native mobile report july 2013

Mobile Report JULY 2013

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A MONTHLY SNAPSHOT OF

MOBILE NEWS, VIEWS, EVENTS

& DEVELOPMENTS LOCALLY

AND ABROAD

HOW TO USE THIS REPORT

This report is intended to be an easy-to-reference tool

It is a resource that you can flip through in your own time – and not to necessarily read from front-to-back

CONTENTS

» Executive Summary

» Section 1: Mobile Landscape

» Section 2: Mobile Innovation and Campaigns

» Section 3: Mobile Devices and Operating Systems

» Section 4: Mobile Networks

» Section 5: Social Networks

» Sources and Contacts

Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Liquid Telecom deploys new optical network in Africa while Angola looks to become Africa’s telecoms hub.

2. Mini Smartphones are the next hot trend.

3. A new Wi-Fi-based system, that can track people moving behind walls.

4. Malawi’s government commits to e-payments in the country.

5. A new tiny USB Smartphone charger.

6. Foursquare targets feature phones with new Nokia app.

7. Say hello to the Ubuntu Edge, the first smartphone to use open-source Ubuntu Touch software as well as Android and to be the biggest crowdfunding initiative.

8. Orange teams up with Total network to extend money service.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

9. Apple celebrates its App Store 5th anniversary, their plans for solar-powered data centre and the iOS 7 Beta 4 Fingerprint Sensor For iPhone 5S.

10. Microsoft Outlook is now available on iPhones and iPads, they also plan to deliver white space broadband to South Africa.

11. Android 4.3 Jelly Bean rolls out to Google Nexus 4 users in UK.

12. MTN Nigeria launches App Store.

13. Electronic payment terminals reaches into Africa and One Net Express from Vodacom.

14. A real-time Facebook ‘likes’ counter.

15. Google+ overtakes LinkedIn and Twitter, and comes second after Facebook.

16. The latest statistics about the major social media platforms has been revealed.

17. Who pays the highest rates for Facebook adds?

Mobile Landscape

SECTION 1

ANOTHER EXTENSION FOR

GAUTENG ONLINE

» The Gauteng Department of Finance (GDF) has extended the contract of the current Gauteng Online service provider by another month, after the department failed to finalise the tender processes for new service providers in time.

» Department spokesperson Sithembiso Ndlovu says the GDF decided to extend Cloudseed’s contract until the end of July in an effort to keep school computers running.

» Ndlovu was unable to confirm the cost of this second extension, but earlier this year the department paid Cloudseed R126 million for a three-month extension.

» The GDF announced that from July, the Gauteng Online project will be no more, as the e-learning solution will be taking its place. The e-learning solution will be a revamp of its predecessor, allowing learners to have their own devices and their e-books and curriculum content readily available.

» GDF head of communications John Mgwenya says the department had to embrace the new teaching methodologies that existed globally, and hence had to accommodate the new devices and the dissemination of content currently being introduced into the market.

Source: ITWeb, 1 July 2013

FREE WIFI FOR TSOGO SUN

GUESTS

» Tsogo Sun hotels has introduced a free WiFi service at all of its various establishments across the country.

» The JSE-listed hotel group installed high-speed connectivity WiFi in all its hotels, with the data limit varying per room per day, depending on which grade of hotel the guest is staying in.

» In Tsogo Sun’s Deluxe hotels, 750MB is free per room per day to in-house guests; in Southern Sun hotels, the cap is 500MB per room per day; in Garden Court hotels, the cap is 350MB per room per day; and in StayEasy hotels, the cap is 250MB per room per day.

» In all the hotels, these data limits are limited to a maximum of three devices per room.

» Tsogo Sun’s WiFi service was installed by service provider AlwaysOn, in the form of its Ruckus Wireless WiFi solution.

» AlwaysOn CEO Nico Pretorius says the AlwaysOn solution at Tsogo Sun consists of more than 4 000 high-performance, 802.11n dual-band Smart WiFi Access Points with adaptive antenna technology to ensure optimal WiFi coverage and performance.


LIQUID TELECOM DEPLOYS NEW

OPTICAL NETWORK IN AFRICA

» Liquid Telecom, the leading wholesale carrier in Africa, has chosen Ekinops, a leading supplier of next-generation optical transport equipment, for its new long-haul DWDM network across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

» The network features the longest uninterrupted fibre spans on the continent.

» Liquid’s new optical network spans more than 2 500km and was built to accommodate the growing demand for bandwidth in the region as well as the need for an ultra-long-haul transmission network.

» The new network carries multiple 10G wavelengths and can scale to support many more 10G and 100G services.

» Typical long-haul optical networks require an amplifier site every 100km in order to amplify the signal. In rural Africa, with its wide open spaces, where the distance between towns can be more than 400km, this is a major challenge.

» The costs of building an amplifier site every 100km – including the power generator, site security and roads to access the site – are enormous.

» This was the main challenge for Liquid Telecom and one of the key reasons it chose Ekinops, a company that specialises in long spans thanks to its DynaFEC dynamic forward error correction technology.

Source: BusinessWire via ITWeb, 2 July 2013

MTN UGANDA MOBILE INTERNET

USER NUMBERS ‘GROW 85%’

» MTN Uganda’s mobile internet users grew by 85% during the past year to end of June 2013, according to the operator’s senior officials.

» Ernst Fonternel, chief marketing officer at MTN Uganda, has said the telcom now has 1.6 million mobile internet subscribers.

» MTN's mobile internet trajectory is based on GPRS/EDGE, 3G and Long Term Evolution (LTE) in the East African country.

» The telcom launched its LTE mobile network earlier this year, which formed part of network expansion plans in that country.

» MTN officials said the LTE network is planned to offer almost triple the speeds of existing mobile broadband connections available in Uganda.

» MTN Uganda says it has a 52.5% market share of that country’s mobile market. Other operators includes Bharti Airtel, Warid Telecom (Essar) and Smile Telecom.

Source: ITWeb Africa, 3 July 2013

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 HITS 20

MILLION SALES

» The Samsung Galaxy S4 was launched about two months ago, and it looks like the handset could be Samsung’s most popular smartphone to date.

» According to a recent report, Samsung’s SK Shin confirmed to Korean reporters that Samsung have now sold a total of 20 million Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones.

» The Samsung Galaxy S4 comes with a range of new features that have made it a popular device, like Samsung’s new eye tracking technology in the form of Eye Pause and Eye Scroll.

» The Galaxy S4 features a 5 inch Full HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and it features Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, it also comes with 2GB of RAM.

» The Samsung Galaxy S4 also comes with a 2 megapixel front facing camera and a rear facing 13 megapixel camera, plus a choice of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of built in storage and a microSD card slot, plus a 2,600 mAh battery.

