• It’s not too late to buy a gift

    Like many other Zimbabwean families I am often surprised at the number of cousins, aunts and uncles that I have. Traditionally December is that month when you get to see […]

  • Astro Funbook Review: Does it justify the $399 price tag?

    We finally got our hands on an Astro device and we were fortunate enough to be given one of their most expensive devices to review. This is exciting because we […]

  • The Motorola G: A phone after my own heart

    When it comes to the Android market there are two worlds: the give me your hand and foot Galaxy world with Samsung as the mascot where you are charged a […]

  • Revealed: Everything you need to know about the new G-tel Explorer A717

      Last week, a day after I wrote something on another G-tel smartphone, I got my hands on the recently launched G-tel flagship smartphone, the Explorer A717. I am not […]

  • How to get an ultra cheap tablet

    While most people would want to own a tablet the costs of buying one here in Zimbabwe remain prohibitive. A 3G tablet will cost you more than $350 dollars easy […]

  • #TechTips: Privacy apps for your device

    As we pointed out yesterday a lot of people have things to hide sitting in plain view on their smartphones and tablets. This includes intimate videos and pictures of themselves […]

  • Tomorrow: 7 things to definitely maybe expect from the next iPhone(s)

    September 10, tomorrow is the big day. The launch of Apple’s new flagship iPhone(s),  the smartphone conjured by the brand that started it all. The smartphone age at least in […]

  • Twilight: death of the feature phone

    Five years ago being a cellphone applications developer was a nightmare- there were a zillion brands and models each with different specifications and requirements. There was only one clear distinctive […]

  • What new fighting chance does Microsoft have against IOS & Android?

    When Microsoft, Nokia, and Steve Ballmer, and Steve Elop, and the new mobile at Microsoft happened two days ago, my first reaction was a paused ‘ok, why though?’ curiosity. I […]

  • Steve Ballmer’s obituary

    When Steve Ballmer came to the helm of Microsoft on that January morning in 2000 the IT market was one simple monolithic mass. Windows was everywhere on PCs, in government,in schools, in churches, in space,on planes and just about everywhere except perhaps on Linus Torvalds computer.Only James Bond had a smartphone.

  • Mobile App Market: How you throw the net where the fish is

    This is a follow up to the previous article, Mobile App Market: Joining the gold rush. In this article we will be giving some tips on how you can make […]

  • Mobile Application Market. A potential gold mine for the Zimbabwean programmer

    Introduction 210 million smartphones were sold in the first three months of this year, this is according to Gartner’s Q1 figures for mobile handset sales. There are already 1.08 billion […]

  • Local electronics hardware manufacturer, Mukonitronics, hit by Chinese fakes

    Mukonitronics, a local electronics manufacturer – one of the few in Africa who design and manufacture industrial and consumer power products – contacted us recently to let us know they are currently fighting off clones from China. The company, whose founder we interviewed on this blog some time back, is known locally for durable surge…

  • How to get a tablet for under $150

    For those of us who are price sensitive and living on a tight budget the “No Name” brands might be the right solution. As has been noted countless times however, most Zimbabwean businesses simply cannot part with their habit of wanting a 100% profit on anything so now might be a good time to exercise…

  • Telecel introduces Kingdom Bank financed devices for Red customers

    This week, the company announced a return to mobile phones, specifically, smartphones and tablets financed in partnership with Afrasia Kingdom.

  • Going old school to secure your data

    When looked at through the rose tinted glasses of time, sometimes the past appears to be more romantic that it actually was. For example one of the first Apple computers is expected to sale for over $500 000 and no the specs will not blow your mind: 8KB RAM and a 4 rows of A-D;…

  • Guroo is Africom’s new VoIP service. Our initial thoughts

    You may have noticed Guroo over the past several days. Or Guro-o if we go by the new service’s domain name and logo. It’s a product by Africom and in case you are wondering how that’s pronounced, it’s ‘guru’ as in expert. It’s a new VoIP service the company has launched. Africa’s first, they are…

  • The wearable technology craze

    Human beings can be crazy when when it comes to technology-or anything for that matter-so much sometimes they subscribe to the weirdest notions. Take for example dog clothes and Doggles that will cost you prices north of $100. Then there are Snuggies and electric blankets.

  • 5 apps that’ll make your internet bundles last longer

    You can’t put in words how significant an impact this has had on your life. But there’s something else you can’t explain; the smartphone feeds on your expensive internet bundles so much you’re almost certain that the mobile network is stealing from you!

  • Guide to online shopping in Zimbabwe: Best practice on choosing a store

    Once you have decided to make an online purchase, you should get down to searching and selecting the store from which to make the purchase. This is almost certainly affected by the product you want to purchase but given the global nature of the internet there can almost certainly be more than one option.

  • Android & iPhone users: BBM to come to a device near you

    Apparently BlackBerry is just discovering now that if they could have looked beyond just inside their ecosystem 1for the growth of its much loved BlackBerry Messenger, they could have made it to the top messaging position WhatsApp occupies today.

  • Smartphone survey results: Zimbabwe’s most used & preferred phones

    Following last week’s intense verbal fencing we are pleased to announce that the jury is back and we have the results. Now before I start to gloat and tell you I told you so here is a summary of the results:

  • Smartphone survey

    In the previous instalment there was a lot of debate and impassioned discussion as people championed whatever their favoured smartphone or smartphone Operating system. We live in a country where some statistics are scarce and so for the most part our arguments were fuelled by educated guesses and intuition.

  • Music piracy vs DRM: Time we gave Digital Rights Management another chance?

    During this Easter season, like with all holidays, people like to party and celebrate. Music is an invariable part of partying. Odds are that the music in your car, home theatre, PC, laptop, phone, portable player and of course that party was illegally copied onto that device or disk.

  • The wish list

    As I spent time in the darkness waiting for ZESA to restore power to my neighborhood; something that I have been doing for the past two weeks, I found myself with too much time on my hands.I started making a list of things that I would sell my first born to get in this country.…

  • Early reviews and verdicts on the Samsung Galaxy S4

    As you may already know, Samsung yesterday launched the latest iteration of its Galaxy S flagship line of smartphones, the Galaxy S4. The launch was made in New York, and as happens soon after such events, the tech blogs globally are teaming news, first impressions, early reviews and verdicts on what may be one of…

  • Sage Pastel cloud offering launch, the product’s details

    Yesterday we attended a press briefing where and Pastel (Both the local distributor, Chips, and South Africa) and Utande announced the launch of Sage Pastel My Business. The actual launch is today so yesterday was dedicated purely to showing journos why the new accounting in the cloud, is a big deal.

  • Terms and conditions apply?

    Ever since I could write I have been asked to append my signature to so many countless documents I have lost count. From the Post Office Savings Bank’s little green book when I was a kid to my current lease agreement.

  • Press Release: TN Bank to lend money for smartphones and tablets

    Econet Wireless customers will soon be able to borrow money from a facility set up at TN Bank by the cell phone company to buy high end smartphones and tablets. Customers will be able to upgrade their phones, which they can get from Econet Shops.

  • The value of 3D printing

    Imagine this: the latest smartphone just came out and it is only being sold in the retail outlets of developed countries and meanwhile you are stuck in one of the filthy suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwe. You have a decent internet connection so you visit the Apple website and after paying a certain fee, download the…