Samsung Showcases 2012 Vision to African Regions

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today -  showcased its diverse array of new, and specifically tailored to the African market, products at the 2012 Samsung Africa Forum held in Cape Town, South Africa. Embracing its new guiding philosophy of “Built for Africa - Inspire the Future” the company shared its strategy to expand its African market and deliver connectivity and content across multiple devices – from TVs, mobile phones, tablets, Notebook PCs, cameras and home appliances.

“At our very first Africa Forum, in 2010, I announced the plan to grow our business in Africa to $10 billion by 2015, as measured by the sales of our partners - and today, I am pleased to announce that we are well on track to meet this objective. This year, not only will we continue to maintain growth in key regions, but so too are focused on targeting growth of 100% in West, East and Southern Africa,” says; KK Park, CEO of Samsung Electronics Africa. “Over the next 3 – 4 years this growth will be underpinned by a focus on 3 key premises; Built for Africa research and development; B2B and B2G partnerships supported by key CSR initiatives and of course, growing and strengthening our partner network across Africa to reach our core mission – to inspire the future of Africa!”

Kenyan APP Developer wins prize by INMOBI to further education

Moses Kemibaro, Nivi Mukherjee and Jisas Lemasagarai

The winning app was eLimu, the founder Nivi Mukherjee says “eLimu hopes to make a significant and positive long term impact on the Kenyan youth by improving their: test scores, cognitive thinking skills, social/environmental consciousness and IT literacy.”

The App Developer contest held by Mobile Web East Africa, and sponsored by InMobi and Blackberry saw five developers pitch their Apps.

M-Maji Launch: A USSD application to improve clean water access in the slums

It’s not every day that a mobile application is launched to the accompaniment of songs, dances, and gymnastics. That’s exactly what happened at Sarangombe in Kibera, where a crowd gathered to launch M-Maji (“mobile-water” in Swahili). M-Maji is a mobile phone-based water information system that aims to empower under-served communities with better information about water availability, price, and quality. Water vendors use their mobile phones to advertise on M-Maji and water buyers query the M-Maji database to find the closest, cheapest, and cleanest water. All this is free and accessible on even the most basic GSM phones.

M-Maji was developed by Weza Tele, a visionary firm that applies mobile technologies such as USSD, Mobile Web, and SMS to solve problems. Weza Tele teamed up with a group of Stanford students, as well as Umande Trust, an organization based in Kibera that addresses water and sanitation issues. Because M-Maji is a novel approach to improving clean water access, it was critical to conduct a randomized, controlled evaluation of our system. Weza Tele’s contribution to M-Maji involved requirements analysis, design, development, prototyping and testing.

Read more....click here

You can now explore Mandela's Archives Online, courtesy of Google Cultural Institute

On Tuesday, Mark Yoshitake, Product Manager, Google’s Cultural Institute, announced via a blog post that you can now access information about former president Nelson Mandela's archives online.

This was made possible by the collaboration of the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and the Google Cultural Institute.

Mark remarks thus:

 "Today, the Mandela archive has become a reality. Along with historians, educationalists, researchers, activists and many others around the world, you can access a wealth of information and knowledge about the life and legacy of this extraordinary African leader. The new online multimedia archive includes Mandela’s correspondence with family, comrades and friends, diaries written during his 27 years of imprisonment, and notes he made while leading the negotiations that ended apartheid in South Africa. The archive will also include the earliest-known photo of Mr. Mandela and never-before seen drafts of Mr. Mandela's manuscripts for the sequel to his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom."

Google Introduces new feature to help monitor your Google Account activity

According to Andreas Tuerk, Product Manager in a March 28 blogpost, Google has introduced a new feature called Account Activity. 

This feature will allow you track how you have been using your Google account across many of Google's services. You can view devices and locations where you've logged in, what browsers and/or platforms you've used to do so and what authentication changes may have been made to your account. You can also view stats and trends in the emails you've sent and received, type of searches you've conducted and your top queries. So if you notice sign-ins from countries where you haven’t been or devices you’ve never owned, you can change your password immediately and sign up for the extra level of security provided by 2-step verification. 

If you sign up, each month you will be sent a link to a password-protected report with insights into your signed-in use of Google services.

Google hopes this feature will help people better understand and manage their information on Google.

C'mon. Give it a try and tell us what you think.

Fertiliser: FEC approves N27bn ($171m) electronic wallet for rural farmers

THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an Electronic Wallet containing N27 billion under an initiative which would enable rural farmers enjoy their 50 per cent subsidy on seed and fertiliser purchased, using their mobile telephone handsets.

The Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, who briefed State House correspondents alongside his Information counterpart, Labaran Maku, after Wednesday’s FEC meeting presided over by Vice- President Namadi Sambo, said the programme was being achieved
through private agro-based companies in the country.

He stated that the electronic wallet initiative was part of the growth enhancement support system where the farmers would get allocation for seeds and fertilisers by their mobile phones without any intermediary.

According to him, “we found out that 75 per cent of farmers in the rural areas have phones and so we are moving into electronic wallet system.

Africa: Mobile Phones are Getting Smarter in Rural Africa

Imagine you are in Yokadouma, a rural community in eastern Cameroon with little electricity and inaccessible roads. You have an old, inexpensive mobile phone with which you can only make and receive calls.

The good news is that it is now possible for that phone to be smarter - to send and receive e-mails, check a Facebook account and chat online, even without internet access.

ForgetMeNot Africa, owned by Lon-Zim and ForgetMeNot Software, developed the Message Optimizer (MO) service in March 2009 to enable telecommunications operators to provide messaging services to customers at no extra cost, without any new applications or phone upgrades. Popular chat services such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Windows Live and Gtalk are all incorporated into the MO.

"Message Optimizer turns every mobile phone into a mobile computing and mobile authentication device," states ForgetMeNot Africa. The MO allows "more and more of our subscribers to get access to the internet without having to purchase expensive smartphones," according to Douglas Mboweni, the chief executive officer of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, a mobile network.

App of the day: "Draw Something" And Oh, Only 6 weeks old, it has been acquired by Zynga

I got introduced to this app by a colleague of mine. He showed me the app on his iphone 4. He told me that it was addictive and it was quite interesting. I thought to myself, this should just be another one of the hundreds of thousands of apps out there. Please note I am not a game freak. I took one look at it, played it and felt it was just another game but when he told me how he was spending real cash on some of the activities, I imagined what the developers of the game must be making and how many downloads it had garnered over time.

