The Much Anticipated SAMSUNG S4

The much anticipated Samsung S4 is being released later on today (3 pm P.T and 6 pm E.T) in New York. The eye speculation software is rumored to be a major feature after Samsung filed for an Eye Scroll patent in January. With this software, screen movements will result from eye movement that the user does. The phone will be able to respond to any intentional eye movement that will allow clicking by blinking and automatic scrolling up, down and to the next page, a concept that has been previously researched on desktop computing. 

Much as it is a commendable application of artificial Intelligence, there may be certain cons that come with it. For instance, the behavior of the tracking software could be easily disrupted by public distractions and could bring some awkwardness in public for the user if they have to move their eyes in certain ways. 

Another speculation revolves around the floating touch technology that allows for screen movements with as much as the hovering of the finger on the screen without actually touching it. Wireless charging is another feature anticipated for and may even allow for the communication of the phone with charging mats and stands that may allow data transfer which will help with syncing data to the phone.

Other budding rumors include the impressive Exynos 5 processor (8 processors!!). To cater to the problem of battery life that most smart phones face, the LITTE architecture ensures 4 powerful Cortex-A15 cores for power hungry functions and additional 4 Cortex-A7 for simple functions. This way, in most instances the powerful cores will shut down unless warranted to work depending on the gravity of the functionality. 

In conclusion, key features include

·         System: Android 4.1 O.S

·         Screen : 5-inch screen

·         Resolution : 1920*1080

·         Camera 13mp rear and 1.9 mp front, LED flash, Video 1080p

·          Memory :2GB SD RAM, 32GB expandable

·         Network : GSM/ WCDMA/LTE

·         Transmission : GPS, WIFI, Bluetooth 4.0

Samsung prides themselves in being at the forefront of dynamic technology and constant innovations .From the past gadget releases, they hardly disappoint. Looking forward to the Samsung S4.

AFRIAPPS : Apps by & for Africa!!

Developers and techies should have a look at the Afriapps site. it offers a lot of extensive and relevant information concerning various applications that are African oriented and have been specifically made for Africans by Africans. All the games, for instance, are extremely familiar with the African lifestyle and go in line to showcase matters to do with culture, heritage, ways of life as well and the full African experience. Getting reviews of applications that have impacted the society strongly gives the best insight for upcoming developers. Some of the features apps include KopoKopo, Mocality and Anza.

For a developer willing to break into the market, it offers a very good platform that helps you to showcase your work. All you need to do is forward your application to them and if it fits the right criteria, they will feature it ensuring you get both 'airplay' and market. It is also a resourceful place where you can apply for or post job vacancies in different fields of ICT.

It offers a lot of inspiration since it regularly holds interviews with the movers and shakers in the tech world all over the continent. Reading their stories and experiences is not only enlightening, it offers great advice on how to develop technology related careers. Several resources in line with this can be accessed as well.

All in all, it is a site worth checking out!! Have a look at it and have a feel of how technology in Africa is revolutionizing.

Blackberry 10 Making a Comeback!!

It was exciting yesterday when blackberry released the blackberry Z10 that runs on a new Blackberry 10 platform. A comeback for blackberry that aims at transforming mobile communications as a whole as well as its business brand. IOS and Android have dominated the market for the past five years and one wonders if the launch of this new OS is a bit too late.

Unlike its predecessors that ran on RIM, BB10 platform was specifically designed to run completely on touchscreen with new user experience. So, what makes it different?

• A software keyboard that swipes words to the keyboards and enables prediction and mimics the physical version experience.
• The BB Hub is a universal inbox that offers you a chance to get all your messages from emails, twitter, Facebook, linked In which can be navigated through swiping because it does not have a physical home or back button.
• BBM now allows video calling because of the BBM video and voice features. 
• BBM balance that allows users to separate their personal and work life.
• BB world store that has over 70,000 applications for its users. Not only does it have apps, but video and music as well with popular apps such as twitter, angry birds, Facebook and Skype available.

