ICTworks by Inveneo

As you may have noticed, I've been compiling 2011 technology predictions on the ICTworks Network, looking for trends and ideas that would shape our industry this year. After reading those posts, talking with technologists, and surveying the tech landscape, I've come up with my thoughts on 2011:

ARM Yourself with Tables and Apps

I think this is the year that we're gonna see disruptions on par with 2008, when the introduction of netbooks created a whole new hardware category, dropped the price of all hardware types, and even drove Microsoft to extend the life of XP and pretty much give it away to keep marketshare.

There are three big trends that will radically change the technology industry status quo and through that, the ICT4D community too. They are:

1. ARM in Ascension

After years of power greed, computer users and manufacturers are finally realizing that power efficiency is a virtue in consumer goods and absolutely essential in the developing world. In fact, when Intel introduced the Atom processor, it was a disruptive innovation in energy efficient computing.

But guess who's been sipping power all along? ARM. And in 2011, we'll see a low-power renaissance with ARM appearing on all manner of mainstream computers. OLPC already has a 2-watt ARM-based XO-1.75, and Microsoft announced it would have an ARM-based Windows OS out later this year.

Once that happens, expect to see ARM-based laptops popping up everywhere, with battery lives measured in days, not hours.

2. A Sea of Tablets

With the surging popularity of the Apple iPad, ever hardware vendor is pushing out a tablet in 2011. Some will be good, many will not, yet, its time for you to get at least one to experiment with. Buy any of them and think of how you can build a sales strategy around a tablet in 2012.

That's right, 2011 will be messy with tablets. Too many models, all too new and buggy, will wash across our digital lives, and it will take at least a year for the good ones worthy of our time and effort to show themselves. It will also take a year for their practicality to be proven in everything from education to industry.

Or maybe sooner. Check out the World Reader Kindle pilot in Ghana

3. Apps Attack!

Regardless of the hardware, downloadable applications sold via app stores will be all the rage in 2011. Starting with the success of the Apple app store (now for Macbooks too!), software companies are realizing the money to be made in curating an easy software purchase experience. Software developers are also seeing the money on the table and jumping at the chance to sell directly to the consumer.

I hope 2011 will be the year that the ICT4D community takes infoDev's lead and starts focusing on application development for development (Apps4D), where investments in software development capacity building show real and immediate economic gains in upcoming development centers like Nairobi, Lagos, and Jo'Burg.

No matter what, these three trends will change how information and communication technologies are used for social and economic development across Africa. And I firmly believe these changes will be for the better.

Welcome, 2011, I'm so glad you're here!

eVentures Africa is living up to its mantle as an understated revolution in African venture capital with a radical bet on mobile application development.

eVentures Africa will be investing 20 million euros ($28 million) in mobile-based commerce systems, online markets and social media Internet sites in sub-Saharan Africa.

As quoted by Bloomberg, Managing Director Vincent Kouwenhoven says:

"Mobile commerce in Africa isn’t just copying and pasting what has been done in the West, it is where it’s being innovating"

The fund, which started operating in January, has invested in six projects worth about 500,000 euros, including an Internet payment system in Kenya known as PesaPay, a local version of PayPal, and Ghanaian web developer Explainer DC, he said.

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Nokia has launched a global developer competition that challenges developers to create mobile phone applications and services worthy of a $1 million investment.

The Calling All Innovators 2010 Contest is focused on the following four categories: Eco/Being Green, Entertainment, Productivity, Life Improvement.

Also (and I can't tell if this is part of or in addition to the $1 million investment above), Nokia is launching a Growth Economy Venture Challenge with a $1 million investment grand prize.

Both contests are looking for submissions that:

• could truly change the way people use Nokia mobile devices.
• demonstrates how mobility improves the lives of millions of people in emerging markets worldwide.
• recognizes a good business opportunity can also contribute to "doing good" – and making a dramatic difference in the lives of people in developing nations.

So if you are a mobile phone applications developer, what are you waiting for? Check out the contest site today!