What is a Mobile Economy? Let’s Look to Africa

In May, the research firm Generator Research published a report in which they projected that the worldwide market for mobile payments will grow to 633.4 billion by 2014; the report was picked up by Gigaom and a number of mobile-savvy blogs, getting enough dissemination to make most entrepreneurs drool over the possibilities for growth and [...]

iPhone Banking

JP Morgan Chase’s new Banking application for the iPhone makes managing your personal finances unimaginably convenient. It may be that the days of rushing to the bank during your lunch hour and spending countless minutes waiting for a teller are over. With Chase’s new application, you can take a photo of any personal check (with [...]

Toxin Sensing Mobile Phones

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have just finished the first phase of an initiative to develop a mobile sensor capable of detecting toxic chemicals in our environment. With a small startup called Rhevision Inc., the chief researcher on the project, Michael Sailor, has devised the sensor, a porous flake of silicon which [...]

Twilio, San Francisco

According to The Business Insider, the Silicon Valley startup Twilio is the hot silicon valley startup to watch this year. Though I’ve heard a lot of humming about this company over the last year, I wasn’t exactly sure of what they do or what they offer. So I snooped around their website for a while. [...]

Quake Catcher Network

In the wake of the unlucky string of earthquakes around the world, I thought it would be appropriate to write about the Quake-Catcher Network (QCN). QCN is a collaborative initiative for developing the world’s largest, low-cost strong-motion seismic network by utilizing sensors in and attached to internet-connected computers.

All City Art

Semaphore Mobile recently developed a new application, All City Art, essentially a handheld mobile guide to global street art. Addictive and accessible, the application is ripe for graffiti enthusiasts and the average voyeur alike. Easily tag and upload street art spots you find and discover new ones you haven’t seen yet. And, connect the dots.

Mobile App Developers in Africa

This week John Sutter has an interesting piece on CNN.com which teases out mobile app developers formidable contributions to solving some of Africans biggest problems. Sutter focuses on the problem of opaque markets in information while discussing the common experience facing the average farmer in Africa—farmers rarely reap the benefit of high market prices as [...]

Mobile App Lab in Africa

The World Bank in partnership with Nokia is set to create a mobile application laboratory in Afria in an effort to push innovation in the field, while providing special support to innovative solutions that address the diverse challenges facing Africa.

OPen Culture

At least once in the last year, I have marveled about i Tunes U or mobile language learning or free music or movie content. All this yelping about free resources, doesn’t do you much good if you can’t actually find them. When I found myself stuck with the springtime flu this weekend, I decided to [...]

Add a new line to your Smart Phone

A new application, Line2, is shaking up established cell phone user models by allowing an iPhone-user (for now—Android users should get their fill in a few months) to add a second line to their mobile phone, therein enabling them to establish a separate contact list, voicemail, etc.

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