Specifications overview:

Design	Size	Height 130 mm / 5.12 in Width 65.6 mm / 2.58 in Depth 9 mm / 0.35 in
	Weight	137.5g / 4.85 oz
	Navigation	All-touch screen, with intuitive gesture based navigation
	Keyboard	On screen BlackBerry Keyboard (portrait/landscape), featuring contextual auto-correction, next-word prediction, and a personalized learning engine that gets to know the way you type
	Dedicated keys	Volume Up/Down, Mute, Lock (for Power On/Off)
Display	Resolution	1280 x 768 resolution, at 356 PPI 24-bit color depth
	Screen size	4.2" diagonal 15:9 aspect ratio
OS & desktop software	Operating system	BlackBerry 10 OS
	Desktop software	BlackBerry® Link software for your computer to enable synchronization of data and media
Performance	Processor	Dual Core 1.5 GHz
	Memory	2GB RAM 16GB Flash
	Expandable memory	Removable microSD memory card – slot under battery door (Up to 64 GB)
	USB Ports	USB 2.0 high speed port – allows charging and data synchronization of the device with a USB cable
	HDMI Port	Micro HDMI for connection to your HDTV or projector
Power	Battery	1800mAH removable battery
	Battery Life	Up to 10 hours talk time (3G) Up to 13 days standby time *Note: Battery life claims are for Model STL100-3
Camera & video	Rear camera	8 megapixel auto-focus camera Back Side Illumination for better low-light performance 5-element F2.2 lens Dedicated ISP (image signal processor) with 64MB frame buffer Flash, continuous and touch to focus, image stabilization Enhanced Super Resolution Digital Zoom (5x) 1080p HD video recording 4 DOF (Degrees of freedom) video stabilization Time Shift mode for pinpointing and adjusting individual elements of your picture
	Front camera	2 megapixel fixed-focus camera Image and video stabilization 3x digital zoom 720p HD video recording
Multimedia	Image formats	BMP, WBMP, JPG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, SGI, TGA
	Audio & video formats	3GP, 3GP2, M4A, M4V, MOV, MP4, MKV, MPEG-4, AVI, ASF, WMV, WMA, MP3, MKA, AAC, AMR, F4V, WAV, MP2PS, MP2TS, AWB, OGG, FLAC
	Audio & video encoding/decoding	H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC, MP3, PCM, Xvid, AMR-NB, WMA 9/10, WMA10 professional, WMA-LL, VC-1, VP6, SPARK, PCM, MPEG-2, MJPEG (mov), AC-3, AMR-WB, QCELP, FLAC, VORBIS
Apps	Pre-loaded apps	BlackBerry® Hub, Contacts, BlackBerry® Browser, BlackBerry® Calendar, BBM, Text Messages, BlackBerry® World, BlackBerry® Remember, Docs To Go™, Pictures, Music, Videos, Story Maker, Facebook®1, Twitter®1, LinkedIn®1, Foursquare®, BlackBerry® Maps, Games, YouTube®, Voice Control, Weather, Clock, Calculator, Compass, File Manager, Box, BlackBerry® Connect for Dropbox, Print To Go, Smart Tags, Settings, Adobe® Reader, Phone, Camera/Video Camera/Time Shift, Setup, Help, SIM Toolkit, Search
Security		Password protection, screen lock, and sleep mode BlackBerry® Balance™ offering dedicated profiles to keep work and personal data separate and secure
Alerts & notifications		Tone Vibrate On-screen or LED indicator
Voice input/output		Integrated hands-free speakerphone Hands-free headset capable Bluetooth headset capable
Network & connectivity	Network bands	Z10 Up to 4G LTE Quad band LTE 2, 5, 4, 17 (700/850/1700/1900 MHz) Tri band HSPA+ 1, 2, 5/6 (850/1900/2100 MHz) Quad band HSPA+ 1, 2, 4, 5/6, (850/1700/1900/2100 MHz) Quad band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) Z10 (4G - Verizon) Up to 4G LTE LTE Band-13 (700 MHz) CDMA Cell-band and PCS-band (800/1900 MHz) WCDMA Band-1 and Band-8 (2100/900 MHz) GSM/EDGE Quad Bands (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
	Wi-Fi®	802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz 4G Mobile Hotspot
	Bluetooth®	Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (LE)
	GPS	Assisted, Autonomous and Simultaneous GPS Preloaded with BlackBerry Maps application
	NFC	BlackBerry® Tag with NFC technology enables communication between BlackBerry smartphones and other NFC-enabled devices with a tap
Sensors	Advanced Sensors	Accelerometer Magnetometer Proximity sensor Gyroscope Ambient light sensor
Accessibility		BlackBerry® Magnify, for customers with partial vision - Learn more Adjustable screen brightness, scalable fonts Teletypewriter (TTY) Support