Nokia: Create a ringtone and win $1.500

Nokia is offering 5 people the chance to win $1,500 for creating creative ringtones. The ringtones should reflect and celebrate local music culture and styles.  it should be suitable for use throughout the whole of Middle East and Africa region. A prize fund totaling over USD 37,000 is on offer plus the chance to get your work into millions of handsets!

As the Brief goes...

Nokia Sound Design team will listen through all the entries of this contest and make a final selection of 5 ringtones for each region, each ringtone receiving USD 1,500 in prize money. To help guide the selection, everyone will be encouraged to rate the content throughout the duration of the contest. The winning ringtones will be added to the specific regions they were created for, sitting alongside Nokia’s global set of ringtones for 2013.

Cchub Nigeria welcomes Qualcomm at the next Edition of Developers Parapo in March 2012

March’s edition of Developers Parapo is set to potentially transform the realm of possibilities of what we know as customer experiences via mobile. CcHub presents Qualcomm (a world leader in next generation mobile technologies) whose ideas and inventions are driving wireless growth and helping to connect people to information, entertainment and one another.

Alex Dadson, Qualcomm’s Managing Director West Africa will be joining us to talk about the firm’s plans to stimulate growth of the mobile market through the development of technologies and services for 3G devices. He will also highlight recent work that Qualcomm has done in Augumented Reality and illustrate with cool demos. You dont want to miss this!!!!

Digitizing Justice in Ghana - Google Books Partner Programme

For over a century, the laws of Ghana have lived in courtrooms and leather-bound books where lawyers and judges across the country can refer to rulings from years ago. Information was often out of date and only accessible to a select few. To improve accountability and expand access to this critical national information, Chief Justice Georgina Wood decided to bring the system on-line.

We are pleased to announce today that the Judicial Service of Ghana has joined the Google Books Partner Programme, uploading judicial opinions from the High Courts, Appellate Courts, and Supreme Court to Google Books and making them searchable from the Court’s homepage.

Traders will now track fish prices on mobile phones

Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (Kemfri) has launched a mobile phone technology to improve fish trade in Turkana County.  The new technology gives traders market information. Electronic Fish Market Information System (EFMIS-Ke) co-ordinator William Ojwang' sadi this would help fish traders locally and internationally to determine market prices.

Dr Ojwang' said fishermen and traders would be able to know prices countrywide using thier mobile phones on a daily basis. He added that the mobile technology would eliminate middlemen who have been exploiting fishermen.  "We have tested the new technology and it really works well for fishermen and traders. We will be using information from the mobile phones to improve the trade in the sector," he said. Ojwang' said they are training Turkana beach management units (BMUs) on how to use the mobile phones to relay information on prices and data to Kemfri station in Kisumu.

The BMUs have been given handsets that would enable them send data to EFMIS-Ke station along the shores of Lake Turkana. Ojwang' disclosed that EFMIS-Ke service is also in the final stages of developing information packages that would target various stakeholders in the fish industry. The co-ordinator said the readily available package that covers Lake Victoria is already in operation.

Information

The package provides market information, quantity of fish and transportation of various fish species from lake beaches to major markets across the country.  The European Union through the Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust has supported the pilot project to a tune of Sh18 million to cover all lakes. Research conducted in Lake Turkana showed that the annual fish production capacity was 25,000 metric tonnes valued at Sh2.5 billion.  According to Kemfri and the Fisheries Department, about Sh50 million is lost annually due to post harvest loses in the lake.

HP Announces Organizational Realignment

HP recently announced an organizational realignment to improve performance and drive profitable growth across the entire HP portfolio.  This was stated in a press release yesterday.

As part of this realignment, HP’s Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) and its Personal Systems Group (PSG) are joining forces to create the Printing and Personal Systems Group. The combined entity will be led by Todd Bradley, who has served as the executive vice president of PSG since 2005.

Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of IPG, is retiring after a highly accomplished 31-year career at HP. Under Joshi’s leadership, IPG has grown revenue from $19 billion to $26 billion, and doubled its operating profit to approximately $4 billion.

“VJ embodies the spirit of HP and his impact on the company has been tremendous,” said Meg Whitman, president and chief executive officer, HP. “Under his leadership, IPG accelerated innovation and pioneered solutions that transformed the printing market. We wish him the very best as he embarks on a new chapter in his life.”

Combining these two entities will rationalize HP’s go-to-market strategy, branding, supply chain and customer support worldwide. This will lead to a better customer experience and drive innovation across personal computing and printing. This realignment is expected to provide opportunities for cost savings and accelerate HP’s ability to pursue profitable growth and reinvest in the business.

Aerocontractors introduces mobile money payment option for customers

In an email from Aerocontractors, one of the foremost innovative airline companies in Nigeria this morning, it announced that it is introducing a new, fast and convenient mobile money payment on the platform of U-MO.

See below for the rest of the email......

As part of her continuous improvement on customer-focused services, Aero, West Africa’s oldest aviation company has introduced an entirely new, fast and convenient mobile money payment on the platform of U-MO.

This is the first of its kind in the Nigerian aviation industry as Aero ticket can now be paid for from an electronic wallet on the mobile phone. This is a product that enables customers to pay for their flight tickets using their mobile phones. The introduction of the mobile money platform is in addition to other booking and payment options provided by Aero for the customers’ convenience.

Gwandu becomes Commonwealth ITU group chair

Dr Bashir Gwandu

The Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Bashir Gwandu, has become the chairman of the Commonwealth International Telecommunications Union Group.

Gwandu emerged the chairman after he was unanimously elected during a recent meeting of the group at Marlborough House, the headquarters of the Commonwealth in London.

This was after he was nominated to the membership by the outgoing chairman of the CIG, Dr Bruce Gracie, the Canadian Special Advisor, International Organisations, who has been chairman of CIG for the last five years.

Gracie took over the Chairmanship of CIG from Mr Malcolm Johnson, formerly of Ofcom –the United Kingdom regulator, and currently the director of the Standardisation Bureau of the ITU.

