BarCamp Tamale 2012 is a free networking event bringing people together for a day of discussion, demonstrations and dialogue about Tamale, Northern Ghana and beyond. BarCamp Tamale 2012 follows last year’s November 26 event at the Tamale Polytechnic in Tamale, Ghana.

This year’s edition will be held on July 14 at the Tamale Polytechnic. The theme is “Accelerating Development: Key Stakeholders & Priorities for Sustainable Change”. It will build upon local knowledge, expertise and resources in a supportive community for entrepreneurs, change makers, innovators and other leaders in Tamale and the Northern Region.

It will be organized in conjunction with LEAD-Ghana and the Tamale Google Technology User Group (GTUG). This Barcamp will focus on creating more awareness about the uses of technology; build knowledge on how to foster innovation in and around Tamale; and increase visibility through tourism, (re)branding and online content creation.

BarCamp Tamale 2012 will feature multiple sessions on Northern Ghana’s development agenda and the recently launched Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, businesses, social entrepreneurship, technology tools and products, as well as breakout sessions on topics relevant to the Northern region and beyond.

Like all Barcamps, there will be user-generated sessions and discussions where attendees get to set the agenda and topics for the day. Local experts will share knowledge on different technologies, and successful entrepreneurs and innovators will share their stories to serve as role models for participants.

Register/RSVP today at the BarCamp Tamale eventbrite website. You may also contact the BarCamp Tamale team through this website for sponsorship opportunities.

If you are interested in organizing a breakout session, let us know, especially if you have special needs. BarCamp Tamale 2012 is sponsored by the GhanaThink Foundation, Tamale Polytechnic, LEAD-Ghana, Nandimobile, Tamale-GTUG, Fienipa Group, Savana Signatures, Northern Ghana Innovators.

Our media partners are Bishara Radio, SpyGhana and Radio Justice.

Register at http://barcamptamale12.eventbrite.com/. You can also register by sending “Barcamp Tamale, Your Name, Your Email Address” to 1945 on all mobile networks. See you there!

Get additional info at: http://barcampghana.org/contact or email, barcamp at ghanathink.org

Microsoft is preparing to release the newest and most significant upgrade to its Windows operating system since Windows 95, Windows 8. Usually a new Windows release no matter how exciting the improvements, brings up the issue of the cost of Windows (and software in general), in developing countries like Ghana.

With Windows 8, Microsoft is drastically changing pricing for upgrades. Announcing on the Windows Team Blog, Microsoft has pegged the price for Windows 8 Pro upgrades at $39.99 (slightly less than GH₵ 80.00, on July 6). Compare this to the upgrade costs for Windows 7,  which was $49 for the Home Premium version and $99 for the Professional version.

Starting at general availability, if your PC is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 you will qualify to download an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99 in 131 markets. And if you want, you can add Windows Media Center for free through the “add features” option within Windows 8 Pro after your upgrade.

The Windows Blog

As noted with the comparison with Windows 7, this pricing is even more extraordinary because it is for the highest consumer retail version, Windows 8 Pro. Windows 8 comes in two consumer retail editions, Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro, with Windows 8 Pro including additions for tech enthusiasts and IT professionals. This pricing essentially gives all consumers the opportunity to upgrade to the highest consumer edition for only $39.99.

Some pundits and journalists who cover Microsoft believe that Microsoft is fixing two problems with this upgrade offer. Microsoft really sees Windows 8 as its future and wants consumers, especially those still on XP to upgrade. They also probably opted to make the upgrade path to Windows 8 Pro not plain Windows 8, because of Windows Media Center.

In Windows 8, Microsoft wants to kill off Media Center and will offer it as a paid add-on for Windows 8 Pro only. Windows 8,  will not support Media Center. This upgrade essentially ensures that anyone who would have complained about losing Windows Media Center is afforded an easy and free way to get it via this Windows 8 Pro upgrade offer.

With this upgrade Microsoft is providing incentives for die hard fans of Windows Media Center to upgrade early. Consumers who opt for this upgrade offer will also get Windows Media Center for free.

