Big has become an obsession if the latest trend from the phone makers is anything to go by, it’s a concept we anticipated sometimes back but not at this rate, Samsung’s latest Galaxy Mega portfolio has stretched the phablet benchmark to some interesting heights; both Galaxy I9150 and Galaxy I9200 pose a gigantic display panel alongside other peculiar specs underneath. The two mega devices slightly overshadow their earlier sibling – Galaxy Note; but that’s as far as they’re in top headlines; beyond a seemingly impressive screen, other features don’t go as far as we expected, it’s a pity we could have such a big display screen with a disappointingly low 540 x 960 pixels resolution on the 5.8inch variant and a modest 720 x 1280pixels resolution on the 6.3inch variant translating to 190ppi and 233ppi (pixels per inch) respectively.
Samsung S5280 and S5282 (Dual-SIM) Galaxy Star Review
The galaxy S5280 isn’t a major contender in the top tier smart phone category, everything underneath best suits a budget droid smart phone but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely worthless especially for new comers. Alongside the single SIM S5280 is its immediate S5282 dual-sim sibling that comes with dual-sim capability onboard. The two smart phones don’t have much to offer in terms of performance compared to pricier rivals such as S3 but they’ve got an almost rock-bottom price tag that any cheapskate looking for an easy way to own a droid smart phone would love. Both S5280 and S5282 Galaxy Star variants are exceptionally identical physically besides the dual-sim feature included on the later, they’ve a simple 3.0inch TFT screen with a modest 240×320 pixels screen resolution, so expect slightly pixilated icons and text.
Despite a mean screen resolution, the small 3.0inch panel works in its favor, translating to 133ppi (pixels per inch) which’s slightly better than the older Mini S5570’s 127ppi. Something that’s way impressive on the galaxy star s5280 and s5282 is the processor speed, for a clock-speed of 1GHz; it’ll a shame a good number of devices within its genre plus its own older siblings. It has an almost double-speed processor than Mini S5570, which pioneered the galaxy budget category sometimes back with a modest 600MHz chip. The front panel is largely occupied by a 3.0inch panel and Samsung’s typical logo at the top and three physical buttons below, it’s mainly plastic with a chrome looking bezel running around it thought we’d preferred at least some aluminum touches here and there. On the back-side is a mean 2.0 megapixel snapper, it’s far below our benchmarks in the same category but at least we’ve got a faster processor as a consolation.
A Plan for Samsung’s Laptop and TV Assembly Plant in Kenya
Samsung is by no means performing worse than expected in Kenya, it has become a common household brand with various brands such as laptop computers, mobile phones and television sets doing better than rivals in the country. The current trending news of Samsung’s plan to build a laptop and TV plant in Kenya doesn’t come as a surprise either; in fact, beyond its impressive sales, Kenya is strategically placed as a nerve centre of its operations in East Africa. The plant which is expected to begin operations before the end of the year is expected to create direct employment opportunities for about 900 people and more than 1,000 people indirectly in other areas like supply and marketing chains and at the same time enhancing the transfer of knowledge.
Sony Xperia L C2105/2104 Features and Specifications
Not much has changed since Sony stood on its own after years of partnership with Ericson in making mobile devices; however, the company has continued relentlessly to make decent smart phones that are worth including on your handset’s shortlist. Sony’s latest addition to the Xperia series, the L C2105/2104 is a good example, we don’t expect this handset to topple the likes of galaxy s4 from the top of the table – but it has its own strongholds you’d love. It’s the kind of phone you’d buy if a larger display is of essence, the Xperia L C2105/2104 has a 4.3 inch capacitive touch screen packed with a decent 854×480 pixels screen resolution. We’ve got phones with bigger panels but a 4.3inch screen should do just fine – and at that resolution translating to an awesome 228 pixels per inch, scrolling through your photo gallery or browsing web pages should be a breeze.
Underneath is a 1GHz dual-core processor – we don’t expect any adjustments on our benchmarks as the latest galaxy s4 has moved the bar far beyond what you’ll get on this phone. Galaxy s4 has four of those dual-cores (8 cores processor to be precise); however, it’s still man-enough to run those android apps without any noticeable lags. Beyond a 4.3inch display, not much can be said about the front panel, you’ll obviously notice Sony’s typical logo at the top close to the ear-piece and 3 capacitive buttons below. Since Sony Xperia L C2105/2104 runs on Google’s latest version of android operating system – v4.1 Jelly Bean, you’ll get the usual 5 home screen feature and typical android icons with minimal bloat ware from Sony. The interface is typical to that of other Sony’s products such as tablets making it easier to adjust for non Sony starters. On the back-side is an impressive 8.0Megapixels primary snapper that’s surrounded by a protective highlighted camera ring and an LED flash coming in close on the right.