Gwandu now doubles as Chairman of the Commonwealth ITU Group leading the representatives of the 54-member Commonwealth Countries at the ITU, and also, the Chairman of Radiocommunications Advisory Group of the ITU.

Gwandu was formally announced as the chairman of CIG that was to take over from Gracie, at a get-together, organised by the Commonwealth Telecom Organisation in Geneva, which was attended by many ITU member countries.

Source: The Punch

Who's Who launches in Kenya

Who’s Who in Kenya is a newly launched online platform that assists local professionals in creating, managing and growing their personal brand and reputation. It launched last week in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the second of its kind in Africa and, given the track record of its foregoer, who's who in South Africa, it is also set to become the leading source of information for the media, researchers and the general public about individuals of influence in Kenya. Who’s Who in Kenya already boasts a number of professional biographies and serves as a powerful networking and business tool for individuals and companies alike.  Membership is free and open to all Kenyan professionals and students, 18 years and older.

Minette Havemann, chief revenue officer of Naspers Labs, oversaw the relaunch of the Who’s Who brand in 2010, and has presided over its extraordinary development – over 470% growth in registrations since opening membership to a wider audience – and which now has an extensive database of professional biographies to its name. As you might have already guessed, it is a brainchild of Naspers, one of the biggest media powerhouses in the world. 

I guess the next country might be Nigeria.

"Inye" in the News again

Saheed Adepoju, the promoter of the "Inye" was in the news today - CNN World Report. He had an interview with CNN's Nkepile Mabuse. I had an interview with him last year and he has been spreading the gospel of the Nigerian Tablet all around the world. He has been on "Wired", Sunday Times UK.

The CNN report was first aired at 7.a.m Nigerian local time. In case you missed it, click on the link and watch it.

Wish you the best in your quest for funding. Part of the growing pains of a Nigerian start-up

You can now send free SMS via your Gmail account in Nigeria

Nigeria has been recently listed as one of the countries that you can now send SMS via your Gmail account. The supported mobile operators in Nigeria are Airtel, Glo, MTN, Starcomms and Visafone. Interestingly, a notable omission is Etisalat. See the list of 47 supported countries and numerous operators here.

I used this (Google chat SMS) service a day before it was launched in Nigeria yesterday at the Google g|Nigeria event and it worked. This new feature allow users to use Gmail Chat to communicate between all mobile phones and platforms, even if they are offline or have an SMS and voice only phone. The new products also allow users to receive Google+ SMS notifications and post status updates via SMS, and will ensure that the users are always connected with the people in their circles. To learn more about this service, click here.  


Each person is allocated 50 SMS credit per account. SMS credit is an allocation of SMS (text messages) that you're able to send to a mobile phone. Every time you send a message, your credit decreases by one. Every time you receive an SMS message in Chat (for example when a phone user replies to one of your messages) your credit increases by five, up to a maximum of 50. If your SMS credit goes down to zero at any point, it will increase back up to one 24 hours later. So, you won't ever be locked out of the system.


"Buying" additional messages
Keep in mind that if you'd like a higher message credit, you can always send an SMS to your own phone, and then reply to that message multiple times. Every time you send a reply message, your SMS credit is increased by five. Effectively, you're buying more messages by paying your phone company for these outgoing messages.

So over to you, enjoy texting.

Do you know you can check if the authenticity of a drug by sending a code to 38353?

I had been hearing about this "Mobile Authentication Service via the Lonart (an anti-malarial drug) radio advert for some time and I thought it was just another fad. But my thoughts changed when I recently purchased a blister pack of Nizoral tablets and I saw a paper attached to it. The paper had some instructions to scratch a panel to reveal a PIN. I wondered why a drug company would be doing a promotion. This was unusual. But then I remembered the Lonart radio advert and wondered if it was the same service being offered here. Curiously, I scratched the foil-like panel to reveal a 12-digit code. The instruction stated that I should send the code to 38353 for free. At first, my Nigerian instinct kicked in, who would be offering this for free? How will they recover their cost? Well, my curiosity overcame my doubt and I said to myself, "At least, it won't be more than 200 Naira. I can live with that". I sent the code and got the following message

"OK. Original Nizoral Tablets 200mg 

NRN: 04-1410

Nizoral can stop acne and ringworm

Problem? Call 08039012929

NAFDAC & Janssen Care

SMS by Sproxil."

It was real. I was happy that some company actually thought of this to fight the incidence of fake drugs in Nigeria.  Next step was to google "Sproxil." Lo and behold, I was amazed that there was a company like this and it was actually behind the "Mobile Authentication Service."  The MAS technology is supplied by Sproxil Inc, a US-headquartered company which grew out of a technology platform developed by mPedigree, a Ghanaian company set up by entrepreneurs Bright Simons and Ashifi Gogo. MAS is a free service, so patients can use any mobile phone to check the status of their medication. Sproxil designed this technology specifically for emerging markets. Using any cell phone, customers can text message an item-unique code and get an instant response confirming your brand's genuineness. Browsing through the web, I found out that Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) launched this service in conjunction with Sproxil on the 1st of February 2010.
I must confess that it is a wonderful innovation aimed at combating the menace of fake drugs and I do commend it. However, I do wonder how many Nigerians know about this initiative and how many drugs this MAS technology is being applied to.

Board Changes at Mail.Ru Group as Yuri Milner steps down for Dmitry Grishin

Today, Mail.Ru Group announced the change in Chairmanship as Yuri Milner steps down. This announcement was made on the company's site this morning. Dmitry Grishin, Co-founder and CEO takes over with immediate effect.

Yuri Borisovich (Benitsionovich) Milner is a Russian entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He founded investment firms Digital Sky Technologies (DST), now called Mail.ru Group and DST Global. Through Mail.ru Group and DST Global, Milner is an investor in Facebook, Zynga, Twitter, Spotify, ZocDoc, 360Buy.com and Groupon.  Mail.Ru Group is the largest Internet company in the Russian-speaking world and one of the leading Internet companies in Russia. Mail.Ru Group comprises the most popular Russian free-mail service and two major RuNet instant messengers, Mail.Ru Agent and ICQ.

