Nokia Asha 205 Dual SIM now available in East Africa

Nokia’s latest Asha device comes with a dedicated Facebook button and exclusive multimedia sharing feature, Slam

 

Nairobi, Kenya 17^th January 2013 – Nokia today announced that the Nokia Asha 205 Dual SIM, is now available for purchase in East Africa. Nokia’s most affordable QWERTY phone is the newest addition to the Asha range and is the only Nokia device to feature a dedicated Facebook button, making it perfect for highly social consumers who want the fastest access to their Facebook profile. Combined with eBuddy Chat, Twitter and support for popular email accounts such as Gmail, the Nokia Asha 205 Dual SIM is designed to ensure that people are never more than a few clicks away from their social networks.

 

This latest addition to the Asha range is available in a range of eye-catching colours such as Orange, Cyan and Magenta* at selected retail outlets across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Estimated retail prices: 

 

Kenya – KSH 5,499

Uganda – UGX 215,000

Tanzania – TSH 120,000

 

The Nokia Asha 205 Dual SIM is also one of the first devices to feature Nokia’s exclusive Slam feature. Slam allows consumers to share multimedia content like photos and videos with nearby friends almost instantly. Slam works with most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones without the need to pair devices, and without the recipient needing to also have Slam**. In just a few clicks, people can ‘Slam’ their content to another device faster than with Bluetooth alone and without consuming Internet data.

 

“The Nokia Asha 205 with QWERTY keyboard and dedicated Facebook button is perfect for the vibrant youth market in East Africa,” says Bruce Howe, General Manager for Nokia East Africa. “Recent reports from Social Bakers indicate that there are now almost 3.3 Million Facebook users in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and the majority of these are between the ages of 18-24. In Kenya alone, Facebook users grew by over 30% in the last 6 months, highlighting the importance of making Facebook access seamless”.

Other key features of the Nokia Asha 205 Dual SIM include:

·         eBuddy screen notifications that keep users up-to-the-minute on new conversations

·         A comprehensive mobile entertainment package, including 40 free EA Games available for download, along with tens of thousands of other apps available from the Nokia Store

·         Nokia’s exclusive Easy Swap technology that enables consumers to change SIM cards without having to turn off the device

·         The Nokia Asha 205 Dual SIM phone remembers the settings of up to five SIM cards making it easy to switch between making calls or using the Internet

·         Great standby time: up to 25 days

The new device takes full advantage of the Nokia Xpress Internet platform, which uses Nokia's cloud technology to reduce data consumption by up to 90%, helping consumers enjoy more affordable Internet access. It also features Nokia Nearby, a web app that helps consumers discover points of interest such as restaurants, shopping and ATM close to their location.

 

*Phone colours may vary by country

**’Slam’ currently not compatible with iOS and Windows Phone devices

 

Investors Snap Up Shelter Afrique Bonds

Nairobi: January 08, 2013: The Nairobi based Pan African housing and urban development financier Shelter Afrique's Ksh500 million bond, the last tranche of a Ksh3 billion medium term note issue in 2011, has recorded a full subscription. 

This offer, which follows a successful floating of the first tranche of Ksh2.5 billion in 2011, will attract a fixed rate of 12.5%, and is expected to mature on December 14^th, 2015.

Announcing the results, Shelter Afrique Managing Director Alassane BÂ hailed the success of the bond, saying it demonstrated a robust local investor appetite for bonds and strong faith investors have in the company.

“We received a very positive response from the market and the bond was snapped up in record time. This positive market reception to our bond offering, the period notwithstanding, clearly demonstrates increased local investor confidence in Shelter Afrique’s long-term value proposition,” said BÂ.Mr.BÂ noted that the funds raised through the first tranche had been substantially utilized to finance projects in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

“Ten projects at an estimated cost of Ksh9.4 billion have been funded with proceeds of the first tranche. Proceeds from this last tranche will be used to fund already approved projects in Nairobi and Mombasa”

Medium to long term funding

Mr. BÂ said the issuance of the bond also reflects the company’s desire to focus on medium to long-term funding solutions for the provision of affordable and adequate housing in Kenya adding that poor planning, lack of finance, high cost of infrastructure development and that of building materials remain major challenges to the provision of decent housing in the country.

“There is a growing need for viable and adapted options for funding housing development, against the backdrop of a growing demand for housing that surpasses supply. With an estimated annual demand of 150,000 housing units in Kenya against a supply of less than 35,000 the demand for decent housing is enormous,” said Mr. BÂ.

Mr. BÂ said the need for affordable housing in Africa must be urgently addressed, adding that failure to do so will not only result in the continued growth of slums and a deteriorating standard of living for the majority of Africa’s urban dwellers, but also hinder the continent’s efforts to create the broad-based economic growth required to reduce poverty.

“Shelter Afrique, as the foremost housing finance and development institution in Africa is keen on working closely with key stakeholders to find a solution to the low income housing problems facing the people of Africa specifically with the aim of designing successful social housing programs which will lead to increased supply of affordable houses on the continent,” he said.

With four previous bonds issued and fully subscribed, the Shelter Afrique is one of the most prolific corporate debt issuers in the Kenyan market. The company has financed the implementation of more than 100 projects in the country, amounting to about Ksh11.6 billion (US$135 million).

The new bond began trading at the Nairobi Security Exchange on January 2^nd, 2013.

Introducing Google+ (Plus) Communities !

On 6 December 2012 Google Senior Vice President Vic Gundotra  announced via Google Blog the introduction of a new exciting product into the Market :Google+ Communities .This "may" perhaps be one of the most significant products that may just elevate the search giant in the social media arena to rival and perhaps ultimately defeat Facebook.


At present pundits and techies alike are musing on whether Google + Communities may just be the death bed of Message Boards and many valid arguments are raised in support and against the statement.For now it may just be too early to tell the effect that Google Plus Communities may have in the World of Social Media but on the preliminary it is safe to say the impact will be "significant" enough for the dominant player Facebook Inc to be exponentially concerned.



So What is Google +  Communities? Many of us are acquainted with Facebook Pages...Well Google Plus Communities is much more.The above YouTube Video i believe illustrates what it is and what you can use it for.You can learn more however at this official page. Coupled with Google Hangout -Google communities is a serious contender for the attention of those disposed to socially interact online for business,pleasure, education, entertainment...etc.Google Plus Communities is the gathering place..the rallying call for the diverse interests.




Take for example are you a passionate Kenyan Blogger...there is already a community for you to share your thoughts, inspiration ,challenges, network... etc.This is significant due to the fact that Google + Communities is hardly 6 days old and you get such ventures already going on.

Go ahead give it a try...engage a community!