Africa

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  • Project LifeLight set to illuminate African homes -- no electricity required

    First it was radios, now lights. The Freeplay Foundation has undertaken a new project -- dubbed LifeLight -- which aims to provide just a few hours of lighting each night to the 500 million or so sub-Saharan Africans without appropriate access to electricity. The idea is to place a wind-up (or foot-pump driven we presume) base station into the home which charges a collection of detachable lights. Similar to the technology behind the 150,000 wind-up Lifeline radios (pictured) they've already distributed. Freeplay hopes to replace expensive and unhealthy kerosene or battery powered lamps currently in use with their low-cost, environmentally safe alternative -- local women will be trained to sell and repair the devices. Prototypes are being readied with tests to begin in Kenya in the "next few months."

    Thomas Ricker
    11.01.2007

  • Solar-powered donkey carts bring power to African villages

    African street tech is always an interesting mashup of old and new, and these solar powered Human and Animal Powered Vehicles, or HAPPYs, as they're known, are no different. Using a traditional donkey cart as a platform, the HAPPY is based around a solar panel and a 12-volt battery, a power supply robust enough to power a cell antenna, water filtration system, emergency lights, and a small neon tube -- enabling the HAPPY to support several families in a rural setting or serve as an income-generating kiosk in a more urban environment. The developer, Wheel and Water, is looking for donations to complete Phase One of the Happy's development, but we wouldn't be surprised to see several other variations of this concept pop in other area where carts of this kind are prevalent.[Via AfriGadget]

    Nilay Patel
    10.11.2007

  • Sony sees Blu-ray growth in emerging markets

    Although exact sales figures overseas have been hotly contested, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just announced "an increase in total Blu-ray disc sales across six emerging markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Eastern Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East." Notably, Sony's T. Paul Miller mentioned that it was "extremely positive to see an increase in volume of BD software sales in these markets where piracy had previously ravaged the DVD business." Some of the top sellers in these locales included 007: Casino Royale, Ghost Rider, Open Season, Kung Fu Hustle, Black Hawk Down, XXX, and Stealth, and it was also stated that South Africa accounted for the largest share of BD sales (for the aforementioned regions) with "more than 15,000 units shipped to date."[Via MovieWeb]

    Darren Murph
    08.14.2007

  • A quick look at African game development

    Unlike the mysterious PS3 demo Afrika, the continent of Africa doesn't exactly come up much in discussions of modern game development. This could change, though, if any of the African game projects detailed on the White African blog manage to catch on with a worldwide audience.Sure, the provided list of African games is pretty short, and is rendered even shorter when you take out American-made but Africa-themed games like Cabela's African Safari. Still, the fact that these games exist at all is news to us. We're particularly intrigued by Africa an ambitious, stalled MMO project set to take place in a 13th century version of the continent. Here's hoping we'll actually get to play it one of these days.

    Kyle Orland
    05.15.2007

  • Nokia unveils low-end 1325 / 1265 handsets for international markets

    Nokia seems to be on its own campaign trail, releasing a few new phones each time it makes a stop in a new country. Not too long after taking the wraps off four new handsets over in Amsterdam, the firm is unveiling two new low-end handsets that are getting ready to hit the international front. At the 3G World Congress in Hong Kong, Nokia announced the forthcoming availability of two new candybar-styled CDMA mobiles, stripped down and ready to rock. The 2.5-ounce 1325 features a 64k color screen, wallpaper / ringtone customization, speakerphone, 90-second voice recorder, 3.5 hours of talk time, and up to 6.5 days of standby time. The 1265 goes way back, by offering up a monochrome screen, 60-second voice recorder, predictive text software, speakerphone, alarm clock, and the same battery life on both fronts as the slightly more luxurious 1325. Both of this units are slated to hit "select markets" within China, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East Africa and Latin America during "Q1 2007," but the presumably low prices still remain a mystery.[Via I4U]

    Darren Murph
    12.10.2006

  • SABC unveils HD broadcast unit for 2010 World Cup

    While the World Cup in Germany led to skyrocketing HDTV sales, additions of channels, and worldwide recognition (South America notwithstanding), things have remained up in the air regarding the HD status of the next go 'round. While we've found that HD would be coming to South Africa at least partly in response to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we still weren't exactly sure if everything would pan out so smoothly. While Sony's hoping to get into the football madness itself, SABC -- the host broadcaster for the matches -- has officially (and finally) acquired its first "outside HD broadcast unit" featuring "the latest in high definition technology." Moreover, the nearly $15 million unit is said to be "the first of its kind" on the entire continent, and will hopefully deliver the crystal clear picture and sound we HD sports lovers crave. If you're troubled that such a luxurious unit must wait three agonizing years to be put to good use, take heart, as SABC is already broadcasting "international cricket matches" with its newfangled toy.

    Darren Murph
    11.28.2006

  • Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, Africa edition

    For us, moving around to get a better signal on our phone might mean strolling outside or standing near a window. For some Africans whose love for cellphones is stronger than the carriers' networks themselves, though, "going out on a limb for a better signal" is an entirely literal phrase. So literal, in fact, that a Ugandan author has coined the term "Nebrols," short for Network Broken Limbs Syndrome, to describe the injuries suffered from folks climbing things (usually trees) in an effort to get a bar or two of signal strength on their cellies. It seems a lot of older Africans who've come to rely on their newfound ability to stay in touch are falling out of trees and breaking all manner of bones in the process. To be fair, we feel their pain -- we'd probably do the same if it meant we could get some HSDPA out in the boondocks.[Via textually.org]

    Chris Ziegler
    10.29.2006

  • LG sales jump in Africa and the Middle East

    LG is having a stellar year in both Africa and the Middle East thanks to their flat-panel business. The company experienced a 217% growth in that segment which helped lead the way to a 20% overall increase in total sales. Even though the overall increase of 20% is great and all, they were expecting a 30% gain. LG is a major player in both of the regions and control 58% of the plasma market. This increase is thanks to the thriving global economy that has lead to the rise of middle and high-income classes.

    Matt Burns
    08.16.2006

  • More on HD in Africa for the World Cup

    Following up on a story we reported last week about preparing Africa for the World Cup in HDTV, Sony released some news about the 4k (or 4,000-plus-pixel capable) projectors they demoed at this year's World Cup broadcasts in South Africa. Using a projector that is capable of 4k resolution (four times the normal 1080 lines of high-definition resolution), Sony claims their Silicon X-tal Reflective Display (SXRD) projector helped with the first live HD transmission on the continent.The projector can drive either four different 1920x1080-pixel screens, or be combined into one 4096x2160-pixel monster display. At up to 18,000 lumens, it's also obviously designed for outdoor venues and movie theaters, but it's great to see yet another area getting exposure to the superb detail and color of high definition. We thought HD was all over the place for the 2006 games, but it's clear we can expect even greater display and broadcast technologies when the 2010 games roll around.Do you think we'lll have to wait for the World Cup games in 2010 to get the ultimate in HD display and transmission technologies like these, or will all this be old news by then?

    Erik Hanson
    07.14.2006

  • Amazon supports retro gaming

    Jason spotted this gem over on Amazon's "browse by system" link. It's great that they're still supporting systems that could be considered retro (Mario Kart 64 anyone? No? How about Crazy Taxi for your DC?), although excluding modern platforms like the DS and the Xbox 360 may not be in their best interest. Maybe they should start up an operation in Senegal? We hear that retro is really popular over there.

    Conrad Quilty-Harper
    06.15.2006
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