Commenting on his decision, Yuri said,

“It has been a great pleasure and privilege to be involved with Mail.ru Group and to take the business from its foundation to its successful IPO in November 2010. Serving as non-executive Chairman since the IPO has allowed me to watch the management team, led by Dmitry Grishin, whom I brought in as a co-founder and worked with for more than 10 years, deliver consistently strong results. I believe that Mail.ru is well placed for taking advantage of its leadership position. I look forward to watching its continued success as Dmitry, and the team, continue to drive the business and execute on the strategy”.

In his response, Dmitry said,

“On behalf of the Board, management and employees of the Company we would like to thank Yuri for all that he has done for Mail.ru Group. His contribution and his guidance have been much appreciated and valued. We wish Yuri continued success in his role at DST Global.”

Naspers, the South African media giant, owns about 30% of Mail.Ru.

MTN Uganda, CGAP and Grameen to inject $1million mobile money study in Uganda

MTN Uganda, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) and Grameen Foundation have announced plans to introduce a new initiative to research and develop mobile financial products for the poor.
This partnership was reached during the world mobile congress held in Barcelona, Spain, according to a company statement. CGAP is an independent policy and research center dedicated to advancing financial access for the world's poor.
MTN Uganda Chief Executive Officer Mr. Themba Khumalo explained his company will continue to be innovative and relevant, particularly with increasing competition in the global market.
"This partnership will ensure that we are able to address the needs of our customers in the rural market by enabling them to access otherwise inaccessible financial services. This in turn will ensure that the rural poor have better access to other social services, such as education, health and investment opportunities," noted Khumalo.
He said the aim is to build up the extensive research already conducted through Grameen Foundation's Application Laboratory (AppLab) in Uganda and to leverage MTN's successful mobile money services.
As a result of the joint venture the telephone giants and Grameen Foundation will provide US$1 million in financing to this initiative.
"Access to financial services can help the poor smooth their income and invest in productive assets, education and health services.
"However, 2.7 billion people most of whom live in developing countries still do not have a bank account. This gap is due to two major challenges: Many low-income communities are underserved by financial institutions, and the products offered by these institutions are more suitable for higher-income clientele," he added. Khumalo indicated the goal of the initiative is to drive the next wave of innovation in the mobile money space by researching and developing products that are both appropriate for poor clients and commercially viable for the financial service providers involved.
CGAP CEO Tilman Ehrbeck believes to achieve the goal of financial inclusion for all, the industry needs to move beyond mobile payments and provide a full array of pro-poor mobile financial products.
"The growth of mobile money is helping address the access issue, but there is still a need for product offerings that are appropriate for low-income consumers."
President and CEO of Grameen Foundation Alex Counts noted that the collaboration with CGAP and MTN Uganda will enable them to lead the next wave of product innovation to truly serve poor people's needs.

Source: East African Business Week

RIM Introduces the BlackBerry Mini Keyboard for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet

Hot on the heels of the recent release of the Playbook OS 2.0, Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry® Mini Keyboard™, a new accessory for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet.

The BlackBerry Mini Keyboard is ultra portable and comes complete with a stylish convertible case that doubles as a stand for the tablet. In addition to a full QWERTY keyboard, it offers an integrated touchpad that allows users to navigate and control the BlackBerry PlayBook as easily as using the touch screen on the tablet itself. When the keyboard is active, the PlayBook tablet’s virtual keyboard remains hidden, freeing up 100% of the display for the task at hand.

“Whether you’re typing email, creating documents, surfing the web or using other apps, the BlackBerry Mini Keyboard and its integrated carrying case is an ideal accessory,” said James Poulton, Director, Advanced Accessories.

• The BlackBerry Mini Keyboard comes equipped with a touchpad that supports BlackBerry PlayBook gestures. The touchpad also offers additional gestures similar to the standard mouse and touchpad controls on a laptop, including a single tap to simulate a mouse click, a two finger tap to right-click, and a two-finger up or down swipe to scroll vertically. 

• The BlackBerry Mini Keyboard connects to your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet via Bluetooth®, and features 128-bit encryption to keep the data passed between keyboard and tablet secure. The BlackBerry Mini Keyboard conveniently uses the micro-USB charger that comes with the BlackBerry PlayBook (one less charger to carry), and the keyboard battery lasts up to 30 days on a full charge. 

• The BlackBerry Mini Keyboard is a great productivity enhancer. It works with the new BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 Messages, Contacts and Calendar apps as well as Documents To Go, and provides an optimal user experience for third party apps such as Citrix Receiver, which allows users to remotely access their Windows desktop and apps from the tablet.

Check out the video below for an in-depth demo of the BlackBerry Mini Keyboard as well as multiple use cases via the Citrix® Receiver for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Angry Birds in outer Space - March 22

"It's one small fling for a bird, One quantum leap for Birdkind."

The fourth installment of the Angry Birds franchise, Angry Birds in Space, will be landing on iOS and Android devices on March 22. 

Watch a video preview of Angry Birds Space below. Uploaded by Rovio on the 16th of February, it already has over 2 million views.

The game hits the appstores with 60 puzzling levels, new Angry Birds characters, new superpowers, and new gameplay. More levels will be available both as free regular updates, as well as in-app purchases.

By taking the game galactic, Angry Birds Space retains the familiar elements of Angry Birds gameplay but gives them a unique twist in a variable gravity environment. From the weightlessness of space to the gravity wells of nearby planets, fans can have fun with physics as they try out new gameplay possibilities. The Angry Birds themselves have also transformed into superheroes, with new costumes and abilities.

Angry Birds developer Rovio is working with NASA on the launch of Angry Birds Space. Last week, a video with NASA flight engineer Don Pettit debuted. See below

It promises to be exciting. Watch out......

Ceragon Networks Wins $6 Million Globacom Contract for Wireless Backhaul Deployment in Nigeria

Ceragon Networks Ltd., the #1 wireless backhaul specialist, today announced a new $6 million USD contract with Globacom Nigeria (Glo) for Ceragon’s high-capacity wireless backhaul solutions and professional services in Nigeria. Ceragon will manage the end-to-end deployment of its field-proven FibeAir IP-10 and Evolution IP Long-Haul systems throughout Nigeria, expanding upon the original network Ceragon developed for Glo in 2010. Glo is the second largest mobile operator in Nigeria serving approximately 25 million subscribers, and is Africa’s fastest-growing telecommunications company.

