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Tablets running windows 8 are slated to arrive on market in 2012. There will be 4 versions of windows 8 with one of the biggest difference being if they run on ARM processors or Intel processors. Versions for Intel are Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise. Windows RT is the official name for the version designed to run on low-powered ARM processors, which are used in a lot of tablets today.

Entry-level Windows 8 tablets are expected to be under $300 and high-end models, with specs comparable to the latest iPad will cost around $1,000 which pricing will enable Microsoft to compete the iPad and Android tablets. The flexible pricing is good for developing market where more affordable tablets devices are needed.

According to BusinessInsider.com Windows for ARM, now called Windows RT, will run a special version of Office, designed for touchscreens. It won’t run older Windows apps. App developers have an option to write one new app that will work on both Intel and ARM versions of Windows 8.

Windows 8 will come with a bunch of pre-installed apps including mail, calendar and links to its cloud SkyDrive which includes freebie cloud versions of things like Word, Excel, PowerPoint.  The rest of the Windows 8 apps will be found on Microsoft’s app store.

Intel expects the first crop of Windows 8 tablets to have 9 hours of battery life, and expects them to come in two form factors: a 10-inch regular tablet, and an 11-inch “convertible” that turns into a regular laptop computer with keyboard. 

Other specs: less than 1.5 pounds (like the iPad), 9mm, includes near-field communications which can be used for wallet-like payment apps, will use WiFi Direct to let them connect to each other in addition to a WiFi network.

LinkedIn is a community of over 150 million and mostly professionals hence worth time for business networking.   There are still scanty statistics of Ugandans and East Africans on LinkedIn but LinkedIn is among the top 10 most visited websites in Uganda and East Africa hence a sign that there is a big enough community on the network. Among the tips to grow your LinkedIn community and stay on top are.

1.       Update Your Status Frequently and Consistently. This may require about two to five daily updates. Ensure you do this on the actual website itself and not use third-party tools

2.       Share and comment on the updates of your network connections.

3.       Invite more people to your network.  

4.       Start and/or participate in LinkedIn Group Discussions.

5.       Follow companies and engage with comments on company profile updates.

6.       What You Share Matters

Remember to share in an engaging way with questions the news, articles and insights that are relevant to your connections if you want to attract and grow the right audience.

How has your experience with LinkedIn been?

Google has released  Zeitgeist Young Minds, winners. Of the 10 inspiring young people selected from around the world 5 are from Africa. (call it the Africa wow momentJ)

The winners as per the Google announcement are:

·  Ada Umeofia, 19 from Nigeria WeBuilt: Africa is a design-centered social enterprise that redesigns and constructs market stalls for poverty-stricken Africans by recycling found building materials in slums. View the video:

·  Joel Mwale, 19 from Kenya Skydrop Enterprise Inc has brought safe drinking water to a community of 5,000 and has become a profitable enterprise from selling bottled water across Kenya and Uganda. View the video:

·  Jordan Ridge, 23 from South Africa Made by Mosaic is a job creation project for women in South Africa addressing the challenges of economic development in the townships. View the video:

·  Sibusiso Tshabalala, 20 from South Africa Developed reading clubs and a library renovation programme in South Africa to encourage critical thinking and thoughtful debate within local high schools. View the video:

·  Simeon Oriko, 23 from Kenya The Kuyu Project trains school children on how to use social media for social change and promotes digital literacy. View the video:

We congratulate the winners and we take very keen interest in Simeon Oriko, The Kuyu Project.  Uganda needs similar initiatives to enlighten schools children about social media and the massive benefits it comes with.  We hope some creative young mind in Uganda will pick a leaf.

Mountain Dew has officially announced their dedicated sponsorship for UMC and the Motocross Championships.

On an event that was presided over by Timothy Luzinda the Pepsi Brand Manager, Mountain Dew announced a UGX500M two years sponsorship for this passionate and amazing sport.  This follows their previous 3 years sponsorship that has helped promote this sport massive.

Upon signing this big money deal, Motocross Race Track Garuga was rebranded. Motocross race track, Garuga, is now ‘the Mountain Dew Extreme Sports Park’.

Winners in this sport will now receive cash prizes cutesy of Mountain Dew.

At a press conference held at Quality Cuts Hill in Nsambya, Uganda Motocross Club (UMC) chairman, Stephan Duyck expressed his fascination on the new deal that will most certainly attract new fans and riders to the sport.

My first exposure to BlackBerry was my first exposure to a Smartphone, which I did not own but as I was part of the support team for executives in my company that were privileged to own a BlackBerry, I had a chance to support BlackBerry services.  In a short while (after 2 years) I had my hands on what is now arguably a superior smartphone compared to BlackBerry.  In Uganda, the BlackBerry was and still is a symbol of class for some Ugandans and other people elsewhere (in Nigeria there is a Nollywood movie titled “BlackBerry Babes”).  The BlackBerry with its trademark QWERTY has strong messaging capabilities and security has been traded as one of its strength.  Despite this reputation, BlackBerry is never traded as that sexy gadget, it is no longer of mass appeal (may be has never been in Uganda) and is seeing its market share taken by iPhone and Android devices.

Even as in the current smartphone market BlackBerry market share has continued to reduce, RIM the manufacturer of BlackBerry has released BlackBerry 10 to its developers.  The future of RIM and BlackBerry has been the subject of debate since the start of 2012 but the release of BlackBerry 10 software development kit (SDK)   gives it a lifeline to remain relevant in the market if developers are convinced it is worth developing for BlackBerry 10.  In releasing the development platform RIM offered developers the essential tools for creating BlackBerry 10 apps, including prototype hardware running the new software.

The Uganda smartphone market has seen more effort move to the android platform given that there are more affordable android gadgets on market.  Developers in Uganda may find less appeal for BlackBerry but the fact that the new BlackBerry 10 developer’s toolkit also includes tools for building HTML5 apps is an important feature to take note of.  It hence means it will be easier to port your HTML5 apps to blackberry or if you developed first on the blackberry platform you will have less challenge to port your apps to other platforms such as android.

Would you consider developing for BlackBerry?

Check out HiPipo Digital Agency Service (Mobile Web and APP Development)