Author: Kaluka wanjala

Unless you have been off the grid the past couple of months, you have heard or the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Talk of the virus has been all over affecting nearly all if not all sectors and may get worse if not addressed immediately. The virus is spreading at an alarming rate and given the fact that we still don’t know much about it, it will take time before it is all over. At the moment, there are different parties working on ways to end this pandemic. We need different stakeholders to come together to play their part if we are to…

When it comes to streaming videos on YouTube, there are those who want the highest resolution possible. This was not possible on Android as in most cases the default resolution on mobile was 480p. Even though some people are ok with this, others aren’t. The default resolution is just that and as you probably already know, there are options to change to a higher resolution if you wish to do so. For those who have always wanted a higher resolution to be the default setting on Android, you may be getting your wish. YouTube plans to soon let you choose…

Safaricom Neon series is made up of entry level devices that you may or may not have heard about. If you have shopped around for an entry level device, below Ksh 10,000, you may have at some point seen To ensure uptake of the Neon smartphones, Safaricom launched the Maisha Ni Digital Campaign in Kenya. Through this campaign, the company hoped to onboard those who were using feature phones and have never had a smartphone before. These are the people who may not be willing or are not able to buy expensive smartphones but still want to find smart devices…

A few days back, YouTube was rumoured to be planning to default all videos on its platform to SD quality (480p) in Europe. The main reason for this was to ensure networks could handle all the traffic as a result of people working from home due to the coronavirus outbreak. Fast forward a few days later and this is the expected video quality globally. YouTube plans to default videos to 480p quality globally over the next few days. This will be the case for a month and we may see an extension if the current pandemic and movement restrictions stay…

Opera has today announced the availability of Opera News Hub in Kenya providing content creators with a new avenue to make money from their content. The Opera News Hub is a new online editorial platform that will provide Kenyan content creators with ways to create, share and monetize content. Opera says content creators will be able to maximize their online visibility and reach more than the 350 million people using Opera products across the world. This is the best case scenario and do not expect your content to reach all these people but you should expect to see an increase…

In a world where we have an app for pretty much anything, you may end up using so much data and resources when using your phone every time. We have seen some big developers come up with lite versions of their apps to target those who have slow networks or those who do not have unlimited data. The latest developer to join this bandwagon is Opera. The new app from the company launched today is the Opera News Lite. The company launched the Opera News Lite two years ago and has revealed that it currently has over 160 million users.…

Loon, the company that plans to bring balloon-powered internet to Kenya in partnership with Telkom Kenya, has announced that it has received all the regulatory and cabinet approvals to start flying its balloons in Kenya. Loon’s third ground station was set up in Kenya back in 2019 and the company was expected o start operations in mid 2019 but that never happened. It might be that the company was not ready or just that the approvals were not it back then. With the approvals in, the balloons will be dispatched from its sites in the United States and should arrive…

Ever since HMD Global brought back Nokia smartphones, the company has always gone down the nostalgia path with the unveiling of some old Nokia classics that die-hard fans will appreciate. The company has previously unveiled the Nokia 3310, the Nokia 2720, the “banana phone” 8110 and the latest addition to this list is the new Nokia 5310 Xpress Music phone. This is similar to the original Nokia 5310 Xpress Music phone with a wireless FM radio, MP3 Player and since it is a music phone, it does have two powerful front-facing speakers. The dedicated music buttons found on the original…

E-Commerce platform Gobeba experienced an abnormal surge in orders as Kenyans move to online platforms for purchase household items. On Friday and over the last 3 days , orders went up 200 % in the on demand e-commerce platform as people chose to have shopping done for them . This comes amidst the outbreak of the Coronavirus and in wake of governments directive to Kenyans to avoid crowded areas. The platform saw an increase in groceries, gas and alcohol by 200%, 100% and 50% respectively, an indication that most Kenyans are moving online in pursuit of food stuff and other…

By now you already know about the COVID-19 Pandemic. It does affect the society at large and even though we rarely cover such stories here, I believe sharing every bit of information can go a long way in dealing with it. The virus is spreading fast and even though we have a handful of confirmed cases in Kenya, there are some measures citizens have been advised to take to make sure it does not spread further. The key one is social distancing. This means that human to human interaction should be limited and this is good but affects some key…