Author: Kaluka wanjala

For some weeks now, the future of Huawei’s mobile business has been uncertain. The Chinese manufacturer has reiterated that it is here to stay but seeing some of its partners pull the plug on their existing partnerships, you can’t help but wonder if Huawei really has a future or if it is just holding on and hoping for the best. The biggest blow for Huawei was when it was revealed that Google has served ties with the Chinese manufacturer. With this, it was clear that future Huawei smartphones would not come with some of the core Google apps including Gmail,…

If you fancy free data and are a night owl, the new bundles from Telkom Kenya are perfect for you. Today, Telkom has announced the introduction of new bundles that will offer users free data that they can use late at night. The new bundles are packaged as the daily 500MB and daily 2GB that are valid for just 24 hours. So, where is the free data? Well, as soon as you buy any of the two mentioned bundles, you get extra data equivalent to the data you have bought. For example, if you buy the 500MB data, you get…

The Huawei Y5 2019 is the latest entry level smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer to launch in Kenya. The phone is available in retail stores for Ksh 11,499 and is the successor to the Huawei Y5 Prime 2018 that we saw last year. As you may have noticed, Huawei has dropped the word ‘Prime’ from its Y series, maybe the Y has finally reached its prime ?. If you have been keen on what’s happening around the world, then you know Huawei is not in a comfortable place as the trade war between China and the US have forced some…

One of the most competitive smartphone segments in Kenya is the sub Ksh 10,000 one. There are quite a number of devices for less than Ksh 10,000 and they are not all the same. For years, manufacturers have always ignored this segment by launching mass market device with no desirable features. In most cases, they hope that you will go to the shop and find the device that fits your budget and that you like and end up buying. Infinix hopes this will change as it launches the Smart 3 and Smart 3 Plus smartphones in Kenya. The Infinix Smart…

If you travel to some countries, you will notice that there are some cities with free Wi-Fi that members of the public can use at no charge. This was the case when I travelled to South Korea about a month ago. With very expensive roaming charges, I was forced to use WhatsApp calls and all I needed was an active internet connection. With free Wi-Fi available in most places in Seoul, I could stay in touch with anyone back home without worrying about roaming charges. Back to Kenya, there is free public Wi-Fi in some places but it is hard…

Microsoft’s Cloud Accelerator Programme is a 6-moth programme designed to help women-led companies start and build their businesses through Microsoft and its cloud distribution channels. This programme has been available in the US but the company has announced that it will be expanded to additional markets including Kenya. With this programme, Microsoft will be able to provide women-owned tech companies in the country with access to cloud, mentorship, networking communities and resources to bring women-led innovations to the market. This is good news for such companies but the programme, as I have mentioned, will be expanding to more countries not…

Yesterday, HMD Global unveiled its latest entry-level smartphone, the Nokia 2.2. We knew this phone was coming as the successor to the Nokia 2.1 from last year. As expected, the Nokia 2.2 is an Android One smartphone and has a recommended retail price of $100, approximately Ksh 10,000. Keep in mind this is the recommended price in other markets and may be higher or lower when the phone is officially launched in Kenya. It comes with Android 9 Pie but support for Android Q is expected. The Nokia 2.2 has a 5.7-inch display with a HD+ resolution. It also comes…

Huawei’s EMUI 9 which is based on Android 9 Pie has been installed in over 80 million smartphones so far. The company has revealed this saying that it expects the number to reach 100 million by the end of this month. 80 million is not a small number and is something Huawei wants the world to know at this time as it tries to navigate the issues it has with the American Government and some American companies including Google. EMUI 9 as I have mentioned is based on Android 9 Pie and comes pre-installed in most new smartphones from Huawei.…

Azuri Technologies has announced a strategic investment of Kshs 2.6 billion (US$26 million) led by Marubeni Corporation with additional participation from  existing shareholders, including IP Group plc. This strategic investment will accelerate Azuri’s market growth plans in both East and West Africa and open up new opportunities for the business. Azuri Technologies provides solar home systems to off -grid consumers in sub -Saharan Africa on a pay-as-you -go basis. These systems enable households without access to the grid to benefit from modern conveniences, from electric light to satellite TV and Internet access via smartphones. Japanese corporation Marubeni has global interests in energy and…

After 18 years, Apple is finally shelving iTunes as we know it. iTunes is one of the well-known products from Apple and even people know do not use its products have heard about this music platform at some point. With the winding down of iTunes, users will have to use three new apps, Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Podcasts. These apps have been there but the phasing out of iTunes will make them the go to options for those who want to continue enjoying some of the services they got with iTunes. Apple revealed that iTunes will not be…