Author: Kaluka wanjala

In March this year, Facebook introduced the ‘Stories’ feature to its mobile apps. This feature is similar to Snapchat and Instagram stories and allows users to share moments of their day with their friends. Facebook users have the option of sharing photos and videos that will not go into their timeline but rather will appear at the top of the friends’ feed. The photos and videos shared all disappear within 24 hours just like they do on Instagram and Snapchat. This feature has only been available on mobile and users on desktop had no way of using it. This will…

As Android struggles to even get a fifth of its users to get update to its current iteration, Android Nougat, iOS seems to be on a roll. iOS 10, the current public release of Apple’s mobile OS, is installed in 87% of all iOS devices. This is quite impressive and these are the sort of numbers we never get to see on Android. iOS 10 is compatible with the iPhone 5 or newer device, iPad 4, the new iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad mini 2 and newer variants and the iPod touch 6th generation. iOS 10 was released to the…

Out of the many messaging applications on the market, WhatsApp is the most popular one. You probably use it and even if you don’t, you probably know at least five people who use it. WhatsApp has seen tremendous growth and just last year the company reported that it had 1 billion active monthly users. Fast forward to 2017 and the company is back with the stats again. This time round, the company is reporting that it has 1 billion active users per day. This is quite impressive as it shows that over 1 billion people log in to use the…

Google offers both YouTube Red and Google Music as streaming options to users in select markets. Those who sign up for YouTube Red normally get Google Play Music for free as part of the package and vice versa. YouTube Red gives users access to exclusive content, lets users download videos for offline viewing and removes ads from YouTube videos. Going forward, Google plans to merge the two streaming services (YouTube Red and Google Play Music). This was revealed by Lyor Cohen who is the head of music at YouTube when he said that YouTube Red and Google Music need to…

Across the country every day, Kenyans are increasingly relying on simple technologies as tools for socio-economic transformation. These innovations have in turn stimulated acquisition of new skills, increased civic participation, and access to Insurance, education, healthcare, public safety among others. Until recently, insurance has been slow to technological change. The insurance industry seemed to be operating in the same old way while new players worked to technologically disrupt banking and financial management, ticketing, travelling, bill payments etc. That era of stability has ended with increasing deployment of advanced sensor technologies and related services. The Insurers and reinsurers are seeking new and innovative systems to improve…

Spotify is undoubtedly one of the leading music streaming platforms out there. The company has seen tremendous growth over the years and is now reporting that it has 60 million paying subscribers. Spotify has updated its About page where it also updated its subscriber counts which it says now stands at 60 Million. In March this year, Spotify reported that it had 50 million paying subscribers. Reaching 60 million in just a couple of months shows that the company was able to convert 10 million users into paying subscribers, something most other music streaming services struggle to achieve. The total…

In the mobile application business, the number of installs an app has is a something most developers brag with. On the Google Play Store, you can always see the number of times a certain application has been downloaded and you even probably use this figure to determine which app to download. This is especially so if you have two or more apps that do the same thing. Out of all the applications on the Play Store, Google Play Services seems to be doing very well. It has just passed the 5 billion downloads mark on the Play Store becoming the…

HMD Global brought back Nokia smartphones to the market and its first devices were the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 and the all new Nokia 3310. The reception has been good so far and this is a clear indication that the company is doing something right. The four devices announced by HMD Global are in the lower mid-range and entry level categories, we are yet to see premium Nokia smartphones from the company. We have heard that an entry level Nokia smartphone is under production and rumours have been circulating online indicating that there might even be a flagship…

Late last week, Huawei published its results for the first half of 2017. The results revealed that the company shipped 73 million smartphones during this period (6 months). This is impressive and represents a 36% increase compared to the same period last year. This is good news for any company to achieve within just 6 months especially when you consider the fact that we saw a number of smartphones hitting the market during this time or towards the end of 2016. Huawei further broke down the results showing that out of all the 73 million units shipped, 8.5 million were…

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, can now announce that its first Nokia smartphone range – comprising of the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 – will be available through mobile phone service provider, Safaricom, and through selected retailers from today. Unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the devices combine superior craftsmanship, distinctive design and powerful entertainment features with a pure Android experience, giving you the ability to use your phone, your way. Gopher Ogembo, Senior Business Manager East Africa, HMD Global, says: “Setting a new standard in design, quality and user experience throughout its smartphone range…