The new Doogee S98 with Dual Screen and Night Vision set to launch on March 28th

The new Doogee S98 with Dual Screen and Night Vision set to launch on March 28th

The new S98 rugged phone was announced last month by DOOGEE. The company will launch the dual-screen rugged phone on March 28th on AliExpress and Doogemall (the company’s official shopping platform).

S98 Doogee phone

Doogee S98 sports a unique dual-screen design. The display on the back is round like the one on the Huawei P50 pocket but comes with a bezel to complete the smartwatch look. The 1.1-inch display allows great freedom of customization to achieve a more personalized style. For e.g, you can set a special picture as the background picture and use colors in the picture to customize a theme for the display. It is convenient for music control, checking the time, battery levels, and notifications without having to flip the phone over.

[The rear display borrows from the classic round shape of the wristwatch. Doogee S98 combines the 2 awesome worlds of smartphones and smartwatches into one]

On the back of the phone, there is also a triple camera setup, the main 64MP main camera, an 8MP wide-angle camera, and the most interesting of the set, a 20MP night vision camera. The night vision camera allows you to capture and record videos in pitch-black environments. Thanks to the 2 infrared lights on the side, a clear picture is almost always guaranteed.

Under the hood, MediaTek helio G96 runs the show. The octa-core processor is designed for gaming which means faster performance. Paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB memory, performance is smooth without lags.

The battery on this beast is a 6000mAh battery capable of carrying you 2-3 days of active use. It comes with a 33W fast charger and supports a 15W wireless charger.

s98 doogee rugged smartphone

The main screen is a 6.3” FHD+ corning gorilla glass-protected display. It will run Android 12 out of the box which brings a host of advantages on the security and optimization front. It also comes with a fingerprint scanner and a custom button on either side of the phone. The features are completed with NFC, 4 navigational satellite support, toolkit, custom button, side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and many more.

Passing both IP68 and IP69K certifications with flying colors, S98 is waterproof from a depth of 1.5m and drop-proof from a height of 1.5m. It also breezed past the MIL-STD-810G tests, which means it can be used in the most extreme weather conditions.

Doogee S98’s global launch has been booked for March 28. Between March 28th and April 1st, it will be sold at a discounted price of $239 on AliExpress. After which, it will return to its original price of $339. But, if you want a free S98, Doogee is giving away 4 of them. To throw your hat in the ring, check the official S98 page for more details on the giveaway.

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Microsoft student hackathon kicks off, seeks Climate Change solutions

Microsoft student hackathon kicks off, seeks Climate Change solutions

Microsoft Africa Development Center (ADC) is launching the 3rd season of its sponsored Game of Learners (GOL) student hackathon competition. The GOL initiative aims to improve digital and coding abilities among African university students. The Microsoft student hackathon participants will seek to find solutions that address the effects of climate change on the continent.

This year the 5-week hackathon’s objective is to propose solutions that reduce or reverse gas emissions and footprints, based on the theme Climate Change & Sustainability. Season 3 has a total of 8 teams made up of 5 participants from across East Africa participating. A Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador will lead each team and they will get mentorship and training from Microsoft.

The program’s main objective is to establish a fun, hands-on learning experience for students. It provides a virtual environment where students learn new technologies and build impactful solutions for their community. Overall, the program provides a platform for Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors to hone their leadership skills as Team Captains while leading and building impactful solutions with the learners.   

The best project will collaborate with the Green Belt Movement to advance the winning solution. Weekly episodes of the GOL Show will be available online as the teams document their progress. Other winning categories are; people’s choice (project with most votes on DevPost), Best Media Presence (best video content) and Learners (highest team average points on Microsoft Learn).

Microsoft student hackathon

 ”Part of our mission in ADC is solving Africa’s problems with Microsoft technology,” said ADC Managing Director Jack Ngare while making the announcement. “Africa is not immune to climate change challenges, and this is one of the issues we’d like to see tackled using Microsoft technology while also upskilling and enabling higher education tech enthusiasts in the region.” 

Green Belt Movement’s Paul Thiong’o welcomed this year’s theme on climate change, noting that it’s in line with the organization’s vision to have a values-driven society of people who consciously work for continued improvement of their livelihoods and a greener, cleaner world.  