There are a few caveats though. This pricing is an introductory offer and ends on January 31, 2013. With a general belief that Windows 8 will ship late October or early November, there is about a 3 month early upgrade window. It provides an upgrade path from Windows XP SP3, Vista (All Consumer Versions) and Windows 7 (All Consumer Versions) to Windows 8 Pro. Again noted Microsoft journalists suspect Microsoft will extend this offer, to gain more consumer goodwill in 2013.

The starting price of $39.99 for Windows 8 Pro upgrades is for digital downloads and upgrades via the Windows website with physical media discs (DVDs) costing $70.00. There is also an option to get a backup disc for $15.00 plus shipping costs, which I doubt will interest anyone in Ghana taking advantage of this offer.

Whatever the reason Microsoft really has for the upgrade price, I welcome it and have my Visa cards ready to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro. Unless of course Microsoft messes up and refuses my cards at which point, I will have a long rant and point to this post on Media Piracy.

FrontlineSMS, an open source software for sending and managing bulk SMS and SMS applications, has had a major revision released as FrontlineSMS Version 2.

According to the blog post announcing the release, FrontlineSMS Version 2, is a user driven improvement to the platform, focused on simplifying the software through a better and more intuitive user experience (UX) design.

Today, FrontlineSMS releases a new version of our award-winning software; more intuitive, simpler to extend and run over networks, and makes it easier to manage larger volumes of messages.

The FrontlineSMS project is spearheaded by the kiwanja Foundation, which leads the development and support effort for the project. It is similar to how the WordPress Foundation and Auctomattic spearhead development of the open source CMS platform, WordPress. The mission of FrontlineSMS is to empower communities by providing them with mobile tools.

We believe in giving local people ownership of the tools they need to change their world for the better. We have never monitored an election, or run a healthcare clinic, but our users have —and we help them to use mobile technologies in their work, without dictating how our software should be used.

FrontlineSMS has an interesting story, starting with the first public release in 2005, fueled by the dedication and programming skills of Ken Banks, the creator of FrontlineSMS. Ken Banks created FrontlineSMS while working on a conservation project in the Kruger National Park. He identified the need for the park authorities to engage the community in anti-poaching reporting and saw the most prevalent technology available to help was mobile phones.

Donations and fellowship funding spurred growth in 2006, requiring a foundation to be created, kiwanja, to manage the project in 2007. Making FrontlineSMS open source and a partnership in 2008 with Josh Nesbit, co-founder of Medic Mobile,  another open source project, created the core platform which has been widely adopted and used so far.

According to FrontlineSMS as of December 2011, without having released any new software since summer 2010, there had been 20,000 downloads. FrontlineSMS has grown to include sector specific projects, derived from the main FrontlineSMS platform. The various sector specific projects adapt and extend the software across specific sectors such as Health (FrontlineSMS:Medic, now spun out as a separate entity, MedicMobile); Finance (FrontlineSMS:Credit); Education (FrontlineSMS:Learn), Legal Services (FrontlineSMS:Legal) and Community Radio (FrontlineSMS:Radio).

FrontlineSMS Version 2, pre-launch prep, Nairobi Office. Credit: FrontlineSMS / Rick Roxburgh

FrontlineSMS Version 2, is based on feedback from users and organisations already using the software. FrontlineSMS was redesigned to improve the user experience based on feedback from users through a collaboration between the FrontlineSMS team and Gabe White, a Kamapala user experience (UX) designer.

Since late 2010, feedback from users on the existing platform, and learning from our work with organizations implementing the software, have been generating new designs and ideas …..we redesigned the software to be more intuitive, simpler to extend and run over networks, and make it easier to manage larger volumes of messages.

Specific improvements to the platform include making it easier for users to create and manage common SMS actvities and an improved architecture, making the platform more flexible and scaleable for developers to modify and integrate with otther platforms. FrontlineSMS Version 2 still works through a browser and runs across Windows, Mac and Linux and uses a phone or GSM modem and therefore does not require an internet connection. It can however leverage online bulk SMS service providers to send and manage SMS, with support for Clickatell and intelliSMS already built into the software.