Sony Xperia L C2105/2104 is sleek and elegantly designed measuring 128.7x65x9.7 mm, the power button on top is amazingly curved from aluminum and the illuminated alerts can’t be any better. The internal storage is capped at 8GB but presence of a MicroSD card opens a lee-way to expand up to 32GB. With an 8.0 megapixel camera, the handset can take decent shots at the same time record 720p HD quality videos, other video and camera features include; 4x digital zoom capability, face and smile detection, HDR for both picture and film. Pre-loaded apps include – Google Play, Google voice search, Google maps for mobile and Google chrome browser.
Sony Xperia L C2105/2104 Features/Specifications;
- Operating System: Android v4.1 Jelly Bean Operating System
- Processor: 1GHz Dual-Core Qualcomm Processor
- Display: 4.3inch (854x480p pixels) (228ppi) TFT Capacitive panel, 16m colors
- Camera: 8.0Megapixel, 4x Digital zoom, LED Flash, Video:720p
- Storage: 8GB Internal (5.8GB user available), 1GB RAM Up to 32GB MicroSD card
- Connectivity: MicroUSB v2.0, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP
- Internet: HSDPA 21Mbps, HSDPA 5.76Mbps, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, Hotspot
- Other ft: Touch-focus, Geo-Tagging, face & smile detection, gyro, compas, accel
- Battery: Standard Lithium Ion 1750mAh
Sony Xperia L C2105/2104 Price in Kenya:
M-Pesa Agent Mkopo Na KCB Insights
Safaricom and KCB teamed up to offer M-Pesa agents’ unsecured loans through a service dubbed ‘M-Pesa Agent Mkopo na KCB’ sometimes back; we’ve decided to take a short detour to outline some insights of this service. M-Pesa is by far the most successful mobile banking service in the country while KCB has been consistent in topping as the biggest bank in the region with presence in the entire East Africa; therefore, it’ll not be news seeing the two team-up to promote their products. According to the press release from the two institutions, KCB will avail Kshs.1.5 billion unsecured loan facility to Mpesa agents who may borrow up to 6 times of their average commissions earned over a 6 month period, commissions are calculated on the amount and number of transactions agents make on a daily basis – usually on customer withdrawals.
Epson EB-485Wi Ultra-Short Throw Projector Comes to Kenya
The latest generation EB-485Wi Epson projector brings interactive learning to schools with capability of multi-user support (student-teacher) on the same board. At a launch event in Nairobi march 27th, Epson’s East Africa Regional Sales Manager Mukesh Bector showcased Epson’s innovative ultra-short throw projector which works by mounting on the projection surface eliminating shadow effects witnessed on traditional projectors. The projector has two interactive pens that can be used by a student and a teacher at the same time, hence making collaborative work easier. The pens are fairly light and are very responsive making them easier to use – a feature credited to the hover function that’s responsible for detecting when they aren’t in contact with projection surface.
Frequent Undersea Cable Cuts Underscores Kenyan Gains in Data Connectivity
I recall those days when everyone using internet in Kenya somehow had that kind of optimism you’d only expect from expecting parents – there’s nothing too anxious than waiting for the arrival of a new born in the family, and in this case, data consumers had every reason to be. Fiber cables have proven to provide faster and cheaper internet connectivity than traditional satellites; be it streaming videos live or downloading high-definition videos in minutes, it all sounded out of this world. Frequent fiber cable cuts especially those linking Kenya with the rest of the world is almost alarming; it’s almost predictable that at least after every two months, one of the cables would experience major cuts rendering users on the network out of internet. It’s not just my assumption but a major concern to many Kenyans using internet for their daily chores.
Orange Kenya’s ‘NiSort’ – a Reverse Call Charge Service
Orange Kenya’s reverse call charge service dubbed NiSort works no different to how traditional fixed line (landline) used to, the only difference is on how the service can be accessed as well as the operations involved. Unlike the old landline telephone, you’d not need the intervention of the operator, a reverse call request is sent to the recipient and the call completed subsequently if accepted. This follows the successful launch of Pay4me-6565 – a similar service by YuMobile which allows its prepaid subscribers have their telephone charges transferred to the recipient instead of the person initiating the call. NiSort service allows Orange Kenya prepaid subscribers make phone calls even when their account balances are zero – charges are incurred by the recipient upon acceptance.