As part of the Glo deployment, Ceragon will provide backhaul for Glo’s 2G/3G infrastructure network in Lagos. The network modernization will expand the traffic capacity of Glo’s 3G network, while providing legacy 2G TDM support. Subscribers that have had limited or no mobile access will now be able to connect to the expanded network through the Ceragon wireless backhaul deployment.

“Ceragon has always provided us with the optimum mix of great solutions, superior professional services and fast time to market,” said Mike Jitubo, Executive Director of Special Projects at Globacom. “When selecting a vendor for this expanded network coverage, it was a natural choice for us to continue working closely with Ceragon. We look forward to an ongoing successful relationship as we continue our network expansion throughout Africa.”

“Our experience and expertise as the #1 wireless specialist teaches us that it’s not just about the radios and antennas but also about lowering our customer’s total cost of ownership (TCO) and facilitating a faster time to new revenue (TTR),” said Ira Palti, President and CEO of Ceragon. “With this approach, Ceragon is able to offer operators more capacity under any given network scenario for any network budget. We’re honored to partner with a leading telecom provider like Globacom to serve the connectivity needs of the Nigerian market.”

Source: Ceragon

Culture Shift Hackathon in Lagos

British Council in conjunction with Co-Creation Hub is inviting members of the community (technology developers, designers, branding and marketing professionals, and business analysts) to apply to participate in the Culture Shift project, themed ‘ICT for Festivals Development.’

About the project
Culture Shift is a partnership-led, British Council-managed competitive innovation fund.
It will provide an opportunity for emerging creatives to bypass what are often the most inhibiting factors in the progression of good ideas – access to seed funding and expert mentorship.
Selected festival managers will work in collaboration with technology developers and designers, and business experts to create web and mobile solutions for use in festivals, and then compete for seed finance to realise the projects.

Winning idea will receive Naira Equivalent of £5,000 and two others £1,500 each.

For whom:
Software developers, designers (graphic, web and user-experience), branding and marketing professionals, and business analysts.

When:
The project will take place in three phases:
1. Stage 1b: 3-day ‘Hackathon’: 17th, 18th and 19th March
2. Pitching for seed funding: 19th March 2012
3. Mentoring and Fruition: April – September 2012

Venue:
Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), 6th Floor, 294 Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba, Lagos

Applications:
Software Developers | Graphic Designers | Business Analysts | Branding and Marketing professionals
Interested persons should download the application form here and email completed forms to cep.nigeria@ng.britishcouncil.org on or before Monday 05 March 2012

Applicants must:
1. Have a history of and familiarity with technology tools development
2. Be willing to commit a few hours a week to the Culture Shift project, expected to last between 8 – 12 months. Applicants selected to receive the seed fund will be required to develop the final product from prototype stage.

Google+ Hackathon - Falling in love with the Google+ API

Hello Nigerian developers! After the successful Hackathons in South Africa and Kenya which saw some amazing applications built, we want to continue spreading the love!

There will be a Google+ Hackathon with the support of the Google Technology User Group (GTUG) in Lagos. If you are ready to wow us with your application, please apply for the event using this form: Lagos for the event on the March 17 at the CCHub Nigeria.

Remember to start today on getting those creative juices flowing! Familiarize yourself with the API and review these resources. Begin gathering ideas and coding a little. Use the Hackathon to perfect your application and win one of the multiple prizes we will be awarding – including a ticket for the overall winning application to Google’s premiere developer event, Google I/O!

Any updates relating to these Hackathons and the Hangout will be posted on Google+ (of course!) using the hashtag #hackgplus. Stay tuned!

Date : Saturday 17th of March, 2012
Time: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Venue: Co-creation Hub, 6th Floor, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo Yaba

Eco-Journalism workshop with Goethe-Institut Nigeria

The workshop is part of an ongoing series initiated in Lagos in 2011. Called ‘j-hub.cc – common content’, the workshop series takes as its point of departure the current transformation of journalistic practice through online / mobile media. While these developments challenge established forms of organizing news production, their business models and audience assumptions, they also give rise to new media actors with little professional training that ‘do journalism’ without any relationship to the traditions and ethics of journalistic practice.

In today’s media and news environments, journalists are expected to incorporate a wide range of professional skills into their daily work. J-Hub partners offer a week-long workshop that introduces participants to both key trends in online and mobile journalism and provides practical introductory skills in the areas of online research, multimedia editing, photo journalism, and use of real-time/social media tools. Workshop activities include brief lectures/tutorials, individual and collaborative exercises, field research, and reflexive processing sessions in a game-based format.

Ambitious in scope, it is designed to enable participants from a wide range of professional backgrounds to effectively employ digital media tools in their work. Experienced facilitators take participants through all stages of digital media production and cover the entire journalistic workflow.

The workshop provides every participant with a comprehensive reader including all texts and worksheets used throughout the workshop. Featuring current research and policy perspectives on key approaches to eco-journalism, the reader is also made available in an online version.

The state-of-the-art electronic publishing platform provided by J-Hub core partner Sourcefabric facilitates the editing and remixing of this content to support the production of follow-up materials for distribution/use in the media and news organizations of workshop participants. A representative from Sourcefabric will be present throughout the workshop to incorporate concrete suggestions on how to a) upgrade newsrooms in terms of online and mobile journalism and b) optimize newsroom workflows to improve eco-journalistic coverage. Sourcefabric provides free software tools and platforms and has extensive experience in working with a wide variety of media organizations.

Date : Tuesday 13th – 16th March, 2012
Time: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Venue: Co-creation Hub, 6th Floor, Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria

Google + 4 African Languages

Easily sharing the right things with just the right people is really what Google+ is all about. But sometimes, the people you care about may not yet be active on Google+, perhaps because they don't fully understand how to sign up, create a circle or how to run a group video chat via Hangouts. 

Recently, we announced that Google+ is now available in 17 more languages, making a total of 60 languages that Google+ supports. In Africa we are especially excited about 4 of these: Kiswahili, Amharic, Afrikaans & IsiZulu. The interface in these languages give users a unique experience that feels closer to home and makes the core features easier to understand. Whether in an internet cafe in Arusha or on mobile browser in Gauteng, this makes a real difference for many users.

