Practical Insights on Technology for ICT4D Projects

The End of Kiswahili Text Translation Services

The End of Kiswahili Text Translation Services

Published on: Nov 24 2009 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
tweetmeme_source = 'ICT_works'; We’ve seen all manner of business models upended with the digital revolution, from travel agents to the entire music industry....
How Can We Increase Access to ICT, Today?

How Can We Increase Access to ICT, Today?

Published on: Nov 18 2009 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on How Can We Increase Access to ICT, Today?
1. Keep an Open Mind on What is “ICT” All too often, we get so caught up in what is shiny, flashy, and new, we come to think of just computers, Internet...
Knowledge + Power: ICT Impact on Climate Change

Knowledge + Power: ICT Impact on Climate Change

Published on: Nov 16 2009 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Knowledge + Power: ICT Impact on Climate Change
At this year’s Development Marketplace 2009 (DM2009) finalist event at the World Bank, I was asked a challenging question: What’s the impact of ICT...
Kenya Blackout: Internet is Up When KPLC is Down

Kenya Blackout: Internet is Up When KPLC is Down

Published on: Nov 12 2009 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
tweetmeme_source = 'ICT_works'; Last week, there was a countrywide blackout in Kenya. The electrical authority, KPLC, took the national electrical grid offline...
Empowering End Users with Pre-Installed Software

Empowering End Users with Pre-Installed Software

Published on: Nov 09 2009 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
End users of computers in the developing world often want to engage in activities that are beyond the stock software that comes with popular operating systems, especially...
Cloud Computing in Africa? All Weather is Local

Cloud Computing in Africa? All Weather is Local

Published on: Nov 05 2009 by Wayan Vota - 5 Comments
Recently there’s been a good discussion about cloud computing in Africa, where Ken Banks asks if its “Inappropriate” appropriate technology? Ken...
Xantrex TR1524: The Most Fraudulent Solar Inverter-Charger Ever

Xantrex TR1524: The Most Fraudulent Solar Inverter-Charger Ever

Published on: Nov 02 2009 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Xantrex TR1524: The Most Fraudulent Solar Inverter-Charger Ever
Buying solar power equipment for Africa is often a challenge. First, the USA runs on 110V, so most of the equipment here will not work with the 220V standard common...
Best Low Bandwidth Web Design: Emailed RSS

Best Low Bandwidth Web Design: Emailed RSS

Published on: Oct 21 2009 by Wayan Vota - 4 Comments
When you design websites for the low-bandwidth environment common in Africa, you come across constraints not considered by your average web developer. Paramount...
Wikireader: a Digital Library of Alexandria, Offline

Wikireader: a Digital Library of Alexandria, Offline

Published on: Oct 19 2009 by Wayan Vota - 3 Comments
No matter how much bandwidth comes via the new fiber optic cables, there still will be massive offline areas in Africa. So there will still be a great craving for...
Nokia: Win $125,000 For Uniquely African Apps

Nokia: Win $125,000 For Uniquely African Apps

Published on: Oct 17 2009 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
Here’s a great opportunity from Nokia for for African mobile and web application developers to create best-in-class applications. Nokia is offering $125,000...