However the current release of Version 2, does not yet include some Version 1 functionality which and therefore both Version 1 and Version 2 will be supported as the transition occurs. A tentative roadmap for bringing functionality from Version 1 into Version 2 has been provided, with Q3 – Q4 2012, targeted as the deadline.

The blog post also sates that new and additional functionality not present in Version 1, is also slated for 2012 to improve the overall platform. This includes integration with additional web-based SMS services and taking a fresh look at critical functionality such as how FrontlineSMS deals with forms-based data collection. Also on the map for later this year is a web-based test platform, which will allow new and exciting ways of hosting the software for users.

To find out more about FrontlineSMS Version 2, visit the project page for FrontlineSMS Version 2 and the sector specific project pages to see how FrontlineSMS Version 2 will impact these projects.

The US Postal Service (USPS) has with effect from May 16, 2012 stopped the shipment of lithium batteries and any electronics which use a lithium battery outside the US. In a press release, the USPS stated that the ban is as a result of safety concerns.

Lithium batteries have been reclassified as Dangerous Goods under USPS guidelines and policies. The press release hints that the decision is based in part on recent discussions by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) on the safety of lithium batteries on air transport.

A lithium battery can explode or catch fire under certain conditions. It is the reason most consumer electronics products ship with only a minimal charge, reducing the associated risks. Fully charged, improperly stored, or improperly packed lithium batteries are risky and can cause explosions. Some fatal and minor air transport accidents have been attributed to lithium batteries over the past few years.

Nonetheless the USPS stated in the press release that it is confident that on January 1, 2013, it will resume shipments worldwide. After this date, customers will be allowed to mail “specific quantities” of lithium batteries, or devices that contain them. USPS is one of the only postal services following new rules and regulations so strictly and it may therefore revise its decision before the January 1, 2013 date.

“Effective May 16, 2012, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) section 601.10.20 to codify that primary lithium metal or lithium alloy (nonrechargeable) cells and batteries or secondary lithium-ion cells and bat­teries (rechargeable) are prohibited when mailed interna­tionally or to and from an APO, FPO, or DPO location. However, this prohibition does not apply to lithium batter­ies authorized under DMM 601.10.20 when mailed within the United States or its territories.”

Most popular consumer electronics use a lithium battery, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops and cameras. This ban effectively reduces the number of courier options for shipping conusmer electronics into Ghana. USPS is also likely one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest and this will increase costs significantly for consumers who are used to their rates. This means for a good number of individuals and resellers, this could affect their prices and profit margins.

There are of course other options for shipping consumer electronics into Ghana and the popular private courier services (UPS, Fedex, DHL and TNT) will certainly pick up the excess shipments. Private courier services are however more expensive, sometimes in the regions of hundreds of dollars.

There are also additional options in the form of freight forwarders, companies that receive your parcels on your behalf and forward it to an address of your choice. Freight forwarders might actually be the ones to benefit as their services usually are more competitively priced as compared to the big courier companies.

Not sure if a particular category of products you have in mind might be affected. Look at the following table USPS has provided to detail the categories of produts affected

Geographic restrictions on access to some consumer websites usually in the US, have finally made me reach breaking point. There are two main reasons for writing this post. I need to vent out my frustrations and in the same breath open up the issue for discussion. Should this behaviour be tolerated as a legitimate inconvenience or protested as a misguided annoyance?

This issue to clarify is different from the copyright issues around access to music and video content online, which requires its own separate lengthy discussion. This particular frustration is in reference to geographic restrictions which limit access to the domain or server on which the consumer websites guilty of this behaviour are found.

This behaviour in the scheme of things to be prostested online may be insignificant compared to some potential and actual gross restrictions and violations on the web. Comapred to the now abanodned proposed US legislation SOPA or China’s Great Firewall, this may be pretty small. However it is behaviour I find breaks the use of the web and I think should be strongly discouraged. Let me explain why.

