Can an African Virtual SIM Gamble Pay Off? The New Delhi-based Bharti Airtel, in a deal with UK-based Movirtu, hopes to do away with handsets, which are often shared among family members in Africa. Using a technology called Movirtu Share, Airtel hopes that the shared family phone could benefit from its virtual SIM, which allows […]
Tech Sightings, August 6, 2014
Posted August 6th, 2014 at 2:14 pm (UTC-4)
One-Size-Fits-All Textbooks Don’t Make Sense in the Digital Age A non-profit group based at Rice University is developing a new approach to learning. In the next two years, OpenStax will produce personalized interactive books that better match individual learning aptitudes. The Inspiration for ‘The Bionic Man’ Shares His Thoughts on the Future of Bionics Bertolt […]
Tech Sightings, August 5, 2014
Posted August 5th, 2014 at 2:13 pm (UTC-4)
Google Removes ‘Bomb Gaza’ Game from App Store An Android game called Bomb Gaza that let players use F16 fighters to “drop bombs and avoid killing civilians” in Gaza has been removed from the Google Play store in response to a public outcry. The game, which was downloaded up to 1,000 times since July 29, […]
Q&A: World Short of Solutions As E-Waste Mounts
Posted August 1st, 2014 at 3:00 pm (UTC-4)
Technology is a wonderful thing. Occasionally, it has unfortunate byproducts. E-waste is one of them. Today’s tech-addicted world produces about 50 tons of e-waste every year, according to the United Nations University, a UN think tank. That ranges from cellphones to major appliances – anything with a plug, cartridge or battery. Industrialized countries generate part […]
Tech Sightings, July 31, 2014
Posted July 31st, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
Facebook-Backed Nonprofit Brings Free Internet to Zambia Facebook’s non-profit group, Internet.org, is releasing an app that provides Zambians with limited, but free Internet data access and news about health, employment and other relevant local information. New Display Tech Corrects for Bad Eyesight Are the days of the reading glasses numbered? The University of California, Berkley […]
Tech Sightings, July 30, 2014
Posted July 30th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
Russia Wants Apple, SAP to Cooperate Against Foreign Spying Moscow suggested that Apple and SAP should give the government access to their source code to ensure that it is not being used for espionage. The development comes amidst renewed U.S. and European consultations to impose even more severe sanctions on Russia for its role in […]
Tech Sightings, July 29, 2014
Posted July 29th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
DNA Computer Could Curb Virus Spread A research team at the University of the Sunshine Coasthas developed a computer that can diagnose and distinguish between various types of viruses using molecular circuitry. Microsoft Faces China Antitrust Probe A Chinese government statement says State Administration of Industry and Commerce officials who visited Microsoft’s offices in Beijing, […]
Software Makers Hope Cloud Can Rein in Piracy
Posted July 25th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
Software piracy or, more politely, the unlicensed use of copyrighted products, accounts for 43 percent all software installed on personal computers worldwide, and amounts to about $62.7 billion in commercial value, according to 2013 figures reported in a recent BSA | The Software Alliance survey. Aside from organized piracy for commercial profit, most unlicensed use […]
Tech Sightings, July 24, 2014
Posted July 24th, 2014 at 1:00 pm (UTC-4)
Could Food Waste Power Our Cities? Florida’s Harvest Power, a group that first started by collecting food waste from Walt Disney World, has found a new way to produce energy. Quadrillions of microorganisms, feeding on discarded food, consume the waste much faster than it would take for it to decompose and produce biogas – a […]
Tech Sightings, July 23, 2014
Posted July 23rd, 2014 at 2:01 pm (UTC-4)
Why Africa Needs Maker Faire Maker Faire, an international celebration of hardware hacking, is making its way to South Africa in September. Organizers are looking to focus on African makers and inventors and are actively seeking them out to encourage them to attend. Building a Generation of Women Scientists in Africa An educational program initiated […]