At the Green Belt Movement, we believe in empowering communities to take action against climate change, whose effects are already being felt across Africa. Our experience shows that when the communities understand the linkage between their actions, environment, and their livelihood situations, they are more likely to muster their energies and act for change. As a result, we are delighted to be a part of this noble initiative, which will see our young people contribute positively to ongoing efforts to address climate change challenges.” 

“The GOL engages directly with students regardless of the higher education institution they come from. Born virtual, GOL is a program without borders. All GOL activities are supported by volunteers from Microsoft and partners as coaches, mentors, judges, speakers, and trainers,” Ngare explains, adding: “GOL is formed like a sports league, starting with a season, and followed by off-season clinics and exhibitions.” 

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Extended Reality Creators get $30K Africa No Filter and Meta Grant

Extended Reality Creators get $30K Africa No Filter and Meta Grant

Africa No Filter, in partnership with Meta, Electric South and Imisi 3D are awarding African Extended Reality Creators with up to $30,000 in grants to support the production and development of new content.

Six creators are winners of the ‘Future Africa: Telling Stories, Building Worlds’ programme. The program focuses on harnessing and investing in the next generation of Extended Reality (XR) creators and ecosystems in Africa.

The winners come from Mozambique, South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius, Cameroon, and Kenya. They will incorporate the creative uses of music, multimedia installations, films and sculpture in their work. To explore projects around spirituality, heritage, the cosmos, imagination and memory and masculinity into their extended realities projects. All with a focus on telling compelling African stories that are contemporary, narrative-shifting, and immersive.

Each creator will get funding of up to $30,000. Participate in XR-industry events to improve their creativity and showcase their projects. They will also access mentorship from Electric South and Imisi3D. 

It’s reassuring to see the amount of incredible XR talent on the African continent, says Jessica Hagan, Arts and Culture Program Lead at ANF. “The creativity and innovation we encountered in the selection process has been very exciting. It shows that Africa is also on the pulse of global innovation and tech trends that are redefining how stories are told and experienced. XR content creation is costly, but African creators are not falling behind,” she adds.

Extended Reality Creators Africa

The six Extended Reality Creators are: 

  • Pierre-Christophe Gam, Cameroon: A multimedia artist who is working on a hybrid art installation that fuses VR, film, photography, and mixed-media sculpture to imagine the future of Africa from the perspective of an African family living in 2070.
  • Xabiso Vili, South Africa: A writer, performer and new media artist. Vili’s visual album is a speculative fiction piece that explores reconciliation and healing. Vili hopes to turn toxic masculinity into compassionate masculinity.
  • Nirma Madhoo, Mauritius: A fashion filmmaker, XR creator and Ph.D. candidate. Her work explores African cultures as technologies, which she illustrates through ancient practices like cultural astronomy. 
  • Michelle Angawa, Kenya: A film editor XR creator. This creation centres around a short tragicomedy that depicts a day-in-the-life of a Nairobian boda boda rider. Exploring desire and the complexities of Nairobian life. 
  • Malik Afegbua, Nigeria: A multimedia artist who is curating a virtual heritage experience of the Kofar-Mata dye pit, a cultural and historical site in Kano, Nigeria.
  • Lara Sousa, Mozambique: A director and producer. This creation uses the journey of Lemanjá, the Afro-Brazilian goddess of wisdom, to explore the ocean as a sacred site of spirituality.

This specially curated program is an opportunity to support African storytellers who are leveraging the power of the next evolution of social technology. Whilst also shining a spotlight on the amazing, creative, and diverse talent pool we have here on the continent. We understand the power of Extended Reality and how it can be used to tell stories that shift narratives about and within the continent. We’re excited to see these visions come to life.”

Sherry Dzinoreva, Meta’s Public Policy Programs Director, Africa, Middle East, and Turkey

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itel A58 and A58 Pro smartphone, price, specs

itel A58 and A58 Pro smartphone, price, specs

itel is introducing its latest entry-level and budget-friendly smartphone the A58 series. The device targets new smartphone users with a bigger screen, bigger battery and fashionable device at a cheaper price. itel is also partnering with local telcos to provide buyers of the phone with data bundles for a period.

itel A58 series

The A58 series comes in a plastic body with three different colours to choose from. It has a 6.6-inch HD display with a 90% screen to body ratio to give you more viewing content. itel says it has a 2.5D curved edge screen design that makes viewing content on the device more immersive. The 4000mAh battery size promises to last you through a day and 27 hours of call time and 15 hours of video play. itel says its AI power master technology will give a user an extra 2 hours in power saving mode and up to 10 days in ultra power-saving mode.