Pinterest is a site which allows people to collect and curate images from around the web, termed as pins. It is now the hottest web community in the US right now, gettying plenty of buzz. I decided recently to find out what the pinterest fever is all about.

I decided to browse through some food related pins and in the process stumbled upon pins from Williams Sonoma, a US retailer’s website. I had never heard of this company before but apparently they have been doing this since 1956. This of course piqued my interest (the desserts looked delicious too mind you), so I clicked through to their profile page on pinterest. So far so good. As I browsed through their pins I wanted to see see a specific recipe and then things turned very sour.

Source: williams-sonoma.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

Source: williams-sonoma.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Generic Error for Website Restrictions

Clicking through to the Williams Sonoma website takes you to a generic access denied page from the server. This is not a fancy custom error page but a generic blank page which says “You are not authorized to access the webpage at http://www.williams-sonoma.com/. You may need to sign in. HTTP Error 403 (Forbidden)”. This is jarring and a really really horrible way to deny access to your content. At the very least they could be more polite about how they restrict access to their content. Less tech savvy users will most definitely blame their internet connectivity and will not know this is happening intentionally.

Being something of a pro at being denied access based on geographic location I knew immediately something could be up. After a couple of browser refreshes and still no change, I switched on my VPN software to investigate my theory. As soon as it was done provisoning my US based IP, I was immediately allowed access. What possible reason is there for restricting users from finding the recipe for those delicious chocolate cupcakes above?

As I stated I am a pro at being rejected (see how sad that sounds) and other notable websites which have jilted me are Lowes and J.C. Penney. Lowes I discovered when a relative was curious about the cost of buying and shipping over a prefabricated white picket fence verusus having one made locally. I decided to try Amazon and then Lowes since they are one of the biggest home improvement store in the US. Access Denied! J.C. Penney I discovered during the chsristmas sales peroid, when I wanted to buy quality, discounted polo shirts. The brand I had in mind after ssing a friend’s own is a JCPenney brand. Access Denied!

So are there legitimate issues for this behaviour? Yes. Geographic restrictions are a legitimate and allowed functionality on the web. However its use similar to the examples above, I believe breaks the open and global nature of the web. Here is a quote which I think summarizes the way I feel perfectly.

IP filtering [Blocking a user based on the country of origin of their IP address] is like the bouncer at the door. You wouldn’t expect to find a bouncer standing next to your bakery’s door. Likewise, don’t overdo it with geo blocking. Use it sparingly.

The websites in question are operated by private entities and therefore have a right to operate their web properties as they wish. In fact, annoying as it is, I am begrudgingly more tolerant of geographic restrictions when it is related to e-commerce websites. Avoiding unecessary credit card fees, reducing support and customer service costs and limting fraud are all potential genuine reasons for restricting access. However in my opinion the behaviour in most cases is implemented wrongly and misguided. Let me explain why.

Fraud is a genuine concern but in reality cases from outside the US may not exceed US based fraud in terms of total financial loss to businesses. (See this post based on the 2008 ICS Annual Fraud Report.) As a security feature geographic restrictions are almost useless. The people engaged in fraud have the tools and technical ability to bypass these restrictions easily.

Credit Card processing fees for consumers outside of the US may still be incurred even if the transaction does not result in a sale. Support and customer service is also costly. It is therefore perfectly reasonable for US only retailers to restrict access by geography right? Yes! However what happens when a US consumer (expatriate worker or tourist) decides to visit any of these sites from Ghana? Acesss Denied! It might make more sense to restrict access to specific parts of the website, account creation and checkout pages, for example.

An example of a US retailer reducing the risk of fraud and other costs without totally excluding non US customers is Best Buy. They not only allow you to browse their entire catalog but also allow shopping with non US debit cards but it must be shipped to a US shipping address. This ensures at least one person within the purchase chain is within the jusridiction of US law enforcement, if any fraud is perpetrated.