For these native speakers, it’s now easier to use Google’s new signup process (select from language dropdown at footer), start a Hangout in IsiZulu [“Qala i-hangout”], share your favorite photos in Afrikaans [“Deel jou gunsteling foto’s”], or in Swahili, post about your weekend to only your friends and not your boss [“Jumuisha watu wengine”]. In Amharic, use the Google input tools Chrome extension to post in Ethiopic script. All languages will also be available on mobile browser interface starting this Friday.


We are also excited about new possibilities for language communities using Google+. For example, someone learning Kiswahili by posing text-based questions to an online forum, can move to joining a live video tutorial with a group of speakers via Hangouts, while fully immersed using the Kiswahili language interface.

So what will you add to the equation? We invite you to +1 this post below, share it to Google Plus, and give it a spin by changing your primary language at www.google.com/settings/language.

Source: Google

MTN boosts rural telephony with 340 base stations

One of the leading mobile network operators in the country, MTN Nigeria, has boosted its rural telephony project with new 350 base stations.

The Corporate Services Executive, MTN, Mr. Wale Goodluck, who revealed this during an interactive session with journalists on Wednesday, said the company’s $40m rural telephony project had led to the erection of 350 base stations across the country.

MTN had on October 21, 2010, signed a $40m deal with Huawei Technologies to implement rural telephony infrastructure in about 850 villages across the country.

This was after the telecoms company discovered that about 40 million Nigerians, especially in the rural areas, did not have access to basic telephone services.

A nationwide survey by MTN revealed that over 850 villages had never had access to any form of telecommunications services.

The goal, according to MTN, is to cover every village in the Nigeria.

Huawei was expected to deploy latest base stations technology that consumed low energy.

Several months after the signing, Goodluck said the project had been on course and that 350 base stations had been built.

He said, “Our rural telephony project has been quite successful. About 340 base stations under the rural telephony project are now alive and working. The way the base stations are built is different from the way others are built. The tariff plan in the rural communities is different from what we charge in other places.”

Goodluck further said that MTN would be investing $1.4bn in network expansion in 2012, adding that the proposed investment represented 45 per cent of the total capital expenditure of the entire MTN Group for 2012.

He explained that a significant part of the money would be invested in expanding the core and radio networks as well as building metropolitan fibre network and backhaul technology.

Explaining why the MTN Group is spending an enormous part of its resources in Nigeria, Goodluck said Nigeria contributes immensely to the group’s revenue. Goodluck added that the WACS, MTN submarine cable which landed in Nigeria last year would go live by the end of April, 2012.

Source: The Punch

Nigeria's @Gidi_Traffic nominated for a Shorty Award

"Hollywood has the Oscars. Broadway has the Tonys. Now Twitter has the... Shorty Awards" - The New York Times

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media, recognizing the people and organizations producing real-time short form content across Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Foursquare, and the rest of the social Web. 

Every year, millions of people visit the Shorty Awards site to tweet nominations for their favorite social media content creators. All those tweets culminate in a highly anticipated awards ceremony that celebrates the winners in dozens of featured categories, as well as thousands of crowd-sourced community ones. For the second time, the Shorty Awards will also honor the industry's best agencies, brands, and social media professionals.

Nigeria's own @Gidi_Traffic has been nominated in one of the categories - The Shorty Award for #LifeSavingHero. This very competitive category includes the likes of the New York Fire Department, Actress Sophia Bush and US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The #LifeSavingHero Shorty Award, presented in partnership with The Weather Channel's Coast Guard Alaska, a show about an elite team that risks their lives in search and rescue missions in harsh weather conditions, will be awarded to a real life hero using Twitter and the social web to save lives. Gidi Traffic is the only African amongst the finalists in this category.

Gidi Traffic is a Twitter handle that began operation in September last year, using Social Media and technology to save Lagosians mostly gas money, stress, commuting time and making the roads less congested by helping people vary their routes, ultimately giving Lagosians safer trips through less traffic.  Gidi traffic also helps with information on filling stations selling the least expensive gas to the nearest hospital for accident victims and areas of unrest to avoid.

The Shorty Award winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on March 26, 2012.

West African Mobile Marketing Association Council launches in Nigeria

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) yesterday - 8th March 2012 - announced the official launch of the West Africa Local Council. The MMA West Africa has been established to provide the industry support and guidance to create a successful mobile marketing ecosystem. It will help to promote and educate the industry on the potential and economics of the mobile medium, while also setting out clear best practices to measure, guide and protect the industry in the region. To coincide with the launch, the MMA is supporting two major marketing events in Lagos, the Mobile Marketing Summit, March 8th and the CEO, CMO and DG Summit, March 9th.

The launch of MMA West Africa reflects the increasing demand for a localised focus to grow a sustainable market within the region and protect consumers. The local council has been given the full support major regulatory and industry players in the region, including Nigerian Communications Commission, The National Lottery Regulatory Commission, and the Consumer Protection Council. In addition, Etisalat Nigeria, one of the region’s primary operators, has committed fully to the establishment of mobile as a professional marketing medium, and has been confirmed as the primary sponsor of the Mobile Marketing Summit.

Held at the Civic Centre, Lagos the two events will be the first of their kind in the region and will feature a range of local and international marketing experts who will deliver insight into global mobile marketing trends and demonstrate engagement marketing best practices. Speakers from Etisalat, Google and InMobi have already been confirmed for the Mobile Marketing Summit.

PAGA recieves US$2m grant from EFInA to bring Low cost financial services to every community in Nigeria

Today, Paga, an innovative financial services platform, announces a US$2 million grant from EFInA to develop and deliver low cost financial products through Paga's nationwide agent network. 

Paga is a mobile money transfer service in Nigeria, launched in February 2011 and regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The company's initial set of products are delivered to meet critical needs of the Nigerian public: ability to transfer money fast and reliably to anyone, pay bills, top-up airtime or pay merchants safely. Paga delivers these services via a nationwide network of agents, the mobile phone, and internet.

EFInA is an independent, professional and non−profit organization funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID). The organization was set up in late 2007 with a purpose to promote pro-poor financial sector development and financial inclusion in Nigeria.

Just got my ipad 2 and now the ipad 3 is out. What should I do?

I just got my iPad last week and a friend told me, you should have waited for the iPad 3. And I asked, Why? So that I will pay an exorbitant price for something that is not totally different from the ipad 2? But I know, Apple enthusiasts would tell me: You are not an apple junkie, you would not understand.

