Taxi-hailing firm Uber has introduced a new safety measure that requires vehicle owners to first acquire an electronic chip windscreen sticker from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). The sticker allows identification and authentication of car ownership before they are certified to offer its service. Uber in a notice to vehicle owners last week said starting March 1 all vehicles were required to have the NTSA’s Radio Frequency Identification sticker before receiving a go-ahead for further inspection at partner stations AutoXpress or Kingsway Tyres. In the latest safety drive,…
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New Co-creation Hub’s Design Lab in Kigali, Rwanda.
The launch of Co-creation Hub’s Design Lab in Kigali, Rwanda last week was important in many ways. The ‘CcHUB Design Lab’ is a revolutionary vision from the hub, and will be key to tackling some of Africa’s socio-economic problems. Designers and engineers at the lab will also be working with scientists from around the world to design solutions for some of Africa’s biggest issues in public health, education, governance, and the private sector. It is often said that “African problems require African solutions,” a phrase coined by Ghanaian economist George Ayittey.…
Read MoreNew Uber and lyft debut on the stock market
With the SEC up and running again after the government shutdown, the IPO gears are grinding back to life. Uber Technologies and Lyft Inc., both planning highly-anticipated public offerings, could be two of the first unicorns to take the plunge in the public markets this year. It’s not confirmed publicly which rideshare giant plans to go first, but both reportedly have received feedback from the SEC on their IPO proposals. But the significant disparity in their sizes and valuations could influence how both are ultimately received by the market. That could put pressure on the rival…
Read MoreMobile App New ‘State of Mobile 2019 Report’
Global app store consumer spend reached $101 billion in 2018, up 75 percent from 2016. This figure is expected to exceed $120 billion in 2019, according to mobile data and analytics provider App Annie. The company released its annual The State of Mobile in 2019 Report — a comprehensive guide for businesses looking at mobile. Screenshot from App Annie 2019 Annual State of Mobile Report China accounted for nearly 40 percent of total consumer spend in 2018. Globally, on a category level, games accounted for 74 percent of consumer spend…
Read MoreAndela Secures New $100M Series D Funding.
Andela the company building distributed engineering teams with Africa’s top software developers, today announced the completion of a $100M Series D funding. The round was led by Generation Investment Management with participation from existing investors including Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, GV, Spark Capital, and CRE Venture Capital. The most recent financing brings Andela’s total venture funding to $180M. Andela was founded in 2014 to connect Africa’s engineering talent with the demand for software developers worldwide. With the Series D funding, Andela will accelerate the development of its technology platform to identify,…
Read MoreSelf regulation needed for new technologies says Satya Nadella
Citing facial recognition technology, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said companies needed to self-regulate to avoid “even more heavy-handed regulatory regimes.”
Read MoreWhatsApp New limit text to 5 individuals or groups.
On its efforts to fight fake news and it’s spread, Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has announced that it has globally lowered the forward limit for chats to five contacts or groups. “We’re imposing a limit of five messages all over the world as of today,” Victoria Grand, vice president for policy and communications at WhatsApp, said at an event in the Indonesian capital. Before, WhatsApp allowed users globally to forward messages for up to 20 chats (either individuals or groups). VentureBurn reports that WhatsApp first initiated the lower limit in India back…
Read MoreHow AI could bring New difference in 2019
In 2019, artificial intelligence (AI) will increasingly become a mainstream presence in our work and personal lives, inspiring our purchase decisions and digging deeper into business outcomes and events. At the same time, expectations surrounding AI will also grow, as calls for transparency and fair play become too loud for businesses to ignore. Here are four ways we see AI making a difference in our lives in the new year: AI gets warm and fuzzy. Conversational AI is fast becoming a fact of life; already, 20% of U.S. adults have access to smart speakers in their homes. Google…
Read MoreWearable device New sales to hit $42 billion in 2019.
Gartner, Inc. forecasts that worldwide shipments of wearable devices will reach 225 million in 2019, an increase of 25.8 percent from 2018. End-user spending on wearable devices is forecast to reach $42 billion in 2019. Of that, $16.2 billion will be on smartwatches. “At the moment, the smartwatch market is bolstered by the relatively stable and higher average selling price (ASP) of the Apple Watch,” said Alan Antin. senior director at Gartner. “But the overall ASP of smartwatches is expected to slowly decline from $221.99 in 2018 to $210 in…
Read MoreBitcoin New sinks below $4,000
The blood letting is not stopping soon as Bitcoin plunges once again over the weekend and is now trading for less than $4,000 for the first time since September 2017. The cryptocurrency fell to as low as $US3,519.94($4,874) on the Bitstamp platform, after earlier falling to a 14-month low of $3,462,57. It has lost 74 percent of its value so far this year, after hitting nearly $20,000 in December last year. Most other cryptocurrencies are faring just as poorly or worse, and in total, more than $700 billion in market…
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