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Does a 40% breakage rate for Kindles in Africa matter?

Does a 40% breakage rate for Kindles in Africa matter?

Published on: Aug 13 2012 by Wayan Vota - 5 Comments
Recently, I was sharing one of the more striking results from the USAID-funded WorldReader e-Reader Ghana Pilot assessment that should give anyone in ICT4D pause: E-reader...
Are WiFi-only tablets and mobile devices impractical in hotspot-starved African countries?

Are WiFi-only tablets and mobile devices impractical in hotspot-starved African countries?

Published on: Jul 30 2012 by Wayan Vota - 6 Comments
One disappointment with the new Google Nexus 7 tablet is the lack of 3G connectivity. It only has WiFi and some people wonder if that makes it impractical in developing...
9 Lessons to Learn from Fail Faire UK 2012

9 Lessons to Learn from Fail Faire UK 2012

Published on: Jul 23 2012 by Wayan Vota - 4 Comments
We had an amazing sharing of failure at Fail Faire UK 2012, and amidst the laughter at how wrong we can be in deploying information and communication technologies...
Celebrate the IDEOS vs. Samsung $100 Smartphone Price War in Kenya

Celebrate the IDEOS vs. Samsung $100 Smartphone Price War in Kenya

Published on: Jul 20 2012 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
Lucky Kenyans. They are benefiting from an ongoing $100 smartphone price war between IDEOS and Samsung. On one side, you have the Huawei IDEOS U8150, which...
The Complete List of 79 Academic ICT4D Journals and Publications

The Complete List of 79 Academic ICT4D Journals and Publications

Published on: Jul 18 2012 by Wayan Vota - 3 Comments
One source of continuous frustration for ICT4D academic researchers is the glacial pace of academia. One has to submit papers 8 months in advance for conferences...
Better than “Smart Handpumps” are Empowered Handpump Users

Better than “Smart Handpumps” are Empowered Handpump Users

Published on: Jul 13 2012 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
Every so often, I see ICT4D projects that have way over-thought their solution, going for whiz-bang technology over simpler, human solutions. Here is an example...
Dead Ushahidi: A Stark Reminder for Sustainability Planning in ICT4D

Dead Ushahidi: A Stark Reminder for Sustainability Planning in ICT4D

Published on: Jul 09 2012 by Wayan Vota - 6 Comments
By now, you’ve heard of Ushahidi, the ICT4D darling for crowdsourcing map data. You also may suspect there is frothy hype around it, mapping, and GIS in...
The $200 Nexus 7 Google Tablet is a Game-Changer for ICT Adoption in Africa

The $200 Nexus 7 Google Tablet is a Game-Changer for ICT Adoption in Africa

Published on: Jun 29 2012 by Wayan Vota - 12 Comments
On Wednesday, Google announced the specs and price point for its Nexus 7 tablet. Engadget reports that for $200 the Nexus 7 has a 7-inch 1280 x 800 IPS LCD to...
Ten years later, telecenters are still not sustainable

Ten years later, telecenters are still not sustainable

Published on: Jun 27 2012 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Ten years later, telecenters are still not sustainable
In case you are wondering, telecenters are still not sustainable. A new research report, Public Access Computing in South Africa: Old Lessons and New Challenges,...
Designing Effective Education Programs Using ICT: USAID ICT4E Report

Designing Effective Education Programs Using ICT: USAID ICT4E Report

Published on: Jun 25 2012 by Wayan Vota - 5 Comments
I’m proud to announce the publication of USAID’s First Principles: Designing Effective Education Programs Using Information and Communication Technology...
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