But wait a minute, what is the difference between iPad 2 and iPad3?

• The new ipad has an A5X chip while the iPad 2 has an A5 chip. The A5X chip with quad-core graphics drives four times the pixels of iPad 2 yet it delivers the same smoothness and fluidity iPad is known for. Hmm.... Some say it is like A5 on steroids. Will I notice the difference? I doubt. 
• The new ipad is packing a Retina display which according to Engadget, potentially makes this the most pixel-packed slate on the market (264 pixels per inch) compared to the ipad 2's 132 pixels per inch. Apple claims the new iPad’s Retina display delivers four times the number of pixels of iPad 2, so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when held at a distance, making web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic. Well? 
• There's also a new iSight camera on board of the new ipad that's quite similar to the version inside the iPhone 4S. It's only five-megapixels, but it does have a backside illuminated sensor with a five element lens. 
• The new iPad supports fast cellular networks the world over — up to 4G LTE. But 4G LTE coverage is not available in all areas and varies by carrier
• The new ipad will be available on Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model while the ipad 2 will now be offered at a more affordable price of $399 for the same model.

I really would not be in a hurry to buy an ipad 3. I know i will stick to the ipad 2 for now since it is still functional. What do you think?

Move over Apple iTunes store, here comes Google Play

Yesterday Google introduced "Google Play" - a digital entertainment destination where you can find, enjoy and share your favorite music, movies, books and apps on the web and on your Android phone or tablet. Google Play is a rebranding of Android Market, Google Music and the Google eBookstore altogether under one umbrella. It is obviously Google's version of Apple's iTunes store. Google Play is entirely cloud-based so all your music, movies, books and apps are stored online, always available to you, and you never have to worry about losing them or moving them again.

Here are some comparisons between Google Play and Apple iTunes store:

• Google Play will allow the storage of 20,000 songs not purchased through the service. Which may seem like a disadvantage to Apple’s 25,000 but when you take into consideration that Google isn’t charging you a $25 fee every year? It seems to be a bargain. 
• eWeek points out there are now over 450,000 Android apps and games available as against Apple’s App Store which currently has around 550,000 iOS apps.
• Apple App Store’s iOS apps are only for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad while Android apps cater for a proliferation of Android smartphones and tablets.

Jamie Rosenberg, Google's Director of Digital Content remarks, in a blog post, that in celebrating the launch of Google Play, "Google will be offering a different album, book, video rental and Android app at a special price each day for the next week in our “7 Days to Play” sale. In the U.S., today’s titles include the collection of top 40 hits Now That's What I Call Music 41, the popular game Where's My Water, the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and the movie Puncture for just 25 cents each. In addition, you'll find great collections of hip-hop, rock and country albums for $3.99 all week, detective novels from $2.99, some of our editorial team's favorite movies from 99 cents, and our favorite apps from 49 cents."

An in-depth study of the Google Play can be obtained here. 

Do you think that Google Play has a chance against Apple iTunes store? Let's know what you think.

Goal.com launches Nigerian Edition - Goal.com Nigeria

Nigerians can be said to be the country in the African continent with the largest football  fan base and this is true. The country has also produced some of the best football players that have emerged out of the continent. So it is wise for Goal.com to have considered fit to make Nigeria the first African country to have a Goal.com edition.

The letter from the Chief Editor, Lolade Adewuyi, attests to the high esteem Goal.com holds the fans of Nigerian Football.

We have an exciting announcement to make. Goal.com Nigeria has officially launched, meaning that the world’s biggest football site has just added yet another local edition to serve one of its more cherished and loyal communities.

The Nigerian audience appreciate Goal.com and have been a fundamental part of our worldwide growth, and it is time that our brand recognizes the contribution that each and every Nigerian has made to Goal.com by providing a local heartbeat that taps directly into the Nigerian football consciousness.

Nigerians love their football. It is the one aspect of our culture that keeps us united, a country of more than 250 ethnic nationalities. One of the most beautiful things in our country is the sight of strangers embracing at a television centre when the national team triumphs.

It is the vision of Goal com Nigeria to ensure the continued propagation of football as a tool for uniting our people. The joy of every Nigerian football fan is to be able to read about the exploits of their teams without restrictions, and we aim to bring the personalities closer to you, providing a platform for fans to feel closer to their heroes and favourite teams.

Whether you log onto our site from your mobile phones, your computers or your tablets, Goal.com Nigeria is the place where you will find the latest news about the Nigeria Premier League, the Super Eagles, Nigerian players in Europe, as well as talents emerging in the country’s youth ranks.

Goal.com Nigeria is the unique voice that will deliver your football news in a language that you understand through our local team of writers and experts. Our motivation is to bring football news to you as soon as it happens, providing commentary and perspective while allowing you to interact with us and be part of the country’s football landscape.

You will still be able to read your international football news on the site. However, as you might have noticed, there’s the green and white flag on the top left-hand corner of the site that shows you that it’s the Nigerian edition.

We welcome you to Goal.com Nigeria where you will never experience a dull moment. This is your Naija footprint within the beautiful world of football.

Lolade Adewuyi - Chief Editor, Goal.com Nigeria

All I can say is "Welcome to Nigeria". Check out the site. 

Introducing Facebook Messenger for Windows - Bringing Facebook to your desktop

Facebook has just introduced Facebook Messenger for Windows. You can now chat while you do other stuff, get instant notification and see what is going on at anytime.

"Millions of people log into Facebook every day to keep up with friends. They also browse other websites and run computer programs, so it’s easy to miss important stuff. Maybe a cousin just posted about getting a new job, or a best friend wants to chat about dinner plans for tonight. You should be able to stay in touch anytime, no matter what you’re doing. So today we’re introducing Messenger, a new app that brings Facebook to your desktop." states Jack O'Connor, a software engineer on the Messenger team in an official blog post.

Android becomes most popular mobile web browser in the world.

Recent data from StatCounter show that Android has become the most popular mobile web browser in the World.

Figures from the online measurement service show that February saw use of Android’s Robot browser overtake Opera to take the top spot for the first time.

The chart, which plots the use of mobile Internet browsers over the last twelve months - Feb 2011 to Feb 2012, shows significant growth from Android, which had only just overtaken BlackBerry to fourth place one year ago.