The itel A58 series phones are resistant to ordinary drops, dust and moisture-proof and can handle extreme temperatures.

The main difference between the A58 and A58 Pro we know of is that the Pro version has 2GB RAM and 32GB storage compared to 1GB and 16GB in the A58. The chipsets used in the device also seem to vary across each market.

In Ghana, it starts selling at GHS 474, Ksh 8,650 in Kenya, NGN 40,000 in Nigeria, 80,000Rwf in Rwanda and UGX 275,000 in Uganda.

itel A58 and A58 Pro specifications

itel A58
Dimensions165.4 x 76 x 9.6 mm, Weight: 170 g
Display6.6″ (1612 x 720) HD+ IPS LCD, Waterdrop Full Screen display
ProcessorQuad-Core 1.3GHz Cortex-A7,
UNISOC SC7731E, MediaTek MT6580A
GPUMali-400MP2 / Mali T820 MP1
Memory1/2 GB
Storage16/32GB, microSD up to 64GB
Operating SystemAndroid 11 (Go edition)
ColorSky Cyan, Starry Black, Dreamy Purple
CameraRear: Dual Camera (5MP+QVGA)
Front: 5MP
BatteryNon-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh, 5V 1A
Wireless ConnectivityWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/, Bluetooth 4.2
PriceGHS 474, NGN 40,000, KES 8,650, UGX 275,000, USD 67, EUR 59, 80,000Rwf

Watch the device launch event by itel and MTN Uganda below.

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12 startups selected for first cohort of Microsoft, Flapmax Fast accelerator

12 startups selected for first cohort of Microsoft, Flapmax Fast accelerator

Flapmax is introducing the first 12 startups to kick off the FAST startup accelerator program. The startup incubation program seeks to help strengthen and scale Africa’s digital ecosystem. In partnership with Microsoft, Flapmax’s twelve-week startup accelerator will begin on March 21st. The 12 startups come from 6 different countries, serve 9 industries, and include 2 female founders.

Flapmax FAST accelerator Microsoft Africa startups

Flapmax says over 800 applications from 25 countries in Africa were received for the first FAST accelerator cohort. With the highest number of applications coming from Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, and Egypt. Industries represented by the application pool included AgTech, EdTech, HealthTech, FinTech and more.

Microsoft believes that African startups are well-placed to become a cornerstone of the African digital economy, with relevant solutions to local societal challenges. Participation in the FAST startup accelerator program will help these entrepreneurs capture available funding opportunities and plan for growth and future market expansion

Gerald Maithya, Startups Lead, Microsoft Africa Transformation Office.

In partnership with the Microsoft team, we are bringing together a unique mix of technology business and innovative entrepreneurs to build and scale societally impactful solutions that enable digital transformation across industries, as well as an introduction to cloud and AI-integration tools designed to unlock new value for their businesses”.

Dave Ojika, founder and CEO, Flapmax

FAST applicants had to be based in Africa, ready to scale or expand within the continent, and have an established product-market fit while addressing one or more Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The first Flapmax FAST accelerator cohort features the following startups:

  • Capsa Technology (app.getCapsa.com) : Online platform to buy and sell invoices for businesses in Africa
    Nigeria | FinTech | SDG: No Poverty 
  • Silqu (www.Silqu.com): Africa’s most advanced proptech platform in real estate and technology
    Kenya | PropTech | SDG: Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • LegitCar (LegitCar.ng): Building Africa’s biggest vehicle data service
    Nigeria | Automotive | SDG: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • VAIS (VAIS.ai): Comprehensive precision agriculture platform powered by AI & earth observation
    Egypt | AgTech | SDG: Zero Hunger
  • Snark Health (SnarkHealth.com): Partner with your doctor. Leverage your data. Pay less.
    Kenya | HealthTech | SDG: Good Health and Well-being
  • Pade HCM (PadeHCM.com): Automated HR for all African businesses
    Nigeria | Enterprise Software | SDG: Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • DayDone (www.DayDone.com.ng): eCommerce platform, digitizing Africa’s agriculture market
    Nigeria | AgTech | SDG: Zero Hunger
  • K-12 EdTech (K12plus.app): Asynchronous and synchronous kindergarten to 12th-grade education app
    Kenya | EdTech | SDG: Quality Education
  • Tumaini La Maisha (www.weareTLM.org): Pediatric oncology services
    Tanzania | Government & Public Service | SDG: Good Health & Well-being
  • Taimba (Taimba.co.ke): East Africa’s First Data-Driven Food Supply Chain Platform
    Kenya | AgTech | SDG: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Wala Digital Health (WalaDigital.io): Digital platform for hospitals access to blood that saves lives
    Ghana | HealthTech | SDG: Good Health and Well-being
  • KaCyber Technologies (www.KaCyber.com) : Making seamless mobility a reality in Africa
    Uganda | Mobility | SDG: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Flapmax Learn

Flapmax also announced the launch of its new upskilling and reskilling platform, Flapmax Learn, which would be used during the twelve-week FAST program to facilitate technology and business masterclasses and certifications. The top 100 startups from the FAST applicant pool will receive complimentary access to the Flapmax Learn platform, including the accelerator learning modules and masterclasses.

Beginning March 21, the FAST accelerator cohort will engage in a broad range of activities, including training, business development, cloud & AI integration, fundraising and community-building events designed to help them scale rapidly and sustainably. Microsoft engineering team members will work one-on-one with participants on co-innovation projects ranging from product integrations to new offerings. With the help of the Flapmax engineering team, the startup founders will access new technology tools and services. Participants will benefit from up to $250,000 in Microsoft Azure cloud credits, as well as access to Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, including access to OpenAI APIs.

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5 African student teams qualify for the 2022 Microsoft Imagine Cup World Finals

5 African student teams qualify for the 2022 Microsoft Imagine Cup World Finals

Five student teams from Kenya, Cameroon and South Africa are advancing to the 2022 Microsoft Imagine Cup World Finals. For an opportunity to win over USD50,000 in prizing and a slot in the World Championship in May. Where they can win the grand prize of USD100,000 and a mentoring session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella.

In the Imagine Cup World Finals round, they will compete against 43 other finalists from across the world. The teams will pitch their ideas to judges, demo their solutions, and engage in a question and answer session. Projects will be judged on their innovative use of Azure technology, accessibility and inclusion, and its marketability as a business idea.

Imagine Cup World Finals 2022

The Africa Imagine Cup World Finalists include three student teams from Kenya, one from Cameroon and one from South Africa. They developed projects and solutions in the Education, Health and Earth competition categories. Five teams from the Middle East and Six from Europe bring this number to 16 finalists from the EMEA region.

The student innovation competition known by others as the Olympics of Technology celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It allows students to create inspiring and inclusive projects using cutting-edge technologies and develop valuable skills. Last year a student team from Kenya became the first African team to win the Microsoft student competition. A testament to the impact skilling and mentorship is having on students through programs such as the Microsoft Learn Students program.

Here are the teams, the qualifying category, the country and details about their solutions.

Imagine Cup World Finals – Africa Teams

Alpha14 – South Africa, Education category

ULearn is an online learning platform that consists of exciting and interactive activities, assessments, simple flashcards, and numerous types of rewards. Activities are fun and motivate Down Syndrome children to learn and gather valuable statistics to track progress and emotions.

Neural Voxel – Kenya, Health category

Neural Voxel enables specialists to easily and swiftly diagnose various forms of diseases in MRI and CT scans with much higher accuracy while at the same time reducing the workload and fatigue rates of specialists.

Sayari – Kenya, Earth category

In order to reduce post-harvest losses and maximize yields for farmers, the Ideal Monitoring System aims to ensure ideal conditions for the safe storage and transportation of produce in transit and in stores.

Team U-Map – Cameroon, Education category

U-Map is a mobile app that serves to provide geolocation services so students and lecturers can get directions to any location on campus using their mobile phones.

The_X_Team – Kenya, Education category

Kaizen helps mitigate issues affecting education in Africa.

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