THE ROLE OF POLITICS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF KONZA CITY

Last week, the president launched the Konza Technopolis during the ground breaking ceremony that was held at Malili, Machakos. This was a significant step in the launching of the project since it made it cease from being just but a mere proposal and actually brought it to life. The phenomenal goal behind it is to ensure that this ICT Park buds an industrialized economy that makes Kenya the ultimate technical hub for many investors who want to bring in local intelligence and a bit of physical presence to the local African market. The project being a private and public partnership, a lot of international investment is necessary because the government will majorly handle matters to do with infrastructure and land allocation (the 5000 acre piece of land). Politics play a huge role on deciding the manner in which the project will sail through.

There are several benefits that come along with this project. Kenya is at a strategic time where its economic liberalization offers opportunity for such commendable growth. Not to forget other key factors such as the revolutionary Mpesa that offers its users the opportunity to spend, transfer, save and most recently get loans just by using their cell phones. The rise of incubation centers has also offered a conducive environment for innovation in the ICT sector with ample research resources and venues of discussion and interactivity among technology enthusiasts.

This project aims at creating at least 200,000 jobs; 80,000 of which will be created in the first phase of development. Most of the beneficiaries are in ICT, transporting and real estate whereby suppliers of building materials such as cement and steel will be essential. Having the idea of spending 850 billion to eventually set up 200,000 jobs through a period of 17 years putting in mind how sluggish government funding can be may not prove to be such an appealing and cost effective venture. This is why international investments are trivial for this idea to bear fruit.

An impressive 250 applications for investments have already been received ranging from multimillion companies such as Safaricom and Huawei, to entities such as banking and financial institutions, shopping malls and international education institutions. With the ground breaking, 18 investors had already wished to start whereas 30 planned to do so after the elections scheduled for March, one of the major reasons Kenyans should anticipate to take part in fair elections void of any form of corruption, biasness and violence.

The choice of leaders we choose is important as well. Countries such as Zimbabwe and Iran suffered from huge losses due to sanctions that were laid upon them. A conscious voter should not put the future of their country in shambles by heading to the ballot box and appointing an individual who faces charges of crime against humanity whether falsely accused or not. It just doesn’t make any sense. While some may argue that the West no longer has a hold on us, consider that pure gibberish. Another school of thought may argue that America and Europe investments are not crucial as compared to those from the Middle East such as China. However, realizing that China will take part more in the construction bit while the States and European countries  will deal with data processing will shade more light on the issue.

Relying on the Middle East as the only source of international investment does not make sense, even without having to do the math. All their transactions are done with the American dollar currency because of the connections with the international banking and wiring systems. Nowhere to run baby!! And what makes us so sure that China will risk the chance of appearing to show no recognition to the ICC authority just to stay in business with us after sanctions have been declared upon us?

Never before have we had the chance to carve our own future so blatantly. We should choose our leaders with a lot of insight. I would like to see Konza grow, and maybe let my kid know that I was there when it was all but a dream. Wouldn’t you? Take charge and practice good judgment and peace. Someone wise once said that the eyes are usually the windows to the soul, and personally, I would not trust a bloodshot eyed president to handle the affairs of this country. Would you?

The new low cost smart phone in the Kenyan market - The “Intel Yolo Smart Phone” Review.

Kenya is privileged to be the launch market for Africa's first Intel-powered smartphone, the “Intel Yolo Phone”. Intel has partnered with Safaricom to introduce the phone to the Kenyan mobile phone market at a reasonable cost of KES. 10,999/=. If you fit the bill, you may want to check out the Yolo as soon as possible

The Yolo phone may not be the thinnest device out there, its dimensions being 110.5*61*12.6mm and weight 132g. It has a 3.5 inch TFT multi-touch capacitive screen with HVGA resolution at 480*320 pixels. From the front view, you can see 4 touch sensitive controls at the bottom (namely Back, Home, Recent & Menu). You may not notice the volume rocker on the left and power button on the right due to their perfect blending. At the top, there is a USB/Power port and the 3.5mm audio jack. The back features a 5.0MP camera, the phone speaker at the bottom, a white “Intel Inside logo” and they just had to put it there too, a white “Safaricom logo”. At the bottom of the phone, there is a slot that to fit your nail in order to remove the rear cover for the purpose of inserting the Battery, Sim card and a microSD.