Source: Geeky Gadgets, 3 July 2013

NEXT HOT TREND: MINI SMARTPHONES

» These days, picking out a smartphone is almost like trying on shoes. Does a four-inch, four-and-a-half-inch, or five-inch screen fit best?

» For years, the trend in major smartphone brands' screen sizes had been the bigger, the better. Whether it was the iPhone 5's extra row of apps or the giant, tablet-sized Android "phablets," phones had definitely been getting larger.

» But recently, that trend has begun to reverse. Samsung and BlackBerry released mini versions of their top-of-the-line smartphones and Apple and HTC are rumored to follow suit.

» The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini has a 4.3-inch screen, which shaves off more than a half-inch off its larger version. The BlackBerry Q5 isn't smaller in size than the top-of-the-line Q10, but it uses all of last year's technology inside.

» Larger screens can contribute significantly to the price of a smartphone, so smaller devices released by low-cost smartphone makers like China-based Huawei, ZTE and Lenovo are wildly popular Emerging markets.

» Top-tier smartphone makers "are finally waking up to the fact and starting to fight back" with a wave of "smartphone mini" launches this year, said Smithen.

» But other analysts are doubtful that the top smartphone brands are truly getting the message. ”It's not about size so much as the price," noted Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst at Forrester.

Source: CNNMoney, 5 July 2013

ZIMBABWE MOBILE PHONE

USAGE HIGH AMONG YOUTHS

» About nine out of ten youths in Zimbabwe have access to mobile phones, according to a survey carried out by the Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI).

» The Youth Survey was carried out between 19 and 28 January and covered just over 1,000 youths. Moreover, the youths surveyed were between 18 and 30 years and excluded those staying in police camps and military barracks.

» “Roughly seven in every ten of the youths (73%) have access to a cellphone daily, 15% access it once or twice a week and 2% a few times in a month,” the report adds.

» It says “about nine in ten (89%) of youths” use cellphones for making and receiving calls while about 85% use mobile phones for sending and receiving text messages.

» And other results of the survey say only about 26% of the youths surveyed used the internet to get news while 56% said they frequently used handset accessories such as the camera.

» Zimbabwe -- which the World Bank says has a population of close to 13 million -- has three mobile operators: Econet, Telecel and state owned NetOne. Econet has said its network users number 8 million. Meanwhile, Telecel and NetOne have said they have 2.5 million and 2 million respectively.


MOBILE APP GROWTH EXPLODING

» The number of apps is exploding, driven by a huge uptick in the number of mobile devices — and people are using those apps all day long.

» Flurry, a company that provides app developers with tools to measure how much people are using their apps, released data on “the state of the apposphere” at MobileBeat2013.

» According to Flurry’s chief product officer Prashant Fuloria, the company now tracks 300,000 apps from 100,000 developers worldwide.

» Those apps are on one billion devices, giving Flurry data on more than three billion app “events” each day.

» “We’re seeing a tremendous disruption by mobile” as huge numbers of people move from the traditional web to mobile devices, Fuloria said. That’s being driven by the large number of mobile devices around the world — and there’s plenty of room for more growth.

» Significantly, Flurry has found that app usage is driven by all kinds of apps across the board: productivity apps, games, lifestyle apps, social networking, and more.

» Moms with Android phones spend 53 percent of their app-usage time playing games. On iPads, that’s 48 % of their app time, and on iPhones, 31%.

Source: VenturesBeat, 10 July 2013

ANGOLA LOOKS TO BECOME AFRICA’S

TELECOMS HUB

» Angolan government officials have been quoted in reports earlier this month as saying that over the next two years Angola could establish itself as a hub for African telecoms.

» Angolan officials say African telecoms could use Angola to connect to Europe and South America when subsea networks such as the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) are scheduled to come online in 2014.

» SACS is planned to stretch 6,000 km and directly connect two portuguese speaking nations: Angola and Brazil.

» Currently, Angola has two operational submarine cables SAT3/SEACOM and WACS.

» Song also adds that there are several initiatives to connect Africa with Brazil, which includes not just SACS but also the South Atlantic Express (SAex).

» SAex is the proposed submarine communications cable that is planned to link South Africa and Angola to Brazil.

» “A South Atlantic cable can also offer a competitive edge in offering lower latency connections, especially to financial markets in the US,” said Song.

» ‘’Angola is bringing what Africa desperately needs in telecommunications, more competition. And that is likely to be good for everyone,” he added.


MILLIONS OF SIMS AT RISK

» Over half a billion cellphone users could be in danger of having their mobile identity seized – together with all the personal and sensitive information that goes along with it.

» This came to light with German firm Security Research Labs revealing it had found a flaw in mobile SIMs that still make use of an encryption technology from the seventies, data encryption standard (DES).

» According to the firm, the easy-to-crack encryption method renders users’ SIM cards vulnerable to hackers, who could essentially “pose as the phone owner” and commit financial crimes or engage in espionage.

» Vodacom says it has assessed the impact of Security Research Labs' findings and, with the help of its SIM vendors, the company is putting in place "a comprehensive set of measures" to ensure that subscribers are fully protected.

» The ITU’s latest ICT numbers reveal there are currently almost as many mobile subscriptions as there are people in the world (6.8 billion out of 7.1 billion people on earth) – meaning about 7.4% of all cellphone users could be in danger of having their SIMs remotely cloned or hacked.


Mobile innovation and

campaigns

SECTION 2

CONNECTING AFRICA WITH

MOBILE ‘NETWORK BOXES’

» While cellular connectivity provides excellent coverage for metropolitan areas, access is still sparse in rural communities, limiting rural residents’ ability to access the services they need.

» Because cellular telephony is so well subscribed, but has limited spectrum available, services become slow and often unusable in metropolitan areas, particularly in situations such as concerts and sporting events, or even in shopping malls and office buildings, where large numbers of people are all trying to access the network at the same time.

» Mobile ‘network in a box’ solutions help to address these challenges, offering an affordable all-in-one cellular network that is quick and easy to deploy and provides all of the features of a public cellular network, including voice, messaging and data.

» These boxes scale down base station technology, which typically requires enough hardware to fill a 6x3m container, to the size of a cube roughly 20cm on each side, containing all of the services needed for a full-blown GSM bases

» These boxes are highly cost effective from a number of aspects, including deployment, maintenance, floor space, power consumption and cooling costs, and are therefore the ideal solution for deployment in Africa.


MALAWI’S GOVERNMENT

COMMITS TO E-PAYMENTS

» Malawi has committed to transitioning government cash payments to electronic disbursements, as part of a broader move to switch to e-payments in the country.

