to support students’ academic success and well-being. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) voted on Tuesday to …
Read More »Chinese smartphone brands dominate African market in Q2
Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Transsion Holdings, a China-based smartphone manufacturer, led the African smartphone market in the second quarter of 2022, with a combined unit share of 48 percent, according to a new study by a global research firm. The International Data Corporation (IDC) said Transsion, which manufactures Tecno, Infinix, …
Read More »Glovo expands operations in Africa
Leading global technology platform expands its operations in Ghana, and launches in Tunisia, with plans to hire top talent in these markets, raising the bar for fast on-demand delivery and strengthening its commitment to providing users with affordable access to products across Africa Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Glovo, …
Read More »Chinese smartphone brands top Africa’s market
Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | Transsion Holdings, a China-based smartphone manufacturer, has outpaced Samsung in the African market as it leads with a combined unit share of 44.3 percent, according to the latest study by a global research firm released in Nairobi on Tuesday. The International Data Corporation (IDC) said Transsion, …
Read More »Virus ‘tracing’ by smartphone: a key to reopening society?
Washington, United States | AFP | Can an app contain the pandemic? Interest is growing in smartphone technology as a potential key to ending lockdowns and reopening economies around the world. Digital “contact tracing” would allow mobile systems to log instances where people have been in proximity with an infected person …
Read More »Google in smartphone push with motion-sensing Pixel 4
New York, United States | AFP | Google stepped up its smartphone ambitions Tuesday with updated Pixel handsets, touting a move toward computing with a simple hand wave or spoken command. Pixel 4 models boasting features including gesture and face recognition debuted at a “Made by Google” event showcasing new hardware …
Read More »Huawei in public test as it unveils sanction-hit phone
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Chinese tech giant Huawei launches its latest high-end smartphone in Munich on Thursday, the first that could be void of popular Google apps because of US sanctions. Observers are asking whether a phone without the Silicon Valley software that users have come to depend on can …
Read More »Huawei turns to Africa to offset US blacklist
Paris, France | AFP | As the US leads a drive for the West to shun Huawei over security fears, the Chinese tech giant has sought to strengthen its position in Africa, where it is already well-established. Huawei has taken a leading role in developing next-generation 5G mobile phone networks around the …
Read More »Smartphone moviemakers take the limelight at African festival
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | “It’s not because you don’t have the means that you don’t dream,” says Guy-Serge Namane, a director at the second Bushman Film Festival, a cornucopia of global smartphone cinema. “Action!,” his assistant director calls. Namane asks actress Berenice Irie, in full make-up, to …
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