The phone responds very well to touch and its screen is scratch resistant.  It is supplied with high quality earphones hence good quality sound. The loud speaker is ok too, more like normal quality. Inside the phone’s packaging, apart from the phone and headset, you will find the USB cord, Charger and a “getting started guide”.

Intel Yolo is pre-installed with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Other pre-installed applications include Wireless display app (WiDi) which works by rendering a second virtual display broadcast via WI-FI to a receiver on the TV or PC. Chrome browser and doubletwist are other applications that come bundled in the phone. When the phone is purchased from a Safaricom store, you get a one year subscription to McAfee mobile security application. Not forgetting it also comes with a pre-installed SwiftKey keyboard, Swiftkey for Intel, which is a premium keyboard that makes the typing on phone quite easy and responsive.

The rear facing camera is a 5MP one and comes with a Burst shot feature (enables capture of up to 7 simultaneous photos) and panorama mode feature (for shots in panorama mode).

The Intel Yolo phone has a 1500mAh battery is quite good, say, it gives you a full day use on social media if that’s what you like to do.

IN SUMMARY:

• Dimensions -110.5X12.6mm -132g
• Display and user Interface -Size: 3.5″Capacitive touch TFT, 60HZ-Resolution: HVGA(480X320)
• Application Processor -1.2GHz IA CPU w/512KB L2$ -Intel(R) Hyper-Threading Technology -512MB 2-ch LPDDR2 memory -Avatele passage Lite MSIC

• Camera -5MP rear-facing Camera-No front-facing camera
• Cellular  -Intel Xmm265, HSPA+ Rel.7, Cat 14/Cat6 (21Mbps DL/5.8Mbps UL);-2G Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 -MHz; GPRS EDGE Class 10; HSPA+/UMTS Quad-Bad 850/900/1900/2100 MHz (I/II/V/VIII)
• Connectivity-Wi-Fi (802.1bgn 1×1 2.4Gz) , BT2.1=EDR, FM Rx, (A)GPS; Micro-USB 2.0 type-B with USB charging
• Audio -3.5mm audio jack (w/ FM Rx Support)-integrated Hands-Free
• Speaker – 1 analog microphone-Single vibra motor (haptics + silent ringtones)
• Sensors -Accelerometer, Compass, Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor
• Storage -4GB eMMC -MicroSD card slot (internal
• Battery  -Removable Li-IOn Battery Pack 3.7V, 1500mAh

Conclusion: This is a phone worth having. The price of KES. 10,999/= is good, keeping in mind it has Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich!

Haven't yet switched to Android?? 6 reasons why you should

Android has grown to be one of the most popular platforms throughout the world. A good chunk of mobile and tablet owners use this awesome operating system. if you haven't yet made a switch, let me try convince you to:

• For developers: since it is an open source software, it offers a chance for its users to be able to develop different kinds of applications and programs which they can post on the Google play store for others to download either for free or at a certain price. i am making it my personal business to publish an application or two this year, hopefully. :-) if i do, you will be the first to know!
• for users: it is easier to fully customize your phone and enhance its functionality abilities because of the convenient android market that has been set up for its users. There is a lot of variety to suit different preferences and needs.
• users are able to root their phones and thereby increase their functionality. The rooting process ensures that you are able to alter system files thus utilize your phone's ability through upgrading versions of the operating system and installing altered and customized operating systems. Through this, you can increase functionality through increase in speed and alteration of inbuilt color schemes.
• for a buyer: this is the perfect platform because of the many hardware devices it supports. you can choose the kind of phone you want since it is supported by a majority of them, tablets as well. you can pick one that is in line with your budget and preferences; style and size. 
• for users: you are able to get a lot of cool widgets on your home-screen and you are given the liberty to customize them in a manner you find suitable. Examples include widgets that show the battery life, weather, notifications from social sites as well as incoming messages.
• the android community is large, worldwide and helpful in terms of offering support. the many users of this platform have interactive blogs and forums that discuss important issues concerning this particular operating system. lets face it, we all know at least 10 of our friends who use it. that is why it is never hard to get a charging device when your phone is running out of charge. the micro USB port is quite common and can be easily charged. 