» Malawi’s government also says that it has joined the ‘Better Than Cash Alliance’, which was founded by the likes of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Omidyar Network to empower people by helping them shift from cash to electronic payments.

» A press statement released by Malawi’s government and the Better Than Cash Alliance says “most poor households have no option but to subsist almost entirely in an informal, cash-only economy, making it extraordinarily difficult for them to access financial services like bank accounts, to save for the future, build assets or get credit.”

» Malawi’s government goes on to say in the statement that its primary goals in shifting to e-money are to increase transparency, decrease costs, accelerate economic growth, and address poverty by increasing financial inclusion for all Malawians.

» The initial phase of the transition is planned to focus on social welfare and salary payments in Malawi, which has a population of just over 15 million according to the World Bank


WI-FI TECH SEES THROUGH

WALLS

» Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have developed what could become low-cost, X-ray vision.

» The system, known as "Wi-Vi," is based on a concept similar to radar and sonar imaging, but rather than using high-power signals, this tech uses reflected Wi-Fi signals to track the movement of people behind walls and closed doors.

» When a Wi-Fi signal is transmitted at a wall, a portion of that signal penetrates through and reflects off any humans that happen to be moving around in the other room.

» Relying on low-cost Wi-Fi technology, the Wi-Vi system could be utilized in everything from disaster recovery to gaming.

» Because the device can detect action behind a wall, the system could be used as a gesture-based interface for controlling appliances or lighting.

Source: GizMag, 1 July 2013

APPLE PLANS SOLAR-POWERED

DATA CENTRE

» Apple said it plans to build a new solar farm with NV Energy for power supply

to its new data centre in Reno, Nevada, a major step towards its goal of having its data centres run on renewable energy.

» Apple and other technology companies such as Amazon.com and Microsoft, which build and run computer server farms, have come under criticism for their high consumption of electricity and other resources.

» These data centres cater to an explosion in Internet traffic, streaming content through mobile devices and hosting of services to corporations.

» The new solar farm will provide power to Sierra Pacific Power's electric grid that serves Apple's data centre and when completed will generate about 43.5 million kilowatt hours of clean energy a year, Apple said in a statement.

» Apple already runs its largest data centre in the US on solar power. The centre in Maiden, North Carolina, produces 167 million kilowatt hours, the power equivalent of 17 600 homes for one year, from a 100-acre solar farm and fuel cell installations provided by Silicon Valley start-up Bloom Energy.


SOUTHWEST, DISH TEAM UP TO OFFER

FREE IN-FLIGHT TV ON MOBILE DEVICES

» Detailed by USA Today , Southwest Airlines and Dish Network has teamed up to offer free access to live television as well as on-demand content to passengers on all Wi-Fi enabled planes within the Southwest fleet.

» Streaming to devices like the iPad, iPhone and other mobile platforms, passengers will be able to choose from thirteen live TV channels and at least 75 on-demand shows from Dish Network’s lineup of channels.

» Approximately three fourths of the Southwest fleet is Wi-Fi enabled.

» While airlines like Virgin America and JetBlue already offer access to live TV to passengers, viewing is restricted to the television screen mounted in the headrest of the seat directly in front of the passenger.

» It’s important to note that the passenger doesn’t have to pay the $8-per-day Wi-Fi access fee in order to watch the live television feed, but would still need to pay for access to surf the Web or check their email.

» In addition, the passenger doesn’t have to download any special software to access the video feed. All video playback is handled through the browser on the laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Source: Digital Trends, 3 July 2013

STAY POWERED UP WITH THIS

TINY USB SMARTPHONE CHARGER

» The new CulCharge USB phone charger gets right to the point with no unnecessary frills, and it's compact enough to carry around in your pocket.

» The CulCharge is a simple charger made of flexible silicone that has a USB plug on one end and a connection to a phone on the other.

» There are versions with connectors for both iPhone and Android devices: lightning (for iPhone 5), 30-pin (for iPhone 4), micro-USB and mini-USB.

» The 6-cm-long USB charger can also handle data transfers, in addition to juicing up your phone.

» The little cable really is flexible, since it can bend more than 180 degrees — nifty for those hard-to-access USB slots.

» The Slovakia-based company is trying to raise $15,000 on Indiegogo. With 36 days still left in the campaign, supporters had already pledged more than $7,000.

» With pledges starting at $8, supporters can get their own CulCharge.

» The company is also targeting distributors and resellers at higher pledges by offering self-contained kiosks that come stocked with CulCharges for resale.

Source: Mashable, 6 July 2013

FOURSQUARE TARGETS FEATURE-

PHONE USERS WITH NEW NOKIA APP

» Foursquare unveiled a new app designed for feature phones, specifically

targeting Nokia's range of Series 40 handsets.

» S40 is a software platform used on the Finnish company's line of mid-range feature phones, as well as on its Asha series, which are marketed as low-end smartphones.

» Foursquare will be preloaded on new Asha devices worldwide when they hit the market in several months.

» "Hundreds of millions of people around the world use Nokia S40 phones, and now they'll all have access to Foursquare," the location-based social network said in a blog post.

» In fact, last year, Nokia said it sold 1.5 billion units of its S40 phones. With mobile consumers in developing markets opting to buy feature phones over costlier smartphones, it seems the Finnish company is tapping into the lucrative low-end handset market.

» Foursquare launched its original S40 app back in 2011. Those who own an S40 phone can get Foursquare's updated app in Nokia's Ovi Store.


UBUNTU EDGE DUAL-BOOTS

ANDROID, SEEKS $32M

» Say hello to the Ubuntu Edge, the first smartphone to use open-source Ubuntu Touch software as well as Android.

» Ubuntu creator British company Canonical wants to bring the dual-booting Edge to fruition by raising a whopping 21.5 million pounds ($32 million) in a month on Indiegogo.

» It claims this is the biggest target ever for a crowdfunded campaign.

» The campaign intends to produce 40,000 units; if you want to own an Edge of your very own, you'll get a handset if you pledge 394 pounds ($600) today, or 532 pounds ($830) thereafter.

» You will have to wait until May 2014 to actually get your hands on the Edge, however.

» Canonical says it's adopted crowdfunding to see which technologies early adopters are interested in paying for, without a manufacturer having to spend millions on developing a product that then proves to be a flop.

» The company highlights the Edge's battery and scratch-proof screen as technologies that would be adopted more widely if they could be proved by this project to be the sort of things people want from their phones.

» The Edge promises "the latest, fastest processor," with at least 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It has a 4.5-inch, 720p screen covered in pure sapphire crystal, which Canonical claims to be "the hardest natural substance after diamond."