[Update: Edited to reflect the point about Best Buy better]

I know most of Africa ( and therefore Ghana) may not be a priority for these US retailers and consumer websites. However as Africa grows into a middle income spending beast, these retailers just might have to wake up to the huge opportunities here. Whether or not they do, implementing a better strategy around geographic restrictions is a must. Hope springs eternal!

What do you think? Should I just suck it up and knwoing these are private entities accept geographic restictions as is or I have a right to feel their implementations are msiguided and unjustified and should protest?

This year seems set to be a great year for startups and projects from the Ghanaian tech scene to make major breakthroughs and get international recognition. The latest in this trend is mNotify,a project from students of KNUST, being chosen to demo at the Fifth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD2012).

The conference is happening at Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, from March 12 to 15. ICTD is the world’s premier conference examining the role of computers and communications in social, economic and political development. The conference will attract over 500 leading scholars and practitioners working at the intersections of information technologies and global development. Honorable Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communication and Technology, Federal Republic of Nigeria is the keynote speaker for ICTD.

The ICTD2012 Demo Committee announced the projects that have been accepted for the conference and mNotify is one of the 29 selected. The demo projects according to the conference organisers represents 35 academic institutions and organizations on five continents. A qucik description of mNotify is as an “SMS Notification System for Information Dissemination in Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) in Ghana”. The app is created by Robert Okine Kabutey, Godwin Amefia, Ronald Tagoe, and Pierre Brunache, Jr., Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology and mFriday.

mFriday is a mobile and web development lab bringing together developers and business school students in and around KNUST, with plans for extending their geographic reach as they grow. The group is focused solving practical problems leveraging mobile and web technologies.

The group meets on Fridays to share ideas and develop mobile applications intended to solve problems and improve services in Ghana and eventually Africa. Meetings are usually held at the new Vodafone Cafe at KNUST. mFriday has 210 active members (still counting) with diverse backgrounds, which reflect the unique inter-disciplinary nature of ICT for Development (ICT4D).

mFriday draws support from the University Information Technology Services (UITS) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Mobile Web Ghana (a WebFoundation Initiative) and Vodafone Ghana.

A more extensive description of mNotify goes into detail about the intended use cases and the potential clients and customers for the system. The description is taken from a repository for Ghanaian web applications which launched recently.

mNotify is a web based SMS notification system that seeks to notify people about meetings, fees, events, exams timetables and any other things that involves sending out notifications to members of an organization or institution as well as government agencies. The system allows people to register online and subscribe for the various notifications. Registered members can also join various groups on mNotify. Groups are formed by users. Any user that forms a group becomes the administrator of that group. Each administrator also has the ability to accept requests from subscribers that wish to join that group as well as send SMS notifications to the members of the group. Each user can edit his/her information.

The main target are university and college students, members of organizations and societies,workers of companies, government agencies. mNotify is live and is already in use by a couple of businesses including: Piri Piri, a fast food restuarant; HomeStyle, a home decor and furniture shop; and Prime Motors all in Kumasi.

You can get started using the platform by visiting the mNotify website and you can connect with them on facebook.

Mobile World Congress, the biggest event in the mobile industry, is currently going on in its usual venue, Barcelona, Spain and is scheduled to end on March 1. Mobile World Congress brings together the press, manufacturers and vendors of mobile and wireless technology, mobile operators and content providers from all over the world. The conference is organized by the GSM Association, the largest mobile industry association. Here are quotes from the GSMA about what the association does and about Mobile World Congress.

The term “Mobile World Congress” includes everything that happens during the four days of the event. There are many components that make up the event, including a conference programme, an exhibition, our programme for app developers called App Planet, an awards programme and great networking opportunities

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations.

Last year we failed to cover MWC 2011 and although we missed out the people who attend most certainly did not. Last year according to the GSMA stats was the biggest ever for MWC.

