This is your weekly round-up of all the news that has happened around tech, social media, telecoms and so forth.
MTN’s Gaggawala promo returns with over 40 kiosks; UGX 480M in cash
MTN Uganda earlier this week re-launched the second phase of MTN Gaggawala promotion with more cash and more life changing prizes. Over 40 Mobile Money Kiosks are lined up to be with start-up capital worth over 480 million up for grabs for winners in the eight weeks promotion.
Phrase Lubega, MTN Uganda General Manager Financial Services, urged the public to participate in the life changing opportunity.
Viber Launches Full End-to-End Encryption And Hidden Chats
After Mountain View based instant messaging platform, WhatsApp Inc. announced it’s end-to-end encryption on April 6th, 2016, one other social messaging platform, Viber, joined the the likes of Apple Inc., Line Inc., and WhatsApp Inc., on the wave of app turning on expanded privacy features. With over 711 million users, the company also introduced an end-to-end encryption for all messages and calls on their platform across all devices including Android, iPhone, iPad, Android tablets, PC and Mac desktops.
“We take our users’ security and privacy very seriously, and it’s critical to us that they feel confident and protected when using Viber,” said Michael Shmilov, COO of Viber.
Review: Meet Asus’ Mid-Range ZenBook UX303B on Steroids
Taiwanese multinational computer hardware and electronics company, Asus launched its latest flagship laptop, “Asus ZenBookUX303B” in the market with high-end 6th gen Intel Core i5 processor.
Weighing just 1.4 kg this laptop can be easily carried around and will suit the needs of students and travelers.
MTN introduces WebPhone app for smartphones, easing international calls to Uganda
MTN new mobile app, “WebPhone” that is an alternative cost-effective way of communication for frequent travellers and those living in the diaspora.
The app is ideal for business travelers and those doing business outside the country that make frequent calls back home; and offers the same call rates as local call charges, to any network in Uganda.
Event: Twitter, iHub partner to present Smart City Challenge in Nairobi
Twitter and the iHub partnered to host the #SmartCityNairobi challenge for the developer community in Nairobi, which will be launched at Nairobi Tech Week at Strathmore University from 27th – 30th April, 2016.
“We look forward to seeing what is possible when the best developers in Nairobi use technology to build solutions to make our city economically sustainable, to improve the quality of life, to improve service delivery and so on – possibilities are endless.” iHub said in a statement.
Microsoft has brought Skype bots to Mac and the Web
If you are using a Mac, you can add Skype bots the same as any other contact, except you’ll now see an option to “Add Bot” in addition to real live humans.
When it comes to the Web, there’s a new “Discover bots” section.
MTN Entrepreneurship Challenge Finalists Announced
Following a rigorous selection process, involving more than 700 applicants from 26 countries across Africa, the top three finalists; Pass.ng (Nigeria), MedRX (Ghana) and Vicoba (Tanzania), were revealed in the MTN Entrepreneurship Challenge powered by Jumia.
The challenge, which kicked off in February aims to boost entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as build a stronger and more sustainable business environment on the continent.
Orange completes the acquisition of the mobile operator Tigo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Less than three months after signing an agreement with Millicom, Orange announced on April 21st, 2016, that it had completed the acquisition of 100% of the mobile operator Tigo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The mobile market in the DRC is undergoing significant growth and is currently the largest mobile market in Central and West Africa, after Nigeria.
Tech 5: Navio talks about his love for gadgets, social media
Daniel Lubwama Kigozi a.k.a Navio who is currently the latest MTN Ambassador promoting MTN branded, affordable smartphones dubbed in a campaign the MTN Smart Series devices was caught up by PC Tech Magazine in their Tech 5 Series to talk about his love for gadgets and social media.