Source: CNET, 22July 2013

ORANGE USES TOTAL NETWORK TO

EXTEND MONEY SERVICE

» Orange and oil and gas group Total have forged a partnership in Africa and the

Middle East, providing access to Orange Money services at all Total service stations in the regions, spanning a total of 13 countries.

» Orange said customers will benefit from the density of the Total distribution network, with its service stations open for extended hours seven days a week.

» Customers will be able to open an Orange Money account on site and perform withdrawals and deposits.

» The system enables users to transfer money from mobile to mobile, pay bills and withdraw and deposit money through a network of certified distributors.

» This first stage of the partnership is already operational in Senegal and Cameroon, and will go live in over 1,300 service stations in the 11 other countries (Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Senegal and Uganda) where both groups are present in the second half of 2013.

» A second stage will follow, which should enable Orange Money customers to pay for purchases made in Total service stations using their mobile account.

Source: banking technology, 25July 2013

APPLE IOS 7 BETA 4 REVEALS

FINGERPRINT SENSOR FOR IPHONE 5S

» Apple recently released Apple iOS 7 Beta 4, and some interesting details were discovered in the latest version of iOS 7, by Hamza Sood, support for a fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S.

» Hamza found that the iPhone home button will contain a fingerprint sensor, this is obviously for the new iPhone 5S and the future versions of the iPad.

» The rumors came up previously that the new iPhone 5S would feature fingerprint technology, and it looks like the technology will be used to unlock the handset with the home button.

Source: Geeky Gadgets, 30July 2013

Mobile devices and

operating systems

SECTION 3

FIREFOX BLAZES ONTO

SMARTPHONES

» Mozilla has partnered with ZTE and Alcatel to introduce the first two smartphones powered by its HTML5-based mobile operating system, Firefox OS, to the European market.

» Mozilla unveiled both the Firefox OS and Firefox Marketplace app store at the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, earlier this year, during which it also announced the Firefox-operated smartphones.

» The Firefox OS is built entirely on open Web standards, and the features on the phone are developed as HTML5 applications.

» Mozilla has partnered with 20 hardware and operating partners to help roll out Firefox OS.

» The first smartphones running the OS, the Alcatel One Touch Fire and the ZTE Open, will first be released in Central and Eastern Europe, and to other world markets later this year.


BLACKBERRY Q5 RELEASED

IN THE UK AND SOUTH AFRICA

» The BlackBerry Q5 launched on July 1 in the U.K. and South Africa.

» The device features a 3.1 inch 720 x 720 resolution screen. Unlike the Q10, the keys on the Q5 keyboard are more basic.

» You can purchase it unlocked from retailers like Expansys for £344.99 ($523 USD) or Carphone Warehouse for £319.95 ($485 USD).

» Vodafone, Orange and EE are offering the phone with monthly plans from £21.00 up to £36.00 per month ($32 to $55 USD).

» To refresh your memory, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins said earlier this year that the company would launch six BlackBerry 10 models in 2013. Two would be low-end phones, two mid-range units and two would be high-end models. This one is an entry level model.

Source: Geeky Gadgets, 3 July 2013

BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD PUTS THE

OFFICE IN YOUR POCKET

» The more wireless our world gets, the more connected we seem to become. One Kickstarter product, which has made a lot of noise not even one week into its campaign, is exploiting this paradox, putting you "one fold away from work.”

» The portable keyboard called myType is spearheaded by keyboard evangelist and MIT graduate Brunn W. Roysden.

» It fits nicely in your pocket and works wirelessly via Bluetooth with the iPhone, second and third iPad iterations, iPad Mini, iPod touch, Android (with HID support) and Windows 8 tablet.

» The keys interlock when it's closed so the keyboard folds up conveniently.

» It's just more than one foot long when unfolded, and includes a micro USB port for charging.

» Its battery life last roughly eight hours, and the keyboard is splash resistant (for the most part) with a maximum wireless range of up to 33 feet.

» Interested backers can snag one for $59 in black, white, blue, green or pink.


MOBILE APP LINKS BLOOD

DONORS

» LifeBank App from Nigeria is the first mobile application that allows potential blood donors to match with those in urgent need of blood based on their location.

» The app is a result of a 3 day hackathon held in Lagos by a group of developers, designers and healthcare professionals.

» Blood transfusion organisations around Africa and the world have been known to use social media and e-mail for raising awareness for “blood donations drives”.

» South African National Blood Service uses social media extensively in raising awareness and in calling for blood donations at its various centres.

» Meanwhile in the Bahamas they have the Red Donor website, which is a “Blood Donor Drive” awareness platform, a kind of Kickstarter for blood donations.

» However, none of these organisations have done what a group of techies and designers in Nigeria have done in partnership with the One Percent Project - an organisation that aims to “bridge the gap between willing blood donors all around the country and the people that need them in times of emergency.


APP STORE CELEBRATES ITS

5TH

ANNIVERSARY

» The app store, celebrated is official five-year anniversary on July 10, initially launched in 2008 with 500 apps, the company said in timeline featured on the App Store.

» It logged 10 million app downloads in the first weekend.

» As of May 2013, the company said, there are now over 850,000 apps available and the store passed its 50 billionth download. That works out to over 800 downloads per second, Apple says.

» To celebrate its success the company began offering 10 of its most popular apps, including the journaling app “Day One,” photo editor “Over” and games such as “Infinity Blade,” “Tiny Wings,” and “Where’s My Water,” for free.

» The company is also offering “Barefoot World Atlas,” “How to Cook Everything,” “Traktor DJ for iPhone,” “Badland,” and “Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery EP” in its list of giveaways.

Source: Washingtonpost, 9 July 2013

MICROSOFT DELIVERS OUTLOOK

TO IPHONE AND IPAD USERS

» iPhone and iPad users are now able to get many of the same features of Outlook in the form of new application available from the iTunes Store.

» Using what Microsoft has dubbed OWA for iPad and OWA for iPhone, users will be able to access Office 365 accounts from their devices.

» In addition to giving users access to their email without being online, the application also seems to act as another Trojan horse for Microsoft’s Metro-design language and Office 365.

» The application’s Mail, Calendar and People areas sit behind a sort of Start Screen that features Live Tiles that quickly update the user on their latest email, and documents.

» The entire experience isn’t too far-flung from the designs of Office 365 for iPhone, Office 365 for iPad as well as Outlook.com and Windows 8.1.

Source: GottaBeMobile, 16July 2013

AFRINOLLY LAUNCHES ON

WINDOWS PLATFORMS

» Nigerian-owned African entertainment application Afrinolly has announced the launch of its app for Windows Phone and Windows 8.