But this is not the case in Africa where Opera still boasts of a dominant position (68.22%) in relation to the Google-owned operating system's third position (3.54%) in the continent as at end of February 2012.

Opera is particularly popular in Africa and the firm will look to increase its share with the newly released developer beta version of its popular Opera Mini Browser, aimed at giving users a more advanced and social mobile Web experience. The Scandinavian firm does not own its own devices but, thanks to deals with firms like African telco giant, MTN, Samsung - which pre-loads Opera onto its feature phones - the browser is well used. 

Other interesting trends show that Google Chrome is fast becoming a major browser used globally. It overtook Firefox in November 2011 and if the growth trend continues, it should overtake Internet Explorer within the next month or two.

What goes on in the brain of a blogger?

What goes on in the brain of a blogger? A infographic by Infolinks which aptly explains what goes on inside a brain of a typical blogger. From traffic to content, it talks about nearly every aspect of blogging that should be taken into consideration while starting out. There are so many things to consider when launching your own blog from what the actual blog will be about to how you will bring more traffic and monetize your blog. A must read for every blogger. Enjoy.

Watch The Top 9 YouTube Videos Of The Week in Nigeria

We're bringing you the week's most-watched videos in Nigeria, hot off the charts via YouTube Trends, a feature launched by YouTube that aggregates the site's video stats and draws upon "the wisdom of top curators across the web" to offer visitors a look at real-time trends among the YouTube community.

So what did the Nigerian web go wild over this week? Music video remix by a popular duo, trailer of a new Nigerian film, a new release of the much awaited international film and many more

Interestingly, the number 1 position and the number 9 position belong to the same group - P Square featuring Akon and May D. It is the remix of original song "Chop my Money."

See the most watched YouTube video (with 880,309 views) below: P Square featuring Akon and May D "Chop my Money". This is a remix of the original hit with the same title.

The Second most watched video of the week is a new clip posted on the 2th of February from Tim Westwood TV, It already has 70,241 views and about Westwood Party where 5 random people were selected to dance off for a free trip to NYC with $700 spending money. See below.

The 3rd position, with 20,482 views, a trailer about a new movie titled “Married But Living Single” which is a screen adaptation of Femi Faseru’s inspirational masterpiece, “Married But Living Single.” It features big stars like Funke Akindele, Joke Silva, Benjamin Joseph, Femi Brainard,Tina Mba, Kalejaiye Paul & Kiki Omeili.

The other YouTube videos can be seen here. Watch the videos of the week and let us know what you think. 

Apple's App Store Hits 25 Billion Downloads

Apple has announced that there has been 25 billion downloads from the App Store to date. The countdown to 25,000,000,000 apps began on February 17th when Apple said it would give away a $10K gift card to the person who downloaded the app — or filed a claim in its non-purchase form — that broke the record .

As can be seen from the image on the website (as seen below), a notice acknowledges the record being broken. It notes that a winner will be revealed on the homepage later.

Apple's 10 billionth app download, Paper Glider, was already a fairly well-known app prior to achieving its little place in Apple App Store history.

MTN Ghana launches vehicle tracking service & audio conferencing services

Ghana mobile market leader MTN has launched vehicle tracking and audio conferencing services. The new auto tracking service is available at a cost of GHS10 (US$4.35) per month and there is a once off charge of GHS315. Tracking devices are installed at accredited garages. Customers are given a unique username and password in order to log onto the vehicle tracking web portal and track their vehicles. The audio conferencing service enable subscribers to attend meetings and conferences without physical presence.

Source: Ghanaweb

Samsung Nigeria introduces the Galaxy Y Pro and Galaxy Y DUOS into the Nigerian Market

Samsung Galaxy Y Pro

Last Week, Samsung Electronics West Africa introduced two new devices to the Galaxy smartphone series - Samsung Galaxy Y Pro and Samsung Galaxy Y Duos .

Idorenyen Enang CEO, Samsung Nigeria said “With the tremendous success of the Dual SIM feature phones, we are now very pleased to be introducing the first Samsung Dual SIM smartphones powered by Android. We have been actively exploring this market and are well aware of the need for Dual SIM smartphones. With the Galaxy Y Pro and the Galaxy Y Duos, Samsung will be offering more choices for all consumers”

The Samsung Galaxy Y Pro and Galaxy Y Duos both feature the dual SIM technology that maximizes communication flexibility allowing two mobile phone lines and simultaneous data connections on the same mobile device. The technology also allows true work, life balance for users who need to balance their busy professional and social lives.

The Samsun Galaxy Y Pro, QWERTY mobile Phone, uses 832MHz single core processor powered by Android 2.3 gingerbread operating system. The screen size is 2.6 inches and 320 x 240 pixels of resolution. This model is inbuilt with 2.0 mega pixel camera which gives excellent picture quality in both day and night modes. There is 160MB space for storing the pictures taken using this camera. It works with both 2G and 3G network bands of different frequencies such as GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 for 2G and HSDPA 900 and 2100 MHz for 3G networks. Display type of this candy bar phone is TFT capacitive touch screen with 256K colors. 

Samsung Galaxy Y DUOS

The Samsung Galaxy Y DUOS has 3.14-inch touch screen display and has polished metallic casing. It is 11.98mm thin and weighs 109 g. It also uses 832MHz single core processor powered by Android 2.3 gingerbread operating system. It comes with Music Player with SoundAlive, 3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo FM Radio with RDS, Samsung TouchWiz UI, 384MB RAM, 512MB ROM and a expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD. The connectivity features include, 3G (HSDPA 7.2Mbps) , Bluetooth v 3.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, aGPS. 

As with other devices that run on the Android Operating System (OS), these devices include a full range of services from Google mobile such as Gmail, Google Map, Google Search, Android Market (with over 250,000 apps), YouTube , Google Latitude and Places (location based service). Other fantastic communication solutions include Yahoo, Twitter, Skype and Facebook.

To provide true smartphone capabilities and ensure social consumers enjoy better performance and work on the go, the devices come with the Samsung Social Hub solution that allows set up of multiple email accounts, Samsung apps stores (free mobile apps), Samsung Chat On instant messaging solution. To ensure true security of device and information, both devices come with the pCloud service, that allows consumers track and manage their lost or stolen device over the internet.