Mobile World Congress 2011 was by all accounts a record-breaking year: Highest-ever total attendance: more than 60,000; Highest-ever number of CEOs in attendance: more than 3,000; Largest-ever number of exhibitors: 1,400; Largest-ever number of press: 2,900+ press members representing 1,500 media outlets; Largest-ever gathering of Mobile App Developers: more than 12,000

This year mobile is set to be even bigger as mobile technology proliferates even more of our lives. As more and more people adopt smartphones and tablets for both working on the go and entertainment and lifestyle activities, mobile has become essential. As we cover Mobile World Congress, we will try and focus the coverage on the companies, brands and technologies which will have the biggest impact in Africa and Ghana.

We will focus on providing an overview post of all the major announcements and then go into details for the ones we feel we need to dig into deeper for our readers. We will therefore be covering established brands like Samsung, Nokia, LG and also brands like Huawei, ZTE which focus on middle tier hardware.

More power, more speed, longer battery life. These are the main themes as phones with Quad Core Tegra 3 chips, mobile radio system on chips which support faster mobile broadband technlogies (like HSPA+) and LTE. ZTE is the brand with the most traction this year and they had a slew of both Android and Windows Phone announcements. ZTE is the brand with the most traction this year and they had a slew of both Android and Windows Phone announcements.

After the hectic announcements from Day 1 and Day 2 (and Day 0, a lot of press happened before Day 1), we think Android, as expected is the big show at MWC 2012. However Nokia has also made a really big splash for something that is intriguing. A feature phone albeit with a new type of camera. Their Windows Phone handset aimed at the mass market is also a surprise hot item with the international press as it has the potential to take Windows Phone to the masses in emerging economies, like Ghana. Intel also has gotten into the low end market and even more importantly the mobile market with its Smartphone Atom based processors.

Another of the interesting aspects of Mobile World Congress is the awards programme, the Global Mobile Awards. In 2012, there are 32 individual awards segmented into eight categories, covering all aspects of the mobile industry. Although some of the awards and their nominees be outside the mainstream interest, Best Embedded Mobile Device (Non-Handsets), others like Best Mobile App for Consumers and Best Smartphone are things we talk (and argue) about, a lot, if not every day.

Here are the nominees from these two categories I think will interest our readers. Check out the rest at the nominees page. We’ll post the final results when they are decided.

There is just so much information flowing out of the event that we may need help on this one. Tell us about a particular service, technology or product announced that will affect Ghana somehow we should write about? We are open to guest posts from you out there.

Reach out to me just2izy [at] gmail dot com.

The next version of Microsoft’s operating system for desktop computing devices (PCs, laptops, tablets), Winodws 8, is almost upon us. Last year Microsoft released an early build to developers to allow them to experiment with new features and ideologies as they gear up to develop for the new platform. Very soon, as early as by the end of February, it will be the turn of ordinary users.

[Update] Microsoft has since sent out official invitations for an event on February 29 at 3pm in Barcelona, which reads “Windows 8 Consumer Preview” as part of Mobile World Congress (MWC).

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview (aka beta) has been rumored to become available within the month and new information seems to have surfaced about this new and radically different version of Windows. Windows 8 if you have not seen the new interface prominently emphasizes the Metro UI, Microsoft’s new preferred design interface for all its operating systems.

It is a whole new Windows with emphasis on bigger icons and images and brighter colours. This will bring Windows in line with Windows Phone, where they debuted the interface, and the XBox which got a dashboard upgrade last year to use a Metro style interface. The Metro UI is the default interface but the traditional Windows Desktop can be enabled by users to enjoy the more familiar Windows 7 styled Windows interface, if preferred.

The new major rumour is in reference to the Start button which has been present in all versions of Windows since it appeared in Windows 95. According to anonymous sources of The Verge, a US based tech website, the Windows 8 Consumer Preview will not include the Start button as we know it and it is rumored it will be replaced by a “hot corner” (think hotspot within an image) and a “thumbnail-like user interface” that offers previews of “where you will navigate to after clicking on the new visual element.”