» Afrinolly, developed by Fansconnectonline (FCO)- which already exists on Blackberry, Nokia S40, and Java- is expected to allow users to watch full length Nigerian (Nollywood), Indian (Bollywood), and other African movies on the newly incorporated devices.

» The company, backed by telecom giant, MTN, is a digital marketing agency that specialises in developing social media platforms and mobile applications that primarily promulgates Nigerian movie industry.

» The Nigerian film industry, also known as Nollywood, is worth over $250 million with average film production placed at over 2,500 movies per year – 2,408, 2,514 and 2,621 in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively.

» The industry has grown to become the second largest film industry in the world in terms of number of annual film production, placing it ahead of Hollywood and only behind Bollywood.

» With the addition of Afrinolly on Windows phone, the sector is expected to develop further.

Source: Ventures Africa, 19July 2013

MICROSOFT TO DELIVER WHITE SPACE

BROADBAND TO SOUTH AFRICA

» Software giant, Microsoft Corp. has partnered with University of Limpopo’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and local network builder, Multisource to launch a pilot project that will deliver high-speed and affordable broadband to under-served communities using “white spaces” technology.

» ‘White spaces’ is a term for using unused frequencies for television broadcasters to deliver wireless Internet services over ranges of up to 5.4km.

» The partnership between the entities will help prove that TV white spaces can be used to meet the South African government’s goals of providing low-cost broadband Internet access for a majority of South Africans by 2020.

» The project will use TV white spaces and solar-powered base stations to provide low-cost wireless broadband access to five secondary schools in remote parts of the Limpopo province.

» It will also provide each of the five schools with Windows-based tablets and projectors while teachers will get laptops and training and education-related content.

» Solar panels for charging device will also be provided where there is no access to electricity.


ASUS INTENDS TO ENTER US

SMARTPHONE MARKET IN 2014

» According to a recent report by All Things D, Asus have been talking to the major US carriers and building relationships with them and other retailers.

» Asus is expecting to launch some new smartphones in the US in 2014, although as yet they have not revealed any details on particular devices, we suspect we will see a couple of new Android smartphones for the US.

» Asus already sells its tablets and other devices in the US, which include the Asus Padfone, a combo device of a tablet and smartphone, and obviously the company is looking to smartphones as the next step.


YANDEX OFFER LOW PRICED CLOUD

STORAGE AT $30 A MONTH FOR 1TB

» Russia’s predominant search engine Yandex has this week suggested the

prices of its cloud storage service to provide more competition against the likes of Dropbox and Google Drive.

» Yandex have now adjusted their cloud storage prices to reflect the following: 10GB for $1 per month or $10 per year, 100GB for $5 or $50 a year and 1TB for $30 or $300 a year.

» Yandex also offers a free 20GB worth of cloud storage and the company says that Yandex.Disk is available internationally, with apps for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android and Windows Phone as well as a browser-based interface.

» After launching back in April 2012 Yandex explains that its cloud storage offering now has 12 million unique users per month, mostly in Russia and the CIS countries, but with 6.5-7% coming from elsewhere in the world.


ANDROID 4.3 JELLY BEAN ROLLS OUT

TO GOOGLE NEXUS 4 USERS IN UK

» Android Jelly Bean 4.3 has started rolling out to Google Nexus 4 users in the

UK.

» The search giant's flagship smartphone is the first to get the latest version of the mobile operating system, which comes with several new features.

» Multiple user profiles - allowing the ability to share an Android device - and improved Bluetooth come with Jelly Bean, which will become available as an over-the-air update.

» OpenGL 3.0 support, meaning better graphics for Android games, additional languages such as Hindi and Afrikaans, and autocomplete when dialling phone numbers are also now included.

» Google unveiled Jelly Bean 4.3 during a press call in San Francisco last week alongside the new Google Nexus 7 tablet.

» The Android 4.3 update is 169.3MB in size and comes ahead of the next edition of the operating system - Key Lime Pie.

Source: Digital Spy, 30July 2013

Mobile Networks

SECTION 3

MTN NIGERIA LAUNCHES APP STORE

» MTN Nigeria has partnered with US-based app store developer, neXva, to launch an app store - NextApps store - for its customers.

» The newly-developed app store offers a catalogue of free and premium apps and it is initially available for Android Smartphones.

» It features global and local apps such as Efiko, eHausa, Nigerian constitution and NewsBasket.

» NextApps store supports “one-click” billing, enabling MTN customers to purchase apps through prepaid credit or their phone bill.

» “We know that app store customers are looking for a localised experience in the depth and breadth of the apps offered. This informs why our content is always based on the lookout for the newer, best and most relevant apps that can bring MTN’s customers in Nigeria a very personalised catalogue of apps that is very relevant to their day-to-day lives,” neXva COO and co-founder, Shuan Zelber explained.

» neXva is a mobile app technology company based in San Diego, California with offices in France and Sri Lanka.


MTN LAUNCHES ELECTRONIC PAYMENT

TERMINALS IN CAMEROON

» Electronic payment terminals (EPTs) catering for mobile phone prepaid purchases have been unveiled by MTN Cameroon and Easy Pay.

» The terminals are planned to sell prepaid airtime 24 hours per day at several popular sites such as hospitals, airports, hotels, restaurants, pharmacies and even nightclubs, says MTN.

» Payment modes are available in two formats as well. The first is a kiosk version, which looks similar to cash distribution machines, and the second is a miniature version, says MTN.

» MTN says the EPT technology is based on the same model used by banks for their electronic payments.

» Kiosks will accept 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10,000 Central African CFA franc banknotes. Receipts are said to be provided immediately upon each transaction as well, while mobile money cash in and cash out transactions can also be done through the EPTs, according to MTN.


TELKOM MOBILE LAUNCHES LOWEST

PREPAID OFFER IN SOUTH AFRICA

» Telkom Mobile has launched its latest prepaid tariff plan dubbed - SIM-SONKE - at a function held at the Telkom Mobile Building in Centurion.

» With this new plan the company is pointing its price scope squarely at the competition, by offering the lowest standard mobile call rates in South Africa.

» SIM-SONKE is a per second prepaid tariff plan available on the Telkom Mobile Network, and sees customers paying 29 cents per minute on per second billing for calls to any Telkom Mobile SIM number.

» Calls to any other South African mobile network as well as any national land line number (both Telkom and Neotel) are charged at 75 cents per minute.

» Beyond the low call rates, SIM-SONKE will also benefit from free unlimited calls to other SIM-SONKE subscribers between 21:00 and 06:00, if they recharge with R5 or more during the course of the day.

