Category: APPS

The Internet and Mobile taking over the new delivery space

Staff Writer
Food

For the longest time, restaurants held takeaways as an afterthought. Well, not anymore. The food catering business has gone past the takeout era and has evolved so much that delivery has become the hot trend in Kenya. The great digital revolution, burgeoning e-commerce and the convenience of mobile money which allows buyers to pay for their deliveries right off their phones, has spurred a whole new industry that is today the food delivery market. And Kenyans, enticed by the convenience of ordering online from their favorite local restaurants and having…

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How New Technology can be used to ensure safety

Staff Writer
AI

The role of technology in addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the world cannot be understated. Public-private cooperation will play a pivotal role in creating an enabling environment for this to come to fruition. Uber hosted the Tech for Safety summit in Nairobi to deliberate with entrepreneurs, businesses, the government and the private sector on how to tap technology to address challenging personal safety concerns, including safety within communities, road safety, or the safety of individuals using online platforms. During the summit, keynote speaker Philip Thigo, a tech,…

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Spotify new feature encourages listening of Podcasts

Staff Writer
Spotify

Early this year, Spotify acquired Gimlet Media, a podcast network and producer which hosts shows like Startup, Homecoming, Mogul, The Pitch, Reply All, The Cut, Science VS and Anchor which was a DIY podcasting startup that provides a set of tools that make it super easy for anyone(beginner and Pro) to create and monetize their own podcasts and for free for reportedly $300 million. Spotify also acquired Parcast, a producer for crime, mystery and sci-fi podcasts for $100m. The audio streaming giant also partnered with BBC Studios and P&G to create more podcasts.…

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Facebook to equip locals with new journalistic skills

Staff Writer

Internet giant, Facebook is partnering with Kenya’s Aga Khan University (AKU) to equip locals with digital journalistic skills to tell their Kenyan stories. The six months ‘Video Journalism Fellowship’ to be hosted at the AKU’s AKU’s Graduate School of Media and Communications(GSMC),Nairobi with beneficiaries attached to local media houses to sharpen their reporting skills. Speaking at the launch event, GSMC Interim dean Alex Awiti said the AKU-Facebook partnership redefines citizen journalism where Kenyans will tell real-life stories using their smartphones to capture video content. “Mobile journalism is a growing form…

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Drivers and travelers connected via new app

MTN Rwanda

After completing their university studies in computer science, classmates Ngugi Waithima and Denis Kiprono looked for jobs in vain. In June, the two former students of computer science at Mount Kenya University met in a Nairobi office in a job-hunting mission. Later over a cup of tea, they discussed their challenges in search of non-existent jobs. Their talk shifted to escalating traffic jams in Nairobi and the problems people face when travelling over the festive season. It’s from their traffic discussion that they hit some sort of Eureka moment. They…

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UTU Technologies raised new $500k bridge funding

Staff Writer
UTU Technologies innovation

UTU Technologies, a Kenyan Block chain & AI startup building on the Aeternity block chain, has raised $500, 000 bridge funding. UTU Technologies was among the companies that graduated from the Aeternity Ventures StarFleet Accelerator program that saw the company initial funding. According to Jason Eisen, CEO, UTU, the total funding raised now is $1.3 million. UTU Technologies is the company behind the ride-hailing app, Maramoja. The app uses a Trust Engine to recommend ‘a social favorite driver’ or rides as opposed to existing apps like Uber and Taxify. Speaking to…

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New: Uber to sell its services to local Indian business

Staff Writer
Uber

Uber is in advanced stages of talks to sell its food delivery service UberEats’ India business to local rival Zomato,  as the American ride-hailing giant looks to cut its spending globally, three people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. The deal currently values UberEats’ India business at around $400 million, one of the sources said. As part of the deal, Uber may invest between $150 to $200 million in Zomato and get a sizable stake in the 11-year-old Indian firm, people said. A spokesperson for Uber declined to comment on Saturday.…

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Google Maps gets new features on iPhone and Android

Staff Writer
Google Maps

Google Maps has announced a major upgrade to its popular service on both Apple and Android. Google Maps users are getting some vital extra features which could make them feel much more at ease when using the hugely popular service. Google has just announced two bonus upgrades which will be available on both Apple and Android devices and they are well worth your attention. The US technology giant says this update to its Maps app will bring Incognito Mode to iPhone users and Android fans are also getting something called Bulk…

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Instagram’s new move on hiding “likes” visibility

Staff Writer
fACEBOOK,INSTAGRAM,MESSANGER

There has been some controversy surrounding Instagram’s new effort to focus on users’ mental health. The need to paint a picture of perfection on social media is becoming more and more important to users, and Instagram wants to help stop that. But is that the company’s only motive? Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announced that the platform would begin hiding likes for U.S. users earlier this year. In November, he explained that the idea behind it was to “depressurize Instagram and make it less of a competition and give people more space to…

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WhatsApp new plans on blocking older phone users in 2020

Staff Writer
WhatsApp sync device

The popular chat app has warned users with older phones that they will need to upgrade their handset to continue using the service and now we know the cut-off date and the models affected. The deadline for ageing Windows smartphone will be followed by blocks for i Phones running anything older than iOS 7 and Android devices with versions 2.3.7 installed. This iPhone and Android block will come into force from February 1, 2020. If you love WhatsApp and have any of the phones mentioned or have not updated your…

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