The good news is that it seems Microsoft has responded to a lot of the complaints cited by users in the Developer Preview, which to be fair at the time of release they stated was going to be very different from the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

With a final release date tipped for the end of 2012 or early 2013, it will serve users, especially technical and IT managers well to try out the consumer preview and get ready for the change. It is also important not just for the aesthetics but with concepts like Live Tiles, items on the Start Screen (email, social apps, news, weather ) being constantly updated, internet bandwidth for example, becomes an issue for businesses to assess and roll out appropriate policies and measures.

We are also going to do our bit to help get ready by doing a series of articles about what to expect differently in Windows 8. If you do not mind reading first hand, technical details, you can check out the Building Windows 8 blog (by the Windows engineering team) which details most of the new changes or if you are a developer, the Windows Dev Center to get ready.

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Networking your home or office to get fast, reliable access to internet, files and content on your network, can (and is almost always) a hassle. Wired solutions involve drilling and cabling (which leads to messed up carpeting and flooring, etc), which most people given an option would avoid. Wireless solutions avoid most of these problems and are convenient and easy to setup. However, wireless routers invariably offer less coverage of your home or office and require either wiring some areas or additional equipment (wireless extenders, access points, etc) to maximise coverage.

There is a really innovative alternative solution which has been around for a couple of years but seems on the large part to be either unknown or ignored in Ghana for home/office use, Powerline Networking. So what is Powerline Networking?

Powerline Networking is specific use case of a wider system, Power line communication (PLC), which Wikipedia defines as “systems for carrying data on a conductor also used for electric power transmission”. Powerline Networking is therefore simply using existing standard home electrical wiring to create a network to interconnect home computers, peripherals and home entertainment devices that have an Ethernet port and allow distribution of broadband Internet, HD video, digital music and smart energy applications across homes. Powerline networking is emerging as the backbone for home networks allowing any device to be connected wherever there is a power outlet in your home.

Although I have known about Power Line Communication (PLC) and even known about the VRA using a system based on PLC at Akosombo for data and internet connectivity (Broadband over power line (BPL)), it had never occurred to me that it could be leveraged for networking within homes and offices. It was therefore fantastic to read about Cisco’s new Homeplug Powerline adapters (See Press Release), which in turn led me to discover a whole slew of existing products offering similar functionality.

(Note. I have contacted Cisco support to find out if their products support 220V-240V (50Hz) power, which is what we use in Ghana).

Although there are several standards for powerline networking, just as always happens ( VHS beat Betamax, Blu-ray beat HD DVD), one standard usually wins and dominates. Homeplug (Homeplug AV is a version of this standard) has become the commonest industry standard and is sponsored by the Homeplug Powerline Alliance made of about 65 member organisations. The HomePlug Powerline Alliance also provides the compliance and interoperability program to support the IEEE standard for broadband over powerline networks, IEEE 1901. Here is a quote from the Alliance on why powerline networking just makes sense.

Power outlets are the most pervasive home wiring medium and power outlet connectivity is available worldwide, affording the use of multiple outlets in every room at a lower cost per connection point. HomePlug powerline networks are far easier to install than pulling the dedicated network cable needed for purely Ethernet-based networks and they can also be used to extend wireless coverage by allowing for optimum placement of access points. The convenience of connecting any device through a power outlet is also enabling exciting new products covering entertainment, information access, telephony services, and smart energy/smart home devices.

Although some setups involve wired/wireless combos and multiple adapters most Homeplug Powerline setups usually involve two adapters, one Ethernet adapter that connects to your router and a second adapter for your wired devices in another part of your home/office. Security usually involves setting up passwords on the devices before plugging thme into your sockets.

As you can tell, I am very excited by the discovery of these solutions and I have therefore decided to find and explore the various products and devices utilizing powerline networking, over the course of February. We’ll focus on Homeplug products which is the dominant industry standard, so from here on, we’ll assume powerline means Homeplug. First up most likely will be the new range of Cisco Linksys adapters which caught my eye and set off this cascading effect, that is, if they’ll work in Ghana.