» Users can purchase a SIM-SONKE starter pack for 99c from their nearest Telkom stores as well as participating Shoprite Checkers stores.

» This starter pack contains two SIM cards enabling the buyer to keep one and give the other to a person that they call the most. Both SIM cards must be RICA’d before they will be activated.

Source: techsmart, 11 July 2013

ORANGE LAUNCHES WEST AFRICA

MOBILE MONEY SERVICE

» A mobile money service allowing cross-border transfers in Mali, Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire has been launched by French telecoms firm Orange.

» The service, dubbed ‘Orange Money International Transfer’, is targeting the three countries among which 200 million euros are transferred every year across borders, according to Orange.

» With Orange’s mobile money service, a customer in Cote d’Ivoire can send money directly to friends and family or to suppliers in Mali or Senegal with their ‘Orange Money account.’

» Senders need to dial a special number from their mobile phones, then enter the Orange telephone numbers of the recipients and the amounts to be sent. The money is immediately available in the recipients’ accounts and can be withdrawn from any Orange Money distributor.

» “We are proud to be the first operator to offer customers the ability to make international money transfers between mobile phones in this area of Western Africa,” says Thierry Millet, director of the strategic NFC and payment programmes at Orange.

» Orange also plans to expand the service to the other countries in which it operates.


SOCIAL NETWORK ESKIMI

STRIKES MTN NIGERIA

» A data bundle enabling unlimited access to one of Nigeria’s largest social media networks ‘Eskimi’ has been unveiled by MTN.

» Eskimi, which is a mobile social network, says it has approximately 6 million users in Nigeria.

» The data bundle to enable easier access to Eskimi from MTN Nigeria is planned to become available in two packages: a weekly offering for 25 Naira and monthly for 60 Naira.

» Users of the Eskimi bundle can then browse the social network for the selected period without any additional charge, says MTN.

» All aspects of Eskimi pages can be browsed via the package, including the likes of messages, profiles, fan clubs, chat rooms, forums and even music content.

» Larry Annetts, chief marketing officer of MTN Nigeria says: “Eskimi has shown tremendous growth in Nigeria, hitting a 6 million user mark this year in just few years after the service was launched in Nigeria.”

» “We are happy to partner with Eskimi in introducing these new Eskimi data bundle plans,” Annetts says.


VODACOM INTRODUCES ONE NET

EXPRESS

» Research has shown that 69% of customers will rather hang up a call than leave a voicemail message for a business to call them back. This means that every call missed is a business opportunity missed.

» Vodacom One Net Express is the first mobile switchboard designed for small and medium businesses, allowing them to be available at all times, whether in the office or on the road, on a single number.

» It also includes intelligent features that route calls on groups in the business - with no call divert image of the business as it directs business calls to the right department.

» This service is available on any cellphone, whether it is a basic phone or a smartphone.

» For just R149* per user per month, a business will never miss another call while saving money, as each employee on the Vodacom One Net Express service receive 500 free minutes to call other people in the business for free.

» A business can also port its landline telephone number to, or request a landline telephone number from Vodacom.

» This is done by replacing a business’ traditional fixed landline with 3G desk phone that works with a SIM card. By doing so, Vodacom One Net Express can link a business’ cellphones and landline telephone numbers.

Source: techsmart, 15 July 2013

DUBAI’S OGER TELECOM INJECTS

$350MN IN CELL C

» South Africa's third largest mobile operator, Cell C, said on it will receive a $350 million cash injection from majority shareholder Oger Telecom and a further $222 million in loans.

» Dubai-based Oger Telecom - partly owned by Saudi Telecom - holds a 75% stake in the South African firm.

» It invested $200 million in 2012 and Cell C said it would make another significant injection in 2014.

» Cell C said it also has a further 2.2 billion rand ($222 million) in loans from Nedbank and the Development Bank of South Africa.

» Cell C expects to use the fresh funding to improve network quality and boost its capital structure.

» It has increased users by about 2.5 million to 11.5 million in the last nine months.

Source: ITWeb Africa, 16July 2013

CELL C RED BULL DATA SPECIAL:

R99 FOR 2.4GB

» Cell C announced a new pre-paid product under the Red Bull Mobile brand that gives subscribers 200MB per month for 12 months for R99 once-off.

» Chief commercial officer at Cell C, Jose dos Santos, explained that this is a launch offer, and that the new product will get the benefits of Cell C’s SupaCharge pre-paid product.

» The promotion will be valid for 60 days, after which the deal will cost R149, Dos Santos said.

» The deal also includes 2 free Red Bull Studio CDs mixed by DJ Thibo Tazz and DJ Niskerone, as well as access to the Red Bull Mobile portal which includes music content, videos, games, apps, wallpapers, and ringtones.

» It will also offer subscribers access to competitions which will let them stand a chance of winning tickets to global and local events, such as secret parties.

» Dos Santos said that to start with, 2 couples will win tickets to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

» The deal has gone on sale as from 18 July through around 6,000 outlets.

Source: Mybroadband, 17 July 2013

TELECOM EGYPT TO PROVIDE 4TH

LINE MOBILE SERVICES

» Telecom Egypt (TE) has revealed its intention to provide customers with fourth line mobile services, as it seeks to grow its market share in North African country.

» The MD/CEO of TE, Mohamed Elnawawy explained that the new service – which delivers the fastest mobile Internet experience – will give the company the needed base to push its growth and expansion agenda, noting that it will give the state-owned operator the opportunity to compete in 85 percent of the market, from which it is currently excluded.

» “We’re not just a new mobile player. We’re a new mobile player that has connections to 7 million users,” he said.

» The launch of the fourth line services was slated for Mid-July.

» TE, the country’s only fixed-line operator according to Ahram Online, confirmed that it had signed an $84.5 million agreement with mobile operator, Etisalat Egypt, which allows Etisalat to make use of parts of its basic infrastructure to provide services to its customers.

Source: Ventures Africa, 22 July 2013

Social Networks

SECTION 4

JHB ZOO CREATES WORLD'S

FIRST ANIMAL TWEETER

» A honey badger that lives in the Johannesburg Zoo has become an overnight sensation by becoming the first animal in the world to be an active Twitter user, through the use of its hi-tech enclosure.

» BG already has more than 2 000 followers after being on Twitter for only about two weeks.

» Senior art director at the Joburg Zoo, Moira-Gene Sephton, says the zoo has long been interested in going digital as it realises the integral role social media plays in letting people know about its events and zoo causes.

» Digital agencies Hellocomputer and BinarySpace designed an enclosure using motion sensors triggering activity-related tweets. Should BG move around his food bowl, for example, a food-related message will be tweeted.