A Guide to choosing the Best sunscreen.

The heat is crazy. Personally, I avoid leaving the house between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm. Sunscreen is essential for everybody. But before blindly purchasing one, it is important to put in mind important guidelines concerning how to choose the best product for your skin.

• Ensure that it offers a broad spectrum of protection from both Ultraviolet-A (UVA) and Ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays. The difference between the two is that UVB radiation usually causes more of the sunburns whereas the UVA rays penetrate deeper and lead to premature aging of the skin and cancer.
• Take a good look at the ingredients present in the sunscreen. It would be wise to avoid those that have oxybenzone and Vitamin A. these chemicals will often act as toxins which can evoke cancer. One of the fastest ways to absorb toxins is through the skin therefore caution is important.
• A key factor that most people look at is the SPF value. SPF is the Sun Protection Factor. It ranges from 15, 30,45 up to 100+. normally, one will assume the higher the number, the more protection from the UVA rays. however, sun lotions which have higher SPF values of up to 100 can be harmful since they will often scatter and reflect the rays rather than deal with them in a linear fashion. in most instances, an SPF value of 30 will work sufficient enough. no need to blow money on higher SPF values which will require you to keep on reapplying from time to time for the best results.
• if your debating on getting a spray or a lotion, it is advisable to acquire lotion ; not only is it easy to apply, it also saves you from inhaling chemicals that are potentially dangerous.
• some products will be manufactured in the U.S while others will be manufactured within the European Union. since those manufactured in Europe are allowed to use more ingredients in the manufacturing process, they tend to offer better protection from the UVA and UVB rays in comparison to those made in the states.
• ensure that the bottle indicates that the product is water resistant. if it doesn't, then it probably isn't. this is important because it ensures that the sunscreen maintains its effectiveness especially if you plan to do exercises or swim.
• after making the purchase, it is wise that you apply it everyday whether it is sunny or not because even on cloudy days, UV rays can still penetrate through your skin.and if you are in the sun for a period longer than two hours, you should ensure you keep on reapplying it after 2 hours.

Personally, i use the Cyclax spf 45 suncreen and it works fine. I particularly love it because it is water resistant, anti-oxidant, has UVA/UVB rays protection and Aloe Vera as well. just perfect! you can check out sunscreens from brands such as Nivea, L'oreal, Mac, Vichy, Clinique, Olay and Aveeno.

Am so grateful that you stopped by!  

Dell Inspiron Duo Hybrid Tablet: Lust at first sight!!

Sometimes i can be lustful...well, everyone CAN .... This is the intense wanting feeling that one gets when they see something physically appealing to them. It's the exact feeling i had when i saw the dell Inspiron Duo Hybrid tablet. i thought it was made for me. This laptop doubles up as a tablet as well as a notebook.

Before seeing it, i had been in the middle of intense prayers asking God to provide funds for a nice tablet i had seen. I did not need the tablet at the time but was extremely in lust with the way it looked. Its sleekness, HD graphics and portable size made me go gagaaaaa!!

You can make out my reaction when i saw this hybrid model. It has a 10.1 inch screen that can be flipped and transformed into a tablet. How cool is that? This provides an instant access to videos, e-books and music in a faster way.

I then set off to look around for it. At avenue electronics, the last price was KES 49,000 and they had one left. I was a bit sad because i was not intending to use all that money on an intel atom dual processor since the same amount could fetch me a more powerful gadget. However, thanks to the power of window shopping, i stumbled across a place that was selling it for kes 38,500. That is a REALLY good price since they would normally go for $545. Made me a tard bit skeptical though. Even though it comes in a range of colors such as red, foggy night and martin blue, the stores only had the foggy night one.

However, i decided to go with the Lenovo S400. you can have an interesting read as to why the latter captured my attention by clicking here.
Some of the disadvantages of the convertible include:

• poor battery life
•  a sluggish touch functionality
• a non removable battery

If you are a lustful person who would prefer beautiful and captivating looks to functionality, this is a good buy ; probably the best option for a cosmopolitan who loves to be trendy and has very basic functionality requirements such as checking emails and storing documents.


A mother reading this should seriously think of getting this for their daughters, or a caring boyfriend should get it for the girlfriend. You can customize the back of the screen to bring about  interesting designs such as these; Enjoy!!

fancy, huh?

I am grateful that you stopped by!!