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PS. For those of you who have known about this for a while, feel free to roll you eyes at my oohhing and aaahhing but I do hate the hassle of networking.

Samsung’s TV announcements were not restricted to their cutting edge 55 inch Super OLED television. There were also product announcements from the press conference about Smart TV, Samsung’s smart television platform. The new Smart TV platform offers advancements which will change how consumers interact with their TVs and smart devices and even how they buy Samsung TVs, based on three philosophies: Smart Interaction, Smart Content and Smart Evolution.

Smart Interaction (Motion & Voice Control, Facial Recognition)

Remotes, whether simple or sophisticated (QWERTY, touch enabled, etc) are the primary ways of interacting with televisions even with the introduction of wireless keyboards and mobile and tablet apps for interacting with televisions. Inspired by the popularity of motion control on devices like the Nintendo Wii, the facial and gesture recognition from Microsoft’s Kinect and voice control on mobile devices, Samsung televisions are getting similar functionality.

Samsung has equipped their Smart TV range of televisions with a mic and camera to enable users to launch and use apps on their televisions more easily through Motion Control, Voice Control and Face Recognition. Anyone who has seen a Kinect or Wii in action either in person or in a video will feel a sense of déjà vu from the camera on top of Samsung’s new Smart TVs and the gestures and controls needed to interact with them.

For example, users can turn the TV on or off, activate selected apps or search for content in the web browser simply with the keyword, “Hi TV”, and giving commands in any of the 20 to 30 languages supported by the technology. With a wave of their hand, they can also browse and choose a link or content via the web browser. The built-in camera recognizes movement in the foreground and two unidirectional array microphones recognize voice at an incredibly accurate rate. Noise cancellation technology helps separate any background noise from the users’ commands.

Interactions always look super cool in concept and advertising videos, we will have to wait and see just how well it works in real life.Anyone with an Xbox Kinect knows sometimes you have to adopt slight accent to get it to work well and facial recognition also brings its own set of challenges.

Smart Content

We are in the age of sharing, for better or worse (I think for better) and our televisions are being envisioned as the center of the sharing of content. Samsung’s premium televisions are being made to make the sharing of photos, music and videos across your TV to, the cloud (the internet) and smart devices easier.

Samsung is doing this through features like their new AllShare Play which is an evolution of its AllShare feature which allows users to access, manage and share content on supported smartphones, tablets, cameras, computers or TVs, regardless of their location. Samsung is also extending its successful Media Hub app, currently pre-loaded on Galaxy S smartphones and Galaxy Tabs, to the TV. Samsung Smart Hub on the TV takes advantage of the dual core processing technology in the new 2012 Premium LED and Plasma models to offer true multi-tasking, allowing users to surf the web while using or downloading multiple apps simultaneously.

However most of the goodness offered in the form of actual content (movies and TV shows) via the Media Hub will most definitely be restricted for viewing by region, meaning Ghana (and most of Africa) will most likely not be supported. Other apps like games (yes including Angry Birds) may be available. Unavailability of content even more than the relatively high prices of data connectivity usually curbs the enthusiasm around connected device platforms.

Future Proofing Your TV with Smart Evolution

This is my personal favourite among the three parts of ‘the new Smart TV platform. A selection of the 2012 Smart TVs are “future proof” through the use of what is termed an “Evolution Kit” which will be a way to swap out the processor to more capable hardware as newer technology becomes available to handle future improvements and platform changes.

Thanks to its proprietary system-on-chip technology, Samsung is the only company that can deliver an evolving TV, which allows you to easily enjoy the benefits of the latest TV technology year after year without purchasing a brand new set. With a simple slot-in to the back of TV, Samsung’s Evolution Kit will bring the latest and greatest TV technology to life. It is important to note, the Evolution Kit will not be available until 2013.

Gallery (Click to Enlarge)

Check out this cool Interactive Graphic of Samsung’s Smart TV platform

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