» The wireless sensors use passive infrared technology and xbee wireless modules, which communicate with a base station outside the cage. When a sensor gets triggered, it sends through a notification to the base station, which will in turn send it through to a server which handles the sending of pre-written tweets based on the data.

» The hi-tech enclosure was designed in such a way as to pose no threat to BG.


FACEBOOK STICKERS COME

TO THE WEB

» Facebook stickers, the extra-large emoticons mobile users have been

throwing into Facebook chats for a while now, are now also available on the web version of Facebook.

» Using stickers is simple: start a chat with someone, click on the emoticon icon in the lower right corner of the chat window, choose the sticker you like and click it to send it to that person.

» You start with a relatively low number of stickers, but you can get more by clicking the basket icon in the upper right corner of the sticker window.

» All the sticker sets are currently free, but Facebook will probably introduce paid ones later on.

Source: Mashable, 3July 2013

FLIIKE: REAL-TIME FACEBOOK

‘LIKES’ COUNTER

» “Fliike” is the name of a Facebook “like” counter that businesses can display to show off how popular they are on the social network.

» Created by French start-up Smiirl, the Fliike is now available for pre-order on their website, and it offers something that many stores may find intriguing: A way to showcase a digital presence in a tangible, attention-grabbing way.

» It’s a physical counter that goes up to 100,000 though if you have more likes than that you can custom order a special.

» They’re starting at a promotional price of 300 Euros (though regular price will be 400) and they’re large, mechanical counters that use Wi-Fi to connect to Facebook and monitor likes, flipping numbers whenever a new digital fan is born.

» When you put the counter on your bar or wherever else you want to display it, you can use a laptop or other device to hook up to Smiirl’s Wi-Fi, which will appear once the counter is connected to a device.

» Then you log on to the Wi-Fi, go to Smiirl’s website, and follow the directions to link your Facebook account to the physical counter.

» CEO Gauthier Nadaud says“We are focusing on Facebook right now, but of course Smiirl want to go further than that. Our dream is to make different objects for every social network/digital service’’.

Source: DigitalTrends, 3 July 2013

YAHOO BUYS XOBNI

» Yahoo announced its second purchase in a week with the reported acquisition of email productivity provider Xobni for a price of $30 million to $40 million.

» "Did you ever meet someone who truly 'gets' you? That’s how we feel about Yahoo," Xobni wrote in a company blog post announcing the acquisition.

» Xobni also promised, "Of course, soon you’ll be able to use Yahoo! products with Xobni goodness baked right in.”

» Xobni ("Inbox" spelled backwards) provides software that aims to improve the functionality of your email by "making it easy to search and discover all your contacts — even those who aren't in your address book," according to the company.

» Xobni products like Smartr Inbox and Smartr Contacts let you search for everyone with whom you have exchanged emails, texts or calls.

» The purchase comes just one day after Yahoo bought mobile video app Qwiki for $50 million. Under CEO Marissa Mayer, Yahoo has been on a buying spree lately, culminating with the $1.1 billion purchase of Tumblr last month.


FACEBOOK'S GRAPH SEARCH

AVAILABLE TO ALL IN U.S.

» Facebook's Graph Search, which lets people more efficiently dig through the massive social network for people, places and other content, is now available on all English versions of the website in the U.S.

» The advanced search feature will appear as a normal search field at the top of Facebook.com, though it is not yet available to mobile users.

» To run a search, type in a full question that lays out what you want to find. Start with the types of content on Facebook such as photos, people, businesses, movies or bands, or a general topic like tea or badminton. Next, narrow it down with qualifiers like location, dates, friend recommendations or profile information.

» Once you start typing, Graph Search will helpfully suggest possible combinations and questions..

» The company has certain safeguards in place to protect minors from potentially creepy Graph Searches.

» Facebook says the feature has been improved since it was first launched in January as a beta feature for select users. The company says the latest version is faster, understands natural language questions better, and returns more relevant results.

Source: CNN, 8 July 2013

GOOGLE+ CONTINUES TO

DOMINATE LINKEDIN & TWITTER

» You may not be using Google+, but your friends probably are.

» Google+, despite its late start, is solidifying its position as the number 2 social network after Facebook.

» In a distant third place: Yahoo, with just 7% of social logins; and Twitter, with 6%.

» Google+ launched to a limited number of users in June, 2011, and more widely in September of that year. In the two years since then, it has zoomed past social networks that were years ahead and had hundreds of millions of users already: LinkedIn, Twitter, and a handful of Chinese social networks.

» Google+ now has more than 500 million registered users and 343 million active users, according to an independent study by GlobalWebIndex from December, 2012.

» Facebook is twice as big, claiming over a billion registered users, while GlobalWebIndex estimates Facebook has almost 700 million active users.

Source: VB, 8 July 2013

56% OF SOCIAL MEDIA USERS

SUFFER FROM FOMO

» We all know that social media can be an addiction, a slippery slope consumed by a syndrome commonly referred to as Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).

» If you indulge in a few days away from your Inbox or Twitter stream, the emails start to pile up and key news is missed.

» In fact, a new survey conducted by MyLife.com revealed 56% of people are afraid of missing out on events, news and important status updates if they are away from social networks.

» Many would trade other addictions to stay connected this way — about 26% said they would trade habits such as smoking cigarettes or reality TV for access to social networking sites.

» In the same vein, about 51% of people visit or log on more frequently to social networks than they did just two years ago. And users want their updates first thing in the morning: About 27% of participants flock to social sites as soon as they wake up.

» People are managing more social networking accounts as well. About 42% of study participants have multiple accounts — and the percentage jumps to 61% for those between the ages of 18 and 34. The average person also manages 3.1 email addresses compared with 2.6 from last year.

» Although 52% of respondents said they have considered taking a “vacation” from one or more social networks in the past year, only 24% said they will likely follow through. Why? FOMO, of course.

Source: Mashable, 9July 2013

WHY ISN'T LINKEDIN BLOCKED

IN CHINA?

» The Chinese government blocks most of the world's major social media sites — Twitter and Facebook, among others. It even restricts Internet users' access to Slideshare. But not LinkedIn.

» One reason LinkedIn may have avoided government censorship is China's difficulty connecting with the rest of the world online.

» Besides email, LinkedIn is probably the only common major social networking platform that can be accessed by people all over the globe.

» And for obvious reasons — there aren’t many foreigners on Chinese social networks like Weibo or Renren. The most successful Chinese SNS overseas is probably WeChat with 70 million users outside of China, and it's likely that many of them are Chinese residing overseas.

» Secondly, since LinkedIn has no localized site in simplified Chinese, most Chinese LinkedIn users know at least basic English. So naturally, it’s a useful tool for companies to look for talents who are well-versed in both languages and have a more global mindset.

