Practical Insights on Hardware for ICT4D Projects

Beware the Mobile Phone Hardware Quality Divide for Rural African Women

Beware the Mobile Phone Hardware Quality Divide for Rural African Women

Published on: Sep 20 2018 by Wayan Vota - 12 Comments
We all can celebrate the massive adoption of mobile phones across the African continent, and be astonished at the rapid uptake of smartphones in countries like...
USAID Managers Guide to Microcomputers in Development

USAID Managers Guide to Microcomputers in Development

Published on: Sep 03 2018 by Wayan Vota - 4 Comments
Today we continue our ICT4D flashback with the 1983 USAID Managers Guide to Microcomputers in Development, which contains the first use of the phrase “artificial...
Which Mobile Phones Work Best for Disaster Responders and Humanitarian Aid Field Teams?

Which Mobile Phones Work Best for Disaster Responders and Humanitarian Aid Field Teams?

Published on: Mar 05 2018 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
During my time working with a well-known Mobile Industry Development group, one request which would turn up on a regular basis in my in-box was for recommendations...
The Feature Phone is Not Yet Dead in Africa – Your Weekend Long Reads

The Feature Phone is Not Yet Dead in Africa – Your Weekend Long Reads

Published on: Feb 24 2018 by Steve Vosloo - 1 Comment
Quartz Africa reports that last year feature phones won market share from smartphones in Africa. The market share of smartphones fell to 39% in 2017 (from 45%),...
Can Mobile Device Management Improve the Data Collection Processes?

Can Mobile Device Management Improve the Data Collection Processes?

Published on: Feb 19 2018 by Guest Writer - 10 Comments
When doing large scale monitoring, evaluation and research, organizations often deploy hundreds of frontline workers with hundreds of devices for mobile data collection. Naturally,...
4 Requirements for Technology Project Sustainability

4 Requirements for Technology Project Sustainability

Published on: Feb 09 2017 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on 4 Requirements for Technology Project Sustainability
I am often called in to help when a technology project has gone awry. For example, once a partner organization gifted a network-attached storage server (NAS) to...
Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases

Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases

Published on: Jan 18 2017 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Apply Now: $5 Million in Cash Grants for ICT4D Hardware Purchases
Guess what kids, there is a Hardware Santa Claus! Nethope has just announced its 2017 Device Challenge – $5 million dollars in cash grants for technology...
Stop Giving Away Smartphones!

Stop Giving Away Smartphones!

Published on: Sep 15 2016 by Wayan Vota - 11 Comments
Pretty much every day, I hear the same failure refrain repeated again and again, “We gave away 50-100 smartphones for our mobile project.” Why is this...
Please Stop Asking for Equipment Donations. There is NO Hardware Santa Claus

Please Stop Asking for Equipment Donations. There is NO Hardware Santa Claus

Published on: Jul 24 2015 by Wayan Vota - 6 Comments
Recently, I was asked to help find a donor that would give a program several hundred Android tablets to support a new ICT4D initiative. I was a little surprised...
Top 5 Hardware Challenges in Information Technology for Development

Top 5 Hardware Challenges in Information Technology for Development

Published on: May 25 2015 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
When work began on Inveneo’s Hardware Challenges White Paper last year, all of the parties involved—including the organizations that commissioned and funded...
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