» If China blocked LinkedIn, even the state-owned corporations wouldn’t be able to easily find those talents. LinkedIn acts as a filter that can help employers find folks who are proficient in both languages.

» While China's Internet is pretty closed-off in general, the ability for users to access LinkedIn gives 3 million Chinese people the opportunity to connect with the world, which might not be such a bad thing.


FACEBOOK INTRODUCES PHOTO

COMMENTS FOR PAGES

» It's been one month since Facebook introduced photo comments for

personal accounts, and now the social network is extending the feature to brand Pages.

» Users and Page admins can now respond to posts and comments using a photo instead of, or accompanied by, words, a Facebook spokesperson tells Mashable.

» Leaving a photo comment is as simple as clicking on the camera icon next to the comment box and uploading an image from your computer.

» For now, photo comments can only be uploaded using a desktop or mobile web browser.

» Although mobile app users can see photo comments, they can't yet leave them, although we imagine that capability will be included in a future update.

» Photo comments are automatically enabled on Pages, but Page admins can turn them off at any time.


FACEBOOK STATISTICS

» Facebook is the world’s largest Social networking platform with over 1

Billion registered members globally

» Time Spent per month per person: 7 hours 45 mins

» 1 out of every 7 mins online is spent on Facebook

» The average user has 130 friends

» 800 million updates every day

» More than 6.1million South Africans are on Facebook

» Facebook is South Africa’s fastest growing social network with over 100.000 new members registered each month

» 5.2 million Mobile users and 3.2 million Smartphone users in South Africa

» 50/50 Male/Female split

» 2.8 million are over 18 years of age

» 1.3 million+ Johannesburg | 960K Cape Town | 840K Pretoria | 550K Durban

Source: Blue Magnet, 2013

TWITTER STATISTICS

» 200 Million Twitter Accounts

» 100 Million active users worldwide

» 350 million tweets per day

» 13% of online adults use Twitter

» 1.6 Billion search queries per day

» The average Twitter user has tweeted 307 times.

» 163 billion tweets since the dawn of Twitter

» 1,1 Million Registered Twitter Users in South Africa

» 405,000 Active South African users

» 520,000 Unique South Africa visitors to Twitter.com

» Average of 115,000 Tweets in South Africa p/day

» Average of 3,4 Million Tweets p/month in South Africa

» South Africans generate average of 80 Tweets p/minute

» Most active cities: 19,684 Johannesburg | 14,273 Cape Town | 6,537 Pretoria


LINKEDIN STATISTICS

» More than than 175 million members in over 200 countries and territories

» LinkedIn members did nearly 4.2 billion professionally-oriented searches on the platform in 2011 and surpassed 5.3 billion in 2012

» More than 2 million companies have LinkedIn Company Pages

» 23% of unique visiting members come from mobile apps, versus just 10% last year. That number reaches 27% when including mobile visits to the website (2012).

» There are more than 2.2 million South African’s on LinkedIn

» 600k between the ages of 18 to 54 years

» 840k Johannesburg | 313k Cape Town | 160k Durban

» Approx. 70,000 members in Government Sector

» 950k at Executive or senior management level

» 500k are unpaid or at entry level

» 20k are currently in training

» 35% of graduates use LinkedIn as a primary source for their job search


YOUTUBE STATISTICS

» Over 800 million unique users visit

» Over 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube

» 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute

» 70% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US

» YouTube is localized in 43 countries and across 60 languages

» There are approximately 6 million users in South Africa

» YouTube grew by just over 1 million in the last 6 months in South Africa

» The largest age group 18-24 with total of 1 934 400 users, followed by the users in the age 25-34

» 49% male 51% female


GOOGLE+ STATISTICS

» There are over 400 Million Google+ users in the world with almost half-million South Africa users

» 36.32% Married | 31.92% Single | 42.42% looking for networking | 39.40% looking for Friends

» Approximately 71% of users are male

» Majority of users in SA – at 37.3% – are aged 25-34, followed by 18-24 year olds comprising 35.8%


TWITTER SAYS ANDROID & WEB WILL

GET ‘REPORT TWEET’ BUTTON

» After a petition brought over 66,000 people to Twitter’s virtual doorstep, the company says it will be expanding its abuse reporting processes.

» The company’s UK-arm explained in a blog post titled “We hear you,” that it already rolled out a way to report individual tweets from the tweet itself

» This feature, however, is only available on the social network’s iOS apps.

» Twitter promises to add the option to its Android and Web presences, though no time table for this release was given.

» Twitter explained in the blog post that the sheer number of tweets across the globe makes it difficult for the company to manually review every single tweet, so it has automated and manual processes in place.

Source: VenturesBeat, 30 July 2013

SA MARKETERS PAY AMONG THE

HIGHEST RATES FOR FACEBOOK ADS

Source: Bizzcommunity, 31 July 2013

» South African marketers pay among the highest rates for Facebook advertising in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA), with cost per click, cost per page like, cost per thousand impressions and average cost per app install numbers that are all significantly above the global average.

» That's one of the key findings of the Facebook Ads Benchmark Report from Salesforce.com, the provider of the cloud-based Social.com social media advertising platform.

» The report also shows that South African marketers experience relatively average performance for these costs, with an average clickthrough rate of 0.332%.

» South Africa is the most expensive country on the average cost per install metric at US$2.46 - the next most expensive is Canada at $1.71.

» With an average CPC of $0.40. South African Facebook advertisers pay the third highest rate behind Denmark and Sweden.

» The report reveals that on a global scale, Facebook ads with a true social context such as Sponsored Place Check-In Stories and Sponsored Page Post Like Stories have higher clickthrough rates than average.

Sources and Contacts

SOURCES

» banking technology

» Bizcommunity

» BusinessWire via ITWeb

» BusinessTech by MyBroadband

» CNET

» CNN

» CNN Money

» DigitalTrends

» Digital Spy

» Engadget

» GeekyGadgets

» GizMag

» GottaBeMobile

» ITWeb

» ITWeb Africa

» Mashable

» MyBroadband

» techsmart

» Venture Africa

» VenturesBeat

» VB

» Washingtonpost

CONTACT US

Angus Robinson | Director: Mobility [tel] +27 (11) 555-3800 [cell] +27 (83) 635 4400 [fax] 0867210884 [email] [email protected] [twitter] @angusrobinson

Have a look at all previous Mobile Reports and other mobile work on our site - http://www.native.co.za/home?keyword=mobile Should you have any mobile insight, strategy, campaign or solution requirements please contact us.

http://www.native.co.za/home?keyword=mobile

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